Pokémon TCG Pitch Black expansion launches July 17 — Darkrai hits $1,000 as top 10 cards revealed

Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution – Pitch Black launches July 17, 2026, and early TCGplayer data already shows serious collector and player interest, with several cards spiking fast in both value and search volume. The set leans hard into Ghost and Dark-types, eerie cityscapes, Mega Evolutions, and brand-new Trainer cards.

The top 10 most valuable cards in Pitch Black right now span a wide price range. Mega Darkrai ex (116/084), the Ultra Rare with the Pitch Black attack — an instant Knock Out if the defending Pokémon is asleep or poisoned — sits at $27.23, but it's only the tenth most valuable card in the set, meaning pricier Darkrai variants are still to come. Goldeen (087/084) is notable as the first full-art card in TCG history for the Kanto Water-type, fetching $26.87. Slowbro (090/084), an Illustration Rare set against the murky streets of Lumiose City rather than its usual beachy backdrop, is one of the fastest-rising cards at $28.49 — its All Out attack deals 160 extra damage if you have no cards in hand. Gladion's Final Battle (118/084) is a $29.24 Trainer card already seeing competitive play at the Indonesia Master Ball League; it can only be played as your last card, but it grants your non-Rule Box Pokémon 80 extra damage that turn. Primarina (088/084), a Generation 7 Illustration Rare with the Enriching Melody ability that heals all damage from one of your Pokémon when it evolves, is priced at $44.67. Misty's Vitality (111/084), illustrated by En Morikura, lands at $60.36 — and Misty cards historically command a massive premium in the TCG market.

Pitch Black is part of what's shaping up to be a packed summer of TCG releases. The Mega Evolution series brings back the fan-favorite mechanic from the X and Y era, and focusing an entire expansion on Dark and Ghost-types with a horror-city aesthetic is a deliberate departure from the sunnier themes that have dominated recent sets. Misty's card in particular taps into a well-documented collector pattern: iconic anime characters, especially from the original series, reliably drive prices well above the average Ultra Rare.

With the set not even live yet and a Darkrai variant reportedly valued around $1,000 still undetailed in the top 10, Pitch Black looks set to be one of the more aggressively chased expansions of 2026. Collectors and competitive players alike will be watching closely when packs start opening on July 17.