Every so often a set arrives that pulls the whole hobby into one conversation. Pitch Black is that set for July. It launched worldwide on July 17 as the fifth expansion of the Mega Evolution era, and it did something the Pokemon Trading Card Game rarely commits to fully: it went dark, both in theme and in tone. Shadow-typed Mega Evolutions, moody card frames, and a single headline card that everyone is chasing. If you collect, trade, or simply enjoy watching a release move through the market, this is the one worth understanding right now.
The reason to pay attention is not just novelty. Pitch Black sits at an unusual crossroads of high demand, genuinely striking artwork, and pull rates steep enough to make the chase meaningful. That combination tends to separate collectors who buy on impulse from those who buy on a plan. This piece is about building the plan.
What Pitch Black Actually Is
Pitch Black, catalogued as ME05, carries more than 115 cards in the base set and 120 once you count the secret rares. That is a compact set by modern standards, which matters more than it sounds. A smaller checklist concentrates value into fewer chase slots, so the cards at the top of the rarity ladder carry more of the set's overall demand. When collectors talk about Pitch Black, they are really talking about a short list of cards that define it.
The theme does a lot of quiet work here. Mega Evolution sets have leaned bright and kinetic, so a shadow-forward expansion stands out on a shelf and in a binder. Card frames lean into darker palettes, and the alternate-art treatments were clearly designed to reward close looking. For a hobby where display matters as much as play, aesthetics are not a footnote. They are part of why certain cards hold attention long after the launch window closes.
The Chase: Mega Darkrai ex
The card carrying this set is Mega Darkrai ex, and it appears in more than one form. At the very top sits the Mega Hyper Rare, the single gold pull of the set, numbered near the end of the list. Just below it is the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by Akira Egawa, a card that has become the emotional center of the release. Egawa's version is the one collectors keep sharing, and the artwork is doing exactly what a chase card should: it makes people want the physical object, not just the checklist entry.
Prices reflect that pull. Early estimates put the Special Illustration Rare in the range of roughly 400 to 600 dollars at launch, with some European pre-orders landing near 460 euros and projections stretching toward 550 to 750 dollars as supply and demand settle. The gold Mega Hyper Rare sits higher still. These are launch-window figures, which means they are volatile by nature. Treat them as a snapshot, not a promise.
Reading the Pull Rates Honestly
Numbers help cut through excitement, so here is the grounded version. Across 253 packs opened, roughly three full booster boxes, collectors reported about nine standard ex cards and four Illustration Rares per box, with around 41 percent of packs yielding an ex or better. That top-line figure sounds generous until you narrow the focus to the cards you actually want.
The Darkrai chases sit far deeper. Special Illustration Rares in general land roughly once every five to six boxes. The specific Mega Darkrai ex Special Illustration Rare shows up closer to once every thirty-plus boxes, and the gold Hyper Rare is rarer than that. Put plainly, opening product is a poor route to the headline card unless you are prepared to open a great deal of it. For most collectors, the math favors buying the single you want over gambling on packs, and the earlier you accept that, the more money you keep.
A Practical Buying Framework
Different goals call for different moves, so match your spending to what you actually want from the set.
If you collect for display and want the Darkrai centerpiece, buy the specific single rather than sealed product. You will spend less per attempt and you will end up with the exact card in the exact condition you chose. Waiting a few weeks past launch often helps, since the sharpest price spikes tend to soften once the initial pre-order rush clears and graded copies start entering the market.
If you enjoy the ritual of opening packs, budget for the experience rather than the outcome. Decide in advance how many packs or boxes you are comfortable opening, treat any big pull as a bonus, and do not chase losses by buying more product to make back what you spent. The 41 percent ex-or-better rate means you will pull something worth keeping, and that is the honest reward of opening.
If you are thinking about long-term value, prioritize condition and the cards with staying power. The Egawa Darkrai Special Illustration Rare has the profile that tends to age well: a marquee Pokemon, standout art, and a permanent place in the set's story. Cards like that hold collector interest long after the pull-rate conversation fades. Sealed booster boxes can also appreciate, but only if you have the discipline to leave them sealed.
What This Release Signals for the Wider Hobby
Pitch Black is worth watching beyond its own cards because it tests a few ideas at once. It leans hard on a single character to carry demand, it uses a smaller checklist to concentrate value, and it bets that darker, art-forward design will pull collectors who might otherwise sit a set out. If that bet pays off, expect more sets built around a strong central chase and a tighter list rather than sprawling checklists with diffuse value.
For collectors, the practical takeaway is the same one that survives every hype cycle. The market rewards patience and punishes impulse. The people who do well with a release like this are rarely the ones who bought the most on launch day. They are the ones who decided ahead of time what they wanted, set a number they were comfortable with, and stuck to it while everyone around them chased the same gold card.
Key Takeaways
Pitch Black launched July 17 as a compact, shadow-themed Mega Evolution set built around Mega Darkrai ex, with the Akira Egawa Special Illustration Rare as its emotional and financial center. Launch prices for that card sit roughly in the 400 to 600 dollar range and remain volatile. Pull rates for the top Darkrai chases are steep enough that buying the single almost always beats opening product if the card itself is the goal. Whatever your approach, decide your budget and your target before the momentum decides for you. That single habit will do more for your collection than any pull ever could.
This article covers market conditions as of late July 2026. Prices for trading cards move quickly, and figures cited here are launch-window estimates rather than guaranteed values. Always confirm current pricing before buying or selling.