Pokémon TCG Pocket Deluxe Pack: Mega Has Guaranteed Pokémon ex Cards

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has opened Deluxe Pack: Mega, a digital expansion designed to make one part of the pack-opening chase far less uncertain: every four-card pack includes at least one Pokémon ex. The set also revisits cards released from Mega Rising through Ruler of the Skies, including reissues of every ♦♦♦♦ card from those expansions.

That makes Deluxe Pack: Mega a catch-up-focused release as well as a new collection target. Players who missed earlier expansions have another route to cards from that period, while existing collectors have parallel foil versions and newly illustrated variants to pursue. For a closer overview of the launch, see this report on Deluxe Pack: Mega’s guaranteed Pokémon ex cards.

What the guaranteed Pokémon ex means

A Pokémon ex is the named high-profile card type guaranteed in every Deluxe Pack: Mega pack. The key practical detail is the floor on each opening: there are four cards per pack, and one of those four will be a Pokémon ex. That is a defined promise about pack contents, not a promise of a particular Pokémon ex, a specific ♦♦♦♦ card, a parallel foil, or one of the new-art treatments.

For players trying to assemble decks, a guarantee can reduce the frustration associated with opening a pack and receiving no card from the featured rarity tier. For collectors, it changes the nature of the hunt. The question is less whether an ex card appears at all and more which ex appears, whether it is already owned, and whether the remaining cards include a desired reissue or cosmetic variation.

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Deluxe Pack: Mega therefore looks especially relevant to two overlapping groups:

Players looking to fill gaps from the expansion range running from Mega Rising to Ruler of the Skies.
Collectors who already have cards from that range but want foil treatments or alternate artwork.

The expansion’s reprint angle is important. A reissue returns an existing card to the available card pool; it does not necessarily mean every version is identical in presentation. Deluxe Pack: Mega specifically adds the possibility of parallel foil cards and cards with new artwork, giving returning cards a reason to matter beyond straightforward completion.

Reissues, ♦♦♦♦ cards, and visual variants

The stated card pool includes many previously introduced cards, capped by a notable completeness claim: every ♦♦♦♦ card from the referenced expansions is being reissued. In Pocket’s rarity notation, ♦♦♦♦ identifies a particular four-diamond rarity band. That detail gives collectors a clearer target list than a vague promise of selected returning cards, even though the full distribution of individual pulls is not detailed here.

The release also distinguishes between cards returning in the expansion and the more decorative cards players may encounter. Parallel foil generally refers to an alternative foil treatment applied to a card, while a card with new artwork is visually different from an earlier version. Both can be meaningful collection goals even when the underlying character or card role is familiar.

That separation matters when evaluating the set’s appeal. A returning card may help a player obtain something they lacked. A foil or fresh-art version may instead appeal chiefly to someone building a visual collection, personalizing a favorite deck, or looking for a distinct presentation of a familiar card. Deluxe Pack: Mega is positioned to serve both motivations at once.

Mega Charizard X cosmetics begin September 30

Alongside the card release, Mega Charizard X-themed covers and backdrops are scheduled to become available on Wednesday, September 30. These are presentation items for displaying cards rather than new cards themselves. Covers and backdrops give players a way to frame a card collection in the app, and the Mega Charizard X theme ties the cosmetic offering directly to the expansion’s Mega branding.

Collectors interested in both card variants and profile presentation will have separate objectives here: opening Deluxe Pack: Mega for its cards, then obtaining the related visual customization items when they arrive.

A late-October 2026 systems overhaul is on the way

Deluxe Pack: Mega arrives ahead of a more consequential set of changes planned for late October 2026. The upcoming update affects how players discover decks, use rental decks, progress through solo content, and access certain existing rewards. Some elements are additions; others are retirements. That distinction is worth understanding before the update lands.

Community decks will add public deck discovery

A community decks feature will let players search deck lists that other players have made public. If a player owns the listed cards, they will be able to build that deck. In simple terms, this turns public deck construction into something searchable inside the game rather than merely something players must reconstruct from a list elsewhere.

Its usefulness depends on card ownership. A discovered deck is not described as a free unlock: players must possess the cards to build it. Still, the feature should make Deluxe Pack: Mega’s reissues more practical. A returning card can go from being an appealing collection entry to a visible missing piece in a deck list a player wants to try.

Rental decks are changing, while current ones will be removed

Current rental decks will be deleted. They are being replaced by rentals built around cards from the latest booster packs, which can be used an unlimited number of times in both solo and versus battles. The move creates a clear transition: players should not assume that an existing rental deck will remain after the overhaul.

The replacement model is significant because unlimited use is explicitly promised for the new rentals. It could give players a way to experiment with recently released cards in both major battle contexts without first having to construct every deck themselves. The available information does not identify the exact deck lists or say which cards each rental deck will include, so those details remain to be announced.

At the same time, theme deck lists and deck missions will be discontinued. Players who rely on those systems should treat the change as a replacement of one onboarding and progression structure with another, not as a simple addition layered over everything already in place.

Step-up battles will be replaced by a staged solo system

Step-up battles are also being reworked into a new solo-battle system whose difficulty increases as players advance through stages. The broad idea is progression through increasingly challenging content, but no further mechanics, reward structure, or stage count have been specified.

There is an important timing implication: once the update arrives, the present step-up battles will no longer be accessible. Their first-time rewards and battle tasks will no longer be obtainable either. Players with unfinished step-up objectives should be aware that these are described as departing content, not content that will simply receive a new label.

The release period includes several events aimed at collection and battle play. In late September through early October, a mass outbreak event will add glossy parallel foil cards to rare picks and bonus picks. Event missions will award shop tickets for picking and collecting specified cards.

From mid- to late October, Ranked Match Season B4b SP will award more rank points than usual. Its win-streak bonus is being expanded up to 10 consecutive victories. Defeats will not cost rank points or cause a player to drop in rank, regardless of their rank. This is a notably forgiving seasonal format: losses do not erase rank progress under the stated rules, while continued wins build toward the larger streak bonus.

Elsewhere in the schedule, the Mega Garchomp ex Drop Event will let players earn B Series vol. 13 promo packs through solo battles. A wonder pick event will feature Charmander and Drampa cards. Together, these events give players routes to targeted promo and event cards separate from Deluxe Pack: Mega’s four-card packs.

One purchase deadline to note

The start of the new series will end the availability of Release Celebration: Poké Gold deals, whether bought in-game or through the official web store. No pricing or exact end date is provided beyond the connection to the new series, but the message is unambiguous: those deals are being retired rather than carried forward.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is available on iOS and Android. More details about the late-October update are expected closer to its release, particularly around the new deck, rental, and solo-battle systems.