Pokémon TCG Pocket Deluxe Pack: Mega guide

Dates, not guesswork

When did Deluxe Pack: Mega release?

Pokémon TCG Pocket Deluxe Pack: Mega launched on September 29, 2026 at 6 p.m. PDT. That is September 30 at 01:00 UTC, 02:00 in London (BST), 03:00 in Berlin (CEST), and 09:00 in Singapore (SGT). The September 29 and September 30 dates describe the same launch.

The first availability window is reported as September 30–October 29, 2026. That is a date range, not a promise that packs remain open until midnight in your time zone. Check the pack-selection screen for the exact local cutoff before planning a final opening session.

This is a digital Pocket expansion, not a physical booster product and not a Pokémon TCG Live release. When checking a card guide or trade offer, look for set code B4b. The earlier Deluxe Pack: ex is A4b; its card list and rates are not interchangeable with this set.

Launch: Pokémon’s announcement. Reported window: PokéBeach’s launch coverage. We have not independently verified an exact closing timestamp; this page does not invent a countdown.

What you are actually collecting

429 prints—not 429 different gameplay cards

The set brings back B-series cards and adds new presentations of selected cards. Its checklist has 402 main-set numbers plus 27 secret entries. Finish, illustration and card function are separate things: a foil can fill a binder slot without filling a new role in your deck.

Parallel foil means a different finish of a corresponding card, not an extra Ability or a stronger attack. For example, #013 Budew pairs with parallel-foil #246. The card list below records both numbers and links each foil to its standard counterpart.

New art is not a new deck slot. If you want to play a card rather than collect a particular image, check the inexpensive standard printing first. Also compare rules text, not just names: this set has two separate Aegislash entries, #163 and #164, with corresponding foils #340 and #341. A name-only checklist would incorrectly merge them.

Source: Serebii’s full checklist; counts calculated from the numbered entries.

Function before rarity

Which cards are worth targeting for play?

These are role-based examples, not a tournament tier list. The right pull is a missing piece of a deck you intend to use. Search the complete card list for the rest of that deck before spending: a catch-up set is not every Trainer or every evolution from every past expansion.

A Fighting attacker to build around

Mega Lucario ex #127

Mega Lucario ex has 190 HP. Its attack starts at 90 damage and gains 50 with an extra Fighting Energy attached. It is a concrete target if your planned Fighting list needs it; first check that you own its setup pieces.

Before you chase: A Mega ex knockout gives your opponent three points. Do not evaluate its damage without the risk of losing the match in one knockout.

Standard print: 500 Pack Points

Card rules & exchange cost

Water switching utility

Greninja ex #073

Greninja ex’s Ability can switch your Active Water Pokémon with a Benched Pokémon once during your turn. That gives it a specific use in a Water list that wants to move its Active Pokémon without paying a retreat cost.

Before you chase: It is still an evolution commitment. One ex card without the Basic and Stage 1 does not make a finished Water deck.

Standard print: 500 Pack Points

Card rules & exchange cost

A small Ability-disruption option

Budew #013

This Budew has a zero-Energy attack that removes the Defending Pokémon’s Abilities until it leaves the Active Spot. That is a narrow tactical role, not a generic instruction to collect every card named Budew.

Before you chase: It has only 30 HP. Choose it for a matchup or a deliberate deck plan, not because low rarity automatically makes a card expendable.

Standard print: 150 Pack Points

Card rules & exchange cost

A hand-refresh Supporter

Copycat #225

Copycat replaces your hand with a draw sized to your opponent’s hand. It can help when their hand is large, but it is not a fixed-size draw effect you can count on every turn.

Before you chase: Budget the Supporter slot as well as the card slot. The ordinary two-diamond print does the gameplay job without chasing its full art.

Standard print: 70 Pack Points

Card rules & exchange cost

Exchange costs above are for the exact B4b numbers shown, not all rarities of that Pokémon. Advice about how those functions fit a deck is our analysis; no win-rate or “best deck” claim is implied.

Choose the picture, then the budget

Collector targets: different goals, different odds

The hero shows three of the twelve new two-star Mega illustrations: Mega Lucario ex #418, Mega Charizard X ex #411 and Mega Gardevoir ex #416. They are not a ranking of which cards are strongest.

Write down the number. “Charizard” is not a precise chase: this set separates X and Y, and separates standard, two-star and immersive prints. Decide whether any functional copy is enough or only one exact print counts as success.

Source: Serebii’s individual print entries.

An honest probability model

Guaranteed ex ≠ guaranteed target

The published rate for a particular standard four-diamond ex, such as Greninja ex #073 or Mega Lucario ex #127, is 1.419% in the fourth slot of a normal four-card pack. The guarantee is spread across many ex cards; it is not a 1-in-4 chance of your chosen Pokémon.

Worked example: for one specific four-diamond ex, 20 normal packs give a 24.9% chance of at least one hit and a 75.1% chance of no hit. The first count that reaches 50% is 49 normal packs. A median is not a guarantee, and a previous miss does not make the next independent pack “due.”

Use 1 for one exact standard ex; use 5 if any of five different standard ex prints would count as a hit. Do not count the same print twice because you need two copies. This tool estimates at least one hit, not deck completion or two-copy odds.

20 normal packs; 1 different wanted four-diamond ex print. Slot-4 target chance: 1.419% per normal pack.

Rates: Serebii’s booster table and the individual #073 / #127 entries, checked October 1, 2026. The arithmetic is our calculation. Always compare your current in-game Offering Rates before using these figures.

A plan you can actually follow

Should you open Deluxe Pack: Mega—and when should you stop?

Use this three-step check before spending hourglasses

1. Define success: write the required card numbers and copy counts. Separate “would play” from “would display.”
2. Price the alternatives: check your point balances by expansion, current exchange costs, visible Wonder Picks and the in-game trade eligibility list. Do not assume every option is available.
3. Commit to a limit: choose how many packs you are comfortable opening without a hit. Stop at that number or when the objective is met, whichever comes first.

For illustration, ten different wanted four-diamond ex prints give a 14.2% fourth-slot target chance in one normal pack; one specific print gives 1.419%. This is why the same pack can be appealing for broad catch-up and frustrating for a last missing card. It is an argument about your useful outcomes, not a universal “best value” label.

Get the rules right

Missions, Pack Points and trades

Check mission progress before exchanging a card

Several collection objectives reward cards you may already want. Useful checks include the Mega ex collection, the parallel-foil Pokémon objective, both Mega Charizard forms, and the pair of Zoroark ex and Hisuian Zoroark ex. The ordinary objectives listed by the mission references give 12 Wonder Hourglasses and 2 Shop Tickets.

• Deluxe Pack: Mega Museum: collect the six one-star illustrations #403–408: Charmeleon, Baxcalibur, Meloetta, Fidough, Dratini, and Eevee.
• The special Mega illustration objective: collect one qualifying two-star Mega print from #409–420.

Each of those two special objectives is listed with 36 Wonder Hourglasses, 12 Pack Hourglasses and 10 Shop Tickets. Check the exact objective inside Missions: card-number requirements matter, and an older-expansion copy or the wrong finish may not qualify. A reward is a useful bonus, not a reason to chase six rare cards you did not otherwise want.

Mission numbers and rewards: Serebii’s Themed Collections and Pokémon GO Hub’s mission guide. We highlight relevant objectives rather than reproduce the entire mission list.

Pack Points do not expire

Do not rush an exchange just because the pack window is closing. Pokémon Support says points from all booster packs remain usable for exchange after the pack’s availability ends. Points are still expansion-specific: a B4b target is not a reason to assume your A4b or original-expansion balance can pay for it.

When filling a deck, compare the standard printing with the decorative printing before exchanging. The examples above cost 70 points for Copycat #225, 150 for Budew #013 and 500 for the standard ex examples. Opening packs builds the relevant point balance; receiving duplicates is not an independent way to earn more Pack Points.

Non-expiry: official Pack Points notice. Expansion-specific balances: Gameplay FAQ. Exact costs: the linked card entries above.

Do not assume a new print is tradeable

The current official Trading FAQ requires matching rarities and explains that trading unlocks 14 days after starting the game. For live eligibility, go to Social Hub → Trade → ? → Detailed trade list. Check that exact print and the displayed shinedust cost before treating a trade as your backup plan. This guide does not promise that every B4b rarity is tradeable on release.

Source: Pokémon Support’s Trading FAQ, updated September 8, 2026.

A complete, numbered reference

All 429 Deluxe Pack: Mega card prints

Search by name or number, then narrow by finish, rarity or TCG category. Every entry is in the page’s HTML: no account, API request or JavaScript is needed to read the checklist. Card names open their detail pages with full-size artwork and rules.

429 of 429 card prints

The ★ labels refer to illustration rarity, not a battle rating. Pokémon’s video-game types and these TCG categories are different systems.

No card prints match these filters. Clear the search or use Reset filters.

Source: Serebii’s set list; snapshot checked October 1, 2026.

Quick answers

Deluxe Pack: Mega FAQ

Evidence and limitations

Sources and how we checked

• Release and pack guarantee: Pokémon’s announcement. This is the primary source for the launch time and four-card format.
• Numbered card data and artwork: Serebii’s set database, checked October 1, 2026. Our local snapshot keeps 429 print numbers separate and validates all 166 foil-to-standard pairs, including the two Aegislash entries. German card-name reference: Pokémon GO Hub.
• Reported availability window: PokéBeach’s launch coverage. We do not publish an unverified exact end time.
• Rates: Serebii’s booster table cross-checked with individual ex entries. A non-ex row in that table has an apparent slot discrepancy, so we do not turn the whole table into an all-pack probability model. The tool uses only the documented normal-pack standard-ex slot.
• Current rules: official Pack Points notice, Gameplay FAQ and Pokémon Support’s Trading FAQ, updated September 8, 2026. In-game Offering Rates, deadlines, mission conditions and trade eligibility take priority if they change.
• Collection missions: Serebii’s Themed Collections and Pokémon GO Hub’s mission guide. The article highlights selected objectives, not an exhaustive mission reference.

The opening plans, target-role commentary and probability arithmetic are original analysis, not official recommendations. Card art is genuine game artwork, credited to Pokémon / Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK and the artists named on the linked card entries; it is not AI-generated. poconnections is an unofficial fan site. This guide has no pack-selling or affiliate links.