The Pokémon Company has teamed up with NME to give fans an exclusive first look at a new special illustration rare card from the upcoming Chaos Rising expansion, part of the Mega Evolution expansion line. The English-language Mega Dragalge ex card is the one being shown off first, and the set is due to launch on May 22.
Chaos Rising will feature 18 ultra rare Pokémon cards, six special illustration rare cards and 11 illustration rares, along with five ex cards and five mega evolution ex cards. Trainers will find Mega Floette ex wreaking havoc as night falls in Lumiose City, while Mega Greninja ex, Mega Pyroar ex and Mega Dragalge ex are among the cards players can use to push back the threat.
More Mega Evolution Pokémon ex will appear as ultra rare cards with silhouettes of their original forms worked into the artwork. The set, titled Mega Evolutions – Chaos Rising, will be sold in booster packs, Elite Trainer Boxes and other collections at participating retailers, and players can also get an early look through pre-release events at dedicated Play! TCG stores.
That rollout continues a pattern The Pokémon Company has followed since the first wave of Pokémon cards launched in the UK in 1999. It also comes as interest in the cards has surged over the past 18 months, helped by Pokémon TCG Pocket, the 151 set and record-breaking auction sales, while a special 30th anniversary collection is still due later this year.
The company has also lined up live events tied to the franchise, including confirmed Night Out EDM gigs in London and Los Angeles later this year and four Day Out events in France, the United States, Germany and Mexico this summer. For collectors, the immediate answer is simple: Chaos Rising is not just another expansion, but the next major release arriving on May 22.