Mega Greninja Is Coming and Pokemon Players Are Losing It

Build & Battle boxes are already in players' hands and I can confirm: Chaos Rising hits different. The latest Mega Evolution expansion drops May 22 and it's headlined by Mega Greninja ex, which is already the most hyped card in the set by a wide margin. But there's a lot more going on here than one chase card.

The Set at a Glance

Chaos Rising packs over 120 cards including five Mega Evolution Pokemon ex, five regular Pokemon ex, 11 illustration rares, 18 ultra rares, and six special illustration rare Pokemon and Supporter cards. The story centers on chaos erupting in Lumiose City as Mega Floette ex causes problems and trainers respond with heavy hitters like Mega Greninja ex, Mega Pyroar ex, and Mega Dragalge ex.

That's a solid card count with a good ratio of chase pulls. Not every modern set can say that.

Mega Greninja ex Is the Card

Look, I'm not going to pretend this isn't the reason most people are buying boxes. Mega Greninja ex sits at the top of the rarity ladder with a Mega Hyper Rare version that's going to command serious money on release day. Greninja has been a fan favorite since generation six and giving it the Mega treatment in a format where Mega Evolution ex cards are already format-defining is kind of insane.

The regular Mega Greninja ex is strong in gameplay too. If you're building for league play or local tournaments, you want copies of this card.

Other Cards Worth Chasing

Don't sleep on the rest of the lineup. Mega Pyroar ex has gorgeous artwork and solid competitive potential. Mega Dragalge ex brings a unique typing that could shake up some matchups. And Mega Floette ex, the villain of the set's story, has some of the best illustration rare artwork I've seen this year.

The Supporter special illustration rares are always popular with collectors and this set has six of them. Keep an eye on early pull rate data from the community once boxes start getting cracked next week.

Products and Promos

Here's what's dropping on May 22:

The Mega Zygarde ex Premium Collection is the big ticket product. You get a ready-to-play foil Mega Zygarde ex promo, an oversize lenticular card, and a tech sticker. Plus packs from the set obviously. The Mega Lucario ex League Battle Deck is also launching and it's a solid pickup if you want a competitive-ready deck out of the box.

And there's a retailer promo deal: spend $15 or more on Pokemon TCG products at participating stores on launch day and you get promo cards featuring Ho-Oh, Keldeo, and Delphox. All three look clean and they're free with purchase so no reason not to grab them.

Build & Battle Is Happening Now

Prerelease events started May 9 at participating stores. If you haven't gone yet, check your local game store for remaining slots this week. Build & Battle is hands down the best way to experience a new set because you're opening packs and building a deck on the spot against other people doing the same thing. The randomness is part of the fun.

If you're looking for Pokemon events in Austin, Home Town Cards stocks all the latest Pokemon TCG products and we've got events running all week.

Pre-Order or Wait?

Booster boxes are going to sell well on this one. Greninja hype alone guarantees strong first-week demand. If you want sealed product at a reasonable price, pre-ordering or buying on release day is the move. Singles will be expensive the first week, then settle down by week two or three as more product gets opened.

For collectors specifically, the special illustration rares in this set are some of the prettiest we've gotten in the Mega Evolution era. Worth targeting individually once prices stabilize.