Less than a week remains until Ascended Heroes arrives on January 30, and while product shortages are likely to make things messy, collectors are heading into release day with cautious optimism.
As the largest set ever released in the English Pokemon TCG, Ascended Heroes looks like a clear standout in the Mega Evolution block as a potential home run. Between the high rarity chase cards, valuable pulls, and a lineup packed with fan favorite Pokemon, Ascended Heroes is bringing interest back into the hobby after a recent slow down.
That hype is only intensifying as early availability looks especially tight. A staggered release schedule will make sealed product difficult to secure right out of the gate. In this guide, we’ll break down the release date and key set details, highlight the top cards to chase, and share the best ways to get your hands on Ascended Heroes at launch.
Release date and set overview
Ascended Heroes launches on January 30. This English release pulls its card pool from Japan’s MEGA Dream ex and the Start Deck 100 Battle Collection. With 295 cards, Ascended Heroes is the largest English Pokémon TCG set ever released, surpassing Fusion Strike from the Sword and Shield era by 11 cards.
Top chase cards in Ascended Heroes
Ascended Heroes has more going for it than sheer set size. Headlined by the first Mega Dragonite in the TCG, the set is packed with fan favorite Pokemon worth chasing. Dragonite appears in both a Special Illustration Rare and a Mega Hyper Rare, while heavy hitters like Gengar ex, Pikachu ex and Mewtwo ex also receive SIR treatment from the MEGA Dream ex side.
Mega Charizard Y Mega Hyper Rare
If these were the only top cards of the set it would already be the hottest set of the Mega Evolution block, but we haven’t even touched on what is likely to be the top chase card of the set: the first Mega Charizard Y Mega Hyper Rare.
This stunning gold card comes from the Start Deck 100 Battle Collection as an exceptionally difficult card to obtain. As a quick overview, the 100 Battle Collection is a collection of 100 different decks plus a couple secret extras from Japan. They are essentially purchased blind, and if you are lucky enough to get box 001, you have a chance to get the special version containing the gold Mega Charizard Y ex.
The odds are brutal, potentially as low as 1 in 1,000, and there’s another complication: the boxes can be weighed because contents vary. That makes the product vulnerable to cherry picking, where sellers could weigh out and pull the best decks, then offload only the lower value ones.
Due to the extremely low pull odds for Mega Charizard Y ex in sealed product, the Japanese version has become extraordinarily expensive on the secondary market. Raw copies are selling for around $2,000, and a PSA 10 example listed at $7,500 with Best Offer showed as sold in mid January, though it is unclear whether the transaction was ultimately completed.
Start Deck 100 secret hits and Trainer pair SIRs
Ascended Heroes also brings over a second ultra scarce hit from the Start Deck 100 Battle Collection: the Pikachu ex SIR found in secret Deck 101. That is in addition to the separate Pikachu ex SIR included from MEGA Dream ex, giving Pikachu collectors two premium versions to chase. Similar to the gold Charizard, the rarity of the Deck 101 Pikachu has kept prices elevated, with the lowest current eBay listings sitting around $650.
And as if the set wasn’t already stacked enough, Ascended Heroes has more incredible chase cards to look out for. We are also getting the full Johto lineup of Mega Meganium, Mega Emboar, and Mega Feraligatr in SIR form from the Start Deck 100 Battle Collection, as well as Lillie’s Clefairy, N’s Zoroark, Iono’s Bellibolt, and Marnie’s Grimmsnarl.
What is relevant about these Trainer cards? Lillie’s Clefairy ex, N’s Zoroark, and Iono’s Bellibolt were among the top SIR chase cards in Journey Together. Marnie’s Grimmsnarl features artwork that closely mirrors the look and layout of Cynthia’s Garchomp from Destined Rivals , one of that set’s most popular pulls. Pair that with Team Rocket’s Mewtwo, another Destined Rivals headliner, and Ascended Heroes ends up capturing several of the biggest chase card styles that collectors have already proven they want.
This is all without mentioning the multiple other SIRs, the full line up of Mega Attack Rares, and a huge Illustration Rare gallery. Without a doubt, Ascended Heroes is the most fully loaded set of the Mega Evolution era to date.
Ascended Heroes product lineup and release schedule
Outside of high rarity pulls, Ascended Heroes will offer a wide array of specialty products. Because it is a specialty set, Ascended Heroes will not come with prerelease boxes or booster boxes. Instead, we will get the typical ETBs (Pokemon Center and standard), booster bundles, mini tins, tech sticker packs, and a host of other premium poster collections and pin collections.
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Join DiscordWe’ve already seen a handful of Ascended Heroes stocks and online sales happen over the previous weeks across major retailers and Pokemon Center themselves, but we fully expect to see more stock become available in the coming weeks and months. We are always monitoring for new product drops in our free Pokemon restocks Discord.
January 30 product wave
One of the biggest obstacles for Ascended Heroes is the staggered release schedule. Although the set officially launches on January 30, early product availability will be thinner than expected. The 2 pack blisters featuring Larry’s Komala or Erika’s Tangela have been unexpectedly delayed to February 20 in most regions, leaving the 3 pack Tech Sticker Collections featuring Charmander or Gastly as the primary sealed options at launch.
3 Pack Tech Sticker Collection
3 Pack Tech Sticker Collection
Primary launch day sealed option in many regionsFebruary 20 product wave
February 20 is the next major wave, with both the Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Box and Pokémon Center ETB arriving. The standard ETB includes 9 booster packs, an Illustration Rare style N’s Zekrom promo, and the usual TCG accessories. The Pokémon Center version includes 11 packs and adds an extra Pokémon Center stamped N’s Zekrom, along with the same accessory lineup. Mini tins also release on February 20 and include 2 packs, an art card, and a sticker card, alongside those newly delayed 2 pack blisters.
Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Box
Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Box
9 packs, N’s Zekrom promo, and accessoriesPokémon Center Elite Trainer Box
Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box
11 packs plus a stamped N’s Zekrom promoAscended Heroes Mini Tin
Ascended Heroes Mini Tin
2 packs, an art card, and a sticker cardMarch 20 product wave
On March 20, the lineup expands with the Premium Poster Collection for Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir, each featuring 10 Ascended Heroes packs, a Mega Attack style promo, and a full size double sided poster. Also launching that day is the Deluxe Pin Collection, which comes with promo cards featuring Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile, plus 5 booster packs.
April 24 final wave
The final wave lands on April 24 with three Mega ex boxes featuring Meganium, Emboar, or Feraligatr. Each box includes a matching promo card, a jumbo card, and 4 Ascended Heroes packs. April 24 also brings the Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle, which contains 6 booster packs.
Expected prices at launch
Because pack availability will be limited at launch, it is safe to expect Ascended Heroes pack prices to run higher than usual. With no ETBs or booster bundles flooding the market right away, packs will be hard to come by, and heavy early demand from streamers and collectors will only amplify the shortage. The result is likely a launch window where loose packs carry a noticeable premium and the top high rarity chase cards command especially steep prices.
God packs and special reverse holos
And although we’ve covered multiple reasons why this set is sure to be in high demand and low supply, there is one key detail we haven’t mentioned yet. Like other popular sets from recent memory, Ascended Heroes has been confirmed to contain god packs.
So what exactly is a god pack? It is an ultra rare pack that contains multiple major hits instead of the usual spread. In Ascended Heroes, a god pack is expected to include three Mega Attack Rares and seven Special Illustration Rares. In other words, a single pack can realistically hold thousands of dollars in cards.
And as a special bonus, there will be 2 variant reverse holos to find in Ascended Heroes: the Energy reverse holo, and a specific Pokeball reverse holo. If it is a Team Rocket Pokemon, it will show an R instead of the Pokeball.
Where to buy Ascended Heroes?
While many major retailers will have Ascended Heroes products in person at release, we need to emphasize how difficult it might be to acquire product, even if you go. Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop are all candidates for physical locations, but it should be noted that some major retailers have been charging over MSRP for Pokemon.
At the risk of self promoting, we do honestly feel that this will be a difficult product release, and catching an online restock exactly when it drops is your best bet. For that, we offer a Discord server to notify and ping on product drops. As of the time of writing, we are expecting a Target Ascended Heroes drop any day now and will ping when it happens. join our Discord to be notified.
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Join DiscordOtherwise, check with your local card shops and see if the set is available for pre order and for what price. Be aware that LGSs often are charging over MSRP nowadays, but you may be able to find one that isn’t so egregious.
Ascended Heroes FAQ
Ascended Heroes launches on January 30.
The English set pulls its card pool from Japan’s MEGA Dream ex and the Start Deck 100 Battle Collection.
Ascended Heroes features 295 cards, making it the largest English Pokémon TCG set ever released.
Yes. Ascended Heroes is a specialty set, which means it does not include booster boxes, and does not follow the traditional release pattern used for standard sets.
No. Ascended Heroes will not have booster boxes.
No. Ascended Heroes will not include prerelease boxes.
Early availability is expected to be limited. In most regions, the main sealed options at launch are the 3 pack Tech Sticker Collections featuring Charmander or Gastly.
Yes. The 2 pack blisters featuring Larry’s Komala or Erika’s Tangela have been delayed to February 20 in most regions.
February 20 is a major wave that includes the standard Elite Trainer Box, the Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box, mini tins, and the delayed 2 pack blisters in most regions.
The standard Elite Trainer Box includes 9 booster packs, an Illustration Rare style N’s Zekrom promo card, and the usual TCG accessories.
The Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box includes 11 booster packs and an additional Pokémon Center stamped N’s Zekrom promo, along with the usual accessories.
Mini tins include 2 booster packs, an art card, and a sticker card.
March 20 includes the Premium Poster Collection for Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir, plus the Deluxe Pin Collection.
Each Premium Poster Collection includes 10 Ascended Heroes packs, a Mega Attack style promo card, and a full size double sided poster.
The Deluxe Pin Collection includes promo cards featuring Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile, plus 5 Ascended Heroes booster packs.
April 24 is the final wave with three Mega ex boxes featuring Meganium, Emboar, or Feraligatr, plus the Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle.
Each Mega ex box includes a matching promo card, a jumbo card, and 4 Ascended Heroes booster packs.
The Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle contains 6 booster packs.
Key chase cards include the Mega Charizard Y Mega Hyper Rare, the first Mega Dragonite in the TCG, plus high demand hits like Gengar ex, Pikachu ex, and Mewtwo ex in Special Illustration Rare form.
One of the biggest headliners is expected to be the first Mega Charizard Y in a Mega Hyper Rare gold style.
It is a Japanese product made up of 100 different decks plus a couple secret extras that are purchased blind, meaning you do not know which deck you are getting.
It is an ultra scarce Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare from Start Deck 100, and it is separate from the Pikachu ex SIR that comes from MEGA Dream ex. That gives collectors two premium Pikachu versions to chase in Ascended Heroes.
Early on, packs are expected to run higher than usual due to limited availability, slower supply ramp up, and heavy demand from collectors and streamers.
Yes. Ascended Heroes has been confirmed to contain god packs.
A god pack is an ultra rare pack that contains multiple major hits instead of a normal pack mix.
A god pack is expected to include three Mega Attack Rares and seven Special Illustration Rares.
Yes. There are two variant reverse holos: an Energy reverse holo and a Pokeball reverse holo. Team Rocket Pokemon are expected to show an R in place of the Pokeball.
Potential in person options include major retailers like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop, though availability may be very limited at launch. Online restocks are likely to be the most reliable path for many collectors.
Yes. Many local game stores offer pre orders and early product allocations, but pricing can vary and may be above MSRP depending on the shop.
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