Pokémon TCG Pitch Black UK: What It Is and How to Get It (2026 Guide)

Pitch Black (set code ME05)is the fifth main English expansion of the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Series. It released worldwide, including the UK, on Friday 17 July 2026, with prerelease events running 4–12 July where Build & Battle Boxes were available early at Play! Pokémon stores.

It is the first main expansion drawn from the Mega Dimension DLC for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and the art direction leans all the way in: a nighttime city half swallowed by shadow, under the tagline “Delve into Darkness Beyond Limits”. Mega Darkrai ex and Mega Zeraora ex front the packaging.

Six Mega Evolution Pokémon ex debut in this set: Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, Mega Slowbro ex, Mega Excadrill ex and Mega Delphox ex, alongside four other Pokémon ex.

The undisputed chase is the Mega Darkrai ex Special Illustration Rare (116/084), illustrated by Akira Egawa. Recorded raw sales in mid-July ran from roughly $286 to $392, call it £215–295, and listings have bounced around inside that band since. The Mega Darkrai ex Mega Hyper Rare (120/084) sits second in the hierarchy. Among the 11 Illustration Rares, Slowbro (090/084) and Goldeen (087/084) are the early favourites.

Pitch Black runs 120 cards: an 84-card main set plus 36 secret rares. The secret-rare tier breaks down as 11 Illustration Rares, 18 Ultra Rares, six Special Illustration Rares and a single Mega Hyper Rare, the Mega Darkrai ex at 120/084.

The English product line, with approximate UK RRPs:

• Booster pack, around £4.49 RRP (sold loose and in 36-pack booster displays)
• Booster bundle of six packs, around £24.99 RRP
• Elite Trainer Box with nine packs, around £49.99 RRP
• Pokémon Center exclusive Elite Trainer Box with 11 packs
• Build & Battle Box and three-pack blisters

Those RRPs are increasingly theoretical. With launch allocations sold through at most official channels, aftermarket sealed prices are running well above RRP, with booster displays commonly listed around £200 in late July. If you find sealed product at or near RRP, that is the buy.

As of late July 2026:

At launch, Pitch Black was stocked by Smyths, Argos and GAME on the high street, Pokémon Center UK online (whose preorders reportedly buckled under day-one traffic), and UK specialists including Chaos Cards, Magic Madhouse, Total Cards and Wayland Games. Every English Mega Evolution set so far has sold out around launch at official channels, and high-street stock has rarely survived past the first weekend, so late-July availability is patchy and restock-driven.

Packratt.co.uk carries Pitch Black with fast UK dispatch, no import delays, no customs surprises, and free UK shipping on orders over £50.

• Pokémon Mega Evolution Pitch Black booster pack, in UK stock at the time of writing, the lowest-commitment way to chase Mega Darkrai ex.
• Pokémon Mega Evolution Perfect Order booster pack, the ME03 set with the Mega Zygarde ex chase, if you are working back through the era.
• Pokémon Mega Evolution Chaos Rising booster pack, more Mega Evolution era pulls while Pitch Black restocks come and go.

Timing matters more than retailer choice right now. The free Packrat Discord posts live drop and restock alerts in #drops, and PACKRAT Founders members get members-only early access to drop windows up to 72 hours before the public.