Pokémon TCG’s Latest Set Suffers A Big Delay

While the Pokémon TCG has been in dire straits when it comes to availability for well over a year now, this has primarily been a result of a massively inflated resale market driving scalpers to scoop up all new releases and making it close to impossible for regular customers to buy online or in stores. But with the first new set of 2026, Ascended Heroes, the problem seems to be The Pokémon Company itself.

Pokémon card sets come in two types: there are the “main series expansions” that release with 36-pack booster boxes (usually bought by retail and sold individually) alongside Elite Trainer Boxes and various other bundles, with the majority of the product made available on day one. Then there are so-called “special expansions” that have no booster boxes or individually sold packs, but rather just the ETB and a broader range of other types of bundles. Special sets also tend to have more staggered releases, with new bundles and collection boxes appearing every now and then throughout a year. Ascended Heroes, the third set in the current Mega Evolution generation of TCG cards, is one such special set, but its initial release appears to be far more staggered than intended (thanks IGN).

Pokémon TCG Product Legality Update https://t.co/6eOCIpvkKe pic.twitter.com/ujIpp9VLYC

— Play! Pokémon (@playpokemon) January 28, 2026

Officially released Friday 30 January, Ascended Heroes will be appearing with a real whimper. The set is super-attractive to collectors because it will see the return of both Trainer Pokémon and, more importantly, the Mega Pokémon cards emblazoned with the Japanese for their special attacks—something not seen since 2015’s XY Primal Clash. For reasons undeclared, this will not launch as expected, with the usual ETBs (that tend to contain nine to 11 packs, along with a special card, a set of dice, counters and dividers) already not showing up for three weeks, set to appear on February 20th. Instead, tomorrow was supposed to bring us two booster pack types, one pair of Tech Sticker Collections that come with three packs, a bonus card, and a sheet of stickers, a a pair of two-pack checklane blister packs that come with a bonus card and a coin featuring trainers Larry and Erika. The latter has now been announced as delayed until February 20th as well, making it seem frankly odd not to just delay the entire set’s release until next month.

The bizarre release schedule of Ascended Heroes has also meant TPCi has had to change the rules regarding when special expansion cards can become legal for tournament play, such that this new set now will not be playable in the upcoming European Championships. The new rule is that cards only become legal two weeks after either the set’s ETB or Booster Bundle has been released, and given the ETB is delayed until late February, that means the cards will not be allowed on the February 13 tournament.

Of course, it’s not actually possible to pre-order any of these items anywhere, and you’ll be lucky to find the single release that is happening tomorrow in stores. Given the difficulty finding any sets from the last year and a half, “special” sets feel especially galling at the moment, with single packs not even an option. Eventually, over the year, Ascended Heroes will add quite a few larger collection boxes with eight packs in each, along with two-pack mini-tins, likely along with other unannounced product. The challenge will be finding any of it at RRP, rather than scalpers’ over-inflated resale prices.

Right now, trying to pick up the $50 Ascended Heroes ETB will cost you around $150, while the six-pack Booster Bundle due for April 24 at $27 is already seeing pre-orders resold at around $80. It’s ludicrous, and it’s getting worse.

Due to a whole other sort of delay, this time caused by the recent storms in the U.S. affecting shipping, our review of Ascended Heroes will also be coming later than expected (the original embargo was today). We’ll hopefully have more details very soon.