Delta Reign is the next English Pokémon set, and it comes out the same fall the card game turns 30. We checked Pokémon's English and Japanese pages, plus coverage from ICv2 and PokéGuardian, for the dates and the cards to look for. We've added the care routine we use on our own collections.
Facts here are current as of October 16, 2026, unless we say otherwise.
Key takeaways
- Prerelease events begin Saturday, October 24. The English set releases Friday, November 6.
- Delta Reign has more than 135 cards. Mega Rayquaza ex leads, alongside Mega Golurk ex, Mega Malamar ex and Mega Golisopod ex.
- New Legendary Stadium cards come in two halves that sit side by side to make one picture.
- Japan's Storm Emeralda, out since July 31, has the same headline cards, and you can see them there before the English release.
The two dates to know
ICv2 reported both dates at the set's announcement on August 20, and Pokémon's official set page gives the same November release.
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Prerelease events begin | Saturday, October 24 |
| English release | Friday, November 6 |
The set's full name is Mega Evolution—Delta Reign. Pokémon files it in the Mega Evolution series, with Ascended Heroes, Perfect Order, Chaos Rising and Pitch Black from earlier this year.
Inside Delta Reign
- More than 135 cards, per Pokémon's official set page, and more than 35 of them are Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations.
- Mega Rayquaza ex leads the set. Pokémon describes emerald-colored storms on the set page.
- Mega Golurk ex, Mega Malamar ex and Mega Golisopod ex are the other Mega ex cards Pokémon features on the page.
- English packs hold 10 cards, per ICv2.
- Legendary Stadium cards are new in this set, per ICv2 and PokéGuardian.
If you've collected this year's Mega Evolution sets, the layout will look familiar, with one Mega ex up front and a handful of others around it.
Legendary Stadium cards: two halves, one picture
We're most curious to see these in hand. ICv2 describes a Legendary Stadium as two Stadium cards you play together as separate halves. PokéGuardian adds that the halves sit side by side to form one wider artwork, and that the set's three Legendary Stadiums use six Stadium cards between them. If you pull a Legendary Stadium, you get both halves in the same pack, according to PokéGuardian. The first reveal is Legendary Summit.
Keep each pair together and store both halves the same way, so they stay in matching condition. If one half picks up a whitened edge while its partner stays clean, you'll see the mismatch each time you look at them.
The preview from Japan's Storm Emeralda
Storm Emeralda came out in Japan on July 31, and Pokémon puts Mega Rayquaza ex and Mega Golisopod ex up front on its official page. Two stadiums on that page each span a pair of cards, and the name of one, 伝説の山頂, translates as Legendary Summit. The Japanese name, Storm Emeralda, matches the emerald-colored storms on the English page.
Pokémon doesn't name a Japanese counterpart on its English set pages, so we paired the sets ourselves by matching the headline Mega ex on each official page. Perfect Order, Chaos Rising and Pitch Black each followed a Japanese set with the same headliners, 8 to 10 weeks behind Japan. Delta Reign fits the pattern, though its 14-week gap is the longest so far.
| Japanese set (release) | English set (release) | Shared headliners | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Munikis Zero (Jan 23) | Perfect Order (Mar 27) | Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Starmie ex | 63 days |
| Ninja Spinner (Mar 13) | Chaos Rising (May 22) | Mega Greninja ex, Mega Floette ex | 70 days |
| Abyss Eye (May 22) | Pitch Black (Jul 17) | Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex | 56 days |
| Storm Emeralda (Jul 31) | Delta Reign (Nov 6) | Mega Rayquaza ex, Mega Golisopod ex | 98 days |
Pokémon posted Storm Emeralda's full card list on its Japanese site on July 24, a week before release and more than three months before the English date. You've been able to study the Japanese versions since July. An English pack holds 10 cards, twice the 5 in a Japanese pack.
- Pokémon spotlights a handful of cards on each product page, and the two sets share more cards than the table shows. You'll find Mega Golurk ex and Mega Malamar ex up front on Delta Reign's page but not on Storm Emeralda's. Japan's official card database lists Mega Golurk ex and Mega Malamar ex as Storm Emeralda cards.
- Special releases sit outside the pattern. In February, Pokémon said on its Japanese site that a 30th-anniversary product would be the first Pokémon card product to release worldwide at the same time, except in some regions, and that future products wouldn't all do the same. That product was 30th Celebration, and Japan's official 30th-anniversary site lists it as a worldwide release on September 16.
US collectors once waited longer. The Pokémon Company's own history puts the card game's Japanese launch in October 1996 and Base Set's US launch in January 1999, about 27 months later. The game turns 30 this month, counting from that October 1996 launch.
In Japan, Pokémon has teased what comes after Delta Reign, with details to come. An August 31 notice says Pokémon revealed a new "ex★" series logo and some cards at the Worlds 2026 closing ceremony in San Francisco. The notice names one of those cards メガルカリオZex (Mega Lucario Z ex, in our translation). With this year's pattern in mind, we'll be watching Japan for an early look at what English collectors get next.
Looking after your pulls
You might open packs on the 24th or wait for November. Either way, the first minute after you open the pack matters most for keeping a card in good shape. We use this routine on our own collections.
- Penny sleeve first. Slide each card into a soft sleeve the moment you pull it from the pack. Hold it by the edges and keep your fingers off the surface.
- Then a toploader. A rigid toploader keeps the card flat and protects the corners. Ease the sleeved card in without forcing it.
- Team bag to finish. A resealable team bag over the toploader keeps dust out and stops the card from sliding loose.
- Keep them out of the sun. Light fades cards over time, and window glass won't stop it. Pick a shelf away from the window, or a closed box.
- Watch the humidity. Damp air can make cards curl. Store them somewhere dry and steady rather than in a basement. In a Brooklyn apartment, keep them away from the radiator.
- Keep pairs together. Sleeve and store both halves of a Legendary Stadium the same way, side by side.
If you think a pull is worth grading, follow the same steps to keep it in the best shape for the grader. For a graded card that comes sealed in its case, take a look at our graded slabs.
Come say hi
We'll share Delta Reign news in our Discord as Pokémon confirms more, and we post there first when we add new stock to the shop. Join the herd if you'd like to hear about it early.
In the meantime, you can see what we have in stock today in our singles and sealed boxes and tins, with honest photos and descriptions.
If you're in New York, come find us at the BK TCG Show at Brooklyn College on Sunday, October 25, the day after prerelease events begin. Bring anything you opened at a prerelease, because we'd love to see what you pulled.
Wooly's Vault
