Pokemon Just Announced the Era After Mega: ex Star, Mega Lucario Z, and a New Card Type

The Pokemon World Championships wrapped in San Francisco on August 30, and the closing ceremony did what closing ceremonies do: it told everyone what comes after the current era. The short version for TCG collectors is that Mega Evolution is getting a second act with Z Mega Evolution, a new "Mega Attack Rare" card type is coming, and a brand-new series called ex Star is on the way, teased with Raikou, Entei and Suicune. There is also a TCG anime, and Worlds 2027 has a home.

Here is everything announced, what is confirmed versus teased, and what to do with your Mega-era cards in the meantime.

Mega Lucario Z ex and Z Mega Evolution

The headline reveal was Mega Lucario Z ex, the first Z Mega Evolution Pokemon in the card game, alongside Sigilyph ex. Both come from a Japanese set called Aura Seeker, releasing in Japan on November 27, 2026. Z Mega Evolutions are the new forms introduced in Pokemon Legends: Z-A and its DLC, and Mega Absol Z was shown for the video game side, so expect it to follow Lucario onto cardboard.

What this means practically: the Mega Evolution era does not end with Delta Reign and Mega Rayquaza ex on November 6. It rolls into a Z subseries. Collectors who read the Delta Reign announcement as "last Mega set, buy now" should adjust. Mega is the umbrella through at least early 2027.

Mega Attack Rare: A New Card Type

The trailer showed Mega Rayquaza ex, Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Greninja ex and Mega Zygarde ex with a new "Mega Attack Rare" treatment. The Pokemon Company confirmed these introduce a new type of attack but gave no rules text. The cards appear to come from a High Class Pack, which in Japan usually means a year-end premium set. PokeGuardian notes that Nintendo, Creatures and Game Freak trademarked MEGA X MEGA Parade earlier this year, and that trademark fits the pattern.

If it is a High Class Pack, the English equivalent would be a special set in early-to-mid 2027, the same way Mega Dream ex fed later international releases. Do not expect these in Delta Reign.

ex Star: The Series After Mega

The single most important slide for long-term collectors was the ex Star tease. Raikou, Entei and Suicune were shown, and The Pokemon Company said only that ex Star is a new series with details to come. That word, series, is the same word used for Scarlet and Violet and for Mega Evolution. It is the next era.

Mega Evolution launched in September 2025. If ex Star follows the same cadence, its first international set lands in roughly the same window in 2027, and everything printed under the Mega banner becomes a closed era.

Older collectors will remember Pokemon Star cards from the EX era in 2004 to 2007, where a gold star next to the name marked a shiny Pokemon at one-per-box rarity. Whether ex Star revives that mechanic or just borrows the name is unknown. The three legendary beasts were the original Gold Star subjects in EX Unseen Forces, which is either a nod or a coincidence. Either way, the vintage Gold Star market will get attention it has not had in years.

Everything Else From the Ceremony

• Pokemon: Wild Card, a new anime arriving in 2027, follows a player trying to become a TCG champion. It is the first anime built around the card game rather than the video games, and it will pull a new wave of kids into local shops.
• Worlds 2027 is August 13 to 15 at Singapore EXPO, the first Asia-hosted Worlds since Yokohama in 2023.
• Pokemon GO gets a third attack slot and the return of Armored Mewtwo, starting in San Francisco.
• Pokemon Champions adds Mega Lucario Z and Mega Absol Z, plus Heatran, with Regulation M-C starting September 9.

What to Do With Your Mega Cards

None of this changes the near-term calendar: 30th Celebration on September 16, then Delta Reign on November 6. It does change how to think about the Mega era's shelf life.

• The era is longer than it looked a week ago. Z Mega Evolution and the Mega Attack Rare set add at least two more Mega-branded releases. First-set Mega chase cards (Mega Evolution, Phantasmal Flames) get more time to appreciate before the era closes.
• Legendary beast cards will move. Any Raikou, Entei or Suicune with a premium treatment, from Gold Stars to recent illustration rares, is now tied to the next series announcement. Expect listings to reprice within days.
• Do not chase Aura Seeker at Japanese preorder prices. November 27 in Japan means an English release no earlier than spring 2027. The Storm Emeralda pattern, where Mega Rayquaza ex settled around $1,830 then drifted, is the template.

The best place to watch how these announcements land is a shop floor. Find a Pokemon card shop near you and ask what is moving, or check our event calendar for 30th Celebration prerelease-style events starting mid-September.