Pokemon Announced ex Star Cards, Mega Lucario Z, and a Singapore Worlds in One Sitting

The Pokemon Company saved the real news for the end. During the closing ceremonies of the 2026 World Championships in San Francisco on Sunday, the company ran a preview segment that dropped a new card mechanic, a new set, a batch of Mega Evolution cards, and next year's Worlds location in a single sitting.

Here is what was announced and what each piece actually means for collectors.

1. The ex Star Series Is Coming Back

The headline is a new ex Star series, written as ex with a star. The first three Pokemon revealed are Suicune, Entei, and Raikou - the Johto legendary beasts, which is not an accident. Anyone who collected during the EX era remembers Pokemon Star cards as the rarest pull in the set, one per box territory, with a distinctive art treatment and a reputation that has kept the vintage versions expensive for twenty years.

Bringing that naming and that rarity concept back with the three beasts as the launch trio is a deliberate nostalgia play, and it is aimed squarely at collectors rather than players. Expect these to be the pull that defines whatever set they land in.

What we do not know yet

Pull rates, set assignment, and whether ex Star cards will be tournament legal in the same way standard ex cards are. Until The Pokemon Company confirms rarity, treat any preorder pricing you see as speculation.

2. Mega Lucario Z ex Headlines Aura Seeker

Mega Lucario Z is debuting as a Mega Evolution Pokemon ex card in an upcoming set called Aura Seeker, alongside Sigilyph ex. Lucario has been one of the most reliably in-demand Pokemon in the entire TCG for the better part of two decades - it is a top-tier character for the merchandise side of the business, and its cards consistently outperform their rarity.

A Mega Lucario as the face of a set is about as safe a commercial bet as the company can make.

3. Mega Attack Rares Are a New Card Treatment

The preview also showed specialized Mega attack rare cards featuring Mega Darkrai, Mega Greninja, Mega Rayquaza, and Mega Zygarde. Those four names are a who's who of secondary market darlings. Greninja and Rayquaza in particular have a long history of carrying entire sets on the strength of one alternate art.

A new art treatment applied to four Pokemon with that kind of following is the sort of thing that keeps a set's box price elevated well past its release window. If you have watched what happened to sets built around a single beloved alternate art in the last three years, you already know how this goes.

4. Worlds 2027 Is Going to Singapore

The 2027 Pokemon World Championships will be held at Singapore EXPO over the weekend of August 13-15, 2027. It is the first time the event has been held in Asia since Yokohama in 2023, and the first time ever in Southeast Asia.

The Pokemon Company also confirmed that PokemonXP, the fan festival that debuted alongside this year's event in San Francisco, will not return in 2027.

Why the location matters to collectors

Worlds location drives which regional promo cards get printed, where the event-exclusive merchandise ends up, and how hard those items are to acquire from the US. A Singapore Worlds means the 2027 event promos will be significantly harder for North American collectors to buy at face value than this year's San Francisco run was. If you collect Worlds-stamped product as a category, start budgeting for shipping and proxy-buyer fees now.

The Bigger Picture: 30 Years and Counting

All of this landed inside a 30th anniversary window for the franchise, and the announcements reflect it. New mechanics that reference the EX era. Legendary beasts as the launch trio. Mega Evolutions across the board. This is a company leaning hard on the parts of its history that its oldest collectors care about most - and doing it in a year when those collectors have more disposable income than they did the first time around.

What to do with this information

• Do not preorder on vibes. Set contents, print run size, and pull rates are all still unconfirmed. Preorder pricing on unannounced product is the least informed money in the hobby.
• Do watch the vintage Star cards. A new ex Star series tends to pull attention - and sometimes price - back to the originals from the EX era.
• Do plan around Aura Seeker if Lucario is a personal collection priority. Set-defining chase cards are cheapest in the first three weeks after release, not on release day.

Want to be in line on release day? Find Pokemon TCG retailers near you with The Card Shop Finder and call ahead about preallocation - the good shops start their lists early.