At the closing ceremony of Pokémon World Championships 2026 in San Francisco on August 31, 2026, the Pokémon Company aired a new Pokémon Trading Card Game video revealing a brand-new series logo: ex★ (ex Star). It was announced as the series that follows the current MEGA series.
The same video also showed five cards that hadn’t been officially revealed before: Mega Lucario Z ex, and four brand-new cards in the MA (Mega Attack Rare) rarity — Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Greninja ex, Mega Rayquaza ex, and Mega Zygarde ex. What the video did not include is a release date, a set name, or a price for any of it. The Pokémon Company’s own message is to wait for a follow-up announcement.
This article covers what was shown and what wasn’t — including where the pieces do, and don’t, connect to the November 27 Aura Seeker release date report PokeBeach published in May.
Pokémon confirmed a new series name, ex★, and showed five new cards — Mega Lucario Z ex plus four MA (Mega Attack Rare) cards — in the Worlds 2026 closing ceremony video on August 31, 2026. No release date, set name, or pack details were announced for either the series or the cards. While the official reveal settles, our existing MEGA-era MA rare, the PSA10 MEGA Lucario ex MA (228/193) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), is currently listed at ¥7,920, and the PSA10 Hero of Waves Lucario [10th Movie Premium] (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) is currently listed at ¥61,692.
All prices below are our current store listings as of August 31, 2026.
What Was Announced at Worlds 2026
The reveal came during the closing ceremony broadcast of Pokémon World Championships 2026, held in San Francisco. Pokémon’s official product news page confirmed the same information the same day: a new Pokémon Trading Card Game series logo reading ex★ (ex Star), positioned as the series that follows the current MEGA series.
Watch the official reveal below:
Alongside the new logo, the video depicted Suicune, Entei, and Raikou as the Pokémon associated with the ex★ series artwork. No specific cards for any of the three legendary beasts were shown or described — they appeared with the logo, and that’s the extent of what’s confirmed about them right now.
One thing worth being precise about: the video carries two separate reveals in one clip. The first is the ex★ series name itself. The second is a first look at five upcoming cards — Mega Lucario Z ex and the four new MA rares covered below. Pokémon’s video does not state that those five cards belong to the ex★ series specifically; it presents the series name and the cards as related news in the same announcement, not as one confirmed package. This guide keeps that distinction throughout.
Beyond the logo, the legendary beasts, and the five cards, nothing else was announced — no release date, no set code, no pack name, no price. Pokémon’s own instruction is to wait for a follow-up reveal.
Mega Lucario Z ex: The Card Shown in English
The clearest look at any single card in the video is Mega Lucario Z ex, shown as a finished English-language card rather than concept art. Here’s what’s legible on it:
- Stage 1, Evolves from Riolu · HP 330 · Metal type · printed as “The Mega-Evolved form of Lucario”
- Ability Aura Seeker: once per turn, if this Pokémon is in the Active Spot, search your deck for 1 Supporter card, reveal it, add it to your hand, then shuffle your deck
- Attack Dancing Fist (Fighting Fighting): 120+ damage — if the opponent’s Active Pokémon is a Pokémon ex, this attack does 120 more damage
- Weakness: Fire ×2 · Resistance: Grass −30 · Mega Evolution ex rule: your opponent takes 3 Prize cards when this Pokémon is Knocked Out
The video also shows the current Mega Lucario ex — the card the new Z ex builds on:
One naming detail is worth flagging: the ability printed on this card, Aura Seeker, is the same name as the Japanese set PokeBeach reported back in May — “Aura Seeker” (Hadou Seeker, ハドウシーカー). That’s a real naming match, covered in full below, but it is not on its own confirmation that this card ships inside that set. For the full rules breakdown and how this card compares to the rest of the Mega Lucario ex line, see our Mega Lucario Z TCG guide and our Mega Lucario cards value guide.
The Four New MA (Mega Attack Rare) Cards
The video’s second reveal is four brand-new cards in the MA (Mega Attack Rare) rarity — a rarity the Japanese MEGA era already uses (the High Class Pack “MEGA Dream ex” already includes MA cards, among them a Mega Lucario ex MA (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)). Each MA card is built around a single oversized attack name rendered in bold card-spanning typography — the visual signature of the MA rarity.
All four card numbers sit above 165, which is consistent with a secret-rare print slot rather than the set’s base numbering. And on all four cards, the set stamp printed at the bottom of the card — as visible in the official footage — reads M7a. Neither a set name nor a release date has been announced for whatever M7a refers to; we’re reporting only what’s printed on the card art itself.
| Card | Stage | HP | Type | Card # | Set Stamp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Greninja ex MA | Stage 2 | 350 | Water | 208/165 | M7a |
| Mega Zygarde ex MA | — | 310 | Fighting | 214/165 | M7a |
| Mega Darkrai ex MA | — | 280 | Darkness | 217/165 | M7a |
| Mega Rayquaza ex MA | Basic | 280 | Fire | 218/165 | M7a |
Card images above: © Pokémon — official ex★ reveal video frames.
Stage 2 Mega Greninja ex, described in its Japanese card text as the Mega-Evolved form of Greninja, carries an ability printed as ひっさつしゅりけん (unofficial translation: “Deadly Shuriken”) and an attack named Ninja Spinner (ニンジャスピナー, Water Water) for 120+ damage. Both texts are only partially legible in the footage, so we’re not describing their effects beyond the base damage number and names shown.
Mega Zygarde ex, described in its Japanese card text as the Mega-Evolved form of Zygarde, shows one fully legible attack, Gaia Wave, for 200 damage, plus a second, Munikisu Zero, that appears to involve a coin flip tied to multiple targets — not clear enough in the footage to state as fact.
Mega Darkrai ex carries Night Raid for 110 damage with an unreadable bench condition, plus Abyss Eye, which as visible in the footage appears to Knock Out the opponent’s Active Pokémon if it has a Special Condition.
Mega Rayquaza ex, described in its Japanese card text as the Mega-Evolved form of Rayquaza, is a Basic Pokémon whose attack, Storm Emeralda, does 50 damage times a multiplier tied to Energy attached to your own Pokémon — the ×50 scaling is visible in the footage, though the exact condition wording is not.
For where these four sit against the rest of the Japanese Mega Evolution lineup, see our Mega Evolution Japanese card list.
The Attack-Name Easter Egg: Two Real Sets, Two Guesses
Here’s the most striking detail of the reveal: two of the four MA attack names are identical to the names of real, already-released Japanese MEGA-series sets we carry — and two are names that don’t match anything that exists yet.
| Attack Name | Card | What It Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Abyss Eye | Mega Darkrai ex | M5 “Abyss Eye” booster set — released, real, confirmed |
| Storm Emeralda | Mega Rayquaza ex | M6 “Storm Emeralda” booster set — released, real, confirmed |
| Ninja Spinner | Mega Greninja ex | No existing set with this name — speculation only |
| Munikisu Zero | Mega Zygarde ex | No existing set with this name — speculation only |
Confirmed fact: Abyss Eye and Storm Emeralda are both real set names from the current MEGA era that already shipped. If the pattern is intentional — MA attack names doubling as MEGA-era set names — those two entries check out against actual product on the market today.
Speculation, clearly labeled as such: Ninja Spinner and Munikisu Zero don’t correspond to any announced or released Japanese Mega Evolution set. If the same naming pattern holds, they could hint at future set names — but Pokémon has said nothing about this. Our Aura Seeker chase cards predictions guide tracks this kind of labeled speculation separately from confirmed information.
Storm Emeralda is also the most direct way to hold the real set the new attack name references:
What This Means for the Reported Aura Seeker Set
Since May, the one confirmed official fact about a Japanese set called Aura Seeker (ハドウシーカー) has been a March 10, 2026 trademark filing — nothing more. PokeBeach’s May 25 report, citing its own sources, said the set would release in Japan on November 27, 2026, and named Mega Lucario Z ex as its headliner. That report has remained unconfirmed by Pokémon ever since; our Aura Seeker release date tracker has been logging the major claims, by source, as the story developed.
Today’s announcement changes one thing on that tracker: Mega Lucario Z ex is now a confirmed real card, shown by Pokémon itself for the first time, rather than a fan-site prediction.
What it does not do is confirm the November 27 date, the Aura Seeker set name, or that Mega Lucario Z ex ships inside that specific set. The ex★ video never names a set for any of the five cards it shows. The strongest connective thread remains the naming coincidence covered above — a real, notable overlap, but a naming match, not an official statement linking the card to the set.
For the full picture, see our Aura Seeker complete guide; our Aura Seeker pull rates guide covers what’s known and what’s still community estimation.
Where to Buy While ex★ Details Are Still Unannounced
None of the five cards shown on August 31 have a set, a release date, or a price yet, so there’s nothing from today’s reveal to order. What our store currently lists is the existing Mega Lucario ex line and the MEGA-era sets the new MA attack names reference.
The PSA10 MEGA Lucario ex MA (228/193) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) is currently listed at ¥7,920 — an existing Lucario card carrying the same MA rarity label as today’s four new cards. For Lucario collectors working a wider budget, the PSA10 Hero of Waves Lucario [10th Movie Premium] (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) is currently listed at ¥61,692, and the Mega Brave Pokémon Center Set (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) is currently listed at ¥22,050.
On the sealed-product side, the M6 Storm Emeralda Booster Box is currently listed from ¥13,365, and the M6a 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box is currently listed from ¥30,900 as a pre-order. Neither is connected to the ex★ reveal — they’re simply the confirmed Japanese MEGA-era product on the calendar right now, while everything from today’s video stays unannounced.
Browse our Pokemon cards collection, or use our Quick Order tool to request a specific printing, including anything currently out of stock. We’ll cover it here when Pokémon announces a set, a date, or a price for ex★ or any of the five cards shown today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pokémon TCG “ex★” (ex Star)?
ex★ (ex Star) is a new Pokémon Trading Card Game series name that Pokémon revealed during the Worlds 2026 closing ceremony on August 31, 2026. It was announced as the series that follows the current MEGA series. No release date, set list, or pack names have been announced for ex★.
Did Pokémon announce a release date for ex★ or the new MA cards?
No. The official reveal video showed the new series logo and five new cards, but Pokémon has not announced a release date, set name, or price for any of it. The company’s own guidance is to wait for a follow-up announcement.
What is a “MA (Mega Attack Rare)” card?
MA (Mega Attack Rare) is a Japanese MEGA-era rarity built around large attack-name typography art; the High Class Pack “MEGA Dream ex” already includes MA cards. The ex★ reveal video showed four brand-new MA cards: Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Greninja ex, Mega Rayquaza ex, and Mega Zygarde ex, each with a card number above 165 (208, 214, 217, and 218), consistent with a secret-rare print slot. The set stamp visible on these cards in the official footage reads “M7a,” though the set itself hasn’t been named or dated.
Is Mega Lucario Z ex confirmed for the Aura Seeker set reported for November 27?
Not officially. Pokémon’s August 31 video confirmed Mega Lucario Z ex is a real, upcoming card, and its ability name, Aura Seeker, matches the Japanese set name PokeBeach reported in May for a rumored November 27, 2026 release. But Pokémon has not confirmed that release date, that set name, or that this specific card belongs to that set — the video did not name any set at all.
What do the “Abyss Eye” and “Storm Emeralda” attack names on the new MA cards mean?
Abyss Eye and Storm Emeralda are the attack names on Mega Darkrai ex and Mega Rayquaza ex, and both names match real, already-released Japanese MEGA-series sets (M5 and M6). Two other MA cards carry attack names, Ninja Spinner and Munikisu Zero, that don’t match any existing set — those are speculation on our part, not official set-name confirmations.
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