Top 10 Best Cards in Pokemon Pitch Black to pick up on release

Welcome to the Darkness

Pitch Black is set to officially release in just a few short weeks in the States. It’s due to release on July 17, 2026. There’s already a ton of hype around the set! The Japanese version, Abyss Eye, saw an increase in the typical box price for a Standard set. Prices were as high as $150 USD. Collectors ripped boxes in droves with the hopes of pulling some of the top chases from the set early. Today we’re going to go over the top 10 cards to pick up for when Pokemon Pitch Black drops.

10. Slowbro – Illustration Rare

The Slow-Line of Pokemon has been a sneakily popular line amongst fans. The derpy nature of these guys does something for the Pokemon community, making it deserving of the number 10 spot. The artwork is spectacular on this card. The Slowbro is incredibly vibrant in contrast to the dingy and dark background it’s sitting in. If you’re a Slow-fan, this is a definite add to the collection.

9. Gwynn – Super Rare

Number nine on the list is the Gwynn Super Rare. This trainer became a fan favorite from Legends Z-A, but the card is also a fantastic card competitively. It allows you to discard up to 2 Pokemon from you hand (rule box excluded), but you draw 3 cards for each Pokemon discarded this way. Talk about amazing card advantage in the midgame, and on top of that having a favorite character as well. This card has a lot going for it and is a great pick up for competitive players and collectors alike!

8. Gladion’s Showdown – Special Illustration Rare

Our next card is a rather interesting one, Gladion’s Showdown SIR is number eight on the list. This card features Gladion from Sun & Moon, as the partner of Type: Null. This one is all about the artwork, as it’s very vibrant and colorful. Better yet, the artwork is an extension of the Silvally Illustration Rare, and those kinds of panoramic, connecting artwork cards are gaining more popularity for collector’s personal collections.

7. Mega Chandellure EX – Special Illustration Rare

Our first Mega Evolution SIR shows up here on number seven. Mega Chandelure is one of the newer megas introduced in Legends Z-A, and to say that it’s a beautiful interpretation of the evolution is definitely an understatement. The artwork really showcases the pokemon in its glory. Not to mention, the texturing on the card is spectacular. Now we’ve only seen the Japanese version of this card, so the texturing could be different on the English printing, but it is a sick looking card to spicy up the binder.

6. Misty’s Spirit – Super Rare

This one shocks us that it’s not higher on the list, but Misty’s Spirit comes in at the sixth spot on our list. Cards with Misty in them have always been fan favorites. It harkens back to old fixation on Misty cards, and that has transcended time to the modern day. Cards like Starmie V Trainer Gallery from Astral Radiance, or Misty’s Psyduck Illustration Rare from Destined Rivals have commanded a high price tag as of late. Now this card is only a super rare, so it’ll be a more common to find than the aforementioned cards. Even still, it should still be one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive super rare in the set. The one thing that is surprising to us is that this card didn’t receive a higher rarity version of the card, given how popular Misty is as a character.

5. Mega Zeraora EX – Special Illustration Rare

At number five, we have the Mega Zeraora EX SIR. The inclusion of this mega in the Mega Dimension DLC for Legends Z-A was a bit of a shocker, since Zeraora is a Mythical Pokemon. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this card is gorgeous. The light blue and white color scheme pops against the specks of black background, and it’s wonderfully accented by the yellow on Zeraora. And because this is an SIR, you can expect some crazy texturing and shine to be included. This card also could be a cool competitive TCG card as well. It’s the new lightning energy dump, that can stack damage up very quickly. It also has a powerful pivoting move, allowing you to dish out the damage and get your card to safety. Regardless of your purpose for getting this card, this is Pitch Black SIR to scoop up.

4. Morpeko EX – Special Illustration Rare

If we want to talk about outlandish and devious cards, the number four card will definitely do the trick. The SIR for Morpeko just evokes chaos and a scarily cute vibe. Heck, it’s literally screaming at you as it’s trying to launch itself out of the card. Now this is the Hangry form of Morpeko so you can expect it to bring that feeling in the artwork. On top of that, this card is actually quite good in the TCG. For a singular Dark energy, you can shuffle your hand and redraw six cards. This is an amazing tech card to add into decks like N’s Zoroak. Either way, this one is a personal favorite of ours, and you can’t go wrong ripping this from a pack, or picking it up for your binder.

3. Gwynn – Special Illustration Rare

Our first of two repeat cards on the list, kicking off the top three is the Gwynn Special Illustration Rare. For all the same reasons that the Super Rare version is sought after, they all apply here. The artwork has gotten a bit of an upgrade, and the pose that Gwynn is doing in this picture is definitely a bit more confident. Again this one also ranks up this high because of the SIR treatment, but that doesn’t diminish that this card rocks and deserves to be one of the top cards of Pitch Black.

2. Mega Darkrai EX – Mega Ultra Rare

What might be a bit of a surprise to some, the Mega Darkrai EX Mega Ultra Rare, or the Gold Darkrai, comes in at number two on the list. Historically, Gold cards in English are not the top chase of any given set that they’re in, even if they are the equivalent of the top chase or featured Pokemon. Mega Charizard X EX is a perfect example of this. The Mega Gold cards as of late have had a bunch of detail work done on the backgrounds, and really gives a clean look at the Pokemon portrayed in the artwork. While it might now have as much flare as the SIR versions, it’s still a statement in any binder, and is still going to be a super chase hit from Pitch Black.

1. Mega Darkrai EX – Special Illustration Rare

We have arrived at the top card to pick up from Pitch Black, and to no one’s surprise, it’s the Mega Darkrai EX Special Illustration Rare. When this card was revealed for Abyss Eye, it immediately shot to the top of many collector’s must have list. While the Pokemon itself, another crazy Mythical Mega Evolution, has caught some slack for how it looks, no one can deny that the artwork by AKIRA EGAWA is legendary in its own right. The artwork is on the same level as the Crown Zenith Gold VSTAR Arceus, Giritina, Dialga and Palkia. The Japanese version from Abyss Eye had some insane texturing and shine, and we expect that the English printing will be the very same.

Hopefully you enjoyed that list, and you have a good idea of what to scoop up once Pokemon Pitch Black releases next month. If you did enjoy this article, check out other articles on the website, and consider picking up some product from our shop! If you’re a fan of Live Streams, drop a follow on our Tiktok and Youtube channels, as we’re live on the channels nearly every day, ripping Pokemon packs and shiny cardboard!