Storm Emeralda's headline card is Mega Rayquaza ex, and that's fair. But on July 10, 2026, three weeks before the set even released in Japan, Pokémon's official Japanese site and YouTube channel confirmed two very different cards first: Mega Golisopod ex and Wishiwashi ex.
A third card came with them, one half of a split Stadium nobody had a confirmed name for yet. That early preview is worth its own look, because these two Pokémon turn out to work as a matched problem and answer.
Mega Golisopod ex plays its own two-turn combo
Mega Golisopod ex is a 340 HP Grass-type Stage 1 that evolves from Wimpod, and its two attacks read like they were written to work in sequence.
Quadruple Hold costs three Colorless Energy. It deals 160 damage and stops the Defending Pokémon from retreating during the opponent's next turn.
Finishing Blow costs one Grass Energy and two Colorless Energy. It deals 60 damage, plus 160 more if the opponent's Active Pokémon already has any damage counters on it, for 220 total.
Play Quadruple Hold first and the target is stuck facing Golisopod with 160 damage already sitting on it. Finishing Blow the following turn lands on a Pokémon that couldn't retreat away from the hit, for the full 220. Like every Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, a Golisopod knockout still hands the opponent three Prize cards instead of two, so the deck has to make that math work in its favor.
Wishiwashi ex is built to survive exactly that kind of lock
Wishiwashi ex is a plain Basic Water-type Pokémon ex with 260 HP, no Mega Evolution required to hit the table.
Its Oceanic Gain Ability heals 50 damage from itself once per turn, as long as it's sitting in the Active Spot, the exact spot a retreat lock traps a Pokémon in.
Hydro Splash costs three Water Energy and one Colorless Energy and deals 220, matching Golisopod's own ceiling almost exactly.
A retreat lock is supposed to trap a wounded attacker where it can't escape. Against Wishiwashi ex it traps a Pokémon that heals itself back out of range on every turn it's forced to stay put.
A third Legendary Stadium arrived the same day
The same July 10 update included one half of a new split Stadium, cards 071 and 072 of the 76-card Storm Emeralda checklist. Pokémon hasn't confirmed an official English name yet, and fan sources currently split between calling the pair Legendary Ocean Trench and Legendary Marine Trench.
Both halves have to be played from your hand together before either one does anything, part of a new Storm Emeralda mechanic our full Stadium breakdown covers across all three pairs the set actually shipped. Once it's in play, the effect here is simple: double the amount healed from each player's Pokémon whenever they're healed.
Run that math against Wishiwashi ex directly. Oceanic Gain heals 50 damage a turn on its own. With this Stadium in play, the same Ability heals 100, because the card doesn't need to say so itself, the Stadium doubles whatever heal already happened.
What's confirmed, and what's still a guess
Confirmed: both Pokémon's HP, types, attacks and Ability text, plus the July 10, 2026 reveal date and the July 31 Japanese release Storm Emeralda already had scheduled. Card numbers are 009/076 for Golisopod and 021/076 for Wishiwashi, both inside the set's full 76-card checklist.
Still a guess: the Stadium's official English name, and how either card performs once Delta Reign, the English version teased for a November 6, 2026 release, actually reaches paper. Japanese-only results are an early signal, not a Standard-legal one.
The set's real chase, Mega Rayquaza ex, still sells the box. These two cards are a good part of the reason a full case might be worth opening beyond that single pull.
Frequently asked questions
- What are Mega Golisopod ex's attacks in Storm Emeralda?
Finishing Blow deals 60 damage plus 160 more if the opponent's Active Pokémon already has damage on it, for one Grass Energy and two Colorless. Quadruple Hold costs three Colorless Energy, deals 160 damage and stops the Defending Pokémon from retreating during the opponent's next turn.
- What does Wishiwashi ex's Oceanic Gain Ability do?
Once per turn, while Wishiwashi ex is in the Active Spot, its Trainer may heal 50 damage from it. That heal doubles to 100 whenever the new split Stadium from cards 071 and 072 is in play, since that Stadium doubles all healing.
- When were these cards revealed, and when does Delta Reign release in English?
Pokémon's Japanese site and YouTube channel revealed them July 10, 2026, three weeks before Storm Emeralda's July 31 Japanese release. The English version, Delta Reign, releases November 6, 2026.
