Pokémon ex★ is the name of the Pokémon TCG's next series, and Raikou, Entei and Suicune are its first confirmed Pokémon. The Pokémon Company revealed both facts during the closing ceremony of the 2026 World Championships, in a short video that ended with a message: more details are coming later.
That's the entire confirmed picture right now. No card art. No release date. No set name. Just a new logo shaped like a teal star, and three familiar faces named in the press materials sent out with the video.
We watched the reactions roll in the way they always do with an early tease: excitement first, theories about a Johto set second, and a lot of people asking what "ex★" actually changes on a card. Fair question. Nobody outside The Pokémon Company knows yet.
What The Pokémon Company actually confirmed
Strip away the speculation and three things are solid. First, the series that follows Mega Evolution has a name, ex★, sometimes written "ex Star." Second, it was revealed August 31, 2026, at the closing ceremony in San Francisco, the same broadcast that wraps every Worlds. Third, Raikou, Entei and Suicune are attached to it by name in official materials, even though none of the three appeared as an actual card.
The Pokémon Company's own line was that more details will be shared in the future. That's about as plainly as a company can tell you this is a name and a logo, not a product page yet. Everything past those three facts is us reading the same tea leaves as everyone else.
Why fans immediately started talking about Johto
Raikou, Entei and Suicune have never had their own numbered set. They've been chase cards inside bigger releases since 2003, always as a trio, never as the headline act. Naming all three together on day one of a brand-new series reads like a deliberate choice, not a coincidence.
The comparison people keep making is 151, the Kanto-focused set that became one of the best-selling releases in TCG history. A Johto equivalent built around these three Legendary Beasts would be an easy pitch for new and returning collectors alike. It's also exactly the kind of guess The Pokémon Company hasn't confirmed or denied.
Hold that theory loosely. A shared logo confirms a series, not a set list. Ho Oh and Lugia already had their moment this year in 30th Celebration, so a full Johto region set still has to earn its place, not just line up nicely with a teaser.
Where ex★ actually fits on the calendar
Nothing about ex★ changes what's already confirmed for the months ahead. Delta Reign, built around Mega Rayquaza ex, is still the next English main set, releasing November 6, 2026. Aura Seeker follows it in Japan on November 27, with an English release we'd expect three to five months later, based on how every prior Mega Evolution set has crossed over.
MEGA x MEGA Parade, a Japanese High Class Pack already trademarked, is scheduled for February 19, 2027, and looks like the set built to close out the Mega Evolution era. That timing lines up with ex★ starting sometime after, most likely by spring 2027, though The Pokémon Company hasn't put a date on it.
One more piece worth knowing: Pokémon Winds and Waves is the next mainline video game, also due in 2027. The TCG has matched its main series name to the flagship game for three generations straight, Scarlet & Violet included. If that pattern holds, ex★ might end up carrying the Winds and Waves name too, but that's our inference from history, not something Pokémon has said.
The Beasts have leveled up before
This wouldn't be the trio's first upgrade. Raikou, Entei and Suicune got Pokémon-ex cards in 2003 and 2004, jumped to EX Full Arts in 2012's Dark Explorers, picked up GX versions across 2017 and 2018, and landed V cards in 2021 and 2022. Roughly once a generation, someone redraws all three with a bigger number on the HP line.
What "ex★" the mechanic might actually mean
The name gives away less than it looks like it does. "Ex" already exists right now as the current core mechanic, the one printed on every Charizard ex and Pikachu ex since 2023. A star doesn't automatically mean a new rules box. It could just as easily be a cosmetic mark, the way GX cards got a rainbow border without rewriting much about the EX ruleset underneath it.
Our guess is that it's more than decoration, since The Pokémon Company doesn't usually rename an entire series over a sticker. But guessing a mechanic from a logo alone is how wrong price predictions get made months before a single card exists. We'll write the real breakdown the day an actual card shows text.
What we're doing with our own inventory
Nothing rash. Mega Evolution era cards printed through 2026 stay Standard legal well past any ex★ release, and a name change three sets away isn't a reason to move pricing today. If you're holding Delta Reign or Pitch Black singles, hold them the same way you would have yesterday.
What we are doing is watching the same channels you should: Pokémon's own press site, and outlets that got real quotes from the closing ceremony instead of just reposting a logo. We'll update this page the moment there's an actual card to talk about instead of just a name.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Pokémon ex★ series?
Pokémon ex★ (sometimes written ex Star) is the name The Pokémon Company gave to the TCG series that follows Mega Evolution. It was revealed August 31, 2026 at the Pokémon World Championships closing ceremony, with Raikou, Entei and Suicune confirmed as its first Pokémon.
- Have any ex★ cards actually been shown?
No. The teaser showed the new logo and named Raikou, Entei and Suicune in press materials. No card art, HP, attacks or set name have been revealed for any of the three.
- When does the ex★ series release?
No date has been announced. The Pokémon Company said more details will be shared in the future. Based on the current calendar, it likely starts after MEGA x MEGA Parade closes out the Mega Evolution era in 2027.
- Will ex★ be a Johto set like 151 was for Kanto?
That is fan speculation, not an official statement. Naming three Johto Legendary Beasts together on day one fuels the theory, but The Pokémon Company hasn't confirmed a region theme or a full set list.
- What releases before ex★ starts?
Delta Reign releases November 6, 2026, Aura Seeker follows in Japan on November 27 with an English release expected in early 2027, and MEGA x MEGA Parade releases in Japan February 19, 2027 as the likely close of the Mega Evolution era.
