Pitch Black Pull Rates & Pack Odds (2026)

What Is Pitch Black?

Pitch Black is the English-language Pokémon TCG set releasing on 17 July 2026, based on the Japanese set Abyss Eye (M5). It continues the Mega Evolution Series celebrating the Mega Pokémon from Pokémon Legends: Z-A — and Mega Darkrai ex is the undisputed headliner. Prerelease events run at local game stores from 4 July, with the cards becoming tournament-legal on 31 July.

Like Perfect Order and Chaos Rising earlier in 2026, Pitch Black is a small-sized regular set adapted mostly from a single Japanese set. The base set is 81 cards, with secret rares extending the numbering up to 118/081 — a modest size that keeps the chase pool tight for collectors hunting the Special Illustration Rare Mega Darkrai ex.

Beyond Darkrai, Pitch Black introduces Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, and Mega Excadrill ex, with two further Mega Evolutions expected (likely Mega Slowbro and Mega Delphox). Competitively, the set brings the Hide 'n' Sneak archetype led by Sinistcha, whose Ghostly Hiding ability sidesteps some of Standard's most powerful effects, plus Mega Excadrill ex as a heavy multi-Prize attacker.

Box Contents & Pack Structure

Pitch Black is available in the standard English retail formats:

• Booster Box — 36 packs per box, 10 cards per pack
• Booster Bundle — 6 packs per bundle, 10 cards per pack
• Elite Trainer Box — 9 packs plus accessories
• Single packs & blisters — 10 cards per pack (Slowpoke single pack blister)

Each 10-card pack contains commons, uncommons, a reverse holo slot, and a rare slot. The rare slot determines your hit — it can be a regular Rare (R), an ex, an IR, UR, SIR, or MHR. Not every pack guarantees an ex. In our 31-pack sample, 18 packs (58.1%) yielded only a regular Rare in the rare slot.

The Pokémon Company International has confirmed the set's full-art breakdown:

• 6 Mega Evolution Pokémon ex
• 4 Pokémon ex
• 11 Illustration Rare Pokémon
• 18 Ultra Rare Pokémon and Trainer cards
• 6 Special Illustration Rare Pokémon and Supporter cards

Sample breakdown

The 31 packs were opened across four separate early sessions:

• Session 1 (10 packs): 2 ex (incl. Mega Chandelure ex) + Mega Chandelure ex SIR + Dhelmise IR
• Session 2 (9 packs): 2 ex, Manectric IR, 1 UR trainer (Heroic Bomb)
• Session 3 (9 packs): 3 ex, Bastiodon IR
• Session 4 (3 packs): 1 ex

Pull Rate Data: 31 Packs

This section reflects an early combined sample of 31 packs opened across four sessions before wide retail release. This is a small sample — the ex and IR cadences are already in line with comparable sets, but the SIR and UR figures below rest on single pulls and should be treated as indicative only, not settled rates. We will update this guide as larger box and case data comes in.

Early sample — 31 packs (four opening sessions)

*SIR and UR rates rest on a single pull each in 31 packs — statistically unreliable. Comparable sets land a specific SIR roughly once every 5–6 boxes.

Named notable pulls

• IRs identified: Dhelmise IR, Manectric IR, Bastiodon IR
• SIR: Mega Chandelure ex (SIR) — pulled in the first 10-pack session
• ex full arts / standard ex: Mega Chandelure ex confirmed among 8 total ex hits
• UR trainer: Heroic Bomb
• MHR (118/081) gold Mega Darkrai ex: 0 pulled across all 31 packs (expected at this rarity)

Key findings

• Hit rate: 41.9% of packs had an ex or better — fewer than half of all packs yield a notable pull, in line with English Mega Evolution sets
• ex cadence: ~1 ex per 4 packs, or ~9 per box — a slightly hotter run than average, expected to settle toward ~8 with more data
• IR cadence: ~1 IR per 10 packs, or ~3–4 per box
• SIR rarity: 1 SIR in 31 packs is not enough to estimate a rate; expect the top SIRs (Mega Darkrai) closer to 1 in many boxes
• MHR (118/081): zero observed across all 31 packs; expected given its rarity tier

Rarity Breakdown

*MHR rate not observed in this 31-pack sample. This is expected given its rarity. Estimate based on comparable sets.

The Chase Cards: Mega Darkrai ex SIR & MHR Odds

Pitch Black has a clear chase hierarchy driven almost entirely by Mega Darkrai ex. The Japanese versions of these cards are the most valuable in Abyss Eye by a wide margin, and AKIRA EGAWA's Special Illustration Rare artwork has made it one of the most talked-about chase cards since Arceus and Giratina VSTAR in Crown Zenith. The table below covers the most sought-after cards with approximate pre-release market prices.

Competitive cards to watch

Pitch Black doesn't bring a must-play Trainer staple, but it introduces a couple of exciting archetypes:

• Sinistcha (Hide 'n' Sneak): its Ghostly Hiding ability prevents all effects of attacks and Abilities from the opponent's Pokémon (damage is not an effect) — sidestepping Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive, Munkidori's Adrena-Brain, and Dusknoir's Cursed Blast. Attacks that scale with Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard let the deck deal heavy damage while giving up only one Prize per turn.
• Mega Excadrill ex (063/081): the set's most impressive multi-Prize attacker — it can one-shot the ubiquitous Dragapult ex, though it gets one-shot back by Blaziken ex.

Should You Open or Buy Singles?

Open if:

• You enjoy the pack-opening experience and are comfortable with the variance (over half of packs yield only a regular Rare)
• You want to build toward the full set including regulars, reverse holos, and IRs
• You want the consistent ex and IR experience — ~9 ex and ~3–4 IRs per box is a solid pull frequency
• You want to try for the Mega Chandelure, Zeraora, or accessible Darkrai UR full arts as a bonus

Buy singles if:

• You specifically want Mega Darkrai ex SIR (114/081) or the gold MHR (118/081) — the expected cost to pull either through opening boxes far exceeds the single card price
• You want any specific SIR: with 6 SIRs in the set and each landing roughly once every 5–6 boxes, targeting one specifically through opening is extremely expensive
• You want competitive singles like Sinistcha or Mega Excadrill ex — buy them directly rather than chasing through packs

The numbers on chasing Mega Darkrai ex SIR

• Estimated SIR rate: roughly 1 SIR per 5–6 boxes (based on comparable sets; our 31-pack sample is too small to confirm)
• Number of SIRs in set: 6
• Odds of hitting specifically Darkrai SIR (1 of 6): very roughly 1 in 30+ boxes
• At ~$289 per booster box, chasing Darkrai SIR (~$409) or the gold MHR (~$498) through opening costs many multiples of the single
• Buying the single is the clear choice for the top two Darkrai cards

The honest bottom line: Pitch Black is a decent opening product if you enjoy the experience — the ex rate is generous and you will see IRs regularly. But with well over half of packs yielding only a regular Rare, and the two headline Darkrai cards sitting at $400–500, this is not a product where the math favours chasing the top cards through opening. Our data here is early (31 packs) — check back as we add larger box and case samples.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does every Pitch Black pack have an ex?

No. From our 31-pack sample, 18 packs (58.1%) yielded only a regular Rare in the rare slot — no ex or above. This is typical for English SV-era products. Expect roughly 1 ex hit per 4 packs on average.

How does Pitch Black compare to Abyss Eye (Japanese)?

Pitch Black is the English localisation of Abyss Eye (M5) with the same core card pool. Japanese and English packs differ in structure — Japanese packs have 5 cards each versus 10 for English — so pull rates per pack are not directly comparable. See our Abyss Eye pull rates guide for the Japanese box data.

What is the MHR (Master Hyper Rare) in Pitch Black?

The Master Hyper Rare is the gold Mega Darkrai ex (118/081) — the alternate full-art version of the set's headliner, with a pre-release market price around $498 USD. It is the rarest pull in the set. Zero were pulled in our 31-pack sample, which is expected at this rarity level.

Why is this sample so small?

This guide reflects early openings from around the prerelease window (events started 4 July 2026, with wide release on 17 July). 31 packs is enough to sketch the ex and IR cadence but not to nail down SIR/UR/MHR rates. We will expand this guide with larger box and case samples as they become available.

Is Mega Excadrill ex good for competitive play?

Mega Excadrill ex (063/081) is the set's standout multi-Prize attacker — its attack can one-shot the ubiquitous Dragapult ex. The catch is that it gets one-shot in return by Blaziken ex, which has been showing up in Dragapult decks as a backup attacker. It's worth watching as the English meta develops.

Disclaimer: Pull rates are early community estimates from 31 packs — a small pre-release sample. All prices are estimates — verify current prices before buying or selling. This is not financial advice.