Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising is the latest expansion to arrive under The Pokemon Company International’s Mega Evolution banner, and it carries the weight of Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s narrative into booster packs with Greninja leading the way.
I had the chance to crack open the full range of products (the Build & Battle Box, Elite Trainer Box, Booster Bundle, and Booster Display Box), and came away with a clear picture of what this set offers, what it does well, and where it leaves a little on the table ahead of its May 22, 2026 launch.
Here’s our pre-ordering guide so that you can secure Chaos Rising before the aftermarket markups take over.
The concept of Chaos Rising is one of the more dramatic the Mega Evolution series has attempted. Mega Floette ex has descended on Lumiose City and is tearing the place apart, and it falls to Mega Greninja ex (backed by Mega Pyroar ex and Mega Dragalge ex) to mount a defense.
The expansion features five Mega Evolution Pokemon ex, five standard Pokemon ex, 11 illustration rare Pokemon, 18 ultra rare Pokemon and Trainer cards, and six special illustration rare Pokemon and Supporter cards. The total card count lands at 122, which is on the leaner side compared to some recent releases, but more on that in a moment.
I ripped packs from all of Chaos Rising’s different product offerings to see how the pull rates and contents varied across the lineup.
The Build & Battle Box is the entry point for anyone who wants a taste of Chaos Rising before committing to the larger set. It includes a 40-card ready-to-play deck and four booster packs, making it perfect for newer players or anyone who wants to quickly experience the set’s mechanics without a major investment. Individual Build & Battle Boxes are available for pre-order on Amazon, but note that they are apparently not releasing there until May 29 (a week after the official release).
The Booster Bundle is where things started to get exciting for me. Six packs in a single purchase sounds modest, but this is where I managed to pull the complete Deoxys lineup (all four forms in one bundle), which feels intentionally distributed in terms of the evolution found in families throughout this set. Because I also noticed a higher-than-usual rate of full evolution lines appearing together in the same box (and even same pack!) across all of my opening sessions, including a Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat sequence and a Stunky and Skuntank pairing. Whether that is by design or just serendipitous, it made the single-pack ripping experience surprisingly more satisfying. You can pre-order the Booster Bundle now at Walmart for $64.99.
The Elite Trainer Box is the standard centerpiece purchase for most collectors, and Chaos Rising’s version holds up well. It includes nine booster packs, a full-art foil promo card featuring Fennekin (which is adorable), 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, a player’s guide, six damage-counter dice, a competition-legal coin-flip die, a plastic coin, a collector’s box with six dividers, and a Pokemon TCG Live code card. Walmart currently has them with a pre-order price of $109.77.
The Display Box is the big-purchase option, containing 36 booster packs from the expansion. If you are planning to chase the set’s rarest cards or stock up for draft events, this is the most economical route per pack. Amazon’s preorder is currently sitting at $294.95, which will likely be the lowest price you’ll see, especially once the set launches.
And if you just need a quick fix, individual booster packs will be available on Amazon as well.
Despite the city-under-siege premise, a surprising amount of Chaos Rising’s illustration work leans into natural settings and lush, organic backdrops. It’s a slightly unexpected tonal disconnect given the urban drama the expansion is selling (though there is plenty of that kind of art too), and it stands out compared to some of the more tonally consistent recent sets. That said, this is 100% a stylistic observation rather than a complaint. The art itself is always stunning, especially once you reach illustration rare and special illustration rare territory (obviously).
The clear chase card is Mega Greninja ex in its Mega Hyper Rare treatment, and it lives up to the set, visually. But Mega Floette ex might be my favorite of the set. My own personal chase card.
The 122-card total does mean the set has less variety than larger sets, and casual collectors may notice the pool feels somewhat contained. Competitive players and dedicated collectors chasing specific artwork will likely not feel the limitation as much, especially given the quality concentrated in the rare slots.
Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising is a set that rewards patience. At 122 cards it runs relatively lean, and the city-chaos aesthetic does not always carry through to the artwork as fully as you might expect. But those rare tiers are still as good as they’ve ever been.
If you’ve been keeping pace with the Mega Evolution series, Chaos Rising is an easy recommendation. And if Mega Floette ex ends up being this era’s breakout card, well, you heard it here first.
Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising launches on May 22, 2026, at participating retailers worldwide. Product samples were provided to ComicBook for this article.
