Release week is finally here. Prerelease events wrapped up on November 1, Pokemon TCG Live gets the set on Thursday, November 5, and packs reach shelves on Friday, November 6. Delta Reign, the final English expansion of 2026 with 141 cards, brings Mega Rayquaza ex back for the first time since 2015. The early price list holds a genuine surprise.

The Art Card Beats the Gold Card

Delta Reign prints Mega Rayquaza ex three times, and their price order is a surprise. On November 1, the TCGplayer market price for the Special Illustration Rare, numbered 138 of 103, was $791.50 USD [$1,106.07 CAD]. The gold Mega Hyper Rare, numbered 141 of 103, sat second at $575.00 USD [$803.53 CAD]. The regular Double Rare was $9.58 USD [$13.39 CAD]. The art print costs more than eighty times that, and $216.50 USD [$302.54 CAD] more than the gold card.

The gold card is the only Mega Hyper Rare in the set, the top rarity of the Mega Evolution series, and gold prints usually cap a set. In Japan the order ran the other way. English collectors have voted for the artwork itself, a swirling storm of green and gold by Kazuki Minami, winner of the 2024 Pokemon TCG Illustration Contest. The card is a 280 HP Basic with the Ruler's Roar Ability and a Storm Emerald attack that grows with every Fire Energy and Lightning Energy on your board.

Plenty of Chase Beyond the Dragon

The rest of the list is strong too. Raikou ex holds third place at $178.60 USD [$249.58 CAD], followed by Zinnia's Trust, Mega Golisopod ex and Mega Golurk ex. Five of the six Special Illustration Rares fill the top of the chart.

The Illustration Rares tell a gentler story. Eevee leads that group at $46.50 USD [$64.98 CAD], tucked into a bag on a picnic outing in art by Hideki Ishikawa. It might be the most charming card in the whole set.

Groudon follows at $41.96 USD [$58.64 CAD], and Kecleon sits at $32.06 USD [$44.80 CAD] in Tomokazu Komiya art that buries it in an explosion of flowers. Its Colorful Whip attack rewards a hand full of different types, a playful trick to match the wild art.

The set also introduces Legendary Stadiums. Each arrives as two cards sharing one wide picture, both halves in the same pack, counting as one Stadium in play. Legendary Summit, numbered 096 and 097 of 103, softens the biggest risk of Mega Rayquaza ex, since Colorless Pokemon under its sky give up one fewer Prize card when they fall.

Early Prices Deserve a Calm Eye

A word of calm before Friday. Every price above comes from presales and prerelease packs. Booster boxes tell the same story at $228.91 USD [$319.89 CAD] presale. The list shows its thin spots too, with one Illustration Rare at fifty cents, a placeholder. Once packs open in volume, these numbers will move, some a long way. Patience has rewarded collectors all year, and it will here too.

A Very Full Week

The calendar around the launch is stacked. The McDonald's Pokemon promotion starts in Canada tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3. Delta Reign lands in stores on Friday, sharing November 6 with the 30th Celebration Day and Night Ultra Premium Collections. My plan is simple. Open a few packs on Friday for the joy of it, cheer for the Eevee most of all, and let the big Rayquaza settle before making any serious moves. This one has earned its excitement.