Ascended Heroes Set Guide: Complete Card List, Release Schedule, New Decks
Happy Ascended Heroes release day!
To help you get started in the right way with the first Pokemon set of 2026, I’ll be walking you through everything you need to know about Ascended Heroes – from the complete card list now available in English to the new strategies you can play at tournaments or on Pokemon TCG Live. I’ll also be sharing helpful resources for you to dive in deeper into the topics that matter most to you!
Ascended Heroes set guide quick links
Ascended Heroes set details
Ascended Heroes is an exciting for set for several reasons. As already stated, it’s a huge set – the biggest ever released in English with nearly 300 cards. It’s also got a whopping 78 secret rare cards in it, and many of those secret rare cards are highly prized chase cards featuring some of the most popular and bankable Pokemon of them all.
But it’s not just the pure card count that makes this set special. Truly, there’s something for everyone in Ascended Heroes, from new and powerful decks for players, to alternate arts of some of the latest and greatest chase cards.
Ascended Heroes features:
Release date: January 30, 2026
295 cards in total
78 secret rares
More new Mega Evolution Pokémon ex
Over 30 Trainer cards
More than 30 Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations
Check out this blurb from the Pokemon Company International to see just how epic the set is.
“Marvel at the awesome potential as Mega Dragonite ex takes flight, leading a gathering of all-star Pokémon to battle! Trainer’s Pokémon and Stellar Tera Pokémon ex join returning and newly discovered Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, including some with special artwork showing off their biggest and boldest attacks. Celebrate the stars of Scarlet & Violet and the dawn of Mega Evolution with the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes expansion!”
And check out the official trailer for Ascended Heroes via the video below:
The Complete Ascended Heroes card list
When it comes to any new Pokemon TCG set, a great place to start is just by browsing the entire set list. These usually release a day before the official release date for the set, and in it you can see every card in the main set as well as those covetted secret rare cards that are worth the big bucks.
For insights into individual Ascended Heroes cards, check out my spoiler guide.
Main set cards
Ultra Rare cards
Illustration Rare cards
Illustration Rare cards typically feature gorgeous artworks for cards from the main set other than Pokemon ex. While less rare, sometimes Illustration Rare cards end up being among the most expensive from the set due to popular demand, especially if featuring a particularly solid artwork or favorite Pokemon.
Mega Attack Rare cards
Mega Attack Rares are the brand new Pokemon card rarity making their debut in Ascended Heroes. Mega Attack Rares are so called because of the name of their Mega Attack scrawled in Japanese across the artwork of the card.
So far, Mega Attack Rares follow a similar styling, taking on a comic book vibe that is both fun and highly collectible.
Rarity-wise, these cards are slightly more rare than an Illustration Rare (IR) card, and less rare than a Special Illustration Rare (SIR), making them an excellent stop gap between those two rarities. As such, their price point generally follows a similar trend – being in between an SIR and an IR.
Special Illustration Rare cards
Special Illustration Rare Cards are the second rarest cards in the Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution era, with only Mega Hyper Rare cards being harder to find. Yet, SIRs are widely considered the golden standard in Pokemon TCG due to their beautiful illustrations, and frequently fetch higher prices on the secondary card market than even the rarer Mega Hyper Rares.
While all of these SIRs should be very valuable, my pick for the top Ascended Heroes chase card is the Mega Gengar ex SIR.
Mega Hyper Rare cards
Mega Hyper Rare cards are the rarest cards in Ascended Heroes as they have been in each Mega Evolution set to date. Each set only gets one or two at most so far, and their value is commensurate with how notoriously hard they are to pull. This set’s Mega Hyper Rare cards are impressive to say the least – featuring two iconic Pokemon. While the Mega Charizard Y ex is likely to be the more expensive of the two – because…you know…it’s Charizard – the Mega Dragonite ex is no slouch, and is already fetching a high price on the secondary card market.
New Pokemon TCG decks in Ascended Heroes
Ascended Heroes isn’t just a collector set, however – it’s a very strong set for players. Already the most competitive players in the community are eagerly awaiting some this set’s most powerful cards, with the most highly anticipated one being the solid Poke Pad card.
Poke Pad gives players a powerful and consistent way to find their non Rule Box Pokemon without any tradeoffs like discarding cards from the hand. It’s arguably the strongest search Item to enter the game in years, and will have a big impact on how the game is played.
However, Poke Pad isn’t the only exciting thing competitively for the game, new decks are also quite powerful in this set, with my top pick being the strong Mega Meganium ex deck.
Mega Meganium ex
1st Place City League Tōkyō 01/25 - はぐれ
-
Pokémon: 16
3 Chikorita MEG 8
3 Bayleef MEG 9
2 Meganium MEG 10
1 Mega Meganium ex MC 761
3 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex TWM 25
2 Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex TWM 64
1 Budew PRE 4
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
Trainer: 32
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
3 Crispin SCR 133
1 Boss's Orders MEG 114
1 Dawn PFL 87
4 Energy Switch MEG 115
4 Bug Catching Set TWM 143
3 Night Stretcher SFA 61
2 Tera Orb SSP 189
2 Poké Pad M3 70
1 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
1 Secret Box TWM 163
1 Energy Search SVI 172
2 Air Balloon BLK 79
3 Forest of Vitality MEG 117
Energy: 12
10 Grass Energy MEE 1
2 Water Energy MEE 3
Mega Meganium ex seems strong now, but it might be even stronger post 2026 rotation that could see grass decks fair well given just how strong their support is relative to the cards leaving the game. Mega Meganium can quickly evolve Pokemon via Forest of Vitality, has plenty of ways to search out energies and Pokemon, and can of course hit for a ton of damage via Giant Bouquet thanks to its handy pairing with the single prize Mega Meganium from Mega Evolution.
You can learn more about how to pilot this deck to the top via my Mega Meganium ex deck guide.
Mega Froslass ex
-
Pokémon: 19
4 Munkidori TWM 95
3 Snorunt M2a 200
3 Froslass TWM 53
2 Mega Froslass ex M2a 36
2 Budew PRE 4
1 Shaymin DRI 10
1 Iron Bundle PAR 56
1 Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex TWM 141
1 Maractus JTG 8
1 Psyduck MEP 7
Trainer: 33
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
4 Arven OBF 186
4 Iono PAL 185
1 Larry's Skill PRE 115
3 Poké Pad MC 662
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
2 Night Stretcher SFA 61
1 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
1 Ultra Ball MEG 131
1 Secret Box TWM 163
1 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
2 Air Balloon BLK 79
1 Bravery Charm PAL 173
1 Counter Gain SSP 169
1 Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177
3 Artazon PAL 171
Energy: 8
4 Darkness Energy MEE 7
3 Luminous Energy PAL 191
1 Water Energy MEE 3
The other powerful new deck coming out of Ascended Heroes is Mega Froslass ex. Froslass has been a staple in the competitive Pokemon TCG scene due to its powerful Freezing Shroud ability – one that punishes other Pokemon with abilities by dealing damage to them each turn. While players have usually paired this effect with other damage spread attackers like Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex, now Froslass can easily be its own deck thanks to the powerful Mega Froslass ex.
Mega Dragonite ex
While not likely to be the most competitively viable deck of them all, it’s still cool to see an essentially strong Dragonite deck entering the game. Mega Dragonite’s strength lies in its all-out-power and relative versatility given its solid ability, letting you switch out your Active Pokemon at will once per turn.
It’s got enough support via Eelektrik to consistently power up its attacks. Again, it’s not likely to be one you’ll see topping tournaments, but it’s certainly going to be packing a punch on Pokemon TCG Live.
There are even more powerful decks coming out with Ascended Heroes. To learn more, check out my guide to every Ascended Heroes deck, ranked.
Ascended Heroes Product Release Schedule
Ascended Heroes is following a very staggered release schedule – one that has already been faced with notorious delays that even caused the Pokemon Company to push back the legality date for the set to give competitive players more time to get the cards they need and practice with them.
As of now, only one product is actually releasing in both the US and Canada on the official release day of January 30, 2026: The Tech Sticker Collection.
As Ascended Heroes is a special Pokemon set, the kinds of products you can buy from it differs from main Pokemon sets like Phantasmal Flames. Booster boxes won’t be available, and players will need to pick up products with far less booster packs per item in hopes of bagging some of these hyper valuable cards.
Below, we’ll be looking at each of the main prodcuts releasing with Ascended Heroes and sharing their current release dates.
Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collection
Releasing on January 30, 2026
Ascended Heroes Collection—Erika/Larry
Releasing February 20, 2026
Elite Trainer Box
Releasing February 20, 2026
Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box
Releasing February 20, 2026
Ascended Heroes Mini Tin
Releasing February 20, 2026
Ascended Heroes First Partners Deluxe Pin Collection
Releasing March 20, 206
Ascended Heroes Premium Poster Collection—Mega Lucario or Mega Gardevoir
Releasing March 20, 2026
Booster Bundle
Releasing April 24, 2026
Ascended Heroes Mega Meganium ex Box, Mega Emboar ex Box, or Mega Feraligatr ex Box
Releasing April 24, 2026
Play Ascended Heroes on Pokemon TCG Live
As of January 29th at 9am PT, you can start playing and practicing with your new Ascended Heroes cards!
Just by loading up the app, you’ll get two brand new decks from the latest set to play with: Mega Meganium ex and Mega Dragonite ex.
Additionally, a new Learning Lab feature has been added to the game to make it easier for brand new players to learn the game.
And as if that weren’t enough, new epic music inspired by the Kalos region has been added to the game, so turn your volume up loud as you play!
Play through the Ascended Heroes Battle Pass and earn rewards
While getting your hands on physical Ascended Heroes products might be a challenge giving high demand and delays, it’s pretty easy to start playing and earning rare cards via the Ascended Heroes Battle Pass on Pokemon TCG Live.
Epic chase cards like Mega Gengar ex SIR and N’s Zoroark ex SIR can be obtained by clearing all the levels, as well as a host of opportunities to earn Trainer Points and Trade Credits.
Indeed, clearing all 100 tiers for this season’s battle pass will get you:
141 Ascended Heroes booster packs.
7275 trade credits
6250 trainer points
10 surprise boxes with 10 cards each
Special Dragonite gear for your avatar
And a host of rare cards
2026 is off to a big start thanks to Ascended Heroes. There’s something for everyone in this set – epic chase cards for collectors, powerful new mechanics for players, and plenty of ways to enjoy the set for more casual fans looking to spend some hours grinding the ladder on Pokemon TCG Live. If our first set of the year is any indicator of what’s to come, then Pokemon’s 30th anniversary should really be the best year yet!
