Mega Evolution Pokemon Sets in Order: ME01-ME06

Mega Evolution Pokemon Sets in Order: ME01-ME06

The Mega Evolution block runs in this order: Mega Evolution (ME01, September 26, 2025), Phantasmal Flames (ME02, November 14, 2025), Ascended Heroes (ME2.5, January 30, 2026), Perfect Order (ME03, March 27, 2026), Chaos Rising (ME04, May 22, 2026), Pitch Black (ME05, July 17, 2026), and Storm Emerald (ME06, expected around September 2026). ME2.5 is a special set slotted between ME02 and ME03, which is why the codes appear to skip a number. Below, each set is paired with its signature Mega ex and a live chase-price reading as of July 12, 2026.

What are the Mega Evolution sets in order?

The Mega Evolution sets in release order are Mega Evolution (ME01, September 26, 2025), Phantasmal Flames (ME02, November 14, 2025), Ascended Heroes (ME2.5, January 30, 2026), Perfect Order (ME03, March 27, 2026), Chaos Rising (ME04, May 22, 2026), Pitch Black (ME05, July 17, 2026), and Storm Emerald (ME06, expected around September 2026). That is seven products across roughly one year.

The table below is the whole era on one screen. The "chase temperature" column reads each set's headline Special Illustration Rare (SIR) against its recent trend, so a static set list becomes a buy-timing tool. All prices are raw/ungraded market values from Cardrake as of July 12, 2026.

Set (code)	Released	Signature Mega ex	Headline chase card	Price (Jul 12, 2026)	Chase temp
Mega Evolution (ME01)	Sep 26, 2025	Mega Lucario ex	Mega Lucario ex SIR	~$248 (MHR ~$294)	Cooling
Phantasmal Flames (ME02)	Nov 14, 2025	Mega Charizard X ex	Mega Charizard X ex SIR	~$950	Holding firm
Ascended Heroes (ME2.5)	Jan 30, 2026	Mega Dragonite ex (cover)	Mega Gengar ex SIR	~$1,720	Rising
Perfect Order (ME03)	Mar 27, 2026	Mega Zygarde ex	Mega Zygarde ex SIR	~$93	Cooling
Chaos Rising (ME04)	May 22, 2026	Mega Greninja ex	Mega Greninja ex SIR	~$477	Cooling
Pitch Black (ME05)	Jul 17, 2026	Mega Darkrai ex	Mega Darkrai ex SIR	Pre-release	Pre-release
Storm Emerald (ME06)	~Sep 2026	Mega Rayquaza ex	TBD	Not out	Unreleased

Two rows carry an asterisk in practice. In Ascended Heroes, the cover star is Mega Dragonite ex, but the priciest card is the Mega Gengar ex SIR at roughly $1,720. In Perfect Order, the signature Mega Zygarde ex SIR sits near $93, while a non-Mega card, the Meowth ex SIR, actually tops the set around $212 (Cardrake, July 12, 2026). The mascot and the money card are not always the same card.

Which Mega Evolution set has the most valuable chase card?

Ascended Heroes (ME2.5) holds the era's most valuable card: the Mega Gengar ex SIR (284/217), listed near $1,720 on Cardrake as of July 12, 2026, and described there as the most expensive English Pokemon card of 2026 so far. Treat the exact figure as volatile, though. A second tracker, PokeScope, reads the same card closer to $1,350, so quotes swing by hundreds of dollars depending on where you look.

That single card reframes the whole block. Ascended Heroes is a 295-card special set — the largest English special expansion in the Scarlet & Violet / Mega Evolution block, per Cardrake — and its density of Special Illustration Rares concentrates value at the top rather than spreading it. The Mega Gengar ex SIR is worth roughly 18 times Perfect Order's Mega Zygarde ex SIR ($1,720 vs $93) even though the two sets released only eight weeks apart. A special set and a standard main set are simply different asset classes.

Why does the set order skip to ME2.5?

ME2.5 is the Ascended Heroes special set, which The Pokemon Company slots between the numbered main expansions ME02 and ME03 rather than giving it a full main-set number. Special sets in this era ship as sealed-heavy products (collections, tins, Elite Trainer Boxes) instead of loose booster displays, and they carry a fractional code to signal that.

The practical difference matters for buyers. Main sets (ME01, ME02, ME03, ME04) get long print runs and steady reprinting, so their chase cards tend to soften for weeks after launch. Special sets like ME2.5 print in tighter windows, which is a large part of why the Mega Gengar ex SIR climbed instead of bleeding. Ascended Heroes launched January 30, 2026, with Elite Trainer Boxes following on February 20, 2026.

When should you buy each set's headline chase?

For a standard main set, wait roughly six to eight weeks after launch before buying its top chase; for a special set like ME2.5, the same wait can cost you money because those cards trend up instead of down. The Mega Evolution era gives a clean, repeatable pattern to lean on.

Look at the main-set glide across July 12, 2026 data. The peak column below uses Cardrake's own launch and pre-release figures, not our estimates:

Set	Headline SIR	Launch / est. peak (Cardrake)	Jul 12, 2026	Move
Perfect Order (ME03)	Mega Zygarde ex	~$250+ pre-release est.	~$93	down ~63%
Chaos Rising (ME04)	Mega Greninja ex	~$594 day-one	~$477	down ~20%
Mega Evolution (ME01)	Mega Lucario ex (MHR)	~$500–600 open	~$294	down ~45%

Every mature main-set chase has fallen from its peak, from about 20% (Chaos Rising, only seven weeks old) to more than 60% (Perfect Order, which fully corrected). Chaos Rising's Mega Greninja ex SIR is still the most expensive standard main-set card of the era at roughly $477, and Cardrake's own guidance is to hunt sub-$450 listings rather than chase the peak. The lone counter-example is the ME2.5 special set, whose Mega Gengar ex SIR rose. That is the whole rule in one line: buy main-set chases late, buy special-set chases early.

If you are tracking several of these at once, a collection app helps more than a spreadsheet. Valusaur scans a card and shows its live market value, so you can log every Mega ex you already own and watch a chase cool before you commit. Seeing Perfect Order's $93 floor next to Chaos Rising's $477 is the difference between overpaying and timing an entry.

Should you pre-order Pitch Black (ME05) and Storm Emerald (ME06)?

Pitch Black (ME05) releases July 17, 2026, headlined by Mega Darkrai ex, and Storm Emerald (ME06) is expected around September 2026, headlined by Mega Rayquaza ex. Both are worth a light single-box pre-order for the rip, but the era's pricing pattern argues against pre-ordering singles at launch premiums.

Pitch Black is a main set of over 115 cards, with Mega Darkrai ex joined by Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, and Mega Excadrill ex. Given that every prior main-set chase in this block fell after launch, the Mega Darkrai ex SIR will most likely be cheaper in September than on July 18.

Storm Emerald is the bigger story. Mega Rayquaza ex ties into the Pokemon Legends: Z-A content and has one of the largest fan pulls of any Mega. The Japanese counterpart, "Storm Emeralda," is dated July 31, 2026; the English release is still unconfirmed but is projected around September 2026 based on the six-to-eight-week gap seen across the era. That is a card to buy the hype-cool on, not the hype-peak. You can see how Valusaur tracks live prices if you want an alert when it settles.

FAQ

How many Mega Evolution sets are there so far?

Six English products through mid-2026: the five main sets ME01 through ME05 plus the ME2.5 special set. A seventh, ME06 Storm Emerald, is expected around September 2026. Five main sets carry whole numbers (ME01–ME05), and Ascended Heroes is the single .5 special set slotted between ME02 and ME03.

Is ME2.5 Ascended Heroes worth buying over the main sets?

For chase-card value, yes. Ascended Heroes is the largest English special expansion in the Scarlet & Violet / Mega Evolution block at 295 cards and holds the era's most valuable card, the Mega Gengar ex SIR near $1,720 as of July 12, 2026. Its cards also resisted the post-launch price drop that main sets reliably show.

What is the most expensive Mega Evolution card right now?

The Ascended Heroes Mega Gengar ex SIR (284/217), around $1,720 on Cardrake as of July 12, 2026, is the priciest English card of the era and, per Cardrake, the most expensive English card of 2026 so far. It is volatile: PokeScope reads the same card closer to $1,350, so trackers disagree by hundreds — confirm a live price before buying.

Which Mega Evolution set should a new collector start with?

Start with Chaos Rising (ME04) or the current Pitch Black (ME05). They are recent main sets in wide print, so booster boxes sit near retail and the chase cards (Mega Greninja ex, Mega Darkrai ex) are affordable relative to the earlier special-set chases. Chase ME2.5 singles later, once your budget can absorb a four-figure card.