Launch day is the one day a set stops being a list and starts being a market. Delta Reign is available now at participating retailers around the world as of November 6 and this report follows our full set list report and our store promo breakdown with the only facts that could not exist before today. Packs are open. Prices are real. And Mega Rayquaza ex is back in the English game for the first time since the XY Ancient Origins expansion.
What is on shelves today
The first wave is the core sealed lineup. The Booster Display Box carries 36 booster packs with 10 cards and one Basic Energy in each pack. The Elite Trainer Box carries nine packs with a full art foil promo card featuring Kyogre and 65 card sleeves and 40 Energy cards and damage counter dice and a plastic coin and a coin flip die and a player guide and a sturdy storage box. The Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box carries 11 packs and two Kyogre promo cards and one of those two carries the Pokémon Center logo. The Booster Bundle carries six packs for buyers who want a smaller first rip. The same date also brings the 30th Celebration Ditto Premium Collection and Figure Collection and Ultra Premium Collection to shelves and this report stays on Delta Reign itself.
The set in one breath
The expansion holds 141 cards in the full English list with 103 cards in the main set and 38 secret rares numbered above it. The official breakdown counts four Mega Evolution Pokémon ex and six more Pokémon ex and 14 illustration rare Pokémon and 17 ultra rare Pokémon and Trainer cards and six special illustration rare Pokémon and Supporter cards. The new mechanic is the Legendary Stadium. Two Stadium cards are played as a pair and join into one extended artwork on the table and a pack that holds one half holds both halves.
The chase on day one
Three versions of Mega Rayquaza ex sit in this set and the number at the bottom of the card is the whole story. The Double Rare at 084 traded between $12.91 and $15.42 on release day depending on the tracker. The Special Illustration Rare at 138 opened as the clear chase and two price trackers already disagree on it in the way day one prices always disagree. One tracker put it at $397.94 and another put it at $458 and both agree it leads the set by a wide margin. The Mega Hyper Rare at 141 had no market price yet on release day which makes it the last unknown in the set. Behind the leader the special illustration rare Zinnia's Trust sat at $74.94 on both trackers and the special illustration rare Mega Golurk ex sat just under $50 while the illustration rare Eevee and Groudon each opened above $30. Day one prices are a snapshot and this set will move fast in its first weeks.
The promo run starts today
The store promo program we detailed in October is live with the launch. A spend of $15 or more on Pokémon TCG products earns one anniversary promo card while supplies last and each card lives at different stores. Kyogre is at Hot Topic and Barnes and Noble and Five Below and Macy's in the United States. Groudon is at GameStop in the United States and EB Games in Canada and Australia. Giratina is at Best Buy in the United States and Toymate and Mr Toys in Australia. All three carry the Pokémon 30 mark for the What's Your Favorite celebration and completing the trio means buying at three different chains.
The one box still missing from the shelf
One part of the wave is not in hands today. As we reported on November 5 in our Pokémon Center delay report the Center side of this launch slipped and United Kingdom orders were told to expect shipping by the middle of November which leaves the Center edition of the Elite Trainer Box as the one version many collectors cannot open on release day. Two more November products are still ahead. The Mega Greninja ex League Battle Deck arrives November 13 and the Build and Battle Box becomes widely available November 20 after its prerelease run.
Our take for launch weekend
Our take is simple. Buy the sealed product you actually want to open at retail while retail exists and let the singles market cool before chasing the big Rayquaza. The Elite Trainer Box is the strongest first buy for most collectors because the Kyogre promo and nine packs ride in one box. The promo cards reward planned $15 purchases at stores you were visiting anyway. And the special illustration rare has two tracker prices far apart on day one which is the market telling you its real price is not settled yet.
What to watch next
Watch the first market price that lands on the Mega Hyper Rare at 141 because it will set the ceiling for the whole set. Watch how fast the two tracker prices for the special illustration rare meet because that meeting point is the first honest price of this launch. Watch Pokémon Center shipping notes through the middle of November. And watch restock timing at the big retailers because a set led by Rayquaza rarely stays easy to find at retail for long. That last point is our read of demand for this character and not a stock promise from any store.