2025 has been a big year for Pokemon games based on trading cards, with Pokemon TCG dropping some of the most hotly anticipated sets in quite some time and Pokemon TCG Pocket rising to prominence with one new expansion per month since December 2024. Pokemon TCG‘s new Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia sets will break away from the Scarlet and Violet era of the game and start the so-called MEGA block, most likely in preparation for Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s release in October. The game is seemingly already getting its first expansion for the MEGA block, too, as a new trademark from Game Freak sets the stage for it.
It’s unclear exactly how much life the MEGA block will have overall, in the sense that it will eventually have to make way for Gen 10-themed sets, probably between the end of 2026 and the start of 2027. However, the first dual sets are all about Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir, which are both fan favorites, so it’s likely that Pokemon TCG will have an easy shift to a new era. While the first expansion of this new era is set in stone, not much is known about the future outside of a possible set called “Storm Emerald.”
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New Pokemon TCG Set Leaked
A new Pokemon TCG set is releasing later this year after the previously revealed first set of Mega Evolution cards, according to a recent leak.
Pokemon TCG’s Storm Emerald Leaked Set Explained
Game Freak recently trademarked the English equivalent of “Storm Emerald,” and typically, this means that a new set is going to be announced with this name in the near future. The same thing happened with Pokemon TCG‘s Black Bolt and White Flare, for example, whereas some fans initially thought these were the names for the long-awaited Gen 5 remakes. Instead, Storm Emerald makes perfect sense for the next Pokemon TCG release after Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia because it most likely entails Rayquaza, another fan favorite, which also happens to be the mascot for Pokemon Emerald.
Interestingly, Rayquaza also has a Mega Evolution, and Mega Rayquaza is extremely popular among fans. So much so that in 2015, it got a dedicated Pokemon TCG set called Roaring Skies, and Mega Rayquaza cards were among the most sought-after overall. With a return to Mega Evolutions in Pokemon TCG, adding an entire expansion themed after Rayquaza and Mega Rayquaza is a no-brainer, and in this case, it could come not long after the launch of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. This is because trademarks are typically used five or six months after being filed, so Storm Emerald may be the final set of the year following this logic.
Pokemon TCG May Atone For Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Big Sin With Rayquaza
If legit, the leaked Storm Emerald set for Pokemon TCG may make up for Pokemon Legends: Z-A cutting Rayquaza, assuming the leaks for the latter are also correct. As it stands, it seems that Pokemon Legends: Z-A won’t feature Rayquaza, Latios, and Latias, as well as their Mega Evolutions, so Storm Emerald would be a good way to still give Mega Rayquaza some love in a timeframe where players expect it to be prominent. This remains to be seen, as Storm Emerald may be about a different Pokemon or the leaks regarding PLZA may be wrong.
How Pokemon TCG’s Leaked Storm Emerald Set Fits In The Game
Regardless, an expansion dedicated to Rayquaza and Mega Rayquaza would most likely generate a lot of hype, and with how powerful some cards have gotten over time, it would be interesting to compare the current version of this Pokemon versus the one from Rising Skies. Game Freak’s trademarked Storm Emerald may be released sometime between November and December if the trademark pattern is consistent with past releases, which is also a great time slot for new sets. Pokemon TCG‘s new Mega Evolutions seem to confirm all this, though, so fans of Rayquaza and Mega Rayquaza shouldn’t miss Storm Emerald news in the coming months.