Pokemon Chaos Rising Set Guide: Cards & Products

Pokemon Chaos Rising lands on May 22 as the fourth expansion in the Mega Evolution series, and it brings something the last few sets have been missing: genuine chase card hype. With Mega Greninja ex leading the charge alongside some of the most visually striking Special Art Rares we've seen this era, Chaos Rising is shaping up to be the set collectors have been waiting for since Phantasmal Flames.

Here's what's confirmed, what's worth chasing, and which products deserve your preorder money.

What Is Pokemon Chaos Rising?

Chaos Rising is the fourth main expansion in the Mega Evolution series, following the arc that started with the base Mega Evolution set last September. The set contains over 120 cards numbered up to 086 in the base set, with secret rares pushing the total count well beyond that. You're looking at 4 Mega Evolution Pokemon ex, 20+ Trainer cards, and over 35 cards with special illustrations of both Pokemon and Trainers.

The set code is ME04, and it becomes Standard Legal on release day. Prerelease events run from May 9 to May 17 at local game stores across the UK, which means Build & Battle Boxes will be the first Chaos Rising product hitting tables.

Compared to Ascended Heroes and its massive 290+ card count, Chaos Rising is a tighter, more focused set. That smaller card pool is actually good news for collectors: your odds of pulling specific chase cards improve significantly when the set isn't bloated with filler. PokeBeach called it "yet another small English set," but smaller sets have historically delivered better pull satisfaction per box.

Top Chase Cards by Secondary-Market Value

Chaos Rising's chase tier is unusually top-heavy. Mega Greninja ex appears in three different chase printings, and the gold MUR (Japan's Mega Hyper Rare equivalent) sits at $498 ungraded, almost double the next card down. Below the dominant Greninja tier, the rest of the chase cluster runs from ~$38 down to ~$12 before flattening into Illustration Rare territory. These eight are the chase cards driving preorder demand, ranked by current ungraded USD value on the Japanese Ninja Spinner secondary market:

Mega Greninja ex MUR (#120): ~$498 ungraded. PSA 10 graded copies have already crossed $2,400. The all-gold "Mega Ultra Rare" version with Greninja inverted against an etched metallic background. Japan's MUR tier is the equivalent of an English Mega Hyper Rare and has been the crown jewel of every Mega Evolution set so far. Greninja's standalone popularity gives this one extra long-term legs.

Mega Greninja ex SAR (#114): ~$300 ungraded. The full-art Special Art Rare for the cover Pokemon, with Mega Greninja in dramatic ninja pose against a starry cosmic backdrop and red, blue, and gold prismatic energy. The drop from $498 to $300 is the natural break in the price curve, and these top two together form the genuine premium chase tier.

Cinccino ex SAR (#117): ~$38 ungraded. The surprise of the set. Cinccino reclining on patterned cushions inside a circus-style tent. Soft, character-driven artwork that punches well above the card's competitive value, and the most valuable non-Greninja card by a clear margin.

Mega Greninja ex SR (#98): ~$24 ungraded. The third Greninja chase variant. A Super Rare full-art with deep blues and purples showing Mega Greninja mid-strike. Lower rarity tier than the SAR and MUR, but the visual punch and mascot status keep it firmly in the chase pool.

Mega Dragalge ex SAR (#116): ~$23 ungraded. Coral pinks and deep purples wash across the dual Poison/Dragon Mega Pokemon in a vivid kaleidoscope. The Dragalge line rarely gets premium TCG treatment, and this SAR's saturated palette makes it stand out alongside the Mega Greninjas in any binder page.

Roxie's Performance SAR (#119): ~$21 ungraded. The Trainer Special Art Rare for Pokemon TCG's punk gym leader, with Roxie shredding on her electric guitar amid lightning bolts and skull motifs. Trainer SARs from this era have been quietly climbing in value, and Roxie's character-design appeal extends beyond the typical Pokemon collector base.

Mega Floette ex SAR (#115): ~$20 ungraded. A bold red and pink palette with the small Floette pixie centred amid swirling petal-energy. Visually one of the more delicate chase cards in the set, tied to the AZ storyline through the Eternal Flower lore.

AZ's Tranquility SAR (#118): ~$12 ungraded. Closes out the chase cluster. The ancient Kalos king kneeling among pink roses with his Floette, a card that tells a complete narrative in a single frame. The narrative depth keeps it ranked above the Illustration Rare tier below.

Below AZ's Tranquility there's a clean drop into Illustration Rares and regular Pokemon ex territory, where the curve flattens. For collectors targeting specific cards rather than ripping packs, secondary singles are typically more economical than chase-by-volume. The same math we cover in our Ascended Heroes pull-rate guide applies similarly here.

Mega Evolution ex Cards in the Set

Four Mega Evolution Pokemon ex are confirmed for Chaos Rising:

• Mega Greninja ex (022/086), the cover star and competitive centrepiece of the set
• Mega Pyroar ex (015/086), a Fire-type with potential in aggressive builds
• Mega Floette ex (035/086), tied to the AZ storyline with unique Fairy typing
• Mega Dragalge ex (065/086), a Poison/Dragon hybrid filling a niche competitive role

That's fewer Mega Evolution ex cards than Perfect Order's five Mega ex lineup, but the quality of the artwork and the competitive relevance of Mega Greninja ex more than compensate. If you've been following pull rate patterns from Ascended Heroes, expect the Mega ex cards to appear roughly once every 8-10 packs, with the SIR versions being significantly rarer.

Which Products to Preorder

The product lineup follows the standard Mega Evolution series format, but each option serves a different type of collector.

Pokemon Center Exclusive ETB (11 packs) is the flagship product. You get 11 booster packs instead of the standard 9, two full-art foil Fennekin promos (one with the Pokemon Center logo stamp), 65 card sleeves, energy cards, dice, and the collector's box with dividers. The PC exclusive ETBs have been the strongest hold for sealed value across the entire Mega Evolution series. If you want to understand why, our PC exclusive vs standard ETB breakdown covers the differences in detail. The Chaos Rising PC ETB is available for preorder now.

Booster Box (36 packs) is the best option for ripping. Thirty-six packs gives you the deepest sample of the set and the best statistical shot at pulling those chase SIRs. With a tighter card pool than Ascended Heroes, a single Chaos Rising booster box could realistically hit multiple ultra rares. Serious collectors who want to complete the set should start here.

Booster Bundle (6 packs) works as a sampler for collectors who want to experience the set without the full box commitment. Six packs won't guarantee any specific pull, but it's enough to get a feel for the card quality and artwork direction. If you've enjoyed the Perfect Order bundles or Ascended Heroes bundles, this follows the same format.

Build & Battle Box is available from May 9 at prerelease events. These contain 4 packs plus a 40-card deck with a stamped promo. Worth grabbing if you attend a prerelease, but not a priority for pure collectors or sealed investors.

Should You Preorder Chaos Rising?

The Mega Evolution series has established a clear pattern: Pokemon Center exclusive products sell through their initial allocation, and secondary market prices climb steadily once supply dries up. Chaos Rising follows this trajectory. The PC ETB has already sold out on Pokemon Center's own website, which historically signals strong long-term demand for the sealed product.

For sealed collectors and investors, the combination of a smaller set (easier to complete), a popular mascot Pokemon (Greninja consistently ranks in the top 5 most popular across fan polls), and the PC exclusive premium makes Chaos Rising one of the safer preorder bets of 2026. The Phantasmal Flames PC ETB followed this exact trajectory, and early buyers came out well ahead.

For players, the competitive viability of Mega Greninja ex and the depth of Trainer cards in this set add genuine gameplay value beyond just collecting. Prerelease events running May 9-17 are the best way to test the waters before committing to sealed product.

If previous drops are anything to go by, stock won't sit around indefinitely. Sign up for restock alerts to make sure you don't miss the window. Browse the full Chaos Rising collection to see what's currently available, and preorder before the May 22 release locks in your allocation.