Pokemon TCG Pocket Goes Mega: Mega Rising Expansion Adds Mega Evolution Cards

Pokemon TCG Pocket is the free mobile app where you open virtual Pokemon booster packs, collect the cards, and build small decks to battle. The big new thing is Mega Evolution: the Mega Rising set, out October 30, 2025, added Mega Evolution cards to the game for the first time.

Here is the core loop. Every day you get free packs to open, two at a time, and you pull cards from them. The cards live only inside the app, so you cannot match them to real-world booster packs. You collect, you chase the rare ones, and you build a 20-card deck to fight other players or solo battles. Decks are smaller than the real Pokemon TCG, matches are faster, and the whole thing is built to play in short bursts on your phone. If you have ever wanted to rip packs without spending real money on cardboard, this is that feeling, digitized.

Mega Rising is the part driving the current interest, especially in Japan. It is the first set in the new "B" block, it carries 331 cards, and it introduces Mega Evolution Pokemon ex like Mega Blaziken, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Rayquaza. Mega Evolution cards hit harder than normal ex cards, but there is a catch built into the rules: when a Mega Evolution Pokemon gets knocked out, your opponent takes three points instead of two. So they are strong, but losing one stings more. That risk-reward twist is what collectors and deck builders are arguing about right now.

On price, the game is free to start. You can play and collect a long way without paying anything, opening your daily packs and grinding toward decks. The money side is optional: there is a monthly subscription and in-game currency you can buy to open more packs faster. The daily free pull limit is low, usually one to two cards that matter per day, which is the main complaint you will see from players. If you are patient and free-to-play, you can still build competitive decks. If you want to chase every Mega and every art rare fast, that is where the spending pressure kicks in.

Reception has been huge. Pokemon TCG Pocket passed 10 million downloads in its first three days back in 2024 and pulled in roughly 23 million dollars of revenue in that window. By its 1.5-year mark it had made around 1.6 billion dollars. It is available in 150 countries. The flip side is retention: the developer has openly admitted it struggles to keep existing players coming back, which is why big drops like Mega Rising matter so much for keeping the game alive.

So is it worth playing? If you grew up on Pokemon cards or just like the dopamine of opening packs, yes, and it costs nothing to find out. The collecting and the art are the real draw; the battling is fun but lighter than the full TCG. What collectors chase here are the Mega Evolution ex cards, the immersive full-art versions, and the secret rares that sit at the top of each set. The Mega era is just getting started, so this is a good moment to jump in and see if the daily pack ritual hooks you.