Blog · Mega Evolution & Modern Sets
Lucario and the ex★ Buying Window: The Only ME07 ex★ With a Real Mega Evolution
By Dexhaul Team · September 29, 2026
Lucario is the fourth confirmed ex★ in ME07 Aura Seeker. It is also the only one of the four with a canonical Mega Evolution in the mainline games.
Suicune, Entei, and Raikou each received ex★ confirmations without any in-game Mega form to back them up. Their "Mega" designation in ME07 is a TCG-first invention. Lucario's is not.
This distinction shapes how collectors should think about the buying window.
The Game Anchor That Only Lucario Has
Mega Lucario debuted in Pokémon X and Y (2013) as one of the first Mega Evolutions the player encounters. Korrina, the third Gym Leader in Kalos, battles with Mega Lucario as her signature partner. The mechanic is central to the story, not tucked away in a side quest.
Lucario holds Lucarionite to trigger its transformation. Its base form is Fighting/Steel, and the Mega form keeps both types.
Attack, Special Attack, and Speed all increase sharply. It is a well-documented design with twelve years of in-game recognition behind it.
When ME07 Aura Seeker prints Mega Lucario Z ex★, the card has a real visual and mechanical reference point in the games. Players who grew up with X and Y know exactly what they are looking at. None of the three Legendary Beast ex★ cards can say the same.
That game-first recognition matters for demand. It means Lucario's ex★ pulls from the player collector base as well as the completionist base, not just the latter.
ME01's Lucario Tier, Right Now
ME01 Mega Evolution (2024) gave Lucario its first dedicated Mega set in English. The set produced three distinct tiers for the same card.
Mega Lucario ex 077/132 is the standard Holofoil, available from under $1 to CA$2 across multiple sellers. Mega Lucario ex 160/132 is the Full Art Ultra Rare, sitting at roughly CA$19. Mega Lucario ex 179/132 is the Special Illustration Rare, currently priced at $176 to $185 USD across in-stock listings.
Mega Lucario ex 179/132 Holofoil ME01 Mega Evolution (Special Illustration Rare)
$177.00 USD
The SIR at 179/132 is already numbered above the ME01 set ceiling of 132. That above-ceiling structure is exactly how ex★ cards will slot in ME07: numbered past the set total, visually distinct, and positioned as the highest tier in the set.
The Figure Collection adds one more layer. It bundles Mega Lucario ex MEP 033, a holo promo from the ME Promo series numbered outside the main ME01 card list entirely.
That promo is bundle-exclusive. It cannot be pulled from ME01 boosters. The only sealed path to it is the Figure Collection itself, available from $57.53 to $64.00 across current listings.
For context on the spread: ME01 Mega Lucario ex 077/132 at under $1 and SIR 179/132 at $177 represent roughly a 200x gap within the same set for the same Pokémon. The SIR premium here is not scarcity-driven. It is design-and-rarity-tier driven: the full-art illustration format commands collector attention at a price that the standard Holofoil does not.
What ex★ Changes for Lucario
ex★ cards in ME07 will sit above SIR in the rarity hierarchy. The above-ceiling numbering continues, but the tier label and design treatment are distinct from anything ME01 produced.
For the three Legendary Beasts, the comparison point researchers keep reaching for is the Gold Star (★) era from EX Unseen Forces (2005), where Suicune, Entei, and Raikou each received above-ceiling holo promos within the same set. Those Gold Stars now trade from $65 (Entei) to $1,200 (Suicune). The structural parallel is close enough that the Gold Star price history has become a reference frame for how ex★ pricing might settle.
Lucario has no Gold Star. It did not exist as a Pokémon until 2006, one year after the Gold Star print window closed. Its pre-ex★ ceiling is the ME01 SIR at $177, not a vintage holo from 2005.
That is not a disadvantage.
It means ex★ is creating a new collector ceiling for Lucario rather than competing with one that already exists. The ME01 SIR defines the current floor for serious Lucario collecting.
ex★ in ME07 defines where the ceiling goes from November 27, 2026 onward.
Current Entry Points Before November
Three products cover different collector objectives in the lead-up to ME07's Japan release.
The Lucario VSTAR Special Collection ($89.99) is the most recent large-format Sword and Shield-era sealed product featuring Lucario. It includes the SWSH291 holo promo, the Lucario V card, and six Sword and Shield booster packs. For collectors who want a sealed Lucario-headlined box from before the Mega Evolution arc began, this is the current option at the $90 price tier.
The ME01 Lucario Elite Trainer Box ($134 to $207 depending on seller) includes eight ME01 boosters plus the Lucario pin badge and accessories. Opening it creates a shot at any of the three Mega Lucario ex tiers including the SIR. For collectors who want the sealed experience rather than a specific card, the ETB is the ME01-era Lucario-branded product.
The Japanese Aura Seeker Booster Box ($179.99) is the ME07 product itself, pre-listed ahead of the November 27 Japan release. If pulling Mega Lucario Z ex★ directly from packs is the goal, this is the path. Lucario's Pokédex page at Pokemon.com confirms its XY-era Mega form, and demand for the ex★ will reflect that full game history at the point of sale.
One timing note worth understanding: ME07 releases in Japan on November 27. English release dates have not been announced as of this writing. Collectors who want the JP version before EN pricing is set have the two-month window between now and that date to decide where they stand.
Lucario has a Mega Evolution the games actually support. That is the difference between Lucario and the three Beasts in ME07 Aura Seeker, and it is the framing collectors should hold when thinking about which of the four ex★ has the deepest demand anchor going forward.
Browse current Lucario sealed products, singles, and collectibles from independent shops at DexHaul's Lucario search, where listings update from the UCP catalogue in real time. DexHaul is independent and unofficial, not affiliated with The Pokémon Company.