Pokémon MEP Black Star Promos: The Product-Bundled Cards Most Collectors Miss
By Dexhaul Team · September 8, 2026
The MEP Black Star Promo series is the only part of the Pokémon Mega Evolution TCG you cannot pull from a pack.
Every MEP card ships exclusively inside a specific product. Open any ME booster box or Elite Trainer Box and you will never find one, no matter how many packs you open. That makes the MEP series a hidden layer of the ME collecting arc that many buyers miss until they encounter a grading label reading "MEP EN" and realize they have never seen those numbers before.
This guide covers every confirmed MEP promo currently trading on the secondary market, what each one costs, and which product it came from.
What MEP Actually Means
MEP stands for Mega Evolution Promo, the Black Star promotional numbering series tied to the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution English releases. According to Bulbapedia's Mega Evolution TCG entry, the ME series launched in 2025 as a distinct set structure separate from the Scarlet and Violet main line. The MEP numbering uses an "MEP EN" prefix to separate promo cards from the numbered set cards inside ME01 through ME06 booster packs.
The system mirrors how SWSH-era Black Star Promos worked: specific products include one or two promo cards not available anywhere in the standard set. The difference with MEP is that some of these promos feature Pokémon that do not appear in any ME booster set at all.
Buy the product, get the promo. Miss the product, and the only path to the card is the secondary market.
The ME series tracks all English promo cards with sequential MEP numbers, so collectors can see at a glance whether a card is from a set or a product bundle. Any card numbered MEP 001 through MEP 071 (the highest confirmed number at time of writing) is product-bundled, not pack-pullable.
Tier 1: The High-Value Promos
MEP 023 Mega Charizard X ex
This is the flagship MEP card. It came bundled exclusively in the Mega Charizard X ex Ultra-Premium Collection, alongside MEP 024 Oricorio ex as the second promo in that same product. Raw copies currently list from $35 to $101 depending on condition and seller.
The graded market tells a different story. PSA 9 copies trade at $65. PSA 10 examples list from $210 to $276, with TAG 10 at similar levels.
That raw-to-PSA-10 spread is roughly 6x to 8x, one of the widest in the entire ME series.
The reason for that spread is straightforward: this artwork does not exist anywhere else. Mega Charizard X ex in the ME01 booster set has a different illustration. The UPC-exclusive promo is a distinct card with a distinct pose, and PSA-10 copies represent the only mint-grade version of that art.
2025 Pokemon Mep En-Me Black Star Promo #023 Mega Charizard X Ex UPC PSA 9
$65.00 USD
MEP 024 Oricorio ex
MEP 024 Oricorio ex also shipped in the Mega Charizard X ex Ultra-Premium Collection, making it the second promo bundled in that same product. PSA 10 copies list from $100 to $130, and PSA 9 examples appear at around $38.
Oricorio ex is the least-discussed card from that UPC. Buyers fixate on MEP 023, which means finding MEP 024 raw at modest prices is generally easier. It is product-exclusive by the same mechanism: no ME set contains an Oricorio ex card.
Tier 2: Mid-Range Promos
MEP 037 Bulbasaur
MEP 037 Bulbasaur breaks the pattern. It is a stamped holofoil basic Pokémon, not an ex card, and it came bundled in the First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1 alongside Charmander and Squirtle counterparts.
Raw copies list around $29. The PSA 10 market is active: graded examples have listed from $170 upward, reflecting how the 30th Celebration Kanto starters attract collector interest at every rarity tier. The First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1 is the sealed product that contains MEP 037, and it remains available now before September 16.
MEP 010 Riolu
Riolu is the pre-evolution companion to Mega Lucario ex. MEP 010 came bundled with the ME01 Mega Lucario ex Figure Collection. Current secondary-market prices range from $16 to $33 depending on seller and condition.
For collectors building a complete ME01 experience, MEP 010 is often the final card they realize they need. It does not come from any ME01 booster pack. Riolu has no other ME series appearance, which makes this the only ME-era Riolu card in English.
MEP 046, 047, 048: The Johto Starter Trio
Chikorita (MEP 046, $13.99), Cyndaquil (MEP 047, $17.99), and Totodile (MEP 048, $21.99) are all stamped holofoil basics from the First Partner Illustration Collection Series 2.
Like MEP 037 Bulbasaur, they are not ex cards. They are the Johto generation counterparts to the Kanto starter trio, bundled in the Series 2 box. Together, the three cost under $55 raw: the most accessible completionist targets in the entire MEP series.
Tier 3: Budget Entry Points
MEP 004 Lunatone
At $24, Lunatone is one of the more underpriced cards in the MEP series. According to Serebii's English TCG card list, Lunatone does not appear in any ME booster set. MEP 004 is the only ME-era Lunatone card in English.
The card came bundled in the ME02 Phantasmal Flames product window. ME02 attracts less collector attention than ME01 (the arc launch) or ME04 (which contains Mega Greninja ex). Low set demand keeps MEP 004 affordable even though it is a product-exclusive with no booster equivalent.
MEP 032 Mega Gardevoir ex ($8), MEP 025 Mega Kangaskhan ex ($6), MEP 071 Mega Zygarde ex ($4)
These three form the cheapest bracket of the current MEP secondary market. Mega Gardevoir ex at $8 is the most notable: the ME01 Gardevoir ETB sells for around $150 on the secondary market. The standalone MEP 032 card is available for about 5% of the sealed product price, because buyers are chasing the box, not the promo card itself.
Mega Zygarde ex at $4 is the floor of the series. Zygarde ex has no numbered ME set appearance, so MEP 071 is the only ME-era Zygarde ex card in English.
Very few collectors are tracking it. That combination of exclusivity and low awareness keeps the price at the bottom of the range.
The Key Point About MEP Collecting
A collector who buys every ME booster box from ME01 through ME06 still ends up with zero MEP cards.
That is not a flaw in the system. It is the design intent: specific product formats (figure collections, ultra-premium collections, illustration boxes) contain promo cards as exclusive bundle bonuses.
Booster packs contain set cards. The two pools never overlap.
This matters for anyone tracking the complete ME series. The numbered set from ME01 to ME06 is one collection. The MEP promo series running alongside it is a parallel collection that requires buying different products entirely.
Many buyers discover this only after they start checking grading submissions and notice unfamiliar card numbers.
Secondary-market MEP singles are available precisely because not every collector buys every product format. Buying a $75 sealed illustration box to extract one $29 promo card does not always make financial sense, so the singles market exists to close that gap.
Browse MEP Black Star Promos and the ME series sealed products that include them from independent shops at DexHaul: search Mega Evolution Promo at DexHaul. DexHaul is independent and not affiliated with The Pokémon Company.