Blog · Mega Evolution & Modern Sets
Pokémon TCG Pitch Black: Every Format Explained Before It Ships
By Dexhaul Team · August 9, 2026
Pitch Black ships around August 10, and the products that sell out at launch rarely come back at pre-order pricing.
This is the fifth expansion in the English-language Mega Evolution product line (ME05). The set continues the Mega Evolution mechanic introduced during the XY era, bringing it back as a dedicated modern series. What is different now is the release structure: Pitch Black hits in two waves, with main products launching August 10 and Tins following on August 28. That split matters for how you plan your purchase.
Below is every format currently available, what each one contains, and which buyer type each actually fits.
The Two-Wave Structure
Most sets launch everything at once. Pitch Black does not.
The first wave (August 10) includes the core formats: Booster Boxes, Elite Trainer Boxes, Booster Bundles, and blister packs. These are the highest-volume products with the broadest availability across independent shops right now. Prices are locked in at pre-order rates at most sellers, and those rates tend to move up once street date arrives and the speculation market reacts to early pulls.
The second wave (August 28) brings the Tins. Tins are a separate purchase decision: they typically include fewer packs than a Booster Bundle, but they come with a featured promo card and a collectible metal tin. For buyers who primarily want the promo or the tin format, waiting is logical. For everyone else, the first-wave products offer better pack-per-dollar value and ship sooner.
Booster Box
The Booster Box is the highest-volume format. A standard Pitch Black Booster Box contains 36 packs at 10 cards each, giving 360 cards per box at prices currently running $173.00–$179.99 USD across independent shops.
At $173 per box, each pack works out to roughly $4.81 USD. That is below the standard individual pack price of $8.00–$8.99 for Pitch Black packs sold separately, making the Booster Box the best per-pack rate of any format.
The Booster Box makes sense for collectors who want depth in the set, players building toward a full playset of rare cards, or anyone who regularly splits a box with friends to share the cost. Some shops are capping per-customer orders at two boxes, so if you want multiple boxes, ordering from two sellers is the practical approach.
Elite Trainer Box
The Elite Trainer Box is the flagship collector format. Each Pitch Black ETB includes 8 booster packs plus accessories: card sleeves, energy cards, damage counters, a coin, and a player's guide. Prices range from $147.00 to $189.99 USD at independent shops depending on seller and order timing.
At 8 packs, the ETB gives far fewer pulls than a Booster Box. What it adds is the sleeve and accessory content, which matters for players who need gear. For pure collectors who already have sleeves and counters, the ETB's accessories are redundant and the Booster Box or Bundle is a better spend per pack.
The ETB is also available as a case of six. At $696.00 for the six-ETB case, the per-ETB price works out to $116 each, meaningfully below the $147–$190 single-ETB range. For buyers committed to six or more ETBs, the case format offers the best ETB-rate in the market and ships as a single order.
Booster Bundle
The Booster Bundle is the mid-tier format. At $59.99 USD for six packs, it sits between a single blister and a full Booster Box.
The per-pack price on the Booster Bundle works out to about $10.00, which is above a Booster Box but below buying packs individually. It is the right format for someone who wants a small taster of the set without committing to 36 packs, and it avoids the accessory overhead of an ETB. Gift buyers who want something that feels substantial but does not require the recipient to need sleeves and counters should consider this format.
Blister Packs
Pitch Black comes in two blister formats, and they serve very different buyers.
3-Pack Blister with Promo
The 3-Pack Blister includes three booster packs and a promo card: Binacle #087. At $30.36 USD, this is the entry-level sealed format with a bonus collector element. The Binacle promo is worth owning even if you are not opening packs for the set, particularly for anyone building a thematic dark-type or Rock-type collection.
Checklane Blister
The Checklane Blister is the lowest-stakes way to try Pitch Black: one booster pack and a coin at $5.99 USD. It is a retail impulse format. PokeGuardian covered the full Pitch Black set list reveal, and if you have read what is in the set and want to test the pull rate before committing to a box, this is where to start.
Which Format to Buy
The decision comes down to what you are actually trying to accomplish with the set.
Buying for pulls and completion: the Booster Box is the clear choice at roughly $4.81 per pack. The Booster Bundle is the right middle ground if 36 packs is more than you need. Avoid individual packs at $8–$9 each unless you only want a few.
Buying as a gift: the ETB is the most self-contained gift format because the accessories make it feel complete even to someone who does not know the set. The Booster Bundle is a close second for someone who already has their own gear.
Buying on a limited budget: the Checklane Blister at $5.99 is a legitimate entry point. So is the 3-Pack Blister at $30.36, especially since it includes the Binacle promo.
Waiting for Tins: if you want the Tin format specifically, the August 28 release date is 19 days away. There is no reason to rush a Tin purchase into the first wave. Everything else, order now if you want pre-order pricing.
Find Pitch Black Booster Boxes, Elite Trainer Boxes, Bundles, and blister packs from independent shops at DexHaul's TCG collection. DexHaul is an independent Pokémon search engine and is not affiliated with The Pokémon Company.