Chaos Rising Review: 8 Cards Worth Chasing in the New Pokemon Set
A look at the rarest pulls, the smartest collector picks, and the headliners that earned their hype.
Pokémon Chaos Rising Review
Chaos Rising hit the Pokémon TCG world, and if you have not been paying attention, here is the short version: Mega evolutions are back. The set has five different Pokémon getting the Mega ex treatment, multiple variants of each, and exactly one card that sits above everything else on the rarity ladder.
We pulled the full 122-card list, sorted it by rarity, and picked the cards we think are worth watching. No deep meta analysis here, just a quick tour through the set with our honest takes on what to chase.
1. Mega Greninja ex (#122, Mega Hyper Rare)
If you only pull one card from this set, you want this one. Mega Greninja ex at #122 is the only Mega Hyper Rare card in the entire set, which makes it the de facto chase. Water type, 350 HP, and the kind of art that justifies the slab. Takuyoa drew this version, and it shows.
Pull rates on Mega Hyper Rares are historically rough. Expect this card to anchor box-break livestreams for the next month or two.
2. Mega Floette ex (#117, Special Illustration Rare)
Floette is one of those Pokemon that everyone knows but nobody expected to see go Mega. Chaos Rising made it happen. The Special Illustration Rare version at #117, drawn by Teeziro, leans into the soft pastel direction that Pokemon SIRs have been crushing lately.
If you collect by aesthetic over rarity, this might be the pick of the set. The card just photographs well.
3. Mega Dragalge ex (#118, Special Illustration Rare)
Dragalge does not usually get the headline treatment. Chaos Rising changes that with a Mega ex variant and a striking SIR by Kazumasa Yasukunio. Dragon type, 330 HP, and a backstory that finally puts Dragalge somewhere meaningful.
Sleeper pick if you think Mega Dragon types are due for a comeback in the playable meta. Even if they are not, the art alone earns it a place in a binder.
4. Mega Gallade ex (#48, Double Rare)
The competitive crowd will care about this one. Mega Gallade ex sits at Double Rare so it is not the rarest pull, but it is the most likely to actually see play. 350 HP, Fighting type, and a Stage 2 evolution path that decks have been waiting on.
If you are a player rather than a pure collector, build your decklist around this one before the prerelease tournaments hit.
5. Roxie's Performance (#121, Special Illustration Rare)
Trainer cards usually fly under the radar, but Roxie's Performance changes that. The SIR version at #121, art by Tomowaka, brings Roxie back to the spotlight after the Black and White era. Pokemon TCG fans who grew up with Unova will recognize the moment.
Character SIRs have been quietly outperforming Pokemon SIRs at auction for the past year. Worth watching the secondary market on this one.
6. Mega Pyroar ex (#15, Double Rare)
Mega Pyroar is the underdog of the set. Fire type, 340 HP, Stage 1 evolution which makes it faster to get on the bench than the Stage 2 Megas. Keisuke Azuma's art on #15 leans into the lion-king mane treatment.
Combine the speed with a Nitro Fire Energy (#86, also from this set) and you have a quick aggressive build. Recommended if you like Fire decks but find Charizard ex too predictable.
7. The Three New Special Energies (#84, #85, #86)
Three new Special Energies in one set is unusual. Bubbly Water, Magnetic Metal, and Nitro Fire all sit at Rare tier, which means they should be relatively easy to pull. Easy to overlook in a sea of Mega ex cards, but these will shape the metagame more than any single Pokemon in the set.
If you are building a Chaos Rising deck around the new Megas, you almost certainly need at least one of these three. They are the closest thing the set has to "must-pull" utility cards.
8. Beedrill ex (#3, Double Rare)
Beedrill gets a non-Mega ex in this set, which is a curveball. Grass type, 310 HP, Stage 2 from Weedle through Kakuna. The art by toriyufu plays up the swarm angle without making it look chaotic.
Beedrill is one of the rare cases of a non-Mega ex that might actually outpace the Mega cards in playability. If the new Special Energies open up Grass decks the way the spoilers suggest, this card is the engine.
A few thoughts on the set overall
Chaos Rising is unmistakably a Mega-era throwback. Five different Mega ex Pokémon, four variant tiers each for the headliner Greninja, and a Trainer lineup that calls back to Kalos and Unova characters. If you missed the original Mega Evolution era, this is the set that gets you up to speed.
122 cards is on the smaller side for a mainline release. That actually helps if you are trying to complete the set, since the chase list is short and focused.
We will have grading reports up on dcmgrading.com as our users start pulling and submitting cards from Chaos Rising. If you have already pulled something good, you know where to send it.