Ascended Heroes Pokémon cards will not be legal in the upcoming European International Championships, thanks to a last minute decision by TPCi. An announcement made on January 28, just two days before the first Ascended Heroes product launches, ensures the cards won't be playable in Pokémon tournaments until March 6, 2026 - long after the EUICs, which take place February 13-15.
According to the announcement, the decision was made "to ensure players have more sufficient time to prepare". Online, the reaction from fans appears mixed. Some seem frustrated that the meta will stay stale, and new strategies expected to be unlocked in this set won't be available, while others are relieved they won't have to struggle to get hold of key new cards.
The announcement explains that Pokémon TCG sets will now become tournament legal two weeks after their first booster product launches, or - for special sets like Ascended Heroes that don't come in booster boxes - two weeks after their Elite Trainer Box or Booster Bundle drops.
Ascended Heroes has a staggered release which means that while the set technically launches on January 30, its Elite Trainer Box isn't coming out until February 20. In fact all that's available from the end of this month will be the Tech Sticker Collections with three boosters a piece.
That means Ascended Heroes cards are going to be very difficult to get hold of, which might have been problematic for the European Championships. This newest Pokémon set has a particularly important meta-defining trainer card in Poképad, which almost every deck will want multiple copies of, since it can retrieve any Pokémon card that doesn't have a rule box.
While it ensures fans will have plenty of time to pick up Poképads, this change could create a problem for trainers practising for the EUIC. That's because Ascended Heroes arrives on Pokémon Live on January 30, meaning tournament hopefuls will be training against illegal decks.
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