The upcoming expansion is almost here, and Ascended Heroes looks like a killer addition to the Pokémon TCG. However, collectors of Japanese Pokémon cards have already been ripping and pulling those chase cards, thanks to the November 2025 Mega Dream ex release, which is functionally Ascended Heroes in all but name (and, maybe, missing a few chases). In any case, if you're going all-in on this undeniably gorgeous high-value expansion, Mega Dream ex lets you rip some packs early, and this listing is cheaper than major retailers like Amazon.
It feels like if you blink, you'll miss more new Pokémon sets joining the ever-growing library of cards. Every couple of months, a new expansion launches, adding to the store shelves, before they eventually sell out, as usual. However, Japanese sets of the Pokémon TCG, while still more expensive than anything was before the hype, are readily available in most cases and typically far better value than the ones we get.
Both my Mega Dream ex and Terastal Festival ex features go into more detail, Terastal being Prismatic Evolutions' Japanese take, but the general gist is simple: higher pull rates, better print quality, same gorgeous chases, and almost always a chunk cheaper. Unless you're a diehard English-only collector, the value is simply better when buying Japanese, and Mega Dream ex is no different. Over one booster box (yeah, special sets get the booster box treatment in Japan), I received plenty of hits, and it felt much better than the embarrassingly poor rates found in recent English sets.
That Mega Gengar ex SIR? Yep, that's in Mega Dream ex. Or, you have the absolutely stunning Mega Dragonite ex SIR that became an instant chase for me the moment I viewed it. Each booster box gives you ten packs, meaning plenty of attempts at scoring some of the most beautiful Pokémon Ascended Heroes chases, except this one's actually in stock, and you can get it before everyone else receives the English set. Bonus.
Amazon and Walmart have Mega Dream ex boxes going for over the $110 mark, even more with some other third-party sellers, but you shouldn't make that mistake. However, savvy trainers can instead buy a booster box from TCGPlayer, with listings around the $97 mark. That's over $20 cheaper than some Amazon sellers, so if you're going to buy some packs, it's better to do so through TCGPlayer. It's still third-party listings, but you're paying less.
We're all-in on Pokémon Ascended Heroes ahead of its launch later this month, but if you want to be kept up-to-date in case any stock becomes available, I'd recommend joining our Wargamer Discord. We'll be covering our experiences of ripping the upcoming set, as well as any potential below-market-price or, Giratina forbid, some retail-priced products, whenever they come up.