Mega Excadrill ex
Quick take
- Full-art Ultra Rare print of the set's Metal-type Mega, numbered 103/084 in the secret block
- 340 HP Stage 1 Mega Evolution Pokemon ex; opponent takes 3 Prizes when it is Knocked Out
- Illustrated by Keisuke Azuma, same credit as the Double Rare print at 65/084
- Excadrill got no Special Illustration Rare in Pitch Black, so this is its top rarity in the set
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Pitch Black
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 103/84 · $3.79 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyThe full-art version of Pitch Black's Metal-type Mega
Mega Excadrill ex got two prints in Pitch Black. Card 65 is the Double Rare you will pull constantly. Card 103 is this one, the full-art Ultra Rare tucked into the secret block above the set's 84-card base numbering. Stats and attacks are identical, and Keisuke Azuma illustrated both, but the full-art frame is the version master set builders actually have to hunt.
“Full-art Ultra Rare print of the set's Metal-type Mega, numbered 103/084 in the secret block”
The Mega Evolution era brought Mega Pokemon ex back to the TCG in 2025, and Pitch Black keeps that going. These cards carry a real cost. When a Mega Evolution Pokemon ex goes down, your opponent takes three Prize cards instead of two. In exchange you get 340 HP and heavy numbers: Maximum Drilling does 200 base and jumps to 330 with two extra Energy loaded, which is knockout range on almost anything.
Within the set, this card sits mid-table. Mega Darkrai ex owns Pitch Black from the Double Rare up through the gold Hyper Rare at card 120, and Excadrill is the one Mega in the set that did not even get a Special Illustration Rare. This Ultra Rare is its ceiling. For budget collectors that is the appeal: full-art Mega hardware without the headline-card markup.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This sits in the affordable middle of Pitch Black's chase list, around twentieth in the set by value. It costs a fraction of what the Special Illustration Rares run and is nowhere near the Mega Darkrai ex Hyper Rare at the top. For a full-art Mega ex from a fresh set, that is cheap.
Two weeks after the July 17, 2026 release, the expected slide is underway across the set's full-art tier. Expect continued softness through the autumn while boxes keep getting opened, then stabilization once print allocation winds down.
Modest. Mid-tier Ultra Rares from heavily printed modern sets rarely appreciate; they usually drift down and flatten. The upside case is narrow: if Mega Excadrill ever finds a competitive deck, the full art follows the playable print up. Buy this because you want it in the binder, not as a position.
Thin at this price point. Grading fees eat most of the spread between raw and a PSA 10 on a card at this tier, and fresh modern full arts gem at decent rates, which caps the premium. Grade a pack-fresh copy for the personal registry if you like, but the math rarely works as a flip.
A release-week community sample of 117 packs put Ultra Rares at roughly one or two per 36-pack booster box, call it one in every 25 to 30 packs. Illustration Rares came out closer to one in 9. The catch is the pool: Pitch Black carries 18 different Ultra Rares, so the odds on this specific card stretch well into the hundreds of packs on average. Buying the single is dramatically cheaper than opening for it.
Pitch Black runs 84 base cards plus a 36-card secret block: 11 Illustration Rares, 18 Ultra Rares, 6 Special Illustration Rares, and the Mega Darkrai ex gold Hyper Rare at card 120. This card sits in the Ultra Rare band, scarcer per pack than the Illustration Rares but below the SIRs in both scarcity and price. Middle of the secret block, in other words.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Azuma is a recurring name in modern Pokemon TCG credits. He handled both Mega Excadrill ex prints in Pitch Black, the Double Rare and this full art, so the pair reads as one assignment done twice at different scales.
The Ultra Rare tier in this era drops the standard frame and gives the Pokemon the full canvas, and that is the draw here: Azuma's Mega Excadrill at full size instead of boxed into the Double Rare layout. Set reviews have not singled the art out as a standout, which tracks with its mid-pack pricing.
Holofoil finish across the full-art frame, numbered 103/084 in the secret block above the set's 84-card base numbering. Stage 1 Mega Evolution Pokemon ex layout with the Mega rules box printed on-card. The Japanese equivalent appeared in Abyss Eye as 101/081.
It is the only full-art treatment Excadrill gets in Pitch Black. The set gave SIRs to other Megas but skipped Excadrill, so if you want the drill mole in premium hardware, this card is it. Azuma illustrating both prints also gives the pair a matched-set feel that some collectors chase deliberately.
BackgroundAbout Mega Excadrill ex
Excadrill debuted in Generation 5 as the Ground and Steel drill mole, evolving from Drilbur. It never had a Mega form in the original Mega Evolution games, which makes Mega Excadrill one of the new Megas introduced in the 2025-2026 Mega Evolution push. That newness matters to collectors. First TCG prints of a brand-new form tend to hold long-term interest even when the card itself is mid-tier.
- ›A brand-new Mega form, so this era's cards are its first Mega appearances anywhere in the TCG
- ›Long-standing competitive reputation from VGC sand teams, where Excadrill was a staple for years
- ›Anime visibility through Iris's Excadrill in the Unova seasons
- ›Simple, memorable design that reads instantly on a full-art card
- ›Pokemon Black and White (Gen 5 debut as Drilbur's evolution)
- ›VGC sand archetypes, where Sand Rush Excadrill was a defining threat
- ›Iris's Excadrill in the Best Wishes anime series
Fringe for now. Two weeks in, nothing built around this card has shown up in tournament results. Undermine's two-card mill is a novelty, and Maximum Drilling hits 330 with extra Energy, but the three-Prize downside on Mega ex Pokemon means a deck needs a real reason to run one. Nothing has emerged yet.
Own it wellCollector guide
Full-art holofoils show edge and corner wear faster than regular prints because the foil layer runs to the border. Check the bottom edge and the back corners first, then tilt under light for surface scratches in the holo. Pack-fresh copies from a days-old set are everywhere right now, so do not settle for less.
Skip grading unless the copy is flawless and you want it for a personal set registry. At this card's tier the fee-to-value math does not favor grading, and raw near-mint copies are abundant. If Mega Excadrill ever spikes on playability, revisit. Read the grading guide →
Penny sleeve plus a side-loading binder pocket is fine for the master set copy. If you keep it loose, use a semi-rigid inside a team bag rather than a toploader alone, since full arts slide and scuff in oversized holders. See the storage guide →
Buy the single. The set is brand new and supply is peaking, which favors buyers through the next few months. Prices on mid-tier Ultra Rares from modern sets usually soften after the release window anyway, so there is little penalty for waiting. Chasing sealed product for this specific card makes no sense at these odds. See the singles buying guide →
Counterfeit risk is low on a mid-value modern card, but the basics still apply. Compare the holo pattern and font weight against a known-real Pitch Black card, and check that the secret numbering reads 103/084 with clean print registration.
Protect your card
Low Chase Score — basic protection is plenty. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Pitch Black's attention has centered squarely on Mega Darkrai ex, and set reviews rank the Excadrill full art behind the other Megas; one prominent ranking piece flagged it as the Mega that got left out of the Special Illustration Rare lineup. New Mega forms still carry their own pull, and Excadrill's Gen 5 fanbase gives this card a steady floor of people who want the drill in premium form.
Release-week discussion has mostly been about the set's pull rates and the Darkrai chase ladder. Mega Excadrill ex comes up in early pack-opening content as a decent mid-tier hit, the kind of card openers are happy to pull but nobody is ripping boxes to find.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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