Mega Zeraora ex
Quick take
- Special Illustration Rare of Mega Zeraora ex, card 114/084
- Third among Pitch Black's SIRs at about $73, behind the Mega Darkrai and Morpeko ex SIRs
- The only premium card in Japan's Abyss Eye that appreciated after launch — and one of only two English cards gaining since the correction
- Strongest art reputation among the set's supporting Mega ex cards
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Pitch Black
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 114/84 · $39.19 — 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 Mega ex that firms up while the rest of the set sits still
Pitch Black (ME05) landed July 17, 2026 as the fifth Mega Evolution era set, the English print of Japan's Abyss Eye. Its value is stacked heavily toward the top: Mega Darkrai ex is the runaway headliner, Morpeko ex sits second among the SIRs, and Mega Zeraora ex at 114/084 comes third. On paper that is the bottom of the podium in a set with a muted overall mood.
“Special Illustration Rare of Mega Zeraora ex, card 114/084”
The reason Zeraora is worth a second look is what happened after the Japanese release. Abyss Eye's premium cards mostly slid 15 to 27 percent in the weeks following launch as the usual post-hype air came out of the market. Mega Zeraora ex did the opposite. It appreciated, climbing roughly 8 percent from around 13,000 to about 14,000 yen. In a set where nearly everything else was fading, this was the single premium card moving the other way.
Mega Zeraora ex appears three times: a Double Rare base print at 027, an Ultra Rare full art at 098, and this Special Illustration Rare at 114. Among collectors who have looked past the Darkrai hype, the 114 SIR has the strongest art reputation of the supporting Megas, and it is the one people quietly flag as the hold.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Two weeks after launch the SIR trades around $73. Presale had it near $171; the first-weekend correction cut it to about $66, one of the deepest percentage falls among the set's big cards. Since then it has firmed to $73 — up around 11 percent from the bottom — while Mega Chandelure and the Supporter SIRs sat flat. It sits third among the six SIRs, behind the Darkrai SIR ($278) and Morpeko ($124).
Japan hinted Zeraora had real demand under it, and the English market eventually agreed — after disagreeing violently first. The presale premium was cut by more than half in the first weekend, a fall Japan's comp never saw. But from the $66 bottom the card has done in English what it did in Japan: climbed steadily, one of only two cards in the set (alongside Morpeko) to gain over the past two weeks. The move is smaller than Japan's, but it points the same way.
The contrarian thesis survived, barely. Anyone who bought the presale story at $171 is nursing a 57 percent drawdown; anyone who bought the post-correction bottom is up 11 percent. The Japanese signal — art-driven demand that resists fading — is showing up again at the new, much lower level. At $73 this remains the interesting longer hold of the supporting tier, with the same caveat as before: a third-place SIR in a quiet set has a lower ceiling than the headliner.
A clean PSA 10 should carry a premium over raw, but at a $73 base the grading fee eats a large share of the value, so reserve grading for genuine gem candidates where the upside covers the fee. Centering is the usual weak point on full-art stock, so only submit copies that sit 55/45 or better on both axes, and wait a few more weeks for the English graded market to establish real comps.
TCGPlayer's count of just over 4,000 Pitch Black packs puts any Special Illustration Rare at 1 in 80 packs — a measured ME05 number now, not an era estimate. The catch is that 1 in 80 covers any of the set's six SIRs. Pulling this specific Mega Zeraora works out to roughly 1 in 480 packs, which makes the single the sensible route if you want this exact card.
Within Pitch Black the SIR slot sits above every Illustration and Ultra Rare. Among the set's SIRs, Mega Zeraora ex is third by price behind the Mega Darkrai and Morpeko ex SIRs — and alongside Morpeko it is one of only two cards in the set gaining since the correction, which is the more interesting story than its rank on the price sheet.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
We are not naming the illustrator here because the credit was not confirmed from a reliable source at the time of writing. The card's art reputation among collectors is strong regardless, and this section will be updated once the illustrator is verified. We would rather leave the credit blank than attribute it wrongly.
Card 114 is the Special Illustration Rare print of Mega Zeraora ex, a full-bleed composition that runs the art edge to edge. We are keeping the description general here since the printed card rewards being seen directly rather than recalled from a summary, and the point of this card is that its art carries a reputation the raw description cannot do justice to.
Special Illustration Rare layout with a textured holo finish and art running to the borders. Lightning type, Basic, 270 HP, card number 114/084 in the ME05 set numbering.
The SIR frame gives the artist room for a full-scene composition, and among Pitch Black's supporting Mega ex cards this is the one collectors consistently rate highest on art. That reputation is the likeliest explanation for why this card keeps behaving differently from its peers: cards that sell on their image tend to resist the post-launch fade that hits cards selling on hype — in Japan from day one, in English from the correction low onward.
BackgroundAbout Mega Zeraora ex
Zeraora is an Electric-type Mythical Pokemon introduced in Gen 7 with Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in 2017. It reached a wide audience through the 2018 film Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us, where it was the central Mythical. As one of the first Gen 7 Mythicals to receive a Mega form in the modern TCG, it carries both a recognizable identity and a bit of novelty.
- ›Mythical status and event-distribution scarcity in the games
- ›A starring role in the 2018 movie The Power of Us
- ›A fast, agile Electric-type design that reads well at card scale
- ›Novelty as one of the first Gen 7 Mythicals to get a modern Mega form
- ›Central Mythical in Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018)
- ›Recurring event and distribution Pokemon across Gen 7 and later titles
Mega Zeraora ex is a Basic with 270 HP. Thunderous Fist costs one Lightning Energy and hits for 60 times the number of Lightning Energy attached, so it scales hard with energy acceleration. Zepto Turn costs three Lightning Energy for 150, then switches this Pokemon with one of your Benched Pokemon, giving it a built-in pivot. It is a plausible tech in an energy-heavy Lightning build, though as a three-prize Mega ex its real ceiling depends on how the Standard format develops.
Own it wellCollector guide
Special Illustration Rares show edge whitening and surface scratches easily because the art runs to the border and the holo layer catches light. Inspect corners and the holo surface under good lighting, watch for the faint print lines common to modern full-art stock, and check for bowing — curled cards are Pitch Black's most-reported quality issue.
Worth grading on clean copies, but be more selective than you would be on the Darkrai SIR since the lower base price leaves less room for the fee. Reserve submissions for strong gem candidates, and remember that centering is the make-or-break factor on SIRs, so aim for 55/45 or better on both axes. Wait a few more weeks for the English graded market to stabilize before sending. Read the grading guide →
Penny sleeve plus a top loader or a semi-rigid holder, kept out of direct sunlight to protect the holo, and stored flat since full-art cards are prone to bowing — a live issue in this print run. If you are holding for grading, handle by the edges only from the moment it leaves the pack. See the storage guide →
Buy the specific card as a single rather than chasing it in sealed product — this exact SIR runs about 1 in 480 packs. The launch research warned there might be no dip to wait for; the English market gave you one anyway, and it is already closing. At $73, up from a $66 bottom, the entry is still 57 percent below presale. Verify centering and flatness from clear photos before paying a premium. See the singles buying guide →
Confirm the 114/084 numbering, the correct ME05 set marks, sharp text and holo pattern, and consistent full-art registration. Buy from reputable sellers with clear photos of front, back, and corners, and be cautious with listings priced noticeably below market.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Reception to the card itself is quietly positive even though Pitch Black as a whole draws a mixed response as the latest in a run of top-heavy sets. Among collectors looking past the Darkrai headliner, Mega Zeraora ex is the supporting card most often singled out for its art — and the English market's post-correction firming has now given the Japanese data point a second confirmation.
Most of the set's chatter centers on the Darkrai SIR, pull-luck complaints, and attention drifting to the 30th Anniversary set. Zeraora comes up as the knowledgeable pick, the card that people who follow the Japanese market point to as the one that actually held up. That word-of-mouth reputation, rather than mass hype, is what is driving interest in this one.
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