Mega Darkrai ex
Quick take
- Special Illustration Rare of Mega Darkrai ex, card 116/084, illustrated by AKIRA EGAWA
- The top chase in Pitch Black, trading around $278 two weeks after launch — down from a $390 presale
- Appeal is driven by the artwork and Darkrai's cosmic-horror identity, not just rarity
- One of four Mega Darkrai ex prints in the set (048 base, 101 UR, 116 SIR, 120 gold MHR)
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Pitch Black
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 116/84 · $145.81 — 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 face of Pitch Black, and the card carrying the whole set
Pitch Black (ME05) arrived July 17, 2026 as the fifth Mega Evolution era set, and unlike the sets around it, its value is concentrated almost entirely in one card. Mega Darkrai ex at 116/084 is the Special Illustration Rare, and it sits at the very top of the chase list with nothing close behind it.
“Special Illustration Rare of Mega Darkrai ex, card 116/084, illustrated by AKIRA EGAWA”
What makes it matter is the art. AKIRA EGAWA drew a Mega Darkrai that leans hard into the cosmic-horror side of the Pokemon, the full form reading as a single vast eye opening against a black sky. Collectors have called it the closest a Pokemon card has come to an eldritch abomination, and the comparisons being thrown around are to Egawa's Arceus and Giratina VSTAR from Crown Zenith.
Mega Darkrai ex appears three times in the set: a Double Rare base print at 048, an Ultra Rare full art at 101, and this Special Illustration Rare at 116. There is also a gold Mega Hyper Rare at 120, which is rarer but — two weeks of real trading confirmed — cheaper and less beloved than Egawa's SIR. For most collectors, 116 is the card.
By the numbersMarket analysis
The English print opened presale around $390, corrected to about $300 in the first weekend, and trades near $278 two weeks after launch — a 29 percent decline delivered in stages rather than one drop. The Japanese Abyss Eye comp settled near 85,000 yen (roughly $540), so the English print now trades at a steep discount to the Japanese version rather than in line with it.
Japan previewed the shape and English ran it faster. Instead of a launch spike and a month-long 15 percent fade, the English price skipped the spike, corrected within the first weekend, and kept drifting — $390 presale, $300 by July 20, about $278 in early August. The panic-premium phase is over; from here the question is where the floor forms, with the September 30th Anniversary set the next event likely to move collector budgets.
This is the one card in Pitch Black with a genuine long-term collector case. The art carries it, and cards that sell on art rather than playability tend to hold better once a format rotates. The timing caveat already played out: presale buyers ate a 29 percent drawdown in two weeks. At current prices the entry risk is much smaller, though the 30th Anniversary set will compete hard for the same budget this fall.
A clean PSA 10 should command a healthy premium over raw, and at this price level the grading fee is easily justified on a gem candidate. Centering is the usual risk on full-art stock, so only submit copies with 55/45 or better on both axes. English graded comps are only starting to appear at the two-week mark — give the market a few more weeks to form before sending a batch.
The guesswork phase is over: TCGPlayer's count of just over 4,000 Pitch Black packs puts any Special Illustration Rare at 1 in 80 packs, with Illustration Rares at 1 in 9 and Ultra Rares at 1 in 12. The catch is that 1 in 80 covers any of the set's six SIRs. Pulling this specific Mega Darkrai SIR works out to roughly 1 in 480 packs — about thirteen booster boxes — so singles are the sane route if you want this exact card.
Within Pitch Black the SIR slot sits above every Illustration and Ultra Rare and below only the single gold Mega Hyper Rare Darkrai at 120 in scarcity — though not in price, where the SIR leads the whole set. Among the six SIRs, this one is the clear headliner, priced well ahead of the Morpeko ex and Mega Zeraora ex SIRs that follow it.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
AKIRA EGAWA is a celebrated Pokemon TCG illustrator known for dramatic, high-impact full-art cards, including some of the most chased Special Illustration Rares of the modern era. Egawa's work tends to command a premium on name alone, and the Mega Darkrai ex SIR is being talked about as a career highlight.
Card 116 is the Special Illustration Rare print of Mega Darkrai ex, a full-bleed composition where the Mega form dominates a dark field and resolves into the impression of a single enormous eye. We are keeping the description general here since the printed art rewards being seen directly rather than recalled from a summary.
Special Illustration Rare layout with a textured holo finish, art running edge to edge. Darkness type, Basic, 280 HP, card number 116/084 in the ME05 set numbering.
The SIR frame gives Egawa room for a full-scene composition, and the eldritch reading of Mega Darkrai is exactly the kind of image that travels beyond the usual TCG audience. Against the Ultra Rare full art at 101 and the gold Mega Hyper Rare at 120, the 116 SIR is the version collectors overwhelmingly point to as the one to own — and two weeks of trading backed that up, with the SIR holding a near-$90 premium over the rarer gold.
BackgroundAbout Mega Darkrai ex
Darkrai is a Dark-type Mythical Pokemon introduced in Gen 4. It is tied to nightmares and to Alamos Town through the 2007 film Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai, and it has a long-running thematic dichotomy with the lunar Pokemon Cresselia. That cosmic, slightly menacing identity is a big part of why the Mega form's darker art direction landed so well.
- ›Mythical status and event-Pokemon scarcity in the games
- ›The 2007 Rise of Darkrai movie, which cemented its nightmare identity
- ›A menacing, instantly readable silhouette that suits dramatic art
- ›Long-standing fan following that predates this card
- ›Central antagonist-turned-ally in Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
- ›Recurring Mythical distribution Pokemon across multiple game generations
Mega Darkrai ex is a Basic with 280 HP. Dusk Raid costs two Darkness Energy and hits for 110, plus 110 more if your Benched Pokemon have any damage counters on them. Abyss Eye costs three Darkness Energy and simply Knocks Out the opponent's Active Pokemon if it is affected by any Special Condition, which pairs with Special-Condition support to force removal. It is a genuine tech option in Standard, though as a three-prize Mega ex its real ceiling depends on how the 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, and watch for the faint print lines common to modern full-art stock. One Pitch Black-specific issue: curled or bowed cards are the set's most-reported quality complaint, so check for bowing under angled light before paying a premium.
Worth grading on clean copies. At this price the fee is justified on a strong gem candidate, but centering is the make-or-break factor on SIRs, so reserve submissions for copies with 55/45 or better on both axes. English graded comps are only starting to form at the two-week mark — wait a few more weeks for a real PSA 10 population 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 — doubly relevant given this set's curl complaints. If you are holding for grading, handle by the edges only from the moment it leaves the pack. See the storage guide →
The correction already happened — $390 presale to about $278 two weeks in — so the buying window collectors usually wait weeks for is open. Prices may still drift, but the panic premium is gone. Buy the specific card as a single rather than gambling on sealed product, and verify centering and flatness from clear photos on anything over a couple hundred dollars. See the singles buying guide →
Confirm the 116/084 numbering, the correct ME05 set marks, sharp text and holo pattern, and consistent full-art registration. At this price buy from reputable sellers with clear photos of front, back, and corners, and be extra cautious with listings priced well below market.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Reception is strongly positive on this card specifically, even as the broader set draws a mixed response. Collectors who are lukewarm on Pitch Black as the third small single-headliner set in a row still single out the Darkrai SIR as a standout, and two weeks of trading confirmed it as the set's value leader.
The Egawa artwork remains the center of the conversation across Reddit and YouTube, with the eldritch-eye reading of the Mega form widely shared. Much of the rest of the set's chatter is about inconsistent pull luck, curled cards, and attention drifting toward the 30th Anniversary set — which makes this card the clear exception to an otherwise muted reception.
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