The latest set is coming Pokemon Trading Card Game has suffered a significant delay, with some major Ascended Heroes products being pushed back by several weeks. The beloved TCG based on the long-running monster-catching franchise already has some big plans in the works to kick off the franchise's 30th anniversary. The Pokemon TCG has multiple set releases planned for early 2026, with the company gearing up to launch Ascended Heroes, while Perfect Order is slated to launch in late March. Ascended Heroes, in particular, looks set to be a notable expansion to kick off the year Pokemon TCG.
The upcoming Ascended Heroes won't just be a celebration of the past year Pokémonbut an exciting insight into TCG's future. The expansion will feature many popular returning mechanics from sets released in 2025, including new Stellar Tera Pokemon, Owner's Pokemon, and a plethora of Mega Pokemon. Ascended Heroes also introduces several characters that made their debut in Pokemon Legends ZAwith popular trainers such as Corbeau and Canari making their first appearance in Pokemon TCG. But fans have now received some disappointing news regarding the English release of Ascended Heroes.
Collections of Ascended Heroes are delayed
- Ascended Heroes Erika/Larry Collection New release date: February 20
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The Pokemon Company confirmed that one of Ascended Heroes' biggest products has been delayed in the US and Canada. A post from the official Pokemon TCG The Twitter account reveals that the Erika/Larry Collection for Ascended Heroes has been pushed back from January 30th to February 20th within the North American regions. The post does not provide any specific reasoning behind the unexpected Pokemon TCG delay, coming just a few days before the products were supposed to be released. The new release date now matches the Erika and Larry Collections with the launch of Elite Trainer Boxes for Ascended Heroes, although the Tech Sticker Collections are still expected to release on January 30th.
The delay of the Ascended Heroes products also comes with a big shift too Pokemon TCGs tournament scene. The Pokémon Company later revealed that the delay will also apply to the competitive legality of cards from Ascended Heroes, which will not become tournament legal until March 6. Pokemon TCG usually degrades the playability of their new expansions, with players having to wait two weeks before adding the cards to their Pokémon deck. Ascended Heroes was previously scheduled to become tournament legal on February 13, with the 2026 European International Championship specifically confirmed to be affected by the change.
Ascended Heroes will be a huge Pokémon TCG expansion
Pokemon TCG fans will now have to wait even longer for an expansion that has seen a lot of excitement leading up to its launch. Ascended Heroes will be the biggest Pokemon TCG set ever released, with a total of 290 different cards for players to collect of various rarities. The staggering number of cards beats out popular ones Sword and shield-era expansion Fusion Strike for the record, which was released with 284 cards. The early reveals for Ascended Heroes have also hinted that it will be a highly sought after set amongst Pokémon collectors, including several coveted cards such as SIR Mega Gengar ex and a new artwork for Pikachu ex.
The new date for Ascended Heroes tournament legality will also see it more directly ahead of a big change coming to the game. April 2026 will welcome the next “rotation” for Pokemon TCGwith sets from Paradox Rift and earlier phasing out of the game's standard format. The change will affect a plethora of the game's most powerful strategies, with decks like Gardevoir ex and Gholdengo ex affected along with big stack cards like Arven and Iono leaving. Ascended Heroes looks set to be a great set for both players and collectors when it fully launches in late February.
