Delta Reign was released on 6 November and went into the Cardtracker catalogue the same night, on the site and in the app. For every card you see the number, the rarity, the type and the artist. In the Mega Evolution series it follows Pitch Black from July and the anniversary sets from September.
141 cards, 103 of them numbered. The 38 cards above 103 are what collecting this set is about.
| Rarity | Cards |
|---|---|
| Common | 50 |
| Uncommon | 33 |
| Rare | 10 |
| Double Rare | 10 |
| Illustration Rare | 14 |
| Ultra Rare | 17 |
| Special Illustration Rare | 6 |
| Mega Hyper Rare | 1 |
Mega Rayquaza ex, three times
Rayquaza is the face of the set. You will find it as a Double Rare at number 84, as a Special Illustration Rare at 138, drawn by Kazuki Minami, and in gold as the Mega Hyper Rare at 141. Every major set in this series gets one of those gold cards: before this it was Mega Charizard X ex in Phantasmal Flames and Mega Darkrai ex in Pitch Black.
In play it has 280 HP. When you put it from your hand onto your Bench, its Ability Ruler's Roar lets you look at the top four cards of your deck and attach a Basic Energy from among them to it. Its attack Storm Emerald does 50 damage for each Fire and each Lightning Energy attached to all of your Pokémon. And as with every Mega ex, when it is Knocked Out your opponent takes three Prize cards. It also comes with its own Pokémon Tool, Mega Rayquaza Cap at number 100.
Next to Rayquaza there are three more Mega ex: Golisopod, Golurk and Malamar. Golisopod and Golurk both get a Special Illustration Rare as well. The regular ex cards are Meowscarada, Heat Rotom, Wishiwashi, Raikou, Zoroark and Talonflame. Raikou ex is the only one of those with a Special Illustration Rare, by Oku.
Stadiums in two halves
The most striking thing about Delta Reign is not a Pokémon but the Stadiums. Legendary Pyroduct, Legendary Summit and Legendary Trench each consist of two cards. You cannot play one half on its own. With both halves in your hand, you put them down together as one Stadium, and the artwork runs on from one card into the other.
| Stadium | Numbers | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Legendary Pyroduct | 94 and 95 | Evolution Pokémon in play have no Abilities, on both sides |
| Legendary Summit | 96 and 97 | When a ★ Pokémon is Knocked Out by an attack, the attacker takes one fewer Prize card |
| Legendary Trench | 98 and 99 | All healing is doubled, your opponent's too |
Lava, sky and sea: the domains of Groudon, Rayquaza and Kyogre. Groudon and Kyogre are both in the set as Rares, and Groudon also as an Illustration Rare at 111.
The idea is not new. The LEGEND cards from the HeartGold and SoulSilver era also came in two halves, and Darkrai & Cresselia LEGEND returned just this autumn in the Classic Collection. If you want the complete set, that makes six cards, not three.
Hoenn, and where Zinnia comes from
Much of the set takes place in Hoenn, the region of Ruby and Sapphire. Tate & Liza's Training is the twin pair who run the gym in Mossdeep City. And Zinnia's Trust, the Special Illustration Rare at 140 drawn by Teeziro, is Zinnia from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. She is the main character of the Delta Episode, the post-game story in which Rayquaza has to stop a meteor. That seems to be where the name of the set comes from.
Not to be confused with Delta Species, an EX set from 2005 with entirely different cards.
A few more to look out for
- Kommo-o at number 75 is drawn by Mitsuhiro Arita, the artist behind the Base Set Charizard.
- Pokémon Catcher is back, as an Ultra Rare at 129.
- Three special Energy cards, Bubbly Water, Growing Grass and Nitro Fire, only appear in the Ultra Rare run, at 132 to 134.
Sealed
Nineteen sealed products are already in: the Booster Box and a Half Booster Box, the Elite Trainer Box, the Booster Bundle, the Build & Battle Box, single boosters, regular and sleeved, and blisters with Seel, Spritzee, Ampharos, Delphox, Keldeo and Xerneas. And for anyone buying big: the cases. Most of them already have a price, and you add them to your collection just like cards.
Japanese
Much of Delta Reign came out in Japan at the end of July, as Storm Emeralda, with 113 cards. That set is in Cardtracker too. We keep Japanese card names in Japanese, because that is what is printed on the card. The rarity and the set name are shown in English.
What you can do with it in Cardtracker
Open the set and switch on Tick off. One tap puts a card in your collection, as Near Mint with a quantity of one. You can adjust condition and purchase price later under Cards. The binder view shows the set as an album, nine slots per page, in card number order. What you own is in colour, what you are missing is grey.
One thing to know: prices for a brand new set fill in gradually. We fetch a price the first time someone looks up a card. In the first days after a release you will still see gaps, and they fill up by themselves.