Letter to the Community - January 22, 2026
Greetings Pokémon TCG Live Community,
Pokémon TCG Live is looking for heroes—are you ready to answer the call? We’re starting the new year off with two incredibly eventful months of content and game updates, and you won’t want to miss a moment of the action!
A Call for Heroes on Pokémon TCG Live
Get excited for the arrival of the huge Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes expansion, featuring the powerful Mega Dragonite ex and complete with a new Budew illustration rare card for those still basking in the afterglow of the Budew Year event. Our new Battle Pass is packed to the brim, and we’re awarding both Battle Pass decks up front to let you immediately explore the strategy that resonates most with your own hero’s journey. Additionally, we’re launching a new series of Poké Ball–inspired deck cosmetics that tie in with the parallel foil cards found in this expansion, starting with Poké Ball and Love Ball designs that will be available to all players alongside the set release.
To keep the excitement going throughout the month of February, you can also expect Twitch Drops for the 2026 Europe International Championships, a special treat in celebration of Pokémon Day, and more announcements coming soon.
Professor Fir’s Learning Lab
Get ready for a new way for players of any skill level to answer the call of the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Professor Fir’s Learning Lab is coming to Pokémon TCG Live!
Join Professor Fir in the lab in this permanent, single-player game mode and experiment with new ways to win! Try out the Basic Classroom to brush up on the fundamentals of the Pokémon TCG, or engage in the Standard Classroom to practice specific lessons in preparation to compete in Standard Ranked play.
Learning Lab will soft launch in Pokémon TCG Live on January 27, 2026, followed by the official release on January 29, 2026. Check out our forum announcement, Professor Fir’s Learning Lab is coming to Pokémon TCG Live, to learn even more about this new game mode.
Rewards and Offers
Battle Pass
- Soar with Mega Dragonite ex or blossom with Mega Meganium ex! Celebrate this epic turning point in the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Series with an all-new Battle Pass in Pokémon TCG Live. First, start with the powerful Mega Dragonite ex deck already in hand, whose powerful "Ryuno Glide" attack will do enough damage to Knock Out almost all Pokémon in a single hit. You can also choose to climb the ladder steadily with the Mega Meganium ex deck! Don’t let its low attack power fool you—giving this Pokémon all your Grass-type Energy will allow Mega Meganium ex to reach heights at which nothing can stop it! Finishing quests and leveling up the Battle Pass along the way will allow you to rack up some awesome additional rewards to help master both of these new decks!
- For more information about these decks, check out our Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes Battle Pass Deck Strategies article.
Competitive Updates
- Ranked Ladders
- With Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes come two new Ranked Ladders for the months of February 2026 and March 2026! Collect formidable new Mega Evolution Pokémon and beat out the competition to become a real ascended hero!
- Trainer Trials
- For Trainers who like some extra twists in their Pokémon battles, this Trainer Trial will have you seeing double! Twin Battle will run throughout the five-week duration of the Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes campaign, starting on January 29, 2026.
- You can visit our dedicated Trainer Trials Schedule announcement for full details.
- For Trainers who like some extra twists in their Pokémon battles, this Trainer Trial will have you seeing double! Twin Battle will run throughout the five-week duration of the Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes campaign, starting on January 29, 2026.
Pokémon Championship Series: 2026 EUIC
The Luvdisc in the Thames River aren't just setting the mood for Valentine's Day—they're here to see Trainers compete in the 2026 Europe International Championships!
Pokémon TCG Trainers are headed to London, England, to have their skills tested as they battle on the road to crown the 2026 Pokémon World Champion! You’ll be able to watch many exciting Pokémon battles live from London from February 13 to February 15, 2026.
Trainers who tune in to the 2026 EUIC livestream will be able to receive booster packs through an on-screen password. Those tuning in on Twitch will also be able to receive fun rewards in Pokémon TCG Live via Twitch Drops, including special illustration rare cards, exclusive Mega Charizard X ex deck accessories, and more!*
*Additional reward terms and conditions apply. You can watch live and find full redemption details and more information on the 2026 Europe International Championships at Pokemon.com/Broadcasts-TCG.
Upcoming Campaigns
- A Call for Heroes
- It’s a long way to the top in Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes, so bring your toughest Pokémon and your best attitude as we celebrate the addition of the new expansion with its own supporting campaign! This set is bursting with powerful Mega Evolution Pokémon like Mega Dragonite ex and Mega Meganium ex, but that’s not all! This set also includes:
- A wide array of Trainer’s Pokémon from some of our most beloved Pokémon Trainers, including Larry and Erika!
- A brand-new card rarity to be found in Pokémon TCG Live—Mega attack rare (MAR)! This stunning new rarity tier features dynamic artwork that brings the power of Mega Evolution attacks to life.
- Parallel foil cards that contain Energy type symbols embedded in the text box!
- It’s a long way to the top in Mega Evolution—Ascended Heroes, so bring your toughest Pokémon and your best attitude as we celebrate the addition of the new expansion with its own supporting campaign! This set is bursting with powerful Mega Evolution Pokémon like Mega Dragonite ex and Mega Meganium ex, but that’s not all! This set also includes:
- What’s Your Favorite?
- We invite players to consider what Pokémon is their favorite. More details to come soon!
- Pokémon Day 2026
- As Pokémon celebrates 30 years of being the very best, we’re excited to give a small token of appreciation to our players who log in on this milestone day.
- Study Season: Rotation
- It’s spring cleaning, meaning it’s time to take out the Trubbish! The 2026 Pokémon TCG Standard format rotation is upon us, and many highly competitive cards are about to be phased out of the Standard format. Not sure what decks to build or how to adapt to the shifting meta? Don’t worry! We’ve got your back with a campaign designed to help make the transition smoother than a Swanna’s dive.
Another Year in Pokémon TCG Live
Exciting things are happening in Pokémon TCG Live, and none of them would be possible without awesome Trainers like you! Thanks for coming on this journey with us, and we hope you look forward to all the exciting updates that we have planned. As always, please also continue to share your thoughts and feedback with us here on the official Pokémon Forums.
Thank you,
The Pokémon TCG Live Development Team