A new wave of darkness is coming to the Pokemon TCG. Mega Malamar ex Storm Emeralda has just been officially revealed, and this 320-HP Stage 1 nightmare is already drawing attention. Alongside Sableye and Inkay, the full Darkness-type package is now confirmed for Japan's Storm Emeralda set, releasing July 31. English players will get these cards in Delta Reign on November 6.
Here is everything confirmed today, from raw stats to the competitive angles worth watching before this set lands.
Everything confirmed in today's Storm Emeralda reveal
Three cards were revealed from the upcoming Japanese set:
- Mega Malamar ex: Stage 1 Darkness type, 320 HP, evolves from Inkay. Mega Pokemon ex rule applies (3 Prize cards when knocked out).
- Inkay: Basic Darkness type, 60 HP. Pre-evolution for Mega Malamar ex, with early hand disruption.
- Sableye: Basic Darkness type, 80 HP. A disruptive support card with a bench-filling attack that directly powers up Mega Malamar ex.
Storm Emeralda releases July 31 in Japan. Its English counterpart, Delta Reign, arrives November 6. The set continues the Mega Evolution series, following Pitch Black (the English version of Abyss Eye) and maintaining the dark, atmospheric visual identity that has defined recent sets in this line.
Mega Malamar ex breakdown: a bench-punishment machine
Mega Malamar ex is a Stage 1 Darkness-type Pokemon ex with 320 HP. That is substantial for a Pokemon that only requires Inkay as its pre-evolution, no special Item or support mechanic needed to get it into play.
Its first attack, Psychic Marionettes, costs two Darkness energy and deals 70 damage multiplied by the number of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. With a full bench of five, that is 350 damage. To put that in perspective: most Mega Pokemon ex in the current format sit between 280 and 330 HP. A full-bench Psychic Marionettes one-hit-knocks-out almost everything, full stop. It also punishes passive bench setups hard, which are common in today's meta as players try to accelerate energy or establish backup attackers.
The second attack, Eerie Pulse, costs three Darkness energy and deals a flat 200 damage while inflicting Confusion on the Active Pokemon. Confusion is a meaningful status: a Confused Pokemon either flips to self-damage between turns or uses a resource like a hand Supporter to shake it off. Eerie Pulse will never reach the ceiling of Psychic Marionettes, but it plugs the weakness in a specific counter-strategy: opponents who deliberately keep their bench empty to nerf the first attack.
The Mega Pokemon ex rule means Mega Malamar ex gives up 3 Prize cards when knocked out. That is the standard cost for any Mega evolution, and with 320 HP combined with a potentially game-ending first attack, the value exchange strongly favors you when the setup goes as planned. Grass weakness is a genuine concern: Rillaboom-based builds and Leafeon ex strategies remain relevant in the 2026 format, and a Grass hit doubles through the 320 HP wall faster than you might expect. A Retreat cost of 2 is manageable with Switch Items or Escape Rope in the list.
What makes Psychic Marionettes particularly dangerous compared to other bench-damage multipliers is its energy efficiency. Two Darkness energy for potentially 350 damage is an exceptional rate. Darkness acceleration tools in the format make this attack reasonably fast to set up, and the damage output only improves as your opponent struggles to thin their bench without sacrificing their setup.
Sableye and Inkay: the supporting cast
Inkay is a Basic Darkness type with 60 HP. Its single attack, Knock Off, deals 10 damage and discards a random card from your opponent's hand for just one Darkness energy. Hand disruption on a Basic Pokemon at minimal cost is the kind of early-game pressure that slows opponent setup turns. In competitive play, Inkay will not win games on its own. Chaining two early Knock Offs before you evolve, though, can strip key Supporters or search Items your opponent was holding onto, disrupting their line before Mega Malamar ex even hits the field.
Sableye is where the deck architecture starts to come into focus. This 80-HP Basic has two attacks. The first, Lure Out, costs one Darkness energy and lets you reveal the top 5 cards of your opponent's deck. You can then choose any Basic Pokemon from those five and place them directly onto your opponent's bench. Forced bench fill. In a Mega Malamar ex list, Lure Out is essentially a damage multiplier: every Basic Pokemon you force onto their bench is 70 more damage from Psychic Marionettes on the following turn. One successful Lure Out turning a three-bench into a five-bench is the difference between 210 and 350 damage.
The second Sableye attack, Sinister Eyes, costs one Darkness and one Colorless energy and places 5 damage counters on any of your opponent's Pokemon. Spread damage for 2 energy on a Basic is solid utility, letting you pre-load damage on benched support Pokemon your opponent relies on.
The combo line is clean: lead with Sableye, use Lure Out to fill your opponent's bench, then bring up Mega Malamar ex and swing Psychic Marionettes for 280 to 350 depending on how many Basics you forced out. It is a direct and legible game plan. Those tend to either have real power or obvious answers. Here, the raw numbers lean strongly toward real power.
Storm Emeralda and Delta Reign release timeline
Storm Emeralda launches July 31 in Japan. It is the latest entry in the Mega Evolution Series, following Abyss Eye (released in Japan earlier this year, English as Pitch Black on July 17). Earlier reveals from Storm Emeralda already confirmed Mega Rayquaza ex as one of the set's headline cards, and today's Mega Malamar ex reveal adds another major pull target to the roster. Expect further card reveals in the coming weeks before the Japanese street date.
Delta Reign is the English localization, arriving November 6. That gives English players roughly three months to watch the Japanese competitive meta develop around these cards before they land at local game stores. By November, Storm Emeralda's tournament results in Japan will be well documented, which means you can build a tested Mega Malamar ex list on day one rather than starting from scratch. That kind of meta preview is a real edge for early adopters.
On the collector calendar, July 17 marks the English Pitch Black release. Store promos for Pitch Black were also revealed this week, featuring Primarina at Hot Topic and Barnes and Noble, Zarude at GameStop, and Armarouge at Best Buy, all stamped with the 30th anniversary "What's Your Favorite?" logo instead of a store or set stamp. If you are building toward the full English Mega Evolution collection, Pitch Black mid-July and Delta Reign early November are the next two data points on that roadmap.
Collector perspective: what to expect from Delta Reign
Mega Malamar ex will arrive in Delta Reign as a Mega Pokemon ex, which typically places it at Double Rare minimum, with Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare versions commanding significant secondary market premiums. Based on the pattern of earlier Mega Evolution sets, the Special Illustration Rare for Mega Malamar ex will likely rank among the most desirable singles in the set, especially given the card's competitive attack design.
Sableye consistently performs well at collector level too. Sableye cards with strong art direction have been among the more sought-after non-ex singles in every set they appear in. Budget-minded collectors who skip the high-rarity Mega ex cards often target Sableye variants instead, and with this card's direct mechanical link to Mega Malamar ex, expect its rarer versions to carry a premium over typical non-ex support cards.
If you are actively tracking a Mega Evolution Series collection, managing which cards you have and which remain missing across Pitch Black, Delta Reign, and future sets can get complicated quickly. The BindeX app lets you scan and catalog your Pokemon TCG cards by set and rarity, giving you a live view of your collection gaps when new reveals drop. Useful when you are trying to figure out whether a fresh pull fills a hole or is a duplicate.
What comes next for Storm Emeralda
More cards from Storm Emeralda will be revealed in the weeks ahead of its July 31 Japanese release. The Mega Rayquaza ex reveal earlier in the set's reveal cycle confirmed the set spans multiple types and themes beyond pure Darkness. Expect Grass-type counters, energy acceleration support, and whatever the design team kept under wraps until closer to the street date.
For now, Mega Malamar ex is the headline, and honestly, it looks like one of the more mechanically interesting Mega ex cards released in this series. The bench-punishment approach rewards a specific playstyle, punishes passive setups, and gives Sableye a meaningful role beyond decoration. Whether it becomes a genuine competitive staple or a powerful casual build, it is worth tracking closely as the Storm Emeralda card list fills out over the next few weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Mega Malamar ex has two attacks: Psychic Marionettes (70 damage per benched opponent Pokemon) and Eerie Pulse (200 damage plus Confusion). Psychic Marionettes maxes out at 350 damage with a full opponent bench of five; Eerie Pulse requires three Darkness energy and inflicts Confusion on the Active Pokemon.
Delta Reign releases in English on November 6, 2026. It is the English localization of Japan's Storm Emeralda set, which launches July 31, 2026.
Mega Malamar ex is worth targeting if you enjoy high-ceiling Darkness attackers. With 320 HP and up to 350 damage via Psychic Marionettes, it offers genuine competitive potential alongside collector appeal as a Mega Pokemon ex.
Psychic Marionettes deals 70 damage multiplied by the number of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. With five benched Pokemon, that totals 350 damage, enough to one-hit-knock-out virtually anything in the current format.
Sableye's Lure Out attack forces Basic Pokemon from your opponent's top 5 deck cards onto their bench, directly boosting Psychic Marionettes damage the following turn. It is a key enabler for the Mega Malamar ex game plan.