Pokémon TCG Pitch Black: Every SIR & Chase Card, Ranked
Mega Excadrill ex has no SIR — that's the correction half the prerelease floor needs today. Pitch Black (PBL) has 6 Special Illustration Rares, 1 Hyper Rare, 18 Ultra Rares, and one card you cannot pull from a booster pack. Here's every chase tier, ranked, with the visual tells to ID what you just cracked.
What's the single rarest pull?
Mega Darkrai ex #118 — the set's sole Hyper Rare. Gold border, heavy all-over etching, no visible art boundary. Community estimates from Japanese Abyss Eye data (source set, released May 22, 2026) put it at roughly 1 in 45 boxes, well rarer than any SIR (~1 in 20 boxes). The Pokémon Company does not publish official EN pull rates.
Which 6 cards are SIRs — and which aren't?
Mega Excadrill ex is a UR and a Double Rare. No SIR. Any list that puts Excadrill in the SIR slot is wrong.
- #112 Mega Zeraora ex
- #113 Mega Chandelure ex
- #114 Mega Darkrai ex — illustrated by Akira Egawa as a genuinely unsettling eldritch shadow
- #115 Morpeko ex
- #116 Gladion's Showdown (Supporter)
- #117 Gwynn (Supporter)
How do I tell an SIR from an IR at a glance?
Four distinct tiers, four different looks. Snap your pull in CardLoft's photo-ID tool if you're still not sure.
- IR: Art bleeds to all 4 edges, foil character layer, painting feel. 11 in booster packs.
- SIR: Also edge-to-edge, but metallic sheen overlay, darker and more cinematic. IRs are paintings; SIRs are movie posters.
- UR: Gold frame, art inside the border — not edge-to-edge. 18 in the set.
- HR (#118 only): All-gold border, heavy etching, no art boundary. Unmistakable.
Why can't I pull Zarude from booster packs?
Zarude IR (#090) was removed from EN booster packs entirely. It's Elite Trainer Box exclusive — unstamped in the standard ETB, stamped in the Pokémon Centre ETB. By design, not a misprint run.
Build & Battle Boxes (MSRP US$15.99 / AU$19.99) contain 1 of 4 random stamped prerelease promos — Dhelmise, Slowbro, Miraidon, or Bastiodon — none available in regular packs. Retailer store promos (Primarina, Zarude, Armarouge) carry a 30th Anniversary stamp and require a $15+ purchase at participating stores. Got duplicates? Trade spare promos privately with people you know through CardLoft.
What do JP Abyss Eye rarity codes mean in EN?
- JP AR → EN IR
- JP SR → EN UR
- JP SAR → EN SIR
- JP MUR → EN HR
- Note: JP 'UR' and EN 'UR' are not the same — they map to different tiers.
Frequently asked questions
Does Mega Excadrill ex have an SIR?
No. It's a UR and a Double Rare only. No SIR exists for Excadrill in Pitch Black.
How do I tell an SIR from an IR?
Both go edge-to-edge, but SIRs have a metallic sheen overlay and a darker, more cinematic mood. IRs look like paintings; SIRs look like movie posters.
Is Zarude in booster packs?
Not in EN. Zarude IR (#090) is Elite Trainer Box exclusive — unstamped in the standard ETB, stamped in the Pokémon Centre version.
What rarity is Mega Darkrai ex #118?
Hyper Rare — the rarest card in the set. Community estimates from JP Abyss Eye data suggest roughly 1 in 45 boxes. Official EN pull rates are not published.
Are prerelease promos IRs or SIRs?
Neither. Build & Battle Box promos and retailer store promos are stamped promos — a separate category outside the IR/SIR/UR/HR rarity ladder.