# Pokémon TCG Pitch Black: Every SIR & Chase Card, Ranked

> Pitch Black (PBL) has 6 SIRs, 1 Hyper Rare, and one card you can't pull from packs. Every rarity tier ranked with visual ID tells for prerelease day one.

Category: Pokémon

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.

## FAQ

### 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.

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Source: https://cardloft.app/news/pokemon/pokemon-pitch-black-sir-chase-card-guide
Author: The CardLoft Team
Published: 2026-07-06 · Updated: 2026-07-06