The July 17 Double-Drop: Surviving Pokémon Pitch Black + Lorcana Attack of the Vine in One Day

Here's the collision, mapped: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Pitch Black reaches its official U.S. street date on July 17, 2026. That same day, Disney Lorcana: Attack of the Vine! opens its prerelease at local game stores, with wide retail following on July 24.

Two of the year's most anticipated TCG releases, landing on one Saturday. For the crossover crowd — the people who play or collect both — it's a genuine two-front budgeting day, and the community has feelings. Fantasyland News nicknamed the Lorcana run "organic panic," which is exactly the energy: real demand, real scarcity, and a lot of people deciding in the moment.

The Pokémon side has a head start on the chaos — its prerelease events already run July 4–12 — so by the 17th, Pitch Black hype is at full volume while Lorcana's is just opening. That's why the day feels loud. The good news: a little planning turns "panic" into "I got exactly what I wanted."

Let's get everyone on the same page about what these two sets even are, because they could not be more tonally opposite — and that's part of the fun.

Pokémon Pitch Black (Mega Evolution, ME05) is the dark one: over 115 cards headlined by Mega Darkrai ex, with Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, and Mega Excadrill ex along for the ride. Black foil, horror-movie energy, more than 35 special-illustration cards to chase.

Disney Lorcana: Attack of the Vine! (Set 13) is the lush one: 207 unique cards that finally bring in Turning Red, Monsters, Inc., and Up characters alongside refreshed Disney favorites. It's the set that turns your table into a Pixar reunion.

So the day isn't really "which is better" — it's "which one is yours, and how much of the other one can you responsibly grab." For a lot of us, the honest answer is: a little of both. Which means budget is the whole game.

"Is this the one with the Up house?" — yes, and that reaction is exactly why Attack of the Vine is landing so hard. Set 13 adds Turning Red's Mei, the Monsters, Inc. crew, and Up's Carl and Russell to Lorcana for the first time, across 207 cards. For anyone who's been waiting for their Pixar favorites, this is the set.

On what to buy: your two real choices are the Illumineer's Trove ($49.99 MSRP) and the Booster Box (24 packs, $143.76 MSRP). The Trove is the calm, all-in-one entry — packs plus a storage box, dice, and a lore counter — and it's what I'd hand most people. The Booster Box is for the deep collectors and players building competitively, and it moves fast; Lorcana boxes have a reputation for selling out and then climbing on the secondary market.

The timing move that matters: the prerelease is July 17, but wide retail isn't until July 24. If you want cards in hand a week early — and you want the prerelease-exclusive foils — your local game store on the 17th is the play.

For most people walking into the double-drop, yes — the Trove is the one I'd put in your hands first. At $49.99 MSRP, the Attack of the Vine Illumineer's Trove gives you 8 booster packs, a storage box with dividers, six themed damage-counter dice, and a lore counter — basically everything a new or returning player needs to actually sit down and play, plus enough packs to feel the set.

Why I love it as the double-drop pick: it's the lowest-stress entry on either side of the day. You're not gambling $144 on a full booster box, you're not chasing a specific card — you're getting a genuinely useful kit at a friendly price, and you've still got budget left for the Pokémon half. The one honest caveat: like everything this weekend, it's marked up in preorder (some shops are listing it around $55–$80), so grabbing it at MSRP from your LGS or a retailer at sticker is the win.

If you only make one Lorcana purchase on July 17, make it this.

"Okay but I also can't skip Pitch Black" — I hear you, and you're not wrong. Mega Darkrai is a moment. The catch is that the Pokémon side of the 17th is the more scalped half right now.

The Elite Trainer Box has a $49.99 SRP but big-box stores already list it around $59.99, hobby shops at $89.99, and eBay presales near $96.75. So the ETB is a great buy near sticker and a rough one above $85. If you want it, the move is to preorder from Best Buy, Target, or Pokémon Center — the retailers nearest to sticker — and set stock alerts, because they sell out fast.

If you mostly want to open some Pitch Black without the accessory markup, the Booster Bundle (6 packs, ~$44.99 street) is the cleaner value on this side. And there's a full where-to-buy breakdown in our companion guide — Dax went deep on landing Pitch Black near sticker. For double-drop budgeting, just know your two sane Pokémon options are: ETB near sticker, or Booster Bundle.

Here's how the people who won't overspend are splitting the day. Pick the lane that sounds like you:

The balanced buyer (~$110): one Illumineer's Trove ($49.99) + one Pitch Black ETB (~$59.99 at big-box; $49.99 SRP if you're lucky). You get a complete Lorcana kit and the full Pokémon accessory box — the cleanest "I did both" for the money, if you can land the ETB near sticker.

The value buyer (~$95): one Illumineer's Trove ($49.99) + one Pitch Black Booster Bundle ($44.99). Maximum packs from both sets, zero accessory markup, and you skip the ETB scalp tax entirely. This is my quiet favorite.

The all-in collector (~$385): a Lorcana Booster Box ($143.76) + a Pitch Black Booster Box (~$239.99) if you're set-completing both. Big outlay, biggest haul — only if volume is genuinely the goal.

Whatever lane you pick: decide the number before July 17, because a countdown timer is very good at turning a $95 day into a $200 one.

Let's put the real numbers on the table so nobody's surprised at checkout. On the Lorcana side: the Booster Box is $143.76 MSRP (already listing near $199.99 in some preorders, with eBay resale around $165), while the Illumineer's Trove is $49.99 MSRP — the reason it's the calmer buy. Single packs run about $5.99.

On the Pokémon side: the ETB has a $49.99 SRP (already ≈$59.99 at big-box, ≈$89.99 at hobby shops, ≈$96.75 on eBay), the Booster Bundle is ~$44.99 street, and a full Booster Box is ~$239.99.

The pattern is identical across both games: sticker is reachable if you preorder from the right retailer, and a fantasy if you wait for launch day and buy from a flipper. The Trove and the Booster Bundle are the two buys least exposed to markup — which is exactly why the value lane leans on both. Know these numbers going in, and you'll feel the difference between a good deal and a panic-priced one instantly.

Here's the playbook the group chat agreed on, and it works for both drops:

1. Set your total number now. Ninety-five dollars covers a genuinely great double-drop (Trove + Booster Bundle). Decide your ceiling before the timer starts.

2. Split by strategy: Lorcana in person, Pokémon online. Hit your local game store on July 17 for the Attack of the Vine prerelease — cards a week early, exclusive foils, and you support your shop. Preorder Pitch Black from Best Buy, Target, or Pokémon Center where MSRP holds.

3. Set stock alerts on every Pokémon retailer app. Pitch Black restocks are fast and quiet; the alert is your whole edge.

4. Chasing one specific card? Buy the single, not sealed. Whether it's Mega Darkrai ex or a Lorcana enchanted, wait a few weeks post-launch and buy the exact card — ripping toward a named card is the worst odds there is.

5. Refuse the scalper premium. If it's $90-plus for a $60 box or $200 for a $144 one, walk. Supply improves within weeks. Patience is a discount.

Do those five things and July 17 goes from "panic" to "I got exactly what I wanted, and I've got Saturday to actually play."