Pokémon TCG Pocket kicks off 2026 with their Fantastical Parade expansion at the end of the month

• Pokémon TCG Pocket has announced its latest expansion, Fantastical Parade
• Grab Mega Gardevoir in brand new themed booster packs with festive card art
• Use messages to get your trades noticed with new tweaks to trading

As January comes to a close, it's time to look to the future and actually start looking forward to what the New Year holds, instead of just putting off your resolutions (you know who you are). But this month still has some surprises, such as Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket's latest expansion, Fantastical Parade!

This expansion is certainly massive, and I mean that literally. Because Fantastical Parade, dropping January 29th, introduces Mega Gardevoir in the new themed booster packs. Not only that, but Teal Mask Ogerpon ex will see the debut of a new legendary Pokémon in this expansion.

As you might expect, Fantastical Parade will offer up new card art themed after parades and festivals, while the iconic Stadiums of the Pokémon universe debut as a subtype of Trainer cards. Given how crucial Stadiums are to, well, most of the cartoons and other mainline entries, it's a surprise they've taken this long to arrive.

Matsuri time

There are various other events slated to take place throughout February and April, too, such as Elite Deck Gift missions and the Mega Medicham ex Drop Event. But what really caught my eye here were the changes to trading.

For one, you'll now be able to drop messages in-app. These are pre-set of course, but it's still good for standing out when wanting to trade and helps open up more possibilities for deals. Meanwhile, there's the new random battle option if you're willing to risk it, where you won't know what an opponent's deck is before it's revealed.

All-in-all these are very interesting additions and changes. And while the focus on Mega Pokémon may be getting a bit trying by now, I've no doubt many of you are fans of it. But if you want to see what other TCGs are making waves on mobile, check out our list of the best card battlers on iOS!