Our First Launch Day: What This Collector Dad is Actually Excited About in 2026
Our First Launch Day: What This Collector Dad is Actually Excited About in 2026
Here's something wild to think about: when Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes drops on January 30th, it'll be the first time my family experiences a major set launch together since we started collecting together.
Back in the '90s, I was that kid ripping Base Set packs I picked up at GameStop. Fast forward to 2024, and I'm back - but this time with my own kids, tracking down cards for our 151 binder challenge. We're about 50 Pokémon in, and honestly? This whole journey has been incredible.
But 2026 is different. We're not chasing just Gen 1 anymore - we get to experience NEW releases as they happen. So yeah, I'm pretty pumped. Let me break down what's actually got me excited as a dad who's still figuring out this modern TCG collecting thing.
🔥 Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes - Our First Real Launch Day
Here's what makes this release extra special for me - it's our first launch day as a family. We'll be hitting our local game store on January 30th because, real talk, trying to snag these online on launch day is going to be brutal. The plan? Grab some packs, maybe an Elite Trainer Box if we're feeling fancy, and crack them open together.
What am I personally hoping to pull? Listen, if there's a Charizard card in this set, you better believe I'm hunting for it. It's my favorite Pokémon (always has been), and pulling one from a set WE opened on launch day would be legendary. But if not Charizard, I'd be thrilled with any Gen 1 Mega - Blastoise, Venusaur, Gengar, any of them would be sick.
The set's massive, too - 290 cards with over 30 Special Illustration Rares. That's... a lot. Which brings me to my next point.
💰 Real Talk: We're Not Buying Much Right Away
I see the photos and videos on social media - collectors cracking entire booster boxes, even full cases, pulling chase cards left and right. That looks awesome. But that's not us right now.
We're a pack-here-and-there family. An Elite Trainer Box is a special occasion. And you know what? That's completely fine. We're building memories, not a warehouse of sealed product.
When the kids are opening packs, I'm 100% there for the experience - their reactions, the excitement of seeing what they got, teaching them about rarities. But when DAD is opening? Yeah, I'm looking for the chase cards. I'm not gonna lie about it.
🎨 What Makes Ascended Heroes Special
Beyond just "Mega Evolution is back," there are a few things that have me genuinely interested in this set:
The Mega Attack Rare cards - These are a new rarity tier with full-art designs and retro Japanese text. As someone who collected in the 90s, that retro style hits different. These are going to be instant classics.
13 different Mega Evolution Pokémon ex - That's a solid variety. Even if we're not buying boxes, we'll get to see a lot of different Megas across the products we do grab. Collector R is excited about the Gengar:
The Legends: Z-A connection - We've been considering playing Z-A, so it seems like starting that around the time of this release would really help us learn some of these Pokémon. That's pretty cool.
🏰 Disney Lorcana: Winterspell - The Disney Side
Full transparency: we haven't actually opened any Lorcana yet. We've looked at cards, we've talked about it, and yeah, we're Disney fans, so it makes sense for us. But we haven't pulled the trigger.
Winterspell (dropping February 13th for pre-release) might be the set that changes that. Winter theme? Darkwing Duck? Stitch as a snowboarder? That's hitting all our family's interests at once, especially Collector Sis!
The plan is probably to grab a couple products and see how we like it. No massive commitment yet, just dipping our toes in and seeing if it clicks with us the way Pokémon has. I'm sure it will if we can pull some cool Stitch cards.
📅 Looking Ahead: More Than Just Ascended Heroes
Here's what else is on my radar for early 2026:
Mega Evolution: Perfect Order (March 20) - The second Mega Evolution set. By then, we'll have a better feel for the first set, and if it lives up to the hype, we'll definitely be grabbing some packs of this one, too.
Premium Collections (March 20) - Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir poster collections. These are the kind of products that make great gifts or special purchases when the kids do well in school or something.
🎯 The Bottom Line
Missing Ascended Heroes would genuinely be a bummer because it's our first launch day together. Everything else? We'll get to it when we get to it. Some sets we'll go harder on, some we'll just grab a few packs to experience.
What matters most isn't pulling the $500 chase card or completing every set. It's about having something we can do together as a family - whether that's hunting for cards at the local shop, updating our 151 tracker, or just sitting around the table opening packs and seeing what we get.
But real talk? If I pull a Mega Charizard from Ascended Heroes on launch day, I'm absolutely losing it. In a cool dad way, of course.
📍 What About You?
Are you hitting up your local shop for Ascended Heroes on January 30th? What Mega Evolution Pokémon are you hoping to pull? And if you're a parent collector too - how are you balancing the "I want all the chase cards" impulse with the reality of being a responsible adult?
Drop a comment or reach out - I'd love to hear from other families doing this collecting thing together.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go explain to my kids why we can't buy a case of booster boxes...
P.S. - We're currently about 50 Pokémon into our 151 challenge (I've been slacking on updating the tracker - new content coming soon!). Follow along at our 151 Hunt page, and check out our other collecting adventures.
