Deluxe Pack ex with rare Professor Oak returning to Pokémon Pocket

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 17/12/2025

Leakers have discovered what to expect from Pokémon TCG Pocket in 2026, including the dates of ranked and likely the next expansion.

But before both of those, it has been confirmed that the Deluxe Pack ex packs are returning January 15th to 29th.

This will be just one month since the release of the new Pokémon Pocket Crimson Blaze update.

Every four-card pack guarantees an EX card and could contain the highly sought-after full-art Professor’s Research.

The Deluxe Pack ex update originally released back in September as a catch-up for players at the end of Set A.

However, Pokémon Pocket players thought Deluxe Pack ex was a rip-off with one less card and the reprints not counting towards collections.

DeNa has since listened and agreed to make the Deluxe Pack versions count for all Pokédexes and improve the collection UI.

However, there is an absurd wait for this update, which won’t ship until Summer 2026.

The long turnaround has been heavily criticised, especially as Pokémon Pocket made almost $1.3 billion in profits in its first year – more than Pokémon GO.

Still, the return of the game’s only limited-time pack will be popular for those chasing rare cards.

As well as the full-art Professor’s Research, the pack also exclusively contains a Crown Rare version of Rare Candy and exclusive art of various EX Pokémon.

When is the ranked season for Pokémon Pocket Crimson Blaze?

The last-ranked season in Pokémon Pocket was short-lived as DeNa allowed players to catch up from the big expansion.

However, there is going to be another substantial wait for ranked with the new Kanto starter Mega Evolutions.

Ranked for Crimson Blaze won’t go live until Friday, January 9th, 2026, over three weeks since the release of the latest expansion.

The ranked season will then last a little over two weeks, ending on Monday, January 26th.

The delay feels unnecessary, especially with only 69 new cards in Crimson Blaze, compared to Mega Rising’s 226 cards.

Hopefully, the points requirement needed to reach Master Ball will remain lower, like it was in the last season.

When is the next Pokémon Pocket expansion?

While Crimson Blaze with Mega Charizard Y has just released, this leaked information gives us a good idea of when we can expect the next expansion.

With ranked finishing January 26th and Deluxe Pack ex packs available until January 29th, the next expansion should release around those two dates.

By January 30th, the next Set B expansion for Pokémon Pocket should have released if it hasn’t already sometime in that week.

No details are known as of yet, but a two-pack expansion feels like a safe bet.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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