Pokémon Perfect Order‘s Zygarde focus and Legends Z-A-inspired approach has left a lot of non-videogame fans a little disappointed with the upcoming set – but for me, it’s pretty exciting. The small pool of cards, not too dissimilar to 2025’s Phantasmal Flames, makes it an easier expansion to complete, and while I can’t be certain based on my early packs, the pull rates for Pokémon TCG‘s latest expansion seem promising. Which, in my eyes, is a great thing.
Perfect Order feels like Pokémon TCG‘s betting on making Zygarde a mainstay, mainly thanks to a high-tech black-and-neon-green design that just about distinguishes it aesthetically from other recent Pokémon sets (to be fair, there have been over 120 of them, and there are only so many color combinations).
Even though the design of this Mega Zygarde mascot isn’t as impressive to me as would befit its legendary Pokémon status, the actual color scheme works well. It’s flashy, suave, and ominous in all the right ways, but Perfect Order is anything but frightening. In fact, the cards are welcoming and, over 17 packs (kindly provided to Wargamer for review by The Pokémon Company), I found that I welcomed plenty of great ones into my collection.
The 17 packs were made up of an Elite Trainer Box and two Build & Battle boxes. As a collector only and someone who doesn’t play the competitive side of the TCG, I’ll stick with the collectible aspect. I love how the B&B boxes come with stamped holos exclusive to the pre-built decks, and of course, there’s lots to love about the ETB, with the customary bundle of extra goodies for the game itself, the gorgeous little Tyrunt promo, and plenty of sleeves, on top of those excellent boosters.
Over 17 pack openings, my final results were absolutely superb – way better than I had expected. Two IRs, an Ultra Rare, and the Jacinthe SIR (which ranked #3 on my Pokémon Perfect Order chase cards list). It’s probably the best luck I’ve had since I started collecting again a few years back. I also got five ex cards, including the mighty Mega Zygarde ex, making it a total of nine hits over 17 packs. That’s an excellent rate, and while I’m sure people would prefer an IR in every pack, that’s not going to happen, folks. My simple mission is collecting as many cool cards as possible – and Perfect Order delivered in spades.
Jacinthe #122 is even more gorgeous in person, with an almost shine that makes it stand out in my collection, while Talonflame #91‘s artwork sees the fire-type soar above a town, an unexpected standout among my newly-added cards. Admittedly, Probopass #096 is a little odd, if I’m honest – not a huge fan of the ‘mon anyway, and this one’s design is just a little boring, to my eye. And, while Canari isn’t here, her grandfather Tarragon is very much in attendance, as is his mighty beard. Even as an Ultra Rare, I love this card.
Of course, there are also cards I didn’t get. The gorgeous Clefairy IR that came with Perfect Order’s Japanese twin, Nihil Zero, wasn’t part of my packs, and the stunning Mega Zygarde ex SIR didn’t show up, either. As a smaller set, however, my hopes of getting these, alongside the Mega Clefable ex and Meowth SIRs, are more alive than ever – especially considering how lucky I was with just a small selection of packs.
If you read my Pokémon Phantasmal Flames review, you’ll see there are a lot of comparisons to be made between the sets. The enjoyment (or frustration, if you’re unlucky) you’ll get out of Perfect Order completely depends on your enjoyment of the chases and various commons you can pull. Charizard is a mascot for the whole Pokéhobby, so Phantasmal Flames was always going to be big. Zygarde is a lot less popular but, for those who love the Pokémon TCG regardless of whether or not Pikachu, Charizard, or another celebrity ‘Mon is on the packaging, this is a solid expansion.
Fortunately, there’s still some time until the Pokémon Perfect Order pre-orders are up, so make sure to use our guide to get some retail-priced listings if you can find any. Alternatively, you should keep an eye on the following retailers in the hopes of getting those packs on the Perfect Order release date – Friday, March 27, 2026.
If you’re looking to keep up-to-date on the latest Pokémon TCG news, make sure to join our Discord community, where we’ll ping you for any below-market deals or any information on the upcoming sets. You can also chat with some other trainers, and we can all discuss our frustration of not finding any packs on shelves anymore. Sigh.
Source: Wargamer
