Three Legendary Beast Trademarks Point to First ex★ Sets

We now have our first real clue about what the Pokémon ex★ series will look like. Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak have registered three new trademarks in Japan: Magma Heartbeat (マグマの鼓動), Lightning Impact (イナズマの衝撃), and Aurora Ripples (オーロラの波紋).

Magma points to Entei, lightning to Raikou, and aurora to Suicune. The Legendary beasts from Johto appear set to headline the next era of the TCG.

Why these filings matter

Trademark filings come in categories, and these three fall under Class 28, which covers games, toys, and playthings. That is the same classification the Pokémon TCG falls under, and it is the category Pokémon has used for set names in the past. These are not random merchandise names.

Translated more literally, the three marks read as The Pulse of Magma, The Impact of Lightning, and The Ripples of the Aurora. A fourth trademark, Battle Start Deck (バトルスタートデッキ), was registered at the same time, which sounds like a preconstructed product line to go alongside the new sets.

The ex★ connection

The ex★ series itself is old news. It was teased at Worlds back in August, as we covered in our ex★ series reveal article, and it is expected to arrive next year as the follow-up to the Mega Evolution era.

What we still don’t know is anything about the series itself. There are no details yet on what the Pokémon ex★ mechanic actually involves, how the star distinguishes these cards from regular ex Pokémon, or how the sets will be structured. These trademarks give us probable set names and a Legendary beast theme, and that is the extent of it for now.

Three names filed together also suggests three separate releases rather than one set, though Pokémon has not confirmed how the names will be used.

What’s still ahead before ex★ arrives

The current era has plenty left on the calendar. Delta Reign lands November 6, and English players get Flowing Fists on February 5 as the sixth main Mega Evolution set.

Japan’s side of the schedule got a new entry too: MEGA x MEGA Parade releases February 29 and will be Japan’s annual High Class Pack set, starring Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y. High Class Packs are the reprint-heavy sets with boosted pull rates that Japan puts out once a year.

There was also a look at the Kyogre, Groudon, and Giratina Delta Reign store promos, which we covered when they were announced. Those go out with qualifying purchases starting November 6 in the US, Canada, and Australia.

The takeaway

Entei, Raikou, and Suicune leading off a new series is a strong hook for anyone who grew up with the Johto Legendaries. Official details on the ex★ mechanic and these set names should come sometime before the Mega Evolution era wraps up next year.

Until then, you can browse upcoming Pokémon TCG singles to stay ahead of the current release schedule.