Vaporeon's First-Ever Ex Card Headlines Pulsing Aura

"Shockingly, the first ex card the popular Pokemon has received even though we're deep into Pocket's second year." That's how The Gamer's Josh Coulson described the reveal of Vaporeon ex in the Pulsing Aura trailer, and I can't believe it took this long either. Vaporeon is one of the most iconic Eeveelutions in the franchise, a fan favorite since Generation I, and Pokemon TCG Pocket has been live since October 2024 without giving it the four-diamond treatment. The new expansion, announced today on the official Pokemon website, finally corrects that.

Pulsing Aura is the next full-scale expansion for TCG Pocket, slotting in alongside previous major sets like Fantastical Parade and Mega Rising rather than being a smaller booster drop like Mega Shine. The cover stars are Mega Lucario ex and Mega Sceptile ex, both sporting 3D artwork and four-diamond rarity, but Vaporeon ex sitting right alongside them at the same rarity tier feels like the real story for collectors. When a Pokemon this popular goes this long without a premium card, the eventual arrival carries weight.

Anti-Ex Meta Incoming

The card reveals go beyond splashy chase rares. Korrina, a new Supporter card, lets fighting-type Pokemon deal 30 extra damage to an opponent's active ex card on the turn she's played. Arena of Antiquity, a new Stadium, pushes that further by granting fighting-types a permanent 20 extra damage against ex Pokemon on either side of the field. That second one is a double-edged sword if your own deck runs ex cards, but the message is clear: The Pokemon Company wants to rein in the ex-dominated competitive meta. Mega Absol ex and Mega Altaria ex have been running the show, and these two Trainer cards are designed to punish them. I like the approach. Printing hard counters into Trainer cards rather than just power-creeping the next wave of ex Pokemon is a smarter way to shift the meta.

Urshifu makes its TCG Pocket debut in the set too, arriving in both Single Strike and Rapid Strike variants at three-diamond rarity. Kubfu joins it with a full-art illustration rare that multiple outlets flagged as one of the best-looking cards in the trailer. Emboar, Budew, Bewear, Hattrem, Croagunk, and Wooper round out the confirmed roster so far, though more cards are expected when the set goes live.

On the cosmetic side, Pulsing Aura introduces gold frame flairs for one, two, and three-diamond rarity cards across every series. You unlock a gold frame by collecting ten copies of the same card, and the system applies retroactively. If you've been hoarding duplicates since launch, you'll have gold frames waiting for you the moment the update hits. A small but welcome quality-of-life addition that rewards long-term players without asking them to spend anything extra.

There's some confusion around the exact launch date. The trailer itself shows April 28, but the video description and several sources list April 27, while one outlet noted April 30 based on TCG Pocket's usual Thursday release cadence. The official Pokemon announcement should clarify the final date, but either way, Pulsing Aura arrives before the end of April alongside new Elite Deck Missions, Handy Card Collection Missions, and a 1.5th anniversary event running into early May.

Vaporeon finally getting an ex card after eighteen months of TCG Pocket is the sort of thing that sounds minor until you remember how many Eeveelution fans have been pulling packs since day one waiting for exactly this. The anti-ex Trainer cards are the more competitively interesting addition, but I suspect Vaporeon ex will be the card that actually moves the needle on pack openings.