Disclaimer: I don't have time to grab stock numbers, please seek help elsewhere! I have a plan to publish stock levels automatically, I'll get to it one day...

1) Chaos Rising Products Releasing This Friday

The product lineup this week includes the following items:

• Booster Boxes (36 Packs): Standard display boxes containing 36 booster packs ($270.80 - $330.00 AUD approximately).
• Elite Trainer Boxes (ETBs): Includes 9 booster packs, player accessories, and an exclusive promo card ($100.00 - $130.00 AUD approximately).
• Booster Bundles: Contains 6 booster packs ($49.99 - $65.00 AUD approximately).
• Booster Packs: Individual loose packs ($9.25 - $9.95 AUD).
• Build & Battle Deck: A ready-to-play 60-card deck releasing concurrently ($35.00 AUD approximately).
• Checklane blisters: The usual single-pack blister with a coin and promo (Toxel).

2) Pre-orders completed to-date

All major and specialty retailers have concluded their initial window for pre-orders due to high demand outstripping distributor allocations. It's not Ascended Heroes, but it's still popular (much more so than Perfect Order) due to the many Greninja fans out there!

• EB Games / Zing Pop Culture: ETBs were available for a few weeks in March/April but all sold out now.
• JB Hi-Fi, Kmart, BigW: Pre-orders for premium items like Booster Boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes are done and dusted.
• Toymate: All gone!
• Specialty TCG Stores (e.g., Collectible Madness, Gameology and so on): Main pre-order waves are generally completed. Any residual or late-wave stock listings are subject to current market premium pricing.

3) Pre-orders Yet to Come

You can pre-order booster boxes right now with EB. Otherwise, particularly for ETBs, there are no further pre-orders as far as we know. Target usually sells online on the morning of the release, but they have unusually already completed pre-orders for this set! That's not to say they won't release more, but it seems unlikely.

4) Where to head in-store on Friday

For those purchasing in-store on release day, stock availability will vary across the major retailers:

• Kmart: Items are usually located behind the checkout area or the central service desk.
• Target: Allocations are historically smaller than Big W, but check their service desk.
• Toyworld: Stock levels and exact release day pricing vary by location, but they are a reliable source for physical stock (behind the registers).
• Toymate: Will have physical shelf stock available at opening for non-pre-order customers, though quantities are limited.
• Big W: Expect inventory to be placed behind the service/tech desk. Strict purchase limits per customer will apply and can vary by store. Recommend chatting with local staff, some stores might not get stock.
• EB Games: Stores will open at standard center hours (typically 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM). Pre-order collections will be processed first, followed by any unallocated loose booster pack stock at $9.95 AUD per pack. Booster boxes will be available on-demand on release day. Individual pack limits are capped at 72 per customer / 2 booster boxes.
• Good Games: They will prioritize fulfillment of pre-orders if they've done them (not sure whether they did or not), but they're usually pretty good on release day.

Have a look at the list of smaller local game stores I've included below, if you want to support local and give them a go.

5) Strategy & Logistics

• Arrival Times: Don't queue at 4am, completely unnecessary. 30 minutes before open should be fine - but don't quote me on that, I'm not an early bird.
• Purchase Limits: Expect strict caps across all retailers to combat immediate reselling. Big chains like Big W and EB Games will enforce limits ranging from 1–2 units per premium item or specific pack thresholds.

6) Staying up to date

We have several communities to discuss various TCG, restocks and in-store sightings - for collectors only.

Whatsapp Aussie TCG community - free

Telegram Aussie TCG community - free

Discord Aussie TCG community - with Premium features

If you want to know why these Aussie communities are different to others, refer to this post.

That's the overview for now - see local card stores below if you want to try your luck. Above all else, please be kind to staff. Good luck out there!

Please note: the following section was written with the assistance of AI, and is provided for your convenience only. I did my best to validate what I could, but please do your own independent research on your local area/store.

Regional/Independent Highlights

The following independent local game stores (LGS) and specialty networks are verified Pokémon TCG stockists. Please contact your local store directly to confirm exact opening hours, walk-in availability, and remaining day-one shelf allocations.

Sydney & NSW

• The Card Spot (Langley/Online)
• One Stop Poke Shop (Chatswood)
• Northern Beaches Trading Cards (Dee Why)
• Double Kill TCG (Haymarket)
• Cardhub (Greenacre)
• Rice Collects (Chatswood)
• First Games
• The Games Cube (Parramatta)
• Good Games (Central & Chatswood)
• From The Deep Games (Penrith)
• Games Corner (Parramatta)
• The Hall of Heroes (Campbelltown)
• Games Empire (Castle Hill)
• Mega Games (Penrith)
• Good Games Regional Network (Newcastle, Wollongong, Gosford)

Brisbane & QLD

• Brokenvase Games (Sumner)
• Mint Collectables
• Sovereign Cards (North Lakes)
• Relove Oxley
• Misty's Collectables (Albany Creek)
• Local Card Shop (The Gabba)
• PACS Collectables (Rothwell)
• Dark Wolf Collectibles (Deception Bay)
• MTG MATE (Banyo)
• 105th Armoury (Brighton)
• Vault Games (Brisbane CBD & Clayfield)
• Fastbreak Sports (Fortitude Valley)
• Good Games Regional Network (Gold Coast/Southport, Townsville, Rockhampton)

Melbourne & VIC

• Cherry Collectables (West Melbourne)
• Luna Cards
• Collector's Space
• Purplish TCG
• Tabarnacle Games (Fitzroy)
• Cardtastic Collectables (Clayton)
• Dream Collectables (Knox)
• Gameology (Clayton & Epping)
• TCGroup AU (Epping)
• Good Games (Melbourne CBD & Box Hill)
• General Games (Malvern & Frankston)
• Guf Network (Werribee, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton)
• Next Level Games (Dandenong & Ormond)

Adelaide & SA

• Sports Card World (Rundle Mall)
• Mayhem Collectables (Norwood)
• Good Games Adelaide (CBD / King William St)
• Hero Stash (Campbelltown)
• Shuffled (Salisbury)
• Shin Tokyo (Adelaide CBD)
• Dragon's Lair (St Marys & Salisbury)
• The Hobby Matrix (Adelaide)
• Table Top Warfare (Gawler, Prospect & Crystal Brook)

Perth & WA

• Al's Card Shop (Perth CBD)
• Kollecter
• Just Cards (Wangara)
• Tactics (Perth CBD)
• Quick Draw Cards (Joondalup)
• Good Games Network (Cannington, Morley, Joondalup, Rockingham)
• Beyond Games and Hobby (Bunbury)

Canberra, Hobart & Darwin (ACT, TAS & NT)

• Collectors Colosseum (Canberra)
• Dragon Loot (Canberra)
• Gametraders SouthPoint (Tuggeranong)
• The Games Capital (Canberra CBD)
• Jolt Games (Mitchell, ACT)
• Good Games Hobart
• Area52 (Hobart)
• DICE Collectables (Hobart)
• The Game Forge (Launceston, TAS)
• The Wicked Goblin (Cairns / Regional Hub)

The Pokémon Company has begun teasing the next major English expansion, Pitch Black, slated for a July 17, 2026 release (with prereleases running July 4-12).

Here's is a quick breakdown of what we know so far:

Dark Pokemon enter the Spotlight

As Pitch Black suggests, this set is expected to feature Dark-types, focused on Mega Darkrai.

This English set will be the equivalent of the Japanese set Abyss Eye, which releases in Japan earlier in May.

Have the Chase Cards Been Revealed?

Not yet. We haven't seen the Secret Rares or Special Illustration Rares (SIRs). However, based on early leaks and confirmed lists from Abyss Eye, we know the following are in the set:

• Mega Darkrai ex (Likely the big SIR chase of the set)
• Supporting Pokémon: Zarude, Chi-Yu

Pre-order Outlook

Given the popularity of Darkrai, expect Australian pre-orders to be contested to a certain extent. Perhaps not as popular as Chaos Rising, but we anticipate pre-order windows opening up at EB Games and JB Hi-Fi around early May, followed by smaller stores in late May and early June. Elite Trainer Boxes will likely sell quick depending on the box art.

If you are looking to secure ETBs or Booster Boxes at MSRP, stay vigilant. We'll be tracking pre-order drops for you on our various communities.

What are your thoughts on Mega Darkrai ex? Are there any specific Dark-type Pokémon you're hoping get the SIR treatment? Comment below!

EDIT: looks like EB Games pre-orders could be happening tomorrow, 1st of May!

---

Further Reading:

• PokeGuardian: Mega Expansion Pack Abyss Eye Revealed
• https://www.pokebeach.com/forums/threads/abyss-eye-pitch-black-unofficial-list.156782/#s:051f57

Hi all,

The big Aussie TCG communities practically had an online war today - lots of products, but very small quantities from JB. Everything sold out in less than a minute. I wanted to post some to Reddit but there was literally no time.

For our Whatsapp, Telegram and Discord communities - I've spent good time adding some important tools to help catch the next big ones:

1. A pre-release alert when products are about to come online. You complete the captcha early (in advance), then you don't need it during the checkout process.
2. One-click checkout. This takes you straight to the payment page for the quantity you pre-click on.

We'll be ready for the next one!

Why not join us - we're small, fun and friendly.

🔗 Aussie Retail Restock Alerts (Telegram) - free

🔗 Aussie Retail Restock Alerts (Whatsapp) - free

🔗 Aussie Retail Restock Alerts (Discord) - premium

See you there!

Congrats to everyone who managed to snag some Ascended Heroes booster bundles or EX boxes in-store this week. The lines were crazy and the worst we've ever seen.

I’ve been a developer for nearly two decades and a collector for even longer. Last year, I got frustrated with seeing restock alerts paywalled and expensive US-based tracking communities (some charging over $60/month) help scalpers dominate the scene. So, I decided to build something local.

We’ve had a great response to our WhatsApp community, but I know not everyone uses (or likes) WhatsApp. As a faster, more flexible alternative, I’ve finished the equivalent platform on Telegram and opened it up for fully free access.

It is completely free to join and use:

🔗 Aussie Retail Restock Alerts (Telegram)

🔗 Aussie Retail Restock Alerts (Whatsapp)

How it works:

• Store Coverage: It tracks Target, JB Hi-Fi, Big W, EB Games, and countless others (plus several other independent Aussie hobby stores).
• Speed: It picked up the Target Ascended drop in real-time. Although Target's site crashed with the whole continent on it, so.. what can you do?
• Beyond Pokemon: I’m currently working on adding support for One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Riftbound in the coming days.

My goal is to make this a central spot for us to discuss the local market and help collectors get packs at RRP.

I’m looking for feedback:

• Are there any specific local stores you’re struggling to track?
• Is there a specific "holy grail" product you want a dedicated alert for?

I'm working on this most evenings to keep it ahead and running 24/7, so let me know what you'd like to see added next.

Cheers!