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Pitch Black Introduces 320-Damage Slowbro, Alakazam Blocked

7/21/2026

23 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Mega Evolution—Pitch Black adds a Slowbro archetype whose All Out attack deals 210 damage with no cards in hand.
Equipping Brave Bangle and using Gladion’s Final Battle can boost Slowbro’s damage to 320 before Weakness.
Hide ’n’ Sneak blocks Alakazam’s Powerful Hand from placing damage counters on Banette or Sinistcha, limiting Alakazam’s effectiveness.

History

Historical Context

The Pokémon Trading Card Game debuted in Japan in 1996, inspired by Magic: The Gathering, and expanded to a worldwide market that has printed over 75 billion cards by 2025. The Pokémon Company’s Mega Evolution series continued that trend, releasing Pitch Black on July 17 2026, a set whose high-damage Slowbro archetype mirrors the meta shift that boosted Wizards of the Coast’s 2000 Base Set sales.

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Story summary

Mega Evolution—Pitch Black adds a Slowbro archetype whose All Out attack deals 210 damage with no cards in hand.
Equipping Brave Bangle and using Gladion’s Final Battle can boost Slowbro’s damage to 320 before Weakness.
Hide ’n’ Sneak blocks Alakazam’s Powerful Hand from placing damage counters on Banette or Sinistcha, limiting Alakazam’s effectiveness.

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