Ink drops hit the table: Lorcana's Hyperia City is here

Oct 17, 2026

Hey friends,

Busy day across the card games. Pokémon TCG Pocket is changing how fast it drops new cards, some Star Trek products are running late, and Lorcana's newest set just hit prerelease tables. Let's get into it.

The lead: Pokémon TCG Pocket hits the brakes

Pocket turns two at the end of the month, and the team behind it just published a producer letter with the biggest shake-up since launch. The headline: new booster packs will come out about every six weeks instead of about every four, starting with the new series that kicks off at the end of October.

Their reasoning, in their own words: "we have received feedback that the large number of cards being released in each pack up to B series has made collecting difficult."

Here's what else is coming:

• Immersive cards from missions. You'll still pull the animated cards from packs, but you can also earn different ones by finishing collections.
• Special Pack: First Partners. It features the first partner Pokémon from all nine regions. Special packs run on their own stamina, which refills once a week.
• ★1 promo missions. New missions arrive each week for three weeks, and each completed set earns one of three illustrated promos.
• Community Decks. Browse popular decks or your friends' decks in the game and copy them with your own cards.
• Better rental decks. They'll be ready the day a new pack drops, with unlimited uses, and you can use them in versus battles.
• Limited Battle events. These run with a restricted card pool and pay out accessories and promo packs based on wins.
• Easier trading. You'll be able to see which cards your trade partner is missing and what's on their wishlist.

Dual-type Pokémon also debut in the new series. One caveat from the letter itself: everything is still in development, and contents and timing could change.

Why now? Polygon points to a financial report showing Pocket averaged around 23 million monthly players from April to June 2026, down 41% from the same stretch last year. Polygon reads the whole list as an effort to win players back.

On the paper side, October's last two Pokémon TCG releases are almost here:

• Deck Crafter's Collection (October 23) is 40 tournament-staple Supporter, Item and Tool cards for building or upgrading a deck.
• 30th Celebration Battle Decks (October 30) are all-foil, 60-card Espeon ex and Umbreon ex decks. Each comes with a deck box, playmat, coin, and a promo: Victini with Espeon, Zeraora with Umbreon.

MTG: some Star Trek products are running late

Wizards posted on October 16 that some Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek products are delayed by production and shipping issues, and the delays depend on where you live.

The good news first: Play Boosters and Prerelease Packs are on track for Prerelease (November 6) and release (November 13).

What's delayed:

• North America: Commander decks may arrive after the November 13 release.
• Europe, the Middle East and Africa: English, French and German Collector Boosters may arrive after release. So may English Commander decks, Draft Night, Scene Boxes and Beam Me Up Bundles. French and German Commander decks and Collector's Edition Commander decks may arrive after Prerelease.
• Asia-Pacific: Collector Boosters, Omega Collector Boosters, Bundles, Beam Me Up Bundles and Draft Night may arrive after release. Scene Boxes are also delayed in New Zealand.

Wizards calls the delays "fluid" and says to check with your local game store. If you preordered a Commander deck, ask your shop now so release day doesn't surprise you.

Secret Lair goes big on Marvel

Wizards also announced Secret Lair Countdown Kit: Marvel's History of Heroes, a 30-card collection with art from over 30 artists. It's $199.99 and goes on sale November 2 on MagicSecretLair.com. Each card is packaged on its own and comes randomly in non-foil, foil, or surge foil.

The list has real staples: Fierce Guardianship, Lightning Bolt, Opposition Agent, Snuff Out, Unholy Heat and Heroic Intervention, among others. It also includes two early cards from Marvel: Darkhold Destiny: Doctor Strange, Master of Magic and Beta Ray Bill. Both become legal in all formats when that set's Prerelease starts on April 2, 2027.

Lorcana: Hyperia City is in stores

Hyperia City prereleases started October 16 at game stores and select Disney Parks and stores, and the set goes on sale everywhere October 23. It's the debut of Disney and Pixar's Coco, plus a new mechanic: ink drops.

Ravensburger describes an ink drop as "a one-time-use ink" you can spend to play cards from your hand or power up other cards. Lead designer Lukas Litzsinger says, "Ink drops can completely change the tempo of a game."

If you're heading to a prerelease this weekend, the box has six boosters, four damage dice, one random promo, and a map of the city. A tip from After Midnight Tavern's sealed guide: drops are worth the most early, so spend one as soon as it gets a card onto the board. Their count is 36 of the set's 204 cards making ink drops, plus 9 more that reward you for having or spending them.

Also new as of October 16: the Curator's Collection: Beauty and the Beast Edition and the I2I Foil Playmat, at Downtown Disney, Disney Springs, World of Disney at Disneyland Paris, and DisneyStore.co.uk.

Gaming roundup

• Control Resonant sold 1 million copies in about three weeks, making it the fastest-selling game in Remedy's 31-year history. It launched September 24.
• Call of Duty is getting a new sub-series. Activision's marketing chief, Tyler Bahl, confirmed a future game won't be Black Ops or Modern Warfare. Meanwhile, Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23.
• Deadlock added Violet, a painter hero, on October 16. The last new hero in the update, Nurse Harrow, arrives Tuesday, October 20 at 2 p.m. PT.
• Pokémon Pokopia's first Halloween event runs until November 1. You need at least one rebuilt Pokémon Center to join.
• Liquid Swords, the studio behind Samson, went bankrupt after months of unpaid wages, affecting nearly 30 employees.

That's it for today. If you hit a Hyperia City prerelease, hit reply and tell me your best pull.

See you tomorrow, Tim

If a friend at your LGS would like this, forward it along. And if someone sent it to you, subscribe at manamarketwatch.com