Raikou ex arrives in Delta Reign as a Special Illustration Rare that pairs Oku’s lightning-charged gorge scene with an attack built to fetch Energy on the starting player’s first turn.
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Card File
- TCG: Pokémon TCG
- Card: Raikou ex (136/103)
- Set: Delta Reign, with worldwide retail release on November 6, 2026
- First released: The Japanese counterpart is Storm Emeralda 108/076; the English Delta Reign expansion reaches stores worldwide on November 6, 2026
- Notable rarity: Special Illustration Rare
Behind the Foil
Oku paints Raikou mid-charge through a gorge, with lightning strikes hammering down around it, and the whole scene feels like it’s moving faster than the frame can hold. The painterly style and rich, vivid color suit a Pokémon whose whole identity is speed and storm, and the rock walls give the beast a channel to run through rather than empty sky. It’s an action shot more than a portrait. Collectors tracking the English printing can find it as Raikou ex.
Raikou embodies the speed of lightning.
The Pokémon Company
The Japanese counterpart is Storm Emeralda 108/076, also illustrated by Oku, so this art has already made its way into the game in Japan before the English release. Delta Reign follows on November 6, 2026, with Pokémon TCG Live access starting November 5 and Play! Pokémon prerelease events running since October 24. Anyone curious how the artwork looks on the Japanese card can check out Raikou ex – 108/076.
Lore
Raikou is one of Johto’s legendary beasts, Pokédex No. 0243, and its roars send shock waves through the air and shake the ground like falling lightning. Players first meet it in the Burned Tower, alongside Entei and Suicune, and the trio bolts before anyone can battle them. After that they roam Johto, which is why catching one became a chase rather than a story beat. The trio’s origin story says Ho-Oh resurrected them after the tower burned.
Competitive History
The Japanese Storm Emeralda version is a 200-HP Basic Lightning Pokémon ex with no retreat cost and a Fighting weakness. Its one-Energy first attack can be used on the starting player’s first turn and searches the deck for an Energy card to attach to Raikou ex. The second attack costs two Lightning and one Colorless Energy, deals 200 damage, and on tails keeps Raikou ex from attacking during its controller’s next turn.
Like any Pokémon ex, it hands the opponent two Prize cards when Knocked Out. In Japan’s Storm Emeralda sealed format, which uses 40-card decks and four Prize cards, Raikou ex appeared in 63 of 164 winning decks as of October 14, 2026, the most of any ex in that group. The zero retreat cost helps here, letting players pivot out of Raikou after a tails result. For the gameplay version without the special art, there’s Raikou ex – 024/076.
FoilWire Take
This is a card where the art and the mechanics actually agree. Oku’s charging Raikou looks like something that should get a free Energy attachment before the opponent has done anything, and the card delivers on that, then pays for its 200-damage swing with a coin flip. The Special Illustration Rare is the one to look at for the picture.
The ability to start fast is what put the Japanese card in so many winning sealed lists. If you enjoy cards where the illustration carries real personality, our look at an uncommon with standout art in the Lanturn Card Spotlight makes a good companion.
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