I have another question that highlights the importance of correctly wording card text and/or the need to read the text of previous editions of many Magic cards (and not only the available Oracle Text).
Let’s suppose Active Player has a Wardscale Dragon in play from several turns, and it’s the only creature in play.
It’s the draw phase, and immediately after drawing the card, the Defending player –
who has 4 life remaining only –
decides to play his last Magic card:
specifically, a reprint from one of the more recent sets.
Defending player knows perfectly the text of the White Dragon card the Active player owns, and therefore hopes to save himself by casting Fog before the Attack phase,in order to avoid it,since he can’t cast no more spells during the attack phase
(before damage is assigned).
He believes everything is fine, because the recent card text doesn’t mention the need to cast Fog during the Attack phase.
So, he tries to prevent any damage while also evading the protection from spells provided to Active Player by the White Dragon.
The Active player, however, shows to the Defending Player a Fog card from the very early Magic sets, which clearly states that a Player must:
“play [Fog] any time before attack damage is dealt.”
This old card text admits that Fog has to be cast during the Attack Phase (before damage is assigned).
The defending player, however, still complains, pointing out the complete absence of a specific Fog Ruling in its latest reprints.
A method used by memory experts states that to remember a whole deck of 52 cards is to create yourself a memory palace with at least 18 rooms that will be used forever. Why do we need 18 rooms? What is its purpose?
Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare both dropped on July 18, 2025, introducing a plethora of beautiful new cards for collectors to sink their teeth into. Featuring a brand new rarity and artwork by legendary Pokémon artists, it’s a dual set worth watching.
To help you plan which chase cards to go after, I’ve hunted down the most expensive cards in Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare, using data from a multitude of sites to pick out the most valuable pieces at the time of writing.
The Escapist recaps
Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare released as a dual special set on July 18, 2025, with 172 and 173 cards apiece.
A new rarity was introduced with this release, called a BWR, or Black White Rare.
Due to the popularity of the Unova Pokémon and the beautiful artwork, the prices for this set have been high since launch day, although some are settling down.
The most expensive cards in Black Bolt and White Flare include all three of the Black White Rares, as well as the Special Illustration Rares for the box Legendaries.
Seismitoad (BLK 105)
Shinji Kanda has an utterly iconic art style. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Seismitoad
Card Number
105/086
Set
Black Bolt
Card Type
Illustration Rare
Selling For
$70-$200
Is anyone surprised to see this card on the list? I honestly thought it’d be higher up – Shinji Kanda is an absolute icon in the Pokémon TCG community, with a following of dedicated fans that adore his mind-melting art style.
Seismitoad isn’t a hugely popular Pokémon by any means, but it looks powerful and otherworldly thanks to the psychedelic artwork on this card.
I spotted auction prices ranging from $70 all the way to $200 while digging around for data on this card, so if you’re keen on getting it, I’d suggest watching the prices and seeing if they settle down in the coming weeks.
Reshiram ex (WHT 166)
This piece accurately captures the strength of Reshiram in the lore. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Reshiram ex
Card Number
166/086
Set
White Flare
Card Type
Special Illustration Rare
Selling For
$120-$215
This card manages to make Reshiram look poised and powerful, which pairs with the Pokémon perfectly. It’s an elegant yet destructive Special Illustration Rare, with spectacular artwork by kawayoo.
It’s one of the most expensive Special Illustration Rare cards in the White Flare list, giving fan-favorites Keldeo and Hydreigon a run for their money.
While researching, I found that the majority of the auction prices for this card sat in the range of $120 to $190, with a few higher prices based on quality. Graded copies, particularly PSA 10 slabs, went for even larger sums.
Zekrom ex (BLK 166)
This card has an electrifying aesthetic. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Zekrom ex
Card Number
166/086
Set
Black Bolt
Card Type
Special Illustration Rare
Selling For
$100-$220
While it’s not selling for quite as much as its Black White Rare counterpart, this iteration of Zekrom ex is still a worthy chase card to pick up for your collection.
With artwork by danciao, Zekrom feels as if it’s ripping out of the card, shredding the sky apart with lightning bolts. It’s a visually stunning piece, so I wasn’t surprised to see prices ranging from $100 to $220, with even higher prices popping up for graded copies.
Reshiram ex (WHT 173)
Much like the next card in the list, Reshiram ex is strong. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Reshiram ex
Card Number
173/086
Set
White Flare
Card Type
Black White Rare
Selling For
$310-$440
Reshiram ex is a magnificent card, topping the charts as one of the most expensive pieces in White Flare. It’s the most affordable Black White Rare currently on the market, but that’s not saying too much as the prices are still decently hefty.
Most auctions that I found for the BWR copy of Reshiram ex placed it between $300 and $380, with a few exceptional prices at either end of that spectrum. There were a few copies up for auction on eBay in the realm of $180, but I can’t see that lasting too long as it’s an immensely popular card right now.
As with any high-value Pokémon card, it’s crucial to make sure that you buy from verified sellers and always do a price check before making a purchase. Despite the set dropping a few weeks ago at the time of writing, prices are still likely to change somewhat.
Zekrom ex (BLK 172)
This card has some competitive potential. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Zekrom ex
Card Number
172/086
Set
Black Bolt
Card Type
Black White Rare
Selling For
$300-$450
There isn’t much of a difference between the BWR cards for Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex, but the Black Bolt card comes out ever-so-slightly on top.
In my opinion, it’s the best looking card out of the bunch – it’s dynamic and polished, with the lighting on Zekrom still managing to make the creature pop despite the overall aesthetic theme being incredibly dark.
The majority of the prices I found while digging into this card ranged from $300 to $400, with a few higher-quality pieces taking the auction price well over the $400 mark.
Graded copies are selling for higher prices, so if you pull this and don’t want to keep it, it could be worth getting it graded before choosing a platform to sell it on.
Victini (BLK 171/WHT 172)
It’s not a powerful card, but it’s exceptionally valuable. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Victini
Card Number
BLK 171/086 or WHT 172/086
Set
Black Bolt/White Flare
Card Type
Black White Rare
Selling For
$300-$600
At the time of writing, Victini is one of the most expensive cards you can pick up from both Black Bolt and White Flare. Unlike most of the cards in this list, it pops up in both sets, featuring slightly different card numbers.
While searching for live auction data, I found prices in the range of $300 to $600 for good quality copies of the card, but also spotted some PSA 10 copies that were starting to creep into the thousands. It’s a card that’s got the community talking and the current prices reflect this.
Victini is one of the first Black White Rare cards in existence and it has a striking aesthetic, with a vivid red color theme and dynamic design.
I’m predicting that the hype for some cards from Black Bolt and White Flare will start to die down, but I think Victini will continue to be a hugely popular card in the collector’s scene, at least for the next few months.
Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare both have an impressive roster of cards up for grabs, and they’re worth picking up if you’re a collector looking to stock up on valuable pieces. The prices in this list are sure to fluctuate after publication, so always double check prices on other sites before making a purchase, especially for higher value cards.
Ask The Escapist
Does Black Bolt or White Flare have the most valuable Pokémon cards?
While they both offer plenty of artistic and monetary value, Black Bolt stands out as a slightly better option for avid Pokémon TCG collectors who are looking to invest in top-tier cards.
Where do you find out how valuable a Pokémon card is?
I’d recommend shopping around and using a range of sources – for example, I referenced Cardmarket, Price Charting, TCGPlayer, Collectr, and eBay for this article. If you’re investing in an expensive card, research is crucial.
What’s the difference between Pokémon Black Bolt and White Flare?
Despite being part of the same release, it’s best to think of Pokémon TCGBlack Bolt and White Flare as separate special sets. They have individual card lists and rare hits, with a variety of art styles contained in each pack.
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I have another question that highlights the importance of correctly wording card text and/or the need to read the text of previous editions of many Magic cards (and not only the available Oracle Text).
Let’s suppose Active Player has a Wardscale Dragon in play from several turns, and it’s the only creature in play.
It’s the draw phase, and immediately after drawing the card, the Defending player –
who has 4 life remaining only –
decides to play his last Magic card:
specifically, a reprint from one of the more recent sets.
Defending player knows perfectly the text of the White Dragon card the Active player owns, and therefore hopes to save himself by casting Fog before the Attack phase,in order to avoid it,since he can’t cast no more spells during the attack phase
(before damage is assigned).
He believes everything is fine, because the recent card text doesn’t mention the need to cast Fog during the Attack phase.
So, he tries to prevent any damage while also evading the protection from spells provided to Active Player by the White Dragon.
The Active player, however, shows to the Defending Player a Fog card from the very early Magic sets, which clearly states that a Player must:
“play [Fog] any time before attack damage is dealt.”
This old card text admits that Fog has to be cast during the Attack Phase (before damage is assigned).
The defending player, however, still complains, pointing out the complete absence of a specific Fog Ruling in its latest reprints.
“At the beginning of your end step, if a land entered the battlefield under your control
this turn and you control a prime number of lands, create Primo, the
Indivisible, a legendary 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token,
then put that many +1/+1 counters on it. (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19,
23, 29, and 31 are prime numbers.)”
Whenever a creature you control with power 4 or greater enters, draw a card.
Does Garruk’s Uprising (and other cards like it) see Primo when it is first created as a 0/0 or do they only see it after the +1/+1 counters are added to it?
A creature cast with the impending cost with time counters on it is just a regular enchantment permanent.
A spell cannot be on the stack for multiple turns
In Magic: the Gathering, each turn is divided into a sequence of steps, and each step can only end if the stack is empty. This means that any spell must leave the stack, either by resolving or by being countered, in the same step in which it is cast. So, no spell can ever be on the stack in a turn after the one in which it was cast, and you cannot ever counter a spell that was cast in a previous turn.
“Not a creature” does not mean “not a permanent”
The impending ability says that if you pay the impending cost, the object is “not a creature” as long as it has a time counter on it. “Creature” is just a card type, like “artifact” or “enchantment”. If an effect says that something is “not a creature”, that just means that it doesn’t have the creature type, or any associated subtypes, or power and toughness. Nothing else about it changes; if it would otherwise be a permanent, it’s still a permanent, just one that isn’t a creature.
702.176a. Impending is a keyword that represents four abilities. The first and second are static abilities that function while the spell with impending is on the stack. The third is a static ability that functions on the battlefield. The fourth is a triggered ability that functions on the battlefield. “Impending N–[cost]” means “You may choose to pay [cost] rather than pay this spell’s mana cost,” “If you chose to pay this spell’s impending cost, it enters with N time counters on it,” “As long as this permanent’s impending cost was paid and it has a time counter on it, it’s not a creature,” and “At the beginning of your end step, if this permanent’s impending cost was paid and it has a time counter on it, remove a time counter from it.” Casting a spell for its impending cost follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f-h.
All of the existing cards with the Impending ability are Enchantment Creature cards, so if one of them is cast by paying its impending cost, it resolves just like any other permanent spell, except that as long as it has a time counter on it, it is just an Enchantment. It can be interacted with just like any other Enchantment. A counterspell targets spells on the stack, and this is a permanent on the battlefield, so they do not interact. Terror targets creatures, and this is not a creature, so they do not interact. Naturalize, for example, targets enchantments, so it could interact with one of these permanents.
I played Magic about 24 years ago and then stopped. I am interested in getting re-engaged but was wondering if I could still play the older version of the game which had far fewer number of cards and was easier. The version I remember had 5 different colors (Black, White, Green, Red and Blue). On line you would choose a color and build your deck from a random selection of the cars associated with that specific color. Does that version still exist somewhere?
Return up to two target creature, land, and/or planeswalker cards from your graveyard to your hand. Each player gains 4 life. Exile Restorative Burst.
I’m questioning if that means 2 or 6 possible returns because in my mind if it said
Return target creature, land and planeswalker….
It would definitely be one of all 3. So the addition of "up to 2" and "and/or" to me feels like its the option to return anything from one of one of them which would the the reason for or, to 2 of each of them which would be the reason for and.
Is this right? I feel that’s a lot to pay for only 2 cards.
I want to know the name of the game where people pick cards, without looking at them, and place them on a band on their head, and they need to guess what is drawn on the card placed on their head.
