The 20 Most Expensive Black Bolt and White Flare English Pokemon Cards
Wondering what the most expensive Black Bolt and White Flare Pokemon cards are?
A set comprised of two separate packs, Black Bolt and Flare was a pretty historic set for the Pokemon TCG when it released in the summer of 2025. For the first time, an English Pokemon TCG set has been split in two, meaning collectors are going to have to invest in both packs to chase the coveted master set.
Black Bolt Booster Pack
White Flare Booster Pack
That’s not all. Black Bolt and White Flare also brought an exclusive rarity into the mix – the BWR monochromatic colored cards that look unlike anything we’ve seen in recent sets. In addition to the BWR chase cards, fans of the Black and White era of Pokemon love this set as it features all 156 Pokemon unique to Unova, as well as alternate artwork prints for every card.
Even though they are technically two different packs, for the purposes of this article we’re going to be looking at the rarest and most valuable cards across both sets and ranking them based on actual sales data.
#1 Zekrom ex Black White Rare is the most expensive Black Bolt/White Flare card
Market price: $468.99
Surprise surprise! Zekrom ex BWR has taken the top spot on the list of most valuable Black Bolt/White Flare cards! It currently leads the pack by a razor-thin margin – being worth just a few cents more than the number two chase.
If you needed photographic proof as for why Black Bolt and White Flare are going to be utterly unique sets, take a look at the Black White Rare (BWR) cards. Not only is it the first international Pokemon TCG set to feature two sets within the same broader expansion, instead of the gold-colored hyper rare cards that have become something of a staple in the Pokemon TCG in recent years we are getting a new and exclusive BWR rarity.
Having a very small, select number of alternate rarity cards becomes a staple in the Mega Evolution era in the form of Mega Hyper Rare cards. Yet not even those stand up to the uniqueness and majisty of the BWR that started the trend!
#2 Victini – Black White Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $451.33
The top four cards really are the ones to watch for value, as there’s a significant drop off into #5. Victini Black White Rare from Black Bolt trails the top chase card from the set by a few cents, making it almost a co-chase with that card. Altough Black Bolt and White Flare are separate sets intended to be complimentary, clearly Black Bolt is the favored pack of the two, partially explaining its slightly increased market price over the other pack.
#3 Victini BWR (White Flare)
Market price: $432.27
Victini BWR from White Flare is the third most expensive card in all of Black Bolt and White Flare, and it’s not hard to see why. The red monochromatic look is visually stunning, and this card is insanely rare (approximately only a 2/1000 chance of being pulled), helping add to its impressive value.
#4 Reshiram ex – Black White Rare
Market price: $371.65
Heading into the release of Black Bolt and White Flare, all eyes were on the BWR cards in anticipation of which would be the top chase card from the set. So far, White Flare seems to be the less in demand of the two packs, with two Black Bolt cards edging out the rest for the top spot. And while Reshiram ex is worth a surprising amount less than its Black Bolt counterpart, it’s current market value still makes it a worthy chase for even the most hardened Pokemon TCG collectors.
#5 Zekrom ex – Special Illustration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $237.14
Zekrom ex SIR, on the otherhand, looks truly terrifying – like something straight out of a Godzilla film from the seventies. Indeed, Zekrom could almost be Godzilla here – complete with lightning, an island in the background, and arms spread wide in terrifying manor.
Despite Reshiram ex leading in value over Zekrom ex in their BWRs prints, Zekrom ex SIR leads in value at a much more significant pace compared to Reshiram ex SIR.
#6 Reshiram ex Special Illustration Rare – (White Flare)
Market price: $188.56
While Reshiram might put the “white” in “White Flare,” this card has plenty of color in it, including what looks like fire (hence “flare”) bursting all around this legendary Pokemon. The overall, artistic effect here, however, is more majestic than terrifying. At its current market price, it’s easily one of the top chase cards not only in White Flare but in all of Scarlet and Violet.
#7 Seismitoad – Illustration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $169.73
Seismitoad has catapulted to the top ten Black Bolt/White Flare cards thanks in part to its now legendary artist. Interestingly enough, it’s worth more in value than many of the SIRs from the set despite technically being less rare. However, it’s not the first time we’ve seen IRs outperform expectations.
Will this trend last? I could see it going either way. On the one hand IRs are easy to come by in Black Bolt/White Flare. On the other hand, finding a particular IR is still relatively challenging – something which could play into Seismitoad’s favor in regards to sustained market value.
#8 Hydreigon ex – Special Illustration Rare (White Flare)
Market price: $77.92
While not quite as surreal or terrifying as the thematically similar Zekrom ex SIR, Hydreigon ex still hovers over this barren, rainswept landscape like a vulture searching for its prey. And that motif handily ties in with its ability – one that grants you an extra prize for taking a KO. Just like this Hydreigon, players will be looking for opportunistic attacks against weaker Pokemon to bag an extra prize card. That’s a powerful ability in the Pokemon TCG standard game, with the only other Pokemon to date to have a similar ability being Iron Hands ex.
#9 Kyurem ex – Special Illustration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $70.84
You can’t have a Zekrom/Reshiram set without also including Kyurem. Although not one of the big two most prominently featured in this set, Kyurem is intimately entwined with Zekrom and Reshiram, even capable of fuzing with them to unlock additional powers (in the lore).
In this artwork, however, we get Kyurem all by its lonesome – a remarkable illustration highlighting depth of field that draws us in visually while highlighting the unique majesty of this ice dragon.
What’s more, Kyurem ex SIR has appreciated well in value since the set’s initial release, something which bodes well for this understated chase.
#10 N’s Plot – Special Illustration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $66.62
N’s Plot SIR is one of the more intriguing full art trainer cards we’ve had lately. It highlights a key moment in the Black and White Pokemon games where the true identity of N is revealed. This artwork beautifully captures this moment and its simplicity. Indeed, just from looking at the artwork you would think N was any other regular young man enjoying a day at the carnival!
What’s more, the card is seriously strong for N’s Pokemon deck, especially the N’s Zoroark ex deck, enabling you to move the energy you accelerate via N’s PP Up to your active Pokemon instead of just the bench. This could be the push N’s deck needs to climb towards the top of the heap in the Pokemon TCG standard meta.
#11 Keldo ex – Special Illustration Rare (White Flare)
Market price: $60.53
Keldo ex SIR stands out as fairly unique card. In a set filled with dramatic and powerful Pokemon looming over austere landscapes, Keldo ex is here for something of a lighter touch, bringing with it lush autumn colors in a verdant pastoral backdrop. Aside from the inarguably gorgeous colors, Keldo is a popular Pokemon from this generation, adding to its value on the secondary card market which will likely make it one of the top chase cards for the set.
#12 Hilda – Special Illustration Rare (White Flare)
Market price: $56.74
Hilda is the second playable trainer from the Pokemon video games that’s been available as an SIR in the TCG lately, with the first being Ethan featured prominently in Destined Rivals. While she’s not likely to retain tremendous value over time, she’s still a modestly strong pull.
#13 Zoroark – Illustration Rare
Market price: $55.16
Maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that so many Illustration Rare cards would make their way into the top 20 for this Unova-themed set. Zoroark is a pretty recognizable Pokemon – after all it did get its own movie! When artwork like this is done right it can equte to a very valuable card. We’ve seen this time-and-time again in modern Pokemon sets and in Black Bolt and White Flare they are among the best of the best.
#14 Genesect ex – Special Illustration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $54.17
The Pokemon TCG just hasn’t been the same since Genesect V rotated out a few years back, and along with it the uber-powerful Mew VMAX. Now, however, we’re getting a handy new Genesect ex to take its place, and this one is going to be very effective in metal decks like Archaludon ex.
The artwork, meanwhile, feels super techy, realistic, and also somewhat vintage – like it takes place in a scene of Ghost in the Shell rather than a Pokemon episode or movie.
#15 Haxorus – Illustration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $44.58
Another Illustration Rare fairing well in value right now is this very cool looking Haxorus. This stage 2 Pokemon also benefits from being the evolved from of Axew which is a Pokemon highly featured in the anime, making it pretty popular. Otherwise, this Haxorus looks like a photo-realistic painting, with a powerful use of light and shadow to draw us in visually.
#16 Meleoetta ex – Special Illusration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $44.34
Just opposite to how many of the SIRs in this set have a “barren, scary, desolate, rainy, stormy” vibe to them, on the opposite end of the spectrum this Meleoetta SIR feels more akin to Keldo. While the lighting here suggests the golden hour just before sunset, the plants and vegetation look like they’ve seen better days, suggesting the tail end of summer or even autumn, just as Keldo depicts.
Meleoetta also has an unusual ability – making it the first Pokemon in some time capable of dealing damage via an attack on the very first turn. Typically that’s forbidden in the Pokemon TCG as a way to keep the game balanced. Players will undoubtedly look to exploit this unique advantage to gain the upper-hand against the competition.
#17 Oshawott – Illustration Rare (White Flare)
Market price: $44.22
Finally, there’s Oshawott. I’m not surprised at all to see Oshawott performing well relative to its rarity. It’s a very cute Pokemon in a totally serene setting, and was one of my favorites even when it was revealed as a spoiler for this set. With an initially impressive market value, Oshawott IR is certainly one to watch as it could retain value quite well.
#18 Samurott – Illustration Rare
Market price: $44.06
Samurott staring out over an icy mountain range surrounded by Wingulls looking like a triumphant, Narwhal king isn’t all this card has going for it: Samurott feels like it could actually be fairly deadly when built into the right deck.
#19 Serperior ex –Special Illustration Rare (Black Bolt)
Market price: $42.07
Typically what happens in modern Pokemon TCG sets is that they tend to be top heavy in regards to the card values. You have those cards at the top of the heap that demand the most value, and then even among the “rare” SIR prints, a bottom rung of cards that although still “hits,” are much less in demand. Despite the relative beauty of this Serpior ex card, it’s value definitely shows it’s among the lesser in-demand SIR prints from the set.
#20 Chandelure – Illustration Rare (White Flare)
Market price: $41.39
With artwork as impressive as this, it’s no wonder Chandelure ends up in the top 20 most expensive Black Bolt and White Flare chase cards. Chandelure seems to be drifting above a table set for a party here, like a typical Chandelier. It’s an intriguing visual pun that has caught the attention of collectors.
The biggest draw for collects in this set is likely the four unique BWR cards included. Otherwise, it’s still a solid set with plenty of reasons to chase it. Tons of alternate art cards, and some insane value for a current set, Black Bolt and White Flare has a little something for everyone, and should be an instant classic especially for fans of the Unova era of Pokemon.
