Christian Wait
Guest
I’ve been opening packs from Black Bolt and White Flare for the past week, including a White Flare Elite Trainer Box, the Poster Collection, Black Bolt Binder Collection, the Victini Illustration Collection, and a White Flare Booster Bundle. Right away, these don’t feel like typical Scarlet and Violet products. This dual-set format means there are two completely separate card lists, with Black Bolt focusing on Zekrom, Kyurem, and Genesect, while White Flare leans into Reshiram, Samurott, and Keldeo. It’s a clean split that doesn’t feel like filler or overlap. It feels especially fresh considering we've had two sets of trainer Pokémon cards with Journey Together and Destined Rivals.
This is also the final expansion in the Scarlet and Violet era, and I can tell the designers knew it. Pulling cards from both sets, there’s just a lot more to look at and sort through. You’ve got Poké Ball reverse holos, Master Ball reverse holos, Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, and the new Black White Rare cards. Every single Unovan Pokémon is included across the two sets, which was obvious the moment I started ripping packs, trying to keep track.
The Black White Rare cards specifically caught my attention, although I didn't pull Reshiram, Zekrom or Victini. In Black Bolt, Zekrom ex has a new monochrome foil treatment, and in White Flare, Reshiram ex has the same look but in pure white. These aren’t just normal secret rares with a different background (although they look fantastic too), They look completely different from anything in their respective sets.
One thing I appreciate about this setup is how each set feels like it has its own identity. Black Bolt leans into electric types and edgy designs, while White Flare has a lot more reds and fiery aesthetics. Even the packaging, from the ETBs to the mini tins, reflects that. Sorting the cards felt like two separate collections that just happened to release on the same day.
From a collector’s angle, there’s a lot going on here. I noticed pretty quickly that even commons have an Illustration Rare version somewhere in the set. For example, I pulled two different artwork versions of Patrat (one regular and one IR) and it wasn’t just alternate art slapped onto a foil. It felt intentional, with each version telling a different story. That kind of thing keeps me opening packs longer than I probably should.
It also helps that I had pretty consistent pulls across all the products I opened. Between the Poster Collection, the Binder Collection, and the Booster Bundle, I pulled several ex cards, a couple of Illustration Rares, and one Master Ball reverse holo that honestly looks better than I expected. It feels like The Pokémon Company made a conscious effort to avoid the rough pull experiences some of the smaller sets had earlier this year.
Where to Buy
Unboxing and Impressions
I got my hands on an awesome selection of Black Bolt and White Flare products: a White Flare Elite Trainer Box, Unova Poster Collection, Black Bolt Binder Collection, the Victini Illustration Collection, and a White Flare Booster Bundle.
I don’t always open this many different product types when previewing a set, but with the way this dual release is structured, The Pokémon Company wanted to show this large duel-set off. Both sets have their own exclusive promos and packaging styles, which made the whole thing feel like more than just pulling from the same booster packs over and over.
White Flare Elite Trainer Box
I started with the White Flare ETB. Inside were the usual dice, sleeves, and nine booster packs. The promo is an epic Tornadus Illustration Rare. As for the pulls themselves, this ETB wasn’t the wildest I’ve opened, but I did manage to pull a Jellicent ex hyper rare, Whimsicott ex SIR, Accelfor IR, Keldeo ex, then a Mienfoo IR, Woobat Master Ball and Whimsicott ex in one pack! Epic result, but it’s ultimately potluck. Ripping packs of Black Bolt and White Flare open was certainly off to a cracking start.
Unova Poster Collection
The Unova Poster Collection felt more like a side product. It’s not packed with boosters (just four) but it does come with promos of the Unovan starter common cards from the set and a fold-out poster showing Unova Pokémon featured in both sets on one side, then box art for Black Bolt and White Flare on the other. So there’s two Black Bolt and two White Flare boosters in the Poster Collection. I pulled a Jellicent ex, Venipede IR and a Kyurem ex, which isn’t bad at all for four pack openings.
Black Bolt Binder Collection
The Binder Collection includes five boosters plus a nine-pocket binder themed around either Black Bolt or White Flare, depending on which version you buy. I got the Black Bolt version and pulled a Drilbur IR, so not a great experience with Black Bolt from the binder collection but the extras will come in handy.
Victini Illustration Collection
Out of everything I opened, the Victini Illustration Collection was probably the most surprising. It comes with a Victini promo IR, a giant card of the same and a common Victini Pokéball, plus two Black Bolt and two White Flare. I managed to pull another Keldeo ex, Excadrill ex and a Amoonguss Masterball. The Victini promo’s are worth it on it’s own, but I got some half-decent pulls as well. Fantastic!
White Flare Booster Bundle
Finally, I went through a White Flare Booster Bundle. Six packs, no extra promos or sleeves. This one was all about straight pulls, of which I got one Whimsicott ex, a Patrat IR (my favorite pull of this preview) and Hilda Trainer Full Art in one pack, another Woobat Master Ball. The demi god pack energy in Black Bolt and White Flare is real, and it’s so cool to open one.
I really like Black Bolt and White Flare, with me leaning towards White Flare due to my personal luck with the set. If you’re not pulling IRs and Exs, you’re pulling Pokeball and Masterball rares. I think the ball rares are the new holo and reverse holos for Pokémon TCG, which is a win for everyone in my opinion.
Black Bolt / White Flare: Top Card Pulls
I can't argue with the amount of pulls from this preview. Out of 27 booster packs I managed to pull four ex's, three Master Ball rares, five Illustration Rares, one Hyper Rare and one Secret Illustration Rare. That's an overall pull rate of over 50%, which isn't bad at all.
We have to consider this isn't a normal set thanks to the amount of Illustration rares and ball rares floating around, but it's an absolute blast to open. Although it's nice to see Pokéball and Master Ball rares coming back to English sets after Prismatic Evolutions, it feels like filling up an already packed set. It would be great to see how many epic pulls trainers could get without the inclusion of Pokéball and Masterball rares.
My Favorite Black Bolt / White Flare Pulls
Whimsicott ex Secret Art Rare
I was lucky enough to pull a Secret Art Rare version of Whimsicott ex, and as usual the artwork is fantastic. Full art cards have a special way of making you love Pokémon you either forgot existed or thought were a bit naff. Whimsicott is one of them and I couldn't be happier with this pull.
Patrat Illustration Rare
I love these bold Illustration Rares that again make a big fuss about overlooked Pokémon. Patrat is a Pokémon that went straight out of my party as soon as I could catch something to take that sixth spot on my team, yet this is my favorite pull from this preview. Go figure.
Meinfoo Illustration Rare
Bringing that Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard ex 151 vibe, Mienfoo Illustration Rare is a cracking snapshot of a wild Pokémon. We're at that point in Pokémon TCG where these cards are works of art. The pose, backdrop and overall artstyle pops out of the card and I'm here for it.
Hilda Supporter Full Art
Supporter Full Arts rarely get much love and often plummit in value unless your a Kanto or Johto mainstay. Personally I love them, and the artwork with Hildas Supporter Full Art is just cool to look at. She's slightly popping into the borders and the subtle movements suggested in the artwork just make it interesting to look at.
Victini Illustration Rare Promo
Yes I know it's a guaranteed promo, but I couldn't leave out Victini Illustration Rare. It takes me right back to the launch of Black and White working at Gamestation in the UK (which was owned by Game at the time). We had an event cartridge in an old DS that allowed customers to unlock the Victini event and play through Black and White with this absolute gem of a Mythical Pokémon. Owning Pokémon cards with great memories like this attached to it like this is one of the many reasons why I'm into the TCG, and this artwork is gorgeous. 100% a big preview highlight for me.
Should You Buy Pokémon TCG: Black Bolt White Flare?
If you haven't secured preorders for Black Bolt and White Flare sealed products, feel free to try your luck at launch at your local brick and mortar or online. Alternatively, TCG Player pricing for presale sealed product is crashing, so I reckon we're seeing the usual price crash post-launch coming earlier.
What do I think of the set? I think it's great and possibly the best opportunity to pull Illustration Rares in the Scarlet and Violet era, it's ending on a high note. Personally I'm not a fan of stuffing the set with Pokéball and Masterball rares, but in terms of quality and presentation they look cool. It would be grand to see Mega Evolution double down on the dual format and loads of Illustration Rares, but this is an encouraging sneek peek into what's next for Pokémon TCG.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.