Burning Shadows: the 2017 Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Burning Shadows from August 2017: its 169 cards, 14 Pokémon-GX with uneven versions, Charizard-GX's two cards, and every number block.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
Burning Shadows is the third expansion of Pokémon’s Sun & Moon series, released August 4, 2017. It brought full-art Supporters and new Pokémon-GX, among them Charizard-GX, Machamp-GX and Necrozma-GX. The set has 169 cards: 147 numbered up to the printed total of 147, and 22 above it. Its GX cards come in uneven sets of versions. Charizard-GX has no Rare Ultra card, Ho-Oh-GX has no Rare Rainbow card, and Tapu Bulu-GX and Lycanroc-GX have no card in the main run.
When did Burning Shadows come out?
On August 4, 2017. In June 2017 Pokémon announced it as the third expansion in the series, with that launch date.
Burning Shadows followed Guardians Rising of May 5, 2017. Shining Legends followed on October 6, 2017, and Crimson Invasion went on sale on November 3, 2017. The set code is BUS, and the set sits in the Sun & Moon series. Our guide to Pokémon card eras places the series in the longer history.
How many cards are in Burning Shadows?
- The number blocks run like this:
| Numbers | Cards | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 111 | 111 | Pokémon, including 12 Pokémon-GX |
| 112 to 128 | 17 | Trainer cards: 8 Supporters, 4 Items, 3 Tools and 2 Stadiums |
| 129 to 141 | 13 | Pokémon-GX labeled Rare Ultra on Rip.fan’s page |
| 142 to 147 | 6 | Supporters labeled Rare Ultra: Acerola, Guzma, Kiawe, Plumeria, Sophocles and Wicke |
| 148 to 160 | 13 | Pokémon-GX labeled Rare Rainbow |
| 161 to 169 | 9 | Labeled Rare Secret: four Items, two Tools and three basic Energy |
No Energy card sits inside the printed total. The two Stadiums are Mount Lanakila and Po Town. CGC defines a secret rare as a card numbered higher than the set number, so every card from 148 up counts as one.
The 111 Pokémon cards in the main run split into 39 commons, 22 uncommons, 38 rares and 12 Pokémon-GX, with the GX cards sorted by the GX in their name. On Rip.fan’s price pages the GX cards carry the label Rare Holo GX and some of the rares carry the label Rare Holo. A black star beside the number marks a rare, a black diamond an uncommon and a black circle a common, as our guide to Pokémon rarity symbols explains.
Which Pokémon-GX come in which versions?
Fourteen Pokémon-GX names appear in the set, but only ten of them have the full set of three cards. Every version:
| Pokémon-GX | Main run | Rare Ultra | Rare Rainbow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golisopod-GX | 17 | 129 | 148 |
| Charizard-GX | 20 | None | 150 |
| Ho-Oh-GX | 21 | 131 | None |
| Salazzle-GX | 25 | 132 | 151 |
| Tapu Fini-GX | 39 | 133 | 152 |
| Necrozma-GX | 63 | 134 | 153 |
| Machamp-GX | 64 | 135 | 154 |
| Marshadow-GX | 80 | 137 | 156 |
| Alolan Muk-GX | 84 | 138 | 157 |
| Darkrai-GX | 88 | 139 | 158 |
| Gardevoir-GX | 93 | 140 | 159 |
| Noivern-GX | 99 | 141 | 160 |
| Tapu Bulu-GX | None | 130 | 149 |
| Lycanroc-GX | None | 136 | 155 |
The four gaps are the things to know:
- Charizard-GX. It follows Charmander at 18 and Charmeleon at 19 in the main run, then reappears only at 150 in the Rare Rainbow block. No card in the Rare Ultra block carries Charizard’s name, so a Burning Shadows Charizard-GX is either 20/147 or 150/147.
- Ho-Oh-GX. It has a main-run card and a Rare Ultra card, and the Rare Rainbow block skips it.
- Tapu Bulu-GX and Lycanroc-GX. Both start in the Rare Ultra block and have no main-run card. A card with the name Lycanroc-GX is also in Guardians Rising, at 74, 138 and 156, and plain Lycanroc has two cards here, at 75 and 76. Check the printed total to know which set a Lycanroc-GX belongs to.
The other ten follow one pattern: a main-run card, then a Rare Ultra card, then a Rare Rainbow card, such as Necrozma-GX at 63, 134 and 153. Our guide to ex, EX and GX labels shows how GX cards fit beside the labels before and after them.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which Supporters have a second card?
Six of the eight. The Rare Ultra block at 142 to 147 holds six full-art Supporters: Acerola, Guzma, Kiawe, Plumeria, Sophocles and Wicke. Their regular cards sit in the Trainer run between 112 and 127.
Lana at 117 and Olivia at 119 have one card each in Burning Shadows. A Lana card does turn up later, in Ultra Prism’s Rare Ultra block at 150, so a Lana listing needs its number checked: 117/147 is this set, 150/156 is Ultra Prism. Our guide to Ultra Prism maps that block.
What sits above 160?
Nine cards labeled Rare Secret on Rip.fan’s page. Three repeat Trainer cards from this set’s own run: Bodybuilding Dumbbells, Escape Rope and Super Scoop Up, whose regular cards are at 113, 114 and 124. Three more, Choice Band, Multi Switch and Rescue Stretcher, have no regular card in Burning Shadows; cards with those names are in Guardians Rising at 121, 129 and 130. The last three are Fire, Darkness and Fairy basic Energy cards.
What products held Burning Shadows packs?
Each Burning Shadows booster pack held 10 cards from the set, including at least one rare card. For boxes and collections, check the box itself. For sealed product from 2017, our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs covers the signs of a pack that was opened and sealed again.
How do you check Burning Shadows card prices?
The set has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, under the Sun & Moon series heading. It lists each priced card with its number, rarity and NM market price. Filter it by Rare Rainbow to see the 13 rainbow cards, or sort by card number to put Charizard-GX’s two cards, 20 and 150, in order with the rest. For a single card, the card price lookup searches by name, set or number and shows which printing each price is for. The price changes page compares prices between Rip.fan’s weekly checks.
If you plan to grade a card, our guide to whether a card is worth grading covers the costs.
What should you check before buying a Burning Shadows card?
- The printed total. A card from this set reads out of 147, and no other Sun & Moon series set has that total.
- Charizard-GX. The set has two: 20/147 and 150/147. Match the card number and the label, Rare Holo GX or Rare Rainbow, to the listing.
- Lycanroc-GX and Lana. Both names also appear in other sets: Lycanroc-GX in Guardians Rising, Lana in Ultra Prism. The number after the slash settles it.
- The finish. Our guide to Pokémon card finishes explains holofoil, reverse holo and full art.
- Genuine cards. Our guide to spotting fake Pokémon cards walks through checks that leave a card unharmed.
The Pokémon hub has the rest of our coverage, and our guide to the Sun & Moon set covers the expansion that opened the series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive Burning Shadows card?
It was Charizard-GX (150/147), at a Near Mint market price of $840.75 on October 21, 2026. Fairy Energy (169/147) was second, at $96.98.
Which regular-numbered Burning Shadows card costs the most?
Of the cards numbered 1 to 147, Wicke (147/147), a Rare Ultra, cost the most on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $63.45.
Which Rare Secret in Burning Shadows has the highest price?
Darkness Energy (168/147) had the highest Near Mint market price among the Burning Shadows cards marked Rare Secret on October 21, 2026, at $55.54.
What do the Charizard-GX cards in Burning Shadows cost?
Burning Shadows has 2 Charizard-GX cards, and on October 21, 2026, their Near Mint market prices were $26.39 for 20/147 (Rare Holo GX) and $840.75 for 150/147 (Rare Rainbow).