Darkness Ablaze: the Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Darkness Ablaze from August 2020: its 201 cards, the first Charizard VMAX, every number block, and Pokémon's card counts checked against the list.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Darkness Ablaze is an expansion in Pokémon’s Sword & Shield series, released August 14, 2020, and the set that brought Charizard VMAX. Charizard’s Gigantamax form reached a card for the first time here, and Eternatus VMAX came in its Eternamax form. The set has 201 cards: 189 numbered up to the printed total and 12 above it.
When did Darkness Ablaze come out?
On August 14, 2020. Pokémon announced the set on May 29, 2020, giving that date. At launch it was available at participating stores around the world.
It was the third expansion of the series, after the Sword & Shield base set of February 7, 2020 and Rebel Clash of May 1, 2020. Vivid Voltage came later that year, on November 13, 2020. Rip.fan’s price pages give Darkness Ablaze the code DAA. Our guide to Pokémon card eras places the series in the longer history.
Was there a product before the release date?
Yes. In May, Pokémon listed a box for sale through participating local stores from August 1, 2020, before the release. Each box was to hold four Darkness Ablaze booster packs, a short guide and a 23-card pack mixing cards from this and earlier sets, with one of four alternate-art promo cards among them.
How many cards are in Darkness Ablaze?
- The number blocks run like this:
| Numbers | Cards | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 001 to 156 | 156 | Pokémon, including 14 Pokémon V and 7 Pokémon VMAX |
| 157 to 173 | 17 | Trainer cards: 5 Supporters, 5 Items, 4 Tools and 3 Stadiums |
| 174 to 176 | 3 | Special Energy: Heat Fire, Hiding Darkness and Powerful Colorless Energy |
| 177 to 185 | 9 | Full-art Pokémon V |
| 186 to 189 | 4 | Full-art Supporters: Kabu, Piers, Pokémon Breeder’s Nurturing and Rose |
| 190 to 196 | 7 | Labeled rainbow rares on Rip.fan’s page: five VMAX and two Supporters |
| 197 to 201 | 5 | Labeled secret rares on Rip.fan’s page: Rillaboom, Coalossal, Big Parasol, Turbo Patch and Capture Energy |
The full-art cards sit inside the printed total, as in the two sets before it, so a full-art Crobat V reads 182/189. Only the last 12 carry a number above 189, which is what CGC means by a secret rare: a card numbered higher than the set number.
How many cards of each rarity?
The tiers break down like this, with the V and VMAX cards sorted by name:
| Tier | Cards | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 53 | Within 003 to 154 |
| Uncommon | 50 | Within 004 to 176 |
| Rare | 34 | Within 010 to 153 |
| Holo rare | 18 | Within 013 to 156 |
| Pokémon V | 14 | Within 001 to 143, one for each Pokémon |
| Pokémon VMAX | 7 | Within 002 to 144 |
| Ultra rare | 13 | 177 to 189 |
| Secret rare | 12 | 190 to 201 |
The small symbol beside a card’s number marks its tier: a black star for a rare, a black diamond for an uncommon and a black circle for a common. On Rip.fan’s price pages the same counts appear under their own labels, with the 12 secret rares split into 7 Rare Rainbow and 5 Rare Secret.
Which Pokémon V, VMAX, Trainer and full-art cards does the set have?
| Cards | Count and numbers |
|---|---|
| Pokémon V | 14, one card for each of 14 Pokémon, all within 001 to 143 |
| Pokémon VMAX | 7, from Butterfree VMAX at 002 to Salamence VMAX at 144 |
| Trainer cards | 17, at 157 to 173 |
| Full-art Pokémon V | 9, at 177 to 185 |
| Full-art Supporter cards | 4, at 186 to 189 |
The set has four Special Energy cards: Heat Fire, Hiding Darkness and Powerful Colorless Energy at 174 to 176, and Capture Energy as a secret rare at 201. Rebel Clash already has a Capture Energy at 171, and the other three names appear in neither the Sword & Shield set nor Rebel Clash, so three of the four are new to this set. The VMAX cards include Charizard VMAX, Eternatus VMAX, Grimmsnarl VMAX, Centiskorch VMAX and Butterfree VMAX.
Which Pokémon have V and VMAX cards?
Fourteen Pokémon have a Pokémon V card. How many versions each has varies more than in the two sets before it:
| Pokémon | Pokémon V | VMAX | Full-art V | Rainbow VMAX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfree | 001 | 002 | 177 | 190 |
| Centiskorch | 033 | 034 | 179 | 191 |
| Scizor | 118 | 119 | 183 | 193 |
| Salamence | 143 | 144 | 185 | 194 |
| Eternatus | 116 | 117 | None | 192 |
| Charizard | 019 | 020 | None | None |
| Grimmsnarl | 114 | 115 | None | None |
| Houndoom, Vikavolt, Rhyperior, Crobat, Galarian Stunfisk | 021, 060, 095, 104, 128 | None | 178, 180, 181, 182, 184 | None |
| Mew, Galarian Slowbro | 069, 099 | None | None | None |
Four patterns stand out:
- Charizard has two cards only. Charizard V at 019 and Charizard VMAX at 020 have no full-art or rainbow version in the set.
- Grimmsnarl matches Charizard. Its V and VMAX, at 114 and 115, are its only cards here, though both notices named Grimmsnarl VMAX.
- Eternatus skips the full-art block. It has a V, a VMAX and a rainbow VMAX at 192, but no full-art V.
- Four Pokémon have the full set of four. Butterfree, Centiskorch, Scizor and Salamence each come as a V, a VMAX, a full-art V and a rainbow VMAX.
CGC describes every Pokémon V as a Basic Pokémon with a stylized V after its name, and says a Pokémon V can evolve into a Pokémon VMAX. Mew V at 069 and Galarian Slowbro V at 099 are the two Pokémon V with one card only.
Which cards above 189 have no regular twin?
A secret rare usually has a lower-rarity card of the same name in its set. In Darkness Ablaze, 9 of the 12 do. The three that do not are Rillaboom at 197, Coalossal at 198 and Capture Energy at 201: none of those names appears inside the printed total. The names do appear in earlier sets: the Sword & Shield set has Rillaboom at 014 and 015, and Rebel Clash has Coalossal at 107 and Capture Energy at 171.
The two rainbow Supporters, Pokémon Breeder’s Nurturing at 195 and Rose at 196, each have a regular card at 157 to 173 and a full-art card at 188 and 189.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
What products held Darkness Ablaze packs?
Check the wrapper for how many cards each booster pack held. For how recent products are laid out, see our guides to Elite Trainer Boxes and Pokémon sealed products. Our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs covers the signs of a pack that was opened and sealed again.
How do you check Darkness Ablaze card prices?
Darkness Ablaze has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, under the Sword & Shield series heading. It lists each priced card with its number, rarity and NM market price. Filter it by Rare Holo VMAX to see the seven VMAX, or sort it by card number to see Charizard V and Charizard VMAX side by side at 019 and 020. For a single card, the card price lookup searches by name, set or number and shows which printing each price is for, and the price changes page shows moves 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, and the centering checker turns border measurements into a centering split.
What should you check before buying a Darkness Ablaze card?
- The set name as well as the total. Astral Radiance, released May 27, 2022, has the same printed total of 189, so a number like 020/189 needs the set name beside it.
- The number. Butterfree, Centiskorch, Scizor and Salamence appear four times each, and the card number separates the regular V below 157 from the full-art V at 177 to 185.
- The finish. Above 189, Rip.fan’s page separates rainbow rares from secret rares. 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 guides to Shining Fates and Hidden Fates cover the two Shiny Vault sets around this one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive Darkness Ablaze card?
It was Charizard VMAX (020/189), at a Near Mint market price of $38.78 on October 21, 2026. Butterfree VMAX (190/189) was second, at $17.42.
Which Rare Rainbow in Darkness Ablaze has the highest price?
Salamence VMAX (194/189) had the highest Near Mint market price among the Darkness Ablaze cards marked Rare Rainbow on October 21, 2026, at $14.66.
What is the top-priced Rare Secret card in Darkness Ablaze?
On October 21, 2026, Rillaboom (197/189) led the Rare Secret cards of Darkness Ablaze, with a Near Mint market price of $7.47.