Obsidian Flames: the Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Obsidian Flames set: its 230 cards, type-shifted Tera Pokémon ex, Charizard ex in four versions, every rarity counted, and the products listed.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Obsidian Flames is an expansion in Pokémon’s Scarlet & Violet series, released August 11, 2023. It introduced type-shifted Tera Pokémon ex, cards printed with an Energy type their Pokémon does not usually have, led by a Darkness-type Charizard ex. The set has 230 cards: 197 inside the printed total and 33 numbered above it. It holds 21 Pokémon ex, but only 8 get any version above double rare, and Charizard ex is the only one in all four versions. Those 8 are exactly the Pokémon ex that also appear in an earlier Japanese set.
When did Obsidian Flames come out?
On August 11, 2023, at Pokémon Center and other retailers worldwide, with booster packs, Elite Trainer Boxes and special collections available at Pokémon Center in the US, Canada and the UK.
Its code is OBF on Rip.fan’s price pages. It follows Paldea Evolved of June 9, 2023, and comes before 151 of September 22, 2023.
What is a type-shifted Tera Pokémon ex?
A Tera Pokémon ex printed with a different Energy type from its Pokémon’s usual one. Obsidian Flames was the first set to have them. Examples include Charizard ex as a Darkness type instead of Fire, Tyranitar ex as a Lightning type instead of its usual types, and a Fire-type Eiscue. These cards share the crystal look of other Tera Pokémon ex. Our guide to Pokémon ex cards explains Tera Pokémon ex in general.
Some cards recall older ones. Pokémon links Pidgeot ex with an older Pidgeot card in EX FireRed & LeafGreen (2004), and the Darkness-type Charizard ex with a Charizard card in EX Dragon Frontiers (2006). Bonsly appears on a card for the first time since 2007, visiting a Pokémon Center.
How many cards are in Obsidian Flames?
- Cards 001 to 185 are Pokémon and 186 to 197 are Trainer cards. The main list has no Energy cards. The rarities break down like this:
| Rarity | Mark | Cards | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Black circle | 92 | Within 001 to 196 |
| Uncommon | Black diamond | 74 | Within 003 to 197 |
| Rare | Black star | 10 | Within 025 to 188 |
| Double rare | Two black stars | 21 | Within 015 to 179 |
| Illustration rare | One gold star | 12 | 198 to 209 |
| Ultra rare | Two silver stars, which Pokémon calls foil stars | 12 | 210 to 221 |
| Special illustration rare | Two gold stars | 6 | 222 to 227 |
| Hyper rare | Three gold stars | 3 | 228 to 230 |
That is eight rarities, and Rip.fan’s page for Obsidian Flames uses the same eight. ACE SPEC rares came later, with Temporal Forces.
- Rares. Nine Pokémon and one Supporter, Geeta, at 188. Geeta also has an ultra rare (218) and a special illustration rare (226).
- Ultra rares. 8 Pokémon ex and 4 Supporters: Geeta, Ortega, Poppy and Ryme.
- Special illustration rares. 4 Pokémon ex and 2 Supporters, Geeta and Poppy.
- Hyper rares. Charizard ex, the Stadium Artazon and a Basic Fire Energy. Artazon and the Energy have no card of the same name in the main list.
Each mark is explained in our guide to Pokémon rarity symbols.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which Pokémon ex come in which versions?
All 21 have a double rare inside the main list. Only these 8 go further:
| Pokémon ex | Double rare | Ultra rare | Special illustration rare | Hyper rare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eiscue ex | 042 | 210 | 222 | None |
| Tyranitar ex | 066 | 211 | None | None |
| Vespiquen ex | 096 | 212 | None | None |
| Glimmora ex | 123 | 213 | None | None |
| Charizard ex | 125 | 215 | 223 | 228 |
| Absol ex | 135 | 214 | None | None |
| Revavroom ex | 156 | 216 | 224 | None |
| Pidgeot ex | 164 | 217 | 225 | None |
The other 13 appear only as double rares: Decidueye ex, Toedscruel ex, Victini ex, Pawmot ex, Miraidon ex, Clefable ex, Houndstone ex, Klawf ex, Koraidon ex, Houndoom ex, Melmetal ex, Dragonite ex and Greedent ex. Charizard ex is the only Pokémon ex with a hyper rare.
Which Japanese set shares its Pokémon ex?
Ruler of the Black Flame (黒炎の支配者), code SV3, went on sale in Japan on July 28, 2023, in 5-card packs. It holds 8 of Obsidian Flames’ 21 Pokémon ex: the 8 in the table above, and no others. The English title is Rip.fan’s rendering, and the set has 141 cards against 230 for Obsidian Flames.
How does it compare with the sets after it?
The same pattern holds in three later Scarlet & Violet sets. In each, the Pokémon ex with any version above double rare are exactly the Pokémon ex that also appear in the matching Japanese set or sets:
| Set | Released | Cards | Pokémon ex | Above double rare | Matching Japanese sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian Flames | August 11, 2023 | 230 | 21 | 8 | SV3 |
| Temporal Forces | March 22, 2024 | 218 | 15 | 12 | SV5K and SV5M |
| Twilight Masquerade | May 24, 2024 | 226 | 14 | 14 | SV5a and SV6 |
| Stellar Crown | September 13, 2024 | 175 | 14 | 8 | SV7 |
So a Pokémon ex that sits only at double rare in these English sets is one that is not in the Japanese sets compared here.
Which art cards share an illustrator?
Pokémon highlights Charizard ex and the Ninetales, Cleffa and Lechonk illustration rares (199, 202 and 209). Jerky drew the Pidgey (207) and Pidgeotto (208) illustration rares and the Pidgeot ex special illustration rare (225), and Souichirou Gunjima drew the Varoom illustration rare (206) and the Revavroom ex special illustration rare (224). Pidgeot evolves from Pidgeotto and Revavroom from Varoom. A shared credit does not show that the cards were meant as a set. Our guide to illustration rares sets the set’s counts beside others.
What products hold Obsidian Flames packs?
Pokémon features seven products for the set: a Booster Box, a Booster Bundle, a Sleeved Booster, an Elite Trainer Box, a Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box, and two products from one range (a box with a 40-card deck and a second product). The box with the 40-card deck comes with a smaller deck, and the Elite Trainer Box holds a little of everything, from card sleeves and Energy cards to full-art promo cards, booster packs and a guide.
The set is sold in booster packs, in Elite Trainer Boxes and in special collections. For pack counts, and for how the Pokémon Center edition differs, check a box’s printed contents or the seller’s listing before you buy. Our guides to booster boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes cover what these products hold in other sets.
How do you check Obsidian Flames card prices?
Obsidian Flames has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, listing the set’s cards with number, rarity and NM market price. Sort it by number and Charizard ex’s four cards sit at 125, 215, 223 and 228; filter it to see one rarity at a time. 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, 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?
- The version. Charizard ex is four different cards here: 125, 215, 223 and 228. Match the card number to the rarity a listing claims.
- The language. Japanese printings sit in Ruler of the Black Flame with their own numbers. The double rare Charizard ex is 066 in SV3 and 125 in Obsidian Flames. Our Japanese and English cards guide explains the differences.
- Sealed contents. Compare a box with its printed contents, and see our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs.
- 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 Temporal Forces, Twilight Masquerade and Stellar Crown cover the sets that followed the same way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive Obsidian Flames card?
It was Charizard ex (223/197), at a Near Mint market price of $90.99 on October 21, 2026. Cleffa (202/197) was second, at $35.62.
Which regular-numbered Obsidian Flames card costs the most?
Of the cards numbered 1 to 197, Charizard ex (125/197), a Double Rare, cost the most on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $6.25.
Which Hyper Rare in Obsidian Flames has the highest price?
Charizard ex (228/197) had the highest Near Mint market price among the Obsidian Flames cards marked Hyper Rare on October 21, 2026, at $32.56.
How much is Charizard ex from Obsidian Flames?
On October 21, 2026, the 4 Charizard ex cards in Obsidian Flames had Near Mint market prices of $6.25 for 125/197 (Double Rare), $22.50 for 215/197 (Ultra Rare), $32.56 for 228/197 (Hyper Rare) and $90.99 for 223/197 (Special Illustration Rare).