The New Black Bolt & White Flare Pokemon Set!
Hi all! I'm Liv, a CFG staff member and recent Pokémon enthusiast!
As a new Pokémon Standard player, I’ve been getting my feet wet with a couple of decks while learning the ins and outs of the Pokémon TCG. Right now, I’m practicing with a Gardevoir deck, but I’ve already played in a few competitions using a Ceruledge/Munkidori build. Instead of running Revavroom with Ceruledge, I’ve been leaning toward N’s Zoroark for its Trade ability.
That said, I’m really starting to get into card abilities and understanding what synergy between cards actually looks like. With the new specialty sets, Black Bolt and White Flare, dropping in less than a month, my coworkers and I have been pretty hyped.
So let’s take a look at some of the abilities on the new cards I’ve seen so far. I’m still new to all this, so if you’ve got tips, know better combos, or just think there are stronger options out there, definitely let me know! I’m here to learn.
From my first look, these are the cards I think could be strong additions to Standard or even shake up the meta. I’ll have to check with my Pokémon Professor to confirm when these cards will be tournament-legal—or if they’re locked to their own format—but either way, I’m really excited to see what people do with them. I’ve stayed away from looking at the current Japanese meta or reading blogs and articles—I wanted to go in fresh.
Let’s see how I do.
Pokémon:
Zekrom ex – Black Bolt
This attack does 50 more damage for each Prize card your opponent has taken. This Pokémon also does 30 damage to itself.
This card is likely to be the bread and butter of the set. With Voltage Burst dealing 130 damage plus an additional 50 for each Prize card your opponent has taken, it becomes a massive late-game attacker. Paired with Eelektrik, it’s shaping up to be a real powerhouse. Just imagine: if your opponent has taken 5 Prize cards, you’re swinging for 380! That’s enough to knock out most Pokémon, even a base Blissey. Sure, having an ex in the active with 5 Prize cards taken is risky but that’s where the strategy comes in!
Jellicent ex – Better Budew
If this Pokémon has at least 2 extra Energy attached (in addition to this attack's cost), this attack does 80 more damage.
(From White Flare)
Budew is a small Pokémon, so I was a little confused at first about why it was showing up in the meta. But after playing and seeing how it can shut down opponents from playing Items, it all started to make sense. Jellicent looks like a bigger, badder version of Budew plus it can block Tools too. I’ve already heard a lot of buzz about this card and how it’s expected to slot into the meta really well. I’m even thinking about trying it out in my Gardevoir deck!
Genesect ex – You Get to Pull 2 Metal Evolutions into Your Hand
During your opponent's next turn, this Pokémon takes 30 less damage from attacks (after applying Weakness and Resistance).
(From Black Bolt)
Genesect is shaping up to be a really strong card. If you already have Basic Steel Pokémon in play, its ability lets you grab 2 Evolutions and add them to your hand. In my opinion, that makes Hilda a card you might not even need anymore. Pairing Genesect with Rare Candy or TM Evolution could seriously speed up your board setup.
Hydreigon ex – High Energy Cost / You May Get to Pull 2–3 Prize Cards
During your opponent's next turn, the Defending Pokémon can't retreat.
(From White Flare)
This Pokémon’s attack can lock your opponent in place with Dark Bite while also hitting for 200 damage. On top of that, its ability lets you draw 3 cards if you knock out an ex; meaning you could potentially end the game in just two moves, which honestly seems kind of wild to me. I played against a Surging Sparks Hydreigon, and Crashing Headbutt definitely gave me a run for my money. They just keep giving this guy ridiculously strong moves!
Emboar – Pretty Much Unlimited Energy If It Comes From Your Hand to Any Pokémon
(From White Flare)
This looks like it will be a nuisance to go up against, but a great card to have if he’s in your deck. From what I can tell, this card allows you to attach Energy from your hand to any of your Pokémon as many times as you’d like during your turn. Perhaps paired with Hydreigon ex (a card I’ll talk about later), which could then allow you to pull 2–3 Prize cards! Plus, if you have 2 Energy attached to Emboar with the new Air Balloon to get his retreat cost down, that could be the way to put another Pokémon in play.
Meloetta ex – Can Attack First Turn of the Game, Then Next Turn Does Additional Damage
During your next turn, this Pokémon's Echoed Voice attack does 80 more damage (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
(From Black Bolt)
This card definitely gives off Squawkabilly vibes—it’s another one of those first-turn power plays that can give you the upper hand right away. Since most Basic Pokémon (not counting ex’s, of course) have pretty low HP, this feels like a solid way to snag a Prize card early—unless your opponent has a Tool to help them retreat or a Pokémon with a naturally low retreat cost.
Gothitelle – Gets Rid of Opponent’s Cards, They Draw 3
If you have the same number of cards in your hand as your opponent, this attack does 90 more damage.
(From White Flare)
Even though your opponent gets to draw, they don’t get to draw many cards. If they are still trying to set up their bench, I believe this could be an awesome way to stall them, especially if they have a ton of cards at their disposal. Getting them down to three also knocks out the chance of Secret Box, which I know is a superior card in the meta right now. I have a feeling Dusknoir’s Cursed Blast and this card could make for a real dynamic duo.
Whimsicott ex – 3 Energy
(From White Flare)
This card looks a tad similar to Emboar but limits the amount of Energy to three with Energy Gift, which is still looking pretty good, if you ask me. Then its second attack, Wonder Cotton, does 50x damage for every Trainer card in your opponent’s hand, which could mean big potatoes! That also gives you more of an edge, as you’ll be able to see what they have. Act accordingly, and I believe this card could be a huge help.
Serperior ex – Search Your Deck for 3 Cards for 150–170 Damage
You may search your deck for up to 3 cards and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
(From Black Bolt)
Serperior’s special ability doesn’t look like anything too worthwhile, only giving your Pokémon in play an attack buff of +20. But its attack is where it’s at! Dealing 150 damage and then searching your deck for any 3 cards sounds like an amazing draw engine.
Zoroark – Could Be a Mew ex Replacement for 1 Prize Card Loss Instead of a Potential 2
This attack does 30 damage for each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon.
Choose 1 of your opponent's Active Pokémon's attacks and use it as this attack.
(From White Flare)
A runner-up (since I’m a bit biased) is Zoroark. Since I run him in my Ceruledge deck, I’ve grown an affinity for this Pokémon. Learning Gardevoir, his second attack, Foul Play, reminds me a lot of Mew ex’s Genome Hacking. This means if he’s in the Active spot, he can use any attack from your opponent’s Active Pokémon. This seems like it may be a better pick than Mew—if he gets knocked out, it’s only 1 Prize card instead of 2. Of course, he doesn’t have the health of an ex, but I still think it’s a good trade!
Trainers:
There’s not much to say when it comes to Trainers. I believe they are pretty self-explanatory (except for Iono; I did struggle to comprehend that one, haha!).
With N’s Plot, you can move up to 2 Energy from your Benched Pokémon to your Active Pokémon. Pair this with Emboar, Whimsicott, or Zekrom for crazy Energy moves.
Tool Scrapper allows you to discard 2 Tools from either your side or your opponent’s. I can only see this working if you discard your opponent’s Tools, then use Jellicent to keep them from using Trainer cards.
Lastly, we have Air Balloon—we skimmed over this guy, but it brings down a Pokémon’s Retreat Cost by 2 Energy. I could see this pairing well with high Retreat Cost Pokémon in this set like Hydreigon, or with the heavy hitter Zekrom for a zero-cost retreat.
Overall, I’m really excited to see how Black Bolt and White Flare shake up the meta. As a new player, diving into card abilities and combos like these has been a blast—and I’m eager to hear what others think, especially from more experienced players. Let’s keep the conversation going!
