The Best Cards from Pokémon TCG: Black Bolt and White Flare

By Charles

The first English dual set has been out for a while, so I think we have a clear picture of what the best cards Instead of doing the Top 5 from each set, I decided to do the combined Top 10 to see which set has more strong cards.

August 11, 2025

Brave Bangle 80/86

10.

Brave Bangle certainly isn't going to make any new archetypes, but I think that it's going to help out in single-prize decks going forward. I've seen a lot of decks trying to use Gravity Mountain or Binding Mochi to try and get Knock Outs on Stage 2 ex cards, so this might be a simpler solution to that issue. Decks may not need Maximum Belt anymore with this in the format, opening up other ACE SPECs. In Black and White: Plasma Blast, Silver Bangle did basically the same thing, and it was good then. Unfortunately, HP has gone up quite a bit, so it might not be quite as good as its predecessor.

9.

Reshiram ex 20/86

This card's second attack might be the most consistently high damage we've ever seen on a Basic. You can start taking Knock Outs on Basic ex cards once your opponent has 4 prizes left, and by the time they have 1 left, you are doing 380 damage. The issue I have with this card as well as Zekrom is that there aren't many decks it fits well in. The low damage early means it can't be its own deck, and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex does a fine job taking the last 2 prizes for three less energy. Although it does 140 less damage, 380 really is overkill. While we have both Counter Catcher and Boss' Orders in the format, Ursaluna does a better job.

I chose to put Zekrom ex higher up on the list than Reshiram since it fits better with the other cards of its typing. Miraidon had plenty of Energy, draw power, and search cards, but there wasn't a good finisher to the deck. Zekrom solves this issue perfectly, but apparently it's not enough to make Miraidon a top deck. I thought that Zekrom and Reshiram could make a deck with Dusknoir, as it would boost their damage output in the early game, but it seems Dusknoir works better with a Stage 2, 300+ HP attacker.

8.

Zekrom ex 34/86

7.

Prism Energy 86/86

Another reprint of a card from Black and White, Prism Energy has a very powerful effect that allows multi-type Basic decks to be more efficient. For decks such as the Ogerpon Noctowl or Tera Box decks that were popular for a while, this card is a better alternative for Luminous Energy as you can attach more than one to a Pokémon. While the best decks currently use Stage 2 Pokémon, a lot of Basic Mega Evolution Pokémon are coming soon, so I think Prism Energy will have a lot of utility next year.

6.

Jellicent ex 45/86

Jellicent's Ability makes the hyper-oppressive Budew look weak, but, unfortunately, it is way more awkward. Budew is so good because you can use it on Turn 1 going second without very much commitment. While it can be useful later on, you're better off doing big damage . Although it is a big commitment, with 3 retreat on a Stage 1, locking Item and Tool cards passively is too good to overlook. 80 damage for two Energy is enough to Knock Out basics that can't get a Rare Candy. While it's not a main focus in Gardevoir ex decks, Jellicent ex is still a one-of, and I can see it popping up in lots of decks in the future.

This card is fairly simple, but its effect is always useful. If a very disruptive Tool card is printed and becomes common, this card will be a simple one-of in most decks. It could also provide more flexibility to decks using multiple Tools, since it can discard those on your side as well. In the past, Lost Vacuum had the ability to remove a Stadium or a Tool card and was very common, which shows there was some value to removing Tool cards. Players chose to use Lost Vacuum instead of adding more Stadiums to their own decks. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a tool card for Mega-Evolved Pokémon that this card will be used against.

5.

Tool Scrapper 85/86

4.

Eelektrik 31/86

This is yet another card that is effectively a reprint from the Black and White generation. While its return would be amazing in a different time, it's not needed as much in 2025. We already have Magneton and Electric Generator to fuel Miraidon ex decks. Magneton is still seeing more use as it fits better with the aggressive strategy of Miraidon. However, when Magneton rotates, Eelektrik will be the only Electric acceleration that we are guaranteed to have. If future Electric-Type Pokémon are powerful, this card will be extremely important.

3.

Hilda 84/86

While this card doesn't have the most flashy effect, Hilda is already being used in Dragapult ex decks as a replacement for Brock's Scouting. It is really useful on Turn 2 or 3 for finding a Dragapult ex as well as your second Energy card. Drakloak already provides plenty of draw power with its Recon Directive Ability and you typically won't use Boss' Orders until later on. This Supporter won't fit well in every deck, but for slower Stage 2 decks that sometimes struggle to find key pieces to execute their strategy, Hilda is great.

2.

Genesect ex 67/86

Air Balloon 79/86

1.

Genesect's Metallic Signal Ability is a massive increase to the consistency of any Stage 2 Metal deck, giving Gholdengo ex a good shot at winning the 2025 World Championships. Searching your deck for two Pokémon every turn means you can lower the amount of Pokémon search in your deck and allows you to thin out your deck later on in the game. Having a Genesect ex on your Bench puts pressure on your opponent since they know you're going to have a great turn 2. Its decent HP also means that it's not an easy target on the Bench like Squawkabilly or Mew. Any deck with Evolved Metal Pokémon needs this card.

Air Balloon is the best card in the set since it is going to be featured in almost every Evolution deck going forward. Its effect is simple but very powerful - it allows decks to be more flexible and opens up the opportunity for pivoting. Thanks to Air Balloon, Abilities that only activate in the Active Spot, like Gholdengo ex's Coin Bonus, don't take as many resources to activate. Latias ex has proven itself to be a useful card for many Basic-focused decks, so it's safe to assume that Air Balloon will follow up on this for Evolution decks.

It turns out that Black Bolt and White Flare are even, each having five cards on the list! I think both sets have useful cards that we will see in decks going forward. It really seems like this set was the most useful as a reprint set, so older players might have old versions of the new cards already. Pokémon TCG Live currently has a new Battle Pass that gives you hundreds of packs and rare cards from this set, so you should have no problem adding these cards to your online decks.