Black Bolt & White Flare: Best Cards To Look Out For – Pokemon TCG

The Black Bolt and White Flare sets were released in Japan on June 6th, introducing several cards that aim to shake up the meta, either by strengthening already dominant decks or by breathing new life into underperforming ones.

Both sets are scheduled for a Western release on July 18th, giving us an early look at how the Japanese meta adapts to these new additions. In this article, I’ll highlight a few standout cards that I believe will play a key role in the upcoming meta and explain how each one might shape the competitive scene.

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Black Bolt Expansion:

Amoonguss 

The first thing that comes to mind with Amoonguss is its potential in Poison decks. When paired with Brute Bonnet and an attached Ancient Booster Energy Capsule, Amoonguss can hit for 160 damage with just a single Energy. It’s also a single-prize Pokémon, and being a Stage 1 means it doesn’t feel too slow compared to decks that rely on setting up Stage 2s. This card is sure to bring back memories for Klawf deck players, who may be inspired to see if they can make it shine once again. Poison decks still have room to grow, especially with cards like Perilous Jungle and Binding Mochi boosting poison damage. Players just need to ensure they can 2-hit major ex threats like Charizard ex and Gardevoir ex—or ideally, one-shot Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex. This card will definitely be one to watch out for!

Eelektrik

Abilities like Dynamotor have long been the backbone of many Electric decks. Since Flaaffy rotated out, Miraidon ex has struggled to achieve notable results, aside from Joltik Box, where it serves more as a support piece. But with powerful Electric Pokémon like Iron Hands ex in the format, we could see a resurgence of Electric decks, with Eelektrik stepping into a strong supporting role.

Zekrom ex 

Special mention goes to Zekrom ex, which will likely pair well with Electric decks thanks to its second attack, Voltage Burst. This attack deals a base 130 damage, plus an additional 50 damage for each prize card your opponent has taken. That makes it an ideal revenge killer—hitting for 330 damage after 4 prizes, and a massive 380 after 5—enough to one-shot every Pokémon in the meta except for Cynthia’s Garchomp ex with a Cynthia’s Power Weight attached.

Air Balloon

This card reduces the Retreat Cost of a Pokémon by two Colorless Energy. While Rescue Board is already available, which reduces the Retreat Cost by one Colorless and sets it to zero if the holder has 30 HP or less, Air Balloon feels like the far superior option, as that secondary condition is rarely met in today’s hard-hitting meta.

With Air Balloon reducing the Retreat Cost by two, Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex will likely see more play, as it can now retreat for free. This helps it escape awkward spots, such as starting in the Active position or being dragged out by Boss’s Order.

In other scenarios, Air Balloon can be a valuable draw mid-game, offering retreat flexibility for attackers like Charizard ex, especially when opponents lack ways to knock out Benched Pokémon, potentially denying them easy prize cards.

White Flare

Reshiram ex

Perhaps it was by intention that Reshiram ex was designed essentially the same as Zekrom ex, but as the Fire-type version. This allows it to pair well with Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex decks, with Crispin and Energy Switch, or if there is an Armarouge on the field. Fire decks will definitely be able to fit Reshiram ex in easily, so maybe it’s a competition to see whether Zekrom ex or Reshiram ex will see more play?

Samurott

While this card is unlikely to be meta-defining, it’s still an interesting option thanks to its Warp Point-like ability. It can force opponents into awkward positions by switching out their main attacker and dragging up a weaker Pokémon, giving the user opportunities to reposition and pick off easier prizes. This card could pair well with Blastoise ex or Milotic ex.

As a Stage 2, it will be difficult to set up quickly. However, with 160 HP, it should be durable enough to take a few hits. Since it’s more of a mid-game piece than something you need right away, the slower setup may be manageable as you won’t need it immediately. It’ll be interesting to see how players find ways to slot Samurott into their decks.

Jellicent ex

If Budew is already giving you nightmares, Jellicent ex will make sure you never wake up from them. Its pre-evolution, Frillish, can start item-locking with just 1 Psychic Energy—or even sooner with Technical Machine: Evolution.

One strong pairing is with Alakazam ex, which can snipe for 120 damage from the Bench using two Psychic Energy, while Jellicent ex stays in the Active Spot, maintaining the item-lock. Boosting Jellicent ex’s survivability with something like Hero’s Cape for an extra 100 HP could be key.

That said, Jellicent ex has a major weakness to Dark types, so threats like Charizard ex and Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex can easily tear through it. A tech card might be needed to counter those matchups, maybe Technical Machine: Devolution?

Tool Scrapper

Tool Scrapper will likely follow in Air Balloon’s footsteps as a staple in every deck. Just like Air Balloon, Tool Scrapper will be essential for removing key tools such as Air Balloon itself, Hero’s Cape, or even the upcoming Brave Bangle, which gives the holder an extra 30 damage against opponents’ Active Pokémon ex.

We’ll likely see a cat-and-mouse game, as players try to decide how many copies of Tool Scrapper to include to adapt to the meta and when to use it for maximum impact. A well-timed Tool Scrapper followed by Boss’s Orders can easily trap a heavy-retreat Pokémon in the Active Spot, especially if it was relying on Air Balloon to retreat.