A card-by-card guide to the Simplified Chinese release of Black Bolt and White Flare, out 6 November 2026. Companion to Gem Pack Vol. 7, released the same day. No prices quoted.
Quick answer
Black Bolt (黑雷奔流) and White Flare (白焰迸涌) arrive in Simplified Chinese on 6 November 2026, seventeen months after Japan. Between them the two boxes cover all 156 Pokémon introduced in Unova, each with a full-art treatment, and each box carries one card at BWR — a rarity tier that exists only in this pair of sets.
The Simplified Chinese versions are numbered 174 per box: 86 base cards plus 88 alternate-art cards, which is the same count as the Japanese original. The BWR card in each box is numbered 174/086, identical to Japan. Structurally, nothing was cut.
What did change is availability. Black Bolt and White Flare ran in Japan in June 2025, in Traditional Chinese two weeks later, and in Korean in August 2025. The Simplified Chinese edition is the last major-language release, and it lands in the same week as a new Gem Pack — which is why 6 November 2026 is the single most loaded release date in the Chinese TCG calendar this year.
The two boxes, side by side
These are twin sets in the literal sense: same structure, same rarity ladder, mirrored mascots. The differences are which half of Unova you get.
| Black Bolt (黑雷奔流) | White Flare (白焰迸涌) | |
|---|---|---|
| Release | 6 November 2026 | 6 November 2026 |
| Cover Pokémon | Zekrom ex | Reshiram ex |
| Japanese equivalent | SV11B Black Bolt | SV11W White Flare |
| Base cards | 086 | 086 |
| Alternate arts | 088 | 088 |
| Total numbers | 174 | 174 |
| AR | 72 (087–158) | 72 (087–158) |
| SR | 8 (159–166) | 8 (159–166) |
| SAR | 7 (167–173) | 7 (167–173) |
| BWR | 1 (174/086) | 1 (174/086) |
| Pack | 5 cards / 10 yuan | 5 cards / 10 yuan |
| Fat pack | 20 cards / 50 yuan | 20 cards / 50 yuan |
One detail worth flagging: the two boxes divide Unova, they do not duplicate it. Each carries 78 of the 156 species. Buy one box and you have half the region; buy both and the full Pokédex slice is covered. That is a different proposition from most twin sets, where picking one box is a reasonable substitute for the other.
The official Chinese specification sheet breaks those 174 numbers down by grade, and the counts are close to identical between the two boxes — the only difference is how the low tiers split.
| Grade | Black Bolt | White Flare |
|---|---|---|
| C | 39 | 38 |
| U | 31 | 32 |
| R | 10 | 10 |
| RR | 6 | 6 |
| AR | 72 | 72 |
| SR | 8 | 8 |
| SAR | 7 | 7 |
| BWR | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 174 | 174 |
The same sheet gives the production ratio for each grade, and this is where the BWR number becomes concrete rather than legendary: BWR accounts for 0.73% of 5-card-pack output and 1.00% of 20-card-pack output. In other words the fan pack is the more efficient way to chase it, which is the opposite of what most buyers assume.
What BWR is, and why it is the whole story
BWR stands for Black White Rare. It was introduced in June 2025 with these two Japanese sets, and in the nineteen months since, only two cards have ever carried the grade: Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex.
The look is the point. A BWR card is printed monochrome from edge to edge — artwork, text, borders, symbols, all of it. Zekrom ex is printed entirely black. Reshiram ex is printed entirely white. The illustration is not framed by a coloured border the way a normal full art is; the whole card is one continuous field.
It is the only rarity in the hobby defined by removing colour rather than adding foil, and that is why it photographs badly and looks striking in hand. A screen flattens it into a black card or a white card. Under light, the holofoil patterning carries the illustration, and the effect is closer to an etching than a trading card.
Pull rates are brutal. Published figures for the Japanese release put any BWR at roughly one in 496 packs, and a specific BWR at roughly one in 1,400. Each Simplified Chinese box holds exactly one BWR number, so a box guarantees the possibility and nothing more.
For Simplified Chinese collectors there is an extra wrinkle: this is the first BWR to appear in the Chinese format at all. Japanese and English collectors have had the tier since 2025. The Chinese market gets it in November 2026, and gets it in the same shape — same number, same two cards, same monochrome treatment.
Two dragons, two near-identical attacks
Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex are mirrored by design, and the mirroring is real down to the numbers.
| Zekrom ex 037/086 | Reshiram ex 017/086 | |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 230 | 230 |
| Type | Lightning | Fire |
| First attack | Slash, 50 | Slash, 50 |
| Main attack | Voltage Blast, 130+ | Blaze Blast, 130+ |
| Bonus damage | +50 per prize card the opponent has taken | +50 per prize card the opponent has taken |
| Cost of the attack | 30 damage to itself | Discard one energy from itself |
| Peak output | 380, when the opponent is on one prize | 380, when the opponent is on one prize |
The design intent is a comeback attacker. At 130 it is underwhelming; at 380 it one-shots almost anything in the format. The two cards differ only in what the high roll costs you: Zekrom pays in its own HP, Reshiram pays in tempo, because a discarded energy has to be replaced before the next swing.
Which is better is a deck question rather than a card question. Zekrom’s self-damage is irrelevant if the attack ends the game, and lethal if it does not. Reshiram’s energy cost is irrelevant if you have acceleration, and crippling if you do not. The symmetry is deliberate: the two cards are meant to be equally good in different shells, and they are.
The rest of the ex lineup
Six ex Pokémon per box, and the supporting cast is where the two sets genuinely diverge.
| Card | Box | Number | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyurem ex | Black Bolt | 031/086 | Blizzard Blast hits 130 and spreads 10× the opponent’s prize count across every benched Pokémon. A damage-spreading engine that turns a slow start into a multi-prize turn. |
| Genesect ex | Black Bolt | 069/086 | Ability searches up to two Steel evolution Pokémon from the deck each turn. A consistency card for Steel decks rather than a finisher. |
| Serperior ex | Black Bolt | 003/086 | The Snivy line’s endpoint, and the reason a full Unova starter line is possible in one box. |
| Meloetta ex | Black Bolt | 047/086 | Psychic attacker; the mythical slot in the Black Bolt half. |
| Excadrill ex | Black Bolt | 049/086 | Fighting-type, filling the Ground half of Unova’s type spread. |
| Whimsicott ex | White Flare | 005/086 | Grass attacker and the White Flare counterweight to Serperior. |
| Keldeo ex | White Flare | 027/086 | Water mythical; the second half of the Keldeo/Meloetta pairing. |
| Jellicent ex | White Flare | 042/086 | Psychic-type with a disruptive profile. |
| Hydreigon ex | White Flare | 062/086 | Dark-type; the Deino line’s endpoint. |
| Bouffalant ex | White Flare | 075/086 | Colourless attacker, and the set’s only non-typed ex. |
| Tornadus | White Flare | 078/086 | Legendary trio member, at rare rather than ex. |
That split is the practical answer to “which box should I buy”. Black Bolt gives you Kyurem and Genesect — two cards with clear constructed homes. White Flare gives you the wider type spread and the Tornadus. Neither is a strictly better box; they are aimed at different decks.
156 Pokémon, 72 art cards per box
The organising promise of this pair is unusual and worth stating plainly: every Pokémon in both sets has a full-art card. Not selected species. All of them. Seventy-two AR numbers per box, 144 across the pair, covering the 156 species of Unova with the remainder accounted for by the ex and trainer treatments.
That is why the set feels complete in a way most modern sets do not. A normal expansion gives art cards to the Pokémon that sell. This pair gives them to the route you walked in 2011 — the Patrat, the Pidove, the Roggenrola, the Tympole. Species that have not had a full art in fifteen years get one here.
For a collector of a specific line, that is the entire value proposition. The Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott families run end to end: Snivy through Serperior ex, Tepig through Emboar, Oshawott through Samurott. Three complete starter lines, each with art cards at every stage. There is no other set in the Scarlet & Violet era where that is true for all three Unova starters at once.
The two SARs
Each box carries one supporter SAR, and they are the cards that will be argued about longest.
N’s Plan (N的构想) 173/086, Black Bolt. The card moves up to two energy from your benched Pokémon onto your active. The SAR illustration puts N under bright, scattered light, turned back over his shoulder. The composition is deliberately unresolved — a man looking at something the viewer cannot see. For a character whose entire arc is about the difference between ideals and truth, an image of someone mid-decision is the right image.
Hilda (斗子) 173/086, White Flare. The card searches the deck for one evolution Pokémon and one energy. The SAR puts Hilda in close, with firelight behind her and her team around her. Where the N card is ambiguous, this one is direct: a trainer in the middle of solving a problem.
Both were shown publicly for the first time in the Simplified Chinese release. That is worth noting precisely, because it is easy to overstate: these are not cards that exist only in Chinese. They are the versions the Chinese release showed first, on a date that arrived seventeen months after Japan and ahead of no one. The distinction matters if you are buying on the assumption that no other-language print exists.
The accessories, and how they connect
The Chinese release is built as a package rather than a box, and the supporting products are unusually tightly tied to the cards.
| Product | Contents | Connection to the set |
|---|---|---|
| Black Bolt coin set | 3 packs + 1 selected holo + 1 coin | 78 selected holos across 6 RR and 72 C/U/R, each matched to a coin of the same Pokémon |
| White Flare coin set | 3 packs + 1 selected holo + 1 coin | Same structure, mirroring the White Flare half |
| Jigsaw magnet set (black) | 1 pack + 1 magnet | 78 magnets, one per Black Bolt species; Zekrom is the 1-in-99 hidden |
| Jigsaw magnet set (white) | 1 pack + 1 magnet | 78 magnets; Reshiram is the hidden |
| Energy set | 1 energy pack + 3 packs | 8 type variants; each energy pack has 4 basic energy (3 non-foil, 1 foil) plus a trainer holo |
| Coin album — Zekrom | 30 slots | Storage for the Black Bolt coin run |
| Coin album — Reshiram | 30 slots | Storage for the White Flare coin run |
| 156-slot display frame | 156 slots | Every Unova species has a cut-out silhouette; the whole region in one frame |
The 156-slot frame is the item that explains the design logic of the entire release. Unova has 156 species, 78 per box, 78 magnets per box — the numbers are the same numbers on purpose. The frame is not merchandise attached to a card set; it is the completion structure made physical.
Two details that matter for buyers. First, the magnets are metal and keyed to National Pokédex numbers 494 to 649, with background colours for ten types. Second, the hidden magnet in each set is 1 in 99, and it is always the mascot. That makes the hidden magnet the accessory equivalent of the BWR: one per set, mascot-only, and far harder than the rest of the run.
The energy set is the one worth understanding before buying, because it is the only accessory that carries cards you cannot otherwise get. Each type’s energy pack has four basic energy for that type — three non-foil, one foil — plus one random trainer holo. That trainer can be a plain item or supporter, or an alternate-art print of Black Belt, N’s Plan or Hilda. Black Bolt’s four types are Grass, Lightning, Fighting and Steel; White Flare’s are Fire, Water, Psychic and Darkness. If you want the energy-set promos, you have to buy the matching type.
How the Simplified Chinese release compares
The interesting comparison is not Chinese versus Japanese card-for-card — the lists are the same. It is release timing and what each market received around the set.
| Language | Release | Gap from Japan | Launch accessories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 6 June 2025 | — | Card file set with Victini promo, 3 packs each |
| Traditional Chinese | 20 June 2025 | 2 weeks | Collector’s set with Zorua SV-P promo |
| Korean | 1 August 2025 | 8 weeks | — |
| Simplified Chinese | 6 November 2026 | 17 months | Coin sets, magnet sets, energy sets, two coin albums, 156-slot frame |
Two things stand out.
The gap is the largest of any language, by a wide margin. A Simplified Chinese collector waited seventeen months for a set that Japan, Taiwan and Korea had all received within eight weeks. That is the price of the Chinese release schedule running behind, and it is the reason the Chinese version is not simply “the Japanese set in another language” — by the time it arrives, the Japanese cards have been in the market for a year and a half.
The accessory package is the most elaborate. Japan got a card file set. Taiwan got a collector’s set. The Simplified Chinese release gets eight separate accessories built around a 156-species completion structure. Whatever else is true about the delay, the Chinese market did not get a reduced version of this set.
Pack format differs too. Japan sells 7-card packs at ¥290 and 35-card deluxe packs at ¥1,450. Simplified Chinese sells 5-card packs at 10 yuan with one guaranteed holo, and 20-card packs at 50 yuan with seven holos. The Chinese pack is the smallest of the three, which makes the Chinese box the least efficient way to open volume and the most efficient way to open hits.
What to collect, and in what order
The set rewards three different buying strategies, and they do not overlap.
The BWR is the only card that behaves like a trophy. Roughly one in 496 packs for any BWR, one in 1,400 for a specific one, and exactly one BWR number per box. If a BWR is the goal, buy it as a single. The expected cost of pulling one is far above the cost of buying one, and that gap is wider in Chinese than in Japanese because the Chinese print run is smaller.
The 72 ARs are where the set is actually deep. Every Unova species gets one, which means the art-card run is a region rather than a greatest-hits list. It is also the run most likely to be undervalued early, because the market’s attention on release day goes to the two BWRs and the two supporter SARs, and 72 cards cannot hold attention simultaneously.
The full Unova starter lines are the sleeper. Snivy–Serperior, Tepig–Emboar, Oshawott–Samurott, each complete across base and art. Three-line runs like this are usually spread across multiple sets and multiple years. Here they are in one box, which makes them easy to assemble now and hard to assemble later once singles disperse.
On storage, the same rule as any foil-heavy set applies: the surface is the asset. For the BWR in particular — a card whose entire visual identity is a monochrome field — a single scuff is disproportionately visible, because there is no colour variation for it to hide in. Sleeve it, then use a rigid holder rather than a soft sleeve alone.
Verdict
This is the strongest pair of boxes the Simplified Chinese format has received, and the reason is structural rather than sentimental. BWR gives the Chinese market its first genuine trophy tier. The 156-species guarantee gives it the deepest art-card run in the language. And the accessory line — six coin and magnet SKUs, an energy set, two albums and a 156-slot frame — is built around a completion structure that actually closes, which almost no modern release is.
The caveats are real. Seventeen months is a long wait, and anyone who wanted these cards for play has already bought Japanese. The pull rates on BWR are punishing enough that opening boxes for one is a losing plan. And the Chinese print run is smaller than the Japanese, so the supply that does exist will not be replenished the way Japanese supply was.
But for a collector who wants one complete Unova, in one language, with every species illustrated and one monochrome dragon per box, there has never been a version of this set built to be collected this thoroughly. The Japanese release was a card set. This one is a card set plus a closing mechanism.
Frequently asked questions
Are Black Bolt and White Flare available in Simplified Chinese?
Yes. They release on 6 November 2026 as 黑雷奔流 (Black Bolt) and 白焰迸涌 (White Flare), seventeen months after the Japanese release of 6 June 2025.
What does BWR mean on a Pokémon card?
Black White Rare. It is a monochrome rarity introduced with these two sets in June 2025, and only Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex have ever carried it. Both are numbered 174/086 in every language.
How rare is a BWR card?
Published Japanese figures put any BWR at about one in 496 packs and a specific BWR at about one in 1,400. Each box contains exactly one BWR number, so the card is always theoretically available and never likely.
Are the Chinese cards the same as the Japanese ones?
The card lists match: 86 base plus 88 alternate arts, 174 numbers, BWR at 174/086. What differs is the pack format — 5 cards per pack in Chinese against 7 in Japanese — and the launch accessories, which are more extensive in Chinese.
Do both boxes contain all 156 Unova Pokémon?
No. Each box covers 78 of the 156, and the two are complementary rather than overlapping. You need both boxes for the full region.
Which box should I buy first?
Black Bolt if you want constructed playables — Kyurem ex and Genesect ex both have clear homes. White Flare if you want type spread and the Tornadus. Neither is strictly better.
Is the N’s Plan SAR exclusive to Chinese?
No. It was first shown publicly in the Simplified Chinese release, but the card itself is not Chinese-only. Treat “first shown in Chinese” and “only available in Chinese” as different claims.
What the release actually looks like
Four images carry most of the information that text cannot: the two wrappers, the two dragons at standard and BWR, and the two supporter SARs.
Sources
Sources and further reading
- The Pokémon Company (Shanghai) — official announcement of 黑雷奔流 and 白焰迸涌, 6 November 2026, 5-card packs at 10 yuan and 20-card packs at 50 yuan, 156 Unova species.
- The Pokémon Company (Shanghai) — coin set, jigsaw magnet set and energy set announcements, 6 November 2026, including the 78-per-box accessory count and the 1-in-99 hidden magnet ratio.
- 52Poke TCG encyclopedia — 黑雷奔流 (CSV10.5) and 白焰迸涌 (CSV10.6) entries, for the 86 + 88 numbering and the AR/SR/SAR/BWR ranges.
- Bulbapedia — Black White rare (TCG), for the rarity’s introduction in SV11B/SV11W, the 174/086 numbering across languages, and the two-card list.
- Bulbapedia — Black Bolt/White Flare (TCG), for the Japanese release of 6 June 2025, the 20-pack box, and the Traditional Chinese and Korean release dates.
- CardSpicy — Gem Pack Vol. 7 (CBB7C), the companion Chinese release of 6 November 2026.
- CardSpicy — What is in a Pokémon booster box, for pack configuration by product type.
- CardSpicy — Storing Pokémon cards, for monochrome-foil handling.
Where to buy
Both halves are carried as factory-sealed booster packs: Black Bolt (CSV10.5) and White Flare (CSV10.6). Both release in mainland China on 6 November 2026, and pre-orders ship from Hong Kong, China within 15 business days.
Related reading
- Gem Pack Vol. 7 (CBB7C) — the all-holo Chinese set released the same day.
- Era 7 — Black & White, 2010 to 2013 — the original Unova sets these cards reprint.
- The five Zekrom cards worth owning in Simplified Chinese — where this box sits among the existing Chinese Zekrom prints.
- Storing Pokémon cards — sleeves and rigid holders for foil.
Nothing on this page is investment advice. Card lists follow the published Simplified Chinese checklist. Pull rates are Japanese-market figures and are not a guarantee for the Chinese print run.
Where to go next
- The CardSpicy card index — every card we track, with its PSA 10 population and market history (195 cards).
- The illustrator index — every artist behind those cards, card by card (110 artists).
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