Black Bolt was released on 18 July 2025, in the Scarlet & Violet series.
Black Bolt release date
Black Bolt launched on 18 July 2025 as a Scarlet & Violet-series expansion. It carries 86 main-set cards, or 172 counting its 86 secret rares — the #33 largest set Nomekop tracks by printed count, with 76 Illustration and Special Illustration Rares in the pool and marquee Pokémon like Zekrom, Seismitoad, Kyurem, Haxorus and Volcarona.
What the 2025 set brought
The standout cards that arrived with Black Bolt:
- Victini (#171) — Rare (~$576.63)
- Zekrom ex (#172) — Black White Rare (~$541.00)
- Zekrom ex (#166) — Special Illustration Rare (~$273.53)
- Seismitoad (#105) — Illustration Rare (~$235.70)
- Kyurem ex (#165) — Special Illustration Rare (~$82.12)
Its top card on the secondary market is Victini (#171), around $576.63.
Star Pokémon from the Black Bolt release
The marquee Pokémon that debuted (or returned) in Black Bolt, with their prints:
- Zekrom — Zekrom ex (#34), Zekrom ex (#158), Zekrom ex (#166)
- Seismitoad — Seismitoad (#105)
- Kyurem — Kyurem ex (#28), Kyurem ex (#157), Kyurem ex (#165)
- Haxorus — Haxorus (#147)
- Volcarona — Volcarona (#100)
Where Black Bolt sits in the lineup
Among the sets Nomekop tracks, Black Bolt is the #33 largest set Nomekop tracks. A full master set of it runs to 404 cards including 80 reverse holos, so the 18 July 2025 release still gives collectors plenty to chase well after launch day — whether you're after the 86-card base set or every print.
Figures from the pokemontcg.io dataset, as of June 2026.