Darkness Ablaze was released on 14 August 2020, in the Sword & Shield series.
Darkness Ablaze release date
Darkness Ablaze launched on 14 August 2020 as a Sword & Shield-series expansion. It carries 189 main-set cards, or 201 counting its 12 secret rares — the #14 largest set Nomekop tracks by printed count, with 0 Illustration and Special Illustration Rares in the pool and marquee Pokémon like Butterfree, Salamence, Scizor, Eternatus and Rillaboom.
What the 2020 set brought
The standout cards that arrived with Darkness Ablaze:
- Charizard VMAX (#20) — Rare Holo VMAX (~$54.31)
- Butterfree VMAX (#190) — Rare Rainbow (~$24.05)
- Salamence VMAX (#194) — Rare Rainbow (~$15.88)
- Scizor VMAX (#193) — Rare Rainbow (~$13.33)
- Eternatus VMAX (#192) — Rare Rainbow (~$11.25)
Its top card on the secondary market is Charizard VMAX (#20), around $54.31.
Star Pokémon from the Darkness Ablaze release
The marquee Pokémon that debuted (or returned) in Darkness Ablaze, with their prints:
- Butterfree — Butterfree V (#177), Butterfree VMAX (#190)
- Salamence — Salamence V (#185), Salamence VMAX (#194)
- Scizor — Scizor V (#183), Scizor VMAX (#193)
- Eternatus — Eternatus VMAX (#192)
- Rillaboom — Rillaboom (#197)
Where Darkness Ablaze sits in the lineup
Among the sets Nomekop tracks, Darkness Ablaze is the #14 largest set Nomekop tracks. A full master set of it runs to 356 cards including 155 reverse holos, so the 14 August 2020 release still gives collectors plenty to chase well after launch day — whether you're after the 189-card base set or every print.
Figures from the pokemontcg.io dataset, as of June 2026.