# When did Obsidian Flames come out?

> Obsidian Flames was released on 11 August 2023, in the Scarlet & Violet series.
>
> Source: https://www.nomekop.app/faqs/when-did-obsidian-flames-come-out — NOMEKOP, an independent Pokémon TCG binder tool
> (not affiliated with Nintendo / The Pokémon Company). Figures as of June 2026.

**Obsidian Flames was released on 11 August 2023, in the Scarlet & Violet series.**

## Obsidian Flames release date

Obsidian Flames launched on 11 August 2023 as a Scarlet & Violet-series expansion. It carries 197 main-set cards, or 230 counting its 33 secret rares — the #7 largest set Nomekop tracks by printed count, with 18 Illustration and Special Illustration Rares in the pool and marquee Pokémon like Charizard, Ninetales, Cleffa, Gloom and Pidgeot.

## What the 2023 set brought

The standout cards that arrived with Obsidian Flames:

- [Charizard ex (#223)](/card/sv3-223) — Special Illustration Rare (~$138.94)
- [Ninetales (#199)](/card/sv3-199) — Illustration Rare (~$48.07)
- [Charizard ex (#228)](/card/sv3-228) — Hyper Rare (~$46.27)
- [Cleffa (#202)](/card/sv3-202) — Illustration Rare (~$45.26)
- [Gloom (#198)](/card/sv3-198) — Illustration Rare (~$28.36)

Its top card on the secondary market is Charizard ex (#223), around $138.94.

## Star Pokémon from the Obsidian Flames release

The marquee Pokémon that debuted (or returned) in Obsidian Flames, with their prints:

- **Charizard** — Charizard ex (#125), Charizard ex (#215), Charizard ex (#223), Charizard ex (#228)
- **Ninetales** — Ninetales (#199)
- **Cleffa** — Cleffa (#202)
- **Gloom** — Gloom (#198)
- **Pidgeot** — Pidgeot ex (#164), Pidgeot ex (#217), Pidgeot ex (#225)

## Where Obsidian Flames sits in the lineup

Among the sets Nomekop tracks, Obsidian Flames is the #7 largest set Nomekop tracks. A full master set of it runs to 406 cards including 176 reverse holos, so the 11 August 2023 release still gives collectors plenty to chase well after launch day — whether you're after the 197-card base set or every print.

Figures from the pokemontcg.io dataset, as of June 2026.