The new Obsidian Flames expansion of the Pokemon Trading Card Game isn’t entirely about its new dark Charizard. There are a lot of new printings worth checking out, whether you’re interested in aesthetics or gameplay. So what are the best Obsidian Flames cards? Here are our picks.

The coolest Obsidian Flames cards

Would you believe that they made the new Charizard card good? Wild, huh? The Tera Charizard ex speeds up your energy ramp-up, and does 180 damage with an attack that ramps up by 30 for each of your opponent’s taken Prize cards.

There are somehow three more Lechonk cards to add to an ever-growing pile, but one of the new variants takes a fun approach to the art that we really appreciate. Does it justify its existence? Maybe not. We don’t know what’s going on over there with all these Lechonks. But if we’re cutting some, we’d keep this one.

Of course, there’s a wealth of cool art still locked away in the batch of Illustrator Rares. We’re particularly fond of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, taking some usually fairly boring creatures and giving them a bright, simple art treatment.

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The most interesting Obsidian Flames cards

Any card that breaks the fundamental rules of the game is going to be interesting, and Revavroom ex? It can hold four Tool cards instead of just one. We’re sure this is going to lead to some unintended combos, and we can’t wait to see them! It’s refreshing to see such mechanical creativity in a game that rarely delivers it.

In terms of trainers, we’re intrigued by Geeta. The Supporter card lets you search for and attach two more energy cards in a turn, at the cost of losing that turn’s attack. If timed right, it can be used on turns you aren’t ready to attack anyway, and could be worth a try. We’re guessing that drawback will turn a lot of people away from using it, though. Ryme is the latest “draw three cards plus a thing” attempt, but it could be worth it? Its bonus ability is forcing a retreat, but without getting to choose who gets swapped in.

The most meta-relevant Obsidian Flames cards

Pidgeot ex is the most obvious contender here. Its Quick Search ability lets you, well, search for any card in your deck, and do that once every turn.

Any strong Basic with an attack that benefits from a big pile of energy tends to at least see some play, and the new Entei qualifies! The Pressure ability makes it slightly harder to kill, we guess? But the Blaze Ball attack is the star here, dealing 150 damage for three fire energy and 30 more for any extras.

Clefable ex’s Lunar Zone ability nullifies retreat cost for anyone with Psychic energy attached, so it could be an important bench utility for strategies that need a lot of shuffling into the active spot. And yet it might not be the best new Psychic utility in the set? Togekiss is tougher to play at a Stage 2, but its Precious Gift ability lets you draw up to eight cards at the end of your turn. Many strategies prefer drawing earlier in the turn, but eight? That’s a lot of cards and probably worth it.

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The cutest Obsidian Flames cards

There are a ton of cute portraits in this set, but we find the new Skwovet card very relatable. Look, sometimes you find some tasty food, okay? We look this way when we get some good rice cakes or a particularly tasty Pocky flavor.

There’s also a little Clefairy and a new Togepi, which are as adorable as usual. And you can’t go wrong with Rowlet, of course! Notable, though, is the return of Bonsly. The little pal hasn’t seen a card in over 15 years, so welcome back, Bonsly!

The Pokemon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet — Obsidian Flames expansion launches August 11, 2023. We’ve also got an overview of the set! For more Pokemon TCG coverage, check out our archive.

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