Japanese BW Pokémon TCG Sets

All sets

About the BW era

The BW era started the card game over. The Black Collection and White Collection released on December 17, 2010 with 53 cards and 3 secret cards each, made entirely of Generation V Pokémon with the sole exception of Pikachu, headlined by Reshiram and Zekrom. They introduced Abilities, replacing the long standing Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies, and became the English Black & White set of April 25, 2011.

The era settled into a rhythm of paired expansions. Red Collection, on July 15, 2011, brought Victini and the Restored Pokémon mechanic for Fossils and became Noble Victories. Psycho Drive and Hail Blizzard, on September 16, 2011, introduced Pokémon-EX, more powerful Basic Pokémon worth two Prize cards, and became Next Destinies. Dark Rush, on December 16, 2011, was the first set whose secret cards could be Item cards, marked with a holofoil Poké Ball in the attack box, and became Dark Explorers. Dragon Blast and Dragon Blade, on March 16, 2012, followed the Dragon Selection subset of January 27, 2012 in introducing Dragon Pokémon, whose attacks need Energy of other types because there is no Dragon Energy, and became Dragons Exalted in the Year of the Dragon.

Freeze Bolt and Cold Flare, on July 13, 2012, introduced ACE SPEC cards, Items so powerful they were limited to 1 per deck, with holofoil borders and red Trainer text, and became Boundaries Crossed. Plasma Gale on September 14, 2012, Spiral Force and Thunder Knuckle on December 14, 2012 and Megalo Cannon on March 15, 2013 carried the Team Plasma storyline through Plasma Storm, Plasma Freeze and Plasma Blast, with blue and silver Team Plasma card frames and, in Plasma Freeze, shards of ice across the artwork after Team Plasma froze Opelucid City with Kyurem.

Two concept packs closed the era. The Shiny Collection of February 1, 2013, marketed primarily at girls with Bubble Holofoil cards and foil watermarks, became the Radiant Collection of Legendary Treasures, and EX Battle Boost of July 13, 2013, reprints with alternate artwork from across the era, became Legendary Treasures itself on November 6, 2013. The BW-P Promotional cards ran throughout, and several promos planned for the 2011 championship series were cancelled after the Tōhoku earthquake of March 2011, the only cancelled cards in the game.

Collectors chase the secret rare Charizard of Plasma Gale, the full art Pokémon-EX and the Shiny Collection. The set hubs below carry every card list, the live chase prices and the editorial history of each release.

• Abilities and a fresh start The Black and White Collections of December 17, 2010 were made entirely of Generation V Pokémon apart from Pikachu, and they introduced Abilities in place of Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies.
• Pokémon-EX Psycho Drive and Hail Blizzard introduced Pokémon-EX on September 16, 2011, Basic Pokémon worth two Prize cards, the mechanic that carried the game through the BW and XY eras.
• Dragons and ACE SPEC Dragon Selection introduced Dragon Pokémon on January 27, 2012, followed by Dragon Blast and Dragon Blade, and Freeze Bolt and Cold Flare introduced ACE SPEC cards limited to 1 per deck.
• Team Plasma Plasma Gale, Spiral Force, Thunder Knuckle and Megalo Cannon carried the Team Plasma storyline in blue and silver card frames, and the secret rare Charizard of Plasma Gale is the era's chase card.
• Two concept packs The Shiny Collection, aimed at girls with Bubble Holofoil cards, became the Radiant Collection abroad, and EX Battle Boost's alternate art reprints became Legendary Treasures.
• Paired releases Most blocks released as two expansions on the same day and were combined into one English set, so the era has fourteen Japanese main expansions and eleven English ones.

Release timeline

1. BW-P Promotional cards December 1, 2010 · 229 cards · BW-P
2. Black Collection December 17, 2010 · 56 cards · BW1
3. White Collection December 17, 2010 · 56 cards · BW1
4. Red Collection July 15, 2011 · 72 cards · BW2
5. Hail Blizzard September 16, 2011 · 57 cards · BW3
6. Psycho Drive September 16, 2011 · 57 cards · BW3
7. Dark Rush December 16, 2011 · 76 cards · BW4
8. Dragon Selection January 27, 2012 · 20 cards · DS
9. Dragon Blade March 16, 2012 · 55 cards · BW5
10. Dragon Blast March 16, 2012 · 55 cards · BW5
11. Cold Flare July 13, 2012 · 65 cards · BW6
12. Freeze Bolt July 13, 2012 · 65 cards · BW6
13. Plasma Gale September 14, 2012 · 79 cards · BW7
14. Spiral Force December 14, 2012 · 58 cards · BW8
15. Thunder Knuckle December 14, 2012 · 58 cards · BW8
16. Shiny Collection February 1, 2013 · 25 cards · SC
17. Megalo Cannon March 15, 2013 · 86 cards · BW9
18. EX Battle Boost July 13, 2013 · 99 cards · EBB

Top 10 cards

No card pricing is published yet.

Japanese BW Pokémon TCG Sets FAQ

How many sets are in the BW era?

There are 18 published BW era sets in this hub.

When were the BW era sets released?

The published BW era sets were released from December 1, 2010 to July 13, 2013.

What are the top chase cards in the BW era?

Tracked chase cards are not currently available for the BW era.

How many sets are in the Japanese BW era?

Eighteen: fourteen main expansions from the Black and White Collections to Megalo Cannon, the Dragon Selection and Shiny Collection subsets, the EX Battle Boost concept pack and the BW-P Promotional cards.

When did the Japanese BW era start and end?

It opened with the Black Collection and White Collection on December 17, 2010 and closed with EX Battle Boost on July 13, 2013, after which the XY era began.

What mechanics did the BW era introduce?

Abilities in the Black and White Collections, Restored Pokémon in Red Collection, Pokémon-EX in Psycho Drive and Hail Blizzard, Dragon Pokémon in Dragon Selection and ACE SPEC cards in Freeze Bolt and Cold Flare.

Which English sets came from the BW era?

Black & White, Noble Victories, Next Destinies, Dark Explorers, Dragon Vault, Dragons Exalted, Boundaries Crossed, Plasma Storm, Plasma Freeze, Plasma Blast and Legendary Treasures with its Radiant Collection. Emerging Powers has no Japanese main expansion equivalent.

Which Japanese BW era cards do collectors chase most?

The secret rare Charizard of Plasma Gale leads the main expansions, with the full art Pokémon-EX and the Shiny Collection cards behind it. Each set hub ranks its own chase cards by live PSA 10 value.

Sources

• Bulbapedia: List of Japanese Pokémon Trading Card Game expansions, BW Era
• Bulbapedia: Black & White (TCG)
• Bulbapedia: Shiny Collection (TCG)
• Slabfolio set hubs for the Japanese BW era