If you'd told me over a year ago that a rather dismal chase card from Pokémon TCG's Obsidian Flames would surge in price and hit over $100 in average sales, I'd have scoffed at you. Despite liking the card myself, the Charizard ex #223 SIR is arguably one of the Scarlet & Violet era's most underwhelming chases, and the consensus across the collecting community was a resounding 'meh'. However, as Phantasmal Flames approaches, it's looking like this SIR will be worth much more soon.
Let's get this out of the way first. Do I think Charizard ex #223 will break into the most expensive Pokémon cards anytime soon? No, not a chance. It's a beautiful card in my eyes but, compared with other chases across the Scarlet & Violet era, it's a fairly boring one. For a while, it was sitting around the $40-50 mark, which, as Pokémon TCG aftermarket prices go these days, I think is reasonable for this particular single.
Even as the market has gone wild over the last few months, Obsidian Flames has remained one of the Pokémon sets least affected by hype driven price rises. That was the case until recently, anyway. After the release of Inferno X, the Japanese version of the upcoming Phantasmal Flames, this boring chase has started soaring in price, becoming one of the best Charizard cards in the current market in value terms, and it's honestly not really deserving of it.
As much as I like it, it's never been one of the best Pokémon cards. But, like many other Charizard singles, it's climbed in price as the newest Pokémon set, Phantasmal Flames, approaches its November release. With a clear Mega Charizard card as its primary chase, it's predictably boosting prices for other iconic 'zard cards, but this one is a surprising case, considering the universally mediocre response it got on release.
According to Pricecharting, Charizard ex #223 hit over $100 in average sales in September 2025, and although that has seen a small drop since then to an average of $90, it's still a lot higher than it once was. Even around April, May, and June this year, when generall Pokémon hype was going strong, it was sitting around the $60 mark, and stayed fairly steady thereabouts until recently. If you're looking to buy it, you can find it around the current price or below the market price on TCGPlayer.
I'm hoping it drops in value in the near future, but for now, Charizard ex #223 is a surprisingly expensive Pokémon, considering the opinions on it when it launched. If you've already got this card, or you're waiting for some Obsidian Flames products to go on sale, you can check out our Wargamer Discord to keep track of deals or share your favorite pulls already.