Zekrom has been a Japanese Pokemon TCG mainstay since December 2010, and in that time it has shown up as a solo attacker, a Tag Team GX partner — twice — and now a modern ex. Fifteen years in, there is still no Amazing Rare Zekrom, which makes the card’s history a little easier to map than most legendaries.
This guide walks through every verified Japanese Zekrom printing, from the 2010 White Collection debut to the current Black Bolt (SV11B) and Mega Dream ex (M2a) era, and points to what is actually available to buy today. We ship Japanese singles and sealed product out of Tokyo, so the in-stock cards referenced here are what is sitting in our own inventory as of August 2026, not third-party listings we cannot verify.
Unlike some legendaries whose print history sprawls across dozens of side sets and reprint waves, Zekrom’s path is comparatively tidy: three solo-card releases, two Tag Team GX partnerships, one promo line, and a current-era cluster spread across two 2025 sets. That makes it a reasonable card to map completely rather than cherry-picking a handful of “best” prints, which is the approach we take below.
Zekrom has at least 15 distinct Japanese printings across White Collection (2010), Legendary Killer Collection (2015), two Tag Team GX sets (2018–2019), Legendary Heartbeat, and the current SV11B Black Bolt / M2a Mega Dream ex era (2025). No Amazing Rare Zekrom exists — the nine-card Amazing Rare run skipped it entirely. Our top in-stock graded copy right now is a PSA 10 Zekrom ex BWR (174/086, Black Bolt) at ¥134,816 (~$848) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).
Prices are listed at ¥159/USD (August 2026). Yen figures are our current listed prices on in-stock items; USD conversions are rounded.
Notable Zekrom Printings at a Glance
Zekrom’s Japanese card history runs across six eras. Here is every printing confirmed for this guide, transcribed from Limitless TCG and Bulbapedia listings plus our own inventory records:
| Card | Set | Number | Rarity | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zekrom | White Collection (BW1w) | 020/053 | R | 2010-12-17 |
| Zekrom | Legendary Killer Collection (CP2) | 009/027 | R | 2015-07-18 |
| Zekrom | Legendary Heartbeat (S3a) | 020 | R | — |
| Pikachu & Zekrom GX | Tag Bolt (SM9) | 031/095 | RR | 2018-12-07 |
| Pikachu & Zekrom GX | Tag Bolt (SM9) | 100/095 | SR | 2018-12-07 |
| Pikachu & Zekrom GX | Tag Bolt (SM9) | 101/095 | SR (SA) | 2018-12-07 |
| Zekrom PROMO | S8a-P promo line | 021/025 | Promo | — |
| Reshiram & Zekrom GX | Dream League (SM11b) | 036/049 | RR | 2019-08-02 |
| Reshiram & Zekrom GX | Dream League (SM11b) | 064/049 | SR | 2019-08-02 |
| Zekrom ex | Black Bolt (SV11B) | 037/086 | RR | 2025-06-06 |
| Zekrom ex | Black Bolt (SV11B) | 161/086 | SR | 2025-06-06 |
| Zekrom ex | Black Bolt (SV11B) | 169/086 | SAR | 2025-06-06 |
| Zekrom ex | Black Bolt (SV11B) | 174/086 | BWR | 2025-06-06 |
| Zekrom ex | Mega Dream ex (M2a) | #51 | RR | 2025-11-28 |
| N’s Zekrom | Mega Dream ex (M2a) | 210/193 | AR | 2025-11-28 |
One thing worth flagging up front: Zekrom never received an Amazing Rare treatment. The Amazing Rare mechanic ran for exactly nine cards across S3a and S4a, and Zekrom’s S3a appearance (020) is a standard R, not an AR. If a listing claims an Amazing Rare Zekrom, that print does not exist. If you’re tracking related prints, see our Kyurem cards guide.
Reading down the table, a pattern emerges: as catalogued here, Zekrom’s three solo prints (BW1w, CP2, S3a) sit at standard R rarity, while the Tag Team GX and ex cards climb into RR, SR, SAR, or AR territory. Tag Bolt and Dream League each produced multiple rarity tiers of the same character combination rather than one card apiece, which is standard practice for Tag Team GX and modern ex releases — the base rarity ships in every pack, and the higher tiers are the harder pulls from the same box.
The Original: White Collection to Legendary Killer Collection (2010–2015)
Zekrom’s first Japanese card came out of White Collection (BW1w), released December 17, 2010 — the same wave that introduced Black & White era Pokemon to the Japanese market. The English debut followed in the Black & White base set (47/114).
Five years later, Zekrom reappeared in the Legendary Killer Collection concept pack (CP2), released July 18, 2015 as card 009 of a 27-card set. Concept packs like CP2 are smaller, themed releases rather than full 100+ card expansions, and Zekrom’s slot in one at standard R rarity reflects that — it is a collectible print, not a chase card, and it has never carried a premium finish.
Between these two prints and its later appearance as a standard R in Legendary Heartbeat (S3a, card 020), Zekrom’s solo-card history in Japan is straightforward: three regular-rarity releases, no full arts, no secret rares, and no Amazing Rare. If you’re specifically after an early, pre-GX Zekrom for a collection built around the White & Black era, these three are the complete list — there is no fourth solo print hiding in a promo box or side release that we have been able to confirm. The card’s biggest jumps in value and visibility came once it started sharing a card with other Pokemon in the Tag Team GX era, which is where the rest of this guide spends most of its time.
The Tag Team Era: Pikachu & Zekrom GX and Reshiram & Zekrom GX
Zekrom’s highest-profile era arrived with the Sun & Moon Tag Team GX mechanic, which paired it with two different partners across two sets.
Pikachu & Zekrom GX debuted in Tag Bolt (SM9), released December 7, 2018, across three prints: the RR at 031/095, an SR at 100/095, and a special-art SR at 101/095. It is the more widely known of the two Tag Team cards — enough that we cover it in a dedicated Pikachu & Zekrom GX breakdown if you want the full pull-by-pull detail on that release. The special-art SR (101/095) pictured above swaps the standard character-portrait layout for a full illustration treatment, which is why it sits at the top of Tag Bolt’s Zekrom-related pulls despite sharing a card number range with the plainer 100/095 SR.
Reshiram & Zekrom GX followed in Dream League (SM11b), released August 2, 2019, with an RR at 036/049 and an SR at 064/049. This is the set where Zekrom shares the frame with its Black & White era counterpart Reshiram — if you’re building out the full legendary-dragon side of the story, our Reshiram cards guide covers Reshiram’s own printings, including this same Dream League set. Dream League is also a noticeably smaller print than Tag Bolt (49 cards in the base set versus 95), which is reflected in the higher box price further down this guide — fewer packs printed generally means a steeper cost to open one today.
Both Tag Team cards follow the same general design pattern: an RR print that circulates in normal pack ratios, and one or two SR-tier prints above it that are meaningfully harder to open. If your goal is simply to own the character combination rather than chase the top rarity, the RR-tier card (031/095 for Pikachu & Zekrom GX, 036/049 for Reshiram & Zekrom GX) is the more attainable target from sealed product.
For the rest of what Dream League has to offer, see our Dream League set breakdown.
Zekrom ex in Black Bolt: The Current Chase
Zekrom’s most recent Japanese printing set is Black Bolt (SV11B), released June 6, 2025, which turned Zekrom into a full ex card across four separate rarities: a regular RR at 037/086, an SR at 161/086, a Special Art Rare at 169/086, and a BWR at 174/086. That last one is our top graded Zekrom in stock right now — PSA 10 Zekrom ex BWR, currently listed at ¥134,816 (~$848) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).
Black Bolt’s Special Art Rare (169/086) sits one tier below the BWR as a collector-oriented alternate print. Zekrom’s story continued into the very next major release, Mega Dream ex (M2a), out November 28, 2025, which carries both a standard Zekrom ex RR (card #51) and a second character variant — N’s Zekrom, an Art Rare at 210/193. It is the same set that produced N’s Zoroark ex, so if you’re pulling both characters, they come out of the same boxes.
Taken together, Black Bolt and Mega Dream ex give Zekrom six current-era printings released within a six-month window of each other — more distinct Zekrom cards than any prior era produced across a comparable stretch of time. For anyone assembling a “modern Zekrom” collection rather than chasing a single grail card, these two sets are the entire target list.
There is also a Zekrom promo card tied to the S8a-P line (021/025); we currently have a PSA 10 graded copy listed at ¥23,716 (~$149) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) if you want a graded promo rather than a mainline set print outside of Black Bolt or Mega Dream ex.
Black Bolt boxes are the only sealed product that can produce all four SV11B Zekrom ex rarities in one box — the RR, SR, SAR, and BWR are all part of the same print run.
Which Zekrom Product Fits Your Budget
Working from the in-stock prices in this guide, here’s how a Zekrom collection could break down by spend:
- Entry tier — either a single sealed Black Bolt booster box, currently listed at ¥23,320–24,480 (~$147–$154), which can produce all four current-era Zekrom ex rarities, or the graded PSA 10 Zekrom promo, currently listed at ¥23,716 (~$149) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), if you’d rather own a guaranteed card than gamble on a pack.
- Mid tier — a sealed Legendary Heartbeat booster box, currently listed at ¥42,000 (~$264), the entry point for the standard-R Zekrom from that set, alongside whatever else that box contains.
- Graded chase card — the route with no gambling involved: our PSA 10 Zekrom ex BWR (174/086), currently listed at ¥134,816 (~$848) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), the top Zekrom single currently in our inventory.
- Full box, older set — a full Dream League booster box, currently listed at ¥176,400 (~$1,109), for collectors specifically targeting Reshiram & Zekrom GX alongside the rest of that lower-print set.
Buying sealed product means the specific Zekrom rarity you end up with is not guaranteed — a box can produce the common RR just as easily as the rarer SAR or BWR. If you need a specific card number and rarity, a graded single or a Quick Order request removes that variable.
How to Collect Zekrom Cards from Japan
If you want to chase Zekrom pulls yourself rather than buying graded singles, sealed Japanese boxes from the relevant sets are the way in. Here is what we currently have listed:
| Box | Zekrom card(s) inside | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SV11B Black Bolt Booster Box | Zekrom ex RR / SR / SAR / BWR | ¥23,320–24,480 (~$147–$154) |
| SM11B Dream League Booster Box | Reshiram & Zekrom GX RR / SR | ¥176,400 (~$1,109) |
| S3A Legendary Heartbeat Booster Box | Zekrom R (020) | ¥42,000 (~$264) |
Dream League boxes run considerably higher than the others because it is an older, lower-print set with two Tag Team GX chase cards in one list — Reshiram & Zekrom GX being one of them. If your goal is simply to own a current-era Zekrom ex, Black Bolt is the more accessible entry point of the three.
Prefer graded singles or a specific card number instead of chasing a pull? Request a quote via our Quick Order page and we’ll confirm current availability for the printing you want. PSA independently determines authenticity and grade on any graded card we list.
Where to Buy Zekrom Cards
We ship Japanese singles and sealed product worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. For a browsable view of everything we have graded and in stock across sets, our PSA 10 card list is the fastest way to scan current inventory.
For everything from Mega Dream ex, see our Mega Dream ex set breakdown, and for a sealed-box comparison of Legendary Heartbeat, check the Legendary Heartbeat set guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Zekrom’s first Japanese card?
Zekrom 020/053 R from White Collection (BW1w), released December 17, 2010.
Is there an Amazing Rare Zekrom?
No. The Amazing Rare mechanic covered nine cards total across S3a and S4a, and Zekrom’s S3a appearance (020) is a standard R, not an Amazing Rare.
What sets have a Zekrom Tag Team GX card?
Two: Pikachu & Zekrom GX in Tag Bolt (SM9, 2018) and Reshiram & Zekrom GX in Dream League (SM11b, 2019).
What is the newest Zekrom card?
Zekrom ex from Mega Dream ex (M2a, released November 28, 2025, card #51), alongside a related character variant, N’s Zekrom (Art Rare, 210/193), in the same set. The most recent full-set release with Zekrom ex is Black Bolt (SV11B, June 6, 2025), across four rarities.
Where can I buy a graded Zekrom card?
We currently have a PSA 10 Zekrom ex BWR (174/086, Black Bolt) listed at ¥134,816 (about $848) and a PSA 10 Zekrom promo (S8a-P 021/025) listed at ¥23,716 (about $149). For other printings, request a quote via our Quick Order page.
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