Phantasmal Flames ETB Review & Pull Rates
The Phantasmal Flames Pokemon Center ETB gives you 11 shots at pulling the most valuable Charizard card in modern Pokemon. With the Mega Charizard X ex SIR sitting at $500-$900 on the secondary market, every pack from this set carries genuine excitement. But what are your actual odds, and is the PC exclusive ETB worth the premium over the retail version?
What's in the PC Exclusive ETB
The Phantasmal Flames Pokemon Center ETB contains 11 booster packs (retail gets 9), two Charcadet promo cards (#022) with one carrying the exclusive Pokemon Center logo stamp, 65 card sleeves with Mega Gengar artwork, dice, energy cards, and the collector's box. The Charcadet stamped promo is already trading at $80+ on the secondary market as a standalone card.
Pull Rates: What to Expect from 11 Packs
Based on community data from over 10,000 documented pack openings, here's what Phantasmal Flames pull rates look like and what that means for an 11-pack PC ETB:
Illustration Rare (1 in 9 packs): You should expect at least 1 IR from a PC ETB, with a decent chance of pulling 2. These are the extended-artwork cards that look stunning in a binder but sit in the mid-tier for value. The Zacian IR and Flygon IR are the standouts from this tier, both featuring striking full-art compositions that look stunning in a binder.
Ultra Rare (1 in 12 packs): Roughly a 60% chance of pulling at least one Ultra Rare from 11 packs. Full-art Pokemon ex and Trainer cards with textured holofoil. The full-art Dawn card from this rarity tier has quietly become a collector favourite due to the character's popularity and clean artwork composition.
Special Illustration Rare (1 in 80 packs): About a 13% chance from 11 packs. This is where Mega Charizard X ex SIR, Mega Sharpedo ex SIR, Dawn SIR, and Rotom ex SIR live. Pulling one from a single ETB is lucky. Pulling the Charizard specifically is roughly a 1 in 320 pack proposition — so from 11 packs, you're looking at about a 3.4% chance. Not impossible, but plan your expectations accordingly.
Mega Attack Rare (1 in 40 packs): Roughly 24% chance from 11 packs. These dynamic attack-animation cards sit between Ultra Rare and SIR in value. The Mega Charizard X Mega Attack Rare is the most sought-after from this tier, trading at $40-$60, and it scratches the Charizard itch for collectors who don't hit the SIR.
Mega Hyper Rare (1 in 1,260 packs): Under 1% chance from a single ETB. These gold-foil Mega Evolution cards are the rarest pulls in the set. Don't buy a single ETB expecting one. Across the entire Phantasmal Flames print run, these will remain genuinely scarce cards that hold long-term value precisely because of their low pull rates.
PC Exclusive vs Retail ETB: The Odds Comparison
Two extra packs doesn't just mean 22% more cards. It meaningfully shifts your odds on the rarer pulls. SIR chance goes from about 10.6% (9 packs) to 12.9% (11 packs). The gap is small in percentage terms but real in practice. Over 10 ETBs, those extra 20 packs add up to roughly 2.5 additional opportunities at a SIR pull.
The PC exclusive also wins on the promo. The stamped Charcadet trades at a premium over the non-stamped retail version and holds value as a collectible independent of the set's booster content. PC stamped promos from the Mega Evolution era have consistently outperformed their retail counterparts on the secondary market — the pattern is clear enough to treat as a reliable trend rather than a one-off.
Then there's the resale floor. If you decide to sell a sealed PC ETB later, the Pokemon Center exclusive version commands a higher price than retail across every Mega Evolution set released so far. The exclusivity factor creates a price floor that standard retail ETBs simply don't have.
Verdict
The Phantasmal Flames PC ETB is one of the strongest ETBs in the current era. The Charizard chase card drives sustained demand, the Charcadet stamped promo adds exclusive value, and the darker set aesthetic stands out from the rest of the Mega Evolution lineup. If you're choosing one Phantasmal Flames product, the PC ETB edges out the retail version on every metric except price per pack — and even there, the stamped promo and resale value close the gap.
For a broader comparison of how Phantasmal Flames stacks up against other Mega Evolution sets, see our Mega Evolution sets ranked guide. The booster box (36 packs) is the better option if you want maximum pull chances, and our booster box review covers those odds in detail.
The Phantasmal Flames booster bundle offers a lighter 6-pack entry point. Check the full Phantasmal Flames collection for current availability. Drop alerts for restocks. Combined with sustained secondary market demand for the Charizard SIR, the Phantasmal Flames ETB has become one of the era's most reliable sealed holds.
