Charizard ex

Why collectors notice it

Many collectors compare this card with the 1999 Base Set Charizard to see how card design, art and rarity treatments have changed over a quarter of a century.

It connects the original Pokémon to the newest card styles. Read more about Scarlet & Violet—151.

A closer look

Reading this card

Read the name first: the lowercase "ex" places the card in the Pokémon ex group, which returned in 2023. Then the stage line, which says Stage 2 and names Charmeleon as the card below it. The type is Fire.

The rarity says Double Rare. In the Scarlet & Violet era that label goes on Pokémon ex and is marked with two stars. It tells you the card is a standard ex card and not an Illustration Rare, where the artwork covers much of the frame.

Look for the Ability, which is the modern name for the early Pokémon Power. On this card it helps a deck set up Energy. A card also gives up extra Prize cards when it is knocked out, which is the price of being an ex.

How it compares

The obvious comparison is the 1999 Charizard. Same Pokémon and same stage, yet nearly everything around it changed: the set, the rarity label, the Pokémon Power turned into an Ability, and the extra Prize rule. Putting the two side by side is a quick lesson in how card design has moved on.

The Charizard-GX card is the middle step. It is another modern special group, but from the 2019 Hidden Fates set and labeled Rare Shiny GX. Reading all three shows the same Pokémon across about twenty-four years of printing.

Questions readers ask

Is ex the same as the older EX?

The name is related, but they are different groups from different eras. Our Pokémon ex & GX page has the timeline.

Where should a beginner start?

Pick the era you care about and read one card at a time. This site does not give prices.

Related cards