Phantasmal Flames Charizard: UPC, Gold, and Every Mega Variant

Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Phantasmal Flames (set code PFL / ME02) released November 14, 2025 as the second Mega Evolution expansion — 130 cards, six Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, Mega Charizard X ex on the box — and shipped four distinct in-set Charizard variants (013/094 Double Rare, 109/094 Full Art Ultra Rare, 125/094 SIR, and the lone-in-set 130/094 gold-etched Mega Hyper Rare) plus the MEP #023 Black Star Promo exclusive to the $119.99 Mega Charizard X ex Ultra Premium Collection. The SERP for phantasmal flames charizard and gold charizard phantasmal flames is a wall of retailer listings for the 125/094 SIR plus image carousels surfacing the 130/094 gold and MEP #023 — no editorial pulls them together. This guide does: every variant with verified card numbers and artists, the published pull rates (the 130/094 gold pulls at roughly 1-in-1,260 packs per a 5,000+ pack opening sample), per-variant values, the boxed-product family, and a rip alternative. For the broader Mega-Charizard chronology across both X and Y forms from 2014 forward, see the Mega Charizard ex guide; for the UPC product family 2019–2025, see the Charizard UPC guide.

Part of: Complete Pokémon Cards Guide — the pillar overview of every era from 1999 WOTC to the 2025 Mega Evolution Pokémon TCG.

Phantasmal Flames in 60 seconds: the set, the release, the Charizard

Phantasmal Flames is the November 14, 2025 second wave of the Mega Evolution Series — the modern revival of the 2014 Flashfire Mega EX mechanic, now updated to the lowercase "Mega ex" treatment that gives up three prize cards on knockout. Set code PFL / ME02, box-cover Pokémon Mega Charizard X ex. The fast facts:

• Total cards: 130 — 94 main + 36 secret rares numbered 095/094 through 130/094.
• Six Mega Evolution Pokémon ex: Mega Charizard X ex (#013), Mega Heracross ex (#004), Mega Diancie ex (#041), Mega Gengar ex (#056), Mega Sharpedo ex (#061), Mega Lopunny ex (#084).
• Mega Hyper Rare count: ONE. Mega Charizard X ex 130/094 is the only Mega Hyper Rare in the entire 130-card set — and the inaugural Mega Hyper Rare ever printed, debuting the brand-new top-rarity tier on launch day, November 14, 2025. Coverage elsewhere that attributes the tier debut to Ascended Heroes (January 30, 2026) has the chronology wrong. Phantasmal Flames came first.
• Charizard set-mates: Charmander 011/094 Common, Charmeleon 012/094 Common.
• Mechanic anchor: the signature Mega X attack is Inferno X — 90× damage per Fire Energy discarded — shared across every Mega Charizard X ex variant in the set including the MEP #023 promo.
• Sealed-product family: Booster Box (36 packs, $144.99 MSRP), ETB ($49.99), Pokémon Center ETB ($59.99), Booster Bundle ($26.94), Mega Charizard X ex Ultra Premium Collection ($119.99), Build & Battle Box ($21.99–$29.99), blisters ($4.49–$7.99).

For the broader Mega-Charizard chronology from 2014 Flashfire through the February 2026 Tin SKUs, see the Mega Charizard ex guide.

Every Phantasmal Flames Mega Charizard X ex variant (the master table)

One row per (card number, rarity tier, artist, pull rate). Every cell cross-references Bulbapedia (/wiki/Mega_Charizard_X_ex_(Phantasmal_Flames_13)), the Pokémon.com TCG database, Limitless TCG, and TCGplayer's PFL product pages. Pull rates come from TCG Protectors' 5,000+ pack opening dataset. The card number printed in the lower-left corner is the load-bearing identifier — retailer listings sometimes flip the variant labels, but the printed number is canonical.

Three table notes. First, 125/094 is the only print with a different artist — danciao on the SIR, takuyoa on 013/109/130, Saboteri on MEP #023. Second, the 130/094 MHR is the lone Mega Hyper Rare in the entire set — Charizard isn't a chase here, he's the chase. Third, MEP #023 is not pulled from packs — it's guaranteed (one per box) in the $119.99 UPC; see the UPC section below.

The rates above are tier-wide, not Mega-Charizard-specific. A Double Rare pull could be any DR; an SIR could be Mega Sharpedo ex 127, Mega Lopunny ex 128, Dawn 129, or another SIR — though the Mega X 125/094 is the marquee SIR and pulls disproportionately. The MHR slot is the exception: the 130/094 is the only MHR, so every MHR pull is the Charizard gold. For the broader S&V ex mechanic across non-Mega variants, see the Charizard ex guide.

The 125/094 Special Illustration Rare: the breakout grail

The 125/094 Special Illustration Rare is the volume-driver chase of the cluster — the print every top-15 retailer page organizes around, and the card that lit the set on fire when PokéBeach broke the "Inferno X Secret Rares Revealed" scoop in September 2025. Artist danciao delivered the full-card fire-and-claw composition with no text frame — the aesthetic that broke containment.

PSA-10 economics (Card Ladder plus the MagPro Dec 2025 sales snapshot):

• Raw NM: $475–$635 (May 2026 eBay active).
• PSA 10 (Dec 2025 MagPro): $1,750–$1,800 cleared.
• PSA 10 (May 2026 eBay active): $1,525–$2,725.
• CGC 10 outlier: one auction reportedly cleared $54,100 late 2025 (Reddit r/PokeInvesting).

For the SIR-tier mechanic across the broader S&V ex landscape, see the Charizard ex guide.

The 130/094 Mega Hyper Rare (the "Gold" Charizard)

The 130/094 Mega Charizard X ex Mega Hyper Rare is the card the article title promises — gold-etched secret-rare Charizard, takuyoa art, full-card gold foil with etched detail across the entire face. It is the only Mega Hyper Rare in the entire 130-card Phantasmal Flames set, the rarest card in PFL, and the inaugural card ever printed at the Mega Hyper Rare tier — a brand-new top-rarity slot that debuted at Phantasmal Flames on November 14, 2025 (not at Ascended Heroes in January 2026, despite some hobby-press coverage suggesting otherwise). Ascended Heroes expanded the tier; Phantasmal Flames introduced it.

Pull-rate math on the 130/094:

• Per pack: 1 in 1,260 (TCG Protectors' 5,000+ pack dataset) — roughly 16× harder than the 1:80 SIR tier.
• Per Booster Box (36 packs): ~0.029 MHRs — about one every 35 boxes ($5,075 MSRP / $7,700–$10,150 secondary to statistically expect one).

Current values (Sports Card Investor price guide, refreshed 5/15/2026):

• Raw LP (5/15/2026): $355; 30-day trend −1.2%
• PSA 9 average: ~$445
• CGC 10: $1,500+
• PSA 10: data thin — modern grade still maturing; treat any PSA-10 ask as floating-price discovery. Historical precedent on hot modern golds: ~2×–3× the CGC 10.

The gold charizard phantasmal flames search carries roughly 3,800 monthly US searches at KD 0 — and the SERP serves it with zero editorial.

The 013/094 Double Rare and 109/094 Full Art: the playable and the contrarian

Below the SIR and MHR sit two more-accessible Mega Charizard X ex prints — both takuyoa, both 360 HP, both Inferno X:

• 013/094 Double Rare — the playable mass-pull with the standard orange ex frame. Tier-wide 1:5 rate means ~7 DRs per box; one or two plausibly the Mega X 013 specifically. Raw is single-digit / low-double-digit; PSA 10 stays modest. The cheapest path into a graded modern Mega Charizard X slab.
• 109/094 Full Art Ultra Rare — textured silver border, full-body blue-flame art. Tier-wide 1:12 rate; PSA 10 typically mid-three-figure. Hobby forum chatter through Q2 2026 calls this the under-loved print as collectors chase the SIR and gold, keeping its ceiling deflated. The contrarian long-term hold.

MEP #023: the Ultra Premium Collection Black Star Promo

MEP #023 is the Mega Charizard X ex Black Star Promo by artist Saboteri — distinct from in-set takuyoa/danciao prints — with a blue-flame holo treatment exclusive to the Mega Charizard X ex Ultra Premium Collection released alongside Phantasmal Flames on November 14, 2025. MEP = "Mega Evolution Promos." MEP #023 is not the same physical card as 013/094 — same character, different SKU, different art, different foil, different distribution path.

Full UPC contents at $119.99 MSRP (TCG Protectors):

• 4 PFL packs + 14 mixed packs = 18 total
• MEP #023 Mega Charizard X ex Black Star Promo (guaranteed)
• Oricorio ex promo
• Playmat, 65 sleeves, deck box, coin, dice
• Secondary typical: $180–$220 per the Charizard UPC guide.

MEP #023's secondary arc is a typical post-launch story: ~$80+ in December 2025, compressed to ~$44 by May 2026 per a Facebook PokéInvesting snapshot. Compression appears stabilized — it's the cheapest holo Mega Charizard X with a real chase-tier card number, which gives a price floor. Decision math: sealed UPC (~$200 secondary) gets you box + promo + playmat + 4 PFL packs; buying MEP #023 raw at ~$44 plus 4 PFL singles separately ($20–$32) lands $64–$76 without the playmat. Closer than the sticker suggests.

For the UPC product family from Hidden Fates 2019 through Mega Charizard X ex 2025, the Charizard UPC guide is the deep-dive.

Pull rates: what you'd actually pull from a Phantasmal Flames Booster Box

TCG Protectors' 5,000+ pack dataset translated to a single 36-pack Booster Box ($144.99 MSRP):

For a single-box opener: ~7 DRs (one or two plausibly Mega X 013), ~3 URs (likely zero Mega X 109), ~1-in-2-boxes for any SIR (~1-in-12 for the Mega X 125 specifically, with the slot distributing across five SIRs). The 130/094 MHR is out of reach in a single box — about 35 boxes to expect one ($5,075 MSRP / $7,700–$10,150 secondary), which is why most collectors who land it are case-breakers, sealed-box flippers, or raw-singles buyers. Pull rates are statistical averages, not per-box guarantees — a single box can pull zero SIRs or two; one MHR or zero across twenty boxes.

Which Phantasmal Flames SKU should you buy for Charizard?

If you're buying sealed specifically to chase a Charizard pull, the SKU changes the math. The seven-SKU family:

The Charizard-first answer: the UPC ($119.99 MSRP) is the only PFL SKU that ships a guaranteed Mega Charizard X ex. Every other SKU is a statistical chase. If your goal is a Mega X in hand, the UPC delivers MEP #023 day one; if your goal is the specific 125/094 SIR or 130/094 gold, rip a Booster Box (low odds on SIR, near-zero on gold) or buy graded. See the Charizard UPC guide for sealed-vs-rip math.

How to identify which Phantasmal Flames Charizard you pulled

If you just ripped a Mega Charizard X ex out of a PFL pack, five steps get you to a definitive answer:

1. Read the card number in the lower-left corner. 013/094 = Double Rare. 109/094 = Full Art Ultra Rare. 125/094 = SIR. 130/094 = Mega Hyper Rare gold — the rarest card in the entire set. MEP #023 = UPC-exclusive Black Star Promo (not pulled from packs).
2. Check the artist signature. danciao = 125/094 SIR. Every other in-set variant (013, 109, 130) is takuyoa. MEP #023 is Saboteri. Artist alone disambiguates the SIR.
3. Check the rarity stamp in the lower-right. Double Rare (RR), Ultra Rare (UR), Special Illustration Rare (SIR), or the brand-new Mega Hyper Rare stamp introduced at PFL on November 14, 2025 with the 130/094.
4. Look at the foil. Standard ex text frame = 013 Double Rare. Textured silver border with full-body art = 109 Full Art. Full-card painted scene, no text frame = 125 SIR. Solid gold-etched foil across the entire face = 130 MHR. Blue-flame promo holo = MEP #023.
5. Verify on canonical sources. Bulbapedia + Pokémon.com TCG database for the print. For graded copies, the cert resolves on the grader's site: PSA, CGC, SGC.

Hunt a Phantasmal Flames Charizard without a $200 sealed UPC

Three legitimate paths exist for a collector who wants a Phantasmal Flames Mega Charizard X ex in hand:

Pullmarket runs a hybrid fulfillment model per Terms §5.5 — pulled slabs are held in Pullmarket's insured custody or sourced from verified supplier and partner-vault inventory. Either way, you get a real third-party-graded card with a cert that resolves on the grader's website. Pullmarket Gems is store credit and is not cashable (Terms §9.1). Pullmarket is not a sweepstakes, lottery, casino, or wagering product — the product is collecting and ripping real graded cards with odds published before purchase. Full walkthrough on our trust and safety page; the rip → decide → vault / ship / sell-back flow on how Pullmarket works. For era context, the pillar Charizard set-by-set guide maps Base Set 1999 forward; the SV 151 Charizard guide, Obsidian Flames Charizard guide, and Paldean Fates Charizard guide cover parallel S&V ex variants outside the Mega line.

Ready to chase a Phantasmal Flames Charizard without sealed-box queues or 35-box variance on the 130/094? Browse the Pullmarket Pokémon pack catalog with per-pack odds in front of you, see exactly which graded slabs sit in each pack's possible-outcome pool, and decide per pack whether to rip, hold, or pass.