White Flare’s Early Price Map: Victini vs. Reshiram Lead, With Smart Buys Hiding in Plain Sight

White Flare is delivering exactly what modern collectors crave: striking Illustration Rares with clear chase hierarchies and volatile early pricing that rewards sharp comp work. Below, we map the early market using true, filtered eBay sales, then pair that with grading insights from CardGrader.AI’s condition analysis to show where the real upside is.

The Flagships: Victini and Reshiram Are Setting the Pace

Two cards are driving conversation and liquidity right now: 2025 Victini 172/086 White Flare Illustration Rare and 2025 Reshiram EX 173/086 White Flare Illustration Rare. Both showcase elite artwork and very strong early demand.

How we filtered the comps (and why it matters)

White Flare search results on eBay regularly mix in near-matches: different card numbers (e.g., 166/086 vs. 173/086), mislabeled rarities, and even other Pokémon that use similar keywords. To avoid inflated or deflated averages, we filtered for exact English matches by number and set, then excluded misnumbered, non-English, and unrelated listings. This approach removes false positives and appraises the actual market for the exact card in question.

Victini 172/086 price band

After filtering for exact English 172/086 sales, raw copies repeatedly close between ~$435 and ~$455, with a 10-sale mean of about $442. That’s corroborated by a PSA 9 sale at $445 (8/16). Notably, one PSA 10 result cleared $1,525 (8/10), but a separate entry marked “PSA 10” at $411 looks anomalous—treat that as a likely outlier or mislabel. Bottom line: raw vs. PSA 9 is nearly flat here; meaningful ROI likely hinges on a true gem.

Reshiram EX 173/086 price band

For 173/086 specifically (excluding 166/086 and other variants), we see consistent raw sales around $420–$455. Removing a single clear outlier at $125, the six matching sales average approximately $424. Reshiram’s AI grade here is a strong 9.59, but the card notes one moderate surface scratch—often the difference between a 9 and a 10 in third-party grading.

Curious about your own cards from this set? Scan them with our AI grader to get instant centering, corner, edge, and surface diagnostics and see if you’re in gem territory.

Mid-Tier With Momentum: Hydreigon/Trikephalo 169/086

Our sample card, 2025 Trikephalo EX 169/086 White Flare Illustration Rare (Hydreigon), keeps changing hands fast at accessible prices. After filtering out non-matches (e.g., a stray Genesect comp), nine exact English sales average about $88, with most closing in the $80–$95 band. The AI grade of 9.16 includes a moderate surface scratch—a common limiter for gem potential but still very viable for a strong 9.

Entry-Level IRs That Punch Above Their Weight

2025 Oshawott 105/086 White Flare Illustration Rare and 2025 Zoroark 143/086 White Flare Illustration Rare are trading in the sweet spot for entry-level collectors, with healthy liquidity and room for graded multiples on gem copies.

• Oshawott 105/086: After filtering exact English matches, sales cluster tightly around $38–$40. With an AI grade of 9.28 and clean surface notes, these are prime candidates to pre-screen for gem shots.
• Zoroark 143/086: True matches regularly close $25–$40, averaging in the mid-30s. The AI grade of 9.25 notes a light surface scratch; still, clean edges/corners mean some copies will gem with careful selection.

Use CardGrader.AI's Fast Scan at your next show to quickly verify numbers and variants, eliminate mismatches (like 166/086 vs. 173/086), and price with confidence.

Grading ROI: Who to Slab, Who to Sell Raw

• Victini 172/086: Raw mean (~$442) ≈ PSA 9 comp ($445). Grading makes sense primarily when your copy has gem-level surfaces/edges. The AI grade here is 9.50 with a clean surface—promising—but inspect closely for micro-whitening before submitting.
• Reshiram EX 173/086: Raw mean (~$424) with an estimated graded value around $550 suggests room if you can hit a strong 9 or 10. The listed copy’s moderate surface scratch could cap the grade; target cleaner surfaces for submissions.
• Hydreigon/Trikephalo 169/086: Raw (~$80–$95) vs. estimated graded (~$150). After fees, a solid 9 can work, but true ROI is in 10s. Carefully screen for surface scratches (common on this art).
• Oshawott 105/086: Raw (~$38–$40) vs. estimated graded (~$60). Not a slam-dunk unless you’re very confident in a 10 or batching subs to reduce per-card costs.
• Zoroark 143/086: Raw mid-30s; estimated graded value suggests strong upside on gem. However, mid-tier IRs often see 2–3x raw only at PSA 10—9s can be near break-even after fees. Pre-screen aggressively.

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Set-Specific Tips for Smarter Buying

• Verify card numbers in comps: Search results often mix 166/086 with 173/086 for Reshiram. They trade in different tiers—don’t blend them when pricing.
• Surface is king for gems: Early White Flare copies frequently show hairline scratches fresh out of pack. A flawless surface is the biggest indicator of a 10.
• Watch the Victini premium: The red monochrome aesthetic is attracting a strong collector audience. If raw and PSA 9 are near parity, only grade if you genuinely see gem quality.
• Liquidity matters: Oshawott and Zoroark move quickly at the right price points—excellent for building/rotating inventory.

Final Take

White Flare’s early market is already stratified: Victini and Reshiram lead on price and demand, Hydreigon sits in a healthy middle band with upside on clean copies, and Oshawott/Zoroark offer accessible entry points with decent gem multiples. The key is disciplined filtering of comps and tight condition screening—two areas where AI gives you an immediate edge.

Ready to quantify your edge? Scan your White Flare cards now, get instant grade predictions and value ranges, and build a smarter grading queue. Or create a free CardGrader.AI account to start tracking sales trends as they evolve.