Black Kyurem EX 145 Full Art
Quick take
- Full Art Pokemon-EX at 145/149 from Boundaries Crossed (2012, Black & White era)
- Illustrated by 5ban Graphics; the regular 101 print is by Eske Yoshinob
- Black Kyurem is Kyurem's fusion form with Zekrom, central to the set's theme
- Pairs with Full Art White Kyurem EX 146 as a matched chase duo
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Boundaries Crossed
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 145/149 · $900.96 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyA Black & White era Full Art that anchors the Boundaries Crossed master set
Boundaries Crossed landed in late 2012 and leaned hard into the Kyurem story. The set name is the localized version of the Japanese Freeze Bolt block, and Black Kyurem is the form Kyurem takes when it fuses with Zekrom. That fusion theme runs through the chase cards. The Full Art Black Kyurem EX at 145/149 is one of the cards the set is remembered for.
“Full Art Pokemon-EX at 145/149 from Boundaries Crossed (2012, Black & White era)”
There are two ways to get this Pokemon in the set. The regular Pokemon-EX sits at 101 and was drawn by Eske Yoshinob. The Full Art at 145 is the 5ban Graphics version, the one master-set builders chase. It pairs with the Full Art White Kyurem EX at 146, and most people who collect one want the matching pair.
For a Boundaries Crossed master set this is a tier-one slot. It is a legendary, it is a Full Art, and it carries enough name recognition to keep demand steady years after the set rotated out of competitive play.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This sits near the top of the Boundaries Crossed Full Art tier, trading in solid three-figure territory for raw near mint copies. It is one of the more valuable single cards in the set, and the gap between a clean copy and a played one is wide.
Pricing has held up like a stable vintage-leaning EX. It is not a card that spikes on hype cycles. Demand comes from set completion and the Kyurem name, so it tends to grind sideways with slow appreciation rather than sharp moves.
Treat it as a steady set-completion hold, not a flipper. The value is anchored by people finishing Boundaries Crossed and by general Kyurem recognition. Graded gem copies are where most of the upside lives over time.
BW-era Full Arts are tough to grade clean. The textured surface and dark borders show wear and edge whitening easily. A PSA 10 or BGS 9.5 commands a strong premium over raw near mint, often a multiple of the raw price, precisely because high grades are scarce.
Boundaries Crossed predates the modern Scarlet & Violet rarity ladder, so the clean per-pack odds collectors quote for SV sets do not apply here. In the Black & White era, Full Art EX cards like this sat at the top of the pull table. You might see a couple per booster box on average, but the exact card you want runs much longer than that. In practice most people complete this slot through singles rather than ripping packs, because targeting one specific Full Art out of the set's chase cards is a long shot from sealed product.
It shares the top rarity tier with the other Full Art EX cards in the set, including White Kyurem EX 146 and the secret-rare Full Arts. Among those, the Kyurem pair tends to draw the most attention because of the legendary names and the matched-set appeal.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
5ban Graphics is a Japanese design studio, not a single illustrator. Through the Black & White and XY years the studio handled most of the Full Art and Secret Rare digital treatments, including the textured holo Full Art EX cards. Their work leans more toward graphic design and 3D rendering than traditional painted illustration, which is why their Full Arts have that polished, slightly CGI look.
The Full Art fills the entire card frame with Black Kyurem mid-motion, the dark fusion form with its icy detailing and energy effects. The composition breaks the usual card box and lets the figure run into the borders, with the holo treatment laid across the whole surface rather than confined to a window.
This is a textured Full Art Pokemon-EX. The card has a raised, etched surface across the artwork and a holo pattern that runs full-bleed. That texture is part of why these are hard to keep in high grade. The 101 regular print and this 145 Full Art use completely different art, so they are separate slots in a master set.
The full-bleed Full Art layout was still relatively fresh in 2012, and a legendary fusion Pokemon was a natural fit for the edge-to-edge treatment. The dark palette and energy detail give it more presence than a lot of its set-mates, and it photographs well graded, which collectors care about.
BackgroundAbout Black Kyurem EX 145 Full Art
Kyurem debuted in Pokemon Black and White as the third member of the Tao trio, alongside Reshiram and Zekrom. In Black 2 and White 2, the games tied to this TCG era, Kyurem gained its fusion forms: Black Kyurem (fused with Zekrom) and White Kyurem (fused with Reshiram). Boundaries Crossed brought those forms into the card game right as the video games introduced them.
- ›Legendary status and a striking dark fusion design
- ›Tied directly to the Black 2 / White 2 game release window
- ›Part of the recognizable Tao trio lore
- ›Strong nostalgia for collectors who grew up with the BW generation
- ›Black 2 and White 2 video games, where Black Kyurem is a signature fusion form
- ›Boundaries Crossed TCG set as a featured EX, with both a regular and Full Art print
- ›Later reprinted as a BW Black Star Promo with new artwork
Black Kyurem-EX saw real play in the 2012-2013 Standard format. It is long out of rotation now, so its current relevance is collector-driven rather than competitive.
Own it wellCollector guide
BW Full Arts show wear fast. Check the dark borders for whitening on all four edges, look at the textured surface under angled light for print lines and scratches, and inspect the corners closely. Raw copies sold as near mint very often have edge wear that knocks them below a 9 when graded.
Worth grading if you have a genuinely clean copy, since high grades are scarce and carry a meaningful premium. Inspect borders and surface carefully before paying grading fees. A centered, edge-clean copy is the only one worth submitting for the gem-grade upside. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve it in a penny sleeve plus a top loader or one-touch at minimum. For a card this age, keep it out of direct light and away from humidity to protect the holo and prevent border whitening. A graded slab is the safest long-term home. See the storage guide →
Buy the best raw copy you can actually inspect, or buy graded for serious money. Photos matter. Ask for angled-light shots of the surface and clear edge photos before committing. If you are building the set, consider grabbing the matching White Kyurem EX 146 around the same time, since they are usually collected together. See the singles buying guide →
Most counterfeit risk on BW-era cards involves valuable Full Arts. Check the texture, since fakes often miss the raised etched surface entirely. Compare the holo behavior and the back swirl gradient against a known-genuine card. For any high-dollar purchase, buy a copy already graded by PSA, BGS, or CGC to remove the authentication risk.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Collectors view this as a classic BW Full Art and a staple of any Boundaries Crossed set list. It does not generate hype-cycle chatter, but it has steady, durable demand from people finishing the set and from Kyurem fans.
Discussion tends to cluster around grading difficulty and the matched pull with the White Kyurem Full Art. There is no single viral moment driving it. The interest is the slow, consistent kind tied to set completion.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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