Black & White—Next Destinies

Status: Released (February 2012)

Choose Your Destiny with Black & White—Next Destinies

The landscape of the Pokémon TCG changed forever on February 8, 2012, with the release of Black & White—Next Destinies. This expansion expanded the scope of the Black & White series by finally introducing Pokémon from outside the Unova region, bringing fan favorites like Mewtwo back into the fold. Most importantly, Black & White—Next Destinies marked the debut of the incredibly powerful Pokémon-EX cards. These titans boasted massive HP scores and devastating attacks, but giving up two prize cards upon defeat introduced a high-stakes risk-reward dynamic that defined the era.

The Dominance of Mewtwo-EX

No single card defined an era quite like Mewtwo-EX from Black & White—Next Destinies. Its "X Ball" attack, which dealt damage based on the total energy attached to both active Pokémon, created the infamous "Mewtwo wars" where the only counter to a Mewtwo was often another Mewtwo. The set also introduced the heavy-hitting Reshiram-EX and Zekrom-EX, alongside the strategic powerhouse Shaymin-EX. With the introduction of textured Full Art cards for these EX Pokémon, Black & White—Next Destinies became an instant classic for both players and collectors.