Read on below to learn more about the new Surging Sparks expansion as part of Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet.
Discover how to unlock the potential of two devastating decks in Pokémon TCG Live.
Get more from Pokémon TCG Live when you use the in-game Battle Pass. Starting with Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks, there will only be a single Battle Pass with 75 tiers to unlock—no exchanging for Crystals necessary! With the Battle Pass, you can complete quests to earn experience and unlock new tiers by playing Ranked or Casual matches. Each Battle Pass is accessible only until the next expansion releases.
Begin your path along the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks Battle Pass with a new deck featuring Pikachu ex. Advance through the Battle Pass to unlock booster packs, Collector Crates, Crystals, Credits, and up to 17 additional cards that you can add to this deck!
Halfway through the Battle Pass, you’ll unlock a new deck centered around Archaludon ex. You can also earn 16 more cards that can be used to upgrade this deck, so try to collect them all!
Learn how to play and upgrade these powerful decks in Pokémon TCG Live.
Pikachu ex might only have 200 HP, but it can take almost any attack with its Resolute Heart Ability, leaving it at 10 remaining HP as long as it had full HP when it was attacked. And since it’s a Tera Pokémon, it also won’t take any damage from attacks while it’s on your Bench. But be careful of effects that place damage counters directly, since those will ignore this effect!
Pikachu ex isn’t only good at taking damage though. It can also launch a powerful Topaz Bolt for 300 damage but will need to discard 3 Energy in the process. Remember that you can load more than 3 Energy onto Pikachu ex to make this discard cost easier to manage, especially with its unique attack cost. Powerglass is a useful Pokémon Tool to attach to Pikachu ex, letting it recover one of the Energy it discarded off of Topaz Bolt.
| Pokémon: 15 |
| 2 Pikachu ex SSP 057 |
| 2 Quaquaval SVI 054 |
| 1 Quaquaval SSP 052 |
| 2 Quaxwell SSP 051 |
| 3 Quaxly SVI 052 |
| 1 Galvantula SFA 002 |
| 2 Joltik SCR 050 |
| 1 Lumineon V BRS 040 |
| 1 Mew ex MEW 151 |
| Trainers: 32 |
| 3 Professor’s Research SVI 190 |
| 2 Boss’s Orders PAL 172 |
| 1 Arven SVI 166 |
| 1 Carmine TWM 145 |
| 1 Crispin SCR 133 |
| 1 Iono PAL 185 |
| 4 Earthen Vessel PAR 163 |
| 4 Nest Ball SVI 181 |
| 4 Rare Candy SVI 191 |
| 4 Ultra Ball SVI 196 |
| 2 Switch SVI 194 |
| 1 Super Rod PAL 188 |
| 3 Powerglass SFA 063 |
| 1 Rescue Board TEF 159 |
| Energy: 13 |
4 Basic  Energy SVE 009 |
4 Basic  Energy SVE 012 |
2 Basic  Energy SVE 011 |
3 Basic  Energy SVE 016 |
Quaquaval is Pikachu ex’s best friend here. The two copies from the Scarlet & Violet expansion help attach extra Energy cards from your hand each turn with the Energy Carnival Ability, while the one from Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks will draw extra cards.
But Quaquaval’s not the only way to get extra Energy in play. Joltik can use its Jolting Charge attack to find up to 4 Energy cards—2 Grass and 2 Lightning—from your deck to attach to your Pokémon in any way you like. You can also use Crispin to search your deck for 2 different types of Basic Energy, attaching one of them and adding the other to your hand. Note that Crispin and your other Supporter cards can be found with Lumineon V’s Luminous Sign Ability, effectively turning Ultra Ball into any Supporter card in your deck!
Make your way through tier 28 to unlock the cards listed below:
| 2 Miraidon ex SVI 244 |
| 2 Magneton SSP 059 |
| 2 Magnemite SVI 063 |
| 1 Iron Hands ex PAR 248 |
| 1 Pikachu ex SSP 238 |
| 1 Bianca’s Devotion TEF 209 |
| 2 Gravity Mountain SSP 250 |
| 2 Switch Cart ASR 154 |
| 1 Pal Pad SVI 182 |
| 1 Sparkling Crystal SCR 142 |
| 1 Basic Energy SFA 099 |
Many of these cards can be added to your deck to provide more power and flexibility. But to add cards, you’ll also need to remove cards. We’ve highlighted some cards in the “Starting Deck” list that you might consider swapping out for the new ones, but feel free to mix and match!
With these new cards, your deck becomes much more streamlined and explosive. Rather than relying on a Stage 2 Pokémon like Quaquaval to fulfill your Energy needs, you can now use Magneton, whose Overvolt Discharge Ability attaches 3 Basic Energy cards to your Pokémon (like Pikachu ex!) at the cost of knocking itself out. This can also quickly power up an Iron Hands ex to take an additional Prize card with its Amp You Very Much attack. A good way to find these new Pokémon is with Miraidon ex, whose Tandem Unit Ability can search for 2 Basic Pokémon to put on your Bench every turn.
Your upgrades also focus a bit more on healing Pikachu ex to keep its Resolute Heart Ability working. Switch Cart can heal some damage from it while switching it out to your Bench, while Bianca’s Devotion can fully heal it if it has 30 HP or less remaining. Remember, Lumineon V’s Ability can be a good way to find Bianca’s Devotion in a pinch!
Make your way to tier 30 to unlock another special illustration rare version of Pikachu ex! Swap it into your deck to make it even more exciting.
Once you’ve shocked the competition with Pikachu ex, it might be time to put your truss in the deck you’ll unlock at tier 33.
This deck is focused on using Archaludon ex’s Assemble Alloy Ability to attach 2 Energy from your discard pile to your Pokémon.
In order to use Assemble Alloy, you’ll need Energy in your discard pile to recur them onto your Pokémon. Revavroom can use its Rumbling Engine Ability to discard Energy cards from your hand to draw cards, while Trekking Shoes can help dig you deeper into your deck, hopefully discarding Energy cards along the way.
| Pokémon: 17 |
| 2 Archaludon ex SSP 130 |
| 2 Archaludon SCR 107 |
| 4 Duraludon SCR 106 |
| 2 Copperajah SFA 042 |
| 2 Cufant SFA 041 |
| 2 Revavroom SVI 142 |
| 2 Varoom SFA 043 |
| 1 Zamazenta CRZ 097 |
| Trainers: 33 |
| 4 Professor’s Research SVI 189 |
| 3 Boss’s Orders PAL 172 |
| 2 Iono PAL 185 |
| 2 Jasmine’s Gaze SSP 178 |
| 2 Full Metal Lab TEF 148 |
| 4 Earthen Vessel PAR 163 |
| 4 Nest Ball SVI 181 |
| 4 Trekking Shoes ASR 156 |
| 4 Ultra Ball SVI 196 |
| 2 Night Stretcher SFA 061 |
| 2 Switch SVI 194 |
| Energy: 10 |
| 10 Basic Energy SVE 016 |
In addition to Archaludon ex itself, the regular Archaludon from Scarlet & Violet—Stellar Crown can lighten the load, turning any Pokémon with Energy attached into a free retreat pivot. Even the bulky Copperajah can become light as a feather while hitting hard. Its Massive Body Ability will also help keep your Full Metal Lab from being replaced by an opposing Stadium card, letting you tank your way to victory.
Don’t forget your Trainer cards! Earthen Vessel is especially potent in this deck, not only grabbing 2 Basic Energy itself but also discarding a card—like a Energy—as a cost to play it. These Energy cards can also help act as discard fodder for Ultra Ball, which can fetch any Pokémon in your deck. Finally, Night Stretcher can help recover a Pokémon in your discard pile to your hand, or retrieve an Energy card to fuel your Revavroom’s Rumbling Engine.
By tier 60, the following cards will be granted to you:
| 2 Archaludon ex SSP 241 |
| 2 Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR CRZ GG68 |
| 2 Origin Forme Dialga V ASR 177 |
| 1 Radiant Greninja ASR 046 |
| 1 Professor Turo’s Scenario PAR 257 |
| 4 Trekking Shoes ASR 215 |
| 2 Night Stretcher SSP 251 |
| 1 Scoop Up Cyclone TWM 162 |
Cards highlighted in the “Starting Deck” list can be replaced with your new ones, but you can also adjust your list as you like!
Moving into a more aggressive strategy, Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR has two powerful attacks. Its Metal Blast attack costs a single 
but scales its damage based on how many Energy it has attached. And for 5 Energy (including 4 ), you can use its once-per-game VSTAR Power attack, Star Chronos, that does 220 damage and lets you take another turn! Try to use this to target down a multi-Prize Pokémon like Fezandipiti ex with the help of Boss’s Orders, and then take another Knock Out with Metal Blast on your extra turn for a huge four-Prize card swing.
Finally, while Archaludon ex’s Assemble Alloy is a powerful Ability, it only works when Archaludon ex is played from your hand. In order to use this effect again, you can use cards like Professor Turo’s Scenario or Scoop Up Cyclone to bring the Pokémon back into your hand, which also helps remove any damage counters or Special Conditions that might have put it at risk of getting Knocked Out. Make sure to have a Duraludon in play so you can make use of Assemble Alloy immediately after playing one of these cards!
Once you cross the bridge to tier 62 of the Battle Pass, an additional special illustration rare Archaludon ex will be your reward.
Finally, from tier 63 to 74, you’ll unlock a plethora of booster packs, Crystals, Credits, cosmetics, and even some Collector Crates.
Once you reach the end of the Battle Pass, you’ll earn yourself a hyper rare Jet Energy!
Enjoy your new decks, cards, and Battle Pass, Trainers!
For more Pokémon TCG Live strategy and analysis, visit Pokemon.com/Strategy.
Source: Pokemon.com
Source: Pokemon
