Read on below to learn more about the new Surging Sparks expansion as part of Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet.
Get an in-depth look at Pikachu ex, Ceruledge ex, Latias ex, Magneton, and Counter Gain.
By Ellis Longhurst, Contributing Writer
Charge into battle with cards from the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks expansion. This set has over 250 powerful Pokémon and Trainer cards, including new Tera Pokémon ex originally discovered in the Alola region. It won’t be a day at the beach for the current top decks of the Standard format. The Pokémon of Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks boast attacks and Abilities that will transform your gameplay and disrupt the balance of power. Read on to find out which cards will surge to the top.
It shouldn’t come as a shock to learn that Pikachu ex is the hero of Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks. This Pokémon has been an icon of the franchise since the beginning. Now as a Stellar Tera Pokémon ex, Pikachu ex has a new crystalline look and a powerful attack. Topaz Bolt is so powerful that by amping up the damage with Pokémon Tool cards like Maximum Belt and Defiance Band, or putting the new Gravity Mountain Stadium card into play, Pikachu ex can Knock Out most Pokémon ex or Pokémon V in one hit!
However, Pikachu ex’s Ability is what makes this Stellar Tera Pokémon ex truly shine. If Pikachu ex has full HP and would be Knocked Out by damage from an opponent’s attack, Resolute Heart enables it to remain on the battlefield with 10 HP instead. Being able to zap the opponent’s Pokémon twice with Topaz Bolt before being Knocked Out sounds like one way to pull ahead in the Prize race. Another is to use Penny or Scoop Up Cyclone in combination with Resolute Heart to deny the opponent a Knock Out entirely. Remember that Pikachu ex cannot be damaged by attacks while it is on the Bench, but it’s vulnerable to effects that place damage counters directly. If the opponent has cards like Dragapult ex and Hawlucha or can remove Abilities via Canceling Cologne, a strategy relying on Resolute Heart may short-circuit.
Charging up Pikachu ex to attack can be a slow process because Topaz Bolt costs three different types of Energy to use. If Trainers want to match the lightning pace of the top decks in the Standard format, they will need to support Pikachu ex with Pokémon and Trainer cards that can accelerate the right kinds of Energy onto it. Consider using Mirage Gate, Joltik’s Jolting Charge, the new Terapagos’s Prism Charge, or the new Magneton’s Overvolt Discharge Ability to power up one or more Pikachu ex in a single turn.
Buzz has been generated about including Pikachu ex in Miraidon ex decks…but not for the reasons that you may think. Miraidon ex decks have recently used Mewtwo ex to benefit from the extended Bench permitted by the Area Zero Underdepths Stadium card. The more Pokémon in play, the more damage Raikou V can do with its Lightning Rondo attack. Like Mewtwo ex, Pikachu ex is a Tera Pokémon that can be searched from the deck by Nest Ball or Miraidon ex’s Tandem Unit. The advantages of including Pikachu ex over Mewtwo ex are that its Retreat Cost is lower, Resolute Heart makes it less likely to be Knocked Out in one hit, and Topaz Bolt is more likely to take a Knock Out than Photon Kinesis.
Ceruledge ex is another Stellar Tera Pokémon ex that sparkles in this expansion. Its attack damage starts small, but if the Abyssal Flames are fanned effectively, then opposing Pokémon ex will be Knocked Out in one or two hits. Trainers in Japan have already played Ceruledge ex to success at City League tournaments by using a variety of cards to burn through the deck. Carmine and Squawkabilly ex’s Squawk and Seize Ability are two ways to indiscriminately draw and discard cards, while Earthen Vessel, Radiant Greninja, and the new ACE SPEC card Brilliant Blender provide a more controlled approach to putting Energy cards into the discard pile.
A common partner for Ceruledge ex is Noctowl. This Pokémon is a wise choice because its Jewel Seeker Ability can search the deck for any of the aforementioned Trainer cards, as well as Ultra Ball and the new Tera Orb to put more Ceruledge ex into play. Noctowl could even search for Gravity Mountain or damage-increasing Pokémon Tool cards to fire up Ceruledge ex for a one-hit Knock Out.
If Lugia VSTAR is popular at your local tournaments, another new Ceruledge is a useful inclusion in the deck. Lugia VSTAR typically only uses Special Energy, and Ceruledge’s Cursed Edge can discard all Special Energy from all opposing Pokémon. Some Trainers have also explored using Special Energy of their own—Legacy Energy—to upset the Prize trade and force the opponent to Knock Out four Ceruledge ex instead of three to take all their Prize cards.
Don’t let Latias ex fly under your radar. This Pokémon’s Skyliner Ability has a simple effect with wide-ranging applications. Latias ex will fly especially high in decks that rely on being able to easily switch Pokémon in and out of the Active Spot. In Iron Valiant ex decks, Skyliner facilitates multiple uses of Tachyon Bits, while in Lost Box decks, it enables repeated use of Comfey’s Flower Selecting Ability to draw and send cards to the Lost Zone. Latias ex may also appear alongside Entei V or Raikou V so they can use their Fleet-Footed Ability, or in any deck that uses cards like Electric Generator, Magma Basin, or Dark Patch to prepare Benched Pokémon for battle. The sky’s the limit for Latias ex.
Skyliner reduces the need to play a high count of cards with switch effects or a specific Pokémon just because it has no Retreat Cost, so fitting all the other cards that you want into the deck will feel like a breeze. However, Bench spots are often at a premium, and Latias ex does not offer a low-cost or game-changing attack. This means that Trainers will either need to make a tough choice between Latias ex and other support Pokémon like Fezandipiti ex, Squawkabilly ex, and Mew ex, or commit to piloting a deck in the Area Zero Underdepths.
You may feel drawn towards Magneton, and for good reason. Magneton has an Energy-acceleration Ability that creates opportunities for Lightning-type Pokémon with high-cost attacks to participate in battle. By using the Overvolt Discharge Ability, Trainers can immediately power up big hitters like Pikachu ex or Iron Hands ex, or provide the surge of Energy cards that Raichu V or the new Kilowattrel ex needs to take a Knock Out on a two-Prize Pokémon.
To galvanize other Pokémon into action, Magneton must knock itself out. This is a negative that can be turned into a positive. Giving up a Prize card on your turn may put the opponent ahead in the Prize race, but without the Pokémon and Energy cards in play to justify that lead. With access to powerful cards like Counter Catcher and the new Counter Gain Pokémon Tool card, Trainers can piece together a Knock Out on a specific Pokémon to keep their opponent grounded. Magneton also has synergy with the new Tapu Koko, which requires three Energy to use its Prize Count attack and does more damage if the opponent is ahead on Prize cards.
Magneton is yet another Pokémon that will plug in to the Miraidon ex deck. Magnemite can be searched from the deck and put into play by Tandem Unit, and the option to use Overvolt Discharge means Trainers do not need to rely solely on favorable hits with Electric Generator to accelerate Energy onto the battlefield.
There’s a tool for everything, including coming back from a Prize deficit. When a Trainer has more Prize cards remaining than their opponent, Counter Gain reduces the attack costs of the Pokémon it’s attached to by one Colorless Energy. This enables Pokémon with a high attack cost to attack a turn earlier than they normally would and reduces the need to rely on Special Energy to power up attacks.
It’s easy to lose count of the number of ways this Pokémon Tool card could add value to decks in the Standard format. For example, Trainers could surprise their opponent by attaching a Double Turbo Energy and Counter Gain to their Mew ex to use Genome Hacking on the turn it is played, or take a big Knock Out with Radiant Charizard or Blood Moon Ursaluna ex earlier in the game than expected. Trainers can also create their own opportunities to use Counter Gain by manipulating the Prize card count on their turn through Dusknoir’s Cursed Blast or Magneton’s Overvolt Discharge.
When Counter Gain was first printed in the Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder expansion, it was played to immediate success in numerous archetypes. You can count on seeing a single copy of this card in any of the current top decks that feature Pokémon with Colorless Energy in their attack costs, especially if those decks already include cards like Arven and Town Store to search for Pokémon Tool cards.
These are just some of the electrifying cards that you will find in the new Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks expansion. With over 250 new cards to collect, including nine brand-new Stellar Tera Pokémon ex and eight ACE SPEC cards, there are plenty of other exciting combinations and strategies to explore. Do you have what it takes to light up the battlefield?
For more Pokémon TCG strategy and analysis, visit Pokémon.com/Strategy.
Ellis Longhurst
Ellis Longhurst is a contributing writer for Pokemon.com. She has been competing in high-level Pokémon TCG tournaments since 2006 and creating written content for the Pokémon community since 2011. Now she brings some Australian flavour to the Play! Pokémon commentary teams at the International and World Championships.
Source: Pokemon.com
Source: Pokemon
