Official Pokémon TCG Live starter deck strategies revealed featuring Giratina VSTAR, Charizard ex and more

Pokémon Trading Card Game Live offers an exciting new way to experience the thrill of the Pokémon TCG. Pokémon TCG Live players can try out strategies with eight specially designed starter decks. These decks are available to all players, making it easier than ever to start battling and—with the right strategy—continue down the path to excellence. Let’s explore the eight starter decks, as well as how to make the best use of each one, before choosing your favorite and leaping into battle.

Haven’t started playing Pokémon TCG Live yet? Get info on how to download the game on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android.

Pokémon: 18

3 Charizard ex OBF 125

2 Charmeleon PAF 008

4 Charmander MEW 004

2 Pidgeot ex OBF 164

2 Pidgeotto MEW 017

2 Pidgey MEW 016

1 Radiant Charizard CRZ 020

1 Moltres MEW 146

1 Manaphy BRS 041

Trainers: 32

4 Arven SVI 166

3 Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis) PAL 172

2 Iono PAL 185

2 Professor’s Research (Professor Sada) SVI 189

4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144

4 Rare Candy SVI 191

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

2 Nest Ball SVI 181

2 Super Rod PAL 188

1 Switch SVI 194

3 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178

1 Defiance Band SVI 169

Energy: 10

10 Basic  Energy SVE 002

Charizard ex’s Infernal Reign Ability can quickly power up your team with Fire Energy when you play it from your hand, so be sure to use it when you evolve this Pokémon. Be careful: this Ability won’t work if you evolve into Charizard ex with the effect of Technical Machine: Evolution.

Don’t forget some of your other Pokémon like Radiant Charizard: Infernal Reign can let it attack sooner than your opponent might expect or can let Moltres snipe a Pokémon on your opponent’s Bench.

Pidgeot ex’s Quick Search Ability can find any card in your deck and add it to your hand! Prioritize getting this powerful Pokémon ex into play to help get the rest of your deck online.

A good way to do so is with Arven. This helpful Supporter card can get you Rare Candy to evolve Pidgey straight into Pidgeot ex, or it can get you Technical Machine: Evolution so that your feathery friend can reach its peak with a Buddy-Buddy Poffin.

Pokémon: 18

3 Chien-Pao ex PAL 061

3 Baxcalibur PAL 060

1 Arctibax PAL 059

3 Frigibax PAF 017

2 Bibarel BRS 121

2 Bidoof CRZ 111

1 Lumineon V BRS 040

1 Mew ex MEW 151

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 046

1 Manaphy BRS 041

Trainers: 33

4 Irida ASR 147

2 Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis) PAL 172

2 Iono PAL 185

1 Morty’s Conviction TEF 155

1 Professor Turo’s Scenario PAR 171

4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

4 Superior Energy Retrieval PAL 189

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

3 Rare Candy SVI 191

2 Lost Vacuum LOR 162

2 Super Rod PAL 188

Energy: 9

9 Basic  Energy SVE 003

Chien-Pao ex leads the charge with its Shivery Chill Ability, which lets you search your deck for 2 Water Energy cards and add them to your hand.

Although you can only use this Ability while Chien-Pao ex is in the Active Spot, it’ll be right at home there: it can dish out some serious damage with Hail Blade, discarding Water Energy attached to your Pokémon (even your Benched Pokémon!) to do 60 damage for each card discarded that way.

A good way to get all those Energy into play is with Baxcalibur, whose Super Cold Ability lets you attach any number of Basic Water Energy cards from your hand to your Pokémon.

Irida can search for both an Item and a Water-type Pokémon, which can get you Baxcalibur along with a Rare Candy to quickly get the Stage 2 Pokémon into play.

Pokémon: 18

4 Gholdengo ex PAR 139

4 Gimmighoul PAR 087

1 Gallade ASR 062

4 Kirlia SIT 068

4 Ralts ASR 060

1 Manaphy BRS 041

Trainers: 31

4 Iono PAL 185

2 Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis) PAL 172

2 Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking TEF 145

2 Tulip PAR 181

1 Lady LOR 159

4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144

4 Capturing Aroma SIT 153

4 Superior Energy Retrieval PAL 189

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

2 Switch SVI 194

1 Pal Pad SVI 182

1 Super Rod PAL 188

Energy: 11

6 Basic  Energy SVE 005

5 Basic  Energy SVE 008

Draw a bounty of cards with Gholdengo ex and Kirlia’s Abilities, then use Make It Rain to do tons of damage by discarding Energy cards from your hand.

You can get even more Energy cards with Superior Energy Retrieval, which can get Basic Energy cards from your discard pile. Tulip works similarly—it can retrieve up to 4 Psychic Energy cards from your discard pile—and it can be used to retrieve Psychic-type Pokémon (like Gimmighoul), too!

Gallade can be a powerful option after Kirlia has finished refining your hand. Its Buddy Catch Ability lets you search your deck for a Supporter card and add it to your hand.

You can easily get Gallade with Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking, which can stack any 2 cards from your deck on top, letting Gholdengo ex or Kirlia easily draw into them with their Abilities.

Pokémon: 15

3 Giratina VSTAR LOR 131

3 Giratina V LOR 130

4 Comfey LOR 079

2 Cramorant LOR 050

2 Sableye LOR 070

1 Manaphy BRS 041

Trainers: 31

4 Colress’s Experiment LOR 155

2 Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis) PAL 172

2 Roxanne ASR 150

2 Beach Court SVI 167

4 Mirage Gate LOR 163

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

4 Switch SVI 194

4 Switch Cart ASR 154

3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144

2 Super Rod PAL 188

Energy: 14

6 Basic  Energy SVE 005

4 Basic  Energy SVE 001

4 Jet Energy PAL 190

Comfey and Colress’s Experiment quickly fill your Lost Zone with cards. Remember that you can retreat or Switch to use additional copies of Comfey’s Flower Selecting Ability in a single turn.

Cramorant can attack for free once you have 4 cards in your Lost Zone, while Sableye can riddle your opponent’s board with damage counters once you’ve hit 10 cards.

Giratina VSTAR has two powerful attacks, each costing a Grass and Psychic Energy. Try to fuel Giratina VSTAR’s attacks with Mirage Gate, an Item card that searches for 2 different Basic Energy cards and attaches them in any way you like.

Its Lost Impact attack does 280 damage, then sends any 2 Energy attached to your Pokémon (including your Benched Pokémon) to the Lost Zone. This helps fuel its VSTAR Power, Star Requiem, which can only be used if you have 10 cards in the Lost Zone. With it, you can Knock Out your opponent’s Active Pokémon once per game!

Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR focuses on aggressive early attacking. As early as Turn 2, Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR’s Ticking Curse attack can do 50 damage for each of your damaged Pokémon for  . If each of your Pokémon in play has a damage counter on it, that’s 300 damage!

Try to wait to fill your Bench until you have a Gapejaw Bog in play—this Stadium card puts 2 damage counters on any Basic Pokémon put onto the Bench from your hand. Gengar can also power up Ticking Curse: its Netherworld Gate Ability moves Gengar into play from your discard pile and puts 3 damage counters on it as well.

Dodrio’s Zooming Draw helps power up Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR’s Ticking Curse attack. You can use this Ability to put a damage counter on Dodrio and draw a card.

This damage also helps power up its Ballistic Beak attack, which scales based on how many damage counters are on it. With 9 damage counters, it can swing for up to 280 damage for a single Energy!

Lugia VSTAR‘s Summoning Star Ability lets you put 2 Archeops from your discard pile onto your Bench. From there, the Archeops can use Primal Turbo, netting you 2 Special Energy cards for each one and attaching them to 1 of your Pokémon. If both of your Archeops use their Primal Turbo Ability, you can attach up to 4 Special Energy cards from your deck each turn!

To quickly put Archeops in the discard pile, play cards like Capturing Aroma before you play a card like Ultra Ball or Professor’s Research that would require you to discard cards.

Snorlax is an efficient, one-Prize attacker, but it will take quite a long nap unless you’re lucky. You can mitigate that luck by attaching a Therapeutic Energy to it or moving it out of the way during your next turn by attaching a Jet Energy to one of your Benched Pokémon.

If you’re behind on Prize cards, you could also opt to play Luxray straight from your hand—no Evolution needed! Then attach Reversal Energy to power it up with a single Energy card.

Pokémon: 15

3 Mewtwo ex PAR 058

4 Xatu PAR 072

4 Natu PAR 071

1 Arceus VSTAR BRS 123

1 Arceus V BRS 122

1 Enamorus V LOR 082

1 Manaphy BRS 041

Trainers: 34

3 Iono PAL 185

2 Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis) PAL 172

2 Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking TEF 145

1 Arezu LOR 153

1 Penny SVI 183

1 Tulip PAR 181

2 Moonlit Hill PAF 081

4 Capturing Aroma SIT 153

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144

3 Nest Ball SVI 181

2 Earthen Vessel PAR 163

1 Super Rod PAL 188

1 Switch SVI 194

2 Exp. Share SVI 174

2 Rescue Board TEF 159

Energy: 11

11 Basic  Energy SVE 005

Mewtwo ex does additional damage for each Psychic Energy you have in play. Thankfully, Xatu can help attach extra Psychic Energy from your hand to your Benched Pokémon, while drawing you 2 cards in the process.

Note that this Tera Mewtwo ex is a Lightning type, so it’ll hit for Weakness against the likes of Lugia VSTAR, Pidgeot ex, etc.

Arceus VSTAR has a powerful VSTAR Ability: Starbirth lets you grab any 2 cards you want from your deck once per game. If you charge it up, its Trinity Nova attack will chunk down the foe while helping to accelerate Energy to your Enamorus V.

Speaking of Enamorus V, its Guardian of Love Ability will help to protect your Pokémon that have Psychic Energy attached from your opponent’s Abilities.

Pokémon: 13

4 Roaring Moon ex PAR 124

4 Roaring Moon TEF 109

3 Brute Bonnet PAR 123

1 Radiant Hisuian Sneasler LOR 123

1 Squawkabilly ex PAL 169

Trainers: 37

4 Explorer’s Guidance TEF 147

4 Professor Sada’s Vitality PAR 170

2 Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis) PAL 172

3 PokéStop PGO 068

4 Dark Patch ASR 139

4 Earthen Vessel PAR 163

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

4 Trekking Shoes ASR 156

2 Switch Cart ASR 154

2 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Ancient Booster Energy Capsule PAR 159

Energy: 10

10 Basic  Energy SVE 007

Roaring Moon ex’s Calamity Storm discards Stadium cards to boost its damage. Use Brute Bonnet‘s Toxic Powder Ability to make both Active Pokémon Poisoned, then let Radiant Hisuian Sneasler’s Poison Peak dial up that Poison damage by 2. Doing so lets Calamity Storm hit for 250 effective damage after Pokémon Checkup.

If the opposing Pokémon has too much HP, Frenzied Gouging can KO it; however, your Roaring Moon ex will damage itself. Only use this on Pokémon that give up multiple Prize cards to get the most value from this awesome attack.

Roaring Moon’s Vengeance Fletching does damage based on how many Ancient cards are in your discard pile (including Ancient Trainer cards!), at the cost of 2 Energy.

Professor Sada’s Vitality helps attach 2 Basic Energy cards from your discard pile to 2 of your Ancient Pokémon, which can charge up Roaring Moon and Roaring Moon ex—and draw cards in the process!

If you find yourself with a need for speed, look to Dark Patch, an Item card that attaches a Darkness Energy card to your Benched Darkness Pokémon.