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The latest expansion of Pokemon Trading Card Game, Pokemon Sword & Shield Silver Tempest, is 1 Week away in its release. We had a chance to take a look at all the cards included and some of them are notable to the current metagame of Pokemon TCG. There are cards that would really synergize to this current Standard Format and empower most of the already top tier decks we have. Most of them are returning from a previous set for us to synergize with this current meta. Including in the list of cards, there are Items that would even give Pokemon VStar ability, which would highly favor VMax Decks. How crazy good is that.
We've listed the Top 5 Cards that might see the top list or become tech cards in each current meta deck. We've also listed honorable mentions that we would definitely see in play and included in some decks.
Radiant Jirachi
#120 Radiant Jirachi – Metal – HP90
Basic Pokemon
You can’t have more than 1 Radiant Pokemon in your deck.
Ability: Pass a Wish
If this Pokemon is Knocked Out by damage from an opponent’s attack, search your deck for up to 3 cards and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
[C][C] Stellar Doom: Flip 2 coins. If both are heads, your opponent’s Active Pokemon is Knocked Out.
Weakness: Fire (x2)
Resistance: Grass (-30)
Retreat: 1
Starting off with Radiant Jirachi, we have a strong ability that has a condition that most players would avoid. Pass a Wish grants its controller to search your deck for any 3 Cards and put them into your hand. ANY 3 CARDS! Being able to search for anything in your deck can already give you your wincon or to stabilize the board. But again, the drawback is your opponent must knock it out by attack. This means forced switching to your benched Pokemon like Boss's Orders or Escape Rope will be one key to victory for your opponent and just flat out ignoring the Radiant Jirachi. If you're running a V or VMax Pokemon, you're bound to get switched more often. However this draws attention to your opponent's resources so it has a silver lining in itself. Decks that need quick cycling or have 4 Turbo Energy only in their deck would more or less favor this card in their deck. Having the ability to search for any card is strong in this format.
If you want to try out for the Rogue Build and try your luck out, you can even use it's attack, Stellar Doom. By flipping 2 coins and hopefully 2 heads will show up, your opponent's Active will immediately be Kocked Out, regardless if it has a rule box or not. Could be a game changer if you are in a tight spot and just pray for the RNG Gods.
All in all, Radiant Jirachi can be in consideration for the Radiant Pokemon limit of one in each deck. If you want to do 3 free computer searches, you might want to pick this Star Pokemon up.
Alolan Vulpix VStar
#034 Alolan Vulpix VSTAR – Water – HP240
VSTAR Pokemon – Evolves from Alolan Vulpix V
[W][C][C] Snow Mirage: 160 damage. This attack’s damage isn’t affected by effects on your opponent’s Active Pokemon. During your opponent’s next turn, prevent all damage done to this Pokemon from Pokemon with Abilities.
[.] Silver Snow Star (VSTAR Power): 70x damage. This attack does 70 damage times the number of your opponent’s Pokemon V. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance.) (You can’t use more than 1 VSTAR Power in a game.)
When your Pokemon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.
Weakness: Metal (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 1
Now we have an amazing tech card against most meta decks now in the format such as Palkia, Arceus, Regigigas, Kyurem VMax, and many more. Alolan Vulpix VStar attack, Snow Mirage, negates ANY damage done to it next turn and doesn't care about any effects of the opponent's Active Pokemon. It makes most of meta decks that build around their main damage dealer useless given the Alolan Vulpix would attack before it. Imagine an Original Forme Palkia VStar deck without it versus with an Alolan Vulpix VStar. The one without the Alolan Vulpix VStar would need to not evolve their Palkia to a VStar just to kill the Vulpix, rather than you preparing your own Palkia VStar. This tech card would cost 2 slots of cards but can become effective like how a Drapion V is effective to a Mew/Genesect or an Urshifu Deck.
Besides its powerful attack against Pokemon with Abilities, it has an extra attack for free if your opponent runs a full V team or even just 5 V Pokemons in play. It can deal up to 350 damage for one turn, which can easily knock out ANY Pokemon there is. Imagine a Mew Deck having 3 Genesect in play and 2 Mews prepared. That can easily knock out a Mew VMax and give you 3 Prizes!
Alolan Vulpix VStar can even become a main damage dealer that can be built around despite it being squishy with only 240 HP. It would be better though to just be a secondary source of damage and protection since there are still meta decks that run main damage dealers without Abilities tied to them. The card itself will be strong enough to be considered as a tech in most Water Energy decks. Let's see if it makes the 60 Card cut in the meta.
Lugia VStar
#139 Lugia VSTAR – Colorless – HP280
VSTAR – Evolves from Lugia V
[C][C][C][C] Storm Dive: 220 damage. You may discard the Stadium in play.
Ability: Assemble Star (VSTAR Power)
You may use this during your turn. Choose up to 2 [C] Pokemon from your discard pile, except for Pokémon with a Rule Box, and put them on your Bench. (Pokemon V, Pokemon-GX, etc. have Rule Boxes). (You can’t use more than 1 VSTAR Power in a game.)
When your Pokemon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.
Weakness: Lightning (x2)
Resistance: Fighting (-30)
Retreat: 2
Now, Lugia VStar can go toe to toe with the current meta decks on how fast it can setup. Besides its massive 220 damage on the opponent's active, you may remove your opponent's engine by discarding the Stadium in play with the attack. The only drawback to this attack is its cost of 4 Colorless Energy that most meta decks consider to be slow. How will we reach that high of a cost for the attack? Luckily, it also has an ability, Assemble Star, where you can choose up to 2 Colorless Pokemon from your discard pile, without any rule boxes, and put them directly to your bench. There is only 1 target for that and that is Archeops. The ability also doesn't state of needing a Basic since Archeops is a Stage 1 Pokemon, so we don't even need an Archen in our deck. Archeops has the ability, Primal Turbo, where once per turn, you may search for 2 Special Energy in your deck and attach them to 1 of your Pokemon in play. That solves the high cost attack already with Double Turbo Energy, and anything else.
Besides Lugia VStar as your main damage dealer, you can also have a tech card such as an Yveltal to easily knock out your opponent's Pokemon immediately. Yveltal's attack, Amazing Destruction, has a specific combination of energy cost to use it, namely 1 Fire, 1 Psychic, 1 Dark, and 2 Colorless Energies. Now with Archeops, that will be possible with Special Energies such as Double Colorless, Aurora, Heat, Hiding, and many more.
Lugia VStar can be a viable contender for the meta game due to its swiftness to setup and constantly create value with its VStar ability so long as it targets Archeops.
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Regidrago VStar
#136 Regidrago VSTAR – Dragon – HP280
VSTAR – Evolves from Regidrago V
[G][G][R] Dragon Dream: Choose the attack from a Dragon-type Pokemon in your discard pile and use it as this attack
Ability: Legacy Star (VSTAR Power)
Once during your turn, you may discard 7 cards from the top of your deck. Then, you may choose up to 2 cards from your discard pile, reveal them, and put them in your hand. (You can’t use more than 1 VSTAR Power in a game.)
When your Pokemon VSTAR is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.
Weakness: none
Resistance: none
Retreat: 3
We have Regidrago coming as one of the tops of the list for his versatile attack, Dragon Dream. Dragon Dream lets you choose an attack from a Dragon-type Pokemon in your discard pile and use it as its attack. You may use an attack from a Basic, Evolution, VStar, or even a VMax Pokemon without any conditions except Dragon Dream's Energy Cost of 2 Grass, 1 Fire. Given that the attack is powerful when there are more Dragons in your discard pile, its VStar Ability, Legacy Star, gives you its own value engine of discarding 7 cards from the top of your deck and even choosing up to 2 cards from your discard pile to your hand. You get to have a chance to thin out your deck, get lucky by discarding the perfect dragons for your matchup, and even getting value from getting back 2 cards from your discard pile.
Imagine having a discard pile full of random Dragons, having a variety of tools to use to your advantage. It can include high damage dealing Pokemons like Duraludon VMax's attack G-Max Pulverization of 220 ignoring any effects on the active Pokemon, Giratina VStar's Lost Impact of 280, or even Dragonite V's Dragon Gale of 250 and 20 on each benched Pokemon. Not only that, we also have tech Dragon attacks like Garchomp's Sonic Strike, dealing 220 on any of the opponent's Pokemon in exchange for discarding 3 Energy Cards, Flygon V's Draconic Impulse dealing a whopping 320 damage on VMax Pokemons, Hisuian Goodra VStar's Rolling Iron dealing 200 damage and preventing 80 damage to itself until next turn, and even Dragonite's Energy Hurricane dealing 180 damage but having the ability to search for 3 Basic Energy cards in the deck and attaching them to any Pokemon you like.
Regidrago VStar will be considered to be not only meta but fun as well since there is no same game since you will adjust on which Dragon attack you will choose depending on your opponent's deck.
Forest Seal Stone / Grove Tablet
#156 Forest Seal Stone – Trainer
Item
Pokemon Tool: Attach a Pokemon Tool to 1 of your Pokemon that doesn’t already have a Pokemon Tool attached.
The Pokemon V this card is attached to can use this VSTAR Power.
Ability: Star Alchemy (VSTAR Power)
During you turn, you may search your deck for any 1 card and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck. (You can’t use more than 1 VSTAR Power in a game.)
You can play as many Item cards as you like during your turn.
Last but definitely not the least, we have the item, Forest Seal Stone where any Pokemon V can activate a VStar Power. It's ability, Star Alchemy, lets the player search for any one card and put it into their hand, without revealing it. This is a powerful tool in most VMax decks and even some single prize decks with a Pokemon V used just for utility since these decks don't use the resource of VStar Power. This then allows these deck archetypes to use that untapped potential resource and find a key card that they would want to setup to bag a win.
Imagine the meta deck of Mew & Genesect Fusion Strikers Deck and how fast that deck can win a game. Adding this card let's them find a specific card like Double Turbo Energy, Forced Switching, and even the Pokemons themselves for them to setup into winning the game swiftly. Instead of relying on a 50:50 chance on Cram-o-Matic, you will have 1 free search instead to collect all your wincon pieces. You don't even have to attach it to Mew VMax to use it, since Genesect is also a Pokemon V simultaneously being a utility Pokemon. It also synergizes with Pokestop where you have a chance to gather more Items in your deck per turn. Kyurem VMax as well as Ice/Shadow Calyrex VMax will most definitely benefit from this Item.
Using the VStar Power, when your deck doesn't run any VStar Pokemons already gives value, but having its ability as a search is completely powered. Forest Seal Stone will definitely be included in most meta decks not running VStar Pokemons.
There are honorable mentions of good cards in the expansion such as V Guard Energy, Radiant Tsareena, and supporter card Serena giving a boost in some specific decks. There will be more cards with hidden potential still in the latest expansion so we'll just have to wait and see until it arrives. We only have 1 Week left until the release of the expansion, Pokemon Sword & Shield Silver Tempest.
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