Pokémon TCG: Expanded Guide - Regidrago VStar Box (2025 Aichi Champions League)

This year's Champions League took place in Japan, more specifically in Aichi, just last month, on May 4th, 2025. Eight hundred players brought their best Expanded lists to compete for a title. Curiously, this format as a whole is widely popular in Japan.

Most of the top 16 players (98%) brought Regidrago VStar. This Pokémon was released in Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest, and had a lot of long-term potential even then, either in Standard or Expanded. In Standard, it really shone at the end of its "shelf life", that is, right before it rotated out, and in Expanded, as usual, Japanese players managed to get a lot more out of it than western players.

Now, Keigo Odagaki, the 2025 Aichi Champions League winner, once again proved to us Regidrago VStar is still a force to be reckoned with. Let's go over their list and see exactly how it works!

Decklist

Deck Structure

Regidrago V & Regidrago VStar: The Main Attackers

About Regidrago V

Let's see its attacks:

Celestial Roar is a great energy engine. First, this attack discards the top 3 cards in your deck, but then it lets you attach any energies you discard this way to Regidrago V. As it doesn't mention you can only attach basic or special energies, you can use it to attach Double Dragon Energy ROS 97 to your Pokémon, for instance.

Dragon Laser is a "sniper" attack. Besides dealing 130 base damage to the opponent's active Pokémon, it also deals 30 extra damage to one of their Benched Pokémon.

About Regidrago VStar

Its main attack, Apex Dragon, copies any attacks from Dragon Pokémon in your discard pile. Furthermore, to use this attack, you don't even have to pay for the copied attack's original cost - you'll just have to pay (G)(G)(F) for all attacks.

Its VStar ability, Legacy Star, discards even more cards from the top of your deck, so it's perfect to put Dragon Pokémon in your discard pile. In fact, it discards 7 cards from the top of your deck and puts 2 of them in your hand.

Please note that you can only use VStar abilities once per match.

Dragon Pokémon to Copy with Regidrago VStar

Pokémon-GX

Keep in mind that Pokémon-GX have GX attacks, a mechanic from Sun & Moon. You can only use one GX attack per match, regardless of how many Pokémon-GX you actually play.

Dialga-GX

Its first attack, Overclock, draws up to 6 cards. Its second attack, Shred, deals 80 damage and ignores any enemy effects on your opponent's active Pokémon. It will be quite useful against Pokémon like Miltank ASR 126 or Mimikyu sv2 97.

Finally, its GX attack, Timeless, deals 150 damage and lets you play an extra turn. You'll skip your opponent's turn, and be able to attack again. In total, you'll deal 300 damage if you do this.

Noivern-GX

Its first attack, Distort, prevents your opponent from using Items in the following turn, so it's a way to control them. Its second attack, Sonic Volume, prevents them from playing special energies from their hand, so it's also quite disruptive.

Pokémon ex

Scarlet & Violet gave us new Pokémon ex, so, naturally, this list plays many of them.

Noivern ex

This Pokémon's first attack, Covert Flight, protects it from basic Pokémon, such as TAG TEAM-GX Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156 and Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71.

Its second attack, Dominating Echo, is an excellent control tool: it prevents the opponent from using Items, Stadiums, and special energies.

Dragapult ex

Dragapult ex's attack, Phantom Dive, deals 200 damage to the opponent's active Pokémon and lets you put 6 damage counters on their Benched Pokémon.

Salamence ex

Salamence ex's first attack, Wide Blast, deals 50 damage to all Benched enemy Pokémon.

Its second attack, Dragon Impact, deals more damage, 300, in fact, which is enough to Knock Out TAG TEAM-GX, VStar, and VMax Pokémon.

"Baby" Pokémon

Kyurem

Kyurem's ability discounts the cost of its main attack from (W)(W)(M)(M)(C) to just (W), but only if your opponent has any COLRESS cards in their discard pile.

This includes Colress PLS 118 (for card draw), Colress's Tenacity SFA 57 (to discard Stadiums or energies), and Colress's Experiment LOR 155 (which you'll often find in Lost Box lists).

Its attack, Trifost, deals 110 damage to three different enemy Pokémon.

Recursive Pokémon

Pokémon To Sabotage Your Opponent

►Budew PRE 4's attack prevents the opponent from using Items on their next turn.

►Wobbuffet PHF 36's ability disables other Pokémon abilities (except for Psychic Pokémon) while it is your active Pokémon.

Support Pokémon

►Crobat V PR-SW SWSH110's Dark Asset draws cards.

►Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60's Wonder Tag lets you search for a Supporter in your deck and put it in your hand.

►Latias ex SSP 76's Skyliner lets you retreat your basic Pokémon for less energies.

►Dedenne-GX UNB 57's Dedechange discards your hand and draws 6 new cards.

Trainers

Supporter to Draw Cards

Supporter to Manipulate Your and Your Opponent's Hands

Each of the cards above does something different.

N FCO 105 makes both players shuffle their hands back into their decks. Then, each of you will draw new cards based on how many Prize cards you have left.

Marnie SSH 169 makes both players shuffle their hands back into the bottom of their decks. Then, you'll draw 5 new cards, and your opponent will draw 4.

Finally, Iono sv2 185 combines the two effects above. You and your opponent will shuffle your hands into the bottom of your decks, and then draw cards according to how many Prize cards you still have left.

Supporter to "Pull" Enemy Pokémon

This card forces your opponent to swap their active Pokémon with one of their Benched Pokémon. After that, you'll also have to swap your active Pokémon with one of your Benched Pokémon.

Supporter to Control and Disrupt Your Opponent

This card forces your opponent to discard a special energy or tool attached to one of their Pokémon. This card will then go into the Lost Zone instead of the discard pile.

Supporter for Emergencies - To Attach Energies and Get Cards from Your Deck

You can only use this card if one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out in the previous turn. If that's the case, you can get a basic energy from your discard pile and attach it to one of your Pokémon. Then, if you do, you can get any card in your deck and add it to your hand.

Energy Supporter

Items to Get Pokémon

Mysterious Treasure FLI 113 lets you search for any Psychic or Dragon Pokémon from your deck if you discard a card from your hand.

Quick Ball FST 237 lets you search for any basic Pokémon from your deck if you discard a card from your hand.

Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 lets you search for any basic Pokémon from your Prize cards.

Item to Discard Cards In Your Deck

This item is essential in this deck because it lets you look for 3 cards in your deck and discard them. You should use it to discard Dragon Pokémon so you can copy their attacks with Regidrago VStar.

Items to Recycle Cards

Super Rod sv2 188 recycles up to 3 cards, either Pokémon or basic energies.

VS Seeker PHF 109 recycles a Supporter from your discard pile and puts it in your hand. You can pick the best card for your situation.

Tools

Muscle Band XY 121 makes your active Pokémon deal 20 extra damage. The best way to use it is to buff attacks like Dialga-GX UPR 100's Timeless GX attack, or Dragon Impact. This way, you'll deal 320 damage.

Leafy Camo Poncho SIT 160 makes your Pokémon VStar, like Regidrago VSTAR SIT 136 and Pokémon VMax immune to Supporters.

Stadiums

You'll mostly use Parallel City BKT 145's "blue" side to limit your opponent's bench to 3 slots.

Path to the Peak CRE 148 disables abilities on Pokémon with Rule Boxes, and, as such, will give you an essential advantage.

ACE SPEC

This control "item" discards all special energies attached to enemy Pokémon, all tools attached to them, and any Stadium in play.

Pros

Dragon Pokémon aren't weak to any other Pokémon type, so that's one less thing to worry about.

Furthermore, Regidrago VStar can copy a wide range of attacks, from "sniper" attacks to "spread" attacks and attacks that deal a lot of damage. For instance, it can copy Salamence ex's attack and deal 300 damage.

This deck is also quite consistent because it plays many Supporters, like N, Marnie, and Iono, and they all attack the opponent's resources.

And, because it leans on so many control strategies, it will be quite disruptive for the opponent.

Cons

Aggressive "sniper" decks, like Greninja VUnion, often Knock Out multiple Pokémon at once, and will be quite a problem even for Pokémon with a lot of HP.

"Instant K.O." decks, like Yveltal SHF 46, Kingambit PR-SV 130, or Gengar GEN 35 are a considerable threat.

If your opponent uses cards like Avery CRE 130 to limit your bench and sabotage your strategy, you'll have a big problem in your hands.

Decks like Giratina & Garchomp TAG TEAM-GX, which lean on disruptive mechanics, have been challenging since the 2023 Aichi Champions League.

Once again, this deck is a perfect example of how diverse Expanded is, and why we should value it more. In this format, you'll be able to explore the most various strategies with cards that are over 14 years old. It is very different from Standard, which includes, at most, 2-year-old cards.

What do you think of this list? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!