Expanded Deck Tech: Lugia VStar & Articuno-EX Plasma Birds

In this strategy, we have Lugia VSTAR SIT 139 summoning colorless Pokémon from the discard pile to your Bench, including Archeops SIT 147 which are important special energy energizers.

Within Expanded, I will rescue two Pokémon that deserve to be highlighted with this possibility of powering up with Plasma-type Pokémon!

Yes, Team Plasma Pokémon from the Black & White era can have space in Expanded, and in this article I'll talk about their possibilities!

Decklist

Kyogre: sniper striker

You need to assemble it quickly with the Lugia VStar combo with Archeops and power it up with Aurora Energy SSH 186 to pay tribute to the Pokémon's distinct energies and hope that the opponent's deck doesn't have any type of “Bench Protector” like Manaphy BRS 41, Mew UNB 76 or Mr. Mime BKT 97.

With these damages marked, at least 80 points, it is enough for other attackers to close damage, such as Pidgeot V LOR 137, Lugia-EX PLS 108 (if it has 3 Powerful Colorless Energy DAA 176 to reach 170 damage and 1 Plasma Energy PLB 91 to activate the ability to draw additional prize card for knockout) and even Lugia VSTAR SIT 139 itself.

Plasma's Articuno-EX

As well as an excellent attacker with sniper damage on the bench, which can be amplified with Kyogre SHF 21. But always prioritize the Lugia VStar setup with Archeops to have energy acceleration and be able to beat the opponent.

In case the game is a little more locked to your side, it will only enter thanks to the second attack, Frost Prison, where it will leave the active Pokémon paralyzed (one of the best special conditions to apply to the opponent), winning some turns, until that you can promote a stronger or superior attacker to take them down.

Plasma's Lugia-EX

It comes in as a finisher: it serves to draw remaining prize cards that make you win the game, and therefore, it is placed in a very specific situation, to fulfill this move.

You need to be cautious, because these Pokémon EX have low health and die easily. It can even target the opponent for a KO, so it's ideal for destroying recursive Pokémon, like Dedenne-GX UNB 57 or Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60 to draw 3 Prize cards.

Pidgeot V

On the deck, there's Chaotic Swell CEC 187 to break stadiums like Path to the Peak CRE 148, Power Plant UNB 183 or the Silent Lab PRC 140.

And with the presence of your stadium, it is possible to cause 160 damage, which can be increased with Powerful Colorless Energy DAA 176 with 3 of them, reaching 220 damage. It's a nice value for a basic attack and quick to assemble, plus if it's benched, it can go back to the deck.

Lugia V & Lugia VStar

The main point is to use its VStar ability as quickly as possible, as it brings any colorless Pokémon back to your Bench from the discard pile, including Pokémon with stage 1 or 2 evolutions*.

This is where Archeops PR-SW SWSH272 (two at least) comes in, due to its ability to attach two special Energy from your deck to your Pokémon in any way you want.

Recursive Pokémon

- Archeops SIT 147 has Primal Turbo, where it searches for up to two Special Energy from the deck and can attach them to one of your Pokémon in play.

- Dedenne-GX UNB 57 has Dedecharge, where if you play it from your hand to the bench, you discard your current hand and draw 6 cards.

- Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60 has Wonder Tag, where it searches for a Trainer - Supporter card, puts it in your hand and then shuffles your deck.

Trainer Cards

- Professor's Research (Professor Oak) CEL 23 serves to discard your hand and draw 7 cards in a row.

- Cheren's Care BRS 134 is used if one of your colorless-type Pokémon has some kind of damage counter, special conditions, that is, if it is all weakened.

You put that Pokémon and all of its attached cards back into your hand.

- Winona ROS 96 Searches for up to 3 colorless Pokémon from your deck, show them to your opponent, and put them in your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

- Wally GEN RC27 serves to look for an evolution of your deck (except Pokémon-EX) and place it on the Pokémon in which it will evolve, and after that, shuffle your deck. You can apply this card even if you set that Pokémon to be evolved that same turn.

- Thorton LOR 167 allows you to take a basic Pokémon from your discard pile and replace it with one of the basics in your game. All damage counters, energies, tools, special conditions that were on the old Pokémon will be on the new one that was replaced.

- Marnie SSH 169 allows you to shuffle your opponent's hands and yours on the bottom of the deck, and then, the opponent only draws 4 cards, and you draw 5 cards.

- Pokégear 3.0 SSH 174 is used to search the top 7 cards of your deck for a Supporter-type Trainer card, show it to your opponent and put it in your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

- Battle Compressor Team Flare Gear PHF 92 is used to search for 3 cards from your deck and discard them to the discard pile.

This is precisely to speed up the deck, to filter and discard Archeops.

- VS Seeker PHF 109 is a resource used to pick a Trainer - Supporter from the discard pile into your hand.

- Special Charge STS 105 is a resource that cycles up to 2 special energies from the discard pile back to your deck.

- Pal Pad SSH 172 is an item that recycles two supporter-type Trainer cards from the discard pile back into your deck and shuffles them.

Stadium

If that stadium is on the field, if the opponent tries to use some stadium to break this one, this new stadium instead of being in play to replace the Chaotic Swell CEC 187, it will be discarded along with the Chaotic Swell CEC 187.

Special Energies

- Aurora Energy SSH 186) is used to supply any type of energy. But if it is put from your hand to one of your Pokémon, you must discard a card from your hand.

- Powerful Colorless Energy DAA 176 serves to deal 20 damage to Colorless Pokémon. If this energy is attached to another Pokémon that is not the archetype, it will only serve as a measly colorless energy with no effect.

- Double Colorless Energy GRI 166 serves as two colorless energies.

- Plasma Energy PLB 91 serves as a colorless Energy, but it only has specific effects for Pokémon with the type “Plasma” in the name.

Advantages

Our deck has these goals, which make it positive:

- Lugia VStar must be assembled as much as possible with the Wally card and having discarded at least two Archeops to activate its VStar ability and thus abuse the abilities of Acheops and accelerate energy for its attackers, even Lugia VStar with up to 300 damage with the Powerful Colorless Energy.

- Cause as much spread damage as possible to the opponent with Kyogre Amazing Rare so that other attackers in the deck can close damage, such as Pidgeot V to hit and return to the deck, as well as Lugia VStar can close damage and even the combo with Plasma's Articuno-EX for “sniper” damage and still being able to paralyze an opponent.

- And for additional prizes, the use of Plasma's Lugia-EX to knock out Pokémon with more penalized HP to end the game.

Disadvantages

- Deck that uses ADP.

- Control Decks that use Robo Substitute Team Flare Gear PHF 102 and Lillie's Poké Doll CEC 197, and with Pokémon like Vileplume AOR 3, Decidueye DAA 13 and Altaria CPA 49, and gets worse if using Big Parasol DAA 157, to nullify the GX effect of Garchomp & Giratina.

- If the Honchkrow-GX deck is assembled beforehand, it may interfere with some of the deck's features.

- Ultra Necrozma + Garbordor, with Garbodor to lock abilities.

- “Instant Kill” decks like Beedrill TEU 5, Beedrill CRE 3, Hisuian Zoroark LOR 76, Absol GRI 81, Yveltal SHF 46, duo do Raticate BCR 105 and Raticate BREAK BKP 89, Alolan Raticate PGO 42, Gengar GEN 35; if they can be assembled fast.

- Deck that has damage immunity from special energies like Duraludon VMAX SIT TG21 or Alolan Persian-GX CEC 219 itself.

- Togekiss VMAX VIV 141 deck can be a little annoying to deal with because it hits fast, heals with Max Potion GRI 128 or Cheryl BST 123 and manages to recover it with Double Colorless Energy SUM 136.

- Decks that contain cards like Avery CRE 130 that can destroy your bench, or that can use Sudowoodo GRI 66 with its ability to shorten your bench to 4 slots.

- Decks that have the Path to the Peak CRE 148 stadiums that lock Pokémon abilities with Rule Box; Power Plant UNB 183 that locks Pokémon GX and EX abilities; and Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155 which disables the effects of special energies, becoming just mere colorless energies.

- Mill/deck out strategy deck like Moltres and/or Centiskorch.

It's a deck with a bold proposal and almost no one thought about the possibility of Plasma's Articuno-EX being an excellent attacker to constantly paralyze the opponent, in addition to Plasma's Lugia-EX drawing additional prize cards by knockout.

The Lugia VStar with its Archeops could help with this task, enhancing the attacks of these Pokémon, even if most EX have low health, the combo is worth it and fun as well!