Pokémon TCG: Standard Deck Tech - Serperior ex + Yanmega ex

Black Bolt & White Flare, the latest Pokémon TCG set, brought us a way to revive the Grass archetype: Serperior ex BLK 3, whose main attack lets us get 3 cards from our deck.

To use this attack, obviously, we'll need energies, so we'll also use Yanmega ex DRI 3, which came out in the Destined Rivals base set.

Decklist

Serperior ex: The Main Attacker

Serperior ex BLK 3 only came out in the most recent Pokémon TCG set, but it is quite promising. Its attack, Grass Orders, deals 150 damage and also lets you look for any 3 cards you want in your deck and add them to your hand, so it's a great way to filter cards!

If you want to deal even more damage with this attack, you can use its own ability, Royal Cheer. With it, your Pokémon will deal 20 extra damage to the opponent's active Pokémon. Yes, this ability buffs all your Pokémon, not only Serperior ex!

Yangmega ex: Energy Support

This card was severely underestimated when it first came out in Destined Rivals. We at Cards Realm actually mentioned how promising it was when we reviewed the entire set.

The reason it is so useful is because of the combo involving its ability and its attack.

Its ability, Buzzing Boost, when you move Yanmega ex from your bench to the active spot, lets you get 3 Basic Grass Energy sv2 278 from your deck and attach them to this Pokémon.

On the other side, its attack, Jet Cyclone, deals 150 base damage and lets you move 3 Basic Grass Energy sv2 278 from it to your Benched Pokémon however you like!

This is how you'll get and attach the energies you need to use Serperior ex BLK 3's attack, which is quite expensive ((G)(C)(C)(C)). You can get at least the 3 colorless energies you need with this combo!

Recursive Pokémon

Support Pokémon

► Mew ex sv3pt5 151's ability, Restart, draws up to 3 cards.

In a few very specific cases, you can use this Pokémon as an attacker because its attack, Genoma Hacking, only costs 3 colorless energies.

► Fezandipiti ex SFA 38's ability, Flip the Script, draws up to 3 cards in your turn if one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out on the previous turn.

Just like Mew ex sv3pt5 151, Fezandipiti itself can be an attacker occasionally.

► Squawkabilly ex PR-SV 160's ability, Squawk and Seize, only works on the very first turn. It discards your hand and draws 6 new cards.

Furthermore, its attack recycles 2 basic energies from the discard pile and lets you attach them to one of your Benched Pokémon.

Trainers

Card Draw Supporter

The difference between Carmine PRE 103 and Professor's Research JTG 155 is that you can use it on turn 1 and completely ignore the traditional rule that states "the first player can't use Supporters on turn 1". It is very helpful.

Supporter to Draw Items and Tools

Supporter to "Pull" Enemy Pokémon

Items to Get Pokémon

Bug Catching Set PRE 102 is critical. With it, you'll be able to filter not only Grass Pokémon but also basic Grass energies.

Buddy-Buddy Poffin PRE 101 is an excellent resource to set up many "baby" Pokémon with less than 70 HP. As Yanma and Snivy have less than 70 HP, it is incredibly valuable.

Ultra Ball sv1 196 draws Mew ex sv3pt5 151, Fezandipiti ex SFA 38, and/or Squawkabilly ex PR-SV 160 in particular.

Item to Evolve Pokémon

This card is essential to evolve Snivy into Serperior, skipping the traditional evolution line.

Items to Recycle Cards

Super Rod sv2 188 recycles 3 cards from your discard pile, Pokémon and basic energies, and shuffles them back into your deck.

Energy Recycler DRI 164 recycles 5 basic energies from the discard pile and shuffles them back into your deck.

Pal Pad sv1 182 recycles 2 Supporters from the discard pile and shuffles them back into your deck.

Tools

Defiance Band sv1 169 buffs your active Pokémon. With it, if you're losing and your opponent has taken less Prize cards than you, your Pokémon will deal 30 extra damage. This can be a lot of help, particularly with Serperior ex's ability.

Technical Machine: Evolution sv4 178 evolves Pokémon.

Stadium

This Stadium lets you search for and draw 1 basic "baby" Pokémon (Pokémon without Rule Box).

It is just as critical as Buddy-Buddy Poffin PRE 101.

ACE SPEC

This is an "Item" ACE SPEC that forces your opponent to swap their active Pokémon with one of their Benched Pokémon. You'll also do the same afterward.

It is very useful to move Yanmega ex DRI 3 from your bench to your active spot, as this is how you'll keep your combo going.

Pros

This deck consistently attaches energies to Pokémon and also consistently draws cards with Serperior ex's attack effect.

It is great against Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex DRI 136, Charizard ex sv3 125, and Cynthia's Garchomp ex DRI 104 because they're weak against Grass Pokémon.

Cons

However, it struggles against Ceruledge ex SSP 36 because it is incredibly fast. Grass Pokémon are also weak against Fire Pokémon.

Gholdengo ex sv4 139 decks are a problem because they get energies quickly with Earthen Vessel PRE 106 and then recycle these energies from the discard pile with Superior Energy Retrieval sv2 189.

This deck also struggles against Raging Bolt ex TEF 123 because it is very explosive and also attaches energies to their basic Pokémon rather quickly (particularly Raikou Paradoxal).

Finally, Charizard ex lists that use Charizard ex sv3pt5 6 are difficult matches too.

This deck is quite underestimated. Considering how dominant Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex DRI 136 has been in the last tournaments and that Cynthia's Garchomp ex DRI 104 is just around the corner (once Mega Lucario ex comes along), it will soon become a great answer for the meta. Not to mention, it is a great "counter" for Charizard ex sv3 125.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!