Standard Deck Tech: Gardevoir ex & Drapion V

With the release of Scarlet & Violet, there was a strong appreciation of Psychic Pokémon. We're talking about Gardevoir ex sv1 86, which, thanks to its ability, it can power up Psychic Pokémon by taking energy from the discard pile, putting two damage counters on it during the process.

But there is a way around this setback, and I will explain it in this article! Are we going to meet one of the best Standard decks in 2023?

Decklist

Gardevoir ex: the Pokémon with the most important recursive function and last resort attacker

It is the magic of the deck due to its ability: Gardevoir ex pulls energy from the discard pile (as many energies as you want, remember) to one of your Pokémon and in doing so, it takes 2 damage counters.

These counters are for Cresselia LOR 74 to use its first attack that deals damage against the opponent based on the amount of damage counters on your Pokémon; also serves to power up Zacian V CEL 16 which hits 60 + 30 for each psychic energy attached to it.

Zacian V: secondary striker for finishing

Zacian V comes in as an attacker to take down Pokémon with high HP such as VStar, VMax, VUnion, and Pokémon ex. In this, assuming it has 10 psychic energies attached to it, Zacian deals 360 damage.

If you have Sky Seal Stone CRZ 143 equipped, it activates the Tool's Ability in which if a Basic Pokémon V Knocks Out a Pokémon VStar or VMax, you take an additional Prize Card.

Cresselia: attacker who exploits damage counters

Cresselia is an attacker who takes advantage of the setback of the damage counters that Gardevoir ex's ability causes when pulling energy from the discard pile.

Drapion V: the “counter” against Mew VMax

Drapion V serves to hit double damage on Mew VMAX LOR TG30, due to its weakness to the dark type.

Recursive Pokémon

- Radiant Greninja ASR 46 comes in with its ability Concealed Cards, where you discard an energy card from your hand to draw two cards.

- Manaphy BRS 41 has Wave Velt, where if it's in play, it prevents damage from opponent's attacks against your Benched Pokémon (damage counters aren't considered damage).

- Gardevoir CRE 61 has Shining Arcana, where you can see the two cards at the top of the deck: if it has basic psychic energies, you can attach them to your Pokémon any way you want; if not, you can draw those two cards from the top.

- Kirlia SIT 68 enters with Refinement: You can discard 1 card from your hand and draw 2 cards in the process.

- Kirlia CRE 60 has Mirage Step, which for one energy, you can search the deck for 3 Kirlia and put them straight into your bench, then shuffle your deck.

Trainer Cards

- Professor's Research BRS 147 allows you to discard your hand and draw 7 new cards.

- Serena SIT 164 allows choosing one of two options:

1) Discard up to 3 cards from your hand until you have 5 cards in total in the process.

2) Choose an opponent's Pokémon V and take it out of active position and bring it to active position, as if it were a kind of "Boss's Orders".

- Judge FST 235 is used to shuffle your and opponent's hand back into the deck and both draw 4 cards.

It is a form of sabotage and hand control if the opponent has plenty of cards.

- Cyllene ASR 138 recovers cards from the discard pile, for each coin that is hit in the process. There are two coins to be played and if each of them comes up heads, you choose those discarded cards and return them to the deck.

- Roxanne ASR 150 is an improved and more destructive "N": if your opponent has 3 prize cards left to win the game, you can play this card. Your opponent shuffles their hand and draws only 2 cards, and you shuffle yours into your deck and draw 6 cards.

- Boss's Orders BRS 132 is used to pull an opponent's Benched Pokémon into Active Position so that it can close a specific KO.

- Nest Ball sv1 181 searches your deck for a basic Pokémon and puts it directly on your Bench.

- Ultra Ball BRS 150 is used to search for any Pokémon in your deck, at the tribute of requiring two discards from your hand, that is, two cards as tribute of the effect.

- Level Ball BST 129 allows you to search for Pokémon with 90 HP or less, reveal them to your opponent, and put them in your hand.

It is precisely to look for Ralts SIT 67, Kirlia SIT 68 or Kirlia CRE 60.

- Fog Crystal CRE 140 can fetch a Psychic Energy from the deck or a Basic Psychic Pokémon from the deck.

- Rare Candy PGO 69 serves as an evolution acceleration. It allows you to evolve one of your basic Pokémon if you have its stage 2 evolutionary card in your hand and thus make that evolution.

It is here for the Ralts setup for Gardevoir (either in "baby" or "ex" form).

- Pal Pad sv1 182 Cycles up to 2 Supporter-type Trainer cards from the discard pile into your deck.

- Sky Seal Stone CRZ 143 can only be equipped to Basic Pokémon V, and if it knocks out a Pokémon VStar or VMax, it draws an extra Prize card.

Stadium

If that stadium is on the field, for all of both players' Pokémon that have special Energy attached to them, those Energy have lost their effects and become a colorless Energy.

Advantages

- Perfect against fighter archetype decks that have the Psychic-type weakness.

- Easy acceleration of energies, ideal to discard as many energies as possible so that you can use Gardevoir ex.

Disadvantages

- Dark archetype decks such as Drapion V LOR 118, Darkrai VSTAR ASR 99 and Galarian Moltres V CRE 97

- Lugia VStar decks that have Tyranitar V PR-SW SWSH109 and that in that same deck may have ways to remove Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155 in play.

- Decks that run cards like Avery CRE 130 that can destroy your bench.

- Decks that have the Path to the Peak CRE 148 stadiums, which lock Pokémon's abilities with a Rule Box

This is one of the favorite decks of the format, due to its speed and assembly of energy between its Pokémon.