Standard Deck Tech: Tyranitar V + Lugia VStar

Hello everybody. I'm Rodrigo, bringing you news about the Pokémon TCG in general. In the recent release of Scarlet & Violet, Psychic Pokémon gained prominence, mainly with Gardevoir ex sv1 86 and the still predominant Mew VMAX LOR TG30.

With that in mind, a card that was previously undervalued is now on the rise: Tyranitar V BST 97, which has become a potential new attacker with some additional effects, such as discarding the top of the opponent's deck, in addition to the massive 240 damage, which can be added to the Single Strike Energy BST 141 for up to an additional 80 points.

Decklist

Tyranitar V: deck's main attacker

Here is where its protagonism is taken to the fore. With just the first attack, with some Single Strike Energy BST 141 Energy, at least 3 of them for Cragalanche, it can deal 120 damage, and up to 240 damage if it applies Weakness to some Psychic Pokémon. We also have the addition of the effect of discards from the top of the opponent's deck, excellent in matches against Lost Zone, where the deck's stock burns quickly due to sending cards from the Lost Zone.

Its second attack, the Single Strike Crush, with 240 damage, already takes a good portion of the “basic” Pokémon V of the format (and of course, if a psychic Pokémon comes, it is a guaranteed knockout), even for Gardevoir ex sv1 86 and Mew VMAX LOR TG30, both with 310 HP.

If there are Pokémon with higher HP, with the addition of Single Strike Energy BST 141 damage, this value can go up to 320, knocking out most Pokémon ex and some VMax Pokémon.

Stonjourner: Second Attacker

An Electric-type counter Pokémon that is very active in the current Metagame, with the line of Miraidon ex sv1 81, Regieleki VMAX SIT 58, Raichu V BRS 45 and Raikou V BRS 48.

Drapion V: Mew VMax's "counter"

Drapion V serves to hit double damage on Mew VMAX LOR TG30, due to its weakness to the dark type, for a total of 380 damage.

Lugia V & Lugia VStar: Resource Pokémon for Archeops and Alternate Striker

The key thing is to use its VStar Ability quickly, as it brings any colorless Pokémon that doesn't have a Rule Box back from the discard pile to your Bench, 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 one of your Pokémon in any way you want.

You will be powering up the deck's special energies, like Single Strike Energy BST 141 for your Tyranitar V BST 97, which will likely be your best move under the circumstances.

Recursive Pokémon

- Radiant Tsareena SIT 16 comes in with Elegant Heal, where you, between turns, can heal 20 points of damage among your Pokémon; being able to help in some situations of the game thanks to V Guard Energy SIT 169, which already guarantees 30 points of damage reduction against Pokémon V attacks and even provides a temporary cure.

- Pumpkaboo EVS 76 has Pumpkin Pit: If this Pokémon is in your hand and is benched, it may discard any stadium-type card in play.

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

- Lumineon V BRS 156 is like the ”Tapu Lele-GX” of the new generation due to its ability Luminous Sign: if it is put from your hand to your bench, you can look for it a Supporter Trainer card in your deck, reveal it, and put it into your hand.

Trainer Cards

- Professor's Research (Professor Sada) sv1 189 discards your hand and draws 7 new cards.

- Serena SIT 164 serve to choose one of the 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 bring it to active position, as if it were a kind of "Boss's Orders".

An interesting move is to use Archeops SIT 147 as a form of discard tribute, in that requirement of up to 3 cards for that, and with that, already filtering the deck and taking as many Archeops as possible.

- Judge FST 235 allows you 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 many cards.

- Zinnia's Resolve EVS 164 is only useful if it fulfills the effect of discarding two cards from your hand to be used: it draws cards equal to the amount of Pokémon your opponent has in play.

With this card, it's good to use the Archeops SIT 147 as a tribute from discards to activate the effect.

- Boss's Orders BRS 132 pulls an opponent's Benched Pokémon into Active Position so that it can close a specific Knockout.

- Capturing Aroma SIT 153 looks for a Pokémon based on coins: if heads, look for a Pokémon that is an evolution; but if it comes up tails, look for a basic Pokémon.

- Ultra Ball BRS 186 is used to search for any Pokémon in your deck, with the tribute of requiring two discards from your hand.

- Urn of Vitality BST 139 is a recycling feature, where it takes 2 Single Strike energy from the discard pile back into your deck and reshuffles them.

Stadiums

If that stadium is on the field, both players, between turns, can toss the coin. If heads, that player may search their deck for a Pokémon, reveal it, and put it into their hand. Then shuffle the deck.

If that stadium is on the field, both players need 4 spaces in their “reserve bench”. If there is a fifth Pokémon, this player must choose the four Pokémon that will remain and then discard the fifth Pokémon.

Special Energies

Single Strike Energy

This energy can only be used for Single Strike type Pokémon, and if not, after using it for some type of attack tribute, discard it.

But if this energy is actually attached to a Single Strike-type Pokémon, it gives it a “Fighting” (F) and/or Dark (D) type, in addition to granting 20 more damage to the Single Strike Pokémon attached to it.

Regenerative Energy

If you play this card at the same time you evolve one of your Pokémon V, this energy will heal 100 damage.

V Guard Energy

The Pokémon that has this Energy equipped takes 30 less damage from the opponent's V-Type Pokémon.

Gift Energy

The Pokémon that has this energy equipped, when knocked out by damage by the opponent, you will draw until you have 7 cards in your hand.

It's basically a Lucky Egg SSH 167, in special energy form.

Lucky Energy

The Pokémon that has this energy equipped, when affected by damage from the opponent (even if your Pokémon is knocked out), you draw a card for each attack suffered.

Double Turbo Energy

This energy serves as two colorless energies. If equipped to the Pokémon, it reduces your attacks by 20.

That is, assuming you use Tyranitar V BST 97 to do the Single Strike Crush attack using it as a tribute to the two colorless energies called for in the attack, which are (D)(D)(C)(C), instead of dealing 240 damage, it will deal 220 damage.

Advantages

- It's perfect against Psychic archetype decks, as said, against Mew VMax and Gardevoir ex, which are trending in the current Standard.

- Maximum damage from Tyranitar V with energized Single Strike energies can hit head-on against any deck of the current format, taking 80% of Pokémon, for managing to overcome 300 damage.

Disadvantages

- Decks that have cards like Avery CRE 130, which can destroy your bench.

- Decks that have the Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155 stadium, which disables all effects of special energies that the deck depends on.

With this appreciation of Tyranitar V, it will spend another year playing against the Psychic-type and its demand will most likely increase. Even though Lugia VStar doesn't have the same strength as before with the loss of Powerful Colorless Energy DAA 176 with the rotation on 4/14, it will still be a good recursive Pokémon to summon Archeops so that they look for special energies for the Pokémon.