Standard Deck Tech: Serperior VStar + Forretress ex

In Scarlet & Violet: Paldea Evolved, we had Forretress ex appearing as an excellent recursive Pokémon for the Grass archetype, bringing new ways to energize Pokémon.

Today, we'll discuss Serperior VStar in a "turbo" strategy to speed up your energies, also using a healing strategy.

Decklist

Serperior VStar: the Deck's Main Attacker

The goal here is simple: use Forretress ex sv2 5's ability, Exploding Energy, to attach 5 Grass (G) energies to your Pokémon. This way, Serperior-VStar will be able to use its attack, and move these energies among your Pokémon, and, with that, it will be able to perform the role of "tanker", by moving the energies to another Pokémon which can be promoted as a new attacker. As Serperior-VStar retreat cost is zero, you'll use Cheryl BST 123 for moments like these.

In case your opponent tries to use a Boss’s Orders on another Serperior VStar, the use of Leafy Camo Poncho SIT 160 will be useful, as it prevents damage from Supporter cards. We have to be careful with our resources, as there is Forretress ex's "sacrifice", which, when using its ability, knocks itself out and the opponent gets 2 Prize Cards.

Its VStar attack deals 60 damage per energy attached to Serperior VStar, which means, with 5 energies, it already deals 300 damage, and with 6 energies, will be dealing 360 damage, which means you can 100% destroy any VMax or ex Pokémon in the Standard format!

Wo-Chien ex: Alternative or Finisher Attacker

In this deck, Wo-Chien ex is useful as the final card in a match to hit an enemy Pokémon in case they retreat it. You can even deal "sniper" damage if you'd like to, reaching at most 300 damage, in case your opponent has gotten 5 Prize Cards throughout the match. Remember it has a heavy retreat cost.

The deck has Lost City LOR 161 as Stadium, which is useful to destroy any vital set-up of your opponent, but it is also a double-edged sword for your side of the game, as it needs 3 energies to attack, and the deck only has 10 energies. Think carefully and wisely about when to use it.

Recursive Pokémon

- Forretress ex sv2 5 has its ability Exploding Energy, which allows you to look for 5 basic Grass energies (G) in your deck and attach them to your Pokémon in any way you prefer. If you do, you'll knock out this Pokémon and the opponent will get 2 Prize Cards, due to the "Rule Box" describing what happens when a Pokémon ex is knocked out.

It is the deck's main spinning engine, speeding up the energies of Serperior-VStar in play. It is essential to have at least 5 energies in your deck and at least one Forretress ex as well, to have this explosive combo.

- Radiant Tsareena SIT 16 has Elegant Heal, which allows you, during your turn, to heal 20 points of damage from all your Pokémon.

This Pokémon comes in as an additional healing resource to complement Cheryl BST 123, because she will only be useful to Serperior VStar, as she only heals "evolution cards".

- Bidoof CRZ 111 has Carefree Countenance, which disables damages to it when it is on the bench through "sniper" attacks, from cards such as Kyogre CRZ 36, which is very useful, so you can gain time to evolve it to Bibarel.

- Bibarel BRS 121 has Industrious Incisors, which allows you to draw up to 5 cards in hand.

Trainer Cards

Supporters

- Professor's Research (Professor Sada) sv1 189 is useful as “draw power”: discard your hand and draw 7 cards.

- Jacq sv1 175 is useful to look for evolution cards for your Pokémon, and it looks for 2 evolution cards.

It replaces Evolution Incense SSH 163, which rotated last season. Of course, as it is a "Supporter" card, you lose a turn doing that, but it is the only current resource to look for evolution cards, except for Capturing Aroma SIT 153.

Boss's Orders (Ghetsis) sv2 172 is useful to pull a specific Pokémon from the opponent's bench to deal the damage to victory, speeding up the drawing of Prize Cards.

- Iono sv2 185 is extremely powerful, as it is the mix of its predecessors' effects, N FCO 105 and Marnie SSH 169, together: you and your opponent shuffle your hands and place them at the bottom of the deck. After that, you'll draw cards from the top of the deck equal to the number of Prize Cards you have in the game, as in, each player's game.

Example: if your opponent has 2 Prize Cards and you have 4 Prize Cards and you use this card, you'll both shuffle your hands into the bottom of the deck, and then, the opponent will draw only 2 cards and you'll draw 4 cards.

As stated before in the recursive Pokémon section about Bibarel: even if you use Iono's effect, reducing your hand if you're winning the game if you have fewer Prize Cards left, this Pokémon's ability effect will help you refill your hand.

This card is useful only for evolved Pokémon, which are its effect's requirement.

It heals a Pokémon completely, but, on the other hand, it discards all energies attached to it.

In this case, you'll play the strategy of using Regal Blender to swap the energies to another Serperior VStar and, with this action, you'll heal the active Pokémon which will take the damage, retreat it, and promote one from the bench to deal the damage.

Items

- Pal Pad sv1 182 is useful to recycle two Supporter cards from the discard pile to the deck.

Ideally, you'll recycle Cheryl BST 123, as many times as possible, but you're also welcome to reflect on the possibility of bringing Iono sv2 185 or Boss's Orders (Ghetsis) sv2 172.

- Escape Rope BST 125: your opponent will choose a Pokémon from the bench which will be promoted to the active position, and, next, you'll do the same with your Pokémon. The opponent will be the first to swap (and, if they don't have any benched Pokémon to swap, they won't need to).

- Ultra Ball sv1 196 is useful to look for any Pokémon, evolution or basic, common or ultra rare, as long as you pay the requirement of discarding two cards from your hand to play it.

- Nest Ball sv1 181 is useful to look for a basic Pokémon in your deck and place it directly on the bench.

- Battle VIP Pass FST 225 is useful only to be used on your first turn in the game: look for two basic Pokémon in your deck and then place them directly on the bench.

- Energy Recycler BST 124 is essential, as the deck counts on only 10 basic Grass energies, and they are exactly counted to go with a Forretress ex's effect and play its ability. As it is only one copy in the deck, don't let it be discarded in your hand if you have a Professor’s Research.

- Super Rod sv2 188, as a reprint from the Black/White era, comes in as another recycling option, being able to recycle basic energies and Pokémon back into the deck, which is important as a rescue alternative, besides Energy Recycler BST 124 as support.

The card is useful to recall a Tool or Stadium card in play, at the cost of discarding one card from your hand and sending it to the Lost Zone.

Ideally, you'll pay as tax Battle VIP Pass FST 225, which is a dead card in your hand in case you don't use it on the first turn.

Stadium

Lost City LOR 161 will force every knocked out Pokémon in play, instead of going to the discard pile, to go to the Lost Zone (valid for both players).

It is ideal to deal massive damage as quick as possible, on turn 2, using Forretress ex's ability, attaching energies to your Serperior VStar and starting to put damage on the board.

In case you have a very strong Pokémon in play with the right setup, then you'll have the possibility of using the VStar attack, to deal a damage above 300, to end that threat.

Advantages

- Dark archetype decks which are weak to Grass Pokémon.

- Speed when setting up Pokémon to be energized, having a "turbo" effect, similar to the Dialga VStar com Electrode-GX Expanded deck.

- Can reach over 300 damage, due to Serperior VStar's attack, not to mention Wo-Chien ex's damage based on the number of Prize Cards your opponent has drawn.

Disadvantages

- Fire archetype decks, due to the weaknesses.

- United Wings decks, such as this one.

- Decks which have 4 copies of Path to the Peak CRE 148, as they lock down Forretress ex's and Radiant Tsareena's abilities.

It is a casual deck as well, for those who want to adventure into the Standard format, which now comes back with enhancements for the archetype.

See you next time!