New Archetypes from Astral Radiance
Learn more about Astral Radiance by visiting the articles below.
Set List | Visual Set List | Set Highlights | New Archetypes
With the arrival of Astral Radiance this May, we’ll have a handful of new deck archetypes joining the fray. As always, some deck archetypes are better than others—some are meme tier and some are merely playable, fun decks without much competitive promise. Lists below are very rough drafts and are intended as a starting place for testing, not as tournament-ready deck lists. Consider creating and using proxies to test cards you don’t already own prior to making any purchases.
Vespiquen
Illus. Yuya Oka
BASIC STRATEGY
Evolve Combee into Vespiquen and use Drizzile and Inteleon’s Shady Dealings ability to search out your copies of Sweet Honey from your deck. Protect your hand with Milotic’s Dew Guard. Attack using Vespiquen’s Honey Rush attack which does 60 damage for each Sweet Honey your reveal from your hand.
KEY CARDS
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Schoolgirl and Schoolboy as options for straight draw, making it easier to avoid interrupting your own hand by shuffling it into your deck or needing to discard cards.
EXAMPLE DECK LIST
Pokémon - 21
4 Combee ASR 11
4 Sobble CRE 41
4 Drizzile SSH 56
2 Inteleon SSH 58
4 Vespiquen ASR 12
1 Feebas EVS 37
1 Manaphy BRS 41
1 Milotic EVS 38
Trainer Cards - 34
3 Cynthia's Ambition BRS 138
3 Zinnia's Resolve EVS 164
2 Boss's Orders BRS 132
2 Klara CRE 145
1 Bruno BST 121
1 Peonia CRE 149
4 Evolution Incense SSH 163
4 Level Ball BST 129
4 Sweet Honey ASR 153
3 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
2 Choice Belt BRS 135
2 Quick Ball FST 237
1 Energy Search SSH 161
2 Training Court RCL 169
Energy - 5
5 Grass Energy SWSHEnergy 1
ALTERNATE LISTS
Hisuian Lilligant VSTAR
Illus. 5ban Graphics
BASIC STRATEGY
Evolve Hisuian Lilligant V into Hisuian Lilligant VSTAR and use Drizzile and Inteleon’s Shady Dealings ability to search out critical cards, like Gardenia’s Vigor, from your deck. Attack using Hisuian Lilligant VSTAR’s Parallel Spin attack, which does 130 damage plus 100 more damage if you put an Energy attached to Hisuian Lilligant VSTAR into your hand. Use Inteleon’s Quick Shooting ability and Choice Belt to bring down Pokémon with higher HP or use Echoing Horn and Boss’s Orders to pick on vulnerable bench sitters. As needed, attack instead with Zarude V and its Jungle Rage attack, which does 120 damage plus 120 more if the opponent’s Active Pokémon is a Pokémon V.
KEY CARDS
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Kricketune ASR 10 to boost the HP of all of the deck’s Grass-typed Pokémon by 40, making them harder to knock out.
Manaphy BRS 41 to shield your vulnerable bench sitters, like Sobble.
Pokémon - 19
4 Hisuian Lilligant V ASR 17
3 Hisuian Lilligant VSTAR ASR 18
3 Sobble CRE 41
3 Drizzile SSH 56
2 Inteleon CRE 43
1 Inteleon SSH 58
1 Lumineon V BRS 40
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
1 Zarude V BRS 16
Trainer Cards - 31
4 Gardenia's Vigor ASR 143
3 Professor's Research BRS 147
2 Boss's Orders BRS 132
2 Irida ASR 147
4 Quick Ball FST 237
3 Evolution Incense SSH 163
3 Level Ball BST 129
2 Air Balloon SSH 156
2 Choice Belt BRS 135
2 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
1 Echoing Horn CRE 136
1 Fan of Waves BST 127
2 Training Court RCL 169
Energy - 10
10 Grass Energy SWSHEnergy 1
ALTERNATE LISTS
Zarude V
Illus. 5ban Grapics
BASIC STRATEGY
Attach an Energy to Zarude V and begin softening your opponent’s Pokémon with its Leap to Leap attack, which does 30 damage plus 30 damage to one of your opponent’s nenched Pokémon. Use Drizzile and Inteleon’s Shady Dealings ability to search out critical cards, like Gardenia’s Vigor, from your deck. Take knockouts using Zarude V’s Jungle Rage attack, which does 120 damage plus 120 more damage if your opponent’s Active Pokémon is a Pokémon V (including VMAX, VSTAR, and V-UNION). Use Inteleon’s Quick Shooting ability and Choice Belt to bring down Pokémon with higher HP or use Boss’s Orders to pick on vulnerable bench sitters. Use Castform as a Level Ball-searchable pivot Pokémon to ensure that you’re able to attach to a Benched Zarude V using Gardenia’s Vitality.
KEY CARDS
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Eldegoss V RCL 19 to recycle Boss’s Orders or Gardenia’s Vitality
Kricketune ASR 10 and/or Cape of Toughness to make it more difficult to knockout Zarude V.
Shaymin V BRS 13, and potentially Shaymin VSTAR BRS 14 as late-game attackers, with Shaymin VSTAR’s Star Bloom VSTAR Power as an option to heal 120 damage from each of your Benched Grass-type Pokémon.
Hisuian Lilligant V ASR 17 with Hisuian Lilligant VSTAR ASR 18 to have the option to use Hisuian Lilligant VSTAR’s Star Perfume VSTAR Power, which allows you to search out 5 in any combination Grass Pokémon and Grass Energy.
Manaphy BRS 41 to shield your vulnerable bench sitters, like Sobble.
Pokémon - 18
4 Sobble CRE 41
4 Drizzile SSH 56
2 Inteleon CRE 43
1 Inteleon SSH 58
4 Zarude V BRS 16
1 Castform CRE 121
1 Lumineon V BRS 40
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
Trainer Cards - 32
4 Gardenia's Vigor ASR 143
3 Professor's Research BRS 147
2 Boss's Orders BRS 132
2 Irida ASR 147
4 Quick Ball FST 237
3 Choice Belt BRS 135
3 Evolution Incense SSH 163
3 Level Ball BST 129
2 Air Balloon SSH 156
2 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
1 Energy Search SSH 161
1 Escape Rope BST 125
2 Training Court RCL 169
Energy - 10
10 Grass Energy SWSHEnergy 1
ALTERNATE LISTS
Coming soon.
Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR
Illus. aky CG Works
BASIC STRATEGY
While filling out your bench with Bidoof, Suicune V, Radiant Greninja, and Starmie V, evolve Origin Forme Palkia V into Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and use either its VSTAR Power, Star Portal, or Melony to power up its Subspace Swell attack, which does 60 damage plus 20 more damage for each Benched Pokémon you and your opponent have in play. Take advantage both of Starmie V’s free retreat and its Energy Spiral attack, which does 50 damage for each Energy attached to all of your opponent’s Pokémon.
KEY CARDS
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Using the Shady Dealings engine in place of the Bibarel-Radiant Greninja Engine.
Using alternate Stadium cards, like Path to the Peak and Collapsed Stadium, in place of Training Court.