It’s Time For Rotation — Scarlet and Violet Set Analysis

Hello everyone! The winds of change are approaching the Pokemon TCG at last. After a long-delayed rotation, we are finally about to have it happen in April, which I think is a first in the history of the game. After a painfully extended Silver Tempest format due to Crown Zenith being a big nothing burger, I’m sure I speak for all competitive players when I say that I am ready for things to be shaken up. Accompanying the rotation is the new Scarlet & Violet base set, which not only changes the aesthetic of all cards, but also (re)introduces Pokemon ex. Frankly, the ex mechanic is not very interesting, but not everything has to be.

Japan has already been playing with the rotation format for a few weeks, so we have some idea of what’s going on. Today I’ll be reviewing the new set in the context of the upcoming Standard format. Interestingly, I’ve seen some cards receive a lot of hype that I do not think are good, and vice versa. There are some underrated cards here too, so I will have a hot take or two. As usual with set reviews, I won’t bother discussing cards that I don’t think will have any chance of competitive viability on release, but it’s always possible I forget or overlook something. I’ll put my rating next to each card so that you can more or less see the evaluation of each card at just a cursory glance.

Scarlet & Violet Pokemon Cards

Armarouge (3/5)

This card’s Ability is a spiritual successor to [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] from 2019’s NagQuag deck. This is a dangerous type of Ability, but it requires a deck built around Fire Energy with some sort of reliable Energy acceleration. At the current time, I don’t see an obvious application for Armarouge, but the Ability has such a high power level that it is worth considering. [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] is an obvious card to pair with it, but you are going to need a lot more than that for a viable deck. It’s worth noting that Armarouge can move Fire Energy to any type of Pokemon, so you don’t necessarily need to play other Fire-type Pokemon to make this work.

Dondozo (2/5)

This seems alright to me, but I haven’t heard any hype for it. What is really unfortunate is [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] rotating, leaving Dondozo with [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] and the accompanying damage reduction. Furthermore, [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] also rotates, making it more difficult to get multiple Tatsugiri into the discard pile. It makes me wish that Dondozo came out just a set or two earlier so it could make use of these cards. That said, Dondozo is still a Basic Pokemon with big numbers that can attack for just one Energy attachment.

Tatsugiri itself isn’t terrible either. Although you want them in the discard for Dondozo’s attack, both of Tatsugiri’s attacks can be helpful in the event you open with it. For just one Water Energy, it can either charge up someone on the Bench or return itself back to the hand to be discarded later (while also poking for 30 damage). At the current time, it may just be too difficult to get Tatsugiri into the discard quickly. It’s also unfortunate that [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] rotates, meaning that common Basic-search options such as [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] won’t work well with Tatsugiri.

Miraidon ex and Electric Generator (5/5)

This card is the cornerstone of a popular deck in Japan for a few reasons. Its Ability is completely unhinged. I’ve never seen an Ability quite like this. You get to search your deck for two Lightning-type Basic Pokemon and put them on the Bench. There’s no real restriction, and you can even chain them to fully set up your board off a single Nest Ball. This Ability alone would be enough to make a card playable, but of course, Miraidon ex‘s stats are also pretty nuts. It’s got 220 HP and attack power.

Of course, Miraidon ex also gets a signature Item card to go with it: Electric Generator. Electric Generator is reminiscent of [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. This time around, it only works for Lightning-type Pokemon, but it can get two Lightning Energy if you’re lucky. This card is insanely overpowered if you ask me. Miraidon ex decks in Japan play four of these for Energy acceleration, and they also make use of [card name=”Regieleki VMAX” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. This archetype probably won’t be as dominant as pre-rotation [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], but it will certainly be strong. Let’s take a look at a list:

[decklist name=”miraidon this dic…” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Regieleki VMAX” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”58″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x Miraidon ex (SV1 #81)4x [card name=”Regieleki V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x Klefki (SV1 #96)1x [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Arven (SV1 #166)2x [card name=”Serena” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x Electric Generator (SV1 #170)4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Battle Styles” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x Beach Court (SV1 #167)[/trainers][energy amt=”14″]14x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”14″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Using this list for reference, I yoinked it from Eric at Rare Candy. I always work on my own decks, but at this point I’m personally still playing pre-rotation for tournaments, so I haven’t worked on the post-rotation decks yet. The point is simply to look at what people are playing in Japan and use it as a reference. The Miraidon ex deck is fairly straightforward.

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In most matchups, you’re abusing Lightning-type support and slamming Miraidon ex as the main attacker. Miraidon ex’s stats are huge, so it should be able to Prize trade against everything. You may notice the two Klefki. This is basically is a tech for Lost Zone decks. Klefki’s Ability locks other Basic Pokemon’s Abilities, so you use [card name=”Regieleki V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s first attack to apply pressure and switch into Klefki to activate the Ability lock (similar to [card name=”Galarian Weezing” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]). Beach Court gives it free retreat, so it also works as a pivot. You have to be careful though, as Klefki also locks Miraidon ex’s Ability. There are a ton of Lightning Energy so that you can use Electric Generator to try and attack on turn 1.

Gardevoir ex (5/5)

This has become a dominant deck in Japan. Just like Miraidon ex, Gardevoir ex’s Ability is completely absurd. It is able to infinitely accelerate Psychic Energy from the discard pile. Aside from that, Gardevoir ex is good because it happens to have synergy with existing Kirlia and Gardevoir in the current Standard format. One [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] has Refinement, which is a great draw engine that also fuels Psychic Energy into the discard. The other [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] offers excellent support for the entire deck. Finally, [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] also draws cards and functions as one of the main attackers. It does more damage for each Energy it has, giving it perfect synergy with Gardevoir ex. I have to say, it is cool that a dedicated Stage-2 deck is viable. Gardevoir always gets the preferential treatment. Let’s look at the deck:

[decklist name=”garde” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x Gardevoir ex (SV1 #86)3x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Celebrations” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cresselia” set=”Lost Origin” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]3x [card name=”Judge” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”235″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Serena” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Miriam (SV1 #179)1x [card name=”Worker” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Arven (SV1 #166)1x [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fog Crystal” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Emergency Jelly” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Flashfire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sky Seal Stone” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This list got second place at an absolutely massive Japanese tournament recently. Similarly to Miraidon ex, it is rather straightforward. Gardevoir ex dumps Psychic Energy onto the attackers that can take advantage of it. Due to Gardevoir ex’s side effect of placing damage counters on your own Pokemon for each Psychic Energy you attach from the discard pile using the Ability, the deck runs [card name=”Emergency Jelly” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] as a countermeasure. There’s not much else to say here; Gardevoir ex as its own deck is incredibly strong and proven in a major tournament setting.

With how good both Kirlia are, the consensus seems to be to play one copy of Kirlia with Mirage Steps and three copies of the Pokemon with Refinement. This makes sense, though you could also go for a 2/2 split. Mirage Steps is only good on turn 2, while Refinement is strong at all points in the game. You also want multiple Refinement going to turbocharge Gardevoir ex. If you play 3/1, you’ll get punished if the one is stuck among your Prize cards, but 2/2 will punish you for prizing a Refinement Kirlia. Mirage Steps is arguably a stronger effect, but Refinement makes up for a lack of other good support options. It’s hard to say which is better, but I’m leaning towards 3/1 along with everyone else.

One omnipresent menace in the post-rotation Standard format is Lost Box’s [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]. I imagine this is why the 70 HP Ralts is preferred, but the 60 HP [card name=”Ralts” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] is also included because it has a meaningful attack. Just like with Kirlia, it’s a 3/1 split. Only one Gardevoir ex is required, but the deck plays two because you need it at all times in every game. It usually isn’t at risk because it doesn’t often attack and has a ton of HP. The other Gardevoir attacks and draws cards, so it is run as a 3-of.

With the Pokemon drawing so many cards, this deck runs a toolbox of one-of Supporters along with [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]. I would possibly consider a few copies of [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] for the opening turns, as it can grab Battle VIP Pass (or any other Item) alongside [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. This is much more appealing for consistency than [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. I would also consider a second [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] for similar reasons.

Banette ex 3/5

With [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] rotating, Banette ex may become the new Item-locking menace of the Standard format. However, being a Stage-1 Pokemon, Banette ex may be too slow. Banette ex also does slightly less damage, but it makes up for this with a killer second attack and a ton of HP. Poltergeist is fairly inexpensive attack that can potentially nuke anything, dealing 60 damage for each Trainer card in the opponent’s hand. Of course, they are prone to have more after being Item-locked. I could see Banette ex being a strong archetype, or perhaps being played alongside other Pokemon. I think this card is a little bit underrated. It has 250 HP too! We’ll see what happens.

Klefki 5/5

I mentioned Klefki with the Miraidon ex deck. Its Ability locks all Basic Pokemon Abilities while it is in the Active Spot. This is meaningful because Lost Zone decks run rampant in the post-rotation Standard format. It is a stronger Ability than that of [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] because it doesn’t exclude Rule Box Pokemon from its lock. With two Klefki on the board, they cannot circumvent it with [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. However, Klefki only does ten damage with its attack. This means that you either need a hit-and-run attacker that can constantly pivot into it (like Miraidon’s Regieleki V), or a powerful setup that can destroy Lost Box after stalling behind Klefki. If you have either of those, you can include two or three Klefki in your deck to crush Lost Box. Klefki is certain to see competitive play in the new format.

Hawlucha 3/5

This is a strong card. Its Ability is basically two uses of [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] for the price of one card, although it can’t place damage counters on your opponent’s Active Spot Pokemon. Even if Galarian Zigzagoon didn’t rotate, it would almost certainly be replaced by this guy. However, there is one big problem for Hawlucha. Scoop Up Net rotates, which means it is even potentially weaker than Galarian Zigzagoon in its time. You cannot spam damage onto the board with one Hawlucha and a bunch of Scoop Up Net cards. However, the Ability is still really strong. If you have the Bench space, you can even use two or three. Hawlucha will definitely see some use in future tournaments because of how easy it is to include for some free extra damage, but it won’t be too strong without Scoop Up Net.

Koraidon ex and Great Tusk ex 3/5

This card is basically just a huge stat stick. Big numbers go boom. Koraidon ex has some big numbers itself, as well as an Ability that can accelerate Energy while ending your turn. Koraidon ex’s Ability will have the lowest opportunity cost on turn 1, and quite frankly makes for a rather strong first turn. But this might be considered too slow compared to Miraidon ex and the Electric Generator. Big Fighting-type Pokemon like Koraidon ex and Great Tusk ex are going a bit overlooked by many players, but perhaps that is for a valid reason. I think there’s a chance these cards see some play, though not necessarily with each other.

Revavroom 2/5

This card is highly overrated in my opinion. Its requirement of having an Energy card in hand is too restrictive to make it preferable to Bibarel. [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] gets one fewer card, but does not have this awful requirement. For this reason, Bibarel is much more reliable for escaping [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] or the upcoming Iono. Some decks do like to discard Energy cards, so they may consider Revavroom over Bibarel. Even then, Radiant Greninja is way better. Revavroom may even deserve a 1/5, but its Ability is still rather noteworthy.

Oinkologne ex 1/5

I’m only mentioning this card because every competitive player I’ve talked to has discussed or hyped it to some degree. I do not understand the hype behind this card. It is not good. Oinkologne ex does have a lot of HP, and it does a little bit of damage for one Energy cost. The idea is that you make a tanky Oinkologne ex deck. Since it attacks for one Energy, you play several [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and other defensive cards to keep Oinkologne healed up. Then, you keep chipping away with its one-Energy attack. It might be really hard for Lost Box to actually Knock Out this thing, but aside from that, it doesn’t seem like a strong strategy to me. Miraidon ex, Gardevoir ex, and [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] are going to have no problems taking a huge Knock Out on Oinkologne ex.

Scarlet & Violet Trainer Cards

Arven 4/5

This s a Supporter that searches the deck for an Item card and a Tool card. Pokemon Tools are now differentiated from Item cards in gameplay, as of rotation. Arven searching out a Tool card is somewhat significant, as that may prove difficult to find at times. Being able to grab an Item card ensures that Arven is at least always a consistency card. Personally, I find this card to be rather weak for a Supporter. However, it is situationally the right card for when you need it most. Notably, Arven can find [card name=”Sky Seal Stone” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], which is something that the above Gardevoir ex list enjoys. Plus with [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]’s rotation, there aren’t many good Supporter cards that don’t involve sacrificing your hand. Sometimes you just want to keep the cards in your hand, and Arven allows you to do so while finding the pieces you need. Arven’s versatility will ensure it gets some competitive play. You can use it in pretty much any deck.

Miriam 4/5

This is a fantastic card. Miriam recovers a bunch of Pokemon and also draws a few cards. Cards like this are great to have around. They have incredible utility and aren’t even close to overpowered. With [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] rotating, Miriam and [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] seem to be the primary recovery cards of choice. If your deck doesn’t rely on recovering Energy (such as Gardevoir ex), Miriam is a great option. Decks like Lost Box will probably prefer Klara.

Nest Ball 5/5

This card getting reprinted is huge. [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is obviously bonkers good. It is unfortunate that we lose Quick Ball and [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] to rotation, but Nest Ball as a replacement softens the blow.

Defiant Band 2/5

This is my pet pick card for this set. At first glance, you would wonder, why would you ever play Defiant Band over [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]? After all, you will never want that damage increase against single-Prize Pokemon, so you should just play Choice Belt. But that made me think, in what situation would you want damage modifiers against single-Prize Pokemon? Enter [card name=”Stoutland V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], a card thought to have been neutered with the rotation of [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card]. This would only be worthwhile because of how prominent [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] is in the format. With Defiance Band, Stoutland V can still use Double Dip Fangs to pick on Comfey. The same can be said for Ralts. Both of these can be baited up with Escape Rope on the first surprise use, otherwise use [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]. Realistically, this is a bit too gimmicky. However, Double Dip Fangs has an extremely powerful effect, so the idea isn’t entirely meritless either. I was thinking you could potentially do the same thing with the aforementioned Hawlucha and [card name=”Greedent VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”218″ c=”name”][/card], which is even stronger.

Penny 4/5

This is obviously an extremely strong card. Penny is a bit situational, but it will see play here and there for sure.

Mesagoza 3/5

This is an interesting Stadium card that searches for any Pokemon on a coin flip. I don’t know if the inconsistency of this effect makes Mesagoza unplayable, but I’m sure some decks will make use of it. There have been lots of times in the past year or two where I look for Stadium cards for a deck just to have a Stadium (or Stadium-counter to problematic Stadium cards). Mesagoza is the perfect neutral option, and more importantly, is a consistency card. Stadium cards are rarely consistency cards, so this novelty will probably be taken advantage of at some point. I am a big fan of Mesagoza.

Beach Court 5/5

This Stadium has a ridiculously powerful effect of decreasing the retreat cost of Basic Pokemon by one. This is incredibly useful for decks that include [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] or Klefki. Beach Court is a staple in the post-rotation Standard format, somewhat alleviating the loss of Scoop Up Net and [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. Fantastic card.

Conclusion

If we’re using Japan’s meta as an indication, Lost Zone decks are the kings of the post-rotation format, followed by Gardevoir ex, Lugia VSTAR, Miraidon ex, and [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]. With the new Scarlet & Violet base set introducing two new archetypes and several interesting Trainer cards, it’s no slouch of a set. Lost Box loses the least with rotation, so it makes sense that it’s the best. Losing Scoop Up Net pales in comparison to what happens to the other decks. Lugia VSTAR is apparently still strong despite its huge losses, as it makes use of [card name=”Tyranitar V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] as a nuke alongside [card name=”Single Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]. Mew VMAX doesn’t lose much, but it still has to contend with [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card], which is always a problem for it.

That’s all I have for now. Hopefully next time I will dive deeper into some of the new decks. Thanks for reading!

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