An Excited Heart — The Missing Piece for ArcTina

Hello everybody! This is Gabriel Semedo again, and this time, I’m going to talk about a very different [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card] list. This was an original idea by Dalton Acchetta and myself, which we developed together over several days in order to find the most perfect list possible.

[cardimg name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG69″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The new Twilight Masquerade set is out, though there hasn’t even been time to absorb everything from the previous format yet. Until a few weeks ago, I was with Dalton developing a new list that was capable of beating [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”261″ c=”name”][/card], but now, with the new set, it seems that Charizard ex has disappeared and Chien-Pao has returned to Tier 2. (At least, that’s what recent results from Japan show.)

The results of tournaments in Japan always serve as a reference for us in the west, but many such results are not replicated here. Because of this, you should not trust them completely — only use the information as a reference to start your own tests and training. You might think that some deck “died” or “came back” just because of the results in Japan, but that’s not exactly how things work.

In today’s article, I want to analyze the deck Dalton Acchetta used to reach the finals at Santiago Regionals, because I believe that our new list is very strong, and even capable of playing competitively in this new format with [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card].

[decklist name=”ArcTina Radiant Zard” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Skwovet” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”205″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Leaves ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”203″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Skwovet” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”205″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Maximum Belt ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Four Arceus V, Four Arceus VSTAR

Arceus VSTAR is once again one of the strongest Pokémon in the format. It alone can trade almost on an equal footing against the best decks in the format, including Charizard ex, Chien-Pao, Lost Box, Future [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], and Ancient Box. Every problem that Arceus VSTAR can’t solve, the other Pokémon in the deck can fix in one way or another.

One thing worth highlighting is that in this format, I believe it is necessary to use a full 4-4 Arceus VSTAR, rather than the classic 4-3 line that has typically been used since the 2022 World Championships. The reason to use the fourth copy of Arceus VSTAR is that there are matchups where you want to put up to three Arceus VSTAR on the field at the same time. Matchups like Ancient Box make it essential that you change Pokémon every time one takes damage. Additionally, playing four Arceus VSTAR considerably increases the chance of evolving into it on the second turn.

One Giratina V, One Giratina VSTAR

When Dalton Acchetta sent me the first version of this list, it didn’t have any other Pokémon V besides Arceus itself. When I started testing the list, though, I felt that there was something missing. At first I thought about [card name=”Regigigas VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG55″ c=”name”][/card], but after a while we started considering 1-1 Giratina VSTAR and two Psychic Energy. Those who see it from the outside might think that the list was based on a common ArcTina list, but in fact the list started as a straight Arceus / [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] list, and evolved to include Giratina VSTAR from there.

Giratina VSTAR needs no explanation. It has a lot of synergy with Arceus VSTAR and brings another high-damage attacker option to the deck. Even though Radiant Charizard does a similar job, it is still important to maintain a Giratina line since it’s so easy to consistently use its attacks. It’s not just Giratina VSTAR that’s important, either — Giratina V has almost as important a role, too, as its attack allows it to Knock Out [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] much more easily than having to put five Energy on your Radiant Charizard.

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One Iron Leaves ex

[cardimg name=”Iron Leaves ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”203″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

It is not possible to beat Charizard ex without [card name=”Iron Leaves ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]in a balanced match. By now this is no longer news to anyone, but what you may not know is that without this Pokémon, you will probably also lose to control decks, as the deck’s mobility drops considerably.

Iron Leaves ex has an Ability that allows it to go from the Bench to the Active Spot, and can also move Grass Energy to it. This in practice is often the solution to removing a heavy Pokémon from your Active Spot. Cards like [card name=”Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] offer the same benefit, but Iron Leaves has the advantage of being searchable with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and recoverable with [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card].

Generally an Arceus / Giratina deck plays only one copy of Iron Leaves ex, and if it is Knocked Out, there is no Super Rod to recover it. However, this list has two copies of Super Rod, meaning it is possible to attack twice with Iron Leaves if necessary. I’ve always found two Iron Leaves ex to be the ideal number for the Charizard ex matchup. With just one copy, it’s still a good tech, but sometimes it’s insufficient.

One Radiant Charizard

I’ve been playing ArcTina since Orlando Regionals, and the thing I wished the deck had most was a good single-Prize attacker. At São Paulo Regionals, Marco Cifuentes made Top 16 with Arceus Control, which basically consists of Arceus VSTAR, Radiant Charizard, and a bunch of control stuff. The perfect single-Prize Pokémon was found and used successfully in that tournament, and after that the challenge became fitting Radiant Charizard into ArcTina without compromising its strength and consistency.

In this build, Radiant Charizard is intended to be used not just once, but up to three times in the same game. All your opponent needs to do is take two Prizes to give you the chance to attack with Radiant Charizard using [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card].

If you manage to correctly apply Radiant Charizard in a game, it can bring you several advantages. Against Lost Box, Radiant Charizard Knocks Out [card name=”Hoopa ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card], one of Arceus’s greatest enemies. Against Roaring Moon, you can Knock Out your opponent’s [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] with a single-Prize Pokémon, which completely changes the trajectory of the match. In the mirror match, you can Knock Out your opponent’s Pokémon VSTAR with Radiant Charizard plus [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card].

Three Bidoof, Three Bibarel, One Skwovet

This was one of the points I deliberated most with Dalton. In the end, I ended up agreeing that the right thing to do was play a heavy line of [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], not only to increase the likelihood of having everything you need at all times, but also to open up the possibility of playing with only single-Prize Pokémon on the field at the end of the game if necessary. This strategy is good against Chien-Pao and in the mirror match, for example.

With a field of just Bibarel and Radiant Charizard, you can attack with Radiant Charizard for the cost of one or two Energy and, after it is Knocked Out, you can return it to the field with Super Rod. With two Bibarel per turn, plus Skwovet and a Supporter card, it’s easy to set up Radiant Charizard for a second or even third time.

One Arven

It’s rare to find [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] in Arceus VSTAR decks, but I believe that in this list it makes a lot of sense. Having just one more card capable of finding [card name=”Maximum Belt ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] already doubles your chances of finding the right Tool at the right time. It’s very discouraging when you have the chance to KO an opponent’s Chien-Pao or Hoopa ex with your Arceus VSTAR, but you can’t find the Maximum Belt. These are details that can be game-losing.

Additionally, there are times when you don’t want to change your opponent’s hand with [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], nor do you want to Knock Out a Benched Pokémon with [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. There are turns when you just need to continue developing your setup, and for these moments, Arven works very well, as there is always an Item in the deck that can help you.

One Buddy-Buddy Poffin

I confess that I generally prefer to use [card name=”Capturing Aroma” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card] in my Arceus decks, but this time I have to admit that [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] is the right call. Searching for two Basic Pokémon at once is excellent for this deck’s strategy. As the objective is to have two to three Bibarel on the field at the same time, bringing two or three Bidoof out as soon as possible is very good. I usually fetch Buddy-Buddy Poffin with Arceus’s VSTAR Power, but it’s also a great option to fetch with Arven.

One Choice Belt, One Maximum Belt

I’ve always found [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] to be a superior ACE SPEC to Maximum Belt for most Arceus VSTAR lists. There are several great perks you can get across the board with Prime Catcher, while with Maximum Belt, there are matchups where it’s completely useless.

It is quite possible that Prime Catcher is better against 70% of the metagame and Maximum Belt is only better against 30%. However, in matchups where Maximum Belt is better, it’s so good, it transforms bad matchups into balanced or even good ones. Chien-Pao and Lost Box, which were the decks we were most expecting at Santiago Regionals, are horrible matchups without Maximum Belt. It was then that we came to the conclusion that if we wanted to take down the tournament, the right thing to do was to weaken the deck a little in exchange for having a better likelihood of winning the matchups that would be necessary to win.

Regarding the Choice Belt, it brings a significant improvement to the mirror match, helps to Knock Out [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] in Charizard ex and Control matchups, and allows Radiant Charizard to deal 280 damage to Pokémon VSTAR.

Two Super Rod

These are by far the most controversial cards in the list, but it is thanks to Super Rod that the deck is able to deliver on everything it promises. Super Rod’s main function is to return Radiant Charizard to the game after it gets Knocked Out, but indirectly it also brings a bevy of other small benefits.

Knowing that there are two Super Rods in the deck makes it much easier to use your Ultra Balls to discard Energy and Pokémon that you don’t need at the moment. Several times I have discarded Radiant Charizard and Giratina VSTAR, as I knew that I would soon find one of the copies of Super Rod to return them to the game. Another advantage is being able to return Energy, which means you can find the Energy at will for Arceus VSTAR’s attacks. One of my concerns about combining Giratina, Iron Leaves, and Radiant Charizard in the same list was the diverse spread of Energy, but the Super Rods help facilitate this, too.

Matchups

It’s impossible to talk about this deck without talking about the matchups. After all, this deck was only created the way it was because of the matchups. Two years ago Arceus VSTAR was one of the strongest Pokémon in the game, but its success has always depended on adapting to the current metagame. Depending on how the metagame changes, the deck’s secondary attackers will also change. At Worlds in 2022, Arceus won with [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card], and two years later, we have Giratina VSTAR, Iron Leaves ex, and Radiant Charizard.

Dragapult ex (60/40)

I know that Twilight Masquerade is still a very new set, but I can already tell you that I see Arceus decks having an advantage in this matchup, for the simple fact that Dragapult ex cannot KO your Pokémon in one attack, but you have the possibility of KOing them with Giratina VSTAR plus Maximum Belt.

At worst you will be trading two-hit Knock Outs against each other, as Dragapult needs two attacks to Knock Out Arceus VSTAR and Arceus needs the same thing to Knock Out Dragapult. If you want to get still more advantage in the matchup, you can even include a copy of [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. Arceus has a lot of synergy with these Supporters, and we even had a copy of Turo in previous versions of the list.

Raging Bolt ex / Teal Mask Ogerpon ex (50/50)

[cardimg name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”208″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck has been the big surprise of Twilight Masquerade and has made the price of Raging Bolt ex rise quickly. Everyone thought that Dragapult ex would be the big highlight, but it’s this new Raging Bolt deck that promised nothing and is delivering everything.

I confess that I haven’t had many opportunities to test this matchup yet, but from what little I’ve tested, I think the matchup is more balanced than it seems. The big things that make this matchup balanced are the same ones that make Chien-Pao and Lost Box balanced, which are Maximum Belt and Radiant Charizard.

Maximum Belt allows Arceus VSTAR to KO Ogerpon ex on the second turn, and also allows Arceus VSTAR to KO Raging Bolt ex if it has three Basic Energy. The idea is to take two Prizes with each attack you make, as the opponent will probably try to do the same.

As soon as the opponent takes the first two Prizes, you should try to set up Radiant Charizard with Magma Basin and Double Turbo. However, this is a difficult move to make in the first turns of the game, and it is likely you will not succeed. If you don’t, though, no problem. The important thing is that for the last two Prizes, you only have single-Prize Pokémon on the field, as this way the opponent is forced to take two more Knock Outs, and this will be enough to swing the match.

Another weakness of this Ogerpon / Raging Bolt deck is that it suffers against Iono in the late game. Every Raging Bolt attack means losing resources, and this means that it will be laborious to achieve another attack. If the opponent does not draw into [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] off of Iono, they may lose the game there.

Chien-Pao ex / Baxcalibur (50/50)

This matchup is quite balanced and depends on the setup of each deck. Generally, ArcTina decks win this matchup by focusing on Knocking Out Baxcalibur, especially with [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] in play. With my version of Arceus, you can play differently, focusing instead on Knocking Out the Chien-Pao ex. If you manage to Knock Out a Chien-Pao ex on your second turn with Arceus VSTAR plus Maximum Belt, victory is practically yours, since after that you just need to keep repeating the Knock Outs with Giratina VSTAR and Radiant Charizard.

Charizard ex / Pidgeot ex (60/40)

One of the reasons I haven’t dropped Arceus in this format is because I’ve always felt comfortable playing against Charizard ex using any Arceus VSTAR deck that has Iron Leaves ex. The matchup is always balanced and comes down to nuance, but the opponent’s skill matters a lot. At Orlando, I spent three days training with two of the best Charizard ex players in the world, William Azevedo and Pedro Pertusi, and it was during those trainings that I identified that ArcTina was the best deck I could use if I wanted to have a good matchup against Charizard ex without sacrificing other matchups.

The game plan is simple: you need to get two Prizes from single-Prize Pokémon, then you need to Knock Out an opponent’s Pokémon ex or V. Avoid going to three Prizes as much as possible, as it allows the opponent’s Charizard ex to Knock Out your Pokémon VSTAR with Choice Belt or [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. And, finally, you need to take two more Prizes to close out the game. Generally these last Prizes are picked up with Iron Leaves ex. If you use Iron Leaves ex too early, you could lose that way, too.

Always keep in mind the damage output of Charizard ex. It can only OHKO a Pokémon VSTAR if you take three Prizes or more. That’s why the plan is single Prize, single Prize, double Prize, then double Prize.

Pidgeot Control and Blocklax (70/30)

Despite being different decks, they try to beat Arceus VSTAR in a similar way. Arceus VSTAR is one of the best decks in the format to beat Control, as it has all the resources you need and in good quantity. It’s all about learning how to play the matchup. Your advantage increases considerably if you have already practiced the matchup well.

Basically, you need to set up a field with just an Arceus VSTAR and a Giratina V and nothing more than that. Try to take as many Prizes as possible using as few resources as possible. You won’t be able to keep up the pace for long, as your opponent will use Supporters like [card name=”Miss Fortune Sisters” set=”Lost Origin” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Eri ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Erika’s Invitation” set=”151″ no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] to hinder you.

Whenever possible, Knock Out Rotom V. This greatly reduces draw power and consequently the control your opponent will have over you.

If it’s the middle or end of the game and you see a clear path to take your remaining Prizes in the next few turns, then feel free to make a more elaborate setup with Bibarel and Skwovet. This should only be done as long as you know you have the resources to retreat and attack even if the opponent tries to stop you. The more time you give Control, the greater the chances of it taking your resources from you.

Final Thoughts

My best ideas always come at the end of the format, because with an already established format it is much easier to know which decks I need to beat and I have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t. My original decks follow the same basic formula, which is simply trying to combine everything that is actually effective in one deck. And generally, my ideas for end-of-format decks only work for the last part of the format, and then when a new format comes out, the deck makes no sense, as it was designed specifically for an earlier metagame. None of that is the case with this deck.

I believe that Dalton’s and my new Arceus list will have a long life in the new format, as I believe the addition of Radiant Charizard leaves the deck complete and robust. The synergy we achieved between three of the format’s greatest Pokémon make the deck capable of playing against any other deck. Before, ArcTina depended on a specific metagame to perform well. Now, it doesn’t depend on anything, as everything a successful competitive deck needs is present in the list.

That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time!

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