One of My Top Choices for LAIC: Palkia / Terapagos

Hello to all PokeBeach readers! This is Gabriel Semedo again with another Pokémon TCG article, and this time, I’m going to talk about the combination of [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Terapagos ex” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] — more precisely, about Thiago Giovanetti’s list, with which he won 12th place at the recent Joinville Regionals.

We are coming to the end of another format with the Latin America International Championships in November. However, the metagame has changed a lot lately, and I believe it will change even more before LAIC. From what we are seeing, there is still no clear best deck in format, as each Regionals gives us a new Top 8 and a different winning deck. If [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] wins one Regionals, [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] will show up positioned well to steal the title at the next one, and then Lost Box will suddenly return to take Raging Bolt’s throne. And with that, the metagame begins to change nonstop, and it still has not yet found a point of stability. To be honest, the closest thing we have to stability is Regidrago VSTAR, which I believe is the most balanced deck of all. However, it is undeniable that the arrival of [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] with such partners as Terapagos and Palkia gave everything a good shake-up.

In the context of this unstable metagame, I want to present the deck used by Thiago at Joinville, which combines the best traits of Terapagos and Palkia, as I believe that it’s a good option and little has been said about it.

[decklist name=”Palkia Terapagos” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″][pokemon amt=”18″]2x [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Terapagos ex” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Fan Rotom” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Noctowl” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hoothoot” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Leaves ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Kieran” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crispin” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Glass Trumpet” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Area Zero Underdepths” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]5x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Two Palkia V, Two Palkia VSTAR

The list starts with Palkia VSTAR, which has grown strong again for two main reasons: [card name=”Area Zero Underdepths” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. Thanks to Area Zero, Palkia VSTAR can reach damage it has never reached before. To get a better understanding of how useful this is, let’s assume you attack with Palkia VSTAR while you have eight Pokémon on the Bench. How many Pokémon does your opponent need to have on their Bench for you to Knock Out their Active Pokémon?

[cardimg name=”Area Zero Underdepths” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”174″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If they have no Benched Pokémon, you’re already dealing 220 damage, which is enough to Knock Out most of the format’s Basic Pokémon ex and V, including [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Regidrago V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. With one Benched Pokémon, you can Knock Out Raging Bolt ex — though, in fairness, the opponent rarely has just one Pokémon on the Bench in this matchup anyway. With two, you can Knock Out [card name=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gholdengo ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card].

But it’s with three Pokémon on the opponent’s Bench that Palkia really shines. This is perfect for Knocking Out the format’s Pokémon VSTAR, such as Regidrago VSTAR, [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], and Palkia VSTAR. It won’t always be possible to achieve, though. Against Regidrago, the opponent could theoretically set up with just two Pokémon on the Bench, avoiding an early-game OHKO, but they won’t be able to sustain this for long without benching more Pokémon. Against Lugia, the big problem is [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], which reduces Palkia’s damage by 30 and prevents an OHKO. And against Palkia, the opponent can reduce their own Bench size by Knocking Out their Dusknoir.

If your opponent has four Benched Pokémon, you can do 300 damage, which is enough to KO a Raging Bolt ex with [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] attached, and thankfully this comes up often, as Raging Bolt always has a full Bench. In other circumstances, though, you can rarely count on your opponent having a full Bench of five Pokémon, especially if they know what Palkia VSTAR is capable of. Sometimes, though, they don’t have much of an option. The main Pokémon you want to OHKO with a 320-damage attack is Dragapult ex, which does need a lot of support Pokémon on the Bench.

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Two Terapagos ex

Terapagos ex is one of the best attackers in the game. Dealing 240 damage means Knocking Out practically any Pokémon ex or V in the game, and in many cases this is enough to win in three or four attacks. Being able to attack with Terapagos ex so easily in this deck brings a certain peace of mind, because you know that in times when you don’t have Palkia VSTAR, Terapagos ex will do the job.

Of course, to make Area Zero work, you need to have a Tera Pokémon on the field. Even if it weren’t Terapagos ex, though, it would still be important to have one in the list. It’s worth remembering Terapagos’s second attack, too, the one that few people talk about because it’s almost impossible to put three Energy of different types on the same Pokémon. In this deck, it’s completely possible. The Crown Opal attack’s main function is to block Raging Bolt. It’s rarely an outright win, but it can help you, especially if you use it to Knock Out a [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. Another good matchup for this attack is [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], but the opponent will do everything they can to discard your Energy with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card], so it’s rarely sustainable for long.

One Radiant Greninja, One Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex

One of the things I like about this list is having two options for a double Knock Out. It’s true that [card name=”Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] is superfluous in some matches, but it’s useful even when it doesn’t attack because it’s a Water-type Tera Pokémon, so it can be found with [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and become an easy out to activate Area Zero and [card name=”Noctowl” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card].

Two Fan Rotom

[card name=”Fan Rotom” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t here to search for [card name=”Hoothoot ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] and Noctowl, though that’s certainly a perk. The main draw is that it’s a single-Prize Pokémon that can easily Knock Out the format’s many 70-HP Pokémon, like [card name=”Charmander” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dreepy” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. I think it’s important to have the option to take Knock Outs with a single-Prize Pokémon, and it’s not always advantageous to do this with Radiant Greninja.

Two Hoothoot, Two Noctowl

Unlike the Dusknoir version of Terapagos, which uses a whole 4-4 Noctowl line, in this list we only have room for 2-2. It still works well, though. The idea is to use one Noctowl at the beginning of the game to look for the cards you need to achieve a Knock Out on your second turn. If everything goes well, you still have a Noctowl to try to do the same thing in the endgame, but the truth is that the deck should run fine even if you miss this. It’s more of a consistency bonus that enables the occasional strong play.

One Mew ex

Mew ex’s main function is to draw cards, like a mini [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], but free retreat ends up being more useful than it seems in a deck that has practically no switching cards. [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Kieran” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] don’t count!

Regarding Mew ex’s attack, I confess that I haven’t used it much yet, but it’s a viable option with [card name=”Crispin” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], so I would keep in mind that attacking with Mew ex can be interesting. For example, you can Knock Out a [card name=”Greninja ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] by hitting it for Weakness. It’s also useful against the format’s walls, like [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card].

One Lumineon V

You need to be able to search for the deck’s key Supporters, like [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Kieran” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], since many of the deck’s main plays involve them. It’s important to have these the exact turn you need them.

One Fezandipiti ex

It’s not news that Fezandipiti ex is powerful. Some players have even abandoned the idea of ​​using [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] for hand disruption, since the combination of Fezandipiti ex and other consistency pieces usually brings everything back anyway. Well, this list is no different.

One Iron Leaves ex

[card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] needs a hard counter. Even though it’s not at the height of its metagame strength or popularity right now, I still consider it one of the most dangerous decks in the format, and I certainly believe that it will be present at LAIC. With that in mind, we play [card name=”Iron Leaves ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], as I believe that it gives us our best shot at winning. Granted, though, even without it, the matchup is still very balanced.

Another advantage of Iron Leaves ex is that it’s a reasonable attacker that can appear out of nowhere, but I use it for this very rarely in practice. I end up using it mainly as an extra way to retreat my Pokémon when necessary, especially against control decks.

Four Irida

You’re always looking for exact cards with this deck, and Irida helps a lot with that. It’s like what [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] does for Charizard and Dragapult. On the first turn, you want to use Irida to search for Palkia V or Radiant Greninja, as well as a [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card], which can search for Fan Rotom and thus the whole Noctowl line for the next turn. On the second turn, Irida is still very useful, as it can look for Palkia VSTAR and Prime Catcher. With Irida, you basically have access to several important and different resources, which can replace your need for a different Supporter on any given turn.

Two Iono

This is one of the worst formats to try to disrupt the opponent with Iono, and a lot of that is because of Fezandipiti ex. Still, I think it’s necessary because the chance still exists, even if it has gone down. Iono is also useful just for draw power without having to discard cards.

One Professor’s Research

With easy Supporter access with both Lumineon and Noctowl, it’s important to have a copy of [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] for when you need to do a lot of things on the same turn. Sometimes nothing can replace the effect of drawing seven cards.

Two Boss’s Orders

If everything goes right, this deck wants to win in three or four attacks, and that’s why you need to have access whenever you can to cards that can bring a Pokémon from the opponent’s Bench to the Active Spot. There are three good cards in this list that offer this, which are Boss’s Orders, [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], and Prime Catcher. Each of them is good in different situations. In the case of Boss’s Orders, you want to use it whenever you don’t need to use a different Supporter during the turn, or when you’re winning the game, since in this case Counter Catcher doesn’t work.

One Kieran

Normally a Terapagos list plays at least one copy of [card name=”Switch” set=”Shining Legends” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], since it can be easily searched with Noctowl, but in this list the switching card is a Kieran. Being a Supporter card changes everything. There’s an advantage, which is that you can search for it with Lumineon V, but it loses the convenience of an Item card. In this list, if you really need to retreat a Pokémon and can’t spend your Supporter on it, you can use Prime Catcher, Iron Leaves ex, or even Energy Switch.

But the most interesting effect of this card is that it lets you do 30 more damage to Pokémon V and ex, which can be game-changing. It is even possible to KO a Charizard ex with Palkia VSTAR using Kieran.

One Crispin

Crispin is the most effective way to attack with Crown Opal, but it’s also useful with Radiant Greninja and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, as it lets you use their attacks more than once in a game.

Four Nest Ball, Three Ultra Ball, One Hisuian Heavy Ball

[cardimg name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

There aren’t that many ball cards in the deck, but it’s worth remembering that the list has additional help from Irida for search and setup. The four copies of Nest Ball are essential to search for Fan Rotom, Terapagos ex, and Palkia V. The three copies of Ultra Ball are for Noctowl and Lumineon V for the most part — not Palkia VSTAR, which you usually grab with Irida.

The Hisuian Heavy Ball may be the most controversial inclusion, but I like it because it not only gives you some Prize card insurance, but also lets you see the Prizes and saves you the trouble of counting your deck. This deck needs to count several resources well to avoid making the wrong move, and this takes a lot of effort over the course of a long tournament. A card like Hisuian Heavy Ball can save you a lot of this work.

Two Earthen Vessel

The deck’s strategy consists of being able to manipulate Energy of many different colors and distribute them to their respective Pokémon as quickly and consistently as possible. Earthen Vessel does a better job of this than any other Item, especially because it comes with a free discard as a bonus. This lets you drop Energy in the discard pile for future use with [card name=”Glass Trumpet” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] or Palkia’s VSTAR Power.

Two Energy Switch

At Joinville, I played against Kaue Salles, Thiago’s training partner, who helped him create this deck. He had already used Palkia’s VSTAR Power, so I thought I was safe from Radiant Greninja. However, he managed to put together the combination of Glass Trumpet with two Energy Switch, pulling off Greninja’s attack out of nowhere. It surprised me in a way that won him the match.

In short, Energy Switch allows you to make special plays that the deck normally can’t make so quickly.

Two Glass Trumpet

Glass Trumpet seemed broken to me at first, but after many tests I came to realize that its restrictions really do limit it. In the case of this list, we still need it because it’s the best way to bring Grass Energy onto the field for Iron Leaves ex. Obviously, another good use of the Glass Trumpet is to more easily set up Terapagos ex and Fan Rotom, but I would say that this is not mandatory.

Two Night Stretcher

Another card where we need its maximum potential is [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], which can retrieve any of 15 different cards from the discard pile to your hand.

One Canceling Cologne

I have always refused to use [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] in my lists, but I really do believe that this Item is actually useful now, mainly because Radiant Greninja and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex are so easy to use. Beyond hitting the Bench, though, I see other moments where Canceling Cologne can be useful, such as in the matchup against Iron Thorns. Although Thorns is a linear deck with simple gameplay, I believe that these characteristics encourage many players to use it, as the deck is strong and has already won Worlds.

One Counter Catcher

It’s hard to say whether this deck expects to play from ahead or behind, on average. Even in the same game, it could go either way. In matchups where there are a lot of quick Knock Outs, like Raging Bolt or [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], you could be losing at any moment and need a strong and quick response with a Counter Catcher to take an easy Knock Out on a Benched Pokémon. Another good advantage of this Item is that it can be picked up by Irida.

One Prime Catcher

Prime Catcher is the ACE SPEC of choice for this deck, and that should hardly be surprising. It’s the most used ACE SPEC in the format, and this list takes advantage of the maximum potential of the card, with the switch effect being extremely useful nearly all of the time.

Three Area Zero Underdepths

This Stadium brought back the expanded Bench and almost singlehandedly resurrected one of the strongest Pokémon from two years ago, Palkia VSTAR. If the attack was already good before, with all this additional damage it has become even better. Many Knock Outs can still be achieved even without Area Zero, so you want to avoid putting it onto the field except for the moments you need it. Of course, this depends on the matchup.

Five Water, Three Grass, One Lightning

Make sure to count all the Energy in your deck on the first search so you don’t have serious problems later. With five Water Energy, you can just barely put together Palkia VSTAR’s and Radiant Greninja’s attacks, but a Night Stretcher to return a Water Energy later may be necessary. As for Grass Energy, you play three because you only need two for Iron Leaves ex. And for Lightning Energy, it’s in the deck because of Terapagos ex’s second attack, though the possibility of using [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] also comes to mind.

Final Thoughts

I believe that in an open metagame like this, there is no right formula to win a big tournament like a Regional or International Championships. Raging Bolt can win one Regionals, and then Dragapult ex can win another. Completely different styles and gameplay, but equally strong. Several decks in the format have these same characteristics and are producing good results.

Palkia / Terapagos has all the ingredients of a successful deck: a good single-Prize attacker, fast Pokémon ex capable of Knock Outs from the second turn, and an attacker capable of Knocking Out two Pokémon at once. In a metagame like this, I like to have all the resources, so I can always build a solid path to victory.

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

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