Damage Control

Damage Augmentation

Pokémon

Radiant Hawlucha ASR 81
Rapidash SIT 22
Hawlucha SVI 118
Skeledirge ex PAR 137

Items, Supporters, and Special Energy

Grant ASR 144
Kieran TWM 154

Pokémon Tool Cards

Supereffective Glasses ASR 152
Earthen Seal Stone SIT 154
Defiance Band SVI 169
Vitality Band SVI 197
Choice Belt PAL 176
Maximum Belt TEF 154

Stadium Cards

Gapejaw Bog ASR 142

SPECIAL CONDITION APPLIERS AND EXTENDERS

Paldean Clodsire ex PAL 130
Brute Bonnet PAR 123

HP Boost

Kricketune ASR 10
Bravery Charm PAL 173
Luxurious Cape PAR 166
Hero’s Cape TEF 152

Damage Reduction and Weakness Removal

Pokémon

Radiant Gardevoir LOR 69

Trainers and Special Energy

Fantina LOR 157
V Guard Energy SIT 169

Damage Redistribution

Damage Pump LOR 156

Walling and Protection

Pokémon

Manaphy BRS 41
Diancie ASR 68
Miltank ASR 126
Mimikyu PAL 97

Damage Augmentation

Pokémon

Radiant Hawlucha’s Big Match Ability boosts the damage of every Pokémon against Pokémon VMAX by 30. This makes it easier to get 1 hit knockouts against these Pokémon. However, Radiant Hawlucha’s Ability only works against Pokémon VMAX and is best reserved for decks that don’t have enough of a damage output to take consistent knockouts against these Pokémon, even with the aid of Choice Belt.

Most decks will opt for Radiant Greninja over Radiant Hawlucha. As Radiant Hawlucha is a Radiant Pokémon, decks that do include it can only include 1 copy.

Rapidash’s Heat Boost Ability boost the attack damage of your Fire-type Pokémon in exchange for discarding a Fire Energy from your hand. Heat Boost can stack with other uses of Heat Boost on each Rapidash, making it possible to get as much as 120 extra damage by using it on four different Rapidash during your turn! However, as a Stage 1 Pokémon, it’s important to realize the amount of effort (and deck space!) necessary to get Heat Boost ready to use even for one Rapidash.

Decks will not often include Rapidash, but decks would want to are likely to include 2 Rapidash and 2-3 of Ponyta, the Basic Pokémon.

Hawlucha puts a damage counter on each of two of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. This damage counter can be the difference between taking a Knock Out and failing to do so, potentially ceding the Prize trade to your opponent.

Many decks don’t run Hawlucha, but those that do tend to run just 1-2 copies of the card.

Skeledirge ex’s Incendiary Song Ability boost the attack damage of your Pokémon in exchange for discarding a Fire Energy from your hand. Incendiary Song can stack with other uses of Incendiary Song on each Skeledirge ex, making it possible to get as much as 240 extra damage by using it on four different Skeledirge ex during your turn! However, as a Stage 2 Pokémon, it’s important to realize the amount of effort (and deck space!) necessary to get Incendiary Song ready to use even for one Skeledirge ex.

Decks will not often include Skeledirge ex, but decks would want to are likely to include 2 Skeledirge ex and 2-3 of Fuecoco, the Basic Pokémon, alongside 2-3 copies of Rare Candy to skip evolution into Crocalor.

Items, Supporters, and Special Energy

Grant both provides a boost to the damage of Fighting-type Pokémon by 30 when played as your Supporter for the turn and provides a way to recycle itself with its secondary effect, which has you discard two cards from your hand to put the card back into your hand. In decks where discarding is especially crucial—and in decks where Grant’s damage boost are especially useful—Grant may find itself a niche, especially when Item-based options like Choice Belt don’t quite do the trick.

Because Grant is type-specific in its damage boosting effect, most decks won’t run it. Those that do tend to run 1-2 copies of the card.

Kieran’s usefulness comes in large part from its flexibility. In addition to giving you the option to switch your Active Pokémon with 1 of your Benched Pokémon, you have the option to instead have your Pokémon’s attacks to 30 more damage against Pokémon V (V, VMAX, VSTAR, and V-UNION) and Pokémon ex during the turn that Kieran is played.

Not all decks will include Kieran, but those that do will likely include just 1 copy of the card.

Pokémon Tool Cards

Supereffective Glasses offers an alternative means of boosting an attack’s damage for decks that run a toolbox of attackers of different types and for decks that are built around Pokémon that can hit for more than 1 type of Weakness each.

Most decks would prefer to run Choice Belt over Supereffective Glasses, but those that opt for it would include 2-3 copies of the card.

Earthen Seal Stone grants access to an attack in the form of the VSTAR Power Star Gravity, which places damage counters on each of your opponent’s Pokémon V (including Pokémon VMAX, VSTAR, and V-UNION) until they have 100 HP remaining, which can be devastating for V-heavy decks.

Decks don’t often include Earthen Seal Stone, but decks that do tend to include 1-2 copies of the card.

Defiance Band boosts the damage of all of your Pokémon against all other Pokémon by 30, provided you have more Prize cards remaining than your opponent does. This makes it easier to get 1 hit knockouts against these Pokémon, but also makes it less difficult for Pokémon with a lower damage ceiling to take two-hit knockouts against them.

Most decks won’t run Defiance Band because it’s so situationally useful, but those that do tend to run 1-2 copies of the card.

Vitality Band is a simple, solid +10 damage against your opponent’s Pokémon. If you find that Vitality Band matters more for the math against decks you’re facing than Choice Belt, Vitality Band may be worth a look.

Most decks don’t include any copies of Vitality Band.

Choice Belt boosts the damage of every Pokémon against all Pokémon V (including VSTAR, VMAX, and V-UNION) by 30. This makes it easier to get 1 hit knockouts against these Pokémon, but also makes it less difficult for Pokémon with a lower damage ceiling to take two-hit knockouts against them.

Most decks will run Choice Belt—and those that do tend to include 1-2 copies of the card.

Maximum Belt boosts the damage of any Pokémon it’s attached to against all Pokémon ex by 50. This makes it easier to get one hit knockouts against these Pokémon, but also makes it less difficult for Pokémon with a lower damage ceiling to take two-hit knockouts against them.

Because it is an ACE SPEC card, Maximum Belt’s inclusion has to be weighed against other potential ACE SPEC options as only 1 of any ACE SPEC can be included in a deck.

Stadium Cards

Gapejaw Bog is a way to get damage counters where they’re wanted—either on your own Pokémon or on opposing Pokémon that are played down from your opponent’s hand. Gapejaw Bog is most commonly used to help put damage on its own player’s Pokémon to make attacks reliant on damage counters being on that player’s Pokémon more potent, but its 2 damage counters may still make the difference between a 1- and 2-hit knockout against your opponent’s Pokémon.

Decks that include Gapejaw Bog tend to include 2-3 copies of the card.

 

SPECIAL CONDITION APPLIERS AND EXTENDERS

Paldean Clodsire ex applies the Poisoned Special Condition to your opponent’s Active Pokémon if there is a Stadium card in play. If your Pokémon needs your opponent’s Active Pokémon to be afflicted by a Special Condition in order to do additional damage—or if the additional damage provided by the Poisoned special condition proves relevant for your deck’s strategy—Paldean Clodsire ex may be a useful inclusion.

Decks don’t often include this card, but those that do would likely include 2-3 copies along with 3-4 copies of Paldean Wooper, the Basic Pokémon.

Brute Bonnet applies the Poisoned Special Condition to your opponent’s Active Pokémon if there it has an Ancient Booster Energy Capsule attached. If your Pokémon needs your opponent’s Active Pokémon to be afflicted by a Special Condition in order to do additional damage—or if the additional damage provided by the Poisoned special condition proves relevant for your deck’s strategy—Brute Bonnet may be a useful inclusion.

Decks don’t often include this card, but those that do would likely include 1-3 copies of the card.

HP Boost

Kricketune can be used to push the HP of your Grass-type Pokémon out of 1-hit or 2-hit knockout range, making them just that much better at surviving an additional turn to get more damage in.

Not every deck that can run Kricketune will run it, but decks that do will likely include 2 copies of the card, in addition to 2 copies of Kricketot, the Basic Pokémon.

Bravery Charm provides a boost to HP for your Basic Pokémon—a boost that can help push your Pokémon out of the range of easy knockout. HP Boosting cards like this one are most often useful when they can push a Pokémon out of the range of being knocked out in a single hit, but forcing a knockout to take an additional turn can often be a boost to a deck in need of the improved prize trade. Most decks don’t need an HP-boosting card like this one, but you may find that either this card or another like it may help improve your deck’s win rate.

Decks that run it tend to include 2-3 copies of the card.

Luxurious Cape, in exchange for the Pokémon its attached to giving up an additional Prize card when Knocked Out, provides a significant boost to HP for your non-Rule Box Pokémon—a boost that can help push your Pokémon out of the range of easy knockout. HP Boosting cards like this one are most often useful when they can push a Pokémon out of the range of being knocked out in a single hit, but forcing a knockout to take an additional turn can often be a boost to a deck in need of the improved prize trade. Most decks don’t need an HP-boosting card like this one, but you may find that either this card or another like it may help improve your deck’s win rate.

Decks that run it tend to include 1 copy of the card.

Like Luxurious Cape, Hero’s Cape provides a significant HP boost to the Pokémon it’s attached to. Unlike that card, however, Hero’s Cape can be attached to any Pokémon and doesn’t cause that Pokémon to give up an additional Prize card when it is Knocked Out.

HP Boosting cards like this one are most often useful when they can push a Pokémon out of the range of being knocked out in a single hit, but forcing a knockout to take an additional turn can often be a boost to a deck in need of the improved prize trade. Most decks don’t need an HP-boosting card like this one, but you may find that either this card or another like it may help improve your deck’s win rate.

Because it is an ACE SPEC card, Heros’ Cape’s inclusion has to be weighed against other potential ACE SPEC options as only 1 of any ACE SPEC can be included in a deck.

Damage Reduction and Weakness Removal

Pokémon

Radiant Gardevoir’s Loving Veil Ability reduces the damage any of your Pokémon take from Pokémon V (including Pokémon VMAX, V-UNION, and VSTAR) by 20, potentially preventing your opponent from taking a critical knockout. However, as Radiant Gardevoir is a Radiant Pokémon, its inclusion must be carefully weight against competing Radiant options, like Radiant Greninja.

Most decks will opt for Radiant Greninja over Radiant Gardevoir. As Radiant Gardevoir is a Radiant Pokémon, decks that do include it can only include 1 copy.

 

Trainers and Special Energy

Fantina is an optional inclusion for decks that make use of the Lost Engine (Comfey LOR 79, Colress’s Experiment, and Mirage Gate). Provided you have 10 or more cards in the Lost Zone, Fantina reduces the damage any of your Pokémon take from Pokémon V (including Pokémon VMAX, V-UNION, and VSTAR) by 120, potentially preventing your opponent from taking a critical knockout.

Only decks focused on interaction with the Lost Zone and the Lost Engine are likely to ever use Fantina. Those decks will sometimes run 1-2 copies of the card.

V Guard Energy both provides Colorless Energy to power up the attacks of the Pokémon it’s attached to and provides a bit of damage mitigation from attacking Pokémon V for any Pokémon it’s attached to. Unlike Stone Fighting Energy, however, the damage reduction of V Guard Energy doesn’t stack with additional copies of V Guard Energy attached to the same Pokémon.

Decks that include V Guard Energy tend to run 1-3 copies of the card.

Damage Redistribution

Damage Pump is a niche Item card that lets you move up to 2 damage counters from one of your Pokémon to your other Pokémon in any way you like. This effect can prove especially useful for decks that are reliant on ensure each of their Pokémon in play has damage counters on it, like Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR or Bisharp from Astral Radiance.

The vast majority of decks will have no use for Damage Pump, but those that need it will most often run 4 copies of the card.

 

Walling and Protection

Pokémon

Manaphy’s Wave Veil ability means that if your opponent’s strategy is focused on knocking out vulnerable benched Pokémon, they’ll have to first knock out your Manaphy to advance their strategy. Manaphy blocks any damage done to your Benched Pokémon by the attacks of your opponent’s Pokémon but does not prevent the placement of damage counters—whether by attack or by any ability.

Decks that include Manaphy tend to include just 1 copy but may push it to 2 copies if their bench Pokémon tend to be especially vulnerable or especially critical to their deck’s strategy.

Diancie works as a sponge to make it easier to power-up your Benched Basic Pokémon in the earliest parts of the game. When in the Active Spot, Diancie’s Princess’s Curtain Ability makes Boss’s Orders have no effect on your Benched Basic Pokémon, so you can feel free to attach energy to your heart’s content.

Be aware, however, that Diancie does not protect against cards like Escape Rope. To avoid losing the protection of Princess’s Curtain to an Escape Rope, you’ll need a second Diancie on the bench to take over the job.

Many decks would never so much as consider Diancie. However, decks that run it tend to run 2 copies of the card.

Miltank can be quite the nuisance for decks that don’t have an answer to its Miracle Body Ability. The Ability can prevent decks that don’t have a means of cutting through it, like a Shred or Swift-style attack or a non-V attacker, from taking any further Prize cards once Miltank is out. Further still, Miltank’s Rout can start eating into the HP of the Defending Pokémon and the Miltank player can gradually take Prize cards of their own.

Most decks won’t run Miltank, but those that do tend to include 2 copies of the card.

Mimikyu can be quite the nuisance for decks that don’t have an answer to its Safeguard Ability. The Ability can prevent decks that don’t have a means of cutting through it, like a Shred or Swift-style attack or a non-V or non-ex attacker, from taking any further Prize cards once Mimikyu is out.

Most decks won’t run Mimikuyu, but those that do tend to include just 1 copy of the card.