What’s up Ultimate Guard readers? Stellar Crown has been released for a few weeks now, and the metagame is alive and well! We’ve seen players flocking towards Briar [Stellar Crown] in Charizard ex [Obsidian Flames] decks, but there is a card that I’ve been gravitating towards more myself - Area Zero Underdepths [Stellar Crown]. 

This new card brings back a popular mechanic that we’ve seen a few times in the past, which is increasing your Bench size. Like Eternatus VMAX [Darkness Ablaze], Area Zero Underdepths allows us to have up to eight Pokémon on the Bench, and that allows for decks to have many more interesting techs. There is only one drawback, and that is having a Tera Pokémon in play to activate it, like Wellspring Ogerpon ex [Twilight Masquerade], but we can deal with that to gain the larger bench size. In this article, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on some Area Zero Underdepths strategies that you might not have thought about, and a few lists that work with this amazing stadium card! This card looks like it will be featured heavily in many amazing decks, so let’s jump into it.

Strategies from the Underdepths

Considering we need a Tera Pokémon to activate Area Zero Underdepths, some cards might naturally fit into decks easier than others. Noctowl [Stellar Crown] is one card that comes to mind, and Fan Rotom [Stellar Crown] will likely pair with that one too! In this portion of the article, I want to share some of the ideas that might work with Area Zero Underdepths, and explain why. I’m actually contemplating building an Area Zero Underdepths binder to place all of the different cards that might work in these decks when I bring them to tournaments. Feel free to choose any color of the Zipfolio Xenoskin binders that work for you, but I am personally in need of the Duskmourn: House of Horror - Mirror Room Binder. I know it's for Magic the Gathering, but who says I can’t put Pokémon cards in it. Be sure to check out all of the offerings at the UG site because their selection just keeps on getting better and better.

Big Bench Attackers

When you have the option to have a large Bench size, it makes sense to see which Pokémon can hit harder because of that. In this case, some of the more popular picks, and nearly all are considered Top 10 decks in our early Stellar Crown metagame, are Origin Form Palkia VSTAR [Astral Radiance], Terapagos ex [Stellar Crown], and Raikou V [Brilliant Stars]. Upscaling damage seems like a great way to compete with some Pokémon with high HP, like Gardevoir ex [Scarlet and Violet], and you can fill your Bench with some awesome tech Pokémon. Don’t forget that you’ll need to have a Tera Pokémon in play, which means you might need to dust off some Mewtwo ex [Paradox Rift] from the shoebox if you wanna experiment with Raikou V.

The Colorless Package

I briefly mentioned it above, but Noctowl can activate with a Tera Pokémon in play, which makes it an easy inclusion for some Area Zero Underdepths decks. Being able to search for any two Trainer Cards can allow decks to pop off, and can even be a method to search for Area Zero Underdepths, usually from Colress’s Tenacity [Shrouded Fable]. You can easily search out Hoothoot [Stellar Crown] (and Noctowl) with Fan Rotom on your first turn, which further fills out your Bench. Being able to fill up your Bench, and have added pseudo-Inteleon [Sword and Shield] consistency is unparalleled - it's really just that good! We’ve seen some other lists add in Bibarel [Brilliant Stars], Pidgeot ex [Obsidian Flames], and Bouffalant [Stellar Crown], the options are definitely there.

Damage Buffs

Being able to set up many Duskull [Brilliant Stars], Dusclops [Shrouded Fable], and Dusknoir [Shrouded Fable] on your Bench allows for some zany plays. Even with your “popping” them, and offering your opponent a few Prize Cards in the process, you can target your opponent where it hurts. I’ve seen a few gameplay videos where a big Area Zero Underdepths bench gets setup with a few Duskull, and turn two there are 2-3 Dusclops / Dusknoir that target a few single Prize Card Pokémon, like Charmander [Pokémon 151], and then you attack with your main attacker to board wipe your opponent. I’ve also seen a few Dusknoir target two Prize Card Pokémon, like Lugia V [Silver Tempest], and then KOing an active two Prize Card Pokémon to draw four Prize Cards in one turn. The explosiveness of damage certainly allows for some exciting gameplay.

Discarding the Right Pokémon

Up until now, we’ve thought about the benefits of Area Zero Underdepths from being in play, but what if your opponent plays another Stadium card to bump it from play? That means your Bench goes from eight to five, and you’ll have to discard some Pokémon that were previously chilling on the Bench. You don’t want to be discarding your Tera Pokémon, your attackers, or other key Pokémon - you want to be discarding the fodder. In this card, we should be adding cards that can previously be considered Bench liabilities, like Squawkabilly ex [Paldea Evolved], and Lumineon V [Brilliant Stars]. We typically only use these Pokémon for their powerful Abilities, but then they just sit there as easy targets for Boss’s Orders [Paldea Evolved]. If we purposely play them with the hope that our opponent eventually bumps Area Zero Underdepths, we can clear our bench of a few liabilities, and stay winning.

I’m sure we’ll see all of these strategies and more, but let’s check out some of the decks that include Area Zero Underdepths for you to explore - lists and all!

Palkia VSTAR Deck

Being able to capitalize on a large bench size, Subspace Swell gets a buff, and allows for a handful of Water Pokémon that can help fill out your Bench, like Radiant Greninja [Astral Radiance]. This is my early Stellar Crown list, so it might change in the future, but it seems like a solid build to start with.

If you’re looking for some sleeves to match the Water-type aesthetic of this deck, be sure to check out the new Great Wave Katana Sleeves from Ultimate Guard here.

Miraidon ex Deck

Yet another deck that benefits from having a huge bench size, Raikou V can use Miraidon ex [Scarlet and Violet] to search for even more Pokémon, allowing for a rapidly filled Bench! This deck gains all of the added consistency from Squawkavilly ex, Lumineon V, and others that can easily be discarded when Area Zero Underdepths is bumped! Let’s check out a list that did well at an online Pokémon TCG tournament! Let’s check out the list!

Terapagos ex Deck

Like Origin Form Palkia VSTAR, Terapagos ex is another Pokémon that thrives from having a larger Bench size, but this list focuses on Terapagos ex as the main attacker. Being able to utilize Dusknoir, and Pidgeot ex really allows for a potent strategy. List credit goes to my teammate on The Shuffle Squad, Josh Frink!

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Earn that [Stellar] Crown!

With Area Zero Underdepths creating new archetypes, and breathing life into a few older ones too, there are plenty of decks to test with the release of Stellar Crown. I know that I have a handful of major tournaments in this format, such as the Lima Special Event and the Latin America International Championships, so I’m gonna be on top of testing! That means I’ll be sharing my most up-to-date articles right here on Ultimate Guard’s website, so stay tuned for more great content! That being said, I hope you learned a thing or two from this article, and I’ll be back with another one soon! Thanks for reading!