A Colorful New Metagame

Considering Pikachu ex [Surging Sparks] is kinda the theme of our latest Pokémon TCG set, Surging Sparks, you’d think this article is all about a certain yellow mouse right? Well, it's almost there, but I’m looking at a different criteria - if a Pokémon is a Tera Pokémon or not. While Pikachu ex is a Tera Pokémon, and can activate the powerful Stadium card Area Zero Underdepths [Stellar Crown], today’s article is going to feature three different decks that feature a different Tera Pokémon, Terapagos ex [Stellar Crown]. Terapagos ex is seeing a recent growth in playrate because it is a Tera Pokémon, players are experimenting with Area Zero Underdepths, and sometimes Pikachu ex isn’t the best choice for those decks - especially since Terapagos ex can attack for only two Colorless Energy! In this article, I’ll be showcasing three different Area Zero Underdepths based decks: Charizard ex [Obsidian Flames], Klawf [Paradox Rift], and Dusknoir [Shrouded Fable] that pair great with Terapagos ex. I’ll include lists, strategy, and more! With lots of content to cover, let’s jump right in!

Charizard ex / Terapagos ex

Arguably one of my favorite decks in our current format, Charizard ex and Terapagos team up to provide a hybrid “Big Basics” deck that has options in the form of HP scaling, energy acceleration, and damage output! Both Charizard ex and Terapagos ex are Tera Pokémon, but you’ll want to utilize the Tera Pokémon capabilities of Terapagos ex earlier in the game to activate Area Zero Underdepths to prepare your seedlings for Noctowl [Stellar Crown] to be your main engine throughout the mid-to-late game. You can fetch pieces, turn one with Fan Rotom [Stellar Crown], get your board setup, and choose your attacker from there. The deck also plays a 1-0-1 Dusknoir line to catch up on missed Prize Card opportunities, and even forcefully activate Briar [Stellar Crown] to steal games! The list I featured in this article is Stephane Ivanoff’s most up-to-date list from Stuttgart Regionals where he made Day 2 at that event! Let’s check out the list!

You can copy and paste the following list directly into Pokémon TCG Live.

I love how this Charizard ex / Terapagos ex deck pairs so beautifully with Ultimate Guard’s Synergy line of deck boxes - you should totally check out the Red / White version here.

Klawf / Terapagos ex

If you’ve been playing so far this season, you might wonder why this deck didn’t exist before (I was also wondering this earlier this week), and the answer is two new cards from Surging Sparks - Latias ex [Surging Sparks] and Precious Trolley [Surging Sparks]. With Area Zero Underdepths in play, you can search out so many different Pokémon, including Klawf, and all of the combo cards needed to make this deck work! Having the option for a free Retreat into Oranguru V [Astral Radiance] to search for Forest Seal Stone [Silver Tempest], to then search out whatever you need to complete the combo, and then Switch Cart [Astral Radiance] into Klawf to get your attack off! I love how this deck has a variety of attacking options, like Terapago ex, Klawf, and Hisuian Electrode V [Astral Radiance], for different HP scaling, type advantages, and more! I love how you can easily pull off some fun moves, you get to work with Status Conditions, and of course it is a Klawf so the deck gets some bonus points for that too right? The list I’m sharing is Rahul Reddy’s list from Day 2 of Stuttgart Regionals - let’s check it out!

You can copy and paste the following list directly into Pokémon TCG Live.

If you wanna sleeve this deck up in some sleeves that match the same aesthetic as Double Turbo Energy, check out these awesome White Katana Sleeves here: https://ultimateguard.com/en/Card-Sleeves/Katana-Sleeves-Standard-Size-100-White/UGD010111/

Terapagos ex / Dusknoir

I’ve been playing this version of Terapagos ex since day one of Stellar Crown being legal, and I’ve accumulated almost 300 CP with it from winning a Cup, making Top 16 at the Lima Special Championship, and having a strong run at LAIC! It doesn’t gain anything from Stellar Crown, but does gain the change of the meta, and successfully competes with the best decks in format! Your goal is to use Terapagos ex as your main attacker, but you also have Dusknoir as a well-backed force to do some zany plays! In many games I’ve been able to pop double Dusknoir, play Briar, and attack with Terapagos ex to score 5 prizes in one turn! It runs on a similar engine to the Charizard ex list featured above in this article, but it also runs Pidgeot ex [Obsidian Flames] to be able to search for additional combo pieces to make this deck work! It’s arguably one of the most complex decks in the metagame, but it does work amazingly when you’re able to prioritize the right cards! Let’s check out the list that I’ve been playing lately here:

You can copy and paste the following list directly into Pokémon TCG Live.

Since this deck runs Noctowl, an owl Pokemon, I love playing this deck on the beautiful Starlit Truce Ultimate Guard playmat - check it out here.

Have Fun Exploring Area Zero

All of these Terapagos ex decks are tournament successful builds, and ready to play online, locally, or at your next Pokémon TCG major! Practice putting up to eight Pokémon on your Bench with Area Zero Underdepths, and discover the latest strategies brought to us by Surging Sparks! As for me, you might catch me playing one of these decks at my next local event in Montréal, or at an upcoming Pokémon TCG major event, like Toronto Regionals, or San Antonio Regionals! I’ve only played in two major events since the start of the 2024-2025 season, but I’m rapidly approaching 500 CP, and am currently one of the top ranked players in North America this season! I’m excited to see where the rest of the season brings me, and I’ll be sure to keep everyone up to date here in my next Ultimate Guard article! 

Until next time,

Zach Lesage