A New Expansion

Surging Sparks is our latest expansion for Pokémon TCG, and it is truly a set where collectors and competitive players can rejoice - perhaps the most balanced set between both sides of the community since Evolving Skies. Collectors can chase after the new Pikachu ex [Surging Sparks], and players can utilize new powerful Item Cards, like Tera Orb [Surging Sparks] to slot into their Tera type decks! Whichever side you decide you land on, this Ultimate Guard blog will easily help you identify the top 5 cards from the set. If you’re a competitive player, this will give you a peek into the latest advancements of our metagame, and if you’re a collector, you can find some gems in the set that you might be able to sell for higher values than just “bulk”! There are plenty of cards to cover, so let’s dive into my number 5 pick!

5) Koraidon

I honestly struggled with the number 5 slot on this list because there are so many cards that could’ve taken the spot that I eventually gave to Koraidon [Surging Sparks]. Ultimately, I decided on this card because it comes down to instant competitive viability, and Koraidon is likely to be an instant inclusion in Raging Bolt ex [Twilight Masquerade] - one of the best decks in our current Standard format! As implied in the name, Unrelenting Onslaught is enough to OHKO most Basic Pokémon ex / V, as long as one of your Ancient Pokémon attacked last turn. This solves a few things for the Raging Bolt ex deck, but mainly we finally have a single Prize Card Pokémon that can return KO something that isn’t totally matchup dependent.

This card will help us stream that efficient 2-2-2 Prize Card gameplan that makes Raging Bolt ex one of the best decks in the game, and it puts our opponent in a terrible spot depending on their choice. If they were forced to use Rotom V [Crown Zenith], Lumineon V [Brilliant Stars], and / or Fezandipiti ex [Shrouded Fable] - you can easily pick off their Pokémon. In a traditional game, this means attack with Raging Bolt, and now you have Koraidon activated for the following turn. If they attack into your Koraidon, they have effectively lowered their Prize Card trade, and if they attack something else, you already have Koraidon ready to Knock out one of their other Pokémon! I could see Raging Bolt adding some disruption cards back into the deck, like Iono [Paldea Evolved] to further put your opponent into a tough spot. And since it costs only two Colorless Energy to use Koraidon, it can be played in any Ancient deck, including Ancient Box! I’m pretty sure we’ll see this card see success as soon as it's released!

4) Ceruledge ex

This spot on the list was a little bit easier because the rest of the list shapes up quickly with incredibly powerful cards that I could slot in one after another! Let me introduce you to Ceruledge ex [Surging Sparks], arguably the only “new” archetype that has proven itself successful in Japan from this set. It might be an incredibly basic style of play, but doing 30 damage plus an additional 20 damage for each Energy in your discard pile can be a devastating strategy. I’ve already created some early tabletop gameplay content with this card, and have paired it with the new Brilliant Blender [Surging Sparks] Ace Spec to discard an additional 5 cards. With cards like Squawkabilly ex [Paldea Evolved], Carmine [Twilight Masquerade], and even Ultra Ball [Scarlet and Violet] this is a potent combo.

One of the spicier versions of the deck adds in Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR [Astral Radiance] to work with the staple Radiant Greninja [Astral Radiance] in the deck as a single Prize Card attacking Pokémon. Since you’re already discarding all of these Basic Energy cards, there isn’t any harm in discarding a few Water Energy, and loading them up on Radiant Greninja to snipe 90 damage to two of your opponent’s Pokémon. That attack is incredibly powerful earlier in the game before your opponent Evolves all of their Pokémon, and it gives you time to ramp to a thick stack of Energy cards in your discard pile to hit hard with Ceruledge ex. 

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3) Tera Orb

Tera Orb [Surging Sparks] might not seem like much at first, but it will likely see play in a handful of the Stage 2 Tera Pokémon ex decks as a free search off of Arven [Scarlet and Violet]. Similar to Feather Ball [Astral Radiance] in Terapagos ex [Stellar Crown] decks, Tera Orb is a “free” search instead of being forced to grab an Ultra Ball and discarding two cards. This card could easily read “search for a Charizard ex [Obsidian Flames] or a Dragapult ex [Twilight Masquerade], and put it into your hand” and it would be the same card, but think about what that means for two current top 10 decks in format? Most lists will slot in a single copy of Tera Orb to be able to have a better search option, and that's more or less why this card is so ranked on this list.

If we look at the most impactful cards in Standard, it's not always gonna be the Pokémon ex / V, but a lot of the time it's gonna be the Trainer cards. Cards like Ultra Ball, Nest Ball [Scarlet and Violet], and Buddy Buddy Poffin [Temporal Forces] allow many decks in our format to execute their strategies flawlessly - Tera Orb is getting pretty close to those cards. Since there aren’t any pure Tera Basic decks, I don’t see Tera Orb working with many Basic Pokémon right now, but there are more and more Tera Pokémon getting released each set. You can even search for Tera Orb with Pidgeot ex [Obsidian Flames] to further thin your deck, and improve your chances of drawing into other cards. Is it gonna break those aforementioned decks? No! Will it make them more consistent? Yes! In terms of competitive viability, this is gonna be one of the cards slotted into those decks at the start of the format - or at least a solid option for deck-builders!

2) Magneton

The deck-building potential for cards like Magneton [Surging Sparks] is unreal, and if we look at one of the other “self-explode” cards in format, Dusknoir [Shrouded Fable], we might be able to catch a vibe of what is to come next! While it is limited to only Lightning-type Pokémon, having the option to power up your Pokémon rapidly at the cost of a single Prize Card is incredibly powerful - something that can grow with each new Lightning-type Pokémon released over the lifetime of this card. There are a few early strategies that have been implemented so far, Pikachu ex from this set is an easy choice due to its three different Energy type requirement to do its huge 300 damage attack.

After discarding a few Energy, pop that Magneton, and Pikachu ex is gonna OHKO whichever Pokémon is in front of it. Miraidon ex [Scarlet and Violet] is another great option, and already functions as a Lightning-type box deck with many different attacking options. Magneton can help you achieve an easy turn 2 attack with Miraidon ex, mostly powering up an Iron Hands ex [Paradox Rift], or swinging with whichever Pokémon you’ve included into your deck! The synergy with Lightning-type Pokémon is obvious, but the synergy with Trainer Cards that allow you to play from behind is where this card gets depth. Popping a Magneton, dropping a Counter Catcher [Paradox Rift], ripping a Roxanne [Astral Radiance], and having a massive comeback turn is where it's at. 

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1) Latias ex

You know those cards that seem to be included in many decks? Fezandipiti ex, Rotom V, Lumineon V, and Squawkabilly ex all come to mind for me. In this case, I have a feeling that Latias ex [Surging Sparks] is going to enter the ranks as one of the incredibly playable Basic Pokémon. The reason why? It’s Skyliner Ability! Being able to offer even just one less Retreat Cost to all of your Basic Pokémon in play would be great, but this card offers free Retreat to all of your Basic Pokémon in play!

A deck, like Raging Bolt ex, could gain space back in the list by cutting Switch Cart [Astral Radiance], and run new techs that might make the deck more consistent, like Tatsugiri [Twilight Masquerade]. It might seem limited because of the “only Basic Pokémon” line in the Ability, but many of the best decks of all time have featured only Basic Pokemon. It isn’t going to be the most interesting card of all time, but neither is Nest Ball, and that card is played in literally every deck! What will be interesting is the use of Basic “tech” Pokémon that have been underused thus far, that will get a second chance at shining at the top tables. I personally need to look at the heavier Retreat Cost Pokémon, like three or four Retreat, that weren’t good enough before, that might just end up being broken now! Latias ex is going to be a must have staple for any collection, and will be one of the best cards in our game until it rotates!

A Surge of Playtesting

While I have included what would be considered a fair list of the top cards in Surging Sparks, there are plenty of cards in this set that can grow into the role of the top 5 cards from Surging Sparks. All of the new Tera Pokémon, such as Sylveon ex [Surging Sparks] have the opportunity to see success, and might be worthwhile pickups - same with Hydreigon ex [Surging Sparks] or even Tatsugiri ex [Surging Sparks]. I have plenty of ground to cover when it comes to testing this set, and I actually get to experience the first major event where the set is legal for the first time - Sacramento Regionals!

I’m not sure if I’m gonna be able to crack the code on any of the more interesting cards in time, but I fully expect myself to add a few new cards to a previously existing deck, and try my best to claim that Regional Champion title! I’m already off to a great start this season with my top 16 finish at the Lima Special Event, and I hope to continue my streak of success at the upcoming Latin American International Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil! Stay tuned for future articles from me covering everything and anything Pokémon, and I can’t wait to share the latest with all of you!