Lugia VSTAR [Silver Tempest] has been one of the most successful archetypes of all time, but has taken a backseat as of late due to the rotation of Powerful Colorless Energy [Darkness Ablaze], and Aurora Energy [Sword and Shield] from Standard. Well, that all changed with the release of Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces, and the addition of Cinccino [Temporal Forces], bringing this deck back from the depths, and into the spotlight again!

Cinccino is a great single Prize Card Pokémon that allows you to OHKO many popular Pokémon in Standard, like Charizard ex [Obsidian Flames], and that allows Lugia VSTAR to tackle on some of the best decks in format. Tried and true, Lugia VSTAR is a crowd pleaser for fans of the archetype, and that's going to be the main subject of this article. Keep on reading for my decklist, strategy, and more on Lugia VSTAR!

Lugia VSTAR / Cinccino Decklist

After my 19th place finish out of nearly 2400 competitors with Lugia VSTAR / Cinccino at Orlando Regionals, this archetype is cemented to most players playing something similar to my list featured in this article. With this deck having a favorable matchup into the current best deck in format, Charizard ex, it is a great deck for the remainder of our Temporal Forces Standard format! Let’s check out my list for Lugia VSTAR, then we can jump into the strategy, and more! Let’s get it!

This text version of the decklist is importable to Pokémon TCG Live by copying it, and selecting import when creating a new deck online:

Lugia VSTAR / Cinccino: Strategy & Key Cards | Pokémon

One of the most appealing aspects of Lugia VSTAR is the level of ease in which it is to get this deck rolling. The archetype revolves around using Lugia VSTAR’s Summoning Star to summon two Archeops [Silver Tempest] into play, and then use Archeops to accelerate Energies to your various Pokémon, like Cinccino. Once your birds have lifted off the ground, you should be able to overwhelm your opponent with an onslaught of OHKOs with Cinccino, and be able to protect your hand with Gift Energy [Lost Origin] once you’re Knocked Out. Over and over, keep on loading up Energy on your single Prize Card Pokémon, like Cinccino, and Snorlax [Lost Origin], and keep the pressure one. 

Even though this deck features two Prize Card Pokémon, like Lugia V [Silver Tempest], and Lumineon V [Brilliant Stars], you want to take a single Prize Card approach to maximize your success in most matchups. Sure, you can take a Prize Card or two with Lugia VSTAR, but the goal is to only use one Lugia VSTAR for Summoning Star, and to avoid playing down any additional two Prize Card Pokémon. And if you do, you can also play Collapsed Stadium [Brilliant Stars] to discard any Pokémon that your opponent is eyeing down. Easy right? Let’s look into some of the individual cards in this deck that are interesting enough for their own side section!

• Jacq: While Jacq [Scarlet and Violet] might seem like a weaker Supporter option, we do need to have a way to search out Archeops, and then discard it with Ultra Ball [Scarlet and Violet] afterwards. As simple as it may sound, using Summoning Star is half the battle, and the other half is actually getting Archeops in your discard pile. Jacq is there as a searchable consistency crutch via Lumineon V, and sometimes it can snag a Lugia VSTAR or Cinccino if you’ve already discarded your Archeops!
• Master Ball: Many people have asked me if Master Ball [Temporal Forces] is the best Ace Spec for Lugia VSTAR, and my answer is yes. While Prime Catcher [Temporal Forces] could be a viable option, we need to get Archeops in our hand to discard, and we need to get Lugia V down as quickly as possible. If not, you can lose games by simply not setting up, and missing Lugia V turn one can really tank your win rate.
• Jet Energy: Jet Energy [Paldea Evolved] is one of the best Energy in this deck if you hit a Snorlax [Pokemon Go] or Pidgeot ex [Obsidian Flames] control deck, but it can be a hindrance if you have it in your hand, and want to attach an energy. As you’re playing through regular games with Lugia VSTAR, try to accelerate a Jet Energy here or there with Archeops, otherwise they will get drawn in your hand, and you might be forced to switch your Benched Pokemon with your Active Pokémon.

Tempest Diving to Victory

Well, as the current top Lugia VSTAR player in the game, many have been asking me if I’m gonna play this deck for Indianapolis and Los Angeles Regionals, and my answer is that I’m unsure. Even though it beats the current best deck in format, I’m always worried about other tough matchups, like Chien-Pao ex [Paldea Evolved] / Excalibur [Paldea Evolved], or even Gardevoir ex [Scarlet and Violet]. My top choices for those events would be Charizard ex, Roaring Moon ex [Paradox Rift], and of course Lugia VSTAR. I still have some testing lined up with the rest of The Shuffle Squad so I might be swayed towards whatever they decide that they are going to play, but I’m still a Lugia VSTAR fan through and through!

Even though I am nonstop testing for the final few major events in our 2024 Pokémon TCG season, I’ll still have enough time to keep up with a few Ultimate Guard articles per month to keep our community up-to-date on everything that is going on! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article, and I can’t wait to share my ideas with you for my next blog! Thanks for reading, and I hope to meet many readers at future events.