Top 10 Cards from Pokémon Delta Reign
Hello everyone!
Delta Reign is the next big main set of the Pokémon TCG, and people are going absolutely crazy about it. The culprit? Mega Rayquaza ex, of course, one of the most beloved Pokémon in history. This set focuses on the lord of the skies and introduces new mechanics, like Double Stadium cards, that could bring some much-needed fresh air to the format.
Now, I want to be very honest with you. Players are complaining that the format feels stale, and I get it. I agree with them. But the thing is, Pokémon is trying not to fight fire with more fire, and not to print too many crazy cards that could get out of hand. So don't get your hopes up: Dragapult ex will keep its tier S status even after Delta Reign settles down. However, this doesn't mean the set lacks cool cards that we need to get ready for.
So, without further ado, let's look at the top 10 cards!
10. Customized Vest
Pokémon Tool
The Pokémon this card is attached to (excluding any Mega Pokémon ex) takes 60 less damage from the attacks of your opponent's Mega Pokémon ex.
I think the best way to sum up this card is: it won't be played right now, but it has a ton of potential once the rotation takes place. Allow me to explain.
The current metagame is not kind to Mega Evolution Pokémon because there are cards like Dragapult ex or Alakazam that can deal a lot of damage without the downside of giving up 3 Prize cards when they're Knocked Out. As a result, Mega Evolutions really struggle to shine. This will all change with the next rotation. In the same way Pokémon pushed us all to play Tag Team Pokémon in the Sword and Shield era, I'm pretty convinced the post-rotation 2027 format will do exactly the same with Mega Evolutions.
Customized Vest doesn't make sense right now, considering you'll barely face any decks built purely around Mega Evolutions. But I'm pretty sure that will be the norm next year, and absorbing 60 damage seems like a very solid option to me. So yes, picking up a couple of copies of Customized Vest sounds like a pretty good idea!
9. Altaria
I went back and forth on whether this card should make in into the list, because I'm aware that, objectively, Altaria is not a good card and won't see play right away. Why? Because everyone knows that if you want free retreat for your Basic Pokémon, all you need to do is include Latias ex in your deck and you're golden!
In fact, Latias ex is overwhelmingly better than Altaria in every single way: it provides free retreat regardless of the Pokémon's type, it can be searched with just one card, and it can be a decent attacker at certain points in the game. So yes, Altaria pales in comparison to Latias.
The thing is, in the long term, once we lose Latias, Altaria might be able to find its place. If the format really slows down, a 2/2 line might be a good option in the near future.
8. Mega Rayquaza Cap
Pokémon Tool
The Pokémon this card is attached to can use the attack on this card.
[C] Delta Gift: For each of your Pokémon in play that has a Mega Rayquaza Cap attached to it, search your deck for a Basic Energy and attach it to that Pokémon. Then, shuffle your deck.
I'm not going to lie to you… I just wanted this card on the list because it's so unique, fun and random that I can't help thinking there will eventually be a crazy, viable combo with it.
Mega Rayquaza Cap (which, by the way, is the cutest cosmetic ever, and I would give anything to buy a real-life version of it) lets you accelerate Energy onto each Pokémon that has this same Tool attached. In an ideal (and not very realistic, I know) scenario, you could use 4 copies of Mega Rayquaza Cap to attach 4 Energy, which is really good if you pull it off on your second turn. The downside, however, is very clear: you need to find a way to magically gather all 4 copies of this Tool on your first turn. How you do that is another question.
To be fair, there are many better plays you could make if you really want to accelerate Energy, like playing Mega Audino ex. But I'm convinced all we need is something that lets us search for Tools (like the old Adventure Bag) and/or someone crazy enough to experiment with this combo. And I promise I'm going to try to be that person, so I'll keep you posted!
7. Mega Golurk ex
Ability: Movement Restriction
This Pokémon can't attack unless you have 10 or more cards in your hand.
PP Goliath Punch 300
This Pokémon also does 30 damage to itself.
Mega Golurk ex is a roller coaster of emotions. First, you check its stats and find a 350 HP behemoth that deals 300 damage for just two Energy, so your eyes light up. Then, of course, you read the Ability and all your hopes and dreams are suddenly shattered because you realize it's so restrictive that it simply can't work. Restricted Activation is a very challenging limitation that stops Mega Golurk ex from attacking unless you have 10 or more cards in your hand. Considering every relevant meta deck runs 2 to 3 disruption cards (Special Red Card, Judge,Unfair Stamp), it's simply not realistic to think Golurk will be able to compete.
Unless… we somehow turn that Ability in our favor? What if there was a way to bypass it, or even ignore it altogether? Well, lucky for us, there are methods we can leverage!
The most obvious one is to play a card that negates our own Abilities, something that would be incredibly easy if Path to the Peak or Hex Maniac were legal in the Standard format. Even so, we have some other interesting alternatives. Legendary Pyroduct, which also makes an appearance in this Delta Reign top, negates the Abilities of all Evolution Pokémon, effectively shutting down Golurk's limitation. But if we don't feel comfortable running Stadiums, there is an even easier way.
Remember the article we wrote about the 30th anniversary cards and the power and versatility of Mew ex? This is a perfect example. Mew ex can copy the attacks of any of your Benched Pokémon, as long as it meets the Energy requirements. Therefore, Mew ex can use Goliath Punch with two Psychic Energy and deal 300 damage. Since the Ability only affects Golurk and not Mew, we can punch our way to victory as much as we want without worrying about the cards in our hand.
That's why I think Mega Golurk ex deserves a spot in this top. Sure, you need to invest some resources to make it work, but including Mew ex or Ability-stopping cards in exchange for dealing 300 damage every turn? I'll gladly take that deal!
6. Aarune
Supporter
Search your deck for up to 3 Supporter or Stadium cards in any combination, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Aarune is a very interesting card and, while I don't think it will be an immediate staple, I do believe it will find its way into the metagame. This Supporter lets us search for any combination of Supporter and Stadium cards. A Supporter that searches for other Supporters is plainly bad but… Stadiums? Now we're talking.
Aarune will be the only realistic way to get our hands on the new Legendary Stadiums, cards that need to be put together like a puzzle. And yes, the Legendary Stadiums are good, so Aarune lets you find the Legendary Stadium you want AND set up your hand with a Supporter for the next turn. As I said, it won't be played everywhere… but I have a feeling it will become more popular than we think.
5. Giratina
Basic Pokémon
[P][P][C] Chaos Crawler: 120 damage. Prevent all damage from attacks done to this Pokémon during your opponent's next turn. You can't use this attack if any of your Pokémon used Chaos Crawler during your last turn.
I think Giratina is amazing and maybe, just maybe, I've put it way too high on the list, but I couldn't help myself. If Giratina uses Chaos Crawler, it prevents all damage done to it during the following turn, but it can't use the same attack twice in a row.
On paper, this looks nice but not incredible… until you remember Slowking exists. Slowking, which is one of the best decks in the format, mind you, lets you copy any attack from a Pokémon without a Rule Box. This means it can easily use Chaos Crawler for just two Energy AND not be affected by the attack's restriction. In other words, Slowking can loop as many Chaos Crawlers as it wants, which can be very annoying for our opponent.
Sure, there are still ways your opponent can overcome this "lock". They can just play Boss's Orders and go around it, but if they do, they leave our Slowking and its Energy alone, which I think is beneficial in the long run.
Maybe I'm wrong and Giratina isn't worth this spot, but I really think it can be a great addition to the deck.
4. Talonflame ex
Stage 2 – Evolves from Fletchinder
Ability: Excitedive. If this Pokémon is in your hand, and you have a [C] Mega Evolution Pokémon in play, you may use this Ability. Put this Pokémon onto your Bench.
[C][C] Claw Hunt: 150 damage. You may search your deck for up to 2 cards and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
If you're old like me, you might remember when Talonflame from Steam Siege was played in Greninja BREAK decks to "cheat" and start with a Stage 2 that could search for any cards you wanted. Well, history is a circle, as they say, and that's why Talonflame is coming back to the Standard format to do (almost) exactly the same thing!
Talonflame ex has an Ability that lets you put it onto your Bench as long as you already have a Colorless Mega Evolution Pokémon in play. This is not, and never will be, a problem for certain decks, considering Mega Kangaskhan ex is extremely popular in Basic Box decks.
And then, it can attack for just two Energy and find you any two cards from your deck. Considering it has no Retreat Cost and only gives up two Prize cards, I really think it's a very strong complement to certain strategies, namely Mega Rayquaza.
Note: Something important about Talonflame ex's Ability is that it activates while the card is in your hand, which makes it immune to Team Rocket's Watchtower, since that Stadium only negates the Abilities of Pokémon in play. I'm clarifying this because I'm seeing a lot of confusion on social media about this interaction.
3. Adventuring Lantern
Item
Search your deck for a Basic [R] Energy and a Basic [L] Energy, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
If I were fully objective, this card should have taken the No. 1 spot in this ranking. Why? Well, cards that search your deck are great. Cards that give you card advantage are great (play this card → get 2 cards is an instant +1). Cards that do both are rare and extremely good, and that's exactly what Adventuring Lantern does.
When you play this Item, you search your deck for a Fire Energy and a Lightning Energy and add them to your hand. Perhaps its only "downside" is that you have to pick one of each type; it doesn't let you combine them however you want (that would have been even more broken). Decks that rely on getting these Energy onto the field quickly now have a great resource to do so.
I'm aware that, with Crispin in the format, this card might not be essential right now, but I still think that, on paper, it's a really strong item and will be even better forward.
2. Legendary Pyroduct
Stadium
You can only put this card into play from your hand with the other half of Legendary Pyroduct, and it counts as one Stadium card while in play.
Evolution Pokémon in play (both yours and your opponent's) have no Abilities.
I wanted to give this card the top spot because I think it has insane potential, but I also think its design is very well balanced.
Legendary Pyroduct is a two-piece card. What do I mean by that? This Stadium is made up of two halves, a left one and a right one. To put it into play, you need to have both halves in your hand and play them at the same time. Once on the field, it behaves like a regular Stadium card.
If you have to invest twice the resources into a card, it really needs to be good, right? Well, Pyroduct is that good. While it's in play, it negates the Abilities of all Evolution Pokémon. And if you think about it, so many decks rely on Evolution Pokémon that it's actually scary! Drakloak can't draw cards, Thwackey can't find combo pieces, N's Zoroark ex can't use Trade… In other words, if this card stays on the field, it simply destroys entire strategies.
However, it has one very serious weakness… it can be replaced by any other Stadium card your opponent plays. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "Is it really worth investing two cards if my opponent can cancel it by playing just one?". Well, the answer is "it depends". The card is objectively good, and if you play it at the right moment, it's almost an auto-win. If you play it when your opponent has a lot of resources in hand, it might be useless. So, I do believe this is a great, game-changing card in the right deck with the right support. Don't say I didn't warn you when your opponent hits you with Unfair Stamp and Pyroduct and you lose the game!
1. Mega Rayquaza ex
Basic Pokémon
Ability: Champion's Roar. When you play this Pokémon from your hand onto your Bench during your turn, you may use this Ability. Look at the top 4 cards of your deck and attach a Basic Energy you find there to this Pokémon. Shuffle the remaining cards and put them on the bottom of your deck.
[R][L][C] Storm Emeralda: 50× damage. This attack does 50 damage times the number of [R] and [L] Energy attached to all of your Pokémon in play.
Perhaps Mega Rayquaza ex should be lower on the list, and I agree, but I couldn't make a top 10 and not give the No. 1 spot to the Pokémon god itself. What heresy that would be!
Jokes aside, I'm well aware that Mega Ray might not be the deck to beat in the next few months, BUT I'm convinced it eventually will be, and that's why it's here.
If we look at its stats and Ability, we can see that Mega Ray is very similar to Rayquaza-GX from Celestial Storm: it deals damage based on the number of Energy on your field, and when you play it onto your Bench, you get to accelerate one Energy (unless you're very unlucky).
Mega Rayquaza ex deals 50 damage for every Lightning and Fire Energy attached to all your Pokémon, so if you manage to gather 6, Mega Ray can literally OHKO almost any other Mega Pokémon with ease. How difficult will it be to reach that number? Actually, it should be extremely easy.
Let's consider the following: Crispin gives you two Energy. If you play 2 Mega Rayquaza ex, that's already 2 extra Energy. And then, if you have something like Ethan's Ho-Oh ex on your Bench, you can attach two Fire Energy! So yes… 6 Energy on turn 1 if you go second. 300 damage. Crazy, if you ask me.
So wait, if Mega Rayquaza ex can hit so hard and so easily, why am I saying it won't be played? Because of what I've already explained about Mega Evolutions: it's just not their time. They struggle against one-Prize decks, and they struggle a lot against Dragapult, so I can't see them winning big tournaments until the rotation takes half of these decks away.
I expect Mega Rayquaza ex to be played the moment it's released, but I don't expect it to be the next deck to beat. However, in a format where Mega Evolutions are the rule, it has all the potential to dominate, since it will be faster and more aggressive than any other Mega available.
So yes, grab your copies now!
Conclusion
And with that, we reach the end of this very special top 10. I hope you agree with me and found the article useful. I honestly can't wait to try out Mega Rayquaza and see how far it can go. Thanks for reading!