We’ve recently added Stellar Crown to our metagame, and while the set isn’t as impactful as some other recent releases, it did add quite a few powerful cards for previously existing decks, and has at least released one brand new archetype.

In this article, I’ll be sharing some of the top archetypes from the recent Dortmund and Joinville Regional Championships, and the lists that I recommend for those decks! Use this article to kickstart your success on PTCGL or at your next local event! Let’s jump into my number 5 pick!

5) Charizard ex Deck

Charizard ex [Obsidian Flames] has been one of the best decks in our Standard format since release, and it is still one of the top choices in our new Stellar Crown metagame! While it didn’t gain much, having access to Briar [Stellar Crown] means you can draw extra Prize Cards, and that's all it takes sometimes. The strategy largely remains the same, evolve into Charizard ex, accelerate Energy, and watch as your attack’s damage grows with each Prize Card your opponent takes! Let’s look at my latest list!

Try out the Black / Red Synergy 100+ Sidewinder Deck Box to match the aesthetic of this powerful Charizard ex deck! You can learn more about those here.

4) Regidrago VSTAR Deck

Since the 2024 North American International Championships, Regidrago VSTAR [Silver Tempest] has been one of the most popular decks available, and it still continues to be one of the more popular decks in our Stellar Crown format! It hasn’t gained any new attackers, but it can utilize the new Noctowl [Stellar Crown] to search out some Trainer Cards as long as you have a Teal Mask Ogerpon ex [Twilight Masquerade] in play to meet the Tera Pokémon requirement! You’ll still be pitching Dragon-type Pokémon into your discard pile, accelerating Energy, and using Energy Switch [Scarlet and Violet] to power your Pokémon up! Let’s check out the list!

3) Dragapult ex Deck

Out of all of these decks, Dragapult ex [Twilight Masquerade] is the one that I find the least surprising to have catapulted into popularity because it has access to most of the best new cards from Stellar Crown. Sparkling Crystal [Stellar Crown] allows Dragapult ex to attack for one less Energy of any type, and Crispin [Stellar Crown] can accelerate Energy with ease! Considering Dragapult ex always struggled with Energy attachments, these new changes make it a true competitor. Evolve your Dreepy [Twilight Masquerade] into Drakloak [Twilight Masquerade] to have a built-in draw engine, and eventually Evolve into Dragapult ex to snipe your opponents Benched Pokémonn! Lots of cool things going in in this deck, so let’s check out the Dortmund Champions winning list:

The new Iris Bloom Katana Sleeves work nicely with the Psychic Energy requirements to attack with Dragapult ex! Check them out here.

2) Terapagos ex Deck

Terapagos ex [Stellar Crown] is the only truly new deck to this list because it only fully came out in Stellar Crown. The goal is to utilize Area Zero Underdepths [Stellar Crown] to have a full Bench to do max damage with Terapagos ex for a single Double Turbo Energy [Brilliant Stars]. Using Dusknoir [Shrouded Fable] to do extra damage when needed, and get set up with Noctowl, and Pidgeot ex [Obsidian Flames]. My list is slightly different than most because I’ve also included a Regidrago VSTAR to have a VSTAR Ability option to get back key cards, like Rare Candy [Scarlet and Violet] and Prime Catcher [Temporal Forces]. Let’s check out my list!

1) Lugia VSTAR Deck

Like Charizard ex, Lugia VSTAR [Silver Tempest] has been successful since its release, and most recently placed in the finals at Dortmund Regionals, and won Joinville Regionals. It doesn’t gain anything from Stellar Crown, but with the meta changes for other decks, this deck seemingly doesn’t have many poor matchups. I basically took Rahul Reddy’s finalist list from Dortmund, cut a card for a Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex [Twilight Masquerade], and that gives us the option to participate in opposing Area Zero Underdepths. Beyond that, I want to discard Archeops [Silver Tempest], get them summoned with our VSTAR Ability, and power up whichever Pokémon are best in the matchup at hand. Let’s check out the list!

When it comes to the decks that I bring everywhere, like on all of my trips around the world to various Pokémon TCG major events, I always try to match their main type with a Sidewinder 80+. In this case, the White Deck Box works perfectly. Learn more about them here.

Time to test!

With all of these decks available for you to try out, you should choose a few that you like, and test them! Whether you are playing the game online, or heading to your first local event, Pokémon TCG is super fun right now! Our metagame is diverse, there are tournaments happening all over the world (and online too), and the 2024-2025 season has just started! I’m actually heading to my first major event of the season this week, the Lima Special Event in Peru, and I’m hoping to earn some Championship Points to push me closer to an invite to the World Championships! Many of the decks that I’ve featured are my top choices for that event, so gaining access to those lists is certainly going to give you an edge in competitive play! I still have a little bit more tournament prep to do, so stay tuned for updates from me from this event, and the rest of the events I play in throughout the 2024-2025 season!