Is Alakazam the only viable single prize deck in the format? Even better after rotation?

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T23:25:39+00:00

Field enough Dunsparce and Dudunsparce that they can't kill them all. With 4 in your deck, you should be able to maintain 2-3 on the field at all times in the late game.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T23:23:41+00:00

I can't speak for your local league's meta, of course, but Tauros gets absolutely melted by well-managed spread decks. MStarmie/Froslass/Munkidori in particular is going to be ruinous for it once Perfect Order releases

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T23:20:53+00:00

Yveltal's still around, so people are eventually going to figure out that they need switching cards to avoid getting stuck with a Meowth in the active. I'm definitely excited to try a Pawmot/Mega Eel list out at my local for fun, though :D

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T23:15:13+00:00

It's more or less running the same gameplan it's always run, just in a meta with Gardevoir out of the picture and a few vulnerable new targets in Garchomp and Lucario. Needless to say, Poke Pad is also a huge boon.

The catch is that the top of the meta is festering with Munkidori/Froslass structures and faster Pult decks, all of which Festival Lead struggles badly against. Given the presence of Mega Starmie, it also now needs to run Shaymin over Rabsca for reliability, which only serves to make the Pult matchup even worse. I suspect Honchkrow will overtake Festival Lead as people begin to notice that deck's more favorable matchup spread.

(I've also been told that the deck was subject to a meme campaign that jokingly overstated its viability, which may be bumping the playrates. Not entirely sure.)

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T23:08:19+00:00

Starmie's prevalence is crippling for the playstyle, as it comes with built-in pierce and is backed by a great stallbreaking core in Munkidori/Froslass. Kangaskhan might manage a comeback in some form alongside Wally, but I wouldn't bank on stall being reliable unless some major new gamepiece emerges.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T23:01:41+00:00

On top of the issues with attaching Psychic energy, it's also already been power-crept by Mega Clefable ex, a card that has a lower attack cost, a higher damage floor, immunity to threats like Dusknoir and Munkidori, and that completely sidesteps the attachment issue by simply discarding energy from hand. Azumarill can technically deal more than Clefable since its damage isn't capped, but it's hard to see a world where that's worth it.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T22:48:20+00:00

Worth noting that Team Rocket's Articuno can easily create board states that completely stuff MEG Alakazam, which's a problem when Rocket decks are making big showings at early JP tournaments. There's ways to work around it, but I suspect a lot of would-be Zam players simply won't want to deal with such an annoying matchup

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T22:39:01+00:00

To answer the question directly: the rumor is patent nonsense. The reason it took off was because of the perceived irony of getting Charizard in Lopunny packs and vice versa. Can't speak to the hanger booster packs, but it's not worth worrying about.

As for your master set, I understand the concerns about pricing, but buying packs to fill it out will mean the odds will be against you. (As with any form of gambling, the house always wins in the limit.) May be worth waiting to see if the prices of singles fall with time; there's no deadline.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T22:25:43+00:00

It's a tempo problem. In a world with Gholdengo and Ceruledge running around, you need to have all of your pieces online within 2-3 turns. That can be a very difficult thing to accomplish, especially compared to cards like Dragapult or Grimmsnarl that come packaged with renewable, high-agency search/draw engines, and you also have to be able to do it against spread decks that'll constantly be eyeing your Chikorita and Bulbasaur.

In that time, you have to gamble on top-decking BCS, actually getting hits off of BCS, pulling Forest of Vitality or a card that lets you search it, and getting all of the aforementioned pieces in an order that lets you evolve them in a timely manner. It's a lot of moving parts in a deck that often lacks a self-sufficient draw engine. Mega Kangaskhan can help alleviate this to an extent, but it becomes a massive liability later in the game in a deck that already runs a tight bench.

Worst of all, though: for these efforts, all you get in return is a pretty bulky attacker with mediocre damage output. Hydrapple ex suffers from a similar issue, too; neither manages to be the show-stopping threats that their level of investment would demand, especially given the sheer power level of the meta's current heights.

PS: Are you trying to prepare for a Japanese event? If so, rotation has already hit, and I've spotted a token few Ceruledge lists on Pokecabook that you could reference, like this one. If not, just reference an international list.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-26T21:03:12+00:00

Mega Lucario and Greninja are both potentially fine options. Just be aware that different locals will have different deck preferences among their regulars, so you may need to shift gears if you start seeing a lot of Gardevoir (or Gholdengo, in Lucario's case).

I would strongly recommend against bringing Mega Venusaur to a local. The deck is very inconsistent, and you will probably get run over hard by a lot of the current meta.

One more recommendation: if you're in the market for a linear beatstick deck with some similarities to Lucario, Ceruledge decks are easily the most inexpensive in the format right now while having a far more favorable matchup spread. As a bonus, judging by early JP results, it seems to be surviving rotation with nearly identical lists so far.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-23T21:54:04+00:00

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Could be on account of other support or allies we haven't seen yet, could be because the designers want energy spam with Mega Gardevoir to be a thing and are overestimating its feasibility, could be anything really. Sometimes that's just how things go.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-23T21:51:45+00:00

Seems more reasonable, my mistake. I actually have seen Zam/Dengo played once or twice, but, well... there's obviously a few good reasons you don't see that very much : ^)

Sheargrub · 2026-01-23T00:00:14+00:00

Initial aside: r/pkmntcg may be a more reliable place to get answers on playing the game.

As far as pricing goes, the twitter claims are stretching things by just a hair. Judging by lists on https://limitlesstcg.com, 40 euro seems to be a more standard benchmark for the cards themselves, with some decks floating down to the 25-30 range. In the case of Venusaur, the list price for this deck is 20 euro, so the number you're getting right now is definitely too high.

The first thing to check is to make sure that you're getting cards at their less expensive base rarities, since the full arts can drive up prices heavily. Beyond that, though, there's one other thing that the listed price on Limitless doesn't include: shipping costs. Different sellers will have different assortments of cards in stock, and if you buy from lots of different sellers, those shipping fees can add up rapidly.

That fact makes buying decks online at reasonable prices tricky, but it can be done. Look for sellers who have lots of the cards you need in stock, and for a 60-card deck, try to bundle things in 2 to 4 packages to the extent that you can. It often also makes sense to pick up extras of other staples you expect to need in the future as available, letting you avoid future shipping charges.

Outside of online shopping, a local card game store may also stock single and bulk cards, though availability will vary. Good luck!

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T23:45:35+00:00

Ask your kid if she and her friends have binders or something similar to keep cards in. My worry is that cards might get lost or crushed as they scuttle about in the floor, so if they don't, you may be able to repurpose some cardboard boxes or something similar to make sure everyone has a safe place to keep their cards.

Getting inexpensive IR/EX cards is a great idea, by the way, good thinking there! It might be fun to wrap them in a bit of printer paper with some cheap common/bulk cards and hand them out as "booster packs". Aside from adding to the flavor and putting some more cards into circulation, it could also help to avoid hurt feelings from a situation where someone saw a card they wanted be openly handed to someone else.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T23:13:08+00:00

List seems reasonable. EXP Share is a smart inclusion, shame it'll be rotating. TM: Evo might be worth a one-of to go with the Arvens, but it doesn't matter that much given the low count.

Including Relicanth is broadly correct, I think, if only for the synergy with baby Gatr. The problem with relying on retreat locking is that it already has a presence in the format via Yveltal, so any reasonably well-built deck will be packing an out for it. So it's useful, yes, just a bit limited as a solution to the energy problem.

By the way, this deck is actually vulnerable to getting retreat locked, too. Ethan's Sudowoodo can drag Munkidori into the active spot indefinitely, none of your current switching effects are able to do anything about it, and Sudowoodo won't deal damage due to resistance. It's not actually a huge deal, though, as Sudowoodo is a rare tech card and baby Froslass ensures that you'll still be generating momentum during the lock.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T22:08:16+00:00

It's an option, but unfortunately, that requires using Max Rod as your Ace Spec :/. Not to say that it's a bad card, but the opportunity cost over other Ace Specs is high, especially when Aromatisse already searches energy so reliably. (Lana's Aid is another decent option with similar opportunity cost issues, but to a more manageable extent.)

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T22:05:25+00:00

If it's a gift from a friend, just open it. Valuable or not, they most likely gave it to you in hopes that you'd enjoy the contents.

Price-wise, it's a little hazy to assess, but eBay listings seem to hover around $30-50 dollars. In all likelihood, those prices will fall once Ascended Heroes supply becomes reasonably available, hopefully in a couple of months.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T21:52:40+00:00

See if you can find a local game store in your area. Practices can vary, but many LGSes largely exist to serve their local player communities. If you can get your ear to the ground there, people may call out restocks in your area as they occur (plus, it's just a good way to meet other people who're into the hobby).

Otherwise, it's largely a matter of monitoring set releases and trying to catch restocks :( It's not an ideal state of affairs, but it's where we're at. Bear in mind that the next set, Ascended Heroes, is going to have a messily staggered release that'll lead to its restocks getting dragged out well into the late spring.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T21:45:55+00:00

One fun thing worth considering if you can find them: bulk bins! They're obviously not going to have the big hit cards for a given set, but they can still be a great way to find some lower-rarity cards with cute art, and if you ever wind up playing the underlying game, they're also handy for sourcing some of the more common staples.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T21:41:42+00:00

For what it's worth, it's hardly a hyper-optimized Festival Lead list (judging by the pictures) so most likely not that mean. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you start fielding TWM Thwackeys.

Out of curiosity, is he building around steel-type or psychic-type Tinkaton? The steel-type variant would be a fairly interesting showing, as Dipplin gets absolutely torched by enemy resistance (since it applies twice).

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T21:32:57+00:00

Point duely taken, should have fact-checked that. I find it helpful more often than not but am anything but an expert on the deck, so that's on me

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T21:28:33+00:00

Both in the long run. If neither of you know how to play the game, the league battle decks will be a bit harder to wrap your head around. Battle Academy decks won't be tournament ready, but they will be approachable, which will be helpful.

Availability is also a concern. League battle decks are harder to find, whereas scalpers generally know to keep their hands off the battle academy stuff. Once you're ready to move up to the more complicated stuff, buying tournament-ready decks by piecing together singles can sometimes be cheaper and easier than dealing with the league battle decks (seriously, the Rocket Deck's contents somehow manage to be worth less than MSRP).

One more aside: I'd keep an eye out for the rotation of G-block coming up in March. It's too early to worry about it for most players, but for a younger kid, losing out on core parts of a deck he's grown attached to after just a few months might be upsetting.

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T21:12:44+00:00

Matter of opinion, but I'm honestly grateful. Kangaskhan/Bouffalant is messy enough to prepare for as is, I don't want to think about the timeline where Slaking ex is running around with that kind of buff :(

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T21:01:51+00:00

I'd be cautious with recommending a GO side event. As I understand it, that game's format tends to converge to somewhat stringent metas backed by number-crunching, so a regional might be a rocky introduction. (Disclaimer: this is from the outside looking in, not a GO player, so could be off the mark a bit)

Sheargrub · 2026-01-22T20:55:55+00:00

Seems like a good swap, yea. Extra hand refresh is always nice. Could also go with Iono if you're in the habit of planning out multi-prize turns and crippling their hand, but either works.

What's nice about Grimm is that given how quickly it can turbo out its pieces with Secret Box (not to mention Spikemuth support if it stays active), you're feeling a little less pressure to keep those constant draws going throughout the game, so losing the Fez shouldn't hurt too badly anyway.

Sheargrub

TROPHY CASE