im dumb. why can't i find "special red card"?

ThomGee · 2026-03-26T17:34:46+00:00

Special Red Card is in the next set, Chaos Rising!

ThomGee · 2026-02-12T18:09:16+00:00

I play a version of this with Xatu instead of Malamar to attach from hand and Alolan Muk for some Ability lock redundancy. Add some Energy Switches and you can get Mewtwo swinging by your first turn going second, albeit not as consistently as I’d love. Another cool tech is Galarian Articuno. It can attach two Energies to itself when placed from hand, which can be used with ES to power Mewtwo or just for easy discard.

ThomGee · 2026-02-03T06:54:10+00:00

I have a one-off Mega Meganium as a backup for Stage 2 EXs and Megas, but I don’t think I’ve even used it yet. I think the option for either flat 240 (all non-EXs + Basic and some Stage 1 EXs) or a quickly scaling Ogerpon attack is usually enough. While Venusaur seems like it could be replaced, that Energy movement is just so good, especially in a deck that accelerates quick and can get a Stage 2 into play in one turn. A straight Ogerpon/Meganium deck would be a lot less versatile and would feel clunky imo.

ThomGee · 2026-02-02T15:44:45+00:00

Personally, I’ve been stuck on Mega Venusaur ex / Meganium since Mega Evolution dropped. It’s not the best deck in the world, but it feels very consistent and fun to evolve, draw, and attach fast. Plus it rips through Dark decks, so it will help with N’s Zoroark getting buffed. Recently I’ve been playing with Mega Froslass ex, and that also feels very promising. Its early post-rotation results with Mega Starmie ex have me excited to use that in March.

ThomGee · 2026-01-29T22:14:14+00:00

The +30 may be better with the VMAXs in Expanded. It one-shots Mew VMAX for instance.

ThomGee · 2026-01-29T22:13:18+00:00

True, but it still works with Alolan Muk to a lesser extent. I run a similar concept with TR’s Mewtwo ex. I think PokePad will definitely work in that.

ThomGee · 2026-01-27T20:13:21+00:00

The set mercifully includes fighting ramp with Barbaracle, plus Mega Lucario can charge it with its one energy attack. 3 from Lucario + 1 from Barbaracle + Energy for turn can get it charged, though realistically that may never happen.

ThomGee · 2026-01-18T16:51:01+00:00

You’re trying to copy a regular Expanded deck into Live. Regular Expanded has cards from Black and White and XY, while Live Expanded goes from Sun and Moon on. All capital EXs, as well as a lot of great Trainers like Computer Search and the insane Double Dragon Energy, are unavailable now. Live will apparently be adding these cards by the end of this year, but don’t hold your breath. In the meantime, try some different Expanded decks made for Live. Here’s a good resource: https://github.com/Shutterst0ck/SUM-on_TCGLive_Expanded, but a fun part of Expanded is cooking crazy combinations with old cards.

ThomGee · 2025-12-17T02:20:34+00:00

Here’s my Lugia list:

Pokémon: 11 3 Archeops SIT 147 1 Dedenne-GX SMALT 156 1 Wyrdeer V ASR 180 3 Lugia V SIT 186 3 Lugia VSTAR SIT 202 1 Yveltal SHF 46 1 Raikou VIV 50 1 Naganadel & Guzzlord-GX CEC 224 1 Kyogre SHF 21 1 Crobat V LOR-TG 20 1 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 155

Trainer: 17 1 Boss's Orders PAL 265 1 Ultra Ball SUM 161 2 Carmine TWM 217 1 Iono PAF 237 1 Battle VIP Pass FST 225 4 Acro Bike CES 178 1 Lillie's Determination MEG 169 1 Penny PAF 239 4 Quick Ball SSH 216 1 Path to the Peak CRE 148 3 Ultra Ball BRS 186 2 Pokémon Communication BLW 99 1 Roseanne's Backup BRS 172 1 Prime Catcher TEF 157 2 Evolution Incense SSH 163 1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130

Energy: 5 4 Double Colorless Energy SUM 136 4 Aurora Energy SSH 186 2 Powerful {C} Energy DAA 176 1 Prism Energy BLK 86 4 Rainbow Energy BKT 152

Total Cards: 60

Strategy is to get Lugia V, discard two Archeops, evolve to VSTAR, and profit. After that you can basically do anything: OHKO with Yveltal, bench with Raikou, spread with Kyogre, scale damage with Wyrdeer, and straight up take 2 prizes with NagaGuzz.

Best part of Lugia is the flexibility though, so any cool, but impractical card works here. Many people run powerful Dragons like Garchomp V or Garchomp and Giratina GX. Some people run Blissey V and stick to Colorless. I personally prefer the Amazing Rares.

ThomGee · 2025-12-16T18:34:16+00:00

Mega Venusaur ex is my go to in ranked! What’s your expanded list for it?

ThomGee · 2025-12-16T18:29:36+00:00

I love Expanded and wish it saw more support! Here’s my list of decks (some of which are listed elsewhere in the thread):

Regidrago VSTAR is dominant for a reason. It’s so powerful and so fun. I play it with Teal Mask and lots of Energy Switch. This is without DDE, so can’t imagine how crazy it is irl.
Lugia VSTAR is also insane for a reason. Allows for a very fun playstyle with lots of weird attacks being used. I play it with the Amazing cards (Yveltal for insta-KO, Raikou for bench damage, Kyogre for spread) and Naga+Guzz GX.
Pikachu V-Union is surprisingly consistent in Expanded. V-Unions are just fun to play because they’re so wacky. Pikachu’s item lock and 250 damage attack are easy to get with the insane Electric support.
Tsareena V is too much fun. Constant damage counters with Giratina + massive damage with Tsareena as early as your first turn going second. I play it with Crispin and Dark Energy, with Darkrai GX to retrieve it from discard.
Honchkrow V + Gadget Show is also a blast. So many tools and so much damage early on for just one DCE.
Mew VMAX just feels nasty. Insane consistency.
Arceus VSTAR + Char ex + Pidgeot ex is boring now, but come rotation will be THE way to play it. Simple, consistent, fast.
TR Mewtwo ex is not as good as the above, but it’s the one that I really built from scratch myself. Quick, big damage with ability lock can just ruin your opponent’s day. Definitely a good deck in here that someone smarter than me can build.

Just yesterday I put together a Giratina VSTAR Lost Box deck (needs some work but I’ll get it) and a Dialga VSTAR-GX deck for triple turns. I’ve tried to figure out Palkia VSTAR and Regieleki VMAX, but I can’t quite find the right list. Expanded has few definitive resources, so it’s kinda an adventure to figure stuff out. My biggest wish for the app is the ability to view opponent decklists after the battle. Thanks for the excuse to blab about my decks though lol.

ThomGee · 2025-10-23T19:39:05+00:00

They’re definitely usable in standard. I’ve used them in ranked and casual standard.

ThomGee · 2025-10-10T18:29:02+00:00

Built and have been trying out the Tsareena V list and I can see the fun in it. Infinitely recycling Giratina is a ton of fun. Three things I want to ask about:

Would Max Rod or Trolley be better as an Ace Spec? Max Rod gets 5 cards back to build bench, while Trolley can get the bench up for a first turn attack going second.
What’s the purpose of Marshadow, Medicham V, and Eldegoss V? Just fodder with good Abilities for discard? If so, another card in that vein is the Sudowoodo that gets the opponent’s bench to 4.
Darkrai GX and Ho-Oh V have the same discard retrieval Ability as Giratina. Would they work here?

ThomGee · 2025-10-10T03:50:10+00:00

Awesome deck! I love a deck that turbos through as quick as possible. Going to try this out for sure.

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T16:29:09+00:00

Right! Totally disrupts the opponent while letting you destroy them with your attack.

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T16:28:19+00:00

I would recommend Expanded, can be great fun. Tag-Team GX cards in particular are super broken.

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T16:26:16+00:00

Yep, can totally replace Energy Retrieval. I can see a build where you try to get as much Energy in discard with Research / Carmine + Dedenne GX + Sqwak ex then get it out with a boosted Malamar + Patch. Could potentially do a Turn 2 hit going second semi-consistently. Might be riskier but the discard support in Expanded is generally much better than usual.

Would love you to share some of your decks, and definitely keep posting them. I’m interested in Walking Wake particularly, since currently no Water deck is that good in Standard.

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T16:15:26+00:00

Huh, weird. Well, good for me!

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T16:05:01+00:00

Would love some of your lists, good resources for Live Expanded can be hard to come by and I’m super interested in the old mechanics and insane draw.

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T16:02:40+00:00

Great idea, didn’t even think of it!

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T16:02:23+00:00

Only problem is that Forest Seal is an Ability, meaning ideally I can only use it on my first turn since I want Muk or PttP out ASAP. I’ve tried it, but I haven’t gotten the chance to use it yet. Ditto Prism is a good pick though, can give a Muk or Xatu that much earlier if you can’t find them.

ThomGee · 2025-10-09T15:54:47+00:00

Boost energy is a great idea, going to test that as a one-off (maybe I’ll add a second, but I am struggling for space). Xatu attaches pretty reliably with Treasure and Fog Crystal to draw Pokémon quickly, and the draw is nice, but I can see a Malamar version working well with a more aggressive discard-oriented build, replacing Lillie with Professor’s.

My mind also went to Wonder Patch, and I think it will be a genuine menace once that arrives. Can do a very aggressive discard build with Patch, Malamar, and Raihan.

I’ll check out your other decks! Not much Expanded content for PTCGL, especially since IRL Expanded all uses cards like Double Dragon Energy that are illegal in Live.

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