The latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks, arrives November 8, 2024, but you can visit your local game store to play with it early! Starting October 26, 2024, select retailers will begin selling the Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks Build & Battle Box, giving fans a chance to have a Prerelease battle and experience the latest expansion before its official release date. To find a Prerelease event near you, be sure to use the Event Locator.

The Prerelease format allows players to compete using a 40-card deck with four Prize cards set aside at the start of play, as opposed to a 60-card deck with six Prize cards. This format is perfect for introducing new players to the exciting world of the Pokémon TCG with quick, fun games, and it also gives seasoned players a window into all that Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks has to offer. Due to the limited card pool and the variance of cards that can be acquired in a Build & Battle Box, Prerelease events are also a great opportunity to flex your creative deck-building muscles.

Each Build & Battle Box includes four Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks booster packs, a 40-card ready-to-play deck featuring key cards from current and prior sets, as well as one of four unique foil promo cards to boost your Prerelease deck. Depending on which promo card you get, you could add the chilly Chien-Pao, the electrifying Magneton, the gargantuan Gouging Fire, and the serene Indeedee. Whichever promo card you end up with, it will certainly shape your Prerelease strategy!

Gouging Fire

Are you ready to set your opponent’s chances of winning ablaze? Gouging Fire is just the Paradox Pokémon for the job, and its Blazing Charge attack is the key to this strategy. Blazing Charge does 100 damage and can do 70 more if your opponent has four or fewer Prize cards remaining. Normally, this bonus damage would take some time to kindle, but Prerelease games have each player start the game with four Prize cards, making Blazing Charge a powerful attack right out of the gate. You’ll still need the necessary to power it up, but keep this quirk of the format in mind.

Chien-Pao

Get ready to loop some damage with this promo card featuring Chien-Pao. Its Icicle Loop attack does 120 damage for and returns an attached Energy to your hand. That’s enough damage to Knock Out most single-prize Pokémon in one hit, and returning Energy to your hand can be beneficial if Chien-Pao itself is close to being Knocked Out. Don’t forget about its Snow Sink Ability, either—there are two new Stadium cards in Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks that you might want to discard when the time is right.

Magneton

Shock your opponents with Magneton’s Overvolt Discharge, a powerful Ability that can attach up to three Basic Energy cards from your discard pile to your Pokémon in any way you like! The catch? Magneton will also be Knocked Out. Giving up Prize cards never feels good, but enabling future attacks is usually worth the gambit, and Magneton’s Evolution, Magnezone, has hefty attack costs that can be more easily fulfilled with the help of Overvolt Discharge.

Being behind on Prize cards can also be a benefit if you’re lucky enough to find Tapu Koko in your Build & Battle Box. Its Prize Count attack costs and does a total of 180 damage if you have more Prize cards than your opponent—it’s a perfect combo with Magneton!

Indeedee

In need of HP? Indeedee is happy to oblige! When you play Indeedee from your hand onto your Bench, you may use its Obliging Heal Ability to remove 30 damage and a Special Condition from your Active Pokémon. There are plenty of Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks that can ruin your day with Special Conditions, so you’ll want to save Indeedee’s Ability for when it matters most.

There are variations among Build & Battle Boxes, so you can add your own creative twist when building your deck. Whether you’re heading to a local game store or just playing with a friend, you’re in for some quick and fun battles with cards from the new Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks expansion! If you’re not able to make it to a Prerelease event, these Build & Battle Boxes will be available for purchase when the expansion officially launches.