Pokémon Trading Card Game Live offers an exciting new way to experience the thrill of the Pokémon TCG. Along with the highly anticipated launch of the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet expansion, Pokémon TCG Live players can try out strategies with eight specially designed starter decks. These decks are available to all players, making it easier than ever to start battling and—with the right strategy—continue down the path to excellence. Let’s explore the eight starter decks, as well as how to make the best use of each one, before choosing your favorite and leaping into battle.

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• Arcanine ex

• Giratina VSTAR

• Koraidon ex

• Lunatone Solrock

• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR

• Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR

• Regieleki VMAX

• Serperior VSTAR

Overview

• Charizard’s Burn Brightly Ability doubles the amount of Energy provided by each of your Energy cards.

• Bibarel can help you to draw extra cards every turn with its Industrious Incisors Ability.

Deck List

Pokémon: 18

2 Charizard PGO 010

1 Charmeleon PGO 009

2 Charmander PGO 008

3 Arcanine ex SVI 032

3 Growlithe SVI 031

1 Heatmor FST 041

1 Moltres BRS 021

1 Radiant Charizard PGO 011

2 Bibarel BRS 121

2 Bidoof CRZ 111

Trainers: 31

4 Professor’s Research SVI 190

3 Arven SVI 166

2 Boss’s Orders BRS 132

2 Raihan EVS 152

1 Klara CRE 145

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

3 Nest Ball SVI 181

3 Rare Candy SVI 191

1 Energy Search SVI 172

2 Escape Rope BST 125

2 Exp. Share SVI 174

1 Defiance Band SVI 169

3 Magma Basin BRS 144

Energy: 11

11 Basic Fire Energy SVE 002

More Pain, More Gain

Arcanine ex is your primary attacker in this deck, and both of its attacks really pack a wallop. Turn up the heat on your opponent with Bright Flame, an attack that does 250 damage but forces you to discard two Energy from Arcanine ex. This can make the attack tough to use again right away, but with Charizard’s Burn Brightly Ability (which doubles the power each Energy provides to your Pokémon), you’ll need to discard only one Energy card to fulfill the cost of this attack.

Discarding Energy to attack with Bright Flame can be costly, but having Energy cards in the discard pile is the perfect setup for using the Magma Basin Stadium card. Once per turn, Magma Basin accelerates one Energy card from your discard pile onto one of your Benched Pokémon, at the cost of putting two damage counters on that Pokémon. Arcanine ex turns that pain into gain with its Raging Claws attack, which does more damage based on how many damage counters are on it.

Having a Good Time with Arven

Arven is a great new Supporter card that lets you search your deck for both an Item card and a Pokémon Tool card. You can use it to find the perfect card for the job, whether that’s a Rare Candy to evolve your Charmander directly into a Charizard, an Ultra Ball to get Energy cards into the discard pile and grab any Pokémon, an Exp. Share to set up a Benched Pokémon’s attack, or a Defiance Band to secure a key Knock Out!

Overview

• Use Comfey’s Flower Selecting Ability in combination with Colress’s Experiment to quickly fill your Lost Zone.

• Cramorant can attack without any Energy if you have four cards in your Lost Zone, allowing you to attach Energy to your other Pokémon instead.

Deck List

Pokémon: 14

2 Giratina VSTAR LOR 131

2 Giratina V LOR 130

4 Comfey LOR 079

2 Sableye LOR 070

2 Cramorant LOR 050

1 Lumineon V BRS 040

1 Snorlax LOR 143

Trainers: 33

4 Colress’s Experiment LOR 155

1 Gardenia’s Vigor ASR 143

1 Boss’s Orders BRS 132

1 Thorton LOR 167

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

3 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Mirage Gate LOR 163

4 Cross Switcher FST 230

4 Escape Rope BST 125

4 Switch SVI 194

1 Lost Vacuum LOR 162

2 Beach Court SVI 167

Energy: 13

6 Basic Grass Energy SVE 001

6 Basic Psychic Energy SVE 005

1 Basic Water Energy SVE 003

Getting Lost

Comfey’s Flower Selecting Ability allows you to look at the top two cards of your deck, add one of them to your hand, and then put the other in the Lost Zone, a place of no return. Colress’s Experiment is similar, adding three cards to your hand and sending two to the Lost Zone.

While sending cards away for the rest of the game can seem daunting, doing so will help unlock some useful effects, such as Giratina VSTAR’s Star Requiem attack. It also allows you to play the powerful Mirage Gate, an Item card that lets you search your deck for two different Basic Energy cards and attach them to your Pokémon in any way you like.

Spitting and Snoring

Giratina VSTAR is the star of this deck—its Lost Impact attack does 280 damage, and its Star Requiem attack Knocks Out your opponent’s Active Pokémon completely—but don’t forget about the supporting cast. Cramorant is a good early-game attacker that can use Spit Innocently without any Energy attached if you have 4 or more cards in the Lost Zone. This pairs perfectly with Snorlax’s Thumping Snore attack, which does a combined total of 290 damage—enough to Knock Out most Pokémon VSTAR and even some Pokémon ex!

Sableye can also turn the tide in your favor with its Lost Mine attack, which distributes 12 damage counters in any way you want. You’ll need 10 cards in the Lost Zone to use this powerful attack, but it can easily serve up multiple Knock Outs in a single turn if used correctly.

Overview

• Koraidon ex’s Dino Cry Ability accelerates Energy from your discard pile to your Pokémon but ends your turn.

• Revavroom’s Rumbling Engine lets you draw extra cards each turn at the cost of discarding an Energy card.

Deck List

Pokémon: 14

4 Koraidon ex SVI 125

1 Great Tusk ex SVI 123

1 Lucario SVI 114

1 Lucario BRS 079

2 Riolu SVI 113

2 Revavroom SVI 142

2 Varoom SVI 140

1 Diancie ASR 068

Trainers: 34

4 Professor’s Research SVI 189

2 Arven SVI 166

1 Grant ASR 144

1 Klara CRE 145

2 Boss’s Orders BRS 132

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

3 Nest Ball SVI 181

4 Gutsy Pickaxe ASR 145

3 Trekking Shoes ASR 156

1 Energy Search SVI 172

2 Escape Rope BST 125

2 Switch SVI 194

2 Rock Chestplate SVI 192

1 Defiance Band SVI 169

2 Lake Acuity LOR 160

Energy: 12

12 Basic Fighting Energy SVE 006

Koraidon to Victory

Koraidon ex leads the charge with its mighty Dino Cry Ability, letting you attach two Energy cards from your discard pile to your Basic Pokémon in any way you like. Use cards such as Ultra Ball and Trekking Shoes to quickly get Energy cards into your discard pile so that you can take full advantage of this Ability. But beware: such awesome power ends your turn immediately! Getting Diancie into your Active Spot before using Dino Cry can protect your Pokémon from pesky Supporter cards like Boss’s Orders.

Roaring Engineering

Revavroom’s Rumbling Engine is an Ability that lets you discard an Energy card from your hand to draw until you have six cards in your hand. This not only helps to refresh your hand, but it also allows you to get Energy cards into your discard pile so they can be attached to your Pokémon by Koraidon ex’s Dino Cry.

Before using Revavroom’s Rumbling Engine Ability, consider using cards that will help thin out your deck by removing cards you don’t want to draw. Try to use Item cards like Ultra Ball to grab a Pokémon (while helping to discard unplayable cards in your hand!) or Lucario’s Roaring Resolve to accelerate Energy to itself before revving up your engines.

Overview

• Having plenty of attackers on your Bench is tempting, but you’ll want to leave room for Solrock. Try to have at least three Solrock in play before committing to a full Bench.

• Both Lunatone and Mewtwo VSTAR’s attacks require having lots of Energy in play. Use Solrock’s Sun Energy Ability to attach Energy cards from your discard pile to Lunatone to power them up!

Deck List

Pokémon: 13

4 Lunatone PGO 034

2 Mewtwo VSTAR PGO 031

2 Mewtwo V PGO 030

4 Solrock PGO 039

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 046

Trainers: 36

4 Professor’s Research SVI 189

2 Avery CRE 130

2 Cynthia’s Ambition BRS 138

2 Raihan EVS 152

4 Level Ball BST 129

3 Nest Ball SVI 181

3 Fog Crystal CRE 140

2 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146

4 Trekking Shoes ASR 156

4 Cross Switcher FST 230

3 Rescue Carrier EVS 154

3 PokéStop PGO 068

Energy: 11

11 Basic Psychic Energy SVE 005

Syzygy Synergy

Solrock’s Sun Energy Ability empowers your Lunatone with Energy so it can then disrupt your opponent’s strategy with Moon Kinesis, an attack that can do 120 damage if you use the minimum three Energy and that adds 30 more damage for each additional Energy.

Mewtwo VSTAR’s astronomically powerful Psy Purge attack draws on the power of Energy, doing up to 270 damage! Solrock’s Ability once again helps here, allowing you to use Psy Purge for maximum damage without discarding any Energy from Mewtwo VSTAR; instead, it discards Energy from your Solrock in play.

Stop, Drop, and Roll

You can spin your PokéStop once per turn to replenish your hand. This deck is chock full of useful Item cards, which increases the odds of finding them in the top three cards of your deck.

While it can be scary to discard any non-Item cards that PokéStop can’t put into your hand, Rescue Carrier can help out by recovering any discarded Lunatone and Solrock. Discarding Energy cards when using PokéStop also helps fill your discard pile with Energy cards for your Solrock’s Sun Energy Ability.

Overview

• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR is your primary attacker. It boasts an attack whose damage scales with each attached Energy and a powerful VSTAR Power that even lets you take an extra turn!

• Magnezone helps dig deep into your deck to attach Energy to your Pokémon with its Ability.

Deck List

Pokémon: 18

2 Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 114

2 Origin Forme Dialga V ASR 113

4 Magnezone ASR 107

1 Magneton ASR 106

4 Magnemite ASR 105

1 Zamazenta V BRS 105

2 Bibarel BRS 121

2 Bidoof CRZ 111

Trainers: 28

4 Avery CRE 130

4 Arven SVI 166

3 Boss’s Orders BRS 132

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

3 Nest Ball SVI 181

1 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

3 Rare Candy PGO 069

2 Escape Rope BST 125

1 Energy Recycler BST 124

2 Full Face Guard EVS 148

1 Tool Jammer BST 136

Energy: 14

14 Basic Metal Energy SVE 008

Dialga’s Déjà Vu

Your opponent won’t know what hit them after Magnezone’s Giga Magnet Ability attaches up to six Energy from the top of your deck to Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR. On top of that, each of your Magnezone can use Giga Magnet every turn—that’s a lot of Energy! This Ability not only helps to power up the infinitely scaling damage of Dialga’s Metal Blast attack, but it also fuels its dazzling Star Chronos VSTAR Power.

Parallel Destruction

Star Chronos lets you take an additional turn before your opponent does, so you’ll want to find the perfect moment to leverage this opportunity. Kick off a powerful combination to lead your assault by playing Avery, which can cut your opponent’s Benched Pokémon down to the bare minimum while securing a Knock Out with Star Chronos. Then on your following turn, use Boss’s Orders to eliminate any remaining threat on your opponent’s Bench with Metal Blast.

Overview

• Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR leads the way with a powerful attack that is strengthened by both players having as many Pokémon on their Bench as possible.

• Radiant Greninja can draw cards with its Concealed Cards Ability and pressure foes with its Moonlight Shuriken attack.

Deck List

Pokémon: 19

2 Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR ASR 040

2 Origin Forme Palkia V ASR 039

2 Kingdra BST 033

2 Kingdra LOR 037

2 Seadra LOR 036

3 Horsea BST 031

1 Horsea SHF 020

1 Dewgong LOR 034

1 Seel LOR 033

1 Finneon LOR 040

1 Manaphy BRS 041

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 046

Trainers: 30

4 Irida ASR 147

3 Candice SIT 152

1 Klara CRE 145

1 Melony CRE 146

2 Boss's Orders BRS 132

4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

2 Ultra Ball SVI 196

1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146

1 Level Ball BST 129

1 Nest Ball SVI 181

1 Energy Search CRZ 128

3 Rare Candy SVI 191

1 Echoing Horn CRE 136

1 Escape Rope BST 125

1 Switch SVI 194

1 Pal Pad SVI 182

2 Lake Acuity LOR 160

Energy: 11

11 Basic Water Energy SVE 003

Fill the Space

Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR is a powerful Pokémon whose Subspace Swell attack scales with the number of Benched Pokémon in play. You’ll want to keep your Bench full to maximize your damage output, so try to use Supporter cards to draw Pokémon while filling your hand with other important resources. Irida is especially useful here: not only can it get a Pokémon (including Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR!) but it can also search for an Item. This is a great way to get a Rare Candy to evolve your Horsea into Kingdra, a Switch to make a hasty escape to the Bench, or an Echoing Horn to add another Pokémon to your opponent’s Bench to help power up Subspace Swell.

Freestyle Swimming

Finneon’s Oceanic Accompaniment Ability offers a deluge of support for any of your Pokémon with the Swim Freely attack. You’ll be able to swing big with Dewgong’s Floe Return to do tons of damage, or snipe with precision using Seadra’s Hydro Jet attack. Need help getting the Energy back from your deck after Dewgong shuffles it in? Try using Candice to look at the top seven cards of your deck and add any Pokémon or Basic Energy cards you find there to your hand, so that you can reattach them with Finneon’s Ability! If you need an extra push, don’t forget about Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR’s Star Portal Ability! This once-per-game VSTAR Power lets you attach up to three Energy from your discard pile to your Pokémon in any way you like.

Overview

• Regieleki VMAX powers up your Basic Pokémon with its Transistor Ability.

• Pachirisu’s Everyone Discharge attack does more damage for each Pokémon on your Bench.

Deck List

Pokémon: 13

2 Regieleki VMAX SIT 058

2 Regieleki V SIT 057

1 Raikou V BRS 048

4 Zeraora SIT 056

3 Pachirisu SVI 068

1 Regieleki EVS 060

Trainers: 33

4 Professor’s Research SVI 190

4 Cynthia’s Ambition BRS 138

3 Boss's Orders BRS 132

4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Electric Generator SVI 170

2 Escape Rope BST 125

1 Energy Recycler BST 124

3 Leafy Camo Poncho SIT 160

Energy: 14

14 Basic Lightning Energy SVE 004

Shock & Awe

Regieleki VMAX may be the namesake of this deck, but its main purpose is galvanizing the power of its friends. Its Transistor Ability adds 30 damage to your Basic Pokémon’s attacks, turning some otherwise unassuming attacks into haymakers. This effect also stacks, meaning that having two Regieleki VMAX in play will add 60 damage to the attacks of your Pokémon. To make sure these titanic Pokémon can continue to shock your opponent’s system, equip each of them with a Leafy Camo Poncho: this Pokémon Tool card will keep your Regieleki VMAX safe from powerful Supporter cards like Boss’s Orders.

Value Generator

Electric Generator is a new Item card that lets you look at the top five cards of your deck and attach up to two Energy cards you find there to your Benched Pokémon in any way you like. Electric Generator can only attach to your Benched Pokémon, so aim to have a Pokémon with no Retreat Cost in your Active Spot before playing this card so you can maximize your attacking options for the turn. If your deck is running low on Energy cards later in the game, consider holding off on playing Electric Generator until you can play an Energy Recycler to shuffle up to five of your Basic Energy cards from your discard pile back into your deck to increase the odds of accelerating Energy with this powerful Item card.

Overview

• Serperior VSTAR is adept at moving your Energy around the board in a variety of ways.

• If your Serperior VSTAR takes a big hit, consider retreating to Altaria to transfer that damage to your opponent with its Magical Echo attack.

Deck List

Pokémon: 17

2 Serperior VSTAR SIT 008

2 Serperior V SIT 007

1 Kricketune V BST 006

1 Kricketune ASR 010

1 Kricketot ASR 009

2 Altaria EVS 106

2 Altaria SIT 143

4 Swablu EVS 132

1 Manaphy BRS 041

1 Pyukumuku FST 077

Trainers: 31

4 Professor’s Research SVI 190

2 Gardenia’s Vigor ASR143

1 Avery CRE 130

1 Roxanne ASR 150

1 Worker SIT 167

3 Jacq SVI 175

1 Raihan EVS 152

2 Boss’s Orders BRS 132

4 Level Ball BST 129

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

2 Switch SVI 194

2 Leafy Camo Poncho SIT 160

Energy: 12

4 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151

8 Basic Grass Energy SVE 001

Truly Serperior

Serperior VSTAR is the primary attacker in this deck, doing a healthy chunk of damage with Regal Blender and then moving your Energy around among your Pokémon however you like. Try to move Energy from your attacking Serperior VSTAR onto other threats on your Bench—the ideal target is a Benched Serperior VSTAR with Leafy Camo Poncho attached, since this Pokémon Tool will help protect it from devious Supporter cards like Boss’s Orders.

Harrowing Harmony

There are two different Altaria cards in your deck, and both serve an important role. The Altaria from the Sword & Shield—Evolving Skies expansion helps stack a Supporter card on the top of your deck, helping to smooth over your next turn (or expedite the process using Pyukumuku’s Pitch a Pyukumuku Ability).

Conversely, the Altaria from Sword & Shield—Silver Tempest helps to transfer damage counters from one of your Benched Pokémon to your opponent’s Active Pokémon. This is a great way to heal a damaged Serperior VSTAR while dishing out some pain to your foes. Combined with the damage from Serperior VSTAR’s Regal Blender, you can both deny your opponent a Knock Out on your Pokémon VSTAR and take a Knock Out of your own.

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