Best Cards in Pokémon TCG Brilliant Stars Set and How They Will Impact the Meta
We have just one last big Pokemon TCG release hitting the shelves before the summer, and that is the hyped and long awaited Brilliant Stars set. But what are the best cards from the set and how will they impact the Standard Format Meta? From a strategy perspective there are a few cards and changes coming that we will want to look out for. Those are:
The new VSTAR mechanic
Arceus VSTAR
Manaphy
Lumineon V
Return of the Ultra Ball
Leafeon VSTAR
Magma Basin
Charizard VSTAR
Shaymin VSTAR
The New VSTAR Mechanic
Ultimately, I don’t think Brilliant Stars will have TOO big of an impact on the game. I think Leafeon will benefit from the VSTAR mechanic a lot. Jolteon and Urshifu might suffer a little. Fusion Strike might have a little more competition. Otherwise this doesn't seem like a huge set besides the VSTAR mechanic.
VSTAR is an ability or an attack that you can only use once per game. Essentially, it is a rebranded GX attack, and it will certainly have a resounding impact on the Standard Format. There’s really no way around it, especially since these abilities/attacks are incredibly powerful, such as doing an attack for 320 like Charizard VSTAR, or searching your deck for any two cards you want.
Arceus VSTAR
Of course, the star of the show is Arceus, and his ability pretty much speaks for itself. Being able to, at will, choose any two cards from your deck is a feat unmatched by just about any other card. Arceus will see play not only in its own deck, but could very well make its way into other decks as well as a supporter Pokemon and/or secondary attacker.
Manaphy Will Protect Benched Pokemon
Many are saying that Manaphy will have a lot of impact on the meta as well, thanks to its ability that blocks damage done to the bench. However, I’m not so convinced that it will see as much play as people think it will. After all, most of the top decks right now aren’t overly concerned about their bench. Some might tech it into their decks as a defense against Jolteon and Rapid Strike Urshifu. Or decks that are particularly weak against those two might rely on it as a backup. However, ultimately it should really be not much more than an obstacle that players waste a Boss’s Orders on, and not a whole lot more.
Lumineon V
Lumineon is a pretty interesting Pokemon as it adds the ability to search your deck for any one supporter and add it to your hand. Lumineon should see similar amounts of play as Eldegoss – it’s an intriguing idea but ultimately won’t benefit every deck out there. After all, many decks already run Inteleon and Inteleon lets you do what Lumineon does without the possibility of being blocked by Path to the Peak or acting as a two prize liability when it gets knocked out.
The Ultra Ball Returns
Another card that is getting a lot of hype as we head into the prerelease territory of Brilliant Stars is the return of the Ultra Ball. However, again, it seems the hype is partially misplaced. After all, the Ultra Ball does cost two discarded cards in order to be used. And not every deck can afford to drop two cards a Pokemon search on a dime. In essence, the established Quick Ball/Incense strategy could end up being a lot less costly than relying on a bunch of Ultra Balls.
However, Ultra Ball could certainly benefit decks that regularly discard, such as Rayquaza VMAX or Fusion Strike.
Leafeon VSTAR Is Underrated
My number one pick for most underrated card from Brilliant Stars so far has to be Leafeon VSTAR. The VSTAR ability for Leafeon is a powerful combo for the Leafeon archetype, enabling you to switch your opponent’s active Pokemon with one of their benched without having to play a boss’s orders. Additionally, Leafeon VSTAR hits for 180, meaning it can use, for example, it’s VSTAR ability to bring out a benched Mew and also knock it out.
Leafeon VSTAR has what it takes to save the Leafeon VMAX deck from the virtual extinction it has seen ever since the release of Fusion Strike.
Magma Basin
One really cool thing to look out for in Brilliant Stars is increased support for Fire-type. Pre Brilliant Stars there wasn’t a single Fire deck out there that could hold its own against the meta besides Victini VMAX. However, Fire has gotten a big boost in Brilliant Stars. This is largely in part thanks to an epic Stadium card called Magma Basin (find it on eBay via this affiliate link).
Magma Basin greatly increases the ability to accelerate energy onto Fire-type Pokemon – specifically Charizard VSTAR.
Charizard VSTAR
That leads us into our discussion on Charizard VSTAR. Charizard VMAX was something of a dissapointment when it came out, needing so many Fire energies to get its attacks off. Even though Charizard VSTAR also requires plenty of energies to get its attacks off, Magma Basin makes achieving this much easier.
There are also a few other aspects of Charizard VSTAR that make it a potentially powerhouse deck. Firstly, it has the ability to OHKO a VMAX. Given this attack is a VSTAR move, you can only use it once per game. But you only need to knock out two VMAX to win the game, so this is a critical attack.
Additionally, Charizard VSTAR has 280 HP, making it a VERY beefy V Pokemon almost at the level of a VMAX. But it only gives up 2 prizes when knocked out.
We’ll have to see in the new meta whether or not Charizard has the legs to really hold up in the current standard meta. However, at first look, things seem pretty good for the iconic Pokemon.
Checkout Charizard VSTAR on eBay via this affiliate link.
Shaymin VSTAR
Shaymin VSTAR is one of the Best VSTAR Pokemon in the set. It makes a great addition to any Grass-type deck, with the ability to heal your benched Pokemon, and act as a powerful late game finisher.
Check out Shaymin VSTAR on eBay via this affiliate link.
Ultimately, all of the existing deck archetypes should do just fine after the release of Brilliant Stars, with hopefully a bit more balance coming about, where not every tournament is simply people either playing Fusion Strike, or decks that counter Fusion Strike.
