Surging Sparks Battle Pass Decks Strategy and Upgrade Guide
Ready for the biggest set of the Scarlet and Violet era? Surging Sparks is almost here and we now know what the Battle Pass decks are going to be in Pokemon TCG Live!
This time around, things are working a little bit differently as there will be only one battle pass through which you can get both decks. Pikachu ex (the hotly anticipated new deck coming out in Surging sparks) is the deck you get right away. Half way through the battle pass that you will work your way through as you battle, you will unlock the powerful Archaludon ex deck.
However, the decks you get in these battle pass decks aren’t quite optimal. What you’ll want to do instead is use your existing card pool or the cards you get from your Surging Sparks products you buy, to upgrade these decks to perform even better.
While that might not sound like a big deal, upgrading your deck day one can have a big impact on your play experience. This is especially true if you are attempting to make it to the Arceus League. I’ve found often the best time to try and climb the Pokemon TCG ranked ladder is in the very first week. Most people haven’t acclimated ot the new strategies yet, giving those who have studied up on the new decks (like my avid readers) a leg up on the competition.
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Pokémon: 15
2 Pikachu ex SSP 057
2 Quaquaval SVI 054
1 Quaquaval SSP 052
2 Quaxwell SSP 051
3 Quaxly SVI 052
1 Galvantula SFA 002
2 Joltik SCR 050
1 Lumineon V BRS 040
1 Mew ex MEW 151
Trainers: 32
3 Professor’s Research SVI 190
2 Boss’s Orders PAL 172
1 Arven SVI 166
1 Carmine TWM 145
1 Crispin SCR 133
1 Iono PAL 185
4 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
4 Nest Ball SVI 181
4 Rare Candy SVI 191
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
2 Switch SVI 194
1 Super Rod PAL 188
3 Powerglass SFA 063
1 Rescue Board TEF 159
Energy: 13
4 Basic Energy SVE 009
4 Basic Energy SVE 012
2 Basic Energy SVE 011
3 Basic Energy SVE 016
So this is the deck list as you’ll get it for free when Surging Sparks drops in Pokemon TCG Live (usually a day earlier than the main release date for the set). It’s actually not an awful deck but it definitely is not optimal, with the main problem being the Quaquava line. It’s actually not a horrible strategy but there’s just much better ways to get energies onto Pikachu ex than relying on a Stage 2 to do it.
As you make your way through the battle pass, you’ll unlock the cards you actually need to build a Pikachu ex deck, including the following cards:
2 Miraidon ex SVI 244
2 Magneton SSP 059
2 Magnemite SVI 063
1 Iron Hands ex PAR 248
1 Pikachu ex SSP 238
1 Bianca’s Devotion TEF 209
2 Gravity Mountain SSP 250
2 Switch Cart ASR 154
1 Pal Pad SVI 182
1 Sparkling Crystal SCR 142
1 Basic Energy SFA 099
How does the Pikachu ex deck work?
The Pikachu ex deck is based around the new Stellar Tera Pikachu ex releasing in Surging Sparks. At surface value, this card has some incredible potential. Its attack – Topaz Bolt – hits incredibly hard at 300 damage. Meanwhile, its Resolute Heart ability is what really makes it stand out, saving it from being taken out in a single hit.
Pikachu ex has the potential to be an extraordinarily strong attacker, but first you need to be able to find a way to reliably get energy onto it to start attacking. To make things more challenging, Topaz Bolt will discard the energy you manage to attach to Pikachu ex, meaning you will need to find a way to accelerate disparate energy onto it each time you want to get an attack off.
Right now, there are two popular ways to achieve this, and neither of those is the strategy included in the Battle Pass deck.
Upgrading Pikachu ex with Magneton from Surging Sparks
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Pokémon: 17
3 Pikachu ex SV8 33
3 Magneton SV8 35
3 Magnemite SV8 34
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
1 Squawkabilly ex PAF 75
4 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex TWM 25
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
1 Iron Hands ex PAR 70
Trainer: 31
2 Crispin SCR 133
2 Iono PAF 80
3 Carmine TWM 145
1 Boss's Orders PAL 172
1 Briar SCR 132
3 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
2 Ultra Ball PAF 91
4 Nest Ball PAF 84
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Defiance Band SVI 169
1 Switch SVI 194
1 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Gravity Mountain SV8 106
1 Prime Catcher TEF 157
4 Energy Switch SVI 173
2 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
Energy: 12
6 Grass Energy SVE 1
3 Lightning Energy SVE 4
3 Metal Energy SVE 8
This is my own custom upgraded build for Pikachu ex. It looks a lot different than what you see in the basic build you’ll get for free, but does include many of the cards you’ll get from completing your Battle Pass.
Let’s look at some of these key upgrade cards and how they help your strategy.
Magneton lets you attach energy from your discard at the price of knocking itself out.
Once knocked out in this way, you can take advantage of cards like Defiance Band and Counter Catcher that let you come up from behind.
Additional cards like Briar work very well in this deck, giving you ways to win the game in a single blow.
Fezandipiti ex is a staple in just about every deck right now, so adding that to your deck if you have it or can craft it is a good way to go.
Teal Mask Ogerpon ex is a strong energy accelerator
Teal Mask Ogerpon ex has the potential to be a strong partner to this deck as it gives you another way to accelerate energy onto your Pikachu ex apart from Magneton’s Overvolt Discharge. Using Teal Dance, you can attach an energy that can then be switched onto Pikachu via Energy Switch. It also lets you draw a card which is very handy indeed.
In a pinch, Ogerpon ex makes for an excellent secondary attacker. All around, it’s just a great card to be used in this deck since Pikachu ex will be using grass energy anyways.
Another way to build Pikachu ex – with Blissey ex
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Pokémon: 13
4 Chansey TWM 133
3 Blissey ex TWM 134
3 Pikachu ex SV8 33
2 Munkidori TWM 95
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
Trainer: 37
4 Arven OBF 186
3 Iono PAL 185
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
2 Professor's Research SVI 189
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
4 Glass Trumpet SCR 135
3 Nest Ball SVI 181
3 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
3 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
2 Night Stretcher SFA 61
2 Switch SVI 194
1 Precious Carrier SVLN 15
1 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Powerglass SFA 63
1 Technical Machine: Turbo Energize PAR 179
1 Gravity Mountain SV8 106
Energy: 10
3 Lightning Energy SVE 12
3 Grass Energy SVE 9
2 Darkness Energy SVE 15
2 Metal Energy SVE 16
Here’s a deck that actually did well at a tournament in Japan already. It forgoes the Magneton strategy altogether and instead favors using a combo of Blissey ex from Stellar Crown with Glass trumpet to get energies onto Pikachu ex. This build is definitely worth trying out, especially if the idea of giving free prizes to your opponent makes you nervous.
However you choose to upgrade your Pikachu Battle Pass deck, the strategy remains largely the same – prioritize accelerating energies onto Pikachu ex so that you can take big knockouts and stay ahead in the prize race thanks to the fact Pikachu ex can’t be knocked out in a single strike.
Upgrading Duraludon ex Battle Pass Deck Upgrade Guide
The starter Duraludon ex deck you get from your Surging Sparks Battle Pass is similarly challenged. It’s got some good parts but will need some significant upgrades to compete at higher levels of the Pokemon TCG Live ladder.
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Pokémon: 17
2 Archaludon ex SSP 130
2 Archaludon SCR 107
4 Duraludon SCR 106
2 Copperajah SFA 042
2 Cufant SFA 041
2 Revavroom SVI 142
2 Varoom SFA 043
1 Zamazenta CRZ 097
Trainers: 33
4 Professor’s Research SVI 189
3 Boss’s Orders PAL 172
2 Iono PAL 185
2 Jasmine’s Gaze SSP 178
2 Full Metal Lab TEF 148
4 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
4 Nest Ball SVI 181
4 Trekking Shoes ASR 156
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
2 Night Stretcher SFA 061
2 Switch SVI 194
Energy: 10
10 Basic Energy SVE 016
Luckily many of the cards you will need to upgrade your Archaludon ex deck can be unlocked by completing the Battle Pass. To get a bigger leg up on your competition, however, look to craft as many of these cards as you can.
2 Archaludon ex SSP 241
2 Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR CRZ GG68
2 Origin Forme Dialga V ASR 177
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 046
1 Professor Turo’s Scenario PAR 257
4 Trekking Shoes ASR 215
2 Night Stretcher SSP 251
1 Scoop Up Cyclone TWM 162
Upgraded Archaludon ex deck with Dialga VSTAR
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Pokémon: 16
2 Duraludon SV7a 36
2 Duraludon SCR 106
4 Archaludon ex SV7a 37
2 Luxray CRZ 44
1 Origin Forme Dialga V ASR 113
2 Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 114
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
1 Tatsugiri TWM 131
Trainer: 33
4 Iono PAL 185
3 Professor's Research SVI 189
2 Thorton LOR 167
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
1 Professor Turo's Scenario PAR 171
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
4 Night Stretcher SFA 61
3 Nest Ball SVI 181
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146
1 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
1 Secret Box TWM 163
1 Canceling Cologne ASR 136
2 Defiance Band SVI 169
2 Artazon PAL 171
Energy: 11
11 Metal Energy SVE 16
This is a really creative build for Archaludon ex that actually got first place at a tournament in Japan. In this deck, you pair Archaludon ex with the powerful Dialga VSTAR to take advantage of its Star Chronos VSTAR Power. There’s some excellent synergy here between these two cards as you can use Archaludon ex to accelerate metal energies onto your Dialga VSTAR to get its once-per-game attack off.
Star Chronos is actually one of the strongest attacks in the game, letting you take an entire extra turn to utterly bury your opponent. This is a scary-good attack that typically is hard to get off. However, with Archaludon ex’s Assmble Alloy ability, it could actually be pretty easy and effetive to get off.
At the same time, Archaludon ex also has a very strong attack with Metal Defender. Easily chip away with Archaludon ex and unlock a favorable prize trade thanks to that 300 HP while you work to build up your Dialga VSTAR.
Thorton is the secret sauce of this deck
One of the immediate issues that presents itself in this deck strategy is the need to simultaenously accelerate energies onto your Archaludon ex and Dialga VSTAR. However, thanks to Thorton you don’t actually need to worry about powering up the Dialga VSTAR. Simply power up your Duraludons on the field and then use Thorton to switch it with Dialga V to then evolve it into Dialga VSTAR and attack with Star Chronos. While it’s a tricky and admittedly advanced play to pull off, you could out-right astound your opponent who probably won’t see it coming.
Surging Sparks Battle Pass special rewards
The decks we’re getting in Surging Sparks battle pass for Pokemon TCG Live look like a lot of fun and are quite good when upgraded. However, you can further bling your decks out with cards you’ll unlock from completing the Battle Pass. The three most noteworthy cards are also among the top chase cards for Surging Sparks: gold Jet Energy and the Special Illustration Rare versions of Pikachu ex and Archaludon ex.
That’s enough to get me to want to complete this Battle Pass! So enjoy, and if you get to Arceus VSTAR, share your story with us via the comments below!
