The Best ACE SPEC Pokemon Cards In the Game, Ranked
Temporal Forces was a notable set for a lot of reasons, but perhaps its biggest contribution came from the fact it brought ACE SPEC cards back into the game. And while there’s a growing number of ACE SPEC cards in the game, there’s a clear difference in usefulness between them.
In this list, we’re going to be ranking the best ACE SPEC cards from worst to best.
#5 Maximum Belt
I feel like Maximum Belt is probably a lot stronger than we give it credit for, if people ever found the right way to include it into their strategies. The fact that it grants an extra 50 damage with no other prerequisites is pretty startling, making it very easy for just about any meta-relevant Pokemon ex to OHKO most other Pokemon out there.
Perhaps the problem with it right now and why it doesn’t see play more often is the fact that it only works on Pokemon ex in a meta still heavily influenced by VSTAR Pokemon.
After next rotation and Pokemon VSTAR are gone for good, we could see an increase in popularity for this powerfully underrated card.
#4 Secret Box
The fact that a card as good as Secret Box isn’t in each and every deck right now just goes to show you how powerful ACE SPEC cards are. This card’s ability is quite literally insane. Whereas in the past people went nuts over being able to search the deck for two cards via abilities like Arceus VSTAR’s Star Birth, now you can search your deck for just about everything you need to get rolling.
#3 Legacy Energy
If I had to choose one ACE SPEC that was the most underrated, I’d have to pick Legacy Energy. Currently, there’s only one deck I know of (Lugia VSTAR) that runs Legacy Energy. And yet, it can win you the game if you play your cards right, depriving your opponent of a prize card and making it harder for them to keep up and get ahead in the prize race.
#2 Unfair Stamp
Unfair Stamp is a pretty insanely broken card. Before it came along, the only way you could achieve such powerful, one-sided hand disruption was to play the Roxanne supporter. However good Roxanne is, there are some serious conditions around playing it that makes it a more balanced sort of card. First of all, it’s a supporter, meaning it takes up your alloted supporter play for the turn. While that might not sound huge, it means the opportunity cost of playing a Roxanne is far, far higher than Unfair Stamp.
Second, Roxanne can only be played at the end of the game. Meanwhile, Unfair Stamp’s only stipulation is that you must have had a Pokemon knocked out during your opponent’s last turn.
That’s not very hard to achieve given most turns other than turn one end in a knock out.
With all of that being said, Unfair Stamp’s ease of use it what makes it stand out. If your opponent hasn’t managed to set up right, it’s not an exageration to say that a well played Unfair Stamp can single-handedly win you the game.
#1 Prime Catcher
I don’t know how any list could not include Prime Catcher at the number one spot. It’s the most broadly used ACE SPEC, and it’s so good that my first thought whenever a new ACE SPEC gets added to the game is why I would bother replacing Prime Catcher for it.
In some ways, I feel like printing Prime Catcher in the first place might have been a mistake, making it hard to justify any other ACE SPEC in comparison. It will likely be remembered for a long, long time for its power and versatility not only as one of the strongest Pokemon cards of this age, but of all time.
