By Ellis Longhurst, Contributing Writer

It’s time to reign victorious with cards from the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet—Paradox Rift expansion. This set includes powerful new Pokémon, including 20 Pokémon ex, that will add another dimension to your gameplay. The debut of two new kinds of Pokémon—Ancient and Future—brings plenty of exciting strategies to explore, some of which will destine the current top decks to the history books. Read on to find out which cards from the Scarlet & Violet—Paradox Rift expansion will shape the future of the Pokémon TCG.

The Future Is Bright for Iron Hands ex

Iron Hands ex has one of the most exciting attacks of any Pokémon in the Scarlet & Violet—Paradox Rift expansion. Hype surrounds this Pokémon’s Amp You Very Much attack, which does 120 damage and takes an additional Prize card if the opponent’s Pokémon is Knocked Out. Longtime fans of the Pokémon TCG are remembering the influence of Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX’s Altered Creation-GX attack and are predicting that Iron Hands ex will be the wave of the future.

Iron Hands ex fits like a glove into any archetype that can indiscriminately accelerate Energy cards to Pokémon in play and can include at least one Lightning Energy card. Don’t be surprised to see this Future Pokémon on the battlefield alongside Miraidon ex, Charizard ex, Lugia VSTAR, or in Lost Box decks.

Top Trainers foresee the success of Iron Hands ex in the Chien-Pao ex / Baxcalibur deck, in particular. Baxcalibur’s Super Cold Ability can attach multiple Basic Water Energy to Iron Hands ex in one turn, and Lightning Energy can be searched from the deck by using the new Earthen Vessel Item card, which is accessible via Irida (who can also find Baxcalibur). Given that Amp You Very Much, Chien-Pao ex’s Hail Blade, and Radiant Greninja’s Moonlight Shuriken can take multiple Prize cards in one turn, this deck could win a battle in just four turns. You know what they say—many hands make light work.

The existence of this Future Pokémon is set to shake up the metagame. Trainers who use Lightning-weak Rule Box Pokémon for support, like Squawkabilly ex, Lumineon V, and Pidgeot ex, will have to adapt their decks or their playstyles, or they risk giving up three Prize cards to a single Amp You Very Much. Decks that take time to set up, like Gardevoir ex, or that rely on low-HP Pokémon, like Lost Box decks, will also struggle in a world ruled by Iron Hands ex because they can no longer rely on a favorable Prize trade. The deck that best clicks with Iron Hands ex will have the rest of the competition under its thumb.

Press Fast-Forward on Victory with Iron Valiant ex

Iron Valiant ex is light-years ahead of the competition. When this Future Pokémon moves from the Bench to the Active Spot, its Tachyon Bits Ability allows Trainers to put two damage counters on one of the opponent’s Pokémon. With four Iron Valiant ex in play, Trainers can place up to eight damage counters on the opponent’s Pokémon from their very first turn of the game. That’s enough to Knock Out Basic Pokémon like Frigibax, Charmander, or Comfey—sometimes before the opponent even gets to have a turn! It could dissuade players from choosing to bring decks with Evolution Pokémon to battle.

Any deck that is laser-focused on Iron Valiant ex will need to include loads of cards with a switching effect, such as Escape Rope, Jet Energy, or the new Professor Turo’s Scenario. As a Future Pokémon, Iron Valiant ex can also use the new Future Booster Energy Capsule Pokémon Tool card to retreat for free and do 220 damage to the opponent’s Pokémon with Laser Blade. For added support, the new Xatu will be the perfect partner Pokémon for Iron Valiant ex. Its Clairvoyant Sense Ability enables Trainers to accelerate Basic Psychic Energy to Iron Valiant ex and draw extra cards.

Trainers who are not prepared to do such quick math can utilise Iron Valiant ex in a supporting role in existing archetypes. For example, this Future Pokémon could feature in Lost Box decks to increase the number of damage counters on the opponent’s Pokémon and set up surprise multi-Prize Knock Outs with the new Technical Machine: Devolution Pokémon Tool card. It is also logical to play Iron Valiant ex with Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX to set up more opportunities for Knock Outs with Medicham V’s Yoga Loop attack.

Iron Valiant ex has the potential to switch up the metagame, but time will tell if Trainers have the courage to bring this Paradox Pokémon into battle.

Roaring Moon ex Is Set to Rise High

The introduction of Roaring Moon ex to the Pokémon TCG is history in the making. This Ancient Pokémon has an attack that will Knock Out any opposing Active Pokémon in one hit. Not only is this an efficient way to deal with Pokémon like Charizard ex that have an almost insurmountable amount of HP, but it’s also a quick way to turn the tide of a battle by punishing the overcommitment of resources onto one Pokémon by the opponent. The caveat is that when Roaring Moon ex uses Frenzied Gouging, it does 200 damage to itself.

Allow me to impart some ancient wisdom. When staring down Pokémon with fewer than 220 HP—or Pokémon like Gardevoir ex and Mew VMAX that have Weakness to Darkness-type Pokémon—taking a Knock Out with Calamity Storm is a much safer option. Trainers can also future-proof their Roaring Moon ex by increasing its hit points to 290 with the new Ancient Booster Energy Capsule.

Regardless of which path Trainers choose to take, Roaring Moon ex requires three Energy to launch an attack. Fortunately, there are Trainer cards that can accelerate Darkness Energy to Roaring Moon ex, thereby enabling it to attack as early as the first turn of the game when going second. The old favorite Dark Patch Item card attaches a Basic Darkness Energy card from the discard pile to a Darkness-type Pokémon on the Bench, while the new Supporter Card Professor Sada’s Vitality attaches Basic Energy from the discard pile to two Ancient Pokémon. Attaching one Energy card per turn is so last century.

This method of Energy acceleration relies on getting Darkness Energy into the discard pile. A few popular ways to achieve this are likely by utilizing Earthen Vessel, because it requires little investment and you can search the deck for Energy cards, and Radiant Greninja’s Concealed Cards Ability, because you can discard an Energy card to draw up to two cards. Trainers may also include the PokéStop Stadium card to try to discard Darkness Energy and obtain Item cards like Dark Patch. And note that a Stadium card must be discarded from play to maximize the damage done by Calamity Storm, so including Stadium cards in a Roaring Moon ex deck is essential.

Roaring Moon ex could benefit from battling alongside other Darkness-type friends both old and new. Galarian Moltres V from the Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield—Chilling Reign expansion does a formidable 190 damage to the opponent’s Pokémon with its Aura Burn attack. Using its Direflame Wings Ability, it can power itself up or accelerate Energy into play to be transferred to Roaring Moon ex via an Energy Switch. The new Morpeko has an Ability that removes its Retreat Cost, which makes it the perfect Pokémon to place in the Active Spot while a Roaring Moon ex is being powered up on the Bench by Dark Patch. Morpeko can also Knock Out low-HP Pokémon while conserving Energy cards.

Time will tell if Roaring Moon ex becomes a roaring success or a footnote in history.

All That Glitters Is Gholdengo ex

Enthusiasts of Metal-type Pokémon will feel like they hit the jackpot with Gholdengo ex. This Stage 1 Pokémon ex has a low-cost attack that offers a huge payout. Make It Rain does 50 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon for each Basic Energy card discarded from the hand. Discarding six Energy will Knock Out most Pokémon V and Pokémon ex in one hit, but even fewer are required to Knock Out Pokémon like Chien-Pao ex that have a weakness to Metal-type Pokémon.

You may have an ounce of doubt about the sustainability of this strategy. Discarding so many cards from the hand means there will not be many resources to work with on the following turn. Fortunately, Gholdengo ex’s Coin Bonus Ability draws up to two cards per turn, and this can be repeated for each Gholdengo ex in play. Trainers can ensure that they get maximum value out of Gholdengo ex by putting them into play as quickly as possible by playing the Jacq Supporter card or the new Technical Machine: Evolution.

To gather Energy cards into the hand, prospective Gholdengo ex deck builders should look to invest in the Lady Supporter card, the Letter of Encouragement Item card, or Earthen Vessel. In addition, Eldegoss’s Cotton Lift Ability enables Trainers to search the deck for two Energy cards, and Bibarel’s Industrious Incisors Ability draws up to five cards per turn. Recover Energy Cards from the discard pile with Superior Energy Retrieval and Energy Retrieval. With all these resources available to Make It Rain over and over again, Gholdengo ex will become a top deck—do you think I’m on the money?

Counter Catcher Shows the Opponent Who’s Boss

Counter Catcher is a blast from the past that is set to cause havoc in the future. This Item card has a simple but incredibly powerful effect: switch in one of the opponent’s Benched Pokémon to the Active Spot. Being able to manipulate the opponent’s side of the battlefield can be highly disruptive to their strategy. Boss’s Orders, which has the same effect, has been played to great success in competitive play. To play Counter Catcher, there is a catch—how thematic. That is, the user must be behind in Prize cards.

Given the fast pace of the Pokémon TCG in the present, Counter Catcher provides an avenue to take back control of the game for decks that typically have a slower setup. Evolution decks like Gardevoir ex will include at least one copy of this Item card because they often fall behind in Prize cards early in the game and can dig through the deck to find specific cards through an Ability-based draw engine. Counter Catcher also fits particularly well in decks like Charizard ex or Chien-Pao ex that can search for specific Item cards through Supporters like Arven or Irida. Suddenly, a range of Supporter cards in each deck can become a pseudo Boss’s Orders.

Counter Catcher is an Item card, which means Trainers can further disrupt the opponent by playing Supporter cards like Judge, Iono, or Roxanne during the same turn. Historically, similar combinations have enabled control archetypes to thrive. Perhaps Counter Catcher and the new Luxurious Cape Pokémon Tool card will be the final pieces that a Snorlax control deck needs to catch the top competitive decks unaware. Do not count it out!

These are just some of the astonishing cards that you will find in the new Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Paradox Rift expansion. With over 180 new cards to collect—including 20 brand-new Pokémon ex—there are plenty of other exciting combinations and strategies to explore. Get ready to step into the future of the Pokémon TCG!