Palkia VSTAR is Still Winning!

What’s up, PTCGO Store readers? It’s your boy Zach, and I’m back with my newest article in our brand new Lost Origin format! At the time of writing this article, the format has been around for about two weeks, and the format is getting wild! Kyurem VMAX (Lost Origin) is seeing a bunch of success, Giratina VSTAR (Lost Origin) decks are improving every day, and Mew VMAX (Fusion Strike) is still getting wins at major online events! Another deck that consistently sees success is Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR (Astral Radiance), largely the best deck from our Sword and Shield to Pokemon Go Standard format. Palkia VSTAR is a deck that I’ve enjoyed playing and it has earned me Championship Points at NAIC, London Open, and Baltimore Regionals. It is in a better position in this format than last because Flying Pikachu VMAX (Celebrations) isn’t seeing much play, and it has opportunities to use Radiant Greninja (Astral Radiance) against opposing Comfey (Lost Origin). Between powerful attacks, large amounts of HP, and a bunch of technical cards - Palkia VSTAR looks like it will make a splash at both Peoria Regionals and Salt Lake City Regionals! In this article, I will be sharing two versions of a traditional Palkia VSTAR list - one with 4 copies of Battle VIP Pass (Fusion Strike) and one with more copies of “Ball” Search, but both of these decks are tournament ready! If you are looking for any of the cards to build these Pokemon online decks, consider picking up PTCGO codes right here at the PTCGO store! As an added bonus, use code zlesage5 to save 5% off your order of Pokemon TCG codes, including brand new Lost Origin PTCGO codes! Let’s get it!

After seeing a bunch of success at NAIC, Worlds, and Baltimore Regionals - many consider Palkia to be the best deck in the format. It has ways to search for any Trainer in your deck with Drizzile (Sword and Shield) and Inteleon (Sword and Shield), which opens up many possibilities to make almost anything happen. That includes attacking with the powerful Palkia VSTAR, sniping things with Radiant Greninja, and even attacking with Inteleon. This list gets away with a lesser count of Battle VIP Pass and makes room for more “Ball” search cards, like Level Ball (Battle Styles), to make your mid-game better. Players often go back and forth over which count is correct - 1 or 4 Battle VIP Pass, but the argument here is that you can use Irida (Astral Radiance) to search it out on your first turn or not worry about it. If you miss it with the second list, your deck is often flooded with dead cards when you play Marnie (Sword and Shield) or Roxanne (Astral Radiance). One of the newest additions to most Palkia VSTAR decks is Empoleon V (Battle Styles), a card meant to counter the new “Lost Zone” engine. It works well here because we can shut off Comfey and Regigigas (Astral Radiance), and we can even attack with it because this is a Water deck! Overall, this deck is incredibly powerful so let’s check out the list:

1 Empoleon V BST 146

1 Manaphy BRS 41

3 Origin Forme Palkia V ASR 167

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46

4 Sobble CRE 41

3 Drizzile SHF 99

1 Inteleon SHF 100

1 Inteleon EVS 227

3 Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR ASR 208

1 Marnie PR-SW 121

2 Level Ball BST 181　

2 Evolution Incense SSH 163　

1 Pal Pad SSH 172

4 Irida ASR 186

1 Leon VIV 182

1 Roxanne ASR 188

4 Cross Switcher FST 230

1 Echoing Horn CRE 225

1 Path to the Peak ASR 213

1 Canceling Cologne ASR 136

3 Scoop Up Net RCL 207　

1 Choice Belt ASR 211

1 Ultra Ball BRS 186

1 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146

4 Quick Ball SSH 216　

1 Boss's Orders LOR 241

1 Melony ASR 242

2 Capacious Bucket RCL 156

1 Training Court FST 282

7 Water Energy CRE 231

The main difference with this list is cutting some extra techs and extra consistency cards for extra Battle VIP Pass cards. A lot of the time your turn one is as important as the last turn of the game which is one of the main focal points of this deck! You either get your Battle VIP Pass on turn one of the game or you might struggle when your opponent plays Marnie or Roxanne if you draw into unused copies. I personally flip - flop back and forth, but I have seen success with both styles of decks. Let’s check out this list:

1 Empoleon V BST 146

1 Manaphy BRS 41

3 Origin Forme Palkia V ASR 167

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46

4 Sobble CRE 41

3 Drizzile SHF 99

1 Inteleon SHF 100

1 Inteleon EVS 227

3 Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR ASR 208

1 Marnie PR-SW 121

2 Level Ball BST 181　

2 Evolution Incense SSH 163　

1 Pal Pad SSH 172

4 Irida ASR 186

1 Leon VIV 182

1 Roxanne ASR 188

4 Cross Switcher FST 230

1 Path to the Peak ASR 213

2 Scoop Up Net RCL 207　

1 Choice Belt ASR 211

1 Ultra Ball BRS 186

4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146

4 Quick Ball SSH 216　

1 Boss's Orders LOR 241

1 Melony ASR 242

2 Capacious Bucket RCL 156

1 Training Court FST 282

7 Water Energy CRE 231

Whether you’re trying to become the next Late Night champion or play fun games on the Versus ladder, these format-defining Palkia VSTAR decks are a great place to explore for everyone! I’m stoked to continuously test these Pokemon online decks and learn more about the new Lost Origin metagame myself! If you need any codes for your own testing or collection, ptcgostore.com is one of the best places to pick up cards for PTCGO. And you can always use code zlesage5 to save 5% on your next order of Pokemon TCG Online codes. Thanks so much for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day! Happy testing!

Zach Lesage is a contributing writer for the PTCGO Store. As a Toronto local, he has been playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game since 2005 and creates Pokemon content as his full-time career. With multiple prestigious accomplishments in the game, such as the 2020 Players Cup 2 Champion and 2020 Oceania International Championships Finalist, he has proven his success in the game. Outside of the game, he travels the world, enjoys the culture of designer streetwear, and is a professionally trained chef. You can catch him at most Pokemon events and follow him on Twitter @ZachLesagePTCG.