First Look Palkia VSTAR League Battle Deck! (Deck List + Matches) Is it worth buying? - Pokemon TCG

While the Palkia VSTAR League Battle Deck isn't set for release until May 5, 2023, there's nothing stopping us from trying it out right now! I run through the deck list and put the deck through its paces against some of the best decks in the game.
***** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List *****
##Pokémon - 15
* 3 Bidoof BRS 120
* 3 Bibarel BRS 121
* 2 Hisuian Basculin ASR 043
* 1 Manaphy BRS 041
* 3 Origin Forme Palkia V ASR 039
* 1 Radiant Greninja ASR 046
* 2 Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR ASR 192
##Trainer Cards - 36
* 2 Switch CRZ 144
* 2 Lake Acuity LOR 160
* 1 Echoing Horn CRE 136
* 3 Melony CRE 146
* 1 Roxanne ASR 150
* 1 Klara CRE 145
* 4 Ultra Ball BRS 150
* 3 Choice Belt BRS 135
* 2 Energy Search CRZ 128
* 4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225
* 3 Boss's Orders BRS 132
* 2 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146
* 4 Irida ASR 147
* 4 Trekking Shoes ASR 156
##Energy - 9
* 9 Water Energy SWSHEnergy 012
Total Cards - 60
***** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO *****

[@mengxiong93]

Fusion strike energy provides all energy so Lake acuity will bump all Pokémon with fusion strike energy attached 20+hp

[@masterjedi1980]

Really solid coverage of the tcg. My son and I started playing competitively recently and we appreciate your channel.

[@InThirdPerson]

Honoured to be a part of you and your son’s Pokemon TCG journey. Thank you for your support and here’s to hoping you to become the very best (like no one ever was)!

[@travis_approved]

I might get this and just keep collecting league battle decks tbh. I have 2 already and I hardly even play much these days, I just like lookin at em!😂 my tcg time is almost exclusively magic and flesh and blood rn but this deck looks like a lot of fun!

[@InThirdPerson]

I don’t play much IRL either but I’ll keep buying these so that I’m ready to throw down with a good deck whenever the opportunity arises.

[@travis_approved]

@@InThirdPerson That's pretty much my plan, build a "battle box" of sorts of unedited league battle decks. It might not be the most balanced thing of all time but itll be a fun and relatively low investment way to play with some powerful cardboard.

[@neab7507]

Hey there! Haven't played ptcgo in a while, has the rotation happened? What's new in PTCGO? And also is ice rider calyrex vmax still usable?

[@InThirdPerson]

Hey homie! Good to see you again. - Rotation is happening at the end of March on Live ONLY, and then IRL mid-April. PTCGO is not getting rotation or any new cards going forward. - Ice Rider did get a few top placements in Japan post-rotation as part of an Ice Rider/Palkia/Bibarel deck. Probably not going to be top-tier, but it appears to be more playable than it is currently.

[@neab7507]

@@InThirdPersonOk thank you!

[@danielsmith6896]

For someone just getting in to the game would you recommend this over the Mew deck? I'm looking to get something that may be viable for a longer period of time to stretch my dollar. Just concerned that it isn't going to be nearly as competitive as the Mew deck.

[@InThirdPerson]

Technically, yes. Palkia will last one extra rotation longer than Mew. However, barring any dramatic shifts in the meta, the Mew deck has a much higher competitive ceiling. IMO, one year with a top 5 Mew deck (when fully customized) is better than 2 years with a Palkia deck that is projected to be rogue-tier at best. Especially if you’re new to the game and those early wins mean a lot for getting you further into the game. I’ll be buying the Palkia deck cause I love playing and collecting League Battle Decks (alongside the synergy of adding the Ice Rider League Battle Deck cards to it), but understand that its not going to have the same level of potential firepower as Mew.

[@danielsmith6896]

@@InThirdPerson Awesome! Thanks for such an informative and detailed response. That's a part what makes you one of my favourite content creators. Work like that will pay off in the future.

[@bethzolin6046]

Thank you so much for these wonderful series of videos. This granny has really valued them - I am endeavouring to learn the game so I can play against my four grandchildren ( aged 5 to 9) all of whom play the game. I’d have loved the Mew pack, but eldest grandson got there first - and daughter plays Miraidon - so I’ve got this one. I’m really struggling getting to grips with the complexities of the game. ( Started with the training academy game, went onto the online one which I found very confusing). Now here with these, which frankly have been the most help. Grateful thanks from England.

[@InThirdPerson]

Amazing! Wonderful to hear that you’re so involved with them. Glad I could help in any capacity.

[@memerd6747]

Is league battle palkia deck better than championship palkia deck or are they same level, or championship one is better pls let me knows I wanna buy one

[@InThirdPerson]

There are some major differences between League Battle Deck and the Championship Decks: - League Battle Decks use tournament-legal cards with the proper card backing while championship cards do not. You can’t use these cards at any organized events IRL or online. - League Battle Decks give you a code to use the deck in PTCGL but championship decks do not. - In the case of Palkia, many of the cards in the championship deck (Shady Dealings line and numerous trainer cards) rotated out of Standard format a few weeks ago. Even if these cards were “real” cards, you wouldn’t be able to use them in Standard format, which is the main mode that tournaments these days support. Overall, League Battle Decks are better suited for players interested in competitive play IRL or online, while championship decks are meant to be a cheap way for casual players to try out a world-class deck IRL only against family and friends or as a commemorative piece for the championships they were played in.

[@mjgamingtv3766]

Would this do well against lugia decks? How about lost box?

[@InThirdPerson]

Both of those are stronger decks than Palkia. It’s also not an apples-to-apples comparison, as the League Battle Deck is always going to be in tough against a fully-custom top-tier deck because League Battle Decks aren’t fully built. Close, but not quite. That said, a fully upgraded post-rotation Palkia deck should have a bit better of a time against Lugia than it does right now. Lugia loses most of its broken stuff in rotation, making it a bit more of a fair fight (that Lugia probably still has an edge in). Adding the Articuno that dors paralysis could also swing the match a bit more in Palkia’s favour. Lost Box is tricky, but a well-timed Greninja snipe on 2 Comfeys before your opponent sets up Manaphy can be enough to swing the game in your favour. However, if they’re running lightning attackers (which will depend on how popular Lugia is post rotation), it could still be rough.

[@Batsquid93]

What is a good website to buy cards from? I’ll probably just buy the singles rather then the whole deck

[@InThirdPerson]

I only by IRL singles from local card shops. But from what I’ve seen others say online, www.tcgplayer.com seems like a good starting point!

[@nicholasrolo886]

I just bought this for casual play against a friend. I don't care about rotations.... how would you upgrade?

[@InThirdPerson]

The easiest way to upgrade the Palkia deck assuming you don’t care about rotation is to mash it up with the Ice Rider League Battle Deck. This video isn’t an exact list, as it does feature some cards that aren’t in either deck, but the core concept is to use the Ice Rider deck as a basis, and then drop in the Palkia cards, Greninja, and some of the tech cards from the Palkia deck. Example video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXasn2ZjltSfd5o

[@blast.3382]

Loved the video!

[@InThirdPerson]

Thanks for watching!

[@blast.3382]

@@InThirdPerson do you think alolan vulpix vstar would help this deck at all?

[@InThirdPerson]

@@blast.3382 Potentially yes! If Vulpix can attack first, it can wall off attacks from meta-relevant Pokemon like Lugia VSTAR, Miraidon ex, Gardevoir, Zacian V, and more!

[@blast.3382]

@@InThirdPerson id love to see you stream or upload a video testing a deck out with Vulpix!

[@InThirdPerson]

@@blast.3382 I actually covered Vulpix just before rotation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWW0aIl7oNOMick Had a lot of issues with it back then, but the format is different now and it's probably more relevant these days. Because of how recent this was, it may take a bit before it makes its way back up the queue.

[@neab7507]

is this deck worth more than the mew vstar league battle deck or is this better?

[@InThirdPerson]

Same price. Just another League Battle Deck option. Pokemon puts out 3 League Battle Decks per year.

[@neab7507]

@@InThirdPerson oh ok but in your opinion what's better to buy?

[@chandonnetus]

@@neab7507 Mew Vmax is a better choice if you want a competitive deck. Palkia will be a weaker deck after April rotation mostly because Electric type will get a huge buff with electricity generator and Miraidon Ex. It’s not ideal right now… 😵‍💫

[@neab7507]

@@chandonnetus ok thx

[@jyotirana9218]

gg we could add power tablet to the deck to make palki and greninga OP

[@InThirdPerson]

Power Tablet only works for Fusion Strike Pokemon, so it won’t work for Palkia or Greninja. Also, Power Tablet has already rotated in Pokemon TCG Live and will rotate for in-person play on April 5th.

[@hollywoodspicynuggets5086]

I saw these in my Walmart yesterday

[@InThirdPerson]

👀