Pokémon Co. Shares Pokémon TCG Iron Valiant ex Deck Strategies

The Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet—Paradox Rift expansion is here, and Pokémon from both the past and future are making waves in the Pokémon TCG world. Both decks in the finals of the Latin America International Championships heavily featured Paradox Pokémon, with Iron Hands ex in Juho Kallama’s winning deck and Iron Valiant ex in Noah Sawyer’s finalist list.

Following the events of the Latin America International Championships, Pokémon Co. has put together some very specific strategies based on the event’s results. In particular, we get a deep dive on Noah Sawyer’s deck today, which featured Iron Valiant ex and Entei V.

Decks that use Abilities to place damage counters on the opponent’s Pokémon have always been at the top tables of big tournaments. Iron Valiant ex is a new addition in the long history of this kind of deck. However, Iron Valiant ex’s Tachyon Bits Ability is unlike anything we have seen in the Pokémon TCG.

Abilities that do damage during your turn tend to be heavily restricted: they’re usually limited to either being used when the Pokémon comes into play or to Stage 2 Pokémon. Tachyon Bits is something new: it places two damage counters on one of your opponent’s Pokémon whenever Iron Valiant ex comes into the Active Spot during your turn. Crucially, Tachyon Bits doesn’t work when you promote it after your Active Pokémon gets Knocked Out. This requires you to fill your deck with a ton of switching cards, and players often include four Switch, four Switch Cart, and four Escape Rope.

For more insight into the Iron Valiant ex/Entei V Main Strategy, check out the official blog here.