Pokmon Shining Fates When the Shining Fates TCG expansion launched in 2021, Pokmon card fever had reached an all-time high
When you have Necropotence and Ivory Tower, you're effectively drawing three cards a turn at no life cost
Infernoid Evil Quarter Century Secret Rare Based on the latest market prices tracked on TCG Stacked
This is why "banned leader" is rare in OPTCG
Being able to absorb the damage that would be dealt to your creatures knowing you can endure it makes perfect sense
This makes them MUCH more competitively viable: Advantages No turn-ending penalty Massive HP (280-330) Powerful attacks (180-250+ damage) Strong abilities and effects Drawbacks Give up 3 Prize cards when KO'd Require basic Pokemon ex first Take deck space (need basics + Megas) Target for Boss's Orders Mega Charizard X ex - Tier 1 Potential Attack: Blue Flare - 250 damage (discard 2 Energy) HP: 330 - Among the highest in the game Deck Strategy: Pair with Charizard ex for acceleration, use Rare Candy for speed setup, run with Fire-type support like Magma Basin Stadium Competitive Rating: (4/5) - Sees play in Fire-focused decks Mega Gengar ex - Control Archetype Attack: Phantom Gate - Copy opponent's attacks HP: 310 Deck Strategy: Control-oriented build utilizing Gengar's ability to copy powerful attacks from opponents, disruption trainers, and hand control Competitive Rating: (3/5) - Niche but fun rogue deck Mega Sharpedo ex - Aggressive Beatdown Attack: Crunch - 200 damage + discard opponent's Energy HP: 290 Deck Strategy: Fast, aggressive Dark-type deck focusing on Energy denial and consistent 200+ damage output Competitive Rating: (3/5) - Good but not top-tier Player's Tip If you're building competitive decks, buy the Ultra Rare versions rather than Special Illustration Rares or Hyper Rares
