Surging Sparks is an electrifying Pokémon TCG expansion set that’s worth paying attention to as a competitive player thanks to its variety of new Tera Pokémon, interesting Trainers, and ACE SPEC cards.
Here are the best Surging Sparks Pokémon cards to keep an eye out for when you’re ripping packs, including both powerful Pokémon and Supporters that can help your critters crush the competition.
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Strongest Surging Sparks Pokémon cards
Surging Sparks releases on Nov. 8, and with it, a slew of exciting new Tera cards, Pokémon ex, and interesting ACE SPECs are joining the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
We’ve picked out six of the strongest Surging Sparks cards to keep an eye out for below. Make sure to check back—we’ll update with more once the expansion set has had some time to settle.
Alolan Exeggutor ex (133/191)
| Attack/Ability | Damage | Use | Energy Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Frenzy | 150 | Attach any number of Basic Energy from your hand to your Pokémon in any way that you like. | (G)(W) |
| Swinging Sphene | N/A | Flip a coin – if heads, Knock Out your opponent’s Active. If tails, Knock Out one of their Benched ‘mons. | (G)(W)(F) |
Out of all the Stellar Tera-types in Surging Sparks, Alolan Exeggutor ex manages to balance damage output and utility.
Swinging Sphene is an unbelievably useful attack, offering a guaranteed KO no matter how the coin flip ends up with just a triple Energy cost to balance it out.
Archaludon ex (241/191)
| Attack/Ability | Damage | Use | Energy Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assemble Alloy | N/A | When Archaludon ex is played from your hand to evolve a Pokémon during your turn, attach up to two Basic Steel Energy from your discard pile to your Steel ‘mons in any way you like. | N/A |
| Metal Defender | 220 | Basic damage-dealing attack. Additionally, during the opponent’s next turn, Archaludon ex has no Weaknesses. | (S)(S)(S) |
Proving to be a powerhouse in both Pokémon TCG and Pokémon VGC, Archaludon is a tank that feels right at home in the current format.
Archaludon ex has Assemble Alloy to help it set up and Energize the bench quickly. Metal Defender is a potential Knock Out attack, dealing a mighty 220 damage, and it offers protection against crucial Weaknesses.
Ceruledge ex (036/191)
| Attack/Ability | Damage | Use | Energy Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abyssal Flames | 30+ | Abyssal Flames does 20 more damage for every discarded Energy card. | (F) |
| Raging Amethyst | 280 | Standard damage-dealing attack that requires a total Energy discard for Ceruledge ex. | (F)(P)(S) |
Ceruledge ex is likely to be one of the biggest standalone decks from Surging Sparks. It falls into the Energy discard gameplay style, with Raging Amethyst dealing huge damage and discarding Energy, and Abyssal Flames powering up with every Energy in the discard pile.
The addition of other Surging Sparks cards like the Brilliant Blender ACE SPEC (which allows you to deck-search for five Energy cards and discard them) make Ceruledge ex even stronger.
Milotic ex (042/191)
| Attack/Ability | Damage | Use | Energy Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparkling Scales | N/A | Prevents all damage from and attack effects from opposing Tera ‘mons to Milotic ex. | N/A |
| Hypno Splash | 160 | Damage-dealing attack that also puts the opponent’s Active to sleep. | (W)(C)(C) |
Stellar Tera-type Pokémon (and standard Tera ‘mons) are exceptionally popular in the current Pokémon TCG meta, and Milotic ex proves to be a useful tool against this.
The Sparkling Scales Ability is somewhat reminiscent of Mimikyu’s Safeguard Ability, but it blocks all damage and attack effects from Tera Pokémon instead of ex and V Pokémon.
Pikachu ex (057/191)
| Attack/Ability | Damage | Use | Energy Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolute Heart | N/A | If Pikachu ex has full HP and would be Knocked Out by an opponent’s attack, it skips being Knocked Out and ends up with 10 HP. | N/A |
| Topaz Bolt | 300 | A damage-dealing attack that requires the user to discard three Energy from Pikachu ex. | (G)(L)(S) |
Pikachu ex is one of the most anxiously awaited Surging Sparks cards, largely due to Resolute Heart acting as a cheat-death mechanic.
On top of this, Topaz Bolt is a guaranteed Knock Out for most opposing Pokémon in the game based on HP, exchanging a small Energy tax for an incredible 300 damage.
Sylveon ex (086/191)
| Attack/Ability | Damage | Use | Energy Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magical Charm | 160 | During the opponent’s next turn, attacks used by the Defending ‘mon do 100 less damage before Weaknesses and Resistances. | (P)(C)(C) |
| Angelite | N/A | The user chooses two of the opponent’s Benched critters. These Pokémon and the attached cards are shuffled back into the opponent’s deck. It cannot be used twice in a row by any Pokémon. | (W)(L)(P) |
Sylveon ex could fit into a number of existing Pokémon TCG decks. Angelite is an infinitely useful move, preventing the opponent from setting up successfully and potentially countering decks like Terapagos ex or Gardevoir ex in the process.
Magical Charm deals a fair amount of damage, but it also helps to prevent heavy-hitting attacks Knocking Out Sylveon ex in the next turn.
Surging Sparks is a must-have expansion set for Pokémon TCG fans who value creative cards that slot into a variety of decks. This set feels like more of a player-oriented expansion set than a collectors set, but there’s still plenty of stunning artwork to pick up.
