Howdy! Today we’re covering the new Ceruledge ex Pokemon in Surging Sparks expansion! This Pokemon can stand alone as a carry, is easy to set up, and starts dealing damage to the opponent’s Pokemon. If you prefer archetypes that play fast and can take aggressive approaches, then Ceruledge ex is perfect. It only needs 1 Fire Energy and a bunch of Energy cards in the discard pile to start getting knockouts.
There are different cards to add to the list, depending on the meta, so I’ll cover them at the end of the article.
Ceruledge ex Decklist
Pokémon: 12
4 Charcadet SSP 32
3 Ceruledge ex SSP 36
2 Squawkabilly ex PAL 169
1 Fan Rotom SCR 118
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
Trainer: 29
4 Carmine TWM 145
2 Professor's Research SVI 189
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
1 Judge SVI 176
1 Briar SCR 132
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
3 Nest Ball SVI 181
3 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
3 Night Stretcher SFA 61
2 Pokémon Catcher SVI 187
1 Pal Pad SVI 182
2 PokéStop PGO 68
1 Jamming Tower TWM 153
Energy: 19
15 Fire Energy SVE 10
3 Jet Energy PAL 190
1 Legacy Energy TWM 167How to Play
You want Charcadet in play as early as possible so you can evolve it into Ceruledge ex. This deck uses Ceruledge ex as its main damage dealer, requiring only 1 Basic Fire Energy to activate Abyssal Flames and start its attacks. You won’t use Raging Amethyst in this list since it needs Basic Psychic and Metal Energy cards, too much effort won’t be worth the trouble.
Ceruledge ex‘s Abyssal Flames deals 30 damage on its own, but that increases by 20 for each Energy card in your discard pile. So the more Energy cards we discard, we’ll get to push more damage with Abyssal Flames. With that in mind, when building the Ceruledge ex, two things are a must to include: Energy Cards and Discard cards.
Even though you’ll need only 1 Basic Fire Energy to start your attacks with Ceruledge ex, you want to have a bunch of Energy cards in this deck to discard and pump up Abyssal Flames’ damage.
Jet Energy can be used to move a Pokemon from the Bench to the Active spot without having to rely on Retreating the Active Pokemon. This works when you need to have Fan Rotom in the Active spot to knock out a Mimikyu. As for Legacy Energy, it can help prolong games, giving opponents 1 fewer Prize card when they knock out the Pokemon it’s attached to.
Discard Options
Since we need to have Energy cards in our discard pile to increase Abyssal Flames’ damage, this list has multiple cards that help get them in our discard pile. Those Discard cards aren’t there just to discard, but will also add more resources to your hand, making sure you have plays to make.
Radiant Greninja‘s Concealed Cards lets you discard an Energy card to draw 2 cards. This plays into the deck’s game plan, getting more Energy cards into your Discard Pile, pumping up Abyssal Flames’ damage, and getting more resources into your hand. Radiant Greninja wants to stay on the Bench and continuously activate Concealed Cards.
Squawkabilly’s Squawk and Seize is great for the early game, discarding your hand (which could discard Energy cards) and draws 6 cards.
Carmine and Professor’s Research are two resource value Supporter cards that can discard cards. Carmine can only be played if you go first, letting you discard your whole hand to draw 5 cards. So you want to play everything possible before activating it.
As for Professor’s Research, it can discard your hand to draw 7 cards. After you’ve played the valuable cards, you can go for Professor’s Research to replinish your hand.
Ultra Ball and Earthen Vessel can discard cards from your hand to draw the cards you need. You can choose to discard Energy cards if you need more damage on your Ceruledge ex‘s Abyssal Flame.
Ultra Ball finds you the Pokemon you need for your strategy. As for Earthen Vessel, it draws 2 Basic Energy cards so you can attach one of them to Ceruledge ex and discard the rest to increase the damage of your attacks.
Discard Stadium
Pokestop is a great value engine with a discard mechanic. It discards the top 3 cards in your deck and adds the Items cards you’ve just discarded to your hand. So you’re usually fine with Energy cards getting discarded as it adds to the damage to your attacks.
Other Value Cards
Fezandipti ex can sit on the bench and watch over your Active Pokémon, ready to use its Flip the Script ability when one of your Pokemon is knocked out. The three cards you draw will help find the resources you need to enable your strategy. Fezandipti ex doesn’t need to be on the bench when the knockout happens—you can play it from your hand afterward and still activate Flip the Script to draw cards.
Since this deck discards a lot, you need a Night Stretcher to get access to a Pokemon or Basic Energy. So if you’re missing cards like Charcadet, Ceruledge, or Fire Energy card you can draw it from your Discard pile.
Judge is one of the strongest resource management cards in the deck, not just because it draws you 4 cards, but because it also disrupts your opponent’s hand. When played, Judge shuffles both players’ hands into their decks and draws 4 cards. This can be especially powerful if your opponent is holding onto more than 4 cards, reducing their resources and potentially disrupting their strategy. You want to play all your important cards before you go for the Judge play.
Battle Cards
Briar can be a game finisher, played when your opponent has exactly 2 Prize cards remaining. If you Knock Out an opponent’s Pokemon using Ceruledge, you get 1 more Prize card. This is useful when the opponent has an Active Pokemon that gives only 1 Prize card, allowing you to win the game on the spot.
You can also use cards like Boss’s Order or Pokemon Catcher to move a low-health Pokemon to the Active spot. This makes it easier for you to get a Knock Out over a high-health Pokemon, and although you’re only getting 1 Prize card, Briar ensures you get that extra Prize card to win the game.
Fan Rotom is a meta choice if the opponent is trying to stall out the game with Pokemon that Ceruledge ex can’t attack. You’ll play Jet Energy to move Fan Rotom to the Active spot and attack them with Assault Landing to deal 70 damage.
Other Cards to Include
- Brilliant Blender synergizes with your game plan, allowing you to search your deck for 5 cards and discard them. This lets you discard as many Energy cards as you need to increase Ceruledge ex Abyssal Flame’s damage to knock out the opponent’s Pokemon.
- Canceling Cologne is a meta choice to remove the abilities of the opponent’s Active Pokemon for one turn. This is usually useful to counter Stall Pokemon that prevent your Pokemon from attacking.
- Iono is a draw card that can disrupt the opponent’s hand.
- The Palkia VStar can be used early on to deal early damage, especially against Area Zero decks. Its damage output is tied to the number of Pokemon on your Bench. You will need to add 6 Water Energy and cut down on the Fire Energy if you go for the Palkia VStar version.