Paldea Evolved Set Review

Scarlet & Violet — Paldea Evolved promises to shake up the Standard format massively, with new “comeback” cards and a variety of new archetypes for players to experiment with. But looking at the stacked list of Gym Leader Challenge cards in this set, one might argue Paldea Evolved is even bigger for GLC! Now that the set is finally out, let’s take a look at some of the top picks!

Jumpluff

One of the most infamous Pokémon in GLC is Dragapult, with its ability to tilt any player off the other side of the table with its Infiltrator Ability and a few good coin flips. Now, Grass-type trainers get access to the same ability on their own Stage 2 Pokémon. And a similar spread attack to Dragapult’s Phantom Force can set up good knockouts on the opponent’s board as you sit behind your Ability and pray the coin flips your way. There’s even a Skiploom with a similar attack and Ability in this set, although you might want to consider the Skiploom from Lost Thunder or Evolving Skies that can cheat Jumpluff into play a turn early, synergizing nicely with its low attack cost.

Paldean Tauros

The Paldea region introduces a whopping three forms of Tauros, and Paldea Evolved represents each of them in their own card. You’ll note a lot of similarities between these Basic beatsticks and the original Basic beatsticks of the modern era, Reshiram and Zekrom. Blaze Breed Tauros is a strict upgrade to Reshiram (or a second version for your deck), and the Combat and Aqua Breeds can be great basic attacking options for Fighting- and Water-type decks respectively. If you like Pokémon that fight low to the ground and do big damage, take a look and see if any of these new Tauros work for you!

Gyarados

For being one of the most popular Water-type Pokémon represented in the Trading Card Game, Gyarados has had a hard time breaking into GLC. Many of its printings reflect the Pokémon’s wild and reckless nature, requiring a lot of energy to use attacks with high downsides. But this incarnation of Gyarados might hit the sweet spot between power and liability. Its first attack, Revengeful Storm, can hit 180 damage, which cleanly KO’s most things in GLC, if you’re behind on prizes. And Berserker Tackle reaches even higher at 200 damage; even after damaging itself, Gyarados will be sitting at a decent 130 HP. With energy acceleration options aplenty, Water trainers should consider this Gyarados to take care of their biggest knockouts.

Cetitan

Just last set, we reviewed the first ever Cetitan card, with its massive HP and damage output for a Stage 1 Pokemon. This new Cetitan from Paldea Evolved is already looking to put the old one out of a job with similar boasts. 180 HP on a Stage 1 is always something worth noting, and Special Horn can reach an even higher damage output with no downside. It is worth noting that Water trainers may have to reconsider their strategy if they relied on accelerating only Basic energy with the likes of Rain Dance-style abilities, but pairing Cetitan with other powerful Special Energy users like Wailord might prove to power your whales toward a crushing victory!

Baxcalibur

While Standard players are looking to leverage Baxcalibur to power up their multi-prize attackers, Gym Leader Challenge players shouldn’t let them have all the fun! Baxcalibur, with its Super Cold Ability, feels like a fresh coat of paint on Water’s current Rain Dancer Blastoise, boasting a better attack, half the retreat cost, and extra HP. While there aren’t nearly as many interesting Frigibax and Arctibax to select from compared to Squirtle and Wartortle, Water trainers will be making the choice between running Baxcalibur, Blastoise, or maybe both!

Raichu

It seems that every set, the Lightning type continues to see more options for big haymakers alongside its fast and efficient signature attackers. The new Paldea Evolved Raichu has a nice, big “200” printed on its Thunderbolt attack, which is an amazing number for Gym Leader Challenge, blasting through the likes of Torterra, Wailord, and Snorlax with ease. And with the likes of Eelektrik and Flaaffy on your side, discarding all your energy doesn’t even seem like that much of a downside.

Shinx

While most Pokémon that get featured in this set review are fully-evolved powerhouses that seek to take big KOs on the opponent’s Pokémon, this cute 40 HP Pokémon serves a different role. Its Big Roar Ability is a great utility option, especially in the early game when your opponent may be forced to send up a support Pokémon that doesn’t enjoy being in the active. Furthermore, this Shinx can evolve into the powerful Disconnect Luxio from Ultra Prism to further disrupt your opponent, and eventually into any number of great Luxray cards.

Luxray

Would you look at that, another great Luxray card! One of the hardest choices Lightning GLC players will have to make is which of the incredible Luxray options to choose from if they want to run the Gleam Eyes Pokémon in their deck. This Luxray boasts some of the most interesting and powerful traits in all of GLC. Its Swelling Flash Ability means that, besides evolving your Pokémon into Luxray normally, you can also put it straight onto your bench if you’re behind on prizes, which is an incredible effect that can cause huge swings out of nowhere. And its attack will charge through all but the strongest attackers if you can power it up, making for some great comeback potential. If you plan on pickup up any copies of Luxray for your Standard decks, don’t forget to grab an additional copy for GLC!

Gothitelle

Psychic is one of the most versatile types in Gym Leader Challenge, offering Pokémon with strong attacks, spread and damage counter placement, and even disruptive or controlling effects. Gothitelle is one of these tricky Psychic types that seeks to attack your opponent’s resources while dealing decent damage. Its Read the Stars Ability can really lock an opponent out of the game, forcing them to draw their worst cards each turn while you discard the resources still left in their hand. Combine this with other disruptive Trainer cards like Crushing Hammer, Delinquent, or Galar Mine and watch your opponent struggle helplessly as you Psych them Out!

Palossand

Sometimes, all you need is a nice strong attacker that does a ton of damage for a cheap cost. Palossand offers a great way to do this for Psychic decks. Earthen Power can reach a respectable 160 damage for two energy if you have Dimension Valley in play, one of the best Stadium cards ever printed and a staple for Psychic GLC decks. Consider playing cards like Lusamine to recover the Valley and beat your opponents down with discounted attacks.

Tinkaton

Besides boasting one of the best Pokémon designs of the new generation, Tinkaton also has a very powerful card to play in GLC. Its Gather Materials Ability is a fantastic way to smooth out your deck’s consistency by trading cards for more cards. And its Special Hammer attack smacks for great damage — even being usable for one Psychic energy while Dimension Valley is in play. Consider pairing Tinkaton with Kirlia and Gardevoir for a powerful draw engine, or Necrozma to utilize your special energy to the max.

Garganacl

Sometimes the simplest Pokémon cards manage to be the strongest. Garganacl is a big, beefy Pokémon that’ll surely be played for its Blessed Salt Ability. Healing 20 damage after every turn (that’s your turn and your opponent’s turn) may not seem like a lot, but can snowball out of control and leave your entire team standing while you tear through your opponent’s Pokémon. There are plenty of applications for this Ability — think about pairing it with damage reduction effects like Rock Chestplate or Lake Acuity. Or maybe you’ll use it to heal off the damage caused by your Earthquake Pokémon like Whiscash and Donphan. If your opponent dares underestimate the power of Garganacl, they’ll soon find your Pokémon impossible to knock out and hitting as hard as ever.

Mabosstiff

This Mabosstiff may not seem like the most intimidating card, boasting pretty average attack damage and no interesting abilities. But reading the text of its Comeuppance attack may have you thinking twice. It punishes attacking Pokémon who deal big damage — even if the opponent knocks out your Mabosstiff, they’ll be punished if their attacker can’t survive the hit as well. Use the Boss Pokémon to trade with your opponent’s strongest attackers and watch as they fall quickly behind in battle!

Orthworm

As Tricky Gym puts it, “Orthworm from Paldea Evolved is GIGANTIC.” You may not think that 130 HP is that much for a Basic Pokémon in GLC, and you’d be right. But look closer and you’ll notice its Nutritional Iron Ability which boosts Orthworm to 230 HP if it has enough Metal energy on it. 230 HP is more than some Pokémon ex have, so this worm already looks like it’ll be pulling its weight. And adding on a tool like Bravery Charm to further increase its HP seems like a no-brainer. But where Orthworm gets really dangerous is when you can heal it with cards like Mallow & Lana, or reset its damage counters by picking it up with cards like Penny. There must be no better feeling in the world than watching your opponent attack your worm for two to three turns then wiping all their progress away with one card. Orthworm is sure to redefine just how tanky Metal decks can be.

Noibat

Unfortunately, Noibat is probably not going to win you many games of GLC. It might not even make it into your Dragon-type deck. But why Noibat is really important is what it represents for Dragon-type gym leaders: the Scarlet and Violet block will continue to print Dragon-type cards. After not seeing any in Scarlet & Violet base set, Dragon tamers might be worried that the TCG would unofficially send Dragons into retirement for a few years like they did for most of the Sword & Shield block. But seeing this Noibat in only the second Scarlet & Violet set should be a bright ray of hope for Dragon trainers — any set could feature a powerful new inclusion for your Dragon-type GLC deck!

Pelipper

Pelipper joins a long list of Stage 1 consistency Pokémon available to Colorless trainers. Instead of drawing cards like Bibarel, Pelipper gives you access to Supporters like Delcatty. The ability to choose between searching for a Supporter from your deck or recovering a Supporter from your discard pile is super useful. It can increase your consistency by finding your draw Supporters to keep churning through your deck, or assembling combos with cards like Guzma & Hala. Pelipper is also a great target for Scoop Up Net, allowing you to use Hearsay multiple times in a game for multiple purposes. While it isn’t the flashiest Colorless Pokémon, the plays it can enable in your deck may make it a key member of your team.

Slaking

In the early days of GLC, Slaking was one of the best cards in Colorless decks, and maybe even the whole format; but with plenty of new releases, it has fallen by the wayside for many trainers. But Paldea Evolved Slaking is here to remind GLC players why this Pokémon should be respected and feared! Slacker’s Headstrike, as far as attacks go, is simply busted. 240 damage for three energy is an insanely good rate that will crush most Pokémon that dare face Slaking down. The rest of the text on this card attempts to nerf this powerful Stage 2 Pokémon, leaving Slaking sleeping and useless by your next turn more often than not. But Colorless is well-equipped to work around Slaking’s weaknesses and keep swinging turn after turn. Use the new Therapeutic Energy to keep Slaking from sleeping on the job, or the new Jet Energy to reset Slaking’s status when it goes to the bench. If you can get this Stage 2 Pokémon churning, your opponent will find themself wondering what hit them!

Trainers

Giacomo

Giacomo is one of those Supporters that doesn’t say “draw […] cards” on it, which will give many trainers pause when considering it for their decks. But this is true of many of the best supporters, like Boss’s Orders and Hex Maniac. Cards that can greatly affect the board may not help with early-game consistency, but their well-timed use can turn a losing position into a winning one immediately. Giacomo is particularly interesting as it hates on Special Energy, a key component of many of the best decks in format. If you find yourself facing many opponents who use Porygon-Z and Archeops to accelerate energy into play, consider Giacomo (maybe even alongside Faba?) to punish your opponent for trying to set up on you.

Iono

One of the interesting aspects of GLC is trying to balance new cards with similar effects to old ones. Should you replace the old card with a new one that has a slightly different effect? Should you try and run both for extra consistency? Iono enters the TCG as a midpoint between N and Marnie, two of the most popular supporters ever played. This card is a consistency Supporter, hand disruptor, and comeback card all in one package. Use it early game to continue setting your board up, when behind on prizes to recover some momentum, or in the late game to try and stick your opponent out of taking their last prize. Whether you decide to replace N, Marnie, or neither, every GLC deck should take a good look at how Iono might benefit their strategy.

Therapeutic Energy and Jet Energy

As both of these new Colorless Special Energy were already mentioned in reference to Slaking, we’ll discuss them together down here. These are two great Colorless energy with nice effects that won’t break the game on their own but can be leveraged by smart trainers to enable powerful plays. Therapeutic Energy can stop rogue Status Condition strategies from slowing you down in addition to keeping your Pokémon that self-inflict status conditions from tripping over themselves. And Jet Energy is a great pivot option; attach it to a benched Pokémon once you’ve fully charged it up for a big attack, or attach it to a Pokémon with 1 retreat cost then retreat it to put whatever Pokémon you want in the Active Spot. These cards also pair very well with Colorless Special Energy accelerators like Porygon-Z and Archeops (although you should be careful to note that “attach-from-hand” effects like Jet Energy’s don’t trigger when using an ability to put them on a Pokémon!)

Reversal Energy

This is yet another card that promises to make a big splash in both Standard and GLC. A triple rainbow energy is something that the TCG rarely sees; Reversal Energy is the first one to actually be legal for GLC. While this energy does present two hoops to jump through before its full potential is unlocked, the payoff may be too great to ignore. Decks that often start behind on prizes and play Evolution Pokémon with expensive attacks will love launching a powerful attack out of nowhere with just one attachment. This card feels like an even stronger version of Counter Energy, a card that already has amazing comeback potential. Dragon comes to mind as a deck that loves having multiple multi-colored energy on a Pokémon; with Double Dragon Energy, Counter Energy, and now Reversal Energy, opponents should be very wary of underestimating Dragon type decks!

For as many cards as we’ve covered from this new set, there are even more cards from Paldea Evolved waiting to be discovered. If a card isn’t on this list, don’t let that stop you from playing it — it could just be the key to unlocking your deck’s full potential! Happy gaming!