Scarlet and Violet Base Set

March 31, 2023

198 Card Main Set

The first set of the ninth generation reintroduced Pokémon ex as two-prize cards that took the same Evolution stage as their regular versions. The Tera ex mechanic was also introduced with Gyarados ex and Arcanine ex, but most of the focus in this set was on what the brand new ex cards, with most Stage 2s having over 300 HP, could do.

THE RULES: Any card in the set that was not already in the Standard format at the time is valid for this ranking. For example, Nest Ball and Ultra Ball were both featured in Scarlet and Violet. While Ultra Ball received a "G" regulation mark, it was already in the Standard format since 2022. Meanwhile, Nest Ball hadn't been printed since Sun and Moon, meaning it was reintroduced to the game for Scarlet and Violet. Nest Ball would be valid for ranking, while Ultra Ball would not.e Ultra Ball would not.

Attack Power represents the amount of damage a card can deal with its attacks. Draw Power represents the ability of a card to pull resources from the deck. Support Skills represent miscellaneous effects from Abilities or Trainer cards, as well as a card's defensive capabilities. Most Abilities fall under Support Skills, even those which place Damage Counters, but Abilities like Seasoned Skill or Supreme Overlord do not. The above three rankings help illustrate the abilities of a card, but the three totals have no bearing on a card's placement in the list. A card might be a terrific specialist in one stat and rank #1, while having 0 in other stats. A card might have a fantastic effect but only in a very specific use case, while a slightly weaker effect could be ranked higher if it's more applicable.

Two damage counters isn't a whole lot, but sometimes that's all it takes to change the course of a game. Hawlucha lets you clear HP counts that would normally be impossible with the attacks in your deck. Being able to use a Pokémon search card to place some damage counters any time in your turn is a really useful effect.

One of Hawlucha's most lethal use cases was with Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive. Most Basics like Charmander and Dreepy have 70HP, so you can drop 6 damage counters with Phantom Dive and get two Knock Outs with Flying Entry. Another 70 HP, one Retreat single-prize Basic isn't bad, but the attack could be more useful.

Hawlucha is probably a one-of in most decks, but it's not a tech card - it's useful in many scenarios.

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Klefki is one of the best cards to start Active as it completely halts your opponent's set up. Preventing all Basic Abilities means that your opponent can't use Abilities like Miraidon ex's Tandem Unit or Teal Mask Ogerpon ex's Teal Dance. Without those strong Abilities, it's hard for your opponent get any strong Evolution cards out to bypass Klefki.

A single Retreat cost means that with a Beach Court or Rescue Board, you can take Klefki out of the Active Spot for your turn, making Mischievous Lock a one-sided effect. 70 HP isn't awful and Joust is a decent-enough attack that you can deal some damage in a pinch.

The only issue with Klefki is that if you don't get it in the first few turns, it's basically useless. This means having 4 Klefki in your deck isn't very useful, but less lowers your turn 1 odds. Thankfully, Ditto, Nest Ball and Buddy-Buddy Poffin help Klefki show up on time.

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Drifloon is just a simple, common Basic card, but its attack can be exploited to a ridiculous degree with the use of Tool cards that boost Drifloon's HP like Bravery Charm. With the use of Gardevoir ex, you can get the exact amount of damage counters left to leave Drifloon with 10 HP and Knock Out pretty much anything.

Drifloon can hit for 330 damage with just a Bravery Charm attached, allowing for an extremely easy way for a Gardevoir ex deck to delete anything in its path. Especially helpful is that this card is only a single-prize Basic which can be searched with Buddy-Buddy Poffin. 70 HP keeps it safe from Dragapult, and only one Retreat is decent.

If your opponent doesn't have something like Munkidori to place the last damage counter on Drifloon before they even attack, you can force your opponent to take a one-prize turn while this card mows down multi-prizers.

Pokémon card image © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/ GAME FREAK.

Beach Court gives all of your Basic Pokémon a lower Retreat Cost. This isn't the strongest Stadium ever, but in the early Scarlet and Violet era, there weren't a lot of Stadiums to work with. Beach Court was terrific with Basic cards with one Energy Retreat Costs like Raikou V, Miraidon ex, Squawkabilly ex and Teal Mask Ogerpon ex. 

Having free Retreat Cost for many of your top cards means that you have a lot more flexibility with your Active spot. You can have Pokémon with strong Abilities like Klefki or Tatsugiri cycle in and out of the Active spot without using any resources while ensuring your opponent can't use their own Stadium.

Another benefit of Beach Court is that it only applies to Basic cards, meaning that it is mostly a one-sided Stadium against Evolution decks.

Pokémon card image © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/ GAME FREAK.

Penny is a situational Supporter card, but if played correctly it can have a huge impact on a battle. Penny allows you to withdraw any inconvenient Basic you have in play, while keeping all the attached resources. This card allows you to be more aggressive as you don't have to worry about having too many liabilities at the end of the game.

This card is also very useful for healing and stalling, as you can play down the same Pokémon again, but now with full health again. Penny was useful in stall and control decks for this specific purpose. Penny can also be used to reuse abilities. For example, Miraidon ex's Ability can only be used once per turn by each Pokémon. Using Penny to scoop up Miraidon ex and then playing it back down means that you can use the Ability again.

Although you can't use Penny to set up your whole field, including one or two in your deck can allow for some very strategic plays later on in the game.

Pokémon card image © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/ GAME FREAK.

Miraidon ex brought forth the "Basic ex" turbo decks. Its Tandem Unit Ability made up 3 years of Lightning-Type History, so much that how much a Lightning card could work with Miraidon ex defined how good it was. Tandem Unit chains, especially after the introduction of Area Zero Underdepths, allowed you to bring out all of your Basic Pokémon on Turn 1. Over its time in Standard, Miraidon battled with a rotating cast of friends such as Iron Hands ex, Pikachu ex and Tapu Koko ex.

What puts Miraidon ex over the top is that it isn't just a support card. 220 HP, 220 damage for 3 Energy and only a one retreat cost means that Miraidon can chip in to deal with any Basic 2-Prize attackers. With the help of Electric Generator, Miraidon could be a decent threat by itself.

Miraidon isn't anything fancy, but does its job perfectly.

Pokémon card image © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/ GAME FREAK.

Electric Generator is an absurd Item card that I decided was even more impactful that Miraidon ex. If you had just 15 Energy in your deck, you could expect to get a free Energy attachment every single time you played this card. On top of this, since it's only an Item card, you could use multiple Electric Generator cards in one turn. The fact that this card not only attaches Energy but finds it as well is the most impressive.

Electric Generator allowed Raikou V to attack from turn one almost effortlessly and made Iron Hands ex's four-Energy requirement an afterthought. While Miraidon brought all of the Lightning attackers on the Bench, this card is what allowed them to perform.

Another benefit of Electric Generator is how effectively it thins your deck. Taking up to two cards out of your deck with an Item card means you can tear through your deck and leave only the most important cards to seal a win.

Pokémon card image © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/ GAME FREAK.

Arven was the introduction to the new Generation 9 rule that made Tool cards separate from Item cards. Burning your Supporter for the turn to find an Item and a Tool isn't the greatest effect on paper, but it can be ridiculously powerful depending on what other cards are in the format. 

Arven for Forest Seal Stone and Battle VIP Pass was one of the most lethal Turn 1s in 2023, nearly guaranteeing a perfect setup for decks like Charizard ex. Players could build their decks to allow a Tool and Item to set everything up, making Arven just as, if not more valuable than Professor's Research or Iono. 

Finding the last pieces necessary to win is also a great use case for Arven. If all you need is a specific Item card, Arven is the best. If you need a Pokémon, you only need one extra card as you can use Arven to get an Ultra Ball and trash the Tool card. Arven is great since you can consistently get two specific cards as long as your deck is built around it.

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Gardevoir ex made up one of the strongest deck archetypes ever that won the World Championships in 2025. Psychic Embrace is a really fun and complex Ability that was used with some of the most interesting attackers I've ever seen. Gardevoir allows you to flood the board with Energy from your Discard Pile, meaning you can use reckless Trainers, trash all the Energy early and never have to worry about refreshing your hand. This is a terrific Ability and far lower maintenance than the likes of Rain Dance.

The small damage penalty from attaching the Energy unlocked Scream Tail and Drifloon, allowing Gardevoir ex decks to swing or snipe for huge amounts of damage. Near the end of Gardevoir's time in Standard, the damage was more important than the Energy. Gardevoir's high HP and decent attack meant that it wasn't a weak Support card to be stranded Active. 

Pokémon card image © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/ GAME FREAK.

Nest Ball returned to the Pokémon Trading Card Game to start the ninth generation. Nest Ball is a another wildly simple and effective card. It's nearly perfect - get any Basic you want. The only problem is that Abilities that activate when played from your hand like Meowth ex or Lumineon V do not work. 

Nest Ball was fantastic to find Basic cards like Miraidon ex, Squawabilly ex, Rotom V, and even Charmander and Dreepy. Every deck has Basics, so this card is a no-brainer for almost any deck. When Nest Ball isn't in the format, players still commonly use Ultra Ball as a very strong card, even in Basic-only decks. Nest Ball does the same thing for Basics without needing to discard two cards.

Nest Ball is a simple and effective staple that increases the consistency of any deck you put it in.

Pokémon card image © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/ GAME FREAK.

See Also:

Card Artwork from Pokémon TCG Card Database, Pack Artwork from Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Sleeved Booster Pack (10 Cards) | Pokémon Center Official Site, used for review purposes.

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