Switching and Prize Denial
Pivot Tools and Retreat Cost Reducers
Stadium Cards and SpeciaL Energy
Beach Court SVI 167
Switching and Scoop Up Effects
Items
Escape Rope BST 125
Switch Cart ASR 154
Switch SVI 194
Supporters
Thorton LOR 167
Furisode Girl SIT 156
Prize Denial
Ribbon Badge EVS 155
Volo LOR 169
Pivot Tools and Retreat Cost Reducers
Stadium Cards and Special Energy
Beach Court reduces the retreat cost of each Basic Pokémon in play by 1, making it easier to get Basic Pokémon out of the Active Spot when needed. Additionally, because Beach Court is a Stadium card, it also serves a way to remove your opponent’s Stadium card from play, including especially hostile Stadium cards like Path to the Peak.
Decks that run Beach Court tend to run 1-2 copies of the card.
Switching and Scoop Up Effects
Items
Other prints: PLS 120, PRC 127, BUS 114
Escape Rope is a flexible switching option as, in addition to giving you a means of switching your Active Pokémon without needing to pay that Pokémon’s retreat cost, Escape Rope also gives you a means of forcing your opponent to choose a new Active Pokémon of their own.
Decks that include Escape Rope tend to include 1-2 copies.
Switch Cart, like Switch, enables you to change your Active Basic Pokémon without paying its Retreat Cost. Switch Cart serves as an alternative switching option in decks with a high demand for switching cards. Unlike Switch, Switch Cart can only move a Basic Pokémon from your Active Spot—but it carries an additional benefit as it also heals 30 damage from the Pokémon it removes from the Active Spot.
Decks that run Switch Cart tend to run 3-4 copies of the card.
Switch enables you to change your Active Pokémon without paying its Retreat Cost. Currently, Switch is one of the most common cards in the Standard format. Many decks run 4 copies of Switch, and few run less than 2. Because you can only retreat one time in a turn, Switch helps to ensure that you’ll be able to get the right Pokémon in the Active Spot when you need to.
Supporters
Thorton switches one of your benched Pokémon in play with a Basic Pokémon in your discard pile. This can mean pulling a Support Pokémon like Lumineon V out of play in favor of switching into the prior evolution of one of your attacking Pokémon, like getting a discarded Magnemite in preparation for evolving into Magnezone ex using Rare Candy. Because Thorton retains turns in play, if a Pokémon switched out with Thorton has been in play for a turn, it can quickly evolve into the Evolution Pokémon you need.
Thorton is an uncommon inclusion in decks, but those that would want it would tend to run 1-2 copies of the card.
Furisode Girl is a means of forcing a Basic Pokémon from deck directly into the Active Spot. This can aid in getting a bad starting Pokémon out of the Active Spot, help to get a good one there in its place, or in putting a Pokémon with any sort of walling or other protection effects into the Active Spot.
Decks will not often run Furisode Girl. Decks that do will not often run more than 1 copy.
Prize Denial
Ribbon Badge, similar to Hero’s Medal, reduces the Prize cards your opponent takes when their Pokémon’s attack knocks out the Pokémon this tool card is attached to.
Ribbon Badge can only be attached to Pokémon V with Sylveon in their name. This means that Sylveon V gives up just 1 Prize card with Ribbon Badge attached—and Sylveon VMAX gives up just 2.
Volo tears away your opponents hopes for an easy two- or three-Prize knockout by discarding one of your Benched Pokémon V (including VMAX, V-UNION, and VSTAR). This means that in addition to removing heavily damaged attacking Pokémon V, Volo can be used to remove support Pokémon like Lumineon V from play.
Not every deck will run Volo, and indeed, many won’t. Those that do want Volo will likely include just 1 copy of the card.