Fox's Fire Force

Set

SWSH04: Vivid Voltage

Number

023/185

Type

Fire

HP

70

Stage

Basic

Weakness

Water ×2

Retreat

1

Attack 1

Collect — Draw a card.

Attack 2

Flare 30

Evolution

charmander → charmeleon → charizard

General use

Charmander is a seed. Its job is to sit on your Bench early so you can grow a Charizard on top of it later. That's it. Don't expect it to fight.

You have 4 because you can't build a Charizard without one, and because you need a Basic Pokémon in your opening hand or you have to mulligan.

Pairing

• Rare Candy — turns a Charmander straight into a Charizard. Skips Charmeleon completely.
• Nest Ball — grabs a Charmander from your deck and puts it right on the Bench.
• Magma Basin — can load Energy onto a benched Charmander before it grows up.

Strategy

Play more than one. The most common beginner mistake is putting down one Charmander and saving the rest "for later." Don't. Your dad can only knock out one Pokémon per turn. Every Charmander you didn't bench is a Charizard you can't build.

Two or three Charmander on the Bench early is not being greedy. It's insurance.

Collect costs one Fire Energy and draws a card. It's a real option on a turn where you have nothing better to do — but if you're attacking with Charmander, something has already gone wrong.

Set

SWSH04: Vivid Voltage

Number

024/185

Type

Fire

HP

90

Stage

Stage 1 (from Charmander)

Weakness

Water ×2

Retreat

2

Attack 1

Slash 20

Attack 2

Raging Flames 60 — Discard the top 3 cards of your deck.

Evolution

charmander → charmeleon → charizard

General use

Charmeleon is the slow road to Charizard. When you have a Rare Candy, you skip right past him. When you don't, he's how you get there anyway.

You only have 2 because he's the backup plan, not the main plan.

Pairing

• Charizard — the only reason he's in the deck.
• Evolution Incense — finds a Charmeleon or a Charizard from your deck.
• Rare Candy — the card that lets you skip him. If Candy is in your hand, leave Charmeleon alone.

Strategy

Here's the timing rule that matters most: Rare Candy can't be used on your first turn, and can't be used on a Basic you played that same turn.

So if you can't Rare Candy yet, evolving Charmander → Charmeleon is still a good play. A Charmeleon on turn two is a Charizard on turn three. A Charmander sitting there hoping for a Rare Candy might be a Charizard on turn three... or might still be a Charmander on turn six.

Don't use Raging Flames unless you have to. 60 damage sounds nice, but throwing away the top 3 cards of your deck can lose you a Charizard, a Leon, or an Energy you needed. Slash for 20 is often the smarter attack while you wait.

Set

SWSH04: Vivid Voltage

Number

025/185

Type

Fire

HP

170

Stage

Stage 2 (from Charmeleon)

Weakness

Water ×2

Retreat

3

Ability

Battle Sense — Once during your turn, look at the top 3 cards of your deck and put 1 into your hand. Discard the other 2.

Attack

Royal Blaze 100+— Does 50 moredamage for each Leoncard in your discard pile.

Evolution

charmander → charmeleon → charizard

General use

This is your best card and the whole point of the deck. 170 HP is the biggest number on either side of the table.

Royal Blaze starts at 100 damage for just two Fire Energy. Then it gets bigger every time a Leon card ends up in your discard pile. Learn this table — it's the most important math in your deck:

Leon cards in your discard pile

Royal Blaze damage

0

100

1

150

2

200

3

250

4

300

Your dad's Gengar and Weezing both have 130 HP. So with just one Leon in your discard pile, Royal Blaze knocks out anything he has, in one hit. That's the number to aim for.

Battle Sense is free every single turn. Use it every turn. It costs nothing, it doesn't end your turn, and it digs you toward what you need.

Pairing

• Leon — read the Game Plan called The Leon Engine. These two cards are really one card.
• Rare Candy — the fast way here from Charmander.
• Welder — puts both Fire Energy on in a single turn, so Charizard can attack the moment it arrives.
• Switch — with a retreat cost of 3, Switch is basically the only way to move Charizard.
• Magma Basin — loads Energy onto Charizard while it's still on the Bench.

Strategy

Use Battle Sense before you do anything else, every turn. It's the most-forgotten card text in the deck. Look at 3, keep 1. Even when you already know what you want to do, look first — you might find something better. Just remember the other 2 cards get discarded, so don't do it when you can't afford to lose them.

Get the Energy on before Charizard arrives. Charizard needs . If it walks into the Active Spot with nothing attached, it just stands there for two turns getting hit. Load a benched Charmander or Charmeleon with Energy first, or use Welder the same turn Charizard shows up.

That retreat cost of 3 is a real weakness, and your dad's deck knows it. His Weezing makes your Active Pokémon Confused, and Confused only wears off when the Pokémon leaves the Active Spot. A Confused Charizard is stuck flipping coins unless you spend a Switch on it. Keep a Switch in hand when you can.

Set

SV: Prismatic Evolutions

Number

074/131

Type

Colorless

HP

50

Stage

Basic

Weakness

Fighting ×2

Retreat

1

Ability

Boosted Evolution — As long as this Pokémon is in the Active Spot, it can evolve during your first turn or the turn you play it.

Attack

Reckless Charge 30— This Pokémon also does 10 damage to itself.

Evolution

eevee → flareon

(Eevee can evolve into lots of things. In this deck, it becomes Flareon.)

General use

Eevee's Ability breaks one of the game's biggest rules. Normally you cannot evolve a Pokémon on the turn you play it. Eevee can — as long as it's in the Active Spot.

That means: play Eevee Active, evolve it into Flareon right away. A Stage 1 attacker on turn one. Nothing else in your deck is that fast.

Pairing

• Flareon — the whole reason Eevee is here.
• Evolution Incense — finds the Flareon to put on top.
• Nest Ball — careful! Nest Ball puts a Basic on your Bench, and Boosted Evolution only works in the Active Spot.

Strategy

Read the Ability really carefully. It says Active Spot. An Eevee on the Bench is a normal, boring Eevee — you have to wait a full turn to evolve it. An Eevee in the Active Spot can turn into Flareon immediately.

So if you want the fast Flareon, play Eevee as your Active Pokémon, not to the Bench.

50 HP is tiny. It's the smallest number in either deck. Your dad's Gengar does 130 damage pretty easily, so an Eevee left sitting around is a free Prize card for him. Either evolve it fast or accept that you're using it as a shield.

Careful with Reckless Charge. 30 damage is okay, but the 10 damage to itself means Eevee is now at 40 HP and even easier to knock out. Only do it if you're fine losing that Eevee.

Set

SV: Prismatic Evolutions

Number

013/131

Type

Fire

HP

130

Stage

Stage 1 (from Eevee)

Weakness

Water ×2

Retreat

2

Attack 1

Destructive Flame 30 — Flip a coin. If heads, discard an Energy from your opponent's Active Pokémon.

Attack 2

Fighting Blaze 90+ — Does 90 more if your opponent's Active Pokémon is a Pokémon ex or V.

Evolution

eevee → flareon

General use

Flareon is your early attacker. It shows up way faster than Charizard and it hits hard enough to matter — 130 HP is the same as your dad's Gengar and Weezing.

Its real weapon is Destructive Flame. Only 30 damage, but on heads it throws away one of his Energy cards.

Pairing

• Eevee — play Eevee Active, then Flareon on the same turn. Fastest start in the deck.
• Evolution Incense — pulls Flareon out of your deck.
• Leon — Leon's +30 works on any of your attacks, not just Charizard's. Flareon with Leon does 120.
• Magma Basin — Flareon is a Fire Pokémon, so Magma Basin can power it up on the Bench.

Strategy

Destructive Flame is better than it looks, and here's why. Your dad's deck has only 12 Energy cards in 60, and he can only attach 1 per turn. Every Energy you knock off is a whole turn of his stolen. Doing that to a Weezing he's setting up can wreck his big two-turn combo.

It's a coin flip, so it won't always work. Do it anyway — 30 damage plus a 50% chance to ruin his turn is a fine deal.

Set

SWSH01: Sword & Shield Base Set

Number

100/202

Type

Fighting

HP

100

Stage

Basic

Weakness

Grass ×2

Retreat

1

Attack 1

Double Draw — Draw 2 cards.

Attack 2

Flail — Does 10 damage for each damage counter on this Pokémon.

Evolution

sudowoodo (doesn't evolve)

General use

Sudowoodo is the secret weapon, and it is the card your dad is most scared of. Here's why:

Sudowoodo is a Fighting type. Every single Pokémon in your dad's deck is Weak to Fighting ×2.

That means Sudowoodo's damage gets doubled against Gastly, Haunter, Gengar, Koffing, and Weezing. All of them.

And Flail gets stronger the more beaten up Sudowoodo is. Every damage counter on Sudowoodo is 10 more damage — then doubled.

Pairing

• Switch — get a damaged Sudowoodo into the Active Spot right when it's scariest.
• Nest Ball — finds one from your deck.
• Ordinary Rod — puts a knocked-out Sudowoodo back in your deck to use again.

Strategy

Learn this table. It wins games.

At 70 damage taken, Sudowoodo one-shots anything your dad has. For one Energy. Any Energy.

So Sudowoodo is a revenge attacker. You want it to get hurt. The plan:

1. Put Sudowoodo out where it will take a hit.
2. Let your dad attack it. Now it's damaged — which means it's dangerous.
3. Switch it into the Active Spot if it isn't already.
4. Flail for double damage.

Free bonus: his own Stadium helps you. His Risky Ruins puts 2 damage counters on your Basic Pokémon when you bench them. On Sudowoodo, that's 20 free Flail damage — 40 after doubling. His own card arms your best weapon. Don't tell him.

The danger: Sudowoodo only has 100 HP. At 70 damage it's terrifying, but it's also 30 away from dying. You get about one shot. Make it count — use Boss's Orders to drag out the Pokémon you most want gone, then Flail it.

Set

SWSH04: Vivid Voltage

Number

154/185

Type

Trainer — Supporter

General use

Leon does two jobs at once, and the second one is the sneaky part.

Job 1 (right now): every attack you make this turn does +30 damage.

Job 2 (forever after): when your turn ends, the Leon card goes to your discard pile — and Charizard's Royal Blaze does 50 more damage for each Leon in your discard pile.

So Leon isn't a card you "use up." Using it is how you power up Charizard. Every Leon you play makes every future Royal Blaze permanently stronger.

Pairing

• Charizard — this is the deck's main engine. See The Leon Engine.
• Flareon — Leon boosts any attack. Flareon's Fighting Blaze goes from 90 to 120.
• Sudowoodo — Leon's +30 happens before Weakness doubles it, so it turns into +60 against your dad's Dark Pokémon.
• Professor's Research — can dump extra Leons into the discard, which is exactly where you want them.

Strategy

The +30 lands before the doubling. That matters a lot. The card says "before applying Weakness and Resistance." So if you Leon up a Sudowoodo Flail, the +30 gets added first and then the whole thing doubles. That's a hidden +60.

The first Leon is the most important one. Look at the jump:

• 0 Leon in discard → Royal Blaze does 100. His Gengar (130 HP) survives.
• 1 Leon in discard → Royal Blaze does 150. His Gengar dies.

Getting that first Leon into the discard is the single biggest power spike in your deck.

The perfect first Charizard turn: play Leon, then attack with Royal Blaze. 100 + 30 = 130, which knocks out a Gengar or a Weezing exactly. And the Leon you just played is now in your discard, so next turn Royal Blaze does 150 all by itself.

You have 4 Leons. Play them freely. They're worth more used than saved.

Set

Battle Academy (#25 Charizard Stamped)

Number

189/214

Type

Trainer — Supporter

General use

Welder is the strongest card in either deck. It breaks the biggest rule in the game.

Normally you attach 1 Energy per turn. Welder attaches 2 more — and then draws you 3 cards for doing it.

Two Fire Energy is exactly what Charizard's Royal Blaze costs. So Welder can turn a bare Charizard into a fully-loaded Charizard in one turn.

Pairing

• Charizard — in one turn. This is the dream.
• Flareon — also loves a sudden pile of Energy.
• Kindler — Kindler wants Fire Energy in your hand; Welder wants Fire Energy in your hand. Don't run out.

Strategy

Save it for the big turn. Don't Welder a Charmander on turn one just because you can. Welder is worth the most when it turns "my Charizard can't attack" into "my Charizard attacks right now." Hold it until that turn exists.

Remember it still uses your Supporter for the turn. A turn where you Welder is a turn you cannot play Leon. So think it through: is it better to power up Charizard this turn, or hit 30 harder this turn? Usually the answer is get the Energy down first — you can Leon next turn.

Set

SV: Prismatic Evolutions

Number

122/131

Type

Trainer — Supporter

General use

The big reset. Throw your whole hand away, draw 7 fresh cards. Simple and powerful.

Pairing

• Leon — discarding a spare Leon is good, because Charizard counts Leons in your discard pile.
• Ordinary Rod — gets back Pokémon and Energy you threw away.
• Magma Basin — Fire Energy you discard here isn't lost. Magma Basin pulls it back out.

Strategy

But in this deck, discarding is sometimes a bonus. You are one of the few decks that wants things in its discard pile:

• Extra Leon → makes Royal Blaze bigger. Great.
• Extra Fire Energy → Magma Basin can put it right back onto a Pokémon. Fine.
• A spare Charmander → Ordinary Rod can shuffle it back. Fine.
• Your only Rare Candy or your only Charizard → bad. Don't.

Best time to play it: when your hand is down to 1 or 2 useless cards. Trading 2 junk cards for 7 fresh ones is fantastic. Trading 6 good cards for 7 random ones usually isn't.

Set

ME01: Mega Evolution

Number

114/132

Type

Trainer — Supporter

General use

This is how you choose who you fight.

Your dad puts a big healthy Pokémon in front and hides the hurt ones on his Bench. Boss's Orders reaches past the big one and drags out whoever you want.

Pairing

• Charizard — drag out the Pokémon Royal Blaze can finish.
• Sudowoodo — drag out a Gengar, then Flail it for double.
• Leon — you can't play both in one turn (one Supporter per turn!), so plan a turn ahead.

Strategy

This is your finishing card. Late in the game, when you need one more Prize to win, the answer is almost always Boss's Orders. He hides a hurt Pokémon on the Bench thinking it's safe. It isn't.

Use it on Gengar before it grows up. Your dad's Gengar has an Ability called Infinite Shadow: if it gets knocked out, it goes back to his hand instead of the discard pile, and it brings its whole family with it. Annoying!

But that only helps him after it's already a Gengar. If you Boss's Orders a Gastly off his Bench and knock it out while it's still small, there's no Gengar yet — so nothing comes back. Killing the little ones early is worth more than it looks.

Set

SWSH09: Brilliant Stars

Number

143/172

Type

Trainer — Supporter

General use

Dig deep. Throw away one Fire Energy, then look at the top 7 cards of your deck and keep any 2 you like.

Seven cards is a lot. You will almost always find something good.

Pairing

• Magma Basin — the perfect partner. Kindler's discarded Energy goes to the discard pile, and Magma Basin attaches Energy from the discard pile. So the cost is basically free.
• Charizard — the card you're usually digging for.
• Basic Fire Energy — you need one in hand or you can't play Kindler at all.

Strategy

Kindler + Magma Basin is a real combo, and it's a good one to learn. On its own, Kindler costs you an Energy card. But if Magma Basin is on the table, that Energy isn't gone — it's just moved to a place where Magma Basin can pick it up and attach it to a benched Fire Pokémon.

You paid nothing and looked at 7 cards. That's a great deal.

You must have a Fire Energy in hand. If you don't, you can't play Kindler at all — it's a dead card. Keep that in mind before you dump your whole hand to Professor's Research.

Pick carefully from the 7. You only keep 2, and the rest get shuffled back. Usually the right picks are: whatever you need to attack this turn, plus whatever you need to attack next turn.

Set

SWSH07: Evolving Skies

Number

164/203

Type

Trainer — Supporter

General use

The bigger your dad's board, the more cards you draw. "In play" means everything — his Active Pokémon and his whole Bench.

His deck loves a big Bench. He plays Gastly and Koffing everywhere so his Gengar hits harder. Every one of those is a card for you.

Pairing

• Ordinary Rod — gets back Pokémon and Energy you discarded to pay for it.
• Leon — a great thing to discard as your cost, since Leon is better in your discard pile.

Strategy

How many cards is it really? Count his side of the table:

His Pokémon in play

You draw

2

2 (not worth it)

4

4 (okay)

5

5 (good)

6

6 (great)

He can have at most 6 — 1 Active plus 5 on the Bench. So Zinnia's Resolve tops out at 6 cards.

Wait for his board to fill up. Playing this on turn one when he has one lonely Gastly out draws you 1 card and costs you 2. That's terrible. Playing it on turn four against a full board draws 6.

Pick your discards on purpose. You have to throw away 2 cards. Best choices: a spare Leon (goes where you want it anyway) and a spare Fire Energy (Magma Basin can get it back). Worst choices: your only Charizard, your only Rare Candy.

You only have 1 of this card, so there's no rush. Wait for the great turn.

Set

ME01: Mega Evolution

Number

125/132

Type

Trainer — Item

General use

A time machine. Charmander goes straight to Charizard, and Charmeleon never happens. It turns a three-turn wait into one turn.

Pairing

• Charmander → Charizard — the only line it works on in your deck.
• Ultra Ball / Evolution Incense — find the Charizard so the Candy has something to put down.
• Nest Ball — gets the Charmander down early so the Candy is legal when you want it.

Strategy

The fastest legal Charizard is turn two: bench Charmander on turn one, Rare Candy on turn two.

Don't Rare Candy a Charmander that's Active and about to die. If you put your Charizard on top of a Charmander that's one hit from being knocked out, your dad takes a Prize card and your Charizard in the same turn. Rare Candy the Charmander on your Bench, and bring Charizard out when you choose.

Set

ME01: Mega Evolution

Number

131/132

Type

Trainer — Item

General use

Finds any Pokémon in your deck. Basic, Stage 1, Stage 2 — doesn't matter. The price is throwing away 2 cards from your hand first.

You must be able to pay. With fewer than 2 other cards in hand, you can't play it at all.

Pairing

• Charizard — the main thing you're hunting.
• Rare Candy — Ultra Ball finds the Charizard, Rare Candy puts it in play.
• Ordinary Rod — takes back what you discarded.
• Leon — the best card to discard, because your discard pile is where Leon belongs.

Strategy

Discard smart, and the cost almost disappears. The perfect Ultra Ball discards a spare Leon (which powers up Royal Blaze) and a spare Fire Energy (which Magma Basin can put back into play). You just paid nothing.

Never discard: your last Rare Candy, your last Charizard, or a Supporter you were about to play.

Play it before your Supporter. Once you know what you found, you'll know which Supporter you actually want.

Set

SV: Paldean Fates

Number

084/091

Type

Trainer — Item

General use

Free and easy. Grab a Basic Pokémon out of your deck and put it straight onto the Bench — no cost, no discard, no Energy.

Pairing

• Charmander — the usual pick.
• Sudowoodo — grab your secret weapon exactly when you need it.
• Rare Candy — Nest Ball a Charmander this turn so you can Candy it next turn.

Strategy

It goes to the Bench, not the Active Spot. That's almost always what you want — but it's the one thing to watch with Eevee. Eevee's Boosted Evolution Ability only works in the Active Spot. A Nest Ball Eevee lands on the Bench and can't use it.

If you want the fast Flareon, play Eevee from your hand as your Active Pokémon instead.

Turn one, use these first. Nest Ball costs you nothing, so there's never a reason to hold it. Get your board built.

Set

SWSH01: Sword & Shield Base Set

Number

163/202

Type

Trainer — Item

General use

Finds any Pokémon that isn't a Basic. In your deck that means: Charmeleon, Charizard, or Flareon.

It's like Ultra Ball but you don't have to discard anything. The trade is that it can't get Basics.

Pairing

• Charizard — the usual target.
• Flareon — grab it to drop on an Active Eevee for a fast start.
• Rare Candy — Incense finds the Charizard, Candy puts it down.

Strategy

Free is a big deal. No discard cost means you can play this when your hand is nearly empty, which is exactly when Ultra Ball stops working. Keep that difference in mind.

You only have 1. Save it for the turn you actually need a specific evolution. If you already have a Charizard in hand, don't waste it.

Set

ME01: Mega Evolution

Number

130/132

Type

Trainer — Item

General use

Free retreat. Move your Active Pokémon to the Bench and bring out whoever you want, without paying any Energy.

Pairing

• Charizard — retreat cost 3 is huge. Switch is basically the only way to move it.
• Sudowoodo — bring a beaten-up Sudowoodo out at the perfect moment to Flail.
• Flareon — retreat 2. Also expensive.

Strategy

Only 2 copies, so don't waste them. Save Switch for a stuck attacker or a Confusion problem — not just to shuffle things around.

Switch also saves a Pokémon that's about to die. If your Charizard is at 20 HP and it's his turn next, Switching it to the Bench means he has to knock out something else first.

Set

SWSH01: Sword & Shield Base Set

Number

171/202

Type

Trainer — Item

General use

The undo button. Takes up to 2 Pokémon and up to 2 Energy back out of your discard pile — that's up to 4 cards — and shuffles them into your deck.

Pairing

• Professor's Research — the card that throws stuff away. This is the card that gets it back.
• Ultra Ball / Kindler / Zinnia's Resolve — all of these make you discard. Ordinary Rod fixes it.
• Charizard — the card you most want back after one gets knocked out.

Strategy

Save it for when you actually need it. You only have 1. Playing it on turn two to rescue one Charmander is a waste. Playing it late, when both your Charizards are dead and you're running low on Energy, can win the game.

"Basic Energy" means your Fire Energy. All 13 of your Energy cards are Basic, so any of them can come back.

Set

SWSH09: Brilliant Stars

Number

144/172

Type

Trainer — Stadium

General use

Extra Energy, every single turn, out of your discard pile. This is the closest thing you have to unlimited fuel.

It costs you 2 damage counters (20 damage) on whatever you attach to, and it only works on Benched Fire Pokémon.

Pairing

• Kindler — Kindler discards a Fire Energy; Magma Basin picks it right back up. The two cards cancel each other's cost out.
• Professor's Research — makes discarding Energy safe.
• Charizard / Flareon — both are Fire, so both can be loaded up on the Bench.

Strategy

Remember: Bench only. You can't use Magma Basin on your Active Pokémon. So power things up before they go out to fight.

Sudowoodo can't use it either. Sudowoodo is a Fighting Pokémon, not a Fire one. Magma Basin skips it.

The Stadium war. Your dad plays Risky Ruins, which is also a Stadium — and only one Stadium can be on the table at a time. Playing yours throws his away, and playing his throws yours away.

That's why you have 2. When he replaces your Magma Basin, you can put it right back. Whoever runs out of Stadiums first has to live with the other person's.

Set

MEE: Mega Evolution Energies (any Fire Energy works)

Number

002

Type

Energy — Basic

General use

Fuel. Every attack in your deck is paid for with these.

You may attach only 1 Energy per turn from your hand. That's the rule that decides how fast your deck goes — which is exactly why Welder and Magma Basin are so good, because they get around it.

Basic Energy is the one card type with no 4-copy limit. You can play as many as you like.

Pairing

• Everything. But especially Welder (2 at once from hand) and Magma Basin (1 per turn from the discard).
• Ordinary Rod — puts up to 2 back in your deck.
• Kindler — you must have one in hand to play Kindler at all.

Strategy

Attach ahead of time. Put Energy on Pokémon while they're still on the Bench, before you need them out front. A Charizard that arrives with already attached can attack immediately. One that arrives empty stands there doing nothing for two turns while it gets hit.

This is the number one mistake new players make. Plan one turn ahead.

Fire Energy also pays for . A Colorless symbol means "any Energy." So a Fire Energy works fine for Sudowoodo's Flail and Eevee's Reckless Charge . You never need a second Energy type.

Here's what each attacker costs:

Pokémon	Attack	Cost	Energy needed
Sudowoodo	Flail		1
Flareon	Destructive Flame		1
Charizard	Royal Blaze		2
Eevee	Reckless Charge		2
Flareon	Fighting Blaze		3

Notice that your two best attacks — Royal Blaze and Flail — only need 1 or 2 Energy. Your deck is cheaper to run than it looks.