Bench Domination is key to Terapagos ex and Area Zero Underdepths in Pokémon TCG: Stellar Crown

The Pokémon Company International has been kind enough to give us two cards to reveal for the upcoming English set of Pokémon TCG: Stellar Crown— and both offer a unique way to dominate the competition.

The two cards, which launch with the expansion set on Sept. 13, 2024, include the Stadium card Area Zero Underdepths and the Special Illustration Rare card of Terapagos ex, featuring artwork from Saboteri.

With Teraphagos ex, we get the first look at the Stellar Tera type in Pokémon TCG form, and the Special Illustration card is breathtaking. Seeing both these cards in English also hints at potential decks and ways to play coming in the set later this year.

Both cards work together and open up a new way to overtake a game through sheer numbers. With Area Zone Underdepths, trainers get access to a massive amount of Pokémon on their bench, increasing from five to eight. Tying that with Terapagos, which has an attack that deals 30 damage for each of your Benched Pokémon, means a potential maximum of 240 damage in one move.

This strategy relies on keeping your Stadium card in play, which is easier said than done. Its secondary attack, which deals 180 damage and stops Pokémon that aren’t Basic Energy-type from dealing any damage to Terapagos, is equally frustrating, if not situational. How it fits into current decks, or what shape both cards might take, remains a mystery.

Still, it has the potential to dominate heading into tournaments post Worlds, so now we need to see how people will use both cards to achieve victory.