Take out your opponent’s strongest Pokemon and dominate the game by using this beginner’s guide on how to play Giratina VSTAR deck!
Whether you’re a new or seasoned player looking for a new deck to play, the Lost Zone mechanic in Pokemon TCG can be a very confusing concept at first.
Like, how can you take advantage of putting cards in a separate zone from your discard pile, with no way of retrieving them in the first place?
The answer lies in specific cards from the Lost Origin set, as some of these cards can interact with the Lost Zone to boost their capabilities in battle.
So, to give you an example of how to utilize the Lost Zone in Pokemon TCG, we’re going to teach you how to play the Giratina VSTAR deck, which is one of the strongest decks in the expanded and standard format.
But first, let us share a list of cards included in this top-tier deck:
Giratina VSTAR Deck List by Jong Eng (1st Placer, 2024 Regional Portland)
Pokemon – 14 cards
- x4 Comfey (Lost Origin – 79/196)
- x1 Cramorant (Lost Origin – 50/196)
- x3 Giratina V (Lost Origin – 130/196)
- x3 Giratina VSTAR (Lost Origin – 131/196)
- x1 Manaphy (Brilliant Stars – 41/172)
- x1 Radiant Greninja (Astral Radiance – 46/189)
- x1 Sableye (Lost Origin – 70/196)
Trainer – 32 cards
- x4 Battle VIP Pass
- x2 Boss’s Orders
- x4 Colress’s Experiment
- x1 Counter Catcher
- x1 Escape Rope
- x4 Mirage Gate
- x3 Nest Ball
- x3 Path to the Peak
- x2 Pokegear 3.0
- x2 Roxanne
- x2 Super Rod
- x2 Switch
- x2 Switch Cart
Energy – 14 cards
- x3 Grass Energy
- x4 Jet Energy
- x4 Psychic Energy
- x3 Water Energy
How to Play Giratina VSTAR Deck: Strategies and Game Plan
The amazing thing about the Giratina VSTAR deck is that you don’t have to play passively in the early phases of the game.
While you prepare for your Giratina VSTAR to enter the field and do its thing, you have a lot of cards that you can use to delay your opponent from executing their strategy.
To win a lot of games using this deck, you need to complete the following objectives:
- Use Comfey, Giratina V, or Colress Experiment to draw more cards early in the game, as well as quickly fill your Lost Zone with at least four cards.
- Have Cramorant take your side’s Active Spot, so it can use its Spit Innocently attack, which is a deadly move against basic Pokemon in the early game. You can make Cramorant attack without using energy cards as long as you have four cards in the Lost Zone, thanks to its ability Lost Provisions.
- Let Cramorant handle your opponent’s Pokemon team while you evolve your Giratina V into Giratina VSTAR from the bench. It’s also important that you attach all the Energy cards you have to Giratina VSTAR every time you have the chance.
- Keep increasing the cards you have in the Lost Zone by switching to Comfey and using Colress’s Experiment as often as possible.
- Unleash Giratina VSTAR, and make sure you have enough cards in the Lost Zone so you can trigger its VSTAR Power, Star Requiem. Use the Star Requiem to take out your opponent’s strongest Active Pokemon. If your target Pokemon is on the bench, use Boss’s Orders to secure the knockout.
- With enough energy cards attached to it, Giratina VSTAR should be able to get rid of your opponent’s remaining Pokemon in a few turns by using its move, Lost Impact. Keep spamming the move until you’re out of Prize cards.
Core Cards: Giratina VSTAR, Giratina V, Cramorant, and Comfey




Giratina VSTAR serves as this deck’s focal point, due to its sheer power to ensure a one-hit KO. That’s basically a free Prize card once you have it in the field and you got a lot of cards in the Lost Zone.
Even without its VSTAR Power, Giratina VSTAR is still a reliable main attacker as its Lost Impact move deals a staggering 280 damage, and you can also use it to help trigger its VSTAR Power if you don’t have 10 cards in your Lost Zone yet.
Giratina V is a crucial piece on the deck not just because it’s the basic form of Giratina VSTAR, but it’s also a good alternative to Comfey in the early game with its move Abyss Seeking.
As you power up your Giratina VSTAR on the bench, Cramorant will be your main damage dealer. Never attach any energy card to Cramorant unless you have no choice but to use its retreat cost.
Comfey is an ideal card to have in your hand at the start of the game. It will help you find your other key cards and also get your Lost Zone engine running.
Other Pokemon Cards in the Giratina VSTAR Deck
Manaphy

Manaphy can protect your Giratina V and Giratina VSTAR from any damage counters while they’re on the bench. This card has an ability that is similar to Mew’s Bench Barrier.
Radiant Greninja

Use Radiant Greninja’s ability Concealed Cards if you need to draw more cards from your deck. Don’t worry about the wasted energy cards on your discard pile, as you can always Super Rod them back later.
Sableye

You can switch between Cramorant and Sableye in the mid game to keep dealing damage. Once you have at least 10 cards in the Lost Zone, Sableye’s Lost Mine provides you with flexible choices to wither your opponent’s team.
How to Use the Trainer and Energy Cards in the Giratina VSTAR Deck
Nest Ball and Battle VIP Pass


Nest Ball and Battle VIP Pass can help you search for the core Pokemon cards at the start of the game. Your priority Pokemon should be Comfey and Cramorant, since this deck has enough draw engine to retrieve the Giratina cards later.
Colress’s Experiment

As your main draw engine, use Colress’s Experiment to take more cards from your deck while increasing the pile in your Lost Zone. It’s very important to have multiple copies of this card so you can use it every turn.
Boss’s Orders, Counter Catcher, and Escape Rope



Use these cards if you want to take out one of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. Boss’s Orders and Counter Catcher almost share the same effect, but Escape Rope allows you and your opponent to select the Benched Pokemon that must be sent to the Active Spot.
Roxanne

This card’s purpose is purely situational, but Roxanne alone is capable of turning the tide of the game, especially if your opponent has the advantage.
Switch and Switch Cart


Maximize Comfey’s ability by switching it in and out of the Active Spot so you can have at least an extra card in your hand and one more card in your Lost Zone. You can also use these switch cards to retreat your Cramorant once you’re ready to use your Giratina VSTAR.
Super Rod

Super Rod fetches all the energy cards in the discard pile, which is helpful if one of your Giratina gets knocked out or if you used a lot of Radiant Greninja’s ability in the previous turns.
Mirage Gate

Mirage Gate fast tracks your victory by feeding Giratina VSTAR the energy cards it needs to execute its Lost Impact move.
Pokegear 3.0

Pokegear 3.0 is a great utility card for finding copies of Colress’s Experiment and Roxanne.
Path to the Peak

Path to the Peak is a powerful card to counter several decks that utilize the abilities of Pokemon ex, such as Gardevoir ex, Charizard ex, and Chien-Pao ex decks.
As long as you have this Stadium card, your opponent will likely play passive until they find a way to remove it.
Jet Energy

Jet Energy is a great way to spam your Comfey’s Flower Selecting Ability, as well as summon Giratina VSTAR to your Active Spot while powering it with a Colorless Energy.
Giratina VSTAR Deck: Conclusion
Now that you know how to play a Giratina VSTAR deck, you are now capable of surprising your friends with powerful attacks and achieve a higher rank in Pokemon TCG Live.
This deck is considered a strong contender in competitive tournaments because of its aggressive playstyle and powerful late game potential.
If you think you can replace some cards on this list, feel free to do so! Afterall, there are a lot of variations of Giratina VSTAR available online, and it wouldn’t hurt if you want to make some upgrades.
We hope this article helped you become a better Pokemon TCG player. Do you need more deck building strategies from us? Check out our Strategies and Tips page here at PokeCardHQ.
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