The recently-concluded Goiânia Regional Championships in Brazil saw Chilean player Marco Cifuentes come out on top with a deck built around Pidgeot ex. With an emphasis on board control, the deck’s relatively slow tempo played to Pidgeot ex’s greatest strengths, allowing Cifuentes to get a leg up on his opponents and make a run through the bracket to win this Pokémon TCG tournament.

This card is not only a powerhouse; it’s a notable pull for collectors as well. Pidgeot ex is a Special Art Rare (SAR) card from the Ruler of the Black Flame [SV3] expansion set. There aren’t many Full Art cards that make use of the bold-lined art style such as that shown in Jerky’s illustration. The card’s color scheme adds a touch of whimsy while at the same time serving to somewhat obscure the true power of this card.

The card’s primary attraction is its incredible Ability: Quick Search. It allows the player to take any card from the deck and put it in hand once per turn. When placed in a stall-oriented deck, Quick Search can be used many times to build up an overwhelmingly powerful hand containing all the tools required for victory—quite literally stacking the deck in the player’s favor.

Pidgeot ex is often paired with Pokémon such as the Snorlax card from the Pokémon GO [S10b] set as well as the Charizard ex card from Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a]. These cards’ capabilities allow Pidgeot ex to get the most out of Quick Search—be it by using Snorlax as a decoy to stall and set things up or by rapidly powering up Charizard ex.

Pidgeot ex’s massive HP of 280, retreat cost of zero, and Blustery Wind attack to rid the board of any threatening Stadium cards further increase this card’s prowess in the current metagame.

In English, this card is 225/197 of the Obsidian Flames [OBF] set.

As of the latest figures, a Pidgeot ex (Ruler of the Black Flame [SV3] 136/108) card of SAR rarity sells for ¥4,300 (~US$29).

In other TCG-related news, check out the Eevee Master Ball Mirror card from Pokémon Card 151 [SV2a]. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.