With the utter dominance of the Charizard ex deck right now, elite Pokémon TCG players everywhere are trying to answer one crucial question: “how do we stop Charizard ex?” A recent deck built around the Espathra card from Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] might prove to be the answer to this question.

Though ordinarily a Psychic-type Pokémon, in this card Espathra ex has Terastallized into the Bug-type—which in the Pokémon TCG uses Grass Energy cards. This makes Espathra ex one of the best Charizard ex deck counters there is. Thanks to its new type, Espathra ex can potentially one-shot that deck’s titular with Psy Ball—an attack that inflicts 30 damage per Energy card attached to itself and the opposing Pokémon. Couple that with the doubled damage from the advantageous type matchup and all Charizard ex deck users will suddenly be on edge.

But this card’s place in the meta goes beyond “being the Charizard ex killer” alone. Its Ability of Dazzling Gaze is a highly disruptive one, increasing the opponent’s Energy cost for attacks by one Energy card. Further adding to this card’s defensive capabilities is its large 260 HP total that allows it to tank all but the most serious hits with reasonable ease.

Like all Shiny Secret Rare (SSR) cards, this card depicts the Shiny form of Espathra ex. The Full Art illustration shows Espathra ex surrounded by sparkles and stars—a nod to the visual effect which appears on-screen when a Shiny Pokémon is sent into combat in the Pokémon video games. The crystalline effect of Espathra ex’s Terastallization is also clearly visible. On the whole, the card’s high rarity, visual appeal, and nods to the video games undoubtedly add to the card’s value.

The English version of this card is card 214/091 in the Paldean Fates [PAF] set.

One copy of an Espathra ex (Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] 090/066) card has a price of 5,070 JPY (~US$33).

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