The recent Pokémon TCG World Championships saw the Regidrago VSTAR deck emerge as the standout performer. Notably, a new deck variant turned out to be the dominant version of this deck. The Hawlucha card from Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] was among the cards added to this new build that made the new variant as effective as it was.

About Hawlucha (Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] 282/190)

Hawlucha’s primary role in the Regidrago VSTAR deck is to pick up early-game KOs on opposing Basic Pokémon before they can evolve. By pairing it with the Boss’s Orders card from Triplet Beat [SV1a] which is in the deck for gusting purposes, a vulnerable Pokémon with a low maximum HP total can be forced into the opponent’s Active spot and be picked off by Hawlucha’s Wing Attack.

Hawlucha’s Ability of Flying Entry also provides the deck with an advantage in mirror matchups by dealing 10 damage to two different opposing Benched Pokémon upon Hawlucha’s entry onto the player’s Bench. Both Hisuian Goodra VSTAR from Dark Phantasms [S10a] and Dragapult ex from Mask of Change [SV6] inflict 200 damage on the opposing Active Pokémon.

Thus, if an opponent who’s also using a Regidrago VSTAR deck has either the Teal Mask Ogerpon ex card from Mask of Change [SV6] or Fezandipiti ex from Night Wanderer [SV6a]—both of which have 210 HP—on the Bench, Hawlucha can damage that Pokémon first before the player plays Boss’s Orders for gusting, then pick off the Pokémon-ex for two easy Prize cards.

This card depicts the Shiny version of Hawlucha, giving the card additional value. It therefore also has the Shiny Pokémon-exclusive rarity of S; this unique rarity level will also increase its demand. From an aesthetic standpoint, the background of the illustration has stars and sparkles across it, alluding to the visual effect shown in the Pokémon video games when a Shiny Pokémon enters combat.

Release Details

The English version of this card is card 175/091 from Paldean Fates.

The sale price of a Hawlucha (Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] 282/190) card is 5,520 JPY (~US$38).

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