Recap of Lille Regionals and Surging Sparks Card Previews

Recap of Lille Regionals and Surging Sparks Card Previews

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This time, it’s more about card sleeves than clean living, as Cory and Jared break down a packed weekend of competitive Pokémon and fresh card spoilers with their usual mix of sharp analysis and daft jokes. The chat kicks off with Lille Regionals, where Regidrago roared back into relevance. Cory and Jared are genuinely stunned that James Cox took the event with a deck they’d written off: “I'm shocked that this won.

I'm shocked. I am shocked. I didn't see it coming.” They walk through how his tech choices, especially the 1-1 Hoothoot–Noctowl line, changed prize trades and gave Regidrago new legs. They also talk about the low showing for Raging Bolt, the surprising underperformance of Terapagos, and why control master Sander’s Snorlax build and various Dusknoir lists still fascinate them.

From there, the focus shifts to the Surging Sparks set, where competitive players are going to have a lot to chew on. You’ll hear first reactions to cards like the new Pikachu ex with its “you-can’t-one-shot-me” ability, Magneton’s huge energy acceleration, Melodic ex blanking damage from Terra Pokémon, and the gloriously mean Cofagrigus that spreads six damage counters on anything with an ability.

The pair really light up over Sylveon ex and Archaludon, predicting that these chunky stage ones could reshape tournaments, with Cory half-joking that Sylveon ex is “so good it's going to get banned.” They round things off with some smart deck-building lessons drawn from James Cox’s Regidrago journey: stick with a strong archetype, keep tweaking, and don’t abandon a deck just because one finish dips.

If you’re into meta calls, spicy techs and friendly bickering about what’s “the best deck in format”, this chat will give you plenty to think about before your next event or local league night.