Sao Paulo Results and How to Make a Deck BetterSao Paulo Results and How to Make a Deck Better
The Payoff with Pete
Corey and Jared break down the São Paulo Pokémon TCG Regional, focusing on Charizard’s dominance, emerging decks like Espathra and Meowscarada, and why control is struggling. They also rework top lists by swapping three cards, showing how small tweaks can sharpen a competitive deck.
1:03:46•26 Apr 2024
São Paulo Showdown: Charizard, Espathra, and Smarter Deck Tweaks
Episode Overview
- Charizard remains a dominant force, with strong finishes in São Paulo and skilled pilots like Pedro Partusi showing the value of sticking with one archetype.
- Espathra is framed as a powerful answer to Charizard, Future Box and other basic-heavy decks thanks to its favourable matchups.
- Control and stall strategies are in a difficult spot but may rebound as popular Charizard lists cut key outs such as Prime Catcher.
- Single-card techs like Missed Energy, Temple of Sinnoh and Hand Trimmer can dramatically change matchups and are worth careful consideration.
- Regularly reviewing winning lists and forcing yourself to change three cards is presented as a practical way to improve deckbuilding skills and meta awareness.
“This is the circle of life in Pokémon. Something rises, it gets countered, something else becomes strong.”
Curious about how others manage the highs and lows of a hobby they’re obsessed with? This chat between Corey and Jared on **Teach Me Pokémon** is a full-on strategy session for competitive Pokémon TCG fans, centred around the São Paulo Regional Championships and how to tighten up your deck. Right from the start, they geek out over the huge São Paulo event and the dominance of Charizard lists, especially Pedro Partusi’s winning build.
They joke that if you just “run meta” you’d probably be fine, but they’re far more interested in clever tech choices and risky one-of cards. As Corey says, “This is the circle of life in Pokémon. Something rises, it gets countered, something else becomes strong.” You’ll hear a breakdown of why Charizard still looks like a top contender, why Gardevoir might be on the way back, and why control decks are having a rough patch.
Espathra gets a lot of love as a quiet meta buster, while Meowscarada is pitched as the next possible climber thanks to its spread damage and synergy with de-evolution plays. The heart of the episode is very much about **making a good deck better**. Both hosts set themselves “homework” to take existing successful lists (Charizard and Arceus/Armarouge) and swap out three cards to sharpen consistency or open new win paths.
You’ll hear them debate techs like Missed Energy, Temple of Sinnoh, Hisuian Heavy Ball, Super Rod and Hand Trimmer, and how tiny changes can swing whole tournaments. Their tone stays light and funny, with gentle self‑mockery about bad coin flips and living at the lower tables, but underneath the jokes is clear, practical card analysis. If you enjoy competitive games as a healthy distraction and like hearing two long‑time friends argue about one-card differences, this one’s an easy, engaging listen.
Which three cards would you cut from your favourite deck after hearing this?
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