At first glance, Mimikyu doesn’t look all that great. 70 HP is a decent stat for a basic, while shadow hit deals 60 damage for 2 energy. This is actually a pretty decent attack for a non-EX basic, until you realize it also deals 20 damage to one of your own pokemon. Palossand is even worse. It’s as if Onix got 20 more HP at the expense of being a stage 1 evolution. These pokemon come off as pure filler, their sole purpose being to fatten up the card pool. Yet given how I’m making a video on them, you already know that’s not the case.

These cards fall under a specific design category we see all throughout the Celestial Guardians expansion. Mediocre pokemon backed up by a broken Supporter. That is exactly what Acerola is. As you play Acerola, you get to choose a damaged Pallosand or Mimikyu, you then transfer 40 damage from it onto your opponent’s active pokemon. This is an insane effect for a Supporter to have. Acerola leads to an 80 damage swing in your favor. For perspective, imagine combining Irida with 2 Reds in the same turn. That’s pretty much what Acerola is. This is a card that makes bad pokemon worth playing.

Today we're the ghost captain. This deck can shut down aggressive decks trying to stack up damage on us, while also having a dedicated counter to high end attackers. Acerola transforms Mimikyu into a legitimate early game threat. If our opponent’s try to rush our pikachu wannabe down, we’ll flip their own aggression against them and easily come out on top. Attempting to 2 hit KO Mimikyu can be a lethal mistake, as thanks to Acerola, we effectively convert Mimikyu into a basic that deals 100 damage for 2 energy, with an HP stat of 110. The best way to deal with Mimikyu is to quite simply one shot it. And that’s exactly why we call on his ideal team mate, Tapu Lele. This card is an incredible addition to the psychic typing. Energy Arrow will deal 20 damage for each energy attached onto its target, said target being any opposing pokemon on the field. Meet Hitmonlee and Jynx combined. Once your opponent builds up their big bad in order to run through Mimikyu, Tapu Lele will punish them for it.

Leading off with Mimikyu is key here, and it’s also important for us to be able to pivot in Tapu Lele to punish the bench without losing momentum… This is why we run a full set of X Speed. One copy of the Palossand evolution line helps us out in games that drag out. Palossand’s attack may be slow, but its HP stat allows it to survive most blows, providing us with a reliable source for an Acerola combo.