Festival Grounds: Inclusion Rate Across Deck Archetypes

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Festival Grounds card art from Twilight Masquerade

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Analyzing Inclusion Rates Across Deck Archetypes

In the evolving meta of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, stadiums can tilt the odds as decisively as a big attacker or a clutch supporter. Festival Grounds—the Twilight Masquerade Stadium carried in the SV06 set—offers a very particular kind of resilience: it relieves all Pokémon with any Energy attached from every Special Condition and, crucially, makes them immune to any new ones. It’s a powerful twist that shifts how players think about energy attachment, status effects, and inclusion rate across several deck archetypes. This article unpacks how often you’re likely to see Festival Grounds included, why it fits some archetypes better than others, and what collectors should watch for when evaluating value over time. ⚡🔥💎

Card snapshot: what Festival Grounds brings to the table

  • Card name: Festival Grounds
  • Category: Trainer — Stadium
  • Set: Twilight Masquerade (SV06)
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Illustrator: MARINA Chikazawa
  • Regulation: Mark H; legal in standard and expanded formats
  • Effect: Each Pokémon that has any Energy attached (both yours and your opponent's) recovers from all Special Conditions and can't be affected by any Special Conditions.

Artwork by MARINA Chikazawa carries the card with a certain atmospheric charm that fits Twilight Masquerade’s masquerade-and-mystery vibe. The card’s text is mercilessly straightforward: as long as a Pokémon bears energy, it and its rivals get a blanket immune-nerve to Special Conditions. It’s not a flashy one-turn play, but the floor-to-ceiling protection it grants shapes how both you and your opponent approach mid- to late-game positioning. 🎴🎨

Why this Stadium matters for deck construction

Festival Grounds operates as a lens on deck-building philosophy. A stadium that protects energized Pokémon from burn, poison, paralysis, sleep, and confusion effectively changes the risk calculus of energy management. The inclusion rate across archetypes often hinges on two clusters: healing-centric or stall-oriented decks, and control or disruption decks that can leverage the immunity to soak up pressure while still maximizing energy uptime for heavy hitters. When the field is crowded with status-inducing tools, Festival Grounds offers a counterbalance—a way to stabilize the board without investing extra resources into Status-Proofing mechanisms. ⚡

From a gameplay perspective, the card rewards decks that routinely attach Energy to multiple Pokémon, not just a single power-house. In archetypes where energy acceleration and tempo swings define the matchup, Festival Grounds incentivizes players to spread energy more broadly and to lean into late-game lines that rely on clean, uninterrupted recovery. It’s a nuanced power-up: not a finisher, but a long-game enabler that can tilt the flow of a match when timed correctly. 💎

Inclusion by archetype: where Festival Grounds tends to ride the meta

  • In decks that lean on mitigation and resilience (think stall or stall-lite builds), Festival Grounds acts as a safety net. The synergy with energy-bearing Pokémon allows more aggressive healing lines to stay online without worrying about new burns or poisons taking hold. This makes it a natural fit in some support-heavy lists.
  • For players who rely on card-draw engines and clever disruption, Festival Grounds can be a quiet glue piece. By limiting an opponent’s ability to leverage Status Conditions, you force alternative lines of attack—often turning the tide in longer games.
  • In fast-paced builds, the stadium’s impact may be less pronounced unless you can consistently attach Energy to multiple Pokémon. If you can, that broad immunity can extend the life of several threats, enabling a second-wave push while your opponent scrambles to remove the stadium or reset status effects.
  • Any deck that wants to maximize energy uptime benefits from the card’s condition-resist mechanism. The more Pokémon you energize across the board, the more robust the overall strategy becomes, particularly late in a game when Status Conditions are a frequent nuisance.

One caveat to consider: stadiums are not invincible. Opponents may counter with their own stadiums, disruption, or effects that bypass or ignore status protections in specific matchups. The inclusion rate thus becomes a game of tempo and counterplay: you want Festival Grounds when your opponent’s tools rely on inflicting conditions, but you’ll want to pair it with other lines of attack to avoid becoming predictable. ⚔️

Market signals and collector insights

From a collector’s and investor-friendly lens, Festival Grounds sits in the Uncommon tier with approachable accessibility. In the Twilight Masquerade era, this card’s value isn’t driven by explosive rarity but by practical playability. Recent pricing data reflects a modest but steady demand curve as players build around status protection and energy-strategy synergies. For budget-conscious collectors, Festival Grounds offers a nice blend of playability and affordability. Always verify current pricing on your preferred marketplace, as regional variations and print runs can tilt the value slightly up or down. 🪙

For enthusiasts who track art, MARINA Chikazawa’s work on Festival Grounds adds a subtle, atmospheric touch to a card that many players may overlook in favor of more flashy staples. The combination of practical play value and tasteful illustration makes it a worthwhile addition to a well-rounded collection, especially for players who appreciate the Twilight Masquerade aesthetic.

Practical takeaways for players and collectors

  • Consider Festival Grounds in decks that emphasize broad energy attachment and multi-Pokémon durability. The immunities it grants can smooth out tricky mid-game scenarios and preserve key engine pieces.
  • Balance the risk of opponents using other stadiums or anti-stadium strategies. Have a plan for removing or bypassing your opponent’s Stadium defenses while keeping your own energized threats online.
  • Track format legality and rotation notes for your region. The card’s status in standard and expanded formats means you can plan long-term bench strength for both casual play and tournament preparation.
  • Keep an eye on market activity, but don’t expect explosive price surges. The card’s Uncommon status and broad utility suggest steady, incremental value and collecting interest rather than dramatic spikes.
  • Pairing Festival Grounds with energy-dense attackers can maximize its impact. A strategy that emphasizes board stability and gradual pressure often benefits most from this stadium’s blanket protection.
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