Launching the Attack — Dragapult VMAX in Standard

[cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A playable VMAX you say? Dragapult VMAX all but promises to be just that — packed with both the HP and power to handle anything, and not to mention a not-so-popular Weakness to Darkness Pokemon. Prior to Rebel Clash, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] boasted the best spreading power of any deck. Now, this deck with Dragapult VMAX’s Max Phantom look to rival that. Spreading damage has always been powerful, but I’d go so far as to say that this is the greatest spread attack of all time. It’s for a relatively low cost, two Psychic Energy, and can be paired with the new Horror Psychic Energy for even more spread damage! Scoop Up Net and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] make matters even worse for your opponent. Japanese player Takuya Yoneda recently did well with this archetype overseas. His list is well-polished, and today we’re going to take a look at it while also exploring potential edits.

Let’s finish introducing this cool new archetype. For one, I realize that you might jump, “Hey, Psychic? Pair it with Malamar?” No, this is a deck that can rely on manual Energy attachments alone. Two Energy is not a huge commitment, and with so much HP, you can bide your time making sure you have the opportunity to ramp up to it.

The VMAX Problem

How do you manage the wait to evolving a Pokemon VMAX? Mostly the same as any other deck; [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is your best starter and there are a variety of options to help you to hang in there while you build the strength of your board. I want to also call to mind that Dragapult V on its own is a decent attacker. Jet Assault is essentially an improved First Impression, dealing 140 if you moved from the Bench to the Active in the same turn. It takes two Psychic Energy, so there’s that little clunky aspect as well, but if you’re in a pinch you’ll at least have something to do while you wait to set up Dragapult VMAX itself. Playing a Pokemon VMAX deck is mostly unexplored in this day and age, be it that none of the previously released cards have been overly successful. Moving forward you should expect a bit of a learning curve in deck-building these new concepts, but I take some solace in knowing that Dragapult V can hold its own. With the exception of [card name=”Morpeko V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], I don’t believe this could be said until now. Here’s Yoneda’s list, a great starting point:

Japanese Dragapult VMAX List

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]5x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]4x [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Explanations

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Four Dragapult V and Four Dragapult VMAX

Being your main attacker comes with a cost when it comes to your decklist. Playing as thick a line as possible makes perfect sense when it’s absolutely necessary to find a Dragapult V when you’re without one so you can get ahead on Energy attachments. That squares away the Pokemon V; four should always be in these decks for consistency’s sake, but the Pokemon VMAX also deserve four slots so that you can find them early and often—Pokemon VMAX decks need to be consistent in order to be successful. Upon release, [card name=”Lapras VMAX” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] was hyped up with [card name=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. This was a farce, as the deck proved to be too inconsistent to be a real threat. Part of the problem in that deck was that you had to fit what is effectively two Stage-1 lines into one deck. This meant that a Frosmoth player would have to either play a thin Lapras VMAX line or a thin Frosmoth set. Here, you have neither of those concerns and you can focus completely on your main attacker. I would consider shaving off a single Dragapult VMAX in the future, but consistency should come first for now.

Three Jirachi

Pokemon VMAX award three Prizes. This is frightening, but in the gaps between when you’re attacking with one and not, you can fill in the space with single prizers. [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] serves this purpose and then some, providing a go-to setup option for the early game. I’d consider playing four.

One Oranguru and One Mewtwo

[cardimg name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]’s ability Mind Report is amazing in a deck that plays four Scoop Up Net. As a poor man’s Eldegoss V, you’ll need to pair this with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]’s Primate Wisdom to draw the Supporter you recovered in the same turn. [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] are both outs to snag your Mewtwo and you’ll have your game-winning Boss’s Orders in no time.

One Phione

Great under specific circumstances, [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is in this deck to force awkward situations. It’s amazing in a dedicated spread deck like this: you can push back a damaged Active to the Bench and manipulate damage counter placement to other Pokemon while getting either a Knock Out on the new Active or some great chip damage.

One Mew

[card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]’s Bench Barrier is a mainstay in any Pokemon VMAX deck. You can’t afford to allow multiple Knock Out plays when you’re giving up so many Prizes in return. This will stop many game-winning plays and Psypower is also good to spread more damage for a single Energy.

One Marshadow

This is an easy cut for me, while a strong card in any situation, clearing a Stadium only to find your decklist devoid of any of your own feels bad. The obvious counter here is to bump [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], but I don’t see that card getting big. The only fringe use is removing a [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card].

One Galarian Zigzagoon

[card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] is an amazing card in this deck because of the spread plays and then the Scoop Up Net creates a ton of value out of the additional uses that you have the opportunity to get out of it. An Ability that places one damage counter might not be much at face value, but when you’re spreading counters like there’s no tomorrow, you can chain together some explosive outputs in the late game to finish things up and create awkward situations for your opponent.

One Dedenne-GX and Zero Eldegoss V

Dedechange is great in any deck and this one can’t afford to miss. When you’re taking two Psychic Energy for each attack, you’ll want to maximize your chances of finding those Energy. I could see getting away without playing [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] at all, but for now it’s in here. Eldegoss V is outclassed by Mewtwo, at least in this deck, only because it awards a single Prize. For other decks, expect to see Eldegoss V in them often.

Four Marnie

Would these be better as [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]? The difference is small, but I’m inclined to say they’re fine as-is. This deck can benefit from slowing your opponent down on the back of a bad draw from [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and the cards you draw in return aren’t that shabby either.

Two Team Yell Grunt

One way to get “ahead” on Energy attachments is by denying your opponent their own. Let me elaborate on this further, one concept we haven’t been too infatuated on the Pokemon Trading Card Game as of late is the concept of trading Energy attachments. Most decks play an Energy accelerator ([card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card], the list goes on…) but with viable Pokemon VMAX bearing huge HP, this could change soon. [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] sets your opponent back a turn and that will make the difference in tight matchups like the mirror. Being a Pokemon VMAX comes with a few extra hurdles to hop and Team Yell Grunt helps you get over a few of those. I do like these in this deck.

Two Boss’s Orders

Playing [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and then the set of four Scoop Up Net allow you to use Boss’s Orders more than two times if you must. You’re only going to use a few a game, though, as this deck is already far-reaching with the Bench damage counter spread. If you want to finish up a Knock Out or get started on another, this is the card for you. It’s a better gust than any of the Item ones for this deck, especially with more Pokemon V/VMAX entering the game and making [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] worse in play value.

Three Giant Bomb

I like these a lot, so much so that playing four seems solid if you can find the space. Basically, 320 HP is so much that you won’t be getting Knocked Out a lot. To discourage that even further, [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] can force a passed turn or awkward play when your opponent is dealing more than 180 damage. If they’re not doing that much then they’re probably not taking down a 320 HP Pokemon VMAX, it’s as simple as that. Furthermore, the extra damage counters never hurt and you can find yourself in a much better offensive position where you can close out a game even quicker.

Four Horror Psychic Energy

Horror Psychic Energy makes this deck tick and boost your damage output. You’ll be clapping back each time an opponent dares to hit you, so now with these, Giant Bomb, and your pre-existing 130 damage output, you will be hitting like a truck. These work best in a deck that has larger HP, unlike Malamar, who as a deck would be losing the Horror Psychic Energy attachment after even a single attack (not the greatest expected value).

Options

Malamar

I don’t condone it, but Malamar is an option in this deck. I think you’d play a thin line, two [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], two [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] if anything. It gives you a bit of comeback potential and you could play [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or perhaps a single [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] as single prizer options. The flaw in the logic here is if you’re committing to Malamar, you might as well play a different deck — this deck’s main attacker awards three Prize cards. You’re not going to set up multiple Pokemon VMAX with Psychic Recharge. You’re not going to swing one prizers into bigger Pokemon with Psychic Recharge. Psychic Recharge doesn’t belong in the deck — if you found yourself needing more time, maybe you’d run more [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] to bide it?

Hyper Potion

Honestly, any healing could take this slot. [card name=”Hyper Potion” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] seems best, but it comes with a great cost. You’ll need to go up to four Energy attached to ever want to use this, but regardless, healing would obviously be strong in a deck like this. Playing [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] or even regular [card name=”Potion” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card] has merit, but only if you can think of some specific numbers of which it would get around. Right now, Hyper Potion is the most viable because you could effectively shave off an entire attack and keep swinging yourself. In this slot, you could also play other types of disruption

Tool Scrapper

A versatile card in any deck in the “new” Standard format. Tool removal is a sorely-missed option and gets around stuff like [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card], and more. It’s good, it’s a two-for-one card—you get rid of two of their cards, while only playing one of yours — that’s value. A single copy would do, but I’m not convinced you even need it, the extra cards I’m looking into are healing, or perhaps even [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] in their place.

My Dragapult VMAX

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I haven’t changed much, only buffed some consistency pieces that I’ve found to be more important. I do think Yoneda’s list is close to optimal, of which we’ll see more and more of after the legality shift of Rebel Clash. I consider this deck to be the front runner for the best deck in the format following the set’s release and we’ll certainly be on the edges of our seats seeing if it can hold up to that lofty title. One last thing I want to mention as an inclusion, something I’ve thought about adding, is [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card]. In order to play it, you’d need to drop the [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] package altogether I think. This means the deck would take an almost entirely new form, potentially going for Super Scoop Up as well. This version would be something like minus four Jirachi, minus two [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], and minus two [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] for four Lillie’s Poke Doll and four Super Scoop Up. You’d be healing and giving yourself Lillie’s Poke Doll to sit behind in the meantime while you either power up another Dragapult VMAX or set up in the first place—Lillie’s Poke Doll is great early as a wall. The only problem here is Boss’s Orders — looking at the expected count of which is in each deck will be an important factor in deciding the best approach to running this deck.

Playing the Deck

Energy, Energy—you cannot afford to miss a single one—Energy are super important! The way other decks will outpace you is by getting extra hits in before you can stabilize and put out some of your own. More outs to Energy are good, perhaps even playing an [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] would be solid so you have a searchable way to find one-of Jirachi. Your first turn should always culminate in finding a Dragapult V. I choose to go first in every matchup so you can try to get a second turn Dragapult VMAX. By going first you run some risk that you don’t find the Dragapult V you’re looking for.

The Numbers

Having four [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] as well as four [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]—and Dragapult V itself—means you have an 84.37% chance that you’ll find one of these 12 in your opening hand. Yoneda’s list plays two more Basic Pokemon than mine and that increases the likelihood of his list finding one of the twelve cards to 84.49% (hardly any different). Let’s look at Energy, with 10 in the list and 13 Basics like my list, you find an Energy in your opening hand 77.8% of the time. That goes down to 73.8% with only nine of them. The more Energy the better, and finding both of these cards together is better than not.

Plan of Action

When you start the game, get a Dragapult V and get an Energy on it—at all costs—however don’t leave yourself without a follow-up Supporter if you can help it. The second turn you want to get the second Energy you need and get to attacking. If you ever have to decide between a Horror Psychic Energy and a regular one, think about if the math will ever matter. If you put two Horror Psychic Energy on does it change anything? Map out your Prizes, this deck is efficient in finishing things off that you want to take out because of the five extra damage counters spread among the Bench. Some common ways to win are by finishing up [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and/or Eldegoss V. Let’s go through some damage calculations with each of these:

• You can place three damage counters onto a Dedenne-GX preemptively, then use Boss’s Orders to finishing it for 130 more with Max Phantom. You can do that the opposite way, too (130, then finished after).
• Eldegoss V has 180 HP, so you’ll need to do the full five damage counters there, then finish it later or the opposite.

Each of these relatively easy Knock Outs is amazing for a deck that also manages to address the Active Pokemon with a significant damage output of 130. That’s enough to one-shot most single prizers, so expect those decks to wane back. Remember [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]? It won’t be any competition for this deck since you can spread damage among the Bench and absolutely ravage their Malamar all at once after a few hits. Expect [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] to fall out of the metagame as well, falling victim to Psychic Weakness ([card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] is collateral damage to get rid of [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card], too).

[card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks cannot hang with 320 HP, they can’t deal enough damage. [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] can try its hand at stopping you with Paralysis, but you can get around that with [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] swings for 260 after Altered Creation GX which gets close, but not close enough. Here’s where [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] is important, you’ll trade favorably as long as you can take an extra two Prizes somewhere along the line with your spread damage. Giant Bomb is the only way to win this matchup though, you’ll stand no chance at all if you’re sitting there and not threatening a “one-hit” Knock Out after such a powerful attack.

This deck is all about getting the most value out of each attack. If you’re placing your damage counters right and drawing decently, you should have a chance against anything. I like this deck and can’t wait to play it a lot more. In case you’re wondering, I don’t think it has a chance in Expanded because of the “Stage-1” designation and power creep in speed with every other deck. They’re going to be far too fast for you to keep up with when you have to both evolve and attach two turns worth Energy to reach your attack readiness.

Conclusion

Dragapult VMAX is exciting, I hope this Pokemon VMAX turns out to be the real deal! So far in testing, it seems solid as anything, if not better. The spread damage is super strong, this deck boasts the strongest spreading repertoire of any deck before. Placing damage counters is always better than hard damage, [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and its Bench Barrier can’t stop it. [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] is the only way to hinder the spread damage; so long as you’re attacking, you should be winning. Well, let me know if you have any questions, thanks for reading! Take care, stay safe, and enjoy the new set — It will be, it’ll be nice to have some new cards to work with!

Peace,

–-Caleb

Follow me on Twitter @shredemerptcg.

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