The Worlds That Could Have Been — Reviewing Darkness Ablaze

Hello everyone! Jimmy here with another article on your favorite website once again. It has been a long, grindy process playing and covering the Pokemon TCG since the beginning of quarantine and the cancellation of all Pokemon tournaments, but players finally having something to look forward to again! The official release date of Darkness Ablaze is August 14th, but most players are already knee deep in practicing, thinking, or purchasing all of the goodies from the newest Pokemon set. Not as good as the world being back to normal, but it is definitely better than nothing.

The set has a lot to offer, from some powerful Trainer cards and support Pokemon all the way up to an entirely new archetype. In the past, I would have to say that new sets tend to receive a lot of hype but don’t change a whole lot outside of introducing some new inclusions for old decks, but that is not the case here. The Standard format will receive a pretty large shakeup with the release of Darkness Ablaze. Some online tournaments will be played under the format it creates, then another large shakeup in the form of the rotation will occur. Today I will be going over the new cards to come out of Darkness Ablaze, along with taking a look at how the Standard format will look prior to the rotation. There will be online tournaments played under this format and it is interesting to discuss how things will change for that, so this feels like a good topic to cover. Don’t worry, I will be here when the rotation occurs to share my thoughts on everything to come of that as well. Without any further delay, lets kick off the article with a look at the top cards in Darkness Ablaze!

The Tops

These are cards I feel are pretty much guaranteed to have an immediate impact prior to the rotation happening.

Turbo Patch

This is one of the most hyped cards in the set, and I think everyone would agree that it is for great reason. Turbo Patch is an easy to use form of energy acceleration that can be used in any deck. This is something the game has not seen since [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], which was honestly the first of its kind. Generally energy acceleration is type specific, similar to something like [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card]. Historically all forms of quick and easy energy acceleration have been strong — [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], Max Elixir, [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], and Welder. I do not think Turbo Patch will be any different, especially because a lot of decks have been looking for a card like this. I expect to see a lot of decks adding this card, so only time will tell what attackers make use of this extra speed the best.

Crobat V

This is another card that is both extremely hyped and versatile for its Ability. Some cards are only good in certain decks of course, but that is not the case at all with Crobat V. I am certain that almost every deck will be including a Crobat V right off the bat. [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is a very strong card that we see in high counts in a lot of decks, and functions similarly to Crobat V in the sense that they are both strong draw cards with a once per turn limitation. By having both of these support Pokemon in your deck, you can make use of both of them in one turn if needed. If you don’t, you have the same number of strong support Pokemon in your deck so you don’t lose anything and gain an additional option. This is my reasoning for why Crobat V will likely be seen side by side with Dedenne-GX in every deck that previously played two or more Dedenne-GX. My only exception for this would be decks that include [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], as that does not search out Crobat V like it does with Dedenne-GX. I do think Dedenne-GX is a better card than Crobat V so it will not forfeit its spot in decks that only want to include a single draw support Pokemon. On the other side of the coin, Eternatus V can only make use of Crobat V due to the type requirement, so that will be one deck that does not include Dedenne-GX. I think that will be the only deck to do so until the rotation of our friendly rodent friend, which will be when the true reign of Crobat V begins.

Eternatus V and Eternatus VMAX

[premium]

At the beginning of my article, I mentioned the set introduces some strong Trainer cards and support Pokemon, as well as an entirely new archetype. I have covered the best Trainer card in the set, along with the best support Pokemon, so now it is time to cover the best archetype to come out of Darkness Ablaze. Everyone knew this was coming, but the best archetype in Darkness Ablaze is in fact Eternatus VMAX. Similarly to [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], Eternatus-VMAX does damage based on how large of a board you have, 30 damage each to be exact. There is a catch however, multiple in fact. For starters, the attack only does this 30 damage for each Darkness-type Pokemon you have in play, so your typing is limited. The good part of this twist is Eternatus VMAX’s Ability lets you have eight Pokemon on the Bench as long as all of them are Darkness-type Pokemon. The Darkness-type Pokemon included will be the Eternatus VMAX line itself, Crobat V, [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], and single Prize attackers. Some struggles that Mega Rayquaza-EX faced in the past were finding [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], along with defensive cards such as [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. Eternatus VMAX comes built in with a Sky Field in its Ability so that is one less thing to worry about, and there aren’t as many counter options. No Ability lock means that your Crobat V will roam free and draw you a lot of cards each turn, and no easy Bench disruption means your damage output is relatively safe. A lot of players are describing [card name=”Cyrus Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] as counters to Eternatus VMAX. This is true, they do mess with the Bench but they are not as strong of an answer as people think. Cyrus Prism Star is the better of the two in my opinion, as you can combine it with [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] in the late game in an attempt to close the gap between you and your opponent. Bellelba and Brycen-Man is stronger if it is able to be used, especially in the scenario I described. But that if is a big one. Including multiple Bellelba and Brycen-Man and being able to afford the discarding cost, along with having a Reset Stamp to go along with it is generally going to be a difficult task. Worst still, if the Eternatus VMAX player used [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and you need to have a return attack on top of everything. It is definitely possible, but Bellelba and Brycen-Man is awkward to use.

Decidueye

This is the one card on this list that is different than the rest because of how it functions. This card will have an effect on the metagame, but might not see success or be played in large quantities! The issue with the Decidueye deck is that you essentially either win or lose before the game begins. If your opponent does not have a counter, you will almost certainly win. If your opponent does have a counter, you will almost certainly lose. This creates fear in players that if they don’t have a counter in their deck, they will lose to any Decidueye deck they run into. The issue for a lot of decks is that they don’t have one built in, so they will have to go out of their way to include one if they want to do so. The counter needs to be strong enough to handle the entirety of your opponent’s Decidueye squadron as well, so not just any non Pokemon-GX / Pokemon V Pokemon can get the job done. This makes it so that if Decidueye does not see success itself, some players will build their decks differently to avoid taking a loss to it. We saw this happen a tad at the beginning of Sword and Shield with the release of [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s similar, but the difference is that Galarian Obstagoon could be defeated by naturally included cards, which is not the case with Decidueye.

The Flops

These are cards that received some hype, but don’t seem like they are going to have an immediate effect. Some of them will be labeled as having future potential though!

Vikavolt V

Anyone who knows me knows I love [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], and Vikavolt V is an even better Seismitoad-EX! Vikavolt V has a beefed up Quaking Punch attack, along with a decent secondary attack and 30 more HP than Seismitoad-EX. It has some solid support in the form of [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. It does have good disruption options in the form of annoying Supporter cards and the potential [card name=”Mareep” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] package. So why did I put it in the flop category? The answer to that is actually simple: I don’t think it will be strong enough off the bat for a couple of reasons. For starters, the damage output is relatively low, meaning that if the opponent is slowed down you are KOing a reasonable Pokemon in four or five attacks. Seismitoad-EX had [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to speed this up and [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] to be able to repeatedly chain healing itself to full HP. [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] is too costly to use consistently, and does not always heal you out of range from that second KO attack. Speaking of Mallow and Lana, that card is an extremely good tool against Vikavolt V. It ensures that decks can remove themselves from the Mareep sleep lock and it heals off over two attacks worth of Vikavolt V damage. This makes the already low pressure from Vikavolt V’s attack even less of a problem for the opponent. The biggest issue for the deck in my mind is Marnie, which will work for and against the deck. Marnie will let you cripple the opponent, more so in the early game and will likely work greatly to your advantage at that stage of things. The issue is when you are being attacked back in the mid to late game, and your opponent tops things off with a Marnie. This will heavily disrupt your options. You become under pressure from the opponent, and I don’t see this deck having enough gas to recover in spots like that. While I am not confident in this deck’s short term potential, I would love to be wrong on that. I think it will see success at some point in its life span. It is too good of a card not to, and it can align with a future metagame well if it is not expected to show up.

Hiding Darkness Energy and Piers

These are two cards that were in early Eternatus VMAX lists when people were figuring things out, but have not been in more recent lists. Hiding Darkness Energy has potential, but it has been outweighed by [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. Both cards allow for the same mobility without demanding your Energy attachment for the turn. This makes it easier to navigate the beginning of the game as you can spend your Energy attachments on Eternatus VMAX as opposed to silly Pokemon you need to move out of the way. Hiding Darkness Energy has been replaced by [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] in most lists, providing some extra consistency and an additional way to fill the Bench with Pokemon. As for Piers, this card is not good. It is actually surprising that this card received any attention whatsoever. People compare it to [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], but that comparison is not that close either. Volkner was very versatile and could grab a useful Trainer card for pretty much any situation, whereas Piers searches for a single Darkness-type Pokemon instead of that Trainer. You can’t do much with that other than grab a Crobat V or Eternatus VMAX, which you have a solid chance of finding off of your Supporter for the turn anyway. To be clear, I think Piers has no future play potential either.

Mad Party

The Mad Party deck as a whole is not good enough. Pokemon have too much HP, there is not a ton of draw support for the deck, especially not without putting Pokemon-GX or Pokemon V into play. Plus, other one-Prize decks will generally out trade it. It did receive a bit of hype when the setlist was first revealed but I think that has died down. Unfortunately, Mad Party is no Night March.

Centiskorch V and Centiskorch VMAX

This is probably the card I am least confident in calling an outright flop. But I don’t think it stands out as being particularly enticing for the future either. When looking at Centiskorch V, the first thing that comes to mind is that you are not going to be hitting very hard immediately, as you need to have at least one Energy in play prior to using [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and an attachment for turn before you can make use of Burning Train. Burning Train is not a bad attack, 180 damage is respectable, but it is not an attack that will be used often. Taking two turns to setup is not efficient, and on the second turn you will have the option of evolving into Centiskorch VMAX anyway. Speaking of Centiskorch VMAX, the attack it possesses is very solid as it hits relatively hard for low Energy cost. All of this sounds great, so I am sure you are wondering why I have labeled it as a flop. I think the real issue comes when you take a look at how Welder decks are built and how they play as a whole. Welder decks generally dig through their deck like no other to find Welder and power up a variety of strong attackers. Having a Stage-1 in your deck does not fit well with that, but finding Welder every turn is going to be crucial to a win regardless of your attacker of choice. This makes me think that Centiskorch VMAX is an awkward inclusion and will often be in the way of using things like [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dedechange. Along with this, decks in the past have made great use of strong attackers such as [card name=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card], which requires a lot of space in the deck in order to get the most value out of. I will say that Victini Prism Star specifically has seen a decrease in value due to the high HP of Pokemon nowadays, but it remains strong for taking those last two Prize cards. Victini Prism Star does rotate this season, so keep that in mind. For now, I feel Welder decks will be built the same way they have been since the beginning. I guess the real issue for Centiskorch VMAX is not its quality, but the fact that smoother options exist alongside it. We will have to see if it is powerful enough.

Future Potential

These are cards that I believe have some potential down the line. These are strong but not good enough or don’t align with the current meta very well.

Cape of Toughness

This card is going to be played in some decks as a way of surviving an attack from Eternatus VMAX, which otherwise obliterates pretty much everything with one attack. It does a whopping 270 damage, and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] can help close the distance on any beefier Pokemon. In the late game though, their Bench should be full. Plus you can limit their options via [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], so Cape of Toughness will do its thing most of the time. The only thing standing in the way of Cape of Toughness being included in a ton of decks is because it can’t be attached to Pokemon-GX. This unfortunately limit its usage for the time being. It is obviously a much better card than [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card], so any decks that can make that switch will, and any decks that can benefit from Cape of Toughness in the new metagame will include it as well. I can’t think of very many decks that can make use of it right off the bat other than Vikavolt V, which I already stated will need some additional time before it is a strong enough deck. Only time will tell how tough this cape is.

Hoopa

This an efficient single Prize attacker that can be used in any Darkness-type deck, a pretty appealing description. The issue with Hoopa seems to be that Eternatus VMAX decks don’t want a bunch of single Prize attackers currently. Additionally, this Hoopa is being out shined by the Unified Minds [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. I am confident this card will see some play in the future, but I don’t think it will be groundbreaking.

Powerful Colorless Energy

If Colorless Pokemon are good in the future, Powerful Colorless Energy will be as well. Right now there is not much of anything to attach this to, but there might be in the future. Doing 20 extra damage because of your Energy card you have to attach anyway is very good.

How this Set Changes the Current Standard Format

In this section I am going to talk about how the current Standard format is effected by the release of Darkness Ablaze, the brief period of time prior to the rotation. Despite that, a number of online tournaments that I know a lot of players are excited for will be using this current Standard format, so it carries some importance. Let’s take a look at how the Standard format will change.

• As previously mentioned, Decidueye will have to be thought of during the deck building process.
• [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] will likely go from BDIF contender to unplayed as it can’t beat Eternatus VMAX.
• Combo [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] should stick around as it has the speed to compete with Eternatus VMAX and other contenders.
• [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] will likely be making a comeback as Turbo Patch is beneficial for it.
• [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] will be a better deck than it was previously, as Dragapult VMAX is out of the way, it has a built in counter to Decidueye, and it is strong against Eternatus VMAX as well.
• [card name=”Cyrus Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] both have potential for helping to keep Eternatus VMAX at bay.
• Decks should be faster overall due to the introduction of Turbo Patch and Crobat V.

This general Standard format update is a great way to wrap up the article. For players greatly anticipating the period of time post-Darkness Ablaze and prior to the yearly rotation, this article is exactly what you dreamed of so I hope you enjoyed it. For players who read this hoping for some post rotation content, this wasn’t your thing but I recommend giving the online tournaments a shot if you haven’t. I will be back again multiple times this month with more Pokemon content, and I will be back after the rotation to kick off the new season with another article. Until then, I will be spending my Pokemon time cubing with friends, and enjoying the game in other ways. I hope everyone is having fun with the game, and I hope the release of Darkness Ablaze is a great one for all of you. Until next time. Peace!

–Jimmy

[/premium]