Deeper into the Darkness – An Update On Eternatus VMAX and More

By: Jimmy Pendarvis · Posted Posted onOct 31, 2020 at 9:31 PM · 0 Comments

Hello PokeBeach readers and welcome back to another one of my articles! The Player’s Cup II qualification stage has wrapped up, as players are waiting to see who qualifies at this point. Congratulations to anyone who did, of course. Additionally, plenty of other events are already being held and growing every single day. This means that everyone will have plenty of chances to get their competitive Pokemon fill, and [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] will have plenty of victims to claim (just kidding…. kinda). Though I will say, the metagame has seen a lot of progression throughout the Player’s Cup, with many decks making a name for themselves. In my last article, I covered one of those in the form of [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Magneton” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], a deck that Tord Reklev and others saw some success with. As for today’s article, I am going to be covering a deck that is not new to hype, [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. This means taking a look at an updated Eternatus VMAX deck list in a pretty in depth manner, updating the tier list, and tackling the Standard format as a whole. Without further ado, let’s kick things off by creeping into the eternal darkness.

Updated Eternatus VMAX

[cardimg name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Since my previous article on Eternatus VMAX, the deck has remained an absolute powerhouse and competitor for the BDIF title (Best Deck In Format). The deck has, however, changed in terms of how it should be built. In my last article on the deck, I expressed concern towards being able to beat [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], which I deemed as a threat at that point in time. However, Blacephalon has not seen nearly as much success as I expected it to at that point in time, so the space dedicated to improving that matchup can be used better. In my below list, which is not anything too special to be quite honest, I aimed to be as strong as possible against all of the tier one decks. One small note, I definitely recommend checking out my last article on Eternatus VMAX as well, assuming you are interested in playing with this deck any time soon. Despite being an outdated decklist, it has tons of useful information on this deck.
[decklist name=”Eternatus VMAX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Eternatus V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]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]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/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=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hiding Darkness Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Changes from Previous Article

Removed

Hoopa (Darkness Ablaze)

Turns out this [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] is not good enough. It is not as good as the other Hoopa, which is what is was removed for, and I would probably include [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Shining Legends” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] over it as well. The only issue with Spiritomb is it having to put itself at low HP and potentially falling victim to some [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], which can be an issue in the mirror match.

1 Pokemon Communication

While I did remove one [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], four [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] did make their way into the deck to pretty substantially increase the amount of search cards overall. This was because the deck was actually not as fast as you may have thought it was just because of how many Basic Pokemon it needs to find within the first two turns. Additionally, finding an [card name=”Eternatus V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] and attaching to it turn one is an absolute necessity for this deck, and finding an Eternatus VMAX near the start of turn two is important as well because it opens up your bench space to start filling it up right away. These things are crucial for attacking on turn two, which is the entire goal of this deck.

1 Switch

These are the common form of mobility found in decks nowadays, and nothing was wrong with the functionality of them in this deck. I found the third copy to not be as needed as much as I thought. [card name=”Dark City” set=”Unified Minds” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card] was the better option for a little bit, but [card name=”Switch” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] ended up reigning supreme. [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] has [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card], but it is a little bit different because they will most likely knock out whatever Active Pokemon you have trapped there if it were to occur, meaning you would not be in need of a switching effect. The point where you will need real Switch effects is when dealing with [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], which will paralyze your Eternatus VMAX. This continues to be a trend where other decks can gain an advantage against you if your main mobility is Dark City. If Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX starts including Chaotic Swell in their deck, there will be times where you can’t move your Active whether that be due to a trapped [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or simply not finding that [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] for a pesky Galarian Zigzagoon. Hiding Darkness Energy does not help this situation either because you need to have two Energy on Eternatus VMAX on turn two, which means you don’t have time to attach to your Active Pokemon as well. The point is, Chaotic Swell decreases your mobility, which is very important when you are trying to respond to various threats.

2 Reset Stamp, Dangerous Drill, 2 Chaotic Swell

These were the defensive cards of the deck, that shined against Welder decks for the most part. The [card name=”Dangerous Drill” set=”Team Up” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] was a bit more versatile and can still be really good if found at the right time, but it is a super situational card and can not be relied upon, so it did not make the cut. [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] decks, mainly [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], are not worth dedicating all this space to when you can beat them without these card and could lose even with these cards. I did go over why these cards were strong as defensive tools against Blacephalon the last time I wrote about Eternatus VMAX, so feel free to go review that if you are wondering why these were in the deck to begin with.

3 Darkness Energy, 2 Capture Energy

These were removed from the deck as a way of changing up the Energy lineup, not just removing half of the Energy cards from the deck. The Energy count only decreased by one overall, as four Hiding Darkness Energy made their way into the deck as these exited. [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is still something that I think about all the time, as the effects of Hiding Darkness Energy and Capture Energy are both basically simple bonuses and not anything super amazing. The thing about including a bunch of Capture Energy is that it can get in the way of you attacking if you can only find Capture Energy, meaning you could whiff an attack by finding a Capture Energy instead of a Darkness Energy. The Energy lineup still has me thinking, but this is what I have for now.
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Added

2nd Hoopa (Unified Minds)

This is the best Single Prize attacker available to this deck at the moment. It has a nice HP and can attack immediately for real damage in most cases, unlike Spiritomb which has low HP and needs time to Building Spite. Hoopa is very efficient and can do a lot of damage in the matchups that matter, it can just as easily play the role of a bench sitter in spots where you need to fill your bench for Eternatus VMAX.

4th Boss’s Orders

Honestly I am sort of embarrassed that [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] was not maxed out at four in my last draft of this deck. It is such an incredible card. It needs to be found early and often because it can end games in the blink of an eye. If you can eliminate a threat at the right time, sometimes your opponent can’t do much of anything in response. While you will never use all four of these in a game, it is unbelievably painful and potentially game losing to not have it when you want it. [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] and prizing can also reduce how many you even have a chance to use as well, which is another reason to have four of these in the deck to begin with.

4 Great Ball

I mentioned the reasoning behind this under the Pokemon Communication deduction section above, so there isn’t much to say in regards to that here. I do want to say that these have made all the difference in the deck so far! It feels a lot faster, more consistent, and smoother overall. I am a big fan of this inclusion.

2 Vitality Band

These are something I started toying around with after I saw Azul using them in his [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] deck, so shoutout to him for that. The reasoning behind these being included is that they are helpful for OHKOing or heavily damaging opposing VMAX Pokemon. The [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] pings on top of Eternatus VMAX’s massive damage output really adds up to an insane amount, so Knocking out an opposing VMAX in one hit is definitely a possibility. You can place some Galarian Zigzagoon pings in advance, so you don’t have to have all of this stuff in one turn in order to pull this off. In a similar fashion, even if you don’t have enough Galarian Zigzagoon pings prior to attacking, you can heavily damage a VMAX to put it in range of some Galarian Zigzagoon pings on your next turn. There is a ton of different ways to get value out of this card in the matchups that is is meant for, otherwise it is either randomly situationally good or just flat out useless, meaning it is pretty lackluster when not dealing with VMAX Pokemon. VMAX Pokemon are a huge part of the meta currently though and I think that will only become more true as time goes on and more are released. This is definitely an experiment in the works still though, and dependent on the metagame, so it will have to be monitored moving forward.

Tool Scrapper

[cardimg name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This helps deal with [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card], which can otherwise cause you to miss a Knock Out on a big threat, such as a [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. You do have other ways of boosting damage, and the max of four Boss’s Orders, but big threats like that need to be responded to in a quick and direct manner most of the time. Otherwise, they will continue to be a problem. In Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX’s case, it means being paralyzed again which is not good when you don’t have a whole lot of Switching cards.

4 Hiding Darkness Energy

These Hiding Darkness Energy are not amazing, they are basically a freebee you get to grab. There is no real harm at the moment in including these over basic Darkness Energy, and they do come in handy sometimes, so they might as well be included. They are good for situations where you would otherwise have to manually retreat, and in the early game where you might need to get your Eternatus V out of harm’s way. They don’t help you move your Active in order to attack on turn two, since each of your Energy attachments need to be on Eternatus VMAX, which is why their mobility is more of a bonus and not something to count on. One reason to stop including these or simply switch up the Energy split in the future is if Dangerous Drill becomes more popular, as it can remove all of the special Energy this deck is packed with, but not good old basic Darkness Energy. It is rare that the Energy portion of a deck provokes such thought, but this is something I am going to continue to monitor and work on because it genuinely feels like one of the most debatable spots in the deck.

Potential Inclusions

4th Pokemon Communication

This would probably only happen if the Vitality Bands ended up getting removed, which would likely mean the inclusion of a fourth [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] and an additional Basic Pokemon. While the search card lineup is pretty solid as is, the deck aims to be as straightforward, consistent, and fast as possible.

More Darkness Energy

This would mean changing over some or all of the special Energy this deck includes in favor of basic Energy. The reasoning for this is to help combat [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] a little bit by making Power Accelerator a much more consistent option. The increased basic Energy count would make it easier to pull off, and having extra Energy on the board makes it more likely. Outside of Crushing Hammer, Power Accelerator is the best play for your turn one when going second, meaning you have a slightly better chance of achieving your best turn one play as well. This strategy becomes even more likely when the amount of switch effects are increased because you will have an easier time getting Eternatus V into the Active position.

Eternatus VMAX Gameplay Notes

  • Crushing Hammer is an unfortunate part of the game right now, especially for a deck like this that does not have an easy form of Energy acceleration. You just have to go with the flow when playing Eternatus VMAX, hope for some tails, and use Power Accelerator wisely.
  • Against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], you don’t really have to worry about Tag Bolt-GX as a threat due to the low amount of [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] most lists play and the absence of [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card]. Every game is different of course, but generally Tag Bolt-GX is not how you end up losing.
  • Speaking of losing to Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, of course there are games where you get blown out by Crushing Hammer and end up losing that way, but Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX is the main issue in the matchup. With that being said, be careful with your switch cards, and always Knock Out their Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX if given the opportunity.

Updated Tier List

Tier 1

  • [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]- The clear deck to beat the moment, extremely fast with a slew of great matchups.
  • [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] – Another very fast paced deck, operating similarly to ADP. Very strong matchups as well, but not the same feeling you can get when using or playing against ADP, where it feels like hitting or missing pieces right away can decide the game.
  • Pikachu and Zekrom-GX – Yet another aggressive deck, but one that operates with a bit more finesse and a nice package of tech attackers and defensive cards.
  • [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Magneton” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] – This is definitely one I am less confident putting up here, but it is no lower than tier two. It is a deck that plays much differently than the rest of the meta, and rewards good decision making in that regard. The deck list can also be tweaked to address the decks it needs to beat.

Tier 2

  • Other [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] decks (Blacephalon, Firebox) – Not as consistent or fast as the aggressive decks in tier one, but shine in the right metagame and matchups.
  • [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM192″ c=”name”][/card] / Zacian V – A much slower deck, the only defensive deck to be played consistently. Great matchups against the tier one decks, not as great against some of the random stuff. The increase in fire decks really hurt this deck, especially more straightforward lists like mine that just take the loss to fire decks in order to improve other matchups.
  • [card name=”Altaria” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] – Despite this card being printed and used a bit, not a lot of decks have a hard counter to it, which leaves an opening for it in the meta. I will most likely have an article on this in the future.

That quick tier list update is going to wrap things up for this one! The standard format has developed a bit further past the battle fought between Eternatus VMAX and Zacian V, which is truly a battle for the ages. Pikachu and Zekrom-GX and some other decks have gotten into the mix of things, which has certainly helped make the game a bit more refreshed.  It will be interesting to see how things develop between now and Vivid Voltage, and then how Vivid Voltage will shake things up. For now, I don’t expect much of anything to change because of how strong and straight forward the top decks are. That is just how it is when a format is figured out sometimes in competitive Pokemon, not a whole lot of room for change in that regard. I will be back again with more Pokemon content in about a week from when this article is posted, and then again sometime next month. If you have any requests in terms of content, questions, or comments, feel free to leave them down below! I try my best to get back to everyone, and love hearing from you all. Until next time, I hope everyone enjoys Pokemon and keeps on gaming. Peace.

 

–Jimmy
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