The Attacking Control Deck – TogeMAX in Expanded

[cardimg name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello everyone — Grant here with a neat Expanded deck for you all! [card name=”Togekiss VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] is a deck that’s recently attracted some attention in the Expanded format, and the deck looked like a fun one to try. As it turns out, Togekiss VMAX is quite strong in Expanded right now, especially considering the fact that [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] is about to become unbanned. The deck is built as a disruption deck with the [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] engine; Green’s Exploration along with Togekiss VMAX’s Max Glide ensure that you’ll always have exactly what you want in your hand, trading a bit of damage output for perfect consistency and tons of options.

The lists I’ve seen are all somewhat similar with a bit of variation between them, and I’ve tried the deck out myself and tweaked it along the way. Today I’ll go over my current lists for the deck — one list with Lusamine and one list without. Lusamine is effectively unbanned on March 5, though some online Expanded tournaments are allowing it already. That said, if you want to play PTCGO ladder or some specific Expanded events, you will have to use the non-Lusamine version until March 5. I’m not sure if my build is perfect, there may be some optimizations to be made. This is the best I’ve got right now, however, and the deck certainly works well.

Non-Lusamine Build

[decklist name=”kiss” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Togekiss V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”140″][pokemon amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Togekiss VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Togekiss V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”44″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This is the version I’m playing with now. [card name=”Togekiss VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] has 310 HP, meaning that not much can OHKO it. It also deals decent damage with each attack, and continuously gets the exact cards it needs. Max Glide may be the only attack you’ll ever use, but it’s also one of the best attacks ever printed. Imagine if [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] did 120 damage with each Magical Ribbon back in the day.

[cardimg name=”Togekiss V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”140″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck is consistent and adaptable and you can include techs for any situation or matchup.

Sometimes this deck can get donked before Togekiss V will evolve, however, and this is more likely to happen when your opponent wins the flip and forces you to go first if they’re playing something like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM168″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. This can also only happen if you don’t find any of the three remaining [card name=”Togekiss V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or four [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. All things considered, it’s actually quite an unlikely scenario to get donked, but it still can happen every so often and it’s fairly annoying. I’ve included four Nest Ball, an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] as the Ace Spec to minimize this chance as much as possible. [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] can slow them down as well, though it’s nerve-wracking to rely on it. I think of Silent Lab as a sort of soft out to not getting donked.

Once Togekiss VMAX starts attacking, you gain so much control over the game. At that point, things mostly come down to list construction and the individual player skill. This means that Togekiss MAX is one of the more skilful decks in Expanded, so you’ll need to practice it a lot before bringing it to a tournament. I learned this quickly. For my first few games, I thought to myself: “wow, I am so bad at playing this deck.” It’s not quite as intuitive as it looks, and the games become dynamic quickly. This is especially true before [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] becomes unbanned, as you’re working with limited resources as opposed to an infinite supply.

List Breakdown

Four Togekiss V, Four Togekiss VMAX

The general plan is to keep two Togekiss VMAX and one Togekiss V in play. The VMAXs tank hits and attack, while the backup Togekiss V can evolve immediately when you use [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. Opponents can gust up the Basic Togekiss V with [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and KO it for two Prizes, but that doesn’t matter since they still have to fight through two VMAX afterwards. You could get away with playing a 4-3 Togekiss line, but I wouldn’t go any lower than that. The fourth VMAX is simply extra consistency, as this deck doesn’t play a whole lot of Supporters for the early game. Since Togekiss VMAX’s attack searches for any two cards, it functions as a powerful consistency card on its own.

One Nest Ball, 2 Evolution Incense, One Ultra Ball

Ultra Ball is more or less a fifth Nest Ball for consistency and resistance to getting donked. [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] is great from turn two onward, and it’s a common pick off [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]. I considered [card name=”Repeat Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] over Ultra Ball, but I think the option to search for a turn-two VMAX is worth the discard.

One Cynthia and Caitlin, Two Pal Pad

The Supporter engine is set up for the deck to get as much use out of the various one-of Supporters as possible. You already know why cards like [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and Guzmas are good. [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] offer Energy control, and [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is the tech for [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] that also helps against other niche matchups.

Aside from the four VS Seekers, we also play [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] to get our Supporters back. Cynthia and Caitlin functions as a wildcard Supporter in conjunction with Pal Pad. For example, you can shuffle in Cynthia and Caitlin along with [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], and it’s as if you’ve recovered two Team Flare Grunt. This applies across the board for all of the one-of Supporters — with only VS Seekers, this deck sometimes runs out of Supporters it wants to use. This is because of Togekiss VMAX’s low damage output and control-style for some matchups. Games can get drawn out, which means there are more opportunities to use Supporters. Pal Pad essentially makes the deck as strong as possible and reduces the chances of running dry on resources. Additionally, Togekiss VMAX itself can immediately search for the cards recovered with Pal Pad.

[premium]

Two N, Four Green’s Exploration

[card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] does everything for this deck. Once you get one Togekiss VMAX rolling, you should be good to go. That said, Max Glide only searches for two cards. In conjunction with Green’s Exploration, this deck’s search power becomes ridiculous. If you use Max Glide to search for Green’s Exploration and something else, you’re essentially getting three for the price of two. Green’s Exploration is the best option for early-game consistency and pairs goes well with Togekiss VMAX throughout the game too. Having extra Green’s Exploration in the deck is also great for when your opponent disrupts Max Glide with [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card].

N is the next best consistency Supporter to play as it also doubles as a disruption effect later on. You don’t need me to tell you why N is a good card, but it’s particularly useful in this control-oriented deck because it provides the option for constant hand disruption. If your opponent takes out a Togekiss V early on and then takes out a VMAX, they’ll be at one Prize, which is when N is deadliest. This is a common scenario too, though it’s easy for opponents to play around the N to one if they want to. N to three is still pretty good though.

Four Max Potion

[card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the most important cards in this deck. It’s the reason why [card name=”Togekiss V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] can get away with only doing 120 damage. After all, it doesn’t matter how much damage you’re doing if you can erase your opponent’s attacks turn after turn. You’ll be using Max Potion a lot in most matchups, as it’s a core part of the deck’s strategy. Max Potion’s downside of discarding Energy is almost nonexistent. [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] discards itself anyway, and discarding a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] every once in a while is not a huge issue. We also have [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] in case we need more Double Colorless Energy.

Three Enhanced Hammer

[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is a ridiculously strong Item in Expanded right now. So many decks rely on Special Energy; playing this card is a no-brainer. I actually think a fourth Enhanced Hammer may find its way into the list. At the very least, it’s an option to keep in mind. Enhanced Hammer works well with Green’s Exploration, making it a soft Faba and a search card at the same time in specific situations.

Two Weakness Policy

[card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is certainly popular enough in Expanded to warrant two deck spaces. I feel that it’s unlikely that the deck plays two ways to remove [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] (such as two [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]) and finds them both at opportune times, however, if you’re concerned about it you could add a third Weakness Policy into the deck. Weakness Policy swings the PikaRom matchup, as they are now unable to OHKO Togekiss VMAX without some ridiculous combo like four [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] with Tag Bolt GX. Togekiss VMAX also threatens a 2HKO on PikaRom with Max Glide, which actually applies a lot of pressure. Even if they have the means to deal with Weakness Policy, they must also do so with limited time. I am certain that two Weakness Policy is the minimum amount needed to adequately deal with this matchup.

Two Field Blower

There are all kinds of Tools in Expanded, and there’s also [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with. [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong and versatile card, and although it’s a bit situation-specific, it’s exactly the kind of card that this deck thrives on having immediate access to. Powerful-yet-situation Items like Max Potion, Field Blower, and Enhanced Hammer go extremely well with Green’s Exploration and Max Glide.

One Lillie’s Poke Doll

[cardimg name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As much as I would like to take credit for this idea, I actually saw it in a few lists first. My initial thought was thinking that this was simply a sacrificial pawn to buy some time, which is how [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] usually functions in other decks. However, that doesn’t make a lot of sense in this deck, especially as a one-of…

Lillie’s Poke Doll’s true purpose in this deck is to ensure that you never deck out. Because of Togekiss VMAX’s free Retreat Cost, you can always retreat into Lillie’s Poke Doll and put in on the bottom of your deck. You can do this infinitely, even with no cards in your deck. This means that if your opponent doesn’t play any cards that can actively mill your deck (these cards aren’t too commonplace in Expanded), then you will never deck out. Of course, you can’t rely on this strategy if you get even the faintest whiff of a [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] in the opponent’s deck. If you rely on Lillie’s Poke Doll being the only card in your deck, you must be sure that you won’t be decked out by a cheap shot like that.

There have been cards used like this before, and Lillie’s Poke Doll only works here because of the free retreat option. [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Suicune-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] don’t work under [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], which this deck wants to have in play, and [card name=”Lileep” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] (or other fossil Pokemon) won’t work without an infinite discard effect.

One Energy Loto, One Computer Search

Aside from improving the deck’s consistency, these cards also provide an out to Energy from [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]. This is an important option to have and there aren’t many cards that can do it.

Three Silent Lab

[card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is effective in most matchups, and at the very least, it slows other decks down. Togekiss VMAX is somewhat slow as it only deals 120 damage, and Silent Lab makes that more reasonable because it makes opponents slower as well. Four Silent Labs would be nice, but Stadium wars aren’t too big of a deal in Expanded, so the three Silent Lab should be enough. Silent Lab is also useful against techs like [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Xurkitree-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM68″ c=”name”][/card] that we see from time to time.

Lusamine Build

[decklist name=”togelusa” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″][pokemon amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Togekiss VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Togekiss V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”43″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Needless to say, this deck gets a lot better with [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]. Not much needs to change with regards to the list, so I’ll go over the revisions real quick. [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] are invalidated with Lusamine’s reintroduction, as we now have infinite Supporters. I also cut a [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] because Lusamine gives us infinite access to these as well. This frees up two spaces as we must first add two Lusamine. The first spot is for buffed consistency in the form of [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. Shuffle and draw six is never bad to have, and unlike [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], it doesn’t give the opponent a fresh hand in the early-game. In deck-out scenarios, Lusamine also provides an infinite, which eases the reliance on [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card], especially against decks with mill cards.

I’ve also added [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]; other decks now get access to Lusamine as well, particularly stall and disruption decks, so Girafarig can help against those by breaking their infinites. Girafarig is generally useful in Expanded because of the entire format’s reliance on [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. Girafarig can punish any deck by sending singleton copies of Supporters to the Lost Zone.

Matchups

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX – Slightly Favorable (Depends on Field Blower)

[cardimg name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The strategy changes slightly with this matchup, as [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the few decks that can effortlessly OHKO a [card name=”Togekiss VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]  (without a [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] attached). You should avoid keeping two VMAX in play because it creates a lose-lose scenario. If both VMAX have Weakness Policy, then a single [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] destroys both of them. If only one VMAX has a Weakness Policy, then a simple [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] can take out the other VMAX. For this reason, a third Weakness Policy would be a reasonable inclusion, and I think it would significantly improve the matchup.

The counterplay to this is to attach a Weakness Policy to the Active VMAX and keep a [card name=”Togekiss V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench. They’ll either Guzma the Togekiss V and KO it, or they’ll deal with the Weakness Policy and KO your Active. If they KO your Active, replace it with another VMAX with the second Weakness Policy. This strategy does lose if they play two Field Blower and find them both at the perfect time.

If they use Guzma then KO your Basic Togekiss V, play another down. If they snipe that one too, you can now use N to reduce their hand to two cards. Keep in mind, this entire time you are applying pressure with repeated 120-damage Max Glide, so it’s not as if everything will go perfectly for the PikaRom player. Due to Togekiss VMAX’s Weakness, and the possibility of them playing Field Blower, this is a losable matchup. If they do not play Field Blower, it is an extremely favorable matchup.

Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V – Very Favorable

Togekiss VMAX clobbers [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]. [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] invalidates Altered Creation GX, and they have no way to OHKO a Togekiss VMAX. The most important thing is to get two VMAX into play as quickly as possible, as you don’t want your Basic Togekiss V’s getting sniped down before they can evolve.

Aside from that, go with the simple strategy of healing and attacking, and there’s nothing they can do about it.

Ultra Necrozma – Very Favorable

[card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] is another deck that is extremely weak against Togekiss VMAX’s healing strategy. Ultra Necrozma’s attack does discard [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], but it’s not a huge issue because you only need six attacks to win, and you’ll probably be using [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] anyway. They may disrupt you with N and [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], which is their only way to win. Try to thin your deck and play around the disruption Supporters as much as possible.

Sometimes you may want to go with an Energy-denial strategy or Ability-lock-denial strategy. Without both Energy and Ability-lock, Ultra Necrozma can’t attack. Usually, it’s easier to win by spamming Max Glide to take six Prizes, but be on the lookout for those other win conditions as well.

Rowlett and Alolan Exeggutor / Vileplume – It Depends

[card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] destroys the non-Lusamine version of Togekiss due to its reliance on Items. However, the Lusamine build doesn’t mind at all because it can still get infinite uses of Acerola and Team Flare Grunt to easily destroy the RowEggs deck. This is the one matchup where Lusamine truly makes all the difference.

Coalossal VMAX – Very Favorable

[card name=”Coalossal VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] can’t do much to Togekiss VMAX. Your anti-Energy and anti-Stadium cards prevent Coalossal VMAX from ever threatening a OHKO, even though it is theoretically possible. Since they can’t deal with Togekiss VMAX’s healing, a slow death for Coalossal VMAX it is. I usually take out the [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] as soon as I can, as they’ll use it to constantly apply pressure and to find healing cards and Stadium bumps.

Mad Party – Very Favorable

Mad Party’s maximum damage output under normal circumstances is 300. [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] or other damage modifiers can bump this up slightly, but [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] counters that, meaning that Mad Party can never OHKO Togekiss VMAX. They usually use [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM59″ c=”name”][/card] to get an extra 20 damage, but Togekiss VMAX’s Resistance negates that. This means that the normal strategy of spamming Max Glide and healing will win.

Dragapult VMAX / Garbodor – Very Favorable

This is another matchup that can’t deal with Togekiss VMAX’s healing. Avoid playing 15 Items, because then Trashalanch with a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] can OHKO Togekiss VMAX. I think that going with lone Togekiss VMAX and not benching anything for the beginning portion of the game might be the way to go, as it would prevent [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] from getting a lot of extra spread damage in. I haven’t played the matchup enough to completely figure that out yet though.

Garchomp and Giratina-GX / Roxie – Favorable

This is the one matchup that I actually haven’t played at all yet, but it seems easy. It’s extremely difficult for [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO Togekiss VMAX, and their deck loses hard to Energy disruption. Pokemon Ranger counters [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], but the [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] version doesn’t even need it.

Conclusion

Expanded is a crazy place. There are so many decks and possibilities that it’s impossible to account for everything. [card name=”Togekiss VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] offers a consistent and powerful core strategy that is able to handle a wide variety of threats, and it matches up well against most of the main decks in Expanded right now. I find the deck to be rather fun as well, though it definitely has a learning curve to it.

Thanks for reading! Try out Togekiss VMAX!

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