Running the Gauntlet — Turbo Zacian V in Both Formats

Hello PokeBeach readers! Today I welcome you back with yet another article. March 5th marked the legality date of the recently released Shining Fates expansion, and with it, several new additions make their way into the Standard format. The most notable of these additions include Crobat VMAX, Ball Guy, Kyogre (Amazing Rare), and of course, the card everyone was hyped about, Rusted Sword.

Impact of Rusted Sword

Shortly after [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] was released, speculation of the concept of a card to represent Zacian’s iconic in-game held Item started immediately, especially considering that it is required for Zacian to take on the form that we all know from most official artwork of Zacian, as well as on Zacian V. Most people assumed that the card would take on a damage increasing effect, with a split camp predicting a 50 damage buff for non-V Zacian, or adding a damage buff closer to 30 for all Zacian cards, Pokemon-V or otherwise. Needless to say, most people were somewhat surprised when the card was actually announced, but were further astonished by the fact that it adds 30 damage ONLY on Zacian V. Personally, I was somewhat disappointed with this, as I thought there would be an interesting increase in potential for cards like [card name=”Zacian” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH033″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Zacian” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] (Amazing Rare).

With that being said, I think Rusted Sword was something that hovers on the line between being too good and being well balanced. The card adds little enough damage that it does not send decks like [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / Zacian V into new territories of damage, while it also adds enough damage to make decks like Turbo Zacian V, the topic of this article, significantly stronger — even turning it into an extremely potent threat in the Standard format in addition to its already immense strength in the Expanded format.

Prior to Rusted Sword, Turbo Zacian V has been attempted by many but has never seen a ton of success. The most notable variant of Turbo Zacian V was the “Combo Zacian V” archetype featuring a combination of [card name=”Jirachi Prism Star” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], Mr. Mime, and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. With the rotation to Team Up-on, however, there has never been a great reason to play Turbo Zacian V in Standard over the popular Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V or [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] / Zacian V decks because the speed change does not make up for the overall loss of strength or defensive power.

With that being said, several people have experimented with cards such as [card name=”Banette” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] to allow for more favorable Prize trades with decks like [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], by devolving their Eternatus VMAX after hitting once in order to skip the need for a two-hit Knock Out. Additionally, I worked with a group of friends on a variant of Turbo Zacian V that we called “The Gauntlet” as we played twelve cards that included the text “Flip a Coin”, so every game we would be “running the gauntlet” of coin flips. Unfortunately, both of these Turbo Zacian V decks struggled when it came to taking necessary one-hit Knock Outs against decks like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], so they ended up unable to compete with the rest of the format. However, these problems change with the introduction of Rusted Sword!

The Math

To understand the impact of Rusted Sword on a Zacian V, have a look at some math involving the card:

1. Brave Blade (230) + Rusted Sword (30) = 260
   1. 260 takes one-hit Knock Outs on several critical Pokemon in the format. The most notable of these are Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, Lucario and Melmetal-GX, and Zacian V with either the effect of Lucario and Melmetal-GX’s Full Metal Wall GX or a Metal Goggles.
2. Brave Blade + Rusted Sword + [card name=”Galarian Perrserker” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] (20) = 280
   1. The addition of Galarian Perrserker’s Steely Spirit allows Zacian V to get over the last hump that stops it from taking one-hit Knock Outs on every Basic Pokemon in Standard, excluding [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Moltres and Zapdos and Articuno-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], and a few other Tag Team Pokemon-GX with [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card].
   2. The most notable numbers Zacian V is able to reach with this combination of cards are Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], and a pesky Big Charm on Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
3. Brave Blade + Rusted Sword + Galarian Perrserker + [card name=”Leon” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] (30) + [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] (10) = 320
   1. As of now, I do not include this combination of cards in any of my Turbo Zacian V variants due to its inconsistency, but I felt it was a noteworthy number to mention, as this extravagant combination of cards allows Zacian V to finally reach the realm of taking a one-hit Knock Out on [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card], which has historically been one of the biggest threats to the Turbo Zacian V archetype.

As you can see from that alone, Rusted Sword is poised to make a massive impact on Turbo Zacian V as an archetype, so now we will take a look at some lists featuring this powerful Pokemon Tool Card.

Standard Turbo Zacian V

As I have been talking about, Turbo [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] is in an interesting spot in the current Standard format because of the addition of Rusted Sword allowing it to reach damage levels that have previously been impossible. This newly-found damage ceiling drastically improves some of the matchups that have been historically extremely luck-based, or sometimes outright unwinnable. A great example of this is the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX matchup, which used to be one of your more difficult matchups due to it being virtually impossible to deal with your opponent using Full Blitz and accelerating onto their Active with no chance of a one-hit KO, but now Rusted Sword provides that extra little bump that was needed to reach into the one-hit Knock Out range. With a lot of ways of dragging Pokemon from your opponent’s Bench to their Active Spot, the deck is able to efficiently prey on weaker two-Prize Pokemon such as [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to win that way if need be.

Deck List

[decklist name=”Turbo Zacian – S” amt=”57″ caption=”” cname=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Perrserker” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Meowth” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x Rusted Sword (SFA #62)2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]13x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”13″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Inclusions

Four Zacian V, Four Metal Saucer, and 13 Metal Energy

One statement that I frequently assert in my articles is that “consistency is king” when it comes to accessing your attackers, and in this deck, that certainly does not change. Unlike most decks, playing four copies of [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] in decks built around the card is especially important as it also acts as one of your strongest forms of Energy acceleration as well as card draw. As such, finding Zacian V as soon as humanly possible is your number one priority, maybe even more important than guaranteeing a Supporter card for the next turn.

In addition to the Energy acceleration provided by Zacian V’s Intrepid Sword, it is also critical to play four [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] for the turns where you are unable to Intrepid Sword, but need to make sure to get some extra attachments. Metal Saucer can also be considered the source of the “turbo” part of the deck’s name, as it allows you to feasibly power up a Zacian V as soon as the first turn of the game, putting a ton of pressure on the opponent.

We also play 13 Metal Energy in this deck to increase our odds of finding the card early while having plenty in the deck to fuel Intrepid Sword and Metal Saucer at the same time.

Two Zamazenta V and One Aegislash V

The purpose of these two cards is pretty similar: Deal with problematic cards.

In the case of [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], I have cited that cards like [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] are problematic for this deck, and Zamazenta V is able to wall both of them from dealing damage, buying you a little extra time and also setting up a Brave Blade Knock Out down the road if need be. Unfortunately, the latter is a bit more problematic for Zamazenta V as typical Centiskorch VMAX decklists play multiple outs to the wall such as [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], but in the case of Eternatus VMAX, Zamazenta V is extremely effective as it usually only leaves [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or maybe a couple of weak [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Team Up” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] as the only attacking options.

As opposed to the big bulky Pokemon that Zamazenta V is designed to handle, [card name=”Aegislash V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] deals with the opposite end of the spectrum. Aegislash V is specifically included to act as an answer to [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], as both of them wall out this deck almost entirely. Usually, with some early pressure, a well-timed Aegislash V should be able to make fairly quick work of any Decidueye that come your way as opposed to taking a hasty loss in the matchup. I know this tech is not for everyone, so if I were to omit it I would probably include a [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Cobalion-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] to help with other matchups and act as an extra attacker.

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[cardimg name=”Galarian Perrserker” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”128″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

One Galarian Perrserker, One Galarian Meowth, and Three Rusted Sword

I already went into extensive detail on the topic of damage modifiers earlier, but to reiterate: damage modifiers are what make this deck work!

The primary damage modifier in this deck is certainly Rusted Sword by nature of how easy it is to use, being a Pokemon Tool that can easily be attached at any time. It’s incredibly impactful, turning matchups like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] from terrible matchups to being extremely close, if not favored. The value of [card name=”Galarian Perrserker” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] cannot be understated, however, providing the extra little push to take Knock Outs on the likes of [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], drastically improving the deck’s matchup spread.

I mentioned the value of [card name=”Leon” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] earlier, but I am sure you noticed they did not make this list. As I briefly mentioned, despite the value of the numbers that these can reach I felt they were too inconsistent to be incorporated in a deck that wants to be streamlined like this one is, however, if a card with [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]’s Wonder Tag were ever reprinted, my opinion here would likely change.

Two Dedenne-GX, Two Crobat V, and One Oranguru

Continuing with this deck’s turbo style, I elected to play an even split of two [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and two [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] in the interest of being able to use both in one turn with more consistency, despite it seldom being needed. One major con to having this many copies of Dedenne-GX and Crobat V is that you can easily fill your Bench, causing you to have some problems when it comes to getting multiple attackers in play. I also include one copy of the trusty [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], largely due to the usefulness and synergy of its Primate Wisdom with [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]’s Intrepid Sword.

Four Boss’s Orders and One Great Catcher

I highlighted that a major strategy of this deck is to play an abundance of ways to drag up weak Pokemon from your opponent’s Bench and take your Prizes that way. Here we see that strategy come into effect with the count of four [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and one [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card]. Incredibly, this count is actually lower than what I wanted to do originally, which was including one more Great Catcher and three [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] at the potential expense of one of my copies of Boss’s Orders, but I ended up deciding against it in the interest of more space to include stronger techs and more Energy.

Two Bird Keeper, Four Switch, and Two Air Balloon

As a result of the way this deck is structured with a lot of support Pokemon and a limited quantity of attackers, as well as the need to move your Zacian V to the Bench to reset its Brave Blade, I opt for an extremely high count of switching methods in this deck, all of which with unique applications depending on the situation. [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is by far the most reliable, and it’s useful in any situation, so it is an easy four-of. I also opt for two [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] and two [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] for more specific reasons; Bird Keeper fills the unique role of being both a switch and draw effect, and if [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] has taught me anything in its existence, one of the best things a card can do is draw while having a strong additional effect — Bird Keeper does just that. Air Balloon on the other hand is the more convenient switching method. At any point in the game, you can stick an Air Balloon on something, turning it into an excellent pivot for the rest of the game. In addition, it acts as a second Switch if you only have one Zacian V in play and need to string together an attack while preparing another Zacian V.

Expanded Turbo Zacian V

Alongside the newly found threat of Turbo Zacian V in Standard, we are able to revisit the old but reliable Turbo Zacian V deck of the Expanded format. In Expanded, Turbo Zacian V lives up to its name far better than it does in Standard, hitting a turn-one Brave Blade with almost alarming consistency, and even if you are unable to hit it, you are easily capable of powering up several Zacian V per game for constant pressure. Turbo Zacian V in Expanded also gets the added benefit of significantly more reliable damage modifiers to reach the numbers needed as opposed to relying on some something like a somewhat inconsistent Stage 1.

Deck List

[decklist name=”Zacian V – e2″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cobalion-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Rusted Sword (SFA #62)1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Inclusions

One Aegislash-EX and one Cobalion-GX

Funny enough, our good friend Aegislash makes its way into Turbo [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] once again, but this time in its EX form. In a format filled to the brim with powerful Special Energy, [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] acts as a powerful wall to block any of those decks. It is especially useful against Mad Party ([card name=”Polteageist” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card]) and a few other archetypes that exclusively play Special Energy, so there is no way to get through Aegislash-EX’s Mighty Shield.

Alongside Aegislash-EX, [card name=”Cobalion-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] takes on the role of being another defensive Pokemon, but instead it protects us from Special Conditions. In the naturally large card pool that exists in Expanded, it is only natural that some Special Conditions are encountered, so it is best to have a safeguard against them all at once. The most notable of these are caused by [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] in Turbo Dark ([card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]) to activate [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dead End GX, as well as [card name=”Raichu” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] in the pesky Shock Lock deck that I wrote about here.

One Dhelmise and Two Shrine of Punishment

As I mentioned previously, Expanded Turbo Zacian V is significantly more consistent when it comes to damage modifiers, and it should be quite clear why. Reaching the extra numbers you need with what is an essentially [card name=”Galarian Perrserker” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] on a Basic Pokemon (albeit adding less damage), [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] is a powerful addition to this deck that allows it to get a little extra reach. In addition, the damage lost to the usage of Dhelmise over Galarian Perrserker is made up for by the powerful [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] which makes that extra push while also racking up some damage for future Knock Outs.

One Pokemon Ranger

[cardimg name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I have said it before, and in case you needed the reminder: [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] removes the effect of [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]’s Altered Creation GX! Typically, I would end that statement with a slightly snarky “enough said” at the end, but in the case of Turbo Zacian V, that is not all! By removing all effects of attacks, you also can remove the effect of your own Zacian V’s Brave Blade, allowing you to use it again without having to play a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card].

Four Metal Saucer and Four Max Elixir

In the Standard build of Turbo Zacian V, I highlighted [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] and Zacian V’s Intrepid Sword as your primary form of Energy Acceleration, which were good in and of themselves, however, in the Expanded format, our Energy Acceleration somehow gets even stronger with the inclusion of [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Back when Max Elixir was first released, not many people jumped on it as a powerful card, but as time has passed since its release, Max Elixir has gained more and more strength with stronger attackers, propelling it to a point where I think it may be one of the strongest Item cards currently legal for competitive play. If you needed a reason for why I think this, look no further than this deck. With the addition of Max Elixir, this deck is essentially able to shift from simply being a strong deck to being an extremely potent powerhouse that is able to dish out incredible amounts of damage starting as soon as your first turn, if you go second.

Conclusion

As I am sure you have put together right now, I think Turbo Zacian V is an extremely potent threat in both formats of the Pokemon TCG largely thanks to its incredible damage output, speed, and consistency. At this point — recently crossing one full year since Zacian V’s release — I think that I can comfortably make the statement that Zacian V ranks highly as one of the strongest Pokemon ever produced in this game we all love, and by playing even one game with this deck I am sure you will be able to tell why I believe that.

With that, my article draws to a close. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and I also hope you decide to give both of these powerful decks a try. This article also marks the last article that I will be bringing you before the release of Battle Styles, which breathes a welcomed breath of fresh air into the Standard format. As always, if you have any questions about anything I covered in this article or anything else Pokemon related, feel free to reach out to me in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee). See you next time!

– Isaiah

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