Choosing the Right Techs for the Right Matchups
- Hello, to all PokéBeach readers! It’s Gabriel Semedo again bringing another Pokémon TCG article and this time I decided to write an article quite different from usual…
[cardimg name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Generally, I write about the decks I’m playing on or a new idea, but this time I want to write about something I’ve been noticing since the arrival of Battle Styles — with so many tournaments taking place on the Limitless TCG online platform, and with easy access to the list of all players participating in these tournaments, we can follow which are the most popular decks of the format.
More than that, we can follow in depth which are the most used cards and variants of each of the most popular decks.
With access to so much information as well as different lists, it’s even difficult to know which is the best variant of a deck for a given metagame; It’s possible to find more than ten different lists of [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] in the same tournament, and it’s almost impossible to find a deck that has its 60 cards defined in consensus by the players.
That said, I decided to take three decks that were protagonists of the previous format and that had to adapt with the arrival of Battle Styles, in order to better understand what are the techs that can be interesting and effective in the current metagame.
Zacian V / Lucario and Melmetal-GX
[decklist name=”Zacian LucMetal” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″][pokemon amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”201″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]10x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]3x [card name=”Coating Metal Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Cape of Toughness
Only with [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] is Zacian V is able to resist an opposing Zacian V which has a [card name=”Rusted Sword” set=”Shining Fates” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] and after Altered Creation GX in the matchup against [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. Despite being the main reason for using this Tool (since in most cases [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] ends up being a better option) it is still a Tool that has synergy with the defensive strategy of the deck.
Stealthy Hood
[card name=”Coating Metal Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] is no longer considered a tech in [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], so much so that Fire decks are already prepared to remove this Special Energy with [card name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Fan of Waves” set=”Battle Styles” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, we have no way to deal with the Fan of Waves, but against Giratina, we have [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] to protect against the Ability.
In addition to Giratina UNM, there is another very interesting situation where Stealthy Hood can turn an unfavorable matchup into one that is at least winnable; [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card]. The strategy to beat Decidueye without [card name=”Aegislash V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] is to beat the opponent by deck-out; use Lucario and Melmetal-GX’s Full Metal Wall GX attack to reduce 30 damage, then promote Zacian V or [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] for its Grass Resistance and attach Metal Goggles to reduce an additional 30 damage, totaling a 90 damage reduction against Decidueye.
Generally, Decidueye players are already warned to this and play [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to not lose by deck-out, however, if our Active Pokémon has Stealthy Hood attached then Phione’s Ability is prevented, making this Pokémon unable to return to the deck and thus allowing the opponent to eventually lose by decking-out.
Don’t forget that both Cape of Toughness and Stealthy Hood can be easily accessed by [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card].
Power Plant
[cardimg name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Some Zacian V / LucMetal lists play [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] and others don’t even run a Stadium, but I believe that [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is a great call as it improves some matchups that are balanced, such as [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and ADP / Zacian V. These two decks usually play only one Chaotic Swell and also play Pokémon-GX with Abilities like [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card].
Power Plant may not help much if the opponent plays Dedenne-GX and Mawile-GX before the Stadium comes into play, or if the opponent plays Chaotic Swell right after Power Plant, but on the other hand, Power Plant may have a devastating effect — especially if you can play it on the first turn and your opponent needs to play Dedenne-GX to get setup.
In addition to these matchups, Power Plant can be incredible against Fire decks like Tempo [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], Mewtwo and Mew-GX / [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and Fire Box, since these decks depend much more on Dedenne-GX or [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] to draw cards.
Chaotic Swell is also very good for preventing the opponent from playing [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card], but Power Plant, depending on the moment (and especially with [card name=”Marnie” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card]) can make the opponent whiff a single move, causing the matchup to change completely in your favor.
Reset Stamp
One of the most classic techs of the format — I believe that in Zacian V / LucMetal this Item has an efficiency above expectations, especially in matchups against Fire decks.
Usually, our game plan is to make the opponent stay for just one Prize by them Knocking Out a Lucario and Melmetal-GX and a Zacian V or Zamazenta V, which of course already makes Reset Stamp strong in any game.
[premium]
Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V
[decklist name=”ADPZ” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Shining Fates” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]8x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Three Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX
I have felt the need for the third copy of [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] mainly in matchups against Fire decks. With the arrival of [card name=”Victini VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card], ADP / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] has another tough matchup where the opponent has the chance to cause enormous pressure at the beginning of the game. If you pass the turn with Zacian V in the Active Spot, there is a high chance that your opponent will use [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and attach to [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] or Reshiram and Charizard-GX to get the Knock Out. With three Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX I can play these matchups with them along without worrying about the Prizes and without the need to play Zacian V, which makes these matchups a little less troubled.
Apart from these matchups against Fire decks, I like to play three copies as it increases my chances of starting with Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX at the beginning of the game, and consequently decreases my chances of starting with [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card].
If you don’t feel comfortable with three ADP on the list, another option would be to play [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], which also brings the possibility to improve matchup against Fire decks, but can also serve as an interesting tech to hit [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] for Weakness. Personally, though, I don’t think it’s a good idea. With so much Mewtwo and Mew-GX in the format, the decks that in theory suffer against Mewtwo and Mew-GX are already prepared to deal with it, for example, some Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX lists play [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] to prevent Mewtwo and Mew-GX from being impacted in the matchup.
Oranguru
[cardimg name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This Pokémon is already an old acquaintance of ADP / Zacian V decks, but little by little players started to remove it to add another Dedenne-GX or Crobat V.
Regarding the consistency and support to the deck, I am still a fan of [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] and I think it benefits the deck in a way that no other Pokémon can.
This time I don’t want to focus on its Ability, but on its attack. Yes, Oranguru’s attack has a feature that no other Pokémon in the deck has; being able to hit [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Altaria” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. If played well, Oranguru can be the card responsible for making a very unfavorable matchup winnable, as it has the capacity to Knock Out at least one Decidueye.
The strategy to beat Decidueye with Oranguru is simple; after performing Altered Creation GX, try to KO everything we can from the opponent’s field with Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX. When there is only Decidueye left in the field, then bench Oranguru, attach an Energy, and play two [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], then hit for 100 damage. If the opponent doesn’t heal the damage, then the next turn we will get a Knock Out.
It is worth remembering that [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] is also very strong in this matchup as it has the Ability to force any Pokémon that may be kept in your opponent’s hand to the Bench.
Skyla
It’s surprising to like [card name=”Skyla” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] in a format with Supporters such as [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], and Pokémon like Dedenne-GX and Crobat V to draw cards, but in ADP / Zacian V I see a unique benefit from Skyla. ADP / Zacian V is a deck where you need to find the right cards at the right time — If you can make your moves, there is no deck in the format that is capable of stopping it, and that is why it is so divisive. Skyla offers exactly that; find the card you need at the moment you need them but at the price of playing your Supporter for the turn.
With Skyla and Oranguru, I am better able to preserve as well as access any card in the deck, which makes it possible to use several different cards with only one copy of each as Primate Wisdom can protect them from being discarded with Professor’s Research or Dedenne-GX while Skyla allows you to search for almost any card in the deck. If I need Energy, I have [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. If I need Pokémon, I have [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card]. If I need to gust a Pokémon on my opponent’s Bench, I have [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card]. If I need to shuffle the opponent’s hand, I have [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], and so on…
Big Charm
This is a tech known in ADP / Zacian V but I don’t always see it on the lists. The idea is to make Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX survive an attack from [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] or Flare Blitz GX from [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM211″ c=”name”][/card], but there is other math with which [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] helps a lot, for example, [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] would need seven Energy to Knock Out [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card].
Another important function of Big Charm is in the mirror match — In this matchup, you can sometimes start the game with Dedenne-GX or have to use its Ability to set up, which is very bad since the opponent will already have the target he wants to hit with Ultimate Ray to draw three Prizes. With Big Charm attached to Dedenne-GX, it is possible to avoid this, being able to totally change the result of the match as this will delay the opponent’s victory for one turn giving you the time to take six Prizes before they do.
Vitality Band
After [card name=”Rusted Sword” set=”Shining Fates” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] was released we hardly saw the presence of [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] anymore, but in my view, Vitality Band can help in many more situations than the Rusted Sword, mainly because Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, Mawile GX and Oranguru can also make use of it.
The main reason for playing Vitality Band is to attach it to Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, which can then hit 190 damage after Altered Creation GX and being able to Knock Out [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Victini V ” set=”Battle Styles” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] in one attack.
[card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] is still capable of Knocking Out Tag Team Pokémon with up to 270 HP like [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], but in return, Zacian V is unable to KO [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] and Zacian V with Full Metal Wall GX and [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. Against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] we have several other ways to get the win, but against Zacian V / [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], Rusted Sword will miss it a little. Zacian V / LucMetal lists also still sometimes play [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], which also does not make Rusted Sword an effective option.
Reset Stamp
This card is not normally seen in ADP / Zacian V, and the explanation for this is that if ADP / Zacian V realizes its well-established game plan (Altered Creation GX + KO + KO), there is no deck in the format that is able to beat it. In practice, we know that this does not always happen because if it did, there would only be ADP / Zacian V in the format and we know that it is not so.
ADP / Zacian V is a deck that can have its strategy destroyed by the opponent, or simply due to inconsistency, and that is why I like [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card]. I see many games being lost because the opponent managed to hinder this strategy in the first few turns, either with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] or with a quick Knock Out, and as the whole deck is geared towards being explosive, this is often enough for ADP / Zacian V to lose.
With Skyla and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], cards like Vitality Band, Big Charm and Reset Stamp work much better as we can be aggressive and have control over our resources at the same time. Being aggressive is not just drawing and discarding a lot of cards, but doing what you need to do on your turn.
Eternatus VMAX
[decklist name=”Eternatus VMAX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″][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]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Team Up” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Piers” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Phoebe” set=”Battle Styles” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]7x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]2x [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”258″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Scoop Up Net
The idea of writing today’s article came from right here; I realized that the [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] lists present in most tournaments play Crushing Hammer, which is perfectly understandable since Crushing Hammer is still one of the best cards of the format. On the other hand, I always liked [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] in Eternatus VMAX, and in the current format, we have more reasons to play this Item instead of Crushing Hammer.
[cardimg name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
A hard matchup that emerged in the metagame is [card name=”Victini VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card], which has the capacity to Knock Out virtually any Pokémon V, and is not yet OHKO’d by Eternatus VMAX. With [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] and Scoop Up Net it is possible to Knock Out Victini VMAX in just one attack as it has “only” 310 HP. Mathematically it is possible to deal up to 80 extra damage in a turn if you play four Galarian Zigzagoon and four Scoop Up Net, which makes Eternatus VMAX able to KO even another Eternatus VMAX in one attack, although, it is quite difficult.
The extra damage isn’t just meant to Knock Out Pokémon VMAX — I’ve already won some games against Mad Party in the first turn just because my opponent started the game with only the fragile [card name=”Sinistea” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] with only 30 HP. Other fragile Pokémon like [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] can also be KO’d only by damage from Galarian Zigzagoon and Scoop Up Net.
Another big advantage of Scoop Up Net is increasing the chances of ‘retreating’ your non-V Pokémon. It is very important on the first turn that you attack with [card name=”Eternatus V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card]’s Power Accelerator to charge another Eternatus V on the Bench and to prevent getting owned by Crushing Hammer. Failing to attack on the first or second turn because there is no way to retreat a Galarian Zigzagoon is something that sometimes happens in Eternatus VMAX decks, so playing three more cards that prevent this from happening provides somewhat of a relief.
Piers
There are few who like [card name=”Piers” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], but I think it makes sense if you want to increase the chances of finding [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card] without having to play more copies of it. Let’s face it — no one wants to play this Energy, since it does not provide any benefit to the deck outside of protect your attacker from Fighting-type Pokémon.
To take advantage and explore the potential of Piers, I decided to put in a [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] as well — the best Energy to be sought by Piers if you are not facing a Fighting-type deck, like [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card].
There are times when you play [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] in the hope of finding Energy and two Pokémon to get a Knock Out, but with Piers you get the same without having to discard your hand and with guaranteed effect. It is not a Supporter that you would always like to play, but once per game or at certain times you may be grateful for it.
Phoebe
[card name=”Phoebe” set=”Battle Styles” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] has already become an almost mandatory tech in Eternatus VMAX decks, as it turns two very bad matchups into favorable ones, which are [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card].
We also know, however, that only one Phoebe does not guarantee anything against these matchups, and it is necessary to use the effect of this Supporter more often as clearly the opponent will put additional Decidueye or [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] into play. As a result, I decided to add two more cards in order to play Phoebe again; [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card].
Sableye V
Until Phoebe arrived Sableye V was the best way to Knock Out Zamazenta V, but it still wasn’t very good at it, and many Eternatus VMAX players preferred to accept an auto-loss for Zacian V / LucMetal instead of playing Sableye V.
Now with Phoebe, Sableye V is still important to deal with Zamazenta V, but instead of using the Crazy Claws attack to attempt the Knock Out the idea is to use Lode Search to get Phoebe back into the hand. The same goes against Decidueye.
In addition, Sableye V remains a reasonable attacker in the deck, especially with Galarian Zigzagoon and Scoop Up Net to deal the damage required for Sableye V to get off a big attack.
Pal Pad
In addition to Sableye V, I believe Pal Pad is also a good option to recover Phoebe from the discard. Against Zacian V / LucMetal the ideal scenario is to not even need Sableye V, using only Phoebe to KO a Zamazenta V, and then use Pal Pad to return Phoebe to the deck if you need to take out another Zamazenta V. Against Decidueye we will probably need Sableye V to return another Phoebe.
Viridian Forest
[card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is not considered a tech, but I really like Virdian Forest in [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] as it has additional benefits other than simply searching for Energy. We know that Viridian Forest will end up helping the opponent a lot too, however, Eternatus VMAX needs to attach Energy every turn, so even while helping the opponent I believe that Viridian Forest will end up benefiting Eternatus VMAX more.
The advantage of Viridian Forest is not only helping you find your Energy; there are two other factors that make this card better than [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], or simply playing more copies of Energy.
As it is a Stadium it is possible to put Viridian Forest on the field and then play Professor’s Research — that way we can find Eternatus V at the beginning of the game and guarantee the attach for the turn. The same goes for using Eternatus V’s Power Accelerator — With Viridian Forest, we increase the chances of using this attack to power up any Pokémon on the Bench.
The other advantage of Viridian Forest is the one I like the most; the effect of discarding a card from the hand. This effect works perfectly for the Eternatus VMAX’s strategy, especially for this tech-laden list. With the effect of discarding a card from the hand, we can get rid of some dead cards such as Phoebe in matchups where we don’t need it — this was we decrease the number of cards in our hand so that we can draw more with [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card].
Different from the other decks, Eternatus VMAX can only play Dark-type Pokémon, which limits our consistency options, so if we can play a card like Viridian Forest that improves our chances of finding Energy and helps to discard useless cards, consequently allowing Crobat V to draw more cards, I believe it is worth using, despite it benefiting your opponent.
Final Thoughts
The current metagame is so broad that it becomes increasingly difficult to make a list capable of handling all decks without compromising consistency. It’s necessary to choose the appropriate techs for the matchups you think you’ll face the most, but I believe that all decks of the format need at least some techs to face the wide variety of strong decks present in the format.
We always want to make the deck as consistent as possible, and consequently, with as few techs as possible, but worse than making a deck with techs is making a deck with bad techs.
That’s all for today folks — I hope you enjoyed it and see you next time!
[/premium]