Draining the Swamp – Countering Mew with Galarian Moltres / Leafeon

By: Isaiah Cheville · Posted Dec 10, 2021 at 8:01 PM · 3 Comments

[cardimg name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here, happily bringing you another article! By now, Fusion Strike has been out for nearly a month, and it’s beginning to settle into the metagame more than ever: the gap between [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] and the rest of the format is pretty significant, and growing larger by the day. The most potent challenger to this powerhouse so far has been the format’s Single Strike decks, namely [card name=”Single Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Umbreon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], both of which I covered in my last article. However, as prominent as Single Strike decks may be in the current metagame — they make up a collective metagame share of around 15% — they still fall short, with a win rate of only around 50% and only a slight favorability against Mew VMAX decks, which is unfortunate considering that their primary role in Standard is to take down decks that have Weakness to Darkness-type and Fighting-type Pokemon.

After seeing Single Strike’s disappointing win rate, especially against Mew VMAX, many players have begun to seek out new options for taking down the powerhouse. One option is the classic [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], which takes advantage of the fact that Mew VMAX seldom plays [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] by putting forward large Pokemon V with [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] attached. Another option is [card name=”Jolteon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] with the classic combo of [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] to damage Mew VMAX’s draw engine. Other players are exploring different strategies involving Darkness-type Pokemon like [card name=”Galarian Weezing” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. While all of these strategies are powerful, though, one of the most powerful so far has been the renewal of the [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] deck that’s been hanging on over the past few months. Here’s a recent deck list from my good friend Luke Morsa of Celio’s Network on YouTube:

[decklist name=”urshimoltintel” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″][pokemon amt=”22″]3x [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Passimian” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]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]2x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Telescopic Sight” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tower of Waters” set=”Battle Styles” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Rapid Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]5x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This build plays a slightly larger Galarian Moltres V package in an effort to make a straight–Galarian Moltres V game plan more reliable against Mew VMAX while still having the consistent Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX option in other matchups. In general, this deck should be reasonably favored against Mew VMAX, but due to the natural inconsistencies and unreliability of the low Energy count, low [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] count, and two strategies that do not complement each other particularly well, the deck can struggle to win games, even against good matchups.

However, it got my mind thinking about the other options out there for Galarian Moltres V. Around the same time Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX / Galarian Moltres V started popping up again, a different deck with a similar goal, [card name=”Leafeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] / Galarian Moltres V, also came to light. The idea of this deck is to use the same Galarian Moltres V strategies against decks that are weak to Darkness, but to switch to Leafeon VMAX at other times. Leafeon VMAX is a situationally better alternative attacker than Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, and it’s also much easier to use. The earliest lists for this archetype looked something like the following list, which was piloted by titallytan to a second-place finish in an online tournament:

[decklist name=”leafmolt” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Leafeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”8″][pokemon amt=”19″]2x [card name=”Leafeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”8″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Leafeon V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fan of Waves” set=”Battle Styles” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]While I liked the idea of this deck, especially with the incorporation of Leafeon VMAX over Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, I felt the build was still lacking. Notably, this deck list in particular has dipped particularly low on consistency cards in favor of a far more teched-out build. As such, it doesn’t properly run with the consistency of either a Leafeon VMAX or a Galarian Moltres V deck, and instead it ends up as an awkward mix of both.

With that said, I was a huge fan of where this deck was going conceptually, so I sought to improve it. One idea that has hung around in the back of my head since rotation is the possibility of a Galarian Moltres V / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] deck, but as much as I wanted this to work, the concept was just not feasible by itself. However, a lot of the problems I was having on the theory end are solved by the inclusion of a small Leafeon VMAX package, which shores up some of the matchups that are hard for Galarian Moltres V to handle on its own, such as the Single Strike decks. With that concept in mind, I got to work on creating my version of the deck — a build I would call “Galarian Moltres V / Leafeon VMAX.” While the name change might seem a bit superficial, I think of it as clarifying the change in focus of the deck. This build is a Galarian Moltres V deck first, and a Leafeon VMAX deck second.

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Let’s take a look at the list I am currently working with, which I used to place Top Four at a recent 45-person event.

Galarian Moltres V / Leafeon VMAX

Deck List

[decklist name=”moltleaf” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Leafeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”8″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Leafeon V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ 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]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Inclusions

Three Galarian Moltres V

One of the main goals I had for this deck was to use [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] as a main attacker in most matchups, rather than just a support Pokemon that happens to be able to attack from time to time. Since its release, Galarian Moltres V has been one of my favorite cards in the game. In fact, in an article from late July, I claimed that Galarian Moltres V was the best card in Chilling Reign, and while I may have been a little hasty with that assessment, it certainly is up there with the strongest. In that article, I talk at length about Galarian Moltres V’s strengths, so I highly recommend giving that section a read.

Looking at the current format, its attack Aura Burn can take one-hit Knock Outs on many Pokemon V (including [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]) on its own. With a Quick Shooting from [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card], though, you hit the ever-critical 210, securing one hit Knock Outs on the likes of [card name=”Suicune V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]. However, most importantly, Galarian Moltres V is a Darkness-type Pokemon, which means it hits several top Pokemon VMAX for Weakness, the most important of which include [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. Against other Pokemon VMAX, Galarian Moltres V can also set up powerful two-hit Knock Outs.

As much as I love Aura Burn, though, it would be nothing without Galarian Moltres V’s amazing Direflame Wings Ability. In my old article, I cited Direflame Wings as being “in strong contention for one of the best Abilities printed on a Basic Pokemon in the Sword & Shield block, only narrowly bested by Zacian V’s Intrepid Sword and Crobat V’s Dark Asset,” and looking back on that claim, I would say it has aged very well, even considering Genesect V’s Fusion Strike System. Thanks to Direflame Wings, the otherwise somewhat expensive Aura Burn can be powered up in two turns most of the time, which is just the right pace to be able to power up two Galarian Moltres V in a game with no external assistance. While only two Galarian Moltres V in a game sounds rough, in the most popular matchup of the format (Mew VMAX), you only need two to win the game anyway — and for the games you need more than two, whether you’re against Mew VMAX or any other deck, we have other forms of Energy acceleration and other attackers to make up for lost ground.

Two Leafeon VMAX, Two Leafeon V, and Three Galar Mine

[cardimg name=”Leafeon V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”7″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Speaking of other forms of Energy acceleration and alternate attackers, look no further than [card name=”Leafeon V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Leafeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card]!

In this deck, Leafeon V’s Greening Cells takes on a hugely important role, as it boosts your Energy tempo just enough that you can use three Galarian Moltres V in a game if you never whiff an Energy attachment or a Direflame Wings. Normally, your Energy sequence without Leafeon V is going to be something like this:

Attach + Direflame Wings (total Energy (TE) = 2)
Attach + Direflame Wings (TE = 4), followed by a Galarian Moltres V Knock Out (TE = 1)
Attach + Direflame Wings (TE= 3), followed by a Galarian Moltres V Knock Out (TE = 0)
Attach + Direflame Wings (TE = 2)

As you can see, on that fourth turn, you actually fall just short of being able to use Galarian Moltres V a third time. If you whiff an attack like that, it will likely result in you losing the game outright, but that’s where Leafeon V comes in. If you include a Turn 1 Greening Cells, the map looks like this:

Attach + Direflame Wings + Greening Cells (TE = 3)
Attach + Direflame Wings (TE = 5), followed by a Galarian Moltres V Knock Out (TE = 2)
Attach + Direflame Wings (TE= 4), followed by a Galarian Moltres V Knock Out (TE = 1)
Attach + Direflame Wings (TE = 3)

With this new map, you can get the third Galarian Moltres V attack out, likely resulting in a victory! However, if this was Leafeon V’s only purpose, why do we play two? Well, we want to make sure we don’t prize our single copy, but we also want to have easier access to our alternate attacker, Leafeon VMAX.

When I was explaining my deck-building theory, I talked about how Galarian Moltres V struggled with some decks, especially Single Strike, but I did not really explain why. The issue is that Single Strike decks can take a one-hit Knock Out on Galarian Moltres V with the likes of [card name=”Umbreon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], and you don’t have a good way to respond without them taking another one-hit Knock Out on the next Galarian Moltres V. However, if you play like the typical Leafeon VMAX decks (which I wrote about previously), the Single Strike matchup swings overwhelmingly in your favor (historically, Leafeon VMAX has a 70%+ win rate against Single Strike). A matchup that would normally be terrible becomes a consistent win with just a small package that has other benefits to your strategy anyway! Funnily enough, one of the biggest issues that Leafeon VMAX faces in the Fusion Strike era is that it struggles to beat Mew VMAX, but Galarian Moltres V fixes that issue, showing that these two are a perfect pair for each other.

To go with the thin Leafeon VMAX line, we also only play three [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], which I think is the Goldilocks number — it’s the exact amount that you need to be able to play down a Stadium with each attack and still take all six Prize cards.

Inteleon Line

There are no more intricacies to the Inteleon line’s strengths, but I did want to touch on this Inteleon split in particular. One [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] SSH is the absolute standard in all Inteleon decks at this point, and I think it is absolutely critical for this deck, which can demand a lot of combo pieces. Additionally, we play two [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] CRE for the ability to use four Quick Shooting across two turns, alongside a Grass Knot with Galar Mine, to hit 320 damage on Pokemon VMAX with a Retreat Cost of two.

One Crobat V

I have flipped back and forth quite a bit on whether or not [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is worth it in this deck, but I ultimately decided that it was best to play one copy. As I’ve mentioned, this deck needs a lot of combo pieces in some matchups, so it’s good to have a little extra dig, alongside the search power of [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], to make sure you are able to find all the attachments you need as well as any other cards on the turns you need them most.

Two Raihan

Leafeon V gives you a perfect turn-one Energy tempo, but what you do if you whiff an attachment? This is where [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] comes in. Raihan is your method of catching up on Energy attachments in the event you miss one at any point so you can maintain good Prize trades. Additionally, it’s the only way this deck can catch up if we go second and the opponent removes some of our attachments from the board through an early Knock Out or a Trainer card like [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card].

Energy Switch

Another card that I’ve gone back and forth on is [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card]. I’ve settled on one copy because, while it rarely comes up, it can be huge when it does. Having Energy Switch as an option lets you do all sorts of surprise plays, like attaching to Galarian Moltres V with Greening Cells but then suddenly using Energy Switch to pivot into Grass Knot. Niche plays like that have been the main reason I have kept it in until this point, but I may ultimately cut it in the long run if I find a different card to be more important.

One Escape Rope and One Switch

[cardimg name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In a lot of Leafeon VMAX decks, people include multiple copies of [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] while omitting [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], but in this deck, I think Escape Rope is critical. Against Mew VMAX, your best-case line of play is using Galarian Moltres V to take Knock Outs on two Mew VMAX, but sometimes this is not possible, especially thanks to the increasing popularity of [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. As a result, your second choice for taking your Prizes is to take three Knock Outs on three two-Prize Pokemon, but then you are caught needing to use [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] repeatedly, which typically is not feasible. In this situation, Escape Rope comes to save the day, acting as a pseudo–Boss’s Orders while Mew VMAX does not have a single-Prize Pokemon on their Bench, which they usually don’t. This Escape Rope turn gives you a little breathing room to dig for the pieces you need to close out the game, including a Raihan to catch up on attachments if needed. While this application against Mew VMAX is extremely specific, there are plenty of other cases where Escape Rope can be the difference between winning and losing.

One Tool Jammer

Going with the already slim Leafeon VMAX package, I also only play one copy of Tool Jammer — to shut off [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], as always. Interestingly, the second part of Tool Jammer, that it shuts off [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], is also hugely relevant for Galarian Moltres V, so that you can take Knock Outs on Pokemon like Suicune V and [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] a little more easily. I actually wouldn’t mind playing a second copy of Tool Jammer, but ultimately I ran out of space and had to choose between consistency and extra copies of techs, and I deemed consistency more valuable.

Energy Lineup

The Energy lineup in this deck is a bit unconventional. Immediately, you may notice that I do not play [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. While this is a bit odd, I do it because more Capture Energy means more non-Darkness Energy, which makes it harder to consistently have Energy in the discard pile for Direflame Wings. As a result, I decided to remove them entirely for more basic Energy.

The six Darkness Energy feels drastically better than only playing five like other Galarian Moltres V builds do, but sometimes I feel it’s even fewer than I would like. However, this minor shortage is made up for by my choice to include two [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card], which I do in order to give me multiple outs to Energy via Shady Dealings while not compromising the ability to find Energy naturally off draws.

I also play only three Grass Energy, which may seem a bit low, but it’s in part because I chose to play the second Energy Search instead of the fourth Grass. I only play three Grass because it is pretty easy to find the one copy you need to attack between the effects of Greening Cells, Energy Search, and Raihan in addition to your natural draws.

Conclusion

As we move deeper into the Fusion Strike format, I expect many more anti-[card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] decks to start popping up. As they do, though, I feel like I may have cracked the code with this [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Leafeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] deck. It feels like the perfect balance between hard-countering the best deck in Standard, having solid matchups against the rest of the metagame, and being relatively consistent, all in one perfect package.

With that, this article draws to a close. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed reading this article, as I really enjoyed writing about a deck that was sort of my own creation — I am really proud of where I’ve brought it to. As always, if you have any questions, please reach out in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).

See you next time!

– Isaiah

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