Understanding (But Not Fearing) Standard’s Boogeyman: Mew VMAX

[card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] has no particularly good matchups, yet if its domination of the format is any indication, it doesn’t seem to need them. Whatever your opponent puts in front of you, Mew will bulldoze through it. As a Mew player, you can also turbo through your deck with reckless abandon; it’s a true churn-and-burn deck if there ever was one. This makes Mew’s game mode rather predictable: it will keep moving forward until its enemies are destroyed. It will not disrupt your hand. It will not recover resources. It will only blow you up one Pokemon at a time. Mew is the living embodiment of a deck that is all gas and no brakes.

[cardimg name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”269″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

What makes Mew so good despite its predictability and even matchups is that the deck has literally everything it could ever want built into it. Its most defining aspects are its unbelievable speed and power, both of which are hallmark attributes of any great Pokemon deck. Not only can Mew frequently attack on turn one, but when it does, it can do upwards of 300 damage! What is truly absurd is that this isn’t even a particularly rare occurrence. When going first, Mew can do the same thing on turn two, with the added advantage of [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] to delete a threat of your choice.

Mew also has healing via [card name=”Mew V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”251″ c=”name”][/card]’s Psychic Leap, insane bulk with 310 HP plus [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card], damage modifiers to OHKO anything, and attackers of all Prize values to win Prize trades. It has free retreat, insane draw power, Energy acceleration, and even a Shred-style attack to break through Safeguard-like effects. The entire Fusion Strike engine is nuts. It’s just nuts.

But you probably know all of that already. If you’ve played a dozen games online, or even half that many, you’ve almost certainly run into Mew at some point. You’re likely here for one of two reasons: to learn how to play Mew better, or to learn how to stop it. I’ll be discussing both, but I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The reality isn’t very glamorous, and you may not leave feeling satisfied after hearing what I have to say.

I’ve called Mew a predictable deck, but I hesitate to use terms like “straightforward” or “one-dimensional.” The fact of the matter is that Mew presents the player with a ridiculously complex sequencing puzzle every single turn. You can simply click the glowing cards and still achieve Knock Outs and wins, but your win rate over time will be noticeably lower than a player with lots of experience. In addition, Mew has a variety of utility attacks that you sometimes have to use. In its perfect world, it will simply blow Pokemon up turn after turn until it wins, and that’s how some games go. But when things don’t go perfectly, some ingenuity is required.

Playing Against Mew

When I say that Mew is predictable, I’m mostly referring to what it can and can’t do to the opponent. For example, my favorite thing about playing against Mew is that most lists can’t disrupt my hand. Therefore, I can build combos in my hand over time, and find paths to victory well in advance. This is particularly true for [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] decks, which can spam Shady Dealings to build up the hand and set up checkmate scenarios, often involving [card name=”Galarian Moltres” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], but regardless of what deck you’re playing, Mew’s lack of hand disruption is something you can and should keep in mind.

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Another thing you can play around is the fact that they can’t attack with [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and use Boss in the same turn, unless they have the [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] they need on board before the turn starts. They can always use [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], but the most snipe damage they can do is 50 if they use Oricorio. This means that they usually won’t punish you for benching extra single-Prize Pokemon, and those extra Pokemon often give you a useful defense against Escape Rope. They usually don’t play [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], either.

A common win condition for Mew is to take out three two-Prize Pokemon on successive turns, using up to three Boss’s Orders in the process. This win condition is so favored that virtually all lists now play [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], a card that I used to constantly forget about until I got hit by it five times in a row. Fortunately, playing around Echoing Horn is situationally possible. For a deck like [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card], you can fill the Bench with single-Prize Pokemon such as [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] to stop the Echoing Horn play from happening. Any deck with [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] can use those cards to play around it as well. At some point, you get used to it; playing around Echoing Horn has been beaten into me for so long, I’m hardwired to make those plays at all times. However, it’s not always necessary. There are times where Echoing Horn doesn’t matter, such as if they’re out of Boss’s Orders, or if your discard doesn’t have any lose conditions, or other random scenarios like those. Basically, evaluate each situation independently and decide for yourself whether Echoing Horn is a threat or not. Just don’t forget about it!

General Tips for Mew

Mew has its skill-based elements, but fundamentally it is a deck that relies on things going right. There are many games you will win by steamrolling your opponent without any particularly skillful plays on your part, and there are games you will brick hard even playing perfectly. There are also times where it’s a brain-blasting exercise of the highest complexity, and learning how to play the deck will certainly increase your win rate, but at the end of the day, you can’t change its underlying luck-based nature. Understanding and accepting this is simply a part of playing the deck. Your win rate is all that matters, regardless of the amount of luck required. A high win rate with a deck, even a deck that requires a lot of luck, means the deck is good and therefore worth playing.

I mentioned earlier that the deck often poses sequencing puzzles. There are a few general tips I have for playing the deck, but there are plenty of exceptions to all of them. Pokemon is a situational game that constantly presents the player with new situations, so it’s important to think critically about every decision. That said, repetition gives the player knowledge of common scenarios and lines of play, so that’s where this advice is coming from.

The natural instinct of most players is to play out their hands as much as possible in order to draw the maximum number of cards with every use of [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”255″ c=”name”][/card]’s Fusion Strike System. This is especially true when you have to hit specific combos involving the likes of [card name=”Power Tablet” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”236″ c=”name”][/card], Energy, and a specific Supporter. However, there are also plenty of cases where you hold off on a few cards, especially when you have more Fusion Strike Systems available. Cards that you may not burn right away include [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card], Power Tablet, and [card name=”Rotom Phone” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], though there are certainly others depending on the situation. Ultra Ball and Quick Ball are valuable resources that can throw away dead cards in the late game — if you’re already set up and don’t need them for their search effect, try not to waste them unless it’s to burn dead cards that clog the hand. This can mean drawing one or two fewer cards off of your first Fusion Strike System, but it can also lead to more cards overall by maximizing the effectiveness of the next Fusion Strike Systems. The same concept can also apply to Rotom Phone.

[cardimg name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The usual dead cards you want to thin out are excess Pokemon and [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card]. Since VIP Pass is completely useless after the first turn, it’s natural to want to discard those first over Pokemon that may have some use later. However, since [card name=”Cram-o-matic” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”229″ c=”name”][/card] can only use Item cards, those extra VIP Passes can actually become golden on the other end of a Fusion Strike System. You know those extra Pokemon won’t be useful this turn or even next turn, so prioritize keeping VIP Pass over useless non-Item cards. Naturally, this does not apply when you know there are no Cram-0-matic left in the deck.

Power Tablet is an important and finite resource. It’s most effective when you play many of them in the same turn to reach a huge Knock Out, and you may not want to burn them at all unless the combo is assured. In accordance with this, it’s often correct to save your Tablets until you know the results of your Fusion Strike System. Of course, if it’s a do-or-die turn where you absolutely need to hit the combo, go ahead and use them to maximize each System’s individual draw power.

[card name=”Elesa’s Sparkle” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”233″ c=”name”][/card] is actually another card that you may want to save before using Fusion Strike System, but this one is highly situational. On some turns, especially the first turn, where you need the Fusion Strike Energy attachment plus Elesa’s Sparkle to attack, you may be inclined to use Elesa’s Sparkle before Fusion Strike System, but this removes two Fusion Strike Energy from the deck, which greatly decreases your odds of drawing the one that you need to manually attach. This can also apply to choosing your target off Cram-o-matic. I’ll usually favor grabbing the Fusion Strike Energy to attach over the Sparkle, and take my chances on drawing into the Sparkle later in the turn. Of course, none of this applies if you already have the attachment for turn, and there are also situations where attaching [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] to Meloetta is acceptable.

Strategies for Matchups

Mew’s matchups aren’t very good, but the deck is so strong in a vacuum that it doesn’t really matter. This has been the case with several decks in past metagames. Some matchups are more luck-based than others, but even still, you often need to adapt your strategy differently depending on what you’re facing.

Mew Mirror

I usually don’t discuss mirror matches because they’re straight 50-50s, but the Mew matchup is incredibly interesting. You have to be lucky and draw well to win in the mirror, as Mew is capable of applying immense pressure. That said, there are a lot of strategies to employ. Your strategy will differ depending on whether you go first or second.

Choose to go first if you can. When going first, you want to put both of your Meloetta and your Oricorio in play. Mew V is actually not needed yet — we want to deny the opponent the first two-Prize Knock Out. Attach a Fusion Strike Energy to your Benched Meloetta, and leave another single-Prize Pokemon in the Active Spot. If they use Escape Rope and threaten a KO, sacrifice the other single-Prize Pokemon that doesn’t have an Energy attached.

On your second turn, go for a KO on a two-Prize Pokemon with your Meloetta. Usually, you’ll need Boss’s Orders, a second Fusion Strike Energy attachment, and two damage modifiers to do so. Put at least one Mew V on your Bench on turn two, and do not put Mew VMAX into play. If your opponent goes down to three Prizes on their turn two, do not put Mew VMAX into play on your turn three! On your turn two, you will have taken the first two-Prize KO, and you will win the game in the next two turns. Your opponent will be a full turn behind, as they were only able to take one Prize on turn one. After taking your two-Prize KO, simply take two-Prize KOs on your next two turns to win. Sometimes it is easier to KO Mew VMAX during this process, but usually you will need two Boss’s Orders back-to-back. This will involve using your own Mew VMAX, but even still, you don’t want to put it into play too early, in order to avoid giving your opponent a three-Prize target.

If you go second and your opponent perfectly employs the above strategy, you cannot win. However, that won’t always happen, and the player going second still has a decent chance. First of all, take a turn-one KO with Meloetta. It’s best if it’s for two Prizes, as you’re practically assured to win if that’s the case. If you are taking a single-Prize KO, do not put the extra Fusion Energy from Elesa’s Sparkle on a two-Prize Pokemon. It’s okay to fail the second search off Sparkle — your opponent will ignore the Meloetta and go for a two-Prize Pokemon anyway, so don’t throw away a Fusion Strike Energy unnecessarily. You may make use of it later if the opponent goes in with Mew VMAX. One time I won a Mew mirror in a tournament precisely because my opponent instinctively put the extra Energy from Sparkle onto their Benched Mew with no better targets, as opposed to failing that search and leaving the Energy in deck. I KO’d that Mew with my Mew VMAX, and if that Fusion Energy was still available in the deck, my VMAX would have been in danger of being return-KO’d, leaving me losing the Prize trade.

Preserve damage modifiers in case your opponent does evolve into Mew VMAX. Most Mew players will not play the mirror perfectly, and they may also not draw perfectly. Any small mistake or whiff can be punished hard, and the game can always turn around at the drop of a hat. When going second and taking a single-Prize KO on turn 1, the opponent putting Mew VMAX into play too early is your win condition. However, that opportunity is wasted if you’ve gotten rid of too many damage modifiers. Even if you pull off the glorious quad–Fusion Strike Energy play for maximum damage, there are still factors like Oricorio and Double Turbo Energy that may require more modifiers than you expect.

Arceus – Even

Arceus decks come in many shapes and sizes, but in my experience they can all be generalized when it comes to the Mew matchup, which is largely luck-based and can go either way based on how the cards fall. Going first is a significant advantage, especially against Arceus decks that play [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. All the usual anti-Path strategies apply here, such as conserving Stadiums and playing around [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] with Rotom Phone.

That said, either Mew will shut Arceus out of the game completely with insane early aggression, or Mew will brick and allow Arceus to set up. When Arceus survives the early game and sets up fully, Mew is stuck in a losing Prize trade, because it is incredibly difficult for it to take down multiple Arceus VSTAR. The best way to take one down is by utilizing the quad–Fusion Strike Energy Melodious Echo, as you are quickly bled out of damage modifiers otherwise. Arceus players are aware of this, and will target down Fusion Strike Energy with their Knock Outs whenever possible. To counter this, try and get two Mew VMAX in play as fast as possible, and keep all four Fusion Energy on the VMAXs. They won’t be able to remove the Energy in one shot, and you’ll get at least one juicy KO out of it. Occasionally, you may need to preserve Elesa’s Sparkle in the instances where you have to use Psychic Leap, as well as Meloetta in case the first one gets targeted down.

Even with those tactics in mind, it’s still difficult to fight Arceus toe-to-toe. Your best bet is to take down as many Arceus V as possible before they evolve. This should be easy to do at least once with Boss’s Orders. Furthermore, keep an eye out for the Echoing Horn–plus–Boss play, as that’s another way for you to scoop an easy two Prizes. Aggressively playing toward this line may require you to sacrifice resources, making it even more difficult to fight an Arceus VSTAR, but this is definitely an easier way to win overall.

Malamar / Inteleon – Even to Slightly Unfavorable

[card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is a contentious matchup that I discussed from the Malamar side in one of my recent articles. The biggest factor in this matchup is actually who goes first, or more importantly, who goes second. What’s interesting is that in a tournament environment like Regionals, you won’t know what your opponent is playing beforehand. The Mew player should choose to go first in a blind matchup, and the Malamar player should choose to go second in a blind matchup. This results in the Malamar player almost always going second, which greatly skews the win rate in its favor.

[cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In this matchup, going second is a huge advantage— if you know that your opponent is playing Malamar, choose second. Malamar can’t really do anything when going first, as it relies on [card name=”Brawly” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], Sobble’s Keep Calling, and even [card name=”Korrina’s Focus” set=”Battle Styles” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to set up on turn one. Therefore, when Mew goes second, it gets a free Prize before the Malamar player even begins to set up. You may even win the game on that turn.

There are several strategies that the Mew player needs to know for this matchup. Your ideal target is rarely the Malamar or [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] they have on the board. In the early game, it’s either [card name=”Remoraid” set=”Battle Styles” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] or Sobble. If they only have one Sobble, take it out. Shady Dealings is their only way for them to search for [card name=”Cynthia’s Ambition” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], and even if they already have it, you may leave a useless non-Rapid Strike [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] in their hand. In fact, if you can take out a lone Sobble at any point, that’s usually the best course of action. Otherwise, Remoraid is a good early-game target. Stopping [card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] from ever hitting the board hampers their ability to set up, especially with finding Malamar.

Aside from your turn-one attacker going second (which can be Meloetta, Mew V, or even Oricorio), it’s best to start attacking with Mew VMAX. Get Oricorio in play as soon as possible for added defense, and gamble on the fact that they cannot KO Mew VMAX in one shot after your second turn. If they can, tough luck. After taking Mew VMAX’s first KO, they will likely swing into it for some damage before being fully set up. At this point, you need to have a Mew V on your Bench and use Psychic Leap for a Knock Out. Ideally, you’ll take out a Sobble, Drizzile, or Remoraid, but the more important thing is that you send Mew VMAX back into the deck. Sacrifice Oricorio here, and take your next KO with Meloetta. If they did not use their Boss on either of those turns, they will have taken two Prizes at this point.

Next, go into Mew VMAX, and another VMAX after that. You need to gamble on them not being able to KO two VMAX, and you’ll use Boss’s Orders to disrupt their support engine as you see fit. It’s unlikely that they will be able to use Boss’s Orders for a two-Prize KO after shuffling back their entire hand for Knocking Out the first VMAX, and you will not have a one-Prize target on the board at this point. Usually, Knocking Out Drizzile or Sobble is better than Octillery in the later stages of the game, but there are exceptions. Oftentimes, the game plays out like this:

• Turn 1 – KO with any attacker (when going second). Mew V is the best because it’s least likely to be KO’d on their second turn after going first.
• Turn 2 – KO with an undamaged Mew VMAX.
• Turn 3 –  KO with the VMAX’s Psychic Leap, sacrifice Oricorio.
• Turn 4 – KO with Meloetta.
• Turn 5 – KO with Mew VMAX.
• Turn 6 – KO with anything for game.

You can see that if Mew goes second, there’s a high chance that Malamar won’t even get a chance to win. If they use Boss’s Orders for a two-Prize KO on the turn you want them to KO Meloetta, they will go down to three Prizes, but lose their Boss. In that case, you take a KO with the Meloetta that they spared. They go down to two. You use your second Meloetta to KO, and then follow up with Mew VMAX when they’re at one Prize and no Boss left (or to simply win the game). This is why you sacrifice Oricorio instead of Meloetta on turn three. Your game plan does shift slightly based on when and if they use their Boss, so you need to keep those lines open and not sacrifice the required resources.

If they go second, they not only get to set up on turn one before you get a KO, but they also have a much higher chance of Knocking Out the Mew VMAX right after it attacks. This, combined with the facts that Malamar goes second in a blind matchup and that Mew sometimes whiffs and doesn’t draw everything perfectly, makes for a very close matchup that I think is slightly in Malamar’s favor.

Also remember that Oricorio can KO Inkay, as that does come up at random times.

Conclusion

Mew is an interesting, fast, complex, and sometimes stupid deck that has a lot of parts to it. I think I was able to touch on the most important details in this article, as well as explain the strategies used in matchups against the most prominent meta decks. I hope you enjoyed it! At this point, I usually encourage readers to try out the deck, but I have honestly seen enough of Mew, and I’m not particularly fond of it myself. Nonetheless I think this article can be of value to any competitive player, as Mew is an highly important part of the competitive environment whether we like it or not.

Here’s my current Mew list. It’s more or less a typical list, but I’ve included [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card].

[decklist name=”mew” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mew V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”40″]3x [card name=”Elesa’s Sparkle” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”233″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cram-o-matic” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”229″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rotom Phone” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Power Tablet” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”236″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Rose Tower” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]3x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]Mew relies heavily on Boss’s Orders in every matchup, often wanting up to three or four uses of the card. Boss’s Orders can clog hands, though, so Pal Pad smooths things out while also allowing uses of up to five Boss’s Orders. It’s also an Item for Cram-o-matic, and occasionally helps your chances of hitting crucial Elesa’s Sparkles. I think it’s a must-include in Mew.

I’ve also decided, along with the consensus, that [card name=”Rose Tower” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is the best Stadium, as it helps a lot with not bricking in the early game, and has great synergy with the four Rotom Phones. The three copies of Mew V is certainly greedy and punishable, but the fourth copy is the main offender of mid- to late-game hand clogging.

Thanks for reading!

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