Bolt Storm — A Look at Lightning Variants of Arceus VSTAR

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here and I’m happy to be bringing you another article!

Last time, I took a deep dive into Charlie Lockyer’s [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flygon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], which he used to finish 9th place at the Salt Lake City Regionals. Since then, Charlie’s deck, which is affectionately known as Desert Storm, has seen a fair amount of play, including several solid results in online tournaments as well as a day two finish at the Liverpool Regional Championship!

[cardimg name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”TG21″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Speaking of the Liverpool Regionals, that event brought us one of the biggest surprises of the season, with Robin Schulz taking down the event with his [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Galarian Moltres” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] deck! While this deck on its own was rather surprising, as many players had generally written Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX off, Robin Schulz’s deck took it a step further and also played a remarkable 22 one-ofs, which is borderline unheard of, barring in some control decks. Each of these 22 one-of cards served a unique purpose, however, and each of them directly contributed to Robin Schulz’s victory in the end.

Stepping back a bit, going into Salt Lake City Regionals, Charlie and I had been talking about decks a lot prior to the idea of Sandaconda VMAX, largely because he had not played a lot during the hiatus of in-person play. As we ran through cards and decks and what rogue decks could be good into the [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] centered meta, one idea that kind of stuck to both of us was the Lightning variants of Arceus VSTAR, focusing on [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] as a form of extra Energy acceleration alongside that of Trinity Nova. In the final week before the event, Charlie and I spent a lot of time working on these Lightning variants of Arceus VSTAR, and until he was made aware of the deck that would ultimately become Desert Storm, Lightning Arceus VSTAR was one of Charlie’s top picks.

Throughout our testing, we came to two solid variants of the deck, one that Charlie suggested that focused on [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] for a lockdown strategy, and one that I suggested that focused on dealing big damage with [card name=”Boltund VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. While we were never absolutely certain of which of these variants was ideal, we spent a lot of time on both, and I think we are both confident that they could do well at a tournament. Without further ado, let’s first take a look at Charlie’s Vikavolt V-focused build.

Charlie’s Arceus VSTAR / Vikavolt V Deck

As you may notice, Charlie’s [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] deck has a lot going on, but rest assured, the deck is far more simple than it looks. This deck is built to basically force the opponent to play at your pace while you slowly amass Energy on your board before stringing together big attacks with [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] to close out the game. This deck accomplishes this goal by abusing the format’s strong reliance on Item cards for setup by completely locking the opponent out of being able to access them. In addition, the deck is able to use Arceus VSTAR as a multi-purpose centerpiece of the deck, offering either strong Energy acceleration with Trinity Nova or instant access to a combo with Starbirth.

With all of these options at its disposal, it should be pretty clear that this deck is highly effective at being able to build a favorable game state and claiming a victory, even if it takes several turns to do so.

Deck List

[decklist name=”charlie vika” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mareep” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Yveltal (CEL #19)1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Stormy Mountains” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]9x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]3x [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Deck List Breakdown

Two Vikavolt V

As I have already stated, [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is the primary focus of Charlie’s version of Lightning [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. At first, I was a bit skeptical of Vikavolt V’s value, focusing on how it did comparatively little damage with either attack, but as I would learn with some testing, I was sorely mistaken…

[cardimg name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Many readers may not remember back in 2014 through 2016 where [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] was the ruler of the format, but I am sure a fair number of you do. For those who do not remember, Seismitoad-EX was the center of the format for almost its entire legality, offering decent damage for the time period for a single attachment in an era that largely focused on Item cards. In the modern era, this low damage for Item lock trade-off is not as strong as it once was, making a solo-Vikavolt V deck nearly impossible, but there was one particular Seismitoad-EX variant that did things a little differently that might be better to focus on.

In Spring 2015, there was a Seismitoad-EX / [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] deck that dominated that season’s State Championships. Unlike other Seismitoad-EX decks that focused on lockdown strategies, often never letting the opponent play Item cards for the entire game, the Yveltal-EX variant used Seismitoad-EX to slow down the opponent in the early game so that you had time to load several Energy on Yveltal-EX so that its Evil Ball attack would be capable of massive damage. Back to the present day, Charlie’s deck is able to recreate this strategy by using Vikavolt V to buy time like Seismitoad-EX would, making room for a late-game sweep with [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] like Yveltal-EX would do.

Notably, Vikavolt V proves to be exceptionally strong against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], which is a deck that is heavily reliant on Item cards. As a result, Vikavolt V is able to lock them out of drawing cards in a way similar to [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], but unlike Path to the Peak, your opponent cannot get lucky and “draw out” of the Vikavolt V lock. Additionally, Vikavolt V can be used to trap [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] in this same matchup, which is something that I will go into in greater detail later.

Two Raichu V

In a sense, Raichu V acts as this deck’s main attacker, but not in the conventional sense. Like many main attackers, Raichu V will likely be taking a majority of your Prize cards in any particular game, however, unlike most main attackers, Raichu V will not be attacking except in the final few turns of the game. In this deck, where we focus on buying time with Vikavolt V in order to build the board we want before running through the opponent, Raichu V is critical as a way of not only dealing massive damage but for closing out the game faster than our opponent can once we get to that ideal board state.

Despite its importance, I have put a fair amount of thought into the prospect of cutting the second Raichu V, but every time I have done so, I have immediately missed it, even with the copy of [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] that would normally fill a similar purpose. The experience alone has singlehandedly made me confident that two Raichu V is the correct count in this deck.

Arceus VSTAR Line

Unlike many [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] decks, Arceus VSTAR takes a bit of a background role in this deck, but despite it not being the deck’s true focus, Arceus VSTAR plays an extremely critical role.

In my experience with both mine and Charlie’s Arceus VSTAR Lightning decks, the biggest value is seen from Starbirth, solving a lot of the consistency problems that Flaaffy decks normally have by producing an instant-access search for Energy to discard, pieces of the [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] line, or even a Supporter card when you need them. In addition, Arceus VSTAR acts as a solid attacker, both dealing moderate damage while also loading up your board with Energy cards, translating to more damage potential with Raichu V. As a result, Arceus VSTAR, in addition to the value of Starbirth, opens up an entire secondary game plan with this deck that focuses on early Raichu V burst damage rather than a slow climb to peak Raichu V damage.

Overall, Arceus VSTAR is the perfect connection for all of this deck’s strategies, making the deck’s success far more consistent.

Flaaffy Line

[cardimg name=”Flaaffy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”280″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The purpose of the [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] line should be quite obvious, acting as this deck’s primary Energy acceleration. In addition to the Energy acceleration for building up costly attacks faster, Flaaffy also offers Energy recharging following a big swing with [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]. Thanks to this built-in Energy recharge, we are able to easily close out a game in two attacks against VMAX focused decks once the time finally comes to break the Paralyzing Bolt lock.

As for the 3-3 line itself, it has generally felt correct, being the perfect balance between not too much such that it gets in the way, but not too few so that you still can reliably get it out. In most games, you probably will not need more than two Flaaffy at a time, but having access to the third opens up several options, which easily justifies the inclusion. I also want to note that I am still not entirely sure of which Mareep card is ideal, but I settled on the [card name=”Mareep” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] from Evolving Skies because of its Retreat Cost of one and the ability to deal 30 damage, which does 60 damage to a [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] after Weakness.

Yveltal

One of the more memorable moments of my work with Charlie leading up to Salt Lake City was his reaction to learning what Yveltal did, as he had not even heard of the card prior to me bringing it up as what I assumed was common knowledge. Yveltal was a big part of Charlie’s theory with this deck, as it offered an additional win condition against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] thanks to its ability to wipe the opponent’s board of Energy, turning Energy removal into a viable win condition, in addition to Prize-based win conditions.

Thanks to Flaaffy, it is super easy to power up a Yveltal out of nowhere, meaning that you can always simply drop it at the most opportune time to maximize its value.

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Two Raihan

The two [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] in a Flaaffy-focused deck probably seems out of place, as it certainly did to me when Charlie first sent the deck to me, but as I thought about it more, it did start to make more sense. As simple as the deck may seem, it is focused on needing small combos quite a bit throughout the game, even if those combos are as simple as needing a single Trainer card for a follow-up play after a Knock Out.

This goal could be accomplished by [card name=”Skyla” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] without the requirement for a Knock Out, so why bother with a card with strict conditions? Well, it’s as simple as wanting the extra Energy card. Notably, this is especially important as you enter the [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] focused part of the game, as you need to make sure you have enough Energy in play for consecutive massive attacks from Raichu V, and sometimes your typical one-to-two Flaaffy is not enough to meet this, so a little extra assistance may be needed.

Four Cross Switcher

In addition to the Raihan, I was also confused by [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] when Charlie sent me this deck for the first time, but his reasoning behind it stuck with me, and I am a big fan of it as a result.

[cardimg name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As you may expect, the idea behind Cross Switcher is as simple as wanting to bring up one of the opponent’s benched Pokemon without expending your Supporter, but the value of this is a little higher in this deck than it is in the average deck — thanks to [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], the opponent cannot play a [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to move a Pokemon so, as a result, the opponent can be easily trapped for multiple turns while you build the board you want to have for when the game eventually comes down to who can most effectively take Knock-Outs.

As a result of playing Cross Switcher, you are able to more reliably reach this board state as you can drag up something you want to trap while setting up your board, building a ton of advantage. Additionally, unlike most decks, this deck can easily search out two Cross Switcher at a moment’s notice thanks to Starbirth, making Cross Switcher a perfect fit.

Two Cape of Toughness

For most of the Pokemon in this deck, [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] is not particularly important, but it is critical for Vikavolt V in particular. Due to it being pretty frail on its own, Vikavolt V needs to have a bit of an HP boost to survive against much of the format, however, this HP boost is extremely significant in the [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] matchup in particular, as it makes it so that the only way the opponent can ever take a one-hit Knock Out on Vikavolt V is with four [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] in play while using [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]’s Melodious Echo, which leaves them perfectly vulnerable to Yveltal.

Alternatively, they could choose a two-hit Knock Out path instead, but this can cause problems related to needing switching cards, opening up more effective trapping, or unnecessary Energy being in play, opening up a big Yveltal play. In short, Cape of Toughness not only adds a little extra HP but it almost singlehandedly checkmates Mew VMAX.

Ordinary Rod

Aside from being a generally good card, [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is crucial in this deck for reusing Yveltal if you are going for an Energy denial line of play, as you will almost certainly need to Yveltal more than once to truly lock your Opponent out of the game. In addition, thanks to the variety of search cards in this deck, such as [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]’s Starbirth and [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], it’s realistic to find Ordinary Rod at the exact time you want it rather than having to bank on drawing into it.

My Arceus VSTAR / Boltund VMAX Deck

Unlike Charlie’s toolbox style deck, my [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Boltund VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is built as a hyper-offensive powerhouse built on quickly building a massive Energy presence in the early game before using Bolt Storm (from either [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]  or VMAX) and [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] to close out the game. A lot of my theory with this deck revolved around the fact that Boltund V’s Electrify is awfully similar to [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trinity Charge as an opening attack going second, offering another great form of Energy acceleration and making it so this deck has a bit over a 58% chance of opening with a favorable starting Pokemon.

As if that was not enough, the deck has access to a multitude of strong turn-two attacks to immediately start pushing for Knock Outs if you desire. Overall, thanks to this deck’s sheer power and abundant Energy acceleration options, this deck is capable of running over any deck that is not operating at its same pace.

Deck List

[decklist name=”boltund arceus” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Boltund VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”104″][pokemon amt=”19″]2x [card name=”Boltund VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mareep” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Stormy Mountains” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]11x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card]3x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Inclusions

Boltund VMAX Line

As the deck’s main attacker, you might be surprised by there only being two [card name=”Boltund VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], but the reasoning here is pretty simple; most of the time, your game plan will be to use two Pokemon V or Pokemon VSTAR before finally swinging with a VMAX with no other Pokemon V on board. This last part is important as if you leave a Pokemon V on board, your opponent can go for an easier Knock Out, but with only Pokemon VMAX and single-Prize Pokemon in play, it is harder for the opponent to close out the game, forcing them to either take two Knock Outs or take the bigger Knock Out on Boltund VMAX.

[cardimg name=”Boltund VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”104″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

By doing this, you typically give yourself an entire extra turn, which often locks up your victory on its own. On the flip side, however, using the VMAX too early can result in a much easier 2-3-1 Prize path for the opponent. As a result, I feel that two Boltund VMAX is the goldilocks number.

With this in mind, why do we play four [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]? At first, the fact that it also has Bolt Storm likely jumps out at you, but that is not even the main reason, despite it being a great benefit.

As I mentioned earlier, when I first theorized this build, I liked that Boltund V and [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] have similar first attacks, giving this deck one of the strongest game plans for going second in the format. Unfortunately, I also knew that I could not fit four Arceus V in addition to four Boltund V (or else it would have been a 4-2 line for both!), so I had to settle with cutting one of them. In the end, the 4th Boltund V was able to stick around as I have 11 Energy cards that lead to a turn-one Electrify as opposed to only three that result in a turn-one Trinity Charge.

Arceus VSTAR Line

In this deck, [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is far more important for Energy acceleration than it was in Charlie’s deck. Unlike Charlie’s deck, which is buying several turns with [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], this deck is built to be much more aggressive, so loading up Energy for Bolt Storm is critical so that you can keep up with the rest of the format.

In addition, Arceus VSTAR also typically takes a Knock Out while accelerating the Energy, which is a huge method of momentum building. Due to the inclusion of [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] in this build, using Arceus VSTAR for Trinity Nova typically only loses you one Energy following the attachment of three Energy, allowing you to build up a greater Energy presence faster.

In general, it’s not uncommon for a huge 300 damage Bolt Storm to happen as soon as turn four with a little luck.

One Raichu V

Much like Charlie’s deck, [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] is also this deck’s big finisher, however, unlike Charlie’s deck, I settled with only one copy of Raichu V. The reasoning behind this is rather simple; the deck already has Boltund V and VMAX as a strong attacking option, but sometimes they do not cut it on their own, so a little extra help is needed. With this being said, I would not include a second copy of Raichu V in this deck, entirely because it is unnecessary.

Conclusion

In my testing, Lightning [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], be it with [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Boltund VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], has proven to certainly be one of the format’s hidden gems, boasting strong strategies against many decks in the format. Unfortunately for both strategies, Fighting-type Pokemon are growing increasingly prevalent, which does not bode well for two decks that are entirely built with Fighting Weakness, but in the end, even that might not be enough to stop these decks.

With that, this article comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed reading about two of my favorite projects that I have been working on in this format! As always, if you have any questions, please reach out in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).

Until next time!

– Isaiah

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