One of my favorite aspects of the Pokemon Trading Card game are the multiple win conditions. Having different ways to achieve victory broadens the possibilities of what a player can achieve and encourages creativity both in deckbuilding and playstyle. Variety and flexibility make this game forever challenging and push the bar higher for players. Success must be earned, these qualities push players to continue to improve their skills.

Today I will be discussing two decks, one is a new archetype arriving in the Rebel Clash format and an update to an already well established top contender. These two powerful archetypes have a different path to victory. One seeking to take multiple prizes by putting pressure on the opponent while putting their benched Pokemon at risk, and the other takes a careful tactical approach to discarding the opponent’s deck.

Dragapult VMAX

Dragapult VMAX is a new archetype that is anticipated to have a significant impact on the UPR-RCL format. Due to Dragapult VMAX’s hefty 320 HP, and the ability to damage an opponent’s bench, it is in a unique position to play a strong offensive, or defensive role. Giant Bomb and the new Horror Psychic Energy are perfect additions to the deck that will discourage an opponent from making overly offensive plays for fear of retaliation. Additionally, the new Scoop Up Net card threatens to remove a damaged Dragapult VMAX from play and completely undermine an opponent’s previous efforts to advance their game state.

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Matchups:

Mirror:

The Dragapult VMAX mirror match is a challenging balance of prioritizing targets while mitigating damage taken by the opponent’s Dragapult VMAX. Because Dragapult VMAX’s Max Phantom attack caps at only 130 damage Giant Bomb serves little to no purpose. Dragapult VMAX’s 320 base HP means that each player will need to attack three times in order to successfully Knock Out a single Dragapult VMAX.

Mr. Mime and Scoop Up Net will put in some work in this matchup, however, Mr. Mime is at risk of being knocked out by the bench damage done by Max Phantom. It is essential that Mr. Mime is played at the crucial moment one turn before the opponent would use their own Scoop Up Net to return a damaged Dragapult VMAX to their hand. With Dragapult VMAX’s bench damage taken into account it is possible for the player to take four prizes on their next turn (a Dragapult V MAX and another benched Pokemon with low HP). With thoughtful placement of bench damage it is possible to use Boss’s Orders on the player’s next turn to eliminate one or two of the opponent’s weaker benched Pokemon.

Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX:

During the UPR-SSH format Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX reigned as the superior archetype in the Pokemon Trading Card Game competitive format. It remains to be seen if this will continue to be the case after the release of Rebel Clash, but it is indisputable that the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX archetype will at the very least continue to be relevant come this May.

Dragapult VMAX has a formidable toolbox at its disposal that is specifically relevant in this matchup. Giant Bomb, Scoop Up Net, Horror Psychic Energy, and the sheer immensity of Dragapult VMAX’s HP are overwhelming factors for Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX variants when utilized wisely.

The player’s following turn after the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX player uses Altered Creation GX is a pivotal moment for the Dragapult VMAX player. During this turn the goal is to swing into the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX with Max Phantom and place five damage counters on the benched Zacian V that is most likely to attack next. The player also needs to achieve a defensive strategy this turn by placing Giant Bomb on the attacking Dragapult VMAX, and playing Marnie to reduce the opponent’s likelihood of responding with a gust effect. The goal is to put the opponent in a position where they must attack with Ultimate Ray in order to accelerate their Energy attachments, but in doing so put their Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX at risk of being knocked out in response. The ideal response for the Dragapult VMAX player is to play Boss’s Orders to bring the now fully charged Zacian V into the Active position, damaging it, and knocking out the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX on the bench. From this point it should be difficult for the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX player to catch up.

Boltund V:

Boltund V is a very speedy and formidable deck. My colleagues at Tier X Gaming have highlighted how Boltund V can achieve 280-310 damage by turn 3. Combining this damage with Electropower it is fully possible for the Boltund V archetype to take single hit Knockouts on Dragapult VMAX. Dragapult VMAX’s saving grace is the combination of Giant Bomb and Horror Psychic Energy when matched against Boltund V’s much lower 200 HP.

The Dragapult VMAX player must stream Giant Bomb attachments to discourage attacks from Boltund V. The opponent will either need to avoid Knocking Out Dragapult VMAX in a single hit, opening up defensive plays with Scoop Up Net, or taking the 100 damage from Giant Bomb and losing their Boltund V on the next turn. With careful damage placement it is possible to take multiple Knock Outs in a single turn and leave the Boltund V player with too little energy with which to continue their aggressive assault.

Cinccino Mill:

Mill decks have recently made a significant impact as seen by the results of the first round of the Limitless Qualifier. This archetype only continues to improve and should be expected to be an impactful archetype in the UPR-RCL format.

Without Energy acceleration it is incredibly difficult for Dragapult VMAX to maintain the two Energy requirement to keep the pressure on throughout this matchup. This is 100% of the Dragapult VMAX player’s goal, maintaining Energy. If Dragapult VMAX can fully execute back to back attacks the bench damage alone will overwhelm the Cinccino Mill player.

Alternatively the Dragapult VMAX player can attempt to attack only with Mew throughout the game. This 30 damage each turn can pressure the Cinccino archetype, but is likely not enough to close out consistent games.

Mewtwo Variants:

The Dragapult VMAX archetype has the tools necessary to potentially remove Mewtwo & Mew GX variants from the format entirely. Mewtwo & Mew GX’s Psychic weakness alone makes it a massive liability. Dragapult VMAX’s bulky nature is a very real hurdle for Mewtwo to overcome. It will be interesting to see how players try to mitigate this matchup, but as it stands now Dragapult VMAX players need to put in very little effort to achieve victory in this matchup.

Cinccino Mill in the New Format

Mill archetypes focusing on Cinccino as a draw engine have been popular in the UPR-SSH format. Unlike similar variants in the past that focus more on controlling the opponent’s ability to play the game, such as Pidgeotto Hand Lock, this deck favors aggressive discarding through the use of Bellelba & Brycen-Man. Unlike its predecessors, Cinccino Mill can execute its strategy much faster and secure a game in a Best of One 30 minute game format. Perhaps the greatest signifier of this was its overwhelming success in the first Limitless Qualifier round 1. Approximately 16% of the day two metagame was Mill archetypes.

Moving forward into the UPR-RCL format this archetype picks up some worthwhile tools that offer consistency and some added aggression with which to achieve its goal. The most significant addition to Mill archetypes is Cursed Shovel. When a Pokemon with Cursed Shovel attached is Knocked Out by damage from an opponent’s attack, the attacking player discards two cards from the top of their deck. With Oranguru’s Resource Management attack, Cursed Shovel can be returned to the deck and the effect can be recycled several times throughout the game.

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Matchups:

Mirror:

The Cinccino mirror match is easily the most difficult matchup. Every game follows a different path as both players juggle proactive and reactive plays based on what cards are discarded by Bellelba & Brycen-Man. Girafarig is absolutely critical in completely removing the opponent’s resources from the game entirely. Ideally the opponent's basic Energy can be discarded with a Crushing Hammer and sent to the Lost Zone from the discard. Any remaining Special Energy can be easily taken care of with Faba.

Often games can reach a point where both players use Pal Pad and Ordinary Rod turn after turn to keep their head above water. If a game gets to this point it is helpful to have saved several copies of Lillie’s Pokedoll and Pokemon Communication to create a buffer and use Resource Management to return copies of Crushing Hammer back to the deck. During this phase, it is not as valuable to use Bellelba & Brycen-Man. Save it in case the opponent makes a mistake and leaves a game ending opening. Eventually favor will go to one of the players for their Crushing Hammer flips and close the game.

It is also worth noting that a copy of Magneton is incredibly helpful in the mirror. By knocking itself out the player gains access to Lt. Surge’s Strategy and the option of playing two copies of Bellelba & Brycen-Man every turn. Once the opponent hits 11 cards remaining in deck, and as long as Magcargo GX’s Burning Magma GX attack is still an option the game is over. The list above does not include Magneton, however Capture Energy, a copy of Zacian V, or a copy of Team Yell Grunt are all viable options to substitute it into the deck.

Dragapult VMAX:

Unless Dragapult VMAX has some sort of continuous Energy acceleration built in, such as Malamar this is a very difficult matchup for Dragapult VMAX. This matchup can be won simply by preventing the opponent to ever attach a second Energy. Dragapult VMAX’s success comes from using its Max Phantom attack multiple times to clear the Cinccino Mill player’s bench and take prizes. With a combined effort from Crushing Hammer and Team Yell Grunt it is unlikely that the Dragapult VMAX player will ever achieve success in this goal.

Eventually the Dragapult VMAX player will take a prize and unlock the ability to play multiple Supporters each turn through Lt. Surge’s Strategy. Once the deck is thin most turns will be a loop of Lt. Surge’s Strategy, Team Yell Grunt, and Bellelba & Brycen-Man until the game is finished.

Boltund V:

Boltund V is a formidable archetype in the UPR-RCL format. It boasts huge damage and speed with a very cost efficient attack. It’s high damage output and speed matter very little against the prize denial of Lillie’s Pokedoll, and if not reigned in are actually a weakness against Cinccino Mill.

This is a very straightforward matchup. Deny the opponent prizes and keep milling cards from the opponent’s deck with Bellelba & Brycen-Man and Cursed Shovel. If the Boltund V player makes the mistake of not attaching extra Energy to their Boltund V as a buffer it is possible to remove the Energy and prevent them from attacking, similar to the Dragapult VMAX matchup. This is however, an unlikely occurrence.

Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX:

The Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX archetype exists in our current format, and thus the strategy for this matchup is already well established. The Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX must execute Altered Creation GX in order to succeed against Cinccino Mill. The key to winning is to prevent the opponent from doing so. Using Crushing Hammer and Team Yell Grunt to keep the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX player from ever attaching a second Energy, or at the very least, a third to prevent the Energy acceleration from Ultimate Ray.

Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX variants burn through cards rather quickly on their own. A few turns of playing Bellelba & Brycen-Man should do a great deal of damage to the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX player’s core strategy. Once all Water Energy cards are gone and only Metal Energy remains the opponent will be forced to attack with Zacian V. At this point Lt. Surge’s Strategy becomes playable and the game speeds up and a six card mill becomes too overwhelming to contend with.

Mewtwo Variants:

Decks based around Mewtwo & Mew GX, like Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX decks have been around for some time. The game plan for Cinccino to succeed in these matchups remains relatively the same. Regardless of which variant the opponent is playing generally speaking the key to winning lies in using Girafarig’s Get Lost attack to remove essential attacking Pokemon from the opponent’s Discard Pile. At the very least this threat will limit the opponent to attacking only with the Pokemon they can play directly to their Bench.

Fortunately the Mewtwo & Mew GX archetype burns through cards fairly quickly and often maintains a deck of 30 cards or less. Putting pressure on the opponent by way of removing their energy and sending them to the Lost Zone will force them to dig into their deck for additional energy or risk skipping attacks.

The most significant threat Mewtwo & Mew GX variants possess against Cinccino is Blacephalon. In order to fully utilize Blacephalon this first requires the Mewtwo & Mew GX player to use Naganadel GX’s Stinger GX attack, putting the Cinccino player at 3 prizes. This is another situation in which Magneton will put in a great deal of work. At two prizes the Blacephalon’s damage is reduced to 40 maximum and not reasonably enough to win the game. Without Magneton success becomes an issue of keeping energy off of the Blacephalon and preventing the Mewtwo & Mew GX player from attacking altogether.

Closing Thoughts

Rebel Clash, the second set in the Sword & Shield block offers some refreshing new cards and exciting archetypes. My personal favorite of which are Cinccino Mill, Dragapult VMAX, and Boltund V. I truly expect these three archetypes to shine in our upcoming competitive ventures, whatever they may be. Whether you are interested in playing something aggressive, technical, or a balance of something in between the Rebel Clash format offers great options.