Expanded Deck Tech: Copperajah VMax - Resistance Strategy

Today, we bring you a metallic deck well forgotten by the community, Copperajah VMAX RCL 137, which has two good attacks, even causing 200 damage against the opponent's basic Pokémon and 240 damage as an alternative, in addition to being a Pokémon resistant with 340 HP, making it a great tanker.

Decklist

Copperajah VMax: the main striker

What we care about here is his first attack, Adamantine Press, which deals 90 damage and has a 30 damage reduction from opponent's attacks (after applying weakness and resistance) for the next turn.

This is very useful if allied with the Metal Frying Pan FLI 112, which gives the bonus of an additional 30 damage reduction (also after applying weakness and resistance), plus it also takes away the weakness of the Pokémon you have this card attached to, that is, taking the biggest problem of the archetype, the fire type.

And here, we have two excellent attacks:

Dangerous Noise (M)(M)(C): This Pokémon does 100 damage, plus 100 if your opponent's Active Pokémon is a Basic Pokémon.

G-Max Hammer (M)(M)(M)(C): This Pokémon does 240 damage.

We get to the point of the deck: it has the first attack with the bonus against the opponent's basic Pokémon, dealing 200 damage, which is excellent and drops many ultra-rare Pokémon like GX, EX, ex and V in the Expanded format - of course, if Copperajah is assembled fast; and with the second option, another dry and raw damage, very objective: 240 damage.

We have to remember that the deck has no Pokémon recycling and there is only a low line of proportion of these Pokémon (2-2), so it is very valuable to keep it as long as possible in the game. For this, you will heal it using Max Potion GRI 128 or Cheryl BST 123, right after transferring these metallic energies with Bronzong BST 102 to another of your Pokémon, to have options to assemble new attackers or another Copperajah Vmax for this.

Lucario & Melmetal Tag Team-GX: the damage reduction “buff” Pokémon

In this deck, it is the starting support/attacker, but the main objective is with damage reduction with his GX attack that needs to be activated in the first turn, in the best possible scenario. Thus, it will combine with the effect of the Metal Frying Pan FLI 112 tool.

Zacian-V: alternate striker

Here we have a relatively fast attacker and aggressive in damage with 230 points. With his ability Intrepid Sword, Zacian can be lucky enough to draw 3 energies to itself to attack on the next turn and even accelerate the process of distributing energies to Copperajah with Bronzong BST 102.

It's also a viable option to start the game if we don't find Lucario & Melmetal-GX UNB 120.

And to circumvent the setback of the Brave Blade attack, you can equip Float Stone BKT 137, and reset the effect so that it can attack again, if it is promoted to active position once more.

Galarian Stunfisk-V: the Trap

This card is also in the provisional form of guaranteeing insurance on your game, to gain time if we start with it being the first to play in the first turn.

Once you attack and secure the effects of damage counters on the opponent, we can complement and close damage to Copperajah Vmax in the future. With the energies you accumulate with the Galarian Stunfisk, we can also in the future make the energy transfer scheme using Bronzong BST 102, which is the deck's main engine.

Recursive Pokémon

- Cobalion-GX TEU 106 has a Metal Symbol, which means that all of your Pokémon that have any metallic energy attached, do not suffer effects from special conditions - that is, the “bad status” of the game.

In addition to having this very useful ability, it has a generous attack, which does 50 + 60 damage if there is a stadium in play; the deck has Mt. Coronet UPR 130 for that attack bonus.

- Jirachi-EX PLB 60 has Stellar Guidance: if it's played from your hand to the Bench, it can search for any Supporter card in your deck, reveal it, and put it into your hand.

Practically, the precursor of the effect of Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60 and Lumineon V BRS 40, but it has a differential: as it is a Pokémon-EX, it can be collected with Scoop Up Net RCL 165, which scoops any Pokémon in play into your hand, except Pokémon GX and V. With this, you create a loop of your ability's effect, constantly looking for a Supporter as needed.

- Bronzor TEU 100 has the ability Evolutionary Advantage, which means that if you're second to play on the first turn, you can evolve it right away.

- Bronzong BST 102 has Metal Transfer, which lets you move Metal Energy between your Pokémon.

- Radiant Greninja ASR 46 has Concealed Cards, which causes you to discard an Energy card from your hand to draw 2 cards from the top of your deck.

Trainer Cards

Supporters: deck searches and draws

- Professor's Research BRS 147 has the function of discarding your hand and drawing 7 new cards.

Supporters: Healing

- Cheryl BST 123 only works for evolved Pokémon, at the cost of discarding the Energy attached to this Pokémon.

- Mallow & Lana CEC 198 works with two effects:

1) You may bump one of your Active Pokémon to the Bench.

2) You can Retreat the Active Pokémon with the addition of the Tribute of discarding two cards from your hand to heal 120 damage from this Pokémon if you retreat.

An excellent card for defensive and healing at the same time.

Item: Tool

- Metal Frying Pan FLI 112 has the beneficial effect of 30 points of damage reduction (after applying weakness and resistance), plus the tool takes away the weakness of Metallic Pokémon to Fire-types - being essential for Copperajah Vmax to last longer.

- Float Stone BKT 137 has the effect of giving a free retreat to the Pokémon it is attached to.

This helps give mobility to some key recursive Pokémon, in the case of Bronzong BST 102 and Zacian V SSH 138 that need this tool to be the backside inhibitor of its attack effect, to retreat.

Items that favor your game's set-up

- Scoop Up Cyclone PLB 95 is an ACE SPEC used to scoop a Pokémon and all cards attached to it back into your hand.

It serves to take Lucario & Melmetal-GX UNB 120 out of the game, in case you have done the effect of its GX attack and guarantee the defense bonus of your game, taking it out of the scene, because in addition to being a Pokémon with high damage cost, it has weak damage, 150, which is not good for what you charge with 4 turns energizing.

It can also take out some Pokémon that have been started that don't pay to be first in the set-up at the start of the turn, like a Jirachi-EX PLB 60.

- Metal Saucer SSH 170 is used to cycle a Metal Energy from the discard pile to one of your Benched Pokémon.

It is practically the second-best item card in the deck for powering up and guaranteeing as much of these metallic energies as possible so that Bronzong BST 102 can work, in addition to having this synergy with the Pokémon in the deck, being the main engine.

- VS Seeker PHF 109 serves as a Supporter recycler, useful for recycling Cheryl BST 123 and Mallow & Lana CEC 198 for healing, if you don't have Max Potion GRI 128.

- Max Potion GRI 128 is one of the main cards in the deck, as it heals all damage from the Pokémon at the cost of losing all energy attached to it.

Stadium

- Mt. Coronet UPR 130 has the objective of, between turns (you and your opponent), taking up to two metallic energies from the discard pile and putting them in your hand.

Advantages

- We have multiple answers: fast attackers like Zacian V SSH 138 and Cobalion-GX TEU 106; plus damage reduction boost with the Lucario & Melmetal-GX UNB 120; Pokémon as a counter and damage dealer with Galarian Stunfisk V DAA 128 -- they are what make our initial set-up and a more refined preparation for Copperajah VMAX RCL 137 to come into action as a tank attacker.

- If the opponent dominates the deck with many basic Pokémon, it's the end of it, thanks to Copperajah VMAX RCL 137 with its first attack.

- Decks that have a Metal-type weakness, such as Ice Pokémon, such as Kyurem VMAX LOR 49.

- Fairy archetype decks (but there are few in Expanded).

Disadvantages

- Decks of the fire archetype, for doing double damage for the weakness.

- Radiant Heatran ASR 27, because it can hit for over 400 damage.

- Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71 decks that use Jolteon-EX GEN 28 and Glaceon-EX FCO 20 (mainly this one); and even if in this deck you use the VStar of Unown VSTAR SIT 66 to add the weakness of Copperajah Vmax to psychic and even the effect of Glaceon-EX, like in this article.

Suggestions

If you only want to focus on the Copperajah VMAX RCL 137 as a larger domain of the deck, my recommendation is to use the Arceus VSTAR CRZ GG70 as the main energizer, to assemble them faster, and use the Bronzong BST 102 still as a vital energy transfer engine.

With that, we can easily assemble a lineup of Arceus V and VStar with 3-2, and then it's up to you to choose Copperajah with 2-2 or 3-3.

It's a relatively easy deck to follow for building set-ups, and the good thing is that it has many guarantees: Cobalion-GX TEU 106 apart from special conditions and the tool Metal Frying Pan FLI 112 that reduces damage and takes away the greatest weakness of the metal type: fire; in addition to the benefits of the GX attack of Lucario & Melmetal-GX UNB 120 to further reduce damage.

For those who enjoy metal decks with the proposal of being an armored fortress to withstand damage, heal and maintain that same rhythm, this deck is a good choice.