Expanded Deck Tech: Origin Forme Dialga VStar Combo

We had a card that was released in Sword & Shield: Astral Radiance: Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 210, which in the Standard format, was considered too risky with the use of the “Turbo” strategy (make as many combos as possible in a turn to have as many metallic energies as possible to increase your damage).

In the Expanded format, we'll elaborate on its maximum potential and enhancement with an efficient and practical combo that, basically in 2 turns, you leave your opponent with nothing left to do.

Decklist

Origin Forme Dialga VStar

Basically, it can hit twice in the turn, “stealing” time, living up to what the Pokémon symbolizes as ruler of strength, and being able to make knockouts against Pokémon that have less than 220 HP or using the first attack if it has 5 metallic energies (in this case we will use the special energies Aurora Energy SSH 186 and Rainbow Energy CES 183), with a total of 200 damage as another option.

But for the energy acceleration combo and this attack, I'll explain in the recursive Pokémon.

Garchomp & Giratina Tag Team-GX

There is no mystery here: putting a lot of damage on the table to use the second attack with brutality and inflate more damage to opponents with the addition of counters.

But the essential part is its GX attack, which can discard any of the opponent's Pokémon and everything attached to it. That is, after the attack of Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 210 and if there are still remaining Pokémon in the opponent's game, they can be discarded with this effect, not allowing opposing answers.

- Unown AOR 30 enters with Farewell Letter, and "sacrifices" itself going to the discard pile (but the opponent does not draw a prize card for its supposed knockout). You draw 1 card when using this ability.

- Dragonite-EX EVO 106 comes in with Pull Up, managing to Summon 2 Basic Pokémon (except Dragonite-EX) from your discard pile to your Bench.

It is the piece to call more Unown AOR 30 that are discarded using their abilities, to make this combo draw at least twice per use of Dragonite-EX .

By resetting the effect of its ability using the card Scoop Up Net RCL 207, you can repeat this “loop” 3 times.

- Electrode-GX CES 155 enters with Extra Energy Bomb. If this Pokémon uses this Ability, it sacrifices itself so that you can attach up to 5 Energy from the discard pile to any of your Pokémon in play (other than EX or GX-types). But with the knockout of this Pokémon, the opponent will take the two prizecards, since it is GX.

This will make the Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 210 have the necessary energies for its VStar attack.

- Crobat V DAA 104 has Dark Asset: if it's put from your hand to your bench, you draw until you have 6 cards in your hand.

Deck Operation and Strategy

1) During the coin phase to choose who starts the game, be the first; try to put the Origin Forme Dialga V ASR 177 as active, and then on the bench, if possible, put at least one Voltorb ROS 21 and as many Unown AOR 30 as possible.

Depending, you can start with the Supporter Beauty VIV 181, which circumvents the rule of “Supporters only in the second turn of the first round”, and its effect means that you can already draw 2 cards.

2) If Battle VIP Pass FST 225 comes, you can use the effect of putting two basic Pokémon on your Bench, and since there are 4 copies, it's always good to put the Unown AOR 30 to be "sacrificed" and accelerate your draws.

3) If you run out of Unown AOR 30, use Dragonite-EX EVO 106 with Pull Up, which manages to Summon 2 basic Pokémon from your discard pile to your Bench, in this case, Unown AOR 30 and still using the card Scoop Up Net RCL 207 to repeat the combo.

4) Are you done using Scoop Up Net RCL 207 to take advantage of Dragonite-EX EVO 106's ability? No problem!

Use the card Rescue Carrier EVS 154, which recovers up to two Basic Pokémon with up to 90 HP from the discard pile, and puts them into your hand. And with that, you can recycle the Unown AOR 30 again and draw more cards.

5) If the Rescue Carrier EVS 154 has run out, you can use the Rescue Stretcher BUS 165 to do one of its two effects:

- Putting a Pokémon from the discard pile into your hand.

- Put 3 Pokémon from the discard pile and put them back into the deck.

6) Acro Bike CES 178 is also important, filtering the deck and drawing cards. If your hand is low on cards, you have Crobat V DAA 104 with your ability Dark Asset.

7) Use Battle Compressor Team Flare Gear PHF 92 to filter and draw more, and you choose 3 cards from your deck and discard them, and then amend on your next turn, using Electrode-GX CES 155 to power up its Origin Forme Dialga V ASR 177, which will most likely evolve into Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 210.

8) If any important cards are in the prize cards, use Rotom Dex SUM 159. This is also valid with Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 to look for a basic Pokémon that is in the prizes, mainly Dragonite-EX EVO 106 or Unown AOR 30, or even the Garchomp & Giratina-GX UNM 228 for finishing.

9) If you need to see any prize cards to avoid relying on luck, you can use Town Map BKT 150 to flip all prize cards face up.

10) From that moment on, your setup is ready for your second turn, which when it arrives, you will evolve your Voltorb ROS 21 to Electrode-GX CES 155 and use the ability Extra Energy Bomb to power up Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 210 and use his VStar - Star Chronos attack, dealing 220 damage and then advancing another turn to yourself, stealing the opponent's turn and attacking again for the second time.

In this case, you can use Supporter Trainer cards again as if it were an “normal turn”, so you can use Cyrus ◇ UPR 120, which is only active if your Active Pokémon is Metal-type or Water-type and causes the opponent to shuffle two Benched Pokémon back into the deck, sabotaging their setup.

Continuing with the combo, if the opponent has any Pokémon with less than 200 Life that is EX or GX on the Bench, you can use Counter Catcher CIN 120 to guarantee another KO by drawing prizes, since this card is activated only when the opponent has too few prize cards to win the game, and you have more than them (i.e., with the suicide effect of Electrode-GX CES 155, you lose two prizes to the opponent, leaving them with 4 and you with 6, being able to use the Counter Catcher CIN 120).

11) After this knockout, it is quite possible that there will be few Pokémon left in the opponent's game. It's time to put the Garchomp & Giratina-GX UNM 228 to be your final attacker with itsGG End attack, and to power it up with the energies that are with the Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 210, you use the ACE SPEC Scramble Switch PLS 129, so the Aurora Energy SSH 186 and Rainbow Energy CES 183 connected to the Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR ASR 210 passes to Garchomp & Giratina-GX UNM 228, and they fulfill the energy cost effect (P)(P)(F)(F)(F)(F), discarding two Pokémon from the opponent.

Stadium

If this stadium is on the field, if the opponent tries to use some stadium to break it, this new stadium, instead of being in play to replace the Chaotic Swell CEC 187, will be discarded along with the Chaotic Swell CEC 187.

Special Energies

- Aurora Energy SSH 186) is used to supply any type of energy. But if it puts one of your Pokémon from your hand, you must discard a card from your hand.

- Rainbow Energy CES 183) serves to provide any type of energy, but if it is placed on a Pokémon, it receives 1 damage counter.

- It is one of the most aggressive decks for Expanded, along with the ADP deck, because it enters with a two-turn combo, finishing off the opponent quickly.

- Aggressive decks that can hit fast with low energy, like Radiant Heatran ASR 27.

- Garchomp & Giratina-GX UNM 228's GX attack is a coup de grâce after using Cyrus ◇ UPR 120's card to sabotage the opponent's Pokémon in preparation.

- Most of the Expanded decks cannot handle it easily, not even the brute force ones like Charizard VMAX PR-SW SWSH261.

- Control decks that use Robo Substitute Team Flare Gear PHF 102 and Lillie's Poké Doll CEC 197, and with Pokémon like Vileplume AOR 3, Decidueye DAA 13 and Altaria CPA 49. It gets worse if they are using Big Parasol DAA 157, as it nullifies the GX effect of Garchomp & Giratina.

- If Honchkrow-GX is assembled before, it may interfere with our strategy.

- Ultra Necrozma + Garbordor, if Garbodor is assembled as quickly as possible to block abilities.

- “Hit Kill” decks like Beedrill TEU 5, Beedrill CRE 3, Hisuian Zoroark LOR 76, Absol GRI 81, Yveltal SHF 46, duo do Raticate BCR 105 and Raticate BREAK BKP 89, Alolan Raticate PGO 42, Gengar GEN 35; that is if they can be assembled quickly.

- Deck that has damage immunity from special energies like Duraludon VMAX SIT TG21 or Alolan Persian-GX CEC 219 itself.

- Togekiss VMAX VIV 141 decks can be a little annoying to deal with because it hits fast, heals with Max Potion GRI 128 or Cheryl BST 123 and manages to recover with Double Colorless Energy SUM 136 to deal damage.

- Dracozolt VMAX EVS 59, if you can resist.

- Decks that contain cards like Avery CRE 130 that can destroy your bench, or that can use Sudowoodo GRI 66 with its ability to shorten your bench to 4 slots.

- Decks that have the Path to the Peak CRE 148 stadiums that lock Pokémon abilities with Rule Box; Power Plant UNB 183 that locks Pokémon GX and EX abilities; and Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155 which disables the effects of special energies, becoming just mere colorless energies.

Conclusion

That's all for today! Any questions, I'm available in the comments!