Pokémon TCG: Expanded Deck Tech - Chandelure VMax (Item/Tool Control)

In today's article, we'll show you a list with Chandelure VMAX FST 40, from Sword & Shield: Fusion Strike, that focuses on preventing the opponent from using their key cards. It also plays a few cards that were released recently.

That being said, let's see how it works!

Decklist

Deck Structure

Chandelure V & Chandelure VMax: The Main Attackers

Chandelure V FST 39 is great in the early game because of its attacks, particularly Confuse Ray, which buys you some time.

Because this attack makes enemy Pokémon confused, the opponent will have to flip a coin whenever they try to attack. If they fail, their Pokémon will take 30 damage.

As for its last attack, Poltergeist, it deals 40 damage for each Trainer in your opponent's hand, which is a decent amount of damage until you can evolve it into its VMax form. Then you can start doing more damage to the board.

Chandelure VMAX FST 40's attack, Max Poltergeist, is essentially the same as the attack above, but it deals 70 damage for each Trainer in the opponent's hand.

Of course, we can't forget about its ability, which is critical in this list: while Chandelure VMax is in the active spot, the opponent can't play Tools.

Recursive Pokémon

Omastar

This Pokémon's ability states that, if you have less Pokémon in play than your opponent, the opponent can't play any Items from their hand.

So, you should put at least 1 Chandelure VMAX FST 40 and 1 Omastar TEU 76 on your bench to prevent the opponent from playing most of their cards, that is, Trainers, Tools, and Items!

Trainers

Supporters

Blacksmith FLF 88 lets you attach 2 Basic Fire Energy sv3 230 from your discard pile to your Fire Pokémon.

Carmine PRE 103 discards your entire hand and draws 5 new cards.

Unlike other Supporters, which we can only use if we're second to play (when the match starts), we can use this card when we're first to play!

Iono sv2 185 sabotages the opponent's hand and renews yours based on the number of Prize cards each of you have. After you play her, you'll put the cards you have at the bottom of your deck and draw new ones.

Guzma BUS 115 pulls benched enemy Pokémon into the active position, but your opponent gets to pick which one. After that, you'll have to do the same with your Pokémon.

Cyllene ASR 138 recycles 2 cards from the discard pile (if you hit your coin flip) and places them at the top of your deck.

Items to Get Pokémon

Item to Filter Trainers

Item to Filter Energies

Item to Heal Your Chandelure VMax

This card heals your Pokémon completely, but you'll have to discard all the energies attached to it in the process.

This won't actually be an issue: after you discard your Fire energies, you can get them back with Blacksmith FLF 88 and attach them to your Pokémon again.

Item to Pull Enemy Pokémon

This item complements Guzma BUS 115, and, together, they form a combo: Echoing Horn CRE 136 recycles a basic Pokémon in the opponent's discard pile and puts it on their bench. Then, you can knock it out by pulling it into the active spot with Guzma BUS 115.

Of course, this is a great way to catch the opponent off-guard and knock out their recursive Rule Box Pokémon, or draw more Prize cards.

Item to Complement Chandelure VMax

This is one of the most important items in this list because it lets you recycle a card from the opponent's discard pile and put it in their hand. The idea is to put Trainers in their hand to deal more damage with Max Poltergeist.

Items to Recycle Cards in General

Ordinary Rod SSH 171 lets you:

1) Recycle 2 Pokémon (evolution or basic) from your discard pile and shuffle them back into your deck.

2) Recycle 2 basic energies from your discard pile and shuffle them back into your deck.

3) Do both at the same time.

VS Seeker PHF 109 is the most important of these items because it lets you recycle 1 Supporter from your discard pile and add it to your hand. You should recycle Cyllene ASR 138 with it.

Pal Pad SSH 172 lets you recycle 2 Supporters from your discard pile and shuffle them back into your deck.

Tools

Forest Seal Stone SIT 156 is very useful with Pokémon V. The idea is to attach it to Chandelure V and Chandelure VMax and use its VStar power to get any card you want from your deck.

Float Stone BKT 137 lets you retreat your Pokémon for free. You'll need it for Omastar TEU 76, which needs to be on your bench, but you'll also use it to deal with "stall" strategies.

Stadiums

Heat Factory ◇ LOT 178 draws 3 cards, but you'll have to discard 1 Basic Fire Energy sv3 230 to use it.

Silent Lab PRC 140 complements the main control strategy in this list. After all, Chandelure VMAX FST 40 prevents the opponent from using Tools, Omastar TEU 76 prevents them from using Items, and this Stadium prevents basic Pokémon from using abilities. This will heavily sabotage opponents that use "Rule Box" Pokémon that have support abilities or even "baby" Pokémon.

ACE SPEC

If you discard two cards from your hand, you can use this card to get any card from your deck!

Special Energy

This energy removes the weakness to Water Pokémon.

Pros

This control strategy is quite difficult to deal with, as it prevents opponents from using Tools, Items, and even abilities on basic Pokémon because of Silent Lab PRC 140.

You will also have no trouble attaching energies to Chandelure with it.

Finally, decks that need a full board to set up are easy targets for Chandelure. For instance, that includes Eternatus VMAX DAA 117 and Lugia VSTAR SIT 139.

Cons

This deck might struggle to draw specific cards.

It will also struggle against anything that manipulates or sabotages your hand, like Unfair Stamp TWM 165, Iono sv2 185, and Judge FST 235.

Decks centered around One Hit K.O.s, like Mega Absol ex MEG 86 and Yveltal SHF 46, will be an issue, as well as Regidrago VStar and ADP and Dragonite V.

Finally, Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71 can be a problem because of Glaceon-EX FCO 20's second attack, which prevents evolution Pokémon from dealing damage.

There are several versions of this list. Some use Stadiums like Power Plant UNB 183 to disable abilities on Pokémon-GX, Pokémon-EX, and Pokémon ex as another way to disable enemy strategies. Some use Spiritomb sv2 89 to sabotage enemy basic Pokémon V.

You can also use Welder UNB 189a to attach energies to Chandelure or Mela sv4 167 to draw more cards.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!