Expanded Deck Tech: Zacian VStar & Zamazenta VStar + ADP

Decklist

Arceus & Dialga & Palkia Tag Team-GX: “buffs” and Acceleration of Initial Energies

Attack - Ultimate Ray (W)(M)(C): deals 150 damage and attaches up to 3 energies from your deck to one of your Pokémon in any way you like.

GX Attack - Altered Creation (M): if you use a Steel energy to pay, you get 30 extra damage to all your Pokémon on board during the entire game. However, if, besides the (S) energy, you also have a (W) energy attached, besides the previous benefit, you'll draw one extra Prize Card for each time you knock out an opponent Pokémon for the rest of the game. (You can't use more than one GX attack during the whole match).

Here is where the absurd power of this card starts, and it has 3 roles:

1) Energize 3 basic energies to any Pokémon you want.

2) With its GX attack, you grant 30 extra damage to your Pokémon for the rest of the game.

3) And, through its GX attack, besides the benefit above, you'll get one extra Prize Card for each time you knock out an opponent Pokémon. Notes:

- If you defeat a "baby" Pokémon, you'll get 2 Prize Cards instead of 1!

- If you defeat a Pokémon ex, EX, GX, V OR VStar, you'll get 3 Prize Cards instead of 2!

- And, finally, if you defeat a Pokémon Tag Team-GX, VMax or a VUnion, you'll get 4 Prize Cards instead of 3!

If you manage to place this Pokémon, and activate its GX attack, you'll need to start as the second to play on the first turn, and pray so that, on the next turns, the opponent doesn't sabotage you using Pokémon Ranger STS 104 to counter the GX attack effect, or use Enhanced Hammer GRI 124 to remove their special energy, Double Dragon Energy ROS 97.

If these situations happen, to not lose time in the game, simply recur to the card Scoop Up Cyclone PLB 95 to retreat Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156 and prevent it from becoming an easy target for your opponent, therefore preventing them from drawing three Prize Cards for free.

Zacian: The Deck's Offensive Side

Zacian-V: Sword/Shield: Base Set

Ability - Intrepid Sword: this Pokémon allows you to look at the top three cards in your deck. If these three on top are basic Steel energies, you'll be able to attach them to this Pokémon. In case these three cards on top aren't energies, these cards can go to your hand. And, if you do this during your turn, your turn will end.

Attack - Brave Blade (S)(S)(S): this Pokémon deals 230 damage and can't use this attack during the next turn.

Here we have a strong attacker as a basic Pokémon, fast and aggressive. With its ability, Intrepid Sword, Zacian can luckily pull 3 energies to itself, so it can attack in the next turn, that, that if you fail to energize Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156, so it has its GX Attack effect, Ultimate Ray, to energize properly - besides that, its attack can be 230 or 260 with the benefit of the attack's GX effect.

To go around the downside of the Brave Blade attack, we can equip Float Stone BKT 137 to have its retreat cost zeroed, and reset this effect, so it can attack again, in case it is promoted again to the active position.

Zacian V: Sword/Shield: Crown Zenith

We have two very strong attacks:

Piercing Strike (M): this Pokémon deals 40 damage, and this attack isn't affected by weakness, resistance or any effects from the opponent's active Pokémon.

Behemoth Blade (M)(M)(C): this Pokémon deals 100 damage, and, in case the opponent's active Pokémon is a VMax, this Pokémon will have an extra 160 damage, dealing 260 total damage against the opponent.

The first attack is nice as it goes through opponents' effects. Say you face an Eiscue EVS 47 with its attack Blockface, which, during the next turn, disables damage taken from basic Pokémon' attacks.

That is considered an effect, and therefore, the Piercing Strike attack goes through this effect, overwriting it and dealing 40 damage, and, in case you have the beneficial effect of the ADP's GX attack, you deal 70 damage.

Zacian's second attack is good to deal with VMax Pokémon, which, besides going over 260 damage, can also increase to 290 with the benefits from ADP's GX attack. It can also be equipped with the Rusted Sword SHF 62 and get 30 extra damage, totaling 320!

Zamazenta: The Deck's Responsive and Defensive Side

Zacian-V: Sword/Shield: Base Set

Ability - Dauntless Shield: this Pokémon doesn't take damage from VMax type Pokémon.

Attack - Assault Tackle (S)(S)(C): This Pokémon deals 130 damage and discards a special energy from the opponent's active Pokémon.

This Pokémon is literally a defensive answer: it has immunity against VMax Pokémon, so you can stall the match when this type of situation happens.

And, again, Zamazenta's attack deals 130 damage, but it can become 160 thanks to ADP's GX attack effect.

Zacian V: Sword/Shield: Crown Zenith

Ability - Regal Stance: during your turn, you can discard your hand and draw 5 cards. If you do, your turn is ended.

Attack - Revenge Blast (S)(C)(C): this Pokémon deals 120 damage plus 30 extra for each Prize Card your opponent has won.

Here we have two situations: Its ability for late game and endgame is somewhat risky, as you lose the turn.

In case you start round 1 with it, and you need to draw cards, in this particular case, it might be wise to acquire more cards.

Suppose you only have, in your hand, in your 7 cards, 4 Steel energies and a Float Stone BKT 137, totaling 5 cards out of 7 in this hand. You'll equip this Float Stone BKT 137 on Zamazenta and activate its discard ability, burning these energies, and pray so that on the next turn you can use, guaranteed, Metal Saucer SSH 170, to energize your Steel Pokémon on the bench.

Now, regarding its attack, it is excellent for endgame, with up to 150 additional damage per Prizes your opponent has gotten (30x5 cards) plus the 120 base damage, reaching 270 damage - not to mention you can get ADP's "buff" of extra 30 damage: 150 + 150 = 300!

The Wolves of Galar Vstar Forms: Versatility

Zacian VStar

Attack - Break Edge (S)(S)(C): this Pokémon deals 200 damage and isn't affected by any weaknesses, resistances, or other effects from the opponent's active Pokémon.

VStar Attack - Sword Star (S)(S)(C)(C): this Pokémon deals 310 damage to other Pokémon and 50 damage to itself. (You can't use more than one VStar/VPower attack during the whole match).

Again, Zacian's first attack is excellent as it goes through opponent's effects if any of their attacks disables damage from Pokémon V, in general (note that attack effects are different from ability effects - if it is an ability effect, this attack can't go through it).

In extreme cases, the VStar attack is there to help - dealing the massive total of 310 damage, and, again, being able to have 60 extra damage from ADP's "buff" benefits, and with Rusted Sword SHF 62, it reaches 370 damage, even with the downside of 50 damage through "recoil".

Zamazenta VStar

Attack - Giga Impact (S)(S)(C): this Pokémon deals 220 damage, and can't use this attack in the next turn.

VStar Ability - Shield Star: you can use this ability during your turn, and, if you do, on your opponent's next turn, all your Pokémon will be dealt 100 less damage from your opponent's attacks (after applying resistance). (You can't use more than one VStar/VPower attack during the whole match).

This type of play is more defensive, reducing your opponent's damage by 100.

But Zamazenta's usual attack isn't as great, as we can't use it on the next turn.

Even if you have the solution of using Float Stone BKT 137 to have this Pokémon's retreat cost zeroed to reset its effect and attack again, in case it is promoted to the active position, there are still better options for the attack, such as Zacian VStar or even Base Set's Zacian V, or even Crown Zenith's Zamazenta-VS as the endgame, hitting for each Prize Card your opponent has gotten.

Recursive Pokémon

- Cobalion-GX TEU 106 has Metal Symbol, which prevents any of your Pokémon with a Steel energy attached from being affected by special conditions - such as Poisoned, Confused, Burned, Asleep and Paralyzed.

Besides having this very useful ability, it has a generous attack, which deals 50 + 60 damage if there are any Stadiums in play for just two Steel energies, and the deck has Chaotic Swell CEC 187 to give you this attack bonus.

- Bronzor TEU 100 has Evolutionary Advantage, which allows you to, if you're second to play on the first turn, to evolve it.

- Bronzong BST 102 has Metal Transfer, which allows you to move Steel energies among your Pokémon.

In this deck in particular, as there are just a few Steel energies and two copies of Max Potion GRI 128, the idea is to try and heal your most important Pokémon in the deck, moving these energies from one to another to continue with the sequence of attacks, and, of course, if that Pokémon which is healed can be retreated, preferably they will have Float Stone BKT 137 equipped.

In this first example, pray that you are second to play in the first round. You'll place Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156 as active Pokémon, and you'll try to speed up your resources to play Crobat V DAA 104 to draw as many cards as possible, and, in that, you'll use Ultra Ball BRS 150 paying its discard tax of two Steel energies to look for any Pokémon (in this case, I recommend Zamazenta V CRZ 98 due to its “Draw Power” ability, in case Crobat V fails to get you what you need).

Then, you'll play Crobat V DAA 104 from your hand to the bench to activate its ability and draw 4 cards (as you already have in hand Boss’s Orders and Max Potion), and pray to get Tag Call CEC 206 or Guzma & Hala CEC 193 to have the card's second effect, therefore discarding the ones you have in hand (Boss’s Orders and Max Potion) to find Double Dragon Energy ROS 97 and have the GX attack's effect.

This second hand example is even more generous, as you already have the first move to ignite the deck: Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156 and Guzma & Hala CEC 193 in hand to set up the combo of using the Supporter, and use its second effect, look for Double Dragon Energy ROS 97 and have the GX attack's effect, praying that your opponent won't ruin your set-up with sabotage, using Pokémon Ranger STS 104 and Enhanced Hammer GRI 124.

Trainer Cards

Recursive Supporters

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

- Guzma & Hala CEC 193 has two roles of your choice:

1) Look for a Stadium in the deck, reveal it and place it in your hand - in this case, getting Chaotic Swell CEC 187;

2) Or, by fulfilling the extra requirement of discarding two cards in your hand, besides getting a Stadium card, you'll also get a special energy card and a tool - in this case Double Dragon Energy ROS 97 to fulfill Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156's attack required price to have its GX attack.

Supporter: Heal

- Mallow & Lana CEC 198 works with two effects:

1) You can retreat one of your active Pokémon to the bench.

2) You can retreat the active Pokémon with the additional tax of discarding two cards in hand to heal 120 damage from this Pokémon if you do.

An excellent card to be defensive and heal at the same time.

Item: Tool

- Rusted Sword SHF 62 only benefits Zacian V: if attached to it, it gets 30 extra damage.

- Float Stone BKT 137 has the effect of zeroing the retreat cost of the Pokémon which is attached to.

This allows you to give mobility to some key Pokémon, such as Bronzong BST 102 and Zacian V SSH 138, which need this tool to be the inhibitor of their effects' drawback, and therefore allow them to retreat.

Items

- Scoop Up Cyclone PLB 95 is an ACE SPEC card (a specific type of card which you can only bring one copy in the deck), and its role is to recall a Pokémon and all cards attached to it back to your hand.

It is useful to remove from the game Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156, in case its GX attack effect has happened, guaranteed its extra bonus, and energized your Pokémon in time enough to prepare new attackers.

Another situation is when your opponent has sabotaged the development of Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156 using the card Pokémon Ranger STS 104 to counter the GX attack's effect, or by using Enhanced Hammer GRI 124 to remove the special energy, Double Dragon Energy ROS 97 - ideally you take out ADP from the game straight away, as you'll only be wasting time.

- Metal Saucer SSH 170 is useful to recycle a Steel energy from the discard pile and place it on one of your benched Pokémon.

It is the second-best Item card in the deck when it comes to energizing and guaranteeing as many Steel energies as possible so that Bronzong BST 102 can work, and so that it has synergy with Pokémon in deck, being the main engine here.

- VS Seeker PHF 109 is useful as a Supporter recycler, useful when recycling Cheryl BST 123 and Mallow & Lana CEC 198 for heals, in case you run out of Max Potion GRI 128.

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

Stadium

- Chaotic Swell CEC 187 has the goal of, if your opponent tries to place a Stadium in play to take this one down, the new Stadium will be discarded alongside Chaotic Swell.

This is great to counter these stadiums:

- Silent Lab PRC 140, which locks down basic Pokémon abilities;

- Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155, which disrupts the activation of ADP's special energy, Double Dragon Energy ROS 97;

- Path to the Peak CRE 148, which removes abilities from Pokémon with a Rule Box in play.

Advantages

- Decks which have Steel type weaknesses, such as Ice Pokémon, for instance, Kyurem VMAX LOR 49.

- Fairy archetype decks (but there are just a few out there, and only a few of those are strong in Expanded).

- It is a deck which answers most decks with high damage, easily reaching over 300 in some plays, and that is excellent, as it can take down 80% VMax Pokémon and some Pokémon ex, which usually have around 300 HP and upwards.

Disadvantages

- Fire archetype decks, as they deal double damage due to the weaknesses.

- Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71 decks which use Jolteon-EX GEN 28 and Glaceon-EX FCO 20; and, if they use Unown VSTAR SIT 66's VStar to add the Psychic type weakness to all your Pokémon, such as in this example.

This is a brute-force deck, with a very simple proposal, but which demands that the player is very careful when deciding where to put Zacian and Zamazenta. As there are only two copies of each in their base form, and from different sets, and the deck doesn't count on Pokémon recovering or recycling, we need to be careful as to how we use them in ideal moments.

But the reward is enough, as, besides the high damages which you can create which can go over 300 easily with Zacian, there's still the healing system when transferring energies with Brozong, not to mention that, at each knockout, you'll always be drawing extra Prize Cards, thanks to ADP, which is a very strong card in Expanded.

See you next time!