Expanded Deck Tech: Togekiss VMax - Tanker & Healer

Today, we decided to bring a deck with a healing and "tanker" strategy, that is, to withstand damage as much as possible, using Togekiss VMax for that.

Decklist

Togekiss VMax: the main attacker

Basically, it has the only attack you'll use in your game, not worrying about the damage you'll receive, because as the Pokémon's HP is high, cards that manage to eliminate it are rare. Our goal is always to sabotage the opponent while also healing Togekiss.

In its basic V version, the Togekiss V VIV 140, there is a relevance with the attack White Wind, which damages Pokémon evolutions. Even so, the ideal is always to bring its VMax form for the game to be consistent.

There aren't many mysteries here, as the cost of Max Glide is paid with Double Colorless Energy SUM 136 or Double Turbo Energy BRS 151 (even with the loss of 20 damage). You can use Max Potion GRI 128 for healing as an item and Cheryl BST 123 for healing as a Supporter, but both cards have the downside of discarding energies linked to Togekiss (which you recover using the Special Charge STS 105).

Trainer Cards

Supporters: Deck Searches, Draws, and Shuffles

- Cynthia UPR 119 has the function of shuffling the hand in the deck and then drawing 6 new cards.

- Green's Exploration UNB 175 is the most important card in the deck, as it can only be activated if there are no Pokémon with Ability in play - and since Togekiss doesn't, you look for any two cards in the deck, reveal them and put them in your hand, then shuffle the deck.

This is how you will constantly look for Supporter Trainers or items that offer healing support, such as Max Potion or sabotaging the opponent, for example, using the Enhanced Hammer to take some special energy, and so on.

Supporter: Pokémon catcher

Supporters: sabotage opponent's set-up

- Faba LOT 173 is used to discard a Tool or Special Energy card from any of the opponent's Pokémon and send it to the Lost Zone.

- Team Flare Grunt GEN 73 is used to discard an energy from one of the opponent's Pokémon.

- Team Rocket's Handiwork FCO 112 serves to discard the top of the opponent's deck, in the “mill” strategy.

Supporters: resource recycling

Lusamine is used to recycle a combination of two Supporter and Stadium-type Trainer cards from the discard pile to the deck.

Supporter: Healing

- Cheryl BST 123 only works for Evolved Pokémon, at the cost of discarding the Energy attached to this Pokémon, as explained above in the Togekiss thread on how to use it at the appropriate time.

- Acerola BUS 112 works by removing from the game the Pokémon that has any damage counter, returning it to your hand with all cards attached to it, whether energy or tools. A great resource too.

Items

- Muscle Band XY 121 serves to increase some of your damage against the active Pokémon, dealing 20 more damage.

- Weakness Policy PRC 142 removes Togekiss's weakness against a very common archetype in recent times in the Expanded format: electrics, which are much more frequent, being one of the most important tools in the deck.

- Enhanced Hammer GRI 124 removes a special Energy from one of the opponent's Pokémon.

- Field Blower GRI 125 takes away a combination of stadium and an in-play tool (either yours or the opponent's).

- Startling Megaphone FLF 97 removes all tools attached to the opponent.

- Scoop Up Cyclone PLB 95 is an ACE SPEC. Its role in this case is to pick up a Pokémon and all cards attached to it back into your hand.

- Special Charge STS 105 is used to recycle up to two special energies from the discard pile to your deck, in this case, Triple Acceleration Energy UNB 190.

- VS Seeker PHF 109 is a Supporter recycler, being able to take key cards for certain matches that match the need for the turn.

- Rescue Stretcher GRI 130 serves as a Pokémon recycler that can do either or both:

1) Take a Pokémon from the discard pile and put it into your hand.

2) Catch up to three Pokémon from the discard pile and recycle them into your deck.

- 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.

Since you use the Triple Acceleration Energy UNB 190, they are disposable in one turn anyway.

Stadiums

- Path to the Peak CRE 148 has the objective of canceling all the abilities of the Pokémon in play (yours and the opponent's) that have a Rule Box.

- Silent Lab PRC 140 has the objective of canceling all abilities of the basic Pokémon in play (both yours and the opponent's).

And since your Togekiss doesn't have any abilities, it's your opponent who is harmed.

Special Energies

Advantages

- Its only premises are: taking damage and healing, in addition to always sabotaging the opponent with cards like Team Flare Grunt, Faba, Team Rocket's Handiwork, which we will be fulfilling our role.

So, there's no way to point out that we have advantages against a certain deck, because its type, the colorless, ends up being underestimated in the TCG, where there aren't many Pokémon with this weakness.

Disadvantages

- Deck that has the Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155 stadium that inhibits the effects of special energies, leaving them with only an effect of a colorless energy.

- Deck that has the Dusknoir VIV 71, which with its ability, it inhibits the effects of special energies and leaves them at the cost of just a measly colorless energy.

- Electric archetype decks such as Pikachu & Zekrom-GX PR-SM SM248 and Jolteon VMAX EVS 51, among other variants.

- Dracozolt VMAX EVS 59, as shown here.

- Duraludon VMAX CRZ 104, precisely because of its ability to be immune to damage from Pokémon that use special energies.

- Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71 decks that run 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 Togekiss VMax to psychic and still use the effect of Glaceon-EX, like in this example.

- Deck of Radiant Heatran ASR 27, as it can hit for 400 damage with ease.

- Decks that use damage based on the amount of energy in play and that can be duplicated, with these examples:

1) Centiskorch VMAX DAA 34 deck backed by Charizard PGO 10.

2) Venusaur VMAX PR-SW SWSH102 backed by Venusaur SLG 3.

3) Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX CRE 75 backed by Gardevoir NXD 57.

- Deck that performs “Instant K.O” like Yveltal SHF 46, Hisuian Zoroark LOR 76, Absol GRI 81, Gengar GEN 35, Raticate BCR 105, Alolan Raticate PGO 42.

It's a practical deck with healing control and can handle high damage. It's very didactic to play and easy to acquire the cards (except for some Trainers, like VS Seeker), but nothing that is a hindrance. Furthermore, it is excellent for anyone who wants to practice this strategy.