Standard Deck Tech: Zacian V & Zamazenta V + Hisuian Goodra

In this article, with the hype of the expansion Lost Origin with new cards that can interact with the old ones, we have the addition of Hisuian Goodra as support for the legendary Galar Wolves: Zacian and Zamazenta.

Deck Analysis

Zacian V SSH 138 has the Intrepid Sword ability, which makes you look at the top three cards of the deck: if those cards are metal energies, you can energize them to Zacian. Otherwise, they go into your hand. Then your turn ends.

With his attack Brave Sword, for three metal energies, it does 230 damage, but cannot use that same attack on the next turn (note: this reverse effect can be reset by using Switch).

With Zamazenta V BRS 105 we have the ability Regal Stance, which you can discard your hand and draw five cards, and if you do, your turn ends.

This combo is ideal, in a hypothetical situation, where your hand has about 4 metal energies and without any good cards to draw cards or something that changes the hand. Then you can use this ability, already imagining having the Metal Saucer SSH 170 to energize a Zacia from your bench to guarantee one more attacker in the turn.

Revenge Blast, for one metal energy and two colorless energies, you do 120 damage + 30 damage for each prize card the opponent has taken; and counting the maximum situation that the opponent has taken five prize cards, it is 120 + (30 x 5) = 270 total damage, which can knock out some VStar Pokémon like Arceus VStar and hit weakness with double damage against Kyurem VMax.

Recursive Pokémon

1) Hisuian Goodra LOR 134 has the ability Metal Lodging that makes it possible that if your Pokémon that have any Metal Energy attached to them, they won't take attack damage from the opponent's Pokémon V.

2) Oranguru SSH 148 has the ability Primate Wisdom, which grants a card exchange, in which you choose one from your hand to go to the top of the deck, and you take that card from the top of your deck to stay in your hand. So if you combine this ability to exchange a metal energy from your hand and combine it with Zacian's ability, the Intrepid Sword, you make it easier to power up.

3) Crobat V DAA 104 with its Dark Asset ability, where if it is played from your hand to your bench, you can draw up to six cards in your hand.

Trainer Cards

- Bird Keeper DAA 159 is to switch a Pokémon from the bench to the active position and in that, draw 3 cards.

Assuming you attacked the previous turn with Zacian-V and are in the "can't use the attack again" effect, you use the Switch to bench it, and then use the Bird Keeper DAA 159 to reset Zacian V's Brave Sword effect and be able to attack again, in addition to granting the "Draw Power" in the same turn.

- Marnie SSH 169 is the opponent's hand control. If played, you and your opponent shuffle your hands and place your cards at the bottom of the deck. Then the opponent draws 4 cards, and you draw 5 cards.

- Raihan EVS 152 can only be played if in the previous turn, your Active Pokémon was Knocked Out. You attach an Energy from the discard pile to one of your Pokémon in any way you want, and you still search your deck for a card and put it in your hand, and then you shuffle your deck.

- Metal Saucer SSH 170 is for recycling metal energy from the discard pile to a metallic Pokémon on your bench.

- Rare Candy PGO 69 allows you to speed up the evolution stage of a basic Pokémon as early as stage 2 at once. The card can only be played after the turn you played your Basic Pokémon that is about to evolve in the previous turn. Therefore, it will accelerate Hisuian Goodra LOR 134.

- Crystal Cave EVS 144 favors healing for Dragon and Metal type Pokémon by 30 points, but in this case, the healing focus is for Zacian V and Zamazenta V as main attackers, but nothing that also prevents you from healing your Hisuian Goodra of "Spread Sniper" targets from some opponent's Inteleon line.

Advantages

We have an advantage against decks that are weak to metal-type, like Kyurem V Max , due to the doubled damage.

And Hisuian Goodra has the ability to make Pokémon have some metal energy immune to damage from Pokémon V of any type, whether they are VStar, VMax or VUnion, which helps us a lot.

Disadvantages

Decks that feature ignore any defending Pokémon! effects such as Mew VMAX FST 114 and Duraludon VMAX EVS 123, or with damage that mixes “Spread” damage with “ignore defending Pokémon effects ”, such as Dragapult and Sableye.

There is difficulty against decks that can inhibit attacks from basic Pokémon such as Flying Pikachu VMAX CEL 7 and Eiscue EVS 47, or "Single Prize" fire due to weakness (doubled), especially the Charizard VIV 25.

Decks that win by “Deck Out” like Centiskorch, by “Knock Out” like Yveltal Amazing Rare, or with massive raw damage (preferably “Single Prize”) as

Reshiram Amazing Rare or the combination of Lunatone and Solrock.

Any strategy that makes the opponent discover that the center of activity of the deck is the Hisuian Goodra applying a Boss's Orders on these Pokémon, or that for some time, they manage to use decks of high "Spread Sniper" damage against Hisuian Goodra that don't have any metal energy attached to them.

It's what we call a "Deck Tanker" for the metal type against the ultra-rare format cards, but of course only against the V-Types.

It's not a deck that has a position like a Top Tier 3, but it's a good thing to be able to play casually with friends and to get to know a little bit of Pokémon TCG with this "tanker" strategy.