The V’s and VMax’s of Rebel Clash

Today I’ll be having a look at and evaluation the new Pokemon V and VMax’s of the new set Rebel Clash. These should help change up the meta game and maybe even add new stables of every deck. Before we start let’s talk about some of the damge these cards may need to hit to be viable, for example Zacian V has 220 health and deals 230 damage with its attack so without any modifiers (260 damage with ADP’s GX) we are trying to hit 220 damage and have more than 260 health to OHKO a Zacian V and not get knocked out in return, the highest 3 prize Pokémon’s health is 340 for VMax and 280 for GXs.

This is good starting grass Pokemon with a good first turn attack if you go second, though this card will compete for deck space with the Alolan Exeggutor & Rowlet GX tag team card, that I have loved playing, in stage 2 grass decks the 220 heath and 220 damage attack are very good for a basic 2 prize Pokemon however this will less likely to be capitalised on as it’s V-Max hits harder, so can OHKO all GXs and Vs , and is much more tankier with 50% more health. The only downside to the attack is that you need to discard energy to use the attack though you can choose how many to discard and Rillaboom from Sword and Shield base set can help charge this VMax back up to attack next turn. The weakness to fire is another downside but Cherrim from Ultra Prism can remove all grass Pokemon weakness or there is weakness energy.

Eldegoss V

This card may not initial look like it could be the best Pokemon in the set with its low health, for a V, and it’s weak attack but this ability will be the reason that Eldegoss V will be played in almost every deck. This ability can help you get a supporter form your discard this means that if you used a boss’s orders earlier in the game and need other for the win Eldegoss can help you win the game, this means that if you are currently bricking you can get a draw supporter to get you more cards or a new hand. This is a card you should hope to pull from your packs otherwise it will be expensive to buy.

Ninetales is a card that fire decks will love as a 2 prize Pokemon as it can copy one of your opponent’s Pokémon’s attack. Though the problem is when you stop and think about it there isn’t many attacks you would want to copy other than ADP’s GX attack, but you would need to play water energy or a substitute for it. Though it may not be good in the current format it may make a resurgence if a higher damage than health Pokemon becomes a top tier deck.

Cinderace V & VMax

Ability: Field Runner

If there is any Stadium card in play, this Pokemon has no Retreat Cost.

RRC Crimson Leg 140

Cinderace V is a very poor fire pokemon card which we have many better alternatives however Cinderace VMax is going to be an annoying card if you can’t OHKO it. This first attack can take advantage of it’s wording by allowing it to heal off damage yet still hit back hard and if you opponent is trying to deal small amounts of damage to knock you out the second attack can do 190 damage including the burn damage. This card may pair well with the fire tool Burning Scarf to increase damage output a small bit if not knocked out though it may favour Big Charm instead for more survivablity increasing it’s health to 350 which very few pokemon without the weakness advantage can hit. What we have to remember is that even if these cards don’t see play now we will get the starter pokemon’s Gigantamax forms which will give us new VMax’s and probably new V’s and they may be a better fit with the starter V’s in this set or vice versa.  

Milotic V

WCC Aqua Impact 10+

This attack does 50 more damage for each C in your opponent’s Active Pokémon’s Retreat Cost.

WCCC Hypno Splash 150

Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Asleep.

Milotic V and galar mine are cards in this set that are perfect for each other add in some Absol from Team Up and some way to accelerate to Milotic V and you can OHKO most opponent’s except VMax’s because VMax are evolved pokemon. The second attack is likely to be never used except if yo are trying to stall against a VMax.

Inteleon V & VMax

W Sharpshooting

This attack does 40 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon.)

WWC Aqua Report 130

Your opponent reveals his or her hand.

Inteleon seems to follow the trend of underwhelming starter V’s but that seems to be the only starter VMax that is also underwhelming. Maybe Inteleon VMax would seem better  if we would be getting Dragapult VMax in the same set which has similar attacks, but psychic has better spread support than water . Maybe you could use the first attack to become a sort of stalling damaging archetype, but the damage is to small and putting energy into your opponent’s hand may help them if they have a welder in hand or Frosmoth in play.

WWC Blizzard 120

This attack does 10 damage to each of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon.)

Someone who designs Pokemon cards does not like Eiscue it has its first 2 cards in this set, and they are both unfortunately terrible. Eiscue V has a nice ability, but it’s put on a card which can easily be OHKO and the attack doesn’t pair well with it, it would do better with a scaling attack like the one Lapras VMax has. The attack it does have does not do enough damage to KO a VMax in 2 turns and the spread damage is too small to be effective.

Boltund V

L Electrify

Search your deck for 2 [L] energy and attach them to your benched Pokemon in any way you like. Then, shuffle your deck.

LC Lightning Storm 10+

This attack does 30 more damage times the amount of [L] Energy attached to your Pokemon.

Boltund V is a very good initial Lightning Pokemon which plays a similar role to PikaRom and post rotation will be required for the PikaRom to continue to be a strong archetype after losing Thunder Mountain Prism Star, before the rotation it will struggle to find a place in PikaRom where you are trying to get out a turn 1 PikaRom attack. The second attack may cause new decks which are built around it considering we do still have Magnezone which can accelerate energy from hand, or the nuzzle energy accelerating deck.

Toxtricity V & VMax

L Poison Jab 20

Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Poisoned.

LLC Electric Riot 90+

If your opponent’s Active Pokemon is Poisoned, this attack does 90 more damage.

This Toxtricity V is the 2^nd one we have as we managed to get as one was previously released in its own box. This one has better synchronicity with its VMax form as both have attacks that do more damage if your opponent is poisoned, which makes the new Garbodor in the set ,which poisons your opponent’s Pokemon, a good match for these 2 cards. The damage dealt by Toxtricity V is 190 with the poison but this though slighting lower than desired can be increase by the Toxicroak from the base Sword and Shield set up to 210 or even 230 with 2 Toxicroaks which is a better number. Toxtricity VMax does 250 with poison and 270 or even 290 with 2 Toxicroaks but even though it won’t knock out VMax’s on your turn there will be knocked out at the end of your opponents turn due to poison damage. Another thing which can be used to increase damage is electro powers which can be used to help OHKO any Pokémon.

Pincurchin V

Ability: Counterattack Spark

When this is your active Pokemon and receives damage from an attack from your opponent’s Pokemon, you may flip 3 coins. For each head, put 3 damage counters on the attacking Pokemon.

LLC Sparking Attack 120

The ability on Pincurchin V seems fun on first look and it is the possibility of doing a extra 9 damage when attacked sounds brilliant however looking at the rest of the card shows that when the ability goes of there is the high likelihood of the Pincurchin V also getting Ko at the same time.

Dragapult V & VMax

P Bite 30

PP Assault Jet 60+

If this Pokemon was on the Bench and became your Active Pokemon this turn, this attack does 80 more damage.

The Dragapult V is quite odd for an evolving V considering it has the possibility of doing more damage to the opponent’s active Pokémon however evolving Dragapult V seems to be better considering it does a lot of spread damage and the effects of horror energy which do more damage to the opponent’s active Pokémon when attacked  which is better on a bulkier Pokémon. This Pokémon can also be used in a deck with Roxie and the Weezing that pairs with Roxie from Cosmic Eclipse to increase the spread damage while also giving draw support. Dragapult is very lucky by having low costs for both attacks meaning that it doesn’t need energy acceleration which can sometimes make decks less consistent.

Sandaconda V

F Sand Attack 30

Attach a [F] Energy card from your discard pile to this Pokemon.

FFC Sand Breath 220

Discard 2 Energy attached to this Pokemon.

Sandaconda V is in a odd position considering the fact that it has a Gigantamax form but no VMax, thus we must remember this card if we ever get a Sandaconda VMax which we probably will get. Initially I thought Sandaconda was another trash V card just put in the set to bulk it out but then looking at other cards in the set. We have the Coalossal card which can accelerate a Fire and a Fighting energy to your Pokemon from your discard each turn, Sandaconda V discards 2 energy each turn, plus Sandaconda can accelerate to itself so doesn’t suffer too much from not getting a turn 2 stage 2 up. This can also include the previously mentioned Ninetales V which can use the fire and fighting energy to get more type options to the deck.

Falinks V

Ability: Iron Wall Formation

All damage done to your Pokemon with Falinks in their name, done by attacks form your opponent’s Pokemon is reduced by 20.

FFC Giga Impact 210

This Pokemon can’t attack during your next turn

Falinks V is meant to be a horde style deck where you use a combination of Falinks V and Falinks both in this set to increase Falinks health to 170 on a 1 prize Pokémon and deals 150, while the health is good the 150 damage doesn’t even 2 hit KO a VMax. While getting max damage and max health will be hard with no draw support or deck thinning abilities/attacks as you must be getting out 6 Pokémon of 8 in a deck.  

Malamar V

DC Drag Off

Switch 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon with their Active Pokemon. This attack does 30 damage to the new Active Pokemon.

DDC Brain Shake 130

Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Confused.

Malamar VMax

DDC Max Jammer 180

Look at your opponent’s hand and put a card your find there at the bottom of their deck.

Malamar V is a Pokémon which has weak attacks with high attack costs. Malamar VMax on the other hand has a good stalling attack however it also suffers the high attack cost that its pre-evolution did and with no effective energy acceleration for dark Pokémon. This card is very poor and suffers for the lack of dark support in the current format, if we had a way to easy set up it’s attack Malamar VMax would probably be a good card.

Copperajah V

MMC Adamantine Press 90

During your opponent’s next turn, any damage done to this Pokemon by attacks is reduced by 30 (after applying Weakness and Resistance).

MMMC Beat In 180

Copperajah VMax

MMC Dangerous Nose 100+

If your opponent’s Active Pokemon is a Basic Pokemon, this attack does 100 more damage.

MMMC G-Max Hammer 240

Copperajah V may seem to have expensive attack costs but with metal saucer in the format and the likely use of the VMax being paired with ADP instead of Zacian V to do 20 more damage and be bulkier than Zacian V, the Copperajah V will be able to hit the amount of metal energy required even if they the attacks are too expensive for their damage output. The first attack for Copperajah VMax is not the best considering Zacian V, this Pokémon’s rival for a deck slot, can do more damage on any Pokémon for the same cost on a 2 prize Pokémon. So, these 2 cards may see play but probably more in a deck that relies on their bulkiness such as with Lucario & Melmetal GX.

Dubwool V

Ability: Soft Wool

This Pokemon takes 30 less damage from attacks (after applying Weakness and Resistance).

CCC Revenge Blast 120+

This attack does 30 more damage for each prize card your opponent has already taken.

Dubwool with its ability makes for a 240 health basic 2 prize Pokémon which is very good for itself immediately adding in that its attack is very good if your opponent only has one or two prizes left making Dubwool a very good final attacker, with the possibility of dealing 270 damage when you opponent has taken five prizes. Thus, being a colourless Pokemon makes Dubwool a good contender for being a tech in any deck with any energy acceleration.