Bring the Heat with Volcanion-EX!
Originally published August 24, 2016
Unleash the power of the Steam Pokémon with some tips.
The XY—Steam Siege expansion introduced a lot of new and intriguing cards to the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and one that stands out from the rest is Volcanion-EX. This dual-type Pokémon is both Fire and Water type, giving it an advantage against Pokémon that have a Weakness to either type. Let’s take a look at a deck for the 2017 Standard format that puts this new powerhouse Pokémon-EX into action.
Volcanion-EX
has some of the attributes we’ve come to expect from a Pokémon-EX:
high HP and a big attack. Its 180 HP makes it quite difficult to take
down, and that number gets even bigger if you attach a Fighting Fury
Belt for an extra 40 HP. The Volcanic Heat attack provides a nice 130
damage for three Energy, meaning it can take down most regular Pokémon
in one attack, but it has the nasty drawback of not being able to attack
on the following turn. With that in mind, it’s important to include Pokémon
Ranger or Switch in this deck to clear that effect.
The real selling point of Volcanion-EX is its Steam Up Ability. Once per turn, you can discard a Fire Energy card from your hand to boost the damage of your Basic Fire-type Pokémon’s attacks by 30. And if you have multiple Volcanion-EX in play, all of them can use the Ability in the same turn. In an instant, the damage from those attacks can be increased by 30, 60, 90, or even 120 if you have 4 Volcanion-EX! This completely transforms the power of all of your Basic Fire-type Pokémon. For example, Volcanion-EX’s Volcanic Heat attack can get boosted from 130 damage to 250 damage. With that kind of power, it can take down even the biggest Pokémon-EX in one attack.
Players who used Fire-type strategies lost the important Blacksmith Supporter card in the Standard format rotation, but that won’t slow them down entirely. In a deck focusing on Basic Pokémon, Max Elixir is an incredible way to get some extra basic Energy onto your Pokémon. Otherwise, the regular Volcanion will be your go-to Pokémon in the early stages of the game. The Power Heater attack does 20 damage and can power up two of your Benched Pokémon, giving this deck the steam it needs to get going. It pairs extremely well with Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up Ability: Power Heater’s damage is increased, and those discarded Fire Energy cards can be attached to your Benched Pokémon.
There are plenty of great Basic Fire-type Pokémon out there, and one that fits well in this deck is Flareon-EX from the Generations expansion. Don’t be fooled by its cuteness—it can pack a punch! Its Flash Fire Ability allows it to move a Fire Energy from another Pokémon to itself, meaning it can take full advantage of any spare Energy put into play with Volcanion’s Power Heater attack. Then the Blaze Ball attack can deal absurd amounts of damage depending on how much Fire Energy is attached to Flareon-EX, and that damage can be boosted further by Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up Ability. Experiment and see what works best for you.
No strategy is unbeatable, and this one is no exception. Most of the Pokémon in this deck have a Weakness to Water-type Pokémon, so Pokémon such as Greninja are difficult to deal with. A potential solution is to include a few copies of Weakness Policy in your deck to compensate. Without Startling Megaphone and Xerosic in the Standard format, there isn’t an easy way to discard Pokémon Tool cards, so your Pokémon is likely to remain Weakness-free once you attach that Weakness Policy.
It’s usually a good idea to pack some Stadium cards into your deck—even if only to disrupt your opponent’s Stadium strategy! For example, an opponent’s Silent Lab could cause problems by shutting down your Basic Pokémon’s Abilities. On your side, Sky Field can give you some extra Bench space to work with, or Parallel City can shrink it down to 3 spots, potentially allowing you to discard Benched Pokémon that are easy targets for the opponent, such as Shaymin-EX. Always be on the lookout for holes in your strategy so you can react and make your deck even stronger!
With the introduction of XY—Steam Siege and a brand-new Standard format, now is the time for innovation and creativity. Be on the lookout for new strategies as we enter a new season of Pokémon TCG fun. Check back at Pokemon.com/Strategy for the latest strategy ideas, tournament results, and more! Good luck, Trainers!
About six months later, the 2017 Pokémon TCG Regional Championships were held April 8-9, 2017 in the Grand Hall at the Utah State Fair Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. Attendance was about half of what it was in Orlando, with a total number of 304 players and there was a prize pool of $13,500. Mike Newey also used a variation of this deck, and came in first place in the Masters Division, winning $5,000 and being awarded 220 points.
The real selling point of Volcanion-EX is its Steam Up Ability. Once per turn, you can discard a Fire Energy card from your hand to boost the damage of your Basic Fire-type Pokémon’s attacks by 30. And if you have multiple Volcanion-EX in play, all of them can use the Ability in the same turn. In an instant, the damage from those attacks can be increased by 30, 60, 90, or even 120 if you have 4 Volcanion-EX! This completely transforms the power of all of your Basic Fire-type Pokémon. For example, Volcanion-EX’s Volcanic Heat attack can get boosted from 130 damage to 250 damage. With that kind of power, it can take down even the biggest Pokémon-EX in one attack.
Players who used Fire-type strategies lost the important Blacksmith Supporter card in the Standard format rotation, but that won’t slow them down entirely. In a deck focusing on Basic Pokémon, Max Elixir is an incredible way to get some extra basic Energy onto your Pokémon. Otherwise, the regular Volcanion will be your go-to Pokémon in the early stages of the game. The Power Heater attack does 20 damage and can power up two of your Benched Pokémon, giving this deck the steam it needs to get going. It pairs extremely well with Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up Ability: Power Heater’s damage is increased, and those discarded Fire Energy cards can be attached to your Benched Pokémon.
There are plenty of great Basic Fire-type Pokémon out there, and one that fits well in this deck is Flareon-EX from the Generations expansion. Don’t be fooled by its cuteness—it can pack a punch! Its Flash Fire Ability allows it to move a Fire Energy from another Pokémon to itself, meaning it can take full advantage of any spare Energy put into play with Volcanion’s Power Heater attack. Then the Blaze Ball attack can deal absurd amounts of damage depending on how much Fire Energy is attached to Flareon-EX, and that damage can be boosted further by Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up Ability. Experiment and see what works best for you.
No strategy is unbeatable, and this one is no exception. Most of the Pokémon in this deck have a Weakness to Water-type Pokémon, so Pokémon such as Greninja are difficult to deal with. A potential solution is to include a few copies of Weakness Policy in your deck to compensate. Without Startling Megaphone and Xerosic in the Standard format, there isn’t an easy way to discard Pokémon Tool cards, so your Pokémon is likely to remain Weakness-free once you attach that Weakness Policy.
It’s usually a good idea to pack some Stadium cards into your deck—even if only to disrupt your opponent’s Stadium strategy! For example, an opponent’s Silent Lab could cause problems by shutting down your Basic Pokémon’s Abilities. On your side, Sky Field can give you some extra Bench space to work with, or Parallel City can shrink it down to 3 spots, potentially allowing you to discard Benched Pokémon that are easy targets for the opponent, such as Shaymin-EX. Always be on the lookout for holes in your strategy so you can react and make your deck even stronger!
With the introduction of XY—Steam Siege and a brand-new Standard format, now is the time for innovation and creativity. Be on the lookout for new strategies as we enter a new season of Pokémon TCG fun. Check back at Pokemon.com/Strategy for the latest strategy ideas, tournament results, and more! Good luck, Trainers!
The 2016 Pokémon TCG Regional
Championships were held October 15-16, 2016 at the Double Tree Inn Hilton
in Orlando, Florida by the entrance to Universal Studios. The event was
organized by Vince Krekeler of Yeti Gaming, St. Louis, Missouri. There
was a total number of 617 players that participated in the event and there
was a prize pool of $28,500. One player that used a variation of the Volcanion-EX deck given
above, Daniel Lopez of Orlando, came in seventh place in the Masters
Division at the event. He was awarded $750 and received 100 points. He
made some changes to the deck (see below). He included four Volcanion-EX instead of three and did not include
Flareon-EX. For his Trainer cards, he did not include Ninja Boy, Pokémon Ranger, Sky
Field, or Professor's Letter. Instead he added one more Max Elixir, one
more Trainers' Mail, and added three Float Stone and three Energy Retrieval
cards. He included one Fighting Fury Belt instead of three.
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Above, left: Daniel Lopez (left)
and his brother, David, in 2014. Photo courtesy of Jacob Willinger (SixPrizes).
Above, right: Official Play! Pokémon Orlando 2016 Regional Championships playmat. This playmat was given to every online registered participant of the event (while supplies lasted). A Shiny Mega Gardevoir playmat was available either through VIP packages or the side events side wall. Daniel Lopez, however, used a playmat featuring Dark Machomp of Team Rocket for the event.
Above, right: Official Play! Pokémon Orlando 2016 Regional Championships playmat. This playmat was given to every online registered participant of the event (while supplies lasted). A Shiny Mega Gardevoir playmat was available either through VIP packages or the side events side wall. Daniel Lopez, however, used a playmat featuring Dark Machomp of Team Rocket for the event.
About six months later, the 2017 Pokémon TCG Regional Championships were held April 8-9, 2017 in the Grand Hall at the Utah State Fair Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. Attendance was about half of what it was in Orlando, with a total number of 304 players and there was a prize pool of $13,500. Mike Newey also used a variation of this deck, and came in first place in the Masters Division, winning $5,000 and being awarded 220 points.
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