Arceus and Duraludon Gets Even Better!

What’s poppin’ PTCGO Store readers? Our newest Pokemon TCG Online set, Silver Tempest, has been released, and the metagame has certainly been shaken up. There are new decks, like Lugia VSTAR [Silver Tempest], that are winning online events, and some older decks, like Mew VMAX [Fusion Strike], have recently gotten a lot stronger! You might be asking, “why is Zach talking about decks that aren’t Duraludon VMAX?” Well, lemme jump into that. Lugia VSTAR is all about Special Energy, Mew VMAX is all about Special Energy, and Duraludon VMAX is all about blocking damage from Pokemon with Special Energy attached to them with its Skyscraper Ability! While those decks might have some answers to Skyscraper, most aren’t properly equipped to deal with it! And that's why I am showcasing Arceus VSTAR / Duraludon VMAX in this article today! Stay tuned for the strategy, my list, and more! If you need any cards to build this tanky Pokemon TCG deck, be sure to use code zlesage5 to save 5% at ptcgostore.com! With super fast email delivery and a large selection of PTCGO codes, PTCGO Store has you covered for all of your Pokemon TCG Online and PTCG Live needs. Let’s jump into the strategy!

The goal of this deck is pretty similar to most other Arceus VSTAR decks - you want to use either Arceus V or Arceus VSTAR to power up your Duraludon V [Champions Path] or Duraludon VMAX. In most cases, you will use Duraludon VMAX to tank against attacks from Pokemon with Special Energy attached to them and use Boss’s Orders [Rebel Clash] / Serena [Silver Tempest] to gust easy KOs on opposing Pokemon V. This deck has a strong healing element to it with cards like Hyper Potion [Champions Path], Crystal Cave [Evolving Skies], and Big Charm [Sword and Shield] allowing you to hang on for just one more turn. It isn’t the most exciting deck in the game, but boring doesn’t mean ineffective. When you hit the right matchups, which many of the top decks are, this deck absolutely dominates!

Something that I haven’t mentioned so far is that the new Supporter Serena breathes new life into this deck because it gives the deck an additional 4 gusting cards but can sometimes help with minor inconsistency issues by drawing cards instead. In most cases, you’ll want to try and take as many easy Prize Cards as possible. In most of my games, I capitalize on gusting up unevolved Pokemon V and taking easy Prize Cards. If I OHKO unevolved Pokemon V and their “main” attackers 2HKO my Duraludon VMAX, I am always going to stay above the Prize trade. It isn’t always that easy, though - there are definitely some cards in the metagame that cause this archetype issue, like Amazing Rare Yveltal [Shining Fates]. Since Amazing Destruction says the Defending Pokemon is Knocked Out, it doesn’t get stopped from Skyscraper because it isn’t damaged - it is an effect of an attack. That is why there is a copy of Big Parasol [Darkness Ablaze], but sometimes Lugia VSTAR lists are running Lost Vacuum [Lost Origin] to get around it. That is why the following list might need to play an additional copy of Big Parasol to try and get around the Yveltal OHKO attack that goes through Skyscraper, but otherwise, it is working just fine. It still might need a little work in this metagame, but let’s check out this list:

4 Arceus V PR-SW 204

2 Arceus VSTAR BRS 184

2 Duraludon VMAX SIT 236

2 Duraludon V CPA 47

4 Marnie PR-SW 121

1 Big Parasol DAA 199

2 Evolution Incense SSH 163

3 Hyper Potion SSH 166

2 Big Charm RCL 206

3 Crystal Cave EVS 230

1 Switch SUM 160

1 Escape Rope BUS 163

4 Serena SIT 193

4 Ultra Ball BRS 186

4 Professor's Research PR-SW 152

4 Quick Ball SSH 216

2 Boss's Orders LOR 241

1 Ordinary Rod SSH 215

1 Training Court FST 282

6 Metal Energy EVS 237

4 Double Turbo Energy ASR 216

3 Fighting Energy CRE 233

After explaining why Arceus VSTAR / Duraludon VMAX is relevant again, I hope you find yourself wanting to jump into this updated archetype. I hope my findings will guide you on your Pokemon TCG journey as I try my best to help our community understand our Silver Tempest metagame. Duraludon VMAX is a particularly strong Pokemon online deck in this format and should have answers to almost all decks in the format (as long as they have Special Energy). It’s certainly a deck that I want to test around with more, and I hope it continues to be one of the best Pokemon online decks in the format! If you’re missing any cards for this deck or any other deck, feel free to pick up some Pokemon TCG Online codes right here at the PTCGO store and use code zlesage5 to save 5%. Super quick PTCGO code card email delivery with every purchase, and it helps support the articles written here. Best of luck testing this deck, and have a great day!

Zach Lesage is a contributing writer for the PTCGO store. As a Toronto local, he has been playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game since 2005 and creates Pokemon content as his full time career. With multiple prestigious accomplishments in the game, such as 2020 Players Cup 2 Champion and 2020 Oceania International Championships Finalist, he has proven his success in the game. Outside of the game, he travels the world, enjoys the culture of designer streetwear, and is a professionally trained chef. You can catch him at most Pokemon events and follow him on Twitter @ZachLesagePTCG.