The Pokémon TCG Meta Snapshot is an article that aims to encapsulate the state of the meta for a given 1 month period.
The Pokémon TCG Meta Snapshot also aims to rank decks in a somewhat lesser tier system. The tiers that we will use are as follows:
Tier 1: Highly Competitive Meta Decks. 10% or more of tops based on Limitless Online Tournament Platform deck spread and/or at least WIN a big official event once (Regionals, Internationals, or Special Event).
Tier 2: Semi-Competitive Meta Decks. Less than 10% of tops are based on the Limitless Online Tournament Platform deck spread.
Tier 3: Semi-Competitive non-Meta/Rogue decks. 1-2 tops. Specifically includes decks that only top small events or get lower rankings at medium events. Can also include decks that can potentially top but have not yet in a given format.
Tier 4: Casually Competitive non-Meta decks. Decks that can compete at the local level, but cannot top an event.
Tops = 1st - 8th place.
This article is written based on the Paradox Rift format.
Deck Overview
With the release of Paradox Rift, one Pokemon that was being hyped is Iron Valiant ex with its sniping capabilities. With ‘only’ switching positions to the Active position, you can give one of your opponent’s Pokemon 20 damage which is a great deal of spread damage which can be scary if you can quickly stack it. Once you stack enough damage, you can just attack with Iron Valiant ex itself or try to use another attacker such as Entei V or Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX to do an easy knockout.
Table of Contents:
Iron Valiant ex (Paradox Rift)
Let’s hop into the Future to see what Iron Valiant ex has! First is its ability, Tachyon Bits, which allows you to put 2 damage counters on 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon which is a mini snipe. However, the catch here is that you need to move Iron Valiant ex from the bench to the Active spot to make it happen. This can be done by using switching cards and since there is no limitation on its ability, you can move 4 Iron Valiant ex back and forth for 4 times to get an 80 damage spread. This move alone on the first turn can easily knock out most of the Basic Pokemon on the top-tier decks such as Charmander, Ralts, and even Gimmighoul.
Then, we also need to look at its attack, Laser Blade, which deals 200 damage is a great number if you also look at its damage spread capability. What makes things hard is its attack cost and its attack’s effect where it costs 2 Psychic and 1 Colorless while you cannot attack the next turn. These 2 problems can already make things hard where you don’t have a quick mechanism to accelerate and even if you manage to switch things out, you still need to accelerate and charge your second or third Iron Valiant ex in case your first one is knocked out. This relates to another problem which is its low HP of 220 HP. It is a big number, but if you face decks such as Miraidon ex, you can easily get knocked in a single turn and Miraidon ex has an ‘easy’ way of energy acceleration which can easily result in losing pace against them. That’s why not many people are trying to make Iron Valiant ex a single-attacker deck and rather make it as only the damage spreader while using another attacker.
We also need to look at its retreat cost where 2 retreat costs are a bit expensive and the card itself needs to switch all the time. But since we have an adequate number of switching cards, that shortcoming can easily be handled. Overall, I think Iron Valiant ex suits more as a supporting card because of its ability rather than being the main attacker. But since we just starting, why not take a look at what attacking options on what Iron Valiant ex has?
Attacking Options
With Iron Valiant ex capability in mind, there are several options of attackers that we can choose to make a nice Iron Valiant ex deck. Let’s check it out!
Entei V (Brilliant Stars)
First up is Entei V. Yes, you read it right, since the first release of Paradox Rift, this guy has been a very solid pair for Iron Valiant ex because it is a Basic Pokemon V and since it is a Fire-type Pokemon, you can accelerate a Fire Energy using Magma Basin. This means that you can do a first-turn attack if you are going second while also doing the switching and ping-ing thing using Iron Valiant ex. Then, we also have its ability, Fleet Footed, which allows you to draw a card from the deck. This can be a great thing as you also need multiple cards to make the deck work, but while switching Pokemon, you can also put Entei V in front and use its ability to draw a card.
We also need to look at its attack, Burning Rondo. With Fire Energy and Colorless Energy as its attack cost, this is a cheap attack to have especially if you combine it with Magma Basin. However, with a base of 20, you might think that this attack won’t go anywhere. But since you will be pushing your bench to the limit, you will most likely have 120 damage in the bag and depending on your opponent, you might get a full 220 damage. This 220 damage is great and if you add 20 damage for each Iron Valiant ex’s ability, this can be an OHKO on your first turn on big HP Pokemon. You can also knock out several Pokemon V or Pokemon ex as well on your first turn even if you don’t have the maximum damage with Entei V.
But what about its retreat cost? I think with 3 retreat costs it is a heavy Pokemon to retreat. But when you account for your switching cards, I think it would be no problem to move it as you can benefit from it if you move Iron Valiant ex to the front.
As for how many copies do you want to bring? I think a minimum of 2 copies is the bare minimum and you want to incorporate another attacker as well. But if you are planning to only use Entei V as the attacker, a minimum of 3 copies is a must.
Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX (Battle Styles)
The next Pokemon is Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. If we are talking about spreading damage, we may not forget Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. It can wipe 2 Pokemon on the board with its G-Max Rapid Flow and if you count in Iron Valiant ex’s ability as well, it might be a very scary move to face. It is also a great choice if you face decks such as Gardevoir ex or Charizard ex if you manage to knock some of their Basic Pokemon so they cannot move much. However, you must still beware of Mew VMAX and even Gardevoir ex itself as Urshifu is weak to Psychic-type.
Besides its capability to spread damage, Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX can do a single attack to the front/active as well. Its attack, Gale Thrust, is a cheap attack cost which can deal a maximum of 150 damage to the active if you manage to switch Urshifu from the bench. This effect aligns well with Iron Valiant ex gameplan to always switch things out. The only hard thing here is that you need to evolve it to a Pokemon VMAX and it may take more resources than playing Entei V. But if you already manage things out, it will be a smooth roll throughout the game.
As for how many copies you want to bring, I think this is a hard choice because most people only bring a 2-2 or a 3-3 line which can be quite problematic if you prize some of those Pokemon. But as far as I can see, people still manage to hold their ground with that lineup so I believe it will be the best set of lineup of Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX.
Xatu (Paradox Rift)
Last but not least is Xatu. Why Xatu? Xatu here is not the attacker and will be the energy accelerator for Iron Valiant ex itself. Yes, you read it right, Iron Valiant ex will be attacking by itself. For some people, you may find it weird but if you stack the damage onto your opponent well enough, Iron Valiant ex is all you need to attack.
Xatu here will be your energy accelerator and draw engine because as you accelerate energy to a Benched Psychic Pokemon, you will be drawing 2 cards. This is a very beneficial thing to have in the Iron Valiant ex deck because it can help you charge energy onto Iron Valiant ex and you also get to draw cards which can be a switching card. You might be thinking that this ability is similar to Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX. But since Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX is a Pokemon VMAX, it poses more risk of giving off 3 prize cards to your opponent while Xatu only gives out 1 prize card. Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX is also weak to Dark-type which is quite trending nowadays with Charizard Ex being the most popular Dark-type deck. This can seriously hurt your matchup and strategy if you keep facing the same archetype all day so Xatu will be the obvious choice here.
However, since Xatu will only pose as an engine, Iron Valiant ex will be vulnerable so you may need some survivability card like Bravery Charm to boost Iron Valiant ex HP even more. As for how many copies of Xatu you want to bring, I think a minimum of 2-2 lines is necessary and bringing a 4-4 line will be overkill as you still need the deck space for switching cards. A 3-3 line of Xatu will be the sweet spot here.
Switching Cards
Iron Valiant ex will be actively switching positions between each other in the field. Several cards can be used in the deck.
Switch
As the ability on Iron Valiant ex needs some switching, it is natural that you will be using Switch as your first option in this kind of deck. It is a very simple item that you can use to abuse’ Iron Valiant ex’s ability to the maximum because it is an Item card so you can use it as many times as possible. I think this will be a very short explanation because it is a very simple Item card and it aligns very well with Iron Valiant ex’s ability.
Since this is a great card, you might think that you want to bring it as much as you can. But, since the maximum copy of cards that you can bring into a deck is only 4, you can only bring 4 copies of Switch into your deck. But, do not fret as we still have more switching cards to come. Up next, Switch Cart!
Switch Cart (Astral Radiance)
Another switching card that will be included in this deck is the Switch Cart. It is a Switch but for Basic Pokemon and one more important thing is that it will heal the switched Pokemon for 30. It can be a very crucial number if you face certain decks such as Lost Zone Box or spread decks which rely on dealing damage bit by bit. It is also an Item card which you can use continuously in a single turn so you will be using both Switch and Switch Cart at the same turn. But still, you will be limited to only 4 copies on your deck. However, since you will be playing it with Switch, you will get 8 switching cards which increases the odds of drawing them. But wait, there’s still more! Don’t forget Escape Rope!
Escape Rope (Battle Styles)
The next switching card on the list will be Escape Rope. Same with the previous switching cards, this is an Item card which you can use multiple times. So adding up with the previous switching cards, you will have 12 switching cards you can use in a single turn which means you can have higher chances of drawing them. However, there is one key thing different in Escape Rope about its switching mechanism. Besides switching your own Pokemon, you will be switching your opponent’s Pokemon too where your opponent will be the one who will choose first. This can be a bad card to use if you want to attack their Active Pokemon instead of their Benched Pokemon. However, this can work the opposite way if you want a quick gust for your opponent as sometimes you will face a wall deck where Mimikyu or Klefki is in the way of you activating your own Pokemon’s ability. Overall, Escape Rope is a great addition to the lineup if you want a quick way of switching cards whilst gusting your opponent too. As for how many copies you want to bring, 4 copies is still the way to go but if you think this is too much, you may reduce it to 3 copies. But I don’t think you want to reduce the chances of drawing switch cards in the first place.
Winners’ Decklist
Now let’s see what people bring on their Iron Valiant ex deck and we will start with the first deck from the Top 16 finisher of 2024 Charlotte Regional, Daniel Fappiano.
First, we look at the Pokémon list. We are straight seeing 3 copies of Entei V meaning that Daniel will be using the Entei V build. As for the Iron Valiant ex itself, Daniel brings 4 copies of Iron Valiant ex to make sure it has the maximum potential to spread damage. Daniel also brings 2 copies of Squawkabilly ex as a first-turn draw engine. This card is very helpful for you to set up your hands while also discarding cards which can help you to pile up FIre Energy to set up Magma Basin so you can accelerate your energy quickly. Then, Daniel also brings Medicham V which is a perfect cherry on top for Iron Valiant ex. Medicham V can help you to easily gain another turn and yes, it is possible to do it on your first turn as so many people have tried it before. This is a very strong move if you manage to do this as you will be way up ahead in pace. Last but not least, Daniel plays Radiant Charizard. I think it is quite a no-brainer when you already play a Fire-type deck, Radiant Charizard will always come to mind. It can also be a very strong finisher and by adding Iron Valiant ex-spread, you can easily knock almost any Pokemon in sight if you play your numbers right. Overall, this is a pretty strong lineup and most of the time, you will see an almost similar Pokemon lineup if you decide to play Entei V as your attacker in the Iron Valiant ex-deck.
As for Supporter cards, the lineup is pretty simple here because the deck will play a lot of Item cards. Professor’s Research here will help you to draw more cards and act like Squawkabilly ex but without the first-turn restriction. You also get 7 fresh card draws instead of 6. This will surely help you to dig for cards. Daniel also brings Colress’s Experiment which can also help you to dig more cards as well. But unlike the Professor’s Research, you won’t have to discard the card in your hands so you can do more things if you have big hands. But the downside here is that you will be discarding 2 cards from the 5 cards drawn to the Lost Zone. This means that if you decide to put an Energy card or Pokemon card, you cannot recycle it back. Last but not least, Daniel plays Boss’s Orders as the gusting card. I think this is quite straightforward where you need gusting in a certain moment. Overall, I think the supporter card lineup is pretty solid and simple.
Then we move on to the searcher cards. With all of the Pokemon here Basic Pokemon, Battle VIP Pass and Nest Ball are all you need. Battle VIP Pass is a very strong and important card that you can use to set multiple Entei V and Iron Valiant ex so you can move things accordingly on your first turn. Nest Ball is also quite the same as Battle VIP Pass with no first-turn restriction but you can only call 1 Pokemon to the bench. These are great searcher cards as the deck is not playing too much Pokemon in the first place.
As for the other Item cards, of course, Daniel will be the three switching cards which are Switch, Switch Card, and Escape Rope. These cards are a necessity for the deck. Next, Daniel brings 3 copies of Trekking Shoes which also helps you to dig for cards while also discarding cards if you decide to go for the second card dig. This is a nice card to have because you will have an additional card draw. Then Daniel also plays Earthen Vessel, to search for energy cards. This card can be crucial at some point because it also thins your hand where you can discard Battle VIP Pass and search for multiple basic energy cards. These energy cards can also be used to accelerate to Entei V as well. Lastly, Daniel also brings Lost Vacuum. This card is important because nowadays people are playing stadium cards more frequently. In my opinion, there is still more room for improvisation based on people’s favourites in each location so you can customize based on the favourite matchup in your place.
Last but not least are the Tool cards and Stadium cards. For Tool cards, Forest Seal Stone is a must in my opinion because Entei V and Medicham V can benefit from using it to get a free search card. Then, Future Booster Energy Capsule is being played as additional switching cards so Iron Valiant ex has a free retreat cost. I think these 2 already perfect tool cards for the deck because almost all Pokemon benefit from playing them. Finally, we have Magma Basin which is used to accelerate a Fire Energy card to Entei V or Radiant Charizard. But you need to remember that when you use the Stadium, you will be dealing damage to the accelerated Pokemon so you need to beware of knocking it out accidentally.
Overall, I think this deck is very solid because Entei V provide a nice draw while dealing great damage to the enemy in a quick fashion. It is not a rare occurrence that you can attack in the first turn because it is so easy to accelerate Entei V. The chosen Item cards and Stadium cards also work perfectly well with the deck.
Up next, we will also see quite a similar build by Nicholas Dalziel who got 18th place in the 2024 Regional San Antonio which dates a while back in December.
Quite similar to Daniel, Nicholas also plays the Entei V variant with the same number of Entei V and Iron Valiant ex. The decks haven’t changed a lot from time to time meaning that the composition itself is relatively stable. The only thing different here is instead of playing 2 copies of Squawkabilly ex, Nicholas chose to opt for Spiritomb which is quite reasonable because it can hold Mew VMAX easily. Other than that, the Pokemon lineup is actually the same which is a very solid line in my opinion.
As for the supporter cards, Nicholas still plays Professor’s Research, Colress’s Experiment, and Boss’s Orders with an additional copy of Colress’s Experiment. What seems to be quite a surprise is that Nicholas plays Iono which may help in disrupting the opponent. However, I don’t think many people will opt for it because what you need is a big hands rather than a fresh new hand because the cards you need may already be in your hand and you just need one or two cards left.
As for the other cards, Nicholas actually plays quite a similar lineup of Trainer cards including Tool cards and Stadium cards as Daniel. What makes the deck different is the addition of TM: Devolution which can help you to devolve your opponent’s Pokemon. This is a very interesting card that works quite well with Iron Valiant ex because, with the stacked damage on some of the opponent’s Pokemon, you can just devolve it (if it is evolved from something) to make a knockout. This can be a very easy knockout while disrupting the opponent’s momentum.
Overall, I think so far we only see the Entei V variant of Iron Valiant ex that stands out from big tournaments. I think this is due to people still playing the Inteleon VMAX deck which is paired with Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX where they have a significantly better pairing as both of them are Rapid Strike Pokemon.
Tier Conclusion
As we come to the final section of the article, we need to decide the deck’s tier. I think the performance of the Iron Valiant ex itself is not very promising if you compare it to the likes of other Pokemon ex in the format. You also need more resources to pull off your combo to a certain degree and you need careful calculation before placing the damage counters when using Iron Valiant ex’s ability.
Based on the achievement and the performance of the deck, the deck will be a Tier 2 deck. However, I think the deck is more like Tier 1,5 and with a little bit of push and support, the deck can be phenomenal with its spreading capability. Hopefully, in the near future, we can see the deck thrive and win some big events with more cards being released.
Afterword
What do you guys think of the Iron Valiant ex deck? The deck itself is actually a pretty fun deck to play with and I really liked it when you can pull a first-turn Yoga Loop with Medicham V. But the inconsistency and the format filled with high HP Pokemon makes the deck somewhat struggling. But I hope I am wrong and people will find a new ‘sauce’ to make the deck thrive.
This is an ongoing project on pokemoncard.io and I really appreciate all the feedback. I plan to do this on a monthly basis so you can at least grasp what is happening over the month and I think it is a very safe cycle time considering that our set is not released once a month so you guys can still see how the format goes.
Life is too short to be anything but happy! - Arelios
There may be some mistakes and missing points of review in this writing. Please kindly comment to share your corrections and point of view too.
