In a atypical coincidence, Czech Republic participant Ondrej Śkubal took down the Pokémon TCG 2022 Masters Department Global Championship the usage of a card broadly thought to be to be entire garbage, Flying Pikachu VMAX. Upon liberate within the Pokémon Celebrations growth in 2021, the cardboard used to be in large part pushed aside as unplayable, but given the way in which the metagame evolved heading into the largest match of the 12 months in London, it simply took place to be the easiest counter to the highest deck within the layout.
The Pokémon Celebrations mini-set used to be most commonly a collectible one with few competitively viable playing cards, and Flying Pikachu used to be most likely supposed to be not anything greater than a amusing tribute to the fan-favorite Flying Pikachu card first released in English as a promo in 2001, which is why fanatics are so tickled through the truth that it actually simply received the Pokémon TCG Global Championship.
A card that used to be prior to now thought to be bulk from a collector’s set is set to be the important thing to a Worlds-winning deck. I like this recreation such a lot
— Patrick Wall (@TeamAbra87) August 20, 2022
All issues thought to be, Flying Pikachu’s 160 harm Max Balloon assault that forestalls it from being hit through Fundamental Pokémon at the opponent’s subsequent flip is beautiful underwhelming bearing in mind the mediocre harm and the truth that maximum decks don’t assault with Fundamental Pokémon. Gamers handiest use it as a result of Palkia VStar is the preferred deck within the layout and it’s vulnerable to Lightning. That implies Flying Pikachu’s 160 harm assault will get doubled when attacking the 280 HP Palkia, knocking it out in a single hit. Because of this by myself, Flying Pikachu used to be the silver bullet to the Worlds meta.
“It’s intended to be only a amusing card. It’s just right handiest as a result of Lightning Pokémon playing cards are in reality dangerous so it’s important to dig deep to discover a just right one, and Flying Pikachu is it. With out Palkia round, it wouldn’t be Tier 1,” Śkubal instructed IGN in a post-match interview.
Regardless of being thought to be an all-around terrible card in a vacuum, Flying Pikachu does be offering a couple of different advantages. Its 310 HP could also be low through VMAX requirements, and it does surrender 3 Prizes when knocked out, nevertheless it’s nonetheless simply chonky sufficient to typically stay out of Palkia’s OHKO vary. The impact of Max Balloon is needless in opposition to lots of the box, nevertheless it does wall out the strange deck that handiest makes use of Fundamental attackers reminiscent of Regigigas and Blissey/Miltank. Plus, having a Pokémon with unfastened retreat is all the time welcome as it permits you to pivot into your excellent Lively Pokémon every flip.
I like how Flying Pikachu, an overly Mid & total Underwhelming card is gonna win each the Global Championships & received NAIC lol Lightning sort pass brr at the moment i assume pic.twitter.com/rUrt0VZRS3
— Littledarkfury (@littledarkfury) August 20, 2022
The Best 8 minimize for the Pokémon TCG Masters Department featured 4 Palkia decks and 3 Arceus VStar/Decidueye VStar/Flying Pikachu VMAX decks in particular designed to counter them. And counter them they did. With all of the Palkia decks eradicated from the playoffs, the finals ended up being a replicate event between two Palkia-busters, one piloted through Śkubal and the opposite through Jap participant Daichi Shimada. It’s notable that Flying Pikachu is vulnerable to Lightning, so in a replicate event it’s conceivable for dueling Pikachus to knock every different out in a single hit. The Decidueye VStar is there to hit opposing Arceus VStar for Combating weak point.
The important thing distinction between the 2 decks used to be that Shimada’s incorporated the Jolteon package deal used to close off the Skills of Water-Pokémon, which sadly had been six lifeless playing cards on this matchup. In the meantime, Śkubal’s deck used the ones slots for the Bibarel draw engine, which is a smart deal extra helpful within the replicate. (That’s proper—as though Flying Pikachu wasn’t meme-y sufficient, Bidoof used to be within the profitable deck, too!)
The finals event used to be made up our minds in a easiest of 3 contest. Recreation 1 noticed Shimada take an early lead through disrupting his opponent’s hand with a first-turn Marnie and taking a couple of two-Prize knockouts, together with Śkubal’s unevovled Flying Pikachu V. However then Śkubal fixed an excellent comeback, denying his opponent victory through chickening out his broken Decidueye to the Bench and profitable the sport with a Boss’s Orders on Shimada’s fragile Crobat V.
Recreation 2 used to be a extra even affair, with each avid gamers getting a cast setup and buying and selling knockouts on their Arceus VStars. After a little bit of back-and-forth, the turning level got here when Shimada whiffed the Power had to end off Śkubal’s broken Flying Pikachu. With Shimada at the back of at the Prize race, all he may do used to be play Marnie to disrupt his opponent’s hand and ship up a Pumpkaboo in an try to stall, however Śkubal had the Boss’s Orders to complete off a broken Decidueye and take the Global Championship identify—and the $25,000 money prize.
SO BASICALLY FLYING PIKACHU VMAX WAS CONSIDERED A BULK CARD WHEN IT CAME OUT BUT A LOT OF PLAYERS PLAYED PALKIA WHICH MEANT THAT THE FIELD WAS EXTREMELY FAVORABLE FOR PIKACHU AND NOW IT IS GUARANTEED TO WIN WORLDS pic.twitter.com/IWq1JN1PBb
— JW however drained 😴😴😴 (@RealJohnWalter) August 21, 2022
Over the process Śkubal’s 11 match rounds, seven had been Palkia, so he used to be in a position to prey on their Lightning weak point for a majority of the contest and take complete benefit of Flying Pikachu’s Lightning typing.
That’s to not say Flying Pikachu’s large win used to be an entire marvel to avid gamers. An Arceus/Flying Pikachu deck additionally received June’s Pokémon North American International Championship, so the cardboard’s energy used to be widely recognized going into Worlds. However nonetheless, what a run for a card that many of us first of all thought to be to be not anything greater than binder trash.
stonks pic.twitter.com/H2kY5LH47v
— American Appa (@Appa_AG) August 20, 2022
For extra from Worlds, take a look at how I did competing in the big tournament for the first time (spoiler: now not smartly) and if you are new to the Pokemon TCG or are returning to the sport, take a look at this video enjoying video games with outdated decks and trendy playing cards:
