Hello everyone! This is Elena from Gaia Storm TCG and welcome to this article here at CCG. Today we are going to go straight away and cover one of the most amazing decks we have in the format: Eternatus V MAX. This legendary Pokémon caused a lot hype once it was revealed and it has absolutely lived up to the expectations. Right now, this dark deck is situated at the very top step of the meta ladder. What does make the deck so strong?

It is impossible to think of Eternatus without immediately associating it to Mega Rayquaza EX. Mega Ray was one of these strategies that defined an era in Pokémon TCG. Released back then in Roaring Skies, the collection where Shaymin EX made its appearance, Mega Ray was a monstrous attacker that dealt more damage with the number of Pokémon you had in your bench (reaching a maximum of 240). With the help of mega turbo, DCE and Skyfield, that was a pretty easy combo to pull out. Now, a couple of years later, Eternatus takes the torch...

One of the reasons why Eternatus higher in the meta than Rayquaza never was is because it is stronger in any aspect that made Rayquaza good. Eternatus V MAX has a powerful ability (Eternal Zone) that allows the player to bench up to 8 darkness-type Pokémon with the only restriction that no other type of Pokémon can enter the battlefield.  And then, for just two darkness energies, Eternatus’s Dread End does 80 damage per darkness Pokémon in your field. Considering there is no current way of removing abilities from the game, this means Eternatus will be able to consistently hit for 270 damage with a full bench behind. No spirit link needed, no problem if the stadium gets removed, a special energy that is just like a float stone… Eternatus is able to do everything that made Mega Rayquaza one of the greatest decks of its time and surpass it.

Another reason for Eternatus’s success is the fact that is has a lot of interesting supporting Pokémon so that the deck does not always rely on Dread End. Of course, 4 Crobat V is the base of the strategy, ensuring its consistency and set up during the first turns. Then, we have the Zigzagoon playset, that serves both as a way of filling the bench and as a damage modulator.  With one Zigzagoon, for example, Eternatus can KO an Arceus Palkia Dialga GX after it has used it’s GX move. These damage courters also serve to bypass Big Charms and allow Sableye V to deal with Zamazenta V among many other uses. Additionally, there are other attacking Pokémon that can be included which vary in numbers from list to list. Hoopa from Darkness Ablaze is able to do a very decent amount of damage for just one energy, ideal to trade prize cards against non-V based decks like Blacephalon or Mad Party. The after mentioned Sableye V has a bit of a costly attack but can efficiently deal with half-damaged Pokémon. And lastly, Spiritomb is also an interesting option because it’s very easy to attack with but it has the downside of having to wait several turns to use its full potential.

Currently Eternatus is one of the most popular decks in the format as it has a very decent match up against APD, Centiskorch and Pikachu Zekrom. If you are looking to step into the standard format with guarantees, Eternatus is a fantastic option so don’t wait to pick your cards here. Thanks for reading!