Hello everyone! This is Elena from Gaia Storm TCG and welcome to another article here at CCG Castle. Today, I want to talk about the power of Urshifu Single Strike, one of the most interesting cards from the most recent set, and the role it currently plays in the metagame.

Objectively speaking, both Urshifu V and its VMAX version are very strong cards that reminiscence about Sun and Moon Golisopod GX. Urshifu VMAX is a strong fighting Pokémon that with two very good attacks. The first one deals 30 + 120 when it is moved to the active position for just one single energy and the second one can do 120 damage to any Pokémon in the field. At first sights, those numbers don’t seem too impressive considering that the big VMAX Pokémon have up to 340 HP but not everything is about getting the one hit ko. What is great about Urshifu is that it can very effectively prepare the field to reach a situation when it takes multiple prizes (and by multiple I mean from 3 to 5 prizes easily) at the same time. One thing that helps him to that is its fighting typing. The two main support Pokémon, Crobat and Dedenne, have fighting weakness so most of the times Urshifu can close the game by using Boss Orders on one of them and finishing the other.

Broadly speaking, there are two main ways to play Urshifu: in combination with Dragapult and alone. Dragapult Urshifu is a deck that looks great on paper because Dragapult and Urshifu perfectly cover each other’s backs. For example, Urshifu suffers against Mad Party and Mew and Mewtwo Tag Team, which are defeated by Dragapult but wins against Eternatus and Pikachu Zekrom which are terrible parings for Dragapult. Now, what we can learn from tournament results is that the deck somehow has not been able to perform consistently and to reach the top positions, probably because it is a bit inconsistent. And speaking of consistency, that leads me to the pure version of Urshifu VMAX which, in my opinion, is the best way to play it.
The straight version plays a playset of Jirachi from Team Up, 4-3 Urshifu VMAX and the Scoop-up net engine to recycle support Pokémon like Mewtwo or Zigzagoon. The strongest point about this version is that it needs very little resources to work and once you’ve set up two VMAX, you can even rotate effectively between them to use their attacks at their full potential. If played well, Urshifu will spread damage across the field until it can take all remaining prizes with one single blow.  

The only real “problems” that Urshifu has is Mew and Mewtwo Tag team, a very popular attacker it today’s metageme, and the fact that most decks right now are playing Mew from Unbroken Bonds to stop bench damage. But the thing is that the former is not a very big menace and can be countered with Jirachi GX and the later can be easily taken down in the first moments of the game with the help of Boss order.

And what are the consequences of this Urshifu irruption in the metagame, you ask? Eternatus for example had to adapt and tech Weakguard energies to try surviving the pairing and Pikachu Zekrom has a really difficult time against the deck.  

In conclusion, Rapid Strike Urshifu was one of the most promising cards in the set and has completely lived up to the expectations. And I think it can only get stronger with future sets and once the rotation arrives. Remember to get your cards here at CCG Castle. Thanks for reading!