Improving the Single Strike Urshifu LBD

Hello everyone! This is Elena from Gaia Storm TCG and welcomes to another article here in the blog of PoTown Store. A while ago we analyzed one of the most amazing products to start in the game, the Rapid Strike Urshifu League Battle Deck. Fortunately for us, Pokémon players, there is an equally competitive version centered around the Single Strike archetype. So, as you might have guessed, this time we are going to be reviewing the Single Strike Urshifu Battle League Deck content as well as seeing how to actually improve it to make a tournament-ready strategy with very few changes. All you need to do is to acquire the code here for your online account and you are ready to go. Let’s get into it!

Anyone that has been playing the game for the past year will be familiar with Single Strike, one of the most effective and aggressive Pokemon online decks we’ve had in a while. Since it was first released in Battle Styles, this archetype started to gain a lot of popularity because it combined two great elements: energy acceleration and the possibility to KO most things in the format in just one powerful blow. Since then, the archetype has received more and more support with new attachers like Umbreon and Umbreon VMAX (Evolving Skies) but the concept is still the same. Your goal is to set up 2 or 3 Houndooms early in the game, use its ability to power up Pokémon like Urshifu VMAX, and continue doing so to spam attacks while you recycle your resources with Urn of Vitality.

When I first looked at the list of cards that came in the League Battle Deck, I was positively surprised to see how many good things were included. In fact, this is already giving all players an almost ready-to-use decklist and starting a competitive journey in Pokémon TCG. This is the list that you will find in the product once you acquire it:

As you can see in the picture above and if you were to compare it with tournament-winning decklists, you will find many similarities, especially in the supporter and trainers lines, which is always great. Yes, you are seeing right, this deck is giving you amazing staple cards that you will be able to use to build practically any other deck you want (Quick Ball, Evolution Incense, Professor Research, Boss Orders, and so on).

Perhaps the only downside, if you can really complain about something given the circumstances, is the fact that your only powerful attackers are 2 Urshifu V and 2 Urshifu VMAX. Stonjourner is not bad overall but there are better attacking options and also, you will be trying to one-shot your opponent’s Pokémon so it is not worth investing that many energies and resources on something that can’t do that. Apart from that, the deck is just superb. So now the question is… how much effort will it take us to use this base and build a stronger deck to get results?

This is where the fun begins! As I just said, the deck is very solid already but we can make it more consistent by adding a couple of different attackers and focusing on strengthening its more important traits without losing sight of the financial perspective. And while there is no right or wrong answer here, these are the changes I will suggest to you:

Of course, these changes can vary depending on your style of play and the cards you have available. Keep in mind I tried to build this deck on a budget, rather than going for the most powerful version straight away. Other choices you might want to consider are:

Second Crobat V: Maximizing consistency is key for this deck to properly work so that is why some players have opted to include a second copy of Crobat V in case the only one you run in prized (which can be a crucial loss).

Umbreon VMAX: This card is just insane and is one of the main reasons why Single Strike climbed so much in the metagame recently. While it is true that this is a bit expensive, it will be worth every penny (or pack, if you are trading in the digital format) that you spend on it. Do try to get at least two copies as soon as you can.

Gengar V and Gengar VMAX (With Hidden energies): Released in Fusion Strike, Gengar VMAX is one of the most efficient and powerful pokémon from the entire single Strike archetype. While it can not easily get as high numbers as Urshifu VMAX, it certainly has the advantage of not needing to discard energies to attack. Gengar is an amazing card. In my view, the only real downside is the fact that it requires a lot of Darkness type energies to work so if you really want to make the most out of it, you will probably need to renounce your capture energies and change your energy count (you can always check this video we did for more details).

Of course, there is no need to choose to either run Gengar or Urshifu. There are versions that combine all the different Single Strike attackers in the same decklist so it is really up to you to build it as you feel more comfortable with it.

Battle VIP Pass: While I am a big fan of Battle VIP Pass in certain decks that can quickly find it, I can’t say it is the ultimate answer to solve the set up issues that Single Strike decks have. It is true that if you draw them in the first turn of the game you will have pretty much secured 2 Houndoors and things will go very smoothly from that point on but if you can’t, they will be dead cards in a deck that does not stand out because of its consistency. Some of the latest decklists have opted to maximize the odds of starting with Batlle VIP Pass by including 4 copies in the deck as well as 4 other copies of Cram’o’matic from Fusion Strike.

Morpeko: Morpeko is a very “cheap” one single prize attacker for Single Strike decks that have recently gained a lot of popularity because of the rise of Mew VMAX. Our little Darkness-type friend deals 30 damage for every damage counter of it so if you use Houndoom’s ability twice and attach 2 Single Strike Energies, that means you are already dealing a more than solid 160 damage. And that number happens to be more than enough to KO a Mew VMAX with just one hit because of its weakness.

Tool Jammer: There are currently two options -generally speaking- to get rid of tool cards in the format which are Tool Scrapper and Tool Jammer. Tool Jammer has its advantages and disadvantages because it negates just the tool in the active Pokémon but its effect remains as many turns as the Pokémon that has it attached stays in the field. In fact, this card became very popular one format ago as it was the perfect way for Single Strike Urshifu V to prevent other V Pokémon from using multiple Cape of Toughness (Darkness Ablaze)

And yes, I know that you are thinking: Great Elena, that sounds good but how will a final decklist end up look like? Fair enough! There you can see a sample of what is currently winning tournaments:

This is a very straightforward decklist that focuses on consistency with the inclusion of 4 copies of Battle VIP Pass, 4 Capture Energy and the fact that the main attacker is Umbreon and Umbreon VMAX and not Urshifu which to be honest tends to be more than enough to win most of the games.

Shadow Rider Calyrex: Because of weaknesses, this deck can’t just stand a chance against something that can quickly attack and KO everything (yes, Umbreon, I am looking at you!)

Jolteon: Jolteon pairing is a bit tricky. If Single Strike is able to go first and starts setting up, it will be as easy as using your Single Strike Urshifu V to hit for weakness. However, we know the deck can brick and Jolteon can easily take advantage of this to quickly snip Houndour in the bench and leave you without any accelerating options.

Dragapult: Same as Shadow Rider Calyrex, the deck can’t deal with Umbreon or other Darkness-type Pokémon.

Eternatus: I know I am kinda repeating myself but any deck that has a Fighting or a Darkness weakness and relies on VMAX Pokémon is a good matchup for us. In fact, Urshifu eats Eternatus for breakfast.

Mew VMAX: Wait, what? How can you say a deck that relies on a Darkness weak Pokémon VMAX is not favorable when you just wrote it? Are you crazy? I have not lost my mind (at least that is what the voices in my head tell me). The thing is that Mew is super consistent. Single Strike is not. As simple as that. That is why the matchup is super close despite the weakness mechanic. Although there are other factors that can influence the result, the player that goes first has a very high chance of winning.

Rapid Strike Urshifu: Ah yes, the Urshifu wars. While Single Strike Urshifu can easily KO a Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, the Rapid Strike Archetype has a lot of speed, and its ability to KO Houndours before they even evolve can be a problem.

Zacian / Zamazenta: As Single Strike, we do have ways to deal with this deck with a full-powered Single Strike Urshifu VMAX to get rid of Zamazenta but it is easier said than done.

Suicune Ludicolo: Suicune is very consistent, hits very hard, and can trade prizes very easily. Not to mention the fact that when they evolve into Ludicolo, they can completely destroy our powerful VMAX Pokémon.

Leafeon: Leafeon is truly an issue as it hits Umbreon for weakness and can easily KO your Urshifu VMAX.

Duraludon: I am still not sure if this trend is a fad or will stay but Duraludon can certainly be difficult to deal with because of its defensive ability. Also, if your opponent gets lucky with Crushing Hammers, you will certainly be behind.

After having reviewed both strategies, you might be thinking… “Great, the two of them look awesome in their final version so which should I buy?”. And the answer is not an easy one.

The Single Strike Urshifu Battle League deck is, in my opinion, more consistent as a product and easier to improve. It is also very well positioned in the metagame given the dominance of Mew VMAX and the fact that Umbreon can completely destroy Mew in a few turns if set up properly. However, as we have already discussed in the article, its biggest enemy is itself and the difficulties you might find trying to set up multiple Houndoom in the first turns. Rapid Strike Urshifu is more challenging to improve as you will need to get your hands on the Inteleon engine and practical approach the whole thing from a different angle but as a result, you will be getting one of the most agile and flexible decks in the format. Even if Mew VMAX is not precisely a favorable match up right now, my gut feeling tells me that Rapid Strike Urshifhu is going to always remain a good pick until it rotates next year.

My piece of advice will be to opt for the one that fits more your style as a player. If you are more into aggressive strategies than KO all Pokémon, Single Strike Urshifu is the one for you. If on the contrary, you like to be able to set up your board and have many different routes to win the game, Rapid Strike Urshifu is the best choice. However, don’t overthink it, any of these two products will be worth every penny you invest in it. Of course, you can always get both and end this dilemma before it is even born…

The new Single Strike Urshifu League Battle deck is one of those rare products that you can use to be competitive from day one without needing to invest much in getting other cards. In fact, with a few tweaks, you can directly build a very consistent deck that currently occupies one of the top positions in the metagame. Remember you can get all the PTCGO codes that you need here in PoTown Store, whether it is the Battle League decks PTCGL codes, or any other Pokemon TCG Online codes from other sets that you can then use to trade for specific cards you need.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and don’t forget to check the video we recorded on Youtube to better understand how to play Urshifu. Thanks for reading!

Elena has been playing Pokémon TCG for years and leads one of the biggest TCG-dedicated channels in the world. You can find her on Youtube & Twitch (@gaiastormtcg) as well as in other social media channels. Don’t forget to check them out!