Round Menace - Blissey V!

Hello everyone! This is Elena from Gaia Storm, and it is a pleasure to be here again writing for PoTown's fantastic blog. As you know, Astral Radiance - the latest Pokémon TCG set, was released a couple of weeks ago, and everyone was eager to see the impact that it would have on the metagame.

The first Regional where Astral Radiance was legal was Melbourne, and we were all shocked to see that Palkia VSTAR, the most hyped card of the set, got 8/8 placements in the top! Had that been a coincidence, or was Palkia going to dominate this format without opposition? Well, I guess we got our answer after the celebration of Milwaukee's Regional: Palkia still did great and seemed to be the deck to beat, but many other decks were able to make it to the top, including Arceus VSTAR, Dialga VSTAR, Blissey V and… wait, wait, did I just write Blissey?? Blissey, that "meme" card from Chilling Reign that everyone made fun of? Yes, indeed. And it did so well that it got very close to winning the entire tournament!

But… How did that happen? Has something changed in the metagame, and now Blissey is just good or are there other reasons for this amazing run? Let's find out together!

"Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled Trainers should try to win with the Pokémon they love best."

I am sure there is no old-school Pokémon fan that does not know this quote by heart, but if this is the first time you see this, it belongs to Elite Four's Trainer Karen from Pokémon Gold/Silver. I think she has a point up to a certain extent. There are Pokémon that are undoubtedly stronger than others in the TCG, and that is a fact, but as I always say, it all depends on the context. A card can be very good in a certain environment and a complete disaster in a slightly different one. Blissey always had potential, but it was never the right time for it to be played as a competitive deck for many reasons.

However, let's start first by analyzing the card in detail. Blissey is a really sturdy Pokémon with lots of HP (250, one of the V cards with more health in the game) and a very special attack that does more damage the more energies Blissey has attached to it. Thankfully for us, Blissey can power up itself very autonomously, and every time you attack with it, you can attach up to 3 energy cards from the discard pile to the Pokémon. And note that it says "energy card", not just "basic energy cards".

When Blissey was released, I think we all tried it out because it was fun to play but not very consistent. There was no reliable way of getting energies quickly in the discard pile, and there were very popular fighting attackers that hit poor Blissey for weakness like Rapid Strike and even Single Strike Urshifu. And then Mew and Arceus VSTAR joined the party, and their speed and consistency were just too much for Blissey to be a match.

But those days are long gone, and Blissey is alive more than ever. Fighting attackers have almost disappeared from the competitive environment because we've seen a shift towards Palkia decks. On top of that, the last two expansions have brought some great cards that help Blissey overcome its problems. In Brilliant Stars, we got the Dunsparce and the Double Turbo Energy which is excellent for dealing with a lot of damage if you attach multiple copies. Then, Astral Radiance has given us Radiant Greninja and Trekking shoes as drawing engines and a great partner in crime for Blissey: Miltank. Miltank is a great card to include because it can wall strategies relying on Pokémon V and provides a great alternative to always attacking with a two-prizer. With all these new releases, we are now in the perfect spot to cook a very good decklist!

This is the list that got to the second play. It is a very solid list with answers against many of the format's top decks.

Only 9 Pokémon are here. The main attacker is always going to be Blissey, of course. Your priority will be to dump as many energies as possible in the discard pile and start loading it up. Miltank can help you gain some time and even win on its own against decks that can not attack through it. Dunsparce is a vital addition because it protects Blissey and Miltank from Fighting Pokémon. Greninja is probably the Pokémon you want to set up as quickly as Pokémon because it will give you a lot of draw power but don't forget that you can't use it under Path to the Peak.

Probably the most surprising "tech" is Tornadus. It acts as an Escape Rope when played to the bench, and it is absolutely vital to win against decks like Flying Pikachu because you can "reset" the board state and attack over a Pokémon that blocks you.

What I like about this Blissey deck is that it combines control and aggression. During the first turns of the game, you want to start powering up your Blissey, limit the actions from your opponent and heal a lot. Then, the game ends pretty easily with a fully charged Blissey V that takes down everything on its way.

Also, one last thing I want to point out is that Blissey is a very budget-friendly deck. If you want to build something good without spending too much, Blissey is the ideal choice for both in-real and online events.

This is a tricky matchup because Mew is super consistent and fast, but we have some nice cards under our sleeve. First, the Path to the Peak can really slow them down, and when played in combination with Roxanne, it can be a nightmare for them. Also, remember that the only way for Mew to consistently KO a Blissey with Cape of Toughness is by having all 4 Fusion Strike energies on the field, and if that is the case, Yveltal can come in and leave them with nothing. To be perfectly honest, it depends on how you draw. I feel it is a difficult matchup, but it can be won if you hit the right counters at the right time.

Going against Palkia is pretty even because they can consistently hit you for a lot of damage, but on the other hand, you can play with just one (or even zero) Pokémon on your bench, limiting the amount they do. If you find your healing cards at the right moment and they don't run Starmie, you can definitely win the game.

This one is very balanced, and it highly depends on the variant of Arceus you are playing against and who goes first. If Arceus does not run any out to Miltank, you can easily sit down and relax, but if they do, you need to target those Pokémon out as soon as possible and KO them before they become a threat. Potential cards that you need to take an eye on are, among others, Inteleon and Hishuan Decidueye V.

For this matchup, you want to get Dunsparce out as soon as possible to counter Regirock and then focus on constantly punishing your opponent with your Dreos. Having three copies of this supporter card can be extremely damaging for Regigigas because you are forcing them to replenish their bench repeatedly, which is not easy to do. Because they are a slow deck and Blissey has so many healing cards, I feel this is an ok matchup for you as long as Dunspacer is not in your prizes.

This is probably one of your worst matchups. Duraludon is a Pokémon with a lot of HPs, so you really struggle to KO it in one hit, not to mention that Miltank can not stop it. Also, if you want to hit it, you need to play down your Path to the Peak. Otherwise, you are never getting any damage to it. If you need to discard one stadium early on for whatever reason, you only have three opportunities to attack, making it a very challenging task.

So, all in all, it is clear that Blissey is much more than just a funny deck. It has the support it needs, and the metagame looks favorable this time. If you want a cheap deck to start playing, this is your choice. Don't forget that you can get your cards here at PoTown Store! They have probably the largest selection of PTCGO codes, and the Pokemon TCG  Online codes are instantly delivered to your e-mail! 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 on other social media channels. Don't forget to check them out!