The Rise of Pokémon Metal vs Fire Decks

Metal and Fire decks have always played a key part in the Pokémon TCG and have been at loggerheads for years. Fire decks generally have the upper hand when taking on metal type Pokémon thanks to metals weakness to fire type. This means that usually fire type attackers will do double damage to any metal Pokémon. Luckily for us, Pokémon recognised this and have given us a few sneaky tricks to help metal decks fight back against the dreaded fire decks. Fire and metal have been extremely popular over the years and have always had some strong cards to play with. Not only that, but there have been some really popular Pokémon which have received superb cards, which only helps to increase their playability. Take Charizard for example, one of the most popular Pokémon of all time and if people get a chance to build a deck around it, then they are going to. Even newer Pokémon like Dialga and Melmetal have seen some really powerful decks recently.

In our current meta, pure metal and pure fire decks are not too common but there are mixed decks with fire or metal attackers. We are going to take a look at some of the best cards for your metal type decks and some of the strongest attackers for your fire type decks to make sure that you can beat any opponent in front of you.

Key Cards And Strategy For Metal Decks

As we mentioned earlier, fire decks are generally favoured in a metal type matchup, however there are some ways to beat them. These can be with powerful attackers that set up quickly and deal lots of damage. If that card also has lots of HP then that really is a winning combo and one such card is Dialga VSTAR from Astral Radiance. Not only does it have a massive 280HP, it also has a superb attack, dealing 40 damage and then 40 more damage for each metal energy attached to it. Its VSTAR Power is an attack that deals 220 damage and you get to take another turn straight away. Now that is good, and a great way to get ahead of your opponent and take out some of their key pieces.

There is another card from Astral Radiance which is a huge help in getting metal decks set up and that is Magnezone. This Stage 2 Pokémon has an ability, Giga Magnet, and once during your turn you can look at the top 6 cards of your deck and attach any metal energy you find there to your Pokémon however you like. That’s pretty amazing and if you get lucky and find 6 energy then you can attach them all to your Pokémon. That might be all you need for the game!

As well as having these strong attackers and support Pokémon, there have been nice tech pieces that can really swing a match in your favour. Once again, Astral Radiance has delivered the goods, this time in the form of Bronzong, with its Heatproof ability. This stops all damage done to your Bronzong from your opponents fire type Pokémon. This can be really useful for allowing you to get your attackers setup while you hide behind your Bronzong, especially if your opponent can’t find a way to switch it out of the active spot.

Key Cards And Strategy For Fire Decks

Fire decks have always been some of the most popular over the years and there are currently some key cards which see a lot of play. Entei V from Brilliant Stars is an excellent attacker, with its attack doing 20 damage plus 20 more for each benched Pokémon for only a fire and a colourless energy. This can be perfect for applying some early pressure and getting an attack off quickly. Entei has a nice ability too, allowing you to draw a card if it is in the active spot. On top of all this, it has a whopping 230HP, which is a lot for a Basic Pokémon.

Fire decks also happen to have some of the best support out there as well. Armarouge from Scarlet & Violet Base Set has a fantastic ability which allows you to move fire energy from your benched Pokémon to your active. This can help get that last energy you need for a big knockout. Combine this with Magma Basin Stadium from Brilliant Stars, which allows you to attach a fire energy from your discard pile to one of your benched Pokémon and you have an easy way of getting those energy into play and a recipe for success!

We’re talking fire decks, so we can’t ignore Charizard can we? Let’s go a little unexpected and choose Pokémon GO for our Charizards of choice. Firstly, the Radiant Charizard is an awesome inclusion in a lot of decks. It is a 160HP single prize, Basic Pokémon and its attack, Combustion Blast, does 250 damage. Yes, you read that right, 250 damage from a single prize Pokémon. The only drawback is that it costs 1 fire and 4 colourless energy to execute. However, Charizard’s ability, Excited Heart, allows its attack to be used for 1 colourless energy less for each prize card your opponent has taken. This means that if they have taken 4 prizes, then Charizard can attack for a single fire energy. Bonkers isn’t it! You can also pair this Charizard with the other one from Pokémon GO, which has an ability which makes all of your fire energy attached to your Pokémon count as 2 fire energy. So an attack that requires 4 fire energy can be used for just 2 energy. That can really help out in some tight situations!

Comparing Metal And Fire Decks

Metal and Fire decks will continue to butt heads for as long as Pokémon continues but I feel that fire decks will always have the upper hand thanks to their type advantage. Metal decks are currently in a great position with lots of support Pokémon and some quick and powerful attackers. This can help them race away and put too much pressure on some fire decks which they might find it hard to overcome.

As we mentioned earlier, Entei V is the perfect attacker in this matchup. With a full bench for the fire attacker and a single benched Pokémon for the metal player, Entei V can knock out a Dialga VSTAR, which can really limit how the metal player plays and puts down support Pokémon.

We have seen lots of Theme Decks released over the last few years which are centred around fire or metal type Pokémon and these can be an excellent way to try your hand at these archetypes. The Melmetal V Battle Deck from Pokémon GO is a brilliant metal type deck and the more recent Ninetales ex Deluxe Battle Deck is perfect for those wanting to try some fire type action.

I think that another thing which determines what type of deck will be more popular is the Pokémon within it. I think it’s safe to say that fire types are a lot more popular than metal types overall and Pokémon like Ninetales, Charizard and Entei are a lot of people’s favourite Pokémon. If they get a chance to battle with their favourites then it also makes the game a lot more fun.

Adapting To Meta Shifts In The Pokémon TCG

Of course, we have talked a lot about purely metal decks against fire decks but that’s not always the reality of playing at your local store or in a tournament. The Pokémon TCG meta is constantly shifting and changing and this may push one of these types of decks to become more or less popular. If there are lots of water type decks dominating the meta then fire type decks may drop off and allow metal type decks to rise above them. However, a strong fire type meta can squash the hopes of any metal decks out there.

It is important to try all sorts of different decks and types because you need to know what your opponents are going to throw at you. You might also find a deck type that you really like and end up playing something totally different to your usual. Keep up with the meta and how it is changing and try some of the latest decks out. There are major international tournaments streamed every weekend on the Pokémon Youtube channel which can be a great place to get ideas on which cards to pick up and what’s going to be good at your local stores.

It is important to enjoy your time playing Pokémon and so take your time to find some decks you like and go with them. That might even be the fiery attacking power of a fire type deck or the steely defence of a metal type deck! Whichever cards you need to build your world beating deck, we can help. Head over to our store at Magic Madhouse to find everything you need for the Pokémon TCG.