Toxtricity VMAX – Rebel Clash Pokemon Review

Otaku

Toxtricity VMAX (SSH – Rebel Clash 071/192, 196/192) finally gets its review.  Its Lightning Typing is valuable due [L] Type support, as [L] Weakness has been largely chased away from the competitive metagame.  Being a Pokémon VMAX is a little complicated.  They’re both a subclass of Pokémon V and their own Stage of Evolution; like a Stage 1 but not a Stage 1, worth three Prizes when KO’d (instead of one or two), susceptible to both anti-V effects in addition to anti-VMAX effects.  It is also a Gigantamax Pokémon, not that we have any effects or game rules that care about the Gigantamax aspect, yet.

Being a VMAX also tends to grant a Pokémon better stats and effects, relative to what they would otherwise have coming to them.  The easy, obvious example is Toxtricity VMAX’s 320 HP; though typical for a Pokémon VMAX, and less impressive when you remember its worth three Prizes when KO’d, it is still a massive, hard to OHKO amount.  It is much easier for [F] Types to OHKO, Toxtricity VMAX is fortunate that there are so few recent Fighting decks making top cuts.  No Resistance is typical, and likely warranted given how it would interact with the HP.  A Retreat Cost of [CC] is low enough you likely can pay it, but high enough you’ll probably regret it.

Toxtricity VMAX has a single attack, “G-Max Riot”, priced at [LLC].  The attack lets Toxtricity VMAX do 160 damage, and if your opponent’s Active is Poisoned, another 80.  That’s 240 plus at least one Poison damage counter during the Pokémon Checkup.  Even without the Poison (and thus bonus damage), you’re in 2HKO range of most multi-Prize Pokémon, and OHKO for most single Prize Pokémon.  When the bonus kicks in, only the largest multi-Prize Pokémon can tank the hit, barring defensive buffs.  Thanks to Thunder Mountain {*} and Tapu Koko {*}, the Energy cost seems pretty easy.  How about the Poison.

If you’ve been reading reviews this week, you know where we’re going.  You’ll need a Toxtricity V to evolve from, and Toxtricity V (SSH – Rebel Clash 072/192, 182/192) has a decent attack that is a weaker version of G-Max Riot.  Toxtricity (SSH – Black Star Promos SWSH017) does things differently, but is still decent, so you might want to include a copy or two of it as well.  Garbodor (SSH – Rebel Clash 118/192; SSH – Black Star Promos SWSH025) can Poison your opponent’s Active once per turn, so long as a Stadium is in play, via its Ability.  Additional [L] support like Electropower lets you spike your damage even more.

I’ve got no data for Expanded, but Toxtricity VMAX decks are enjoying success in the past Limitless Online Qualifiers.  It isn’t making the top eight or anything, but we are seeing some in the top 10% of these massive online tournaments.  I expect it should still work in Expanded, though maybe not as well.  There’s more handy support, like Hypnotoxic Laser and Virbank City Gym, but more competition in general, and popular anti-Ability and/or anti-Item decks.  Marshadow-GX is a relatively easy option for a decent amount of decks to exploit [F] Weakness as well.  If you pull both Toxtricity V and Toxtricity VMAX in the Limited Format, run them.  Probably in a Mulligan build.

Ratings

• Standard: 3/5
• Expanded: 3/5
• Limited: 4/5

Toxtricity VMAX would score higher, but Pikachu & Zekrom-GX is still a thing, and stealing its – wait for it – thunder.  Without something so good and so well established, Toxtricity VMAX would be a lot more appealing… and it has plenty of time to grow in the Standard Format.  Toxtricity VMAX didn’t make my Top 15, but I did consider it and understand why it made someone else’s list.  Toxtricity VMAX would have been our 24th-place pick for the site countdown.