The 2022 release of the Pokémon Legends Arceus video game introduced Hisuian forms of certain Pokémon—the form they took in the distant past of the Sinnoh region.

Hisuian Pokémon’s unique characteristics were then brought into the Pokémon TCG—sometimes to tremendous effect. One clear example of the power of a Hisuian Pokémon variant can be seen in this Hisuian Goodra VSTAR deck.

The deck’s flagship card is a bona fide two-way threat. Taken from the Dark Phantasma [S10a] set, Hisuian Goodra VSTAR features the Rolling Iron attack that dishes out a whopping 200 damage while also reducing the damage it sustains on the opponent’s next turn by 80.

\Additionally, once per game, the player may use Hisuian Goodra VSTAR’s Moisture Iron VSTAR Power to replenish all its HP.

For even more staying power, the player can attach the Hero’s Cape ACE SPEC Item card from Cyber Judge [SV5M] to jack up Hisuian Goodra VSTAR’s total maximum HP to an enormous 370. Alternatively, that same card can also be used to save a Pokémon which may have a strong matchup against the opponent’s specific deck archetype.

Like many defensively-oriented decks, this deck’s tempo can sometimes be a touch slow, causing the player to slip behind the opponent before the deck really has a chance to hit its stride. To mitigate this, the deck features Counter Catcher to force opponent switches and allow the player to target vulnerable opposing Pokémon.

The total cost of every card from a Hisuian Goodra VSTAR deck is at least ¥6,000 (~US$41).

In other TCG-related news, check out the Walking Wake ex card from Wild Force [SV5K]. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.