In the Pokémon TCG, it isn’t often that a Pokémon is at its best when it isn’t fully evolved. However, the Metang card from Cyber Judge [SV5M] is a perfect example of that idea. A key part of the deck that Andrew Hedrick used to claim a remarkable upset victory at the Indianapolis Regionals, Metang can do things which it would never be able to if it were to be evolved into Metagross.

The chief reason why Metang is better as-is? Metal Maker—one of the most underrated Abilities in the metagame. That Ability alone makes Metang an amazing support piece in any Steel-type deck. It enables the player to select and attach any number of Steel Energy cards from the top four cards of the deck to any of the player’s Pokémon once per turn. This allows it to power up some of the most powerful Steel-type attackers around in a hurry.

When placed in a Dialga/Metang deck, Metang enables the mighty Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR card from VSTAR Universe [S12a] to deal an utterly devastating hit by powering up Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR’s VSTAR Power of Star Chronos. With the right draws, Metang can also set up the Zamazenta card from Incandescent Arcana [S11a] in just one turn, potentially paving the way for a hit of 220 damage with just two Steel Energy cards.

The English version of this card is 114/162 in the Temporal Forces [TEF] set.

This card isn’t rare or visually distinctive at all—its entire reputation rests on its gameplay viability. Thus, the price of a Metang (Cyber Judge [SV5M] 047/071) card is very low—one sells for a price of 190 JPY (~US$1.22).

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