Surging Flames

"As it flies, it scatters its flaming scales. It was feared by ancient people, who referred to it as "the rage of the sun". According to legends, it was hatched from a flaming cocoon to save people and Pokémon that were suffering from the cold."

Evolving Skies' release was a crazy time for the Pokémon TCG. Collectors were foaming at the mouth for the new Eeveelutions, the Standard format was all Inteleon, and Rayquaza VMAX was soon to become one of the biggest let downs ever.

The Expanded format on the other hand, was about to completely change. Let’s paint a picture of the then-current Expanded format at the time of Chilling Reign's cycle. Tag Team GXs were dominating the meta; Mewtwo & Mew GX, Greninja & Zoroark GX, Giratina & Garchomp GX, and Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX (ADP), headlined as many of the best decks.

New VMAX Pokémon like Shadow Rider Calyrex were still being tested, Blissey V was the underdog of the format that became the highest played deck in online tournaments, and Mad Party remained the most popular deck on the Expanded ladder due to its affordability.

But Evolving Skies was set to introduce a card that slotted perfectly into this meta. A card that cut through bulky Tag Team GXs, VMAXs, and Blissey V... Volcarona V. I was all too eager to play one of my favorite Pokémon in its first decent printing as a card, but I was completely unaware of just how good it would be.

(Look forward to this deck being featured in our 2021 Decks by Era section, coming soon!)

This is the list I arrived at after the first few days of release. Some japanese lists had been circulating on Twitter (X), but I thought they were too inundated with bench liabilities and one-of Item cards that got discarded more often than they were actually used.

This list maximized consistency and good opening hands into good starts. You’re almost guaranteed to take a Turn 1 knock out, if you go second. All you have to do is discard enough Fire Energy by barrelling through the deck. This list contains just enough techs to answer problems, but not enough to bog down the speed of the deck. Tech coverage includes; Spiritomb for Mad Party, Mew for the mirror matchup & to cover Psychic Weakness, Pokémon Ranger for ADP's Altered Creation GX and Jolteon EX's Flash Ray.

Volcarona would go on to earn me two 30+ win streaks on the PTCGO ladder! Along with several other 10+ win streaks. The metagame that existed during the Chilling Reign format was not at all equipped to take on Volcarona V as every deck, aside from stall, had no way to take it on early in the format.

Further into the Evolving Skies format, Volcarona’s dominance slowed down, as Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX (ADP) returned with the newly released Dragonite V to overwhelm, well everything... It was a new take, popularized by Stéphane Ivanoff, on the previous staple ADP + Zacian V, but better in every way. ADP Dragonite and Volcarona vied for the best deck, with ADP eventually winning out in popularity, even though the games between these two decks were almost always decided by who won the opening coin flip.

2nd place (out of 46) at Dice Town League Expanded with ADP Dragonite. This is probably the best Expanded deck right now (don't know the best decklist). ADP / NagaGuzz split so you don't have to start the game by using Altered Creation (esp vs Ranger). pic.twitter.com/n7y3I1FHba

— Stéphane Ivanoff (@lubyllule) September 24, 2021

As newer sets were added to the Expanded format, Volcarona V lost its footing. New competition in Tsareena V became a similar nuisance comparable to ADP Dragonite, while the new Fusion Strike Meloetta deck won with just single prize attackers.

Still, in the time that I've been playing Pokémon, no other period of time was as chaotic and fun as the 15 minutes of fame given to Volcarona V!

Enjoy this Card of the Month excerpt? Any cool stories regarding Volcarona V? Did you dominate the PTCGO ladder with this deck too? Tweet us at @PTCG_Legends using the button below and let us know! And if you enjoy what you see, consider supporting us on Patreon, link below!