Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike is the last major expansion of the year for the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon TCG. To put the finishing touches on 2021, it builds on the mechanic that's tied together the year's releases together by introducing a third 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:battle style to shake things up game: the syn🦩ergy-loving Fusion Strike style.
But what is Fusion Strike, how can you get the most out of it in your deck, and how many cards have you got to work with? Here's everything you need to know about the Fusion Strike style.
What is The Fusion Strike Style?
Introduced in the set of the same name, Fusion Strike is a battle style found on certain Pokemon, Trainer, and Energy cards, and can be identified by the big 'Fusion Strike' stamp on their art. Confusingly, not every Pokemon in the Fusion Strike expansion is a Fusion Strike style card; it must have that little stamp.
Battle styles aren't a singular mechanic, but more of a label to designate cards that are designed around a similar theme: for example, Single Strike cards are slower and focus on large, direct damage, whereas Single Strike cards are trickier, messing around with your opponent's resources and keeping them on their toes.
Fusion Strike is seen as a middle-ground between the two previous styles. Like Rapid Strike, some Fusion Strike cards can slow down or prevent your opponent from doing their own thing, like how Gorebyss' Rapid Strike Canceler ability prevents the abilities of any Rapid Strike Pokemon your opponent plays, or how Toxtricity's Maximum Downer ability nerfs your opponent's VMAX Pokemon by -30HP if you only control Fusion Strike Pokemon.
On the other hand, Fusion Strike can also do big, meaty attacks like the Single Strike style. Dragepult's Fusion Strike Assault deals 30 damage times the number of Fusion Strike Pokemon you have in play – have a full bench of Fusion Strike Pokemon and Dragepult as your active, and you're dealing 180 damage with just one Psychic energy.
How To Use The Fusion Strike Style?
Fusion Strike is so much more than just doing the same things as the other styles, though: it's the style that most focuses on synergy between the Pokemon you have out in play, and lots of Fusion Strike cards care about how many Fusion Strike Pokemon you control. For example, Genesect V's Fusion Strike System ability lets you draw cards until your hand size is equal to the number of Fusion Strike Pokemon you have in play, while Mew VMAX's Cross Fusion Strike attack copies the attack of a Fusion Strike Pokemon on your bench. Keep your heaviest hitters out of harm's way on the bench while using Mew VMAX to throw different, devastating attacks out each turn.
To get the most out of Fusion Strike, you'll want to dedicate a large portion, and ideally all, of your deck to it. Use cards like Elesa's Sparkle or Chili & Cilan & Cress to help fill your bench and hand with Fusion Strike Pokemon to help maximise how much you profit off of them.
How Many Fusion Strike Style Cards Are There?
As of the release of the Fusion Strike expansion in November 2021, there are 26 Fusion Strike cards. Psychic type has the most Fusion Strike Pokemon, with six, while Fighting🃏 has zero. Fire, Normal, Steel, and Dark each only have one each. There are also six non-P🅠okemon Fusion Strike cards.
The full list of Fusion Strike cards are:
- Shelmet
- Accelgor
- Oricorio
- Clamperl
- Huntail
- Gorebyss
- Toxel
- Toxtricity
- Mew V
- Mew VMAX
- Deoxys (the only card to have all three battle styles)
- Meloetta
- Dreepy
- Drakloak
- Dragapult
- Genesect V
- Latias
- Latios
- Smeargle
- Chili & Cilan & Cress
- Cross Switcher
- Crossceiver
- Elesa's Sparkle
- Power Tablet
- Fusion Strike Energy
- Hoopa V
There has not been any word as to whether Fusion Strike will reappear in future expansions. It wasn't mentioned in the recent announcement of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Brilliant Stars, meaning this could be the only time the style wil🍒l show up in the game.
