V-Union Pokémon - Failed Cards & Mechanics

[@Clear1]

To this day, i don't understand why the guys in the creative department thought that carrying 4 hard bricks in your deck is a good idea.

[@matthewkuscienko4616]

I guess they wanted to try something a bit more experimental to see if it would get played and how good it would be. There's also somewhat of a precedent for it in that they previously tried a similar mechanic in the past with Legend cards, but those were far easier to play due to only needing half the total pieces and they also didn't require you to get them in your discard pile first (if I recall correctly)

[@bad_atgames]

hey lugia used to be good you know /s

[@buttermink2153]

​@@bad_atgamesIt's also back if the early Japanese results are to be believed.

[@williamdrum9899]

Night March Lampents: "Allow us to introduce ourselves"

[@Tvboy777]

You mean like Battle VIP Pass? 😊

[@Eddiegames9]

I really loved V-Union as a mechanic, and I thought it was super weird they only made 5 of them. I think the biggest thing holding them back more than anything is just that they arent really self-sufficient enough to justify being worth 3 Prize Cards. They'd probably be perfect if they either had a faster intrinsic way to set up energies, or were worth 1.

[@aigis0423]

If they were worth 1 Gren Vu would go crazy. 100 damage spread on a one prizer goes hard. Admittedly they’d be balanced differently if that were the case, but I think 2 would at least make then slightly more worth considering

[@paulct91]

The main issue is they all are treated as boss monsters yet, no more types beyond what was released for the "rest" if the elements.

[@paulct91]

Another issue that stems from not all element types is that if Fire V-UNION was added there might too much synergy there, so many fire discard and energy stacking cards existed before V-UNIONs even existed back in Mega Charizard EX & Charizard GX days...

[@breh4149]

Fun fact: gardevoir mewtwo v Union got top 16 at Melbourne regionals which happened this weekend that just passed

[@CGFillertext]

And now Mewtwo/Gardevoir is one of the top decks in Pokemon Pocket… crazy how life plays out

[@deltamico]

mewtwo and gardevoir always get special treatment

[@EinDose]

It's so weird that the card game that most tried to make Exodia happen wasn't even Yu-Gi-Oh.

[@benjulc9271]

Funnily enough YugiOh has something similar for Rush, but it's just 3 pieces and they haven't done Exodia like that yet.

[@BaxsStudios]

Exodia just toped an event and looks to be a nice rouge options but it's used as a stun floodgate deck. So there is that, still it aint close to meta

[@gabrielcastillo9745]

Ironically, V-Unions would have been much easier to set-up if they were played form the hand instead of the discard pile. You could use Adventurer's Discovery to put 3 of them straight in the hand and then something like an ultra-ball to get the fourth. Or maybe if Union Gain was not an attack but an ability once they are put into play.

[@athath2010]

Alternatively, they could have just let you mix and match from both your hand and your discard pile, which would basically function like the current system except minus the garnet problem.

[@kennydarmawan13]

V-Union teaches us one thing. Fusion mechanics are a lot easier and fun to use if said fusions are contained within separate dedicated decks. One way to fix it is to just make a card that adds all four of them right away. Also, hope to see a video about Kadabra soon.

[@Entropic_Alloy]

I don't think it was much of a "fail" as it was underutilized. Probably intentionally so.

[@AlexMartinez-gv7hy]

Most likely

[@woody72691]

12, it wasn't used that it failed.

[@gokunenn4243]

"It wasn't a fail" *procees to explain why it failed* Yeah, wait until you realize mechanics killed by the own designers are also considered failures. The reasoning is irrelevant

[@legoferrari14]

I wish this card mechanic was better handled. Standard Pokemon V's, not to mention later-era second-gen EX's and especially TT-EX's, were just way too easy to play as a Basic Beatstick. In my personal opinion, a Non-Evolution Boss Monster in the Pokemon TCG needs to either be inherently more conditional to be summoned to the field than your run-of-the-mill Basic Mon, or needs to be as heavily investment-reliant as the most powerful 2-stagers. Overwhelming Basic Pokemon causes the TCG metagame to stagnate, as Mewtwo EX and ADP-TTEX clearly demonstrated; the latter probably would have irreparably tarnished the competitive credibility of the Pokemon TCG had the pandemic not ceased in-person events until ADP's set was rotated out of Standard.

[@CinnamonOnce]

Hey, I really like these kinds of videos! Wish you did more of them :).

[@iTunsiscool26]

I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@Solaceon]

​@@iTunsiscool26 are you pretending to be this guy??

[@iTunsiscool26]

@@Solaceon What?

[@cryogenical_]

Battle Compressor is a nice throwback for me. I started to get into the competitive side of the game around the release of XY Phantom Forces, when the format reached peak discard and reshuffle insanity. With Lysandre decking out was practically an impossibility (he was rightfully banned very early on) and battle compressor just gave insane consistency to any deck and even allowed a budget deck (night march) to see pretty major viability for the first time in a long while after seeing incredibly expensive and powerful cards like Mew EX dominate the format.

[@goncaloferreira6429]

i also started around that time. battle compressor is a revolutionary card and to me is the card that defines the expanded format.

[@williamdrum9899]

I also started at this time and suffered through Seismitoad Hell

[@officialmasqq_594]

I've been subscribed to your Yu-Gi-Oh channel for ages and i never knew that this channel existed my mind is blown lmao

[@seanmcbride1182]

Hey dex, love your videos. You possess a soft and gentile voice that help me fall asleep after a long day.

[@jtap8169]

Ehh mewtwo v-union won a regional, I wouldn’t consider that a failure.

[@carefulman3673]

1 deck list getting top 16 doesn't make it good lol.

[@fathersky5]

How do you even fit this on a play mat?

[@crazybird8830]

V-Unions are the definition of a very cool idea, but the way the game is played makes them more or less unviable. The only reason Mewtwo V-Union was good was because it was a psychic type and there were psychic cards that can greatly help Mewtwo V-Union.

[@corrackisdead]

Honestly V-unions would go so hard with perfect blender

[@Tirgo69]

I kind of dropped out of the game when V-Unions were released, not because of them, but I never bothered to learn anything about them. So this video is useful for me

[@marcoasturias8520]

They really were like: Ya know why Legends failed? They needed too few cards!

[@WyrmLimion]

I enjoyed playing Pikachu V-Union. I will miss them after they rotate :(

[@SneaVal]

You should do a series on successful card mechanics

[@shadowwalker9683]

this was something I really hoped would work

[@paulct91]

The Steel V-UNION was really hard to setup, I had most in TCG Online... I still have no idea what the easy strat was for playing it and Energizing it. Pikachu and "other" electric mouse V-UNION in "Unlimited" were super easy with some help from a certain electric Hawiian deity(?), Prism Star, and that old mass discard card Battle Compressor. Mewtwo is even easier since in "Unlimited" you can cheat with Mew EX's (copy) attack ability... basically two V-Unions for the price of 1.

[@thetruestinsanegamer10]

I don't know much about the Pokémon TCG, but I do know that needing to have 4 very specific cards in one specific spot in any TCG tends to make it a bit rough. Exodia in Yugioh needs 5 cards in hand, not very usable. I am aware that Pokémon has a lot more draw power than Yugioh, so if they could be sent from the hand it might be some help, or if they had a rule that said you could send one V-union card from your hand to where it needed to go per turn, it might be better. But it's otherwise looks like a somewhat slow, high risk strategy that doesn't necessarily guarantee a win if it's out. And by basically needing to focus your entire deck around it, it makes it even less viable. In every TCG I've seen, focusing on one specific card is rarely a good strategy unless the card really is just that good, because if it's properly outed somehow you're screwed.

[@markfuston2714]

I love the premise..but I think them being bricks just handicapped them too much. If they would've had some sort of secondary ability, like maybe play as an item to draw 1 card or something, I could've seen them being really fun and used a bunch..but instead they took too much of an investment to just give you a big liability on your field.

[@TheMaskedHero]

Professor Burnet was key to my No Energy Castform deck. I miss that deck.

[@paulct91]

9:44 - Wrong, no requirement for "only" item cards. For example, the "Professor [Insert Name Here]" cards "can" put them in the discard pile during their hand discard while drawing 7 cards afterwards, just not selectively.

[@sideways5153]

Paul you’re like 30 are you seriously not understanding that in unlimited format you can’t spend six or eight turns trying to draw and discard four specific cards as your only strategy? Supporters are way too slow at only one per turn

[@2mccue4u27]

Say whatever you want, my 6 year old LOVES his Morpeko v-union. I love combiners, it's cool how they revived the Legends concept.

[@DrachenIvy]

after the two part legend cards flopped i have no idea why they made FOUR part cards

[@Aros-pr2xr]

Tbf the a world tournament in the plague years saw inclusion of Mewtwo V-union in the world championship over in Paris; and he DID make top 8

[@n0way07]

I have some v union decks but I would always treat the v union cards as a "potential" 2nd pokemon to use, if I couldn't get it on field fast enough I'd just stick to using whatever V pokemon I had as backup

[@Wobbuffet0]

I was just thinking about your channel making a video about this yesterday.

[@misteral9045]

The Pokemon TCG is just a mess. The way they muck around with mechanics in the video games every generation is tame compared to this.

[@Riptor25]

Multi part cards like this would have fared better if they had inherent discard abilities, or functioned out of an Extra Deck like Yu-Gi-Oh so having one piece in your prize cards didn't brick the entire mechanic.

[@AaronL0905]

VBricking is still an interesting thing How did anyone at the design department thought 4 bricks that have to be in one specific place to be used could be used in any genuine way I get that maybe having like, a hard to summon thing with big payoff is tempting but it has never really worked in any tcg Those always get overpowered by moderately good effect that are easiert to pull out

[@CoolGuy-yk9kd]

very cool and very informative

[@sideways5153]

Morpeko is kinda hilarious. Why would you need ten cards in hand in a deck that was able to play a V-Union card?

[@spiritblox1]

I cannot visualise using these in any match outside the tcg mobile games How does that even look? It’d take up so much space

[@lakepaco]

God, I'm gonna my Greninja V-Union when rotation hits 😭 was working on it since D Block was legal xD (rip Shady Dealings)

[@dnatal09]

Of all the cards, Pikachu and Mewtwo are the most useful V-union in the format. Heck, the latter won in the regionals by Piper since its hiatus. Its not "failure" as the word here, the proper term is impractical.

[@docxy7331]

Wait exodia isnt viable?

[@F1ghtGam3r]

Top 10 competitive promo cards

[@rodrigobarrera2281]

The energy charge starts when the four pieces are togheter?

[@rrruryu]

im a returning player (from way before sword and shield) and im just learning about all these new cards and their rules. im building a mad party deck right now because i just really like to embrace the necromancer feeling. but man?? should i even elaborate?? i have to collect several weak little guys from everywhere and into the discard and yall complain for four cards that together are ridiculously overpowered?? i wouldnt underestimate that little (ironically) menaces potential with a dedicated deck

[@rrruryu]

also thanks for the vid im enjoying a lot and taking notes for my custom deck ehhe

[@danielborg6411]

I have never heard of V unions lol

[@dylanahern7039]

Really? It is difficult to get them in the search the pieces and put them in the Discard Pile? Your arguements for why the mechanic is bad is quite solid except for the fact that drawing and discarding cards is insanely easy to do in the Pokémon TCG.

[@alex666493]

zacian Vunion works really well with metagross gx

[@boxkid759]

They are lightning energy not electric 😭😭

[@Tvboy777]

Mentioning great ball and not ultra ball? Why?

[@indumatipngtuber2790]

What kind of crack where they smoking making a card made up of 4 different cards into a competitive trading card game??? I think that's quite a bad hit that caused a massive crashout, not gonna lie.

[@BanditZRaver]

I never saw V Unions in play, only as Binder Covers and Binder Page Separators Basically, glorified Paper Weight used as Decors

[@sideways5153]

Wallpaper lol

[@sloppyjoe9156]

I love my greninja vunion deck idc

[@ravaniphoenix5431]

Literally Maximum Summon from Yugioh Rush Duel but bad.

[@stinkygamr]

Only like 1 was "good" and the rest are just eh

[@Ergeniz]

Wasted opportunity on the artwork for V Pikachu. They could have put in the OG art aka 'fat Pikachu'. Instead its just various renditions of the slim/modern which is pretty boring.

[@spinceiling7442]

They already had pikachu vmax cards that had fat Pikachu on them though. Calling slim Pikachu modern is kinda funny too since it's looked like that since like Gen 3

[@Chemrmnce1234]

Failed? I would hardly call mewthree a failed card

[@matthewkuscienko4616]

Maybe so, but it's also the only relevant V Union in the standard format currently, and the mechanic to get them into play is clunky to put it mildly. Given that most have been relatively niche at best, I don't think it's entirely unfair to label the mechanic as a failed one; more than anything else, Mewtwo V Union is an exception to the rule

[@tordek911]

Idk man i had a 90% winrate with a lugia and v-union mewtwo and v-union pikachu

[@silverthepowerabuser6206]

More than half of the video was focused on Expanded, you should avoid that. Nobody cares about Expanded, and the ones that do have no idea how broken it is. Or simply have weird tastes. Expanded is a hollow thing from the past that used to be decent with a couple gens stacked, but 5 gens of mechanics put together? Yikes. Absolutely nobody wants that. Expanded = Joke, non-existant.

[@MusicSkeletonKeys]

Your definition of “failed” is? Click-bait?