Three experts try building decks around the high-potential Happiness Pokémon.

The Sword & Shield—Chilling Reign expansion is packed with potent cards you can build whole decks around. Among these, Blissey V stands out as a Pokémon with massive potential, but not necessarily one with the clearest path to unlocking it. So, we asked three Pokémon experts for their thoughts , and their answers are fascinating. Their widely diverse approaches show just how creative you can be when designing a deck in in the Pokémon TCG.

Read on to see three ways to approach building a solid deck around Blissey V!

Blissey V reminds me of a past favorite of mine, Malamar-EX, which worked on the same general principle as Blissey V: load up a lot of Energy cards and hit for a lot of damage. Malamar-EX had the downside of requiring coin flips, which makes Blissey V a lot more reliable to work with.

Because of its Colorless typing, there are many different options to get rolling, but I always look for Energy Acceleration as a key part of most decks. While Blissey V is distinct in terms of being able to self-accelerate, we probably don’t want to use Blissful Blast for 40 or 70 damage more than once a game, so I want an engine that can provide at least some extra Energy attachments for Blissey V.

In particular, with a strategy like this, I’d like a certain combination of Energy acceleration and Energy conservation to get and keep it on the board. Exp. Share came to mind as a good way to conserve Energy attachments in play, but how would we move Energy to Blissey V after using Exp. Share? An idea was born…

I’ve always had an affinity for toolbox-type decks, dating back to the likes of Meganium Prime and Klinklang, and Blissey V is a natural partner because of its typing and high HP. Admittedly, there’s a lot going on here, so let’s dive right into looking at the Pokémon lineup.

A Powerful Punch: The Key Figures

I’ve chosen to partner Blissey V with Bronzong, alongside the Metal Saucer/Zacian V package to cover the key functions of extra draw power and Energy acceleration. Getting off the ground is super important, and Zacian V’s Intrepid Sword Ability is an invaluable way to do that in games where a quick Blissful Blast isn’t in the cards. While it’s not the primary goal, Zacian V helps get Energy into play, too, which can be extra helpful! Zacian V offers the additional bonus of having a solid attack for a predictable Energy cost, which is good to have with Blissey V being a bit unpredictable.

The other attackers are where my ideas get a bit creative. I’ve decided to pack the potential for a very powerful punch with Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX—a card that, theoretically, could end the game in one attack! I’m not sure how often it’ll be quite that useful, but it’s a cool idea to have around. Lucario & Melmetal-GX, on the other hand, is a defensively-focused option that makes its way into the deck for its versatility—and so that Mewtwo & Mew-GX can copy it. Mewtwo & Mew-GX are an acknowledgement that Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX is alive and well, and the Psychic typing provides an interesting option for us to work with.

The options for Pokémon are almost endless: Cramorant V, Zamazenta V, and Bronzong are just a couple of the options that didn’t make my final cut. Part of the beauty here is definitely the range of options available; players will have to figure out what works best. Personally, Path to the Peak discouraged me from including Zamazenta V, and Mew is too heavily played to make me feel great about spending a valuable deck spot on Cramorant V.

Tooling out the Trainers

We have a pretty simple baseline draw setup here, with a mix of Professor’s Research and Marnie to draw the card we need to see to get things moving. Professor’s Research is particularly great for discarding Energy here, and Marnie is a good secondary choice when we simply want to refresh our hand. Messing with our opponent’s hand is a good bonus to Marnie, too. Mallow & Lana is an excellent inclusion to help Blissey V (or any of our other attackers) go a bit further, and a third copy is something I’d like to sneak in.

Chaotic Swell is my Stadium of choice here. While I’m not entirely opposed to Path to the Peak, it can do some bad things to a few strategies, so we have Chaotic Swell to neutralize it in those important scenarios where Mewtwo & Mew-GX or Dedenne-GX need to come through. One out-of-the-box idea I like for Blissey V is Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star; this may not be the exact deck for it because of the other attackers, but Blissey V’s simple attack cost would work well.

EXP. Share and Cape of Toughness are the two Pokémon Tools I’m working with, and while I think five is a good number of Tools to have in total, the exact split is up for debate. I’ve stuck with the more Energy-focused approach—a theme with my approach to deckbuilding, admittedly. I’m hesitant to go with a sixth tool, but a third Cape of Toughness would be good to have.

Energy Excitement

Blissey V is pretty unique since it’s able to capitalize on Special Energy from the discard pile, meaning we could go many different directions here. I’ve chosen to take a limited approach, with an eye toward including sufficient Energy to utilize Metal Saucer effectively. The Aurora Energy are here to facilitate Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX, but if we decide that is too gimmicky, I’d probably swap in a set of Powerful Colorless Energy. Capture Energy is a compelling inclusion, too. While my version of the deck doesn’t quite capture the depth of possibilities, I think the option for different Energy configurations is one of the most exciting elements of Blissey V.

This version of Blissey V tries to have many answers to keep opponents on their toes. Blissey V is a dynamic force that’s able to set up a strong board state, but also swing for some excellent damage once it gets moving. I believe it pairs best in a situation like this, where it can leverage its Energy attachments to fuel other attacking options. There are nearly infinite options, though, and I’m really excited to see where the community takes it in tournaments to come!

Blissey V's damage scales with the amount of Energy attached to it, so one's first instinct is to combine it with some form of Energy acceleration, such as Welder. However, since Blissful Blast can actually accelerate Energy by itself, it’s not needed to have another way to put more Energy in play; by simply attacking over and over with Blissey V, you'll end up dealing massive damage!

There are two key points to make this concept work. First, you need ways to get Energy into the discard pile. Professor's Research is one of the best Supporters in the entire game, so it will fit right in here, just like in most other decks. We can also use Hapu as a draw Supporter. With enough Energy in the deck, Hapu will allow us to discard Energy cards that we can get back with Blissful Blast, while getting us specific cards we might need, such as Reset Stamp.

Second, we need Blissey V to take several attacks without being Knocked Out. If Blissey V gets Knocked Out, all the Energy is lost, and we need to start again (unless we manage to have another Blissey V at the ready). For this reason, we need to make Blissey V as tough as possible. Cape of Toughness will give Blissey V a solid 300 HP, and we'll supplement that with healing cards. Mallow & Lana, Hyper Potion, and Suspicious Food Tin can heal the damage dealt by an opponent, allowing Blissey V to keep going!

You'll notice that this deck plays far more Energy than most decks; that’s to make sure we can get Energy in the discard pile quickly in order to make the most out of Blissful Blast. Since Blissey V only needs a Colorless Energy to attack, we can use just about any Special Energy in this deck. Powerful Colorless Energy will increase Blissey V's damage output, while Weakness Guard Energy protects it from Fighting-type attackers such as the popular Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, who would otherwise KO it in a single attack. Capture Energy is a way to get another Blissey V in play (no Quick Ball needed here since this deck only plays four copies Blissey V!). And Lucky Energy is perfect in this deck since your powered up Blissey V will take damage every turn, which means you'll get to draw cards every turn! Finally, Psychic Energy is necessary for Suspicious Food Tin to work. Obviously, the Energy discarded by Suspicious Food Tin or Hyper Potion can be attached right back with Blissful Blast.

The rest of the deck consists mostly of disruptive cards aiming to slow down the opponent while Blissey V slowly powers up. Path to the Peak is a fantastic card for this purpose, shutting down the card-drawing Abilities of Dedenne-GX, Crobat V, and Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX, among others. It's also great against Eternatus VMAX, which needs its Eternal Zone Ability to have a chance to Knock Out Blissey V. (Blissey V's own Ability is not very relevant in this deck, so don't be afraid to play your Stadium down!) Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star disrupts the opponent in another way, making it harder for them to attack. Both Stadiums can be fantastic when combining them with a Reset Stamp in the late game.

Finally, Lillie's Poké Doll can buy you time if you need to pass your turn without putting your Blissey V in danger. But its main use is to have something to retreat into when playing Mallow & Lana; you can then remove your Lillie’s Poké Doll from play and bring back the healed Blissey V.

Blissey V's main weak point is an opponent who can manage to Knock it Out in one turn. Pokémon such as Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX can deal 250 damage in one hit, though they'll have to get rid of Cape of Toughness to make this a KO. Heatran-GX and Reshiram & Charizard-GX can also deal 300 damage with enough Fire Energy. Against these kinds of decks, you'll have to slow them down with Path to the Peak to prevent them from setting up.

Galarian Zapdos V is another huge threat. Thunderous Kick can discard a Weakness Guard Energy before dealing damage, so it can actually hit Blissey V for 340 damage! If you suspect your opponent might be playing it, try to have only two Blissey V in play so that Galarian Zapdos V still needs 2 Energy, and not just 1, to attack. (Remember that Path to the Peak can also turn off the Fighting Instinct Ability.) Don't hesitate to attach a second Weakness Guard Energy to Blissey V; Galarian Zapdos can discard only one of them!

If you want to tweak this deck list, consider adding other disruptive cards to slow down the opponent such as Crushing Hammer and Fan of Waves. You could also play some different Supporter cards. For example, Guzma & Hala has a lot of value in this deck, being able to search for Path to the Peak, Cape of Toughness, and whichever Special Energy is most useful for the situation.

For a deck that plays only four Pokémon, Blissey V has a lot of potential. You may need some time to adapt to its unique play style, but if you're looking for something out of the ordinary, this deck might be exactly what you need!

One of the best features of Blissey V is its Colorless typing. This allows Blissey V to easily be paired with different types of supporting Pokémon and Trainers. Since its release in Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, Welder has been an amazing Supporter card for Fire-type decks, allowing players to attach 2 Fire Energy from their hand to 1 of their Pokémon and then draw 3 cards. Since you can use any type of Energy to charge up Blissey V’s Blissful Blast attack, Welder also makes a great partner for Blissey V.

Blissey V’s Blissful Blast attack costs a single Colorless Energy and does 10 damage plus 30 more damage for each Energy attached to it, then it attaches up to 3 Energy from the discard pile to itself. Since Blissey V’s attack gets stronger with each Energy attached, this version of the deck is going to focus on getting as much Energy onto Blissey V as quickly as possible using Fire-type support.

With a Welder, an Energy attachment from your hand, and Blissful Blast, it’s possible to get 6 Fire Energy onto Blissey V during the first turn of the game if you’re going second. That’s a lot of pressure! In order to have a strong start, however, you need to find Welder, get Fire Energy in hand, and put Fire Energy into the discard pile. It’s a lot to accomplish in one turn, but with the right Trainers and Support Pokémon, you’ll be blasting off with Welder in no time.

Support Cards

Since this deck wants to use Welder almost every turn of the game, it doesn’t rely on typical draw Supporter cards like Professor’s Research or Marnie to set up. Instead, the deck is filled with support Pokémon to help find the right cards at the right time.

Dedenne-GX’s Dedechange Ability allows you to discard your hand and draw 6 new cards. This makes it perfect for getting Energy into the discard pile to accelerate later with Blissey V, and for digging into the deck to find Welder. Dedenne-GX is so good that you’ll probably want to Dedechange more than once during a game, so there are two copies in my sample list.

Like Dedenne-GX, Crobat V’s Dark Asset Ability allows you to fill your hand to 6 cards when you play Crobat V from your hand to the Bench. Crobat V is great for completing combos, like if you have Fire Energy in hand but no Welder, or Welder but no Fire Energy. With Dedenne-GX and Crobat V, it’s possible to draw 12 cards without playing a Supporter card!

Another key ingredient for nearly all Fire-type decks is Jirachi from Sun & Moon—Team Up. With its Stellar Wish Ability, Jirachi allows you to look at the top 5 cards of your deck and place a Trainer you find there into your hand. Stellar Wish is great for finding Welder and other valuable resources during a match. Jirachi is the best opener in the deck, so I’ve opted to include four copies in my list.

The limitation of only up to four of each card in your deck, except for Basic Energy, is tough since we may want to use Welder more than four times in a game. To solve this issue, my list plays one copy of Mewtwo from Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds. Mewtwo’s Mind Report Ability allows you to place a Supporter card from your discard pile on top of your deck. And with Scoop Up Net, it’s possible to reuse Mewtwo’s Mind Report Ability multiple times throughout a game.

Though not a Pokémon, Pokégear 3.0 is an Item card that allows you to look at the top 7 cards of your deck and place a Supporter you find there into your hand. Pokégear 3.0 is an excellent way to find Welder or a game-winning Boss’s Orders.

Attackers

Blissey V is the main attacker in the deck and a strong opener, so I have four copies of Blissey V in my sample list. With Welder, it’s possible for Blissey V to swing for 100 damage on the first turn of the game. If you accelerate 3 Energy from the discard pile with Blissful Blast and Welder again next turn, you could have a 9-Energy Blissey V hitting for 280 damage on the second turn of the game. It’s easy to see how Blissey V can snowball (or should I say fireball?) into a sizable threat!

Another great feature of Blissey V is its massive 250 HP. With Cape of Toughness, Blissey V can reach a sky-high 300 HP, making it very difficult to Knock Out. Since Blissey V is tough to KO and accelerates Energy onto itself, it makes a perfect partner for Heatran-GX.

Heatran-GX’s Hot Burn-GX attack is one of the best GX attacks ever printed on a Fire-type Pokémon. For 1 Fire Energy, it does 50 damage times the number of Fire Energy attached to Heatran-GX. The best part about Heatran-GX, though, is its Burning Road Ability. Burning Road lets you move as many Fire Energy from your Pokémon in play to Heatran as you like when you move Heatran-GX from your Bench to the Active Spot. This means that you can accelerate Energy into play with Welder and Blissful Blast, then move all of that Energy to Heatran-GX for a massive Hot Burn-GX one-hit Knock Out. Blissey V and Heatran-GX make a devastating one-two punch!

The last attacker in the deck is Galarian Rapidash V. Though Galarian Rapidash V is a Psychic-type Pokémon, its Libra Horn attack costs just 2 Colorless Energy, making it a great fit for Fire-type decks. Libra Horn allows you to place damage counters on 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon until its remaining HP is 100. Galarian Rapidash V is often the best way to soften up big threats like TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX or Pokémon VMAX for Blissey V or Heatran-GX to finish off afterwards.

Blissey V is a fun and powerful Pokémon Card from Sword & Shield—Chilling Reign, and these are just a few of the many ways to unlock its awesome potential! Hopefully these diverse approaches inspire you to get creative with your own take on a Blissey V deck.

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