Rapid Strike Master 

Deliver Furious Blows with Rapid Strike Cards

The new Rapid Strike Master set in Japan brings the Rapid Strike mechanic to the trading card game, piloted by the Rapid Strike form of Urshifu VMAX. The Rapid Strike cards focus on dealing fast and calculated attacks and there will be support for the mechanic within this set as well as expansions in the future.

The Rapid Strike form of Urshifu VMAX has the excellent [G-Max Rapid Flow] attack that can deal 120 damage to two of your opponent's Pokémon in a single attack for only three Energy. This is a great way of dealing with the opponent's setup with Pokémon like Dedenne-GX and Crobat V since this will KO them if they are in the Active Spot. This is also a brilliant finisher on Tag Team Pokémon after you have used [Gale Thrust] (which deals 150 damage for a single Fighting Energy). The [G-Max Rapid Flow] attack can make great use of the Rapid Strike Energy, also released within the set. Rapid Strike Energy provides two in any combination of Water and Fighting Energy to any Rapid Strike Pokémon it is attached to. This means you can use cards like Welder and Tapu Koko Prism Star to meet the Colorless Energy requirement in [G-Max Rapid Flow] and power up the attack in a single turn!

All of the Rapid Strike cards can be found very easily as well, with Octillery and its [Rapid Strike Search] Ability. You may only use one [Rapid Strike Search] Ability per turn, but you may search your deck for any Rapid Strike card and add it straight to your hand with no drawbacks! This means you can grab the next attacker for your strategy, that all-important Rapid Strike Energy to pull off another attack or even the new Fan of Waves, an Item card that will let you put a Special Energy from your opponent's board to the bottom of the deck!

The Rapid Strike package also includes some other tricks, including the Tower of Waters (a new Stadium card that means your Rapid Strike Pokémon have two fewer Retreat Cost), Korrina's Focus (a Supporter that lets you draw until you have cards six cards in your hand) and even Empoleon V (a new Rapid Strike Pokémon V that stops your opponent's Basic Pokémon without a Rule Box from using their Abilities). All these cards fit perfectly together and are sure to make your opponent think very carefully about where your next attack may be coming from as nothing on their board will be safe!

Rapid Strike Master Is Out Now!

This Japanese set, Rapid Strike Master, releases on 22 January 2021 alongside its co-set Single Strike Master! Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX is one of the best attackers the Pokémon TCG has ever seen, but that doesn't mean there aren't other powerful Pokémon in the set either.

Victini VMAX has incredibly high tempo, allowing you to deal 220 damage to a Pokémon V for just two Energy. This is excellent for disrupting the opponent's set up (especially in a format where every Energy attachment counts). There is also Cherrim, with the [Rain Dance]-style Ability [Spring Bloom], which allows you to attach any number of Grass Energy to any of your non-Rule Box Pokémon, and Tapu Bulu, a great Pokémon to attach these Energy to as it can deal a huge 160 damage for only three Energy! There are plenty more options for deck builders and collectors alike in the Rapid Strike Master set!