A Pokémon V Union card is about as massive as a pocket monster can get. While the Pokémon TCG already added some gargantuan creatures to the Sword & Shield series in the form of VMAX Pokémon, V Union soon proved that things can always be bigger. Whether you’re drawn to this type of card by its huge size, gorgeous art, or gameplay potential, we can tell you all you need to know about V Union Pokémon.
Before we jump into the world of V Union Pokémon, here’s a guide to the most powerful Pokémon that proves size isn’t everything. Here at Wargamer, we can answer some of the biggest Pokémon questions – including ‘how many Pokémon are there right now?’.
Big questions aside, it’s time to take a look at some big Pokémon.
What is a V Union Pokémon?
A V Union Pokémon is a single, giant Pokémon that’s made up of four normal-sized cards. These individual cards all share a name, Energy type, and card type (Pokémon), even if they don’t all explicitly say so.
However, the individual cards don’t possess the other features written on them, as these belong to the fully-assembled V Union Pokémon. What this means in practice is that, while you can search for the four individual cards and add them to your hand using a card like Poké Kid or Familiar Bell, they’re pretty useless to play on their own.
What you want to do with these individual cards is find a way to add them to your graveyard. Once all four are there, you can resurrect them and return them to the field as a complete Pokémon V Union card. Now we’re cooking curry with fire.
Your new behemoth card will now have a hefty amount of HP, and it’ll likely have multiple attacks and abilities to choose from. You can still only attack once per turn, but any time you do, it’s going to be a hard-hitter.
This high reward does come with some risk, however. A Knocked Out V Union Pokémon is worth three Prize Cards, and you can only play one specific Pokémon V Union card once. That’s not stopping you from playing a fresh Pikachu V Union, but your MewTwo V Union card isn’t coming back from that knockout.
There are a few other rules about Pokémon V Union cards you should be clued in on. Firstly, they’re considered V Union cards instead of Basic or Evolution Pokémon. This means the only way to bring them into play is by getting each individual card discarded.
Secondly, you must have the four different parts of a V Union card to assemble it; you can’t have four copies of the same part and achieve the same effect. Since you’re limited to four copies of a named card in your deck anyway, it’s not worth having duplicates of a V Union card piece.
Finally, you treat a completed V Union Pokémon like any normal Pokémon once it’s in play. Rules for attacking, retreating, equipping tools, and so on are all the same.
Pokémon V Union cards
The first Pokémon V Union cards were introduced as Sword & Shield Black Star Promos cards. As of writing, only a handful have been released. Here’s an overview of each:
Mewtwo V Union
Mewtwo V Union is a Psychic-type card. This Mewtwo is fairly beefy, with 310 HP and the ability to attack for 300 damage using Final Burn. Its Psysplosion attack lets you put 16 damage counters on opposing Pokémon in any arrangement – just in case you wanted to be a bit more strategic with your damage-dealing.
Mewtwo V Union isn’t all about the firepower though; this massive card has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to keep itself alive. Union Gain lets you add two Energy cards to it from the discard pile, which will come in handy if you want to use Super Regeneration. This attack heals 200 damage from this Pokémon.
Additionally, MewTwo’s Photo Barrier ability prevents the effects of all attacks done to Mewtwo by your opponent’s Pokémon. It doesn’t stop damage, but it’s one more layer to the V Union card’s metaphorical armour.
Pikachu V Union
Pikachu V Union has card art that’s stuffed to the brim full of the Lightning-type Pokémon. It’s not quite as buff as Mewtwo V Union with its 300 HP and 250-damage Electro Ball Together attack, but it offers some nifty attacks that will help you control your opponent’s actions.
Shocking Shock lets deal 120 direct damage, and it paralyses your opponent’s Active Pokémon if you flip a coin and it lands on heads. The Disconnect attack hits for 150 damage, plus it stops your opponent from playing item cards from their hand on their next turn. And, of course, you have your Union Gain attack to keep Pikachu topped up with Lightning energy cards.
Greninja V Union
The Water-type Pokemon Greninja V Union also makes an appearance as part of the Black Star Promos. Its 300 HP is fairly standard as far as V Union cards go, but its attacking power is a little feeble compared to Greninja’s V Union siblings. However, the card more than makes up for this by having a lot of ability options and attack effects.
This card’s Union Gain attaches two Water energy cards to Greninja, and this’ll help with pretty much every attack it has – whether that’s dealing 130 direct damage with Aqua Edge, hitting every opposing Benched Pokémon for 100 damage with Twister Shuriken, or stopping a defending Pokémon from retreating with Waterfall Bind (oh, and dealing 180 damage).
The Ninja Body ability prevents any item card your opponent plays from their hand affecting Greninja V Union. Antidote Jutsu protects Greninja from being poisoned, and Feel the Way forces your opponent to reveal their hand during your turn. This is a V Union card that’ll fit into a range of strategies.
Zacian V Union
It wouldn’t be Sword & Shield if one of the game’s legendary Pokémon didn’t make an appearance. Zacian’s health is on the higher side at 320, and its Master Blade attack does a tasty 340 damage. Steel Cut also hits for 200 if you’re looking to spend a little less Energy.
Zacian V Union doesn’t have any abilities to offer, and its attack effects are pretty limited compared to other V Union cards. However, Dance of the Crown Sword isn’t to be overlooked; as well as dealing 150 damage, it reduces the attack of your opponent’s defending Pokémon by 150 on their next turn. Costing two Metal and one colourless Energy, you’re nearly ready to use this attack after just one use of Zacian’s Union Gain.
Morpeko V Union
Morpeko V Union is here to assert the dominance of Lightning-type rodents in the V Union world. It has a higher-than-average HP of 310, and it offers some pretty varied play options with its attack effects. Its Union Gain attack provides Lightning Energy cards, but Morpeko mostly relies on Colourless Energy to get the job done.
If you don’t like your hand, All You Can Eat lets you draw until you’re holding ten. If you’re looking to attack, you can deal 160 damage, no-questions-asked, with Electric Ball. Or you can use Burst Wheel. This attack forces you to discard all Energy from Morpeko, and you can deal 100 damage for every card discarded. It’s not a guaranteed knockout, but there’s potential here for a pretty potent strike.