We are having a bit of an interesting meta lately, as Grass and Psychic Pokemon actually have a chance. Grass decks haven’t really gotten a lot of attention from TPC for years now, aside from the Alolan Rowlett Tag Team deck that was decent in the 2020/21 format. Leafeon and Inteleon VMAX is one of the best decks in the 2021/2022 format of Pokemon TCG Online, and if you already have the Inteleon (which you should, because it’s so versatile), completing this deck will be pretty easy.
This deck made it to our list of the Top 10 Standard decks for 2022 and does not have any hard counters on the list, so be sure to check it out. Fire decks are nowhere in sight and Leafeon will fare well in tournaments for a long time.
Leafeon VMAX and Inteleon decklist – Pokemon TCG Online
Here’s the best Standard decklist for the Leafeon VMAX and Inteleon deck in Pokemon TCG Online. Decks with similar compositions have been doing well in recent Standard tournaments, some of which have also managed to get into the top 5.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon – 18
* 1 Crobat V SHF 44
* 3 Leafeon V EVS 7
* 3 Leafeon VMAX EVS 8
* 4 Sobble CRE 41
* 4 Drizzile SSH 56
* 1 Inteleon SSH 58
* 2 Inteleon CRE 43
##Trainer Cards – 33
* 3 Boss’s Orders RCL 189
* 3 Marnie CPA 56
* 3 Professor’s Research SHF 60
* 1 Cheryl BST 123
* 1 Raihan EVS 152
* 4 Quick Ball SSH 216
* 4 Evolution Incense SSH 163
* 3 Level Ball BST 129
* 1 Energy Switch SSH 162
* 1 Pal Pad SSH 172
* 1 Switch SSH 183
* 1 Tool Scrapper RCL 208
* 1 Energy Search SSH 161
* 1 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
* 1 Tool Jammer BST 136
* 4 Galar Mine RCL 160
##Energy – 9
* 6 Grass Energy Energy 1
* 3 Capture Energy DAA 201
Total Cards – 60
None of the Pokemon in this deck are optional, really. Leafeon VMAX is your main attacker, and you need the entire Inteleon squad to keep the deck going. From the Trainer cards, you could do without the Tool Jammer, Tool Scrapper, and Pal Pad, which you’ll only really need if you’re playing competitive matches. You can experiment with those Trainer cards and maybe get more Switch or Energy Switch cards if you need them.
Galar Mine, Evolution Incense, and Cheryl are the big ones here (other than staples like Quick Ball and Marnie), and you should absolutely have all of those in your deck. If you have extra copies of Cheryl, having extra Energy Switch and Energy Search cards will help a lot.
There are also a few players using the psychic Marshadow with this deck, but I would recommend against it unless you’re going for competitive play. Tech cards like those simply dilute the deck further, and more often than not, you’ll only be getting annoyed on seeing Marshadow on turn one when you’re hoping for a Leafeon V or Sobble in your hand instead.
Leafeon V and Leafeon VMAX
Leafeon V’s Greening Cells ability essentially powers itself up. It lets you search for and attach Grass Energy to your Pokemon, and you can then use it to power your attacks early on. The good thing is that doing so doesn’t end your turn, unlike similar cards like Zacian V. Leaf Blade can do decent damage based on the outcome of the coin flip, but the VMAX is what you’re really looking to get in play as early as possible.
Leafeon VMAX has two great attacks. Max Leaf can heal you for 30 damage while doing 170 to the opponent, but Grass Knot can do increasing damage based on your opponent’s Retreat Cost. So if your opposing Pokemon has a Retreat Cost of 2 Energy, Grass Knot will do 120 damage. While that doesn’t seem like much, there’s a way to actually increase your opponent’s Retreat Cost, and in turn, the damage that Grass Knot will do.
Powering your Leafeon VMAX
To increase your opponent’s Retreat Cost, you can use the Stadium Card Galar Mine.
Suddenly, you’re getting a +120 damage boost with Galar Mine (60*2), and now you’re doing 240 damage against Pokemon that have a Retreat Cost of 2. That’s essentially most Pokemon in the meta right now, and 240 is going to get them below half of their HP. You also have Cheryl to heal damage from your Leafeon, at the cost of losing all of its Energy.
That’s completely okay, because Grass Knot only costs 2 Energy, and you still have Energy Switch in your deck. If you use Cheryl on your Leafeon VMAX and go down to 0 Energy on it, you can use your second Leafeon V from the Bench to fetch an Energy, transfer it to your VMAX using Energy Switch, and put a second Energy on your VMAX to get ready to attack the same turn.
The Inteleon engine
To be able to fetch your essential Trainer cards, you have the Shady Dealings ability that lets you fetch Trainer cards at will. The ones you’ll be needing the most in this deck are:
- Marnie/Research
- Cheryl
- Quick Ball/Level Ball
- Evolution Incense
- Energy Switch
- Energy Search
- Galar Mine
You can also use Quick Shooting to spread damage and get that 300 damage (against Pokemon having a Retreat Cost of 3) up to 320, which will knock out some of the best Pokemon in the game.
Using the right Trainer Cards and set up right
The core strategy of the deck is pretty straightforward: keep the Leafeon VMAX in the Active spot, Inteleon(s) on your Bench, and start powering up another Leafeon V/VMAX on your Bench. However, what Trainer Cards you use to get this setup going will largely affect how smoothly this setup can function.
Use your Quick Balls to get your Leafeon V on and your Level Ball to set up the Inteleon. Use Evolution Incense on Leafeon VMAX, Drizzile, or Inteleon, and pull off the evolutions as soon as you can, because they will allow you to fetch new Trainer cards anyway. Use Energy Switch to compensate for Cheryl’s healing, or simply to switch to another Leafeon.
This is not the kind of deck where you hesitate to use Professor’s Research and discard your hand that often, so Pal Pad is always good to have. Make sure you use your Capture Energy early on, as it will help you fill up your Bench quickly. When you have the Leafeon V on your Bench, don’t evolve it unless you really need to. There will be many matches where you can just use it to power up your Pokemon before you evolve it and lose the ability.
How good is the Leafeon Inteleon deck in Pokemon TCG Online?
Leafeon VMAX and Inteleon is one of the best Grass decks we’ve ever had in Pokemon TCG Online (barring the absolutely broken ones from the FOGP era.) It has been doing well in tournaments, although it’s not the kind of deck that would win one. There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s consistent and strong, but it’s just not strong enough to get up there. Calyrex, Dragapult, and Urshifu decks are still top-tier and are better picks if you’re playing competitive Standard matches, but if you’re just playing the Ladder casually, Leafeon VMAX and Inteleon is a great choice that won’t disappoint.
The only thing we can hope for is that Fire decks stay away from the game for a while, because those always get super popular and end up making Grass irrelevant again.
For more Standard, Expanded, and Theme deck guides and lists, be sure to check out our Ultimate Pokemon TCG Online guide and resource list.
