V-UNION Mechanic Finally Revealed: Four Cards Form One Pokemon!
Time to summon Exodia — the first V-UNION cards have have finally been revealed! We first discovered the V-UNION trademark last December.
As we announced a while ago, Greninja V-UNION, Mewtwo V-UNION, and Zacian V-UNION would be featured in three packages releasing on August 20th for 1650 yen each. These will be the first products to feature V-UNION Pokemon. Each will come with one V-UNION Pokemon (four promo cards), a Professor Burnett promo card, and six booster packs of Sky Stream and Towering Perfection.
Four cards form a V-UNION Pokemon. Each V-UNION Pokemon has multiple Abilities and/or attacks — for example, Greninja V-UNION has three Abilities and four attacks. You can use all its Abilities during your turn, but obviously only one attack per turn.
A V-UNION Pokemon can only be played to your Bench when all four cards are in your discard pile. You can only play a V-UNION Pokemon with the same name once per game. However, you can play multiple V-UNION Pokemon with different names during a game.
A V-UNION Pokemon gives up three Prize cards. They’re neither Basic Pokemon nor Evolution Pokemon.
Update: In case it wasn’t obvious — since each card for each V-Union has the same name, you can only have four of the cards in your deck. So you’ll only ever be able to form one of each V-UNION. If you want to psych out your opponent you can technically have four of Greninja’s leg cards in your deck, or even just its head, but you won’t be able to form Greninja V-UNION. It’s pretty risky to run V-UNION Pokemon since you might prize one of the four cards, so tread carefully!
Thanks goes to Bangiras and Arantxa T. for the translations!
Greninja V-UNION – Water – HP300
V-UNION PokemonDuring your turn, if you have the 4 different Greninja V-UNION cards in your discard pile, you may put them together onto your Bench. You can’t play more than 1 Greninja V-UNION in a game.
[C] Union Gain: Attach up to 2 [W] Energy cards from your discard pile to this Pokemon.
Ability: Probing Foot
Once during your turn, your may look at your opponent’s hand.[W] Aqua Edge: 130 damage.
Ability: Antidote Jutsu
This Pokemon can’t be Poisoned.[W][W][C] Twister Shuriken: This attack does 100 damage to each of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon.)
Ability: Shinobi Body
Whenever your opponent plays an Item card from their hand, prevent all effects of that card done to this Pokemon.[W][W][C] Waterfall Bind: 180 damage. The Defending Pokemon can’t retreat during your opponent’s next turn.
When your Pokemon V-UNION is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 3 Prize cards.
Weakness: Lightning (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 2
Zacian V-UNION – Metal – HP320
V-UNION PokemonDuring your turn, if you have the 4 different Zacian V-UNION cards in your discard pile, you may put them together onto your Bench. You can’t play more than 1 Zacian V-UNION in a game.
[C] Union Gain: Attach up to 2 [M] Energy from your discard pile to this Pokemon.
[M][M][C] Wise King’s Dance: 150 damage. During your opponent’s next turn, attacks from the Defending Pokemon do 150 less damage.
[M][M][C] Steel Slash: 200 damage.
[M][M][M][C] Master Blade: 340 damage. Discard 3 Energy from this Pokemon.
When your Pokemon V-UNION is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 3 Prize cards.
Weakness: Fire (x2)
Resistance: Grass (-30)
Retreat: 2
Mewtwo V-UNION – Psychic – HP310
V-UNION PokemonDuring your turn, if you have the 4 different Mewtwo V-UNION cards in your discard pile, you may put them together onto your Bench. You can’t play more than 1 Mewtwo V-UNION in a game.
[C] Union Gain: Attach up to 2 [P] Energy cards from your discard pile to this Pokemon.
[P][P][C] Super Recovery: Heal 200 damage from this Pokemon.
[P][P][C] Psysplosion: Put 16 damage counters on your opponent’s Pokemon in any way you like.
Ability: Photon Barrier
Prevent all effects of your opponent’s attacks (except damage) done to this Pokemon.[P][P][P][C] Final Burn: 300 damage.
When your Pokemon V-UNION is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 3 Prize cards.
Weakness: Darkness (x2)
Resistance: Fighting (-30)
Retreat: 2
Professor Burnet – Trainer
SupporterSearch your deck for up to 2 cards and discard them. Then, shuffle your deck.
You may play only 1 Supporter card during your turn.
We also discovered a trademark for VSTAR last year. No word yet on what it’s for!
This isn’t the first time the Pokemon TCG has used multiple cards to form a Pokemon. During the HeartGold & SoulSilver era, LEGEND cards were created from two different cards. They started out as one Pokemon across two cards then eventually became two Pokemon across two cards (forming one joint Pokemon). But now we’re in four-card territory with the V-UNION mechanic, eye yi yi!
Here’s some 4Kids nostalgia for dessert: