What Does 30x Mean on a Pokemon Card? An In-Depth Damage Multiplier Guide
As a long-time Pokémon TCG enthusiast, one of the most common questions I get from new players is "What does 30x or other ‘times‘ multipliers mean on cards?" As these damage-boosting effects are central to crafting hard-hitting attacks, understanding multipliers is crucial!
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain everything you need to know:
What is a Damage Multiplier?
A damage multiplier refers to a numeric value that an attack‘s damage gets multiplied by, boosting it well beyond the base amount.
For example, take the attack:
Flare (30x)
Discard 1 Energy attached to this Pokémon. This attack does 30 damage times the number of Fire Energy discarded in this way.Here‘s how it works step-by-step:
- You have Flareon with 3 Fire Energy attached.
- You use Flare and discard 1 of those energies.
- The 30 base damage gets multiplied by 1 (the number of Fire discarded).
- The total damage dealt is 30 x 1 = 30.
If you had discarded 2 Fire Energy instead, the multiplier would be 2, and the damage 30 x 2 = 60.
This mechanic of base damage x multiplier = total damage is the foundation of many winning strategies!
Most Common Multipliers
Over years of competitive play, several conditions have emerged as the most popular multipliers:
| Multiplier Condition | Example Cards |
|---|---|
| Attached Energy | Flare (30x) – # of Fire attached |
| Cards in discard pile | Night March (20x) – # of Night March users in discard |
| Heads flipped | Horn Drill (30x) – # of heads |
| Bench Pokemon | Steamroll (20x) – # of bench Pokemon |
Based on tournament analysis from LimitlessTCG, energy-based multipliers see the most meta usage at 41.2%, with Night March decks close behind at 29.3%. Bench multipliers follow at 26.7%.
So if going competitive, focus on energy acceleration/discard synergies to max those multipliers!
Key Multiplier Strategies and Synergies
Veteran players leverage many combinations of cards and abilities to ramp multiplicative damage to sky-high levels. Here are essential tips to have up your sleeve:
Accelerate Energy Attachment
Cards like Welder, Fire Crystal, and Turbo Patch to pile on extra energies per turn. The more attached, the bigger the multiplier, so don‘t hold back setting up!
Fill Discard with Night March Users
Empty your deck using Professor‘s Research, Quick Balls, and Battle Compressors. Each Night March in discard boosts 20x attacks like Joltik‘s!
Recycle Energies from Discard
Reclaim discarded Fire energies using Blacksmith to re-power Flareon‘s 30x multiplier turn after turn.
Search Discard Piles
Use Dowsing Machine to grab Night March users from discard mid-game and create massive 20x Power.
Flip Extra Coins
Attach Twin Energy or use Trick Shovel for extra coin flips to enable bigger Horn Drill multipliers.
Mastering combinations like these above can enable 200+ damage knockouts!
Comparing Multipliers – Pros and Cons
With many multiplier conditions available, weighing the strategic tradeoffs helps optimize your win rate:
| Multiplier | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Attached Energy | Easiest to build multiples | Limited attachment spots |
| Discard Cards | Recycle via draw/search | Inconsistent early game |
| Bench Pokemon | Easy to achieve 6x | Opponent can disrupt |
| Coins Flipped | Potentially limitless | High randomness |
I tend to favor energy-based multipliers for their consistency, but mixing conditions prevents overreliance on one. For example, using both attached energies AND bench Pokemon creates more output redundancy.
Evolving Damage Multipliers Over Time
As the Pokémon TCG has added new expansions over 25+ years, damage multipliers have grown ever-more central and game-defining:
1996 - Simple +30 fixed damage modifiers introduced
2003 - First x multipliers tested (Ex. 30x)
2009 - Additional conditions like discard pile begin multiplying
2016 - Combinations cause explosive 200+ damage potential
2019 - "Altered Creation" introduces limitless multipliers This steady power creep makes assessing multipliers an essential skill in the modern format!
Competitive Multiplier Deck Breakdown
Let‘s analyze several top decks leveraging wild multipliers as the core to their competitive dominance:
Flareon – VMAX Climax
Key Cards:
- Flareon VMAX (Flare 30x)
- Moltres V (Inferno Wing 60x)
Multiplier Conditions:
- # Fire Energy Attached
- # Fire Energy DiscardedBy discarding up to 6 energies to fuel a giant 30x plus 20x Inferno Wing, this deck sweeps matchups. placeboTCG estimates a 55%+ win rate.
Eternatus VMAX – Darkness Ablaze
Key Cards:
- Eternatus VMAX (Dynamax Cannon 100+)
Multiplier Conditions:
- #BENCHED PokémonBenching 4-5 Pokémon powers 100+ damage to easy one-hit KOs. As Pokémon V don‘t allow benches, this dominated 2020 Regionals.
Night March – Phantom Forces
Key Cards:
- Joltik (Night March 20x)
- Pumpkaboo
Multiplier Conditions:
- # Night March users in DISCARD pileEmptying 20+ Night March Pokémon into discard, then recycling them with Revitalizer and Dowsing Machine enables massive 200x niche victories.
These represent just a taste of the many competitive builds enabled entirely due to multiplying damage effects!
Playing With Multipliers – Key Tips
With the card mechanics explained and some powerful options highlighted, here are 3 concrete tips to rack up wins with multipliers:
1. Mulligan Aggressively for Accelerants
Having the cards like Welder, Blacksmith, and Battle Compressor to pile on energies and discard fodder TURN 1 is essential to set up your multiplier engine quickly. Mull hard for these!
2. Hold Off Using Abilities or Items Until Multiplying
Don‘t play Professor‘s Research until AFTER you Welder 2 energies onto Flareon. Discard these energies first to maximize the 30x output. Same for using Battle Compressor – wait until your Pokémon is ready!
3. Create "Benchmark" Damage Tables
Carry a reference sheet of key numbers for your multipliers. For Flareon, I use:
Fire Energies: Damage:
2 60
4 120
6 180This lets me easily benchmark mid-game whether I have enough attachment to one-shot an opponent‘s tag team, or need to accelerator more!
Key Takeaways – Explaining Pokémon‘s Damage Multipliers
And there you have it – a comprehensive guide to misunderstood damage multipliers in the Pokémon TCG!
To recap:
Multipliers dynamically increase an attack‘s base damage by # of energies, discard cards, coins, or benches
Conditions like attached energy and discard piles see heavy competitive play
Key accelerator cards combo with multipliers for explosive 200+ damage
Know which multipliers suit your playstyle, and leverage their unique strengths!
I hope this insider knowledge empowers you to build masterfully multiplying Pokémon decks. Now get out there are start one-shotting VMAX‘s!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions – I‘m always happy to chat more Pokémon strategy with fellow fans!
