Metang Card Review: Metal Maker in Standard

Metang is a Stage 1 Metal Pokémon from Temporal Forces that evolves from Beldum and accelerates Basic Metal Energy off the top of your deck with its "Metal Maker" Ability.

The number that matters most: in the two archetypes that play it, Metang shows up in 100% of lists. Mega Excadrill Metagross (4% of the format, 278 decks) runs an average of 4 copies, and Empoleon Metagross (34 decks) runs 3.9. Nobody plays one Metang as a tech. If you're on this engine, you're all in.

What it does

Metang is 100 HP, Metal type, Fire weakness ×2, retreat 2. The reason you play it is "Metal Maker": once during your turn, you look at the top 4 cards of your deck and attach any number of Basic Metal Energy you find there to your Pokémon, split however you like. The rest get shuffled and go to the bottom.

A few things people miss:

• It's once per Metang, not once per turn total. Each Metang in play gets its own activation, which is why lists run 4 and try to keep two or more on the board.
• Only Basic Metal Energy. No other Energy counts, which is why these decks play so many Metal Energy (more on that below).
• The misses go to the bottom. You aren't drawing them, so a whiff doesn't help you dig. It does burn through your deck, though.
• It attaches to any of your Pokémon, not just Metang. You can power up whatever's Active or set up a Benched attacker for next turn.

The rules that matter: as a Stage 1 it needs Beldum in play first, and you can't evolve on your first turn or on a Beldum you put down that same turn. So Metang can come online on your second turn at the earliest. Your turn one job is getting Beldum on the Bench.

Why it's worth playing

Metang isn't a format-wide staple. CardForge shows no overall play rate for it, and it appears in just two archetypes. But inside those two it's untouchable: 100% inclusion in both, at 4 and 3.9 copies.

Mega Excadrill Metagross is the real home. It's 4% of Standard over 278 decks with an average win rate of 50.1%. That's a solid mid-table deck, not a top tier one. For comparison, Dragapult Munkidori sits at 17% usage and 54%. So be honest with yourself: Metang powers a playable deck, not the best deck.

Why does it get 4 copies? The attackers are hungry. Mega Excadrill ex's "Maximum Drilling" does 200 for three Metal Energy, and 130 more if it has at least 2 extra Energy on top of that cost. That's five Energy for 330. One manual attachment a turn won't get you there in time. A couple of "Metal Maker" activations will. The same goes for Metagross's big attacks, which want four Energy and then discard some of it.

Building around it

Beldum: run the full line

Beldum is a 70 HP Basic. There are two printings in the pool, one with "Headbutt" and "Beam", one with "Dig Claws" and "Iron Tackle". Neither is anything you want to attack with. It's just there to evolve. The Beldum and Metang pairing has a lift of 19.33 in CardForge's synergy data (255 decks with both, 100% confidence). If you see one, you see the other.

In Mega Excadrill Metagross, Beldum averages 4 copies but shows up in 78.1% of lists, while Metang is at 100%. That gap probably comes from lists being split across the two Beldum printings, so don't read it as people cutting Beldum. You want 4 Beldum and 4 Metang.

Metal Energy count

This is where people go wrong. "Metal Maker" only sees 4 cards, so it lives or dies on how dense your deck is with Basic Metal Energy. Excadrill lists average 16.1 Metal Energy, and Empoleon lists average 15.4. If you build with 10 because it looks normal, Metang whiffs constantly and the whole engine falls apart.

Getting it into play

Genesect ex (2 copies in both archetypes, 100% inclusion) is the search engine. "Metallic Signal" grabs up to 2 Evolution Metal Pokémon once a turn, and Metang, Metagross and Mega Excadrill ex all count. One activation of Metang plus Metagross, or Metang plus Mega Excadrill ex, is often your whole turn sorted. It also attacks: "Protect Charge" does 150 and takes 30 less damage next turn.

Buddy-Buddy Poffin (3.3 copies in Excadrill lists) grabs Basics with 70 HP or less, which covers both Beldum and Drilbur. Team Rocket's Petrel (3.8 copies, 96.4% of Excadrill lists) fetches any Trainer, so it's your Poffin, Energy Recycler or Jumbo Ice Cream when you need it.

Refilling and healing

Energy Recycler shuffles 5 basic Energy from the discard back into your deck. That matters twice here: it gets back what Metagross discards, and it puts Energy back into the deck for Metang to hit. Lists play about 1.1 copies.

Jumbo Ice Cream heals 80 from an Active Pokémon with 3 or more Energy. Metang makes hitting that threshold easy, which is why Excadrill lists run 2.4 copies.

A note on Rare Candy

Rare Candy shows up in Empoleon Metagross, but think about what it does to this line: it skips Metang. In a deck where Metang is the Energy engine, candying straight to Metagross means you give up the Ability. I'd keep Rare Candy for the other Stage 2 line and evolve Beldum the slow way.

Partners and decks

Mega Excadrill Metagross

This is Metang's main deck: 4% usage, 278 decks, 50.1% average win rate. Core cards per the data: Metang, Metagross, Drilbur, Mega Excadrill ex, Genesect ex, Team Rocket's Petrel, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Jumbo Ice Cream, Energy Recycler, Boss's Orders, Metal Energy, Beldum and Ultra Ball.

Mega Excadrill ex (2 copies) is the main attacker. It has 340 HP, and "Undermine" does 90 and discards the top 2 cards of your opponent's deck, while "Maximum Drilling" is the big hit. Remember it's a Mega Evolution ex, so it gives up 3 Prizes when Knocked Out. Drilbur (3.4 copies) brings it into play, and its "Call for Family" can search out 2 Basics, Beldum included, if you need to fix a slow start.

Metagross sits at only 1.5 copies here. That tells you it's a secondary attacker and Metang is the real reason the line is in the deck. The Metal Metagross printings each have a reason to want Metang's Energy: "Metallic Hammer" does 150, and 150 more if you discard 3 Metal Energy, while "Luster Blast" does 200 and discards 2 Energy. Both burn Energy fast, and Metang plus Energy Recycler puts it back. Metagross also gives up only 2 Prizes as a non-ex, which helps when Excadrill is carrying 3.

Flex slots worth knowing about: Fezandipiti ex (69.9% of lists, 1 copy), Kieran (65.3%, 1.2 copies) and Pokégear 3.0 (55.1%, 2.5 copies). Kieran pulls double duty: it switches your Active, or adds 30 damage against an Active Pokémon ex, which helps "Maximum Drilling" reach big ex HP totals.

Empoleon Metagross

A much smaller deck: 0.2% usage, 34 decks. It runs Metang at 3.9 copies alongside Empoleon ex (1.2), Piplup (1.7), Rare Candy, Drilbur, Mega Excadrill ex, Genesect ex, Fezandipiti ex, Pokégear 3.0, Kieran and the rest of the Metal shell. Empoleon ex's "Iron Feathers" does 210 for three Energy and takes 60 less damage next turn. Its "Emperor's Stance" Ability prevents effects of your opponent's attacks done to it, though not damage. Metang's spread attachments help get Empoleon ex swinging fast. With only 34 lists, treat this as a niche build, not a proven one.

Public decks

CardForge has 2 public decks running Metang, both Mega Excadrill builds and both at 4 copies. Use them as a starting list and adjust from there.

What beats it

CardForge has no matchup data for Metang's decks in this snapshot, so this is all from card text.

Fire. Every Pokémon in the line has Fire weakness ×2: Beldum, Metang, the Metal Metagross printings, Mega Excadrill ex, Genesect ex and Empoleon ex. A Fire attacker doubles its damage across your whole board. The Psychic Metagross printing is weak to Darkness instead, so it isn't the same hole.

Bench pressure on the engine. Metang has 100 HP and Beldum has 70. Neither has any protection. Boss's Orders sees 91.3% play across Standard, so expect your opponent to drag up a Metang or a Beldum and take it out before it ever activates. Fezandipiti ex's "Cruel Arrow" (in 65.3% of Standard decks) does 100 to any of your Pokémon, which is exactly a Metang. When you're piloting the deck, that's why you want more than one Metang out. Losing your only one stalls everything.

Bad luck off the top. "Metal Maker" can whiff. If your Energy count is too low or your discards have thinned the deck of Metal Energy, the Ability does nothing. Energy Recycler is your answer, so don't cut it.

Prize math. Mega Excadrill ex gives up 3 Prizes. A deck that can one-shot it only needs one more Knock Out on a 2-Prize Genesect ex to be most of the way home. Lean on Jumbo Ice Cream and Metagross as a non-ex attacker so you don't hand over Prizes in big chunks.

FAQ

How many Metang should I play?

Four. Mega Excadrill Metagross lists average 4 copies at 100% inclusion, and Empoleon Metagross averages 3.9. Each Metang gets its own "Metal Maker" activation, so more Metang in play means more Energy each turn.

How many Metal Energy do I need for Metal Maker?

A lot more than a normal deck. Mega Excadrill Metagross lists average 16.1 Metal Energy and Empoleon Metagross lists average 15.4. "Metal Maker" only looks at the top 4 cards and only attaches Basic Metal Energy, so a thin Energy count means constant whiffs.

Should I use Rare Candy to skip Metang?

Not on the Beldum line. Rare Candy skips the Stage 1, which means you never get Metang's "Metal Maker" Ability, and that Ability is the whole reason the line is in the deck. Empoleon Metagross plays Rare Candy, but its main job there is the Empoleon line.

Is Metang a meta staple in Standard?

No. It shows up in only two archetypes and has no overall play rate in CardForge's data. Its main deck, Mega Excadrill Metagross, holds 4% of the format across 278 decks with a 50.1% average win rate.

What's Metang's biggest weakness?

Fire. Metang and the rest of its Metal partners all have Fire weakness ×2. It also has just 100 HP, so Boss's Orders or Fezandipiti ex's "Cruel Arrow" (100 damage to any of your Pokémon) can take it out before it starts working.