XY—Steam Siege

Status: Released (August 2016)

Dual-Types Return in XY—Steam Siege

XY—Steam Siege, released on August 3, 2016, brought a blast from the past with the return of Dual-Type Pokémon. This expansion featured Pokémon like Volcanion-EX and Shiny Mega Gardevoir-EX that possessed two different types simultaneously, unlocking new strategic depth and weakness exploitation. The set also introduced "Volcanion," the Mythical Steam Pokémon, who immediately became the centerpiece of Fire-type decks everywhere.

Volcanion-EX and the Rise of Fire

The defining card of this set was undeniably Volcanion-EX. Its "Steam Up" ability allowed players to discard a fire energy to boost the damage of their Basic Fire Pokémon by 30. This effect could be stacked, turning small attacks into massive, one-hit knockouts. Combined with the "baby" Volcanion that could accelerate energy from the discard pile, this created a fast, consistent, and incredibly powerful archetype that remained top-tier for years. XY—Steam Siege also brought us "Talonflame," a unique stage 2 Pokémon that could be played as your starting active Pokémon, speeding up setup for many evolution decks.