Metang and Hoenn Legends: Connecting Region Myths to TCG Lore

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Metang card art from Power Keepers set

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Connecting Hoenn's Myths to Metang's Metalbound Lore

In Hoenn, the old stories speak of guardians forged from the land’s elemental forces, protectors who bind balance to the world’s restless seas, winds, and mountains. Metang—a sturdy, steel-bodied Pokémon—feels like a living echo of those legends. This Power Keepers card (ex16-35) presents a guardian that’s both practical on the battlefield and poetic in its design: two minds fused into a single, unyielding sentinel. The artwork by Tomokazu Komiya captures that quiet, gleaming resilience, a reminder that Hoenn’s mythic past often shows strength tempered by discipline and intellect. ⚡🔥

Hoenn’s mythic landscape is built around harmony and conflict—great powers like Groudon and Kyogre shaping continents and climates, while Rayquaza soars above as a regulator of cataclysm. Metang’s presence in this region’s lore isn’t about a legendary outage of nature; it’s about the careful stewardship of metal and mind. The name itself hints at union—the fusion of Beldum’s core with a second consciousness—much as Hoenn’s myths describe guardians who unite multiple forces to maintain balance. In the TCG, Metang embodies that philosophy: a shielded, dependable ally that stands firm against disruption. 🎴🎨

Design and Mythology in a Single Card

Metang is a Stage 1 Evolution (evolves from Beldum) with the sturdy frame of a Metal-type Pokémon. Its Hit Points sit at 80, a respectable foothold for a stage-1 line in the Power Keepers era. The Poke-Body Clear Body plays the role of a mythic ward—“Metang can't be affected by any Special Conditions”—which feels thematically aligned with Hoenn’s guardians that resist corruption and banish despair through steadfast form. The set’s illustrated art emphasizes a reflective, almost auric surface to Metang’s armor, as if the metal itself is listening to the region’s legends. This synergy of substance and story makes the card a compelling centerpiece for players who like their gameplay and lore to walk hand in hand. 🛡️💡

On the battlefield, Metang’s Attack, Extra Comet Punch, demands two energies (Metal and Colorless) and delivers 30 damage, with a +30 boost on your next turn. It’s a neat, tempo-driven line: strike now, threaten a stronger follow-up, and pressure your opponent into decisions. The attack’s space-age meteor motif—“comet punch”—pairs wonderfully with Hoenn’s meteor-inspired myths and the region’s spectacular weather legends, giving players a storytelling edge as they plan their sequences. The attack’s design also fits the era’s mechanical flavor—precision, timing, and the quiet certainty of a well-timed strike. 🔥💥

Strategic Take: Building Narratives and Boards

  • Early game tempo: With 80 HP and a dependable ability, Metang shines when paired with a thoughtful bench setup. You can deploy Beldum, then evolve to Metang to present a sturdy line while you prepare for Metagross or shore up defenses.
  • Matchups and resistances: Metang carries a Grass resistance of -30, making it a safer choice against Grass-heavy lines of the era, while Fire-type weaknesses at ×2 remind you to anticipate counterplay. In Hoenn terms, Metang stands as a metal bulwark against fiery trials that would burn away weaker guardians. 🔎
  • Synergy with the deck’s theme: In a metal-leaning build, Metang’s Clear Body helps resist pesky Special Conditions that could disrupt your plan, letting you keep your momentum as opponents push through status effects. The 30+ damage path on the next turn rewards patient play and careful energy management. ⚡

Collector’s Lens: Rarity, Variants, and the Artistry

Metang in Power Keepers carries an Uncommon rarity, a nod to its essential but not always front-line role in a lineup. The set itself, ex16, is celebrated for its return-to-form metal and mechanical themes, and Metang’s holo and reverse holo variants make for pleasing display pieces in a binder—each reflecting Tomokazu Komiya’s crisp, chrome-like lines. The holo treatment adds that extra gleam of legend to the armor, a little sparkle that collectors associate with Hoenn’s enduring mythos. The Power Keepers era remains a favorite for vintage reprints and reimagined strategies, bridging players from the mid-2000s to today’s modern conflicts. 🧩💎

Market Pulse: Value Trends for Metang ex16-35

Price chatter around this card tracks a gentle uptick as nostalgia and gameplay converge. In the non-holo form, Cardmarket shows an average around €0.64 with occasional dips to €0.10—affordable for casual collectors and budget players alike. TCGplayer’s data for the standard (non-holo) copy places low around $0.63, mid around $1.50, and high around $4.45, signaling a modest but persistent demand for a well-timed evolution line in old-school decks. For reverse holo and holo variants, values climb: reverse holo typically sits in the $8–$15 range for mid- to late-stage collectors, with market prices sometimes peaking higher as supply tightens. For the holo-foil version, the price ceiling widens further, reflecting the same rarity premium that makes Power Keepers favorites among long-time fans. In other words, Metang ex16-35 offers a gentle entry point into vintage-age metal Pokémon, while still delivering a solid corner of the metagame for today’s players. 🔧📈

Collectors and players alike will appreciate the balancing act of Metang’s statline and ability—a dependable, story-rich staple that serves both function and fantasy. The Power Keepers set, with its 108 official cards, remains a compact museum of Hoenn’s era, and Metang stands as a sturdy exhibit: a guardian who can weather the storm, then strike with precise meteor-like force when the moment is right. The card’s grounded metal motif mirrors Hoenn’s mythic duty to protect the region, reminding fans that legends aren’t just spoken aloud—they’re drawn in steel, etched in energy, and played out on a tabletop battlefield. 🎴🎮

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