Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Counter Wormadam: Tactical approaches to outpace a metal armored scout

In the vibrant ecosystem of the Pokémon TCG, Wormadam makes for a compelling test case in Expanded lineups from the Fates Collide era. This Stage 1 Metal Pokémon, evolving from Burmy, carries 100 HP and two retreat costs, presenting a sturdy blob of metal on the bench that can threaten late-game swings if left unchecked. Kyoko Umemoto’s artwork gives Wormadam a gleaming, almost mosaic-like presence—a reminder that the game rewards not just raw power but careful planning. For players and collectors alike, Wormadam’s Uncommon rarity and its position in the XY10 set offer a perfect microcosm of how format-shaping choices ripple through both strategy and value. ⚡

What makes Wormadam especially tricky is how its own kit scales with damage. Its first attack, Strike Back, costs a single Metal energy and deals 20 damage times the number of damage counters on Wormadam. That means the moment you leave Wormadam with a few marks on its armor, you’re staring at potentially sizable knockback on your next turn—an engineered reward for players who can generate incremental pressure while dodging a fast counter-punch. The second attack, Iron Head, costs Metal plus two Colorless energies and lands at 60 base damage with a meaty caveat: you flip a coin until tails appear, and for every heads you add 20 more damage. The upper bound is enticing but all the more volatile, turning even a nearly-even match into a calculated gamble. Fire-type opponents love Wormadam’s Fire weakness x2, and a few well-timed heads can push Iron Head into knockout territory versus other Metal threats. 🔥

Card data snapshot: what you’re really playing against

• Name: Wormadam
• Set: Fates Collide (XY10)
• Rarity: Uncommon
• Stage: Stage 1 (evolves from Burmy)
• HP: 100
• Type: Metal
• Attacks:
  • Strike Back — Metal
  • Iron Head — Metal, Colorless, Colorless (60+; flips add 20 damage per heads)
• Weakness: Fire ×2
• Resistance: Psychic −20
• Retreat: 2
• Illustrator: Kyoko Umemoto
• Legal in formats: Expanded (not standard)
• Evolves from: Burmy
• Dex ID: 413
• Pricing snapshot: CardMarket average around 0.13 EUR for non-holo; low near 0.02 EUR; TCGPlayer mid around 0.19 USD (normal), with holo variants often higher; reverse holo around 0.34 USD on mid values (as of late 2025)

Understanding Wormadam’s role in a given match means recognizing when you want to accelerate your offense to KO it before it stacks damage counters, versus when you’re comfortable letting Wormadam weather some hits while you manage the battlefield tempo. The card’s Expanded legality signals its relevance to older-but-still-viable archetypes, and its metal shell pairs nicely with a wide swath of techs designed to pressure the opponent’s bench and disrupt their momentum. The artistry of Kyoko Umemoto adds a collectible layer to its presence on the table, with holo and reverse-holo variants giving fans a shiny reminder of the Burmy lineage and Wormadam’s evolving resilience. 🎨

Strategic play: how to counter Wormadam in practice

• Exploit the Fire weakness: Because Wormadam has ×2 Fire weakness, clean, efficient Fire-type attackers can threaten quick knockouts. If you’re building to counter Wormadam, prioritize efficient two- to three-energy attackers that can hit for 100+ damage in a single turn. This approach minimizes the risk of Wormadam’s Strike Back turning a trade into a losing counter-punch. 🔥
• Prevent or minimize damage counters: Strike Back becomes deadly once Wormadam has several damage counters. Favor strategies that KO Wormadam in a single, decisive turn, or spread damage across Wormadam to avoid letting a single target accumulate enough counters to power a massive Strike Back. Spread damage responsibly to keep the equation in your favor. ⚡
• Control the coin flip vibe of Iron Head: Iron Head’s power scales with heads on heads on heads—but that’s a double-edged sword. If you’re facing Wormadam and want to dampen its mid-to-late game threat, prioritize removal or disruption that keeps your opponent from reliably assembling the coin-flip math or simply accelerates to a KO before Iron Head can spike. For players, this means planning for clean, high-damage single-attack turns. 🎲
• Deck tech and tempo: In Expanded environments, tools that accelerate energy attachment or that fetch key energies from the deck help you maintain the pressure. Tier-one goals include maintaining a steady stream of Fire-weakness exploitation while keeping your bench compact to avoid feeding Wormadam extra damage counters. Efficient draw and tempo management matters as Wormadam often relies on a staged, attrition-based push. 🔧
• Sideboard considerations: Include a couple of anti-counter measures—techs that deal with evolving threats, energy acceleration, and targeted outs to heavy attackers. In a tight matchup, you’re often choosing between overrunning Wormadam quickly or forcing it into a position where its own damage-counter-based payoff becomes less tenable. 🧰

Deck-building insights and matchups

Wormadam’s place in Expanded decks rewards patient, methodical plays. Because the card itself isn’t standard-legal, it invites older-school combos and hybrids that showcase the era’s design philosophy: sturdy basics, modular evolutions, and punishing responses to pressure. In practice, a Fire-focused plan paired with quick KO lines often beats Wormadam before Strike Back can spiral. Yet, if your opponent can push a mid-game board state with multiple Wormadams or a single Wormadam on the bench enduring pressure, you’ll want to lean on disruption and rapid cardio-pace offense to swing the game back into your favor. The rarity and price of Wormadam—while accessible—also tell a story of collector demand: inexpensive to add for completionists, with holo variants shining as appealing targets for displays and trade boards. 💎

Art, lore, and the collector's angle

Wormadam’s design in Fates Collide highlights the Metallurgy motif of the set, pairing a practical in-game toolbox with a glossy, gold-edged aesthetic that collectors adore. Kyoko Umemoto’s illustration gives Wormadam a sense of weight and refinement, a perfect match to its defensive, armor-laden gameplay. The card’s place in the Burmy lineage—evolving from Burmy into a protective form—echoes a narrative of growth under pressure, a theme many players find resonant as they grow their own collections. For collectors, the expanded-legal status means Wormadam is a staple in older decks and a neat addition to any XY-era binder. ⚡🎴

As you tune your list for the next tournament or a friendly league night, keep Wormadam in mind not just as a single card to counter, but as a strategic lesson in tempo, risk, and damage management. The balance between decreasing your opponent’s options and maximizing your own damage output is what makes the Pokémon TCG a lifelong passion for fans who celebrate every precise calculation on the table. 💼

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