Melmetal SM181 — what does this card actually do?

Name: Melmetal SM181
Brand: Pokémon
Author: TOKIYA

This card has 150 HP, a top attack printed at 130 damage and a Fire weakness.

Metal · Stage 1 · SM Black Star Promos · measured against 20,444 cards on file — card data read July 28, 2026

What does Melmetal SM181 do in a game?

Melmetal SM181 is a Metal Pokémon card with 150 HP, printed as Stage 1.

Its strongest attack, Heavy Impact, is printed at 130 damage for 4 Energy — 33 damage per Energy card.

Because of the Fire weakness, any Fire attack printed at 75 damage or more removes it in a single turn.

Metal Stage 1 Promo Unlimited and Expanded #809 Melmetal

Melmetal SM181SM Black Star Promos

150 HP · Metal · Stage 1 · retreat 4 · Fire weakness ×2

Top printed damage13033 per Energy Heavy Impact130 damage for 4 Energy
as of July 28, 2026

Hit points150 HP15.5% of 17,290 in the 130~180 band

Printed damage1309.0% of 16,246 in the 130~180 band

Retreat cost4 Energy4.2% of 17,240 in the 4 band

Energy efficiencyAbove typicalAboveTypicalBelowThis card 33 · typical 27.8
damage per Energy card, among cards whose cheapest attack costs 4

Price trackPromoSM Black Star Promos21 printsranked among Stage 1 cardsWhat it costs today, how it moved, and where to buy it

Card classStage 1

RarityPromo

SetSM Black Star Promos

Card numberSM181

AbilityMetal Eater

Card data readJuly 28, 2026

What it sells for now$124.99Opens the price page — daily prices, every print variant, where to buy · read August 14, 2026 Removed in one hit by75 damage150 HP against a Fire ×2 weakness Turns of setup4 turnsEnergy attaches once a turn, so the top attack waits that long Cards that can do it599 cardsCounted across the whole card archive Other prints of this name21 printsPrinted HP and legality move from print to print Cards in the same line17 moreEvery print carrying Pokédex #809 Where it can be playedUnlimited and ExpandedRead from the official format list

How Melmetal SM181 is built, on five measures

Strongest on Top printed damage — top 13.6% of the archive. Weakest on Attack cost lightness — bottom 2.7%.

Each spoke is this card's place among every card in the archive that prints that figure. Further out is stronger — retreat and attack cost are shown as lightness, so a cheap card reaches outward. Counted July 28, 2026.

How Melmetal SM181 is built, on five measures
Measure	Percentile	Printed value
Hit points	79.6%	150 HP
Top printed damage	86.4%	130 damage
Energy efficiency	75.0%	33 per Energy
Retreat lightness	4.2%	4 Energy
Attack cost lightness	2.7%	4 Energy

What it can do

Attack record

4EHeavy Impact33 damage per Energy card130damage

1 attack printed on the card. The badge is the Energy it asks for.

Where it stands

No. 3,166of 17,290 cards ranked by printed HP

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Among the 17,290 cards in every card in the archive that carry printed HP, this one is number 3,166 at 150 HP.

Metal cardsNo. 259of 924 by printed HP Stage 1 cardsNo. 470of 5,102 by printed HP

This cardMelmetal SM181SM Black Star Promos150 HP

Printed HP

The ceiling of this archive is 380 HP — 230 HP above this card.

Highest printed HPMega Emboar ex 273Ascended Heroes380 HP

What stands out on Melmetal SM181

Hit points 150 HP puts it in the 130~180 band, where 15.5% of 17,290 cards with printed HP sit.
Energy It returns 33 damage per Energy card against 27.8 for cards whose cheapest attack costs 4.
Weakness A Fire attack printed at 75 damage or more removes it in a single turn.
Legality 10 of the 18 prints that carry this name are legal in Standard play.

Melmetal SM181 at a glance

What it is. A Metal Pokémon card with 150 HP printed as Stage 1, printed in SM Black Star Promos.
What it can do. 1 attack printed on the card, the strongest at 130 damage for 4 Energy.
What it fears. A Fire weakness at ×2, which means 75 printed damage is enough to remove it.
What it costs to move. 4 Energy to retreat, discarded from the card itself.
Where it can be played. Unlimited and Expanded only.
What this page does not claim. Deck lists, tournament results and win rates are not published here, because the card files this site reads do not contain them.

Source: Card facts are read once from openly published card files and change only when a source corrects them.

What do the attacks on Melmetal SM181 cost, and what do they hit for?

The card prints 1 attack. The strongest asks for 4 Energy and returns 130 damage, which is 33 damage for every Energy card attached.

Melmetal SM181 — every printed attack, its cost and its damage
Attack	Energy cost	Cards of Energy	Printed damage	Damage per Energy	Effect
Heavy Impact	1 Metal + 3 Colorless	4	130	33	No extra effect.

Retreating costs a further 4 Energy, discarded from this card, and that cost is paid on top of anything in the table.

Heavy Impact4 Energy cards

The Energy this attack asks a deck to attach before it can be used, drawn as the symbols printed on the card.

One Energy card attaches per turn, so the number of symbols is also the number of turns the attack waits.

Heavy Impact 4 Energy130 damage for 4 Energy — 33 per Energy card130

Bars are printed damage against this card's own highest attack (130).

Back to summary

How does Melmetal SM181 compare with every other card?

Each bar below is the whole archive cut by one printed figure, with the band this card falls into marked. A number on its own says nothing about whether it is high or low — the shape of the archive does.

Melmetal SM181 — SM Black Star Promos — MelmetalSM Black Star Promos SM181

No.3,166by HP in the archive

Melmetal SM181 prints 150 HP, which puts it at number 3,166 of the 17,290 cards in this archive that print an HP figure at all. The tallest figure printed on any card is 380 HP (Mega Emboar ex).

86% on printed damage — it out-hits that share of the 16,246 cards that print damage

Top 18%Where it sits on printed HP

This card150 HP
Middle half of the archive60–130 HP
Strongest Stage 1 card380 HP
Strongest Melmetal printed160 HP

The ceiling of this archive is Mega Emboar ex at 380 HP — every bar here is measured against it.

This card prints 150 HP, which is 40% of that ceiling.

Every figure in this panel is counted the same way: from the card files this site reads, read July 28, 2026, over the 17,290 cards that print an HP figure. Each bar is measured against the tallest HP in the archive, 380 HP.

Hit points — where this card sits

~7038.6%6,669 cards

80~12033.1%5,725 cards

130~180 — this card15.5%2,679 cards

190~2306.6%1,148 cards

240~2803.3%567 cards

290~3302.4%412 cards

340+0.5%90 cards

17,290 cards in the archive carry a printed HP figure. This one has 150 HP.

Cards in the 130~180 band typically print 104 damage and ask 2 Energy to retreat.

Hit points — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
~70	38.6%	6,669 cards
80~120	33.1%	5,725 cards
130~180 — this card	15.5%	2,679 cards
190~230	6.6%	1,148 cards
240~280	3.3%	567 cards
290~330	2.4%	412 cards
340+	0.5%	90 cards

Top printed damage — where this card sits

~3042.7%6,938 cards

40~6022.0%3,566 cards

70~12021.8%3,535 cards

130~180 — this card9.0%1,461 cards

190~2503.8%621 cards

260+0.8%125 cards

16,246 cards print damage on at least one attack. The highest on this card is 130.

Cards in the 130~180 band typically have 198 HP and ask 2 Energy to retreat.

Top printed damage — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
~30	42.7%	6,938 cards
40~60	22.0%	3,566 cards
70~120	21.8%	3,535 cards
130~180 — this card	9.0%	1,461 cards
190~250	3.8%	621 cards
260+	0.8%	125 cards

Cheapest attack cost — where this card sits

01.8%304 cards

154.4%9,392 cards

226.4%4,565 cards

314.7%2,533 cards

4 — this card2.4%421 cards

50.3%47 cards

17,262 cards have at least one attack with an Energy cost. The cheapest on this card asks 4 Energy.

Cards whose cheapest attack costs 4 typically have 157 HP and print 111 damage.

Cheapest attack cost — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
0	1.8%	304 cards
1	54.4%	9,392 cards
2	26.4%	4,565 cards
3	14.7%	2,533 cards
4 — this card	2.4%	421 cards
5	0.3%	47 cards

Retreat cost — where this card sits

05.3%914 cards

149.3%8,503 cards

228.6%4,926 cards

312.6%2,168 cards

4 — this card4.2%729 cards

17,240 cards carry a retreat cost. This one costs 4 Energy to retreat.

Cards with a retreat cost of 4 typically have 175 HP and print 121 damage.

Retreat cost — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
0	5.3%	914 cards
1	49.3%	8,503 cards
2	28.6%	4,926 cards
3	12.6%	2,168 cards
4 — this card	4.2%	729 cards

No. 470of 5,102

That is where Melmetal SM181 stands highest on HP — number 470 of 5,102 cards in Stage 1 cards. Cut the archive a different way and the answer moves, which is what the bars below are for.

Every card in the archive — 20,444 cards No. 3,166 of 17,290 by HP · No. 1,796 of 16,246 by damage · top by HP: Mega Emboar ex, 380

top 11% on damage
Metal cards — 925 cards No. 259 of 924 by HP · No. 166 of 903 by damage · top by HP: Copperajah VMAX, 340

top 18% on damage
Stage 1 cards — 5,102 cards No. 470 of 5,102 by HP · No. 400 of 4,958 by damage · top by HP: Wailord ex, 380

top 8% on damage
SM Black Star Promos — 251 cards No. 89 of 247 by HP · No. 57 of 238 by damage · top by HP: Moltres & Zapdos & Articuno-GX, 300

top 24% on damage

Each bar is how far up this card sits when the archive is cut a different way. The bar is its place on HP; the tick is its place on printed damage. Counted from the card files this site reads, read July 28, 2026.

Hit points 150 HP~~middle half 60–130 HP~~
this card 150
Top printed damage 130 damage~~middle half 20–90 damage~~
this card 130

Lowest to highest printed in the archive
Middle half of the archive
This card

Each row is stretched from the lowest printed figure to the highest, so the two rows are not on one shared scale — read each row on its own.

Read from the card files this site reads, July 28, 2026. The archive tops out at 380 HP and 350 printed damage.

Cards printed as Stage 1

5,102 on record

Cards in the same HP band

2,679 of 17,290 (15.5%)

Cards with this much printed damage

1,461 of 16,246 (9.0%)

Counted from the card files this site reads, one card at a time.

Open the group this card falls into

Back to summary

What Melmetal SM181 does without attacking

Melmetal SM181 carries 1 printed effect that work outside the attack step, so it can matter on a turn the card never attacks.

Printed effects

Capped at once a turn

1 of 1

Read from the printed text quoted below, not counted anywhere else.

Metal Eater — Ability · once a turn

Once during your turn (before your attack), you may discard a Metal Pokémon from your hand. If you do, heal 100 damage from this Pokémon.

Quoted from the card face. The label after the dash is how the card itself names the effect.

Why this sits apart from the attacks

An attack costs Energy and ends your turn. What is printed above does neither — it is available while the card is in play, so it is a different kind of cost to a deck. Attack costs are in the section above.

Metal Eater can only be used once a turn

The words once during your turn are printed in it, which caps it at one use per turn on that one card. Two copies of the card in play are two separate Pokémon, so each carries its own use.

Every card mechanic in the archive

Back to summary

Is Melmetal SM181 efficient for the Energy it asks for?

Printed damage on its own says nothing — a 130 damage attack that needs 4 Energy and one that needs two are different cards. Dividing one by the other puts every attack on the same scale.

Damage per Energy card, across the whole archive

1 Energy9,392 cards49.049 damage typical

2 Energy4,565 cards32.565 damage typical

3 Energy2,533 cards34.7104 damage typical

4 Energy421 cards27.8111 damage typical

5 Energy47 cards41.8209 damage typical

Melmetal SM181 — this card33.0130 damage for 4 Energy

Each bar is what cards asking that much Energy typically print, divided by the Energy they ask for. The number beside the bar is that figure.

Cards whose cheapest attack costs 4 typically return 27.8 damage per Energy card. This card returns 33.

Damage per Energy card, across the whole archive
Group	Share	Value
1 Energy	49.0	49 damage typical
2 Energy	32.5	65 damage typical
3 Energy	34.7	104 damage typical
4 Energy	27.8	111 damage typical
5 Energy	41.8	209 damage typical
Melmetal SM181 — this card	33.0	130 damage for 4 Energy

2501250 damage

012345 Energy

Typical for that Energy cost 6 groupsHeavy Impact 130 / 4

Further right is a costlier attack, further up is a harder-hitting one, so the cheap and heavy corner is top left. The size of a grey dot is how many cards sit at that Energy cost.

Energy cost against printed damage. Each grey dot is what cards asking that much Energy typically print; the coloured dots are the attacks on Melmetal SM181.
Group	Typical printed damage	Damage per Energy card	Cards in this group
Cheapest attack costs 0 Energy	45	—	304
Cheapest attack costs 1 Energy	49	49	9,392
Cheapest attack costs 2 Energy	65	33	4,565
Cheapest attack costs 3 Energy	104	35	2,533
Cheapest attack costs 4 Energy	111	28	421
Cheapest attack costs 5 Energy	209	42	47
Heavy Impact	—	33	—

This card, per Energy card

33 damage

Typical for a 4 Energy attack

27.8 damage

Difference

+5.3 damage

Both figures are damage divided by Energy cost, counted the same way.

Where this sits once the archive is cut by damage instead

The bars above cut the archive by what an attack asks for. Cut the same archive by what an attack prints and the groups come out differently — the damage ranges on record are gathered on one page, which is where a figure like 130 is read as high or low rather than merely large.

Back to summary

What does being a Metal card do for Melmetal SM181?

Type decides two things at once — which cards take double damage from this one, and which cards deal double to it. Both are read from the weakness printed on each group, not from a rule of thumb.

Deals double to this card 1,574 Fire cards carry that type A Fire attack printed at 75 damage is enough to remove this card in one turn.

Melmetal SM181 · Stage 1 150 HP Its hardest attack is printed at 130 damage.

Takes double from this card 237 cards in groups that print a Metal weakness Against Fairy, printed damage from this card counts double.

How the archive splits by energy type

Psychicmost often weak to Psychic13.5%2,335 cards

Watermost often weak to Lightning14.1%2,435 cards

Colorlessmost often weak to Fighting12.6%2,173 cards

Firemost often weak to Water9.1%1,574 cards

Fightingmost often weak to Grass10.9%1,884 cards

Lightningmost often weak to Fighting8.8%1,520 cards

Grassmost often weak to Fire13.8%2,387 cards

Metal — this cardmost often weak to Fire5.4%925 cards

Darknessmost often weak to Fighting7.2%1,249 cards

Dragonmost often weak to Fairy3.1%530 cards

Fairymost often weak to Metal1.4%237 cards

17,249 cards carry an energy type. The note under each name is the weakness printed most often on that group.

How the archive splits by energy type
Group	Share	Value
Psychic	13.5%	2,335 cards
Water	14.1%	2,435 cards
Colorless	12.6%	2,173 cards
Fire	9.1%	1,574 cards
Fighting	10.9%	1,884 cards
Lightning	8.8%	1,520 cards
Grass	13.8%	2,387 cards
Metal — this card	5.4%	925 cards
Darkness	7.2%	1,249 cards
Dragon	3.1%	530 cards
Fairy	1.4%	237 cards

Metalweak to Fire

Fairyweak to Metal

Read from the weakness printed on each group. The first row is this card; the rest are groups that most often print a Metal weakness.

What being a Metal card is worth

Groups that most often print a Metal weakness: Fairy (237 cards). Against those, this card's printed damage counts double. Going the other way, Metal cards are themselves most exposed to Fire.

Every energy type in the archive

Back to summary

What knocks out Melmetal SM181 in one hit, and what does it knock out?

Weakness doubles the damage a Fire attack deals to this card, so the bar it has to clear is 75 printed damage rather than 150.

Cards that remove it in one attack

599

Cards it removes in one attack

958

Fire damage needed to knock it out

Counted across the whole card archive. 150 HP against a Fire weakness at ×2 decides all three figures.

Removes it in one attackBraixenChaos Rising 1280 damage

×2Fire weakness · 75 printed damage is enough
80 damage becomes 160 against this card

This cardMelmetal SM181SM Black Star Promos SM181150 HP

Why this card was picked to stand opposite

Of the 593 cards in the archive that can remove Melmetal SM181 in a single attack, this one clears the bar by the smallest margin — 80 printed damage against a bar of 75. Anything printed higher removes it just as surely, so this is where the line actually sits, and this print is legal in Standard play today.

Melmetalweak to Fire ×2

Melmetalresists Psychic -20

Read from the two boxes in the lower-left corner of the card — weakness multiplies incoming damage, resistance subtracts from it.

What the Psychic resistance changes

Damage from Psychic attacks is reduced before it is applied, so an attack printed high enough to knock this card out on paper may not do it. Resistance is a flat subtraction, not a multiplier — it does not scale with the attack.

Fire cards that remove Melmetal in one attack
Card	Set	HP	Printed damage	After weakness
Charizard ex (183)	151	330	330	660
Charizard ex (199)	151	330	330	660
Charizard ex (161)	Scarlet & Violet Black Star Promos	330	330	660
Mega Emboar ex (31)	Ascended Heroes	380	320	640
Mega Emboar ex (273)	Ascended Heroes	380	320	640
Charizard VSTAR (19)	Crown Zenith	280	320	640

150 HP against a Fire ×2 weakness means any Fire attack printed at 75 damage or more is enough. 599 cards in the archive clear that bar.

Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX 130 — Unbroken Bonds

260 HP Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX [130]

Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX 204 — Unbroken Bonds

260 HP Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX [204]

Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX 205 — Unbroken Bonds

260 HP Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX [205]

Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX 225 — Unbroken Bonds

260 HP Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX [225]

260 HP Clefable ex [82]

260 HP Mawile VSTAR [71]

Cards this one removes in a single attack

958 cards in the archive are weak to Metal and sit inside the damage this card can deal. Point at a card to see it full size.Tap a card to open its page.

Back to summary

What is Melmetal as a Pokémon, across every card it has been printed on?

Melmetal SM181 is one print of Melmetal. The figures below are about the Pokémon rather than this single card — how many times it has been printed, how tough those prints run, and how many of them can still be played.

Melmetal has been printed 21 times, and the printed numbers move from one print to the next. Point at a card to see it full size.Tap a card to open its page.

The three toughest Melmetal cards ever printedPokédex #809Prints on record 21Toughest print 330 HPThis card 150 HP

21prints

Legal in Standard10Older prints, not in Standard11

Every Melmetal print on record, split by whether it can still be entered in Standard play.

Legality is read from the print rather than from the Pokémon, so an older copy of the same Pokémon is a different card for tournament purposes.

The toughest Melmetal printed is 330 HP, and this card is 45.5% of it

Bars are printed HP, measured against the record for this Pokémon

Melmetal VMAX 080/078the toughest Melmetal ever printedPokemon GO330 HP
Melmetal SM181against that record45.5% of the record150 HP

Read from the printed card face of every Melmetal print on record. Printed HP does not change after a card is issued.

Back to summary

What has to be in play before Melmetal SM181 can be?

Melmetal evolves from Meltan, so the whole line has to be built before this card reaches the field.

The Melmetal line, oldest stage first

Meltan6 prints on record · SM Promos

+80 HP · +200 damage

Melmetal6 prints on record · SM - Unbroken Bonds

Meltan → Melmetal

This card cannot be played from your hand onto an empty spot — it goes on top of Meltan.
The line runs 2 stages, so the first card has to be in play 1 turn before this one can be.

1MeltanHardest attack printed at this stage: 50 damage80 HP
2MelmetalHardest attack printed at this stage: 250 damage. Evolving here adds 80 HP over the stage before it160 HP

Bars are the highest HP ever printed on that stage, measured against the top of this line (160 HP). The note beside each bar is the hardest attack printed at that stage.

Every print of a stage is counted, not just the one shown in the chain above, so the bar is the ceiling that stage has reached rather than one card from it.

Back to summary

Is this the strongest Melmetal print, and can the older ones still be played?

21 prints carry this name in the archive, and 18 of them are laid out below. They share a Pokémon but not a card — printed HP, printed damage and tournament legality all move from one print to the next.

Bar height and the number above each bar = highest HP that year; the two digits below = the year.

Rows run from the toughest print down. Bars are printed HP, measured against the toughest print of this name shown here (330 HP), and the highlighted row is the card this page is about.

18 rows are shown of the 21 prints counted under this name.

Melmetal prints — can each one still be played?
Print	Set	Regulation mark	Standard
Melmetal VMAX 080/078	Pokemon GO	Mark F	Legal in Standard
Melmetal VMAX 048/078	Pokemon GO	Mark F	Legal in Standard
Melmetal ex 153/197	SV03: Obsidian Flames	Mark G	Legal in Standard
Melmetal ex 105/142	Jumbo Cards	Mark H	Legal in Standard
Lucario & Melmetal-GX 224/214	SM - Unbroken Bonds	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Lucario & Melmetal-GX SM192	SM Promos	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Lucario & Melmetal-GX 203/214	SM - Unbroken Bonds	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Lucario & Melmetal-GX 120/214	SM - Unbroken Bonds	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Melmetal V 075/078	Pokemon GO	Mark F	Legal in Standard
Melmetal V SWSH224	SWSH: Sword & Shield Promo Cards	Mark F	Legal in Standard
Melmetal V 047/078	Pokemon GO	Mark F	Legal in Standard
Melmetal 104/142	Miscellaneous Cards & Products	Mark H	Legal in Standard
Melmetal 046/078	Pokemon GO	Mark F	Legal in Standard
Melmetal 117/162	SV05: Temporal Forces	Mark H	Legal in Standard
Melmetal SM181	SM Promos	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Melmetal 129/214	Miscellaneous Cards & Products	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Melmetal 130/189	SWSH03: Darkness Ablaze	Mark D	Not legal in Standard
Melmetal 189/264	SWSH08: Fusion Strike	Mark E	Not legal in Standard

10 of the 18 prints listed here are legal in Standard play. An older print of the same Pokémon is a different card for legality, because legality is read from the print rather than from the name — so owning the cheap old copy does not always mean you can enter with it.

Back to summary

What can you use instead of Melmetal SM181?

Every card below asks a deck for the same kind of slot, so the comparison is between what they print, not what they cost.

Cards that fill the same slot as Melmetal SM181
Card	Set	HP	Top damage	Retreat
Scizor ex	Unseen Forces	120	50	1
Steelix	HS—Unleashed	140	100	4
Steelix	Neo Genesis	110	30	4
Galarian Perrserker	SWSH Black Star Promos	120	70	2
Steelix	Paradox Rift	180	180	4
Revavroom	Scarlet & Violet Black Star Promos	140	90	2

This card itself is 150 HP, 130 top damage and 4 retreat, and every card here is Metal like it.

Back to summary

Every card below carries the same Pokédex number as this one, so they are the same Pokémon printed as different cards — different stages, different mechanics and different names all sit in this group.

Back to summary

What was printed next to Melmetal SM181 in SM Black Star Promos?

A card is met inside a set, not on its own, and the number on it is the order that set gave it. The cards either side are the ones a collector actually turns past to reach this one.

160 Eevee-GX [SM175]

160 Eevee-GX [SM176]

60 Meltan [SM177]

Melmetal-GX SM178 — SM Black Star Promos

220 Melmetal-GX [SM178]

120 Volcanion [SM179]

120 Stakataka [SM180]

100 Persian [SM182]

70 Pikachu [SM183]

50 Eevee [SM184]

150 Typhlosion [SM185]

110 Flareon [SM186]

Alolan Marowak-GX SM187 — SM Black Star Promos

200 Alolan Marowak-GX [SM187]

Cards printed either side of this one

These are the cards numbered either side of #SM181 in SM Black Star Promos. The badge on each card is its printed HP. Point at a card to see it full size.Tap a card to open its page.

Back to summary

Which rules apply to Melmetal SM181, and where can it be played?

Two kinds of rule meet on one card — the sentence printed on the card face, and the rulebook clauses that apply because of what the card carries.

Rulebook clauses that apply to Melmetal SM181
Clause	What the rulebook says	Cards it applies to	Share of the archive
Weakness	Some Pokemon have Weakness or Resistance to Pokemon of certain types, marked in the lower-left corner of the card.	16,744 cards	81.9%
Retreat	Retreat your Active Pokemon (only once per turn).	17,244 cards	84.3%
Energy per turn	You can attach Energy just once each turn!	17,180 cards	84.0%

Counted across 20,444 English cards. A clause applies to this card because the card carries the property the clause names, not because we judged it to.

Melmetal SM181 — tournament formats
Format	Status	What that means
Standard	Not listed	This card is not listed for this format
Expanded	Legal	Can be played in this format
Unlimited	Legal	Can be played in this format

Read from the format list recorded with the card. Formats rotate on a schedule set by the organiser, and that schedule is not published on this page.

Where this card can be played

This card is legal in Unlimited and Expanded play. It was released on February 3, 2017.

Back to summary

Melmetal SM181 in depth — what these figures add up to

Three readings of the same card, side by side: what it costs to get going, where it sits among the cards it will be compared with, and what takes it off the field.

What it asks a deck for

Its hardest attack, Heavy Impact, needs 4 Energy attached. Energy attaches once a turn, so that attack waits 4 turns from an empty card.
That works out at 33 damage for every Energy card attached.
Moving it out of the active spot costs 4 more Energy, discarded from the card itself.
It cannot start the game in play — Meltan has to be on the field first.

Where its HP stands, cut four ways

Every card in the archiveNo. 3,166 of 17,290

Metal cardsNo. 259 of 924

Stage 1 cardsNo. 470 of 5,102

SM Black Star PromosNo. 89 of 247

What actually removes it

A Fire attack printed at 75 damage removes it in a single turn — that is the bar, not its 150 HP.
599 cards in the archive clear that bar.
Going the other way, it removes 958 cards in one attack.
Damage from Psychic attacks is reduced before it is applied, so an attack that clears the bar on paper may still fall short.

Back to summary

Melmetal SM181 card record

Melmetal SM181 — the printed record, field by field
Hit points	150 HP	Type	Metal
Weakness	Fire ×2	Retreat cost	4 Energy
Evolves from	Meltan	Card type	Stage 1
Pokédex number	#809	Set	SM Black Star Promos
Card number	SM181 of 248	Series	Sun & Moon
Released	February 3, 2017	Rarity	Promo
Illustrator	TOKIYA
Tournament legality	Unlimited and Expanded only

Read from the printed card face, the set listing and the official format list.

Back to summary

What does Melmetal SM181 cost?

This page is about what the card does. The figure below is the one number worth carrying across, read on August 14, 2026.

Market price today

$124.99

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August 14, 2026

One figure only — the price record, the daily chart and the marketplaces live on the price page.

Melmetal SM181 priceOne year of daily prices, every print variant, and where to buy it.Open the price page

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Melmetal SM181 — frequently asked questions

How much damage does it take to knock out Melmetal SM181?

Melmetal SM181 has 150 HP and a Fire weakness at ×2, so a Fire attack printed at 75 damage or more removes it in one turn. Any other type has to print the full 150.

What is the strongest attack on Melmetal SM181?

Heavy Impact, printed at 130 damage for 4 Energy — 33 damage per Energy card.

What is the retreat cost of Melmetal SM181?

4 Energy, discarded from this card to move it out of the active spot. Retreating is allowed once per turn.

How often can you use Metal Eater?

Once during your turn. The limit is printed in the ability itself, and it is counted per Pokémon — a second copy of Melmetal in play carries its own use.

Can an older Melmetal print be played in a tournament?

Legality is read from the print, not from the Pokémon. Of the 18 prints listed on this page, 10 are legal in Standard play. The rest can still be played in formats that accept them, and the table on this page names the regulation mark each print carries.

What does Melmetal evolve from?

Meltan. It cannot be played straight from your hand onto an empty spot — the earlier stage has to be in play first.

Can Melmetal SM181 be played in a tournament?

It is legal in Unlimited and Expanded play. Standard events run on a rotating list of sets, so check the current rotation before entering one.

Does this page say how good Melmetal SM181 is in a deck?

No. Every figure here is read from the printed card. Deck lists, tournament results and win rates are not published on this site, because the card files it reads do not contain them.

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Where these card facts come from

Card facts are read once from openly published card files and do not change between readings — a printed card cannot gain HP. The places below are where the same information can be checked. Last updated: July 28, 2026 — the counts and rankings on this page were taken from the card files read on that day.

Primary official source

First-party official sources — the body that issues the data itself, such as a government agency, a statutory register or a rights holder publishing its own records.

The Pokémon Company International — official rules, tournament format and rotation announcements www.pokemon.com

Industry source

Second-party sources — marketplaces, trade associations, research institutes and companies that compile data about the market.

Pokémon TCG Data — openly published card files (card text, HP, attacks, weakness, retreat cost, illustrator credits) github.com

TCGdex card database — openly licensed card files (set membership and card numbering) github.com

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Melmetal SM181 — what does this card actually do?

What does Melmetal SM181 do in a game?

Melmetal SM181 performance summary

What it can do

Where it stands

Melmetal SM181 at a glance

What do the attacks on Melmetal SM181 cost, and what do they hit for?

How does Melmetal SM181 compare with every other card?

What Melmetal SM181 does without attacking

Is Melmetal SM181 efficient for the Energy it asks for?

What does being a Metal card do for Melmetal SM181?

What knocks out Melmetal SM181 in one hit, and what does it knock out?

What is Melmetal as a Pokémon, across every card it has been printed on?

What has to be in play before Melmetal SM181 can be?

Is this the strongest Melmetal print, and can the older ones still be played?

What can you use instead of Melmetal SM181?

Which other cards share the Pokémon behind Melmetal SM181?

What was printed next to Melmetal SM181 in SM Black Star Promos?

Which rules apply to Melmetal SM181, and where can it be played?

Melmetal SM181 in depth — what these figures add up to

What it asks a deck for

Where its HP stands, cut four ways

What actually removes it

Melmetal SM181 card record

What does Melmetal SM181 cost?

Melmetal SM181 — frequently asked questions

How much damage does it take to knock out Melmetal SM181?

What is the strongest attack on Melmetal SM181?

What is the retreat cost of Melmetal SM181?

How often can you use Metal Eater?

Can an older Melmetal print be played in a tournament?

What does Melmetal evolve from?

Can Melmetal SM181 be played in a tournament?

Does this page say how good Melmetal SM181 is in a deck?

Where these card facts come from

Before you rely on these figures

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