Attack on Anaheim — Four Standard Decks That Rise to the Top with Sun and Moon

By: Zander Bennett · Posted Jan 30, 2017 at 5:53 PM · 0 Comments

Hello readers! Zander Bennett here once again. Today we’re going to be looking over four plays that stay alive with Sun and Moon coming out! This set as a whole is phenomenal, and there are a lot of new cards to mess around with. However, it is important to not forget the cards that are proven to be powerful when we look forward. Obviously, the main change going into Sun and Moon is the new Pokemon-GX mechanic, which rival Pokemon-EX for the two-Prize attacker slot. With a lot of the Pokemon-GX (Umbreon-GX, Espeon-GX, Gumshoos-GX, Decidueye-GX, Lurantis-GX, etc.) all seeming good, it’s going to be important to have decks that can reliably and consistently Knock Out these new Pokemon. So, today, we’ll look at four decks that I expect to remain viable with Sun and Moon’s release!

It’s funny, since my first article was four Expanded plays, my second article was two Expanded and two Standard plays, and now here we are talking about four Standard plays. It’s not important but personally I found this funny. Now, let’s cut right to the chase. You basically always prefer to one shot Pokemon in this metagame. Pokemon are so powerful that if they get the chance to live for the turn, it largely impacts the board state as a whole.

Volcanion

Since its release, I’ve enjoyed Volcanion. Though it is a rather linear deck, I will admit, I definitely feel like there is some skill and differentiation between lists. Even if the strategy is mostly the same for what the deck is doing, there are many differences in lists. When Dalen Dockery and I played this list for Orlando, we ran four [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], two [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], while other lists were running [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Scorched Earth” set=”Fates Collide” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], or heavy Item draw counts such as [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s a spacious deck where you are able to choose the direction you want to take. For this version, I’m running a consistent, simple list to take into the volatile future metagame.

[decklist name=”PRC-SM Volcanion” amt=”60″ caption=”Still as consistent as ever.” cname=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”14″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Primal Clash” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”XY” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

This list is simple, and that’s okay. These are the lists that I would play if I was going to Anaheim, and one of my biggest mantras is the notion of wanting all of my cards to do something in every matchup. I never want to sit on dead cards. The trick to doing well at Regionals, and I swear by this, is only to have the most necessary of techs in your deck, techs that change matchups from atrocious to absolutely amazing, and if it isn’t that good, then don’t run it and grind the matchup till you have a gameplan.

Here are the big changes for this deck going into Sun and Moon.

One Entei and One Parallel City

[cardimg name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”14″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card] is the closest thing to a tech that this list runs, but at this point it might even be a staple. There are two main reasons to run Entei, both of which are to completely flip certain matchups.

The first is that Entei is a two-Energy attacker that kills [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. With most players only being able to get out only one Garbodor, Entei is your most efficient answer to kill it without wasting resources (by that I mean another Energy, or an Energy and an extra Prize card). Entei is also good against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], a matchup that is awful, and gives you an answer to one of their attackers, which is enough to make it so a [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] can come through and clean up shop in combination with [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card].

Speaking of Parallel City, I still think it is one of the most important cards in any bulky Pokemon-EX deck in the format. Both sides offer many strengths, the blue side (as just mentioned) can put M Rayquaza-EX or [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] on the back foot, and can also discard extra Energy on Turbo Dark’s board since they commonly spread their Energy amongst multiple Benched Pokemon.

Four Max Elixir

Though four [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] is nothing new to most Volcanion lists, since it is one of the big differences between my last list and this list, I find it necessary to describe why we made this change.

[card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] were in this list with one matchup in mind, [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. The math, which Dalen covered, was that they would eventually have to attack into Bursting Balloon and take the 60, and then you could Volcanic Heat for 130 and Faded Town for 20, putting them at exactly 210. This was helpful but took time to set up. Once they got two Mega Mewtwo out, along with Garbodor, they would win. I went 1-1 against Volcanion at Orlando Regionals but luckily M Mewtwo-EX / Garbodor isn’t the main issue anymore. In the new format Yveltal / Garbodor will drop in popularity due to [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] not being able to snipe Pokemon-GX. Yveltal / Garbodor was once a large threat but it is falling in popularity.

While we are on this topic let’s look at a few more noteworthy interactions Pokemon-GX have.

You can [card name=”Wally” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC27″ c=”name”][/card] into a Pokemon-GX.
Resistance Blizzard ([card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack) does not block Pokemon-GX’s attacks.
Safeguard ([card name=”Sigilyph” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Carbink” set=”Fates Collide” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card]) does not stop Pokemon-GX.
Pokemon-GX do not factor into the damage calculation for [card name=”Salamence-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY170″ c=”name”][/card]’s Beast Fang attack.
[card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] cannot search for Pokemon-GX off of Scoundrel Ring.

Two Escape Rope, Two Float Stone, and One Olympia

With Fright Night [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] dropping in popularity, lists should definitely be running two [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] if they previously cut down to one in exchange for another switching method. This plethora of switching cards gives you the highest chances of attacking with a [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] turn one, as well as enough options to reset Volcanic Heat for when you can’t hit [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card].

Volcanion has been kind of on the back foot recently in this metagame, with multiple top decks having seemingly positive matchups versus Volcanion, but the metagame changes coming into Sun and Moon. [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], one of the best decks coming into this metagame, gets worse with Lurantis-GX and Decidueye-GX both being beefy Grass types that can easily trade with Greninja. Yveltal, as mentioned, is seeing less and less play and also gets worse with better Dark decks existing (Turbo Dark) or coming out(Umbreon-GX). Though the matchups versus [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] are still not great, you gain easy matchups in the form of Lurantis-GX, Umbreon-GX, and Decidueye-GX. Though it is unknown how viable these decks will be, there is a lot of promise in each of them, and out of the gate Volcanion takes free wins on each of them.

[premium]

Vileplume / Walls

We’re a quarter of the way there, and now it’s time for another deck. Taking a different approach, going from hyper offense to slow lockdown, I feel like [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] is highly underrated in Standard. The deck got second at Orlando, and still continues to do well, yet nobody seems to still talk about its power! Here it is, with some changes to go into the Pokemon-GX metagame.

[decklist name=”PlumeBox” amt=”60″ caption=”A good defense is the best offense” cname=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″][pokemon amt=”20″]2x [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gloom” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”2″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Oddish” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”1″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magearna-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Trevenant-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

2-2-2 Vileplume

I bet you flipped out a little bit when you saw this, and you are well within your right to, reader. If anybody remembers the Nationals and Worlds format, the [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] lists ran a 2-2-2 core, because they would rather draw search for their pieces and not their pieces. The same holds true here.

[cardimg name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Three Acro Bike

Yes, three [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. This is just more Item draw to make sure that you definitely hit the turn one Vileplume lock. Dalen played a 2-2-2 [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and the three Acro Bike at Worlds last year in his [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / Vileplume list, and he swears by those choices. Once you get a Vileplume out and an attacker set up, that’s basically all that you need, so you are never truly going to be stranded on Items only. Being able to see more cards of your deck on the first turn is increasingly important when it comes to getting the turn one Item-lock. This deck loses a lot of its steam if your opponent goes first and you whiff the turn one Item lock. This extra draw is insurance in all matchups. This unusual lineup works because we play a copy of [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card].

One Revitalizer

I didn’t mean for all of these sections to transition well into each other but I guess that is how it should be. [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is a consistent card that allows you to discard [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] pieces and get them back on your turn one. It is an important card in the list and is worth checking to see if it is in your deck instead of the Prizes.

It’s important to note that [card name=”Trevenant-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”name”][/card] are both Grass types and can also be brought back with Revitalizer.

One Trevnant-EX and One Beedrill-EX

I believe these two are the most relevant tech attackers in the deck. [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”name”][/card] makes the Yveltal / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor, and [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor matchups infinitely easier, as you can get rid of Tools on two different [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. You also never waste attachments on a Beedrill-EX since you can [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] it away into an attacker. Meanwhile, [card name=”Trevenant-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to OHKO [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] with one [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] with two Rainbow. These two cards handle a lot of relevant matchups. With [card name=”Magearna-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] covering [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] being a psuedo-Ninja Boy and [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] doing their obvious job, this deck has so many options.

[card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / Walls is an interesting deck in the metagame where it is the hypothetical best deck in format, and what I mean by that is that sometimes the best deck in format is not always the play. Night March, for the entire last season, was the hypothetical best deck in format. The entire metagame revolved around having a solid matchup to it or playing it; it could beat every other deck, even the ones trying to counter it! Vileplume / Walls is in a similar situation where it can beat every deck that it sits across, but it is not overall the most consistent deck, which I think is part of the fear that people have with playing this deck. This particular list is optimized for turn one consistency, and it’s that consistency that gives you the power to set up Vileplume turn one as well as have the board state that you wish to have with this deck (whatever attackers you choose to use in a matchup) to beat whatever is on the other side of the table. It is also a deck with a high skill cap, which commonly scares newer players from playing the deck. If you are willing to take the time and drive out games with a deck, this is one of those decks that allows for players to make highly advantageous gains based on the level of work that they put into the deck, and it one that still has lots of power going into a metagame of Pokemon-GX.

Mega Gardevoir

Continuing onto the third deck, one thing that I have mentioned a lot today is consistency. The strength of Volcanion is in its linear nature, where it executes that one plan to the maximum in every game. [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / Walls is consistent in that once you set up, it takes a lot to go wrong in order for you to lose with this deck. For the next deck, we’ll meld these together in the form of [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]!

[decklist name=”PRC-SM M Gardevoir” amt=”60″ caption=”Did somebody say Zander and Skyfield?” cname=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dragonite-EX” set=”Evolutions” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rattata” set=”Evolutions” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Steam Siege” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Gardevoir Spirit Link” set=”Steam Siege” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]7x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

I think this list is one or two cards off from being 100% perfect. The reason I say one or two cards is that [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] has about 55 slots that are absolute, “You better be running these 55” and then five other slots that differentiate based on the metagame that you are expecting. The deck is consistent enough within that 55 that you have room in the last five to raise counts of certain cards or tech for decks you expect going in. Let’s go over the list.

3-3 Gardevoir, Four Gardevoir Spirit Link

[cardimg name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

To this day, this still throws me off at first glance, but it’s an excellent choice for the deck. In a deck that can so easily get back Pokemon, running a 3-3 gives you space for other stuff, while four [card name=”Gardevoir Spirit Link” set=”Steam Siege” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] makes hitting them easy.

One Rattata, One Hawlucha, One Absol, and One Klefki

This suite of non-EX Pokemon give this deck an indescribable amount of potential. Most of the ideas are commonplace among competitive players, but for players who are newer, I still find it important to explain these cards, as they give the deck a whole other dimension.

[card name=”Rattata” set=”Evolutions” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is in the list as an answer to [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card]. Getting rid of [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to one shot Pokemon-EX that would need to be 2HKO’d without it, so you use its Ability, discard the Fighting Fury Belt, and then discard all of your Bench except your other [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] that you have in play, Knocking Out their Pokemon. Getting rid of opposing Klefki, which is mainly seen in the [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, means that you don’t have to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] around it and you get rid of their attacker and their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card].

[card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Steam Siege” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is also helpful against Klefki because of situations where you can’t discard the Tool. It also offers high utility in being able to cycle away opposing Fright Night [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], so that you can Mega Evolve your [card name=”Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] without ending your turn, as well as being a key part of the mirror match.

In the mirror, you always need to have a non-EX on your board that you can send up whenever they [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] or play down their own [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Steam Siege” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. This is essential so that they can not get free attacks on your Pokemon-EX, plus taking an odd number of Prizes doesn’t matter when the main attackers are Pokemon-EX. Hawlucha also is helpful in the [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] matchup; when they start [card name=”Talonflame” set=”Steam Siege” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card], you can effectively bring up their [card name=”Froakie” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] with Hawlucha and either kill it or let it sit Active. In fact, side note, one of the best things that you can do in the Greninja matchup, playing any deck is [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] the Froakie turn one if they start Talonflame / Froakie. This matters because Aero Blitz is their form of consistency, and being able to nullify that option, or force them to waste an attachment to retreat Froakie can make their hand suboptimal.

[card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is not just a direct tech for [card name=”Gyarados” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY60″ c=”name”][/card], even though it does make that matchup super free, it’s also a great tech for the mirror and Turbo Dark. In the mirror, you are going to always two shot the first [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], so that’s 220 damage on a Pokemon with 210 HP, so that’s 10 damage leftover. If you discard two extra Pokemon, it’s 240 damage, 30 leftover to move to another Mega Gardevoir, which will then have 190 on it and can indeed be one shot by a Mega Gardevoir if you are willing to discard your whole Bench. Absol in the Turbo Dark matchup lets you soften up a [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] so that you can OHKO it, as Resistance is normally an issue in that matchup. It’s a solid card that can be cut, since it’s almost a “win harder” card, but I feel like under the current metagame, the card is worth keeping.

And lastly, [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] is the newest of techs entering Gardevoir lists, which at a first glance seems extremely weird. Not only are we playing a 3-3 [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] line with four Spirit Link but against Mega Pokemon we are willing to attach Klefki, Mega Evolve, and essentially pass? Yes! Klefki hilariously swings the [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] matchup and makes the mirror better than it already is. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is not a deck that runs Rattata, and so Mega Evolve Klefki pass works wonders, because your one copy of Klefki is not just one turn of no damage, but then you have [card name=”Dragonite-EX” set=”Evolutions” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] for options of getting the Klefki back out. At that point, you just try and chain consistent value with Klefki, and that is your only real true goal. Against the Rayquaza lists running [card name=”Magearna-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], it’s important not to get carried away and have no Bench since Magearna-EX can attack you, getting around Klefki since it isn’t a Mega. In the mirror, the Klefki isn’t good the first time you Mega Evolve and pass, because they can [card name=”Rattata” set=”Evolutions” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] it on the first turn, but on your second turn you can [card name=”Dragonite-EX” set=”Evolutions” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] for it back and [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] so that they are unable to discard it.

These four techs are the main sense of diversity that the deck needs to get ahead, otherwise it’s just a powerful Mega deck that can take consistent 2HKOs and occasional OHKOs.

One Parallel City

[cardimg name=”Fairy Drop” set=”Fates Collide” no=”99″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Dropped from the deck.[/cardimg]

I know that I have referred to this card many times before as “the best Stadium in Standard” and I still stand by that. I went through all of the reasons to run this card earlier in the Volcanion section, and they all still apply here. More outs to [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], lower the damage of [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], Decidueye-GX, and Lurantis-GX, hurt the set up of the mirror… overall the card is just phenomenal.

Zero Fairy Drop

The [card name=”Fairy Drop” set=”Fates Collide” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] were only truly in the deck for Yveltal. With the current best Dark deck being Turbo Dark, these cards are relatively easy cuts. They are nice to have against [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and Decidueye-GX, they just aren’t changing your other matchups. Turbo Dark will always 2HKO you, no matter whether or not you Fairy Drop, Volcanion can Steam Up till they kill you, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] just one shots you, they are dead cards in a majority of your matchups now and I cut them for the sake of making room for other tech cards.

I feel like going into Anaheim Regionals [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] will be a safe play. The deck has enough space in the list to be able to answer whatever decks you’d like to without hurting its consistency. Looking towards Sun and Moon decks, Gardevoir will have a great Umbreon-GX matchup (Umbreon isn’t doing much especially when you resist them, plus you can 2HKO them), a good Decidueye-GX matchup (you can just discard any Pokemon with too much excess damage on it, and a good Passimian matchup (for the same reason, plus you can always one shot their attackers).

Mega Rayquaza

Last, but not least, with Roaring Skies‘s redistribution, we get to revisit [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]! This deck has not been one that I favored but as of recently the list has changed some and I think that its consistency has increased to the level that it needs to be to do well going into Sun and Moon.

[decklist name=”PRC-SM Mega Rayquaza” amt=”60″ caption=”Emerald Break, now that’s an attack I haven’t heard in a long time.” cname=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragonite-EX” set=”Evolutions” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Giratina XY Promo[/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

This list is similar to the one that Dalen and I made for my buddy Nate Upton to play at Georgia Regionals – he finished 5-2-2 and said the list worked well for him. Let’s look at some of the unusual stuff.

One Jolteon-EX, One Beedrill-EX, and One Giratina Promo

These one-of techs fit a similar bill as the ones from [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck has enough room to merit its own tech space, and having these helps certain matchups a lot.

[card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] may seem like it’s just for Yveltal and Turbo Dark, and that’s basically correct. Jolteon is a Basic that has free Retreat and can be searched off of [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card], and having a free retreater is never bad. If Jolteon’s attacks were bad, I’d run it just for its Retreat Cost, but Flash Ray is good and gives our Basic Energy a purpose, which is definitely nice. It doesn’t do much against many of the Pokemon-GX of the next set (it does, notably, wall Tauros-GX), but it is overall a solid card to deal with decks from this format if you need to. You don’t see a deck that runs all Basics and go, “Oh! They only run Basics, I should attack with Jolteon-EX.” This deck isn’t one that can rely on just attacking with Jolteon, it’s a [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] deck, you’d always rather be OHKOing their attackers.

Giratina Promo is simply for [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. Looking forward, Greninja gains some bad matchups in the form of Lurantis-GX and Decidueye-GX, but the deck is still a powerhouse! The deck was a big target at Gerogia Regionals, with the three decks being in Top 8 at Georgia (Rayquaza, [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], and Turbo Dark) all being ones with positive matchups versus Greninja. I don’t think that these decks making Top 8 will harm the playability of Greninja whatsoever, and so I still feel like teching for the matchup is worthwhile.

[cardimg name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Finally, [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”name”][/card]. We came up with the tech on the way home from a League Cup the week before, and honestly the card is crazy good in this deck. First off, it is a Pokemon-EX that can be searched for off of Hoopa-EX, which makes it easy to find in matchups where you need it (being anything with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] essentially).

The trick with Beedrill-EX is to save it until they hit you with the [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] combo, which used to be a nightmare for this deck. However, Beedrill changes that. If they hit you with the three card combo, retreat, attach to Beedrill-EX and discard the Tool on Garbodor. Most of the time after they hit you with a Parallel / Garbodor / N combo, they can’t Knock Out your Beedrill-EX immediately. When it survives, you then retreat your Beedrill and, now that you can use [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] again, hopefully re-establish your board so that you can take a Knock Out on their Active. This puts them in an interesting spot.

If they kill your attacker and attach a Tool to Garbodor, you can use [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”name”][/card] to discard that Tool so that you can power up another Mega Rayquaza and go to town. If they [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] Beedrill-EX and KO it, you can [card name=”Dragonite-EX” set=”Evolutions” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] for Beedrill back or just attack and KO their attacker. It puts your opponent in a weird predicament that is hard for them to get out of.

Using Beedrill before they hit you with the three card combo means that they can kill your Beedrill-EX and attach a Tool to the Garbodor, then [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] you and you’ve done nothing but allow them to thin out a card. Using Beedrill too late in the game is a last ditch effort and commonly doesn’t do much to allow you to get back in the game. The trick is to find the opportune time to do it, and this will come with testing against [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] matchups. Certain decks may replace their Garbodor with Alolan Muk, and this could become an issue, but I don’t expect many Alolan Muk to be played while Garbodor is legal.

Brock’s Grit over Karen

Obviously this deck has a dismal matchup versus [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], a deck that gets neither better or worse going into the Sun and Moon metagame, and you would think that [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] would help this matchup a lot but in all reality, you shuffle back their [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] that they have used and allow them to use them again. The thought is there, but it doesn’t change the matchup at all, it is still bad for you. [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] will get you all the Pokemon that you need and also has the ability to get back Basic Energy, which matters as the deck doesn’t run a whole lot of them.

The nice thing about [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] going forward is that you never need to be worried about whether or not you are going to one shot something, you will commonly be doing 210 through 240 which is all that you need to do in the majority of your matchups. Even Decidueye-GX, the bulkiest Pokemon that matters in Standard (sorry [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card]) has 240 HP and gets KO’d by a full Bench Emerald Break. The problem that Mega Ray has is decks that try and stop you from doing what you want to do (lock decks, mainly involving [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]), and [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”name”][/card] helps with that a lot. It’s a solid contender going into Regionals, as you have a fighting chance against basically everything.

Conclusion

Well, that’s a wrap, I hope that this helped you out looking forward to Anaheim. The Sun and Moon set is great, and I encourage you to try out the new cards from it, but it is important not to forget cards from this generation, as they are still solid and have proved to be a success in this field. If you have any questions, feel free to ask either in the comments or over Facebook.

~Zander Bennett

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