Trash-Be-Gone — Different Perspectives With the New Garbodor
Hey everyone, hope you’re enjoying your time here on the ‘Beach. Thanks for heading over to my corner of the sand again, because I’ve got something new and pretty revolutionary to talk to you about today! There’s this new card that came out in the new set that turns the game as we know it on its head! That new piece of cardboard is a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], not the one we’re all so used to that stops Abilities, but something with an attack so unique, that it has the potential to change deck building as we know it. I won’t spoil the fun for you in my introduction, but if you bear with me for just a couple more seconds, we’ll be jumping right into my rundown on this new card, before we chat about how to combat it. This deck won’t be defeated that easily, though, and I have many different builds of the deck to show off. All right, off to the water, get off your towel, follow along, and come with me, let’s go PokeBeach followers!
Garbodor: Public Enemy Number One
A Lame Dialogue For Your Reading Pleasure
Ash: “Gross, what’s that smell?!”
Gary: “Well, it’s Garbodor, of course! I’ve been calling the sanitation department for days now, and they haven’t shown up yet.”
Me: “Sorry I’m late, I’ve got a special batch of Poke Balls to take this guy off your hands!”
What’s This Stinky Card Do?
Wow, [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”from”][/card] has only been on the street for a couple of weeks, and he’s already in trouble! How do you deal with him, you say? Well let me tell you, because I’ve been thinking about this predicament a lot. Let’s start off with a simple breakdown of what this card does, and what makes it so darn good, shall we?
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
When writing articles, my superiors generally advise myself, and others, not to spell out a card’s text verbatim, but for today’s purposes, since I’ll be going so deep on just a single card, I’m going to go ahead and break the rules for you. Garbodor clocks in as a Stage 1 Psychic type Pokemon with 120 HP, a Weakness to its own Psychic-type, and a Retreat Cost of three Energy. To start off, it Garb is an above-average sized Stage 1 Pokemon, something suitable of running the role of an attacker within a deck. Additionally, I can’t notice any sizable defects that prevent its playability so far.
Moving onto attacks, Trashalanche is not only an amazing name, but an amazing attack. For a single Psychic Energy, a pretty cost effective attack, might I add, you can drop 20 damage times the number of Item cards your opponent has in his or her discard pile. This is why this card is bonkers, nothing more, nothing less. Now hold on one more second, Garbodor has a pretty stinky second attack, which you’ll probably never use, but I should mention it just for consistency’s sake. Acid Spray swings for 70 damage, and lets you flip a coin in hopes of discarding an Energy from your opponent’s Active Pokemon. Now this would normally be decent, but for a Psychic, and Double Colorless Energy, this probably won’t be seeing much action.
At first sight, maybe you’re skeptical about the strength of Trashalanche. While I wasn’t completely in the dark, I was a bit too, at first, but since then I’ve become terrified of this card, as I’m sure you may have too. Garbodor can either be a main attacker all on its own, or something to be paired alongside another strong attacking Pokemon. Its dominance is certain if we don’t start doing something now, and get prepared to face this new powerhouse.
I love hammering a point home, and in my next section, I’ll be putting numbers down to the non-believers about this card. Before I get to that, though, let me wrap this up with a call to arms. You guys better be ready to think in different ways than ever before with this card now in the mix! Every Item card you play is a damage multiplier, now. A Garbodor can be lurking, waiting for you to just overstep a little too far, and then you’ll be punished for your efforts. Now don’t let me scare you too much, let’s address this problem, together.
Putting Numbers on Item Cards
Using Item card counts from popular decks is a fabulous way to make the math of Trashalanche come to life. To do this, let’s look at some “average” Item counts of some of the most popular decks, currently. These “averages” will be loosely based off the counts I currently have in some of the decks I have built. These decks are some that I think will survive in some way with the release of Guardians Rising, and the obvious changes in the format that come with the new set’s release.
- [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]: 24 Items (six Tools)
- [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]: 15 Items (two Tools)
- [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card]: 23 Items (four Tools)
- [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]: 23 Items (four Tools)
- [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]: 18 Items (two Tools)
So, looking at these numbers, I’m sure you notice that most decks play a lot of Item cards! Not only that, but many of them are Tool cards, which can be removed from play, and into your opponent’s discard pile, of course, by the new [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] card that also dropped in the new set. Basically, if you take an average of the total Item cards from these five decks, for example, you’re looking at around 21 Items in most decks. This said, it’s very reasonable to see at least nine of these being played by an opponent quickly, which will put [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s first attack damage output to 180, just like that.
[cardimg name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I think by this point it’s fairly clear to see that as a competitive player, it’s probably time to either start playing differently around this advent of Garbodor, or changing up deck building itself to retroact Garbodor’s existence. Another option would be to simply ignore it, and while I can’t say for certain how many people will be playing a Garbodor-based deck for upcoming tournaments where Guardians Rising is legal, I can say that I’ve personally seen a ton of hype for this card, and that generally means that it’s being considered by the masses.
Building a Better Tomorrow, Around the Trash
What’s Changing?
One deck has already fallen as a direct result of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], in my opinion. That would be one of my old friends, [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s sad to see such a staple of our 2016 – 2017 season Standard format move onto greener pastures, but Garbodor’s Psychic type and natural dominance should be enough to move Mew’s clone all the way to the back of the pack. In general, anything weak to the Psychic type is sure to fall out of favor just from the release of Garb.
Now to start, let me be clear that I think Garbodor is mostly strong against Pokemon-EX/GX, not non-EX/GX Pokemon, like [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], for example. The non-EX/GX things of the world can effectively trade with Garbodor, one Prize for one Prize, with no downside. Garbodor is obviously a Pokemon that can hit for incredibly high numbers, and therefore things with higher HP will be its forte, if you will.
List, List, List
Since these new [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] archetypes are very new to the game, I’ll be using a list very close to one from Japan, provided by Ross Gilbert, to generalize some of the intricacies of a Standard format Garbodor build. With the set being released so recently, it’s probably a good idea to go over a list before I get too deep into this piece. Let’s do that!
[decklist name=”null” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Fates Collide” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
2-2-3-1 Garbodor Line
Here we have the biggest [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] line you can play, but with a small split of 3-1 in the different Garbodor that are available for play in Standard. Having Garbotoxin as an option with many decks still relying on Abilities is a fantastic option that’s too good to pass up.
Three Wobbuffet
[cardimg name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Here is the biggest difference between the list from Japan, and what I think will be popular over on our side of the globe. With [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] being the centerpiece of the format, one should absolutely be playing at least a single [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck, and it has great synergy with a heavy [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] line, which is the next card I’ll be going over.
Three Tapu Lele-GX
Getting any Supporter from your deck is wonderful, so of course, Wonder Tag is the best part about this card, but Energy Drive is a great attack in this deck as well. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] in the early game can be just a little bit off a Knock Out, and [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is a great finisher, or starter, depending on the order you utilize the two attacks in this combination.
One Tauros-GX
As with many decks, [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] provides a GX attack, as well as a beefcake to put in the Active spot in certain matchups where the opponent cannot take a OHKO on it anytime soon. It’s just another great attacker to complement a deck that relies solely on Garbodor for offense, otherwise.
One Shaymin-EX
While [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] might be “replacing” [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] in many ways, in almost every deck, it’s still a fine idea to play a single copy. You can even get Shaymin with [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Fates Collide” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], another card I’ll chat about in a moment, and start using Sky Return often to set up Knock Outs for later in the game.
Four Professor Sycamore, Three N
Here we’ve got draw Supporters, and since this is a deck that just needs a very basic setup, it’s a good idea to not be extremely adventurous, and stick to the basics of a simple draw Supporter line so you don’t dead draw too often within a match.
Two Lysandre, One Pokemon Fan Club, One Ninja Boy, One Hex Maniac, One Brigette
Welcome to tech city, sort of. Two copies of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] is the industry standard, but the other Supporters in this deck all have a newfound purpose with the addition of [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] to the game. [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Fates Collide” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] can fetch another Tapu Lele, and maybe a Trubbish, or a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and a Trubbish, the possibilities are endless! [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] is clearly to pull off a [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] combo with Mad Bull GX, or Rage, and it also can clear the many Tapu Lele-GX that you’re bound to use. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is for the many decks in the format with Abilities, to lock them down, and Brigette is for a premium catch of Basic Pokemon, when you’re fine with playing them all down on your Bench immediately without the chance of putting them in your hand, like with Pokemon Fan Club.
Four VS Seeker, Four Ultra Ball
Powerhouse Items for you, in the highest count you can play. While I think [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks themselves should keep Item card counts the same, I’ll touch on it later, but these counts might be on their way downwards in other decks, to counteract Garbodor decks.
Four Float Stone, Three Choice Band
Four [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is fantastic for the many pieces of this deck that need to Retreat around, and it’s especially useful since you almost always want [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] in your Active position at the end of your first turn. Three [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] are to shore up numbers with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trashalanche, and it can also come in useful at other times when attacking with other Pokemon. You’re bound to use all three copies in a game, and that’s why they’re included.
Two Rescue Stretcher, Two Field Blower, One Super Rod
Here are the tech Item cards for this deck, and they, too, make a lot of sense. Since the game’s rules limit you to a maximum of four copies of a non-Basic Energy card, one must play [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] to make up for your limited pool of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is a way to add more Items to your opponent’s discard pile, and keep raising the roof on Garbodor’s damage output. [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], just like Stretcher, can get back attackers, but it’s also nice to get back Psychic Energy that have been lost in battle.
Seven Psychic Energy, Four Double Colorless Energy
This is a little on the beefier side of things as far as average Energy counts go, but it’s fantastic to make sure you always have something to attack with at all times. This is an area you can cut into when trying to fit other options into this deck.
[premium]
Playing Differently to Counter Garbodor
Can You Be Vaguer?
[cardimg name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
If I were you, I’d probably be thinking about how I can limit myself from playing so many Items against a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] deck. It’s quite hard to put this into words without talking about playing with specific decks, but I’ll give you a brief overview to start. Let’s start by taking the following situation, for instance:
- Garbodor player can use Trashalanche, but not for very much damage, let’s say 40 in all, before a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] addition
- You have a [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in hand, as well as an [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]
Normally you would use this Mail, almost for sure, to gain extra pieces of your setup, but this time around, I would consider just using the N and leaving the Mail in the deck. This way, Garbodor won’t be hitting for as much damage, and likewise, it will give you more time to “naturally” set up, without the use of Items.
Taking a passive stance, as opposed to a more aggressive one, will pay dividends against any Garbodor deck, and while your deck might be a little slower as a result, you’ll thank yourself for not going off the deep end with Item cards to rush the clock.
Passive Perspective, By the Matchups
Now I know the above was a little vague, as my heading stated, but here I’ll be taking three popular decks and generalizing how those decks should play against [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] builds without being punished too severely. Playing as few Items as possible takes some serious personal practice, but these short walkthroughs should help you get a feel for what you’re trying, or rather, trying not to do. For the purposes of this portion, we’re going to assume the Garbodor player opens with a [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] each time. Let’s go!
Decidueye-GX / Vileplume
Starting off facing a [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card], is annoying, and it will make setting up a slower process. If your opponent’s Pokemon is ever something other than a Wobb, you’re just going to want to go straight for the [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and try to overwhelm your opponent quickly. However, when you know your opponent will have his or her own opportunity to play Item cards, it’s better to just be patient.
You already don’t play too many Items in this deck, so Garbodor naturally has a tougher time against you. Even with this, though, you want to be less aggressive with Item card use. You can afford to just use [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] over and over to draw your [card name=”Oddish” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card], and then slowly evolve them up to their higher evolutions. If the opposing Garbodor deck isn’t playing a different attacker that counters an opponent who isn’t playing many Item cards, it will be painstakingly hard for him or her to do much of anything.
The ultimate goal of your slow process is to set up a hard hitting [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] with Razor Leaf, or [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] with Deep Hurricane so that you can sweep away Garbodor. Since you’re laying off playing excessive Item cards, you’ll be at no threat of being Knocked Out in return. You should be sailing smooth once you set up and are ready to go.
Volcanion
From the onset, this deck is something that doesn’t need to really play that many Item cards to set up, aside from maybe an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] to grab a [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. From there, you can avoid using [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] by choosing to use [card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] instead, and be cautious about playing [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], unless you really have to. You can also hold [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and opt to accelerate Energy strictly from manual attachments, and Power Heater attacks from [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card].
Since the Pokemon in Garbodor decks tend to be on the lower side as far as HP goes, you can efficiently Knock Out most attackers without much headache. Depending on your start, you can even forgo playing Tool cards down and just pass turns after using a Volcanic Heat attack from [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] to take the time to recharge and attack once more on your following turn.
[cardimg name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Starting off against a [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] will slow your damage output out some, but eventually you’ll be taking Knock Outs like there’s no tomorrow. If played right, this matchup can be a lot less taxing, and you can definitely limit yourself from playing oodles of Item cards in this deck. The only problem that can arise is if the Garbodor deck chooses to play a backup attacker, like [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. In that case, you can easily take that two-Prize Pokemon down, and get ahead in the Prize exchange. I’ll go over Drampa-GX a little more later, and talk about how it can bring an even more threatening side to Garb decks.
Yveltal
Like Volcanion, Yveltal decks are another archetype that doesn’t need to play too many Items down to do things against a slower deck. Simply start powering up [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY08″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll need a total of five Energy between you and your opponent to take a OHKO on an attacking [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. To start off the game, you can just use a stream of Y Cyclone to fall any opposing threats.
Provided you’re careful with any Tools you may or may not place, your opponent will find it very difficult to do adequate damage with his or her Trashalanche attacks. Yveltal is probably the simplest deck to pull of the “passive” stance against Garbodor with.
Other attackers to supplement Garbodor will be far more difficult to deal with in this deck. Since your damage output is already limited, things like Drampa-GX will be very hard to Knock Out without playing an excess of Items. Even if you do, you’ll have your back up against the wall once Garbodor comes out and starts swinging. Provided those attackers aren’t played, you’ll be in good shape.
Potential Ideas for Building Differently to Counter Garbodor
Alolan Vulpix
Here’s a cutie that was included in the new set almost as a direct way to counter [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. While I don’t think this card will see too much play in anything other than an [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] deck, I think it’s interesting for sure. Its first attack allows you to search out two Pokemon for no Energy cost, and you can use this to supplement [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] as search for the most needed cards in your deck. You can even forgo the use of Ultra Ball when you start off with a [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], and that’s what I like most about this card. You can potentially set up your entire field at little to no cost, and avoid using Item cards altogether. Like I said, I haven’t found a foolproof way to get this in most decks, but it naturally makes Alolan Ninetales decks very strong against Garbodor builds.
Less Item Cards
Ever thought about cutting a single copy of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card]? Well now you can! I’m not all too sure about this. When you think about it “less Item cards” is going to just drop your overall number of them in your deck. Let’s say you were at 20, and go down to maybe 15 overall. While on paper this seems awesome against Garbodor, I don’t think it even matters. Most Item cards you’d like to play in the beginning of the game, and that being said, cutting some of them will just make playing harder towards the end of a match when [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] drops are big and you need to draw out of it to win. I think that playing less copies of [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], or random Item card techs is a good idea, but aside from that, I would pass, since the sacrifice of consistency will almost never be worth it.
More Supporter Cards with Tapu Lele-GX
This is an idea I am fond of, and it supports the idea of cutting down on Item cards, specifically that of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. There are a few ways to do this, and the first I’d like to mention is something like playing more copies of staple Supporters. You can do something like three, or even four copies of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] as opposed to the traditional one or two, and bump up your [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] count to the max of four, as well. [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] should sit at four, too, if they weren’t already. Aside from this, you could choose to play more tech Supporters, too, like [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] for more draw. [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] makes streaming Supporters very easy, and with lots of them, you’ll have plenty to go around for the entirety of a game, with, or without VS Seeker.
[cardimg name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Countering Passive Play With Garbodor
I’m sure you’ve begun to think counteractively to these passive playstyles, and might even be getting hyped up about [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] itself. It does, in fact, seem like an extremely impressive deck, something that will very hard to deal with, and even if you do, backup attackers included in a list will be able to punish you rightly for sitting back and not playing Items as much.
Disruption
It’s really hard for me to choose a favorite when it comes to these Garbodor decks, but I’m at least the most intrigued by this one, currently. I’ve heard whispers of this deck in the community, and this might be one of the first times that it’s actually mentioned publicly, but here we go! Garbodor players are obviously looking for ways to counter opponents that try to counter them, and this deck does a great job of just that. My list plays four [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] to increase the odds of starting with them. Wobb is a card that makes your opponent struggle to set up, and hopefully, play more Items to speed the process up.
To make things worse for an opponent, I play disruption cards like [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card]. One of the most exciting cards for me in this deck is [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], though, since you can discard cards from your opponent’s deck, and hopefully discard Item cards, which fuels your damage output.
I’ve already tried [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] in this list, thinking that it would be useful since you’re sitting back and waiting to attack for a while, but on the contrary, it was dreadful. I’ve opted to play more of the disruption cards that I would have hoped to return to my hand for now, instead. The list below is a fantastic starting point to get testing with this fabulous concept for a Garbodor deck.
[decklist name=”null” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ 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=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Drampa-GX
This is probably my least favorite of the [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks, but it’s still a solid concept. When your opponent holds Items, and plays passively, you can use Drampa-GX and either its Righteous Edge, or Berserk attack to punish the opponent for doing things slowly. Drampa is a very solid attacker for its cost, but playing it makes your deck a little awkward.
Berserk requires damage on your Bench, so you’ll either have to play [card name=”Team Magma’s Secret Base” set=”Double Crisis” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], to fulfill that requirement. Some lists opt to play a couple [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to power up Drampa-GX a little faster, but I am not a fan of that at all, since I believe that Garbodor decks should be playing the least amount of Energy possible to make room for other good cards.
Basically, the problem with Drampa is the clunkiness that it adds to the deck with random Stadiums that you otherwise wouldn’t need. However, it can be worth it, mainly because of Berserk. If you can do the 180 damage with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll be taking a OHKO on most of the Pokemon-EX/GX in the game, provided you have a [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to remove a Fighting Fury Belt. Overall, I don’t hate Drampa-GX in Garbodor, but it’s not my favorite option out there.
[decklist name=”null” amt=”60″ caption=”undefinedundefined”undefined][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]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=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hala” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”126″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Magma’s Secret Base” set=”Double Crisis” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Altar of the Moone” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Vespiquen
When Guardians Rising first dropped, I was the most excited about this deck. Now that’s changed a bit, I still like this build nonetheless. [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice attacker to pair with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] in the early game, since it puts pressure on your opponent to do things. Bee Revenge damage can add up very quickly, and when it gets to be too much, hopefully Garbodor will be swinging for OHKOs.
Adding another type that can hit for Weakness is very neat as well, and I like that about Vespiquen a lot. With [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] toolbox decks getting a bit of hype, the type advantage there will be convenient. In general, having a backup attacker with Garbodor is a nice thing to have, and I think that Vespiquen is one of the best options to pair with it. You already play a thick line of Garbodor and Trubbish, so that’s even more Pokemon you can have in your discard.
You already are playing Double Colorless Energy in this deck, to add to it all, so Garbodor and Vespiquen just look like a match made in heaven! While I do like this option a bit, I prefer other ones since Vespiquen can struggle to do enough damage sometimes, and you get away from the purpose of the deck if you unfortunately have to discard a Garbodor piece with an [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. Vespiquen is most definitely a great attacker on its own, but I feel sometimes there’s better ways to play it. Vespiquen lovers that want to play Garbodor, though, are going to flock to this deck.
[decklist name=”null” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”26″]3x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”26″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
A Proper Counter: Alolan Ninetales-GX
This deck has been written off by many top players stateside, and I’m ashamed to have been one of them, until recently. [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] is actually a fantastic card, and has three very good attacks. The best part, though, is that it can abuse [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s a natural counter to Garbodor since its pre-evolution can search Pokemon for free, as I mentioned earlier, and its Ice Path GX attack can punish a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] player for not doing enough damage to take a OHKO.
My main concern with this card originally was mainly because Blizzard Edge seemed a little too costly for what it does. However, I’ve gone completely against what my original thoughts were, now, and I think this attack is not only very cost-efficient, but extremely strong, too. You can use [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] to reattach Energy after discarding them, or even attach [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] and just discard one Energy, a Double, to pay for the attack’s effect.
With a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], Ninetales can take down many of the popular Pokemon-EX/GX in one hit, especially if you have a [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to remove a potential [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] that any of those Pokemon might have attached. [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is also good with this card, and with it and a Band, you can even take down Mega Pokemon, which is very impressive. This card is very good on its own, and should have a place in the metagame since it stacks up well against Garbodor decks.
[decklist name=”null” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Generations” no=”68″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Conclusion
Alas, it’s time to head back home, but there you have it, [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]! Garb is a fantastic card that’s sure to cause many headaches in each and every one of your future’s. It is a format-changing piece of cardboard, and it’s going to be interesting to see how many places it takes in upcoming Regional Championships right off the bat. There are many ways to play it, each with its own pros and cons, and I’ve been having a blast figuring out which ones are better. Finding decks to counter Garbodor is no easy task, but I’m sure we’ll get there. Be sure to test with, and against, Garbodor real soon. Don’t forget to wash the sand off your feet everyone! Until next time, see y’all later!
[/premium]