Fairy and Fire for Hartford — Gardevoir-GX and Ho-Oh-GX / Salazzle-GX
Hello friends, fans, and Subscribers. Hartford Regionals is right around the corner and I’m ecstatic to compete in it! This new format with no [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] and lack of many strong Stadiums and Supporters has been interesting, to say the least. No longer can we run one-of tech Supporters that can be so easily re-used. We also need to be more careful about just discarding Supporters when using [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], because most decks will not have a way to recover them. I’m going to briefly go over a League Cup experience of mine with [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and talk about a couple decks I like going into Hartford and why I think they’re good options for the tournament.
League Cup Top 8 with Gardevoir-GX
[cardimg name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”140″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Recently I attended my first League Cup of the season; I hadn’t tested as much as I would have liked, so I went with a deck I’ve tested a lot in the past — my friend Austin Bentheimer won a cup with it a weekend or two before — Gardevoir-GX. We talked together to change up the list from what he used to win, and made it more suited for what we expected to face. We cut [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card], the second [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Diancie” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], and a 1-1 [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] line to fit in a second [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], an [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], a fourth [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”EX Sandstorm” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], and a 1-1 [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] line. We realized that a 1-1 Octo is fine and still necessary though, and a second Max Potion would help because we expected a decent amount of the mirror. Oranguru is nice because it helps if you prize a piece of your Octillery line, and serves as a solid attacker in the mirror, and can OHKO a fully powered [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]. A fourth Candy was for added consistency by getting Gardevoirs up as soon as possible. Sylveon is for added consistency, and Plea GX helps in any matchup potentially, but mostly is for the [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and against any Fire variant.
Round 1 – Drampa-GX / Garbodor (0-1)
I have no clue if my opponent played [card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], but it didn’t matter. I had a poor start because I went second and had the option to either Wonder Tag for [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] or Brigette. If I choose Brigette and he gets Garbotoxin, I have no guaranteed Supporter or way to draw more cards next turn, so I chose N and I ended up not getting the best set up from that. My opponent ended up just using [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] after Guzma to KO my [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and by the time I got a Gardevoir into play it was basically too late.
Round 2 – ??? (1-1)
I’m having trouble remembering what I played this round for some reason but all I know is I won round two.
Round 3 – Rainbow Road (2-1)
Not much to say about this matchup because my opponent just dead drew and I just took consecutive KOs to win. If he had drawn better though, I had [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], Oranguru, and [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] which all help a ton in this matchup.
Round 4 – Vikavolt / Tapu Bulu-GX (3-1)
My opponent made the mistake of leaving the Energy on his [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] when he took a KO on either a Ralts or a Kirlia, and that allowed me to OHKO it and get ahead in the Prize lead. From there on out I had an established board state and remained ahead on Prizes by taking a KO each turn.
Round 5 – Golisopod-GX / Garbodor (3-1-1)
This round I played against my friend Joe Baka, who I haven’t played against in some time. I was bummed that one of us would potentially get knocked out of cut, and even though I would have liked to win to guarantee I would be in cut: we tied after a long game and we both had a chance to make it.
This game was very close, due to awkward hands he had to use all four [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] in his deck early on, so later game I could just switch between attackers and know my Bench was safe. I had a slow start but ended up making a comeback — knowing he had no Guzma left. At the end, time was called on my turn and I was put in a weird spot. I knew he needed his last [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] to win with Armor Press because that’s the only way he could do enough damage to KO any of my attackers (which were all in range of being Knocked Out by Armor Press). I also needed to take a KO that turn on the active Lele that had a Double attached to have a chance to win on my following turn. So, I should have played [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to put him to one card, take the KO and hope he doesn’t draw the Double. I instead discarded the N with Ultra Ball thinking I had another play that could have worked out but I had realized it wouldn’t have after doing that. Instead I just used Guzma to bring up something else knowing he couldn’t Guzma to just insure it would be a tie.
Round 6 – Espeon-GX / Garbodor (4-1-1)
My opponent didn’t draw well this round. When he got Garbotoxin up, I had [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] so it ended up being a swift game.
Top 8 – Ho-Oh-GX / Salazzle-GX / Mew (4-2-1)
The first game I had a slower set up: I tried to fight my way back but couldn’t do it. Game two I was able to win because I had an okay set up but mostly because I used Plea GX to pick up two [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] that had three Energy each after my opponent used Nitro Tank GX. Game three was close, but our games took quite some time and unfortunately my opponent was one Prize ahead of me by turn three of time so he got to advance. I may have gotten ahead on prizes on my last turn but he used [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] Queen’s Haze GX on my active Sylveon which made it impossible from me to retreat and take a KO. I’m not entirely sure how that game would have panned out, but it looked like it was going to be in my favor.
Gardevoir is one of my favorite decks in the current format: I enjoyed playing it and didn’t wish I played anything else for the tournament. Here is the list I played:
[decklist name=”Gardevoir-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”Could play three Field Blower or Three Max Potion depending on what you expect to see most ” cname=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″][pokemon amt=”20″]3x [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]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]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
What Decks are a Good Play?
Gardevoir-GX
[cardimg name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Gardevoir has so many things going for it and I believe it is the best deck if it sets up. It really only has two bad matchups, and that would be [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card]. Sylveon’s Plea GX helps immensely with both matchups, and you can play Giratina to help with Greninja a bit, but they’re still both going to be hard deal with and unfavorable overall. Now I’ll go over the matchups against the decks I expect to be most popular and talk about some techs and strategies to help you conquer them.
Versus Drampa-GX / Garbodor
This is a positive matchup overall, but a few things can give you trouble and those are [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card], Garbotoxin, and [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] helps a ton by negating any damage done by Po Town and makes it so Espeon-EX doesn’t get you. Now Espeon-EX isn’t the most popular inclusion in Drampa / Garb, but it’s possible to see. The best thing you can do is get as many Gardevoir set up and a [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] as soon as possible using the least Items possible. If you must use a lot of Items, you can always use Twilight GX to return them to your deck.
Plea GX can be a good option in this matchup too, but typically you want to use Twilight. [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] helps you get set up very well because of Magical Ribbon, and you can get everything you need to get going without the overuse of Items. If you can get a Gallade right away you can start stomping their [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and if they do return KO you only give up one Prize. Garbotoxin can give you some trouble when you can’t use Secret Spring or if they [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] you down to a low hand and you can’t use Octillery or Oranguru to draw out of it. That’s why at least two [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] are necessary for this matchup, but even three would be great if you expect to see a lot of Garbodor. Overall, due to Twilight GX and the high HP of Gardevoir, Drampa / Garb Struggles to take KOs as easily as you can and that’s why this is a favorable matchup.
Versus Ho-Oh-GX / Salazzle-GX
This is another positive matchup, but because of how fast the deck is due to [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], and the late game strength of [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], it can lead to some close games. Although the deck is faster than you, if you get a good set up, it shouldn’t matter because chances are you will get a OHKO and they might not be able to. It all depends how you draw, because if you let them get more than one Kiawe off early game you could be in trouble: if they’re using Ho-Oh-GX, all they need is a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and one Steam Up to OHKO you. You always do have the option to use Plea GX, if they get too many things powered up and that can really put you ahead when you leave them with no attackers. Salazzle will likely be their last attacker to take their last two Prizes since all they need is two Fire Energy on it and Choice Band and they’ll hit for a perfect 230 to KO your Gardevoir.
If you get at least one Gardevoir out right away, you shouldn’t worry too much because chances are you can KO their first Ho-Oh before they can KO a GX of yours. Something else that can help this matchup out is [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. Using it either way can be helpful to either reduce their damage that they do, making it harder to KO you; at the same time, you can eliminate easy two Prizes like [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] off the board, or limit their Bench making it so they have fewer attack options on board.
[premium]
Versus Golisopod-GX / Garbodor
This is a close matchup because Garbotoxin is always a pain, and Trashalanche can get you late game if you aren’t careful. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] can hit for a lot of damage by turn two while making hard for you to KO because it only has one Energy on it. The great thing is they can almost never OHKO you though unless you use way too many Items. What you really want to do is get as many Gardevoir out as possible and try to [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] up all their [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] and KO them one after another and when they only have one or none you can use Twilight GX to prevent you from getting wrecked by Garb. [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is great in this matchup too, especially if you use them right before you Twilight.
Versus Greninja BREAK
This matchup is annoying because of Shadow Stitching. It prevents you from just using Max Potion and then reattaching to attack for a KO. Your best strategy against ‘ninja is to get a [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] right away and take as many KOs as you can with it, while building up a Gardevoir or two on the Bench. If you can get at least three KOs with Gallade, then two [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] should be able to take the last three Prizes, as long as your opponent isn’t too set up.
Playing [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card] makes it so your opponent can’t KO a Gardevoir in one turn with double Giant Water Shuriken and Moonlinght Slash with [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. It helps make sure your Gardevoir has to be attacked three or more times to be Knocked Out: which ensures that you will take multiple Prizes with one. Using Sylveon’s Plea GX can help immensely here as well late game if they’re low on attackers you can pick up their main threats and leave them with a weak board state and no way to use Giant Water Shuriken (If you’re not playing Giratina).
Versus Metagross-GX
This is obviously a very bad matchup, but your biggest hope is [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Plea GX can pick up two fully evolved [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], and if you can build up a couple Gardevoir on the Bench in the meantime, you have a chance. Attacking with Lele can help as well because you at least force them to have a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO it, but typically if they set up at all, you just get blown out because of Weakness and how you need six Energy (or five with a Choice Band) on a Gardevoir to OHKO a Metagross with three Energy. Luckily Fire decks keep Metagross at bay for the most part, so I wouldn’t stress to hard about running into it often.
Versus Vikavolt / Tapu Bulu-GX
This is a close matchup and can go either way, it really all depends on your set up. You’re going to want to try and get three Gardevoir out so you can accelerate Energy fast. This matchup used to be good with [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], but without it it’s much more difficult. For them to OHKO you it requires at least one [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] spread which can be negated with [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], so that’s a big plus for Gardevoir. However, you need six Energy (or five with a Choice Band) to OHKO a Bulu (with no Fury Belt) that has discarded all its Energy. Unless they have only one Vikavolt and no Grubbin or Charjabug out, it’s not worth it to KO the Vikavolt. If they only have the one and no way to get another immediately then it may workout in your favor to do so if it puts them in a bad enough position. So, over all, if you get a good set up, this matchup should be fine, but it definitely requires a solid start from you.
Versus the Mirror
The mirror kinda of comes down to who has a better board state and can hold it longer, but there are a few things that can swing this matchup; Plea GX at the right time, Max Potion, and using Gallade and Oranguru to your advantage as an attacker. Also, taking away your opponents’ late game recovery like [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] (if it’s worth it to take the KO) can put you in a great spot to N them low while you still have access to your Octillery or Oranguru. You rarely want to overextend to get a OHKO because it’s so much easier for your opponent to respond with a OHKO with less energy and thus making it even harder for you to return KO again. The only time it’s right to do that is if your board state is that much stronger, or you know you can win easily next turn and have enough energy to do so. You want to try to two shot your opponents’ Gardevoir, and use Max Potion when they hit you. You can also attack with a Gardy, then use Oranguru or Gallade to finish off their Gardy. Also, if you can KO a few of their Ralts and Kirlia early on before they get set up, that can put you way ahead, especially if you have two to three Gardy out as well.
I wouldn’t really change the list from above, other than considering to cut something for a third [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] if you expect a lot of Garb, other than that I think it’s a well-rounded list and has everything you need to win games.
Ho-Oh-GX / Salazzle-GX
[cardimg name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”132″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I think [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is the best way to play Fire now because it relies on [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]’s Steam Up the least, and it uses attackers that are slightly harder to KO: Ho-Oh-GX, [card name=”Turtonator-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card], and Salazzle-GX all have 190 or 200 HP. [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] needs a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO [card name=”Turtonator-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card] and Ho-Oh, but would have to have a Choice Band to OHKO Salazzle. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] with a Choice Band can’t OHKO them with its GX attack. Ho-Oh without Steam Up can OHKO most things in the game, especially with a Choice Band allowing it to hit 210 Damage. Salazzle can clean up really well at the end since it does 50 damage times the number of Prizes you have taken. Just try to start your first turn with by attaching to a [card name=”Salandit” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] then [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] onto Turtonator or Ho-Oh.
You still play [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], Baby [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], and Turtonator which are all other forms of Energy acceleration. Nitro Tank GX is still very good to get going, and can help you recover late game as well. Having Ho-Oh also helps so you aren’t completely vulnerable to Water decks, since Ho-Oh is weak to Lighting. I really like this deck right now because it is consistent, since it is mostly basics (minus Salazzle), and it has an array of different attackers that all are strong in their own regard. Its only rough matchups are Gardevoir, [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and Vikavolt / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card]. Greninja is the only unwinnable matchup. Greninja and Bulu aren’t the most popular decks, and Gardevoir you can beat due to its inconsistencies as a Stage 2 deck. Overall, I think Ho-Oh-GX / Salazzle-GX is a solid deck that does well against [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], and it can stand up to the other three because it’s more consistent.
Verus Drampa-GX / Garbodor
[card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is a good matchup because [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] can OHKO everything the deck and it doesn’t take any items to get it rolling because of [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card]. They also can’t OHKO you because of your high HP (unless you use too many Items). You also don’t need to worry much about Garbotoxin because you do enough with Ho-Oh, so it doesn’t matter. You can just Kiawe to two Ho-Oh and take KO after KO. [card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] can be annoying because they can use Tapu Storm GX to shuffle a built-up attacker back in. With a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] it can do 100 and go back to the Bench, but with four [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] it’s not hard to track it down.
Versus Gardevoir-GX
I went over this matchup above, but just some reminders, try to take as many early KOs on Ralts and Kirlia as possible, take easy KOs on a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or two if possible, and then clean up with [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. If you can take four Prizes you just need a Salazzle with [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO a Gardy. Also, beware of Plea GX, if you know they have it, try to spread your Energy out more.
Versus Golisopod-GX / Garbodor
This is an even better matchup than [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] because [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] does even less damage and it’s weak to Fire so pretty much anything in your deck can OHKO it easily. There’s not much they can do that can give you trouble. They can play a [card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card], but like I mentioned above it’s not going to win them the game.
Versus Greninja BREAK
This matchup is tough but Ho-Oh gives you a fighting chance because it’s not weak to Water. If you add in [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card], you can realistically have [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] take most of your Prizes. You want to try and avoid benching [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] if possible to prevent them from being able OHKO something if they have Choice Band. You just want to Kiawe to a couple Ho-Oh and manually power up another and try to take all your Prizes before them. You can OHKO even the break with no Steam Up, just be sure to rotate between Ho-Oh to try and prevent KOs. The only way you can beat them is if you stay ahead on Prizes while trying to deny opponents from taking some, and you need Giratina. Ho-Oh won’t be too hard for them to deal with if they can use Giant Water Shuriken.
Versus Metagross-GX
This will be your best matchup by far because Ho-Oh can OHKO everything in the deck. The only thing that can OHKO it is [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], which you can use [card name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ c=”name”][/card] to take care of. They can try to use [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] against you as well to make it so they can KO your Pokemon, but that requires them to use an attack that won’t OHKO anything, and gives you the opportunity KO something first. Any way you look at this, it’s favorable and I wouldn’t worry the slightest about running into it.
Versus Vikavolt / Tapu Bulu-GX
[cardimg name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”131″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This matchup is tough because they can also OHKO everything in your deck and once they get set up they have consistent Energy acceleration. You need to accelerate early and keep up by attaching and using [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] which isn’t impossible by any means, just isn’t as consistent as guaranteed acceleration from Vikavolt. If you can get the first two-Prize-KO and stay ahead and keep Energy in play, you should win. Especially because you only need two Energy on a [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] to finish off at the end. A few good things about this matchup are that opponents need to have a Choice Band to OHKO your attackers and you don’t, plus you don’t need to Steam Up unless they have a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on a Tapu Bulu.
Versus the Mirror
As always in a Fire mirror, you want to take the first KO on a Pokemon-EX/GX. In the past, you would just trade easy KOs with [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] since they’re weak to themselves, but now both players have [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] and you can’t do that anymore. You need to use Ho-Oh instead and need a Steam up or [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to KO opposing Ho-Oh-GX. So whoever goes first has a huge advantage because they can Kiawe turn one. If you go first, that puts you far ahead because you can attack first, and get some extra Energy on board with Elixir and attachments. This is especially true if your opponent takes the turn to Kiawe as well, then you can potentially [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] what they powered up and get far ahead that way.
The best thing you can do if you go second is try to get a lot of Energy in the discard pile and use Nitro Tank GX, so you can have more than one attacker built up and ready to respond to them. After that, it’s just a slug fest of who can keep attacking until they win. If you get the first KO and continue, you just win, if you miss a beat, they can come back just like that.
Here’s my current list:
[decklist name=”Ho-Oh-GX/Salazzle-GX/Turtonator-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”Add Giratina if you expect to see lots of Greninja if you want a fighting chance. ” cname=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Salandit” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”15″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Turtonator-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”18″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]13x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”13″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Why Would I Take Them to Hartford?
Gardevoir-GX
[cardimg name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I would take Gardevoir to Hartford for many reasons, but the biggest being that I think it’s the deck with the least bad matchups in general: whether they’re popular decks or not. [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] aren’t as popular because Metal loses hard to Fire and Ninja loses hard to [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card]. It has many favorable matchups and goes at least even with the popular decks. Once Gardevoir sets up, it’s one of the hardest decks to deal with because it has an incredible attack and incredible Energy acceleration. Paired with [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] it stays consistent. It’s also a deck I highly enjoy playing because it’s fun, and I feel confident that I can beat just about anything with it if I don’t draw atrociously.
Ho-Oh-GX / Salazzle-GX
I really like this deck because it’s consistent, hard hitting, and fast. [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] is also one of my favorite Pokemon, and I love when I can use my Ho-Oh HG/SS Fire Energy. I do think that this deck has many good matchups that are popular decks, and that it has fighting chance against other decks that may be slightly unfavorable; fortunately, since it’s more consistent it can squeak out games. It’s also nice to have some matchups that are incredibly favorable, because if you hit the right field, you could just have a fun and easy day ahead of you.
Conclusion
I’m really excited for Hartford and even though it’s just around the corner, I’m still going to try to cram as much testing in as possible. I think there are plenty of viable decks for the tournament but these are the two I favor most and think would provide the most enjoyable experience for me. I can’t wait to see all my friends and compete to the best of my abilities. I want to wish a safe travels and good luck to everyone going to Hartford. Thank you very much for reading this, I hope it helped you learn more about these decks, and helps you decide what you want to play for either Hartford or any League Cups.
See you next time,
Ryan
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