Garbage Day — Why Garbodor is Still a Strong Choice in the New Standard
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
PokeBeach, it’s been a while. I’ve taken some time off from writing to give others a chance to write, since I wasn’t really going for an invite last season and we had a lot of writers that were more excited to write than I was! Since then, I’ve made day two at North American Internationals with [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card]. I went 7-2 on the first day, then did abysmal on day two with a 1-3-2 record. I recently went to Fort Wayne Regionals with a 5-4-0 record, starting out with two losses, then winning five in a row before losing my last two rounds. I luckily ended up in the top 256 so I earned some points.
So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. I’m preparing myself for Standard, even though I’m not going to Hartford. I have some League Cups in my area and I will be attending them to get myself some first quarter points. I will also be attending Daytona Beach Regionals in Florida, so be on the lookout for me there if you’re attending.
I’ve been loving the power of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”from”][/card] in Standard. So many decks are Ability-driven; the loss of [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] helps these decks out a lot, but we can still hurt with Garbotoxin. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”from”][/card] with Trashalanche is still solid even though every deck is playing four fewer Items with the loss of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card]. Despite this change, Items are still the name of the game; in some ways, Garbodor is even more powerful now. The loss of VS Seeker impacts Standard in a huge way. It will feel markedly different if you haven’t tried Standard yet.
There are three common partners for Garbodor: [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. Each have their nuances and their reasons for being played and all are fairly solid. I’ve been testing all three variants and have found that I do not particularly like any variant over the other. I will discuss two of these three decks, along with my lists for them. I will also discuss deck building in Standard and how different it is than what most of us are used to with VS Seeker being in the format for so long.
If you haven’t played Standard yet, give this a read and give it a shot. The format is brand new and largely unexplored.
Standard and Why You Should Still Play Garbodor
The Case for Garbodor
VS Seeker is gone, and decks play fewer Items in general now because of its disappearance. This doesn’t mean [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trashalanche is that much worse. Decks still play many Items, and playing conservatively with [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] is not as much of an option anymore since VS Seeker rotated, thus causing players to involuntarily discard Items with [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] instead.
Garbotoxin Garbodor is incredible now. Nearly every major deck relies on Abilities, and that means a lot of decks get significantly hurt by Garbotoxin. A 2-2 ratio of Trashalanche to Garbotoxin is surely the adjustment these decks need to make. We need to focus more on the disruption of Garbotoxin, while still keeping the late game damage potential of Trashalanche a possibility. This forces our opponents to play more wisely, and punishes players that are less skilled or aren’t used to playing against Garbodor. I also want to mention that it can be difficult for some decks to hit 120 damage without Abilities. A [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] needs to waste a Volcanic Heat to take only one Prize off of a Garbodor.
The New Standards
One obvious change people are making to their decks right now is to replace their [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] with more Supporter cards, but which ones? [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] has almost always been run as a four-of already alongside two or three [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] and the loss of VS Seeker has caused players to increase their N counts to four. However, that often isn’t enough, especially when Garbotoxin is in play and your own [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] can’t grab Supporters out of your deck.
[card name=”Hala” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] has been my third draw Supporter of choice. It’s not too great, but it’s incredible in [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] decks and even [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] decks, since both of those decks pop their GX attacks relatively early. I know others have been testing [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], but the turn one [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] is still incredibly powerful. I’ve heard of others testing [card name=”Sophocles” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] as well.
I’d still rather play one copy of Hala than those other Supporters though, even in decks that don’t GX attack early. Chances are, when you draw your Hala, you will have used your GX attack already. In the context of Garbodor decks, GX attacks tend to be used within the first few turns. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] may be the exception to that rule, but it still often uses its GX attack sooner rather than later to make use of that immediate 150 hit-and-run damage.
Another card I want to mention that’s making an appearance in many decks is [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] becoming a staple has made Octillery so much easier to get out. Decks that play it get the advantage of having a slight [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] effect every turn for the consequence of getting a single Stage 1 into play. Now, in Garbodor decks, that isn’t an option at all, due to Octillery being shut off by Garbotoxin. However, it’s something to consider in your Standard deck building in general, and is one unfortunate consequence of playing [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks.
I also want to mention that there are a ton of different deck combinations out there. I’ve seen different creative builds of partners that fit well with already well established cards such as Drampa-GX and Golisopod-GX. This is turning out to be a very healthy format as far as deck diversity goes.
[cardimg name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
However, it’s not without its problems. I’ve dead drawn quite a bit in this format, and I believe a lot of it stems from the rotation of VS Seeker. That’s an obvious statement and something that should be expected, but I want to stress how important it is to have something beyond your four Professor Sycamore, four N, and a few Tapu Lele-GX. You can’t skimp on consistency anymore, and the gold standard profile for building decks is gone now. We’ve had VS Seeker around since Phantom Forces and it’s been a part of deck building for as long as many of you have been playing the game. This current Standard format is a huge adjustment for many of you and it takes a few games to get used to it. I think I’ve dead drawn in this current format more often than I have in any past format that I could remember.
Lastly, I want to briefly go over the impact of [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. Guzma shouldn’t replace your [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] counts; rather, it should be more of a supplement to them. Guzma is a phenomenal card, and I’ve found myself playing four copies of it in many of my decks. I’ll discuss this a bit more later in the article when I go over my actual lists, but Guzma being a four-of should be considered, while three should be the current standard.
Now, I’m going to cover the two variants of Garbodor decks I’ve tested. I’m sure there are some of you that would like to hear about Golisopod-GX / Garbodor, but I haven’t tested that variant much at all and don’t feel like I can give a good assessment of it. I’ve been focusing my efforts on Espeon-GX and Drampa-GX. One of the reasons for that is that I feel that Fire decks are going to be played quite a bit, and Golisopod-GX struggles against those.
Espeon-GX / Garbodor
This is probably my favorite [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] variant since it gives you a lot of options. [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] has two solid attacks that control the game, and one excellent damage-dealing attack. Espeon-GX was an incredible deck last season. It was my number one pick going into Internationals until I got tipped off about the amount of [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] around, which caused me to switch to my backup deck, [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card]. That said, there are plenty of reasons Espeon-GX / Garbodor is still strong now. Let me go over some reasons why you’d consider this over [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card].
[premium]
Divide GX
This is an incredible GX attack; it alone makes Espeon-GX worth playing. It ensures early snipe Knock Outs against [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Wimpod” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card], but it also finishes off Pokemon-GX that you couldn’t KO with Psychic. Most of all, it sets up multiple Pokemon-GX for Knock Outs later with Trashalanche. There are multiple things you can do with Divide GX, so it’s an advantage this deck has over the other Garbodor variants for sure.
Confusion
This is such a wild card, since it is so flippy. However, it is incredible against decks that use setup attackers such as [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s also solid against Drampa-GX decks, since they tend to concentrate all their Energy on one main attacker. One bad Confusion flip for these decks could lose them the game. The setup damage from Psybeam is incredible too, especially if there is a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] on your Espeon-GX.
200 HP
The name of the game at Internationals was decks hitting 180 damage early. With Espeon-GX decks, that isn’t as much of a concern. [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] with a Choice Band will still destroy an Espeon-GX with a Nature’s Judgement, but at least they cannot Tapu Wilderness GX for that Knock Out. A Drampa-GX also cannot Knock Out an Espeon-GX with 180 damage. [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] changes this up a bit, but it only applies if you evolve from the hand and not though [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]’s Energy Evolution.
The List
If these reasons seem good enough for you to want to play Espeon-GX, take a peek at my list for the deck that I’ve been working on for a while.
[decklist name=”Espeon/Garb” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”18″]2x [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Hala” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Two Espeon-GX
I’ve seen players argue for two or three, and I see solid reasoning for both. I’ve opted for two to make room for other cards in this deck, and it hasn’t hurt me much in testing, but I can see situations where it will. Last format, I was playing three [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] religiously, but I’m starting to see why two would be sufficient. If you Energy Evolution and one of your two Espeon-GX is Prized and the other is in your hand, it kinda sucks, but you can hard evolve next turn. Odds are in your favor that there is at least one in the deck if you play two. If they’re both Prized, that’s just awful luck. Most of the time I only ever attack with one Espeon-GX in a game. I can see arguments for attacking with more of them now with fewer Items around, so do try out three in your decks as well. There are many different strategies that you can employ when playing this deck.
2-2 Garbodor Split
I mentioned this earlier, but I’ll say it again — Trashalanche is not exactly what it used to be. Trashalanche used to be a solid early and mid-game attack to put damage down, but without [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], I’ve been using it late game more often. This doesn’t mean [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is bad or shouldn’t be played anymore, since it’s still incredibly powerful in that it forces your opponent to play carefully and Garbodor can still swing for one-hit Knock Outs late in the game.
Because your Abilities are primarily used only in the first few turns, you are free to get Garbotoxin [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] into play ASAP to give you an edge against most of the Ability-based decks in the format. This is crucial and you cannot afford to Prize it in most matchups, so I’ve found it paramount to play two copies of it.
Espeon-EX
[cardimg name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This has soared in price and is a much more coveted card post-rotation. Almost every deck evolves now, with [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] being some of the major ones. The way to circumvent that huge HP is by doing some damage and then devolving them with [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], Knocking Out the weak Pokemon underneath it. This combos well with Divide GX and the [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck.
Tapu Koko Promo
This card is great for setting up those Miraculous Shine Knock Outs, but it is also solid in making those 200+ HP GXs more manageable. Free retreat is not bad either. This card is never bad to fit in decks that play [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], but it’s easily cuttable for another Espeon-GX or one of the tech cards I’m going to mention later.
Two Tapu Lele-GX
I’ve been content with two in this deck, since I rarely use its Ability outside of turn one and turn two due to Garbotoxin being an important part of my strategy. It’s still an incredible attacker.
The Supporters
I feel I’ve already gone over my thoughts on Supporters in this format. [card name=”Hala” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] is debatable in this deck since you don’t always Divide GX early; however, I cannot find another draw Supporter to back up [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. You do need that ninth draw Supporter to go with those two. Three [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] has been fine for me in this deck due to the snipe effects of Divide GX and Flying Flip.
Two Parallel City
I didn’t play this card only to fill the need to have a Stadium. I cannot stress enough how solid both sides of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] are right now. Limiting your opponent’s Bench to three in the first turn can be game breaking. Most decks heavily rely on the turn one [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] play. If that gets disrupted, it throws them off kilter for the entire game. Even limiting a Bench to three after the first turn is incredible, since you limit Tapu Lele-GX drops. I’ve played the blue side of Parallel City against my opponent so many times followed by a Divide GX right after playing the Stadium. This keeps all their Pokemon within Knock Out range, while limiting their ability to play more cards down. It’s also nice to get rid of other pesky Stadiums that benefit your opponent such as [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card].
Possible Tech: Jirachi XY67
I’ve been toying with a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] promo in this deck. It’s incredible against the [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, in addition to the [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. I’ve seen a lot of [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] being tested as well, and this card would also be incredible against that. Hitting for 80 combined with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] against either of those decks, and then Miraculous Shining them with Espeon-EX is a great way to knock them out without having to involve either of your main attackers. If those two decks are prominent in your area, strongly consider a copy of Jirachi in your deck.
Matchups
Most of the matchups for this deck are fairly positive. I’ll go over a few of the prominent ones.
Alolan Ninetales-GX
[card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] has been picking up steam in testing circles, and I expect it to make an appearance. In one of my past articles, I stressed how strong of a card Alolan Ninetales-GX is. All of its attacks are incredible, and it has the advantage of [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. Ice Path GX is probably the best GX attack in the game, and Blizzard Edge’s possible 190 damage with [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] can take KOs on almost anything in the game after they’ve been softened up by an Ice Blade — if not KO them outright.
Espeon-GX has a good matchup against this deck due to Ninetales’s reliance on Aqua Patch and other Items. Also, Espeon-GX isn’t easily Knocked Out by Blizzard Edge, and requires an Ice Blade to soften it up first. A viable strategy against this deck is to attack with [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] first, so that there is never going to be a huge amount of damage on Alolan Ninetales-GX to allow for a good Ice Path GX Knock Out. Sure, they can Knock Out a Garbodor easily, but they aren’t Knocking Out anything too substantial.
I find this matchup pretty even, if not slightly favorable, for Espeon-GX.
Gardevoir-GX [cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is such a solid card and is an incredible attacker. It’s sure to make an appearance at League Cups and win a fair share of them. It’s something to consider playing against for sure.
I’m going to assume you’re going into your League Cup blind, and didn’t add that one copy of [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card]. In that case, take an early Divide GX Knock Out on a [card name=”Ralts” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], and then be careful with your trades with Psychic. Since you put three Energy on your Espeon-GX, it sets up an easy return Knock Out. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] will be useful in preventing them from attaching Energy freely and eventually in the late game they will most likely have enough Items in the discard for substantial Trashalanche damage.
Don’t be afraid to attack with Trashalanche for small amounts of damage. You can always devolve their [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] with Miraculous Shine. Play your [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] early as well, since I’ve been seeing versions of the deck play [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] combined with Parallel City to make for some savage Plea GX plays.
Overall, I find this matchup favorable. I thought it was favorable for the Worlds format, and now with [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, it’s even more favorable for Espeon-GX.
Volcanion-EX
This deck just never goes away! [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] is still an incredible deck since [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is still around to be an incredible setup attacker, and its damage can continue to be supplemented by Volcanion-EX. This simple deck is still loved by many and gets even better with the inclusion of [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] to help it set up faster.
Traditionally, Espeon-GX has not had much of a problem against this deck. Volcanion-EX is easily Knocked Out by Psychic with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] if the Volcanion-EX has three Energy attached. Psybeam is also a disruptive attack for [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] to have to deal with, needing a Confusion flip for each Power Heater attack they use to help set up their Volcanion-EX. On top of that, they also have to deal with Garbotoxin… it’s an uphill battle for Volcanion-EX.
This is pretty favorable for Espeon-GX, regardless of the fact that Volcanion-EX decks probably play three [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] now. That’s more fuel for the Trashalanche.
Drampa-GX / Garbodor
Now this is a tricky matchup. You have to be wary of the Acid Spray plus [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] play that they will try to use to one-shot your [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], and you also have to be careful with your Item count in your discard pile. [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t hard to deal with as long as you’re careful with your [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. I keep using the term “careful”, and that’s how you have to approach this matchup. Drampa-GX can eat you alive if you don’t play it right.
Psybeam their Drampa-GX, and watch for an Energy attachment on a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]. A smart player won’t even use Drampa-GX in this matchup, since it’s not very useful at all. This is slightly favorable for Espeon-GX, but I think it comes down to how well both decks draw and the individual skill of the players.
Drampa-GX / Garbodor
As far as consistency goes, I don’t think anything can beat this deck’s simplicity and sheer power. This deck has options to draw out of bad hands, and it has the ability to do massive amounts of damage while pulling your opponent down with Garbotoxin. I’ll try not to repeat a lot of what I said earlier about [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] with my breakdown of this deck. Here are some reasons you’d favor playing [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card].
Big Wheel GX
I mentioned earlier how this Standard format has a lot of dead drawing. Big Wheel GX is a way to get around that. I started off my section on [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] with how amazing Divide GX is, and I’m going to start off this one with how amazing Big Wheel GX is. [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t as easily searched anymore past the first couple turns, so Big Wheel sticks more often. Even if it doesn’t, Big Wheel GX is perfect when you’re dead drawing, and an [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] to 6 is still fine when you’ve got nothing.
Quick Damage
I don’t think any deck does a turn two 180 damage as easily as Drampa-GX / Garbodor does. [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] is probably the only other deck that can hit 180 that quickly. What Drampa-GX does better, though, is that once it hits 180 on the second turn, it will do it again easily every turn unless the other deck can respond.
Simplicity
This deck doesn’t rely too much on evolution or do anything too goofy. It just attaches Energy and attacks. Its simplicity, its fast damage, and its lack of moving parts make it incredibly consistent. This deck reminds me of the Big Basics decks in the past — the decks that sported [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] and, coincidentally, [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck also has a lot of room for consistency cards since it doesn’t have a large amount of Pokemon, nor does it have thick evolution lines. This makes more cards in the deck usable as soon as they are drawn.
If you have a best-of-one League Cup where there may or may not be a top cut, this is an ideal deck since it will rarely dead draw on you.
The List
[decklist name=”Drampa/Garb” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Hala” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Three Drampa-GX
Players typically only play two copies in their [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks, but there’s a bit more space in Standard and more of a necessity to have three copies of our main attacker now. Drampa-GX provides you so many benefits, whether it’s Righteous Edge, the threat of a turn two Berserk for 180, or Big Wheel GX. Starting this card with an Energy puts so much pressure on your opponent.
Jirachi Promo
[card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] makes it into this deck as a standard. This deck doesn’t have the benefit of Psychic like [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] does, so it needs a bit of help against [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s also harder for decks to get around Jirachi‘s lock without on-demand access to [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. Against Gardevoir-GX this card is invaluable with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] on it to get it within manageable range for Drampa-GX or [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] to finish it off.
Three Tapu Lele-GX
Three copies of this card make sense here, since it’s relied upon a bit more as an attacker. It’s useful for some quick damage for a single attachment of a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], and its damage is supplemented even more by Choice Band.
Four Guzma
[cardimg name=”Hala” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”143″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I mentioned earlier how good [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is. Running four copies of it so it’s far more accessible at any time is amazing. You need to draw into these and have them in your hand already by the time you want to use them. Using Tapu Lele-GX isn’t as much of an option with Garbotoxin up, so we need to simply draw into these.
Two Hala
I’ve used Big Wheel GX on turn one or turn two in about 90% of my games. This makes [card name=”Hala” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] an excellent choice for this deck. Running two copies means that you won’t likely draw it turn one, and even if you do draw it turn one, you probably will have a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] or an [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] or at least an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to Tapu Lele-GX for something better. Or you could Big Wheel.
Four Choice Band and Four Float Stone
Consistency is the name of the game for this deck, and drawing all of your Tools when you need them is solid. The four [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] keeps a Garbotoxin lock up almost all game, even if they play three [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. The four [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] makes that turn two 180 so much easier and it never hurts to do an extra 30 damage to an EX or GX at any time.
Three Po Town
[card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is better than [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”XY” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] for damaging your Bench since it allows for a turn two 180 with [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] and it also hurts all these evolution decks and makes them more manageable. [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] are now within one-hit Knock Out range when they have the 30 damage on them from Po Town.
Possible Tech Cards
I left [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] out of my list for this deck as I’m still testing it out, but it may be worth an inclusion. It doesn’t function as well as it does with [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]; however, the deck might need a boost against decks such as [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and this may function well with the [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck.
[card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] is another possibility. It hoses these decks that use a lot of Pokemon-EX or -GX. [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] is the big culprit that Necrozma-GX can do a number to. But if people are playing Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] in your area, that’s another deck that will get badly hurt by this card.
Matchups
Gardevoir-GX
Currently as my list is above, I find this matchup to be very slightly unfavorable. I’d almost call it even. Removing Double Colorless Energy is simple with [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card], and Garbotoxin goes pretty far in limiting the plays the [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] player is capable of. Gardevoir-GX would have to play quite a few Items to make Trashalanche that solid of an attack, and a timely Twilight GX can severely weaken it. [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] coming down quickly and a couple cheap Knock Outs early will help Drampa-GX win this matchup.
Alolan Ninetales-GX
I like this matchup a lot, and I’ll call it pretty even. It’s hard for [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] to stream Blizzard Edge Knock Outs when their Double Colorless Energy keep getting knocked off, and even if they only have the two Water Energy on their Alolan Ninetales-GX, hitting them with consistent [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] drops should give you a chance to swing into it with a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] before finishing it off with Garbodor or Drampa-GX. I cannot stress enough how important it is to never hit for big damage if they haven’t used their GX attack yet, nor should you swing with a Garbodor for 120 or more. Also, Ninetales decks tend to run a lot of Items, namely [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. This makes hitting with Garbodor effective as long as it is after the GX attack is used or if you can hit for a Knock Out on an Alolan Ninetales-GX.
Volcanion-EX
This is a fun matchup for both decks, with straight aggression on one end versus solid damage with a control element on the other. Drampa-GX should easily land the first blow with a Berserk, but unfortunately it may be against a baby [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] and not worth two Prizes. Hitting that [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] to maximize the effectiveness of your Berserk is incredibly important, as is getting out a Garbotoxin lock. Hate to say everything is even so far, but that’s honestly how I feel this matchup is. If you wanted to tip the scales on it, try adding a [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] to your deck like I mentioned in my tech section earlier. It makes those [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] easy Knock Outs.
[cardimg name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Espeon-GX / Garbodor
The real key to this matchup is to avoid playing [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] completely outclasses it and will Confuse it and KO it in one hit if you have three Energy on your Drampa-GX. The real way to win this matchup is to focus on [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and use Acid Spray with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to Knock Out an Espeon-GX. If you do this and then trade Garbodor back and forth, you should be in good shape. It’s an odd matchup since Garbodor counters Espeon-GX, but Espeon-GX is incredible against Drampa-GX. [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] should come in handy, and make sure to watch the Espeon player’s Item count to determine if you can take a cheap Knock Out without a big Acid Spray.
Conclusion
I hope [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is a bit more enticing to you all. I wish I had more of a chance to test [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] with Garbodor, but I’m hot off of Expanded testing in Ft. Wayne and I’ve been hammering away at Standard ever since. Hope you guys all welcomed my comeback, and I hope to see some of you at Daytona Beach’s Regionals next month.
Treynor
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