Keeping Darkness at Bay — Dallas Prep Part 1

Welcome back, Beachers! I’m here to get you ready for Dallas Regionals, and for the Expanded format in general. As of this writing, nearly 1000 Masters are registered for Dallas, making it by far the largest Expanded tournament ever held. The Expanded card pool is massive, which can lead to some broken combinations but also some incredible innovations. Between parts one and two of this article series, I will attempt to cover the entire Dallas metagame as comprehensively as possible, but the biggest takeaway should be: in terms of decks, expect the unexpected.

Despite that huge variety in decks, just as in Standard, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is an incredibly centralizing card. The metagame can be neatly divided into three categories: decks that utilize Zoroark-GX, decks built to beat Zoroark-GX, and decks built to beat Zoroark-GX’s counters. On paper, this makes the metagame look like a rock-paper-scissors situation. The reality puts it closer to rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock, with a few extra layers thrown in for good measure. In today’s article, I will be covering options to counter Zoroark-GX.

Primal Groudon-EX

[decklist name=”Primal Groudon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”12″]3x [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”85″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Regirock” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]5x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Warp Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] deck that falls firmly into the “built to counter Zoroark-GX” category. Anyone paying attention to online Pokemon TCG marketplaces will have noticed a huge uptick in interest (and price) for [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card]. This card had an extremely small print run, as it was only given out to competitors and staff at the 2011 and 2012 World Championships. As a result, the card was valued at over $100 per copy. After the recent buying frenzy, its price has risen to $200 or more. The only Tropical Beach-containing deck to recently make Top 8 was [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], under Drew Kennett at this season’s San Jose Regionals, so it would be within reason to assume that Wailord-EX was responsible for the sudden price spike. In reality, Primal Groudon-EX was the main culprit.

[cardimg name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The deck’s greatest strength is Primal Groudon-EX’s Omega Barrier Ancient Trait. Primarily, this prevents Primal Groudon-EX from being affected by [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and, most importantly, [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. Being immune to Field Blower is huge, because it means your opponent has no way of removing [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and Knocking Out Primal Groudon-EX in one hit. When your opponent fails to OHKO, you have several options. The most powerful of these is using [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] to switch into a fresh Primal Groudon-EX with no damage on it while transferring all of the Energy to the new attacker. Since the damaged Primal Groudon-EX cannot be brought Active by Guzma, it can sit safely on your Bench. By utilizing [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], you can even repeat this action to switch between two or more Primal Groudon-EX multiple times per game, buying you enough time to attack three times with Gaia Volcano. If you can target three Pokemon-EX or Pokemon-GX with those three attacks, you’ll win the game. Obviously, every game will not proceed this way, but you can usually set up to take six Prizes without your opponent Knocking Out a single Primal Groudon-EX.

Card Inclusions

Oricorio

We need a Night March counter. Fortunately, Primal Groudon-EX has a massive amount of HP, so to OHKO it, Night March needs a correspondingly massive amount of Night March Pokemon in the discard pile (all 11 that aren’t attacking, in fact), plus a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. This is very difficult for even a Night March player to pull off, and even if they manage to do so, they are immediately open to some serious punishment from your Oricorio.

We also play three copies of [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. If the Night March player decides to play more conservatively, attempting only 2HKOs, we can use Enhanced Hammer to knock off their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] as well as [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to sustain our Primal Groudon-EX.

Warp Energy

Every attack printed on [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] requires at least one Colorless Energy. This allows you to play some kind of non-Fighting Energy, even if only a single copy. Traditionally, this “off” Energy has been a Basic Psychic Energy, which allows [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to attack if needed. However, since we are playing [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] in this list, we don’t need Wobbuffet to be our low-cost attacker. In fact, Oricorio usually fills that role more effectively, since it can Knock Out Pokemon on the Bench as well as the defending Pokemon. Because of this, we are instead running [card name=”Warp Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] from Shining Legends. Starting with an Active Groudon-EX is pretty bad, and Warp Energy gives us one more out to retreating it.

Four Tropical Beach

[card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card] is certainly the entry barrier to playing this deck. The price of Tropical Beach pushes the total cost of the deck up by hundreds of dollars. Unfortunately, there is no good replacement for it. The deck’s main strategy is to stall with a Wobbuffet or a Robo Substitute active until you are ready to start taking KOs with Primal Groudon-EX. That means you are not going to be attacking for the first several turns of the game, so instead you activate the effect of Tropical Beach and end your turn with a hand refill.

Five Fighting Energy

Our entire strategy relies on attaching an Energy every turn. Any time we fail to attach an Energy, we are most likely a turn behind our opponent, so we play enough Fighting Energy to make sure we have one when we need one.

[premium]

Matchups

Zoroark Variants

Primal Groudon-EX is heavily favored in almost every [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. The exception is Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] which presents some difficulty due to Golisopod-GX hitting Primal Groudon-EX for Weakness. [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] still saves the day by preventing a Knock Out, but if your opponent can stream Golisopod-GX faster than you can stream Primal Groudon-EX with Focus Sash, they’ll end up on top.

Night March

[card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is essential in this matchup, but it still does not give you a free win. If your opponent overextends, you can punish them with Oricorio. Otherwise, you have to play tight and smart. As always, try not to let Primal Groudon-EX get Knocked Out, and use Enhanced Hammer to force your opponent to find a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] every turn to continue attacking.

Wailord

[cardimg name=”Regirock” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY49″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup is essentially free. Your opponent relies on Trainer cards to discard Energy and deck you out. Both Primal Groudon-EX and [card name=”Regirock” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY49″ c=”name”][/card] are immune to Trainers. This means that powering up a single attacker will allow you to attack every turn for the rest of the game. [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can be an annoyance if [card name=”Regirock” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY49″ c=”name”][/card] is prized, but otherwise it is almost impossible to lose this matchup. The one way for Wailord-EX to steal the game is if you Bench Wobbuffet and the Wailord-EX player can continuously bring it Active. We have a finite amount of ways to retreat Wobbuffett, and Wobbuffet does not have Omega Barrier, so any Energy we attach to it can be easily removed by the Wailord-EX deck.

Primal Groudon-EX

I would not expect to see the mirror much if at all. [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card] is such an expensive card that there will be always a limited number of players who even have the option of bringing Primal Groudon-EX to a tournament.

Trevenant BREAK

[card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is a pretty bad matchup for this deck. Item-lock is frustrating for Primal Groudon-EX to deal with, and Wobbuffet unfortunately does not shut it off because Trevenant is a Psychic-type. Primal Groudon-EX normally relies on sitting safely on the Bench, unable to be damaged. However, Silent Fear gets around that by placing three damage counters on Primal Groudon-EX every turn, not doing damage. Thus, by the time Primal Groudon-EX is ready to attack, it will already have a substantial amount of damage on it.

Gardevoir-GX

This can be a tricky matchup. [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] has a massive 230 HP, which can be tough to reach with one Gaia Volcano, requiring two [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. At the same time, Gardevoir-GX only needs three Energy and a Choice Band to OHKO a fully-powered Primal Groudon-EX. If you can keep Focus Sash attached, and attach enough Strong Energy to take OHKOs, the match should go your way, but you can’t always get what you want.

Wailord

[decklist name=”Drew Kennett’s Wailord-EX” amt=”60″ caption=””undefined][pokemon amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Wishiwashi-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”54″]4x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Flashfire” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ 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=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Flashfire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”0″][/energy][/decklist] 

This is the list Drew Kennett took to a Top 8 finish at the San Jose Regional Championships. As a result, I would expect it to be the gold standard for [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] lists moving forward. Looking at the list on paper makes it clear how ridiculous the whole thing is. The deck plays 54 Trainer cards, six Pokemon and zero Energy. It is incapable of attacking even once in any conceivable scenario. Yet, it boasts almost auto-win levels of success against several of the most powerful decks in the metagame.

[cardimg name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Wailord-EX relies on capitalizing on those near-auto-win scenarios, while avoiding or mitigating any bad matchups that remain. The deck has an interesting position in terms of time limits. Regional Swiss matches are 50-minute best-of-three, while top cut matches are 75-minute best-of-three. In Swiss, that means Wailord-EX can usually only finish one game before going to time, making the round essentially a 50-minute best-of-one. In top cut, however, special rules apply. If time expires during game two, the game is considered “won” if one player has two or fewer Prizes remaining, and has fewer Prizes remaining than their opponent. That means if your opponent loses game one, but then takes four Prizes in game two, despite being in a position where they could never take the last two Prizes, they “win” game two and the match goes into sudden death, where the players set up a new game but with only one Prize apiece. Sudden death is a near-assured loss for Wailord-EX, since it is nearly impossible to a KO for the entire game, and your opponent’s [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] brings you down to one card in hand.

One last wrinkle comes down to game three in top cut. If your opponent naturally wins one game, while you win the other, but time is called during game three, a winner must be determined. At the end of the +3 turns, whichever player has fewer Prizes remaining is considered the winner. If both players have the same number of Prizes, play continues until one player has fewer Prizes remaining. The result is much the same as in sudden death, where a single Knock Out seals the fate of [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card].

Matchups

Zoroark-GX Variants

Almost every Zoroark-GX variant relies exclusively or near-exclusively on Special Energy. As a result, we can remove those Energy with almost no effort, heal Wailord-EX, and keep on trucking. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] poses the biggest threat to us, since it can hit Wailord-EX for Weakness for a Basic Energy, but it does still require either a second Energy attachment or a Choice Band to reach upwards of 250 damage for an OHKO. [card name=”Wishiwashi-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] is invaluable against the Golisopod-GX variant, since it cannot be OHKOd by anything in the deck.

Night March

This matchup shifts dramatically depending on the skill of the Night March player. The addition of [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] in the past year has allowed Night March to raise its damage cap to 250, exactly the math required to KO Wailord-EX in one hit. This does require every Night March Pokemon and Marshadow-GX to be out of the Prizes and in the discard pile, but that becomes more likely as the game progresses. Until then, the constant pressure from Night March can make it difficult for you to heal every turn while removing their Energy at the same time. Night March is so much more consistent than Wailord-EX that it can win games via consistency alone. One other thing to note is that Wishiwashi-GX is actually weak to Lightning. That means that if we are forced to start or Bench Wishiwashi-GX, we are probably giving up an easy two Prizes

Trevenant

This matchup is incredibly difficult. We simply don’t play enough Energy-removal Supporters to deal with [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], and all of our Item-based Energy removal is rendered useless under Item-lock. If the opponent is forced to bench a Pokemon that is not Trevenant BREAK, we can use [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] to break the Item-lock and get back all of our Team Flare Grunt and Plumeria; the matchup then becomes winnable. Without that, it’s a lost cause.

Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX

[decklist name=”Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”14″]2x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM06″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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]1x [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Regirock-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ 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=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Inclusions

Sudowoodo

[cardimg name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is great in this deck because we can search it out using [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. It is primarily used in any matchup against Zoroark-GX to limit their damage output. If your opponent is playing Zoroark-GX and runs an [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] to negate Sudowoodo’s Ability, we can deal with the Alolan Muk by using [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]’s Bloodthirsty Eyes Ability to bring it out and KO it.

Choice Band

Fighting decks in Expanded usually lean towards [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] instead of Choice Band, to keep their Pokemon from being OHKOd. I prefer Choice Band in this deck because it is a proactive tool that does not require you to worry about an opposing Field Blower. It also allows for some substantially better math. The combination of Strong Energy, Choice Band and [card name=”Regirock-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to hit for 90 damage against an opposing Pokemon-EX or Pokemon-GX with [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Against Zoroark-GX, that turns into 180 damage because of Weakness. If you applied 30 damage to the Zoroark-GX earlier via Jet Punch or Hammerhead, you can KO Zoroark-GX for a single Energy while spreading yet another 30 damage to the bench.

Korrina

While [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] is a given inclusion in this deck, what is notable is the number of plays it makes possible. Like I mentioned just above, Choice Band and Regirock-EX are a powerful combo; Korrina can easily search both of them out of the deck at once. Being able to Korrina for Max Elixir is another powerful play. Finally, Ace Specs become more powerful in conjunction with Korrina, since you can search them out at will.

Oricorio

As usual, this is our Night March counter. The bad news is that it isn’t quite good enough. This one card is not enough to magically make the Night March matchup good for us. That being said, it at least makes it winnable, which is important. Against a player who does not know how to play around Oricorio, the Psychic Bird swings the matchup substantially. Against one of the better Night March pilots, Oricorio is just another tool that has to be used well. Forcing your opponent to overextend gives you an opening to swing the matchup with Oricorio.

Matchups

Zoroark-GX Variants

Strongly favorable, but not free. If you can make [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] stick for a couple turns, that will swing the matchup heavily. If you can take a Knock Out with Buzzwole-GX without getting KOd in return, you put yourself in a phenomenal position to close out the game. The first couple turns can be dicey. If you can’t get out [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], a late game N can spell your doom.

Darkrai-GX

Completely free. You hit for Weakness against [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and you can even hit the full 180 damage to OHKO with just Strong Energy, Choice Band and Regirock-EX. Beyond that, we also play Sudowoodo to limit their Bench space, which is vital for Darkrai-GX.

Gardevoir-GX

Slightly unfavorable. Buzzwole-GX is a great, efficient attacker in the early game. This helps keep your opponent from taking big KOs unless they attach a substantial amount of Energy to a Gardevoir-GX. We can also take a big KO for three Energy using Buzzwole-GX. The downside there is that it leaves Buzzwole-GX susceptible to a quick return KO from Gardevoir-GX. If they pull off the return KO, it is hard for us to respond, and that will likely snowball into another KO for Gardevoir-GX. Essentially, if we can apply early pressure and keep Gardevoir-GX off the board, we will fare much better.

Night March

As I mentioned above, this is a tough matchup. [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card]’s 60 HP combined with Fighting Resistance is pesky to say the least. Beyond that, Pumpkaboo also hits Buzzwole-GX for Weakness, making our primary attacker a liability. Taking double Knock Outs with Landorus-EX by hitting a benched [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] is important. Another potential strategy is to KO opposing Zoroark-GX. For one thing, this nets you two Prizes instead of one, although it has the unfortunate effect of leaving a Double Colorless Energy attached to your opponent’s Night March Pokemon. The real reason for Knocking Out Zoroark-GX, though, is to reduce your opponent’s draw power. Once you have KOd Zoroark-GX, an N to one or two is substantially more devastating. By KOing Zoroark-GX and then the Joltik or Pumpkaboo with Energy attached, you put your opponent in an awkward situation.

On Giratina-EX

[cardimg name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

There are two main ways [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] has seen play in the past in Expanded. One is by being paired with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], similar to the deck posted by fellow Beach writer Zach Lesage the other day, and the other is as part of a [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / Dragons deck. In either scenario, there are a couple ways for opposing decks to break Giratina-EX’s Chaos Wheel lock. The most obvious is Pokemon Ranger.

Pokemon Ranger

If your deck plays exclusively Special Energy, you should seriously consider adding [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] to your list. By clearing away all effects of attacks, you nullify the oppressive lock that Chaos Wheel provides. For a deck like Night March, that lets you finally attach a Double Colorless Energy, take the KO and get rid of the lock for at least another turn. Removing the lock is even more beneficial for a deck like [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] where the other two effects of Chaos Wheel — preventing the play of Stadiums and Tools — are also extremely relevant. By placing Sky Field down, Zoroark-GX can KO Giratina-EX in one hit.

Pokemon Ranger also provides a huge benefit against Seismitoad-EX by removing the Item Lock. In a deck like Night March, that one turn can be enough to let Joltik, Pumpkaboo, or Marshadow-GX take a KO on Seismitoad-EX.

Energy Removal

Another way to break the lock is to prevent Giratina-EX from using Chaos Wheel at all. Since Giratina-EX has an awkward Energy requirement, it almost always needs to use Double Dragon Energy to meet it. Since Double Dragon Energy is a Special Energy, it can be removed with Enhanced Hammer. Against Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX decks, we can just use Enhanced Hammer twice, either by playing two or playing one and using Puzzle of Time to reuse it, and we can actually strip Giratina-EX down to zero attached Energy. Against something like Darkrai-EX / Dragons that also utilizes Basic Energy, we might also have to use [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] to remove enough Energy. Fortunately, Puzzle of Time makes this much easier, since we can pull necessary cards from the discard pile.

Next Time

Coming up in Part 2, we’re going to look at “countering the counters,” and finally a couple of Zoroark-GX variants themselves. Thanks for sticking around, and get ready for Part 2 coming up shortly!

– Allred

[/premium]