Not All Fighting Types Are Created Equal: Top Rogues for Expanded

By: Grant Manley · Posted Posted onJan 20, 2018 at 9:43 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Did someone say… Fighting types?[/cardimg]

Hello everyone, Grant here once again! A couple weeks ago I talked about Fairy types in the Standard format as I think that the two main Fairy decks are great against the majority of the metagame. In this type-themed article, I’ll be looking at two Fighting-type decks that I’ve been working with in preparation for Dallas Regionals in the Expanded format, where nearly every deck runs [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. Those decks are [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. Just so you know, the whole type-theme thing is purely coincidental. It just so happens that my two top picks in both Standard and Expanded contain one type of Pokemon each.

Because most Expanded decks run Zoroark-GX, and Zoroark is weak to Fighting, it makes the most sense to try and pick on this Weakness when building an anti-meta deck. However, one must also consider the myriad of partners that Zoroark goes with, and that is where many rogue decks fall short. While there are dozens of different decks that have popped up in Expanded in the past, it is safe to assume that a large portion of decks in the current Expanded format are playing Zoroark. While this is just guesswork, I’d expect most players to face at least six decks with Zoroark in day one of the upcoming Dallas Regional Championships. This means if you are able to consistently defeat Zoroark, you only need to come up with one win or three ties against other decks in order to advance to day two. That said, Zoroark is pretty broken and one may not defeat it every time even with type advantage. The best I can do is find the most effective counters possible and trust them to consistently do their job, while understanding that every once in awhile Zoroark can get lucky and win anyway.

In a nutshell, I’m not claiming to give you an landslide auto-win against every Zoroark deck, but this is the best I could do and I am satisfied with these decks overall.

Seismitoad-EX / Maxie’s

[decklist name=”toad” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”45″]3x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shadow Triad” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

With my pet deck Toad / [card name=”Seviper” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] being severely weakened by the rise of Zoroark, my friend Blaine and I made this Toad deck to take its place. We came up with this because of Night March’s dominance in San Jose, the most recent Expanded event. Toad + [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] easily beats Night March, so all that’s left is to deal with all the Zoroark (including Zoroark in Night March). The most direct counter to Zoroark seems to be [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. Gallade isn’t too hard to set up and it OHKO’s Zoroark for just a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]! Its Premonition Ability is amazing as well, and it can help you set up even more Maxie plays. Against any other decks such as [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], the hope is that the standard Toad strategy with [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is enough to win.

[cardimg name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

You may notice that this list is unlike other Toad decks because it completely ignores disruption cards such as [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] in order to focus more on the Maxie engine. Maxie’s strategies aren’t exactly consistent to begin with, so the heavy counts of [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] are necessary to make this combo happen as often as possible. While Energy denial is a possible path to take when it comes to dealing with Zoroark, using Gallade is more proactive and more efficient. Additionally, Zoroark decks may being teching [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with normal Toad decks. While Ranger helps against this deck too, Gallade doesn’t really care about it.

I think most of the card inclusions are logical and easy to understand, but as always, I’ll take a look at some of the less-obvious ones.

Giratina

The only reason why [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card] is here is because I’m scared of [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. Trevanant would otherwise completely demolish this deck, but Giratina flips the matchup from an auto-loss to a slightly favorable one. Giratina also offers a near-autowin against [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], on the off chance anyone plays that. While I will keep Giratina in my list, you can definitely cut it if you do not expect to face any Trevenant decks.

No Hoopa-EX

[card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] seems like it would be nice to search out multiple Toads, [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], and even [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] if you chose to run it. However, there is no real need to search out multiple Pokemon-EX at once. It is not integral to the strategy at all. Additionally, Bench space is actually quite tight with this deck, and Hoopa would only amplify that problem.

Three Acerola

[card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] with Toad is just broken. Most things cannot easily OHKO a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]ed Toad, and Acerola will negate all of your opponent’s efforts. I ran three Acerola in Toad / Seviper as well and the card works amazingly.

Acerola helps against Zoroark too. While the ideal plan is to be destroying Zoroark with Gallade, you will still attack with Toad sometimes. You will not always be able to get a fast Gallade, and Gallade often gets return-KO’d by Zoroark as well. Unless you completely pop off with multiple Maxie plays early-game, Toad and Acerola help pick up the slack against Zoroark.

Two N, Two Sycamore, and One Colress

[card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] saves you from clunky hands and offers late-game disruption alongside Quaking Punch. [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] draws a reliable seven cards. [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] is late-game draw power. Each of these draw Supporters are useful in different scenarios, yet they are run in low quantities because this deck often uses other Supporters such as Maxie, Acerola, and [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card].

[premium]

Pokemon Ranger

There seems to be a lot of Toad hype going around. With [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and three Acerola, there should be no way to lose against other Toad decks. While Ranger only allows one turn of Items, that one turn can be momentous against Toad mirrors. [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] in particular can seal up that matchup. Ranger also offers a way to deal with a random [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] should you encounter one of those.

Shadow Triad

[card name=”Shadow Triad” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] is an interesting Supporter that allows you to take a Team Plasma card from your discard pile. The only other Team Plasma cards in the deck are Laser and Colress, but Triad’s primary purpose is to give you more copies of Laser. Toad’s damage output by itself is quite lackluster, so having many uses of Laser is helpful in basically every matchup.

Two Fighting Fury Belt

I much prefer FFB over [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] despite it not being compatible with Gallade. FFB gives Quaking Punch a small boost in damage while making Toad a lot bulkier. The extra HP is relevant against Gardevoir, Gyarados, Toad mirrors, and even Zoroark sometimes, as 220 is just outside of Zoroark’s maximum damage output. The lack of damage is made up for by Laser and Shadow Triad.

Matchups

Night March — Highly Favorable

This is one of the easiest matchups ever. I want to just call it an auto-win but things can get scary if you prize [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] or just miss the Karen  plus Quaking Punch combo. You usually want to stick with Toad the entire game, though [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] may be needed if more than one [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] hits the field. Toad + Karen nullifies the Night March part of the deck, so all that’s left is Zoroark. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] + Laser + Acerola can usually handle one or two Zoroark, but you can use Gallade when it’s convenient. Gallade also disposes of any notions of opposing Sky Return loops.

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

LonZoroark (and Lycanroc-GX / Zoroark-GX) — Favorable

This matchup is solidly in Toad’s favor, but it is still far from an auto-win. LonZoroark’s (Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] / Seismitoad-EX) speed can be quite terrifying at times. If you can get some early Gallade action going, the matchup is a wash. A slower start on your part may require the use of Toad and Laser to slow down the opponent as well. Like I said, Toad + Laser + Acerola can handle Zoroark to an extent, but you really want to get Gallade going as soon as possible.

Against [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], try as hard as you can not to play down Pokemon! Dangerous Rogue for a free two Prizes is a way bigger deal than it may seem like. Sometimes you have to play down multiple Pokemon just to use Maxie, but definitely play around Dangerous Rogue as much as you possibly can.

Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX — Unfavorable

For a deck that is supposed to beat Zoroark, Toad does an awful job of it in this matchup. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] is ridiculously hard to deal with, especially when it’s combined with [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. This matchup is difficult and unfavorable, but the Item lock cheese factor can help you out a lot. It isn’t easy for opponents to mobilize Golisopod under Item lock, and Gallade can still snipe Zoroark like nobody’s business. What’s more, a Belted Toad actually survives an Armor Press attack–which is quite funny. If they burn the GX attack to OHKO a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]ed Toad, they are left with no way to OHKO a Gallade.

Seismitoad-GX Variants — Highly Favorable

If you can get Gallade out in this matchup, Premonition will prove itself to be fabulous. Controlling what you draw is especially powerful when you’re against Item lock for obvious reasons. Even without Gallade, we still run a whopping three Acerola along with [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and Fury Belts. All of those inclusions make life incredibly difficult for opposing Toad decks. The turbo Item engine also helps you thin out useless cards during the one turn you do get to use Items.

Other

  • [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is favorable thanks to [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card], but they can still cheese out wins every once in awhile because turn one Item lock is oppressive.
  • [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] is highly favorable thanks to Quaking Punch and [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card].
  • [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is favorable because it is very slow under Item lock and has difficulty hitting 220 under Item lock. However, if they play [card name=”Comfey” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] (which most don’t), they should be able to win due to their immunity to Laser.
  • If anyone still plays Turbo Darkrai, they are in for a rough time.
  • [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] is unfavorable because you can’t really kill whales.

Landorus-EX / Bats

[decklist name=”lando” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″][pokemon amt=”20″]2x [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Generations” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]5x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I love this deck! I’m not sure if the list is completely optimized but it works great and I am not sure what else I would edit. This deck is great at picking on [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] thanks to Weakness, snipe damage, and [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]. Bats and [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] complement the main attackers by adding more snipe damage and by helping out with the Night March matchup. This list is quite unique from what I can tell, so let’s get into the card choices.

Two Landorus-EX and One Buzzwole-GX

On the surface, [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] seems like a superior [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]; however, their first attacks are identical, and that is the most important attribute. I favor Landorus over Buzzwole because of Buzzwole’s weakness to Psychic. There are many relevant Psychic types that put the screws to Buzzwole such as [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], Trevenant, and Oricorio. However, I still play one Buzzwole because it is nice to have the option of blowing something up with Knuckle Impact or Absorption GX. Landorus not being weak to Psychic and being resistant to Lightning is huge in the Night March matchup, which I will discuss more a little later.

4-4-3 Crobat

[cardimg name=”Golbat” set=”Generations” no=”31″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ability may seem weak to those who haven’t played with it before. However, a swarm of bats inflicts massive amounts of damage on opponents and lets you control the pace of the game against most decks. Bats are amazing in nearly every matchup, though sometimes Espeon-EX needs to come in and clean up against the likes of [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] and Gardevoir.

Previously, Expanded has been dominated by Mega Pokemon and high-HP Pokemon-EX like [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. Bats used to be worthless. With the format now focusing more on Night March and Zoroark, bats have a chance to shine.

Two Marshadow and Four Level Ball

Here we come to my favorite part about this deck, the [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] engine. First off, Level Ball alone is fantastic for searching out [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], allowing you to easily swarm bats. [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] is great by itself because it offers some extra draw power without the obvious downsides of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Additionally, Let Loose is great when you go first, as you can put your opponent down to four cards before they even get to start playing!

When you put these two cards together, you get what I call the Level Ball engine. You can turn Level Ball into a [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] at nearly any time which is incredible, and it doesn’t even use your Supporter for the turn! By running the Level Ball engine, not only do you have easy ways to search out bats, but you also increase your overall draw outs from 14 to 20. This bolsters consistency by ensuring that you can always draw cards to find the ones you need.

Espeon-EX

Landorus and bats specialize in spreading small amounts of damage in order to wipe an opponent’s entire board clean. Against high-HP Pokemon such as Zoroark-GX, [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], Golisopod-GX, etc., you may require Espeon’s assistance in order to close out a game.

Four Sycamore and Three N

This is a heavy draw Supporter count for Expanded. This deck relies on finding many pieces to combos throughout the game, so we want the most consistent draw options possible. [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] is absent because he is completely useless early game, though if you want to include one I would recommend cutting [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] over one of these draw Supporters. While Colress can be superior late game, Sycamore will usually suffice there, while also offering early game consistency.

Two Acerola

Our main attackers have quite high HP, and Acerola can heal them completely while potentially preserving valuable Tools and [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. Acerola’s strength has been demonstrated time and time again alongside Pokemon such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and Golisopod, so hopefully you see how she can be useful here.

Three Muscle Band Three Focus Sash

[card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t totally out of the question, but I chose [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] because we still have to deal with non-EX foes such as [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], etc. Muscle Band also helps you KO little guys such as [card name=”Wimpod” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], which is what this deck should try to do most of the time.

[card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is another option for a Tool. Most decks are capable of OHKO’ing Landorus and Buzzwole, so Focus Sash makes life difficult for opponents when combined with Acerola. Focus Sash forces opponents to find [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] at crucial times, which does not always happen with the low counts of Field Blower that people are running nowadays.

One Battle Compressor

Battle Compressor might seem out of place in a deck like this, and it is definitely an optional inclusion. I like Compressor simply because it thins out cards that aren’t needed in specific matchups such as Focus Sash, Oricorio, and Espeon-EX. Additionally, Compressor lets you find Guzma and Acerola easily by pitching them to the discard pile in order to be retrieved with VS Seeker. I have found Compressor quite useful, but I wouldn’t blame you if you cut it for something like Colress, [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card].

Five Fighting Energy and Four Strong Energy

Despite low attack costs, I run five Fighting Energy (nine total Energy) because Strong Energy cannot be attached to everyone. Fighting Energy is required every time you wish to attack with Crobat, Oricorio, Espeon, and even [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. And yes, Crobat actually attacks from time to time! Crobat is a useful attacker against the likes of [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card], Buzzwole-GX, Zoropod, Toad, and [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card].

Matchups

Night March — Highly Favorable

[cardimg name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Just like with Toad / [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”custom”]Maxie’s[/card], Night March is an extremely favorable matchup. All of the opponent’s possible lines of play are ineffective. [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] is easily OHKO’d and resisted by [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”none”][/card]. [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] is slightly bulkier, but it is also an easy Prize. If the opponent attacks with Pumpkaboo, that means [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is in play for [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”none”][/card]  and [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] to use. Zoroark is weak to Fighting and deals very little damage with a small Bench. If their Zoroark is actually doing damage, that means there are plenty of weak Pokemon on the Bench to take out. Marshadow-GX is weak to Psychic, meaning that a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]ed Crobat deals 100 damage: the other 50 needed to KO Marshadow should not be hard to come by. On top of all this, you also have Focus Sash and Oricorio to mess with them even more!

Zoroark-GX (Lonzo, Lycanroc-GX, and Golisopod-GX) — Favorable

Against all of these decks, try to wipe out [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] as aggressively as possible. Sometimes you can straight up KO [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”none”][/card] and other times you must set up devolution Knock Outs with [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]. It really doesn’t matter which strategy you use. Espeon plays are more common against [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”none”][/card] and [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”none”][/card], as they are not weak to Fighting.

The Golisopod variant is easier to deal with because it lacks [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]. With no Sky Field, they cannot OHKO any attackers in our deck without using Crossing Cut GX. This allows us to abuse Crobat as an attacker due to its 130 HP, and also to abuse Acerola with basically any attacker.

Seismitoad-EX Variants — Unfavorable

I actually haven’t played this matchup, so I could be wrong, but I cannot see it going very well. Seismitoad packs plenty of [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]s, [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]s, and not to mention it hits Landorus for Weakness. Crobat with its free retreat alongside [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”none”][/card] is probably going to be the best line of play here. I’m sure this matchup is winnable, but I doubt it’s favorable.

Other

  • [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is 50-50 in my opinion, though my raw testing results indicate that the matchup is actually favorable for Landorus.
  • Gyarados is easy. You don’t even need to attack with the water-weak Landorus because all of the [card name=”Magikarp” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] just die to Bat snipes.
  • [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is favorable thanks to early pressure and late-game cleanup with Espeon.
  • Turbo Darkrai seems like it would be favorable but definitely not an auto-win.
  • [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] is basically a guaranteed auto-loss. As with Toad, you can’t really kill whales.

Conclusion

That’s all I got for now, folks! Definitely try out these decks, I have really enjoyed them so far. Personally, I am more hyped on Lando / Bats even though Toad / Maxie seems better on paper; though I’m still not completely sure what my deck choice will be.

If you are going to Dallas, good luck! Feel free to say hi to me at the event. Thanks for reading!

-Grant

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