Coasting to Costa Mesa: Preparation, Planning, and Updates for Expanded

By: John Kettler · Posted Feb 22, 2018 at 12:24 PM · 0 Comments

Despite being fresh off of two very important Standard format tournaments (namely, the Oceania International Championship and the Collinsville, Illinois Regional Championship), here we are talking about Expanded again. It’s amazing how fast the season moves, isn’t it?

Today, we’ll be doing a comprehensive review of the Expanded format, both as it exists now and in the post-Ultra Prism world. I will lay out my predictions and ideas about the metagame, offer updates to old favorites, and even give you updates regarding pet decks I’ve been testing. My goal here is simply to get you as up to speed and prepared for Costa Mesa, California’s Regional Championship as possible… and I suppose any League Cups before or after that!

Setting the Scene for Expanded Pokemon TCG Post-Dallas

In Expanded, you essentially have one of three deck types:

1. Decks that are legal and good in both formats
2. Old decks that have rotated out of Standard
3. Decks that are legal in both formats, but only good in Expanded

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A good chunk of the Expanded season has been dominated by decks or variants that would most safely fall under category two. These include Night March, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card]. However, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, which is why we have seen every victory by a category two deck answered by a multi-format category one deck. These include [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card].

You’d venture to guess that since Zoroark-GX won the most recent event (Dallas), we should be due for another Expanded-exclusive deck to win. Equal and opposite reactions, right?

Hold up one second! Just because the season has see-sawed between multi-format and mono-format decks doesn’t mean we’ll always see an old deck come roaring back for revenge. That’s principally due to the absurdly commanding position Zoroark-GX holds over both Standard and Expanded right now. In other words, it is the ultimate multi-format deck, so beating it should be your priority number one in testing, techs, and tweaks.

Ultimately, though, while it’s all new faces and cards, the age-old strategy remains the same: beat it or join it. However, this is Pokemon we’re playing, and in Pokemon it’s never so simple as to simply “beat” the top dog. And of course it’s always possible to “join” Zoroark-GX in a variety of ways.

Category One: Decks That are Legal and Good in Both Formats

Zoroark-GX

Starting off our Costa Mesa discussion is none other than the reigning king of the Pokemon Trading Card Game in both major formats. At this point, with every single major event won with some presence of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] in the list, I think we have to take the whole game as a big “Presumption of Zoroark” — that is, presuming that Zoroark-GX will win the event unless proven otherwise. We will talk about ways to beat it, but for now here’s a very familiar list…

[decklist name=”Straight Zoroark-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Next Destinies” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

This is almost card-for-card the same list Riley Hulbert used to win the Dallas Regional Championship, the sole change being swapping out a [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] for a single copy of [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]. Oranguru is great because it means you’ll be getting back more of all your favorite Supporters, especially crucial one-ofs like Hex Maniac (arguably better as a two-of) and Ghetsis. It also corrects many serious problems you could encounter against the deck’s biggest foes, like mill decks (Sableye, Sylveon, and Wailord).

Will the Presumption of Zoroark hold up though if the lists begin to become so similar to this one? Perhaps there is an opening for another Zoroark-GX variant to win, or perhaps a member…of Category Two.

Category Two: Rotated Superstars

Night March Redux

[decklist name=”Night March Redux” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM59″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM13″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

To keep up with Zoroark-GX doing so well, I actually don’t think trying to be “Zoroark-lite” in our list structure does us as much good anymore. Rather, the new approach should simply be running Night March in a way that most reliably escapes devastating [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] drops. Keep in mind though that while this is currently a less common take on the deck, it’s actually more or less the original version of the deck Michael Pramawat won with at Ft. Wayne — just a little altered to keep up with the times.

High Tapu Lele-GX Count

[cardimg name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As incredible as Zoroark-GX is both for late-game support and recovering after a [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card], it’s simply too shaky to rely on for consistency. [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], on the other hand, is always an out from a bad hand so long as your Abilities are accessible. It also doubles as a more reliable way to fetch our crucial tech Supporters (I will sound like a broken record this article).

Two Marshadow-GX

Although Michael Pramawat and Azul Garcia Griego established just a single [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM59″ c=”name”][/card] as the norm this season, I’ve actually considered this an open debate, and now with Zoroark-GX being so huge, it might be time to rely on a Fighting attacker that demands a measly 5-6 Night Marchers in the Discard Pile in order to score a Knock Out. [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] might be a longer term threat to this strategy, but you still have the rest of your Night Marchers to answer that threat as soon as possible.

Oranguru: (SUM)

If Tapu Lele-GX’s Wonder Tag is our early game insurance policy against Ghetsis and Red Card, then our late game insurance is Instruct. Be very careful, though, since with only four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] it makes for a poor attacker, and may get stuck up in the Active spot if you haven’t planned to place your [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] on it.

Pokemon Ranger

This is fair to consider a free spot in case you don’t fear the many fringe decks that block Special Energy attachment, but if I’m presenting a “safe” list to you guys, then I would rather include [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] so as to shake off an otherwise auto-loss condition. It also doubles as a nice Quaking Punch block late game against straight Zoroark-GX builds.

[premium]

Trevenant

I was an early adopter of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], and after having played the matchup a few times, believe Trevenant can still be good against Zoroark-GX — especially since we’re seeing [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] players that either don’t help or are even harmful in the Trevenant matchup. Perhaps I am biased towards the deck, but it could score a big win soon.

(Aside from a friendlier metagame, I’ve made a few small changes that could have a big impact against the big dog of Pokemon…)

[decklist name=”Trevenant” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ 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=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Scarf” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Captivating Poké Puff” set=”Steam Siege” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]2x [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Four Enhanced Hammer, One Team Flare Grunt, One Xerosic

Older lists only ran a mix of [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and Enhanced Hammer, but now I’m opting for a complete Enhanced Hammer / Supporter mix because, put simply, Double Colorless Energy is king. As soon as one hits the field, you need a guaranteed response, and you’ll usually need to play it as something other than your Supporter. That said, the Grunt and Xerosic are incredibly useful against otherwise challenging matchups, like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] variants.

One Captivating Poké Puff, One Target Whistle

These cards are meant to punish players in every matchup where they attempt to withhold Benched targets, but these are specifically helpful for easy prizes in the Zoroark matchup. This is because of Exeggcute Plasma Freeze, which is almost always either sitting in your opponent’s discard pile “or” in their hand for an easy KO. Captivating Poke Puff also enjoys the side benefits of being able to disrupt your opponent’s [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], as well as get a peek at their hand for future planning.

Wailord-EX

[decklist name=”Wailord” amt=”60″ caption=””undefined][pokemon amt=”8″]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=”Xurkitree-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”51″]4x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Steven” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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]3x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”1″]1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

With the splashability and bulkiness of [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] from Ultra Prism, I’m somewhat concerned [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] might be losing its place in the metagame. However, with a couple very small tweaks, I think we can keep it alive for a little longer, even if it’s not necessarily the objectively best play in most metagames.

Like the Zoroark list, This list is also almost identical to a build players used at Dallas, only instead of Rilery Hulbert we’ve got Drew Bennett-Kennet and Kirk Dube to credit. Compared to their build, I actually opted for a couple more traditional options, though there is one crucial difference I believe keeps Wailord afloat in this rapidly changing format…

Trick Shovel

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

I think that the deck discarding capability of [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] cannot be ignored in Wailord-EX, especially with so many hard counters available nowadays. Quite often, players using a hard counter such as [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] or Oranguru will not keep their decks full enough to handle well-planned turns involving several repeated uses of Trick shovel, a lucky flip or two on [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and two uses of Bunnelby’s Burrow to finish the game. Add the two [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] copies and the [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], and you’ve got up to 11 deck ciscards in a single turn!

Bunnelby over Oranguru

Oranguru is an absolutely superior card for recovery, getting back a whole extra card over Bunnelby’s Rototiller. Unfortunately, Oranguru does not have Burrow, meaning that if we were to cut it, our reach-win scenarios are that fewer. Between Trick Shovel, Rocket’s Handiwork, and Bunnelby’s Burrow, you oftentimes need a combination of all three in order to win otherwise unwinnable board states via deck-out.

Parallel City over Cyrus Prism Star

Both are excellent at limiting huge Bench sizes, but since you are always playing your Supporter for other disruptive purposes (Energy Discard, Healing, etc.), you simply never have time to use a Supporter to mess with a Bench that’s just going to get replaced anyways. Additionally, since Cyrus Prism Star immediately goes to the Lost Zone, it has far less life and long-term utility than Parallel City, which can be retrieved with a [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card].

Category Three: Still Legal in Standard… But Much Better in Expanded

Finally, we have the strangest decks in all of Expanded; that is, the decks that seem to have new life breathed into them only here. To be honest with you, this category of deck is the least likely to win Costa Mesa, but it is certainly the most likely to make a splash on the outcome, and essential to watch carefully.

Glaceon-GX

[card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]s Freezing Gaze Ability shuts off Trade, Wonder Tag, Set Up, and pretty much the [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] player’s conventional game plan. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is also a poor choice to this option, seeing as how the moment you play it to shut off Glaceon-GX…would be giving Glaceon-GX precisely what it wanted in the first place: Ability-lock! In turn, Glaceon-GX’s only true answer in the Expanded format is a well-played [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], a well-played [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], or a huge smack to the face. And unlike Standard, people are not packing four copies of Guzma… they’re packing four copies of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and usually just 1-2 Guzma or Lysandre!

[decklist name=”Glaceon-GX in Expanded” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ 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=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

In a nutshell, this is just my Expanded interpretation of the list Andrew Wamboldt a.k.a. Russian Charizard piloted to day two in Collinsville. It’s also quite frankly a late addition to this article, and in several ways overlaps with Category One. However, the metagame differences between Glaceon in Standard and Expanded are so many I deemed it a better fit here.

Keldeo-EX

[cardimg name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Despite keeping the Garbotoxin from Wamboldt’s list, we also run [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] because it helps us juggle between Glaceon-GXs, keeping them alive for much longer. You also enjoy the added benefit of being able to attack into Wailord-EXs with progressively larger amounts of Damage.

Seismitoad-EX

Why not invest that meager amount of space to solidify the Night March matchup? With Karen and VS Seeker, it will be an uphill battle for them, but if you live in a more Night March-free metagame, you could just save the space on both.

Rough Seas

Thanks to [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], this Water-aligned Ice Pokemon gains access to consistent healing every turn.

Hex Maniac

Why so much Ability hate on top of all the other cards we’re already running? As I said earlier, they still have outs through Guzma and Lysandre, so I want to shut off that reasonable out.

Xerosic

We could go much crazier with the Energy denial, but I decided only on Xerosic because of its versatility to knock off opposing Tools, as well as discard Special Energy in Item lock matchups.

Lack of a Particular Wailord Option

I’ve chosen not to run a Wailord-EX counter because as it stands, I believe our list has only a marginally negative Wailord-EX matchup. Should that change, I don’t think it it complicates things at all to run a single copy of [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card].

Luxio Lock

The last deck I’d like to leave you all with is an experimental concept I’ve been messing with recently. I am not ready to recommend this deck to anyone, but it’s worth sharing because it has defied my expectations in testing, since — to be frank with you all — I feared it would do quite miserably at first. Nevertheless, here we are with yet another exciting Item lock variant in the Expanded format!

[decklist name=”Luxio Lock” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Latios-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY72″][pokemon amt=”18″]1x [card name=”Luxray” set=”Flashfire” no=”34″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Luxio” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Shinx” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ 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=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” 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] 2x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=” 2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Yes, even with [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], we are still emphasizing the tiny Stage 1 as a main attacker, and running the Stage 2 as a mere tech! Disconnect lock is much less effective in Standard not only because the lack of Hypnotoxic Laser, but more importantly the smaller chance we truly lock an opponent out of a game with it. Contrast that to Expanded, where VS Seekers, Battle Compressors, and many more highly-prized consistency cards can just get Item locked.

General Advantages versus Other Seismitoad-EX Variants

1. Better starters. Mew-EX, Seismitoad-EX, and evolving a [card name=”Luxio” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn are nine separate outs to get a turn one Item lock when going second. In many ways, the structure of the build mirrors a very old World Championship deck — “Mewtric” — than it does traditional Seismitoad-EX builds.
2. Future tech potential. Our emphasis on Mew-EX as a starter is the only thing that makes the hyper-aggressive “Latidonk” tactic viable.
3. Non-GX, Non-EX Item lock with an attack that actually does decent damage.
4. Access to [card name=”Luxray” set=”Flashfire” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] Flashfire. Despite being only a single-card inclusion in the present list, Fang Snipe is a marvelous follow-up to several turns of Item lock. The Fang Snipe follow-up is particularly incredible after a Ghetsis, because if your opponent has a single Supporter, the Attack results in an unplayable hand. With any luck, the following top deck will keep the hand from being playable!

Specific Card Choices

[card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] ROS. Don’t underestimate an Item lock deck’s ability to steal games from Zoroark. Players will quite often start with a lone Zorua even when going second. They will do this either because the Basic is lone ,or because the other Basics in hand have usable Abilities and thus shouldn’t be played on the Bench. Latios-EX’s Fast Raid however will oftentimes take a game, especially because you have so many ways into a turn one Fast Raid (Mew-EX Versatile, Float Stone another Basic into the Latios-EX).

Remember, however, that Zorua resists Psychic, so if you want your quick win with the Mew-EX, you’ll need more than just a Muscle Band. You’ll need a Virbank City Gym on top of a Hypnotoxic Laser, so try going for the Latios-EX to attack if possible.

Three VS Seeker

Normally most decks in Expanded want a complete play set of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] because it maximizes your chances to use powerful Supporters throughout the game. That need applies here too, but I think it’s less relevant in the face of fitting everything we want in the counts we want.

Unit Energy LPM

This new Unit Energy is our second Special Energy of choice simply to make our early Fast Raids and late game Fang Snipes easier to pull off, without the drawbacks of other similar choices. Neither of the Blend Energies from Dragons Exalted match the exact type combinations we need, [card name=”Prism Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] does not work on Evolved Pokemon, and our brittle Pokemon cannot handle the Damage from [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card].

Brief Thoughts on Magnezone

[cardimg name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Before we formally close out this piece, I need to talk about the state of my previous article‘s centerpiece, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. At this point I am still very much convinced that it is a great play in Expanded: It still has a good Zoroark-GX mirror matchup, handles normal Zoroark-GX’s bad matchups superbly, and even answers most new decks from Ultra Prism quite well (although I have doubts about its Glaceon-GX matchup).

A small group of players (I believe 8-10) ended up using the deck, with most doing well but nobody advancing beyond the Top 64. Statistically this is a much better showing than normal Zoroark-GX lists, but I still can’t help but feel it’s an under-performance. Perhaps with slightly larger numbers, it can cause a ruckus in Costa Mesa.

As for changes to the build? So far the only one I have really gotten on board with is swapping the Seismitoad-EX out for a [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] for its Road Block Ability. When it comes to new cards, I’ve actually tried a number of things, most notably the new [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] Supporter card to finish off an opponent’s hand after a Ghetsis or [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, I believe over 90% of the time this card just ends up being a waste of a spot in exchange for what typically amounts to a “win more” scenario. Although discarding the final card in their Hand might result in absolute, overwhelming victory, it’s rarely useful enough by itself to justify the inclusion!

A Preliminary Tier List for Costa Mesa, and Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Rather than close things out with normal rituals, I figured the best thing I could do is end with a tier list. While I understand why most players refuse to do tiers, I believe it’s a decent visual display of how I see the metagame right now. Granted, there are other decks I did not address in this article such as [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card], Shock Lock, [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. I believe they all have places in the metagame and can do well in the right setting, with the right players. Still, I think we should all basically just see the format in a very simple light:

Is it Zoroark? if so, then it’s Tier 1.
Is it not Zoroark, proven to beat Zoroark consistently, and have nearly good matchups against everything else? If so, then it’s Tier 0.
Does it have some sort of untapped potential to beat Zoroark-GX consistently as well as handle most other decks decently? If so, then it’s Tier 2.
If you answer no to all of the above, then it instantly falls to Tier 3or below.

Tier 0: Nothing I am presently aware of existing on planet Earth.

Tier 1:

Zoroark-GX
Straight Zoroark-GX variants
“Mixed” Zoroark-GX variants (Lycanroc, Golisopod, Magnezone, etc)

Tier 2: Potential to have a favorable matchup against Tier 1 as well as hold their own against most other decks in the Expanded format

Night March
Trevenant
Buzzwole-GX
Glaceon-GX
Sylveon-GX

Tier 3: Is a proven, good deck, but either lacks the potential to dominate Zoroark-GX or suffers a huge, gaping metagame hole.

Gardevoir-GX
Sableye / Garbodor
Shock Lock
Wailord

Tier Other: Is not even a fully-developed concept. Worth messing with but explicitly not recommended for usage just yet

Luxio Lock
[card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM37″ c=”name”][/card]/ [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] (rest in peace, old friend! May you find some way to be playable someday…)

–John

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