[card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] has the highest ceiling of any new archetype from Ultra Prism. Its Magnetic Circuit Ability is ready to shine in decks full of Metal Pokemon that can do massive amounts of damage: Magnezone’s clear partner, [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], has one of the hardest-hitting attacks ever printed in the history of the Pokemon Trading Card Game. You might be asking yourself: why is this new Magnezone better than the [card name=”Magnezone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] from BREAKthrough, which has the same Ability for Lightning Energy? The answer is simple: there are not currently any Lightning-type Pokemon that are as powerful as Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX or [card name=”Dialga-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. The HP and damage output of these new Pokemon surpasses anything we’ve seen in recent years from Lightning-types, so the Metal-type Magnezone has more potential to fuel a top-tier deck.

Over the last few months, the Standard format has been more about two-hit Knock Outs than anything else, but this new Metal deck will definitely change that. Zoroark-GX decks can no longer just sit back and use [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], because Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX will be lying in wait to take a one-hit KO with Meteor Tempest. I love that this deck has built-in defense against Garbotoxin, because of [card name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and its Radiant Star attack. [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] helps too, but Radiant Star alone can carry you against what would otherwise be one of your toughest matchups. Dialga-GX brings the Timeless GX attack to the table, and while it takes five Energy to use, it’s worth the effort, as it gives you the much-needed ability to come back in games where you’ve fallen behind. I’ve played [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] a bit this season, so optimally playing a Stage 2 deck comes fairly easily to me. Whenever you’re playing a deck like this, you need to focus on giving yourself the best possible chance of hitting your Stage 2 on your second turn, and that’s what my list is designed to do. When Magnezone sets up, there aren’t many ways you can lose games, considering how strong your attackers are.

A List

[decklist name=”Magnezone” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dialga-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”100″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Magnemite” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ 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=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dialga-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

List Breakdown

Three Tapu Lele-GX, One Remoraid, One Octillery

Three [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is a must. With that count, you improve your odds of [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] on your first turn and a draw Supporter on your second turn by more than five percent. The [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] line is thin just to make space for other cards; two each of Remoraid and Octillery would be preferable. Octillery’s Abyssal Hand Ability is quite important to your strategy, so prizing one of the pieces can be devastating. An Oranguru alongside the 1-1 line could work as well, so that’s something to think about at the cost of just one other card slot instead of two.

Playing three Tapu Lele-GX

• Turn one [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]: 74.457% of games
• Turn one draw Supporter: 94.002% of games
• Turn one Brigette and turn two draw Supporter: 70.222% of games

Playing two Tapu Lele-GX

• Turn one [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]: 69.825% of games
• Turn two draw Supporter: 93.220% of games
• Turn one Brigette and turn two draw Supporter: 65.171% of games

Three Magnemite, Three Magnezone

[cardimg name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

There’s no time to flirt with [card name=”Magneton” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card]: it’s [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] or bust. I’m unsure which Magnemite is best, but I think stopping Bench damage is probably the most relevant perk, so my current list runs [card name=”Magnemite” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] UPR 81. Magnemite BRT 51’s Sparkling Induction is a nice Ability as well, granting a free Retreat, but [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] eats that Magnemite up because of Fighting Weakness. Playing three Magnezone is advisable so that you have better odds of drawing into them naturally; a lower count would reduce your turn two Magnezone odds by a significant percentage.

Two Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX

This is your main attacker, but you’ll still rarely use three in a game. In testing, I included three in my list for quite some time, but with a [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, the third copy almost always seemed redundant. Most times, your Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX will survive at least one attack anyway. The biggest merit to a third copy is to handle prizing issues, so that’s worth taking into consideration if you’re having problems with consistency.

One Solgaleo Prism Star

This is your answer to Garbotoxin, as well as stall decks against which you need a solid non-EX/GX attacker. Corona Impact with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] can take down many prominent Pokemon-EX and Pokemon-GX, and Radiant Star is obviously a very strong attack that lets you rush Energy onto your field if you don’t have access to Magnezone. As long as you can keep attacking, you’re going to win games, so if you can load up attackers even when Garbotoxin is locking your Magnetic Circuit, you’ll be in fine shape.

One Dialga-GX

Timeless GX is my favorite aspect of this deck; it allows you to pull off some insane comebacks. You can effectively use two Supporters in one turn, which is something completely unprecedented in the Standard format. Since the attack does 150 base damage, you can realistically take down a Pokemon-EX or -GX if you have a Choice Band, and then take yet another KO on your following turn with a Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX.

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Four N, Four Cynthia, Four Skyla, One Professor Sycamore

This array of Supporters gives you plenty of ways to draw while minimizing the risk of “dump and draw” Supporters like [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. Professor Sycamore can be very hurtful in the early game when it comes to discarding cards, so in this slower, more methodical format, I have been lowering counts of it in all of my decks. The only change I would consider making is cutting one of the N in favor of a second Professor Sycamore, but the current count has worked splendidly for me so far. [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is simply an amazing card. Three [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] increase your odds of the turn 2 Magnezone by about five percent per copy. A fourth copy is something to consider, just to add those few extra percentage points that can be the difference in a tight tournament.

Three Guzma

This deck takes Prizes very quickly, and you can OHKO almost any Pokemon in the game with Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX, so Guzma is not needed very often. If your opponent ever attacks with a Pokemon-EX or -GX, leaving it vulnerable in the Active spot, you won’t need Guzma to take two Prizes on your ensuing turn. The ultimate goal of this deck is to take all six Prizes in three turns!

Three Brigette

Every [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] counts. Don’t believe me? Look at the following statistics I generated with Rukan Shao’s Python simulator:

Playing three Brigette

• Turn one Brigette: 74.457% of games
• Turn two draw Supporter: 94.002% of games
• Turn 1 Brigette and turn two draw Supporter: 70.222% of games

Playing two Brigette

• Turn one Brigette: 69.596% of games
• Turn two draw Supporter: 93.410% of games
• Turn one Brigette and turn two draw Supporter: 65.198% of games

With one fewer Brigette, you’re taking more than a five percent decrease in the chance of having it in your starting hand. In my opinion, that’s disgusting, so you’re going to want to be playing three copies. You can’t argue with statistics, and these numbers come from 100,000 simulations in Rukan’s program — basically as conclusive as it gets. Playing more Brigette (and more Tapu Lele-GX, as I mentioned earlier) leads to higher odds of getting a turn two Magnezone, which will greatly improve your chances of winning.

Four Ultra Ball

[cardimg name=”Rare Candy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”165″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Without a full set of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], the deck’s consistency would be greatly hindered. Your odds of getting the first turn Brigette would tank, as you wouldn’t have as many ways to find Tapu Lele-GX.

Four Rare Candy

Every Stage 2 deck should be centered around getting the key Stage 2 out on your second turn. Maxing out your copies of [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] only helps your chances of doing just that, so playing four is always optimal.

One Rescue Stretcher

I talked about this earlier: if you’re not playing three Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX, then you need to be playing a Rescue Stretcher. While you might not use it in every game, it can save you in games that you might have lost otherwise. It’s also nice if you have a Magnezone in your discard pile and a Rare Candy in hand, so that you can grab the Magnezone back and then use Rare Candy to get it into play.

One Professor’s Letter

Instead of an 11th Metal Energy, a [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice inclusion that’s searchable with Skyla and delivers two Metal Energy to your hand instead of just one. It’s a nice boost for turns where you just need some Energy and you have a Skyla in hand.

One Float Stone, One Choice Band

Using [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] as a pivot is great: you can use Guzma on an opposing Pokemon and use Float Stone to switch your own new Active Pokemon back into the attacker you want. I played this deck extensively without Float Stone, and while I wouldn’t say it’s strictly necessary, I strongly support including at least one Item card that gives you a switching ability. While this deck can pay Retreat Costs without too much hassle, it’s nice to avoid those discards sometimes. Skyla can search out Float Stone, of course, making it easier to find when you need it. [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is only ever really useful when attached to Dialga-GX or Solgaleo Prism Star, so I’m considering taking it out altogether. Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX will almost never need a Choice Band to take a one-hit KO, so this has almost always seemed like a wasted slot. I’ve progressively cut down on the number of copies in the list, and for now that number is resting at one.

One Field Blower

As mentioned a few times now, Solgaleo Prism Star and a single [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] are all you need to give yourself a chance against Garbotoxin. Field Blower is a solid utility card in almost every other matchup, so it’s always worth playing at least one copy of it.

Four Mt. Coronet

[cardimg name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I tried three of these in my initial list and it just wasn’t enough. You want as many outs to recovering Metal Energy from your discard pile as possible, and this is the best way to do that. If you already have one Energy attached to Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX, you can use the effect of [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] for your turn and then just need to find one more Energy to use Meteor Tempest. That’s pretty easy to do each turn, and it’s even better that this card, being a Stadium, can be used multiple times during a game (as opposed to something like [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Shining Legends” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] that’s a single-use Item card).

10 Metal Energy

10 has felt like the magic number to me; I probably wouldn’t go lower for fear of running out of Energy or whiffing them in the early turns when they matter most. Remember, once you get a certain number of Metal Energy in your discard pile, the deck begins to play on autopilot with Mt. Coronet just delivering those Energy straight to your hand every turn.

Other Options

Clefairy EVO

[card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] has the Metronome attack, which can copy an opposing Meteor Tempest for a one-hit KO and help you win the Prize trade since the card only gives up a single Prize. It will be interesting to see if this deck gets hyped to the point where it would be advantageous to tech for the mirror match.

Energy Retrieval

There have been times that I’ve wanted even more Energy recovery, and the best way to do that would be to play Energy Retrieval to get two more basic Energy from your discard pile.

Fighting Fury Belt

A Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX with 230 HP from a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] would be pretty scary.

Fisherman

[card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is another Energy recovery card that could have potential in this deck. I’m not a huge fan of it since it uses up your Supporter slot for the turn, and I’d probably play an Energy Retrieval before playing it.

Max Potion

Since you’re already discarding three of the four Energy on Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX when you use Meteor Tempest, before you attach more Energy on your next turn, you can play a [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to prevent a 2HKO and keep your primary attacker alive.

Matchups

Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX: Even

[cardimg name=”Dialga-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”100″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In this matchup, you want to focus on keeping three or fewer Pokemon on your Bench, so that Dangerous Rogue GX won’t get be able to take easy Knock Outs on Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done with this deck, so it might be too much to ask for. Still, as long as you get Magnezone out and start taking one-hit Knock Outs as early as turn two, you can still win even if you give up a big KO to Dangerous Rogue GX. Dialga-GX can swing the game back in your favor if you are losing the Prize trade. In a nutshell, I believe that Magnezone is a better deck by design but it is slower than the super-aggressive nature of Buzzwole-GX and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card].

Empoleon and Garchomp Decks: Even

Against non-EX/-GX decks like these, you can have a difficult time. Dialga-GX is your main route to making a comeback, by essentially letting you take more than one Prize in a turn. Against [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll want to limit your Bench so that Empoleon can’t take one-hit KOs. Even if you limit yourself to three Benched Pokemon, though, your opponent can just fill up their Bench and slap down a Choice Band for an OHKO on a Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX. [card name=”Garchomp” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] can use Royal Blades to take OHKOs each turn, too. As long as you can keep streaming attacks, though, you will have a chance. Magnezone is a more streamlined archetype than both Empoleon and Garchomp, since those decks rely on multiple Energy attachments with no natural Energy acceleration like Magnezone.

Garbodor Decks: Even

Focus on finding Field Blower to buy yourself a turn to load up multiple attackers. As mentioned, Solgaleo Prism Star is huge for the same reason. You want to get the maximum possible value out of both of those cards, so don’t use one without having a hand (or discard pile) full of Metal Energy to accompany it. As long as you can attack three times for OHKOs against Pokemon-EX/-GX, you will win. Going first gives you a nice advantage since you can get at least one Magnetic Circuit off before the Garbotoxin lock hits.

Gardevoir-GX: Highly Favorable

Because [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] has Metal Weakness, this matchup is a piece of cake. The [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] variant is a little more problematic than the Max Potion or [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] versions, but they’re all very easy to handle. The only real danger is Plea GX picking up your Magnezone, but if you saw that play coming and left yourself with a powered-up attacker, then you can just KO the Sylveon-GX in return. If you somehow manage to fall behind due to a slow start, Timeless GX can catch you right back up.

Mirror: Even

Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX decks that play [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] are just slower than the Magnezone version. Magnezone can accelerate Energy easily starting on turn 2 while Metagross-GX has to get multiple Stage 2 Pokemon into play (and keep them there) in order to consistently stream attacks. A Magnezone mirror match comes down to who gets the first two-Prize KO off. Go after your opponent’s Magnezone and try to set up two of your own so your opponent can’t use the same strategy. Using Solgaleo Prism Star with a Choice Band to take down a Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX can hand you an advantage by creating a “seven-Prize game” for the opponent. A final option is to target down your opponent’s Octillery to make your N very powerful in the late game.

Vikavolt / Tapu Bulu-GX: Favorable

This matchup is a cake walk. Tapu Bulu-GX needs a Choice Band to take down a full-HP Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX, so right away you have a card advantage since you don’t need any damage modifiers to get an OHKO on Tapu Bulu-GX. In general, Magnezone is simply the faster deck, largely due to Mt. Coronet. Solgaleo Prism Star is also very strong in this matchup as it (with a Choice Band) can OHKO a Tapu Bulu-GX and create that seven-Prize situation.

Volcanion: Unfavorable

[cardimg name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The only way you can win this matchup is by OHKOing Pokemon-EX/-GX and getting a Prize lead right away. A turn two Magnezone is absolutely essential, and again, you’re likely to be facing a [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] STS — not a Pokemon-EX/GX — in the early turns, so you’ll be in a bad spot right away. Try to put down two Magnemite on turn one; this prevents your opponent from simply KOing your only one with Power Heater to set you even further behind. If you opponent ever takes a two-Prize OHKO with Volcanion STS, you will have almost no way to come back.

Zoroark-GX Decks: Favorable

Riotous Beating can’t one-shot you, but Meteor Tempest can obliterate Zoroark-GX. While Trade makes Zoroark-GX a tad more consistent than you, as long as you can execute your proper game plan, you’ll be in an excellent spot. Again, always try to get two Magnemite out early so that Zoroark-GX can’t KO your only one and leave you a turn behind in terms of setting up Magnezone.

Conclusion

Magnezone is the new face of the Standard format. I believe it is the deck to beat going into Collinsville Regionals, and every player should have it on their mind. Magnetic Circuit isn’t a revolutionary Ability; it’s the new Metal attackers that have come out alongside it that make the deck so strong. This is my favorite deck in the format right now, and I’m thinking it will be my fallback deck for Collinsville if other options don’t work out. Magnezone simply overpowers most of the older archetypes, and the deck is super strong and will catch unprepared players off guard. Be sure to ask me any questions you may have in our PTCG Subscribers’ Hideout; happy testing, and thanks for reading!

~Caleb

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