The Buzz in Sydney — Thoughts on Standard

Hey PokeBeach readers, if you haven’t guessed it by now, I am in an airplane right now. Obviously the flight is Pokemon related, so I am on my way to Dallas, TX to play in an Expanded Regionals. While I want to be successful this weekend, I am thinking ahead to a much bigger tournament — the 2018 Asian Pacific International Championships in Sydney, Australia. I have been going back and forth deciding if I wanted to discuss this already well explored format instead of diving into Ultra Prism decks, but this format will still be used for Standard League Cups. In this article, I will go through our current metagame, share my thoughts on the format currently, and showcase my brainchild of a deck that should answer the format. Without wasting time, let’s peer into my thoughts as we look towards Sydney:

Lookin’ Towards Sydney

As we look towards Sydney, we need to look at the information that is available to us and that takes place in the form of looking at major events that have taken place in this Standard format. These are the events completed with the Top 8 results for each event from the Master’s Division:

London Internationals – United Kingdom – November 2017

Brisbane Regionals – Australia – December 2017

Memphis Regionals – United States – December 2017

Turin Special Event – Italy – December 2017

Sao Paulo Regionals – Brazil – January 2018

Leipzig Regionals – Germany – January 2018

With all of these results, the decks that placed more than once are:

• [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”name”][/card]  / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]  / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM62″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card]  / [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM28″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]

I think that all of those decks seem like strong deck choices heading into Sydney because they all have well-defined lists that top players have perfected over the past few months. After looking at these results, if I don’t end up playing one of those decks, I will need to play a deck that does a great job countering those decks.

What I Want in a Deck

Continuing on my thought of a counter deck, I need to find a deck that can do multiple things, and do them well. It might not be easy, but here is my list:

• Consistent deck that sets up more games than not
• Can do enough damage to KO a [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], the most played Pokemon with the highest amount of HP
• Can either Knock Out opposing Pokemon who use Abilities or block them entirely
• Can take Prizes quickly to set games up for success
• Has favourable typing or has a lack of bad matchups

With all of those factors in mind, I am experimenting with a Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] deck that seems to be a hidden gem in the format. I have taken inspiration from my older Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX from League Cups earlier in the season and I have mixed it with the concept of Frank Percic’s Buzzwole-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] list that allowed him to make day two at Memphis Regionals. I decided that I wasn’t a fan of playing Garbodor from Guardians Rising in the deck because I found it almost entirely useless when I played it at a League Cup a few weeks ago. Overall, I am going to playtest the below list extensively heading into London so expect me to play something extremely similar. Let’s peep this list out:

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Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX / Garbodor

[decklist name=”Buzzwole/Lycanroc/Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM06″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Explanations

I will go over cards in the deck list to explain how they should work in a real-life setting! Not all cards are included, such as Ultra Ball, because it is included in almost every competitive deck!

Four Buzzwole-GX

[card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”name”][/card] is a Basic Pokemon with plenty of HP that can withstand a few blows from most opposing Pokemon. It has a decent type advantage over some fairly popular Pokemon such as [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Some of those Pokemon are Evolution Pokemon, meaning that Buzzwole-GX can do some extra damage to their Basic forms such as [card name=”Zorua” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM83″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Type: Null” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] too!

Jet Punch

While this is the first attack of the three attacks that Buzzwole-GX can call its own, it is often looked at as its best attack.

Knuckle Impact

This is where Buzzwole turns from a turn-one hard-hitter into a late-game powerhouse! In most of my Buzzwole-GX decks, I try to power up this attack quickly with [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]  to overwhelm my opponent with my strong attack. With a few damage modifiers added on, Buzzwole-GX has the capability to take out some massive Pokemon! Let’s check out how Knuckle Impact’s math works:

• Knuckle Impact base damage: 160 damage in total
• Add a [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] = 180 damage in total
• Add a second Strong Energy = 200 damage in total
• Add a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] = 210 damage in total
• Add spread damage from Jet Punch = 240 damage in total

That being said, Knuckle Impact can Knock Out many popular Pokemon such as [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM62″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]! As for the draw back of not being able to attack during your next turn, [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is an easy fix to get around this otherwise nuisance of a side-effect. That being said, remember that this side-effect does exist and it can put a halt on your game plan.

Absorption GX

And we get to Buzzwole-GX’s final move, the “I can Knock Out whatever I want” attack! Yup, this attack is meant as a vanilla OHKO move! Well, as long as you use it before you draw any or many of your Prizes that is. Absorption GX has the power to OHKO a fresh [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], sitting at a hefty 250HP, by simply attaching a Fighting Fury Belt, a Strong Energy, or by previously attacking with Jet Punch. If I have the choice to use Absorption-GX or Knuckle Impact for an OHKO early game, I quite often use Absorption GX because it gets weaker as the game progresses forward.

Two Garbodor and Four Float Stone

[card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is used to combat many different Pokemon in the format that have some worrisome Abilities. Here are some of the most common Pokemon with Abilities that you will see in Australia:

[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”custom”]let me block those Abilities![/cardimg]

• [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM28″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]

All of these Pokemon have Abilities that can win entire games on their own so being able to shut them off with Garbotoxin is going to be a huge deal. If you look at the most popular archetype, Gardevoir-GX, you can shut off their Ability to draw, their Ability to attach extra Energy cards, and their Ability to search their deck for Supporter Cards. Well, what is left? They can attack with a moderately useful Infinite Force on a Stage 2 Pokemon. That being said, Garbodor wins games through its hard lock on your opponent. We play four [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck to make sure we can always keep Garbotoxin in play. Float Stone also provides us with the added benefit of being able to Retreat other Pokemon, besides Garbodor, to have more ideal Pokemon up Active!

One Lycanroc-GX and Three Guzma

[card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] can both be used to gust up one of our opponent’s precious Pokemon so that we can seamlessly Knock it Out. Lycanroc-GX can be a strong attacker in the form of Dangerous Rogue GX, an attack that Knock Out any Pokemon if our opponent plays enough Benched Pokemon. Claw Slash can also effectively Knock Out either a [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], a strategy that can put you turns ahead of your opponent. You may be thinking that it is hard to power up a Lycanroc-GX and to solve that, you need to use [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] on a [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM06″ c=”name”][/card] before you Evolve into a Lycanroc-GX! While using Bloodthirsty Eyes is an advisable move, sometimes you will find yourself in a situation where you are under your own Garbotoxin lock – this is where the deck becomes tricky! You won’t always have access to your Abilities, but you can always use Lycanroc-GX as a strong attacker to OHKO a big threat with Dangerous Rogue GX. Needless to say, Lycanroc-GX plays a minor role in this deck in comparison to a traditional [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”name”][/card]/Lycanroc-GX deck, but it can still allow for boastful plays.

Two Rockruff 

I like this Promo Rockruff better than the Rockruff in Guardians Rising because Tackle can do damage for a single Energy card. If you attack with Tackle in combination with a Strong Energy, you can OHKO an opposing [card name=”Zorua” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM83″ c=”name”][/card]! Normally I would opt for a 1-1 or 2-2 line of Lycanroc-GX, but with the known power of Lycanroc-GX, opposing players will often try to use Guzma to Knock Out a Rockruff in play. I wanted to have a second Rockruff to make sure I could get off a Dangerous Rogue GX every game.

One Sudowoodo

Well, [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] is my personal touch to the deck, and it holds quite a bit of strength in the current meta game! I have a strong fascination with cards that copy attacks and Sudowoodo is no different, let’s see some of the attacks it can copy:

[cardimg name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Watch me, watch me![/cardimg]

• [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trashalanche
• [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]’s Berserk
• [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]’s Infinite Force
• [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM62″ c=”name”][/card]’s Crossing Cut GX
• [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]’s Volcanic Heat
• [card name=”Xurkitree-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM68″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lighting GX
• [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]’s Riotous Beating
• [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]’s Mind Jack
• [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card]’s Nature’s Judgment
• [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”name”][/card]’s Knuckle Impact
• Buzzwole-GX’s Absorption GX
• [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card]’s Phoenix Burn
• [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dangerous Rogue GX

With all of these great attacks, you can use Watch and Learn to copy the best aspects of your opponent’s deck. Furthermore, Sudowoodo can copy them better than the original attack because we gain the advantages of [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]  and [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to do more damage!

One Parallel City

This card can be used to limit our opponent’s Bench in matchups versus decks that include Zoroark-GX, or we can use it to discard damaged Pokemon from our Bench. [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] can limit some damage versus Grass, Fire, and Water-type Pokemon, which can prevent some Knock Outs against us.

One Lillie

With the limited selection of draw support we have in the current card pool, [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] is often the ninth draw Supporter in most decks that need a boost in consistency. This spot is up in the air at this current moment because I want to add a [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] into this deck to search out [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]  when needed. Either way, this spot is open for a consistency crutch and both Lillie and Brigette fall into that spot.

Three Fighting Fury Belt and Four Strong Energy

In our current Standard format, cards such as [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] are often not fully utilized because they are currently being played at minimal counts. This is a huge plus for passive cards such as [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] because it means the card will stick on our Pokemon for more turns. In this deck, we are using the Fighting Fury Belts for the extra HP and the extra 10 damage is more so icing on the cake. However, with four [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], we can often do enough damage to get in a 2HKO or 3HKO on some popular Pokemon. The 10 damage comes in huge though in situations when attempting to KO 60HP Pokemon like Remoraid or Ralts with Jet Punch.

Strategy

This deck is vanilla, yet it is quite complex at the same time. It functions as a normal [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”name”][/card]  / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] deck, but it also adds in a lock component with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. With the lock component, we can stop some overbearing Abilities from allowing our opponent to set up, which can buy us some time to get our board set up. Interestingly, we can use our own [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to turn off Garbotoxin in a pinch if we want to use a strong Ability such as Lycanroc-GX’s Bloodthirsty Eyes to bring up an important Pokemon. With the flexibility of the deck, you should be able to embark on a path to victory and switch up your gameplay many times throughout any particular game.

[cardimg name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Get from Jet Punch to Knuckle Impact ASAP[/cardimg]

During the game, I try to quickly set-up a Buzzwole-GX that only attacks with Jet Punch to start KOing the Pokemon that our opponent starts with. With that play already happening, we will usually try to set up a Garbodor’s Garbotoxin to quickly shut off our opponent’s Abilities. While this is all going on, my plan is to use [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to expedite my Energy attachments and have a back-up field of Buzzwole-GX powered up in order to use Knuckle Impact or Absorption GX. We can also power up [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM06″ c=”name”][/card] with an Energy or two so we can quickly evolve into a Lycanroc-GX to use either Dangerous Rogue GX or Claw Slash. [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] is also a back-up attacker, but it is only as strong as our opponent’s last attack, so keep that in mind.

In general, the attacking process goes like:

• Draw zero to two Prize Cards with Jet Punch
• Draw two to four Prize Cards with Knuckle Impact/Absorption GX
• Draw zero to two Prize Cards with Dangerous Rogue GX
• Draw zero to two Prize Cards with Watch and Learn

Hopefully this explains how the deck plays out and that you can give it a whirl at either Sydney or your local League Cup. It has been testing strongly for me right now, but I am personally worried about not playing an Octillery – something that can make the deck more consistent. These thoughts are not concrete so take my precautions lightly, it may just be my pre-tournament jitters acting up again.

Going Down Under

I hope that you enjoyed my take on the current Standard metagame, and I invite you to explore different concepts as we head into Australia. Speaking about Australia, I have registered for the tournament and booked my flight to Sydney! While it often goes unsaid, a key factor in playing in events is actually planning for them. If you put your mind into playing in an event, you will start taking each event seriously within it’s own right! For any of my upcoming articles, they will be all about Standard heading into Sydney so get excited for new content coming from me soon!

As you may or may not have known, I have taken a brief break from the game after London to relax and I am super excited to play in major events again. It was getting very tiresome playing the game at a top level; the travel was expensive, I was losing sleep, and I would frantically force myself to playtest. During my minor break from major competitive tournaments, I started on focusing my efforts into coaching players, writing articles, and getting myself together. Sometimes you just need to pause your Pokemon life to regroup – this is regardless if you are a newer player trying to catch a wave or a seasoned veteran who grinds tournaments weekly. Now this doesn’t mean that you don’t want to play, but you need to be clear on your self-reflections, realize what you want out of the game, and make sure you are making wise decisions. It feels great to be back with many planned tournaments heading into 2018! And after a strong League Cup performance, I have already earned my invite to the 2018 World Championships in Nashville, TN in August — hopefully I will see you all there!

Either way, feel free to follow me on my Twitter: zlesage_pokemon to see if there are any changes to my lists. I am personally excited to see the results of the upcoming Australian Internationals, and hopefully I will continue to ride the wave on top of the competitive spectrum. I wish everyone the best of luck who is living out their dream trying to compete for a World Championship invite or for those who are loving and supporting the game from a casual standpoint. If you haven’t met me in person or if we have just briefly met, feel free to introduce yourself to me because I love knowing everybody. Thank you for all of the support, I truly appreciate everyone who take the time to read one of my articles and for supporting PokeBeach.

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