I Still Love Gardevoir-GX! — Old Faithful in the Ultra Prism Metagame
[cardimg name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hey there Pokebeach! I’m back, and this time I’ll be talking about the deck I took to Collinsville Regionals a few weeks ago: [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. In my last article, I mentioned that it was my second choice for the event after [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. While Goli / Garb was strong in my testing, it ended up being a little too inconsistent for my liking. Luckily for me, two of my friends, Olliver Barr and Chris Fulop, created a Gardevoir list that ran incredibly well for a Stage 2 deck.
After testing it for a bit and changing a few cards to my liking, I settled on Gardevoir for the event. I ended up in 63rd place with a 6-2-1 record. Today, I’ll be going over the list I used, some tech cards that you can toy around with, and some of the deck’s most important matchups in the format.
“You’re still playing Gardevoir-GX?”
Let’s address the biggest question you probably have right away: why am I still playing Gardevoir, instead of abusing [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] like everyone else? I still believe Gardevoir is the best deck in the format — provided it sets up. I know I’m in the minority in thinking that, but in testing the deck does not have many bad matchups, and most of its poor matchups are fringe decks anyways. Despite how good the deck is, only a few other people I know are still a part of the Church of Gardevoir.
However, while Gardevoir is definitely the best deck in the format as far as matchups go, I cannot deny that Zoroark decks are more consistent. Thus, they perform better at large Regionals, as consistency is key for players who are looking to make a deep run. Personally, I’ve been playing this season with a boom-or-bust mentality — instead of playing safe in order to get an invite to Worlds — so I continue to play decks like Gardevoir.
The List
While Gardevoir usually struggles with consistency, the list I played at Collinsville ended up being the most consistent Stage 2 deck I have played in a long time. To boost the deck’s consistency, we cut the [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] in favor of a 2-2 [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] line, two [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. While the deck lost a lot of mid-to-late-game staying power without the Max Potions, all of these additions were made with the intention of maximizing the odds of getting multiple Gardevoir out. This can be just as effective as having Max Potions with only one Gardevoir, which was a common occurrence with the previous Brokenvoir lists. With all of this added consistency, I was setting up incredibly quickly all throughout testing; and as soon as Gardevoir sets up, most decks are in trouble.
Now that I’ve explained the deck a bit and the changes that were made from previous Gardevoir lists, let’s take a look at the list I used at Collinsville:
[decklist name=”Gardevoir-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”20″]3x [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]7x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card][/energy][/decklist][premium]
Card Choices
4-2-3-2 Gardevoir / Gallade Line
[cardimg name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This is a pretty odd line compared to what I’ve run in the past, but it works well. Two [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] feels a little light considering that this list plays Evosoda, but you want to use a [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] early game to set up regardless.
While in the past I’ve been against having two Gallade in Gardevoir, it’s perfect in this list for two reasons. First, it pairs well with Octillery, and since we play a thicker line than usual, two Gallade helps you draw into whatever you want more often. The second thing two Gallade does is help versus all of the Zoroark decks in the format. With the rise of Gardevoir / Zoroark after Australia, nearly half the format plays Zoroark at this point, and being able to trade a one-Prize attacker for two Prizes nearly every game helps bridge the consistency gap between Gardevoir and Zoroark decks. While you can get away with only one Gallade in other versions of Gardevoir, I would not recommend going below two in this list.
2-2 Octillery
This was one of the quirks of this list that drew me to it when I first saw it. Heading into Collinsville, I expected the metagame to have a lot of [card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] due to it being a decent card that was just released. While I did not think the card would be rather successful, I did expect many people to play it, and I did not want to play a deck that was weak to it. I ended up correctly predicting the tournament, as only one Glaceon deck made day two.
Octillery and Gallade provide incredible consistency even under Glaceon’s lock. Another thing a 2-2 Octillery line offers is insurance against having one Knocked Out after a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. This is one of the main strategies decks take in order to disrupt Gardevoir; they’ll Knock Out Octillery, then play an [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] and hope you draw poorly. With a 2-2 Octillery, you can set up two concurrently and prevent this strategy from working. If they do choose to go after both of your Octillery, you should have plenty of time to set up multiple attackers that they are forced to deal with, making this strategy weak unless you’re drawing incredibly poorly.
One Clefairy
This card proved to be very versatile in Collinsville. I used it versus the mirror, [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], Zoroark / Lycanroc (to copy Dangerous Rogue), and [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] throughout the day, so it definitely proved its worth. [card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] also has uses against [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to copy either of its attacks, but it can also be a liability due to its 40 HP. Starting lone Clefairy against Buzzwole is one of the scariest opening board states this deck can have if you don’t have a [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. Despite this downside, Clefairy was absolutely incredible for me all throughout the tournament and I consider this a staple in Gardevoir going forward.
One Giratina
This is a flex spot for the deck. If you’re taking this deck to a local League Cup and know your meta won’t have a lot of [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], you should cut this in favor of one of the cards I’ll talk about later. If if you are going to a Regional, however, and don’t want to lose to Greninja, I’d highly recommend playing this card. While Giratina doesn’t make the Greninja matchup an auto-win, it improves the matchup significantly and gives you a chance you otherwise would not have in the matchup.
Four N, Three Cynthia, and Zero Professor Sycamore
If you’ve ever played a Stage 2 deck, you’ll know how brutal some [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]s can be. Nothing feels worse than discarding three Rare Candies or multiple Stage 2s and not being able to set up due to this. With the release of [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], I chose to swap the Sycamores in my list for the shuffle-draw Supporter instead to help me conserve resources. While I did miss having access to Sycamore, as raw draw cards can be helpful to draw off of late game Ns, I do think the Supporter count is fine. I have been trying out one in the list since, which I am still on the fence on. Once you get Gallade and Octillery set up, you’ll have all the consistency you need.
Two Brigette
This is another card that I’ve defended playing just one of in the past because I didn’t think the odds of having Brigette in your deck improved much with the second copy. However, with the release of Glaceon-GX, I wanted more outs to having a natural turn one Brigette, so I added a second Brigette to this list. This card is not the first cut I’d make, for sure. If you’re lacking room and you’re undecided on what else you can cut, you can definitely cut one if 1) you’re okay with prizing your lone Brigette a little less than 10 percent of the time, and 2) you don’t have a lot of Glaceon-GX in your metagame.
Two Evosoda
[cardimg name=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I absolutely love this card in Gardevoir. Sami Sekkoum originally suggested this to me and a bunch of other people after Memphis Regionals and I thought he was crazy: why would you put Evosoda into a deck that wants to use Stage 2s? After playing the deck for a bit though, it’s easy to see how Evosoda carries its weight. Evosoda works great with two Octillery, and acts as another out to Kirlia if you either don’t get a Rare Candy or want to set up another Stage 2 once you’ve already gotten one on the field. Like I said earlier, a third Kirlia works well with two Evosoda and is something I would try to fit back into the list.
Two Field Blower
While I only played against one [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] deck all day, I expected to see a lot of Garbodor decks at Collinsville — and built my list accordingly. With two [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and Twilight GX, you should have all of the outs you need to succeed against Ability lock. Field Blower is also good against [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], which can be an issue for this deck as you want to constantly fill your Bench with support Pokemon. Unless your meta does not have a lot of Parallel City and Garbodor, play two Field Blower.
Two Super Rod
I’ve found two [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] to be necessary in any Gardevoir deck, regardless of whether you play [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. If you play Max Potion, you need Super Rod to recover the Energy you discard. If you don’t play Max Potion, you’re going to retreat a lot to conserve your attackers, and as such you need two Super Rod to recover the discarded Energy. I wouldn’t play Gardevoir without two Super Rod; I think it’s necessary.
Two Parallel City
Parallel City is just too good of a card to not include. Whether it be versus Zoroark and you limit their Bench; against [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] to limit your own Bench; reducing [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], Greninja, [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and Ho-Oh’s damage; clearing your own [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or damaged Pokemon; or a turn one Parallel before your opponent has the chance to Brigette; Parallel just has too many uses to not make its way into most decks right now, and Gardevoir is no exception.
Potential Inclusions
Now that we’ve talked about my list that I played, let’s take a look at some cards that I either would love to play, or cards I have tested after the tournament that I’ve come to appreciate.
Third Kirlia
I’ve talked about this card a lot, but it just works so well with Evosoda and boosts the consistency of the deck that I have to keep mentioning it. The third Kirlia was my cut for Giratina Promo the night before Collinsville, but you should definitely try to find space for this card if you can.
One Mew-EX
[card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is the premier counter to Buzzwole-GX right now, and it fares just as well as a tech in [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] as it does in [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks. The only issue it has is that it becomes a free two Prizes against other decks, but if you’re not concerned about that and are struggling with the Buzzwole matchup, this is the tech for you.
One Professor Sycamore or a Fourth Cynthia
Extra consistency can never hurt. Even though the deck does not like to discard its resources, it would still be nice to have the option to look at a completely new hand with [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. However, if you play the deck and don’t find yourself wanting a discard-draw option, the fourth [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is a solid alternative.
Two Max Potion
[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
When I played Igor Costa on stream, our game came down to him hitting a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] on my damaged Tapu Lele-GX that I could not Parallel City away. If I had played [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and was able to use it there; or to keep one of my Gardevoir’s alive earlier; the outcome of our match would have been much different. Since then, I’ve been trying to find space for two Max Potion in my list. I would only recommend playing two Max Potion, not one or three. You won’t hit Max Potion when you need it if you play one; and if you play three you have to start cutting into some of the consistency cards in the deck, which I am not willing to do.
A Third Choice Band
This is something that I personally don’t think the deck needs, but it is something my friend and creator of the deck Olliver Barr has been promoting for a long time. A third [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] acts as another Energy for Knocking Out GXs, in case you ever find yourself struggling to reach Knock Outs.
Two Parallel City
This card is just so good, I don’t know how much more I can gush about it without it being excessive. If you can find space for another Parallel, by all means add it in; it will almost never be a bad card to have.
Matchups
Now that we’ve gone over everything, let’s talk about the deck’s matchups against the best decks in the format. While I won’t be listing every single deck in the meta, I’ll talk about the matchups I think are the most important to know in this metagame; if I was to talk about every single matchup in this diverse format, we’d be here for a long time.
Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX
Unfortunately, this is not one of Gardevoir’s best matchups due to how much early pressure [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can apply. Against this deck, it’s imperative to get out two Kirlia at the same time, or a Gardevoir and a [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], or else [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] will just bring up [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and it will be KO’d. However, if you can survive the early game against Buzzwole, then Gardevoir has a good chance of winning.
You want to use [card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] at some point, as it can one-shot a Buzzwole with a Choice Band, allowing you to trade two Prizes for one. Clefairy also uses less resources than Gardevoir to one-shot Buzzwole assuming Buzzwole has less than three Energy attached. Lycanroc can be an issue for this deck as Gardevoir is forced to have a full or nearly full Bench, so try to deal with Lycanroc proactively throughout the game rather than playing into them. If you can use Clefairy to one-shot a Lycanroc, do it. Always try to have multiple Gardevoir set up, so that if they are able to Dangerous Rogue GX and KO one of them, you can one-shot them back.
Overall, this is a tough matchup, but not unwinnable if you can survive the early game onslaught.
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX
[cardimg name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This is another matchup where the early game is telling of the overall game. Because of Lycanroc’s pressure, it’s imperative you try to get out two Kirlia, or a Gardevoir and a Kirlia, at once. Otherwise, it just becomes easy pickings for your opponent, and you can struggle to set up afterwards. [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] is excellent in this matchup, but you don’t want to rush into Gallade unless Knocking Out their Zoroark gives you an incredible board position. If you go with Gallade too early, you can walk into a return Knock Out from Mew-EX and be left with a poor board.
Clefairy is useful in this matchup, as you can Dangerous Rogue and Knock Out a Lycanroc. By end game, you want to have two Gardevoir-GX set up that can Knock Out any of their threats, as well as limiting your Bench so they can’t get an easy Dangerous Rogue Knock Out. You can achieve this by limiting your own Bench with [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. Ideally, you should have a board state of two Gardevoir, one Gallade, and one Octillery after this. If you can achieve this board state, you should win comfortably.
Overall, I’d say this matchup is 50-50; depending on your early set up, whether they can pick off your Basics, and how well you play around Dangerous Rogue.
Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX
This is another matchup that feels 50-50, although it comes down to player skill more than others. If your opponent doesn’t get an Energy down on a [card name=”Wimpod” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] turn one and/or doesn’t play Mew-EX, a turn two Gallade is incredibly strong, as they are forced to two-shot it while you can pick up multiple Knock Outs. However, if they play Mew-EX or if they get an Energy down on Wimpod turn one–and you can’t knock it out–going for Gallade can be risky: they can just return the Knock Out and set you back a Stage 2 and a [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. If you know the contents of your opponent’s deck, you should always go for an early Gardevoir instead of Gallade, as it is much more likely to survive multiple turns than Gallade.
In this matchup, you want to focus down the Wimpod as they come down. If you can force your opponent to attack with Zoroark-GX you’re in a great spot, as you can one-shot them easily with either Gallade or Gardevoir mid-game. One thing that you should be careful of is attacking into [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] when you don’t have a Knock Out. If you’re two-shotting Golisopod, make sure that it forces them into a tough situation of either needing to [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] or play another crucial Supporter like Guzma. If damaging the Golisopod doesn’t achieve much, it can be better to not attack into it, as the damage you deal will activate Acerola. If you force them to use Guzma to reset First Impression instead of Acerola, they can’t attack the Gardevoir you’re setting up in the Active.
You want to control the Stadium war, as Parallel City can be game changing against ZoroPod with both sides. You always want to be the one dictating which side of Parallel is facing who. If you can afford to, get Parallel City and at least one Field Blower back with Twilight GX at some point during the game.
If you play [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], this is one of the matchups that it helps tremendously. It forces your opponent to two-shot your entire deck: even one extra turn can completely swing a game.
Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading my latest article! While many people have switched off Gardevoir in favor of more consistent decks like Buzzwole and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants, [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is still the powerhouse it was at the end of last format and earlier this year if you give it a chance. When built with consistency in mind, you are able to keep up with these more consistent decks in the format much better than before, giving you a great shot in the late game.
I’ll be going to Charlotte in the upcoming weeks, and this is one of my favorite decks leading up to the event. If you see me there, please make sure to come up and say hello! I always love interacting with new people at tournaments. As always, follow me on Twitter @OrgansmanTCG if you aren’t already.
Until next time,
Eric Gansman
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