March Madness — Two Sneaky Decks to Take Standard by Surprise

By: Grant Manley · Posted Posted onMar 30, 2018 at 9:29 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello PokeBeach! This is Grant here, and I’ve got a few more interesting decks to share with you guys today. I mentioned in my last article that I would be testing [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card], so I’ll share my version of that. Xerneas is actually a decent deck, and I played it at two League Cups. As for Charlotte Regionals, I ended up going with [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] of all things. Ninetales was actually a strong call for the meta at Charlotte, but I unfortunately ended up playing against random stuff for seven rounds and only faced two expected decks. Additionally, it seems like [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is well-poised in the current meta. However, is is always risky to play Greninja after it sees success because there may be an influx of [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card]. I also think that Quad [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is busted, but I haven’t played with it enough to offer a comprehensive review. So for now, you guys are stuck with Xerneas and Ninetales (which are still great decks, don’t get me wrong).

Xerneas BREAK

I wish I could regale you with stories of triumph for the blue deer, but my League Cups were nothing special. However, I think tournament experience of any sort adds at least a little bit of value to deck analysis. Here’s how the first one went:

  • Round 1 vs. [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] L
  • Round 2 vs. [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor W
  • Round 3 vs. Zoroark / Counters W
  • Round 4 vs. Zoroark / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] L
  • Round 5 vs. I completely forget W
  • Round 6 vs. Golisopod / Garbodor W

(4-2)

And the second:

  • Round 1 vs. [card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor W
  • Round 2 vs. [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark L
  • Round 3 vs. Buzzwole / Garbodor W
  • Round 4 vs. Ho-Oh L
  • Round 5 vs. Buzzwole / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] W
  • Round 6 vs. Zoroark / [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] W
  • Top 8 vs. Zoroark / Golisopod LL

Barring one strange game against Silvally, all of my losses were handed to me by either Ho-Oh or ZoroPod. The two losses against Ho-Oh were actually complete flukes, the matchup is favorable. The first time I lost was due to my second [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] being in my last two Prizes. In that sense, I got punished for playing only two Guzma. However, my opponent also managed to draw his fourth Guzma and a Fire Energy off an [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to two. That was with a fairly thick deck because Ho-Oh doesn’t really thin well. The combination of all of those things happening was how I lost, and it was extremely unlikely. I also wasn’t playing [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] that day, but I added it in for the next day. The second time I lost to Ho-Oh was because I opened with [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and six Energy. That was fun.

All of my losses against ZoroPod were against the version with double [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], double [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], double [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. The combination of each of those cards make the matchup somewhat unfavorable, though it is still winnable. My Top 8 opponent commented that he was expecting to lose the matchup going in, and later that he thought the matchup would be unfavorable for him if he didn’t run Max Potion. I agree. I lost due to him being able to heal and Guzma in the same turn. It was quite annoying. He used Parallel City, Enhanced Hammer, and Guzma to regulate my Energy so that I couldn’t quite get up to 210 damage. He would then use [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to recycle Max Potion and the Acerolas.

I was able to beat Buzzwole and other Zoroark decks because they are favorable matchups.

Here is my current Xerneas list:

[decklist name=”Xerneas” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″][pokemon amt=”11″]3x [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Xerneas” set=”Steam Siege” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Fairy Garden” set=”Fates Collide” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]11x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”94″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

One noticeable thing about this list is how simple and straightforward it is. There are no tricks like [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Xerneas BREAK is at its best when the list is focused on pure consistency. I ran a similar list at two League Cups, though I did run one [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. The single Field Blower was helpful and it is great against [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. However, BuzzGarb seems to have lost a lot of traction since Collinsville so I’ve opted to cut the Blower. Feel free to cut a [card name=”Fairy Garden” set=”Fates Collide” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] for a Blower if you want to have a better BuzzGarb matchup.

The strategy of this deck is quite linear. You use Geomancy and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to pile Energy on the board and then use Xerneas BREAK’s Life Stream to do a ton of damage. Most other decks in the meta have a real hard time dealing with an endless train of Xerneas BREAKs. This deck is similar to [card name=”Raichu-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], except it’s not terrible and doesn’t lose to Fighting. Oh yeah, and one more thing! No [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]! I tested with Exp. Share and wasn’t getting much value out of them because they would always get Blowered. You could try cutting a Nest, an Energy, and maybe some other things to try out four Exp. Share. It’s certainly not bad, but I like this version better.

Card Explanations

4-3 Xerneas BREAK

This deck is very straightforward. In the early turns, use Geomancy. Once you have enough Energy to start taking 2HKOs (and eventually OHKOs) start spamming Life Stream. You could run a fourth [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] because there’s rarely a bad time to have it, but you also need three [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] which makes up for only running three BREAK. I’d much rather have the third Rod than the fourth BREAK.

Two Tapu Lele-GX

This card doesn’t really need an explanation. It is mainly to help find [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] on turn 1. It can also be of use later in the game to find a specific Supporter, as the deck lacks the explosive draw power of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. You could run a third Lele, but starting with it is terrible.

One Mewtwo

[card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is very important in this deck because of Buzzwole. A fast Buzzwole could easily run through the deck if Mewtwo wasn’t there to offer a quick, efficient solution. You can slap a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] on Mewtwo and Buzzwole gets slowed down considerably. Mewtwo is also a decent 2HKO attacker if you do not want to sacrifice a Xerneas BREAK with two Fairy Energy. Psychic may not be enough to 2HKO on its own, but usually it can prep for a Life Stream follow up.

One Oranguru

There aren’t many Pokemon in this deck because you always want to start with [card name=”Xerneas” set=”Steam Siege” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]. While [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] is an undesirable starter, he is definitely necessary so that we don’t lose to N. Oranguru is actually a solid attacker in this deck too. Sometimes you power him up almost on accident in order to use Life Stream, and Psychic can be quite powerful at times.

One Brigette, Two Nest Ball

Any more than one Brigette clunks up the deck later on in the game. This deck is not as reliant on Brigette as Zoroark is, and we also run two Nest Ball in case we don’t find Brigette turn one. Nest Ball is also quite useful in conjunction with Super Rod. It allows you to easily recycle Xerneas or even Mewtwo when needed.

Two Guzma

Two [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] seems low, but it is enough. You usually use both Guzma each game and seldom need to use it a third time. However, if one is buried in the Prizes, or if you have to discard one early on, it can be problematic.

Two Sycamore, Four N, Four Cynthia, One Pal Pad

[cardimg name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Shuffle-draw is preferred for this deck because there’s almost never anything that you want to discard. Every card can be useful in every matchup. If I could cut the two [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] in favor of six [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], I would do that in a heartbeat. 10 draw Supporters is enough to make the deck consistent without the use of [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] or Zoroark. Four N is also great against [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks because they do not run Octillery or Zoroark to get out of it. The [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] is versatile. I included primarily to reuse Guzma if I have to discard any early on. I also use Pal Pad to shuffle Cynthia back into the deck as Cynthia is the most useful draw Supporter overall.

Three Super Rod

While the rest of the Items are fairly obvious, the three Rods may be a bit of a head scratcher. I tested the deck with two Super Rod and I always wished I had a third. Super Rod is great because it can recycle Energy for mid-game [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]s. Super Rod is also crucial because it recycles Xerneas so that your opponent may have to fight through six Xerneas in a single game. Super Rod is useful against Buzzwole as well because it can get back Mewtwo.

11 Fairy Energy, Four DCE

I’ve been messing around with the counts of just about everything in this deck for quite awhile, and this high Energy count works well. We want Elixirs to hit and we want to be able to find DCE at critical moments. You can try trimming down just a little, but for the most part, the more Energy the better.

[premium]

Matchups

Buzzwole / Lycanroc – Favorable

[card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] has been well-represented at the past two Regionals, and thankfully it is a favorable matchup. I’d give it a solid 65-35. Mewtwo hard counters Buzzwole, which leaves Lycanroc to deal with. Lycanroc usually requires you to 2HKO it, but it can only OHKO a Xerneas BREAK if your opponent has committed two [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and a basic Fighting Energy to it (or by using its GX attack). Once the big Lycanroc goes down, there isn’t anything too threatening. It is highly unusual for BuzzRoc players to get two massive Lycanroc-GX going in a timely manner. There’s no sense trying to play around Dangerous Rogue GX. If your opponent opens up with an aggressive start, they may even opt for Absorption GX instead. Even if they don’t, playing around Dangerous Rogue will likely end up hurting you more than the attack itself. Xerneas needs to have many Pokemon in play, and unless you keep it to two on the Bench (which is bad), Dangerous Rogue will OHKO everything anyway.

Lucario Variants – Favorable

There is no avoiding the fact that Lucario-GX can OHKO a [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] for only one Energy. That is just annoying. While I admit I haven’t played the matchup, I do not see it being too problematic. After Lucario uses Aura Strike, it gives you a bit of time to set up with Geomancy. If the opponent commits three Energy to Lucario (or to a Buzzwole), then Mewtwo can OHKO it. Most of the time, you should try to set up an OHKO after the opponent uses Aura Strike. Only occasionally is it acceptable to swing for a 2HKO straight into a Cantankerous Beatdown GX. Overall, it seems like Lucario would have a difficult time taking out a swarm of Xerneas.

Zoroark / Golisopod – Depends

One of the popular versions of Zoroark / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] is the one I mentioned above. It includes [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. This particular version of Zoropod does well against Xerneas because all of its tricky Trainers are quite effective against Xerneas. Against other versions such as [card name=”Lurantis” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM25″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], or just different Zoropods without all the techs, Xerneas is slightly favored. One thing to keep in mind is that you may have to stagger your Xerneas army if you foresee a potential Flying Flip from [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card]. One Flying Flip is bearable, but two is utterly destructive because it allows First Impression to OHKO Xerneas BREAK.

Espeon-GX / Garbodor – Favorable

[cardimg name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM35″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

To everyone’s surprise, [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] took first and second at Portland Regionals! Fortunately, a rising presence of this deck is beneficial for Xerneas. Espeon’s math works out quite poorly against Xerneas, and this list runs three Fairy Garden to easily escape Psybeam’s Confusion. However, this is another matchup where you want to stagger Xerneas. A well-placed Divide GX can put everyone within range of a OHKO, and you definitely don’t want that. Xerneas even does well under Garbotoxin lock because of the high Supporter counts. And let’s not forget Mewtwo, who can OHKO a powered-up Espeon-GX. All you have to do is be wary of how many Items you use. Trashalanche can definitely exploit the high counts of Items in this deck. On the flip side of that, Life Stream can easily OHKO Garbodor, especially late game when Garbodor starts to become a factor. By that time, you should have plenty of Energy on the board.

Zoroark / Lycanroc (or Lucario) – Slightly Favorable

[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Lycanroc is similar to Zoropod because it can run all of the same tech Trainers that I mentioned. However, most Zoroark / Lycanroc lists pick and choose them rather than running all four. Lycanroc can OHKO Xerneas BREAK, which is problematic. It does need a Strong Energy and a [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to do so though (again, barring the one-time GX attack), and that isn’t always easy to pull off. One bonus in this matchup is that Zoroark / Lycanroc does not run Tapu Koko. Tapu Koko was so problematic for Xerneas that I even ran [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Generations” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] at the League Cups because of all the Zoropods. I have since cut Mime because of Zoropod’s decreasing popularity, and the fact that you want to start with Xerneas as much as possible. This matchup is around 55-45. It is definitely in Xerneas’s favor, but Lycanroc-GX and tech Trainers make it a close one.

Lucario is a bit less threatening than Lycanroc overall, and it doesn’t have Bloodthirsty Eyes. The Lucario version is easier than the Lycanroc version for sure. Zoroark / Lucario also runs less [card name=”Regirock-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] than straight Lucario (if any at all), so it is difficult for Lucario to reach an OHKO on Xerneas BREAK, let alone to do it more than once.

Gardevoir Variants – Unfavorable

[card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]’s got 230 HP, which is difficult to reach; it easily OHKOs Xerneas BREAK; and it runs Parallel City and Max Potion. Not good. Not good at all. The only reason we have a chance in this matchup is because Gardevoir is slow and clunky. We might have enough time to overload the board with Energy. I’d put it at 25-75.

VikaBulu – Favorable

Both [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] have to discard lots of Energy to OHKO Xerneas. While they are fast and can take OHKOs, Xerneas will eventually catch up due to a favorable Prize trade.

Ho-Oh – Favorable

Like VikaBulu, [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] is fast and can take OHKOs. However, it cannot sustainably do this and will eventually fall behind. Both of these matchups are losable though, they’re around 60-40.

Quad Hoopa – Auto-Win

Super Psy Bolt 3HKOs you while you OHKO them back.

Sylveon – Favorable

Be careful with your resources so that you don’t get stuck with a Xerneas in the Active spot. High counts of N, [card name=”Fairy Garden” set=”Fates Collide” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], and Energy help in this matchup, though it is nowhere near an auto-win.

Greninja BREAK – Slightly Favorable

This matchup is very slightly in Xerneas’s favor, but it relies on drawing well. A fully set-up Xerneas deck has the edge against a fully set-up [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] deck, though if you miss a beat at any point you are done for. That said, the reverse is also true. Greninja isn’t known as a consistent deck, so sometimes they will miss a beat and fall hopelessly behind.

Ninetales

Here is the Ninetales list I played at Charlotte Regionals. It seemed like a good idea at the time… oh well.

[decklist name=”9tales” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ 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]2x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ 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=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] is a bit slow but it has solid matchups across the board. Simply put, it can dish out OHKOs while being able to tank hits as well. Think of it as a more consistent VikaBulu. It is very consistent. Ironically, it struggles against the likes of VikaBulu and [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] because they can easily outpace Ninetales if they set up fast enough. I chose Ninetales because it does extremely well against [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and Zoroark. It can also beat a lot of random stuff.

Ninetales is favored against Buzzwole / Lycanroc because it can easily OHKO every attacker in the deck. Normally Buzzwole could outspeed and overrun Ninetales, but Mewtwo counters a fast Buzzwole and slows that deck down to a manageable pace. It also is easy to play around Dangerous Rogue, though you don’t have to do that every game. Sometimes it is worth taking a Dangerous Rogue KO in order to fill your Bench, though it is situation-dependent.

Most Zoroark variants are also favorable for Ninetales too. Zoroark decks can rarely OHKO Ninetales, while Ninetales can easily OHKO Zoroark-GX and most of its partners. I run three [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] so that Ninetales can OHKO the likes of Zoroark-GX, Lycanroc-GX, and Golisopod-GX with some degree of consistency. You can also use [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flying Flip to set up Zoroark’s entire board for Blizzard Edge KO’s.

The Supporter lineup probably seems a bit weird. [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] is busted because it lets you discard Water Energy as well as extra Pokemon that you may not need. Cynthia is pretty good too. N is not great because it doesn’t get you many cards, especially as the game progresses. Now that most decks have [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] or Octillery as easy answers to N, I did not see a reason to play it. Again, the high counts of Kukui are important because they allow Ninetales to attack for 210. The non-GX [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] gives me random autowins against [card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] and some other Zoroark variants. The [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]s were there because I incorrectly expected a lot of BuzzGarb.

I was expecting to face mostly Buzzwole and Zoroark, and I still wanted a solid deck to deal with random stuff. I was mostly correct about the overall meta, which means Ninetales was a good play. However, TOM decided to throw a wrench in my plans. See for yourself:

  • Round 1 vs. Glaceon GX / Zoroark WW
  • Round 2 vs. [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • Round 3 vs. [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] WLL
  • Round 4 vs. Zoroark / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] WLW
  • Round 5 vs. Spread / [card name=”Honchkrow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] WLW
  • Round 6 vs. Sylveon-GX LL
  • Round 7 vs. Zoroark / Lycanroc WW
  • Round 8 vs. [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] LWL
  • Round 9 vs. Zoroark / [card name=”Missing Clover” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] (Scoop)

(5-4)

Guys, there was not much Sylveon there. I am very salty that I had to play against two of them. The matchup is a complete auto-loss. I managed to nab a game because my opponent opened with no Fairy Energy. I did have my fair share of winnable random matchups though. I faced Glaceon, Spread (with no Garbodor), and Salazzle-GX of all things. The Zoroark matches were easy as expected. I don’t remember what I did to drop a game in round four, but it’s all good. In my last round I did not care about the outcome, so I was more or less goofing around. I scooped game one in about a minute because I was annoyed with how it was going, and game two I legitimately lost though I was not really taking it seriously. I was going to scoop my last round anyway if my opponent was gunning for CP (which he was).

The real heartbreaker was round eight. When I asked my opponent if he wanted heads or tails, he asked me to clarify which sides of the die were heads and which were tails. This is a completely fair question for a beginner player who is used to PTCGO, but it took me aback that this was my opponent who I was facing at 5-2 at a Regional. Turns out, he was playing Magnezone and bursts out of the gates with a turn two double Magnezone. Yeah, that was a nasty game one. Since Magnezone is a clunky deck, it didn’t work so well in game two and I won that one fairly easily. I eventually had game three in the bag, and all I needed was to hit one of my six remaining Water Energy off a Sycamore. This heartbreaking whiff halted my momentum and ended up being the nail in the coffin. I also didn’t have access to Aqua Patch the whole game because all four of them were discarded or used early on.

Conclusion

I think this is the only Regional I’ve been to where there was truly nothing I could have done to improve my performance, besides possibly playing a different deck. However, this is difficult to determine because Ninetales fared well against both the expected meta and the actual meta, I just hit some offbeat bad matchups at unexpected times (2-0, 4-1, and 5-2). My point to all of this is that Ninetales is actually a good deck. Since Charlotte however, disruption decks have climbed in popularity. While Ninetales does well against Espeon / Garb, it suffers autolosses to both Sylveon and [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].

Thanks for reading guys. I know my performances with these decks weren’t exactly outstanding, but don’t let that deter you from trying them out! Xerneas and Ninetales are great decks and they will catch many players completely off-guard. If anyone chose to play either of these at Brazil, I would not be surprised to see them go far.

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