A Star in the Trash — Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX / Garbodor

Hey there, PokeBeach readers! Although as I am writing this, Toronto Regionals has yet to occur, I am already looking forward to and primarily testing the upcoming format that includes the new set, Forbidden Light. When I first began building decks with this new set, I obviously began with [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] decks with all of the new tools that it received in Forbidden Light, as well as the new archetype, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] While I was testing these decks on the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online ladder, I came across a deck that absolutely crushed my Buzzwole / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] deck. This piqued my interest. That deck, as you might be able to guess from the title of this article, was a Metal deck centered around [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Since then, I have been playing around with my own list to great success. Today, I will be going over my list for this deck, as well as the matchups I have been able to test so far (unfortunately, the set has only been out for a week or so online, so I will not be able to go over every single deck in this new meta as I have not played versus every deck yet). Without further ado, let’s get into it.

How Does This Deck Work?

While we have seen Metal variants with [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and Garbodor instead of [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] in the pre-Forbidden Light format, none of those decks really had much success at the Regional level or above. However, with the release of Forbidden Light, this archetype gained one card that gives it the midgame staying power that I believe it needs to compete with the top decks in the format: [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Beast Ring in combination with Max Elixir means that even after you Meteor Tempest and take one Knock Out, you will have plenty of Energy on board to follow up the next turn with another attack with your [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] (remember, they are Ultra Beasts after all).

Aside from Beast Ring offering the deck much needed midgame consistency, this deck functions very similarly to pre-Forbidden Light Max Elixir Metal decks. I run [card name=”Registeel” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] to help me accelerate more Energy early and midgame if I can’t attack with Dusk Mane Necrozma. I also run [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] and Garbodor to help me counter both [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] decks and the new [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] deck, as they are both very reliant on having a full Bench as well as their Abilities. And that’s really it! The deck is very straight forward and does not have many frills or techs to it, but what it lacks in techs, it makes up for in consistency. Without further ado, let’s take a look at my list.

[decklist name=”Metal Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”145″ 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]2x [card name=”Registeel” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Four Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX

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

Unfortunately, there really are not that many good Metal attackers in the format. Because of that, I decided to just max out my Dusk Mane line so I can stream them as quickly as possible. While it is not the best starter in the deck, I have seven outs to being able to retreat it (four [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and three [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]), so starting it rarely ever becomes an issue. Dusk Mane Necrozma is an incredibly good card. Its first attack does 60 damage for three Colorless Energy. While this is a very vanilla attack, it does hit some important numbers in the format as it Knocks Out [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] as well as the Corner and Promo [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card]. Plus, with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], you can Knock Out all of the 70 HP Basics in the format, such as [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and more. Its second attack does a massive 220 damage for four Energy. While you have to discard three Energy in order to use this attack, you can easily power up your Dusk Mane with cards like [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], as well as retreating into one of your support Pokemon like Registeel or Solgaleo Prism if necessary.

Finally, Dusk Mane Necrozma’s GX attack also does a massive 250 damage for only three Energy, although you can only use this attack if you are down on Prizes. This attack is amazing in this deck, as you often will fall behind on Prizes while you set up multiple Necrozma and Garbodor. If you are able to use the same Dusk Mane Necrozma to GX attack one of your opponent’s threats and then follow it up with its second attack to take another big Knock Out, you usually will have no problem winning. It’s very difficult for your opponent to be able to deal with one Dusk Mane Necrozma taking multiple consecutive Knock Outs while you set up another in the back to deal with their response.

2-2 Garbodor

A 2-2 line of Garbotoxin [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] was included to help this deck deal with the Ability reliant decks in the format, such as Malamar / Ultra Necrozma and Zoroark decks. However, Garbodor has turned out to be helpful in every matchup, as basically every deck plays [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Due to this and the fact that this deck plays zero Abilities outside of my own Tapu Lele, I usually set up Garbodor every game. While I considered a 3-2 line of Garbodor when building the list to increase my chances of getting it out (as it is a prime Guzma / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] target before it is able to evolve), I have not struggled to get Garbotoxin online in most of my games thanks to the added consistency I have included in this list. As such, I valued the extra space more than the third copy of Trubbish, and I settled on the 2-2 line.

Two Registeel

If I could play three [card name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] instead of these [card name=”Registeel” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], I would in a heartbeat. Alas, that is not possible, so as such, I have to include other alternate attackers in my list that accelerate Metal Energy meaning two Registeel have made it into my list. The 30 damage is very rarely significant (unless you manage to Knock Out something like a [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Zorua” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM83″ c=”name”][/card] in two attacks), and I have yet to use Registeel’s second attack in a game, so all you really need to know about this card is that it is your go-to Energy accelerator while your opponent’s Bench is limited or you cannot get much effective use out of your Solgaleo Prism.

One Solgaleo Prism

Speaking of Solgaleo, let’s talk about what is in my opinion the most underrated Prism Star Pokemon printed. While it may seem counter-intuitive to play this card in conjunction with [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] its first attack is incredibly powerful even if your opponent only has a Bench of three. After a couple of Meteor Tempest, you should have plenty of Basic Energy in your discard pile to get multiple massive Radiant Star attacks off. While just one is usually enough to power up enough Meteor Tempest to finish off the game, two basically guarantees that you will have sufficient Energy in order to close out the game. With 160 HP, a resistance to Psychic (which is very strong in the current meta thanks to all of the [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] hate in the format), and an irrelevant Weakness to Fire, Solgaleo Prism is also a tank, as very few things are able to Knock it Out in one hit. If timed correctly, this Pokemon has a massive impact on every game that it is used in, and as such it is easily my favorite Pokemon in the deck.

[premium]

[cardimg name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ align=”right” c=”custom”]If I could play four, I would[/cardimg]

Four Professor Sycamore, Three N, Two Cynthia, Four Ultra Ball, Two Nest Ball

When I was first building this deck, I had a maxed out Supporter count of Sycamore, N and Cynthia, as I thought the deck needed as much consistency as possible considering I was going to play a Garbodor deck without [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM13″ c=”name”][/card]. However, after playing a decent amount of games with the list with 12 draw Supporters, I realized that I actually had too many draw Supporters and that they were clogging up my hand; you can only play one Supporter per turn after all. With so many Supporters in my deck, I actually found it difficult to draw into all of my Pokemon with just four [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] As such, I decided to cut some of my extra Supporters for two [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card]. With six Pokemon search cards and nine draw Supporters, my list ran much smoother; I had plenty of Supporters to help me keep seeing new cards even while under Garbotoxin lock. This change gave me plenty of Pokemon search in Item form to help me develop my board at an adequate pace.

As for the Supporter line itself, I chose to play four [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] as it is the best option this deck has for getting Metal Energy in the discard. However, you don’t always want to discard your entire hand, so to account for this, I added two Cynthia to the list. Finally, I chose to play three N as N synergizes very well with many of the deck’s concepts. First, thanks to [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] GX attack and the overall slow nature of the deck, it is not only common but usually wise to go down on Prizes initially. This gives N more effectiveness, as you will usually be playing from behind. Second, it combos very well with Garbodor and Parallel City, as the combination of the three cards absolutely cripples Zoroark and Malamar decks that rely on having access to large hands, a full Bench, and Abilities. As such, I chose to play more [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] than [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] in this list, as it is the more important and useful draw Supporter.

Three Guzma

In a deck where nearly every Pokemon has a heavy Retreat Cost (every Pokemon besides Tapu Lele has a Retreat Cost of at least two), three [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is the absolute minimum. This deck needs as much mobility as possible, and while Guzma obviously lets you pick and choose your attack targets, its main purpose is to ensure that you are never stuck with an undesirable Pokemon in the Active spot for too long. I have considered maxing out my Guzma count to give me more mobility as well as ensuring that I can eliminate whatever target I need to one shot in the late game to win, but as of now it has not made it into my list. I don’t feel like it offers more than any other current card in my list.

Four Max Elixir, Three Beast Ring

As I alluded to in the first section, [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] give this deck an incredible amount of speed and recovery power the deck would otherwise be lacking. Thanks to these two Energy accelerators, not only is it possible for you to be able to stream back to back Meteor Tempest, it is actually pretty consistent, if your opponent has three or four Prize cards remaining. Max Elixir helps you keep up in the early game, specifically against Buzzwole decks that otherwise would overrun you with their early pressure. Beast Ring gives you an immediate response as soon as your first [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] gets Knocked Out. As for the counts, I have found that a full set of Max Elixir is essential for getting this deck through its otherwise awful early game. As for Beast Ring, I chose to only play three, as you can only use it during a specific window of the game. However, when that window occurs, you want to get one to two uses out of Beast Ring, so to ensure that I see Beast Ring during that window of time, I play three.

Four Float Stone

While I mentioned this in the Guzma section, I want to reiterate this to emphasize this point: the deck needs as much maneuverability as it can get. A full set of [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is an absolute must in this deck, as it is by far the best Tool to equip to [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] as well as giving the deck much needed mobility. One thing I want to mention is that I almost always attach a Float Stone to one of my powered up Dusk Mane Necrozma. After attacking with Meteor Tempest, I want to be able to retreat into another Dusk Mane that is fully powered up in order to continue using Meteor Tempest, and without Float Stone this would be very difficult to achieve without using a Guzma. As such, do not be afraid of attaching a Float Stone to one or two of your Dusk Mane Necrozma; while the extra HP offered by [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] might seem more enticing, it is not always the better Tool to attach to your attacker. Speaking of Fighting Fury Belt…

Three Fighting Fury Belt

This is the other Tool I have chosen to play in my list. While Fighting Fury Belt has been useful, these spots are the spots that I am least sure about with my list. While the extra HP and additional 10 damage has come in handy, I am still undecided as to whether Fighting Fury Belt is a better second Tool for this deck than [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. Metal Frying Pan would significantly help out the Buzzwole matchup, as it would completely nullify their Jet Punch bench damage for the whole game, as most Buzzwole lists do not play [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] currently. As such, I encourage you to test out both options yourself to see which one you prefer; both have their uses for specific matchups / situations, and it just depends on what you want to tech your list for.

One Super Rod

While this deck loves having Energy in the discard for [card name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Registeel” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM75″ c=”name”][/card] to accelerate, the deck also relies heavily on having Energy left in the deck. Plus, with a full set of Professor Sycamore, it is likely that you will have to discard some Pokemon that you may want to keep but are forced to at the time. [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] helps alleviate both of these issues. The only time where I find myself running out of Energy or Pokemon is if I have to discard Super Rod early due to Professor Sycamore. As such, I have considered playing a second one to hedge against this, but, like with the fourth [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], I do not believe it is more impactful than any other card currently in the list.

Two Parallel City

Parallel City is, in my opinion, by far the best Stadium in the format currently. Many of the early meta decks in the Forbidden Light format are incredibly reliant on having a full Bench; [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] decks need it in order to hit for significant damage as well as for their consistency, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks need it so they have space for both multiple Malamar as well as other attackers, and [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] decks need Bench space for [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] so they can draw cards, [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] for additional damage, as well as additional attackers. As such, Parallel City made too much sense for me not to include, as no other Stadium that I could have played (such as [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] would have nearly as much of an impact.

[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The best Stadium card by a long shot[/cardimg]

12 Metal Energy

When I was building this deck and deciding on how many Energy I wanted to run, the first comparison I could think of was to [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] decks. On the surface, this comparison might not make much sense, but hear me out. Both Volcanion decks and this deck play [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and accelerate Energy from the discard, and while their third Energy usage differs (Steam Up in Volcanion, and [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck), they both require lots of Energy in order to fulfill their strategies. As such, I settled on 12 Metal Energy in my initial list, as that was a very common number of Energy in Volcanion when it was in the meta. After playing many games with this Energy count, I have never found myself running out of Energy, so I believe this to be the perfect count for this deck.

Matchups

Now that we have discussed my list, let’s take a look at all of the matchups that I have been able to test so far in this new format. Like I said at the beginning of this article, I just have not had the time to test versus everything in the format yet. The metagame was so wide open previously, and the set has only been out for a short time. However, I do believe that all of the matchups that I have been able to test are matchups versus tier one or tier two decks, so this section is not for naught. With that caveat aside, let’s get right into it.

Buzzwole / Lycanroc: 40 / 60

This is the matchup I have tested the most by a significant margin, and for good reason. In this format, if you cannot compete with Buzzwole, your deck is not viable. So far, testing against this deck has been relatively back and forth, which is a very encouraging sign. Since most Buzzwole decks do not play [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] their goal in order to win is to eliminate your [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] as soon as possible, as Garbodor shuts of nearly all of their Pokemon in their deck. As such, it is important to try to get both of your [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] in play as soon as possible to prevent this from occurring. One thing that I cannot stress enough is that you do not want to take the first GX Knock Out in this matchup. It is okay to Knock Out a [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] at some point in order to prevent your opponent from abusing Lycanroc’s Ability. If you do this and let them take the first Knock Out on your GX, then you will have access to your GX attack. If you can Sunsteel Strike GX followed up by a Meteor Tempest GX with the same Dusk Mane while having Garbotoxin online, you should comfortably win nearly every game as long as you don’t dead draw afterward.

Another reason it is important to not take the first GX Knock Out and go down to four Prizes early is so you can play around both your opponent’s Beast Ring, as well as their baby [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck really struggles with Knocking Out 1 Prize attackers, so if you can prevent their Buzzwole from hitting for significant damage with its first attack, the better off you will be. Another thing you want to be aware of in this matchup is not playing down your [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] before you are ready to start attaching to it, as you do not want it to be taking Jet Punch snipe damage on the Bench. However, if you choose to play [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] this becomes much less of an issue. Overall, if you are able to set up Garbodor while keeping pace with Buzzwole, you should be able to win the end game. However, if Buzzwole puts on too much early pressure, you can get over run too quickly to come back from.

Malamar / Ultra Necrozma: 70 / 30

I’ve found this matchup to be incredibly favorable for [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor in my testing. One of my deck’s biggest weaknesses is its lack of early game pressure. Luckily, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is not a deck that puts on much, if any, early pressure, as they are forced to set up their board at a similar pace to you. Once you set up, your game plan becomes very straight forward: get Garbotoxin online, play Parallel City to limit their Bench, and then N them to a low hand size the turn you are able to take a Knock Out. Unless they draw incredibly well, there is very little chance of Malamar coming back from that situation. The only time you really struggle in this matchup is if you fail to set up and/or only set up one threat that is immediately taken out and you cannot respond. Besides that, this is one of my favorite matchups currently and one I would be hoping to play at a tournament.

Zoroark / Lycanroc: 60 / 40 – 70 / 30

This matchup plays out very similarly to the Malamar matchup, as your win condition is very similar; you want to set up Garbotoxin, Parallel City, and N the turn you are able to Knock Out their threat with Meteor Strike. However, the reason I have given this matchup a slightly lower favorability is due to the early pressure [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] can put on decks. While there is no pressure turn one, the matchup can get rough if they go first and are able to get a turn two Lycanroc in order to drag up your only Trubbish for a Knock Out. However, if you can withstand the early pressure, this matchup plays out very favorably for Dusk Mane, as they cannot one shot you (as long as you manage your Bench / have [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] attached) while you are one shotting them and taking away all of their Abilities. Overall, this is a solid matchup, but it would not be my first choice as far as what deck I would like to face with this deck.

Zoroark / Golisopod: 60 / 40 – 70 / 30

While I have not tested this matchup nearly as much as I have tested the other matchups on this list, I did want to mention it as it plays out slightly differently than the ZoroRoc matchup due to ZoroPod playing [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card]. As I said when I talked about [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] this deck really struggles with non-GX, one Prize attackers, as there really is no good method for dealing with them in my list currently. Without [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], Tapu Koko gives this deck a lot of problems, as it will almost always get two Flying Flips off, which is enough to put your Dusk Mane Necrozma into range of a First Impression plus [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] Knock Out from [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. However, if you play Metal Frying Pan, this is much less of an issue. Be sure to stagger your Dusk Mane as to when you play them, as well as playing them when you have Metal Frying Pan in your hand at the same time in order to mitigate the amount of damage Tapu Koko can put on your board. However, once you account for the Tapu Koko promo, this matchup plays out very similarly to the ZoroRoc matchup; Parallel plus Garbotoxin plus N usually equals a crippled board for your opponent.

[cardimg name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Just dodge the Frog[/cardimg]

Greninja: 30 / 70

This matchup is awful, and there really is not much you can do to get around it. In order to Knock Out the 70 HP [card name=”Froakie” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] and / or [card name=”Frogadier” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] you need three Energy plus Fighting Fury Belt on your Dusk Mane Necrozma. This is very difficult to achieve on the first few turns of the game without hitting [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] so the deck usually struggles to disrupt the set up of [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, even if you are able to achieve this while getting Garbotoxin up, you still need to discard three Energy with Meteor Tempest in order to take Knock Outs on Greninja or [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. This is simply not sustainable, and as soon as you get stuck with one poor draw off an [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] the game is basically over, as they will have all the time they need to come back from there.

Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading my latest article! I know it was not centered around the popular decks of the Forbidden Light format (such as Malamar and Buzzwole), but I hope that this showed you that even when there seem to be absolutely dominant decks, there is always room for creativity to shine! As always, if you enjoyed my content, I would really appreciate it if you followed me on Twitter @OrgansmanTCG, as well as on Twitch, where I talk about and stream almost all of the decks I write about here on PokeBeach. I will be attending a lot of tournaments in the near future (Toronto, Roanoake, potentially Madison, and Sheffield), so if you see me at a tournament, please come up to me and say hello; I love talking to subscribers! Finally, please make sure to leave your constructive criticism and/or compliments on my writing in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout; it’s the best place we writers have for interacting with subs, and you can directly influence our writing by giving us feedback!

Until next time,

Eric

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