An Expanded Guide: How to Beat Zoroark and Buzzwole

By: Zakary Krekeler · Posted Posted onMay 24, 2018 at 7:26 PM · 0 Comments

Hello everyone! Roanoke is right around the corner, ready to give us our first look at Forbidden Light in the Expanded format. Multiple new cards look ripe for play; [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] will absolutely find a place in the successful [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card] decks, [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] will improve [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]-based decks, [card name=”Diantha” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] will add yet another strong Supporter to [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] decks — and that’s just the more obvious impacts. There is of course a notable absence from the named decks above; the go-to Expanded BDIF — [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] — seems to have gained little from this new set. Even without any obvious gains, however, Zoroark looks to remain as the strongest deck in a vacuum. After all, it’s very difficult to compete with a deck that can draw seven or more cards, disrupt your hand, lock your Abilities, and then hit you for 210 damage within a single turn, especially given its incredible consistency.

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This has become more the case as Zoroark-GX decks continue to be refined, and led to a format in Salt Lake City dominated by Zoroark-GX and decks designed specifically to counter Zoroark-GX. Of the Top 32 decks in that event, seven were Zoroark-GX decks, 14 were either Fighting, [card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] decks, and five were [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks with heavy counts of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. Of the remaining six decks, all but one (Night March) had a way to disrupt the Zoroark strategy, either by ability disruption (in the case of [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] decks) or item disruption (in the case of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]). Without a doubt, Expanded had very much turned into a format of “beat them or join them” with regards to Zoroark-GX.

With the arrival of Forbidden Light, a second deck seems likely to join Zoroark-GX in that elite Tier-1 category. Buzzwole-GX decks were already doing well as a decent counter to Zoroark decks, but with the new additions from Forbidden Light, Buzzwole has been strengthened enough such that it can compete not just as a strong anti-meta play, but as a major threat to be dealt with. The deck’s aforementioned new additions are strong in Standard, but even stronger in Expanded, where synergy with Expanded-only cards such as [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] take them to yet another level. Buzzwole-GX decks have yet another advantage in that unlike Zoroark-GX decks, their stategy is much harder to counter. Against the Zoroark decks, you can improve your matchup with copies of [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to limit their Bench (and thus their damage output); no such easy techs exist for dealing with Buzzwole-GX. Furthermore, cards such as [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] allow Fighting-type decks to spread out their Weakness, mitigating simple type-based techs or matchup advantages.

For my last two Expanded events (Dallas and Salt Lake City), I’ve been squarely on the “join them” side of the Zoroark debate, having played that deck to points finishes in both events. While I have a tendency to stay away from decks that are clearly considered the “deck to beat”, in the case of Expanded Zoroark-GX, I find it hard to justify another choice — given the overwhelming power that the deck has when unchecked. Zoroark is strong enough that even decks designed to counter it can still struggle against it, and is versatile enough that you can manage to tech against most of that opposition. I still believe this to be the case even in a metagame that is full of counter decks, even given the newfound strength of Buzzwole-GX decks. In my last article, I emphasized the importance and benefits of sticking with a single deck in many scenarios. For this article, I’ll be taking that advice, and sticking to Zoroark-GX once again. More importantly, I’ll be going through the process I’ve taken to adapt Zoroark into the new Forbidden Light meta, and how or why my list might change from Salt Lake City to Roanoke. In addition to the decklists, I’ll be going over the critical matchups of Zoroark versus Zoroark and Zoroark versus Buzzwole, as well as making a brief meta analysis for heading into Roanoke.

The Starting List

Here is the list that I used in Salt Lake City:

[decklist name=”ZoroEggs” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”21″]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Next Destinies” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iris” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

If you’ve read my previous Zoro-article posted prior to the Dallas Regional Championships, you might notice that the list from that article and this list are very, very similar. The [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] are gone, but many of the tech cards, such as [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Iris” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] remain. Indeed, for Salt Lake City, I went even further with the techs, this time adding in the now-popular [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] (no longer much of a tech, but rather a standard addition to this deck), as well as my new favorite surprise item, [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Likewise, you’ll also likely notice that multiple “expected” cards are missing from this list… gotta fit those techs in somehow! In particular, this list lacked [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and the popular [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], as well as several other popular tech cards such as [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”][/card]. When going over each of the matchups we might expect in this new format, I’ll use this list as a baseline, while pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each of our tech cards and thus showing how we might adapt this list into one which can be successful for Roanoke.

Zoroark versus Buzzwole

[cardimg name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

While the Zoroark mirror match will likely be common, the emergence of Buzzwole makes this likely to be the most important matchup worth knowing. At first glance, this matchup might seem miserably bad — Buzzwole is strong enough, even when it isn’t hitting for Weakness — but it ends up being much closer than you might think. One key here is our deck build; our addition of [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Next Destinies” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] gives us a reliable non-GX attacker into Buzzwole-GX, as we can easily copy either Aborption GX (in the early game) or Knuckle Impact to get a OHKO. This also allows us to reliably work around [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], since our non-GX Zoroark doesn’t require us to fill our Bench. The general strategy I’ve found the most success with goes something like this:

In the first few turns, get down as many [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] as possible — and replenish them as quickly as possible. Some will almost certainly be KO’d, so you need to have a few backups.

As with pretty much any matchup, you’re going to want to load up your Bench with Zorua, so that you can evolve them and begin attacking ASAP. A big difference between this matchup and others, however, is that against attackers such as Buzzwole-GX, you are almost certain to lose one or two of your Zorua before you can evolve them. Since sustained Zoroark attacks are key, and since you can likewise expect your opponent’s Fighting-type attackers to knockout your Zoroark as easily as they Knock Out your Zorua, you need to be able to recover those Zorua as quickly as you can. [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] is excellent for this matchup, and you will definitely need it. I also have a tendency to use [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] early to recover Zorua and/or Rescue Stretcher, so that I’m not stuck in a scenario where I don’t have another Zorua or Zoroark to go to after my active gets Knocked Out. Make no mistake, if you get into that scenario, you will almost certainly lose.

As fast as possible, evolve into multiple Zoroark-GX (while leaving at least one Zorua), fill up your Bench to eight, and Knock Out your opponent’s attacking GX.

Given how easily any of the attackers in Buzzwole / Lycanroc can Knock Out your Pokemon, you might think that it would be best to disregard your GXs as much as possible, and focus on an attacking strategy utilizing your other Zoroark. Unfortunately, due to your deck’s reliance on Trade for draw power, this isn’t realistically possible; such a strategy will likely sputter at some point, especially after an N, or if your opponent plays around Foul Play by using [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]. So, you should instead try and set up plenty of Zoroark-GX, while still having one Benched Zorua ready to evolve into the Foul Play Zoroark. One of the Zoroark-GX should be used as your first attacker, particularly if your opponent is attacking with one of their GXs. At this point, do everything you can to get out Sky Field and a full Bench; this will likely require [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] if your opponent has managed to play down Sudowoodo. (Thankfully, filling up your Bench isn’t too much of a challenge, as long as you have multiple [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] ready to go!) Get the knockout and get down to four Prizes, but be fully aware that your opponent will almost certainly be able to KO your Zoroark-GX.

When they retaliate, they will likely also use this turn to utilize their Beast Ring and power up a Buzzwole-GX, either Active or on their Bench. Aim for their powered-up Buzzwole-GX, and KO it with your Foul Play Zoroark.

At this point, things will probably look bad. Your opponent will be ahead on Prizes, have one or more fully-powered Buzzwole-GX ready to go (in addition to their other attackers), and your board will look puny in comparison. This point will also be the one where you can start to turn around the game.

If possible, finish them off now, either by utilizing your non-GX Zoroark one more time, or by using Zoroark-GX and Hex Maniac to get around their Sudowoodo.

Alright, so “win the game” as advice might seem rather obvious. The reality is though, against this deck, you won’t have a ton of time to do much else. So, if you have the option of digging for the win, or a more conservative play that might buy you another turn, the former option is more likely to net you a positive result. Thanks to [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] , your opponent will have plenty of ways around any disruption tactic you might use; the Hex Maniac plus [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] combo is thus your best bet if you do find yourself needing to buy a turn. (That is, unless we add something else…)

[premium]

Our Techs in This Matchup

[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”next destinies” no=”102″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

After having gone through a bit of the strategy, we can now look back and analyze: how did our techs do in this matchup? Was there anything about our list that was highly beneficial? Likewise, was there any card (particularly one of the ones we chose to exclude) that would have been useful or necessary? [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Next Destinies” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] while somewhat uncommon inclusions in many of these lists, were more than helpful. [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] is also incredibly useful, as it allows us to get around the non-GX Buzzwole and bring up a GX target, while still giving us the option of using Hex Maniac (if necessary). [card name=”Iris” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] can be helpful as a midgame replacement for [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], but since you’ll often want to use another Supporter (likely either a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], or a draw Supporter to try and keep replenishing your own attackers, depending on the scenario), the practical usage of this card isn’t very high. [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card] is pretty much useless aside from being an additional Basic Pokemon to assist with Riotous Beating damage, and you’ll rarely survive long enough to utilize [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] (and you shouldn’t use it anyway in most cases).

As for the popular techs we didn’t include — [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]  — two of them wouldn’t be particularly impactful. Since very few Buzzwole-GX lists play [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], our Field Blower is just about useless. Fighting decks generally aren’t particularly item-heavy either (and have multiple ways of setting up their board without items, and can easily replenish those items via Korrina or the draw from Octillery, thus negating the advantages of Ghetsis.

Exeggutor, however, can be very useful, and is by far the most useful of these tech cards. On one hand, to even get out Exeggutor requires us to have an Exeggcute on our Bench at some point — a risky proposition when playing against a deck that can easily hit a Benched Pokemon for 30 damage. That said, Exeggutor is an ideal card in the late-game. The only way they can get around Blockade (and thus hit one of your GX-Pokemon for the game) is by using Lycanroc-GX’s Bloodthirsty Eyes (since that they can’t Guzma around it). If they have already evolved all of their Rockruff, then you can safely use Blocakde plus another Supporter, to buy yourself a much needed turn to set up your final knockout. If they still have Rockruff Benched and ready to be evolved, then you’ll need to use Hex Maniac to shut off that option.

While the card can be a bit risky to get out, you’ll also have likely had to Bench at least one or two Exeggcute anyway, when using a Hex Maniac to get around Sudowoodo. In that case, Exeggutor at worst allows you to evolve one of them and remove a free-Prize option from your board, whereas at best, it will buy you the turn needed to win the game. So, the conclusion from this matchup would be to keep the Foul Play Zoroark, Rescue Stretcher, and Counter Catcher in the deck, and to attempt to find room to add in an Exeggutor.

Zoroark versus Zoroark

Prior to the release of Forbidden Light, Zoroark-GX was by far the most dominant deck in Expanded. As a result, mirror matches were incredibly common, a fact not expected to change if Zoroark-GX retains its high meta share in Roanoke. Many of the inclusions and exclusions from my Salt Lake City list were designed with the mirror match in mind, putting us in good shape for this matchup already. One thing I will say about this matchup is that it is incredibly dynamic; unlike the matchup against Buzzwole, it can be very difficult to predict how the game will go from the start. With so many options available to both players, the decisions your opponent makes (and cards that they play) can drastically affect your own decisions. With that in mind, here are some generally sound tips to use in most of your mirror matches:

Early Game

Against Zoroark, your early game strategy isn’t terribly different than against any other matchup. You want to do what you can to get your Zorua on the field as fast as possible, often via one of your [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re going first, getting Sudowoodo on the field can also be useful to restrict your opponent’s Bench (and thus limit the amount of Zoroark-GX they can get into play); this is especially strong if they start with a non-ideal starter, such as Exeggcute, [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], or one of their [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. If they have a Zorua start, however, an early Sudowoodo will not be helpful (since they’ll be able to get out all four Zorua anyway), so you should disregard it in favor of an additional Zorua. (More on the Sudowoodo in the mid-game section).

[cardimg name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Since its introduction in Riley Hulbert’s list at Dallas Regionals, [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] has become a mainstay of Zoroark decks. When going first, this card is the centerpiece of a devastating early-game disruption strategy. The turn-one combination of Red Card and Hex Maniac can be enough to disrupt your opponents’ start to the point where you can put the game completely out of reach. If you have Red Card in hand, and can get out your Zorua anyway, then [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] should absolutely be your Supporter of choice, above [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. From there, you’ll have an incredible advantage in being able to get out your own Zoroark-GX, while restricting your opponents’ ability to do so. Since Zoroark decks often-times rely on Tapu Lele-GX and Brigette to set up their board, a turn-one Hex Maniac often means that they’ll be stuck with only one or two Zorua to start the game. If you can then evolve and knock out that Zorua, then you’ll have all but won, especially if you can use that turn to further establish your own board state (since you won’t be too afraid of them doing, well, anything). Once you’re in that position, recover and use Hex Maniac as much as possible, so as to stifle them even if they do manage to evolve into a Zoroark-GX.

Mid Game

Once you can start evolving your Zorua and start taking some Prizes, then you’ll be ready to start the mid-game phase of your mirror-match strategy. While the above scenario is either great or awful (depending on who’s on the receiving end of the Red Card), you should assume for testing that it isn’t going to end the game; rather, it will more than likely delay the start of one player’s transition into the midgame. (In reality, the ideal Red Card scenario will put the game out of reach – but that isn’t terribly helpful for figuring out the matchup.) Even aside from the tech cards, the largest factor in my mirror-match victories has been inclusions of the two non-GX Zoroark cards. By utilizing them as attackers, you force your opponent to do one of two things:

  • They will have to Knock Out the Active non-GX Zoroark, and thus take only one Prize for the turn (putting them behind)
  • They will have to [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] around your non-GX Zoroark, and thus be unable to disrupt you via [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]

In the second scenario, it’s even better to note that your non-GX Zoroark will be able to continue to pressure your opponent for Knock Outs, forcing them into the same decision! With enough of your own disruption, you can eventually force them to KO the non-GX, and thus go into an odd prize exchange. That one-Prize difference can easily decide the match! With our list, you can also more easily recover your non-GX Zoroark (ideally through Rescue Stretcher, thus saving your Puzzle of Time for when they are needed more), and then continue attacking your opponent with them.

I’ve had games where I’ve fallen behind drastically (often due to that pesky Red Card), and yet been able to make up for it by repeated utilization of one of my non-GX Zoroark. Your Mind Jack [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], in particular, is a big reason why you should avoid benching Sudowoodo too early; if your opponent fills their Bench up to try and maximize Riotous Beating, then they become easy fodder for a high-damage Mind Jack. Likewise, if your opponent doesn’t bench Sudowoodo either, be cautious about filling up your own Bench, as your opponent may be planning the same strategy. If you need to in order to get a KO on a GX Pokemon, then it can be worth the risk; in many other cases, doing so may be unnecessary.

Another critical piece to the midgame in this matchup is to try and set up your board for the end-game, by removing from your Bench EX and GX Pokemon that would otherwise be easy targets for your opponent (such as [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]). This can be accomplished easily if your opponent has put down Sudowoodo, as you can Hex Maniac to get around Roadblock, fill up your Bench with non-GXs (Zorua, Exeggcute, etc.), and then discard your GXs at the beginning of your turn, when Hex Maniac subsides and Roadblock comes back into effect. Likewise, this is also a big reason why not to put down your own Sudowoodo unless necessary, as by not doing so, you prevent your opponent from pulling off the same trick.

Late Game

Once it gets toward the end of the game, you need to be on the lookout for how you will obtain your last two Prizes — and how your opponent will be looking to obtain theirs. The more you can do to disrupt your opponent at this time, the better. A lot of the specifics of your end-game decisions will come down to how you managed to tackle the early stages of the game. Did you force them into an uneven prize trade? Are there easy EX or GX targets remaining on your Bench? What resources do you have left, and what does your opponent have left? Again, due to the incredibly dynamic nature of the matchup, how the last few turns will go are incredibly difficult to predict.

Tech Analysis

As I stated above, most of the existing tech cards in this deck were already in here for the mirror match. [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card] is useful for setting up easy knockouts, [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Iris” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] are wonderful surprise cards, and [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] is critical in scenarios where they barely miss a knockout. As for the non-included techs mentioned above, [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] can be useful for removing [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and thus giving you another option to remove Pokemon from your Bench, in a way that thankfully isn’t reliant on your opponent’s actions. [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”][/card], in conjunction with Hex Maniac, is a great way to disrupt your opponent’s setup, and can buy you that late-game turn in the same way it does against [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], however, remains unconvincing. While removing cards from an opponent’s large hand in the late-game may seem like the perfect way to rid them of their [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and other clutch items, their incredible draw from Zoroark-GX has a tendency to mitigate the Ghetsis entirely. In that scenario, Red Card or N are equally (if not more) effective — and in the former case, can be played in conjunction with Hex Maniac for a much stronger disruption effect. In the early game, Red Card plus Ghetsis may seem like an awesome combo. I’ve certainly been hit by it a few times, and have had multiple opponents actively search out Ghetsis in order to pull off that strategy. In the mirror match, however, Hex Maniac is much, much more effective at disrupting an opponent’s early setup. The reason for that comes from the decklists. If your opponent uses Ghetsis, you have eight “outs” left (Tapu Lele-GX, Shaymin-EX, and your three draw Supporters), in addition to the possibility that you simply draw an Ultra Ball or Computer Search off of the top of the deck. In comparison, if your opponent uses Hex Maniac, those Tapu Lele and Shaymin are useless…which means your Ultra Ball–the card we were looking to shuffle in with Ghetsis–is as well. In this scenario, we’re reduced to only four outs: our three draw Supporters, and our Computer Search. Even if we add in Brigette to our lists of outs, that math still heavily favors Hex Maniac over Ghetsis. Remove [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] from that list (a realistic assumption, since a turn-one Colress is unlikely to land more than three or four cards), and that odds difference becomes even more skewed.

Other Matchups — Tech Analysis

When trying to figure out the final additions and cuts for the deck, we can’t look at only the two above matchups — we need to consider our other matchups as well. For this, meta analysis is a must. If there is a matchup for which we have teched well, but looks to be declining in playability and/or popularity, then it may be worthwhile to remove those tech cards. Likewise, if there is a matchup that looks to be increasing in popularity, or a new deck surfaces that we may have to deal with, then it makes sense to add in tech cards to deal with those. In Salt Lake City, the other Top 32 decks (aside from Zoroark and Fighting) were [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card], Night March, [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor. In addition, there were also several decks that saw play or have seen play in past Regional Championships, notably [card name=”Durant” set=”Noble Victories” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. For each of these decks, there will be two main things to look at: which cards are beneficial in this matchup, and whether the opposing deck in question looks to get better or worse with the release of Forbidden Light.

  • Drampa / Garbodor
    • Good techs: Field Blower, Acerola, more draw Supporters
    • Analysis: This deck is already dangerous against Zoroark-GX decks, and strong against most of the format as is. While it doesn’t gain much from Forbidden Light, and while I wouldn’t expect it to repeat it’s strong performance in Salt Lake City, it is without a doubt one of the bigger threats in this format.
  • Trevenant
    • Good techs: Acerola, more draw Supporters, [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card]
    • Analysis: Trevenant is back! A decent amount of this deck was played in Salt Lake City, and lists have adapted to the point where it can absolutely compete against Zoroark, especially if it gets the turn-one Item lock. With less Zoroark and more Buzzwole likely in Roanoke, things are trending up for Trevenant, especially with it’s new added consistency from [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] .
  • Gardevoir
    • Good techs: Tapu Koko, [card name=”Iris” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]
    • Analysis: Unfortunately for Gardevoir, current builds of the deck struggle mightily against the new Buzzwole decks. Any successful Gardevoir list will likely be teched out completely for that matchup, with multiple basic Psychic-type attackers ready to go. With an unfavorable matchup increasing in popularity, and Zoroark decreasing in popularity, things seem to be trending down for Gardevoir.
  • Sylveon, Glaceon
    • Good techs: [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card], Iris, [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], more draw Supporters
    • Analysis: Similar to Gardevoir, these decks will almost certainly struggle against the now-popular and hard-hitting Buzzwole-GX decks. Just as with Gardevoir, both of these should be trending downward as a result.
  • Night March
    • Good techs: [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] Combo
    • Analysis: While every deck might be seem to have an answer for Night March, the decks lack of recent results might get it into a Giratina-Greninja situation, where people start to drop their techs with the goal of simply avoiding the matchup. However, Night March remains as potent a deck as ever, and with typing advantages over Buzzwole-GX, this deck is very likely to continue to see play, and I would expect a bit of a comeback for it in Roanoke.
  • Greninja
    • Good techs: [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card]
    • Analysis: Shadow Stitching is mean to Zoroark-GX. The deck is also one of the few that can get around Beast Ring, and thus looks to have just as many favorable matchups as before. The problem for Greninja is always inconsistency, and the stigma of that may keep many away from this deck, even with the possible new additions of [card name=”Crasher Wake” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Greninja-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. I wouldn’t expect the numbers for Greninja to change too much, if only for that reason.
  • Wailord, Primal Groudon
    • Good techs: Tapu Koko, Iris, [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”][/card]
    • Analysis: There are two huge reasons why teching for these matchups may not be the best idea. First, neither of these decks are ever played in large numbers, due to their reliance on the expensive [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card]. In the past, this has worked out well for both of these decks, as they have often found themselves in easy-to-beat fields with little stopping them aside from coincidental tech cards and a few tricky matchups. Now, these decks have yet an additional bad matchup, in Buzzwole / Lycanroc. Buzzwole can easily set up Knock Out damage, and can reach numbers high enough for OHKOs on even Wailord without too much difficulty. The aggression of Buzzwole poses a tricky problem for Primal Groudon in particular, and Lycanroc-GX can safely get around Omega Barrier in the late-game to prevent many of Groudon’s hiding strategies (basically, anytime they don’t have Wobbuffet active, the Groudon is vulnerable). These decks never saw much play as it was, I would expect them to see even less now.

Based on that analysis, we can also see which of our techs are trending up, and which seem to be reaching the end of their usefulness. In our list, Tapu Koko and Iris look particularly vulnerable, as most seem to only help in matchups of which we may start seeing much less. While Tapu Koko can still serve a role in the mirror match, Iris should probably be cut, as it’s usage tends to be fringe at best. Given its usefulness against both of our main matchups (vs. Zoroark and vs. Buzzwole), I would opt to put in Exeggutor, rather than stick with a less-than-stellar Supporter. For those wanting a Field Blower, a Giratina, or another draw Supporter, Tapu Koko looks to be the next card to cut.

Conclusion

With that, we have our list for Roanoke! Whether you’re on the side of the new, fresh Buzzwole, the ol’ reliable Zoroark, or aiming to counter them both, I hope this article has provided some insight into these critical matchups in our new Expanded format. For those of you going to Roanoke, I hope to see you there! For those of you who aren’t, I’ll have another article for you next week, this time over our new Standard format! Thanks for reading!

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