King of Beasts: Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX versus Malamar / Necrozma
Hello PokeBeach readers, Rukan here! A month ago, I began early playtesting of the Forbidden Light Standard Format. Now, with barely a month left until Madison Regionals, it’s time to report my findings. Join me as I explore some new archetypes and try to get a leg up on the competition. I’ll begin the article with a brief meta overview, before discussing the new Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX deck in depth and [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] briefly, and closing with a few final thoughts for Madison.
Meta Overview
Top Two Decks
[cardimg name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
After significant playtesting, [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX stood out as the top two decks in the format. At first, I wasn’t sure if Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX could stand up to a strong Psychic archetype, but I reconsidered this after playtesting. Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX is the stronger archetype of the two and tends to take better matchups against the rest of the field as a result. Meanwhile Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX takes a slight type advantage over Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX but a weaker matchup against the rest of the field.
I believe any other decks that wish to succeed at Madison need to beat these two archetypes, but this is easier said than done.
Middle-tier Decks
Garbodor Variants
At first glance, [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] seems very good because it has the type advantage to deal with Buzzwole-GX and Ability lock for the Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX matchup. But traditional Espeon-GX / Garbodor lists cannot answer [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] effectively. And new Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX decks might in fact be strong enough to compete with Espeon-GX / Garbodor.
[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor does answer Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX efficiently, but at the cost of a type disadvantage against Fighting decks. Perhaps a Psychic-heavy Zoroark-GX / Garbodor variant can beat Buzzwole consistently, but I am not optimistic about this.
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX
Before Forbidden Light, Zoroark variants competed with Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX by running a single copy of [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Based on my testing, that won’t be enough after Forbidden Light hits the field. Meanwhile, a Zoroark / Lycanroc with three copies of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] only tested moderately well against my early Malamar builds. The matchup became favorable when I cut some copies of [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and Parallel City from my Malamar lists to beat Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX more consistently.
It may be possible to build Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX to take neutral matchups against the top two decks. The Malamar matchup may even be favorable if Malamar players choose to not respect Zoroark-GX, but it will most likely an uphill battle requiring significant tech card counts to simply compete evenly with the field. In general, I do not like the idea of teching a deck to go neutral against the field.
Bad Choices for Madison
Beast Box
Beast Box (Naganadel-GX and other Ultra Beasts) might seem like a good counter to Fighting variants, but in practice, Buzzwole-GX often trades Prizes evenly with Naganadel-GX. As a deck, Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX possesses more ways to swing the Prize race to a “seven-Prize game,” with the new “baby” Buzzwole, Lycanroc-GX, Mew, and the like.
Considering the low power level of Beast Box and its type disadvantage against Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX, Beast Box needs to have an extremely favorable matchup against Buzzwole variants to remain relevant in the meta. But when Beast Box only takes a neutral matchup against Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX, I see no reason to bring it to Madison.
M Gardevoir-EX STS
[cardimg name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I’ve heard a few players mention [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], which has a type advantage against both Buzzwole-GX and Ultra Necrozma-GX. But it suffers from the same issues as Beast Box: that is, M Gardevoir-EX itself is a relatively slow two-Prize Pokemon that, in practice, only trades two Prizes for two Prizes against Buzzwole-GX and Ultra Necrozma-GX.
Gardevoir-GX Variants
Gardevoir already struggled against Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX before Forbidden Light. After Forbidden Light , the matchup becomes borderline unwinnable, even with the inclusion of multiple copies of Mewtwo in the Gardevoir-GX deck. Meanwhile, Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX simply trades KOs with Gardevoir-GX and also tends to set up more consistently.
I only bothered to test nine games against Gardevoir-GX with new Forbidden Light decks. Buzzwole won six of six games and Malamar won two of three games. Despite this limited playtesting sample size, both my opponents (Eric Gansman and Sina Ghaziaskar) concluded that Gardevoir-GX could not compete in the upcoming format based on the results.
Greninja BREAK
[card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] can never really have favorable matchups against aggressive decks like Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX. It only won one of six games in my testing against that deck. Greninja not only needs to have a very quick setup against Buzzwole-GX, it also needs to prevent the Buzzwole-GX player from activating either Beast Ring or baby Buzzwole.
On the upside, Greninja can shut down Malamar decks completely if the Malamar player doesn’t run a copy of [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card], but Greninja loses convincingly if a Giratina does hit the field. Ultra Necrozma-GX‘s GX attack does a great job of fixing math against Greninja. The combination of Ultra Necrozma-GX and Giratina typically gives that deck advantage in the Prize race, even in scenarios where Malamar misses a turn-two or even turn-three attack.
Considering how painlessly Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX can incorporate Giratina into deck lists, as well as the mediocre Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX matchup, I don’t consider Greninja a strong pick for Madison.
Lucario-GX Variants
In Fighting decks, [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card] gets outclassed by new toys such as baby Buzzwole and Buzzwole-GX with Beast Ring. As a partner for Buzzwole-GX, Lucario-GX doesn’t answer Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX as well as Lycanroc-GX does. And I do not believe Zoroark-GX / Lucario-GX has take a favorable matchup against Buzzwole-GX variants after the introduction of Beast Ring.
Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX
Simply put, this deck is too slow for to compete with either Fighting decks or Malamar decks. Even through Armor Press, neither Buzzwole-GX nor Ultra Necrozma-GX struggle to hit 230 damage.
Alolan Exeggutor / Garbodor
I heard some rumblings of this deck in the Japanese meta, and I wanted to try it out. The deck provides type advantage against both of the Buzzwole-GX and Lycanroc-GX. The hefty 160 HP on Alolan Exeggutor also works very well in combination with Garbotoxin.
In playtesting, however, the deck did not beat Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX consistently. Both Garbodor and Alolan Exeggcutor take several turns to hit significant numbers. Meanwhile, Buzzwole-GX easily OHKOs [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] with Jet Punch. Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX can often take a two- to three-Prize lead, enough to handle two-for-one Prize trades in the late game.
[premium]
Ultra Squids: Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX
The Deck
I playtested Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX more than any other archetype during this past month. First, I built a list with two copies of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], hoping to tackle [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants consistently. Over the course of testing, I began to realize more and more that [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] would be a formidable opponent despite its Psychic Weakness. I eventually transitioned into a more aggressive build of the Malamar deck, containing [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and Beast Ring and with a greater focus on [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card].
The focus on Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX increases the overall power level of the deck dramatically. Unlike RayEels-style decks ([card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks from years past), this build focuses on applying early pressure with Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX before transitioning into Photon Geyser in the late game to swing the Prize race in your favor. Of course, you would generally avoid using Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants due to the Weakness to Dark.
Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX provides two critical advantages over Ultra Necrozma-GX as an early attacker. First, it is the fastest and most consistent attacker in the deck. First, It has the Ability Invasion, meaning you do not need to draw into a switching card to attack with it on turn two. Second, its attack cost tends to be easier to pay than Photon Geyser as well, since you only need a single type of Energy, and it does not discard Energy. Discarding Energy weakens your board state and opens you up to plays where your opponent can KO a Malamar to prevent you from recharging your attacker during your next turn.
Unfortunately, this new list struggled against Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] lists with heavy [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] counts during testing. The low Ultra Necrozma-GX count really decreased consistency. Reducing [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] counts and removing Parallel City altogether removed some dead cards for the Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX matchup, but these changes made it much harder for Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX to recover or protect itself from Parallel City.
[decklist name=”Turbo Malamar” amt=”44″ caption=”” cname=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”55″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x Malamar (Forbidden Light)4x Inkay (Forbidden Light)2x Ultra Necrozma-GX (Forbidden Light)2x [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x Mystery Treasure (Forbidden Light)2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Beast Ring (Forbidden Light)1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Energy ” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x Beast Energy (Forbidden Light)[/energy][/decklist]
Tech Choices
Anyone who has seen my previous decks knows that I love playing toolbox-style decks with lots of search and tech options. Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX tickles that fancy by granting me access to numerous Psychic attackers whose Energy costs were previously prohibitive. There are so many cards to go over, but after nearly 200 games of playtesting, I have a lot of thoughts to share.
Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX
[cardimg name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX is the only attacker in the deck that doesn’t require a switching effect to attack. This makes it the most consistent attacker if your goal is to swing for damage on turn two — and of course, its GX attack can swing the Prize race in any matchup. This makes the card a centerpiece for the deck’s strategy, except when you face [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card].
Even if the I anticipate significant numbers of Zoroark-GX variants, I would likely still keep two copies of Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX in the deck to maintain a healthy win rate against Buzzwole variants.
Mew
[card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] serves a similar role to [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] in Golisopod-GX decks. As is the case with Golisopod-GX, Ultra Necrozma-GX often needs to switch into the Active position from the Bench in order to attack. Mew provides a one-Prize attacker option that also serves as a “pivot Pokemon” to switch into and then free-retreat into Ultra Necrozma-GX. This threat implicitly protects your Malamar lines by allowing you to sustain pressure even when a Malamar gets Knocked Out.
During early playtesting, I tried to make room for more than one Mew. But in reality, it’s difficult to attack with Mew in any matchup besides Buzzwole-GX. Mew already requires you to have another Basic Pokemon in play in order to attack, making it somewhat inefficient with regard to Bench space. As a result, it’s very difficult to field multiple Mew, especially against an opponent playing Parallel City.
At the end of the day, I decided I needed tech cards more than I needed additional copies of Mew.
Mimikyu
[card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM99″ c=”name”][/card] swings the Prize trade, but so does Mew. So why run Mimikyu when Mew also provides free retreat? The answer is that Mimikyu can copy Photon Geyser without using Metal Energy, making it one attachment faster than Mew in the mirror. I value that highly because I anticipate that Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX will represent 10 to 20 percent of the field at Madison.
Giratina
Without Giratina, Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX stands no chance against [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. With it, Malamar is actually favored. Unlike other decks, Malamar decks can actually use Giratina’s attack, which may occasionally come in handy to swing a Prize trade or hit for Psychic Weakness. In a sense, Malamar decks suffer less from running this card than other archetypes do.
Lunala Prism Star
I did not include [card name=”Lunala Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] in my current list, but it I am considering it. It is primarily useful against Garbodor variants, allowing the Malamar player to recover Energy under Ability lock. However, I dislike it against Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX and in the mirror. The Energy-recovery attack feels too slow for these matchups, where games tend to quickly devolve into KO races. It’s also much harder to use Lunala Prism Star than Giratina Promo or Mimikyu to attack for damage due to the higher attack cost.
I would only include a Lunala Prism Star if community attitudes point towards a Garbodor variant seeing a lot of play. Until then, I intend to leave this card out of my list.
Beast Ring
Beast Ring might be the most overpowered card in Forbidden Light. It’s still a situational card for a deck with a tight list, so my list only runs two. A higher count could help immensely against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants and other decks that might aim to play Parallel City in an attempt to deny Malamar a key part of its strategy.
However, I would like to note that Beast Ring feels only marginally useful against Buzzwole-GX variants. Buzzwole-GX variants tend to race for Prizes rather than sniping Malamar, meaning you tend to have enough Energy on board to execute your game plan without Beast Ring. The raw aggression of Buzzwole-GX decks tends to marginalize the value of Beast Ring as well. Zoroark variants, for example, can’t take Prizes too quickly and a well-timed Beast Ring can therefore put you back into a game. If you fall two Prizes behind against a Buzzwole-GX deck, Beast Ring often won’t be enough to bring the game back to a win. I may consider running just a single Beast Ring if I anticipate a meta with extremely large numbers of Buzzwole-GX variants and minimal Zoroark-GX or Garbodor variants.
Oricorio
[cardimg name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
But Rukan, why would you ever run [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] over [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]? As you said, Bench space is very important in Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX!
You can search out an Oricorio with Mystery Treasure and Ultra Ball, whereas you need to draw Professor’s Letter directly — which means Oricorio adds nine outs to finding Energy while Professor’s Letter only adds one.
Does that make it worth the Bench slot? Against Zoroark-GX variants, the answer tends to be no. Games against Zoroark-GX tend to grind on for a long time, and a Bench slot used on Malamar can accrue a tremendous amount of value of time. Zoroark-GX decks also tend to run Parallel City, which can make Oricorio more difficult to play at all.
However, against Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX, Bench space does not pose much of a concern. Instead, these matches tend to devolve into Prize races where the Malamar player typically wins if they can launch an attack on turn two. Oricorio boosts the odds of a turn two attack much more than Professor’s Letter does. Since I expect Buzzwole-GX variants to make a bigger splash at Madison than Zoroark-GX variants, the Oricorio becomes a no-brainer over Professor’s Letter.
Unit Energy LPM
I want to mention this card because a Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX deck won a 700-person Champion’s League event in Japan running a single copy of Unit Energy in place of a third Metal Energy. By replacing a Metal Energy with a Unit Energy, the deck increases its number of outs to Psychic Energy by one. This makes the deck less likely to whiff an attack with Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX. The list I posted runs [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], so I would not personally use Unit Energy as it does not have synergy with Max Elixir. In a list without Max Elixir, Unit Energy makes a lot of sense if you want to improve the matchup against Buzzwole-GX variants.
Parallel City
[card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] helps against Garbodor and Zoroark-GX variants. It protects your own Bench against opposing Parallel City and limits the number of threats on your opponent’s Bench. However, it does not typically help the Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX match up, so I ultimately cut it for more cards like Max Elixir. I may reconsider this depending on the community’s attitude on Zoroark-GX variants in the days leading up to Madison.
Matchup Review
60% versus Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX
I tested 78 games against [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. Malamar won 48 of those games (62%).
I tested four different builds of Malamar, differing primarily in the Parallel City, Oricorio, and Max Elixir counts.
- First I tried: 2 Parallel City, 1 Oricorio, 0 Max Elixir. This version won 13 of 20 games (65%).
- Next I tried: 2 Parallel City, 0 Oricorio, 0 Max Elixir. This version won 5 of 12 games (42%).
- Third I tried: 0 Parallel City, 0 Oricorio, 3 Max Elixir. This version won 10 of 17 games (59%).
- Finally I tried: 0 Parallel City, 1 Oricorio, 3 Max Elixir. This version won 20 of 29 games (69%).
The playtesting data emphasizes two points: Oricorio and Max Elixir both improve Malamar’s odds against Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX significantly.
Overall, Malamar had roughly a 60% winrate in my testing between the various builds, but I believe a 65-70% win rate is feasible with a more aggressive build focused on [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card].
50% versus Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX
I tested 29 games against Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX; Malamar won 16 of these games (55%). I chose a Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX list with three copies of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. If any Zoroark-GX deck can shut down Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX, I think it would look something like that.
The strategy of limiting Malamar via Parallel City is not completely reliable. Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX can still succeed with a single Malamar due to Max Elixir and Beast Ring. Playing gust effects to knock out single-Prize Inkay and Malamar also slows down the Prize race and gives Malamar time to attach more Energy.
I eventually switched to a Malamar list with zero Parallel City and only two copies of [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. This updated list only won 4 games of 11 against a Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX list with three copies of Parallel City. It would seem Malamar does require some techs to stand up to such a deck.
80% versus Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX
I only tested three games against Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX. Malamar won all three of those games. The matchup seemed nearly unwinnable for Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX, and I did not bother testing it further.
65% versus Gardevoir-GX Variants
I only tested three games against “broken” Gardevoir-GX (the [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]-heavy build). Malamar won two of those three games. Gardevoir-GX takes a bit more effort for Ultra Necrozma-GX to Knock Out than other Pokemon. Conversely, Ultra Necrozma-GX‘s Fairy Weakness allows [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO it quite easily. But Malamar sets up more consistently and recovers from Knock Outs more easily than Gardevoir-GX does. I would rate the matchup slightly favorable for Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX. I did not test this match up further as I expect Gardevoir-GX variants to perform poorly against Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX, rendering the archetype nonviable in the upcoming format.
75% versus Espeon-GX / Garbodor
I only tested three games against Espeon-GX / Garbodor. In these games, my Malamar list only ran a single copy of [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and no copies of Lunala Prism Star. The goal was to stress-test the Espeon / Garbodor match up. Malamar won all three games without ever needing to use Abilities. Espeon-GX / Garbodor simply does not have a good answer for Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX.
60% versus Greninja BREAK (with Giratina)
[cardimg name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I tested 18 games against Greninja using a list with one copy of Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX and one copy of Giratina. Malamar won 10 of those games (56%). With Giratina, the matchup feels reminiscent of the Greninja versus VikaBulu matchup. If the Malamar player sets up quickly, it locks in a win with few outs for the Greninja player. However, if the Malamar player prizes either Giratina or Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX, they will likely lose. A second copy of Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX likely boosts the matchup from 60% favorable to 70% favorable.
Malamar’s game plan goes as follows:
- Take some early Knock Outs with [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card].
- Attack as often as you can.
- Use Sky Scorching Light GX. Let your opponent take Prizes if you need to in order to activate this.
- You should be able to finish off the win with a single hit from Giratina or a second Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX. You can also swing with Ultra Necrozma-GX itself using the leftover Energy from the GX attack..
Once Malamar sets up with Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX and Giratina, the Greninja player would need to use multiple copies of [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] to simply contest the Prize trade. Perhaps Greninja players will run more copies of Max Potion in the future, but I remain skeptical about Greninja’s prospects regardless.
One Punch Bug: Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX
The Deck
I ran the following list in my playtesting. It is, more or less, a typical frame with some obvious new additions from the new set. I only found room for two copies of Beast Ring, but after testing, I would try to find room for more.
[decklist name=”Buzzwole / Lycanroc” amt=”54″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”12″]3x [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Buzzwole (Forbidden Light)1x Diancie Prism Star (Forbidden Light)1x Zygarde (Peace Maker from Forbidden Light)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x Beast Ring (Forbidden Light)[/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x Beast Energy (Forbidden Light)[/energy][/decklist]
Tech Choices
I’ve seen several players posting hypothetical Buzzwole / Lycanroc lists with thick Beast Ring counts at the cost of other tech cards. At one point, I tested Malamar / Necrozma against a list posted by Andrew Mahone that contained a thick line of Beast Rings but no copies of one prize attackers such as Baby Buzzwole or Mew. That list won zero games out of three games played. I particularly remember a single game where my opponent hit three Beast Rings on a single turn, but lost anyways.
That playtesting session showcased a very important point: the upcoming format centralizes around fast one hit Knock Out decks where swinging the Prize race becomes critically important. Players will need efficient one prize attackers to swing the Prize race in order to win.
Zygarde (Peacemaker)
Peacemaker Zygarde provides the most efficient attack for a single Fighting Energy in the format. This makes it an excellent early pressure attacker in matchups against Malamar and Buzzwole variants, swinging for up to 130 for Strong Energy, Choice Band, Diancie. The Ability might be a liability against Zoroark-GX but I believe this point is outweighed by its utility against Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX, as Zoroark matchups should be favorable for Buzzwole regardless.
I was skeptical about Zygarde earlier on, but after further playtesting I now consider a single copy essential in Buzzwole variants.
Mew
[cardimg name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] provides a powerful typing option to Buzzwole’s arsenal. It can copy Peacemaker to hit a Buzzwole for 180 with [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and it can copy Jet Punch to knock out an Inkay. However, Mew’s typing prevents synergy with Brooklet Hill, and ultimately makes it significantly less consistent than Zygarde. I might consider including Mew in my list if I find a need to swing the Prize race more heavily in the Buzzwole mirror, but not until then.
Solrock
Now, with the addition of Diancie Prism Star, the humble [card name=”Solrock” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] can knock out a [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], Diancie Prism Star. But Rukan, isn’t Buzzwole favored against Zoroark after Forbidden Light? Yes, it’s very favorable in general, which is why I did not include Solrock in the list above. But in playtesting, a Zoroark / Lycanroc list with three copies of Mewtwo was able to achieve just under a 50% win rate against Buzzwole / Lycanroc. If any Zoroark decks do succeed at Madison, they will undoubtedly play some sort of heavy Psychic tech. Solrock provides an efficient option to shut down those psychic heavy Zoroark decks. For the time being, I would not include Solrock, but I may change my mind if the community begins to hype Zoroark Variants leading up to Madison.
Zygarde-EX
Like Solrock, [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] also hits for 40 damage for Fighting Energy. It essentially serves the same role but in a beefier two Prize package. Zygarde-EX creates a much stronger board state than Solrock. If your one copy of Solrock gets knocked out, you need to expend Energy to develop a replacement attacker. In contrast, Zygarde-EX can survive attacks from most Zoroark Variants, allowing you to threaten a Knock Out another Zoroark-GX while dedicating your next manual Energy attachment to a benched Pokémon at the same time. On the other hand, the two Prize status makes it essentially useless in the late game of Buzzwole or Malamar matchups and just a greater liability in general.
There’s only a relatively subtle difference between Solrock and Zygarde-EX. I would only pick either if Psychic heavy Zoroark decks pose a significant threat. Considering the massive energy acceleration available to Buzzwole Variants, I favor Solrock in in general. But I would prefer Zygarde-EX against Zoroark / Garbodor specifically. The energy efficiency of Zygarde-EX provides a significant boon in that particular matchup where every Max Elixir you play increases the damage output of Trashalanche.
Sudowoodo
I cut Watch and Learn [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] from my lists primarily because it does nothing against Malamar / Necrozma. It’s definitely one of the stronger options in the mirror, but even then I find its role overlaps too much with Baby Buzzwole to justify a deck slot.
Matchup Review
Before Forbidden Light, [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] capitalized on its type advantage to compete with Zoroark-GX variants. Meanwhile, Zoroark-GX decks ran Psychic techs like [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] to counter Buzzwole-GX. Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX could still win if it ran hot and hit Max Elixir often enough, but the deck often struggled to take Prizes in the late game.
Beast Ring, baby Buzzwole, and Diancie Prism Star completely alter that dynamic. Beast Ring allows Buzzwole-GX to reload Energy constantly into the late game. Baby Buzzwole helps swing the Prize trade and often provides an Energy-efficient Knock Out. Diancie Prism Star just provides a bit of extra reach to OHKO 70 HP basics with Jet Punch and to deal with archetypes that previously might have aimed to tank through a Knuckle Impact.
40% versus Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX
Despite Mystery Treasure, Malamar decks can still struggle to swing for damage on turn two, or could possibly miss a critical KO on a Lycanroc-GX. This means Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX tends to take an early Prize lead, putting the onus on Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX to swing the Prize race back. For Malamar, this typically means taking a KO with a one-Prize Psychic Pokemon or using Dawn Wing Necrozma-GX’s GX attack. But even that strategy can fail if the Buzzwole-GX player hits a big gust effect on a critical turn.
>75% versus Gardevoir-GX
[cardimg name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I only tested six games against “broken” [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. Buzzwole-GX won all six games, at which point I decided the matchup wasn’t worth testing any further. Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX was already favored against Gardevoir-GX before Forbidden Light, but now it swings for 230 damage with Knuckle Impact and a single [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s hard to imagine any Gardevoir-GX builds that could stand up to Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX, even with significant Psychic tech cards.
65% versus Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX
I tested 41 games against Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX. In the first 21 games, I tested against a list with one Mew-EX and one Mewtwo. Buzzwole won 14 of these games. In the last 20 games, I tested against a list with three copies of Mewtwo. Buzzwole still won 11 of these games.
With all the new support cards, it’s safe to say Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX mows through most Zoroark-GX variants, and even competes evenly with ones that tech a large number of Psychic attackers. It’s hard to imagine Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX seeing much play when it struggles so much against Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX and still only goes 50-50 vs Malamar decks. If a Zoroark-GX variant survives the upcoming format, it likely needs a more dedicated psychic attacker than Mew-EX or Mewtwo just to defeat Buzzwole-GX.
On the off chance that Zoroark-GX variants with heavy Psychic techs end up receiving significant hype, I suspect a single copy of [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] could swing that matchup back in Buzzwole-GX’s favor. Zygarde-EX diversifies the deck’s typing and can now one-shot Zoroark-GX with a single Strong Energy, [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and Diancie Prism Star.
Madison Predictions
Without a doubt, I believe Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX and Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX will be the two most played archetypes at Madison Regionals. Buzzwole-GX takes significantly better matchups against many old archetypes while Malamar takes a slightly favorable matchup against Buzzwole-GX in exchange for an overall lower power level.
Between the two, I believe Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX is the better pick for making Day Two. I believe experienced Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX players can beat less-experienced Malamar players consistently. Meanwhile, I expect Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX to perform better within Day Two, where there might exist a more concentrated field of Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX and where the Malamar players will generally be more skilled.
Counter Decks
Anyone who remembers Portland Regionals should understand that predictable archetypes can get heavily countered. So let’s point out some decks that players might flock towards and evaluate whether they might effectively counter Buzzwole-GX and Malamar decks.
Kiawe Ho-Oh-GX
Before Forbidden Light, Buzzwole-GX variants could struggle against [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], requiring lots of luck with Max Elixir to respond to the first Ho-Oh-GX, and generally struggling to knock out Ho-Oh-GX with Knuckle Impact, especially if the Ho-Oh-GX list ran copies of [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. However, the inclusion of Beast Ring allows Buzzwole-GX to Knock Out the first Ho-Oh-GX much more consistently. While I can imagine some players might bring Ho-Oh-GX in hopes of countering a Fighting meta, I would not expect these players to succeed.
Rainbow Road and Xerneas BREAK
[cardimg name=”Xerneas” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”107″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Forbidden Light introduces the new Diantha Supporter, which may prove useful for Fairy archetypes in terms of providing late-game support.
Rainbow Road ([card name=”Xerneas” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]), for example, can hit both Ultra Necrozma-GX and Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX for Weakness with [card name=”Xerneas” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bisharp” set=”Steam Siege” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] respectively. Meanwhile, Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX decks rarely run Field Blower, allowing Rainbow Road to exploit [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. I think the archetype has a lot of potential in terms of typing, but it still lacks a consistent setup.
Like Rainbow Road, [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] takes a type advantage against Ultra Necrozma-GX. However, it does not provide a clean answer to Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX.
I personally would not play either of these decks due to their poor consistency and low overall power level, but I can see them making a small splash at Madison.
Closing Thoughts
In summary, [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] will soon become the strongest archetype in the format. Malamar will be the second-strongest but will have type advantage over Buzzwole-GX, and these two decks will re-centralize the meta as all other archetypes struggle to tech against them.
I had a lot of fun playtesting the Forbidden Light meta and I hope you all enjoyed my findings. I’m still looking to test all the way until Madison, though, so feel free to ask me any questions on the forums or hit me up for a few rounds of testing.
~Rukan
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