Rock-Paper-Scissors? The Forbidden Light Type Triangle

Hello everyone! With the finish in Roanoke last weekend, we are now officially done with Expanded Regionals for the year, which means we can now focus all our attention onto the new Forbidden Light Standard Format! While many of us may not have had a chance to compete with this set yet, we thankfully aren’t completely lacking for data. Four major tournaments — the South African National Championship, the Mexico City Special Event, the Tours Special Event, and the Melbourne Regional Championships — have already occurred with the new set, and have given us some interesting Top-8 data and new decks to go with them. Three decks in particular have stood out in these events and in the League Cups held so far; those would be [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], and, to a lesser extent, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card].

In Buzzwole-GX, we have an established deck making huge gains from this newest set. Malamar is the newcomer to the format and has positioned itself as the best deck to counter those Buzzwole-GX decks, as it takes advantage of favorable typing and strong attackers. Likewise, as Malamar decks start to play a larger role in the format, Zoroark decks have begun to refine themselves and make a return.

In this new format, we’ve evolved somewhat of a triangle: Fighting beats Dark, Psychic beats Fighting, Dark beats Psychic. For the many of us who know and love the video game side of Pokemon, this might seem familiar to you. Of course, being that this is the tier-one meta of the TCG, things aren’t quite as simple as the rock-paper-scissors concept might imply. All three of these decks, in addition to being incredibly strong, also have great versatility in their ability to plan for their “bad” matchup in the triangle. In this article, I’ll be going over each of these three decks, providing an overview of the deck and a deck list to go with them, while also highlighting what potential techs and strategies can be used against the other two archetypes. Hopefully by the end, not only will you have a better understanding of what makes each of these decks uniquely strong, but you’ll be able to decide if you want to partner up with one of them for the final tournaments of the season.

Buzzwole-GX

[cardimg name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”104″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Without a doubt, this deck has been the one most commonly championed as the BDIF after the release of Forbidden Light. Already an incredibly accomplished deck during the BKT–ULP format, BuzzRoc has only gotten stronger, with new additions such as [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], and the new non-GX [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], not to mention [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]! Doing damage has become easier, accelerating Energy has become easier, and the deck now has more ways to attack and dominate than ever.

However, all this added strength has come with a cost. Since so many know that this deck is the strongest on-paper deck in the format, it makes anti-Buzzwole techs and counters incredibly popular. Malamar decks have been built to hard-counter Buzzwole, chock-full of Psychic-type attackers that can get easy OHKOs. Among other decks, pretty much everyone nowadays will carry at least one of [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] to have a tech Psychic-type that can OHKO Buzzwole-GX, and do so without much difficulty. Despite those obstacles though, Buzzwole remains dominant, as its on-paper strength has translated well into actual play.

Here is the decklist I’ve been using for Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX:

[decklist name=”BuzzRoc” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ 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=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]3x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Inclusions

While there may be quite a few techs in this list, the core itself is fairly standard. Overall, you want a Buzzwole deck that is fast, strong, and consistent, and this list certainly fits the bill, while still including many one-of Pokemon that can help you in various matchups. The general strategy for this deck hasn’t changed at all, but your ability to pull off that strategy has become much easier.

[cardimg name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Buzzwole is a tremendous non-GX attacker, and will force your opponent to make a difficult decision: do they KO a GX first and thus activate the additional damage on Buzzwole’s Sledgehammer, or do they try and play around that and thus go on to odd Prizes? If they choose the first option, then Buzzwole becomes a tremendous attacker. [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] + Diancie Prism Star means that Sledgehammer hits for 170 damage for only one Energy – or 190 with a [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] attachment. That’s enough to Knock Out a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] or Zoroark-GX; with a Strong Energy, enough to Knock Out an opposing Buzzwole-GX or [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card]; with a Beast Energy, enough to Knock Out a Lycanroc-GX or a [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. Not only that, but your opponent still needs to be able to [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] around the Buzzwole, otherwise you force them to odd Prizes anyway! By attacking for only one Energy, Buzzwole also allows you to set up your attackers for the next turn with Beast Ring and Max Elixir, potentially putting your opponent into an unwinnable state early in the game. If you’ve managed to get ahead early and take the first few Prizes (not exactly a tough challenge for a Buzzwole-GX deck), you can easily get into a situation where Buzzwole takes your third and fourth Prizes for you, and you have multiple Buzzwole-GX on the Bench ready to go and win you the game. Even if they do play around it, that only buys you another turn to attack with Buzzwole-GX and Lycanroc-GX, which will often lead to the exact same result.

Beast Ring and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] have both been actively debated as far as counts go. In general, I prefer heavier Max Elixir, as it allows you to accelerate Energy effectively onto [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], and gives you the possibility for a far more aggressive early game in comparison to Beast Ring. Beast Ring likewise can give you some difficulty as far as clogging up your hand late-game, a problem for a deck that relies on [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] for draw power. While I wouldn’t be opposed to the inclusion of a third Beast Ring if only to improve the consistency of hitting it, it isn’t necessary for the deck’s success by any means.

As for the tech Pokemon, I’ve seen Sudowoodo, [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] cut from quite a few lists. Many people seem to be replacing the previously included Sudowoodo with the new Buzzwole, as they both fit the role of non-GX retaliation attacker. Oricorio is used almost exclusively against opposing Mew-EX, a commonly included tech for Zoroark-GX decks. Zygarde-EX gives you another attacker, one that importantly isn’t weak to Psychic. All three of these cards act as counters to typical opposing strategies against Buzzwole, while also giving you more options to deal with other various rogue decks. While they can be cut without too much disappointment, I have found each of them useful in quite a few situations. If you do cut them, the cards to include instead would be, in order: a fourth Strong Energy, a third Beast Ring, or a third Float Stone.

[premium]

Matchups

Vs. Malamar

Against Malamar, your best early-game strategy remains the same: hit hard, and get ahead quickly. What you attack will typically depend on how your opponent’s setup goes. If they struggle to get Inkay on the field, you should aim to KO them with Buzzwole’s Jet Punch or Zygarde’s Land’s Pulse. If they do hit plenty of [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] — something to be expected, given that their deck revolves around Malamar — then you can be less discerning in how you take those early Prizes, though Inkay Knock Outs are still the easiest way to get them on turn one or two. If you can get way ahead early by Knocking Out opposing GXs, do it, and thus outrace your opponent for the game; alternatively, running them out of Malamar can be a great strategy, especially if they’re playing the Ultra Necrozma-GX version which has a bit higher Energy requirement to Knock Out your GXs.

In this matchup, you want to take full advantage of your Lycanroc-GX and Zygarde-EX, as neither are weak to Psychic and are thus much harder for Malamar’s attackers to KO, especially since most established lists of Malamar don’t play Choice Band. Given the Bench requirements for Malamar, you can almost always get a Knock Out with Dangerous Rogue GX; if your opponent tries to play around that, they’ll likely be lacking in Malamar, in which case you can target them to eliminate your opponent’s ability to recharge and attack. Against the Necrozma-GX version, you want to be cautious about benching too many GXs, as Black Ray GX is a common strategy to soften up your Pokemon, especially if your opponent is hurting for Malamar.

Vs. Zoroark

Again, the strategy against Zoroark hasn’t changed all that much. Your non-GX Buzzwole and Sudowoodo will be huge in this matchup, as they take easy Prizes and are generally tough to play around. Against Zoroark, this is even more the case, as Buzzwole’s Swing Around now becomes an additional threat to Knock Out Zoroark-GX, even when Sledgehammer’s extra damage isn’t activated. Zoroark decks are, of course, varied in what partner attacker they utilize, so your gameplan will change accordingly; Lycanroc-GX variants will play differently than Garbodor variants, and so on. If you can, getting Knock Outs on those partner attackers will be ideal, given how easily you can Knock Out their Zoroark-GX (and how poorly Zoroark-GX is at attacking into you).

Malamar

[cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Cards like [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] have consistently been popular, and like the [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] decks before it, Malamar has been a force in the meta. Early results have been great for Malamar decks, as it won the South African National Championship and Mexico City SPE, while also obtaining numerous Top 8 spots in all of the Special Events and Regionals held since its release. All of the successful Malamar decks so far have been focused around [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], in conjunction with either [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] or plain old [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM58″ c=”name”][/card]. With no [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] in the format, these decks can constantly utilize Malamar to replenish attackers which can reach absurdly high damage numbers. In addition, Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX, by virtue of its typing, makes an excellent attacker into the aforementioned Buzzwole-GX!

For this section, I’ll be focusing on the Necrozma-GX version of the deck. While both variants are strong and have seen plenty of success thus far, I’ve found in my testing that I prefer it to the Ultra Necrozma-GX version. It is naturally more streamlined, which allows it to be both more consistent and more versatile as far as meta adaptation is concerned.

The list I have here, piloted by Sam Chen and Rahul Reddy to the Top 2 spots at the Mexico City Special Event, has become the default list for Malamar / Necrozma-GX decks. While there are a few changes that can be made to it, this list is a great place to start out:

[decklist name=”Malamar” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ 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=”10″]10x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Inclusions

There are three tech Pokemon not included in this list that have also seen some use. The first, [card name=”Mewtwo-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card], is a clever attacker that is best for its GX attack, Psystrike GX. The attack’s 200 damage is the most that can be pulled off in this deck for only three Energy, which can give you a solid attacking option to OHKO [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. Also of note is that the damage can’t be prevented, which allows Mewtwo-GX to bypass the common mirror-match strategy of using Dawn Wings Necrozma’s Moon’s Eclipse GX. While Mewtwo-GX’s Psychic weakness may make it seem like a poor choice for the mirror match, it is quite the opposite; by only using it in that specific scenario, you can easily prevent your opponent from making a game-turning play, and thus keep your momentum going in a game where you take an early lead.

The other two popular tech Pokemon are quite similar in the role they play. Those cards are [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], both great for giving you a non-GX attacking option that can copy an opponent’s attack. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I would absolutely recommend playing at least one of them, if not both. Both are strong against a variety of other decks, such as [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card].

Clefairy is great in that you don’t need to rely on your opponent’s actions to utilize it — instead, like [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] in Expanded, you can be proactive when using it to eliminate your opponent’s waiting threats. It also gives you another type to attack with, and most notably can hit Pokemon such as Lycanroc-GX for a OHKO (since unlike Mimikyu, it can copy GX attacks).

Mimikyu, in contrast, is great in that it gives the deck a strong attacker that only has an Energy requirement of two, making it the only non-Lele Pokemon in the deck that can attack for such a low cost. This is tremendously important when your opponent goes for a strategy of Knocking Out your Malamar, especially when using Mimikyu as a surprise attacker. An example of such a scenario would be if your opponent Knocks Out your last Malamar in order to prevent you from effectively powering up any attacker; in this case, Mimikyu gives you an option that only takes one Max Elixir hit, a far more reasonable option. As with Clefairy, Mimikyu gives you a great option against Ultra Necrozma-GX for the same three-Energy cost, as you can discard three Psychic Energy to deal 260 damage.

My list looks the same as the one above, with one Malamar and one [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] cut to make room for a Mewtwo-GX and a Mimikyu.

Matchups

Vs. Buzzwole

Against [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks, it’s important to figure out which strategy they are going for: are they aiming for your Malamar, or are they aiming for your GXs? In either case, you want to try and get down and replenish your Malamar as fast as possible.

If they’re continually attacking your Malamar, you can take advantage of their slower Prize-taking capacity, and outrush them to those six Prizes. Utilize your Max Elixir well in this case so that you can continually stream attackers into them, while also having backups ready to go in case their strategy changes. [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] and Lycanroc-GX are both tough Pokemon to OHKO, and both can take down a Malamar fairly easily.

If, instead, they aim for your GXs, then you need to take advantage of the fact that you’ll be able to attack with pretty much whatever you want throughout the game. If you’ve included Mimikyu or Clefairy, utilize it against their GX attackers to try and eventually force them to take a one-Prize turn. In an ideal situation, you can even get to the point where you only have non-GXs in play, as you can use your [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to limit your own Bench to knock off those sitting GXs. My favorite way to do this is to have Mimikyu Active that’s about to take a KO, with three Malamar sitting on the Bench; in this case, no matter what they Knock Out, they’ll be forced into an odd Prize exchange, after which you can power up your next attacker via Psychic Recharge, race ahead in Prizes, and win the game.

For your GX attack, there are two solid options that you have available. The first, and more expected option, is to use Moon’s Eclipse GX to OHKO a Buzzwole-GX or, preferably, a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], getting you two Prizes while protecting your energized attacker for the next turn. The other option is to use Black Ray GX to set up easier Knock Outs on all of their GXs. The latter option is preferable in games where your opponent aggressively uses their Zygarde-EX and Lycanroc-GX; if you use Moon’s Eclipse instead, you can easily get into a situation where KO’ing those Pokemon is extremely difficult. This will especially be the case if they’ve been aiming for your Malamar, and thus limiting how effectively you can use your Necrozma-GX to attack.

Vs. Zoroark

Part of the proficiency of your gameplan will depend on which techs you play. If you kept in the [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], an excellent strategy is to discard a Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX, then use Marshadow’s Ability to copy Moon’s Eclipse GX to OHKO an opposing [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. From there, you can take your next Prizes by using Dark Flash into another Zoroark-GX. With Sudowoodo, you can then prevent your opponent from getting a return KO on Marshadow-GX, since [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] + four Benched Pokemon can only hit for 130 damage; in this case, if you survive, you can then end the game by using yet another Dark Flash to Knock Out a Zoroark-GX. While trying to pull off this strategy, you should also be powering up your Benched Necrozma-GX so that if they do get around it, typically by using their secondary attacker, you have another Pokemon ready to go and take some Prizes.

If your list doesn’t contain Marshadow-GX, the matchup becomes a good bit trickier. If you’re using the Necrozma-GX version, Black Ray GX is a great attack when your opponent has an established board, and can setup easier Knock Outs onto their Zoroark-GX. Clefairy is also great at that point, as it gives you a non-GX option that can deal 120, enough to Knock Out one of those previously damaged Zoroark-GX. Without Clefairy, you can still get KOs with Dark Flash (note that it doesn’t apply Resistance), but that can be a dangerous move given Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX’s Weakness to Dark, so that’s best to use only when absolutely necessary. Other good attacking options include Tapu Lele-GX and Mewtwo-GX, which can then KO a damaged Zoroark-GX for four and five Energy respectively – a high requirement, but certainly possible with Malamar. [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] can disrupt those strategies, however, so be wary of them.

Zoroark-GX

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

With the release of Forbidden Light, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks were put into a tough situation. While Zoroark-GX gained little from the new set, other decks were able to improve greatly; most notably its rival, [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Early tournaments confirmed Zoroark-GX’s difficulties; Fighting-types were strong as predicted, and Malamar decks thrived in the absence of Zoroark-GX. Zoroark-GX is nothing, however, if not versatile. It hasn’t taken long for the deck to reemerge. In addition to some strong League Cup performances, a version of ZoroRoc was able to win the Tours Special Event, the second largest Standard tournament we’ve had since Forbidden Light’s release, despite a Top 32 which contained 12 Buzzwole decks!

A major reason why Zoroark-GX has been able to remain competitive has to do with the ease that the deck can include techs against Buzzwole-GX. Both [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] can OHKO opposing Buzzwole-GX for a single [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] – Mewtwo by using Psychic into a fully-energized Buzzwole (20 + 60 + Choice Band * Weakness = 220), Mew-EX by copying Riotous Beating and hitting for Weakness. By timing the attacks well, Zoroark-GX can put plenty of pressure onto opposing Buzzwole builds, even with Zoroark-GX itself being so squishy.

Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX decks have been the most popular thus far, while Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card] have also seen some success. Other possible variants include Zoroark / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card], Zoroark / [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] and Zoroark / [card name=”Greninja-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], though honestly, Zoroark-GX will work well with just about whatever you decide to pair it with.

My favorite variant into this format has been the popular [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] version; the deck had great performances during the Ultra Prism format, and its variety of attacking options make it a great choice into this environment. It also remains strong in the mirror match, as Lycanroc-GX is a great attacker into opposing Zoroark-GX, being both difficult to KO and easy to power up. Here is the list I’ve been using, heavily based off the previously successful lists from the Ultra Prism format:

[decklist name=”ZoroRoc” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Shaymin” set=”Shining Legends” no=”7″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin” set=”Shining Legends” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]3x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ 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=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Matchups

Vs. Buzzwole

Against Buzzwole decks, you want to use those Mewtwo and Mew-EX as much as possible. When using Lycanroc-GX, you typically want to save your GX attack until you can use it against their non-Psychic weak Pokemon, as you can otherwise get into an awkward situation where you can’t effectively KO an opposing [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] or Lycanroc-GX. While it might seem risky, you do want to get down your Zoroark-GX so that you can reliably draw what you need. This matchup tends to go quickly, and so you don’t want to miss a turn of Knock Outs, as that could easily cost you the game.

You want to be prepared for baby [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]; your best bet against it is to have [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] or Bloodthirsty Eyes ready to go so that you can get around it. Their ideal strategy is typically to set up an attacker behind the Buzzwole – you want to aim for that so that you can eliminate their Energy. That will also shut off the additional damage from Sledgehammer, so that Active Buzzwole is no longer as much of a threat.

The [card name=”Shaymin” set=”Shining Legends” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] tech is strong in this matchup, since you can use it plus your one-of [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO either Zygarde-EX or Lycanroc-GX – great for when your opponent changes up their strategy to rely on them.

Vs. Malamar

Unsurprisingly, Zoroark-GX is a great attacker in this matchup. To deal with the [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] threat, you can use Lycanroc-GX + Guzma to force the Marshadow-GX to the Bench, then bring it back Active, where you can then OHKO it with your Lycanroc-GX or Mew-EX. Aiming for their [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is also an effective strategy, as it can quickly cut down their attackers and force them into a situation where they lack Energy. [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] can get Knock Outs on Zoroark-GX, but only if they discard their Energy, whereas [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] easily gets one-shot back by Riotous Beating. If they try and utilize a strategy of aiming for OHKOs (often with that Marshadow-GX + Moon’s Eclipse GX combo), aim either for their Malamar or their Necrozma-GX / Ultra Necrozma-GX so as to prevent them from continually being able to reach those OHKOs. Alternatively, if they try and go with a Black Ray GX strategy, use [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] often, and focus on winning the 2HKO game; if this happens, you’re likely to win, given that you can reliably heal your Pokemon while they cannot.

Conclusion

With that, we come to this article’s conclusion. Madison will be a great battling ground for these three decks, and an excellent test for any decks looking to challenge them. Will decks such as [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] continue to emerge in the meta? Or will our top-tier trio continue to dominate? If you haven’t decided on your starter — er, deck — yet, hopefully this article has given you plenty of help in making that decision; if you have, hopefully you’ll now be ready to take on your “rival” matchups and crush both opposing sides of that type triangle! As always, if you have questions on either of those points (or in this case, any of the three!), ask away!

Thanks for reading!

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