Beasts and Rings — Three Oddball Plays for NAIC
It looks like we are done with Regionals for the season (at least in the U.S.), so all eyes are turned toward the NAIC and Worlds. The format seems to be completely taken over by [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] at the moment, with a little bit of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] in the mix as well. While Forbidden Light is still somewhat new on the competitive scene, the format looks like it’s well defined. I’m sure we’ll see some surprises at the NAIC though, and I’m here to share a couple of those potential surprise decks with you today.
Ultra Beasts
[card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]’s Beast Raid may be the best attack ever printed with a single Colorless Energy cost. Dunsparce’s Strike and Run from EX Sandstorm also comes to mind. As soon as I saw Beast Raid, I thought about running a deck solely around that one attack. Stinger GX is interesting as well. From a competitive standpoint though, Beast Raid is Naganadel’s best attack.
[decklist name=”Naganadel” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”XY” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I came up with this deck and it’s actually really good. The basic strategy is just to spam Beast Raid and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] until you win. Since the deck is based around Naganadel and Max Potion, we run four of each. Naganadel’s Psychic-typing helps against [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], and the Max Potions beat everything that can’t OHKO it such as [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Unfortunately, Naganadel has one of the worst Weaknesses in the game. Being a Psychic type is great, but being weak to Psychic is a struggle. I’ve considered running [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. Let’s look at the supporting cast.
Card Explanations
Three Kartana-GX
Naganadel needs a Bench full of Ultra Beasts in order to deal damage, and [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the best Beasts to support Naganadel. Slice Off is quite the disruptive Ability, especially when you can use it up to three times (or more with Super Rod). Think of Kartana as a searchable Enhanced Hammer. Additionally, Blade GX will be your most common GX attack to use.
Two Buzzwole
Sledgehammer is just a busted attack. We need to fill up spots with Ultra Beasts anyway, so no reason to not include the option to steal a Prize or two with Sledgehammer every once in awhile. Buzzwole is usually good for a Prize against Malamar, two Prizes against Zoroark GX, and it can also OHKO [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] which turns out to be relevant from time to time.
One Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX
Some of you may not know this, but there used to be a card called [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] with an identical Ability. Oftentimes, Keldeo was run alongside [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] solely for its Ability. That’s what we’re doing here with Dawn Wings. While Naganadel doesn’t benefit from Invasion as much as decks like [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], Dawn Wings Necrozma is still an Ultra Beast with a useful Ability. Don’t play it down against Zoroark decks.
One Dusk Mane Necrozma
[card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM107″ c=”name”][/card] tanks Dark Flashes like a champ and can snipe 60 to any GX for only a Metal Energy. This is useful for Naganadel, who struggles to KO opposing GXs. Dusk Mane Necrozma sets up KOs for Naganadel later in the game. You probably will never use its second attack.
One Tapu Lele-GX
[card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is only included as a consistency crutch in this deck. The downside to running a full Ultra Beast deck is that no Ultra Beasts provide draw Support. This means we are forced to use a high count of Supporters as our only draw sources.
One Unit Energy
I prefer to keep it to mostly Basic Energy because of [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] and potential opposing Enhanced Hammers. However, [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] provides the option to use Tapu Cure GX, while still being a Metal Energy. Tapu Cure is useful on occasion, though you won’t use it as often as Blade GX.
[premium]
Matchups
[cardimg name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Buzzwole / Lycanroc – Highly Favorable
You’re always going to give up two Prizes to a GX attack, and that’s fine. Naganadel easily deals with Buzzwole, so you really only have to worry about [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. You can 2HKO Lycanroc, and Kartana’s Slice Off regulates Strong Energy to prevent Lycanroc from OHKO’ing Naganadel. This matchup is extremely easy. Just use Beast Raid over and over, and you’ll win almost every time.
Malamar – Slightly Unfavorable
This deck’s biggest problem is its tough [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] easily mows down [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] with Dark Flash and it’s difficult to KO it in return. Malamar denial is a possible option but it usually doesn’t win you the game. It’s easy for the Malamar player to get out squids faster than you can [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] them all down. Promo [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM107″ c=”name”][/card] helps, as it can set up an opposing Dawn Wings Necrozma for a KO from Beast Raid or Sledgehammer.
The general idea for this matchup is to take six Prizes this way: Find two from a fast attacking Naganadel. Take a Prize with Sledgehammer against a Malama. OHKO [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] with Beast Energy plus Choice Band Beast Raid (or have [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM107″ c=”name”][/card] set it up with Dusk Shot). That’s five, and one can always be found with Blade GX. It’s worth mentioning that [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] also tanks Dark Flash like a champ.
Alternatively, you can use Dusk Shot on two GXs and finish them with Sledgehammer or Beast Raid. That’s four. You can find another two with either Beast Energy plus Choice Band Beast Raid on a [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM101″ c=”name”][/card]. Or you can use Blade for one and KO a squid at some point for the other. However, Pokemon games have a way of playing out differently than expected. The matchup is extremely volatile and it is always tough overall. A turn two Dark Flash to the face is never fun to deal with.
And of course, if the opponent ever plays down the regular [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], that’s two free Prizes because of its Psychic Weakness. Malamar players are usually playing either [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM77″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], and/or [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card] as well. Those guys add just a little more difficulty for good measure. The only way to OHKO an attacking Giratina is with Beast Energy Beast Raid. That’s no fun.
Zoroark – Favorable
[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] is usually being played with [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] nowadays, and sometimes with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Garbotoxin does almost nothing to hurt Naganadel, although Trashalanchee is annoying. While Trashalanche can easily OHKO Naganadel, they usually cannot get out more than two of them in a game. Additionally, Zoroark GX is a non-factor because it cannot OHKO Naganadel and the damage always gets removed by Max Potion. Lycanroc GX can take two Prizes with Dangerous Rogue GX, but it cannot win a game all on its own. As with BuzzRoc, [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] erases Claw Slash damage and makes Lycanroc GX easy to deal with.
Against ZoroRoc decks with [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], the game can sometimes turn into a Prize race. They can get two with Dangerous Rogue, two with Mew-EX, and another two with Puzzle for Mew-EX. On the other hand, Naganadel also gets two on each Mew-EX KO, and Sledgehammer gets two on a Zoroark GX. Sometimes we are even free to power up Swing Around in this matchup. Unfortunately, we cannot OHKO Lycanroc GX. However, Kartana GX can prevent Lycanroc GX from attacking for awhile. Since it takes two attachments to power up Lycanroc GX, the ZoroRoc player has to find one of their few Basic Energy to attach first in order to get around Slice Off. Overall, Zoroark matchups are favorable, but Zoroark can still find a win from time to time.
Greninja – Slightly Favorable
I haven’t played this matchup so I don’t have a whole lot for you here. In theory, Greninja seems like a fine matchup. You just want to keep Starmie off the board. Their only way to take KOs is with double Giant Water Shuriken + Choice Band Moonlight Slash. I doubt that they will be able to do that play three times before Naganadel takes six Prizes. Kartana (when not Stitched) also negates [card name=”Splash Energy” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], which is really useful in preventing them from establishing multiple Greninja BREAK. Whiffing Beast Raid also sucks in this matchup in particular.
Guzzlord-GX
[decklist name=”guzzzz” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzzlord-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pheromosa” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
I haven’t played much of this deck, but I did want to share it with you because I think it is also really good. Credit goes to Collin Yarbrough for coming up with the idea. Naganadel beats Buzzwole, and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] beats Zoroark, just like with the previous deck. However, we now have Guzzlord to help out with our squid problem. Glutton GX is absolutely bonkers. Against Dawn Wings Necrozma, we take four Prizes straight up. The general idea with this deck is to set things up for a Glutton KO with Beast Raid. Once your first Naganadel goes down, hit double Beast Ring into Glutton GX and take four Prize cards. Find the other two with Beast Raid (or Tyrannical Hole if Guzzlord is still around).
We still have our [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] hammers, though we can only use Blade GX through Beast Energy. That’s okay though, Kartana is just for the Ability this time around, and of course it sits on the Bench to power up Beast Raid. Glutton GX should be used nearly every game. The consistency of this deck might be a little suspect, but at least we finally have a chance to play [card name=”Guzzlord-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] competitively.
Hoopa Rings
[decklist name=”hoops” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Latios” set=”Shining Legends” no=”41″ 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=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”XY” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Quad Hoopa is pretty good right now considering most decks rely on Pokemon-GX. It auto-wins Zoroark-GX and Malamar. You’re probably thinking that it loses to Buzzwole. While Buzzwole is by no means a walk in the park, it’s not as bad as you might think. The strategy of this deck is very simple. Simply attack with Hoopa and take advantage of the fact that most other decks can’t deal with Scoundrel Guard. Shoutout to Greg Minklei for creating this archetype, and to Jesper Eriksen for this version of it. I made my own list based on some of Jesper’s ideas for the deck.
Card Explanations
Four Hoopa
[card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is this deck’s main attacker. Although it only deals 80 to 90 damage, its Ability makes it invincible against any Pokemon-GX. This gives Hoopa a definitive advantage against most meta decks that rely on Pokemon-GX to attack. This deck is built around using Hoopa as a win condition. The hope is that your opponent will simply be unable to power through this Hoopa army thanks to Scoundrel Guard.
Two Mewtwo
Unfortunately, Buzzwole decks have shifted to a focus on the non-GX [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. While Sledgehammer isn’t too problematic for Hoopa thanks to [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card], Swing Around is devastating. [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] provides a hard counter to Buzzwole. As soon as they’ve committed three Energy to a Buzzwole to use Swing Around, Mewtwo OHKOs it. With a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], Mewtwo can even OHKO a Buzzwole with only two Energy on it. It is very difficult for Buzzwole to immediately respond to Mewtwo. Mewtwo is also great against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM77″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card].
One Latios
[cardimg name=”Latios” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM88″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Latios” set=”Shining Legends” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is also great against Buzzwole. Dealing 60 to a baby Buzzwole right off the bat preps it for a Super Psy Bolt KO from Hoopa or an 80 damage Psychic from Mewtwo. With FFB equipped, Break Through 2HKOs baby Buzzwole. The 30 damage snipes can add up on a benched Buzzwole as well. Break Through with Fury Belt OHKOs Trubbish, and the 30 snipe can prep a Garbotoxin for a Guzma KO from Hoopa. Being a Psychic-type right now is just awesome.
One Tapu Koko
[card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] preps all kinds of math for Hoopa in case the Fury Belts get hit by [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] or if you just have trouble finding them. Flying Flip can set up relevant math on [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Starmie” set=”Evolutions” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], and more. Having Tapu Koko’s free retreat as a Guzma pivot has been quite helpful since we only run two Float Stones and they can be hit by Field Blower as well.
One Giratina
I’d rather have a favorable [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] matchup than an auto-loss. Easy.
1/1 Oranguru
Instruct [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] gives us a little bit of draw power as well as a decent attacking option. Management [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] helps a lot against Greninja. You don’t really need that one to be honest, this deck just has a lot of space to work with.
Two Acerola
[card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] helps against nearly everything, as most decks aren’t able to OHKO Hoopa. Sledgehammer usually does around 70 damage against a Weakness Policy-equipped Hoopa. Malamar’s non-GXs can’t OHKO Hoopa. Greninja also has to 2HKO. With both Oranguru, Giratina, and Acerola, you can actually infinitely loop Acerola against Greninja until they deck out. I’m not super familiar with this strategy, but I believe as long as you are at three (maybe four) Prize cards or less, Greninja cannot use N to deck you out. This strategy doesn’t work if they commit five Basic Water Energy to [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card].
Four Guzma
Four [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is essential for a deck like Hoopa that caps out at 90 damage. You will often need Guzma’s help to finish your food. It’s also great for preemptively taking out Hoopa counters such as Trubbish, Garbodor, and hitting into any one-Prize attackers.
Three Weakness Policy
Sledgehammer Buzzwole is probably the most popular attacking Pokemon in the current format. Weakness Policy somewhat evens the game against Buzzwole. With a Strong Energy and [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], Buzzwole can 2HKO Hoopa. With only Diancie Prism Star, Sledgehammer is a 3HKO. This forces Buzzwole to power up Swing Around, which is a drain on resources and is easily countered by [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. Since Buzzwole doesn’t run [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], Weakness Policy is an incredible counter.
Two Fighting Fury Belt
Not much to say here. 90 damage from Hoopa is extremely relevant in many random scenarios. Of course, having a Hoopa with 160 HP is great too. Fury Belt also makes some cute math for Latios and Mewtwo against Buzzwole, which I mentioned earlier.
Two Super Rod
Mid game Max Elixir are nice, and [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] makes them actually work. Super Rod also recovers Mewtwo and Latios in case you need more of them against Buzzwole.
One Special Charge
This deck heavily relies on DCE for every attack, so you want as many of them as you can get. [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] is convenient because it makes drawing into DCE a little more consistent throughout the game.
Matchups
Buzzwole / Lycanroc – Slightly Favorable
This list packs enough counters to make Buzzwole manageable. Scoundrel Guard nullifies the GXs. Latios preps the baby Buzzes. Mewtwo counters Swing Around. Weakness Policy makes Hoopa able to survive against Sledgehammer. Don’t bench any other Pokemon unless you really have to. Buzzwole struggles to take six Prizes, but sometimes it can do so when there’s easy targets like Oranguru and Tapu Koko to take out. You could definitely add a second Latios if you want to. I’m not sure if Tapu Koko is cuttable, perhaps a Supporter is?
Malamar – Highly Favorable
This matchup is a cakewalk. Nothing they have besides [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] can OHKO a Hoopa. Hoopa easily OHKOs Mew and Giratina. [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] OHKOs other non-GXs such as Promo [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM77″ c=”name”][/card] and the other [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. Malamar is simply incapable of fighting through the horde of Hoopa. Malamar itself can hit Hoopa, but it only does 40 damage and gets OHKOd in return.
Zoroark with Lycanroc, Golisopod, or Lucario – Highly Favorable
Zoroark with Garbodor – Slightly Unfavorable
LycanZoro is the easiest matchup ever because they play no counter to Hoopa. Even if they run a Sledgehammer, it won’t be enough for them to win the game. Zoroark / Garbodor is actually a little tricky because of the high counts of Garbodor as well as [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s very easy to regulate your Items so that Trashalanche won’t OHKO Hoopa, but Garbotoxin is a real pain. You’re going to want to use Flying Flip at least once, hopefully hitting multiple [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]. After that, Super Psy Bolt can KO Garbotoxin.
Of course, use [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to take out any Trubbish whenever possible. While [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] allows Hoopa to take a Riotous Beating, Zoroark is often able to find Field Blower and just mow down Hoopa after Hoopa thanks to Garbotoxin. The matchup is very winnable, though it is certainly not favorable. Your win condition is denying Garbotoxin.
Greninja – Favorable
Start attacking with Hoopa ASAP. Get out Giratina, use [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], use [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] (if needed), done. I wouldn’t worry about the Acerola infinite unless it looks like you won’t be winning on Prizes for some reason. It takes a very specific setup and it loses to a loaded [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card].
Closing Thoughts
[cardimg name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Overall, Hoopa and Naganadel look like very promising deck options outside of the normal meta. They aren’t broken and they both have their inconsistencies. However, their matchups are incredibly strong and they are both quite simple to use. As far as meta decks, I think Malamar is the best, and that Greninja is a close second. Zoroark doesn’t really belong in this format and I think we need to let it die for now. There’s not a single variant of Zoroark that can consistently handle the ridiculous triple baby Buzzwole deck that is running around right now.
Malamar seems like a ridiculous deck thanks to [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and all of these amazing Psychic-types that were just waiting for some form of Energy acceleration. I absolutely do not like Pressure [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM77″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] all seem like more worthwhile attackers to me.
Promo [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM77″ c=”name”][/card] is objectively worse than [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM106″ c=”name”][/card] when it comes to Malamar decks. It’s getting a lot of unwarranted hype but its Ability is irrelevant most of the time and its attack is not worth having over either of Hoopa’s or Dawn Wing Necrozma’s attacks.
Greninja always seems like it should be able to handle everything, but it is Greninja and gets Greninja hands. I’m sure we all know the deal with Greninja by now. The complete absence of Grass-types in the meta helps it out. Now that I mention it, there isn’t much that can OHKO a Greninja BREAK under Shadow Stitching. I’d run Greninja with at least two [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] (shoutout to Jon Eng) and two [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. This build should be strong against Malamar, Zoroark, Buzzwole, and the mirror.
Buzzwole seems like just an okay deck to me right now. It suffers against Malamar and overall just doesn’t stand out to me. It’s a good deck for sure, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not something I would personally play right now. I also need to get used to the 1-1 lines of both Octillery and Lycanroc. I can’t say that’s something I’m a fan of right now, though it does make some sense if you are ok with the slight inconsistency in getting them out.
Thanks for reading guys, that’s all I’ve got for now. Try these decks out and let me know what you think! Good luck especially to those who are working on clinching that Worlds invite!
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