Picking from the Trash — Garbodor in Standard

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onJun 15, 2018 at 7:51 PM · 0 Comments

Garbotoxin and Trashalanche are insanely powerful in todays Standard format. [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] counts are down and Ability-lock is incredibly debilitating for most decks. The biggest draw to the [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] side of things is the fact that [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is large and in charge, and weak to Psychic. Acid Spray, with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and Trashalanche are among some of the best attacks to use to one-shot a Buzzwole-GX. Fighting is so prevalent right now that going above and beyond to counter it will almost always be worth it, especially in smaller tournaments like League Cups, making Garbodor something to look at seriously. Let’s take a quick second to refresh about the state of the format:

[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

  • Fringe decks began to get pushed out of the format by Buzzwole-GX, almost eliminating [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] altogether.
  • [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks rose to prominence, shooing Buzzwole-GX out again, and letting Zoroark-GX back in,
  • Buzzwole-GX decks with three [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] dominated Madison, Wisconsin Regionals, solidifying that archetype as the best deck out there and giving the best deck around a slightly favorable matchup against Malamar, its old arch nemesis.
  • Again, more counters to Buzzwole-GX have arrived, going even harder this time, like Malamar builds using [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM77″ c=”name”][/card]

Chaos has broken loose, giving birth to what will likely be the “final form” of this format. A land scattered with outliers, all trying to get a piece of one of the “big three” decks: Buzzwole-GX, Malamar, and Zoroark-GX. Things like [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] have popped up as they can theoretically beat any of the “big three”, depending on draws.

A luck-based rock-paper-scissors format is the best way I can describe the mess we’ve tumbled into. Most decks seem to brick every three games or so, and in doing so it creates some massive frustration for the pilot. Accepting this is the first step to getting a better handle on this format. Choosing the direction that you want to focus your testing efforts is the second step.

There are a few decks that can beat every deck on a good day, [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is one of them, incidentally because of its Ability-locking prowess with Shadow Stitching. The other two decks that I’ll be focusing on today have a pretty good shot at beating anything as well. Garbodor / Buzzwole-GX and Garbodor / Zoroark-GX are those two decks, and I’d bet that wasn’t what you were expecting. I’ll quickly dispel any fantasies you be relishing in regarding other Garbodor decks.

Garbodor / [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] has been dead for a long time and with the dominance of Buzzwole-GX and it won’t be coming back anytime soon. Garbodor / [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is another outlier, but it’s lost its day in the sun due to the release of [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. which gives a Buzzwole-GX player the chance to simply trade Prizes against a Garbodor / Espeon-GX, and there’s nothing a Garbodor player can really do to get around it. If you lead with a Buzzwole-GX, you can let your opponent knock it out, use Sledgehammer from Buzzwole to get back in the Prize trade, and from there if you pop off a Beast Ring you don’t even have to worry about how many Items you have played, the matchup becomes a wash. Garbodor is made to last the test of time in a long game, using [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to secure wins. Clenching the edges of your seat is a recurring theme whilst playing a Garbodor deck, and Garbodor / Espeon-GX is the last one of these “traditional” Garbodor decks to die off. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any success from it anymore.

Enter Garbodor, this time with Zoroark-GX. These two have been paired together in the past, but what sets the deck apart this time? I don’t see this as a Zoroark-GX deck any longer, in fact, I think Garbodor is more important to the build’s structure than anything, so much that I’ve even reduced my count of Zorua to three, a tell-tale sign that something is amuck. Garbodor / Buzzwole-GX received some serious juice with the release of Beast Ring, and oddly enough, Order Pad found a home in the deck too, just giving the pilot more outs to Beast Ring once it’s activated. These two decks are very intriguing right now and worthy of discussion. They can be grindy to play, but when you win the feeling is oh-so-great. Let’s begin!

Garbodor / Buzzwole-GX

[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Before I say anything, this list is based off Wesley Hollenberg’s original list from Wisconsin Regionals, with changes from Azul Garcia-Griego. This deck is really simple and very strong. It focuses on playing an Item-based engine to speed things up and get the best value out of Beast Ring once its effect is activated. This deck brings the best of both worlds together: combining the best attacker in the game and Ability-lock, which has been something that’s been noticeably missing from competitive play for a while now. While Ability-lock has still been around, Garbodor has been missing from Top Eight cuts for a long time. Garbodor / Buzzwole-GX finally popped up again at Wisconsin Regionals, taking a Top Four placing and narrowly bubbling out of Top Eight in the hands of another player. This deck has some serious potential and it’s one of my favorite decks right now.

The strategy is very straightforward: start with a Buzzwole-GX, give up two Prizes, and then go off with Beast Ring. [card name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] gives you additional ways to get Beast Ring out aside from Supporters themselves, and from there you can build up multiple Buzzwole-GX to attack with and you should crush your opponent as long as he or she doesn’t mirror your start. Once you have multiple attackers built you no longer have as much of a need for the likes of heavy draw Supporters; and you are free to play N as much as you like, hopefully debilitating your opponent to the point where you can get ahead by a significant margin.

Garbotoxin and N have been a winning combination for some time now, and while this deck lacks Trashalanche options, you make up for that with some of the most powerful attacks in the game that will almost always one-shot the opponent. [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] gets the call in this list as opposed to Choice Band, giving you more HP which is especially important in games against the traditional Buzzwole-GX / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Those lists usually don’t play Field Blower and your extra HP will help you survive big attacks, and Garbotoxin online will also aid in the dismissal of the Abilities of [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regirock-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card], making it even harder for your opponent to take one-hit Knock Outs.

[decklist name=”Buzzwole GX / Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Fates Collide” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]7x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

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Explanations

I’ll take a different route this time and sum up card counts in paragraphs, not one at a time. Four [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is incredibly important because you simply want as many outs as possible so that you can maximize the value of your Beast Ring once you can use them. When you can, you want to get at least two uses onto two separate Buzzwole-GX, such that both are within a single Energy of attacking for big damage. This deck is slow without Beast Ring, and making sure you get a strong usage out of it is absolutely essential. Everything else as far as Pokemon are concerned is pretty basic, this deck is more concerned about Buzzwole-GX than it is [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], so the prior gets more copies included. A line of two [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and two [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is perfect, and with as much Item search as you have you are bound to find it very quickly. A [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] could be cut, but the second is included as insurance against Prizing, or if your opponent strips a Tool off your Garbodor and reactivates your Abilities, then you could use the second!

The first thing I’m sure you notice about Trainers is the fact that there’s not a Stadium card. As long as you are mindful of your Bench space, you should never be ruined by a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] limiting your Bench space. You still will have room for Garbodor and two attackers, and that’s really all you need, even on the turns that you want to use Beast Ring. Aside from that, the Supporter line in this deck is interesting because it relies on a lot of shuffle-draw Supporter cards. These are used in attempts to save your Beast Ring for the right time, because a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] engine would cause you to discard them more often than not. A full block of four [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is essential, giving you the aggression you need for the turns you pop off in.

[cardimg name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Now, time for Items. Order Pad is a weird one, but it can search out about 33% of your deck — if we aren’t counting four Order Pad. Playing so many Items, especially in the case of Beast Ring, you’re going to need an extra means to search them out when you can so Order Pad fits the bill. Not playing [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is also super nice because you won’t have to discard resources you want to save for later. [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Fates Collide” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is a cute tech with Order Pad, giving you an out to a Supporter card other than [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]. Fighting Fury Belt is much better in this deck than [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] because you want to be able to survive multiple attacks, if possible, and having it is a fantastic way to do just that. [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and Fighting Fury Belt are both maxed out to give you good odds of finding them early and often; turning that Garbotoxin on to shut your opponent down.

The Energy line is this deck gets to be a little smaller than most Buzzwole-GX decks since you don’t want to play Max Elixir. Seven Fighting Energy is enough to give you at least full (two Energy cards) Beast Ring uses, and Strong Energy and Beast Energy Prism Star are both good enough to be played in the maximum copies allowed. I would think about adding another Fighting Energy, or even a Super Rod, to this deck if you have issues with getting nice value out of Beast Ring once it’s activated. It can sting to just Beast Ring for a single Energy card, and can really limit your late game if you’re putting all your eggs into just one attacking basket.

Matchups

  • Buzzwole-GX: Even
  • [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]: Slightly Positive
  • [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]: Positive

Against the big three you have very strong chances. The most dicey is the Malamar matchup, at least, it seems that way while you’re setting up. Once you get cooking with Garbotoxin and [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in the late game it will be extremely hard for your opponent to win. You can one-shot a [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] in the early game with Absorption GX and from there you can simply trade Prizes by building up multiple Buzzwole-GX and spamming your opponent with N. Against mirror matches you want to establish Garbotoxin to stop the Abilities of Diancie Prism Star, [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], and Regirock-EX, and that’s where you’ll find your advantage. From there you can N your opponent into oblivion and take names. Zoroark-GX is, well, easy. The Weakness to Fighting is too much to overcome and to make things worse, Garbotoxin runs Zoroark-GX up a creek. This deck is very well positioned in the current metagame.

Garbodor / Zoroark-GX

Another disclaimer, this list is based off Kidd Starck’s list from Wisconsin Regionals with some of my own changes, in cooperation with Kidd himself. This deck hasn’t been well received by many players in the community, myself included, until recently. Garbodor is a weird pairing for Zoroark-GX, but I personally view this deck more as a Garbodor archetype now, more than anything. I’ve made changes to the generally accepted list, making moves to add a thicker Garbodor line. The counts of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and Zorua have been reduced to fit in more cool tech cards to give yourself a better chance against the infamous Buzzwole-GX, your format arch nemesis. This deck is strong right now because it gives you a good chance to beat Buzzwole-GX and Malamar, all in one. The problem is opposing Zoroark-GX decks, however, which can make this deck a questionable choice for someone looking to play a deck the most well-rounded as possible. Basically the idea here is putting two strong cards together that can beat some of the top decks. I like Garbodor by itself, but it truly needs a partner to see success. I wish there was something better than Zoroark-GX, but out of everything I’ve tested there isn’t anything else right now. Refer back to my synopsis in the beginning of this piece to reflect on the failures of many other Garbodor decks.

[decklist name=”Zoroark-GX / Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Explanations

[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I favor Trashalanche [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] in my list because it’s incredibly important to the [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. Much of the time you opt to simply attack with Acid Spray with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], which will take a one-hit Knockout on a full HP Buzzwole-GX. That said, you if you can get it out immediately not only can you force your opponent to be wary of Item usage, but you can threaten a backup attack in Acid Spray if needed. Thinning the Zoroark-GX line down in this deck is a necessary step in fitting in more counter-Buzzwole-GX cards and to just improving this deck’s consistency overall, as weird as that sounds. In playing the Buzzwole-GX matchup you never want to put down Zoroark-GX, but you can leave a [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] or two on your Bench to threaten a Mind Jack at any time. This makes you much more vulnerable to N, but in doing so you will stave off what really hurts: giving up two easy Prizes. [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is incredible in this deck, giving you a one-shot answer to decks like Malamar and just another solid single Prize attacker for all purposes. [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is nice in a smaller count because you want to flood your Bench with attackers quickly. [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t very good, but it’s something you can push up early to put in two-hit Knockouts against a Buzzwole-GX player and it’s also nice to push your opponent to potentially overextend to even knock it out. [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is sweet with [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and provides yet another way to discard your opponent’s Special Energy. Blade GX is cool to finish off games or to take a Prize in situations where you need to deactivate your opponent’s Sledgehammer damage boost from [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].

The Supporter line in this deck needs to be a bit thinner to fit in [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] I’ve even considered cutting this for thicker counts of various cards, but [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] gets priority because it’s insane in [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks. [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] are close seconds, and [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] wants to be played in at least three copies so that you aren’t completely dependant on using Puzzle of Time to reuse it. A single [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] is played for times where you have access to it, but it’s nonessential to your strategy. You can find many of your Basic Pokemon naturally, and using a Tapu Lele-GX to pick a Supporter from your deck can stink when you want to limit your two Prize Pokemon from coming into play. Playing three Choice Band is to improve your chances of doing significant damage with Mewtwo, and only two [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is unfortunate, because I would like to have three. [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is great in this deck and does give you a chance in mirror matches, forcing your opponent to overextend in many situations and even play more Items which in turn boosts your Trashalanche damage. [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] are new inclusions to this list, bolstering consistency and giving you more chances to do more with less as [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t always going to be in play, so you want more outs to get the cards you need to win games. [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is in this deck only for the purposes of discarding off two Prize Pokemon like Tapu Lele-GX and even Zoroark-GX occasionally. Once your opponent plays enough Items you can create a checkmate situation where you have multiple Garbodor with Energy attached to them and your opponent’s N drops won’t even matter anymore, so parting with a Zoroark-GX is okay.

Four copies of Unit Energy LPM and [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is optimal to alleviate some of your reliance on Puzzle of Time to get back those two incredibly important cards. This especially holds true for Unit Energy LPM, and I’ve even considered adding [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] in addition to it to give you even more outs. This would likely require the cut of Puzzle of Time, so that’s something to think about. The biggest argument to keeping Puzzle of Time can be summarized in that it simply “wins games”, and that’s a pretty good argument if I’ve ever heard one before. Retrieving things like Guzma can be clutch, and taking that option away from yourself feels lackluster.

Matchups

  • Buzzwole-GX: Slightly Positive
  • [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]: Positive
  • Zoroark-GX: Slightly Negative

Buzzwole-GX goes well for you if you can draw decently without Zoroark-GX. Occasionally you can be overwhelmed or traded out of the game on Prizes if your opponent can pick up a one-hit Knockout on a Tapu Lele-GX before you can discard it off with Parallel City. [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] is an issue if your opponent sets it up, and you might be forced to just chip at it with Mewtwo, as it’s a pretty beefy Pokemon and it will take multiple attacks to knock it down. Malamar is the easiest of your matchups, as your Garbotoxin is hard to beat and Zoroark-GX hits [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] for Weakness. Garbodor hits [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] for Weakness, and Malamar decks usually have to play many Items down to get going. Mind Jack is insanely powerful against it as well, giving you the advantage overall. Zoroark-GX is the hardest thing for this deck to beat, as the partners in a different Zoroark-GX deck usually outpace Garbodor on average. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], Lycanroc-GX, and even [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] are all hard for this deck to handle as you don’t have something that can one-shot those Pokemon, unless Trashalanche gets boosted by poor play from your opponent. Using Enhanced Hammer to your advantage is your out, just trying to stave off a loss while chipping away at your opponent’s Pokemon and trusting in N and Garbotoxin to close things out.

Conclusion

I like both of these decks moving forward. Both legal Garbodor cards are very strong right now and give most decks a problem that they aren’t built to beat anymore. Taking either of these decks with perhaps a couple changes would be a great idea for upcoming events. As always, drop me a comment in the Subscribers’ Hideout if you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them. Take care everyone, see ya later.

~Caleb

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