The Coming Storm — Celestial Storm Concepts for Your Worlds Testing

With the last event of the 2017-2018 season behind us, many players are now looking toward the World Championships in August. Between now and then the next TCG set, Celestial Storm, is set to be released, having the potential to shake up the Worlds metagame greatly. Since most of our current Standard format has been beaten to death at this point, I’m going to move ahead and take a preliminary look at some of the new decks coming out of Celestial Storm, discussing their potential and how I’ll be looking to build and play them in the coming weeks. To bring clarity to these decks, I’ll first go over some of the new cards they include and discuss their potential now and in the future.

I have three decks to write about today, but there are a ton that I want to get around to building and testing. Some of the concepts that I won’t get into are Swampert, Scizor-GX, Mr. Mime-GX, and I’m sure others that I’ve yet to theorize. I consider those decks to be less promising than the ones I’m covering today, however, so they’ll be left for another time. The first deck I’ll look at is Beast Box, followed by [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] / Banette-GX and then [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card].

New Cards

Before I can get into the meat of this article, there are a few new cards that I need to highlight. I’ll give my thoughts on them at the moment and discuss how I think they’ll fit into the format.

Copycat

In any format with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card], I expect [card name=”Copycat” set=”EX Team Rocket Returns” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] to be a staple. Hands in this format tend to be huge on account of all the draw Pokemon people are playing, so Copycat is typically as good as or better than [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. In the situations where it’s better, it’s often drastically better. I’ve included this card in all of my lists to try out, but ultimately other Supporters may produce better results.

Stakataka-GX

Stakataka-GX – Metal – HP180
Basic Pokemon (Ultra Beast)

Ability: Ultra Wall
Any damage done to your Ultra Beasts by an opponent’s attack is reduced by 10 (after applying Weakness and Resistance).

[M][M][C] Gigaton Stomp: 120 damage.

[M][M][C] Assembly GX: 50+ damage. This attack does 50 more damage for each Prize card you have taken. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)

When your Pokemon-GX is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.

Weakness: Fire (x2)
Resistance: Psychic (-20)
Retreat: 3

Stakataka-GX is a serious asset to most Ultra-Beast-centric decks. With [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] as a search option, you have plenty of opportunities to get it out. Its Ability stacks, meaning you can reduce up to 40 damage from each of your opponents’ attacks. Its attacks are both passable, though not incredible. Fortunately, this means it can be a decent attacker when needed. Its Ability works on itself, unlike many similar Pokemon in the past, so a straight Stakataka-GX deck may even be viable. With [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] in addition to [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], you can reduce 80 or 90 damage against any deck in the format, and this kind of damage reduction is extremely powerful against any deck without an unlimited (or nearly unlimited) damage cap. Even decks like Rayquaza-GX and [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] will require a large number of Energy to Knock Out Stakataka, though the deck could not keep up with consecutive one-hit Knock Outs.

Rayquaza-GX 

Rayquaza-GX – Dragon – HP180
Basic Pokemon

Ability: Stormy Winds
When you play this Pokemon from your hand onto your Bench during your turn, you may discard the top 3 cards of your deck. If you do, attach a basic Energy card from your discard pile to this Pokemon.

[G][L][C] Dragon Break: 30x damage. This attack does 30 damage times the amount of basic [G] and basic [L] Energy attached to your Pokemon.

[G] Tempest GX: Discard your hand and draw 10 cards. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)

When your Pokemon-GX is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.

Weakness: Fairy (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 3

After it swept all three divisions at a large tournament in Japan, Rayquaza-GX has a serious amount of hype surrounding its release: it accelerates Energy to itself, is compatible with [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], and has a limitless damage cap with no drawback to the attack. It even has a partner in Latias Prism Star.

While it’s hard to argue that Rayquaza-GX has potential, I’m reaching the conclusion that potential might be all it has. In reality, a lot of things have to go right for the Rayquaza player to have a strong start and attack quickly, and most of the decks in the format require it to have a huge number of Energy in play. The discards from Stormy Winds can be brutal, but the deck loses a huge amount of speed if you decide not to use the Ability. If Rayquaza does become a popular deck headed into Worlds, players may opt to tech a [card name=”Sylveon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC21″ c=”name”][/card] into any deck featuring both [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to grab an easy Knock Out. I’m early into my testing cycle, so there’s a good chance someone finds a way to make the deck strong. That has generally not been my experience with it in these first couple weeks, though.

Nonetheless, talking about this card is important as you’re fairly likely to see it in some capacity after Celestial Storm’s release. I won’t have a list for it in this article, but I’ll certainly write about it if I find a list that works in the future.

Banette-GX

Banette-GX – Psychic – HP190
Stage 1 – Evolves from Shuppet

Ability: Shady Move
Once during your turn (before your attack), if this Pokemon is your Active Pokemon, you may move 1 damage counter from either player’s Pokemon to another Pokemon (yours or your opponent’s).

[P] Shadow Chant: 30+ damage. This attack does 10 more damage for each Supporter card in your discard pile. You can’t add more than 100 damage in this way.

[P] Tomb Hunter GX: Put 3 cards from your discard pile into your hand. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)

When your Pokemon-GX is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.

Weakness: Darkness (x2)
Resistance: Fighting (-20)
Retreat: 1

I think Banette-GX is a powerful yet overlooked card. The Ability, Shady Move, is strong in its own right, but it’s even better once you see its synergy with [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Shadow Chant at a single Psychic is a phenomenal attack against anything weak to Psychic and a solid one against everything else. It gives [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] decks one-hit Knock Out potential against [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Tomb Hunter GX rounds out Banette’s tools and is another highly powerful effect that we’ve already seen succeed with [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card].

A Fighting Resistance and single-Energy Retreat Cost are both great things to have, but Banette’s biggest downside is the Dark Weakness. This means that it will need a partner to combat the large number of Zoroark-GX decks. I’m currently using baby Buzzwole and [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”from”][/card] to fill that need, but [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card] is another option I’d like to explore.

Magcargo

Magcargo – Fire – HP90
Stage 1 – Evolves from Slugma

Ability: Smooth Over
Once during your turn (before your attack), you may search your deck for a card. Shuffle your deck, then place that card on top.

[R][C][C] Combustion: 50 damage.

Weakness: Water (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 3

I definitely don’t think Zoroark-GX needed any more tools, but clearly PCL disagrees. Magcargo gives you a mini [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] every turn, possibly two if you have two on board. Trade was already the best Ability in the game, and Smooth Over just makes it that much better. Every time you Trade, you Trade into at least one card you need. This makes techs extremely reliable and may even allow multi-attacker Zoroark decks to consistently execute their game plan. Until its proven unnecessary, I’ll be putting this card into every single Zoroark deck I play.

Shrine of Punishments

Shrine of Punishments – Trainer
Stadium

Between turns, put 1 damage counter on each Pokemon-GX and Pokemon-EX (both yours and your opponent’s).

This card stays in play when you play it. Discard this card if another Stadium card comes into play. If another card with the same name is in play, you can’t play this card.

The last card I want to look at is Shrine of Punishments. At the moment, I think this card is criminally overlooked. It can deal a huge amount of damage to any GX-centric deck and can even become a win condition with enough copies and recovery. If the format becomes GX heavy enough, you may even see decks that try to keep it in play as their primary win condition. Unfortunately, I don’t think it could become an exclusive win condition as even a Pokemon as weak as [card name=”Zorua” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM83″ c=”name”][/card] can take six Prizes eventually, not to mention cards like Buzzwole. For this article, I’ve paired the card with [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card] as it’s one of the strongest non-GX attackers in the game, but I could see it being used with a variety of attackers down the road.

With these cards explained, I’ll move into the decks where each of them will see play!

Beast Box

I have a few different takes on Beast Box now that Stakataka-GX is coming to our Standard format. Some include [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], some don’t, and the Energy types vary. Ultimately, I think that the Ability to reduce up to 40 damage from each of your opponent’s attacks is incredible, and with cards like [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], this number can be boosted even further. For today’s article, I’ll be focusing on one build specifically, but there are plenty of other routes you can take with the deck.

[premium]

[decklist name=”Beast Box” amt=”60″ caption=”Needs 4 Stakataka-GX and 2 Copycat” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”14″]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]4x Stakataka-GX (CLS #102)1x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]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=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Copycat” set=”EX Team Rocket Returns” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]8x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The list I’ve provided is a more balanced approach to the Stakataka wall strategy, primarily featuring Naganadel-GX as the attacker. Its Energy-efficient, solid damage attack allows it to trade with any deck that isn’t knocking it out in one hit back-to-back turns, and it synergizes excellently with [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card].

Psychic typing is always useful against Buzzwole but bad against Malamar. You could try to patch the Malamar matchup with [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to have Stakataka-GX as a fallback, but I ultimately don’t think that sort of gameplan would be good enough to swing it. It would also force you to lower or fully drop your Max Potion count, meaning your matchups across the board would be significantly worse (especially against Zoroark). Another option to remedy the matchup is to add [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. Though this would be weak to [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], it would mean your attacker hits your opponent for Weakness but does not suffer the same problem itself. Trading with GX attackers or going after Malamar would become much more feasible. Given the lack of draw, however, a heavy count of three or four may be needed to hit it early and frequently.

The Supporter line is heavy and somewhat experimental with the inclusion of [card name=”Copycat” set=”EX Dragon Frontiers” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], but I want to give the card a try. The heavy [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] count is to prevent your opponent from stalling you out with Stakataka’s high Retreat Cost.

Here’s a brief rundown of the deck’s predicted popular matchups:

Buzzwole — Auto-win

The biggest assets [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] had in this matchup prior to Stakataka-GX were its efficient attackers, high damage, and one-hit Knock Out potential. Now, their efficient attackers have pitiful damage and Max Potion negates what little they can deal. One-hit Knock Outs are difficult for them and you easily take out all of their attackers aside from [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] which is a clean two-shot. Lycanroc-GX is also a less threatening attacker since Dangerous Rogue GX becomes its only avenue to a one-hit Knock Out. They can go after your Stakataka, but they still have a functional 200+ HP, meaning they’re not much better targets. Either way, they typically can’t keep up after losing multiple attackers and Energy.

Zoroark-GX Variants — Favorable

In general, you trade very favorably with your opponent through the use of Max Potion and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] allowing for two-hit Knock Outs. This matchup is one step away from an auto-win, and that step is [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. You can always return Knock Outs on Mew with Beast Raid or even Stakataka’s attacks, but it can transform the game into a Prize race if the [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] player finds their [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] at the right time. Weakness Policy could be another worthwhile inclusion in this deck, but you would ultimately lose your ability to trade two shots. Regardless of the hangup that is Mew-EX, this deck’s gameplan is generally strong against Zoroark-GX, and the matchup reflects that.

Malamar Variants — Auto-loss

In the list’s current state, your matchup against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is absolutely miserable. They hit you for Weakness and have the advantage of non-GX Basic attackers to your exclusively GX Stage 1 attackers. This means getting more attackers online is easier for them than you, and they have plenty of ways to take the lead even if they don’t start with it.

As previously discussed, Weakness Policy can be a way to deal with this matchup, but I haven’t been able to investigate the inclusion yet. In addition to this, the rampant success of Zoroark-GX at NAIC leads me to think that Malamar will see much less play at Worlds.

Rayquaza-GX — Slightly Unfavorable

Nearly unlimited damage is difficult for this deck to cope with. Fortunately for Beast Box, Rayquaza-GX has several flaws as a deck that can provide avenues to victory. The first is Rayquaza’s setup time. Without several Max Elixirs and Stormy Winds hitting, the deck can start extremely slowly. To add to that, Stormy Winds can discard key cards and severely hamper the deck’s ability to win. Rayquaza’s board needs eight Energy in play most of the time to take a Knock Out, sometimes nine. If they’re slow about this, you can easily pull ahead. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do on your side other than attack and heal. If they pop off, you lose. If they don’t, most of the time you can take the win.

As an added bonus, their 180 HP makes them vulnerable to a full bench of Ultra Beasts, Choice Band, and [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], giving you a one-time one-hit Knock Out if you can avoid benching [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. That said, it’s not a terribly reliable play.

I call this matchup “slightly unfavorable” because it’s so volatile. When things go poorly for your opponent, they take several turns to set up, but when things go well you lose control completely. This means that more often than not, you come out on the losing end.

Zoroark-GX / Banette-GX

[decklist name=”Zoroark-GX/Banette-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”Needs 1 Perplex Shuppet, 2 60hp shuppet, 2 Banette GX, 1-1 magcargo, and 1 Copycat” cname=”Shaymin” set=”Shining Legends” no=”7″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x Banette-GX (CLS #66)2x Shuppet (60HP) (CLS #64)1x Shuppet (50HP) (CLS #63)1x Magcargo (CLS #24)1x Slugma (CLS #23)3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin” set=”Shining Legends” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Copycat” set=”EX Dragon Frontiers” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] is as powerful as always with the release of Celestial Storm, if not even more so. Magcargo is a huge asset to the deck, allowing for low-count techs to be highly reliable and the deck to run much better overall. I take advantage of Magcargo here with the variety of tech attackers and a few low counts on Trainers such as [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. I think an even techier Zoroark deck could work, but this is where I’m at for now.

Banette-GX is an excellent attacker, having a damage cap of 130 for a single Energy. Realistically, you’re shooting to deal 70 or so in the early turns to take Knock Outs on [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and any Psychic-weak GX with a Choice Band. Turning [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]’s drawback into a [card name=”PlusPower” set=”Black and White” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] is an added bonus, giving Zoroark-GX and Banette itself a much easier time Knocking Out Pokemon with 130 HP. The single Psychic Energy is to give this deck an out to beat [card name=”Xurkitree-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM68″ c=”name”][/card] and also have some degree of defense against [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. With heavier Magcargo, you could go even deeper, including things like a single [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or Fighting Energy, but space in this draft of the deck is tight.

Buzzwole, [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Shaymin” set=”Shining Legends” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] give the deck strong attackers in situations where it’d otherwise be lacking, such as when facing down a Lycanroc-GX or an opposing Zoroark deck. Multi Switch and Rainbow Energy allow all of these attackers to attack even when you are tied or ahead on Prizes — this can allow you to cement a lead against an otherwise poor matchup.

Another [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] would be great here. Combined with Rainbow Energy, you can use it to remove things like Tapu Lele-GX from the board. One more Rainbow Energy would also be nice, with the Psychic being the most obvious drop. You can play with a lot of the counts in here thanks to Magcargo, and I look forward to getting more games in with it.

Buzzwole Variants — Favorable

Finally, Zoroark-GX can answer every attacker in a Buzzwole deck and not worry about putting a 120-HP EX on the board. Banette-GX is a monster against Buzzwole, easily Knocking Out all of its Psychic-weak attackers for a single Energy while resisting them as well. If they manage to attack with a Lycanroc-GX, you have Shaymin to answer it, so there’s really no winning arrangement for them. The only situation where you lose here is if you start super slowly. Even if the Buzzwole players gets off to a fast start, you have plenty of options to get back in the game. [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] has an even harder time against you than BuzzRoc as Banette doesn’t rely on an Ability to attack. You’ll be ecstatic to sit down across from either of them.

Zoroark-GX Variants — Even to Favorable

There’s a bit of a spectrum here, with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] being the closest and straight Zoroark-GX being the easiest. ZoroPod has an attacker that you don’t hit for Weakness and plenty of healing to keep up with you on the two-shot exchange. Sudowoodo and Buzzwole are certainly great assets here, and they’re what prevent the matchup from being unfavorable. Straight Zoroark-GX doesn’t do anything threatening to this deck’s attackers and struggles to deal with Buzzwole. Sudowoodo is a less reliable option here as Enhanced Hammer keeps its Energy off and you won’t be behind that often. That said, the basic Psychic can be paired with Multi Switch for an unexpected Knock Out.

Malamar Variants — Even to Heavily Favorable

This variant of the deck is lacking most of the tools that push the [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] matchup more heavily into your favor. These tools include [card name=”Latios” set=”Shining Legends” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. As a result, [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] / Malamar can be quite close and typically comes down to how well they draw off of low [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]s. Conversely, Psychic-based Malamar variants have a horrible time against you as Banette covers the only Weakness in their deck that Zoroark decks don’t normally hit (aside from the risky Mew-EX).

Rayquaza-GX — Slightly Unfavorable to Heavily Unfavorable

Against the Rayquaza-GX builds I’ve seen thus far, I would call the matchup slightly unfavorable. You don’t have an answer to a fast start on their side which can be disastrous. That said, the deck’s inherent problems that I discussed earlier in the article hamper it in many games.

If a better way to build Rayquaza-GX surfaces, I could see the matchup swinging to heavily unfavorable. In that event, I would highly advise teching in a [card name=”Sylveon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC21″ c=”name”][/card] to easily grab a one-hit Knock Out on any opposing Rayquaza-GX. With Sylveon in the deck, I’d bump the matchup to favorable as you have such an easy time getting it out and reusing it to grab consecutive Knock Outs. Because it can be used aggressively, it severely punishes slow starts as well, pushing most best-of-threes your way.

Alolan Exeggutor

[decklist name=”Alolan Exeggutor” amt=”60″ caption=”Needs 4 Commandment shrine” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ 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=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x Shrine of Punishments (CLS #143)[/trainers][energy amt=”11″]6x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]1x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The final deck I’ll talk about today is my preliminary effort to make use of Shrine of Punishments. The thinking behind this deck is simple: non-GX Pokemon are good, Shrine of Punishments is good — how can I best put them together? The answer I came up with was [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s the hardest non-GX attacker in the game to Knock Out and deals respectable damage with its attack. This means that the game will run longer, giving more opportunities to add damage with Shrine of Punishments. Exeggutor’s damage output is high enough to take advantage of Shrine of Punishment’s continuous damage.

Most of the deck is straightforward. The only odd count is [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”from”][/card], but it has a specific and significant purpose here: to soften up any non-GX Pokemon with over 120 HP to a health total that you can effectively trade with. Without [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] is not an option for this deck, meaning Hoopa is the only real way to accomplish this.

I’m concerned with the low count of [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] as many of the Pokemon in this deck have a high Retreat Cost, so my first cut will likely be for a third. Another high-priority inclusion is [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] to recover Stadiums, but my early drafts just don’t have room.

Buzzwole Variants — Favorable

This deck is excellent against [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] as they require a fair bit to knock you out and only have [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] to bounce your Stadium. If they try to trade Buzzwole for Alolan Exeggutor, you have Hoopa and [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] to push the exchange in your favor. To add to that, Knocking Out [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] is an excellent way to ensure that your trades are more favorable than theirs hit-for-hit. [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] has an absolutely miserable time here as they are unable to limit themselves to non-GX attackers. You can always go after their Garbodor if you fear the Ability lock, but the only thing it denies you is [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] which your draw Supporters can usually make up for.

Zoroark-GX Variants — Heavily Unfavorable to Favorable

The stall-oriented [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants are difficult for this deck to beat due to their abundance of healing and plenty of answers to Shrine of Punishments. If they can eliminate all of your Stadiums, your deck becomes significantly worse and trades poorly with them after a few healing cards. The more aggressive variants of Zoroark with fewer [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and Stadiums are great matchups for you as your attacker is difficult for them to deal with efficiently, and you’re more likely to stick your Stadium in play. Lusamine and Buzzwole could contribute to a better matchup here, but I’m unsure of whether there will be enough room to include those cards.

Malamar Variants — Slightly Unfavorable to Heavily Favorable

Psychic [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] can mostly avoid benching Pokemon-GX and can knock you out in one hit. That said, if they go for the one-hit Knock Out route, your Shrines can be devastating. They typically have to bench [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] as well, giving you free Prizes after a few Shrine ticks. [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Steam Siege” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / Malamar can be particularly rough as two Hyperspace Punches set up Alolan Exeggutor for a Knock Out, and their attackers are easier to develop. The [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] version is horrible against you as they can’t take six Prizes without benching Pokemon-GX and they have few outs to removing Shrine of Punishments.

Rayquaza-GX — Heavily Favorable

Similar to Ultra Necrozma / Malamar except they run even fewer ways to get rid of your Stadiums. They do have an easier time Knocking Out your attackers back to back, but their deck is pretty slow. Even with a great start on their side, taking six Prizes against non-GX’s with Shrine of Punishments in play is a difficult task when all of their attackers are GX’s. This deck can be a phenomenal Rayquaza counter if the deck becomes popular.

Conclusion

I am incredibly excited for this year’s Worlds format. Celestial Storm looks to be an influential set, something we haven’t seen much of in 2018. There are a ton of interesting rogue ideas; I would be shocked if several of them didn’t make a deep Worlds run. I’ll be testing a ton beginning next week and even more come Celestial Storm’s release online, so I’ll hopefully have plenty of interesting decks to write about in the coming weeks.

As always, thank you for reading, and I look forward to your questions and comments!

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