The Roulette — Building for New Standard, Metagross, Zoroark, and Spread

Hey PokeBeach readers! I hope you all enjoyed the format this last season. Staples such as [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], which is a reprint of [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] before it, as well as [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] are gone for the time being. These cards have existed for almost the entire time I’ve been playing competitively since 2011! This has forced me, as well as everyone else, to be much more creative with decks.

Worlds 2018 was unreal for me. I never would’ve imagined I’d do so well! I tested little, which is uncharacteristic of me, but I picked what I felt was the right play, as well as a deck that relied on solid fundamentals over strictly matchup knowledge. [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] was a perfect play in the field full of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] decks, and that reflected in my record. I finished 6-1-0 day one, then 4-2-1 day two placing 30th overall for a Top 32 finish.

I know the 2019 format and season is on all of your minds. My testing partners and I have got a few decks that have tested well for us so far. Today, I will go over the three of them that have tested the best for us in one of the wildest post-rotation formats I’ve ever seen. Before that though, to help you construct your own decks, I’ll go over my thoughts on the format and what consistency truly is in the SUM-CES format.

Consistency Without Sycamore

[card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is the only standout draw Supporter to me. Nothing else compares to the powerful draw that it provides with zero drawback. This means that decks either need Pokemon that draw you cards, or they need to be able to function without playing many cards from your hand each turn.

[cardimg name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

What do I mean by that second point? Let’s think of [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] as an example. This deck needs little from your hand to keep going. Vikavolt keeps the engine running, and you can take a OHKO every turn as long as you have a basic Energy in your hand to complete the Energy cost of Nature’s Judgment or Tapu Wilderness GX. Additionally, Tapu Bulu-GX is hard to OHKO with no Weakness, so if you don’t play a draw Supporter one turn, you will likely still be able to attack. The deck runs itself with its board rather than its hand.

Contrast this with a deck like Night March, where the attacker and its Energy will be removed from the board every turn. It needs to blow through its deck to respond every time. Most decks that only consist of Pokemon that don’t need any setup fall into this category. Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX falls into this category as well, even though it doesn’t necessarily get Knocked Out every turn.

Decks that needs to hit a lot of cards every turn to respond to Knock Outs are going to be weak this format. Until they print more consistency Pokemon like [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] or stronger draw Supporters, these decks will suffer against decks that can set up one or two Stage 2’s with a ton of HP that can sustain themselves.

This makes Zoroark-GX worth a premium. It draws you cards, and hits hard turn two in a format that got a lot slower. It can also stay alive with its 210 HP, and its Weakness is less relevant since Fighting as an archetype lost many important cards in the form of [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Zoroark-GX is weakened by the loss of [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], however it still is one of the strongest cards in the game because it can draw through a deck quickly in a format that lost a lot of powerful consistency cards.

Making a Deck Concept

This format is going to be broad. At the time of this article’s publishing, you can’t be sure of what you’re going to be playing against in a particular tournament. Everyone has their own cool deck ideas that are viable! So how do you make your own deck that will work well this format?

Since you might play against a different deck every round at a particular League Challenge or League Cup, due to there being no established meta, your deck must have a strong fundamental strategy. You can’t counter a meta that hasn’t established itself. Take NAIC this last year for instance: Zoroark-GX, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] box, and Buzzwole-GX were the three decks, and everyone knew them well. You knew you had to have some counters or a strategy against the counters. Right now, you aren’t sure what you’re going to face. [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] is the only deck I can think of that you are almost guaranteed to play against; it’s the BDIF in my opinion. So if you’ve got a deck concept, build it to be consistent first. Also, make it have attackers that synergize together, and be fundamentally strong. It needs to have a solid game plan that doesn’t necessarily care what it’s playing against.

Plenty of Stage 2 attackers became viable as well. Paired with Zororark-GX, [card name=”Ludicolo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] gets powerful for example. The whole format got slower, so about anything is worth trying out.

Setting the Stage

I’ll preface this with saying that I believe Metagross, [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] / Malamar, and [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM28″ c=”name”][/card] are the strongest three decks. These are top tier decks, but they aren’t always the most consistent, and they aren’t always going to exist in every area’s metagame. They are on top, but they’re not standing on firm ground.

Honorable mention to Zoroark-GX variants. Their ridiculous consistency allows them to stay near the top of any format. I think Zoroark-GX decks may end up being the best if the former three decks end up being too inconsistent.

I’ll start off with what I believe has a strong case for BDIF of the format: Metagross-GX / [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card].

[premium]

Metagross-GX / Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX

This deck is one of many bulky Stage 2 decks that are going to be great going forward. Metagross-GX’s GX attack, Algorithm GX, helps it set up, barring a [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] play by the opponent. I did a lot of research on Fire types that can easily by splashed into decks, and they’re practically non-existent, meaning that Metagross’s 250 HP is enough to keep it from getting OHKO’d almost all of the time.

With [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], it can OHKO every relevant Basic GX attacker in the game. It’s also got staying power, being able to heal easily with [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. It also retreats almost every turn to keep using its attack for 150. Once this deck has three Metagross-GX up, it’s almost impossible to stop, since their Abilities allow them to retreat and reattach Energy indefinitely.

My testing has been limited, since up until late August I’ve been testing for Worlds. I played a few games against this deck however, so I know how oppressive it is. The Ability sets it up to use a multitude of different Psychic attackers if you want to go that route, as well as Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX to take OHKOs.

[decklist name=”Metagross” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Metang” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Beldum” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”PokéNav” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck features a lot of engines that I believe will be powerful going forward. One of my league members, Tom Filbey, concocted a lot of this engine. It works well in getting [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] up quickly.

[card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] is our new gal to play on the first turn. [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] is gone, so Lillie and [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] are our replacements. Acro Bike isn’t a Supporter; however, it allows you to run through your deck quicker, as well as discarding your Metal Energy to get back with Geotech System. [card name=”PokéNav” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is also an incredible card, allowing you to get an Energy or a Pokemon while telling you what the next two cards are. This knowledge can help you decide whether or not to use [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] as well.

As far as deck strategy goes, your first turn should be focused on getting [card name=”Beldum” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] out. As well as that, [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] attacks for free and is a phenomenal setup Pokemon for the deck. Don’t hesitate to retreat into the Vulpix either, since having Metal Energy in the discard pile will benefit us later. This deck tends to get out at least one Metagross-GX by turn three, if not more. Once you have one going, you can Algorithm GX into the other two that you need, and you should be able to take the game from there.

Metagross-GX is the main attacker, but [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] makes an appearance as well to take OHKOs on higher HP Pokemon.

There few cards that can OHKO Metagross-GX — [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] are the only two that I’ve heard of players playing that can pull it off. Some crafty players may play [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] in your area though, so be wary with that.

There aren’t any Judge in this deck, since that particular hand disruption card tends to disrupt your own hand just as much as the opponent. I find that in the late game with three Metagross-GX out, you tend to have a winning board already, regardless of whatever tricks your opponent may have in their hand.

[card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] is a solid addition to this deck depending on your metagame; however, I built this deck to focus on the main strategy of getting Metagross-GX going. Another Alolan Vulpix may be worth it as well. Dhelmise is another meta call that you can make it you have pesky 190 HP attackers around you.

Overall, Metagross-GX is one of the strongest attackers in the game in my opinion. It sets itself up well with Algorithm, and it tanks hits with Max Potion and 250 HP.

Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX

This is my favorite play in the format. It can sweep the bulky Stage 2 decks off their feet, as well as win games against the other big decks with some smart play. [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] lost a lot with the rotation; however, their synergy together is still incredible. The quickness of Zoroark-GX’s attack compliments well with Lycanroc-GX’s Ability, Bloodthirsty Eyes. This allows you to focus your Knock Outs where they will hurt an opponent without having to use [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. Lycanroc-GX’s Dangerous Rogue GX attack allows you to take surprise OHKOs too.

This is my current list for the deck:

[decklist name=”Zoroark Lycanroc” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”18″]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 [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Apricorn Maker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]5x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This is quite different from the Metagross-GX deck I posted earlier! Zoroark-GX has a different strategy and engine than Metagross-GX does. The Pokemon line is similar to the Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX decks of last format, however there are some small inclusions that I made to make up for the losses it took.

[card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack is powerful in a slower format. The ability to recycle cards is important without having [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] didn’t get any worse with the rotation. Sledgehammer is still one of the best attacks in the game as a great finisher move, even without [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Four Guzma might seem excessive, but this is a Zoroark deck — we win games by taking smart Knock Outs. Guzma may not draw us cards, but Zoroark’s Ability, Trade, sure does. Our best chances against setup decks is to Knock Out their Basics before they become insurmountable Stage 2s.

[card name=”Apricorn Maker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is a guaranteed two Basics on the first turn. It has tested well for me; however, a heavier [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] count is justifiable as a way to draw into [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]s early. [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] is also something I tinkered with; but Apricorn Maker is more flexible, and it thins unnecessary Ball cards out of your deck.

Two [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] are in the deck since Zoroark-GX plays the two-hit KO game well, and being able to recycle Zoroark is what gives you a fighting chance against Metagross decks that managed to set up.

[card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] finds its way into this deck to help it get over its breakup with [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. Apricorn Maker plus a Brooklet Hill is just as strong a Brigette. [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] is another great inclusion since you can shuffle in Supporters, then potentially draw into them with Trade. Recycling Acerola and/or Guzma can be clutch.

This deck performs well off of its sweeping early game. It only struggles if your opponent sets up some strong Stage 2s. The pressure it applies is often too quick for decks to respond to, and it has some clever ways to come back with Lycanroc-GX’s GX attack. Most of the games I’ve won have been within the first five or six turns, however.

Overall, this is the deck that aligns the best with my playstyle. It’s got the coveted Zoroark-GX draw engine, as well as having a simple setup and early game. It preys on poor draws by the opponent, which happens quite often in this format. Zoroark-GX is still the best card in the game, and has a great case for being the best deck in the format. If I was playing in a Regional tomorrow, this would be my play without a doubt.

Spread

This is one of my favorite decks right now. It has a unique strategy that feels completely different than any other deck in the game. It almost feels like its win condition is different, even though it isn’t. It has a simple execution, and that is to put as much damage on the opponent’s board as possible. It features attackers like [card name=”Weavile” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck puts immense pressure on an opponent, while being able to Knock Out key Pokemon with Tapu Lele’s Magical Swap. This deck plays a patient game; with no GX attackers at all, you may be weathering an OHKO every turn for a while, but it can slowly build up enough damage to win games.

Credit for this list goes to Dillon Barta, a good friend of mine who has been testing this non-stop. Having played it a bit myself, I can verify that it’s a quality list!

[decklist name=”Spread” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Shining Jirachi” set=”Shining Legends” no=”42″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Weavile” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shining Jirachi” set=”Shining Legends” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Tate & Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Copycat” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

So how does a deck with no Pokemon-GX survive in the current format? With its max HP being 130, and its main attacker only having 110, it expects to get Knocked Out every turn. This may sound troubling, but none of its attackers are too meaningful losses. Only forking over one Prize, as well as one Energy investment, it doesn’t sting too much to get Knocked Out. This deck plays a patient, long game where it slowly builds up damage across an opponent’s entire board. If an opponent is drawing poorly, this creates immense pressure. A bad start is most likely a lost game for an opponent when you’re playing this deck.

[cardimg name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck has a simple setup. It’s plan is to attach an Energy to Tapu Koko and attack. If the Tapu Koko survives a few turns, that’s even more damage it puts on board. [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] are in this deck because it rarely takes a Prize until turns three or four. This deck takes a lot of Prizes at once, while your opponent will be taking the conventional approach against you. This means that for almost the entire game, you will be behind on Prizes while you stack damage on the board. Counter Catcher can bring up a Pokemon that’s difficult to retreat. Every turn where your opponent can’t attack is another turn to spread damage across their board.

For the most part, your game plan should be making it as hard as possible for your opponent to knock you out while you’re spreading damage around. This includes Tapu Lele plus Counter Energy plays. Tapu Lele can sometimes win you games by drawing two or three Prizes in a turn, but what I use it for is to Knock Out a threatening Pokemon. You don’t want to lose the game in six turns; you want the game to take as long as possible with this deck.

[card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] with Evil Admonition is a big hitter against an attacker that can sweep your board. [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] fits into this role well too, especially since your opponent is almost guaranteed to have four Prizes at some point in the game. Similar to Tapu Lele, these big hits shouldn’t be used solely to draw Prizes, but to stop your opponent from drawing Prizes, such as if your opponent only has one attacker going that’s threatening to OHKO you every turn. The essence of strategy in Pokemon is to Knock Out the biggest threat your opponent has while limiting their ability to respond to your biggest threat.

Weavile with Rule of Evil is another spread attacker that can put down some major damage on [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], and other Pokemon with Abilities of which there are quite a few in this meta.

[card name=”Shining Jirachi” set=”Shining Legends” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card] can take a surprise Knock Out on an opponent. Suppose a [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] is smashing our face in, and it only has six damage counters on it. Buzzwole and Weavile can’t knock it out. Jirachi helps us do more with less, by devolving it and Knocking Out the [card name=”Beldum” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. This forces an opponent to evolve again, using a [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] in most cases, as well as piling on the three Energy again. What this equates to is time to attack with Tapu Koko some more to set up more damage. [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] was great in the last format in this role, but Jirachi does the job fine as well.

The thick line of Supporters and Pokemon search in this deck are consistent with a deck that needs to draw an Energy and an attacker every turn. [card name=”Copycat” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] wouldn’t always be my first choice for draw support, but it is invaluable against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card] decks since they tend to amass huge hands.

[card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t make an appearance in this deck because our main attacker has free retreat and we play three Counter Catcher, which will almost always be active due to the slow game this deck plays.

This deck takes some bit of skill to play well. It’s all about buying time to Flying Flip as much as possible. Against players drawing poorly, or against players that don’t know how to handle it, it should do even better.

The Roulette

This format is one of the wildest ones I’ve seen, and without a ton of Cup and Challenge results yet, we aren’t sure how it will shape up. I expect my top three that I mentioned earlier to do well, but who knows who will break this current format. I don’t believe that the national metagame will be fully established until after Philadelphia later this month. Until then, regional metagames are going to be the most important.

The period immediately following rotation is always one of my favorites, since there isn’t a ton of established tournament results for players to flock to. This forces them to be innovative and build their own decks and concepts. A lot of decks are competitive right now, so test out attackers you like, stick to solid decks that don’t care too much about what’s around them, and get used to not having [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] — this can be hard for a lot of players, especially since these cards have been around for over six years! The decks I mentioned here in this article are a great starting point if you don’t know what to play yet.

I might have “snubbed” plenty of other decks that you guys feel are relevant, so please let me know in the comments!

Good luck in your testing!

Treynor Wolfe

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