Post Thunder — An Early Archetype Review for Roanoke

By: Rukan Shao · Posted Oct 17, 2018 at 12:17 PM · 0 Comments

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

Hello everyone, Rukan here, hot off of Memphis Regionals and already preparing for Lost Thunder in earnest. Lost Thunder introduces the largest set in history. With so many new archetypes and cards, where does one even begin? Usually, I expect three to four major archetypes to stand out and vie for domination, but Lost Thunder blows that expectation out of the water. While I cannot reasonably predict a BDIF this early on, I can quickly sift through the numerous archetypes and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each. By the end of the article, I hope to build an early framework for the Roanoke metagame, and identify no more than three archetypes to focus my playtesting around.

This article’s archetype review begins with the notable decks from the recent Tokyo Champions League. It follows up with any archetypes missing from the aforementioned Champions League, then closes with my top four picks and reasoning behind why.

Tokyo Champions League Archetypes

Lost March

Sharing a namesake with the infamous Night March deck, I expect Lost March to receive significant attention from the entire community. But can it live up to such lofty expectations? I don’t think it can, but allow me to provide a deck list before I go into why.

[decklist name=”lost march” amt=”31″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x Jumpluff (Lost Thunder) 4x Skiploom (Lost Thunder) 4x Hoppip (Lost Thunder) 4x Trumbeak (Lost Thunder) 2x Natu (Lost Thunder) 1x Alolan Meowth (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM85″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x Professor Elm’s Lecture (Lost Thunder)4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Net Ball (Lost Thunder)3x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

The deck performed quite poorly at the Tokyo Champions League, with only a single placement in Top 32. After playing just a few games with the list I posted above, I could see why the deck struggled. Lost March needs to draw a lot of cards in the right order to apply early pressure. You need to bench numerous Hoppip and Skiploom early on, not prize them, and find a way to shuffle all Jumpluff in your hand back into your deck. All the while, you need to do this quickly before your opponent can dismantle your board.

In terms of matchups, the deck struggles against both spread cards like [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX and Spell Tag; as well as disruptive archetypes like [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] that pick apart Lost March’s board state.

So, for better or worse, I think the current iterations of Lost March struggle against too many matchups to see top tier success, and struggles with its setup and draw engine on top of all that.

Spell Tag Malamar

Speaking of spread, let’s move on to the first-place list from Tokyo:

[decklist name=”tokyo winner” amt=”53″ caption=”” cname=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”17″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Giratina (Lost Thunder)1x Onix (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shining Arceus” set=”Shining Legends” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lunala Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tate & Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”TV Reporter” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Spell Tag (Lost Thunder)3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]10x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

This [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] deck runs quite a few spread options alongside Spell Tag. Spell Tag itself provides tremendous value against other single-Prize decks, such as the Malamar mirror. Eventually, your opponent triggers two Spell Tags, which in turn puts enough counters on a Malamar to knock it out with Giratina‘s Ability.

I like the Japanese list a lot, but after playing the list a bit against Sceptile-GX / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], I liked it more after adding a second [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM58″ c=”name”][/card] to stabilize matchups where you would rather take big one-hit Knock Outs over some of the spreading techs.

[premium]

Ultra Malamar

[cardimg name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Ultra Necrozma / Malamar made three placements in Top 32. The only list publicly available ran a copy of the Psychic Necrozma-GX instead of [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM101″ c=”name”][/card], perhaps wary of the threat of Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX in the format. I would also note that Ultra Malamar counters Lost March by taking multiple Prizes in a single turn using a combination of Giratina and Ultra Necrozma’s GX attack. This mirrors the pattern of how every other deck at Tokyo Champions League also counters Lost March in some way.

Despite that, I would personally avoid running Ultra Malamar altogether in the Lost Thunder format. If Ultra Malamar decks need to tech Psychic Necrozma-GX to remain competitive against a field with Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX, then perhaps they should stick to Psychic Malamar instead.

Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX and Friends

Zoroark variants made up almost half of the decks at the Tokyo Champions League. The vast majority of these variants ran Lycanroc-GX. Most of them also exploited Ditto Prism Star to include additional partners, particularly [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX with [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. But, despite the tremendous number of Top 32 placements, only a single Zoroark variant made it all the way to Top 8.

In my mind, the poor performance in Tokyo parallels the events of Memphis Regionals. Zoroark still provides a strong foundation for a deck, but it lacks the deck space to deal with the countless threats and archetypes of our new Standard format. Prior to rotation, [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] could oppress countless archetypes while using minimal deck space; tech cards such as [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] provide only marginal or niche value in comparison. Lost Thunder may introduce Professor Elm’s Lecture to improve Zoroark’s consistency and Ditto Prism Star to increase the variety of partners, but all that only helps so much when Lost Thunder simultaneously doubles the number of threats. I suspect Zoroark saw so many Top 32 placements by successfully countering Lost March, but then floundered in Day 2, where other archetypes rose up and Zoroark lists simply could not cope with all of them.

Buzzwole / Lycanroc-GX / Alolan Ninetales-GX

In contrast to the enormous number of Zoroark variants at Tokyo, only three [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / Lycanroc variants placed in Top 32 of Tokyo, but those three all placed in the Top 8, performing extremely well once they did reach Day 2. Two of these variants ran Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX with Unit Energy FDY. This gave Buzzwole / Lycanroc an attacker that could deal with the threat of Lost March. The third Buzzwole / Lycanroc variant did not run Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX and instead opted for a Shuckle-GX to shore up the Lost March matchup.

Overall I like the concept a lot on paper. Using Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX as an attacker diversifies type coverage and the Item search makes the deck far more oppressive in favorable matchups. However, I think Lost Thunder introduces several new challenging archetypes for Buzzwole to deal with, namely Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel and Sceptile / Decidueye; and I do not believe the inclusion of Alolan Ninetales-GX fixes the Psychic Malamar matchup, even if it does shore up the Ultra Malamar matchup.

Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel

A new archetype to crop up from Lost Thunder, Blacephalon-GX secured three spots in Top 32, along with the second-place finish. I like how Blacephalon-GX itself can apply early pressure with either Confusion or simply taking a Prize for a single Energy using its GX attack. I can see how it stands toe to toe with both single-Prize decks and hits huge numbers against bulkier decks like Zoroark. But I think it lacks the necessary tools to deal with something like Giratina in Malamar decks. Aside from the three-Prize turn, it can never kill a Giratina in a single hit without using a Pokemon-GX that trades poorly against a Malamar deck. It feels like the deck positions itself well to beat the Zoroark / Lycanroc and Buzzwole / Lycanroc variants that made up the bulk of the Tokyo Champions League, but I suspect it would not fare as well in a more Malamar-heavy format.

Other Archetypes

Sceptile / Decidueye-GX

The combination of [card name=”Sceptile” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], Sceptile-GX, and Decidueye-GX threatens a powerful late-game win condition against numerous decks. Baby Sceptile can lock Ultra Beasts out of the game, Sceptile-GX can lock Special Energy variants out of the game, and Decidueye-GX simply puts everything on a clock. All the while, the Grovyle engine helps set up this immense board state.

But why Decidueye over [card name=”Lurantis” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM25″ c=”name”][/card]? At first glance, it might seem like Lurantis sets up more consistently — but not always. If you have a Rare Candy in your hand and have already evolved all your Grovyle, then Decidueye-GX offers an additional way to thin Rare Candy out of your hand before playing a Cynthia or Lillie. You can also leverage Hollow Hunt GX to help set up your board. But most importantly, placing damage counters simply offers much more power to your deck. The damage boost from Lurantis can provide zero value if you hit just above or just under certain numbers. Your opponent could play around your numbers by Knocking Out a Lurantis in key scenarios. Decidueye-GX, on the other hand, offers much more flexibility, a hard counter to the Lost March matchup, and a way to dismantle Spell Tags from the first-place Tokyo deck.

Without further ado, I present the following deck list for early playtesting:

[decklist name=”sceptile” amt=”41″ caption=”” cname=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″][pokemon amt=”23″]3x Sceptile-GX (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Sceptile” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x Grovyle (Lost Thunder)4x Treecko (Lost Thunder)3x [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dartrix” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x Professor Elm’s Lecture (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Net Ball (Lost Thunder)4x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]5x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM37″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I tested a few [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] counts and liked two the most. You mostly want to Rare Candy out Decidueye-GX, and, if you do, you can simply Hollow Hunt that one Rare Candy back, rather than dig for more. And even then, you do not need to play Rare Candy at all in this deck to set up thanks to Grovyle’s Ability. Additionally, I cut [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] completely from the deck. I could not find space for it, especially when Super Boost Energy Prism Star fills a similar role.

I should note that Sceptile / Decidueye still struggles with consistency as a Stage 2 deck even in spite of Net Ball, Professor Elm’s Lecture, and Grovyle’s Ability. The deck runs so many dead cards, you tend to whiff draw Supporters or Max Potions when you need them. Grovyle may help you set up and it thins your deck, but at the end of the day it does not help search for anything besides Pokemon, unlike Zoroark-GX or [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. To compensate, I suggest a list with a thick [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] count, in addition to Net Ball and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], to both optimize consistency and thin your deck. I cut [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]s to make this happen, as setting up Decidueye-GX takes priority over finding Choice Bands. [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] helps you do exactly that, while simultaneously thinning your deck, making it easier to find your [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]s.

Consistency concerns aside, Sceptile / Decidueye excites me more than any other archetype in the format. Similar to [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], it offers a clear and overwhelming win condition to any player that can optimize the deck list. That kind of potential suits new and open formats perfectly, as opposed to more control-focused decks like Zoroark or stall variants that want a more defined field to counter.

Rayquaza / Vikavolt

Notable in their absence from Tokyo’s Top 32, [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] variants seemingly underperformed, even with the addition of Zeraora-GX in the set. I assume the presence of Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX in both Buzzwole and Zoroark decks along with Weavile in Zoroark variants filtered [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] / Vikavolt out of the format. Zeraora-GX fails to solve Rayquaza’s weak Prize trade. Personally, it always surprises me how well Rayquaza / Vikavolt continued to perform after Philadelphia Regionals, but I fully expect Rayquaza / Vikavolt to exit the stage by Roanoke Regionals.

I would consider toying with the idea of an Electric Power Vikavolt variant utilizing efficient single-Prize Lightning-type attackers. I do not have a list available, as my last foray into that archetype proved unpromising. The deck requires many deck slots between the Stage 2 engine and the Electric Powers, but I would not rule out the possibility that an effective list exists this early on.

Psychic Malamar

[cardimg name=”Chimecho” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”43″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

After Memphis, the inclusion of [card name=”Chimecho” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] in Psychic [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] lists drastically warps the field. I hyped Sceptile / Decidueye just a few paragraphs ago, but Chimecho in Malamar takes a clear advantage over Ability-focused decks such as that one, and may single-handedly prevent such archetypes from succeeding. Simultaneously, GX-heavy Psychic Malamar lists struggle against more spread-oriented Malamar decks, namely the aforementioned Spell Tag Malamar for reasons mentioned earlier in the article. If Psychic Malamar can find a way to deal with Spell Tag Malamar specifically, it should continue to dominate the format at Roanoke.

Lost Stall

Before I move onto the next section, I want to shout out Girafarig as a tech for Stall decks, namely [card name=”Steelix” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]. While I do not fear losing Psychic Energy as a Malamar player, as the deck runs a lot and can simply keep them on an Active Pokemon, I do fear losing my only copy of [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM58″ c=”name”][/card] to the Lost Zone. I do not consider myself an expert on mill, so I do not want to discuss this archetype in depth for this article; but I consider it a relevant threat going into the future, and I think everyone should keep it in the back of their minds.

Buzzwole / Garbodor / Shrine of Punishment

Buzzwole / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] gains access to a powerful new tool: baby Nihilego. This Pokemon allows Buzzwole to copy GX attacks like Dangerous Rogue, dramatically improving matchups such as [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and Buzzwole / Lycanroc-GX. However, Buzzwole / Garbodor / [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] began to face several challenges starting from Memphis. In Memphis, Buzzwole / Garbodor / Shrine did not see much success because every archetype began to tech against it. On top of that, the introduction of Professor Elm’s Lecture makes Zoroark variants less Item dependent.

But, one card could change all that. The introduction of Giratina to Malamar decks makes them far more vulnerable to Rule of Evil [card name=”Weavile” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. Two attacks with Rule of Evil, combined with [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], could potentially Knock Out two Giratina and several Malamar. Simultaneously, Malamar decks that do opt to cut Giratina could risk hurting their mirror matchup, as most single-Prize attackers either fail to Knock Out Giratina or require more than three Energy attachments to do so. A variant of Buzzwole / Shrine could perform quite well in the upcoming format by countering Malamar and Lycanroc variants. I do not consider myself a Buzzwole / Shrine expert, but I offer the following list as a starting point for the upcoming format:

[decklist name=”Buzzwole Shrine” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Weavile” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Slugma” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”23″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Nihilego (Lost Thunder)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

New Squid Overlords

With Malamar winning both the Tokyo Champions League and Memphis Regionals, I think it, more than any other archetype, draws the most attention in the Roanoke format. I predict that after Memphis, players will finally give Malamar the respect it deserves and commit the deck slots required to truly counter the archetype.

For the final portion of the article, I want to discuss two potential Malamar variants and two non-Malamar archetypes worth considering.

My Take on Spell Tag Malamar

After testing some Spell Tag Malamar versus Sceptile-GX / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], I wanted more than a single Necrozma-GX for big one-hit Knock Outs. To accomplish this, I included a [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card], as it can copy Prismatic Burst after your first Necrozma-GX gets Knocked Out. I cut Onix to make room for this, as I expect Western players to run more [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] than Japanese players. I also streamlined the consistency engine from the Japanese winning list to provide the following:

[decklist name=”tokyo winner” amt=”59″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x Giratina (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shining Arceus” set=”Shining Legends” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lunala Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x Spell Tag (Lost Thunder)4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]10x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/energy][/decklist]

The list overall feels much slower and less consistent than the [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] variant I find myself accustomed to. Despite that, I respect the deck’s ability to leverage efficient trades using Spell Tag.

Updated Psychic Malamar

To contrast Spell Tag Malamar, I present an updated version of Malamar / Marshadow:

[decklist name=”tokyo winner” amt=”53″ caption=”” cname=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Giratina (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lunala Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chimecho” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Adventuring Satchel (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Friend Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

The list takes advantage of the new Adventuring Satchel Item. I removed an [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to make room for one of the bags, as they both serve similar roles of thinning the deck. I also removed both [card name=”Deoxys” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] for a single Giratina, as Giratina can continue attacking without need for Rescue Stretcher. I also cut one Escape Board for a Choice Band to capitalize on the deck search provided by Adventuring Satchel. Before Lost Thunder, I refused to run Choice Band on the principle that Malamar could not search one- or two-of cards out from their deck, with the exception of Psychic-type Pokemon; but that changes with the release of Adventuring Satchel. I may also consider Choice Helmet depending on the results of playtesting.

Compared to Spell Tag Malamar, Psychic Malamar still takes a more stable matchup against bulky, healing, and Ability-focused archetypes such as Zoroark and Sceptile variants. However, the lack of Spell Tag presents a vulnerability against the single-Prize Spell Tag Malamar. Over the course of the game, additional damage counters eventually push the Prize race into Spell Tag Malamar’s favor. Psychic Malamar may need to find a solution to this problem to compete in the upcoming Lost Thunder meta.

Buzzwole / Shrine of Punishment

[cardimg name=”Weavile” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”86″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The inclusion of Giratina in Malamar decks makes a [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] variant featuring Rule of Evil [card name=”Weavile” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] quite intriguing. I expect this Weavile could single-handedly swing the Malamar matchup far in Buzzwole / Shrine’s favor all by itself. And, as mentioned earlier, the introduction of baby Nihilego irons out other matchups, particularly ones that feature Lycanroc-GX.

The existence of this archetype alone scares me away from playing Malamar at all in the upcoming format — currently, I do not know how to build a Malamar list to beat a Shrine deck featuring Rule of Evil Weavile without committing so many deck slots that I would expect to lose the Malamar mirror.

Either way, I expect Buzzwole / Shrine decks to punish any would-be Malamar players in the first major event of the Lost Thunder format and I strongly advise building decks with this archetype in mind.

Sceptile-GX / Decidueye-GX

Instead of dealing with the [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] versus Weavile conundrum, part of me hopes to circumvent that problem entirely by finding an optimal Sceptile / Decidueye list. Right now, the [card name=”Chimecho” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] / Malamar matchup worries me the most. Perhaps by including a spreading option such as [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Latios” set=”Shining Legends” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], you can spread enough damage counters early on to quickly dismantle Malamar’s setup, even when they lock you with Chimecho. Unfortunately, that requires [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], which does not synergize with Sceptile-GX itself. I would also consider a 4-4-3 Decidueye line as [card name=”Dartrix” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] itself can spread damage to the Bench for a single Grass Energy. Regardless, I intend to heavily test Sceptile / Decidueye. If I discover that either of the strategies I described earlier can indeed beat Chimecho / Malamar, then I would probably play Sceptile / Decidueye for Roanoke.

My Predicted Roanoke Meta

The four archetypes I listed above — Spell Tag Malamar, Psychic Malamar, Buzzwole / Shrine, and Sceptile / Decidueye — represent my top four contenders for Roanoke Regionals. That may change as I continue playtesting. To summarize my thoughts on each:

Psychic Malamar left a significant impression on the meta after Memphis Regionals, and I expect it to continue seeing significant play, but I also expect it to get crushed by a sudden influx of Rule of Evil Weavile, unless it can find an efficient answer to said Weavile. I would definitely avoid playing Malamar unless I can find an acceptable answer.
Spell Tag Malamar runs many tools to swing the Psychic Malamar matchup in its favor, but still falls prey to Rule of Evil Weavile, and feels like it takes a weaker matchup against the rest of the meta than a less spread focused Malamar variant.
Buzzwole / Shrine can beat both Giratina / Malamar variants by including Rule of Evil and improves its [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] matchups with Nihilego. This improves two important matchups significantly for Buzzwole / Shrine, likely enough to push it back into relevance. I do worry about Buzzwole / Shrine’s matchups against less mainstream decks, though.
Sceptile / Decidueye feels like it offers a potent matchup spread. I appreciate how it simply avoids many of the matchup concerns surrounding Malamar, Lycanroc, and Buzzwole Shrine in the upcoming format. However, it might simply fold to Chimecho / Malamar. If I can solve the Chimecho matchup, then it may become my number-one pick for Roanoke.

This concludes my early archetype summary for the Lost Thunder format. I will continue testing in earnest, so please look forward to my next article where I return with a more solidified understanding of Lost Thunder matchups. Please feel free to contact me on the Subscriber’s Hideout Forum if you have any questions.

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