190 Easy — Is the Reign of Pokemon-GX Over?
Hello everyone! This is Grant Manley once again. I am writing this the day before Brazil Internationals begins. Although I am not attending the event, I am incredibly excited to see what kind of meta will reveal itself with the release of Lost Thunder. I’ve been working on a few decks myself, though I don’t have anything too crazy at the moment. I was originally expecting [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card] to be broken after Lost Thunder dropped because it gained all kinds of cards that can support it. After some testing, however, I was proven wrong. Alolan Exeggutor sure has a lot of HP, but the deck is mediocre at best due to its low damage ceiling. Additionally, Exeggcute suffers against spread decks such as those using [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], either of the two Alolan Ninetales-GX, Spell Tag, [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card], and others.
My focus shifted to other non-GX decks that showed promise. I haven’t gotten around to refining a Lost March list yet. I think that Lost March shows incredible potential, but it seems extremely weak against aforementioned spread decks. [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] does not help it all that much. The first deck I’ll be talking about today is Granbull. I was expecting Granbull to be a useless bulk rare from the set, and I was so very wrong about that. Caleb Gedemer actually just posted an article on Granbull as well. I am very curious to see how popular Granbull ends up being. The second deck that I will talk about is White Kyurem. White Kyurem is another card that I wasn’t expecting to be so great. After exploring it some more, it feels almost like a different flavor of Granbull.
The Granbull List
[decklist name=”Granbull” amt=”50″ caption=”” cname=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x Granbull (Lost Thunder)4x Snubbull (Lost Thunder)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]3x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x Ditto Prism Star (Lost Thunder)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Apricorn Maker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Diantha” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Bodybuilding Dumbbells” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Recycle System” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x Lost Blender (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]7x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Generations” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This deck is hilarious on so many levels. It doesn’t play any draw Supporters! In case you are unaware, Granbull‘s attack, All Out, does 160 base damage if you have zero cards in hand. It only costs one Fairy Energy. Every card in this list is dedicated to thinning your hand down to zero every single turn while replacing whichever Pokemon gets Knocked Out. This list is able to accomplish this with incredible consistency. Even playing solitaire with an Active Granbull being KO’d every turn, I am usually able to stream at least six Granbull per game, all while replacing Snubbull and hitting for max damage every turn. Of course, sometimes [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] will be KO’d. Usually, this is actually better than Granbull getting KO’d since it is easier to recover from the occasional Magcargo KO than from continuous Granbull KO’s.
[cardimg name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
In my opinion, Granbull is the most ridiculous deck in the current format. It is a semi-bulky one Prize attacker that OHKOs nearly every Pokemon in the game, all while only using one Energy. It is favored in every matchup besides arguably decks with [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. If you see an opposing Ditto Prism Star, try to use Guzma to KO it with All Out or even with Snubbull‘s Make a Mess. Granbull’s primary weakness is clunky early-game hands. Sometimes you will open with two [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Diantha” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], and no [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]; and it makes you question life. Once you get rolling, the deck runs itself and is nearly unstoppable but there is a bit of a learning curve. The deck takes some practice and getting used to. There are lots of awkward decisions to be made. Nine times out of 10, if you whiff an All Out turn, it is your own fault. My list isn’t crazy by any means, but I do want to briefly touch on some of the more unique decisions.
Three Oranguru
[card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] is this deck’s only form of draw power, and you want two in play at all times. Running two is too low in case of one being in the Prizes. If your opponent catches you with only one Oranguru out, they can KO it and leave you stuck with no way to draw more cards. I actually prioritize the second Oranguru over the second [card name=”Slugma” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card], though sometimes that is because I have Ditto in play.
Two Diantha
[card name=”Diantha” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] is amazing for this deck after a Granbull gets KO’d. However, it is a massive liability whenever Granbull has not been KO’d. It is useless in the early game, and just has to be discarded. It is also a liability mid game if Magcargo gets targeted. While Diantha is great to have in specific scenarios, I would not run more than two due to it possibly being a dead card at crucial points in the game.
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Two Guzma
Much like Diantha, [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is phenomenal in specific scenarios, and completely dead in any other situation. For that reason, I would not play more than two. I originally had three Guzma in the list, but I found that it was too niche for such a high count. I actually considered running zero Guzma, but it is needed to take care things such as Grimer or Ditto that threaten to turn into [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. Guzma is also necessary to clean up KO’s on Pokemon that can tank an All Out, such as [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card].
Four Apricorn Maker
Running four [card name=”Apricorn Maker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is absolutely correct because it is useful at any stage in the game. Early game it will grab [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to facilitate your setup. Any time later on, you can use Apricorn Maker to search out [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] in order to thin your hand down for All Out. Not only does Ultra Ball find any Pokemon you want, but you may get a bonus Pokemon if you nab an extra [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] or Nest Ball with Apricorn Maker. This can be useful following a [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] play if you need to use Apricorn Maker to lower your hand size anyway.
Four Rescue Stretcher
[card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] is a great card to have at any point once your opponent has started taking KOs. Unlike Diantha, Stretcher isn’t a clunky Supporter and doesn’t rely on your opponent KOing a specific Pokemon. While you do have these in your opening hand from time to time, running four makes discarding them less painful. I would never go lower than four Stretcher in this deck. Basically, it is a burnable card that performs the vital function of recovering whatever Pokemon was just KO’d.
Two Mysterious Treasure, One Lost Blender
[cardimg name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I was actually playing with two [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] for the longest time, but the situations where that card is needed are so rare. If you need to pitch your entire hand, [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] is usually the preferred option. Most of the time, you only need to pitch one dead card, and that is why I play two [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]. Lost Blender is a worse fifth Ultra Ball, though sometimes it can be even stronger than Ultra Ball when combined with Magcargo’s Smooth Over. I’m pretty sure that Lost Blender is better than Fiery Flint, though the split of these three extra discarding cards is something that I am not quite settled on. I am not a fan of [card name=”PokéNav” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card].
One Energy Recycle System
In case you are wondering why this card is played in Granbull, it’s because it is essentially a better Fairy Energy. You can use it to put an Energy directly to hand if you are lacking an Energy for the turn, and it is a more burnable card than an Energy because you can use the shuffle effect if you’ve already attached for turn. It can also be thought of as a reserve Energy source in case you end up discarding too many Energy cards early on.
One Pal Pad
[card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] is a burnable card that offers a reserve source of [card name=”Diantha” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] (and Apricorn Maker if you need them). Sometimes you will open with the tech Supporters and have to discard them, and sometimes you simply want more than one or two uses of them in a given game. I was playing without Pal Pad for all of my previous iterations of this deck. I was blind but now I see. Pal Pad offers the perfect balance with the Supporter cards that are often so harmful to Granbull. One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes it is better to just pitch the Pal Pad instead of using it. You don’t always want the extra Supporter cards in your deck.
One Switch, One Escape Rope
I enjoy having two switching options because starting with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Slugma” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] can be a pain. There’s no particular reason for the 1/1 split, though I would like to have at least one of the switching cards be Escape Rope in order to have an easy out to [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]’s Moon’s Eclipse GX.
Two Shrine of Punishment
I sometimes entertain the thought of running only one [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] as a burnable card because sometimes the second one causes clunkiness issues. However, Shrine enables some extremely important math. I believe two is the correct balance considering both its importance in some matchups and its potential to be a clunky liability. With [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], Shrine enables Granbull to reach 200 damage, which is enough to KO [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and the new Alolan Ninetales-GX. It can also KO Zoroark-GX coming back into your turn, though they will often be able to bump it in time. Should Shrine of Punishment stick for a full turn, it enables an OHKO on nearly every Pokemon-GX that is played in the current meta.
Granbull’s Matchups
As I said earlier, Granbull is favored against everything popular besides [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] techs. Its matches are just a matter of having a decent opening hand and getting set up quickly. Since there are so many decks being discussed right now, I won’t bother trying to cover all of the possible matchups in-depth. I’ll share some general pointers that I have observed from my testing. Hopefully they will be helpful.
Zoroark-GX is the main culprit when it comes to teching Alolan Muk. If Muk hits the board early on, Granbull is basically doomed as its entire draw engine is turned off. Fortunately, Ditto only has 40 HP, so you can KO it as early as turn one with Snubbull if you’re lucky. The highest priority if you ever see Ditto or Grimer is to take it out ASAP. Aside from Muk, Zoroark is a fine matchup. While it is annoying that Granbull cannot OHKO Zoroark. Zoroark also cannot OHKO Granbull without using [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. Thanks to this fact, you can force them to play the first Stadium, and then pressure them with Shrine of Punishment. Another thing to note is that Zoroark cannot often heal and OHKO something on the same turn, which makes [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] more reasonable to deal with.
The [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX variant can take KO’s on Granbull easier than other variants, but they typically have less Shrine counters which works in Granbull’s favor. [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] can take a OHKO with Dangerous Rogue GX, but it is susceptible to a return KO because it only has 200 HP. Overall, Zoroark variants without Muk are favorable. Ones with Muk just come down to when (and if) Muk hits the board.
Granbull tends to have an edge against other one Prize attackers due to the ease with which it hits for 160. It can mow through endless Giratina and [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Bodybuilding Dumbbells” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] gives it even more of an advantage against other single Prize attackers by enabling Granbull to tank a solid hit. Oftentimes it is appropriate to retrieve Dumbbells with Diantha. Lost March is also slightly favorable because Snubbull can OHKO Natu and Hoppip as early as turn one. Even if your opponent is attacking with Natu mid game, Snubbull can OHKO it, allowing you to potentially whiff an All Out turn and still maintain your position in the Prize race.
The White Kyurem List
[decklist name=”WK” amt=”51″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x White Kyurem (Lost Thunder)2x Zebstrika (Lost Thunder)2x Blitzle (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Pheromosa” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Arceus Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Victini (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]7x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]5x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
White Kyurem requires a lot more Energy than Granbull, but without all the nonsense of having zero cards in hand if you want to deal damage. If you don’t know what [card name=”Arceus Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] does, I suggest clicking the link and reading it because this bad boy is ready to prove that he is indeed playable. [card name=”Pheromosa” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] provides the Grass-type needed for Arceus, though it has free Retreat as well which makes it a useful pivot for Switch or [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. Zebstrika gives the deck some draw power to help us find situation-specific cards such as Guzma, [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], or damage modifiers. It also provides the Lightning-type for Arceus.
[cardimg name=”Arceus Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”96″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
While the deck doesn’t completely rely on Arceus Prism Star to set up, using Trinity Star as early as possible is the main strategy here. White Kyurem is the main attacker whose stats are nearly identical with Granbull’s. White Kyurem has 130 HP and deals 160 base damage when it has a Fire Energy attached. Like Granbull, White Kyurem is a one Prize attacker that blows up anything in its path. Victini is a tech for Decidueye-GX, Lost March, and any other Pokemon that has a Weakness to Fire. It only takes two Energy for Victini to deal decent damage, which makes it better than White Kyurem in some situations, despite having a frail stat of 70 HP.
Overall, this deck is quite simple. The list is tailored towards pure consistency. Get White Kyurem powered up ASAP. Wishful Baton and [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] help with streaming attackers. It goes without saying that Wishful Baton is great against non-GX decks while [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is preferred against GX decks. You can afford to drop a turn or two of attacking in the absence of Baton so long as you are trading favorably against Pokemon-GX. The absence of Field Blower in non-GX decks allows White Kyurem to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Granbull, Lost March, and Giratina thanks to Wishful Baton.
White Kyurem’s Matchups
White Kyurem is favored against every GX deck that I can think of. Blacephalon-GX and [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] are laughably easy. All you have to do is take three KO’s. White Kyurem has an easier time KOing [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] than Granbull does due to the two copies of [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. Of course, [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] can help too. White Kyurem can also easily OHKO the likes of [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], and Alolan Ninetales-GX. As I mentioned earlier, Victini can take an easy OHKO on Decidueye-GX.
White Kyurem seems like it would go 50-50 against non-GX decks, but I actually have to give other non-GX decks a very slight edge. White Kyurem relies on a three-Energy attack, and it requires Wishful Baton to keep up with decks such as Granbull, Lost March, and Giratina. While these matchups are still extremely close and winnable, I believe that it is just a little easier for those decks to stream attackers. That said, White Kyurem is definitely favored against [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card] and other random Shrine decks.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, this meta seems to be relatively wide open. I felt like the previous format had been sufficiently solved in the weeks following Memphis, and it will be interesting to see what decks perform in Brazil and Roanoke. I firmly believe that the results of Brazil will have a huge impact on the meta for Roanoke Regionals. I still have no idea what to play. If I were to pick something right now, it would have to be Granbull. I am also considering Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX as a play, though I have yet to refine a list for it. If [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] starts to see a lot of play, which is doubtful, then I might be scared off of Granbull.
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