One Step Forward and Two Steps Back — Applying LAIC to VA Regionals

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onNov 20, 2018 at 8:48 PM · 0 Comments

I placed seventh at this season’s Latin American International Championship. I played the same 60 cards as the champion, Daniel Altavilla. I’m very proud of my group’s performance with a new [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] innovation developed only a few days before the event. The overall story of this event is unique, one spotted with control decks, Granbull, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], and of course, scandals.

Going into this event I expected lots of Alolan Ninetales-GX / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], with uncertain sprinklings of most other decks. I was right for the most part, but I erroneously discounted the popularity of Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX. It didn’t have any effect on my own tournament experience, but it could have had I chosen a different deck. It’s no surprise to me that it did so well and in such large numbers, as new decks like Alolan Ninetales-GX / Decidueye-GX and Granbull awarded it with some newfound great matchups.

I saw Zoroark-GX / Control as the perfect play for this event with so much left up in the air and great matchups against the decks that I knew I should expect. It was a surprise and definitely caught most people off guard, so playing a deck that did that for me granted another inherit advantage against many.

Day Two Statistics

  • 12 [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] @ 19%
  • 7 Alolan Ninetales-GX / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] @ 11%
  • 6 [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Control @ 9%
  • 5 [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] @ 8%
  • 5 Granbull @ 8%
  • 5 [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / Alolan Ninetales-GX and / or Lycanroc-GX @ 8%
  • 5 Blacephalon-GX @ 8%
  • 4 [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] @ 6%
  • 3 [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Alolan Ninetales-GX @ 5%
  • 2 [card name=”Passimian” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] / Tapu Koko @ 3%
  • 2 [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / Alolan Ninetales-GX @ 3%
  • 1 Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] @ 2%
  • 1 Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Glaceon-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] @ 2%
  • 1 Zoroark-GX / Decidueye-GX @ 2%
  • 1 Zoroark-GX / Buzzwole-GX @ 2%
  • 1 [card name=”Steelix” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] / Control @ 2%
  • 1 [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] / Genesect-GX / Control @ 2%
  • 1 Malamar / [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] @ 2%
  • 1 Lost March @ 2%

These numbers are a good indicator for gauging how many of a certain deck you might face in upcoming events, particularly Roanoke, Virginia Regionals this weekend. I would want to for sure be beating Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX; Alolan Ninetales / Decidueye-GX; and Zoroark-GX / Control, at a minimum, going into this event. More on this and some deck ideas to come!

Final Top 8 Results

  • 1st [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Control
  • 2nd Granbull
  • 3rd Alolan Ninetales-GX / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX
  • 4th Zoroark-GX / Decidueye-GX
  • 5th [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / Alolan Ninetales-GX
  • 6th Zoroark-GX / Control
  • 7th Blacephalon-GX
  • 8th Granbull

[cardimg name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Zoroark-GX / Control was the best play for this event and as such, it won. Granbull put up the next best results, followed only by Decidueye-GX variants. Blacephalon-GX played out its presence at the event as well, and Alolan Ninetales-GX joined the Buzzwole-GX squad for a Top 8 birth as well. A control deck of any kind always changes the metagame landscape for future events. As such, I would predict that nearly every deck this weekend will be built to give itself a fighting chance against the build. I know I will be operating under the same notion; I do not think it is wise to play something that loses to control after it did so well. Control decks are always popular in the masses and many players flock to them because they enjoy that style of a deck. Now just pick your counter, an [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] with Resource Management, or just a deck that can beat it outright.

Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX was the most played deck, I would reckon that most players played against at least one in the event. Many of the game’s best players used Granbull, so it finally came out of the closet as a top tier deck as I predicted in my article on the deck before the event. Others like myself used Zoroark-GX / Control, but I would consider that a one-time thing as I can’t see the deck being all too great moving forward with counters developing and people having an opportunity to test against it. Decidueye-GX has seen a resurgence and I would laud you to play [card name=”Machoke” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] in your deck if you’re using Ditto Prism Star already and are having trouble with Feather Arrow damage. That simple addition can swing a Decidueye-GX matchup in your favor.

Many decks feel mediocre like Buzzwole-GX, Malamar, and Rayquaza-GX. I don’t expect these decks to be played as much moving forward as they may have simply been used sort of in a testing pattern as many players have used them in the past and may have wanted to stick with the deck in an unknown format. Now, with many of the crazy decks out of the woodwork, I can’t see those low ceiling decks having continued success.

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

So Lost Thunder dropped, we got a bunch of new archetypes like Alolan Ninetales-GX decks and Granbull, but alas, Control is back. Control is frustrating to play against, and yes, I do sympathize with those that are paired with it even when I am playing the deck myself. It can be incredibly frustrating to have your very own strategy depleted with relative ease through a barrage of degenerate Item and Supporter cards. Control never seems to do well multiple tournaments in a row, so I expect that trend to hold true and the counter techs to arise once more for this event. I fully expect to play a deck that either beats control or a tech to counter it and I expect most top players to follow in that decision.

What Beats Control?

Going into the weekend there were few decks I was worried about, but there still were a couple.

  • Blacephalon-GX
    • This can be a difficult matchup if you can’t deny your opponent’s Energy to the point where a Blacephalon-GX is left with zero Energy on it, but it’s a terrible matchup if the Blacephalon-GX list is playing [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card].
      • Energy Switch can power a Blacephalon-GX up in one turn with Charging Up from Naganadel and then an attachment from the hand.
  • [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / Spread
    • These decks usually play multiple [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card] and an Onix.
      • Land Crush is enough to body [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and the free Retreat Cost pivot of Tapu Koko makes it easy to build a new Onix over and over following a Knock Out (the best hope in this matchup is to take Prizes by targeting Malamar).
  • [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]
    • This is just more of a tech, but with Oranguru in other decks they can get resources back and alleviate some of the damage done by your disruption cards.
      • Once your opponent starts getting resources back your hand becomes a little forced and you might have to take a Knock Out on the Oranguru to stop it.

An Updated Control List

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Slugma” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”23″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Ditto Prism Star (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Unown (Lost Thunder)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Professor Elm’s Lecture (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ 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=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”5″]3x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

A Handy Inclusion

Unown “Hand” is really good in this deck, as well as other control decks. I didn’t realize this until about halfway through LAIC, but I immediately wanted the card in the list. Sometimes people will draw and pass against control decks, but you can punish that with this nifty Ability. Many decks aren’t even playing [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] anymore, so putting your hand down to a lower size is usually a thing of the past. Since Oranguru can so easily recycle cards and Trade draws you them right back, in no time at all you can hit the 35 or more mark and declare yourself the winner if Unown is your Active Pokemon. I see this inclusion improving the deck, as would a [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. To make room for both of these I think cut [card name=”Sableye” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] from the original list.

[premium]

Clowns for Roanoke

My first pick for Virginia Regionals right now might be an obvious one: Blacephalon-GX with [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s good because many people will flock to Zoroark-GX / Control or just control decks in general, which Blacephalon-GX formerly had a poor matchup against, but with Energy Switch you can turn the tables in your favor. No longer can a control deck remove all Energy from a Blacephalon-GX and strand it, it can now just be powered up in one turn with an Energy Switch from a Naganadel. With two in your deck you should easily win against control with Turning Point and Burst GX as other options.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x Blacephalon-GX (Lost Thunder)3x Naganadel (Lost Thunder)3x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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]1x Ditto Prism Star (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sophocles” set=”Shining Legends” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lisia” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Heat Factory Prism Star (Lost Thunder)[/trainers][energy amt=”16″]15x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”15″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I added Ditto Prism Star and [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] to my list to help out against non-GX decks, specifically Granbull. Turning off opponent’s [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] is lethal, and you can play [card name=”Machoke” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] to help out against [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] decks as well which have risen in popularity by a significant margin. This deck is fairly consistent and has a high power ceiling. If I were to play it I would really only be afraid of playing against non-GX decks that can one-shot you where Alolan Muk doesn’t do much, like [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], for example.

  • Strengths
    • [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] access, something your opponent has to play around
    • Deck list flexibility with lots of space for techs
    • Great non-GX attacker
  • Weaknesses
    • Can brick with so many Energy in the deck to make it work
    • Hard to beat [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] decks
    • Linear with little comeback potential

It’s ZoroRoc Time Again

My second pick right now is [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] with an Oranguru and techs to beat the expected metagame. Since we now know that Blacephalon-GX has a place in the format as does [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], still, the [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] package needs to be buffed to three apiece and from there with an Oranguru and two [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] you should find yourself with a rock solid deck. The tech inclusion of Naganadel makes [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] easier to pull off and gives you an amazingly strong counter to [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”name”][/card] decks.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Naganadel (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Ditto Prism Star (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Professor Elm’s Lecture (Lost Thunder)3x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ 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=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This deck is also very consistent and had a great showing in Brazil. It’s a deck that doesn’t post super dominant matchups so I would never expect it to be heavily countered. When this deck has a metagame that it can easily counter it becomes one of the best plays you can make. Obviously, Professor Elm’s Lecture boosted the consistency of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks again and made them stronger contenders going forward.

  • Strengths
    • Consistent once you set up with Trade
    • Easily teched to beat the metagame now that it’s defined
    • Punishing early with Bloodthirsty Eyes
  • Weaknesses
    • If you don’t set up you can get blown out
    • [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] takes two Energy to attack
    • [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is needed to beat control decks

Summing Up Virginia

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

For this event you want to be playing a deck that can beat control decks, first and foremost, and from there you want to look to beat Blacephalon-GX and [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] . Then you move to Alolan Ninetales-GX / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks. The least popular deck, one that I think you can afford to take a loss to in this tournament, is [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] . Malamar pairs poorly against nearly every deck in the format right now with the exception of Blacephalon-GX and Buzzwole-GX, although both of those can still beat it. Malamar is just a very underwhelming deck that consistently does what it wants to in this format but lacks an array of ways to outplay opponent’s and get crafty. What it lacks other decks supply and then some, making it an extremely linear play that’s not even well positioned.

This format is still very wide open and Virginia will likely set the tone for Standard format events to come. Will Control come back again and dominate? If Control does well again I could see [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] getting banned to curb its dominance. If not, we could see Control pop up again in the future. For now I think it will be played, similarly to [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in Memphis in October, and while it probably won’t win, you’ll still want to be prepared for it. This is the most powerful control variant that the Standard format has seen for a while so I would not be looking to take a loss to it.

I will be trying to avoid playing the deck myself, but if I did I would likely play the Unown that I talked about to add another dimension to the deck that can be hard to counter. Blacephalon-GX with [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] seems clear to me as the best default choice, especially as a way to just snag some Championship Points. Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX offers a bit more flexibility to offer you a more controllable path to day two, and lastly, Lost March, another option I like, seems like a boom or bust candidate. Speaking of Lost March…

A Shot in the Dark

Lost March took a single spot in the day two of LAIC, but I don’t think it was very widely played. In fact, I didn’t face a single one, so I can’t imagine many people were playing it. Anyways, Lost March is a decent contender to beat [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Control and still retain decent matchups against the rest of the field. It’s diversification of Energy makes it so that it can attack on consecutive turns frequently as it can be hard to deal with both Basic and Special Energy.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Wishiwashi” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”44″][pokemon amt=”23″]4x Jumpluff (Lost Thunder)4x Skiploom (Lost Thunder)4x Hoppip (Lost Thunder)4x Trumbeak (Lost Thunder)3x Natu (Lost Thunder)3x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Wishiwashi” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x Lost Blender (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Net Ball (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”91″ 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] 

[card name=”Wishiwashi” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] should be in every Lost March list, giving you a way to pick a Pokemon up, have it in your hand, and then Lost Blender it away. If you’re familiar with [card name=”Weavile” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lopunny” set=”Flashfire” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] from long ago, the concept was similar so that you can Bench a Pokemon before having to discard it or something and still have a way to execute your strategy, in this case, putting more Pokemon in the Lost Zone. Lost March is said to be inconsistent and not hit for the numbers it needs to, but I’ve never had that sort of problem with this list. I think it is fully optimized and this is another choice I’m musing for this event. This deck takes good matchups against Blacephalon-GX, [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], and other non-GX matchups, but can lose to [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re looking to take a risk, this could be your play.

  • Strengths
    • Dominant once you get enough Pokemon in the Lost Zone
    • Punishes Pokemon-GX decks (spare Decidueye-GX)
    • Solid matchup against control
  • Weaknesses
    • Decidueye-GX is a problem
    • Prize-trading can be linear, without much maneuverability to make comebacks (your Pokemon have such low HP that you just take a Knock Out with each and have to replicate the same things each turn without error or face a potential loss)
    • Without enough Pokemon in the Lost Zone you can’t do much

Conclusion

My fallback deck is [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Control as it should be, I just did very well with it. Unanimously, the best deck in the format is now Zoroark-GX / Control. This is the deck to beat, if only for a week. Before we know it we will be moving on from this Standard format already, but for now the goal is to counter control and still maintain good matchups. I’ve given you some great lists and delved into what makes them strong. Right now at this very moment I would be playing Blacephalon-GX with [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. That could change, I’ll have to see what happens. I’m also a fan of Rukan’s “Brokan Deck”, ugh, there are so many options — stick to the plan, beat Control — I need to pick one! Maybe I’ll get lucky and break the format with my friends a few nights before again…

Good luck, thank you for reading. Feel free to ask any questions you have about anything in this article on the Subscribers’ Hideout, especially if you need something elaborated upon.

Peace,

Caleb

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