The Lion Kings — A Complete Guide to Solgaleo-GX / Alolan Ninetales-GX
EDITOR’s NOTE: The first deck list has been moved to before the free preview ends at the request of Stéphane.
It’s almost there. At the time I’m writing this article, the Latin America International Championship is only three days away; and by the time you’ll be reading it, it will be even less. Although we won’t have a perfect idea of the metagame until this weekend, we’re starting to get glimpses of it through articles, videos, streams, and results of non-official tournaments. Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel is seen as a major threat, but because the deck is expensive and cards are not as easy to get in Brazil compared to some other countries, it might be underrepresented. Decks like [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card], much more accessible, should be major parts of the metagame. [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is slowly getting back the respect that it earned last season, Lost March is in a perpetually shifting state of hype and counter-hype, [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / Alolan Ninetales-GX is a weird outsider that might have what it takes to take the whole tournament, and some decks like White Kyurem are slipping under the radar.
The deck I want to talk about today is one of those — a deck that’s so stealthy that I think I’m the only one to have talked about it already. Yet, this deck had success in Japan, can hold its own against some of the most hyped decks in the format, and has excellent matchups against many tier two and rogue decks. That deck is Solgaleo-GX / Alolan Ninetales-GX, and it’s one of my top three picks for Brazil.
This article will be my guide to the deck. You’ll find explanations on the deck’s strengths, two lists — a simple and safe one, and a more teched-out and experimental one — and commentary on matchups.
Note: Solgaleo / Ninetales uses two main attackers, both called Solgaleo-GX. In this article, the original [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] with Ultra Road will be called SUM Solgaleo, while the recent Solgaleo-GX with Shining Mane will be called Promo Solgaleo.
Presentation
A Prologue
Big Basic Pokemon dominated the Pokemon TCG from the release of Pokemon-EX in 2012 to Guardians Rising in 2017. That’s five years during which a central mechanic of the game, Evolution, was secondary at best. There were a few exceptions, but, in this period, Evolution Pokemon were mostly relegated to a support role for Basic Pokemon, or absent altogether from the better decks of the format. This changed as Pokemon entered its seventh generation, the Sun & Moon era.
[cardimg name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Mechanically, Pokemon-EX were replaced by Pokemon-GX, which could be Evolutions. That meant that, for once, the big, ultra-rare, visually impressive cards of each set weren’t only Basic Pokemon, and designers were free to create powerful Evolutions as well. To give only one example, [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] won Worlds in 2017, the first time a Stage 2 Pokemon that actually played its Stage 2 as an Evolution did so since 2011.
This is only speculation, but I believe one reason for this shift is that Solgaleo and Lunala, the star legendary Pokemon of Sun & Moon, are Stage 2 Pokemon, unlike every Legendary Pokemon until now. Since Black & White, Pokemon Card Laboratory have taken special care to feature each game’s box Legendary on powerful — or at least cool-looking — cards. It would have been inconceivable that Solgaleo and Lunala appeared as forgettable, unplayable Stage 2s. Sure, we could have got Basic Solgaleo-EX and Lunala-EX, but this would have erased part of what makes them unique, namely their shared Evolution line. Whether I’m right or not, the fact is that Evolution Pokemon took the game back by storm, and Solgaleo-GX and [card name=”Lunala-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] (the first Pokemon-GX to be revealed back at Worlds 2016) were a great advertisement for the game and its new direction.
Great-looking cards, sure, but actually not very successful competitively. Although SUM Solgaleo-GX had an amazing Ability, amazing damage output, and a unique and powerful GX attack, it only saw minor success for the longest time. Even after the eventual release of Promo Solgaleo-GX, the deck could still fall victim to the usual issues with Stage 2 decks: reliance on [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card], consistency issues, and so on.
Enter Alolan Ninetales-GX. As I have already explained, Ninetales is the perfect partner to Stage 2 Pokemon as it can find a precious Rare Candy as early as turn two. In fact, since Professor Elm’s Lecture can find both [card name=”Cosmog” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], you can fill your Bench on turn one and, thanks to Ninetales getting you two Rare Candies, evolve into both Solgaleo-GX on turn two. For a long time, Solgaleo-GX required luck to get a good setup. But now, thanks to the consistency boost afforded by Ninetales and Elm, you can reasonably expect to face two 250 HP behemoths on turn two. Suddenly, it’s no longer a joke.
Solgaleo’s Synergy with Solgaleo
In order to understand the power of this deck, it is important to understand the amazing synergy between the two Solgaleo. Sure, SUM Solgaleo attacks by discarding Energy and Promo Solgaleo can attach the Energy back with Turbo Strike, but the synergy goes much deeper.
SUM Solgaleo can deal 230 damage for only three Energy at the cost of discarding them. This makes it a wonderful attacker against most Pokemon-GX since they’ll give up two Prizes and have a hard time KOing it in response. However, non-GX Pokemon are not that bothered because discarding three Energy to take one Prize is not efficient against them — plus, several of them can threaten to 2HKO Solgaleo back.
Promo Solgaleo, however, is amazing against non-GX Pokemon. It deals 120 damage with only one [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], and with [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] this can rise up to 130 damage, enough to KO some of the game’s most bothersome non-GX attackers. Against a non-GX deck, you can easily switch between two Promo Solgaleo-GX, using Max Potion to heal and Turbo Strike to attach the discarded Energy back. Plus, if the opponent tries to spread damage, either as a dedicated strategy with [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] or just as residual damage from [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], you have the ultimate answer in Prominence GX.
Finally, both Ultra Road and Shining Mane answer some of the strategies that could be used against bulky, Stage 2 decks. Ultra Road means you can switch freely between your Pokemon and never find yourself with an unwanted Active Pokemon, even after you discard Energy. It also means that your opponent can’t use [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to stall by bringing up a heavy Pokemon in the Active spot. Shining Mane removes Weakness. Without it, the deck would have a glaring weakness to Fire-type decks, but Shining Mane removes this potential flaw.
I should also mention that Ultra Road and Turbo Strike combined mean that you laugh at stall decks’ attempts to stall you out of Energy. It’s not much, but one of the best parts of Solgaleo / Ninetales is that it has answers to many unexpected situations.
Playing the Deck
In most matchups, both Solgaleo are useful and you want to set up both at some point in the game. Promo Solgaleo provides Energy retrieval so it’s hard to do without, and the deck doesn’t run [card name=”Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] so it relies on Ultra Road for mobility. However, you’ll often have to prioritize one over the other, and choosing the right Evolution is crucial. The deck also has three options for its GX attack and using the right one is imperative in order to be successful with the deck.
Against non-GX decks, especially if they run Shrine of Punishment, Promo Solgaleo should be the priority. You want to take KOs with Turbo Strike and may not use Sunsteel Strike even once in the game. Even if you have the option to use Sol Burst GX early on, you should not take it unless you have a dead hand offering you no further possibilities — if you can just wait for a Double Colorless Energy, you’ll start taking KOs. Prominence GX is amazing in these kind of matchups because you can switch around between two or three attackers and then heal them completely, ruining several turns of effort by your opponent.
[cardimg name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
In most other situations, SUM Solgaleo and Sol Burst GX should be the focus. After this attack, you can end up with six Energy cards in play — for example, three basic Metal Energy on SUM Solgaleo, a Double Colorless Energy on Promo Solgaleo, and two Energy on a Cosmog for later. Or you can attach to Ninetales instead if Snowy Wind seems like a good option.
Note that sometimes, against a GX-based deck, you’ll have the option to use Sol Burst GX or Turbo Strike on turn two. For example, you’re facing a Zoroark-GX deck: should you set up your Energy or take the KO on [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] with Turbo Strike? The answer depends on the exact situation, of course — if you can remove your opponent’s only Zorua from play, it’s probably the best play. However, as a rule of thumb, it’s better to Turbo Strike if you have two Energy in the discard to attach to SUM Solgaleo in order to threaten Sunsteel Strike on turn three; otherwise, Sol Burst GX is the better option.
Your third GX attack is Sublimation GX. It’s the most situational of the three, but can prove useful against Ultra Beasts such as [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and Blacephalon-GX.
Finally, a word on your first turn. Your ideal turn one includes a Professor Elm’s Lecture. If you’re going second, you should end your turn with two Cosmog and two Alolan Vulpix in play, with one of the latter in the Active to use Beacon, getting whatever you need. If you can’t retreat to Alolan Vulpix to use Beacon, it’s better to have three Cosmog and an Alolan Vulpix, though; it’s less likely that your opponent will be able to Guzma and KO your only Alolan Vulpix. If you’re going first, then you only need one Alolan Vulpix in play, unless your opponent can KO it (for example, if it’s a [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] deck).
On your second turn, you’ll often want to use Alolan Ninetales-GX, but it’s sometimes better to wait. As a rule of thumb, try to use your first Mysterious Guidance to get a Stage 2 Pokemon into play — otherwise, you’re not getting enough use out of the Ability.
The List
[decklist name=”Solgaleo Ninetales” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″][pokemon amt=”18″]2x [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Solgaleo-GX (PRSM #104)1x [card name=”Cosmoem” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Cosmog” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x Alolan Ninetales-GX (Lost Thunder)3x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Dialga (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]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 Professor Elm’s Lecture (Lost Thunder)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]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]7x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist][premium]
Two Solgaleo Promo, Two Solgaleo from Sun & Moon, One Cosmoem, Four Cosmog
This line is ideal. Any other split of Solgaleo would be incorrect, as you often need both in a game and only playing one of any Solgaleo-GX would mean taking a risk that it’s prized.
A second [card name=”Cosmoem” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] would be nice to have, but one is generally enough since it’s only used to slowly build up a second or third Solgaleo when you don’t have [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card].
3-2 Alolan Ninetales-GX
I like playing a third [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] since it’s the deck’s best starter, but it’s possible to cut one. Two Alolan Ninetales-GX are necessary however since, again, it’s a crucial part of the puzzle and you don’t want to prize it.
One Dialga
Dialga plays the role of a non-GX attacker. Turn Back Time is a unique attack that’s useful in a metagame where 60 HP Pokemon are popular again thanks to Elm. You can use it to get rid of a Pokemon like [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] or even a Solgaleo-GX in the mirror. Sure, you’ll only take one Prize instead of two, but it’s less costly than Sunsteel Strike; your only other option to remove a big Pokemon-GX; and, sometimes, getting rid of a threat is more important than the Prizes you’re taking from it. It’s also your easiest way to deal with [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card].
One Dhelmise
A situational Pokemon that’s used to increase Turbo Strike’s damage to 130, allowing Promo Solgaleo to deal with Buzzwole, Naganadel, [card name=”Shining Lugia” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM82″ c=”name”][/card], etc. It also allows Turn Back Time to deal 70 damage, so you can KO a Pokemon evolved from a 70 HP Basic. Dhelmise is useless in many matchups, but irreplaceable in a few.
Four Cynthia, Four Lillie, Three Professor Elm’s Lecture, Two Tapu Lele-GX
Compared to versions of the deck that I’ve talked about in previous weeks, I’ve chosen to play more consistency Supporters at the expense of some tech cards. The deck can still have awkward hands, so I’ve found that maxing out on the two main draw Supporters of the format is the best solution.
As for Professor Elm’s Lecture, it’s a bit awkward to play three since they become useless later on, but starting the game with Elm followed by a draw Supporter is powerful, and these counts give good odds to have these kinds of opening turns.
Four Ultra Ball, One Timer Ball
I don’t need to explain [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], but I want to talk a little about [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s a fifth out to finding key Evolutions like Alolan Ninetales-GX, but it’s also a target for Ninetales’ Mysterious Guidance when you don’t want to discard cards from your hand. Sure, there’s a one-in-four chance to fail, which is definitely not negligible. That said, sometimes you do need to take that risk, and if it pays off it can allow you to get your Solgaleo in play one turn earlier. That’s a significant speed boost!
Three Rare Candy
It might seem weird to only play three Rare Candy, but you actually find them reliably thanks to Ninetales. Since they can be dead cards later on, it’s nice to cut one from the list.
Two Max Potion
[cardimg name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is amazing in this deck and I would love to play a third. There are several uses for it: after SUM [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] uses Sunsteel Strike, if your opponent attacks it, you can simply heal it for free since it doesn’t have Energy attached. If you’re attacking with Promo Solgaleo, you can heal it with Max Potion, then attach another Double Colorless Energy and keep using Turbo Strike. Basically, since your Pokemon are so tanky, your opponent will need to 2HKO them and Max Potion can therefore negate their entire turn.
One Energy Loto, One Multi Switch, Two Mt. Coronet
It’s not natural to spend so much slots to manipulate Energy in a deck that already has reliable Energy acceleration thanks to Turbo Strike, but these cards all play a role in the deck.
[card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] is a situational card for sure, but it allows you to find an Energy card with Ninetales’ Ability. It can even find you a Double Colorless Energy for Turbo Strike.
Between Sol Burst GX and Turbo Strike, it’s frequent to have Energy attached somewhere useless — on [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or Alolan Ninetales-GX, for example. [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to recycle that Energy. It has two specific uses: it makes SUM Solgaleo take one less turn to manually recharge, and it allows you to attack with a Dialga you just put on the Bench.
These two cards are for sure some of the most situational cards in the deck and may not be needed, but every time I think about cutting one I find myself playing a game where it saves me.
As for [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], it is, above everything, a Stadium that’s used to counter opposing Stadiums like [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], Heat Factory Prism Star, and so on. Of course, it’s also useful to get Energy back from the discard, especially in the late game, and you can use it to essentially get a free Ultra Ball by discarding two Metal Energy and getting them back. However, it’s mostly there because there isn’t any amazing Stadium to run in the deck.
One Rescue Stretcher
Obviously, it’s good to have some form of Pokemon retrieval, but an underrated aspect of [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] is that it’s a Mysterious Guidance target that you can use to get Solgaleo, even in the early game. For example, you may have a turn one where you play an Ultra Ball to get Tapu Lele-GX and Professor Elm’s Lecture, discarding an Energy and a Solgaleo-GX. On turn two, you play [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] and find yourself with an Alolan Ninetales-GX, an Energy, and some dead cards. With Mysterious Guidance, you want to find Rare Candy and Solgaleo-GX, but which Item to get? Timer Ball has risk involved, and Ultra Ball would require you to discard cards that you could need next turn. Rescue Stretcher is the ideal Item in this situation: no risk involved and no discard needed.
Seven Metal Energy, Four Double Colorless Energy, Two Fairy Energy
I chose to max out on Double Colorless Energy because Turbo Strike is an amazing attack and you often want to use it early. Plus, you can always attach it to SUM Solgaleo-GX since Sunsteel Strike has a Colorless requirement.
That’s also why we play two Fairy Energy: in the matchups where we want to attack with Ninetales, we need more than one in order to increase the odds to find one.
Other Options
While I think the above list is solid, obviously there are other options that I’ve tried out that didn’t make the final cut. I still submit them to you, both to explain why I didn’t keep the cards in the list and to give you ideas when you’re changing cards:
Solgaleo Prism Star
Although [card name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] is a great Pokemon in a vacuum, I never found a good use for it in this deck. Radiant Star is generally worse than Turbo Strike and it’s rare to have enough Energy to use Corona Impact. In addition, space on the Bench is limited, so you can’t afford to play down a Pokemon that you’re not actively using.
Choice Band
[cardimg name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I originally played one [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] but never needed it much. Sunsteel Strike’s 230 damage doesn’t need a boost, and Turbo Strike can be boosted to 150 damage against Pokemon-GX (160 with Dhelmise) but this has very little impact. Its main use would be to KO [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card], but [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] lists seem to be moving away from Marshadow-GX so it’s not as relevant.
Professor Kukui
Like Choice Band, it’s a damage boost that doesn’t do that much for the deck. Sure, it could be used in combination with Choice Band to allow Turbo Strike to reach 170 or 180 damage. However, that’s not a realistic scenario. When you’re not playing [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], you often need to play a better draw Supporter, and you can rarely afford to use [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. Also, unlike [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks or Buzzwole / Shrine decks which both use Kukui and Choice Band to boost their damage, you have another main attacker that can already deal 180 damage or more, so you don’t have to rely on damage modifiers.
Nest Ball
Thanks to Elm, there’s no need to rely on a [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] engine anymore. That said, one Nest Ball could be a small boost to consistency, as well as another Mysterious Guidance target. In its current form, there’s no way to easily search out Dhelmise or Dialga in the deck apart from Ultra Ball and Beacon. Nest Ball would provide an easy way to find these Pokemon. As with many consistency cards, it wasn’t cut from the list because it was useless, but mostly because I had to cut a card somewhere. Nest Ball was not as necessary as other cards, and the deck still ran fine without it.
Mysterious Treasure
A similar card to Nest Ball. [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] can’t find Dialga or Alolan Vulpix, but can get Cosmoem and, more importantly, Tapu Lele-GX on the first turn, giving the deck one more Elm out. It was cut from the deck for similar reasons as Nest Ball.
Lysandre Labs
Since the deck needs a Stadium, [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] could be an option over Mt. Coronet. It’s not a reliable card though: most Pokemon Tools have an effect on the player’s turn. For example, in theory, Lysandre Labs could prevent Lycanroc-GX from OHKOing a Solgaleo-GX with Kukui or [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and Choice Band when we only have four Pokemon on the Bench. In practice, though, most of the time the Labs will get removed by [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] without having had an effect. It could be useful against decks that don’t run their own Stadium, but I think we’ll see few such decks.
However, Lysandre Labs can shut down Spell Tag when we’re taking a KO on a Pokemon equipped with it. If Malamar decks get popular, it could be an interesting addition, especially since Malamar is one of these few aforementioned decks to generally not run a Stadium.
Field Blower
Similarly to Lysandre Labs, [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] can prevent the use of Tools. It’s not a Stadium and will have a more definitive effect on something like Choice Band by removing it entirely. In addition, you can search it out with Mysterious Guidance if needed; I only expect that to happen if you use two Ninetales in one game, though, as it’s unlikely that you’ll want Field Blower when you’re still setting up your board.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Field Blower earned its spot in the deck later on. For now, I’ve chosen to exclude it because it’s a reactive card and, since the metagame is ill-defined, I prefer to focus on accomplishing the deck’s own strategy rather than countering others.
Sudowoodo
Another tech card that could be used against various decks, mainly Zoroark-GX and Malamar. The issue with [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is that Solgaleo’s own Bench space is precious, so it’s harder to use. It also suffers from the same issue as Dhelmise and Dialga in that you don’t have any way other than Ultra Ball and Beacon to find it.
Swampert
[cardimg name=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The last card I want to mention is [card name=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card], and I feel like it deserves a bit more attention.
We first saw a 1-0-1 line of Swampert being played in Shintaro Ito’s [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / Alolan Ninetales-GX deck at Champions League Tokyo. Decidueye / Ninetales lists pre-Lost Thunder also made use of this Pokemon: it’s Ability is Trade, but better, which is already saying a lot. It makes sense to include it in Solgaleo / Ninetales for the same reasons as in Decidueye / Ninetales: you can find [card name=”Mudkip” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] with Elm, you can evolve into Swampert early thanks to Alolan Ninetales-GX, and consistent draw power is a great asset. You can also discard unneeded cards like leftover Elms.
What’s more, Swampert is a fifth Stage 2 Pokemon, so it’s more realistic to use [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck. You can use this amazing Energy card to power up Sunsteel Strike in one turn, leading to a surprise 230 damage — a terrifying combination of words. You can also use Super Boost Energy Prism Star on Swampert itself to deal 160 damage with Hydro Pump! It falls short of some key numbers, unlike in Decidueye / Ninetales where Feather Arrow makes up for the difference, but is still amazing against non-GX Pokemon and Water-weak Pokemon. Finally, note that you can grab the Super Boost Energy with Sol Burst GX. It’s a risky move if your opponent can KO the Pokemon carrying it or simply remove it with [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], and it’s generally not needed since you probably don’t have three Stage 2 Pokemon in play on the turn you use Sol Burst GX; but it is an option!
Since there are so many benefits to playing Swampert, and since it makes the deck look undeniably much cooler, I decided to include it and ended up with this list:
[decklist name=”Solgaleo Ninetales 2″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″][pokemon amt=”19″]2x [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Solgaleo-GX (PRSM #104)1x [card name=”Cosmoem” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Cosmog” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x Alolan Ninetales-GX (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mudkip” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Dialga (Lost Thunder)1x [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x Professor Elm’s Lecture (Lost Thunder)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=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]6x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
In addition to Swampert and Super Boost Energy, it’s necessary to add a fourth [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. I also chose to add Choice Band because it allows Swampert to reach 190 damage with the Super Boost Energy. Also, with Double Colorless Energy plus Metal Energy plus Choice Band, Swampert can OHKO Blacephalon-GX.
I had to make some sacrifices, including consistency cards like a Vulpix and [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], and cool options like [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. I chose to keep three copies of Elm though, because the deck needs to set up Basic Pokemon early to evolve as soon as possible. In addition, Swampert can discard Elm later in the game so it’s not as much of a liability.
I haven’t done enough testing to have a definitive opinion on this list, but I think it has a lot of potential. The amount of cards you can draw with Swampert is amazing, especially in a format with limited hand disruption. The only downside is that you often can’t afford to play Swampert too early as setting up one Solgaleo, and sometimes two, takes priority.
Matchups
As always, I don’t like summarizing a matchup by a number. Instead, I’ll try to explain how to play the matchup and what to watch out for.
As a disclaimer, I unfortunately couldn’t get enough experience playing Solgaleo / Ninetales against some important matchups, so some conclusions will be based on a limited sample of games.
Malamar
[cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This matchup feels even or better. The only card that threatens Solgaleo-GX is a five-Energy Prismatic Burst from [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], or four Energy with Marshadow-GX, or if there’s damage on the field from Distorsion Door or Spell Tag. [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] lists tend to shy away from Necrozma-GX as a main attacker, and Giratina or Shrine versions of the deck are not as dangerous. That said, these lists still play one copy of Necrozma-GX, so you need to be prepared. If your opponent is charging up a Necrozma-GX, ideally you want to you use Sol Burst GX to prepare another SUM Solgaleo-GX so that you can retaliate. They will have a hard time getting their own revenge KO.
As long as there’s no Necrozma-GX or Marshadow-GX on the board, you want to focus on removing Malamar from the board with Turbo Strike.
Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel
What makes this matchup annoying is that, since it’s a GX-based deck, you want to use SUM Solgaleo-GX as an attacker; but, because of Blacephalon’s Fire type, you need a Promo Solgaleo-GX in play at all times. Fortunately, Ninetales’ Sublimation GX is a great attack in this matchup.
You need to focus on Promo Solgaleo-GX and use Turbo Strike to 2HKO a Blacephalon while charging up Ninetales — it’s not easy for Blacephalon-GX to have five Energy in play on turn two unless they play [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], so you’ll probably survive. Sublimation GX is a follow-up attack and you can end the game with Sunsteel Strike.
If you play Swampert, it’s a great attacker in this matchup as well if you can get Super Boost Energy or Choice Band on it.
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX
This matchup has been unfavorable in my testing. The issue is that [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] has several ways to OHKO even a 250 HP Pokemon between Dangerous Rogue GX and [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]’s Evil Admonition. Sure, you can try to bench less Pokemon in order to limit their damage, but that’s not always possible — you need a Solgaleo of each type, a Ninetales, and often a Tapu Lele-GX. What’s more, Zoroark / Lycanroc can put a lot of pressure on your Benched Pokemon. If you only play one [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], they can target it easily with Riotous Beating and Bloodthirsty Eyes, but if you play more at the expense of playing more [card name=”Cosmog” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], they will KO a Cosmog instead to prevent you from evolving into multiple Solgaleo.
Against other versions of Zoroark-GX, the matchup is better, though. Zoroark-GX control decks, especially, can’t do anything since their strategy of Energy denial doesn’t work well.
Lost March
This matchup is favorable for Solgaleo / Ninetales. It’s hard for Lost March to reach 250 damage; they can do it at the very end of the game, but you should be far ahead at this point. The goal is to take a KO every turn with Turbo Strike and heal whenever possible. Alolan Ninetales-GX can be used in this matchup because Snowy Wind is the perfect attack against their Pokemon: you can KO two Jumpluff in two turns while using the snipe damage to KO a Natu on the Bench, taking three Prizes over two turns. Beware though, you need to do this early, since Lost March’s damage will eventually reach 200 and you don’t want your Ninetales to get OHKO’d.
Decidueye-GX / Alolan Ninetales-GX
This is almost an auto-win. Spread strategies can’t do much against 250 HP Pokemon backed by [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and Prominence GX, both Ninetales are weak to Metal so they can be KO’d by Turbo Strike, and SUM Solgaleo can even OHKO Decidueye-GX if [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] is in play.
Shrine Decks
[cardimg name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This category includes Buzzwole / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], Granbull, White Kyurem and [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card]. All of those are, to various extents, favorable matchups.
White Kyurem and Granbull are both weak to Metal and can’t reach 250 damage. You can focus on Promo Solgaleo in these matchups, switching between them and using Max Potion and Prominence GX to heal. Against Granbull, you want to KO [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] when you can to make it harder for the opponent to lower their hand down to zero. [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] can threaten a KO with Weavile but otherwise falls against the same tactics. You will need Dhelmise in this matchup to OHKO Buzzwole with Turbo Strike.
As for Alolan Exeggutor, it’s the most dangerous of these decks since it has 160 HP. You can still use Turbo Strike to KO Pokemon on the Bench like [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lurantis” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM25″ c=”name”][/card]. If there’s no Lurantis, Exeggutor only deals 120 damage to a non-GX Pokemon, so you can use Dialga to great effect. Turn Back Time gives them back Alolan Exeggutor and only puts Exeggcute in the discard, but you still take a Prize, and this matchup is basically a Prize race anyway.
Buzzwole / Lycanroc-GX
I don’t have enough experience playing this matchup. On paper, you need to watch out for your opponent’s GX attack, whether it’s Dangerous Rogue GX or Absorption GX. Outside of this, their only way to OHKO Solgaleo-GX is Knuckle Impact with [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], Choice Band, [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s unlikely they get all these cards together unless they’re playing Magcargo, and you can prevent the combination entirely by Knocking Out Diancie Prism Star.
In this matchup, Sublimation GX is the most effective GX attack, so you want to power up your attackers with Turbo Strike and not Sol Burst GX.
Sylveon-GX
I don’t expect this deck to be played much, at least not until the metagame gets figured out and somebody decides it’s a good meta call. That said, Solgaleo / Ninetales destroys [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Energy denial doesn’t work, Guzma stall doesn’t work, Turbo Strike is an OHKO because of Weakness… Just keep a Rare Candy in hand for when they use Plea GX and you won’t lose.
Signing Out
That’s all from me this week! Hopefully this guide will bring some of you to try the deck. If you’re attending LAIC this weekend, feel free to come and say hi! If you’re not, I hope you’ll be watching it on stream. It will surely be an exciting event full of new decks and strategies, and the results will surely be influential for the next Regional Championship in Roanoke… but that’s a topic for next week.
Until then, best of luck in your games!
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