Time Zones — Forging a Metal Rogue
Hey guys, Rukan here with yet another Lost Thunder article. The set introduced many new archetypes or provided partners for old ones. But with a set this big, it seems some cards still get lost in the shuffle. Since I prefer to play decks that slip under the radar whenever possible, I commit quite a bit of time exploring underused cards from each set. This article discusses one of these discoveries: Baby Dialga. Unfortunately, I rarely find meta breaking Tier 1 archetypes. And while Dialga did perform better than the vast majority of cards I test, I don’t think it is better than a high rolling Tier 2 archetype. So, rather than save the final deck list behind the paywall, let’s Turn Back Time and introduce the list first. Instead, this article concludes with yet another meta snapshot for the LAIC and Roanoke formats for our more competitive readers, including my most up to date list Brokan Deck and my latest testing results for other archetypes.
The List
[decklist name=”Time Zones” amt=”58″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][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=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Magnemite” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x Dialga (LOT #127)1x [card name=”Dialga-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ 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=”Rare Candy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
The Time Traveler
So why Dialga? Simple really, it looks like a better version of [card name=”Shining Lugia” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM82″ c=”name”][/card] for Metal archetypes. Plus my recent testing with Brokan Deck encouraged me to find a viable Metal archetype.
- Single Prize to help swing the Prize race.
- Turn Back Time can eliminate enormous evolution Pokemon for only two manual attachments, such as [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card], Granbull, and any GX Evolution Pokemon.
- Power Blast eliminates bulky single Prize Basic Pokemon like [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], Giratina, and Naganadel.
- Psychic Resistance helps trade up against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], one of the hype decks of the archetype.
- Metal Typing capitalizes on an Alolan Ninetales-GX.
- Toolbox Potential. A deck with Dialga’s Energy distribution gains access to numerous other partners. [card name=”Dialga-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] in particular can steal games.
Finding Partners
First Iteration
Without a reference point for an initial deck list, I ended up experimenting with a number of variations before I found the right partner. But where to begin? What kind of Energy acceleration would I use? What kind of draw support? Should I run it in a Shrine deck? To start, I wanted to see if Baby Dialga could win games on its own. After all, Baby Dialga can trade evenly or better against anything in Malamar, Zoroark, or Ninetales Variants.
Running Dialga by itself requires Energy acceleration, namely [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card]. And hot off the press with Brokan Deck, I included Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX to help set up.
This iteration of the list met with immediate failure. While Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX helped me set up Magnezone consistently, it did not help me draw the Energy I needed. And while the first Dialga can attack for just two manual attachments, each replacement Dialga requires requires between three to five cards to replace it. The deck simply ran out of steam. And from these results, I answered my first question: Can I use Dialga as a Primary Attacker? No, I cannot, at least not without significantly more draw power.
Additionally, Baby Dialga could not win games on its own. It struggled to hit numbers like 170 against [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], or against Single Prize Stage 1 Pokemon with 70 HP Basics. I could and did run [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] to hit these numbers, but this decreased consistency dramatically.
Second Iteration
Next up, I sought to answer a different question. Can I pair Dialga with [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]? I would not be able to run Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX if I did this, so I ruled Magnezone out as a partner. Instead, I tried a list that focused on early aggression with [card name=”Registeel” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] to power up Dialga. Once again, this iteration met with failure. This deck simply could not keep up against other Shrine decks such as [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. Likewise, without Ability-based Energy acceleration, the deck falls too far behind each time a Dialga goes down.
Final Iteration
Using the information from the previous two iterations, I settled on [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. The first session revealed the card hungry nature of Baby Dialga. Zoroark pairs with this perfectly, setting up late game multi-card combos better than any other support Pokemon in the format, and capitalizing on Dialga’s use of both [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. But running Zoroark leaves a wide bench of two Prize [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] targets. This means you need to close out games quicker than Baby Dialga can accomplish on its own. Thus, I included both [card name=”Dialga-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] to speed up the Prize race and ultimately turn the deck into a bit of a Metal Toolbox, but still heavily featuring Baby Dialga as it tanks hits early game, trades well against Shrine decks, and simply solves many matchups on its own.
[premium]
Right Tool for the Job
With the engine and archetype finally fleshed out, I began testing various matchups and ironing out the correct card counts for the list. Let’s discuss those card counts and why they exist in the deck.
Professor Kukui
[cardimg name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The inclusion of two [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] made a lot of sense after even a brief testing session. The extra damage lets you Power Blast with Baby Dialga for 180, or Timeless-GX for 200 damage, improving your Prize trade against 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], or Blacephalon-GX. Additionally, the deck tends to build massive hands via the combination of trade and [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. I would not want to [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] a 10 card hand away anyways, so something like Professor Kukui provides extra draw power where few other relevant Supporters would.
Devoured Field
Any deck in the current Lost Thunder format needs to find a way to at least compete with Blacephalon. And while the deck can sometimes hit the big [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] into Timeless-GX combo, it typically does not find the combo early enough in the game to keep up in the Prize race. To resolve this issue, I began running copies of [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] so [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] itself could also take OHKOs against Blacephalon-GX. The inclusion definitely helped improve the matchup, but not enough to make the matchup favorable.
Two Nest Ball and Two Great Ball
The deck runs numerous one of tech Pokemon that you cannot grab with Professor Elm’s Lecture. The [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] counts help you find those Pokemon, in addition to help you develop a thick Zoroark-GX line as quickly as possible. It also means you can get enough Basic Pokemon in your opening hand to justify a turn one [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] over a turn one Professor Elm’s Lecture more often. I consider the deck a greedy, high-rolling combo deck, so it values the Lillie hand advantage highly.
Baby Dialga
With the exception of the Blacephalon matchup, we try to use Baby Dialga as the primary attacker for the early game. Compare it to [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] in [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Golisopod-GX decks. It serves the purpose of a beefy secondary attacker that can swing our Prize race. Unlike Golisopod, it requires two attachments and does aim to deny Prizes with [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. Instead, Turn Back Time prevents your opponents from playing a Prize denial game.
I always try to attach energies to a Baby Dialga as soon as possible, in order to establish a credible threat. If my opponent then tries to Guzma and kill a [card name=”Magnemite” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], I can immediately take a Prize in a response by attaching a second Energy to Dialga. In something like the Zoroark matchup, this results in a favorable trade for the Dialga player, as both players take one Prize but Dialga trades a zero Energy Basic Pokemon for a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] and a Zorua / Zoroark-GX. Likewise, it provides a clean answer to massive Stage 2 Pokemon.
Dialga-GX
[card name=”Dialga-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] provides the big prize swing that allows the deck to outrace the rest of the format. Particularly, I would try to [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] a Tapu Lele-GX to hit it with a Timeless-GX first, then follow up with Knock Out on Fairy Alolan Ninetales-GX the subsequent turn in matchups against Brokan deck. Even against Shrine decks, you can drop Dialga-GX on your final turn to take two Prizes in succession. The combo takes a very long time to draw into on average though, and you typically need to spend your early times drawing cards and trying to take your first two Prizes. Without Dialga-GX, the deck probably could not actually keep up with the format.
Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX
While you could rely on Baby Dialga to remove GX Pokemon for a single Prize KO, sometimes you just need take two Prizes to secure a win. [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] provides that option, but we only run a single copy as we still prefer Baby Dialga in the early game. Unlike Baby Dialga, Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX sometimes needs to discard Energy to take its Knock Out, which leaves your board state vulnerable to a Guzma KO on your [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card], so it really functions better as a game closer than a build-around attacker.
How Good is Time Zone?
I really like the attacks provided by the Metal toolbox. Baby Dialga and Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX can tackle any foe and Dialga-GX provides a comeback mechanic in a format without [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]. And compared to previous [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Magnezone variants, baby Dialga adds an efficient single Prize attacker that can take Prizes for just two manual attachments while you buy time to setup your big combo turn.
But at the end of the day, the Metal combos require too many cards and deck slots to get going. Something like Blacephalon-GX applies significant pressure and forces Time Zone to run [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to keep up. On the other hand, Devoured Field provides limited to no value against something like Brokan Deck, and Time Zone ultimately failed to perform better than 50-50 against Brokan Deck due to consistency reasons. I think the deck needs more powerful draw options to keep up with the format, or for decks like Blacephalon to leave the public eye so it can dedicate more deck slots to its own consistency.
So how good is Time Zone? Not good enough unfortunately. It can only barely keep up with the top decks of the format. While that makes it good enough to potentially win a League Cup, I cannot imagine a world where it would win a Regional.
Back to the Future Meta
I enjoyed toying around with Baby Dialga, but I would rather not distract myself from the Tier 1 metagame too long with Roanoke and LAIC so close on the horizon. Since my last article, I experimented with with more archetypes and with tech cards for existing archetypes. In this section of the article, let’s discuss some of the top archetypes and where they sit in the meta.
Blacephalon
As of my last article, I considered Blacephalon-GX one of the top decks to beat, and successfully countered it with Brokan Deck. As a response, I attempted to counter back with some tech cards:
Lysandre Labs
[cardimg name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] can shut off either Spell Tag or [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card]. Escape Board variants of Malamar typically do not run answers to Lysandre Labs, because they cannot draw into that answer consistently anyways. So sticking a Lysandre Labs permanently forces them to search out an additional Energy attachment between attacks. Against Brokan Deck, it forces your opponent to search out their [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] in order to utilize tools like Counter Gain or [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card]. Every ounce of disruption helps in the Brokan Deck matchup, as you typically just need to buy enough of a prize lead to secure a win.
Unfortunately, Lysandre Labs competes with [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] for the Stadium slot. So, when I tested Lysandre Labs, I cut Ultra Space for Nest Ball. But I later began to question whether the Lysandre Labs justified losing Ultra Space.
Marshadow
Let Loose [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] gives Blacephalon a way to disrupt a Beacon turn from Brokan Deck. Every ounce of disruption matters, because if Brokan Deck can execute its game plan, Blacephalon loses every time. Unfortunately, Marshadow introduces another bad starter to the deck, as you almost always want to start Blacephalon. Additionally, Blacephalon does not draw out of Marshadow as well as something like [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], so Marshadow frequently hurts Blacephalon more than it helps.
Sceptile Answers?
I personally run zero answers to Baby Sceptile in my Blacephalon lists. Sceptile-GX versions lose very badly to OHKO Malamar and the [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card] versions lose very badly to Brokan Deck and to Girafarig in general. But I should clarify, I do not mean that I think Alolan Exeggutor will not see significant play. In fact, I have seen significant hype for Alolan Exeggutor in the past weeks. Rather, I think that if I thought Alolan Exeggutor was a significant threat in the format, which I do, I would not consider piloting Blacephalon at all. If I do pilot Blacephalon, I would only pilot it in formats where I could comfortably run a high consistency version of it.
Conclusions
While I found some success with Lysandre Labs and Marshadow, I disliked the results. Specifically, the lowered consistency resulted in Blacephalon testing 50-50 against 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], which I previously tested very favorably against. Blacephalon does not feel like the kind of archetype that capitalizes on tech cards. Every Basic Pokemon added to the list makes the deck less likely to start Blacephalon. And after a week of testing Lysandre Labs, I chose to go back to [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] for the consistency. Currently, I would no longer consider Blacephalon for LAIC due to the hype surrounding single Prize decks. I think Blacephalon needs something like Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX to make a big comeback and sweep decks like Alolan Exeggutor, Malamar, and Granbull out of the format to receive my recommendation.
Malamar
[card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] sits on the opposite end of the spectrum from Blacephalon. While Blacephalon demolishes Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX and typically struggles against single Prize decks, Malamar tends to struggle against Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX and beats single Prize decks thanks to the new Giratina.
Spread or Knock Outs
[cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM117″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
When I wrote my Brokan Deck article, I primarily tested against a list similar to Gaskan, the version that would focus on getting OHKOs. In my mind, the spread deck from Japan could not execute its game plan consistently enough. However, I found that Brokan Deck would win by using [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] on a Malamar then spreading with Alolan Ninetales-GX and Decidueye-GX. Since that article, I attempted making a more spread focused version of Gaskan, but that list also met with failure. I found that a deck like Malamar really needs to take Prizes to compensate for its lack of draw power. So while spread can steal games against Brokan deck now and then, it just needs a lot of cards to execute that game plan and struggles to draw them.
Ultimately, if I had to pick between the two I would still lean towards the OHKO Gaskan variant. [card name=”Chimecho” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] could, once again, fall off people’s radars as Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX lists scramble to beat Blacephalon. And I think simply taking aggressive Prizes provides the best win rate against Brokan Deck.
Spell Tag
Spell Tag is a bad card. Do not play Spell Tag.
Players should remember that [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] struggles to draw cards. Every card you draw needs to make significant impact on the game state. Spell Tag does not do that. Many decks simply run answers to Spell Tag, ranging from [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], to [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], to [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. I would always prefer to run more draw power or consistency cards over something like Spell Tag.
Ditto Prism Star
I began running a single copy of Ditto Prism Star in my Malamar lists. I do not run any Stage 1 tech Pokemon for it, I simply run it as an additional copy of Inkay. You almost always prefer to start Inkay in most matchups, and the Colorless typing gives you an extra out to [card name=”Friend Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], particularly if your opponent also runs a Ditto Prism Star.
Adventure Bag
Adventure Bag simultaneously thins your deck and provides extra outs to [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card]. Previously, I did not run [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] at all, as Malamar would struggle to search out a single copy, and could not afford to fit more than one or two Choice Band in the deck at all. But with two copies of Adventure Bag, I can run a single copy of Choice Band with three cards that get it.
The List
[decklist name=”Malamar” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”20″]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 Ditto Prism Star (LOT #154)1x Giratina (LOT #97)1x [card name=”Lunala Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Girafarig (LOT #94)1x [card name=”Chimecho” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”55″ 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=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x Adventure Bag (LOT #228)2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Friend Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Zoroark / Lycanroc
[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
When I tested Brokan Deck against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] in my last article, I used a Brokan list with [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] and a Zoroark / Lycanroc list with [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], similar to the Japanese lists that paired it with either Ninetales or [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. But since then, I cut the Enhanced Hammer for more tech cards. When I tested it then, Brokan Deck tested highly favorably. But without Enhanced Hammer, the matchup began testing 50-50. So in my mind, if Zoroark / Lycanroc can solve its issues with the rest of the metagame, it could make it far in a tournament.
Beating Blacephalon
I’ve heard a few people in the community say their Zoroark / Lycanroc lists can compete with Blacephalon-GX by simply running a thick line of [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], Professor Kukui, and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. But in my testing, this does not hold true, at least not so long as the Blacephalon list optimizes its consistency and avoids tech cards. And compared to Alolan Ninetales-GX, Dangerous Rogue does not even kill a Blacephalon as reliably as Sublimation-GX, mostly because Alolan Ninetales-GX can search out its own Counter Gain, not to mention a Choice Band to set up your subsequent KO.
So personally, if I had to run a Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX list, I would partner it with Alolan Ninetales-GX, primarily to improve the Blacephalon matchup. Likewise, I would still try to fit at least three [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] in order to play around the threat of Enhanced Hammer.
Other Techs
A single copy of Girafarig single handedly swings the [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. And a single copy of [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] swings the Granbull matchup and improves a few other matchups like Malamar.
No Weavile
Weavile feels tempting, a single prizer that can hit for enormous damage. But against decks with [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], I found that Weavile rarely actually trades that well due to its low HP. I would rather not run Weavile at all in order to improve the deck’s consistency and reduce dependence on Unit Energy.
The List
I submit the following Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX list for consideration, but personally I would not play it. I think it can do well against a field of Blacephalon, Malamar, Alolan Exeggutor, Brokan Deck, and Granbull, but it just feels a little too mediocre, like a bad version of Brokan Deck. The only notable matchup I think Zoroark Lycanroc deals with better than Brokan Deck is Granbull. Zoroark Lycanroc does not depend on its Bench space as much as Brokan deck, and can better afford to run an Alolan Muk to deal with Granbull.
[decklist name=”Zoro Roc Tales” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”21″]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]2x Alolan Ninetales-GX (LOT #132)2x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]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]1x Ditto Prism Star (LOT #154)1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Girafarig (LOT #94)2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Professor Elm’s Lecture (LOT #213)3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Counter Gain (LOT #230)1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ 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=”9″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Brokan Deck
When I presented my list in the last article, I suggested numerous tech cards. After playtesting, I concluded that even my “core deck list” ran too many tech cards. I ultimately cut some of them, such as [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], for consistency cards like [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card].
Enhanced Hammer
[cardimg name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] helped substantially against Zoroark / Lycanroc, frequently denying Dangerous Rogue on critical turns. Likewise, it helped against Buzzwole variants by keeping [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] off the board. But, I cut it when I realized I could compete with Buzzwole variants without it and when I realized Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX struggled so much with Blacephalon. I may consider putting it back if specifically Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX performs well at LAIC.
Max Potion
[card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] ironed out the matchup against Malamar Spread. However, I found that I could frequently beat Malamar Spread simply due to that deck running out of draw power at some point in the game. A Max Potion would certainly make that matchup favorable, but I currently do not feel like I need a copy.
Chimecho Counters
Originally, I ran a fourth copy of [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] and a Water [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] to counter Chimecho. I later cut these for a single copy of [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card], to save deck space. But more recently, I cut Chimecho counters out completely. In my mind, I can still deal with Chimecho by simply using Energy Drive to put a few damage counters onto the board. Even if Energy Drive does not hit the bench or hit an exact KO, it still sets up numbers for future spread damage. But mostly, I think Gaskan variants may fall out of favor for Spread, as I have seen more discussion about Spread Malamar as of late.
Olivia
I replaced one of my Cynthia with an [card name=”Olivia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] for the time being. I want to experiment with the option. Cynthia does not contribute much value in the late game, whereas Olivia can guarantee a [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] or two.
The List
[decklist name=”Brokan Deck” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″][pokemon amt=”21″]3x [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x Alolan Ninetales-GX (LOT #132)3x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x Ditto Prism Star (LOT #154)2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x Professor Elm’s Lecture (LOT #213)3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Olivia” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Counter Gain (LOT #230)1x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Conclusions
For everyone who read this far, I hope you enjoyed the Rogue Dialga list. And for everyone preparing for LAIC of Roanoke, let me summarize my thoughts one last time. I think Brokan Deck remains the top deck of the format. I like Malamar, Blacephalon, and Zoroark / Lycanroc, but I think all three of these decks do not perform as well in an open meta. Blacephalon struggles too much against single Prize decks. Zoroark / Lycanroc struggles too much against Blacephalon, Buzzwole / Lycanroc, and anything with Nihilego. And Malamar struggles the most against Brokan Deck. Any of those three archetypes could rise up after we see the results of LAIC and the metagame becomes more defined, but until then, I would recommend sticking to Brokan Deck. And as always, I encourage you all to watch this thread and the Brokan Deck thread in the Subscriber’s Hideout. I intend to continue updating the forum with the latest lists!
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