Zoroark-GX and the Shining Mane — Weakness is a Thing of the Past
Lost Thunder is awesome! It’s the largest set of all time and may just be the best set of all time, containing some of the coolest cards and bringing many new concepts to life.
Rukan served us Alolan Ninetales-GX with [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], using Alolan Ninetales-GX as a main attacker. The power of Alolan Ninetales-GX isn’t solely in attacking though, as its Ability also provides an incredible consistency boost. This is one of the best cards ever printed, sitting among the likes of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] in the modern era of the game. Taking two Items from your deck is incredibly good.
[card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] also brings something to the table with Beacon, just more consistency piled high on top of an already insane deck. Beacon, Mysterious Guidance, and Trade all in one? The options are endless and it’s all made possible by this card. This deck ties power, recovery, resilience, and setup all into one neatly wrapped package.
But now, I am here to introduce a new partner to Zoroark-GX — Solgaleo-GX. This isn’t the [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] you may be familiar with. This is the “Newgaleo-GX” we finally got in a boxed product. This thing is powerful, protecting your deck from Weakness and giving you some more pop with a solid as Steel attack that helps you power up attackers. I’m absolutely infatuated with this card.
The List
[decklist name=”Zoroark-GX / Solgaleo-GX” amt=”49″ caption=”” cname=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″][pokemon amt=”23″]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 Solgaleo-GX (Promo)3x [card name=”Cosmog” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x 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 [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Ditto Prism Star (Lost Thunder)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x Professor Elm’s Lecture (Lost Thunder)4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x Counter Gain (Lost Thunder)2x [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Explanations
Four Zorua and Four Zoroark-GX
[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This is still a Trade-based deck. You want ways to get your Basic Energy into the discard pile so that you can accelerate them with Turbo Strike. Furthermore, Zoroark-GX is a much better off now with protection from Weakness thanks to Shining Mane. Fighting Weakness in the past was too much to overcome at times, requiring cards like [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]to be played in order to get around it. This pairing is incredibly strong and gives you great chances against formerly poor matchups like [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card].
Three Cosmog and Two Solgaleo-GX
While this is perhaps the main attacker, it can tank a bunch of hits and strikes back for a solid 120. This means you don’t have to run a thick line because two will last a while on their own. Throw [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and the Anchor Pokemon into the mix, and you’re looking at a 250 HP juggernaut that can easily one-shot Pokemon of 180 HP or less. It powers up other attackers on your Bench — Pokemon that are well-poised to provide different type coverage and complete different tasks, like Alolan Ninetales-GX against a Rayquaza-GX deck. I really like that this deck brings Darkness, Metal, and Fairy Pokemon to the table, creating a weird combination of types for an opponent to play around. Many of the popular decks these days are weak to Dark, Metal, or Fairy: Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX in Malamar to Dark, opposing Alolan Ninetales-GX to Metal, and Rayquaza-GX to Fairy, as I said before.
Three Alolan Vulpix and Three Alolan Ninetales-GX
Beacon Alolan Vulpix just became even more broken, joining forces with its Evolution and Mysterious Guidance. The Ability is one of the best ever, pulling two Items from your deck when you Evolve, no questions asked. Snowy Wind is like a new-age Night Spear, doing a little less damage but from a different type of Pokemon. Fairy is a great type for against [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] decks, and it’s a type that few Pokemon have Resistance to. Its Sublimation GX attack is also broken, taking out an Ultra Beast just like that. With Blacephalon-GX being hyped, and rightfully so, it pays for a Zoroark-GX deck to add a Pokemon that can deal with it in one hit like Alolan Ninetales-GX can.
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Two Tapu Lele-GX and Four Professor Elm’s Lecture
This deck has three Pokemon that are central to its strategy. That being said, there won’t be as much room on the Bench as you may like for everything. A higher count of the new Professor Elm’s Lecture increases your setup percentages while not always needing to put a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] down to fetch it, leaving the option for Wonder Tag to take a different Supporter later on, perhaps a [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] to get you a new hand.
One Ditto Prism Star
Evolve into Anything is one of the coolest Abilities in the game. Ditto Prism Star substitutes the pre-Evolution of whatever Stage 1 Pokemon you want, allowing you to turn it into an Alolan Ninetales-GX or Zoroark-GX in this deck. It’s like playing a fifth Zorua, or a fourth Alolan Vulpix for this list, but with just a fraction of the space commitment. You obviously can’t play more than four Zorua in the first place, so this is even better than just a “fourth”. The option presents itself for Ditto Prism Star to turn into other cool things like [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], but I’ve found that this deck needs so many Pokemon to function that adding additional techs has little benefit. I would most times rather have another Zoroark-GX out or just a Bench space for a Tapu Lele-GX.
One Dhelmise
[cardimg name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This damage-booster for Metal Pokemon works incredibly with Solgaleo-GX. Turbo Strike does 120, but 130 is even better and more relevant these days, taking down [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] in one hit. You could play Psychic Energy to make use of Anchor Shot, but I prefer the Fairy Energy route to attack with Alolan Ninetales-GX, the clear better attacker. If you wanted to switch over to Psychic, you could play [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Deoxys” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], but I haven’t delved into that realm of things so I can’t speak to how good that could be.
Four Guzma
This deck has great tankability with Solgaleo-GX but it doesn’t heal as efficiently as other decks (aside from Prominence GX). Based completely around Pokemon-GX, you want to pressure your opponent as much as you can in the Prize race. Four [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is a must, allowing you to quickly find them and use them over and over. This deck is linear, so executing your strategy with precision is imperative if you want to win the game.
Four Cynthia
I had previously preferred higher [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] counts in Zoroark-GX decks, but with Professor Elm’s Lecture around now, Lillie is no longer your preferred first turn Supporter. [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] will provide you with a hand refresh each turn, the only other viable option I can see is (not kidding) [card name=”Hau” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. When you’re looking to build a big hand full of useful cards, then Hau could be better, but I still think the full set of six with Cynthia is better.
Two Professor Kukui, Two Choice Band, and Two Devoured Field
Boosting your damage output is important in Standard. You want to be able to one-shot, and [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] completes the puzzle in combination with Choice Band, [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. The draw is alright too, I could see myself playing four, but I need to mess around with that. With Professor Elm’s Lecture out, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] can invest less into draw and focus more on what, quite literally, makes it strong, like this card. All these with Choice Band and the Stadiums included are fine with just two copies; it’s a symmetrical combination. More Devoured Field is a little less important with Solgaleo-GX and Dhelmise as a one-shot option against 130 HP Pokemon.
One Judge
A single disruption Supporter seems weird, but I include [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] in my list. I like [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] as an option for last-ditch disruption when it’s really needed, especially when you’re trying to mount a comeback or stave off a loss.
Four Ultra Ball
It’s pretty important to play these to grab Tapu Lele-GX and your Evolutions. With Professor Elm’s Lecture out, you rely on other “Ball” cards less. I currently don’t include any other than Ultra Ball. Alolan Ninetales-GX is powerful enough to cover the gaps.
Two Rare Candy
I originally started with three [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] but I discovered that just two are sufficient with Alolan Ninetales-GX to fetch them from the deck. Not much more to say. Mysterious Guidance is truly broken and makes Stage 2 Pokemon much more easily accessible.
One Rescue Stretcher and One Pal Pad
Since both are searchable with Alolan Ninetales-GX, you’ll be able to recover the things you want with ease. Rescue Stretcher could be cut for a third Solgaleo-GX but I like to have a way to pick things up from unfortunate discards. Pal Pad is great with Mysterious Guidance so you can flood your deck with even more [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card].
One Max Potion and One Counter Gain
Max Potion is better than [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck because you can search it out when you need it. Counter Gain is quite good on an Alolan Ninetales-GX so you can attack for a single Energy when behind on Prizes, and Max Potion can work in tandem to remove damage. These are cute techs that are always at your fingertips with your great reach.
Four Fairy Energy and Four Double Colorless Energy
[cardimg name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”169″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Not too many but not too few, this split looks good for any Alolan Ninetales-GX deck playing Zoroark-GX. There are just enough Basic Energy so that Turbo Strike will have some value and give you a way to power up an attacker on the Bench. Double Colorless Energy has synergy with all of your attackers minus Alolan Ninetales-GX so you should be playing four.
Options
Magcargo
Ditto Prism Star can become anything, so more consistency boosting Pokemon like Magcargo could be welcomed. Like I said earlier, the Bench space isn’t really there, so I’m not a fan. It remains an option, though, to fetch one-of techs that you could play.
Enhanced Hammer
Another Mysterious Guidance target. It wouldn’t hurt to have one or two of these on tap for situations that call for them. Many decks these days rely on Special Energy, so you can gain an advantage in a big turn by taking a Knock Out and removing a Special Energy your opponent has chilling on the Bench.
Field Blower
To the same tune, sometimes a [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is nice to have. You can access it easily, so having another way to remove [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], or Spell Tag, to mention a few, would be welcomed.
Great Ball, Nest Ball , or Timer Ball
Extra consistency is always nice, I just think anything more than what I have might be pushing it. Professor Elm’s Lecture already boosts the consistency of Zoroark-GX to the heights we saw it at last season, and with Alolan Ninetales-GX increasing that even more, I don’t see the need for these. A single [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] can be cute to take off Mysterious Guidance when you don’t have another target, but that feels like a waste to me.
Mallow
Another consistency option in Zoroark-GX decks. This isn’t as great in here with your Stage 2 setup depending on Mysterious Guidance, rather than a Supporter, which is much slower.
Matchups
I can’t offer much legitimate insight on this deck’s matchups yet. I have only played a few games with the deck and discussed the concept with my peers, some of the best players in the game. I do offer the following estimations and summaries, though.
Blacephalon-GX – Slightly Unfavorable
[cardimg name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”148″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Mind Blown can obviously one-shot most of your Pokemon. The most difficult for your opponent to take down is Solgaleo-GX; you’re going to want to focus on attacking with it. With 250 HP, your opponent will have to send five Fire Energy to the Lost Zone. This can be hard to do repeatedly. Work towards your “wombo-combo” of [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] for a one-hit 180 damage Knock Out with Turbo Strike.
Buzzwole / Garbodor – Favorable
[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] without Weakness (Shining Mane) is so much better off against this deck. In the past the Weakness to Fighting could lose you the game. Now you can even use Zoroark-GX as your attacker with [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to one-shot [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], or you can use Solgaleo-GX with Dhelmise to finish things up. Limit your Items and you should get there. Alolan Ninetales-GX is also a great attacker in this matchup. Snowy Wind can set up double Knock Outs if you plan things right. There are plenty of softer HP Pokemon in your opponent’s deck like Magcargo that can be chiseled down to the point of a snipe damage Knock Out. Don’t forget about Sublimation GX either — you can use it to take a Buzzwole down right away!
Buzzwole / Tapu Koko – Highly Favorable
This matchup is quite literally a free win with Solgaleo-GX. You can use Prominence-GX to heal all of your Pokemon so you’re free to keep a big Bench and just attack at will. Turbo Strike with a Dhelmise down can even one-shot a [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card] through Resistance. It couldn’t be easier.
Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX / Alolan Ninetales-GX – Slightly Favorable
“BuzzRoc” gets even better with the release of Alolan Ninetales-GX. Throw in some [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] and you have another attacker that can search out your [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and more. I think this combination is insane, and it might even have a chance to be the best deck. Luckily for Zoroark-GX / Solgaleo-GX, though, Shining Mane should bail you out as long as you can play around Dangerous Rogue. Buzzwole is easy to one-shot and you can use your own Alolan Ninetales-GX to snipe a Buzzwole-GX before it comes up to soften it up to make taking a Knock Out easier.
Granbull – Highly Favorable
All Out is easier to pull off than you might think, but Solgaleo-GX one-shots Granbull with its Weakness to Metal, and with 250 HP you’ll survive a few hits even if your opponent manages to activate the damage boost.
Lost March – Favorable
Solgaleo-GX will be the MVP here once again, tanking hits while your opponent struggles to make ends meet. Lost March requires much more setup than this deck and doesn’t have an amazing support Pokemon like Alolan Ninetales-GX. Even with two Jumpluff and four Trumbeak, your opponent will be doing 160 before Weakness and Resistance, not enough to take down a Solgaleo-GX.
Malamar / Spell Tag – Favorable
You can outspeed your opponent in this matchup by just spamming Knock Outs on Giratina with your [card name=”Dhelmise” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] boosted Solgaleo-GX. You can heal off the spread damage your opponent drops using Spell Tag and Distortion Door with Prominence-GX and you will easily out-trade them on Prizes.
Rayquaza-GX / Zeraora-GX – Even
[cardimg name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This deck is fast so it can give you a run for your money by one-shotting a Solgaleo-GX. Thunderclap Zone allows [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to switch around and dodge Knock Outs, while Full Voltage GX can power up a bunch of them all at once with no downside. Zeraora-GX has Resistance to Metal and 190 HP so it can’t be one-shot, but you can do the damage modification combo play for a one-shot on a Rayquaza-GX or just use Alolan Ninetales-GX with a Choice Band. Snowy Wind can set up a Zeraora-GX for a Knock Out as well.
Sceptile-GX / Decidueye-GX – Even
Mach Cut can be annoying, so this matchup is close. Both decks are pretty similar, packing healing options and just mid-level attacks. [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] can shore that up a bit, but not to the point where a Sceptile will present any type of a one-hit Knock Out threat to a Solgaleo-GX. This is a matchup where you just need to go in swinging for two-hit Knock Outs and hope to win the war of attrition.
Zoroark-GX – Slightly Favorable
Most [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks can’t handle a Solgaleo-GX. It powers up more attackers and swings for big damage with no end in sight since it has so many Hit Points. Its GX attack is icing on the cake as you can create huge swing turns by healing all of your Pokemon. You destroy Metal-weak Zoroark-GX variants like the Alolan Ninetales-GX-based version, too.
Conclusion
Solgaleo-GX is super strong, and I’m excited to test it out in other ways besides this. As always, free to ask me anything you’ve got in the Subscribers’ Hideout. Have a blessed day, until next time…
~ Caleb
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