Expanded Decks that Aren’t Exodia — Tag Team Splash and Garbodor Box
Hello everyone! This is Grant Manley here once again. It’s good to be bringing you all another piece so soon.
With Dallas Regionals right around the corner, I’ve been giving Expanded some serious attention lately. There are so many different decks that can reasonably be called competitive, yet it seems that everyone on PTCGO is either on Exodia ([card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Peeking Red Card” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]) or still playing Rotom.
One card that has gotten massive amounts of flash hype (sudden attention right before an event) in the past week or two is [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166 ” c=”name”][/card]. The crazy thing about this new Promo card is that it has 300 HP and gives up three Prize cards when it’s KO’d! Unlike [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] before it, this high-HP monster is looking to fill a more offensive role rather than a defensive one. At first glance, the Energy requirements seem too restrictive for Wailord to ever attack. However, its perfect partner is also the most obvious one in the Expanded format, which is of course [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card].
This absolute unit seems borderline broken in Expanded. It’s extremely difficult to KO and it can OHKO almost anything so long as it has a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. The Bench spread attack can completely eliminate many decks from even playing the game. Merely the possibility of it being played in Dallas already has many players teching in [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to protect themselves. Against some matchups like [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], or basically any deck that focuses on Evolutions, I consider Towering Splash GX to be a better version of Exodia. Sure, it’s a huge combo that requires a bit of luck to pull off turn one; but if you do, it slows the opponent down past the point of recovering. However, it’s not as “all-in” as Exodia, as you still have this tank swinging for 180-210 every turn even if you whiff the early GX attack.
Magikarp & Wailord-GX / Blastoise
[decklist name=”big fatty orcha” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”13″]2x [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]2x [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”208″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”18″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
There isn’t anything real crazy about the list for this deck. In fact, it’s basically the same as previous Blastoise lists, but with Magikarp & Wailord as the main attacker.
I think this deck is absolutely insane. Since Magikarp & Wailord cap out at 180 damage, it’s necessary to play at least two Choice Band to allow it to KO Pokemon like Zoroark and [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Three Choice Band is debatable. It’s useless in some matchups, but in the matchups where Magikarp & Wailord need Choice Band, they need Choice Band badly. It is also a burnable card for your Archie’s setup. Finally, Choice Band makes [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] quite a formidable attacker.
Some will cry foul over the lack of [card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], so add those instead of the third Band if you can’t live without them. I think Fisherman is overkill because 23 Energy is more than enough. Keldeo is only slightly better at attacking than Tapu Lele but it doesn’t have Wonder Tag. Rush In is nice but I don’t see the value in it.
[card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] may seem unnecessary now that Magikarp & Wailord take the place of a Zoroark counter, but Kingdra now fills the necessary role of a mirror counter. Don’t settle for two-shotting opposing Magikarp & Wailord when Kingdra can swoop in and take a OHKO for six Energy. Of course, Kingdra can also be helpful in case any high-HP Pokemon manage to set up past Towering Splash GX such as [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Sceptile-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card]. While those Pokemon are quite rare in Expanded, they can cause serious issues for Magikarp & Wailord. Kingdra can also be a suitable attacker after your Magikarp & Wailord go down. If your opponent manages to get through two Magikarp & Wailord, they win. However, if they get through a Magikarp & Wailord and a Kingdra (which takes almost as much effort), they don’t immediately win.
[premium]
Matchups
This deck beats everything. We’re done here.
Things with Mr. Mime
If I was a betting man, I’d bet that a lot of people are going to play Mr. Mime in Dallas. It’s a one card commitment that prevents the possibility of immediately losing to Magikarp & Wailord, and it can always be found on turn one thanks to cards like [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card].
However, decks that play Mime are doing so because they have many low-HP targets, which are delicious food for [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] — unless you’re that person who always flips triple tails.
If your opponent is playing Zoroark, Articuno will likely get two Prizes; Magikarp & Wailord should then be able to clean up the rest.
If they’re playing Vespiquen, Articuno should be able to get four Prizes over the course of the game, though you may whiff a 50-50 or two when trying to OHKO a Vespiquen with Tri Edge. Tapu Lele might be a better option than Magikarp & Wailord unless you are targeting a stray Shaymin.
Zoroark-GX / Garbodor — Slightly Favorable
For this matchup and every other matchup, I’m going to assume that you don’t wipe their entire board with the GX attack on turn one or two, because that’s all but an instant win.
Both kinds of Garbodor are always strong against Blastoise. However, Zoroark still has to 2HKO Magikarp & Wailord, and you should be careful enough with your Items so that Trashalanche will never OHKO. Yes, this list plays a ton of Items, but there has to be 14 in the bin for Trashalanche to KO with Choice Band.
As always with Articuno, it has a 87.5% chance of working. As long as you don’t get stuck with the bad 12.5%, you should be able to take two Prizes off a [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] at some point. Magikarp & Wailord with a Choice Band can easily find two more off a Zoroark, which leaves you with only two to find. Again, both Garbodor can cause problems, but you can usually find those last two on another Zoroark, a Tapu Lele, or a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] before your opponent is able to collect all six Prizes.
The reason this matchup isn’t an auto-win is because it is very demanding of Blastoise. You have to get a fast start or Zoroark / Garbodor will punish you with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”custom”]Garbotoxin[/card] and [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”custom”]Trashalanche[/card]. In fact, this is probably the matchup that will punish you the most for a slow start. Zoro / Garb is quite fast in its own right, and it can apply serious pressure when it’s not dealing with an immediate attacking Magikarp & Wailord. Getting an early Articuno kill is quite important too, as the match can take longer without it. For this matchup (or any deck with Garbodor), a long game is a losing one. In case it’s unclear, whether or not you get an explosive start is entirely up to luck, though of course the list is made to maximize consistency.
Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX — Slightly Favorable
[cardimg name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Let’s be real here, this deck is never going to KO Magikarp & Wailord. Current builds are incapable of even 2HKO’ing it with Zoroark, and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s hard cap of 40 damage is barely a scratch on Magikarp & Wailord’s massive total of 300. Their game, as always, is to lock you out of your game.
Much like with Zoroark / Garbodor, a long game is a losing one here. You want to capitalize on Toad’s slowness and start attacking with Magikarp & Wailord ASAP. Feel free to dig through your deck as much as you like, as long as you don’t end up discarding [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. The more Items you get rid of, the better, as they will be useless after turn one or two. If possible, equip Magikarp & Wailord with Choice Band and Blastoise with [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] before Quaking Punch comes online. Float Stone is the highest priority behind a fast attacking Magikarp & Wailord. Faba can be useful to remove [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] under Item lock, which allows Magikarp & Wailord to OHKO Seismitaod.
Their strategy will be to lock Blastoise in the Active slot and slowly wear away at our Energy. Their chances of winning go down tremendously if you manage to get Float Stone on Blastoise, as they have to spend an extra turn to use Faba or find one of their few copies of [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] — if they play any at all — before trying to bring up Blastoise. You want to save Guzma for the turn they do strand Blastoise Active. You also want to hold onto your Energy in order to replenish your Magikarp & Wailord if needed, or even to retreat Blastoise. If they manage to achieve their hard lock, they can very well win.
Both Keldeo and Fisherman would actually help in this matchup, but I still don’t want to play them for reasons I already mentioned. If you were to pick one, go with Fisherman.
Zoroark-GX / Exodia — Slightly Favorable I Guess?
No strategy here kids. They have to go first, get their combo, and have you dead draw off of it in order to win. Statistically speaking, the odds are in your favor. If you go first, you can pop off and sweep with Magikarp & Wailord. Of course, early on, Articuno is sometimes a better option depending on their Active.
Buzzwole — Favorable
This is a matchup where [card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] actually has value. While it is always great to skip around the Sledgehammer turn, sometimes you will have an opportunity to get an early GX KO with Magikarp & Wailord to go down to four Prizes. That’s always worthwhile.
This matchup is extremely difficult on the Buzzwole side of things, as Magikarp & Wailord provide so much pressure and are difficult to KO. However, if the Buzzwole player draws well with [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]s, and gets value out of Sledgehammer, it isn’t inconceivable for them to actually fight through two Magikarp & Wailord. This is why Kingdra is the preferred secondary attacker. It forces them to fight through two massive attackers and still find a way, and a turn to spare, to take a Prize card after that.
Blastoise — Depends
The mirror match depends on what techs each player is equipped with. Since this list runs Kingdra, we will almost always annihilate an opponent not running Kingdra or some other mirror counter. If they also run Kingdra, the matchup is back to 50-50 with the player going first having a huge advantage because they get the first Archie.
Garbodor and Friends
[decklist name=”garbo” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”18″]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Banette-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”XY” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Banette-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”66″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
No one has been talking about this deck, which probably means that everyone is going to play it in Dallas. Personally, I have been really liking this deck and I think it is strong in the current meta.
One interesting thing about my list is that I opt to run a 2-2 [card name=”Banette-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] line, which forces me to make relevant sacrifices elsewhere. I would very much like another Energy, [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] for consistency, but Banette is too useful for me to risk a thin 1-1 line. If I felt those other cards were absolutely essential, I would have found room for them before presenting this list.
I didn’t go over the specific card choices with [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] because they were similar enough to every common Blastoise list, but I will do that here because this deck is relatively under-explored.
Card Explanations
4-4 Garbodor
I gave quite a bit of thought to the “arbitrary” cards in this list such as pre-Evolutions and the Garbotoxin choice.
[card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”from”][/card] is better because, although you shouldn’t be attacking with this Garbodor in the first place, Offensive Bomb is strictly better than Sludge Toss from the [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”from”][/card]. While it costs a bit more, you will almost never have three Psychic Energy on a Garbodor, while a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] and two Psychic is a little more likely, especially if it is evolving from a Tool Drop [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card].
Speaking of Trubbish, Tool Drop has historically been the optimal Trubbish so that you could attack off of opposing [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]s. Dimension Valley is no longer relevant outside of [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], but you don’t usually get to use Tool Drop against Trevenant anyway. I still run Tool Drop Trubbish because it is actually a usable attacker for two Energy. If you prep a Trubbish with a Psychic Energy but Trashalanche is still too weak, you can attach another Energy and deal some decent damage. Of course, this isn’t exactly a common strategy, but it is definitely something that can happen.
The Garbage Collection [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] is the best one overall. Calling it a mini Resource Management is a bit of an exaggeration, but being able to get back any card is quite useful from time to time.
Finally, the pair of Trashalanche [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is the cleanup crew. We all know how ridiculous Trashalanche can be, especially in Expanded. It does insane damage and only costs one Energy. Trashalanche is particularly useful for Prize-trading against one-Prize decks such as [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], as well as punishing decks with many Items such as Blastoise and [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. Don’t forget about Acid Spray; it’s not too hard to power up and can be useful in the early game.
I played a bit with the Acid Spray [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], and I’m pretty sure it’s completely useless. This is especially true with the more reliable Energy removal options such as [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card].
2-2 Banette-GX
I’m not completely sure this is correct, but I often want to use Banette in various matchups and a 1-1 line seems quite scary. The 2-2 line is most obviously beneficial against Buzzwole. Banette is a hard counter to Buzzwole, though it can be useful against anything else too (besides [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]). Tomb Hunt GX is also a neat GX attack and can find its way into many games, especially against disruptive decks.
As for [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], one can Confuse and the other can discard Special Energy. There is certainly an argument to be had in favor of two “Bleh” [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card], though you never know when Confusion can be handy. I’ve used it against Magikarp & Wailord to decent effect before.
Two Tapu Lele-GX, Four Mysterious Treasure
[card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] is an incredible search option for this deck as it finds everything besides [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. However, even those Pokemon can be searched via Wonder Tag to grab Brigette.
Although this sounds pathetic, [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is actually quite a decent attacker in this deck. It can get a quick hit or two in, then it can retreat once damaged and be removed with [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. Tapu Lele is also the only efficient attacker for just a DCE.
Two Drampa-GX
[cardimg name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Drampa is the go-to attacker against Zoroark. Alongside Parallel City and Garbotoxin, Drampa’s Righteous Edge helps this deck establish its control game against Zoroark. Berserk is for pressure and taking Prizes on the turns you don’t need to remove an Energy. With Choice Band, Drampa actually scores a 2HKO on Zoroark with Righteous Edge followed by a boosted Berserk. And, of course, Big Wheel deserves a mention as a nifty GX attack that can bail you out of a bad hand.
One Oricorio
[card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is godly against Vespiquen and Buzzwole, so I don’t see any reason not to play it. Its snipe attack is randomly useful in some late game scenarios, and it can also help defeat Night March if anyone still plays that.
One Sudowoodo, Four Parallel City
I respect Zoroark a lot, and you should too. Parallel City is useful against most other decks though. Denying Vespiquen’s option of Parallel City while reducing their damage is helpful in that matchup. Parallel completely shuts down Rayquaza (though that matchup is free anyway), it’s helpful against Buzzwole, and it wrecks Trevenant by getting rid of Dimension Valley while removing damaged targets on your Bench.
Sudowoodo, however, is rarely helpful against anything besides Zoroark. It is good enough in that matchup that it warrants inclusion. Don’t play it against Zoroark Control though! It’s only intended for [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] variants like Zoroark / Garbodor and Exodia. You always want to get it out via Brigette on turn one in those matchups.
Four N, Two Colress, Two Professor Sycamore
I play Four [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] because it is a solid draw option for the beginning of the game and it enforces a devastating lock in the later parts of the game. Garbotoxin + N is the only truly degenerate part of this deck, even though it looks tame in comparison to the rest of Expanded. Even if your opponent draws out of the lock, you can simply hit them with another N. Since N is helpful early and late, running four is absolutely essential.
[card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] are the powerhouse draw options. Two Colress is justified because this deck frequently operates with a full Bench, as do most other decks in Expanded. Colress is the best option when you want to find multiple cards at once, or even just one specific card like an Energy, an Ability lock piece, or anything else. I run two Sycamore because it’s better early on, and that is where this deck needs the most help. Early-game consistency is never a bad thing.
One Teammates, One Acerola, One Guzma
One thing that has always bothered me about this deck is that its one-of Supporters are quite inconsistent. Garbotoxin locks Wonder Tag, so there’s no way to guarantee access to these cards when you need them most. That said, these Supporters provide incredible value on their own, so there’s a good chance you can find a use for them when they happen to be in your hand. After using each one, or if you happen to discard them early on, you can more easily access them with VS Seeker.
Computer Search > Dowsing Machine
[card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is a much better card than [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] so I prefer it in basically everything, don’t @ me. If you can’t manage your resources properly, just use Tomb Hunt or Garbage Collection for extra copies of things. Again, this deck takes all the help it can get early game.
Zero Sigilyph-GX and Zero Field Blower
Maybe someone can help me understand [card name=”Sigilyph-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. Sure, it wins you the Buzzwole matchup… but you already beat Buzzwole. Sigilyph relies on its Ability, and you want Garbotoxin up at all times in nearly every matchup, so Sigilyph is just bad.
[card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] boosts Trashalanche’s damage at the expense of Tool Drop’s, which is a good trade off. However, Field Blower is a lackluster card in my opinion. Even decks that rely on Abilities and need Blower to counter Garbotoxin only run one, or two in some cases. I simply don’t have space for Field Blower when I am instead choosing to commit to things like a 2-2 Banette line and four Parallel City. Switching the direction of Parallel is another potential use for Blower, but that is such a weak effect that I don’t see it being worth a deck spot.
Matchups
Zoroark-GX / Garbodor — Favorable
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This matchup is favored because almost everything about the Garbodor deck shuts down the Zoroark deck. Your ideal setup is Garbotoxin with Drampa and Parallel City. Four Parallel City wins the Stadium war and cripples Zoroark; Righteous Edge gets rid of Energy; Garbotoxin shuts off nonsense like Propagation and Trade; Sudowoodo creates a trap even when they want to use Field Blower; and N constantly lowers their hand size after Colress. Zoroark can still win because Zoroark is insanely good, but it is an uphill battle on their end.
Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX — Unfavorable
This matchup is unfavorable, though I don’t think it’s as bad as a lot of people assume. It is definitely a struggle but it is very winnable.
Drampa, Banette, and both Garbodor are all useful to some capacity. Banette is a bit risky to use because it immediately dies to Zoroark which they can use to close out a game, but if they go for Zoroark too early then you can pull a reversal lock on them.
I am not sure about all of the nuances and correct tricks for this matchup, but you definitely want to go for an early Parallel City + Garbotoxin with Drampa Active. If you have a good start, you can potentially lock them from the get go before they can set up and lock you.
[card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is a consideration for this matchup because it allows you to refresh Garbotoxin under Item lock as well as use [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] to put back basic Energy.
Zoroark-GX Exodia — Slightly Favorable
This matchup might be better than slightly favorable, but I have to account for the possibility of Exodia going first and hitting the nuts combo. Even if that happens though, this deck has 14 draw outs straight from [card name=”Peeking Red Card” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to one thanks to Mysterious Treasure not being [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. That’s not even counting Big Wheel if you happen to start Drampa, or VS Seeker if their [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] hits a Supporter.
If you get anything going in this matchup, Exodia gets absolutely obliterated. They lose to the insane anti-Zoroark combination of cards I talked about earlier. Furthermore, they tend to play lots of Items, boosting Trashalanche.
Buzzwole — Favorable
Even if they are running the [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] version, Buzzwole is an excellent matchup. As I’ve already mentioned, Banette and Oricorio are both efficient attackers. Trashalanche can clean up later if they aren’t careful. I would go for an early Garbotoxin, but don’t bend over backwards for it like you would against Zoroark. Don’t bench Drampa in this matchup, but I probably didn’t have to tell you that.
Blastoise — Favorable
One major perk of this deck is its favorable [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. That said, [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166 ” c=”name”][/card] is a terrifying card, so it’s far from an auto-win. You want to limit an early Towering Splash GX to two or fewer Prizes, preferably with an Active Trubbish or other non-GX. While Towering Splash can set you back, you can minimize the damage by playing smart and taking a second to think before you act. Brigette is a definite no go in this matchup for that reason. You want to set up as many Garbodor as possible because Garbotoxin cripples Blastoise and Trashalanche does tons of damage for one Energy.
Pokemon-GX are risky to use against a loaded Magikarp & Wailord, especially if they managed to pull off an effective GX attack. Sometimes Tapu Lele presents itself as a more efficient attacker than Banette or Drampa, so keep that in mind. Additionally, if Magikarp & Wailord have no damage modifiers, Banette-GX is a strong option as it actually survives an attack.
An early Parallel City can hurt Blastoise, though you have no control over when you happen to draw into it. Although the red side reduces their damage, the blue side hurts them the most if they aren’t already fully set up.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading everyone! I really enjoyed writing this piece. These decks are by far my top two picks for Dallas; they both seem busted. Following them is actually Quad [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card], so you may actually catch me playing that!
[/premium]