So Close — Texas Regionals Summary and Thoughts on Expanded Moving Forward

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onJan 26, 2019 at 11:36 AM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Yet so far…[/cardimg]

Some days you hate Expanded, on others you love it. I loved Expanded in Dallas. While many games may have felt odd, I had to play my best to get as far as I did and show off mastery of a deck that can be incredibly difficult to play. I never felt like I got particularly lucky or anything like that — the games I won I felt in control, with most of the game handed to me as a player to react to what plays my opponent made. Playing a control deck like I did can have this sort of effect.

[card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] was the best play for this event with the last minute addition of [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] to the deck; thank you Daniel Altavilla for the amazing addition. I got close to winning, but was fell by Dean Nezam in the finals. I’ve had a lot of good games with Nezam throughout the years and this set was no different. Not drawing the greatest, I had to develop a unique route to win the second game after losing a close first, arguably due to a critical mistake; but things came crashing down again in the third one when I overthought a big decision and made the wrong call: choosing not to attach a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. My Seismitoad-EX was blown back by a huge Riotous Beating and the game was Nezam’s for the taking with time running out.

All things considered, while Zoroark-GX does truly dominate Expanded, the format is not as bad as everyone says. It’s incredibly diverse with a lot of options, and once you start playing at the highest level against or with control decks many matches feel as strategic and deep as a game of chess.

I played the traditional Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX deck but switched up some of the Trainer slots to adapt for what I expected. My matchups:

  • 1 versus [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166 ” c=”name”][/card] 1-0-0
  • 1 versus [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] 0-1-0
  • 1 versus [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] 1-0-0
  • 1 versus [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] DAMAGE 1-0-0
  • 2 versus [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] 1-0-1
  • 2 versus Intentional Draw 0-0-2
  • 2 versus [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] 2-0-0
  • 2 versus Zoroark-GX / Exodia 2-0-0
  • 3 versus Zoroark-GX / Garbodor 3-0-0
  • 3 versus Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] 2-1-0

Overall 13-2-3

I played against a large variety of decks and felt like I was in every game with a chance to win.

In the end, Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX took me down. The combination of an attacker hitting Seismitoad-EX for Weakness and another option for one-hit Knock Outs in Zoroark-GX proved to be too much in the end, especially within time constraints in a winner-takes-all game three in the finals.

This all said, while Expanded does have some toxic combinations, I don’t think any of them are overwhelmingly strong to the point where there needs to be a mass exodus of bans. If I had the chance to weigh in, I would vote for [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]. While I’m not a huge fan of degenerate cards, even like Seismitoad-EX “not allowing your opponent to play the game”, it’s not super strong anymore, damage-wise, so that it becomes a strategic counterpart for many decks like Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX. I think the true problem rests with cards that allow you to play “for free”. Zoroark-GX and its Trade were almost certainly designed so that a player would have to make an important decision as to which card to discard and not just have a freebie with Propagation. Lusamine operates in a similar fashion and doesn’t promote thoughtful gameplay when you’re just getting another Lusamine back each turn when you’re abusing the loop.

Enough about that, here’s the list I used:

The Final List

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]2x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ 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=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist][premium]

From my last article I changed a few things, most notably adding the third Seismitoad-EX back and dropping [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and the [card name=”Archen” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] from the deck.

The third Seismitoad-EX was still nice to bolster your starting odds, and I like to use it as Trade fodder from time to time.

Shaymin-EX didn’t have much of a place in the deck with its Bench spot being costly with all the other moving pieces you try to establish.

[cardimg name=”Archen” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”53″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The most unexpected part here is the removal of Archen from the deck. I don’t think many people understood what the card was for the deck — it’s just a buffer. You don’t need it if you play a little more conservatively and try not to go under three cards left in your deck to play around [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] or something as crazy as a [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], which Nezam did play!

Another shocker perhaps, the second [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] was fine to drop and I didn’t miss it. Much of Expanded uses Special Energy primarily and with the [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] matchup for this deck already pretty bad we decided to forgo any techs for it entirely. We had tried a [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card] to stop [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] from doing Energy Keeper when evolved, allowing you to then switch off [card name=”Carbink” set=”Fates Collide” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] if it doesn’t evolve. The matchup was really bad anyway, even with the new tech, so it was taken out.

Hugh was truly the greatest new addition to the deck. If you play Hugh against a Zoroark-GX deck with [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], your opponent can only keep a piece of what they need. Say they need a bunch of Pokemon, the Pokemon Ranger of course, and the Items themselves — it’s going to be difficult to keep all of those. You can [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] beforehand to prevent yourself from losing lots of cards yourself. You can also use Hugh to draw cards when your hand is less than five. All around it was a great addition and I would do it again no doubt.

The other big new addition was the second and third [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Playing California Regionals with only one felt lackluster so going for even more copies helped immensely against Blastoise decks — which were super hyped — and against nearly every matchup. Since this deck doesn’t pack a ton of HP and must use [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] to heal damage, we usually want to push an attacking Pokemon out from an opponent’s Active spot and make it as hard as possible for them to attack at all. If you just use [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] but leave the Pokemon in the Active, then a player can just attach again and still attack. With Counter Catcher you can get the best of both worlds and potentially avoid an attack altogether, and then catch up on the disruption end of things on a later turn.

Texas in Review

There was a variety of decks that made a showing at Texas.

The most popular deck was by and large [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], and most were [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]-based. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] made some showings and there were a few Zoroark-GX Control-style decks as well.

[card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] was the next big deal, most using the new [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166 ” c=”name”][/card] as an attacker. Towering Splash GX, as many of us here at PokeBeach have talked about, decimates Zoroark-GX decks quickly if they don’t set up. I talked to many Zoroark-GX players this weekend that were frustrated with the deck because they never got to play a fair game with all their Basic Pokemon getting Knocked Out immediately.

Aside from those two more obvious decks, there were smatterings of other decks as well.

I didn’t expect much Garbodor / [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] at all, but clearly seeing the hype for Blastoise and the presence of Zoroark-GX decks with [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] in the room, players moved back to a trusted deck from the past to punish some of the new norms and new concepts. Trashalanche is still great in Expanded, and this is probably the best way to play it outside of as a tech in Zoroark-GX / Garbodor.

[cardimg name=”Cradily” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”4″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Cradily” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Sceptile-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] seems to have found a place in the format. While I don’t think it’s the greatest deck out there, it’s still decent and can beat up on Zoroark-GX with Energy denial and Item lock.

[card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] decks did well again, definitely cementing its status as a tier one deck. [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] made its return, and while I don’t think much of the deck, it does still hang with the rest. Buzzwole-GX showed up again but didn’t do too well — probably because Blastoise decks are so hard for it to beat. [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] DAMAGE decks are done for good after the new bans are instituted, so don’t expect anymore [card name=”Reuniclus” set=”Black and White” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] shenanigans in the near future. The same goes for anything donning [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card].

Aside from those there were some stragglers like [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”2″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], and others.

So what’s to take away from this tournament? This format is truly a clash of polar opposites — control decks that are incredibly difficult to play, and then the powerhouse decks like Blastoise and Rayquaza-GX that are more simple. Control has the highest ceiling of any deck as it can beat anything, whereas the powerhouse decks struggle with certain things and can’t really fix those matchups, but still have a relatively high ceiling as far as placement goes.

Everything else is a bit of a wild card. Traditional Zoroark-GX decks with Sky Field have a place in the format and performed well; the thing is that they have lots of tech space and can adapt towards beating specific decks if needed. In the case of Texas, Golisopod-GX was a fine choice because it gave a player a solid shot at beating the [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX deck and still allowed the player to go toe to toe with everything else, while not being the most powerful or even consistent deck in the world. I expect shifts like this to keep happening — perhaps Zoroark-GX paired with a specific advantageous type to secure a better matchup against a troublesome deck.

Next Big Thing: Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX

This deck just never leaves the metagame, and now it’s won another Regionals, this time in Expanded — a first, if I’m not mistaken. This deck took the best of both worlds with Zoroark-GX, keeping the pieces needed to abuse Sky Field but at the same time run with a type advantageous attacker that can counter what were formerly negative matchups. I managed to beat the deck by just a bit in Top 8, and my finals was rough. The matchup is still winnable for control but the Golisopod-GX sure does give it some trouble. Most lists at the event were similar, but here’s how I’d play the deck:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″][pokemon amt=”25″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Wimpod” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ 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=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Generations” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ 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=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

With two spots in the Top 8 and eventually winning the event, I think this sleeper deck did well for itself by coming out as the winningest archetype of Texas Regionals.

[card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] with Stand In is nice against all the control decks everywhere and gives you a comeback attacker against other Zoroark-GX decks that rely on Sky Field to fill their Bench and then blow things up for one-hit Knock Outs.

Golisopod-GX as previously mentioned is a great counter play in this format where [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks don’t have the greatest answer to it and neither does Seismitoad-EX. It’s arguably the most cost-efficient attacker in the game right now, at least for basic Energy. With control so rampant that makes for a winning recipe.

[card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] with those basic Energy can give control decks even more trouble and spice things up with some nice recovery.

I like [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Generations” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] more in this deck than in other Zoroark-GX decks. If you do manage to set up against a Magikarp & Wailord-GX deck you hit them for Weakness and with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] you can take one-hit Knock Outs which makes it a good matchup.

[cardimg name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Two [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], an [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and an [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] all improve your control matchup. This means you’ll have two hard gust effects to get out of locks with Guzma, if you’re damaged you have Acerola, and AZ if you’re not!

Two [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] gives you many outs against Garbotoxin; [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] gets back Grass Energy to allow you to have access to even more than the three you already have; [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is nice recovery; and three Sky Field keeps your strategy focused on filling your Bench and taking one-hit Knock Outs.

This is an amazingly solid deck to pick up if you’re new to Expanded. It has solid matchups across the board and can add techs to beat most decks. Golisopod-GX has such great type advantage right now that I like it more than ever with Zoroark-GX. While Seismitoad-EX is still my favorite partner for Zoroark-GX overall, it’s great to see something a little outside of the box do well for a change.

This deck won’t change much with the introduction of Team Up, so rest easy on that. I feel like Team Up won’t effect the metagame too much, other than with some of the following cards that I’ll be talking about…

Where Do We Go Now?

The recently announced ban list was unfortunate to turn out the way it did. The next Expanded format stop is Brampton, Ontario, Canada in early March so the format can be put to rest for a little while. Team Up introduces a few more degenerate cards to the format and a few other players.

  • Shaymin Prism Star
    • A nice new tech for Rayquaza-GX to hand it to Blastoise / Magikarp & Wailord-GX
  • Pikachu & Zekrom-GX
    • New life for [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks?
  • Erika’s Hospitality
    • More broken draw power for when you play against Zoroark-GX decks with Sky Field
  • Lavender Town
    • Another tool for control decks to abuse; you just get a quick peek at your opponent’s hand which can guide you to better decisions for things like [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card]
  •  Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star
    • Could serve as a way to disrupt opposing decks in an Oranguru-based control build using [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to use Resource Management

Gengar & Mimikyu-GX

Gengar & Mimikyu-GX will be yet another toxic control card. Horror House GX is the perfect addition to a hand lock deck that you can fill with Shaymin-EX to plow through your deck and then [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] your opponent out of the game with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] afterward. [card name=”Blend Energy GRPD” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] works perfectly in unison with it, or you can even use [card name=”Prism Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. Horror House GX on your first turn playing second stops your opponent from playing anything from their hand, so as long as you [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] on your first turn your opponent will only have two cards in their hand; they can’t play anything down so there’s no escape. From there you Delinquent again, they have zero cards in hand, and then you begin the Trick Shovel lock.

This is going to be very good, but there’s no way that this is going to be a healthy card for the game, especially in Expanded.

Wrap

I like Expanded — honestly I prefer it to Standard. I think most negative aspects of the format stand out more than those that are good, and because of that most players dislike it after having a really bad game. I think most of the games are extremely skill-based and deep as far as deciding which plays to make. If you’re new to the format it’s hard to pick up, and Team Up doesn’t seem to be doing anyone any favors as far as the health of the format, so don’t expect great things anytime soon. It’s a format where if you put the time in and you know what you’re doing with a strong deck (I recommend control), you will be primed for success.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back to Standard the next time you catch me with some Team Up action.

Peace,

Caleb

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