Challengers Teaming Up — Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX and Ultra Necrozma-GX
Hello readers! International Championships are, in my opinion, the most prestigious tournaments of the season, and I’m excited that the next one is approaching so quickly. I have mixed feelings about having to play once again in an untested format, but that’s a topic for another time. The format itself is our focus for today.
I spent the last weekend playtesting the new set with a small group of friends. Between us, we had built most of the hyped decks, including [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], two builds of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] (one with [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] and one with [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]), Lost March, and [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. I can’t say we used the most scientific of methodologies, but simply playing games between various combinations of these decks and keeping track of the results led us to some preliminary observations about the format:
- Pikachu & Zekrom-GX is really good. This was expected given that the deck has taken Japan by storm. I would compare it to [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] in the previous format: it’s not the obvious BDIF, and it has exploitable weaknesses, but its game plan is so simple and powerful that it can beat any deck given a strong enough start. The power of a fast Full Blitz is not to be underestimated, although it can lead to some tough decision making: should you attach the Energy to the attacking Pikachu & Zekrom-GX for a Tag Bolt GX follow-up, or to a different attacker in case Pikachu & Zekrom-GX gets KO’d? In some situations, this can be a real dilemma where the wrong choice essentially loses you the game. Nevertheless, I believe we’ll certainly see Pikachu & Zekrom-GX at the top tables in the near future. There are many ways to build the deck and I don’t think there’ll be an early consensus, so if you play against it, you’ll have to be ready for a variety of cards, such as Zapdos, [card name=”Aether Paradise Conservation Area” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM33″ c=”name”][/card], and others.
- [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is not being respected enough. Its Ability cripples decks that rely on the [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] combo, and takes away the understated utility of free retreaters in decks such as Lost March. Decks that can afford the Bench space, such as Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, can benefit from Absol to slow down their opponents.
- Lost March is solid and seems able to beat Pikachu & Zekrom-GX. Towards the end of the previous format, we’ve seen Lost March become the non-GX deck of choice for many players, and I expect this momentum to carry forward. That said, I’m not extremely enthusiastic about the deck’s presence in the metagame due to the rise of Ultra Necrozma, the omnipresence of [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] in Zoroark-GX decks, and the possibility of [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card].
- [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is not bad, but it feels underwhelming. Jirachi is a fantastic card, but it is vulnerable to both Alolan Muk and Absol, so it’s not as foolproof as it seems. To be fair, my group only tried the non-GX version of the deck with [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]; the [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card] version might be stronger.
As for the two decks in this article’s title — [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] — they’re both strong decks that I’m considering playing at the Oceania International Championship. In this article, I’ll discuss each of them in more detail, including my current lists and techs.
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX
[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
It seems that many top players, myself included, regularly predict the return of Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX to tier one of the metagame, yet it never happens — so you may have doubts about me holding the deck in such high esteem once again. I don’t want to claim that Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX will gain BDIF status in the new format, but I have two main reasons to suggest that it will be very good:
First, Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX may not have been the best deck in the Latin America International Championship — the tournament where Lost Thunder debuted — but it was a safe choice. Many top players opted to play it and were rewarded with CP. I’ve stated before that, given the high amounts of CP available even as far down as Top 128, it’s more important to secure a “decent” finish than to go for the gold, both for players trying to get their Worlds invite, and for those fighting for travel stipends and/or the Day 2 bye at Worlds. In this light, I feel that Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX was a strong deck in the SUM-LOT meta, and should still be strong in the SUM-TEU era. A good player with experience piloting the deck can win most games with it, whereas many other decks (this is a shameful reminder that I played [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] in Sao Paulo) depend more on their matchups.
Second, although Zoroark-GX has the reputation of being an underwhelming card in Standard, I think that is the case only in comparison to the deck’s domination in Expanded. Looking at tournaments from the SUM-LOT format, Zoroark-GX decks won the Latin American International Championship, Brisbane and Harrogate Regionals, and the Special Event in Brazil. That’s four of the nine Standard events played in that format! In addition, Zoroark-GX also won the Champions League in Niigata, Japan (a format somewhere between SUM-LOT and SUM-TEU). It is undeniable that Zoroark-GX has been putting up results, and that it’s absolutely able to win events.
This isn’t to say that Zoroark-GX doesn’t gain new tools from Team Up as well. [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice addition that helps the deck’s consistency, and [card name=”Nanu” set=”Team Up” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] provides an opportunity for some tricky plays, but more importantly, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX’s Fighting Weakness gives a lot more value to Lycanroc-GX.
[decklist name=”ZoroLyc” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”20″]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=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ 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=”Team Up” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Slugma” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist][premium]
Card Explanations
No two Zoroark-GX lists are the same — it’s one of the most customizable decks in the game right now. Here are the main choices I made:
Lillie Over Professor Elm’s Lecture
[cardimg name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”151″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The debate has raged between Team Lillie and Team Elm and, although I was a fervent supporter of [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] for a long time, I’ve now crossed over to the [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] side.
Pokemon Communication gives an additional incentive to play Lillie since you can use it to reduce your hand size by two cards (the Pokemon you put back in the deck and the Communication itself), letting you draw more with Lillie. In combination with [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], this gives the deck the ability to attain a strong early setup even without Elm. You generally end your first turn with more cards in hand if you played Lillie than if you played Elm, which means your turn two will generally be stronger. Pokemon Communication helps again here, since you can use it to find Zoroark-GX for little investment compared to something like [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. Also, Lillie is also a much better topdeck if you get hit with a [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] early in the game.
No Weavile
[card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] is a common tech in Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX lists at the moment and I’ve tested it a lot, but I never got much value out of it. It doesn’t do much in matchups like Pikachu & Zekrom-GX or Lost March, and even in the mirror match a smart player can play around it by not evolving too many [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], and KOing [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] or Weavile before it has a chance to do much.
A 2-2 line of Weavile might work, but a 1-1 line has been too thin to work consistently in my experience. Given that Weavile lacks synergy with [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], and that the latter is better in many situations (against Jirachi, especially), I’ve chosen to remove Weavile altogether.
1-1 Alolan Muk
Alolan Muk has been a staple in Zoroark-GX decks since Lost Thunder was released, but this list also includes an [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card]. Alolan Muk is important against decks that rely on Jirachi; against Malamar decks that use [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and Jirachi; against Lost March to negate [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]; against [card name=”Celebi and Venusaur-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card]’s partner [card name=”Shaymin” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]; and even against Pikachu & Zekrom-GX’s allies [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card].
Having Alolan Grimer in the deck gives you better odds to evolve into Muk on turn two, and also gives the deck a way to get Muk back in play if it’s Knocked Out. Which Alolan Grimer you choose to run shouldn’t matter greatly; the BUS print has 80 HP and can inflict Confusion for a DCE, while the 70 HP TEU print can OHKO an Asleep Jirachi, also for a DCE.
1-1 Magcargo
This deck plays several one-of Items, such as [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] gives the deck a way to search for these cards.
One Buzzwole
With Pikachu & Zekrom-GX poised to be a big part of the meta, [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is back in the deck. Sure, it’s possible for the opponent to skip the Sledgehammer turn, but it requires them to know or assume we’re playing Buzzwole, and, even if they do, they still have to limit their play in certain ways.
Counter Gain and Switch
Counter Gain is a way to use Dangerous Rogue-GX out of nowhere. Since Lightning decks, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX in particular, can be so fast, it’s good to have a way to counter them quickly.
Switch plays a similar role by allowing us to move Buzzwole to the Active position for a surprise attack.
Field Blower
Although this is a generic solution to all Tools and Stadiums, the main reason I want to include it in Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX is to beat [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. Pikachu & Zekrom-GX can easily tech Weakness Policy, especially if they play [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]; which swings the matchup strongly in their favor if we cannot counter it.
Four Fighting Energy
With no Weavile or [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] in this build of the deck, [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] is no longer needed.
However, even if we did run one or both of those Pokemon, I would still include at least one Fighting Energy to benefit from an opponent’s [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card].
Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX
[card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] has been one of the strongest archetypes since the beginning of this season. The pure Psychic version of Malamar has been the most popular outside of Japan, but, in the new format, the [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] variant might surpass it. I have three arguments in favor of Ultra Necrozma-GX:
[cardimg name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
- [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is a huge addition to the deck. It counters opposing Stadiums such as [card name=”Aether Paradise Conservation Area” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], and you can use it to discard [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and Psychic Energy. Probably its most important use, though, is giving us an easy way to find a Metal Energy whenever we need one to attack with Ultra Necrozma-GX. One of the deck’s biggest issues in the past was inconsistency, stemming from the need to run two different basic Energy types with no good way to search for a specific one. Viridian Forest solves this problem.
- With Tag Team GXs entering the meta, Pokemon HP is at an all-time high. Ultra Necrozma-GX is better suited than [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with these massive-HP threats: it only needs to discard three Psychic Energy to OHKO a Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, while [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] must discard four. Ultra Necrozma-GX can also take KOs with only two Energy attached — KOing a Basic Pokemon on turn two, for example. The deck now has higher mobility because of the [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] package, so it’s easier to actually pull that play off.
- Sky-Scorching Light GX is a much stronger GX move now than it’s been in previous formats because so many new decks use Jirachi. With Giratina’s Distortion Door, it’s easy to stick one damage counter on a pair of Jirachi at any point so that Sky-Scorching Light GX KOs them. This can swing the Prize trade in your favor, and you can beat one-Prize decks at their own game by attacking with Giratina during the early game and mid game, and then finishing with Sky-Scorching Light GX. This strategy is effective against Lost March, which is an early frontrunner for the SUM-TEU BDIF.
In my testing, Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX can hold its own against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], and is favored against Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX (slightly) and Lost March (overwhelmingly). It can have some awkward opening hands, but this is less of an issue in a best-of-three series. Because of its strong matchups against the rest of the hypothetical meta, it is currently my favorite deck for Melbourne.
[decklist name=”Malamar” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”16″]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=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Explanations
This list is pretty straightforward, so I will only discuss some of the less obvious inclusions:
Two Jirachi
[cardimg name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This little guy fits into many decks! He’s a welcome addition to this deck for several reasons.
The main one is that Ultra Necrozma-GX, as a deck, requires mobility: you’re often looking to send Ultra Necrozma-GX back to the Bench via [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] in order to charge it up again with Psychic Recharge. Jirachi with [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] attached is a great Pokemon to send Active in this situation, as it can use Stellar Wish to find a useful card, then retreat back into Ultra Necrozma-GX.
Jirachi aids your setup by finding [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], can find Energy indirectly by grabbing Viridian Forest, and can find a Supporter without you needing to play down your [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], which is a big liability in some matchups. For example, [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is the perfect Bench target for Pikachu & Zekrom-GX’s Tag Bolt GX.
One Marshadow-GX
Included to hit Pikachu & Zekrom-GX’s Fighting Weakness. In this matchup, you can often KO their first Tag Team with Ultra Necrozma-GX, and [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] can then KO the second one by copying Photon Geyser or Shadow Impact.
Four Lillie, Three Cynthia, Two Erika’s Hospitality
I’ve found this Supporter lineup to work well in most games.
[card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is ideal on turn one, and decent later on.
[card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] can be absolutely fantastic in the mid game since you can reduce your hand size with Ultra Ball, Mysterious Treasure, and Viridian Forest. However, it is weak on turn one, so I don’t want to play more than two. In this regard, it is similar to [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] in Expanded.
Three Nest Ball
The counts of Ultra Ball and Mysterious Treasure are no surprise, but this deck also plays [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to boost its consistency even more. Nest Ball is useful since, in addition to getting [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] and our attackers, we also want to play down Jirachi early. Plus, it is important for the list to contain a mass of search Items so that Stellar Wish can reliably find one.
One Choice Band
It is unusual to play [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] as a one-of, but with Jirachi in the deck we can find it somewhat more easily. This card is mainly included to KO [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] with only two Psychic Energy attached to Ultra Necrozma-GX.
One Beast Energy Prism Star
Strangely enough, not all Japanese lists run this card anymore. Since it can only be used effectively by two of your Pokemon, and you have no way to search for it, one could make the case that this deck slot would be better used for something else. I view Beast Energy in this list as a second Choice Band that can also fulfill your Metal Energy requirement; if I were to cut it, I would probably add a second Choice Band.
What Didn’t Make the Cut
This list excludes several cards that were commonly included in older lists:
Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX
With Switch and Escape Board in the deck, not to mention Jirachi to find them, [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]’s mobility is not as necessary anymore. What it becomes, then, is a mediocre attacker with a good GX attack. However, against many new decks, the 180 damage from Moon’s Eclipse GX will not be enough for a KO. Matchups where this attack shined, like [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], are probably on the decline. Plus, we’ve already established that Sky-Scorching Light GX is a strong reason to play Ultra Necrozma, so we’ll often be using that as our GX attack. Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX could still prove valuable given the right metagame, but I don’t think it’s currently a strong fit.
Marshadow
[cardimg name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] has often been used in the deck as a way to get out of a Supporter-less hand without benching a Tapu Lele-GX. However, Jirachi does more or less the same thing, except it can keep providing value throughout the game.
One could make a case for playing both Jirachi and Marshadow, but there’s the matter of Bench space. Malamar decks must manage their Bench precisely since they need to set up multiple Malamar, one or two attackers, and now Jirachi. It’s also often useful to keep a free space on the Bench in case you decide you want to use Distortion Door. In comparison to those other Pokemon, Marshadow is simply dead weight once it’s in play.
Chimecho
[card name=”Chimecho” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]’s role was to slow down opposing decks to allow you to set up. Again, with Jirachi and more search Items in the deck, Chimecho is unneeded, since the deck now sets up quicker.
Lunala Prism Star
I liked [card name=”Lunala Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] a lot in Ryan Moorhouse’s and Adam Hawkins’s version of the deck from Harrogate Regionals, which played a total of 12 Energy, including four [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. However, the list above only has seven Psychic Energy, so an attack requiring four of them is not as viable.
Beast Ring
I don’t have an argument against [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]’s inclusion other than that I haven’t felt the need for it. You generally get your required Energy in play quickly enough with Psychic Recharge. I could see adding this card if it helped me get an edge in a specific matchup, though.
Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star
Before I go, I’d like to highlight one newer card that could fit into this deck. This is not a common card in the deck at all, but I want to discuss it as I feel it has some potential.
Even though it’s not Fairy-type, Ultra Necrozma-GX doesn’t care about the effect of this Stadium because it’s easy for you to attach an extra Energy. [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] can cripple some decks that give Malamar trouble. Zoroark-GX can be prevented from attacking. Spread decks such as [card name=”Passimian” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] rely entirely on Double Colorless Energy and [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], so they will be unable to power up an attacker in a single turn. They can counter Wondrous Labyrinth with one of their own Stadiums, but even one turn where the effect sticks can buy you enough time to win.
Conclusion
That’s all from me this week! I feel like both of the decks in this article can do well in the current format, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either one take the win at Melbourne Regionals. I’ll keep working on the lists, and I’ll also keep looking for rogue decks that could challenge them. Despite my dislike for the Tag Team mechanic, I like what I’ve been seeing of the SUM-TEU format so far, and I feel like there’s a lot to explore. Hopefully I’m right!
My next article will come to you from the land down under — Australia. In the meantime, best of luck to you all!
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