Taming Expanded — Informed Predictions for Greensboro Regionals

By: Stephane Ivanoff · Posted Mar 14, 2019 at 4:10 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The first Expanded tournament of the Tag Team era, Toronto Regionals, ended in a surprising fashion, with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] dominating the event but Night March eventually winning, in what can reasonably be called a blast from the past.

In only a few days, Greensboro Regionals will put players to the test once again, but the situation is actually different. For Toronto, players had to deal with the impact of four bans and a new set featuring the new Tag Team mechanic, with no solid reference apart from articles, videos and conversations about hyped, and less hyped, decks. In Greensboro, everyone will be aware of the previous results in the same format, and this will affect everyone’s choice of deck — whether it is to copy a successful deck or to counter them. In my opinion, this makes the metagame easier to predict, and therefore preferable.

In this article, I want to present and explain my predictions for Greensboro Regionals, and help you make the right pick — there are a few decks I think are valid choices! I’ll begin by talking about my experience with [card name=”Hitmonchan” set=”Team Up” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card], and proceed to talk about other popular decks and their chances going forward. I also mention [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] as another long-forgotten deck that could make a comeback.

1. Hitmonchan and Me

I decided to play Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet in Toronto. As I explained in my last article, it has good matchups against some expected decks like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants. I was no longer confident in Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] after my disappointing run with it in Dallas, and Hitmonchan seemed to strike the balance between being a good call for the meta as well as a safe choice in general thanks to Wobbuffet being so good in Expanded against various threats. Over the tournament, I was able to use Bide Barricade to block the Abilities of [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pyroar” set=”Flashfire” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], and more. Many unexpected decks that reached Day 2 in Toronto, such as Nathan Brower’s Jirachi / Gallade or Frank Percic’s [card name=”Alolan Exeggutor” set=”Team Up” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], can struggle with Bide Barricade.

[decklist name=”Hitmonchan” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Hitmonchan” set=”Team Up” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Hitmonlee” set=”Team Up” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shuckle-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ 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=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Prism Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

This is the list I played. Compared to the one I posted last week, the main difference is that I cut some tech cards for more Supporters. After talking and comparing lists with Gregory Fortier, I felt like my list was too unstable and decided to add a third [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] to the deck. The inclusion of the third [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] happened Friday evening after some testing and discussion with Tran Nguyen.

I don’t regret either of these inclusions. The third Guzma in particular was invaluable. With no [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, there is no way outside of Teammates, which takes a turn, to search for your first Guzma, so having a third one helps to get it earlier. After one Guzma is played, of course, [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] can be used to use its effect again.

My final record with the deck was 8-4-2, missing out on top 16. However, something becomes apparent when we break down my matchups:

Round 1: WW vs [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Vileplume
Round 2: WLT vs Pikachu & Zekrom-GX + [card name=”Shining Lugia” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM82″ c=”name”][/card]
Round 3: WW vs Gengar & Mimikyu-GX / Omastar
Round 4: WW vs Night March
Round 5: WLW vs Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / Pyroar
Round 6: LWT vs Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet
Round 7: LL vs Trevenant
Round 8: WW vs Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet
Round 9: WW vs Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet
Round 10: LL vs Trevenant
Round 11: WW vs Gallade / Jirachi
Round 12: WW vs Night March
Round 13: LL vs Trevenant
Round 14: LL vs Trevenant

Over the tournament, I went 0-4 against Trevenant and 8-0-2 against the rest of the field. There are two conclusions to this:

First, the Trevenant matchup is awful. This is due to a combination of Item lock, Trevenant’s Fighting Resistance and ability to spread. [card name=”Latias-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] could be included in the future if Trevenant players keep cutting [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], as Will Jenkins and Chris Siakala did, but it seems more reasonable to take the loss to the matchup.

The other conclusion is more positive: the deck exceeded expectations against all non-Trevenant decks! This is despite only hitting one Zoroark-GX deck and one Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, which goes to show that Hitmonchan isn’t a purely anti-meta deck. You might wonder why I tied against Pikachu & Zekrom-GX despite it being a very favorable matchup. I attribute the tie to spending too much time trying to salvage game two — I was ahead in game three and only needed more time to close it out; so that tie could arguably be considered a win if I played optimally, again highlighting the deck’s strength.

Every tech Pokemon in the deck was useful at some point or another. Hitmonlee was good in mirror matches and also against Night March. Using Guzma to bring a Bench-sitter Active and using Special Combo on their attacker can make them miss a turn of attacking. [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] won me the two games against Gallade by letting me take my last Prize even when facing a full-health Gallade with [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Shuckle-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] won me some time in a mirror match. [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] had several uses, but my favorite was against Zach Lesage’s Hitmonchan deck: I was behind three to two in Prizes, but I used Guzma to bring his Focus Sash-ed [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] Active and copied [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]’s Supernatural Dance to KO his [card name=”Goomy” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and put one damage counter on Buzzwole, breaking its Focus Sash. Zach was unable to retreat Buzzwole, and the next turn I copied Diancie Prism Star’s Diamond Rain to KO Buzzwole and take the Prize lead once again.

[cardimg name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I talked about Hitmonchan’s matchups against most of the field last week, but I want to take a moment here to mention Night March, seeing as it made a brilliant comeback in Toronto. I played against the eventual champion Jimmy Pendarvis and fellow writer Caleb Gedemer, both of whom played Night March, and beat them both. Although I don’t think the matchup is an auto-win by any means, it definitely feels favored for Hitmonchan. It is easy to take a KO on [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and not lose your attacker in exchange, since you can switch to Wobbuffet. Night March also returns KO fairly easily, but they might have to dig harder for it and discard or use some of their precious resources for that. They may also use Shaymin-EX’s Set Up, which gives you a way to take two Prizes in one attack if they can’t discard it with [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. In any case, you generally end up trading KOs back and forth. If you took the first Prize, you probably can keep taking one every turn until the end. If you didn’t, the opponent should still get to a point where they run out of resources — either Double Colorless Energy, or attackers. You might think a Night March deck would have no trouble running out of attackers, but remember that they can only attack with Pumpkaboo if they have their one-of [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] in play, so they are reliant on their four Joltik for most of the match. Shuckle-GX is your ace in the hole as it can stall the opponent if they run out of ways to use Guzma. Don’t play it too early, though: Night March plays [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to remove its Ability. However, if those cards are in the discard, then you can safely use Shuckle-GX to wall the opponent. This can prevent them from taking their last Prize and allow you to come back from a one-Prize deficit.

There were several non-GX decks in Toronto that aimed to beat Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, Zoroark-GX, and other GX decks such as [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] by having favorable Prize trades, but that ended up praying every round to dodge Trevenant. Buzzwole / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], Gallade / Jirachi, and Alolan Exeggutor all fit this category, and I would even include [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] and Night March in it, despite Jimmy Pendarvis’ surprising tree-slaying spree. In my opinion, of all the decks in this category, Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet is the best. It has good matchups head-to-head against the other non-GX decks, and, once again, Wobbuffet can save it from unexpected situations.

I would still recommend it as a play. The only card I might want to add to the deck is a Field Blower, which would give the deck an out to Focus Sash, in addition to being a good card in general.

[premium]

2. Party Like it’s 2015

A very brief Toronto recap: Night March won a Regional, which it hadn’t done since November 2017, when Zoroark-GX was only recently released and hadn’t yet unleashed its full power. Trevenant occupied half the Top 8, which was just as surprising. The deck hadn’t exactly shined in previous Regionals: only three Trevenant decks made Day 2 in Dallas, and one in Anaheim. Trees were a bit more successful in Portland back in October, but still comprised only seven out of the 46 decks that made Day 2, or 15%. For comparison, they comprised 10 decks in Toronto’s top 32, which is 31%!

How can we explain this pattern, and, more importantly, can we expect the same in Greensboro?

[cardimg name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Night March was a brilliant meta call. With big GX decks being hyped, a non-GX deck made perfect sense, and with the inclusion of [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], little Joltik was actually able to handle titans such as Pikachu & Zekrom-GX. [card name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], although risky, helped the deck by getting the all-important Battle Compressor sooner.

What really helped the deck, though, was a shift in the metagame. Oricorio and [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card], two anti-Night March techs, had been cut from decks for a while. [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], which was played in some slower decks, was absent from Toronto because of the focus on faster and more aggressive decks. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] was also unseen because of [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]’s ban and the fear of Pikachu & Zekrom-GX. With these checks gone, Night March was in a great position in the tournament.

The last factor that played a role was the shift away from Zoroark-GX / Garbodor. With Electropower, Zoroark-GX’s HP wasn’t high enough to reliably tank attacks against Night March, but Garbotoxin + N is still a deadly combination. However, Zoroark-GX wasn’t as popular, and some players strayed away from Garbodor and chose to play other partners like [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card] that would be more effective against Pikachu & Zekrom-GX. Coincidentally, such partners also make the deck weaker against Night March.

If Night March was the meta call, Trevenant was the counter-meta call. Trevenant had been on the decline because of Zoroark-GX’s dominance, but the deck still boasts favorable matchups against most of the other decks. However, whenever people are afraid of playing Zoroark-GX, Trevenant steps in and does great. That’s what happened at Roanoke Regionals last season: shortly after the release of Forbidden Light, baby Buzzwole and Diancie Prism Star made [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] look like the biggest threat in the format, so players shied away from Zoroark-GX. Trevenant ended up taking three spots in the Top 8 in that event.

The difference is that Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, our format’s new hyped deck, actually had a strong matchup against Trevenant. Some players chose to ignore it and counted on it not being as successful as anticipated — and they were right. Others included Pyroar to shore up that matchup. As much as Trevenant frustrates me, I can’t help but admire this choice: it’s always fun to see a forgotten card get a second life in Expanded thanks to the right combination of circumstances.

After their success, Night March and Trevenant will probably see more play, at least among the general public. However, I don’t think these are good picks for Greensboro, and I would be surprised to see either of them make Top 8 again. Night March is easy to tech for, and a good number of people will add an Oricorio or Karen to their deck. These inclusions don’t make the deck an auto-win by any means, but they can definitely push a close matchup in the right direction. Trevenant is harder to deal with, but some decks can make good use of [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card]. More importantly, I expect Zoroark-GX to be back in a big way. This will be the topic of the next section.

3. ZoroGarb Never Dies

[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

With his second place, Noah Bujak showed that Zoroark-GX / Garbodor still had what it takes to do well.

His list wasn’t very different from how the deck was played in Dallas, for instance, but there are two key differences that illustrate the change. First, the combination of [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”from”][/card], Choice Band and [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] to help find the cards allowed the deck to OHKO a Pikachu & Zekrom-GX by copying Tag Bolt GX with Foul Play. More subtly, but also more interestingly, Noah opted to run two copies of Trashalanche and one of Garbotoxin rather than the reverse — a choice that was popular in last season’s Standard, but not in Expanded. This allowed him to have more non-GX attackers and deal better with Fighting decks as well as Pikachu & Zekrom-GX.

By running only one Garbotoxin, though, the deck is more vulnerable to [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] and to other Zoroark-GX decks. Garbotoxin + N is often a win condition in the mirror match, and obviously you need to shut off Sudowoodo’s Roadblock in order to deal serious damage with Riotous Beating. That tradeoff was absolutely fine in Toronto, but may not be as good going forward.

Since Zoroark-GX / Garbodor can still obviously perform even in the face of new threats, I expect many players to come back to it. Some may include Oricorio to deal with Night March, or [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] for both the Pikachu & Zekrom-GX and the Archie’s Blastoise matchups. I think it is indeed a strong choice for the immediate future, but I would go back to the 2/1 Garbotoxin/Trashalanche split. This helps the deck handle other Zoroark-GX decks better, which I think will be more relevant going into Greensboro.

This would be my starting list, although I want to test to see if [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] could be better than Teammates.

[decklist name=”ZoroGarb Greensboro” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″][pokemon amt=”24″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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″ 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=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Dragon Vault” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

4. Was PikaRom overhyped?

[card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] was one of the biggest letdowns in recent memory. After receiving so much praise, and despite being the most played deck in the tournament, only one — barely! — reached Day 2, where it proceeded to go 0-5. What happened there?

In my opinion, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX was a victim of its hype. It had a clear target on its back, and everyone had their counter to it, from [card name=”Pyroar” set=”Flashfire” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s resurrection to [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card] being the third most popular archetype to [card name=”Onix” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] being included in Archie’s Blastoise. Several players I talked to shied away from the deck for this very reason, and it seems that they were right do to so.

That doesn’t mean that Pikachu & Zekrom-GX is bad. The deck is strong — although not as much as in Standard, I believe — it’s just not strong enough to win when everyone counters it. Now that the hype around it has faded, and with players not taking it as seriously, I think its time is coming.

The deck should adapt to what we saw in Toronto. [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card] can be included to deal with Pyroar, just as it is in Standard for [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card]. Including Eevee in your deck in Expanded also gives you access to a plethora of Eeveelutions — I think [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] might be worth including to deal with Archie’s Blastoise. A 2/1-1 line of Jolteon-GX and Leafeon, or even 1/1-1, wouldn’t require too much space.

I’m not comfortable enough with the deck to offer a decklist, but I’m confident that the deck is a good pick for next weekend.

5. The Dark Horse

[cardimg name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Remember me?[/cardimg]

Finally, I want to mention a possible unlikely contender, coming back from obscurity: [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / Dragons!

As a disclaimer, this is mostly theoretical, but I do want to explain the reasoning since I think it’s valid.

First of all, Trevenant did well in Toronto and it wouldn’t be surprising to see players pick up the deck again, especially those who don’t know what to play and are looking for a simple answer. Darkrai-EX hits for Weakness, and the other [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dark Cloak ensures that sneaky [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] plays can’t stall it. The matchup has been favorable for Darkrai-EX since BREAKpoint and it still is, so if you’re in desperate need of a deck that beats Trevenant, look no further. However, its strength goes beyond.

Darkrai-EX has been paired with Dragon Pokemon for a long time, since [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] counts for two Dark Energy and therefore boosts Dark Pulse’s damage by 40. This allows us to use strong Dragon-type attackers.

[card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is particularly effective: with no [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] in sight because of [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s fall from grace, Chaos Wheel can provide an auto-win against Night March, as long as you can power it up while leaving no Double Colorless Energy in play. The same holds against other Special Energy-reliant decks like [card name=”Hitmonchan” set=”Team Up” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], although the latter might have an easier time keeping Energy in play since they play more and keep their attackers on the Bench. Zoroark-GX also struggles against Chaos Wheel, although the deck’s secondary attackers give it an out.

[card name=”Latias-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] can also be used to deal with some attackers, and its Barrier Break attack goes through Pyroar’s Intimidating Mane.

[card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is another way to get more Energy in play, and its GX attack with an Hypnotoxic Laser can easily KO a Tag Team Pokemon regardless of their HP. This gives the card a renewed relevance, and helps the deck’s Pikachu & Zekrom-GX and Archie’s Blastoise matchups.

Here is my first draft:

[decklist name=”Darkrai / Dragons” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”13″]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Latias-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”85″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ 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=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ 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=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Hypnotoxic Laser serves two purposes: it activates Dead End GX, and it also allows us to deal 10 extra damage, which lets Giratina-EX OHKO Garbodor if it has a Fighting Fury Belt. In theory, this allows the deck to deal with the main threat in [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] while still keeping the lock in place.

[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] can remove Special Energy already in play to ensure a better lock with Chaos Wheel.

This list can probably be improved. Some cards I might want to make space for are [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card]. Float Stone would make the deck less reliant on Dark Cloak against Garbotoxin or Wobbuffet, and Energy Switch could move Energy from Darkrai-GX to Giratina-EX and make it easier to use Chaos Wheel. Additional copies of Field Blower, Battle Compressor and Enhanced Hammer could be useful, and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] might work to set up your KOs in the end game, although I may be trying too hard to imitate past versions of the deck here. Parallel City could maybe be cut, but it seems good against other GX decks. The [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] engine might also be too ambitious since Sudowoodo is a popular tech and limits your Bench space, but I think it might be worth running to improve your setup when you go first.

6. Wrapping Up

That’s it! To recap, I think that Zoroark-GX / Garbodor and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX are due for a comeback and will be solid plays for Greensboro. Archie’s Blastoise is another pick that I didn’t have time to explore here, but that seems decent. I don’t see it winning the event, but I predict that one will make Top 8 again, like in Dallas and in Toronto.

My own pick for the event, if I was attending? Probably Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet again! The deck’s relative lack of success might scare some away, but if my predictions are correct and we do end up seeing a rise in Zoroark-GX and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, both Fighting-weak, and a drop in Trevenant, then Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet’s position in the meta gets better.

Before I conclude, I want to apologize to players attending the Regional Championship in Perth, Australia, or one of the Special Events in Chile and Guatemala this weekend, who probably hoped for more Standard content. As a non-American, I know very well that Expanded only concerns a part of the community. However, since I was attending Toronto, I’ve focused on Expanded for the last two weeks, and I want to take some time to test more Standard decks before going into them in detail. I’ll make it up to you next week!

Until then, best of luck in all your games, whichever format you play or event you attend.

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