Road to Berlin — Four Picks for EUIC

In only a few days, the best players in the world will once again gather for an International Championship, the third of the year, in Berlin, Germany. As the #1 ranked player in the home region, I feel some pressure to represent Europe. On a more personal note, although getting to the finals of the previous International Championship in Melbourne was a great feat, I was disappointed to lose in the finals and want to get another chance at winning. All this is to say that I’ve been training hard — although maybe still not as hard as I should have — in preparation for this huge event.

[cardimg name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Unlike the two previous Internationals, this one does not herald a new format but comes towards the end of the now familiar SUM-TEU format. We mostly know what to expect, but this doesn’t make choosing a deck any easier; it’s a different type of challenge. It’s easier to predict the metagame, but at the same time a more precise reading of the metagame is needed.

In Melbourne, for example, some members of my testing group played [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Ultra Beasts, including Bert Wolters who reached top 8 of the event. The deck’s concept was not unknown, but the precise list was, and not many people teched in preparation for this deck. Now, however, this same deck is one of the most successful of the format, and one of the most expected. Players have settled on a 57-card skeleton, so, if you see a Zapdos deck with [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], you know what to expect. This makes it much easier to prepare against the deck. In turn, this means that if you want to play Zapdos / Ultra Beasts, you no longer have the advantage of surprise at all. In comparison, someone playing a rogue deck in Melbourne wasn’t particularly favored since no one knew exactly what to expect of their opponents; however, now, a rogue deck’s element of surprise is much more relevant, and, since the metagame is well-trodded, it’s also easier to prepare for the most popular decks.

I have a bit more to say about how going from a new format to a familiar one changes the way players should prepare for an event, and I will go into it as it comes up. This article, however, is not meant to delve deep into metagame theory. Instead, I will go over my favorite picks for EUIC. If you too are scrambling to find a deck, you can choose one of these. For each deck, I will explain why I like the deck, and what would make me choose to play it or not play it.

A disclaimer, though: as I write this article, I still have two days of playtesting ahead of me, and there’s a good chance my mind will change. I don’t think I’ll play another deck than one of the four in these articles, but it could happen if one of my testing partners shows me a better idea. The lists presented below should also not be considered definitive, although I’ve tested them a lot and I’m confident I could play any of them and do well with it.

1. Zapdos / Ultra Beasts

[decklist name=”Zapdos UB” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

If registration for EUIC ended in five minutes (and depending on when you’re reading this, it could!), this is the deck I’d play. It has even or strong matchups against almost all of the top decks and an aggressive playstyle.

[premium]

Your goal with this deck is to take six Prizes as fast as possible. In most cases, you’ll take one every turn starting with the first or second turn. This means that as long as you manage to take a KO and don’t bench a Pokemon-GX (and as long as your opponent doesn’t have a way to take multiple Prizes in one turn, such as Sky-Scorching Light GX), you’ll stay ahead in the Prize race. In other words, you’re the one dictating the pace of the game, and your opponent has to keep up with you and stop you. As the Zapdos / Ultra Beasts player, however, you don’t have to KO specific targets: as long as you take one Prize a turn, even if it means using [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to KO a useless [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll win in the end. Obviously, you still want to target Pokemon that can be trouble if you can, such as Alolan Grimer, but you should prioritize getting your Prizes quickly over slowing your opponent down. The Zebstrika line allows you to dig deeper into your deck in order to find Guzma, or the [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] you need to use Sledgehammer and Nightcap on the relevant turns. It also protects you against [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] in [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks, although it will often be targeted by the opponent for this very reason.

[cardimg name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], an inclusion that was popularized by Connor Finton, is perfectly in line with this strategy, as it allows you to take an easy Prize to close out the game even if you don’t have an easy target.

I played a game that perfectly illustrated the deck’s whole philosophy on TCGO the other night against a Portuguese player running Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. He had Zoroark-GX in the Active but I never attacked it since it would give my opponent a chance to negate the damage with [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. Instead, I used my four Guzma to take four Prizes on smaller targets such as [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. With two Prizes each, my opponent had a Zoroark-GX in the Active with [card name=”Bodybuilding Dumbbells” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and only four Benched Pokemon, and only three Energy so that Tapu Thunder GX wasn’t a threat. I used [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] on my Bench. All my opponent’s Benched Pokemon would be KO’d by Nightcap copying Dangerous Rogue GX, so he sent out Buzzwole, the only one to give out only one Prize, and I copied Riotous Beating for the KO. My opponent took another KO, and we were left with one Prize each. His Active Pokemon had 250 HP and I had no Guzma left, but Kartana-GX gave me the win. His Zoroark-GX took five Prizes in the game, and I took six around it.

I don’t mention this game to brag, but because I think it encapsulates the way Zapdos / Ultra Beasts is played. You need to plan your turns in advance to map out your way to victory. This requires resource management and preparing for what your opponent may throw at you.

In short, the deck has an aggressive, but not mindless, playstyle. If this is something you enjoy, you should considering playing Zapdos / Ultra Beasts.

The one card that I may want to include in this list is Marshadow to have another draw card as well as a way to disrupt your opponent. The issue is that there’s no easy cut for it: the easiest one is a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], but having four Jirachi helps the deck’s starts; it can be a little bit clunky before [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] comes into play. Some lists have also gone down to one Stadium or one [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. I can see a Choice Band being cut, since in many matchups you target non-GX Pokemon most of the time. I don’t advise playing less than two Stadiums, though. Having a [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] or, worse, [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] stick on the board can spell death.

Zapdos / Ultra Beasts has a strong matchup spread. Thanks to [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and Nihilego, you have powerful attackers that can beat Zoroark-GX and [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] is another powerful tool at your disposal, and I’ve already discussed Kartana-GX. As a Zapdos deck, you should also beat any [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] deck since you’re faster, but you shouldn’t Bench more than one Jirachi or you give your opponent a chance to come back in the game with Sky-Scorching Light GX. [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] is favored since, once again, you should take the first Prize and then trade one Prize for one.

The deck does have a weak spot, though: decks that fall under the umbrella of Stall or Control. This includes [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], but also Zoroark-GX Control and [card name=”Celebi and Venusaur-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card]. All these decks survive and heal through Zapdos’ attacks, and will win the game or deplete our resources before we can take all six Prizes. These decks’ recent success make me think twice about playing Zapdos / Ultra Beasts at EUIC: sure, I don’t expect them to have a dominant meta share, but some Stall masters will be attending EUIC and I’m a bit worried about them.

2. Zapdos / Jolteon-GX

[decklist name=”Zapdos Jolteon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]9x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Instead of Zapdos / Ultra Beasts, my contingency plan is to use this list, popularised by Pedro Eugenio Torres. The only change from his Bolzano list is the removal of [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card].

Most of what’s been said about Zapdos / Ultra Beasts holds true for this version as well; you’re still trying to take Prizes quickly, but instead of the situational Ultra Beasts, you have other Lightning-type attackers as options. [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”custom”]Jolteon-GX[/card]’s Swift Run GX is great in mirror matches and against Malamar and Blacephalon-GX; against the former, you can take easy KOs on Malamar; against the latter, you can Swift Run GX going into their Beast Ring turn, forcing them to Guzma instead of digging for their [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]s. [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] acts as a heavier attacker as well as another mobility card to help retreat a Zapdos into another one.

This deck is more consistent than Zapdos / Ultra Beasts, but a little less powerful. Jolteon-GX and Zeraora-GX aren’t reliant on precise Prize timings like the Buzzwole and Nihilego, but they’re also Pokemon-GX, so you don’t control the Prize trade as much.

This version still has even to positive matchups against most of the field, but handles Stall much better since you don’t use Special Energy, you can recover Energy with Zeraora-GX, and you have an easier time Knocking Out Regigigas. It also has the benefit of not being talked about as much as the Ultra Beasts variant.

Despite its success, the deck is still flying a little under the radar. It’s certainly not unknown, but most people will prioritize testing against Zapdos / Ultra Beasts rather than Zapdos / Jolteon-GX, and the two decks do play a bit differently. This deck doesn’t play Zebstrika but has a full playset of [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. This makes it easier to tech in Item cards such as [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], which can be used to heal Jolteon-GX so it doesn’t get 2HKO’d. Compared to a list with Zebstrika, you’ll never discard your hand and rarely shuffle it back. Instead, thanks to Volkner and Stellar Wish, you can accumulate big hands and keep cards such as [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] for when you need them. This does make the deck weaker to Marshadow and [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], though.

The big issue with the deck is that it has a tough time handling Zoroark-GX. Pedro Eugenio Torres won Bolzano undefeated and made top 4 in Cannes with this list but didn’t face a single Zoroark-GX deck in either of these tournaments. Zoroark-GX is a tough matchup because you can’t OHKO their Pokemon and they’ll use Acerola to heal. With no Zebstrika in the deck, you won’t find Guzma every turn, so you’ll need to hit into their Active Pokemon at some points. What’s more, you don’t have Buzzwole or Nihilego as nuclear options. Your best bet to KO Zoroark-GX is Zeraora-GX, and it will be KO’d in return by Lycanroc-GX. Tapu Koko-GX is a better bet if they have a lot of Energy in play, since it doesn’t have a Weakness, but you’ll need to manage your Bench to not get KO’d by Dangerous Rogue GX, and you can only do this play once. More importantly, Alolan Muk is a pain. This deck is reliant on Jirachi to draw cards since it doesn’t have Zebstrika, and you’ll need [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and Tapu Koko-GX for your better plays. Of course, you can, and should, KO Alolan Muk before it evolves, but this is impossible if the Zoroark-GX player benches both [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and Alolan Grimer on turn one.

Hoping to dodge Zoroark-GX in tournaments has worked out for both Pedro and myself, and it might still be a solid strategy. If I don’t expect much Zoroark-GX, I’ll gladly take Zapdos / Jolteon-GX to EUIC. However, since Zoroark-GX has had continued success all over the world, it is likely that many top players will bring it to the event, in which case I’d be less confident about playing the deck.

3. Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX / Lucario-GX

[decklist name=”ZLL” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″][pokemon amt=”23″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [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]2x [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Riolu” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”66″ 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=”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]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ 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=”Bodybuilding Dumbbells” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Speaking of [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], it’s a deck that I’m considering myself. Historically, you could say I’ve had some success playing this card at International Championships, getting a first place, second place and top 16 in the three Internationals I’ve played with it. It’s not just me, though. Zoroark-GX has performed well at Internationals since its release, winning four of the six it saw play in, and getting at least top 4 in the two it didn’t win.

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Is this coincidence, or is there a specific reason that would warrant playing Zoroark-GX? In my opinion, a little bit of both. Zoroark-GX was dominant last season, so it’s not much of a surprise that it won three out of four Internationals, especially considering the number of top players that played the deck. Even this season, although it isn’t as flashy, it still has a brilliant record. Zoroark-GX’s Trade gives you consistency and lets you afford space for techs in your deck, since you have a way to draw them reliably. For example, Zoroark-GX variants are the last decks to still include [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], a card that has many uses but isn’t talked about too much.

This is more valuable early on in a format when the metagame hasn’t been figured out yet. This is why I chose to play Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card] in Melbourne: I had answers to about everything I expected (Field Blower, [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card]…) and could adapt to my opponent’s strategy on the fly. I also chose to stop playing the deck immediately after, as I felt that once the deck became known, it wasn’t as strong, not to mention that the metagame would adapt and the deck wouldn’t have such strong matchups.

Yet, I’m still considering Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX / Lucario-GX for Berlin, despite the fact that, unlike the two previous International Championships, it comes at the end rather than the beginning of the format. It turns out that the deck has withstood the test of time much better than I expected, and is still relevant right now. I don’t think Zoroark-GX is at its strongest, but the metagame might favor it, with Zapdos being particularly popular.

Many players have dropped Lucario-GX and included a heavier line of Lycanroc-GX instead, including one copy of [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”82″ c=”set”][/card]. While I can understand its uses, in my testing, this variant is too slow to handle the aggressive variants of Pikachu & Zekrom-GX that found success recently, particularly in Denver. Lucario-GX stops Pikachu & Zekrom-GX dead in its tracks, though, making Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX / Lucario-GX the best answer to Lightning decks.

Another reason for playing Lucario-GX is how much it helps against other Zoroark-GX decks. This is especially true against Zoroark-GX Control, which can discard all your Energy and prevent you from getting an attack with Lycanroc-GX. Lucario-GX can still be used to KO Zoroark-GX since it only requires one Energy, and you can use [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] to get it back to your hand afterwards.

The list above is the one I’m least confident about out of all the ones in this article, and there’s a good chance it will change before the event.

I chose to replace the usual Choice Bands with Bodybuilding Dumbbells in order to give the deck some more survivability. Against Blacephalon-GX, for example, Bodybuilding Dumbbells forces Blacephalon-GX to Lost Zone five Energy instead of four to KO Lycanroc-GX. It also lets you survive big attacks like an opposing Tapu Thunder GX or Dangerous Rogue GX. It can even allow Zoroark-GX to survive [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s Sledgehammer, although only if Buzzwole doesn’t have a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. This change makes sense since Choice Band is useless in many matchups; but it does mean that Lycanroc-GX can’t OHKO Pikachu & Zekrom-GX with Claw Slash, which is why I put [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] back into the deck.

I’m also unsure about the choice of Stadiums. [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] lets you OHKO Buzzwole and [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] helps the deck’s consistency, but you could also play a second Devoured Field instead. There’s also an argument to be made for playing [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] instead of either, or both, of the Stadiums.

[card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong addition to the deck. It helps a lot against Stall, Zoroark-GX Control and other slow decks by putting back resources. Even against faster decks, it can be used in some situations. For example, if Jolteon-GX uses Swift Run GX, you may want to Acerola the damage on your Zoroark-GX, send in Oranguru and use the turn to put back some cards in the deck — such as the Acerola you just used, or [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]. If nothing else, it’s a high-HP Basic Pokemon that you can bench against [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks when you need to fill your Bench for Riotous Beating damage, but don’t want to give your opponent an easy target for a Thunderous Assault KO. This is also true of Diancie Prism Star, by the way. Be warned, though, that Oranguru isn’t an auto-win against a strong Stall player.

I think Zoroark-GX is in a good spot right now and I might fall back on it with the confidence that it’s worked out well for me so far. The factor that makes me think twice about it is [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s one of the deck’s worst matchups and still has a strong following. I’m not sure how popular it will be, but it’s a simple and good enough deck that you must expect a decent part of the field to play it.

4. Malamar

[decklist name=”Malamar UN” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”19″]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=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]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=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” 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=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

… I might be obsessed.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] was on the decline, and since then I haven’t stopped thinking about how it could come back. I won’t elaborate too much on Malamar’s spot in the metagame, as the article linked above already explores this in detail. Put it simply, Malamar could come back in order to beat some decks, like Celebi & Venusaur-GX or Zoroark-GX Control, that thrive when it’s not there.

The list above was built by Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, who achieved top 32 at Champions League Chiba with it. Most of the list is classic Malamar, so I’ll focus on the most interesting deviations from it.

[card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is mainly used for Horror House GX. One of Malamar’s weaknesses is that it is hurt a lot by going second. A turn one Horror House makes the opponent essentially skip their turn two, which means you can setup faster than them instead. This is particularly useful against Zoroark-GX and [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. Against the former, you want to copy Horror House with [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] because Gengar & Mimikyu-GX is weak to Dark so benching it in that matchup is terrible. Poltergeist can be a bit random, but it can be strong against Zapdos decks. They tend to have many Trainers in hand, and given the low HP of their attackers, it should be enough for a KO. Gengar & Mimikyu-GX’s 240 HP also lets it reliably tank hits against Zapdos, and you can even use Acerola afterwards to get it back in your hand.

[card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] helps in the mirror match and, once again, against Zapdos. In both cases, you want to spread damage in order to close out the game with Sky-Scorching Light GX. It’s also a nice pivot thanks to its free retreat. This is the main card I think can be cut in the list, but it does give you strong options.

Marshadow-GX obviously helps against Fighting-weak decks. This decks plays two Marshadow-GX rather than include a [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. It gives you the same amount of attackers, but it’s much easier to search for Marshadow-GX than to look for Rescue Stretcher, and time is of the essence against Pikachu & Zekrom-GX.

Finally, the [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] could be either a fourth [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or a fourth [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], but has different strengths and weaknesses than both. The fourth Ultra Ball can sometimes force you to discard too many cards, especially with four Viridian Forest in the list. On the other hand, Nest Ball can be dead later in the game when you want to find Malamar or [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] in order to discard it. Pokemon Communication acts as a middle ground, being able to grab any Pokemon while also not making you discard precious resources. It does require you to have a Pokemon in hand, though, so you don’t want to rely on it too much. This deck doesn’t play enough Pokemon that we want to play more than one Communication.

All in all, I think Malamar has a decent chance. It’s the deck I’m least confident in of the four in this article, but I could still see myself playing it if many people explore decks other than the top-tier ones, since most if not all rogues are favorable matchups for Malamar. The Zoroark-GX and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX matchups are both about even, so you can certainly hold your own in the metagame. The issue, though, is that Malamar still has an unfavorable Zapdos matchup, and since Zapdos has been one of the most popular decks since the format’s inception, it’s quite risky to play it. That said, Zapdos will probably be targeted in Berlin, so I expect it to do worse than its previous results would suggest. That could give Malamar the opening it needs.

5. What Deck Will You Choose?

Before I close out this article, I should mention that these are not the only good decks for EUIC. I’m not Pikachu & Zekrom-GX or Blacephalon-GX’s biggest fan, but both these decks have been doing well and are fine plays if you’re familiar with them. Stall is also strong, but it’s not for everyone, and people do expect it. If you’re a Stall player, you can definitely do very well this weekend, but expect every Zoroark-GX deck to include Oranguru, and some Blacephalon-GX decks to play [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]. Finally, I think [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] still has good odds of surprising everyone. As I explained last week, I probably won’t risk playing a Stage 2 deck at an International Championship again, but it’s not a bad deck in the metagame and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it do well.

Whatever you decide to play, I wish you the best of luck. Don’t hesitate to come and say hi if you see me at the venue!

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