Naganadel / Quagsire — Breaking Down Standard’s Underdog

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted May 26, 2019 at 8:24 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A deck that has been around nearly all season has been [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. It has been popularized at times by Ross Cawthon, then discredited, only to pop up again in the hands of Cawthon once more. Recently, at California Regionals, the deck saw its most successful run ever in the hands of four different players (not attending, Cawthon was not one of them.) Let’s skim over a complete history of the deck; it’s placed eight times:

Colorado Regionals: 16th
Germany Internationals: 19th, 68th
Brazil Regionals: 28th
California Regionals: 17th, 29th, 34th, 46th

The deck lacks a Top Eight right now. Why? Some would say it’s a weaker, worse deck than most out there. I would typically agree, or rather, I would have, but the release of [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] into the metagame has changed my opinion significantly. So where does the deck really stand? It’s kind of a dark horse; somewhere in the middle of being a Tier 1 deck and just barely surfacing from the bottom of the barrel. It’s a deck that performs fairly well most games if it sets up, which you can do with an optimized list; and it benefits from type-advantage against one of the best decks in the Standard format. It’s also a fun and simple deck that’s great for beginners or someone just trying to get started in the game. It offers a linear strategy with wiggle room to pull off more intricate plays if you so choose.

Its best thing going for it right now is the type-advantage against most Fire-type Pokemon; there is no better mono Water-type deck for the job. A card like [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”name”][/card] can be oppressively strong in Expanded when given the opportunity to Towering Splash GX and wipe their Bench, and this is the only deck in the Standard format that can successfully complete the same play. This unique deck varies slightly list to list, but I prefer a straightforward version with no frills for maximum consistency. The release of [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] makes the deck more consistent, a nice touch. Here’s my list:

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[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Wooper” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Onix” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Explanations

Quagsire (4-3) and Naganadel (2-2)

Quagsire is the centerpiece of this deck and the archetype is built to have a chance even if you can’t get Naganadel out with [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. Quagsire makes the magic happen so it should always be favored in deck-building. The four [card name=”Wooper” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a fighting chance to solidify a Quagsire and get to work. Naganadel is important to your strategy and certainly important for using your bigger attacks like Towering Splash GX, but it should always take the back seat to Wash Out. Using [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] is amazing because you can make your first turn go for just one [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and one Wooper, and as long as you get Ditto Prism Star into play, you “have two of each of the former” out in addition.

Attacker Lineup

There’s a lot of them, so let’s browse over each. Magikarp and Wailord-GX is great in this format because Super Splash always deals a nice 180 damage, and having the Towering Splash GX can prey on decks using multiple Pokemon 100 HP or less to score multiple Knock Outs and get ahead in the Prize race. Using [card name=”Onix” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is essential to beating [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks as well as [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] is your go-to attacker to start the game in almost any matchup. Using [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] as a finisher is great with Hydro Pump, and [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] can even use Turning Point. While the attacking lineup seems thin, this deck must operate at max efficiency in regards to consistency to win games. This deck took a while to earn its place in the metagame because the original lists were extremely inconsistent and faulty. Some lists play a higher [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] count to further complement the thin attacker line, but I’ve found that two works fine if you’re conscious of getting the maximum value out of each Rescue Stretcher.

Four Wishful Baton

[cardimg name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”121″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Keeping your Energy in play for this deck is paramount. The whole reason you play Aqua Patch and Naganadel in the first place is to make sure you have more ways to do this, because [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t enough on its own! That’s not to say Wishful Baton isn’t necessary though, as you want to make sure that for each attacker that goes down, you still retain some of the Energy and get to set something else up on the Bench. Wash Out makes it so that for each Wishful Baton, you can charge up anything you want, so long as you can get it into the Active spot. Your Wishful Baton are kind of like switching cards since there isn’t one in this deck right now. You want more Energy in play so you have the freedom to get the right Pokemon as your Active. Using [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] is a cute tech for this deck. You can sink it onto a Naganadel and have a free pivot for the rest of the game. While it’s certainly the best switching card for this deck, I don’t think it’s worth playing because you’re just a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] for a Knock Out or a [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] away from losing the Escape Board and being sent back to square one.

Four Aqua Patch

The more ways to keep Energy in play, or get them back in this case, the better. When Naganadel is out of commission you can rely on Aqua Patch and its inclusion exists entirely because you can save some Bench space by not having as many Naganadel in play. You get a little faster too because if your opponent targets Poipole or Naganadel early, you can still have some firepower to set up some attacks. If your Naganadel are gone in the late game, you can still accelerate Water Energy into play. With Aqua Patch you also increase your chances of attacking as soon as turn two significantly.

Four Acro Bike and Two Pokegear 3.0

The best Supporters this deck can play are [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. Because of that, you should play [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] before playing something like [card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or any other inferior Supporter. More [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] beats out Pokegear 3.0 for me because it runs through your deck and gets Water Energy into the discard pile to accelerate with either Aqua Patch or Charging Up. It’s a consistency card that’s irreplaceable while Pokegear 3.0 further supplements to make sure you have a steady flow of Supporters throughout the game.

Two Viridian Forest and Ten Water Energy

The more ways to put Water Energy into the discard pile, the better. And that’s what [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is in this deck for. You want to be able to attach a Water Energy every turn if possible, so having as many ways to get them is important. Ten Energy is a lot for most decks, but this one needs many to do significant damage. You’ll be attacking with Quagsire more than you would think, so having more Energy to Hydro Pump for more damage is nice. I could see going as low as eight Water Energy in this deck, but that seems kinda sketchy.

Options

Kyurem

I’ve never found the right time to use [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card]. Hail Prison is a strong attack but with so many Guzma and other switching cards in decks these days I’m afraid it might never be good, at least not right now. When Guzma rotates out it could see an uptick in popularity with Paralysis being much more powerful.

Mew

Bench Barrier is mainly for the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX matchup, a matchup of which has declined in popularity significantly so I would not play [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] right now. If the deck ever increases in play again I would put it back in, but until then just avoid playing it, it’s not worth it.

Guzma and/or Counter Catcher

[cardimg name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Having a gust effect would be nice in this deck, but consistency is more important. Of the two, I prefer [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] because in many games you do fall behind and it’s one that you can play a draw Supporter and still play within the turn, unlike Guzma. This deck rarely has to discard things you don’t want to, so it’s realistic to keep both of these in your deck through means of shuffle-draw cards like Cynthia until the time is right later in the game.

Exp. Share

An alternative or complement to Wishful Baton, you can use [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] to take more than just the Energy on your Active Pokemon if you have a Wishful Baton attached. Wishful Baton only moves down three Energy, so if you have more than that you can still salvage another with Exp. Share and on top of that you can spread your Energy out a little better by putting them on something that you’d rather attack with. I don’t think I’d ever play an Exp. Share instead of a Wishful Baton, but on top of it, sure. Five cards dedicated to Energy movement is excessive though, so I’ll need to try it out, or a combination of the two, to cement my decision. Right now, I prefer the four Wishful Baton because they are more powerful overall.

Field Blower

With [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] rising in the hands of me and my friends in California, Field Blower is a stronger card if more people pick up the deck. Field Blower is better than ever right now with so many decks playing Stadium cards; and getting rid of Escape Board is nice too. This format is full of Stadium and Tool cards so there’s not a great argument as to why this would be a bad inclusion in here. It’s good in mirror matches or other decks that play [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] as well.

Playing the Deck

This deck is all about setting up early on. You should do your best to get as many [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Wooper” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] out as possible. And [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] can be a placeholder for either, so the ideal first turn setup is, at minimum, one of each of the previously mentioned Pokemon. If you can get all three out then you’ll be in an amazing position to win the game and be able to get all that you want out. Once you get past the initial setup phase, you’ll want to stabilize at least two [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] in play so you can opt to attack with it if you want. Hydro Pump is one of the best attacks this deck has to offer so you don’t want to sleep on it. As far as [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] goes, getting two of those down is preferable as well. That leaves you two spots in play for your [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] to use Instruct and one slot for an attacker. Give or take a spot, you might not have a second Naganadel down, then you can have another place for a Quagsire, or another attacker. The flexibility you have once you set up with this deck is fantastic, since you can retreat and put your Energy back into play with Charging Up. Setting up has always been the hard part with this deck but with the quadruple Acro Bike list and the Pokegear 3.0 addition, it’s easier than ever.

Matchups

Reshiram and Charizard-GX: Favorable

Water-type Weakness does them in, that’s all there is to this. Let me talk about ways they can increase their chances of winning, though. A card that has made its way into most of these lists is [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. It is the best attacking option other than [card name=”Shining Lugia” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM82″ c=”name”][/card], which isn’t in all lists. Eevee and Snorlax-GX can’t be OHKO’d by [card name=”Onix” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], but you can settle to two-shot it. Attacking with [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] is your best bet against either, as neither can one-shot it aside from Megaton Friends GX. You should win the Prize exchange since your deck is more efficient at building attacks since you have more reliable Energy acceleration. Normally, [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks rely on snowballing with Reshiram and Charizard-GX itself and taking multiple two-Prize Knock Outs.

Wall Stall: Slightly Favorable

[cardimg name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup can be close, but your Energy replenishment is the key. Their [card name=”Lugia-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] is the biggest problem, so you should try your best not to play into it. Attack with as few Energy as possible on a Pokemon so that Lost Purge GX doesn’t put too much Water Energy in the Lost Zone. Try to keep as few Water Energy in your discard pile as possible so that [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t hurt you with Get Lost. A consistent stream of attacks will beat Wall Stall; they cannot heal as many times as they need to in order to beat this deck. Keep anything you don’t want to attack with from play, I like attacking with Quagsire. So the ideal field would be two Naganadel, two Quagsire, and nothing else if possible. They can attack with [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], but as long as you can two-shot it in return, you will be fine. The more Quagsire the better, so if you want to get as many as three out, go for it.

Weezing Spread: Even

Again, Quagsire is the best attacker in this matchup. With 120 HP, [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] can be one-shot with a Hydro Pump with the three Water Energy required to attack. Their use of [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] is one way your opponent can make up for the damage mismatch and [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] will likely lead off for them to spread damage to all your Pokemon. This is a matchup where [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] would also be good, Splattering Sludge can get tricky once there’s damage on all your Pokemon. As with any deck playing against a spread archetype, you should stagger your Bench as much as possible. Try to just keep one Naganadel and two Quagsire in play as you don’t need anything else. As long as you can use Hydro Pump each turn for an OHKO you should come ahead in the Prize trade. This is how I’ve played the matchup so far, but you could also go for a Volcanion Prism Star lead and then use [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”name”][/card] to clear your opponent’s entire board with Towering Splash GX, I’m not sure if that’s realistic. Play around with both of these strategies and pick the one you think wins you more games.

Zapdos: Slightly Favorable

An opposing [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] has a difficult time dealing with Volcanion Prism Star followed by Towering Splash GX. That combination can take multiple Prizes each game! However, your opponent still has a few ways to combat it. Their [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] is one of them, it’s Sky-High Claws can one-shot a Volcanion Prism Star to deal with it quickly. Volcanion Prism Star needs to set up enough Knock Outs to get the Prize advantage with Towering Splash GX. Even though Tapu Koko-GX can be hard to Knock Out in return, it’s usually futile. You can soften it with Onix or a Quagsire, two-shot it, and continue trading Prizes. Zapdos with Mew is harder, but not all lists are playing it. I think with Mew, the matchup becomes even or very slightly favorable. Clever Zapdos players will target whatever support Pokemon you have less of, Naganadel / Quagsire, or Poipole / Wooper.

Zoroark-GX: Even

Onix is your MVP here, and you should save all your [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] for its recovery. You can use Magikarp and Wailord-GX to take multiple Prizes as well if the opportunity presents itself. If your opponent plays [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], you can be in a pickle as it can set up multiple Knock Outs on Quagsire and its 120 HP; another spot where Mew could be good. The most popular [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] deck right now is with [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], which also happens to be weak to Fighting-type Pokemon. Onix is your best attacker in that matchup, but Volcanion Prism Star is also uniquely strong because its hard to one-shot. If it can attack enough times you can set up Towering Splash GX math or create easier Knock Outs for Hydro Pump from Quagsire. Play this match a lot, probably more than anything besides Zapdos, as it’s one of the thoughest ones. Zoroark-GX can always one-shot most of your Pokemon so you’re under a lot of pressure and don’t have much breathing room.

Conclusion

This deck is fantastically positioned aside from the fact that [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] rising in popularity hurts this deck. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt it too much so that it can enjoy extended success. I’ve been liking this deck and, as I write this, I’m planning on playing it for my League Cup tomorrow–don’t hold me to that, though. Thanks for reading everyone and as always, hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout if you have any questions. Until next time, take care, and have fun!

Peace,

Caleb

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