Seeing Triple — How Evolution Decks Can Still Compete

[cardimg name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

It’s no mystery that I’m a fan of Evolution decks. Builds like [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Triumphant” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] are the two decks I have had the most fun with in the nine years I’ve played Pokémon. Both of these decks emphasized subtle decisions and resource management and, although they were slow in comparison with other decks from the same era, they were extremely strong once they set up. Neither Evolution decks, subtile decisions, or resource management have disappeared from the game; but it feels like Evolution decks are never as strong, let alone stronger, as their Basic Pokemon-centric counterparts. Even powerful Stage 2 attackers such as [card name=”Blastoise-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] don’t feel as threatening as Tag Team Pokémon, which are just Basic Pokémon, and generally don’t require support except from other Basic Pokemon and Trainers like: [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] etc. I despise this direction for the game, which is why I’m always glad when a card comes out that specifically supports Evolution Pokémon. You won’t be surprised to hear that my favorite card in Unbroken Bonds is [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card].

In a set that includes the trio of: [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card], three huge Basic Pokémon that can almost be played by themselves; and [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], a card with many applications, but that it supports these Tag Team Pokemon since they don’t have any Ability, it’s almost a miracle to see a card that helps Evolution Pokémon–and only them. Unfortunately, and despite the cries it received when it was first revealed, it is not a meta-defining card the way Green’s Exploration and Welder are. Still, it does give a serious boost to [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], as well as some other Pokémon whose attacks conveniently require three Colorless Energy. In this article, I want to explore some ways to use Triple Acceleration Energy, starting with the most obvious candidate, Zoroark-GX. I also include lists for [card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] decks.

A New Style of Zoroark-GX

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We know that in Japan, Triple Acceleration Energy is being included in Zoroark-GX builds along with some new attackers, [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card]. This new version of Zoroark-GX has worked very well for me and I think it is one of the strongest decks of the new metagame, although I can see some weaknesses that can be exploited. Here is my current list:

[decklist name=”Zoroark Triple” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″][pokemon amt=”22″]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Seel” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Team Up” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ 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=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]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=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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″ 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=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ 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=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Explanations

Two Dewgong (2-2)

[cardimg name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The new Dewgong is a versatile Pokémon. First, it gives the deck a non-GX attacker, so you can 2HKO [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], should [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] be unavailable. But most importantly, Dual Blizzard is an amazing attack. In the mirror match, or against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks, you can KO two [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] on turn 2, giving you an incredible edge. Its Water-type also makes it crucial against Fire-type decks: [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] is easily OHKO’d, while you can 2HKO Reshiram and Charizard-GX with the help of [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. I also like using Dewgong to soften some Pokémon that would otherwise would be out of reach of Zoroark-GX or [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. For example, by dealing 60 damage to a benched [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], you can then use Persian-GX’s GX attack with a Choice Band to KO it. Finally, Dual Blizzard also lets you take two Prizes at the same time, which means you can use it to manipulate Prize counts. Against [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Ultra Beasts, for example, you can keep Zapdos in the Active spot and 2HKO two Pokémon in two turns to go directly from five Prizes to three, thus skipping your opponent’s [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] Sledgehammer turn.

One Persian-GX (1-1)

Persian-GX is absolutely golden. Cat Walk lets you retaliate after your [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is KO’d, by finding the pieces missing for a KO like and: Energy, Choice Band, Professor Kukui; it can reach high amounts of damage, up to 240 with Professor Kukui, Choice Band, and nine Pokémon in the discard, which can easiliy be engineered by the end of the game. This means you can actually OHKO Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. Even without Choice Band or Professor Kukui, 190 damage lets you deal with pretty much any non-Tag Team Basic Pokémon. There is an argument for running a 2-2 line of Persian-GX, but it’s not a Pokémon we need in the very early game, unlike Dewgong. You can also only use one Cat Walk per turn so there’s no benefit in having two in play.

One Mew

This new [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is a great tech against Spread builds, Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, and opposing Dewgong. It’s not an auto-inclusion though, as it conflicts with Alolan Muk. That said, I think it can help enough that it’s worth including. If you remove it, I recommend putting another Pokémon, such as another [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], in its place, as playing less than 22 Pokémon makes [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] less effective.
Since Mew’s main use is against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, I want to use this opportunity to talk a bit about the matchup. Contrary to what I expected, this matchup is fine, and might even be favored for Zoroark-GX. The key is to put Alolan Muk in play as soon as possible, preferably on turn 2. Pikachu and Zekrom-GX lists get much faster with [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], but they also get much weaker against Alolan Muk due to a greater reliance on Abilities. For example: Zeraora-GX instead of high [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] counts, Dedenne-GX instead of more draw Supporters, etc. You won’t be able to prevent the first Full Blitz or Tag Bolt GX, but you can KO Pikachu and Zekrom-GX after that and survive to take your last Prizes. As alluded above, [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] is a great attacker in this matchup. Often, the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX player will try to target Alolan Muk or [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Team Up” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card], before they evolve. This is where Mew comes into play, as it lets you endure Tag Bolt GX while you try to get Alolan Muk back in play.

One Marshadow

One of Zoroark-GX’s main enemies is [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]. Although we run the usual two Stadiums and one [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”from”][/card] provides a way to get rid of a Stadium that’s searchable by [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or any other card. It also works on Prism Star Stadiums, and can also be used to KO Buzzwole or [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card].

Three Guzma, Two Professor Kukui, One Acerola

With more Tag Teams entering the format, [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t seem as important as it used to. If you’re getting 2HKO’d by a Tag Team, you’re winning the exchange anyway, so I think it’s fine going down to one copy. I played one Acerola in Bristol regionals, my reasoning being that against Zapdos decks, the opponent will avoid hitting your Active Pokémon and target low-HP Basics on the Bench anyway. Instead, I prefer to play two Professor Kukui, since it can fix some important math. As an example, Zoroark-GX with Choice Band, Professor Kukui and [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] deals 180 damage, Persian-GX can deal up to 240 damage, and so on. With no [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, a third [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is preferable in order to target opposing Pokémon more easily. We can also use Guzma to strand a heavy-Retreat Cost Pokémon Active while [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] snipes around it.

Two Devoured Field

We need Stadiums, if only to counter Power Plant, and Devoured Field is the most obvious choice. It’s worth noting that with Devoured Field and a Choice Band, Zoroark-GX can OHKO Dedenne-GX.

Other Choices

There are a few other cards that I’m thinking of including. Since we’re running Meowth already, [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] can be a cool addition and should give us a definite edge against Stall decks, but I think [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is still needed for that matchup, since we could lose due to lack of Energy otherwise. Dedenne-GX could help set up, similar to how [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is used in Expanded Zoroark-GX variants, but I’m not sure it’s worth the Bench space. A card that has worked well in the past is [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] but I think it’s not as good right now as it can be too slow, and Cat Walk lets you get specific cards, so I decided to cut it, but you may want to consider adding it again.

In my opinion, this new Zoroark-GX deck works a bit smoother than old Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX, mainly because managing Energy is much easier, since all your attackers only require one Energy card. This means you don’t have to make plans that rely on hitting Energy one specific turn and then the following one. As [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] can be used to power Zoroark-GX, you can also be a bit less conservative with your Energy. For example, I always attach [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to a Zorua before using [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] on turn 1 now, even if there’s a risk it gets Knocked Out on the following turn. Discarding Double Colorless Energy to Trade also happens much more often. This deck does well against [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, and as usual, can handle Zapdos / Ultra Beasts and most other non-GX decks. I think the deck’s main issue is [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], which can tank its hits and protect itself with [card name=”Fairy Charm Ability” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. If I was attending a Regional this weekend, it would surely be my choice.

It should be mentioned that Triple Acceleration Energy also helps another, scarcely-seen Zoroark-GX partner: [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. I won’t elaborate on this deck since Caleb already wrote an article on it. In my opinion, it’s not as good as Zoroark-GX / Dewgong / Persian-GX, but it does have a better Reshiram and Charizard-GX since it can OHKO it.

Nidoqueen

[cardimg name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The new [card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is a card with some nice attributes: high HP for a non-GX Pokémon, an Ability that helps with consistency, and an attack with a very high damage ceiling. Since its attack requires three Colorless Energy, it’s only natural to give it a second chance now that it can be powered up by Triple Acceleration Energy. As a disclaimer, I don’t think Nidoqueen will sit anywhere near tier 1, but I think it can do alright from time to time. We’ve seen weirder decks make day 2 at Regionals!
The main issue with Nidoqueen is that you can only play four Triple Acceleration Energy in your deck, so if your opponent only plays one-Prize Pokémon, you’ll need to find another way to take the last two Prizes. It can be a secondary attacker or another way to power up Nidoqueen. Looking at Japanese lists, I’ve seen two ways to solve this issue:

The first way to play Nidoqueen is to add [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] to the deck. You would run Fire Energy, [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], as well as [card name=”Salazzle” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] to draw cards. You could also include [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] for its synergy with Salazzle and Welder, since you need to play Evolution Pokémon anyway. That said, even with all these Pokémon with support Abilities, I found the deck to be too clunky to function. You need Energy to draw cards with Salazzle, Welder and [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], but you can’t include too much Energy in the deck because you need to play a lot of Evolutions, so you end up with this situation where, once set up, you can use Nidoqueen to search for Salazzle, Magcargo to get Energy, Energy to draw with Salazzle to find other Pokémon, and so on; but it’s too hard to get to that spot where your first Pokémon are set up. Maybe [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] could help with Beacon, since the deck can already run [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Nidoran F” set=”Team Up” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Salandit” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card], but I’m not convinced.

The second way is to use [card name=”Meganium” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] and have a shell similar to the one popularized by Shintaro Ito, where you have several stage 2 Pokémon that you can power up more easily. This deck also takes a few turns to set up, but once it’s set up, it runs very smoothly, and the high HP of your Pokémon can make it harder for your opponent to take a KO. You can also play [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] which gives you a way to attack for a fifth time with Nidoqueen. We still need a way to attack for the last time though, so I added Double Colorless Energy, Lightning Energy and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. With Tapu Koko Prism Star and Double Colorless Energy, you can set up another attacker without losing a turn. Lightning Energy also lets us run [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] which we can use to find Items in the midgame. All in all, this is my current list:

[decklist name=”Nidoqueen” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”22″]3x [card name=”Nidoran F” set=”Team Up” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Chikorita” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”5″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Meganium” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”8″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mudkip” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

It’s impressive how important Alolan Vulpix is to this deck. You can use Professor Elm’s Lecture to search for your Basic Pokémon, but you need Alolan Vulpix to get Evolutions. Then, your Supporters get the Items you need to complete the setup.

You may be surprised to see [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] played in this deck when all the Evolution Pokémon have Abilities, but it’s used in the early game to search for [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] and Professor Elm’s Lecture. When your first Stage 2 Pokémon is set up, you can safely discard it to [card name=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card]’s Power Draw Ability.

When using this deck, it’s best to set up Meganium first as you won’t need Rare Candy after that. Then Nidoqueen should get priority, since you can use it to search for Swampert. Don’t be surprised if you don’t attack in your first two or three turns, the deck does take a while to set up. However, when the engine is running, it functions well and you should be able to attack for 160 or 210 damage every turn.

I recommend this deck to any Stage 2 Pokemon fan looking to play some Evolutions, but if you’re trying to win events, it’s probably not the best choice. That said, most of the cards in the deck will still be playable after rotation with Alolan Vulpix being the main concern, so it’s worth keeping an eye on for later!

Gardevoir-GX

Finally, let’s talk about the most successful Stage 2 deck since Sun & Moon, [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. Although power creep has long since caught up to it, Gardevoir-GX occasionnally gets new additions that help keep it almost relevant. Using [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] can act as a one-time 90 damage boost, which seems very powerful. I must confess, I have only barely started testing this deck, but I think it has a shot in the metagame, so I wanted to mention it in advance. Nevertheless, consider this section theoretical for now.

As an aside, you may wonder why I’m talking about Gardevoir-GX rather than its younger cousin, [card name=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. While Whimsicott-GX does have a similar attack to Gardevoir-GX while only being a Stage 1 Pokémon, I loathe its Ability which is extremely luck-reliant. I can’t condone playing Whimsicott-GX in good conscience; it’s a deck where you win if you’re lucky and lose if you’re unlucky, which does not lead to interesting gameplay. In addition, it is very vulnerable to [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], which shuts off its Ability. On a less subjective note, Gardevoir-GX takes into account Energy attached to the opponent’s Pokémon, which makes it better against Pokémon with a lot of Energy, such as [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]. If there are four Energy on a Reshiram and Charizard-GX, Gardevoir-GX only needs a Fairy Energy, a Triple Acceleration Energy and a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to get an OHKO. Here is my try at a list:

[decklist name=”Gardevoir” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″][pokemon amt=”17″]4x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ 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=”Rare Candy” set=”EX Holon Phantoms” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fairy Charm L” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”172″ 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=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]8x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I think [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] is the best way to play the deck, as the [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] engine used in [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks only works well thanks to [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], and Gardevoir-GX runs too few Pokémon to commit to a high number of Pokémon Communication. In addition, [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] makes Professor Elm’s Lecture better, as you can grab Alolan Vulpix, retreat to it, and use Beacon to get [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and Gardevoir-GX for the next turn. One [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] seems good with Professor Elm’s Lecture, as you can follow up a search Supporter with a draw Ability. It also gives the deck more resilience to an opposing [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] Let  Loose, which is usually an issue for Professor Elm’s Lectrure-centric builds.
The split between Nest Ball, [card name=”Timer Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] and Pokémon Communication is a bit weird, but I have my reasons. Pokémon Communication is the most versatile choice but with only 17 Pokémon in the deck, it’s hard to run too many of them. Timer Ball is included so you can get Gardevoir-GX with Mysterious Guidance even if you have no other Pokémon in hand, but it’s not a desirable card in general, so I don’t want to play more of them. Nest Ball tends to be redundant with Professor Elm’s Lecture, but I wanted another consistency card and it’s probably better than another Pokemon Communication or Timer Ball, for the reasons above.
With no [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is more appealing as Triple Acceleration Energy gets discarded anyway. Using [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fairy Charm L” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] are some other powerful defensive tools, while [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is included to have another Stadium in the deck. Gardevoir-GX and Alolan Ninetales-GX are weak to Power Plant so it’s good to have another way to discard it, as well as Prism Star Stadiums. Another consideration would be [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”from”][/card] for this same reason.

Some other considerations include [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], for the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX matchup mainly; [card name=”Fairy Charm Ability” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fairy Charm UB” set=”Team Up” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card], depending on the metagame; and a 1-1 line of Persian-GX. This last one requires some explanation: when Gardevoir-GX gets KO’d, it can help set up the next one by finding a Rare Candy and possibly Triple Acceleration Energy. It can also benefit from Triple Acceleration Energy just like in Zoroark-GX decks, and [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] has 60 HP so it works well with Professor Elm’s Lecture.
In a build with Persian-GX and possibly other Pokémon techs, running more Pokémon Communication seems worth it, as it should be playable most of the time.

Conclusion

That’s all for this week! I’m sure there are other decks that could benefit from Triple Acceleration Energy and I look forward to seeing how this card will impact the metagame. In any case, I hope Zoroark-GX, at least, will prove to be as strong as I believe it is, because it’s the last bastion for Evolution fanatics and I would hate to see the format degenerate into “Big Basic” battles all the time.
With Regionals in the US and Brazil this weekend, we’ll soon have a first picture of the new metagame, so we’ll get a better idea of what is doing well. I look forward to watching games this weekend and seeing the results. In the meantime, best of luck to those of you playing your first event in the Unbroken Bonds format!

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