Spread’s Not Dead — An Analysis of Weezing
[cardimg name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”194″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Greetings! Now that the first wave of events in the new SUM–UNB format is over, we have a better picture of the format, although interestingly, the metagames of each event had some differences. In Sydney and Sao Paulo, Zoroark-GX decks were highly successful, reaching the finals of both Regionals, with multiple other spots in Top 8. In Santa Clara, though, Zoroark-GX was almost absent from Day 2, whereas stall decks were both popular and successful. I expect these differences between regions to gradually fade away as players get inspiration from other continents’ decklists — when you pit all of the decks from this weekend together, some will emerge as better than others. In any case, and without going too much into details, here are my main takeaways:
[card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] has lived up to the hype, winning both Santa Clara and Sao Paulo Regionals, although with some very different lists. In California, Kian Amini showcased the power of [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], whereas in Brazil, Pablo Meza played a bunch of Ability Pokemon, including [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Miltank” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. The debate on which version is better is therefore far from settled, and I think it might not have a clear answer. My personal preference goes to the Green’s Exploration version, but I suspect that both have pros and cons and will see play until the end of the format. At least we now have some established lists to use as a base for both versions of the deck, so be prepared for both!
[card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] was also successful at all events this weekend, and ended up with a win in Sydney. Although there was some exploration of a Zapdos / [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] list with [card name=”Marshadow and Machamp-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] in Santa Clara, the traditional Zapdos / Ultra Beasts variant was the most successful overall. Aaron Van Der Kolk, the Sydney winner, included [card name=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] in what is otherwise a classic decklist, with 1-1 [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card]. Clearly, Zapdos is still a force to be reckoned with, and since it does fairly well against Reshiram & Charizard-GX, I don’t see it going away anytime soon. That said, Zapdos’s popularity this weekend may also come from its comfort pick status. The deck didn’t change much from its incarnation in the previous format, so it’s possible that players who didn’t have enough time to test the new or updated decks, or who couldn’t settle on a list, opted for the tried and true Zapdos. That’s why despite Zapdos’s success, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of its players moved away from it to play some newer decks.
[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is still strong, although there’s a lot of variation in the lists played. Most Zoroark-GX players included [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] as a partner, except for Gustavo Wada who made top 8 in Sao Paulo with [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. As for other attackers, we saw [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] as either a 1-1 or 2-2 line, and [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]. Despite its relative lack of success this weekend, I remain convinced that Dewgong is the better card compared to Slowking, except perhaps in a metagame heavily dominated by ReshiZard. That’s not objective analysis though, it’s my personal feeling after playing a lot with the card.
Finally, perhaps surprisingly, the fourth most successful deck was [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. It made up almost a quarter of the Top 32 in Sao Paulo, including one Top 8 appearance, and got some spots in Day 2 of Santa Clara. It also won the smaller SPE happening that weekend in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is an interesting deck to me, and that’s why I want to delve deeper into the deck: what makes it good, both in a vacuum and in the context of the metagame, what is the best way to play it, and what are its future prospects.
The Concept of Weezing
First, let’s discuss how Weezing came to be. I’m pretty sure it started with, of all things, [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM168″ c=”name”][/card]. See, the electric duo was made powerful on purpose, in order to showcase the power of Tag Team Pokemon and gather up hype for this new mechanic. Both in Japan and in the West, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX immediately became one of the most powerful decks in the game. The Pokemon game designers, though, have a tendency to react to a card being strong by printing direct counters. Since Tag Bolt GX’s potential to take four Prize cards in one turn was what made Pikachu & Zekrom-GX so dangerous, it made sense to print a new Pokemon with Bench Barrier, a universal tech that would heavily reduce PikaRom’s power level. That way, the new cards (particularly Reshiram & Charizard-GX) would have a chance to shine without being outshined by older ones. And so [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] was printed.
[cardimg name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
A side effect of Mew was that spread decks were pretty much over. [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flying Flip, the backbone of every spread deck, is not much of a threat when it only deals 20 damage to the Active Pokemon! The only way to make spread decks strong again would be to print a better attacker for them, one that would also somehow be able to spread even through Mew’s effect. Enter Weezing, a Pokemon that can deal up to 140 damage for a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], without even taking its Ability into account! Such a powerful attack was printed only, in my opinion, because of Mew’s existence to set it back. However, unlike Tapu Koko, Weezing is not made irrelevant by Mew. Here’s why: first, it’s a Psychic type, and Mew has Psychic weakness. That means that despite its low base damage, Weezing can still OHKO Mew if you can [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] it up. Even if you don’t, Weezing’s Ability spreads damage even through Bench Barrier. Mew will be KO’d in three turns, and other Basic Pokemon will also take damage. Mew is still pretty good against Weezing, sure, but it’s not perfect. [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] also combines well with Weezing. A Spell Tag is enough to KO Mew when you account for two ticks of Detention Gas damage, so a Mew on the Bench can actually end up being a free Prize card!
In addition, Detention Gas is great because it lets Weezing do something even if it’s ahead in Prizes. Spread decks tend to be play from behind, which means they depend on [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. If you let them go ahead, they might get stuck, but even if they can’t find a Double Colorless Energy, an Active Weezing still puts damage on the opponent’s Pokemon and must be dealt with.
This means that Unbroken Bonds replaced older spread decks with a single, better one. I like this development a lot, as I wasn’t a fan of the various decks built around Flying Flip, which often felt like collections of cards without a clear unifying theme. On a personal note, I also enjoy that less popular Pokemon like Weezing (or Dewgong!) see play. Finally, something that’s also satisfying is that Weezing’s Ability specifically targets Basic Pokemon. I like that because I want to see Evolution Pokemon find a better place in the game, but on a more practical note, it means that Weezing is made to compete with, and even beat, Basic decks, even huge Tag Team Pokemon like ReshiZard and PikaRom (provided it runs the right techs), but tends to struggle against Evolution decks (more on this later). That helps a lot to balance the format!
Building a List
Despite all my current enthusiasm for the deck and what it means for the metagame, I wasn’t impressed by Weezing at first, because of its consistency issues. The deck needs to attack with Weezing every turn, so you need to find Pokemon and Energy every turn. Four copies of [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] are a given, but they’re not enough, and the cards I tried to improve consistency didn’t solve the problem. I tried playing more Supporters, such as [card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], as well as [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card], but they were not always good (Erika can be weak especially if the opponent tries to limit their Bench, which they’ll often do against Weezing; Pokegear can miss) and I found myself lacking in Energy. Some lists include one or two copies of [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] as additional fuel for Weezing, but I wasn’t convinced either. However, the deck finally clicked for me when I tried the list of Vitor Santos Soares, who got Top 8 in Sao Paulo, and his teammates. Their list includes a full four copies of Jirachi, which helps find Supporters and other Trainers. Compared to Pokegear, Jirachi takes a spot on the Bench and requires an [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], but you can use it several times in a game, which works better in the end. I also decided to include [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], which can be found by Jirachi, and lets the deck access its Energy more easily.
Now, Jirachi works a bit differently in Weezing than in other decks. Usually, Jirachi with Escape Board is the Pokemon you send when you get KO’d, so you can use Stellar Wish on your turn. However, because of Detention Gas, it’s generally much better to send Weezing in order to spread damage between turns. Therefore, apart from the start of the game when you don’t have Weezing yet, or unless you plan to use one of your tech attackers instead, you don’t want to send Jirachi after a KO. Instead, you generally send Jirachi Active during your turn, with either Guzma or Escape Rope, before retreating back to Weezing. This is a bit unusual, but it works well and I’m convinced that running Jirachi is the best way to play the deck.
Here’s the list I settled on:
[premium]
[decklist name=”Weezing” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Koffing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Larvitar” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Frost Rotom” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Tapu Lele (PRSM #SM45)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ 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=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ 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=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]Let me explain some of the choices:
1 Tapu Koko
Tapu Koko is not the attacker you want to use most of the time. Its attack will be heavily outclassed by Weezing, and you also want Weezing Active because of its Ability. That said, it is still OK to include for the early game. Weezing’s attack is only strong when there’s already damage on the opponent’s Benched Pokemon, and there are four ways to start putting this damage. The first is Shrine of Punishment, which only works on Pokemon-GX. The second is Spell Tag, but that requires one of your Pokemon to have been KO’d already, which hopefully isn’t the case too early in the game. The third is Weezing’s own Ability, but this means that you had Weezing in play at the beginning of the turn. On turn 2, it’s impossible for Detention Gas to have already activated. Finally, the last way is to use Flying Flip. So, to summarize, one copy of Tapu Koko is included to start spreading damage on turn 2 (or 1, if you go second). Once there’s already damage on the board, Weezing will always be better.
1 Ditto Prism Star
Usually, I’m not a big fan of including [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] purely as a fifth copy of a Basic Pokemon. However, I think it’s important in this deck. At any point in time, you need two Weezing in play: one to attack, and one to send Active if the attacking one is Knocked Out (or if your opponent plays an Escape Rope). A backup [card name=”Koffing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] is not enough, as if you send it when Weezing is KO’d, you won’t get the Detention Gas counters between turns — you need a backup Weezing. To have two Weezing on turn 2, you need at least two Koffing on turn 2, and preferably three if you’re playing against an aggressive deck that can Guzma Koffing to Knock it Out. That’s why I believe that including Ditto Prism Star is good, as it improves your odds of getting three Koffing in play as soon as possible.
1 Marshadow
[card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] acts both as a consistency option and a disruption Pokemon, but mostly for consistency. It’s nice to have the option to use Mysterious Treasure to play Let Loose early when you need a new hand.
1 Larvitar, 1 Frost Rotom [cardimg name=”Frost Rotom” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”41″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Both these Pokemon are tech attackers. [card name=”Larvitar” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is used for the Pikachu & Zekrom-GX and Zoroark-GX matchups, while [card name=”Frost Rotom” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] shines against Reshiram & Charizard-GX. Thanks to these Pokemon, Weezing can even beat high HP Tag Team Pokemon by dealing big damage to them. Although both generally fall short of an OHKO on their respective targets, add some Detention Gas, Spell Tag and Shrine of Punishment damage and you can actually get a surprise KO. Also, both have a Retreat Cost of 1, making them acceptable starters.
1 Tapu Lele
You probably won’t be surprised to see this Tapu Lele be included in a spread deck, but actually, many players have cut it from their list, feeling that it’s a win-more card. Personally, I feel that having the option to use Magical Swap can win games, especially against smart players who will limit their Bench, attack with non-GX attackers as much as possible, then suddenly switch to a Tag Team Pokemon. For example, say you have three Prizes left against a ReshiZard player that only has two non-GX attackers in play ([card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Shining Lugia” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM82″ c=”name”][/card], maybe). Their Pokemon have a lot of damage on them, but suddenly they bench a Reshiram & Charizard-GX. Without Tapu Lele, you’re probably going to take two Prizes on the non-GX attackers and still need to take three more by Knocking out ReshiZard. With Tapu Lele, instead of wasting the damage counters, you can move them to the fresh ReshiZard, as you only need to KO it to win the game. That said, Tapu Lele is definitely a card I don’t use much, and you can consider cutting it for other cards.
2 Guzma, 3 Escape Rope
As mentioned above, Guzma and [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] work well with Jirachi, as you can send Jirachi up during your turn, use Stellar Wish, then retreat into Weezing to get all the benefits of Detention Gas. It’s also worth mentioning why this deck runs three Escape Rope and no [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]: because it’s a spread deck, smart opponents will often try to bench as few Pokemon as possible to avoid giving Prizes. Therefore, Escape Rope is much more dangerous for them and can even act as a mini-Guzma: if they have no useless Pokemon to send, you’re guaranteed to damage an important target. Even something like [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is not a good choice to tank a hit, because the damage will quickly ramp up and it will end up giving two Prizes.
4 Nest Ball, 4 Mysterious Treasure
Together, [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] let you find every Pokemon in the deck, and both can search out for Koffing, which is your number one priority. You can consider other Pokemon-searching Items such as [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], but I don’t think any more are needed.
4 Spell Tag, 2 Escape Board, 1 Adventure Bag
Spell Tag is a key part of the deck, as it lets you put damage on undamaged Pokemon (especially Evolved Pokemon or those with [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card], which won’t get affected by Weezing’s Detention Gas), which means that Splattering Sludge will deal damage to them afterwards. The deck can run with only three copies of Spell Tag, but I think the fourth is worth it. Spell Tag also lets you KO Mew or Basic Pokemon before they can evolve, and is crucial in the mirror match, since they let you KO an opposing Weezing without activating their own Spell Tag. Since the deck also runs Escape Board to go with Jirachi, [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice inclusion that can find an early Escape Board, or two Spell Tag later in the game. It also thins out your deck.
Now, like most decks, Weezing lists aren’t settled yet. There are many options for the deck, many of which found some sort of success this weekend. I’ve tried most, if not all, these options, so I’m going to divide them into two groups: the cards that I think have potential and could find their way into the above list, and those who are not good enough in my opinion.
First, here are the cards I have either tested and like, or that I feel have a strong potential:
Mew [cardimg name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The universal tech can also be played in Weezing. I would only include Mew if I felt decks that hit the Bench, such as Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, were a big threat. PikaRom hasn’t had a lot of success for now and neither has Dewgong, so I feel like Mew isn’t necessary for now, but it’s a consideration. I don’t think it would do a lot in the mirror match but it might be worth (if only to force the opponent to use Spell Tag to target Mew rather than Weezing).
Mimikyu
Another tech attacker using Counter Energy, [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] can copy Reshiram & Charizard-GX’s Flare Strike for an OHKO (provided there has been some residual damage). Compared to Frost Rotom, it’s more versatile, can be searched with Mysterious Treasure, and can draw cards with its first attack, making it a better starter. However, it doesn’t counter ReshiZard nearly as well, as you’re reliant on the opponent using Flare Strike. As long as they attack with non-GX attackers, or even if they manage to just use Outrage, Mimikyu won’t do enough. That said, Mimikyu’s ability to copy all sort of attacks makes it an interesting consideration for the deck.
Honchkrow
Instead of Tapu Lele, [card name=”Honchkrow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] could be used as a finisher. It works similarly: for example, to KO a Pokemon with 180 HP with Tapu Lele, you need 18 damage counters in play, and with Honchkrow, you need 17. Honchkrow, however, only requires a Double Colorless Energy rather than a Counter Energy, so you don’t need to be behind in Prizes to use it, which is important as good players might try to keep Prize parity for a while to prevent such attacks. Plus, unlike Tapu Lele, Honchkrow leaves damage behind when it attacks, so it remains a threat that must be dealt with if you attack with him without ending the game on the spot. The big issue with Honchkrow, though, is that it’s an Evolution Pokemon, and one that cannot be searched for in any way in this deck. For this reason, even though we run Ditto Prism Star, it can’t be included in the current version of the deck. I think it’s still worth mentioning because a variant using cards like Ultra Ball could make better use of it, though I don’t think it’s worth changing the deck just for Honchkrow.
Mr. Mime
On paper, it makes a lot of sense to include [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Team Up” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] to prevent your opponent from using [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. The issue with Mr. Mime is that the decks that run Acerola tend to be terrible matchups for Weezing anyway: Stall, [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], and to a lesser extent Zoroark-GX (a winnable, but unfavorable matchup; in addition, Zoroark-GX runs [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] which counters Mr. Mime), which is why I didn’t bother with it in the above list. That said, Acerola can also be played in some Reshiram & Charizard-GX and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX lists, and Mr. Mime would definitely be useful for these matchups, so consider it if Acerola starts seeing more play in decks that are otherwise good matchups.
Pokemon Communication
I mentioned that additional Pokemon-searching Items could be used to improve the deck’s stability. While [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] is the obvious choice, I think a one-of [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] would be a strong choice. With 18 Pokemon in the deck, there will often be a target for Pokemon Communication, and Ultra Ball requires discarding resources, something that’s not easy to do in this deck.
Pokegear
[card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] is not a bad choice if you feel like you need more consistency in the deck. However, I feel strongly that you shouldn’t remove Jirachi for them, since Jirachi is better over the course of a whole game. Maybe you could cut a Jirachi for Pokegear.
And here are those I think you shouldn’t run:
Triple Acceleration Energy
The deck doesn’t need more Energy in my opinion, and with Jirachi in the deck, Energy Loto is better when you need to access Energy.
Counter Catcher[cardimg name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
While [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] certainly could be included in some versions of the deck, I don’t think it’s that good in the Jirachi variant which, as I’ve hopefully made clear by now, I believe is the best. Unlike Guzma and Escape Rope, Counter Catcher doesn’t let you switch your own Pokemon, which means that it doesn’t let you bring Jirachi active to use Stellar Wish. For this reason, and the fact that the deck is not behind in Prizes as often as you’d expect, Counter Catcher is not as good as Guzma here.
Oranguru
I don’t hate [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], and it’s an interesting consistency addition, but it has two issues. First, it has a Retreat Cost of 2, so you can’t retreat it with Escape Board or Counter Energy if you happen to start with it, or if your opponent uses Guzma to bring it Active. Second, you would need a [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to search for it, but if you have a Nest Ball and need to draw cards, Jirachi is the better choice. That’s why Oranguru falls in the category of “not bad, but not optimal”.
Matchups
Before I talk about matchups in detail, here are a few guidelines. As a general rule, Weezing works well against Basic Pokemon, and struggles against Evolutions. Any deck that can play well with a small Bench also has a clear advantage, as they can limit the amount of damage that Weezing deals. For this reason, there are some rogue decks that work extremely well against Weezing. [card name=”Blastoise-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card], for instance, has a lot of HP, doesn’t need many Pokemon in play, is an Evolution Pokemon, and has an Ability which limits the amount of damage Weezing deals to it. It will be a struggle for Weezing to KO even one Blastoise-GX. Obviously, though, you shouldn’t decide to play or not play Weezing based on its Blastoise-GX matchup, since that’s a middling deck at best. Let’s take a look, then, at some more usual matchups.
In these kind of sections, I usually like to focus on how to play against each archetype, but there’s not a lot of in-game advice today. This is because, to be honest, Weezing’s plan is simple to execute. That’s not to say there are no choices to make: the correct attribution of damage with Spell Tag can make a difference between winning and losing a game, even if that’s not apparent at first, but that’s dependent on the situation, so there’s not much I can tell you about it without looking at a specific game. Instead, I’ll focus on what makes a matchup favorable or unfavorable. This should also help those of you who want to learn about how to beat Weezing!
Reshiram & Charizard-GX
The way this matchup plays out depends a lot on how the ReshiZard deck is built. Lists that rely on [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] (and other Ability Pokemon such as [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]) will struggle the most, since they have to let [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] take easy Prizes on these low-HP Pokemon. Generally speaking, Weezing should be favored against these lists, unless they manage to set up without benching Jirachi. On the other hand, lists reliant on [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] don’t play these Pokemon and will fare better. These lists don’t have low-HP Pokemon, and can also easily include Acerola, which can ruin a plan if you don’t play Mr. Mime. As a general rule, A well-timed [card name=”Frost Rotom” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] will be a strong answer to [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]; and should they run [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], Larvitar can put a dent into it as well. For best results, then, Reshiram & Charizard-GX needs to use non-GX attackers. Volcanion is the most commonly played non-GX attacker, but it actually can’t OHKO Weezing without a [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], so it’s not great. Shining Lugia, and to a lesser extent [card name=”Reshiram” set=”Shining Legends” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card], are better attackers in this deck. The best attacker, though, is actually [card name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] as it’s set up quickly, since it’s an Evolution Pokemon (immune to Detention Gas) that can OHKO Weezing, while attaching Energy to other Pokemon.
Zapdos / Ultra Beasts [cardimg name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This matchup is heavily in Weezing’s favor. [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks rely on low-HP Basic Pokemon which are Weezing’s prey, and even Knocking Out a Weezing is not that simple a task for a Zapdos. Even if they don’t Bench many Pokemon, you can easily trade with them. As the Weezing player, you should avoid giving your opponent easy Prizes on your Bench, although you won’t be able to prevent your opponent from Knocking Out Koffings before they evolve. Still, as long as you can send out a Weezing after each KO, you have the advantage.
Zoroark-GX variants
On the flip side, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants tend to be unfavored for Weezing. Zoroark-GX doesn’t take damage from Detention Gas, resists Psychic, and generally plays Acerola and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], as well as [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to get rid of Spell Tag. On the bright side, they need a full Bench to OHKO Weezing with Riotous Beating, which means that you’ll be able to spread more damage. This is a matchup where Tapu Lele can be excellent in the late game to gather all the spread damage on one or two Pokemon to finish the game. [card name=”Larvitar” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is also a good attacker, since as long as Zoroark-GX has five damage counters on it (or four is there’s a [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] in play), you can OHKO it with Second Strike. All in all, I’ve found that the games that go in Weezing’s favor are generally those where you manage to stick Shrine of Punishment in play, so don’t waste them. (For example, don’t play a Shrine on turn 1 as it won’t have much, if any, of an effect, and it’s likely that your opponent can remove it.)
Pikachu & Zekrom-GX
I’m a bit torn on this matchup, and I think once again, it might depend on how the PikaRom list is built. The old style of lists that rely heavily on Zapdos and Jirachi should be favored for the same reason as the Zapdos matchup above, but you may run into new lists that go for a more aggressive Full Blitz. If such a list manages to limit their Bench, they have the advantage, as you won’t be able to spread that much damage. On the other hand, such lists generally don’t play many Stadiums, if any, apart from [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], so Shrine of Punishment should stick for most of the game, and Larvitar is a welcome ally here. Just be wary of Tag Bolt GX — if your area has a lot of Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, you may want to include Mew for the matchup.
Malamar
I don’t know what are [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s prospects in this metagame yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it make a comeback, as [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] can actually be a threat to Reshiram & Charizard-GX. In any case, this should be a good thing for Weezing. I confess that I haven’t played this specific matchup, but all signs point to Weezing having the upper hand here. Malamar decks need to Bench several Pokemon to function and, although Malamar is an Evolution, it only has 90 HP so Splattering Sludge will quickly make a dent into it. Ultra Necrozma-GX is not an efficient attacker and [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], Malamar’s attacker of choice against non-GX decks, will help your game plan by adding damage to their own board.
Stall
Unfortunately, stall decks are a terrible matchup. Their main Pokemon is now [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] which, between its Psychic resistance, [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and its GX attack, will generally take no damage at all from Weezing. There’s still Shrine of Punishment and Detention Gas, but the first will be removed by an infinite supply of Stadiums thanks to [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card], and the second is far too slow to deal with an infinite loop of Acerola. In theory, you could add Mr. Mime and prevent your opponent from using Acerola, thus forcing them to rely on a limited supply of [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], giving you the win in the long run as damage adds up. However, the stall player can then bring Mr. Mime Active again and again, and since your own supply of Energy and switching cards is limited, it will end up stuck at some point (although it’s more likely that you deck out first). I can’t see a way out of this matchup.
Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX
Similarly to stall, Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX decks comfortably beat Weezing. They can play with only two Pokemon in play and also use Acerola and Max Potion, while being able to OHKO your attackers with Kaleidostorm. There’s not much you can do here.
Baby Blacephalon
This matchup is interesting as several factors, good and bad, come into play. The good: [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] is reliant on [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], and if you can KO a Blacephalon with Detention Gas or Spell Tag, Wishful Baton won’t work, so try to plan out your turns in advance. The bad: Blacephalon can play with few Pokemon in play, so you won’t be spreading much damage. Most of the time, they’ll have two Blacephalon in play, so you’re basically trying to trade attackers rather than spread a lot of damage. In theory, the matchup should still be positive, but I’ve had trouble with the traditional lists that run four Blacephalon and a [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], along with the Green’s Exploration engine. If Blacephalon-GX only comes out at the end, it can take a Prize with Blaze GX and then another with Mind Blown, and you won’t be able to KO it in such a short time, unless the opponent has a lot of Energy in play and you can leverage Frost Rotom (even then, it’s possible that you’re tied in Prizes at this point so that you can’t user Counter Energy). Consider keeping Marshadow for a well-timed Let Loose towards the end of the game in order to disrupt your opponent. On the other hand, we’ve seen Blacephalon lists running Jirachi start to pop up here and there, and those are favorable matchups for Weezing. Once again, Jirachi will be an easy prize for Weezing’s residual damage, so the prize race will be to your advantage.
Conclusion
All in all, Weezing is surprisingly solid, and also your only good option if you’re a fan of spread decks. I don’t know how well it will fare in the format, though: there are multiple ways to improve your Weezing matchup, such as Acerola and Field Blower, cards that can find a place in many decks. I also think that as players get more used to playing against Weezing, they’ll get into some habits such as not benching any non-crucial Pokemon which will generally improve their results (to clarify, in no way does that make Weezing into an autowin or anything, it will just improve your odds). Add to that a couple of bad matchups, and I don’t see Weezing dominating the format any time soon. That said, it’s still a powerful tier 2 deck with some great matchups, and depending on how the metagame shifts, it could actually be an amazing call at some event. In my opinion, that will depend on whether players stick with Jirachi builds for decks such as ReshiZard and Blacephalon, or realise the power of Green’s Exploration. The former is good for Weezing, so if you see a lot of Jirachi around, don’t hesitate to punish them.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
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