Can Lightning Strike Twice? — Team Up’s Best Decks in the UNB format

Players often gravitate towards new decks in the early days of any format. For the current SUM – UNB format, this manifested mainly in an influx of three decks: [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. Reshiram & Charizard-GX was the most hyped new deck of the format, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s not a stretch to call it the best deck of the format. Zoroark-GX / Persian-GX consistently does well, but it seems that players haven’t reached a consensus on what is the best way to run the deck. My own opinion is that far too many players decided to run the very situational [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] instead of the far more versatile [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] — something that didn’t work out in the end, since the two Zoroark-GX / Persian-GX / Slowking players in the Top 8 of Madison Regionals lost to Reshiram & Charizard-GX in top cut. Finally, Weezing had a good start, but has been trailing off recently — it only got three spots in Day 2 of Madison, and none of those reached the Top 32. I believe that this is due both to an unfavorable metagame ([card name=”Miltank” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]’s popularity and [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] counts increasing) and to players learning how to play against it correctly. It’s not a bad deck by any means, but it’s not as good as its early results may have led you to believe, and I’d classify it as a situational pick.

[cardimg name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As the format develops however, these new decks lose their novelty and players move back to the strong decks they left. We saw Ian Robb win Madison regionals with [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. As you may know, it’s the second time this specific deck is doing well in a new cycle. One of the best decks in the Lost Thunder format, Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel was pronounced dead after Oceania Internationals and the debut of Team Up by Zach Lesage, the deck’s most fervent supporter — only for him to win the biggest Regionals of the season soon after. Now, once again, Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel is winning a Regionals when people least expect it.

And with good reason: Ian Robb beat three Reshiram & Charizard-GX decks in a row (two with [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], one with [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]) in the top cut in Madison, showing that Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel can contend with the new format’s BDIF and maybe be a counter to it. Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel’s unlimited damage cap is an asset against Reshiram & Charizard-GX, which is too slow to contend with Blacephalon-GX. In the event of a quick Knock Out, Reshiram & Charizard-GX would have to deal with [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]s in response.

I’m not here to talk about Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel, since I don’t particularly enjoy the deck and haven’t tested its latest version enough. However, if this deck from six months ago can perform today, what other decks from the past can find a new path to success in the current metagame? Can the previous format’s frontrunners [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Ultra Beasts find success now? Can lightning strike twice?

Obviously, these decks have not been forgotten the way Blacephalon-GX was. But they have to adapt to the new format and this transition hasn’t been as smooth as expected. In this article, my goal is to talk about what to expect from these decks: The conditions that are necessary to their success, the cards that should be ran, and the ones that you should not. I’ll also talk about [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], another deck from a past format that I believe has very good chance right now.

Even though the North American Regionals are over for the season, Latin American players will gather this weekend in Santiago, Chile for their final Regionals, and Europeans will do the same in Jonkoping, Sweden the week after. Therefore, the metagame will evolve before the North American International Championships. If you’re attending NAIC, you should definitely pay attention to these events or the metagame will leave you behind!

1. Zapdos / Ultra Beasts

[cardimg name=”Zapdos” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM159″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

After great start, winning Sydney Regionals on the first weekend of the new format, Zapdos has been a bit disappointing. In Madison, only three players made Day 2 with the deck. Why is there a lack of success, despite the deck having a good matchup against Reshiram & Charizard-GX?

It turns out that things aren’t that easy for Zapdos. Up to four copies of [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is featured in almost every Reshiram & Charizard-GX list and it deals extremely well against Zapdos thanks to its 110 damage and 120 HP (putting it out of range of Thunderous Assault + Electropower). Techs like [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] are very effective since they can heal a Tag Team Pokemon before Zapdos can 2HKO or 3HKO it. Zapdos decks do run [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card], which does very well against Reshiram & Charizard-GX, but they can actually limit their amount of Energy to prevent a Knock Out.

Apart from the Reshiram & Charizard-GX matchup, Zapdos has other issues to deal with. Zoroark-GX decks use the aforementioned Acerola and sometimes Max Potion, which works perfectly with [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] since you won’t have any Energy to discard anyway. In addition, [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is not as strong in this matchup as it once was. Zoroark-GX lists can use Dewgong — another 120 HP Pokemon that Zapdos has trouble with — to take two Prize cards in one turn and skip the Sledgehammer turn. Even those who don’t run Dewgong can take their second Prize with Persian-GX’s Slash Back GX, forcing the Zapdos player to have Buzzwole, a Special Energy and Guzma in order to Knock Out Persian-GX or Zoroark-GX.

Fortunately for Zapdos fans, I think the worst has passed. The most successful decks in Madison Regionals are capable of OHKOs, making healing techs irrelevant. They should see less play in upcoming tournaments, which means that damage from Zapdos will stick. Stall seems to be on the decline, and the continued success of [card name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] (a card that deals perfectly with [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], and Energy denial) should make sure it stays down. That’s one less bad matchup for Stall to deal with. That’s why I predict that Zapdos will do better this weekend in Santiago, and possibly in Jonkoping.

There’s the Zoroark-GX matchup to deal with, especially since it seems to be more popular in Europe and Latin America than in North America. This is where I need to talk about [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card]. It was absent from the lists of Michael Catron and Mike Morton (who both made Top 4 in Santa Clara) and Drew Cate, the highest-finisher Zapdos player in Madison. However, things are different in the rest of the world. Zebstrika was played by three of the four players who made Top 8 in Sydney (including Aaron van der Kolk, the winner), and in Sao Paulo, Alex Silva (the only Zapdos player in Top 8) ran a 2-2 line. Sao Paulo was the most recent Regionals where Zoroark-GX had the most success and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. Zebstrika is necessary to deal with Zoroark-GX, for two reasons. One, it lets the deck draw cards in the face of [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. Two, it’s a way to draw [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] when you need to play Guzma in the same turn, in order to use your tech attackers such as Buzzwole at the right time.

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For this reason, if I was playing Zapdos / Ultra Beasts this weekend, this is the list I’d run. It is adapted from the one Pedro Torres won a League Cup with last Saturday:

[decklist name=”UNB Zapdos” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″][pokemon amt=”16″]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=”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=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ 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=”35″]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]2x [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ 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]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The three Stadiums let you win Stadium wars against decks like Reshiram & Charizard-GX that don’t play many of them. [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is especially important in this specific matchup, because it lets [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] OHKO Reshiram and Charizard-GX with either a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]  or Beast Energy Prism Star.

In addition to Buzzwole and Nihilego, this lists includes [card name=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card]. Although [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], the most relevant Grass-weak Pokemon, is on the decline, Kartana’s extra 10 damage compared to Buzzwole can sometimes make a difference (I compare these two Pokemon since their power spikes are generally synchronous). Additionnally, its free retreat is great and lets the deck get away with running one less Energy.

On the other hand, this list doesn’t include [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card]. I’ve found the card to be underwhelming in my testing. In theory, it wins the mirror match by Knocking Out a Jirachi with a Beast Energy Prism Star, but it’s not easy to find the Beast Energy Prism Star at the right time — especially in a list with two Zebstrika, where you may have to play Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX earlier in order not to discard it.

A possible issue Zapdos will have to deal with is [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. Although Zapdos is not being directly countered, many Reshiram & Charizard-GX lists now include four Jirachi, and Absol works well against them. Zapdos could end up as collateral damage in this situation. If you’re afraid of Absol, add a third Switch in the list above, removing either a [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] or an [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. Running only one Escape Board is not as safe as before, since Field Blower is seeing more play than ever.

2. Pikachu & Zekrom-GX

[cardimg name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Pikachu & Zekrom-GX seemed to be on the decline before Madison Regionals, but it made a miraculous comeback as most people removed [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] from their lists. Indeed, only 16 out of the 66 players in Day 2 — less than a quarter — included a Mew in their list. The deck gained [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] in Unbroken Bonds, and without Mew the stage was set for Pikachu & Zekrom-GX’s show. Team DDG even cut Choice Band from their very successful Reshiram & Charizard-GX list, a card that lets Flare Strike OHKO Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, making their matchup worse in the process.

Rahul Reddy’s Pikachu & Zekrom-GX list, piloted by Xander Pero to a Top 4 finish and three teammates to at least Top 32, will probably be the list to reference from now on. It’s very aggressive but includes several unexpected techs: [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] UNB , Absol, [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card], and two Field Blower.

The Field Blowers and Marshadow are useful cards in many matchups. They help against Weezing by preventing [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] and Shrine of Punishment damage, and generally let the deck counter other stadiums (especially [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]) without having to run detrimental Stadiums yourself. Field Blowers are crucial against [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. Stealthy Hood is for Vileplume, although it also prevents Weezing’s damage. I’ve already mentioned Absol above as an effective counter to Jirachi strategies.

However, I’m not sure how well Pikachu & Zekrom-GX will fare in the weeks to come. Because of the deck’s relative success, I expect Mew to find its way into more decks to counter it. Reshiram & Charizard-GX decks with their two-Prize Bench sitters, would clearly benefit from Mew. In Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel, Mew can prevent Tag Bolt GX from taking more than two Prize cards in one turn, skipping the Beast Ring window. I’m actually very surprised that the winning list in Madison didn’t already run Mew. Even though it conflicts with Alolan Muk, these are not used in the same matchups, and I’d rather play the deck without Alolan Muk than without Mew.

Although Pikachu & Zekrom-GX can win games out of sheer aggressive play, its potential for a double-KO Tag Bolt GX is what makes the deck so powerful. If I was running the deck I’d probably remove the Stealthy Hood for a fourth Guzma, in order to Knock Out Mew more easily with Zapdos and clear the way for Tag Bolt GX. While Stealthy Hood deals with Vileplume, the deck already has a few ways to beat Stall anyway. Its pure speed combined with two Let Loose [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] lets it Knock Out Stall’s attackers very quickly while preventing them from finding their footing. Even if a Vileplume hits the field, it’s not over — Tag Bolt GX can be used on another Pokemon and Knock Out Vileplume on the Bench.

That said, I would personally shy away from playing Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, at least next week. Now that it has a strong counter in Mew, I think it will perform best when players don’t expect it and therefore cut the Mew from their lists. This might be the case when NAIC comes but not right now.

3. Malamar

[cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I talked a little bit about Malamar last week, and after more tests I feel like the deck has real potential right now. Reshiram & Charizard-GX lists tend to use Tag Team Pokemon as attackers, supported by Arcanine and Volcanion. But Volcanion, the most popular of these options, only deals 110 damage — not enough to deal with [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], whereas Shadow Impact will Knock Out it right back. This means that the opponent will be forced to use Reshiram & Charizard-GX to attack, and it trades unfavorably with Giratina. Giratina can 2HKO it (with a Choice Band, or Distortion Door damage) for three Prizes. Miltank is the only thing that can change the math here, but it can be KO’d. Plus, Malamar has OHKO potential thanks to Ultra Necrozma-GX. In my experience, Ultra Necrozma-GX is not the right attacker to use in the early game as it will be KO’d by Double Blaze GX before it can reach OHKO damage, but in the late game it can take the last two or three Prizes. The threat of its GX attack also deters the Reshiram & Charizard-GX player from playing more than one Jirachi or Marshadow, which limits their options.

You can add Nihilego to make this matchup better. It won’t OHKO Reshiram & Charizard-GX, but it can put it in range of Sky-Scorching Light GX, letting you finish the game next turn. Full disclosure: I lost to this against a PokeBeach reader when I was testing ReshiZard on TCGO, I didn’t see it coming at all but it turned the game around.

Similarly, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX decks focuses more than ever on its namesake. Many lists have gone down to one Zapdos in order to achieve a faster Full Blitz. This makes sense against other GX decks, but against a Malamar deck that only benches non-GX Pokemon and attacks with Malamar, the same unfavorable trades happen. Pikachu & Zekrom-GX KOs two Giratina while the latter 2HKOs it for three Prizes. Mew is necessary for this matchup, otherwise a Tag Bolt GX gives Pikachu & Zekrom-GX the advantage in the Prize race.

I’m also satisfied with the Zoroark-GX matchup. Thanks to Beast Energy Prism Star and Choice Band, Ultra Necrozma-GX can OHKO Zoroark-GX or Persian-GX. The latter should be the main target, otherwise it can retaliate after a Zoroark-GX Knock Out thanks to Cat Walk. It can OHKO Ultra Necrozma-GX with either Vengeance or Slash Back GX, with Choice Band and Professor Kukui. That said, if the Zoroark-GX deck gets a turn two Dual Blizzard and you haven’t benched Mew (or it has been shut down by Alolan Muk), then it’s pretty much game over.

Given that Weezing is on the decline and Zapdos isn’t doing that well, Malamar seems to be in a great spot and I recommend it:

[decklist name=”UNB Malamar” amt=”60″ caption=””undefined][pokemon amt=”16″]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=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]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=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Generations” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]It is very similar to the deck from last week‘s article. Given that Zapdos is seeing less play, I removed an Acerola for another Nest Ball, giving the deck more consistency. Some other cards to consider for this spot are:

• [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card], which isn’t needed in my experience, but can help against many Fighting-weak Pokemon in the metagame (Zoroark-GX, Persian-GX, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]);
• Field Blower for its general usefulness;
• Nihilego as mentioned above, or [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] to copy Flare Strike after it’s been used;
• Stealthy Hood to give the deck a counter to Vileplume;
• [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] for its Moon’s Eclipse GX attack, especially effective against Blacephalon-GX.

I’m not sure if Stealthy Hood will be enough to deal with Stall. I think it depends on which flavor of Stall is ran. Photon Geyser can OHKO [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] so that’s not an issue, but more classic lists with Hoopa and [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] can Lost Zone Giratina or a Psychic Energy from the discard and put a wall in Malamar’s face. Stealthy Hood doesn’t do much against this, and having a Marshadow SLG to disrupt the opponent’s hand (or use [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] to try to win the game on turn two after a turn one Horror House GX) would work better.

4. Conclusion

What makes a deck viable is the context of the metagame. Zapdos was trending down and Malamar was missing completely, but there’s a strong argument to make for both. I think they’ll perform well in the Regionals to come (at least, Zapdos will; Malamar’s success depends on if anyone actually runs it). On the other hand, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX will probably not do as well as it did in Madison. I’m not sure whether that means it will be in a good spot in time for NAIC, or if people will be wary of it by then.

Of course, there’s a lot of other decks to scrutinize. I’m interested in the ebb and flow of Blacephalon-GX’s viability but I don’t have a clear opinion on it. If nothing else, it tends to be a favorable matchup for Zapdos so that’s one more reason to run it!

In any case, I hope this can help you find a suitable deck for whatever tournaments you’ll play next. See you next week, but in the meantime, best of luck in all your games!

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