End of an Era — NAIC Reviewed, Stunfisk Explored, and Intro to Unified Minds

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onJun 27, 2019 at 10:13 AM · 0 Comments

For the last two years, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] has dominated events with the likes of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and the latter two have been omnipresent in nearly every deck for longer. Announced in April, the 2019/2020 season Standard format rotation will remove these three cards and more, and everything before Ultra Prism. The North American International Championship was the last major event featuring these cards for some time to come. Going into this event, [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] had garnered hype behind it after a winning showing at the Origins Open Special Championship event and other international performances. Decks like [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] appeared to remain on top in terms of popularity and Zoroark-GX decks looked to be on the downturn. Here are the popularity rankings that we fed into our matchup spreadsheet, in descending order from greatest to least popular.

  • Reshiram and Charizard-GX / [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card]
  • Zapdos / Ultra Beast
  • [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]
  • Reshiram and Charizard-GX / [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]
  • Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card]
  • Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]
  • Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]
  • Wall Stall
  • [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] Stall
  • [card name=”Granbull” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]

With our original numbers, our spreadsheet showed that Shedinja Stall and Wall Stall decks would be amongst the best ranked for this event. That felt odd, but we tested a Wall Stall variant extensively. The list focused on using [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Frost Rotom” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”White Kyurem” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with Fire-type decks, and performing the general disruption strategy against everything else. The build didn’t play [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card], so the matchup with Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks was super sketchy and that’s what ultimately turned our eyes elsewhere. My testing team looked destined to just play Reshiram and Charizard-GX again like at Wisconsin Regionals, until we updated our Pikachu and Zekrom-GX list from Germany Internationals. To be frank, I haven’t seen anyone have any success with that type of a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX list aside from our group; it seems people prefer to play the deck without [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. Using Jirachi has always felt integral to the deck’s success, protecting it from [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and its Let Loose Ability as well as giving you additional outs to finding key [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. After testing that deck for a while, we found that its Zapdos matchup was terrible, but everything else was favored, including Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks, because [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] is amazing! We settled on this deck Thursday night and turned in the list.

[premium]

My Experience

This event seemed like one that would circle around Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, Reshiram and Charizard-GX, Zapdos, and the Zoroark-GX hardliner fans that wanted to give the deck one last go, despite its weaknesses to Marshadow and Let Loose. All this considered, I felt confident in playing Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, as I could dodge Zapdos or just get lucky in that matchup.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ 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=”Raikou” set=”Shining Legends” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”129″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Our list went back to the super consistent Jirachi engine, going for an approach of non-GX and Pokemon-GX attackers that would be followed by an out-of-nowhere Full Blitz into Tag Bolt GX, or visa-versa if your opponent had a slow start. Utilizing [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] was an incredible tech for the mirror match, allowing you to Dance of the Ancients with your [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] whenever you want but preventing your opponent from doing the same after you put your Wobbuffet down. Using [card name=”Raikou” set=”Shining Legends” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] is great as a non-GX Pokemon in the deck and can attack against any matchup, but it’s particularily strong against [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] where using a single Electropower can one-shot an opposing Zapdos with your Raikou. With 120 HP, it will be hard for your opponent to follow up with a Knock Out of their own. One of the most concerning things about this list was a single [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], of which was originally zero. Playing one was fine for the most part, but there were some games where this list bricked into oblivion. This happened in my fourth round both games, the fifth round in the first game, and then again in both games in round six. Playing one Cynthia was a mistake and I would go back and play as many as four if I could to supplement the shaky consistency. Those losses were incredibly disheartening and knocked me out of Day 2 contention, my goal for this event.

My rounds went as follows:

  • Round 1 versus [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] WW 1-0-0
  • Round 2 versus [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] WW 2-0-0
  • Round 3 versus [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] LL 2-1-0
  • Round 4 versus Pikachu and Zekrom-GX WW 3-1-0
  • Round 5 versus [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] LWL 3-2-0
  • Round 6 versus Zapdos / Ultra Beast LL 3-3-0
  • Round 7 versus Blacephalon WLW 4-3-0
  • Round 8 versus Reshiram and Charizard-GX WW 5-3-0
  • Round 9 versus [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] WLW 6-3-0

I started off decent, lost a super close set to Dean Nezam’s Reshiram and Charizard-GX, then flamed out with a loss to a Zapdos deck. From there, I hit Kian Amini having a similarily bad day, and took out two more rounds after that to secure some Championship Points and lock up a travel stipend for next season. It wasn’t a terrible run, but I wish I could have made Day 2 to play some more Pokemon.

Day Two Analysis

Now how did the rest of the room do? Here is the complete showing of decks in day two:

  • 38 Unknown
  • 19 Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
  • 12 Reshiram and Charizard-GX
  • 6 Wall Stall
  • 6 Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 5 [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 4 Zapdos
  • 3 [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Umbreon” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 3 Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 3 Zoroark-GX / Silvally-GX
  • 2 Blacephalon
  • 2 Blacephalon-GX
  • 1 [card name=”Blissey” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Granbull” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] Stall
  • 1 [card name=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] / Spiritomb
  • 1 Tool Drop [card name=”Doublade” set=”Team Up” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]

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

With such a large second day, 112 players in all, it was hard to find all the decks. As a result, 38 of them are missing here, but even without them, it gives us a solid picture of what the field consisted of. The most popular deck was Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, followed shortly behind by Reshiram and Charizard-GX. From there it was a closely even mix of obscure decks. Among those: Wall Stall, Zoroark-GX, Malamar, and [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] were the most popular. This pool evolved into a Top 8 of the following:

  • Zoroark-GX / Dewgong ([card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and Persian-GX techs)
  • Pikachu and Zekrom-GX ([card name=”Raikou” set=”Shining Legends” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] Techs)
  • Blacephalon
  • Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
  • Malamar / [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]
  • Zapdos / Ultra Beast
  • Wall Stall ([card name=”Bronzong” set=”Team Up” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lapras” set=”Team Up” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] techs)
  • Spiritomb / Stunfisk ([card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] tech)

This Top 8 was interesting, a Stunfisk deck popped up, a completely unexpected rogue, but it was a strong one as it took itself all the way to the quarterfinals. Stéphane Ivanoff took home the championship for the second year straight, an amazing accomplishment! Speculation has it that [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] was not poised that well for this event, but the addition of Naganadel-GX to the deck and the decreased popularity of [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] paved its path perfectly to a win two years straight. My testing group had the idea to Stinger GX in Zoroark-GX back before Wisconsin Regionals, but decided against it after being blown out by Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks touting [card name=”Miltank” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. With Miltank you would be forced to put [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] into play to stop it, otherwise the damaging of a Tag Team Pokemon-GX followed by Stinger GX and then a Knock Out for game wouldn’t work. The damage would be removed, you’d be behind on Prize cards, and back to square one. This didn’t stop Ivanoff as many lists opted to drop Miltank and the [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] lists. This interesting top cut closes a chapter in Pokemon Trading Card Game history that’s been dominated by Zoroark-GX, so it’s only fitting to see it win one last time.

What to Expect at Upcoming Locals

After a major event like NAIC it’s safe to expect much of the top-performing decks at local events. In this case I would always be playing a deck that can beat [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], Reshiram and Charizard-GX, and possibly Zoroark-GX. Everything aside from those will be a mixed pool; maybe look to see Malamar increase in play as it did perform well at this event and is a fan-favorite play for smaller events because of its unlimited power. I like Stunfisk as a play for League Challenges and League Cups, because it can do well against both non-GX builds and Pokemon-GX builds alike. Zoroark-GX with Naganadel-GX, albeit more risky for a best of one format, has the same draw as it can hold its own in both matchups as well. Either way, the upcoming events before Worlds will be a stepping stone into the greater season to come, so start collecting those Championship Points now to get your feet wet in the competitive world of Pokemon! Getting a head start can give you some ideas of what you can work on as a player and give you a better read as to how many events you might need to attend to potentially get an invite to next year’s World Championship. Now for a deeper look at Stunfisk.

Eye on Stunfisk

This deck was completely unexpected. Upon release, I thought about it very briefly; it was a non-GX Pokemon that could ramp up some serious damage. Aside from a passing glance, I never tried it at all. I’ve played a few games with it now in the wake of NAIC; it’s fun and powerful! Using [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] can serve as a damage modifier and along with [card name=”Damage Mover” set=”Shining Legends” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], you can take your damage to even greater heights. This is my favorite deck for local events up until the rotation, so if you’re looking for something to play, I would go for this. It touts solid matchups with everything except a slightly unfavorable one to Zapdos, something you can still beat, and [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] playing Ultra Necrozma-GX which can board wipe you with Sky-Scortching Light GX to win the game.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Murkrow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Damage Mover” set=”Shining Legends” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ 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]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Black Market Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

At first glance this list looks very polished and consistent. I haven’t found the desire to change anything yet. Here’s a peek at the cards:

Explainations

Four Stunfisk and Four Spiritomb

[cardimg name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Keeping this short, Electric Trap can do up to 180 damage. Electropower can take that even higher and with [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] you can fill in the gaps if you’re ever short of a Knock Out. Spiritomb can use Building Spite to get damage in play and it also serves as a backup attacker to [card name=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] itself. Against Pokemon-GX-based matchups, you have a significant advantage and against non-GX Pokemon decks as you can go toe to toe with your own non-GX Pokemon lineup. Playing four of each of these is essential so that you start with one or the other often. In the case of Spiritomb, you can start Building Spite and move extra damage around with Damage Mover to boost the damage output of Electric Trap.

One Murkrow and One Honchkrow-GX

I like this [card name=”Murkrow” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] better because I think it can be useful more often, but no matter, that’s relatively unimportant. Included in the deck is [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to give you a near autowin against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks with the Ruler of the Night Ability. You can stop your opponent from playing Special Energy cards while it’s Active, and this is also strong against [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. Zoroark-GX and Weezing would be very hard to beat without Honchkrow-GX, so its inclusion is warrented. It can deal damage with Feather Storm so it’s not a bad play in a deck that has the means to attack with it.

One Kartana-GX

We are using [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] to snag your last Prize card and to give this deck a GX attack, Blade GX seems like a great effect and I’ve got some use out of it in my minimal testing with this deck. Slice Off can also be of use if you’re looking for a disruptive tactic. It can remove a Special Energy from play that’s been there, threatening your Honchkrow-GX in the Zoroark-GX matchup, too.

One Absol

This is here to strengthen your matchup against [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. The matchup is close to even, but [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] can singlehandedly sometimes swing the matchup in your favor, depending on how your opponent draws. It’s worth the inclusion and it can be useful in some other matchups.

Four Damage Mover

In order to unlock the full potential of Electric Trap you need to be able to get damage on more things than just your [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. When you have four Spiritomb in play that’s just 120 damage, but with [card name=”Damage Mover” set=”Shining Legends” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], you can move excess damage to other Pokemon and increase your overall damage output. You can also use Rainbow Energy to accomplish this, and Damage Mover can also boost your damage output with Spiritomb and its Anguish Cry. It’s a great damage modifier and it deserves as many slots as [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], so a four-of it is!

One Black Market Prism Star

As a Darkness-type deck, this build can take advantage of the Prize advantage of [card name=”Black Market Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. This can improve your non-GX matchup further, pushing you over the top in many cases if you time it right. Try to put it down after your opponent has played a few Stadium cards.

Four Rainbow Energy

You might think to run Darkness Energy, but as a deck that wants to spread damage around your own Pokemon to deal more damage to your opponent, you want to have four [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] to grant you more ways to get that damage into play. It fills the purpose of Sledgehammer for [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], so it has some versatility there, and it even allows you to use Blade GX. Playing this over Darkness Energy is correct and having four of them is a must for consistency.

Playing this deck is simple, you want to start attacking as soon as you can and do as much damage as possible. Map out which Knock Outs you want to take and go after those. In Prize-trade matchups like Zapdos you want to find your Absol tech and use it to gain an advantage. Against Pokemon-GX-based matchups, you’re already super favored and you need to not skip a beat, thin cards out so you don’t dead draw off [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]’s Let Loose, and you’ll be good to go. Again, this is my favorite deck for local events moving forward, as the rotation doesn’t actually take place until Worlds on August 15th.

Peek at Unified Minds Trainers

Unified Minds doesn’t have an official set list out just yet, but there’s plenty of theorized ones out there. Using those as a guide, here are some of my favorite Trainer cards from the set. The following will include my rationale for why they are strong, and some of the application they will have in decks moving forward.

Big Oven

I think [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] was an overpowered card. Taking two Basic Energy from the deck for no cost at all. And Big Oven is just that, but only for Fire Energy, and you do have to discard a card from your hand. This is a balanced card, one that will increase the consistency of [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks by making [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] plays more realistic. Previously, a player would focus on using [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] to find Fire Energy from the deck. For a lesser cost, and as a Stadium, you can do the same. Big Oven has the potential to remain in play for multiple turns, which makes it even more appealing.

Cherish Ball

The rotation means we’ll be losing [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. Using Cherish Ball will sort of replace either of those, at least in decks that are looking for Pokemon-GX. Searching one out with no drawback at all is incredible, and this will find its way into Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks at least.

Great Potion

Using [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] is a cool way to heal your Pokemon, but Great Potion does it better. For one card–not a combo of two–you can heal 50 damage from a Pokemon-GX. If you’re able to play two of these at once that’s 100 damage healed with no drawback. This is the perfect partner with Reshiram and Charizard-GX to keep chugging along and denying Prize cards.

Hapu

Similar to [card name=”Sage’s Training” set=”Call of Legends” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] from long ago, Hapu will be a must-have in decks looking to discard cards while setting up, anything that wants to aggressively thin the deck, or even in Stage-2 decks. It allows you to have significant reach in your deck while building on a hand, so like if you’re to be playing a Stage-2 deck that has a [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] in hand, you can use Hapu and look for another piece to get that Stage-2 out while still holding onto the Rare Candy itself. The drawback is that you have to discard four of the six cards you ultimately see, but I think that’s a worthwhile risk in a format that lacks something like [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] that can dig extremely deep into your deck to get you what you want.

Pokemon Research Lab

This is likely the card that will make [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Team Up” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] playable in Standard. Already a powerful concept on its own, Powerful Fangs can deal 180 damage to a Pokemon-EX/GX for a [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card]. Moving forward, Pokemon Research Lab will be a surefire way to attack for a ton of damage immediately, and an [card name=”Unidentified Fossil” set=”Team Up” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] deck could stem off of this card’s release. You could play a full set of four of these Stadium cards to get a good setup going, and you can use it in the middle of the game too if you ever have to restabilitize.

Reset Stamp

Without [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], the Standard format has been left with a dirty plan to Marshadow and Let Loose or Judge to reset an opponent’s hand. These mechanics are annoying because they can also reduce an opponent’s hand at the start of a game before they can even do anything, but Reset Stamp doesn’t immediately punish someone like that. I think it’ll be added to decks in about a two count to have a comeback mechanic if you ever fall behind. Faster decks won’t want to play it because they plan to be ahead on Prizes no matter what, but for anything slower than that, this will be a must-have.

Stadium Navigator

Item draw is fantastic, especially when you lose consistency with Pokemon search. More ways to speed the game up and put on pressure is nice. I think Stadium Navigator will be a one-of, at least in [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks to find their respective Prism Star Stadium cards. This is unprescendented if you can flip at least one of two heads and just find something that can immediately turn the game in your favor. This will lead to more turn one Full Blitz attacks and more powered up Reshiram and Charizard-GX.

Conclusion

Next time, I’m going to go over some of my starting drafts for decks using Unified Minds. These special Trainer cards will be a part of many of them and, as you can tell, it looks like Reshiram and Charizard-GX keeps getting better. I’m excited to see these cards in action, and Reset Stamp has me hyped for the future of Stage-2 decks, as they can finally mount a better comeback from behind and compete with faster ones. The English Unified Minds set isn’t concrete yet, as the set list is up in the air, but with a rough idea of it even still we can start to develop some theories about what could be good. There’s no better time than the present to start working on a deck and practicing for the new format; the advantage you’ll gain with your preparedness can give you an edge in competitions to come. Thanks for reading, I hope you’re doing well! Hit me up with anything you need in the Subscribers’ Hideout and until next time, take care.

Peace,

Caleb

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