I Need Healing — Tanking with ReshiZard

[cardimg name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”194″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Great Potion is subtly one of the best cards in Unified Minds. Some [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks have played [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] before, but the two of those Items together — that’s more healing than many decks can handle! The [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] version of this deck is the best way to play the deck post-rotation. The idea behind the [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] version was based around getting a [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] play on the first turn. Kiawe was rotated, so focusing on a slow and steady approach is optimal. [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] is the only way to realistically accelerate Energy to a Reshiram and Charizard-GX with [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] as another option using Flare Starter. Playing four Volcanion is the best way to accelerate Energy because you will start with it very often when you’re only playing three other Basic Pokemon.

The idea behind this updated version of the deck revolves around simply using Reshiram and Charizard-GX as the tank it is – 270 HP equipped with strong attacks – and then healing cards to offset any advantage your opponent might have on you. Other than Water-type Pokemon, with a [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] attached to a Reshiram and Charizard-GX there’s little way your opponent can one-shot you. Outrage also becomes a stronger attack without access to Kiawe and easier ways to use Flare Strike over and over. That said, making use of your most cost-effective attacks like Outrage is a nice bonus touch.

Other than the obvious loss of Kiawe, Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Green’s Exploration builds don’t change much with the rotation. [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] leaves, but Cherish Ball is there to fill the void and working with a more Item-based draw engine can offset the loss. While [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t a great card overall, you can tech a single copy alongside a Cherish Ball like I do with my list to still give you two ways to search Pokemon out after targeting the specific Trainer off Green’s Exploration. Green’s Exploration, as slow as it may seem, is a very consistent way to control the cards in your deck and set up slowly but surely. This list does what it wants “nine times out of ten” — it’s very consistent.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”Team Magma’s Great Ball is Great Potion; Energy Reset is Reset Stamp; Cheren is Cherish Ball; Big Malasada is Big Oven” cname=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″][pokemon amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Great Potion (Unified Minds)4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Reset Stamp (Unified Minds)1x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Cherish Ball (Unified Minds)1x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Giant Hearth (Unified Minds)[/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This list is simple: use Green’s Exploration to set up. To do this, you should play as many ways to find Green’s Exploration on your first turn as possible. The surrounding cast is filled out with healing tools to keep you attacking turn and turn again, and other techs to balance specific matchups and combat certain situations. When playing this deck I usually opt to play second to get the bonus Fire Energy from Volcanion and Flare Starter. Here’s a deeper look at some of the cards…

Explanations

Four Volcanion and Three Reshiram and Charizard-GX

This isn’t so much an explanation as to why to play these counts, but more as to why there aren’t any other Pokemon. You want to start with Volcanion as often as you can, so playing four and a limited number of other attackers alongside it only makes sense. Three Reshiram and Charizard-GX is so you don’t Prize one and then struggle to heal the final one in a pinch and sputter out. Without [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] in the format most decks have to save [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] to finish TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX Knock Outs, which is hard when getting hit with Reset Stamp, so switching between Reshiram and Charizard-GX to avoid Knock Outs is another viable Prize denial strategy. There are very few options for Pokemon without Abilities that could even be considered in this deck in the first place, one of the few that comes to mind is [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. So why not? Without [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] in the format it loses a ton of its value. I think skipping it is best because Reshiram and Charizard-GX is the better attacker overall and does more damage, plain and simple. Any attackers with Abilities should not even be considered for this deck in the slightest.

One Pokemon Fan Club and One Cherish Ball

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Pokemon search is hard to come by in the new Standard format. The loss of Nest Ball is hard to cope with, but a single Pokemon Fan Club can fill the role, sort of. You can Green’s Exploration to snag the Pokemon Fan Club when you want more Volcanion (or even Reshiram and Charizard-GX) and the Cherish Ball can find a Reshiram and Charizard-GX if you’re more interested in that. Playing multiple copies of either of these cards clogs up your deck and doesn’t let you play as many copies of the healing cards that you want to.

Four Mixed Herbs and Four Great Potion [cardimg name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Healing is everything for this deck. With Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX on the rise, Mixed Herbs is better than before, providing a way to heal Special Conditions. Without [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] in the format, these are the best ways to heal damage in Standard and make this deck into a menacing powerhouse that doesn’t go down. Green’s Exploration combos nicely with either of these as you can fetch them straight from your deck. If [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Generations” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] gets reprinted in Unified Minds, that’s something I would consider playing on top of these eight cards for even more damage removal.

Three Fire Crystal, One Fiery Flint, One Giant Hearth, and Eleven Fire Energy

Fire Energy make this deck’s world go ’round. [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] is very useful because you will often find yourself discarding Fire Energy to find more with [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and/or Giant Hearth, and you even pay to retreat sometimes and avoid Knock Outs! Eleven Fire Energy is a great number, allowing you to power up two Reshiram and Charizard-GX and two Volcanion, give or take one to spare — and to defend you against bad Prizes.

Two Reset Stamp

Imagine your opponent finally taking a Knock Out while you’ve been healing all game, then dropping a Reset Stamp and building another hand full of healing cards. It’s hard for your opponent to take a single Reshiram and Charizard-GX Knock Out, let alone two, and Reset Stamp will make it even more difficult. I’ve really liked two to have the option to reset their hand once after their first big Knock Out for multiple Prizes, and then again for afterwards if they manage to attack for a lot of damage again (which you heal then disrupt them).

One Choice Helmet

This is great in very niche situations, but especially good against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Without [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] in the format anymore, the best a deck can do is play [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] to get around Choice Helmet. A Pikachu and Zekrom-GX will need four [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] to one-shot a Reshiram and Charizard-GX with a Choice Helmet attached, and that’s if they use Tag Bolt GX, not Full Blitz. It’s great against really any Pokemon-GX-based deck, reducing damage and allowing you to play fewer healing cards to get back to a safe number of HP to avoid an ensuing Knock Out.

One Shrine of Punishment

Oddly enough, Shrine of Punishment, while self-damaging, is strong in this deck in specific scenarios. This is one of the cards I’m less sure about in this list, but I do like having the option to have a small damage buff off Green’s Exploration if you want it. With Shrine of Punishment in play, you can one-shot a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX with Flare Strike, or whittle away an opposing Reshiram and Charizard-GX. There’s so many decks out there that are using Pokemon-GX in this format – almost all of them – so having a way to supplement your damage seems essential. The self-inflicted damage can be offset with prior healing, or simply replacing your own Stadium after you get some valid use out of it.

Playing the Deck

Playing second with this deck is optimal. You want to Flare Starter for the three Fire Energy as often as possible on your second turn. Getting that off gives you a very clear advantage and you usually win those games handily. Green’s Exploration is your main consistency, run the “Green’s train” as long as you can. Meaning, you can get a Green’s Exploration with your first Green’s Exploration and keep going until you have all the things you want. This might seem redundant, but you still plus a card at a turn at worst and at best you Welder instead on some turns and build an even bigger hand.

This deck collects large hands with important Items frequently. While thinning is important still, there are few things you can afford to discard. One of the best things you can do early is discard as many Fire Energy as you can as you go to make your Fire Crystal live off a Reset Stamp and get those pesky Fire Energy out of your deck. While they’re cards you do want to see, you can’t afford to draw a huge handful of them off a Reset Stamp to low in the late game. Welder aggressively to build multiple threats and sometimes play a slow game and just get more Pokemon out. Some of your Pokemon setup is based on the randomness of [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] in the early game, but once you find the Pokemon Fan Club — naturally or forcibly off Green’s Exploration — then you’ll be set to have enough attackers to last you the course of the game. Like I said earlier, Pokemon Fan Club is strong, but adding even more dead cards off Reset Stamp is not a good idea. Many of the later plays of this deck become obvious — if you’re damaged, heal it; if you need another attack, Welder to it!

The early game is the most difficult part, one where you can’t afford to mess up and grab unnecessary cards off Green’s Exploration, only to waste your Supporter for the turn on something you didn’t need. The biggest advice I can give is that you need to focus on your chain of Green’s Exploration. The better you can do that, the better you will do in the games you play. Don’t break the chain until you have a reliably strong hand that can carry itself after you finish! Sequence things properly: Acro Bike and/or [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] before using Green’s Exploration so that you could hit one of the cards you were going to get anyways and then not have to get it with Green’s Exploration itself! Remember to use Fiery Flint or Giant Hearth before drawing cards with Welder so you don’t draw even more Fire Energy off Welder and get stuck without cards you want — the same applies to an important Acro Bike. Lastly I want to mention that in the late game you should welcome a non-game-winning Knock Out from your opponent. Reset Stamp then becomes “live” and can really disrupt them. Letting a Reshiram and Charizard-GX go, then disrupting your opponent, only to deny them another Knock Out afterwards is a great strategy in many games. Get your early game down with this deck and you’ll have it made!

Matchups

Darkness Toolbox: Even / Slightly Favorable

I’ve based my testing of this matchup off Rukan’s list for “Dark Box”. Your opponent will want to lead with Umbreon and Darkrai-GX, sniping your Benched [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] for 60 damage, setting up a Knock Out with Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX by using Greedy Crush for four Prizes. The way to win this matchup is to rush in as quick as possible and to put on pressure before it’s possible for these big attackers to attack at all. [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] can be used in a variety of ways in this matchup, all with a different path to victory. You should expect to face at least one non-GX Pokemon in this matchup, maybe [card name=”Darkrai Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or a sacrificial [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], it depends. In that, you can take those Knock Outs, then go after [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and a Weavile-GX, or something like two Weavile-GX for six Prizes. Targeting Carvanha early can slow your opponent down, and targeting Weavile-GX in the early game is also very strong to stop your opponent from performing their strategy at all. The other way to win can be taking out two TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX, which won’t always happen. However, if you target the Weavile-GX it won’t matter as much, because it’s extremely unlikely your opponent can pop a Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX out of nowhere without Shadow Connection. I prefer the early Weavile-GX Knock Out personally, it usually slows them down so considerably that you can get ahead. In closing, make sure you heal off any snipe damage before it matters whenever you can, just to be safe.

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

I’ve felt really good about this matchup, regardless of the version your opponent’s playing. There’s a few going around, the toolbox Mewtwo and Mew-GX, Garchomp and Giratina-GX, and of course the good old [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. I like the Mewtwo and Mew-GX toolbox version most, personally, but I think we might see more Garchomp and Giratina-GX in the end. It swings for 240 on its own, but that can be supplemented by Distortion Door from [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] while Reshiram and Charizard-GX is on your Bench. Again, like again the Darkness Toolbox, you should look to heal any reciprocating damage as soon as possible. Hopefully [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] can take at least one Knock Out on its own, then you’ll be looking to take out just one TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX and one Pokemon-GX for a total of six Prizes. With these TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX, I like to Double Blaze GX for a one-hit Knock Out on one, and then if your opponent ever hits into you, you can Outrage to clean up another. The big part of these matchups where your opponent can’t outright one-shot you comes down to if you can heal residual damage before it becomes a problem and finishes a Knock Out. Great Potion is best used in healing this type of damage!

Non-GX Decks (Aerodactyl, Alolan Exeggutor, Zapdos…): Slightly Favorable

These matchups are always winnable because you have so much healing! You can usually take at least one Knock Out with Volcanion, putting you down to five Prize cards remaining, then with a Reshiram and Charizard-GX you should be looking to take three Prizes on its own. One is almost certainly guaranteed following the Volcanion Knock Out, then you’ll be able to heal after you’re hit into, then take another Knock Out. Then they’ll have to swing into you again, activating Outrage, then you get your third necessary Knock Out. From here you just need two more attacks for Knock Out and you’ll win the game. You get to strike first, taking the next assumed Knock Out, then your opponent hits into you, and then you get to win the game (assuming you have another Knock Out-capable attacker!) This cycle repeats over and over, but your opponent will use Reset Stamp to try to mess with your plan. To the same effect, your own Reset Stamp after your opponent takes their first (and hopefully final) TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX Knock Out is very debilitating, usually putting your opponent down to two Prize cards. Then it’ll be smooth sailing most times; sometimes you might not have to heal if your opponent misses an attack! Two Reset Stamp is very helpful in these matchups because you can disrupt a building hand in the early game and save one for after you give up a Knock Out, too.

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX: Favorable

This is one of your best matchups. Your opponent’s deck lacks [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] post-rotation, so it’s just a classic slugfest that you’re matched better in. If your opponent’s playing Giant Bomb, you can pass, wait, and then maybe even Outrage for a easy Knock Out. If Giant Bomb isn’t a worry, you can Flare Strike with [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] in play for a one-hit Knock Out or, in the case of Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX, you can Double Blaze GX with the extra Energy for a Knock Out. Pick two TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX and take those two out. Deny Knock Outs and use [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] to make things even harder. Remember that [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] can get you out of a Paralysis pinch from Tandem Shock. Volcanion can be a pain for your opponent to take out too, so you can use it to set up a Knock Out as well if you get the chance.

Reshiram and Charizard-GX: Even / Slightly Favorable

This matchup depends on the list composition. Obviously a healing-based mirror is going to be very close, maybe one player will Prize a healing card and the other will gain an advantage through that, or some other close variance. In the case of non-healing mirrors you will be favored, albeit slightly, and be able to outlast your opponent. If they’re not playing Shrine of Punishment, using Flare Strike into a full HP Reshiram and Charizard-GX will be safe, Outrage will “only” do 260 in response. Double Blaze GX is the key here, getting to the 300 mark will get you a one-hit Knock Out and put you ahead on Prizes. Volcanion can set up Knock Outs for you as well. The big thing is being able to wipe all damage off once (it does take a lot but is certainly doable) will give you a clear-cut advantage if your opponent lacks the same healing. Plan out your Prizes and take as few Knock Outs as possible to win the game. That sentiment is more true in this format than in the past few years without a readily available “gust” effect like [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. Custom Catcher is all we’ve got, so use it carefully and save it for the best moment: one where you’re actually taking a Knock Out or eliminating a threat.

Shedinja Control: Unfavorable

This matchup is hopelessly bad. Don’t both putting in a [card name=”Farfetch’d” set=”Team Up” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] or Lysandre Labs to “counter” it, your opponent should have a [card name=”Last Chance Potion” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and a counter Stadium. Without Guzma or [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], there’s not any way to consistently beat [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] exept for hoping your opponent draws a bad hand and has a slow start. If that happens then you might be able to sneak off with a cheap win by using your Custom Catcher to take two Prizes to finish things. This matchup will very often end in a loss.

Conclusion

I have tested this deck the most so far in the post-rotation Standard format. It looks like it’s extremely good, but decks might adjust by playing Shrine of Punishment as a damage buff or decks that can one-shot a Reshiram and Charizard-GX (there aren’t many at least) to counter it. I like the simplicity this deck offers and the super strong engine of Green’s Exploration. In a Standard devoid of good setup cards like we used to have in Nest Ball and Ultra Ball, it’s refreshing to still be able to pull the things you want out of your deck on the first turn, though through different means (Cherish Ball and/or Pokemon Fan Club for later). Hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout if you want to talk, take care, and thank you so much for reading!

Peace,

Caleb

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