The Rule of Two — 2019 Worlds Recap

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onAug 22, 2019 at 6:25 PM · 0 Comments

Always two there are; no more, no less. A master and an apprentice. Is Mew the Master, and Mewtwo the apprentice? I didn’t expect [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] to win the World Championship in the Masters Division. Going into the event I poured days worth of testing in with my teammates and we came up with something we thought was very special: [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control. I did terrible, continuing my tenure of poor Worlds performances. Isaiah Williams made Top Eight with the deck and I’m incredibly happy for all his hard work this season to pay off the way it did for him. His finish proves the deck had, and still has, merit and I’m excited to share the concept with you. First, let’s start with the results of the event of the year. All percentages are generalizations of similar variants that were played, differing lists are not noted here.

  • 23 [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] @ 19.5%
  • 22 [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] @ 18.6%
  • 18 [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] @ 15.2%
  • 11 [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] @ 9.3%
  • 10 Mewtwo and Mew-GX @ 8.5%
  • 8 [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] @ 6.8%
  • 6 Pidgeotto Control @ 5.1%
  • 3 [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] @ 2.5%
  • 2 [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]  Control @ 1.7%
  • 2 Restored Pokemon Toolbox @ 1.7%
  • 2 [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] Control @ 1.7%
  • 2 [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] @ 1.7%
  • 2 Darkness Toolbox @ 1.7%
  • 2 [card name=”Beheeyem” set=”Unified Minds” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] @ 1.7%
  • 1 [card name=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] @ 0.1%
  • 1 [card name=”Slowpoke and Psyduck-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] @ 0.1%
  • 1 [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] @ 0.1%
  • 1 [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] @ 0.1%
  • 1 [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] @ 0.1%

[cardimg name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX was the most popular deck. This is no surprise as I’ve talked about it from the beginning of this format as the most consistent deck available to players. With [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], it sets up quick and consistently each game and still has the tools needed to close out games, plus a nearly unlimited damage output thanks to [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card]. Malamar followed closely behind which was expected, but the deck did not perform well at all. It’s inconsistent and topped out with a 24th place in the hands of Keito Uchida from Japan. [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] variants were the most successful, mainly because of their prowess in the mirror match thanks to Sky-Scorching Light and an unlimited damage cap with Photon Geyser. The last big deck worth mentioning was Reshiram and Charizard-GX, clocking in with eighteen slots and proving it still has what it takes even without [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. The lists for it varied quite a bit, but the [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] version placed better overall. The [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] version did well for Tord Reklev and a few other players, though, showing it has merit as well.

One of the less obvious decks for the event was Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX, taking many players to Day 2, fighting through Day 1. It was dubbed one of the “secret” Japanese player decks and many could be seen playing it. A few top-level Americans took it too, like Poet Larsen and Riley Hulbert; our own Stéphane Ivanoff played it himself! My testing group ruled out Mewtwo and Mew-GX decks pretty early on, but I was impressed by a [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] variant of the deck a few days before the event. While the list I was using had [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], the eventual winning deck played Psychic Energy instead. This just goes to show that not everything was, or even has been figured out in this format, and there’s still a lot to discover and try out!

Blacephalon-GX is still alive, as it got second at the event. Aside from all the aforementioned decks and the Pidgeotto Control deck, there was a scattering of other decks, including a few crazy ones like Gengar and Mimikyu-GX / Omastar, Slowpoke and Psyduck-GX, and even Magnezone. None of these obscure decks did well, so I think it’s safe to say you can disregard them moving forward.

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Post-Worlds Tier List

S

  • Mewtwo and Mew-GX
  • [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control

A

  • [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]

B

  • [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]

C

  • [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] Control
  • [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] Control

D

  • Darkness Toolbox
  • Restored Pokemon Toolbox
  • [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]

E

  • [card name=”Beheeyem” set=”Unified Minds” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Slowpoke and Psyduck-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]

Only thing that might be confusing here is the placement of Pidgeotto Control in the top tier. I still believe it is in contention for the title of best deck and you should keep in mind that it still did place in the Quarterfinals, losing to the eventual finalist in what was a good matchup. The deck has the potential to beat anything! I’m sure a lot of players will talk about the other top-performing decks, but I’d like to talk up the one I know best: the one I played. While I didn’t do well with it, I had a large hand in making it and testing its matchups. Here’s the list my team used:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Team Up” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ 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=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The rule of two is very present here; [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] rotated and there’s no other option but to play more copies of the cards you desperately need each game. This list makes very few exceptions to this rule, usually when a card is only for one matchup, or one that you can win without the card in question.

Explanations

Four Pidgey, Four Pidgeotto, and One Ditto Prism Star

[cardimg name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Just like [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], you want to get as many of these into play as possible. The one [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] was played so you find a “[card name=”Pidgey” set=”Team Up” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]” earlier and get set up efficiently.

Four Oranguru and One Brock’s Grit

Starting with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is good as it’s your main attacker. You want to be able to keep looping cards back into your deck without having to put back Oranguru itself as often as possible, so this allows you to be more lax with your looping and get you into the green with resource recovery sooner. Using [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] is for those times that you need multiple things back at once and don’t want to spend multiple turns getting those cards back with Resource Management. You could have also had a rough early game with [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] too. There’s a lot of utility for Brock’s Grit in this deck and while it was in and out of the list in testing, it did make the final cut and I’d keep it.

Two Girafarig and Two Articuno-GX

More rule of two action here, without at least a single copy of either [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] in many matchups you would be hosed. Don’t lose to your Prizes!

One Mew

This is only good against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], this was one of the cuttable corners that we took. Safeguard was to protect against Tag Bolt GX which ruins your setup and forces you on the fast train to getting Pokemon back, not [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and lock pieces to shut your opponent out of the game for good. The pressure of Tag Bolt GX made this a must-have; we did try the matchup without [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and it didn’t go well.

Four Professor Elm’s Lecture, Four Pokegear 3.0, Four Acro Bike, and Two Pokemon Communication

The backbone of consistency for this deck, a first and even second turn [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] for this deck sets you up. Your [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], like Pidgey, has 60 or less HP so you can grab everything with just one Supporter drop. This is even more efficient than Zoroark-GX was back in the day! [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] gives you more outs to it, as does Acro Bike, and [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] finds more Pidgey for you or other important Pokemon like Articuno-GX that can’t be searched with Professor Elm’s Lecture throughout the game. We skimped down on Pokemon Communication in favor of just more copies of Pokemon cards which was a wise cut and defended against bad Prize cards.

Two Tate and Liza and Two Cynthia

Shuffle-draw Supporters are great in this deck to give you a shot of drawing back cards you put on the bottom with Resource Management. Originally favoring [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] was identified as a needed card in the deck and increased in count. Both are invaluable when setting up and a must-have. [card name=”U-Turn Board” set=”Unified Minds” no=”211″ c=”name”][/card] was tried in place of a Tate and Liza and still something I would consider, but having two Tate and Liza so you don’t Prize one is very important. Also playing a U-Turn board and then Prizing it feels bad.

Two Mars, Two Lt. Surge’s Strategy, Two Reset Stamp, and Two Chip-Chip Ice Axe

All necessary components of the lock; you give your opponent a low hand size, discard it all, then [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] to control their draw for the next turn. Without two copies of any of these cards you could lose if you Prize the singleton.

Four Crushing Hammer and Three Custom Catcher

Crushing Hammer wasn’t even in the first iteration of this deck, but it slowly worked its way into higher and higher numbers. Four was essential so you found them early and often, before you could even Resource Management as many as three back at a time. They’re needed in nearly every matchup, from [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] where you then use Get Lost on their discarded Energy, to [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]  where your opponent probably isn’t getting any Energy back anytime soon.

Two Pal Pad

Prizing a single copy really stinks and slows down the lock. With two, you can save yourself some time in using Resource Management to get back hard copies of Supporter cards and instead get back things like [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card]. Using [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] is nice because it shuffles your deck and allows you to reach cards you put back with Resource Management when using Air Mail.

Two Power Plant

Prize one and you’ll lose to decks like Darkness Toolbox or [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. Taking a loss to any matchup when Prizing a card is rough, so two were added as a safety net. It also has use against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, granting you more Pokemon that can be locked up by stopping Thunderclap Zone on [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card].

Three Water Energy and One Recycle Energy

This was always four Water Energy until the Wednesday before the big day. Having [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card] was another way to get back an important resource without having to use Resource Management for it itself. It was great to get back and then push up another Oranguru, only to use it again. We thought about playing two of each, but then if you Prized one of the three Water Energy you couldn’t use Ice Wing which proved to be really good and important in a lot of different situations; perhaps even in every other game.

Playing and Matchups

In General

There will always be a swing turn. It will usually consist of Reset Stamp; [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] (possibly two with [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card]); maybe [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] to target something specific; Articuno-GX to remove a powered up threat from existence; [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] (depending on the matchup); and then Chip-Chip Ice Axe to control what your opponent’s draw and force them into taking a useless card. This play is generally made with one or two of your opponent’s Prizes left.

Good players will usually try to hold Reset Stamp until they are about to take their third Prize to make sure you don’t have the very large card combo in hand immediately. Be sure your deck is thinned properly so you can easily use Air Mail to get into it. This deck relies on [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to thin it out and you should always play down dead cards while you can. Sometimes this is as simple as failing a Professor Elm’s Lecture on a turn you don’t need to use a different Supporter.

Sometimes you use Reset Stamp when you know your opponent has a dead hand after a few turns of using Chip-Chip Ice Axe to control their draw for the turn. This might seem weird because you’re giving them back cards and slowing them from decking out, but it gives you a chance to Mars and hit a good card afterwards. If you don’t do this, it’s often unavoidable that your opponent will eventually have three good cards off a Chip-Chip Ice Axe and you will be forced to give them one of them. This is your way around it, use it often until there’s no good cards left. Theoretically they could just never draw a good card for you to Mars away, but the odds of that occurrence are extremely low. The lock this deck makes is nearly unbeatable unless something unfortunate like the last sentiment comes true.

Blacephalon-GX

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

This is a weird matchup that depends upon how your opponent plays. If they drop a [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] you almost certainly win. Just use Counter Catcher to bring it up and keep on using [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Generations” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and Resource Management to get them back. Their [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] will help get them a few Knock Outs, but eventually you’ll get the Mars to zero combo and be able to control their draws for the rest of the deck.

If they go for the optimal “just four [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]” line of play, you have to set up [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] to attack with Ice Wing. Make sure they have just one Prize remaining. You need both of your Articuno-GX and a Bench space open to nearly guarantee the win (never put Power Plant down in this matchup.) You need two Chip-Chip Ice Axe to make this play super safe. Use Reset Stamp, Mars, then Knock Out a Naganadel with Ice Wing. They draw and attack. Use your first Chip-Chip Ice Axe (remember this isn’t exactly needed, it’s just to stave off a Blacephalon-GX [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]) and take down the second Naganadel. They draw and attack. Use [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] and bop their third Naganadel. Your Articuno-GX should be at 160 damage now, so you use other one to move in and eliminate the last Naganadel, the last remaining threat.

An opposing [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] can make the matchup more interesting, just make sure your opponent doesn’t have a way to get it in hand and counter your Articuno-GX. Heatran-GX gives some reason to play down a Power Plant, but it’s risky because if it doesn’t get replaced you won’t be able to use your second Articuno-GX to attack.

Darkness Toolbox

Literally just spam Power Plant. Use Custom Catcher to bring up something useless and drop a Power Plant. Ciontinuously use Crushing Hammer to knock their Energy off main threats and without being able to use [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and its Ability. Because of this, they’ll be forced to attack with Naganadel. In that case, you can either gust up something without Energy or attack with Ice Wing from Articuno-GX and eliminate any resistance completely.

Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX

Crushing Hammer away all their Energy and they can’t do anything. Some lists might begin to play [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Energy Recycle System” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] which will only make the following more important, which formerly wasn’t a necessity:

Use Cold Crush GX, use [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] down to one or two, and single or double Mars. If you follow this with a Chip-Chip Ice Axe you should have the lock established and win the game by eliminating any remaining Energy from play before your opponent can take the rest of their Prizes.

Malamar

An opposing [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] is the biggest threat here. You have to keep it away from using its GX attack for the bonus otherwise you can outright lose after having three [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Knocked Out. Run through your deck quickly so you can stream Crushing Hammer and on the turns you get two heads use [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to put Psychic Energy in the Lost Zone. Espeon and Deoxys-GX isn’t a threat after (presumably) five Psychic Energy are removed for good.

Using [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] that isn’t powered up is good. Remember, you can outright win if all energies are put in the Lost Zone. Mars to no hand and Custom Catcher for Malamar is a huge tempo swing that can buy you time to get more Energy in the Lost Zone and recover resources.

This is a matchup where your opponent’s deck can get clogged with good cards so using Reset Stamp when you know your opponent’s hand is dead (before discarding it all with [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]) is a good idea. Dominating the early game with Girafarig gives you some leeway to potentially miss a turn of getting a dead card off a Chip-Chip Ice Axe; Girafarig is the most important part of this matchup.

Mewtwo and Mew-GX

Your [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] plays are your biggest friend in this matchup. If they discard attackers, you should use Girafarig to Lost Zone the ones that are most threatening. This is usually just Espeon and Deoxys-GX (but they should play it down instead) and Solgaleo-GX. Hitting heads on Crushing Hammer to slow down an eventual Cross Division GX is critical, as your opponent’s deck powers it up much easier with this deck than with Malamar, which requires a ton of bulky Pokemon to be in play. Otherwise, business as usual, get the lock and go to town.

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX

Use Power Plant and Crushing Hammer. When they attack with [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], get Articuno-GX Active, Power Plant, Reset Stamp, and GX attack to punish. Eventually, you’ll reach the Chip-Chip Ice Axe lock. If they try setting up multiple attackers, focus Crushing Hammer plays on the attacker with the largest Retreat Cost (usually Pikachu and Zekrom-GX itself). If they commit lots of Energy to a single attacker, Cold Crush GX it all away. Full Voltage GX from [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] is the scariest part of this matchup, so always focus on getting Crushing Hammer back so you can increase your odds of removing at least one Energy and being able to deny an attack.

Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Green’s Exploration

[cardimg name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is pretty easy. Either use [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] or use Custom Catcher on something (preferrably [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]) to lock it Active while doing the Reset Stamp and Mars combo; or wait until they just have a Reshiram and Charizard-GX Active and do a Reset Stamp and Mars with Cold Crush GX. Finally, use the Chip-Chip Ice Axe lock and start attacking; you can use [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] to rack up damage quick while hitting for Weakness! You can use [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] as it can be considered a safer attacker due to it being able to inflict Confusion. However, Articuno-GX two-shots once the lock is established so there’s merit to both. You can even use [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] to spread damage before using Articuno-GX to Ice Wing or even after to clean up Knock Outs.

Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Jirachi

Their [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] can push up Pidgeotto over and over so be wary of that; have [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] ready to recover your Pokemon lines. Other than that, this is identical to the [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. Your opponent doesn’t have an advantage with either, you will eventually get the lock made and you can either attack right away for damage or deck them out after many turns, although the first option is better overall.

Other Control Decks

Use your Girafarig and use Get Lost on their resources and hope they don’t have their own. If they don’t, you’ll be favored and you should win. Otherwise you might tie unless your opponent has a way to speed up the game (like this deck normally does with Pidgeotto.) Mirror match is so much of a headache I’ll leave that to you to figure out.

Conclusion

Fun fact before I go: this deck originally started as a [card name=”Mareep” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] lock deck where you would Fluffy Pillow with [card name=”Slumbering Forest” set=”Unified Minds” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] in play to stop your opponent from attacking. It was fluky and would lose games to lucky coin flips and other uncontrollable variables. While the Pidgeotto list might seem more fragile, it’s more consistent and the lock once set up is nearly unbeatable. Overall, Worlds was still fun. I’m glad this format still has a lot of room to grow and it will be interesting to see if Hidden Fates changes anything up at all. Until next time, take care!

Peace,

–Caleb

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