Don’t Gamble Away Your Regionals — Final Thoughts for Atlantic City

[cardimg name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”214″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Expect to see a lot of [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] in New Jersey. The most popular decks right now are what’s become known as “Welder Toolbox” (previously [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], although many lists have cut the former entirely), [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox builds, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. With quite the disparity between these decks and the rest of the field it’s more simple, or so it seems, than usual to pick a good choice for any upcoming event since you can know what to expect. Of these decks Mewtwo and Mew-GX Toolbox decks are by far my favorite. I’ve mained the deck at recent League Challenge and League Cup events and have the most experience with it than with any deck in the format right now. I’d like to share my results as this type of data can be useful and of course, as I have them all logged it’s easy to do!

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Mewtwo Stuff

I’ve played seventy rounds of Pokemon at these events with Mewtwo and Mew-GX. In only two other tournaments of late have I played a different deck, two events where I dropped out: one with a [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Team Up” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] meme deck and the other with Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Jirachi / Where’s Welder? Here is the holy grail of data for this deck:

I believe these results are highly indicative of this deck’s strengths and weaknesses. Here at PokeBeach we’ve covered the deck twice now, so refer to mine and/or Stephane’s articles for more detailed information on the deck. The most surprising thing I encountered in all these games was my lack of facing Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. I think the Midwestern United States metagame is lacking in the Lightning department as of late and I do not believe its underrepresentation is not indicative of how much it will be played at any upcoming Regionals. Here are the things I want to share about Mewtwo and Mew-GX before I move on.

• It is the best deck in the format
• The not obvious staple Pokemon are: [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], Mewtwo and Mew-GX, [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM104″ c=”name”][/card]
  • These Pokemon should be in the deck
• Consider the following tech Pokemon (yes, these are swappable techs): [card name=”Cobalion-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], Giratina, [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Muk and Alolan Muk-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card], Reshiram and Charizard-GX, and [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] can go
• [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] is awesome
• Streamline the deck to be as consistent as possible, don’t try cutting corners like I have with lower Mewtwo and Mew-GX counts, among other things

All in all I won three League Cup tournaments with this deck out of five played with the deck. I didn’t fare as well at League Challenge events, only winning two of seven. My list has gone through a lot of changes, but the last one I played (and won the League Cup with) is this:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Muk and Alolan Muk-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Recycle System” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]8x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Muk and Alolan Muk-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”197″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I’ve liked having as many options as possible to counter every matchup possible. Muk and Alolan Muk-GX and Giratina are good examples of this. I’ve been playing the Giratina for weeks, first to counter [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card], then more-so as a damage modifer with Cross Division GX. Wobbuffet was one of the earliest techs to stop [card name=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] from attacking, an addition that may have changed the dynamic of the Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks altogether; now most lists play less Fire Energy and Infinity isn’t even that big of a threat anymore. Wobbuffet is one of the cards I’m more interested in cutting now than ever since Fire decks are changing so much.

Mewtwo needs to be in this deck; Mind Report is incredibly good and with four [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] (yes, get rid of the one-of [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] that you’ll never find) you’re going to get a ton of value out of it. Reset Stamp adds a whole new dynamic to this deck, crafting an early game powerhouse and then balancing that out in the late game by giving you some extra control if things sputter out and you need time to recover. Like Electromagnetic Radar, which isn’t bad by any means, [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is just too fickle a tech for my taste as a one-of. The difference between cutting it is almost negligible so the concession had to be made. Marshadow can Resetting Hole to clear a Stadium, one such as [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], but I have some prose prepared to counter that…

Resetting Hole is good against decks that play multiple Power Plant. What decks play multiple Power Plant? Mainly just Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX, an already horrific matchup (although slightly improved with Muk and Alolan Muk-GX). I see Power Plant as a reactionary card for your opponent in this format, basically meaning that they’re going to get value out of it on their turn, not on yours in the way of shutting your deck down. It’s going to be a swingy card, like to shut down Jirachi-GX to get a one-hit Knock Out on the turn of a Malamar player. These on-your-opponent’s-turn effects aren’t something you can counter. Thus, opting not to play Marshadow at all and save space makes more sense than ever. Yes, you can Resetting Hole sometimes to use multiple Stadium effects in one turn, but that’s just a win-harder and fancy move.

Finally, some talk about Bill’s Analysis. First, it was nice to have another Supporter. I went from two to one, trying a [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] for a little while, but after becoming disenfranchised with both, I dropped to just four Welder. With Mewtwo this is perfectly fine! Much of the format has devolved into a Welder race anyways; if you’re not using Welder on your turn, you’re often going to be behind in the match. Focusing on finding Welder early and often is the name of the game and anything other than that detracts from the main purpose of the deck. You see only four Welder in Welder Toolbox decks, so why not in here? I’ll leave my talk about Mewtwo and Mew-GX here. It’s the best deck out there and right now my top pick for Atlantic City Regionals. The options the deck brings to the table are so fun and thought-provoking, I genuinely enjoy playing the deck every game I’m in. There is also no comeback too small for this deck either with the inclusion of Reset Stamp!

Reset Stamp Resurgence

I, among most people, wrote Reset Stamp off before Worlds even happened; after Worlds, even moreso. The card was played sparingly and many testimonies went to the tune of “it was a dead card” and things of that nature. If you take a look any any results from early September you will notice a downtrend of Reset Stamp counts. A lot has changed since then and for good reason! Once dubbed the “the new N” and a must-have staple in every deck, Reset Stamp finally looks poised to make a comeback, perhaps a lasting one. The problem early on was lower Reset Stamp counts, many lists only played one. Now, many decks have switched over to two or more! As you can see with my most recent Mewtwo and Mew-GX list, two was the sweet spot. The reasons for adding Reset Stamp back are simple:

• This format is “found out”, there are few (if any) secrets left
• Matches are closer because lists are refined
• Welder is such a huge part of the format that early games can often decide match results and Reset Stamp is one of the only ways to mount a comeback in those scenarios

Hopefully this convinces you to add it back to your deck. While I don’t think it’s as good in something like Malamar, I think that almost every TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX deck should be playing it, and that’s about half or more of the format. If you’re not sold, well, you’ve been warned. I believe top contending decks will be playing it once again!

Welder Toolbox: The Switch from ReshiZard to Non-GX

The world of Fire-type decks has become quite messy lately. After Robin Schulz and Tord Reklev piloted an updated Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Jirachi list at Sheffield Regionals, the world started talking about lower Reshiram and Charizard-GX counts until some lists played one or even none at all! The Welder Toolbox archetype was born out of all of this, touting [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] as carries and [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], Victini Prism Star, [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], and sometimes others as vanilla attackers to fill in any gaps. So why the switch? Blacephalon and Turtonator, for one, can one-shot anything. Reshiram and Charizard-GX caps at unique numbers, and while it itself is still powerful, its three-Prize penalty for a Knock Out is a high price to pay. With Mewtwo and Mew-GX dominating much of the format in terms of popularity, Reshiram and Charizard-GX is something you want to specifically avoid playing down in that matchup, even against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. There just isn’t much going for a TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX that doesn’t have an unlimited damage cap right now, making it not only a dud in that department, but its hefty Retreat Cost can leave it stranded for easy pickings. Now this isn’t to say that the card isn’t good anymore, because it is, but this “new” Welder Toolbox deck does better without it — avoiding a liability when you don’t need it makes sense. I covered a more Reshiram and Charizard-GX-focused list in my last article, however this deck is honestly pretty different, while keeping some of the same structure. Here’s an example list:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″][pokemon amt=”17″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Vulpix” set=”Team Up” no=”15″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”16″]16x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”16″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

While maintaining the same speedy structure as Ability-based Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks, this deck abuses the uncapped power of some of the Fire Energy-using non-GX Pokemon out there. Volcanion can lead off the game, get Energy into play with Flare Starter, and do some chip damage with High-Heat Blast. Blacephalon and Turtonator, as I said, do the big damage, and can one-shot TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX. [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] is an amazing support Pokemon in any Fire-type deck by making Knock Outs easier and keeping the pressure on. Jirachi works well with finding Welder and stockpiling a bunch of [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] to get a Fireball Circus off for big damage.

You might be thinking why there aren’t any Reset Stamp in here after I just hyped it up and that’s because this is primarily a one-Prize deck. Reset Stamp doesn’t get as powerful as it can be until the late game and this deck takes a while to get to that point while awarding just a single Prize per Knock Out. With Dedechange discarding your hand, there’s little room to hold onto Reset Stamp for the right moment. It’s best used in TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX decks where you can disadvantage your opponent quickly!

Overall, this deck is consistent at finding Welder and doing lots of damage for little effort. You can map out your Prizes to your liking with Nine Temptations and even recover in the late game with Victini Prism Star and Infinity. This is a good go-to deck for a Fire-type fan or someone that’s used to playing Reshiram and Charizard-GX, but looking for a little boost to the archetype. This deck’s matchup with Mewtwo and Mew-GX is extremely close, perhaps a millimeter unfavorable, but close to being a fifty-fifty matchup. It can dismantle pretty much anything else, though.

Malamar Musings

I hate Malamar. It’s more consistent than most people give it credit in this format but it’s still a miserable deck for me to play. I dislike the linearity of it and the limited comeback potential. While it certainly has great attacking options, they’re all predictable and hinge on how great your setup is to even be able to attack at all. The Mewtwo and Mew-GX matchup is a pain because of Cross Division GX and mirror matches are frustrating as all get out. The deck is good and does deserve a spot amongst the best decks out there, but it’s not for me. The only real advice I have for anyone looking to sleeve it up are to play Grant Manley’s list and to make every effort to play a Giratina down on their first turn and attach an Energy to it. So often do I find people going all in to discard a Giratina on the first turn and I always question this, it’s like they’re forgetting the card is their main attacker! While Distortion Door is certainly good, getting it in the discard pile on the first turn is no part of the deck’s strategy and it will function without that gimmick. Sure you can get some damage into play if you wait for more of your opponent’s Pokemon to be in play, but it’s likely going to be negligible. Finding an Energy and getting it on your main attacker is much more important and will allow you to attack on your second turn far more often.

On Picking Pikachu and Zekrom-GX

Power Plant is excellent in Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. It seems weird — off, even — but shutting down your own Abilities is completely worth it when you’ve got some powerhouse attackers that are smacking for no drawback and slowing your opponent down in the process. Furthermore, you finally have a good counter to Keldeo-GX, as well. I mentioned earlier that Pikachu and Zekrom-GX has been super underrepresented in my area, but that hasn’t stopped me from believing in the deck. I think it’s also the best deck to make use of Reset Stamp and that combined with Power Plant makes it one of the most enticing options in the format. Here’s a list:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″][pokemon amt=”12″]3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ 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=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tag Switch” set=”Unified Minds” no=”209″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ 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] 

This deck is best when it brings the usual cast and pairs it with Stadium options and Reset Stamp. It continues to do the same things it always has — find a quick Full Blitz and set up for a powerful GX attack. Along with Reset Stamp and different Stadium options you’re prepared for any matchup and have a shot to beat anything. This right now is a solid second behind the Mewtwo and Mew-GX for my play. The best decks in the format are the ones that use Reset Stamp the best right now. Check out Charlie’s article for more analysis on the deck and a twist: four Judge. While I like Judge and think it bodes well in a low-maintenance deck like Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, I prefer the explosiveness of [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] thereafter to find the missing [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] you need or a soon to be devastating Reset Stamp.

Final Tier List for Atlantic City, New Jersey, Regionals

To wrap things up today I’m going to rank the decks that are out there. Ones nearest the top will not only be the best, but likely the most popular come game time in New Jersey. Hone your skills as much as possible against the ones atop this list!

Tier One

• [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox
• [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox

Tier Two

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

• [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]
• Reshiram and Charizard-GX / [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]

Tier Three

• [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control
• [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Control
• [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] Control

Tier Four

• Darkness Toolbox
• Naganadel / [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]

There’s a lot of good decks and many meh ones as well. I would tend to focus on tiers one and two in the process of making a deck choice as I believe anything below that either has a fatal flaw, an atrocious matchup, or isn’t a great deck to start with. What might surprise you the most is the lower placement of Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX after it recently won a Regionals. Well, it had to dodge Fire decks then, but that’s going to be harder than ever now with so many variants in the format. I do not believe that Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX will be able to dodge Fire for long enough to be competitive from here on out. Control decks can be better than they’re ranked, but it takes a skilled pilot and a bit of luck to not brick at all and avoid bad losses that you can’t recover from. That said, I hope to be avoiding playing a control deck come Friday night, but you never know with my testing group — maybe one of us will think of something at the last minute and be unable to resist playing it. I want to play an attacking deck because I’ve been having a blast playing Mewtwo and Mew-GX lately, I would be completely content playing the deck right now. In any case, the best decks are documentated here, so do with it as you please. Fire-types continue to dominate the format, but Pikachu and Zekrom-GX is right behind with Malamar also dragging itself along.

Conclusion

That’s all folks, the first Regionals of the year is always exciting for me and I hope I can take home the win like I did last year. I’ve played a fair amount and everything I’ve thought about has been documented in this piece. I like Mewtwo and Mew-GX a lot, it’s become my pet deck in the last few weeks. I’m going to be working with Pikachu and Zekrom-GX in the coming days along with a little Welder Toolbox and see if either finds my fancy. There might be something unknown lurking in the depths of one of my or my friends’ minds too, just gotta find that spark to urge it out. It’s a great time to be playing Pokemon and I couldn’t be happier, I hope you feel the same and enjoyed this article too! Thanks for reading, hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout if you’ve got anything you want to ask. Until next time, take care, and be nice.

Peace,

Caleb

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