Improving on Perfection — Building and Adapting Mewtwo & Mew-GX
[cardimg name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”222″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I’ve never won Worlds, or come particularly close to it. My Top 64 finish this year was my best result in eight appearances, so you can see why I consider this tournament to be my weak spot. I take comfort in the fact that Pooka himself, despite his amazing record at Nationals, never did well at Worlds either.
On August 18th, I experienced a fraction of the joy of winning Worlds when my friend and testing partner, Henry Brand, lifted the Pikachu trophy. Along with João Pedro Medeiros, Bert Wolters, and Henry himself—all top-ranked players from our respective regions—I was part of the group that built the Worlds-winning [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] list. We nicknamed it “Perfection”, in part because of our main attacker’s Ability, and an utter lack of anything resembling humility. The pride we had in our creation turned out to be well-founded. In addition to Henry’s victory, Bert achieved a Top 16 finish at Worlds. I was the only one of the group to not play it (I stuck with [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], which I wrote about recently), and I deeply regret it. I think that with Mewtwo and Mew-GX, I could have achieved, at least, the Top 32 finish that eludes me.
Caleb Gedemer wrote about this deck recently and I encourage you to read that article if you haven’t done so already. However, because I was implicated in the deck’s genesis I want to add my own contribution to the topic from a less neutral point of view. In this article, I’ll explain the process in building a Worlds-winning deck, how the deck fares today as the metagame shifts and what we can expect of it with the addition of Hidden Fates in the format. Short version: Mewtwo and Mew-GX is one of my favourite decks in the format.
The Origin Story
[premium]
I arrived in Washington DC the Sunday before Worlds. After a bunch of airport delays, I arrived in the evening to the apartment where the rest of my testing group was staying. As I tried to dazzle them with my Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX build that featured [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card], they showed me what they were working on: a Mewtwo and Mew-GX deck using Psychic Energy instead of the [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] build that was popular in streams and videos. The list, built by João, was very different from the one Henry used. It featured two [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM104″ c=”name”][/card] and two [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Blaziken-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dragonite-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], no [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], two [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Coach Trainer” set=”Unified Minds” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card]. The general structure of the deck, such as the number of every type of card, was already testing well. What we needed to do was refine the list.
Espeon and Deoxys-GX
[cardimg name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
One of the first additions was Espeon and Deoxys-GX. The [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] matchup was looking tough since we depended on [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] to survive [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]’s Shadow Impact and the prize trade wasn’t in our favor. Mewtwo and Mew-GX struggled with Giratina’s 130 HP since Solgaleo-GX’s Turbo Strike, as well as [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tag Purge, only dealt 120 damage. Espeon and Deoxys-GX instantly changed things. I played against Malamar for two games against the new Mewtwo and Mew-GX list. In both games, my field got destroyed by a turn 2 Cross Divide GX for 20 damage counters. It was unfair! This guaranteed Espeon and Deoxys-GX’s spot in the list. As it turned out, it was useful against other decks that filled their Bench with small non-GX Pokemon like [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control and [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. Despite building very different lists, other Mewtwo and Mew-GX players ended up playing Psychic Energy and Espeon and Deoxys-GX. Even Ryota Ishiyama, who got Top 8 with a Mewtwo and Mew-GX list that included 16 Fire Energy and didn’t play [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], included two Psychic Energy and Espeon and Deoxys-GX along with Latios-GX. I think that speaks for the power of this GX attack.
Coach Trainer
The next card to leave the list was Coach Trainer. It wasn’t bad, but there were times where it would only draw us two cards. We wanted to use [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] every turn we could, so any non-Welder Supporter had to get us closer to the next Welder. Henry wanted to try [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] instead, and [card name=”Hapu” set=”Unified Minds” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card] was considered. We played some games with Bill’s Analysis and it did its job getting the pieces we wanted such as [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] and Welder. More importantly, every time someone played Bill’s Analysis they considered whether Hapu is better in its spot. Almost every time, the answer was no. Hapu would have discarded a key card such as Custom Catcher or Dedenne-GX. The benefit of discarding some Pokemon-GX wasn’t worth the drawback, especially since it added a luck factor to the deck. An unlucky Hapu could cost you the game.
Dedenne-GX and Electromagnetic Radar
At some point, it became clear that we needed a third Dedenne-GX in the list, so we cut the third Electromagnetic Radar for it. This was an easy change as it kept the same number of outs but was much safer when we opened Dedenne-GX or had one prized. I know that the Electromagnetic Radar was a surprise for many players but having a card to search for Dedenne-GX was worth it. This let us use [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] to grab Pokemon to discard instead. You won’t care about discarding cards to grab Dedenne-GX since you’re going to discard your hand already. See Electromagnetic Radar as a fourth Dedenne-GX, but one you can’t start the game with and can be grabbed with Bill’s Analysis.
Energy Recycle System or Fire Crystal
Some of us felt an Energy recovery card was necessary. We settled on [card name=”Energy Recycle System” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] in the end. Although Henry switched to a [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], he agreed afterwards that Energy Recycle System was better. As long as there is a Giant Hearth in play, you can return two Energy in hand for Welder anyway. It can return an Energy in hand directly if you don’t have a Stadium and recover Psychic Energy. [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] is not a recovery card but was considered as it can get you Energy in hand. The big benefit of Energy Spinner was getting either type of Energy but it was absolutely amazing on turn 1. You can get a Psychic Energyand two Fire Energy in order to use Latios-GX’s Tag Purge! Despite that, we didn’t use it too much and it was discarded. Finally, we deliberated on [card name=”Tag Switch” set=”Unified Minds” no=”209″ c=”name”][/card]. After Turbo Strike, you will have Energy on two different Mewtwo and Mew-GX and Tag Switch lets you put them all in one spot for a big attack. But it was too situational since it depended on using Turbo Strike, so it didn’t make the cut.
Thought Process
The reason I mention all these cards is not only to give you a look into our thought processes as we prepared for Worlds (although I do love talking at length about that); it lists some possible cards that you can run in the deck. We chose not to include them for various reasons but maybe, as the metagame changes, you’ll find a way to incorporate one of them into the deck to better effect. It’s a good idea to revisit some old ideas from time to time.
Key Attacking Pokemon
[cardimg name=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Similarly, the biggest hesitation we had was between the attackers that were only there to do damage. We considered five of them: [card name=”Blaziken-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Dragonite-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card]. There was a number of factors that we took into consideration:
The Number of Required Energy
There are various stages of damage depending on the number of Energy available on [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. With two Energy, Mewtwo and Mew-GX can copy [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM104″ c=”name”][/card]’s Turbo Strike for 120 damage. With three, it can use Blaziken-GX’s Explosive Kick for 210 damage (or Reshiram and Charizard-GX’s Double Blaze GX for 200). For four, it can copy Flare Strike for 230 damage. For five, we have access to Dragonite-GX’s Sky Judgment for 270. For six Energy, Double Blaze GX can KO any Pokemon in the game. There’s no space to fit all these cards in the deck, so we had to choose which stages to do without. Magcargo-GX and Blacephalon-GX are the most desirable because unlike the Pokemon above, their damage is adjustable depending on how many Energy we have available.
The Number of Energy to Discard
As much as possible, we want to avoid getting rid of all our Energy since this puts us in a bad spot. Blaziken-GX and Dragonite-GX’s damage is fixed and not as high as other options, but their discard requirements are more manageable. For example, for five Energy, Dragonite-GX deals 270 damage and discards three Energy, whereas Magcargo-GX deals 300 damage and discards five. In most situations, it doesn’t matter whether you deal 270 or 300 damage so Dragonite-GX is a better option here. In addition, Blacephalon-GX sends the Energy to the Lost Zone instead of the discard pile, an issue since it can’t get recovered through Turbo Strike.
Whether We can Start with it
With such an aggressive deck that can apply pressure from turn 1, we wanted to make sure our starts were as good as possible. In a rare case of applying my math knowledge to the game, I calculated the odds of having a good start (Mewtwo and Mew-GX or [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]), average start (any Pokemon with a 1 retreat cost) or bad start (anything else) in various cases depending on which Basic Pokemon we played. We decided to keep four Mewtwo and Mew-GX in the deck, because cutting one would reduce the odds of a good start by about 7%. Similarly, we wanted to avoid playing too many Pokemon with high Retreat Cost. This was a point against Blacephalon-GX and especially Reshiram and Charizard-GX.
Other Utility
Aside from big damage, some of these attackers have other uses. Magcargo-GX wins the game if you haven’t used your GX attack and your opponent has five cards or less in their deck. Although that’s very situational, it can happen against [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]-style decks. Blacephalon-GX has the edge here though, as Burst GX can do a lot. You can use it on turn 1 if you happen to open with Blacephalon-GX, and it can help in situations where it’s hard to take your last Prize against something like [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]’s Reshiram and Charizard-GX for example.
In the end, we chose Magcargo-GX and Dragonite-GX. The latter was incredibly powerful against Tag Team Pokemon, but the former’s viability was enviable. Being able to KO a [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] for four Energy is very useful and we wanted to deal 300 damage as we were worried about [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] on Reshiram and Charizard-GX. It might be hard to believe, but pre-Worlds Ability Reshiram and Charizard-GX was unknown and Green’s Exploration was the expected variant.
However, after watching Day 1 of Worlds and seeing Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX’s success, it was clear the list needed a way to deal with it. [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fairy Charm P” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] (or [card name=”Fairy Charm Ability” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]) were strong cards that could completely ruin our plans. This is why we included Reshiram and Charizard-GX in the deck. Since it’s weak to neither of these cards, it’s a great asset in the matchup. With boosted Double Blaze GX it can destroy any Pokemon. Finally, it proved useful in the Blacephalon-GX / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] matchup where it can deal 200 damage for three Energy (Magcargo-GX requires us to discard the Energy). Bert didn’t play the Marshadow to have space for Reshiram and Charizard-GX, whereas Henry ended up cutting Dragonite-GX and winning Worlds.
For reference, this is the list he used:
[decklist name=”Worlds-winning Mew3″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″][pokemon amt=”16″]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=”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=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ 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=”Cobalion-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ 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=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ 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=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]8x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Not Stopping There
A fundamental truth of TCGs is that there is no universally perfect list. A list that might be perfect for an event will be countered for the next one, and you should always try to perceive and react to subtle shifts in the metagame. Despite winning Worlds, [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] has been out-hyped by Ability [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]. This is the deck built by Team Limitless and showcased by Tord Reklev who reached Top 4 of Worlds. Because this deck was totally unexpected and has a lot of answers to everything in the format, it has become one of the most successful going by League Cup results.
While people have been adapting to Mewtwo and Mew-GX, we haven’t seen as much [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] as expected because players were more focused on beating Ability Reshiram and Charizard-GX. That said, we have seen many attempts to play [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] in decks to capitalize on Mewtwo and Mew-GX’s lack of answers. Of those decks, [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] is looking like the strongest—I was surprised by the deck’s ability to setup, and it’s looking like an actual contender in the format. This is why Mewtwo and Mew-GX must adapt. Despite winning Worlds, the deck can’t rest on its laurels.
Here is my current list for the deck.
[decklist name=”New Mew3″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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=”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=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”9″ 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=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ 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]3x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ 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=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]8x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
As you can see, the deck stays mostly the same, but I want to discuss some changes I made, as well as some possible adjustments to the list.
Charizard-GX
This is the biggest addition. While Hidden Fates won’t do much to change the competitive landscape, this simple Charizard-GX is a very valuable addition in any Mewtwo and Mew-GX deck. This is because Flare Blitz GX is the best option for dealing damage in the deck. 300 damage for four Energy without any discard requirement is amazing, even if you can only do it once. It changes the way any Tag Team matchup is played. Thanks to this attack, you can come back from a bad start. If you only managed to attach one Energy on your first turn, you can use it on the second turn. You only need [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and your manual attachment for the turn. Plus, the Energy stays on your Mewtwo and Mew-GX so you can follow Flare Blitz GX with [card name=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lava Flow for another KO on a Tag Team the next turn, or [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]’s Venom Shot to target a benched Pokemon. Don’t play this deck without Charizard-GX, it’s absolutely insane.
The inclusion of Charizard-GX led me to two cuts. [card name=”Cobalion-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t necessary anymore. It used to be played to let you get back in the game when you were in a bad spot, especially against other Tag Team decks. However, Charizard-GX does the same thing but better. Not only can it help you win games that were off to a bad start, it lets you run away with a victory when you have a great start. Since you don’t want to play several Pokemon for the same purpose, and both of these Pokemon are only used for their GX attack, Charizard-GX replaces Cobalion-GX.
[card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] (or [card name=”Energy Recycle System” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], which is better) is less necessary because one Flare Blitz GX puts us halfway to winning the game without discarding any Energy. Games often don’t last long enough that you need to recover Energy.
Wobbuffet
[cardimg name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This is a tech that our testing group figured out soon after Worlds (although many players over the world had the same idea and used it successfully at League Cups) and Henry Brand used it to reach the Top 4 of the Melbourne Open. Using [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to shut down Prism Star Pokemon, mainly used against Ability Reshiram and Charizard-GX to prevent [card name=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] from attacking. In that matchup, we want to limit as much as possible our opponent’s ability to take OHKOs. They can do it once with Double Blaze GX, but after the revenge KO, we need to make sure they can’t do it a second time. We can deal with the [card name=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] threat by making sure the Reshiram and Charizard-GX player never gets six Energy in play, and Wobbuffet ensures that Victini Prism Star can’t get a KO with Infinity.
Turtonator
[card name=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] is a good non-GX attacker to use against pesky cards like [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card]. It ensures that the opponent can’t win by playing down two Keldeo-GX. If they play Keldeo-GX in Quagsire / Naganadel, in order to get Energy on Keldeo-GX fast enough to retaliate they’ll have to bench Naganadel and Quagsire. However, this plays in your favor as you now have additional targets you can KO to win the game. You can [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] or Venom Shot to KO their Benched Pokemon and possibly charge up a Mewtwo and Mew-GX to KO Keldeo-GX with Double Blaze GX to take your last Prizes. Turtonator can be searched with [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], which means that every Pokemon in your deck can be accessed easily.
However, it brings our total of high-Retreat Cost Pokemon to four, too high for my tastes. I would have liked to exclude Reshiram and Charizard-GX from the new list for this reason (and because Charizard-GX is the four-Energy attacker we want in most cases), but Double Blaze GX does have a lot of utility including against Keldeo-GX. Instead, I chose to add a fourth [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] to the list cutting a Mewtwo and Mew-GX. The idea is to accept that we reduce our odds of a good starter, but in exchange, we have more cards to get a bad one out of the Active spot. In addition, the third [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] is useful against [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tandem Shock Paralysis. Since [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] won the Melbourne Open, it’s a good idea to be prepared for this matchup!
Matchups
I won’t delve too deeply into the deck’s matchups since Caleb has already done a good job of explaining them in his article. However, I will touch on them a little since this list has been adapted for the Hidden Fates format.
Reshiram and Charizard-GX
As I’ve mentioned above, Charizard-GX greatly improves the Ability [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. I would consider this matchup to be favorable. Although if someone figures out a Reshiram and Charizard-GX list with more non-GX attackers, they could win through favorable Prize trades. The [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] variant is very favorable. There’s only one way for them to get an OHKO and they’re often too slow for it. You can use [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]’s Clear Vision GX to remove that option early on if you don’t get a good start, but using Flare Blitz GX will generally win you the game.
Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
[cardimg name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Although Latios-GX is less useful as it was at Worlds, it shines in this matchup thanks to Charizard-GX. Ideally, you can use Tag Purge before your opponent uses Full Blitz. This forces them to either use Full Blitz for no damage to Latios-GX or use two Custom Catcher to get around Tag Purge, which is difficult on turn 2. Then, use Charizard-GX to take an OHKO. If your Tag Purge gets a KO on something like [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] early on, you now have two Prizes left that you can take with Venom Shot on a [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Otherwise, you can use Tag Purge again to KO the Pokemon-GX you damaged and keep Flare Blitz GX for the incoming [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. I think the most annoying variants of Pikachu and Zekrom-GX are the ones using [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] as an attacker (Gustavo Wada and his teammates played two at Worlds) since every Pokemon you want to bench has an Ability and Hoopa’s resistance and good HP make it hard to remove easily. If you can bench Wobbuffet before your opponent uses [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ability, it will slow them down significantly.
Blacephalon-GX
This matchup is definitely winnable if you go fast. You need to deal 200 damage every turn, which you can do using Double Blaze GX or Lava Flow. Most [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] players have adopted something close to Shintaro Ito’s list, which relies on Welder more than [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Don’t try to skip their Beast Ring turns because they’ll put Energy on the board anyway. Instead, force them to find their Beast Rings on turn 2 while you’re taking Prizes faster than them. If they’re trying to win time by leaving a [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] in the Active while they’re setting up, you can use [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]’s Red Knuckles to KO it without leaving your Mewtwo and Mew-GX in a vulnerable position.
Malamar
If you go first, and ideally use [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]’s Cross Divide GX on turn 2 for 20 damage counters, there’s nothing your opponent can do. In less favorable situations, you should try to set up a good Cross Divide GX, but be aware that it won’t be easy once your opponent sets up their board. Some [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] players have started running Power Plant. This shuts down [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ability in order to use [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to deal 260 damage to Mewtwo and Mew-GX—enough to KO it if it already has one damage counter because of [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] or Distortion Door. With or without Power Plant, the Prize trade is not in your favor once Malamar is set up. Prevent that by targeting [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] and Malamar with [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and Venom Shot.
Conclusion
I hope this look into the deck building process helped you! [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] is definitely one of my favorite decks in the format. I love the options and I think Charizard-GX may make this deck better. At the same time, if this ends up making Mewtwo and Mew-GX the new king of Basic Pokemon-GX decks, we’ll see a decline in other Basic Pokemon-GX decks. Plus, Mewtwo and Mew-GX will become easier to counter with decks such as [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. As a Mewtwo and Mew-GX player, I will be paying close attention to when others start looking at ways to specifically counter this deck.
In the meantime, I believe Mewtwo and Mew-GX can have a lot of success. I’m sure it will see a lot of play at Sheffield Regionals this weekend. Speaking of which, I’ll be attending, so if you’re there, don’t hesitate to come and say hi! I’ve had many people do so recently, especially at Worlds, and it’s always a pleasure to meet readers.
As always, best of luck to all of you!
–Stéphane
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