Busting Brazil — Thought Box and Quick Expanded Wrap Up

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onNov 14, 2019 at 3:48 PM · 0 Comments

I made Day 2 in Oregon at the Portland Regionals with a new control deck, well, revamped I suppose. [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] proved itself to be just as strong in Expanded, if not stronger than in Standard! Pidgeotto looks to be a huge threat moving forward with the release of Cosmic Eclipse, although there are plenty of reasons why it might flop. Today it is my goal to cover those counters and peruse over some of the most interesting decks in the metagame. First, though, a brief overview of this latest Expanded Regionals and a peek at what’s to come post-ban.

Oregon Results

Day Two

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

  • 9 [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 6 [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 4 [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 3 Pidgeotto Control
  • 3 [card name=”Lucario-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM100″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 2 Zoroark-GX Control
  • 2 Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 2 Shock Lock
  • 2 [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 2 Night March
  • 2  [card name=”Hitmonchan” set=”Team Up” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Moltres and Zapdos and Articuno-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox
  • 1 Mewtwo and Mew-GX Control
  • 1 Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Vileplume
  • 1 [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Crabominable” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 Buzzwole / Garbodor
  • 1 [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card]

Top Eight

  • 1. Zoroark-GX / Garbodor
  • [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control
  • 3. Pidgeotto Control
  • 4. Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX
  • 5. Mewtwo and Mew-GX Toolbox
  • 6. Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX
  • 7. Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
  • 8. Greninja and Zoroark-GX

My Stuff

I expected a lot of Greninja and Zoroark-GX and was correct in that assumption. It was the most-played deck throughout the entire tournament and I personally played a couple. Here’s how my games went:

  • Round One • Greninja and Zoroark-GX • W • 1/0/0
  • Round Two • Mewtwo and Mew-GX Toolbox • W • 2/0/0
  • Round Three • Pikachu and Zekrom-GX • WLL • 2/1/0
  • Round Four • Greninja and Zoroark-GX • WW • 3/1/0
  • Round Five • Greninja and Zoroark-GX • LW • 3/1/1
  • Round Six • Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX • L • 3/2/1
  • Round Seven • Buzzwole / Garbodor • WW • 4/2/1
  • Round Eight • [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox • WLW • 5/2/1
  • Round Nine • [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] / Vileplume • W • 6/2/1
  • Round Ten • [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor • L • 6/3/1
  • Round Eleven • Zoroark-GX / Garbodor • WLW • 7/3/1
  • Round Twelve • Vespiquen • WW • 8/3/1
  • Round Thirteen • Mewtwo and Mew-GX Control • LL • 8/4/1
  • Round Fourteen • [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] • L • 8/5/1

I struggled against Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX; I played the same player both days and he was able to secure a win both times. He had a great gameplan and played well, in which case I believe the matchup to be unfavorable. That effectively ended any hope I had for a solid placement and I ended up 35th overall. Still happy that the Pidgeotto Control deck performed so well and it was nice to see associates Daniel Altavilla and Michael Pramawat finish strong with the list. The Pidgeotto deck ended up being better than Zoroark-GX, it played around [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and allowed you to achieve a setup beautiful through [card name=”Winona” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck wanted to avoid Pokemon-GX to draw out the game and get better opprotunities to lock an opponent’s hand so focusing on a non-GX was incredible. We finally tried the deck out on Thursday after putting it off and dismissing it in favor of Zoroark-GX Control decks. It worked well, was super consistent, but had a problem with both [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] in the same [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] list. That’s where [card name=”Mimikyu-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] was brought in. That card gave you the opprotunity to drop [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], put up a Pokemon that couldn’t retreat, hand lock your opponent with [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], then use Dream Fear GX to put the Weavile-GX back into the deck. Yes, you have to hope your opponent doesn’t draw a good card for their turn, but it’s a risk you need to take. This list was well-developed and operated consistently. Moving forward, it is very likely to be dead because of the Expanded format ban list. Without [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], it will be hard for hand lock decks to operate effectively and they will likely get run over. Losing [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] also hurts, although [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hiker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] do still exist.

Closing Expanded Notes

[premium]

[cardimg name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”221″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

  • [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] seems like the biggest player from Cosmic Eclipse to shake up Expanded. [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] can pop its Altered Creation GX on your first turn.
    • [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] also serves the deck as well, you can [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] for some extra HP and play some other techs that are more versatile with the Double Dragon Energy inclusion to close out games fast.
  • Control might have some chance with janky hand disruption like [card name=”Hand Scope” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Lavender Town” set=”Team Up” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ace Trainer” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]; perhaps using [card name=”Captivating Poké Puff” set=”Steam Siege” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to reduce an opponent’s hand size — it’s going to be a long grind to get to the end result of the Trick Shovel with Hiker lock.
    • Denying Energy and Prizes is still a viable strategy too, perhaps you could revert to [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and play [card name=”Eco Arm” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]; there’s a few things to explore.
  • Format looks like it’s going to simplify down quite a bit, ushering in big Basic-style decks again and perhaps opening the way for Zoroark-GX to dominate once again.
    • Without control anymore, decks are just going to be better than one another based on their efficiency to perform their strategy; consistency will be huge.

We’ll see what happens; the next event on the table is Dallas, Texas all the way in the new year of 2020. Plenty of time to test the format with Cosmic Eclipse included alongside the new ban list!

The New Standard

It’s been a bit of a blur going from Expanded after a long hiatus to a new Standard format including a brand new set. The new Cosmic Eclipse set ushered in a couple new archetypes and many of the new Supporters complement existing decks. New decks to look out for now are as follows:

Tier One

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

Tier Two

  • [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=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM191″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox
  • [card name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card]

Tier Three

  • [card name=”Beheeyem” set=”Unified Minds” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]
  • [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] / Pidgeotto
  • Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX
  • [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=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox / [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]

There’s a few other decks you could argue “exist” like [card name=”Blastoise and Piplup-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] Darkness Toolbox, [card name=”Florges” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] Control, [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Raichu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox; or even [card name=”Reshiram and Zekrom-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], but these decks have not been impressive for me in testing so I’ve left them off this tier list.

Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX Spotlight

The biggest takeaway from Cosmic Eclipse is as follows: Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX is extremely good and immediately one of the best decks. One understated piece of the deck’s existence is the fact that it’s GX attack pushes Malamar far away. You can win the game via three Knock Outs, all but decimating the deck in the process. They’re going to two or three-shot your 280 HP Tag Team Pokemon-GX, giving you ample time to win the game before that’s even possible. [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] can heal you back up and let you cycle between attackers.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”N’s Resolve” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”200″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tag Switch” set=”Unified Minds” no=”209″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]6x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Explainations

Four Jirachi, Four Switch, One Escape Board

The [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] package is included in this deck for one reason: to find the first or second turn [card name=”N’s Resolve” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card]. You want to maximize your chances of getting the Supporter so you can use Altered Creation GX as quickly as you can. That’s the entire centerpiece of the deck and without it you’re at a severe disadvantage. Four [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and four [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] are included for the same reason so you can see as many cards as possible and make it as probably as you can to get N’s Resolve to go.

Two Keldeo-GX

keldeo-[cardimg name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Wait a second, I thought [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] was the focus of this deck? [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] can be powered up easily by Ultimate Ray and as such it makes for a very strong attacker. Furthermore, with Altered Creation GX boosting its damage, Sonic Edge does 140 — Pure Heart already carries games on its own but now with the damage buff you can finish the job with some extra power. Pure Heart destorys decks like [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] as well as Pikachu and Zekrom-GX and is useful against almost everything else.

One Lucario and Melmetal-GX

This is your tech for [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]; [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] will win the matchup completely on its own unless they run [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card]. You can power it up with Ultimate Ray and then take two Knock Outs easily after Weakness to win the game.

Three Mallow and Lana

Having four would be great but three is all I could fit in here for now. 280 HP is absurd and with a heal and switch of 120 damage you can keep kicking for a really long while. This card moves your Pokemon around with ease and helps you attack more times than usual. It creates a fearsome tank of a deck and I think the card provides great value.

Three Chaotic Swell

[card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] can stop your Keldeo-GX from working, so the combination of [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] plus the Pure Heart Ability is a must. You will destory any deck not playing a counter like [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] with this package alone and it’s worth the wins you’ll get as a result. This Stadium is useful because it makes your opponent’s Stadiums useless for the turn and the goal of this deck is to win as fast as possible — if your opponent’s deck relies on Stadium cards like [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], for example, they’re not going to be doing much and you’ll have a lot of time to take the Prizes you need to win.

Matchups

This deck doesn’t have any egregiously bad matchups. Non-GX decks are all a breeze as long as they don’t one-shot you — [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] is really the only one that can even think of doing that because you can heal, deny Knock Outs, and be taking two Prizes for each Pokemon you take out which should be a regular occurance each turn. Against anything that can’t one-shot you, Pokemon-GX or otherwise, the same thing holds true. Your few heals and the extra Prize you take with each Knock Out makes many matchups absurdly favorable. [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control can still be difficult and I need to play that matchup more because of it. The idea is to rush them down and win as quickly as possible but with Jirachi, Acro Bike, and more. Your opponent is relatively fast themselves and they can hand lock you, use Cold Crush GX with [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], and get a lock built easily. Versus [card name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] you can have a really difficult time because your opponent’s Violent Appetite gives you a taste of your own medicine by healing each turn. Jet Pierce isn’t a super great attack or anything, but it will two-shot you (unless you heal yourself) and your opponent should eventually outpace you. They can also land you on bad hands because of [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card].

Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX Spotlight

I wasn’t sure about this card at first, but upon seeing Chip Richey play it on his stream, I was really intruiged and started testing it. The tanky 280 HP combined with the healing Ability makes this thing a monster and it partners well with [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. Not too many decks can compete with the huge HP and a quick Reset Stamp to four. [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] is still a good card and having access to it as soon as your first turn packs a punch. A deck like this gets better with [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] to search out your main Supporter, [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card], your main attacker, and even [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card] for the clutch [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card], depending on the matchup. This is my group’s first draft of the list, and our own Grant Manley helped a lot with it.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Misdreavus” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Forest Kartenvoy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Beast Bringer” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Explainations

[cardimg name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Four Misdreavus and Four Mismagius

There’s a thicker line here so you can use Violent Appetite to get rid of the extras. You only want to use Mismagius’ Ability twice in a game so not to make it easier for your opponent to win. Mismagius doubles as a way to set up and protect you against Reset Stamp in the late game. It works perfectly with Beast Ring, too, of course — unlike [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] decks that were tossed around in the past, this deck is better because it has longer survivability and lacks a Fire-type Weakness. It’s not without its own annoying Weakness, Fairy, but that’s a far better one to take than the ever-so-popular Fire-type that’s been a pain in the rear all season long and in the past, too — really since the release of [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card].

Three Bill’s Analysis

This finds almost everything in the deck and is really good. [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] like a poor man’s [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], a card this deck can’t afford to play as your main attacker has an Ability. Finding Beast Ring with Bill’s Analysis is primo. There’s so many targets before you give your opponent a Prize, too, like [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]!

Two Lt. Surge’s Strategy

When you’re using Mismagius as an integral part of your strategy, it only makes sense to get double the fun off when it comes to using Supporter cards. Using [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] to use two Bill’s Analysis in succession or even a Cynthia and Caitlin to retrieve a tech Supporter is a nice touch.

One Ultra Forest Kartenvoy

[card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] and Fairy Charm cards are a problem for this deck. Occasionally you’ll run into something like [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], too, another issue. Cynthia and Caitlin can get [card name=”Ultra Forest Kartenvoy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] back as many as four times so one does the job — it’s something you want to have for sure though so you have your bases covered against anything your opponent throws at you.

Two Beast Bringer

The general gameplan of this deck is to lead with a four Prize [card name=”Beast Bringer” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] Knock Out, at least in the case of Tag Team Pokemon-GX-based matchups and then to use Chaotic Order GX with the boosted effect to win the game. Beast Bringer is strong in a deck like this because you see so many cards via Mysterious Message that you will have plenty of ways to pull off Beast Bringer.

Matchups

[card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] would normally be ugly but with all the options in this deck to get around its suppressing effects, you can manage. Your main problem in the past would have been [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], but with that deck is seemingly sliding out of the format due to [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], you won’t have to worry much about it. Basically anything that can easily one-shot you is going to a problem, but that’s easier said than done and frankly there’s not much that can. [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is an option in this deck if you want to get some “extra HP” on top of what you’re already packing. The [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control matchup has felt fine with this deck because you can save one [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] in reserve, or even two, to play around the hand lock and you have ample Energy to get past any disruption. Playing an [card name=”Energy Recycle System” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] would further pad your matchup percentage, but I’m not sure you need it. Between your GX attack and your first Beast Bringer Knock Out, you’re only going to need to attack four times in the matchup to win unless a Pokemon-GX comes down from your opponent. In any case, this deck operates really well in the metagame and I’m pretty confident in its spread.

Pidgey Peep

All the talk by a lot of top players is how good Pidgeotto Control gets with the release of Cosmic Eclipse. This is partly true, because there are some decks, and really cards in general, that come out that give it a really hard time.

Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX

The GX attack is strong against the deck and speeds the game up; if you don’t have the lock built immediately you will lose because you got outsped.

Beheeyem

A deck potentially seeing a resurgance, [card name=”Goomy” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a horrible time and so does Item lock.

Venusaur and Snivy-GX

This big guy can be thrown into [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] to board wipe a field of Pidgeotto, you can use [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]’s Distortion Door Ability to set up Knock Outs and as long as your opponent doesn’t play [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] or have it down you can completely obliderate their setup.

Normally in an unfamiliar metagame I would reccomend control decks like this but this set had a bunch of new cards included that could be disasterous. Now on a positive note, the deck does gain some stuff. [card name=”Magneton” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] can use Call Signal to activate Lt. Surge’s Strategy and find you your combo pieces immediately: that is good. [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] speeds up your game and even thins your deck while destorying your opponent’s in the process. [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] is a wild card, it can be really useful to lock things up but now and then some decks don’t even have a Pokemon-GX target to snag. In that case you’ll be stuck with some dead weight in your list, but for the most part I think Great Catcher is better than [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. The Malamar matchup suffers as a result, but you can still win with a chain of Bellelba and Brycen-Man to deck them out. The final piece the deck gets is [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”name”][/card], a way to literally reuse your GX attack with [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s hard to pull off, sure, you do need to discard five cards, but it’s doable which is really all that matters. You can thin out a bunch of junk with it too if you have to. [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] can be cut to free up space from the deck now I think and with so many new options there’s a lot to fit in and try. While I might not really want to play Pidgeotto Control I might end up doing it because there’s nothing better. Mirror matches are going to be a pain, so playing something like [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] might be necessary too. This deck is still really good — let’s get [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] banned already and put an end to this nonsense once and for all!

Conclusion

There’s a lot to take in with Cosmic Eclipse legal! There’s some crazy new decks on the rise and I am excited to do some try-hard testing in Brazil in the days prior to the event. I’m about to get packing for my trip and be on my way now. Thanks for reading as always and let me know if you’ve got anything on your mind in the Subscribers’ Hideout. Take care everyone!

Peace,

–Caleb

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