Understanding Trevenant & Dusknoir-GX and Updating Malamar
[cardimg name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hello, readers! Halloween will be over by the time this article is published, but as I’m writing it, it’s getting closer, and this means it’s time to talk about a spoOoOoky card! The Pokemon I’m talking about is Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX, a Tag Team Pokemon featuring two Pokemon that actually saw play in the same deck back in the day (there were decks featuring [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY94″ c=”from”][/card] and [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”from”][/card], generally centering around [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]). I think that makes Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX the second Tag Team to feature a duo of Pokemon that made up the core of a deck as separate cards, the first one being [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card].
More relevant to this article, Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX has a strong disruption effect since it’s able to deal damage and shuffle back two cards from the opponent’s hand at the same time. It’s not a coincidence that it found some success at League Cups as soon as it was released.
In this article, I’ll cover how the card can be played currently but also, and more importantly, its prospects after Cosmic Eclipse is legal. I think this card has a lot of potential and is being slept on right now.
Mismagius
Two days after Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX was released and became legal (because Promo card legality is strange), a player named Shawn Wortham posted a list he used to make Top 4 at a League Cup, creating a small sensation on competitive Pokemon communities. He played Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX in a fast list using [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] to draw cards and give opponent Prizes, allowing him to use [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] as soon as turn 1. That way, he could attach Energy to [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] and move them to Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX with [card name=”Tag Switch” set=”Unified Minds” no=”209″ c=”name”][/card]. With [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], and Night Watch, it’s possible to put the opponent at zero card in hand as soon as turn 1! This is the kind of combination that is usually seen in frustrating Expanded decks which get banned soon after. Mismagius was banned in Japan after a deck with the same general idea, but much more broken, dominated the Expanded Champions League in Tokyo, and the same ban is being applied in the rest of the world on the release of Cosmic Eclipse.
You may have seen Shawn’s list around, but in case you haven’t, here it is:
[decklist name=”TrevNoir Mismagius” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Misdreavus” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”12″]2x Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX (SM #217)2x [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Misdreavus” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ 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=”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=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Switch” set=”Unified Minds” no=”209″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]6x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Almost every card in the deck helps to put the lock in place, either by being a piece of it or by searching for pieces of it.
[premium]
In my opinion, the deck is honestly not that good once the surprise effect is gone. It has consistency issues, as even with all the possible draw from Mismagius, you can get stuck with an unplayable hand. This stems from the fact that cards have to be played in a specific order: Tag Switch is useless before Beast Ring, Beast Ring is useless before you’ve used Mysterious Message twice, you need Misdreavus before [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] before [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], etc. It’s possible that in testing, I was trying to set up the lock too early, but you can’t really wait too long either.
The other issue with the deck is that it’s incredibly one-note. If you can’t achieve the lock, then you’re doing nothing. If your opponent manages to topdeck out of it, then you’ve probably lost. This means that even a single [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on the opponent’s board can be the end. That’s not something I’d want to bet on in a tournament larger than a League Challenge.
Malamar
[cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The Catcher Conundrum
I would have given up on Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX at this point if Mismagius was the only way to use it, but as I was looking at Japanese decks to find inspiration for the upcoming Standard format, in preparation for the Latin America International Championship, I noticed that Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX was seeing a lot of play. It won four of the 20 Standard City Leagues that were played so far. City Leagues are tournaments played over one day, which can be seen as the equivalent of League Cups, but each player can only attend one per quarter. They usually reach around 100 players, but it would be more if registration wasn’t capped. Four out of 20 certainly doesn’t mean that the deck is dominant, but it still makes it successful. It also got a good number of Top 8 finishes, although I haven’t looked at the data in detail. It should also be noted that Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX manages this kind of result in a format where [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is legal (and still good), despite the fact that Zoroark-GX can OHKO it with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] because of Weakness, and that Trade is an excellent answer to Night Watch.
Interestingly, Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX is being played with various partners in Japan. Out of its four winning decks, one combined Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX with Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX (a surprising combination on which I don’t have more information since the list was behind a paywall on a Japanese website); one partenered it with [card name=”Shining Mew” set=”Shining Legends” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], a card that isn’t in our Standard format anymore. The last two used it with [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card].
It may seem obvious to run a Pokemon that requires multiple Psychic Energy with Malamar: the Psychic-type Energy accelerator. So why didn’t we start pairing these cards up when the ghostly duo was released? To answer that question, I will need to make a small digression on the philosophy of Malamar.
Before rotation, Malamar used to be ran in combination with Pokemon-GX. Using [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] was great for attacking, but since the release of Team Up (which brought Jirachi and [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], making Malamar a strong contender), the most popular and most successful variant of Malamar was [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. Although it had its counters, especially [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Ultra Beasts, the deck was still strong. Martin Janouš got plenty of success, including a Top 8 finish at NAIC, with this specific deck. He also included [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], another Pokemon-GX that had plenty of uses in the deck.
When I was preparing for Worlds, it was apparent that Giratina was the main attacker of the deck, but I erroneously believed that Malamar should still run Pokemon-GX (I was favoring Ultra Necrozma-GX) to have an impact. I wasn’t the only one stuck in the past: Takuya Yoneda brought to Worlds a Malamar deck that played [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] and Gengar and Mimikyu-GX.
So, where did we go wrong? We didn’t account for the loss of [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. Without a reliable gust effect, Malamar struggled to end games. Sure, it was possible to play [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], and most lists did, but it was far from reliable as there wasn’t a good way to get two Custom Catchers in hand. That means that, even though Ultra Necrozma-GX or Garchomp and Giratina-GX could use very powerful attacks, they often couldn’t reach the target they needed.
Malamar started seeing success again when players realized that relying on Custom Catcher was clunky and instead decided to include other ways to deal damage to the Bench: [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card], four copies of [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card], relying more on Giratina (which means more uses of the Distortion Door Ability), and sometimes even a second copy of [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Jynx” set=”Unified Minds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. This led to the Malamar variant we know, sometimes known as Malamar / Spell Tag. Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX doesn’t really fit in this deck, for the same reasons Ultra Necrozma-GX and Garchomp and Giratina-GX don’t fit: Malamar wants to play a longer game, in order to get more use out of Giratina and its Ability. In addition, the disruption effect doesn’t do a lot for the deck.
Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX really wants [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], as the combination of Reset Stamp and Night Watch can be devastating in the late game. It doesn’t care as much about Spell Tag and attackers like Espurr that work in combination with them. If you want to play Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX, you have to change a lot about the deck. Giratina is still in the deck, because of course it is, but you’ll attack with bigger Pokemon more often. That’s not such a drawback, because if your opponent Knocks Out, say, a Giratina and a Tag Team Pokemon, then they’re at two Prizes and you can get rid of their whole hand by using Reset Stamp and Night Watch. In this variant of the deck, games will last shorter (in number of turns, at least), but unlike in the Spell Tag variant, it can turn that into an advantage.
By going back to the drawing board, we can devise a more disruptive variant of Malamar that gets closer to the way the deck was played pre-rotation. Although the Reset Stamp and Night Watch combination does give a reason to play the deck, there is still the issue of the lack of a gust effect. For this reason, past the novelty effect (and, to be fair, the surprise effect does exist and is hard to value correctly, so I might be selling the deck short) I don’t think this version of the deck is better than the Spell Tag variant for the Paris SPE and the last Standard League Cups.
However, with Cosmic Eclipse, we get Great Catcher. Suddenly, there is a gust effect in the format! This new development is going to breathe life into many decks that had to be dismissed because they couldn’t use Custom Catcher (or [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card]) properly. Great Catcher is a blessing for 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], Dark Box, and, yes, Malamar, especially non-Tag Team variants.
Malamar / Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX
Here is my attempt at a Malamar / Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX deck, post-Cosmic Eclipse.
[decklist name=”TrevNoir Malamar” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX (SM #217)1x Mimikyu (CEC #97)1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Great Catcher (CEC #192)2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Let me explain some of the choices in this list.
Four Jirachi
We are building a new type of list. Is it still necessary to use four copies of [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]? In my opinion, yes. There are two arguments for it. The first is that we want to maximize our odds of starting with Jirachi, since it’s by far the best starter of the deck. This is especially true since there are plenty of heavy Pokemon in the list that make for bad starters, instead of only [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. The second argument is that we need a good number of Pokemon for [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card]. This list already only plays 19 Pokemon and I wish I could fit one more because that’s a bit low to play four Pokemon Communication.
Two Garchomp and Giratina-GX
As I discussed above, we are not looking to use Giratina all the time like before, and are ready to play Tag Team Pokemon instead. I have seen that [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] are often used in Japanese lists that use Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX, as it is a strong attacker that can take Prizes early on, instead of having to rely on Giratina 2HKOing the opponent. Linear Attack is also good on the first turn. It can soften any Tag Team Pokemon to put it in range of Calamitous Slash, something that is a lot more relevant when there is a way to bring up that Tag Team Pokemon to the Active. In addition, combined with Mimikyu, this lets Garchomp and Giratina-GX remove the Ability of an opposing [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] or other Pokemon with an Ability. Finally, there is synergy between Garchomp and Giratina-GX and Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX. In the late game when we’re taking away the opponent’s hand, they often have to use one attacker with a lot of Energy, for example [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]. If the opponent has no hand and therefore no way of switching out, Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX can use Pale Moon GX to remove all the opponent’s Energy and KO it. The opponent can try to charge up their attacker on the Bench until it’s ready instead, and Garchomp and Giratina-GX’s GG End GX is a good answer in that scenario.
One Mimikyu (CEC)
The new Mimikyu from Cosmic Eclipse fits well in this deck, since it’s easy to put damage counters on key Pokemon thanks to Distortion Door. Targets include: Mewtwo and Mew-GX, [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], Silvally-GX, [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card].
One Mew
I’m not sure whether [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] will stay a staple in [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Decks like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] might drop in popularity due to new threats such as Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX, and this deck also has a way to deal with it thanks to Calamitous Slash. Depending on how the meta evolves, Mew might be worth dropping, but in the early stages in the format, it’s better to have it available. Psypower also combines well with Mimikyu and with Calamitous Slash.
Four Lillie, Four Cynthia, Four Acro Bike, Four Mysterious Treasure, Four Pokemon Communication
The usual consistency engine of: [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], and Pokemon Communication . I think that it’s still the best we’ve got, even after Cosmic Eclipse. There is an argument to be made for including [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], since we’re running Pokemon-GX anyway, but this engine has been good enough and I don’t think Dedenne-GX improves the deck when you account for the fact that it’s a terrible starter and takes a precious spot on the Bench.
Three Switch
Malamar lists usually run two [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], but since we run much more heavy-Retreat Cost Pokemon than the [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] variant, a third copy is necessary. Even though Garchomp and Giratina-GX is not a terrible starter especially if you go second, because of Linear Attack, you still want to retreat it in order to use Calamitous Slash faster.
Two Reset Stamp
Although the deck doesn’t go too hard on disruption, [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] is necessary to combine with Night Watch. Even played when your opponent has three or four Prizes left, it can be devastating because Night Watch takes cards away at random. This means that if you use Reset Stamp on your opponent down to three cards and use Night Watch, you’re leaving them with only one random card from their deck in hand.
Other Options
Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX
We are playing Tag Team Pokemon, and as far as Tag Team Pokemon attackers go, Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX is a solid card, at least until decks adapt and start relying less on Pokemon-GX. It is useless against non-Pokemon-GX decks, though.
Mimikyu (SM99) / Marshadow (CEC)
Cards like [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM99″ c=”from”][/card] or Marshadow are always a situational, Mimikyu can still fit in the deck depending on the metagame, if there are attacks worth copying. One such attack is Charizard and Braixen-GX‘s Brilliant Flare which is a great way to set up in the early game if you need to evolve into multiple Malamar, or to prepare for the Reset Stamp turn. Marshadow is very similar, and I discuss the differences between the cards in the next section.
Oricorio-GX
In a deck that still uses a non-Pokemon-GX attacker as its most reliable attacker, Oricorio-GX can be a good source of draw power, searchable by Mysterious Treasure. It does take a valuable spot on the Bench, though.
Rosa
Although I had to cut it in this specific list due to space, I wouldn’t be surprised if a one-of Rosa became standard in several decks, including Malamar, as it can provide everything you need on one specific turn. Its ability to search for any Trainer is useful as you can look for Reset Stamp or Great Catcher, or a way to discard Energy in the early game.
If you’re looking to play this deck before Cosmic Eclipse, you can use the list above and replace Mimikyu and the two Great Catcher with some other cards. Candidates include: a third Fighting Energy, [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], one Spell Tag or two (but remember, when using Tag Team Pokemon, Spell Tag is less valuable because the opponent needs less KOs to win, so you can’t use as many Spell Tags over the course of a game), Gengar and Mimikyu-GX, Mimikyu, and [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]. I strongly recommend having at least one Pokemon among the three cards you add, for [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] purposes. However, be warned that without a gust effect or good ways to affect the opponent’s Bench, this deck will most likely not be a serious competitor.
Malamar / Spell Tag
[cardimg name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”235″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Although I like taking inspiration from Japanese decks, their metagame is still very different since they’re playing SUM-on, so it’s possible that decks that work over there won’t work here, even with Great Catcher making the format a bit more similar. I’m too early in the testing process to know for sure how good that deck will be.
In any case, even if Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX becomes a thing, I’m sure that Malamar / Spell Tag will also be one, and will certainly be the most popular variant, at least in the beginning. It’s a direct update of a popular and effective deck from the current format, but it did gain some interesting new tools. Here are the best cards from Cosmic Eclipse that fit into the deck:
Blacephalon
I’m sure that everyone who saw that card immediately thought about [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / Spell Tag. This card is comparable to [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], which is able to deal 120 damage at one specific point in the game. Unlike Buzzwole, Blacephalon doesn’t benefit from damage boosts or Weakness, but it can spread its damage however it wants, which is in line with the deck’s game plan. Just as we’ve learned to deny the Sledgehammer turn by taking two Prizes in one turn so that an opponent is never at four Prizes remaining, we’ll learn how to deny the Fireworks Bomb turn, especially in the mirror match.
Outside of that specific turn, Blacephalon is still usable (for example, it can easily KO a [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] on turn 2) but not fantastic, so it will stay a one-of.
Mimikyu
I mentioned Mimikyu and its many uses in the section above, and Mimikyu gets better in a deck that has not only Distortion Door, but also Spell Tag to spread damage around. One weakness of Malamar is a Cross Division GX play by [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], and Mimikyu can shut down Mewtwo and Mew-GX before it’s gathered enough Energy to use it. Something like [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] is a possible answer, but forcing the opponent to have a specific Tool is good, especially since Mimikyu is much easier to search for than Stealthy Hood. Forcing Mewtwo and Mew players to include Stealthy Hood in their deck also means their deck won’t be as good.
Marshadow
I’m not totally sold on this card, but it could be an improvement over the SM99 Mimikyu. Its main selling point is that you don’t have to wait until your opponent uses the attack you want to copy: you can copy [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flare Strike even if it just used Double Blaze GX or Outrage! However, there were often situations where Mimikyu was a lifesaver because it attacked for only two Energy, so Marshadow’s higher Energy requirement does matter. At three Energy, it is always in competition with Shadow Impact, instead of providing a way to attack when [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] wasn’t available.
Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX
Although it requires adding a Darkness Energy to the deck (replacing the [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card]), Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX has a fantastic GX attack, being able to draw two Prize cards. It’s an easy way to end games in situations where Espeon and Deoxys-GX isn’t convenient. Cross Division GX is still a fantastic attack in this deck so Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX won’t replace it, but it could be used in addition to it. I’m not sure if there are enough scenarios in which Chaotic Order GX is the best GX attack to use, but it’s definitely a consideration.
Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX
On the flip side, I’m not sure that this Tag Team Pokemon is necessary in the deck. Although it provides the deck an easy way to deal high damage, and could be strong especially early on in the format, as players are still learning how to manage their Bench, it’s also an easier target and, as discussed earlier, Malamar / [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] benefits from longer games where it can get value out of all its Spell Tags. Using Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX would mean that they have to be used only as a finisher, and it can certainly fit that role, but I’m not sure if it will ever be better suited to the role than Espeon and Deoxys-GX or Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX. It’s also not searchable with [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], which isn’t a dealbreaker but can still matter, especially since you can’t bench it early because of Great Catcher, so you’ll have to search for it in the late game, and opponents tend to play [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] in the late game.
Great Catcher
Utilizing Great Catcher is a fantastic, but Malamar / Spell Tag is built in a way to not need gust effects that much. I believe that the deck only needs to play one, most likely as an [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] replacement. Espurr is strong but it’s hard to actually use it, since [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is a popular tech. I’ve often spread six damage counters on a [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to Ear Kinesis it and ended up finishing it off with Cross Division GX instead. That said, with Blacephalon providing an easier way to remove Mew from the equation, maybe Espurr will keep its spot in the deck?
Rosa
I’ve discussed Rosa in the section above and, just like in the other variant of the deck, I think it can be a small boost to consistency. Rosa is also easier to use in a non-Pokemon-GX deck, since there will be more times where the opponent took a KO, making Rosa playable on more turns.
With all that in mind, here is the list I’m using as a starting point:
[decklist name=”Malamar Spell Tag” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Mimikyu (CEC #97)1x Marshadow (CEC #103)1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Blacephalon (CEC #104)1x [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Great Catcher (CEC #192)3x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]1x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Nothing groundbreaking, but [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] was solid before and should stay solid. Despite what some polls indicate, I don’t think the deck will be BDIF. I’m convinced that Malamar is doomed to never reach BDIF status, despite being a strong choice since the day it become legal!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! As we get closer to LAIC, I’m finding more and more cool new deck ideas to test and it’s a race against time to try them all to find which is best! I’ll do my best to keep you updated of my results, so I hope you’ll stick with me. In the meantime, good luck at Regionals, Special Events and everything else!
–Stéphane
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