Welcome to the Jungle of Expanded — Reviewing Virginia for Oregon Regionals

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onNov 8, 2019 at 6:14 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”215″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I played against JW Kriewall in the second round of Virginia Regionals, and when he flipped over a [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] I immediately assumed he would be running a [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] deck. When he went first and used [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] to snag three [card name=”Oddish” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”5″ c=”name”][/card] I was genuinely confused. I started to think of a few different things it could be and ultimately decided it was probably an attacking [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] deck. This was scary and I was worried that he would start using Disgusting Pollen to stop my [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] (I was playing [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] Control) from attacking altogether. The game went a little differently than expected. I had a few strategies developed like using [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to put up his Vileplume and denying Energy with [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Neither of those strategies went well however, as he had four AZ to get the Vileplume out of the trap and [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] to recover oodles of Energy.

I took a rough loss after a long game one and was immediately a little disheartened about my prospects of winning the event with other players undoubtedly running this frighteningly strong deck. Before I go further, here’s the list my group and I played:

 

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]3x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Endofpattern

What We Played and Why

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We decided on Zoroark-GX Control after testing a few other decks, including a [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] list featuring [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], but concluded that it would be best to make use of the soon-to-be-banned cards as much as possible before they’re lost forever. This list totes no Pokemon of extreme note, but the Energy lineup probably stands out to most of you. We went for a super heavy Water Energy count because of the hype behind other control decks and figured we’d have an amazingly easy time in the mirror-match if we ever faced one. Having the four basic Water Energy means that you will have more resources to go around and [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] will not burn you as bad. We found that [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] was one of the more useless cards in test games but one was kept to help Knock Out a small threat sooner or to work towards a multiple-hit Knock Out in as few turns as possible. It’s clear that [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card] ought to be a staple in every control deck moving forward, it creates an easier Oranguru loop and serves many other purposes like paying a Retreat Cost and more.

As for Trainers, a lot might seem to be happening with them as well. The integral part of the lock is the [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] chain at the end of the game following a [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] to two or fewer cards. From there, you’re going to use [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], with [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] for the getting latter back again if you still haven’t stuck your opponent with a dead card. The supporting cast of disruption Supporters are all necessary for unique situations, like [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] for a mirror match to gain an advantage, or against a deck like Zoroark-GX that’s biding time to fill their hand with the options to take a one-hit Knock Out on one of your Pokemon-GX. In addition, [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] creates another disruptive loop at the game’s very end where you use Lt. Surge’s Strategy and then two consecutive Team Rocket’s Handiwork to close out the game.

[cardimg name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

We chose [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] as a tech due to the rising popularity of Night March and other Zoroark-GX decks, plus [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] to increase your Brigette outs and to find Zoroark-GX. We left a single [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck to thin out unnecessary junk like Brigette in the mid-game and included [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] as yet another way to disrupt an opponent and stick something immobile up in the Active spot. Our Stadium lineup was thicker than most other lists, with three [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] included to shut Mewtwo and Mew-GX decks down and with three copies of this important Stadium you won’t have to use Resource Management to get them back as often. That said, [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is another great option to discard and “heal” Pokemon off your Bench that were threatened by a Knock Out. It can also cripple a [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] deck or lock your opponent’s Bench. This list felt nearly perfect with a small handful of tweaks needed after playing in the event. I would consider the following:

Dedenne-GX

Another way to thin the deck and find what you want is through [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. This would have been nice in our list to act like a Battle Compressor in discarding junk cards you don’t need anymore. I would probably take [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] out for this, but I’m not positive. Sudowoodo was only nice against Zoroark-GX decks with Sky Field and Turbo Dark builds; however in the later game you will usually have Silent Lab in play anyways, limiting their Bench and shutting them down, so that’s less of an issue.

Marshadow

Getting rid of opposing [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] was often a problem and [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] would have been better than the second [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]a searchable out to one of your biggest problems would have been a welcome change.

N

Yes, there wasn’t an [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to begin with; upon playing against Vileplume decks this was sorely regrettable and clearly a mistake. An N would have given us another draw out as well as a way to actually disrupt a deck that was actively Item locking you. This is a cut I’m not unsure of but I could see dropping the second Reset Stamp or maybe the Sudowoodo.

My Experience

I went an abysmal 5/3/1, this was sad because I started 5/1/1, but couldn’t finish.

  • Round One • [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] • W • 1/0/0
  • Round Two • Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume • L • 1/1/0
  • Round Three • [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / Power Plant • WW • 2/1/0
  • Round Four • Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] • WLT • 2/1/1
  • Round Five • Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] • WW • 3/1/1
  • Round Six • Mewtwo and Mew-GX / [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] • WLW • 4/1/1
  • Round Seven • Buzzwole / Power Plant • W • 5/1/1
  • Round Eight • [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] / Power Plant • LWL • 5/2/1
  • Round Nine • Greninja and Zoroark-GX • LL • 5/3/1

My day ended how it began, but with a different result. I drew absolute rubbish in both games and was knocked out of the tournament. My testing mates Jimmy Pendarvis and Michael Pramawat carried the rest of the squad though, finishing Top 16 and Top 8, respectively. My loss to Trevenant BREAK didn’t go over well either. I never saw my Guzma in all three games, but managed to win the second with a single Zoroark-GX equipped with two Water Energy. I don’t regret the deck choice or many of my plays. I could have decided to concede the second game of round four immediately to save time, but I don’t think that was in my best interest when I had a decent setup from the beginning. Playing these decks takes a lot out of you, but the games are so long and diverse that they’re integral in helping you improve as a player and begin to acknowledge and accept mistakes. You cannot play one of these control-style decks for hours on end completely flawlessly, you just have to hope that your mistakes don’t cost you. I don’t think any of mine did this time, but it was still disappointing to go out without a Day 2 nonetheless. I finished 62nd, somehow, and took home50 Championship Points; that qualified me for my eighth consecutive World Championship. Now on a more positive note it’s time for a peep at the Day 2 metagame!

Day 2 Breakdown

[cardimg name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

  • 8 Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume
  • 6 Greninja and Zoroark-GX
  • 5 Zoroark-GX Control
  • 4 Buzzwole / Power Plant
  • 2 [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 2 Trevenant BREAK
  • 2 Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
  • 2 Night March
  • 2 Mewtwo and Mew-GX
  • 1 Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 Zoroark-GX / Counter Energy
  • 1 [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Regirock” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY49″ c=”name”][/card] Control
  • 1 [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]  / Aromatisse

For me, the eight Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume decks are as impressive as they are shocking. My testing team and I did not know about this deck going into the event and we did not expect to face it. Its huge finishes were nice to see and it was humbling to see multiple groups of players come up with something innovative. Turbo Dark was widely played and had many finishes, to be expected, but most surprisingly was the complete and total absence of [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]! Yet again, after all the hype the now infamous Blastoise deck with [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] failed to perform. How does this keep happening? It’s like we’re stuck in a negative feedback loop where it finally breaks out (like in Greensboro, North Carolina last season) and then craps out at the next event. Seeing this, I don’t know if it’ll ever truly secure a solid place in the metagame or if it will continue on this boom or bust trend. One thing’s for certain, not too many people actually ended up playing it for the event, surprisingly enough. I think many are discouraged by its crummy games where the first or second turn Blastoise is missed and then you have no control or options to win. That’s what you get with high roll decks, I suppose.

A handful of Zoroark-GX Control decks did show up in full force with a variety of top players piloting it. It seemed like the go-to choice for anyone that had any control experience before and it did not disappoint. It took two Top 8 slots, just shy of the three that Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume snagged, and while it didn’t win the event, it came close with a semifinals appearance in the hands of our very own Grant Manley (who is on a monster heater and one of the best in the game right now). The deck has so many options for locking an opponent out of the game and having Trade just makes it a better [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control–an already powerful deck in the Standard format. Buzzwole / Power Plant was a fairly new deck and it hasn’t seen much success lately. Derived of the Buzzwole / Garbodor decks that were maddeningly popular at the beginning of last season in Standard, Power Plant was added to make them much better off against things like Mewtwo and Mew-GX as well as Zoroark-GX. The deck still does the same stuff: chip away towards Knock Outs and use Trashalanche to clean up. It loses hard to control decks but projects to be a decent play moving forward regardless.

Unsurprisingly, Vespiquen reared its head once more and while it didn’t get to Top 8, it’s one of the more intriguing options for this week’s Portland, Oregon Regionals. More surprising, Trevenant BREAK showed up with four Power Plant; I don’t think the deck is great, but it did well, bubbling out of Top 8 just barely. No surprise whatsoever, Pikachu and Zekrom-GX showed up as it usually does but actually didn’t start and storms like it has in the past, and Night March under-performed even though it was touted by many top playing groups. Mewtwo and Mew-GX also disappointed and most players landed on the two-shot version with M Gardevoir-EX, a slower list indeed. Finally, Zoroark-GX with Sky Field was at an all time low with only two lists making it in, both varying drastically from one another. Counter Energy anyone? Dean Nezam seemed to think so, while Michael Catron stuck to the tried and true “Zoroark-GX / Garbodor” version.

There was a lot of nonsense at the bottom; Spiritomb, Reshiram and Charizard-GX, and Regirock Control? I don’t think any of these decks are very good, especially not Spiritomb. That deck gets eaten alive by spread damage that many Expanded decks have, or at least had, in Day 1. It loses to control too, and that’s probably why it didn’t perform well in the second day of play. Reshiram and Charizard-GX was played in a Standard-like fashion, with [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. I’m unsure how great this deck is in a metagame where non-GX decks have a place and I definitely don’t think it can compare to the much faster Turbo Darkness decks. As for Regirock Control? Where do I start? Pramawat played it in his first round of Day 1, confused of what it was, and then dismantled it in the second game after figuring it out. The idea is to set up for a [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] play behind a Regirock wall and perhaps even [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] into [card name=”Murkrow” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], then evolve. It’s pretty gimmicky and its lower-end Top 32 finish demonstrates that. Now for the final one-of deck on this palette: Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX / Aromatisse. No, it’s not 2014 when this card came out, but this finish shows that Fairy Pokemon still might have some hope in Expanded. Being a hugely tanky deck, it ran all the way to Top 4 where it lost to Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume, which the pilot claimed was a favorable matchup; they cited some extremely bad luck for the loss.

Top 8 Standings

Get ready for a top-cut full of flowering diversity:

  1. Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume
  2. Greninja and Zoroark-GX
  3. Zoroark-GX Control
  4. Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX / Aromatisse
  5. Zoroark-GX Control
  6. Zoroark-GX Control
  7. Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume
  8. Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume

Sike! Three copies of both [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] Control made it in, with the two outliers being [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and the previously discussed [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. This isn’t surprising with the relatively high numbers of players in Day 2 with the two former decks, and the Turbo Darkness placement inst a surprise either. What is shocking is how well Aromatisse did. I get that it’s a big tanky Pokemon, but with Greninja and Zoroark-GX having a nearly unlimited damage cap I don’t understand how any amount of healing could bypass that disadvantage. I could be completely missing something, but I wonder if Drew Cate just rolled into some unusually good matchups; Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume does seem like one, for what it’s worth. I do suspect, however, that the next Regional this weekend will be different.

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I’m going to take a new stance: I think Zoroark-GX Control will do just as well if not better. In the past I’ve argued that with the previous popularity of these sorts of decks that the next event it will do worse. This has been untrue over and over, I think the simple fact of the matter is that if control players want to use the deck, they will find a way to succeed; let’s see if I’m right about this in the end. There are few ways to adapt to Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume, Item lock is Item lock, no way around it. I expect to see even more of it now that the average player has their hands on the list, being that it’s now public. Greninja and Zoroark-GX will continue in popularity and perhaps we’ll see a slight uptick of the Aromatisse deck.

Let’s quickly address two things: [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]. These two decks had some hype coming into this tournament but I fully believe that was from a lack of preparation on anyone’s part that thought either of those decks were strong. First, Sableye is rubbish; it is a worse Zoroark-GX Control by a significant margin, to be frank. It’s more susceptible to N, Reset Stamp, opposing Item lock, so many things! Now for Seismitoad-EX, I believe that right now it is in no position to compete with the rest of the metagame. Look at these Tag Team Pokemon-GX, their HP is far too high to deal with, and that’s coming from someone that already has said that [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] could be hard in the past (see Florida Regionals last season). Using [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is only slightly the damage boost you need, you would honestly need more than that or some disruptive force that’s not available right now. In the future perhaps something could change, but as of now the best way to play a Quaking Punch-style deck is a [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] build with a [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] for the extra damage and the increased HP of Mewtwo and Mew-GX.

Conclusion

As of right now, I would just be playing Zoroark-GX Control again for Portland Regionals. I haven’t had enough time to work on anything else just yet, but there could be something else in the works.

  • The best control deck is Zoroark-GX Control, don’t fool yourself with anything else
  • [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] was underplayed and could still be good
  • Expanded is fairly degenerate and some games are very un-fun, the bans are a welcome change
  • Playing anything that loses to control seems like a surefire way not to win the event
  • Try Aromatisse out for yourself
  • Until something beats control decks and the rest of the metagame, tournaments look to be a roshambo of control trying to avoid Turbo Darkness builds with [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and Vileplume trying to avoid fast starts by the opponent (the deck’s weakness), among other things
  • Vileplume is a real threat and you should play something that beats it
  • When in doubt, play Greninja and Zoroark-GX

I’m outta here folks, check out the Subscribers’ Hideout for any questions you might have, hit me up. Thanks for reading and take care!

Peace,

–Caleb

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