San Diego Synopsis — Checking out the Results and Moving On

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onDec 13, 2019 at 10:38 AM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The San Diego, California Regionals has finished and a somewhat “new” rogue deck won the event – a [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox deck, the evolution of Gustavo Wada’s Top 8 list from the Latin America International Championships. This was not expected and my testing circle didn’t even have it on our “list of decks” in the metagame. It served Justin Bokhari well, giving him plenty of different options to win games in creative ways and he got his first Regionals win; huge congrats to him! In the finals, he was joined by another rogue deck, a [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] build with [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] for Energy acceleration. This deck saw a spark back at Tennessee Regionals in October but wasn’t seen again until now. Its pilot went as far to call it the “best deck in the format”. While I’m not too sure about that, it’s certainly a strong deck. Here are all the decks that made Day 2.

San Diego Regionals Review

Day 2 metagame

  • 12 [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox
  • 8 [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 5 [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox
  • 4 [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control
  • 4 [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 3 Welder Toolbox
  • 3 [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox
  • 3 [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] / Pidgeotto
  • 2 Lucario and Melmetal-GX
  • 2 Garchomp and Giratina-GX Toolbox
  • 2 [card name=”Florges” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] Control
  • 2 [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 Welder / [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM217″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 1 [card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]

From this we got the following in Top 8:

  • 1. Garchomp and Giratina-GX Toolbox
  • 2. Lucario and Melmetal-GX
  • 3. Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX
  • 4. Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX
  • 5. Malamar Toolbox
  • 6. Malamar Toolbox
  • 7. Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX
  • 8. Blacephalon / Pidgeotto

The finals decks were the biggest surprises at this event. Additionally, there was the Persian-GX Toolbox that missed Top 8. Using [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] to spread damage with [card name=”Koffing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], you can one-shot many different Pokemon with Persian-GX eventually and if not you can spread damage around with [card name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is played to use Stinger GX against Tag Team Pokemon-GX decks to win the game the turn after using it.

Quick interlude, the new Sword and Shield set for the Pokemon TCG comes out on February 7, that means it’ll be legal for the Oceania International Championships but nothing earlier. From now until then, the next American Regionals is Expanded in Texas, but for pretty much everything else we’ll be using the same Standard format as in California. There’s little reason to do a bigger breakdown of conversion rates, deck popularity and more with this format coming to a close in a few months, but it is useful to garner some more knowledge about some of these lesser known decks.

[premium]

Updated Tier List

S

  • Mewtwo and Mew-GX Toolbox

A

  • Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX
  • Malamar Toolbox

B

  • Blacephalon / Pidgeotto
  • Florges Control
  • Garchomp and Giratina-GX Toolbox
  • Lucario and Melmetal-GX
  • Persian-GX Toolbox
  • Pidgeotto Control

C

  • Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel
  • Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX
  • Welder Toolbox

D

  • Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
  • Quagsire / Silvally-GX
  • Welder / Green’s Exploration

Garchomp and Giratina-GX Toolbox

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Misdreavus” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ 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=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karate Belt” set=”Unified Minds” no=”201″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A relatively complicated deck, this one is a toolbox built around the consistency of [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] to recover from [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], stick your opponent with bad hands from your own Reset Stamp and build explosive plays with [card name=”Karate Belt” set=”Unified Minds” no=”201″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] is included for the random times you want to smack for 180 (this won’t be often) but more so for its Chaotic Order GX attack where you could win the game by taking two Prizes at once if the opportunity presents itself. This deck is all about mapping out the way you want to win the game and there are so many ways to do it.

Four Misdreavus and Three Mismagius

These are in the deck to manipulate the Prize trade. They aren’t included in here like they were in the turbo Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX deck for speed and [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] activation. They’re included more for Karate Belt and Counter Gain activation and Reset Stamp abuse. You can give up one Tag Team Pokemon-GX Knock Out, use two Mismagius, then use Reset Stamp on your opponent down to one card without losing the game.

One Blacephalon

A nice option, [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] can spread damage around to set up [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]’s Calamitous Slash Knock Outs or to take multiple Prizes against something playing [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or something similar. It’s a great option to play in any deck that’s able to use it. Using it is easy in this deck since you can use Mismagius to make sure that you’re able to use Fireworks Bomb for the boosted effect.

One Beast Ring and More

Like many cards in this deck, Beast Ring is a tech designed for instant use of Blacephalon or Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX if the opportunity presents itself. Most of the other one-of techs speak for themselves or I’ve talked about them already in passing. Four [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] are played to improve the Reset Stamp odds into your opponent drawing a bad hand. [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] can get rid of [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] and you can then drop a Power Plant in the same turn. The Energy lineup is indeed crazy, but there’s a blend of basic Energy for the Beast Ring option and [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card] helps search the right Special Energy you need for extra consistency.

Playing the Deck

Like I’ve said before, this deck is all about designing a gameplan that will win you the game. Since you have so much control over the Prizes you give your opponent and the ones you take yourself, you should practice this deck a few times beforehand to make sure you’re playing it correctly and not screwing up the Prize trade so that your opponent can win. Mismagius is a far more crafty and skill-based card than you might imagine, so hone your skills with it first. This deck is designed to take itself far into the late game and have the options necessary to put together a winning strategy. Get an Energy on a Garchomp and Giratina-GX as soon as you can so that you’re one Energy away from attacking by using Counter Gain or Karate Belt to supplement your Energy cost.

This is one of my top locals picks because it’s so consistent. The [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] engine paired with [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] helps you to find pretty much anything you want at any time. This deck can beat anything, but you need to have a plan in mind. Even control decks are beatable with Blacephalon to spread damage and take multiple Knock Outs before your opponent can lock you out. Mismagius protects you from getting run over with a bad hand against Pidgeotto Control and you can use Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX to finish the game with its GX attack. One of the only weird interactions with this build is the inability to use Green’s Exploration with Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX in play. However, you can use Power Plant to shut its Ability off (it hardly matters in most matchups) and you can use Green’s Exploration again.

Lucario and Melmetal-GX

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″][pokemon amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”43″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ 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=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Unidentified Fossil” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]6x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]5x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck did well earlier this year in Knoxville. While not a super powerful Pokemon, [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]’s tankibility and GX attack lets it hang around longer than most other Pokemon. [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] makes it even harder for your opponent to take Knock Outs too. Previously, the deck would play Item-based healing cards like [card name=”Great Potion” set=”Unified Minds” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] to keep surviving, but now those aren’t even needed with [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] on tap. You can create an infinite loop with [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] to retrieve [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card], then Lusamine to get Cynthia and Caitlin, and so on to keep using it again and again. This deck wins long games through healing and survivability. It gives a lot of decks difficulty when they’re accustomed to taking two-hit Knock Outs and it can hold its own through damage reduction against most decks that look to one-shot you. Plus, [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a fighting chance against control decks, too.

One Omastar, One Unidentified Fossil, One Rare Candy, and One Pokemon Communication

This has become a staple line in most [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] decks. With it, you can give yourself a chance to beat control decks because Item lock hurts them a ton and it’s useful in every other matchup as well. Beware, Omastar does have an Ability so I would avoid placing it down until you’ve exausted Green’s Exploration to the point where you don’t have to use it anymore.

One Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX

One of the few decks that can one shot your Pokemon is [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. That said, [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] punishes an opponent playing the deck when they overextend to get the OHKO they’re looking for. But besides the Perfection matchup, you won’t be using it very often. Mewtwo and Mew-GX being the most popular deck at every Standard major event thus far certainly warrants this card’s inclusion.

Four Welder, One Fiery Flint, One Energy Spinner, and Six Fire Energy

Playing a weird number of six Fire Energy might seem off. I assure you it’s perfectly functional. After you use [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] for the first time, you start to snowball more Energy into play with Lucario and Melmetal-GX’s Steel Fist and you’ll be ready to go. Green’s Exploration can set up a nice Welder turn by finding either [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] to get you extra Fire Energy for an upcoming Welder the next turn or even down the line for another attacker.

Playing the Deck

This deck is going to mostly follow the same pattern each game. First, you want to be able to use Welder on Lucario and Melmetal-GX so you can put some pressure on your opponent. Green’s Exploration can set up one of those plays or if you have the luxury of having a Welder off the bat you’ll be set to go. Full Metal Wall GX can be used immediately to reduce damage. You don’t have to wait to utilize the Energy discarding bonus, but if you’re not worried about getting Knocked Out you can wait for another time where you do go for the Energy discard. Once you use Steel Fist, you’ll be mostly ready to go for the rest of the game, being one Energy away from using Heavy Impact. From there you can chain Green’s Exploration to stockpile resources to both disrupt your opponent and play defensively by healing. You’ll win by taking Prizes in almost every matchup and with four [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] you can map out the Knock Outs you want to take and work towards completing them.

This deck is a great play for local events like League Cups because Green’s Exploration decks like these are fairly consistent. Moreover, without a “setup Pokemon” like [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], you’re usually going to start with your main attacker and not regret it. You can start attacking right away or buy some time if you do have the misfortune of a poor opening. This deck mainly struggles with Welder Toolbox since it can one-shot in a variety of different ways. [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Double Blaze GX “breaks through” both Full Metal Wall GX and Metal Frying Pan, earning your opponent one of the two one-hit Knock Outs they need to take to win the matchup. I could see myself playing this for upcoming League Cup tournaments because I’ve used it for locals before and won. It’s simple and not much can go wrong.

Persian-GX Toolbox

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″][pokemon amt=”31″]3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Team Up” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Team Up” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Koffing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tyrogue” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”22″]4x [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ 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]1x [card name=”Lana’s Fishing Rod” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”195″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Island Challenge Amulet” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is a lot to take in, this deck is crazy. It uses a [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Air Mail engine with [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] to draw even more cards and boost the damage output of [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] when using Vengeance. Later, you can use [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]’s Stinger GX and flip any Tag Team Pokemon-GX matchup to your favor. If you don’t remember, the premise of any “checkmate” deck is to damage a Tag Team Pokemon-GX, putting it into OHKO range and then use Stinger GX to close the game. This deck can do that even better by using [card name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to Magical Swap and create other Knock Out combinations through the spread damage you have done with [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Koffing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] from their Blow-Away Bomb Ability. You can use [card name=”Tyrogue” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] to spread damage in the early game too. [card name=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] can one-shot a Tag Team Pokemon-GX that’s weak to Fairy and there’s a few right now! [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] gives you an automatic win against the likes of [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] decks and other Pokemon-GX-based builds that don’t have a counter to a non-GX “safeguarding” Pokemon. Let’s look at the cards.

Two Poipole, Two Naganadel-GX and One Naganadel

The lone [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] is a neat way to deal big damage on a three-Prize Turning Point attack turn. You might as well play it as you’re playing a thick Naganadel-GX line to ensure that you can use Stinger GX each game. Two Naganadel-GX are played to increase your chances of accomplishing your general strategy in almost every matchup. Playing a lower count could land one in the Prizes and ruin your chances of beating a variety of different matchups. Stinger GX is amazing with the spread concept because you can set up a Magical Swap play that will outright win you the game after using Roxie multiple times to Blow-Away Bomb damage all around.

Two Meowth and Two Persian-GX

This is your “main attacker” and if nothing else, your best way of dealing big damage. Vengeance is what this deck is built to do well after spreading damage with the Roxie plus Koffing and Weezing’s Blow-Away Bomb combo. Slash Back GX is a solid GX attack to deal some big damage as well. The turn following your Stinger GX play, you can Cat Walk into the game-winning pieces if your Naganadel-GX is Knocked Out. The addition of [card name=”Island Challenge Amulet” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”194″ c=”name”][/card] lets you give up a few Pokemon-GX a game and permit multiple Catwalk uses making it extremely valuable. This deck has a lot of combo pieces that are very specific to when you find them so having Cat Walk to simplify that is very strong.

Two Koffing, One Weezing, and Four Roxie

You want to use Roxie to discard Koffing and Weezing, activating their Blow-Away Bomb Ability as much as you can. Ideally you could play more, but space is tight in the deck. You can use [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] to Resource Management to put these pieces back into the deck or use [card name=”Lana’s Fishing Rod” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”195″ c=”name”][/card] to do the same thing. However, you’re only looking to get a couple of spreads off. You want to be able to make Magical Swap plays happen and this lets you do that. Tyrogue, as a side note, is included in this deck as extra spreading power and complements the spread side strategy well.

Four Professor Elm’s Lecture

Finding these at any time in the game is strong. While you lack raw draw power outside of Roxie, [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] is almost as good since it can find your entire Pidgeotto line and many of the other Pokemon in your deck. It thins your deck, gets Koffing into your hand so you can use Blow-Away Bomb on your next turn and more. If nothing else, Professor Elm’s Lecture is immediately a chance to deal damage via Tyrogue since you can find it as well. There’s so much flexibility that this deck brings to the table and this Supporter makes it all flow together consistently.

One Lana’s Fishing Rod, One Island Challenge Amulet, and One Counter Gain

These all go hand in hand. The Island Challenge Amulet lets you get more attacks off and can work well with Naganadel-GX’s Stinger GX to avoid losing to something like [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] that could win by taking a return Knock Out if it used its Altered Creation GX attack early in the game. By using Island Challenge Amulet, you can reduce the Prize total and stay in the game. Playing a longer game works well for this deck since it gets more favorable the longer the game lasts with the damage spread and Vengeance damage output. Use Lana’s Fishing Rod to recover this crucial Tool card as well as [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], which lets you use some of your favorite attacks for two Fairy Energy instead of requiring a [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card].

Playing the Deck

Get a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] into your Active and start using Stellar Wish for card advantage. Use Professor Elm’s Lecture to find your Pidgeotto line pieces, they are the key to your deck. I would prioritize Pidgeotto setup over Persian-GX itself! If you’re not cycling through your deck, you won’t be able to accomplish your strategy.

Pick how you’re going to win the game, if Stinger GX is needed, put [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] down if that’s necessary. If the damage is there in play to win the game, go for Stinger GX, then execute the play you need to win the following turn. Be it Vengeance to finish a Knock Out or Magical Swap with Counter Gain plus Fairy Energy, the options are endless. An early Tyrogue is strong as well and lets you get extra damage into play when you’re not ready to attack. Often you can cycle between Jirachi and build your hand up. Against something like [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] should hit the field quickly and you want to use Roxie with Blow-Away bomb to render the Perfection Ability useless with Mimikyu’s Shadow Box Ability.

This deck struggles against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] that spreads damage in anticipation of the Stinger GX turn. If your opponent attacks with [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] they will lose to Tapu Lele’s Magical Swap because they’ll be damaging their own Pokemon and playing into your spread strategy. If they start with [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] to spread damage, they will be able to take two or three Prizes at once with their damage placement attacks right after Stinger GX. Most other matchups are doable, especially since so much of the format is dominated by Tag Team Pokemon-GX which you have an inherent advantage against with Stinger GX. This deck is fun to play and I might, against my better judgement, play it at some locals. It can be inconsistent since there’s so much going on and it’s better suited for a best of three format.

Conclusion

Okay folks, that’s it. Time for some Expanded writing for the next few times I’m with you up until the Dallas, Texas Regionals! After that, I’ll start covering some Sword and Shield Standard format content and we’ll see what else from there. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this article and be sure to hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout if there’s anything you want to chat about. Take care, until next time!

Peace,

–Caleb

[/premium]