Expanded Doll Stall — This Deck Breaks the Game

Alright everyone, today I’ve got another Expanded deck to share with you all. This one is a disruptive control deck, which is either fun or degenerate depending on who you’re talking to. Expanded recently got hit with several bans, with most of said bans being targeted at control cards. Powerful disruptive options such as: [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], and, most importantly, [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] have all been sent to the shadow realm in an effort to make Expanded more fun and fair. In lieu of control as an archetype getting nerfed to the point of being completely crippled, most people have assumed that control variants are done for in Expanded. We’ve seen lots of talk and League Cup results from the likes of [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card], but nobody is hyping up control.

Hand control as we know it has been wiped from existence. [card name=”Peeking Red Card” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] cannot fill the void left by Lt. Surge’s Strategy and Reset Stamp. However, more old-fashioned disruption decks have an opening to succeed in this new Expanded format, especially with several powerful options from Cosmic Eclipse.

[premium]

[decklist name=”guru dolls” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″][pokemon amt=”5″]3x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”52″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Captivating Poké Puff” set=”Steam Siege” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”3″]1x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Disclaimer: So as not to immediately discourage you with the two [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card], you can definitely play this deck without it. Although Tropical Beach is very good and definitely correct, you could play draw Supporters (such as [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]) instead and the deck will work. That said, the two copies of Tropical Beach are noticeably useful while playing, it’s just that they aren’t critical like [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card].

This is a neat Doll Stall deck that I came up with and built practically on my own. Major contributions would be the playset of [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], courtesy of a random DM from Jeffery Torres and Daniel Altavilla convincing me to use basic Psychic Energy instead of only three [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card]. This is a disruption deck with the aim of running your opponent out of resources and decking them out. The addition of Lillie’s Poke Doll gives you many free turns to do so. I think this deck will be easier to explain in pieces, so lets look at the cards.

Three Oranguru

As you can probably tell, [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is our main attacker. Just from that, you can infer that this deck is going to employ some degenerate strategies. Resource Management will continue to be broken until TPCi finally decides to ban it (if ever), and this deck aims to utilize this attack to the fullest. You’re going to put back three cards from your discard pile to under your deck over and over. You want to prioritize going in with Oranguru on the turns it’s less likely for your opponent to be able to immediately KO it. You get more value out of each Oranguru if you get to use Resource Management more than once with one Oranguru. If it seems likely that your opponent will attack next turn, holding Oranguru and letting them take out a Lillie’s Poke Doll is often better. You only get up to five Oranguru per game, so use them wisely. You can technically use a sixth, but then you’re at risk of losing. One of my most frequent mistakes with this deck is giving up Prize cards too easily. Your attackers are extremely valuable, so you want to use them at critical junctures, and not just whenever you can.

The most frequent target for Resource Management is [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], though I often get back Stadiums, [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], and sometimes Lillie’s Poke Doll. Of course, Resource Management can get anything, so what you want to recover is entirely situation-dependent. There are many games where you only attack with Oranguru and just ignore the other Pokemon, as Resource Management is the best.

One Mimikyu

[cardimg name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”245″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Make no mistake, this is the “other” [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] from Cosmic Eclipse. This one’s attack lets you use an extra Supporter, somewhat replicating the effect of Lt. Surge’s Strategy. This Mimikyu enables cute combo plays, such as [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] for a Supporter and immediately using it. Sometimes I play something like a [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] for the turn and end with Impersonate for [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. While these plays are nice if you already have Mimikyu in play, it’s not something you often go for as Oranguru’s Resource Management is more valuable. After all, Mimikyu does give up a precious Prize card when it gets taken out.

Mimikyu is actually in the deck to help deal with and alleviate immense pressure from an opponent. If a particular deck is hard to lock, or if you are drawing poorly, being able to use an extra Supporter can help you stabilize and/or disrupt an opponent. You can end games when your opponent has six cards in their deck, as Mimikyu enables a double [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] play, which may catch an opponent off-guard.

One Girafarig

This card is ridiculously strong. First and foremost, [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]’s Get Lost can eliminate [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], which turns into many switch cards for most decks when combined with VS Seeker. If you get a chance to send Guzma to the Lost Zone, it makes it easier to trap opponent’s Pokemon with [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], as they can no longer use VS Seeker to escape. Of course, this extends to other Supporters and any cards that can be retrieved from the discard pile, but Guzma is the most prevalent example.

Girafarig provides a reasonable way to defeat other control decks. Combined with [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], you can send basic Energy to the Lost Zone. Girafarig cripples [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] decks, especially [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] variants. Plus, Girafarig hits [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] against opposing [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”214″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] decks, preventing them from using [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and getting a ton of Energy cards back in the long run.

Four Green’s Exploration and four Steven’s Resolve

These Supporter cards make up the consistency engine of the deck. Green’s Exploration gets nearly everything, and you can play the cards you get immediately (such as a Lillie’s Poke Doll or [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card]). Steven’s Resolve is usually better because it gets an extra card and finds Energy, but it has less synergy with Tropical Beach and is a bit limited because it ends your turn.

Four Clay

The other part of the deck’s consistency engine is [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], and it’s mostly for the early game. Clay grabs Lillie’s Poke Doll and [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] to help the deck get going, and it discards Supporter cards. You usually want at least one of each Supporter in this discard pile so that you can grab them on demand with VS Seeker. Not only does Clay discard Supporter cards for VS Seeker, but it nabs any VS Seeker that happen to be in the top seven cards of your deck. Green’s Exploration and Steven’s Resolve are better than Clay in most parts of the game, but Clay is great for the early game. Running four copies dramatically improves consistency and helps stabilize the early game. I think Clay is better than [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] because it allows you to keep your hand, potentially stockpiling Item cards like VS Seeker, and you’d rather discard Supporter cards from the top seven than draw them.

Two Faba

This card is incredible in Expanded. Most decks play Special Energy, and [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] is a win-condition against decks with only Special Energy (such as [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]). It’s helpful against opposing [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] that could prevent you from trapping opponents. Additionally, it’s useful in dealing with opponents who try to Item lock you with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].

Two Team Flare Grunt and one Plumeria

These cards are needed against every deck with basic Energy, such as Zoroark-GX / Garbodor with their two Psychic Energy. They’re great in conjunction with Counter Catcher to trap something, as continuous [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] plays prevent the opponent from building up Energy to attack or retreat. Against some decks (such as [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”204″ c=”name”][/card]), your win condition is running them out of Energy, and these cards make that possible. In particular, [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] is great against Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX and Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume by removing Energy from their Bench. Additionally, Plumeria’s discard effect is very helpful against Item lock, as you can get rid of useless Item cards and Clay. Furthermore, it has great synergy with Tropical Beach.

One Bellelba and Brycen-Man

With [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] you can finish games faster, which is useful in any timed match. Without it, there would be no hope of winning a best-of-three match with a 2-1 victory on time, as any loss at all will result in a tie at best (in Swiss). In single-game, best-of-one matches, you may need Bellelba and Brycen-Man to finish on time.

One Lysandre and one Guzma

Since this deck doesn’t have an easy way to pivot between Pokemon, it’s very important that sometimes you need to switch while gusting your opponent and sometimes you don’t. This is especially relevant against Item lock and [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card]. I started out with just two Guzma, but the forced switch sometimes ended up hurting me, so a 1-1 split between that and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] is much better. While [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is better, it cannot be used under Item lock nor retrieved on demand with VS Seeker, so these Supporter cards are necessary.

One Pokemon Ranger

This card is a hard counter to [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], Seismitoad-EX, and Noivern-GX. While Arceus and Dialga and Palkia’s Altered Creation GX doesn’t allow them to take Prizes off Lillie’s Poke Doll, you want [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] so that you can use more than two Oranguru in a game.

One Gladion

This one is probably obvious as [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] allows us to access our Prizes, which we otherwise cannot do.

Four Robo Substitute and four Lillie’s Poke Doll

[cardimg name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Each [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and Lillie’s Poke Doll gives you a free turn to use a disruptive or setup Supporter. Additionally, Oranguru can recycle these to give you an infinite supply. You generally want to fill your Bench with either Robo Substitute and Lillie’s Poke Doll, and only play a Pokemon down when you’re ready to attack with it. You can freely do whatever you want when there’s only Robo Substitute and Lillie’s Poke Doll in play because your opponent can’t take Prizes if they do escape the Counter Catcher lock.

Four Pokegear 3.0

You need to play the maximum number of [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] to maximize early-game consistency. It works well with Clay, because it’s essentially a way to get Supporters. Additionally, having extra Pokegear 3.0 around lets you Steven’s Resolve and Green’s Exploration for non-Supporter cards, as Pokegear 3.0 itself can find the Supporters. With four Clay, four Pokegear 3.0, four Green’s Exploration, four Steven’s Resolve, and two Tropical Beach, this deck is absurdly consistent. An underrated benefit of Pokegear 3.0 is shuffling the deck, improving the odds of finding the cards you put to the bottom with Oranguru’s Resource Management (with something like Clay or Tropical Beach).

Four VS Seeker

The most important and powerful card in the deck is [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], besides Oranguru. You want Supporter cards to hang out in the discard pile so you can pick and choose which one to use depending on the situation. You can use Resource Management to grab VS Seeker back into the deck.

Three Counter Catcher

An integral part of the deck’s strategy is [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. You want to spam Counter Catcher to trap opponent’s Pokemon in the Active position, and you want to do this all the time. Resource Management often puts back Counter Catcher. This is amazing with Green’s Exploration, as it basically allows your Supporter to be Lysandre and something else. I am definitely considering a fourth Counter Catcher because you want to use it so often.

One Switch

If your opponent’s Active Pokemon is something useless that you want stuck on the Active spot, you don’t want to use Guzma just to switch your Pokemon. [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is very useful because it is otherwise difficult to pivot into an attacker. [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] works under Item lock and can be a draw Supporter, but using your turn’s Supporter for just a switch is mediocre at best.

One Nest Ball

Use [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] to get [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and search for any Pokemon, which is insanely busted. Otherwise, you’d have to use [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] for your desired Pokemon preemptively and risk your opponent using [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]. Nest Ball can save you from losing to an early Cross Division GX from [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card].

One Rescue Stretcher

Use more Oranguru and either of your tech attackers with [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Of course, it can easily be fetched with Green’s Exploration.

One Captivating Poke Puff and one Target Whistle

If your opponent is aware of your strategy, they will try to avoid playing down liability Pokemon that can get trapped. However, it’s nearly impossible to play around both [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Captivating Poké Puff” set=”Steam Siege” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], so this combo ensures that there will be targets to trap with Counter Catcher.

One Computer Search

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is the best card in the game. [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] can be nice at times, but I’ve never needed it over Computer Search thanks to Oranguru’s Resource Management. [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] is another consideration, but it gets easily invalidated by Faba. Computer Search is amazing early-game, where Dowsing Machine is useless. Of course, Computer Search empties out your hand for Tropical Beach. Sometimes I’ll Green’s Exploration for Computer Search instead of Tropical Beach just to empty my hand, and then use Computer Search for Tropical Beach.

Two Tropical Beach

If you aren’t using Steven’s Resolve or an actual attack, [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card] is a fantastic option. It’s very strong early game, as you can Green’s Exploration for Tropical Beach and a Lillie’s Poke Doll (or another Supporter) for example. Refilling your hand is ridiculously strong all the time, especially after you use Plumeria or get hit by an opposing N.

Three Power Plant

Playing [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is useful against a lot of decks, such as Zoroark-GX and [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], but the reason it’s in the deck is for the Turbo Dark matchup. Power Plant shuts off the Abilities of both [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]. Plus, Turbo Dark doesn’t run many Stadiums, so it’s easy to trap something in the Active spot. Without Power Plant, Turbo Dark would probably be an auto-loss.

One Recycle Energy

It’s useful, but you will only need one [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card] because it recycles itself infinitely.

Two Psychic Energy

While I would like nothing more than to just run one Recycle Energy and call it a day, the unfortunate reality is that Faba exists. The Basic Psychic Energy provides ample protection against Faba. You could possibly run Fire Energy instead, as it may be more likely that you use an opponent’s [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] than Mimikyu’s second attack. However, a one-Energy damaging attack can be useful to end games if Bellelba and Brycen-Man and Gladion are in the Prize cards, or something like that.

Matchups

Ultra Necrozma – Auto-Win

This deck’s easiest matchup is probably [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]. Your win condition is removing all of their Energy cards, which is usually just [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and maybe a few [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s easy to spam [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] while hiding behind [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] with the occasional Resource Management to get back [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. This matchup is definitely easy, straightforward, and almost impossible to lose, so there isn’t much to say about it.

Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume – Very Favorable

[cardimg name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup is favorable, but a little less straightforward than Ultra Necrozma. Your opponent’s most likely strategy will be to use [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] to set up one of each [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] (to Item lock you) and [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card], (to prevent your Basic Pokemon from attacking) then use [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to remove the Rowlett and Alolan Exeggutor from play. Item lock is fine, you’ll just have to accept that Item lock will stick the whole game. [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to infinitely chain them while searching for necessary Supporters like [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card].

Whenever the Basic-lock Vileplume is Active, you want to drag up the other one with either Guzma or Lysandre so that you can use [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]’s Resource Management. If they do not have any Pokemon on the Bench, you can use [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Captivating Poké Puff” set=”Steam Siege” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to force them to drop Pokemon to the Bench. Throughout the game, use Team Flare Grunt and Plumeria to run them out of Energy. [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] is very bad under Item lock, so don’t be tempted to use it. Try to set up a [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] play on the turn after they use [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] so they can’t use [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] to get it back. It’s not a huge deal if they get multiple Brock’s Grit turns, it just takes much longer to win.

Turbo Dark – Favorable

This matchup seems bad in theory because of [card name=”Guzzlord” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]’s Night Spear, but it’s actually fine. [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is strong against Turbo Dark. You want Power Plant in play at all times. It slows them down and prevents them from using [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and Darkrai-EX to escape the lock. Constantly use [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to trap something that can’t attack. If there are no available targets, use Target Whistle and Captivating Poke Puff. As your opponent tries to attach Energy cards to their locked Active Pokemon, continuously use Team Flare Grunt. Oranguru’s Resource Management gets back Counter Catcher and VS Seeker as usual, and sometimes recovers Power Plant, Target Whistle, or Poke Puff.

Zoroark-GX / Garbodor – Very Favorable

This deck doesn’t run much Energy, so it’s easy to get rid of all of them. Use Girafarig’s Get Lost on Guzma or [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] when available, and sticking Power Plant is great as well because it prevents them from recovering from their own N. A clever opponent will only use [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to KO Lillie’s Poke Doll, so you will need to employ Counter Catcher, Target Whistle, and Captivating Poke Puff to make them spend more resources. When they use [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] Energy to KO an Oranguru with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], remove it with Faba or Team Flare Grunt. Sometimes you can limit your Item cards in the discard pile to make [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trashalanche a non-factor, but this is not possible all the time so don’t bend over backwards trying to make it happen.

Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX / Aromatisse – Favorable

They will move all their Energy to the Bench with [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]’s Kaleidostorm so that it’s harder for you to use Team Flare Grunt, just to move it back every turn with [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. This means that you have to use Counter Catcher just to use Team Flare Grunt in most instances. Plumeria and Faba can slow them down, so it’s possible they won’t get to use Magical Miracle GX. You want to try to thin the deck with Clay and Green’s Exploration, and fill your Bench with Lillie’s Poke Doll and [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to prepare against Magical Miracle GX. You’re likely to draw out of it quickly, but it’s better to have a bunch of them ready on the Bench just to be as safe as possible. Trying to use Counter Catcher to stall in this matchup almost never works, so your best bet is to run them out of Energy as fast as possible.

Conclusion

Expanded Doll Stall is very good. It’s favorable against all the matchups I went over, and it is strong enough to hold it’s own against most random decks too. I can’t say how broken this deck is yet, just because there is not yet a well-defined meta for the new Expanded format. I am learning how to play the deck perfectly myself, as it’s definitely something that takes some practice. Matchup familiarity is extremely important as well, because you have different strategies and approaches for each matchup despite having the same general goal of Energy denial. Try this deck out, especially if you have access to [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card]! If not, give it a go anyway, it will function and can win a lot just because many matchups are favorable.

Thank you so much for reading everyone! As always, the comments are open to questions!

–Grant

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