Six Feet in the Dirt — Expanded Garchomp and Giratina-GX Rises

Hello! Are you hyped for 2020? Dallas regionals is approaching. I had a great time there last year for my first Regionals outside of Europe, even though my performance was mediocre. Unfortunately, I won’t be there this year. I waited for a long time not wanting to book anything since we were expecting more tournaments in Europe, and by the time it became clear that there wouldn’t be an European Regionals or SPE on that weekend, the tickets had become a bit too expensive. I’ve made a resolution to attend Toronto regionals in March, though, so I’ll still compete in North America this year.
The good part for you is that since I’m not attending Dallas, and there’s no other Expanded event in this format, you can enjoy this article on the deck I would have played with no fear that I’m hiding anything!

As I’ve mentioned last time, Expanded has changed quite a bit since before Cosmic Eclipse, with the addition of [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] putting [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] back on the map in a huge way. The deck I want to talk about today both uses and counters Double Dragon Energy, and has strong gameplans against big Tag Team Pokemon-GX decks (like Turbo Dark) and non-GX decks (like [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]) alike. That deck is [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card].

Garchomp & Giratina-GX is far from unknown at this point. It won San Diego Regionals, and has had good showings at both major and local events since then, with a [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] variant being pioneered at Kuala Lumpur Regionals. In Expanded, with Double Dragon Energy, the deck seems even stronger. However, you’ll remember that [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] is now banned in Expanded, which shuts down the usual engine of the deck.
Fortunately, there are other Pokémon in Expanded that can be sacrificed for a cool effect, giving the opponent a Prize lead so you can use cards like [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. There is no [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] here, though. That’s where a completely forgotten card comes in: [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”from”][/card], which can place three damage counters on the opponent’s board. The synergy with Calamitous Slash is easy here: you can either put one damage counter on several Pokémon so that Calamitous Slash deals 240, or put three counters on a 270 HP Pokémon ([card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], for example) to KO it with Calamitous Slash on turn 2, no Linear Attack needed.

Now, let’s add [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to the mix. Noivern-GX also benefits from Double Dragon Energy and possibly Counter Gain, and has two great attacks. Distort is not going to be too important, but it can be strong, especially against control decks. The status of control decks is currently unknown, but should something like [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] come back, Distort is our best option against it, since it deals decent damage and prevents the use of all the Items (such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]) that make control decks strong. Noivern-GX’s second attack, Sonic Volume, is also fantastic in many matchups, including Ultra Necrozma and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants. Although both of these opponents can use basic Energy, they rely mostly on Special Energy and spamming the attack is often the best way to win.
Even Boomburst GX can find occasional uses, should you face [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control or Lost March for example.

All in all, the deck has a lot of options, made consistent by the [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] engine. It has done very well in Japan, where it won multiple City Leagues. Although Japanese lists have access to [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], which is fantastic combined with Green’s Exploration, I don’t think that it’s needed for the deck to do well, and I believe that Garchomp and Giratina-GX / Cofagrigus is a very strong contender for Dallas Regionals. I’m almost certain that it’s the deck I would play if I was attending!

First of all, here’s my list.

Decklist

[premium]

[decklist name=”TinaChomp EXP” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”11″]3x [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Yamask” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Noibat” set=”Unified Minds” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Fates Collide” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Evosoda” set=”Generations” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

If I was playing in Dallas, I would spend more time trying to perfect it, but since I’m not, I will focus on Standard (for Bochum Regionals) this month. That said, this isn’t a first draft: the list has already gone through several changes, which I’ll try to discuss along the way. For now, though, let me explain how the list works.

Card Choices

Three Garchomp and Giratina-GX

The main attacker. Linear Attack isn’t as necessary in this deck since you can use Calamitous Slash for 240 damage on turn 2 thanks to [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], but it’s still a good option if you go second, which is why [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] is your best starter—and why we play three of it. GG End GX is occasionally useful, but it’s hard to give a specific guide as to when it should be used. Fun fact: with three [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], you can use GG End GX’s bonus effect and discard two of your opponent’s Pokémon. I haven’t used that yet, but it’s still good to keep in mind!

Two Yamask and Two Cofagrigus

Cofagrigus is important when you’re playing against Pokemon-EX or GX, since Six Feet Under lets you place damage in preparation for Calamitous Slash KOs. A 2-2 line is enough in my opinion: you often only use one in the game, maybe a second one later, but it’s not like [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] where “the more the better”.

Two Noibat and Two Noivern-GX

I’ve explained [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]’s role above, but it also has free retreat so it’s almost never a bad card to have in play. Again, a 2-2 line is enough here: even in matchups where you use it, you’ll often lead with a Garchomp and Giratina-GX anyway and use one Cofagrigus, so you only get to use one Noivern-GX through the game. It’s important to use the Dragon-type [card name=”Noibat” set=”Unified Minds” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] because you can search it through [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], but also because you can attach Double Dragon Energy to it before it evolves.

Four Green’s Exploration, Two N, Four Random Receiver, Four VS Seeker, Four Trainer’s Mail

This is the engine of the deck. I’m sure I don’t need to convince you of [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]’s strength anymore (but if you’re not convinced, remember that in Expanded, it can get [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] so you have access to anything in it!), and this engine aims to maximize it. [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is basically a [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] that never fails here, and helps a lot to make Green’s Exploration viable. [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t need an introduction, but the fact that it acts as additional copies of Green’s Exploration once you’ve played one means that you rarely have to take a Green’s Exploration with Green’s Exploration like you do in Standard. Finally, [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] helps to get a Green’s Exploration or a Random Receiver early on, in addition to being strong in a deck that plays so many Trainer cards.
As for [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], it’s included to have a form of shuffle-draw (especially when you’re looking for Double Dragon Energy), as well as late game disruption. It’s good in this deck since you’ll often be behind in Prizes.

Three Nest Ball, Two Mysterious Treasure, One Cherish Ball, One Evosoda

Since every Pokémon in this deck is Psychic-type or Dragon-type, you might be wondering why we don’t play four copies of Mysterious Treasure. The reason is that the cost of discarding a card is often high in this deck. With no Mismagius, and few straightforward draw Supporters, most of the time, we’re looking for specific cards and never significantly increasing our hand size, unlike other decks who can play [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. Mysterious Treasure’s versatility is strong, but having an assortment of more specific Items plays to better the deck’s strengths (an easy way to search for any Item card) and weaknesses (a lack of surplus cards to discard).

Four Custom Catcher and One Counter Catcher

In order to use the Random Receiver engine, we can’t afford to play a utility Supporter like [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. Instead, we use Items as gust effects. These counts are where my take on the deck departs from what I’ve seen from Japanese players, who generally play several [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and sometimes one [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card], and no [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. In my opinion, Counter Catcher is amazing in this deck but it might not work late game, and discarding two cards to Great Catcher can be costly. Custom Catcher fits the deck better as you can search for it easily (especially in the mid to late game, since you often don’t have a lot of good targets for Green’s Exploration anymore) and it doesn’t discard cards. Even better, it can actually draw cards when your hand is super low (which happens regularly). I often use my first Custom Catcher to draw two or three cards.

Two Enhanced Hammer

The point of this card is to combine with Noivern-GX’s Sonic Volume. If you’re going to prevent your opponent from playing Special Energy, it’s necessary to have a way to remove the Special Energy they may have already played. [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] was played in decks using [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] for the same reason, but it’s stronger in Garchomp and Giratina-GX because it can be drawn easily thanks to Green’s Exploration.

One Switch

This could be a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], but it conflicts with [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is good to move from Garchomp and Giratina-GX to Noivern-GX and prevent the opponent from stalling you. A second copy might be necessary.

One Field Blower

There are many reasons to play [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and you’ll always find a good use even if it’s just to remove a Stadium or Float Stone from your opponent’s board. A more specific use is to remove [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] so that you can use Six Feet Under on your opponent’s Pokémon!

Computer Search

You need to play this Ace Spec and not any other for one important reason: [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Computer Search lets Green’s Exploration search for Double Dragon Energy, and even if you have to discard two cards for that, it’s worth it.

Three Silent Lab

Disruptive Stadiums are strong, and [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is my favorite right now. Your opponents will often be equipped to deal with it, but if you play it turn 1 and they have no answer, it can sometimes stop them dead in their tracks. Otherwise, it’s just one more weapon in your war against cards like [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. Silent Lab also lets you deal with cards such as [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Xurkitree-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM68″ c=”name”][/card].
[card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] could also be used, mostly to deal with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. I haven’t played enough to know if it’s needed to win the matchup. If it is, I would consider a split, but I think it’s necessary to keep at least two Silent Lab.

Four Double Dragon Energy, Four Basic Energy, One Professor’s Letter, Two Counter Gain

I’m grouping these cards together since they’re the Energy lineup of the deck. A full playset of Double Dragon Energy is obvious and [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] is a good [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] target if you don’t have any Energy on your first turn.
The basic Energy lineup might seem strange, but here’s my reasoning: most of the time, you’ll be using Double Dragon Energy on [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], so even if you attach a basic Energy instead of a Counter Gain in addition to the Double Dragon Energy, its type doesn’t matter. On the other hand, [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] can attack for one Darkness Energy and a Counter Gain, so basic Energy is more relevant on it, which is why we play two Darkness Energy.
I still want to play a Psychic and a Fighting Energy because of the following sequence: Professor’s Letter on turn 1 getting both of these Energy, attach and Linear Attack (if going second); on turn 2, Counter Gain, Six Feet Under, and Calamitous Slash. This is mostly useful when [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is prized and you don’t draw into a Double Dragon Energy naturally, which is a minority of games, but it’s still a good option. It also means that Professor’s Letter can be useful in matchups when you want to use Calamitous Slash a lot, and not only in those where you use Noivern-GX.
The other card you can fit is [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card], for [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re going to face a lot of it, I think that would be a good, or even necessary, addition. Right now, it seems unpopular, so I’ve chosen not to tech for it as you can win by being very aggressive in that matchup!

Other Card Options

Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX

This card has been popular in Standard Garchomp and Giratina-GX, as an alternate attacker and [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] beneficiary. With Double Dragon Energy in the deck, there’s no need to use Beast Ring, but since neither GG End GX or Boomburst GX are useful in most games, playing [card name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] just for Chaotic Order GX wouldn’t be unthinkable. The only issue, and it’s a big one, is that it has an Ability and the Expanded version of this deck relies on Green’s Exploration much more than the Standard version, so if you happen to start with Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX and don’t have a Silent Lab (or Power Plant) in your opening hand to go with it, you’ve completely locked yourself. This is also the reason why I wouldn’t consider playing [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], despite its synergy with Six Feet Under.

Rescue Stretcher

I’ve mentioned that 2-2 lines of both our Stage-1s should be enough, but sometimes you want an additional copy of something. [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] is better than a third copy of anything, especially in a Green’s Exploration deck. The reason why I’m not playing it is that I haven’t felt the need for it, but it’s still something I would consider.

A Non-Pokemon-GX attacker

Similarly to how [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is used in Standard Garchomp and Giratina-GX, I could see using a non-Pokemon-GX attacker for specific scenarios. Blacephalon itself isn’t the best choice here because you can’t sacrifice three [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] like you do with [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] in Standard. Instead, I think the best choice is [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] as long as you adjust the Energy so that you play at least two Psychic Energy. Most of the time, you’ll use Six Feet Under once then use Garchomp & Giratina-GX so, when that Pokémon gets KO’d, the opponent has two Prizes left. You can then use Nihilego, before pivoting to another Garchomp and Giratina-GX or Noivern-GX. Even better, having Nihilego helps to get around some locks.
The combination of Garchomp and Giratina-GX and Noivern-GX can get around many wall Pokémon: Noivern-GX can attack even against [card name=”Pyroar” set=”Flashfire” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card], and anti-Pokemon-GX cards like Hoopa can be stopped by Silent Lab. That said, there are still a few issues: [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], for example, could wall both of them. For something a bit more likely, Mewtwo and Mew-GX can copy [card name=”Altaria-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]’s Bright Tone to protect itself from both attackers (the Mewtwo and Mew-GX player needs to bench something else in order not to lose to GG End GX, so you can target that instead.) That doesn’t stop Nihilego, which can then copy an attack (Miraculous Duo GX if nothing else) to KO Mewtwo & Mew-GX, thanks to its Weakness.

Muscle Band or Choice Band

A damage boost can be useful to fix some math. One reason is against [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], which has 280 HP: Six Feet Under and Calamitous Slash isn’t enough for a KO (although Linear Attack and Calamitous Slash is). You also don’t want to use a second Cofagrigus against it, because then, after Altered Creation GX, the opponent only needs to KO one Garchomp and Giratina-GX to win the game. [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] can help. It doesn’t work with [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], but if you go first, you can attach a basic Energy on your first turn, then on turn 2 use Six Feet Under, attach either a Muscle Band or Choice Band and use Calamitous Slash for KO. Another reason would be to KO two Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX faster: Use Six Feet Under to put two damage counters on a Gardeon and one on the other one, then use Calamitous Slash for KO. For the second one, add a Muscle Band or Choice Band for the KO. You can even attach Counter Gain for the first KO, then on the next turn, use Field Blower to remove the Counter Gain and attach a Muscle Band instead! For best results, add [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] so that your first KO is on the benched Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX with two Energy, not the Active one with one, so that your Garchomp and Giratina-GX survives.
Note that I would favor Muscle Band over Choice Band for its versatility: the 10 less damage against Pokemon-GX is not as important as the possibility of increasing, say, Distort’s damage against a one-Prize Pokemon deck.

Shrine of Punishment

Another card that can add damage counters, both to activate Calamitous Slash and to help with math in the scenarios presented above. [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]’s advantage over Muscle Band is that it’s not a Tool, so you can use it in combination with Counter Gain. However, it has two drawbacks. The first is that it damages your own Pokémon as well. The second one is that having it in play means you don’t have Silent Lab in play. That said, [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is useless in the Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX matchup, as well as some Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX variants. In the Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, it actually helps the opponent. So maybe not having Silent Lab in play is not an issue in situations where you want to use Shrine of Punishment!

Finally, I’d like to give you some tips on how to play the deck. First, know what matchup you’re playing. In Expanded, much more than in Standard, you can find your cards reliably but need to know which ones you will need, and for that you need to identify as quickly as possible what you’re playing against: depending on the matchup, [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] can be a complete waste of space or the key to winning, cards like [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and Silent Lab can be strong or completely useless, and so on.
As I alluded to in the introduction, against Tag Team Pokemon-GX decks like Turbo Dark, [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], and so on, you should try to win by Knocking Out two Tag Team Pokemon-GX. Cofagrigus and [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] are the only Pokémon you need, Noivern-GX should be useless there. On the other hand, against Special Energy-reliant decks such as Ultra Necrozma, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] variants, or Night March, you should opt for Noivern-GX. Some of these decks play [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] which lets them attach Special Energy, but if they don’t deal with Noivern-GX at the same time, you can simply use Enhanced Hammer and repeat Sonic Volume. Even if your opponent reuses Pokémon Ranger, they will have to find another Special Energy at the same time.
Beware of Item lock. [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] is the main source of it, and it’s tough if they have time to set up their deck, so don’t give them that time. Play all the Items you can on turn 1 (remember to use multiple [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]!) to prepare for turn 2. Also try to get an [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] in hand to refill your hand, since [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] becomes useless when you can’t play Items. If you can KO Rowlet & Alolan Exeggutor-GX on turn 2 with Calamitous Slash, you’re in a good spot, since that’s too fast for the opponent to deal with. Their main way to win is going to be [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”from”][/card], but they will probably need a second Rowlet & Alolan Exeggutor-GX to set it up, and if you can KO it, you win. Of course, it’s possible for the opponent to set up Burning Shadows Vileplume directly without setting up the Item lock Vileplume, but then you should have no trouble at all setting up Noivern-GX to KO the Vileplume. I have less experience against other forms of Item lock ([card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]) but the point is the same: get the best turn 1 you can to prepare your next turn, and try to win using Garchomp and Giratina-GX.
Remember that Distort can be strong to spam against Item-heavy decks, but sometimes, even one use of Distort in the midgame can be enough to buy time and soften up an opposing Pokémon for a Calamitous Slash KO. Unlike in Standard (where [card name=”Cryogonal” set=”Unified Minds” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]’s Frozen Lock can set up a checkmate situation in Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Rosa), the opponent can still play [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] or N to target your Bench or disrupt your hand. However, Distort does prevent the use of VS Seeker which is often needed to get these cards.

One last bit of advice: enjoy the deck while it lasts! Looking at results from the latest Expanded Champions League in Japan, Garchomp and Giratina-GX / [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] seems to have completely disappeared. It doesn’t look like anything from the Sword & Shield set impacted the metagame much, but instead, the new rule preventing the use of Supporters on the first turn of the first player (at the time of writing, it’s still unconfirmed whether we’ll get this rule as well for the Western release of Sword & Shield) seems to have killed the deck. It’s not too surprising: the deck relies on Green’s Exploration a lot, so if you can’t play it on your first turn, that delays your game plan by almost one whole turn (and you could get donked!). Decks that can us[card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]e  or [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to set up, on the other hand, can handle going first much better.

There’s still time for Dallas regionals, so don’t hesitate to pick up and learn Garchomp and Giratina-GX / Cofagrigus! I wish you good luck in advance if you do so, and I hope you at least have fun with it. You can comment on this article if you have questions about the deck! I know I haven’t been very quick to answer comments lately, but I’ll try to do better in 2020!

–Stéphane

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