Sword Doggo & Friendly Squid — Taking a Look at the Standard Format

By: Jimmy Pendarvis · Posted Posted onMar 23, 2020 at 10:53 PM · 0 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome back to Pokebeach! A great place for Pokemon news, and in this case, a competitive Pokemon TCG article.

Today I am going to be talking about the Standard format. More specifically, I am going to be talking about my two favorite decks in the Standard format and then drop some notes on the Standard format as a whole. The first deck I am going to talk about is [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], the undisputed BDIF of the Standard format. It is the clear deck to beat for everyone when it comes to the Standard format. The other deck I am going to be going over is [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]! People love to hate it, including myself in the past, but I am a big fan of the deck now. Sword & Shield and the new rules were both great news for Malamar! Its consistency has been increased substantially, and the deck does not mind the new rules. These decks are both strong and have room for whatever techs you want to fit, giving them a solid shot at beating pretty much anything. That is what I look for in decks, as it really sucks to sit down knowing you are probably going to end up with a loss. Anyways, without any more talk, let’s start things off with some Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V talk.

Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX / Zacian V

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[decklist name=”ADP/Zacian” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]8x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]2x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Deck Analysis

This deck has been dominant since its legality began at the Oceania International Championships. The strength of the deck should not have been a surprise to anyone, even those who did not prepare extensively for the event, but its popularity was truly something else! About one-third of the field was [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], granted the lists were all over the place, but this was just the start of the post Sword & Shield norm. It did not win the event, decks that had favorable matchups against it were able to take it down at the end of the day, but it did nab some solid results. Three Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V decks finished in the Top 8, and seven finished in the Top 16. Since then, the deck had an absolutely dominant showing at multiple events. It did not win Perth Regionals, but it did take up six of the Top 8 spots. It also took up three of the Top 4 spots at SPE Guatemala, including picking up a win at said event. Last but not least, the Top three decks at Malmo Regionals were all Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V with Tord Reklev taking down the whole thing. Speaking of Tord Reklev’s win, his list has been my absolute favorite deck in the standard format. I only changed one card, removing [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] for a fourth [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. This change hurts my mill matchup because I no longer have a mill tech, but it helps my consistency and is better overall.  Unfortunately, I ended up having to take the route of “If you can’t beat them, join them” on this one because of how strong this deck is. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the decklist.

Card Choices

Four Zacian V

You want to have Zacian V down on turn one, regardless of whether you are going first or second. Its ability is absolutely incredible for drawing you cards and strengthening your board. Another goal that you’ll be looking to fulfil on your first turn is getting an Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX down and attaching an Energy to it, to set up for a turn-two Altered Creation GX. Having four Zacian V means you are less likely to have to search out one on your first turn and can use your [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] to search for an all-important Arceus and Dialga-GX and Palkia.

Oranguru

Despite this [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] not being the one everyone loves to hate, it is actually fantastic for resource management! You can avoid discarding crucial cards such as [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card], or other Supporter cards when you use [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Additionally, the Oranguru gives you a little bit more draw power and reach on every single turn it remains on the board.

Two Marnie

[cardimg name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

You might notice a lack of [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck, and that is for a couple of reasons. For starters, the format is in a place where Reset Stamp just isn’t as good anymore — games end pretty quickly once the action starts, most decks aren’t in need of a huge hand, and Professor’s Research along with Dedenne-GX means your Reset Stamp could end up getting discarded anyways. [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] makes it so you aren’t left without any disruption, and makes it so that you use that disruption space as consistency space as well since Marnie is actually decent draw power. Marnie is particularly good against [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] Mill and Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] because those decks aim to build large hands and have cards that combo with each other.

Two Energy Spinner

This card is strong regardless of whether or not you go first or second, but it is certainly stronger when going second. It helps you search out Energy cards, a big part of getting to use Altered Creation GX on turn two. Energy Spinner can be found via Stellar Wish from [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], which gives you a lot of extra reach for finding those crucial energy cards in the early game. When going first, that is the only real benefit to [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], but when going second, just one Energy Spinner means you’re good to go.

Two Shrine of Punishment

This is an odd inclusion, because it does weaken your own Pokemon-GX, but it works out for the best. [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] helps soften up Pokemon-GX for your main attacker to then one shot with a hefty 260-damage attack! Zacian V is an incredibly efficient attacker that packs quite the punch, and Shrine of Punishment just makes sure that Brave Blade goes the distance.

Potential Inclusions

Oranguru UPR and Cryogonal

These techs do not both have to be included, in fact, it is kind of the opposite. You would never play both of them in the same list because they are both mill techs that have value otherwise.

Oranguru allows you to shuffle back in multiple Custom Catcher, Energy, and Marnie, which is strong against Cinccino control.  This will give you more ways to get around [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card], deal with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card], and reset both player’s hands. The Oranguru doesn’t necessarily guarantee a win, though, because the opponent can recycle energy disruption repeatedly and potentially make it so you never get to Altered Creation GX, which is crucial in the matchup.

[card name=”Cryogonal” set=”Unified Minds” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is also strong against mill because you can stop them from putting Lillie’s Poke Doll into play, stop them from playing Crushing Hammer or [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], and stop them from thinning their deck by burning useless Trainers such as Quick Ball. Including the Cryogonal in the deck would likely mean having to remove an Energy Spinner for a third Water Energy, because the low count seems like an issue otherwise. Cryogonal runs into the same problem potentially being denied Altered Creation GX because it does not really help you get to that point. You go right into Frozen Lock and then eventually use Altered Creation GX, but [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bellelba and Brycen-Man” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] will punish that strategy a bit. It also gives the opponent a lot of time to build up a hand and load up on Crushing Hammer, and use Cinccino’s Make Do Ability to discard useless cards.

Both techs are ideal for situations where Altered Creation GX gets used. Oranguru seems better against Mill overall, but Cryogonal seems like the overall better tech.

Malamar

[decklist name=”Malamar” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Solgaleo and Lunala-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ 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=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]8x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Deck Analysis

[cardimg name=”Metal Core Barrier” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”180″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is no different than the [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] list my testing group used for the Oceania International Championships. While the event did not turn out particularly well, with only a couple people making day two, I still believe that the deck was a good call for the event. Unfortunately for us, a lot of [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] lists played healing and other defensive cards, such as [card name=”Metal Core Barrier” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”180″ c=”name”][/card]. This hurts our favorite little squid quite a bit, as it means they can still win even if you pull off your immediate Clear Vision GX with [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], which is always Malamar’s gameplan in the matchup. Against a list like Tord’s, Malamar is slightly favored, and the deck is very good against a majority of other decks as well. It only takes losses to [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] Mill and [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] with the current list, which is why I consider the [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] variant of Malamar to be one of the best decks in the standard format. Time to review the deck list of choice!

Card Choices

Solgaleo & Lunala-GX

This card is an absolute tank and a great way to close games. You never get full value out of the GX attack because the deck does not play [card name=”Lillie’s Full Force” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card], but doing 200 damage for three Energy can be enough. Against decks where the [card name=”Solgaleo and Lunala-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is safe to bench preemptively, or in situations where you get out three Malamar, you can do 230 damage for four Energy. This is a much higher damage output than anything else in the deck, which is why it is such a strong finisher and therefore and great inclusion in the deck.

Latios-GX

Latios-GX will only be used in the Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V matchup, but it is the key to the matchup. If you get to use Clear Vision GX before the opponent uses Altered Creation GX, you will win almost every game from that point. If you don’t, you pretty much automatically lose the game. Pulling off the Clear Vision GX when going first is pretty easy to do before the opponent uses Altered Creation GX because you have two whole turns to do it. When going second, it will happen more than 50% of the time.

Mimikyu

This card is incredibly strong when trying to deal with Zacian V!  If they attack you with one, [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]’s Copycat is an easy return knockout. Even though it is just one situation, Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V is such a popular and strong deck that it comes off an unbelievable amount of times during every standard tournament you play with this deck. Do not remove this card from the deck, I forbid it.

Espurr

This is another tech attacker that is strong in certain situations, usually finishing off a damaged GX or V Pokemon. Prior to Pokemon V being released, the second copy of [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] was always a better inclusion than [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] because of Bench space and things like [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. Now that Pokemon V are released, you want a way to do a hefty amount of damage to a Pokemon V on the Bench. This is why the deck plays one Espurr and one Great Catcher, they are both strong options that don’t have to be things you do to close the game.

Potential Inclusions

Espeon & Deoxys-GX

Fun fact, some of the testing group (myself included) ended up having to play this card at the Oceania International Championships because we could not find a Solgaleo and Lunala-GX in time. It definitely hurt me a little bit, but it was my own fault for being unprepared. The [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] does have a few uses though, so it was certainly not useless for me. It can finish off the game in a different way than any other attacker can because it’s GX attack can be used to KO multiple Pokemon at once. Additionally, Cross Division GX is strong against single prize attacking decks and Galarian Obstagoon control decks.

Second Mimikyu

As I stated above, Mimikyu’s main function is dealing with Zacian V, which happens to be the most popular Pokemon in the game right now. Having one is absolutely mandatory for this reason, but adding a second one is an interesting prospect as well. It eliminates the worry of prizing it or having to discard it early and gives you the option to use it twice in a game without having to recover it with [card name=”Lana’s Fishing Rod” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”195″ c=”name”][/card].

Fourth Acro Bike and Third Viridian Forest

I lumped these together because despite being very different cards, they are both forms of increased consistency. Including an extra [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] would likely mean the removal of other consistency cards, such as [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], or the removal of techs, such as Espurr. Both cards are very strong early on because they assist you with finding the pieces you need for the highly coveted turn-two attack. As the game goes on, both of them lose value. This is especially true for Viridian Forest because the deck is pretty self-sustaining once you are setup. With Acro Bike you at least have the extra reach to find your tech Trainer cards; Great Catcher and Lana’s Fishing Rod.

The State of the Game

  • [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] has been absolutely dominating, taking up a huge percentage of every tournament and getting good results as well.
  • Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX lists are no longer all over the place like they were at the Oceania International Championships, just the techs separate them.
  • [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] and Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] seem to be the decks that can keep up with Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V relatively consistently.
  • Mewtwo and Mew-GX has been played in multiple forms, Nico Albas won with a [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] List and Henry Brand won with “Ultimate Mewtwo”.
  • While multiple Baby Blacephalon decks exist, the better version seems to be the one that used Jirachi and tries to burn through the deck.
  • Baby Blacephalon is not as linear as it once was as it now utilizes [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card].
  • Ability [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] seems to be on no one’s radar despite Zach Lesage reaching the finals of the Oceania International Championships with it.
  • In a similar fashion, [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is seeing little play despite a solid matchup spread.
  • [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] Mill decks were very hyped going into the Oceania International Championships and have seen a little success at tournaments.
  • Lists with heavy Energy removal seem to be the way to go because of the Arceus and Dialga and Palkia / Zacian V matchup. I am a huge fan of Sander Wojcik’s control deck.
  • All Pokemon sanctioned play is now suspended due to the Corona Virus.

Those notes wrap things up for today’s article! I hope it was as fun to read as it was to write. It was certainly an interesting experience to write this article with no major events coming up, but I know that many of you are still having fun figuring out the format and getting some games in. Personally, I have been hoping for some sort of unofficial online circuit to play in during this time period. I know a few people have hinted at such, and I know many people who would love to play in something like that, so I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled. If I end up playing in an online Standard tournament, Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V and Malamar will be my top two picks.

I could also see myself playing one of the Mewtwo and Mew-GX decks or Baby Blacephalon because they are also strong decks with favorable Arceus and Dialga and Palkia / Zacian V matchups. In the expanded format, my top picks would have to be [card name=”Trevenant and Dusknoir-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM217″ c=”name”][/card] and Turbo Zacian V. With that being said, I am really hoping an online circuit does pop up. Otherwise, my Pokemon career will be on a bit of a hold just like everyone else’s, and I will just spend time testing and playing around with fun decks. I have another article scheduled for later this month, so I will be back then!

Stay safe everyone. Peace.

–Jimmy

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