Clash of the Titans — Will Established Decks Embrace Rebel Clash?

[cardimg name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello and welcome back to PokeBeach! This is the one and only place where you will find articles from myself and many other strong tournament competitors. Today I have something a little bit more exciting to talk about, the release of Rebel Clash! The last couple of months have been a relatively tough time on the competitive scene, but the arrival of multiple online tournaments and the release of a new set should certainly help things out.

Not having tournaments to play in is never fun, and the previous meta was pretty stale when it came to a competitive setting of any kind. I am hopeful that Rebel Clash will change things for the better, likely by balancing out the game a little bit and opening up the format for a wider variety of highly competitive decks. That is what I will be looking today: Rebel Clash‘s impact on the Standard format and metagame!

I will go over decks that formed from the new set, new and old decks that are in the spotlight, previously strong decks that changed for the worse, and then I will wrap things up with a power ranking! I know everyone is excited about the new cards and how things will be changing, so I will not delay the start of things any further.

Rebel Clash’s Effect on the Meta

A new set always shakes things up at least a little bit–often it changes how past decks are built and played, but I love it when a new fun and dominant deck makes its arrival. Fortunately, I think that might be the case in this set as [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is certainly a contender to meet that criteria.

Let’s start things off with the most exciting part of a new set–the new decks.

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New Decks

Honestly, only two new decks might seem low. Most of the time, two entire top tier decks don’t end up coming out of a new set exclusively. With that said, these are the decks that I think have the highest potential to make a splash in online qualifiers and other upcoming events.

Dragapult VMAX

This deck operates differently to most other decks as it doesn’t pack a hard punch and doesn’t accelerate energy. It reminds me most of [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], a deck that was strong prior to the release of Cosmic Eclipse. Both of these decks are a little slower and try to use spread damage to target down the main threats. [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is still an aggressive deck, but it is committed to a turn 2 attack, which is still something I feel like players will be getting used to but we have seen [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] operate similarly to great success.

In order to make up for the slight lack of damage, Dragapult VMAX uses cards like [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] to get damage on the board, and [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] to slow down the opponent. This deck is already considered one of the decks to beat, and I certainly consider that to be an accurate title.

I talk about this deck more throughout the article, so make sure to keep an eye out for that. Fellow writer, Caleb Gedemer, wrote about this deck recently and even included a decklist. Check it out if you want to learn more!

Copperajah VMAX

[cardimg name=”Copperajah VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”137″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck is definitely a defensive one, which is contrary to the Dragapult VMAX deck I previously talked about. Your Pokemon have a lot of HP, plus you have healing options in [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] and things like Full Metal Wall GX and [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] help to reduce the damage your Pokemon take.

Despite being a relatively slow and defensive deck, Copperajah VMAX hits hard! It is a costly attack, but G-MAX Hammer hits for 240 damage, which can be buffed by things like [card name=”Galarian Perrserker” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and Galarian Zigzagoon. I have not played with this deck yet, so I can’t go too deep into matchup specifics. The overall theme is probably that it crushes decks with low damage output and the games increase in difficulty as that damage output increases. Decks that are fast to get going have the potential to outspeed you as well, but you can also slow them down with Full Metal Wall GX. This is the deck I need to try the most, but I am confident that some sort of defensive metal deck has a place in the meta because [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] decks have already seen some success in recent online qualifiers.

I talk about this deck a little more in the [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] section down below, so take a look at that if you are a Copperajah VMAX fan.

New Techs

You may notice that a majority of the cards in this list are here due to their synergy with [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]! The nice thing about that is that these combinations can be implemented in any deck that has the bench space and are not limited to a specific deck or two.

Giratina (Unified Minds)

[card name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] removes special energy from the board, which is strong right now. The new [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] cards are going to see a lot of play and will join the current Special Energy lineup of [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]. This gives this card a ton of chances to get value in any given tournament and can be re-used in strong situations thanks to Scoop Up Net. The removal of Horror P Energy off of an active Pokemon before it is knocked out will stop its effect from going off, which can make a huge difference in a tight game. As for the rest of Giratina’s uses, it comes down to slowing the opponent down or having them miss attacks. If an opposing [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] end up with a Special Energy attached to it at the end of the opponent’s first turn, you can punish them by removing the energy from it to stop them from attacking that turn.

Dimension Breach can also be used against decks that run Speed L Energy, however, [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] can easily flood the board with energy via [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]. Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX is able to recover from the setback I described as well, via a [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] combo, but it isn’t going to happen every time. That also means using resources they won’t have later in the game. Dragapult VMAX decks have no way of accelerating energy, so the removal of one in the manner I described is a huge hit.

Mewtwo (Unbroken Bonds)

[card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] was previously played in [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] during the [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] days, around the time of Atlantic City and Knoxville Regionals, but has seen no play outside of that. Scoop Up Net will definitely change that, as being able to reuse strong Supporters such as [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] is valuable to a lot of decks. When used in combination with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], the supporter can be immediately accessed and used, which makes this Mewtwo almost like a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], which is a popular card in the Expanded format.

Galarian Zigazagoon

[card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] is another card that has seen some play in the past, but nothing consistent by any means. This little raccoon will get it’s day in the sun thanks to the release of Scoop Up Net, and Dragapult VMAX in a lesser sense. Scoop Up Net means that Galarian Zigzagoon can help out with that crucial damage counter placement multiple times per game, which can make all of the difference when it comes to drawing Prize cards and maintaining board advantage. It will certainly see play in Dragapult VMAX, a deck that already aims to spread damage counters and be precise with numbers, but can also make its way into other decks, such as Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card].

Boltund V

This is the only card on the list that is specific to a deck and not intended for use with Scoop Up Net. Boltund V is a strong card that Pikachu and Zekrom-GX has gained from Rebel Clash, as Energy acceleration on turn 1 is strong. Especially in a slightly slower format like we are currently in, where decks are focused around attacking on turn two and evolving in some cases.

Honorable Mention: Jirachi Prism Star / Mr.Mime + Oranguru

[cardimg name=”Jirachi Prism Star” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I listed this as an honorable mention because, in theory, it means multiple free Prizes–but in reality, it is not that simple. It requires a lot of space in the deck and Bench space, which is not something most decks can afford to give up while having a real strategy of any other kind.

Even if a deck like this does exist, pulling this off requires a few moving pieces. You need to get the Oranguru on your bench, and the Mr. Mime and [card name=”Jirachi Prism Star” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] in your hand so that you can do the combo of putting the Jirachi Prism Star on top of your deck with Oranguru and then into the prizes with Mr. Mime. This can be disrupted by you prizing one of these pieces, a 30% chance with one of each copy in your deck, though prizing the Jirachi Prism Star is certainly not something to complain about. Additionally, Marnie, and [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] will make it hard to reuse this combo as the game develops, and an opponent using Boss’s Order on your Oranguru foils the whole thing.

While all of this is happening, you also need to be attacking with whatever Pokemon has the honor of being used with this fun combination.

Decks That Got Worse

These decks are not unplayable as a result of the release of Rebel Clash, but they certainly took a hit. I considered all three to be strong decks in the previous format, with two of them undeniably being tier-1. [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is debatable, but you can review some strong arguments for its case in my previous articles.

Malamar

This deck was already a bit of an underdog headed into Rebel Clash in most people’s eyes, and the results agree for the most part. The deck took a close matchup to the best deck in the format and was favored against a majority of everything else. The release of Rebel Clash does benefit Malamar in some ways as [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] are both favored matchups, and [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 the potential to decline in popularity some. The potential decline in popularity of Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V is not a knock towards its strength, but it seems as if more decks will be viable in upcoming tournaments.

I did list this deck as one that has gotten worse, so I should start talking about why that is the case. For starters, [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is a tough matchup because of how the Prize trade aligns. Max Phantom is knocking out everything in your deck and places damage on your bench in a way that allows for multiple knockouts to be taken. When combined with [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], this means two [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] could be KO’d on turn two before you even get the chance to evolve. Even if two Inkay are not removed from the board, a different Pokemon in your active was knocked out along with an Inkay. After this happens, you can no longer safely bench an Inkay because [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] allows the Galarian Zigzagoon to be reused, and another two-prize turn to occur. [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] also mean damage will build up on the board whenever you attack, and your own [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] places damage on your own board as well. To wrap up this brutal analysis, Dragapult VMAX decks will be playing [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], which are both strong tools against Malamar. Phione can help get a damaged Pokemon out of the active for an optimal Max Phantom, and it helps to avoid [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card]. Marnie is a strong card in the early game as Malamar attacking on turn 2 is absolutely crucial.

Another deck to come out of Rebel Clash that has a positive matchup against Malamar is [card name=”Copperajah VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] due to how tanky it is. Full Metal Wall GX in addition to [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] makes it so Giratina is only doing 70 damage, which is less than ideal. You will then either have to deal with [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], which has 280 HP and Resistance to Psychic, or Copperajah VMAX which has 340 HP. In combination with [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card], these stats are too much to bear and you won’t be able to get through the tanks before your opponent draws six Prizes. I am not sure how played Copperajah VMAX will end up being, but Dragapult VMAX is set to be an extremely strong deck. We will have to see how the meta shapes up.

Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V

This is the undisputed best deck in the format heading into Rebel Clash and one of the most dominant decks in recent history. With that being said, to say it got worse does not mean a whole lot, as it could take a decent hit and easily be one of the strongest decks still. The deck itself actually gained some tools due to Scoop Up Net, but other decks gained that as well and Dragapult VMAX introduces a major contender for the role of best deck. [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] has forced this deck to include some amount of [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], which isn’t a bad thing, but something that needs to happen to keep up in certain matchups. The deck has a lot of close matchups based on the early stages of the Rebel Clash format, unlike the blowouts that were previously occurring. A lot of this deck’s future depends on how decks are built, and what decks end up establishing themselves as the best. I still rank this one as one of the best, and I would be pretty surprised if that changed.

Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Spiritomb

[cardimg name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I want to start off by saying that Ross Cawthon and Mike Fouchet introduced this deck to the format at the first online qualifier tournament and it is sweet! It is strong, especially prior to Rebel Clash, and extremely fun to play.

Unlike it’s [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] brethren, this deck didn’t receive much in the way of new cards it can utilize, and it has to deal with Dragapult VMAX while also keeping up with everything else. It does have [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] which can hit Dragapult VMAX for weakness, but unfortunately, the matchup is not that simple at all. Dragapult VMAX can potentially use Team Yell Grunt in the early game to stop Altered Creation GX from ever happening, which means that Spiritomb is not going to be doing enough damage to OHKO a Dragapult VMAX anyway. This seals the deck’s fate right off the bat, as that is the only way the matchup can even be contested. Even if an Altered Creation GX is pulled off, Max Phantom can knock out multiple Spirtomb, or other weak Pokemon, all at once. In combination with [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] and the disruption [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] provides, it is hard for Spiritomb to answer back consistently. I have this as a bad matchup for Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Spiritomb, which is why I dropped it from tier-1 to tier-2 with the release of Rebel Clash.

Fellow writer Stephane Ivanoff wrote about this deck recently and included a decklist for post Rebel Clash. Check it out if you want to learn more!

Mewtwo and Mew-GX

This previous powerhouse was essentially only played in two ways headed into Rebel Clash; “Ultimate” [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] or paired with [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. Ultimate Mewtwo and Mew-GX was first played by Henry Brand as the Oceania International Championships and saw some success afterwards before every event was cancelled. From there, it hasn’t had much of a presence in online qualifiers and the deck definitely did not benefit from the release of Rebel Clash. Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Malamar was kind of always around, but never dominated or was overwhelmingly popular. It has some results, including some strong finishes in the recent online qualifier, but was also hurt by the release of the new set. The common issue for these two decks is [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], which should have no issue handling Mewtwo and Mew-GX decks of any kind. The Weakness factor is too much to overcome to begin with. Past that, the Prize trade is not going to be an easy feat for any of the Mewtwo and Mew-GX decks.

The “Ultimate” Mewtwo and Mew-GX deck is slow, utilizing either [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]’s Sol Burst-GX or Altered Creation-GX. The Malamar version is also slow, as it has to setup multiple Malamar and obtain a decent board state before it can get going. You also have to have some sort of defensive measure to handle the Weakness situation–and there isn’t a good answer. [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] can bounce [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card] back to your hand, and [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] can be pinged by Max Phantom and then targeted down by a [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. As for the Malamar version, my description of the Dragapault VMAX vs [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] / Malamar matchup above is a good resource for knowing what will happen here, as having Mewtwo and Mew-GX on the board is not going to help your case.

Power Ranking

While there are certainly decks below these two tiers, I would never recommend playing a deck lower than this in a competitive setting. While tier-2 decks are not necessarily the best decks, they are still playable and can take advantage of the right meta.

• Tier-1 – [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], [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], Dragapult VMAX, [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]
• Tier-2 – [card name=”Copperajah VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], Spell Tag / Malamar, Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] Mill

This tier list is definitely an estimate — no events have been played and the set is new, so it is hard to fully evaluate how strong decks are and what is going to be popular. Decks can easily be shifted between tiers, and some of the weaker decks, such as Spell Tag / Malamar, could be removed from the list altogether. My next article will have some sort of update on this for sure.

Best Cards from Rebel Clash

As you can see throughout the article, I mention the same decks and cards quite a bit. I wanted to provide a list of the cards in Rebel Clash that I consider the most important to pay attention to. While there are probably other cards to come out of the new set that will see some play, I selected ones that I believe will have an immediate impact on the game. This can be used as a reference if you are still wondering what cards to acquire:

• [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and VMAX
• [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]
• Boss’s Orders
• [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] [cardimg name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
• [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card]
• [card name=”Copperajah V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and VMAX

I hope I helped to fill the hole in everyone that is exciting Rebel Clash content, and maybe even helped players prepare for upcoming online qualifiers. I was unable to make it to some in the past, but the release of Rebel Clash has me itching to play in one.

I hope everyone is finding a way to enjoy the game, whether it is the online qualifiers or some old decks. I know I have been enjoying it myself, but am definitely bummed that the competitive scene is a little watered down right now, understandably so.

I will be back next month with another article, which will include a huge update on the Standard format as things will certainly have developed much further by then. Until then, I wish you fun and luck in all of your Pokemon endeavours, and you might see my name in some online qualifier brackets!

Peace.

–Jimmy

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