Fire at Will — Welder’s Place in the Rebel Clash Metagame

Have you ever explained to someone–a family member, perhaps, or some other acquaintance that only vaguely knows of Pokémon–that you play the Pokémon TCG, only to be met with the question “so, what’s the best card?” It’s something that I’ve had to answer a few times, especially after I became a sort of ambassador for the TCG in France. The most honest answer to give is that being good at the Pokémon TCG isn’t about having better cards than other people. At the top level, players all have access to the same pool of cards, in Standard at least (let’s not get into the [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card] situation in Expanded for now). Cards are not really good in isolation; what’s important is the synergy between them.
That’s all good and nice, but sometimes, people are not satisfied by this answer and what to know what’s the best card. For example, because they know about some Pokémon and wonder if the ones they remember (such as Pikachu, Mewtwo, and Charizard) are the best ones in the game. In this case, my answer used to be [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card].

For all its naivety, the “what’s the best card” question is not totally without merit, especially for someone like me who likes to think about the theory behind the game. Right now, I don’t know what the best card is in Standard. [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is a possible candidate. In my opinion, I can’t think of any attack that changes the game as much as Altered Creation GX does. [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] is another fantastic card in Standard because of its attack power and its Ability which makes it useful in a wide range of decks.
Some may think of [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] as well. However, even though the card is definitely very good, the reason why it’s a tier 1 deck is not because of Pikachu and Zekrom-GX itself but rather the whole menagerie of support Pokémon around it. For example, [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], and the Lightning-type Item cards like [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card].
Of course, you could also make a strong argument that the best card in the format is [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card]. Even though it’s hard to compare an Item card to a Pokémon, Quick Ball is everywhere and some decks wouldn’t be half as good without it.

[cardimg name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

While I don’t have a definitive answer to the question “what’s the best card?” now, things were different at the beginning of the season (simpler times when you could leave your home to go to your local league and play Pokémon tournaments in real life). If you asked me that question eight months ago, I would have answered, with no hesitation: [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card].
Welder was the best Energy acceleration in the format (sorry, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]) and was a more than adequate draw effect. It powered up a huge number of powerful decks. [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] / Green’s Exploration, and Blacephalon / [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] are all decks that depend on Welder for their very existence (except arguably Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel, but it would have been way worse without Welder). In fact, the Top 4 of last year’s World Championships was four different Welder decks, one of which played no other Supporter than Welder. In the (almost) ten years I’ve been playing the game, I don’t recall any other situation where there was a Supporter that was so good that decks would play four copies of it and nothing else. Without Welder, the early season metagame would have been so different that it’s hard to imagine it, and that’s why it was, in my opinion, the undisputed best card around.

Welder’s glory has waned since then, due to many strong cards being introduced (like the aforementioned Arceus Dialga and Palkia-GX and Zacian V). Remove Welder from the game now and the metagame changes, but not drastically. While a Top 8 of a major event without any Welder would have been unthinkable months ago, now it’s very reasonable to imagine.
That said, no one is surprised either when Welder does perform at the top level. Blacephalon is a top tier archetype, Reshriam and Charizard-GX / Jirachi comes back once in a while (usually when people don’t expect it) with explosive results, and other decks like Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Welder are still around.

This is why, today, we’ll be looking at Welder decks, in honor of the former best card in the format. I’ll analyze and give decklists for three Welder decks: Blacephalon, Fire Toolbox (Heatran-GX / Jirachi), and Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Green’s Exploration. Remember that these are not the only decks around: I talked about Mewtwo and Mew-GX in my previous article, and there are other concepts around such as [card name=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card].

Blacephalon

By its nature, Blacephalon always has OHKO potential, no matter how high the HP of Pokémon VMAX gets. This is why it’s still a tier 1 deck, and why it will be competitive until either the metagame shifts away from huge two- and three-Prize Pokémon, or Blacephalon loses the cards it needs to function to rotation. The latter option is very likely to happen before the former!

If you’re playing Blacephalon in a best-of-one situation (including online), this is a safe list to use. It includes all the consistency Pokémon one can need: [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], Zacian V, [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] (for Beak Catch).

[premium]

[decklist name=”Blacephalon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Black and White” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Stadium Nav” set=”Unified Minds” no=”208″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Bringer” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]13x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”13″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

You’ve probably seen something close to this list before! I don’t think it’s necessary to explain every card in the list, but I do want to mention a few things:

• Since [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is so good right now, and since it can definitely beat [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] because it is faster due to Tag Bolt GX, I chose to include [card name=”Mew” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM215″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s possible for Pikachu and Zekrom-GX to KO Mew to prepare for Tag Bolt GX, but Mew at least slows them down. It’s better that they KO Mew than a powered up Blacephalon or an [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. Plus, with [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], you can get Mew back after it gets Knocked Out. Outside of the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX matchup, Mew can also be useful. [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] is played in a few decks right now (including the mirror match) and Mew can protect your Benched [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] from Spit Shot.
• [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is another card that helps against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. If the opponent goes all in on a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX using Tag Bolt GX, Victini V can get the revenge KO with Energy Burst. It can also give you a shot against Control decks by using Energy Burst, which doesn’t require additional resources every turn.
• [card name=”Dubwool V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card] is an alternative to Victini V. It can be charged up in one turn and deal up to 270 damage in the late game, while effectively having 240 HP thanks to its Ability. While I don’t think the card is bad, I ultimately chose to keep Victini V for its versatility. It requires one less Energy to attack, and Spreading Flames can be very useful, situationally.
• I included [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] over [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM77″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card]. This is because this list has more Pokémon than usual, so Bench spots are at a premium. When you’re hit by [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] in the late game and you have a [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card], getting back [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] usually isn’t enough and you’d rather use it for Dedenne-GX, so I’d rather use an Item as my Supporter recovery.
• Alexis Hormazabal, who made Top 8 at a recent online event, included [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] in his list, which can help to get additional damage on the field. For example, with one use of Headbutt Tantrum, Blacephalon can OHKO an [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] using six Energy instead of seven. This means you can use your Quick Ball to get the KO if you’re missing one Energy. Zigzagoon can also be used in combination with over attackers: for example, it lets Cramorant V OHKO a 170-HP Pokémon on the Bench, such as Oricorio-GX in the mirror match. Overall, though, I think the use of [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] is limited and again, I’m worried about space on the Bench. I think Mew will usually be a better choice, including in the mirror match.

While this list is overall solid, my favorite way to play Blacephalon is still the Mr. Mime and  [card name=”Jirachi Prism Star” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] combination. It’s not as good against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, which is definitely an issue, but it gives the deck the edge in the mirror match, as well as against other one-Prize decks.

At the time I’m writing this, there is an invitational round-robin tournament going on between fourteen of the top players in France (and French-speaking Switzerland players). Each player plays a best of three match against the other thirteen players. I’m playing this kind of Blacephalon, and my current record is 9-3 (with losses to Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] Stall, and a strange Arceus Dialga and Palkia-GX deck with many techs including [card name=”Cryogonal” set=”Unified Minds” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]), and my last remaining match is against the only other player with a 9-3 record (Luca Clavadetscher, playing Arceus Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V), which means this match will decide the winner of the tournament. By the time this article is published, the tournament will be over.

Whether I end up in first or second place, here is the list I played:

[decklist name=”Blacephalon 2″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi Prism Star” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Shining Legends” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]14x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”14″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

With wins against [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, the mirror match, [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and more, I’m confident that this list can hold its own against basically anything except Control or Mill. I included 14 Fire Energy to have more aggressive starts, especially because Dragapult VMAX requires seven Energy to OHKO, but I could see removing one Energy for a Mew to improve the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX matchup.
My main piece of advice regarding this list is to not try to go for the Jirachi Prism Star combo in every game. In fast matchups, especially Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, it will be too hard to achieve and there are more important targets for your Quick Ball plays. Plus, you can win by OHKOing two Tag Team Pokémon-GX anyway. Similarly, against Dragapult VMAX, you’ll usually OHKO two Dragapult VMAX to win the game. (The exception is if they have a slow start and have to sacrifice a one-Prize Pokémon while setting up; in which case, you can KO that Pokémon, KO Dragapult VMAX for four Prizes, and finish the game with Burst GX.)

Fire Toolbox (Heatran-GX / Jirachi)

Fire Toolbox as we know it made its debut at Worlds, where Tord Reklev took it to Top 4 in Masters while Kaya Lichtleitner won Seniors with it. Once considered the best deck in the format, it slowly disappeared as better decks were found. That is, until Robin Schulz brought the deck to the Latin America International Championship when Cosmic Eclipse was released and won. Despite this great performance, the deck didn’t achieve anything more until Sword and Shield was released. This time, it was Zach Lesage who brought it all the way to the finals of the Oceania International Championship. Then, nothing until an online event, which Masato Shimada won with the deck.

It’s unusual to see a deck have such an overall low presence with sudden spikes of amazing performances. What’s going on here?

First, as a toolbox deck, it can easily be upgraded with every new set. Every Pokémon that attacks with three Fire or Colorless Energy can find a spot in the deck. [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] was added to the deck when Cosmic Eclipse came out in order to improve its  [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. Victini V was a great addition from Sword and Shield, both for Spreading Flames (especially on turn 1) and for Energy Burst which can easily OHKO Zacian V but also threaten bigger targets. Then, people realized Cramorant V’s potential and it provided a way for Fire Toolbox to snipe Pokémon on the Bench.

[cardimg name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Unlike some other decks, there will always be new Pokémon that fit into Fire Toolbox, so it can adapt to the evolution of the metagame. This helps to explain why the deck keeps doing well, although it doesn’t explain why it does so badly in between bouts of greatness.
My initial explanation for this phenomenon is luck. Fire Toolbox is sometimes considered a highroll deck, and I do think that the luck component in this deck is higher than in other popular decks, due to the deck’s composition (lots of Energy, few Supporters). There are opening hands with six Energy and no [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] where you can’t do anything, while in other games, you’ll get the perfect mix of Pokémon and Energy, and one Welder per turn. That said, while the luck argument could maybe be acceptable in a best of one environment, I believe it’s mitigated in competitions with best of three matches. My evidence for this is that the players that have done well with Fire Toolbox are far from random: Tord Reklev, Robin Schulz, Gustavo Wada, Zach Lesage. If success with this deck was really a matter of luck, its champions wouldn’t be such a strong group of players.
Therefore, I think that what’s happening is that since Fire Toolbox keeps such a low profile most of the time, smart players find the right time to play it when its underrated, and other players are not ready for it. Part of Masato Shimada’s success, for example, was playing Fire Toolbox when [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] Mill was so popular. Cinccino Mill can beat Fire Toolbox with the right techs ([card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] on [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]) but some Cincinno Mill players didn’t play these techs because they didn’t expect Fire Toolbox.

Going by this logic, the question isn’t if Fire Toolbox will find success once again, but when; and, perhaps more importantly, what will it look like when it does?

The deck did gain a few cards from Rebel Clash:

• Dubwool V is, I think, a staple. While [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is usually the best attacker in the early game because it can deal decent damage but also has OHKO potential with its GX attack, Dubwool V is the go-to attacker in the late game.
• [card name=”Ninetales V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] is an option. I’m not sure it does enough to be played right now, since it doesn’t improve the toughest matchups that much ([card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], for example), but it’s definitely the kind of card you should keep in mind for this deck: as soon as a new deck appears, you should reevaluate whether Ninetales V could be useful against it or not. Right now, a cool use for Ninetales V is to copy [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]’s Resource Management against Control or Mill decks, so you can get important cards back.
• [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] fits well in Fire Toolbox: you can remove [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] from Zacian V in order to hit it for Weakness, or Stealthy Hood from a Bench sitter so you can target it with Nine Temptations. This actually lets you beat Wobbuffet + Stealthy Hood in Mill decks.
• [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] gets Welder back, so it can replace [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]. You’ll only get five Welder in a game (instead of six with Pal Pad) but that’s usually enough. The fact that you get it back to your hand and not in the deck makes it much better in the late game. You can also send Eldegoss V back to your deck in some situations in order to reuse its Ability.

This is what my Fire Toolbox looks like right now.

[decklist name=”FTB” amt=”60″ caption=””undefined][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Vulpix” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dubwool V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”23″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”18″]18x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”18″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I don’t like playing one copy of both of [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] and Tool Scrapper, since it’s not easy to get them when you want to and there’s a risk you have to discard them at the wrong time, but I think it’s fine overall. You could make an argument for playing two copies of either one instead of one copy of both.
Again, I added [card name=”Mew” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM215″ c=”name”][/card] to the deck due to [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s vulnerability to sniping, whether it’s from Tag Bolt GX or Spit Shot.

Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Green’s Exploration

[card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] decks will always be among my favorites, and since [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]/ Green’s Exploration was a decent deck in the Sword and Shield format, I tried to adapt it for the Rebel Clash metagame. Here is where this attempt led me.

[decklist name=”ReshiGreen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″][pokemon amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Potion” set=”Unified Minds” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The link above goes to my previous article on the deck, follow it for a general explanation of the card counts! I’ll only comment on what changed:

• The Stadium line has completely changed. [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] has been replaced with [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t seem necessary given [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]’s low popularity. Instead, I added two copies of [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is necessary for the hard [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, and it’s also a way to improve the [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] matchup by adding some protection from Tag Bolt GX.
• I added [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], which some players already included in their lists before Rebel Clash. Pikachu and Zekrom-GX is a big threat right now, and Vitality Band provides the additional damage needed to OHKO a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX with Flare Strike. That assumes that the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX doesn’t have a [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card], but that’s what Tool Scrapper is for! Incidentally, the importance of Tool Scrapper in this specific matchup is one reason why I play two, but Tool Scrapper will find plenty of use in other matchups as well, for [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], Big Charm, [card name=”Giant Bomb” set=”Unified Minds” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card].
• I also included [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], which can be found by [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck. I think [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is still necessary because being able to get a Gust effect with Green’s Exploration is pretty good.
• I added a [card name=”Great Potion” set=”Unified Minds” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card], mostly for the Dragapult VMAX matchup. In this matchup, Dragapult VMAX 2HKOs Reshiram and Charizard-GX, with help from [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], or from [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card]. Big Charm is not enough to avoid the 2HKO, but Great Potion can be, and if Reshiram and Charizard-GX survives two attacks, it can generally deal huge damage with Outrage.
• The [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] line was removed from the deck, for several reasons. First, [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] Mill is nowhere near as prevalent as it used to be, and that’s one matchup where Omastar was very important. Second, Boss’s Orders makes Omastar less safe–Custom Catcher and [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] used to be the main forms of Gust effects, but now that there’s a Supporter one, Omastar can be brought Active even when its lock works. The overall effect of removing Omastar is that the [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] matchup becomes worse (you need to rely on [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] more than before), but I think that’s a sacrifice that needs to be made.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t try out all the ideas I had for this deck, so here are some other cards that could be worth including in Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Green’s Exploration:

• Power Plant: I said that it wasn’t needed anymore for Mewtwo and Mew-GX, but Power Plant is still a nice card to have in combination with Reset Stamp. I can see this combination of cards being very good against Blacephalon, since it shuts down [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. A late-game turn that includes Tool Scrapper on any Escape Board, Power Plant and Reset Stamp seems pretty good in that matchup.
• [card name=”Eneporter” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]: Between [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] and Horror Energy, Special Energy are seeing a lot more play right now. Eneporter can act as a pseudo-[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX and especially [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] (and the [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 that are still playing Special Energy).
• [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card]: This card isn’t needed for any specific matchup, but it’s good in Reshiram and Charizard-GX in general. I cut it from my list when the deck wanted to play basically every other Stadium under the sun, but if you don’t need to play Lysandre Labs or Power Plant, then a copy of Giant Hearth could be another way to get Energy in hand while also countering opposing Stadiums.

Conclusion

[card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] has been powerful since it came out and I would be very surprised if it disappeared from the metagame before its rotation. The card has an inherent strength that persists even when some specific Welder-based decks slowly get worse. So don’t be surprised when it keeps winning!

I’ll be taking a short break from writing soon, but I’ll be back by the end of June. In the meantime, best of luck in all of your (online) games!

–Stéphane

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