In Good Spirits — ADP / Spiritomb for the Rebel Clash Format

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

Hello, readers! By the time you’re reading this, Rebel Clash should be available on TCGO and, while there’s still a big online tournament in the pre-Rebel Clash format, it’s fair to say that most people are giving their attention to the new cards and what they’ll do to the format. Last time, I wrote about what I think will change as a whole, and I gave initial lists for [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], two decks which should do very well in the format. I concluded by saying that [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] might be the way to go to break the format, and today, I’m coming back to that deck.

In case you missed it, ADP / Spiritomb is an archetype that appeared right at the end of the Sword & Shield format; While it might not be a totally new idea, it had no success or hype until two-time Worlds finalist Ross Cawthon made Top 4 with it at a recent unofficial tournament. In this article, I’ll explain why the deck is good, why it worked pre-Rebel Clash but also, more importantly, how Rebel Clash fixes the deck’s shortcomings and could make it into a legitimate tier 1 deck.

Introduction to ADP / Spiritomb

Let’s start by explaining the point of the deck. Altered Creation GX is an attack that completely changes the course of the game. We saw in the past that Prize races, for example, could be turned around: instead of [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] trading 2HKOs with [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] (a bad trade since it’s a two-Prize Pokémon while Giratina is a one-Prize Pokémon), Keldeo-GX OHKOs Giratina for two Prizes, and suddenly the Prize trade is completely in its favor.

So far, ADP’s main partners have been two-Prize Pokémon: Keldeo-GX and [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] However, if it could be paired with a one-Prize attacker, Altered Creation GX would be even more impactful. By using one-Prize atackers, the game lasts longer, which means we can use more Altered Creation-powered attacks. To put it another way, after ADP uses Altered Creation GX and is KO’d, we can only lose Zacian V before the game is over, but we can lose two one-Prize Pokémon. That’s one extra turn, which means one extra attack, which often means two Prizes (even on a one-Prize Pokémon). This simple math is why [card name=”Tapu Fini” set=”Unified Minds” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] has risen up in popularity in ADP / Zacian V: Blacephalon may have a plan to KO ADP for four Prizes (with [card name=”Beast Bringer” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]) then finish the game by Knocking Out Zacian V, but by bringing Tapu Fini before Zacian V, they have to take an extra turn Knocking Out a one-Prizer, while Tapu Fini takes two Prizes in one attack. (Of course, factors like [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] sniping [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], the absence of Beast Bringer, the possibility of an early KO on [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], etc., all change the course of the game as well.)

Out of all one-Prize attackers, Spiritomb combines with ADP the best, for two reasons. The first reason is its damage output: we’ve known for a while that with five damage counters on it and a [card name=”Hustle Belt” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], Spiritomb deals 220 damage. With Altered Creation GX, that goes up to 250 damage, enough to KO a Zacian V with [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], for example. But there’s more! With a [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] attached instead of the Hustle Belt, Spiritomb can hold up to eight damage counters, so its damage output actually reaches 280 damage after the GX attack. That’s enough to KO any Tag Team Pokémon that sees play. The second reason is that the cards have a similar tempo. Spiritomb needs time to get damage counters on itself, so you can’t play it as aggressively as you’d play Zapdos, to compare it to another one-Prize, one-Energy attacker. However, since ADP needs to take the first few turns off anyway, you can use these turns to damage Spiritomb without sacrificing anything.

ADP / Spiritomb has a favorable Blacephalon matchup because, once ADP is gone, Blacephalon can’t trade Prizes advantagerously, so it either needs to have a very fast start (and take a KO on ADP with Beast Bringer before the opponent can take their first Prize) or for the ADP / Spiritomb player to Bench Dedenne-GX and give it a two-Prize target. It also does well against mill, the bogeyman of the format, as long as it can get Altered Creation off (easy if you go first, harder if you go second and your opponent’s decklist includes cards like [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card]). A cute trick to know is that if you’re locked by [card name=”Mareep” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Slumbering Forest” set=”Unified Minds” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card], you can KO your Active Spiritomb with its own Ability in order to send another one. You can also use this trick to make room for [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] on your Bench.

If this deck is so effective, you may ask, why was it virtually unknown until two weeks ago? I think the answer lies in the fact that this deck didn’t exist in the Japanese metagame, not because they didn’t think of it, but because [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card], a core card for this deck, is out of their Standard format. Since Western players often use Japanese results for their initial impression of a format, this deck didn’t get on anyone’s radar. (This is not to say that we mindlessly copy Japanese decks; actually, the differences between our Standard formats is something I was interested in when I first started playtesting for the Oceania International Championship. This is why I focused so much on Rainbow Mewtwo: since the deck used several cards unavailable to Japanese players, it could be a top tier deck and still be undiscovered.)

The Original List

Let’s first look at Ross Cawthon’s list and break it down.

[decklist name=”ADPS Ross” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″][pokemon amt=”15″]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Jynx” set=”Unified Minds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]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″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hustle Belt” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I’ll only mention the non-obvious choices.

3 Jynx

[cardimg name=”Jynx” set=”Unified Minds” no=”76″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Jynx” set=”Unified Minds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice card to have in this deck because it helps to power up Spiritomb by taking damage counters from ADP (either from opponents’ attacks or from [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]). With even one Jynx in play, it’s possible to put three damage counters in one turn on a fresh new Spiritomb (with Building Spite and Rainbow Energy). This is the point at which Hustle Belt activates, meaning Spiritomb goes up to 190 damage (with Altered Creation), enough to KO Dedenne-GX, for example.

1 Phione, 0 Absol

Bench management is an important part of ADP / Spiritomb. It’s not especially hard to do in game, but you have to build your deck for it. Spiritomb doesn’t do enough damage when it first comes into play (even though I just wrote that it can deal 190 damage, that’s not enough for many Tag Team or V Pokémon), so you need to start stockpiling damage before attacking, which means you need to dedicate at least two Bench spots to Spiritomb. On top of that, you want one Jynx, and one or two Jirachi. Add the spot for ADP and the Dedenne-GX you might need, and there’s not a lot of space left for techs, which is why this deck can’t very well use [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”from”][/card] for that matter. Phione is still important for the mill matchup and it leaves the Bench after being used, so it fits in the deck, though.

2 Marnie, 1 Cynthia & Caitlin, no Guzma & Hala

In addition to [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], this deck needs some Supporters. [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is an all-around effective card and [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] can be grabbed by [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card]. You might be surprised by the lack of [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card], though. Honestly, having tried the deck both with and without it, I much prefer having the option to play it. I assume the idea behind excluding it is that the deck already plays so many Guzma & Hala targets that you’ll find what you want without having to play a search card. However, there are times when you need that second Energy for Altered Creation GX and it’s much safer to simply search it from your deck than having to Professor’s Research or Marnie for it. (Not to mention it lets you keep Catchers in your hand instead of discarding them!)

4 Pokémon Catcher, 0 Custom Catcher

ADP / Zacian V decks almost universally play [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], even though some may add [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] as well. Why does ADP / Spiritomb not make the same choice? This is because the deck doesn’t have the same ability to get multiple Catchers in hand. ADP / Zacian V has two things going for it: Zacian V’s Intrepid Sword, which gives you more cards to work with in the early game, and Oranguru’s Primate Wisdom, which is extremely good to save a Custom Catcher before using Professor’s Research, Marnie, or Dedechange. Since ADP / Spiritomb can’t really use Zacian V and has no space on its Bench for Oranguru, it would rather use Pokémon Catcher, riskier as it might be.

4 Acro Bike

ADP / Spiritomb needs a bit more draw than ADP / Zacian V, since it wants multiple Spiritomb in play on turn 1 if possible, as well as Special Energy which can’t be searched by [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card]. This is why [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], which provides early game draw power, fits well in the deck. (It’s also another reason why Custom Catcher isn’t great here.)

4 Shrine of Punishment

It’s become unusual to run four copies of a Stadium card. However, this card is pretty important to get ahead of some damage thresholds. For example, to OHKO a [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM191″ c=”name”][/card] with a Hustle Belt Spiritomb (or a Big Charm Mewtwo & Mew-GX with a Big Charm Spiritomb), you need two additional damage counters. With four copies of Shrine, you maximise your odds of having it in play on turn 1 where it can start putting damage counters on your opponent’s board. The four copies also help to stick a Stadium in play even through [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card]: many ADP Zacian lists, for example, play one Chaotic Swell and one Shrine, so you can use a Shrine to remove their Swell and the next one should stay throughout the rest of the game.

4 Rainbow Energy, 4 Aurora Energy, 2 basic Energy

This deck needs three different types of Energy, which is why having access to both Rainbow Energy and [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] is necessary. (This deck wouldn’t have worked before Aurora Energy.) The downside to this is that Ultimate Ray’s Energy acceleration is kind of useless in this deck… but you don’t need acceleration for a one-Energy attacker, so that works out fine. I thought about including a Darkness Energy so that I could Ultimate Ray an Energy to Spiritomb, but removing the Water or Metal Energy for that would be a bad idea: the most important thing in the first two turns is to get Energy on ADP to use Altered Creation GX.

How Rebel Clash Breaks This Deck

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I believe there are three reasons why ADP / Spiritomb improves greatly with Rebel Clash, and why it’s the deck I’m the most excited to build when the new set comes out.

I’ve mentioned it above, but Bench management can be tricky with this deck. You don’t have a lot of space for tech Pokémon. However, [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] helps with that! Since this deck already uses a Jirachi engine, Scoop Up Net fits in very well, and also lets you use Jynx’s Ability multiple times in a turn by picking it up and playing it down again. Thanks to Scoop Up Net, you can have two Jirachi in play but also get one back if you need to make space for something else.

Pokémon Catcher is definitely my least favorite card in Ross’s original list. The good news is, we don’t need it anymore! [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] is the reliable gust effect that this deck needs, and it can be reused thanks to the addition of [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM214″ c=”name”][/card]. (Mewtwo works well with Scoop Up Net. It does take a spot on the Bench, but since we don’t need Phione, we can use a space for it.)

More importantly, Spiritomb hits Dragapult VMAX for Weakness. With either four damage counters on a Spiritomb, or three and a Hustle Belt (which is easy to achieve in one turn), it OHKOs Dragapult VMAX after Altered Creation! This could be a very strong counter to the most feared new archetype. That said, ADP / Spiritomb can definitely lose to Dragapult VMAX if played wrong. Max Phantom’s damage spread is deadly against a Bench of low HP Pokémon, so the last thing you want is to put a bunch of Spiritomb into play with plenty of damage counters! Instead, you should not put any damage on Spiritomb until the turn when you’ll use Anguish Cry. You can put three or four damage counters in one turn thanks to Building Spite, Rainbow Energy, and Jynx’s Ominous Posture. You should keep your Scoop Up Nets for Jynx in this matchup since you might need to use its Ability several times in the same turn. (Dragapult VMAX can’t OHKO ADP, so there will be damage counters to move.) As long as you don’t provide easy targets for your opponent’s attacks, you’ll be good!

With this in mind, here is my current decklist. Some cards will change depending on the metagame.

[decklist name=”ADPS Rebel Clash” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″][pokemon amt=”14″]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Jynx” set=”Unified Minds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM214″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]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″ amt=”2″][/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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ 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=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hustle Belt” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”134″ 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″ 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″]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM214″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Beyond the addition of the cards I mentioned above, there were some other changes. First, I lowered the Jynx count to 2, since Scoop Up Net provides a way to move more damage counters in one turn. I don’t see Jynx being a valuable target for the opponent so two should be enough, but a third one could find its way in the deck if needed. Then, as I mentioned, I added Mewtwo. With Scoop Up Net and Boss’s Orders in the deck, Mewtwo is pretty good. (It can also recover Guzma & Hala if you need an Energy and/or a Hustle Belt.) Unfortunately, I think it’s still hard to find Bench space for Oranguru, but with Stellar Wish and Acro Bike, you can still get your Supporter back the turn you use Mind Report.

I also reduced the number of Stadiums in the deck. This is both because I need to make space for other cards, and because Stadiums might not be too useful anymore. Shrine of Punishment is at its best when it fixes math against GX, and especially Tag Team decks, but these might become rarer. Mewtwo & Mew-GX, for example, is in a bad spot right now, since it needs [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card] or it doesn’t stand a chance against Dragapult VMAX, and it’s a Toolbox deck that doesn’t get new tools anymore. For now, I still think Shrine of Punishment can be useful against Pikachu & Zekrom-GX (a deck that gets [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] and should still see quite a bit of play). However, if GX decks do fade away, I might replace these two Shrines for one or two Chaotic Swell: just enough to deal with an opponent’s most important Stadiums. In the case that GX decks get rare, I could also see [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] leaving the deck. However, it has value against almost any deck because of its ability to gust up Dedenne-GX, so the meta would have to change a lot.

Speaking of Dedenne-GX, I’m not sure it belongs in the deck. It’s always a good option to have when you’re in trouble, and it can even be used with Mewtwo to draw the Boss’s Orders you just put on top of your deck. However, Dedenne-GX can be a liability, since it’s a Great Catcher target and a Spit Shot target (although Big Charm can keep it out of KO range). Against Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, it’s also a good target for Tag Bolt GX. Basically, there are several ways in which Dedenne-GX can turn the Prize race in your opponent’s favor. On top of that, it’s the only card (apart from ADP) that can’t be recovered with Scoop Up Net, which means it can get stuck Active more easily than other Pokémon (although we still play three [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and two [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]).

Overall, for now, I’d rather have Dedenne-GX. However, if you start losing too many games because of it, the deck can be played without it. Whether to include Dedenne-GX or not will depend on the metagame.

If you remove Dedenne-GX, I think Oranguru can find its way in the deck instead, to provide more consistency and better synergy with Mewtwo. Other cards that I would consider adding in this deck are a third copy of Boss’s Orders, a [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card]. (Reset Stamp gets a bit worse since decks get more consistency cards, if you count Scoop Up Net as a consistency card. However, it is useful for the specific purpose of preventing the opponent from winning with Boss’s Orders. The classic scenario of “I had [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] for game but I got [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]’d”, and its evil twin, “Got Lysandre off a N to 1”, is back!)

Conclusion

Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX / Spiritomb is a strong deck and it only gets stronger with Rebel Clash. I honestly think that if this deck can hold back Dragapult VMAX, it might lead to a very different metagame than the Japanese one, despite similar formats! Of course, since the competitive circuit has stopped in Japan as well for the rest of the season, their metagame isn’t very well defined either. That said, Dragapult VMAX, Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX / Zacian V, Blacephalon, and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX seem to be the most successful decks, and ADP / Spiritomb can beat all of them.

What beats ADP / Spiritomb? Decks that can prey on the fact it has to Bench multiple low-HP Pokémon and damage them. [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card], for example, wins easily if it can use Clear Vision GX before Altered Creation GX; Blacephalon and Spell Tag are amazing tools against Spiritomb.

Interestingly enough, [card name=”Morpeko V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] also seems to do well against it, at least pre-Rebel Clash. [card name=”Morpeko VMAX” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] has too much HP for Spiritomb to KO and it doesn’t care about Shrine of Punishment. In addition, the threat of Bench damage from Spark or Max Discharge has to be taken into account by the ADP / Spiritomb player. As I’ve mentioned before, though, I’m not very optimistic about Morpeko V’s chances in a world with Boss’s Orders, though.

I hope you’ll find success with this deck!

Stéphane

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