Green’s Pikachu and Zekrom — Slow and Steady Wins the Race

[cardimg name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Never thought I’d like [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], but I do. [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] completely changed the deck for the better; it now has an amazing starting Pokemon and operates much like Green’s Exploration / [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] did “back in the day”. [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] can even be used in this deck because in using its Ability you can remove it from play. The only bad situation you can run into is starting it and no other Pokemon, deactivating your Green’s Exploration until further notice. So why is Green’s Exploration good? It’s like a chain, you can get one with another, as well as a card you want. This builds a strong hand and never leaves you on the button to get things moving. The deck is highly consistent. Green’s Exploration puts the keys in your hands, and you choose your destiny of how you want the game to go.

So why would you ever part with techs like [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] or support Pokemon like [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]? [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is never a bad card to have, especially when paired with [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card]. That disruption can be too much for a lot of today’s metagame to handle, this package is another advantage this deck can bring to the table. Green’s Exploration / Pikachu and Zekrom-GX keeps it simple without an excess of liabilities on the Bench.

List and Explanations

The greatest advantage this deck brings is its simplicity; there aren’t many moving pieces, just good cards that carry value by themselves. Being so low maintenance lets you maximize the strength of Green’s Exploration, mapping your turns out with ease. Playing your first turn? Grab [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] and another Green’s Exploration; second turn grab [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] to retreat Boltund V to Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, and so on. This deck should choose to go second in all matchups; I have tried going first exclusively, however after trying the inverse I can confidently say that second is best. The list comes from testing mate Azul Garcia Griego:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″][pokemon amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]10x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]4x [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Two Professor’s Research

You can’t play more than four Green’s Exploration, so defaulting to the next best Supporter is the only real choice left. Discarding and drawing cards doesn’t play amazingly well into a deck that focuses on two for one plays. You’re naturally stockpiling a hand of resources, so [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t flow that well into that plan. However, you can play into it specifically, aggressively dumping the cards out of your hand that you’ve compiled while still getting value out of them. In short, discarding and drawing seven cards like this isn’t the ideal option for this deck, but it’s the next best thing to Green’s Exploration itself. You can also go for a Professor’s Research play early, then build onto your hand with Green’s Exploration later. This deck has a lot of flexibility since you can pick almost everything that you want in your hand, so you can make this work.

One Mallow and Lana, One Guzma and Hala, One Cynthia and Caitlin, and Two Tag Call

Turning the spotlight even brighter to the “two for one” philosophy, each of these Supporter cards being fetched by [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] accomplish those same ends: play Tag Call, one card, get two cards! Each Supporter has merit in its own right, [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] is great against [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]; [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card] is kind of like a Green’s Exploration alternative; and [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] is a quick burst of draw for if you’re in a pinch. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with these inclusions, they’ve all earned their passage for me.

Four Quick Ball

Discarding cards is never ideal in Green’s Exploration-based decks, but [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] opens your gameplan up. The rationale here is basically “if you have a Quick Ball in hand then you don’t need to get one with Green’s Exploration.” Since you’re choosing to go second and hoping to get the first turn Electrify, you’ll need an out to Boltund V much of the time, an Energy, and a switching card. This is a lot simpler when you already have one of these cards in hand! Quick Ball is the best of these options to buff out the count, as it’s also an out to Tapu Koko Prism Star as well as a way to activate its Ability by getting Lightning Energy into your discard pile. If you could fit a maxed out count of every resource in your deck you would, but space constrictions dictate otherwise; Quick Ball has seemed to be the best card for the playset assignment.

One Wait and See Hammer

[cardimg name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Going second naturally opens you to getting a big tempo swing out of [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card]. By going first, one of the biggest advantages is getting the first Energy attachment; you can completely destroy this advantage with Wait and See Hammer, yet another fetchable tech with Green’s Exploration, ready-made for your choosing.

One Vitality Band

This saves you an [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] very frequently. Some examples:

• Dragapult VMAX with 320 HP
  • Bolt Storm for 260 plus two Electropower
• [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] with 220 HP
  • Full Blitz for 160 plus two Electropower
• Zeraora-GX with 190 HP
  • Full Blitz for 160 plus one Electropower

I could keep going; in a metagame full of massive Pokemon, you’ll want all the damage modification you can get without stooping to playing [card name=”Electrocharger” set=”Team Up” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], gross!
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Options

Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX

[card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] has plummeted in popularity, but if it ever becomes a threat again you would want this tech. Reason being, they can very easily one-shot everything you put out and you would need a low-maintenance way to do so yourself! It would likely need to come with a way to manipulate the placement of your Energy, so maybe [card name=”Tag Switch” set=”Unified Minds” no=”209″ c=”name”][/card]. Jumping Balloon is also quite strong against typical Pikachu and Zekrom-GX decks, but I’m afraid it’s a little too slow to get the value you might be expecting out of it each and every game. Remember, this is no [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] deck and we don’t have [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], you’re basically going to have to spend a turn to Electrify onto [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] to set it up! The best part about Pikachu and Zekrom-GX is that it can Full Blitz and then start to accelerate your setup even more. Jumping Balloon doesn’t do that and if your opponent can find a way to one-shot it, you’ll be back to square one with very few Energy in play at all.

Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX

Without Zeraora-GX to freely switch your Pokemon around, it’s hard to get good value out of this TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX. You’re typically going to Tag Bolt GX or rely on Bolt Strike to deal big one-hit Knock Outs. I don’t like this potential inclusion at all because on top of the obvious Zeraora-GX exclusion, this archetype doesn’t play many switching cards, either. This means that Tandem Shock is nerfed back quite a bit; this tech doesn’t make sense in here, I wouldn’t play it.

Tapu Koko V

A Pokemon with free Retreat Cost would be a nice inclusion. Spike Draw is a nice fallback to draw some cards if you must as well, searchable via Quick Ball. It doesn’t have an Ability so it won’t shut down Green’s Exploration, so overall I’m a fan of this inclusion. The one downside is that Thunderous Bolt doesn’t do anything meaningful. You’re almost always going to be able to Bolt Storm for more damage at that point and that attack even costs less Energy. As a consistency/pivot card, Tapu Koko V makes some sense. Other than that, not so much. I would still skip it, but it’s one of the more attractive options.

Volkner

Like a poor man’s Green’s Exploration, I don’t think this has any place in this deck. It can only get an Item, so you can’t chain it, and the Energy is only okay. Once you get rolling you’re pretty likely to have a surplus of Energy; I’d play more Guzma and Hala before a single copy of Volkner.

Energy Switch and/or Tag Switch

I’ve played around with a list that had a single [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] for a while and I liked it a bit. The draw here is the ability to create a Boltund V that can attack out of nowhere, shaving down your Energy on a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX in most cases. These Energy switching cards can also open up better looks at Tag Bolt GX, never a bad thing. Both are searchable with Green’s Exploration, so they would be fine inclusions. Of the two Energy Switch is better, I don’t think I’m going to put it back in but I like the idea, it’s one worth trying more at least.

Viridian Forest

Both a counter Stadium and a way to potentially search out more than one Energy has merit in this deck. However, I don’t see a spot where I’d rather have this down than Power Plant, except in very specific matchups that don’t play Pokemon-GX with Abilities in Standard. It also can help your opponent out, so running a second Energy Spinner is better.

Weakness Guard Energy

Fighting Weakness? I have seen a couple lists that play a [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card] but it’s useless. Hardly any decks have Fighting Pokemon, the main exception being [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] with its [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]… This is not worth playing just for that, the deck is not good enough or popular enough to tech for.

Matchups

Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V: Slightly Unfavorable

[cardimg name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In choosing to go second, you can potentially get a Wait and See Hammer play off. This will be extremely important to determining how this matchup will play out, if you’re able to get the first turn [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] you might just get the advantage and let that tempo carry you to the win. As 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] player, I would opt to attach a Metal Energy first instead of a Water Energy, as that could be removed by the Energy discard and backfire terribly. Once the game is set, you don’t have a clear path to victory outside of taking three Knock Outs on three attacks. Tag Bolt GX is an option to make that just two attacks, but is unrealistic since a Zacian V can one-shot you. [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] can prevent that, but [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] can just as easily get around that. If you can divulge if Tool Scrapper is played, then you can make the call of if you go for the boosted Tag Bolt GX. Otherwise, it’s going to be a race of eliminating attackers; your win condition is to get an “extra turn” and get ahead on Prizes. So there you have it, you’re slightly unfavored, the Tag Bolt GX play can still work perfectly if you can avoid that crucial Knock Out ([card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] can also set up the one-shot.) Overall, don’t get discouraged in this matchup, it is still completely winnable.

Baby Blacephalon: Unfavorable

This is a bad one. [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a chance when paired with [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], but it’s still sketchy. It only becomes worse if your opponent is playing [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] to stop Tag Bolt GX Bench damage! They trade favorably with your two-Prizers in the start, then your TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX. It’s best to lead with [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] and then go into back-to-back [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. This will make your opponent deal the most damage possible to take Knock Outs, and they’ll have to recover from a Reset Stamp to one card plus Power Plant. You can win this one, but their early momentum usually carries them through. [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench is obnoxious, but you can disrupt it somewhat with Tool Scrapper, at least removing the pivot after you eventually Reset Stamp and destroy the hand they’d built. A Big Charm on your second Pikachu and Zekrom-GX makes them need another Energy or a Tool Scrapper to get the Knock Out, so do that too. Don’t be discouraged if you land any of the pieces of this puzzle in your Prizes, it happens. Play to your outs, the scenario I’ve described is the best way to give them a run for their money.

Dragapult VMAX: Favorable

Get out as many Energy as you possibly can! There’s a lot of ways you can go about this matchup, but attacking for damage, setting up two-hit Knock Outs is best. It puts your opponent on a faster clock and prevents them from getting extra turns to disrupt your hand. The sooner you threaten Knock Outs, the better. So first turn you’re using Electrify, then second turn you are using Full Blitz. From there you can jump between attackers and try to avoid Knock Outs. Don’t put two Pikachu and Zekrom-GX into play unless the board dictates it, you can stave off Knock Outs for even longer with Big Charm and [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] to recover the Mallow and Lana if you want to, sometimes that’s not even necessary. Save your [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] for one big turn where you play multiple at once and get either a one-hit Knock Out or finish something off. Your Prize map is almost always two Dragapult VMAX, although if you somehow get to Tag Bolt GX you can change this script around a bit. Anyways, dodge Knock Outs, attack as soon as possible, and stockpile resources for a big turn. Reset Stamp will hurt late, so play your [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] as you get them and discard junk you won’t need. Thin aggressively and all will be well!

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX: Slightly Favorable

I like this matchup but there’s one thing that can be obnoxious: [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and a Tandem Shock. This can be hard to recover from, especially after you’ve played a [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] or two. There’s not much you can do about this, it’s up to what you draw. Overall I’ve found this matchup to be favorable due to the disruption you have to counter the mirror matchup. Wait and See Hammer can be good going second, and playing Power Plant as soon as you can is always good. Try to leave your second copy for a late game Reset Stamp, though, you will sometimes need that to stick in order to mount a small comeback. As I mentioned, the Tandem Shock thing is a big deal. Don’t preemptively Green’s Exploration for Switch so that if the attack hits you have extra outs to getting out of paralysis in deck! Avoid giving your opponent free turns from passing after paralysis and things will be fine, make use of Power Plant and get the most value out of its disruption! The keys to winning are there, you just have to execute.

Conclusion

This deck does what it does each game, its greatest strength right now is a great matchup against [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], as well as a slightly favorable one in the “mirror” match against regular Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. It’s a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX-style deck with a wee bit of control added in with the Power Plant copies, Reset Stamp, and Wait and See Hammer. You can hold your own against any deck, but at the same time, each matchup usually ends up being very close. While [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] is more winnable for this than it is for the traditional build, it’s still the deck that holds any Pikachu and Zekrom-GX deck back from true dominance in the metagame. I’ve been playing this deck exclusively for the past few Players Cup events I’ve entered, finishing in the finals in almost every single one. This deck is the best play for these tournaments and the games are pretty quick; it’s easy to pop out a bunch of results in a row with it if that’s what you’re going for. For now I won’t be changing anything about the list. The cards I want the most are a card to move Energy around and a second [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. Really just consistency stuff at this point, I see the deck as a nearly finished product. Please ask me any questions you have in the Subscribers’ Hideout, take care!

–Caleb

Follow me on Twitter @shredemerptcg.[/premium]