M.A.D. Cat — Adventures with Alolan Persian-GX
[cardimg name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I was going to cover the Pokemon Players Cup in my segment for this week, but the results thus far aren’t public. That said, I’ll be covering other topics we haven’t gone over here yet! First, small update: I personally advanced to the second week of the Pokemon Players Cup with a three win-zero loss record. I played [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and beat [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], [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], and a Dragapult VMAX mirror.
Now, today I’m going to cover two cute concepts starring [card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. A bit about this card first, Smug Face is enough to squash a Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] deck, as is it to crush some Pikachu and Zekrom-GX lists. It also single-handedly destroys a Spiritomb deck and can be annoying on various levels to other popular decks. TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX, Ultra Beasts, and Special Energy show up in many different things, so it’s obvious to me that this card is underplayed right now and a real diamond in the rough.
Why Alolan Persian-GX
There are two strong ways to play Alolan Persian-GX. The first, as one of the attackers in a [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox, and the second as the main attacker in a counter-style deck. Darkness Toolbox is a bit of a throwback, Weavile-GX got a lot of hype going into the last World Championship where it mostly fell flat. Since, it’s been on the backburner throughout the entire season, never seeing any notable success. Recently it’s cropped up in online tournaments again — And why not? — Dragapult VMAX is dominating the scene right now. Dragapult VMAX brings a huge Weakness to Darkness that Alolan Persian-GX or any Darkness type deck can exploit, something many decks can’t say. The only other of which is Spiritomb; an inconsistent deck that I’ve never grown super fond of myself.
Weavile-GX Toolbox has gotten a little better since I last talked about it. It’s gained [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] to go with it, [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] to make it a little more consistent, and Alolan Persian-GX itself of course for previously difficult matchups. This deck still has some consistency issues, but Alolan Persian-GX sort of compensates with that as in many matchups you’ll have extra time to set up with your opponent unable to deal with its Ability. Once set up, this deck has a lot of unique options to deal with most decks.
Weavile-GX Toolbox List
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[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Darkrai Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”18″]2x [card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Alolan Meowth” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Type: Null” set=”Unified Minds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Darkrai Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ 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=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ 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=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
List Breakdown
Two-Two Pokemon Lines
[cardimg name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Each of these Pokemon has a purpose in this deck! [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] to draw cards and as a mid-range attacker if the moment is right, Weavile-GX to move your Energy around and make things work in the first place, and finally [card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] as your matchup-dependent sweeper. Two-two is all you have space for — if you were to favor something over another I would invest more slots into the Weavile-GX line. While true that you can’t Red and Blue on a [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], it’s still a nice card to have that can take many forms, allowing you to move whichever way you like with your setup.
One Umbreon and Darkrai-GX
[card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]’s Black Lance is a pretty neutral attack for any matchup. While some decks don’t play many, most decks play at least one Pokemon-GX in Standard. As such, you’ll get extra value with the snipe dealing damage to the Bench! Dark Moon GX will rarely get the boosted effect off, but often you’ll find yourself wanting to stop your opponent from playing Trainers on their next turn. This is super disruptive and you can set up a game-winning play if that’s what you’re going for, and if not, maybe complete your setup! It’s a valuable “always good” attacker for a deck that needs that and works around what your opponent is playing. If Alolan Persian-GX isn’t going to carry you like it sometimes will, you’ll need some backup.
One Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX
[card name=”Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]’s Greedy Crush can often swing games on its own, getting you extra Prizes and finishing the game up. Whenever someone’s up against a deck like this they need to remember to limit [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], because if there’s two in play you’ll use Dark Moon GX more often, but Gigafall GX has its own uses. Sometimes you might catch someone with ten cards left and be able to pull it off, or against a control/mill deck you can play for this to be your game-winner. Granted, it will take all ten of your Darkness Energy, but it’s possible. If nothing else, 250 damage is a lot of damage.
One Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX
Jumping Balloon can carry against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] so you want to play [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]. Most decks aren’t playing a ton of Pokemon-GX anymore, but Pikachu and Zekrom-GX is one that you would struggle against if you didn’t have Jumping Balloon to power you through.
One Hoopa-GX
Dark Strike crushes [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], it’s your most Energy efficient way to one-shot it. For that alone it’s worth playing, Devilish Hands GX can be okay to finish off a Dedenne-GX that you started earlier with Black Lance, or to finish something else that had some residual damage. Rogue Ring, though, shines brightly for this card as well when you’re still looking to set up. 190 HP is a ton, so you can safely Rogue Ring to find the perfect two cards a lot of the time with little risk to yourself.
Four Marnie and Four Cynthia
This deck can’t afford to hard draw with [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] since you have so many Stage 1 Pokemon and a lot of cards that only have an effect upon being played. Shuffle and draw Supporter cards like [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] are going to be best, alongside the [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] cards that follow…
Two Red and Blue, One Mallow and Lana, One Cynthia and Caitlin, and Two Tag Call
[card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”name”][/card] set you up and also accelerates extra Energy into play. These extra Energy can then be moved around with [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]! It’s also like a draw-card since you can search out Silvally-GX, then Disk Reload. [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] heal your Pokemon and also serves as minus three cards, setting up a larger Disk Reload. [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] is like a flex Supporter, retrieving whatever’s best in a situation (often [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]) and doubling as a small draw boost in a pinch. Two Tag Call has been fine, at worst it’s another way to get some of your attackers, and at best it can be a clutch Supporter.
One Boss’s Orders and One Great Catcher
This deck usually has no problem eliminating whatever your opponent keeps in the Active Spot. That said, Boss’s Orders is less important in this deck than in others. [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] still has some value, as does Boss’s Orders itself, so playing a single copy of both has been a nice compromise.
One Vitality Band
Greedy Crush buffs up to 220, enough to one-shot a [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. I’ve thought about playing Fire Memory in place of it in this slot, but since [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] can be one-shot in return, the value isn’t there. 220 isn’t enough if your opponent plays [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], but most lists have moved past that. There are other relevant maths that can come up, 160 with Black Lance, et cetera.
Two Chaotic Swell
Protecting yourself against [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] doubly is nice. Now one playing a Power Plant in a deck must play it into the [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card], discarding it, then play another on the following turn to even get it into play. You’re going to win a Stadium war against decks with two or even three Power Plant, and that’s enough to play around it. Without the Abilities of Pokemon-GX, the Weavile-GX Toolbox flounders, so running Chaotic Swell is a necessary measure.
Potential Options
Black Market Prism Star
[cardimg name=”Black Market Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”134″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Prize denial is always good, but [card name=”Black Market Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] is simply bad in formats where most decks are playing at least one Stadium of their own. I wouldn’t recommend it in a deck playing Chaotic Swell either, but if the format switches around and Power Plant isn’t a problem, you can throw this in again to take up a new kind of advantage against any deck.
Cherish Ball
Another consistency card the list currently isn’t playing. It grabs eleven of your eighteen Pokemon, so many that you’d think it ought to be in immediately! Thing is, [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] should always take precedence with their option of taking your non-Pokemon-GX Basic Pokemon, arguably the most important Pokemon in the deck, without them, you won’t be getting set up! If you find the need for more consistency, [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] is the next in line.
Super Scoop Up
On a flip you can use [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] like a [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], moving the Energy off one thing with Shadow Connection, using Super Scoop Up, then moving them back if you like. It’s a neat gimmick if you want to try it, but hard to fit and not always effective.
Playing the Deck
Prioritize setting up first, Weavile-GX is the first to go, then Silvally-GX. Depending on the matchup you want to limit your Bench of anything not-[card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. This applies to basically only Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], but if you’re against a [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] with one [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] and no [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], you can sometimes go for the double Alolan Persian-GX route. There, you’re eliminating whatever threat there is to the Alolan Persian-GX, then you can sweep. You have [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] as a fallback option if things get out of hand somehow, remember that.
Against Baby Blacephalon their only out is [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card], not an efficient attacker, so you can reliably two-shot it with Alolan Persian-GX. Dragapult VMAX is going to be beaten by attacking multiple times, so as long as you can Red and Blue into Weavile-GX once with [card name=”Hoopa-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] in play, with a switching card that’s one ready-made attack. [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] often can’t even one-shot your attacker in response, to which if you take out another Pokemon VMAX you’ve already won.
Zacian V is your hardest matchup, you have to rely on your Vitality Band coming down with Greedy Crush for one-hit Knock Outs. You can one-shot things, however, it’s taking at least five Energy to do so. [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and/or Great Catcher are more important in that matchup than others, as you can snag easier Knock Outs instead of relying on a Knock Out on three Zacian V. [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] is easily defeated with a single Alolan Persian-GX, no questions asked. Now time for a brew…
Counter-Style List
[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″][pokemon amt=”17″]2x [card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Alolan Meowth” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lycanroc” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ 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=”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=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
List Breakdown
Four Rockruff, Three Lycanroc-GX, and One Lycanroc
[cardimg name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”82″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This deck has one thing in mind: pile strong cards together that together can beat all the decks. This is the closest I got to finding something that could potentially beat everything. [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] can deal massive damage once multiple Energy are in your opponent’s discard pile, usually after a few Knock Outs. This is how you’re beating Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. Accelerock one-shots a 240 HP Fighting-weak Pokemon, as well as even a 280 HP, if you have [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] in play. The baby [card name=”Lycanroc” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is a solid option if anything presents itself with a Special Energy attached in the matchup, then you can obliterate them for no Energy at all!
One Hoopa
A way to set up Knock Outs that you couldn’t otherwise reach, [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is a filler card that still has a purpose. Against Dragapult VMAX, in order to two-shot the 320 HP behemoth, you’ll need to get in some chip damage. [card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] hits for 240 damage after Weakness, and if your opponent has at least two Pokemon with Abilities in play then you can Evil Admonition for 100 or more, then finish the Knock Out with Alolan Persian-GX.
Two Red and Blue
This deck is clunky, but it tries to make up for it with [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”name”][/card]. Playing four of both types of necessary Basic Energy, you’re able to power up one of your attackers all in one go, as long as you have an Energy for turn, and get to work. Red and Blue has worked decently well with a couple of [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], and of course, you get the other TAG TEAM cards to pair with it.
Potential Options
Excadrill
Last time I talked all about Excadrill. I didn’t think to try [card name=”Excadrill” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] with Alolan Persian-GX itself just yet, but I could see that having merit. Lycanroc-GX can be strong against [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], giving you a chance at winning, while I’m afraid Excadrill isn’t going to be as good. You’ll be playing super defensively against Zacian V, dealing chip damage while you eventually hope to Splintered Shards GX for a big Knock Out at the end, finishing off your opponent’s Energy. Obviously, Twilight Eyes helps as well. Both of the attacks Excadrill brings aren’t properly equipped to handle Zacian V without a support package to complement their damage, at which point you’re better off playing a different deck entirely!
Jirachi and Escape Board
This deck actually started with [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], but there was barely any Bench space to make that work smoothly. [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] could be a happy middle ground between the two, but takes a lot of space. [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is another option on the side. Sometimes this deck sputters between attackers, especially if your opponent has an immediate response to one.
Marshadow and Machamp-GX and Counter Gain
An alternative to Lycanroc-GX, [card name=”Marshadow and Machamp-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] decently fill the role, but you do have to be behind on Prizes. Finding the [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] is another thing, I’d recommend two. I want to mention it because it shrinks the size of your list considerably and allows other things, I would especially recommend this in partnership with [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card].
Mew
Bench Barrier is nice against [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] and Tag Bolt GX, the latter of which usually doesn’t happen, but [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] would be the next line of defence.
Silvally-GX and Fire Memory
Instead of other support Pokemon, you can fill that role with Disk Reload [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card]. You also get the option to play [card name=”Fire Memory” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], if timed right you may even wreak a Zacian V with it! Fitting this in means you have to ditch Lycanroc-GX, this deck won’t be able to function well with so many Stage 1 Pokemon like [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox can.
Virizion-GX
Breeze Away GX can reset a mess you inadvertently caused by putting too many Pokemon on your Bench. If this is the case, [card name=”Virizion-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] is the perfect answer to it. A single Energy picks up whatever you don’t want down, this will usually combo with an Alolan Persian-GX in play that your opponent absolutely cannot address in turn.
Aurora Energy and/or Triple Acceleration Energy
Going in a different route without Red and Blue makes [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] options. To flesh out the argument for Red and Blue, it does two things, it finds your attacker and the Energy it needs. The alternative, of course, is t trying to draw those cards off your Supporter for turn which will have mixed results. Do you want to be absolutely certain or take your chances?
Playing the Deck
[cardimg name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Playing this deck is completely reactive to what your opponent does. In the past there have been toolbox decks like this — you’re basically using whatever Pokemon line you don’t need as fodder and going all-in on whatever is actually good against the matchup you’re facing.
For this deck, it’s pretty simple, against [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], you’re going to work towards using [card name=”Alolan Persian-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. Against Zacian V and [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll use [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card]; of the former, you’ll have worse results — Zacian V is this deck’s worst matchup. This considered, the Silvally-GX version offers an interesting alternative where you’ll use Marshadow and Machamp-GX instead of Lycanroc-GX, and Silvally-GX will fill the void against Zacian V. It’s a give and take either way, as Lycanroc-GX is a safer alternative and more consistent.
Besides all this, the deck is straightforward, assign the proper attacker to the matchup you’re in and hope you don’t hit anything outside of the metagame. Decks like these can be great if you hit all meta decks, but truly awful if you get anything but. It’s a risk you take, or a safe choice, depending on your perspective.
Conclusion
The best decks right now are undoubtedly Dragapult VMAX, [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, Baby Blacephalon, and Spiritomb — in that order. Alolan Persian-GX, and Darkness Pokemon in general, are well-slated to make a run at the top with this metagame! There are no deck-change in-between weekends for the Players Cup, so I’ll still be manning Dragapult VMAX next weekend. If I make it to the eventual tournament that we’re all playing for at the end, I am thinking about bringing one of these counter decks! They’re well-equipped to handle the metagame and fun to play. Well, thanks for reading and hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout if you have questions. Take care!
–Caleb
Follow me on Twitter @shredemerptcg.
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