Single Prizers — Darkness Ablaze Edition ft. Golisopod

Hey all, taking a step away from some of the more popular new archetypes, today I bring word of Golisopod. I, of course, introduced this new single Prizer in my set review, citing its potential damage output with the format being almost completely dominated by Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX. Adversity Slash has the potential to be extremely powerful, it starts off at 30 damage and gets 50 damage greater for each Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX your opponent has in play! Eternatus VMAX, vying for the format’s best deck, is sure to have a field full of these kinds of Pokemon. You may not one-shot things, but you’ll be taking comfortable two-hit Knock Outs where you like. I’ve built this deck a few ways, a pure toolbox variant playing other single Prizers like [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and others; a version playing [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to increase your damage output; and finally my favorite, a [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] version with Fire-type support.

How Golispod and Fire Go Together

Adversity Slash benefits from its two Colorless Energy typing, you can pair Golisopod with anything. Smash Turn could be a decent attack in its own right, but it’s severely under-powered in today’s game and would require another colored Energy, this time a Grass. The Fire support package gives you another way to charge Golisopod up in one go, Welder, and also complements your early turns where you may not have an immediate attack ready to go.

[cardimg name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I identified three of my favorite techs to throw into this deck and have been playing them alongside Golisopod: [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. Heatran-GX gives you another neutral way to one-shot things, as costly as that may be with its GX attack. If nothing else, Steaming Stomp is a decent damage burst that will assuredly set up two-hit Knock Outs. Victini V allows you to set up Heatran-GX for greater numbers and remains a solid attacker in its own right with Energy Burst, and Volcanion is another single Prizer that you can set up behind. High-Heat Blast is again another solid-smacking attack that can set things up. Fire stuff more than anything else gels with the Colorless typing of Adversity Slash, giving you a draw engine with Welder, a way to get Energy in [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card], and some recovery with [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. You also benefit from [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card]; the Energy acceleration more than anything gives this deck a fine way to power up additional Golisopod past the first few with [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card]. Now one could argue for [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck, a completely valid point, but that Special Energy doesn’t naturally allow for a sideshow of attackers. There will be awkward games or particular matchups where Golisopod is rendered obsolete in the face of other single Prize Pokemon decks or an inopportune board state. These games in particular will leave you requiring something more, something that can carry the torch in the meantime.

Along with the supporting cast, I’ve filled my list for this deck out with other consistency cards like a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] engine and ample other Ability-based support Pokemon. Crobat V, [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card], and even [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] currently have a home in my list, as does something a little special: [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s probably been a little while since Mawile-GX was on your radar, it’s last seen play in [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] decks, archetypes that were searching to get a quick win after using Altered Creation GX. Golisopod isn’t going to be such an aggro concept, it certainly won’t blow your socks off, but Mawile-GX can ramp up its damage output by putting Basic Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX onto your opponent’s Bench. [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] has even slipped into my build, giving you a fifty-fifty shot of reusing Mawile-GX or one of your support Pokemon.

Golisopod / Welder Deck List

Let me introduce the list!

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[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Golisopod” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”18″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x Golisopod (DAA #18)4x [card name=”Wimpod” set=”Unified Minds” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Crobat V (DAA #104)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ 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=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ 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″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Decklist Breakdown

Four Wimpod and Four Golisopod

The Water-type [card name=”Wimpod” set=”Unified Minds” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] is way better than the new one, it only has a single Colorless Energy Retreat Cost compared to three. You want to max this line completely because it’s your main attacker. You might use all four in a game and you’d rather not have to search them out, drawing them early and often is always better, it saves you search cards. I’ve even considered [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] as a “fifth” Wimpod, you definitely want both of these playsets!

Two Dedenne-GX, One Eldegoss V, and One Crobat V

We have so many splashable support Pokemon at our disposal now that it’s hard to determine which ones are best! This lineup has worked well, although perhaps there are too many of them for their own good. These are sitting targets, of course, playing only one Dedenne-GX could be an option, as I still like to diversify the options. Eldegoss V fits well in any deck still playing Welder, it’s a searchable way to replay the Supporter after using it once already. The one of each is reminiscent of many Expanded decks that opted for one Dedenne-GX, one [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], and one [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card].

One Volcanion, One Victini V, and One Heatran-GX

[cardimg name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I definitely started on the thinner side of things with this Fire-type lineup, there may be room to expand upon it, probably adding extra counts of each. It’s not that you want to start with any of these or anything like that, it’s simply about prizing and/or using more than one in a game. [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] in particular comes to mind, having two would be nice, as it’s especially great when playing second. I believe this deck wants to go first, so when you don’t have that option it’s great to have a backup plan. I don’t place much value in a second [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], you’re only using either of those once a game anyways.

There are other Fire options, like maybe even [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], but the more you play the more Fire Energy you’ll want in this deck. For now, I’m playing a lower count, as you’re not super invested in the Fire types, but again there’s merit to that as well. Victini V will often accelerate Energy to Heatran-GX or other Pokemon for Heatran-GX to borrow them later with its Ability; Volcanion is your ideal opener while going second, and Heatran-GX is great for the occasional big one-hit Knock Out that’s not dependent on Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX being in play.

Four Welder and Three Boss’s Orders

You’ll want four [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] in any deck with Fire Energy and while most Fire decks of late have played [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] for Nine Temptations, this deck wants [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] instead. You’re already playing one Stage One and the moving pieces to it and the rest of your deck don’t leave a ton of space on the Bench. Having yet another Bench sitter is bad news for a build that’s going to want two Wimpod in play at all times. Welder is the only draw Supporter in here as well, so you genuinely need all four. I have considered adding additional draw support.

One Ordinary Rod and One Fire Crystal

[card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] lets you use up to five Golisopod in a game, although that is unlikely. It is mostly included to compensate for any bad discards early in the game, it also gives you the potential to use one of the Fire attackers multiple times in a game. If nothing else, it’s also Energy recovery, like the included [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. This isn’t a full-on Welder deck, like it doesn’t need to Welder to win, but it still wants to so some Energy recovery is still a good thing. In a loose sense think of this deck’s structure like the [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] decks from the beginning of last season, playing eight Fire Energy on average, three Psychic Energy, and one recovery card, usually [card name=”Energy Recycle System” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card].

Options

More Fire Support

There are other attackers besides what we’ve got right now. Reshiram and Charizard-GX, [card name=”Ninetales V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], and maybe even [card name=”Torkoal V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] come to mind. I don’t think this deck would make great use of [card name=”Turtonator” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], you just won’t have enough Fire Energy in play at a time to make a difference. Playing another Volcanion is the highest thing on my list right now, it would give you a better chance in single Prizer matchups and defend against prizing in games where you are going second. Making room for anything at this point will take some sacrifice, I would point to the [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] lineup. I like them a lot with what I have currently, but if you want to change this deck up more with any of these options, I think that playset will have to go. An example of a possible change could be a Reshiram and Charizard-GX, a Volcanion, and two more Fire Energy in exchange for the set of Super Scoop Up. Without the flippy card, maybe you don’t even play [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] anymore, I haven’t thought too hard about that yet. Mawile-GX has been strong, it turns games by itself, but sometimes it can be a liability as well. Also keep the second [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in mind for a different cut, that could have some merit as well.

Ninetales

Nine Temptations is extremely powerful and more efficient than Boss’s Orders. However, is it realistic? To make it a fit in this deck not only would you have to find about four spots for the Ninetales line, but I would want more Fire Energy. Another Fire Crystal also should be added, so that you can reliably use Nine Temptations again and again. In today’s game with every deck playing Boss’s Orders just about, Ninetales becomes less good because your opponent can take it out. Ninetales is always a solid option in a Fire Energy-playing deck, so I will have it in mind moving forward and you should too.

Other Draw Supporters

Having [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] is never a bad thing. The thing here is that Welder is usually enough to get the job done and has the added bonus of the Energy attachments. However, there are times where something a little more would be nice, maybe some good old draw. I don’t think I’d play a whole lot of them, but maybe a Professor’s Research or two would tie me over. I don’t think Marnie would cut it in here, you’re only wanting to go for gold when you play a Supporter in here that isn’t Welder, dump the hand, move on.

Playing the Deck and Matchups

Baby Blacephalon, Mad Party, Spiritomb, Other Single Prizers

These matchups are awkward without more not-Golisopod single Prizer attacking options. Golisopod is not going to be amazing if your opponent doesn’t play down Pokemon V or Pokemon-GX, and while Mawile-GX might be able to fill some of that void, if your opponent is able to limit their Bench of these Pokemon it’s going to be a rough time. Volcanion is the best option in any of these, except against [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] where it will be 10 short of a one-hit Knock Out. Regarding Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX math, you’ll be looking for your opponent to have two in play so you can get to the point of one-shotting with Adversity Slash. Any of these matchups would go better for a different build of this deck, be it a toolbox with other single Prizer attackers, or the Roxie variant. As it is, I don’t expect much of these decks moving forward. Baby Blacephalon has some merit but still struggles to reach the numbers necessary to one-shot Pokemon VMAX. If you want to counter single Prizer decks exclusively, then Golisopod is not the deck for you. Things can be done to improve the matchups, but it’s going to take a lot of work, and space.

Centiskorch VMAX

320 HP requires six Pokemon V or Pokemon-GX in play. This is far too much to ask, especially of a deck that’s likely going to be running its own Volcanion and other single Prizers in support of Centiskorch VMAX. You’ll be playing a two-shot game here, looking to win the game on the back of four attacks for six Prizes. This can of course change if you get a single Prize Knock Out early then take out a [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] or something later, removing the necessity of taking two Pokemon VMAX out. I find this matchup to be slightly favorable as you’re typically playing with a Prize advantage and there are some games that you can blow wide open if things pan out for one-hit Knock Outs.

Eternatus VMAX

This is your best matchup hands down, there’s not much they can even do about it either. Eternal Zone lets you ramp up for maximum damage, they can’t exactly play around it either, Eternatus V isn’t an efficient enough attacker on its own to trade Prizes with you. Most lists play a couple of single Prizers of their own, but it won’t be enough to make up for the big one-hit Knock Outs you’re sure to get. If you think they’re limiting their Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX, they probably are, Mawile-GX will punish that single-handedly. The Eternatus VMAX matchup is one of the first reasons I was drawn to Golisopod as a card in the first place, this matchup is favorable.

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX

Another reason to love Golisopod, [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks are almost entirely composed of Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX right now. The only exceptions in the typical list are [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. Other than those two, you’ll be smooth sailing with one-shots, Mawile-GX can get you to fill up their Bench in no time if they’re holding onto anything. They don’t play Pokemon Communication so they can’t exactly put them back into the deck, the only counterplay to Mawile-GX is discarding the Pokemon themselves. With four Pokemon V / Pokemon-GX in play, you’ll be doing 230, dangerously close to one-shotting the TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX, you’ll be up against, and one-shotting anything else. Five is the magic number for free reign here, this matchup is usually favorable as well. If you can get a one-hit Knock Out with Hot Burn GX then you’ll be in an even more favorable position.

Vikavolt V

Paralyzing Bolt shuts down 19 of the cards in this list, so finding some attackers quickly is important. I’ve found that presenting an attacker immediately of any kind is a winning strategy, I like to start with [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] if possible. Doing 130 damage twice is enough to take out a Vikavolt V and from there you can go into Golisopod. These lists are usually playing a decent number Pokemon V / Pokemon-GX, something like three to four Vikavolt V, and then about four in some combination of support Pokemon. This opens up one-hit Knock Outs, you’ll need four of these in play to swing that hard. The main thing is presenting some threat early so that the Item lock may cease, Heatran-GX is the best option. [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is okay as well, Power Heater sets things up by thinning the deck of Fire Energy and also showing off other attackers. This matchup is around the even point, sometimes you brick hard because of the Item lock.

Zacian V

I expect more [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] variants than anything these days, the matchup there can be close. Your Fire-type guys can one-shot [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] easily, but the Prize advantage of Altered Creation GX is of course significant. Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX has 280 HP so you’ll need for them to have five Pokemon V / Pokemon-GX in play to take a one-hit Knock Out. It’s possible, so look for it if you can. You’ll need to get to that point rather quickly, the more concerning factor, as they can reliably start taking two Prizes each round starting on their third turn. This is somewhere in the slightly unfavorable to even range, I would rather not face this matchup. There’s not a counter to Altered Creation GX in Standard right now, the best way to deal with this matchup is having luck on your side, hitting a favorable [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] or hoping that your opponent loads their Bench up with Adversity Slash damage modifiers.

Conclusion

Golisopod looks like the most promising single Prizer deck since Baby Blacephalon hit the scene. Spiritomb has meddled with success in between then and now as well, but I think Golisopod looks to be a better deck overall. There are a few different ways you could play it, but the Fire options look best to me right now. Moving forward I wouldn’t be surprised to find some other variants of Golisopod I haven’t heard of, it’s a versatile card with the main attack typing not favoring a certain color. As with most decks in a new metagame, this is a work in progress, but it shows great promise so far! If you have any suggestions or questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a line on the Subscribers’ Hideout. Until next time, thanks for reading, and stay safe!

Peace,

–Caleb

Follow me on Twitter @shredemerptcg.

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