Anti-Meta for the Players Cup — Optimizing Decidueye / Galarian Obstagoon

Hello everyone! This is Grant back with another article for you all. Lately, I’ve been working with [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] in the Standard format. With the second Player’s Cup Qualifiers coming up, now’s the perfect time to be practicing the current Standard format. Since many people are tired of [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], I wanted to put some time into a deck that isn’t one of those and can also beat them. Decidueye is certainly not a new concept. It’s had alright results in recent tournaments, but it’s still not receiving much attention. In my opinion, Decidueye might be the best deck in the format, and I would certainly play it for a Regional.

Decidueye List

[premium]

[decklist name=”decigoon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Turffield Stadium” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]3x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Game Plan

[cardimg name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The interesting thing about this deck is its use of alternate win conditions. Depending on the matchup, keep a specific win condition in mind when playing out the game.

This deck indirectly wins by checkmating the opponent. We aren’t concerned about taking Prize cards in most matchups because that will come naturally after setting up our desired board state. Because of this, the list omits [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Although Boss’s Orders can help pick off threats, we can still use the damaging Abilities from [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] for sniping, as well as attacks from [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. The space is better used for consistency.

We prefer either [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] depending on the matchup. Setting up one of these two Pokemon is enough to deal with most meta decks. Aside from that, we must be wary of potential answers that an opponent may have and deal with them accordingly.

This will make more sense when I talk about the matchups. This is a deck whose game plan varies greatly depending on what it finds itself up against.

List Breakdown

Let’s take a look at what I’ve included in this list and why.

Three Decidueye

Decidueye’s Ability renders it immune against all Pokemon-GX and Pokemon V, which means it can destroy some decks single-handed. It also doesn’t require the use of an attack to gain invincibility, unlike Galarian Obstagoon. This means it’s easier to set up, so it’s preferred over Obstagoon in the matchups where opponents don’t have a solid answer. Decidueye is our only option against Pokemon VMAX. Any deck with Pokemon VMAX that also has a way to deal with multiple Decidueye qualifies as a bad matchup.

Rowlet’s attack can snipe for 60 damage for no cost after using [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] for the turn, which is actually quite useful. This is because most attackers that can hit Decidueye come in the form of single-Prize Basic Pokemon. Rowlet can either prep these targets for a KO or it can KO them outright, depending what we’re up against. It will probably get KO’d in turn after doing this, but losing a Rowlet with no Energy is no loss at all.

That said, there are situations where the other [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card] is better. The extra 10 HP is occasionally relevant, as is the lack of an Ability against [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. I’ve had both of these situations come up before, but I feel the 60 damage snipe is too valuable because it can help with removing threats. A split of Rowlet may be worth looking into.

Two Galarian Obstagoon

Galarian Obstagoo is preferred in many matchups, which I’ll elaborate on shortly. Its invincibility to all Basic Pokemon is better than Decidueye against anything that isn’t a Pokemon VMAX. The list focuses more on Decidueye because, in the matchups where it’s needed, it’s more likely that we need multiple Decidueye. In matchups where we rely on Obstagoon, it’s more likely we only need one of them to come out. Additionally, Decidueye can function as a version of Obstagoon, and its invincibility is more convenient in that it doesn’t need to attack. The Abilities of Galarian Obstagoon and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] along with [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] supplement the deck nicely. As I pointed out, most of the answers to this deck are low-HP single-Prize attackers, which means the damage pings from these Abilities are effective at weakening them.

Four Jirachi

[card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and its Stellar Wish Ability enable the deck to function smoothly, as we are asking for a lot by depending on Stage 2’s. Stellar Wish finds us combo pieces and helps us recover after an opposing [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. Jirachi also has great synergy with [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] and Scoop Up Net, and makes the perfect sacrificial pawn while we are setting up.

One Mew

Mew’s Bench Barrier is needed to defend against [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] (particularly against [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] decks). It’s also useful against anything else with snipe attacks such as [card name=”Inteleon VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card]. Furthermore, Psypower is incredibly useful in weakening or KO’ing opposing threats ([card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Team Up” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], etc.). Mew is useful in many odd situations, and it can always be recovered with [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card].

Four Scoop Up Net

Scoop Up Net is a huge addition to wall decks like this. With [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] playing such a huge part in the meta, the Bench is never safe. This means we have to play with Boss’s Orders in mind and must limit our Bench so as not to allow the opponent the option of simply ignoring our Active Pokemon. However, this deck does require Pokemon to set up, and opponents will be taking Prize cards before we fully set up. Scoop Up Net is crucial because it allows us to pick up any extra Pokemon that may otherwise be game-losing liabilities. Basically, Scoop Up Net makes it easier to reach our win condition, and it allows this deck to operate a bit more freely than it otherwise could.

Furthermore, Scoop Up Net has obvious synergy with Jirachi. By allowing extra uses of Stellar Wish, we can dig for cards we need on crucial turns. Scoop Up Net is also amazing with Galarian Zigzagoon, allowing multiple uses of snipe damage to help with taking out low-HP threats. This is relevant in more matchups than you might think, which I’ll discuss shortly. We can also pick up Galarian Obstagoon to reuse its Ability, though each use of it requires a Rare Candy. The fact that Scoop Up Net can fully heal anything is something to keep in mind as well, though it doesn’t come up too often.

Two Big Parasol

[cardimg name=”Muk and Alolan Muk-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”61″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] blocks attacks from [card name=”Muk and Alolan Muk-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], which [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] would normally use to beat this deck. It also blocks the troublesome effects from [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]’s Full Metal Wall GX, [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Team Up” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]’s Shady Stamp, and [card name=”Inteleon VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s Hydro Snipe, among other things. Big Parasol is useless in many matchups, but it’s a game-changer in the matchups where it’s used.

Two Ordinary Rod

[card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] compensates for relatively low counts of cards like [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] and Basic Energy. It allows us to recover Basic Pokemon that were sniped off as well as casualties incurred by [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], and it essentially gives us multiple copies of Mew in some matchups.

One Energy Spinner

This could be another Energy card, but [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] can be found via Stellar Wish, which gives it an extra degree of utility at the cost of another actual Energy.

One Tool Scrapper

[card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] gets rid of [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], which creates an opening for a big turn against [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Team Up” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], which would otherwise be an impenetrable fortress combined with [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card].

Matchups

I feel that the other cards in the deck are self-explanatory. The ones I didn’t go over are all simply good cards that allow the deck to function consistently. [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t too great here because we are aiming to make combos and set up. Therefore, cards like Bird Keeper and [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ c=”name”][/card] are better because they allow us to keep our hand and the combo pieces therein. Trading our hand for a mere five cards simply isn’t good, and there’s no need for the hand disruption against the opponent because we aim to set up our win condition and nothing else. I played around with cards like [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card], and they aren’t bad per se, but I’ve cut them because they’re underwhelming. Cards like [card name=”Dartrix” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Linoone” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] are considerations that are worth exploring. I can’t definitively say that they shouldn’t be in the deck.

The gameplay against various matchups is particularly important for this deck, as the plan varies depending on the opponent. Let’s get into it.

Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V — Favorable

This matchup is favorable. Galarian Obstagoon is preferred in case they run [card name=”Duraludon” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] to beat [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card]. However, if you know that they don’t have Duraludon (or any similar Decidueye counter), then going for Decidueye is better. Against an unknown list, try setting up Galarian Obstagoon. I generally go about this by preparing two separate [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] with an Energy apiece and setting up for Rosa, though sometimes you will have the Turn 2 or Turn 3 Galarian Obstagoon ready to go. In that case, going for Galarian Obstagoon as soon as possible is best. The recent trend of [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] in some decks is certainly annoying for this deck, and the effects are felt particularly hard in this matchup, where the opponent’s sole goal is to prevent us from using Obstruct.

If it looks like the opponent will successfully deny Obstruct through the use of [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and / or Crushing Hammer, it’s time to switch to the Decidueye plan and hope they don’t have a counter. The opponent’s only winning route is if they manage to prevent Obstruct and have a Decidueye counter as well. This usually doesn’t happen, but it’s certainly possible, which is why this matchup sits at solidly favorable for Decidueye.

The most important thing to keep in mind in this matchup is [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]. Most [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] lists play it, so be sure to keep extra Basic Pokemon out of your hand at all times. This can easily be done thanks to the heavy counts of Professor’s Research, [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card]. There’s also this deck’s copy of [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], which the opponent may be running as well. Feel free to aggressively thin Basic Pokemon out of the deck too, as there’s always the chance of your opponent using Marnie to draw you into Basic Pokemon and then being hit with Mawile-GX’s Ability. We don’t want the opponent having any Boss’s Orders targets, as they get two free Prizes for each one.

Lastly, although we want to avoid playing down too many Pokemon, sometimes it’s necessary to set up. In that case, carefully keep track of every [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] and plan accordingly so that there aren’t enough Pokemon in play for them to KO and win. Scoop Up Net is extremely useful here.

Eternatus VMAX — Favorable

[card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] is a good matchup, but there are several things to account for. [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], the other [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Galarian Slowbro V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] are all potential threats. When all of these are eliminated, we win with Decidueye. Keep in mind that nearly all Eternatus VMAX lists don’t play all of these, so we only have to deal with whatever combination our opponent happens to have. Galarian Slowbro V isn’t too much of a problem. It’s difficult to use and doesn’t do much damage. We have [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] as well as the option to manually Retreat out of poison.

We can make use of every sort of snipe damage to set up Hoopa for KO’s when possible (Headbutt Tantrum, [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]), or we can 2HKO them outright. The best option is an early Rowlet snipe against Hoopa, though a Psypower snipe along with a Headbutt Tantrum works too. After this prep, Decidueye can OHKO a Hoopa and does not need to fear a OHKO in return.

Spiritomb is the other factor. However, Spiritomb needs to be damaged in order to deal any meaningful damage. This means that Decidueye’s snipe effect combined with one or two Headbutt Tantrums from Zigzagoon can take Spiritomb out before it can even do anything. Of course, Rowlet and Mew can be used against it as well. This matchup requires careful planning and reacting.

While our win condition is taking out these attackers and walling with Decidueye, we must also be careful not to leave too many Pokemon on the Bench. We will invariably give up a few Prize cards while trying to set up our win condition, and we don’t want to lose the remainder of them to Boss’s Orders.

Mewtwo and Mew-GX — Favorable

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

The factors to keep in mind in this matchup are [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Double Blaze GX, [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]’s Venom Shot, [card name=”Muk and Alolan Muk-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]’s poisoning attacks, and any potential random single-Prize attackers such as [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. Fortunately, these are all easy to deal with. The best option is to go in with [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] if possible to combat the potential single-Prize attacker (though they aren’t common by any means). Going in with Decidueye is also fine.

In any case, our attacker needs to have a [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] to combat Muk and Alolan Muk-GX. We also need to set up at least two Stage 2’s in case of Double Blaze GX, but only equip the attacker with Big Parasol in case of an opposing [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card]. Mew handles Naganadel-GX for free, which is extremely convenient and allows us to set up easier.

How the game plays out largely depends on the opponent’s particular list. There is a combination of cards and circumstances that can lead to defeat, especially if any of our key cards are Prized. That said, provided everything goes somewhat normally, the matchup is quite easy for [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card].

Centiskorch VMAX — Unfavorable

This matchup’s difficulty scales with how many [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] (or other single-Prize attackers) the opponent has. Unfortunately for us, most [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] decks run a lot of them. One Volcanion is easy to deal with. Two is contentious; it can go either way. Three is incredibly difficult, bordering on impossible, and we need one to be Prized. Four is impossible. The strategy is to set up multiple Decidueye to deal with multiple Volcanion. Headbutt Tantrum pings, Rowlet, and Mew can help set up Volcanion to be KO’d by Decidueye. HP-boosting cards such as [card name=”Heat Fire Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] are problematic on Volcanion, though some lists don’t play those cards at all.

Galarian Obstagoon is not a great attacker, as it gets wrecked by Centiskorch VMAX, and we have no way to take out a Centiskorch VMAX. The most likely path to victory is defeating all of the Volcanion and then walling with Decidueye. It’s like the Eternatus VMAX matchup except their single-Prize attackers are actually threatening. Is it worth sacrificing a bit of our deck’s consistency to play multiple [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card]? I honestly don’t know, but I’m leaning towards no.

Lucario and Melmetal-GX / Zacian V (with Bronzong) — 50-50

This matchup is close, and it might be slightly unfavorable. Against lists with no [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Team Up” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], Galarian Obstagoon wins uncontested, so we’ll be discussing the matchup assuming Bronzong is involved. Like I’ve been saying with the other single-Prize attackers, Rowlet, Mew, and Headbutt Tantrum pings will be extremely helpful, especially considering that [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Team Up” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] has only 50 HP. However, [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] defends it quite well, which is a problem. It’s important to pressure Bronzor before it evolves if the opportunity presents itself. The win condition is removing Bronzong from the match and walling with Galarian Obstagoon. We can’t use Decidueye to win because it does no damage to [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] after reductions, and zero snipe damage after reductions too, so we might deck out with that route.

Big Parasol protects Galarian Obstagoon from the harmful effects of Full Metal Wall GX and Shady Stamp, so it’s important to find Big Parasol before we start attacking. After reductions, Galarian Obstagoon only does 30 damage to Bronzong, which is a 5HKO. This is why it’s useful to get as much damage on Bronzong as possible before it becomes fully defended. Furthermore, they can use [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] to erase Galarian Obstagoon’s hard work, and [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] to reuse Mallow and Lana.

Thus, after attacking into Bronzong twice, we need to have Tool Scrapper ready to go. By removing Metal Goggles, Tool Scrapper adds 30 damage to our attack and allows us to use Headbutt Tantrum, which means that we will KO Bronzong. If they have another Bronzor or Bronzong on the Bench, we want to use this opportunity to snipe damage onto that as well. We have a reasonable route to victory in this matchup, but it requires a lot to go right, which is why it’s contentious.

Blacephalon — Extremely Favorable

This matchup is laughably easy thanks to [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. Mew allows us to set up without fearing [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]’s Spit Shot. Set up Galarian Obstagoon and win uncontested. Keep in mind that the opponent can eventually take out Mew with [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. They can then use [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM214″ c=”name”][/card] to recover Boss’s Orders, use the Boss’s Orders again, and then KO Galarian Obstagoon with Spit Shot. Forcing Galarian Obstagoon to the Bench resets its invincibility to Basic Pokemon. That’s their only way to win, so play around it at all costs. This strategy can be countered by having only Galarian Obstagoon in play, which is the ideal route, so try not to play down many Pokemon. Once we’ve accomplished this, the game is over. [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] helps with this by picking up any stray Pokemon on our Bench.

If for some reason the lone Galarian Obstagoon strategy isn’t feasible, we can recover Mew up to two times with [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. Mew protects us from this strategy, as they need an additional Boss’s Orders for each time we get Mew into play. This also buys us time to find Scoop Up Net to clear out all excess Pokemon. If Mew is Prized, we can still win with Obstagoon, but it’s much more likely that they shut us out of the game with Cramorant V. So without Mew, the matchup is quite difficult.

Position in the Meta

[cardimg name=”Bronzong” set=”Team Up” no=”101″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Overall, [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is positioned well in the current Standard format. It’s great against [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] — its only bad matchup is Centiskorch VMAX, and it goes close to even against [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] with Bronzong. Although Decidueye is clearly designed as an anti-meta deck, it has the capability to defeat many fringe decks too. After all, there aren’t many decks that fulfil the requirements to deal with the defensive options that this deck has.

Conclusion

I’ve been playing this deck quite a bit recently. It’s extremely effective and strong against the current meta, but it’s not perfect or broken. I would be comfortable taking to a Regional, and I believe it’s a solid option for the Player’s Cup Qualifiers and other online events. That said, you can really run into anything online, so do so at your own risk.

Give this deck a shot if you’re playing Standard right now. Don’t forget about the victory conditions for each matchup, it’s easy to get lost in the sauce and take unnecessary or detrimental actions during the game. Thanks for reading!

–Grant

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