The Cat’s Out of the Bag — The Case for Persian-GX in ADP / Zacian V

Hello, readers! Unless you’re a complete newcomer to the Pokemon TCG’s competitive scene (in which case, welcome!), you’ve heard of [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], aka ADP / Zacian V. It’s a Tier 1 deck since Sword & Shield and it currently defines the metagame. While it hasn’t performed as well overall as [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] (not that there’s any way to have an objective ranking right now), it has made top cut and won multiple online events. More importantly, it destroys a lot of one-Prize or two-Prize Pokemon decks, preventing them from finding a spot in the metagame (I won’t get into the “ban ADP” controversy). While three-Prize Pokemon’s dominance in the metagame is the result of design decisions that started with Team Up (that I find unhealthy, but that’s yet another topic!), it’s undeniable that Altered Creation GX is one major factor in this state of affairs.

Since the release of Darkness Ablaze and the addition of [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] to the roster of powerful support Pokemon alongside [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card], it’s possible for ADP / Zacian V to reliably win the game in three attacks: Altered Creation GX, its Ultimate Ray attack on a support Pokemon, then Zacian V’s Brave Blade attack on another support Pokemon. You don’t even have to engage with your opponent’s main attacker, especially if it’s a Pokemon VMAX.

Such a game plan is so linear that ADP / Zacian V lists tend to focus on consistency rather than on techs. What the deck does is so strong that if you can achieve your game plan, you’ll win the game. However, there are deck list variations. Some players choose to include risky cards like [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Turbo Patch” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], while others disrupt their opponents with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card]. Tech attackers like [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Milotic V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] may find a spot in certain deck lists. João Pedro Medeiros started running a list using [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] instead of [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] to get a more consistent turn 1 Altered Creation GX attack.

Personally, I recommend using [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] in ADP / Zacian V. This is not my idea: Isaiah Bradner was the one who popularized this tech, although he credits Michael Catron with the idea. Persian-GX is a cool card — remember when using Stage-1 Pokemon-GX was common? However, Persian-GX plays a very different role here than it did in [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks. No [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] needed as Persian-GX won’t attack in the vast majority of games. Instead, it’s used for its Cat Walk Ability. ADP / Zacian V can have trouble with decks that manage to OHKO Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX fast enough, which are mostly Eternatus VMAX and [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. Cat Walk lets you retaliate after such a KO by finding key cards like [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], ensuring that you can still win the game in two attacks!

At the time I’m writing this, I’m playing the deck list in this article in the Atlas League’s Mini #5 tournament (a 24 hour per round event). I’m first seed with a 6-0-1 record going into Top 16 and only lost one game overall, so I think that the deck is definitely a strong choice. I think this deck is a safe choice in order to farm PTCGO events for the Players Cup’s qualification phase (there’s a lot of reason to distrust Crushing Hammer and Turbo Patch lists in a best of one environment), so read on if you’re aiming to win the Players Cup II!

Deck List and Comments

Let’s start with the list I’m using. Again, most of the credit goes to Isaiah Bradner.

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[decklist name=”ADP Zacian + cat” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”129″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]2x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]8x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

In most decks, you need to balance techs against consistency. Is it better to do the same thing, or to have options for different scenarios but with the risk of possibly not getting the cards you need? As I said in the introduction, [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] wants consistency more than anything, because it wins the game in record time when it does what it wants (turn 1 Intrepid Sword, turn 2 Altered Creation GX, turn 3 Ultimate Ray, and turn 4 Brave Blade). This can be seen in this deck list: Four Zacian V, four [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], two [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] so we don’t whiff the Water Energy. Some lists run [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] instead as it is frustrating for the opponent and Viridian Forest will be useful to them. However, it’s very important to find a Water Energy on the second turn so Viridian Forest is better overall. It comes back to the deck’s philosophy. It doesn’t matter what the opponent does, because as long as we get to do what we want, we’ll win.

Persian-GX

[cardimg name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The additional Persian-GX does change this approach a little because Cat Walk lets you search for specific cards. There’s a temptation to include cards for specific scenarios like [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], which is usually hard to find when needed. This doesn’t work as well in practice for two reasons. First, there’s a risk you have to discard your key card due to Professor’s Research or [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dedechange in the early game — while you can use an alternative like [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] to avoid discarding your hand, it’s not a guarantee. Second, you won’t use Cat Walk as much as you expect. Often, an opponent will try to play around it by Knocking Out Zacian V (which is not a Pokemon-GX so it doesn’t activate Cat Walk) or Persian-GX itself. Usually that’s not a big deal, but it does mean that you won’t have easy access to the one-of card that you included for this specific situation.

As an Evolution Pokemon, [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] can save you against [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. Galarian Obstagoon is mostly played as a one-of in [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] / Galarian Obstagoon decks, a matchup that’s already difficult because of Decidueye. Should you find yourself against this deck, remember that you can OHKO Galarian Obstagoon with Persian-GX’s Vengeance attack after Altered Creation GX if you have six Pokemon in your discard pile. Maybe the new Galarian Obstagoon in Champion’s Path will inspire players to experiment more with Galarian Obstagoon, which could make this scenario more frequent.

Use the Caturday [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] over the Team Up [card name=”Meowth” set=”Team Up” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] with 10 more HP. Meowth’s HP is pretty much irrelevant, plus Caturday has saved me more than once! For example, there was a game against [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”custom”]Green’s[/card] [card name=”Moltres and Zapdos and Articuno-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card]  where my opponent had two Prizes left and had used Reset Stamp to leave me with two cards. I drew two dead cards but topdecked Meowth, which I used to draw two more cards with Caturday. My opponent Knocked it Out but Meowth is the only card in the deck to only concede one Prize. I drew a [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] off Caturday and was able to search for Dedenne-GX and win the game on the next turn.

Mawile-GX

While some ADP / Zacian V lists don’t include it, I think [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] is core to the deck. This deck runs four Cherish Ball so Mawile-GX is easy to find. There are situations where you only need a Metal Pokemon so you don’t waste a [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] and Mawile-GX does the trick. But obviously it has more uses than that. The main plan of this deck is to KO your opponent’s Dedenne-GX and Crobat V. If your opponent manages not to put either Pokemon onto the Bench, Mawile-GX’s Captivating Wink Ability will force your opponent to do so against their will. This is especially useful in the mirror match and against [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s difficult for Mewtwo and Mew-GX not to play any Dedenne-GX, but getting them on the Bench and denying your opponent from using Dedechange is extremely useful to counter your opponent’s plans.

Mawile-GX is an attacker that uses two Energy instead of Zacian V’s three, plus it doesn’t have Brave Blade’s limitation. While its damage output is lower, it can OHKO a Crobat V or Dedenne-GX after Altered Creation GX if your opponent’s Bench is full. Remember that Dedenne-GX has Metal resistance, so Mawile-GX won’t OHKO it if the opponent’s Bench isn’t full. Mawile-GX is a great attacker against [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] since it will OHKO the same targets as Zacian V, but requires one less Energy to do so. More importantly, it’s a Pokemon-GX so when it’s KO’d it activates Persian-GX’s Cat Walk.

Oricorio-GX

This card is a bit unusual, but [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] pairs well with Persian-GX. You don’t need its Dance of Tribute Ability if you already have Cat Walk available, but having both on board means that if your opponent gets a KO on Persian-GX in combination with a Reset Stamp, you can use Oricorio-GX’s Ability (and vice versa). You won’t have to use Oricorio-GX in most games so don’t be afraid to discard it early on if you need the Bench space for other cards. But if you have it in your deck in the late game, it’s good to put it onto the Bench especially if you know that your opponent plays Reset Stamp.

Vitality Band

There is only one card that I included because of Persian-GX’s Cat Walk that doesn’t contribute to the general game plan: [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card]. Its role is to bring Zacian V’s Brave Blade’s damage up to 270 after Altered Creation GX, which lets you KO a Mewtwo and Mew-GX. Since Mewtwo and Mew-GX is a threat to ADP, this is useful. This way, if it manages to KO ADP after Altered Creation GX (usually by copying [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM211″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flare Blitz GX), you can look for some combination of Metal Saucer and Vitality Band in order to get the revenge KO on Mewtwo and Mew-GX. Vitality Band is good against [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] too, another 270 HP Pokemon some players have tried to make work in the Standard format.

Finally, Vitality Band allows Ultimate Ray to deal 160 damage if you don’t use Altered Creation GX, which can very rarely be relevant in order to OHKO Dedenne-GX. After Altered Creation it deals 190 damage instead, that’s a KO on [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. Overall, Vitality Band isn’t very important. If you’re not in a matchup where you’ll need the extra damage, feel free to discard it rather than play it on a Zacian V because [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is a better Tool option.

Energy Switch

You’ll notice that this list only runs two [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] instead of the three or four that are commonly used. My goal with this deck isn’t to use Altered Creation GX on the first turn of the game. It can happen once in a while but doing so requires discarding too many cards and filling your Bench with support Pokemon, which you won’t have access to later in the game after a Marnie or Reset Stamp. But if you don’t run Energy Switch, you’ll lose to any Energy disruption strategy. When I first tried this deck in a tournament, I removed the Energy Switch because João Pedro Medeiros said he didn’t use them at all in the last tournament he played. I proceeded to lose to [card name=”Polteageist” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”83″ c=”custom”]Mad Party[/card] and [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks that played multiple [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”custom”]Your custom text[/card]. I would have lost to Eternatus VMAX with Crushing Hammer too, but he fortunately only played one Crushing Hammer before my turn 2 Altered Creation GX and it came up tails. Basically, Energy Switch in this deck is like the 1-1 [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] in [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] from the previous Rebel Clash format, It’s not essential to the deck, but not having it makes me feel unsafe and there’s a risk of losing when you don’t get an Energy or an ADP on turn 1.

Other Options

Here are some other cards that you can try to fit in the deck:

Tool Scrapper

A meta-dependant choice. [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] is useful against [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] decks to remove [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] from Zacian V so you can OHKO them with Brave Blade. It’s good against decks that use [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] to get out of KO range such as Mewtwo and Mew-GX and Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. However as I alluded to in the previous section, it’s not that easy to find Tool Scrapper when you want to. Unlike Vitality Band, if you have Tool Scrapper in your opening hand you can’t play it down in advance. You have to have it in your hand at the right time. While Cat Walk helps, it’s not foolproof.

Great Catcher

Since the game plan is to KO easy targets on the Bench such as [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] makes sense. It’s a gust effect that doesn’t use your Supporter for the turn. While it can be useful, don’t cut a [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] for a Great Catcher. Going down to three Boss’s Orders is a trap. Having four Boss’s Orders is important and Great Catcher has far fewer targets than Boss’s Orders. Don’t worry if you discard one early in the game, as it makes Quick Ball an out to Boss’s Orders via [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card]. One reason not to include Great Catcher is because it’s completely useless against Eternatus VMAX as that deck doesn’t play any Pokemon-GX.

Galarian Zigzagoon

The same way that Vitality Band lets you reach 270 damage with Zacian V’s Brave Blade, adding [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] lets you reach 280 damage to OHKO an opponent’s [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. Having to use a Bench spot for it makes it awkward in most matchups, but in the mirror match you can save one for Galarian Zigzagoon. That said, usually the mirror is won without having to attack the opponent’s ADP so Galarian Zigzagoon’s utility is questionable.

Two Mawile-GX

As I mentioned above, [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] is extremely good in this deck and you can consider adding a second copy to the deck. It could replace the fourth Zacian V, although Zacian V is much better to have on turn 1. I haven’t tested this idea extensively yet.

Duraludon

This is a decent attacker. I don’t like using [card name=”Duraludon” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] in most matchups since it messes up the math (you want your opponent to have to KO three big Pokemon). Since it’s not a Pokemon-GX, it doesn’t activate Cat Walk if it’s KO’d. Its value is as a [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] counter so include it only if you expect Decidueye to be played.

Matchups

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

While ADP / Zacian V isn’t the hardest deck to play, there are some things to keep in mind in order to improve your win rate. First, here’s some general tips.

Your priority is to get Altered Creation GX on turn 2. If you don’t know whether your opponent plays Crushing Hammer, I recommend attaching a Metal Energy on the first turn to ADP and keep the Water Energy for turn 2. This way, if they do play Crushing Hammer, you don’t lose a precious Water Energy. The only other thing you need on turn 1 (apart from ADP and an Energy) is Zacian V to draw some cards. [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] is good to get out as soon as possible but since your opponent won’t KO ADP until turn 2, you don’t need [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] until turn 3, so you can put Meowth onto the Bench on turn 2. Overall, don’t feel like you have to draw a lot of cards very quickly. If you have your second Energy (and a switching card if needed), it’s perfectly fine to keep cards in hand on your first turn without using a draw Ability or Supporter, even when going second. Sometimes, I don’t play a draw Supporter on turn 2 if my hand is good. Often what you need is a third Energy and a Boss’s Orders for turn 3.

Don’t play [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] if you don’t have to, since you don’t want to help your opponent (especially [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] decks which appreciate the Energy searching Stadium a lot). It’s best to keep Viridian Forest in hand to replace an opponent’s Stadium, especially [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card].

Timing the use of Mawile-GX’s Captivating Wink is key in several matchups. I don’t recommend using it on turn 1 if you can avoid it, except against [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. Usually, Mawile-GX’s Ability is best after your opponent has drawn cards, for example with Zacian V’s Intrepid Sword Ability.

Eternatus VMAX

This matchup favors whoever goes first, but ADP / Zacian V has better odds to win going second than Eternatus VMAX. The way you lose this matchup is if your opponent gets a KO on ADP before you used Altered Creation GX, which is not that easy especially if they go first! If you go first, you should pretty much get a turn 2 Altered Creation. Then, if ADP gets KO’d in return, you can use Cat Walk to get a revenge KO on a [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or another Benched Pokemon such [card name=”Eternatus V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Your first attacker should be Mawile-GX so that when it’s KO’d, you can use Cat Walk again to KO another Crobat V with Zacian V. Don’t bother attacking Eternatus VMAX itself unless you have no other choice.

Note that if your opponent targets Persian-GX itself, then you only need [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] to find your next KO. As your opponent didn’t KO your usual attackers, you probably don’t need to search for [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. Be careful, some Eternatus VMAX decks run [card name=”Galarian Slowbro V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. This makes it possible for them to KO ADP through the Poison Special Condition, in which case Cat Walk won’t activate.

This is a matchup in which [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] is useful. Its Dance of Tribute Ability can be helpful to find more cards alongside Cat Walk because to get a revenge KO, you usually need a combination of cards like Zacian V, a Metal Energy, two Metal Saucer, and Boss’s Orders. Use Dance of Tribute before Cat Walk!

ADP / Zacian V

The two things to do to win this mirror matchup (in order of importance) — don’t bench easy Prizes and use Altered Creation GX before your opponent. You can’t stop your opponent from using Altered Creation GX, but you do have control over benching your Pokemon. Avoid benching [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], Crobat V, [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card], and Oricorio-GX when your opponent hasn’t used Ultimate Ray yet. Of course, your opponent will probably do the same (unless one of you had the misfortune of starting with one of these Pokemon) so Mawile-GX is key. On either your Altered Creation turn (if your opponent hasn’t already used Altered Creation GX) or your Ultimate Ray turn, use Mawile-GX to force your opponent to Bench something they don’t want to. Conversely, if you have an undesirable Pokemon in hand, discard it using Viridian Forest or Quick Ball if possible so that your opponent can’t force it to the Bench with their Mawile-GX’s Captivating Wink.

Mewtwo and Mew-GX

You’ll have easy support Pokemon targets in this matchup, but [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] lets you KO [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] itself if needed since that’s sometimes easier. Generally, you’ll want to use Mawile-GX the turn after your opponent uses a Dedenne-GX. This is because they might have another one in hand that they’re holding for the next turn.

Centiskorch VMAX

This matchup can be awkward, depending on how well they manage to set up without using support Pokemon. It’s possible for [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] to deal 280 damage on turn 2 going second with only one Welder (thanks to Volcanion), so this is a rare matchup where going second is slightly better. An early [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is good to either prevent the early OHKO on ADP or force your opponent to bench Dedenne-GX, Crobat V, or Eldegoss V. [card name=”Milotic V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] can improve this matchup, but I don’t think it makes such a huge difference since losses usually come when you don’t manage to use Ultimate Ray. Plus, powering up Milotic V without Ultimate Ray is difficult with only two [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck. Big Charm is another card that can help, but you’ll need to draw into it naturally. If you have to Cat Walk for it then it’s already too late!

Blacephalon

Blacephalon used to be a reliable counter to [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], but with no [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] the matchup is worse for them. Against Blacephalon, using Marnie early on (turns 2 and 3 ideally) can be game-winning. I wouldn’t hesitate to play Eldegoss V to re-use Marnie if needed. If they don’t get a KO the turn after you use Altered Creation GX, you win the game in three turns (or two if you can KO two Pokemon-GX or Pokemon V). Blacephalon can rely on [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] to get early Prizes, so try to avoid Benching Dedenne-GX. Although if they do KO it, you can use Cat Walk to help you KO Cramorant with Zacian V!

Lucario and Melmetal-GX

This matchup can be difficult depending on how committed your opponent is to tanking damage. The [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] list that won the first Players Cup is hard to deal with without [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card], because there are no easy targets to OHKO. However, many lists nowadays play some support Pokemon like Crobat V. In this matchup, avoid having ADP in the Active Spot on your first turn. This is so that if your opponent wants to go for an early Full Metal Wall GX, they don’t get to discard your Energy. If they discard your Energy after you use Altered Creation GX, you can focus on powering up another attacker instead.

One surprisingly useful attacker in this matchup is [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]. Its lower HP doesn’t matter as every attack that’s a KO on Mawile-GX is a KO on Zacian V. Additionally, attacking for two Energy instead of three is relevant when your opponent has Energy denial. If you can’t OHKO the opponent’s Active Pokemon (Lucario and Melmetal-GX for example), you can hit it once with Mawile-GX and threaten a KO with Zacian V on the next turn.

Decidueye / Galarian Obstagoon

[cardimg name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is a bad matchup as you have no counter to [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card]. Your best bet is to get a quick Altered Creation GX followed by an Ultimate Ray. Some Decidueye / [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] lists are very reliant on [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ c=”name”][/card], so as long as you don’t take a KO they might have some unevolved Pokemon in play. Try to use Marnie before your first KO to put their Rosa back in the deck.

Ideally, your opponent can’t evolve every [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Dartrix” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] into Decidueye, or use [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] on other Pokemon such as [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] immediately so you can get a second KO. For the last KO, you’ll need Mawile-GX to get them to put another Pokemon back in play. If they just used Scoop Up Net, you know they have a Pokemon in hand so go for it. Avoid having [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] in play if possible, so that your opponent can’t easily discard a Basic Pokemon they drew. Otherwise, you can let your opponent take KOs and use Mawile-GX afterwards, hoping that they took a Basic Pokemon in their Prizes.

If your opponent doesn’t attack in order not to take Prizes, you can start attacking with [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]! A Meowth with Vitality Band hits for 70 damage (a 2HKO on Decidueye) with Tail Whap, forcing a reaction by the opponent. Meowth can also be used if your opponent got Decidueye in play but didn’t manage to get Energy. A second Mawile-GX would improve this matchup and so would [card name=”Duraludon” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. Here’s an idea — you can include Mewtwo and Mew-GX and [card name=”Greninja-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM197″ c=”name”][/card] in your deck. Mewtwo and Mew-GX can not only copy Altered Creation GX and Ultimate Ray, but Freninja-GX’s Mist Slash as well to OHKO Decidueye and Galarian Obstagoon.

Conclusion

Overall, [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] is not a revolutionary card but it generally improves the deck. There are many ways to build ADP / Zacian V in order to give it an edge over more classic lists. Most of these ways are risky or outright coin-flippy like [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card], or including four Energy Switch and trying to get a turn 1 Altered Creation in every matchup.

Persian-GX on the other hand gives you more control over the game. It is worse than the other ADP / Zacian V variants against Centiskorch VMAX, but you’ll win more games overall if you’re not relying on luck. There will be games where you have the worst luck — being forced to use [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dedechange turn 1 to hit an Energy and not find any, or when you have to discard multiple [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] before you can play them. Even though ADP / Zacian V / Persian-GX is slightly slower, it will put a lot of pressure on the opponent from the start of the game and maintain this pressure throughout, forcing them to put Pokemon like Dedenne-GX on the Bench that you can prey upon. In other words, do ADP things!

–Stéphane

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