New Cards and New Decks — The Impact of Champion’s Path

We’re halfway through the Pokemon Players Cup II qualification period. But outside of the Players Cup II, unofficial events are happening at a feverish pace, giving everyone plenty of opportunities to play competitive Pokemon. If you’re of the opinion that the Standard format has become somewhat stale, you aren’t alone — but worry not, as some changes are coming! On October 9th, Champion’s Path will be legal for tournament play and will add an assortment of new cards to our card pool. While we have been able to play with these cards since the set’s release, it is only from October 9th that Champion’s Path will be able to affect the Players Cup II. For any participant that has entry keys, this means that Champion’s Path may end up affecting the decks that they run into, not to mention that there are a few new decks that can be made specifically with some of the new cards. Given that it is a smaller set, Champion’s Path doesn’t have many cards that you’ll have to look out for, but there are a few that can make a difference.

There are four cards in this set that I believe are worth building a deck around, as well as a few others that I could easily see being included in existing archetypes. All in all, Champion’s Path may end up being a surprisingly strong set for its size — if nothing else, its potential to shake up the meta makes it a set worth looking into. In this article, I’ll be going over the cards from Champion’s Path that I think have the most potential to make an impact right away. I’ve also got a few decklists for if you want to try out these new cards yourself! 

The New Decks

The four cards that I think have the most potential out of Champion’s Path to become their own deck archetype are Altaria, Galarian Obstagoon, Wailord V, and Alcremie VMAX. All four of these have some advantage that they can leverage against the existing meta, be it defensive (in the case of Wailord V and Altaria) or offensive (Alcremie VMAX). The other Pokemon VMAX in the set (Gardevoir VMAX and Drednaw VMAX) don’t appear to be as favorable; while there are ways you can build around them, I’m not convinced that the high bulk-low damage output strategy that they would utilize will work in our current format. Likewise, while the other Pokemon V in the set aren’t awful as a few of them can fit well into existing archetypes, they aren’t strong enough to build a deck around like you could with the above cards.

Altaria

The newest in a long line of “Safeguard” Pokemon, Altaria and its Miraculous Charm Ability are almost certain to have an impact, if not on the meta specifically then at least on deck building. The ease of which Altaria can get into play, as well as the variety of decks that it can be played in will likely necessitate Pokemon-GX and Pokemon V focused decks to include at least one non Pokemon-GX / Pokemon V attacker. Altaria can be built around similarly to current [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Since it’s a Stage 1, it will be easier to develop a board of multiple Altaria, but it is easier to Knock Out and it doesn’t hit as hard. But the fact that it is considerably easier to set up and takes up fewer spots in the deck should make it an easy replacement for Decidueye in most Decidueye-focused decks. The strategy and anti-meta aspects of the deck would be the same, but with more consistency. Here is an example of such a Altaria / [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] deck:

Altaria Deck List

[decklist name=”Altaria” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x Altaria (CPA #49)4x Swablu (CPA #48)4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ 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=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ 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=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

In addition to this deck, there are plenty of other cards that you could choose to pair with Altaria. Since it uses Colorless Energy, it can be splashed into anything that might want a safeguard Pokemon or be paired with anything regardless of the secondary Pokemon’s Energy requirements. I definitely recommend experimenting with this card as well! Likewise, if Altaria does become popular, you should evaluate your current decks to make sure that you have a way to damage it if you run into it.

Galarian Obstagoon

One of the most noxious cards to come out of Champion’s Path, Galarian Obstagoon can be an absolute headache to deal with. At its gentlest, its Wicked Ruler Ability will constantly force your opponent to use and discard resources, which can be both annoying and detrimental. At its most destructive however, Wicked Ruler is the centerpiece of a devastating combo which can force a player to discard every card they have in their hand. Here’s how it works. First, you use Wicked Ruler to bring your opponent’s hand down to four cards. Then, you use the Supporter [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], which makes your opponent discard two more cards. Finally, you attack them with [card name=”Pangoro” set=”Team Up” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tighten Up, which makes your opponent discard the final two cards in their hand, leaving them with nothing. It’s worth noting that this combo is repeatable as it doesn’t rely on a GX attack or one-time Ability. It works against any opposing hand size, be it small or large. On top of that, both Pangoro and Galarian Obstagoon can deal a fair amount of damage with their attacks, so a deck built around this strategy can win via taking Prizes as opposed to requiring a hand-lock to be in place throughout the game. This combo can be pulled off as early as turn 2 and it can be used in conjunction with other control cards to completely lock down an opponent. 

Where this deck can falter is if the opponent manages to get set up prior to the hand destruction combo or if they can draw out of the combo and set up anyway. To solve those problems, a Galarian Obstagoon / Pangoro deck will want to play plenty of other control cards to keep in check anything the opponent might be able to pull off. The tricky thing here is to be able to do so while being able to quickly set up the Stage 2 Galarian Obstagoon, as well as the attacking Pangoro. [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] can be used to control the opponent’s top card; this can be done with [card name=”Orbeetle” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hiker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] too. As for controlling the field, Crushing Hammer and [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] are the best options for removing an opponent’s Energy. You can also include a small line of [card name=”Clefable” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck. With Prankish, Clefable can simultaneously prevent the opponent from attacking and ensure that they draw into a useless card on the following turn. 

This is admittedly an early build of Galarian Obstagoon, so I wouldn’t recommend playing this as anything other than a starting point for exploring the Galarian Obstagoon / Pangoro combo. There is no doubt that it has some consistency issues as-is, but it is a potential look at what the deck can accomplish. Try it out and adjust it as needed. With any luck, you’ll make your opponent’s life miserable!

Galarian Obstagoon Deck List

[decklist name=”Galarian Obstagoon” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Pangoro” set=”Team Up” no=”94″][pokemon amt=”22″]2x Galarian Obstagoon (CPA #37)3x Galarian Zigzagoon (CPA #35)3x [card name=”Pangoro” set=”Team Up” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Pancham” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Team Up” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Magneton” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Magnemite” set=”Unified Minds” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Orbeetle” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blipbug” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”27″]3x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Piers” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ 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=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Hiding Darkness Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

To help smooth everything out, I’ve chosen to utilize [card name=”Magneton” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] as a way to guarantee that I have the needed Supporter cards when I’m ready to pull off the combo. Call Signal can easily grab [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], and Jessie and James, and gives us all of the pieces we need for the non-Pangoro part of the combo. The early game plan is then to find all three of the Basic Pokemon we need (Galarian Zigzagoon, [card name=”Pancham” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Magnemite” set=”Unified Minds” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]), and attach Energy to the Pancham. On the following turn, you’ll want to evolve to Pangoro and Magneton, then use Call Signal to find the three aforementioned Supporter cards. After that, play the Lt. Surge’s Strategy and the Green’s Exploration, finding [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”name”][/card] and an [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card]. Finally, you’ll want to use any control cards you have that might be useful, then hit them with the Galarian Obstagoon, Jessie and James, and Pangoro combo. Of course, this is easier said than done. Without using [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], it’s a bit more difficult to get those necessary Pokemon into play, along with the necessary Energy attachments. I’ve included [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to give the deck some additional consistency for after the initial set up. Again, this list is a work in progress, but the underlying concept is incredibly difficult to counter. This deck is one that I would be on the lookout for, even if the list itself isn’t up to an acceptable standard yet. I’d like to try this deck with a Jirachi engine, which may end up being the more efficient route. 
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Wailord V

Wailord V has one major advantage compared to any other Pokemon V and that is its high HP. At 280 HP, Wailord V is as tanky as the largest Tag Team Pokemon-GX, and if you attach a [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] to Wailord V its HP becomes comparable to most Pokemon VMAX. With Cape of Toughness attached, Wailord V cannot be OHKO’d by either [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] or any attacker in [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] nor can it be OHKO’d by [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]’s Full Blitz, [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flare Blitz GX, [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Double Blaze GX, or [card name=”Charizard VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s G-Max Wildfire. [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] can get the OHKO but for both of those cards, the amount of resources that they need to pull off the OHKO is substantial to the point that Wailord V can outpace them. Aside from those two and the occasional Lightning-type attacker, Wailord V should be able to withstand an attack from anything else you might run into. Usually a two-Prize Pokemon like this with the stats of a three-Prize Pokemon will likely become competitively viable. If it is forced to trade two-hit Knock Outs with opposing Pokemon VMAXs, it will come out ahead since Wailord V gives up less Prizes per KO. Against most Pokemon-GX or Pokemon V, Wailord V will be able to win by taking more Knock Outs over the same number of turns, leading to victory. 

Of course for all of this to work, Wailord V does have to be capable of taking Knock Outs. At first glance, it may not appear that getting Knock Outs is Wailord V’s forte — its attack needs four non-Colorless Energy, not to mention that its attack requires coin flips. The Energy requirement can be taken care of thanks to Wailord V’s first attack and the acceleration power of [card name=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. As for the damage output, Wailord V does hit rather hard, provided that you can flip enough heads. With two heads, its Ocean Waves attack can OHKO most Pokemon-GX and Pokemon V; with three, it can OHKO Pokemon VMAXs. [card name=”Glimwood Tangle” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] helps to shore up the variance of Wailord V’s attack and improves the card’s average damage output enough to make it a reliable option. While the full 360 damage will be unlikely (Glimwood Tangle improves the likelihood of this outcome from 12.5% of the time to about 23.44%), the likelihood of hitting 240+ damage grows from 50% to 75%. That does leave some room for poor luck to impact the match, but that can be offset by Wailord V’s built-in advantages. When luck is going your way, Wailord V can feel unstoppable — there are few things more devastating than losing a Pokemon VMAX to a single attack, against a Pokemon V that you can’t Knock Out in response.

There are a number of possible ways to build around Wailord V. You could opt for a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] engine, a Supporter-focused engine, or a [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] engine. You could focus heavily on healing or emphasize on speed. My initial list focuses more on attacking quickly and taking advantage of Wailord V’s bulk to win quickly. Here’s my Wailord V list:

Wailord V Deck List

[decklist name=”Wailord V” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x Wailord V (CPA #13)3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Snom” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Suicune” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”37″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giovanni’s Exile” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”57″ 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=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Glimwood Tangle” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This deck doesn’t necessarily need Frosmoth to power up, particularly when going second. If you go first, you will want to focus on getting multiple [card name=”Snom” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] into play, so that you can have Frosmoth ready to go on the following turn. If you go second, you want to focus more heavily on using Wailord V’s Draw Up, so that you can be ready for a turn 2 attack even if you aren’t able to establish Frosmoth. If you can, immediately start powering up your second Wailord V. With [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card], it is easy to get two or three Water Energy in your discard pile to power up the Wailord V immediately. This gives the deck some resistance against inconsistency or hand disruption, as well as against opponents who might aim to KO Snom via [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. They can still do that, but it’s a much less threatening play if you already have your Wailord V fully powered up. 

Against pretty much any matchup, you want to force them to deal with multiple Wailord V or only Wailord V and single-Prize Pokemon. If you can, you want to avoid benching your Dedenne-GX unless you need to so that your opponent can’t have any easy Prizes. This is especially pertinent against Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, as without a Dedenne-GX in play they’ll need four attacks following Altered Creation GX. This should give you time to win as the Wailord V player. If you do need to bench more Pokemon than you would like later, I’ve included a copy of [card name=”Giovanni’s Exile” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to help ensure that you can take advantage of Wailord V’s tankiness. This is a deck that I am somewhat excited about as it seems to be in a good position to match up with the rest of the field. It represents a possible counter to Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, which is sorely needed.

Alcremie VMAX

Among the new cards, Alcremie VMAX is one of my favorites. However, it may not make an immediate impact because of its weakness to Metal-type — not good when [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the most dominant cards in the format. But the card’s incredible Energy acceleration and limitless damage output will make it challenging for non Metal-type decks, so it should find some place in the format. While I wouldn’t recommend playing this deck for the Players Cup II — not until Metal-type decks subside — I do believe that this card has long-term potential and is worth taking note. 

The idea behind this deck is to accelerate plenty of Energy early, then use Alcremie VMAX’s G-Max Whisk attack to OHKO whatever gives you the most Prizes such as a Pokemon VMAX or a Tag Team Pokemon-GX. In most matchups, you’ll need to be able to discard 12 Energy in order to take all of your Prizes, so you’ll need a way to ensure that you can put that Energy into play. Alcremie VMAX’s first attack, Adornment, can gather five of those Energy on its own, but even after an attachment each turn you’ll need to accelerate three or four Energy some other way. Alcremie VMAX won’t be doing damage until turn 3 — that is slow in this format so you likely won’t have time to use a second Adornment attack. There is the possibility that an opponent’s Knock Out will remove some of those Energy from the board, as could any Energy denial cards such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card]. To guarantee that you can get enough attack damage, I would estimate that the deck should contain ways to get at least six extra Energy into play over the course of a match.

In Expanded, Alcremie VMAX combos excellently with [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card], but in Standard, there aren’t any equally strong partners. One option is to focus on using [card name=”Turbo Patch” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], though the flip-a-coin factor and the limit of four per deck means that the Alcremie VMAX deck would need some additional form of acceleration. Since G-Max Whisk does work with any Energy, there are a couple of other options that you can use so long as you mix up the Energy that you play. Some of those include using [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Bede” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. Another option would be to use [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], which can rain down unlimited amounts of [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card]. Since Recycle Energy is reusable, this would drastically cut down the need for Adornment — if things are going well, the Alcremie VMAX player may not need to use Adornment and can start taking Prizes earlier. The downside of this is that it would require getting a Stage 2 in play, but as I’ve shown in my last article that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. Here’s my Porygon-Z / Alcremie VMAX list, based strongly on the Porygon-Z list from that previous article:

Alcremie VMAX Deck List

[decklist name=”Alcremie VMAX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x Alcremie V (CPA #22)3x Alcremie VMAX (CPA #23)3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Porygon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Porygon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”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]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”16″]5x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]4x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

New Tech Cards

In addition to the four above cards, there are several more that I believe could find their way into existing archetypes. The two that are most worth highlighting are Duraludon V, which can be played in [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] decks, and Incineroar V, which can be used in [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] decks.

Duraludon V

Duraludon V will not make a stand-alone deck on its own, but it is a potential addition to [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Thanks to its Ability, Duraludon V is now the bulkiest two-Prize option that this deck can play. Between Duraludon V’s Hard Coat Ability, [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], and Lucario and Melmetal-GX’s Full Metal Wall GX, a Duraludon V can prevent as much as 90 damage per attack. This makes it slightly more robust than [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]. Against a OHKO strategy, Duraludon V can take up to 300 damage without being KO’d, whereas Zamazenta V can only take 280 damage. Against a 2HKO strategy, Duraludon V’s advantage becomes larger as it can withstand two attacks with a total of 390 damage, compared to Zamazenta V that can only take 340 damage. The comparison becomes 510 vs 460 damage when factoring in [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card]. In each case, Duraludon V has the advantage. It can potentially hit harder than Zamazenta V and most importantly can utilize [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card] as part of its attack cost. 

You can boil the comparison between Duraludon V and Zamazenta V to a few key damage numbers, at which Duraludon would give the player using it an extra-turn advantage. Those key damage numbers are 180, 190, 240, 250, 290, and 300 damage. This critically misses the damage amounts of [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] (with or without Altered Creation GX active) and you wouldn’t want to use it over Zamazenta V against any Pokemon VMAXs. But it can better withstand some of the attacks copied by [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], as well as by some less popular decks such as Mad Party, [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], as well as Wailord V. Whether or not to include Duraludon V will likely depend on what else is in the meta at the given time.

Incineroar V

Like Duraludon V, Incineroar V likely will not find itself as the centerpiece of a deck. However, I imagine it will see some play as a one-of in some Welder decks. Grand Flame is an excellent attack early-on and it’s a great way to KO smaller non Pokemon-GX / Pokemon V such as [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], while not putting your main attacker at risk. The card is most reminiscent of [card name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card], which saw play in some [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks for the same reason. Its Flare Blitz attack isn’t bad either, as it can KO enough Pokemon-GX and Pokemon V to be threatening, plus it is an excellent follow-up if your opponent attacks whatever Pokemon you attached Energy on with Grand Flame as opposed to the Incineroar V itself. I would opt to include a copy of this Pokemon in any Welder deck where its Energy acceleration could be useful, including [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] and Mewtwo and Mew-GX.

Once you get past those six cards, the utility of the cards in Champion’s Path does unfortunately drop. But given the size of the set, that is expected. In a future with less Metal-type Pokemon or a larger focus on healing, Gardevoir VMAX and Suspicious Food Tin could turn out to be strong, but they aren’t at that point right now.  The same goes for many of the other Pokemon V in the set — there is potential, but they aren’t worth including in any current deck. The main impact of the set should be channeled through the six Pokemon above, any of which could turn out to be the deck of the future. The impact of Champion’s Path remains to be seen, but for now the set is looking like a winner.

With that, we’ve come to the end of this article! As always, if you have any questions about the decks above, Champion’s Path, or anything else, don’t hesitate to message me or ask in the comments or ask all of us writers in our PTCG Subscriber’s Hideout! Best of luck in your games and stay safe! Thanks for reading!
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