Keeping Up With The Times — A Look At Lightning Mewtwo and Mew-GX

[cardimg name=”Altaria” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”49″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello PokeBeach readers, and welcome back to yet another article on the current Standard format! I have been covering the latest events in Pokemon pretty consistently lately, so feel free to check out my recent articles to read up on other important topics. If you have already read them, you probably know that I was planning on writing about [card name=”Altaria” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] this week, but plans have changed for a couple of reasons.

What caused this change was the information I gained from the Players Cup II, which ended up being much more interesting than I expected. For me, the biggest surprise of the Players Cup II was Tord Reklev’s Lightning [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], which is an interesting combination that seems strong against the metagame. Not only did this give me a great deck to write about, but it also included a direct counter to Altaria in it, meaning that Altaria lost a ton of its value at this point in time.

Previously, Altaria seemed to be relatively disrespected overall, with relatively few players including a counter if their deck did not naturally have one. The Lightning Mewtwo and Mew-GX deck includes [card name=”Greninja-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM197″ c=”name”][/card], which gets through Altaria with ease, meaning that a deck I expect to gain large popularity would have no issues taking down our fluffy friend. On top of that, some of the other decks at the Players Cup II and other online events started to include Pokemon that can actually attack Altaria, so I think that now is not the time for that bird to fly. In further news, I will be going over the Mewtwo and Mew-GX deck that made a splash this weekend, along with covering some other happenings in Standard Pokemon at the moment, which should make for an exciting and valuable experience for you all. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the new way to play Mewtwo and Mew-GX.

Mewtwo and Mew-GX

While Tord Reklev and Pedro Torres gave the deck its debut during the most recent stage of the Players Cup II, other players have already started innovating the deck even further. Due to the deck’s versatile nature, this has proven to be a task with nearly endless options. The decklist below is only a couple of cards off from the original list because I believe they pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one.

[decklist name=”Lightning Mewtwo & Mew-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Greninja-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Sirfetch’d V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Vileplume-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ 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=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]10x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]4x [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

When taking a look at the decklist, the nice array of options that the variety of attackers provide is what stands out to me. Outside of those, for the most part, the deck is simply a bunch of consistency and utility cards. It is weird to say the decklist is straightforward with how many different attackers are included, but it really is. It is built to do what it wants to do every single game, have options when it comes to its game plan, and wraps things up with some defensive Trainer cards. I have said this a lot recently, but it remains to be true, decks that can use [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] well are strong right now, and this is another deck that does that well.

Card Choices

Two Boltund V

[card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] is the glue that holds this deck together, it is the missing piece that [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] needed before joining forces with all of the Lightning Pokemon. This is because it didn’t have a great way to accelerate Energy, as [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] was unreliable and less powerful than we have seen in the past. This is likely due to the Supporter rule, the increase in popularity of [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card], and the lack of attacking options that the deck had. Boltund V, however, is a great and reliable way to accelerate Energy, setting you up to attack with some of the best attackers in the game. Past that, it is also a shield that protects your main attackers from being in harm’s way until they are ready to attack, and can set you up to Reset Stamp your opponent to one card if all goes well.

If it doesn’t get Knocked Out and sticks around, it can still act as a way of forcing your opponent to Knock Out an additional Pokemon since Bolt Storm can be used as a legitimate attack at some point during the game. This decklist includes two of these because of how important it is in the early game, not because it needs to use two in any given game (the second copy will almost never be used actually). Having two eliminates prizing concerns, as it reduces those odds from ten percent to one percent, which is nice for such an important card.

Additionally, having the extra copy gives you another great starter and makes it easier to find, which you want to do right away. Overall having two of these is a nice consistency boost, something that players love to get.

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX

[cardimg name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is one of the main attackers this deck has to offer but is not the only attacker the deck makes use of. [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]’s Full Blitz is a great way to do damage and accelerate Energy, meaning it will often be the first attack you use for damage. Following up an Electrify from Boltund V, possibly even a [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] pop as well, Full Blitz will load your board with Energy cards, giving you plenty of gas and options for the rest of the game. After that, the deck generally makes use of some of its other attacks, so Full Blitz loses a decent amount of value, though it is not completely useless since its damage output is still pretty good and Energy can still be searched for. Tag Bolt GX is the other attack Pikachu and Zekrom-GX has to offer, and it is incredibly strong in the right situation.

Every game is different with this deck, so keep an eye out for a good Tag Bolt GX opportunity, as it will happen sometimes but not nearly as much as some players might think before they play with the deck.

Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX

This threatening attacker is the final Lightning attacker that this deck has to offer, and man is it a strong one. A lot of decks fear this card due to how hard it can swing the game with it’s Tandem Shock attack. In combination with a [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or Reset Stamp, Tandem Shock puts a lot of pressure on the opponent, since they desperately need to find a switch card. If they don’t, they will fall behind substantially in the Prize trade. If they do, [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] still forces them to burn resources to keep up, and future paralysis is likely to cause a repeat of the situation in the future.

This gives you many opportunities to swing the Prize trade in your favor, especially against decks that play little to no switching cards. Outside of that, Lightning Ride GX is a decent way to do a lot of damage while also providing your attacker with a little bit of protection. I have to say, though, that Lightning Ride GX is one of your lesser used GX attacks, as you tend to have stronger options. Over the course of enough games, though, Lightning Ride GX will see its share of use.

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Greninja-GX

This card is not the greatest attacker, but it is strong in the right situation and helps solve various issues. The biggest matchups where this card comes to mind are [card name=”Altaria” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] and [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]. Mist Slash goes through Altaria’s Ability, turning an auto-loss into an auto-win.

That is the nature of Altaria, it loses if the opponent has a reasonable counter and wins if they don’t. Speaking of Mist Slash, the main focal point of this card, it also puts in work against Lucario and Melmetal-GX decks. This is because Mist Slash goes through all of the damage reduction effects, including Full Metal Wall GX and [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], meaning you get to deal the full one hundred and thirty damage. This is a nice damage output for only two Energy, and will be one of the more used attacks in the matchup. Beyond Mist Slash, Dark Mist GX is an attack that you will rarely use, but it is not totally out of the question. With a deck like this, you want to keep all of your options on the table.

The final point I want to make with this card is that its Ability as actually a small consistency option! If Greninja-GX is the only card in your hand, you can play it directly onto your Bench and draw three cards. It is not the greatest draw support, nor your main one, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Galarian Sirfetch’d V

If you had me give this card a rating of potential playability when it was released, I would have given it the lowest score possible. It doesn’t seem like a great card, especially because Fighting Pokemon as a whole are simply not that strong right now due to a lack of support and solid attacking options. This deck ended up being a great fit for it though, as you can move [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] to it and get the job done. This gives you a great attacking option against [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] and Pikachu and Zekrom-GX thanks to their Weakness to Fighting.

Outside of those matchups, it isn’t going to be that great of an attacker, but there will be games where you want to do so. This is because it has the opportunity to conserve Energy since you can move Energy to it in order to fulfill its attack cost. On top of that, it can act similarly to Boltund V in the sense that it has the opportunity to force the opponent to take an extra Prize card, as they will have to address two Mewtwo and Mew-GXs as well.

Naganadel-GX

Not a whole lot to say about this one, as it will only be used as a way of dealing damage to a Pokemon on the Bench, which does provide a fair amount of value. Not only does this mean you don’t have to find [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], it means you can use a different Supporter for the turn as well. I have seen many games end with Venom Shot, as it can often place the opponent in a checkmate position. Last but not least, I have also seen games won with Injection GX, so that is further evidence that you need to keep your mind and options open.

Two Reset Stamp

I have talked about how strong this card is a lot lately, at least in decks that can make good use of it, and that remains to be true. This deck can make good use of it because it adds to the deck’s large array of options and pairs well with Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX in the late game. This is because you can put your opponent down to a low hand size and then paralyze them, forcing them to have an answer in the little options that get to choose from. [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] has been in a large majority of successful [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] decks in the past, and that is no different here, the cards clearly work well together.

Two Chaotic Swell

[card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong card at the moment, and I think that will at the least remain true moving forward. It also has the potential to increase in value as well, thanks to the rise in popularity of [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] and threat of [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]. This means that Chaotic Swell is keeping some pretty threatening Stadium cards at bay, ones that either greatly harm this deck or greatly benefit opposing ones. Having two makes it easier to find in the early game, which is generally the ideal time, and lets you combine one with Reset Stamp in the late game.

Potential Inclusions

This section will include some of the more likely inclusions in my mind, but Mewtwo and Mew-GX is extremely versatile by nature. Not only can you toss Pokemon-GX in the discard and then copy their attacks, but the inclusion of Aurora Energy ensures that you can pull off a large majority of available attacks, meaning your options expand even further.

Gengar and Mimikyu-GX

[cardimg name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is one of many tech attackers that has seen play in Mewtwo and Mew-GX in the past. It is a versatile card in the sense that it isn’t included for a certain matchup or deck but takes advantage of certain situations. The biggest plus of having this card in the deck is for situations where Horror House GX essentially wins the game, whether by buying you that crucial turn or setting you up to Knock Out your opponent’s only Basic Pokemon.

Outside of that, Poltergeist is not the greatest attack and is more of a Hail Mary most of the time, though it can be a decent follow up to Horror House GX depending on the situation. Simply having this Pokemon in your deck can force your opponent to play differently if they know you have it, otherwise, it can be a devastating surprise if they don’t. While this is one of the cheesier potential inclusions, it does have some merit and is worth the thought at the least.

Jolteon-GX

[card name=”Jolteon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card] has actually not seen much of any play in Mewtwo and Mew-GX, even in the Lightning-based build that I am covering today. While it doesn’t have the greatest attacking options, Swift Run GX is a great way to protect your Active Pokemon from any possible scenario, which means your Energy and main attacker is safe.

This is great for situations where you can take a KO with the 110 damage that Swift Run GX deals, and situations where that 110 damage puts a beefier Pokemon in range of being Knocked Out. It makes it so that you won’t have to worry about your Active Pokemon being Knocked Out, which is nice at all stages of the game and can completely turn the game around if the situation calls for it.

Milotic V

This card is extremely situational, as it will only want to see the light of day against Centiskorch VMAX, which is a manageable matchup as is. The Water typing that [card name=”Milotic V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] offers is the entirety of its value, as it does not have particularly great attacks and can’t be copied by Mewtwo and Mew-GX. With that being said, Milotic V is a great answer to the Centiskorch VMAX deck that is rising in popularity, so if you find yourself struggling in that matchup, Milotic V is certainly something to try out. Other than that, Milotic V should remain on the Bench for the time being.

Big Charm

While this card already provides some value, to begin with, I expect this card to gain even more value as the format develops further, even once Vivid Voltage is on the scene. My reasoning for this is that I expect [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] to start including [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], meaning they would actually be able to knockout Mewtwo and Mew-GX in one hit, which is definitely not something this deck likes to see. [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] would give Mewtwo and Mew-GX the extra health to deal with a Galarian Zigzagoon ping, forcing the opponent to also find [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card]. This is a lot to ask for, as the opponent would be including and finding two singleton cards at the right time. This is especially difficult when [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or Reset Stamp are involved, along with the pressure that this deck applies as well. On top of the predicted threat of the inclusion of Galarian Zigzagoon, having Big Charm would also be beneficial when playing against some of the harder-hitting decks, such as Centiskorch VMAX or [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card].

Other Standard Format Notes

There has been a lot of Pokemon being played recently, including the aforementioned start of the Players Cup II, which is where a majority of these updates come from. Other online events have been happening as well, and it seems like the format is seeing a twist in the final weeks of its existence.

• Poison Eternatus VMAX was more popular than it ever was previously, making up a noticeable percentage of the Eternatus VMAX decks.
• [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] was introduced to the metagame as well. It has its ups and downs, but it is definitely an annoying deck to play against.
• Centiskorch VMAX didn’t change at all, but it was popular also. This is interesting to see in an open deck format like this because opponents will know they are playing against Centiskorch VMAX heading into the match. This means they can confidently choose to go second right off the bat, something that Centiskorch VMAX does not appreciate.
• The overall increase in the popularity of Chaotic Swell, which goes to show that players were looking to keep stadiums such as [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] out of play.
• Tool Scrapper is as popular as ever, with higher counts being seen as well.
• [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and ADP / Zacian V seemed like the decks to beat heading into the event, but they still have solid competition keeping up with them as well.

Those notes on the Standard format are going to wrap up this article everyone. It was a pleasure getting to cover such an interesting deck right after the first part of one of the most important current events! [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] has been seen in the past in several variations, but whether you have tried any of those or not, I definitely recommend giving this one a try. It is refreshing to have so many options on a lot of your turns, along with a favorable ADP matchup.

Other than this deck, if you are still looking for something to play, feel free to check out my other recent articles for some solid options. If you are one of many who aren’t getting along with the way that the format has shaped up, don’t worry you aren’t alone, and Vivid Voltage is close to arriving. I will be back later this month with a Vivid Voltage review, where I will cover all of the more playable cards! If you have any questions about this article, Vivid Voltage cards you want me to review, or anything to say at all I suppose, feel free to comment down below!

Until I am back and writing about Vivid Voltage, peace!

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