Everyone’s Favorite Tag Team Revisited — ADP in Expanded

Hello everyone! With Shining Fates still a little bit away, not much is new in the Standard format, so in this article, I’ll be again taking a look at the newly changed Expanded format. To keep with my last article’s theme of “good cards in both formats”, I’ll coincidentally be going over one of the defining cards of Standard; [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”221″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

While some players do love this card, many others can’t wait for this card to rotate out of Standard — some tournament series have even gone so far as to ban it. There has been some level of debate on whether or not the card is simply too good, including whether or not a banning of it in Standard would be justified, or if players should simply wait until the 2021 rotation naturally moves it out of the Standard format. In either case, the card will only be around for six months or so, but thankfully for its fans, there is a format where you can never escape ADP’s wrath; Expanded!

It turns out that ADP is an incredible card in Expanded, as it is in Standard. Not only does the increased speed of the format naturally go well with ADP’s aggressive strategy, but it is also easier to utilize, it is more consistent, and there are more decks that can take advantage of it. Unsurprisingly, a strategy that wins you the game in only three turns is exceptionally strong regardless of format… There are a few downsides, of course — there is one notable reason why players have yet to call for ADP to be banned in Expanded — but it is nonetheless a great card to include in many decks. Again, if you’re looking for familiarity when jumping to Expanded from Standard, ADP is a great choice, but it doesn’t have to be the same old thing, as there are numerous creative ways to utilize the card. The neat thing about this card in Expanded is that unlike in Standard, where it seems to be a format limiter, in Expanded, it actually increases the number of decks that can be considered viable.

So, whether you want to keep playing Zacian V, or want to play something new and creative, there is a good chance that ADP can allow you to play what you want, and still help you to achieve your winning goals. 

Advantages and Disadvantages in Expanded

When evaluating ADP in Expanded, it does make some sense to compare it to its Standard equivalent. The biggest advantages the card has in Expanded is that it is easier to use (and more consistent), that it has more versatility, and that it works well in the somewhat faster Expanded format. The biggest disadvantages that it has is that it is a bit easier for an opponent to Knock Out ADP on the turn following Altered Creation GX, and the existence of [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. 

Preparing for Pokémon Ranger

Before I go over ADP itself, I do want to go over the threat of Pokémon Ranger, as it certainly represents a huge potential problem for any deck that builds around using Altered Creation GX. In Standard, once Altered Creation GX is used, there’s no way to undo it, so a player who uses it will be guaranteed to have that advantage for the rest of the game. In Expanded, you can completely erase the effects of Altered Creation GX simply by using a Pokémon Ranger. In theory, this is awful for ADP, since any deck can easily throw in a tech to deal with it. What’s more, if you do use Altered Creation GX and have that effect erased, not only have you wasted a valuable turn of attacking, but you’ve also wasted your GX attack for that game. Pokémon Ranger gives Expanded players a form of counter-play against ADP — something that does not exist in Standard — and thus is a major reason why ADP isn’t considered a game-warping card in the Expanded format. Prior to the pandemic, the threat of Pokémon Ranger meant that ADP, while good, was a somewhat risky play at the Regional Championships, however, the switch to online events has provided an unexpected boost to ADP when it comes to this issue.

An interesting twist to the online tournament circuit is that unlike in in-person events, most online events have it so that decklists are public. While the intention here is to be an anti-cheating measure, this change nonetheless does have a significant impact on the effectiveness of certain strategies. With public decklists, you won’t have the surprise factor from anything unexpected, since your opponent will know in advance about any and all cards in your list. Public decklists also give advantages to some specific strategies, which notably includes ADP. 

So, why exactly do public decklists give [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] players an advantage? It is because, by knowing your opponent’s list in advance, you will know whether or not they play Pokémon Ranger. If they don’t play Pokémon Ranger, then you’ll know that you can use Altered Creation GX without any possibility of it being a wasted attack. On the other hand, if they do play Pokémon Ranger, then you can plan ahead for it. In that latter case, you can simply opt to not use Altered Creation GX, and only use ADP for Ultimate Ray, if at all. Depending on your deck, you’ll then know that an alternative GX attack is the best move. This is in stark contrast to a format without open decklists, where you might plan to use Altered Creation GX regardless, and hope that your opponent doesn’t have Pokémon Ranger, knowing that if they do, you’ve likely wasted an attack. By knowing in advance, you can eliminate that guesswork, and likewise eliminate any potential misplays that might arise from the lack of information. Because of this specific change, ADP decks become much better than they would otherwise.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s take a look at some of the advantages that ADP gains when moving to the Expanded format. 

Ease of Use

The biggest advantage that ADP has in Expanded is how much easier it is to use Altered Creation GX. In Standard, to use a turn-one Altered Creation GX, you need to find a Water Energy, find a Metal Energy, figure out a way to discard that Metal Energy, find a [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] and a Metal Pokémon to use it on, and then find an [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] to make it all work. In contrast, in Expanded, you need to attach a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to your ADP. That’s all! To make things even easier, Double Dragon Energy is easily searched out with [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card], which can simultaneously find a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] if needed. Given that [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] can find that Supporter, you can also include any Pokémon-searching Items as an out to find Double Dragon Energy. For example, in the Dark Box list below, you have 14 such outs to find Double Dragon Energy, plus the two-card [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] combo. With that many ways to search out Double Dragon Energy, the chance of missing it is incredibly low, to the point that you can reasonably rely on hitting the turn-one Altered Creation GX in every game in which you go second. That level of consistency is tremendous and naturally makes ADP a much stronger card. 

More Ways to Play

[cardimg name=”Moltres and Zapdos and Articuno-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM210″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Largely due to the increased ease of use, Expanded also has increased options for Pokémon that you can pair with ADP. In Standard, the Metal / Water Energy requirements mean that you are pretty limited in what you can play ADP with. Aside from [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] / Metal box, there aren’t any other Pokémon that go well with it, and certainly, none that are as good as Zacian V. In Expanded, you can effectively play the card in anything that can utilize Double Dragon Energy, in addition to any Metal decks. In theory, you don’t even have to already play Double Dragon Energy in your deck — you can simply add a few copies, along with Guzma and Hala. Excellent examples of decks that were able to succeed by throwing in ADP that way include [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Moltres and Zapdos and Articuno-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], despite the fact that neither naturally play Double Dragon Energy or Metal Energy. Realistically, you could throw that ADP package into any deck if you wanted to — the possibilities are endless!

With that said, there are a few criteria that are worth considering to help find ideal pairings. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to add ADP into a stall or mill deck, or any deck where taking Prizes isn’t the priority. The three largest factors on whether or not ADP will fit well into a deck are 1) does the deck already naturally play Double Dragon Energy or Metal Energy, 2) how much will Ultimate Ray help the deck’s strategy, and 3) how much will Altered Creation GX improve the deck’s matchup spread. 

If a deck does already play Double Dragon Energy, then it will be quite easy to include a copy of ADP in the deck. For example, I’ve taken to including a copy of ADP in my [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] list — since I already play both Double Dragon Energy and Guzma and Hala, including ADP requires only a one-card change. Since you know in advance whether or not you’ll be able to gain the advantage from Altered Creation GX (or if your opponent plays [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]), it makes it much easier to add it as a tech, since you can choose to only use it against opposing decks where it will confer an advantage. Given how strong that advantage is, ADP is well worth the one card spot. If the deck doesn’t already play Double Dragon Energy, that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t play ADP in it, but it does mean that you’ll have to take out a few more cards in order to include it. Likewise, this means that you’ll want ADP to give you a larger advantage relative to decks that already play Double Dragon Energy — this is where the second and third factors come in.

My second factor actually has nothing to do with Altered Creation GX, but rather whether or not Ultimate Ray will be useful. If it is, this means that ADP will be a helpful addition even in matchups where Altered Creation GX isn’t worth using, or if your opponent plays Pokémon Ranger. Most of the successful ADP lists in Expanded have been decks that take full advantage of Ultimate Ray, such as the two aforementioned examples. The Pokémon to look for in this regard are either ones that do more damage when more Energy is on the board or ones with larger or more unwieldy Energy requirements. Something like Night March or [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] wouldn’t fit this criterion then, since Ultimate Ray would typically be a less-than-ideal attack in those decks, given that they wouldn’t gain much from the Energy acceleration.

After that, the third thing I consider is a deck’s matchups — does the deck struggle otherwise against single-Prize attackers? If so, [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] will be worth considering, as Altered Creation GX is most impactful against those kinds of decks. On the other hand, if the deck in question is only weak against Tag Team or VMAX decks, ADP won’t be terribly helpful, since Altered Creation GX won’t actually reduce the number of attacks you need to use to win.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Faster Format

This somewhat goes with the above topic, as the faster speed of many decks means that more decks have an aggressive strategy that ADP can assist with. More importantly, the faster the format, the more aggressive opposing decks have to be in order to keep up. This means that many decks will naturally have to rely on cards such as [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] — all of which represent easy Prizes for an ADP player. This factor also can work against ADP, however, as Expanded decks are more likely to be able to pull off a KO on the turn following Altered Creation GX. If the opponent can do so, then they can win the Prize trade even after a first-turn Altered Creation GX, regardless of whether they use single or multi-Prize attackers. Overall, it is still quite difficult to deal 280 damage on turn two, but it is far more likely to run into that scenario in Expanded. 

ADP General Strategy

For many decks that use ADP, the general strategy is pretty similar, especially in cases where the opponent does not play Pokémon Ranger. When playing ADP, you’ll always want to go second, so that you can use Altered Creation GX on your first turn. On that first turn, you’ll want to prioritize using Altered Creation GX, which generally means finding an Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, then finding a [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card]. If you don’t have the resources to get those cards in hand, don’t hesitate to use Crobat V and Dedenne-GX — if you can get off the T1 GX attack, it won’t matter if your opponent can get cheap Prizes by KOing those Pokémon. Typically, you don’t want to use a Supporter that is not Guzma and Hala unless you either already have the [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] attached, or if you can’t possibly pull off the T1 attack unless you play a different Supporter. Occasionally, you may have to play the Guzma and Hala simply to find a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to retreat (if you already have ADP and Double Dragon Energy) — if this is the case, you should certainly do so, as the guarantee is more valuable than any additional resources you might get by being risky and playing, say, a [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] instead.

After you’ve used Altered Creation GX, your next move will be to pick out some Pokémon-GX to KO, and take those Knock Outs. Like in Standard, the ideal move here will be to do so by using Ultimate Ray, as that can set you up for a guaranteed win on the following turn. If in doubt, take out any attacking threat, before taking out easy Prizes like Dedenne-GX. [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is incredibly valuable at this point, so you’ll want to do what you can to maximize your odds of finding it, even if you encounter hand disruption. A good move will be to get Guzma into your discard pile via [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], as you can then retrieve it with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. If your VS Seeker is prized, you’ll want to leave it in your deck to grab with Tapu Lele-GX (assuming you haven’t used it already). Ideally, you should win in three turns, or four if your opponent maintains a field entirely of single-Prize Pokémon. Do remember that [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] are potential ways for your opponent to remove GX Pokémon from the field, so try to have a backup plan in case they are able to do so.

[cardimg name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If your opponent does happen to play Pokémon Ranger, then you will generally want to avoid using Altered Creation GX unless there happens to be no better option. Generally, if you do manage to use it on turn one, you’ll get some use out of it even if your opponent does play Pokémon Ranger. This is because it can be difficult to set up without the use of a draw Supporter on both turn one and turn two (remember, they can’t play one T1 when going first). Against single-Prize decks, that effect is even more prominent, since the opponent won’t be able to use consistency Pokémon (like Dedenne-GX or Crobat V) while still maintaining a board of exclusively single-Prize Pokémon. This also is a decent reason to try and use Altered Creation GX even if you are in a game where you happen not to know your opponent’s decklist (such as on the PTCGO ladder), especially given the large benefit in the case that they don’t play it.

If you do know that your opponent plays [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], and you do have a better option, however, then you’ll want to use that other option. Depending on your deck, you may still want to use ADP for Ultimate Ray, though whether or not that is a good play depends entirely on the two decks in the match. If you’re playing a deck like [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], where you’ve splashed in a one-of copy, then it is best to ignore ADP; if you’re playing a deck that takes advantage of Energy acceleration, then using Ultimate Ray tends to be a solid strategy.

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Expanded Decks with ADP

Below, I have some of my top picks for Expanded [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] archetypes. To be clear, this is not in any way a comprehensive list of ADP decks that you can play — one of the best things about ADP in Expanded is how creative you can get with it! Aside from the last deck, each of these variants has seen past tournament success; the last deck is my own amazing creation. All of them are pretty great decks, so I recommend trying them out — if nothing else, they can give you an idea of how to build around ADP when experimenting with your own ideas.

ADP / Dark Box

Among the existing Expanded decks with ADP, Dark Box is arguably the one that best utilizes ADP, and therefore is one of the best examples of how ADP can improve an archetype. While you can easily play Dark Box without ADP, it becomes a much better deck with it. Looking at our criteria from before, Dark Box meets all of them. Since the deck’s main attacker is [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], Ultimate Ray is an excellent attack to use, as it not only powers up your Darkness Pokémon so that they can attack but effectively adds 90 damage to a future Dark Pulse. What’s more, is that because of how Dark Pulse interacts with multi-type Energy, it is already ideal to play Double Dragon Energy in Dark Box since it doubles the effectiveness of your attachment for the turn with regard to Dark Pulse. Finally, Altered Creation GX does greatly improve this deck’s matchup into single-Prize attacking decks, which it can otherwise struggle with since most of Dark Box’s attackers give up multiple Prizes. In this list, the attacking plan goes Altered Creation GX -> Ultimate Ray -> Dark Pulse.

If your opponent does play Pokémon Ranger or is focused around Tag Teams or VMAXs, then Dead End GX is the ideal GX attack to use. Even so, because of the Energy acceleration of Ultimate Ray, it’s still a good idea to use ADP to help set up your board. Because of how Double Dragon works, there isn’t much downside to attaching it to ADP regardless; the only thing to worry about would be Energy disruption, but you’ll know in advance whether or not your opponent plays that too! Here’s the list:

[decklist name=”ADP Dark Box” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″][pokemon amt=”12″]2x [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

ADP / Blacephalon-GX

[cardimg name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Like Dark Box, [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] is a deck that can absolutely take advantage of Ultimate Ray, giving [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] usefulness in this deck even against opponents who play [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck is fun, in that you can put your opponent into an awkward catch-22 almost immediately following Altered Creation GX. That is, if they knock out ADP, then they’ll immediately activate [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]; if they don’t, then the Blacephalon player can easily power up their board with Ultimate Ray. In either case, the Blacephalon player is going to be getting some easy OHKOs.

Even without Altered Creation GX, a quick Ultimate Ray can give the Blacephalon-GX player an unbeatable board. When going up against a player that has Pokémon Ranger, you can still use [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] to power up for a turn-one Ultimate Ray to set up a powerful board, thus ADP is useful even in matchups where it is being teched for. Burst GX is also an excellent GX attack to use if needed, so you won’t be without one against those same opponents. Against an opponent without Pokémon Ranger, the attack plan is Altered Creation GX -> Ultimate Ray -> Mind Blown, though you can also go Altered Creation GX -> Mind Blown -> Mind Blown depending on the matchup. Against opponents with Pokémon Ranger, whether or not to use ADP will depend on if you can power it up to use Ultimate Ray early on — after the first two turns or so, you’ll only want to use it if you’re taking a KO with it, or if using it sets up for a game-winning attack on the following turn. Otherwise, taking OHKOs with Mind Blown will be of higher priority. 

This list is a slightly altered version of Joshua Yehl’s 10th place list from Collinsville Regionals (remember Regionals? Good times…). Compared to Dark Box, it is stronger against tankier decks, due to its higher damage output. Here’s the list:

[decklist name=”ADP / Blowns” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”220″][pokemon amt=”12″]3x [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”220″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heatran” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ 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=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]3x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”16″]12x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

ADP / Zacian V

As it turns out, [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] / ADP is another archetype that is a top deck in both Standard and Expanded. Among two-Prize Pokémon, Zacian V remains one of the strongest options in terms of its base stats, even in the larger Expanded card pool. Even without ADP, Zacian V is rather strong. The deck was one of my picks for Collinsville Regionals, and it has gotten stronger after the recent bans as other decks left the format. [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] fits as well on this deck as it does in Standard, as Zacian V is a Pokémon that can take plenty of advantage of both Altered Creation GX and Ultimate Ray. With either [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], a boosted Zacian V can OHKO Tag Teams if needed, though the three-turn strategy will be more effective in most situations. This deck is roughly as straightforward as it is in Standard — your plan is to go Altered Creation GX -> Ultimate Ray -> Brave Blade. Against lists with [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], I tend to ignore Ultimate Ray, and instead use Brave Blade for all of my attacks. This is another deck that you don’t have to play ADP in, but it is nice to have. Here’s this list:

[decklist name=”ADP / Zacian” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”258″][pokemon amt=”11″]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”258″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mawile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cobalion-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]3x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Coating Metal Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

ADP / Amazing Rares

Finally, we come to a deck that is indeed amazing — my ADP / Amazing Rares deck. Of all the ADP decks I’ve played, this one is by far the most fun. The idea here is that you can use Ultimate Ray to power up the awkward Energy requirements of your Amazing Rare Pokémon, and then attack with whichever one is best for the matchup that you are in.

[card name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zacian” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Zamazenta” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] are all incredible attackers, so long as you can power them up. [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and the [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] combo gives the deck an alternate way to accelerate Energy if needed, while [card name=”Smeargle” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] helps to ensure that you always have the proper Energy attached. This has been the most effective way I’ve found yet to make an deck focused around Amazing Rares, and it is an excellent example of how you can use ADP with a variety of cards. Here’s the list:

[decklist name=”Amazing ADP” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”221″][pokemon amt=”14″]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”221″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zacian” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zamazenta” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Smeargle” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”123″ 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=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Prism Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Even beyond its creativity, this deck does have a notable competitive advantage in that it utilizes single-Prize attackers. Depending on what you’re up against, you can switch to the best attacker for the situation. Against VMAX decks, Zacian and Zamazenta are absolutely incredible. Against single-Prize decks, Raikou gives this deck a great advantage; while it should be noted that Altered Creation GX does not give extra Prizes for Knock Outs on the Bench, Amazing Shot will still commonly take three Prizes per attack in these matchups. For a general matchup scenario, Rayquaza is the go-to, as its attack damage can reliably OHKO anything you run into. Overall, this deck is fun, aggressive, and has a rather nice matchup spread. Be sure to try it out, and to play around with using various other attackers as well!

In Summary

With that, we’ve come to the end of this article. Hopefully, you’ve gotten some more appreciation for [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] in Expanded! Frankly, I found testing the decks for this article to be far more enjoyable and refreshing than I would have expected after playing Standard ADP — and I hope you do as well!

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message me, 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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