Dumpster Fire — Expanded CentiGarb and Blacephalon

Hello again! First off, I hope everyone is doing well, especially now that Players Cup III has kicked off. Personally, at the time of writing this, I am up to 35 Tournament Rep having used 18 of my Tournament Keys — which is nothing perfect, but it’s on pace for qualifying, so I certainly can’t complain. As a reminder, if you’re interested in some good ways to prepare for your Players Cup III Qualifiers run, I suggest reading my previous article Looking Forward, as well as fellow writers Gabriel Semedo’s Players Cup III — My Top Four Decks for the Tournament and Blaine Hill’s Third Time’s the Charm, as they all provide excellent content and ideas on how to approach your Qualifiers.

[cardimg name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A consistent theme in all three of these articles was, at least briefly, talking about a [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card]-based deck, and there’s a very good reason for this. To put it bluntly, Welder is one of the most absolutely broken Supporter cards of all time. Often cited as one of the primary catalysts for the No Turn One Supporter Rule introduced alongside the Sword & Shield expansion, the card’s power cannot be understated. Welder’s inherent strength of being able to attach multiple Fire Energy and draw three cards provides an unprecedented form of Energy acceleration, with additional benefits and genuinely no downside. Prior to the release of Sword & Shield, a majority of “top-tier” Standard decks played Welder as their primary form of Energy acceleration, and this trend has continued into the present day. Notably, several top-tier threats — including [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox, [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] Welder Toolbox (featuring attackers like [card name=”Rhyperior V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Milotic V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]), and of course Welder [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] — all play four copies of of this stellar Supporter card.

However, in the Expanded format, unlike in Standard, Welder sees an abnormally low amount of play for its strength. Sure, from time to time people might make unique Reshiram and Charizard-GX-based Welder decks, or maybe they try to revisit strategies of the past, like [card name=”Turtonator-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] (with [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] or the infamous [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]). Aside from that, though, Welder is conspicuously absent from Expanded.

We can attribute the lack of Welder in that format to any number of things. One reason is that it may be too slow for Expanded: With multiple decks like Turbo [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] aiming to do massive amounts of damage by burning through their decks early, Welder’s relatively slow Supporter-based Energy acceleration can’t keep up with Item cards like [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card].

The existence and variety of those Item cards, as well as other methods of Energy acceleration that outclass Welder, is the main factor. In Standard, our only forms of pseudo-generic Trainer-based Energy acceleration other than Welder are [card name=”Bede” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], which is much too slow, and [card name=”Turbo Patch” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], which relies on a heads flip. That means Welder has a perfect window in Standard. In Expanded, however, we have [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] — the best form of generic Energy acceleration ever produced — and next to that, Welder frequently struggles to maintain relevance. Even one of Welder’s best Standard partners, Mewtwo and Mew-GX, opts in Expanded for using multi-typed Energy like [card name=”Prism Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] paired with [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to power up its attackers, so Welder can’t even find a space there. Overall, most decks that use Welder in Standard simply have better options in Expanded.

However, today I’m bringing you not one, but two different Welder decks for the Expanded format — and despite all of Welder’s problems, both of them have immense potential. If you recall earlier when I was listing Welder decks, you may have noticed that I omitted the two most potent Welder decks in Standard: [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card]. As you might expect, with today’s article, I am translating their power over into the Expanded format. Personally, I think both of these decks can be power picks going forward, with Centiskorch VMAX having outstanding potential in the late game and Blacephalon’s insane burst damage starting from your very first turn. So without further ado, let’s get into the first of these decks — Centiskorch VMAX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]!

Centiskorch VMAX / Garbodor (aka Dumpster Fire)

Those of you that have been heavily following the online tournament scene may have already heard of this deck once or twice — maybe from right after Darkness Ablaze released, or maybe you heard about it doing well in more recent events. In the latter of those cases, the deck was being piloted by my friend Pete Chisholm, as he recently saw new potential in the deck and took it to numerous Expanded events. This particular deck list is heavily influenced by his — in fact, it is nearly identical, since I think his list borders on perfection for the archetype. Going forward, I think this deck’s potential in Expanded comes from its ability to abuse one of the most powerful combinations of cards in Pokemon TCG history: [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] + Garbodor’s Garbotoxin.

Deck List

[decklist name=”Dumpster Fire” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Centiskorch V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ 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][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scorched Earth” set=”Primal Clash” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Inclusions

Three Centiskorch VMAX and Three Centiskorch V

As per usual, playing a thick line of your main attacker is important, because consistency is key. With that being said, though, a deck like Centiskorch VMAX can get away with only playing three [card name=”Centiskorch V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and three Centiskorch VMAX, because you don’t need to worry about having too many of them over the course of a game. Centiskorch VMAX is worth three Prize cards — if your opponent takes a Knock Out on more than one, they win the game anyway.

Everyone is familiar with Centiskorch VMAX at this point, so I don’t think I need to go too in-depth on its strengths, but I do want to point out that the effect of Centiskorch VMAX’s G-Max Centiferno is especially critical in this deck. It isn’t always possible to play Welder in Expanded, especially with the deck’s general strategy, so G-Max Centiferno can make up for those lost Energy for future turns.

Two Garbodor DRX, Two Trubbish NVI, Two N, and Three Float Stone

If Centiskorch VMAX is the bread of this deck, then Garbodor is the butter. Garbodor is pivotal to how this deck wins a lot of games, as most of its power comes from throwing a huge Centiskorch at your opponent while using a combination of [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to put them to a small hand and Garbotoxin to remove cards like [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] as potential ways to draw out of the N. Oftentimes, no matter the matchup, this combo alone can win you the game, as it’s extremely difficult for your opponent to handle while requiring minimal commitment from you, the player. Furthermore, in the current Expanded format, Garbodor is just a generally strong card — not many decks are happy having their Abilities disabled, and some decks, such as [card name=”Raichu” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”41″ c=”custom”]Shock Lock[/card], pretty much lose to the card outright. We opt for three [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] as our only Pokemon Tool cards because, while Float Stone is by far the best generic Pokemon Tool card, it’s not critical to activate Garbotoxin until later, so we can get away with only three copies.

Additionally, I feel it’s necessary to touch on the inclusion of the Noble Victories [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] in particular. Being a multi-Prize deck, Centiskorch VMAX can often struggle against decks like [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”150″ c=”custom”]Mad Party[/card] that use lots of little single-Prize Pokemon to take extremely favorable Prize exchanges. With no way to ever go positive against Mad Party, a Centiskorch VMAX player has to resort to a different strategy — using [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] to send all of their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] to the Lost Zone! This is where Trubbish comes in. Since you cannot play both Faba and a draw Supporter in the same turn, you will often struggle to chain Faba. With Trubbish, though, you can use Faba and then use Trubbish’s Garbage Collection to put a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] or Faba back on top of your deck to have easy access to it again on the following turn. This strategy can steal away a game in the Mad Party matchup, or at the very least turn N + Garbotoxin into a much stronger option.

One Blacephalon-GX

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

[card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] fills an extremely unique role in this particular deck, as you don’t use it as an attacker except in extremely specific situations where you desperately need to take a one-hit Knock Out. Even then, it’s not ideal to send any Energy to the Lost Zone, let alone the amount of Energy that you’d need in order to take that one-hit Knock Out. No, Blacephalon-GX’s real role in this deck is to use Burst GX, and that’s it!

Burst GX is a quick and easy way to grab a free Prize card, putting you one step closer to winning (or more often, letting you take the last Prize card to finish the game). It’s especially nice in matchups like [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] where you often take your first Knock Out on Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX and then Knock Out a two-Prize Pokemon such as Zacian V or Dedenne-GX. By this point, your opponent will usually have taken the Knock Out on your big Centiskorch VMAX, leaving you free to bring up your Blacephalon GX and steal that sixth Prize card.

One Oricorio GRI

I complained a lot about the Mad Party matchup when talking about Trubbish, but as I said, the matchup is really bad. To make the matchup more playable, we also include a single copy of [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] to abuse Mad Party’s aggressive nature and drop several damage counters on the opponent’s board so we can take multiple Knock Outs on Pokemon like [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] — or maybe even a Dedenne-GX, if the opponent puts enough Pokemon in their discard pile. This particular tech also offers some versatility in some other matchups, as it can put some damage on the opponent’s board while also forcing a seven-Prize game (or even eight-Prize in some cases) by feeding them a single-Prize Pokemon in between all the higher-Prize Pokemon. The extra damage doesn’t always come up, but when it does, it can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Two Dedenne-GX and One Tapu Lele-GX

The most standard combination of setup Pokemon in Expanded, the package of two [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and one [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] continues to prove itself as a solid way to make sure you find the cards you need every game. With that being said, you may notice the omission of [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. In this deck, Crobat V honestly doesn’t make a ton of sense. Most of the time, you don’t need to dig for those few extra cards, and when you do, Dedenne-GX can usually do that for you. As such, Crobat V doesn’t quite make the cut — though, admittedly, it was one of my last cuts prior to writing this.

Four Welder and One Blacksmith

Even though [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] exists in this format, the importance of playing four [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] never seems to fade away. Its role as your primary draw Supporter and your Energy acceleration puts its value far higher than any other Trainer card in the entire deck.

In addition to Welder, we also get to play its long-lost cousin, [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. With Welder, there’s some inherent inconsistency in needing to have multiple Fire Energy in your hand for the card’s full effect, which is critical for enabling Centiskorch VMAX to hit its numbers. As a result, we include one copy of Blacksmith as a last-resort way to get the extra Energy. Blacksmith also acts as Energy recovery, allowing you to reuse Energy should you have to discard them or lose them when a Centiskorch VMAX is Knocked Out.

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Potential Inclusion – Clefairy EVO

While I was talking to Pete about this deck, one card he suggested was [card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]. Clefairy is a super unique card in Pokemon, as it’s one of the rare occurrences of an attack that copies other attacks that also only requires Colorless Energy. Clefairy is a perfect fit in this deck, as it’s easily powered up with Welder to provide an instantaneous threat by copying some of the most powerful attacks in the game, such as [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]’s Brave Blade. If I were to cut a card for Clefairy, I would most likely cut Oricorio, or maybe one Fire Energy, depending on my expected metagame.

Turbo Blacephalon UNB

Now for the other deck. This particular build of [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] takes everything you ever knew about Blacephalon and amplifies it by 1000%. It’s faster, it’s more explosive, it’s more consistent — and it’s way more vulnerable to hand disruption, such as a late-game [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to a low number. However, the explosiveness of this build works in its favor. Oftentimes, you will be able to blow up with a turn one Fireball Circus for a one-hit Knock Out, and the opponent won’t realistically be able to respond. I built this list to be especially aggressive and pull a lot of its resources from the discard pile, while still trying to mitigate some of the issues from the devastating late-game N.

Deck List

[decklist name=”Turbo Blowns” amt=”60″ caption=””undefined][pokemon amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ 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][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]13x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”13″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Inclusions

Four Blacephalon UNB

Again reiterating, as the main attacker, you need a large quantity of this card. In this particular deck, playing four copies is especially important because you cannot beat another single-Prize attacker deck without being able to consistently stream Blacephalon. Additionally, Blacephalon is the only good starting Pokemon in this deck, so you want to maximize your odds of starting with it.

Two Exeggcute PLF

As I mentioned earlier, this deck likes to play out of its discard a lot, especially with cards like [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card]. As a result, it also likes to play [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] for its Propagation Ability. In this deck, Propagation is a big part of making sure you have the resources to get through a game, as its reusability lets you hold cards in your hand instead of having to dump them and sacrifice some of the deck’s precious resources.

One Oricorio-GX, One Dedenne-GX, and One Crobat V

Similar to Standard Blacephalon variants, I opt for one [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], one Dedenne-GX, and one Crobat V. This combination of Pokemon gives the deck some much-needed bonus draw power, especially with Welder being the only draw Supporter. The split of Dedenne-GX and Crobat V also allows this deck to dig deep in the early game and find a massive Knock Out to really put on pressure. In addition, having all three of these cards helps to mitigate the amount of damage an N can do to you.

Four Welder, Three Random Receiver, and Three VS Seeker

[cardimg name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is probably one of the most peculiar Supporter lines you’ve ever seen in Expanded. Welder and VS Seeker need no introduction, but [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]?! That’s a new one!

Ever since it was first suggested to me, the prospect of Random Receiver in a Welder deck has always caught my eye. I often found myself thinking, “I wish there was a way to automatically find me Welder,” and Random Receiver just so happened to fill that role perfectly. Since we play zero other Supporter cards, Random Receiver will always find us Welder as long as there’s at least one copy in our deck. Additionally, VS Seeker provides a nice way to reuse Welder after you have used them, while removing the hassle that is [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card]. In addition, thanks to [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], you can discard Welder and instantly grab it with VS Seeker, should that be needed.

Four Superior Energy Retrieval, Four Fire Crystal, Three Fiery Flint, and Three Battle Compressor

Blacephalon is all about building huge hands filled to the brim with Energy cards. As a result, I feel it’s necessary to max out Superior Energy Retrieval and [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] as well as play three [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. At this point, you may be wondering, “If you need to get Energy into your hand so badly, why not play four Fiery Flint so you can fish them out of your deck?” Well, Battle Compressor just so happens to also do that for us! Early on, you can use Battle Compressor to dump the Fire Energy out of your deck and into your discard pile, and then use the Energy recovery cards like Fire Crystal to deliver the strong attack needed. Conveniently, Battle Compressor can also discard the aforementioned Exeggcute and Welder in order to fuel the entire deck. Worse comes to worst, it can even remove unnecessary cards from the deck, such as extra Random Receiver or Fiery Flint, after you no longer have other targets in your deck. In this deck, Battle Compressor is a truly perfect fit.

Potential Inclusion – Oranguru SUM and Wishful Baton

These cards serve a similar purpose, but in different ways, and may be best when used in conjunction. In this deck, the inclusion of [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] would solely be to make it so you don’t take a huge loss to an [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. However, as you may expect, it’s difficult to pull together a Welder and attack off of just three cards (or six, if you include [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]), so [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] could find a spot as a way to remove the need for that Welder. That said, I don’t really know where to fit either of these cards, and I honestly don’t even know if they’re worth including.

Potential Inclusion – Cramorant V

I desperately wanted to include [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card], but I just couldn’t find the spot for it. In theory, Cramorant V is a less resource-intensive way to take a Knock Out, and it’s especially good in a deck like Blacephalon where you won’t be playing any [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is easily my 61st card.

Conclusion

With that, yet another article draws to a close. I really hope you enjoyed reading about both of these decks, as they are both super interesting and fun projects that I have been collaborating on and trying to make work. Going forward in the Expanded format, I do think both of these decks have high potential, pulling together pretty solid matchups across the board, and even in their rough matchups, they can sometimes pull something together. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee). See you soon, and good luck with the remainder of your Players Cup!

– Isaiah

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