Item Lock — Updating Zoroark-GX / Seismitoad-EX

[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello PokeBeach readers! In this article I’m going to be talking about a deck that was so dominant it got a few cards banned. That deck is [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], originally created by Jimmy Pendarvis and the rest of the DDG group.

This deck was built with the goal of completely shutting down the opponent. To accomplish that, this deck attacks with Seismitoad-EX while chaining [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] to bring back a plethora of Supporters to continuously disrupt the opponent. During its prime, this deck won two Regionals in the hands of Jimmy as well as a second place from Caleb Gedemer. In that format, most decks had no way to deal with a Seismitoad-EX in one shot meaning cards like [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] had less of a downside because you weren’t worried about your Seismitoad-EX getting Knocked Out. Another crucial card in this deck was [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. If a deck couldn’t two shot a Seismitoad-EX, this deck would chain Acerola using Lusamine meaning the Seismitoad-EX will never be Knocked Out. If this situation did arise, this deck also played a copy of [card name=”Tirtouga” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”27″ c=”name”][/card] which when combined with Zoroark-GX means this deck can never deck out, so any deck that can’t Knock Out Seismitoad-EX instantly lost. The second big advantage this deck had was that [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] was very popular in the format. This allowed the deck to use [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to bring your opponent’s Exeggcute into the Active Spot then attack with Seimitoad-EX and a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to deal zero damage. This was huge for the deck because it allowed for a game plan where you bring Exeggcute into the Active Spot then remove Energy cards off your opponent’s Bench using Plumeria until they run out of Energy. The question is, can this deck hold up in the current Expanded?

Zoroark-GX / Seismitoad-EX in Expanded Now

In the current form of Expanded, these strategies don’t work very well because most cards are stronger then they used to be. However, this deck has some new tricks up its sleeve. The biggest addition this deck has received is [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. This card functions as a 270HP Seismitoad-EX, allowing the Acerola game plan to be fairly affective against most of the format. This also gives the deck access to GX attacks, such as Unfair GX from [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. The best play this card brings is combining it with [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to pull up a Pokemon without Energy attached, then discard their entire hand late in the game. This combo allows the deck to remain competitive against highly aggressive decks such as [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM168″ c=”name”][/card]. They often can’t close out the game because you remove too much Energy after you pull off the combo. Acerola looping and Unfair GX are the main strategies for the current version of this deck.  With this in mind, I’ll go over some matchups.

Dragapult VMAX / Garbodor

This  matchup actually doesn’t use either of the core strategies for this deck. While you could use your Energy removal to good effect, in this matchup it often comes down to Prizes. Since Zoroark-GX hits [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] for Weakness, your opponent has a hard time keeping pace with you. Both the Garbotoxin [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] and Trashalanche [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] can cause issues, but they are fairly easy to play around. One big card in this matchup is [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], as Dragapult VMAX decks run a ton of Special Energy and cant attach more then one Energy a turn.

Vileplume

This is likely the decks best matchup. This deck can only attach one Energy at a time, and doesn’t do very much damage. They can use Lusamine to loop their Supporters so they don’t deck out, but that is easy to beat with [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. The biggest obstacle in this matchup is getting set up through [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]’s Item lock but once you have a single Zoroark-GX in play it’s fairly easy. The other [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] does stop your Basic Pokemon from attacking, so use Guzma on the Item lock Vileplume so you can attack as well as keep your opponent from attacking.

ADP / Zacian V

In this matchup, you use the Acerola strategy with your Mewtwo and Mew-GX since [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] can only attack every other turn and its damage capped at 260. They cant break an Acerola loop without having two Zacian V set up. The way to handle two Zacian V is fairly simple — you put a [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] in play and use your Energy removal options when you get chance. Since they’re Item locked, most lists only have access to 10 Metal Energy meaning they’ll run out of Energy very fast. For the Acerola loop to work, you obviously need to have no Pokemon on your Bench aside from a second Mewtwo and Mew-GX. This isn’t the easiest as you often need to bench a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] to find your Acerola and Lusamine, but you can then discard Tapu Lele-GX on the Bench with [card name=”Giovanni’s Exile” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card]. This match is difficult for the [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] (ADP) / Zacian V player because they often don’t have enough Energy in play to start attacking.

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The Zoroark-GX / Seismitoad-EX List

[decklist name=”Seismitoad Zoroark” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]2x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giovanni’s Exile” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”174″ 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]2x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ 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]1x [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”5″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Bunnelby

[cardimg name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The first Pokemon I haven’t explained yet is [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. With the ban on [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], Bunnelby is the next best option but it comes with the upside of having its own built in mill attack. Most of the time you will be recovering two cards with Bunnelby, usually [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to give you full access to your discard pile during your next turn and respond to your opponent accordingly. An important thing to note with Bunnelby is to make sure you always have Energy in your deck because there is no way to recover Energy other then Bunnelby.

Sudowoodo

The most popular tech in Expanded is [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] because of how popular [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] is in the meta as well as stopping [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] from capitalizing on its Ability. Sudowoodo is most relevant in the Turbo Dark match up as it stops them from exploding on turn 1, allowing this deck to set up and get them under Item lock. Other then against those decks, Sudowoodo isn’t used often as limiting the opponent by one Bench spot isn’t too relevant.

Exeggcute

This deck would not have been playable without [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card]. The amount of resources this deck saves by using Exeggcute is unmatched. Only having to discard one card for Plumeria and not having to discard for [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] makes this deck unstoppable with how consistent it is and how many options it always has. Exeggcute is so important I often try to search for it early with [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] if I don’t need any other Basic Pokemon so I can get it in the discard pile and start abusing its Ability. As a side note, I think this card needs to be banned simply because it negates the downside of discarding cards for so many relevant cards such as [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and Quick Ball.

Hugh

The first wacky supporter in this deck is [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Aside from this deck, Hugh hasn’t seen much competitive play since its 2nd place finish at the US Nationals in the original [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] stall deck. The reason Hugh is in this deck is because players will try to play a slow game against you — they will draw pass for awhile, building a large hand then execute a fairly large combo and eventually use [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to reset their deck size. Hugh allows this deck to negate that strategy by forcing your opponent to discard cards from their hand once they’ve built it up so they can’t use N to refresh their deck. This often eliminates the time stalling strategy against this deck, which otherwise would be an issue.

Plumeria / Team Flare Grunt

Energy removal is a key strategy of this deck and often the way you win a matchup. The reason this deck plays a split of both [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is because there is only one copy of Exeggcute — if you can remove an Energy off the opponent’s Active Spot Pokemon it is worth not having to discard a card from your hand. Something else to add is the potential inclusion of [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card]. As I mentioned earlier, some players will opt to try and build a large hand in the game meaning they may have plenty of Energy in hand too. Team Skull Grunt allows you to target their Energy when you don’t want to use Hugh because your hand is too big or because they don’t have enough cards yet.

Faba

In addition to being an Energy removal option, [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] is more of a win condition of its own against decks such as [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”150″ c=”custom”]Mad Party[/card] , [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], or other Zoroark-GX decks,  In these matchups, you want to spam Faba. You don’t care about the damage on your Pokemon — instead, you want to use Faba to target the opponent’s Energy cards and ensure they won’t be able to finish the game because all of their Energy have gone to the Lost Zone. Faba can remove [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card], sometimes seen in [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] allowing you to get [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] in play easier. Faba can also remove Tools to make matchups like [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] or Zoroark-GX / Garbodor easier because its a reusable out to turning off [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]’s Garbotoxin Ability.

Team Rocket’s Handiwork

When your opponent is trying to find a way out of the Item lock because you gusted up their Bench sitter and they can’t move it, [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] is the Supporter you want to spam. Normally I don’t like active mill cards unless that’s the deck’s entire game plan. However with this deck, in some matchups you can pull up a Bench sitter such as an [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] that your opponent won’t be able to move for a couple turns. Then, you can play Team Rocket’s Handiwork trying to hit Energy cards and other important cards such as [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. Team Rocket’s Handiwork does come with the bonus of being a sneaky win condition in games you shouldn’t win. If your opponent goes down to a low deck size, you can try to deck them out using Bunnelby and Team Rockets Handiwork to mill up to six cards a turn.

Ultra Ball / Quick Ball

This list opts for a heavier ball engine rather then playing something like [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] for set up. In this Expanded meta, the games are too fast to warrant a slow Supporter based set up. If I could find room for a higher count of Quick Ball I would try to play four copies, but for now I’ve been stuck at two. I believe Brigette remains the best Supporter set up card because it can get you multiple [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] as well as a [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. Another good option is [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] because it can get a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] plus it puts the cards into your hand so its not a bad option later in the game. Alongside the basic search options, this deck can play a copy of an [card name=”Olivia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] so it can search for Zoroark-GX getting two copies in play on turn 2.

Counter Catcher

This is huge swing card in this deck and allows for some crazy plays. The [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] combo thrives because [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to pull up a non-threat Pokemon before you attack, making it near impossible for them to attack on the following turn. Counter Catcher also allows you to stall the game by pulling up a [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] with Galar Mine in play, then use Plumeria to remove your opponents Energy or Team Rocket’s Handiwork to deck them out. Counter Catcher was already an incredible card in this deck before Galar Mine existed, now that you can combo them together it makes it very difficult for the opponent to play the game.

Fighting Fury Belt

As I’ve mentioned, [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] looping is one of this deck’s core strategies. The addition of [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] gives your Mewtwo and Mew-GX 310 HP, meaning a lot of decks cant two shot it allowing you to successfully loop Acerola. However, the bonus extra damage is often a downside so I’ve considered switching to two copies of [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card]. This would remove the extra damage from Fighting Fury Belt, very relevant when attacking into Dedenne-GX, plus Big Charm can be attached to Zoroark-GX adding a bit more utility. Big Charm does give 10 less HP but from my experience, getting hit for exactly 300 damage isn’t very common so Big Charm might be better.

Enhanced Hammer

A card like [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is so strong when used but because there’s only one copy, you have to draw it at the right time so it always feels bad. If I could find room I would like to fit a second copy but there isn’t something worth cutting. The most relevant time to use Enhanced Hammer is against ADP — when they use Altered Creation GX on the first turn, it is crucial that the Energy is removed so they don’t get a free attack with ADP next turn. Enhanced Hammer is also great against Dragapult VMAX because it allows you to miss a turn of Energy removal, then catch up by playing Enhanced Hammer and Team Flare Grunt in the same turn. Overall I think Enhanced Hammer is great card and I would like to play a higher count, but I’m not sure if I should play only one copy. For now I’ve kept it in the list because it can be very clutch but I think its one of the more cuttable cards in the deck.

Field Blower

I wish this card wasn’t needed because I often feel it never gets played. But you have to play [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] in case Tools come down on the first turn. A Tool on [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] or a damage modifier Tool on a Zacian V can easily lose this deck the game, making Field Blower a much needed card in the list. The upside to Field Blower is that it can be randomly useful against Chaotic Swell or a random [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] on an opposing Dedenne-GX.

Dowsing Machine

Its an argument that goes back about seven years now — [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. For any [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] deck, I always opt for Dowsing Machine. I feel the upside of having a thin Supporter line and being able to reuse Items is massive in a format like Expanded that it outweighs the consistency boost of a Computer Search. The main argument for Computer Search is the ability to search out [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] Energy. While this is very important and a valid argument for the inclusion of Computer Search, in a deck like this specifically reusing disruption cards outweighs that consistency boost. Dowsing Machine is also better with [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck, because it allows you to get Dowsing Machine off a Rototiller rather then committing to any one card before your opponent plays their turn. Dowsing Machine is more versatile and allows for flashier and more strategic plays, making it better for a deck like this where your goal is to grind out a long game.

Parallel City

[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

There isn’t much to say about [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] other then its been the best counter Stadium in the game since its release. Any deck that didn’t need a specific Stadium ran Parallel City because the disruption from limiting your opponents bench is so crippling. A great play with Parallel City is to drag up a useless Pokémon such as Dedenne-GX, then use Parallel City, locking the Dedenne-GX in play so your opponent has to discard a more valuable Pokemon on the Bench. Like I mentioned earlier, you can also make it so your Seismitoad-EX is doing zero damage to a Pokemon with Water-type Resistance, so if that Pokémon is useless and can’t attack it will be stuck there until your opponent finds a way to retreat it.

Galar Mine

One of the only new additions to the deck, but it is one of the best cards. Drag one of your opponent’s support Pokemon to their Active Spot, then play [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] to its their Retreat Cost to lock them there. This can be a huge deal 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 they don’t run many counter Stadiums and can easily run out of Energy. Galar Mine can cause random issues for you if they gust one of your Zoroark-GX as you can no longer use a Double Colorless Energy to retreat, but with many outs such as [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], Float Stone, or bumping the Galar Mine, this hasn’t been much of an issue.

Conclusion

I believe with [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] unbanned, this deck can pick up right where it left off. I think this deck is easily a tier 1 contender in the current Expanded meta and can always be adapted to beating the field. The best thing with decks like these is that they are flexible and can be fitted to deal with any new challenges in the meta. Take note that this deck is much harder to play then any other deck currently in the Pokemon TCG so I would recommend getting some reps in on ladder before taking it into an event.

As always, make sure you check out the other articles here on PokeBeach — there’s a ton of great content that’s useful for all types of players, old and new.

If you have any questions for me about the deck in this article, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Until next time.

-Michael

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