Change is Here — Battle Styles in Standard Format and a Look at Spiritomb
Hello everyone! Like many of you, I am excited about having a new set with interesting cards that seem to be shaking things up. The last Standard format had been quite stagnant and it was starting to get old, which is why I was mostly playing and writing about Expanded. Now that Battle Styles has been out for a little over a week, it’s time to dig in and start to figure out the format. Today I want to brief you on the changes that the Standard format has gone through, looking at both old and new decks. Additionally, I’ll spend some time to go over an interesting [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] deck that recently won a major event. I’ve been playing a little bit of Spiritomb lately and it is certainly worth talking about.
Last Format’s Decks
Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V (ADPZ)
[cardimg name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This deck is still the powerhouse it was and there isn’t much in the new set that affects it. However, since there are new decks introduced into the format, the volume of [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] that we see in events may be diluted slightly. This logic can be applied to any other deck as well.
Many ADPZ lists are including [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], but I don’t think this addition is all that strong or necessary. Some ADPZ lists play [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Battle Styles” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], but this too seems unnecessary to me. ADPZ has no trouble powering up its Metal-type attackers without Bronzong, and an unnecessary Stage-1 evolution line brings down ADPZ’s already-shaky consistency. ADPZ may include some copies of [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], as it can be better than Switch. Although this applies to other decks that previously played Switch, it’s more relevant for ADPZ because ADPZ focuses more on sniping down the Bench rather than hitting into the Active Spot.
Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
This deck got a little bit worse due to the existence of [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], but [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] as a whole seems to be doing alright. This deck is now forced to play two copies of [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, but that’s not a huge deal since the deck did this previously.
One interesting inclusion that I saw in a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX list from a recent event is [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] as a way to deal with Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. You can use [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card]’s Float Up or [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”220″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lightning Ride GX to pivot into Zamazenta V as a wall. This can also help against any other Pokemon VMAX. This strategy is rather easily dismantled by [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or Escape Rope, so it doesn’t seem too reliable. That said, it can be a strong one-time play combined with a late-game [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] for getting some free damage in.
I think Pikachu and Zekrom-GX should be playing [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with G-Max Rapid Flow, but only some lists are doing this now. Overall, Pikachu and Zekrom-GX is still fine, but it is certainly not as great as it was.
Eternatus VMAX
This deck has the same issue as Pikachu and Zekrom-GX – being weak against Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. And unlike Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t have the option to play Mew to counter G-Max Rapid Flow. Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX has many ways of tearing through the Darkness-type Pokemon in Eternatus VMAX decks. [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card] is not particularly helpful for a few reasons. Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX doesn’t OHKO Eternatus VMAX anyway, and it has no trouble using Boss’s Orders and Escape Rope to pick off all the Darkness-types on the Bench.
Although Battle Styles introduced a problem for Eternatus VMAX in Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, it also introduced a card to help Eternatus VMAX with it’s biggest issue. [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Battle Styles” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] helps Eternatus VMAX combat [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] to a certain extent, though it obviously doesn’t help against a turn 1 Crushing Hammer that can delay a Dread End by an entire turn. Thanks to Exp. Share though, Eternatus doesn’t have to worry about Crushing Hammer too much past the first turn or two of the game.
Blacephalon
These decks got worse now that Mew is more widespread. Many decks now easily include Mew to counter G-Max Rapid Flow from Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, and [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] is collateral damage because this neutralizes [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]. Blacephalon still works and it’s still ok, it’s just that this small change in the meta makes the deck a little worse than it used to be. As far as the lists go, not much has changed. This deck may play Escape Rope now, but it certainly won’t be playing two Cramorant V anymore.
Centiskorch VMAX
This deck suffers similarly from the Cramorant V nerf. Additionally, [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] may see less play because it now has to compete with [card name=”Victini VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] as another viable Fire-type Pokemon VMAX deck. Centiskorch VMAX doesn’t lose too much overall though. It’s still seeing play and doing alright.
Lucario and Melmetal-GX / Zacian V
This deck both loses and gains with the new set. Fire-type decks are on the rise, partly due to Victini VMAX. This is an unfortunate development for [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Even with [card name=”Coating Metal Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and Zamazenta V, Fire-types are still a tough matchup. However, Lucario and Melmetal-GX does great against Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, which has become popular. Zamazenta V’s invincibility against Pokemon VMAX is huge in that matchup, and its Assault Tackle gets rid of [card name=”Rapid Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. All of this, combined with [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card], makes it so that Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX has absolutely no chance at all in this matchup.
Overall, I don’t think any of these decks will disappear completely. They all still work, though most of them have been nerfed in some way. I think we will see a little less of each deck due to new decks being introduced, which dilutes the meta share of everything else. Of all of these decks, I think ADPZ gets the best deal. It doesn’t gain much but it doesn’t lose anything either. If you’re looking to play something familiar, I recommend ADPZ.
New Decks
Victini VMAX
At first glance, I was unimpressed with Victini VMAX. However, it’s basically a [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] deck that doesn’t rely on Welder. This means it’s more consistent than our previous Welder decks and more terrifying. This deck can reliably put up a Victini VMAX swinging for tons of damage on turn 2. Welder simply supplements the deck and gives it access to a bunch of great Fire-types like [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”194″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Heatran-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], etc. Both the original [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] and new Battle Styles [card name=”Victini V ” set=”Battle Styles” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card]are strong on their own too! Victini VMAX has a hard damage cap, which is where Centiskorch VMAX outperforms it, but the other attackers in the deck can make up for this. Additionally, the deck can more reliably use Boss’s Orders to snipe around Pokemon VMAX if it wants, as it’s less reliant on Welder. Victini VMAX has already been seeing a lot of play, so it’s something we need to get used to.
Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX
The other incredible Pokemon VMAX out of Battle Styles is [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is being played similarly to how [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks used to: Using [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and lots of switching and gusting effects. Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX is slightly held back in that every deck is now teching Mew, which is an easy, one-card inclusion that nullifies G-Max Rapid Strike. Even considering that however, Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX is seeing lots of play both by itself and with [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] as a partner. I prefer the solo-Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX build, but Dragapult VMAX does have its merits. Dragapult VMAX covers Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX’s Fighting-type well and it gets rid of an opposing Mew quite easily. The trade off is a sharp increase in the deck’s overall clunkiness.
Spiritomb
The combination of [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Spikemuth” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] has been seen before, but it’s never been a big thing. However, Spiritomb has new life in the current format thanks to two powerful reprinted cards in Battle Styles: [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. Spiritomb just won a large online event, and it’s a deck that I have been playing a bit with recently. I want to go into it a bit more in-depth for this article.
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Spiritomb Deck List
[decklist name=”tomb” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jynx” set=”Unified Minds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Spikemuth” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Hiding Darkness Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Credit to Stefano Bassis for the winning list. I took it and I’ve only changed one card so far, though there are other changes I’m considering. The list is quite clean currently, which is a difficult feat for new decks in new formats. This deck has only one mode, which is attacking with Spiritomb for (ideally) OHKO’s. Although this mode is linear, the deck is rather intricate and skillful in how it plays. There are many decisions, especially with regards to sequencing, damage counter management, and choices off Stellar Wish and search cards. Overall, this is a difficult deck to play perfectly, as it demands many more decisions than other decks in the format.
Four Spiritomb
[cardimg name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This deck’s only attacker is Spiritomb. With Building Spite, [card name=”Jynx” set=”Unified Minds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], Spikemuth, and [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] , we can rack up damage on Spiritomb to make it deal up to 310 damage for just one Energy. The goal is to simply OHKO whatever your opponent’s Active Spot Pokemon is until you win. However, with a damage cap of 310, it’s impossible to OHKO Pokemon VMAX. Failing to OHKO Pokemon VMAX then leaves us open to possible [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] healing. This can be problematic especially if our opponent is playing something like Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. However, this deck plays four Escape Rope in addition to two [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], so against Pokemon VMAX decks with Cheryl, we simply take KO’s around the big Pokemon VMAX.
In some cases, we do not need to fear Cheryl and can simply take a 2HKO on the Pokemon VMAX and be fine, such as against [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. Against any other Pokemon, including Tag Team Pokemon-GX, Spiritomb should be able to OHKO them and win a favorable Prize trade. You could add [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] to allow Spiritomb to OHKO Pokmeon VMAX, but it’s not all that useful in reality. You would need to get Spiritomb to 10 damage counters and have Galarian Zigzagoon and the right amount of [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] in the same turn. That’s not even accounting for Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX’s possible [card name=”Stone Fighting Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]. Many Pokemon VMAX still do not run Cheryl. In those cases, taking a 2HKO is fine.
Because Spiritomb is a Basic Pokemon that deals tons of damage for one Energy, it is sufficient to rely on and the entire deck is built around it.
Three Jirachi
Given that this deck already requires switching cards to make use of Spikemuth, Jirachi fits right in and offers the massive consistency boost that this deck needs. This is especially helpful in the early-game when we need to find multiple Pokemon (via search cards) as well as Spikemuth.
One Jynx
Running only one Jynx is a little greedy considering how important it is, but the deck can still somewhat function with it Prized. Additionally, the two copies of [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] keep it alive if the opponent tries to target it down, and [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] keeps it safe from snipe attacks. Jynx will usually move damage from non-Spiritomb Pokemon onto Spiritomb, but it sometimes moves damage between Spiritomb especially during the early-game. Using Jynx optimally is a skill that takes a bit of practice and experience, and it’s incredibly useful for this Spiritomb deck.
One Mew
Mew was already useful due to blocking [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]’s Spit Shot and Pikachu and Zekrom-GX’s Tag Bolt GX, and it’s even better now because it protects against [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]’s G-Max Rapid Flow. Without Mew, G-Max Rapid Flow would tear this deck to pieces. Just like with Jynx, the two copies of [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] keep Mew in play even if the opponent KOs it once or twice.
One Marshadow
You need [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] as a [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] counter, since this deck heavily relies on Spikemuth.
One Oricorio-GX
This card is only sometimes useful, but [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] is great as a soft counter to [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. With this deck, you’ll occasionally build up a large hand size, setting yourself up perfectly for the next turn. In some of these instances, an opposing Marnie can be devastating. This is when you want to play down Oricorio-GX, so you can better recover from an opposing Marnie on the next turn. If you put Oricorio on your Bench at any random time, you may feel your Bench getting too crowded. It’s best to use Oricorio-GX at an opportune moment, rather than whenever you can.
Three Bird Keeper
This is a better draw Supporter than Marnie in this deck for a few reasons. First, [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card]’s switch effect works great with the deck as it has synergy with Stellar Wish and [card name=”Spikemuth” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. Second, Bird Keeper doesn’t get rid of your hand, which can be useful as this deck builds up to combos from the hand involving multiple switching cards. Although we do play four [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] that does get rid of our hand, having the option for Bird Keeper is incredibly useful for this deck.
Spiritomb Matchups
Many of the deck’s decisions are based around the ability to pilot the deck, as it only has one mode: Attack with [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. Given that, there isn’t a whole lot of nuance in the deck’s matchups, so I won’t cover every matchup specifically. There are a few that I will cover some notes on though.
ADPZ — 50-50
This matchup is basically a toss-up. It really depends on if they get the Ultimate Ray off. This can be said for a lot of decks against [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], but it’s even more true for Spiritomb because they must take three KO’s against this deck, whereas normally ADPZ only needs two KO’s for game. This makes the initial Ultimate Ray extremely important. Ideally, Spiritomb will hit the ADP for some damage on your first attacking turn, and then finish it off after it uses Altered Creation GX. If the Spiritomb deck falters a little and fails to do this, the ADP can Ultimate Ray and will always win the Prize trade from there.
Going first in this matchup makes it more likely that you’ll get the two-turn attacking combo to KO ADP, but it leaves open the possibility of them getting a turn 1 Altered Creation GX. If they get the turn 1 Altered Creation GX, you will be forced to OHKO the ADP, which is extraordinarily difficult to do, so you basically lose if they get it. If you go second, you’ll always have the opportunity to KO ADP before it uses Ultimate Ray, but it’s more likely that you’ll whiff the first important attack. Going second forces you to find the turn 1 attack for at least a decent amount of damage, but it leaves you in a very winning position if you’re able to do so.
This makes it sound like that going second is the better option, but you must consider if the opponent does not have ADP in the Active Spot, you must either get the first hit with a Boss’s Orders or be ready to OHKO the ADP after it uses Altered Creation GX. Going first leaves you in a better position to be able to do either of those two things, which is why I think going first is better if you have the choice. By doing so, you must risk the possibility of them getting the turn 1 Altered Creation GX. If the opponent is smart, they will do everything in their power to avoid leaving ADP in the Active Spot before it’s ready to attack.
Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX — Unsure
I haven’t tested this matchup enough, partly because there’s so much variation in the lists that are out there as Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX is still a new deck that people are experimenting with. I will say that Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX has the potential to be a difficult matchup for Spiritomb, depending on how many Cheryl a given list plays. Mew and Ordinary Rod can reliably counter G-Max Rapid Flow, but Spiritomb cannot OHKO an Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. Using [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] around it could work, but if they set up a second Pokemon VMAX then that plan goes out the window. If they play Cheryl, they can spam that while slowly taking one Prize at a time with Gale Thrust. If they do not play Cheryl, then simply 2HKO each Pokemon VMAX with Spiritomb.
Centiskorch VMAX — Favorable
This is a favorable matchup for Spiritomb and I want to mention one interaction with [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. Aside from blocking Cramorant V’s Spit Shot, Mew can set up KO’s on [card name=”Centiskorch VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] with Psypower because Spiritomb’s maximum damage output is 310. This is more relevant for Centiskorch VMAX than other Pokemon VMAX for a few reasons: [card name=”Victini VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] and Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX have [card name=”Heat Fire Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Stone Fighting Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] respectively, and Dragapult VMAX is weak to Darkness-type. Psypower can be used against [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] too, but it requires all three pings. Against Centiskorch VMAX, you can set up multiple Centiskorch VMAX with just one Psypower.
Keep in mind that Mew is valuable on the Bench to protect from Spit Shot, but sometimes it can be useful as an attacker. If the Centiskorch VMAX doesn’t play healing, you can use Mew as a finisher. If they put down multiple Centiskorch VMAX, you can Psypower to prep each one at once. This is not always the game plan but it’s something to keep in mind.
Conclusion
Overall, it looks like the format is a lot more diverse than it previously was. I’m sure this is due in part to people wanting to try out new decks and ideas as a new set just dropped, but I am nonetheless optimistic about the new format. I definitely encourage you to try out the Spiritomb deck, especially if you enjoy the thinking side of Pokemon. You will have losses outside of your control every now and then, but that’s how the game goes sometimes. Overall, Spiritomb is a strategic and powerful deck that I find extremely fun and rewarding to play, and I couldn’t say that about many decks last format. On the other hand, it can be quite punishing to mistakes, but that serves to help us learn and improve. Thanks so much for reading!
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