Ice Rider Calyrex in Expanded and Analysis of Players Cup IV Week 1

Hello PokeBeach readers! This article has a couple different parts. First, I’ll go over a fun new archetype for Expanded that can shake up the current attacker-based metagame: [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] engine. This deck uses Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX as the main attacker because of its easy attack requirements and large HP, and follows it up with a plethora of tech options that use Counter Energy and [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] to sweep decks that Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX can’t deal with. Garbodor is in this deck because none of its other Pokémon rely on Abilities, and Garbotoxin goes a long way in slowing down the rest of the format. The combination of these strong effects make the deck a huge threat. It can struggle with stall variants, but it uses Weakness to its advantage to earn its place among the rest of the meta.

Along with that, I’ll be doing a short analysis on two of the players that made it through the first week of Players Cup IV, and how these players reached the lists they played at the event. The players I’ll be highlighting in this article are Alex Schemanske, who piloted [card name=”Polteageist” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”83″ c=”custom”]Mad Party[/card] to an 8-1 finish, and Matthew Burris, who piloted [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] to a 6-2 finish in the Oceania region.

Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX

[decklist name=”Ice Rider” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Three Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX

As the main attacker of the deck, Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX needs a fairly thick line to keep the deck consistent. I’ve gone through a few iterations where I only ran two of the VMAX, but the extra copy adds enough consistency to be worth the slot. The reason I chose Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX as the main attacker in the first place is because it can use both Counter Energy and [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to full effect. The other option was [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], but I felt Dragapult’s lack of OHKO potential, combined with the disruption gained by Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX’s first attack, made the Ice Rider a better option.

[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Two Garbodor DRX, One Garbodor GRI

The [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] with Garbotoxin brings this deck to the competitive level. It takes a bunch of strong ideas and allows them to work together while disrupting the opponent and forcing them to play below their deck’s capacity. Garbodor also allows you to use my favorite combination of cards — Ability lock plus hand disruption from [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. This combination lets you take full advantage of the reactive nature of this archetype: you can ruin your opponents’ lategame while taking an easy OHKO, Item-locking them with [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], or even just pushing up a Calyrex and making it very hard for them to take a Knock Out on their turn.

The Garbodor line also includes a copy of the [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] with Trashalanche, which is another form of pseudo-disruption as it forces the opponent to manage their Item count very carefully. Between Trashalanche, Ride of the High King, and Garbotoxin, opponents will have to have to pay close attention to their Items and their Bench, all while dealing with Ability lock and the threat of Item lock from Vikavolt V.

Three Tapu Lele-GX

Like many Garbodor decks of the past, I chose to run a heavy [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] engine. This allows for easy access to [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] on turn one, which you can then follow up with a strong draw Supporter on turn two, and benefit from boosted consistency for the rest of the game. This deck also plays a lot of singleton Supporters, which make the engine even more important.

Tapu Lele-GX is also a nice attacker in a pinch. You can hit for solid damage, which will set you up to use your other attackers to finish a Knock Out on the following turn. Tapu Cure GX is also an amazing attack in this deck since your main attacker has such high HP — against decks that try to use a two-shot strategy, you can let two Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX take damage and then undo two of your opponent’s turns with just one attack.

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Vikavolt V

Vikavolt V is a tech for the [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. The idea is that you can Item-lock them once they’ve attacked, and it’ll make it nearly impossible for them to attack a second turn in a row. At this point, since they probably took some Prize cards with their first attack, you can then use N and finish the Knock Out with Vikavolt V’s second attack. This should swing the game in your favor since your opponent will struggle to set up another attacker. If they Knock Out Vikavolt V, you should be able to find another Knock Out through Trashalanche, [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], or even Calyrex VMAX.

Vikavolt V is a great option in plenty of other matchups, too. As soon as the opponent stumbles, being able to apply Item lock can be a total roadblock for any deck in the Expanded format.

Klefki

Klefki lets you activate Garbotoxin while under Item lock from an opponent’s [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. You can use this to get yourself one turn of Items so you can play some [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], or even put a Pokémon Tool on another Garbodor to break the Item lock for all your future turns. This swings the Vileplume matchup into heavily favorable territory because their deck isn’t built to use Items regularly, so if Vileplume’s Ability isn’t active, they’re at a severe disadvantage.

Four N

As I’ve mentioned, this deck is built to disrupt the opponent as much as possible with different effects. Having N as your main draw Supporter helps with that a lot. Since you don’t need very much on any given turn, playing an N allows you to stunt your opponent’s game plan while giving you just enough to function. It also enables huge comebacks if the earlygame doesn’t go too well. Through Garbotoxin, N, and Counter Energy, you have the potential for huge swing turns that most opponents won’t be able to handle. This lategame power combined with the potential to pressure the opponent in the earlygame is one reason this deck is so strong.

AZ

AZ is another tech option in this deck. Normally I would include [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] as it’s overall a better card, but today’s metagame is widely dominated by stall decks focused around [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]. Snorlax is not as impactful against this deck due to Garbotoxin, but later in the game it can get tricky if your opponent is running you out of Tools. An easy solution to this is AZ, which allows you to remove your Active Pokémon from the board, throwing a huge wrench into the Snorlax player’s strategy. While this doesn’t make the matchup favorable, it makes it fairly close, which is enough to justify the inclusion of AZ over Acerola in my list.

Teammates

Teammates is in the deck for turns when you need two specific cards and you can’t risk not drawing them off an N. There are a number of situations where this is useful, since it lets you get full value out of Counter Energy and surprise your opponents with tech attackers. It’s also the reason this deck can get away with only three copies of Counter Energy — most decks would opt for four, but Teammates boosts your consistency so much, I felt it was fine to cut one to make room for another tech.

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

Pokémon Ranger

Since this deck plays the heavy Tapu Lele-GX engine, I felt Pokémon Ranger was good enough to warrant a spot in the list. Pokémon Ranger is often just a counter to [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], since it can turn off its GX attack right after it’s used. However, it has plenty of other uses too — specifically against Item lock decks, you’ll be able to turn off their lock for at least one turn, and against cards like [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] that completely turn off Special Energy, you can chain some Pokémon Ranger so they can’t lock you out of the game. I don’t think Pokémon Ranger is a cuttable card simply because of the deck’s Special Energy reliance — if you don’t play Ranger, there really isn’t any other answer to cards like Noivern-GX.

Four Float Stone, Two Muscle Band

For the last couple years I’ve found it’s always better to run more Float Stones than you need, because the consistency of being able to retreat your Active Pokémon as well as set up pivots for [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is too important in modern Pokémon. Most Garbodor decks are used to four copies of Float Stone anyway, as you need a Tool on Garbodor and Float Stone is by far the best, but some lists play more copies of inferior Tools as a way to guarantee activating Garbotoxin on turn two. As far as other Tools go, this list only plays two Muscle Band, and you usually won’t sacrifice one of these to turn on Garbotoxin because they’re too important to have on your attackers in most matchups. This deck isn’t fully reliant on Garbodor from the beginning of the game; if you whiff setting it up for a few turns, you won’t outright lose. This means that only four Float Stones for your Garbotoxin Tools are plenty.

Computer Search

When it comes to an ACE SPEC, Computer Search is the obvious choice for this deck. The other main option is [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], which, in a deck that doesn’t play very many one-of Items and only a few one-of Supporters, feels like a worse card overall. Computer Search lets you find high-value cards like Counter Energy and Muscle Band that are otherwise unsearchable, but are critical for the tempo swings that make this deck great.

The other option I briefly considered was [card name=”Scoop Up Cyclone” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], which acts as a healing card that also lets you reuse your Energy. This is a pretty strong effect, especially in matchups like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM168″ c=”name”][/card] where you’re often trading two-hit Knock Outs. I eventually decided it still wasn’t better then the overwhelming consistency boost Computer Search gives you, but it was interesting to see a third ACE SPEC in consideration.

Energy

I believe this Energy line is the most efficient at powering up the different attacks in this list with regularity, but I’m sure different tech options can shake it up a little. With an Energy line like this, the door is open for many cute plays with cards like [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card], which can surprise opponents with cards like [card name=”Dubwool V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card] to get easy Knock Outs in the lategame. This Energy line also allows for the most flexibility of attackers, without the overreliance on Counter Energy that could prevent you from applying earlygame pressure.

The one-of Rainbow Energy is the weirdest inclusion, and it’s because I felt the deck wanted a fifth out to a multi-type Energy while Counter Energy is inactive. The extra Rainbow Energy allows cards like Victini V and Vikavolt V to pull off their second attacks much more easily without costing the deck all its other Energy.

Deck Conclusion

I believe this deck has a solid chance to cement itself as a front runner in the current Expanded format. Many decks can’t handle the combination of an aggressive earlygame and a strong reactive/disruptive lategame. This deck also forces your opponent to play around so much disruption, most of the time they will make mistakes — whether it’s benching extra Pokémon or using too many Items, opponents have to monitor every action they take or else play right into your traps. Then you have the Counter Energy package and a lategame classic in N plus Garbotoxin. A surprise Knock Out from a [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] on one of your opponent’s Pokémon, followed up with an N and Ability lock, is hard for any deck to come back from.

Players Cup IV Top Players

Matthew Burris | Pikachu and Zekrom-GX | 6-2

Matthew Burris has been a dominant player from the Oceania region since the beginning of our last season. He really broke out when he got Top 8 at the Latin American International Championship, which he then followed up with a Regionals win in Brisbane only a month later. Matthew is no stranger to online success either: he finished 2nd in the first Players Cup, falling just short of winning the whole event when he lost to his testing partner Jack, playing a 60 card mirror in the finals.

This is now Matthew’s fourth Players Cup, and once again he brought Pikachu and Zekrom-GX — also his pick for the first three. This time around, he opted for a fairly standard version of the deck, running four copies of [card name=”Boltund V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] as well as a [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] disruption package. Some interesting choices in his list are the three [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], a single copy of [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card], and three [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] along with four [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]. This variant seems to be much more reliant on a turn one Electrify from Boltund V, and Matthew didn’t want to potentially whiff that.

His two losses in the event were to the mirror match and to [card name=”Charizard” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] — while unconventional, I can’t imagine a Charizard deck being a great matchup for PikaRom if the Charizard player gets going. Matthew opted not to run Vikavolt V, meaning he had no way of stopping Charizard from setting up. The other loss was a mirror match, which often comes down to draws or who get more heads on Crushing Hammer. All in all, it’s no surprise to see Matthew back on top in Players Cup IV, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his success continued further into the event.

[cardimg name=”Polteageist” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”83″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Alex Schemanske | Mad Party | 8-1

Alex should need no introduction at this point, as he’s been a dominant figure in the game from the time he first aged up into Masters five years ago. While this is Alex’s first deep run in a Players Cup, he’s no stranger to success, with multiple finalist performances at Regionals and some pretty dominant appearances in smaller online events.

For this event, Alex chose to play the [card name=”Polteageist” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”83″ c=”custom”]Mad Party[/card] deck, which took the metagame by storm with a Top 16 placement for all four regions. Mad Party was definitely a sleeper deck for the event, but the players who played it believed it has a great matchup versus everything else in the format. Alex’s only loss was to [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM192″ c=”name”][/card], which he attributed to some bad luck in the first game. All in all, he thinks the deck could have lead him to a 9-0 placement without that game.

When looking at Alex’s matchups, he was able to take down the majority of the meta, beating Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, both [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”custom”]Rapid Strike[/card] and [card name=”Single Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card], and multiple incarnations of [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. Alex also beat a Lucario and Melmetal-GX deck earlier in the event, meaning the matchup is definitely winnable in spite of his 0-2 loss to it in the 7th round. The only major decks Alex didn’t play against were [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”custom”]ADP[/card] and [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. I’d imagine Eternatus rounds out the set of fairly strong matchups for him, making Mad Party an absolutely phenomenal play in this format, but it could struggle against ADP as it loses the advantage of being a single-Prize deck. I don’t think that the matchup is unwinnable by any means, but it’s probably slightly unfavorable. All in all, though, this was a great meta call from Alex, and a well deserved placement. I’m sure he will find a way to take Mad Party further into this event, and potentially even win the whole thing.

Conclusion

Both these players stuck to their guns, with Matthew playing his tried-and-true Pikachu and Zekrom-GX deck and Alex coming in with his usual unexpected play and proving it can hang with the top-tier decks of the format. Both these players have been on top of the game for some time now, and it would be no surprise to see either of them win the whole event. However, only time will tell who will win the Players Cup IV, and it won’t be easy for these guys considering players like Tord Reklev, Daniel Altavilla, and Joao Pedro Medeiros are all still in the event and hungry to win it all.

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 section below!

If you want to check out Alex or Matthew, you can find them both on Twitter:

Alex – @aschemanske

Matthew – @pkmnMattyB

Until next time.

-Michael

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