Into the Darkness — Dark Box in Both Formats

Hello PokeBeach readers!

It’s Isaiah back again and I am happy to be bringing you all another article! Since my last article about the emergence of the Inteleon Evolution line in the current metagame (which included deck lists for [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]) the Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX deck has continued to prove its dominant position in the metagame, while Decidueye has had mixed results.

In my honest opinion, the Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX deck is in strong contention for being the best deck in the format, with only its [card name=”Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] counterpart being in contention for that spot as the best deck. As for Decidueye, I am a profound believer that the deck is never lower than “Tier 1.5” so to speak, where it is always one good metagame away from absolutely running through an entire tournament. Through the Team Up to Chilling Reign format, Decidueye has had two prominent results at high-stakes events — one event was early in the format, where we saw Decidueye pull together an incredible four Top 8 slots and taking up both sides of the tournament Finals, where an Inteleon build took down a [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] build. The more recent bout of Decidueye success was actually during the third week of July where Decidueye took up both Finals spots in a 65 player tournament, with yours truly taking down the tournament!

With both of these decks on their rise to the top in the current metagame, we have also started to see a massive explosion of one other type of deck, and those decks feature [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], so how about we take a look into what makes Galarian Moltres V so good and why I think it is the best card in Chilling Reign.

What makes Galarian Moltres V so good?

[cardimg name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As I mentioned, I believe that [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is the best card in Chilling Reign, and that opinion is not a baseless one — first, looking at the basics; Galarian Moltres V’s solid 220 HP and Grass Weakness makes it a powerhouse that can pretty realistically survive a hit against most decks, with the most threats that could Knock it Out in one hit, requiring either extensive setup (for example, [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] or Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX) or large resource commitments (for example, typically multiple attachments or [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] are required from [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]). Far more important than its natural bulk, however, is its insane attack and even better Ability.

Aura Burn is one of the better attacks on a Basic Pokemon that exists in the current format, dealing a highly respectable 190 damage with the ever so minor drawback of taking 30 rebound damage. This attack is excellent at taking out some of the game’s most critical support Pokemon such as [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] with ease. In addition, Galarian Moltres V can set up a lot of solid two-hit Knock Outs, with two Aura Burn hitting a combined 380, claiming a two-hit Knock Out against almost everything in the format.

However, Galarian Moltres V can also combo into a variety of other attacks. One of Galarian Moltres V’s more atypical attacking partners being [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] boasts excellent mathematical synergy. Of note, 190 from Aura Burn plus 150 from Gale Thrust (or a G-Max Rapid Flow boosted by [card name=”Passimian” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Telescopic Sight” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]) sets up a two-hit Knock Out on every VMAX Pokemon that does not have a form of HP boost (for example, [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card]) or damage reduction (such as [card name=”Stone Fighting Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]). As a whole, Galarian Moltres V is already one of the most potent new attackers in the format, but we have not even touched on its Ability.

Galarian Moltres V’s “Direflame Wings” Ability is in strong contention for one of the best Abilities printed on a Basic Pokemon in the Sword & Shield block, only narrowly bested by Zacian V’s “Intrepid Sword” and Crobat V’s “Dark Asset”. Direflame Wings is fundamentally identical to the classic Item [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], attaching a Darkness Energy from your discard to Galarian Moltres V every single turn. I cannot overstate how absurd this Ability is. Direflame Wings allows you to have a constant flow of at least one Energy per turn onto an attacker, and with the addition of manual attachments, your Energy presence starts to overwhelm anything that an opponent could try to put together.

This becomes even more insane with cards like [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] allowing you to take the Energy you attach and move them to other, more powerful attackers. The most notable deck that includes Galarian Moltres V for the combo of Direflame Wings plus Energy Switch is Eternatus VMAX. Historically, Eternatus VMAX has struggled with the ever so infamous [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card], but now with Direflame Wings and Energy Switch, you are able to power up an Eternatus VMAX in a single turn, completely eliminating any tempo loss from a successful Crushing Hammer.

Going a step further, there is only one card in the game that is more efficient at moving around Energy attached by Direflame Wings, and that is the true topic of today’s article: [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card].

Weavile-GX / Mewtwo and Mew-GX (Standard)

Way back when [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] released in Unified Minds, the first deck that came together in people’s minds was a Dark Box deck that featured [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] as the primary form of Energy acceleration, but this decks would ultimately not be powerful enough to compete with the likes of [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] and other top decks in the format at the time. Over the next year and a half, however, little things would start to switch in the Dark Box deck’s favor, especially with the release of Cosmic Eclipse adding [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”name”][/card] as a form of searching out Weavile-GX, and the [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] released in the same set, while also attaching Energy to the board.

With that said, nothing would ever boost this deck as much as the new release of [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], allowing you to ramp into your extremely expensive attacks far faster than ever before.

Deck List

[decklist name=”dark box standard” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″][pokemon amt=”21″]3x [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Type: Null” set=”Unified Minds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]1x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Weavile-GX Line

Being the absolute core of this deck’s strategy, it should come as no surprise that we include a 3-3 [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] line. There honestly is not much to say about this card, as its purpose is extremely straightforward; Move Energy.

The three copies of Weavile-GX is actually an important count, though, as you want to make sure that you have a copy not in your hand, but in your deck, as on the second turn you can have an easy [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”name”][/card] play to accelerate some Energy onto the board. As for our Sneasel of choice, most Sneasel in the current Standard format have lackluster attacks, unlike [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] UPR or [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] CES, so we go with [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] CRE because it is a Rapid Strike Pokemon, so it gains a free Retreat Cost if [card name=”Tower of Waters” set=”Battle Styles” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] is in play.

Silvally-GX Line

Acting as the definitive backbone of this deck’s draw engine, we include 2-2 [card name=”Silvally-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card]. Alongside its excellent draw engine in the form of Disk Reload, Silvally-GX also brings a reasonable attack to the table, doing 120 for two Energy if you have played a Supporter during the same turn.

While this attack is lackluster by most standards, a two-Prize Pokemon that can set up a two-hit Knock Out should never be underestimated. Additionally, it can snatch a Knock Out on a [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] that has been damaged by [card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]’s Black Lance if need be. The most important part of Silvally-GX, however, is that it’s another Pokemon-GX that can be searched via Red and Blue, acting as another way to get some Energy on the board. We include [card name=”Type: Null” set=”Unified Minds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] UNM as our Type: Null of choice because it has a Retreat Cost of one, making it easier to move in a pinch.

Two Mewtwo and Mew-GX

At this point, I have talked about this card so much that I do not even know what to say anymore.

The versatility that comes from [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] is unlike anything that I have ever seen in my nearly ten years of Pokemon TCG experience. In a toolbox like this deck, however, the value that is seen from including Mewtwo and Mew-GX is unbelievably high. In this deck, Mewtwo and Mew-GX is able to effectively act as all of your attackers at once, saving an astounding amount of space on your Bench for critical support Pokemon and your main engine of Weavile-GX and Silvally-GX.

In addition, Mewtwo and Mew-GX fills a similar role to its role in [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] from the Team Up to Battle Styles format, where it perfectly covers the deck’s Weakness to Fighting-type Pokemon like [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card].

[premium]

Two Umbreon and Darkrai-GX

[cardimg name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck’s most important attacker by far is [card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] thanks to its GX Attack; Dark Moon GX. Dark Moon GX is what makes the Dark Box deck go from being decent to being great. The ability to take a one-hit Knock Out on anything at a moment’s notice is almost unprecedented and going a step further; you also lock your opponent from playing any Trainer cards during their next turn, so even if they did want to respond, it is unlikely that they can without using Trainer cards.

If that was not enough, Umbreon and Darkrai-GX’s Black Lance attack is able to do a moderate 150 damage for minimal Energy investment, all while dealing 60 damage to one of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon-GX, setting up critical Knock Outs on Tag Team Pokemon-GX later or potentially wiping out a Dedenne-GX over the course of multiple turns if need be.

Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX and Greninja and Zoroark-GX

Both of these cards serve similar purposes as attackers, providing niche attacks that are often your game closers.

Starting with [card name=”Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card], its Greedy Crush attack allows you to take advantage of the many Pokemon-GX that still see play in the current Standard format, often shaving an entire turn off of a game. With its expensive attack cost, it is also always going to be usable as a follow-up to Dark Moon GX, so against decks like [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] or Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], you can realistically use a turn two Dark Moon GX on an Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX into a turn three Greedy Crush on a Dedenne-GX to win the game without your opponent even getting to use an attack.

With this in mind, sometimes Greedy Crush does not have a use, such as against [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] which does not always include Pokemon-GX. In that case, your secondary attack can be [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dark Pulse, which is capable of massive damage when used as a follow-up to Dark Moon GX, sometimes even taking a one-hit Knock Out on Pokemon VMAX.

Marshadow

A card that has been in the spotlight since the release of Chilling Reign, [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] makes its way into this deck as the deck’s easy out to [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. It should come as no surprise that Path to the Peak gives this deck a bit of trouble, but our three copies of [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] can be enough of a way of dealing with it. In a deck like this where absolutely every attachment counts, losing a Direflame Wings or an Energy because you could not move it is the difference between winning and losing.

As such, Marshadow is our safety net as a searchable answer to Path to the Peak. Additionally, Marshadow is also a nice way to remove [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] from the board if we really need an Energy on a particular turn.

Tag Call Engine

This deck’s [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] engine is a bit thicker than it is in various other decks, but for a good reason. Naturally, we need four Tag Call and three [card name=”Red and Blue” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”202″ c=”name”][/card] to ensure that we find our Red and Blue on turn two to start getting our deck flowing.

The rest of the Tag Call package, however, is simple utility. First, I am a profound believer that at least one [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] is a must in Tag Call decks as it turns Tag Call into a way out of a dead opening hand, significantly reducing your number of unplayable games. [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice form of free healing that you can use, but more importantly, it is a way to switch out of any annoying Special Conditions as well as a bad start like Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX. Lastly, [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card] is our means of turning Tag Call into a guaranteed attachment, retreat, or Basic Pokemon, functioning as an out to [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] respectively.

Weavile-GX / Turbo Dark (Expanded)

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum that we see with Standard [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] Dark Box, we see the classic Turbo Dark in Expanded. Over the past few years, Turbo Dark has been a constant force, boasting incredible damage output and the ability to load half a dozen Energy onto the board turn two with relative ease.

When Weavile-GX was printed, it did not have an immediate place in Turbo Dark, but as the [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] decks from the same set started to take off in Expanded, Weavile-GX was a forced inclusion as the best answer to [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] that the deck could provide. Unexpectedly, however, Weavile-GX became an absolute staple in the archetype by allowing players to set up massive Energy attacks such as Umbreon and Darkrai-GX’s Dark Moon GX as opposed to relying on a massive Energy presence spread across the board to take some larger one-hit Knock Outs.

I will also add, this list is not the most unique, but I should also mention that the deck is the epitome of tried and true, with this list not deviating far from the standards that have been held for almost an entire year at this point.

Deck List

[decklist name=”turbo dark” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzzlord” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Inclusions

Two Greninja and Zoroark-GX

In a bit of a twist from the last form of Dark Box, [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] takes on the role of main attacker in this build. Thanks to the immense amount of Energy acceleration in this build of Dark Box, Greninja and Zoroark-GX is realistically capable of hitting 180 or more damage from the second turn of the game, and it only increases from there. Typically, Greninja and Zoroark-GX ends up closing out a game with a massive one-hit Knock Out of 300 or more damage on a three-Prize Pokemon. Additionally, Dark Union GX is a bit more usable in this deck, as you typically end up sealing the game against [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] decks by recovering an additional copy of Weavile-GX to keep putting on even more pressure if need be.

Two Darkrai-GX and One Galarian Moltres V

[cardimg name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Acting as this deck’s main Energy acceleration outside of [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] are both powerful assets to this deck. If you were to use all three of their Abilities, attach for turn, and play a fairly realistic three Energy acceleration Items, you are already hitting for an amazing 240 damage from extremely early parts of the game. If that amount of Energy acceleration was not enough, you are also able to start swinging with either of these Pokemon as attacking entities themselves. Notably, Darkrai-GX’s Dead End GX is incredibly powerful thanks to its ability to take an instant Knock Out on anything with the minimalistic effort of finding a [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. Dead End GX alone is often enough to take a massive lead, buying time for more Energy to be attached while also taking Prize Cards in the process.

Marshadow-GX

In the current state of the Expanded Format, [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] is a borderline staple, and in a deck like this one, it becomes even more valuable thanks to it only being a two-Prize Pokemon rather than a three-Prize Pokemon. As of right now, some of the Expanded format’s top decks are [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], and of course Dark Box. Funny enough, every single one of these decks is weak to Fighting, so Marshadow-GX is able to easily capitalize on this by taking a massive Knock Out on a threat in any of these matchups if or when needed. Outside of these matchups, though, Marshadow-GX is still able to fill the role of two-Prize Attacker that I mentioned previously.

Computer Search

One of the most common discussions among players of the Dark Box archetype in Expanded is which ACE SPEC is ideal — some players will choose [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] because of its early-game consistency boost and ability to find critical combo pieces like the aforementioned Hypnotoxic Laser to take a Dead End GX Knock Out, but others argue in favor of the versatility offered by [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. Personally, I think that Computer Search is definitively ideal, but with minor changes to the list (such as the inclusion of valuable tech Items like [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]), Dowsing Machine could gain a little more leverage. My main reasoning once again jumps back to the ability to find Hypnotoxic Laser, making the early Dead End GX far more consistent.

Potential Inclusion: AZ

As the Expanded metagame has developed, [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] stall decks have started to move to the forefront of the metagame. As such, an answer to Snorlax’s block lock is almost essential if you are concerned about that deck, which is where [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] comes in. Acting as a way of picking up unwanted [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], a single AZ could realistically win the game by itself, giving you the chance to take a Knock Out and drastically disrupt the opponent’s setup, if not outright win the game. In addition, thanks to the [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] box nature of this deck, you could also use AZ as a form of healing after moving Energy off so that you can move them back on and keep swinging. In all rights, this card probably should be in this list, but I personally am omitting it as of now.

Conclusion

As we have discussed, Dark Box decks are incredibly versatile and incredibly powerful in both of the current metagame, and going forward, I expect massively positive results from both versions of the archetype in future tournaments, and I look forward to exploring them even more myself.

With that, I draw this article to a close. Once again, I think the Dark Box archetype has the potential to do very well in tournaments of both formats, but it often falls just short on the consistency front or maybe hitting too many difficult matchups.

If you have any questions about this archetype or anything else related to the Pokemon TCG, feel free to reach out in the Subscribers Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee). See you next time!

– Isaiah

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