Everything You Need to Know About Rapid Strike Malamar in Standard

By: Grant Manley · Posted Sep 20, 2021 at 6:01 PM · 0 Comments

Hello everyone! Today I will be continuing my review of the new post-rotation Standard format. I also will go over a personal favorite deck of mine — Rapid Strike [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card].

Malamar is an incredibly strong deck right now that is overlooked and underutilized. I believe this is because people as a whole have not put a lot of effort into the deck, and therefore lists are not optimized. This leads to the archetype being underplayed, as well as underperforming when it is actually played. I think I have a unique perspective on the deck and why it’s so strong right now, and I’d like to share that with you all today.

Standard Format Overview

[cardimg name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

But first, a brief overview on the new format as a continuation from my last article. The format has opened up quite a bit, and there’s a healthy amount of deck diversity. From early testing in the format, I realized that the format could open up, but I was also worried about the top two decks gatekeeping. Therefore, this is a welcome progression in my opinion.

The biggest new deck is [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]. I don’t think this deck is actually that great since it loses to [card name=”Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and Single Strike. However, it is immensely popular and successful for the time being, so you can’t really argue with that. Speaking of Single Strike, it appears that [card name=”Umbreon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] has breathed new life into the archetype. Umbreon VMAX’s Ability is great, and its Darkness-typing allows it to prey upon both Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX and Dragapult VMAX. [card name=”Single Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] is also capable of tearing through opposing Pokemon VMAX. As a result, the deck is seeing some popularity.

While [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is still seeing play, it’s not completely dominant or as prevalent as it was at the very start of the format. As it happens, Rapid Strike is Malamar’s Achilles’ heel, so the less popular it is, the more opportunity Malamar has to thrive.

Another popular deck now is [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], but the version that I wrote about in my last article seems to be left in the dust in favor of a more defensive version. I prefer the turbo version, but the list that’s going around plays heavy counts of [card name=”Crystal Cave” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]. This is certainly not bad, and it’s seeing results. This version compliments [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] more so than Zacian V, since Zacian V isn’t too difficult to KO even with the defensive buffs.

It seems that Tier 1 consists of the following (not necessarily in this exact order):

Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX
Dragapult VMAX / Inteleon
Zacian V
Single Strike Urshifu VMAX / Umbreon VMAX
Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX

You could also make the argument to push the Urshifu decks down to Tier 2, but I think they are strong enough to remain in Tier 1.

Fortunately, the lists from my last article still hold up in the current meta, and I’ll stand by them for the time being. Additionally, there are plenty of other decks running around in the meta. The tier list and metagame are certainly open to change at any time. Who knows, maybe Malamar will break into Tier 1 in the near future.

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Rapid Strike Malamar Deck List

[decklist name=”malamar” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″][pokemon amt=”23″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Minccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”Battle Styles” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Korrina’s Focus” set=”Battle Styles” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tower of Waters” set=”Battle Styles” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Spiral Energy” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Rapid Strike [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is a bit of a high-maintenance deck. Its defining quality is being a single-Prize attacker with an unlimited damage cap. Since it’s capable of OHKO’ing Pokemon V and Pokemon VMAX while only giving up one Prize in return, it’s always capable of winning a fair Prize trade. Once set up, this deck can easily chain Rapid Strike Tentacles attacks and demolish anything that is unfortunate enough to be in the opponent’s Active Spot

Your ideal board for most matchups consists of your attacking Malamar, a backup Inkay or Malamar, three [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench, and one [card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card]. The excess Octillery pieces may be used as Rapid Strike Tentacle fodder. For the most part, the list is straightforward. I think it’s optimized or close to it, so I’ll go over a few of the less intuitive decisions.

Inkay Split

Allow me to explain the simultaneously best and worst decision of this list — the Inkay split. Favoring the Champions Path [card name=”Inkay” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] is a necessary evil. In a vacuum, the Chilling Reign [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] is far superior. It’s a Rapid Strike Pokemon, which lets it use [card name=”Spiral Energy” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] and fuel Rapid Strike Tentacles. It’s a Psychic-type, which lets you play a [card name=”Fog Crystal” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] engine as opposed to the suboptimal [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card]. And it even has a usable attack.

However, the Chilling Reign Inkay has one fatal flaw that could hold the entire deck back from being competitive. It has 50 HP. [card name=”Shadow Rider Calyrex V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]’s Astral Barrage feasts upon 50 HP Inkay, which makes the Shadow Rider matchup a nightmare. [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]’s Max Phantom also deletes the 50 HP Inkay, which means it’s a huge liability against the two top decks in the game.

As much as I would enjoy the smoothness of the deck with the “better” Inkay, it’s imperative that the deck is able to beat Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX and Dragapult VMAX for the deck to be competitive. With just 10 HP more, and none of the other benefits, Champions Path [card name=”Inkay” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] completely fixes the Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX matchup (and improves the Dragapult VMAX matchup). This forces the deck to play Quick Ball instead of Fog Crystal, which feels worse, but it must be done. Although Quick Ball’s discard is painful, it can at least find any Basic Pokemon, while Fog Crystal is more limited in that regard.

Other Pokemon

There’s no real reason to run any other Rapid Strike Pokemon in the deck. Since you always need a specific lineup of Pokemon in play, there’s no Bench space for anything else. I briefly tested a 1-1 [card name=”Rayquaza VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] line because the Ability seems good, but it’s always worse to have in play over Cinccino and Octillery. After emptying your hand with Rapid Strike Tentacles, you refill your hand using a Supporter and Cinccino’s Make Do. Rayquaza VMAX’s Azure Pulse Ability has no real place in this sequence. Another cute tech is Rapid Strike [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card], but I haven’t tried it yet. It could be useful in theory, but it could also be a liability.

Recovery Cards

The recovery cards in the deck save it from inevitable and painful discards. With the reliance on [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll often end up discarding several cards you want back later. Although two [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] may look like a lot, I’d say it’s actually the bare minimum for the deck. You also need a steady stream of Malamar constantly attacking, as well as the option to replace any Cinccino that may get KO’d. These recovery cards help maintain your optimal board lineup of Pokemon. You may often discard the recovery cards themselves early on, but that’s why we play three of them. Having to discard one or two isn’t the end of the world. If you’re discarding them, then at least you aren’t discarding other useful cards in their place.

One Pokegear 3.0

The random one-of [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] may look strange but it’s simply a consistency boost. Adding [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or any other draw Supporter wouldn’t be too useful to the deck, and it can also clog the hand. Pokegear 3.0 is the optimal choice for a “ninth Supporter” that thins the deck and makes it as consistent as possible.

No Gust Effects

Adding [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] would be a liability in this deck. For one, it clogs the deck and makes it less consistent. Furthermore, on every attacking turn you usually have to play a draw Supporter to refill your hand. I’ve seen some lists play [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] since it’s an Item card. Pokemon Catcher is wildly unreliable, relying on drawing it at the right time and flipping heads. It cuts into the deck space, and it is unnecessary since Malamar is fully capable of outright OHKOing whatever happens to be in your opponent’s Active Spot.

Matchups

Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX — Very Favorable

[cardimg name=”Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”205″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The 60 HP [card name=”Inkay” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] truly saves this matchup. [card name=”Shadow Rider Calyrex V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]’s Astral Barrage is now a 2HKO at best against everything besides your one Rapid Strike [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]. This gives Inkay a chance to evolve to [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], against which Astral Barrage is a 3HKO. Opponents will get Astral Barrage at turn 2 the earliest if they decide to go for that strategy, so there’s no real threat of being shut out of the game by it. If they decide to gun down the [card name=”Minccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], they aren’t too hard to replace thanks to the high counts of recovery cards. The three copies of basic Psychic Energy ensure that Shadow Mist isn’t a problem either.

The gameplay for this matchup is normal for the most part. Just let Malamar function as it’s meant to, and it will win a vast majority of the time due to the favorable Prize trade. Don’t attack for no reason though. Building up for a OHKO is more important than attacking for less than a KO. Shadow Rider can easily cycle through attackers, so an attack that isn’t an OHKO will be wasted. The opponent will retreat and replace it with a fresh attacker, and this deck plays no Boss’s Orders to punish that. Sometimes you may want to attack to put some Rapid Strike cards back into the deck, but focus on putting together a OHKO. If you do this, you’ll win with just two or three attacks depending on what your opponent attacks with.

One fun aspect of this matchup is the [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] that many [card name=”Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] lists play. Training Court is exceptionally useful because you can keep grabbing basic Psychic Energy back from the discard pile, that can either be used with Cinccino’s Make Do or used to attack with. If the opponent plays Training Court, you can be a bit more liberal with your Energy than normal.

Worth noting is that [card name=”Galarian Articuno” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cresselia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] are both single Prize attackers that Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX can use to attempt to level out the Prize trade. Unfortunately, both of them can KO Malamar. If the game goes well for Shadow Rider and they’re able to make full use of both of them, they can force you to attack four times to win the game. However, both of those single-Prize attackers are incredibly easy to KO in return. Either way, Malamar still wins the Prize trade more often than not.

Dragapult VMAX / Inteleon — 50-50

The matchup looks really bad in theory, but it’s actually very manageable. One major dynamic of this matchup is going first. Going first is a huge deal. Staring down a turn 2 [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] Max Phantom is not fun for any single-Prize deck, and it can be quite an issue when going second. However, they also need to find their [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] to piece together the devastating turn 2 double KO. Considering all the pieces needed for turn 2 Max Phantom to begin with, this combo doesn’t always happen. This is also much more manageable when you get to go first.

The second major dynamic in this matchup is that [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]’s sniping Ability ensures that Max Phantom will always be able to KO your backup Inkay in addition to the Inkay or Malamar in the Active Spot that it will KO. This is certainly an issue but it isn’t an automatic loss. This doesn’t apply until Inteleon is actually set up, forcing Dragapult VMAX to rely on Galarian Zigzagoon for the early-game. However, this threat forces you to play a bit differently, sacrificing a Bench spot that’s meant for either [card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] or Cinccino in exchange for an additional backup Inkay. If you don’t have an Inkay in play, you lose.

Usually, letting go of the Octillery Bench spot for your extra Inkay is the right move, but that can change depending on the situation. Octillery’s main use comes from finding draw Supporters turn after turn in matchups where you need to chain Rapid Strike Tentacles. However, Dragapult VMAX is not one of those matchups. You only need to attack twice, KO’ing two Dragapult VMAX, to win the game, so Octillery isn’t as important. Cinccino’s Make Do helps build the hand size with all the cards needed to OHKO Dragapult VMAX, so it’s usually more important.

When fully set up, Dragapult VMAX is capable of taking 2 KO’s per turn. However, it’s still a VMAX deck, and its only attack of choice is Max Phantom. This means with just two OHKO’s, Malamar can win the game. Due to your opponent’s reliance on Dragapult VMAX, Malamar can still win the Prize trade despite all of the sniping damage. That’s the first main balancing factor of this matchup.

The second balancing factor for Malamar is that Dragapult VMAX needs to consistently hit Energy attachments. Sometimes they’re able to, and sometimes they whiff. Even if they do find an Energy attachment every turn, it’s anyone’s game. If they whiff just one crucial attachment, Dragapult VMAX can find itself falling behind terribly. There’s a lot of pressure on both decks to draw well, as each can punish the other extremely hard for a whiff.

The additional damage from [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] is irrelevant most of the time.

Zacian V — Very Favorable

This is probably Malamar’s best matchup. They use two-Prize attackers without any particularly special tricks up their sleeve, so Malamar wins the Prize trade every time. If that wasn’t bad enough, it’s much harder for [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] to chain attacks after getting KO’d. They require three Metal Energy each, and insufficient [card name=”Metal Saucer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] to go around.

With [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] they do get extra HP, so you need seven Rapid Strike Pokemon in hand to get a OHKO. However, unlike the Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX matchup, attacking for a 2HKO if needed is perfectly fine. They do get a bit of healing with [card name=”Crystal Cave” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], but they can’t cycle through fresh attackers quite so easily due to the expensive Energy requirement. Not only is attacking for a 2HKO not a complete waste, but it has some value since it makes the target easier to finish off.

That said, you’ll usually get the OHKO anyway. As long as you get at least one or two OHKO’s during the game, you’ll win. It’s unbelievably difficult for Zacian V to win this matchup.

Single Strike Urshifu VMAX / Umbreon VMAX — Favorable

At first glance, this matchup looks like a wash for Malamar, but it’s actually not so free. Malamar is favored, but [card name=”Single Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Umbreon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] can win. This is because Malamar is unfortunately weak to Darkness-type. [card name=”Houndoom” set=”Battle Styles” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack does 50 damage, and it gets buffed to 70 with just one [card name=”Single Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]. This means that Houndoom can effortlessly trade OHKO’s with Malamar. However, this is an even trade at worst, and each time they take a KO with Houndoom, they lose a Houndoom in return. With each Houndoom down, the Single Strike deck gets worse.

It’s best for the Single Strike deck to start off by attacking with Umbreon VMAX, since [card name=”Single Strike Urshifu V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] and VMAX are weak to Psychic-type. The game is going to come down to how fast you can take out their first attacking Pokemon VMAX, because multiple Houndoom will clean up the late-game by going one for one with Malamar. They won’t start taking KO’s until turn 2, and Pokemon VMAX give up three Prizes. Because of that, you have a little bit of leeway especially when going first, but there’s still an element of pressure there. A turn 2 attack into their attacking Pokemon VMAX is ideal, even if it isn’t for a OHKO.

I’d say this matchup is no worse than 60-40 for Malamar, but it might not be much better either.

Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX / Inteleon — Very Unfavorable

[cardimg name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”170″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Inteleon version of [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is the one that I have the most experience with. I’m sure Malamar would be decent against the non-Inteleon ones. However, I can say for sure that this is Malamar’s worst matchup. The combination of G-Max Rapid Flow, Quick Shooting, and most of all, [card name=”Medicham V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card]’s Yoga Loop, is incredibly devastating for Malamar. I’ve thought of techs for this matchup like [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], but none of them work reliably. My Malamar list simply takes the loss to Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX / Inteleon.

That said, Malamar can occasionally get lucky and win this matchup. If Rapid Strike Urshifu VAMX stumbles and gets a slow start, Malamar can apply pressure with turn 2 Rapid Strike Tentacles and take a KO on every single turn from then on. Due to all of the high-HP Pokemon in their deck being weak to Psychic-type, there is always a small chance to get lucky and win.

To maximize your odds, you want to protect yourself against G-Max Rapid Flow by getting three Malamar into play as quickly as possible. If you only set up two, they’ll be deleted by Rapid Flow with no hope of coming back. Any Inkay left behind will succumb to Quick Shooting and Yoga Loop. Even getting a fourth Malamar in play would be great, but it’s incredibly difficult to do.

If you draw well and set up quickly, you can at least pressure the Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX player to set up quickly in turn. They still need to find [card name=”Rapid Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], multiple Inteleon, and Medicham V.

Other

Malamar excels against most other random decks in the format: [card name=”Rayquaza VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Suicune V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], etc. This is why Malamar is so great. It wins the Prize trade against every other attacking deck. Its weakness is spread tactics for sure, but every deck has some sort of Weakness. Although Malamar doesn’t auto-win every deck in Tier 1, it does well enough and certainly holds its own. It’s only overwhelmingly bad matchup is Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX / Inteleon.

Conclusion

Overall, Rapid Strike [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is powerful and consistent. It also has great matchups overall, though it’s not without weaknesses. It also sometimes takes a few turns to get going, since it is a bit high-maintenance. That said, I’ve been having a lot of fun playing Malamar and it certainly has what it takes to be a major contender in this format. I hope you enjoyed reading, and definitely give the deck a go! It’s cheap and easy to build too!

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