The Best Budget Deck – Malamar / Inteleon

Hello everyone! It’s an exciting time for the Pokemon Trading Card Game! We recently saw SLC Regionals, and this past weekend Liverpool Regionals has also wrapped up! The top European players showed off some spectacular feats of deckbuilding with crazy lists for both Urshifu VMAX and control variants, of all things. On top of that, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] did quite well, taking several Day 2 spots as well as two Top 8 spots. Malamar also placed in the Top 16 in SLC, with both [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and Inteleon versions representing.

[cardimg name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Previously, Malamar was gate-kept from competitive play due to the dominance of [card name=”Jolteon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], and before that, snipe variants based around [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. Snipe decks have dropped off in the meta significantly, however, opening the door for Malamar to emerge and establish its place in the meta. Not only that, but even if snipe decks did become big again (such as after winning Liverpool), Malamar still has the option to include [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] to counter them.

After playing Malamar at one of my locals and seeing it do well in Liverpool, I decided to write about the deck today. Not only is Malamar straight-up really good right now, but it’s also inexpensive to build. It’s definitely nice to have a competitive option without cashing in an arm and a leg for [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] lines.

Malamar’s game plan is as straightforward as it gets, but the actual gameplay and sequencing can be mind-boggling complicated at times. The Cinccino version is less popular, as it’s widely considered the inferior Malamar variant, but at least it’s simpler, but the Inteleon version is what I’m going to focus on today. Interestingly, Gabe Shumway’s Top 16 SLC list is the optimal 60, in my opinion. The deck has a few other options, such as [card name=”Turffield Stadium” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gloria” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card], or mixing up the counts of existing cards. My experience with the deck is sufficient but not extensive, so it’s possible that some improvements can be made.

In any case, let’s take a look at the list.

Malamar / Inteleon List

[decklist name=”schmally” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Remoraid” set=”Battle Styles” no=”36″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”Battle Styles” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Korrina’s Focus” set=”Battle Styles” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Brawly” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia’s Ambition” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Fog Crystal” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ 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]2x [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tower of Waters” set=”Battle Styles” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Spiral Energy” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Deck List Analysis

When building or analyzing a list for this archetype, it’s important to consider how the deck plays. This deck is different from many others in that it cannot thin the hand — this is a double-edged sword; on one side, you’ll never accidentally lose important techs to discards. This allows us to safely play one copy of cards like [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. They will simply never hit the discard pile without our say-so. On the other hand, you’re stuck with what you get and have little way to manipulate your hand.

Since [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack requires us to have several Rapid Strike cards in hand at all times, we must play a lot of Rapid Strike cards. Consequently, we must minimize the amount of non-Rapid Strike cards in the list; any non-Rapid Strike cards are prone to getting stuck in the hand, so they are largely undesirable in the list. With cards getting stuck in the hand, we can get punished for our over-reliance on [card name=”Cynthia’s Ambition” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], and Malamar’s attack will be neutered for several turns. Cards like [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] can directly contribute to getting more Rapid Strike cards, so they’re alright.

Even important cards such as [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] are played in lower counts than usual (compared to other decks) for the sole reason of not being Rapid Strike cards. On the other hand, Rapid Strike cards such as [card name=”Tower of Waters” set=”Battle Styles” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] are played in the list. They have only marginal utility, but the Rapid Strike attribute makes them worth including anyway. Cards like [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gloria” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] would be convenient, but the only conceivable cuts are Rapid Strike cards, so the trade-off isn’t worth it. [card name=”Korrina’s Focus” set=”Battle Styles” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Brawly” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] are mediocre cards that you may not even use in some games, but they increase consistency and, once again, are Rapid Strike cards.

One look at Malamar and you could say I’m stating the obvious that Rapid Strike cards = good synergy, but it actually leads to a lot of tough choices and counterintuitive deck building.

Playing the Deck

In case you are unfamiliar, this deck’s plan is to simply attack with Malamar over and over. Malamar is capable of OHKO’ing anything in the format — as a single-Prize attacker, this leads to favorable Prize trades against every other meta deck. This is the main reason why Malamar is good. Drizzile and Inteleon ensure the use of Cynthia’s Ambition every turn, as well as helping fill the hand with Rapid Strike cards for Malamar. Cynthia’s Ambition only works if your Pokemon was Knocked Out — if that’s not the case, you are not being pressured, so that’s also fine. You may not find OHKO’s without Cynthia’s help, but if the opponent isn’t working towards their win condition by taking KO’s, that doesn’t matter.

[cardimg name=”Octillery” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”TG03″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] provides obvious synergy to the deck, and it also acts as bait. Many players see Octillery as a big threat, as it provides a ton of value over several turns, however, in some cases, KO’ing the Active [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is actually better than taking out Octillery. Octillery finds one card per turn, so the Malamar player only has to find one extra card to make up the value that is lost by not having Octillery. On the other hand, the Malamar player has to find a replacement Malamar, [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], and Energy if Malamar is KO’d, and that’s three cards.

There are exceptions though. Octillery can be scooped up for plus 80 damage in a pinch, so opponents are also removing that option, and you’ll probably end up playing down another [card name=”Remoraid” set=”Battle Styles” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] and Octillery at some point, which evens out the number of replacement cards. It can be hard to tell when taking out Octillery is optimal or actually a trap, but that’s something opponents have to worry about and not you.

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[card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]’s Keep Calling and [card name=”Brawly” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] are the backbone of the deck’s consistency; as the game starts, you want access to at least one of those setup options. If you’re unlucky and whiff, you’ll be on the back foot from the get-go. Malamar can still win in sticky situations due to its insane Prize trading, but the start of the game sets the tone as usual. If you have a strong opening hand, it’s almost like putting your opponent in checkmate before they even get to do anything, and that my friend is a good feeling.

Once again, Malamar’s selling point is its Prize trades which makes for good matchups against just about everything. That said, its consistency is a little shaky due to being fairly high maintenance. Sometimes the deck will simply fail to fire on all cylinders, and that’s how the ball bounces. That’s still a low-percent failure rate, but I thought I should mention it so that you don’t go in thinking it’s all sunshine and roses in the consistency department.

Let’s talk about its matchups.

Matchups

Mew — Even to Favorable, Depending on the Opponent

Malamar’s dirty little secret is that it makes the [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] matchup look so easy as most Mew players play the matchup so extremely wrong. In reality, a smart Mew VMAX player, or simply one who knows the matchup, makes it basically 50-50. Maybe some Mew VMAX or Malamar players will even tell you that Mew VMAX is favored, but in my opinion, the matchup is 50-50 at worst.

Mew VMAX can dance around [card name=”Cynthia’s Ambition” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] by spreading damage with Psychic Leap and [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack, all the while healing off any chip damage. Malamar is definitely slower at building OHKO’s without Cynthia’s Ambition, especially because Mew VMAX with Oricorio requires nine Rapid Strike Pokemon in the hand, however, with Octillery, Shady Dealings, and [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], this will come to pass even without Cynthia’s Ambition’s help. The Mew VMAX player walks a fine line spreading damage, as they can never tell for sure when Malamar will pop off with that huge attack. That said, multiple [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] on Bench can be a bit of an indication…

As the [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] player, your strategy is going to adapt based on what the opponent does. If they start off by taking KO’s, regardless of which attacker they use to do so, your game-plan will also be normal; return the KO’s as often as possible. Save [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] until the end, as the opponent will try and force you down to one Prize and then go in with Mew VMAX. Once you get down to one or two Prizes, try and set up the Boss’s Orders play, as that will probably be easier than trying to OHKO a VMAX. If Boss’s Orders is stuck in your hand before that, you can actually do the play earlier so that you can make Cynthia’s Ambition more effective, but depending on their attacker situation, you could get punished for it. For example, if you use Boss’s Orders to KO and go down to two or three Prizes, the opponent could get extra value out of their one-Prize attackers.

[cardimg name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If they try to spread damage with Mew VMAX, budget your Scoop Up Nets for the most value possible. Value from Scoop Up Nets comes from the amount of damage healed as well as the utility gained by something like Shady Dealings or extra damage by picking up [card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card].

There’s no hard formula for Scoop Up Net value, so it varies based on the situation. You also need to get to Shady Dealings [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] as fast as possible in order to reach that nine-card KO on Mew VMAX. The slower you are at this, the more likely things will start to spiral out of control. While doing this, you can still apply pressure with Malamar’s attack, especially if you want to force a Psychic Leap. Furthermore, if the opponent isn’t careful with their Bench and their Psychic Leap situation, you can punish with Boss’s Orders. Every once in a while you can catch them off guard with Boss KO, so look for potential opportunities for that.

Choose to go second in this matchup if you know you’re up against Mew VMAX when the game starts. This gives you a chance to set up with [card name=”Brawly” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] or Keep Calling before they get an attack in. If you go first and don’t have an insane hand, they will take two Prizes by the time you simply fill your Bench. In any matchup that can’t apply pressure on turn one, choose to go first.

This is the most volatile matchup and there are so many variables that affect the game. Many of these games go differently, so it’s difficult to generalize the matchup.

Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon — Even

This is another highly contentious and interesting matchup. Usually, you have to fight through three [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], with two of them having [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card], and that’s a bit of a pain. In some situations, such as going first against a [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] start or them having a slower start, however, you can get a free Prize on Sobble right off the bat. This is huge, as it means you only have to take out two Arceus VSTAR, with Boss’s Orders making for an easy sixth Prize card.

The biggest thing to watch out for here is their potential to snipe Inkay and KO [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] in the same turn. They can do this with some combination of [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], Quick Shooting, and Aqua Bullet. This is a bit of a hurdle, but at least you can see it coming. If that play from the opponent looks like it could be imminent, you can simply get a third [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] in play. If you fail to do so, you could get punished real hard.

The last main factor in this matchup is the opponent’s Supporter cards, such as [card name=”Marnie” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. There isn’t much you can do about these, especially when you whiff the OHKO on Arceus VSTAR. Keep in mind when they can use each Supporter and slightly adjust accordingly.

For example, if you can hit an Arceus VSTAR for 280, whiffing KO on a Big Charm’d one, remember they can use Cheren’s Care. They probably will do this, so don’t overextend. You may not want to do max damage if it’s getting erased anyway. If they’re using Cheren’s Care and not Marnie, try to set your hand up for a big OHKO on the following turn instead. If you can do that, attacking for some damage instead of passing may be good to bait Cheren’s Care and draw attention away from the Marnie play.

This is a general tip for Malamar regardless of matchup too; sometimes you whiff OHKO and want to set up for the next turn. If it’s too obvious you’re doing that, they will Marnie and wreck you. Dealing a little bit of damage applies relevant pressure and makes the Marnie play less obvious. Furthermore, you don’t get punished as hard if they still go for Marnie.

Gengar VMAX — Favorable

This matchup is an even trade if they draw perfectly and get max value out of each single-Prize attacker such as [card name=”Houndoom” set=”Battle Styles” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Stonjourner” set=”Battle Styles” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. Malamar, however, is built for chaining single-Prize attackers and therefore is more consistent at it. If they ever put down a multi-Prize Pokemon, such as [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] for attacking or [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Shining Fates” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] for support, you can punish with Boss’s Orders and win the Prize trade. Gengar VMAX can definitely win the matchup, especially if they catch Malamar with a slow start, but the games are straightforward Prize trades that Malamar usually wins.

Suicune V — Highly Favorable

[cardimg name=”Suicune V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”31″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup is a cakewalk for [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], especially if they don’t run Quick Shooting [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]. They have to attack with [card name=”Suicune V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] at some point, therefore, Malamar always wins the Prize trade. Keep an eye out for the snipe play in case they do play Quick Shooting — like with [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], play down the third Inkay if you see a multiple-Inteleon combo coming.

Suicune V is much easier to chain KO’s against than Arceus VSTAR simply because its HP is much lower. In addition, Suicune V usually plays fewer [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] than Arceus VSTAR plays [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card].

Suicune V is also lacking in the single-Prize attacking department — they may attack with Inteleon or [card name=”Ludicolo” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card]-boosted [card name=”Lotad” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], but they cannot chain those Pokemon due to limited uses of [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] also locks up wins in case they try to force an odd-Prize game.

Other

Malamar basically has no chance of winning against [card name=”Jolteon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], so hope to avoid those. In the mirror, you can catch an inexperienced player off guard by setting up the triple Quick Shooting play on opposing [card name=”Inkay” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]. This is only needed if you’ve fallen behind in the even Prize trade, and it’s difficult to set up. In the [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, set up three Inkay / Malamar to try to play around G-MAX Rapid Flow. That matchup is still unfavorable if they have [card name=”Medicham V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] though.

Arceus VSTAR variants such as [card name=”Gengar V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Flygon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] are easy to beat by Prize-trading normally — those decks simply lack options to deal with Malamar. [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is much trickier to beat, and sometimes you will lose if things go poorly. You need to use Psychic Energy and [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] wisely, and make sure you budget them to have enough gas to actually KO two Duraludon VMAX. Try to use [card name=”Spiral Energy” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] if you’re forced to attack into Arceus VSTAR, as losing Psychic Energy early is a huge blow. If they transition into Duraludon VMAX and use Boss’s Orders to leave Spiral Energy on Malamar, you can use [card name=”Tower of Waters” set=”Battle Styles” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] to remove the Spiral Energy. If this situation looks like it might occur, you sometimes need an extra backup Inkay in play.

[card name=”Galarian Weezing” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Durant” set=”Battle Styles” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] are incredibly difficult matchups for Malamar, but fortunately those cards have fallen off completely. If you happen to run into one, count yourself unlucky. Sometimes you can beat Durant by going with lone Quick Shooting Inteleon and attacking with it, but you have no real options against Galarian Weezing.

Conclusion

Malamar’s matchups are great. The deck’s game-plan is simple, but the execution is complicated. The [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] version of [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] takes some getting used to, so be sure to practice it if you’re thinking about bringing it to a tournament.

I’ve enjoyed playing the deck so far, and it’s great to have a competitive budget deck exist in the meta. The deck has proven itself at Regionals, and I think the list has little room for improvement.

Give this deck a try if it piques your interest and if you like punishing players who are unfamiliar with the matchup!

Thanks for reading!

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