Indianapolis Analysis + How To Avoid Getting Stung

Recently, we saw three Regional Championships (one labeled as a Special Event) take place at the same time, including Indianapolis with over 1000 players. I played the event with a fairly standard [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] deck and was only one win away from making Top 8, unfortunately bricking twice in a crucial day two round against a favorable matchup.

Indianapolis Roundup

[cardimg name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Overall, Arceus VSTAR completely dominated Indianapolis with 24 of the top 32 spots. The rest of Top 32 were [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] with one [card name=”Whimsicott VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] was basically non-existent at the event despite its dominance at EUIC, though Tord did make second place at Bilbao to follow up his EUIC Top 8. Mike Gibbs had a strong start at Indiana with Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX but had a rough day two.

It seemed that every Arceus VSTAR deck in Indiana had at least [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], with many also playing [card name=”Hoopa V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”253″ c=”name”][/card] and a recovery card too. This basically forces the Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX player to be both lucky and good at the game, requirements that few Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX players were able to fulfill. Due to the enormous target on Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX’s back and the easy access to counter-techs, it was simply the worst time to play this deck. With that said, it’s still an incredibly strong deck — with its lack of popularity or success at Indianapolis, counter-techs will undoubtedly fall off, though not completely disappear. Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX is still very much in the game for the upcoming Secaucus Regionals.

Beedrill

The big story of the event was Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. Although Beedrill only had one spot in Top 16, it did place second overall. Furthermore, Beedrill had great overall success relative to the small number of players playing it — as far as I’m aware, most Beedrill players made day two, however, Alex Wilson barely whiffed due to an unfortunate tie in round nine.

Arceus VSTAR with Beedrill is a simple yet ridiculously effective counter to the meta. Isaiah’s second-place list had both Dunsparce and Manaphy to help against Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, with Beedrill acting as a deterrent to using [card name=”Rapid Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. The other Beedrill lists had Quick Shooting [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] instead of Manaphy, which gives the deck a better matchup against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] in exchange for being weaker against Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. Both versions were fine for the event, as both Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX and Malamar were not popular at all. If you want to tech for both matchups or neither, you still have those options going forward.

Arceus VSTAR / Beedrill can work like a normal Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon deck, which is already good, it has Beedrill added in, which totally swings the Mew VMAX and Whimsicott VSTAR matchups. Beedrill is also great against other Arceus VSTAR variants, though those matchups are not quite as easy. Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon with [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] is still a bit difficult because they do not rely on [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] quite as much as the others — because of this, Melony / Arceus VSTAR stock goes up a little.

Arceus VSTAR Toolbox

Of course, Ian Robb ended up winning the event with his one-of-a-kind [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox deck. Looking at the deck, it seems precise and demanding — difficult to play and play against, with many options to work with, it is the picture of a “good player deck.” As the meta developed over several weeks since Salt Lake City, many players had written off Ian’s Top 8 deck from that event. After several notable upgrades and adaptations, he brought it back to win Indianapolis. [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] toolbox decks like this and the one I played at EUIC are so difficult because they constantly present you with many different lines of play. They force you to plan ahead and utilize single-Prizers that make for long and grindy games.

On the other hand, Inteleon toolbox decks are often teched-out at the expense of cutting back on the Inteleon line. This makes them a bit shaky on consistency, though they do have comeback potential as well. The presence of several two-Prize Pokemon can also be a huge liability. You will automatically lose some matchups if you start with the wrong Pokemon.

[cardimg name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Although this deck did win the event, I do not expect its popularity to eclipse the likes of [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] or regular Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon, so you don’t necessarily have to even test against it.

On the other hand, I could easily see everyone picking up the Beedrill deck. It’s similar enough to the omnipresent Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon, it’s not too complicated, and it is so, so good. Beedrill lets you destroy the hordes of Mew VMAX players, and you don’t have to gamble on whether or not you need to worry about [card name=”Whimsicott VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] stragglers.

At worst, it’s a solid Arceus VSTAR deck, and Arceus VSTAR is broken enough on its own. Going forward, prepare for the bee!

Mew VMAX

Now let’s talk about the Psychic-types. Mew VMAX is a deck that continues to see strong but not dominant performances. At this point, it’s nothing new, simply a normal part of the environment, however, two [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]-infused lists of Mew VMAX made Top 8 at Indianapolis.

For a few months, Pokemon Catcher had completely disappeared from Mew VMAX lists, and now it’s back. This fills me with dread because [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] can now target down anything on turn one, and no amount of playing around [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] can save you. I don’t know if Pokemon Catcher is necessarily correct in Mew VMAX, as you can usually afford to spend the Supporter for turn on [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], but it’s certainly more terrifying and annoying to play against.

There’s not much we can do about this other than not be too surprised when we get hit by Pokemon Catcher in the future.

Whimsicott VSTAR

Whimsicott VSTAR is the deck that got completely annihilated at Indianapolis, and that fact brings me so much joy. There were many Whimsicott STAR present, but it ended with only one spot in Top 32 at 12th.

This was the worst event to play Whimsicott VSTAR at — [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] didn’t show up, and everyone teched [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] for G-Max Rapid Flow, which coincidentally nullifies Whimsicott VSTAR’s preferred game-ender of a VSTAR attack.

After Whimsicott’s strong showing at EUIC, many players (including myself) respected and teched for it. — Mew VMAX players had one or two Psychic Energy, and Arceus VSTAR players had ways to recover basic Energy. On top of all this, [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]’s sudden appearance gatekept Whimsicott VSTAR from seeing strong day-two finishes. Poor Whimsicott VSTAR had the worst time ever despite being popular, but I don’t think anyone feels bad for it — it will most likely settle in as a mid-Tier 2 deck. You should be able to beat Whimsicott VSTAR, but it’s not the end of the world if you have a poor matchup against it.

More on Beedrill

Isaiah and co.’s Beedrill list is good… it’s extremely good… but it’s not perfect. There are a few edits I want to make to the deck, and I want to discuss it a bit more. I think this deck will be a mainstay in the format going forward, so let’s thoroughly dissect it, and I’m also going to briefly go over the deck that I played at Indianapolis. I think the deck I played was great, but the Beedrill one is probably better. The two will look quite different at first, but they are actually quite similar — the Beedrill one just has a Beedrill mode.

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My Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon Deck

[decklist name=”arc/intel” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Hoopa V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”253″][pokemon amt=”21″]3x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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]1x [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”253″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]2x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/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]3x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]5x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Isaiah’s Arceus VSTAR / Beedrill Deck

[decklist name=”arc/bee” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″][pokemon amt=”20″]3x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ 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=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]5x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”XY” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

My Changes

Going forward, I would only change a few things with [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]; cut one [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], the [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], and the [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card], add a second Shady Dealings [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], a Quick Shooting [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card], and a [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”163″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

There’s a subtle reason why [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / Beedrill is so good; most Arceus VSTAR decks need to use Starbirth simply to set up, however, you often have the opportunity to Starbirth for an insane short-term play at the cost of leaving yourself without a follow-up. I’ve seen many players make the mistake of doing this, sometimes they get punished for leaving themselves with a dead hand, and sometimes they get rewarded with a lucky topdeck and ride off the momentum. As a general rule of thumb, it’s incorrect to leave yourself with no follow-up during the early- or mid-game.

Beedrill’s Starbirth in particular does both; your insane short-term play ([card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]) also sets up and leaves you with a follow-up (drawing five cards). This generates so much momentum that other Arceus VSTAR decks just don’t have. I wasn’t super keen on the Beedrill deck initially, but after looking deeper into it, I’m starting to see why this deck is so incredible.

The second Shady Dealings Inteleon is something that my list includes, and it does several things for the deck; first of all, if you play one copy and it’s prized, you instantly lose several of your games — one time I actually prized both of them in the tournament, but I was, fortunately, able to dig one up after my first KO. Next, the second Inteleon makes up for your relatively low count of [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]. Arceus VSTAR decks, as opposed to other Inteleon decks, get away with fewer copies of Scoop Up Net because using Arceus VSTAR as the main attacker makes games go faster. As such, there is less of a need for several Shady Dealings. That said, the extra copy of Shady Dealings Inteleon is often extremely useful. In my opinion, it is the best card in the game.

Finally, the second Inteleon gives you one in reserve for those instances when you want to attack with it. After attacking with it, it may go down, and you’ll find yourself still wanting access to Shady Dealings. On that note, the sole copy of Water Energy felt weird to me in the Beedrill deck. Sure, Inteleon is a decent attacker, but its main purpose is to make combo plays against single-prize Pokemon (particularly [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]). Without Quick Shooting in the list, there’s no real opportunity to do that. What’s more, the Water Energy can punish you because Beedrill requires Grass.

Therefore, I wanted to either cut the Water or increase its value. To do the latter, I’ve added Quick Shooting Inteleon. This greatly improves the Malamar matchup, though that may not even be relevant going forward. Malamar is a mid Tier 2 deck, but didn’t see much success at Indianapolis. I did play against one though, as did many others. Quick Shooting is also important in various other situations. I’ve found it to be quite helpful in mirror matches. Two Quick Shootings and a [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] ping brings Arceus VSTAR into KO range from Trinity Nova plus [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. This sounds so specific but actually comes up quite often.

I think one [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is definitely enough. I was surprised to see two copies of Marnie in the [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] deck. I wasn’t even sure it would need any to begin with. It’s not as useful without the [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] combo, especially against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]. You don’t even need it against Mew VMAX because you have Beedrill! [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] is decent, but I don’t think it’s good enough. I see it as a utility card that is far from useless but ultimately weaker than anything else that could go in its spot. Like with Marnie, Big Charm is a card that could be good against Mew VMAX in the Path to the Peak version but is unnecessary in the Beedrill version.

[card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] makes little sense to me in a deck that uses it as an out to a turn-one [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re using it as an out to Arceus V, you are attaching Energy to something that isn’t an Arceus V! At the very least, I’d rather have another [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] instead of [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. For now, though, I’m adding that fourth [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]. Three is greedy and makes it much more likely to have to burn Starbirth on it. If you Starbirth for the Single Strike Mustard combo, you’re less likely to ever get to that Double Turbo Energy.

[cardimg name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The inclusion of [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is definitely a meta call for [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] going forward. It may be useless in several games, but it does a lot of heavy lifting in the that matchup, especially combined with a recovery card. [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card]’s utility is not limited to only the Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX matchup, as there are stray Fighting types that you’ll run into at any major event. [card name=”Galarian Zapdos V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] is the main one, but there are also cards like [card name=”Lycanroc VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], Lucario VSTAR, and Single Strike Pokemon that you may run into.

[card name=”Hoopa V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”253″ c=”name”][/card] would be nice in the Beedrill deck as a Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX counter, but it obviously doesn’t work. It requires a commitment to Darkness Energy while Beedrill requires a commitment to Grass Energy. I imagine that a split of Energy would make both attackers way less consistent, and you could get punished for it quite hard.

I played [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] as the recovery card in my deck because it’s the best one against [card name=”Whimsicott VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card], but that does not apply with Beedrill. Beedrill runs circles around Whimsicott VSTAR anyway, so you can use [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] instead, which has much better synergy with Beedrill. The same loosely applies to Path to the Peak. I played lots of Path to the Peak to counter Mew VMAX, but Beedrill has no need because it naturally counters Mew VMAX on its own. Therefore, it commits to [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] because of synergy with Beedrill.

As great as [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] is in the deck, only one copy is fine for Beedrill. It has extra draw Supporters in [card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. Professor’s Research is still nice to have around though, as Single Strike Mustard is quite situational and draws fewer cards.

Matchups

Mew VMAX

[card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]’s matchup against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is certainly better than any other [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] variant — this is the main selling point of the deck. Arceus VSTAR fears the early-game pressure and relies on [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], which is not honorable nor consistent. Beedrill simply destroys Mew VMAX consistently. The matchup is not an auto-win, especially against a smart player, but it’s definitely favorable for Beedrill. For my Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], the Mew VMAX matchup felt like a gamble that may have been slightly favorable. Hoopa V was nice but not nearly as much of a game-changer as Beedrill.

Arceus VSTAR

The matchup against other Arceus VSTAR variants feels both luck-based and skill-based at the same time. The luck comes in at the early game; if one player has a strong start and the other doesn’t, the former will steamroll. If the starts aren’t lopsided, the matchup feels skillful — I won every Arceus VSTAR mirror in the tournament (besides Xander’s Beedrill, if you count that as a mirror) despite having a list that is a bit weaker in the mirror. I only had one [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] and no [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card].

There is a lot of room for trickery and maneuverability in the matchup, so long as you’re able to get the ball rolling. I feel like this applies to Beedrill as well as non-Beedrill variants. Beedrill gets an early KO on [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]-reliant variants, which is nice, however, that is not to be relied upon in every situation. When going first and getting Arceus VSTAR plus Energy, going in with Arceus VSTAR is usually better — if you commit to Beedrill, you leave yourself open to opposing Arceus VSTAR with only basic Energy sniping down your own Arceus VSTAR.

Whimsicott STAR

[cardimg name=”Whimsicott VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”65″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Like with Mew VMAX, the Beedrill version is far superior in the [card name=”Whimsicott VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. Beedrill forces Whimsicott VSTAR to slow down on the Double Turbo Energy or risk getting OHKO’d by Beedrill. Either way is completely fine with the Beedrill player — the extra copy of [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] goes a long way in the matchup as well. I teched [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] and Training Court in my deck to help with Whimsicott VSTAR, and testing showed the matchup to be favorable overall. I did rely on several key cards, however, such as those, Cheren’s Care, [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] to not be prized. Beedrill relieves those worries and makes the matchup much easier.

Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX

Beedrill’s matchup against [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is a bit worse. Having [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is definitely helpful, but a good Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX player can still make the matchup painfully close. When testing regular Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon against Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX, the matchup was still in their favor before I added in [card name=”Hoopa V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”253″ c=”name”][/card]. That was even with Dunsparce, Manaphy, and [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Beedrill does not have Hoopa V or any sort of replacement. The one reason to play my version over Beedrill would be in an Urshifu-heavy meta, but that is basically impossible to predict.

In Summary

This format has had so many major events, and it’s interesting to see the format shift with each one. [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] have remained on top, but the viable supporting cast seems to vary by the week. The [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] deck is definitely adjustable based on the meta, and there may need to be some small refinements even regardless of the meta. Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] without Beedrill will continue to see lots of play, though I find the deck to be a bit boring.

I’m sure that many players will pick up Beedrill, so be prepared for it in the future!

Thanks for reading!

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