Turbo Gengar Is On the Radar for My Next Regionals
[cardimg name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”271″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hello to all Pokebeach readers! This is Gabriel again with another Pokemon TCG article and I’m going to reveal one of my options for playing my next Regional Championships in September.
A while ago I did an article about [card name=”Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] and in it I also described about my surprise about the [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] engine. Unlike [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], Mew combined with [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] can offer superior consistency in the first two turns of the game as it allows you to access a greater amount of cards, especially Item cards. Thanks to this, it is possible to explore other strategies and one of them is Turbo [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card]. Like the Metal-type, the Darkness-type has an Energy accelerator in the form of an Item, which is [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], and because of this Item it is possible to power up a Pokemon like Gengar VMAX quickly!
After the recent Pokemon TCG World Championships 2022, I noticed that the metagame is very focused on Pokemon VSTAR, mainly [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. Both of these Pokemon have 280 HP. The reason I like Gengar VMAX in the metagame is precisely because it can reach that damage with the help of a [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. There are cases where your opponent can use [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] to increase the HP of these Pokemon to 310. In addition, in the metagame there are some popular Pokemon VMAX present in the format, such as [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], and for these cases I decided to bet on two more techs so that Gengar VMAX will be able to reach 310 or 320 damage if necessary, which are [card name=”Single Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. Thanks to the possibility of taking the Knock Out against most of the main Pokemon of the format with just one attack, I’m betting on Gengar VMAX as a real deck option for me to use in my next Regional Championships to be played at Porto Alegre, Brazil.
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Gengar VMAX Deck List
[decklist name=”Turbo Gengar” amt=”60″ caption=”Gengar VMAX” cname=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Gengar V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pyukumuku” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Shining Fates” no=”6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rotom Phone” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tower of Darkness” set=”Battle Styles” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]9x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]2x [card name=”Single Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Explanation
Mew Will Get Pieces For Your Play
Four Mew
To start this explanation, the deck list includes four copies of Mew, as opening the game with this Pokemon in Active Spot considerably improves the deck’s setup and helps it make an important move that it needs. Another advantage of starting the game with Mew is that you can retreat and promote another Mew from the Bench to search for one more Item. Mew mechanics work like this, you need to manage your switching resources like [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] to use as much of Mysterious Tail as possible without you running out of resources to make your necessary moves in the game. But it is important to use this Ability whenever possible because that’s how you’ll access your deck’s Items, perform your setup, and filter your deck. Unlike Inteleon’s or Bibarel’s mechanics, Mew requires much more skill in sequencing, but it allows you to play with a more explosive strategy, which offers you the possibility to hit with [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] in the first turn with great consistency .
The Real Protagonist in the Mew Engine
One Radiant Greninja
If this and so many other turbo decks that play similarly are real today, you can be sure it’s because of Radiant Greninja. Thanks to its Concealed Cards Ability, you can discard one Energy and draw two cards, which is doubly good for Turbo Gengar VMAX, precisely because you can make use of Galarian Moltres V’s Direflame Wings Ability and Dark Patch when discarding a Darkness Energy. So far so good, but its unusual power comes when you use Scoop Up Net to bring this Pokemon back to hand and put it back on the field, because by doing that you “reset” the Ability and can use it again, that is, discard one more Energy and draw two more cards. This great advantage combined with other ways of drawing cards allows you to achieve a level of consistency in the same turn that no other mechanic can do. The difference in consistency in a match is quite noticeable when you play without Radiant Greninja on the field and when you play with it on the field.
One More Way to Draw Cards
One Pyukumuku
Unlike Mew and Radiant Greninja, [card name=”Pyukumuku” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] offers you a much weaker draw, but it’s still worth having this Pokemon in your deck as it gives a function to your leftover [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] during the game. The setup of this deck is simple, but most of it needs to be done in the first two turns, after that the resources that are left are useless because there is nothing else to evolve. With Pyukumuku, you can use these resources to draw cards. A great function of Pyukumuku is to draw the card that you have placed on the top of the deck using [card name=”Rotom Phone” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. Radiant Greninja can do the same, but Pyukumuku works even when [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] is on the field.
Rowlet is a Broken Play in the Meta
One Rowlet
[cardimg name=”Rowlet” set=”Shining Fates” no=”SV001″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I’m in love with the [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] combo. The idea of using Bird Keeper in the list came before realizing that Rowlet works perfectly with every deck strategy. After testing and realizing the effect Rowlet’s attack has on practice in a game, I see Rowlet as a fundamental piece in this deck list. This Pokemon’s main function is to Knock Out the opponent’s [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] (you will need a [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] for the latter), especially if it’s on the first turn of the game, as the opponent will need these Pokemon on its turn to develop the setup.
A simple Sobble Knock Out doesn’t seem like such a strong move, but in practice you’re attacking with a single-Prize Pokemon, without having to attach an Energy and taking a Knock Out a Pokemon important to the opponent that would in theory be safe on the Bench. All this in the first turn, which is a turn where the opponent can’t even play a Supporter to develop their setup. On top of that, you can attach an Energy to Gengar VMAX to power up a Pokemon with a high Energy cost and the opponent will be forced to Knock Out a single Prize Pokemon. They can use [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] to attack Gengar VMAX, but maybe you Knocked Out Sobble that would evolve into [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] that would have opened that play to your opponent.
Galarian Zigzagoon Adjusts Some Clutch Maths
One Galarian Zigzagoon SSH
There are two important maths where Galarian Zigzagoon has an important weight. The first is to do 10 damage on a Bidoof so that Rowlet can take a Knock Out, and the second is to make sure Gengar VMAX is able to Knock Out a Pokemon over 300 HP with one attack.
Hit 220 Damage Out of Nowhere
One Galarian Moltres V
Just as a [card name=”Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] deck has a [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] in their deck list to have the option of a fast attacker capable of Knocking Out a Pokemon V, Turbo [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] relies on Galarian Moltres V to perform the same function. In practice, Galarian Moltres V can attack even easier than Zacian V, because thanks to its Direflame Wings Ability, a [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] is enough for you to be able to attach three Energy cards on Galarian Moltres V in the same turn. However, to Knock Out a Pokemon V with up to 220 HP, you still need to find the [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card].
If you do ten times the exercise of playing alone the first turn of the game with the objective of attacking with Galarian Moltres V in the first turn, you will probably get it about seven times, something that for me is already satisfactory, even more considering that you have the Rowlet option also for the first turn.
Your Answer for Pokemon VSTAR and VMAX
Three Gengar V and Two Gengar VMAX
This deck list so far works completely in harmony and all Pokemon play an interesting role in its strategy, but the main and most difficult task of a match requires the brute strength of a Pokemon VMAX such as Gengar VMAX. Rowlet can threaten early game and Galarian Moltres V can land a massive Knock Out out of nowhere, but you need a big response when facing the strongest Pokemon in the game.
Gengar VMAX is a Pokemon dedicated to dealing with the game’s main attackers, such as [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card], but what makes Gengar VMAX slightly behind these other Pokemon is not its strength itself, but rather the consistency provided by the other cards available to help Gengar VMAX. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR relies on [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and the synergy between Water-type Pokemon, Arceus VSTAR is a complete Pokemon that hits, energizes and delivers consistency through its Starbirth Ability, and Mew VMAX relies on [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] to deliver one of the strongest draw power ever seen in the game. Gengar VMAX doesn’t have any of that, but with the Mew engine there is now a more adequate support for this Pokemon to be able to maintain itself in the same greatness as the other mentioned Pokemon.
A Boost to Achieve a Strong Play
Two Crobat V
Draw support Pokemon such as [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and all those Pokemon that offer a consistency boost for the price of having a fragile Pokemon on the Bench that gives up two easy Prizes for your opponent. Since 2015, we players have had to be careful when playing these Pokemon on the field, as they can offer a lot of benefit but also a lot of harm. The problem is that in the current format this damage has been even greater due to the Item card [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], which allows the opponent to return a Basic Pokemon from our discard pile back to our Bench, that is, a Crobat V on the field can mean up to four easy Prizes. That’s why there is little Crobat V in the format and decks that need this Pokemon only use one or at most two copies.
Draw Three and Do Another Mysterious Tail Ability
Four Bird Keeper
[cardimg name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Shining Fates” no=”66″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Among all the Supporters legal in the Standard format, Bird Keeper has been the option that best matches the Mew engine, precisely because the switching effect allows promoting another Mew to the Active Spot, which means you will use one more Ability in the turn. Also, Gengar VMAX cannot attack twice in a row with G-Max Swallow Up unless it goes to the Bench and comes back. Unlike [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Celebrations” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] that can swap cards in your hand, Bird Keeper simply adds cards to your hand, allowing you to preserve the cards you already have. Still, if it weren’t for Rowlet, I might have only used two or three copies of Bird Keeper, but having the option to attack whenever and as many times as I want with Rowlet has been really good.
Mess with your Opponent Hand If Needed
One Marnie
My goal was to make a deck with only Bird Keeper and Boss’s Orders as my Supporter cards of choice, but the deck needs an effect like Marnie to disrupt your opponent a little. After two turns without changing the cards in the opponent’s hand, it is very likely that they will be holding onto the cards they need. Also, Marnie is a good draw Supporter, even stronger than Bird Keeper when it comes to drawing cards from the top of the deck.
Boss’s Orders is Fine, But Cross Switcher Would Be Amazing
Three Boss’s Orders
Among the priority of problems that I would like to solve in this deck list before the Porto Alegre Regional, consistency has been more relevant that I am unable to fit four copies of Cross Switcher into this deck. I’m sure Cross Switcher would be a great feature for the deck and would work perfectly with Mew, but these fours takes up a lot of key space in the list and Boss’s Orders manages to do the same job very well.
More Draw Power Accuracy
Two Rotom Phone
In previous versions of this Turbo Gengar VMAX’s list I was using cards like [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] to improve the draw power offered by [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Pyukumuku” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], but as the list evolved, it was necessary to cut more and more spaces to adapt the deck to the metagame. It was then that I decided to test Rotom Phone instead of all the items mentioned above, because Rotom Phone has the potential to solve all my problems that these cards would solve. What in theory prevents Rotom Phone from being a superior Item to all the others mentioned is that the card goes to the top of the deck and not to the hand, but in this list you can easily draw the top card with Pyukumuku and Radiant Greninja.
Ball Count
Four Quick Ball, Two Ultra Ball, and One Hisuian Heavy Ball
This ball count is enough for you to be able to find your Pokemon during the game without problems, but I believe that access to these items can still improve. In the future, if you decide to increase consistency to help you search for Pokemon, the idea is to add more copies of Rotom Phone to the deck instead of more Balls. The list already has a number of Pokemon search cards, you only need to have access to them. At this point, Rotom Phone helps you to have access to everything, including Pokemon.
This Makes the Mew Engine Broken
Four Scoop Up Net
One of the cards that will be missed when it leaves the Standard format is [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], because the amount of strategies that emerged or improved because of this Item is tremendous. Scoop Up Net’s main function is to continually use Mew and Radiant Greninja’s Abilities more often. But be careful and avoid using this Item card unnecessarily, as you may need to remove your Pokemon from the field to prevent your opponent from taking easy Prizes.
Mew Likes Switching Cards
One Air Balloon, One Switch, and One Escape Rope
Bird Keeper offers a switching effect, but it is a Supporter, which means you can’t find it with Mew or play Boss’s Orders in the same turn. So you need these Items to have good mobility and perform your plays. [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is a mandatory card since it is always good to attach this Tool card to a Mew, but it also works to retreat all of your Pokemon. [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is a card with a unique effect if you need to attack two times with the same Gengar VMAX, but it is a card that can promote another Mew to the Active Spot, so when you don’t need this card for a key moment you can burn it away to use extra Mysterious Tail Abilities with Mew. [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is a switching card like Switch, but with a cool difference. There will be moments where a Switch and Escape Rope won’t help, but there will be more moments where Switch or Escape Rope will do the same work. And finally, there will be moments where Escape Rope will do what Switch doesn’t. In a turbo deck like this, you can setup a [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] on turn 1 and use Escape Rope to Knock Out a more valuable Pokemon on the Bench.
220, 280, and 310 Damage
Two Choice Belt
Without the Choice Belt, it is not possible to hit the format’s top three numbers, 220, 280, and 310 HP. Galarian Moltres V without a Choice Belt can’t Knock Out the format’s top Pokemon V, such as [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card]. Gengar VMAX would not have enough to KO a Pokemon VSTAR nor would it have the ability to KO a Pokemon VMAX. It seems strange for such an important card to only have two copies in the deck, but it’s worth remembering that [card name=”Single Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] plus Galarian Zigzagoon also works like a Choice Belt for Gengar VMAX to Knock Out a Palkia VSTAR.
Draw Cards with Stadiums
[cardimg name=”Tower of Darkness” set=”Battle Styles” no=”137″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Two Training Court and One Tower of Darkness
The deck that won the Pokemon TCG World Championships 2022 in the Masters Division played four copies of [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] and the other deck to make it to the Finals played three copies, so it is better to play three or more Stadiums to keep your Abilities safe, especially Radiant Greninja which is an important piece to your deck’s consistency.
[card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is so good for this deck’s strategy that it doesn’t even look like a Stadium card, but you don’t want to play more than three copies because there will be matchups where the opponent also plays this Stadium, so you will have possibly three less cards in the matchup. Another good thing about running another Stadium option is to remove a Training Court from the field, which means you can use two Stadium effects and remove a good resource from the field for the opponent.
[card name=”Tower of Darkness” set=”Battle Styles” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is an additional card to counter Path to the Peak, but it’s ok to put one more copy if needed, in the worst case you can discard Tower of Darkness using Tower of Darkness to draw two cards. I don’t wanna go that far since the deck does not depend on Ability that much, but Tower of Darkness is working fine to discard useless pieces of [card name=”Gengar V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] and Gengar VMAX in order to draw cards.
Energy Count
Nine Darkness Energy and Two Single Strike
The amount of Energy is more than enough to energize all your attackers and the extra energy is used to draw cards with Radiant Greninja. About the addition of Single Strike Energy in this deck, do keep in mind that although it’s not an easy Energy to find with only two copies in the deck, you will have enough time to find it. With three turns, you have enough time to sift through your deck and draw cards until you manage to find one of the two copies. Another important point to remember is that generally in a tournament, there are very few times you really need to hit 310 damage or more.
Final Thoughts
Turbo [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] has all the requirements needed to do well in the metagame. Good moves with [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] can swing a match to your favour, and Gengar VMAX will be able to Knock Out opposing Pokemon VSTAR and Pokemon VMAX. That is everything you need to face [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card].
That’s all for today, I hope you like this article, and until next time!
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