What’s Dead May Never Die – Adapted Meta Decks for Baltimore
Hello everyone! With Lost Origin right around the corner, many are ready to start playing with the new cards. However, there are still some major events coming up before Lost Origin becomes tournament-legal. In particular, I’m focused on the upcoming Baltimore Regional Championships.
The World Championships gave us some surprising results. Although the four [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] in Top 8 didn’t shock anyone, I doubt there is a single person that could have predicted [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] would place first, second, AND third at Worlds. Arceus / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] has seen a sharp decline in play, leaving us with a triangle of the top three decks. Flying Pikachu beats Palkia, Palkia beats Mew, and Mew beats Flying Pikachu. These are the top three decks in terms of popularity and strength at the current moment. Any of those three sounds like a reasonable play, but my goal is to find something that beats all of them.
[cardimg name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Also worth noting is [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]’s recent popularity spike. The list has evolved considerably since I last wrote about the deck. It is now built to have a near auto-win against Mew, but it remains weak against Flying Pikachu. Its Palkia matchup is suspect and can go either way. With these matchups, Charizard is no better or worse of a play than any of the big three. It would be nice to play a deck that also has a favorable Charizard matchup, but if you’re beating the big three, you’re already in good shape.
For Worlds, I placed eleventh with [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. The list was within one or two cards of the one I wrote about in a previous article! Since Worlds, this deck has slightly increased in popularity. However, it’s still quite poor against Mew. Its Palkia matchup is also very close, though it does very well against any Arceus variant. Overall, I consider it a reasonable play, but I don’t want to take an unfavorable matchup to Mew going into Baltimore.
Rounding out Tier 2 is [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], which is seeing a surprising amount of play given its current Flying Pikachu predicament. That said, it’s strong against Mew and alright against current Palkia lists. I have attempted to solve the Flying Pikachu problem by playing four [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] in my Regi list, which I’ll be discussing a bit later in this article. The Regi deck is a bit clunky and sometimes just feels bad to play, but it has great matchups in the current meta with Arceus / Inteleon more or less disappearing.
Mew Stops
First I want to talk about Mew. In particular, Michael Pramawat played a ridiculous version of Mew to make Top 8 at the London Open. He played the deck with no [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. While this lowers the damage cap of the deck and takes away the turn-one Meloetta play that strikes fear into the hearts of Arceus players, it opens up a few other options. This version of Mew is more consistent, and it’s also more resistant to [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] as it plays four [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck also plays [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], which are powerful options that Mew doesn’t normally use. The goal of the deck is to take two Prizes on every attacking turn, winning the game on turn four with three attacks.
I’ve slightly edited the original list, as there were too many different Supporters for my liking. Although [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] can be strong against Palkia, it’s not consistent. It’s not every game that you’re in a position to use Avery and have it make a noticeable impact. Here is my current list for Mew.
[decklist name=”mew stops” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″][pokemon amt=”12″]3x [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Mew V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”44″]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cram-o-matic” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”229″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Power Tablet” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”236″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rotom Phone” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Shining Legends” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is one of the most straightforward lists you’ll ever see. This version of Mew bricks considerably less than traditional Mew lists, and, in my opinion, the deck is very fun to play. [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card] was not originally in my list, as I didn’t see much use for it, but I’ve included it now because it’s a single-Prize Fusion Strike Pokemon that can be sacrificed in the Active Spot when you are forced to go second. Its Ability and attack have some utility as an added bonus.
With no [card name=”Elesa’s Sparkle” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”233″ c=”name”][/card] and more of a focus on [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card], the deck is free to play other Supporters, though I only play [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and Marnie. Marnie is quite good in Mew because the deck often finds itself with clunky hands and unable to draw more with [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card]. This can happen at any point in the game. If cards like [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] don’t happen to be evenly distributed throughout the deck, you’ll be relying on Marnie to un-clunk your hand at some points. This has the added bonus of saving some cards for later instead of discarding them, such as Boss’s Orders and Echoing Horn. Finally, Marnie is helpful against Inteleon decks such as Palkia and Charizard. I never feel like there’s a need to be using anything besides Marnie or Boss for the turn. [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] can recover resources, but Marnie can help preserve the resources in the first place.
In this deck with Cross Switcher and no Fusion Strike Energy, [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] is the more logical Stadium choice over [card name=”Rose Tower” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. Playing four copies is for better odds against Path, as well as maximizing overall consistency. Still, it is not something that gets mindlessly spammed. It’s a consistency boost, but it carries inherent risk with it. Carefully consider where your resources are and what more you need for the turn when deciding whether or not to use PokéStop. It’s powerful, but there are many times when you don’t have to use it.
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Matchups
Mew Mirror – Slightly Unfavorable
This version is unfortunately a bit worse in the mirror due to not having the Meloetta play. However, it almost makes up for it in consistency. You can’t attack on turn one, but you can still almost always win in three turns. The opponent is on a timer to win before you attack three times, and it’s true that they often can, but if they whiff just one thing at any time, you will most likely win. For this reason, the matchup is actually quite close.
There aren’t any real tricks or strategies here. Play to the normal win condition of attacking three times, and be prepared to use either Boss or Cross Switcher every turn. Although it’s possible to OHKO their Mew VMAX, usually it’s just easier to use a gust effect for two Prizes.
Arceus / Flying Pikachu – Favorable
This matchup is very good for Mew. Conserve PokéStops for when you need to counter Path. Sometimes you can even attack while leaving Path in play. In this matchup, you don’t always have to win in three attacks, although that is certainly ideal. Since Arceus’s damage output is on the low end, they aren’t necessarily threatening a quick win — they rely on bricking you with Path. As long as you’re able to attack, you should be in good shape. Losing to this matchup feels bad because it will only be as a result of bricking, but there’s nothing you can do about that; it will happen sometimes. [card name=”Power Tablet” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”236″ c=”name”][/card] is sometimes important to KO Arceus VSTAR, but sometimes you don’t need it and will take enough Prizes via gusting, especially when going first. It’s situation-dependent.
[card name=”Rotom Phone” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] is actually quite valuable in this matchup. You should use them to try and protect from the Marnie-Path play. Using Rotom Phone just to draw an extra card off Genesect is only worth it if you are reaching for a specific piece on that turn. Usually, Phone is best used to prepare for Marnie and Path.
Palkia – Even
This matchup is quite close. If you go first, you’re at a big advantage since you can take a KO on Palkia on turn two. Even if you go second, it can be difficult for them to get the gust-KO on turn two, so you can push up Oricorio as a sacrifice. Throughout the game, keep in mind that it may be possible for them to OHKO Mew VMAX if they play Quick Shooting, and that they most likely only play one [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card].
Occasionally, playing with a smaller Bench is the correct play. You want to aggressively thin your deck in preparation for the Roxanne + Path play, all while preserving PokéStop to counter Path. Fortunately, this deck thins itself out very well. The normal game plan of trying to win in three attacks applies, but you can still win even if you are a turn slower.
If you’re going first, there’s no need to play down Oricorio. The damage reduction may seem tempting against Palkia, but this allows them to do the Greninja play so that they can win in three attacks. They can KO a two-Prizer at any point, and then use either Cross Switcher or Quick Shooting to KO Oricorio with Greninja, while setting up your VMAX for a KO. Without this play, they can still win in three attacks, but it’s difficult for them to get back-to-back gust plays when you are spamming Marnie.
Others
Unfortunately, Mew is quite bad against Regi and Charizard. On the other hand, it’s very strong against Ice Rider and other Arceus variants.
Regi Rope
Surprisingly, Regigigas has really good matchups right now, because Arceus / Inteleon is seeing a huge decline in play, and many other Arceus variants have no need to play [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card]. Furthermore, many Palkia lists no longer play [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Other fringe techs such as [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] have disappeared entirely. The Palkia matchup is as good as it will get for Regigigas, and the Mew, Charizard, and Ice Rider matchups are already great. The biggest problem is Flying Pikachu. If one could solve the Flying Pikachu matchup, or at least make it playable, then Regi becomes one of the best decks in the format. Here’s my current Regi list. I’m not sure if it’s optimized yet, as there are some adjustments that could still be made.
[decklist name=”un un un” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″][pokemon amt=”12″]2x [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regice” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”37″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regirock” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Registeel” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regidrago” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”140″ 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=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]2x [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Yes, that’s four [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. Escape Rope more or less replaces [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck — although Scoop Up Net has several benefits over Escape Rope, Rope is here as a counter to Flying Pikachu. Coincidentally, Rope is also great against [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], which is normally a huge issue. Against Flying Pikachu, you can just spam Rope and Boss’s Orders to take six Prizes. If you get the combo, you could even Rope and Boss to KO Flying Pikachu in one shot with Regigigas.
The four Marnie in this deck may seem a bit weird, but I always find myself wanting Marnie when playing the deck. There are often times where you get stuck with cards like [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and Escape Rope in hand. It’s painful to waste them, so it’s very convenient when you have Marnie as an option. In particular, it’s important to conserve Rope and Boss against Flying Pikachu.
Ultra Ball is preferred over [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] primarily because of its synergy with PokéStop. It also has synergy with [card name=”Regidrago” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card], and provides additional ways to discard [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card]. We play PokéStop and [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] to speed up the process of finding Aurora Energy, as well as making the deck as consistent as possible overall. [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] helps with this as well, but I’m not sure if that card should be something else instead. [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] sort of makes one of your Regis a pivot, only requiring one manual attachment. Sometimes Balloon belongs on Regidrago, and sometimes it should go on a Pokemon that is less likely to be targeted by the opponent so that it gets more value over the course of the game.
Many Regi lists play three or four PokéStop, but I find that to be excessive: two PokéStop felt sufficient when playing the deck. With too many, they add to the deck’s clunkiness, and make the other PokéStops less effective. I think different consistency cards over the extra Stops are better, such as Marnie, Trekking Shoes, and Energy Loto. The Energy lineup was ripped straight from Pablo Meza’s seventeenth-place Worlds list, and it seems to work well. More Capture or [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] would be nice for consistency, but too many copies become dead weight at later points in the game, and the deck only has so much space.
Matchups
Mew – Favorable
The Mew matchup will always be one of Regi’s best. Thanks to Regigigas being able to OHKO Mew VMAX, it makes things quite difficult for Mew. The spread damage from [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is also relevant on most Pokemon. If you’re attacking into an opposing Meloetta, or just don’t have any better options for the turn, you may as well attack with Regieleki. [card name=”Registeel” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] can OHKO the Basic Mew V, which occasionally is relevant. Regidrago with Choice Belt takes out Genesect in one shot, especially now that most Mew lists have cut Oricorio. Choice Belts should be preserved for when you’re using them to take a KO. However, sometimes you must play them down pre-emptively. In those cases, prioritize Regigigas first and Regidrago second for the Choice Belts.
Palkia – Slightly Favorable
Regi can Prize-trade favorably into Palkia. Regieleki with a Choice Belt can OHKO opposing Palkia VSTAR, and even if you whiff, you can use Escape Rope to snipe something off the Bench. The only issue with this matchup is the late-game [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. If they bump PokéStop, Cross Switcher the Regidrago, and use Roxanne, you’re solely at the mercy of those two cards. This is extremely difficult to play around because Regieleki discards its Energy after attacking, and Regieleki is usually the preferred attacker. That said, if you’re able to take a KO with something besides the Eleki or Drago, you should probably do so. That’s fairly rare though, as you’re usually attacking into Palkia. Registeel takes out their one-Prize Pokemon, though. However, they won’t always get that Roxanne combo, and you won’t always brick off of it.
Furthermore, this Regi list can spam Marnie, limiting the opponent from being able to put together combos. Overall, this matchup is close, but Regi has a slight edge against most Palkia lists. If they have a tech such as Tool Jammer, that may be enough to put it back into Palkia’s favor.
Flying Pikachu – Even
Despite the four Escape Rope and two Boss, this matchup is still quite demanding. You need to set up well, and find the Escape Ropes back to back. Luckily, the Regi deck is capable of OHKOing whatever is in their deck. If they ever are not using Max Balloon, such as in the early game, just KO their Active with the appropriate attacker. If they are using Max Balloon, you need Rope or Boss to KO something off the Bench, so try to conserve them for the turns where you need their value. If the opponent only has one Flying Pikachu in play using Max Balloon, you can simply attack with [card name=”Regice” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] to nullify it. The matchup is demanding from the opponent as well — if they do not play the matchup near-perfectly, it becomes favorable. However, sometimes you will brick, or whiff a response to the Flying Pikachu, and it will get too far ahead by taking Prizes with Max Balloon.
Others
Regigigas is strong against Ice Rider and Charizard. It’s bad against Arceus / Inteleon if they have Dunsparce and Ordinary Rod. The mirror is possibly slightly unfavorable because they have Scoop Up Net and we don’t, but it’s still close to even.
Conclusion
Based on matchups alone, Regigigas is looking to be quite the contender in the current meta. The deck is a bit clunky and annoying to use at times, but its strengths cannot be overlooked. The matchups against a skilled Palkia or Pikachu player are often very close, and it feels like it can come down to draws. The Mew deck has worse matchups than Regi, but it is extremely consistent, fast, and powerful. These are two of my top picks as we close out the Astral Radiance format. Feel free to try them out and make edits to the lists. I’ve worked on these lists quite a bit already, but I am not sure if they are completely optimal yet. Thanks for reading!
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