White Arceus – Punching Out the Format with Slaking V

Hello to all PokéBeach readers! Here’s Gabriel Semedo again with another Pokémon TCG article and this time I’m going to talk about [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] or “White Arceus”, which was the deck I developed together with the champion of the Porto Alegre Regional, Dalton Acchetta.

After many Regionals and even a Worlds Championship in the SSH-ASR format, this format came to an end with the Baltimore and Porto Alegre Regionals, in addition to the Bilbao Special Event. I played in the Porto Alegre Regional and got another Top 64, the third consecutive one since the return of official tournaments. It’s not the worst possible result and I managed to score points, but the truth is that I was confident that I could do well because this time I had created a deck together with my training partner Dalton Acchetta which I was really enjoying as I had the best and coolest answers to the main decks in the metagame. Unfortunately, bad luck situations took me away from the chance to move forward in the competition, but luckily I wasn’t wrong about the deck and Dalton played with the same 60 cards to become the Porto Alegre Regional Champion with the unprecedented Arceus VSTAR / Slaking V / Blissey V deck.

In today’s article, I’m going to tell you from the beginning the entire creative process that Dalton and I went through to develop the new idea, then I’m going to do a deck analysis, so get ready and good reading.

How the Deck Idea Came About

During most of my preparation for the Regional, I spent playing only with the metagame decks and the other part was exploring some variants of Turbo decks, based on [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=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any Turbo deck that I liked 100% — there was always something missing to be perfect. The turbo variant that came closest to being my choice for Regional was Turbo [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] and I did an article about the deck here on PokéBeach, so I’d recommend reading that too. As for the metagame decks, Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] is still my favorite deck and I feel comfortable playing against everything, even though I know it will always be difficult matches.

[cardimg name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

After testing a lot of ideas and ending up coming back to Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon a week ago from Regional, something I already knew very well that could happen and that’s why I was already well prepared with the deck, my training partner Dalton Acchetta also told me that he was exactly on the same situation. With six days to go before the event, we trained together with two other players, Lucas Matheus (Top 16) and Lucas Jordão (Senior Champion), and there we came to the conclusion that to beat [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] it was often necessary to play with only one Pokémon to the Bench. During an intense best of three against Lucas with him using Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and me with Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon, I managed to win with luck, as I couldn’t bench [card name=”Sobble” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] so as not to increase the damage, meaning I only had an Arceus VSTAR in the active and another [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench, preferably with [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] attached. Using a good number of Supporters and two copies of [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] to recover a few more copies into the deck allowed me to play this way, even if I took a high risk of not being able to get the necessary resources.

While it’s not the ideal way for an Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon to play, I felt it was the best way to get the win if the match is balanced from the start, with neither player having bad hands. Keeping that in mind, the thinking was that against Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR I would be playing with several fewer cards in the deck, as benching Sobble means easy Prizes for the opponent and more damage for Origin Form Palkia VSTAR to Knock Out Arceus V.

Dalton already had some similar thoughts, that playing without Inteleon or [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] could be a real option like [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] does.

Arceus VSTAR / Duraludon VMAX is pretty decent and proof of that is Stéphane Ivanoff’s 2nd place in the Bilbao Special Event with the deck, but we were after something different, so Tuesday Night before the event we made another call to discuss some ideas about Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon without Inteleon. A few minutes after starting to discuss, Raissa Arruda (2nd Place) enters the call, hears our idea, and as soon as we finish, she suggests [card name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] as a good option to insert into the deck. It was from then on that the deck took a totally original shape, as now it has great offensive power too, capable of Knocking Out a VSTAR Pokémon with [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. With the new ideas, the deck is now able to withstand the most damage in the format with Arceus VSTAR, [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], and has the ability to KO the best Pokémon of the format with an attack of Slaking V and [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. After the idea main deck successfully created, the challenge was over the remaining days of the tournament to find the best 60 cards to support the idea the way we wanted. The analysis of the final list that brought me a Top 64 and took Dalton Acchetta to the title can be seen below:

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The Deck List

[decklist name=”Arceus / Slaking / Blissey ” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″][pokemon amt=”10″]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=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]7x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Cards Explanations

Everything Starts With Arceus — Four Arceus V, Three Arceus VSTAR

[cardimg name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The power of [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is indisputable and it is still the best Pokémon in the format in my opinion. The results show this too. This Pokémon often shares the spotlight with another attacker, whether it’s [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], or any of several combinations, but it’s also seen playing alone, with only [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] to back it up. This list goes further by not playing with either Inteleon or [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and giving up the consistency of these Pokémon. Because of this, the way is to take advantage of every detail of the qualities of Arceus VSTAR. Attack damage is taken full advantage of with [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], the 280 HP with [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] prevents any possibility of a Knock Out by an attack, and the Energy acceleration from the attack’s effect results in filtering cards from the deck to increase the chances of finding the Supporter you need with [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] and allows you to power up a lethal Pokemon like [card name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] .

As for the VSTAR Ability; Starbirth, it’s your only way to find what you need in the game and should be valued to the fullest, but you don’t always have control of when you can use it — if the opponent plays [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] on the field, you don’t have any cards on the list to resolve it. If you know your opponent’s deck and you know the list often uses Path to the Peak, you have two ways to go; if you’re up against an Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX deck that uses four copies of Path to the Peak and [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], then use it as soon as you get the chance, but most of the time you won’t get the chance. If it’s against [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] the story can be completely different as the lists usually use a copy of Path to the Peak and a copy of [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] — the bottom line is that the only way they can get a Path to the Peak out of the field is by playing another Stadium, that is, if you start the game and play Path to the Peak, the opponent will have to choose to play without Ability or will have to replace Path to the Peak at some point, allowing you to use Starbirth.

Regarding [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], keep in mind that you won’t always be able to evolve into an Arceus VSTAR and attack on the second turn, as the deck doesn’t have the consistency for it. Because of that, you’ll need to develop your game with Arceus V’s Trinity Charge, and the Power Edge attack is useful for getting a KO on a Pokémon V or Knocking Out a single-Prize Pokémon. With [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], your HP is practically equal to Arceus VSTAR and becomes another safe option to have on the field.

As for Arceus VSTAR, the best-case scenario is where this Pokémon can KO a Pokémon V by attacking it with two basic Energy and a Powerful Colorless Energy attached, while still being able to take the most damage in the game with a Tool Jammer. The good offensive power combined with the excellent defensive power together with [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] makes this Pokémon truly a God.

The VSTAR Killer — One Slaking V

[cardimg name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Slaking V is so perfect for the strategy that it manages to do the best of both worlds, which is to Knock Out the two strongest VSTAR Pokémon in the format; Arceus VSTAR and Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, with the advantage of not being Knocked Out in return on the following turn.

After attacking with Trinity Nova to put three Energy on Slaking V, the opponent will have to use [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] to bring Slaking V to the Active Spot in order to try to reduce the probable damage it would cause, because if they don’t, at least four Prizes will be given up and two Pokémon V will be KO’d by Slaking V. If the opponent chooses to use Boss’s Order and attack Slaking V, using Cheren’s Care and attacking with Arceus VSTAR again can be a good option.

It’s possible to beat Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and Arceus VSTAR without Slaking V, just with Arceus VSTAR and Cheren’s Care, but the problem that Slaking V brings to the opponent is huge, it makes him spend resources he wouldn’t want to try to contain the possible damage, meanwhile, Arceus VSTAR will continue attacking in order to get the six Prizes.

Another Possible Big-Hitter But With More HP — One Blissey V

[card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] was the last Pokémon to enter the deck and its usefulness was realized after the list was practically already ready. Apparently, it doesn’t look like Blissey V can be useful, as its damage starts low and increases as it attacks or receives Energy from Trinity Nova, but we noticed that if Blissey V receives three Energy from [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], it’s already capable of dealing around 100 damage, which is enough to Knock Out a VSTAR Pokémon that has already taken an attack for at least 180 damage. The idea is to attack with Arceus VSTAR, and complete the Knock Out with Blissey V because depending on the amount and type of Energy in the discard pile, Blissey V can reach 280 damage in the next turn, performing the same function as Slaking V, but harder and for a longer time. It is worth remembering that each [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] increases +20 damage for Blissey V and [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] is worth two Energy but reduces damage by 20, so in practice, it increases damage by +10.

Another great advantage of Blissey V is its 250 HP, something that brings peace of mind when dropping on the field, in addition, the [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] gives Blissey V 300 HP, a value capable of withstanding even the biggest attacks of the format, such as [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”203″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card].

Broken Out for Weakness — One Dunsparce

[cardimg name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

After [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] appeared in the first and second places of the World Championship, [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] proved to be a necessary Pokémon again for a deck of straight Arceus VSTAR. Until hours before the tournament started, the list had two copies of Dunsparce, as I knew that one copy alone wouldn’t be enough to contain a deck that has four copies of Boss’s Orders, Starbirth, and [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to find what it needs to knock out Dunsparce.

Barring the matchup against Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] / Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR (“APD”) and possibly a [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] deck, Dunsparce would probably be useless, and using two copies of a single-Prize Pokémon that you definitely don’t want to start the game is pretty bad, mainly because the deck has only six more Pokémon besides the two Dunsparce. It was then that Dalton came up with the idea of ​​using two copies of [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and using only one Dunsparce — that way if Dunsparce is Knocked Out it is possible to rescue this Pokémon at least once and with a good probability after a few turns thinning the deck.

Another important factor in the matchup is that you need to set Dunsparce and prepare [card name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] at the same time because even if the opponent uses [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] to KO Dunsparce, you can try to KO Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR in the next turn with Slaking V.

Slaking V is also a direct response to Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR when powered up by Arceus VSTAR and benched along with Dunsparce. That way you may not even need to return Dunsparce with Ordinary Rod.

Fourteen Supporters with Three Pokégear 3.0

All the consistency of the deck was resting with the Supporters and because of this, the deck had to make a series of adaptations, making it a simpler list with multiple copies of resources needed for consistency. Cards with only one copy were avoided as much as possible, precisely because it is difficult to find them. A requirement that I made very clear is that the deck should be able to run by drawing only four cards per turn, so if the opponent uses [card name=”Marnie” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] it should be able to provide you with a Supporter or some reasonable outs.

The goal of the deck is to resist attacks, so consequently, the opponent will need more turns to win, a strategy they haven’t normally planned for. The result of the extra turns can be seen in practice when the opponent starts to miss resources, as the amount of searches with Shady Dealings has a certain limit and so does the number of resources. Meanwhile, “White Arceus” thrives when playing in this scenario.

[cardimg name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”168″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The draw Supporter line was inspired by Daichi Shimada’s [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / Flying Pikachu VMAX list, with only the max count of the strongest draw Supporters in the game; [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and Marnie. In White Arceus, it’s important to use at least one [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] for when your opponent Knocks Out your [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] with Energy attached — with Melony you have the option to come back attacking with an Arceus VSTAR.

Regarding [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], this is the Supporter that makes Arceus VSTAR able to play alone without depending on any other Pokémon, but if the other Pokémon in the deck are also Colorless, then all you need to do is make sure that none of them are OHKO’d for you to have an invincible field as long as you have that Supporter in hand.

Boss’s Orders is another Supporter of great value for the deck, especially when you have a Slaking V to Knock Out anything you want.

The Perfect Count for Pokémon Search Items

Four [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”237″ c=”name”][/card], four [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], and one [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] — this is the same amount of Items used by Ondrej Skubal in his winning list, and in the end, the same amount worked fine on my list. Until the second turn, this is the ideal count for you to be able to set up an Arceus VSTAR and power up what you need, after that the search resources are usually left over.

For a (Possible) Crucial Turn — One Switch

For a long time, the list featured one copy of [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and one of [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], to make sure that on the second turn you have some way to move [card name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] from the Active position to promote Arceus VSTAR, however, during the tests it was noticed that in most games the deck already starts with Arceus V active, as the deck has four copies of Arceus V and only three copies of other Basic Pokémon. Another perceived situation is that if you go second, the opponent will probably want to attack the active Pokémon, so you can already remove it from play with Cheren’s Care. By the sum of probabilities in which the deck can attack with Arceus VSTAR without depending on Switch, we come to the conclusion that it was worth taking the risk to play with only one copy.

Don’t Get Caught by Echoing Horn — Two Ordinary Rod

The most fascinating effect of the two copies of [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is to further reduce the opponent’s chances of getting an easy Knock Out, especially in the matchup against [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] where a well-used [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] means increasing damage to take a major Knock Out and also return a weak Pokémon V to the Bench to be Knocked Out next. Against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] it is also important to remove your Pokémon V from the discard.

In matchups against decks with Fighting-type Pokémon you can have up to three Dunsparce in play because of the Ordinary Rod, something you may need, especially if the opponent knows how your deck works.

The effect that you will use in practically every game is being able to return your Water Energy to the deck, transforming your seven Water into up to eleven Water to be able to attach three Energy as you wish with Trinity Nova. Usually, an [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 can only do this once or twice in the game, but straight Arceus VSTAR can power up a lot more with Trinity Nova, and that causes a big problem for the opponent because they can’t read your plays and it allows you to power up your best attackers, Blissey V and Slaking V, whenever you want.

Triforce of Tools — One Choice Belt, One Cape of Toughness, One Tool Jammer

[cardimg name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”183″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In games where your opponent runs hot, you’ll need the help of these Pokémon Tools to handle the strong pressure. [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] has the function of enabling Arceus VSTAR to KO a Pokémon V in the second turn with the help of [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card], but it can also be an option for Slaking V to Knock Out a VSTAR Pokémon without Powerful Colorless Energy or hit 310 and KO a Mew VMAX, or even to add more damage output to Blissey V.

[card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] has the main advantage of increasing [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]’s HP to 300, so Mew VMAX, [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] can’t KO it with a single attack, but throughout the tests, it was realized that the main benefit of this Tool is to increase the chances that any of your Pokémon V can stay alive until your next turn. Even with a proper strategy to avoid Knock Outs, the reality is that the opponent is can surprise you at any time, so with a Cape of Toughness, your [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] can survive an attack from [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] with Choice Belt plus double Quick Shooting from [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] of nowhere.

Finally, [card name=”Tool Jammer” set=”Battle Styles” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] can offer the best of both worlds; an offensive Tool and a defensive Tool at the same time. Against [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] or Radiant Charizard, Tool Jammer works as Big Charm for Arceus VSTAR, while against Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon, Tool Jammer on [card name=”Slaking V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] works as Choice Belt to KO their Arceus VSTAR with Big Charm.

One of the Most Impactful Cards in the Format — Four Path to the Peak

[card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] is the key card to beat [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], and this is an extremely dangerous matchup for White Arceus. The [card name=”Marnie” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] plus Path to the Peak combo needs to work at least once so you have time to keep up with Mew VMAX’s speed. Another matchup where the stadium helps is Radiant Charizard, as one of the ways to prevent this single-Prize Pokémon from beating you is to have Path to the Peak on the field.

In addition to being impactful, Path to the Peak is a necessary card for you to be able to attack with Slaking V freely, because due to Slaking V’s Ability you can only attack when you have an odd Prize count, that is, only when you’ve Knocked Out a single-Prize Pokémon or Pokémon VMAX.

Fourteen Energy — Seven Water, Four Double Turbo Energy, Three Powerful Colorless Energy

The advantage of playing with a lot of Energy is that you increase the chances of finding the Energy to power up your Pokémon every turn, especially the first turn. With seven Water Energy, you have a comfortable number to attack with Trinity Charge or Trinity Nova, and make sure you can put three Energy onto Slaking V, even if three copies were in the Prizes and you had to attach another copy into Arceus VSTAR. It seems like a detail but it’s part of the main strategy of the decks to always accelerate three Energy to Slaking V, otherwise, it’s not possible to attach [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] and every idea of ​​easily Knocking Out a VSTAR Pokémon is lost.

Final Thoughts

With a well-established format and with few possibilities for surprises, it seems that everything that had to be created has already been created, especially with a Worlds Championship happening recently in this same format, but curiously it is at times like this that I feel more easily inspired to create because at least I know what a deck needs to have to beat the already known decks.

[cardimg name=”Judge” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”209″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

And the advantage of bringing something new and effective to the event is the surprise factor.

A different and effective strategy in the middle of the Regional Championship makes the opponent uncomfortable, which is good because you can see mistakes made by the opponent for not knowing the matchup, but it’s also a bad thing as they will take a longer time to play, as they will want to learn the matchup without making mistakes. If the opponent takes too long, don’t be afraid to remind him that he needs to play faster and if the problem persists, call a Judge. Two of my ties could have turned into wins with more time. Luckily, White Arceus is an easy deck to play and has few actions to take, so your turns are quick once you’re practiced.

That’s all for today, I hope you liked it and until next time!

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