Will It Play In Peoria? The Advantages of Kyurem VMAX

By: Zakary Krekeler · Posted Posted onSep 28, 2022 at 6:58 PM · 3 Comments

Hello again everyone! After a fun start to the season in Baltimore, I, like many of you, are ready to hop into the Lost Origin meta. This weekend, we’ll open things up in the North American sphere with the Regional Championships in Peoria, followed by more events in October and November. The Lost Origin format has been enjoyable so far, as there has been a nice mix of new things to try. In my last article, I talked about some of the things you can do with the new Lost Zone engine, but that’s hardly been the only fun new deck. In this article, I’ll again be looking at one of the new decks from Lost Origin. In this one, I’ll be going over [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], which has emerged as one of my top picks for Peoria. 

The Prospective Peoria Metagame

[cardimg name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Before I can get into why I think Kyurem VMAX is a good play for upcoming events, I want to go over what other decks you can likely expect to see at those events. Between online events, the Singapore Regional League, and the massive Champion’s League Yokohama, we have started to see the meta develop to a point where we should be able to have a general idea of what the field will look like going forward. There have been a wide array of competitive decks, both new and old. Of the new stuff, we’ve seen some strong results from Lost Zone decks, both single-Prize variants and builds with [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]. Kazuki Kamegawa’s single-Prize “Lost Box” list has emerged as a top contender after getting second at Champion’s League Yokohama, and it’s seeing some strong online finishes from players in recent events. Other new decks that have seen good results include Kyurem VMAX, [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Of the already existing decks, [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] have remained great, as has [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] has also seen a bit of an uptick, thanks in part to its strong matchup against the single-Prize Lost Zone decks.

To sum that up, these are the decks that you should be the most prepared for:

  • Single-Prize Lost Box
  • Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR
  • Other Lost Box Decks
  • Kyurem VMAX
  • Palkia VSTAR
  • Mew VMAX
  • Arceus VSTAR decks (Giratina VSTAR, Goodra VSTAR, [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card])
  • Regigigas
  • Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR
  • Hisuian Goodra VSTAR

Now, these aren’t the only decks that you might encounter; as with recent formats, the Standard meta is quite diverse, and chock full of potential rogue decks. With that said, these are the decks that have seen enough play and are seeing enough “hype” to where there will be a reasonable chance that you will encounter them in Peoria. Predicting exactly which ones is naturally difficult — even with perfect knowledge of a tournament’s metagame, it’s still up to luck which matchups you’ll encounter — but by having a general idea of what to expect, you can plan accordingly. Of those decks, the Lost Zone decks are likely to be the most popular, followed by Kyurem VMAX and the existing trio of Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, Arceus VSTAR, and Mew VMAX, followed further by the bottom three decks on the list. Again, this analysis is coming from the online tournament metagame and tournament results, as well as the results of Singapore and Champion’s League Yokohama. When preparing for Peoria, you’ll want to be sure to test against these decks, and you’ll definitely want to be playing a deck that is ready to take them on.

The Strengths of Kyurem VMAX

When it comes to taking on the meta, I am a believer in the potential of [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. Kyurem VMAX has two big advantages in this format; it does big damage, and it has huge HP. In Baltimore, we saw a lot of tanky decks do well, as a lot of players hopped onto decks 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] which could specifically take advantage of [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]’s inability to damage Pokemon beyond a certain point. Kyurem VMAX plays a lot like Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR does, but it no longer has that limitation. Kyurem VMAX can OHKO any Pokemon, regardless of how tanky you might make them.

[cardimg name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

There are games I’ve played with Kyurem where I’ve been able to discard five Energy in back-to-back turns to OHKO a pair of VMAXs, and that isn’t something that’s particularly hard to do. In Lost Origin, there have been some players that have tried to use [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] to play a tanky game, but Kyurem VMAX can beat this strategy with no problem. Against VSTAR and VMAX decks, the ease with which Kyurem VMAX can get OHKOs is a huge point in its favor.

At the same time, Kyurem VMAX is quite tanky itself, especially in this meta where 280 and 310 are more common numbers to aim for. [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] might be able to OHKO [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], Arceus VSTAR, and Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, but it can’t do enough damage to OHKO Kyurem VMAX. [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] can’t one-shot it, Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR can’t one-shot it, and Mew VMAX can’t one-shot it without a lot of resource usage. This puts Kyurem VMAX in a great position, where it’s both OHKOing everything, and not getting Knocked Out in return. Against V decks, this means that so long as they have to attack into Kyurem VMAX once, they’ll typically need four attacks to win, whereas Kyurem can win with only three. That’s before we even factor in using alternate attackers, like Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, which can delay your opponent even further. 

Against the list above, Kyurem VMAX has the advantage against Giratina VSTAR, Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, Arceus VSTAR, and [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. By playing techs like [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], it’s also possible to give it a strong matchup into all of the Lost Zone stuff, as well as a serviceable matchup against [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Mew VMAX and [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] can be tricky due to their speed and OHKO potential, but they are closer to even matchups than difficult ones. With this overall matchup spread, it’s clear that Kyurem VMAX has the potential to do very well. 

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My Kyurem VMAX List

Here is my current Kyurem VMAX list:

[decklist name=”Kyurem fixed” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Kyurem V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]1x [card name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Decklist Break Down

This list is mostly geared toward consistency and resistance to hand disruption, with the added wrinkle of the two [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]  to take on Lost Zone decks. If all goes well, [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] should beat most decks, but it can be vulnerable to [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], particularly if they can put [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] in play at the same time. Kyurem VMAX may not seem like it’s all that weak to Path to the Peak, but if you lose the extra Energy acceleration from Glaciated World, as well as your outs to [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], then things can get rather dicey. But, so long as you can get past that, and so long as you can set up in the early game, then things should go well.

For the attackers, I have a 3-3 line of Kyurem VMAX, along with a thin line of [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] — the 1-1 line might seem light, but I’ve been quite happy with it in practice. In most scenarios, you’ll want to be attacking with Kyurem VMAX, not Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, so the main point of it ends up being to use Star Portal to accelerate Energy. By only playing one, you can leave more room for other tech cards. The [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a way to get the [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] out of your Prizes, and since you have [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], it’s pretty easy to find it. Prizing the Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR itself can be awkward, but this deck is a bit different than a Palkia-focused deck in that you typically use Star Portal later after you’ve attacked a few times. This means you’ll have the opportunity to take a few Prizes before you actually need to use Star Portal. As a result, the 1-1 line is less inconsistent than it otherwise would be, and it ends up being rare that prizing one of your Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR pieces ends up being detrimental.

[cardimg name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”146″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As I said above, the single-Prize Lost Box deck has quickly emerged as one of the top contenders to beat in Standard. If you haven’t run into it yet, just know that the deck is quite good; it’s a lot like playing against [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], but with the added factor that your opponent can oftentimes beat you without even using the Radiant Charizard as a finisher. To shut down this deck, as well as anything else utilizing the Lost Zone engine, this list has two copies of Empoleon V.

Empoleon V shuts down both [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], which slows the Lost Zone decks down to a crawl. You do need both copies, as Lost Zone decks typically play a bunch of [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to get around Empoleon V; by having two in play, you can eliminate that counter as well. At that point, they can only get around it by using [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], which means that they aren’t using [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] that turn — or by playing Path to the Peak, which most lists don’t. Keep in mind that they’ll also have to find those counters without using their main source of consistency in Comfey, which makes things much harder! You can also take on the single-Prize variant by playing [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], but Empoleon V has a bit more functionality when it comes to the meta as a whole, as Empoleon V can also be strong against [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] or in the mirror match (to stop [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]), as well as against Mirage Gate Lost Zone decks (i.e., [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]).

Once you get past the [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], the Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, and the [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], the rest of the Pokemon in this deck are for increased consistency. Oranguru naturally combos with Glaciated World, but you can do more with it than simply attach extra Energy — you can also use it to discard unwanted cards from your hand if you won’t be able to guarantee (or don’t need) the Energy acceleration. The Oranguru also gives you a way to play around [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], which can be a stumbling point for this deck when it’s combined with [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. To further utilize Oranguru, this list also plays a pair of [card name=”Rotom Phone” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card].

For the Supporters in this deck, we have [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] for the early game, and [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] for later. Since Irida can find our Evolution Pokemon, the Pokemon-based Item search is more oriented toward finding Basic Pokemon. [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is great at all stages of the game, and given how much this deck can do when it has Energy, it’s important to have a full four copies in this decklist. Having [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] as our Stadium also helps in that regard, as it’s excellent for retaining your Energy even when you’re discarding them every turn. Again, we really don’t want to get stuck with a Path to the Peak in play, hence the four copies of Training Court. For one last way around Path to the Peak, we also have our one [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], which can be grabbed with Irida if needed.  

[cardimg name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The only other out-of-the-ordinary card in this list is the [card name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]. Wash Water Energy is a fun card; prior to this set, it was basically useless, but now, it’s a rather important card to have. The two big things that Wash Water Energy stops are [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]’s Star Requiem, and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lost Mine. Against Giratina VSTAR decks, this means that you can eliminate the one way they have to one-shot you, whereas, against Sableye decks, you can stop them from being able to use Sableye to get Kyurem VMAX into [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]’s OHKO range.

There admittedly aren’t a ton of uses other than those two, but in other matchups, you can simply attach it as if it were a normal Water Energy. Do keep in mind that you can’t search it out with Capacious Bucket or recover it with Training Court, hence why I keep the count here to only one, but it’s well worth the spot when you do need it.

Kyurem’s Strategy

Whether going first or second, your goal in the early game is going to be to find your Pokemon, so that you can be ready to attack on turn two. If you are up against a Lost Zone deck, then you want to prioritize finding and getting [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] in the Active Spot, but otherwise, [card name=”Kyurem V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] is the most important Pokemon to find. Having [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] early can help you dig through your deck further, which will likewise increase your chances of finding one of your [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s worth noting that again, you don’t necessarily need to have [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] out early, so it’s often better to find your Kyurem V first before searching out the [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card]. An ideal board for this deck is something like two Kyurem VMAX, an [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], a Radiant Greninja, a Palkia VSTAR, and one open Bench space for a [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. Likewise, that’s the board you should try to aim for.

When going second, you’ll want to take advantage of Kyurem V’s Rapid Freeze attack to set things up for the following turn. In this case, you’ll also have [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] to help you find either Battle VIP Pass or [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] to help out your setup. With the four Capacious Bucket in this deck, it’s pretty easy to find three or four Water Energy right away. When using Rapid Freeze, it’s a good idea to spread out your Energy between your Kyurem V; your Active is liable to get Knocked Out when going second, so if you have an odd number of Energy, you’ll want to put more on your Benched Kyurem V. The only time you won’t want to go for the Rapid Freeze play is if you can’t find a second Kyurem V to power up (in which case you want to try to keep your Kyurem V safe on your Bench) or you’re against a Lost Zone deck, in which you’ll want to get an Empoleon V in the Active Spot instead.

[cardimg name=”Melony” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”TG26″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Once you are set up, then your goal will shift to making sure that you can power up [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]  turn after turn, even when discarding all of your Energy. Being able to attach an extra Energy every turn is huge; between Glaciated World and [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], you can reliably attach three per turn, enough to power up a Kyurem VMAX out of nowhere if needed. Your tools at this point are your Melony, your Glaciated World + Oranguru combo, and your one-time Star Portal. The latter two can be shut off by [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], hence why it’s so important to have plenty of ways to get that Stadium out of play.

If you don’t need to use Oranguru to accelerate Energy, then you want to make sure to use it to try to play around [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. The more you can thin your hand of unneeded cards, the better your chances will be of not getting locked by Path to the Peak, which will likewise increase your chances of winning.

Matchup-Specific Strategies

Vs. Lost Zone Decks

Lost Zone decks are incredibly varied, but your strategy against most of them are pretty similar. What you want to do is to get your two [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] into play, with one in the Active Spot so that you can shut down their [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] engine. By getting both into play, you reduce their outs to only [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] (and not [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]) — and if they use Boss’s Orders, they can’t use [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] that turn. If you’re lucky enough to start with Empoleon V, then it can be a good idea to not put any other Pokemon in play (aside from Empoleon V), so that your opponent won’t have any easy way to get around it. Some variants do play Path to the Peak as an extra countermeasure, but those variants tend to be a bit less consistent, and are the minority among Lost Zone lists, so until you see them play it, go with the lone double Empoleon V strategy. Once your opponent starts to get a bit closer to being able to use Mirage Gate and attack (after using a few Colress’s Experiment or [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], for instance), or if they do play Path to the Peak, then you want to start getting your other Pokemon into play so that you can deal with whatever threat they might be able to bring out. 

If you’re up against the Lost Zone version of [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], then it’ll be important for you to find your [card name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] so that you can protect yourself against Star Requiem. Aside from Star Requiem, they shouldn’t have any way to one-shot your [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] barring some uncommon tech cards.

[cardimg name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If you are against a Mirage Gate deck that’s more of a rainbow attacking deck (as opposed to focusing on one attacker in Giratina VSTAR), then you’ll want to have [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] as an attacker as well, in case they do play Metal-type Pokemon that can OHKO your Kyurem VMAX. Also, keep in mind that you can use [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack to take a double-Knock Out if your opponent can’t get [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] into play; most opponent’s should be prepared for that, but occasionally you can catch some off guard, especially early on if they’ve been more focused on finding a way around Empoleon V.

With the double Empoleon V, these matchups tend to be rather favorable, so long as you can slow them down at least a bit. Lost Zone decks are, so far, the most played of the meta decks that I’ve talked about, so having these as a positive matchup is a huge point in Kyurem VMAX’s favor. This strategy also works well against [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] decks, and while those tend to be a bit trickier, Empoleon V does give you a fighting chance.

Vs. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR

Kyurem VMAX may be the hot new Water-type deck, but that doesn’t mean that Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR is going anywhere. Once you get set up, then your path to beating this deck will be to out-trade them with your larger HP. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR is always dangerous in that it will typically get a KO when going first, which naturally reduces your margin of error. Try to avoid having any extra Vs in play, especially [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], as those can quickly become liabilities. Also avoid discarding them if possible, lest they get brought out anyway with [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. If you can keep things to where your opponent has to attack your Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, and can’t simply gust around it to win, then you should be able to get the victory.

Vs. Arceus VSTAR

Unless you’re specifically against a Metal build of [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] (which are rather rare), you can feel pretty safe in their inability to OHKO you. The main way that most Arceus VSTAR decks will try to beat you is by using [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], in the same way as [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] decks often would last format. If they don’t lock you, Kyurem VMAX has an easy time with these decks, so you’ll want to do what you can to make sure you play around Path to the Peak as much as possible. Use [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] to keep a counter on top of your deck, thin your hand to play around [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], and don’t waste your Stadiums if you can avoid it. Keep in mind as well that most Arceus VSTAR decks you run into will likely be playing [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], as that is an incredibly good card against the [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] attacks of the Lost Zone decks, so try to also avoid 2HKOs whenever possible.

Vs. Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR

[cardimg name=”Radiant Hawlucha” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”81″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

How favorable the [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is will depend on their build, and specifically on whether or not they have a way to OHKO [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. Most Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR decks will be able to do this either by using [card name=”Radiant Hawlucha” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], or by using [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] to attack without the detrimental effect of [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]. If you can take the first Knock Out, then this is still winnable, but it is a bit dicier than the above matchups. You’ll want to use [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] first so that your opponent can’t win quicker by KOing two Kyurem VMAXs.

Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR can be somewhat prone to stumbling, so if you can keep putting pressure on them, there is a chance that at some point, they may miss one of the pieces they need to get the OHKO. If your opponent goes second, they’ll likely try to use [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]’s Void Return to bounce back into a [card name=”Diancie” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] (so that you can’t gust up and KO their Hisuian Zoroark V); if they do this, then a good counter is to attack with [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. This is especially true if they bench their Radiant Hawlucha at the same time, as Radiant Greninja can KO both that and Diancie with one attack. Despite their speed, I’ve found that the relative inconsistency of Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR leads this matchup to still be pretty close to even. If Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR is particularly common in your local area, you can also opt to include a [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] in your deck to get out of OHKO range, which turns this matchup back to favorable.

Vs. Mew VMAX

[card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is as dangerous a deck as ever, and while it didn’t gain anything notable from Lost Origin, it’s still in a great position to do well. Even with [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] now floating around, Mew VSTAR is likely to be a good play for Peoria, as it’s the sort of consistent, powerful deck that tends to do well into a newer meta. This will especially be the case if folks aren’t playing Drapion V…which we admittedly aren’t in this deck.

The matchup against Mew VMAX is a race, and while they can get a OHKO, it isn’t actually all that easy for them to do so. They also can’t do so twice, whereas you can OHKO them twice, so there is certainly a route for Kyurem VMAX to win via its bulkiness. There isn’t anything too special that you need to do in this matchup compared to the others — just expect it to go fast. If your opponent has [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card] in play, do note that this changes your math so that you need to have either a [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] or discard an extra Energy in order to get a OHKO. If you can’t get a OHKO when you need to, your alternative route to winning will come by mixing in an Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR as one of your attackers and using [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] twice to take down easier Prizes in the form of [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card], before eventually getting a OHKO later in the game. This matchup tends to be fairly close, though if you definitely want to beat Mew VMAX, you can add in a tech [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] to swing things in your favor.

Final Thoughts

[cardimg name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If you want a deck that can deal with all the variety the Lost Origin meta has to offer, then [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] is a great choice. It has an even-to-strong matchup against all of these meta decks, and its high damage output and high HP give it a good chance against most rogue decks as well. For the first tournament of a new format, where most people are still adapting and figuring things out, having a deck with high base attributes like Kyurem VMAX has is always a good idea, and it is why I am strongly considering this deck for Peoria. Hopefully, you like it as well — I certainly recommend trying it out!

We’ve now come to the end of this article, but as always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message me, ask me in the comments, or ask all of us writers in our PTCG Subscriber’s Hideout! Best of luck, and stay safe!

Thanks for reading!

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