From Offense to Defense — The Standard Meta After Peoria

Hello everyone! After a fun-filled Peoria Regional Championships, our picture of the Lost Origin format is starting to come more into focus.

The Peoria metagame was a mix of new Lost Origin archetypes and our existing top-tier decks. [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], [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=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] were all back just as in Baltimore, but they were joined by plenty of new Lost Zone stuff, as well as [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], and my deck of choice, [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card].

In Peoria, that choice worked out quite well for me, as I was able to pilot Kyurem VMAX to a 4th place finish. I played a slightly altered version of the Kyurem VMAX deck that I wrote about in my last article — here’s the list I ended up going with:

My Kyurem VMAX List

[decklist name=”Zak’s Kyurem VMAX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″][pokemon amt=”16″]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]1x [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”237″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ 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=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”160″ 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]3x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]7x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]2x [card name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Small Changes

I made a few small last-minute changes (quite literally the night before) to adjust the deck for some of the meta I expected, namely adding in a [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] to better take on [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], a second [card name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] to better take on Lost Zone [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], and a [card name=”Marnie” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], to give the deck some disruption against Lost Box if needed. With the switch of one Water Energy to one Wash Water Energy, I also swapped a [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] for an [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], to better offset the lower basic Energy count.

Mew VMAX had been performing quite well for me whenever one of my siblings would want to test into it, to the point that I almost switched over to playing it myself; the Drapion V ended up being somewhat helpful in that regard, as I was able to go undefeated against the Mew VMAX decks that I faced. Indeed, all of the changes ended up paying off at some point or another.

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

Going forward, I think that [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] remains a strong play, as the reasoning I laid out in my previous article still holds true today. The one thing that this deck may want to consider changing is the strategy against [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] Lost Box (the deck I lost to in the semifinals), as the [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] strategy is a bit fragile against the Lost Box decks that play a full four [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. One nifty solution is to play a copy of [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] as Yehoshua Tate did in his 3rd place list or to play healing in the form of [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Cutting the Empoleon V does weaken your matchup against Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR and [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], but that may be worth it if you can flip the Lost Box matchup.

Other than that, there isn’t anything I would change from my Peoria list — I was happy with how it played and certainly happy with the results! I’ve already talked quite a bit about Kyurem VMAX, so for the rest of this article, I’ll be instead taking a look at some of the other decks that performed well at the Peoria Regional Championships, as well as what I expect to do well in upcoming events. 

The Peoria Metagame

Now that the metagame is a bit more solidified, it’s easier to evaluate how well any particular deck might fit into that meta. We thankfully have the full meta breakdown from Peoria, so we can use that information to both see what was played, and how well each archetype did compared to its meta share. While I would certainly expect people to react to the Top 8 results, with the full meta breakdown, we can dig a bit deeper to get a better picture of what did well — and hopefully figure out what decks might be going under the radar. I’ve included the image of the Peoria meta-data here, courtesy of RK9 Labs.

Looking at the Peoria metagame, the first thing that jumps out is how diverse the meta continues to be. Eight distinct archetypes had a meta share of five percent or more, while a whopping 20 were played by ten or more people. As it turned out though, the most-played decks did end up being the ones that I had predicted you would need to watch out for — I even almost got the order right! So, in that sense, things were as expected, despite the meta-diversity.

When looking forward, this is important — even though we might have a pretty good idea of which decks we’ll see the most, a deck will still have to be able to take on a lot of different decks in order to succeed. In that sense, a pure counter-meta deck won’t quite work; you’ll want a deck that is not only good against the meta but also has strength in a vacuum. 

Which Decks Overperformed Their Meta Share?

One good way to find those diamonds in the rough is to look at how well decks did compared to their total meta share in the event. This can tell us not only which decks did better than expected, but can also show which decks underperformed, even if that might not be obvious from the final standings. For example, Kyurem VMAX did quite well, as it got two Top 4 spots, and it was the 4th most represented deck on Day Two. But if we look at the full data, it becomes clear that Kyurem VMAX players actually didn’t do all that well as a whole. Of course, there is some nuance here — decks that were more heavily played by newer players are going to look worse than those played solely by veterans, for instance — but for the most part, this analysis can give us an idea of which decks did the best overall. 

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[cardimg name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The biggest underperformances with regard to meta share were actually some of the more successful decks in the final standings. [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] Lost Box, [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] are the most notable decks that underperformed on Day One, though they over-performed on Day Two to take half of the Top 8 spots. This somewhat makes sense; all three of these were new decks, so there would have been more of a disparity between good lists and not-good lists than you would see from an existing archetype. Likewise, I wouldn’t write any of these decks off as overrated, and I would certainly continue to expect to see these decks going forward. If anything, there’s a good chance that these decks will end up a bit better in the future if folks copy and improve upon the top-performing lists. 

On the other hand, the biggest Day One overperformers were [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Hisuian Goodra VSTAR and Regigigas ended up just short, with finishes in 9th, 11th, and 12th, while Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR kept up its strong performance to take three of the Top 8 spots on its own. Regigigas ended up being the deck choice of quite a few top players, so it isn’t terribly surprising to see it on the list of overperformers.

The other thing that these two decks had going for them was the existence of well-refined decklists, so we could in the future see a bit of a correction in the other direction as the Lost Origin archetypes become better. That’s not to say that Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and Regigigas will necessarily become bad plays, just perhaps not as strong as they were in Day One of Peoria. The other two overperforming decks, Blissey V and Arceus VSTAR / Hisuian Goodra VSTAR, are the two that I’m the most interested in. Both of these are defense-oriented decks and are the style of deck that only work when the meta is right for them. For these two decks to have overperformed suggests that is the case. Further, while Blissey V wasn’t changed much from the Astral Radiance builds of the deck, Arceus VSTAR / Hisuin Goodra VSTAR was a brand-new archetype, so it’s impressive to see it doing this well right away. As such, both are worth taking a closer look at.

Arceus VSTAR / Hisuian Goodra VSTAR

Arceus VSTAR / Hisuian Goodra VSTAR had by far the best Day One performance of any deck in the field. Nearly one third of all Arceus VSTAR / Hisuian Goodra VSTAR players made Day Two — a ridiculously high conversion rate for a tournament of this size. Once in Day Two, its results were a bit more as expected for a deck with its Day Two meta share, as half of the ten players ended up in the Top 64, including two in the Top 16. Even so, with eye-catching Day One results like this, clearly the deck has something going for it!

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

This deck is similar to Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], but it has a few advantages that Duraludon VMAX doesn’t have. Namely, when playing [card name=”Hisuian Goodra V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] instead of Duraludon VMAX, you can use [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], you have the Moisture Star VSTAR Power, and you get access to [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]. The goal of the deck is to use Arceus VSTAR to set up Hisuian Goodra VSTAR, and then use Rolling Iron and healing to take down your opponents while preventing them from getting KOs on their end. Even if your damage output isn’t that high, it’s easy enough to get into a game where you’re trading 2HKOs with your opponent — except that you can turn their 2HKOs into 3HKOs, which eventually leads to victory. Not many decks can deal with the combination of damage prevention and healing that this deck can pull off, not while you’re pressuring them with 200 damage a turn at the same time. As such, this deck has a nice matchup spread, which helps explain its success. Here is the Arceus VSTAR / Hisuian Goodra VSTAR list that I’ve been playing, it’s a combination of the list I had built for Peoria, with some of the more successful lists from the Peoria Regional Championship.

[decklist name=”Arceus / Goodra” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″][pokemon amt=”11″]2x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hisuian Goodra V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Celebrations” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”237″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Hyper Potion” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ 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=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Crystal Cave” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]5x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Playing Arceus VSTAR / Hisuian Goodra VSTAR

As I said above, the focus here is on using your [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] early to power up your [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. You want to start with [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], hence the split of Basic Pokemon. Your ideal board with this deck will be an Arceus VSTAR (the first Pokemon you attack with), along with two Hisuian Goodra VSTAR and your [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]. Because all of your Pokemon are Vs or VSTARs (and not VMAXs), you can put the Radiant Gardevoir on the field without any risk. With this deck, you don’t want to put any more Pokemon than those onto the field, as doing so can be detrimental, especially if any of them remain unevolved. If your opponent plays [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], then it can be beneficial to not put the Radiant Gardevoir in play as well, since you can play around Escape Rope by simply not having any Pokemon on the Bench.

When going first, the plan is to get your Basic Pokemon into play, attach to your Arceus V, and then hopefully evolve everyone on turn two and use Trinity Nova. If you need to, use Starbirth to find the cards you need to pull off that play — but if you don’t have to use Starbirth to do so, then you shouldn’t. That way, you can use Moisture Star instead. If you go second, the plan is mostly the same, but you want to use Trinity Charge on turn one to power up your [card name=”Hisuian Goodra V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] instead.

[cardimg name=”Hyper Potion” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”54″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Once you are set up, then your main goal will be to try to find your [card name=”Hyper Potion” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], as well as extra Energy so that you can both use Hyper Potion and continue to attack. When it comes to using Moisture Star, you’ll want to take note of what your opponent’s maximum damage output is. If you can take two hits before using Moisture Star, then you’ll want to do so (and thus gain a two-turn advantage), but if not, then obtaining a one-turn advantage is still good, and certainly better than miscalculating and ending up with no advantage at all. There isn’t too much complicated about this deck — just hit, heal, and repeat. That is one of the nice parts about this deck, how easy it is to pick up and play. One of my siblings actually ended up playing this deck for the first time in Peoria after forgetting their deck at home; not recommended, but they were able to have a good time playing Hisuian Goodra VSTAR. So, if you’re considering it as a last-minute switch, this is definitely a deck where you can do that and have a lot of success.

The Matchups

Of the meta decks in the format, [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is strongest against [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] Lost Box, [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. The first two are nearly auto-wins; Lost Box is incredibly susceptible to healing, and Regigigas has no plan other than to hope that they can get you to miss an attack by using [card name=”Regice” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card]. Against Lost Box, you’ll want to make sure to heal off the damage they can do with [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] if they get close to being able to get a KO, but if you can prevent them from getting one early, then they won’t be able to win even if they are able to get Knock Outs with Radiant Charizard later. Against Regigigas, the only thing you need to watch out for is Regice, as Regice can give your opponent an opening by getting you to miss an attack. The way to play around that is to make sure to save your switching cards, though you can manually retreat if needed as well. In the Regigigas matchup, you’ll also want to be sure to focus on using Hisuian Goodra VSTAR, and not Arceus VSTAR; Goodra is incredibly difficult for them to take down, whereas Arceus VSTAR can be OHKO’d by [card name=”Regirock” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card].

Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR can be a little dicier than those first two, but so long as you can get set up, and you can use your [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] to play around any [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] plays, you should be able to win. Both [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] are close to even matchups; Giratina VSTAR can be made better by playing [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] if you’re up expecting to play against the Lost Box version. Both of these matchups can be tricky because of how much damage your opponent can do, but if you can prevent them from getting a OHKO, then you can eventually wear them down. Against Mew VMAX, in particular, you want to be cautious about putting [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] into play, as they will play [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] to get around Rolling Iron. Likewise, you’ll also want to have your Ordinary Rod handy, to play around Echoing Horn.

This deck can struggle against [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], but the amount of tankiness that you have actually makes it so that those matchups aren’t that awful, not to the point that I would avoid this deck. In those matchups, you’ll want to do what you can to tank, which isn’t easy given the damage output of Kyurem VMAX or Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR, but not impossible. [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] is important against Kyurem VMAX, as Big Charm plus Rolling Iron makes it so that they need to discard five Water Energy, as opposed to only four plus a [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. Against rogue matchups, the general strategy of tankiness and healing is what you’ll go with; again, not too complicated.

Blissey V

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

If you’ve been keeping track of the larger online events post-Peoria, you’ve probably noticed the success of [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. In that metagame, Blissey V has emerged as a dangerous force, further underscoring the point that Blissey V might be a great play for Salt Lake City. Blissey V boasts an impressive matchup spread, and is particularly strong against the top finishers from Peoria ([card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] Lost Box, [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and Kyurem VMAX). The trick to Blissey V is that decks right now typically can’t deal both with the tankiness and healing of Blissey V, as well as multiple [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. Not many people actually played Blissey V in Peoria, but three out of the thirteen who did made Day Two, which is quite a solid result. I’ve done less testing with this deck, admittedly, but would still consider it a solid play for Salt Lake City based on what I have seen, both in my testing and looking at its results. Right now, I’ve been using Greg Kerien’s 48th place list from Peoria, which I haven’t wanted to change up at all. Here is that list:  

[decklist name=”Blissey V” amt=”60″ caption=”Greg Kerien’s 48th Place Decklist” cname=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″][pokemon amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Celebrations” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zinnia’s Resolve” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Hyper Potion” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”237″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Yell Towel” set=”Shining Fates” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ 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=”15″]4x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lucky Energy” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Playing Blissey V with Miltank

Most Blissey V lists (both the Day Two Peoria ones and the post-Peoria online ones) look pretty close to this, with maybe a card or two different; this list is certainly a great one though. One of the keys to this deck is to know its matchups — in particular, what outs your opponent will likely have to Miltank, if any, and what kind of pressure they can put on Blissey V if they do have Miltank outs. As with [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], knowing your opponent’s maximum damage output becomes incredibly important, as that will give you an idea of when to use your healing cards. Attacking to set up a Blissey V with a ton of Energy on it is great, but if it’s going to get Knocked Out, then using [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] would be a better play. 

Back in June, Isaiah actually wrote about [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], and while the lists have changed slightly since then, that article does a good job of going over the cards in this list — I would definitely recommend checking it out! I’m not going to reiterate all of that info since so much of it is the same. The main difference in the list nowadays is the inclusion of more [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. The additional copies of Miltank help to solidify matchups where the opponent doesn’t have a great way around the Miltank; it isn’t terribly tough for decks to take on one, but many decks lack any way to take on multiple. 

[cardimg name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

When playing Blissey V, you can kind of divide things based on how strong Miltank is in that matchup. In some matchups, like Lost Box, Miltank isn’t that great, so you’ll want to focus more on Blissey V. In others, such as [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], Miltank is going to be your key to winning the matchup. In the Miltank-focused matchups, you’ll want to get Miltank into play and power it up so that it can deal with anything your opponent might have to damage it. You can use [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] to boost Miltank’s HP to 160, which can get out of the KO range of many non-V attackers. As with Blissey V, you can use all of your healing cards to prevent any KOs on your Miltank, while slowly whittling them down with Rout. This can be surprisingly effective even if your opponent does have decent Miltank counters — this strategy can beat an opponent with [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], for instance.

If you’re in a matchup where it’s better to focus on Blissey V, then you’ll instead want to prioritize getting your Energy in play and in the Discard Pile. [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is quite important here, though you can also discard Energy with [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”237″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zinnia’s Resolve” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]. As with [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], the plan here is roughly to hit and heal, but it’s a bit more nuanced since this deck uses Cheren’s Care. In general, it’s better to prevent a KO whenever possible, especially if your opponent needs to use up resources in order to attack (such as when facing [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]). A lot of times, you’ll end up taking a lot of 2HKOs, but if you can build up a large enough Blissey V, then OHKOs will be within reach. 

Among the top meta decks, ones that can play around Miltank well are any single-Prize deck, any [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] deck (since Giratina V can OHKO Miltank with Shred), [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], and to an extent [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. Kyurem VMAX can play Empoleon V, but the Miltank strategy actually can outlast them, especially if they play only one; if they cut Empoleon V entirely (as I suggested as a possibility above), then they don’t have any out besides Radiant Greninja, which isn’t a great counter. [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and many [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] decks don’t have any good Miltank counter, and so can be beaten by focusing on Miltank. 

If you’re a fan of Blissey V, or want to try it out, it’s also worth noting that this deck should improve when we get Silver Tempest, as it can include V Guard Energy to make Blissey V even tankier. Doesn’t help right away, but if you’re looking for something that you can play next set as well, it’s nice to know that Blissey V will likely be sticking around.

A Roundup of the Lost Origin Meta

When it comes to the Lost Origin meta, the large amount of deck diversity means that there’s a lot to take in. On one hand, it’s great; since so many different decks are viable, you can easily choose a deck that best matches your own playstyle. On the other, it does mean that trying to build a deck to counter the meta is difficult, because of how much you have to take on. If you’re a fan of a tankier playstyle, or want to counter the Lost Origin meta in a different way than you would with something like [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], then Arceus VSTAR / Hisuian Goodra VSTAR and [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] are certainly worth looking into — I definitely recommend giving them a try!

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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