Truly Amazing – Lost Box Now and in the Future

Hello everyone! After yet another exciting Regional Championships in San Diego, we’ve continued to see the Silver Tempest format evolve. This time, [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] finished the job, as Gibson Archer-Tang improved upon my brother’s second-place finish with the deck in Arlington and took down the event. The meta as a whole wasn’t all that different from previous events; [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] still occupied about a third, followed somewhat distantly by Lost Box and [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]. After that, [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] was also popular, as were [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”TG22″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], though not in particularly large numbers. In addition, over 25% of the field was off-meta decks.

So, there were a lot of different decks represented in the format as a whole, and yet things were still quite focused on Lugia VSTAR. Given how dominant Lugia VSTAR decks were in Arlington, this made sense. What changed at this event were the final results — not only did Lugia VSTAR not win in the end, but it only had a single Top 8 finish. Instead, the Top 8 results reverted back to the diversity that we had seen earlier in this format, when players adapted to the Lugia-dominated results of LAIC and found a variety of ways to beat it. Only the Lost Box and Arceus VSTAR archetypes had multiple Top 8 finishes, and the two Arceus VSTAR decks were quite a bit different. Effectively, there were seven different decks in the Top 8 of the San Diego Regional Championships. Going forward into the Liverpool Regional Championships, and further into the first Crown Zenith events, I wouldn’t expect much to change. That is, the format still should be focused on Lugia VSTAR, but should also be rather diverse, to the point that you can’t focus on Lugia VSTAR exclusively. When playing in such a format, what you want is a deck that can take on a large number of archetypes, but also has a good Lugia VSTAR matchup. 

Of course, that’s easier said than done! One of the hardest things about this format is finding a deck that can do both; it’s easy enough to counter Lugia VSTAR, but if your deck can’t beat enough other decks, you aren’t going to do well unless you get lucky. Likewise, if you can beat most other decks, but your Lugia matchup is only 50-50 (or worse), then you can still have a rough time. While the occasional off-meta deck pops up that can achieve this somewhat well, I’ve found that the most successful archetypes for that sort of focused-yet-broad strategy have actually been the other non-Lugia meta decks! Again, this makes sense; after all, they wouldn’t be meta decks if they weren’t strong against a wide swath of the field, and given how large a meta share Lugia has, they wouldn’t be sticking around if they couldn’t stand up to it. The deck that I think does the best job of this right now is Lost Box, particularly the new forms of Lost Box that have popped up recently. In this article, I’ll be going over this new Lost Box deck, and why I think it is the best play going forward.

The Amazing Addition of Rayquaza

[cardimg name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Lost Box has recently seen some innovation, and it has changed quite a bit from the [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] version that was once most common. In Arlington and San Diego, [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] versions were most successful. The main change that has allowed those Mirage Gate variants to take over has been the addition of Amazing Rare [card name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card].

Rayquaza Lost Box still has many of the same traits as the earlier builds — you still do a lot with [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], and Sableye — but it comes with the added benefit of a Pokémon with a ridiculously high damage output. In Grant Manley’s earlier article about the Mirage Gate Lost Box deck, he noted that version’s struggle against defensive decks such as Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and Mewtwo V-UNION. Against these decks, you can’t quite OHKO them, and their healing makes it so that you often can’t 2HKO them either — at least, not with the old Lost Box builds.

Rayquaza solves this problem entirely. It can OHKO those tanky Pokemon with ease, completely erasing the advantage they had. With two [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] or a Mirage Gate, an attachment, and a [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], Rayquaza’s Amazing Burst can hit for 320 damage, and potentially even 400 if you can find a way to attach a fifth Energy type (which isn’t that difficult to do). Unsurprisingly, this kind of damage output is great in all sorts of other matchups too, including against Mew VMAX and Lugia VSTAR decks. No longer do you have to set up KOs against tanky VSTARs and VMAXs turns in advance; instead, you can simply hit hard with Amazing Burst and take them down in one attack. Of course, if you need to, you can set things up the old way — this Lost Box build doesn’t lose any of the traditional attacking options, giving you the best of both worlds. 

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The Rayquaza Lost Box Decklist

This is the current list I’ve been playing with, though I should note that there are a lot of potential places for customizability with this list. This one isn’t too far from Pablo Meza’s Top 8 list and is mostly based on the top lists from Arlington, with a few small changes. Here’s the list:

[decklist name=”Rayquaza Lost Box” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”237″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Battle Styles” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]2x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The Pokemon in this list are similar to what you would see in any other Mirage Gate Lost Box deck, but many of the miscellaneous attackers have been taken out and replaced by Rayquaza. You don’t need [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”TG10″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] in this list, as Rayquaza ends up filling the same role. [card name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] also fits into this deck well, since its attack cost shares two Energy types with Rayquaza’s, so you can include it as a nice way to get Bench damage in. In some matchups, you can go with a Raikou-exclusive strategy; this tends to be good against decks that are weak to Lightning, or against single-Prize decks where you can get multiple Prizes per attack.

One alternative here is to replace the Metal Energy with Water Energy so you can attack with [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]; in this case, you can also swap out the Raikou for something else. I do like the Raikou myself, as it’s strong against Lugia VSTAR, Lost Box, and Regigigas, but if you use a different Lightning attacker instead (such as [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card]), you end up with roughly the same attack capabilities. 

[cardimg name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

When it comes to the deck’s Trainers, the major changes in this variant are the addition of multiple Raihan and, to a lesser extent, [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. Raihan is generally useful regardless of your attacker, but with Rayquaza, it becomes extra strong given the card’s Energy requirements. You’re likely to have an attacker get Knocked Out every turn with this deck, which means that Raihan will be usable almost every turn as well. With one Mirage Gate, one attachment for turn, and Raihan, you can power up a Rayquaza that can swing for 320 damage — and the Raihan can also find the Mirage Gate or other Energy if you need it.

In some cases, you can also use it to find a switching card or the Rayquaza that you need, if you already have the Mirage Gates in hand; in that latter case, the attached Energy can double as your way of switching out your Comfey. At worst, Raihan finds you a card and gives you an attachment for the turn, which tends to be helpful in most situations. Other lists have changed out one of the Raihan for a different situational Supporter, such as [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card], or for an extra tech card, but I personally like the consistency of three Raihan in the list. With this count, you should have it most of the time that you need it, and things can be a touch more dicey with only two. This can especially be the case if you have to put one of them in the Lost Zone, or if you’re up against a matchup where you need to attack with Rayquaza multiple times (such as against Duraludon VMAX).

The Training Court are also new; given how many different Energy types this deck plays, it’s important to have a way of making sure that you have the right one when you need it. With Training Court, you can be more free when using Radiant Greninja’s Concealed Cards, and you won’t be as reliant on [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Battle Styles” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. 

For Energy, I’ve kept this list simple, and included two of each useful one. I admittedly go lighter on the Energy here than in a lot of the other Rayquaza Lost Box lists that I’ve seen; most typically play another Lightning Energy, as well as possibly another Metal or Grass Energy or a few [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. I don’t think that the deck has any problem functioning with ten Energy, but this count does mean that you have to be extra careful about getting rid of any particular Energy with your Lost Zone effects.

The advantage of the lower Energy count is that you get one or two additional deck slots to work with, which can come in handy. I’ve admittedly split the difference with this list, as one of the slots became a second copy of Training Court. I’ve found that to be helpful as it ensures I have access to the correct type of Energy even if I can’t or don’t want to use Ordinary Rod, and it’s nice to have with Radiant Greninja. It also tends to help if you do prize an Energy, so that you can recover it repeatedly without having to use Raihan or Ordinary Rod each time. 

Other Possible Inclusions

Most variations from this list tend to be either small changes to the Trainer line or slight differences in the tech attackers. You can opt to include cards like [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] or additional switching cards to help your consistency, or you could try and add more tech Supporters such as the aforementioned Bird Keeper and Roxanne. Those latter changes tend to come with a consistency hit; the former, a consistency gain. The Pokémon changes tend to be more impactful, as they change what kind of strategies you have available to you.

If you’re making a change to the above list, the Pokémon you take out should be Amazing Raikou, which means that you should make the Energy swap mentioned above if you take out both. I’ve already mentioned the possibility of including [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card], which tends to be strong against Lugia VSTAR and [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. If you prefer the [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] build of this deck, you can put that in here as well; you’ll want to increase the Energy count slightly, but the two builds are quite close as-is, so you don’t have to change much.

Other options include [card name=”Galarian Zapdos V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card], which gives you a strong attacker against Vikavolt V; [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], which gives you a way to deal with [card name=”Eiscue” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] as well as another Pokemon that can hit hard in an emergency; and [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], which gives you a better way to deal with Eiscue and another way to put cards in the Lost Zone. The best attacker to put in that spot will be determined by the meta that you expect to face. For these, Galarian Zapdos V is best if you’re expecting to hit Vikavolt and Arceus VSTAR, Giratina V is best if you’re expecting to hit Eiscue or [card name=”Galarian Weezing” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], and Dragonite V is best if you’re expecting a varied field that also happens to be full of Eiscue.

Given how popular Lugia is, it’s hard to justify any of those over Raikou or Raikou V, but you can opt to include one over one copy of them easily enough. I wouldn’t recommend taking out both Amazing Raikou without including one Raikou V, but Raikou V plus another Pokémon is a reasonable change depending on the expected meta. If you do go that route, you may also want to put in a [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], and take out either a Raihan or the [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] (as Echoing Horn becomes less necessary if one of your attackers can get around Eiscue).

Deck Strategy

When playing this deck, the number-one thing is managing your resources. This deck is a bit more forgiving than other Lost Zone decks when it comes to figuring out a long-term game plan, but it can be far more punishing if you mess up your Lost Zone decisions. The easiest way to misplay with this deck is to put a card into the Lost Zone that you aren’t supposed to, especially if that card is a needed Energy or Pokémon. You’ll certainly want to figure out your Prizes on your initial search, particularly if any of them are Pokémon or Energy. From there, you’ll know what counts you have access to, which will inform your decisions on what to put in the Lost Zone.

If you have a Rayquaza prized in a matchup where it’s going to be your main strategy, then you certainly don’t want to put your other one in the Lost Zone, and will want to prioritize it much higher than you might otherwise. In general, you rarely want to put any Energy in the Lost Zone, and you’ll want to be careful when it comes to your attackers and your Energy recovery cards (Raihan, Ordinary Rod, and Energy Recycler). This deck does have multiple of each of your important attackers, your Energy and your Energy recovery (aside from Recycler), so there is some room built in if you do need to toss one into the Lost Zone, but you’ll have to adjust your game plan if you do. Likewise, if you do have to decide between getting rid of your only copy of a card and not, you should only do so if you see a way to win the game without it. Figuring this part out takes some practice and focus, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that you’re rarely in a situation where you have to get rid of something necessary. 

As far as your gameplay strategy goes, your early game will be focused on getting seven cards into the Lost Zone. You’ll want to use Colress’s Experiment whenever you have it, and you’ll want to quickly find multiple Comfey so that you can use Flower Selecting as much as possible. After your Comfey, your next Pokémon targets should be Radiant Greninja and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], as well as Cramorant if the early damage is important (which it often is). If you’re up against a deck that’s likely to use [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], such as Lugia VSTAR, then you’ll want to flip that to prioritize Oranguru, especially if you have a Colress’s Experiment in hand that you can save using Primate Wisdom. Once you get to the point where you can use Mirage Gate, then you’ll switch to your Raikou and Rayquaza. Comfey and Radiant Greninja will continue to provide consistency, so you can find your Mirage Gate and Raihan. The more you can dig through your deck, the better, as it will make you more resistant to Marnie and Roxanne. 

[cardimg name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

From the beginning of every match, you’ll want to have an idea of what combination of attackers to utilize in order to win. Against tankier decks, like VMAX decks, Rayquaza will typically be most important. Against single-Prize decks or decks focused on Basic Pokémon V, Raikou will be most important. In all matchups, Cramorant can be used to provide early pressure, and Sableye can be used to fill in any gaps, so that you can finish off close 2HKOs and set up another Pokémon to be Knocked Out on the following turn.

You’ll always want to be looking for secondary strategies as well, in case the first doesn’t quite go according to plan. In matchups against Pokémon VMAX, for instance, keep in mind what routes you can take to set up 2HKOs with your other attackers, in case you don’t have the resources to get the Amazing Burst OHKO. You’ll also want to have an idea of how long it will take your opponent to win, so you know how much flexibility you have in your future resource management. Keep in mind any potential double Knock Outs they can take, or whether or not they can use cards like [card name=”Stoutland V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] to cheat their way ahead. Against most decks, you’ll have a pretty large built-in turn advantage, so as long as you can focus on your game plan and manage your resources properly, you should have a path to victory. 

The Future of Lost Box

Crown Zenith admittedly isn’t a terribly impactful set. There aren’t a lot of cards in it that will see play at all, let alone any that will drastically shake up the meta. Given that, there shouldn’t be much change in the meta as a whole; until we get the rotation and Scarlet & Violet, I would expect the Standard meta to stay relatively similar to what we have now. Based on the results of the Japanese City League events (which use the format that we’ll have when Crown Zenith comes out), that seems to be the case; the results of most tournaments are much the same as what you might see at a local event here in the US, even though we don’t have the Crown Zenith cards. There are a few different Radiant Eternatus–focused decks that occasionally pop up, but for the most part, it’s still a lot of Lugia VSTAR, Lost Box, and Mew VMAX.

Of the existing meta decks, the one that has benefited the most is actually Lost Box — there are a few cards that probably will find their way into many Lost Box decks. So, when it comes to looking ahead to the Orlando Regional Championships, Lost Box is an excellent choice that you can start preparing with today! The two cards that you’ll want to consider in particular are the new Zamazenta and Sky Seal Stone.

Zamazenta was one of the few cards that we didn’t already get from Incandescent Arcana. It’s a powerful Basic Pokémon that has found its way into most Japanese Mirage Gate Lost Box lists, and for good reason. With an attack that’s 3 for 220 in most situations, Zamazenta eclipses the damage output of Snorlax, and thanks to its Ability, it gives Lost Box a slightly tankier option to attack with. In the Raikou-Rayquaza variant of Lost Box, you already have Metal Energy to power it up with, and while that build doesn’t necessarily lack for damage output, having Zamazenta can give it a strong alternate attacker. Zamazenta and Rayquaza don’t have any overlap in their Energy requirements, so you can use Zamazenta without taking any resources away from your future Rayquaza plays. Zamazenta can combine with Cramorant or Sableye to 2HKO pretty much any Pokémon in the format, so by playing it in addition to your Rayquaza, you’ll have even more options for taking down tankier Pokemon. It’s nice to be able to use Cramorant early, follow that up with a KO from Zamazenta, and still have both of your Rayquaza ready to go.

The other card, Sky Seal Stone, is a great addition to those builds of Lost Box that play Raikou V (or any other Pokémon V for that matter). Against any VSTAR or VMAX deck, and against Lugia VSTAR in particular, Sky Seal Stone helps a lot, as it effectively gives you an extra Prize at some point in the game. In most cases, you’ll have to set up a 2HKO with a Cramorant or other attacker first, but that still gives you a chance to swing for three or four Prizes. You do have to be careful when planning this attack, since you’ll give up extra Prizes too if you use a Pokémon V to attack, but if you do this at the end of the game, or at a point where that kind of Prize trade is still beneficial, then it works out well. Sky Seal Stone is best against Lugia VSTAR, since you can OHKO it with Raikou V, and against Pokémon VMAX, since you still come out ahead on the Prize trade even if you have to give up three on your end. With Radiant Eternatus coming out and potentially increasing the number of VMAX decks that we’ll see in the future, having a card like Sky Seal Stone can go a long way. 

Overall, I think the future bodes well for Lost Box. Right now, it’s one of the best choices in the meta, and it should only get better when Crown Zenith comes out. The deck isn’t the easiest to play, but if you can master it, you’ll be sitting with one of the best matchup spreads of any deck in the format. At this point, we’ve come to the end of the article, but if you have any questions about Lost Box or anything else, definitely don’t hesitate to ask — either here, or in our PTCG Subscriber’s Hideout! As always, best of luck, everyone, and stay safe! Thanks for reading!

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