Ancient Lightning — A Look at Vikavolt V
Hello everyone! We’re continuing our trek through the Silver Tempest / Crown Zenith format, and the OCIC results have come in. As it turns out, the format is more or less unchanged. [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] is still dominant; Lost Box, [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] are good, but not quite at the same level; and you have a smattering of other decks that can do well, but struggle to consistently finish with positive results.
One of the difficulties of this format is that in order to counter the meta, you have to be able to beat Lugia VSTAR, Lost Box, and Mew VMAX (plus Regigigas to a lesser extent), but all three of those decks can add in techs that make it possible to get around their various counters. As a result, it’s been extremely difficult for any counter-meta deck to have sustained success. A deck might be able to catch the meta by surprise for one tournament, but after that, players will adapt, and that same strategy typically won’t work the next time. On top of that, most of the decks that can come close to that will end up having a not-so-great matchup against the less popular decks, such as the various [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] decks or other off-meta options.
With that said, if you can find the right time to play one of these counter-meta decks, then the format has proven to be consolidated enough that you can see a lot of success. Off-meta options have won four of the seven Silver Tempest-era Regional Championships, and had a few 2nd-place and Top 4/Top 8 finishes. The decks that have seen success in this way have used a variety of strategies — paralysis, tankiness, Energy removal — but the strategy that has seen by far the most success uses the Item-denying attack of [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card].
[cardimg name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
At the first post-LAIC Regional Championship in Stuttgart, Mateusz Łaszkiewicz won by using Vikavolt V with [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], a combination which proved extremely effective. Two events later, my brother Alex expanded on this concept by putting together Vikavolt V / [card name=”Aerodactyl VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], which was an even more anti-Lugia build that he was able to pilot to a 2nd-place finish. At the next Regional Championship, Gibson Archer-Tang piloted a slightly more refined version of the same list, and ended up winning the event.
Yet, despite that track record, Vikavolt V hasn’t jumped into that upper echelon with regard to meta share. At the Regionals at Liverpool and Orlando, and at the OCIC, Vikavolt was still an off-meta deck, and there have been no indications that its meta share is expanding beyond that. For players of Vikavolt V, that’s a good thing — the fewer people playing the deck, the less likely that other players will tech for it. If players aren’t teching for it, that’s exactly when you want to be playing this kind of anti-meta deck.
I mentioned how players will typically adapt to the success of a counter-meta deck, and while Vikavolt did manage to perform well in back-to-back events, it’s still not an exception in this regard. At both the Orlando Regional Championship and the Liverpool Regional Championship, players started to respect Vikavolt V / Aerodactyl VSTAR, and included techs and strategies so that the matchup wouldn’t be quite as negative. Lugia players began adapting to the Aerodactyl VSTAR strategy by including [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] in their decks, while a number of Lost Box players switched over to a [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] build, which is much stronger against Vikavolt V than the usual group of attackers.
Fast forward to the OCIC, though, and most of those adaptations are gone. Canceling Cologne ended up being a somewhat useless card for any player who didn’t run into a Vikavolt V deck, and since Vikavolt V still wasn’t widely played, that meant most players who teched against it in Orlando ended up disappointed. Likewise, most of the Lugia lists at the OCIC didn’t play it — in fact, it was in only one of the fifteen Day 2 lists. Goodra VSTAR also saw a dip in play, and with it continuing to put up lackluster results, the hype for that deck seems to be diminishing. Additionally, while Vikavolt didn’t do poorly at the OCIC, it also didn’t do well enough that I would expect it to trigger another round of Vikavolt countering: only three made Day 2, and none of those players finished higher than 16th. As a result, when looking ahead to our next Regional Championship in Knoxville, things are looking good for the format to return to what we saw in Arlington and San Diego — an environment in which Vikavolt V did exceptionally well.
[premium]
Explaining Vikavolt V / Aerodactyl VSTAR
I’ve talked about why you should consider Vikavolt; now let’s get into the how. My favorite build of this deck remains the Vikavolt V / Aerodactyl VSTAR build, particularly now that the threat of Canceling Cologne is diminished. The idea behind Vikavolt V / Aerodactyl VSTAR came from the realization that against most Lugia lists, if you go first, and can thus use Ancient Star before they can use Summoning Star, then you will almost always win the game. What makes Vikavolt V such a good pairing with Aerodactyl is that Vikavolt V is strong when going second, since you can attack on turn one and seriously disrupt whatever your opponent has to do. So, by combining the two, you have a robust strategy regardless of the coin flip result.
Vikavolt V is also one of the best attackers into Lost Box, as it prevents their Item-heavy gameplan. Add in a [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Ditto V” set=”Shining Fates” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], and all of a sudden you have a deck that can consistently beat Lugia VSTAR, Lost Box, and Mew VMAX. The lists that have developed from this point have all remained fairly similar to Alex Krekeler’s original list, which is the following:
[decklist name=”Alex’s Vikavolt” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”15″]2x [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Aerodactyl VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Aerodactyl V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto V” set=”Shining Fates” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH098″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH120 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/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]2x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Sky Seal Stone” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”143″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The winning list that Gibson Archer-Tang ran was quite similar, with the only differences being that Alex played a [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], and a fourth copy of [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], whereas Gibby had removed those for a [card name=”Judge” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”235″ c=”name”][/card], a fourth copy of [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], and a [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. All of those changes are solid. It can be a bit awkward at times not having the Lost Vacuum, so I prefer to keep that in, but Judge is more effective than Marnie in many situations, and the extra switching card is certainly useful for giving the deck a bit more mobility if you choose to go that way.
Going forward from those lists, there are two cards that I have liked as additions: [card name=”Sky Seal Stone” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. Sky Seal Stone showed up in most of the Vikavolt lists that made Day 2 in Orlando, and for good reason. Most of your attackers are Basic Pokemon V, so it’s easy to make use of Sky Seal Stone, especially since you typically don’t have a need for any other VSTAR Ability unless you are using Ancient Star, or are in a pinch and need to use [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. More specifically, Sky Seal Stone helps secure your matchup against Mew VMAX, since you can use it to take four Prizes at once with Drapion V, and thus never have to be in danger of getting hit with [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. It can be useful in other matchups, too — namely, against Lugia VSTAR, Arceus VSTAR and Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR decks — but the Mew VMAX matchup is where Sky Seal Stone shines.
The list I’ve been playing has simply taken the above and included Sky Seal Stone, as the rest of the list continues to work quite well. I’ll talk about the Path to the Peak addition a bit later. For now, though, with all of the changes and the addition of Sky Seal Stone, here is what the list turns into:
[decklist name=”updated” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”15″]2x [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Aerodactyl VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Aerodactyl V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto V” set=”Shining Fates” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH098″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”235″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/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]2x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sky Seal Stone” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Pokemon
Vikavolt V and Aerodactyl VSTAR I’ve already gone over, so let me explain the rationale behind the deck’s other Pokemon. [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] is the deck’s more general attacker. It can be powered up in a single turn, and it can hit decently hard: hard enough to OHKO any Lightning-weak Pokemon (such as Lugia VSTAR, Palkia VSTAR, or Lumineon V) or to provide threatening damage against any Pokemon VSTAR or Pokemon VMAX. The Ditto V gives you an easy way to reuse whatever attacker you might end up needing, be it Raikou V or Drapion V. It’s also a clever way to give yourself options: if you put it into play, you can turn it into whatever might be best on the following turn, including Aerodactyl V (which can then evolve immediately). This can be a good move when it isn’t clear what exactly you’ll need to do on the following turn, but you want to get something established regardless. Mew, Crobat V, Lumineon V, and Radiant Greninja give the deck much-needed consistency. This deck is naturally Item-heavy, so Mew fits in well; the Radiant Greninja and the Lumineon V are necessities for a [card name=”Melony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] deck; and Crobat V gives the deck a bit more draw power, which can be good either early during your setup, or late when you need to find a key card to finish out the game.
[cardimg name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The deck’s other two non-consistency Pokemon, [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], help shore up the deck’s damage output to a nearly perfect amount. With Zapdos, Paralyzing Bolt hits for 60 a turn, which is enough to either leave [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] 10 damage away from being Knocked Out, or, after two hits, leave a Regi 10 damage away from being Knocked Out. You can then use Galarian Zigzagoon to get your KO while inflicting your full 60 damage on the next Pokemon on the same turn. When you have something locked into the Active Spot (as will often be the case against Regigigas), this ensures that you can play in such a way that your opponent will never be able to take full advantage of the situation. You can, for instance, use [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Lost Origin” no=”TG24″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] to bring up a different trapped Pokemon, or you can change attackers into something more punishing if the time is right to do so. That Galarian Zigzagoon play also makes it much more difficult for a Lost Box–playing opponent to utilize [card name=”Zamazenta” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], since they can’t simply bring it up after you attack for a KO — if they do, you can KO it or gust around it, and if they don’t, they won’t be able to switch into it thanks to Paralyzing Bolt. These two Pokemon will occasionally come up in other matchups, too, but they are specifically helpful against Lost Box and Regigigas.
Trainers
[cardimg name=”Melony” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”TG26″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
For the deck’s Supporters, most of the time you’re going to be using Melony. Melony is what lets this deck pull off a turn-one Paralyzing Bolt or KO with Raikou V, and it stays critical throughout the match to help set up whatever follow-up attacker you might need, be it another Vikavolt V, a second Raikou V via Ditto V, or even Aerodactyl VSTAR. Boss’s Orders is always good, and even though you have Cross Switcher, it’s nice to have a gust option that you can search out with Lumineon V. The Judge is also quite good, especially against Lost Box; I like it over Marnie since it plays around [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], which Lost Box tends to play.
You don’t play many Supporters in this deck, as you’ll instead tend to rely on Radiant Greninja and Crobat V for your draw power, but you also don’t need to set up a lot of Pokemon, so it ends up working out well. Instead, you’re able to include a much better set of Item cards, which makes your Mew even more effective. The deck’s Items include a lot for consistency, such as your Pokemon search and your Trekking Shoes, but because you’re using a Mew engine, you can also more reliably play some of the more impactful Items like Cross Switcher. Forest Seal Stone is an incredible card for finding what you need, and you’ll use it quite a bit, especially in scenarios where you don’t need to use Sky Seal Stone.
Energy
Our Energy count isn’t enormous, but we do have two [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to make them easy to find. [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] gives the deck even more non-Supporter draw power, and the six basic Energy end up being enough, especially when you’re able to recover a bunch of them with Melony and [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. The one Fighting Energy allows you to attack if needed with Aerodactyl VSTAR’s Lost Dive, which can be a useful play against Arceus VSTAR decks and Hisuian Goodra VSTAR.
Another Option: Path to the Peak
[cardimg name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”213″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Path to the Peak takes advantage of another quirk of some recent Lugia VSTAR lists: specifically, that a number of them have chosen to play Lost Vacuum instead of a counter-Stadium. In most cases, this makes sense for the Lugia player, since Lost Vacuum can remove both Path to the Peak and [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], but as a Vikavolt player, this change gives you yet another way to lock them out of Summoning Star. If you use Paralyzing Bolt while you have Path to the Peak in play against one of those lists, then the only out they’ll have is [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] — but you’ll have also locked them out of [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”237″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], making it difficult to find. Path to the Peak isn’t a game-winning play on its own, but it can easily buy you a turn or two, which is often enough to get you the win, either via Aerodactyl or by giving you time to get ahead in the Prize race. If you tend to play in open-decklist online events, then this tech is even more powerful, since you’ll know in advance if your opponent has an out to it or not; if they don’t, then you can commit to it as a win condition without any worry.
To add Path to the Peak to the above list, you’ll also want to re-add the Lost Vacuum, as it can be important to have a way to bump the Path to the Peak from your side if you need to. It’s also possible to lean into this tech a bit harder, by adding in two (so that you can find it more easily) and by adding in another copy of Judge (which helps you to keep your opponent off of any possible counters even if they do play them). Some recent builds of Vikavolt V have actually taken out the Aerodactyl VSTAR entirely and instead leaned on Path to the Peak. I don’t like this move, since most Lugia players are removing Canceling Cologne and then you lose Aerodactyl VSTAR as a potential attacker, but it can be a bit better if people are countering the Aerodactyl play, so it is worth keeping in mind for the future.
Deck Matchups
Vikavolt V / Aerodactyl VSTAR is heavily oriented toward being an anti-meta deck, though it does have a somewhat decent gameplan against off-meta archetypes. With that said, if you do play it, you’ll want to know your meta matchups well; after all, the whole plan with this deck is to hit those meta matchups and win them consistently. Here are the strategies that you’ll want to use against the format’s most popular decks.
Vs. Lugia
[cardimg name=”Aerodactyl VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
There are two routes to victory against Lugia VSTAR; how you decide which path to take will typically depend on whether you are going first or second. If you are going first, then your top priority will be to find Aerodactyl VSTAR and use Ancient Star. Dig through your deck as hard as you can — if you do pull off the Aerodactyl VSTAR play, then you’ll almost always win the game. If you go second, then you’ll instead want to focus on getting a turn-one attack with Raikou V or Vikavolt V. Ideally, you’ll be able to use Raikou to OHKO an opposing Lugia V — if you can KO their only Lugia V, then you’ll win. If you can’t do that, then Paralyzing Bolt can slow them down, especially if they haven’t been able to discard any [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] from their hand yet. In this case, it can still be good to try to go for an Aerodactyl VSTAR (since you’ll still win if you can use Ancient Star before they can use Summoning Star). This is one area where the Ditto V becomes quite handy, as you can go for that instead of the Aerodactyl itself; this ensures that you don’t waste a Bench spot if your opponent ends up getting to use Summoning Star.
If your opponent can get their [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] into play, then this matchup becomes a bit tricker, though that’s probably to be expected when the alternative is a near-autowin! Prior to the addition of Sky Seal Stone, this point in the game could actually be quite unfavorable, but Sky Seal Stone makes things quite a bit better. If you are able to get a KO on turn one with Raikou V against a Lugia V (or any other Pokemon V), then you’ll only need to attack twice more to win: once against a Lugia VSTAR while using Sky Seal Stone, and then once against anything else. If you are forced to Knock Out a non-V, or if you miss the turn-one KO, then you’ll need three attacks, which can end up as a loss more often than not. So, again, you’ll want to dig hard early to try and get that early KO; if you can’t, then you have to be able to slow them down at least a little bit with Paralyzing Bolt. If your Aerodactyl VSTAR is prized, then you’ll be forced to engage the Prize race strategy, but again, if you can get a KO on their Lugia V before they can get a KO on you, then you’ll win. If you are up against a list that you know plays Canceling Cologne, then it can be smarter to go for this strategy as well. Overall, the Lugia matchup is heavily favored, as you should win almost every time when going first, and still win a bit over half the time when going second. Together, that ends up giving you about a 75–25 or 80–20 matchup, which is pretty good when you’re dealing with the most played deck in the format.
Vs. Lost Box
Against Lost Box, the key is to use Vikavolt V over and over again. With Zapdos in play, Paralyzing Bolt will leave an opponent’s Comfey 10 damage from being KO’d, so you can finish it off the next turn with Galarian Zigzagoon’s Headbutt Tantrum and repeat on whatever Pokemon comes up next. It can be quite difficult for Lost Box decks to get enough cards in the Lost Zone when they can’t use their Items (specifically, any switching cards or [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]), so if you can start using Paralyzing Bolt early, you can obtain a commanding lead. Your other attackers aren’t all that useful most of the time, though you can transition to Raikou V later on if you’re at a point where you need to make sure you take Knock Outs every turn, or if your opponent is throwing something weird at you. You’ll want to make good use of your one Judge, so that your opponent has an even harder time. The best time to play Judge is either after your opponent uses an early [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card], or if you are planning to use something other than Paralyzing Bolt on that particular turn.
The trickiest thing that Lost Box can throw at you is [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], as it can OHKO your Vikavolt V and you can’t KO them back. The good news is, most Lost Box players nowadays have moved away from Radiant Charizard–focused builds and toward [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] engines that utilize Radiant Greninja. What the other builds have to offer can be obnoxious at times, but none of them are quite obnoxious enough to make the matchup unfavorable (as Radiant Charizard can).
Against the [card name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] build, you’ll want to bring up and KO any Rayquaza that you see hit the field, as they can go from one to three Energy in a single turn using [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card]. They can’t power it up in a single turn so long as you keep them from being able to play Mirage Gate, but they can in two turns with Raihan if you allow the Rayquaza to stay in play unhindered. If you’re instead up against the [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] build, you don’t necessarily have to worry about Kyogre, since it’s going to be difficult for your opponent to draw through their deck enough to make Kyogre usable, but you will want to keep an eye on [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zamazenta” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Snorlax typically takes some time to power up, so if you can, you’ll want to gust it up and start attacking it once it hits the field. Zamazenta is a bit trickier due to its Ability, but you should be able to take a few Prizes before it actually becomes a threat. Once it does, you can either gust around it, or switch things up and use Raikou V to OHKO it, ideally in conjunction with a Judge in the latter case.
The Goodra build is admittedly also tricky, as Vikavolt doesn’t have any great ways to deal with Goodra once it is powered up. Against that build, you’ll want to stall things as long as you can with Paralyzing Bolt, so that you can hopefully build up a bit of a lead before they can get Goodra up and going. If you can, you’ll also want to use Cross Switcher to KO the Goodra before it can get powered up. Once the Goodra VSTAR is in play, then you’ll have to find a way to take it down. Doing so typically involves using a Boss’s Orders / Cross Switcher combo to get around Rolling Iron, followed by a hard hit from Vikavolt V or Aerodactyl VSTAR. You can theoretically pull off a OHKO using Lost Dive plus three pings from Headbutt Tantrum, so it can be a good idea in this matchup to save your Scoop Up Net and to actually power up your Aerodactyl VSTAR to use as an attacker. Goodra lists don’t have a way to get a return Knock Out on Aerodactyl, so you can use it multiple times if you need to; this can be useful if your opponent has two Goodra V in play. If you can slow them down long enough, then even this build should be manageable; the others are quite favorable.
Vs. Mew VMAX
[cardimg name=”Drapion V” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG49″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
With the Sky Seal Stone, Mew becomes a fairly easy matchup, though it is Mew, so you should be ready for them to have tricks up their sleeve. What you want to do in this matchup is to use Raikou V to KO either a [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Mew V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] (not too hard to accomplish, since a Mew player will typically fill their Bench in order to get going), after which you’ll want to use Drapion V with Sky Seal Stone to KO a Mew VMAX so that you can take your last four Prizes. By going this route, you protect yourself against Roxanne, which can otherwise make it difficult to get your last Prize. Your opponent will try to disrupt you earlier with Judge and Path to the Peak, so that it’s harder to find a Drapion V, a Sky Seal Stone, and a counter-Stadium, but your draw power is typically robust enough to get you there. This matchup tends to go fast — you can win in as few as two turns if things go correctly — so you’ll want to dig through your deck as hard as possible both to keep up the speed that you need and to stay prepared for their inevitable Judge play. Like the other two meta decks, this should also be one where you win most of the time.
Vs. Regigigas
Like against Lost Box, the trick to beating Regigigas is to repeatedly use Paralyzing Bolt. Early on, the goal will be to stop the opponent from finding all of the Regis that they need by preventing them from using any Pokemon-search Items. Later on, the goal will instead be to prevent them from using [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], so that they can’t get a full board up if you’ve managed to KO all of one particular species of Regi. You’ll also want to make sure to go second in this matchup if you know what you’re up against, as it’s important to get the turn-one Paralyzing Bolt going before your opponent has a chance to play a Supporter. So long as your opponent doesn’t completely go off, which tends to end quite badly, you can slow down the game into a slow-and-steady whittling-down of your opponent. You’ll want to use the Zapdos / Galarian Zigzagoon strategy to keep your opponent from being able to attack you, and you’ll want to use your Boss’s Orders and your Cross Switcher either to navigate around their attackers until you have a solid lead or to target their [card name=”Regirock” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] specifically if they haven’t been able to power it up. Regirock does have a big disadvantage in that it can’t attack on two consecutive turns, so even if it does get up, you can keep your lock in place by attacking it with a second Vikavolt V. In this scenario, you won’t want to wait to use Headbutt Tantrum; you’ll want to use it to make sure you get the KO before they can attack you twice. So long as you can keep using Paralyzing Bolt and your opponent can’t get too established before you can, you should win this matchup — just be prepared for it to take some time.
Vs. Arceus VSTAR
Okay, so not every matchup is going to be positive. Arceus VSTAR is the most popular of Vikavolt’s bad matchups, and it tends to be pretty tricky. If you’re up against Arceus VSTAR, you’ll likely see it paired with either [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card], neither of which is ideal. Against Flying Pikachu VMAX, you’ll want to make sure to save your Boss’s Orders so that you can go for the Boss’s Orders / Cross Switcher play, after which you can OHKO the Flying Pikachu VMAX with either Vikavolt V or Raikou V. If you can, you’ll also want to use Sky Seal Stone at the same time, so that you can get four Prizes with that attack.
If you can do that, then you only need to take down one Arceus VSTAR, which is doable. You’ll want to try to set up an Aerodactyl VSTAR, which is actually your best attacker in this matchup. Aerodactyl VSTAR can OHKO Arceus VSTAR and can’t get OHKO’d back either by Arceus or by most of the partner Pokemon (including Duraludon VMAX and Flying Pikachu VMAX), so you can use it to get multiple Knock Outs. If you can, you’ll want to get both an Aerodactyl V and your Ditto V into play when going second, so that your plans aren’t ruined if your opponent gusts up and KOs the Aerodactyl V.
Against the harder Duraludon VMAX archetype, then you’ll want to use Aerodactyl VSTAR to KO one Arceus VSTAR, and then hit the Duraludon VMAX to set it up for a 2HKO. Like in the case of Flying Pikachu VMAX, if you can then KO the Duraludon VMAX while using Sky Seal Stone, then you’ll win. If you can’t do that, then you’ll typically lose, as it is almost impossible to KO a Duraludon VMAX as well as a second Arceus VSTAR without your Aerodactyl VSTAR. This matchup typically comes down to whether or not you can catch them without [card name=”Hyper Potion” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]; for this reason, you’ll want to use your Judge on the turn where you attack the Duraludon VMAX. As another note, be careful to remember that Duraludon VMAX has an Ability, as it can be easy to forget and then accidentally attack with a Speed L Energy. This matchup isn’t favorable, but if you can get the first Knock Out and get going with Aerodactyl VSTAR, then you do have a chance.
Conclusion
Overall, Vikavolt is going to be a meta call no matter what, but in the current metagame, I believe that it is in a position to succeed. Most of the deck’s matchups are highly favorable, and with the current level of meta centralization, those matchups should be the ones that you hit consistently. So long as the meta fails to appreciate the threat that this deck provides, it will remain quite strong. As for Knoxville, signs are pointing to that being the case. Whether that remains the case afterward is yet to be seen, but for now, Vikavolt V / Aerodactyl VSTAR is a deck that I can certainly recommend.
At this point, we’ve come to the end of the article, but if you have any questions about Vikavolt V 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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