Destruction or Bust — Should You Play Control?
Hello, everyone. Recently, I played Control at the Orlando Regional Championships. I was excited to play this archetype after being stuck on Lost Box for a while. Control aggressively targets the top meta decks, which makes it appealing to play in established metagames. However, there is always an inherent risk in playing anti-meta decks, because there is the potential of unexpected or unpopular decks that will completely crush you. Unfortunately, it seems that we respected the player base a bit too much, as people were content to let [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] run wild and counter Control instead (a deck with around a 1% meta share). I’m totally not salty about it.
My tournament was interesting, as I was lucky enough to run into seven Lugia decks and crush them all. However, I lost to not one, not two, but three Lost Box decks that went completely overkill on the Control counters. Of course, none of them ended up even making Top 32, but, again, not salty. I went 1-1 against the two [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] I faced, which is about a 50-50 matchup, so that wasn’t surprising. Overall, our group didn’t do great or terrible. I ended around 70th out of 1,500 players. Isaiah Williams bubbled out of Top 8 with the same 60, and we had a few others in Day 2.
[cardimg name=”Eiscue” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”47″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Sander Wojcik made Top 8 at the recent Liverpool Regionals with an innovative Control build. Our group used that list for the inspiration, but we ended up changing 12 cards. The main change was focusing on [card name=”Eiscue” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]. We felt that Eiscue was much more consistent. [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] is extremely high-maintenance, vulnerable to hand disruption, and weaker against [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Of course, Pikachu has several benefits too, so it wasn’t an easy decision. (Also worth nothing is that Sander’s finish was in the Silver Tempest format, while Orlando was the first Crown Zenith tournament. Of course, Crown Zenith did absolutely nothing to affect the meta. The new cards did not perform well or have much of an impact.)
Overall, Control was not a great call for Orlando. However, this bodes well for the future of the archetype. Every time Control fails and seems to disappear, it adds to its power for the next event. You can bet that Sander will play Control at Australia and do well, and may well be laughing at our foolishness for attempting to ascend to his level. In any case, there’s almost no way that people are going to bother countering Control going forward. Lugia dominated Orlando, and Lost Box was quite popular as well. [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”269″ c=”name”][/card] maintains its middling position along with [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”custom”]Regis[/card] and [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. The only real development is Goodra’s surge in popularity after it took two Top 8 spots in Liverpool. People love the Goodra deck for some reason, but I maintain that the deck is just no good.
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That’s enough of that, let’s get into the details of the Control deck. Here’s the Orlando list:
[decklist name=”control” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Celebrations” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Eiscue” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Starly” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]3x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Thorton” set=”Lost Origin” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Peonia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bruno” set=”Battle Styles” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Wash Water Energy” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This deck follows the formula for a typical anti-meta deck. Your plays and game plan depend entirely on what your opponent is playing, making this a purely reactionary deck. This deck goes hard on countering Lugia, which is by far the most popular deck. Four [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Celebrations” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] combined with [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] and the other disruption cards make for a great Lugia matchup, and the Mew matchup follows a similar strategy. Eiscue is meant to be a counter to both Lost Box and Regis. Finally, the double [card name=”Eldegoss V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] loop works against anything that does 220 damage or less, namely [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Against anything else, you need to get creative. If you play this deck you are accepting that there are random unexpected things that you just lose to, such as any stragglers still playing [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], or even little Timmy’s [card name=”Darkrai VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] deck. Of course, the idea is that anyone serious enough to spend hundreds of dollars to attend a Regional won’t be playing non-competitive decks, but you occasionally see them nonetheless.
Four Yveltal
[cardimg name=”Yveltal” set=”Celebrations” no=”19″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Yveltal” set=”Celebrations” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] is your main attacker against two of the most popular decks: Lugia and Mew. You do actually need four of them because the matchups require several uses of Cry of Destruction. This is also one reason why the deck plays so many double Energy. [card name=”Ditto” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] does not cut it as a replacement for the third or fourth Yveltal, primarily because of its HP. Although Ditto’s versatility is nice, it does not survive attacks from the likes of [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Cape of Toughness” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] equipped. Unfortunately, Yveltal is basically useless in most other matchups.
Snorlax
[card name=”Snorlax” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] from Vivid Voltage is a great setup tool for the beginning of the game, and it can be easily found with the four copies of [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card]. There are only two copies for a few reasons. Most matchups require you to be attacking all the time, so you can’t really afford to use Gormandize very often. It is mostly used to stabilize at the beginning of the game, or to hang out on the Bench in case of a bad [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Judge” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”235″ c=”name”][/card]. Furthermore, your hands tend to become quite large due to the deck relying on [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] as the draw engine, so Gormandize falls off quickly in terms of usefulness.
[card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] from Lost Origin is a powerful attacking option. Its most common use is against Lugia, where it can OHKO Archeops, Snorlax, and Lumineon V; it often finds itself attacking at least once in that matchup to KO something important. In other matchups, it can be used to eliminate threats like [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Depending on the matchup, if you clear a potential roadblock by straight-up KOing it, you can set up a checkmate with [card name=”Eiscue” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card].
Snorlax’s bulk due to its Ability and HP also make it great against Lost Box. It doesn’t take damage from [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lost Mine, and Cape of Toughness makes it difficult to KO. Snorlax has synergy with [card name=”Thorton” set=”Lost Origin” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] too, allowing you to repurpose any Pokemon on your board into an instant powerful attacker. After all, KOing key pieces is part of the control gameplan.
Two Eldegoss V
Two Eldegoss V make a simple yet elegant way to create an infinite loop. With two Cape, one [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card], and one Colress’s Experiment, you can use Float Up every single turn to deck out the likes of Duraludon VMAX. Of course, this strategy has a few holes in it. If the Duraludon player decides to run [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll have to get rid of it via [card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], which requires a lot of luck. Either way, Eldegoss V is useful as a general control card thanks to its ability to recover Supporter cards. You typically want to send it back into the deck via Float Up as soon as possible, because you want to protect it from being Knocked Out. Note that some matchups do not require it at all.
Eiscue and Wash Water Energy
I mentioned this before, but we found Eiscue to be more consistent and lower-maintenance than Flying Pikachu. Pikachu requires the entire Thorton combo, an Evolution, and Big Parasol. Eiscue only requires itself. Of course, the trade-off is damage output and HP, but the idea is that you are checkmating your opponent, so that shouldn’t matter. We play several copies of Eiscue and Wash Water Energy so that we have some resilience to potential counters, and so we are not forced to go all in on a single Eiscue. For example, we can take out Dragonite V with a combination of Blockface and Thumping Snore, and then set up a second Eiscue if the first one falls.
The extra Wash Water Energy is handy to protect [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], or to draw off Concealed Cards. There are some scenarios where you use Wash Water Energy for attacks like Cry of Destruction or Electromagnetic Sonar as well.
Starly
The main principles behind [card name=”Starly” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] are that it’s an extremely strong consistency card, we already play Bird Keeper for synergy, and Lost Box won’t disrupt our hand after we use Keen Eye. However, in hindsight, I don’t think Starly is that great. It is required for the Flying Pikachu version to set up the Pikachu combo, and we figured it was still good in this deck. But Starly is not required for this deck, and since it has such low HP, it will die immediately. It is sometimes a liability because Sableye can KO it and get 70 free damage elsewhere. This trade-off was fine for the harder checkmate that Pikachu offers, but it’s not great when it only gives you cards that you should be able to draw into anyway. That said, perhaps it is fine to keep as an option, because I don’t know what I would replace it with. You could try the deck without Starly, but you could also simply refrain from playing it down when it would be a liability.
Regieleki
I ended up using [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] a lot more that I thought I would, even without [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”custom”]Speed Lightning Energy[/card] in the list. Electromagnetic Sonar is so versatile and powerful. Sometimes I used it to help set up and chain Colress, and sometimes I used it in the mid- to late game when there was a lull in the action. Lugia players may hesitate to commit resources in the face of Yveltal, so if they go with the “do nothing” route, you can use Regieleki to recover resources and apply pressure. Regieleki is always my go-to when I have nothing better to do. It doesn’t sound like a great reason to play it, but it works.
Miltank
[card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] is primarily a tech for [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], which we felt was necessary after it won the previous NA Regional. Vikavolt is extremely inefficient with alternate attackers like [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. All you have to do is remove either those Pokemon or a few Energy cards and they will be left without a way to deal with Miltank. Even if they KO Miltank once, you have infinite uses of Thorton to recover it. Miltank is also useful against unexpected decks, such as some [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] variants or miscellaneous scrub decks. You sometimes use it against Lugia as well, or against Mew to KO [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. Finally, it can provide a win condition against [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] in some situations.
Two Sidney
The second [card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”name”][/card] is included to improve the Mew matchup, which is a little bit sketchy. It can be helpful against most other decks, too, though, particularly Lugia.
Two Thorton
The second [card name=”Thorton” set=”Lost Origin” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] is included simply because the card is bananas strong in this deck. It doesn’t go any deeper than that. At worst, Thorton acts as a Pokemon recovery option. I usually use it to retrieve Manaphy or the attacking Snorlax.
Bruno
[card name=”Bruno” set=”Battle Styles” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] stops you from decking out when you are attacking with something like Regieleki or Eiscue. Most matchups actually don’t involve the Eldegoss loop. Since you’re burning so many cards with Colress, Bruno ends up being necessary quite often. There are multiple cards with this general function, but Bruno is the best because it is also a functional draw Supporter that can help you stabilize in the early game.
Lost Vacuum
[card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] is included primarily to remove [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] from opposing Mew VMAX, which would otherwise block Yveltal’s Cry of Destruction. It can also remove problematic Choice Belts or Stadiums.
Lost City
[card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] was intended as a trump card to defeat all potential counters. It wasn’t quite as omnipotent in practice as I imagined, but it remains a practical tech. The main scenarios were to banish counters such as Dragonite V or Giratina V to the Lost Zone to create a checkmate with Eiscue (against Lost Box). The same principle applies in the Goodra matchup. If you neutralize their one [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] (and the Radiant Greninja, to some extent), you can then checkmate them with Miltank.
Matchups
Lugia – Favorable
As this Control deck is mainly a Lugia-counter deck, Lugia is the one matchup that remains favorable regardless of the tricks they include in their list. (The exception to this is [card name=”Espeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card], which isn’t played anymore.) The general game plan involves setting up multiple Yveltal to spam Cry of Destruction. [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] often finds itself on the Bench, as you don’t want to lose two loaded Yveltal to one [card name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] attack. Cape of Toughness gets insta-slapped on Yveltal to make it survive [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]’s Aqua Return. [card name=”Galar Mine” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] is strategically played at times when you least want them to be able to retreat.
As I mentioned before, Snorlax is quite useful as an attacker. You want to prepare it at some point to take a KO on Lumineon and/or Archeops. However, if they have a Snorlax of their own, our Snorlax becomes an extremely high priority. Since Snorlax is immune to Cry of Destruction, you must eliminate it as soon as possible. [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] is used aggressively in this matchup to stall Pokemon in the Active Spot. Sidney and Electromagnetic Sonar are used when you have nothing better to do. Miltank acts as a free Yveltal if their Active Pokemon is Lugia VSTAR. Of course, Yveltal is better since it actively removes Energy and can’t simply be Bossed around, but sometimes Miltank is used instead for convenience.
Mew – Depends
With Mew, you’re basically hoping that they don’t have [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card]. If they do, you rely heavily on hitting a Sidney or two. The matchup entirely revolves around removing all of their Energy. This sounds easy, since they only have four Double Turbo (the [card name=”Elesa’s Sparkle” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”233″ c=”name”][/card] version is trivial). However, since Cyllene recovers Energy, and Pal Pad recovers Cyllene, you can see how this becomes a problem.
Big Parasol and Judge are also quite annoying. It isn’t easy to find your one-of Vacuum, and the only alternative is to use Boss. This matchup becomes significantly easier with one or two [card name=”Flannery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], but if Sander doesn’t need that card, then neither do we. In short, you spam Yveltal, Sidney, Boss, and Galar Mine, and that’s the matchup.
Lost Box – Depends
Lost Box comes in many shapes and sizes, but in general, Eiscue is your win condition. If they have no counter, it’s an easy win. But we plan for the worst and gratefully accept the free wins when we find them. Since you won’t know what is in your opponent’s deck, it’s best to approach with a more safe game plan rather than YOLO the lone Eiscue. Manaphy with Wash Water Energy is important for protecting your Bench and itself. Snorlax is also a key card because of its immunity to Sableye’s Lost Mine. These are the cards you look to set up alongside Eiscue with Wash Water Energy. Try to avoid giving your opponent Prize cards, so avoid playing unnecessary Basics. Regieleki is usually acceptable in the early game because it has decent HP and a useful attack, though if you are already stable, you’d rather attach to Eiscue or Snorlax. Thorton keeps useful Pokemon in play if they get KO’d, and your strategy is to keep using Eiscue’s Blockface for the most part.
Against problem cards like Giratina V or Dragonite V, you look to eliminate them as soon as possible. Snorlax’s Thumping Snore is instrumental due to its damage output. Whether you use Blockface before or after Thumping Snore depends entirely on the situation. In any case, Lost City is crucial to ensure they get put down for good and can’t be recovered with [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. Usually, once their Shred attacker is gone, Eiscue can win on its own. Depending on their list or the situation, Eldegoss loop can also suffice.
Goodra – Even
[cardimg name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This matchup is kind of interesting. You have two possible win conditions, but Goodra is naturally equipped with the necessary tools to defeat Control. The first possible win condition you have is Miltank. You simply need to KO the Cramorant with Lost City and outlast the Greninja. It would be great if you could also Lost Zone their Greninja, but that is highly impractical. Thorton recovers Miltank, since you usually have to sacrifice one in order to bring down Cramorant. This is easier said than done. Goodra is smacking for 200 every turn, and they play a lot of Boss and [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. This strategy is situational and doesn’t work every time. Sometimes they just get six Prizes before you can set up your ideal scenario.
The other strategy is Eldegoss loop. You aggressively draw cards and race to the bottom of the deck in order to set up the infinite combo. However, Goodra’s access to [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] allows them to KO one Eldegoss with a Cape. Therefore, you are accepting that you lose an Eldegoss and two Prize cards in this game. You must use Thorton to recover the Eldegoss and resume the loop. This strategy also requires all three of your Capes, so if you are as unlucky as me and prize two of them against Goodra, you may be in trouble. (Again, I’m not salty at all.) If you’re able to establish the loop before they take six Prizes, you win. I think this strategy is the more consistent one overall, but again, the other one is situationally better. Either way, sometimes you just lose depending how the cards fall. This matchup seems to be about even overall.
Other
The Regi matchup is trivial with Eiscue. There is literally no way for them win. The Duraludon matchup is also trivial with Eldegoss loop, but if they have a damage modifier, they will probably win. However, it is possible to use the same Thorton strategy that you use against Goodra to win even if they KO one Eldegoss. However, if they’re using something like Choice Belt, you also need a perfectly-timed Lost Vacuum. Matchups such as Giratina VSTAR and Palkia VSTAR are auto-losses.
Conclusion
I hope this article gives you a better understanding of Control! If anti-meta decks are your thing, give it a try for sure. This deck plays very differently from any other deck in the game, so it takes some getting used to. That said, I found that the deck wasn’t particularly hard to play once you know the matchups. The only quirky thing is that you have entirely different game plans that are based entirely on what your opponent has in their deck. Thanks for reading!
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