Turbo Lost Box and Paldea Evolved

Hello everyone! Recently the last Regional Championship of the North America circuit concluded in Fresno, leaving us to look forward to NAIC and the new Paldea Evolved format. I want to briefly talk about the conclusion of the previous format, where my group and I played different variants of Lost Box and had strong finishes at several Regionals. Understanding the fundamentals of these decks and what led to our success can help us predict how Lost Box will fare going into the new format. We already have some results from Japan to look at, but those rarely translate one-to-one into our circuit.

[cardimg name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

One of my previous articles went over the [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] deck in detail. For Portland, Hartford, and Milwaukee, my group played the [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] version of Kyogre and saw great success. At each event, at least one of us made Top 8, with three of us making Top 8 at Milwaukee. Nearly all of us made at least Day Two at each tournament. This Kyogre list was incredibly powerful and consistent, and I expect Kyogre to remain strong in the next format.

However, for Fresno, Kyogre had a big target on its back. It would have been easy for anyone to include a [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] into decks such as [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. Those decks typically do not play Manaphy, so in the past, we relied on the Kyogre strategy to take them out. A surprise Manaphy at the wrong time could have completely ruined us. For Fresno, we chose not to risk it at all, and switched to a turbo version of Lost Box instead.

I had this deck cooked up for London and even wrote about it in an article here, but we hadn’t gotten the chance to play at a major event before Fresno. It was incredibly strong, though a bit risky as it relied heavily on getting a turn-one [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card]. Our results were alright. Gedemer got second place; I unfortunately bubbled out of Top 8 after winning five in a row on Day Two; and Azul made Day Two, but he ended at 33rd, constantly lamenting, “Just give me a VIP Pass, bro.”

I have to say, getting so many turn-one [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] attacks in one tournament was incredibly satisfying. The deck has enormous potential to shut opponents out of the game with its ridiculously strong tempo, and I have no reason to think it won’t also be strong in the upcoming format.

Paldea Evolved for Lost Box

Iono

Paldea Evolved has many implications for Lost Box. First up is [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], which is perceived to be quite a big threat to the deck. Although Lost Box certainly doesn’t enjoy having its hand disrupted, I don’t think Iono will be as big a deal as it sounds. Lost Box had to deal with [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] for several months and managed to survive, and Iono is similar enough to Marnie to draw the comparison. Since Iono’s disruption is weak in the early game, it is even less threatening than Marnie overall. You won’t often get shut out of the game due to Iono. Of course, Iono’s disruption does scale with how many Prize cards you have taken, but this is not a problem for a few reasons.

For the Kyogre version of Lost Box, you can easily play around Iono by taking only one to three Prizes and setting up for a big Kyogre turn to win the game. This way, Iono will never set you to one or two cards. For the turbo version, I found in Fresno that it was virtually unfazed by disruption due to its ability to aggressively thin the deck. I was always able to recover from [card name=”Judge” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”235″ c=”name”][/card] and even [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. Turbo Lost Box thins cards like crazy, and the extra copies of [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] get rid of extra Battle VIP Passes. Furthermore, its attackers are relatively low-maintenance compared to Kyogre, so it needs fewer cards each turn. Iono will not be a problem for it.

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Finally, Iono more or less replaces Judge and even Roxanne in opponents’ lists, which is great for Lost Box. Those cards are much more annoying because the cards you get are random. Since Iono doesn’t shuffle your hand into your deck, you more or less know what cards you are likely to draw into, and you can plan accordingly. You have much more agency and control when playing against Iono than you do against Judge or Roxanne. Of course, it will be annoying when you have multiple copies of [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] in hand and they all get sent to the bottom of the deck.

From what I’ve been saying so far, Iono sounds like a non-issue. However, Iono will be much more popular than Judge and Roxanne combined since it is a functional draw Supporter that most decks will play multiple copies of. As Lost Box, your hand will be disrupted more often, but the disruption will be less impactful on average. I think this is an acceptable trade-off, not that we have a choice. If Iono does become a problem, I would consider incorporating [card name=”Milotic” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] into lists. Milotic stops opposing hand disruption, and works best with Kyogre since Kyogre needs a big combo to pull off.

Super Rod

[cardimg name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Super Rod is similar to [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], but it is an enormous buff to Lost Box because you can recover three Energy for Kyogre if you want to. In pre-rotation Kyogre lists, we played two Ordinary Rod and two [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Battle Styles” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. With Super Rod, we can replicate this easily. Super Rod also replaces [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], which is fantastic for a few reasons. First, we no longer need to use a Supporter to recover our Pokemon, so we can be using another Supporter for the turn. More importantly, though, it plays much better with [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. PokeStop is a Stadium with a ridiculously high power level, but it had a huge downside when it risked getting rid of Klara. Since Klara was the only recovery card for Lost Box, you had to be very careful with PokeStop, and even then you would occasionally screw yourself over by accident.

Not only does Super Rod eliminate most of PokeStop’s risk, but it makes PokeStop even stronger. PokeStop can grab Super Rod itself, and Super Rod can recover any Energy or Pokemon discarded with PokeStop. On top of all that, Super Rod puts Energy back into the deck for Mirage Gate, which is a bonus that Klara did not offer. However, since Super Rod also shuffles the Pokemon back into the deck, it may become necessary to play four copies of [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card] for their utility in the mid- to late game.

Super Rod also makes Milotic usable. Lost Box now has a way to put Milotic into the deck, activating [card name=”Feebas” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ascension to protect your hand and set up for a Kyogre checkmate.

Artazon

[card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is a new Stadium with a ridiculous effect, but I can’t see myself ever playing it over Nest Ball or PokeStop. PokeStop is just a better Stadium in nearly every situation. However, if you’re already playing four Nest Ball in a non-turbo version of Lost Box, there might be some argument to playing Artazon for extra consistency. In any case, Lost Box will be happy to use opponents’ Artazon, but will probably continue using PokeStop itself. (Another reason to play PokeStop over Artazon is that it is less helpful to the opponent.)

Jet Energy

If you were still playing [card name=”Beach Court” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] in Lost Box for some reason, [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] gives you even less of a reason to do so. Overall, Jet Energy is only a small buff to Lost Box. It is a helpful card to have, but you will only play it in your list if you already have four [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and four [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. The switching Items are better because they work with PokeStop and don’t consume your attachment for the turn. I wouldn’t play this card in Turbo because Turbo relies more on attaching specific types of Energy and using PokeStop. In midrange or Kyogre versions, Jet Energy is a bit more useful.

New Kyogre

[decklist name=”ogre” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]1x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]5x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]I haven’t played many games of the new format yet, so these lists are just a starting point. This is basically the same thing as the list that my group played for the Scarlet & Violet format. Cutting Klara and two Energy Recycler generates a few spots, two of which go to Super Rod. I added a second Vacuum to give the deck faster Mirage Gates, as well as a copy of Jet Energy. I would also consider [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], just to get more Supporter uses each game.

Regardless, Kyogre should still be strong in the new format. It can play around Iono to some extent by taking multiple Prize cards in one turn. It’s also good against [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], which is only supposed to get stronger with the next set. However, I wrote about Kyogre recently, so let’s talk about Turbo instead.

New Turbo

[decklist name=”turbo” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ 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][/pokemon][trainers amt=”40″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Battle Styles” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]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]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is similar to the list that my group played at Fresno, once again swapping out Klara for Super Rod. This lets us cut a Recycler, and we increase counts of Nest Ball accordingly. More Nest Ball is something I wanted to have anyway, and it makes sense with Super Rod replacing Klara. Two techs that I am unsure about going forward are Manaphy and [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card]. Manaphy is obviously good in the mirror, but the matchup is winnable anyway due to this list having the advantage of speed and consistency. Depending on how popular Lost Box is in the new format, it’s possible that we can get away with cutting Manaphy. We also may have to consider the matchup against [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], since that card can charge up [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack as well. Manaphy is an atrocious liability in most other matchups.

Choice Belt is a tech that more than carried its weight in Fresno, and its worth is entirely dependent on how popular [card name=”Tyranitar V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is going forward. Tyranitar with [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is especially annoying for Lost Box to deal with. The Kyogre version can simply ignore it and win with Kyogre, but this one has to give it a fair fight. Without Choice Belt, you basically sit there and have no options while the Tyranitar has its way. Choice Belt was also fantastic against the plethora of Arceus decks that always see play at US Regionals. If Tyranitar and Arceus aren’t as popular in the new format, we can easily cut the Choice Belt.

Matchups

I’ll go over Turbo’s matchups, but keep in mind that a lot of this information is based on the Scarlet & Violet format with the assumption that things don’t change too drastically. This deck always wants to go first against decks that cannot get a turn-one attack, and generally goes second against decks that can. You also want to aggressively thin out your hand and deck against decks with hand disruption. In the new format, that will be most decks with Iono becoming a staple.

Lugia – Slightly Favorable

Turbo’s propensity for getting the turn-one Raikou attack gives it the edge against Lugia, though the game gets a lot closer if you whiff it in the games you go second. Going first ensures a solid advantage because you can get the first KO more consistently. [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] with Choice Belt is the counter to Tyranitar. Some games require sneaky Greninja plays, while others demand that you end the game with [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], sometimes getting to pick off that [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. Trading two for two is the way the game usually goes. Since Turbo is normally getting the first two, this results in a favorable trade and there is nothing Lugia can do about it. Because of the way the Prize trade works, you can sneak in a free attack with a single-Prize Pokemon to put the opponent on odd Prizes. If you need to deal with something like [card name=”Single Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] or a second Tyranitar with V Guard, you can hit them with [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], or even Radiant Greninja. You will usually use Super Rod to get back Dragonite or [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] at some point.

Mirror – Slightly Favorable

Turbo is almost always the first one to Sableye in the mirror match, and that gives it a very slight advantage. You also have the chance to get a turn-one attack with Radiant Greninja, which can sometimes win you the game on the spot. Conserve Switch Carts when possible, and don’t be afraid to attack with Raikou if the situation calls for it. Just like with Kyogre, playing from behind in the mirror requires some tactical creativity, but it happens less often with the turbo version.

Gardevoir – Favorable

Getting a fast Sableye to take out [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is always a good play, and if you’re able to use Lost Mine on turn two, you’ll almost always win. [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] can take out Gardevoir ex in one shot, but that doesn’t always come up. Go for the easy Prizes on their Bench and take out their draw power. Dragonite or Raikou can one-shot [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Celebrations” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] with ease, and Greninja instantly wins the game if they ever whiff Manaphy. Try to take at least one Prize every turn, or at least get its damage equivalent (such as putting some damage on a Gardevoir ex). Since your deck is always a turn or two faster, taking Prizes aggressively will usually result in a win.

Mew – Favorable

[cardimg name=”Raikou V” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG41″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Mew matchup is actually somewhat interesting. If you go second, try to get a turn-one KO with Raikou. If you can’t, getting a Cramorant hit is fine too, or even sometimes going for the instant Drapion KO. Going first, I usually like to set up for a Raikou KO on my second turn. If they try to play around it, they will neuter their own board and get punished hard by Choice Belt. Drapion picks up the free KO whenever it’s most convenient. Your final KO is usually via some combination of Radiant Greninja and Sableye.

By using Moonlight Shuriken on two [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], you play around a potential [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and set up Sableye for a guaranteed KO. Prepping this play in advance is an easy way to get around Roxanne or Iono. One time I even used Boss plus Cramorant for a similar purpose. The Prize trade is always in your favor in this matchup, though it usually looks close because Drapion and Raikou feed two Prizes each. In some situations, you need to play around [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], and you always need to be aware of it. This is somewhat easy to do by using Super Rod or by filling your Bench with single-prize Pokemon.

Arceus – Depends

Most builds of Arceus are not too threatening. They all have some sort of annoying trick, but they also do not enjoy dealing with a fast Dragonite V. Dragonite is the most important piece in this matchup, and you have to get creative with your sources of damage whenever Dragonite is not available. Choice Belt is also a key card because of the magic numbers that Dragonite hits with it.

The [card name=”Klefki” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] version of Arceus is not too popular, but it did just pick up a Top 8 result. Klefki is quite annoying, but they do not typically play Choice Belt, so go for a turn-two Raikou to take out the Klefki if possible. You will happily take a 180-damage Trinity Nova in return, and then you can do whatever you want. [card name=”Aerodactyl VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is a bit of a counter to Dragonite, but it’s acceptable to trade two-for-two on that front as long as you have a plan to win the game. This is a bit vague because it just depends how the game plays out.

Conclusion

Lost Box is so broken. As I have said so many times before, it has no bad matchups and is reasonably consistent. I enjoyed playing the turbo version at a tournament for once, and I think it will still be strong going forward. It has a lot of weird and interesting sequencing lines and requires some planning ahead, but overall is not quite as difficult to play as the Kyogre version. It often plays aggressively and forces games to end quickly, which is different from Lost Box’s normal modus operandi, but it can still slow things down with single-Prize Pokemon when necessary (or when backed into a corner).

That’s all I have for now. Thanks for reading!

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