Terraforming — Ting-Lu Lands a Place in Standard
Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here and I am happy to be writing another article for you. Last time, I talked about one of my favorite decks in the Standard format, [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Tyranitar V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and how I believe that the deck is one of the best possible plays for the upcoming World Championships at Yokohama, Japan in August. While there have been no major tournaments since that last article, people’s mindsets on what decks are good and which ones aren’t have shifted a bit, largely thanks to both online tournaments as well as experimenting with new ideas for the upcoming World Championships.
One of the most popular decks right now is the Lost Zone [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] archetype, which I wrote about shortly before the North America International Championships (NAIC). Henry Brand chose to play the archetype for NAIC and his finish, while not good enough to put him into the second day of the tournament, got people thinking about the deck again. This new wave of support for Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR resulted in the deck winning two 300+ person online tournaments in the same day, further cementing the deck on the map. It’s difficult to pin why exactly it took so long for this version of Giratina VSTAR to finally catch on, but after months of having one of the highest win rates of any deck in online tournaments, it is good to see it gets the acknowledgement that it deserves.
Another part of why Giratina VSTAR has been getting so much hype around it, is because of a massive surge in the popularity of [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] in the weeks following the latter’s success at the NAIC. Both Ian Robb and Michael Catron were able to pilot their respective Arceus VSTAR decks to high level finishes, begging the question if the deck was back as a more permanent fixture in the metagame, as it had been dismissed as being tier 2 at best for quite some time. However, thanks to the deck’s newfound success, Arceus VSTAR has started to stake its claim for being one of the best decks in the current Standard format, largely thanks to its strong matchups against [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] and Lost Zone decks. As of right now, I would say that Arceus VSTAR decks are one of the most if not the most hyped up decks for the World Championships happening in a few weeks, as well as being one of my own top picks for the event.
One other deck that I have seen a lot of talk about online lately has, surprisingly, been [card name=”Ting-Lu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card], which happens to be the focus of today’s article. With Ting-Lu being one of my favorite Pokemon from the 9th generation of games, I was a bit disappointed by the underwhelming performance of the card during the first few weeks of the format. But in the last few weeks, I have started to see more Ting-Lu ex decks popping up and doing well. This past weekend I went to two League Cups, and there were multiple Ting-Lu ex decks that put up good results at each event, even if they did not quite make it into the top cut. Considering the unfavorable metagames that each of these events had for Ting-Lu ex, I can only question what could have been if the deck had found a better suited metagame for itself at these events. Before I continue, we must first examine what are the contributing factors to Ting-Lu ex’s place in the current metagame, including the decks pros and its cons.
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What’s up with Ting-Lu ex?
Pros
[cardimg name=”Ting-Lu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”263″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
In the current Standard format, Ting-Lu ex boasts numerous advantages, particularly in its matchups. Its Cursed Land Ability is a game-changer, effectively locking down opponents’ Abilities, a crucial feature considering the format’s heavy reliance on them. This Ability proves especially effective against decks like Arceus VSTAR, which heavily depend on Starbirth to gain momentum. Moreover, when facing decks such as [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], Ting-Lu ex can shut down all their Pokemon’s Abilities, leaving them completely helpless to you slowly running over every other Pokemon that they have left in play.
Fortunately for Ting-Lu ex, it also has excellent typing. Being a Fighting-type Pokemon, Ting-Lu ex is able to hit Arceus VSTAR for Weakness while also being fortunate enough to have Grass-type Weakness, a type that is largely irrelevant in the current Standard format, meaning that nothing has a super easy time taking a Knock Out against it in one hit. This coupled with an attack that does just enough to always take a two-hit Knock Out is a perfect recipe for a deck that is easily capable of winning moderately long games against most of the decks in the format. An often overlooked detail is Ting-Lu ex’s HP, which stands at 240. Although seemingly unremarkable, this value becomes significant when considering the deck’s use of [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], raising Ting-Lu ex’s maximum HP to 290. This crucial boost allows it to survive even a Lost Impact attack from Giratina VSTAR, a feat that the majority of meta-relevant Pokemon cannot achieve.
Cons
With all of the pros that I just was able to list off, it has to be pretty difficult to come up with cons, right? Well, unfortunately, that is wrong, Ting-Lu ex has quite a few issues. Most notably, the deck is a bit inconsistent and slow at times. While the nature of using [card name=”Koraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to power up Ting-Lu ex seems like it should be at least somewhat quick, the deck is still a manual Energy attachment deck that suffers greatly if it ever misses an attachment for any reason, including if it were to miss the turn 1 Koraidon ex Dino Cry to power up the first Ting-Lu ex. The deck generally mitigates this by playing a large number of Fighting Energy as well as various Item cards like [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Gutsy Pickaxe” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to help find the cards necessary to continue attacking, attaching Energy, and making powerful plays with Cursed Land. But due to the nature of the deck’s investment into the early game while also needing so many cards to keep itself going later in the match, you frequently run into the issue of drawing the wrong set of cards at the time you don’t need them, leaving you completely unable to make any meaningful plays, unfortunately resulting in a quick loss.
[cardimg name=”Cresselia” set=”Lost Origin” no=”74″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The other issue with the deck is, ironically, also matchup related, largely stemming with the fatal flaw of the Cursed Land Ability. I would say that in general, there are two decks that typically come to mind when it comes to decks that are reliant on Abilities in the current Standard format: [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] and Lost Zone decks that heavily rely on [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] to setup in the first couple turns. In theory, one would assume that these decks would be incredibly good matchups for Ting-Lu ex, but in reality, they can be two of the scariest. If the Lost Zone deck player goes second against your Ting-Lu ex, with a little luck, it is very possible that they are able to reach a turn 1 [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card], which does enough damage to almost completely roll over an unsuspecting Ting-Lu ex (but the damage from Dragon Gale can prove to be helpful if you survive this initial onslaught, as both Comfey and [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] will no longer be able to use their Abilities), and if that is not enough, both [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] are cards that can help your opponent deal with getting your Ting-Lu ex out of the Active Spot or with healing up a [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] so that it can use Flower Selecting later on.
The Gardevoir ex match, on the other hand, actually might be borderline impossible. The first issue stems from Gardevoir ex itself, which has a relatively bulky 310 HP and a Fighting-type Resistance, so it is highly unlikely that Ting-Lu ex will ever even take a two-hit Knock Out on this Pokemon. Not just that, but Gardevoir ex also can use its Ability under the effect of Cursed Land, which is a really big problem that is almost impossible to overcome on its own. If Gardevoir ex ever manages to get even close to a reasonable setup, the deck just wins immediately. All of this is bad enough, and we have not even gotten to the actual worst part: [card name=”Cresselia” set=”Lost Origin” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. Remember that relatively niche Single Prize attacker that Gardevoir ex decks typically play to help beat the Lost Zone matchup? Well, that card also happens to have the text “if your opponent is playing Ting-Lu ex, they lose the game” printed on it as well. Moonglow Reverse is the perfect answer to the entire Ting-Lu ex archetype, typically placing enough damage on a Ting-Lu ex to put it in range of a Miracle Force Knock Out while also healing all of your [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] so they can keep on drawing more cards. This part is huge, as it basically invalidates Ting-Lu ex’s entire gimmick and instead leaves the deck unable to do pretty much anything while the Gardevoir ex player is able to completely run over their opponent with high damage attacks from [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]’s Brainwave and [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Celebrations” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card]’s Storm Slash. This flaw alone has pretty much been the main factor rendering Ting-Lu ex on the edge of being unplayable, but as I discussed in the pros section, the favorable Arceus VSTAR matchup has made people start to question if the deck really does have a place in the format, myself included. With that, how about we take a look at the deck itself and how it could be built to both handle its main problems while also maintaining its good matchups.
Ting-Lu ex Deck List
[cardimg name=”Gutsy Pickaxe” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
In general, I actually have a lot of problems with the common Ting-Lu ex deck lists that I see. While I am sure some of their inclusions are better justified on more games of testing than I have played with the deck, there is a point where I think that most players are simply approaching the deck wrong. One card that I think especially stands out in that conversation is [card name=”Gapejaw Bog” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. When I see this card, my first question is generally “why,” as the card does not do anything meaningful! In a format filled with [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card], Gapejaw Bog’s effect is never reasonably able to trigger, except on your OWN Pokemon! Even worse is that the damage that does get put on your own Pokemon is a really big deal a lot of the time, often being the difference between a Ting-Lu ex being able to survive against a big attack or not (Giratina VSTAR’s Lost Impact being a great example of this). Another issue that I have with conventional lists for Ting-Lu ex is the surprisingly low number of deck lists playing [card name=”Gutsy Pickaxe” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. While this card is strictly worse than [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] from a card drawing perspective, having the ability to get some free Fighting Energy in play can be a huge help in a deck that is normally heavily punished if it ever whiffs an Energy attachment. Now, this is not to say that Trekking Shoes is bad, in fact I believe there is a strong argument for playing both cards, but I think that it should be four copies Gutsy Pickaxe with Trekking Shoes as needed, instead of the other way around, which is what I see a bit more frequently in most Ting-Lu ex decks.
[decklist name=”ting lu” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Ting-Lu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Koraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Alakazam” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Gutsy Pickaxe” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Battle Styles” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Inclusions
Four Ting-Lu ex
One of the most simple inclusions in this deck is the four copies of [card name=”Ting-Lu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card]. With this card being both the deck’s main attacker as well as needing to be in the Active Spot in order for its Ability to be working, it should be quite obvious as to why we play four copies of this Pokemon. However, I did want to address the nature of this card in general. With massive HP for a Basic Pokemon as well as a solid attack, this card really does have about everything that it needs to be a formidable attacker right now. Notably, Land Scoop also places damage counters rather than doing damage, so you will not need to put damage onto a [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] to shut if off.
Two Koraidon ex
[cardimg name=”Grant” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”185″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
When it was released, [card name=”Koraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] was certainly overshadowed by [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]. Being the worse of the two legendary Pokemon in the new generation in almost every way did not do it a lot of favors, especially with the number of restrictions placed on its Ability. However, as we get more stronger Fighting-type Pokemon and the format slows down more, Koraidon ex will become a better and playable card. As of now, the card has found its place in Ting-Lu ex decks as the primary form of Energy acceleration, as well as being a solid backup attacker, especially in a Ting-Lu ex deck that has the ability to manipulate enough damage counters to turn Wild Impact into a legitimate threat. While I do not have it in my deck list, the inclusion of [card name=”Grant” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] is another way to possibly boost Koraidon ex’s damage output to the point that it is a very real threat in the meta.
Two Squawkabilly ex
In this deck, it is absolutely critical to get two Fighting Energy into the discard pile as well as Koraidon ex in play turn 1 in order to power up Ting-Lu ex. [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is included in this deck list to help make this happen by allowing you to have another method of discarding Energy as well as a means to seeing even more cards on the first turn. Additionally, unlike cards like [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], it is also nice that you can use Squawk and Seize even if you start with Squawkabilly ex, meaning that you can play extra copies of the card with essentially no punishment, so I decided to play two copies in this deck list.
Hawlucha and Radiant Alakazam
These two cards work together a lot of the time, so it makes a lot of sense to bundle them together. With that said, [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Alakazam” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] are the main ways that this deck is able to get and move damage counters on the board to completely lock the opponent out of using Abilities, while also helping the deck reach for slightly higher numbers when needed. Both of these cards are absolutely essentially to the deck’s success.
Lost City
Earlier, I was talking about how I felt that Gapejaw Bog was quite bad in this deck despite the card seemingly being perfect for the deck, and this is the part where I elaborate a bit further on suitable replacements. At the end of the day, this deck needs some form of Stadium card, as [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], situationally, can be a somewhat crafty solution to Ting-Lu ex’s Ability to shut off Abilities. As such, the card that I have chosen for now is [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card]. Earlier, I talked a lot about how I felt that one of Ting-Lu ex’s most difficult matchups was Gardevoir ex, and, in theory, Lost City should be able to help deal with this problem much more effectively. You now have a much more reliable game plan in the matchup of removing as many [card name=”Ralts” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] from play as possible before the opponent’s board gets out of control. This will help to mitigate the power of [card name=”Cresselia” set=”Lost Origin” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] too as it will leave them with less total Pokemon to move damage counters from, while also serving as a way of getting rid of Cresselia permanently. Admittedly, I have not put a ton of time into this idea, but I do think that Lost City is the key to solving this matchup. Additionally, the card is also very helpful against Lost Zone decks so that you can get rid of [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] permanently once you are able to take a Knock Out once.
If you were to chose not to play Lost City in this deck, I think that [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] could be another strong choice for a Stadium card. Shutting off [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] decks carries a lot of weight, turning one of this deck’s more difficult matchups into something that just might be winnable with a little extra luck.
Conclusion
In the current Standard format, I think that [card name=”Ting-Lu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] has a lot of promise. The deck is really effective when it comes to handling many of the top decks, and those that it struggles to beat have potentially viable alternative game plans. At the World Championships in Yokohama this year, I think there is a very, very high chance that Ting-Lu ex will be able to make a deep run through Day 1 of the tournament, and maybe it could even put up a strong finish in the second day of the tournament with a little luck.
With that, this article comes to a close. With the World Championship on the horizon, I have found myself looking in all directions for ideas, and this one has certainly stuck out as a deck that is unjustifiably under explored, so writing about it proved to be quite fun. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).
Until next time!
– Isaiah
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