Cold as Ice — Chien-Pao ex’s Position for Toronto and Beyond

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here and I am happy to be writing another article for you all! Last time, I talked about the Lost Zone decks, which continue to be some of my favorite archetypes in the game. Following the recently completed Sacramento Regional Championship, I feel like many players have been left asking more questions about the format than the event was able to provide answers. Many of the basic questions that we have had about the format were answered quite easily, such as if [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] is going to remain a meta threat, which based on the results of the event, where both Kyogre builds were in the Top 8, I would say the deck is certainly going to continue being one of the top threats in the metagame so long as top players continue playing it.

The State of the Meta

[cardimg name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Two other big questions that I felt were common after the Peoria Regional Championship were if [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] were still as good as people thought they would be. After all, despite their huge meta proportions, the decks both put up pretty abysmal results in Peoria. After the Sacramento Regional Championship, the future of Charizard ex continues to be questionable, as the deck still has yet to make a Top 8 at a Regional in North America. Lugia VSTAR, on the other hand, showed that it certainly still has what it takes at the Sacramento Regional Championship, making up half of Top 8 and even going on to win the entire tournament in the hands of Alexander Flatos. With all four Lugia VSTAR decks in Top 8 being the “Colorless” variant with [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Wyrdeer V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], one has to wonder if the Single Strike variant has seen its last bits of success.

Despite all of this, no surprise from the Sacramento Regional Championship comes even remotely close to the remarkable resurgence of [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. The highest-placing Arceus VSTAR deck in Sacramento was second place in the hands of Niccolo Abate, who played an extremely unique Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Gyarados VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] deck. Not only that, but former Milwaukee Regional Champion Braiden Elfert took an Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] deck to ninth place, barely missing out on being in the Top 8. Due to this random resurgence, one does have to wonder if Arceus VSTAR decks are back, considering that they have a reasonably strong matchup spread, or if this event was a complete fluke and Arceus VSTAR decks will sink back into mediocrity. A few more decks that have been doing well lately also had surprisingly weak results in Sacramento, such as [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], which peaked at 25th or [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], which peaked at 11th, while neither of these are bad results by any means, they both bring to question how strong these decks’ place in the meta truly is.

One last deck from the Sacramento Regional Championship that I wanted to address is [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. At both the Pittsburgh Regional Championship and the Peoria Regional Championship, Chien-Pao ex was able to produce a Top 8 finish, and in Sacramento, it peaked at 12th. While this is certainly a dip in performance, it is only a slight one, and it likely can be best explained by the deck’s occasionally shaky Lugia VSTAR matchup rather than it being a question of the deck’s quality. Chien-Pao ex has proven itself in the format lately, escalating from being a fringe deck that was borderline a joke archetype to now being one of the strongest decks in the format, resting solidly at the high end of Tier 2, and maybe even approaching Tier 1. Between a limitless damage ceiling and the [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] combo, the deck has pretty much all it needs to take on any threat that you can throw at it. In my opinion, the deck is even better than its results are showing so far, and I would not be surprised to see it win a Regional Championship sometime soon. Currently, I think that the best list, by far, is Grant Shen’s list that he used to finish in the Top 8 of the Peoria Regional Championship as well as getting 12th at the Sacramento Regional Championship. This list is the epitome of consistency for the Chien-Pao ex / Baxcalibur archetype, and with just the right amount of techs, the deck is able to be a potent meta powerhouse.

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Grant Shen’s Chien-Pao ex / Baxcalibur Deck List

The core strategy of a Chien-Pao ex / Baxcalibur deck is pretty simple. Flood your hand with Energy cards, attach them all with Super Cold, and use Hail Blade to do massive damage. Much like its [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Black Kyurem-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] predecessor, the deck’s primary strength in the format is that it is one of the only decks in Standard with pretty much uncapped damage, meaning that your main attacker is generally enough to handle any situation that the opponent can throw at it. Not only that, but Shivery Chill on Chien-Pao ex is identical to [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]’s effect, which is a card commonly regarded as one of the stronger cards from the previous format. Grant Shen’s deck list is one of the [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] variants of the deck, focused on having massive amounts of Item cards and only a few Supporters (I have seen lists with only four [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and nothing else!), instead using PokeStop as the main way to set up and, essentially, draw cards. Grant Shen’s list takes this all a step further, with the focus on [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] as the sole form of being able to drag up one of the opponent’s Pokemon, an option that is especially important for the Canceling Cologne combo, which I will elaborate on later. As I said previously, Grant Shen’s list is incredibly well built, perfectly balancing explosiveness and consistency to produce an extremely threatening deck list.

Baxcalibur Line

Historically, Blastoise decks always used to play super thick Blastoise lines, typically at least a 4-0-3 line, but I remember even seeing 4-2-3, 4-0-4, and maybe even a few instances of 4-2-4. This deck, however, plays a way slimmer lineup and somehow feels more consistent than Blastoise decks ever were — why is that the case? Well, it’s largely related to the inclusion of Irida and also a large volume of Pokemon search in general. As a result of this consistency, though, we can explore playing a super slim Baxcalibur line in favor of giving us access to more powerful tech cards that typically result in a much more dramatic increase to the deck’s win rate. As such, I think that the first key point to mention is that I think that two Baxcalibur is plenty, especially with two [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card]. Your odds of prizing both copies of a two-of is a bit less than a one percent chance, which should be around once time every 50-60 rounds of play, which is so unlikely that you are almost definitely getting a higher boost in your win rate by playing literally any other card that you could possibly want to play.

The more interesting nuance to the Baxcalibur line, though, is the Frigibax split. I have gone back and forth on whether it’s best to play three 60 HP Frigibax hanks to its one Retreat Cost, or if playing one [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”58″ c=”custom”]70 HP one[/card] is better for the purpose of standing up to Lost Mine a little bit better. Realistically, I think that it is fairly unlikely that playing a split will have a super significant impact on a game, regardless of which you choose to play, but I do think that having a split for more options may be the correct way to go. Additionally, the 70 HP Frigibax’s Bite attack does a surprisingly relevant 50 damage, which is enough to Knock Out a [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] that has been powered up with five Energy from Psychic Embrace, which is conveniently the exact number of Energy that should be needed from Psychic Embrace to take a one-hit Knock Out on a Chien-Pao ex. Another card that I have begun to consider is [card name=”Arctibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card]; while I do not think the card is super necessary, I did want to make a point to mention it, as I think the card’s potential damage output is reasonable, and the card helps significantly with trying to get a second Baxcalibur in play if you need to.

Bibarel Line

[cardimg name=”Bibarel” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG25″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

For the longest time, I have been a major advocate for playing two [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] in Chien-Pao ex decks, and at long last it has finally become the standard for the archetype. The card is so, so, so important for making the deck functional beyond the opening turns of the game because, without it, a single Iono often will end the game instantly. The card also frequently helps by providing a way to refill the hand to use a [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] after playing all of your combo pieces as well as offering a way to help yourself dig for those combo pieces in general. The dimension of flexibility that the card adds to the deck is something that is truly unmatched, and it is no surprise that a card like this found its way into this deck when we reflect on cards like [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Triumphant” no=”96″ c=”custom”]Magnezone (Prime)[/card], [card name=”Electrode” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”33″ c=”from”][/card], and [card name=”Delphox” set=”XY” no=”26″ c=”from”][/card] in Blastoise and [card name=”Emboar” set=”Black and White” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks. After all, as the 2022 World Champion Ondrej Skubal once said: “Play Bibarel.”

Supporter Counts

In the past, I used to like playing heavier Supporter counts in Chien-Pao ex decks, as I always felt that they helped the deck better find the cards that it needs to get moving in the early parts of the game while also offering a way to dig a bit after a late game [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], however, I think that the shift in approach that comes with playing the PokeStop variant of the deck has dramatically reduced the need to play many Supporter cards beyond the four Irida and a single Iono. While the purpose of the four Irida is pretty obvious, offering a one-card method to find [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] and Baxcalibur, the single Iono offers a lot to this deck. Disrupting the opponent’s hand while you use Moonlight Shuriken on two [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] or two [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] can often be game-winning, and if that is not outright game-winning on its own, the extra layer of disruption likely will result in the opponent missing a Knock Out, which almost certainly results in a win for you. Not only that, but having a way to draw cards other than Bibarel or PokeStop is a nice perk that the deck otherwise would not reasonably want to play if it were not for needing the hand disruption.

Pokemon Search Items

One of my biggest criticisms in early PokeStop builds of Chien-Pao ex decks was that the deck often did not play enough ways to find Pokemon to justify playing PokeStop as a primary method for searching out ways to find Pokemon. This changed with Grant Shen’s deck list, though, as he chose to go all the way up to four each of [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card], which is exactly what I wanted to see in a PokeStop version of the deck, providing instant access to an extremely strong turn one, which almost always leads to a massive combo on turn two should the player want or need to go for it. An additional card that I like to see in Chien-Pao ex decks is [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], as Radiant Greninja is such an important part of the deck’s strategy. I appreciate that Grant Shen chose to play a copy of Hisuian Heavy Ball, as I think that the card is certainly a staple in Chien-Pao ex decks.

Two Super Rod

Ever since I built my first Chien-Pao ex deck, I have loved to play two Super Rod in the deck. In my first deck lists for the archetype, I was playing a second Super Rod over playing the fourth Superior Energy Retrieval because the card was that good in the deck. While most decks focus on being able to use the card for Pokemon recovery and occasionally Energy recovery, Chien-Pao ex decks also get the unique privilege of using Super Rod to recover Energy in the deck so that they can be searched out via Shivery Chill, allowing you to push to do even more damage with Hail Blade. In a lot of ways, the card is a copy of Energy Retrieval while also being able to recover Pokemon, which is an option that Chien-Pao ex decks love. The card has been able to gain even more value in the PokeStop variant of the deck, which can easily and inadvertently discard cards that you did not want to discard, and Super Rod is able to easily recover the overwhelming majority of them, with only the Supporters and other Stadiums being the only cards that you are unable to recover.

Two Canceling Cologne

When it comes to Chien-Pao ex’s strongest matchups, one of its highlights is its remarkably strong [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, especially against opponents that are not super familiar with the matchup. Most of the time, the opponent will try to take it slow with [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”60″ c=”custom”]Mirage Step Kirlia[/card] to set up a more stable board, which gives you plenty of extra time to set up a play where you can Canceling Cologne the opponent’s [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and then Knock Out two Refinement Kirlia, often crippling their draw engine. While this play is extremely strong, there is only one thing that is even stronger than that.

Doing it a second time.

The ability to take out Manaphy with a Cancelling Cologne play twice in one game is absolutely absurd and almost always game-ending in the matchups where it applies. Between crippled setups and taking as many as four Prize cards, there is simply not much work left to do if you ever are fortunate enough to pull off this play more than once, which is more than enough to earn it a spot in this list.

Chien-Pao ex of the Future

One note that I wanted to make about Chien-Pao ex decks is more of something for future events, and that is the introduction of cards from Paradox Rift. While this set is certainly looking to be a super cool and interesting set for many archetypes, Chien-Pao ex is one deck that might benefit the most from anything. While there is not much of anything for new Water-type attacking Pokemon, the upcoming release of Iron Hands ex is bound to shake things up for Chien-Pao ex decks. All of a sudden, there is no way for the deck to ever trade unfavorably, always either taking two Prizes with Iron Hands ex’s Amp You Very Much or being able to take two (or more!) Prize cards with Hail Blade. Additionally, the introduction of Earthen Vessel makes using Amp You Very Much a somewhat consistent option. As a result of the remarkable consistency of using Amp You Very Much and the simple absurdity of the attack’s effect, I am fairly certain that the deck is bound to be one of the best decks in the Standard format, if not the sole best deck in the format, which is a world that I am especially interested in seeing.

Conclusion

With the last few events of the the Obsidian Flames and 151 format on the horizon, the format seems to be going in an extremely interesting direction. Between the emergence of new strategies and the re-emergence of old ones, the Sacramento Regional Championship proved to be the perfect case to look at for how there is still so much left to learn about the current Standard format. I have found myself super excited for the upcoming Toronto Regional Championship, an event that I originally did not even want to attend, solely because I think this format has such a unique amount of depth to it that there is certainly room for something crazy to happen. After all, both players in the finals of Sacramento were attending their first Regional Championship ever, and if that is not crazy, I am not sure what is. As of right now, I think I could see myself playing a Chien-Pao ex deck, and if I do, it will almost certainly be the exact 60 from this article today.

With that, this article draws to a close. As always, I hope you enjoyed giving this article a read, as I always enjoy getting to write about decks that I am particularly passionate about. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter/X (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).

Until next time!

– Isaiah

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