Lugia VSTAR Never Goes Away! Should You Play It?

Hello everyone! Recently the Lille Regionals took place in France, and Toronto is coming up just around the corner. Fusion [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] actually won Lille, reminding everyone that it remains an extremely powerful deck. Fusion Mew VMAX suffers a horrible [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, which gatekeeps it pretty hard, especially in American Regionals, however, one lucky Fusion Mew VMAX player was able to run through the entire event while only running into one Charizard ex (and somehow beating it?!). Regardless, taking a bad matchup to one deck is usually a reasonable risk, and Mew VMAX’s upsides are too massive to ignore. As always, Mew VMAX is extremely fast, powerful, and consistent. It also has decent matchups aside from Charizard ex, so it makes sense that it was able to pull off a Regional win. Interestingly, Konsta lost to two [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] deck during his tournament-winning run with Fusion Mew VMAX, which are usually great matchups for the deck.

[cardimg name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In second place at Lille was an interesting Lost Box list that somehow made space for four [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Ditto” set=”151″ no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], and a second [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. Losing only a Lost Box in swiss rounds, it had a slim chance against Mew VMAX in finals without playing a [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. Contrary to popular belief, Spiritomb is nearly useless against Fusion Mew VMAX, however, it was a reasonable inclusion because the more popular Mew VMAX version as of late was the [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] version with [card name=”Grabber” set=”151″ no=”162″ c=”name”][/card]. I have no idea how the deck has space for all of those unusual cards, but it evidently works. It is a classic example of trading off consistency for power cards. The optimal sweet spot probably lies somewhere between this list and normal ones.

The rest of Top 8 actually had two more Mew VMAX, with one more being Fusion and the other being the Double Turbo Energy-build. Aside from that, Top 8 had [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], Giratina VSTAR, and a rare sighting of [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Overall, I would say these results are highly unexpected. It seems the meta continues to evolve, yet remains fairly open-ended for a variety of decks to do well.

Lugia VSTAR is a deck that refuses to go away and has been performing well lately. I would probably avoid playing it myself because it is weak to Charizard ex and [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], which are both decks that Americans like to play. An ever-widening meta benefits Lugia as time goes on, however, as other decks will cut into the meta share of Charizard ex and Miraidon ex. In any case, Lugia VSTAR is a popular deck that is worth considering and understanding. Today I will discuss the deck in depth, as it is one of the few decks I have not covered in the current format.

A Look at Lugia VSTAR

As I discussed in my last article, Lugia VSTAR completely dominated the recent Sacramento Regionals, and now it’s also made Top 4 at Lille. The Lille list and the winning Sacramento list are nearly identical — the only differences are minor, with the Sacramento list playing fourth [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and fourth [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] over a fourth [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] and fourth [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. I think I prefer the Lille list. Here it is:

[decklist name=”lug n chops” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Wyrdeer V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Luxray” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”26″]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Burnet” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH167 ” c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Capturing Aroma” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mesagoza” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Therapeutic Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Reversal Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

List Breakdown

This is basically the standard [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] list, though it lacks the combo of [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Luminous Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card]. Radiant Charizard is quite strong and useful, but there is only so much space in the deck — I would consider cutting a [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] for that package, but it is not entirely necessary. You could also consider cutting a [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. As usual with Lugia, your first turn or two don’t involve a whole lot of action. As long as you’re able to get that turn-two Summoning Star, you should be good to go.

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[cardimg name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”TG10″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Snorlax is the main attacker because it is easy to use along with [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], and carries minimal risk as a single-Prize attacker. Snorlax has decent HP and does enough damage, so it is never a bad attacker and is especially great against other single-Prize decks. Many matchups involve you using multiple Snorlax. [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] is useful to copy opposing nukes such as [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] at the end of the game. Of course, it can also steal games against [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] if they are unable to (or neglect to) put their [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench.

[card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] was primarily included as a counter to [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], which would otherwise be annoying to deal with. Now [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is seeing more and more success, so Drapion doubles as a Mew VMAX counter. It is mostly useless against anything that isn’t weak to Darkness. [card name=”Luxray” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] is great in mirror matches as well as the Charizard ex matchup as it lets you [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]-KO their [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], but, like Drapion V, it isn’t that useful against Pokemon that aren’t weak to it. [card name=”Wyrdeer V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] works well with Archeops and acts as a game-ending nuke — this deck doesn’t have a lot of heavy-damage options, so Wyrdeer V fills that void despite being especially committal. If there are any situations where opponents will be unable to immediately KO the Wyrdeer V, you can simply truck through your opponent’s board. Try to constantly look out for situations where you can make that happen, though most decks can easily KO Wyrdeer.

The deck plays four Boss’s Orders because it doesn’t draw many cards and still wants to use Boss’s Orders often — decks that can’t always blow up the opponent’s active in one shot tend to rely on Boss’s Orders more. There are also two [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] in this list; Collapsed Stadium is extremely strong, but it is hard to pull off. This deck doesn’t always draw into Collapsed Stadium at opportune times and often does not have enough Pokemon in play to even make use of it, however, the need for [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] counters remains, and Collapsed Stadium’s situational power makes it a top consideration — the card sometimes wins games on its own.

The Energy lineup is fairly standard; there are four [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] so that you can have it on all of your attackers or prime Boss’s Orders targets. This compensates for the deck’s lack of draw power, or rather, it is the deck’s draw power. [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] is useful for making Wyrdeer V or Mew ex plays, as well as waking up Snorlax if you run out of [card name=”Therapeutic Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card]. It would be better than Therapeutic Energy, but Therapeutic Energy retains its utility off Primal Turbo whereas Jet Energy does not.

The sole copy of [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is helpful in a variety of fringe matchups such as Mew VMAX, Giratina VSTAR, and [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], along with other random situations. Even against those decks, you generally don’t need more than one. If you happen to open with it, it makes [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] survive against things like other Lugia VSTAR or [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card]. The card is probably cuttable, and you definitely don’t need more than one.

I also want to mention [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], which is a card that I would play if I were to play Lugia VSTAR. It is much better than [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card], but it is hard to make space for four of them. In any case, simply swapping the Nest Ball for Great Ball is better in my opinion. Aside from that and [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], there isn’t a whole lot of room for modifications with this deck.

Lugia VSTAR’s Matchups

Lost Box — Favorable

[cardimg name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Most Lost Box variants are good for Lugia VSTAR; play around [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] by limiting your Bench — if you have a two-Prize Pokemon on your board that is in range of Kyogre, attack with that on their possible Kyogre turn. [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] spam is great in this matchup, but sometimes you won’t have Iono. [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is your main attacker — attacking with Lugia VSTAR early is usually bad because you don’t want it to take damage or get KO’d. If they use [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], respond with [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Wyrdeer V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] if you have to. The same goes for [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card], but Lugia VSTAR can respond to that if absolutely necessary. Mew ex can also be used to copy [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] if they don’t have [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] down.

[card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is sometimes useful in this matchup, but you usually don’t want many Pokemon on your board anyway. Collapsed Stadium has the potential to salvage games where you end up putting too much stuff into play. [card name=”Therapeutic Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card] is most important in this matchup, as it is the matchup where the opponent is least likely to instantly respond-KO your Snorlax.

Don’t forget that you can easily get the turn-two attack even without Summoning Star — [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] can make any Snorlax attack on turn two, and of course, the Jet Energy is not required if you start with Snorlax. Sometimes you may want to attach an Energy to a benched [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] before using [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] if you have nothing better to do, but consider that you may draw into Jet Energy to enable a turn-one Read the Wind. That goes for basically every matchup as well; don’t forget that [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] is often the best attacker against Lost Box, especially if you don’t have Snorlax with Therapeutic Energy. Load Energy into play whenever you can, as they might go for the Radiant Greninja plus [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] KO on both Archeops.

Gardevoir ex – Slightly Favorable

This matchup is generally good as you can Prize trade evenly but you are faster. [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] can pick up a big KO at any point on their [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. Using [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] as your early attacker is good for the same reason it is good against Charizard, but don’t attack with it when there is a reasonable chance of it getting instantly KO’d back. Snorlax is a great attacker in basically every other situation. If they don’t use Manaphy, you can punish them with Mew ex copying Radiant Greninja.

Watch out for [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]; although many lists don’t play it anymore, you still want to conserve Stadiums just in case. Of course, using Collapsed Stadium to bump [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] or a damaged Lugia is still always worth it. Like against most decks, avoid putting Lumineon V in danger if you can, but of course, you sometimes have to use it.

Charizard ex — Unfavorable

You want to go with turn-two Tempest Dive. Even if you whiff the Summoning Star, you still can get two [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] attachments if you start with Lugia VSTAR. Early Tempest Dive is best because they are less likely to have a Boss’s Orders or [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] while they are trying to set up. If they end up swinging into the Lugia VSTAR for some damage, it is effectively a wasted attack since they would be able to one-shot it later anyway. Avoid using Lumineon V if possible, as it is a huge liability… sometimes you have to use it to set up though, which is fine — you can use Collapsed Stadium to discard it away whenever possible, and the same goes for a damaged Lugia V.

[cardimg name=”Luxray” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

You’ll be using a lot of [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. Don’t forget that 160 + 160 does not KO [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], so try to have one of your Snorlax powered up without Double Turbo Energy. If you are ever behind on Prizes, go for the [card name=”Luxray” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] + Boss KO on [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]. If you ever have a chance to KO Pidgey before it evolves, prioritize that. If you are able to get lots of Energy into play, you can use [card name=”Wyrdeer V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] for a clean KO at the end of the game. [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is useful in many different spots if they play [card name=”Entei V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card]. Most don’t play Entei V anymore, but if they do, be thinking about the various math revolving around that card.

If you’re only able to get one [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], pile as much Energy into play as possible and try to get manual attachments every turn. They will go after that Archeops and remove it quickly. Even with two Archeops, you can be crippled by the Archeops getting KO’d if you do not load enough Energy on the board preemptively. [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] can also get a clean KO on Charizard ex at the end of the game if they get stuck on odd Prizes, which is an ideal scenario, however, it does not KO with Double Turbo Energy.

Lugia VSTAR Mirror — Even

If you can get the Tempest Dive for a fast two Prizes then go for it. Delay putting [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] on [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] for as long as a KO on an opposing [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] for exactly 220 damage is a viable option. Sometimes you want to set up a second Lugia — if you do, use Primal Turbo to put [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] on your backup Lugia V before it evolves. This protects it from an incoming Tempest Dive, but of course, it doesn’t matter if they do not have Lugia VSTAR on their board. Sometimes this doesn’t matter as you simply use Snorlax to attack. KO Lumineon V as soon as you can before they can remove it with [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. To that end, avoid using Lumineon V if possible as they can do the same to you. Remember that Snorlax without a Double Turbo Energy can KO Lumineon V.

It goes without saying that you can use [card name=”Luxray” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] to KO basically anything, which is a good way to respond to a fast Tempest Dive from your opponent. Try to avoid feeding your opponent a clean Lugia in spots where they can use their own Luxray. They also may have [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], so don’t forget about that, especially in spots where you think a big [card name=”Wyrdeer V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] would be safe. If they don’t load enough Energy into play, you can try to punish by [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]-KO’ing [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]. Of course, that is situational, but it can be a strong option. It is more obvious if they only have one Archeops in play.

Miraidon ex — Unfavorable

If you are able to get the first two-Prize KO, you have a good chance to win. Sacrifice a single-Prize Pokemon at the beginning of the game so that they will only get one Prize for getting the first KO. If you start with a two-Prize Pokemon, you can try to use [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] to sacrifice a single-Prize Snorlax. Although Lugia VSTAR is weak to Lightning, it does not matter if you are ahead in the Prize trade, and it is actually one of your best attackers because it can KO all of their attackers (unless they have [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]).

[cardimg name=”Wyrdeer V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”180″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t an effective attacker in this matchup — if you are the one taking the first two-Prize KO, chain [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]. Then use Boss’s Orders or Wyrdeer V to deal with Bravery Charm. Wyrdeer V is sometimes good to use to KO a [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], as you will force another Miraidon ex or [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] to KO it. They prefer to attack with Raikou V because it is their easiest attacker to use, but it is ineffective against a threatening Wyrdeer V.

If you find yourself behind, and you often will, you need to make them whiff a KO somehow. [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] on Lugia VSTAR has a chance to block Raikou V from KO’ing if you only have two Pokemon on your Bench. Taking out their Energy with Wyrdeer V, especially if it’s on Miraidon ex or Raichu V, also could work. [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] is also helpful against Miraidon ex as they do not have any draw power — they cannot use [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] because you will KO it with Snorlax, which always puts you ahead in the Prize trade (of course this does not work against Bravery Charm). Unfortunately, if they ever get ahead by two Prizes, your chances of winning are rather slim.

Other Matchups

[card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is a tough matchup because of all of their disruption. [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] is obviously great against them if you’re able to set up. Against the [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] version, it is all luck whether or not you’re able to set up. Against the [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] build, use Drapion V for a three-Prize KO so that you can win the Prize trade, and try to avoid feeding them any [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] KO’s.

[card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is a good matchup — it is usually better to load Energy onto two Lugia, with the first one using V Guard Energy. Sometimes you can use V Guard Energy to save an [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] from G-Max Rapid Flow. Mew ex is also great in the matchup if you’re able to get a hit onto the Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX with it, but that isn’t always an option, since they bring in Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX to take out your Archeops. Preloading Mew ex can be situationally good, but it can die to Rapid Flow. [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] is a good matchup, and [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is about even. Don’t use Double Turbo Energy on Lugia VSTAR against those decks because you need to hit for 220!

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! I hope this was helpful if you are playing or considering using Lugia VSTAR.

The deck is currently a meta mainstay, and Archeops allows the deck to use many interesting different attackers. The deck plays differently from many others in the format, but it is not too difficult to pilot. Keep these matchup tips in mind if you are using Lugia VSTAR or find yourself up against it!

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