Versatility Matters — The Lost Zone Decks

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here, and I am happy to be writing another article for you all. Last time, I talked a lot about how 151 was going to affect the format with the pool of new cards we got. As expected, most of the set was fairly non-impactful, but a few cards — most notably [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] — have certainly left their mark already.

As of right now, the one deck that has seen the biggest glow-up from the introduction of 151 has been Colorless [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], a deck that was previously seen as something of a joke, but a strong finish in the Seniors division at the World Championship as well as the addition of Mew ex have opened up new doors for the archetype going forward. In particular, one of Lugia VSTAR’s most difficult former matchups, against [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] decks, feels considerably better with the addition of Mew ex. It opens up the option for a Mew ex to take a one-hit Knock Out on a Charizard ex if you can force them down to one Prize card, which is surprisingly easy thanks to the wide variety of single-Prize Pokemon you play.

The addition of [card name=”Charmander” set=”151″ no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] has also been surprisingly impactful. It offers Charizard ex slightly safer game plans against Lost Zone decks, since it dramatically decreases the odds that both of your Charmander get Knocked Out by [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lost Mine before they can evolve. This shift has allowed Charizard ex to move from being a decent deck that occasionally did well to — all of a sudden — being one of the most threatening decks in the metagame, especially after the innovation of the [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card]-based build at the recent Curitiba Regional Championships.

Giratina VSTAR

[cardimg name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG69″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

When it comes to Lost Zone decks in the current format, Giratina VSTAR is certainly the most widely discussed variant. Between the deck’s raw power and its versatility, it can be on the border of unstoppable once it actually sets up. However, that part is, at times, the hardest part.

Unlike decks like Turbo Lost Zone, Giratina VSTAR decks cannot play as many ways to dig for cards like [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn, making it less likely for the deck to have a strong opening turn. This often leads to troubling losses! With that said, it is only truly a problem against decks that can easily Knock Out a [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] on the second turn: if the opponent fails to do this, then you can start using Abyss Seeking to at least dig for some cards and throw some other cards in the Lost Zone in the process.

Whether the deck is able to set up flawlessly or it is forced to stumble through some of the worst draws in the world, when the deck finally gets moving, there are very few decks that can reliably beat it. In fact, I would even argue that maybe no deck can even somewhat consistently beat it once it gets set up, other than maybe Lugia VSTAR. Between an incredible damage ceiling with Lost Impact, Star Requiem to break that ceiling when necessary, and Lost Mine from Sableye to pick off little Pokemon in matchups where Giratina VSTAR is inefficient, the deck quite literally has it all. Really, the only thing scaring me away from it is the less-than-ideal [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. As of right now, my deck list is pretty traditional, which I will include below.

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Giratina VSTAR Deck List

[decklist name=”tina lz” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]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=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ 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][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Some Notes

This list is almost identical to Isaiah Bradner’s list from the Pittsburgh Regional Championships. I believe his list was pretty close to perfect, at least for the current metagame, but the one big change I’ve made is the addition of [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. I am not super sure how I feel about this change, as I have only recently started to test it out, but so far it has been alright.

Snorlax in Giratina VSTAR decks is far from a new concept, seeing play as far back as the Peoria Regional Championships last year, which was the debut event for Lost Origin. Even back then, I was not a super big fan of it, considering it a little too big a resource commitment for not nearly enough of a benefit, but as I have begun trying it out again in the current format, the amount of new strength the card has gained in my mind is almost frustrating.

In a format where Snorlax is creeping into Lugia VSTAR decks more and more, being able to address one with a single-Prize Pokémon is critical. Not just that, Snorlax also does the exact amount of damage necessary to take a one-hit Knock Out on a Mew ex. Between these two use cases and the traditional one of taking two-hit Knock Outs on Pokémon VSTAR with help from [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] or Sableye, Snorlax proves a formidable option against most of the format.

Another one of the weirder inclusions in this deck list is the one-of Water Energy. For a long time, being able to use Moonlight Shuriken has been a big advantage for Lost Zone decks, especially Giratina VSTAR, which was the first Lost Zone variant to use Radiant Greninja’s attack. However, as time has gone on and there have been fewer and fewer single-Prize Pokemon in the format, Radiant Greninja has become less significant. The decks that do struggle with Radiant Greninja typically have [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] in play anyway, so the card never even ends up being usable, and when you can use it, it is frequently such a huge overcommitment of resources that you ultimately end up losing the game anyway.

So, with how “useless” Moonlight Shuriken is, why play a Water Energy at all? Well, the way I have been describing it to people is that, from the perspective of saving resources, a third Energy type is essentially a fifth copy of whichever Energy you need. Picture this: You have a Psychic in your hand and you play a [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card]. Generally, you will want to keep somewhat equal amounts of each Energy type in the deck so that future Mirage Gates can be used more effectively. When you search the deck and see your Grass Energy but also only one Psychic, you do not really want to commit that extra Psychic to the board, especially if the Giratina VSTAR is likely going to be Knocked Out. In this case, being able to get a Grass and a Water is huge, allowing you to save that Psychic in the deck for a future Mirage Gate.

Now, you might be thinking, “Well, what if you just play a fifth Psychic? Does that not solve the issue?” You would be right, but what if the exact same situation happened but the Energy were flipped? This is why having the third type is useful: by being neither, it essentially is both. It is also worth noting that we play specifically Water Energy over any other type because it can bait our opponent into thinking that we play more copies. This may lead to them unnecessarily benching a Manaphy, which can be a free Prize card with Sableye later.

Two cards in this deck list that I am not sure on are the [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] and the [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]. When it comes to Temple of Sinnoh, the card is a huge boost in the Single Strike Lugia VSTAR matchup, often rendering them both unable to draw off of [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and also unable to attack with any Single Strike Pokemon. In a recent League Cup where I played Giratina VSTAR, I hit a Lugia VSTAR player in the first round and I drew quite poorly — I ended up playing a [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] before I ever got to play a [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]. Surprisingly, this Roxanne was a huge play for me, as I hit my Temple of Sinnoh. When I checked my opponent’s discard pile, I noticed they were likely out of ways to remove the Stadium other than with Tempest Dive, so I put out the Temple of Sinnoh and simply passed. To my surprise, this Temple of Sinnoh would end up leaving my opponent completely unable to attack not just for that turn, but for the rest of the game, as I Knocked Out their last Lugia VSTAR in play and with it the last few Energy they could use to power up a Tempest Dive.

It is cases like these that make me want to keep the card, but I think that, with the advent of Colorless Lugia VSTAR, the card is a bit less powerful, and as a result it might just not be worth playing. Instead, you could play something like [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], which can slow down Lugia VSTAR decks much more effectively as well as helping against Mew VMAX.

Pokégear 3.0 is more of a consistency card than anything, but I am not sure if it is the right consistency card. Sure, it is another out to Colress’s Experiment, which is certainly very, very important, but I also think that the card could be better off as a different crucial resource, like a fourth [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card] or a third [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card].

Turbo Lost Zone

Another deck that has been in the back of my mind since the Pittsburgh Regional Championships is Turbo Lost Zone. In theory, the deck is crazy good, but in practice its ceiling is just a little too low most of the time. It can struggle to do enough damage against many of the format’s bulkier attackers, like [card name=”Tyranitar V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. The thing that is surprisingly common across many of the attackers that give this deck problems is that they all have extremely high-power attacks, many of which could Knock themselves Out in one hit if only there was a way to use the attack against them …

Wait. There is!

[cardimg name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Despite the remarkably low amount of discussion around it, [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] might be the perfect solution to so many of Turbo Lost Zone’s biggest problems — aside from the inherent issue of having to Lost Zone roughly 17% of your deck in any given game, at least. As I said, Tyranitar V posed a massive threat for Turbo Lost Zone decks because, when paired with a [card name=”Radiant Tsareena” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card], there was no good way to set up an even exchange with it, as it would always require damage from a [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] and additional damage from a Sableye or a Cramorant, forcing you to give up three Prize cards for two. With the inclusion of a Mew ex, you can trade two for two with a Tyranitar, which, while still not ideal, feels at least somewhat better and offers a decent way to close out a game.

Similarly, Charizard ex, while a good matchup most of the time, can be a bit troubling if the opponent is able to get set up with many bulky Pokemon. With a Mew ex to copy Burning Darkness, your game plan can shift completely. Now you can force the opponent to take five Prize cards, followed by a massive Burning Darkness for a one-hit Knock Out. You can even use Sableye to set up perfect math for this situation so that you can do 300 damage when the opponent is at two, so even if they try to play around it, you still have a way to close out the game.

With these two options, plus being a great utility card with free retreat and some bonus card draw, Mew ex feels like a natural addition to a Turbo Lost Zone deck right now. As of right now, unfortunately, I have not put a ton of time into the Turbo Lost Zone archetype, although I have been meaning to.

[decklist name=”turbo lz mew” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″][pokemon amt=”14″]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=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/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]4x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Store” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Some Notes

It is making me so, so, so mad that I have Snorlax in all of my Lost Zone decks right now, but as I established previously, I do think it is borderline necessary. Fortunately, it is a bit better in this deck because this deck is far less starved for Mirage Gates most of the time, and with more [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] it is a bit easier to reuse the Snorlax should you need more than one.

Speaking of Super Rod, I think that four is an absolute must in this deck, unless you are cutting one for a [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. With [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck, it is way too easy to discard important resources, and the addition of more Super Rod helps reduce the impact of those unfortunate mills. Not just that, but Super Rod always says “recover your attacker and the Energy to Mirage Gate to it,” so the card is an excellent four-of regardless.

Playing [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck (instead of, say, [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]) is a bit unusual, but I think we have made it to a point in time where it’s reasonably safe to do so. One con to doing this is that the card is much weaker against [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] decks, but I think that the matchup is likely fine enough without it that you shouldn’t miss the Drapion V. Additionally, the Spiritomb can be weirdly useful in the matchup early on, shutting off Roar of the Sword from [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Celebrations” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] and dramatically reducing the odds of a turn-two attack.

Conclusion

As the rest of the 2023–24 season gets to be in full swing, it looks like we are in for a pretty fun and interesting new format. I think the biggest thing to learn from this format is that being flexible with your game plans is remarkably important. So many decks can do so many things, so decks like Lost Zone variants, which are able to do just about anything, are bound to see some success by producing the perfect answer to whatever the opponent may throw at you.

With that, this article draws to a close. As always, I hope this article provides some good insight into a group of archetypes that I think is due for a really strong showing this weekend. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter/X (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).

Until next time!

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