Vessels and Vitality — Roaring Moon Is Broken

Hello everyone! Paradox Rift has just arrived as the newest TCG expansion, and it has so many interesting cards. This set is undeniably good, and it will likely continue the trend of us seeing a relatively open metagame with a variety of different viable decks. I have been playing a bit with the new cards already, but there is still much to explore. I am interested to see how the metagame develops from here. Today, I want to discuss the state of the meta as well as some of the more interesting new cards. After that, I’ll be going more in-depth on [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], which is the most powerful attacker in the set.

State of the Meta

[cardimg name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”89″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

To start off, it seems like many of the decks that were good in the previous format will stay relevant. The two decks that are potentially the most at risk are [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] and Lost Box. Both of these decks are somewhat weak to [card name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], which are two strong cards from the new set. However, Gardevoir and Lost Box are still good, and how dominant they are will definitely depend on how the meta shakes out. If there turns out to be a lot of Iron Valiant and Iron Hands, then these decks will be weaker.

Lost Box gains access to Iron Valiant and [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card], which definitely make the deck stronger. Iron Valiant is just a strong card, and Lost Box easily takes advantage of its Ability and its attack. Lost Box naturally plays lots of switching cards and Psychic Energy, so there is a lot of synergy there. Technical Machine: Devolution helps Lost Box shore up its matchups against decks like Gardevoir and [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], and it has lots of synergy with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]. Gardevoir itself gains access to [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Scream Tail” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], which is definitely a buff to the deck.

[card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] seems to be hyped and doing well in online events. Lugia can easily make use of Iron Hands ex, though it does have to commit a few deck spaces to the whole package, including Lightning Energy and Earthen Vessel. [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] is also receiving a lot of hype, with its main new toy being Counter Catcher. However, I do not think Giratina is actually that good. Although Counter Catcher is an improvement, the deck remains slow and clunky, and it doesn’t have particularly great matchups. I don’t think Giratina is bad or unplayable, but it’s not as crazy as the hype would make it seem.

[card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] remains a strong deck, and it can easily play Iron Hands ex. This helps somewhat with the Lost Box matchup, which was Miraidon’s biggest weakness beforehand. All of that can also be said for [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] — though, I initially thought that Chien-Pao with Iron Hands would be broken, and it is definitely not as mind-blowing as I expected. The deck is also weak against Iron Valiant, which doesn’t help its case. Nonetheless, there are a lot of decks here that seem viable at the very least.

Next, we have Charizard ex. I think Charizard ex was the best deck in the previous format, and I narrowly missed Top 8 at Toronto Regionals with the deck. Charizard has great matchups, and it also does well against the new Roaring Moon ex. Charizard also gains access to [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card]. It can easily play this alongside its [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] engine, and you can possibly include [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and a second [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”151″ no=”5″ c=”name”][/card] to use it. It is not mandatory that Charizard lists morph to accommodate the Technical Machine, but it is a viable option for the deck. Charizard also enjoys Counter Catcher. Though it is weak against Iron Valiant, I think Charizard remains strong in the format overall.

[card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] remains strong, too. Mew is a bit better into undefined metagames with a variety of decks, and I think both the Fusion and hand-lock versions of Mew are great right now. However, it does not enjoy dealing with Roaring Moon ex.

On to the new cards. [card name=”Gholdengo ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] just is not good, as cool as it is. Iron Valiant ex is the most overhyped card in recent memory. It is certainly a decent card. However, the decks built around Iron Valiant are forced to commit to it super hard in order to be consistent. This results in very polarized matchups. Iron Valiant is commonly seen alongside [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], which I don’t expect to last for long. The deck feasts upon low-HP Pokemon, but struggles against decks such as Lugia, Mew, and Roaring Moon that don’t have liabilities for Iron Valiant to pick off.

Roaring Moon

Roaring Moon, on the other hand, is broken. Every so often we get cards that are just too good, and have too many strong attributes. Roaring Moon ex is an absurd card. For starters, it has 230 HP as a Basic, which is just perfect. Its main attack is the second one, which deals 220 damage at the cost of requiring a Stadium to be discarded. You are swinging for 220 more often than not, as it is easy enough to have a Stadium in play. If for some reason that attack is not cutting it, you can simply use the other attack, which instantly kills your opponent’s Active Pokemon. This incurs a penalty of 200 recoil damage, but that is completely fine. Both attacks cost the exact same, so you can seamlessly switch between the two and commit as little deck space as possible.

[cardimg name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”239″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Roaring Moon is weak to Grass, which is one of the best possible Weaknesses because there are zero good Grass-types in the meta. It has a Retreat Cost of two, which actually works well with its engine: [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. That brings me to Roaring Moon’s support engine, which of course, is absolutely cracked beyond all belief. Professor Sada’s Vitality accelerates an Energy to two of your Roaring Moon while also drawing three cards. [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] make it very easy to attack with Roaring Moon, even though it requires three Energy.

The new Earthen Vessel is incredibly strong in this deck, as it easily gets you the Energy you need. Roaring Moon can also use [card name=”Ancient Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] to increase its HP by 60, making it a 290 HP monster that tanks almost everything. For a single-Prize attacker, you can include [card name=”Brute Bonnet” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or the new [card name=”Morpeko” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], which are both great for different reasons. Support Pokemon consist of the usual suspects: [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card].

There are a few different ways that you can build the deck. I prefer the turbo version, which aims to get the turn one attack when going second, though you still choose to go first in most situations. Going first lets you get extra uses of [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], as well as a manual attachment. Not being able to use Sada right away is fine, though there might be some matchups where you prefer going second to get the first attack. However, even against other decks that can attack right away, such as the mirror and Miraidon, you can just sacrifice a single-Prize Pokemon in the Active when you go first. You will still usually win the Prize trade.

The turbo version of the deck attacks fast and usually goes for a 2-2-2 line to end the game quickly. It is very consistent and even has a few tricks up its sleeve. Although the deck is brand new and there is lots of exploring to be done, I have created the (for now) god list for the deck.

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[decklist name=”moon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″][pokemon amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”44″]4x [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ 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=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”XY” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This list works a lot better than I was initially expecting. I was pleasantly surprised at just how good the deck is and how well it functions. There are a few interesting things to discuss here, and a few reasons why this list is better than the other ones going around. There are four Roaring Moon ex because most games require three of them. I would consider playing [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] over the fourth Moon, as that makes some degree of sense. You prefer to start with anything besides Roaring Moon, so it would be nice in theory to only play three. Aside from this slight boost to consistency, having access to a prized Radiant Greninja would be great. However, this carries some risk as well.

If you play three Roaring Moon and end up discarding one off a PokeStop, you often just lose on the spot. Also, if you prize two of them, you won’t get value from Professor Sada’s Vitality. You also could consider cutting something else, perhaps a [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card], for Hisuian Heavy Ball, but I am not convinced that it is needed. It would feel goofy to play Hisuian Heavy Ball with four Roaring Moon. It is not worth going down to just one copy of [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] because the Heavy Ball is very difficult to access at the beginning of the game.

[card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] is the perfect support Pokemon for this deck. There are tons of Items, you often need combos involving specific Items, and you have plenty of switching options. You can use both Mew in some situations where you want to, but you usually just have one, or even zero on the board. Your board often has Radiant Greninja, Squawkabilly, and three Roaring Moon, so it is not worth playing more copies of Mew.

Energy Switch makes it easy to attack with Roaring Moon whenever you want, and it has great synergy with Professor Sada’s Vitality. Furthermore, Energy Switch enables attacks with Radiant Greninja, which adds dimensions to this deck that push it to the next level. This also shores up your matchups against single-Prize Pokemon.

Most of the Items are self-explanatory, broken, and necessary for consistency. I thought playing fewer than four [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] would be okay, even just three, but I quickly realized that was wrong. This deck’s main lose condition is having no gas in the opening hand, so Nest Ball is very important. In general, it is a strong consistency card.

[cardimg name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] is just fantastic. The healing is relevant against decks like Lost Box and Iron Valiant. [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is not as good, since it works awkwardly alongside [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card]. Pokegear improves consistency and makes you more prepared to deal with a late-game [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], though you try not to rely on it. [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is a good card, but it would make the deck construction a lot more awkward since I would have to play [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card], which I really do not want to do. I don’t have trouble using Sada or powering up Roaring Moon anyway.

[card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is great alongside [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] and Radiant Greninja, and really helps against single-Prize Pokemon. You won’t usually get the play on turn one, but as long as you get it at some point, it still works. It is used the same way as in Chien-Pao decks to disable opposing [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. It is fairly easy to pull off the play at some point during the game. Although it is often useless, it is too powerful a card not to include.

Finally, [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] is absolutely cracked in this deck and it is the only Stadium that makes sense. The Energy count probably looks too low at first glance, but it is the perfect amount of Energy. You only get punished if you prize two Water Energy, but even in that case you can still attack with Roaring Moon and use Greninja later. You don’t want to oversaturate the deck with Energy, and you can easily access them with Earthen Vessel. Sometimes you do have to manage your manual attachments, as you get a very limited number of them, but that is totally fine.

[card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] may seem good for the late-game Iono protection, but it just isn’t needed. You won’t prioritize it early anyway because you want to fill your board with other Pokemon, so you may not even get it after an Iono. By the time Mew would be good, you should have an extra Roaring Moon powered up, and you can usually just get the few cards you need anyway, especially with the help of Celebrations Mew and PokeStop.

There is a notable absence of cards like Brute Bonnet, Ancient Booster Energy Capsule, Morpeko, Lumineon V, and other Supporter cards. There is no need for these cards in this particular version of the deck. This deck is almost always going to outright win the Prize trade against everything. Radiant Greninja is its single-Prize attacker, which also gives it an advantage against other single-Prize Pokemon. This deck has max power, speed, and consistency, with just the right number of tricks.

Matchups

Roaring Moon Mirror

You go for the 2-2-2 line. I think going first is fine, as I don’t believe most of the current Moon lists can get the turn-one KO-plus-gust on a two-Prize Pokemon, and I don’t want to be pressured into getting that myself. Although getting the turn-one KO on a two-Prize Pokemon isn’t that hard for this list, it is of course easier to do when going first. When going first, simply sacrifice a single-Prize Pokemon in the Active.

Going for a gust KO on their Roaring Moon is bait, as you take 200 recoil damage and let them pressure with a single-Prize Pokemon. If there is a Squawkabilly or Lumineon available, take that out first, forcing them to use Roaring Moon to attack. KO their Roaring Moon, and if you had to use the first attack, you may need your last two Cross Switchers to finish off the game. You can more or less do that in any order you want, but just make sure not to leave yourself in a position where you need three gusts in a row, because you only have two. If you are behind in the Prize trade at any point, you have to prioritize taking out their attackers with Energy and hoping they whiff. You may be able to use Greninja’s Moonlight Shuriken to good effect if their Roaring Moon took 200 recoil damage at any point. All of this is very situational of course, but I hope you get the idea.

Iron Valiant

This matchup is pretty good. If you have to use Mew to set up, it’s okay, but I would try to hold off on using it. If you use Mew, they can Yoga Loop it with [card name=”Medicham V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] and then win more easily by taking out Greninja, Squawkabilly, and just one Roaring Moon. It is much harder for them to win if you do not put Mew into play. If they commit to damaging a Roaring Moon, you often want to use the first attack to KO yourself and deny them the Yoga Loop play. For the most part, your Pokemon have too much HP for them to deal with, and you tear through their Pokemon with Roaring Moon. Switch Cart’s healing is extremely good in this matchup as well, so conserve them for max value if you can.

Other

Miraidon matchup seems similar to mirror, and you treat their Pokemon with [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] as opposing Roaring Moon. If they have [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], they can one-shot you, but you can still win the Prize trade. Greninja punishes them if they make the mistake of playing down both [card name=”Mareep” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG34″ c=”name”][/card]. Sacrifice a single-Prize Pokemon when going first, and go for the 2-2-2 trade.

[cardimg name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Chien-Pao matchup is fine. You can easily one-shot Chien-Pao. If they don’t get Manaphy early, you can deny their setup with Radiant Greninja. It is fairly easy to use Greninja twice in a row, though it does require three Energy Switch over two turns. Even using Radiant Greninja as your first attacker for just one Prize is fine, as you don’t want them to get the first two Prizes against a Roaring Moon. Of course, if they have a full setup and a Chien-Pao on the board, you just go for the two Prizes. If you find yourself behind, KO the Pokemon that makes it most likely for them to whiff a KO.

I do not see how Lugia even deals with Roaring Moon. Same goes for Giratina. Roaring Moon just tears through those decks. You can even use Greninja for two Prizes against Giratina.

The Mew matchup is fine, but it is not as free as you would expect. The Fusion version can trade with [card name=”Meloetta” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], and the disruption version excels at making you whiff an attack. Try to power up two Roaring Moon before you get too heavily disrupted. Your own Mew is great against [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card]-plus-[card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card].

The Charizard matchup is not terrible, but it can be tough if you don’t get the Greninja play for two Prizes. There’s not much you can do about it if they set up perfectly.

Gardevoir and Lost Box usually can’t deal with an immediate Roaring Moon, and you will almost always get the Greninja play for two Prizes at some point. If you don’t expect them to immediately KO the Greninja after you attack with it, or if they have to take two Prizes on that turn, you can use the Greninja to KO the Manaphy and something else. This would possibly allow you to attack with Greninja two turns in a row. If they use a two-Prize Pokemon to KO Roaring Moon, that’s fine, because that is an even trade.

Conclusion

I have enjoyed playing Roaring Moon so far, and this list has proved to be much better than expected. There are certainly other acceptable ways to play this deck, and I have tried them out, but this is the one that I currently think is best. I encourage you to try it out! I am excited to see what this new set brings us and how the metagame shapes up. Thanks for reading!

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