Maybe They Aren’t Dead? — Single-Prize Decks Post-LAIC

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here, and I am happy to be writing another article for you all! Last time, I talked a bit about one of my favorite decks in Standard, [card name=”Gholdengo ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, the deck failed to produce anything remotely close to a good finish at the Latin America International Championship, despite my generally high praise for it. I think a big part of why the deck failed to do well was a shift in perception of the meta shortly before the event. In the week leading up to the Latin America International Championship, people suddenly realized that [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] is still very, very good despite the assumption that [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] were going to kill it off. As such, Gholdengo ex’s worst matchup went from a relatively uncommon deck to the most played deck at the event.

Funnily enough, the newfound Gardevoir ex hype turned the format into a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, and the finals of the event found Juho Kallama and his [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] deck defeating Noah Sawyer and his [card name=”Entei V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] / Iron Valiant ex deck. The results of this event have left me quite puzzled: pretty much every deck in the format that was expected to succeed put up at least a decent result, so there’s no clear dominant deck going forward. In a lot of ways, I am a big fan of formats where there is a clear best deck in format, such as the Silver Tempest format last year with [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], but this format feels like the exact opposite. Still, I do think that there is a lot of room for metagaming for specific strategies, especially for the first few Regionals post-LAIC. Naturally, most people’s immediate reactions to the top decks from the Latin America International Championship is going to be one of two things:

1. Play the top decks.
2. Counter the top decks.

Personally, I like to do the latter, and that is going to be largely the focus of this article. I think that, despite Iron Hands ex, single-Prize Pokemon are in a really good spot right now. Being fast and efficiently trading with Gardevoir ex decks or being bulky enough to withstand an onslaught of Tachyon Bits are both very strong strategies for these first couple Regional Championships. As a result, I have started to re-examine some classic single-Prize strategies, and I think that I have found some super strong options that could put up great results at some point in this extremely long Paradox Rift format.

Lunatone / Solrock

[cardimg name=”Lunatone” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG11″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I honestly cannot believe that I have found myself writing about this deck in 2023, but due to a meta shift and the introduction of [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], I think the deck may be legitimately good now (a theme that will prove to be a common one throughout this article). The deck has never really had an issue with consistency, but introducing [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] as a way to filter Energy out of the deck has been quite helpful. Now the deck is extremely good at getting its turn-one attack, which is momentum that it can use throughout a long game.

Despite the simple game plan, it can be difficult at times to make sure that you map out your attachments correctly, as sometimes a wrong move can result in you not being able to put enough Energy in play for a critical Knock Out later in the game. This comes up especially often against decks that play Iron Hands ex, which typically are matchups where you are required to make massive Energy commitments for a one-hit Knock Out on Iron Hands ex while also prepping for follow-up threats.

This deck is extremely consistent, surprisingly powerful, and incredibly fun, and I really cannot recommend it enough for at least League Cups or League Challenges if you are too scared to play it for a Regional Championship.

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Deck List

[decklist name=”lunarock” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Lunatone” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”34″][pokemon amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Lunatone” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”34″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Solrock” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”40″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Zinnia’s Resolve” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Fog Crystal” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ 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=”11″]11x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]At first glance, this list is bizarre, and I am sure there are a lot of questions I could address. In the interest of being able to cover everything that I want to cover about other decks today, I am only going to touch on the really, really big cards. However, if a card count that I do not address is confusing, it’s probably because it either helps to stream [card name=”Lunatone” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] or helps to find Energy to make sure the damage output ramps up appropriately.

No Radiant Greninja

I frequently get asked by people why there is not a [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck. After all, it should be good to draw some cards, right? Well, while that’s not wrong, it generally is more of a liability than a benefit in most matchups. Now that [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] has rotated, you cannot remove Radiant Greninja from the field once it has served its purpose in the early game, meaning that the card is sort of useless on the Bench unless the opponent decides to Knock it Out for some reason. With Radiant Greninja stuck on the Bench, that’s one space you’re not putting toward a [card name=”Solrock” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] or Lunatone, which actually hinders your ability to ramp up damage properly, causing you to lose many games that you probably should win. The deciding game for me to remove Radiant Greninja from this deck list was when I started it against a deck with [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] and I could not afford to put [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] in play, so I got quickly swept by Moonlight Shurikens.

Roxanne

This idea comes from a friend of mine who used this deck to some success at a recent League Cup. This deck really needs some form of hand disruption to slow the opponent down, and [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] feels a bit better than [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], which becomes much weaker as a draw Supporter later in the game. Additionally, since you are a single-Prize deck, you can always force Roxanne to be active at some point in the game, which proves to be an extremely strong win condition in matchups like the Lost Zone matchup, which can get away from you if the opponent gets to attack first.

Rescue Carrier and Super Rod

The inclusion of [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] should be pretty simple to understand. The entire deck is full of Pokemon with 90 HP or less, which means that Rescue Carrier should always be able to get back something. Additionally, Rescue Carrier can be especially strong with [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. In a recent game I played, I needed to find two Solrock for a turn-one attack. With a Rescue Carrier in hand, I played a Trekking Shoes, discarded Solrock, and drew another one. While this was a bit lucky on my end, this type of play makes Rescue Carrier extremely strong. [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] still makes an appearance in this deck list, though, as a way to recover some Energy for the late game as well as shuffle Pokemon into the deck before a Professor’s Research.

Regigigas

Historically single-Prize Pokemon have been very good against decks like [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], but [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] being introduced to the deck has turned the tables. In a way, it completely removes one of Miraidon ex’s biggest weaknesses.

However, what if all of our attackers had 130 HP?

[cardimg name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

At long last, Paradox Rift may finally mark the return of the beloved [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] deck, last seen in the Lost Origin and Silver Tempest formats. With a variety of solid attackers for almost every matchup, this deck only was missing a way to reliably find the necessary Energy for all of the deck’s attackers (because, let’s face it, [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] was abysmal). Now that Earthen Vessel is out, the game has changed completely. Earthen Vessel does not just search for the Energy that you need, it also discards cards, perfect for getting Energy straight into the discard pile. Now the turn-one attack with this deck is fairly realistic and can easily be game-ending in a lot of matchups, whether it establishes a massive Prize lead or just Knocks Out a big threat early. [card name=”Regidrago” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] EVS, previously known as “Bad Drago,” has turned into a powerful force in the new format as the deck’s primary source of damage now that you can reliably find the necessary Energy to meet its previously problematic attack cost. In all honesty, this deck will probably do very, very well in the post-LAIC metagame, assuming that the results of the finals scare people off of Gardevoir ex.

Deck List

[decklist name=”regis par” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″][pokemon amt=”13″]2x [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regidrago” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Regidrago” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Registeel” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regirock” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regice” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”37″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ 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=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]2x [card name=”Luminous Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Regidrago Split

As I mentioned previously, Regidrago EVS has become a much better attacker in this build of Regigigas, but why play two of them and just one [card name=”Regidrago” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] ASR? This is largely because Regidrago ASR has lost a lot of value as an attacker and a draw engine in the modern era. A big part of why it was so good before was because Scoop Up Net allowed you to pivot Regidrago ASR into whatever Regi you needed to attack with after using Dragon’s Hoard. Now it’s just a mediocre draw Ability on a mediocre attacker.

With that being said, however, it still has some value in some matchups as well as during the setup stages of the game, so omitting the card entirely would be a mistake. As for why there are three Regidrago at all, well, Regidrago is the most frequently attacking Regi in this build, so it makes sense to play three of the one that is most frequently being Knocked Out.

Regieleki Split

In the glory days of the Silver Tempest format, [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] EVS was a critical piece of this deck, offering a way to take a one-hit Knock Out on a Lugia VSTAR, essentially forcing them to play a [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] in their deck as well as a [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] to protect it. Unfortunately, as Manaphy has become a more broadly used card and Lugia VSTAR has become a less popular deck, Teraspark really is not that good anymore and the 120 HP is a hindrance against both Iron Hands ex and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]. This build instead plays one [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] ASR over the second Regieleki EVS because it is both a more useful attacker in some matchups and an attacker with 10 more HP.

The Energy

I have not put this many different Basic Energy types in a meta deck since [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] decks were popular back in 2013, but I am all for it in this new style of Regigigas. [card name=”Luminous Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] is naturally the most important Energy in the deck, offering a sort of “flex Energy” for the early game when you maybe have not found all of the necessary Basic Energy types yet, or maybe your second of one of them is stuck in the Prize cards. Luminous Energy’s value generally diminishes as the game goes on, but it is still extremely important to play regardless.

[card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] has gone from a massive part of the deck to pretty much only useful in the late game, because of how difficult it is to set up attackers where Gift Energy is actually useful. However, in a deck where Regigigas can get it back at a moment’s notice, it would be unwise to completely omit it.

Finally, there is a lot going on with the Basic Energy. In general, the explanation is that I play two of the necessary Energy for each attack, plus Luminous Energy to cover attacks reliably. The weird part of this, though, is the second Grass Energy, just one Lightning Energy, and a complete lack of Water Energy. The second Grass Energy is to make Regidrago EVS a bit easier to use by opening up Grass/Grass/Luminous as an option in addition to Grass/Luminous/Fire. Sticking to just one Lightning Energy is because Regieleki, regardless of which version, is kind of bad right now, but removing it completely would make matchups like Lugia VSTAR much more difficult, so including one is a safety measure. Finally, Water is removed completely because Regice’s attack is terrible now that Pokemon ex have become so prominent in the metagame. If only you could remove Regice from the deck entirely!

Zoroark EVS

[cardimg name=”Slowbro” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I think deck is by far the best of the decks that I have covered so far, as it even put up a solid finish at the Latin America International Championship. At long last, after literal years of waiting, this deck finally has solid footing to stand on. When it came out, [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] did not have enough attacking options. By the time it finally got them, it did not have much for a draw engine. By the time it got the [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] engine, [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] had released. Hardship after hardship, the deck has always just been barely outside of competitively viable.

But now, thanks to [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card], the Sableye problem has been solved, leaving just the deck’s consistency standing in the way of it taking the metagame by storm. I expect this deck to do very well during the Paradox Rift format now that it finally has all of the tools it needs to take on the best decks. Post-LAIC, it was the very first deck I built, as I have been a huge Zoroark fan since the card came out, and it finally feeling good to play has certainly been a highlight of my testing so far. My current deck list is heavily inspired by one that my friend Derrick Schwarz used at some recent League Cups, but it is very similar to the list from the Latin America International Championship too.

Deck List

[decklist name=”zorobox” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Zoroark” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”103″][pokemon amt=”26″]4x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Scizor” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Kleavor” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”85″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scyther” set=”151″ no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mightyena” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scovillain” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Milotic” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Slowbro” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Basculin” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”25″]4x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Arezu” set=”Lost Origin” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ 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=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Carrier” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Reversal Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Scyther

It is rather unusual for a Zoroark deck to play the Basics for the tech Stage 1s, but [card name=”Scyther” set=”151″ no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is a unique deviation from the pattern. The card fits extremely well into the deck, since it’s a Pokemon with no Retreat Cost that evolves into not one but two of the deck’s attackers. It is especially important that it evolves into [card name=”Scizor” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] in particular because Scizor is the most generically useful attacker in the deck, so Scyther is never a dead card on the Bench.

Milotic

Another unusual inclusion in this deck list is [card name=”Milotic” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], but as I have started using it more, I have really come to appreciate its worth, especially against Gardevoir ex decks. Milotic is best against heavy Iono decks because it allows you to set up your hand for the perfect path to your win condition, whether it be a Prize rush or a long-term [card name=”Slowbro” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] plan. Another critical card stopped by Milotic is [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], which has become a massive part of Gardevoir ex decks lately, and with the potential need for Jirachi and Manaphy in this matchup, Milotic is the perfect way to make sure your board does not get completely annihilated by an Avery.

Conclusion

The results of the Latin America International Championship are confusing, as they provide a lot of answers to questions about the meta, but also introduce a whole lot more. Going forward, I expect the format to smooth out a bit, but while it does, there is a lot of room for new strategies to sneak in. Whether it be Lunatone, Regigigas, or Zoroark, single-Prize Pokemon have a lot of potential in this format despite the commonly held conclusion that they lose to Iron Hands ex.

With that, this article comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed reading about this topic, as weird off-meta decks are always my favorite to write about. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out in the comments, in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter/X (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).

Until next time!

– Isaiah

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