My Top Three Decks of the Paradox Rift Format
Hello to all PokeBeach readers! This is Gabriel Semedo again with another Pokémon TCG article, and this time I’m going to talk about my three favorite decks in the Paradox Rift format.
There were a lot of expectations about which decks would stand out in the Latin America International Championship (LAIC), but in the end, the finals were between two major Pokémon from Paradox Rift: [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] in the [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] deck, and [card name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] in the [card name=”Entei V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] deck. The LAIC results show that Paradox Rift has had a considerable impact on the metagame, improving existing decks, such as [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] and Miraidon ex, and bringing new decks into the fray, such as Iron Valiant ex / Entei V and [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. Still, a large part of the metagame is made up of decks that existed before Paradox Rift.
Now that LAIC and a host of Regionals have taken place with this new format, it’s time to identify the best decks in the format and find the best lists for each of them. In today’s article, I will share with you my three favorite decks in the format; that is, the ones that I would choose to play in any given tournament, and I will present in detail my lists for each of those three decks.
Charizard ex / Pidgeot ex
[card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] is the deck I would currently choose to play for all the bigger tournaments, like International Championships, Regionals, and some best-of-three League Cups. I believe it has one of the best matchup spreads in the format, and the consistency is very good.
[decklist name=”Charizard ex / Arceus” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”27″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Charmander” set=”151″ no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”151″ no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]8x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]1x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Two Arceus V, Two Arceus VSTAR
Basically, if you cut two [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and either Entei V or [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], depending on your choice of tech, and insert two copies of [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], you have an Arceus / Zard list. What will change in the end is the Supporter line, and consequently the gameplay of the list.
The advantage of using Arceus VSTAR is having a very explosive second turn that allows you to be more aggressive and, at the same time, count on a very solid attacker. Another advantage is that you can more often evolve Charizard ex and Pidgeot ex in the same turn, which guarantees you greater stability for the following turns. I also like the fact that the Arceus version allows you to have greater freedom with your access to Supporters. [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] allow you to find other Supporters, while [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] only does this with Forest Seal Stone.
Basically, Arven / Zard offers you a more consistent and safe start to the game, while Arceus / Zard offers you a riskier start to the game with stronger payoffs in the end game.
[premium]
One Minior
[cardimg name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”201″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] has been talked about a lot lately since [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Stall has proved itself to be a real deck, capable of making Top 8 at LAIC and winning Gdansk Regionals. With this deck in mind, Minior is the perfect answer, but I realized that it has much more use than it seems.
Against Gardevoir ex, Minior can deal 40 damage to a baby [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], enough to Knock Out one that has already received damage from Gardevoir ex’s Ability. For a baby Gardevoir to Knock Out a Charizard ex, it requires one [card name=”Reversal Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] and six Basic Energy.
In the Charizard ex mirror match, Minior is a single-Prize Pokémon that can deal 40 damage to the opponent’s Charizard ex, letting your Charizard ex later Knock it Out. In addition, you force the opponent to take a Prize, which in addition to being useless for them, increases the damage from your Charizard ex.
Four Iono, Three Colress’s Experiment, Three Boss’s Orders, One Avery
One of the things I like about Arceus / Zard is this Supporter line, which allows you to play four copies of Iono and not have to use Arven. Arven is the basis of Arven / Zard, and for that deck, you have to use it in the first few turns to establish your setup. In this version, Arceus VSTAR solves the same issue while giving you the freedom to use other draw Supporters. With four Iono in the deck, you have enough for both the early game and the late game, which is great. This also means having to use Pidgeot ex less to search for Iono.
Colress’s Experiment helps you find the [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] and Stage 2 combo, and even gets rid of cards you probably won’t need. [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] is a tech for the format, as Gardevoir is getting stronger and stronger, and it doesn’t harm your own consistency in any way.
One Vitality Band, One Defiance Band
Charizard ex has a weakness that can be exploited by smart players, especially those who know well how a Charizard ex deck works. The problem is that if the opponent doesn’t take a Prize, Charizard ex’s damage is only 180, and your opponent has some control over the damage you can do throughout the game. An Entei / Iron Valiant deck can purposely avoid taking the first Prize to spread damage on the field, deal partial damage to Charizard ex and Pidgeot ex, and then even follow it up with a [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card]. Miraidon ex can take advantage of this weakness, too.
To prevent the opponent from exploiting this weakness, I include two Pokémon Tools in this list, which were originally [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. Vitality Band helps you Knock Out the 220-HP Pokémon in the format, mainly [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] and Miraidon ex. Choice Belt is used so that Arceus VSTAR can hit 230 on the second turn and Knock Out any Pokémon V in the format, such as Entei V, [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card].
Choice Belt has been replaced by [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] so you can Knock Out even an Iron Hands ex on the second turn if losing, in addition to helping with other math at the end of the game. From my tests, Choice Belt ended up being more useful for me, but Defiance Band is an interesting choice too. It’s difficult to decide.
Three Lost City
Stadiums are necessary to remove [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], and there is nothing you can do about that. This is a Stadium that can help a little against Gardevoir, Chien-Pao, and Lost Box, which are otherwise your hardest matchups.
In those three matchups, [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] can disrupt the progress of the opponent’s setup, causing them to miss future attackers or support Pokémon. If you Lost Zone a Gardevoir, you might be Lost Zoning a Kirlia and Ralts as well, which prevents the opponent from returning these Pokémon with [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card]. Against Chien-Pao ex, it can especially hurt lists that only play two copies of Baxcalibur or Chien-Pao.
One Double Turbo, One Jet Energy
[card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] is perfect for attacking with Arceus VSTAR on the second turn without the help of Charizard ex, or for attacking with it throughout the game without sacrificing your Fire Energy. Pidgeot ex can also attack with Double Turbo, and that has made a big difference for me. I won a game where my opponent used Sableye on the second turn to Knock Out my two Charmander, because I was able to Knock Out the Sableye on the next turn with Pidgeot ex.
Jet Energy is the only switching card in the deck, and the reason it is better than Escape Rope or Switch is that it can be fetched with Pidgeot ex. The deck has no problem with attaching it for turn, as Charizard ex does a great job accelerating Energy with its Ability.
Gardevoir ex
Gardevoir ex is the deck I choose to play every League Challenge and best-of-one League Cup, because in my opinion it is the best deck in the format, but it suffers from being too slow to play a best-of-three match in 50 minutes. In the best-of-one format, the rounds are usually 30 minutes long, so it is possible to play a quality game with Gardevoir.
[decklist name=”Gardevoir ex” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″][pokemon amt=”18″]2x [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”TG05″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cresselia” set=”Lost Origin” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scream Tail” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Celebrations” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]3x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Worker” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Fog Crystal” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”EX Sandstorm” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]10x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]2x [card name=”Reversal Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
One Mirage Step Kirlia
One of the reasons for the sudden big changes in Gardevoir ex lists is the fact that the deck is able to win every game even after losing a turn to Mirage Step, since it eliminates the need to go after Rare Candy, Gardevoir ex, and a possible attacker later on.
Accepting that you’ll start one or two turns behind almost always, the deck abuses come-from-behind cards with absurd effects, such as Reversal Energy, [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and Iono, to turn the game around.
One Scream Tail, Zero Luxurious Cape
Gardevoir didn’t need [card name=”Scream Tail” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], but the card is so good it’s almost impossible not to use. Luxurious Cape lets you Knock Out even a [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG69″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench, so it’s almost impossible not to want to use this Tool, too. However, in favor of consistency, I decided to remove Luxurious Cape from the deck because I don’t need it that often.
Most of the time I use Scream Tail to Knock Out Pokémon that have low HP but high mechanical importance. The maximum damage of 160 without Luxurious Cape is enough to KO [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], Baxcalibur, [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”280″ c=”name”][/card], and several other important Pokémon.
One Zacian V
One of the mistakes I once made with Gardevoir was not using [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Celebrations” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] and thinking that baby Gardevoir could do the same job. Some things are only possible with Zacian V.
In the current Gardevoir mirror, both players play a lot of Avery and a lot of Knock Outs happen on Benched Pokémon, especially Ralts and Kirlia, which means that often all you have on the field is a Gardevoir ex. Without being able to rely on baby Gardevoir, you need to use Basic attackers to take Prizes. Zacian V gives you high damage, Scream Tail gives you moderate damage to the Bench, and Cresselia helps with Knock Outs on low-HP Pokémon.
One Lumineon V
Almost all Gardevoir lists have removed Lumineon V, but Ciaran Farah made Top 4 at LAIC with the card. As a choice, it makes perfect sense to me. Gardevoir is an extremely powerful deck, but with a complex and slightly problematic setup. Lumineon V has always helped the deck in this regard, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be needed more. The need has always existed, and if you want a consistent Gardevoir deck that can accomplish what it sets out to do, then the right thing to do is to play Lumineon V.
Zero Counter Catcher, Two Boss’s Orders
[cardimg name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”120″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I never had a problem using Boss’s Orders in Gardevoir. When Counter Catcher was released, I tested it a lot, but I didn’t feel a great need for it. Of course, the card is powerful, and it has everything to do with the fact that Gardevoir starts games by losing, but after LAIC I realized that I would have won most of the games I lost if only my deck ran better and did the simple things right. The deck doesn’t depend on a super well-crafted play with Iono plus Counter Catcher plus Scream Tail with Luxurious Cape to win games, and you don’t always want to use Counter Catcher, even when you have the option. Boss’s Orders is guaranteed, it doesn’t hinder the draw power of the deck, since Kirlia and Gardevoir cover that well, and even with just two copies, I can recover them easily with Pal Pad.
One Professor Turo’s Scenario
Nobody likes wasting space in their deck on a defensive card like [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], but anyone who has played with the card knows how much more useful it can be than just removing Manaphy or Radiant Greninja from the field against a Stall deck.
This Supporter allows you to control your field much better, being able to remove Gardevoir ex, Lumineon V, or Zacian V from your Bench to deny your opponent two Prizes at crucial moments.
Miraidon ex
Miraidon ex is the deck I choose to play at most weekly local leagues here in São Paulo, and I also use it in some League Challenges and best-of-one League Cups where I think there will be a lot of Gardevoir ex and not much Charizard ex.
Miraidon ex has all the answers to the metagame due to its wide array of attackers. Its main quality is consistency in setting up and attacking quickly, and its main weakness is the vulnerability of its low-HP Pokémon.
In tournaments with a lower level of difficulty, I prefer to give priority to consistency rather than strength in a deck, because if your deck doesn’t work, even the most inexperienced player can beat you, but if you have a weaker deck that works, then it will be possible to beat this player on gameplay.
[decklist name=”Miraidon ex” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”223″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”280″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mareep” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”247″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research (Professor Sada)” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”240″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Electric Generator” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Battle Styles” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Beach Court” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]14x [card name=”Basic Lightning Energy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”257″ c=”deck2″ amt=”14″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
One Mew ex
All Pokémon in the list are self-explanatory and fundamental to the deck. Nobody goes in and nobody leaves. The only Pokémon that I still see questions about in a Miraidon list are [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zeraora” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Flying Pikachu V” set=”Celebrations” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card].
Flying Pikachu V is being used less and less because, in the end, it offers few benefits and is a very valuable target for the opponent. You rarely attack with Flying Pikachu, and the fact that it can hold a Forest Seal Stone ends up not being that relevant, since you always have a [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] on the field anyway.
Zeraora is the perfect option if you want to find a free retreat Pokémon. In addition to being a single-Prize Pokémon, it can help Knock Out some things, like a Gardevoir with damage or a [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], using its second attack. I recommend playing this Pokémon if you play a version of Miraidon ex with several copies of [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], which is exactly the opposite of my list.
Mew ex is the best option by far for my Miraidon ex list, as I prefer to use [card name=”Beach Court” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] over Path to the Peak. The draw Ability is used a lot in this version because the list flows better and empties the hand easily.
Mew ex is also a very useful attacker and helps in difficult matchups. I’ve won games against [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], which is otherwise practically an autoloss, thanks to Mew ex. Against Giratina VSTAR, it is important to play Mew ex if possible to hit 280, and against Gardevoir and Lost Box, you can surprise the opponent by copying [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card].
One Super Rod
Some Miraidon ex lists play 16 Lightning Energy to increase the chances of attacking with Iron Hands ex on the first turn, while others use one or two copies of Double Turbo Energy. In the end, all of them are valid. However, if you don’t want to change the consistency of the deck, then [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] is the best option, because thanks to this card, you can return discarded Energy to the deck and increase the likelihood of success with [card name=”Electric Generator” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] late in the game. Furthermore, Super Rod allows you to play just one copy of Raichu V and Iron Hands ex and still be able to use it twice in the same match. Another advantage is being able to discard important Pokémon with [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] and Squawkabilly ex at the beginning without worrying about your ability to recover them later.
One Lost Vacuum
All of my decks have at least one copy of Lost Vacuum, as the format increasingly relies on impactful Pokémon Tools. In the case of Miraidon ex, I see Lost Vacuum as fundamental to winning the mirror match because it allows you to remove the opponent’s [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card].
One Exp. Share
[cardimg name=”Exp. Share” set=”Battle Styles” no=”180″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
One of the main problems that was happening to me with this deck was not being able to set up Iron Hands ex on the first turn. The truth is that it’s not always a viable option, much less the best thing to do. In most games, starting by attacking with good old Raikou V is the right thing to do.
Setting up the first attackers has been easy — the problem was keeping Energy on the field through the middle and end of the game. Thanks to [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Battle Styles” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card], I can power up multiple Miraidon ex more easily in matchups where I need to exchange Knock Outs, like Chien-Pao, Roaring Moon, and the mirror. Against Charizard ex, Exp. Share helps keep one or two more Energy on the field, which means up to 120 more damage for Raichu V.
Most of the time, I attach Exp. Share to baby [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], because it is not an attractive target for the opponent and because it needs three Energy to attack. It also pays to use Exp. Share on Mew ex in matchups where you need to attack with it.
Final Thoughts
Paradox Rift was quite scary, but in the end it only made a moderate impact on the metagame. The decks that already existed in the format continue to be the best, and new decks appear relatively little.
Gardevoir is the best deck in the format, but the best-of-three system makes the deck much worse than it should be. You know that this deck can reach the Top 8 or even the finals, but unfortunately you don’t know which player will reach it, as the deck in the end will have to rely on luck to be successful. The same occurs with Mew VMAX. It’s a perfect deck, but a series of factors make the deck uncontrollable — you know it’s going to be in the Top 8, but it could be anyone.
Charizard ex isn’t as good as Gardevoir, but at least you have control over all your moves and a healthy metagame to play with. The matchup against Gardevoir is scary, but in most cases if you play this matchup perfectly and try to punish Gardevoir’s inconsistencies as much as possible, it is possible to win.
Miraidon ex is a deck that shows its power much more live and in practice than in theories and conversations. The list presented in this article flows very well. Remember to use the Abilities of both Raikou V and Mew ex to draw a lot of cards. It may not seem like much draw power, but if you draw two or three extra cards per turn, it makes an absurd difference.
That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time!
[/premium]
