San Antonio Review and the Return of Pidgey Control

My last article covered the [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] list that took first and fourth place at San Antonio Regionals, but there is still a lot to talk about. San Antonio was the largest TPCi tournament in history, and it sets the tone for the metagame going forward. Charizard ex was the most popular deck at the event, with nearly a 20% meta share in Day 1 and further increasing that into Day 2 — this is nearing pre-rotation [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] levels of representation, which is almost unfathomable because the current format has so many strong and viable decks. In its prime, Lugia VSTAR was arguably the best deck, and some even said that it was the only competitive deck.

Our metagame has been rather diverse for awhile now, so it was strange (and significant) to see only one deck show up in such numbers. Furthermore, Charizard ex was able to convert by winning and yours truly making Top 4. Caleb Gedemer almost got in there as well, losing a win-and-in to Top 8, however, there were the only three Charizard ex in the Top 20, with three more rounding out the Top 32 at 29th, 31st, and 32nd. That’s six in Top 32, which is a strong showing, but not something that I would call dominant.

The fact remains that Charizard ex has a lot of close and losing matchups, and although it is good, it is not unfair. I yapped about Charizard ex enough in the last article, so now I want to focus on everything else as a wider perspective on the meta.

The Current Meta

Two extremely uncommon decks had standout performances at this massive tournament, showing that this format still has something left to give. [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] might be a criminally underrepresented deck in the current format, after its Top 4 run at Gdansk regional and my oh-so-hilarious joke tweet about the deck, nobody gave it a second thought. That is, until Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR’s sole representative in Top 64 ran it all the way to third place at San Antonio. Fool me once, shame on you, but fool me twice, shame on me. I’m sure that’s what many players were feeling as they got sent to the shadow realm by [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] + Moonlight Shuriken at San Antonio. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, but Water apparently does.

Gabriel actually wrote a great piece about the Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR deck recently, so I recommend checking it out. Joseph’s Top 4 list cut the [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] entirely, and added some neat and impactful tech cards such as [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. Thanks to the 2-1 line of [card name=”Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], he could even use an unexpected second copy of the VMAX, which potentially puts the opponent onto an inconvenient Prize map. This list is definitely on the tricky and techy side of things, which might be what Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR needs. With this archetype’s double-Top 4 breakout across a few weeks despite is low usage rate, it would behoove competitive players to test out the deck and take it more seriously.

[cardimg name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”225″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Another underplayed deck with breakout results was [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] control. This deck takes the typical [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] stall deck and turns it into a proactive monster that uses Quick Search every single turn. This deck was played by Italy’s Alessandro Cremascoli for some consistent but middling Day 2 finishes across LAIC, Gdansk, and Stuttgart. With no American tournaments in the interim, a lot of US players were caught off guard by this unexpected version of Snorlax — Hale Obernolte made Top 8 with the deck at San Antonio, and former Senior World Champion Liam Halliburton bubbled out at tenth place.

I had the distinct pleasure of getting rocked by Hale in Day 2, and I asked him about this deck. He said that it is consistent and auto-wins the other Snorlax deck, but auto-loses to [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck has since piqued my interest, and I will discuss it more shortly. The more straightforward Snorlax deck also made Top 8. Both decks were brought down by Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and Giratina VSTAR, respectively, with their surplus of switching cards and low-maintenance attackers. Unfortunately, it seems that Snorlax remains a metagame threat that we all have to deal with. This will only be exacerbated by [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]’s popularity, as Snorlax loves to snack on Charizard ex because it is its easiest matchup.

[premium]

Giratina VSTAR had a strong showing at San Antonio as well, place second and sixth. This makes sense if you look at the Top 8 results, as Giratina VSTAR does well against Charizard ex, Snorlax, and Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR. Giratina VSTAR is a neutrally strong deck that is difficult to counter, and is a card with massive numbers, so it is reliable. Its instant-KO attack solves most problems, and the deck also has access to strong comeback options in [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. Many players dislike Giratina VSTAR because it’s clunky and perhaps slightly inconsistent, plus the Lost Zone decisions are always painful and force the player to be unreasonably adaptable. That said, Giratina VSTAR will remain a strong and popular deck, and it seems to be particularly well-positioned right now.

Giratina VSTAR has one major Achilles’ heel, however, and that is [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]. For a tournament overrun by Charizard ex, you may expect not to see a lot of Mew VMAX, however, this was not the case, and Mew VMAX still got three Top 16 spots (though no Top 8’s). The reason for this is because Mew VMAX is broken, and it beats up [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] and Giratina VSTAR, which are the two most popular decks besides Charizard ex. I wanted to play Mew VMAX myself, as I would enjoy playing a broken deck that wrecks everything while hoping to dodge as many Charizard ex as possible — I’m glad I did not end up doing this, but still, you get the point. Mew VMAX’s usage and success will almost certainly go down in the immediate wake of Charizard ex’s overpopulation.

Interestingly, Miraidon ex was sparsely scattered across Day 2. The only two Miraidon ex that even made Top 32 were the seldom-seen [card name=”Peony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] version. Of course, you can attribute Miraidon ex’s lack of performance to its poor matchups against Charizard ex and Mew VMAX, but it normally doesn’t seem to care about that. This season’s top Miraidon ex players were notably absent from San Antonio as well.

Top 16 was rounded out with two [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], which is the deck with the best on-paper matchups. Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX is notorious for its horrendous consistency, but it makes up for that by having a natural advantage against literally everything besides Snorlax and [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] Mew VMAX. This deck seems to be permanently repeating its slightly-above average results compared to how many people play it. I also want to shout out DJ Umtuch’s 14th place [card name=”Supereffective Glasses” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] deck. As the highest placing Lost Box, the list is super clean, and it seems to be a strict upgrade to the Stuttgart list.

The decks that did not make Top 16 at least made Top 32: [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], Sablezard, [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Entei V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card].

Pidgey Control

[decklist name=”pidg control” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″][pokemon amt=”12″]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=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mawile” set=”Lost Origin” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”44″]4x [card name=”Arven” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Peonia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Erika’s Invitation” set=”151″ no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Miss Fortune Sisters” set=”Lost Origin” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giacomo” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Yell’s Cheer” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ 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]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ 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=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Stormy Mountains” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]3x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

List Breakdown

Pokemon

[cardimg name=”Mawile” set=”Lost Origin” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is the list that made Top 8. It is similar to the normal version of [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] stall, and it still wins by trapping followed by deck out. You want to establish [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] as quickly as possible in almost every matchup. This makes you less reliant on [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] (although you still use it), and allows you to consistently respond to any situation by finding specific pieces. Since having Pidgeot ex in play allows opponents to get around Snorlax’s Block by using [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], the deck instead uses [card name=”Mawile” set=”Lost Origin” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] as a finisher that is unbothered by Boss’s Orders, but Snorlax is still included to prevent retreats at all points in the game. This puts a strain on your opponent’s resources and almost applies its own sort of pressure. Snorlax can be used as a win condition in some situations, such as if your opponent is out of Boss’s Orders. Pidgeot ex can also attack to apply pressure — it is fairly bulky and difficult to KO, and it forces opponents to use resources to set up or play down liabilities; they cannot be passive.

[card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] is a big player that the other Snorlax deck doesn’t have. Luxray V’s Fang Snipe is a broken attack for control to have access to, and it’s good at basically any time, applying a lot of pressure and stripping opponents of their resources. Going for Fang Snipe if you think your opponent won’t immediately KO your Luxray V is almost always the move. [card name=”Stormy Mountains” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] is a convenient [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] counter due to this deck’s reliance on Pidgeot ex and Rotom V, of course, it doubles as a consistency card, and can jumpstart your early-game by finding Rotom V.

[card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] makes more sense in this deck than the other Snorlax deck — you aren’t as crippled by it because you have Quick Search, and it helps against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]; it is more difficult for Mew VMAX to get those two-Prize KO’s when they can’t draw cards. It is also good in the mirror, as it basically makes Pidgeot ex less of a liability against Mew VMAX.

[card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] protects Pidgeot ex against [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] and that’s basically it.

The Supporter Lineup

Four [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] as the consistency engine makes sense, especially since you need to set up Pidgeot ex quickly. [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is the obvious combo with Rotom V, and three [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is good so that you are never stuck with an undesirable Pokemon in the Active. You can pivot, heal, and remove Pokemon off the board with Penny — it is an extremely useful card for a variety of situations. [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] is a good disruption and consistency card, and it’s also convenient to replenish your deck with a bunch of cards at once. [card name=”Erika’s Invitation” set=”151″ no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] is a win condition alongside Snorlax and Mawile (and same with [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]). Boss’s Orders allows you to gust when you aren’t behind on Prizes, and gives you an easily recyclable gust option. [card name=”Miss Fortune Sisters” set=”Lost Origin” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] applies pressure and can delete opponent’s resources. [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] fully heals Pidgeot ex, allowing you to use it as a tank.

[card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”name”][/card] is incredibly strong for similar reasons as Miss Fortune Sisters, but Sidney is more consistently impactful. [card name=”Giacomo” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to beat any deck with Special Energy, such as Mew VMAX and Rapid Strike box. [card name=”Team Yell’s Cheer” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a near-infinite loop, especially alongside both copies of [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card]. It is not a true infinite, but it is good enough for all intents and purposes. Cyllene is a way to recycle any card conveniently to the top of the deck, which makes it one of the most versatile cards in the game.

Trainers and Energy

This deck plays four [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] because that is its primary and easiest way to apply pressure. Stranding something in the Active is also the deck’s win condition. Spamming Counter Catcher is always good and it helps whittle away the opponent’s resources. Three [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] is primarily for consistency purposes — you need at least two in case of one being prized, and there may be some situations where you need to set up a second [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”255″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card] is preferred over [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] because this deck does not require an explosion of Basic Pokemon right at the beginning, so the consistency of Nest Ball is better. I’m not sure if this deck should still play one Battle VIP Pass because it plays Arven like the other one does… I think the answer is no, because you want to go first to try and get Pidgeot ex into play before your opponent has a chance to snipe off the [card name=”Pidgey” set=”151″ no=”16″ c=”name”][/card]. Therefore, you won’t often use the Battle VIP Pass. [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a convenient out to Pidgeot ex via Arven. [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] is an obvious inclusion with the amount of important one-of Basic Pokemon.

[card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] is a convenient way to recover Pokemon, specifically [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Mawile” set=”Lost Origin” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] makes things harder on your opponent by making your Pokemon more difficult to KO, and it works well with Penny. [card name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] is similar, but it also works well with Mawile by allowing Mawile to lock cards like [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. I think I would like to include a second Defiance Vest, perhaps over a Bravery Charm, because it may get permanently removed by an opposing [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] has a similar function to Stormy Mountains, but it can notably get Pidgey (or any other single-Prize Pokemon) instead of Rotom V. [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to permanently remove potential threats such as [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], Charmeleon, etc., and [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] makes your Pokemon harder to KO, but I am surprised to see it in the deck — I don’t think it is particularly useful. It makes better math against [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], but I have a hard time seeing that making a difference.

Matchups

Charizard ex

[card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is this deck’s best matchup. Charizard ex has a hard time taking KO’s, and Mimikyu forces them to commit resources to Charmeleon. [card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Miss Fortune Sisters” set=”Lost Origin” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] slowly delete resources, and your [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] will never die. Of course, you outright win by trapping something like [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], Mew, Manaphy, or [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card], which will happen eventually.

Giratina VSTAR

The Giratina VSTAR matchup is terrible, but it is possible to win if your opponent is careless with their resources. You are looking to get rid of switching cards with Miss Fortune Sisters and Luxray V, as well as [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] on Pidgeot ex can force them to use the VSTAR attack on it, meaning they don’t have it for Mimikyu, but they still have single-Prize attackers. Pidgeot ex is ten short on KO’ing Cramorant, but if you somehow get Sableye and Cramorant into the Lost Zone, then Mimikyu might be able to be useful. Of course, if they are only using Shred, that doesn’t matter. Mawile and [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can be used to force out switching cards, and you can try to run them out of those. Your main way to win is by trapping like a normal Snorlax deck, and the attacking Pidgeot ex line is situational cope.

Gardevoir ex

The [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is fine. There are a lot of things that you can trap, but you do have to watch out for their [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], though some do not play it. Mawile with [card name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] lets you trap [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]. Snorlax can do the same thing, but they can use [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] to gust around it. You are trying to eventually trap something like [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], Jirachi, or Mew. Luxray V can get a timely Fang Snipe on Boss’s Orders, Professor Turo’s Scenario, or [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], as it is difficult for them to commit enough Energy to one-shot it.

Miraidon ex

The [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] matchup can go either way. [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] forces out an attacking [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], both of which are tanked thanks to [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. Mimikyu also forces them to discard Energy by retreating out of an Active rule box attacker, which is valuable. Your goal is to force enough Pokemon into play and trap them. [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] are the ideal trapping targets, but if their Pokemon’s total attack cost exceed the amount of Energy they have, you can trap something. Of course, Dunsparce is good to protect Pidgeot. Bravery Charm is great on [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] because it stops Miraidon ex from sniping it.

Lost Zone Box

The Lost Zone box matchup is probably terrible, but it depends what they have. Against the weaker ‘Sablezard’ version, you can actually go with aggro [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] along with [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, that doesn’t fly against variants with [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] — you need a follow-up attack with another Pidgeot ex and a Lost City to remove the Roaring Moon ex. [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] protects Pidgeot ex from [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], but it gets easily sniped by [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]. It would be nice to run them out of switching cards and trap something, but they have too many switching cards and powerful, low-maintenance attackers. You may be able to pull that off in some situations.

Mew VMAX

[cardimg name=”Giacomo” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”252″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg] The [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is good; [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giacomo” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] destroy them. [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] protects Pidgeot ex or Rotom V depending on the situation, and [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is annoying for them to deal with. Mew VMAX simply does not have enough resources to deal with this deck — their main asset is speed, which Spiritomb shuts down. They may get a cheesy win with [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], but this deck has a lot of Stadiums.

Standard Snorlax Stall

This deck beats the non-Pidgeot ex version of stall because it can spam [card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card]. Between Luxray V and Spiritomb, you destroy their infinite and get rid of important resources. They will eventually deck out, but it will take a long time. Make sure you don’t lose to [card name=”Crabominable V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] — some lists don’t play it, but it would be a shame to forget about it and lose.

Rapid Strike Box

Rapid Strike box is another free matchup as they play too few Energy and they have so many juicy targets to trap. This matchup is intuitive and straightforward; go with the normal strategy of trapping and running them out of resources. [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] is essentially invincible. Even a slow [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] loop can keep up with [card name=”Octillery” set=”Battle Styles” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card]’s ten damage at a time. Be aware of [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card] as well, and don’t feed them too many Prizes with Double Gunner.

Summing Up

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you understand the new [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] control deck some more. It will be interesting to see how the meta develops going forward, and if there will be any new decks pop up in this somewhat open metagame.

I am itching to get right back to some more Regionals. See you next year!

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