These Amps Go to Eleven — Miraidon ex After San Antonio

Hello everyone! I’m back today with my newest article, and in this one, I’ll be taking a look at [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s been a bit since we’ve gone over this deck here at PokeBeach, and given the deck’s strong results in our current format, it’s certainly worth more analysis.

Miraidon ex has been one of the most successful decks in the Paradox Rift format. It won the LAIC, finished second at the recent Stuttgart Regional Championships, and has been a common Day 2 sight across tournaments. In Japan, Miraidon ex has had even more success, as it has won two of the four Champions League tournaments since its release, including the most recent Champions League Yokohama in September. The introduction of [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] in Paradox Rift has helped to shore up its matchups against single-Prize decks, and that has helped make it a top-tier option.

While the initial builds of Miraidon were largely split between [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regieleki VMAX” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], the former approach won out and is now largely what you’ll see today. Of course, even nowadays not all lists are the same! In this article, I’ll be taking a look at two Miraidon lists — the LAIC winning list and the recent Top 8 list from this weekend in San Antonio — and going over their differences, what makes them good, and how to play them well.

[cardimg name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”223″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

So, what is it that has made Miraidon ex successful in this format? The biggest advantages that Miraidon decks have nowadays are their speed, their consistency, and that they’re relatively straightforward to play. Playing Miraidon tends to feel like playing some of the big Basic decks of years past; if you’ve played [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], or any of the [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] decks from a bit further back, then the play style of this deck will feel familiar.

Your goal with the deck is to take multi-Prize KOs every turn, starting from turn one, and to thus win the game quickly. If things go right, you should be able to win on turn three or four. While Miraidon isn’t the only deck with this plan, the consistency with which it can execute the plan sets it apart. When going second, it’s more likely you’ll be able to attack than you won’t, and it isn’t like you need to get particularly lucky to do so. In best-of-one formats, it’s especially nice to know that your deck will do what it needs to do almost every time.

The deck’s aggressive nature and high consistency naturally give it a fighting chance against whatever it might encounter. The current format is diverse, and in such an environment, having a deck with a strong baseline tends to work better than playing something more matchup-dependent. You can sort of see this mentality with the other top decks in this format as well, and Miraidon certainly exemplifies it.

The other (underrated) point in favor of Miraidon is its relative simplicity compared to some of the other current meta decks. Miraidon is straightforward; you don’t have a lot of attackers with different effects or a wide variety of ways to place damage. Rather, you’re simply going to be hitting the opponent’s Active Pokemon, and that’s the game plan against everything. The simplicity of Miraidon makes it a good choice for long events, like the environment you’ll find at Regional Championships. I’ve made mention of this before, but simplicity can be a big advantage at these tournaments, especially once you get to the later rounds. The more straightforward your deck, the less opportunity you will have to misplay with it, which means that your overall level of play will be higher. Even the best of the best don’t play perfectly throughout an event, and so by accounting for this in advance, you can give yourself a better chance to be successful.

This also means that Miraidon is relatively quicker to learn than some of the more complicated decks in the format. I’d be much more comfortable playing this with limited playtesting than something like Rapid Strike or Lost Box. Since the strategy is less matchup-dependent too, you can get yourself to a higher baseline with this deck than with something where you might have to change up your game plan heavily against different opposing decks. With that said, Miraidon doesn’t require zero thought, and more importantly, it’s not so simple it can’t compete against decks with more varied strategies. Overall, these advantages make it a strong choice for the current format, and we are seeing that in the results.

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LAIC Miraidon ex / Flaaffy

With all of that said, let’s dive into the specifics of the deck itself. The first list I want to go over is Juho Kallama’s LAIC-winning Miraidon ex / Flaaffy list. This list is quite similar to most lists that you’ll see nowadays, as most tend to share the same group of attackers and most of the same tech Item cards. Here’s the list:

[decklist name=”flaaff” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″][pokemon amt=”15″]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=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zeraora” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ 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=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Electric Generator” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ 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=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]13x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”13″][/card]1x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The biggest new addition among the Pokemon is [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], and while all of the others are nice, it is Iron Hands ex that has pushed this deck toward the top of the meta. Iron Hands ex solves what was once one of this deck’s biggest weaknesses — that is, how do you deal with single-Prize Pokemon? I don’t just mean single-Prize decks like Lost Box; I also mean the early game against decks like [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], where your first attack is typically going to have to be against one of their single-Prize unevolved Basics. Without Iron Hands ex, KOing one of these means only getting one Prize, which means that you’ll still need to attack at least three more times in order to win. In many cases, this made it effectively a wasted attack, since it didn’t actually get you any closer to winning. At best, it would mean you would have a slightly easier time finding a final Pokemon to KO in the endgame, but it would also give you a distinct disadvantage against [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card].

Iron Hands ex solves this by effectively making any of your opponent’s Pokemon into a Pokemon V. This also means that your opponent can no longer easily try to buy a turn by dodging into an alternate single-Prize attacker. Additionally, if you can’t get a OHKO on a particular turn, as you might not be able to against a tanky Pokemon ex or VSTAR, Amp You Very Much can then be used to take an extra Prize, so it’s as if you had still taken one Prize with the previous turn’s attack.

Overall, this means that it is much more difficult for any opponent to play around Miraidon’s strategy, and since Miraidon is already naturally much better than other decks in terms of speed and consistency, what used to be tougher matchups have now become much easier. While it may seem difficult to power up, in practice it is surprisingly easy to get those four Energy attached, even in the early game. In the late game, Flaaffy can power it up quickly, so it isn’t much of an issue even once you start running low on [card name=”Electric Generator” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. If you don’t manage to get to the full four Energy, you can also always attack with Arm Press, so it’s a low-risk play to go for if your opponent is starting with a single-Prize Pokemon.

Other Card Choices

Pokemon

As for the deck’s other attackers, [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] is your cheap attacker, as it’s the easiest to power up. Miraidon ex is a capable attacker as well, and it is most useful in scenarios where Raikou V can’t quite get the OHKO, or you need the slight bit of extra HP that Miraidon ex has. [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] is your big hitter, and while you won’t use it in many matchups, it is important against high-HP opponents that you otherwise won’t be able to OHKO.

[card name=”Zeraora” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is in the deck to function as an additional free retreater; Battle Claw occasionally comes in handy, but it is mostly in the deck to be a pivot. Since Electric Generator can only attach to the Bench, you want to have at least one Pokemon with a Retreat Cost of zero in play so you can easily switch back to whatever you powered up. [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] has free retreat, but Zeraora can be searched for with Miraidon ex, so by having it in the list you make sure you’ll have that free retreat option early even if you don’t have a second search card to find the Mew.

Mew ex and [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] give this deck a bit of extra consistency. It plays aggressively, and Squawk and Seize is a nice way to dig deeper into the deck. Mew ex lets you go a bit further while also providing you with a pivot option, and it is also useful against a late-game Iono, as well as attacking into certain matchups.

The Trainers

[cardimg name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”213″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Trainers in this list are nothing out of the ordinary. The one exception is that this list uses [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], as opposed to more consistency-oriented Stadiums like [card name=”Beach Court” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. Once this deck gets set up, it doesn’t need to use Abilities other than Dynamotor (which isn’t shut off by Path to the Peak) or the occasional Restart or Tandem Unit. Given how little benefit you get from those latter two, in many instances it is simply more effective to shut off your opponent’s Abilities instead, especially if they are playing a deck that relies on them, such as Charizard ex.

Path to the Peak also gives this deck a decent strategy to use when going first, in that you can set up, then put Path to the Peak in play, thus forcing your opponent to have a counter Stadium if they want to take advantage of stuff like [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] or Squawkabilly ex. This can be particularly useful in the mirror match, or against something like [card name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], where you’re otherwise at a decisive disadvantage by going first. With this list, you also have the possibility of the ol’ late-game Path to the Peak / Iono combo, which is always a nice trick to have when the match isn’t going well. By playing Path to the Peak over a different Stadium, you are going to be weaker to your opponent’s potential turn-one Path, so it isn’t entirely without risks, but it is good often enough to make it worth it.

Fourteen Energy

The Energy count here is a bit lower than you might have seen in other lists, but the thirteen Lightning Energy are still plenty to hit off your Electric Generator. The one copy of [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] is included to make it a bit easier to power up Iron Hands ex in a single turn, and it can also do the same for Mew ex, though whether the –20 damage is relevant or not depends on the matchup. It isn’t usable against [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], for instance, but is more than fine when copying [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card].

Turn It Up — Miraidon ex / Peony

That last list is certainly good — it did win an IC, after all — but if you’re really looking for a deck with that extra oomph, you’ll want to check out this one. The second list I want to go over, Nick Robinson’s Top 8 list from San Antonio, is more representative of what was successful most recently. Unlike the above list, this list utilizes a [card name=”Peony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] engine, which gives it an even more explosive and consistent early game. The list also has some other subtle changes to accommodate the addition of Peony. Here’s that list:

[decklist name=”peony” amt=”60″ caption=””undefined][pokemon amt=”14″]2x [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raichu V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mareep” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Peony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Electric Generator” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Shining Legends” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ 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]2x [card name=”Beach Court” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”17″]16x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”16″][/card]1x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Aside from the Peony, the immediate differences that stand out are the higher Energy count, the use of Beach Court instead of Path to the Peak, and the thinner Flaaffy line. This list also plays an extra Mew ex, a Lumineon V, and a pair of [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card], all changes that make sense with the Peony engine. Other than that, the list is largely the same; you still have the same assortment of attackers and the same overarching strategy of using Electric Generator to attack quickly.

[cardimg name=”Peony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”197″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Battle VIP Pass can find you a Miraidon ex and either a Mew ex or a Squawkabilly ex, effectively setting up your entire field with one Item. If you haven’t been able to set up your Pokemon before using Peony, then grabbing Battle VIP Pass plus an Electric Generator will be your go-to move. This gives you all the Pokemon you need, ideally some Energy acceleration, and then you can refresh your hand with Squawk and Seize. If you have been able to set up, then you can instead use Peony to grab two Electric Generator, which gives you a good chance of being able to attack right away. The higher Energy count makes the Electric Generator more reliable as well; it’s pretty rare that you’ll miss with them when playing this list.

As a result, the turn one with this deck can feel kind of crazy. A common opening turn involves filling up your Bench with Miraidon ex, an Iron Hands ex, a Mew ex, and a Squawkabilly ex, using Peony to grab Electric Generator and attach up to four Lightning Energy — and then drawing nine additional cards after that! It doesn’t take much to get to that point either, as you only need a handful of Pokemon search Items to pull that off. Even if it doesn’t line up that perfectly, you will still reliably be able to attack turn one, which is the goal of the deck. The Beach Court make it easier to switch into that attacker, and the Lumineon V makes it easier to find your Peony, so you can make sure to get the Energy acceleration you need.

Other Changes

The other small additions in this list are [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]. Raihan is quite nice, as it gives you a bonus way to accelerate Energy even if you don’t have your Flaaffy in play. It is also how you can power up Mew ex in one turn without using Double Turbo Energy. You can search for it with Lumineon V if needed, and you can double up on your Energy acceleration by using it to search for Electric Generator.

The Collapsed Stadium may seem a bit awkward in here, since it isn’t like you can use it to rid your board of multi-Prize Pokemon — that doesn’t quite work when all of your attackers are Pokemon ex or V — but it does still come in handy. First, you can use it to open up a Bench spot for later use, such as for a late-game Lumineon V. The other main way I’ve found Collapsed Stadium useful is in conjunction with [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. You can use Bravery Charm to survive what would otherwise be an OHKO, then use Collapsed Stadium to get that damaged Pokemon off of your field. Otherwise, your opponent could simply wait to find a [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], and use that at an opportune time to take that KO anyway.

Finally, the Spiritomb is useful in a few matches, especially against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] decks, as it shuts off their [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”255″ c=”name”][/card]. Like with Path to the Peak, you can also use it to prevent an opponent from using Lumineon V, or any other Basic V that might be good.

Miraidon already wants to go second so that it can attack, so by using a Peony engine, you further lean into the advantage you have when being able to play a turn-one Supporter. Compared to the other list, this one is much more explosive in the early game, to the point that you can reliably get off a turn-one Amp You Very Much. It does have weaker comeback potential, however, as it plays no disruption of any kind, so if you get unlucky and fail to pull off an early attack, there isn’t as much you can do. The smaller Flaaffy line can be prone to having a piece in the Prize cards, which makes this deck’s late game dicier, but again, the goal here is to win quickly, before those struggles can manifest themselves.

General Strategy

You’ll want to choose to go second with this deck so that you can attack first. This is especially important in the Peony build, since you’re a bit more reliant on being able to use Supporters on turn one, and since you don’t have Path to the Peak to slow down your opponent’s opening turn. Your main goal this turn will be to get a KO. If your opponent is starting with a single-Prize Pokemon, then you’ll ideally want to attack with Iron Hands ex; otherwise, Miraidon ex or Raikou V will suffice.

Proper Sequencing Is Key

[cardimg name=”Electric Generator” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”170″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

To start, you’ll want to find Mew ex, Squawkabilly ex, and a Miraidon ex, along with one of your Pokemon V (so you can use [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]) and either Mareep or Iron Hands ex, depending on whether you’re trying to attack with the latter that turn. Once you’ve done that, you’ll want to continue to thin out your hand and deck as much as possible, then use Electric Generator if you have one.

If there’s one important thing to learn about this deck, it is how to properly sequence your actions so you get the most out of Electric Generator. If you watch any streamed matches of players using Miraidon, you’ll notice that Electric Generator tends to come after the player takes as many actions as possible to thin the deck out of cards that aren’t Lightning Energy. That is, they’ll first use [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card], or Tandem Unit to get Pokemon out of their deck, then finally play the Electric Generator once they can no longer thin any further.

Now, where this can get tricky is when it comes to cards like [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] and Forest Seal Stone, where the result of the Electric Generator may influence what you want to grab with those cards. Typically, it’s best to use the search cards first if you’re in a situation where you know that you’re definitely going to grab a specific card, but otherwise it’s better to wait if the outcome of Electric Generator can affect your play. For example, if you already have an attack ready to go, and just need a Switch, it’s fine to play Arven first, since you know you’ll definitely be searching for that Switch. However, if you don’t have that attack ready to go, it may be better to hold off, in case you need to use that Arven to search for something else, such as another Electric Generator. Of course, you’ll also need to balance that with how much you need that Electric Generator attachment; if you absolutely need to hit with it, then you may still want to use the Arven first to maximize your chances. If you aren’t sure, then consider what your plan will be if you miss with your Electric Generator versus if you hit with it. If the plan is the same, then go ahead and play the search card first; if the plan changes, then wait to play it afterward.

Once you’ve played as many cards out of your hand as possible, it should be low enough to use Mew ex’s Restart, which you’ll want to do before using Squawk and Seize or playing a draw Supporter. If you’re using the Peony build, though, you’ll want to use Peony first, then Restart. The reasoning in both cases is that you draw more cards by doing things in that order; by using Restart before Squawk and Seize, you guarantee that you’ll be able to draw at least some cards with the Ability, whereas you may not be able to if you do things in the opposite order. Finally, use Squawk and Seize, and continue to play out your hand until you’ve done everything you can. Then, lastly, attack, and enjoy your turn-one KO.

If you’re going first, then your actions will largely be the same, but without the Supporter and the attack, of course. If you are set up and playing the LAIC list, then it’s a good idea to put Path to the Peak in play, so long as you aren’t relying on either of your Abilities on the next turn (if you have a bad hand and need Restart, for instance). The other thing you will want to try to do, if you are up against a deck that can get its own turn-one KO against your Pokemon ex (such as the mirror match), is to get a single-Prize Pokemon into the Active Spot, be it Zeraora, Mareep, or [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card]. That way, you can mitigate the advantage they would have by attacking first.

Once you get your first KO, your goal will be to start powering up your next Pokemon. Miraidon’s attackers don’t have a ton of HP, so it’s fairly likely that you’ll be Knocked Out close to every turn. If you can get at least one Flaaffy into play, that can go a long way toward making sure you can keep the attacks going. The nice thing is that in most cases, which Pokemon you attack with doesn’t matter, just so long as you are attacking with something that can get a KO. The cases where the attacker does matter tend to be for straightforward reasons. That is, you might prioritize attacking with Miraidon ex over Raikou V against an opponent that can attack for 200 or 210, or if you need to do the extra damage to get a Knock Out.

Again, Miraidon ex thankfully isn’t too tricky a deck; once you’re at this point in the game, you don’t have to do much other than set up your other attackers, and continue to thin your hand and deck out to play around Iono and bolster your chances with your Electric Generator. So long as you focus on improving your sequencing, you’ll be able to get the hang of the deck before too long.

Overall, Miraidon ex is a powerful, consistent deck that has certainly earned its place among the format’s top options. I would expect it to be a considerable threat at least until our format rotates, and possibly beyond, depending on what cards come out in the future. With that, we’ve come to the end of this article, but as always, if you have any questions about the deck, or anything else Pokemon, definitely be sure to ask here or in the PTCG Subscriber’s Hideout! As always, best of luck to everyone, and stay safe!

Thanks for reading!

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