Blocking Out the Sun — Snorlax for Charlotte
Hey everyone! It’s Charlie, and I’m happy to be back with another article. With Charlotte Regionals coming up, I’ve been working on a few different decks to try and counter the new meta. One thing I’ve been focusing on recently is control concepts. While [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Stall has been very successful recently, it has a notoriously bad matchup against [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] decks, which just took first and second place at the Portland Regional Championships. With such a bad matchup against the likely best deck in format, Snorlax Stall needs to adjust if it wants any chance to succeed. However, this isn’t as easy as just adding a few techs and making the matchup an auto-win. Lost Zone Giratina has a very specific set of tools at its disposal that makes dealing with control decks pretty easy. With multiple switching Items, four [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card], a Shred attack on [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], a free attack on [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], and an auto-KO VSTAR Power, Lost Zone Giratina has pretty much everything a control deck struggles to deal with. This means we’ll need to try and attack its weaknesses directly — but as you’ll see, Giratina doesn’t have many big weaknesses.
When I start thinking about how to counter a deck, I usually sit down and try to identify anything specific that the deck isn’t able to do. A good example would be that [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] decks can’t attack with [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], so it’s theoretically vulnerable to being trapped. For Giratina, some of the weaknesses I identified include its limited max damage being 280 (outside of Star Requiem), a limit on how many times you can use Lost Impact (since you must put two Energy in the Lost Zone each usage), and a tough time drawing out of disruption Supporters like [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card]. With these weaknesses in mind, it was time to try and exploit them.
A Starting Point
When I started this project, I wanted to first look at successful lists from recent events. Hale Obernolte was able to take Snorlax / [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] to Top 8 in San Antonio, so I started by just playing his list. While its Giratina matchup was pretty awful, his updated list from Portland fixed a few things and added some creative new techs. Here it is:
[decklist name=”Snorlax Charizard” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″][pokemon amt=”11″]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]1x [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chi-Yu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mawile” set=”Lost Origin” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ 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]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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Peonia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ 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=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ 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=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ 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=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”5″]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is a bit different than Hale’s San Antonio list; the most notable addition is the [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] and a few Trainers that support it. The way the combo works is you allow your opponent, playing Giratina, to get down to three Prizes, then play Roxanne, power up Charizard with [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], and KO their Giratina. This usually forces them to wait a turn, during which you can just [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] to pick up the Charizard and do it again — or, if they attack, you can recover it with Super Rod and do it again anyway. This combo is obviously not foolproof, though. Almost all Giratina lists include three or four [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], which turns off your Pidgeot and Radiant Charizard. You need to find your counter Stadiums at the right time if you want to pull the combo off, which is why it’s a bit frail and doesn’t reliably beat Giratina decks. I’ll explain a few of the differences from a more normal list below:
Two Pidgey, Two Pidgeot ex
Pidgeot ex is the engine that makes this deck so stable throughout the game. Unlike traditional Snorlax lists, Pidgeot makes you way more resistant to Iono combos and lets you find whatever you want on any given turn. This lets you build your list much more greedily, with much lower counts of disruption Trainers, since you find what you want every turn. Pidgeot is also a good pivot and allows you to KO threats like [card name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] that might get in your way. Overall, I think Pidgeot adds a new dimension to the deck and offers a lot of versatility that the regular Snorlax version just doesn’t have.
One Luxray V
[card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] is a really cool card in this deck. Not only does it act as a 260-HP Basic with [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] attached, it also has Fang Snipe, which lets you look at your opponent’s hand and discard any Trainer you find there. Expecting them to play a Boss next turn? Go ahead and discard it before they get the chance! This also combos extremely well with Roxanne, since you can disrupt the hand and then remove any potentially dangerous cards they drew. Luxray is such a threat to opponents who try to stockpile a bunch of powerful cards and play them all at once to take the lead. At times it can feel underpowered, but since this deck can efficiently loop Penny better than any other, Luxray is by far the best Basic Pokemon V for the job.
One Snorlax, One Mawile
Unlike most Snorlax players, Hale only opted to play a single Snorlax! However, he included a [card name=”Mawile” set=”Lost Origin” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] as well to provide an even stronger lock in situations when you win the game barring only a [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] play. For example, if Charizard has played all their switch cards, but not all their Bosses, Mawile can lock [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] instead of Snorlax and Boss won’t matter. Since you still have the infinite deck recycling with [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], this is an interesting win condition for lists that play Energy cards. I’m not sure if I like Mawile here, and I’m going to test a list with more Snorlax since it’s a much better starter, but it’s a cool option to have for sure.
[premium]
One Radiant Charizard, One Chi-Yu ex, One Defiance Band, One Magma Basin, Three Fire Energy
These are all the cards that I’d consider part of the Fire package for Giratina. [card name=”Chi-Yu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is here to replace [card name=”Crabominable V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], since it’s easier to use with Fire Energy, but the rest goes together and needs to be used all at once. As I explained earlier, the combo is playing Roxanne, then powering up a Radiant Charizard in one turn to KO a Giratina VSTAR (or a V, in which case you don’t need [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]). This can often allow you to make a huge comeback and eliminate all the major threats, letting you win by taking your Prize cards instead. This line of play is very similar to those made by Radiant Charizard / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] decks of the past; you fall behind and then take a big KO every turn to win just in time. The theory behind this combo is very strong, but as I explained earlier, it’s unfortunately very weak to Path to the Peak.
In order to address this issue with Path, I reworked the list a little bit to include a pair of cards I thought could flip the matchup on its head. Here’s my updated list:
[decklist name=”Snorlax Charizard” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Solrock” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”93″][pokemon amt=”13″]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=”Chi-Yu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lunatone” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Solrock” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]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]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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Peonia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ 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=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cheryl” set=”Battle Styles” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ 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=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”5″]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Lunatone” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”92″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
As you can see, not much in the core has changed, but the [card name=”Stormy Mountains” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] are suspiciously missing. In their place I’ve added [card name=”Lunatone” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Solrock” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], a pair of cards from Obsidian Flames that have long been overlooked since they take up too much Bench space. While it can take a bit of effort to get them on the Bench, the LunaSol combo does quite a lot to disrupt Path decks. With both of them in play, Lunatone’s Ability prevents the effects of all Stadium cards done to your Pokemon in play! This is extremely powerful in a deck like this. Not only does LunaSol keep Charizard’s Ability active, it lets you continue using Pidgeot and [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] under Path as well! The combo is surprisingly foolproof too; things like [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] aren’t able to remove it because it prevents Stadium effects.
However, it’s nowhere near perfect. The early game is still your biggest weakness, and [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] decks can also Judge / Path you out of the game very easily. If you set up, though, you’ll confidently win these matchups due to the sheer power of LunaSol. I also added a [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] as a target for [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] so you can get the LunaSol and other Basics more easily. Overall, if you’re able to get off the ground, this gives you a very real chance against Giratina and makes you less susceptible to Mew’s Judge / Path combo.
This still doesn’t make Giratina a matchup I want to see, though. With two copies of Boss’s Orders in most lists nowadays, your Pidgeot is still not safe, and targeting that can be a huge pain against Giratina. With that in mind, I took one more crack at trying to build a counter to it, and I found a pretty good one in … Mewtwo V-UNION?
[decklist name=”Snorlax Mewtwo” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mewtwo V-UNION” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH159 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Rotom VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lunatone” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Solrock” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Peonia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Adventurer’s Discovery” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”224″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”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″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Flannery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Miss Fortune Sisters” set=”Lost Origin” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ 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=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This list is quite different than any other Snorlax list that I’ve seen recently, so I’m going to go into all my card choices and the problems they solve. But first, let’s talk about what Mewtwo brings to the table!
Mewtwo V-UNION first saw success in Sander Wojcik’s Top 4 NAIC Mewtwo Stall deck back in 2022. It took advantage of a huge flaw in the format: pretty much every single deck couldn’t do more than 200 damage reliably to a lone Mewtwo. This allowed Mewtwo to infinitely heal with Super Regeneration until the opponent ran out of cards, while you refilled your deck with Cyllene, Pal Pad, and [card name=”Team Yell’s Cheer” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card].
[cardimg name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
However, this is not a format where 200 damage is the practical ceiling. Not only is 200 pretty commonplace, but Charizard decks hit you for Weakness, and our main enemy, Giratina, does 280! Even worse, Giratina has Star Requiem to take an instant KO! However, all is not lost. [card name=”Defiance Vest” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] is a new card that makes your Pokemon take 40 less damage when you’re behind on Prizes, and in combination with [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], it gives your Mewtwo a whopping 70-damage reduction. This means Lost Impact will now hit for 210, so they’ll need to use Lost Impact eleven times for a KO, barring any Tool removal. This is wholly impractical since no Giratina list plays 22 Energy, giving you a pretty much impenetrable wall.
To address Star Requiem, Mewtwo luckily has a built-in wall in Photon Barrier, protecting it from any effects of attacks. Path can easily shut this off, but not with LunaSol in play! If Giratina players are forced to go after Lunatone and/or Solrock, you can swiftly respond with either a Psysplosion or a Final Burn to cripple their board. When you think about it, Mewtwo with this much damage reduction is such a ridiculous wall that pretty much nothing outside of a Darkness-type Pokemon can take down. Even crazier is the fact that [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] decks don’t have a great way to beat Mewtwo either, outside of [card name=”Galarian Moltres V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. If you can get rid of them or they fill their Bench up without Moltres, you can actually run them out of their four [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and simply never put a Stadium into play. This means the maximum they’re able to do with Calamity Storm is 200, which you easily heal, and you’re protected from Frenzied Gouging by Photon Barrier. While this is obviously niche, it’s a cool play to show that Mewtwo can take down even some Darkness decks that have many ways to OHKO it.
Luckily, the other big Darkness deck, [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], loses to a normal Snorlax control list. By just playing without Mewtwo against them, you win normally with Block. This gives you a potential answer to almost everything in the format, with a super powerful trump card in Mewtwo that can handle lists with too many switching outs. Here are my thoughts on some of my other card choices.
Four Snorlax
This is a more traditional list, so I had to add four Snorlax before anything else. Even if your opponent’s deck is able to switch a lot, Snorlax almost always slows down the game enough to make an impact while you dig for Mewtwo pieces. There’s no better Pokemon to have Active in generic situations, so four copies was an easy choice.
Two Rotom V, One Rotom VSTAR
Didn’t think you’d see [card name=”Rotom VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] in a deck today, did you? Rotom VSTAR adds a powerful effect to this deck that you’d never expect to be so good. I noticed that most Snorlax lists don’t really play ways to discard cards, so it’s actually really hard to set up your Mewtwo. Enter Rotom VSTAR! In combination with [card name=”Adventurer’s Discovery” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”224″ c=”name”][/card] and the huge hand you’ve likely built up over a few turns, Conversion Star lets you dump all of the Mewtwo pieces at once, alongside two Psychic Energy and any other dead card. This also immediately refills your hand with a bunch of new cards you can use to make your turn even stronger. Plus, with a Defiance Vest, Rotom VSTAR survives a Lost Impact. This is extremely important because if Giratina burns their Star Requiem to KO it, you don’t even need LunaSol anymore to use Mewtwo. Overall, Rotom VSTAR is a great addition and goes well alongside the second Rotom V, which is really good when you need it almost every game.
One Lunatone, One Solrock
I explained the power of LunaSol many times already, but I made one change in this list, and that’s playing the Fighting Solrock. This is good since we now run Psychic Energy, and its Ability can turn Lunatone into a free-retreat pivot. Having a pivot in a deck like this lets you cut switching Items, which is critical when you need so much space for Mewtwo.
One Flannery
Instead of the [card name=”Giacomo” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] you see in most lists, I’ve opted for [card name=”Flannery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] here for the Stadium discard effect: no hard Stadium counters in my deck means I want more ways to discard them. Most Mew lists only run two Fusion Strike Energy now anyway, and I don’t even play Spiritomb! The actual application for this is discarding Stadiums in niche situations, like against Roaring Moon to try and run them out. If you need a space, Flannery might be the first card to go, but I do think it serves its purpose well.
Two Peonia
[card name=”Peonia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] was always a staple in Snorlax, but in a list with Mewtwo, two copies is a must. Prizing a piece is a huge pain, but Peonia gives you relatively easy access to them and any other cards you may need to execute the combo.
Two Adventurer’s Discovery
Adventurer’s Discovery is a card usually reserved for Arceus decks — why do we see it here? It grabs a bunch of Mewtwo pieces, and it can also get Rotom V and VSTAR, making your early-game setup and the Conversion Star combo much easier. Two copies feels correct in this list since you only ever need one a game.
Two Defiance Vest, Two Bravery Charm, One Forest Seal Stone
Defiance Vest is obviously important on Mewtwo, so be careful not to waste them in the early game if you’re planning on using Mewtwo. Bravery Charm is much better to use on things like Snorlax. Also, with Conversion Star now an option, I went down to one [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] since you don’t use it every game. This feels like the correct Tool count right now, but I wouldn’t hate playing an extra Defiance Vest.
Two Penny, One Professor Turo’s Scenario
[card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] gets a spot here over a Penny to pick up Rotom VSTAR, and even Mewtwo V-UNION in a pinch. It can also discard Energy you attached earlier, which can be good when setting up for Union Gain. This split is definitely correct in this version of the deck.
Three Psychic Energy, One V Guard Energy
[card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is the key to having so much damage reduction against Giratina, so you obviously want to be careful with the one copy you play. It’s almost exclusively used to attack with Union Gain on the turn you set up Mewtwo. Three Psychic are there so you have the option to Final Burn if need be.
Zero Stadium Cards
With LunaSol, I decided it’s a reasonable gamble to play no Stadium cards. If I were to add one, it would be [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] for setup or Lost City to remove things like Radiant Greninja or [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] from play that could attack your LunaSol. I’m going to spend more time testing these Stadium cards over stuff like Flannery, but I think the deck functions just fine without them.
Conclusion
These decks have been a ton of fun to experiment with, and I’m definitely considering both variants headed into Charlotte. I’m not sure if I’d want to play control in a meta with so much Giratina, but a bit more practice with these lists might change my mind if I feel like there’s a good chance. Also, if you happen to expect very little Giratina for some reason, go ahead and play normal Block Snorlax! It’s an insanely powerful deck with really good matchups into the entire meta besides Giratina. I really like where control fits into the meta right now, and I could 100% see it take down another major event later this year. Don’t sleep on it!
As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the article! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@C4_TCG) or post a comment below. Enjoy messing with these lists, and I’ll see you in the next one!
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