How to Play the Most Well-Rounded Deck — Giratina VSTAR

By: Grant Manley · Posted Posted onFeb 27, 2024 at 2:14 PM · 6 Comments

As this Standard format draws to a close, we still have about a month left until rotation. I’ve been playing some [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] lately and I wanted to discuss it one last time, at least before rotation.

Giratina VSTAR has consistently been a Top 3 deck in the Paradox Rift format. It is known for having an array of matchups that are neither good nor bad — Giratina has a decent shot at beating just about anything. Unfortunately, the inverse is also true, as it has very few slam-dunk matchups. Giratina is a well-rounded and anti-nonsense deck. It is difficult to counter, and has ways to deal with just about any situation. It has the potential to be aggressive and fast if it draws well, but is even better known for its comeback potential. Giratina has massive damage output, lots of skill expression, disruption, and different attackers. Its consistency isn’t the greatest, but at least most of the Pokemon in the deck can draw cards. Giratina often has slow starts, but thanks to its Abyss Seeking attack and [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flower Selecting, it usually isn’t completely dead in the water.

Today I want to talk about how to play Giratina VSTAR into [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”223″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”245″ c=”name”][/card], which are two of the most popular matchups. This article will delve into detailed and technical aspects. I won’t discuss the deck list this time. Most Giratina lists are similar at this point, and Natalie covered it very well in her article here. I agree with basically everything she discussed about the list in that article. I am currently playing the standard list with no techs, three Water Energy, and four copies of [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] as the only switching options. I don’t have any spicy cards, but instead some spicy gameplay tips.

Because of the various routes this deck can take, the way to play it is highly dependent on the matchup and what the opponent is doing. Let’s get into the meat and potatoes.

Vs. Charizard ex

[cardimg name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”223″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Charizard ex is a very close matchup. To be honest, I’ve felt favored going into this matchup whether I am on the Charizard side or the Giratina VSTAR side. I think it is slightly in Giratina’s favor on average. Charizard is a better deck, but Giratina has lots of fun options for the matchup. Keep in mind that every game and every situation are different, and adaptability is the name of the game. That said, here are some key points to use as rules of thumb:

  • Use Star Requiem on a clean Charizard ex. This is the most efficient use of Star Requiem. It gets you two Prizes, and it is your only way to one-shot a Charizard ex.
  • Always keep track of Charizard ex’s current damage output, as well as [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] later in the game. You want to make them hit into Giratina for a two-shot as much as possible, and try to avoid giving them convenient one-shot options. As soon as Radiant Charizard comes online, it should be heavily disrupted by [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG66″ c=”name”][/card]. Radiant Charizard is a threat, but it usually can’t attack you. [premium]
  • Don’t give them a clean [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card]-KO on [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] when you are at five or four Prizes. Evolve or hold extra Giratina V in your hand at that point. Sometimes it is okay to leave a Giratina V on turn 2 as they probably won’t have the entire combo on their second turn. I like to go for two Giratina V in the early game. If I can’t evolve both into Giratina VSTAR, sometimes I will attack with Abyss Seeking or Shred and make them two-shot the first one.
  • Threaten [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], and punish a lack of [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] if they fail to get them into play. There will be many games where you don’t end up attacking with either. Therefore, it is okay to send to the Lost Zone the pieces to attack with Radiant Greninja or Sableye, but keeping those options applies a lot of pressure. They can’t always get to Manaphy and Jirachi, and the punish can be huge swing to your favor.
  • Assume you are getting spammed with [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”254″ c=”name”][/card], and always play around it to the best of your ability. Charizard likes to disrupt your large hand size, and it is also their main source of draw-power so they have to play Iono anyway.
  • Don’t worry too much about going to odd Prizes. It will often happen. Sometimes you want to delay going to three Prizes because they can one-shot a clean Giratina VSTAR when you’re at three Prize cards remaining. If you’re at five Prizes, you might consider two-shotting their first Charizard and then using Star Requiem on the next one. If you use Star Requiem first, you are letting them win the game faster for no reason. You’ll have to two-shot that next Charizard anyway. This all kind of depends on how the game is going, so I wouldn’t overthink it too much.
  • Spam Path to the Peak, but save one or two copies for the Roxanne turn. Prioritize keeping them when deciding what to Lost Zone. Path to the Peak is extremely strong against Charizard. Even if they have the immediate counter, you are straining their resources and setting yourself up for a good Roxanne. Alternatively, they might whiff the Path to the Peak counter and you just win on the spot. Path to the Peak on turn 1 is great too, as they often rely on [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] to set up.
  • Remember that [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] is awesome. Sometimes you use it to poke a Charizard, sometimes you use it for that fast early game Prize, and sometimes both. If they have [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] in the Active Spot, I want to KO it with Cramorant on turn 1. Taking a Prize on turn 1 with Cramorant is generally good. It’s unlikely for them to have the turn 2 Charizard plus Boss’s Orders and a damage modifier to KO Giratina V. You hope they don’t have it in exchange for applying pressure with Cramorant. If you don’t get the early KO, it is still fine. Cramorant is very useful for poking a Charizard before or after using Lost Impact.
  • Use Boss’s Orders or [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] to KO their [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench using Lost Impact — it is sometimes good when it comes up, but that doesn’t always happen.
  • You will need a Boss’s Orders to close out the game. This isn’t always on the last turn, but you will usually need a Boss’s Orders play at some point, so be sure to keep at least one around. I like to keep both if possible, but you know the drill with Giratina; sometimes one ends up in the Lost Zone despite our best efforts. You will usually need to use Boss’s Orders regardless of whether you are on odd or even prizes.

Let’s talk about the early game. Radiant Greninja is fantastic. Aside from its normal use of drawing cards and repurposing extra Energy that end up in your hand, it applies lots of pressure with Moonlight Shuriken. They will usually get Manaphy onto their Bench, which is fine. If they can’t, or if it’s Prized, we can go for a Moonlight Shuriken for two Prize cards. If we can’t get two Prizes from it, it probably isn’t worth setting up. Setting up damage on Pidgeot ex or Rotom V usually isn’t relevant. The only other good use for Moonlight Shuriken is if they have [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”223″ c=”name”][/card] in the Active Spot. You can poke it for 90 damage to set up for Lost Impact, while taking a KO on a [card name=”Charmander” set=”151″ no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench. This applies a lot of pressure because they are losing a Charmander immediately and their Charizard on the next turn. Of course, all of this only comes up when Manaphy isn’t around.

Locking out your own Radiant Greninja with Path to the Peak seems like it would be annoying, but if the Stadium card is sticking around, you’ve already won the game. You can rely on them bumping Path to the Peak as soon as they can, so always keep that in mind. Playing Path to the Peak on the first and second turn is great. It is difficult for them to find the entire combo to set up. If they try to forego Pidgeot ex, you will probably win. Again, even if they bump it, you are trimming down their resources. Also keep in mind that all of their Stadium bumps benefit you in some way: [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] accelerate your Lost Zone, [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] helps you find Cramorant or [card name=”Comfey” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG14″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Lost Origin” no=”215″ c=”name”][/card] usually hurts them more than it hurts you. You do sometimes have to be careful about Lost City though.

Using Giratina V’s Abyss Seeking isn’t terrible in the early game. You mostly just use it because you have to. If you get a good start though, I would definitely prefer to not let them get a free hit into a Giratina V. Making Charizard ex work for its early KO’s on Giratina is where your deck gets its advantage. Using Abyss Seeking and letting them get that easy 180 damage is not ideal. That said, you often do use Abyss Seeking in this matchup. It helps accelerate your Lost Zone and draws cards, which is oftentimes too good to pass up, or at the very least – it’s not a bad desperation option. Again, if your hand is good enough to leave a single-Prize Pokemon in the Active Spot (hopefully attacking with Cramorant), then that is ideal. You also want them to get down to three Prize cards exactly, or at least make them use multiple Boss’s Orders to avoid doing so.

If you start out with Cramorant and they manage to KO it, go into the Giratina V and force a two shot KO. If they Boss around it and KO another single-Prize Pokemon, attack with a third single-Prize Pokemon. If they attack into the Giratina, attack with it and let them go to three Prize cards. From there, use two more Giratina VSTAR along with the trusty Roxanne + Path to the Peak combo. If you started with Abyss Seeking, let them two shot that Giratina V and force a single-Prize Pokemon into your Active Spot after that, followed by two more Giratina VSTAR. Sometimes it is better to go into a second Giratina right away, and then the single-Prize Pokemon on the Roxanne turn. It depends what your attack of choice will be after you use Abyss Seeking If you go Abyss Seeking -> they hit you -> Lost Impact -> they KO -> go single-Prize Pokemon KO. If that Lost Impact was a Shred instead, you may consider finishing off that Charizard ex with Lost Impact. It’s a little sad that two Shreds comes up short from taking a KO.

I had a recent game at a League Cup where I had a terrible start and my opponent had a slightly below average start. They managed to KO my Comfey -> I use Abyss Seeking -> They hit for 180 damage -> I used Abyss Seeking again -> They KO me to go to three Prizes -> I use Roxanne + Path to the Peak + Star Requiem. I ended up winning because they could not set up two more Charizard ex, and they could not immediately OHKO my Giratina VSTAR. Sometimes you will use Counter Catcher + Lost Impact to KO your opponent’s Pidgeot ex in those spots, so they cannot use Boss’s Orders if they get the Path to the Peak bump off your Roxanne play. My opponent had to use some Path to the Peak counters to set up because I was using Path to the Peak early. When you have a poor start, these are the kinds of lines you can look for.

I hope I’m making sense here. The fundamental point is playing around Charizard ex’s current damage output and forcing them to odd Prizes. Odd Prize cards forces them to go through three Giratina (or use up several copies of Boss’s Orders to avoid that), as well as puts them on the Roxanne turn sooner.

Resources You Need

  • Cramorant
  • As many Giratina pieces as possible
  • At least two [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card]
  • At least one [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], sometimes both
  • As many copies of Path to the Peak as possible
  • At least one Roxanne and at least one Boss’s Orders. There are some games where you don’t need Roxanne if you draw really well.

Lower Priority

  • Sableye
  • Extra Comfey, but depends if they KO any, as you need to Iono proof yourself.
  • Water Energy
  • Counter Catcher (this can still be good of course, but they are usually attacking with Charizard ex which you want to hit, and later you may need Boss’s Orders if Counter Catcher is not activated)
  • [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] (especially if you use Abyss Seeking and need fewer Comfey as a result)
  • Sometimes you can ditch a [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card], though I always hate doing that.

Overall, it’s still a close matchup. Sometimes you just lose.

Vs. Gardevoir ex

[cardimg name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”245″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is a weird matchup because of the many different ways it can go. The [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”245″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is very close, though I’d say it is slightly favored for Gardevoir on average. A big part of this matchup is how well both decks draw in the early game. If they get a fast [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] Mirage Step and you whiff the turn 1 [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], things get a little dicey. However, Gardevoir is prone to some slow and inconsistent starts, which you can punish heavily. Here are some pointers:

  • Keep in mind that both [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] are about equal to functionality as they are against [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”223″ c=”name”][/card]. They apply a lot of pressure and force the opponent to have [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. If you catch them without either of those, you can really punish. For that reason, you want to be able to threaten both attackers, but you don’t Lost Zone important resources in order to do so. After all, there are still many games where you don’t attack with either, so it is okay to Lost Zone them.
  • Go for the turn 1 Cramorant. Cramorant can easily take two Prize cards at the start of the game, which makes it easier to close out the game before Gardevoir ex catches up.
  • Using [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] is extremely strong in this matchup. Avoid sending this Supporter to the Lost Zone. Boss’s Orders is commonly used to take a KO on [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] with Cramorant, or to use [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG69″ c=”name”][/card]’s Star Requiem on your opponent’s Gardevoir ex.
  • Path is disruptive, but they will probably have the counter if they are drawing well. Save at least one Path for the Roxanne turn. By the time you get to Roxanne, you should have KO’d some of their draw-Pokemon, so Roxanne Path has a chance of sticking.
  • You can use their Moonlit Hill for healing if they try to set up damage on a Giratina. I had a recent League Cup game where my opponent hit my [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] for 120 damage, and I used [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] plus their Moonlit Hill and evolved it to Giratina VSTAR to put it out of range of the attacking Gardevoir ex checkmate that my opponent had set up.
  • Shred is an efficient attack, but sometimes you go for Lost Impact instead because it is more difficult for them to KO your Giratina VSTAR. Try to avoid having an extra unevolved Giratina V on the Bench when you attack with Giratina VSTAR, as they can just use [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] for an easy two Prizes. Make them work for it!
  • Sometimes you can set up damage on their attackers to prevent lots of Energy from being loaded onto them.
  • Always expect them to use [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”254″ c=”name”][/card] and set up your board to play around it. Iono is very annoying, but there’s nothing you can do to stop it from happening. I usually play out most of my hand to set up my board rather than holding onto combo pieces, as they typically play three or four Iono.

Another thing to note is that the turn 1 Cramorant is significantly less important if they start with a single-Prize Pokemon that can tank it, such as Radiant Greninja or [card name=”Cresselia” set=”Lost Origin” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. It usually isn’t worth going for turn 1 Cramorant against those Pokemon. They will likely negate that damage with Jirachi or [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Lost Origin” no=”215″ c=”name”][/card]. Setting up with Giratina V’s Abyss Seeking is actually pretty free, as they usually won’t attack until turn 3. Abyss Seeking is good, but taking a turn 1 KO with Cramorant is just better.

Keep a careful eye on your Energy counts. Sometimes you will have to use Shred to avoid Lost Impact’s downside of sending two Energy cards to the Lost Zone. Once you get to seven cards in the Lost Zone and start using [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card], you can usually map out how many Energy cards you will need to close out the game. Don’t be afraid to use Lost Impact against their single-Prize Pokemon. Again, make them work hard for those two-Prize KOs. That extra 60 HP that Giratina VSTAR provides is valuable and it demands more things in response from the Gardevoir ex player.

Spamming [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card] is great, but you usually don’t play it on turn 1. You can shut off their Radiant Greninja but you shut off your own as well. If they have Radiant Greninja on their Bench, they will run into Bench space issues because they also need Manaphy and Jirachi. If you are going second and foresee a potential turn 2 Gardevoir ex attack, that would be the one time to play Path to the Peak on turn 1. Feel free to spam the Stadium card from turn 2 onwards, but of course, make sure to have one alongside your eventual [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG66″ c=”name”][/card] play.

The resources you need and don’t need are basically the same as against Charizard ex. However, this matchup is a lot less straightforward and a lot more reactive, so the resources you need will often change based on the board-state and situation!

Conclusion

Also, always Prize check your Basic Energy counts on your first search! It is very important to always know what Energy you have in deck for using Mirage Gate. I also like to check for [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], Mirage Gate, and Giratina VSTAR when I remember to. This will help you know when it is okay to Lost Zone one of them.

Hopefully this article was helpful. Giratina VSTAR is a very interesting deck that has seen a lot of play in this format. For the time that Path to the Peak has left, arm yourself with these tips and crush every Charizard ex and Gardevoir ex you see!

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