The Temporal Ice Age – Chien-Pao ex Post Rotation!

Hey PokeBeach readers, your favourite [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]-enjoyer is back writing another article for you! Temporal Forces Prereleases have been taking place worldwide, and we have already had a plethora of City League Tournaments happening in Japan using our post-rotation format. With our Standard format coming to a close, I thought I would start getting you prepared for tournaments in our upcoming new format! Today I am going to go over my favourite deck, and one that I think is primed for success; Chien-Pao ex. If you want a super in-depth guide to the deck and some example plays check out this article I wrote a couple of months ago. For this article, I am mainly going to be focusing on how rotation affects the deck and why its position has strengthened.

What Does the Deck Lose and Gain?

One of the main reasons Chien-Pao ex is a strong deck post-rotation is that the deck loses almost no cards from its current iteration.  The only commonly played cards the deck is losing are [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] — while these are core cards to the deck’s current strategy, two cards are coming out in Temporal Forces that are debatably upgrades for the deck that will easily replace them; [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card].

Prime Catcher is one of the strongest cards ever printed in my opinion, and is tailor-made for Chien-Pao ex. Cross Switcher has been a core strategy for the deck and when paired with [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to shut off [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG06″ c=”name”][/card]’s Wave Veil Ability, the deck can wreak havoc on opponent’s boards. With Prime Catcher we can consolidate this combo from three cards to two and also open up three additional spots in our deck list to include more powerful cards. While Prime Catcher does limit us to one gust a game instead of the two that Cross Switcher enables, it was always difficult to pull off multiple Cross Switcher-plays in a game. Normally we would only aim to use the combo once a game, and having it easily accessible on one card is a huge boost for the deck.

Switching out Battle VIP Pass for Buddy-Buddy Poffin weakens the early game slightly, but dramatically increases the deck’s consistency for the rest of the game. The three Pokemon we can’t grab with Buddy-Buddy Poffin are [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], but the only one of these Pokemon we would consistently be grabbing off a Battle VIP Pass turn one is Radiant Greninja. For Chien-Pao ex and Iron Hands ex, we normally grab them when we are ready to attack since we don’t want two-Prize liabilities on our board. When going second we can use [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] to grab the Radiant Greninja, or hopefully draw a copy of [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to grab it as well. One of the problems the deck currently has is if you don’t draw Battle VIP Pass turn one then it is hard to get our ideal board of multiple [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. This is especially a problem when going first since we can’t play Irida. Now, if we falter a bit turn one we can find a Buddy-Buddy Poffin and stabilize our board at any point in the game.

The other card that Chien-Pao ex gains from Temporal Forces is [card name=”Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is a reprint of an effect we’ve had in the past, most recently on [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] during the Sun & Moon era. This Supporter seems perfect for the deck and has massive synergies with [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. As long as you have one of the three you effectively can search your deck for any two cards. Imagine all the strong combos you can grab, [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card]and [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], or even a [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] when you need it. The card is also fantastic at playing around [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] — while the deck does play Bibarel, sometimes it is susceptible to falling prey to [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and our opponent combining that with an Iono. With Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking, we can pre-emptively put game-winning cards on top of our deck. Imagine how strong it is to know you are going to draw Irida or Superior Energy Retrieval no matter what! In my testing with the deck, this card has been super strong so far!

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What Threats Are Rotating?

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

While [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] gets hit pretty light by rotation, we can’t say the same for a lot of other decks in the format. One of the big things about rotation every year is that some archetypes completely disappear and others get significantly weaker. The main card that Chien-Pao ex players are excited to see exit the format is [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. If you have played the TCG the past couple of seasons you know how frustrating this card is to deal with, especially when combined with a [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. Losing access to Concealed Cards and Shivery Chill can hamper Chien-Pao ex in the early game. With Path to The Peak rotating, we don’t have to worry about that anymore, and most decks won’t focus on disrupting our setup.

A deck that seems to be struggling in Japan post-rotation is [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], which is one of Chien-Pao ex’s weaker matchups. The deck is losing [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] which greatly cripples its late game. In our current format this deck sits around 10% of the meta, and having it be more or less eliminated from the meta is great for Chien-Pao ex.

Another card that Chien-Pao ex players can be happy to see gone is [card name=”Avery” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Chien-Pao ex is a deck that relies on setting up multiple support Pokemon, mainly [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. Avery meant leaving yourself susceptible to having one of Baxcalibur or Bibarel completely wiped off of your board, but with Avery gone, we won’t have to worry about disrupting our ideal board state and can focus on setting up the strongest board possible!

One deck that is more or less dead with rotation that Chien-Pao ex would prefer to be sticking around is [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck loses [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], which is probably the strongest single-Prize attacking Pokemon in the format currently, so while a lot of bad matchups/cards are leaving the format, Chien-Pao ex will lose one of its best matchups as well!

A Positive Shift in the Expected Metagame

While we won’t truly know the metagame until Temporal Forces becomes legal in the TPCI regions, we can look to Japan to get a decent idea of how the format might initially shape up. Fellow PokeBeach writer, Natalie Millar wrote a great article highlighting what happened at Japan’s first Champions League (their equivalent to a Regionals), so I suggest checking that out if you want a super in-depth breakdown. To summarize what Natalie wrote, and what I’ve been seeing from the City League (their equivalent to a League Cup) results, there are a few decks we can expect to see heavy play.

The deck that seems to be dominating the early metagame is [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] — the deck is seeing success with both [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. In our current format, I would argue Charizard ex is Chien-Pao ex’s best matchup, and I don’t foresee that changing with rotation. I would not be surprised to see Charizard ex taking up 15-20% of the metagame at EUIC, so having a positive matchup into the most popular deck is fantastic.

An archetype that seems to be making a comeback is [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. Arceus VSTAR decks have historically been easy for Chien-Pao ex to beat since you can make quick work of any two-Prize Pokemon using Hail Blade with [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]. Usually, the best defence Arceus VSTAR had against Chien-Pao ex was combining [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. As outlined earlier, this play isn’t available anymore which further strengthens this matchup. Some Arceus VSTAR builds include [card name=”Alolan Vulpix VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card], which is a bit tricky to deal with. If this becomes a big problem you can include [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and combo it with [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] to get around the effect of Snow Mirage.

[card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] decks seem to be going strong as well, and similar to Arceus VSTAR, has lost [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. This is a matchup that was already even-to-slightly favoured before rotation, and now becomes favoured in my opinion.

[card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] is also making a comeback with the release of a new [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]that enables it to deal massive damage with a one-Prize Pokemon. [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] should greatly help in this matchup, both to take care of [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] before it evolves, [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], and any [card name=”Minccino” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] or Cincinno. On paper, this matchup seems to be favoured for Chien-Pao ex, but I will have to play it a bit more to confirm my initial suspicions.

If you want to check out where I’ve been doing most of my research and some more deck lists from Japan you can find them here.

New Threats

For the majority of this article, I have been highlighting all the good things about Chien-Pao ex, and have probably made it seem like a no-brainer to play, however, there are a couple of reasons to be concerned in the new format. One card I want to point out is [card name=”Eri” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is scary for Chien-Pao ex, having the ability to snipe useful Item cards out of our hand at will. If our opponent can start discarding our [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] then we will have trouble having enough resources to close out a game. This card is also hard to play around since we don’t have a way to easily and consistently return cards from our hand to our deck, and we usually need to hold on to cards such as Super Rod and Superior Energy Retrieval to use at the perfect time.

It seems that most decks aren’t packing this card, but control decks such as [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] are playing multiple copies of the card. My biggest concern post-rotation for Chien-Pao ex is control in general. I’d say that the control matchup isn’t the best currently, but now that the deck gets to add Eri, the matchup becomes much worse. Eri in combination with [card name=”Miss Fortune Sisters” set=”Lost Origin” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] makes it so your Items are in danger no matter where they are. Historically control hasn’t seen large amounts of play, but the archetype seems to be well-positioned. We even saw four (three Snorlax, one [card name=”Great Tusk” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]) make Top 16 at the Champions League Fukuoka. If Snorlax takes off then we can consider playing a copy of [card name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] in our deck to combat it.

There are a couple of other annoying cards to keep in mind… [card name=”Flutter Mane” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]can shut off Shivery Chill, but it will require any deck that plays it to get it in the Active turn one and forego attacking early. One ACE SPEC card that might see play is [card name=”Maximum Belt” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. If this card is included in a deck such as [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] it could require eight Water Energy to take a Knock Out with [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]! While the deck can still deal with this card, it can be difficult to take KOs, especially if one or two Water Energy are in the Prize cards.

Initial Builds

[decklist name=”Chien-Pao” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″][pokemon amt=”14″]2x [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” 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=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is my initial build for [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] post rotation. It is similar to what I have been playing in Standard but uses the spots from [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card] being removed to up consistency. The main things to look at are the two copies of [card name=”Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck still plays similarly to what we are used to, but the deck has become much more consistent. If you have played Chien-Pao ex before you know one of the biggest weaknesses of the deck is consistency. The Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking gives us two more Supporters to work with, and should greatly improve our setup. Normally we only have four copies of [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] to help us get that pivotal turn two [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] online, but now we can also use Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking in a similar vein. Another cool play I’ve been doing with the card is to put [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] on top of my deck turn one if I got enough copies of [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] down. Doing this makes my turn two extremely strong, not only guaranteeing a Baxcalibur but also getting Bibarel set up to power our draw throughout the game. This also completely counters [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], making most decks helpless to disrupt our setup!

As I mentioned earlier, [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] is our gust of choice going forward. It will make pulling off combos with [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] much easier and is also good to have a guaranteed gust throughout the game that is searchable off [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]. In most matchups if you can successfully gust once it is normally enough to flip the Prize trade in your favour. I did add a copy of [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to the deck to give additional gusting options– it is common to fall down a Prize early game or be in a situation where you are losing two Prizes to one late in the game. While Counter Catcher can’t be played every game, I think there are enough scenarios where the card gets values.

The last change I made from the current Standard lists is the re-inclusion of [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. Chien-Pao ex and Lost Zone decks are expected to be plentiful in the new format. I think having the option to protect against a turn-two Moonlight Shuriken from [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is important going forward.

One card I considered adding is [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], as I think this card combos well with [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]. If your opponent tries to put a large single-Prize attacker in the Active you can have them send it to the Bench and either send up a one-Prize Pokemon with 120 HP or less, or a two-Prize Pokemon that Chien-Pao ex can Knock Out. As I mentioned earlier it is also a soft counter to [card name=”Alolan Vulpix VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] in combination with Prime Catcher.

If [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks take over the meta then [card name=”Minior” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] might be a card to consider, but the card doesn’t have much utility in other matchups. A second copy of [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is probably better since not only does it shut off Block, but it makes our Prime Catcher combo onto [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] more consistent in other matchups.

[cardimg name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”217″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If impactful Pokemon Tool cards such as [card name=”Maximum Belt” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Heavy Baton” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] see a lot of play then I would also consider a copy of [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card]. Between Irida, Cyphermaniac’s Codebreaking, and [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] it should be easy to find it when it is needed.

Another cool play you can do with Lost Vacuum is to use PokeStop twice in one turn! If you played a Pokestop on a previous turn or your opponent has one in play then you can use PokeStop, play Lost Vacuum on the PokeStop, and then play down a new one to dig through three more cards — I won two games at the 2023 World Championships using this play! Another small piece of utility it has is getting your Manaphy in the Lost Zone against Snorlax stall. This way you can better play around [card name=”Erika’s Invitation” set=”151″ no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]!

An Iron Hands ex Focused Build

[decklist name=”Iron Hands Pao” amt=”60″ caption=”Turbo Hands” cname=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″][pokemon amt=”15″]2x [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is a build I have also been experimenting with. It focuses more on taking advantage of [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]. I added an extra copy of [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and Lightning Energy to help us more consistently pull off the turn-two Amp You Very Much. Pulling off an early Iron Hands ex puts an insane amount of pressure on most decks. If your opponent doesn’t answer it right away then it will go on a two-Prize Knock Out spree! Normally your opponent will need to respond to your Iron Hands ex by using a two-Prize Pokemon to KO it. If this happens then you can pivot to using [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] to take another two-Prize Knock Out. This ensures the Prize trade will be heavily in your favour.

[cardimg name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This build also includes the [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] to try and force a two-Prize Knock Out every turn. I also included a third copy of [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] to help stream Iron Bundle and Iron Hands ex. A nice side effect of having three Super Rod is that you can be more aggressive discarding your Pokemon off of cards like [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card].

I did have to cut some consistency cards like the [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] and fourth copy of [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], but with no [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], I think it is ok to lower our Stadium count. I also cut the [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] since we are going to focus on Amp You Very Much to take multiple Prizes at once.

Finishing Up

Hopefully, you are as excited as I am to play Chien-Pao ex in the I format! I’ve given you a couple of lists as a starting point that I think are great to use in your testing. Let me know what deck(s) you have been testing and what you think of Chien-Pao ex — If there are any new format decks you want me to write about feel free to leave a comment! I will be at EUIC in April, so I will be putting a lot of time into playing new format decks! Best of luck in your games and upcoming tournaments, and hopefully I will be back writing for you soon!
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