What the Fukuoka?! – Champions League Review

Hello everyone! As we draw closer to the end of the Paradox Rift format and accompanying Standard format rotation, I’ve decided it’s time to start looking at the next format.

There are still two Regionals in the current format – Goiania and Vancouver, and I am still figuring out what to play for Vancouver. That said, I’ve been testing the post-rotation Standard format quite a bit, and I have already discussed everything I have to share about the current format. For the majority of players who are not attending Goiania or Vancouver, hopefully this article will be helpful when looking ahead to the next format.

Japan’s Champions League tournaments are always massive tournaments that give us pointers for our own metagame. Although they do play best-of-one, it’s worth taking note of any decks that are able to perform well in a field of so many players. Today I’ll be reviewing the recent Fukuoka Champions League tournament, which was the first major event in the post-rotation Standard format. Since I have been playing this format myself, I have some of my own opinions to share about these decks as well. I’ll be referencing the Top 16 lists that are listed here. It seems that there are a wide variety of decks that can succeed in this format. In my subsequent articles, I’ll be going more in-depth on one or two decks at a time.

1st Place Lugia VSTAR

[cardimg name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”186″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck managed to win the Fukuoka Champions League, [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] surviving and thriving after its second rotation. Lugia was a dominant meta force for some time, but it had taken a backseat recently after the release of Paradox Rift. Lugia no longer has the option of its Single Strike attackers after rotation, but it doesn’t need them. The new Cinccino from Temporal Forces gives the deck an extraordinarily powerful attacker. It deals 70 damage for each Special Energy card attached to it, making it the perfect partner for Archeops. In conjunction with Archeops’s Primal Turbo, Cinccino deals tons of damage very easily. The only inconvenience is that Cinccino is a Stage 1 Pokemon, which makes it a little difficult to set up in addition to all of the early game maintenance that Lugia comes with normally.

Cinccino is the very definition of a glass cannon, as it easily gets KO’d in return with its measly 110 HP. Lugia VSTAR itself is a useful attacker as well, dealing decent damage and tanking opposing hits. Lugia also likes to prey upon Pokemon V or Pokemon ex with 220 HP or less – they are very efficient sources of Prize cards.

I am a huge fan of the winning deck list’s decision to play [card name=”Jacq” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] and two copies of [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Jacq is less powerful but more versatile than the now-rotated [card name=”Professor Burnet” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”TG26″ c=”name”][/card] that Lugia used to play. Sure, you’d rather have Professor Burnett, but Jacq is still quite useful. Collapsed Stadium removes [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] from play, which ends up being a huge difference maker in many games. The deck only plays one copy of Lumineon, but it almost always needs to use it. Furthermore, a single copy of Collapsed Stadium can be very difficult to find at the right time, hence the need for two. I would like a second copy of Lumineon in the deck, but that results in starting with it quite often. Starting with it wouldn’t even be that bad if it wasn’t for the two Prize cards it gives up later.

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I also like the idea of playing [card name=”Serena” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] as a mini-[card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] plus gusting option all in one. Lugia does need gust effects multiple times in a game, but playing just two copies of Professor’s Research feels a little low to me. I also condone the use of [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], which is an incredible consistency piece. I only think there should be more of them.

I do have a few criticisms of the list. There is a large focus on [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] along with the four [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Therapeutic Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card]. I just don’t think Snorlax is that good. For two-shot options, Lugia itself does the job just fine into most matchups. The main Lightning-type attacker that scares Lugia is [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] with damage modifiers, and Snorlax doesn’t even help against that anyway. You don’t want to play that many [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”216″ c=”name”][/card]. While it’s sometimes good to attach to Lugia, it’s very bad with Cinccino. Cinccino does not get an extra 70 damage from the double, and instead gets a -20 for its attack, which is relevant against Pokemon at the 200, 210, and 280 HP marks (specifically [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]). It definitely makes sense to play four Double Turbo Energy if you’re going to be playing two Snorlax, but I don’t think the deck should be playing either. In short, Lugia covers Snorlax’s job, freeing up spaces for other cards.

As a single-Prize Pokemon attacker, I prefer [card name=”Luxray” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] instead. It does the same amount of damage as Snorlax, but also counters opposing Lugia and [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card]. It also is very efficient on Energy, requiring just one [card name=”Reversal Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card], leaving plenty for the Energy-hungry Cinccino. Luxray also gives some purpose for those mid- and late-game Item cards that are just floating around.

I also strongly recommend Prime Catcher instead of Master Ball. If there is a deck for Master Ball, it is this one, but Prime Catcher is still the superior card. This deck has plenty of searching cards already, and Prime Catcher offers a valuable option. Lugia frequently needs to gust two or even three times to win a game, and you don’t always have the [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] (especially with just one Lumineon V). Not only is Prime Catcher a valuable gust out, but it’s one that you can use Professor’s Research to draw into and play on the same turn, unlike Boss’s Orders.

After playing Lugia, it feels like a very mid deck. It doesn’t have any standout attributes or matchups; it simply exists. Lugia will not be a dominant deck, but it will be somewhat successful. I rank it a 3/5.

2nd Place Arceus VSTAR / Alolan Vulpix VSTAR

I was astonished to see this [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG70″ c=”name”][/card] deck take second place. Pre-rotation, I have not considered Arceus to be any good for quite some time. It manages to pull off some tournament finishes thanks to cheese wins with [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], but now that disruptive Stadium card has rotated. This deck is Arceus and [card name=”Alolan Vulpix VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] and that’s basically it. [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is in the list, but it cannot realistically attack. This deck aims to set up a checkmate with Alolan Vulpix’s invincibility. [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] can permanently remove the opponent’s outs to Vulpix, and [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to establish lone-Vulpix boards. Alternatively, you can use a chain of Arceus for steady two-shots while using multiple [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”240″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] to heal it.

I have not played with this deck as much as the others, but frankly, I don’t think it’s any good. Both of its strategies are too weak and fragile. Most decks have ways to beat Alolan Vulpix VSTAR, including [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”223″ c=”name”][/card], which should be weak against it. The Arceus chain game-mode completely fails against anything that can one-shot it. I have to imagine that this deck got lucky matchups into a brand new and unknown meta. I do not expect to see its success continue. 1/5 deck.

3rd, 8th, and 10th Place Snorlax Stall

[cardimg name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Much to the chagrin of many players, [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Stall is still good post rotation. [card name=”Sidney” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”241″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crabominable V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] are rotated and replaced by Eri and [card name=”Chi-Yu ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. Eri is debatably stronger than Sidney ever was, allowing you to discard Items from your opponent’s hand. This is particularly powerful in Snorlax Stall, as your opponent will rely on their switching cards to continue playing the game. Discarding resources like [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”217″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] can be useful as well. Otherwise, Snorlax is the same as it was before.

Snorlax had several weak matchups in the pre-rotation format: [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”245″ c=”name”][/card] with Professor Turo’s Scenario, just to name a few. Apparently, these decks all drop off after the Standard format rotation. It seems that Snorlax has found its desired meta, with a whopping three of them in the Top 16. Based on matchups alone, it’s conceivable for Snorlax to do this well at a major tournament. What surprises me the most is that Snorlax was able to complete enough games in Japan’s 25-minute best-of-one format.

Snorlax is entirely a matchup-based deck. Its continued success will depend entirely on how the meta shapes up, so it’s hard to evaluate the deck in a neutral way. It nearly always beats the decks it’s supposed to beat and always loses to the ones with answers. For this Champions League, it seems that Charizard ex was very popular. Charizard is the best deck in the new format, and it happens to lose hard against Snorlax. Perhaps this is but one factor contributing to Snorlax’s success.

4th, 13th, and 15th Place Charizard ex

The [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] version of [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] made Top 4 and Top 16 at this tournament, with the [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] version also making Top 16 once. Personally, I think Charizard ex / Pidgeot ex is far and away the best deck in the new format, and I’ll discuss it more in a future article. However, the results say that Bibarel is better. In any case, Charizard in some form or fashion is incredibly strong. It doesn’t lose much from the rotation, and the new Buddy-Buddy Poffin card is a huge buff. Although it can’t find [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], it can be used past turn 1, making it much better than [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] overall. The Bibarel version doesn’t even play [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card] anyway.

Charizard ex benefits greatly from the rotation of Path to the Peak. There are still very few usable Grass-type Pokemon in the meta, so Charizard does not have much to contest it. Its only real weakness is Snorlax Stall, which it will continue hoping to avoid and dominating against other attacking decks. Charizard is more or less the same as it was pre-rotation. While everything gets worse in comparison, Charizard remains just as consistent and powerful, and there are very few things that can deal with it.

The Bibarel version also makes use of the new Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking card, which is incredibly valuable and efficient. I don’t think all decks that play Bibarel necessarily have to play this Supporter, but it makes a lot of sense in Charizard ex. Without Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking, Charizard has a hard time finding combos and specific cards at the right time. Thanks to Bibarel, this new Supporter allows the deck to mimic a fraction of Pidgeot ex’s power. I would still rather play Pidgeot, but this is a powerful substitute.

I strongly believe that Charizard ex should be playing two copies of [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is almost always extremely impactful. Charizard still plays Boss’s Orders, but it often has to play [card name=”Arven” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] or Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking to set up and stabilize. Not only does Counter Catcher allow you to play those Supporters in the same turn (unlike Boss’s Orders), but it has direct synergy with them. The top Charizard Bibarel lists also make use of Prime Catcher for even more gusting power. With three Boss’s Orders, two Counter Catcher, and one Prime Catcher, you may think that is way overkill. Charizard loves chaining gust effects, especially in the early game where its relatively low damage output can be taken advantage of. There are many matchups where this is relevant, such as Lugia, mirrors, and Future Box.

However, there is also a case to play Maximum Belt as the ACE SPEC of choice. I strongly prefer Maximum Belt in the Pidgeot ex version, as Pidgeot can easily access gust consistently, and therefore has less need for Prime Catcher. It’s possible that Prime Catcher is better in the Bibarel version, which does not always have gust-on-demand, and also wants that extra switching option due to Bibarel’s chunky Retreat Cost.

The 13th place Charizard list plays [card name=”Pidgeot V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] so that it can make use of [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], which is very intriguing. After all, it does feel bad to play an [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”249″ c=”name”][/card] deck without Forest Seal Stone, as you are missing out on some of Arven’s potential. This list does not play [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], which I think should be at least a one-off. Without the Tool card, Rotom V would be tempting. However, Pidgeot V can return itself safely to the deck. One of the upsides of the Bibarel version is that it does not have two-Prize liabilities on the board. This list also has [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], an inclusion that I have not been able to understand. Overall, this deck list is very quirky and intriguing. I’m not sure what to make of it. The third-place list feels a lot more grounded and normal.

The 15th place Pidgeot ex version is somewhat normal and I like a lot of the card choices. The addition of [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] was a good call, as there seemed to be a lot of Lost Box decks at the tournament. The deck is built very similarly to pre-rotation, which I think is best. On the other hand, I do not approve of the inclusions of [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. Charizard ex is naturally good against Lost Box, especially with the Lost City, so I don’t think those cards are needed. [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG66″ c=”name”][/card] is just worse than a fourth [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”269″ c=”name”][/card], in my opinion. The early game consistency of Iono is too good. I suppose you could play Jirachi over Lost City, but I think Lost City is better and useful in a wider variety of situations. That said, I don’t play either of the two.

The most intriguing inclusion is Hero’s Cape. Hero’s Cape can turn Charizard ex into an absolute tank, or it can protect a two-Prize Pokemon on the Bench. Having such an option to protect Pidgeot ex is tempting. I do not know for sure which ACE SPEC is best in this deck, but it is one of the few decks that almost certainly shouldn’t play Prime Catcher. I currently play Maximum Belt because it helps tremendously with the math in many contentious matchups such as the mirror and against [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card].

After having played quite a lot of post-rotation Charizard ex, I give the Pidgeot ex version a 5/5 and the Bibarel version a 4/5. Both are incredibly powerful. As I mentioned before, I think the Pidgeot version is the BDIF and the Bibarel version is just inferior.

5th and 16th Place Lost Zone Box

[cardimg name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”251″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Lost Zone archetype keeps all its core pieces, and the traditional version with [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] continues to perform well. Unfortunately, [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] has rotated so we won’t be seeing any more cool Aqua Storm plays. Both top finishing Lost Box decks played a copy of [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], which is very neat. It took me a second to figure out why, but it turns out to be the same reason that my Chien-Pao ex deck from LAIC played it.

This deck operates with a fundamental plan of “take two Prize cards.” Roaring Moon ex is easily capable of one-shotting every Pokemon in the game that gives out multiple Prize cards. On the other “hand”, Iron Hands ex’s Amp You Very Much takes two Prize cards against single-Prize Pokemon. Against rare single-Prize Pokemon that do not fall to Iron Hands, you can use Iron Bundle to force something else up. Of course, this deck also packs Prime Catcher, Counter Catcher, and Boss’s Orders, all as 1-of tech options. However, you do not always have them on-demand. Iron Bundle is much easier to access, and is useful now because [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is rotated.

A new addition for Lost Zone decks is Emergency Board, which slightly helps them against their biggest weakness: Iono spam. You always can have a permanent free [card name=”Comfey” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG14″ c=”name”][/card] pivot, thought it can be countered by Lost Vacuum. This is particularly useful for the Paradox Box version, which always wants to manually attach to Iron Hands ex or Roaring Moon ex, and often cannot spare the manual attachment to Comfey like other Lost Zone decks do.

Lost Box is good, but not amazing, and its bad Charizard ex matchup is a tough one. Lost Box gets a 3/5.

Other Decks

• 6th and 7th place Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG69″ c=”name”][/card]
• 9th place Ancient Box
• 11th place Giratina VSTAR
• 12th place Great Tusk Mill
• 14th place Future Box

As you can see, there were a lot of successful decks at this tournament. However, I think most of these other decks are not very good, as they pale in comparison to the real powerhouses of the format. Arceus VSTAR / Giratina VSTAR is better than Arceus VSTAR / Alolan Vulpix VSTAR because Giratina gives the deck some firepower, but it still struggles against anything that can one-shot its attackers. It also sorely misses Path to the Peak. Ancient Box is a somewhat weak single-Prize deck that lacks a strong engine and has no real impressive attributes. Lost Zone Giratina is decent, but sorely misses Path to the Peak, leading to a tough matchup against Ability-based decks. Giratina still somewhat relies on Roxanne, and it can still compete. Great Tusk Mill seems great on paper, but loses to most matchups.

Future Box is the most intriguing deck in this list. The turbo Iron Hands build is a lot better than I was expecting it to be, and it can beat Charizard ex. It also does well against [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and Lost Box. This deck looks goofy because its engine is completely reliant on draw Supporters and [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], but it somehow works. Heavy Baton is an incredibly strong and impactful card. Between that and [card name=”Electric Generator” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], it is easy to chain Iron Hands ex. Also, I think Prime Catcher is much better than Reboot Pod. This deck has potential to be a real menace.

That’s all I have for today. Thanks for reading! I hope this article helps give you some insight into our upcoming format! This is certainly shaping up to be an interesting one.
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