Gouging Fire ex, the Best Aggro Deck in Format
Hello everybody! It’s Gabriel Semedo again with another article, and today, I’m going to talk about [card name=”Gouging Fire ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], the best aggressive deck in format for the metagame I expect in the coming weeks.
[cardimg name=”Gouging Fire ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”188″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
With the recent arrival of Twilight Masquerade, [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] have seen a lot of hype. Dragapult ex generates a lot of interest because, in addition to its attack being very good, it has previously been successful in Japan. There are two variants of Dragapult ex, and in both, the objective is the same: attacking with Dragapult ex consistently, simple as that. In both the [card name=”Xatu” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] variant and the [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Neo Upper Energy ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] variant, the main challenge is to meet the Energy cost for the Phantom Dive attack. It’s still not 100% clear which is the best way to play Dragapult ex, and, moreover, the archetype as a whole has yet to fully carve out its niche as the format’s new S-tier deck, a position recently vacated by Charizard ex.
Raging Bolt / Ogerpon ended up generating more hype than Dragapult ex itself in the first few weeks after the release of Twilight Masquerade, as the deck’s consistent engine combined with the ability to OHKO any Pokémon from the first turn showed incredible potential. Both decks will probably remain Tier 1 until Worlds, but I don’t think they will be the undisputed best decks, as I believe that older archetypes, like [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], are still up there at the top. Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that the format’s newest contenders will have a significant impact on the metagame. One of the best decks of the past format, [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], has already all but disappeared.
Recently, I was thinking about all these changes to the metagame, and, after analyzing some tournament results, I came to the conclusion that Gouging Fire ex could be a great pick going forward. In the current format, there are at least four good aggressive decks. All of them can hit hard on the first turn with a Pokémon ex, and all of them have been successful at big tournaments in Japan. Much of this is due to the decline of Charizard ex.
Miraidon ex got three Top 16 placements at a tournament with 2,744 players in Japan. Gouging Fire was also present in the same Top 16. At the 2,078-player Japan Nationals, Turbo Roaring Moon, the same one I wrote about recently, made the Top 8. And, finally, Raging Bolt / Ogerpon appeared in both the Top 4 and the finals of the same Nationals.
There is clearly a niche in the metagame for this style of deck, and I believe that Gouging Fire can beat the other three with this list. I also believe that only Miraidon ex and Gouging Fire can go head to head with Lugia VSTAR, which is another important niche that sets Gouging Fire apart.
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[decklist name=”Gouging Fire” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Gouging Fire ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”38″][pokemon amt=”11″]2x [card name=”Entei V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Gouging Fire ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chi-Yu” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Moltres” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Maximum Belt ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Future Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]8x [card name=”Basic Fire Energy” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”230″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]2x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Two Entei V
Almost all the Gouging Fire lists I’ve seen play just one copy of Entei V, but I believe it’s essential if you want to have a good first turn without relying on [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. Decreasing the deck’s dependency on Sada was another one of my goals when creating this list.
Attacking with Entei V on the first turn, you can usually snag easy Prizes from low-HP Pokémon. Later in the game, your damage output increases a little as both players develop their fields.
Three Gouging Fire ex
The deck is named after Gouging Fire, even though in practice it’s not the Pokémon that sees the most play. I end up using Entei V more than Gouging Fire itself. Still, the deck would not be able to exist without it, because the most difficult Knock Outs can only be achieved with its Blaze Blitz attack (usually with help from [card name=”Maximum Belt ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]).
One Moltres BRS
To be clear, this is the baby [card name=”Moltres” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], which does 90 damage if you manage to power it up with [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]. You can’t always set this up on the first turn, but it also has utility later. You want to take Knock Outs with single-Prize Pokémon whenever possible, to force your opponent to take more Knock Outs than necessary to win the game.
One Chi-Yu PAR
The main function of [card name=”Chi-Yu” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] is to Knock Out Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, but in practice it has many more uses than that. Flare Bringer is not an attack you want to have to use, but in this game, anything can happen. It allows you to mitigate your losses if you start badly, because it helps power up a Pokémon on the Bench while only offering one Prize. Megafire of Envy is very useful and I end up using it a lot, as 140 damage is enough to Knock Out practically all the single-Prize Pokémon in the format.
Zero Delphox V
For many, [card name=”Delphox V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”27″ c=”name”][/card] is a mandatory inclusion in this deck. It helps in certain matchups, including Lugia VSTAR, Lost Box, Gardevoir ex, and Dragapult ex, but in practice, [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] will prevent it 80% of the time anyway. It can be fantastic in the Lugia VSTAR matchup if you ever do get the chance to Knock Out two Cinccino at once, but I don’t believe it’s necessary for winning the matchup.
After many games testing Delphox V, and only using it very infrequently and rarely with the impact I wanted, I decided to remove it from the deck. The opponent will usually put Manaphy on the field anyway, as they expect a Gouging Fire list to run Delphox.
The Supporters
Gouging Fire lists generally focus on playing Professor Sada’s Vitality every turn and seldom have the space to play an [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card], which are Supporters you inevitably need during a long tournament. There are always times when a late-game Iono can save you, and there are times when Arven can be the perfect Supporter to do what you need to do on a turn.
A deck that only plans to play Professor Sada’s Vitality ends up being too linear. It’s always good to have options during a game. My list has a little more freedom to play other Supporters, as I took away some of the unnecessary focus on Gouging Fire ex. You don’t need a Gouging Fire ex to KO a [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card], for example; a Moltres can do it for a lot less.
Three Pokémon Catcher
[cardimg name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”187″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I decided to bet on Pokémon Catcher in a similar way to [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] two formats ago. Normally, Gouging Fire lists play [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] as their ACE SPEC to avoid this coin-flip reliance. However, I believe that to be assertive in this metagame, Gouging Fire needs Maximum Belt instead.
With Pokémon Catcher, you can use Sada’s Vitality or Iono and also Knock Out something on the opponent’s Bench. Having a chance to do something in one turn that usually only two Supporters can do is insane.
Even if all the coins come up tails, though, we also play two [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] just in case.
Six Switch Cards
One of my starting points for this list was the Entei V / Iron Valiant ex deck, which made the finals of the Latin America International Championships in 2023. Until recently, I was playing two copies of Iron Valiant ex in this deck, and I still consider it a good option. Even with just one copy, though, I think a good number of switch cards is necessary, as they bring important mobility to a deck where the main attackers have high Retreat Costs.
One Energy Switch
The deck doesn’t rely on [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] to attack, but I decided one copy was worth playing, just to have another way to help meet attack costs without relying on a Supporter. Thanks to Professor Sada’s Vitality and Magma Basin, you have more than enough Energy acceleration, and you can take advantage of this more effectively with Energy Switch.
One Lost Vacuum
I had to put [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck for the matchup against Gardevoir ex. The matchup is usually seen as unfavorable, but in my testing, I found that the games were fairly close to even. I decided that with a copy of Lost Vacuum, the deck would be able to fight practically on equal terms with Gardevoir ex.
Aside from the Gardevoir ex matchup, Lost Vacuum has several other small uses. The most interesting one, in my opinion, is being able to use two Magma Basin on the same turn, by getting rid of your first one with Lost Vacuum and then playing another.
One Maximum Belt
The choice of ACE SPEC is flexible. Prime Catcher is an incredible card and helps with a lot of things, but at the same time, there are advantages that only Maximum Belt can provide. Other ACE SPECs, such as [card name=”Legacy Energy” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Scoop Up Cyclone” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hero’s Cape ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Unfair Stamp” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], offer unique effects as well. In the end, the best choice will depend on the metagame.
Thanks to Maximum Belt, everything can be Knocked Out in one attack. This is an important strength for an aggro deck — Turbo [card name=”Roaring Moon ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] can all Knock Out a 330 HP Pokémon — but without Maximum Belt, Gouging Fire can’t achieve it.
Matchups
Raging Bolt / Ogerpon: 60-40
This is a matchup between two aggressive decks, and normally the winner of a matchup like this is the one who manages to attack first. This matchup is no exception; each attack from each of the two decks has a good shot at taking two Prizes.
I found the perfect tech card for this matchup, which I haven’t seen talked about anywhere else yet: baby Chi-Yu from Paradox Rift. The idea is simply to break the three-attacks-to-victory math, as Chi-Yu can Knock Out the two-Prize Teal Mask Ogerpon ex in one hit. This forces the opponent to always need Boss’s Orders or Prime Catcher to avoid attacking Chi-Yu for the rest of the game, if they don’t want to fall behind.
Lugia VSTAR: 60/40
Thanks to Gouging Fire’s aggressiveness, this matchup is better than it seems. Right from the start, the opponent is generally forced to drop two Lugia V, as they won’t want to take the risk of only putting down one and having you Knock it Out. If that does happen, you’ve already won the match.
In general, Gouging Fire ex easily Knocks Out Lugia VSTAR with the help of Iron Valiant ex, so the challenge is dealing with the Cinccino. That’s where baby Chi-Yu comes in again. It’s always good to hit single-Prize attackers with single-Prize attackers, and with Iron Valiant ex, Chi-Yu manages to Knock Out even Archeops.
Dragapult ex: 50/50
In this matchup, you want to take as many Prizes as possible before you have to deal with Dragapult ex. When Dragapult ex is in the Active Spot, you need to pull together Gouging Fire ex, Maximum Belt, and a usage of Iron Valiant ex’s Ability.
The combo isn’t simple to pull off, but you have time to prepare for it. If you manage to Knock Out a Dragapult ex this way, that’s enough, as the other four Prizes you can get by Knocking Out weaker Pokémon like Pidgey and [card name=”Dreepy” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. There is also a chance of seeing a [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] on the field, especially if the build is inspired by Charizard / Pidgeot.
Finally, there is one big detail that makes all the difference: Dragapult ex cannot Knock Out your Pokémon V and Pokémon ex in one attack. Against Charizard ex, Gouging Fire doesn’t stand a good chance of winning mainly because Charizard ex can one-shot Gouging Fire as soon as you take two Prizes (or immediately, if they happen to play Maximum Belt).
Gardevoir ex: 40/60
[cardimg name=”Munkidori” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”95″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Unfortunately, this is a difficult matchup for Gouging Fire, but in practice it is more balanced than it seems. In general, your opponent can take Knock Outs with single-Prize Pokémon, while Gouging Fire plays mainly Pokémon ex. Of course, this is a reductive summary of the match, but it’s true that once Gardevoir ex manages to pull together its complete setup, with [card name=”Munkidori” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] plus Darkness Energy on the Bench, it’s difficult to develop a good strategy.
The idea, as always, is to try to take as many Prizes as possible as fast as possible. It’s always best to Knock Out the opponent’s setup Pokémon, such as [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. Moltres and Chi-Yu help out as single-Prize attackers, but on the other hand it’s easy for the opponent to avoid attacking these Pokémon with [card name=”Scream Tail” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. After your opponent has set up and is threatening to win the game in three more attacks, then it’s time to Knock Out Gardevoir ex.
With two easy early-game Knock Outs and one big Knock Out on Gardevoir ex, your challenge is to get the last two Prizes, and for that, you will typically need a little luck with Iono or the right combination of cards to take a Knock Out on a second Gardevoir ex.
To improve the matchup, I added a Lost Vacuum, which allows for the possibility of Knocking Out an opponent’s Pokémon without having to attack, just by removing their [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card].
Lost Box: 40/60
Lost Box is another matchup in which Gouging Fire has a small disadvantage, but in practice it will only be significant if you are facing an exceptional Lost Box player. Lost Box’s biggest advantage in this matchup is the fact that they can always maintain a field with just single-Prize Pokémon right up until the time they want to prepare a Pokémon V or Pokémon ex to deal with your Entei.
No matter how many resources the opponent has, in the end, only the one who can make it to six Prizes first can win the game, and Gouging Fire can start taking Prizes from the very first turn. Knock Out [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] first, then deal with the Pokémon ex. Set up two to three Pokémon ex on the field, and try to make your opponent Knock Out a single-Prize Pokémon. If you play the matchup right, it’s much more balanced than it seems.
That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time!
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