Worlds Meta and Testing Results, Part 1

Hello everyone! With the World Championships coming just around the corner, I’ve been testing to try and narrow down what I would like to play for the tournament. Instead of going over specific decks for these next two articles, I’m going to discuss the meta as a whole: decks, trends, and my personal opinions based on testing the various decks. Hopefully this will provide some insight into this new format and, if you’re going to Worlds, some additional information and direction regarding the decks.

The only difference between the formats for Worlds and NAIC is, of course, Shrouded Fable. This set has some great cards, but all of the decks that were good for NAIC are still more or less playable. However, thanks to the introduction of [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card], as well as general meta shifts, [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] find themselves at the forefront of the metagame. Charizard and Regidrago are the most hyped and popular decks at the moment, and for good reason. These decks are incredibly powerful and can stand up against a variety of threats. Lost Box and [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] were the big winners at NAIC, and they remain relevant, but they are taking a backseat to those other two decks. Rounding out the relevant decks are [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. I will discuss all eight of these big meta decks in this two-article series before Worlds.

Lost Box

Let’s start by talking about Lost Box, the deck that won NAIC. Typically the deck that wins NAIC is still at least decent for Worlds. I wouldn’t go so far to say that Lost Box is unplayable, but it is certainly a lot worse now. Lost Box suffers from poor matchups against both Regidrago and Charizard, which puts it in a tough spot. On the other hand, there have been several techs and innovations to help with the Charizard matchup. With those and Lost Box’s natural aggression, it has a reasonable chance against Charizard, though it still struggles against Regidrago.

[cardimg name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”196″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The version that won NAIC was focused on fast aggression, and also included [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] as a tech. I think Iron Thorns is incredibly strong right now. It is able to efficiently disrupt and slow down other meta decks, including both Charizard and Regidrago. It doesn’t beat those decks on its own, but it is a viable option in some games, and it can certainly help. There are two main problems with Iron Thorns, however. First is that it is somewhat awkward to actually use. It needs to be in the Active Spot, ideally with three Energy, and it has an exorbitant Retreat Cost. This makes it a bit unwieldy to play, as it’s difficult for Lost Box to effectively utilize this card while also doing the other things it wants to be doing. The second issue is that it only does 140 damage. This isn’t that bad, as it still two-shots most Pokemon, but not Charizard ex. Even though this card slows down Charizard, it can’t actually KO one, so you’re still out of luck if the Charizard player gets set up fast enough. However, Iron Thorns can KO [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”217″ c=”name”][/card] in one shot, which is great. Unfortunately, Lost Box runs rather low on gust cards, so this play might not always end up happening. In short, Iron Thorns is very strong, but has quite a lot of downsides attached to it.

Another tech I’ve seen is [card name=”Iron Valiant ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card]. Iron Valiant doesn’t hard-counter anything in particular, but it has a variety of applications that make it useful in most matchups. Against Evolution-based decks, its Ability spreads damage, which helps [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] set up its board-wipe plays. Against other decks, Iron Valiant’s attack is fantastic. It deals 200, plus 20 from the Ability, which KOs the likes of [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regidrago V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. This isn’t redundant with [card name=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card], since Ursaluna is very inefficient in the early game, but you still want to KO some of those big Basic Pokemon. In my opinion, Iron Valiant is quite good.

The final version of the deck pivots to focus more on Sableye by including a second copy as well as a [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card]. These changes are designed to target Charizard specifically. Some builds also include [card name=”Technical Machine: Crisis Punch” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] for a decent option to close out games against Regidrago VSTAR. For example, you can take two Prizes off the Bench with repeated Sableye snipes, two Prizes with Ursaluna plus a gust card, and the final two on their Regidrago VSTAR with Crisis Punch. Of course, Crisis Punch can be used against other decks too. However, you can’t really include these cards while still maintaining the turbo aspect of the deck. Tech cards cut into counts of [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], and also make PokeStop riskier by potentially discarding these cards. If I was playing Lost Box, I would probably play this version of the deck. I’ve found it to work quite well against Charizard, although Regidrago and Gardevoir are still tougher matchups. I would also readjust the Stadium lineup to accommodate for the Tool cards. While I’ve always been PokeStop’s biggest fan, it doesn’t make quite as much sense in the Tool-heavy build. I currently prefer a list like this:

[premium]

[decklist name=”lostbox” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tatsugiri” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Board ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Technical Machine: Crisis Punch” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Store” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

One thing that does work in Lost Box’s favor is if Gardevoir cuts [card name=”Klefki” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Cresselia” set=”Lost Origin” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], which some seem to be doing. I personally don’t think Klefki belongs in Gardevoir, though Cresselia definitely does — but I’ll discuss that shortly. In general, decks aren’t teching for Lost Box anymore. This is because Lost Box is poorly positioned and less popular than bigger threats like Regidrago, so it isn’t worth respecting. After all, when is the last time you’ve seen [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] in anyone’s list? Due to this, Lost Box doesn’t have to worry as much about hard counters and can focus more on being as efficient and powerful as possible, while also targeting the bigger decks.

All that said, I will most likely not play Lost Box at Worlds. I think Lost Box is the most poorly positioned out of all the meta decks. It is still a strong deck, and by no means unviable, but I personally am not very enthused about it. I don’t expect much from Lost Box at Worlds, though I’m sure at least one or two will make Top 32. It’s also somewhat likely to run into one in the current meta, even though it’s not at the very top.

Gardevoir ex

Unlike Lost Box, Gardevoir remains extremely popular into this format. Its popularity might even surpass Charizard’s, second only to Regidrago. People just love Gardevoir, and I was surprised to see it thriving, as I think this meta is very hostile for it. Both Charizard and Regidrago are tough matchups for it. However, we see Gardevoir making some key adaptations. Two inclusions that have become pretty common across the board are [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and Technical Machine: Devolution. Mimikyu is fantastic against Charizard and Regidrago, walling most of their attackers and buying you some time. Even after a Kyurem board-wipe, Mimikyu can buy you time to set back up. The only caveat is that you can’t retreat into Mimikyu and use Technical Machine: Evolution on turn one, or at all if you don’t have Energy prepared on the board already. [card name=”Tatsugiri” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] suffers from the same issue. Still, Technical Machine: Devolution remains the go-to tech for the Charizard matchup. Thanks to Gardevoir’s plethora of options for spreading damage, it can actually make use of the Devolution quite well. I’ve heard it also works well in the mirror match, but I do not claim to be an authority on that particular matchup.

By this point, most people have cut Radiant Greninja from their lists. I think this is insane. Radiant Greninja is such a good card, and it does a few things. It makes many early-game hands playable when they would otherwise be much weaker. At the same time, it dumps Psychic Energy into the discard, which the deck is otherwise slow to do. Additionally, Radiant Greninja gives you some draw power when your [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] are inevitably targeted and sniped down. Nonetheless, most Gardevoir lists don’t play it anymore, so take that for what it is. I can understand preferring Tatsugiri as your supporting Basic Pokemon, as both Greninja and Tatsugiri have their pros and cons. However, some lists are playing neither, which is just begging to dead-draw. Gardevoir’s early game is shaky at best, so I think that’s where it needs the most help.

I mentioned earlier that Klefki and Cresselia are falling out of favor. Klefki is best against Lost Box, so it makes sense that this card is no longer a high priority. Klefki is also extremely strong against Snorlax. Snorlax is always a very low percent deck, so you’re unlikely to face it. However, if that’s something you’re worried about, Klefki is an effective answer. Cresselia, on the other hand, is great into the most popular matchups right now: Dragapult (and by extension, Regidrago) and the mirror match. Cresselia can sometimes be helpful in most other matchups as well. I would definitely keep it around, even if space starts to get tight.

[cardimg name=”Neutralization Zone” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”60″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Now let’s talk about the ACE SPEC. [card name=”Unfair Stamp” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] rightfully remains the most popular one, though some people still play [card name=”Hyper Aroma” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] for some reason. What I’m more interested in, though, is [card name=”Neutralization Zone” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. This quirky card recently won an online tournament, which turned some heads. This card is perfect for picking on the right meta. Against Regidrago decks with no Stadium counter or Shred (which is most of them), Neutralization Zone makes the matchup an auto-win. This is actually hilarious, because Regidrago doesn’t want to play Stadium cards, but they might have to if Neutralization Zone becomes a relevant threat. However, once Regidrago starts playing even one Stadium (commonly PokeStop or [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]), Neutralization Zone becomes completely useless. Going forward, I don’t think Gardevoir will risk having a useless card as their ACE SPEC, but it certainly puts opponents on watch and makes them have an answer for it. Notably, it can also win games against the likes of Raging Bolt, Dragapult, or Charizard once they’ve used up their Stadium cards, which certainly could happen from time to time.

Raging Bolt ex

The next deck I want to talk about is Raging Bolt ex, the scourge of the PTCG Live ladder. Raging Bolt has never had the greatest matchup spread, making up for it in raw speed, power, and consistency. It is by far the most menacing deck on turn one, and it can leverage this to speed-blitz other decks out of the game. There are two things I really like about Raging Bolt right now. First, it is completely unbothered by all of the Bench harassment going on. Devolution, Dusknoir, sniping, and spread damage are meaningless. What damage does stick to the Bench can easily be mitigated by [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. Raging Bolt does not care about all the metagaming nonsense. It throws a big Raging Bolt at the opponent on turn one and wins with raw power. As Sun Tzu once said, if brute force doesn’t work, you’re just not using enough of it.

The second thing I like about Raging Bolt is that it just brutalizes Regidrago. Even if they try to use Radiant Charizard, I play three copies of Bravery Charm to completely invalidate both their Radiant Charizard and their Giratina VSTAR. If they have [card name=”Noivern ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card], I have [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and plenty of gust cards. Raging Bolt completely destroys Regidrago, which is awesome in the current meta. Unfortunately, it is unfavored against Gardevoir, and, in my opinion, slightly unfavored against Lugia, Lost Box, and Charizard. These hyper-aggressive decks have been successful in the past despite poor matchup spreads, but it’s still a bitter pill to swallow.

While Raging Bolt is extremely popular online, it is not being countered or respected very much, as it is will likely not be very popular at Worlds. It has been more of an online deck since its inception, gaining a reputation as a brainless deck for lower-skilled players. Its win rate also isn’t alarming enough to warrant any sort of large-scale response, so I think many people are discounting it. I am considering Raging Bolt for Worlds, at least more than the previous two decks. Here’s my current list:

[decklist name=”Raging Bolt” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Flutter Mane ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]7x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I have been a huge fan of [card name=”Flutter Mane ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck since NAIC. Although it is a bit more difficult to use than [card name=”Sandy Shocks ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card], it is much better, in my opinion. It helps a lot against Lost Box, and if Lost Box was any bigger, I would even consider a second Flutter Mane to solidify that matchup. The one copy of PokeStop is so that I have an answer to Neutralization Zone. This version doesn’t want to rely on PokeStop as much, as there are plenty of Bravery Charms and support Pokemon that we don’t want to discard. To make up for the low counts of PokeStop and Pokegear, we have tons of support Pokemon to choose from, along with four copies of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to maximize consistency.

The three copies of Bravery Charm are good in most matchups, particularly Gardevoir (giving you a better chance), Lost Box (forcing them to be careful with their Vacuums), and Regidrago (it just destroys them). Switch Cart is also good against Gardevoir and Lost Box, as those decks rely on sniping and setting up damage. The one copy of [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] definitely looks a little odd, but it’s an extremely powerful option. This deck wants to play [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] almost every turn, and sometimes you just need to flip heads on Catcher. Techs like Iron Bundle, [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] are extremely useful. I don’t know if this list is completely optimal, but it’s where I’m at right now and I am liking it. It is possible that the PokeStop build is better, though.

Fezandipiti ex

One card I haven’t talked about much yet is Fezandipiti ex. I wasn’t impressed with this card at first glance, but after playing with it, it has blown me away. Fezandipiti is by far the best card from Shrouded Fable, and belongs in basically every deck besides Gardevoir. It’s even a consideration in Lost Box. I have liked it in Lost Box, but there’s just the issue of space, and Lost Box does sometimes like to operate without any two-Prize Pokemon on the board.

All this is to say that Fezandipiti is way more efficient and useful than I expected. However, its existence makes things a lot harder for comeback decks. Comebacks in this format involve hand disruption, usually alongside KOing the main threat. Fezandipiti renders hand disruption almost useless, forcing the losing player to first KO Fezandipiti, leaving the main threat untouched. Of course, Fezandipiti also helps the decks that are under pressure stabilize from a fast start from the opponent. I know I’ve used Fezandipiti to carry many games where my Pidgeot is KO’d or kept off the board entirely. I could be overthinking this, but at the very least, Fezandipiti is a major player on all sides in this meta, and is probably the most ubiquitous Pokemon right now. I think it overall favors aggressive decks like Regidrago and Raging Bolt, as it makes it more difficult for opponents to make comebacks against them.

That’s all I have for today! Thanks for reading!

[/premium]