Mastering Regidrago — A Truly Broken Deck

Although [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] didn’t make the finals at Worlds, it would still be fair to say that the deck dominated the tournament. Following the release of Shrouded Fable just in time for the World Championships, Regidrago went from an extremely fringe deck, making Top 16 at NAIC, to the best deck in the format. And it wasn’t close. Everyone knew Regidrago would be the most played deck at Worlds, and it converted strongly into four Top 8 spots. Worlds is full of all the best players, and even most of the elite among them decided to play Regidrago.

[cardimg name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Regidrago has everything you want in a Pokemon deck: power, versatility, skill expression, and broken combos. Some of the things Regidrago can do are too broken, I’d argue. Regidrago isn’t the fastest deck in the game, as it rarely attacks on turn one. It can often attack on turn two, and almost always by turn three. Depending on what the opponent is doing, attacking on turn three is usually good enough to still win. If Regidrago lacks anything at all, it’s speed, but it more than makes up for that in other ways.

As it happens, I have tested an excessive amount of Regidrago, as it is the number-one deck with a target on its back. Because of this, every deck I want to try out has to be pitted against Regidrago first. Regidrago is the gatekeeper of the Shrouded Fable format. If your deck can’t beat Regidrago, pack it up. Maybe next format. After all of my games with and against the deck, it’s apparent that Regidrago has a lot more depth than it first appears to. Due to how versatile the deck is, there are always some things to figure out in every game, and room to outplay your opponent. I believe this is evinced by the Worlds results. The four Regidrago representatives in Top 8 are all players I consider to be highly skilled, while the more average Regidrago players were left in the dust. Don’t forget, it was the most played deck at Worlds, so there were tons of them.

In this article I will discuss Regidrago’s strategies and matchups. Hopefully this will help you learn a little more about the best deck in the format. Even if you’re not playing it yourself, you need to know what to watch out for. It is almost inevitable that you will face Regidrago in any Shrouded Fable tournament.

List Options

[decklist name=”drago” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Regidrago V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]7x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is a pretty standard Regidrago list. It is basically the exact same as Isaiah Bradner’s Top 8 list, but with the lone [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] removed for a copy of [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card]. Playing without Superior Energy Retrieval is definitely possible, especially with the two copies of [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], but it requires being more careful with your Energy. Since Regidrago often has some leftover copies of search cards like [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] near the end of the game, this makes Super Rod’s versatility more enticing as a deckbuilding choice. I can’t say for sure which 60 is best, but the list seems to have been mostly solved. At least, that’s what I thought before Worlds. Although the variations between Top 8 lists aren’t major, they are more than I would have expected, with each list having some sort of trademark attribute. Going forward with this article, I’ll be using the above standard list as a reference for Regidrago, but I still want to mention the other options shown by the Worlds top finishers.

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Isaiah omitted [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], which was a tech used by all of the other Top 8 finishers. Goodra is a very good attacker for Regidrago to copy. It takes Regidrago out of one-shot range from many threats, and it can invalidate [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] if you manage to get it going. Goodra is also very good in the mirror match, which was its biggest selling point. Ian Robb and Michael Davidson cut [card name=”Cleffa” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] for Goodra, as did many other players. Michael Davidson also cut [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] and played [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] over [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], and was the only one in Top 8 to do so. Turo is a more powerful card, especially against [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Stall, but a bit more difficult to use than Switch. Switch is good with Cleffa and Radiant Charizard, so it makes sense that a list without either would prefer Turo instead.

Finally, Raz Wolpe was the best-finishing Regidrago player, and he opted out of techs like [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card], Radiant Charizard, and [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card]. If he didn’t have the receipts, I would dismiss this as utter foolishness. In those spots, Raz increased consistency with extra copies of [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card]. Consistency is good, but I personally feel that those tech Pokemon are too impactful to exclude. Fezandipiti itself increases consistency in its own way. That said, Raz probably noticed one of Regidrago’s biggest issues, and made these choices to compensate for them. That is, Regidrago’s early-game consistency is just a little bit sketchy. This is especially noticeable in the fast format we’re in now, where you cannot afford to miss a single beat at the end of the game. Basically, your opening hand has to be good. Raz traded three power cards that are useless in the early game for cards that make your hand better on turn one. If you want a more detailed explanation of any of the card choices in the standard list, I would highly recommend Gabriel’s article, where he thoroughly explains a lot of the cards.

Inconsistent?

Regidrago has a lot of opening hands that are more stinky than the cheese you left out of the fridge last night. This was one of the things that scared me off from the deck, yet I’m here to tell you not to be scared. Even awkward hands that force you to limp into the game can be converted into wins. Understanding Regidrago’s lines of play and comeback options are crucial. You’ll have to manage your resources with pinpoint accuracy, especially when you’re inevitably forced to discard a bunch of random cards. It’s also important to know the difference between an unplayable hand and a bad one in a best-of-three. Unplayable hands are pretty much instant scoops if you don’t topdeck [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] fast enough, while bad hands are ones that are barely playable. You still have to play these bad hands, and you can’t be mentally defeated when you are dealt one. Knowing when not to scoop is the main lesson here. Not only can Regidrago end up winning after starting with a bad hand, but it even specializes in doing so. While Regidrago opens with bad hands often enough, its odds of starting with two unplayable hands in a best-of-three are rather low. However, if you scoop a hand just because it’s a little stinky, you will inevitably be punished with an unplayable hand in one of the following games.

When you’re low on options, you might be tempted to go for something you know is sub-optimal. Don’t use [card name=”Regidrago V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]’s Celestial Roar just because you have nothing better to do. When you don’t know what to do, I usually recommend to at least do something, but this is not one of those times. Discarding three random cards doesn’t help you. Even if you hit an Energy, using Dragon’s Laser on the next turn isn’t exactly game-winning anyway. There is so very little upside to Celestial Roar and plenty of downside, so there’s rarely a situation where using it is actually correct. While its possible to discard Dragon-types, which is useful, the odds of this impacting the game in a relevant way are so slim. Of course, there are situations where Celestial Roar is good, but they are few and far between.

The same can be said for Legacy Star. Legacy Star is best used to finish off games or set up checkmate scenarios, as well as giving you the extremely powerful option of making combos right after your opponent disrupts your hand. Sometimes doing nothing for the turn is better than using Legacy Star. While you may be tempted to use Legacy Star to jumpstart your game after a poor opener, always consider what you’re able to do next if you don’t use Legacy Star. If you’re doomed to dead draw, then of course you have to let it rip. If you have to forego the attack this turn but you’re still able to play the game after that point, strongly consider saving the Legacy Star. Of course, everything is situational and requires careful analysis of the current board state.

Something that I think can be good, that a lot of people don’t do enough, is attacking with Ogerpon. It isn’t just a support Pokemon, and it has a pretty solid attack. While a desperation attack with Ogerpon might feel bad if you don’t have a lot going on, it often sets up relevant damage and also applies pressure. If you’re not taking a KO outright, Regidrago has several ways to take advantage of any extra damage that gets placed on your opponent’s board. There are other situations where Myriad Leaf Shower is good, too. Since Ogerpon passively builds up Energy over the course of the game, it can turn into a nuke out of nowhere. This attack is really no joke, especially if you turbo-load an Ogerpon that already happens to have two Energy attached to it. Of course, this is stronger against enemies with lots of Energy. It goes without saying that Ogerpon is also great against threats like [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] that are weak to Grass.

Regidrago Mirror Match

The Regidrago mirror is certainly an interesting one. You are never out of the game, even if your opponent gets a big head start. There are several lines you can take, and this is one of the few matchups where each and every one of your attacking options has its use. Of course, [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lost Impact can one-shot anything, so it is quite useful. Sometimes, simplicity is the best option, and you just want to blow up your opponent’s Regidrago VSTAR. This is generally best in two situations. One, when you’re on track to win the Prize trade, you just want to take two Prizes. Lost Impact to KO their Active VSTAR is often the best way to do this. Two, when their Regidrago presents too big of a threat to ignore. If you desperately need to stop it from attacking and setting up a multi-Prize turn or simply finishing off the game, you just have to KO it.

The natural response to this is Hisuian Goodra VSTAR, which stops Giratina from one-shotting Regidrago. Goodra also puts relevant damage on the board. If you’re the one using Goodra, it’s ideal to hit into something with 210 HP (or to outright KO [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]). If you’re able to do this, the 200 damage will convert into two Prizes with Hawlucha later. If you have to use Hawlucha early, then you’ll be setting up for a Goodra KO. Otherwise, the 200 into a Regidrago is less useful, but still better than nothing. In general, using Hawlucha to finish off the KO is better than taking the KO outright, as it plays around cards like Radiant Charizard, Fezandipiti, and Iono. However, this carries some risk if you don’t know your opponent’s list, as Professor Turo’s Scenario can ruin your game plan.

Alternatively, you could attack with [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. There are several configurations of Dragapult damage that can be good, and it all depends on what’s going on. In general, placing 10 damage on one or two 210-HP Pokemon can be good, as it puts them in range of KO from Dragapult or Goodra. This alleviates the need for Hawlucha, such as if it’s discarded or Prized, or if there isn’t enough Bench space. However, if the Hawlucha play is easily accessible, the 10-damage snipes are unnecessary. You should also keep in mind that Hawlucha becomes a liability in situations where you’re attacking with Radiant Charizard to force an odd-Prize game, as the opponent can use their own Hawlucha with Dragapult to take two Prizes at once on your two single-Prize Pokemon. It’s just another thing to consider.

Dragapult often wants to place 30 damage on any Regidrago that is capable of attacking and becoming an imminent threat. This puts Regidrago VSTAR in range of a KO with Radiant Charizard. If they attack with Goodra to protect against it, that’s at least a less destructive attack than anything else. Dumping damage onto Squawkabilly is also a decent option, as that would put the bird into range of [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] or two more Dragapult uses. Of course, if your opponent is capable of using Giratina’s attack, you won’t get three Dragapult attacks. That said, lots of comeback games do involve spamming Dragapult to set up for multiple KO’s at once.

[cardimg name=”Kyurem” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”47″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Speaking of Kyurem, it’s the trump card for some situations. Back-to-back Kyurem plays are capable of taking four or even six Prize cards in two attacks. Several conditions must be met for this. Isaiah Bradner eviscerates one of his Swiss opponents on stream by perfectly executing this two games in a row. This play isn’t the most common, but it has many upsides. I’ve already explained how taking Prize cards can be exploited. Like Hawlucha, Kyurem is a way to delay taking Prize cards until one big play. Kyurem also allows you to make incredible comebacks. In order to do this play, your opponent needs several two-Prize Pokemon on the board. They basically have to be two in any combination of Fezandipiti ex, Squawkabilly ex, and [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]. If your opponent only has two of them, you’ll have to gust up the Teal Mask Ogerpon ex to bypass its Tera effect, which protects it from Kyurem while it’s on the Bench. Regidrago V does not count, of course, as it can evolve out of range of the follow-up Kyurem attack. And, just like the Hawlucha play, this strategy is very vulnerable to Professor Turo’s Scenario. Of the Top 8 lists, only one played Turo, and Snorlax Stall is nonexistent in the current meta. For these reasons, I expect Turo to be less popular, but again, it’s something to keep in mind.

Finally, Radiant Charizard is your best tool in a Prize trade, and you may even end up recovering it and using it a second time. Radiant Charizard one-shots everything besides the VSTAR, and even that can be set up with Dragapult damage. Radiant Charizard is simply broken, and it can be used in a variety of situations, even if your opponent is at four Prize cards. Don’t be afraid to load three Energy onto this bad boy, as it will be a massive pain for the opponent to deal with early on.

Against Turbo Decks

Regidrago is notorious for being weak against fast decks like [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]. Regidrago is the whole reason those decks even exist in the meta. Regidrago players should be prepared to face these decks, knowing that the matchups are still very winnable. The turbo decks are not as versatile or well-rounded, so they struggle more against the rest of the field, but unfortunately that does not help Regidrago. The reason why these decks are challenging is because they accelerate the game and take advantage of Regidrago’s relative lack of speed combined with its plethora of two-Prize targets. If you draw especially well, you can win a Prize trade against these decks, but that is not normally what happens, so you’ll have to use other tricks.

Of course, the usual strategy of sending a single-Prize Pokemon to the slaughter is great. Cleffa, in particular, makes for an excellent sacrificial lamb at the start of the game. As for attacking, you’ll rely on Radiant Charizard more than usual. In the mid- to late-game, try to combine [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] with Iono to take out their Fezandipiti ex. If you cut off their draw, you can try to force them onto odd prizes by attacking with Radiant Charizard. This is probably the most reliable way to win against Raging Bolt.

Miraidon and Roaring Moon have two weaknesses that Raging Bolt does not have. First, they have plenty of two-Prize Pokemon that aren’t Ogerpon. This means that you should be looking for opportunities to pull off the double Kyurem play. This is an excellent way to defeat those two decks, as there isn’t much they can do about it. Depending on what Miraidon has on the board, they can potentially avoid this with [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], so you might need to get two Prize cards first and then do the Kyurem play. Alternatively, you can try using Iono. It’s rather unlikely that they’ll get a defensive card along with a [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] KO off Iono to four. Roaring Moon can do even less to defend against a double Kyurem. Utilizing the Kyurem play also denies both decks use of Fezandipiti’s Flip the Script, which is very relevant.

That brings me to the second weakness. Unlike Raging Bolt, these decks do not have a great way to one-shot Regidrago VSTAR. Frenzied Gouging leaves Roaring Moon open to snipe plays, while Miraidon just has to find a gust. As such, Regidrago VSTAR is a great attacker here. Radiant Charizard is still useful, but you don’t have to rely on it quite as much as you do against Raging Bolt. In fact, if they use Frenzied Gouging, you are even more reliant on responding with Regidrago. Miraidon is reliant on gusting, so if you can deny Flip the Script and/or disrupt their hand with Iono, the win might just fall into your lap.

At the end of the day, these fast decks can punish Regidrago’s awkward opening hands, which you have no control over, and they can win very quickly. This is why the matchups aren’t great, and it feels bad for something to be so entirely out of your control. However, Regidrago has very few weakness to exploit, and this is the only way for other decks to do so.

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

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