N’s Zoroark Deck Breakdown
Hello to all PokeBeach readers! This is Gabriel again with another Pokémon TCG article, and this time I want to talk about N’s Zoroark ex. Even though the deck is not the biggest success of the format according to recent tournaments (such as Atlanta and Champions Leagues in Japan), I believe it is worth taking the time to better understand its full potential, especially since we will have N’s Zoroark ex available in the Standard format for the next two years.
The current format, in a way, is a continuation of the pre-rotation format, with [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] as the best decks in the format, while Tera Box, Tera Tank, [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Archaludon ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Gholdengo ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] also remain in the fight. In general, the main change in the format is that it is slower and there is a little more difficulty in setting up the board.
The rotation had much more impact on the metagame than Journey Together; basically no new decks appeared with the new set with impressive results. N’s Zoroark ex is the best deck, appearing in the Top 16 in the Fukuoka Champions League, but did not appear in Miyagi or Atlanta. Even with not-so-encouraging results for Zoroark, I believe that the deck attracts a lot of attention and sometimes gives the impression that it has great potential to be explored. I have some doubts that I believe many other players must have, too, so I decided to study N’s Zoroark in more depth and find the answers.
N’s Zoroark ex Overview
N’s Zoroark ex is good because it draws cards, and thanks to this good consistency, we tolerate mediocre attacks from N’s Darmanitan and N’s Reshiram. The current format is slower and the best decks involve more elaborate setups. This includes Dragapult ex and Gardevoir ex, which are Stage 2 decks. Zoroark’s advantage lies in the fact that it is a Stage 1 deck that can punish more elaborate setups with Darmanitan’s attack, and in situations where this isn’t helpful, the 170 damage dealt by Reshiram’s attack takes most of the Knock Outs.
Regarding the attacker options available, we’s mainly limited to Reshiram and Darmanitan, but I see some potential in N’s Purrloin, mainly because it works with [card name=”Binding Mochi” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. I see potential in N’s Sigilyph because while testing Zoroark I’ve realized that it is difficult to get the last Prize in some games. N’s Joltik is the one I like least, but it removes Pokémon Tools and paralyzes and this could be useful in some situations.
N’s Zoroark ex has good HP, although many decks in the format can Knock it Out with one attack. Whenever the opponent manages to do this, the matchup will be difficult. All others are playable. The attack has a low cost of two Energy and also has N’s PP Up to accelerate an Energy from the discard, which means in practice you can spend turns without attaching Energy and everything will be fine.
The fact that Zoroark is a Darkness type makes it work with [card name=”Pecharunt ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], which consequently means it works with Binding Mochi to achieve 40 more damage per attack. Working with Pecharunt ex means having incredible mobility, but at the price of keeping a 190-HP two-Prize Pokémon on the Bench, which bad and goes completely against the strategy. On the field you only want Zoroark with its 280 HP and a Bench full of single-Prize Pokémon like Reshiram and Darmanitan. However, Pecharunt ex’s Ability is so useful, it’s almost impossible not to need it. And, since the deck needs Pecharunt ex, Binding Mochi becomes mandatory as well. Dealing 210 instead of 170 damage means that Zoroark is now able to KO [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], and that means a lot.
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[decklist name=”N’s Zoroark Box” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Pecharunt ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”39″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x N’s Zorua (JTG #97)4x N’s Zoroark ex (JTG #98)2x N’s Darumaka (JTG #26)2x N’s Darmanitan (JTG #27)2x N’s Reshiram (JTG #116)1x [card name=”Munkidori” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tatsugiri” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pecharunt ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”240″ 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=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Hyper Aroma” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”251″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x N’s PP Up (JTG #153)2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Powerglass” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Binding Mochi” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rigid Band” set=”151″ no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x N’s Castle (JTG #152)[/trainers][energy amt=”6″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Two Darumaka, Two Darmanitan
It will be common for the opponent to try to bring Darmanitan to the Active Spot whenever they’re in a bad position, so make sure you have a way to retreat your Pokémon until the last turn of the game, whether through N’s Castle or through Pecharunt ex.
Regarding Darmanitan’s attacks, it’s worth highlighting that the first attack is very useful in the matchup against Gholdengo, especially after the opponent Knocks Out an N’s Zoroark ex. The card’s second attack is used to Knock Out [card name=”Dreepy” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Drakloak” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ralts” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], and several other Pokémon with up to 90 HP that are fundamental in the metagame.
Two Reshiram
Reshiram is the easy, always-useful attack option. It makes it so N’s Zoroark ex will always have a decent attack available no matter what happens. It is a low damage output for the format, as it cannot Knock Out any Pokémon ex except [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and Pokémon with Darkness Weakness, such as Gardevoir ex, [card name=”Latias ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”239″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mew ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”232″ c=”name”][/card]. To be able to Knock Out Fezandipiti ex, you have to use Binding Mochi, and that is why I consider this Pokémon Tool essential. The strongest attack in the entire deck is the one least mentioned when talking about N’s Zoroark ex — however, Powerful Rage lets you Knock Out Dragapult ex and Archaludon ex in one hit if they attack you first.
Tatsugiri
[cardimg name=”Tatsugiri” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”186″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Tatsugiri” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] is the best possible consistency option that can be searched with [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]. Tatsugiri helps throughout the game to look for Supporters, especially at the beginning when you don’t have Zoroark set up yet. With the help of Pecharunt ex you can use Tatsugiri literally every turn.
The list has relatively few Supporters, but as soon as Zoroark ex hits the field this problem goes away, so to help at the beginning, especially in those horrible opening hands without Supporters, you’ll hopefully have a Poffin or [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to look for Tatsugiri to try to save your setup.
I use Tatsugiri a lot at the end of the game to find that last [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] to stop the opponent. [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] and Iono offer absurd consistency and strength to the deck and the list I use relies heavily on these two Supporters. Boss’s Orders is good for clinching the win, and [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is important in many situations to avoid defeat.
One Pecharunt ex
My main goal was to make a N’s Zoroark list that didn’t rely on Pokémon ex. I’m comfortable not using Fezandipiti ex here, but it’s impossible not to use Pecharunt ex.
There’s nothing in the format that comes close to doing what Pecharunt ex does for Zoroark. It basically solves its two biggest problems, which are mobility and the ability to one-shot Basic Pokémon ex. You have other ways to help the mobility problem, such as Turo and N’s Castle, but when the situation gets too complicated for these to help, a simple Nest Ball can fix all your problems.
It is worth mentioning that Pecharunt ex’s attack can deal up to 300 damage if the opponent is on low Prizes. Even though it’s only two Energy, it’s a bit complicated to set up, so plan ahead. If the opportunity arises to attach an Energy from your hand that won’t be missed during the game, it can serve as that game-ending attacker, [card name=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] style.
One Munkidori
I haven’t been a big fan of using [card name=”Munkidori” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] in decks that don’t produce much damage, but the rotation made me change that opinion. Just like N’s Zoroark ex and Dragapult ex, other decks in the format build their victories by setting up Knock Outs with more than one attack, which means plenty of damage on the field.
Dragapult ex is still the best deck in the format, so for that reason alone a tech like Munkidori is worth it, but the convenience of a deck that only uses Darkness Energy and has few Energy attachment problems contributes greatly to the card’s inclusion.
It’s worth remembering that Budew deals 20 damage to N’s Zorua and N’s Zoroark ex because of the Grass Weakness, which may seem bad at first, but in practice it’s 20 damage that your Munkidori can move to the opponent effortlessly.
One Okidogi ex
This is the type of card that no one likes to play. It has zero synergy with the deck. However, it solves a crucial problem that only it can solve, which is [card name=”Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card].
If Cornerstone Ogerpon ex is on the field, N’s Zoroark ex can’t do much. Zoroark has an Ability, and Darmanitan and Reshiram wouldn’t be able to withstand an exchange of attacks even if there was a way to power them up. If you think about it, [card name=”Okidogi ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] is a more-than-satisfactory answer for Cornerstone Ogerpon with just one card. Basically, you need to use Okidogi ex’s first attack to attach three Energy, and then attack for 260 damage, which Knocks Out even an Ogerpon with a Bravery Charm attached.
There is no reason to use Okidogi ex except to Knock Out Cornerstone Ogerpon ex, so if you don’t start the game with it, it will probably serve as a discard for Zoroark’s Trade. If you do have the misfortune of starting the game with just Okidogi ex, though, it’s sometimes interesting to use the first attack and actually continue attacking, as 260 damage is quite high considering that the deck’s typical damage is only 170. In a situation where this doesn’t seem worthwhile, Pecharunt ex can be used to switch it out, or you can wait for Turo if you don’t want to drop Pecharunt.
Okidogi ex’s maximum damage can reach 300 with Binding Mochi, capable of Knocking Out Pokémon such as N’s Zoroark ex and Archaludon ex.
Four Arven
[cardimg name=”Arven” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”235″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]The current format is slow, which allows us to play a little slower. The first turn is no longer as important as in the past format, and now the middle of the game has gained in importance. Games now have one or two more turns, which generally involve Budew or [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] attacks to set up your Pokémon. Arven helps a lot with this.
Four Iono
Iono helps solve our card draw problem and also takes away the opponent’s hand, which is perfect. After one or two Arven turns, you need new cards in your hand, plus your opponent may have picked up one or two Prizes while you were setting up, which means a hand of just four cards for them. Whenever the opponent has a big hand, use Iono whenever possible. That’s why I play the full four copies.
Two Boss’s Orders
N’s Zoroark’s attacks require the prudent use of Boss’s Orders and [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Darmanitan’s attack requires Boss’s Orders because you probably want to KO two Drakloak or [card name=”Hoothoot” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] on the opponent’s Bench instead of having to hit the Active one. Meanwhile, Reshiram’s damage is low, but it’s enough to KO any Pokémon in the game in two attacks, including Dragapult ex. If the opponent takes 170 damage from Zoroark, they will probably want to retreat that Pokémon to another without damage, so then you need a Boss’s Order to complete the Knock Out.
One Professor Turo’s Scenario
Professor Turo is a super versatile card that can help at various times by resolving mobility issues, removing unwanted Pokémon from the field (such as Okidogi ex and Pecharunt ex), and simply taking an N’s Zoroark full of damage off the field. It’s not a necessary card for the deck to function, but it can be important in different ways in a long tournament with an uncertain and diverse metagame. Dragapult ex is a matchup that always involves a lot of damage on the field, so Turo always has the opportunity to be relevant.
There is also the possibility of using Munkidori twice in the same turn with Turo if it was already on the field with Energy on the previous turn.
Four Nest Ball
They purposely made Darumaka have 80 HP just so it couldn’t be picked up with Buddy-Buddy Poffin, which makes the deck perhaps more dependent on Nest Ball than Poffin.
Four Buddy-Buddy Poffin
Buddy-Buddy Poffin basically only searches for N’s Zorua, but that’s the heart of the deck, as without Zoroark there is no game plan. Another Pokémon that can be fetched with Poffin is Tatsugiri, which can save lost games and fix bad starts.
ACE SPEC: Hyper Aroma
One of the biggest challenges of the current format compared to the previous one is evolving Pokémon, as Brock’s Scouting and [card name=”Jacq” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] don’t function that quickly or with 100% consistent setup, and not all decks can discard two cards to pay for [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Hyper Aroma is the perfect solution. One Hyper Aroma is enough to do all the work that not even four Ultra Balls would do. It only makes sense to use Hyper Aroma if you use Arven, though — otherwise you won’t find it on the second turn.
One Earthen Vessel
Attaching Energy every turn is not a priority for the deck. The important thing is that you can attack with Zoroark as soon as you’ve set up, and to do this you just need to find a Basic Energy and an N’s PP Up in two or three turns.
Earthen Vessel guarantees at least two turns of Energy, which is great because that’s exactly what N’s Zoroark needs to attack. Discarding a card from your hand can be a bit annoying, which made me consider Energy Search, but the benefit of searching for two Energy is more than worth it.
Two Night Stretcher
In most games I actually need only one of the two copies of [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”251″ c=”name”][/card], but the second copy provides enormous security, because often I end up needing to discard one of the copies at some point. In matchups where the opponent is more aggressive, taking early Knock Outs, Night Stretcher is frequently useful for recovery, but in this slower format there is usually time to find your other Pokémon and save Night Stretcher for the end.
Three N’s PP Up
People typically play four copies of Energy acceleration Items because accelerating Energy is very good, but from my testing, three copies are more than enough if the objective is to attack only with N’s Zoroark ex, especially with [card name=”Powerglass” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] to help.
Two Counter Catcher
N’s Zoroark is a deck that tries to go ahead on Prizes early, but it may still fall behind in the middle to end of the game because it does not have strong attacks. In any case, Counter Catcher is useful. There will be several games where the best strategy is using Iono and hoping that the opponent misses the perfect play.
In this format there will be games in which you need to avoid getting the first Prize, and to do this you attack with Darmanitan to set up multiple Knock Outs at once. As the turns pass, your opponent is forced to take the first Prize, and this activates Counter Catcher. In this way, you can manage to get six Prizes in three turns from the Pokémon that took damage from Darmanitan.
One Technical Machine: Evolution
This Pokémon Tool is the most important one in the deck, and I’m even thinking about the second copy if I can find space, especially in the list I’m using, which relies on Hyper Aroma to find Stage 1 Pokémon. I like the advantage of being able to get TM Evolution from Arven and use it even after Budew’s Itchy Pollen attack.
One Powerglass
In my opinion, this Pokémon Tool needs to be standard for any N’s Zoroark deck that uses Arven. The benefits of this card can be superior to N’s PP Up. Practically every time I use Darmanitan’s attack, I hope to attack with Powerglass, because with this Tool I can attack with Darmanitan several times without worrying about my Energy usage. Without Powerglass, you are hostage to N’s PP Up, which in addition to being an Item and being blocked by Budew, can put you at risk of failing to find it at the right time.
One Binding Mochi
I’ve already put Binding Mochi into and taken it out of my list a few times, but I can’t sleep peacefully without the possibility of N’s Zoroark ex Knocking Out Fezandipiti ex. There were few games in which I actually used Binding Mochi, as I also don’t like having to put down Pecharunt ex for this, but the games I used I believe I only won because I had access to it.
One Rigid Band
In many games I felt the need to have an N’s Zoroark ex with 310 HP, mainly because it can take a hit from [card name=”Pikachu ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Terapagos ex” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] with a full Bench and [card name=”Maximum Belt ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. There’s already a big difference between being Knocked Out and staying alive, but in the case of N’s Zoroark ex, taking damage while staying alive means dealing double that damage the next turn, which basically means Knocking Out anything.
One Technical Machine: Devolution
Seven of the eight decks in Atlanta’s Top 8 are Evolution decks, which means that TM Devolution is very useful. For it to work, N’s Zoroark needs to set the stage. Gardevoir, Dragapult, Gholdengo, N’s Zoroark, Archaludon, [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], and Mamoswine ex are some matchups in which Devolution considerably increases N’s Zoroark’s chance of winning.
I feel like most Stage 1 and Stage 2 decks in the format make it very difficult for N’s Zoroark to win if they manage to set up, with the exception of Gardevoir ex, which is Knocked Out by Zoroark due to Darkness Weakness.
Two N’s Castle
It took me a while to understand the real importance of these Stadiums. First, you need them to remove [card name=”Jamming Tower” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card], which is currently the best way to nullify the opponent’s Tools (and this list plays five). The second point is that it helps the deck’s mobility without resorting to Pecharunt ex. Cards like [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rescue Board ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] could have a similar effect and could be accessed with Arven, but N’s Castle does a better job. A Stadium only stops working when another enters play or it’s removed, which means that it can stay for several turns and thus you can obtain the benefit several times with a single card. The third point is that N’s Castle can be used even under Itchy Pollen lock.
One Artazon
One more Stadium card to remove Jamming Tower and one more card to search for Basic Pokémon: in theory, such a good combination that it makes a lot of sense to put a second copy in the deck if I can find space, or if decks with a lot of Jamming Tower start to emerge.
I just don’t like to increase Artazon’s count beyond one because it becomes useless after the first few turns — and, worst of all, the opponent can use it too.
Six Energy
I’m personally a player who likes to play with a lot of Energy — I don’t like going through a turn without attaching Energy; it feels like I’m wasting an important resource. With this deck, I haven’t felt this way so much. The fact is, this list frequently takes turns without attaching Energy, and that in the end isn’t a problem, because you only need two of them on N’s Zoroark ex and that’s it.
Final Thoughts
[cardimg name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”233″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I decided to write about N’s Zoroark ex even though I know that the deck is not Tier 1 in the current format because I wanted to understand everything about it. In this process, I decided to challenge myself to make the best N’s Zoroark list that I could make. Based on everything I tested about N’s Zoroark, I believe there is room for the deck in the metagame, mainly because the matchup against Gardevoir ex is positive and the matchup against Dragapult ex is balanced with Devolution and Munkidori as tech cards to cover it.
It must be made clear that the strength of N’s Zoroark is consistency, not damage output. Many games are won by the simple fact that you are still going while the opponent is stuck. There’s no point in rushing to win games — N’s Zoroark needs several turns of strategic attacks to get to six Prizes.
Playing with N’s Zoroark for two weeks in a row was a challenging experience. Firstly, this is because the deck is not overpowered, which makes all matchups challenging, though all possible to win. And, secondly, it offers a new style of gameplay in which you are forced to use interesting, albeit mediocre, attacks as strategically as possible.
In the end, N’s Zoroark is a deck with high consistency, low strength and a reasonably good matchup spread, and the sum of the three factors results in a good deck that is not excellent, but has a high potential ceiling depending on the metagame. This deck is still very new and these cards will be in the Standard format for the next two years, so learning about N’s Zoroark now means that as soon as a good idea or new cards come up to solve your problems, it can easily move up to Tier 1 and fight for the title of best deck in format.
That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time!
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