Only One Can Be the Best – Optimizing Tera Box

[cardimg name=”Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”194″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]After testing the new format, one card has proven itself to be insanely broken and problematic: [card name=”Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. Wellspring Ogerpon is basically a consistent turn 2 Radiant Greninja’s Moonlight Shuriken in a format with no [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. There is no real defense against this monster. If it gets to go first, it will mercilessly tear apart the your setup before the game really begins. Since you likely won’t have a response ready, it can spam its attack thanks to [card name=”Crispin” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sparkling Crystal” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card], generating enormous tempo and applying maximum pressure. Over in Japan, some players identified this and brought Tera Box to the Champions League. [card name=”Fan Rotom” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Noctowl” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is the premium consistency engine in a post-rotation world without options such as [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. There’s just no match for the utility of Fan Rotom. Not only does Noctowl enable Wellspring by constantly searching out Crispin and whatever else you need, but it also enables the [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] combo. And why stop there? These Energy acceleration options can be applied to any attacker, not just Wellspring. [card name=”Pikachu ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is a durable nuke that works perfectly in this deck, while Lillie’s Clefairy ex is the efficient damage-dealer that also counters Dragon-type matchups.

It does not take a rocket scientist to see that this deck is obscenely good. The general consensus is that it’s the clear BDIF. If you aren’t playing this deck, you sure need some sort of answer prepared for it. This deck is incredibly format-warping due to Wellspring Ogerpon’s attack. Every deck needs to be able to receive a Torrential Pump sniping the Bench on turn 2.

As of now, the format is still somewhat undefined and there aren’t any clear-cut counters to this deck yet. If you can find the perfect list, you’ll be at an advantage in the early stages of this format, playing the best deck with the best list. That’s what I’m going over today. Tera Box is not perfect or foolproof, but it is incredibly powerful, versatile, and consistent. It is truly ridiculous that this deck is allowed to exist, so let’s dive deep and push it to its limits.

I don’t think this deck needs to be revolutionized or reinvented. I’m just interested in making the 60 cards as optimized as possible. Wellspring is the core of the strategy. It’s usually the go-to early-game attacker, and often ends up being useful on later turns as well. I think two copies of it are non-negotiable. Unfortunately, the untimely loss of [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] makes things a little more awkward for toolbox decks with lots of techs, so we also need to account for our Prize cards. As such, the deck should play two Teal Mask Ogerpon, even though you only ever need one of them. It’s too integral for the deck functioning, opening up lots of Energy Switch plays. Of course, Fan Rotom is also too critical to play just one. Aside from that cast, everything can be played as a 1-of. Yes, even Lillie’s Clefairy ex. Even if a good one-of Pokemon is prized, you can usually find something else to do to make up for it. In the case of particularly important ones, like Clefairy in certain matchups, you can still take a few Prizes to try and fish it out. Another reason why one Clefairy is acceptable is because it isn’t needed in plenty of situations, and there are commonly games where you do not end up using it at all. Of course, like any one-of, there will be times where you’re frustrated to prize it, but I am ok with the risk-reward trade off in this particular instance.

[card name=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ditto” set=”151″ no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] have become quite common in this deck, and for good reason. This deck relies on high-maintenance combos for tempo and taking Prize cards. Ursaluna is the perfect partner to close things out, as it can get two cheeky Prize cards basically for free. You can blow through all of your resources to blitz Prize cards and rely on the low-maintenance Ursaluna to clean up. This same concept was applied in decks like [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and Lost Box before, and it works just as well here. Ditto is an amazing consistency booster by effectively allowing Fan Rotom to search for anything, which is just insane. In previous Terapagos decks, Ditto was a rare inclusion because it was difficult to push into the Active Spot on turn 1, but that is not the case here, so it gets the green light. If you’re lacking a Tera Pokemon for the turn 2 Noctowl (or if you want to save the [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] for something else), Ditto transforms into that. Other common uses for Ditto are shifting into [card name=”Latias ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] or Budew. Let’s take a look at the list:

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[decklist name=”tera box” amt=”58″ caption=”” cname=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x [card name=”Noctowl” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hoothoot” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fan Rotom” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pikachu ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latias ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”76″ 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=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Budew (PRE #004)1x Lillie’s Clefairy ex (JTG #056)1x [card name=”Ditto” set=”151″ no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]3x [card name=”Crispin” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ 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]3x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sparkling Crystal” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Area Zero Underdepths” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]I play four of the 70 HP Hoothoot because the one Retreat Cost and searchability via [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] comes up often enough for me to be uncomfortable playing the 80 HP one. Of course, the extra 10 HP is very strong against [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], but we can already destroy them with Wellspring Ogerpon and Lillie’s Clefairy. The one retreat can be particularly helpful when going for a turn 1 attack with Budew or Fan Rotom, or in general when Latias is prized. That brings me to the next inclusion, the second Buddy-Buddy Poffin. Poffin is so powerful in this deck. Not only do you heavily rely on Fan Rotom to function, but being able to slam the remaining Hoothoot on turn 2 or turn 3 is also great. Furthermore, getting an extra Hoothoot, Ditto, or Budew on turn 1 is very valuable. Basically, when you open with Poffin, you win. I would like to include even more of them if possible.

On that note, Budew has been dropping from lists and I don’t know why. Budew is absolutely insane in this deck. This deck prefers to go first to run the opponent over on turn 2, but when your opponent forces you to go second, you don’t want to be hopelessly behind. Not only does Budew give you something to do on turn 1 going second, but it often stops the opponent in their tracks. For example, if they did not get Wellspring Ogerpon into their Active Spot on turn 1, they are unlikely to find the Torrential Pump under Item lock. Furthermore, if an [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] deck chooses to go first, you can use Budew and lock them out of their Item from Arven, severely slowing them down. Budew is great against [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] decks, setting up the alley-oop for Wellspring, and it can buy you a turn in random spots if you miss a beat. It’s also great against [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] in some spots, all but ensuring they won’t get an immediate two-Prize KO. It’s also fairly easy to get the turn 1 Itchy Pollen when going second.

[cardimg name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]Next is [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], another criminally overlooked card in this deck. Iron Bundle adds to the Bench pressure and has synergy with the combo of Wellspring and Pikachu. Any deck with a nuke attack should be playing Iron Bundle. If your opponent has an inconvenient Pokemon in their Active Spot, such as [card name=”Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] or Pikachu ex, you can use Iron Bundle to generate a two-Prize turn. If they push a single-Prize Pokemon, Wellspring Ogerpon can take two Prizes. If they push a two-Prizer, Pikachu takes the KO. Iron Bundle is very convenient and easy to use. Sometimes you will run out of [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], or be unable to use it on the same turn with Crispin. Iron Bundle is also useful against evolving decks (such as [card name=”Gholdengo ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Feraligatr ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]) when they [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] their Bench with a single-Prizer in the Active. Iron Bundle offers too much power for zero investment, so it’s a mandatory inclusion in this deck in my opinion.

The Supporter lineup is completely standard. There’s no real reason to mess with that. [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and Switch honestly aren’t that good in this deck, but retreat-lock is prevalent in this format. Without both switching cards, this deck would be far too vulnerable to retreat-lock. Aside from escaping, Turo is nice to refresh a Noctowl, and Switch is handy when Latias is prized.

[card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is too important to play just one. Most games will involve using both Night Stretcher. It is the perfect tempo card with ultimate flexibility. [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] is very good, but since Crispin is often searching out Energy, you can get away with one. It sometimes hurts when the Vessel is prized though.

[card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] seems counter intuitive because this deck aims to get ahead and stay ahead, but the reality is that it sometimes just doesn’t go how you want it to. This is especially relevant considering the popularity of the mirror match and similarly aggressive Fan Rotom decks. In games where you can’t help but start off behind, Counter Catcher is absurdly strong. It helps salvage losing games.

Two [card name=”Area Zero Underdepths” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] is perfectly acceptable because this deck does not rely on it too heavily. We generally want the first Area Zero to go wide with our Bench initially, but past that, it’s not too important to keep in play. Many other decks will also be playing it for us, or at the very least not bumping it super aggressively.

Three Grass Energy is also enough. This deck doesn’t rely on spamming Teal Dance; it just needs to enable one or two Energy Switch plays. The Energy count is very low, but since Wellspring shuffles Energy back, Crispin can still be used multiple times. This deck also doesn’t draw that much, instead searching things with Noctowl, so there will often be Energy left in the deck for Crispin. The low Grass Energy count can be annoying in the rare instances where we want to attack with Ogerpon’s Myriad Leaf Shower, but that’s still possible with all three Grass or even Sparkling Crystal.

Finally, it’s time to address the elephant in the room: the lack of [card name=”Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. Cornerstone can be useful for a variety of tasks, but it is often underwhelming, and not truly needed. This deck operates with a wide Bench, so opponents will usually have the option to simply ignore the Cornerstone and go around it. For example, Cornerstone should be good against mirror and Gholdengo, but it’s hard to get to a lone Cornerstone setup, and they can just target the Bench. Even with a lone Cornerstone, most decks have some sort of way to respond to it. With no support, the Cornerstone will go down. In short, Cornerstone doesn’t do enough on its own to beat anything with a way to hit through it (which everything has); and if you do have support for it on your Bench, the opponent can just KO those Benched Pokemon.

Cornerstone is mostly useful for shredding through walls such as other Cornerstone. Should we face against Cornerstone, we will simply employ the above strategy of going around it. This deck excels at attacking the Bench. With an opposing Cornerstone dealing only 140 damage, we are happy to ignore it and snipe everything down. If we are confronted with a lone Cornerstone, we will use Mew ex to 2HKO it. Even our Wellspring Ogerpon can follow up a Mew hit if needed.

Finally, Cornerstone would be good against [card name=”Farigiraf ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. Farigiraf is quite annoying for this deck, but I do not think it is that big of a threat. The Walls deck is the only one that plays Farigiraf, and I do not think that deck is very good. Against a lone Farigiraf, we can actually attack with Iron Bundle, which is good enough if they do not have another one. That said, Cornerstone would swing the Walls matchup from bad to good if we were to play it. I am basically hoping to avoid Walls with this deck, because I do not respect that deck. Everyone else is playing Cornerstone for me.

As of now, I do think this is the optimal Tera Box list. However, this is subject to change. If Walls becomes popular in the west, I’ll have no choice but to include Cornerstone. I would very much like to cut Turo and Switch. I don’t know if that’s acceptable in the current meta, but I foresee it as a possibility.

Matchups

Mirror

When going first, try to use Wellspring on Turn 2 to decimate their board. If that’s not possible, at least try to take a two-prize KO. When going second, Budew is a viable option to slow them down. It can potentially stop them from searching out Latias or Wellspring for their Turn 2 Torrential Pump. If it looks like they’ll get it anyway, such as if Wellspring is already in their Active or has an Energy on the Bench, try pushing Pikachu ex. They cannot KO Pikachu, and it might be difficult for them to pull off a Boss play. Limiting Wellspring to one prize card is ideal. Try to get Energy into play whenever possible via random attachments and Teal Dances, as you’ll want Boss plays to be available and not necessarily be locked into Crispin. Lillie’s Clefairy and late-game Ursaluna are efficient options to take two prize cards, often along with Boss’s Orders. The Iron Bundle play can occasionally come up to generate two prize cards against an active Pikachu or Cornerstone.

Dragapult

[cardimg name=”Noctowl” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”115″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]It is important to be very fast and aggressive in this matchup. If you don’t generate enough of a Prize lead, they will have no trouble wiping your board and making a comeback with hand disruption. Make sure to be ready for Budew. When going first, try to get Wellspring into play with an Energy so that a single Noctowl will enable that Torrential Pump, even under Item lock. Going second, Budew is very strong, as it shuts down their Items like Poffin and Ultra Ball that they need to set up. Taking a prize with Fan Rotom on Turn 1 is potentially even better if you happen to have all the pieces to do so. Either way, you’ll be aiming for that Turn 2 Torrential Pump. Using the Crystal on Wellspring makes it easier to chain attacks, and you probably won’t need the Crystal for anything else later. After all, once they do set up Dragapult, Lillie’s Clefairy wipes it off the map. Their win condition is primarily disruption via resetting your hand and taking strategic KO’s. Try to play around this to the best of your ability based on the situation. For example, if you have Clefairy and Fezandipiti on your board, they won’t be able to KO both at once, so you can leave your board with that two-pronged threat. If for some reason you run out of Psychic Energy, don’t forget that Mew ex can also one-shot Dragapult with Clefairy’s Ability.

Raging Bolt

This is probably the toughest matchup… for Raging Bolt. The most important thing is to make sure you do not give up the first two prizes. Budew can help with this, or simply do not put down any vulnerable two-prize Pokemon until you’re ready to go in. Of course, Clefairy is the go-to nuke in this matchup. Wellspring is surprisingly useful in this matchup as well, since most Raging Bolt lists are playing Noctowl now. If Clefairy is prized, Pikachu is still a decent option (but be ready for a [card name=”Slither Wing” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] response). They are likely to try attacking with a single-prize attacker at some point. If they have any single-prize Pokemon on the Bench as well, use Wellspring as the perfect response. Ursaluna is a great closer in this matchup.

Gholdengo

If you can take two prizes with Wellspring, go for it. However, they will probably play around this with TM: Evolution. This is where Iron Bundle is strong, as you can force up a Gholdengo to KO it with Pikachu. If the Iron Bundle play isn’t online, that means Wellspring is. Be very careful with your Energy so that you can chain Pikachu as much as possible. Using Crystal on Pikachu is also ideal. They cannot one-shot it unless they play Brute Bonnet. Some lists have started including that, but there’s nothing you can really do to play around it anyway. If they use Brute Bonnet to poison themself, Ursaluna can actually KO back with poison.

Keep an eye on their Bench. If they put down a fourth Pokemon, you can use Lillie’s Clefairy to KO Gholdengo, which can be incredibly relevant. If you cannot get the first two prizes, taking one with Fan Rotom is fine. It’s unlikely they will be able to get a fast gust KO. If they do end up getting the first two prizes, make sure not to put down too many two-prize liabilities. Pikachu is capable of swinging the prize trade back in your favor.

That’s all I have for today, thanks for reading! Hopefully this article was helpful in understanding the new BDIF, and by extension, the landscape of our new metagame. Of course, if you’re trying to win, this deck should be a foremost consideration.

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