Play Fairies While You Can! — Gardevoir-GX and Sylveon-GX
[cardimg name=”Xerneas” set=”Steam Siege” no=”81″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Not you, Xerneas![/cardimg]
Hello everyone! This is Grant here. For what feels like the first time ever, I originally had no idea what to write about for this article! I will have another article soon covering some Expanded plays for Dallas, so that left me to cover Standard decks. I did not want to write two Expanded articles so close together because that would likely be repetitive! Luckily, I have been playing a bit of Standard recently for fun even though my main focus has been on Dallas. I still have Standard League Cups to prepare for after all!
As it happens, I think two particular Fairy decks are the two best plays for this format, at least before the extremely hyped Metal set comes out. Fairies may not be in too great of a spot after that. In the meantime, though, I have some fun, effective, and unique Fairy lists to show you, as well as a quirky surprise at the end!
Gardevoir-GX
Everyone thinks that [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t exist in Standard anymore. Compared to its overwhelming popularity before, it sure isn’t as dominant, but the deck is still just fine! It definitely holds its own against the various [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks out there, and it is still extremely powerful and bulky at the cost of a little clunkiness. I figured that Gardevoir should be favored to beat all of the top decks provided it can set up. After all, not much can deal with two Gardevoir each loaded with Energy. Therefore, I set out to make the most consistent Gardevoir list possible. Unfortunately, it is still somewhat clunky, but the positive difference between past Gardevoir variants is noticeable.
In a nutshell, this list is slightly more consistent than normal and relies on Gardevoir’s largely positive matchup spread.
[decklist name=”garde” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ralts” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”]Consistency![/cardimg]
As you can see, basically every card is run in high counts and the list is focused on consistently setting up Gardevoir. No time for weak cards like [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]! I would also rather obliterate my opponents with Infinite Force than cripple my own consistency with situational healing cards. [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] also set you a couple turns back when you can just take two more Prizes and let the Gardevoir go down. In case I haven’t said so enough, this list aims to be consistent over anything else!
Four Gardevoir-GX, One Gallade, Three Kirlia, and Four Ralts
We run an extra [card name=”Kirlia” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] and an extra Gardevoir compared to usual lists so we can set up Gardevoir consistently! Running higher counts of these improves the odds of having the right evolution piece at the right time so we can set up Gardevoir. Setting up Gardevoir is great because its attack one-shots everything! Did I mention that setting up Gardevoir is great? Most decks can’t even return a OHKO on Gardevoir, let alone multiple times. An extra Kirlia can also help against decks with [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], as it makes Espeon destroy you slightly less badly than normal.
There is one [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. Gallade is somewhat extra because Gardevoir can already OHKO Zoroark, but Gallade has a much easier time doing so. Gallade also cannot be return KO’d by Riotous Beating, making it a low-Energy nightmare for Zoroark. However, the main reason Gallade earns his keep is because Premonition with [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is so strong it’s unfair! It’s almost as good as the [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] plus Trade combo, and it doesn’t even use up a Supporter!
2-2 Octillery
A 1-1 line is way too risky because of the odds of a piece being prized or Knocked Out. 2-2 is the way to go for optimal consistency!
I thought Zoroark-GX would be a better partner for many reasons, so I tried him out, too. Turns out, Zoroark sucks. I also run 2-2 for that juicy combo with Gallade I was talking about — Octillery needs to be in play for that to happen!
Two Tapu Lele GX
You may be thinking that two [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is a little low for a list that’s supposed to be focused on consistency. You would be absolutely correct! I would love a third Lele, but it is the honorary 61st card at the moment. I couldn’t convince myself to cut anything for it, so I am trying to sneak by with two. If you really want to add a third, I suppose you’d have to cut the second [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card].
Two Alolan Vulpix
Two of these adorable arctic foxes may seem a bit greedy, but the gameplan is to use Beacon early game and every game. I wouldn’t want to have my heart broken by my only copy being prized, and having it in your opening hand is absolutely lovely. However, if you wanted to take the risk and go down to one, I wouldn’t blame you. The second Vulpix is the deck’s most flexible spot.
Two Super Rod
This list runs a ton of Pokemon and basic Energy, and double [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to blaze through Sycamores with minimal repercussions. Who wants to waste a turn using Twilight GX, anyway?
Nine Fairy Energy
Nine might seem like a lot, but that’s okay. You always want to have an Energy in your opening hand so you can retreat into Vulpix. Additionally, you always want multiple Energy later so you can load up Gardevoir. I wouldn’t even mind 10 Fairy Energy but space does not allow for it.
[premium]
Matchups
[cardimg name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Watch out for Dangerous Rogue GX![/cardimg]
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX — Favorable
The big, scary BDIF is actually a really easy matchup. Try not to play down more than three Pokemon on your Bench, as that means Dangerous Rogue GX is less dangerous (and it certainly isn’t a rogue anymore). However, you can play down more Pokemon early in the game if you account for your opponent taking one or two quick Knock Outs with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. Manage your Bench based on the situation, and whatever you do, don’t forget about Dangerous Rogue GX!
Once [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] comes out, things start to get fun. Sure, you are at a deficit early on, but Gardevoir is a hard hitting monster that is extremely difficult for LycanZoro to take down. If you play your cards right, you should easily take all six Prize cards between two Gardevoir-GX and/or Gallade.
Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX — Slightly Favorable
This matchup is extremely volatile. During the games you lose, it will feel like a landslide auto-loss. Conversely, wins are often quite convincing.
Once again, manage your Bench based on how the game is going. Sometimes the [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] will have to use Absorption GX. In that case, you don’t have to worry about Dangerous Rogue at all! If the game progresses with no GX attack being used, you must be extremely cautious. Buzzroc players frequently rely on Dangerous Rogue to close out games after the initial Buzzwole and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] pressure is let up. If you can avoid the Dangerous Rogue and deal with the Buzzwole in a timely manner, this matchup is a clean win more often than not.
The Gardevoir Mirror — Favorable
I’ll be honest, I haven’t played the mirror. I really don’t see how you would ever lose it though! Nine Fairy, three [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and a whole lot more consistency should make this an easy win. Your opponent’s four [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]s are useless! You want to go super aggro in this matchup, but don’t apply your early pressure with a loaded Gardevoir. Gallade or even an Energy-lite Gardevoir seem like the way to go. If your opponent is using [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to set up, then this doesn’t really apply. You can use a Gardevoir with the appropriate amount of Energy to take that out ASAP. You definitely don’t want to deal with [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] plus Plea.
When going first, you might not even want to go for Vulpix and/or [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] plays. This is situation dependent of course, but oftentimes you want to dig hard for the turn two Gardevoir pressure. This is especially true against Sylveon variants as Parallel Plea is something you don’t want to be on the receiving end of.
Note: The above three decks are by far the most popular in the current format. Against fringe decks like [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX, [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Venusaur” set=”Shining Legends” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] , [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card], and Disruption, you win easily. Golisopod-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is 50-50. [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] is unfavorable. [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is a horrendous matchup.
Sylveon-GX
I think [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is amazing at the moment. I was a hater when Gardevoir was at the forefront of the meta, but as of now, that one bad matchup is worth taking when you beat pretty much everything else! I put a ridiculous amount of thought and a bit of testing into this list, so I hope you enjoy read. By the time you read this, I will have already played this exact Sylveon list at a League Cup.
[decklist name=”sylv” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″][pokemon amt=”7″]3x [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]3x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
By the way, running a 1-0-1 Gardevoir-GX in this deck is bad. Automatically losing 20% of games by starting [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is bad. Wasting three spots for no reason is bad. [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] gives you infinite (almost) everything and Sylveon already provides the mediocre offense, so Gardevoir is unnecessary. Running a three-card combo that only works if none of them are prized is bad. Losing to [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is also bad.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at the list.
One Guzma, Two Counter Catcher
Catcher stalling is a staple in any disruption deck’s tool kit. I run low counts because the importance of Catcher stalling takes a back seat to Energy denial, but I still included them because they are quite important at times.
[card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is almost always better because it is an Item and doesn’t use your Supporter for the turn. One Guzma is included because with the Lusamine, it allows you access to infinite Guzma! You will never get infinite Counter Catchers.
One Brock’s Grit
[card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] alongside Lusamine gives you infinite Energy and infinite Pokemon! How cool is that? This is relevant to give you a hard auto-win against other disruption decks, as well as a way to recover a Sylveon or [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] if one or more are prized. Additionally, retreating and using Brock’s Grit lets you infinitely replenish your deck, so that’s neat.
If you wanted to run a [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] instead, I wouldn’t be totally opposed to that either.
One Gladion
This deck doesn’t take Prizes all that often, so [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] softens the blow of prizing an important card such as Sylveon or [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card].
One Delinquent
Sure, [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] is nice to have, but its importance is simply less than that of everything else. That’s why there’s only one copy. Lucky for us, one is still enough to have infinite uses of it thanks to Lusamine!
Two Acerola, Three Max Potion
Lusamine lets us run only two [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and still have infinite healing! Gotta love Lusamine — it’s not like she makes this deck broken or anything. [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is a lot better than Acerola and we don’t have infinite uses of it, so that’s why it’s a three-of. I’d like four Max Potion, but I’ve never felt like the fourth was needed and space doesn’t allow for it.
Two Team Skull Grunt
I’m not exactly sure how to quantify this card’s usefulness. The most I can say is that it is awesome in some situations and completely rails [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] after a Hollow Hunt GX. It is quite useful against [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] decks as well.
Three Team Flare Grunt, Three Plumeria, Four Crushing Hammer, and Four Enhanced Hammer
By now it should be obvious that Items are run in higher counts because we don’t get infinite uses of them. The entire strategy of this deck is to run opponents out of Energy so they are left to flail around and slowly lose. Therefore, large quantities of Energy-removal cards are self-explanatory. You want to be able to access any of these cards at any point in the game, so the high counts are mandatory. Each card has its own niche that earns it the right to be a core piece of this deck.
Three Lusamine, Four Puzzle of Time
[cardimg name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
These cards are the backbone of the deck;d they are what make Sylveon as strong as it is. Lusamine gives you infinite uses of nearly everything in the deck, while Puzzle can retrieve odd combos that are needed for specific situations. Puzzle also allows you to reuse finite-use Item cards.
Another less common use for Puzzle is to arrange the top of your deck, which can bail you out of a hairy situation with no Energy in your opening hand.
Three Field Blower
[card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] regulates any and all Tools. Nearly every Tool is detrimental to Sylveon in some way, so it is imperative that you can remove them as many times as necessary. [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] are the main culprits.
Two Parallel City
[card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] reduces [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]’s damage to laughably low levels when combined with Sylveon’s Resistance. It also provides fuel for Delinquent and helps against decks such as VikaBulu and Volcanion by making OHKO’s slightly harder for them to reach.
12 Fairy Energy
If you don’t open with a Fairy Energy, your lone Eevee will almost certainly get KO’d on your opponent’s turn, so I tried to fit as many of them as I could.
Matchups
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX — Auto-win
There’s basically no way to lose this matchup. Their attacks barely scratch [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and they run few Energy cards. It is extremely easy to run them out of Energy and heal off the few meager attacks that they can muster up.
Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX — Slightly Favorable to Even
Once again, this matchup is slightly favorable and also very volatile. When you lose, you get destroyed. When you win, it isn’t even close.
This matchup comes down to how the early game goes. If your opponent gets a turn two or turn one Absorption GX on a lone Sylveon, you lose. If not, you win. Usually [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can pull off the turn two Absorption GX, which sucks. However, against Sylveon it is a lot more difficult to pull that off than against a normal deck. Sylveon has a ton of disruption cards that can potentially slow down Buzzwole just enough to start the Magical Ribbon pain train. Once Sylveon starts doing its thing, Buzzwole slowly but surely loses all of its Energy and ultimately loses the game.
Gardevoir-GX — Unfavorable
This is one of my most knowledgable matchups as I have played these decks against each other more than any human should. [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is definitely an unfavorable matchup but it is by no means an auto-loss.
Interestingly, it isn’t Twilight GX that swings the matchup, but simply Gardevoir’s ability to OHKO a Sylveon at virtually any point in the game. If it purely came down to running Gardevoir out of resources, Sylveon would outlast Twilight and double Super Rod 100% of the time. Unfortunately, Gardevoir can accelerate Energy faster than Sylveon can remove them and they will eventually accumulate into a massive Gardevoir that runs through your board. Sylveon will always drag this game out and make it look close, but only sometimes will it manage to defeat Gardevoir.
I will say that Float Stone counts are extremely relevant. The more Float Stone that Gardevoir runs, the worse off Sylveon is.
Other Matchups
- [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX — Auto-win
- [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] — Slightly Favorable to even
- Volcanion-EX — Slightly Favorable (as long as they don’t play [card name=”Starmie” set=”Evolutions” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card])
- [card name=”Venusaur” set=”Shining Legends” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] — Probably Favorable but I honestly have no idea
- Disruption Decks — Auto-win
- Golisopod-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] — Auto-win
- Decidueye-GX — Favorable, don’t let them catch you with an [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] play
- [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] — Probably terrible
Tapu Koko-GX
I want to close out this article by sharing a fun and slightly competitive deck that I have been working on.
[decklist name=”Tapu koko” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I think this is the optimal list for [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] and this may be its only window of competitive opportunity for its whole mediocre life.
The strategy revolves around Aero Trail, Tapu Koko’s Ability that basically gives you a [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] whenever you play it down. Luckily, Aero Trail can absorb Energy from anywhere, so you can legitimately triple [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] before moving them to Tapu Koko-GX! You generally want to use Aero Trail with a fresh Koko whenever your Active Pokemon is damaged. You can then use [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] on a damaged Koko and Lele to reuse their Abilities.
Key Cards
Note is that [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is usually a suitable 2HKO attacker as well, so the burden is not entirely on Tapu Koko. In fact, Tapu Lele is often the early-game attacker of choice.
[card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is necessary because this deck has a real hard time drawing cards otherwise. Without the amazing draw power that Octillery offers, the deck would fizzle out and lose momentum every time.
[card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is relevant against [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in particular, though it is also clutch against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks with [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. Koko’s 170 HP isn’t too bulky against most decks, but Fury Belt makes it survive just about everything.
[card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]s knock off [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]s to make it even more difficult for foes to OHKO Koko. Blower also gives you a solid chance against Garbodor as opposed to simply rolling over and dying, so that’s nice too.
[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is needed to regulate pesky [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] though as an added bonus it smacks around every deck that plays Special Energy (that is, basically every deck).
Why Koko?
Well, why is this deck suddenly good now as opposed to literally any other time in the past seven months or so? [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is less prevalent, while decks that struggle to OHKO are more prevalent. Tapu Koko alongside his arsenal of powerful Items can easily prey on the hordes of [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], and Zoroark out there. The constant stream of 140 damage and Acerola is quite effective against those decks, although you struggle against decks such as Gardevoir that can OHKO Koko with ease, belted or not.
The problem with this deck is it relies a lot on Max Elixir, although Buzzwole does too and it seems to be doing fine. Additionally, Tapu Koko maxes out at a whopping 140 damage which isn’t great either (apart from Tapu Thunder GX). I tried using [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], but I always flipped tails and I realized that the disruption cards are necessary in order for Tapu Koko to keep up with the strong meta decks.
In Conclusion
All in all, Tapu Koko seems to be decent but not amazing in terms of competitive play. I would bring the other two decks to an event before I chose Koko, though it’s always in the back of my mind when choosing a deck for a League Cup.
Thank you so much for reading guys! I encourage you to give Fairy decks another go before Metal forcefully takes over the format. Both Sylveon and Gardevoir are in comfortable spots matchup-wise at the moment, and I really enjoy using both of them. If you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to give Koko a try! He may not be meta, but he’ll try his best!
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