Observing the Zoroark Metagame — Post-Dallas Analysis

By: Conner LaVelle · Posted Posted onFeb 4, 2018 at 5:59 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello PokeBeach readers! I’m excited to be back with my second feature for the site, this time on the topic of Dallas Regionals. Today’s piece will be a bit of a collection of post-Dallas thoughts, with most being in relation to how the results from Dallas will contribute to shaping the format. Toward the end, I’ll go into my opinions on the Expanded format overall and offer some ways that you may be able to take advantage of the current state of the metagame. This one will have a little less structure than my articles tend to, but it will allow me to cover a wider spectrum of information, so hopefully you all can pull something useful from it!

Dallas Tournament Experience

I played [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] for Dallas. My run was less spectacular than I had hoped, seeing a 6-1 record become a 6-3 record after a long series of suboptimal draws. I was particularly frustrated in this case as I have thus far been unable to identify misplays in these rounds. While poor draws are inevitable in card games, I can’t help but feel there may have been a course of action that would have yielded a better result, at least in round nine (round eight was a mirror match that I had no realistic hope of winning due to several differences in our lists). That said, I’m remaining optimistic looking forward to Collinsville, and I’m genuinely excited to see what decks come out on top in the BKT-ULP metagame.

My list for the event is here:

[decklist name=”My Gardevoir-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”Generations” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In retrospect, the only card I would change would be to remove a basic Fairy Energy for a [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card]. I lost a mirror match in round eight that was probably seven or eight cards different, and this was the one that stood out to me the most.

There are a couple of topics that I’d like to address pertaining to Dallas as an event, however, as it had a unique aspect in that the venue was a hotel within the airport. This yielded advantages and disadvantages, the most notable of which I’ll list here:

Pros

  • Extremely convenient for anyone flying to the event. Having a hotel within the airport is unparalleled for this, saving money and time on transportation.
  • The hotel drastically reduced the price of parking for those who drove. My group drove down, and we spent $20 on parking for the entire weekend. This was a huge improvement to the $50+ we’ve come to expect.
  • Having the venue within the hotel was also very convenient, but this advantage is not unique to Dallas Regionals. Being able to run up to the hotel room and relax if a round finished early was fantastic for keeping rested and focused throughout the day.

Cons

  • Food options were extremely limited. If you didn’t want to eat at the hotel, it required an Uber or Lyft. This was equal parts costly and inconvenient, especially for those looking to go out after the tournament.
  • Many places were unwilling to deliver even if they were in close proximity. This further narrowed food options.
  • Getting in and out was a chore even if you had a vehicle. My group elected to stay in the hotel for the entire trip just because having to leave and re-enter was a hassle, even though we had a perfectly functioning vehicle, and I know we weren’t the only ones who did this.

My purpose for including this is to serve as a message to TOs from a player’s perspective. Having a hotel as a venue was fantastic, but the hotel being within the airport was a little cumbersome. A happy medium would be a hotel venue that is close to the airport (so that the hotel would have a free and easy-to-use shuttle) but not within it.

That all said, I’d like to address the meat of the article: Expanded after Dallas.

Dominance of Zoroark-GX

Players anticipated [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] to be extremely common at Dallas, and this was absolutely the case. Even with this assumption, it appeared in still greater numbers than many had anticipated, myself included. I had assumed that the deck would follow a similar course to the previous top tier decks of this season’s Expanded metagame and take a hit to its slew of counters. This could not have been more wrong. While [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] did emerge as an effective counter from a small group of elite players, Zoroark-GX generally did an incredible job of responding to hate over the weekend. Eventually, each of the Garbodor decks fell to the fox, meaning the best Zoroark-GX lists at the event were capable of handling it fairly well. Out of the top 38 decklists, Zoroark-GX is featured 23 times, just under 61%. The Top 8 was comprised strictly of five Zoroark variants and three of its direct counter in Drampa / Garb.

[cardimg name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] was part of the reason for the dominance of top lists. The ability to limit an opponent’s resources coupled with a [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], depending on the matchup, was often capable of sealing a game and secured a major advantage at the least. [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] made abusing this combo incredibly easy, allowing the user access to it twice comfortably and three or even four times on occasion. This may not sound like a large number, but the combo reliably results in at least a single Prize advantage, though often two, for the user. The ability to use it twice in a game results in a two-to-four-Prize lead with no opportunity for punishment or counter play. I’ll go over how healthy I feel this combo is later in the article, but its effectiveness in undeniable. Coupling the ability to one-shot almost any attacker in the format with some of the most powerful disruption in the format was, unsurprisingly, a winning pair.

Zoroark-GX’s consistency meant it often found wins against unfavorable matchups strictly because it would almost always have the cards it needed in any given situation. Any time a player failed to play [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], the Zoroark-GX player would add another six cards to their hand. Even with an N, [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] would allow for Trade to turn an N to one into an N to seven — eight with the topdeck. Every time I sat across from a Zoroark-GX deck over the weekend, they had a 15+ card hand at some point during each game. Though this only culminated in a loss for me once, it made playing against them very linear in that my strategy simply had to be to knock them out faster than they could knock me out. In this sense, games felt boring, but there are minimal odds that this will be soon to change.

Unless a more steadfast counter appears, I would advise that you start acquainting yourself with your Zoroark-GX deck of choice. With Red Card likely becoming a staple inclusion after Dallas, Zoroark-GX variants on the whole will become even more powerful moving forward than they were for this event.

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Riley Hulbert’s 1st Place LonZoroark List

I want to examine several of the top lists for the event — lists for 1st, 2nd, and 6th-8th. While there were certainly other interesting lists at the event, each of these three have what I would consider abnormal card choices that ended up being highly effective. I’ll begin with Riley Hulbert’s first place list:

 

[decklist name=”1st Place LonZoroark” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This list has two cards that I specifically want to draw attention to: [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”from”][/card] and Red Card.

There was a considerable amount of debate on the best Zoroark line for Dallas. Excluding the camp that recommended the inclusion of both, some were drawn to the Stand In Ability and reliable damage of [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”from”][/card] while others saw the peerless versatility of Zoroark BLW as the superior choice. I personally fell on the Zoroark BLW side as I found the potential of Foul Play to be a much greater asset than anything offered by Zoroark BKT. The first place list corroborates this notion, though the second place list directly contradicts it. While this does provide both sides of the argument with plenty of ammunition, Riley Hulbert’s uncontested 15-0 record in games that were not an ID or scoop speaks volumes on the power of Foul Play. Unless the format changes drastically, I think Zoroark BLW is a necessary inclusion with Zoroark BKT being an additional option. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark is the only variant where I would consider this case to be reversed.

Zoroark BLW is a tremendous asset in a variety of matchups, notably the mirror and Night March, allowing for an easy two-for-one Prize exchange with Riotous Beating. The card is difficult to [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] around and ignore, as well, since it can easily find a follow-up Knock Out on another Zoroark-GX the following turn.

I spoke fairly extensively on Red Card above, so I’ll keep the discussion brief here. Red Card is currently half of one of the game’s most powerful disruptive combos. The other half of this is either [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], depending on the level of Ability reliance in the matchup. Either way, the result is severely crippling your opponent’s available resources, often making return Knock Outs impossible. This, combined with a Knock Out of your own, often culminates in a lead with no room for punishment. Riley Hulbert commented that Red Card was important in 12 of his 15 fully played series (he had two ID’s and a scoop to fill out all 18 matches), and this serves as a clear demonstration of the power of Red Card in the deck. I anticipate this to become a staple in all Zoroark-GX variants moving forward; expect most of your opponents playing Zoroark-GX to include this card as well.

There’s one other area of interest for me which is not an inclusion, but rather an exclusion. Riley opted for the thin 1-1 [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] line as opposed to the common 2-1 or heavy 2-2 line. Many players had bumped up their count to have access to the Basic Ability lock more reliably, but this is a testament to the validity of a 1-1 line. With the Red Card / Hex Maniac combo, it’s fairly likely that Alolan Muk is not needed in quite as many situations as builds without that disruptive option.

Isaiah Williams’ 2nd Place Zoroark-GX / Exeggcute List

[decklist name=”2nd Place Zoroark/Exeggcute” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”102″][pokemon amt=”20″]3x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Black and White” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This list includes the previously discussed Red Card, but the card choice to highlight is actually Exeggcute. This list is unique in that it plays a full four count of the card. This may seem excessive, but it allows for interesting uses of Propagation and Hex Maniac to get around opposing [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] — options that any opponent playing a smaller count will not have. A quadruple Propagation followed by a Hex Maniac allows a Zoroark-GX deck to get around Sudowoodo for a turn by benching all four eggs. After the effect of Hex Maniac ends, all four Exeggcute can be easily discarded and used for the typical discard mitigation purposes. This makes the Red Card / Hex Maniac combo even more potent, as it will be accompanied by a Knock Out nearly 100% of the time.

An interesting note with this decision is that it increases the deck’s vulnerability to Alolan Muk. As it directly conflicts with Exeggcute, Isaiah decided to exclude the Alolan Muk line from his build entirely, making space for the higher egg count. I have to imagine that he would wait for opponents to evolve into their Alolan Muk and immediately go for a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] play on it, making recovery much more difficult. In addition, with four Exeggcute in the list, Isaiah would be perfectly happy to play against opposing Roadblock as it would hardly affect his ability to grab Knock Outs.

Overall, this was an interesting deck decision, and I’ll be interested to see whether this style of Zoroark-GX gains traction moving forward. Personally, I think this variation on the usual LonZoroark archetype has a huge amount of potential as it answers Roadblock better than any other build, but the metagame may shift to where locking out opponent’s Basic’s Abilities becomes too valuable an asset to forego.

The second Hex Maniac is also an interesting inclusion in this deck, but it makes a lot of sense. The Propagation / Hex Maniac combo gives the deck a serious edge against any rival Zoroark-GX decks, and the Red Card / Hex Maniac combo is brutal against most of the format. A second copy of Hex Maniac allows you to have it more often and keeps you from having to burn [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] every time you want to use it.

The 6th-8th Place Drampa-GX / Garbodor List

The third and final list I’d like to highlight is the 6th-8th place [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] piloted by Jimmy Pendarvis, Brad Curcio, and Igor Costa (as well as Azul Garcia Griego and Ryan Sabelhaus to lower finishes).

[decklist name=”6th place Drampa-GX/Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Dragon Vault” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Generations” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ align=”right” c=”nonee”][/cardimg]

This deck is wild. It takes advantage of several key weaknesses in the format: prevalence of Special Energy, reliance on Abilities, and many decks’ need for a large Bench. They did this with Drampa-GX’s Righteous Edge, Garbodor BKP, and heavy [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], respectively.

From what I’ve gathered since the event, the strategy of the deck was flexible with a few key goals. The first was to establish Garbotoxin with Parallel City in play. This would drastically reduce Zoroark-GX’s draw and damage output. From here, the goal was to use Righteous Edge with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]ed Drampa-GX and knock off a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]. If the Zoroark player responded by damaging the Drampa-GX, it would be [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]’d and the strategy would repeat. Eventually, the Zoroark player would miss an attack, and a second Energy would come down to power up Berserk. This strategy would be repeated until the Zoroark deck eventually either ran out of resources or managed to break the lock and disrupt Drampa / Garb out of recovering it, though the latter occurrence was much less common than the former. [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] had a great GX attack if the opponent couldn’t achieve a one-hit Knock Out, and Parallel City + Garbotoxin was a combo that made reaching 180 difficult for many decks. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] has always been a powerful card, especially in Expanded, and it provided high late-game damage potential.

This deck is incredibly fascinating as every single card choice goes toward abusing a weak spot in the format. I am uncertain as to whether this deck will continue to be as powerful in the future as it was for this event, though, as Field Blower counts are likely to rise to a two or three count if the deck ever gains a large amount of popularity. [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] are options for recovering Parallel City, but I fear that a Zoroark-GX deck would take a two-Prize Knock Out every time they play a [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], meaning you may lose to their speed and damage.

Health of the Format and the Ban Discussion

The health of the Expanded format has been a heated topic of discussion over the last few months. [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is pervasive, seeing a higher portion of metagame representation than an attacking Pokemon has in the last decade. While its approaches to victory often differ, a point can be made that this makes the metagame far too centralized. Drampa-GX / Garbodor did see a huge degree of success considering how many players piloted it, but it ultimately fell to the fox just as everything else in the field did.

Dallas was the first Expanded tournament this season that did not see a major upset to the metagame. The opposite was the case; the event had a more homogeneous metagame than the event before it, with Zoroark-GX seeing unparalleled representation. To an extent, I feel as though the appeal of utilizing the multifaceted power of Zoroark-GX made people lazy in developing new archetypes to answer it, but it could also be that no archetype can answer the deck reliably once lists have been optimized. This can be observed by Riley Hulbert’s uncontested 15-0 record in played matches. While there had to have been an element of luck to his run as with any Regional Champion, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a perfect record at a Regional since the two-day format was introduced. This leads me to believe that LonZoroark has begun to occupy a place in the metagame similar to Night March in 2016, but its representation, consistency, and versatility outweigh Night March at its peak.

Editor’s note: Jimmy O’Brien went 16-0-1 in the Lancaster Regional Championships of 2015, winning the tournament. While Jimmy did naturally tie one game, meaning he wasn’t undefeated, he won more games than Riley throughout the tournament, and did not concede or ID any games.

[cardimg name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I hesitate to recommend a ban on the card as the format still feels young, but Expanded has a habit of always feeling young due to its lack of events. The current situation in Expanded is interesting; we will soon see exactly how Pokemon intends to use its banlist. Zoroark-GX decks are not inherently preventing people from playing the game as [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] have in the past, but they represent what I would consider to be a terribly unhealthy portion of the metagame. The question now becomes: if a deck is too strong, will Pokemon decide to ban it? Previous bans have focused on cards that are unfair more than powerful. Is Zoroark-GX’s unrivaled consistency so great that it treads into unfair, even though it can be shut down and does not prevent a player from playing the game? I haven’t come to an answer that I’m happy with.

The Shiftry ban came largely as a result of the community’s research and discussion of it. Does this mean Pokemon values its players’ input when coming to a ban decision? It’s possible that if the community unites behind a decision, it may sway TPCI enough to enforce a ban (or decide against it), but there is so little precedent in the situation that it becomes more of a waiting game than anything.

My personal view is that Zoroark-GX decks were prepared for and countered in force over the weekend and still comprised the entire Top 4, making the card too powerful. If I was personally at the wheel, I would ban something, Zoroark-GX or not, in an attempt to bring it to a power level more in line with the other cards in the format. This could be a hit to Double Colorless Energy, [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”from”][/card], or a large number of other cards that Zoroark-GX aims to abuse. The only decision by Pokemon that will disappoint me is a decision to do nothing; I would rather they make a decision that ends up being bad than make no decision at all. It would indicate that they are attempting to keep their game balanced even if it means making a controversial decision.

Conclusion

The three biggest takeaways from this article are:

  • Play [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] in your Zoroark decks. Also, play a deck with Zoroark-GX in it.
  • Disruption is extremely powerful in this metagame, and the decks that can make good use of it have the potential to dominate.
  • Involve yourself in the ban discussion. Pokemon does act upon the input of its community. Regardless of your opinion, make it known!

And an additional one, if you happen to be a tournament organizer:

  • A hotel is a fantastic venue, but a hotel with a free shuttle to the airport would likely be better than a hotel inside it.

And of course, thank you for reading! I look forward to any questions or discussion points you may have!

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