“Wait, Is This Expanded?” — Standard Time with Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX

[cardimg name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”156″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] is my favorite deck in the Expanded format, and, until recently, I had never played it extensively in the Standard format. Since a friend of mine encouraged me to try it out, I’ve been hooked. I think the deck has the options to win any matchup in the Standard format and might just be the best overall Zoroark-GX variant available. [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is underrated in the deck and I believe that it takes the build to new heights. The greatest punishing factor is that you can drop a Parallel City, cripple your opponent’s setup, and then use Bloodthirsty Eyes to grab another Pokemon that’s of value and either Knock it Out or get a good crack in on it. This is quite disruptive and punishing, destroying the setup tendencies that most, if not all, viable Standard format decks keep in mind.

Fighting is quite frankly the best type a Pokemon can be right now, considering that it punishes the mighty Zoroark-GX. Lycanroc-GX can effectively sweep a game right out from a player’s feet, sometimes even taking all six Prizes! The list I’ve been using is similar to Poet Larsen’s, one that he handed off to his friend Pearce Blend, who then took it to a semifinal finish in Collinsville, Illinois, a couple weekends ago!

List and Explanations

I love playing Zoroark-GX and Lycanroc-GX in tandem, and I’m excited to share my thoughts about the deck in the Standard format this time around. This deck seems to be the best play for Charlotte, North Carolina, Regionals coming up, and it’s certainly a deck that I’ve been focusing most of my testing time on. All right, here’s the lineup…

[decklist name=”null” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″][pokemon amt=”18″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM06″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I’m going to introduce a new metric to my explanations, a “cut” factor. This percent will represent the chance that I could see myself cutting any of the cards mentioned. The higher the number, the more likely I would be to potentially take it out for something else.

Four Zorua and Four Zoroark-GX | Cut Factor: 0%

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”77″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

These guys obviously need to be in the deck, they are the main drawn engine and your main attacker, too. A full line of them without [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”from”][/card] is optimal as you would rather have every Zorua turn into a Zoroark-GX to start using Trade. Trade is far more valuable than Mind Jack or Stand In will ever be.

Three Tapu Lele-GX | Cut Factor: 0%

With three [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] you have an almost seventy percent chance of starting with [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] on your first turn in some capacity and then following it up with a draw Supporter on your second turn. This can be further improved by adding a fourth Tapu Lele-GX, something I’ve been considering heavily. Needless to say, you would never want to take any of these out as it will hurt your opening consistency rather dramatically.

Three Rockruff and Two Lycanroc-GX | Cut Factor: 0%

In the past, Lycanroc-GX decks were a bit overzealous by playing upwards to four [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM06″ c=”name”][/card] and three Lycanroc-GX. I never saw that as a necessity and my playing just three and two, you get two valuable deck slots for other things. You’re always going to want to have as many Zoroark-GX as you can get out on your Bench, so playing anything more than this is just unnecessary.

One Mewtwo and One Mew-EX | Cut Factor: 30%

[card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is a big deal! Countering it should be, too, and that’s why I’ve got both of these Psychic-type counters in my list right now. Out of the two, I think [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is more valuable, so if I chose to cut one of them — something I’m considering — I would be taking out the [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. Mewtwo is obviously better against [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks since you won’t always have access to Mew-EX and its Versatile Ability, but you still can use [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to get around that. Both of these greatly improve your winning percentages against Buzzwole-GX-based decks. Mewtwo has utility against [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], a deck that has picked up in popularity once again, as well.

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Four Brigette | Cut Factor: 0%

Consistency is king, everyone, and with four of these you have a strong chance of opening up with it naturally and with the three or even four copies of Tapu Lele-GX and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] in your deck you’re going to be getting Brigette on your first turn and a draw Supporter on your second around seventy-three percent chance of the time on the high end. There are diminishing returns on overall consistency past seventy-five percent, so this is a valuable deck-building decision to make. I feel that most top players in the past haven’t put much thought into the consistency process of building decks, especially regarding Brigette. While this is more anecdotal, I feel that starting Brigette in any game with a [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] immediately gives you a better chance of winning; this said, I focus on achieving maximum consistency in any deck. These numbers have been ran through a simulator many times (into the hundreds of thousands of times), so this is an accurate representation of consistency.

Three Cynthia, Two N, and One Professor Sycamore | Cut Factor: 0%

I like this as the “optimal” Supporter lineup for Zoroark-GX decks. Three [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is an instant replacement to thicker [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] counts and two [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is still amazing to have that disruption that you seek in many of your matches. Professor Sycamore in a single copy is pretty cool in many situations, still. If you use a Tapu Lele-GX for a Supporter when you don’t have any other cards in your hand (something that does happen semi-frequently), you’re going to want to get a Professor Sycamore to see that extra card. There are still situations where you might want to thin out some crummy cards that you don’t need anymore, too!

Two Guzma, One Professor Kukui, One Mallow, and One Acerola | Cut Factor: 0%

[cardimg name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”142″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is a little less important to this deck since you do have access to [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and Bloodthirsty Eyes, but you’ll still want at least two to swing turns where you want the hard Supporter “gust effect” option. [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] makes it so that Zoroark-GX can take a Tapu Lele-GX down in one attack with a Choice Band, this is super awesome! There are other more fringe situations where the extra twenty damage does come up, too, so it’s a solid one-of card. Some lists in the past have played two copies but I think that’s just unnecessary.

[card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] is a must in all Standard format Zoroark-GX decks – it’s too good! Mallow can grab you a Lycanroc-GX from your deck as well as an Energy (or other amazing combinations) and then you can use Zoroark-GX to Trade and draw those pieces you selected. [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice card for Zoroark-GX decks as well to deny Knock Outs and sometimes even reuse a Bloodthirsty Eyes or get an extra use of Trade in a turn. I think all of these cards belong in the deck and they are already in their “lowest” count, so I wouldn’t take anything from this section out of the deck; only potentially add more (something I’m not considering much).

Four Ultra Ball and Four Puzzle of Time | Cut Factor: 0%

There’s no reason to reduce counts of either of these, let alone take either out of the deck. They’re too good, considering the deck’s central strategy. Ultra Ball increases your consistency and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to dominate in the late game. There is no chance that either of these get removed.

Three Field Blower | Cut Factor: 5%

Garbodor and Garbotoxin are a big deal! Three [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is critical to having a generally positive matchup against the deck. With two, you’ll have a harder time finding them and you might be beaten by N in the late game without access to Trade. Field Blower is nice to offset the damage of early Parallel City plays from your opponent as well! The best thing is to Field Blower your opponent and then drop a Parallel City of your own in the same turn to screw things up for him or her. Field Blower is a generally useful card, but the main reason I have a low chance of cutting it is because of Garbodor and its Garbotoxin.

Two Choice Band and One Float Stone | Cut Factor: 0%

This seems to be the optimal Tool count no matter where you look in Zoroark-GX decks, even in the Expanded format! A third [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is cute, but you don’t need it. There is no chance that I would take either of these out since they can be so important to the deck. Having a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] makes your Mallow potentially become a switching card and you can always use Puzzle of Time to get it back to get access to critically important turns where you’re in the market for a pivot.

One Rescue Stretcher | Cut Factor: 5%

Getting any of your useful Pokemon back immediately with the first effect of this card is pretty solid. You can essentially make a [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] into a “gust effect” when a Lycanroc-GX is in your discard pile and likewise you can make it become two new cards by getting back a Zoroark-GX. This is a nice utility card and much better than the likes of things like [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck. Pokemon recovery is going to be much more consistently rewarding than either of the aforementioned cards or anything else that could potentially be added. Above all else, you want to save your Puzzle of Time combinations for cards other than Pokemon, and Rescue Stretcher allows you to have a strong chance of being able to avoid that entirely.

One Multi Switch | Cut Factor: 90%

I think [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is bad in this deck. Its use is so limited, and I never get it off for much effect. It seems way too fancy to be included in a list that focuses on consistency, so I don’t think this card will ultimately be for me. If you place your Energy accordingly, the use for this card is generally quite limited to begin with. I am likely going to take this card out for something else that I’ll cover in a bit.

Two Parallel City | Cut Factor: 5%

This is something my friends have been vouching for quite a while now. Limiting your opponent’s Bench is amazing in Standard format right now, and Lycanroc-GX makes it even more degenerate. You can Parallel City your opponent down and then use Bloodthirsty Eyes to handpick the Pokemon that your opponent is focusing on and either Knock it Out or get a good crack on it. This combination play is so good, it’s almost unfair! I don’t want to take either of these out, but a [card name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is another Stadium card I’ve been considering.

Four Double Colorless Energy, Three Fighting Energy, and Two Strong Energy | Cut Factor: 5%

This Energy lineup has evolved quite a bit over the season, but this is currently the optimal way to play it. [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] is still around, but not quite as popular as it once was. That said, you still want to limit your [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] count just a little bit, keeping in mind that if your opponent strips one from a [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] before it gets to attack you’re going to be in a tough spot. That’s where three Fighting Energy come in to shore yourself up against Enhanced Hammer. Four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] are obviously needed, and the chances I switch this lineup are slim. Four Fighting Energy and no Strong Energy is something I’ve messed around with, but I have missed the extra damage boost overall. Additionally, without Strong Energy you can’t use Rockruff to work wonders against stall decks like quad [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].

Options

Sudowoodo

Watch and Learn is useful even without the inclusion of [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], so it’s a decent inclusion in this deck if you can get a chance to power it up. I think Lycanroc-GX is generally better to sink Energy on. The only upside to [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] is having a nice counter to [card name=”Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card], and other hard hitters that you can struggle a bit with. You’re not Energy efficient using Sudowoodo, however, so I would steer clear of running this card unless you find space for a small Counter Energy package, something I’ll touch on down below.

Devoured Field

[cardimg name=”Devoured Field” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This neat card can crank your damage output against a Tapu Bulu-GX with a Professor Kukui to the necessary 180 damage to take a one-hit Knock Out with Zoroark-GX and a Choice Band. This is pretty nice, but a little much to consistently pull off. I like having [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] in play at all times anyways so I’m not sure how practical playing this card would be. As a side note, this is better than [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] now because you don’t want to reduce your own damage output and render your Stadium completely useless against Metal decks.

Enhanced Hammer

This often-included card in Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX decks has been cut from my list. I think you want to be as aggressive as possible and there are just better cards to play in place of it. It’s a consideration if the mirror match is weirding you out, but you’re still in a good spot in that matchup because of your increased Basic Fighting Energy count.

Evosoda

You would think that this card leads to a better consistency metric, and while it will increase your chances of a second turn Zoroark-GX, it only increases your overall consistency metric by less than a half of percent, which is miserable. I don’t want to play this card and it’s only on here because I did run it through my simulator to check how impactful it could be. Worse yet, it doesn’t even active Lycanroc-GX to use Bloodthirsty Eyes when you use it!

Counter Energy

This can make [card name=”Shaymin” set=”Shining Legends” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] a viable option is this deck to counter Lycanroc-GX decks as well as bolster Sudowoodo by playing this card. It’s a small package of a couple cards to fit into the deck, and you already have [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] to search out the pieces of the puzzle you’re looking for to pull it off in-game. I’m more skeptical of this idea in this deck than in something like Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] because I think you would almost always rather put your Energy for the turn on a Lycanroc-GX or Rockruff if you have the choice. Lycanroc-GX is arguably the most dominant attacker in the Standard format when it gets going right now so deviating from your general strategy doesn’t seem wise at all.

Matchups

Buzzwole-GX / Lycanroc-GX | Even

This matchup starts out quite well for you when you can go in with [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. The problem is once Lycanroc-GX gets powered up… You can take it down with your own Lycanroc-GX, but you can have a difficult time powering it up when you’re putting Energy on your Buzzwole-GX counters. If you can get around the Lycanroc-GX then you will win, as Buzzwole-GX is easily handled as mentioned earlier. Hold your Zoroark-GX unless you need to overextend for key cards. Lycanroc-GX should be your main attacker in this matchup along with your Psychic-type techs.

Buzzwole-GX / Garbodor | Slightly Favorable

This matchup is a little more different because you have more room to dominate your opponent since his or her deck is much less consistent. Mewtwo is clearly going to be better in general than Mew-EX, but Mew-EX is still strong when you can pull it off with a [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. You opponent doesn’t have Lycanroc-GX, so you don’t have to worry about that, which is otherwise your biggest threat. Three Field Blower keeps things moving for you, but [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] can still get you in the late game. That element of luck can keep your opponent in the game for a long time, but you can generally come out on top. Make sure to target the attackers that are getting powered up with the most Energy and address your opponent’s Zygarde-EX with your Lycanroc-GX.

Zoroark-GX / Gardevoir-GX | Slightly Favorable

With any Zoroark-GX matchup, you want to target down the “non-Zoroark-GX” threats. In this case, it’s [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]… You can handle Zoroark-GX on its own, obviously, with Lycanroc-GX. [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] and Gardevoir-GX are the problems and if you can take them down before they get into play it will be smooth sailing for you. Use Bloodthirsty Eyes as aggressively as you can and take down all the Ralts you can! Prioritize getting an Energy on your Lycanroc-GX as well when you can so that you can use Dangerous Rogue GX to take down a Gallade or Gardevoir-GX, if applicable, at some point. You want to rush Prizes as quickly as possible to maintain your aggressive advantage in this matchup. If all else fails, target [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and Zoroark-GX for easy Prizes rather than trying to take down a beefy Gardevoir-GX if the game comes to that.

Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX | Slightly Favorable

[cardimg name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM62″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup is a little closer to even rather than slightly favorable, but you’re ahead of the punch by just a hair. Going first helps a ridiculous amount as you can get the first Energy into play and start powering up a Lycanroc-GX. If you can eliminate Golisopod-GX, then you don’t have to worry about Zoroark-GX once again as it barely does any damage to you and you can take it down in one hit. Powering up two Lycanroc-GX fully is almost always a ticket to winning. Again, be aggressive, target [card name=”Wimpod” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card], and eliminate the non-Zoroark-GX threats.

Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX (Mirror) | Even

The mirror match can start slowly. You can start with a Tapu Lele-GX to bait your opponent into taking it down with a Lycanroc-GX with Dangerous Rogue GX, but if he or she is smart that won’t happen. Focus on charging up your Lycanroc-GX once again and getting two ready to go will almost always mean you won the game, unless your opponent is able to do the same. Target down Rockruff before they evolve to make your opponent play off the back foot.

Zoroark-GX / Weavile | Slightly Favorable

Hold onto your Pokemon with Abilities, meaning don’t go crazy with Zoroark-GX. Be aware that your opponent can potentially play [card name=”Weavile” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”86″ c=”from”][/card] to use Rule of Evil, and if that happens then an [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] can sweep your field. Try to play around all of that and remember above all else that your opponent is playing a reactive deck. This means that your play ends up dictating his or her play, so depending on what you do well make it easier to predict what your opponent will do. You’re not afraid of Zoroark-GX as Lycanroc-GX can crush that. [card name=”Zoroark BREAK” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] can copy your Dangerous Rogue GX, so if you can target down [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] once it gets evolved into then you’ll be in a good spot to play around that threat as well. You’re much faster than your opponent and you can set the tempo of the game by being aggressive. Play fast and smart and you should come out on top most games.

Conclusion

This deck operates well in best-of-three, fifty-minute rounds at Regional Championships. Other Zoroark-GX decks are slower and more prone to tying from what I’ve seen. The best part about Lycanroc-GX is the fact that you can target down things that aren’t Zoroark-GX in other Zoroark-GX decks. Zoroark-GX is an amazing card in the Standard format, but it’s not as great without a supporting cast. Without those techs it’s a fragile deck that gets wrecked by Fighting types. Lycanroc-GX is an amazing card because of its Ability and attacks and I love this deck. This is my top pick for Charlotte, North Carolina, Regionals right now, so if you have some free time to pick the deck up and get some games in, it’s going to be a great play for the event. See you next time, thanks for stopping by reading, good luck in all your endeavors!

~Caleb

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