Unown to You — The Invisible Hand of Zoroark-GX / Control in Expanded

Annoyingly, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]  Control is a deck that never seems to die off. The Expanded format is a stomping ground for this powerhouse, as it provides the deck with many more degenerate cards to boost its disruptive power. Most recently, Zoroark-GX Control has found success in Standard, winning this season’s Latin American International Championships, but before that, Isaiah Williams took it into Top 8 at the Expanded Portland Regional Championships.

We haven’t yet seen an Expanded event with Lost Thunder legal, and let me tell you, that set sure adds a lot of new cards into the mix for control decks — [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”custom”]Girafarig[/card], [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ c=”custom”]Unown[/card], and [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”custom”]Faba[/card], just to name a few.

In Standard, Zoroark-GX Control never seems to do well when it’s expected (as we just saw at the Virginia Regional Championship), but in Expanded it’s a whole different story, since the deck really doesn’t have a counter in that format. It can be hard to counter a deck when you don’t even have a hand to start with thanks to [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] combos, and there’s a new card that gives Zoroark-GX Control another tricky win condition…but more on that later. 

This deck is by far my top pick for the upcoming Anaheim Regional Championship, and I’d like to share my knowledge of it with you. The deck is hard to play at first, but you’ll find after some practice that its gameplay is fairly systematic. In this article you can expect to see my current list, some alternative card choices, a rundown of important matchups, and more!

The List

[decklist name=”Zoroark-GX Control” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ 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]2x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Black and White” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”5″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Explanations

Two Exeggcute

Having two [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] lets you negate the cost of any of your cards that requires two other cards to be discarded — in this deck, [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. This is especially important in the late game when you need to manage your cards wisely so you don’t run out of resources. Of course, there is also the well-known “broken” Propagate plus Trade combo with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. 

One Unown

[cardimg name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hand is an insane Ability in a deck like this one. You can drop [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] out of nowhere and instantly win the game if you have 35 or more cards in hand. This helps you speed games up against slow opponents or opposing mill decks. The opportunity to add a whole new win condition to the deck means I think Unown is too strong not to include. You can abuse the Propagate plus Trade combo to continually build your hand size up to the winning number of cards.

One Seismitoad-EX

This is another way to lock opponents out of games. You can use Quaking Punch when your opponent doesn’t expect it, possibly forcing them to use up non-Item resources they had planned on saving for later. In combination with [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card], you can control your opponent’s topdeck as well as their hand for the ultimate lock. 

One Girafarig and Faba

[card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”custom”]Girafarig[/card]’s Get Lost attack can dramatically swing the mirror match in your favor by sending your opponent’s resources to the Lost Zone, where they can never be recovered. I think ultimately I will choose to run only one of Girafarig or [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”custom”]Faba[/card] , but for now I’m playing both. Faba is a little more multi-purposeful, as it can singlehandedly beat [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks by removing their Energy for good. Girafarig is only really good in the Zoroark-GX Control mirror. 

One Garbodor

Garbotoxin is powerful against every deck, but especially against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and the new [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] (which will likely find a place in many Expanded decks such as Night March). 

One Ditto Prism Star

This allows you to play the aforementioned [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], and serves as a “fifth” [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] as well. Hypothetically you could add other Stage 1 techs as well, and I’m musing over one in particular: [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] from Guardian Rising.

One Articuno-GX

Cold Crush GX is needed in to beat Energy acceleration decks like [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. Should you ever play against [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], this is a key card for winning that matchup as well. Legendary Ascent is an added bonus to ensure that you can get [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] into the Active position without needing a switch effect.

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One Delinquent

I normally like two [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] , but I’ve been trying just one. If you Prize it, you still have [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. Delinquent is one of this deck’s most important cards, combining with [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] to strip your opponent’s hand and initiate the lock. If your opponent ever has three or fewer cards in hand, Delinquent (plus a Stadium) should just instantly win you the game, barring some lucky draws from your opponent.

Two VS Seeker

I’ve cut down to two [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] because you’re using Resource Management nearly every turn so you have less of a need to play a larger count of these as you can always recover it to give yourself a choice of Supporter for the turn. Two is defense against your Prizes, nothing more, although when you do have both that’s one less card you don’t have to Resource Management for a turn.

One Weakness Policy

[cardimg name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Fighting decks are always difficult for [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], especially in Expanded, where they get [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] Although you can still lock Fighting decks with Delinquent, Red Card, and Articuno-GX, you might need to buy a little extra time. Attaching Weakness Policy to [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] can turn it into a small tank, preventing Fighting players from KOing it with a damage-boosted Jet Punch. 

One Trick Shovel

Another important piece of the lock, [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] controls your opponent’s draw for the turn. I tested with two copies but I believe one is fine; [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] can allow you to use it twice in a turn if you need. 

One Bursting Balloon

This is your way of activating Garbotoxin without wrecking your own strategy in the process. At the end of your turn, you can attach [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to Garbodor to shut off your opponent’s Abilities. Then, at the end of your opponent’s turn, Bursting Balloon goes back to your discard pile, re-activating your Abilities. You can then use Dowsing Machine to grab it again on your next turn. Playing a second Bursting Balloon would be nice, but Garbodor isn’t a necessity in every matchup, so one copy works fine unless the metagame changes.

Two Parallel City

Originally I played a [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], but with the addition of Garbodor to the deck, you no longer really need that. Instead, two [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] should be your Stadium of choice, as they can punish other Zoroark-GX decks and generally just serve as an all-around useful Stadium. You can clear your [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] from your board to prevent your opponent from KOing them later on. 

Four Double Colorless Energy and One Water Energy

Four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] is crucial for beating [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. With only three, the Trevenant player could run you out of them with [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”custom”]Faba[/card]. Double Colorless Energy allows you to retreat a [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] or attack with Riotous Beating. A single Water Energy is included for the purpose of using Cold Crush GX.

Other options

One Klefki

Another option to activate Garbotoxin, [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] can be searched out more easily than [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and can also be recovered with [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. I would likely add a Klefki before I added a second Bursting Balloon.

Two Counter Catcher

This is quite possibly the most disruptive Item card you can play in this deck, and playing two copies would be particularly great. Each time you use [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] on a Pokemon that can’t attack, your opponent is forced to play a switching card, burning valuable resources as well as lowering their hand size to the point where it can be cleared with Delinquent. 

Two Field Blower

With an opposing Garbotoxin able to shut down your draw engine (Trade), having an extra [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] can be instrumental to beating decks that play Garbodor. You can also use Field Blower to remove [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] from your own Garbodor, if you were forced to attach it instead of Bursting Balloon or Klefki. 

Gameplay

[cardimg name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Searching for [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] is always the goal of this deck during its first turn. From the second turn onwards, you want to set up as many [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] as possible. As you draw through your deck in the opening turns, worry less about dealing damage or looking for Knock Outs and focus on finding openings where you can punish your opponent with [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] or remove Energy from their most important Pokemon. 

Zoroark-GX is the perfect engine for control decks because it can attack for significant damage numbers to address threats that you can’t dispose with disruption cards alone. Imagine your opponent plays an [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] that keeps drawing them cards to negate your Delinquent control: you can drag it up with [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and use Riotous Beating to KO it so you can establish your lock. Control decks also usually struggle with [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], which just so happens to be weak to Zoroark-GX. 

With the new addition of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], you can take a better matchup against other Zoroark-GX decks if you’re able to maintain the Ability lock. Many Expanded decks rely on one or more Abilities to draw cards, so having the option to shut off Abilities will win you a lot of games. I like to think of Zoroark-GX Control as [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor, but better. Sableye’s Junk Hunt only returns two Item cards from the discard pile; Oranguru’s Resource Management recovers three cards of any kind.

Matchups

Blastoise: Slightly Favorable

In the past, this was a difficult matchup, since [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] was not commonly played in [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] Control. Your opponent could just Deluge out a ton of Energy and defeat your Energy-denial strategy through brute force. Now, with Garbodor, you can stop your opponent’s Energy acceleration and use [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to slowly wear down their board. You can also attempt to trap the heavy-Retreat Cost Blastoise in the Active spot with [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. If the Blastoise player breaks the Garbotoxin lock, Cold Crush GX can deal with a [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card], or Palkia-GX that gets loaded up with Energy, and in combination with re-restablishing Garbotoxin that can end the game immediately. Keep an eye on Blastoise lists as the meta evolves; I think Blastoise might begin to play [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”custom”]Faba[/card], which could prove problematic. 

Buzzwole-GX: Slightly Favorable

Some of the same concepts from the Blastoise matchup are also applicable here, such as stripping Energy from an attacker with Cold Crush GX or locking a high-Retreat Cost Pokemon in the Active spot. [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM69″ c=”name”][/card] decks usually play a lot of Basic Energy, which can be difficult to deal with; just recycle your [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and remember you can use [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to play two Crushing Hammer in one turn. Math is important in this matchup: your opponent has numerous damage modifiers including [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], and the right combination of modifiers can actually allow Jet Punch to OHKO a Zoroark-GX. Try to remove Beast Energy and KO [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] as early as possible, since those cannot be recovered once they hit the Lost Zone. Constantly be looking to heal your Pokemon with [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] to prevent the Buzzwole-GX player from taking multiple Knock Outs in one turn. 

Drampa-GX / Garbodor: Highly Favorable

This is one of Zoroark-GX Control’s easiest matchups because you can rely almost entirely on Resource Management, returning all your Item cards to your deck to limit damage from Trashalanche. The best counter to you that [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can pull off is combining [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] and Garbotoxin to try to force you to dead draw. The Drampa-GX / Garbodor player may attempt to use [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] to recover resources, but you can punish this play with [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. 

Lost March: Slightly Favorable

Lost March gets [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] in Expanded and may be running [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] as well. That gives you a few options: you can either Knock Out those draw support Pokemon with Riotous Beating, or just try to lock their Abilities with Garbotoxin. You will need to lock your opponent’s hand out to win this matchup because they can do so much damage for relatively little effort. I expect Expanded Lost March to omit [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and opt to just run Grass Energy along with [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to attack with [card name=”Natu” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”87″ c=”custom”]Natu[/card]. That means your [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and Crushing Hammer will be key to winning this matchup.

Night March: Slightly Favorable

Your [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] can steal quick wins in this matchup if your opponent doesn’t expect it and you manage to lock them out of dealing enough damage with Night March, but normally you’ll be looking to pull the same strategy as against Lost March: looking for the Delinquent hand lock and maintaining it with Trick Shovel.

Primal Groudon-EX: Favorable

If a [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] does hit the field, you can use Cold Crush GX on it, and from there your opponent shouldn’t have much else left. You can lock their hand and then loop Trick Shovel for the rest of the game. It will be very difficult for them to build up a second Primal Groudon-EX after the first one was stripped of Energy. 

Sableye / Garbodor: Slightly Favorable

A fellow control deck, [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor is very susceptible to [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] since it returns discarded cards to the hand and not the deck. You can build a lock pretty easily with Red Card and Delinquent, and from there it should be smooth sailing.

Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX: Even

This deck showed up in full force at this season’s Portland Regionals, but it’s very weak to [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”custom”]Faba[/card]. With just four Double Colorless Energy in their deck, you can Resource Management back your Faba over and over until your opponent simply has no Energy. If they add their own Faba to their list, you have your Water Energy to deal with that. This is a matchup where having a second Water Energy, or just another Basic Energy of any kind, would be a nice tech. 

Trevenant BREAK: Favorable

[cardimg name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup can usually be won by simply using [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] over and over, but if you need to, you can attack with Zoroark-GX and take easy KOs because of Trevenant’s Weakness. Most [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] lists will likely be running [card name=”Morty” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] now, which is an annoyance, but with Trade you should be able to rebuild your resource supply. [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] are very helpful to deny Knock Outs. If your opponent misses a turn of item lock, you can attach a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to your Garbodor to try to prevent the lock from being reestablished, but beware of the Trevenant player using Faba on the [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. 

Zoroark-GX: Favorable

Finally, the Zoroark-GX mirror matchup. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] is helpful if you notice your opponent is relying on Items to disrupt you. Girafarig is really good to put your opppnent’s Faba or Double Colorless Energy in the Lost Zone. Garbodor is good in this matchup too — if you can maintain the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] chain, you can stop your opponent’s Trade while retaining your own. It’s much easier to pull off the Red Card plus Deliquent lock if your opponent’s hand isn’t inflated from all the Trade drawing. 

Conclusion

As of right now, I believe I’ll be playing this deck for the Anaheim Regional Championship, and I’ll continue to test it heavily in the next few weeks. I have a few other decks I’m planning to test, and I’ll be sure to write about those in my next few articles. My other top pick at the moment is Lost March, and I also like Night March with [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”custom”]Zebstrika[/card] . Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions in the Subscribers’ Hideout. Good luck with your testing and tournaments!

Peace,

Caleb

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