The Zoroark Format — Exploring Expanded with an Old Friend

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Something strange is happening. Conversations turn to [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and Quaking Punch, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] deals 60 more damage than expected, Stage 2 Pokemon disappear and 30 HP attackers appear. It’s Expanded season! With Anaheim Regionals coming up, players are neglecting Standard for a while in order to prepare for the other format.

I’m European. I know how it feels to be left out because your favorite website is talking all about Expanded, but the only Expanded event you could attend is a League Challenge five hours away, so let’s talk about both formats this week. There’s a lot to talk about in Standard, as we’re slowly figuring out the post-Lost Thunder format, we’re seeing decks like Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Granbull” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] do well this weekend again in Brisbane. Even Japan’s Champions League can give us some insight on our own format, despite notable differences with their format having additional sets!

As I started writing, I realized I had more to say about Expanded than expected. To provide you with the best content, I decided to keep my thoughts on Standard for next week. I’ll incorporate results from the upcoming Special Event in Chile so you have the most accurate picture of Standard leading into Harrogate Regionals.

There’s a lot to discuss about Expanded. I’ll provide thoughts about the format, various power dynamics between different decks, and the many innovations that came with Lost Thunder. We’ll go over some underrated cards that might have a huge influence on the format, and conclude with a discussion on Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], and why it’s in a good spot right now.

Overview

The release of Lost Thunder brought many cards that changed the face of Standard: Blacephalon-GX, Granbull, and Alolan Ninetales-GX, to name a few. Perhaps the most influential card on Expanded is [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”custom”]Faba[/card]. In Expanded, where utility Supporters can be easily reused thanks to VS Seeker and cards like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] can supply draw power, disruption Supporters can make a bigger impact than in Standard. Faba doesn’t create game-winning locks like [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] did, though. Instead, it counters decks that rely too heavily on Special Energy. Between Zoroark-GX variants like the [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX deck that won the last Expanded regional, Night March, and other similar decks, many decks will have to adapt in order not to lose to Faba sending their four [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] into the Lost Zone.

Not every deck can make perfect use of Faba. Beware of the mindset that you need to play it to autowin Zoroark-GX decks: they are more resourceful than that! For example, an average deck playing Faba alongside their four VS Seeker might not do much to Seismitoad-GX / Zoroark-GX, since Quaking Punch prevents the use of VS Seeker. In that scenario, that deck will only be able to play Faba once. However, decks using [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] can reuse Faba under Item-lock, and eventually run Seismitoad-EX out of Energy. These decks include stall decks based on [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], and the more control-oriented variants of Zoroark-GX.

All three of these decks seem like viable options for Anaheim. Zoroark-GX Control is a deck that’s getting better and better as players refine it according to the metagame, but its dependency on Double Colorless Energy is worrying now. Primal Groudon-EX is a deck that does great against decks like Zoroark-GX, Garbodor, Seismitoad-EX and various combinations thereof. As always, since it needs [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW50″ c=”name”][/card] to function, the deck is not accessible to the majority of players. In turn, this means that few people bother teching against it. [card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] is being removed from [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] lists, for instance.

Finally, there’s Wailord-EX. I think this deck could do well in this format. With Hex Maniac banned, it’s easier to use partners like [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shuckle-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”17″ c=”custom”]Shuckle-GX[/card]. Faba provides a way to send Special Energy to the Lost Zone, but Basic Energy can be permanently removed thanks to [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”custom”]Girafarig[/card] . You can use Girafarig’s Get Lost attack with no Energy if you have [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] in play, and Dimension Valley can be easily retrieved with Lusamine. This could fit into a cheaper version of the deck that uses [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] rather than Tropical Beach. Such a version could run [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] for its Ability to heal infinitely, especially against [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. Note that the Trevenant matchup is one of the advantages Wailord-EX has over Primal Groudon-EX.

If it looks like the metagame will be full of long slogs between control and stall decks, don’t worry. Aggressive decks are on the menu, and the more players focus on the slower matchups, the less equipped they are for the faster ones. What good is Faba or Lusamine or [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], when a Blacephalon-GX hits you for 250 damage on turn two? The three aggressive decks that are being hyped right now are Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel, Archie’s [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], and Lost March. Two of these are new concepts are from Lost Thunder, but make use of some Expanded-only cards.

[cardimg name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel gets to use [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], sending Fire Energy to the discard and attaching it back. This means you can always power up a Blacephalon-GX out of nowhere, without needing an [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. Your matchup against decks that deny you the use of [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] are better. The deck is faster, since you can Blacksmith as early as turn one!

Lost March may look like a slower version of Night March at first, but it has advantages over its older cousin. Namely, there’s no counter to it like [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] when a card is in the Lost Zone, it stays there. The deck uses [card name=”Jumpluff” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card] an attacker that uses Basic Energy, so you are not vulnerable with Special Energy hate.

It’s not easy to send your Pokemon into the Lost Zone in Expanded. The only new way to do so is attaching [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Skiploom” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] before you send it to the Lost Zone with Floral Path to the Sky to boost your damage output. [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] benefit Lost March by granting access to almost any Pokémon in the deck, the second by doing the same thing but being able to put Jumpluff back in the deck if you happen to draw it. It’s worth mentioning that Grass-type Pokemon are a useful attacking type in Expanded, hitting Seismitoad-EX, Primal Groudon-EX and Wailord-EX for Weakness, among others.

Archie’s Blastoise has the most versatility out of the aggressive decks. It can use a variety of attackers, from [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] to handle one-Prize attackers, to [card name=”Wishiwashi-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] and its powerful GX attack capable of OHKOing [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. Its playstyle is popular, and top players that have been used to Zoroark-GX builds have switched to Archie’s Blastoise for League Cups recently. This leads me to think that this deck will be well represented in Anaheim.

Of course, the meta is not limited to Zoroark-GX decks, slower decks that use Lusamine, and aggressive decks. [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is a contender. It gains [card name=”Morty” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] in Lost Thunder, though I’m not sure how important the card will be to its success. And then there’s [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] DAMAGE: the elephant in the room. Its variant with Blastoise, Archie’s Ace in the Hole, and [card name=”Frozen City” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] can, in theory, win on turn one, even though it’s fragile. If someone figures out the right list, this is the deck that could make a huge splash in the format, but it must resist techs like [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] that are easily accessible on turn one. Even if the deck won on turn one every time it went first, if it gets countered whenever it goes second, you won’t win more than 50% of your games with it — that’s not the odds you want! For what it’s worth, I believe that a deck that wins or pseudo-wins on turn one, even if it’s not reliable, should not exist. The ban of cards like [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] were made to enforce this rule, so I expect Unown to get banned in the future if it works.

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The Hidden Gems of Expanded

With many options, how do you decide on a deck? There’s no deck or card that beats everything, but we can settle for the next best thing: cards that beat a lot of stuff. In this section, I want to highlight a few cards that I believe will have a big impact on the format, and explain their strengths.

Sudowoodo

This card is not new by any means, but don’t forget about [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. Zoroark-GX and [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] make up an important part of Expanded, and Sudowoodo makes their life miserable. Sudowoodo also creates issues for other decks like [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / Naganadel and combo decks based around Unown DAMAGE, should they be played. They need space on their Bench and Sudowoodo can prevent that, leaving them with too few Pokemon to accumulate the 66 damage counters needed to win. Note that [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is a good card for the same reasons, but it’s harder to tech. Many decks need another Stadium, and it’s easier to remove with another Stadium or a [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card].

Girafarig

Like Faba, [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] is a card that will do better in Expanded than in Standard. In Expanded, many decks play one-of Supporters, relying on [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to use them again. By sending these Supporters to the Lost Zone, Girafarig can remove important options from your opponent. For example, most Archiestoise decks play one [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], and may discard it early with Battle Compressor or [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], so they can use it again later in the game. By sending that lone Guzma to the Lost Zone, you prevent them from using it for the rest of the game, completely protecting your whole Bench — the same goes for [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] or Faba. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a deck like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX, or some other Zoroark-GX variant, use Get Lost to remove their opponent’s Faba from the game to protect their [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Get Lost can slowly eat away a [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] player’s deck, sending every card to the Lost Zone to prevent it being used again. An opponent cannot continuously chain [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] if another one of their Lusamine is in the Lost Zone.

Note that there is counterplay to this strategy. You can use VS Seeker to get your Supporter back from the discard on the turn you play it, so that your opponent never gets a chance to send it to the Lost Zone — unless they play a discard card like [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card].

Wobbuffet

[cardimg name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This little card is promising to me. As long as [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] is your Active, your opponent can’t use Trade, Flower Path to the Sky, Set Up, Deluge, etc. Many decks will be either stopped or heavily slowed down by a Wobbuffet start to the extent that I think it’s the card most likely to break the format. I see three decks capable of using it:

• The first one is [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. the fact that it runs four Wobbuffet in it is a big selling point.
• The second one is an hypothetical stall deck, perhaps similar to one that appeared at Leipzig Regionals last year in Standard. Decks such as [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] would have no way to beat an endless loop of disruption Supporters played behind a wall that prevents them from using Deluge or Rush In.
• Finally, there’s hit-and-run decks. [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] enjoys some popularity at League Cups, and cards like [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] could give it a boost. [card name=”Hitmontop” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] is a weaker version of Donphan, but it’s a Basic Pokémon, so you could play a consistent [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] engine along with [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. Note that these decks can benefit from [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shuckle-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] as other walls to send out against decks that are not afraid of Wobbuffet. Blacephalon-GX / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], for example, doesn’t care about Wobbuffet, but struggles a bit more with Hoopa.

And while I’m resurrecting old decks, let’s talk about [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] / Wobbuffet! This deck suffered from Guzma being in every deck, breaking its Paralysis-lock. As we’ve discussed above, [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] provides a way to get Guzma out of the way and prevent your opponent from using it ever again — unless people start playing more than one copy. Once Guzma is out of the way, most decks have a hard time dealing with the Paralysis-lock. So much has changed since Accelgor / Wobbuffet was last played that I’m not sure what a modern list would look like. One option is [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] for utility. Using [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] could give the deck more than four Energy, Shrine of Punishment and [card name=”Seviper” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] can help manipulate damage, but we need to fit everything together. It’s an idea for now, and it may be foolish to think about playing this deck again. However, [card name=”Durant” set=”Noble Victories” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] made a comeback after six years, so nothing should be considered impossible in Expanded!

Silent Lab

This is a Stadium that has fallen into obscurity. The easiest way for a GX-based deck like Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel to deal with a wall such as Hoopa would be [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s a way to deal with Wobbuffet. For example, I mentioned above how Wobbuffet can be a nightmare for Archie’s Blastoise decks, but a single copy of Silent Lab can give the Blastoise player a turn to attach Energy and deal with that issue. Silent Lab shuts down [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] Abilities, so it doesn’t fit perfectly in the deck, it is an option if Wobbuffet gets too popular.

Is Silent Lab better than [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]? It depends on the deck. [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks want Alolan Muk, since Silent Lab conflicts with Sky Field. Similarly, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks prefer to run [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], so they’ll do better with Alolan Muk. In the past, the high Retreat Cost of [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] was an issue if you happened to start with it, as it could prevent you from having a Trevenant as your Active at the end of your first or second turn, but thanks to Ditto Prism Star, there’s a Pokémon with a Retreat Cost of one that can evolve into Alolan Muk or Trevenant, should Alolan Muk not be needed.

However, decks that don’t need a specific Stadium in play, say Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel, will make better use of Silent Lab as you can play it without any setup needed.

The Return of Zoroark-GX / Garbodor

You may have noticed that several of the above cards are focused on removing Abilities. There’s a [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]-shaped hole in the format. Decks that rely on Abilities are doing much better now, that’s why cards that can remove Abilities are so valuable. The most universal of those is [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], since it doesn’t have a restriction on the Pokémon it affects — you only need a Tool.

Although there are many viable partners for Garbodor, my favorite way to play it is with Zoroark-GX. That said, I think the kind of lists that found success in last season’s Standard can be easily adapted to Expanded by adding [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and Exeggcute. The Zoroark-GX / Garbodor lists that found success in Portland didn’t play [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], but I think it’s worth making space for it. The threat of Faba means that running only Double Colorless Energy is an issue, so having a one-Prize attacker that uses other Energy is a big plus. Trashalanche is excellent against Archie’s Blastoise, but plenty of decks rely on Items in Expanded.

[decklist name=”ZoroGarb” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″][pokemon amt=”22″]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]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ 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=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ 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=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

One Zoroark

I like the inclusion of [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] for its versatility. Is [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is being threatening? Send a Knuckle Impact back in its face. Mirror match? Use Riotous Beating with a non-GX attacker! Is [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] making an appearance somehow? Turns out it’s weak to Chaos Wheel as well. You can also copy support attacks, like Resource Management, if needed.

Two Trubbish (NVI), One Trubbish (BKP)

There are many [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] to play in the format. Without [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], Tool Drop is hard to use, so I opted for Garbage Collection [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card], since it can recover cards if needed in slower matchups. You can also get it with Professor Elm’s Lecture. Sometimes having higher HP can matter, so I included one copy of a 70 HP Trubbish.

Two Garbodor (GRI), One Garbodor (BKP)

I figure if this line can win an International Championship and Worlds, there’s no reason it can’t do well in Expanded. It may seem strange to play only one copy of Garbotoxin, but in most cases, we don’t need to play it early anyway. You can enjoy Abilities in the early game and then play it down in combination with a lategame [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to lock down your opponent.

One Shaymin-EX, One Exeggcute

This deck is not as aggressive as last season’s [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks, so we’re not trying to fill the Bench with [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card]. Keep in mind that Garbotoxin means that we can’t rely too much on Abilities!

One Kartana-GX

[cardimg name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I run this card for the same reasons that it was ran last season. It fills the Bench, it removes Special Energy — which can add to the disruptive combination of Garbotoxin and [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], and it gives the deck a GX attack. In practice, I’ve used Blade GX on turns where I couldn’t get a Riotous Beating KO because I was missing Sky Field.

One Brigette, One Professor Elm’s Lecture

Compared to [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], Professor Elm’s Lecture can’t grab [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], but it can find [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card]. Both have their advantages so I opted for a split. You can use Professor Elm’s Lecture to grab [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], Ditto Prism Star, and Exeggcute; then [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] away the Exeggcute and get [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to draw more cards. Having Exeggcute in the discard early is valuable since it means you conserve a lot of resources when you start using multiple Trade on turn 2.

Three Float Stone, Zero Bursting Balloon

For some reason, Expanded lists seem to have come back to [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. I believe that [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is superior since it’s a better card by itself, and having a permanent lock is more dangerous for the opponent than needing to find a Tool every turn. This is not as true now as it was in Standard last year, since Expanded Zoroark-GX decks have better ways to draw cards, but you want to play N in the late game so you may not have as many cards in hand. I think the Bursting Balloon lists come from players afraid of locking themselves with Garbotoxin; but if you set up Garbotoxin at the right time, you will be in a better space than your opponent, forcing them to deal with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] anyway. You can use [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to remove your own Tool from Garbodor if you need access to your Abilities! A cool trick to do in the mirror match is to do that, activating Sudowoodo’s Ability and forcing your opponent to discard Pokémon from their Bench, then putting a Tool back on Garbodor.

One Battle Compressor

This is one more consistency card. If you get it early, you can discard Exeggcute. In the midgame, you can use it to get access to Supporters thanks to [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], or discard useless cards. This deck doesn’t need more than one [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card].

Two Unit Energy LPM, One Psychic Energy

By adding three Energy to the deck, we make [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] strategies harder to execute. If an opponent tries to loop Faba, we have enough Energy to attack for a while, even if all our Energy is Special Energy. To make sure that we don’t rely on Special Energy, though, I changed one [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] for one Psychic Energy, since the only benefit of Unit Energy LPM over Psychic is for Kartana-GX.

Possible Inclusions

I haven’t played as many games in Expanded as I’d wish since my focus is on Standard, so this list isn’t totally refined. There are a number of other cards that could make the cut, so don’t hesitate to try them out if you’re playing Zoroark-GX / Garbodor!

Oranguru

Resource Management makes the deck better against stall decks. I had this card at first in place of [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], but I never used it. That said, I didn’t face many stall decks. If these are popular, [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] would be the better choice here.

Girafarig

I explained above why [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] will be more useful in Expanded than in Standard, and Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] is certainly a deck where it can work. If your opponent can’t [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], that removes an option for them to get rid of Garbotoxin.

Oricorio

If you’re afraid of Night March, [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] can deal with them effectively. That said, I think this matchup is fine already, especially with Trashalanche being a powerful one-Prize attacker to trade with.

Magcargo

Running Ditto Prism Star lets you play tech Stage 1 Pokemon if you want to. Ditto Prism Star will evolve into Garbotoxin Garbodor, but there’s a case to be made for running other Pokémon. Using [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] is a good answer since its synergy with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is well known, and this can be the way to find one-of cards like [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] or Sky Field.

Faba

[cardimg name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

After all I said about Faba, it may seem strange to exclude it from the list. The truth is that Zoroark-GX / Garbodor is not a control deck, even though it can establish a pseudo-lock in the endgame. Most of the time, you’re trying to take KOs aggressively, not running your opponent out of Energy.

Pokemon Ranger

With [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] winning the latest Expanded Regional, Pokémon Ranger is the ideal card to deal with the Quaking Punch threat. Quaking Punch prevents us from putting a Tool on Garbodor to activate Garbotoxin, as well as playing cards like Field Blower or VS Seeker. There are some occasional uses for it, but nothing major.

Town Map

Robin Schulz won Worlds with [card name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], so the card might be good. In all seriousness, Town Map can be useful to find Supporter cards or other needed cards when you’re under Ability-lock, and it’s a way to find your Garbotoxin if it’s in your Prizes. I think there are better consistency cards to run in Expanded, but its effect is so unique that it might be worth it.

Conclusion

That’s all from me this week! If you’re going to Anaheim, don’t sleep on Zoroark-GX / Garbodor. Even though the deck is not being hyped, most people agree that Garbodor is great right now, I’d expect it to see some play. Once the deck is set up, it’s powerful because it can both deal huge damage and disrupt other decks heavily. It can fall weak in the early game, though. [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] should beat it often, since it can set up without using a disproportionate amount of Items. In the midgame, Garbotoxin can shut down Naganadel’s Charging Up, but that’s when Blacephalon-GX can use [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], so you should manage to put enough Energy into play to take six Prizes quickly.

See you next week!

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