Control Issues — Looking at My Denver Regionals Run

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Apr 13, 2019 at 3:44 PM · 0 Comments

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

Hey everyone! I’m excited to announce that I was able to win my second Regionals of the season, and second ever, this past weekend in Denver, Colorado!

Normally I would review the entirety of the Day 2 metagame and the state of the event, but since I won I want to use my own unique perspective to talk about my event and how things looked.

Going into the tournament I expected a lot of [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks, along with [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. I thought [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] builds would die down a little, as would [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] was looking like it might see a little play, as well as stall decks based around [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]. With these decks in mind, Zoroark-GX / Control was reborn and prepped for the event. I played only a handful of games with the new list in the days prior, but I knew I could play it well with past experience using other control variants, especially with Zoroark-GX.

Final Standings

1. Caleb Gedemer with Zoroark-GX / Control
2. Hale Obernolte with Lusamine / Control
3. Ronald Gonzalez with [card name=”Celebi and Venusaur-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card]
4. Nic Stewart with Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos
5. Andrew Mahone with Turbo Pikachu and Zekrom-GX
6. Zakary Krekeler with Zapdos / [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card]
7. Adler Pierce with Zapdos / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
8. Liam Alon with Lusamine / Control

These standings are somewhat representative of the overall Day 2 metagame, but exclude some popular decks like Blacephalon-GX and Zapdos / Ultra Beast. These two decks alongside the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos archetype were among the most played builds in Day 2, with splashes of other rogue decks like [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Stakataka-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Malamar was not well represented in Day 2 with only a few qualifying to the next day. You’ll see how many Pikachu and Zekrom-GX decks I played — my rounds were as follows:

R1 versus Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos WW 1-0-0
R2 versus Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos WLW 2-0-0
R3 versus Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos WW 3-0-0
R4 versus Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] WLT 3-0-1
R5 versus Blacephalon-GX LWT 3-0-2
R6 versus Zapdos / [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] WLT 3-0-3
R7 versus Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX WW 4-0-3
R8 versus Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos WW 5-0-3
R9 versus Intentional Draw T 5-0-4
R10 versus Zapdos / Ultra Beast WW 6-0-4
R11 versus Blacephalon-GX W 7-0-4
R12 versus Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos WW 8-0-4
R13 versus Zapdos / Ultra Beast WLW 9-0-4
R14 versus Intentional Draw T 9-0-5
T8 versus Zapdos / Lycanroc-GX WW 10-0-5
T4 versus Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos WLW 11-0-5
T2 versus Lusamine / Control WLW 12-0-5

I never lost a single match over the course of the event so I have no complaints. My deck functioned beautifully and it was the perfect metagame choice for the tournament. I beat a lot of great players and won some super tough rounds. I’m thankful for my success at the Regionals. Here is the list:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″][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=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Bodybuilding Dumbbells” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lavender Town” set=”Team Up” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Champions Festival” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM148 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Explanations

[cardimg name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Two Alolan Muk and Two Alolan Grimer

One of the best things about this list is its ability to crush Zapdos decks to a pulp. A larger [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] line than usual is instrumental in pushing the matchup greater in your favor. It helps you find it sooner and survive an early Alolan Muk Knock Out that your opponent may be lucky enough to take. The two [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] almost ensures that you can get the turn two Alolan Muk down since Zapdos players will be targeting Alolan Grimer or [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] on their first turn. One of my favorite openings was to find Alolan Grimer, Ditto Prism Star, and two [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn to prevent my opponent from being able to eliminate the threat of Alolan Muk altogether. If Ditto Prism Star is in your Prize cards, you can find two Alolan Grimer instead for the same effect.

Alolan Muk’s Power of Alchemy is one of the most degenerate Abilities in the game right now and is downright dirty against Zapdos decks that rely so heavily on [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card].

It was great against Lusamine / Control decks that have a variety of ways to stop you from dealing damage with attacks, to which you can turn off those opposing Abilities and be able to damage opposing Pokemon once more.

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One Girafarig

I’m not going to lie, I think [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] should go from the list. I never used Get Lost until the finals against a Lusamine / Control deck and it didn’t end up making much of a difference. Granted, my play could have been better in the second game and it could have had a greater impact, but given that it didn’t win me the matchup at all and was useless in my other rounds I am confident in suggesting it to be a cut.

The idea was to give you a better chance against Malamar decks, especially the [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] version. You could pull up a Malamar with [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and start using Get Lost to put Psychic Energy in your opponent’s Lost Zone, preventing continuous Photon Geyser attacks. Without playing a single Malamar deck I do have a bit of a biased opinion against it, but with Malamar on the downturn I wouldn’t play it in the future.

Two Judge

One of the mainstays of this list, [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] was to start a hand lock in partnership with [card name=”Lavender Town” set=”Team Up” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s especially good to punish Zapdos decks by resetting their hand and eliminating their Energy. It’s also great against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX by disrupting their hand and forcing them to commit to a single attacker, to which you can slowly Knock Out and take the rest of your Prizes.

Four Crushing Hammer

Absolutely crucial in the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX matchup, you usually Knock Out the first Pikachu and Zekrom-GX and then rely on [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to remove the next one’s Energy and prevent your opponent from winning the game.

It’s good against Zapdos decks that play a bigger attacker like Lycanroc-GX that requires multiple Energy.

It’s great against Blacephalon-GX and gives you a chance to win by stopping an opponent from chaining Mind Blown. [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] does come in handy for your opponent to be able to attack in this situation, but without Crushing Hammer you would have absolutely no chance of winning the matchup.

Lastly, it’s nice to have an out to Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX decks that play basic Energy so you can stop a Lycanroc-GX from powering up.

Three Bodybuilding Dumbbells

Full Blitz with two damage modifiers ([card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and/or multiple [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card]) can do 210 for a one-hit Knock Out against a Zoroark-GX. But with [card name=”Bodybuilding Dumbbells” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], you can play around that and force your opponent to play two more damage modifiers to get the Knock Out. Tag Bolt GX is forced to have two damage modifiers of its own to get a Knock Out.

Against Zapdos, Bodybuilding Dumbells turns two-hit Knock Outs from Thunderous Assault with a Choice Band or Electropower into three-hit Knock Outs. With [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] you can deny Knock Outs like crazy and continually drain your opponent of resources by forcing them to play more and more modifiers to get the smallest of Knock Outs.

Putting a Bodybuilding Dumbbells on an Alolan Muk is a nice protection against Zapdos to make sure that it won’t get taken out as easily.

Three of them was critical in the Pikachu and Zekrom-GX matchup primarily, giving you better odds of finding them early — you’re put on a clock right away since Full Blitz can attack as soon as the first turn and deals a ton of damage. Surviving to the point where you have multiple Zoroark-GX down and Alolan Muk in play is important.

Two Mysterious Treasure

Another consistency card, I loved having more outs after being hit by a [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM85″ c=”name”][/card]’s Let Loose. Plus, [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] can fetch Alolan Grimer and Alolan Muk, in addition to the obvious [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. The more consistency cards you have the better, and this one was one of my favorites.

It’s also another way to play your hand down for mid-game [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] plays when you otherwise would not be able to draw as many cards.

One Lavender Town

[cardimg name=”Lavender Town” set=”Team Up” no=”147″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A last minute addition, this Stadium was amazing to help you know the best time to play Judge. In addition, it helps guide your choice of play and leads to better decisions. Playing Judge to give your opponent a dead hand is part of the strategy with this deck, and with Lavender Town you can Judge until that happens.

One Champions Festival

This deck does not want to give up easy Knock Outs so [card name=”Champions Festival” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM148 ” c=”name”][/card] is added to heal while you disrupt your opponent. [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is completely offset by it so I felt it was worth the inclusion.

Daniel Altavilla played the same deck but opted for two Lavender Town, but I dislike that and enjoyed having both options — Champions Festival was clutch in many matchups, especially in my round 13 against a Zapdos deck that packed the heat with Shrine of Punishment.

Changes Moving Forward

I am only eager to cut the Girafarig. Other than that, I loved every card in the deck and wouldn’t want to change any of it. In its place I think I would add a [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] to punish an opponent for resting on a valuable hand and to add to the control aspect of the deck.

[card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is an option in place of one of the Bodybuilding Dumbbells to reduce opposing damage, such as protecting [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] against other Zoroark-GX decks.

A second Lavender Town is a respectable addition, something I could move to make; but I wouldn’t cut the Champions Festival for it because it did provide some good value.

[card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is decent against a lot of decks and I would have liked having one copy — that’s another thing you could add instead of Girafarig.

This is a control deck that I don’t see being countered easily, as it still attacks — it attacks often, in fact. If the metagame changes drastically to a Malamar-based one, then Girafarig could be worth playing.

In short, this was one of the most polished lists I’ve ever used, even though it was built and tested on such short notice in a span of a couple days. There are a few spots you can change to adjust to the metagame.

Matchups

Blacephalon-GX: Even

This matchup is stressful because you never know when your opponent will use their [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. If you can keep the Blacephalon-GX without an Energy using Crushing Hammer, your opponent should only be able to take out two Pokemon-GX Knock Outs at most with Energy Switch. If your opponent doesn’t bench Marshadow and/or Tapu Lele-GX you will be in better shape.

Attacking in this matchup is generally unwise unless you know your opponent has a dead hand. If you can ensure your opponent has a dead hand with Lavender Town, then you can start attacking and put on the pressure. Hopefully your opponent does not draw out of it and use [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to turn the tide.

Start with an Oranguru loop as soon as possible to spam Crushing Hammer and force your opponent to burn resources like Energy Switch. Once you stop your opponent from taking one-hit Knock Outs you can reliably chain back your resources and have enough gas to get through the rest of the game.

I think this matchup is really close and can depend much on the skill of your opponent and their awareness of how to play Blacephalon-GX against a control deck.

Lusamine / Control: Favorable

In this matchup you can spam Oranguru’s Resource Management to recover your Judge. With Judge you can stave off [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] without needing Alolan Muk in play to disable it completely and, in the process, deplete your opponent’s resources while you prepare to attack.

You must be careful of [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. This is actually a matchup where Girafarig is important. Get Lost can send the single Faba to the Lost Zone immediately after it’s played. You’ll have free reign over the rest of the game because you can Resource Management at will.

In order to finish a game you usually need to attack, so you’ll be looking for a point where you know your opponent’s hand is dead from Judge, checking with Lavender Town, and then starting to attack. It’s hard to mess this matchup up, but I managed to in the finals in the second game. Thankfully it didn’t cost me and I was able to win the match.

Make sure to check your Prize cards for your Girafarig, Oranguru, [card name=”Switch” set=”Shining Legends” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] so you don’t mismanage your important cards. Never put Alolan Muk down if Switch isn’t in your deck — it’ll get stuck at the Active.

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos, Turbo Pikachu and Zekrom-GX: Slightly Favorable

[cardimg name=”Bodybuilding Dumbbells” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”161″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup seemed to confuse people when I told them it was favored for Zoroark-GX / Control. Bodybuilding Dumbbells and Alolan Muk have a lot to do with that, as do Crushing Hammer and Judge.

Starting off you want to secure a second turn Alolan Muk. This will stop many Basic Pokemon Abilities that your opponent plays, namely Jirachi and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. This means your opponent will be restricted to a single Energy attachment per turn if Tapu Koko Prism Star can’t pop off, to which you’ll be able to focus all your effort on taking a Knock Out on any potential threat.

Bodybuilding Dumbbells keeps your Zoroark-GX kicking through the flurry of Full Blitz and Tag Bolt GX attacks, to which you can [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and start from scratch. Once you clear a built-up attacking threat, you shift your focus to Crushing Hammer and deny the rest of your opponent’s Energy.

Don’t forget that [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] is like an Energy accelerator, one that your opponent can use only once a game as well. Never discount using a Crushing Hammer to remove a single Energy from an attacker if Thunder Mountain Prism Star remains, as that attacker is only one Energy short from attacking.

This matchup is demanding. You will need to work well under pressure to win. I made multiple six-to-one Prize card comebacks in Denver in the matchup, so don’t give up even if things look bad.

Zapdos / Ultra Beast: Favorable

Zapdos is not a problem on its own as it hits for so little. You can attack with your Zoroark-GX, Acerola it to avoid Knock Outs, and chill behind Alolan Muk and Power of Alchemy.

The Ultra Beast Pokemon, [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] in particular, are the real issue. To play around the fearsome Sledgehammer you have a few options. Alolan Muk makes it hard for your opponent to reliably get the Energy necessary to use it. You can use Lavender Town to pick the optimal time to go down to four Prize cards. You can Judge until your opponent doesn’t have the means to use Sledgehammer, then attack, take the Prize, and not worry about Sledgehammer. You can even attach a Bodybuilding Dumbbells to your Zoroark-GX to force your opponent to have a Choice Band to get the Knock Out as well.

If you can play around Buzzwole, this matchup should be a cakewalk. Additionally, if your opponent is playing [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] (which most are), then Zoroark-GX’s Riotous Beating will be able to take a Knock Out by doing 120 damage. You have a lot of options.

Once you can finally get into the Acerola loop part of the game, you should outlast your opponent and take the rest of your Prizes.

With any deck that’s potentially playing [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card], make sure that you limit your Double Colorless Energy in play to a single copy if there’s ever a chance it could attack. Alolan Muk being in play can usually stop the threat, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe. Remember you can retreat to discard some Energy if you need to.

Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX: Favorable

These decks usually play only Special Energy, and with your [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] you will have a field day in this matchup. Simply loop your Oranguru and throw in an occasional Riotous Beating.

Never neglect a single Energy in play because it could be used to power a Lycanroc-GX up in one turn with [card name=”Multi Switch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] is another way your opponent can use Lycanroc-GX in one move, so don’t try to aggressively get ahead on Prizes if you don’t need to. A simple loop of your Energy denial Items with Oranguru should do the trick to win this one.

Conclusion

This deck will still be good moving forward. I hope it is, because I love playing it! If there were another Standard format tournament today I would play it, but time will tell if that’s the case come the European International Championship, the next big Standard format event.

The metagame in Denver shaped up as expected, with a few Lusamine / Control deck surprises among other things. Having an answer to control decks moving forward in Standard seems like a good idea, so look into that.

I think this Zoroark-GX list engine should be adapted in every variant of the deck, as the benefits of cards like Lillie and Mysterious Treasure against Marshadow is extremely nice to have.

No matter what happens, I’m happy with the way my season has gone so far and I’m proud to have won another Regionals. Thank you to all those that support me and I hope this article has helped you become a better player. Feel free to hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout if you ever want to ask me something.

Until next time, thanks for reading, good luck, and take care!

Peace,

Caleb

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