Broken Santa Clara — Reviewing Standard with Unbroken Bonds

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onMay 28, 2019 at 6:12 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ align=”right” c=”none”]The Wall stands[/cardimg]

The first major event with the release of a new set is always entertaining and important in the development of the metagame moving forward. California Regionals was won by Kian Amini and his [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] deck. His list was unique, likely becoming one of two different versions of the deck from here on out. There were a few other surprises — [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] Control making a stand in the hands of me and my friends, and the introduction of a new [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] breed: [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card]. Wall Stall decks were likely the most played overall and took up the most slots in Day Two. The forty-seven person Day Two consisted of the following:

• 9 Wall Stall
• 8 Reshiram & Charizard-GX
• 7 [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]
• 5 Zoroark-GX
• 4 [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] Spread
• 4 Shedinja Control
• 4 [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]
• 2 [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]
• 1 [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Charjabug” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]
• 1 [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]
• 1 [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card]
• 1 Unknown Deck

Of these, the Top Eight finished like this:

• 1. Reshiram & Charizard-GX / [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]
• 2. Reshiram & Charizard-GX Turbo
• 3. Zapdos / [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]
• 4. Zapdos / Ultra Beast
• 5. Shedinja Control
• 6. Lucario & Melmetal-GX / Vileplume
• 7. Shedinja Control
• 8. Pikachu & Zekrom-GX / Zapdos

The Top 8 makes sense except for the Pikachu & Zekrom-GX deck. This deck gained [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] from the release of Unbroken Bonds as well as [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], but, while those are nice buffs, they didn’t correct the bad matchups the deck had before like against non-GX decks. The introduction of Reshiram & Charizard-GX to the format didn’t do any favors for it either. I presume it hit nice matchups and was piloted well.

Reshiram & Charizard-GX and Wall Stall are the decks to beat right now. Zapdos decks remain a big threat as well and a few new things got introduced to the fray.

Popularity Tier List for Wisconsin Regionals

The next and final American Regional Championship this season takes place in a couple weeks in Madison. Here’s my take on the decks to expect in order. You should prepare more thoroughly against the ones at the top of the tiers.

Tier One

• Reshiram & Charizard-GX
• Wall Stall
• Zapdos

Tier Two

• Quagsire
• Weezing Spread
• Zoroark-GX

Tier Three

• Blacephalon
• Malamar
• Pikachu & Zekrom-GX
• Shedinja Control
• Vikavolt / Charjabug

To give you a better idea of what a tournament in this format could look like, I played against the following decks in Santa Clara:

• Round 1: Zapdos / Ultra Beast — Tie — 0-0-1
• Round 2: Reshiram & Charizard-GX — LL — 0-1-1
• Round 3: [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] — W — 1-1-1
• Round 4: [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] — W — 2-1-1
• Round 5: Lost March — Tie — 2-1-2
• Round 6: Mirror (Daniel Altavilla) — WW — 3-1-2
• Round 7: Weezing — W — 4-1-2
• Round 8: [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] / Quagsire — Tie — 4-1-3
• Round 9: Malamar — Tie — 4-1-4

You can see that I played against nine unique decks, not a single repeat of the same matchup. I hit just about every deck in the format except Pikachu & Zekrom-GX and Wall Stall.

Here are some write-ups on the most popular decks from this event and those that you should expect the most in the future:

Reshiram & Charizard-GX — Best List

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″][pokemon amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I’ve taken Kian Amini’s list and made a few edits. Another [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is great for the Shedinja matchup and all around. Another [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and another Fire Energy makes you more consistent. Another [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] gives you an even better shot at beating Wall Stall decks. [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] is lackluster because your Zoroark-GX matchup is already quite strong with the inclusion of [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The ‘lax attacks[/cardimg]

[card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can be addressed easily by this deck with Volcanion and [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] is another option you can use against Slowking; most Zoroark-GX decks won’t have a good response to it.

This is the most vanilla way to play this deck — more conservative than [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], but still holding the firepower that any Reshiram & Charizard-GX deck has. Hitting numbers quickly is easily attainable with eight total outs to Welder on any given turn.

From Amini’s list, I didn’t like the [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] because you should already have enough attackers; and I didn’t like the [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] much, especially with [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck already. I love the [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] as a way to pull back into games you’re losing. Using a combination of that, Acerola, and [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] in the same turn is broken.

Strengths

• Nice mix of non-GX options to play, making it strong against non-GX decks and Pokemon-GX ones
• Quickly hits for 230 or more
• You’re always a Welder away from attacking provided you haven’t used your GX attack

Weaknesses

• Can run out of steam with hands lacking Energy or Welder
• Linear; can’t switch around to different attacking options easily as there are few to begin with
• Water matchup is terrible (not that popular though)

I would play this deck if you have limited practice with anything else, or just want to play a deck that lacks many bad matchups and can play for itself. This makes it a good play for both new and veteran players, regardless of skill. It’s a deck that’s hard to thwart as the strategy is so simple and it stacks up well with a lot of decks. The Volcanion focus gives you a great Zapdos matchup, and a killer one against [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] as well with the two Stealthy Hood.

[premium]

Wall Stall — Best List

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″][pokemon amt=”14″]2x [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Oddish” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”5″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lugia-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Red’s Challenge” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mt. Coronet” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]2x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I love Joel Stroeve’s Top 16 list from Santa Clara most right now. Vileplume is a broken card against all the Basic Pokemon of the format, [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] covers many of the most threatening Pokemon-GX in the early game, and [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] has turned out to be one of the nicest surprises from Unbroken Bonds. Lucario & Melmetal-GX has a low maintenance first attack and can even run something over with Heavy Impact. Full Metal Wall GX is the obvious reason for its inclusion, but it has much more utility than you’d expect just because of its damage output alone.

[card name=”Red’s Challenge” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice touch. Oftentimes this deck just wants a single card, and now you have the means to get that card and still play it in the same turn, unlike with [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. Four [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] for maximum consistency is lovely.

I really can’t disagree with much in this list. Healing has taken a back seat in these decks so a lesser Max Potion count is fine — you want to focus on consistency. Get out Vileplume in many matchups and go from there.

Strengths

• Almost every deck in the format is Basic Pokemon-based
• Control decks are hard to beat especially when they’re popular and hard to counter
• Consistent; it has so many more Supporters and ways to find Supporters

Weaknesses

• Hoopa is made weaker with the introduction of Amini’s Quad Volcanion list to the format
• Weak to [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]
• With so much of the deck at the last tournament, counters like Stealthy Hood may become much more popular

If Reshiram & Charizard-GX wasn’t simple enough for you, you might want to pick up this deck. You really just play one or two cards a turn, get out a wall that your opponent can’t counter, and “win” the game. Challenging turns can be made easier with the inclusion of Lt. Surge’s Strategy to allow you to do more than normal and disrupt multiple threats.

I think this deck gets significantly worse now that such a spotlight has been put on it. However, these situations can be hard to navigate because others may think ahead and think that since the deck is countered that a counter of their own isn’t necessary. My final answer for right now is to play a counter so you’re not sorry.

Zapdos — Best List

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I’m going to stand by my list before California on this one. I disliked the top-performing Zapdos lists in Cali.

[card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the best things to hit this deck in a while and none of the top lists were playing it. I like [card name=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] too, but space is tight and it’s hard to fit.

[card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] is better than [card name=”Marshadow and Machamp-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] because it wins the mirror match; the latter is a tech for matchups you already beat. I don’t understand it.

The exclusion of Pokegear 3.0 in the top lists was concerning also, the extra consistency it grants is so nice.

[card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] counts should be flopped with [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] when you’re playing [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] (which all lists are) and Marshadow with Let Loose. The inclusion of Marshadow turns Ultra Ball into a consistency card, whereas Nest Ball cannot draw you cards.

Other than that, I liked Mike Morton’s list most with some cute things like the [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], the [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], and the cut to just one [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] — a fine one to make.

Strengths

• Fastest deck in the format with reasonably high damage output as soon as the first turn when playing second
• Lots of attacking options; the addition of Spiritomb gives you a great finishing attacker that isn’t a Pokemon-GX
• Very consistent with [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and Pokegear 3.0, the latter of which also improves your chances against [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]

Weaknesses

• Control matchup is terrible because you only play Basic Pokemon and you can’t deal extremely high damage to take one-hit Knock Outs against things like Lucario and Melmetal-GX
• Since it doesn’t do extremely high amounts of damage, getting ahead in the Prize trade immediately is important because you can’t do things like a one-hit Knock Out without using a Pokemon-GX, which will then solidify the trade in your opponent’s favor
• Weak to Alolan Muk if it comes down which many decks do still play (although Pokegear 3.0 helps you against that)

[cardimg name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Shedinja Shenanigans

So, why [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]?

My testing team and I were between it and a Wall Stall deck of our own. We had tested the Wall Stall deck extensively and just felt bare with it, like it lacked comeback potential and any room to win games through skill alone. As a result, we looked briefly into other decks that attacked, but landed back on a different control deck, one with Shedinja. The Shedinja lock felt extremely powerful, something that in of itself would lead to many wins and success for all. We scrambled to find enough Shedinja and locked the deck in.

Little did we know that the deck would rarely finish games on time. We neglected to play something to speed the process up like [card name=”Diglett” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Giovanni’s Exile” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] [card name=”Durant” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Rhyperior” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]. I personally went 4-1-4 and all four of my ties were 50-minute game one ties where I had the lock complete and my opponent had no way of winning the game. Azul Garcia Griego and Jimmy Pendarvis both still managed to take the deck into Day Two and make Top 8.

Here’s the list we came up with for the deck:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″][pokemon amt=”23″]4x [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nincada” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trumbeak” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hiker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ 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=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ 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″ divide=”yes” 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=”3″]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Inspired by Grant Manley’s recent article, Daniel Altavilla and I built this deck online and made some changes.

The night before the event, Pendarvis thought of the [card name=”Trumbeak” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hiker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] combination which we ran with and it worked quite well. The idea was to find a Guzma and put it in the Lost Zone, removing another way for your opponent to take Prizes.

Obviously, the deck needs something to speed up the game, and the list we built for California was not the designed with a way to do that. Here’s what I would use moving forward:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″][pokemon amt=”24″]4x [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nincada” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rhyperior” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rhydon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rhyhorn” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Meowth” set=”Team Up” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ 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=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ 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=”Devolution Spray Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”3″]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

As you can see, I like the Rhyperior concept to speed up the deck-out strategy. With [card name=”Devolution Spray Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] it is possible, there’s just a few more things you need to switch around to make sure it can consistently happen. A second [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] is a must because there are so many new single-copy cards you need to win that could get stuck in the Prizes.

I’ve been thinking about taking out a Shedinja or even a [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] to free up a little more space, but those are both pretty suspect cuts. [card name=”Champions Festival” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM148 ” c=”name”][/card] was really nice to have and I’ll miss it, but cuts are cuts. You could take out some of the Ball cards and make the deck a little less consistent as well.

The Lightning Energy seems better in the long run if you ever want to use Zebstrika to Head Bolt, and the [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] would have been nice to more easily use Profound Knowledge.

This deck was built with consistency in mind. Many of the other Shedinja Control lists in circulation have no [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. We added Acro Bike and the deck instantly set up much more often. The single Pokegear 3.0 was neat as well, although that could be cut as well. I have found that the more Item-based this deck is, the better, as the Supporter cards that draw you cards are significantly worse the longer the game progresses. Once you start to wear your opponent down then you’ll be using disruption Supporters or [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] nearly every turn, sometimes both if you have the option to use [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Rhyperior” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”67″ align=”right” c=”custom”]A more aggressive strategy is valuable[/cardimg]

This mill package could be added to even more with Diglett and Giovanni’s Exile, but more space would be needed. If you used Giovanni’s Exile then you could play [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] as you would then have a way to discard it without losing multiple Prizes in the process.

The [card name=”Meowth” set=”Team Up” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] in addition to the [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] is super nice because then you can use multiple Persian a game. Persian is amazing to snatch Guzma out of your opponent’s hand; it also pulls some serious weight against the Wall Stall matchup where you can keep your opponent sitting with a four card hand for the rest of the game after you use it for the first time.

While Trumbeak with Hiker was powerful it was somewhat inconsistent and hard to pull off sometimes. I think the Rhyperior strategy will be much more consistently executed, although I have not played extensively with it yet.

In general, I think this deck will be a risky play moving forward and the deck is extremely difficult to play well for the entirety of a 50-minute round. The smallest mistake in sequencing will screw you up and you might just lose because of it. The deck is completely unplayable in best-of-one games with only thirty minutes on the clock, and your first game of best-of-three matches usually takes the entire round (as you could see with my record).

One of the craftiest things you wouldn’t think to do with this deck is simple: attacking for damage once you’ve locked your opponent from taking Prize cards. You can do this to actually have a winner decided for the match, but there’s some risk involved if you have to play any resources.

This is arguably the strongest deck in the format because it has an unbeatable strategy once set up. As I’ve said, I would be extremely wary to play it again because more players may use [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] which really ruins this deck. Overall, I don’t regret running it, I’m just irked that we didn’t play a more aggressive mill card to speed up games. However, two Top 8 finishes out of the squad was still great with a deck as crazy as this.

Conclusion

If you can find a deck that beats both the control decks and [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] then I think you’re in a good spot for Madison, Wisconsin Regionals. I am currently searching for that answer myself. I feel like it might be something with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], perhaps Zoroark-GX / Control with [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] like I talked about in my last article with some adjustments so to not be destroyed by [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] when playing against the Wall Stall decks.

Thanks for reading everyone, take care, and good luck in any upcoming events!

Peace,

Caleb

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