Update 2.0 — Optimizing Four of the Format’s Best Decks

By: Grant Manley · Posted Posted onMay 30, 2019 at 8:04 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hello everyone! This is Grant once again. In my last article I went over [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. Following that, both decks were successful at Santa Clara Regionals, albeit with lists a little different from the ones I posted. In this article I am going to further review both of those decks. Additionally, I want to go over the two criminally underrated decks that I am likely to play for Madison — [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card].

The post-Unbroken Bonds Standard meta is starting to form. [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] is the clear frontrunner and it’s not close. [card name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] is good in the deck and should be played in my opinion. [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is popular and did well at California, but it isn’t good in my opinion due to poor matchups, among other reasons. Vileplume is considered by many to be top three in the format, and might stay that way. I have no idea how Vileplume is going to do in Madison, though I was not surprised to see it swarm Day Two in Santa Clara. [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], Zoroark, Shedinja, and [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] are all strong contenders as well, although they aren’t quite as popular as the other three decks.

Personally, I would never play Pikachu & Zekrom-GX as I consider it a strictly worse Reshiram & Charizard-GX due to [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] being in the format, but people still play Pikachu & Zekrom-GX anyway.

Vileplume

[decklist name=”ploom” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″][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=”6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Dragonite” set=”Team Up” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Solgaleo Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Registeel” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ 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=”44″]4x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]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]3x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lance Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”61″ 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=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/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]3x [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”2″]2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I went rather in-depth concerning Vileplume in my last article, so I’ll direct you there regarding most of the card choices, notably the [card name=”Dragonite” set=”Team Up” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] package. Here I just want to go over the changes from the previous list.

My previous list is strong and might still be better, but everyone at Santa Clara opted to incorporate a Metal package into Vileplume. While I don’t think a full offensive [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] with basic Metal Energy is necessary, I do like the Metal package. The main downside is that it’s weak to Field Blower, forcing us to run a lot of [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card].

One Lucario and Melmetal-GX

I’ve been saying for a while that Full Metal Wall GX is the best attack in the game’s history. I stand by that for now, but haven’t been confident in this card as a whole because it’s bad against Reshiram & Charizard-GX, even with Metal Frying Pan equipped. While the GX’s discard effect isn’t crucial for this deck, the damage-reduction effect helps our Metal-types tank through entire matchups on their own. The discard is just a nice bonus and helps against Pikachu & Zekrom in case Vileplume isn’t working for whatever reason.

The option to take Prizes with Steel Fist adds another potential win condition which is nice. If you happen to KO something with Steel Fist, that can be a way to remove Energy from the board as well.

Thinner Vileplume

I ran a heavy Vileplume line in my previous list. While I still prefer a heavy Vileplume line, I wanted to make room for other fun toys. Preston Ellis made Top 8 with a light and greedy Vileplume line, showing that it’s viable. I can’t bring myself to go down to two [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] though; the less Rare Candy you play, the less likely you are to find it off of [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card].

One Solgaleo Prism Star, One Registeel

These Metal types are excellent tanks thanks to Full Metal Wall GX and Metal Frying Pan.

[card name=”Registeel” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] is my pet card right now. I think it’s cool that it can take an 80-damage reduction on all attacks. To be honest, a well-formulated argument could probably talk me out of Registeel, but I think it’s a solid option.

One Lugia-GX, One Counter Gain

[cardimg name=”Lugia-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”159″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I believe that, with the meta’s evolution, a copy of [card name=”Lugia-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] is now necessary. First and foremost, it removes [card name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] with Lost Purge GX. It can also remove anything with [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card], lots of Energy, or both, like a Reshiram & Charizard-GX. In other matchups, you’ll probably want to go with Full Metal Wall GX instead of Lost Purge. Lugia also provides this deck with the option of a powerful attacker via Pelagic Blade. Lugia also makes the Quagsire matchup winnable, though it’s definitely still unfavorable.

[card name=”Counter Gain” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]’s inclusion should be obvious: it allows an instant use of Lugia’s Lost Purge. All of the pieces needed to pull off this move can easily be searched with [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card].

One Girafarig

While Lugia is a necessary inclusion in the deck, sometimes it is unavailable and sometimes it is too much of a liability. [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] can step in to help against any deck with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card].

In particular, Zoroark / TAE can actually beat this deck. [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] goes to the discard after its use, meaning it’s safe from [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. This means that even one Resource Management can but back up to three Triple Acceleration Energy. Combined with [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card]’s damage cap of 240 with [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], this is a real problem. Girafarig fixes this by sending Triple Acceleration Energy to the Lost Zone, as well as Supporters that would otherwise be put back via [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card].

I also think more random Oranguru may pop up to counter Shedinja, which makes Girafarig better. Girafarig itself helps against Shedinja as well.

One Tate and Liza

A switch effect is necessary to pull off Lost Purge GX if the desired target is Active. [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] is the preferred method because it also fulfills the role of preventing yourself from ever decking out.

This mitigates the usefulness of [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], which led to my decision to cut Judge. However, now we have an auto-loss to the mirror variant with [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] HAND, which might be bad. If you would like to beat Unown HAND, add Judge back in and abuse Girafarig in that matchup.

One Team Skull Grunt

This card is brutally strong in this type of deck. [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] is useful against any deck that does not infinitely pull Energy from the discard. It also limits your opponents options by preventing them from hoarding cards to make combos that involve Energy.

If you want the Judge, I’d probably cut Skull Grunt first.

No Crushing Hammer

It is with a heavy heart that I removed the [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]s. The cuts had to be made somewhere, and Crushing Hammer, while still strong, was the least integral component of my previous list.

Matchups

• Reshiram & Charizard-GX — Auto-win
• Reshiram & Charizard-GX with Stealthy Hood or Arcanine — Often depends on Let Loose draws, but winnable
• [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Ultra Beasts — Auto-win
• Mirror — Lose to HAND without Judge. You beat HAND with Judge and Girafarig. Without Judge, we are slightly favored against the version without HAND thanks to Girafarig.
• Pikachu & Zekrom-GX — Very Favorable
• Zoroark-GX / TAE — Favorable unless they play Make Em Pay [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card], in which case it’s difficult.
• Weezing — Auto-win
• Quagsire — Very Unfavorable
• Shedinja — Very Favorable

[premium]

Shedinja

I like the Top 8 [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] list from Santa Clara Regionals. It was quite different from every Shedinja list up until that point. It missed a few things such as an easy answer to Mew + basic Energy, but overall was solid. The things I disagree with the most are [card name=”Champions Festival” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM78″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card].

I think they just play Champions Festival in decks because it’s funny. I strongly prefer [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card].

[card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] is so much better than Great Ball in this deck. Pokemon Communication gives you the exact Pokemon you want, with the added bonus of putting a Pokemon back that you want later so you can draw into it when it’s useful. It is ever so slightly counterintuitive to the goal of thinning the deck as fast as possible, but that is negligible compared to the randomness and inconsistency of Great Ball.

I am still on the fence about [card name=”Hiker” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trumbeak” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck.

Anyway, here’s how I would play Shedinja going forward:

[decklist name=”shedinja” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″][pokemon amt=”23″]3x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]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=”Trumbeak” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”74″ 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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ 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=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”3″]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This list is nearly identical to the Top 8 list because, as I said, it’s pretty good. I feel that running two Oranguru, one [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], and one [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] is a little too greedy. I much prefer the third Oranguru over the [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. Persian is a reasonable card but I dislike it for the same reasons I dislike Slowking: it’s risky and high maintenance; I do not think it’s necessary. It would also be reasonable to cut Hiker and Trumbeak for additional consistency. I like the inclusion of [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] as the “mill card” of choice. It is lower maintenance than both [card name=”Durant” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Diglett” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], and the draw effect is helpful.

For a more extensive look at this deck, see my last article — don’t mind the outdated list.

Matchups — Assuming no Oranguru

• Reshiram & Charizard-GX — Very Favorable
• Zapdos / Ultra Beasts — Unfavorable
• Vileplume — Very Unfavorable
• Pikachu & Zekrom-GX — Favorable
• Zoroark-GX / TAE — Even without Oranguru, most lists run enough outs to Shedinja to win, so it’s an auto-loss depending on their list
• Weezing — I’m assuming this is an auto-win but I’ve never played the matchup
• Quagsire — Very Favorable
• Mirror — Both players lose because they have to play this matchup. Say goodbye to your brain cells!

Zoroark-GX

[decklist name=”Zoroark” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″][pokemon amt=”23″]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=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Slowpoke” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Team Up” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I think [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] has a strong argument for best deck in format. It has options to cover every matchup, and the new set blessed it with a few powerful cards. Zoroark is, and always has been, incredibly consistent. While this list has more one-of Pokemon than even I’m comfortable with, I believe all of them are necessary. Additionally, all these Pokemon make Pokemon Communication that much stronger.

If I had to pick a deck for a Regional right now, it would most definitely be this one. I’m probably playing this for Madison. If you want to play [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to counter me, be my guest.

Two Slowking

[cardimg name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

We want to destroy Reshiram & Charizard-GX. One [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t enough based on my testing.

While not the most versatile option, Slowking is also useful against [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card].

One Persian-GX

This card is strong but slightly overrated. I have never felt a need for a second one and strongly believe that the space is better spent elsewhere. However, only a 1-1 line makes us a bit weaker in the mirror and slightly less consistent overall. A 2-2 line is reasonable but suboptimal in my opinion.

Make Em Pay [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong card as well that destroys [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card]. However, space is too tight and I’d rather play everything else in the deck.

One Marshadow (Let Loose)

[card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] has a strong argument to be in this spot, and I am unsure which will prove to be optimal. Right now, I like Let Loose a bit more.

[card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] is the most degenerate card in the game because it can severely handicap an opponent when the user goes first. For example, when going first against a Zapdos deck that doesn’t start [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], slam them with a Let Loose and all but win automatically. Additionally, hand disruption is good against Vileplume, and other decks in random situations.

Dedenne is better for powering through the deck when you want to dig for specific cards, and it is better for setting up in general. Marshadow is like a weaker Dedenne but it comes with the potentially broken disruption effect.

One Marshadow (Resetting Hole)

There is no hugely beneficial Stadium for Zoroark at the moment, so I opted for the easily-searchable [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] as the counter for Prism Star Stadiums, [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]. Marshadow is also a great attacker against the likes of [card name=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], and, most importantly, [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].

Two Tapu Lele-GX

People are playing one [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], and I’m just here to say that’s crazy. I am considering three Lele. It facilitates the turn one Lillie or Elm, and lets us easily find all the tech Supporters. I frequently use both Wonder Tags in a game — I’d say around 40 or 50 percent of the time.

One Mew

[card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] turns the Pikachu & Zekrom-GX matchup from very bad to very good, and that alone makes it worth playing. Mew also protects us from [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card].

Sometimes you want [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] out against Weezing to block [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Team Up” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] though, so that one is a bit of a catch 22.

Mew’s attack is useful from time to time, though there’s no specific relevant situation you need it for.

One Oranguru

[card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], combined with some of the other cards in this list, makes the Vileplume and Shedinja matchups a breeze. Of course, Resource Management can be useful in other random situations, but it’s primarily for those two matchups.

One Tate and Liza

[card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] provides the switch effect that is necessary against Vileplume and other control decks. Its draw effect is sometimes useful early in the game.

One Professor Elm’s Lecture

[card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] gives you more options, and therefore more control over your game. Sometimes it is better than [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], and I have used it enough times to convince me that it’s worth having. There are many outs to Tapu Lele, so the turn one Elm play is fairly consistent.

Two Field Blower

I was surprised to find how useful [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] was when testing with only one. I was convinced that two was too many, but I now think that two is correct. It’s extremely useful against Shedinja, Quagsire’s [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]s, and Weezing’s [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card]s and Shrines of Punishment. It’s somewhat useful against Zapdos decks and [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]s, while being marginally useful against everything else.

Matchups

• Reshiram & Charizard-GX — Favorable (even [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] is manageable)
• Zapdos / Ultra Beasts — Favorable, but volatile. Zapdos is favored if Alolan Muk never comes out, which is usually a result of [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], or Alolan Muk being prized.
• Vileplume — Very Favorable thanks to techs
• Pikachu & Zekrom-GX — Favorable
• Mirror — Slightly Unfavorable
• Weezing — Favorable
• Quagsire — Favorable
• Shedinja — Very Favorable, maybe an auto-win. I’m pretty sure it’s free so I haven’t bothered testing it.

Baby Blacephalon

[decklist name=”bloons” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″][pokemon amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/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=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Shining Legends” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]15x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”15″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Poor [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] hasn’t gotten any love yet. This deck is insane and it was tied with Vileplume for my top pick for Santa Clara. It’s a little weak to mid-game Let Loose but only a little.

After a bit of trial and error, I think this is the best way to play the non-GX version of Blacephalon. I tried the deck with a heavier Jirachi package, but the extra Jirachi were completely useless so I trimmed down to a mini Jirachi engine.

Blacephalon is a ridiculously powerful non-GX that one shots every Pokemon easily. [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] gets the deck going and [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] keeps it going. [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] is broken. [card name=”Victini Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card]’s power is limited but it’s a great finisher. Jirachi adds consistency and helps prevent the deck from fizzling out. This list is straightforward and mostly focused on consistency.

The Supporters

A fun but useless bit of knowledge is that [card name=”Hau” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] would actually be better than [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] if it weren’t for Let Loose. Aside from Lillie’s obvious power on turn one, it’s only good for recovering from Let Loose. Other than that, you often have tons of cards in hand and no way to thin them until your attack.

[card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is always nice but it isn’t quite as important as Lillie or Welder in this deck. I originally didn’t have any because of the heavier Jirachi count, but it seems that Cynthia is more useful than Jirachi when it comes to extra consistency.

[card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] is a great card all-around and makes Welder plays happen when they need to.

The Tools

Two [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] is a little aggressive, but it allows us to auto-win Vileplume which is great. Stealthy Hood is marginally useful against Weezing as well.

[card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] is obviously needed to go with Jirachi.

Wishful Baton takes a bit of stress off Welder and lets us chain Blacephalon easily.

[card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] makes sense with this mish-mash of Tools. It is an extra out to each Tool, and even grabs two at once!

Matchups

• Reshiram & Charizard-GX — Very Favorable. Blacephalon trades extremely well against Reshiram & Charizard-GX.
• Zapdos / Ultra Beasts — Favorable. Blacephalon trades more efficiently than their attackers. Sometimes you don’t play down Jirachi or Victini just to make their life more difficult.
• Vileplume — Very Favorable thanks to the two Stealthy Hoods.
• Pikachu & Zekrom-GX — Very Favorable. Blacephalon easily destroys Tag Teams.
• Zoroark-GX / TAE — Unfavorable. Field Blower, Judge, and Alolan Muk combined with the Water-type Stage 1s give Blacephalon problems.
• Weezing — 50-50. This matchup isn’t as bad as people say. If you chain attacks every turn you can definitely win. Sometimes it just comes down to your Let Loose draws as you don’t usually want to let Jirachi hit the Bench.
• Quagsire — Slightly Favorable. Blacephalon is slightly faster and slightly better at chaining KOs.
• Shedinja — Auto-loss.

Conclusion

Overall, these four decks are all incredibly strong right now. Of the four, I would say Shedinja is the worst. The other three are the three best decks in my opinion. Just like before Santa Clara, I consider Blacephalon and Vileplume to be extremely good and on the same level. After playing some more with Zoroark, I think it is the best deck right now. My opinion will probably change after Madison. Quagsire seems like a dark horse and I hope that I will have time to test that, but I probably won’t. Quagsire is a deck to look out for as well.

Thanks for reading! Play these decks! They have really good matchups!

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