It’s Not Easy Playing Green — In Defense of UNB’s Coolest Supporter

[cardimg name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A general rule in the Pokémon TCG is that end-of-season formats tend to be the most aggressive. With more cards at players’ disposal, it’s logical that decks can be pushed to their extreme, and that means you need to contend with faster and faster decks. Compare [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], the main non-GX Pokemon deck from the start of the season; the far more threatening [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], or the awkward [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM28″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. I’m not implying that control or slow decks can’t exist–they’re not in a great spot right now, but that’s more to do with the amount of Tag Team Pokémon being pushed than a general rule, but fast decks are the ones that set the bar for a format. Take Expanded, for example: slow decks like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can be powerful. If you want to find out if a deck has a chance in the format, it’s useful to compare it to an aggressive archetype like Archie’s [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] or Night March. A good number of original Expanded deck ideas can be discarded on the basis of being strictly worse than Night March; it’s a good baseline even when it’s not actively being played.
Basically, these decks set the bar for how good a deck must be to compete in the format.

To get back to the Standard format, Madison regionals were an excellent example of how decks get more and more aggressive as the season reaches its end. The winning [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] deck included [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card], solving one of the main issues with the deck. Some top players used a [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] list that got three spots in Top 8. It used [card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] like [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Salazzle-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] did at the beginning of the season, but with Welder and support Pokémon such as Jirachi and [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], it is less predictable. The Pikachu and Zekrom-GX list that Xander piloted to a Top 4 finish uses two [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and two Dedenne-GX, reaching [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] levels of non-Supporter draw power. Any deck that claims to be a part of this metagame must be able to deal with this level of threat. Which brings up an important question: can slower lists using [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] do so?

I’m fascinated by Green’s Exploration as a card. I don’t like that it promotes playing without Abilities, given that Abilities are what makes the game fun and interesting, but Green’s Exploration doesn’t promote brute force. Instead, by letting you search for Trainer cards–often including a Supporter for the next turn–it makes players think ahead. This is another interesting part of the game that is sorely missing now compared to when I started playing the game nine years ago. Green’s Exploration can appear to be too slow for this metagame. Yet, Reshiram and Charizard-GX won Santa Clara regionals and made Top 8 in Madison as well as Sydney regionals. I don’t have hard data about smaller events, but what I’ve seen suggests that, although less popular, the Green’s Exploration variant finds success at League Cups. I know the debate still rages, and several players such as PokeBeach’s own Caleb Gedemer, have stated that the Jirachi variant is better. In this article, I want to take a more measured approach and explain why there’s merit to running Green’s Exploration. Reshiram and Charizard-GX will be my main focus, but it’s not the only deck I want to cover. I still need to report on [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], although I don’t have great news on this front.

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Green’s Exploration VS Jirachi

When it comes to Reshiram and Charizard-GX, there’s two main variants of the deck: either play Pokémon without Abilities and use Green’s Exploration, or you don’t run Green’s Exploration and play Ability Pokémon such as [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], Marshadow, and Jirachi. You could, in theory, not play Jirachi in such a build, but I don’t think I’ve seen a list without Green’s Exploration or Jirachi, and for good reason: Jirachi is good when you need to find key Trainers such as Welder. For this reason, I’ll refer to the non-Green’s Exploration build as the Jirachi variant.
Let’s get this out of the way first: There are good reasons to prefer the Jirachi variant. Thanks to Jirachi, Dedenne-GX, Marshadow, and Tapu Lele-GX, you have access to a good number of draw or search Abilities which can let you find whatever you need when you need it. This also lets you play Kiawe, since you have several ways to find it on turn 1. You can use other Abilities, such as [card name=”Miltank” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]’s Moomoo Malt to easily heal your Pokémon. This variant is also more resilient to Marshadow. Some people believe that Marshadow is the bane of the Green’s Exploration variant, but I think that this is an exageration.
That said, the Green’s Exploration variant has its own benefits. Here are some of them:

Another Form of Consistency

Sure, you can’t use Jirachi to get what you need in any given turn. However, Green’s Exploration lets you search for what you need in advance, so you’ll have exactly what you need in hand. It turns out that, as good as Jirachi is, it can’t guarantee finding any specific card (Stage 2 decks wish they had such a reliable way to find Rare Candy!), but Green’s Exploration can do so. Of course, you can’t play Green’s Exploration and Welder in the same turn–except with [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card]. However, a common opener is to use Green’s Exploration for [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and Welder, or [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] if you already have one of the aforementioned, which guarantees the turn 2 Welder. This gives you four Energy in play, which means either a 110 damage High-Heat Blast with [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], or Reshiram and Charizard-GX’s Flare Strike. This is comparable to Kiawe since it lets you use the attack of your choice on turn 2. Later in the game, you can use Green’s Exploration to access whatever you need, more easily than the Jirachi variant. This is especially useful to find tech cards like [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], and tends to matter most in slower matchups where you need the precision of card search rather than pure draw–think [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s also worth mentioning that playing Green’s Exploration also lets you run specific Item techs, such as [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], and therefore gives you more options in your deckbuilding.

Power Plant

It’s not optimal to run [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] in a deck that uses Tapu Lele-GX and Dedenne-GX, so you don’t want to add it to the [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] build. However, you can get it whenever you want with the Green’s Exploration builds, which can slow down other decks. Power Plant is especially useful against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks, both of which rely on Abilities to draw cards. This lets you drag these decks down to your level, which helps compensate your lower draw power.

Custom Catcher

[cardimg name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Since Kian Amini’s win in Santa Clara, [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] has been a mainstay of Green’s Exploration variants of Reshiram and Charizard-GX decks. You can’t reliably use them in the Jirachi variant, but Green’s Exploration makes it easy to get two of them in hand at any time. This means that your Green’s Exploration doubles as a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] when needed, but it’s even better than that. In the mirror, you can use Custom Catcher + [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO a [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] on the opponent’s Bench with a 280 damage Flare Strike. In any other variant, you need to use Guzma to do that, which means you can’t play Professor Kukui. Your only option is to stack six Energy on a Reshiram and Charizard-GX and use Double Blaze GX. This is unless you run a more unusual tech such as [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], giving you the ten missing damage. However, it’s also easier for your opponent to retaliate after that since your own Reshiram and Charizard-GX will also be at 260 HP, in reach of Flare Strike + Choice Band.

Anti-Ability Resistance

The [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] variant of Reshiram and Charizard-GX is weak neither to Power Plant or [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. The latter can be a roadblock for the Jirachi variant, since it shuts down every Ability in the deck. As a Zoroark-GX player, I’ve won games against Reshiram and Charizard-GX by playing Alolan Muk and [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] at the same time, giving my opponent a dead hand. When you don’t run draw Supporters other than [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card], and can’t use your Abilities, you need to luck into Fire Energy and Welder in order to dig yourself out of this situation. Paradoxically, the Green’s Exploration variant, is supposed to be weak to Let Loose [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and Judge, has more outs since it plays more Supporters.

Building the Deck

Even if you’re playing Reshiram and Charizard-GX with Green’s Exploration, there are several ways to build the deck depending on what you want to do. That said, there is a core of cards which should never leave the deck:

Two Reshiram and Charizard-GX, One Eevee and Snorlax-GX

You can play more attackers, but these are core. Small tangent: Reshiram and Charizard-GX is a solid card, but in my opinion, it’s only impressive thanks to the Fire support around it. Many people put it in their lists of best cards from Unbroken Bonds, but Welder is the star of the deck. Had Reshiram and Charizard-GX been, say, Darkness-type, I don’t think we’d pay it any more attention than we do to [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. You’ll use Reshiram and Charizard-GX in most matchups, especially against Basic Pokémon. You use [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]against Evolution decks such as Zoroark-GX, and Water-type attackers that Reshiram and Charizard-GX fears. These categories heavily overlap: think [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. Remember, that it has a GX attack that deals 210 damage, which is perfect even against Basic Pokémon. I’ve had several games against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX where I take the first KO on a Pikachu and Zekrom-GX with a boosted Flare Strike, the opponent retaliates with [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tapu Thunder GX, and I happen to have an Eevee and Snorlax-GX which I can power up and use Megaton Friends GX to take the revenge KO. Eevee and Snorlax-GX can then take the last Prize on a [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] or Marshadow.

Two Volcanion

Most lists will play three or even four of these, but two is the minimum. Volcanion has several purposes. First, it can accelerate Energy, especially going second. Even if you don’t start with it, you can Green’s Exploration for [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to grab it, bring it Active, attach an Energy to it, and use Flare Starter to act as a mini-[card name=”Kiawe” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card]. Later in the game, Flare Starter can be used to power up a new attacker while keeping it on the Bench. Obviously, Volcanion can also deal 110 damage, especially on turn 2 thanks to Welder. This makes it a good counter to Zapdos decks, which need two [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] or a situational attack like [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s Sledgehammer, to KO it. Even against Big Basic decks, dealing 110 damage puts any Tag Team Pokémon in reach of a KO.

Four Green’s Exploration, Four Welder, Two Guzma

These are the main Supporters in the deck. You can play a third Guzma if you don’t run Custom Catcher, and there are other possibilities: [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], Judge, and Lt. Surge’s Strategy, to name some. Kiawe isn’t great because you can’t search for it on turn 1, which is the time when you want to play it.

Four Pokégear 3.0

[cardimg name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Given how central Green’s Exploration is to this build, and Welder to this whole archetype, [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] is a fantastic card since it gives you more odds to find these cards. It can be awkward sometimes: for example, if your only Supporter is Green’s Exploration, and you also have a Pokégear 3.0 in hand, should you play it first to see if you need to take a Supporter with Green’s Exploration? Or should you take Items and hope that Pokégear 3.0 hits a Supporter on the following turn? In my opinion, this decision depends on a few factors. First, if you absolutely need two cards right now and can’t afford not to take them. For example, Switch and [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to bring up a benched Reshiram and Charizard-GX and Knock Out the opposing [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] with six Energy, then you take these cards and worry about Pokégear 3.0 later. If you know your opponent can’t disrupt your hand (typically if they don’t play Judge and have a full Bench, or already benched their only Marshadow), then you can play the Pokégear 3.0 first and decide what to take with Green’s afterwards–there’s no risk that you wasted the Pokégear 3.0. Then there are edge cases. Like if you need a Welder for next turn, it’s better to grab it with Green’s Exploration and keep the Pokégear 3.0, unless there’s two other cards that you’d really want to take but aren’t immediately decisive. Something like [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], which would give you a chance to lock your opponent, but doesn’t lose you the game if you don’t play it.

Four Nest Ball, Two Choice Band, One Switch

Not a lot to explain here. You could get away with only playing three Nest Ball or one [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] if you need space.

Two Fiery Flint, Three Fire Crystal

I think this is the optimal choice. You don’t need more [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] since they’re quickly dead, but it’s an important card to get on turn 1 and you can sometimes make use of a second one soon after, so its makes sense to run two. I disagree with running less than three [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]: this card is essential in the later game, as it lets you use Welder and attach for the turn. With only two, you risk not having enough Energy to end the game if you discarded a few with [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card].

One Field Blower

This card has so many uses that it would be wrong not to play it. You can discard opposing Stadiums such as [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. You can remove a Choice Band or [card name=”Wishful Baton” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. It lets you beat [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] by removing their [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], and hurts [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] builds by removing their Shedinja, and so on. The issue with running one [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is that there’s no way to draw it when you need it, but in this deck, there’s actually an easy way to do it, so Field Blower should stay.

Heat Factory Prism Star, Two Power Plant

Heat Factory Prism Star works wonderfully with [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], letting you turn your card search into draw power. If you can get Heat Factory Prism Star and [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] after a Fiery Flint, you actually draw six cards in a turn. I tend to get Heat Factory Prism Star early on in the game to help set up, although be warned that in the mirror match, this can easily help your opponent as well. In addition to it, I think Power Plant is core to this deck, unless the metagame is devoid of Ability Pokémon-GX. As explained earlier, Power Plant makes decks like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] slow down, forcing them to have an answer.

Eleven Fire Energy

The right amount is either 11 or 12.

So, with all this is mind, here is my current list:

[decklist name=”ReshiGreen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″][pokemon amt=”8″]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]3x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Growlithe” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ 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=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Shining Legends” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Here’s what I added to the above skeleton:

Four Custom Catcher, One Professor Kukui

I’ve already explained the point of these cards in the deck, so I won’t repeat myself. I didn’t include them in the skeleton because there are lists you can play without as you will see below. In general, they’re a safe inclusion.

Three Acro Bike

Most Japanese lists feature [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] as it gives the deck a bit more consistency. As always, it’s good to have Items that help you draw when you rely on utility Supporters such as Welder. Acro Bike also helps the deck to recover from Let Loose or [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], so I think it’s a solid inclusion.

1-1 Arcanine, One Rescue Stretcher, One Ultra Ball, One Max Potion

[cardimg name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I group these cards together because of the logic behind them. The use of [card name=”Arcanine” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] has proven to be a good secondary attacker for many reasons: first, it’s a counter to Stall. It can hit [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card], and OHKOs [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], unlike [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. Plus, it can recover Energy endlessly from the discard pile, ruining any hope of Energy denial. Arcanine is also strong against non-GX attackers like [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]: it deals enough damage to OHKO them, but is hard to be KOed in return. It is good to charge up a new attacker after the first one has been Knocked Out or retreated.
The main issue with Arcanine is that the deck normally runs no way to search for it. To that end, I’ve removed a [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] for an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. It can lead to awkward situations, but it gives you a way to search for Arcanine through [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]. Using [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] also works in a similar way: if you had to discard [card name=”Growlithe” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] or Arcanine with Acro Bike, or [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], you can recover it. As long as your Rescue Stretcher is available, it can be beneficial to send Arcanine to the discard pile, so you can get it later without having to discard cards to use Ultra Ball.
Finally, [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] works well with Arcanine: retreat your damaged [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], use Max Potion on it, then use [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] on Arcanine, use Grand Flame to bring back the discarded Energy to your Reshiram and Charizard-GX. You won’t pull this off in every game, but it can be game changing when you manage to do it. Finally, an additional benefit is that Arcanine is awkward for [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks to deal with, whether with Zoroark-GX itself or [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card].

Since Arcanine is so good if you manage to get it into play, I’ve thought about playing a heavier 2-2 or even 3-3 Arcanine line, which would provide more opportunities to get Arcanine in play on turn 2. In such a list, Volcanion takes a backseat (but it’s probably worth playing as a one-of still) and you’d need more Ultra Ball and Energy, most likely cutting [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] in the process. Such a deck would work well against Zoroark-GX, Weezing, and even [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. However, this list is weaker to Let Loose and not as strong against fast Basic Pokemon decks, so in the current metagame, I can’t recommend it. If your local metagame is full of these Evolution decks, it’s something to keep in mind.

If you’re looking for something more original, Pedro Eugenio Torres recently won a League Challenge with a different take on the deck, which has quickly gathered imitators. Instead of playing Custom Catcher, he plays [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card], another Item that you use Green’s Exploration to gather two of. On paper, Mixed Herbs is not as good as Custom Catcher. However, it has some benefits in the metagame. It is strong against any deck that tries to 2HKO (or even 3HKO) the Tag Team Pokémon. For example, Mixed Herbs lets you negate an attack from Zapdos or heal the damage from a Dewgong. It’s also powerful against Weezing and can even do work against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] after a Full Blitz. On the other hand, by running Mixed Herbs instead of Custom Catcher, you forfeit the ability to OHKO a Reshiram and Charizard-GX without your GX attack, so you’ll do worse in the mirror match.

The list below is my take on this idea, and not Pedro’s original list. I’ve made a few changes, most importantly including [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]. Keep in mind, without Arcanine in the deck, [card name=”Reshiram” set=”Shining Legends” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card] is included as a way to reach higher than Volcanion’s 110 damage. Otherwise, the list is fairly standard.

[decklist name=”ReshiHerbs” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″][pokemon amt=”7″]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]3x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Reshiram” set=”Shining Legends” no=”14″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ 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=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ 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=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

A Word on Gardevour & Sylveon-GX

[cardimg name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”204″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Some time ago, I expressed my enthusiasm for [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] in the context of [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. My hopes for the deck seem to have been misguided, since it hasn’t had any results. I’ve recenty tried the deck again but it still underperforms. In theory, two [card name=”Fairy Charm L” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] could work very well against the resurgence of Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, and the fact that a [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] list without [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] had such a good result in Madison is good news; as without Choice Band, a Reshiram and Charizard-GX build needs six Energy to KO Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX. However, Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX cannot find a way to resist the pressure put on by other decks. Even 110 damage from [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is awkward to deal with as you’re in danger of getting Knocked Out the following turn by several possible attackers, so you need to heal. I believe that the deck is missing Reset Stamp, which would let it make comebacks in the end game. There may be hope for it after the rotation, but losing [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] means we’d need to find a whole new approach to the deck. I’ve tried slower variants using [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] to put resources back, and came back to [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]n both cases, you can’t deal well with the other Tag Team decks. You still have some good matchups, like [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], but I don’t think they’re enough to justify running the deck at NAIC. Another deck that was supposed to be a good matchup was [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], but [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is a nightmare for this deck given the number of Trainers being ran.
If you want to try out the deck, here is the last list I’ve tried. Right now, I’m sad to report that I can’t recommend the deck, but maybe there’s something I’m missing!

[decklist name=”Gardeon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″][pokemon amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Misdreavus” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerneas” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”43″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fairy Charm L” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fairy Charm UB” set=”Team Up” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]8x [card name=”Fairy Energy” set=”XY” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Conclusion

That’s all from me this week! Don’t sleep on [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], as it’s a strong card, and it will only become stronger next season as we get powerful items like Reset Stamp. As for me, I’ll be competing at Jonkoping Regionals this weekend, and then I’ll be on my way to Columbus for NAIC. My wild prediction is that Malamar will make a comeback this weekend, at least in Sweden; I don’t know whether it can get the same surge of popularity at the Origins SPE, but I’ve noticed that many European players seem attached to Malamar. This allowed the deck to get back into Top 8 at Bristol Regionals, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen again. Malamar isn’t on most players’ radar right now, so people aren’t teching for it, and its main counter, Zapdos / Ultra Beasts, is not performing very well. Time will tell soon enough whether I’m right or wrong!
In any case, best of luck to those of you with similarly busy schedules, and I hope to see you soon!

–Stéphane

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