An End and a Beginning — NAIC Recap and a First Look at the Worlds Format

By: Stephane Ivanoff · Posted Posted onJun 30, 2019 at 9:53 AM · 0 Comments

Hello! The impossible happened last week at the North American International Championship: I managed to defend my title! I won NAIC with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], and this means so much to me. Being the one to give Zoroark-GX one last major success before it takes its leave of the Standard format is a dream come true, and being able to finally prove Dewgong’s worth beyond the shadow of a doubt is also gratifying, after all the time I spent praising that version of the deck. In case you think my win is a fluke, I must remind you that Isaiah Bradner won the tournament in the Seniors Division with the same deck; his list differed from mine by two cards, and one of them is the choice of [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card].

I want to use this article to give a quick recap of the tournament and explain the list I played. My list wasn’t the only surprise of the event, so I’ll also touch on why some decks did well, or faltered despite hype being in their favor. Finally, since most of you are probably looking past the current format, I want to share my early thoughts on the Worlds format.

A Week of Pokemon

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

In case you haven’t read it, I encourage you to check out last week’s article, which was a guide to Zoroark-GX / Dewgong. The paywall on it has been removed, so even if you’re not a PokéBeach subscriber, you can check it out. In the rest of this section, I’ll assume you’ve read that article, so I won’t explain the basic concept of the deck, but only what changed in a week.

[premium]

Arriving in Columbus, I was happy with the list I shared at the end of last week’s article. In theory, it had the tools to beat everything, and I had already tested it against the [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] variant of [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], and the deck felt good. When I started testing with the group that had gathered at our Airbnb in Columbus, I was comforted in my confidence. Even played by very strong players, Reshiram and Charizard-GX was definitely beatable with two [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] and two [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Ultra Beasts was a good matchup even if it wasn’t as positive as I wished. However, I kept getting destroyed by Rahul Reddy’s [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. He played a very aggressive list that included [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] instead of [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], and he kept taking far too many Prize cards before I could retaliate meaningfully. The removal of [card name=”Larvitar” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] from the list wasn’t even a factor: he was too fast and I couldn’t get damage on his board before he had taken a significant lead in the game. I was getting ready to write off this matchup as an autoloss to focus on the rest of the field–something that’s acceptable for such a big tournament, even if it’s scary. Henry Brand, a true Zoroark-GX / Dewgong believer, suggested playing [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]. He said he thought it was clunky but the payoff would be good, as we could use Stinger GX with a [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] to reset the Prize count. I doubted the idea would work, but I had thought in the past about Naganadel-GX coming back in the Tag Team era because of Stinger GX, so I was fine with trying out the idea.

The results were immediate: suddenly, Tag Team Pokemon weren’t threatening anymore. We could get behind in Prizes, but as soon as we bench [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Poipole” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], it was possible to guarantee Stinger GX, negating our disadvantage. By putting damage on a Tag Team Pokémon before using Stinger GX, we were guaranteeing a win on the next turn. The pressure wasn’t on Zoroark-GX, but on the Tag Team deck, and that was a very welcome change in pace!
It’s possible for the Tag Team deck to KO Poipole before it can evolve and do its magic. But here’s the thing: we were benching a simple Basic Pokemon that was forcing the Tag Team deck to adapt. And if they took a KO on it, they weren’t Knocking Out Zoroark-GX or Meowth instead. Plus, we could use [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] for the Poipole and bench it again, putting the opposing deck in the exact same conundrum. The fact that they took a Prize didn’t even matter, since if they let Stinger GX go through, the amount they Prize cards they took wouldn’t matter.

With this strategy, it became possible to come back from terrible starts–those where you draw and pass for a couple turns in the beginning. We were beating Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, we were beating Reshiram and Charizard-GX, so we tried checking out other matchups to see if we were still beating them.

The biggest issue was Zapdos / Ultra Beasts. In order to find space for Naganadel-GX, we removed the [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] line. The idea is that Dewgong and [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] were enough to beat the deck, but in practice, the matchup wasn’t as good as we hoped. Stinger GX gave us some options: we could set up damage with Dewgong, then use Stinger GX, then take two Prizes with Distortion Door and one with an attack. However, it wasn’t easy to do in practice because of the pressure put upon us. Plus, there were some interesting things the Zapdos player could do. I lost games because my opponent Knocked Out his own Zapdos or [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card], making me draw a Prize and activating Sledgehammer on [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].

We tested various ideas, both lists and strategies. There was space for eight people to sit at the table in the living room, and more often than not, at least three of the four games going on were Zoroark-GX against something else. We tried building a deck close to what Tord Reklev and some of his countrymen used in Jonkoping Regionals: a Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] list with [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Olivia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], and plenty of Tapu Lele-GX and [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. This came at the cost of Dewgong, but at least we could fit in both Alolan Muk and Naganadel-GX. The first games I tried the idea, I got destroyed by Adam Hawkins’ [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] deck, but others were getting good results. The deck didn’t feel good enough to me. It was hard to manage the Bench, and due to the lack of draw Supporters, I often found myself with two or three Bench sitters like Tapu Lele-GX and Dedenne-GX, leaving no space for more important cards. This is when I decided to give [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] another try, changing the list a little. It should be noted that Tord Reklev and the LimitlessTCG team came up with a similar, but more refined, deck on their own and Pedro Eugenio Torres took it to a Top 16 finish.

I don’t remember who suggested adding Alolan Muk back in, but I probably owe them one. Even without [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], it added another big threat to the deck. Get it on turn 2 against Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Jirachi and you’re pretty much set. This also removed the issue of [card name=”Miltank” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], although we could also KO it. It was pretty hard to get it in play against Zapdos / Ultra Beasts, and almost impossible if you went second. If you did get it, you were in a strong spot. It forced the opponent to focus on the Ditto Prism Star, which meant we could attach [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] on turn 1. Alolan Muk helped win my Top 4 match for sure and secured the last game of the finals. It was also insurance against random stuff like stray [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], etc.

We had to make a final cut to put Alolan Muk back in. I wanted two Tapu Lele-GX for consistency and playing only one Dewgong felt bad, so I decided to cut an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. With 24 Pokemon in the deck, [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] was a reliable search card. Ultra Ball, on the other hand, often felt bad to play and the most common card to discard with it was another Ultra Ball. I’ve written before how at the end of a season, as the average power of cards in a deck become higher and higher, discarding two cards feels worse and worse. Just like Robin Schulz decided that Ultra Ball could be cut before he won Worlds, I felt that playing less than four was reasonable. I’m pretty sure I could mathematically prove that it was the best cut, if there was an appropriate framework for such a proof.

You’ve probably seen it, but here’s the final list:

[decklist name=”NAIC ZoroGong” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″][pokemon amt=”24″]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=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Seel” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Meowth” set=”Team Up” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ 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=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

It kept doing well in our testing as well as against players who learned what our plan was and how to counter it, so it stood to reason that in a field where it has the advantage of surprise, we would perform even better. I think the deck is still good now but if it can definitely be countered: add [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and the matchup gets much worse. And I’m pretty sure [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is also a nightmare to deal with as it prevents [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] from getting 2HKOs on Tag Teams.

Dewgong’s Time to Shine

Here’s how my tournament went:

  • Round 1: vs [card name=”Weezing” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] – WLT (0-0-1)
  • Round 2: vs Weezing – WW (1-0-1)
  • Round 3: vs [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] – WLW (2-0-1)
  • Round 4: vs [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Ultra Beasts – WW (3-0-1)
  • Round 5: vs [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] – LWL (3-1-1)
  • Round 6: vs Pikachu and Zekrom-GX – WLW (4-1-1)
  • Round 7: vs Reshiram and Charizard-GX / [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] – WW (5-1-1)
  • Round 8: vs Spiritomb / [card name=”Umbreon” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] – WLW (6-1-1)
  • Round 9: vs Zoroark [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] – WW (7-1-1)
  • Round 10: vs Zapdos / Ultra Beasts – WLT (7-1-2)
  • Round 11: vs Zapdos / Ultra Beasts – WW (8-1-2)
  • Round 12: vs Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Jirachi – WW (9-1-2)
  • Round 13: vs [card name=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] – LWL (9-2-2)
  • Round 14: vs Tool Drop – WLW (10-2-2)
  • Round 15: vs [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] – WW (11-2-2)
  • Top 8: vs Zapdos / Ultra Beasts – LWW (12-2-2)
  • Top 4: vs Pikachu and Zekrom-GX – WLW (13-2-2)
  • Top 2: vs Pikachu and Zekrom-GX – WW (14-2-2)

The Weezing matchup is definitely a good one, so I was frustrated tying against it in the first round. I lost game 2 because I had to bench both [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] (I might have started with one, I’m not sure), and couldn’t find Acerola in time. Since my opponent didn’t play very fast and, to be fair, neither did I, we barely had time to start game 3. Thankfully, Round 2 went better for me. Isaiah impressed the world with some cool [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] plays in game 1 of the Seniors Finals, but most of the time you don’t need this against Weezing. Simply attacking and taking as little damage as possible from [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is enough to win.
In Round 3, I faced Vikavolt, a surprising deck. It performed better than I expected: Vikavolt’s 150 HP and ability to oneshot Zoroark-GX is definitely worrying. On the bright side, Dewgong can also definitely put in some work in the matchup.

I don’t remember my Round 4, but I know I misplayed Round 5. I hit an [card name=”Eevee and Snorlax-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] for 120 damage and could have gone for Stinger GX afterwards, but I got worried about my opponent playing healing cards, so instead, I decided to KO his Tag Team Pokemon and play without [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]. I think I played too safe; because since I was seeing [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] in my opponent’s deck, he most likely wasn’t using [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card]. I guess he could have got Max Potion or Acerola, but both of those would have prevented him from taking a Prize card on the turn he played them so I would have been fine. I attribute my fear to every Green’s Exploration deck I played against in playtesting used Mixed Herbs, so I was overestimating the odds he would play them. In game 2, I won thanks to Stinger GX, but I had a subpar start and got overran in game 3.

[cardimg name=”Miltank” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”78″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I don’t remember much about Round 6 either, except I got lucky in game 3. I think my opponent whiffed on several outs on a Dedechange.

In Round 7, I played against a conventional Jirachi build. The main issue in this matchup is [card name=”Miltank” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], which can heal a damaged Tag Team after Stinger GX, giving them time to take three Prizes. There are three ways to deal with this: the first is to play down [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], which is strong in this matchup. The second is to KO the Miltank. It takes time and wouldn’t be worth it in a traditional Prize race, but is perfectly fine when you’re planning on resetting Prize counts to three anyway. Finally, if your opponent keeps Miltank in hand and an open Bench spot, the best strategy is to use [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] and hope they don’t get everything they need.

In game 1, I got a quick Alolan Muk that shut down my opponent’s plans. I think he still got a KO with Eevee and Snorlax-GX but couldn’t draw out of the subsequent Judge. In game 2, my opponent filled out his Bench so I went for the Stinger play. He told me afterwards that he’d cut Miltank from his deck.

Round 8 against Chris Siakala was streamed. I didn’t know what to expect and got scared when I was told he played [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], but it turned out to be a 1-1 tech. That Pokemon still lost me game 2, but I won the two other games. If my memory is correct, I won game 1 thanks to Alolan Muk which shuts down Spiritomb’s Ability, and therefore its damage output; and my opponent Prized [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] in game 3, which let me finish the game with Dual Blizzard.

I had one round to go and was already qualified for Day 2, but I definitely had to take this seriously. If I planned to go all the way to Top 8, starting Day 2 at 19 points would leave me with no margin for error. Round 9 was a mirror match where I went second and had an unfavorable start, so I was worried. However, I managed to turn it around with a little bit of luck and good planning, not letting my opponent set up [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] while I got mine off. On game 2, my opponent had to use Dedechange and ended up discarding away many resources on turn 1, including: [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], so as the game went on, I was favored because I could heal damage and target Pokemon better than him.

I ended up Day 1 in a favorable spot, but still needed a 4-1-1 record in Day 2 to make Top 8. I don’t know that NAIC is harder than other tournaments, but the sky-high attendance means that you need an incredible record to make Top 8, so you can’t afford mistakes.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t win my first round of Day 2, once again. My opponent played [card name=”Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] and used it to mount a comeback in game 2. With two Prizes left on his part, a [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] and Lightning Energy on Pheromosa and Buzzwole-GX and his GX attack open, he could win either off Elegant Sole on [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], or Beast Game GX on a non-Evolved Basic Pokemon. I used Judge and attacked with Dewgong to set up a win on the next turn with Zoroark-GX. Unfortunately, my opponent got one of his two last [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], letting him use Stellar Wish which found him his last Guzma. I feel like the odds were not in his favor at that point, but I had my share of luck as well in the tournament so I couldn’t complain too much. The next round against the same archetype went much better.

I was then paired against [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]. This opponent played Miltank, but I’m pretty sure I got Alolan Muk in game 1. In game 2, I used Stinger GX but my opponent drew [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] off Judge, so he managed to retreat his damaged Reshiram and Charizard-GX and take a KO. My opponent used [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]’s Let Loose, which helped me as my hand was pretty bad. I needed to find Guzma, [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and an Energy for a KO on his damaged Tag Team Pokemon, as well as a Pokemon to fill out my Bench. My hand had an Energy, Choice Band, and [card name=”Zorua” set=”Shining Legends” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]. I used Trade and discarded away something and found a Guzma! Definitely a lucky break, but I’ll take it.

I was then summoned to the stream once more, playing against Hunter Butler’s Stunfisk / Spiritomb deck. He started game 1 with lone [card name=”Murkrow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] and passed, and I couldn’t find a [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to attach. My fears came through as he evolved Murkrow to Honchkrow-GX on turn 2, sealing the game as I would never be able to attach an Energy. He didn’t start Murkrow in the two other games, and it came down to some complicated plays. I’m pretty sure I misplayed game 3 and could have taken the win at some point with Dual Blizzard and Choice Band. Even if I didn’t, I shouldn’t have Knocked Out his Dedenne-GX as it allowed him to get it back with [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] and draw into the Guzma he needed for the win. In my defense, it was a complicated board state and I wasn’t familiar with my opponent’s deck, so I needed to figure out what he’d be able to do, all while playing fast enough not to get a penalty as I’d already be verbally warned by a judge. Props to my opponent, who played very well and found his path to victory.

In Round 14 I was paired against Tool Drop, a deck I never expected to do that well. Both [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and Alolan Muk were both good cards here, although among the many tools my opponent played, there were [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] that he could attach to Mew and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] so they would work even with Alolan Muk in play. The amount of damage that [card name=”Doublade” set=”Team Up” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] could reach surprised me, but he still had to fill his Bench with Bench sitters, so it was manageable. I lost game 2 but managed to win game 3 when I Knocked Out my opponent’s only attacker in play. He scooped immediately afterwards and revealed he had three [card name=”Honedge” set=”Team Up” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] Prized. It didn’t help that I Knocked Out his [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] already.

Finally, my win-and-in was against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. With Dewgong in the deck, this matchup is good as you put pressure on them and force them to fill one of their Bench spots with Mew. However, that match turned out not to be much of one as my opponent drew badly in both games, and I locked him out of the game with Alolan Muk. Twenty minutes into the round, I secured my spot in Top 8.

I won’t bore you with the details of the top cut games as they’ve been streamed and you can watch them on stream. If you only watch one of the games, I recommend game 2 of the top 8 match against Magnus Pedersen, as it showcases what Naganadel-GX can do.

Surprises All Around

[cardimg name=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If you’ve read all up to now; [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card], you can probably understand, because it’s not unusual to face strange decks at 1-0-1. But Tool Drop in Round 14? A [card name=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] build going all the way to Top 8? Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] to top 4? No Reshiram and Charizard-GX in top cut in Masters? That was definitely a strange tournament. What happened?

I’m sure that what happened is everyone targeted Reshiram and Charizard-GX. The theory goes like this: you can fit decks in loose categories based on the amount of Prize cards given by their attackers. Reshiram and Charizard-GX is a three-Prize deck that’s good against two-Prize and three-Prize decks, because it can OHKO GX-Pokemon and even Tag Team Pokemon with Flare Strike and a powered-up Double Blaze GX. What beats something like this? One-Prize decks, that won’t OHKO it most of the time but can still get a 2HKO and therefore trade favorably. This is why so many one-Prize attackers able to OHKO GX Pokemon resurfaced. Charlie Lockyer, my Round 14 opponent, put it: “Everyone is trying to reinvent Night March.” Tool Drop, for example, can reach 210 damage without much trouble, and even 240 isn’t out of the ordinary. You can have seven Tools in play with a [card name=”Genesect-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], and if the one on Doublade is a Choice Band, that’s 240 damage. Add damage counters from Honedge’s Ability or [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] and you can OHKO Reshiram and Charizard-GX. An attacker like [card name=”Blissey” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card] can reach high amounts of damage thanks to Welder and [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card]. Baby Blacephalon struggles against some stuff, but has a favorable Reshiram and Charizard-GX matchup. Stunfisk can also deal high amounts of damage especially with [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], and I even saw some Lost March in day 1, although I don’t think they made it through. I’m pretty sure that all these decks would also beat Zoroark-GX, if it wasn’t for Dewgong giving it back the advantage in the Prize race.

In other words, don’t worry, Reshiram and Charizard-GX is still good. It just wasn’t the right play for NAIC, or at least, it should have played [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] as it reduces Zoroark-GX’s, Stunfisk’s and Doublade’s damage output.

What Now?

Looking forward to Worlds, everything is changing. We can’t rely on Japanese results as they will have to deal with an early rotation as well, and in my opinion that’s a good thing. Everyone will be dealing with a new situation. Hopefully, no one is going in blind. I believe in a blind metagame, your luck in pairings matters more than anything, and that’s not interesting or healthy. Ideally, everyone should have a good idea of what to expect going in. That way, the best players and most creative deckbuilders will take advantage best of this knowledge and Worlds will truly favor them.

So, how do you approach the new format? I want to be clear that I don’t know yet what will actually be good. I’ve thought about the format quite a bit already, but I’ve barely started actually testing, so this is theory for now.

A mistake that people, especially beginners, often make when approaching a new format after rotation is relying too much on what they knew about the previous format. Instead, you should see the format as a new one. Decks that were good before may not work anymore, cards that never saw play might actually become staples, and whole new consistency engines could appear. When thinking about the format, here were my preliminary remarks:

We Lose Guzma

With no [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] in the format either, this means that benched Pokemon might actually be safe. This favors Evolution decks, since there’s no risk that a [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] takes three Prizes in three turns on vulnerable Basic Pokemon. Something like [card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Meganium” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Swampert” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] might be worth testing for this reason. Bench sitters can be used more effectively, and some of the best Bench sitters are Evolution Pokemon. Think about [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], for instance.

The absence of [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] also gives wall Pokemon more impact on the game. With [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] rotating, it’s not clear what would take its place. Some answers could be: Aerodactyl-GX, Keldeo-GX, and [card name=”Shuckle-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], but they’re also all countered by [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card].

The Loss of Generic Ball Search

[cardimg name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Losing [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] will completely change the way decks are built. Take Malamar. It’s not a bad idea to want to build it post-rotation since it has access to [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], but the deck usually played four Nest Ball and four Ultra Ball. Without these, it will be much less consistent and much slower. With no Guzma, [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] and Malamar are mostly safe on the Bench, so it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have three of them by turn 1. Still, I think there are going to be decks that make better use of the constency cards we will still have. The lack of Nest Ball also makes cards like [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] much worse. So what do we keep, apart from Mysterious Treasure?

We keep [card name=”Net Ball” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card], which gives Grass-type decks a boost. Rather than Malamar, I’d rather build Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Tsareena. This deck can get its Basic Pokemon and Energy with Net Ball, and Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX can use its first attack to evolve other Pokemon. I would consider playing a small line of [card name=”Grovyle” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck to help set up, and it would also let the deck run [card name=”Sceptile” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] which helps against Blacephalon and [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] which are projected to do well. This ties with the previous point: Bench sitters are pretty much safe now, so you can run support Evolution Pokemon easily.

The other important Ball is Cherish Ball. In theory, I loathe what this card brings to the meta: a way to still make GX Pokemon easy to use instead of giving Evolution Pokemon a chance to shine. Sure, GX-Pokemon can be Evolutions, but you still need a way to search out their Basics. Nevertheless, Cherish Ball will be an important part of the Worlds format and actually saves [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and most other Basic GX-Pokemon. It will be played in most decks, if only to grab [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. There is [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and its Lightning-type friends as well.
Ultra Beast decks can use [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and maybe (probably not) [card name=”Beast Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], so they have this going for them. I’m not sure if we’ll see dedicated Ultra Beast decks, maybe with the new Naganadel-GX; or if they’ll just be played randomly in decks, but it’s a mechanic that you should keep an eye on.

Pokemon Communication

My favorite of all these Pokemon-searching Items is [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] because it favors decks that play many Pokemon, which tend to be more interesting. Most of the time, they’re Evolution decks. Instead of trying to adapt previous decks, I would consider building decks that take into account the card-searching options we have. Some of them may look like decks you’re familiar with, but they might change. For example, is Zapdos worth it in Pikachu and Zekrom-GX? Given that there’s no way to search it out apart from Pokemon Communication, and you can’t use Guzma to KO your opponent’s benched Pokemon, I’m not convinced it is. If I was building Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, I’d probably start out not playing any, keeping deck space and Bench space for GX-Pokemon that can be used better.

No More Let Loose!

This means that building up your hand is better now. That makes a Bench sitter like Swampert look like a much better idea. Sure, there’s still hand disruption in the form of [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] and, more importantly, Reset Stamp, but an early Reset Stamp is not very threatening and probably a misplay in most cases.

Green’s Exploration Gets Better

Using [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is almost the only option for gust effects. There’s also [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card], but I’m not convinced that an unsearchable Pokemon with an unsearchable pre-evolution will see much play. Using [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] is the best way to gather multiple Custom Catcher in hand. Without [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], you won’t have to refill your hand in the middle of the game suddenly, and you can also use Green’s Exploration to grab Reset Stamp, giving you a way to make comebacks late game. These decks can make great use of Power Plant, which I expect to be good, if only against Dedenne-GX. I think Reshiram and Charizard-GX and Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] are some decks that can make good use of Green’s Exploration and should be explored further. A deck like [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] hasn’t had the success I expected in the Unbroken Bonds format, but it might warrant a second look.

No More Choice Band, No More Field Blower

These mostly cancel each other out, but they have other implications. With no Choice Band, and no [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], we don’t get damage modifiers apart from [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. This can change matchups a lot. For example, Reshiram and Charizard-GX has a tougher time Knocking Out Pikachu and Zekrom-GX now, so the matchup might turn to the latter’s advantage. Also, we keep defensive Tools like [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], so defensive decks could become better.

The absence of [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is also a godsend for [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. That said, it’s on everyone’s radar. Shedinja is worth testing and could be a very solid choice if someone can figure out a strong list, but expect a lot of attention given to it by everyone. Even with no Field Blower, we still have [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], and even some weirder techs like [card name=”Farfetch’d” set=”Team Up” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] in the format, so if you want to bring Shedinja to Worlds, you’ll have to be prepared for that.

I know that’s not much, but I hope this can act as a starting point for your testing! In addition to the decks I’ve already alluded to, I also recommend trying out Fossil decks. Fossil support like Pokémon Research Lab is amazing in a build that can use its effect, and I’m sure there’s potential here to build a solid new archetype. Finally, Mewtwo and Mew-GX could be a breakout star in the format and I can see a toolbox with Hapu, Cherish Ball, and Mysterious Treasure running plenty of counters to whatever needs to be countered. I think we’ll need to wait until we have a better picture of the metagame before building such an anti-meta deck, so I won’t focus my efforts on this right now, but as Worlds get closer, think about the miraculous duo and what they can bring, as I have an intuition that they’ll have a big part to play in the format.

Conclusion

This is all for today! I’ll be taking a short break so you won’t read from me for two weeks, but you can still follow me on social media for updates. I’ll be using that time to get a head start in my preparation for Worlds. When I’m back, I’ll be ready to write much more detailed articles! I can’t wait to explore the format further, and I’m going to give it my all, as I  want to finally achieve a good placement at Worlds.
See you soon!

Stéphane

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