Trading for 3 and the Candlestick Maker — the New Zoroark and Chandelure

Hello everyone! While the 2019 World Championships still look far away on the calendar, they’re approaching faster than you might think. Players are really starting to invest in serious testing of the post-rotation Standard format, featuring the new Unified Minds set. In this article, I’ll be taking a look at two of the new archetypes Unified Minds brings to the table. Neither one has received much hype so far, but I believe both have the potential to perform decently at Worlds.

Chandelure

[cardimg name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I spent the better part of a day trying to make a Chandelure list that worked well. Soul Burner is one of the most fun and unique attacks I’ve ever seen and I really wanted it to be successful.

[R] Soul Burner: 10+ damage. Discard the top 5 cards of your deck. This attack does 60 more damage for each Pokemon you discarded. Then, put any number of discarded Fire Pokemon onto your Bench.

This archetype has a tremendous number of possible supporting Pokemon available to it; I’ve thought of [card name=”Blaziken” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Delphox” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Incineroar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Infernape” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Salazzle” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]. Magcargo seems like the most important inclusion simply because it is such a powerful search card, and search and consistency are especially valuable resources in a Stage 2 deck like Chandelure. The biggest issue with the deck’s consistency is simply getting your first Chandelure into play, because it is a Stage 2. Once you have one in play, you can start getting Magcargo into play using Soul Burner, enabling you to find cards for combos each turn so that the deck becomes fairly self-sufficient. (It’s similar in this regard to the [card name=”Garchomp” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] deck that saw a small amount of play in our last format.)

Fortunately, to assist in the process of getting that first Chandelure into play, we have a [card name=”Lampent” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Litwick” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] that just so happen to be Psychic type. This means you can run [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] as a search card for those Pokemon. Because we also have [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] to pair with this evolution line, we can “cheat” a Chandelure into play on turn 2 without the need for [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. This actually makes Chandelure slightly more consistent than most Stage 2 Pokemon I’ve played with.

This deck wants to play a high number of Pokemon so that you consistently hit Pokemon with Soul Burner. [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] pairs fantastically with Chandelure by filling up your deck with Pokemon in the late game once you’ve thinned out most of the other cards–by the end of the game you’re basically guaranteed to be hitting huge damage numbers. The damage output, as well as the flexibility afforded by the fact that you can run 0-1 or 0-0-1 tech lines due to Soul Burner, makes this probably the strongest single-Prize-attacker deck I’ve tested in UPR-UNI. My current list is below:

[premium]

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”Lampent and Chandelure from Unified Minds; Giant Stump is Giant Furnace” cname=”Blaziken” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”6″][pokemon amt=”22″]4x [card name=”Litwick” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x Lampent (Unified Minds)4x Chandelure (Unified Minds)4x [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Salazzle” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Infernape” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”23″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Incineroar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delphox” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blaziken” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x Giant Furnace (Unified Minds)[/trainers][energy amt=”5″]5x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This list went through a ton of changes from my first version. Blue’s Exploration and Hapu were temporarily included as other ways to improve your first turn setups, but I’ve found the Supporter line above to be more consistent overall. The only Basic Pokemon in the deck are the four Litwick, so your first turn revolves around Benching a second Litwick so that you cannot get donked.

After establishing your Bench and evolving into a Chandelure, finding Magcargo is your next priority. The deck plays plenty of thinning cards like [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to make this easier. Once you get a Magcargo onto the Bench, every tech Pokemon in the deck becomes instantly available to you as you can Smooth Over for one and then Soul Burner it into play. I’ve built the list to achieve that gameplan as consistently as possible: find a second Litwick on turn 1, evolve into a Chandelure on turn 2, and hit a Magcargo off your first Soul Burner.

I’ll talk more about the other Fire Pokemon included in the deck. Many of them are strong cards that have not yet seen play because there was no room for them in lists or no easy ways to get them into play. They become much stronger in tandem with Chandelure because you do not need to add their pre-evolutions to the list and you can get them into play in one turn.

• [card name=”Salazzle” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] is a very strong draw card that is invaluable in this deck if you need more cards than you can get from just Smooth Over. While you do need to discard one of your valuable Fire Energy to use Roast Reveal, you have [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]to recycle those Energy later. Do not feel like you need to be using Roast Reveal every turn–use it only to dig for combos when Smooth Over is not enough.
• [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] is similar in that it requires you to discard Energy, but again, you have resources to get those back. A free gust effect is incredibly strong and with [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] rotating, Ninetales is pretty much the only gust card not called [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] that will see play.
• [card name=”Infernape” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Delphox” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] work together to essentially give your attacks a 60-damage buff through Burn damage. If your Bench space is low, your opponent has a way to prevent or heal Special Conditions, or you Prize Infernape and/or Delphox, you can settle for [card name=”Incineroar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] instead for a 30-damage buff.
• [card name=”Blaziken” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] is actually one of the strongest cards in this deck because it sustains your attacks by recycling Energy for free. It has synergy with the Energy discard effect from Salazzle’s and Ninetales’s Abilities. With both Magcargo and Blaziken in play, the deck is incredibly self-sufficient.

Choosing which techs you want to focus on varies from game to game. In many games where I set up well and get Magcargo off my first Soul Burner, I will first try to set up the Infernape and Delphox combo, because the 60-damage buff is very relevant against the high HP of Tag Team Pokemon. I find myself using Salazzle and Ninetales more when I am drawing well and want to play aggressively, while Blaziken is a more conservative option to ensure you don’t miss Energy attachments and attacks. There isn’t room on the Bench for everything, so choose your Pokemon wisely. Having multiple Chandelure, or at least one Chandelure and one Lampent, in play at all times is essential so that you don’t miss a turn of attacking with Soul Burner.

Overall, this deck is still a work in progress. It’s shown extremely strong potential if it sets up, but sometimes you hit the wrong Pokemon off your first Soul Burner or two and you’re left with a terrible board position. The first two turns of the game require a bit of luck and aggressive play, but after that the deck sustains itself if you set it up properly.

“New Zoroark”

The unstoppable [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] may have rotated, but now there’s a new sheriff in town: Naganadel-GX from Unified Minds. Its Ultra Conversion Ability is similar to the Trade Ability that made Zoroark-GX so strong, but instead of drawing two cards, you draw three–however, you must first discard an Ultra Beast rather than just any card. This isn’t that much of a drawback: there are plenty of strong Ultra Beasts in the format, and you can use [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] to return them to your deck to keep using Ultra Conversion consistently. Naganadel-GX has some other great attributes: its typing and Ultra Beast status mean it’s searchable with [card name=”Beast Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], which makes it just about the most-searchable Pokemon in the upcoming format. It packs a punch in the damage department too, with Venom Shot essentially a power-creeped version of the Dragon Rush attack on the infamous Garchomp C LV.X:

[P][C][C][C] Venom Shot: Discard 2 Energy from this Pokemon. This attack does 170 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon. 

Plenty of Special Energy cards synergize well with that discard effect, notably [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] and Recycle Energy. Therefore, I started my Naganadel-GX testing by pairing it with [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], whose Crazy Code Ability lets you attach infinite Special Energy per turn. That is currently my favorite way to play Naganadel-GX, and I’ll provide a list for it shortly, but first I want to discuss another variant some players have been hyping–a Naganadel-GX Control deck, the heir apparent to the Zoroark-GX Control concepts that saw great success over the last two seasons.

Naganadel-GX Control

This works exactly like Zoroark-GX Control did: sit behind [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], loop back disruptive cards like [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], and fly through your deck with Ultra Conversion. The only major difference is that you’ll now need to play a supporting cast of Ultra Beast Pokemon to actually allow yourself to “Trade” in the first place. It’s not hard to fit those into the deck; what I’ve done is play a high number of the zero-Retreat Cost Ultra Beasts, [card name=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pheromosa” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]. That way, if you start one of them, you don’t need to invest resources to move it from the Active spot, and you can always Bench one later to serve as a pivot Pokemon after your Active gets Knocked Out. Since you are playing [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Unit Energy GFW” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], you will be able to attack with your supporting Ultra Beasts, so it makes since to play a copy of [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to hit for Weakness against the Lightning and Dark Pokemon that look to be powerful players in UPR-UNI. I think a copy of the [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] from Forbidden Light should also be played so you have the option to use Stinger GX against certain decks, mostly Tag Team decks. While it’s not an Ultra Beast, I also like Froslass as a way to one-shot a Reshiram and Charizard-GX, since it has synergy with multiple of your Special Energy.

Here’s a sample list:

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”FLI 134 is new Naga-GX; Snorunt/Froslass are new ones; Energy Reset is Reset Stamp; Cyclone Energy is Recycle Energy; Luxury Ball is Cherish Ball” cname=”Froslass” set=”Legends Awakened” no=”3″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x Naganadel-GX (Unified Minds)1x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Snorunt (Unified Minds)1x Froslass (Unified Minds)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x Reset Stamp (Unified Minds)1x Cherish Ball (Unified Minds)1x [card name=”Beast Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]3x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x Recycle Energy (Unified Minds)1x [card name=”Unit Energy GFW” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

• The Supporter line includes [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to put your opponent at a zero-card hand in the late game in combination with a Reset Stamp down to two cards. You can then use [card name=”Chip-Chip Ice Axe” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] to control their topdecks.
• The Energy lineup might look like a mess, but don’t be alarmed, each one has its own important place in the deck. Rainbow Energy works for anything, while Unit Energy GFW can also be used on Kartana and Froslass and does not have the drawback of placing a damage counter. Recycle Energy is best attached to Oranguru, as it ensures you don’t need to use Resource Management to recover an Energy you would otherwise have to discard after an Oranguru gets Knocked Out, so your Resource Management loop is that much more efficient. Triple Acceleration Energy is for both versions of Naganadel-GX, so you can snipe away a threat with Venom Shot or execute a Stinger GX gameplan. You only need one beacuse you can get it back with Resource Management after it gets discarded.
• The reason I do not play a fourth Custom Catcher is because you only ever need two once you establish your Oranguru loop; the third is simply insurance against Prizing.

Naganadel-GX / Porygon-Z

Now for my favorite Naganadel-GX variant: a pairing with Porygon-Z. Any deck whose attacks or Abilities let it “break the rules” stand out as having potential–Porygon-Z circumvents the “one Energy attachment per turn rule,” and since those “Rain Dance” style Abilities are generally good when they attach Basic Energy, one that attaches Special Energy is bound to be really good.

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”LOT 134 is new Naga-GX; Xurkitree is new Xurkitree; Luxury Ball is Cherish Ball; Cyclone Energy is Recycle Energy” cname=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″][pokemon amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x Naganadel-GX (Unified Minds)1x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Porygon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Porygon2″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pheromosa” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Xurkitree” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Meowth” set=”Team Up” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kartana” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”19″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”23″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Cherish Ball (Unified Minds)1x [card name=”Beast Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]3x [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x Recycle Energy (Unified Minds)2x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Explanations

Three Naganadel-GX, one Naganadel-GX, and one Naganadel

Ultra Conversion is the backbone of this deck and you want to have two to three Naganadel-GX in play at all times to draw through your deck. As I mentioned, the Naganadel-GX with the Stinger GX attack is also worth playing because against Tag Team Pokemon-GX decks you can gain a significant advantage if you hit into a Tag Team Pokemon, use Stinger GX to set yourself to three Prize Cards, and then finish the Knock Out the next turn to instantly win the game. This backfires against decks that play healing cards, but not all Tag Team decks will run those or be able to find them when needed. “Baby” Naganadel’s Turning Point is a good non-GX attacking option for when you need one of those.

Two Porygon, two Porygon2, and two Porygon-Z

I started with zero Porygon2 and two Rare Candy, but this 2-2-2 line has actually proven to be more consistent even though it is slower. Without [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] in the format, it’s uncommon to see your Benched Pokemon targeted in the early game, as your opponent would need to draw into two [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. This gives you time to set up Porygon-Z naturally, without trying to draw into a two-card combo that’s much harder to find in a format without [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck can function perfectly fine in the early game without Porygon-Z, it just really takes off after you get Crazy Code going.

Two Pheromosa, one Xurkitree, one Nihilego, one Kartana, and one Buzzwole

These are all the other Ultra Beasts in the deck. That makes for a grand total of fifteen Ultra Beasts, which gives you good odds to have one to discard with Ultra Conversion whenever you need to. All of them are decent attackers in certain matchups, except Pheromosa, which is just a pivot Pokemon.

One Persian-GX

Vengeance is a solid attack in combination with Triple Acceleration Energy, and Cat Walk can set up some beautiful surprise plays. I have frequently found myself using Cat Walk to find Special Energy so I can Crazy Code them into play. There is no card that specifically searches for Special Energy so Cat Walk is actually a valuable consistency boost in some games. It can also sometimes be helpful for building Porygon-Z lines.

One Brock’s Grit

You frequently need to recycle some Ultra Beast Pokemon to have more Ultra Conversion discard fodder. There are also a lot of one-of techs in this deck, and with [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] rotating, if you want those back from the discard pile you’ll need to play Brock’s Grit.

Four Custom Catcher

You have room for Custom Catcher in this deck because your reliance on Ultra Conversion means you don’t have to play as many draw Supporters as other decks. Ultra Conversion also gives you the draw power to get two copies in your hand when you need them.

Four Pokemon Communication, Two Mysterious Treasure, Two Cherish Ball, One Beast Ball, Two Ultra Space

Like Zoroark-GX decks, this deck plays a large number of Pokemon, so [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong search card. The two Mysterious Treasure serve as additional outs to your [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] so you can set up more consistently. Cherish Ball finds Naganadel-GX and [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], so your draw outs are easier to find. Dedechange is very good in this archetype since the deck often requires you to dig deep for resources, so it’s important to maximize your outs to it so you don’t get stuck with a bad hand. [card name=”Beast Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] has not been played much (if at all) before now, but I’ve found it very strong in this deck. You play fifteen Ultra Beast Pokemon, so statistically you’re quite likely to Prize at least one. And [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is of course a great search card in an Ultra Beast-centered deck like this one.

Three Unit Energy LPM, Three Recycle Energy, Two Triple Acceleration Energy, One Rainbow Energy, and One Beast Energy Prism Star

This looks like a mess, but I assure you I put a lot of thought and experimentation into this deck’s Energy counts. [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] works with both Venom Shot and Injection GX, which I actually haven’t talked about. [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is played mainly for Buzzwole, but it works on other Pokemon like Kartana as well. Recycle Energy is my favorite part of this deck, because you can Retreat a Pokemon with Recycle Energy attached for “free.” Another play you can make is use Venom Shot and discard two Recycle Energy, then have them right back in your hand to reattach with Crazy Code and do the same thing next turn. Triple Acceleration Energy is insurance for when you can’t pull off those Recycle Energy plays, and it’s also a good way to use Vengeance or Stinger GX. Finally, [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] is a staple in Ultra Beast decks, as that +30 damage is frequently relevant.

Playing the deck

Focus first on getting two to three Naganadel-GX into play, as you would with Zoroark-GX. Once you have Ultra Conversion online you can draw through your deck with ease and you’ll have easier access to the Energy you need to keep attacking. Once Porygon-Z is in play, you can stream Venom Shot stream with the Recycle Energy loop, or use different attacks as needed. This deck is very reactive to what your opponent does. You can snipe support Pokemon, deal with direct threats, or stay passive waiting for the right opportunity to make a big play.

Against Malamar, you typically want to loop Venom Shot to snipe down all the Malamar, which completely ruins the infrastructure of that deck. If the Malamar player is running Mew, you can use Custom Catcher to pull it Active and then kill it so you can continue sniping the Bench. Against Tag Team decks, you can use Stinger GX after attacking into a Tag Team Pokemon, then win the game on the following turn by finishing off the KO. I’ve found [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] to be a tougher matchup than [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] because the former tends to play more healing cards. Against control decks like [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], you can cycle Custom Catcher back with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] or use Venom Shot to pick off Pokemon that don’t have Shedinja attached.

A final note on this build of the deck: since it does not play any Basic Energy, it loses to a copy of [card name=”Xurkitree-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM68″ c=”name”][/card] in opposing decks such as Lightning decks or stall. If Naganadel-GX / Porygon-Z starts getting more hype, you may need to watch out for Xurkitree-GX and adjust accordingly.

Conclusion

Naganadel-GX is super cool. It’s got a lot of potential and I’m excited to keep testing with it and seeing what I can come up with. Porygon-Z seems like the most promising partner, as it allows you to abuse Recycle Energy to great effect. The control variant also has potential, but seems like it might be overwhelmed by fast-moving decks like Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. I also am interested in continuing to test Chandelure and I hope you enjoyed my take on such an interesting card. UPR-UNI is shaping up to be a fun format and I can’t wait to keep testing out new ideas–Worlds and the 2019-20 season are going to be a lot of fun. Take care everyone, don’t hesitate to hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout with any questions you might have. Until next time!

Peace,

Caleb

[/premium]