Blacephalon-GX for Worlds – This Deck Has it All
[cardimg name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”199″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hello everyone! This is Grant Manley here once again with my final article before the upcoming World Championships. While I’m still not entirely sure what I’ll end up playing, today I’ll write about one of my top picks – [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]. I briefly discussed this archetype in one of my previous articles when I was in the early stages of testing for Worlds. Over time, my list has evolved. In fact, I have two different versions of Blowns to go over today, though both use a similar consistency engine. The first one I’ll discuss is more tailored to beat [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM168″ c=”name”][/card], while the second is built to counter [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card]. The anti-Malamar one is probably better overall because it counters Malamar a lot harder than the anti-PikaRom one counters PikaRom. It is also better against PikaRom than the anti-PikaRom version is against Malamar. However, the anti-PikaRom version is better in a vacuum because its tech inclusions are a bit less situational.
Anyway, Blacephalon-GX is in a great position right now. It’s fast, consistent, and extremely powerful. In fact, Blacephalon is the most powerful deck in the format with practically no damage cap. It can consistently OHKO Tag Teams. The deck is also linear and simple, which makes it easy to play. Additionally, it has solid matchups. I don’t expect anyone to be playing the new [card name=”Tapu Fini” set=”Unified Minds” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], though that card is an annoying counter. Without further introduction, here is the first of my two current Blacephalon lists.
Blacephalon-GX
[decklist name=”blowns” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Shining Legends” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”16″]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]15x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”15″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This deck is bonkers. It is so explosive and floods Energy into play easily with four Welder and four Beast Ring. The deck is simple. The strategy is simple. OHKO everything every turn with Mind Blown. The deck is built to be as fast and consistent as possible. I’ll elaborate more on this a little later, but cards like [card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] are all atrociously bad in this deck. When this deck works, it beats everything and blows up your opponent’s Active every turn. Therefore, consistency cards are techs for every matchup. There is no need for excess baggage. Though this list is very straightforward, let’s talk about some of the less-obvious card decisions.
2 Dedenne-GX
I actually still think that three [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is reasonable because you often end up using both of them in a game. With the current count of two, it’s unfortunate if you prize or discard one because then you only get to use one. However, I chose to be a little greedy with the low count of Dedenne because it seems like the most forgiving card to do that with. I can’t see myself getting away with cutting anything else in this version besides potentially Fire Energy or [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card]. Would I rather have a third Dedenne over either of those cards? Probably not.
Some lists only play one Dedenne and that is a criminal offense in my opinion. Dedenne is a core part of the explosiveness of the deck. It enables strong setups, helps find specific pieces when they are needed (like Beast Ring), and is honestly a broken card overall.
1 Mew and 2 Switch
[cardimg name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”220″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I am talking about these cards together because they are both techs for the [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. Without [card name=”Switch” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], the PikaRom’s game usually begins by using Full Blitz to power up [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. Then they use Tandem Shock to paralyze a Blacephalon so that they can finish it off with Zapdos, thus leveraging the prize trade. However, if you have Switch, you can Switch out of paralysis and KO the Raichu. This invalidates that strategy and forces them to use Tag Bolt GX to leverage the prize trade (and potentially skip Beast Ring turns). However, [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] offers a safeguard against that option. PikaRom cannot usually spare a turn to KO Mew with Custom Catcher, so long as you don’t play it down too early. Switch is also helpful if they happen to use Dedenne’s Tingly Return GX.
Switch is also incredibly helpful against [card name=”Darkrai Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Darkrai single-handedly slaughters Blacephalon when it sticks the Abyssal Sleep, which is a 75 percent chance. If you don’t have the option to Switch out of sleep, Darkrai buys an extra turn to set up, takes a KO with a non-GX (which leverages the prize trade), and forces Blacephalon to send four Energy to the Lost Zone just to take it out.
Finally, Switch is useful overall because it’s Switch. It preserves an Energy if you start with something that’s not Blacephalon. It can also be used to pivot into Blacephalon in the Malamar matchup because you want to stagger the Blowns whenever possible to avoid pings from Distortion Door and Spell Tag.
4 Acro Bike
There isn’t a whole lot to say about [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] besides just play the darn card! Acro Bike is absurdly good right now. It thins the deck and helps dig for cards. It drastically improves overall consistency and this deck usually doesn’t mind the discard effect. I would not consider playing fewer than four Acro Bike in most decks right now, and Blacephalon is no exception.
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Blacephalon-GX (Anti-Malamar)
[decklist name=”blowns2″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Stadium Nav” set=”Unified Minds” no=”208″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]14x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”14″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This list works more or less the same as the previous one, but it’s heavily teched to beat Malamar (or Spell Tag to be more specific). Without Switch, this version is a bit more vulnerable to Special Conditions. However, we now have [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to counter [card name=”Darkrai Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. This can significantly slow down PikaRom and Dark decks. The other major difference is the Stadium lineup. I’ve found that a count of three [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] is enough to make the Malamar matchup favorable, as you no longer need to worry about Spell Tag combining with Distortion Door and Shadow Impact to OHKO Blacephalon. [card name=”Stadium Nav” set=”Unified Minds” no=”208″ c=”name”][/card] is surprisingly one of the best cards in the deck. It’s a fourth out to Lysandre Labs in the Malamar matchup but it can also turn into Ultra Space or Heat Factory, which by extension becomes an Ultra Beast or three new cards in your hand. I love playing with Stadium Nav and I’m sure it will do some interesting things in the future as well.
Matchups
I’ll go over Blacephalon’s matchups for both versions, but since the lists are not drastically different, I’ll only cover the same matchup twice if the strategies are different for each version.
Anti-PikaRom vs. PikaRom (Slightly Favorable)
[cardimg name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”162″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Despite the techs, this matchup is still close. It’s slightly favorable for Blacephalon. I already mentioned how Switch takes away their Tandem Shock play and how Mew offers protection against Tag Bolt GX. The techs make the matchup slightly favorable for Blacephalon, but PikaRom can certainly still win. PikaRom is brutally fast. Once they know Tag Bolt is off the table, they will usually lead with a quick Full Blitz KO onto Blacephalon. [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]’s Lightning Ride GX can take out another Blacephalon without even needing the extra Energy. It also allows Raichu to pivot safely to the Bench. Due to Burst GX, they cannot safely pivot into a GX, so Zapdos is the most likely choice. In that case, you ideally KO it with [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] on [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. If all of this happens as I’ve described it (it’s Pokemon, anything can happen), the onus is on PikaRom to find a [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] KO on a third Pokemon-GX. PikaRom wins if it draws perfectly, but it needs quite a lot to go right for that to happen. While PikaRom is a consistent deck, it often has trouble piecing together combos and sometimes has to discard important resources. This matchup is fast-paced, dynamic, and can definitely swing either way. Overall, Blacephalon puts a lot of pressure on PikaRom and forces them to draw perfectly.
Anti-Malamar vs. PikaRom (Slightly Unfavorable)
This version is about even to slightly unfavorable against PikaRom. The Lysandre Labs are useless, and [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is often only useful when you go first. That said, Wobbuffet is extremely helpful when it does come into play before Tapu Koko Prism Star. It can slow down PikaRom a lot, unless they run the [card name=”Rayquaza-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], in which case they still run the risk of discarding even more important cards with Stormy Winds. If PikaRom pulls off a successful Tag Bolt GX, they’ll probably win. There isn’t a whole lot that Blacephalon can do to play around that, so you just hope they don’t draw the absolute nuts. If they paralyze Blacephalon with Tandem Shock and then pivot into Zapdos to finish, you’ll usually want to KO with Naganadel and Beast Energy, though that can depend on the situation.
Anti-PikaRom vs. Malamar (Unfavorable)
This version is honestly pretty bad against Malamar because there is literally no way around Spell Tag. If Malamar sets up quickly and constantly draws into Spell Tags, Giratina can easily overwhelm Blacephalon-GX in the prize trade. However, there are two things that make this matchup winnable for Blacephalon. First, Malamar is relatively inconsistent and will not always hit the Turn 2 attack with Spell Tag. They also may miss important Spell Tags throughout the game (though this is less likely if they are fully set up with Jirachi as a pivot). Second, you can try to stagger playing down Blacephalon-GX to avoid snipe damage from Distortion Door and Spell Tag. If the Malamar player can’t soften up Blacephalon-GX with snipe damage, they lose their advantage in the prize race. Blacephalon always wins a 1-1 trade because it is faster thanks to Welder and Burst GX offering Turn 1 options to take a prize card. Finally, be aware of [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]. Not all Malamar variants run this card, but it is a threat to be prepared for. The counter-play depends on the situation and on how your board develops. Sometimes there is no counter-play.
Anti-Malamar vs. Malamar (Favorable)
The Blacephalon version with Lysandre Labs does extremely well against Malamar. Nullifying Spell Tag turns the Blacephalon-GX vs. Giratina battle into a 1-1 trade. And as I just mentioned, Blacephalon always wins a 1-1 trade because it’s faster, especially against Malamar. If they decide to bust out an [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], it’s not a problem because it’s still a 1-1 trade. [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] is a free three Prizes for Blacephalon. You still want to watch out for [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card], but it’s not as much of a problem without Spell Tags ravaging your Bench throughout the game. Three copies of Lysandre Labs alongside the Stadium Nav and the deck’s natural draw power is extremely consistent at countering Malamar and bumping opposing [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card].
Vs. Reshiram & Charizard (Favorable)
The [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”194″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is very good for Blacephalon. [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t pose much of a threat, and Blacephalon out-trades ReshiZard hard. Since Blacephalon and ReshiZard OHKO each other, the trade is strictly in Blacephalon’s favor. It’s also much easier to power up Blacephalon than ReshiZard. Thanks to Burst GX, they only get to freely use one Volcanion as well. Try to leverage Beast Energy for extra damage at some point to avoid running out of Energy.
Vs. Dark Box / Naganadel (Favorable)
The Dark Box matchup is also favorable. Blacephalon’s two lose conditions are [card name=”Darkrai Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or getting hit by two Greedy Crushes from [card name=”Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. Neither of these are huge issues though. Both variants of Blacephalon have their respective counters to Darkrai Prism Star. Additionally, Blacephalon is fast enough at taking KOs that Dark will not have time to pile much Energy on the board. If they do manage to land two Greedy Crushes, they win, but that won’t happen often. The version with Wobbuffet has a slight edge here because it also stops Darkrai Prism Star from accelerating Energy via its Ability, while Switch only nullifies its attack. One thing to note is that if they KO a Poipole for one prize and follow up with a Greedy Crush for three, they skip Beast Ring and win. Try not to let this happen. Dark Moon GX from [card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] seems like a problem because it locks Beast Ring for one turn, but committing six Energy to Umbreon and Darkrai is actually inefficient compared to Greedy Crush. The stars have to align for them to completely skip Beast Ring with that strategy, because Umbreon and Darkrai’s other attack is quite weak.
Cards That Are Bad in Blowns
The cool thing about this new format is that everyone is building their lists in different ways. I’ve seen countless builds of PikaRom, Malamar, and Blacephalon out there. The only streamlined list right now seems to be Green’s ReshiZard. That said, every other Blacephalon list I’ve seen has at least one card that I think is bad in the deck. Here I’ll go over why each of the alternatives aren’t actually good. Most of them (like [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]) require building the entire deck around them, which I don’t want to do because I love my current consistency engine.
Ninetales
[cardimg name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Ninetales has received some hype because its a reliable gust effect that seems like it would go well with Fire-types. However, as a Blacephalon player, I’ve never had any trouble simply blowing up my opponent’s Active every single turn. I don’t need a gust effect. Additionally, it’s impossible to search out a 1-of Vulpix and a 1-of Ninetales with my current consistency engine in the deck. In order to even set up Ninetales, the deck would have to run lots of [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], which is absolutely terrible. Not only does Blacephalon play few Pokemon to begin with, but most of them want to be put into play immediately. Overall, Ninetales looks good, but requires you to play a bad and less-consistent list just to accommodate it.
Persian-GX
[card name=”Persian-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] was the very first version of post-rotation Blacephalon that I tried out following NAIC because just like Ninetales, it sounds great in theory. However, Persian actually sucks because it’s hard to set up, its Ability has little value, and its attacks are useless. Just like Ninetales, the only way to search out [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] is to run Pokemon Communication, and I’ve already explained why I dislike that card in Blacephalon. Cat Walk actually doesn’t add much value because this list consistently draws into multiple Beast Rings when needed anyway. Persian is absolutely not worth accommodating. With Persian, you might also be tempted to include bad cards like Reset Stamp and Custom Catcher (which ONLY work with Persian), which make the deck worse combined with the inconsistent Communication engine needed to use Persian in the first place.
Reset Stamp
Speaking of Reset Stamp, don’t play it in Blacephalon. The ReshiZard matchup is already fine, and it does absolutely nothing for the Malamar matchup. It could theoretically help against PikaRom, but it’s way too situational. You would need to find the Stamp at the perfect time without a way to search for it (and not draw into it at any earlier time). You would also need to already be in a decent position, and you would need PikaRom to completely brick off it in order for it to do absolutely anything. Reset Stamp is absolutely too situational to warrant a deck slot.
Naganadel-GX
The [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] engine actually triggers me because of how bad it is. First of all, you have to completely build the deck around Naganadel-GX by playing a 4-4 line of Naganadel in addition to multiple Naganadel-GX itself. This makes the deck clunky while playing, it takes away other valuable deck spaces, and it also clogs the bench. You need two regular [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] in most matchups anyway, so Naganadel-GX is usually just an afterthought if you happen to have an extra Poipole available. With Blacephalon, you essentially have the option of playing a clunky bad draw engine (Naganadel-GX), or a smooth draw engine with no dead weight cards (my lists). I am not a fan of Naganadel-GX. It’s slow. It’s clunky. It’s high-maintenance and doesn’t even have that large of an upside.
Conclusion
I am really excited for Worlds this year! I don’t know what I’m playing yet, but I’ve put in a ton of time practicing every deck. Malamar is great. PikaRom is great. ReshiZard is great. Blacephalon is explosive, fun, extremely strong, and easy to play. I hope to do well of course, but I think it will be a great time at Worlds either way. Unfortunately, every rogue concept seems bad right now. This is partly due to a somewhat undefined meta as well as a lack of a universal consistency engine. I will not be playing a rogue deck for Day 1 of Worlds (and probably not for Day 2 either should I qualify).
Thank you for reading! Try out Blacephalon! Good luck to everyone competing at Worlds or the Open. Feel free to say hit to me if you see me in DC. I’ll be back writing again after it all goes down at the most exciting tournament of the year!
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