No Prizes for You — Infinite Poipole Control

By: Caleb Gedemer · Posted Posted onSep 20, 2019 at 4:00 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Today I’m talking about a crazy deck in Standard, [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Control; you might have heard of this deck referred to as “Infinity Stones”. Poipole is usually evolved into [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] in [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], but in here you’re going to be using it as your main attacker. While it won’t be taking Prizes itself, it will allow you to bide time and set up crafty plays you’d never fathom in any other deck. Similar to [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] Control decks, Knockout Reviver stops an opponent from taking Prizes when they’ve managed to Knock Out Poipole. Whittling your opponent’s resources down to the point where you can deck them out takes time, but there are other cards in this deck to speed up the process. Along with all this, there are a few other win conditions to be mindful of. Before I get any further, how can any deck consistently attack with Knockout Reviver without playing [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] to accelerate Psychic Energy? Nothing can, so you’re playing Malamar in this deck to solve that! Playing four Poipole already, it only makes sense to play both [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”from”][/card] and [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”from”][/card]  for some other options. Ultra Conversion turns your deck into a super speedy “[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] deck and the Stinger GX one can unlock some Prize card-related win conditions. Let’s look at the list and talk about win conditions!

List and Win Conditions

[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″][pokemon amt=”23″]2x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Nincada” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Weezing” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ 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=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”U-Turn Board” set=”Unified Minds” no=”211″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Space” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]1x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

“Checkmate”

Stinger GX is still amazing in a format filled with TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX. Just like with the Zoroark-GX / Naganadel-GX from last format, you can hit into a TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX with something like [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], use Stinger GX, then finish that damaged Pokemon off with [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] or through some other means.

Deck Out

[card name=”Weezing” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] help out in this department quite a bit. Formerly, the deck would have to race through the game — hoping the opponent would play it and not just draw and pass — now you can relax a little bit since you can forcefully discard cards time to time. This is still slower with limited space to play multiple copies, but recovering them through [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card], respectfully, does the job.

Tina Time

Shadow Impact is just as good in here as it is in Malamar decks. You can still attack, put on pressure, and try to take Prizes if your opponent refuses to “play the game” and tries to run you out of time if you’re attempting the deck out strategy. Distortion Door gives you “infinite” Giratina so you can do this time and time again. Combining this strategy with the aforementioned Espurr puts on more pressure and allows you to reach for Prizes that your opponent may be safeguarding on the Bench. Shedinja is included in the deck to deny Prizes your opponent could take to win the game, but more importantly it can go on Giratina so that when you do decide to attack with it your opponent still accomplishes nothing as they would if you were using Knockout Reviver. You can stream the Giratina with Shedinja loop over and over until you’re the winner of the match.

Card Explanations

Four Poipole

This is the main attacker of the deck and you’ll be going through a lot of them. With only 70 HP you’ll almost always be one-shot after using Knockout Reviver, the only consolation is that your opponent won’t be getting a Prize for it. Having four makes it so that you don’t have to use Brock’s Grit every single turn and you can manage your resources a little better. I think you would play more if you could, so four makes the most sense, I highly recommend it — sometimes you evolve one, too, so the more the merrier.

Two Naganadel-GX from Unified Minds and Two Naganadel-GX from Forbidden Light

[cardimg name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”56″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Each of these is imperative to your strategy and prizing either can be devastating. The first is a consistency crutch you use nearly every game (discarding the other Naganadel-GX or a spare Poipole) and the next playing into the “checkmate” strategy. To speak to the somewhat confusing inclusion of these in general (why would you want to evolve from your attacker, Poipole?) — these give this deck much-wanted flexibility to pursue other win conditions instead of completely focusing on one. Anyone knows that multiple ways to win are better than one. If you prize either of these (if you were just playing one) those extra strategies go out the window, so playing two is very good to have.

Three Inkay and Three Malamar

Without a Malamar line of any number you would never be able to stream Knockout Reviver. Giratina would never be an option either, nor would Espurr. Malamar needs to be in the deck for it to function. Say your opponent targets a Malamar, then what? Have another in play so that’s not as damaging. Two Malamar in play is ideal so playing a line of three is perfect to give you good odds of doing that each game.

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Two Nincada and Two Shedinja

This deck can already deny Prizes with Knockout Reviver though… These aren’t for Poipole of course, they’re for anything else — usually Giratina. Whenever you decide to move from the typical strategy of using Knockout Reviver each turn, you can Vessel of Life whatever you’re going to use instead. In addition, towards the end of the game if you can tell that your opponent has their eyes on a specific Bench Pokemon of yours, you can Shedinja that to reduce the hurt if they decide to target it with [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] or another gust effect. Remember that Shedinja can let a Naganadel-GX award a single Prize after a Knock Out, so you can be a bit more aggressive with your Pokemon-GX in this deck than other ones.

One Weezing

Surrender Now speeds up the game. Jessie and James already is quite good, but when you’re in a rush (like this deck almost always is, because it can be super slow), having a surefire way to discard more cards of your opponent’s to get the deck out sooner is a must. Playing more than one would be extremely nice, but space is devoted more to consistency in this list as it currently stands.

One Mew

[card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] can Tag Bolt GX; opposing Naganadel-GX can Venom Shot. Having a Mew makes that all go away completely. Speaking of Venom Shot, your own Venom Shot is very difficult to power all the way up, but if you ever can it’s a good way to complete the “checkmate” strategy or eliminate a threat.

One Giratina and One Espurr

Your Malamar package has to be thin for space, but one Giratina (as long as you don’t Prize it) is enough. You can get it back over and over and get the use out of it you need. Espurr finishes up Knock Outs on the Bench and you’ll only need to use it for good value once if you do the “checkmate” strategy right. Remember that Venom Shot is another sniping option if you need one and you can always Brock’s Grit the Espurr back if needed.

Consistency Cards

This deck can’t have a slow setup. There’s the best Items included, although [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Beast Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], and maybe even [card name=”Friend Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] would be neat inclusions for additional ways to set up. [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] is the best way to get an explosive first turn, so playing four copies is preferable. Like Shedinja this deck wants to thin itself aggressively if it can, ergo [card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] is a decent inclusion. Unlike Shedinja, there are even more moving pieces so splitting the former with [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] makes sense so when you don’t want to discard certain resources you don’t have it. Playing a higher Energy count is nice so you find them quickly and having [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card] (two is even a consideration) works extremely well in here for all your attackers. It only requires one Psychic Recharge onto Poipole to get Knockout Reviver going again.

Options

Latios-GX

[card name=”Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”226″ c=”name”][/card] was more of a threat for decks like this in the past than it is now, Darkness Toolbox decks have fallen out of the format. [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] is still good for its Tag Purge though, and Clear Vision GX can help in a few matchups. I don’t like it that much because it’s a Pokemon-GX that you aren’t going to be using all that often and starting it stinks when you don’t want it in play. It’s going to get discarded so often that it just hasn’t pulled its weight and it’s been removed from my list. If Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX gets super popular all of a sudden it should be put back in so you don’t get decked out yourself.

Lunatone and Solrock

[cardimg name=”Lunatone” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”61″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] is a problem for this deck. With [card name=”Lunatone” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Solrock” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] you can completely shut it down though, so they’re worth considering. They come at the cost of two Bench spots and two slots in your deck. It’s a lot to ask for, but if you get them out in a matchup with a Ninetales in it you will almost certainly win. Is it worth it to you?

Persian

[card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]’s Make ‘Em Pay can speed up the game like Jessie and James can. If your opponent goes for a slow strategy to not allow you enough time to win you can punish that with the attack. Discarding a huge chunk of cards at once is crippling, especially when you get to choose which ones they keep like you do. You don’t need to play [card name=”Meowth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] either since you have [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] already, but in either case this is a decent inclusion if you see the need for it.

Acro Bike

Speeding up the deck and making it more consistent is always a good idea if you can fit it. I started with a few more skimpy lines of some consistency cards with Acro Bike included, but I decided that having more copies of the cards I wanted to find themselves was better. There’s almost always an answer to a situation where you have the choice between playing, say, four [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and a fourth Acro Bike, which should you choose? Mysterious Treasure is very often one of the cards you want to finssd off the Acro Bike: you should choose whichever is always better; there ought to be an answer in most cases. In this case, Mysterious Treasure is definitely better so it beats it out.

Beast Ball

Yet another consistency card, albeit one that I would play after Acro Bike — it will never see the space it needs in this deck to fit because of that. If you decide to prove me wrong, the card does have some value in here like that it can get a prized Poipole out and back into play. There are enough Ultra Beast Pokemon in this deck to make its inclusion valid, but finding space is the next order of business.

Hapu

A Supporter option if you’re feeling lucky. I prefer the more balanced approach of Cynthia and Ingo and Emmet, but if you find [card name=”Hapu” set=”Unified Minds” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card] to be better — go for it! I’ve tested it, but it far too often backfires in some way by forcing a discard of important cards if the two cards you pick are even more important… It creates icky situations, it’s like a super powerful Acro Bike, a card notorious for backfiring sometimes!

Judge

This can put your opponent into awkward situations if you start attacking after it. [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] into swinging with Giratina is a solid strategy and you can do it multiple times by recovering Judge with Lusamine. I haven’t found it necessary so I’m not including it right now, but it’s something to consider if you run into a situation where it would be useful often.

Playing the Deck

Setup

By the end of your first turn you want to have Ditto Prism Star, [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Poipole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] in play. This can be a lot to ask for, but getting the Malamar pieces first and foremost is most important. You can either bide time in the early game behind Knockout Reviver whilst you set up further, or you can opt to use a traditional Malamar strategy, attacking with Giratina. If you go for the attacking route you may find it easier to set up as your opponent may have to focus on taking Knock Outs on the Giratina itself. This distracts them from what’s happening on your Bench – the stars of the show. Either approach is generally successful, but setup is critical to this deck. Stumble a ton or give up too many free Prizes? Forget it, you’ve probably already lost. Stinger GX presents you with a unique comeback mechanic unlike anything else out there, so stick with it — this deck can have a hard time finishing even a fifty-minute game, so forget winning game two and three after a first game loss. You might be able to pull out a tie, but nothing more unless your opponent has a lone Pokemon and you get the donk.

Midgame

By now your setup should be complete and you should be building the resources to continue the Poipole lock infinitely. If you haven’t given up a Prize (you aren’t behind on Prizes) do something so that you have. [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] will assist your quest to the “perfect” lock and allow you to get it online faster, speeding up your gameplan. The perfect lock can come in any of the three forms as mentioned in the beginning of this article, but the most common is the Knock Out denial with Knockout Reviver. You’re going to be using it every turn while using [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] when you can to discard cards from your opponent’s hand. If this isn’t going to naturally run your opponent out of cards in time you can start attacking with Giratina or go for the Stinger GX strategy to speed things up. Once you get to a point where your opponent has played many cards to accomplish next to nothing, you can decide which is going to be the safest way to win the game. [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] keeps the Poipole coming and keeps cards in your deck. With “infinite” Poipole you have tons of time to figure things out if you’re new to the deck, but I’d recommend playing this one extensively before bringing it to a tournament. Additionally, given the slower nature of it I wouldn’t play this at local events; just Regionals and up!

Closing

Execute the final steps of your win condition. Are you going to be able to run them out of cards in time? Have they played all their Cynthia to replenish their deck (do they even play the card at all?) Can you attack with Giratina, Stinger GX, and win the next turn? Can you just go for an aggressive Giratina attacking strategy and close things out with assistance from Shedinja? Remember that the Shedinja loop is also infinite, provided you have both Nincada. You can Brock’s Grit the one or two Shedinja back and be able to have a follow-up Vessel of Life each turn, making your Giratina free from harm as well. Whichever strategy you choose, be confident in it! This is where playing this deck ahead of time is a necessity, this is not one you’ll be successful with by winging it. Knowing when and where to employ a certain win condition is critical. The infinite Shedinja loop with Giratina is possible with a Lusamine loop and Brock’s Grit — will you be able to accomplish this? The Stinger GX play might require your opponent to not have a Mew in play so you can snipe the previously damaged Pokemon, you also can’t let them heal that damaged Pokemon — is that a possibility? Do you have enough time to run them out of cards fully — cards like Custom Catcher, Reset Stamp, and more of the Weezing/Jessie and James combo would be nice for this, but again space is so cramped as it is. With three unique win conditions you ought to be able to find one of them, so go forth and get one done!

Matchups

Being that this deck is a lot of solitaire, doing the same things over and over, I’m not going to discuss individual matchups. I will graze over each with a designation of how you fare, though, and point out any unique problems to certain decks if one exists. The decks listed are my picks for the most meta-relevant ones in the format.

Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel: Favorable

  • Most lists don’t have Ninetales, but if that ever sees an uptick in play I would consider the Lunatone and Solrock combo even more heavily
  • This is a matchup where you usually seek the deck out win condition

Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX: Slightly Unfavorable

[cardimg name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”205″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

  • Magical Miracle is loads of fun — not — if you don’t draw out of it you can lose, so thin your deck aggressively and get one or two Naganadel-GX in play so you have more outs
    • Power Plant can shut that off as well, so some games are rough

Mewtwo and Mew-GX Toolbox: Even

  • Espeon and Deoxys-GX can be a problem as it can eliminate multiple pieces of your setup either during the game or on the second turn if your opponent plays first and gets two consecutive Welder and Energy attachments for the turn
  • [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] will likely show up and stop your Giratina from hitting for Weakness
  • Stinger GX can win you the game here but remember that Mewtwo and Mew-GX can heal itself with either Miraculous Duo GX or Prominence GX

Malamar / Giratina: Slightly Favorable

  • Using Giratina with a Shedinja on it to take all your Prizes will be your win condition; in time, you will outtrade your opponent
  • Your opponent’s Espeon and Deoxys-GX can again wreak havoc, but this time you can see it coming as Malamar must be in play to power it up quickly

Naganadel / Quagsire: Slightly Favorable

  • [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] can move around Knockout Reviver Poipole so having a Shedinja on a Bench Pokemon to send up is a good idea
    • Wobbuffet could stop the Ability so playing one is a not-so-great idea to counter the deck (I don’t like Wobbuffet in any other matchup for this deck particularly)
  • You can take Prizes in this one with Giratina again, Keldeo-GX can’t even one-shot it without using its GX attack so you can two-shot them and win by a lot on Prizes

Pidgeotto Control: Unfavorable

  • Your opponent can lock you out of the game at some point and it’s hard to put yourself in a position where you can win
    • Stinger GX is one of the best ways to speed up the game, preferably if you can do it as soon as your second or third turn

Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Green’s Exploration: Favorable

  • After a while, your opponent won’t have an out to Stinger GX and an ensuing Knock Out, this can take some time because of [card name=”Great Potion” set=”Unified Minds” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mixed Herbs” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card], and/or [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], so don’t rush into it — let their resources wane and get to it eventually
  • Limited gust effects will let Poipole carry you until you’re ready for the Giratina loop

Reshiram and Charizard-GX / Jirachi: Unfavorable without Lunatone and Solrock Combo

  • Ninetales will eat you up
    • If you add the Lunatone and Solrock package you can beat them the same way you would the Green’s Exploration variant

Conclusion

I’ve played this deck a fair amount, but I’m not a huge fan of it overall as it can be a real pain to play. I’m confident the list I’ve shared is solid, but it could see improvement — it’s just a complicated deck! Don’t be afraid to try something out and let me know if you want in the Subscribers’ Hideout so we can compare thoughts! That’s all I’ve got, I hope you enjoyed this piece on a unique deck, one that you won’t face often, but it’s good to be prepared for if you do. Until next time, take care, thanks for reading, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Peace,

Caleb

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