Minds, Unified — A Standard Recap Before Paris SPE

By: Stephane Ivanoff · Posted Posted onOct 29, 2019 at 10:37 PM · 0 Comments

Once again, we find ourselves at the border between the current format and the next one—that border being a massive Cosmic Eclipse set full of new concepts and powerful cards that will change the game. I’m in a particularly strange situation where I’m trying to juggle between three formats:

  • Pre-Cosmic Eclipse Standard for League Cups and the Paris SPE on the first weekend of November
  • Post-Cosmic Eclipse Standard for the Latin America International Championships that I’ll be attending
  • Pre-Cosmic Eclipse Expanded to help my students prepare for the upcoming North American Regionals, though I’m not attending the event

What about post-Cosmic Eclipse Expanded, you might jokingly ask? I’ve actually taken a look at that format out of curiosity. It’s far too early to talk about it, but I hope you have [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] because Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX is going to be a thing.

As in real life, I’m terrible at juggling and so it’s impossible for me to talk equally about all three formats in this article. I’ve chosen to focus on Standard, which is the most relevant format overall for the average reader.

The Standard format has mostly been figured out by now. There isn’t an absolute consensus on how good each deck is but I think we’re getting as close to it as we can be. That said, surprises can happen. Decks like: [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control making top cut of Knoxville Regionals was to be expected, but nobody predicted that [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] would make Top 16. If you’re a fan of rogue decks, this should give you hope.

In preparation for the Paris SPE, here is my guide to the current pre-Cosmic Eclipse Standard format. I will be going over plenty of decks, and reasons to play or not to play them, as well as give some lists that I consider optimal. I don’t claim I have discovered anything revolutionary, but I think this article should make for a good summary of the UPR-HIF Standard format and a way to close this chapter of the TCG history. For those of you who are looking forward to Cosmic Eclipse, I’ll try to give my opinion on where these decks are headed in the new format.

Mewtwo and Mew-GX

[cardimg name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The World’s winning deck that everyone claimed was Tier 1 turned out to stay Tier 1 until the end of the UPR-HIF format, winning two Regional Championships in North America and one in Europe. Mewtwo and Mew-GX was adopted by some of the best players in the world and for good reason—the deck has amazing versatility thanks to its Perfection Ability. With [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flare Blitz GX to overpower other Tag Teams and [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]’s Cross Divide GX as a devastating option against small Pokemon like Pidgeotto, Mewtwo and Mew-GX can overcome a wide variety of problems.

Mewtwo and Mew-GX is strong against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX and Pidgeotto Control, the other top-performing decks in Atlantic City and Knoxville. However, it can struggle against some less hyped decks, like [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] or Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], and I think that these decks’ popularity is higher in Europe than in North America. This doesn’t mean that Mewtwo and Mew-GX can’t win in Europe, but it needs to adapt. In my opinion, Mewtwo and Mew-GX should accept the bad Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX matchup—there are ways to improve it, like [card name=”Muk and Alolan Muk-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] but they don’t do enough to matter. However, it’s matchup against other decks can be fixed by playing a less all-in variant of the deck. Tord Reklev showed the way when he won Cologne Regionals. The inclusion of [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck improves the Prize trade against non Pokemon-GX decks, as well as in the mirror match. In my opinion, it’s the right way to play the deck, at least in Europe.

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[decklist name=”Mew3 Paris” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″][pokemon amt=”22″]4x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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]2x [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Charizard-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magcargo-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”25″]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hapu” set=”Unified Minds” no=”200″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]10x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Compared to Tord’s winning list, I cut [card name=”Greninja-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Weakness Guard Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”213″ c=”name”][/card]. With these two cards gone, [card name=”Red’s Challenge” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] was far less important so I added more [card name=”Hapu” set=”Unified Minds” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card] instead. Greninja-GX provides a safe attack to use against Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX and perhaps more importantly, random [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] techs. But I’m not sure that including a one-of Water Energy and Red’s Challenge to search for it makes the deck better overall. Yes, it removes any autoloss but at the expense of some percentage points in more common matchups. As for Weakness Guard Energy, I think [card name=”Jirachi-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] is a simpler solution to the Weakness issue, especially as we’re seeing [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] being cut from Malamar lists. Having more Pokemon in the deck is great for [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card]. This lets me run more Fire Energy to use [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] more consistently.

A possibility in a list that runs 10 Fire Energy is [card name=”Flareon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM171″ c=”name”][/card]. I tried it and didn’t find as many opportunities to use it as I expected, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Post-Cosmic Eclipse: Mewtwo and Mew-GX’s versatility means it will most likely adapt to the new format. Some of the best inclusions from Cosmic Eclipse are Charizard and Braixen-GX and Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX. Charizard and Braixen-GX has a fantastic attack to set up your board and its GX attack is pretty strong against [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]. On the other hand, Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX is a very powerful attacker against every GX-based deck. Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX could be a threat to Mewtwo and Mew-GX itself, but I don’t see that ruining its chances in the format. It might make it more reliant on Latios GX’s Tag Purge, though.

Pikachu and Zekrom-GX

Like [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is a balanced deck that can hold its own against pretty much anything in the format, thanks to a variety of techs and attackers. Lists have been perfected since Worlds. Three [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is the standard, variants without [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] have been discarded and [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] should be the focus of the deck—although there is a debate as to which Supporter is better to complement Volkner, between [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], or a combination of the two. My favorite development of this deck is the increase in [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] counts: Jon Eng and Justin Bokhari, who made Top 2 and Top 4 in Knoxville respectively, both played three copies of it. This works very well with Jirachi’s Stellar Wish and Volkner, giving the deck more comeback potential. Plus, you can adapt your Pikachu and Zekrom-GX build depending on what your majority meta. Using [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] provides security against [card name=”Naganadel-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] and the mirror match, a second [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or third [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] makes the [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] matchup definitely positive, and adding [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] make the deck strong against [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] and Mewtwo and Mew-GX.

[decklist name=”PikaRom Paris” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Eelektross” set=”Unified Minds” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”13″]2x [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”221″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Unified Minds” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Volkner” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Electromagnetic Radar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tag Switch” set=”Unified Minds” no=”209″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Stadium Nav” set=”Unified Minds” no=”208″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The main card that warrants discussion here is [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Unified Minds” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], which was included in Pedro Eugenio Torres’ Top 4 deck from Cologne. I might be biased here since I did lose to Pedro and specifically to Eelektross in Top 8, but I think it’s a strong inclusion in the deck. It’s especially good against [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] since that deck doesn’t remove Energy from the board very fast, so you will have Energy in play to use Eelektross’s Ability. It does have use in other matchups as well as a way to use extra Energy. For example, against Malamar, it’s possible to use Pikachu and Zekrom-GX’s Full Blitz to accelerate Energy on itself to prepare for a double KO. If your opponent plays down Mew, suddenly that extra Energy becomes useless. Eelektross provides a good way to move the surplus Energy to it, conveniently able to OHKO [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] while staying out of range of Giratina’s Shadow Impact (as long as you don’t attack into a [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card]). In the mirror match, Eelektross’s attack provides value since it prevents the opponent from switching out, which is surprisingly relevant if they attacked with [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]’s Plasma Fists, for example.

Overall, Pikachu and Zekrom-GX is a safe play for any event—perhaps the safest play that can be. However, although the deck is easy to play, it’s hard to master as you need to be perfectly precise both in your sequencing and your choice of attackers and targets, so be prepared if you want to play the deck!

Post-Cosmic Eclipse: As with Mewtwo and Mew-GX, Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX could be both a strong addition and a dangerous threat to Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. In addition, the deck now suffers from a rivalry with the new Reshiram and Zekrom-GX. I think Pikachu and Zekrom-GX will survive since it’s adaptable, but it might not look too strong at the beginning of the format.

Pidgeotto Control

[cardimg name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck has proven to be one of the more powerful decks in the format, although [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control’s distinct style of play prevents it from being too popular. Strangely enough, that unpopularity might be what makes it so strong. Playing a deck with a near autoloss to Pidgeotto, like Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX, seems reasonable in a way that playing a deck with a near autoloss to, say, Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, isn’t. That means that Pidgeotto players get to enjoy plenty of favorable matchups throughout any tournament because people didn’t prepare or tech for it.

I don’t have a strong opinion on which list is the best. Although I find this type of deck very interesting, I didn’t pull the trigger on playing it and would therefore defer to the judgment of more experienced Control players like Sander Wojcik and Grant Manley. I do think that [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] has proven pretty effective from what I’ve seen of it and I would recommend including it.

Post-Cosmic Eclipse: Control decks are not discussed much when people look at the next set. But that might be a mistake, as Pidgeotto seems to be in pretty good shape. There are some Trainers in Cosmic Eclipse it can possibly use—Bellelba and Brycen-Man to speed up the winning process by milling cards, Roxie or Rosa to set up, maybe Misty and Lorelei to use [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]’s GX attack a second time in the game. Perhaps more importantly, it feels like the new deck archetypes are weak to Pidgeotto. Something like Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX can definitely be an issue if it can take two Prizes on Pidgeotto or [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], but I can’t envision a version of this deck that isn’t horribly weak to the usual lock because of its lack of Energy acceleration (apart from N’s Resolve, which doesn’t help when a Pokemon without Energy is trapped on the Active spot). Another deck that has a similar issue is Reshiram and Zekrom-GX. In my opinion, Pidgeotto Control will definitely be a deck to watch out for at LAIC, especially as many players are willing to play a control deck in the first event of a format.

Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX

I’ve been vocal about my love of this deck before. However, many players are adapting to Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX and that makes me weary of playing it. Eelektross in Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] in Malamar, Lysandre Labs in [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] in decks that can fit it (like [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / Naganadel or [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]), as well as the relatively rising popularity of Pidgeotto are all reasons to stay away from Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX at the moment.

The reason *not* to stay away from it though, is that it has a very strong [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. That alone makes Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX a strong consideration. In addition, although they do make life harder for Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX, all of the above techs are beatable apart from Alolan Ninetales. I don’t know yet if I’ll stick to Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX for the Paris SPE but if I do, it will most likely be out of comfort rather than because it’s the perfect metacall.

The list I presented on my latest article on Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX is the one I favor most. In Cologne, I played a second [card name=”Fairy Charm L” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] instead of the [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card]. For Paris, I would probably change that slot to a [card name=”Choice Helmet” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card]. Choice Helmet is a decent card in several matchups, but especially important in the mirror match. Mina gives the deck an opportunity to attack on turn 2 when going first. Having a form of Energy acceleration, as weak as it is, can help against Pidgeotto Control in order not to whiff an attack. It’s an unfavorable matchup, but if you have a chance if you attack as soon as possible and disrupt them with [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] as much as possible.

Post-Cosmic Eclipse: Oh boy, there’s a lot to be excited for if you’re a Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX fan. There are two new Dragon-type Tag Teams on the rise, both easily KO’d by Kaleidostorm. Tag Call is an amazing engine that replaces [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card]. You can grab a Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX and a Tag Team Supporter at the same time. Speaking of which, Cynthia and Caitlin is fantastic as a way to draw cards while ensuring you have a [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] in hand for the next turn, while Mallow and Lana is a [card name=”Switch” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] that can be searched for with Tag Call. In addition, the deck can run Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX to help against other decks. All in all, everything points to Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX being a strong contender for LAIC and afterwards.

Malamar / Giratina

There hasn’t been too much talk around [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] for some time. There are two ways you can interpret this. The first is that Malamar isn’t good anymore and although the best build for it has been figured out, better decks caught up to it since then. The second is that Malamar wasn’t a good call in the metagame, but could be one again. I believe that the latter is true. Malamar feels good and can definitely win Cups, so why shouldn’t it shine in a bigger event? In the context of the Paris SPE specifically, it’s likely we’ll see some rogue decks made to counter top decks, but which struggle against Malamar (think Baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], or Spiritomb). This would make Malamar a good call.

[decklist name=”Malamar Paris” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″][pokemon amt=”21″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]1x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Grant Manley already wrote a lot about Malamar and you should definitely read his take on the deck. I think [card name=”Latios-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] is absolutely necessary right now, both to stand a chance against Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX and to counter [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]’s Cross Divide GX. The second copy of [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] helps against [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and Mewtwo and Mew-GX, but in the Malamar mirror match and against [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control, matchups where Mew’s Psypower is surprisingly relevant. You could include a [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], which is better against the former two but useless against the latter two.

Post-Cosmic Eclipse: I’m not sure how relevant Malamar will be. It does gain Great Catcher to target the Bench and Blacephalon too, is an interesting tech attacker. However, the real test of its strength will be how it deals with the other top tier decks, and at the moment I don’t have enough data to know how these matchups will go. There is one point in its favor though—as other decks start relying more on Great Catcher and less on [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], Malamar gets better since it won’t have Great Catcher targets on its Bench.

Green’s Reshiram and Charizard-GX

[cardimg name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Here’s a deck you may not have paid much attention to if you’ve focused on North American or European results, but which has been doing very well in Latin America. This deck won the both the Campinas and Santiago SPE, in addition to four other spots in Top 8 in the two events combined. What happened?

João Pedro Medeiros, the man who built the Worlds-winning Mewtwo and Mew-GX decklist, figured out that [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] and Power Plant were much better than people were giving them credit for, and built a [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] list that played four of each. He won Campinas and got second place in Santiago with that exact list, and two of the other four Top 8 placements (including the win in Santiago) were from other players using the same list.

Before you get too excited, this deck does have bad matchups, specifically against Malamar and [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] Control, which isn’t too popular in Latin America. However, the deck does well against the rest of the meta, which makes it a strong play.

[decklist name=”ReshiGreen Paris” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″][pokemon amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge Whistle” set=”Team Up” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

It is tempting to remove the two [card name=”Judge Whistle” set=”Team Up” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] to add more specific cards—maybe [card name=”Great Potion” set=”Unified Minds” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] to help with the Malamar matchup. However, removing consistency cards for tech cards will make other matchups worse (although not that much worse). I know plenty of players who have had success with this deck locally, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it played in Paris. If you’re looking for a strong deck that people might not prepare for as much as they should, Green’s Exploration / Reshiram & Charizard-GX could be what you need!

Post-Cosmic Eclipse: Like [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], Green’s Exploration / Reshiram & Charizard-GX gets Tag Call, Cynthia and Caitlin, and more from Cosmic Eclipse. However, the most significant addition to the deck is Charizard and Braixen-GX, which in my opinion will become the deck’s main attacker; I could see a split of two Charizard and Braixen-GX to one Reshiram and Charizard-GX. Charizard and Braixen-GX’s amazing attack fits perfectly in a deck that already wants to search for specific cards often. In addition, this deck doesn’t rely too much on using Double Blaze GX—at least, not very early in the game—so one Reshiram and Charizard-GX should be enough.

Bonus Decks

In order to be as complete as possible, here are some other possible plays.

Ability Reshiram and Charizard-GX

This deck started out strong but has since fizzled out. Top-tier players who once favored the deck, like Tord Reklev and Robin Schulz, seem to have moved on to other decks. The main reason is the deck’s unreliability. Reshiram and Charizard-GX has a similar feel to [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]explosive Energy acceleration and strong attacks with basic Energy on Tag Team Pokemon. But unlike Reshiram and Charizard-GX, Pikachu and Zekrom-GX doesn’t live or die depending on whether it draws a specific Supporter. This gives players much more control over how the game goes and lets them adapt by using different attackers if needed. Ability Reshiram & Charizard-GX has a variety of attackers as well, but they all need [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] apart from [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. We’ve seen some top players stick with Pikachu and Zekrom-GX for a long time (players such as: Gustavo Wada, Diego Cassiraga, and Pedro Eugenio Torres) and be consistently rewarded for it, whereas Reshiram and Charizard-GX is much more fickle. All that said, Ability Reshiram & Charizard-GX does have the potential to beat many decks including Pidgeotto Control, so you shouldn’t discount it. It could be a strong play, but you have to accept that things might go the wrong way through no fault of your own.

Blacephalon-GX / Naganadel

This deck is strong, but [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] seems to lack something that would push it over the top—maybe it’s held back by a weakness to [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and non Pokemon-GX decks? If you’re a Blacephalon-GX devotee, you can probably stick with it as the deck does have some good matchups and has a generally strong power level. But if you’ve never played the deck, it’s hard to justify picking it up instead of something like Pikachu and Zekrom-GX or [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]apart from budget reasons.

Baby Blacephalon

Brent Coosemans made Top 16 in Cologne with a [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] deck, which turned out to be much better than I was giving it credit for. It’s absolutely not unreasonable to expect this deck to OHKO a Tag Team Pokemon by turn 2, which is a scary thought. It is held back by a weakness to [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] as well as Pidgeotto Control, and struggles against [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] although the matchup is winnable. I do think people are underestimating this deck.

Quagsire / Naganadel

Despite trying desperately to make it work, I have given up on [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. On a good day, it can beat anything, especially with the addition of [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] that lets you use various attackers, namely [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]. However, the deck is not reliable enough and can fail to set up, draw dead after a Reset Stamp, or whiff an Energy on a crucial turn which can be enough to lose a close game. Overall, I can’t recommend this deck. Unless you absolutely refuse to lose to [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], in which case it’s one of your best choices.

Lucario and Melmetal-GX

[cardimg name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The newest addition to the metagame, [card name=”Lucario and Melmetal-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] is most likely a good choice for the Paris SPE. [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]  and Malamar are both popular in France and this deck has a very good matchup against both. Since it’s a Green’s Exploration deck, you can go all in on Reset Stamp and [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] to improve your odds against Mewtwo and Mew-GX. However, the deck does lose against Pidgeotto Control and it has trouble with Pikachu and Zekrom-GX.

Conclusion

That’s a lot of decks! I’ve tried to be thorough, but of course there will be decks I missed. If your favorite deck isn’t mentioned here, apologies. But on the bright side, that means that you might go under the radar if you play it.

I hope this gives you a good overall view of the metagame and helps you decide on your deck. If you’re attending the Paris SPE, good luck and don’t hesitate to say hi if you see me. Good luck in advance as well to my readers who are preparing for other events and see you next week for another article!

–Stéphane

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