Turn 1: Altered Creation GX — ADP Decks in Expanded

By: Stephane Ivanoff · Posted Posted onDec 15, 2019 at 10:53 AM · 0 Comments

Expanded season is upon us, and by “us”, I mean North Americans and a few international players (I might be one of them!) planning on making the trip to Dallas regionals in January — the last North American event before the release of the Sword and Shield set. That said, there are still Regionals in the current Standard format coming up in Germany, Brazil and Malaysia, as well as a Special Event in Chile, so expect more Standard content in the near future.

[cardimg name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM193″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I want to talk a little bit about Expanded for now. Partly because we just saw two Regionals in a row won by unexpected decks ([card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], and then [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]), so I want to take some time to get a better grasp on the format and have an idea of where it’s headed next; and partly because it’s always fun to tackle a new format. With the huge sets we’ve been getting since Lost Thunder, and the quickly increasing banlist, there’s always a bunch of new decks to approach in Expanded, and of old decks to revisit.

The Current Expanded Meta

[premium]

The cards that make a big splash in Standard are often not the ones that have a large effect on Expanded. As strong as the [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] engine is in Standard, it’s unlikely that it does much in Expanded. I can see [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”name”][/card] being played because of the specific cards it can search for (more on this later), and [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] would be great in something like [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] (I’m sure it will see play in other stuff too), but you can’t rely on Tag Call as much as you can in Standard, for several reasons. Firstly, many decks in Expanded use [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and only play one copy of their situational Supporters (which the Tag Team Supporters are), so Tag Call runs out of targets quickly. Second, searching for a Tag Team Pokémon can be strong, but there are better cards to search Pokémon with, like [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. With so many good cards in the format, the most versatile one is often the best, at least when it comes to consistency cards.

On the other hand, there are cards that are not exciting to Standard players but who deserve a second look at in Expanded. Let’s take [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], for example. In Expanded, effects that discard cards are much stronger than in Standard. Clay lets you draw VS Seekers while discarding Supporters. It discards Night Marchers but lets you keep multiple Ultra Ball and [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. I think it could be a strong addition to Night March or [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], even if it means they have to change by playing more [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]s than they used to. There’s probably a deck somewhere that plays [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] and that could make great use of Clay.

Another card that gets stronger in Expanded is [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card], because of [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card]. A single Battle Compressor can discard Roxie and two Exeggcute, which means that every VS Seeker after thats gets you six cards, no questions asked. Is that better than another Supporter such as [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]? I think that depends on the situation. [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks have been using Colress to draw massive amounts of cards, but I think Roxie could fit better with their gameplan. The current popularity of [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is an issue for any strategy reliant on Exeggcute, but I think it’s still a card to keep in mind.

The card that is likely to have the biggest impact on Expanded is [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. Sure, that was also one of the most impactful Cosmic Eclipse cards on Standard (maybe the most impactful), but in Standard it’s been limited to one deck — in Expanded, you can play it in many decks, thanks to [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card].

A Quick Note on ADP in Expanded

If you don’t have Double Dragon Energy, get a playset as soon as possible, as it will become the most important Energy of the format. With Double Dragon Energy, Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX can use Altered Creation GX (with the bonus effect) on turn one.

Imagine this: on turn one, going second, you use Tag Call getting Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX and Guzma and Hala from the deck. You play Guzma and Hala, discarding two cards, and getting your Stadium of choice, a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to retreat your Active Pokémon, and a Double Dragon Energy. That’s Altered Creation GX on turn one, easily. And the best part is that this isn’t restricted to one deck: you could add this small package of cards to a deck like Night March, in theory!

Sure, I said that the Tag Call  engine wasn’t going to see much play in Expanded, but playing one copy can be enough to search for your one-of Guzma and Hala. In Expanded, there are cards to search for it on turn one, such as [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] (plus Pokémon-based draw like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]). You can also get Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX with one Ultra Ball and Guzma and Hala with a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], so you’re not limited to one exact line.

There are drawbacks to using Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, though. The first one is that Double Dragon Energy is limited to Dragon-type Pokémon, you can’t use it to copy Altered Creation GX with another Pokémon (such as [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM191″ c=”name”][/card]). That’s not a big deal, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

The other limitation is that [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] removes all effects in play, and that includes Altered Creation GX. Anyone playing this Supporter can instantly remove the effect of your gamechanging GX attack.

[cardimg name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”221″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Now, that’s not as bad as it sounds — even if you only take one KO between the use of Altered Creation GX and its cancellation, then your GX attack got you one free Prize (and forced your opponent to play a utility Supporter): that’s not a bad effect. In addition, Pokémon Ranger can’t be used in every deck. To get it in a timely fashion, you most likely need Tapu Lele-GX (or [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], I guess!), but many decks can’t really play it and, therefore, can’t reliably play Pokémon Ranger. Such decks include one-Prize decks (think [card name=”Hitmonchan” set=”Team Up” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]), Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX / [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] (that deck plays [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], so it can search for Pokémon Ranger, but I’m not sure it can find the time to play Pokémon Ranger early enough. Plus, Steven’s Resolve plays can be disrupted with [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]). In addition, decks that use Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX themselves are unlikely to play Pokémon Ranger since that would remove their own Altered Creation GX effect.

Even though, as I said, you could play ADP and Double Dragon Energy in any deck, there are some which make a lot more sense than others. In this article, I’ll talk about three of them — two solid contenders for Dallas in my opinion, and a third one that, to be fair, hasn’t tested as well as I expected. I’m far from having a perfect understanding of the Expanded format right now — like many, I’m in the process of discovering it — so I might be missing some good ADP decks. In addition, I’m sure the lists I have aren’t optimized yet, but I’ll do my best to explain their flaws and possible ways to fix them.

Before we start, a quick note on ADP / [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card]: I don’t think this deck will work in Expanded as well as it does in Standard, due to several factors. First, there are more ways to shut down Keldeo-GX’s Ability in Expanded than in Standard, including [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and Silent Lab, which see decent play. Second, [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] is not as good as in Standard because of [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], which gives decks a fast way to remove it. Finally, there are more decks in Expanded that are based around a non-GX attacker or can fit a non-GX attacker, so Keldeo-GX isn’t as good in the first place. While you could do worse than ADP / Keldeo-GX (if you play it, don’t forget to include [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]), I think you can also do much better.

Turbo Dark

Let’s start with the most obvious: take a good deck and improve it by adding new cards! Turbo Dark became a powerful deck in Expanded when [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] were released in Breakpoint, and it came back when [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] appeared to replace Darkrai-EX as the main attacker of the deck. However, Darkrai-EX was not only played in lists with only Darkness Energy, but also in lists that used Double Dragon Energy (both in Standard in Expanded), alongside good Dragon-type Pokémon like [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Salamence-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY170″ c=”name”][/card]. There are several benefits to this association, but the most obvious one is that Double Dragon Energy counts as two Darkness Energy, which means that it gave Darkrai-EX a +40 damage boost, instead of +20, when it was attached. The exact same logic suggests Double Dragon Energy could be useful in the new Turbo Dark deck, especially with the perfect Dragon-type Pokémon to use it (Giratina-EX could still be included in the deck as well, though).

The nice thing about this deck is that it builds itself. You can take the structure of a Zoroark and Greninja-GX deck, change the Energy line to add some Double Dragon Energy, and a Guzma and Hala since the deck already runs Tapu Lele-GX to search for it.

 

[decklist name=”Turbo Dark ADP” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″][pokemon amt=”12″]2x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Thoughts on the New List

  • The [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] line is probably still necessary to deal with anti-Basic cards, such as [card name=”Pyroar” set=”Flashfire” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card]. That will depend on the metagame, but I wouldn’t be comfortable going into an event without it. It also helps to power up Giratina-EX more easily, since it can’t use [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card].
  • Speaking of Giratina-EX, I chose to include it for its value against decks based on [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] or Double Dragon Energy (or [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] ([card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]), or [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] (Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Raticate” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]) etc.). The deck plays no [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], meaning the opponent will have time to put Energy in play before you use Chaos Wheel, so it’s not an auto-win against Special Energy decks.
  • I’m not sure whether the Tag Call is worth it or not. My thinking is that this deck plays enough Pokémon-based draw to dig for it (or Computer Search) if needed. Maybe with further testing, I’ll choose to remove it.
  • The one-of [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] might look strange — you need to play Stadiums in the deck, both to make the most out of Guzma and Hala, and to counter opposing Stadiums (especially [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] and Silent Lab), and Chaotic Swell is the best Stadium you can use to counter other Stadiums, making the best to play as a one-of. If we free more space to play two or three Stadiums, we could play something else: [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] are the best candidates.
  • There is a conflict in the deck between [card name=”Darkrai-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, since both cards have relevant GX attacks. I’m pretty sure that even without using its GX attack, Darkrai-GX is still worth playing because of its Ability. That said, we won’t be using Altered Creation GX every game. When to use it depends on the matchup and the board state. If you know your opponent has Pokémon Ranger, for example, it’s not worth using Altered Creation GX if you can instead apply direct pressure by taking KOs with Greninja and Zoroark-GX. The [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck ensures that you can use Dead End GX at some point in the game if you need to instead. As a general rule, Altered Creation GX is at its strongest against non-GX decks, since that’s where you’ll be taking the most extra Prizes. (Against a deck with only one-Prize Pokémon, Altered Creation GX means you have to take three KOs instead of six; against a deck with only two-Prize Pokémon, Altered Creation GX means you take two KOs instead of three. Three turns saved in the first case, only one in the second). Since Dead End GX is at its best against multiple-Prize Pokémon, having both works out for the best.
    Of course, it’s not always that simple. Take the Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX / Aromatisse matchup, for example. ADP has an obvious weakness in this matchup, and that’s, well, its Weakness. In my opinion, you should only go for Altered Creation GX if you go second and you can get it turn one. This way, Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX can’t simply retaliate with a KO on the second turn. You could make a case for it on turn two if you go first, but I think it’s better to attack and put more pressure on them. This matchup is mostly won by attaching a lot of Energy very quickly, and any Energy played on ‘ADP’ would get discarded when it’s KO’d, so it’s better to put Energy on safer targets like Zoroark and Greninja-GX (you should Bench Giratina-EX to have a Double Dragon Energy recipient, though). You need to deal 260 damage to OHKO a Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX (280 before Resistance), which means 8 Energy in play plus [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] or Hypnotoxic Laser. That’s doable on turn two with one Double Dragon Energy, one use of Darkrai-GX’s Restoration, one Darkness Energy and four Dark Patch or Max Elixir (or a second Restoration but you may not have space on the Bench), and easy on turn three, so you don’t really need Altered Creation GX (you can also take a KO with Dead End GX, but only if there’s no Wonder Energy on the opposing Gardeon). The main utility of Altered Creation GX in this matchup is letting you win by Knocking Out a Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX and an Aromatisse.
  • You can consider playing two Sky Fields instead of the Chaotic Swell and adding a Colress and another Shaymin-EX instead of two Professor Juniper, since you have more space to draw cards. This makes the deck more aggressive, but weaker to opposing Stadiums. You could also try finding space for a non-GX attacker (probably Mew) to deal with anti-GX cards.

Ultra Necrozma

Remember when I said that some cards that are invisible in Standard have a big impact on Expanded? A perfect example of this is [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In Standard it’s like there’s nothing to see here. In Expanded, however, you can power it up quickly thanks to Double Dragon Energy and you can negate its Ability with either Silent Lab or [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Suddenly, you have a fantastic one-Prize attacker on your hands — perhaps the best one-Prize attacker in the format. It has the OHKO potential that Hitmonchan dreams of, has far more HP than [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and Spiritomb, even if it doesn’t reach the same damage ceiling, and is even an Ultra Beast.

There are many ways to play Ultra Necrozma: an interesting idea is to run a heavy line of [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] to have a draw engine that doesn’t fear N, Power Plant or Silent Lab. However, I’m favoring Garbodor instead for several reasons. First, it lets Ultra Necrozma attack without having to rely on a Stadium. Second, the disruption element of Garbotoxin is not to be underestimated. And finally, it lets the deck run Trashalanche [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] as an attacker, which helps to deal with anti-Basic cards (Vileplume and Pyroar, once again); anti-Special Energy cards (think [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] or Giratina-EX); and anti-Ultra Beast cards ([card name=”Sceptile” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], which could see play in a deck based on Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX).

You could run the deck without Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, but it gives Ultra Necrozma some extra power. After Altered Creation GX, Luster of Downfall deals 200 damage, which Knocks Out every basic GX (except Tag Teams). If you add a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], then you also OHKO Zoroark-GX and other Stage One GXs. Sure, that means running a three-Prize Pokémon in a single-Prize attacker deck, but it’s hard for the opponent to KO it early on, and it gives you time to set up an Ultra Necrozma and a Garbodor. In addition, Silent Lab and Garbodor help a lot here: they make it harder for the opponent to retaliate, and also to find Pokémon Ranger, by shutting down Tapu Lele-GX’s Wonder Tag.

 

[decklist name=”Ultra Necrozma ADP” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Comments on this list:

  • I’m not using Tapu Lele-GX, Shaymin-EX or anything else, both because I don’t want to play GX Pokémon apart from ADP, and because with the deck’s reliance on Silent Lab and Garbodor, they become dead cards very quickly. Instead, I run more Supporters than usual, including three Guzma to increase the chances of finding one early on (Guzma is especially strong after Altered Creation GX: you can end a game by Knocking Out two Shaymin-EX / [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / other Bench sitters). That’s an approach that worked well in Hitmonchan / Wobbuffet one year ago. In addition, I also made space for Trainer’s Mail, which makes the deck a bit more resilient to N. I only play three VS Seeker instead because VS Seeker is not as good when we don’t have aggressive draw or optoin to use Battle Compressor.
  • Tag Call is here again. With Computer Search and Trainer’s Mail, I think it can be strong. It can also find Guzma and Hala at any point in the game, which is good because that’s a sure way to find a Double Dragon Energy, and most of the time that’s the card we need the most.
  • The choice of Trubbish doesn’t matter much. I like Garbage Collection because it’s a generally usable attack and I can see situations where getting back, say, a Double Dragon Energy can win the game. The other choice would be to play a 70 HP [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], but I haven’t run into any situation where the extra HP matters.
  • I’m not totally sure about the Energy lineup, apart from the obvious four Double Dragon Energy. The [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] is nice because it can power up Ultra Necrozma and Garbodor and can be searched by Guzma and Hala, and the Psychic Energy can be used for Garbodor even under the effect of something like Chaos Wheel (teammates and Computer Search can help to find it). I would consider adding either a second Psychic Energy or a second Special Charge to the deck.  You could also use [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] as extra Double Dragon Energy for situations where you are behind on prizes.

Reshiram and Zekrom-GX

[cardimg name=”Reshiram and Zekrom-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”222″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

We all know that [card name=”Reshiram and Zekrom-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] has been profoundly underwhelming in Standard. In Expanded, it has more potential, thanks once again to Double Dragon Energy. Here’s the idea: use Double Dragon Energy to attack, and Basic Fire and Lightning Energy for your Benched Pokémon. How do you get Energy into play? By using [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] (and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], of course)! With this setup, you can OHKO Tag Team Pokémon with ease: three Basic Energy and a Fighting Fury Belt gets you an OHKO on an opposing ADP, or anything else (Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX, [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM168″ c=”name”][/card], Mewtwo and Mew-GX). Now, of course, discarding two Energy every time you want to deal with a one-Prize Pokémon such as Ultra Necrozma or Wobbuffet could be an issue, since you don’t recover Energy that easily. The solution is, once again, to use Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX to improve these matchups. After Altered Creation GX, these Pokémon are OHKO’d by discarding one Basic Energy, and you only need to KO three of them to win the game.

That’s all good in theory. Unfortunately, so far in my testing, the results have been underwhelming. I haven’t been able to use Altered Creation GX and get Energy in play fast enough, and the deck also has issues with a lot of counters, including Silent Lab and Garbodor (which prevent the use of Tapu Koko Prism Star and Ho-Oh-EX), and anti-Basic and anti-GX cards.

Even though the deck has been disappointing, I will still give my list. I’m sure it can be improved, and I’m reasonably confident that the deck is at least playable in Expanded. In the worst case scenario, even if it turns out to be unsalvageable, you’ll know what not to play!

 

[decklist name=”ReshiRom ADP” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Reshiram and Zekrom-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”157″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Reshiram and Zekrom-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N’s Resolve” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”200″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]6x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]5x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Breakdown of the list:

  • I think the deck has to be aggressive and needs space on the Bench for Ho-Oh-EX, so I included Sky Field, which I think is the best choice here. I do also have two Field Blower to deal with Power Plant, Silent Lab and Garbotoxin.
  • It’s true that [card name=”N’s Resolve” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t great, but it gives the deck an additional way to get Energy in play, and with VS Seeker, it’s easier to use since you can access it when you have a free turn to use it.
  • I think it’s important in this deck to know when to go for ADP and when not to. Your Double Dragon Energy supply is precious and limited, so you don’t want to waste one on ADP if you’re not in a matchup where Altered Creation is going to help you significantly. If you’re against a one-Prize deck, go for Altered Creation GX. If you’re against a Tag Team deck, don’t use it and start setting up a Reshiram and Zekrom-GX instead.

Conclusion

That’s all for today! This is simply a glimpse into the Expanded format, and I’m sure we’ll see many new decks emerge in the weeks to come. Of the decks I’ve covered in this article, my favorite one is Ultra Necrozma, and it’s probably the one with the strongest potential because there are many possible partners for it.
I’m excited to delve more into the format, and I hope I get to attend Dallas Regionals in order to actually play it. In the meantime, as always, good luck in all your games!

–Stéphane

[/premium]