Another Ghost Story — Two takes on Dragapult VMAX

By: Stephane Ivanoff · Posted Posted onMay 14, 2020 at 10:34 PM · 0 Comments

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

Dragapult’s evolutionary line has, in my opinion, one of the coolest Pokémon designs in Pokémon Sword & Shield, so I’m glad that it gets some love from the TCG designers as well. By now, it’s no secret that [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is a top tier deck. Results from early online events, as well as my own personal testing and that of many other top players, have confirmed what Japanese tournaments seemed to indicate: that is, Dragapult VMAX is a tier 1 deck, that can hold its own against other top decks (especially [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], the best deck of the last format).

What remains to be seen is what is the best list for the deck. This isn’t an easy question to answer, especially since players are already using all sorts of counters to Dragapult VMAX. Darkness-type Pokémon should be strong against Dragapult VMAX, but we haven’t seen many of them in the metagame yet. However, there are two other ways players are adapting against the big spooky dragon.

Different Approaches to the Deck

First, some players are using Energy denial. I’ve seen [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] even in some [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] lists, where you wouldn’t expect them. [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card] is also found in several decks. The idea is that Dragapult VMAX doesn’t play any Energy acceleration, so if you can remove an Energy from their board (especially on the first turn), you can delay Max Phantom by one turn.

Second, since Dragapult VMAX’s damage output is low compared to other top decks, with no OHKO potential on any big Pokémon (except those who are Psychic-weak), players are trying to deny Knock-Outs. [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] can be used to pick up a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] or a similar Pokémon that’s been damaged to prevent it from being finished off by Max Phantom’s additional damage counters. On bigger targets, [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] can remove almost all the damage dealt by Dragapult VMAX in one turn. Some players are going even further and adding [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] in their lists (the first time I lost a Dragapult VMAX mirror match because my opponent flipped heads to get their Dragapult VMAX with thirty damage counters back in their hand, I conceded on the spot)!

Although these are all weaknesses of Dragapult VMAX, if we know that they’re being targeted, we can try to patch them. I’ve already talked a bit about the deck in a previous article (and I recommend you read it first if you haven’t done so yet), but now that we’re seeing what anti-Dragapult VMAX strategies look like, I’ve updated the deck to include counters to these strategies. In this article, I’ll give an updated list with some unusual techs, and explain how they work to improve the deck.

For those of you who are bored of the same usual few decks, though, I have an alternate take on Dragapult VMAX that you might like. Remember how every big Pokémon in the Tag Team era has been paired with [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card]? As it turns out, Dragapult VMAX doesn’t have an Ability either.

While I don’t think Dragapult VMAX / Green’s Exploration is as strong as the main variant of the deck, it has some advantages over it, and it’s also a lot of fun to play. Green’s Exploration was declared dead because of the new first turn rule (admittedly, I was one of the first people to do so), but we saw that in the Sword & Shield format, that card still found some success coupled with [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] (something I’ll take partial credit for). If it could work then, I see no reason it can’t work now!

Let’s start with the Ability variant of the deck. With no further delay, here is my current decklist for the deck:

[premium]

Dragapult VMAX / Jirachi

[decklist name=”Dragapult 1″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Team Up” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]6x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Again, since I already wrote a bit about the deck recently, I won’t discuss every single card. However, I want to focus on some important choices in the list. Keep in mind that the two issues the deck needs to address are Energy denial (Issue A) and players using healing or similar techniques to deny Prizes (Issue B).

Countering Energy Denial

The problem of your opponent using Energy Denial is addressed by adding [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] to the list. A line of 1-1 is the thinnest you can play, but it’s still important: the goal is not to power up a new attacker every turn, but simply to have some leeway in your Energy attachments. Malamar can:

[cardimg name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

  • Guarantee you can still charge up your second [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] even if you need to attach a new one to the Active one because its [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] was discarded by [card name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card];
  • Alleviate the need to have an Energy in your opening hand, going first. Although you would still much rather attach an Energy to [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] on turn one, sometimes, you can whiff it and still use Max Phantom on turn two;
  • Make using [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] easier: for example, you can retreat your Active Dragapult VMAX into Jirachi, use Stellar Wish, use Psychic Recharge on the Energy you discard back to Dragapult VMAX, then use [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] to retrieve Jirachi. You couldn’t give up an Energy this way without Malamar, but with it, its a trivial sacrifice. Getting to use Stellar Wish more can be useful to find situational cards such as [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card].
  • Charge up a Dragapult V in one turn if your opponent brings up [card name=”Zamazenta V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re caught with only two Dragapult VMAX in play, you’re going to need to use a Basic Dragapult V against Zamazenta V, and having Malamar means you don’t need two turns to do so.
    I want to stress that in the current metagame, Energy denial is a real issue which makes Malamar a necessary inclusion. If Mill decks are going to be around, they will most likely need to use Energy denial to beat Dragapult VMAX. Apart from [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card], Giratina is making appearances in several decks that use Scoop Up Net. [card name=”Inteleon VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] is effective at removing Energy from the board (not to mention it can be paired with [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]), and I’ve even seen [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] decks using [card name=”Torkoal V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], whose Steam Crush attack is no joke. Malamar helps in all of these matchups.

In theory, Malamar can be used to power up [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] as well, since it’s a great attacker that fits in the spirit of the deck. However, in practice, I’ve found that my opponent didn’t get themself at three Prizes left as often as I expected. Often, a Jirachi or some other Pokémon is sacrificed in the early game while I set up a Dragapult VMAX. Against [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] decks, they take four Prizes on a Dragapult VMAX, so Blacephalon is useless.

Nihilego as a Secondary Attacker

I did include another secondary attacker: [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]. The flip side of your opponent rarely having three Prizes left is that they often have two left, at which point Nihilego is great. While I can’t truly call Nihilego an anti-Energy denial tech, being able to use a one-Energy attacker at some point does make the deck slightly more resilient to Crushing Hammer in decks that take Prize cards. At first glance, Nihilego doesn’t benefit the deck strategy as Blacephalon would since it doesn’t spread damage (unless you’re playing against another Dragapult VMAX deck). However, having the option to use an attack that deals more damage (even a GX attack, potentially) is extremely good. It can catch an opponent off guard if they didn’t expect you to deal much more than 130 damage to their Active Pokémon, and force them to play around it even if they do expect it. Nihilego can be used to copy [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]’s Brave Blade (even against decks that only use Zacian V as a Bench sitter), or [card name=”Raichu and Alolan Raichu-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tandem Shock, for example. I also think it can be strong against one underrated deck: Fire Toolbox. [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Outrage is good against Dragapult VMAX due to its inability to take OHKOs (or even a 2HKO if Reshiram and Charizard-GX is paired with some healing), and Nihilego can be used to copy Flare Strike, which should be an OHKO after some damage counters from Max Phantom or [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card].

Countering Prize Denial

As for Issue B (Prize denial), I have several options against it.

Let’s start with [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card]. An issue with [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is that it wants to spread damage to low-HP Pokémon such as [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], but these Pokémon are great to get back in hand with Scoop Up Net, so there’s always a risk of these Pokémon getting back in your opponent’s hand. I’ve included [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Team Up” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck for its Scoop Up Block Ability, which is also fantastic against anyone playing [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], and it has marginal utility against [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card], for what it’s worth!

Mr. Mime makes Scoop Up Net a non-issue, which means damage you spread is guaranteed to stay (except for healing, but opponents will rarely use [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] on a Jirachi). This means that you can make long-term plans from the beginning of the game, and have an idea of how you’re going to take all six Prizes, with no risk of your opponent getting back their Pokémon in hand.

But preventing Scoop Up Net also means that the opponent can’t get value out of Scoop Up Net. One thing I often do when I use Mr. Mime is spread one damage counter on all my opponent’s benched one-Prize Pokémon with my first Max Phantom, in order to prevent them from re-using the Abilities of Jirachi, [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], etc. (A damage counter on Giratina acts as a counter to Energy denial as well, to tie this with Issue A). This plan makes my opponent’s copies of Scoop Up Net completely useless, and it also means they can’t free up space on their Bench for a new Pokémon, whether that’s [card name=”Phione” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], or an attacker. This strategy is strong in the mirror match in case your opponent benches a lot of Pokémon, but it also significantly improves the [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] matchup (combined with hand disruption), since using several Stellar Wish in one turn is usually how they manage to get a big KO out of nowhere.

Why Hand Disruption is so Good

[cardimg name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hand disruption is also useful against healing in general. This is not obvious, but there’s no real counter to Mallow and Lana apart from making it as inconvenient as possible for your opponent to play it. By using [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], even if your opponent has Mallow and Lana in hand, it might not be practical at all to use them and they may have to make a play they wouldn’t want to: passing their turn without attacking, not attaching an Energy for the turn, or even using Dedenne-GX to draw cards. Dedenne-GX is a huge liability against Dragapult VMAX; in the mirror match especially, any player who has to bench it is at a disadvantage since they give easy Prizes to the opponent.

Hand disruption is good, but I think another good reason it works in Dragapult VMAX is that your opponent will often try not to have a Jirachi in play since it’s an easy target on the Bench; and if they do have one, you can KO it with Max Phantom’s extra damage counters. Without a Jirachi in play, Reset Stamp hits much harder.

I would also like to include Phione as a sort of counter to the Prize denial issue. Opponents will often try to keep low-HP Pokémon attacking against Dragapult VMAX, so that they have to be Knocked Out with the 130 damage of Max Phantom instead of with the additional damage counters. Phione can force these Pokémon in the Bench so you can KO them and still deal 130 damage to something else, making the most out of your attack. I definitely underestimated Phione for this purpose when I first built the deck, but after I added it back, I became convinced its core in the deck, so don’t make the same mistake as me if you’re simply trying out Dragapult VMAX!

What Didn’t Make the Cut

In order to make space for these techs, I cut some cards from the list: the fourth [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], fourth [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. A 4-3 line of Dragapult VMAX is usually more than okay; the fourth Jirachi, while nice, isn’t imperative. Oranguru and Mewtwo are usually considered core in the deck, but I honestly didn’t use them that much. There are more Pokémon in this list so space on the Bench is precious: if I have two Dragapult VMAX, a Jirachi, [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], and Oranguru in play, it means that, if I play Mewtwo, I don’t have space for [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Team Up” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] or Phione or [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]. Instead of using Mewtwo to get back Supporters, I chose to play a third copy of [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Maybe Mewtwo is worth it in a list that plays some more utility Supporters such as [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Team Yell Grunt” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”184″ c=”name”][/card], though. In any case, once I removed Mewtwo, Oranguru didn’t feel like it had a purpose, since its Ability is not great by itself, so I removed it as well.
One other card I added instead was [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card]. This card can be considered a damage boost since it can be played at any time to remove [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] (or [card name=”Metal Frying Pan” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]) from the board, and it’s also good to remove [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] from play (removing an Escape Board on Jirachi is much more valuable when the opponent can’t use Scoop Up Net on it, and you’re playing a Reset Stamp at the same time!).

I could see Tool Scrapper being removed to play a fourth Jirachi instead, and I could also see [card name=”Lysandre Labs” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] instead. Compared to Tool Scrapper, Lysandre Labs has the advantage of countering opponents’ Stadiums, something that can give Dragapult VMAX trouble (Marshadow is the only option we have in the current list). However, it can itself be countered, so it’s not a definite answer to a Big Charm, unless you’re Knocking Out the Big Charm Pokémon at the same time.

Overall, this version of Dragapult VMAX is strong, has answers to many strategies, and is pretty consistent still. Now, let’s look at a vastly different list!

Dragapult / Green’s Exploration

It’s no secret that I love [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] as a card. I love the slower but more techy playstyle it encourages, and the fact that it forces players to think ahead about which cards they’re going to need in one turn or two–in other words, it rewards both deckbuilding and playing skill. Being such a fan, I had to combine Green’s Exploration with Dragapult VMAX. Here is the result:

[decklist name=”Dragapult 2″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Misdreavus” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Unidentified Fossil” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ 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=”9″]4x [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]5x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Look at this beauty. There are three Evolution lines in this deck! We don’t see too many Evolution Pokémon these days.

How This Variant Compares

[cardimg name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Let me start by saying that this deck is a bit slow. Its biggest issue is that with no [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], there’s no way to deal with Energy denial, and that makes it, I think, a dangerous play at this point in time (I think that if Energy denial starts seeing less play, this deck could become much stronger). This deck also doesn’t have [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to act as a buffer for the first attack. If you’re playing against a fast deck, they will start attacking your [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] directly, and there’s no healing available. I considered [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card], but having to switch back is not easy.

That said, if you can look past these weaknesses, the deck is pretty cool, for several reasons:

First, it has [card name=”Wait and See Hammer” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card], which is a great option against other Dragapult VMAX decks and [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. This makes going second much less of an issue as it is in the classic Dragapult VMAX mirror match. [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] also means easy access to [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], which we play in this deck in place of [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card].

As usual with Green’s Exploration decks, it can control how many Prizes it gives up much easier, especially since it plays far less Pokémon than other decks. This means that we can usually force our opponent to play a seven or eight Prize game, but also that we will almost always give our opponent exactly four Prizes at some point which makes [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] easy to use. After Nihilego is Knocked Out, the opponent has one Prize left (and our board will usually be only one Dragapult VMAX) which means that [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] (which we can easily find thanks to Green’s Exploration) is at its best.

Explanations

2-2 Mismagius

While we don’t have a specific way to benefit from our opponent having taken more Prizes than us (I tried fitting [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck but we don’t play enough Supporters), [card name=”Mismagius” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] can be used because it doesn’t make it easier for our opponent to win, since they’ll still need to KO two Dragapult VMAX to win the game. Since we’re already playing [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Misdreavus” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and Mismagius can be searched for easily, so they don’t require any change in deckbuilding. Apart from adding one [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] for the option of a sudden Mismagius, Dusk Stone would be one of the first cards I’d cut if I needed to add something else, by the way. Even if we don’t use Mysterious Message early in the game, having Misdreavus in play means that we’re always one Mysterious Treasure or [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] away from getting a full hand, which gives the deck some much-needed resilience to hand disruption.

One Unidentified Fossil, One Rare Candy, One Omastar

This classic three-card combo is made easier to use by the fact that we’re already playing Evolution Incense (for Dragapult VMAX and Mismagius). [card name=”Omastar” set=”Team Up” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is here to use against [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] as well as any Mill or Control decks. Yes, Mill should be a good matchup already, but this deck can’t deal with repeated [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card], so Item locking the opponent is the safest way to victory. Note that Omastar is not as safe as it used to be because it can be targeted by Boss’s Orders even under Item lock, so don’t use it in any matchup.

Supporter Lineup, Four Pokégear 3.0, Four Acro Bike

Experience has taught me that nine Supporters was a good number in Green’s Exploration decks: it’s what I used in Green’s Blacephalon to win Bochum Regionals, and also what felt best in Green’s [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] in the Sword & Shield format. The question of which Supporters are best to use, though, is not settled. I like having several different options, so I can choose between the power of [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] if I want a new hand, and something like [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] if I’m looking for a second [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Erika’s Hospitality” set=”Team Up” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is something that I’m trying to make work, but it might not be ideal. Other options include [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]which I think is better than [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] since getting one fewer card matters more when you don’t play something like [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card]could work, although without [card name=”Tag Call” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] it’s not as good. Playing more Professor’s Research is also a possibility. In any case, [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] is still necessary to maximize your odds of finding [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card], the card the deck was completely built around; I’ve found that [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] was also a important addition to the consistency engine. Besides being a generally good card, it helps to find Energy, especially on the first turn when you can’t play Supporters.

Four Mysterious Treasure, Two Evolution Incense, No Quick Ball

While I was playing [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] at first, there’s no point in this deck when Mysterious Treasure gets you any card that Quick Ball would. Evolution Incense, on the other hand, gets Omastar and [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], which is more important. You’ll start most games with a [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in hand, by pure probability; that’s why finding Dragapult VMAX is the more important task.

One Chaotic Swell

As with the other Dragapult VMAX, the Stadium situation is a bit awkward; there’s no Stadium that we absolutely need to play, but on the other hand, not playing any Stadium (or answer to a Stadium) is a bad idea, because you don’t want [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] or worse, [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], to stay in play all game. My compromise was adding a single [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] to help deal with Stadiums. I could see having [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck to get the Stadium back!

Other Options

Other options for the deck include [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] for an additional gust effect, which is especially good against [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. A single [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and perhaps [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] could help get more time to set up a second Dragapult VMAX if the first one is Knocked Out too fast.

[cardimg name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I think it’s not the best time to play this deck, but I think it’s good! I recommend you try it, if only for novelty’s sake, and if you notice a point in your local (online) meta where people are not using Energy denial, that could be the opening to find a lot of success with Green’s Dragapult VMAX!

Conclusion

Thank you for reading! Since some powerful-looking cards for an upcoming Darkness archetype were recently revealed, Dragapult VMAX might not last long as a tier 1 deck–a pessimistic take is that it will sink hard when the next set is revealed. That could have implications for how many people bother to trade for Dragapult VMAX: if a player feels that this archetype will not last long, they may not want to pay top dollar for their cards. If many players think this way, then Dragapult VMAX could end up being underplayed compared to its strength in the current format, which is always good news if you’re a Dragapult VMAX player: if your deck is underplayed, then people won’t tech for it as much.

Of course, this is all speculation for now. Let’s wait and see what the future holds! In the meantime, best of luck in all the online tournaments you’re hopefully competing in.

–Stéphane

[/premium]