Aquatic Ambience — Exploring Water Variants of Mewtwo and Mew-GX
[cardimg name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hello everyone! My name is Isaiah Cheville, and this is my first article on PokeBeach! As such, I should probably introduce myself. I am a student at the University of Iowa studying Statistics, and I have been playing the Pokemon TCG at a competitive level for eight years, starting near the release of Black & White: Next Destinies. My first major accomplishment was soon after this, winning the Iowa State Championship in the Junior division. I got my first invitation to the World Championship in 2014, and I have gotten it almost every year since then, missing my invitation in 2017. Beyond that, I have made Top 8 at three Regional Championships as well as Top 16 at US Nationals, all in Seniors. Into my years as a Master, I have made Day 2 at a couple Regional level events, but I also don’t consider my tournament results to be my greatest strength. Throughout my competitive career, I have probably become best known for my contributions to some crazy decks, including but not limited to: [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] (US Nationals 2015), [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] (Madison Regionals 2017), [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Weavile” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] (Quarter 1 2018-19 Season), Lost March (Roanoke 2018), and many more!
Considering my history of working with oddball decks, it should come as no surprise that my first article is about yet another odd deck. Around mid-August, I caught wind of a [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] variant that played [card name=”Starmie-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card] and I immediately got to work on trying to develop it to be the best deck I could for the upcoming rotation to Team Up-on. In the process of doing this, I remembered one of my favorite cards from the Theme Deck format, [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. This Kyogre style of Mewtwo then brought me to keep digging for other forms of Energy acceleration such as [card name=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Latias and Latios-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]. Surprisingly, about a week after developing these different versions of Mewtwo & Mew-GX, I saw someone else share a list of the Frosmoth variant, which I hadn’t put a ton of time into developing myself, but I still felt it had a lot of potential.
Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Frosmoth SSH
As I previously mentioned, I actually got the idea of how to go about building the Frosmoth variant from someone else on social media, but I have made some slight modifications in my testing. The strategy of the deck is quite simple, built heavily around the idea of using Frosmoth to load a ton of Water Energy on any of the several Water types (the easiest of which to use is just Frosmoth itself) and then use Mewtwo and Mew-GX’s Perfection Ability to copy [card name=”Blastoise-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card]’s Rocket Splash to deliver a stream of one-hit Knock Outs against any type of deck. However, due to the inherent flexibility of Mewtwo and Mew-GX as well as Frosmoth, the deck is also presented with various other options, including survivability with [card name=”Blastoise and Piplup-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card]’s Splash Maker delivering an easy one-hit Knock Out on [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card]’s Resolute Blade GX, and additional early game Energy acceleration with Starmie-GX. The deck lives on the happy medium of being linear in strategy while also having a diverse number of options, which is excellent to have in a tournament setting.
Deck List
[decklist name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Frosmoth” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Snom” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Blastoise-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”35″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Blastoise and Piplup-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Starmie-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”14″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Inclusions
Four Mewtwo and Mew-GX
As the main attacking Pokemon in the deck, it should be obvious why we play four copies, you always need to have it. Since its release in in Unified Minds, [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] has been a dominant force in the metagame, winning almost every Regional Championship in the first quarter of the 2019-20 season and continuing to have a presence in the following months. This constant success is easily attributable to one thing: versatility. This variant is easily the most linear variant of Mewtwo & Mew-GX that has ever been created, with only one primary attack, but the deck certainly doesn’t lack options either, with five usable normal attacks and four usable GX attacks.
Three Snom and Three Frosmoth
Acting as this deck’s primary source of Energy acceleration and, by extension, attack fuel, [card name=”Frosmoth” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] is absolutely critical to this deck’s success. Three Snom and three Frosmoth has felt like a fairly healthy line in my experience, but I have occasionally wished I had four Snom, typically against [card name=”Inteleon VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] when I prize one Snom. I would say the thickest line I would ever consider in this deck would be four Snom with three Frosmoth, but I would never go lower than three Snom and three Frosmoth.
Two Blastoise-GX
As the main source of damage output in this deck, it is pivotal that you get it in the discard pile as quickly as possible. The combination of two Blastoise-GX, seven Item cards to search for it, and a plethora of ways to discard it makes this process easy. With this ease of discarding, you could feasibly get away with one copy and open up a slot for another consistency card, but it is the single card in the deck that you absolutely cannot afford to have stuck in your Prizes, so you are almost obligated to play multiple. Unfortunately, two copies is all the higher you can go without compromising your deck’s consistency, so that is where we sit. In the event you do prize both, the deck has enough other options that it can take some prizes in hopes of hitting the one in three chance of hitting either copy.
One Blastoise and Piplup-GX
Blastoise and Piplup-GX is easily the least used card in this deck and could be replaced by Wailord V, a card I will examine more in depth later in the article, but the value of being able to act as back up Energy acceleration while dealing damage in addition to the capability to heal damaged Pokemon cannot be understated. In addition to the value of Splash Maker, Bubble Launcher GX can paralyze the a Pokemon like [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] that is difficult to one-hit Knock Out without shuffling in a ton of Energy with Rocket Splash, establishing a safer two-hit Knock Out.
One Keldeo-GX
Since the release of Sword & Shield, [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] has replaced Keldeo-GX as the optimal partner for Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX, leaving Keldeo-GX to vanish into obscurity. Fortunately, Keldeo-GX was given another chance with the release of Darkness Ablaze and Eternatus VMAX, thanks to its ability to easily OHKO the 340 HP behemoth. Thanks to this interaction between Keldeo-GX and Eternatus VMAX, the match-up can become extraordinarily easy, essentially becoming a two attack game with some luck.
One Starmie-GX
As one of the non-shiny Pokemon-GX in Hidden Fates, most of the player base, myself included, immediately dismissed the card because of its lackluster damage output and it simply being overshadowed by the rest of the set. However, because of the way the metagame has shifted since rotation in August, Starmie-GX finally got a time to shine. This deck very rarely uses any attack other than Star Stream, but it uses Star Stream almost every game, as it provides much needed Energy acceleration onto Mewtwo & Mew-GX, so you don’t have to deal with missing a turn down the road.
Two Dedenne-GX, Two Crobat V, Four Professor’s Research, and Two Marnie
A staple combination of consistency cards in the format, I felt it was worth mentioning why I had these counts. This split of Dedenne-GX and Crobat V allows for easy digging once you need to start streaming attacks, especially when paired with the Supporters. Originally, I played four Professor’s Research and four Marnie, but I later cut down to just two Marnie and beefed up the Dedenne-GX and Crobat V count because I rarely actually wanted to play the card for more than just shuffling in a couple cards.
One Misty and Lorelei
[cardimg name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
One of the more unique inclusions, [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”name”][/card] finally finds a place as an offensive tool in this deck as opposed to its history of being just another use of Cold Crush GX from [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]. Admittedly, I rarely use this card for more than just a way to find a few extra Energy, but it does boast the potential of using two of Keldeo-GX’s critical Resolute Blade GX in the Eternatus VMAX match-up if you have Mewtwo and Mew-GX use it first and Keldeo-GX use it with Misty & Lorelei.
Four Capacious Bucket, Two Viridian Forest, and Eleven Water Energy
By far one of my favorite parts about how the current Standard format has developed is that [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], which is my favorite card from Rebel Clash, is finally getting the spotlight it deserves, being more prominently featured in [card name=”Lapras VMAX” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], and all of the Water Mewtwo and Mew-GX variants. It should go without saying that the single most important thing in this deck is to be able to easily access large numbers of Water Energy seemingly on demand. The split that I am currently playing has felt the most healthy, but there have been times that I wished I played one or two more Water Energy. Additionally, a case could be made for [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], but I have opted against it because it both fails to fetch Energy that have been shuffled in with Rocket Splash and it doesn’t discard cards to fuel Mewtwo and Mew-GX’s attack options.
Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Kyogre CEC
This particular variant of Water [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] is easily my favorite, being my first and the one I have spent the most time developing. The strategy of this one is fundamentally similar to the the Frosmoth version, focusing on the power of Blastoise-GX’s Rocket Splash, but it instead uses [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] for Energy acceleration, similar to the recent emergence of decks with [card name=”Rotom” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Victini” set=”Unified Minds” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. As a result of this change in dynamic, this version requires a bit more turn planning and thinking about if your target for High Water is the best target for your game plan. However, this change also supports a more dynamic playstyle instead of just having one main attack. It isn’t uncommon for me to use every attack at my disposal to pull together a victory.
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Deck List
[decklist name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Kyogre” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Kyogre” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”53″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Blastoise-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”35″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Starmie-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”14″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Incineroar-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Inclusions
Three Kyogre
Since Kyogre is the deck’s main form of Energy acceleration, it is pivotal that you find it early. I have spent a fair amount of time bouncing around from as few as one to as many as four, but I have settled at three because, while Starmie-GX does the same thing, using a Kyogre makes for a much smoother prize trade by not leaving a Mewtwo and Mew-GX vulnerable to the threat of taking a huge hit while setting up your board.
One Incineroar-GX
[card name=”Incineroar-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is one of my favorite cards to include in this deck, boasting one of the strongest GX attacks in the game, it is far from uncommon for your game’s total damage output to exceed 1000 with this card around. While this high of a damage output is certainly overkill, the ability to abruptly throw a massive attack at anything on the board when paired with a [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] often is enough to swing games in your favor, either by making the opponent avoid attacking or just by eradicating one of their threats.
Three Dedenne-GX and One Crobat V
In this build, I reworked the split of Dedenne-GX and Crobat V to better accommodate to its style of Energy acceleration with a more consistent way to dump the two Energy to make the most out of High Water.
Two Big Charm
[card name=”Big Charm” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] makes an appearance in this variant because of how vulnerable it is to a turn two Knock Out onto your Mewtwo and Mew-GX. In addition to boosting the HP of Mewtwo and Mew-GX, Big Charm can also save Dedenne-GX from [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card], Keldeo-GX from [card name=”Decidueye” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card], and more, making for an overall great inclusion. In fact, I only omitted it from the above Frosmoth variant because it simply could not be fit, but I would recommend trying to find the space for Big Charm in any and all Mewtwo and Mew-GX variants, Water type and non-Water type alike.
A Strategic Note
Misty and Lorelei is pivotal in a lot of this deck’s matchups, especially Eternatus VMAX and Centiskorch VMAX. I frequently find myself playing through these matchups with the focus of copying Incineroar-GX to one-hit Knock Out the first VMAX and then having a Keldeo-GX ready in the back to Misty and Lorelei and Knock Out the second VMAX. In addition, if you build this board state right, you can even threaten a Knock Out with Rocket Splash on their second VMAX, essentially building a “checkmate.”
Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Latias and Latios-GX
Yet another clone of the Frosmoth deck, this variant of Water [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] focuses heavily on [card name=”Latias and Latios-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card]’s Aero Unit GX to load the board full of Energy on the first or second turn and then use this aggression to try and overrun the opponent. In addition to the pressure provided by this early swarm of Energy, Aero Unit GX also grants the benefit of protecting the use from any response hit with addition of an extra Energy, allowing for a more stable board on the following turn instead of just getting Mewtwo & Mew-GX Knocked Out before you are able to use it. Admittedly, this variant is probably the least refined of the the ones I provided in this article, but that is largely due to me having the idea fairly recently.
Deck List
[decklist name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX / Latias and Latios-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Latias and Latios-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blastoise-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”35″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Blastoise and Piplup-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Starmie-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”14″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Capacious Bucket” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Spinner” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”15″]12x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card]1x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Inclusions
Two Latias and Latios-GX
[cardimg name=”Latias and Latios-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”113″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
As I have briefly described already, this card is this deck’s primary source of Energy acceleration. As a result of this, I felt that two copies was critical because of how vital it is to the deck functioning. In addition to the value of the GX attack, Buster Purge does a substantial amount of damage in itself, giving the deck another option to one-hit Knock Out several different Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX.
Three Capacious Bucket, Two Energy Spinner, Twelve Water, One Psychic, and Two Aurora Energy
Due to the the importance of pulling off the turn two Aero Unit GX for five Energy and the damage protection, which I usually only go for if I am going first, I felt it was best to include an abundance of ways to get Energy to the hand so they can be disposed of and attached. The two [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] serve several purposes, acting as a Psychic for Aero Unit, a Water for Rocket Splash, and discarding a card to dump more Energy for Aero Unit GX or an attacker for future use. One Psychic stuck around because it can both be attached by Aero Unit if need be and it can be found with Energy Spinner, boosting the consistency of the turn two Aero Unit.
Considering Wailord V
With the recent release of Champion’s Path, there has been a lot of talk about the set’s impact on the metagame. Unfortunately, I don’t see this set having a major impact aside from some niche cards like Altaria or Incineroar V. However, one card in particular stuck out to me: Wailord V. Boasting an incredible 280 HP, it has the second highest HP of any Basic Pokemon ever printed only behind [card name=”Moltres and Zapdos and Articuno-GX” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”name”][/card], but unlike the Pokemon that surpass it, it is only worth two Prizes. I fully expect this card to have some amount of an impact on the Expanded format as massive body for stall decks to throw Active and absorb hits.
In addition to this astounding amount of HP, Wailord V also has the capability to deal as much as 360 damage, taking Knock Outs on even the largest Pokemon VMAX. Unfortunately, due to its attack cost and luck based attack, it is unlikely to see much play, even with an Energy accelerating attack. With that all being said, the card also could find a spot in all of the Mewtwo and Mew-GX variants I provided today, most notably in the Frosmoth version. I elected to not include it because I haven’t gotten the chance to acquire one and test it yet, so I figured it would be a poor call to include it with zero experience, but I expect to at least test it down the road.
Conclusion
Overall, I would say that all of these variants of Water Mewtwo and Mew-GX each have their own roles in the current metagame and each have the potential for a strong performance in any of many online events. Notably, in the currently active Players Cup II, I could see it succeeding in the second phase, which is double elimination and best-of-three, unlike the qualifying phase being single elimination and best-of-one. I would be a bit weary to play it in the single elimination setting of the qualifiers due to all of their tendencies to have really awkward hands, which is concerning in best-of-one, but in best-of-three where “you only have to set up twice” as fellow writer Michael Catron once said, it is much safer.
With that, I bring my first article to a close. I sincerely appreciate you, the reader, for taking the time to read about these obscure variants of Mewtwo and Mew-GX. I also encourage you to reach out if you have any questions about the decks, as I will happily answer them!
– Isaiah
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