Gonna Fly Now — The Return of Zoroark-GX to the Ring

Hello, PokeBeach aficionados! Welcome back to another article. Today I will convince you that everyone’s old pal [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is back to stay in the Expanded meta! It’s been a while since Zoroark-GX has seen any play, dating back to Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] variants of yesteryear. However, Zoroark-GX has seen a resurgence by becoming the de facto consistency partner and general damage baton for a few different strategies. Today, we’ll be revisiting my old favorite of Zoroark-GX / Counters.

Zoroark-GX in the Current Expanded Format

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Before we explore what tricks Zoroark-GX has up its sleeve with the latest sets, there’s been an important change in the Pokemon TCG since its dominance: The first turn rule! Because you can’t play Supporter cards on the first turn anymore, Zoroark-GX variants have struggled with consistency issues (ironic, I know). The ban limits [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], the creme de la creme of setup Supporters, from fetching multiple [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] going first. This puts any Zoroark-GX variant on the back foot from the get-go since deck builders have to overcompensate their list with extra ‘Ball’ Trainer cards for the 50% of games where Brigette can’t be played. Overcompensation with early search usually means less space in a deck list for techs, other consistency, and overall options on how to play a deck.

Expanded is a fast-paced format: [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is expected to use Full Blitz on the first turn, [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] can Altered Creation GX for a single attachment via [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and many more. Because of the terrifying speed of these popular decks, being able to evolve Pokemon is a premium! Of course, there are exceptions like [card name=”Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card], but without any way to disrupt or slow down the opponent as [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] can do, there aren’t enough turns in a Pokemon game to evolve your Pokemon, attack, and win. You might point to Pokemon VMAX as a counterexample, but they have the benefit of 300+ HP allowing them to withstand attacks. The lowly 210 HP on Zoroark-GX can be reached by almost all Expanded meta decks.

I say this to emphasize the fact that Zoroark-GX variants right now are always behind in the Prize race. Early KOs on Zorua, etc. are to be expected and it’s unreasonable to expect a few turns to evolve, use your Trade Ability multiple times, and attack with Riotous Beating or [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trashalanche enough to take all six Prizes. Additionally, as the length of games in Expanded shorten, the benefits of Trade as a form of consistency drops as well since there are fewer turns to use it.

To pile onto this dreary train of thought, [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is extremely popular right now! Sudowoodo is a standard inclusion in nearly all Pikachu and Zekrom-GX decks, [card name=”Coalossal VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] decks, and [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Sudowoodo cripples Zoroark-GX variants in the way a Razor scooter hurts your shin. Sudowoodo limits your Bench to a maximum of four Pokemon, which often means having only one or two Zoroark-GX especially if you need to play [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card].

So, now that I have sufficiently explained how big of a pickle Zoroark-GX is in, let me show you why you should give it a chance:

Zoroark-GX / Counters Deck List

[decklist name=”Zoroark Counters” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″][pokemon amt=”22″]4x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Unified Minds” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Yamask” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Team Up” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Celebi V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”1″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]1x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ 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=”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]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Black and White” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ 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=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]3x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

That’s right –  Zoroark-GX / Counters is back! I based this list off of a second-place finish Pedro Torres took at a large online tournament, but I found some areas that I thought could be improved.

The deck as a concept addresses a lot of what we discussed above. Since it *wants* to be behind on Prizes to utilize [card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], being slow doesn’t hurt this variant as compared to others. Secondly, Sudowoodo isn’t a death sentence as the deck runs [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. The point of the deck is to use Zoroark-GX’s Trade Ability as a way to stream Pokemon that make use of Counter Energy, which in turn take Knock Outs on multi-Prize Pokemon while being only a single Prize Pokemon themselves. Because many meta decks rely on using three Prize Pokemon, the ratio of damage to Prize is tremendous for this deck. Any single-Prize deck will be difficult to play against for this deck since it relies heavily on that Prize ratio to get across the finish line first. There are a few techs to deal with single-Prize decks, specifically [card name=”Oricorio” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”150″ c=”custom”]Mad Party[/card], but this deck is meant for a sparse single-Prize field.

Card Choices

Four Zoroark-GX, Two Tapu Lele-GX, One Dedenne-GX, and One Crobat V

In the history of Pokemon TCG tournament dominance, [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is the best card ever printed — a full four copies of [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and Zoroark-GX is a must. Although Zoroark-GX acts more as consistency in this deck, Riotous Beating is useful to set up two-shot Knock Outs on three Prize Pokemon. However against [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], Zoroark-GX does end up taking the lead role as the main attacker because of Dragapult VMAX’s Darkness-type Weakness.

Two Tapu Lele-GX is the minimum since one is used to grab [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] and the other is used to get a draw Supporter throughout the game. Pedro’s tournament list included two copies of [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], but I swapped one for a Dedenne-GX. With Trade, the effect of Dark Asset is less useful since there will be cards that can’t be played down. On the other hand, Dedechange will always be an option to reach for a key response KO with a Counter Energy attacker. Lastly, unlike Crobat V, Dedenne-GX can be searched by [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card].

One Ditto Prism Star, One Alolan Muk, One Cofagrigus, One Oricorio, No Electrode-GX and No Mew UNB

The versatility of evolving into many different pieces makes [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] one of the most important pieces for this deck, especially if your opponent uses [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to KO your [card name=”Alolan Grimer” set=”Unified Minds” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Yamask” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card].

Alolan Muk is a necessary evil for this deck since its Power of Alchemy Ability shuts off Sudowoodo’s Roadblock. In addition, Alolan Muk and [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] can be combined to be used as a pseudo-[card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]’s Garbotoxin-N comeback strategy, shutting off almost all common Abilities to drawing more cards.

[cardimg name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Another amazing inclusion in this deck is [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]. Its Six Feet Under Ability forces the opponent to take a Prize card, whether they like it or not. Since the opponent will usually try to minimize Counter Energy’s effect, having a way to ‘switch on’ Counter Energy is extremely important to close games. On top of this, Six Feet Under also places three extra damage counters on the opponent’s board. While this usually doesn’t matter since our Counter Energy attack will KO, it has come in handy to boost Riotous Beating’s output. I tried out [card name=”Electrode-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] instead of Cofagrigus since its Extra Energy Bomb Ability can grab some Energy cards from the discard pile with its effect, but giving up two Prizes was too much so Cofagrigus fits our intended purpose better. Because it’s important to access Cofagrigus throughout the game, I opted to include a Yamask too, rather than depend on Ditto Prism Star. Having both Yamask and Ditto Prism Star means that Six Feet Under can be used twice if you do need to place six damage counters in a pinch.

Oricorio is another card that has come in clutch for this deck. Of course, Supernatural Dance is here for Mad Party, but it can be used against [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Cramorant V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] to Knock Out a Mew FCO for any Energy.

Speaking of Mew, I also tried out a [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] UNB in here to prevent any issues with Cramorant V’s Spit Shot, [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tag Bolt, and [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]’s Linear Attack. However, in all of the matchups that Mew UNB would boost, the deck would handily win anyway (something about single Prize Pokemon are better than three Prize Pokemon when trading Knock Outs?)

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One Zoroark BLW / No Zoroark BKT, One Sudowoodo, One Mimikyu, and One Celebi V

Foul Play on [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] BLW is strong by threatening not only any attack on the opponent’s board but also any GX attack the opponent has too. It’s hilarious to use [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], then copy [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]’s Altered Creation GX with Foul Play via Counter Energy to get both effects! This is without mentioning the fact that Foul Play can be used for either a Counter Energy when behind or a [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] Energy. However, there’s another powerful [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]: the one from BREAKthrough! Both Stand In and Mind Jack are very valuable assets to the deck. Zoroark BKT’s Stand In Ability with Float Stone attached gives you a way to always switch your Active Spot Pokemon, and having an attack that can deal lots of damage for a vanilla DCE other than Riotous Beating will be convenient. I can see a world where I do end up running both Zoroark, but with only four Zorua and a Ditto Prism Star, having six Zoroark cards is rough when space in the deck list is tight. I ended up switching Zoroark BKT back to Zoroark BLW because Foul Play is marginally stronger.

The other attackers in this deck, [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Team Up” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] are extremely valuable for matchups against Pokemon with Fighting-type and Fairy-type Weakness respectively for return Knock Outs. Sudowoodo is great against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX and Turbo Dark; Mimikyu is perfect against Roxie / Garchomp and Giratina-GX and any Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX deck. In the same vein, [card name=”Celebi V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] is here for [card name=”Coalossal VMAX” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and as a decent vanilla attacker.

No Victini V and No Sableye V

I tried two more Pokemon V that could make use of Counter Energy: [card name=”Victini V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Victini V was included for any [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] matchups but fell short in making the impact I wanted it. It was tough to set up and almost never OHKO’d a Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX. Sableye V’s Crazy Claws is one of the few attacks that can KO a healthy Pokemon VMAX. Yet, the only way to place damage counters was Cofagrigus, so Sableye V didn’t make a splash. You could play some [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], but I felt that was straying too far from what we wanted to do with this deck: Be consistent and return Knock Outs.

One Teammates, One Brigette, No Mallow, and No Professor Kukui / Leon

I opted to keep the Supporter lineup close to what Pedro chose, but I did try other counts. I ended up with only a single copy of [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] since I would use it mostly once or twice in a game. Often, [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] could draw enough cards to get what Teammates could and more.

As I said above, the new first turn rule deterred a slow, setup card like Brigette since it could only be used to its maximum power in half of my games. Suddenly, running the usual three or four copies of Brigette isn’t as good of a use of deck space as it used to be, which is why I only play one copy. If it’s in the Prizes, at least we won’t mind it half the time! In some games where Basic Pokemon are hard to come by, going first without using Brigette leads to a turn 2 Brigette to establish a board — meaning Brigette does have plenty of value after turn one.

I tried [card name=”Mallow” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card]: It is a pseudo Teammates without the hassle of waiting for a Knock Out and it could be used at any time. Although it was surprisingly good early game with Crobat V to grab more setup pieces, typically the opponent KO’d something on that turn so Teammates was better.

Lastly, I attempted to make use of [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Leon” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] to boost some math. The main situation where this inclusion would matter is against Turbo Dark: After Cofagrigus’ Six Feet Under, Sudowoodo can OHKO a [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] by copying Dark Pulse for 90 damage ([card name=”Counter Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] counts as two Darkness Energy) to a full 110 damage (Professor Kukui) or 120 damage (Leon), after Weakness it is 220 or 240 damage. Another random situation is being able to use Sudowoodo to copy [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dread End to OHKO Eternatus VMAX with four [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark / Zoroark-GX and Crobat V for a base 150 damage plus 20 damage (Professor Kukui) or 30 damage (Leon) for a total of 340 or 360 damage after Weakness. Other than these opportunities, both cards were dead weight and I ended up cutting them.

Four Cherish Ball, Four Quick Ball, and One Pokemon Communication

Four [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] and four [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] is my favorite way to search Pokemon in a [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] deck. Cherish Ball typically fetches [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], while doubling as a way to grab Zoroark-GX for no discard cost! If you do go first, having a basic Pokemon and a Quick Ball is a good enough turn, even though you didn’t get to use Brigette. Quick Ball and Cherish Ball can search out almost everything, but I play a single [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] to help find our [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], Zoroark BLW, and Cofagrigus. I would be lying if I said I wish we could play more copies of it, but with Teammates and Zoroark-GX’s Trade it’s not overly hard to find these Pokemon.

Two Rescue Stretcher, Two Field Blower, and Two Float Stone

An ‘extra’ [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] is here to recover our Counter Energy attackers back from the discard pile or to reuse [card name=”Cofagrigus” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] to activate Counter Energy.

An essential inclusion in Zoroark-GX decks is [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]: It removes any [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] (allowing you to play [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]), [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], or can be used to discard our own Sky Field to remove damaged Pokemon on the Bench that are in danger of being KO’d. Field Blower is great to disrupt your opponent before a late [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] by removing any [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] — the opponent will have to wait another turn to attack if they don’t have an attacker prepared. Lastly, Field Blower is necessary to remove any tools on a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] with Garbotoxin, freeing Zoroark-GX to use Trade.

Having two copies of Float Stone is beneficial to retreat into any attacker at a moment’s notice. I oftentimes attach a Double Colorless Energy in preparation for the next turn if I don’t have access to any Float Stone and need a way to retreat into my next Counter Energy attacker.

One Town Map, One Computer Search / No Dowsing Machine, Three Sky Field, No Muscle Band, No Counter Catcher

[cardimg name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

One genius inclusion for this deck is [card name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. Since our strategy revolves around stringing together several different combo attacks with different Counter Energy attackers, knowing which Prize cards to take is extremely beneficial. Town Map allows you to play down to a dead hand if you have an opportunity to take a draw Supporter off of the Prize cards.

Next up is the old [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] debate. In times past with [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] available, Dowsing Machine was nothing more than a shiny card in a few binders. But after Puzzle of Time was banned, Dowsing Machine gained a foothold in a few decks that were already at maximum consistency and needed a bit of versatility to fetch some Trainer cards from the discard pile. However, I think that this deck needs Computer Search since there are so many different pieces that are needed at different times.

I play three copies of Sky Field for two reasons: It is necessary to have it in play throughout the game and you want it in play as early as possible. Sky Field is needed to have multiple Zoroark-GX in play, to use Tapu Lele-GX, [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], and to have Counter Energy attackers ready to go. Additionally, it boosts Riotous Beating and Celebi V’s Line Force attacks. One of the worst feelings is using Brigette for only one or two Pokemon since there isn’t enough Bench space. For these reasons, I decided to keep the third Sky Field over the fourth Double Colorless Energy.

For the same reasons as Professor Kukui and Leon above, I chose not to include [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] despite being better than both of them.

Another card that seems to fit in a Counter Energy deck is [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] — a guaranteed gust for only an Item card is powerful. However, this deck doesn’t need to gust too often since it Knocks Out whatever Pokemon is attacking! Since [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] can be reused with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], it has more value than Custom Catcher.

Three Double Colorless Energy and Four Counter Energy

We get to the controversial section: Running only three [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] Energy in a Zoroark deck! While it certainly looks strange, I promise that you won’t miss the fourth one, unless you’re playing against a mill / stall deck or against a Rowlet and Alolan Exeggutor-GX / Vileplume deck with lots of [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. The fact of the matter is that Riotous Beating (and Tapu Lele-GX’s Energy Drive) simply isn’t what it used to be. The behemoth HP of Tag Team Pokemon-GX and Pokemon VMAX gatekeepers a lot of old Pokemon-GX, but especially a vanilla 180 damage attack before modifiers. While I certainly use Riotous Beating to setup a two-hit Knock Out on a three Prize Pokemon, the deck doesn’t rely on it as much as it used to. This is why I felt comfortable cutting the fourth Double Colorless Energy to add a third Sky Field.

On the same note, I chose to run the maximum of four Counter Energy. Not only can you attach two Counter Energy to act as a Double Colorless Energy, Counter Energy truly is the soul of this deck by letting [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] BLW, [card name=”Celebi V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Team Up” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] attack for a single Counter Energy. It’s so important to have the access to Counter Energy’s effect that I included Cofagrigus, a historically terrible inclusion. Because of the fact that it gives the opponent a Prize card, Cofagrigus prevents the opponent from playing around Counter Energy by keeping the Prize count exactly even.

Conclusion

So there ya have it: The return of Zoroark-GX! Even though it hasn’t performed in a while, the popularity of three Prize Pokemon allows this variant to have a favorable Prize trade when it comes down to rockin’ and sockin’ the opponent. The Trade Ability always makes a deck better, especially with the tools that this deck has.

Until next time,

-Blaine

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