World’s Best — Exploring the Future of Arceus / Flying Pikachu

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here and I am happy to be bringing you all another article! Last time, I talked about the structure of the World Championship and how I suggest approaching the event as well as a deck that would have been one of my top picks for the event if I had gone, which was a unique [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] deck with no [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card]. While I do not know of anyone who played that particular build for the main event, I do know that World Championship Finalist and seven-time Regional Champion Michael Pramawat took a list like it to a Top Eight finish in the London Open, which is a large side event at the World Championship that awards Championship Points equal to a Regional Championship.

[cardimg name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As for the main event itself, the results were a bit surprising. As expected, [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] put up strong results, winning in the Juniors and Seniors divisions while also placing in the Top Four in Masters. However, to many players’ surprise, [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] was the deck that took home the title in the hands of Ondřej Škubal. Unlike Azul Garcia Griego’s list that he used to take down the North America International Championship, Škubal’s list got a bit more complicated and included two [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] for the Arceus VSTAR mirror, which proved to be a powerful choice as he faced off against Daichi Shimada in the Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX mirror match in the final match. As we approach the Baltimore Regional Championship in a few weeks, many players have their eyes set on taking down this deck after its dominant performance at the World Championship. In this article, I am gonna take a look at what makes this deck so good in the current format as well as how to approach playing it and/or beating it for upcoming Regional Championships.

What Makes the Deck So Strong?

Going into the World Championship, it seemed that a pretty good number of players had their eyes on Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX as both a deck that they needed to be prepared to beat as well as a potential play for the event. After its victory at the North America International Championship, the deck clearly proved that it had the ability to stand up to the best decks in the game, such as Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR or Mew VMAX by taking advantage of their Weaknesses in order to create a powerful Arceus VSTAR toolbox. Arceus VSTAR toolboxes of this nature have been around pretty much since Brilliant Stars was released earlier this year, largely thanks to the absurd strength of both Trinity Nova and Starbirth. These Arceus VSTAR toolboxes, however, have not just seen a little play, they have won every single North American major event since the set’s release! This level of dominance is borderline unprecedented and would even be enough to result in an emergency ban in some other card games, but for now, Arceus VSTAR remains in the Pokémon TCG.

As I already mentioned, the main thing that makes these Arceus VSTAR toolboxes so strong is, well, Arceus VSTAR. Reminiscent of [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ultimate Ray, Trinity Nova boasts one of the strongest forms of Energy acceleration in the game’s history. Attaching up to three Energy and dealing 200 damage is simply absurd. Not only that, but you can also power it up with just two attachments thanks to [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card], in exchange for reducing your damage by only 20, which is almost negligible since Trinity Nova is taking a two-hit Knock Out most of the time anyway — most Pokemon will still be Knocked Out by two hits of 180 damage, making the reduction mostly negligible. Arceus VSTAR’s biggest strength comes from Starbirth which lets you search any two cards and put them into your hand. Wait… what?! Any two cards get added to your hand for no cost? That is absurd! Historically, cards that put any card into your hand come with significant restrictions or drawbacks; cards like [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] can only be played as a one-of due to it being an ACE SPEC, or for a more recent example, [card name=”Cram-o-matic” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”229″ c=”name”][/card] requires you to discard an Item card and flip a heads. The only cards even remotely comparable to the power level of Starbirth are [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Twins” set=”Triumphant” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], but both of those require you to be at some form of a disadvantage before you can play them. Starbirth’s only drawback is that it can only be used once per game, but that is hardly a drawback when, at least most of the time, you would not even need to use it a second time if you could.

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[cardimg name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The next thing to look at is the strength of [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] itself. As a fairly low HP Pokémon VMAX with a mediocre attack, the card does not seem like it should be World Champion material, and if you think that, you are far from alone. Most of the strength of Flying Pikachu VMAX comes from the card being “good enough”, so to speak, when it comes to filling its specific niche. Prior to the release of [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], Flying Pikachu VMAX was borderline unplayable, but now that Origin Forme Palkia VMAX exists and is one of the best decks in the format, that alone is enough of a reason to justify playing it. Flying Pikachu VMAX is able to take a one-hit Knock Out on Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and barely lives outside of the range that Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR can hit with its Subspace Swell meaning that you can typically take two Knock Outs with a single Flying Pikachu VMAX. While this is great, this might not even be the best part about Flying Pikachu VMAX. Unbelievably, both Flying Pikachu VMAX and [card name=”Flying Pikachu V” set=”Celebrations” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] have no retreat cost! This means that they are the perfect starter to pivot into an [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn to pull off the turn one Trinity Charge! They also are an overall great pivot following a Knock Out that the opponent may take so that you can think about your actions with more information.

The final point that makes the broader [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / Flying Pikachu VMAX archetype so good is best put by Azul Garcia Griego in his Winner’s Interview following his win at the North America International Championship “The matchup is pretty close when played well, but I knew they would draw poorly in one of the games so I was just waiting for it in Game 3.” While this quote may not seem too relevant to the archetype itself, it brings up a good point; the Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX archetype is built in a way where it trades off the power seen in decks like Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR or [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] for a focus on being as consistent as possible, largely thanks to the deck needing a pretty small number of cards to function. Not only that, but when the opponent is able to get something going, the ever-present combination of [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] come together to slow the opponent down to your level in order to pull together a win. This largely works because most decks in the format rely on these massive combos to push an advantage, but when they are forced to play a “fair” game with Arceus VSTAR where combos are harder to pull off, Arceus VSTAR is a far more efficient attacker and is able to reliably win the game.

Now that we have explored the general basis of the Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX archetype, I think one must mention the unique addition that came with Ondřej Škubal’s deck, which was [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. On paper, this card is extremely mediocre. Between its lackluster damage output, mediocre VSTAR Power (at least when compared to Starbirth), and an irritatingly high Retreat Cost, the card seems like it has no place in a deck that is built to be efficient. At least, that is what I thought prior to seeing Ondřej Škubal playing on stream. Watching Škubal play, however, made me realize just how strong the card is. The most glaringly obvious use for Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR is to capitalize on Arceus VSTAR’s Fighting-type Weakness. Naturally, this is also the most important purpose of the card. After Azul Garcia Griego’s win at the North America International Championship, many players tried a variety of other Arceus VSTAR decks largely focused on healing to prevent two-hit Knock Outs, but with this mindset came a glaring Weakness to the opponent ever taking a one-hit Knock Out, which is exactly what Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR can do. Alongside this, playing Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR also means that you are playing [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] which is surprisingly important thanks to its Shred attack being able to cut through [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] and other similar Abilities, meaning that you do not have to deal with fitting in an otherwise useless tech card like [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Phoebe” set=”Battle Styles” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card].

Beating Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX

[cardimg name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

At long last, we have finally finished exploring all of the strengths of the Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] deck, but as we approach the Baltimore Regional Championship and other major events across the world, many players are wondering the same thing: how do we beat Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX? I have also found myself in the same boat as I also will be attending the Baltimore Regional Championship. Annoyingly, I have found no perfect answer, but I have some ideas so far… Most notably I have looked at the concept of playing bulky Arceus VSTAR decks like many others planned to do for the World Championship but also include [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] to effectively invalidate Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR entirely, swinging the matchup back into my deck’s favor. This solution seems to be one of the best so far as it also is good against other stray Fighting-types like [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Regirock” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] should you end up hitting one in the tournament.

Another option that I have explored is “alternative” [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] decks which are mainly just Arceus VSTAR decks that do not play [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. While these decks a bit less consistent as a result, they have more room to work with when it comes to taking down the Flying Pikachu VMAX menace, largely because they can fit more healing cards and other techs. Of these decks, Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Mewtwo V-UNION” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH160 ” c=”name”][/card] have been the primary focus of my testing when it comes to this type of deck thanks to their incredibly efficient ability to abuse [card name=”Hyper Potion” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card]. The Mewtwo V-UNION variant has proved to be especially interesting solely because of how strong that card is in general, not only in the Mewtwo V-UNION Stall deck that has been around for a couple of months now. The biggest issue with these decks is that they struggle with the [card name=”Crabominable V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] tech that has emerged in [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks recently, but following Mewtwo V-UNION’s poor results at the World Championship, it is fairly unlikely that people will continue to play Crabominable V in their Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR decks going forward.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the final answer that I have come up with for beating Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX is a bit anti-climactic, as it goes back to the age-old adage of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” In reality, there is no great reason to not play Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX for the upcoming Regional Championships unless you are particularly fond of playing a deck like Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and have a lot of experience with it. Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX truly has it all, from great consistency to incredible Weakness coverage. The best part of it all, though? The deck is incredibly easy to learn if you need a somewhat last-second deck to start grinding games with leading up to the big event. If you do play it, however, be warned, your deck has a big target on its back. Whether it’s Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR players that have played tons of games to learn the matchup or it’s an Arceus VSTAR deck built to beat you, playing this deck could lead to a rough event if you are not properly prepared for people that are looking to beat you. That point also transitions quite well into the next thing I want to talk about, which is what Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX looks like going forward.

The Future of the Deck

[cardimg name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As we enter the final weeks of the Astral Radiance format, it is important for [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] players to properly prepare to beat not only the rest of the format but also to beat the mirror. As I have talked about, [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] is a glaring issue in the mirror, so the first step to beating the mirror is figuring out a tech to handle Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR. Annoyingly, there are not a lot of great ways to hit Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR for Weakness in a meaningful way without making significant changes to the deck’s Energy lineup and consistency, which is not a great idea so instead, I have opted to make the minor change to include a [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card]. In addition, another major swing card against not only the mirror but also against a majority of the format is [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. Azul Garcia Griego played two Cheren’s Care at the North America International Championship, but Ondřej Škubal played zero in his World Championship deck list. I think going forward it is best to include a single copy of this card in order to beat the players playing zero copies in their list by always having access to taking the Prize lead. Aside from these minor changes, I honestly think Ondřej Škubal’s deck list is pretty much perfect so I am going to use that as a primary basis for my deck list.

My Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX Deck List

[decklist name=”arce pika deci” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″][pokemon amt=”22″]3x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Flying Pikachu V” set=”Celebrations” no=”6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Decidueye V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”26″]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Critical Cards

Between the simplicity of the deck and how standard the list is at this point, there is not a whole lot to talk about when it comes to card choices, but I wanted to pay special attention to a couple of cards in particular.

Crobat V and Lumineon V

At first, I was a bit skeptical of the split of [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], as I felt Lumineon V, in particular, was a bit unnecessary, however, as I have spent more time on this deck, I have realized the strengths of Lumineon V and am now sold on its inclusion.

[cardimg name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”156″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Naturally, Lumineon V is all about consistency and making sure you have a Supporter card when you need it so you can get out of bad hands. In this deck, though, Lumineon V finding [card name=”Marnie” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] on turn one is vital as it makes a turn-one Marnie + [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] combo much more consistent. Additionally, having Lumineon V makes the deck’s tech supporters like [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] and my newly added [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] a bit more reliable as it opens up the ability to find them whenever you need them without having to expend your Starbirth. Lastly, as always, Lumineon V is also great for finding the game-winning [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Crobat V also fills a lot of these roles, but I think it is important to note that one of the main reasons the deck plays a split is to be able to use both in a turn if needed. Additionally, having the ability to choose which will be more impactful off of a [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] or otherwise is extremely valuable.

Raihan

I have been tossing and turning on whether or not [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] is even needed in these decks. After all, it only is for the specific situation where your Energy attachment turn one gets Knocked Out and you need to re-attach it in order to reach Trinity Nova to get the ball rolling. Outside of this specific niche, though, Raihan is borderline useless. I think going forward Raihan is definitely cuttable, but I am skeptical of doing so without a strong reason, solely because the deck does need the recovery option for the situations where it does matter.

Conclusion

Following its explosive results over the last couple of months, [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] has certainly made its mark on the Standard format, presenting a big obstacle in the road to becoming a champion. In the final weeks of the Astral Radiance format, Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX is sure to continue being impactful for the Regional Championship, whether it’s in Baltimore or anywhere else in the world. Players planning to play this deck will have to be prepared to not only beat the rest of the field but also to take down the hardest matchup of all; the mirror match. With the proper techs, however, this matchup can certainly be a breeze.

With that, this article draws to a close. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, please reach out in the Subscribers’ Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).

Until next time!

– Isaiah

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