The Brightest Flame Burns Quickest – Lost Origin’s Brief Format

By: Grant Manley · Posted Oct 13, 2022 at 8:40 PM · 1 Comments

Hello everyone! This is Grant writing from between Peoria and Salt Lake City Regional Championships. The current Standard format meta finds itself in an interesting spot. For North America, there are only two events taking place in the Lost Origin format, and only two weeks apart from one another. After Salt Lake, there are no North American events for nearly two months until Toronto, and even the Latin America International Championships will be played in the Silver Tempest format. My point to all of this is that Lost Origin is short-lived.

The Current Standard Format Meta

[cardimg name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Due to the numerous online events taking place, even before Peoria, the meta has evolved significantly in a short span of time. Lost Zone toolbox and [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] emerged as the new frontrunners. Not only is the Lost Zone engine shiny and new, but also incredibly strong, and had strong results in Japan. Shortly after this, still before Peoria, decks started to include two copies of [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] to counter [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. As a result, the Comfey decks teched heavy counts of cards such as [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] Stadium in addition to the four copies of [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] that they already played. This is about where we landed when Peoria Regionals took place, with Tord Reklev winning the tournamet with said Lost Box packing four copies of Path to the Peak.

There were a few “anti-meta” decks that were played to decent results at Peoria. I use the term “anti-meta” loosely, as these are known decks but they were played with the goal of targeting a specific meta rather than being inherent powerhouses. This is noteworthy because the format was brand new, yet the meta still defined enough to play such a reactionary style of deck. At least, that’s what I thought. In reality, the Top 16 featured a menagerie of nine different archetypes.

The first of these anti-meta decks was [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], played by my group as well as some others. Two Regi players made Top 16, while two others including myself bubbled out. Regigigas boasts strong matchups against Lost Zone decks, [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], while taking a 50-50 to [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and a losing matchup to [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Regi’s incredible matchups come at the cost of some consistency, but compared to the rest of the meta decks, it doesn’t feel all that inconsistent. [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] makes the deck insanely strong compared where the deck was at pre-Lost Origin, and a third [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] was added to counter the addition of [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] in Mew VMAX decks.

Regi performed fairly well for our group at Peoria. Kidd bubbled out of Top 8, I bubbled out of Top 16, and Azul also made Top 32. Our losses were mainly due to bricking, as the deck is able to crush most matchups when it’s firing on all cylinders. Caleb lost his win-and-in to Hisuian Goodra VSTAR, which was an unfortunate pairing because it us a bad matchup. I found that Regi, being a single-Prize deck, sometimes has slower games. This led to me taking three unintentional ties, which was a huge bummer. Two of those matches I was guaranteed to win and the other was a 50-50. It is not always apparent when to scoop, especially with a deck like this Regi. This is a potential downside of the deck that we did not anticipate. It’s easy to accept losing only one game in a best-of-three, but sometimes that means you’re tying instead of winning the match.

The other anti-meta deck was Hisuian Goodra VSTAR, which had two Top 16 placements but none in Top 8. Hisuain Goodra VSTAR is especially strong against single-Prize decks, though it has questionable matchups elsewhere, being notably weak against Mew VMAX. However, Mew VMAX had a weak showing in the tournament with only one placed in the Top 16.

What Decks Performed Best?

With all this talk about the decks that made Top 16, that begs the question, what decks performed the best? Although Lost Box won the event, it was the only one of its kind in Top 16. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR variants actually made up five of the Top 8 in a clear display of dominance. However, two were [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] builds, with our very own Zakary Krekeler playing just a 1-1 line of Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR. Although we all knew Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR / Inteleon was still good after its dominance in the Astral Radiance format, it just wasn’t talked about in light of all the new decks from Lost Origin. Although it didn’t take first place, I’d say that getting second along with two other Top 8 spots made it the best-performing deck of the tournament.

Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR is the outlier here for a few reasons. For one, it is a well-rounded deck that has a manageable matchup against everything. Of all the nine different decks in Top 16, there is not one that I can say Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR is unfavored against. The downside to the deck is its inconsistency. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR is likely the least-consistent deck in the format, making it much better suited for best-of-three than best-of-one. Of the twelve games against Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR I played at Peoria, my opponent bricked in at least half of them.

Pre-Peoria, I classified every deck as one of three categories: single-Prize, defensive, or nuke. Single-Prize decks beat nuke decks, nuke decks beat defensive decks, and defensive decks beat single-prize decks. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out which deck belongs to which category, except when it comes to Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR. I initially classified the deck as a nuke deck. It has fairly high damage output and historically struggles with tanky decks such as [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”220″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Stonjourner VMAX” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card]. However, Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR is a lot more dynamic than nuke decks. It has more lines, more options, and more versatility. I don’t believe it fits neatly into one of the three boxes that I had assigned to the format.

It’s impressive that [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] was able to get Top 8 and Top 16, but I still think that deck is complete trash. If you want to hear more detail as to why, tune in to twitch.tv/tricroar and you can get my anti-Zoroark propaganda rant live and uncensored. Interestingly, Giratina VSTAR took just one Top 8 spot with no others in Top 16, aside from the lone [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / Giratina VSTAR, which is considered a different archetype. Since Giratina VSTAR was the second-most popular deck, I would say it underperformed for how strong it supposedly is.

Salt Lake City Power Rankings

Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR
Lost Zone Box
Flying Pikachu VMAX
Regigigas
Mew VMAX
Giratina VSTAR
Kyurem VMAX
Hisuian Goodra VSTAR
Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR

Analysis of the Meta

Two of the most versatile decks in the current meta are [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and Lost Zone box because they can handle a wide variety of matchups. They have a lot of support, strong engines, and are well-rounded decks. It’s no surprise that they got first and second at Peoria, and that is why they are the two best decks in the format. However, that [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] coming in at number three on my list might seem quite random.

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

The Power Ranking list is based on my opinion, though I believe it to be fairly objective. The list simply denotes how strong each deck is in the current meta. Flying Pikachu VMAX had a few Day 2 spots at Peoria, though it didn’t have any particularly strong finishes. That said, Flying Pikachu VMAX is the most high-risk, high-reward play for Salt Lake City. The risk is that it is weak to [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] (though the latter could easily be fixed by including two [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]). However, if you look at the rest of the list, Flying Pikachu VMAX’s matchups look quite good. Flying Pikachu VMAX decks at Peoria played [card name=”Espeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] as a counter to both [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]. Although Sableye can get a few attacks, they still have to deal with the entire deck as well as counter Stadiums. [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t play [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], so it has no way to OHKO Flying Pikachu VMAX or an Arceus VSTAR with support from [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]. Of course, this would change if the Giratina VSTAR list plays [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. Flying Pikachu VMAX naturally beats both Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Overall, Flying Pikachu VMAX is quite the meta call, and it has the potential to finish well too.

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One deck that I neglected to include is [card name=”Blissey V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], which has gathered a bit of hype and success at online tournaments. However, I believe this to be an online-only fad, and that Blissey V won’t perform well at SLC. I am prepared to eat my words, but I am not personally considering nor worried about the deck.

Regigigas is ranked fairly high considering that Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and Lost Box are the automatic top two. As I said before, the deck has great matchups into the current meta. Although it loses hard to Flying Pikachu VMAX, that deck just isn’t popular at all right now, so it’s an acceptable loss to take. I played the deck at Peoria to a decent result, and there’s a chance that I just run it back for SLC.

Mew VMAX is next. It can contend with the top decks, and it is such a ridiculously strong deck in its own right. Drapion V is a card that most players don’t use correctly. They assume that one Drapion V will beat Mew VMAX, which is only sometimes true. If your deck can reliably take out one Mew VMAX on its own, such as Kyurem VMAX or Giratina VSTAR, then one Drapion V is enough to swing the matchup. However, if your deck loses to Mew VMAX and you include one Drapion V, that won’t help much. You’d need two Drapion V to do the job. At Peoria, everyone was ready for Mew VMAX. However, with zero Mew VMAX making Top 8 in Peoria, it may be hard to justify countering it when there are so many other decks to worry about. I want to play Mew VMAX, but I probably won’t end up doing so.

Giratina VSTAR and Kyurem VMAX are just solid “good decks.” I don’t think they are anything special. I think Giratina VSTAR is better because of its versatility and it is harder to counter. I never respected Kyurem VMAX that much, which is why I was surprised to see it take third and fourth at Peoria. These decks are both solid but nothing to write home about. They were two most popular decks at Peoria, and they are on everyone’s radar.

The last two decks I haven’t mentioned are [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]. They don’t have great matchups. Hisuian Goodra VSTAR is lacking in terms of damage, and Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR is lacking in consistency. These decks feel like strictly worse options than the rest. I’ve played with most of the decks in the format at this point, and Goodra and Zoroark felt the worst to play. I do not recommend them.

The Game Plan For Salt Lake

For the Salt Lake City Regional Championships, or any other events for the rest of the format, you need to be able to beat Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and Lost Box. You don’t have to auto-win them, as that would be a difficult task, but you need a plan to deal with them and a deck that is capable of doing so. The rest of the matchups are of secondary importance. Of course, you want to take as many favorable matchups as possible, but you will have to choose trade-offs when it comes to the rest of the meta. In general, taking losses to decks like Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR and Hisuian Goodra VSTAR is better than taking losses to decks like Kyurem VMAX and Giratina VSTAR, as the latter are much more popular. I also think it’s acceptable to work on deck with a bad Mew VMAX matchup, as you can simply add two Drapion V if you ever feel like it.

I rated Flying Pikachu VMAX and Regigigas high on the power ranking because of their strength as a meta call, but that doesn’t mean they will be all that popular. Although there will be a few players running them, they will likely never top the likes of Mew VMAX, Giratina VSTAR, or Kyurem VMAX in terms of popularity. Also, if you’re playing in online tournaments, Regigigas is a non-issue because [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is currently bugged on PTCGO. As a result, the Regi deck is unplayable.

I haven’t played much Flying Pikachu VMAX since Lost Origin dropped, but here is my current list for the deck going into Salt Lake City. This list should be considered a starting point for a deck that is way under-explored right now.

[decklist name=”arc p” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″][pokemon amt=”24″]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]2x [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”25″]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]1x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]If you can overlook the bad [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, this deck is cracked. [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] need no introduction. We’ve left the [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] strategies that [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] used to rely on, as that Stadium card is now more harmful to the deck. Furthermore, we have [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] to beat [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], so Path to the Peak isn’t necessary. [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] alone is just as useful as Marnie + Path to the Peak against Lost Zone decks. Flying Pikachu VMAX itself is insanely strong against [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], Lost Box, and [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Espeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”65″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck’s new toy is [card name=”Espeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card]. As I mentioned earlier, it counters [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] so long as you can keep Path to the Peak out of play. Both [card name=”Espeon V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and Espeon VMAX have usable attacks in niche situations, so don’t forget about them! [card name=”Miltank” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] single-handedly counters Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]. Although those aren’t the most popular decks, they are otherwise unwinnable matchups. Miltank is sure to steal a win or two over the course of an entire tournament.

Another fantastic card in this deck is [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] that has been previously overlooked in favor of Path to the Peak. Collapsed Stadium does a few things for the deck. First, it counters Path to the Peak, specifically against Sableye. It also helps against Sableye because it can be used to discard damaged Pokemon, or to counter [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. On that note, Collapsed Stadium is great against any deck with [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], and has double utility against Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR by reducing its damage, or Mew VMAX by limiting their draw potential! Finally, Collapsed Stadium can get rid of that pesky [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], which is often a liability despite its early-game usefulness.

The rest of the deck is fairly simple and self-explanatory. It operates similar to previous iterations of Flying Pikachu VMAX, which of course won both the North America International Championships and the World Championships. It’s no slouch of a deck, and its anti-meta properties make it an enticing meta call for Salt Lake City.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that I’m writing from the perspective of a North American competitive player, which is why I use reference points such as Peoria and Salt Lake City. Regardless of where you’re from, this article is meant to cover the Lost Origin format as a whole. For you, the format may be lasting longer than two weeks because you’re looking at games other than the Regional Championships in North America. The points and strategies I cover in the article apply the same. Since this game is very much a global one, the meta more or less evolves in the same way for everyone. This is especially true with the prevalence of online events these days. To retain that competitive edge, it’s important to keep up with the developments of the meta, even from other regions. It just so happens that Peoria and Salt Lake City are both North America events that are so close together. Before that, it was events from Japan, Singapore, etc. that were shaping the Lost Origin meta.

If I had to pick a deck for Salt Lake City right now, I would go with either Regi or Flying Pikachu VMAX. Regi is relatively simple to play, it has good matchups, and is consistent enough. Flying Pikachu VMAX seems like a solid play as well, though I might try to figure something out for the Kyurem VMAX matchup. Interestingly, the two Kyurem VMAX I played against at Peoria did not run [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. Against that variant, the Miltank tech would instantly win after you’ve removed their [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card].

I could also see myself playing Lost Box, though I typically favor decks that have less of a target on their backs. The Lost Box mirrors are also atrocious to play, though not entirely skill-less. I wouldn’t fault anyone for playing Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR. I just personally can’t get over that deck’s inconsistencies. Mew VMAX is the final deck I would personally consider playing. It’s ridiculously powerful and fun, but has a high risk of running into Drapion V and instantly losing if Drapion V’s partner happens to be something like Giratina VSTAR or another Drapion V. I would consider playing a combo of [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], which perhaps could work against Giratina VSTAR, but that’s something I would need to test. Roxanne plus Path to the Peak also gives you an outside shot of beating double Drapion V.

I wouldn’t play anything lower than Mew VMAX on my power rankings list, though I don’t entirely fault anyone for doing so. I just think those decks are worse than the other available options. I wish I could come up with some creative control deck, as those are always fun and broken. Unfortunately, the meta is too powerful and diverse to do so right now. [card name=”Mewtwo V-UNION” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH162 ” c=”name”][/card] is sadly unplayable right now, as it loses to Giratina VSTAR, Drapion V, Kyurem VMAX, etc. Mewtwo V-UNION, or control decks in general, have few options, so they will require a drastic meta shift before they are worth looking at again.

That’s all I have for today. Thanks for reading! I hope this article was helpful. My goal was to provide a breakdown of the meta, as well as some direction for how to respond to it. There wasn’t anything too crazy at Peoria, so hopefully we will see some interesting decks pop up at Salt Lake City. There isn’t much time left in the Lost Origin format. My next article will probably be taking a look at the next set, Silver Tempest!

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