Lost Box Has Reached Its Final Form

Hello everyone! The Silver Tempest meta is finally drawing to a close after several [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]-infested tournaments. The Liverpool Regional Championships should take place around the time this article is published, and after that, it’s Crown Zenith for the Orlando Regional Championships. I’ll touch on Crown Zenith momentarily, but first I want to talk about Lost Zone Toolbox.

[cardimg name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Lost Box is the deck that I’ve been playing at every tournament in this format. I believe it’s the best deck in the format by a long shot. Overall, it’s seen middling success in terms of results. This is due to very few people actually playing the deck, and fewer still playing it at a passable level. The deck is astronomically difficult to play, which is its biggest fault as a deck. You have to work so hard and use so many brain cells, and your payoff is a deck that plays long and grindy games where you can’t afford to make a mistake. Alternatively, you could play Lugia VSTAR, which is nearly as good and requires basically zero thought to end games in three to four turns.

Don’t get me wrong, Lugia VSTAR is a deck that takes lots of skill to play perfectly, but you can still win games without the technical ability. Lost Box is way more demanding, which makes it difficult to play and even more difficult to justify picking up. My testing group has brought Lost Box to every Silver Tempest event with decent results, proving that the deck is at least viable and consistent. Unfortunately, I narrowly missed Day 2 at the past two Regional Championships due to some terrible variance and minor mistakes.

Anyway, I do have a point. I want to lay out how to play the deck as clearly as possible so that more people have the opportunity to play the deck and see success with it. I do not know if I have a particular affinity for the deck, but I’ve been playing it at all these tournaments simply for lack of a better option. Out of four major events, the most recent one (San Diego) was the only one where I was confident I had the optimal 60. This deck is incredibly versatile from a deckbuilding standpoint, and had undergone changes from event to event. After months of working with it, my testing group has finally gotten to the point where the deck is optimized. Of course, the list may change in the near future, but even our previous iterations of the deck were not necessarily optimal at their time.

For a thorough introduction of the deck and a cursory glance at its matchups, please check out my previous article on Lost Box. Today’s article will build off of that one, so it’s a sequel of sorts. There are two main points of interest in this particular list.

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Lost Zone Deck List

[decklist name=”lzb” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zeraora” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Bird Keeper” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Battle Styles” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]5x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]First, [card name=”Zeraora” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] has been chosen as the deck’s Lightning-type attacker. Although you don’t necessarily need a Lightning-type attacker, it provides too much value for very little commitment. It is probably the best type in the game right now due to the Weaknesses it can pick on.

Zeraora is much easier to use than [card name=”Zekrom” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”TG05″ c=”name”][/card] due to its low-maintenance Energy cost. Zeraora’s free retreat also comes in handy, or at the very least it means that Zeraora is never a liability. Zeraora also one-shots Lugia VSTAR with a [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] , making it equal to Zekrom in that regard. Zekrom’s trademark is its paralysis, but most [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] decks now have some sort of answer these days. Zeraora’s Energy cost means that it can become an oppressive early-game force when you go first and attach to it. Overall, it’s better against Lugia VSTAR and gives you a reasonable answer to [card name=”Empoleon V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card].

The next big tech is [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card]. Frankly, it’s an embarrassment that this card was not in the deck until now. I just hadn’t thought about it. Azul was the one who brought this card to our attention, and we all immediately saw its value. Dragonite gives this deck an easy way to Knock Out the opponent’s Active Pokemon. Furthermore, Dragonite V solves several problems by itself. Matchups such as [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mewtwo V-UNION” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH160 ” c=”name”][/card] were very troublesome for this deck before, but Dragonite V does so much damage and has enough HP that it makes those matchups trivial. Furthermore, Dragonite V’s insane stats can help against annoying matchups such as random [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] decks or [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card].

Dragonite V also has a Shred attack which completely invalidates opposing [card name=”Eiscue” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card]. Dragonite V happens to have Energy costs that are very conducive to the deck’s counts of Energy, so it is a low-commitment tech card to include. Finally, Dragonite V also helps against the Regi matchup by giving the deck an easy way to take out Regis in an even Prize trade. Trading evenly against Regis is great because you can gain an advantage with [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] at the end of the game.

In all ways imaginable, Dragonite V is the perfect tech for this variant of Lost Box, and I am an absolute fool for not having it earlier. Thinking about it, I would have easily won the Toronto Regional Championships with that card in the deck!

The Future

I am notoriously bad at predicting future metas, but it is not exactly a hot take to say that Crown Zenith won’t be too impactful on the meta. It will probably be similar to the Pokemon GO set when it was released. We saw the Astral Radiance format go mostly unchanged into the Pokemon World Championships, with the minor additions of [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]. I expect Crown Zenith to have a similar effect. This is largely a good thing for Lost Box. It means that most pieces of knowledge and info pertaining to the deck will remain relevant for some time.

However, there are some points of interest that do pertain to Lost Box. Which do you want first, the good news or the bad news? Let’s start with the bad.

One card that is receiving tons of hype and discussion is Radiant Eternatus. It’s an incredibly interesting Radiant Pokemon that tutors Pokemon VMAX into play. Most of the hype it is receiving centers around [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card], with some talk of other Pokemon VMAX’s such as [card name=”Espeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Regieleki VMAX” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. Flying Pikachu VMAX is quite annoying for Lost Box. It has a ton of HP and it is invincible against Basic Pokemon. This makes it extremely difficult to deal with. Duraludon VMAX is annoying at worst now that the deck has Dragonite V, but if they find a way to deal with Dragonite V, Duraludon VMAX’s bulk becomes a big problem as well.

The good news is twofold. First, I don’t think Radiant Eternatus is very good, despite the hype. Radiant Eternatus looks good because it is being compared to everything else in Crown Zenith, which is a mediocre set at best. Radiant Eternatus might see a little play at first, but I don’t think it’s anything to be overly worried about as a Lost Box player.

Additionally, Lost Box can potentially play the new Zamazenta from Crown Zenith. Zamazenta is a fairly bulky single-Prize attacker that deals 220 damage. However, its Energy cost requires a pivot to Metal Energy in the list instead of Lightning Energy. You may still keep one Lightning Energy for Dragonite V. I’m not completely sure if Lost Box needs to play Zamazenta, but it certainly offers some value.

Most notably, Zamazenta can easily take a KO on [card name=”Stoutland V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] without needing to attach a [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. This is a valuable option for Lost Box to have. Currently, if you whiff the [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] plus Choice Belt to KO Stoutland, you just lose. Zamazenta would theoretically improve the deck’s winrate against Lugia VSTAR. However, I’ve been pretty consistent at smashing Lugia VSTAR with the deck as it currently is anyway. You could also use Dragonite V, but trading into a Stoutland V with another two Prize Pokemon is just asking to lose the Prize trade.

Rayquaza Sucks

[cardimg name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I want to go on a mini-rant about why Amazing Rare [card name=”Rayquaza” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] sucks, or more specifically, why the Kyogre version is better. Rayquaza is basically Lost Box for dummies, so if you play it you are self-reporting. We tested the Rayquaza version for a bit, and it’s been rapidly growing in popularity and success I theorize this is because people want to play Lost Box and realize its power, but don’t have the ability to play Kyogre. To be fair, that is valid. Anyone who’s not a sweaty nerd like me plays the game as a hobby and doesn’t have the time to sink into playing a deck like Kyogre. As I said, it is a lot of work for relatively little payoff.

However, from a competitive standpoint (which is what this article is about) there is no good reason to play the Rayquaza version. Rayquaza is insanely high-maintenance and therefore requires you to build the entire deck around it. This pigeonholes you into relying on Rayquaza for every situation, which leaves you vulnerable to getting outplayed and simply running out of resources. Sure, the deck has other attackers such as [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Raikou” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], but those have absolutely no synergy with Rayquaza. You’re still going to get curb stomped by other dedicated single-Prize decks. It’s like trying to use a band-aid on a bullet wound.

Rayquaza doesn’t even beat competent Lugia VSTAR players with [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. All they have to do is trade single-Prizers and then use Stoutland V to end the game. If they start out ahead, they can also use Stoutland V in the mid game and force a Rayquaza response, denying any tricky spread plays. Sableye can take out their Manaphy, but then they can prevent you from using Raikou for three Prizes over two attacks and still win the Prize trade, which is the whole point of Manaphy anyway. Trading two Rayquaza into Snorlax and Radiant Charizard also sounds miserable. You’re just going to run out of stuff sometimes.

The merit to Rayquaza previously was that you beat stuff like Duraludon VMAX and [card name=”Mewtwo V-UNION” set=”Sword and Shield Black Star Promos” no=”SWSH159 ” c=”name”][/card], but that point is now irrelevant because of the discovery of Dragonite V!

Gameplay Tips

Using Comfey

This is both the best and worst card in the deck. [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] does everything for you, but it can also ruin entire game plans or force you to get rid of your most likely win conditions. When I have the option, I usually use Flower Selecting after [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. This is because you have the most information after drawing cards from less volatile sources, so you’ll be able to make better decisions on Flower Selecting. Flower Selecting usually forces you to get rid of useful resources. I’m not sure if I know how to properly explain this, but the jist is the more information you have, the better decisions you’ll be able to make. Since Comfey forces the more difficult decisions, you prioritize having information for Comfey rather than for Colress’s Experiment.

Speaking of Colress, this Supporter is the one card I’m least likely to send to the Lost Zone off Comfey. This is because Colress’s Experiment is the best card in the deck, and you want to use all four copies in every game, in every matchup. There are two exceptions. If a crucial win condition is the other option off Flower Selecting, such as [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], or a situational piece, you must get rid of Colress’s Experiment. The other exception is if my opponent doesn’t play hand disruption, such as in the mirror match. If I’m drawing tons of cards with other draw sources and I won’t get disrupted, Colress’s Experiment is less important. It’s still the best card in the deck, but you can afford to get rid of one.

I try to avoid sending more than two Energy cards into Lost Zone in games I plan on using Kyogre, but you can opt to send more Energy cards into the Lost Zone in some games where you aren’t using Kyogre. In these matchups, you can afford to send one [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Battle Styles” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and/ or one Ordinary Rod into the Lost Zone as long as the other copy is in the deck. However, I usually avoid getting rid of Ordinary Rod, since I often like to use both copies in on game.

When possible, use [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] before Flower Selecting to thin the deck and avoid sending precious Energy cards into the Lost Zone. Mirage Gate is a high-priority card since most matchups require you to use three copies of this Item card to win. I give it similar priority to Colress’s Experiment when deciding what to Lost Zone off Flower Selecting, however it is a little less important.

Cards such as Choice Belt, [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], and all of the Pokemon are entirely matchup-dependent. Sometimes you cannot send those cards to the Lost Zone, but other times they are easy choices to sacrifice. Switch cards like [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] are often the go-to cards to send to the Lost Zone, as they are usually less important and more plentiful than whatever the other option is.

Spare Energy attachments almost always go to Comfey, because multiple Comfey will retreat over the course of a game. Retreats are a resource that can be used once per turn, so don’t neglect them! Although Comfey is the worst attacker in the deck, don’t forget that it can attack. It can do 60 damage with a Choice Belt attached, or 120 damage to an opposing Pokemon with a Psychic-type Weakness.

If you know you’re going to be using [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], promote the Comfey that doesn’t have an Energy attached off your opponent’s KO. If you know you won’t be using Scoop Up Net, promote the Comfey with an Energy attached. If you don’t know, evaluate the board state and take a guess.

Check your Prizes, as they help you make better informed Flower Selecting decisions. At the very least, check your counts of Basic Energy cards (most important), tech attackers, Ordinary Rod, Energy Recycler, and Mirage Gate. Sometimes you will have to pivot your entire game plan based off of one bad Flower Selecting.

Using Sableye

This card’s uses depend entirely on the matchup. It is most important in mirror. [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] is nearly as important against [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] to get those first two Prizes. You usually need one or two Sableye against [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], depending on how the game goes. Sometimes you don’t need any. The same goes for the Regi matchup.

Sableye’s damage placement depends entirely on the situation. Common uses in mirror are to one shot opposing Sableye or Manaphy, while placing one to three on other low-HP Pokemon such as Comfey. The idea is to set up a two-Prize play with your next Sableye while also playing around Switch Cart and Scoop Up Net. If your opponent tries to play around it, you can also place two damage counters on [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], three damage counters on [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”TG12″ c=”name”][/card], etc. to set up for a [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] play. After enough Sableye attacks, your opponent will eventually run out of [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. Sableye is the most important attacker in mirror.

Common uses against Lugia VSTAR is to take out Manaphy or [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card], or to put Lugia VSTAR in range of Kyogre. You also can use Sableye to set up or finish off both [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s best to use Radiant Greninja first followed by Sableye. That damage won’t be going anywhere, and Radaint Greninja isn’t susceptible to a [card name=”Stoutland V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] KO. Sableye can also take out Oranguru, or pressure [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] to force your opponent to use Aqua Return (while placing relevant damage counters elsewhere at the same time).

Against Regi, you can use Sableye for 4-4-4, setting up Radiant Greninja for a two Prize play. However, this is susceptible to your opponent playing double Scoop Up Net to save thier Regis. Sableye can also take out [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] for a clean Prize card.

Sableye can also set up or finish off combos with [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] in various situations. If you’re only going after two Pokemon and looking to maximize damage, Radiant Greninja is stronger despite being much costlier.

Using Oranguru

Using Oranguru to fix your Flower Selecting is almost never the correct play. Although it can mitigate risk especially in the late-game, it is also squandering Oranguru’s true power. If there’s a reasonable chance that your opponent will play [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] on their next turn, use Primate Wisdom at the end of your turn to protect against Marnie. If your opponent is very unlikely to use Marnie (such as in the mirror), use Oranguru to upgrade the worst card in your hand before shuffling the deck. The useless card that you put back will end up in the Lost Zone eventually.

If you accumulate lots of Energy cards in hand, Primate Wisdom can enable [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re nearing the bottom of your deck, Primate Wisdom can optimize your Kyogre play. Finally, Oranguru can be used to dig one card further into the deck. This has occasionally bailed me out by getting the missing [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], finding an Energy card, or getting a [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card].

Using Kyogre

[cardimg name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Only use [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] if you’re guaranteed to get the discard Energy cards off the top of your deck. Although Kyogre isn’t bad as far as desperation options go, you should always be using it with a guaranteed result. Thanks to this deck’s ability to tear through the deck, you can thin quickly and make a guaranteed Kyogre play with [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Battle Styles” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. Although Kyogre is often used to end games, it is also frequently used one turn ahead of schedule. An premature Kyogre can catch opponents off guard and take many Prize cards at once, so it isn’t always used as a closer. Sometimes it is even easier to get value out of Kyogre when you are using it one turn before you win the game. By taking two KOs, Kyogre is also removing options and resources from the opponent.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Although there is more to be said about playing Lost Box, using most of the other cards is very intuitive and used on a when-needed basis. Thin the deck aggressively and plan ahead so that you can expend resources accordingly. Knowing matchups and your Prizes are important pieces of information that affect how well you play the deck. A lot of it also comes with experience.

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