Sword & Shield’s Climax — Crown Zenith’s Implications for Orlando

By: Isaiah Cheville · Posted Posted onFeb 1, 2023 at 9:29 PM · 4 Comments

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here, and I am happy to be writing another article for you all! Last time, I talked about two decks that I thought were going to be strong plays going forward in the Standard format, which were [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] and the Lost Zone variant of [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. With the Orlando Regional Championships on the horizon and also set to be the largest Regional in history, many players, myself included, are not really sure of where to go. Both of the decks that I previously mentioned are poised to be strong plays for the event, with the former continuing to do reasonably well against most of the top decks in the format, and the latter being able to put together powerful combos to cripple other decks’ strategies from the earliest turns of the game. In the case of Regigigas in particular, while I am unlikely to personally be playing it, I think it will be an exceptionally strong play this weekend, largely thanks to the new thing on everyone’s mind: Crown Zenith.

As is typically the case, a new expansion will always shake up the format, regardless of how many cards in the expansion are expected to be impactful by those on social media. In the case of Crown Zenith, there is, objectively, not very many impactful cards, as the set is primarily a “reprint set” with the luxurious Galarian Gallery subset. However, to say that there are zero impactful cards in the expansion would also be a lie. In particular, players are heavily focused on Radiant Eternatus, Sky Seal Stone, and Zamazenta. They will also be the focus on this article.

The Three Biggest Cards in Crown Zenith

The three main cards that are expected to shake up the current metagame are Radiant Eternatus, Sky Seal Stone, and Zamazenta. Logically, I think it makes the most sense to go through these in order, starting with Radiant Eternatus.

Radiant Eternatus

In my opinion, this card is the most naturally powerful of the cards in the set. The ability to search your deck for any two Pokemon VMAX and put them into play is something that is truly unprecedented in the game’s history. The closest things like this are [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] or more recently [card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], the former of which has been banned in the Expanded format, with nearly zero chance of ever coming back. However, the biggest con to these style of cards will always be that the cards are only as strong as what they can pull out, which creates a problem for cards like [card name=”Rapid Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] which has effectively zero good targets. But on the flip side, [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] being able to target [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] proved to be so strong that it was able to win the World Championships in 2015. Radiant Eternatus finds itself in the middle of these two styles, having a strong enough card pool to catch some attention, but not so strong that the deck is deemed to be unfair. In particular, the main two targets that have attracted some attention are [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] due to their ability to completely wall out some of the best decks in the format, but I will dive deeper into that archetype later. In addition to that deck, there has also been attention given to [card name=”Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Espeon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card], and even [card name=”Kyurem VMAX” set=”Lost Origin” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. With all of these strategies, including some that surely have not yet been discovered, Radiant Eternatus is bound to be one of the best cards in the expansion.

Sky Seal Stone

Of the three cards on this list, this card is by far the one that has received the most attention. Sky Seal Stone offers a promise of an extra Prize card during a game, which opens up many new ways to route one’s Prize mapping. One of the most glaringly obvious and popular uses of this card has been with [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] for the [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. With Sky Seal Stone, Drapion V can now take four Prize cards, which means that you only need to take a Knock Out on another two Prize Pokemon, such as a [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], in order to win the game. For many decks, this new line of play is significantly easier than any other lines that they would have had previously, and is less of a problem than playing two copies of Drapion V. Additionally, if you play carefully, you can take the two Prize cards from Genesect V first and then take the four later, allowing you to completely skip the [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] part of the game, making it much easier for you to win the game. Sky Seal Stone is also expected to be impactful against [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] because it allows you to take Knock Outs on just two Pokemon instead of needing to Knock Out three. As a result, pretty much every valuable aspect of the deck is entirely negated, as the deck typically needs a minimum of six attacks to win a game, but now other decks can win in as few as four if they are playing Sky Seal Stone. Finally, Sky Seal Stone also is reasonably strong against [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], as [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] is now able to take three Prize cards. However, this strategy is often “bait” so to speak, because even the most Prize efficient archetypes cannot consistently beat a strong Lugia VSTAR player with this particular strategy, as [card name=”Stoutland V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] often allows them to make up for you taking the lead by getting an advantageous Prize card exchange of their own. Overall, Sky Seal Stone will likely make an impact on the format, but it is highly unlikely to make as much of an influence as many people claim that it is going to have.

Zamazenta

The final card that I wanted to focus on is probably the one that has the community the most divided. Zamazenta is a really interesting card to find worth mentioning because, while most of the time the focus cards of an expansion have some insanely strong attack or Ability, Zamazenta is pretty much just a good card. With a non-exceptional attack and a very okay Ability, Zamazenta is one of the cards that most people would glance over as they are building decks with a new expansion. But because it happens to be in such a small set, it is getting a little more attention than one would expect. With its Retaliate attack doing 220 damage, the card is a perfect fit in Lost Zone Box decks that have been floating around as of late, as it offers both a great check to the ever problematic Stoutland V while also offering the perfect math when paired with a [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] attack. In addition, taking 30 less damage from attacks is perfect for the [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, which can be an issue for ordinary lists, but now becomes effectively an auto-win. There really is no better way to describe Zamazenta other than calling it an excellent all-around card and likely to make major waves in Lost Zone deck lists this weekend at the Orlando Regional Championships.

With the discussion of those three cards finished, naturally, it is time to talk about deck lists. For this article, I have decided to highlight my current Radiant Eternatus / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] deck list as well as a Lost Zone variant featuring Sky Seal Stone. As of right now, I do not really have a great deck to talk about with Zamazenta, but the card is extremely splashable in Lost Zone decks, and likely to fit pretty easily into most variants of the archetype.

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Radiant Eternatus / Duraludon VMAX / Flying Pikachu VMAX Deck

As I alluded to earlier, this deck is one of the best ways that players have found to use Radiant Eternatus so far. The deck is designed to create board states that are essentially results in a checkmate victory by creating one or more walls that the opponent cannot realistically break through. An example of this would be something as simple as a [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] attached against [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], where they have no way to damage you due to Max Balloon and they cannot use [card name=”Regice” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] to stop you from using Max Balloon because of Big Parasol. In general, the deck is extremely effective at establishing these board states and is honestly really strong, but the issue is that the deck is suffering from a lot of collateral damage due to people trying to beat [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX, so the deck may not be a great play for the upcoming Orlando Regional Championships. Going forward though, I could see that changing.

[decklist name=”edp” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Eternatus V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”116″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Flying Pikachu VMAX” set=”Celebrations” no=”7″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Radiant Eternatus (SWSH12A #105)1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Sword and Shield” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]5x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The Lost Zone Engine

Funnily enough, this deck also uses the Lost Zone engine to set up. [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] offer great amounts of consistency and digging power in the early turns of the game while you are trying to hopefully find your turn 1 Radiant Eternatus followed by your copies of [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] on subsequent turns. Additionally, the Lost Zone engine also has [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] as an option for Energy acceleration, which is just enough to perfectly round out the power of the Lost Zone engine in this deck, offering both consistency and Energy presence. At first I was not super sure about it, but after a few games, I quickly realized it was a perfect fit.

One thing that may stick out, though, is only having three copies of Mirage Gate, but I have a good reason. More often than not, this deck really only needs one Mirage Gate to get to the point that you are able to chain together attacks until you win the game, whether it is a Max Balloon or even just a G-Max Pulverization to Knock Out an Amazing [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Shining Fates” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. As such, playing three copies of Mirage Gate makes sense because you never need the card early anyway, as you are often just sitting and waiting rather than needing to rush the opponent.

Pokemon VMAX Choices

I touched on this earlier, but [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] are honestly the perfect two attackers for this deck. Together they are both able to wall out an astounding majority of the format, largely thanks to the strength of Big Parasol being on their side. There is not a lot to say about intrinsic justifications, but I do think there is merit to outlining a couple game plans:

  • [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]: Double Duraludon VMAX with a Big Parasol attached to each Duraludon VMAX is almost impossible to beat
  • Lost Zone: Flying Pikachu VMAX with a Big Parasol attached and no Pokemon on your Bench wins the game most of the time
  • Regis: Flying Pikachu VMAX with a Big Parasol attached and no Pokemon on your Bench

Four Big Parasol

[cardimg name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If you asked me what the best card in this deck is, I would answer [card name=”Big Parasol” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] without even having to think about it. The card’s power in this deck is absolutely absurd, being integral to so many of the deck’s win conditions. In some matchups, just finding this card is enough to win the game outright. At first, I had just two copies in the deck, but I quickly realized that I needed a third for games where one copy is stuck in my Prizes. Then, as I kept playing, I slowly realized that I was still struggling to find the card, so I jammed in the fourth copy and it has honestly been excellent. I absolutely could not go back to playing any less now that I have taken it this far.

Three Temple of Sinnoh

As strong as this decks game plans are, they still can be a bit vulnerable to certain combinations of cards, especially if we are not fully set up yet. In the interest of making the opponent’s life even slightly difficult, I decided to add in three copies of [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] to buy a little extra time. This card is most important against Lugia VSTAR decks, which will often use Yveltal plus [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] to take a one-hit Knock Out on a Duraludon VMAX with a Big Parasol, but with a Temple of Sinnoh in play, they also have to either use [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] or use Lugia VSTAR’s Tempest Dive to discard Temple of Sinnoh, giving us an extra turn to find the cards we need to continue progressing toward our win condition. Additionally, Temple of Sinnoh shuts off the effect of [card name=”Powerful Colorless Energy” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card], making it much more difficult for [card name=”Stoutland V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] to take extra Prize cards from [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] throughout the game.

Sky Seal Stone Lost Zone Box Deck

This deck is one of the most fascinating builds of the Lost Zone toolbox style decks that I have played so far because it is one of the first that truly lives up to that name. With a plethora of different Pokemon V to use to benefit from Sky Seal Stone, the deck is able take advantage against the Weakness of most current Standard format Pokemon If for some reason you do not have the type you need for a particular matchup, the combination of [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] followed by a [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] will be able to accomplish a similar goal. This particular version of Lost Zone Box plays quite a bit different than most other variants do, largely thanks to the focus on two Prize card attackers, but despite this the deck still has all of the things that makes Lost Zone Box great. While I do not know that I will be playing this variant personally, I do think the deck is reasonably strong right now and can definitely be a good play for the Orlando Regional Championships.

[decklist name=”sss lost zone” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″][pokemon amt=”16″]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=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zapdos V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ 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=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Earthen Seal Stone (SWSH12A #143)1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Galarian Zapdos V

If I am being honest, I am really not sure about this card. In theory, [card name=”Galarian Zapdos V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] is mainly for the [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] matchups, as it is a way to take an easy three Prize cards. But more often than not, it ends up being unnecessary often for one of two reasons:

  1. They could be playing Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Duraludon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. In this case, you can take two Prize cards from Arceus VSTAR with Dragonite V since Duraludon VMAX cannot take a Knock Out against it in one hit. On the following turn, attack again with Dragonite V to put enough damage on the Duraludon VMAX so that they cannot feasibly heal all of it, and then on the following turn finish it off with a Sky Seal Stone play to take four Prize cards and win the game.
  2. They are playing Arceus VSTAR / Flying Pikachu VMAX / Others. In this case, you will just have to deal with a Flying Pikachu VMAX to win the game, and taking three Prize cards on an Arceus VSTAR does not matter in the slightest.

With these two factors in mind, the card does not have an exceptional amount of utility, but I am still keeping it in the deck for now because it offers a way to take a one-hit Knock Out on [card name=”Vikavolt V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Eternatus VMAX” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], and others.

Echoing Horn

Another part of why Galarian Zapdos V is not super relevant is because [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is the actual way for this deck to deal with a Flying Pikachu VMAX strategy. As of late, Flying Pikachu VMAX has started to pop up more and more (including in the other deck I have talked about today!), and as a result, counter cards are starting to become necessary. For this deck, Echoing Horn is the best option as a means of dealing with the card, as it is able to answer with a single combo that results in a Knock Out on the Flying Pikachu VMAX that they cannot respond to. The combo looks like this:

  1. Use Shred from Dragonite V for two turns, putting Flying Pikachu VMAX at 210 HP remaining
  2. Echoing Horn literally any Basic Pokemon from their discard pile
  3. Use [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to send Flying Pikachu VMAX to the Bench
  4. Play [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] targeting the Flying Pikachu VMAX, pulling it back into the Active Spot
  5. Use [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] to take the Knock Out, preferably with a Sky Seal Stone attached to pick up four Prize cards, likely winning the game.

If you execute this strategy, there is effectively zero ways for a Flying Pikachu VMAX deck to ever deal with it, essentially producing an absolute win condition.

Conclusion

With the release of Crown Zenith, the stale Sword & Shield to Silver Tempest format is finally getting a much needed shakeup, as minor as it may be. Adding a few more potential decks to the mix is just enough to make the format a little bit more exciting, whether they are taking advantage of Radiant Eternatus’s unique Ability or the power of Sky Seal Stone, Crown Zenith decks are sure to make an impact at the Orlando Regional Championships this weekend.

With that, this article draws to a close. I hope you enjoyed giving this article a read and were able to get some value out of it, especially if you are attending the Orlando Regional Championship. As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee).

Until next time!

– Isaiah

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