Peoria Develops the Meta — Time to Turn to Lost Box

Hello everyone! Recently the Peoria Regional Championships concluded. It was a massive tournament with some interesting results. My group and I played [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], a deck that I wrote about recently. Gardevoir is an extremely strong deck, and one of the best things about it is that it doesn’t have any truly bad matchups. Every deck feels like it is a decent matchup, and Gardevoir will usually win when it sets up. I had a strong start at 8-1-1, but then everything fell apart and I lost or tied my remaining rounds. No one from my group did well at this tournament, and I ended up with a lackluster Top 128 finish.

One of the biggest frustrations with Gardevoir ex was its inconsistency, and the fact that the deck is fairly high-maintenance. Gardevoir needs a string of things to go right for it to win a game, and there are so many things that can cause its game plan to fall apart. Of course, when I drew well, I clobbered many opponents and it felt great. On the other hand, I had some frustrating losses due to a variety of things going wrong. I could have played better in Day 2, but I don’t think I made any egregious throws, nor could I have improved to a much stronger finish anyway.

Another problem is that Gardevoir ex is a very slow deck. Gardevoir’s games involve significantly more actions than other decks, and it uses mostly single-Prize Pokemon. Furthermore, it is a deck that comes from behind, which means that neither player is inclined to concede games based on how they start. For these reasons, best-of-three matches involving Gardevoir nearly always use up the entire clock, with many of them resulting in a tie. This is true regardless of what deck the opponent is playing. I play faster than 90 percent of players I’ve encountered, and I don’t want to compromise my integrity by changing my pace to what is “optimal” for a Gardevoir player based on the situation. This means that I just shouldn’t play the deck.

Peoria Results

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

Peoria as a whole was similar to the Pittsburgh Regional Championships in that it was dominated by Lost Box and [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]. Lost Box, being a reasonably consistent deck with decent matchups, is what I should have played. It is no surprise to see Lost Box get first and second place. [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] is a broken attacker, and the Turbo build is probably the best overall deck in the game right now. Lost Box is fairly difficult to play, but it’s no surprise to see skilled players bring out the best of it.

Miraidon ex continues is strong success, adapting to the [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] to help it against [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. Miraidon got stronger with the addition of [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]. One of my biggest complaints with Miraidon is its lack of a draw engine. After its initial explosion of setting up with its Tandem Unit Ability and hopefully a Supporter, it is left with basically nothing to sustain it. Mew ex’s Restart Ability somewhat helps with this. Although it doesn’t draw a ton of cards, it is better than nothing. This turns out to be very impactful when dealing with your opponent’s late-game [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] disruption. Miraidon naturally thins Pokemon and Energy cards out of the deck, so drawing just a few cards with Restart will often give it some options after your opponent plays Iono. Furthermore, Mew ex offers an alternative attacking option. Unless you have two [card name=”Flaaffy” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] established, your opponent will see it coming, but this new Mew from 151 is a powerful enough card that it is still worth using.

Miraidon ex was a very popular deck, as it is extremely fast and powerful, all while being relatively brainless. It ended up in Top 4, Top 8, and Top 16. If Pittsburgh’s results weren’t enough to convince you to respect Miraidon and prepare for it, Peoria certainly should solidify that.

The biggest difference from Pittsburgh to Peoria was the explosion in popularity of the Darkness-type Charizard ex. Charizard was actually the most popular deck at the tournament. Although it did not make it into the Top 8, it got several Top 16 spots. I played against four of them, almost in a row, in Day 1. This huge spike in popularity proves that the American meta is indeed affected by smaller tournaments in other parts of the world. The recent Curitiba Regional Championships in Brazil was dominated by the new [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] build of Charizard, and this influenced many players to pick up the deck for Peoria. Personally, I have run into some consistency issues when playing the deck. This is the nature of high-maintenance Stage-2 decks. I would say it is comparable to [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] in terms of consistency, even though the two decks have drastically different engines and styles of play.

Another interesting development is [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] deck lists switching back to the pure [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] build, forgoing the whole [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] package. The reason for this is so the deck can focus on continuously disrupting the opponent. Aside from the usual [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card], the deck now plays [card name=”Grabber” set=”151″ no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Luxray V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] for a more effective hand lock. This is a very cool and interesting build, though I’m sure it is miserable to play against. DTE Mew is generally more consistent than Fusion Mew, but with worse matchups. However, the hand lock combo gives it a better chance against Charizard specifically, which was a necessary meta development for Mew. In addition, the lock can give you many cheesy wins over the course of a tournament. Even if the lock fails, it is still a powerful Mew VMAX deck that deals tons of damage very quickly and has an unparalleled consistency engine. This deck got Top 4, Top 16, and saw several other Day 2 placements.

Another deck in Top 8 was an interesting [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] deck. I still don’t think this deck is very good, but at the very least it was good enough to make Top 8. This was definitely the most unique deck in Top 8, as it included unusual cards such as [card name=”Ditto” set=”151″ no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Articuno” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]. I am happy to see these cards do well because I think they are cool. However, I think this list struggles to take advantage of Radiant Charizard’s strengths as it does not include [card name=”Cross Switcher” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”230″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Magma Basin” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card], as well as only one copy of [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Thus, the Radiant Charizard usage is heavily restricted.

Rounding out the Top 8 at Peoria was a completely normal [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] list and a slightly offbeat [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] list. Chien-Pao is a very luck-based deck that tries to high roll to win, and it has a ridiculous power level. With enough Chein-Pao representation, it is almost inevitable that one of them will hit the RNG lottery and make it into the Top 8. That said, Grant Shen is a skilled player who can most optimally take advantage of Chien-Pao’s upsides, so it is no surprise to see him placed among the best eight players of the tournament.

[cardimg name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”245″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Top 8 Gardevoir ex list looks atrociously terrible at first glance, but Australia’s Brent Tonisson is a very consistent and skilled player, and he did much better with Gardevoir than I did at this event. He probably knows something I don’t, which made me want to take a closer look at the deck list. But after doing so, I still think it looks bad, so I will have to try it out myself. After several negative experiences with playing Gardevoir, the archetype has left a bitter taste in my mouth.

The main thing that I like about the Top 8 Gardevoir ex list is the maxed out counts of the search cards. This should increase the consistency of setting up multiple [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] quickly, which of course leads to drawing more cards. In exchange, the list foregoes the package of [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. I really enjoyed those cards that allow for explosive turns, and they increase consistency as well. It is possible that Brent’s version is better, but who knows? This list also plays just two [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], so it really focuses more on getting your Kirlia setup. Even without Lumineon V, there are still two copies of [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. This seems unnecessary to me. I normally just use Collapsed Stadium to remove Lumineon anyway. The other uses for it are cool, but don’t come up very often. The inclusion of [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t make that much sense to me. It seems it is best as a surprise against other decks with [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. Perhaps Gardevoir takes advantage of surprise cards more, since it doesn’t finish entire best-of-three sets. Therefore, even getting just one cheese win has more value than normal.

There is a complete lack of [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], giving the deck fewer overall Path to the Peak counters. However, with increased counts of Iono and [card name=”Worker” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] (with no Professor’s Research), Pal Pad won’t be needed as often.

The final thing of note from Peoria is the lack of [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]. Giratina was the number one most popular deck at Pittsburgh, yet it was not even among the top 5 most popular played decks at Peoria. This is especially surprising because of all of the Charizard hype. Giratina looked to be poised well for the tournament because it matches up well against Charizard. There were some Giratina in Day 2, but no real notable results from it. As a side note, [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] was very popular but had lackluster results, with zero in the top 16. I think Lugia is bad in the current meta, as it gets trounced by Charizard ex and Miraidon ex.

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Lost Box by Jac Carter

For the rest of this article, I would like to take a closer look at Jac Carter’s Lost Box list that placed second at the tournament. I think this was the best deck that was played in the entire tournament, and he was probably going to end up winning with a board-lock strategy in the finals, but just ran out of time. I played a very close series against Jac in Day 2, which I ended up losing after a lucky [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] topdeck off an Iono to one into a fairly thick deck. Jac’s Turbo list is very close to what I wanted to play for the tournament. The main difference is the exchange of [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] for a variety of powerful tech cards. The lack of Trekking Shoes makes the deck a little less turbo, but it could be argued that the power techs make the deck stronger overall. Here’s the deck list:

[decklist name=”lzb turb” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″][pokemon amt=”11″]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]1x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ 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][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”192″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Due to my infatuation with the idea of going full turbo, my list does not require cards like [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card]. However, this version is slightly more balanced while also being quite turbo in its own right. [card name=”Klara” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is always a powerful inclusion in Lost Box decks, and its inclusion makes Pal Pad stronger. Pal Pad also slightly increases the consistency of being able to pull off the Boss’s Orders play, especially if the only copy of Boss’s Orders in the deck was discarded off [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. Pal Pad makes PokeStop safer to use in general. Cramorant is of course required in any list besides the full turbo version.

An optional tech that is useful in a variety of matchups is [card name=”Echoing Horn” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. This Item card will see play against [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card], and Lost Box mirror matches. It offers a lot of power and win conditions for just one deck slot, though it slightly hurts the overall consistency of the deck.

The Energy count is optimal, and it’s good to see people start to catch on. I also like the triple counts of [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], and cutting down to two PokeStop is fine for this more balanced version. I don’t imagine this list will hit turn 1 Mirage Gate more than 30% of the time, but it will have a more stable and powerful late-game to make up for that.

I ended up including [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] in my list to shore up some matchups. Mew ex is great against Charizard ex, as it nearly always allows you to checkmate them. It also hugely swings the [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, though that deck remains unpopular in the current meta. I thought Peoria would be the best chance for Rapid Strike Urshifu, but it did not show up at all. My meta predictions remain as far off as usual. Finally, Mew helps a lot against the Single Strike version of [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], giving you an easy counter to the [card name=”Tyranitar V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] that normally terrorizes Lost Box decks.

Lost Box Matchups

Charizard ex — Slightly Favorable

This matchup generally involves one big KO, be it Boss’s Orders play to KO on [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Raikou V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] combo against [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. The rest of your KO’s are cheaper ones, utilizing an early Cramorant and many [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] snipes. Echoing Horn significantly helps with this. I don’t know the exact matchup percentage, but Mew ex would improve it a lot.

Miraidon ex — Favorable

The Miraidon ex matchup remains favorable across Lost Box variants. Three copies of Lost Vacuum ensures that your opponent’s [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] is a non-issue. Echoing Horn will help you in games where they choose to play down just one [card name=”Mareep” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG34″ c=”name”][/card]. Otherwise, use Dragonite V or Raikou V and try to win the slugfest. Going for two-shots with Sableye is sometimes risky due to [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], but sometimes it is fine, depending on the situation. Be wary of Bravery Charm once you are down one or two Lost Vacuum remaining.

Lugia VSTAR — Even

This is a close matchup. If you don’t get the first attack, you will be in trouble against [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]. An early Dragonite V is hard for them to punish, as they may have to use Mew ex, which is in turn an easy target for you. [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] plus Sableye is a viable route now that the Colorless-type build doesn’t play [card name=”Radiant Tsareena” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card]. However, if your first attack is with Radiant Greninja after they have already taken a Prize, you will lose the Prize trade. Of course, there are also situations where Raikou V can get an easy two Prizes and even shut them out of the game.

Mew VMAX — Unfavorable

[cardimg name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”269″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The list without [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] is a bit worse against [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]. However, Peoria saw a decrease in Mew usage due to the Charizard hype, so it was fine to be worse against Mew for that tournament. Since Mew with [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] did alright at the tournament, it’s possible that it will come back into the meta. Even so, this list can still beat Mew, it is just a little difficult. You aim for a 2-2-2 line by KO’ing three two-Prize Pokemon. If you go second and whiff the KO, you basically lose. You will usually use two-Prize attackers for four Prize cards, and try to work in a double Sableye or Radiant Greninja into Sableye at some point. Unfortunately, if they have [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] at that time, you will be in trouble. Many lists don’t play [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], but Rowan’s Top 4 list did, so it’s worth mentioning.

Gardevoir ex — Slightly Favorable

Lost Box against Gardevoir ex is generally even. This list has Echoing Horn, Klara, and Pal Pad, which gives it a slight edge. As a Gardevoir ex player, it was annoying to play against a Lost Box list with all three of those techs. The basic strategy is to attack every turn, usually with Sableye. Play around [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] to the best of your ability and be aware of your opponent playing Iono turn after turn. Thin out useless cards with Lost Vacuum, and prep your Psychic Energy and attackers on your board when you can. Using [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] aggressively, even to just attach Energy cards to [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], can be very helpful. Switch cards are viable outs off Iono, so if you don’t have to burn them, keep them around.

Chien-Pao ex — Favorable

This matchup is generally good for Lost Box. However, if they draw the ideal hand and hit the [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] play at the right time, you may lose and there’s nothing you can do about it. That is just how [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] works as a pure high-roll deck. You should be taking at least one Prize per turn. Dragonite V KO’s Chien-Pao ex, and Sableye picks things off the Bench as usual. The matchup is fairly straightforward. In the games you lose, it will feel bad, and it will feel like a terrible matchup. But on average, Lost Box wins more than it loses.

Lost Box Mirror — Even

This list is faster and more consistent than most Lost Box variants, and will often be the first to use Lost Mine. In exchange, it lacks techs such as [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], so the matchup is very close to even on average. You want to go second and get the turn 1 Cramorant attack followed by a turn 2 Lost Mine. If you find yourself behind, you will have to play with weird board states in order to limit the effectiveness of opposing Sableye. Save your copies of Switch Cart when you can, as you will always want them later to heal damage.

Conclusion

With such a short turnaround time before the upcoming Sacramento Regional Championships, I expect the meta to stay similar to what it was in Peoria. Charizard ex and Miraidon ex are incredibly popular and successful, with Lost Box and Mew VMAX having standout performances despite slightly less usage. Chien-Pao ex remains in a mid and a high-roll deck. Gardevoir ex, [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], and Lugia VSTAR will see a bit of a decline in play. Thanks for reading!

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