An Early Look at the Temporal Forces Metagame!

Hello PokeBeach readers, I’m back again! Standard format rotation is almost upon us, and all eyes are currently upon Japan as they play the first major tournament of the new format at the Champion’s League in Fukuoka. The early Champions Leagues in Japan are often impactful on the metagame that the rest of the world enters into, and we have a bit of time to reflect on the results. The Standard rotation always provides a significant shake-up to the metagame, and this one is no exception — several potent cards are leaving the format and I am excited to see where the decks land heading into the European International Championships in April!

Cards Leaving the Format

Several important cards are leaving the format once rotation hits the rest of the world in April, and I’ll go over the four most important ones here.

[card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] is currently a core feature of almost every single deck in the format, and it heavily swings the game in the favor of whoever has it in their opening hand. So many decks rely on Battle VIP Pass in the current format that many decks are even opting to go second, mainly so they can play [card name=”Arven” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Peony” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] to increase their odds of finding it. The removal of Battle VIP Pass will make almost every deck significantly less consistent, but some decks will survive thanks to Buddy-Buddy Poffin, a new card releasing in the Temporal Forces expansion, becoming legal on the day of our rotation, This differs from Battle VIP Pass in that you can play it past your first turn, and significantly boosts decks that play Evolution Pokemon since they now have easy access to Basics on the first turn and beyond. It also helps any Lost Zone deck, as Buddy-Buddy Poffin can grab two [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] which significantly helps those decks after the rotation of Battle VIP Pass.

Buddy-Buddy Poffin significantly improves the viability of [card name=”Ditto” set=”151″ no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], as you can find it with Buddy-Buddy Poffin, move it Active and use its Transformative Start Ability to swap it with a different Pokemon like [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card].

[card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] is another huge card that will be rotating out in April. Path to the Peak has been a staple for the entire time it’s been in the format, as many of the top decks rely on their Abilities to function. Without Path to the Peak in the format, many decks will have three or four spaces freed up as they no longer need to include counter Stadium cards. Many of the decks in the current format mostly play their Stadiums to bump an opposing Path to the Peak, so once it’s gone then those spots can now be used for other cards. The main deck that benefits from the rotation of Path is [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]; the way many decks attempt to beat Charizard ex currently is through spamming Path to the Peak, as it shuts off both their Infernal Reign and Quick Search Abilities. Charizard ex is one of the biggest benefactors from the rotation as well, mostly because the next card is rotating…

While [card name=”Gardevoir” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t the only card from the [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] deck to rotate, it effectively removes the deck in its current form. Without access to Gardevoir, the deck can no longer easily take Knock Outs with a single-Prize Psokemon, making Prize mapping considerably more difficult. This is a huge boost for Charizard ex decks, as Gardevoir ex is currently one of its worst matchups. Post-rotation builds of Gardevoir ex haven’t managed to achieve many results at City Leagues or the Fukuoka Champion’s League.

This rotation completely removes the [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] deck. Mew VMAX has been a fixture of the Standard format for the entire time it has been legal, using [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card]’s Fusion Strike System Ability to draw extra cards and constantly put pressure on your opponent.

This rotation makes a lot of the two-Prize attacker decks significantly stronger, as Mew VMAX previously kept those decks down thanks to the efficiency of Genesect V’s Techno Blast attack. Mew VMAX rotating out also effectively removes [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Drapion V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] from the format, freeing up Pokemon like [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] from being hit in the crossfire.

Additions from Temporal Forces

While Temporal Forces doesn’t add a big new deck on its own, there are a ton of upgrades to existing decks. The most notable new change from this expansion is the re-introduction of ACE SPECs. These are significantly more powerful than normal cards, but you can only include one ACE SPEC in your deck. This means that you can include either a Master Ball or a Hero Cape in your deck, but not both. By far the most powerful ACE SPEC in my opinion is Prime Catcher.

Following Japan’s Lead

Many more cards are rotating out than these, these four are simply the most impactful right now, but we aren’t going into this new format completely blind! There have been several City Leagues (effectively League Cups) in Japan in addition to the Champion’s League that happened last weekend. If you want to look at a database of all of the City League results, Limitless has added a section to their website that has a bunch of the City Leagues on there with decklists for most of the Top 16! Throughout the City Leagues, certain decks have risen to the top, so let’s get stuck in!

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Charizard VMAX / Bibarel

[decklist name=”Charizard Bibarel” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″][pokemon amt=”19″]2x [card name=”Charmander” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Charmander” set=”151″ no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”151″ no=”5″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Skwovet” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Entei V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Arven” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”EX Sandstorm” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x Buddy-Buddy Poffin (SV5 #?)2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Prime Catcher (SV5 #?)1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]7x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]2x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist][card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] has, overall, been the top-performing deck in City Leagues. While the popularity of Charizard ex was initially split between Bibarel and [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], Bibarel has proven to be the stronger variant recently. I believe that this is due to the rotation of [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card], as the Charizard ex / Pidgeot ex deck relied heavily on finding [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn, and significantly suffers when it doesn’t have access to it.

[cardimg name=”Bibarel” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG25″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Bibarel version of Charizard ex is fine without Rotom V and benefits greatly from the introduction of Buddy-Buddy Poffin, which is why it has been seeing more success. In addition, you have the option to generate a fully single-Prize board much more easily, as your main engine is a single-Prize Pokemon – Bibarel. This makes your deck better at utilizing [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], as you can completely prevent your opponent from taking a two-Prize KO in the late game by discarding your own Pokemon V with [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card].

The best way to build Charizard ex / Bibarel has not been clear from initial results. Players have split between fully leaning into [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], or playing aggressively with an early [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], however, I have decided to move into a hybrid version with this list. The version of Charizard ex / Bibarel that leans heavily into Technical Machine: Evolution relied heavily on being the player going second, and tended to fall flat on its face if it went first. If it did end up going second, you were able to get strong openings by using Technical Machine: Evolution to set up multiple [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”151″ no=”5″ c=”name”][/card] at once. I do think that having this option in the early game is crucial, but since smart players will force you to go first if you play in a best-of-three setting you can’t fully rely on this game plan. This deck tries to get the best of both worlds, with two Charmeleon and one Technical Machine: Evolution alongside three copies of Rare Candy.

Lugia VSTAR

[decklist name=”Lugia” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x Cinccino (SV5 #?)3x [card name=”Minccino” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Lost Origin” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”23″]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Serena” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Jacq” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Capturing Aroma” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Master Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”17″]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Buddy-Buddy Poffin (SV5 #?)1x [card name=”Therapeutic Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] just won the Champion’s League in Fukuoka and has completely redeemed itself with the rotation. Before the rotation, Lugia VSTAR was an aggressive deck and tried to use Summoning Star on turn two to overwhelm the opponent. Now, Lugia VSTAR has a similar game plan to the current [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] deck; you concede a couple of Prize cards early on, then sweep the late game with your single-Prize Pokemon that take a one-hit Knock Out on anything! 

Cinccino from Temporal Forces is the new card that enables this strategy; its Special Spin attack does 70 damage for each Special Energy attached to it. While this attack initially seems weak, the damage adds up quickly with Primal Turbo. If you have one [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] and four regular Special Energy on a Cinccino, it’s hitting for exactly 330 damage — enough to KO any Pokémon in the game! Cinccino gives Lugia VSTAR a new angle to approach the game and has allowed it to stay relevant after the rotation.

The biggest hurdle for Lugia VSTAR is its consistency. Being able to discard two [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and evolve into Lugia VSTAR on the second turn hasn’t been an easy task in this format, and doesn’t get any easier with the rotation of [card name=”Professor Burnet” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”TG26″ c=”name”][/card], however, thanks to Cinccino, this deck can afford to use Summoning Star on turn three since Cinccino can take one-hit Knock Outs on any Pokemon. Cinccino also forces your opponent’s hand as they have to KO it — if your opponent chases your two-Prize Pokemon instead then you can use [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to give yourself a fully single-Prize board. Lugia VSTAR has a ton of potential in the post-rotation format, so don’t be surprised if it manages to win another major event.

Lost Zone Box

[decklist name=”Lost Zone” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto” set=”151″ no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ 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]1x [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x Buddy-Buddy Poffin (SV5 #?)3x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Prime Catcher (SV5 #?)1x Emergency Board(SV5 #?)3x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]3x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]Lost Zone toolbox is still alive after rotation. This deck tries to bully single-Prize Pokemon with [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] while using [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] to take an automatic KO on any Pokemon with Frenzied Gouging! While this deck struggles with the loss of [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card], you do have Buddy-Buddy Poffin as a pseudo-replacement. I have chosen to lean away from the [card name=”Dragonite V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] engine to instead lean on [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] and three copies of [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. This higher Stadium count also feeds into Roaring Moon ex, as it gives you extra Stadiums to discard to Calamity Storm. This lets you tank hits with your Roaring Moon ex more effectively than you could in the previous format, as you would often burn through your two copies of PokeStop. Prime Catcher is also another reason to lean more heavily on PokeStop, as it gives you significantly quicker access to gusting without the risk of getting milled by PokeStop such as [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Including a copy of Boss’s Orders would give you more access to gusting throughout the game though, as you can shuffle it back in with [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card].

Emergency Board is a significant upgrade to this deck from Temporal Forces. Most Lost Zone decks in the D block played [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] as a way to give their [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] free Retreat Cost, and Emergency Board does a similar job, however, Emergency Board only reduces the Retreat Cost of the Pokemon it’s attached to by one, making it almost useless if you happen to start with Roaring Moon ex as your Active Pokemon. You also can’t grab Emergency Board from PokeStop, which makes it slightly harder to find than a regular [card name=”Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. The biggest weakness of Emergency Board in this deck is that it’s terrible in multiples, as you can only retreat once per turn. Because of that, I have only decided to include one Emergency Board in this deck, alongside four copies of Switch and Switch Cart.

One thing that I’m slightly unsure of in this decklist is the three copies of Darkness Energy. With two Roaring Moon ex, you could justify cutting a Psychic Energy to move to four Darkness Energy to better facilitate attacking with consecutive Roaring Moon ex. Right now, I am sticking to two Psychic Energy to play it safe and not to force my hand if a Flower Selecting contains a Psychic Energy, so this is the Energy count I have decided to go with.

Great Tusk Mill

[decklist name=”Great Tusk” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Great Tusk” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”?”][pokemon amt=”7″]4x Great Tusk (SV5 #?)1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pidgeot V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x Explorer’s Guidance (SV5 #?)4x [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Flashfire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bravery Charm” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Hand Trimmer (SV5 #?)1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Ancient Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Hero Cape (SV5 #?)1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Calamitous Wasteland” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Store” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]5x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The only deck fully featuring a new Pokemon I will be exploring today is this Great Tusk mill deck! Great Tusk has the Ground Collapse attack, which for two Colorless Energy discards the top card of your opponent’s deck, however, if you have played an Ancient Supporter this turn it instead discards the top four! This is a ton of mill each turn, especially when you factor in how massive the Great Tusks can get with [card name=”Ancient Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] or Hero Cape, which is an ACE SPEC that gives the Pokemon its attached to +100HP!

Because of the Ancient Supporter stipulation on Great Tusk, I have chosen to omit all non-Ancient Supporters from this deck, and fully focus on [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] and Explorer’s Guidance. Explorer’s Guidance has the text of [card name=”Hapu” set=”Unified Minds” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card] but is an Ancient Supporter, making it worth playing. I also have three [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] to aid the flow of consistently chaining Ancient Supporters.

This deck functions much like the [card name=”Durant” set=”Noble Victories” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] mill decks of the past, as it’s not simply trying to race the opposing deck to zero cards but is instead trying to prevent an attack at some point. The defensive tools help massively in this, as does [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] by trapping a Pokemon that can’t attack. This deck plays [card name=”Calamitous Wasteland” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] to try and block retreating, as well as Hand Trimmer, another new Item that forces both players to discard their hands down to five cards. This is to prevent your opponent from building up a huge hand and then playing [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] to put all of those cards back into their deck to buy more turns. Great Tusk mill has all the makings of the next annoying deck and I can’t wait to see posts of people raging after losing to it on Pokemon TCG Live…

Summing Up

I’m so excited to get into testing the new format! The Pokemon TCG is always at its most exciting when everything is fresh and new, and a novel rotated format usually accomplishes that. I think that these decklists are a good jumping-off point for anyone looking to get a head start preparing for the European International Championships!

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