The Butterfly Effect — How Roaring Moon Decks Changed My Mind

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here, and I am happy to be writing another article for you all! Last time, I talked about [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and its position going into the final Regional Championships of the pre-rotation format. Now that rotation has occurred, and the Europe International Championships has concluded, it is time to take a broader look at the meta going forward.

The Europe International Championships honestly was not too surprising. In what is possibly the least surprising combination of things possible, [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] won the tournament in the hands of Tord Reklev. He was not the only Charizard ex deck in Top 8 too, defeating another one in the Top 4. Isaiah Bradner was able to get second with a unique take on [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] that played [card name=”Banette ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and the Lost Origin [card name=”Banette” set=”Lost Origin” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], but I am not too sure that this deck will hold a long term position in the metagame. A few [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] Control decks made it into the Top 8 too, with one losing in Top 4 to Isaiah Bradner’s Banette ex. Next, a couple [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Iron Crown ex” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] decks made it to the Top 8 too, including Latin America Internationals Champion Juho Kallama. I think Juho Kallama’s list is particularly interesting with the inclusion of [card name=”Technical Machine: Crisis Punch” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], something that I hope continues to be a trend going forward. Finally, to round out the Top 8, one player playing [card name=”Roaring Moon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Dudunsparce” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] was able to squeak into the Top 8. The rest of the Top 16 was filled with a few more interesting decks too, including Fabien Pujol’s [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] deck, a Lost Zone Toolbox deck, and a few more Roaring Moon decks.

Overall, these results were nothing too crazy, but I was certainly taken aback by how well the Roaring Moon decks were able to perform. When my friend João Pedro Medeiros messaged me that he was playing Ancient Box the night before the event, I kind of laughed about it, as I did not believe the deck was that great, but he certainly proved me wrong with his Top 16 finish and with Gabriel Fernandez winning in the Senior Division with a very similar list. Similarly, I did not expect much from the Roaring Moon / Dudunsparce deck, notably naming the deck “Highway Robbery” when I built it on Pokemon TCG Live for the first time because I expected the deck to be terrible. Based on the outcome of the testing that I did at first, I thought I was correct too, but with a change to a list more like the decks that did well this weekend, the deck may be better than I expected it to be. If you read the title, I am sure you have put together that my opinion on these decks has now changed dramatically, so how about I take you through why I thought these decks were bad, and how they were able to change my mind.

How do Roaring Moon decks work?

[cardimg name=”Roaring Moon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As one would certainly expect, most Roaring Moon decks are centered around Roaring Moon’s Vengeance Fletching attack, which does 70 damage plus 10 more for each Ancient card in your discard pile, meaning that cards like [card name=”Ancient Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Explorer’s Guidance” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] are able to contribute to the damage total, not just Pokemon. However, the two most important cards for this are [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card]. As the main methods of accessing the Energy cards in your deck, searching for them using Earthen Vessel then attaching them with Professor Sada’s Vitality after they have been discarded, you would already like playing high counts of both, but the fact that they contribute to the Ancient card total is huge too. In the late stages of the game, it is somewhat likely that you are able to reach for one-hit Knock Outs with Roaring Moon, easily taking a Knock Out on 280 HP Pokemon like Giratina VSTAR or Pidgeot ex, but sometimes you can even push for a massive 330 damage into a Charizard ex. If you do this, the game is almost certainly over at that point.

On paper, this deck looks really good, but I found myself hating the archetype. Damage did not feel like it ramped up fast enough in the Dudunsparce variant, [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] was awkward to use in either variant, and [card name=”Koraidon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is the worst card ever at times. It just was an all around miserable experience. I felt like I was only barely squeaking by with the Koraidon version, often winning because my opponent threw a free win instead of winning because my deck was good, and in the case of the Dudunsparce version, I was just drawing terribly. I had pretty much given up on the deck, but while I was playing a different deck, I got DUMPSTERED by a Roaring Moon / Koraidon (I will call this Ancient Box from now on). It was not even close, and I was not drawing bad or anything. It made me second guess everything I knew about Pokemon. As a result, I decided to take a picture of the cards in their discard pile and try and recreate their deck list. With some changes, I queued up some games with the new deck list, and I was borderline unstoppable, winning roughly 12 games in a row.

In a way, seeing this new deck list was my own version of the butterfly effect. If you are not familiar, the butterfly effect can be defined as “the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state” (or at least that’s what Wikipedia tells me). All of a sudden, my opinion on a deck that I previously considered bad was able to change dramatically solely because of what deck list I was working with. This change was taken a step further when I discussed the deck with João before the night before the Europe International Championships, and when I tried his deck list, I fell in love with it immediately. It felt so perfect, and I am not sure why. The slight changes to Gabriel Fernandez’s Senior Division winning list have felt perfect too, solving every issue that I ever had. The deck feels more consistent, and by extension way more powerful. The damage seems like it ramps up way quicker in this new deck list, and I think I would probably be playing it for the Orlando Regional Championships if I was going. The Dudunsparce variant has also interested me a bit more as of late too. While I have not played the deck much more than my initial games with the deck, I like the deck lists that did well at the Europe International Championships, and I could see the deck being strong going forward.

Now that I have examined the basic premise of Roaring Moon decks, I want to take a deeper look into both versions and compare them against each other. First, I am going to start with the more traditional Ancient Box deck, as I like it considerably more.

Ancient Box

As I have stated previously, this deck feels like a consistent powerhouse in this format. With the means to ramp up its damage rather quickly to the point that you are threatening one-hit Knock Outs very early in the game, Ancient Box has felt like one of the best decks that I have played in a while. Reminiscent of [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks from around 2017, the deck is made by slowly ramping up your damage and understanding how to use each of your resources to methodically take all six of your Prize cards. My personal favorite part of this deck is the turn in the game where you get to essentially go all in with a massive spike in damage output while, at the same time, setting up the cards in your deck to win the game on the following turn thanks to [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] essentially allowing you to build your own perfect hand off of an [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”269″ c=”name”][/card], often while holding game in your hand regardless of if your opponent manages to play Iono or not. I will say that this deck is deceptively difficult to play with many moving parts and a variety of ways you can easily cost yourself the game by messing up sequencing or forgetting a way that you can possibly lose by setting up your checkmates. However, when you do win with this deck, it is one of the most fulfilling and satisfying feelings.

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Deck List

[decklist name=”gabriel moon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Roaring Moon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Roaring Moon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Koraidon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Flutter Mane” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Explorer’s Guidance” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Awakening Drum” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ancient Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Some Notes

As you can probably tell, this is just Gabriel Fernandez’s deck list, and that is because I genuinely think that this deck list is perfect. I cannot think of a single card that I would confidently change. I liked playing four copies of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] initially, but I think that [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] adds a lot to the deck’s “checkmate” turn and also makes it even closer to impossible to lose to [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Stall decks. With that being said, I do think that some cards in the deck may seem a little odd, so I wanted to highlight those, as well as some possible techs that you could consider going forward, but I am not sure if they are actually needed.

Four Koraidon and Four Flutter Mane

[cardimg name=”Flutter Mane” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I am gonna be real, both of these cards are terrible. However, they are both cards with the Ancient tag that are a bit more useful than any other option, so they still get to be maxed out. [card name=”Koraidon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is usually only used as an attacker in very specific situations against other single Prize decks or when you start with it, otherwise it is +40 damage. [card name=”Flutter Mane” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] is similar, acting as a game ending starter against [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] decks and being an awkward card for [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with if they start with [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] respectively, denying them their VSTAR Power until even later in the game if they are unable to find another copy of whichever card on the first turn. Additionally, Flutter Mane is integral to beating Snorlax Stall, as if you can build a board of four Flutter Mane and two attackers, there is nothing for the opponent to trap since Flutter Mane’s Ability shuts off Block while it is in the Active Spot. Flutter Mane’s attack is also quite good against [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”233″ c=”name”][/card], offering a way to Knock Out a [card name=”Scream Tail” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Drifloon” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench if the opponent puts too much damage on it. The only other Pokemon I would maybe consider in place of one of these (probably over a Koraidon if anything) would be a [card name=”Slither Wing” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], but I do not know if it is actually needed, and I would need to play against [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] a bit more to be sure.

Awakening Drum

When this card was first revealed, I was skeptical if it was even going to make the cut in the Ancient Box decks, largely because of how good [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] is. But as I have played this deck, I have learned just how powerful [card name=”Awakening Drum” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] is. The card is not just an Ancient card, but it is also one of the most powerful cards to draw in the late stages of the game if you do not need to burn it in the earlier parts of the game. It offers a way to draw into a large volume of cards off of an Iono at the end of the game, getting you out of a situation that otherwise may completely cripple you. Not just that, but the card is also incredible in the early game, helping you push for a big combo, to reach for a big Knock Out to push you ahead. I generally try to save this card for when it is drawing three or more cards (at that point it is at least equivalent to a [card name=”Nemona” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”180″ c=”name”][/card]), but even getting to draw two cards with it feels good.

Three PokeStop

At first I thought three had to be wrong, but the more I play this deck I have actually felt that it is fine. You do not really need a fourth copy most of the time, as it is just for digging down in the early game more than anything, offering a way to find your pieces. However, if it gets to stick (which it does in a surprising amount of matchups), you just have an instant draw three or discard three Ancient cards to start off each turn, turning this card into one of the most powerful cards in the deck. Understanding how to use this card perfectly is a bit difficult to explain, as there are a lot of variables to it, but I generally have found myself using it near the start of my turn, as knowing exactly what you got / discarded can influence your plays dramatically. It is especially important to keep in mind what cards are on the bottom of your deck with Iono, though, as having an idea of what you will find off of [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] can be incredibly important, and knowing if you need to shuffle your deck or not to find what you need before using PokeStop can often be the difference between taking a Knock Out and not even being able to attack.

The Energy Count

I think that the split of six Darkness Energy and two Fighting Energy is much better than João’s seven Darkness Energy and one Fighting Energy, but I think both sides have reasonable arguments. In general, you do not want to be using Koraidon, so having more Darkness Energy to make using Roaring Moon easier is better, but the issue is that you have a fairly high chance of starting lone Koraidon, and if you have to do this and fall victim to the roughly one in ten chance of your lone Fighting Energy being in your Prize cards, you may just lose the game on the spot, which is a chance that I personally would prefer to not take. Overall, I think that the odds that only playing one Fighting Energy punishes you are way higher than the odds of only six Dark Energy punishing you, so I think the choice is fairly clear.

Cobalion

One card that I wanted to make a note of is [card name=”Cobalion” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. While it was not in these deck lists this weekend, the card seems like a solid option if you want to make the [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”234″ c=”name”][/card] matchup a bit better, as it is currently somewhat hard. It allows you to push your damage output up to 330 with just 23 Ancient cards in the discard pile instead of needing 26, which may sound like a small difference, but in practice, this difference is gigantic. I am not sure if I would play it or what I would cut for it if I did, but it is certainly something to keep in mind.

Roaring Moon / Dudunsparce

If I am being completely honest, I am much less passionate about this deck, and I still question its viability, but I also feel like I would be doing a disservice by not at least discussing it. My biggest issue with this deck is how integral [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is to so many matchups, as the whole strength of Roaring Moon is that, when games go longer, Vengeance Fletching has more time to naturally build up in power, and shoving a Pokemon ex in the Active Spot to answer something speeds up the game overall, as it will usually trade two for two. With that said, this gameplan, if you consistently can use Roaring Moon ex, is usually one of the best answers to Charizard ex (just do not ask what happens when they attach a [card name=”Mist Energy” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card]!) [card name=”Dudunsparce” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is obviously the true reason to play this deck, offering one of the most interesting draw engines in the history of the game, and Dunsparce has no Retreat Cost, which makes it feel even better. I really do not have a lot to say about this deck, as most of the deck list is fairly self explanatory, with several [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] to make Roaring Moon ex an actually viable attacker and with [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] as the ACE SPEC since this deck usually is not pushing for huge one-hit Knock Outs on anything with [card name=”Roaring Moon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], preferring to use Roaring Moon ex for that.

[decklist name=”moonsparce” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dudunsparce” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”129″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Roaring Moon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dudunsparce” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Explorer’s Guidance” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Penny” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ancient Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]9x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Conclusion

Overall, I think not only me, but the rest of the community has dramatically underrated [card name=”Roaring Moon” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] decks until now, and I think that the deck is due for a big finish at the Orlando Regional Championships this weekend, whether it be the Koraidon version or the Dudunsparce version. The deck has incredible matchups against every deck other than Charizard ex, and while that matchup is certainly not a good deck to have a bad matchup against, the matchup is also not nearly as bad as some people have made it seem, often coming down to cards like [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] at the end of the game.

With that, this article draws to a close. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading about one of my favorite decks right now, as it was certainly a joy to talk about it. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out in the comments or on social media.

Until next time!

– Isaiah

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