We’re Not Done Yet — Chien-Pao in the Twilight Masquerade Format
Hey PokeBeach readers! It’s crazy to think that the 2024 season has concluded and we only have Worlds left. It feels like not long ago, the season had just begun! Hopefully you were able to achieve some if not all your goals you set for yourself this season.
[cardimg name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”236″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The North American International Championships has come and gone, answering a lot of questions about the meta. I think it is very clear that [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] is the new best deck in format, claiming six spots in the top cut. Another takeaway was that [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] did not live up to the hype! When Twilight Masquerade released in Japan, it seemed we were headed for a format dominated by this Dragon-type Pokemon, but it failed to compete for a top cut spot in the west. Some strong players such as Tord Reklev and Michael Pramawat were rocking the card in their decks, but they both fell short. I think Dragapult still can be explored, but without a consensus list, I don’t expect the card to see large amounts of play. As expected, [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]saw lots of play, top players mostly opted to bring other decks. Going forward, I expect both archetypes to see plenty of play, but probably go down in meta share.
Heading into the tournament, I wanted to play [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], but I was apprehensive since it has a weak Dragapult matchup. It’s also a bit shaky into Lugia if they set up quickly, and a decrease in [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] decks meant fewer good matchups. However, Dragapult showed itself to be a low-popularity deck, and Lugia struggles mightily with consistency when going first. This, in combination with Gardevoir becoming the strongest deck in the format, is opening the door for Chien-Pao to compete! There were ten Chien-Pao decks in Day 2 of NAIC and two in the Top 32, proving the deck still has some power.
Today I want to go over why Chien-Pao is still a viable deck, and how you can best pilot it to success in our current format. I’ll focus on my current build of the deck, and discuss how to play some of the newer matchups in the format, such as Raging Bolt.
[premium]
My Current Chien-Pao List
[decklist name=”Ciaran’s Cpao 60″ amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”15″]2x [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is where I am at currently with the deck. It is pretty similar to what I played in the last format, but I’ve added back [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to put pressure on Evolution decks such as Gardevoir ex, and to open up favourable Prize trades against Lost Box.
One question I’ve been asked a lot is whether the 70-HP [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] are worth it. The obvious reason to play these Basics is to improve your Dragapult matchup, but it comes at the expense of introducing bad starters. To get that extra 10 HP for your Basics, you need to be okay with a Retreat Cost of two. In the early game, this can be quite frustrating, as it blocks a retreat into Chien-Pao to use Shivery Chill.
I’ve opted to play one copy of the 70-HP Frigibax as it gives you that extra strength against Dragapult, but is also strong into Lost Box and Gardevoir. Against Dragapult, if you only have one [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”] in play and the 60-HP [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] on your Bench, then a Dragapult can easily wipe out both of them with one attack. This pretty much ends the game on the spot, even if you were up in the Prize trade.
Against Lost Box, the extra health protects you from having two of your lower-HP Basics wiped out at once. For example, if you have a [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench as well, then [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] can only Lost Mine for a single Prize. If you’re ever in a situation where Baxcalibur goes down, it also lets you safely bench two Frigibax and have at least one survive for the next turn. Against Gardevoir, it protects you from two [card name=”Munkidori” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] Abilities taking it out.
I don’t think we need to play the 70-HP Bidoof for a couple reasons. For one, against Dragapult, we are benching two most games, so they will have the chance to pick off a Bidoof if they want regardless. Against Lost Box, you should have time to set up [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] before they get to ten cards in the Lost Zone. The marginal utility the extra health gives is just not worth clunking our deck up with more bad starters. We can win games without Bibarel sometimes, but we almost always lose when Baxcalibur gets wiped from the board.
I do want to point out that I prefer playing the Frigibax with Bite instead of the more popular [card name=”Frigibax” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] with Collect. I’m of the mindset that if I’m using Collect, I am probably in a losing position, and I probably want to commit my Energy attachment elsewhere for turn. The Bite Frigibax has a lot more utility against Gardevoir. Most of their attackers have very little HP, such as [card name=”Flutter Mane ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]and [card name=”Scream Tail” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. After a few Psychic Embraces, they are actually in Knock Out range from Bite or Chilly. It isn’t something that comes up often, but to me it increases our win rate more than having the option to Collect.
Speaking of bad starters, I’ve opted to run [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck rather than a third Chien-Pao. With Lost Box being one of the more popular decks in the meta, I think Manaphy is a worthwhile tech. If you go second against Lost Box, you open yourself up to having two Frigibax fall victim to a Moonlight Shuriken from [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. With Manaphy in play, you get a chance to set up and play the game. As I mentioned earlier, Gardevoir is currently the best deck in the format. One of their most common strategies against us is to use Scream Tail to take out our Bibarel and Baxcalibur. Manaphy forces them to use [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] if they want to take Knock Outs, which forces them to forego stranding a weaker Pokemon in our Active Spot while they snipe around it.
One of the reasons I am okay with playing only two copies of Chien-Pao ex is that it is a massive liability as a starter in multiple matchups. Against Raging Bolt, you will lose if you give up two Prizes on their first attacking turn, and it’s the same for the [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. A [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] can also take out Chien-Pao if it is in your Active Spot when you go second. In these matchups, you want to be the one taking the first two-Prize Knock Out, so starting with a single-Prize Pokemon is advantageous.
[cardimg name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Moving on to Trainers, I’ve decided to cut [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. One of the main reasons to play this card was to have some resource recovery against decks that ran [card name=”Eri ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”199″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card], but both of these cards are seeing very little play currently. Control decks, both [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], have also seen less play. In Cyllene’s place, I decided to run Canceling Cologne. I think playing Cologne with [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card]is very strong right now, with Gardevoir and Lost Box being such popular decks. Against Gardevoir, you cripple their draw engine if you can take out two [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. They will struggle to put together big turns involving cards like [card name=”Unfair Stamp” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], Counter Catcher, and their attacker of choice without having consistent draw to get the pieces. It also weakens their [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] later on in the game, since they will be limiting their hand size without a way to replenish it. Against Lost Box, you can take out a couple of [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] with Greninja to force a two-for-one Prize trade — unless your opponent responds with [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], but then you can just respond with Chien-Pao.
The rest of my list is fairly standard and just focused on setting up consistently. Even with the decreased prevalence of Eri and Technical Machine: Devolution, I’m still running four [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Unleashed” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] to enable strong turn twos. One card that I’ve considered adding to help with the Lugia matchup is [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. Some of my fellow Chien-Pao enjoyers — Lucas Xing, Grant Shen, and Jon Eng — actually played this card at NAIC. Normally if you take a two-Prize lead against Lugia, you win on the spot, since you can force a 2-2-2 Prize map, but [card name=”Legacy Energy” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] can foil your plans. With Enhanced Hammer, you can ensure a smooth Prize map for the game. However, I don’t think the card is worth it right now. For one, it’s useless if your opponent takes two Prize cards first, since they get to pull off a 2-2-2 Prize map themselves. Second, a lot of Lugia lists are playing [card name=”Roseanne’s Backup” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] to recycle the Legacy Energy. Third, and in my opinion the biggest argument against the card, is that you can just use [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and Prime Catcher to maintain a clean Prize map. Iron Bundle forces either another two-Prize Pokemon or a one-Prize Pokemon that you can just use Iron Hands to clean up. I don’t hate Enhanced, but I don’t think it has enough utility to see play right now.
Matchups
Raging Bolt ex: 50-50
This matchup comes down to two things. One, don’t start with Chien-Pao or Iron Hands. Two, take a two-Prize Knock Out on your second turn. Regardless of whether your opponent plays first or second, they will get to attack first. If they can pull off a two-Prize Knock Out then we don’t have a way to Prize-map back into the game. Chien-Pao is our only way to Knock Out their Raging Bolt ex, so we will just serve them a 2-2-2 map on a silver platter. If we instead force them to Knock Out a one-Prize Pokemon for their first Knock Out, then we are the ones who get to go for the 2-2-2 Prize map. Like us, our opponent’s only way to take out our two-Prize Pokemon is by using their own two-Prize Pokemon (Raging Bolt ex).
One Pokemon that is really annoying for us is [card name=”Sandy Shocks ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. A smart Raging Bolt player will use that as their lead Pokemon if we open a one-Prize Pokemon that isn’t Radiant Greninja. This forces us to either respond with Iron Hands ex or Prime Catcher a two-Prize Pokemon. It is imperative that you pull off a two-Prize turn or else you will fall behind in the Prize trade, so do everything necessary to go for it.
If your opponent has a [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] in play, then the Prize map can still be fixed by taking it out with Iron Hands later in the game. If they don’t have Squawkabilly in play, though, you need two Prizes on your second turn no matter what. For this reason, Radiant Greninja is our ideal starter, but it is hard to open with it since we only play one copy. If your hand is good enough and you went first, you can retreat into it. This forces a Raging Bolt into the Active Spot if your opponent wants to attack, making our second turn much easier.
If you pull off the two-Prize Knock Out, then the game becomes smooth sailing, and you just need to stream Chien-Pao to win.
Gardevoir ex: 60-40
This matchup is actually quite intricate and doesn’t follow the same pattern every time, so I want to discuss some general trends and things to look out for. The way Gardevoir is going to beat you is by crippling your draw, and in this matchup that means taking out Bibarel. It is super important that you establish two, and if one goes down, it’s important that you immediately play [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] to try and get back to a board with two. Your ideal attacker in this matchup is Iron Hands since it helps you accelerate the game. The longer you let Gardevoir set up, the easier it gets for them to play their Counter Catcher, take out Bibarel, and disrupt your hand.
I also think timing Prime Catcher is key to this matchup. To me, the card has two main uses, the first of which is to pull off the Canceling Cologne play on their Manaphy. Ideally, this is how you want to use Prime Catcher, wiping out two Kirlia. I find whenever I do this, I almost always win. It’s just too big of a hit to their board, and they will slowly sputter out without their draw engine. The second use is as a switching card when your opponent tries to trap you. A common play they will make is to Counter Catcher Baxcalibur and then Scream Tail your Bibarel. If you’ve been attacking with Iron Hands and can’t get two Energy to retreat, then any [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] can grab the Prime Catcher to get Baxcalibur back to the Bench and Iron Hands swinging for another two-Prize Knock Out.
If you play Manaphy, it can be really strong in this matchup. With Manaphy in play, your opponent can’t go for the strategy of stranding Baxcalibur in the Active Spot and sniping around it, and if they don’t draw Counter Catcher, then you get a turn where they aren’t taking out Bibarel. If you have to choose between Manaphy and the second Bibarel, though, I would always choose to bench the second beaver. If you don’t, you leave yourself super susceptible to having your one Bibarel gusted and Knocked Out.
Another thing to be aware of is how strong Flutter Mane can be in combination with Counter Catcher. If you only have one Baxcalibur set up, then they can bring it to the Active Spot and shut off Super Cold. This forces you to either set up another one so you can retreat or play Prime Catcher. Similarly, if you only have one Bibarel set up, they can gust it and shut off your draw after playing a disruption card such as Unfair Stamp or Iono. If your opponent can buy time, then they can use Munkidori to wreak havoc on your board over multiple turns.
This matchup is going to test your ability to plan and foresee the tricks up your opponent’s sleeve. Every turn, constantly be thinking about what will happen if they Counter Catcher, if they Scream Tail, if they disrupt, and anything else you can think of. For example, if you are weak to having your Baxcalibur gusted and trapped, maybe you should preemptively put some energy on it. If Bibarel could go down, play [card name=”Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]to bring two strong cards to the top to play around Iono. Sometimes you can’t play around everything, but having as many plans in place as possible will set you up for success!
Lugia VSTAR: 45-55
I’d say Lugia is a fairly close matchup and depends a lot on whether you go first and your opponent’s setup. Lugia has a couple new tricks this format in Legacy Energy, [card name=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card], and their own Iron Hands. These threats allow Lugia to force a much more favourable Prize map compared to previous formats.
When we go first, we hope they started a two-Prize Pokemon that we can take out with Chien-Pao on our second turn. If we are able to do this, then we are in the driver’s seat. From here, we just need to make sure every subsequent turn we take another two Prize cards. It gets tricky if they put Legacy Energy on their attacker, but we have Iron Bundle and Prime Catcher to help us close out the game.
The game becomes pretty much impossible to win if our opponent takes two Prizes first, so don’t start with a two-Prize Pokemon when going second. Force them to pull off an Iron Hands if you start with something like a Frigibax.
This matchup honestly doesn’t have much depth; it is just a Prize race for both players.
Lost Box: 50-50 (60-40 with Manaphy)
Besides Gardevoir, Lost Box was the best-performing deck at NAIC. I assume that the build played by Andrew Hedrick will become the most popular one going forward. His build actually doesn’t play Manaphy, so Radiant Greninja becomes our best attacker as it forces our opponent to use Iron Hands if they want to maintain an even Prize trade. If they do play Manaphy, then we want to attack with our own Iron Hands. Not only does it let us take two Prize cards, but it lures out Bloodmoon Ursaluna if our opponent wants to deal with it. In this scenario, we get to pivot to Chien-Pao, since our opponent is offering us a two-Prize Pokemon.
If you don’t play Manaphy, then this matchup gets really tricky going second. A majority of the time, our opponent will be able to pull off a Moonlight Shuriken with Greninja, so we have to bench three Frigibax to ensure Baxcalibur can get set up. From there, our opponent just needs to stream Knock Outs to win. If you play Manaphy, then the game becomes much easier. You actually want to lead Chien-Pao, since the only Pokemon capable of taking it down is Bloodmoon Ursaluna, which requires a five-Energy commitment from the opponent. If you lead a one-Prize Pokemon, then our opponent can use Iron Hands to initiate a favourable Prize trade for themselves.
Similar to the Gardevoir matchup, this is one where you really want to set up double Bibarel, since otherwise Sableye combined with [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] can destroy your draw engine.
Dragapult ex: 40-60ish (Depends on Build)
There hasn’t been a conclusive Dragapult build yet. We see the deck played with Pidgeot ex, sometimes with Charizard ex, and with the Lost Zone engine. I’ll try my best to explain my approach against each.
[cardimg name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”223″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I’ll start with the Lost Zone version, since this build is the easiest to beat. This version very rarely gets a quick attack off with Dragapult, instead building up to a stronger late-game board. This gives us time to set up multiple Bibarel and Baxcalibur. If you can, you want to attack with Iron Hands. Not only does this force your opponent to respond, but it accelerates the game. The fewer times your opponent gets to Phantom Dive, the more turns our support Pokemon get to stay on the board. They also can’t take out Iron Hands with Dragapult and need to use [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]. If this happens, do your best to Super Rod back Iron Hands, re-establish it, and then Iron Bundle so you can take another two-Prize turn. If your opponent has a Dragapult in play in this scenario, you can also just use Chien-Pao to take it out. I find this matchup to be fairly simple, and it feels like I’m just playing against a slower Lost Zone deck.
The Pidgeot version of Dragapult is tough to beat if they come out swinging, since a turn-two Phantom Dive puts so much pressure on your board. Not only do they take a Knock Out, but they normally get to take out a Benched Frigibax or Bidoof as well. In this matchup, you want to rush them down and put on as much pressure as possible. Going first makes a huge difference. If you can, you want to either Moonlight Shuriken with Canceling Cologne or Iron Hands to take two Prize cards. Both those plays are a little high-roll, but getting them puts you in a really strong position to win. If we go second and our opponent pulls off the turn-two attack, then we need to immediately respond with Chien-Pao. You are going to force your opponent to use [card name=”Mela” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] if they want to attack again. Sometimes Dragapult struggles to set up multiple Dragapult and continuously power them up, so if you can keep knocking them down, you give yourself a chance to force a turn where your opponent can’t attack.
One play I want to call out is that if you are in danger of having Baxcalibur completely wiped from your board, you can save Energy in play by attacking with Iron Hands. If you are at three or four Prize cards, then you want to use Prime Catcher on a Pokemon capable of being Knocked Out by Iron Hands. You then want to leave two more Water Energy in play, with at least one on a Chien-Pao. This way, if your opponent uses Dragapult to attack, you can just attach to Chien-Pao and take your final Knock Out for game.
Concluding Thoughts
At the start of this format, I thought it might’ve been the end of Chien-Pao being a strong deck, but I think the format has landed in a place where Chien-Pao can carve out a nice little niche for itself. If you have been on the fence about giving Chien-Pao a go in this format, hopefully I’ve helped convince you to give it a try. If you have any questions about matchups, the list, sequencing, or anything else Chien-Pao-related, please drop them down below in the comments and I’ll make sure to answer them!
I also want to know about your goals for this upcoming season and some topics I could write about to help you best prepare. So make sure to leave those in the comments as well!
Until next time — best of luck in all your games, and I hope you always get turn-two Baxcalibur. :)
[/premium]