The Best Rogue Deck for LAIC?! Aegislash’s Untapped Potential
Hello everyone! As the Stellar Crown format nears its end, we find ourselves with lots of different viable decks that have seen tournament success. I don’t think the game is particularly good or particularly bad right now, but there are definitely some options to choose from when it comes to deck selection. There have been lots of tournaments, giving us a good idea of the landscape of the metagame. While I’m always considering top contenders like [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Terapagos ex” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] for a big tournament like LAIC, I would like to play something interesting if possible. I always want to have a deck that gives me an edge over everyone else, especially when games are typically short and some decks don’t have a lot of skill expression. In an environment like this, it is difficult to realize one’s skill edge in gameplay. Unfortunately, the meta decks are so powerful and well-rounded that it has proven very difficult to find something that counters them. After a lot of cooking, I’ve found a deck that does the job somewhat well.
[cardimg name=”Aegislash” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”210″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Aegislash” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] packs the ubiquitous Safeguard Ability, this time calling it Mysterious Shield. I’m not going to tell you that my Aegislash deck is broken and beats everything, but it certainly is good, and I am considering playing it for LAIC. With Aegislash being a Stage 2, it’s hard to see why it would ever be preferred to its Basic counterpart [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Mimikyu has seen a lot of success, and getting a Basic Pokemon into play is much easier than building a deck around a Stage 2. However, we aren’t being different just for diversity’s sake. Aegislash has a few things going for it. Of course, being a Stage 2, it has padded stats. Weighing in at 150 HP and 120 damage, this looks pitiful for a Stage 2, but it’s notably meatier than Mimikyu.
It is important to note that HP basically scales exponentially when factoring in the Safeguard Ability. Although it only has about twice as much HP, Aegislash is much more difficult to KO than Mimikyu. Most notably, it is outside [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Cursed Blast range. It also tanks retaliatory attacks from Pokemon like [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Slither Wing” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card].
If you’re playing Mimikyu, you have a hard time attacking, dealing only 70 damage for two Energy. Most decks with Mimikyu have abandoned the idea of attacking with it entirely. After all, you’re not getting a lot of mileage from an attack like that. I did consider a deck built around Mimikyu using its attack over and over, but it had too many flaws — flaws that Aegislash does not have. Mimikyu’s attack places damage counters, so if you were to build an attacking Safeguard deck, you would get hard walled by [card name=”Mist Energy ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card]. And of course, with fewer HP, your precious Energy attachments would disappear faster.
This deck is similar in concept to the [card name=”Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Noivern ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] that has seen some play. Even if a deck had a few ways to attack into it, the returning attacking pressure you can dish out is enough to neutralize their limited threats. Now let’s quickly discuss why Aegislash is better than that Cornerstone deck. The Cornerstone deck is too feeble, as most decks have too many ways to take six Prizes against it. [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] absolutely wipe the floor with it, as they do with most Stall and Control decks. Dusknoir can also handle Cornerstone because it gives up two Prize cards. It’s hard to set up a lone Noivern against a thinking Raging Bolt player (a rare sight, I know). On the other hand, Aegislash’s Safeguard provides a much better wall than even Cornerstone and Noivern put together. Aegislash and its pre-Evolutions only give up one Prize apiece. Even if the opponent can snipe down a few little fellas, it’s very difficult for any deck to take the full six Prize cards against a dedicated Aegislash deck.
The key to making Aegislash work solely depends on the meta surrounding it. At NAIC, [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] and Lost Box were the two most popular decks, comprising a large portion of the meta. This field would be an absolute nightmare for Aegislash, as decks with lots of strong single-Prize attackers just destroy it. However, Aegislash isn’t a deck that simply fishes for auto-wins. While it would be nice to run into nothing but Raging Bolt and [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], there’s a little more to it. Aegislash accepts that other decks can potentially deal with Safeguard; it just needs to be capable of taking out the relevant threats, leaving the opponent with nothing left after that. It can be thought of like a Control deck where you are aiming to remove the opponent’s key resources and then sweep them. Here’s my current list:
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[decklist name=”slash” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Aegislash” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Doublade” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Honedge” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Diancie” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Board ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”159″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hero’s Cape ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Jubilife Village” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Mist Energy ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]5x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”XY” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This is one of the most simple and easy decks in the history of the game. Set up as many Aegislash as possible and attack with them. If something is capable of taking out Aegislash, try to permanently remove it. For the most part, opponents will be forced to present their counters in order to attack into Aegislash, but our [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] give us some aggressive options. This deck relies on attacking with Aegislash as a means to apply pressure and deal with threats, and we want to set up as many Aegislash as possible to deny our opponents their six Prize cards. At some point, they will inevitably run out of gas and will have no way left to attack into Aegislash. Against a deck like Raging Bolt, that will be sooner rather than later.
I’m not 100 percent sure if this list is optimal yet. It would be nice to have some sort of supporting engine, but the entire point of the deck is to force the opponent to deal with multiple Aegislash. Leaving extra Prize cards on the board is self-defeating, so we only have the bare necessities. Another option that could be good is [card name=”Technical Machine: Evolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], as we are already packing [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card], and the card would help us get Aegislash into play. However, space becomes an issue. Even if I was playing TM: Evolution, I wouldn’t cut any [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], as they’re still useful to burst Aegislash into play. It would be possible to get greedy and cut [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card], but then we would fold to some of the decks with [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]. Both Regidrago and [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] are difficult matchups, but they are doable with Lost City.
Speaking of Lost City, it’s a strong option for a deck like this. We KO their limited threats to Aegislash, and Lost City ensures that they’re gone for good. We won’t be seeing any reruns of Slither Wing or Radiant Charizard this way. With no way to search out Lost City, we play three copies so we can draw into them. I’d rather not play [card name=”Colress’s Tenacity” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck. Not only is it a weak Supporter overall, but it also makes opposing [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] into a viable attacker. That said, it would be conceivable to play the deck without Lost City if we could confidently set up just one extra Aegislash. It is possible that playing consistency cards instead of Lost City would be better. The theory would be that the consistency cards let you set up an extra Aegislash during the game, and then you can just deal with the recovered threats the hard way. Of course, I think playing Lost City is better, which is why I have it in right now. A half-measure like one or two copies of Lost City wouldn’t make much sense, because again, we need access to it on specific key turns and have no reliable search for it.
Another way to deal with threats is [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. Defiance Band brings Aegislash’s attack up to 150 damage, which one-shots [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. Furthermore, it combos with [card name=”Honedge” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]’s 30-damage attack to KO the likes of Mew ex, Radiant Charizard, and Dusknoir when used alongside Aegislash’s attack. This way, Honedge can be used to clean up or set up foes for the KO. While another Aegislash can also do this, sometimes it’s hard to chain Aegislash, and even if you can, getting value from the vulnerable Honedge that you already have in play is quite nice. Of course, Defiance Band only works while you’re behind, but this deck is probably winning games when it’s already ahead anyway.
[cardimg name=”Diancie” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”86″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Diancie” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] is most obviously an efficient [card name=”Cinccino ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]-killer, but it’s actually in the deck to stop Lugia’s [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] from taking four Prize cards. I thought about playing [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] for this, but killing the blasted thing is just better, albeit slightly more difficult to pull off. If they go for Iron Hands, a board of only Aegislash stops it in its tracks, but we’re not living in fairyland. More often than not, you’ll have a vulnerable Honedge they will be eyeing for the follow up, so Diancie needs to eliminate the Hands right away.
[card name=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] works well as a setup engine if needed, and has great synergy with Arven and [card name=”Rescue Board” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card], making it easier to use. [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] helps us set up against snipe decks, as Honedge’s infant mortality statistic is not a pretty sight. If [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] means to spend a precious Dusknoir on Manaphy, that’s fine by me. We’ll recover Manaphy and make it that much harder for them to deal with Aegislash once it’s actually set up. Lost Box doesn’t play as many single-Prize attackers as they used to, so Lost City can actually beat them.
The Supporter lineup is rather boring and straightforward. It’s just four of each of the best three consistency Supporters. Arven is good for setting up Stage 2s. The recovery cards are also unremarkable. [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is usually better and more convenient, but sometimes the extra output from [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] is what you need.
[card name=”Energy Search” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] is a way to get Energy from Arven. I’m not sure if [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] is better. While it’s true that two is more than one, oftentimes one is sufficient and it’s nice not to have to discard. [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] is the only reasonable gust option for this deck. We want to be able to snipe down and Lost Zone threats, yet we have no consistent way to access [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Counter Catcher is much easier to find, and again, if we’re ahead, we’re most likely winning anyway.
[card name=”Jubilife Village” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] is curiously a very nice card in this deck, so much so that I would like to add a second copy. It can be played on either end of a draw Supporter for some extra reach, reach that is sometimes just what you need. Unlike Cleffa, it does not require sacrificing an innocent soul to feed the opponent a Prize card, so it is sometimes better. Of course, we have no way to access the Village besides randomly drawing into it. Since it’s a consistency card, though, that’s fine.
[card name=”Mist Energy ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] offers protection from [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], along with some other use cases like Slither Wing’s burn. [card name=”Hero’s Cape ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] is yet another way to protect poor little Honedge on the Bench. It also makes Aegislash that much harder to KO. Aegislash is now out of range of all sorts of combinations, such as Cursed Blast plus an attack from [card name=”Drakloak” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] or Radiant Greninja, or even just Dusknoir’s attack. There is some merit to playing [card name=”Dangerous Laser” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] as the ACE SPEC instead, allowing Aegislash to one-shot Radiant Charizard.
[card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] is a consideration that I may end up adding. I could see it making a relevant difference against decks like Charizard, Dragapult, and [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].
Matchups
Raging Bolt is the easiest. They cannot take multiple Prize cards at once, and they only play one single-Prize attacker. Whether it’s Slither Wing or [card name=”Sandy Shocks ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] is no matter; they are both trivial. In most games, you don’t even need to use Lost City on your first try. If they bring their attacker back, you still probably win. Of course, it’s still best to send it to the Lost Zone if you can. Save Lost City for when you do so; if you play Lost City preemptively, it’s likely to get bumped. You can afford a slow start as long as you do eventually set up an Aegislash or two. Sandy Shocks with Bravery Charm is a two-shot, but they can do no more than two-shot you in return. With Hero’s Cape, the best they can get is a three-shot unless they play [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card]. Some lists do still play Vacuum for some reason, even though it’s bad. Slither Wing is even less threatening, since it’s always in Aegislash one-shot range after it attacks, even with Bravery Charm. Mist Energy stops its burn, which would effectively one-shot an Aegislash if you flip tails on it. If you don’t have Mist Energy, Rescue Board can retreat the Aegislash for free after a Slither Wing hit so you can fade the burn KO.
[cardimg name=”Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”213″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Lugia isn’t nearly as bad as it might look at first glance. Cincinno does go band for band with Aegislash, which we don’t like, but they only have one or two of those, making it manageable. We also have Diancie to slay the rats if need be. Archeops trades two-shots with Aegislash, which is fine. If we’re behind, we can one-shot them with Defiance Band, giving us a huge edge. If they go for some Iron Hands nonsense at the start of the game, it demands an immediate Diancie response. If they have [card name=”Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], which most lists don’t, things get a bit trickier. We might need Manaphy to set up, which gets permanently locked by Ogerpon’s Sob. If we foresee such a thing happening, be sure that the opponent will be the one to deck out first in a stalemate.
Regidrago is by far this deck’s most difficult matchup. We can manage the snipe, the Mew ex, and even the Radiant Charizard. The breaking point is the [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], which is a massive pain, and can even be reused via Legacy Star. I don’t think Regidrago has many good reasons to play Cologne in the current meta, but most of them still play it nonetheless. If they do not, it’s a simple matter of removing the Mew ex and Radiant Charizard and protecting Honedge with Mist Energy. They’ll struggle to take six Prizes. Unfortunately, with Cologne, they can just blast through Aegislash for free. Our only hope is to set up enough of them. It’s somewhat common for Regidrago to draw their cards in the wrong order, forcing them to waste resources or commit to a suboptimal answer to a situation. Lots of times, they just won’t have the Boss or Cologne that they need. Aegislash does apply some pressure, so it’s not a hopeless fight.
Against Dusknoir, it’s just a matter of outlasting their answers to Aegislash. Dusknoir alone can get them through one or maybe even two depending on their list. Against Dusknoir, play Lost City aggressively. In order to avoid Lost Zoning their Dusknoir, they need a Stadium to go along with it. Lost Zoning their Dusknoir and buying yourself time are both desirable outcomes. In the worst case, it just forces them to have more stuff faster. Against Dragapult, limit your hand size so [card name=”Radiant Alakazam” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t destroy you. Against Palkia, Manaphy provides lots of value for as long as Radiant Greninja is a threat. Charizard is the most annoying, as you have to deal with Defiance Band Charmeleon and Radiant Charizard. I would say the matchup is slightly favored or even, but it is definitely precarious. If you are able to make constant attacks, it’s hard for them to take six prizes. These Dusknoir decks are easier to beat than I initially expected, but of course, the games can be volatile. Sometimes you will get blown out of the water in the early game. The good thing here is that their Dusknoir are limited resources. If they use them early, they won’t be able to deal with Aegislash later. That is, if you’re able to set up at all.
Overall, this deck is strong into the meta, though it struggles with Regidrago the most. I encourage you to try this deck out if you’re looking for something new that wins games. The deck isn’t particularly complex or stimulating, but it gets the job done. Thanks for reading!
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