Fly Me to the Moon — Roaring Moon ex for San Antonio

Hey everyone! It’s Charlie and I’m happy to be back with another article. In my last article, I went into detail about one of my favorite decks in the format right now, [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Pikachu ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. I think this deck is pretty good, extremely underrated, and has a pretty great meta spread right now. The only downside is its fragility. Sometimes the middle of the game can be dicey depending on how your first turn went, though it’s still very doable with the extensive recovery cards. If you want to read about all my thoughts on the deck in detail, go check that article out first. It’s still certainly on my radar heading into San Antonio.

[cardimg name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Speaking of San Antonio, it’s North America’s last major event (outside of the Puerto Rico SPE) prior to Prismatic Evolutions, which is to say it will be the last major event before the introduction of Budew. While things may be different over here, Budew’s impact in Japan cannot be understated. The king of our current format, [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], is often ranked as low as Tier 4 (!!!) by analysts in Japan, almost entirely due to Budew’s impact on its early game. If an evolving deck is able to use Budew on their first turn to stop Regidrago from using Items on its second, they can often stop Regidrago from attacking and enjoy an extra turn to set up. When combined with other stalling tactics like [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] on high-retreat Pokemon, this can buy you a lot of time to set up almost any Evolution deck. Regidrago’s greatest strength was always its early-game aggression, and if that’s taken away, it stands to become a much weaker deck. Will Regidrago be able to evolve further and come up with a solution for this, too? I guess we’ll find out around EUIC!

Before we think about that, though, let me return to San Antonio. While Regigigas is still at the top of my list for now, that won’t stop me from exploring other options. One of those options I’m liking a good bit is the topic of today’s article — [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] .

Why Roaring Moon ex?

For a deck that got second place at the World Championships this August, Roaring Moon has had quite an underwhelming season. While it was never seen as a Tier 1 threat in any version of this format, it’s always been a formidable force that boasts a great Regidrago matchup. With this in your back pocket, you can see a lot of success given Regidrago’s meta share. Not only is it one of the most popular decks overall, it’s by far the most popular deck among top players. I’ve heard many of my friends say things along the lines of “I’ll be playing Regidrago until I can’t anymore,” or “Playing Regidrago is my job,” which speaks to how good they think the deck is. With unmatched power and versatility, a 280-HP Weakness-free attacker, and one of the most powerful engines in the game, the only thing Regidrago is missing is a powerful turn-1 attack. Speaking of turn-1 attacks, what deck are we talking about again? One of the best decks in the format at pulling off a turn-1 attack?

Regidrago’s inability to attack for two Prize cards on the first turn is also its Achilles’ heel. In most matchups between two-Prize decks, the dreaded 2-2-2 Prize race can often dictate who wins. When Regidrago can attack first, it can often get ahead and sustain its board for long enough to win. However, when it fails to get ahead or the opponent does it first, Regidrago has very few options. While [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trifrost gives it one way to escape the 2-2-2 Prize race, it’s very difficult to pull off against a smart player. Luckily for us, Roaring Moon is built to go second and take two Prizes on its first turn, jumping ahead of Regidrago before they can strike back. If you’re able to sustain this game plan and take three KOs, Roaring Moon can draw all six Prize cards before Regidrago catches up. However, if you ever fail to take a KO or can’t get around single-Prize annoyances like [card name=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] , they can often use that extra turn to steal a win.

With all that in mind, let’s get into my current list:

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[decklist name=”Roaring Moon ex” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Pecharunt ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latias ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Roaring Moon ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Koraidon” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Pecharunt (SVP #149)1x [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]9x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This list was built with speed in mind, but also includes options for disruption and other attackers as well. Let’s get into the card choices.

Three Roaring Moon ex

As our main attacker, we obviously need a healthy dose of Roaring Moon ex in our list. While some lists opt to play four, I opted for three because we have plenty of backup attackers at our disposal, which I’ll talk about in a moment. We also have two copies of Night Stretcher, which can help you find an extra Roaring Moon in a pinch if one is in the Prizes or the discard. With two powerful attacks in Frenzied Gouging and Calamity Storm, Roaring Moon ex has the power to KO any opposing Pokemon if it so chooses, sometimes even without putting damage counters on itself. This gives you a guaranteed two Prize cards if your opponent’s Active is worth that, and you can easily power it up, which is exactly what this list is built to do.

One Pecharunt ex

[card name=”Pecharunt ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] is mostly here for mobility, giving you a way to move Roaring Moon (or any other Darkness Pokemon) into the Active Spot for free. This can be really helpful, but we also play [card name=”Latias ex” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], don’t we? Pecharunt ex has a second, potentially even better option with its Irritated Outburst attack, dealing 60 damage for each Prize card your opponent has taken. If your opponent took four Prize cards on two Roaring Moon, Pecharunt ex can deal 240 damage — often more than enough to KO your opponent’s last two-Prize Pokemon in play. Best of all, while it can’t be targeted by [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card], Irritated Outburst only costs two Energy! With just a [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and a manual attachment, swinging for this much damage at the end of the game becomes really easy and can help reduce the number of cards you need for a game-winning combo.

One Fezandipiti ex

While in the video games it’s seen as just another member of Pecharunt’s Loyal Three, [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] has separated itself from the others in the TCG. This card will go down as format-defining when it eventually rotates for the unbelievable insurance policy that Flip the Script offers. In a deck that primarily just Prize-trades every game, drawing three(!) extra cards after your attacker is KO’d is just insane. This deck also has much more of a chance to take advantage of Cruel Arrow because of [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], though that attack is still weak and situational. Regardless, Fezandipiti is a complete staple and you want to have it on your Bench in the vast majority of games.

One Latias ex

Surging Sparks gifted all Basic decks Latias ex, which has one of the most powerful pivoting Abilities we’ve ever seen. Giving every Basic Pokemon zero Retreat Cost is ridiculous on paper, and nearly as ridiculous in real life. Having both Pecharunt and Latias completely removes the need for [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] (just don’t let a crafty Regidrago player take advantage of this!), saving you deck space for more cards that attach Energy or bring two-Prize Pokemon into your opponent’s Active Spot. Latias is an extremely powerful card and certainly deserves a spot here.

One Squawkabilly ex

[card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] has proven to be extremely good in many different decks since its introduction, and Roaring Moon is no different. Getting an extra six cards on your first turn is effectively a second Supporter, which is really important when you often need to play [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] on your first turn. While it’s a bit of a liability with only 160 HP, you can usually police your Bench well enough with it in play that it doesn’t hurt you. Just be careful against Regidrago — if you ever put three two-Prize Pokemon in play that have 220 HP or less, you’re in range of a double Trifrost!

One Lumineon V

[card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] has been good for its entire lifespan as a card, and it’s pretty great here. Having the option to [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] for Professor Sada’s Vitality, [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] is really powerful and helps a lot with the turn-1 consistency. As has always been the case with Roaring Moon, if you’re able to find your combo pieces the right order in the majority of games, you will win a lot. Lumineon is another card that helps you ensure this happens in the greatest number of games possible, so I think it’s worth an inclusion here.

One Radiant Greninja

After talking about three of the best support Pokemon in the game, I can’t leave this one out. Even though we can’t attack with it, [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is broken in this deck. You need to discard Darkness Energy for both Dark Patch and Professor Sada’s Vitality, which Greninja does seamlessly. You also get two more cards every time you do that. Need I say more?

One Koraidon

[cardimg name=”Koraidon” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”116″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Koraidon” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the more interesting new attackers from Surging Sparks. It’s not very powerful in a vacuum, but as a follow-up attacker in an Ancient deck like this one, it’s extremely good. 180 damage is enough to KO the likes of opposing Lumineon V and Fezandipiti ex (due to Weakness, though sadly Resistance saves Squawkabilly from the same fate), and any time you can use a single-Prize attacker to take two Prize cards in a deck like this, it’s a great choice. It can also KO [card name=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] and gives you a huge advantage against [card name=”Miraidon ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] because of its Fighting type, which are both very nice to have. Koraidon is certainly worth the spot given its ability to flip some 50-50 matchups in your favor and KO some of the most popular support Pokemon.

One Roaring Moon

Baby [card name=”Roaring Moon ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is another single-Prize option we play, mostly for matchups with lower-HP single-Prize Pokemon like [card name=”Klawf” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] . Without too many Ancient cards in our deck, ramping up Roaring Moon’s damage to high numbers is not easy. However, near the end of the game, it’s possible you could get nine or ten Ancient cards in the discard (only twelve are in the deck other than baby Moon), which lets you hit for respectable damage. I definitely think this is our weakest single-Prize attacker and the one I’d be most likely to cut, but it certainly serves a purpose and has been solid in my testing.

One Pecharunt

Pecharunt is not often seen outside of decks with [card name=”Brute Bonnet” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], but here we use it as a tech attacker! For two Energy, its Poison Chain attack can “KO” a Pokemon with 70 HP or fewer (think [card name=”Charmander” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”7″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], etc) during Pokemon Checkup. This prevents your opponent from using their Fezandipiti ex during their turn, which can really get in their way if their setup was weak. Also, Poison Chain prevents opposing Pokemon from retreating, so you can use Pecharunt to trap targets like Fezandipiti in the Active Spot. With its Ability, Poison damage will KO that Fezandipiti going back into your turn after two turns, which gives you another chance to strike. This can be really useful and surprising against decks that rely exclusively on Latias ex to move their Pokemon, and also annoying when combined with Judge for disruption. Overall, this little guy pulls its weight way more than one might expect!

One Iron Bundle

[card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is another utility card that sees play in a lot of decks, and it’s also great in this one. Against Regidrago, they often can’t bench both Cleffa and Radiant Charizard on their first turn, which means you can often use Iron Bundle to force a two-Prize Pokemon Active. This saves your gust options for later, which is really important in that matchup. Overall, Iron Bundle is a great option to have in a deck like this that relies on taking the right KO every turn.

Four Professor Sada’s Vitality

Professor Sada’s Vitality is the lifeblood of this deck. Attaching two Energy to two Ancient Pokemon, then I get to draw three cards? If I could only pick to play four of one card and had to play three or fewer of the rest, this would be the one.

Two Judge

Judge is a very under-utilized card right now. It’s not easy for many decks to deal with both Judge and aggressive attacking in the early game, and that’s exactly what Roaring Moon aims to take advantage of. While you can’t use Judge every first turn going second, you usually have a chance to get it off once during each game, which can prove impactful if timed right. I don’t think I’d add more Judge, but the two in here right now have been really strong.

One Boss’s Orders

Boss’s Orders is as broken as ever, but with four [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], it’s not exactly needed all the time. We still include one here primarily as a target for [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] in the late game, but any time you have a chance to use this card for two Prizes, you take it.

Four Nest Ball, Four Ultra Ball

Since we need to get a bunch of different Pokemon in play during the early game, maxing out our counts of both of these makes sense. I always want to see these cards in my opening hand, and they’re useful at almost every stage of the game. You could maybe cut one copy of one of them, but having the max count of both has just felt too good.

Four Earthen Vessel

[card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the best cards in Standard right now, and this deck takes full advantage. We need to find lots of Energy to get into our discard pile early, and Earthen Vessel both discards a card (potentially an Energy) and finds two more. That’s extremely powerful in this archetype, and we even get the bonus of it being an Ancient card. Four copies is really strong here.

Four Dark Patch

Dark Patch has a lot of history, but there’s no denying the fact it was better the first time it was printed than the second time. Still, it’s completely game-changing in Roaring Moon since it’s almost always just an extra attachment. As one of the most important cards in achieving the first-turn attack, Dark Patch is an immediate four-of.

Four Pokemon Catcher

Pokemon Catcher is another card that was much better the first time it was printed, albeit that’s due to an errata that changed it from its original effect — Boss’s Orders on an Item. However, even on a flip, it certainly pulls its weight here. When you need to use a gust effect multiple times in some matchups, having options other than your Supporter for turn (and your ACE SPEC) is really nice. On average, you will succeed with Pokemon Catcher 50% of the time, which means it either happens or it doesn’t. If it happens, then you’re probably in a favorable position, and if it doesn’t, then you just continue on with your turn! While I could certainly play fewer Pokemon Catcher, the ultimate turbo versions of this deck always need to max this count out.

Three Trekking Shoes

[card name=”Trekking Shoes” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] has been controversial since its release; many people argue it’s just like playing a 56 (or in this case, 57) card deck. However, you also get to discard a card, which could be an Energy, and you get to “choose” between two of them! In turbo decks, that’s more than enough to be worth a spot. I only have three right now because that fourth slot usually doesn’t add as much as the other three (I’d consider adding [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] well before more of these), but these three certainly pull their weight.

Two Night Stretcher

As one of the other best cards from Shrouded Fable (wow, there are a lot…), [card name=”Night Stretcher” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] fills an important niche here as our only recovery option. Getting to choose between a Pokemon and an Energy is really good, and since this deck doesn’t need the high-volume recovery of Pokemon or Energy that you’d get with [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] , you can take advantage of putting the card in your hand instead! I don’t think this build needs more than two, but if you keep finding yourself discarding one too many Roaring Moon with [card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], maybe try out a third.

One Pal Pad

[card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] is great to protect against late-game disruption from [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. You can fill your deck up with two Professor Sada’s Vitality or one Sada and one Boss; both of those options are great. If you find Pal Pad early, you can always use it to throw just one extra Supporter back into the deck, but it really shines in the late game or when you need to recover from a bad PokeStop. I don’t think this deck ever needs two of these; as long as you use the one for at least some effect, it should be enough.

One Prime Catcher

While some lists are opting to include [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Surging Sparks” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] , I’m sticking with the tried-and-true [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card]for now. While we do have four Pokemon Catcher, this card is just such a difference maker that it feels dumb not to include. Whenever you find it, you’re almost always able to take the lead. With Prime Catcher and Boss, you also have two guaranteed gusts, so even if you only get one out of four heads with Pokemon Catcher, you can still get three gusts, which is enough to take six Prize cards. While Prime Catcher isn’t the only option for Roaring Moon anymore, it’s still a great one and by far the most well-rounded.

Four PokeStop

[card name=”PokéStop” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] is like taking this deck’s already fast engine and strapping a rocket booster to it. When you hit the Items you want, this Stadium just says draw three cards, and it can also discard Energy for you. Plus, it’s a great Stadium to discard for the extra 120 damage with Calamity Storm. PokeStop is good in almost any turbo deck, and it is totally worth the full four copies in this one.

Nine Darkness Energy

I know a lot of lists play ten Darkness, but I chose to go with nine since we have the two Night Stretcher. Without Water Energy clogging up your deck, you don’t really need too many of these to get through the game. Plus, with four Earthen Vessel, you’re able to find them early, which makes nine a perfectly solid count.

Conclusion

That’s all for my analysis of the Roaring Moon archetype! I think this deck is a pretty strong play for San Antonio; taking a favorable Regidrago matchup is really good and Roaring Moon can hang with the rest of the format too. This deck’s speed and power is unmatched, a combination that will be strong in any format.

As always, thank you for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or reach out to me on X (@C4_TCG) directly. I hope to see you guys again in the next article!

– Charlie

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