Locking in the Meta

It has been seven weeks since the debut of the new Sun and Moon series, and the meta still hasn’t settled down. Decidueye GX is exceeding all expectations, and has become the new deck to beat.

Decidueye/Vileplume

This deck has caught on very quickly, especially considering the initial hesitation to play Decidueye. Forest of Giant Plants allows both Decidueye GX and Vileplume to be played turn one, and this happens much more frequently than would be expected from a pair of Stage 2s. Once in Item lock, most decks completely shut down, relying on top-decks to simply continue playing. This gets even more out of hand if the Decidueye player goes first, locking their opponent for the entire game. To make matters worse, the primary ability lock is Garbodor, which requires a tool to function. It becomes very hard to attach a tool without the ability to play Items. Hex Maniac also completely shuts the deck down, but only for one turn.

The Return of Wobbuffet

Wobbuffet provides a very easy answer to Vileplume’s oppression. It simultaneously shuts down Decidueye GX, and can’t even be one hit by a Razor Leaf. Likely, Wobbuffet will stay in play for a few turns, and can set up the rest of the player’s board. This pairs very nicely with Garbodor, as it can buy enough time for a Float Stone to be attached to Garbodor. Both Garbodor and Psychic Energy are already in Mewtwo, which makes it a perfect fit for Wobbuffet.

This is the Mewtwo list I played at the most recent League Cup (Watervliet) and for the most part, the deck ran as it was intended to.

Pokémon - 15

4 Mewtwo EX (BKT 62)
3 M Mewtwo EX (BKT 64)
1 Hoopa EX (AOS 36)
2 Shaymin EX (ROS 77)
2 Trubbish (BKP 56)
1 Garbodor (BKP 57)
2 Wobbuffet (PHF 36)

Trainers - 34

2 Lysandre
3 N
4 Professor Sycamore
2 Shrine of Memories
1 Parallel City
1 Super Rod
4 VS Seeker
4 Ultra Ball
2 Trainers’ Mail
4 Mewtwo Spirit Link
4 Mega Turbo
3 Float Stone

Energy -11

7 Psychic Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy

Matchups

Decidueye/Vileplume – This match comes down to whether or not Wobbuffet comes out in time. A Wobbuffet start makes this almost an auto-win. It forces the opponent to get out a turn one Vileplume and Lysandre to deal with Wobbuffet. Even if it comes down late game, Wobbuffet shuts down the deck so effectively that it should be a win anyway. This matchup is key in proving Mewtwo’s power.

Volcanion – This is also a pretty good matchup. Wobbuffet shuts down the early game, forcing a slower start and removing the damage spike behind Steam Up. Once Garbodor is in play, Mega Mewtwo EX shreds Volcanion EX while taking up to two hits from it. However, without a Wobbuffet or turn two Garbodor, Volcanion can get out of control very quickly.

The Mirror – I was not expecting to see as many Mewtwo decks as there were at the tournament, so I chose not to include the 1-1 Espeon GX line. That was a mistake, considering one Espeon GX completely swings the game. It easily one shots a Mega Mewtwo EX, but Mega Mewtwo EX has a hard time one hitting it in return. I would cut a Shrine of Memories and a Mewtwo Spirit Link for the room to play Espeon GX.

Dark – This is one of Mewtwo’s hardest opponents. Factoring in resistance and Fighting Fury Belt, Darkrai EX takes six energies to OHKO, something that simply isn’t affordable. This makes trades very risky, as Darkrai EX can ramp up damage a lot more safely than Mega Mewtwo EX can by attaching to the bench. Adding Giratina EX, Salamence EX, or Tauros GX makes the matchup that much harder, to the point where it simply isn’t favorable for Mewtwo anymore.

Espeon – This was a rouge deck that did surprisingly well at the Watervliet tournament. It has auto-wins against both Mewtwo and Decidueye, two of the most popular decks. However, Dark and Volcanion are not favorable at all. An Espeon player’s record is almost entirely decided by matchups.

Conclusion

                The introduction of a playable Decidueye deck has thrown the meta into disarray once again. This means that many decks will need to play an answer to it or risk losing on turn one, so Wobbuffet will return to the realm of playability. Even if it wasn’t good before, Mewtwo certainly is now.