Need a deck to play post rotation? Then hit the pedal to the metal!
We are only weeks away from another rotation in the Pokemon TCG. There are plenty of players who are gearing up for Worlds. They are testing new cards from Celestial Storm and seeing what works. Though there are plenty of players who are not going to Worlds and need help on what to play post rotation.
Lets admit it. This year is one of the biggest impacting rotations in the recent history of the Pokemon TCG. We are seeing long time staples like Professor Sycamore and N leaving the format. These card were the key draw support for every deck in the TCG. Meanwhile some decks are losing some valuable tools in their toolbox. That is why we are going to feature some decks that are solid choices, tested new staples and lineups that can be used post rotation. Once you are ready to play and test the new Sun & Moon-on format, you can use these decks to build or simply use them as a model. You can use our Supporter line up to help you set up your own Supporters!
The deck that I am spotlighting for our post rotation series is a long time favorite of mine. It is big and heavy. This card can take a hit and hit back harder. You do not want to mess with this deck because it is as hard a metal. It can easily switch out attackers to always fight. Once it is set up then this deck is a well oiled machine. Today we are putting the spotlight on Metagross!
The Decklist
Pokemon (17)
Beldum x4 (CES 92)
Metang (CES 94)
Metang x2 (GUR 84)
Metagross GX X4
Tapu Koko (PR 31)
Dhelmise (GUR 59)
Alolan Vulpix x2 (GUR 21)
Tapu Lele GX x2Trainers (33)
Cynthia x4
Guzma x4
Apricorn Maker x2
Copycat x2
Volkner x2
Judge
Rare Candy x4
Ultra Ball x4
Nest Ball x3
Max Potion x3
Choice Band x3
Rescue StretcherEnergy (10)
Metal x8
Psychic x2
Deck Breakdown
I will like to start by focusing on the Supporter line up in this deck. With the removal of Professor Sycamore and N, there is a huge vacuum in Supporter line ups.
Cynthia will now have to be played at four. If you were not playing Cynthia at four prior to rotation the you need to find a few more to make that count go up to four. There is no denying that Cynthia is our strongest and most reliable way to draw cards.
Judge is only here as a form of hand disruption. N was used to do the same task. Now he is gone and we are only left with Judge. It isn’t perfect but it works when your opponent has a massive hand or just cards you want out of it. Either way, it is something but watch out. You may end up using Judge to give your opponent a better hand.
Now here is the real change that people are still debating. Apricorn Maker and Nest Ball.
Brigette was a great card for decks that like to set up multiple Pokemon on the bench. It was perfect for evolution decks. Brigette will soon be gone and people are unsure on how to get their low HP Basics on the field. Do we use Pokemon Fan Club? It only gets two Pokemon on the Bench and useless late game. Lillie with high counts of Nest Ball? You will need to get Lillie on your first turn and then get your hand down as low as you can get get a great up to eight card draw. You are still not guarantee to get your Nest Balls.
And then there is Apricorn Maker and Nest Ball.
I found this method the best way to to set up your bench if you are playing a deck that needs bench set up. Simply play two Apricorn Maker and three Nest Ball to get yourself set up. You can use Tapu Lele GX to grab Apricorn Maker. You can then use the Supporter to grab two Nest Ball and put down two Beldum. Sometimes you may end up with a Nest Ball in your opening hand to get a third Beldum or another needed Basic Pokemon.
The use of Apricorn Maker and Nest Ball is the best way to get set up for Evolution decks. If you just do the basic set up then you are on thinning out your deck of four to five cards. That is four to five cards that you won’t be drawing into next turn. Though, you are setting yourself up to get hit hard by Garbodor from Guardians Rising. If so then try to keep your item usage low or adapt to the changes.
Copycat is a useful card and can give you a huge payout if used correctly. If you are playing against a Zoroark GX deck or an opponent who hoard cards in their hand then it is time to use Copycat! Your opponent’s huge hand is now yours!
Now to the Pokemon.
You want to play the new Beldum from Celestial Storm. This Beldum has the Conductive Body ability which lessens it’s retreat cost for each Beldum on your Bench. If you start with Beldum as your active then you can just get more Beldum on your Bench. That way you can easily switch in to a better active.
You want to split your Metang line between the one from Guardians Rising and Celestial Storm. The CES Metang has an attack for a single energy cost. If you need to attack for a single energy then it can be good for that. Though, GUR Metang can hit harder which is good if you ever go against Shiny Legends Hoopa. Either way, you want to play three Metang to help set up your bench quicker.
Four Metagross GX is needed for this deck. He is your main attacker. This card has 250 HP and it can take a hit. If you get too much damage on Metagross GX then use Max Potion to take off the damage. Need to set up a bit faster? Use Algorithm GX to grab your needed cards. If your opponent uses Judge then that means new hand for you.
Metagross GX is your energy accelerator, attacker and life line. Simply retreat to one on your bench. Use Geotech System to fuel it up. Then hit hard!
Alolan Vulpix is there to help set up. You want to use this Pokemon to grab needed Pokemon such as Metang, Metagross GX and anything else.
Dhelmise is here to help Metagross GX hit the right numbers. If you have a Choice Band attached to Metagross GX then you are hitting 180 damage. That is enough to hit a lot of GX Pokemon. Though, you have some things like Ultra Necrozma GX with 190 HP. That is where Dhelmise comes in.
If you have Dhelmise on your bench then Steelworker is working. Dhelmise’s ability allows Metal type Pokemon to hit for 10 more damage. That Metagross GX with a Choice Band is now hitting for 190 damage. You are now knocking out Ultra Necrozma GX.
What about Pokemon with more then 190 HP? How about those with 210 HP? Like Zoroark?
That is where you get creative and use Tapu Koko!
Tapu Koko only needs two energy to use Flying Flip. If you are anticipating your opponent to play a 210 HP Pokemon like Zoroark GX then get your Tapu Koko out. As soon as Alolan Vulpix goes down, send out Tapu Koko into the active. Hopefully it has an energy attached so all it will need is one more energy. Surely you can find it in your hand or hopefully a Metagross GX is set up to use Geotech System.
Once Tapu Koko uses a Flying Flip then that makes it easier for Metagross GX to attack and knockout Zoroark GX. All you need at that point is Dhelmise and attached a Choice Band. After that, it is time to knockout some foxes. If you can preform a few more Flying Flip then that would be better.
This deck has a few other tricks up it’s sleeve.
Volkner is in this deck simply so you can grab any Item out of your deck. Do you have too much damage on your Metagross GX? Use Volkner to grab a Max Potion! Heal off all that damage! Need to evolve from Beldum to Metagross GX? Volkner can fetch a Rare Candy!
Thoughts
Metagross GX is a strong card and deck. You are hiding behind a 250 HP Pokemon that not many cards can take out with one attack. The best part is that the Metagross GX who attacked last turn isn’t going to be in the active next turn. That would mean your opponent will need a Guzma to force the damage Metagross GX back into the active.
A good Metagross GX player can plan for that. The best option is to have a Max Potion in hand to heal up the damaged Metagross GX after it retreats to the bench. Though, if that is not possible then they will start attaching Metal energy on to their third Metagross GX. That way they can operate with two Metagross GX. They can do that for awhile as they set up a new Metagross GX. Granted, they may be up on prizes when that happens.
Zoroark GX is said to be a huge contender after Rotation. This deck has built-in draw power and hit power. The problem is that it can’t one hit KO Metagross GX. If all goes well, you can set up the field where Metagross GX can knockout Zoroark GX with one hit. Though, Zoroark GX may have some tricks such as Acerola to heal up their Zoroark GX. At this point it will become a battle of endurance. Most of the time Metagross GX can outlive the encounter by knocking out weaken Zoroark GX or Tapu Lele GX.
Malamar variants such as Necrozma GX and Ultra Necrozma GX can find ways to to knockout Metagross GX. If they can get enough energy attached to their attackers then that will spell out doom for Metagross GX.
Ultra Necrozma GX only need three Psychic energy attached to knockout Metagross GX. That is especially easy if they have three Malamar set up.
Meanwhile, Necrozma GX will need four Psychic energy and a Choice Band to take down Metagross GX. The Necrozma GX player will need to plan ahead but they can do the task. Another option that the Necrozma GX player can do is use Black Ray GX to damage all the Metagross GX on the field. That will make it easier to knockout Metagross.
Granted, if the Metagross GX player is prepared then this match up won’t be too difficult for them. They can simply send out a Metagross GX to knockout their opponent’s active Pokemon. This will force the Necrozma player to scramble for a new attacker. Either that or simply knockout the Malamar on the bench.
There are a few changes that could be made to this deck. If you want something that can hit a bit harder then Dusk Mane Necrozma GX can be added to the deck. Sun’s Eclipse GX and Meteor Tempest can hit Pokemon hard for an easier one hit KO. You will need to cut something but this Pokemon can get rid of problems quicker if needed. It can stay in the active for a long time too. You will just need to make sure you can plan out when to have it on he bench.
Another option is dropping Copycat and replacing it with Tate & Liza. This new Supporter card from Celestial Storm allows you to shuffle-draw for five cards. It is consistent draw support that doesn’t depend on your opponent’s hand size. It also have an option to switch your active Pokemon with one on your bench. This could be useful if somebody tries to Guzma in a Metagross GX with no energy and no energy in the discard.
Final Thoughts
Metagross GX is a great deck to use. One of the biggest threats to Metagross was ability lock and Fire. Both of these things will be gone or not in a great state after Rotation. Take advantage of this and play Metagross! It can get set up quickly and take hits like nobody’s business. This deck can even hit hard and do knockouts!
Put the pedal to the metal! Zoom in with Metagross GX into the SM-on format!
