What Could Have Been — Remaking Pikachu & Zekrom-GX in Standard
Are you self-isolating? I hope so—please do not read this article unless you’re doing your part as a good citizen. I was planning on playing Pikachu and Zekrom-GX for Toronto Regionals many moons ago, before I decided not to go—then the event was cancelled altogether. Pikachu and Zekrom-GX can beat anything in the current Standard format and I hope to show you why in this piece, as well as instill in you some of the main factors that put it in this favorable position. Why does this matter? Studying this soon-to-be past format’s metagame shifts should prepare you better for formats to come. You might complain about the state of Standard, perhaps Altered Creation GX is too powerful for you, or Blacephalon does too much damage, etc. Whatever the case, when you have a revolving door of deck list-based decisions that alter the format: you have a solid, healthy format. Pikachu and Zekrom-GX has always been one of those decks that can potentially beat anything, something that doesn’t have overwhelmingly strong matchups; a deck that is capable of holding its own against anything. You can ramp up your chances a little further with specific cards to push matchups further in one direction. The most recent instances of Pikachu and Zekrom-GX doing well at a major tournament came in the hands of Bastian Sellmaier and Magnus Pedersen at Swedish Regionals. The two finished in the Top 8 with different lists.
I had been testing a fair bit for Toronto Regionals with Pikachu and Zekrom-GX like this:
Pikachu & Zekrom-GX
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