Worlds Meta and Testing Results, Part 2

Hello everyone! As of writing this, Worlds is next weekend, and I’m about to head out. I am very excited about this tournament, and I have practiced quite a lot. I am still unsure of what I’m going to be playing, but for this article, I’ll be continuing where I left off last time.

I will be covering the expected meta decks, as well as how the meta is evolving in the short time before Worlds. I don’t know if this article will come out before Worlds, but even if it doesn’t, it will still be relevant going forward into the Shrouded Fable format. I’ve already written dedicated articles on Charizard ex  and Dragapult ex  recently, and the last article covered Lost Box, Gardevoir ex, and Raging Bolt ex . That leaves us with Regidrago VSTAR, Lugia VSTAR, Snorlax, and some other underrated decks.

Regidrago VSTAR

Regidrago VSTAR is definitely the most hyped deck for the Shrouded Fable format. Before this set came out, it was overlooked until it made Top 16 at NAIC, which came as a complete surprise to many people. Regidrago had always been somewhat of a meme, but with the addition of Dragapult ex and Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, it clearly became much more viable. The Shrouded Fable set further strengthens the deck by giving it Kyurem and Fezandipiti ex. As a result, Regidrago is now extremely powerful and versatile. Its speed is also quite terrifying. These factors are what contribute to Regidrago being one of the most popular preliminary decks, as well as one of the strongest in the current format. The only questionable aspect of the deck is its consistency, but even that isn’t terrible.

I expect Regidrago to be extremely popular at Worlds. While I expect the elite players to favor other decks such as Gardevoir and Pidgeot ex variants, I foresee Regidrago as being the go-to pick for your average Worlds competitor. It somewhat displaces Lugia and Raging Bolt as a similar type of deck, but simply better in many ways. Regidrago matches up well against the previous format’s frontrunners: Gardevoir and Lost Box, and can hold its own in basically every matchup due to its versatility.

I personally do not expect to be playing the deck, as its variance and borderline inconsistency scare me, as well as the prospect of many mirror matches. There’s also the fact that it is well-known to be the most popular deck, so many players will be prepared to face it. It is difficult to counter Regidrago, but the deck still has a large target on its back. That said, I acknowledge that the deck is ridiculously strong, and it probably is the best deck in the format.

Regidrago has picked up various techs in its short lifetime, and I think all of them are good. Hawlucha makes great numbers alongside Dragapult’s 60-damage snipe, bringing that to 70 damage which Knocks Out the likes of Charmander, Ralts, and Dreepy. Furthermore, both Dragapult ex and Hisuian Goodra VSTAR hit 200 damage to the Active Pokemon, so Hawlucha bumps that to 210 damage against Teal Mask Ogerpon and Fezandipiti. While Hawlucha does not directly ping your opponent’s Active Pokemon, you can use Hawlucha followed by playing a Boss's Orders to KO a Benched Pokemon ex. Speaking of Hisuian Goodra, not all lists play it, but I definitely would. Goodra is fantastic primarily in the mirror match and also against a variety of Pokemon that might otherwise be able to one-shot Regidrago, but no longer can thanks to the damage reduction. This results in getting free damage onto the board in situations where the opponent cannot immediately deal with the Rolling Iron attack.

Most lists have started to favor Giratina VSTAR over Raging Bolt ex for a few reasons. Raging Bolt’s extra damage only really matters against Dragapult, which isn’t that popular, or opposing Regidrago using Goodra. Against Charizard ex, you can take the KO with Teal Mask Ogerpon. Giratina is better because it only loses two Energy and you cannot be forced to start with it as a liability. Even against Pokemon with extra high HP, you do not really want to be discarding lots of Energy with Raging Bolt’s attack, and can manage with a less committal attack from Goodra or Dragapult.

Another common tech is Mew ex, which combos well with Fezandipiti. If you have both on the board, you are very strong against hand disruption. Even if your opponent KOs one of them, you still have the other one left to draw some cards. Furthermore, Mew ex functions as an anti-nonsense card, as it can shred through annoying walls like Mimikyu or Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex. Thanks to Mew and Canceling Cologne, Regidrago players have realized there’s no need to play an additional Shred attacker like Giratina V. Thanks to this deck’s engine, it is very easy to attack with Mew ex should the need arise, although it is primarily used for its Restart Ability.

One Pokemon that has started to find its way into lists is Radiant Charizard, as it is a broken single-Prize attacker that can help swing Prize trades. This is very useful against contentious matchups like Raging Bolt, Lugia, and the mirror match. Thanks to easy access Energy Switch, it can realistically be used when your opponent is on four Prize cards, which is a great time to attack with the single-Prize Radiant Charizard. The Raging Bolt matchup is still bad, but Radiant Charizard at least gives you a better chance.

Finally, Squawkabilly ex helps the deck a lot with its awkward starts. Although you do have some painful discards, Squawkabilly tremendously improves the deck’s overall consistency. Between the trio of Squawkabilly, Fezandipiti, and Mew, you should be drawing enough cards to keep things going. I do not think any extra Dragon-type Pokemon such as Haxorus or Miraidon ex are worth playing, as they clog the deck and simply don’t do enough. In my opinion, the quartet of Dragapult ex, Hisuian Goodra VSTAR, Kyurem, and Giratina VSTAR are sufficient attacks for Regidrago, as they provide enough power and versatility.

If I was to play Regidrago VSTAR, I would use the following list. It has all the right tech cards along with a streamlined consistency engine, though it isn’t anything too crazy or innovative:

This concludes the public portion of this article.

If you'd like to continue reading, consider purchasing a PokeBeach premium membership! If you're not completely satisfied with your membership, you can request a full refund within 30 days.

Each week we post high-quality content from some of the game's top players. Our article program isn't a corporate operation, advertising front, or for-profit business. We set our prices so that we can pay the game's top players to write the best content for our subscribers. Each article topic is carefully selected, goes through multiple drafts, and is touched up by our editors. We take great pride in our program!