Meta and Preparing for EUIC

Hello everyone! As the Prismatic Evolutions metagame develops, we are seeing some trends that will help players prepare for the upcoming European International Championships. If you’re trying to narrow down what to practice and play for EUIC, you’ve come to the right place. I have started to form some opinions on what decks are good and which ones are stinky in comparison. It’s not entirely realistic to give each deck its due diligence, as there is only so much time in the day. After all, to get a good grasp on a deck, it takes more than just a few games. Unless you’re already a die-hard follower of a certain deck, you probably want to try out various decks and figure out what’s best. Today I’ll help you narrow down the viable decks in this format, as well as discuss various options for each deck.

For most people, I would recommend starting with three of your favorite decks and getting familiar with them in the new format. As the meta progresses further, you can choose between the three for your final pick. In an ideal world, you’ll have your deck decided a week in advance, and can dedicate that time to finalizing that list and traveling. This process can more or less work for every major tournament. As for what three decks you should start with, I’ll give you some of my favorite options today. Of course, I’ll be talking about the other relevant meta decks as well, so you can understand them and know what to expect.

Dragapult

Let’s start with Dragapult ex, which is this format’s early frontrunner. Dragapult benefits from the format change in several ways. First and foremost, Dragapult is a deck that can take advantage of Budew. It checks all of the boxes for Budew. Dragapult doesn’t have anything better to do in the early game anyway, besides occasionally use Rotom V or Technical Machine: Evolution; it can easily access Budew and put it into the Active Spot on turn 1; and it benefits from slowing down the opponent. Slowing the game down gives you more time to set up multiple Drakloak, each of which provides more value as the game drags on. Finally, Dragapult can capitalize on its setup by utilizing a powerful and bulky attacker alongside Dusknoir. Combined, this is a ridiculous amount of damage output capable of wiping out boards and creating brutal checkmates. Dragapult no longer has to worry about Kyurem board wipes, as Regidrago VSTAR is less popular, and even if you face it, you can slow it down with Budew.

It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to realize that the deck is good now. As a result, it is currently the most popular deck in online tournaments with a respectable win rate to boot, and it has completely infested the ladder on PTCG Live. The only major tournament in this format so far was the Osaka Champions League, with 5,000 players. This tournament featured three Dragapult / Dusknoir decks in the Top 16, including one in Top 4. Dragapult is sure to be a major contender in the new format, so it is a consideration as well as a threat.

Lists for the deck are mostly uniform. One common decision I disagree with is playing two Budew. I suspect the reason for this is in case you prize it, which is fair, but I don’t think you use it enough times to want to play two. Although this deck is sometimes on the slower side, it still wants to use Phantom Dive as soon as possible. Sometimes you start swinging on turn 2, but usually it’s on turn 3, which is very reasonable. You just don’t need to spam Budew all game, and if you really need it back, you can use Night Stretcher. All decks expect and adapt to Budew, so it’s not as though you are completely crippling them. Of course, Budew is still good, but I don’t think you need two copies because you aren’t winning the game solely by spamming it. It’s just a nice option for turn 1 going second, which is what you aim for. If it’s prized, you can still use TM: Evolution and be fine.

Only about half of lists play TM: Evolution. The card is too good and has powerful synergy with the deck since it plays four Arven and tons of Stage 1 Pokemon. I am a fan of including one copy for the versatility and consistency.

I’m also an advocate for two uncommon tech cards: Manaphy and Klefki. The main reason for Manaphy is that Lugia VSTAR‘s Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex absolutely brutalizes this deck if you don’t have it. Of course, having some defense against random Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR decks running amok is nice, and it also neutralizes Scream Tail, which is one of Gardevoir ex‘s main attackers. Klefki, on the other hand, gives you something to do when your opponent inevitably forces you to go first. It also shuts down fast and aggressive decks that could be threatening, such as Miraidon ex or Terapagos ex. As for other techs, I think Temple of Sinnoh is too difficult to find consistently, and it also does nothing most of the time, except of course against Lugia. The switch cards haven’t stood out to me either. It’s easy enough to retreat around, especially with Rescue Board. And my Lumineon V is always dead by the time I could pick it up with Professor Turo's Scenario. I also can’t afford to discard the Energy off my Dragapult with Turo, and would usually rather attack with a damaged one and let it go down. I think a second Rescue Board would actually be the most efficient mobility card, and it can save you if you prize one.

All that said, this deck hasn’t terribly impressed me overall. For a deck with relatively little list flexibility and one that is going to have a huge target on its back, the deck isn’t that broken. It’s obviously good, but feels mid to me compared to some of the other meta decks. While it doesn’t perform badly into the other top dogs, Lugia and Gardevoir, it doesn’t exactly dominate them either. I would expect to play against this deck quite a lot in the near future, but it’s not a deck I would be happy to play myself.

This concludes the public portion of this article.

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