Alt. Format Alolan Muk GX Deck Help

[NNN]

Hey everyone, first time here. I have just started getting into the Pokémon TCG and have been playing with my friends and locally at this card shop. The card shop has no rules so you can play any cards I guess. Anyways, I was doing alright with my deck at first but last time I got wrecked.

Here's my deck so far:

8 Dark Energy
4 DCE
4 Alolan Grimer (BS)
3 Alolan Muk GX
1 Alolan Muk (SM)
2 Darkrai GX
2 Darkrai (BS)
3 Salandit (GR)
3 Salazzle (GR)
3 Devolution Spray
4 Ultra Ball
2 Professor Sycamore
2 Fighting Belt
2 Olivia
2Wicke
1 Guzma
2 Escape Rope
1 Field Blower
1 Rescue Stretcher

I know I am missing some parts but I just would like some help with what trainers I should add and subtract. I am open to buying singles and was thinking about buying a few hypnotoxic lasers to throw in there.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[CaptZero]

Honestly you should hold off on this deck until Crimson Invasion comes out.

 

[Duo]

Since you're not running any draw support Pokemon like Octillery, I would max out 4 Sycamore 4 N, and forget the Wicke. You shouldn't even consider a supporter like Wicke until you've maxed out on Sycamore and N, to be frank. I would remove the Olivias as well. She's secondary to a supporter like Brigette.

For a deck like this, I'd suggest the following supporter line up:

4 Sycamore
4 N
3 Guzma
2 Skyla
1 Brigette

Skyla will help you grab Devolution Spray when you need it, or just any useful items in general like a Timer Ball, Ultra Ball, Field Blower, etc.

I'd scratch the escape ropes. If you're looking for a method to switch, then use switch or float stone for free retreat.

In this current build, Timer Ball is something to consider to get your Salazzle and Alolan Muk more consistently. I normally hate Timer Ball, but there's no other Pokemon search options that put things in hand for this deck other than Ultra Ball.

When Crimson Invasion comes out, we'll get Nihilego GX which will more or less replace Salazzle as your status infliction, in which case Timer Ball is also pointless, which is what CaptZero was likely refering to but didn't specifically mention when he suggested holding off until Crimson Invasion. There are still other improvements you can make to your deck without Crimson Invasion though, and if this is your only deck then let's make it better.

You want at least 2 Field Blower, especially as a deck that needs abilities to inflict 2 statuses at once. Garbotoxin ruins you completely, and Alolan Muk only shuts off basics which won't stop Garbotoxin.

If you're willing to fork up the cash, Tapu Lele GX is a standard 3 of in 90% of decks now. She greatly improves your odds of seeing supporter cards, which is a thing of good.

Choice Band over Fighting Fury Belt, almost always. Choice Band and 2 status effects lets you hit for 180, which OHKOs a lot of basic GX Pokemon as well as enables a crunch OHKO on Marshadow GX, which is the only GX Pokemon that can snag easy OHKOs on you (except for Gardevoir GX who OHKOs everyone).

I would suggest 1 or 2 Yveltal as well for some energy retrieval and acceleration.

Also I counted only 50 cards in your deck. You must have 60 to have a legal list no matter what you're playing.

 

[NNN]

Since you're not running any draw support Pokemon like Octillery, I would max out 4 Sycamore 4 N, and forget the Wicke. You shouldn't even consider a supporter like Wicke until you've maxed out on Sycamore and N, to be frank. I would remove the Olivias as well. She's secondary to a supporter like Brigette.

For a deck like this, I'd suggest the following supporter line up:

4 Sycamore
4 N
3 Guzma
2 Skyla
1 Brigette

Skyla will help you grab Devolution Spray when you need it, or just any useful items in general like a Timer Ball, Ultra Ball, Field Blower, etc.

I'd scratch the escape ropes. If you're looking for a method to switch, then use switch or float stone for free retreat.

In this current build, Timer Ball is something to consider to get your Salazzle and Alolan Muk more consistently. I normally hate Timer Ball, but there's no other Pokemon search options that put things in hand for this deck other than Ultra Ball.

When Crimson Invasion comes out, we'll get Nihilego GX which will more or less replace Salazzle as your status infliction, in which case Timer Ball is also pointless, which is what CaptZero was likely refering to but didn't specifically mention when he suggested holding off until Crimson Invasion. There are still other improvements you can make to your deck without Crimson Invasion though, and if this is your only deck then let's make it better.

You want at least 2 Field Blower, especially as a deck that needs abilities to inflict 2 statuses at once. Garbotoxin ruins you completely, and Alolan Muk only shuts off basics which won't stop Garbotoxin.

If you're willing to fork up the cash, Tapu Lele GX is a standard 3 of in 90% of decks now. She greatly improves your odds of seeing supporter cards, which is a thing of good.

Choice Band over Fighting Fury Belt, almost always. Choice Band and 2 status effects lets you hit for 180, which OHKOs a lot of basic GX Pokemon as well as enables a crunch OHKO on Marshadow GX, which is the only GX Pokemon that can snag easy OHKOs on you (except for Gardevoir GX who OHKOs everyone).

I would suggest 1 or 2 Yveltal as well for some energy retrieval and acceleration.

Also I counted only 50 cards in your deck. You must have 60 to have a legal list no matter what you're playing.

Yeah I do have 60 I was leaving some out that was just what I could remember off the top of my head. But seriously, thank you SO much this is exactly what I was looking for.

I do have a slew of GX's- Drampa, Gardevoir, Salazzle, Necrozoma, Golisopod, Marshadow, and Noivern but I only have once copy of each of those and didn't want to build a deck around it. I love Muk and once that new ultra beast from Crimson Invasion that burns and poisons when played comes out I think they will pair nicely. Which Yveltal? EX? Break?

How many choice bands and filed blowers should I run? 2 or 3 of each?

And so what should I be replacing and adding? Should I get rid of the other Darkai or Darkai GX? I liked darkai because he is a dark type, can put them asleep, and if they use their gx he hits even harder. But I think he is replaceable. And what are your thoughts on Hypnotoxic laser? Seems legit.

And thoughts on Virbank City Gym?


Again, thank you. My experience with the pokemon tcg community thus far has been terrible and you are truly a help!

 

[Duo]

Since you don't have the full 60 card list posted here, I can't really tell you what to replace, but I can suggest a build from the ground up.

But before that, from my research, it seems like Hypnotoxic Laser is going to be in Expanded only. I'm only knowledgeable enough to provide you something for Standard which is what the list below will accomodate for.

Pokemon x18

Alolan Muk GX x3
Alolan Muk x1
Alolan Grimer x4
Salandit x2
Salazzle x2
Yveltal x1 (Steam Siege one with Oblivion Wing)
Darkrai GX x2
Tapu Lele GX x3

Supporter x14

Sycamore x4
N x4
Guzma x3
Skyla x2
Brigette x1

Item x16

Ultra Ball x4
Choice Band x3
Float Stone x3
Devolution Spray x3
Field Blower x3

Energy x12

DCE x4
Darkness Energy x8

If I were to be blunt with you, from what I've seen of the Pokemon community so far (online and IRL locals) is that most people are only concerned with meta decks, and things outside of the meta are just "not worth playing." I tend to see a division of "these are the meta people" and "these are the people who play for fun." I don't see many people who do both. That would be my #1 explanation as to why you probably aren't receiving as much help as you're seeing other deck lists get. And by nature, since it's not that meta, people haven't bothered thinking about it since every deck right now is just being compared to Gardevoir GX.

But back on topic,

I dropped the Salazzle line by 1 a piece because you're running 3 Devolution spray to abuse its ability. You only really ever need 1 on the bench. Once you have 1, you spam Devolution spray. You don't want to over stock your bench with free KOs either. You would make sure to search out 1 Salandit when you open with Brigette, so you don't need any more than 2 of those either.

I killed the Guardians Rising Darkrai because you have to expend your turn on attack to inflict only 1 condition, and they might wake up and you lose a turn. I don't like coin flip situations. Not all decks even use their GX attack, and a lot can win without it (Gardevoir GX), so the attack condition is pretty bad. Interesting card but holds no value here.

1 Yveltal for the Oblivion wing to get energy back. It's also your attacker that can attack through Alolan Ninetales' Luminous Barrier. Devolution spray a Salazzle, Drop it for 30 status damage, then swing for 100 for "OHKO."

Kept the same amount of Darkrai GX as a back up attacker and for the GX attack. Getting 2 just so it's much easier to see him during a game than 1 copy.

If you can afford the Leles, 3 Tapu Lele GX for your supporters. If you can't afford it, replace it with 3 Nest Ball. That way you can still drop your Darkrai GX, Yveltal, and basics on the bench and start getting set up.

I opted for 3 Field Blower because you NEED abilities in this deck. Darkrai GX is shut off, statuses are shut off, everything is shut off. You have very few solutions to Garbotoxin shutting off your strategy, so go 3.

3 Float Stone/3 Choice Band so you can get undesired Pokemon out of the active (Salandit, Yveltal, Lele if you run her), and help you hit your numbers better.


I'd very much consider this to be a skeleton build still. Take it and see what you like and don't like about it, and go from there. Any deck I've ever built, including something as meta as Gardevoir GX, is probably on it's 6th or 7th revision in just 3-4 weeks.

 

[NNN]

Since you don't have the full 60 card list posted here, I can't really tell you what to replace, but I can suggest a build from the ground up.

But before that, from my research, it seems like Hypnotoxic Laser is going to be in Expanded only. I'm only knowledgeable enough to provide you something for Standard which is what the list below will accomodate for.

Pokemon x18

Alolan Muk GX x3
Alolan Muk x1
Alolan Grimer x4
Salandit x2
Salazzle x2
Yveltal x1 (Steam Siege one with Oblivion Wing)
Darkrai GX x2
Tapu Lele GX x3

Supporter x14

Sycamore x4
N x4
Guzma x3
Skyla x2
Brigette x1

Item x16

Ultra Ball x4
Choice Band x3
Float Stone x3
Devolution Spray x3
Field Blower x3

Energy x12

DCE x4
Darkness Energy x8

If I were to be blunt with you, from what I've seen of the Pokemon community so far (online and IRL locals) is that most people are only concerned with meta decks, and things outside of the meta are just "not worth playing." I tend to see a division of "these are the meta people" and "these are the people who play for fun." I don't see many people who do both. That would be my #1 explanation as to why you probably aren't receiving as much help as you're seeing other deck lists get. And by nature, since it's not that meta, people haven't bothered thinking about it since every deck right now is just being compared to Gardevoir GX.

But back on topic,

I dropped the Salazzle line by 1 a piece because you're running 3 Devolution spray to abuse its ability. You only really ever need 1 on the bench. Once you have 1, you spam Devolution spray. You don't want to over stock your bench with free KOs either. You would make sure to search out 1 Salandit when you open with Brigette, so you don't need any more than 2 of those either.

I killed the Guardians Rising Darkrai because you have to expend your turn on attack to inflict only 1 condition, and they might wake up and you lose a turn. I don't like coin flip situations. Not all decks even use their GX attack, and a lot can win without it (Gardevoir GX), so the attack condition is pretty bad. Interesting card but holds no value here.

1 Yveltal for the Oblivion wing to get energy back. It's also your attacker that can attack through Alolan Ninetales' Luminous Barrier. Devolution spray a Salazzle, Drop it for 30 status damage, then swing for 100 for "OHKO."

Kept the same amount of Darkrai GX as a back up attacker and for the GX attack. Getting 2 just so it's much easier to see him during a game than 1 copy.

If you can afford the Leles, 3 Tapu Lele GX for your supporters. If you can't afford it, replace it with 3 Nest Ball. That way you can still drop your Darkrai GX, Yveltal, and basics on the bench and start getting set up.

I opted for 3 Field Blower because you NEED abilities in this deck. Darkrai GX is shut off, statuses are shut off, everything is shut off. You have very few solutions to Garbotoxin shutting off your strategy, so go 3.

3 Float Stone/3 Choice Band so you can get undesired Pokemon out of the active (Salandit, Yveltal, Lele if you run her), and help you hit your numbers better.


I'd very much consider this to be a skeleton build still. Take it and see what you like and don't like about it, and go from there. Any deck I've ever built, including something as meta as Gardevoir GX, is probably on it's 6th or 7th revision in just 3-4 weeks.

Wow I honestly can't thank you enough for this. I just got so sick of seeing "this is the only deck you should be running" in pretty much every post. I wanted to be different from the meta but also still be able to hold my own in local play.

I like Muk a LOT and building a deck around him was a no brainer for me. Yeah I just had that Darkrai in there as an extra Pokemon but I'm liking Yveltal better.

This is seriously so helpful! I will have to wait on the LeLe's until I can snipe 3 of them for a decent price. The Nest Balls seem like a smart play. I wonder if I should throw in 2 Yveltal in case he

Should I add in Virbank City Gym or some sort of Stadium Card that lets me retreat Muk for less? Moonlight STadium has a 0 retreat cost for Dark Types.

I only have 2 N's so I'll have to work around something there, but this is all great information for me to build off!

Can't thank you enough.

 

[Duo]

Wow I honestly can't thank you enough for this. I just got so sick of seeing "this is the only deck you should be running" in pretty much every post. I wanted to be different from the meta but also still be able to hold my own in local play.

I like Muk a LOT and building a deck around him was a no brainer for me. Yeah I just had that Darkrai in there as an extra Pokemon but I'm liking Yveltal better.

This is seriously so helpful! I will have to wait on the LeLe's until I can snipe 3 of them for a decent price. The Nest Balls seem like a smart play. I wonder if I should throw in 2 Yveltal in case he

Should I add in Virbank City Gym or some sort of Stadium Card that lets me retreat Muk for less? Moonlight STadium has a 0 retreat cost for Dark Types.

I only have 2 N's so I'll have to work around something there, but this is all great information for me to build off!

Can't thank you enough.

If you only have 2 N, then play 2 Shauna. Shauna is a self N for 5. Not that great, but the only N replacement out there for a hand refresh.

Virbank and Moonlight are expanded so that's a no go in this deck list.

Your only other stadium consideration is Altar of the Moone, but you don't want to attach Darkness Energy to your Salandits. It works, but there's no reason to play it over Float Stone. You really only want Altar of the Moone in a pure darkness deck.

 

[NNN]

If you only have 2 N, then play 2 Shauna. Shauna is a self N for 5. Not that great, but the only N replacement out there for a hand refresh.

Virbank and Moonlight are expanded so that's a no go in this deck list.

Your only other stadium consideration is Altar of the Moone, but you don't want to attach Darkness Energy to your Salandits. It works, but there's no reason to play it over Float Stone. You really only want Altar of the Moone in a pure darkness deck.

ok all makes sense....I am playing expanded. Myc ard shop literally lets us use any cards we want, that's why I thought hypnotoxic laser and virbank would work well in this deck

Edit: I'm an idiot, I didn't realize you made this for standard.

In my case, I am playing in an all cards are fair type situation, which is why I wanted to add in lasers and Virbank

 

[Duo]

I currently play exclusively standard format since I am new to this game and wanted to learn under a more condensed framework with less cards to think about, so I can't really help you with an expanded list.

I would definitely include Hypnotoix laser into the build for expanded, however. That would give you 3 status conditions with 10 base hitting for 220, +30 with choice band for 250 to OHKO anything in the meta. By virtue, you won't even need that choice band because Salazzle's burn & poison will deal 30 damage in between turns. Hitting for 220 is a ton of damage, and thus you wouldn't need Virbank at all because you're already hitting hard enough.

Now, when Nihilego GX comes out, which inflicts poison and confuse to BOTH player's active, you will probably want to include Virbank at that point. Virbank will allow Nihilego GX's poison to hit for that 30 damage sweet spot while giving you 2 status inflicts without having to evolve up.

That being said, I honestly think Salazzle is probably better due to Devolution spray. There is no way (currently) for you to recover your Nihilego GX off the bench, plus inflicing status on your own active means you must have a way to switch out and back into Alolan Muk GX to reap the benefits. It's a whole lot of trouble. The only method I could think of is playing Parallel City on yourself, squeezing out a Nihilego GX, crash over Parallel city with Virbank, play rescue stretcher to grab back Nihilego GX, and play it again. As you can see there are a lot more cards involved to get that to happen as opposed to just simply using Devolution spray on a Salazzle. Lusamine coming out in Crimson Invasion could help with this, but that's just adding yet another card to the equation to make this process "consistent."

 

[NNN]

I currently play exclusively standard format since I am new to this game and wanted to learn under a more condensed framework with less cards to think about, so I can't really help you with an expanded list.

I would definitely include Hypnotoix laser into the build for expanded, however. That would give you 3 status conditions with 10 base hitting for 220, +30 with choice band for 250 to OHKO anything in the meta. By virtue, you won't even need that choice band because Salazzle's burn & poison will deal 30 damage in between turns. Hitting for 220 is a ton of damage, and thus you wouldn't need Virbank at all because you're already hitting hard enough.

Now, when Nihilego GX comes out, which inflicts poison and confuse to BOTH player's active, you will probably want to include Virbank at that point. Virbank will allow Nihilego GX's poison to hit for that 30 damage sweet spot while giving you 2 status inflicts without having to evolve up.

That being said, I honestly think Salazzle is probably better due to Devolution spray. There is no way (currently) for you to recover your Nihilego GX off the bench, plus inflicing status on your own active means you must have a way to switch out and back into Alolan Muk GX to reap the benefits. It's a whole lot of trouble. The only method I could think of is playing Parallel City on yourself, squeezing out a Nihilego GX, crash over Parallel city with Virbank, play rescue stretcher to grab back Nihilego GX, and play it again. As you can see there are a lot more cards involved to get that to happen as opposed to just simply using Devolution spray on a Salazzle. Lusamine coming out in Crimson Invasion could help with this, but that's just adding yet another card to the equation to make this process "consistent."

Hey Duo, sorry it took so long to reply, busy weekend!

I sincerely appreciate all of your help! I think this deck has the potential to be pretty nasty, given my current skill level and card library. I ended up buying Virbank Stadium, more choice bands, and pretty much everything you recommended!

Excited to give this deck some test runs and I'll let ya know how it works out.

People like you are encouraging to see in the PTCG community, much love