Discussion How to Make the Gardevoir and Metagross Matchup Easier for Bulu/Vikavolt

lukas2aces

lukas2aces

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hi guys,

Last weekend I played in the Bremen Regionals with my Bulu / Vikavolt deck. It was a great experience, since it was my first big tournament (before I only played one League challenge and a few pre release tournament).

My result was 2/2/5, so 2 wins, 2 losses and 5 ties. I played 3 matches against Gardevoir and 1 Metagross, which both are difficult matchups for my deck. Although I tied 3 of them, and I just lost one, I feel like I might give some attention to them.

I'm looking for ways to improve my matchup against those decks. A few things I'm considering:
- Running Po town, I think 2 copies, so if I'm quick enough they have 30 (rare candy) or 60 damage on their Gardevoir and Metagross cards. I can also get the Stadium back with Lusamine, which I think I will play because I had 2 games last weekend where both my energy recyclers and my Brock's grit were in discard, and I lost because I couldn't have had access to energies anymore. However, I do have to give up my own stadium, Aether Paradise Conservation Area.
- Running a 1-1 line of Sneasel - Weavile (Burning Shadows). And maybe removing Tapu Koko from my list then, since I basically use Tapu Koko to spread damage against Gardevoir and Metagross so they'll come in my OHKO range (which does Weavile better), and for free retreat (which Weavile does have as well).
- Running an Espeon Ex, although it would cost me another bench space place, which I do not have IMO (favorable 2 Bulu, 2 Vikavolt, 1 Koko (or Weavile), 1 Tapu Lele GX for Brigette and 1 Oranguru, which is already 1 Pokemon too mauch).
- Running another Kukui (I have one now in my list), and hope for the best (I have two choice bands in my deck as well, so with that combination I technically could OHKO a Gardevoir).

At the moment I think running a 1-1 line of Sneasel - Weavile is the most interesting one to try.

What do you think of these options? And are there any other ideas to improve?

Just for your interest: the other decks I played against were Volcanion, Alolan Ninetales and Espeon / Garbodor.
 
Last edited:
lukas2aces said:
Hi guys,

Last weekend I played in the Bremen Regionals with my Bulu / Vikavolt deck. It was a great experience, since it was my first big tournament (before I only played one League challenge and a few pre release tournament).

My result was 2/2/5, so 2 wins, 2 losses and 5 ties. I played 3 matches against Gardevoir and 1 Metagross, which both are difficult matchups for my deck. Although I tied 3 of them, and I just lost one, I feel like I might give some attention to them.

I'm looking for ways to improve my matchup against those decks. A few things I'm considering:
- Running Po town, I think 2 copies, so if I'm quick enough they have 30 (rare candy) or 60 damage on their Gardevoir and Metagross cards. I can also get the Stadium back with Lusamine, which I think I will play because I had 2 games last weekend where both my energy recyclers and my Brock's grit were in discard, and I lost because I couldn't have had access to energies anymore. However, I do have to give up my own stadium, Aether Paradise Conservation Area.
- Running a 1-1 line of Sneasel - Weavile (Burning Shadows). And maybe removing Tapu Koko from my list then, since I basically use Tapu Koko to spread damage against Gardevoir and Metagross so they'll come in my OHKO range (which does Weavile better), and for free retreat (which Weavile does have as well).
- Running an Espeon Ex, although it would cost me another bench space place, which I do not have IMO (favorable 2 Bulu, 2 Vikavolt, 1 Koko (or Weavile), 1 Tapu Lele GX for Brigette and 1 Oranguru, which is already 1 Pokemon too mauch).
- Running another Kukui (I have one now in my list), and hope for the best (I have two choice bands in my deck as well, so with that combination I technically could OHKO a Gardevoir).

At the moment I think running a 1-1 line of Sneasel - Weavile is the most interesting one to try.

What do you think of these options? And are there any other ideas to improve?

Just for your interest: the other decks I played against were Volcanion, Alolan Ninetales and Espeon / Garbodor.
Click to expand...
Just be careful with Weavile, he will deal 60 damage to your Vikavolts and Lele
 
I know... There is a drawback indeed. And also on my Oranguru. On the other side: with Gardevoir these Pokemon will likely be in OHKO range anyway. And I also hit their Octillery and Gallade, so basically all their Pokemon except maybe Alolan Vulpix, Diancie or Sylveon GX.

With Metagross that's a little different, Oranguru is in OHKO range but Vikavolt has resistance for metal so my Vikavolt would go to OHKO range, same for Tapu Lele, which they were not before the attack of Weavile. So against Metagross, especially with Max potions, I'm not sure, but I feel like it might be the right play against Gardevoir, which is way bigger in numbers than Metagross (I faced one during the whole weekend, Regional and League Cup on Sunday (side event)).
 
How many baby Koko do you play? Getting a couple of spreads in can make the numbers a lot nicer for both decks. I think it makes the Gardevoir matchup at least 50/50 as long as you can properly recover your energy and you do so off of your Bulus pretty much every time.

Metagross is still pretty rough though, but as you noted, the smaller numbers help there.
 
I play 1 baby Koko now. I know it should make the numbers better, it does, but in my matches during the weekend I noticed it's just not enough already in some games, which was decisive... If I have a Bulu with choice band, my opponent will Guzma that Bulu and knock that one out, or uses a Field Blower or something... Of course you wouldn't have that problem if you could play the Choice band from hand the turn you need it, but still... With Weavile I won't have that problem; everything will become a OHKO without Choice Band / FFB, ir even with GX attack and choice band (except the active Gardevoir due to 20 resistance, so that one would have 190 HP left, needing 1 Choice Band or FFB).

I could play more baby Koko, I seriously thought about that, but I feel like Weavile maybe is 'doing the trick' better for me (and even with a lower energy cost), and against almost every other deck other than Gardevoir I don't really use baby Koko to attack, just for free retreat (which Weavile does have as well).
 
Do you run Tapu Koko GX? Some Tapu Bulu decks run one for the surprise GX attack that can OHKO. It can help against Gardevoir, but doesn't really help against Metagross unfortunately.

I think running a second copy of the promo Tapu Koko is the best option. A 1-1 Weavile line seems too inconsistent, plus it damages your Vikavolt and Tapu Lele (and Oranguru or Octillery). One Flying Flip puts Gardevoir in KO range and two Flying Flips puts Metagross in KO range.
 
Thanks for your response!

I do run 1 Tapu Koko GX indeed, so that does really help against Gardevoir.

I think the 'killer combination' is Weavile + Espeon Ex. Think about it: Ralts (if evolved with rare candy into Gardevoir and Gallade) and Remoraid will all be knocked out then with 60 damage, so the combination will completely ruin their bench. Same for Beldum. That might be a though combination though, but it could really win a game against those decks I guess.

I think I'll tech in 1-1 Sneasel - Weavile line and an Espeon Ex and start testing. If it doesn't work, I'll switch back to one or maybe 2 Tapu Koko promos.
 
You also have to consider overall consistency. Teching in different stadiums or pokes could improve those 2 matchups but may also hurt other matchups and you may even find yourself dropping matches that you would consider favorable.

That said, simply swapping po town for Aether and slipping in an Espeon EX seem like the best options to me in combination with flying flip to bring beefy GXs into OHKO range. I've teched an Espeon EX into a couple decks and it's almost always the all-star.
 
Thanks for your answer @josie0001, you're absolutely right about that.

After some playtesting I have to conclude the Sneasel - Weavile line was 'too much', so I'll put my Tapu Koko promo back in. I'll keep Espeon Ex however, it helped me in certain situations against Gardevoir and Metagross decks, like you said as well.

I think I'll do some playtesting with 1 Vikavolt GX, since the GX attack basically does the same: 60 damage to all the benched Pokemon (okay, no active and it does cost the GX attack, but Vikavolt GX is a good attacker as well with low retreat cost (1) and I would still be able to deal 60 damage without the drawback of hurting my own Pokemon, and then use Espeon Ex).

It that doesn't work good enough for me I'll try the combination of Po Town stadiums and Espeon Ex, however, that would hurt my match-up against for example the fire decks, so if Vikavolt GX would work, I think I prefer that option.
 
Find space for 2 Tapu Koko Promo. I think your Pokemon line up in this deck should look like the following:

Tapu Bulu GX x3
Tapu Koko GX x1
Vikavolt x3
Charjabug x1
Grubbin x3
Tapu Koko Promo x2
Oranguru x1
Tapu Lele GX x3

As someone who lost to a Tapu Bulu GX deck at a League Cup playing Gardevoir GX, I will tell you that flying flip by turn 2 or 3 is mandatory to the match up.

You can swing for 210 damage with a banded Bulu. As Houchins already stated, 1 Flying flip on 3 Ralts = all Gardevoir GX are in OHKO range. 2 Flying flip on 3 Beldum = All Metagross GX are in OHKO range if they don't max potion (but that's why you have Tapu Koko GX's GX attack for when they do).

You can also opt for Fighting Fury Belt, which every Bulu deck I saw at my recent League Cup ran 4 of them. You just need to flying flip 1 extra time, but you are extra durable. No deck runs enough field blower to blow away all 4 FFB if you play them 1 at a time. One of them will stick, and even if they take one KO early, they can't OHKO the last one. What you want to happen ideally is that by the time you have flying flipped enough times to OHKO, you have also built up your Vikavolt and have an FFB Bulu on the bench ready to go. Even if that Koko gets KO'd, you're forcing the 7 prize game or your opponent has to find a way to KO a Vikavolt.

I'd also recommend 4 Rare Candy if you aren't playing 4 already. Vikavolt is your win condition more than your Tapu Bulu GX.

As much as I would prefer Octillery in this deck, you're going to be Brigetting for 2 Grubbin and a Bulu or 2 Grubbin and a Tapu Koko every time. If you aren't Brigetting out a Remoraid, setting up an Octillery is not realistic, and your deck space is also not realistic to accomodate for it. It seems like you're already playing the Oranguru though, so I probably didn't need to bother saying this.

I've seen lists run Kukui to drop an extra 20 damage, but I think Kukui is too clunky. I would rather use a different supporter, like Guzma, to put my Koko in the active and put someone else's non-attacking Pokemon (like an Octillery) in the active so I can stall them while I flying flip.
 
Very good points, @Duo. And good thinking about the Vika GX @lukas2aces - that idea didn't even cross my mind. I could see it not sticking in the deck in the long run, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it did.

As far as Oct v. Oranguru, one of the best things about VikaBulu is, once you have a vika up and running, it's actually pretty resilient to late game N (side note: has anyone else noticed the decreasing regularity of the late-game N? Without constant access to it via VS Seeker, the late game N is usually much harder to pull off and therefore happens far less frequently it seems...just something I noticed...) UNLESS you desperately need a way to get energies back INTO the deck, then a late-game N could be devastating. I prefer Guru simply because it offers more deck space.

One thing tho, why is Koko GX in this deck? I've seen it everywhere and have never understood it. Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but I'd include a 4th Bulu or another draw supporter before I'd put Koko GX in there. Maybe one of you fine folks can explain it to me tho lol. :)
 
Have you thought about Necrozma GX? Its mainly used only for Black Ray GX (100 Damage to all opponents EX/GX Pokemon), you could power it up quickly with Strong Charge and the turn after, devolve them with Espeon EX. I've been thinking about it in my Gardevoir deck for the Metagross matchup and the mirror match. It's worth thinking about, it really hits Stage 2 decks hard.
 
josie0001 said:
Very good points, @Duo. And good thinking about the Vika GX @lukas2aces - that idea didn't even cross my mind. I could see it not sticking in the deck in the long run, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it did.

As far as Oct v. Oranguru, one of the best things about VikaBulu is, once you have a vika up and running, it's actually pretty resilient to late game N (side note: has anyone else noticed the decreasing regularity of the late-game N? Without constant access to it via VS Seeker, the late game N is usually much harder to pull off and therefore happens far less frequently it seems...just something I noticed...) UNLESS you desperately need a way to get energies back INTO the deck, then a late-game N could be devastating. I prefer Guru simply because it offers more deck space.

One thing tho, why is Koko GX in this deck? I've seen it everywhere and have never understood it. Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but I'd include a 4th Bulu or another draw supporter before I'd put Koko GX in there. Maybe one of you fine folks can explain it to me tho lol. :)
Click to expand...

Sure. Tapu Koko GX is there for the GX attack and its ability.

Due to the nature of Tapu Bulu/Vikavolt, you're likely going to draw into lightning energies just about as often as grass, considering the fact that you're probably going to prize grass more often than lightning due to the ratio most people play (7 grass, 5 lightning).

You never want to manually attach a lightning energy to a Tapu Bulu unless it's a back up Bulu, because you automatically have to manually attach 2 grass energy from that point on. Put bluntly, drawing into lightning energy is crap and you never want to see it in your hand.

Tapu Koko GX remedies that because of its energy ratio (2 lightning 1 colorless), so you can go ahead and "waste" lightning energy attachments and later strip them off with Tapu Koko GX's ability. Aerotrail is fantastic for getting a crazy 1 turn surprise charged up GX attack on your board by shifting 2 lightning energies onto itself, and then attaching a grass to meet the 3 energy requirement. It also switches with your current active after you do that. It's an insane ability.

As for the GX attack, it deals 50 damage times the amount of energy currently attached to your opponent's Pokemon, both active and bench. A Gardevoir GX needs at least 5 energy and a choice band or 6 energy to OHKO a Tapu Bulu GX, so if you were just KO'd by a Gardevoir GX that met those requirements, you drop down Tapu Koko GX, Aerotrail, and you instantly have a revenge KO and Gardevoir GX loses 5 energy & a choice band or 6 energy. They lose a lot more than you do in that trade.

Metagross GX works in a similar fashion. The active needs 3 energy, and generally Metagross players will have 1 energy attached onto their bench Metagross in order to start building up back ups in case they don't have enough Geotech to go around. If you see a Metagross player has 5 energies on the board at some point in time, then you do the same thing.

So in a nutshell, Tapu Koko GX is great because you get a viable outlet for your lightning energy attachments (same goes for the Tapu Koko Promo), and you have a fantastic GX attack that can take revenge OHKOs that slow your opponent down significantly more than they slow you down. Tapu Koko GX has a great attack in Sky High Claws dealing 130 damage to 2 hit KO everything in format even after it GXs.

EDIT: Not to mention with Kiawe, you're always OHKOing fire decks with Tapu Koko GX whenever you feel like it. Just a thought.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top