I've seen a lot of people hyping up Metagross GX and as someone who played it all last season as well as some other more consistent meta decks, I figured I'd weigh in on the conversation of Metagross GX and what I've been testing to a decent bit of success.
Pokemon:
4x Beldum CES (60 HP, Conductive Body Ability)
2x Metang CES
4x Metagross GX GRI
1x Dhelmise GRI
1x Alolan Vulpix GRI
1x Tapu Lele SUM PR
2x Tapu Lele GX
Trainers:
4x Cynthia
2x Lillie
2x TV Reporter
2x Apricorn Maker
1x Hala
3x Guzma
4x Ultra Ball
4x Nest Ball
2x Timer Ball
4x Max Potion
4x Rare Candy
3x Choice Band
1x Rescue Stretcher
Energy:
7x Metal Energy
2x Psychic Energy
Notes:
Tapu Lele SUM PR:
I call the Lele promo in this deck my 4th Guzma. Metagross GX doesn't always take big OHKO's. However it hits hard and those damage counters need purpose. this allows me to out of nowhere take KO's on the board as well leave damage for a follow up KO. Example being I was playing against Zoroark Magcargo and swung into a Zoroark for 190 (choice band, Dhelmise). My opponent retreated the Zoroark and I didn't hit a Guzma. What i did though was bench Lele PR, move it into the active, Geotech system and take that 190, put 90 on a Magcargo for KO, put another 70 on a Slugma for KO, and leave 30 on the Zoroark, which allows me to swing again for 190 for another KO on the next turn. I'm in love with this card in Metagross GX.
Alolan Vulpix:
This has been in a ton of variations of Metagross GX but I think a bunch of people miss some opportunities with it. Beacon is great for setup which we know. With that in mind, people aren't going to play a ton of judge probably since it is in no way as good as N was. This helps us in 2 ways. They either don't judge and we keep the cards we searched. the other being that they do play the Judge, which early game may hurt their setup as well and means that is one less Judge they can hit when you get the chance to Algorithm. Lastly, you can attack with Vulpix. Yes!!! Against 210 HP Pokemon you will be coming up 20 short and Vulpix's Icy Snow attack for 2 colorless energy hits for 20 damage. Perfect numbers are perfect. This also comes into play against things such as Lycanroc GX or anything else you may miss one piece to the puzzle with. you alway hope your opponent just KO's it so you don't lose anything really important but if they don't, it's not the end of the world as you'll still be able to continue setting up.
Dhelmise:
We already know the difference between hitting 190 over 180... enough said. Also against Psychic weak Pokemon GX, you can hit 200 with choice band which is great in the Buzzwole matchup as well as Espeon if that makes a return. Great way also to throw off the prize trade
Apricorn Maker:
I did try 1 at first but went to 2 but not because I kept missing it on the first turn. First turn Apricorn help thin out more cards by getting 2 nest balls and then 2 basics. However on my second turn I wouldn't have a problem playing the other to get timer balls or ultra ball if I have rare candy in hand. Turn 2 Algorithm is the name of the game with this deck most of the time and even late game Apricorn Maker has been great. Instead of rushing rescue stretcher and putting something right into my hand, i can put maybe Lele GX or some other useful Pokemon into the deck, play Apricorn maker for the balls that will get what i want and go from there.
Hala:
This is obviously amazing after you use your GX but nothing is worse than having it in hand before as your only draw support which is way there is only 1. More times than not, if you Algorithm and don't have a draw supporter for the next turn, this is what you grab. Grab 4 cards and the Hala and your hand is stacked for the next turn as well as the next hand you get.
Nest Ball:
4 is a bit excessive but the early turns are very critical in Metagross GX. You will never win in the first few turns but you damn sure will lose in the beginning.
Max Potion:
I feel 4 is a must. The format is slowing down and it does benefit Metagross GX but at the same time Metagross GX is slowing down. This will become a war of attrition and Max Potion helps you win that.
Choice Band:
A Metagross GX without a choice band more times than not is useless. Attach when taking KO's to prevent Field Blower ruining your day. I would love 4 but again, Lele PR helps clean up messy damage counter covered boards.
Energy:
I see no point going about 9 in this deck. You don't ever want to leave energy attached. This is what allows your opponent to Guzma stall an empty Metagross GX. The dream is to have one charged Metagross GX in the active with at least 2 energy in the discard. 2 Psychic is all that is needed as you will normally only one one attached to a Lele PR play, Dhelmise, or even a Tapu Cure play on Lele GX which should always be considered if you get a hot start without Algorithm.
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Conclusion:
I get the hype around Metagross GX to do well but I'm still a little skeptical. I love the deck as it's my favorite Pokemon but its questionable match-up against Zoroark will still stand, especially if you are going second against them. However with it's 2 biggest problems being Parallel City and Garbotoxin gone, it may have some time to shine. I again in no way consider myself some expert at Pokemon but I feel I have piloted this deck more than enough times over different iterations to give some useful insight on it.
For those considering picking it up who haven't played it before, be ready to play from behind. You will almost always be playing from behind and thinking there is no hope. That being said, you can't quit and need to constantly look for outs. You'll be surprised how well the deck can function once your board is only 3 Metagross GX's; even just 2 sometimes while your opponent struggles to get their last 4 or 3 prizes.
When playing you should always be eyeing down your opponent's Tapu Lele GX's. These are easy OHKO's that play right into Metagross GX's numbers. I've probably never lost a game where my opponent put 2 Tapu Lele GX's down because when you know that really your are only really working for 2 prizes while your opponent is handing you 4 via Tapu Lele GX's, its pretty easy to close out games.
I hope some found this useful and others don't completely rip me to shreds in the comments!
Good luck next season everyone!
Pokemon:
4x Beldum CES (60 HP, Conductive Body Ability)
2x Metang CES
4x Metagross GX GRI
1x Dhelmise GRI
1x Alolan Vulpix GRI
1x Tapu Lele SUM PR
2x Tapu Lele GX
Trainers:
4x Cynthia
2x Lillie
2x TV Reporter
2x Apricorn Maker
1x Hala
3x Guzma
4x Ultra Ball
4x Nest Ball
2x Timer Ball
4x Max Potion
4x Rare Candy
3x Choice Band
1x Rescue Stretcher
Energy:
7x Metal Energy
2x Psychic Energy
Notes:
Tapu Lele SUM PR:
I call the Lele promo in this deck my 4th Guzma. Metagross GX doesn't always take big OHKO's. However it hits hard and those damage counters need purpose. this allows me to out of nowhere take KO's on the board as well leave damage for a follow up KO. Example being I was playing against Zoroark Magcargo and swung into a Zoroark for 190 (choice band, Dhelmise). My opponent retreated the Zoroark and I didn't hit a Guzma. What i did though was bench Lele PR, move it into the active, Geotech system and take that 190, put 90 on a Magcargo for KO, put another 70 on a Slugma for KO, and leave 30 on the Zoroark, which allows me to swing again for 190 for another KO on the next turn. I'm in love with this card in Metagross GX.
Alolan Vulpix:
This has been in a ton of variations of Metagross GX but I think a bunch of people miss some opportunities with it. Beacon is great for setup which we know. With that in mind, people aren't going to play a ton of judge probably since it is in no way as good as N was. This helps us in 2 ways. They either don't judge and we keep the cards we searched. the other being that they do play the Judge, which early game may hurt their setup as well and means that is one less Judge they can hit when you get the chance to Algorithm. Lastly, you can attack with Vulpix. Yes!!! Against 210 HP Pokemon you will be coming up 20 short and Vulpix's Icy Snow attack for 2 colorless energy hits for 20 damage. Perfect numbers are perfect. This also comes into play against things such as Lycanroc GX or anything else you may miss one piece to the puzzle with. you alway hope your opponent just KO's it so you don't lose anything really important but if they don't, it's not the end of the world as you'll still be able to continue setting up.
Dhelmise:
We already know the difference between hitting 190 over 180... enough said. Also against Psychic weak Pokemon GX, you can hit 200 with choice band which is great in the Buzzwole matchup as well as Espeon if that makes a return. Great way also to throw off the prize trade
Apricorn Maker:
I did try 1 at first but went to 2 but not because I kept missing it on the first turn. First turn Apricorn help thin out more cards by getting 2 nest balls and then 2 basics. However on my second turn I wouldn't have a problem playing the other to get timer balls or ultra ball if I have rare candy in hand. Turn 2 Algorithm is the name of the game with this deck most of the time and even late game Apricorn Maker has been great. Instead of rushing rescue stretcher and putting something right into my hand, i can put maybe Lele GX or some other useful Pokemon into the deck, play Apricorn maker for the balls that will get what i want and go from there.
Hala:
This is obviously amazing after you use your GX but nothing is worse than having it in hand before as your only draw support which is way there is only 1. More times than not, if you Algorithm and don't have a draw supporter for the next turn, this is what you grab. Grab 4 cards and the Hala and your hand is stacked for the next turn as well as the next hand you get.
Nest Ball:
4 is a bit excessive but the early turns are very critical in Metagross GX. You will never win in the first few turns but you damn sure will lose in the beginning.
Max Potion:
I feel 4 is a must. The format is slowing down and it does benefit Metagross GX but at the same time Metagross GX is slowing down. This will become a war of attrition and Max Potion helps you win that.
Choice Band:
A Metagross GX without a choice band more times than not is useless. Attach when taking KO's to prevent Field Blower ruining your day. I would love 4 but again, Lele PR helps clean up messy damage counter covered boards.
Energy:
I see no point going about 9 in this deck. You don't ever want to leave energy attached. This is what allows your opponent to Guzma stall an empty Metagross GX. The dream is to have one charged Metagross GX in the active with at least 2 energy in the discard. 2 Psychic is all that is needed as you will normally only one one attached to a Lele PR play, Dhelmise, or even a Tapu Cure play on Lele GX which should always be considered if you get a hot start without Algorithm.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
I get the hype around Metagross GX to do well but I'm still a little skeptical. I love the deck as it's my favorite Pokemon but its questionable match-up against Zoroark will still stand, especially if you are going second against them. However with it's 2 biggest problems being Parallel City and Garbotoxin gone, it may have some time to shine. I again in no way consider myself some expert at Pokemon but I feel I have piloted this deck more than enough times over different iterations to give some useful insight on it.
For those considering picking it up who haven't played it before, be ready to play from behind. You will almost always be playing from behind and thinking there is no hope. That being said, you can't quit and need to constantly look for outs. You'll be surprised how well the deck can function once your board is only 3 Metagross GX's; even just 2 sometimes while your opponent struggles to get their last 4 or 3 prizes.
When playing you should always be eyeing down your opponent's Tapu Lele GX's. These are easy OHKO's that play right into Metagross GX's numbers. I've probably never lost a game where my opponent put 2 Tapu Lele GX's down because when you know that really your are only really working for 2 prizes while your opponent is handing you 4 via Tapu Lele GX's, its pretty easy to close out games.
I hope some found this useful and others don't completely rip me to shreds in the comments!
Good luck next season everyone!
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