Standard Metal Barrier ( Lucario & Melmetal GX / Dusk Mane Necrozma / Genesect / Jirachi)

[Dark Espeon]

METAL BARRIER

Pokémon (10):

• 3 Lucario & Melmetal GX (beatdown)
• 2 Dusk Mane Necrozma (beatdown)
• 1 Solgaleo Prism Star (beatdown)
• 1 Celesteela SM7 (beatdown)
  
• 3 Jirachi SM8b (search)

Trainer (36):

• 3 Bill's Analysis (search)
  
• 3 Guzma (control)
• 3 Cynthia (draw)
• 4 Lillie (draw)
• 3 Metal Core Barrier (protect)
• 1 Adventure Satchel (search)
  
• 4 Metal Frying Pan (protect)
• 3 Escape Board (retreat)
• 3 Escape Rope (control)
• 3 Ultra Ball (search)
• 3 Nest Ball (search)
• 3 Deserted Power Plant (disable)

Energy (14):

• 4 Double Colorless Energy
• 10 Metal Energy

STRATEGY:

Start with Jirachi to search for trainer cards. Attach Escape Board to Jirachi to retreat into Lucario & Melmetal GX to use Full Metal Wall. Next turn attack with Steel Fist to accelerate from the deck. Switch between Heavy Impact and Dusk Shot to knock out the defender in two hits.

 

[AntiYouJD]

I've got a question; which DM Necrozma have you included? The GX requires way too many energy attachments to attack since you've got no means of accelerating energy. The non-gx one is alright against GX decks, but useless against anything else. Same goes for Genesect, its attack is weak and its ability is not important since you're running more than enough switching cards. Wouldn't it be better to either pair L&M with something else or just use 4 of them?
Also, 14 energy is too much here, especially since L&M fetches energy directly from the deck. 2 of the Metal Energy cards could be removed and replaced by Acerola, in order to deny prizes from your opponent in case L&M does get damaged. That would also allow you to remove a few damage reduction tools and add Choice Band to potentially take a OHKO on a 180 or less HP GX. If you do, Change Clothes Magearna becomes an interesting tech as well, enabling you to switch tools.
I've also got a few reservations about including that many Bill's when you're already running Jirachi and plenty of switching cards (btw, Switch>Escape Rope). Removing them for more conventional card draw Supporters would also leave some space open for a potential stage 1 partner.

All in all your deck seems fine, I don't think L&M would be a good deck by itself; it's probably better as a 1 or 2 of in a deck centered around another Metal 'mon. By that logic, it would be better to play DM Necrozma-GX / Magnezone and include 2 L&M just to use the GX attack very early in the game.

 

[Dark Espeon]

Hi AntiYouJD,

Thanks for the review.

I've got a question; which DM Necrozma have you included? The GX requires way too many energy attachments to attack since you've got no means of accelerating energy. The non-gx one is alright against GX decks, but useless against anything else. Same goes for Genesect, its attack is weak and its ability is not important since you're running more than enough switching cards. Wouldn't it be better to either pair L&M with something else or just use 4 of them?

Dusk Mane Necrozma is here for Dusk Shot. The main idea is to use the switch cards to switch from Lucario & Melmetal GX into Dusk Mane Necrozma with Metal Core Barrier attached to him and hit them on the bench. The deck is centered around defense and thkos similar to recent fairy decks. Genesect was intended to have an alternate bench attacker to hit Pokémon non-GX but he did not work out that well. Will remove them for a third Dusk Mane Necrozma and a tech Celesteela SM7 to have an alternate attacker when both sides lost three prize cards.

Also, 14 energy is too much here, especially since L&M fetches energy directly from the deck. 2 of the Metal Energy cards could be removed and replaced by Acerola, in order to deny prizes from your opponent in case L&M does get damaged. That would also allow you to remove a few damage reduction tools and add Choice Band to potentially take a OHKO on a 180 or less HP GX. If you do, Change Clothes Magearna becomes an interesting tech as well, enabling you to switch tools.

I can see the benefit of Acerola and will include one to two of them but I want to retain the defense cards since these cards are the core of the deck. Not sold on Choice Band in this deck since 180 is not a magic number anymore which renders the card next to useless in this deck. Will need to test this modification and therefore rstrain from sumitting it now.

I've also got a few reservations about including that many Bill's when you're already running Jirachi and plenty of switching cards (btw, Switch>Escape Rope). Removing them for more conventional card draw Supporters would also leave some space open for a potential stage 1 partner. All in all your deck seems fine, I don't think L&M would be a good deck by itself; it's probably better as a 1 or 2 of in a deck centered around another Metal 'mon. By that logic, it would be better to play DM Necrozma-GX / Magnezone and include 2 L&M just to use the GX attack very early in the game.

The defense cards combined with the thko tactic are core elements in this deck. Most of the time you want to search for one of the defense cards or either Guzma, or Escape Rope to mess with the opponent and maintain the own attackers alive. This is also the reason for the increased count of Bill's Analysis in addition to Jirachi. Another option would have been to use Blue's Search and cut Jirachi but I do prefer the Jirachi engine since it is more versatile and can be used in addition to other supporter cards.

Lucario & Melmetal GX have been shown to work rather well. The tactic is in fact similar to Gardevoir and Sylveon Tag Team decks. The main idea is to prevent ohkos and provide the own attackers with the time needed to knock out the defender in two hits.

 

[Fafnirchaos]

This is interesting, I mostly see him as a mid game play in a Metagross deck, Let us know it works.