I get why you would include it but I think it is not good enough to be included. Meta revolves around big basics at the moment more often than not.
-
When creating a thread in the Deck Garage, make sure that you post one deck per thread, you use the correct prefix, you have the set name/card number next to each card, you give a strategy for non-metagame decks, and give translations for all cards not available in English.
When posting in a thread, be sure to explain all your suggestions thoroughly. Additionally, do not ask for advice in another member's thread.
Expanded Ninja Box- Unified minds
- Thread starter Laurier_Ex
- Start date
I get why you would include it but I think it is not good enough to be included. Meta revolves around big basics at the moment more often than not.
Have you thought of playing Zeraora GX, it seems like the deck has minimal switching options, and could get stuck if someone brings a 2 retreat cost Pokémon into the active. Also what’s your opinion on cherish ball for this deck? Seems like it could be really good
Last edited:
Did try to include it and also Darkrai-EX before that. The thing is that you do not want to retreat most of the time. If you do, Ninja Boy into Jolteon-EX or Latios—GX can work since they have no retreat cost (and also synergize very well with Guzma). Usually you do not need to retreat. Knowing when to attach either to the bench or the active is the way to go and since you can stall, you can usually afford to give 1-2 prizes by having to sacrifice the active. He other thing, if they do not OHKO you, you can retaliate with Tauros-GX or Machamp-EX to trade even.
The other thing is that since you play the stall game, you can't afford having too many bench sitters and having a pokemon to help with retreat is one more piece on your bench that I believe is not that helpful f om my testing.
I tried playing Zeraora-GX with Xerneas prism and included good GX attacks that cost a lot like Dialga-GX’s GX attack but it did not seem to pay off enough to be worth the space.
How do you play around it if they item lock you (trevenant/beheeyem) and you don’t have any ninja boy in hand? I know that those matchups are good due to Magearna EX for trev and glaceon EX for Beheeyem, but if they stall enough of get stuff stuck in the active it can be bad, it seems very situational that you will have ninja boy in hand without the option of mysterious treasure or communication for Lele.
How do you feel about adding xurkitree GX? Is it worth it?
Also would you put in stealthy hood for garb? I know it works wonders in my Archie’s list, but I’m not sure if it’s consistent enough to play.
For Primal groudon EX, is there a way to stop that deck? It plays both basics and evolution Pokémon, not sure how to deal with that deck.
One last question, is there a way to counter Noivern GX from blocking your special energies? Do you have a way of dealing with it, or do you just take the loss to noivern GX?
On a fun side note, I proxied this deck already and played a few games with my brother, who was playing Trev. I had a hard time playing it, but I did manage to donk him twice with pheremosa. I love that interaction. One of the most fun decks I have played in a long a time. I really want to play this at least locally and if it’s good enough, I might try it at a regionals that I’m playing in the future.
Last edited:
I think i only ended up playing one time against Beheeyem so I do not have much experience against it. Not even sure that this was playing expanded. Seems like its not very common. I guess that the way to beat it would be through the use of Glaceon-EX as you said. Beating Trevenant is not very easy because they usually have multiple enhanced hammers and the item lock can hurt a lot. Including more counters like Giratina XY promo is not really worth it anymore imo and there are few dark attackers that are really worth the inclusion. The way I usually do it is by stalling with Latias-EX. If they do not play either Silent lab or Espeon-EX it is gg. Usually they do play Espeon-EX, not so much Silent lab. So the idea is to avoid attaching energies and just wait for Espeon-EX to attack Latias-EX. Then you can use items and play Ninja Boy into Tauros-GX to get rid of the threat. Use all the VS seeker you can at that moment to bring as many supporters back as you can. After they need to rescue stretcher Espeon-EX back because you just bring Latias-EX back into play and keep stalling. Then you try repeating the pattern. Playing Glaceon-EX with Magearna-EX would work if they had not so many energy denial but thats not the case. The other way to boost win% would be to include a 1-1 Zoroark-GX line into the deck. Did that sometimes but thats not something I recommend that much unless you play against a lot of Trevenant decks. If you are not careful and bench too much, you can loose by being stuck with some crap in the active but you got to be aware of that and try to play around it. Get rid of undesired pokemon by using Ninja Boy to deny prizes on your bench.
As far as Groudon-EX goes, it is weak to Buzzmoza and it cant OHKO it back so that would be the way to go about it. Before that it was harder to beat but that option now makes it much easier. Using FFB on a pokemon that gets over 200hp also allows you to use Ninja Boy into Machamp to OHKO them.
I tried including Xurkitree-GX but I did not find it was worth it. Not many decks rely solely on special energy and you have other means to beat most of them.
Stealthy hood seems like a very good idea actually. I will need to try using that one.
Noivern-GX is really hard to beat. Unless they brick or you can donk the deck, it is very likely you will loose. The way to win against it would be to include something like Channeler but I feel like its better to just accept the loss against that one. It is not something very commonly played in expanded. Honchkrow falls into the same category but I like the idea of using Stealthy hood here.
There are many Inclusions possible here so just use your imagination. The good thing is also that this deck never gets old.
Good luck and have fun.
Thanks,
I think honchcrow doesn’t affect a pokemon, it affects ur hand, so stealthy hood won’t be great in that matchup. Also, I’m thinking of a few techs, like maybe an oranguru due to the fact that the new mewtwo mew expanded deck can
1. Marshadow you, 2. Play mars 3. plus unfair GX to put you to one card for your second turn, and it can get that pretty consistantly. I also tried taking out coms for more mysterious treasure, it just seemed generaly better search, as well as tested replacing unknowns with Marshadows. Not sure how I like that yet, it is much more disruptive to your opponent, which could be good if they need certain cards to overcome a lock. I’m trying a lot of things, I’m fascinated with this deck.
One thing tho, not sure life forest is worth, I cut that one.
I think honchcrow doesn’t affect a pokemon, it affects ur hand, so stealthy hood won’t be great in that matchup. Also, I’m thinking of a few techs, like maybe an oranguru due to the fact that the new mewtwo mew expanded deck can
1. Marshadow you, 2. Play mars 3. plus unfair GX to put you to one card for your second turn, and it can get that pretty consistantly. I also tried taking out coms for more mysterious treasure, it just seemed generaly better search, as well as tested replacing unknowns with Marshadows. Not sure how I like that yet, it is much more disruptive to your opponent, which could be good if they need certain cards to overcome a lock. I’m trying a lot of things, I’m fascinated with this deck.
One thing tho, not sure life forest is worth, I cut that one.
Thanks for pointing that out about Honchkrow, you are definitely right.
Did not have to play against that Mewtwo&Mew expanded deck with disruption you are talking about but totally understand why you would need Oranguru or other ways to recover in this case. In the past I included things like Drampa-Gx or Dialga-Gx that have an ability to draw cards for you as well if needed. Gives you more ways to get out of sticky situations. Dialga-Gx also has 2 other decent attacks that can be useful here and
Mysterious treasure vs Pokemon communication: I personally find Pokemon communication to be better if you want to keep it more oriented around Ninja Boy because it sends back Pokemons in your deck in order to be able to use Ninja Boy. In the past I had issues sometimes ending up having the Pokemon I wanted to swap into in my hands with no good ways to return it into my deck to Ninja Boy into it. But if you think you can lean towards more Mewtwo&Mew, I can understand Mysterious treasure being an option. I personally prefer having more Pokemon communication and would hardly drop below 2 copy of these.
Marshadow could be an option. I used it a little bit but did not end up keeping it. Does not mean it's not good but I really like to have Unown to deny prizes on the bench and recycle Shaymin-Ex and Tapu-Lele-Gx so I can use them more often if I need to. Also has a very good synergy with Mallow.
Life Forest is definitely the card that I use the least and can definitely be cut. On the other hand, I think that having 3 stadiums can be important against some matchups. Not saying it's mandatory but winning the stadium war is sometimes needed, especially against things like Power Plant and Shrine of Punishment.
Here are a few techs that I think can be worth the inclusion depending on what you are facing:
- Karen: Good against Nightmarch, Vespiquen and Mewtwo&Mew decks.
- Nihilego: This one has limited use but can turn games around when you expect the least.
- Oranguru ULP/Regirock XY promo: Good against Disruptive/mill decks.
Depending on what you are playing against, there are many other things that you could include but I think the deck list I sent covers a lot of matchup. It is not perfect but it has very good potential.
Regards,
Updated list with comments people brought.
- Removed Life Forest (not often seeing use for it)
- Removed Glaceon-Ex (seems like most of the matchup it was useful can be won with Mewtwo&Mew-Gx)
- Added an extra copy of Jolteon-Ex
- Added an extra copy of Mewtwo&Mew-Gx
A few aside notes:
- From testings, I think that Keldeo-Gx is not a must but it definitely helps against fire decks and Turbo dark decks. I tested with and without and I think that all things considered, this is rather meta dependant. I would play Keldeo-Gx or Karen depending on the meta. Karen can counter Mewtwo&Mew-Gx and a few other decks which is pretty handy. Can also help since you only play a copy of most pokemons. Bringing back Comfey to life for exemple can save your life against some decks that play around special conditions.
- I think that Mysterious treasure can be useful but is not mandatory and can be swapped for an additional Pokemon Communication but this is taste dependent.
- Also tried to remove N and include a copy of Reset Stamp instead. I must say that I like that a lot. Using N can be great but I do not often end up using it more than one time per game. It also removes the possibility of using Ninja Boy and that is sometime an issue.
I played a lot during the weekend and i would say i got at least 80% win rate with the list. The only deck that I really had no way to beat during my play time was Zoroark-Gx control deck with Oranguru ressource management. I played numerous meta decks and always had a way to beat them. More often than not I would loose because I made mistakes so I think that with perfect play I would be above 85% if not more.
I would say this deck as very few auto losses in it's current iteration. The worst matchups that I would consider "auto losses" in the actual deck state are:
- Zoroark-Gx control and some other mill decks
- Noivern-Gx
- Honchkrow-Gx
Here are a few ideas on how to tech in order to beat those decks:
I tried using Girafarig, Oranguru ULP or Regirock XY promo against Zoroark-Gx control before but it doesn't cut it. It works against other mill decks but not that one.
To beat Zoroark-Gx control (apart from donking a lone Zorua in the active) I think would require to make them deck out and give them taste of their own medicine. The way to do it would be to include a few cards that can mill them when they get to the point where they have only a few cards left in their deck and just recycle through Oranguru ULP. Including Houndoom for exemple with 2 copies of Trick Shovel could probably work. Maybe a copy of the Stage 2 Charizard-Gx with the Gx attack that discards 10 of your opponents cards would be another way to do it. This could require a few basic fire energies since they have a lot of energy denial.
Noivern-Gx or Honkrow-Gx would require to have other means of attaching special energies to your pokemon than from your hand. Including Jirachi-Gx or Shining Mew for example could work.
Finally, I would consider Alolan Muk and Garbotoxin to be pretty annoying. I tried to add Stealthy Hood for that reason but ended up not playing against any decks where I needed it. I still think that it could be a good idea to include it for this reason.
- Removed Life Forest (not often seeing use for it)
- Removed Glaceon-Ex (seems like most of the matchup it was useful can be won with Mewtwo&Mew-Gx)
- Added an extra copy of Jolteon-Ex
- Added an extra copy of Mewtwo&Mew-Gx
A few aside notes:
- From testings, I think that Keldeo-Gx is not a must but it definitely helps against fire decks and Turbo dark decks. I tested with and without and I think that all things considered, this is rather meta dependant. I would play Keldeo-Gx or Karen depending on the meta. Karen can counter Mewtwo&Mew-Gx and a few other decks which is pretty handy. Can also help since you only play a copy of most pokemons. Bringing back Comfey to life for exemple can save your life against some decks that play around special conditions.
- I think that Mysterious treasure can be useful but is not mandatory and can be swapped for an additional Pokemon Communication but this is taste dependent.
- Also tried to remove N and include a copy of Reset Stamp instead. I must say that I like that a lot. Using N can be great but I do not often end up using it more than one time per game. It also removes the possibility of using Ninja Boy and that is sometime an issue.
I played a lot during the weekend and i would say i got at least 80% win rate with the list. The only deck that I really had no way to beat during my play time was Zoroark-Gx control deck with Oranguru ressource management. I played numerous meta decks and always had a way to beat them. More often than not I would loose because I made mistakes so I think that with perfect play I would be above 85% if not more.
I would say this deck as very few auto losses in it's current iteration. The worst matchups that I would consider "auto losses" in the actual deck state are:
- Zoroark-Gx control and some other mill decks
- Noivern-Gx
- Honchkrow-Gx
Here are a few ideas on how to tech in order to beat those decks:
I tried using Girafarig, Oranguru ULP or Regirock XY promo against Zoroark-Gx control before but it doesn't cut it. It works against other mill decks but not that one.
To beat Zoroark-Gx control (apart from donking a lone Zorua in the active) I think would require to make them deck out and give them taste of their own medicine. The way to do it would be to include a few cards that can mill them when they get to the point where they have only a few cards left in their deck and just recycle through Oranguru ULP. Including Houndoom for exemple with 2 copies of Trick Shovel could probably work. Maybe a copy of the Stage 2 Charizard-Gx with the Gx attack that discards 10 of your opponents cards would be another way to do it. This could require a few basic fire energies since they have a lot of energy denial.
Noivern-Gx or Honkrow-Gx would require to have other means of attaching special energies to your pokemon than from your hand. Including Jirachi-Gx or Shining Mew for example could work.
Finally, I would consider Alolan Muk and Garbotoxin to be pretty annoying. I tried to add Stealthy Hood for that reason but ended up not playing against any decks where I needed it. I still think that it could be a good idea to include it for this reason.
Last edited:
Yea my list of this right now is pretty similar, with only a couple différences,
I still do play Glaceon EX, it’s really good vs Zoroark (Attacking one, usually with Raticate, control is definitely a bad matchup.) and beheeyem, so I still only play one jolteon EX
I swapped Tauros GX for Jirachi GX, I think one outrager is probably ok, (Either Tauros or Machamp, both are good, I’m trying Machamp Rn, but it can easily be swapped with Tauros GX) plus Jirachi helps out in the mirror a LOT. You can have Jirachi GX down, so your opponent doesn’t hit weakness, then on your turn ninja boy it out for something and you hit weakness on them.
Hapu for a sycamore, that’s just personal preference
Took out one ninja boy and added Noivern GX, generally a busted card, although I might re add ninja boy if I find another opening
Took out thunder mountain for a stealthy hood, never once used it and stealthy hood is generally a pretty good card
Also still only play one mewtwo mew and have a Colress instead. I find that I only ever use one because of the locks it sets up, also because I don’t own another mewtwo Mew.
I’m not as experienced with this deck, so take my changes with a grain of salt, these are just some things I found I liked whilst playing this deck
I’m definitely not as experienced as OP with this deck, but this is an alternative to try if you like.
One warning though, this deck is not at all easy to play, you have to put in a lot of time to master it. I’ll probably keep testing, I have a few local expanded tourneys coming up, so we’ll see how it goes, and I’ll continue to post on this thread if I find things not already discussed. I’m also attending Portland regionals, and I’m not 100% set on this deck yet, I’ll have to get better and learn it more before I’m confident enough to bring it to a regionals.
This is one of my favorite decks I’ve played in the past years, I recommend at least trying it if you have read this far.
Also props to OP for giving in depth detail on every question about this deck, not many posters put in this much effort to help others with the deck they post, so I’m really grateful for that.
Cheers
OP=Original Poster*
I still do play Glaceon EX, it’s really good vs Zoroark (Attacking one, usually with Raticate, control is definitely a bad matchup.) and beheeyem, so I still only play one jolteon EX
I swapped Tauros GX for Jirachi GX, I think one outrager is probably ok, (Either Tauros or Machamp, both are good, I’m trying Machamp Rn, but it can easily be swapped with Tauros GX) plus Jirachi helps out in the mirror a LOT. You can have Jirachi GX down, so your opponent doesn’t hit weakness, then on your turn ninja boy it out for something and you hit weakness on them.
Hapu for a sycamore, that’s just personal preference
Took out one ninja boy and added Noivern GX, generally a busted card, although I might re add ninja boy if I find another opening
Took out thunder mountain for a stealthy hood, never once used it and stealthy hood is generally a pretty good card
Also still only play one mewtwo mew and have a Colress instead. I find that I only ever use one because of the locks it sets up, also because I don’t own another mewtwo Mew.
I’m not as experienced with this deck, so take my changes with a grain of salt, these are just some things I found I liked whilst playing this deck
I’m definitely not as experienced as OP with this deck, but this is an alternative to try if you like.
One warning though, this deck is not at all easy to play, you have to put in a lot of time to master it. I’ll probably keep testing, I have a few local expanded tourneys coming up, so we’ll see how it goes, and I’ll continue to post on this thread if I find things not already discussed. I’m also attending Portland regionals, and I’m not 100% set on this deck yet, I’ll have to get better and learn it more before I’m confident enough to bring it to a regionals.
This is one of my favorite decks I’ve played in the past years, I recommend at least trying it if you have read this far.
Also props to OP for giving in depth detail on every question about this deck, not many posters put in this much effort to help others with the deck they post, so I’m really grateful for that.
Cheers
OP=Original Poster*
Last edited:
Thank you for your feedback and I agree on almost everything you said. Seems like you know what you are talking about and the changes suggested make a lot of sense. There are many changes that can be operated to this deck and most of the time it does not makes it worse or better but just makes it having better chances against this or that match-up. I can honestly say that this deck is one of the most flexible when it comes to tech options.
That being said, I would personally not recommend playing with less than 3 Ninja Boy. It can work I guess but you need to be able to constantly use Ninja Boy so removing a copy can bring issues sometimes from what I have experienced. You want to make sure you have the option of using Tapu-Lele to pull Ninja Boy out after you used 1 copy or 2 hence having 3 copies helps.
One thing I want to point out about the matchup against Raticate because that is one deck that I get to play against a lot often online; with Magearna-Ex and Comfey, you should be able to win without relying on Glaceon-Ex. Magearna-Ex prevents any effects of attacks as long as you have Rainbow or Prism energy attached so it completly nullifies Raticate attack. So it renders Raticate totally useless and unable to do anything unless they get rid of Magearna-Ex. Also, Comfey on the other hand will prevent any poison from taking you out after Raticate brings you to 1hp so this can also help. If they use Hypnotoxic laser, you just drop Comfey on the bench to remove poison and confusion effects, something Magearna cannot protect you against. The only thing that you need to worry about in that matchup would be Shrine of Punishment without having Magearna supporting on the bench and secondary attackers.
Finally, as you said and what I just described above in the Raticate matchup proves this, it gets a while to get used to the deck and there are many hidden features and ways to tweak it left and right so mastering it is a long process. Like I said in my last post, even me after playing it for a few years now end up loosing because I make stupid mistakes or forget about something.
*Finally had the chance to win a game thanks to Stealthy Hood against a Vileplume deck. Most likely the best way to tech in order to counter it.
Last edited:
So I just got back from a local league challenge, and was pretty successful. There were only 6 people, so 3 rounds, and I went 3/0. First matchup was Pikarom, as soon as I flash ray’d, he scooped. My last matchup my opponent bricked, so again not much learning there. My best game was against Zoroark Ratticate, where I won on the last turn of time. The alolan muk is a huge problem, but stealthy hood on the Magearna EX basically won me the game. My opponent didn’t draw too well, but it balanced out with some small, and one huge missplay by me. The game made me want to play 2 stealthy hood, because that card is so good with alolan muk in the format. The Ratticate deck didn’t play any field blower, but did play a Faba and the rattata that discards tools, which can be bad, hence the second stealthy hood. Overall, I try not to attack with Tag teams, because they can faba off a energy if you just have one, then one shot you with Ratticate. A Second Magearna is also not bad, it’s just such a good card in so many matchups. All in all, I think that the Zoro matchup is close to 50/50, usually depending on skill and draw. I would have liked to kill that muk, but couldn’t find the right time to do it. Keldeo GX is also super good in that game.
On the last turn of the game, he paralyzing gaze me with zorua, but it didn’t paralyze because of Magearna.
Best tip for beating that deck is going first and getting a sonic volume from Noivern off turn 2, as they only play special energy, and shuts them down completely. I wasn’t able to because if I had used that attack, he could have killed my mewtwo mew the next turn.
For my list, it’s the same as I posted above, but I could not find a Latias EX in time, so I put in a third ninja boy.
Btw, game went to time because I miss played so badly mid game. Also I took a while to think, as there are so many options in the deck.
The missplay was I scramble switched into a Machamp EX with no damage on it, not realizing the damage didn’t switch as well. I wasn’t punished too hard, he missed sky field so he couldn’t attack back, if he did, I could outrage, also Magearna was blocking Ratticate.
On the last turn of the game, he paralyzing gaze me with zorua, but it didn’t paralyze because of Magearna.
Best tip for beating that deck is going first and getting a sonic volume from Noivern off turn 2, as they only play special energy, and shuts them down completely. I wasn’t able to because if I had used that attack, he could have killed my mewtwo mew the next turn.
For my list, it’s the same as I posted above, but I could not find a Latias EX in time, so I put in a third ninja boy.
Btw, game went to time because I miss played so badly mid game. Also I took a while to think, as there are so many options in the deck.
The missplay was I scramble switched into a Machamp EX with no damage on it, not realizing the damage didn’t switch as well. I wasn’t punished too hard, he missed sky field so he couldn’t attack back, if he did, I could outrage, also Magearna was blocking Ratticate.
Last edited:
Congrats on your win at the event. I am happy that after 3 years of pushing on this engine and testing the idea someone finally thinks its worth the try and succeed with it. If it had not been worth playing i doubt i would still be using it after so long and still enjoy playing it that much. Seems like i can finally share my love of the deck with someone. The deck is not perfect but it can adapt to a lot of situation and include something to counter almost anything.
Getting around Garbodor and Muk can be painful. Not depending entirely on Mew3 helps because you are a little less dependent on abilities and can avoid playing 3 prize attackers but it can still be very difficult to pull off. Preventing them from evolving into Garbodor or Muk is the first goal because once it sets up, you are slowed down dramatically. Stealthy Hood is definitely a good tool to use and include in more than one copy if these decks are to be expected.
Honestly I would probably have missed that Stealthy Hood play on Magearna-EX, this is clutch. Not used to playing that tool a lot so this is something I would probably have overseen. Magearna-EX is indeed one big part of the deck and her value is underestimated.
Latios-EX is useful in a few matchups (Trevenant, Rayquaza-Gx, Mew3 and other decks that mostly play ability reliant attackers) and is a reason why the Ninja Boy engine has a better flexibility than similar toolbox decks. In a Mew3, a Marshadow-Gx or a Mew-Ex toolbox, you cannot include efficiently a card like Latias-Ex, Regirock XY promo, Hoopa SL or Keldeo-GX because while you can copy the attack, unless that pokemon is your attacker, you dont get to benefit from its ability or trait. When V-Max pokemons get released, Mew3 decks might loose some love because they wont be able to copy V-Max pokemon attacks. Ninja boy will still be able to pull the tricks unless those are called something else than basic pokemons which i doubt.
Finally, I missed your deck list. Where did you post it? I can miss an elephant in a corridor. Lucky my girl friend is there to help me out finding my things when i need them but I will need your help here.
M’y list was basically your original list, with the changes I stated a few posts ago, like adding Noivern and Jirachi GX and stealthy hood, as well as a Colress. I took out Tauros, both prism stadiums and one ninja boy, which I then Re-added because no Latias Ex
I ran into a lot of Mew3 decks recently and wanted to see how I could improve those matchup. I have settled on testing with 2 Mew XY FCO and Snorlax SM UB. Basically copying Snorlax attack only requires a DCE + Dimension Valley and hits 180 on Tag Team pokemons and for 360dmg on weakness. This is rather easy to setup in one turn and can OHKO Mew3 with a FFB. I just started testing but I like the idea a lot.
On another note, Marshadow UB with Resetting hole could replace Unown and play a similar role in the deck; clearing bench space. I have no copies of it but I can see how it could help countering things like Power Plant.
On another note, Marshadow UB with Resetting hole could replace Unown and play a similar role in the deck; clearing bench space. I have no copies of it but I can see how it could help countering things like Power Plant.
I feel like countering Mew3 is actually a bit simpler, with inclusion of Jirachi GX. That way you have no weakness, and on your turn, you are able to ninja boy it away and hit weakness on him. You get the first hit with weakness. Although, Mew3 will probably also play Jirachi, so it’s important to get it down first so that your opponent doesn’t feel the need to play his own. Really good players will probably put one down anyway if they see ninja boy in your deck, so this might not always work. It more of a trick that can catch your opponent off guard. For Mew3 Exodia, which tries to limit your hand to 1 card, I just play an oranguru SM base. Along with it making that matchup very good, it also helps with the use of mallow with low hand size and can even help if you get Marshadow’d early game.
As for my current list:
Pokemon: 21
1 Mewtwo Mew tag team
1 Mewtwo EX
1 Jolteon EX
1 Glaceon EX
1 Latios GX
1 Keldeo GX
1 Tauros GX
1 Pheromosa GX
1 Buzzwole Pheromosa Tag team
1 Noivern GX
1 Magearna EX
1 Dedenne GX
1 Jirachi GX
2 Tapu Lele GX
2 Shaymin EX
1 Unown
1 Marshadow (resetting hole)
1 comfey
1 oranguru
Trainers: 28
2 Ninja Boy
2 Guzma
2 Mallow
1 N
1 Sycamore
4 Vs seeker
4 Ultra ball
2 Pokémon communications
1 Mysterious treasure
1 Battle Compressor
1 Field Blower
1 Rescue stretcher
1 Scramble Switch
2 fighting fury belts
1 Stealthy hood
2 dimensions valley
Energy:11
4 Prism Energy
3 Rainbow Energy
3 DCE
1 Beast energy
Notable changes: put in a 4rth Vs seeker for consistency, and can usually find the ninja boys when I need to.
Took out a DCE for a rainbow, I feel like rainbow is a bit more needed than DCE, especially if you have D valley.
Still don’t have a Latias EX. Machamp for Tauros, can attack for DCE, and has a really strong GX attack, I think it’s a bit more useful.
Also not sure about the Unknown marshadow split, will probably go with 2 of one , just not sure Rn which one is better.
Other than that, still can’t find a spot for another stealthy hood, which I think is important, but we’ll see where I can put one of those.
Again, my list isn’t perfect, so any recommendations are helpful.
As for my current list:
Pokemon: 21
1 Mewtwo Mew tag team
1 Mewtwo EX
1 Jolteon EX
1 Glaceon EX
1 Latios GX
1 Keldeo GX
1 Tauros GX
1 Pheromosa GX
1 Buzzwole Pheromosa Tag team
1 Noivern GX
1 Magearna EX
1 Dedenne GX
1 Jirachi GX
2 Tapu Lele GX
2 Shaymin EX
1 Unown
1 Marshadow (resetting hole)
1 comfey
1 oranguru
Trainers: 28
2 Ninja Boy
2 Guzma
2 Mallow
1 N
1 Sycamore
4 Vs seeker
4 Ultra ball
2 Pokémon communications
1 Mysterious treasure
1 Battle Compressor
1 Field Blower
1 Rescue stretcher
1 Scramble Switch
2 fighting fury belts
1 Stealthy hood
2 dimensions valley
Energy:11
4 Prism Energy
3 Rainbow Energy
3 DCE
1 Beast energy
Notable changes: put in a 4rth Vs seeker for consistency, and can usually find the ninja boys when I need to.
Took out a DCE for a rainbow, I feel like rainbow is a bit more needed than DCE, especially if you have D valley.
Still don’t have a Latias EX. Machamp for Tauros, can attack for DCE, and has a really strong GX attack, I think it’s a bit more useful.
Also not sure about the Unknown marshadow split, will probably go with 2 of one , just not sure Rn which one is better.
Other than that, still can’t find a spot for another stealthy hood, which I think is important, but we’ll see where I can put one of those.
Again, my list isn’t perfect, so any recommendations are helpful.
I tried to test out and make a list which includes a few Mew copies. I feel like Mew3 is not unbeatable but I think there is a nice gimmick to help and playing a few 1 prize attackers could possibly make a difference from time to time in some matchup. I tried to include Snorlax SM UB and only rely on DCE but found out it was not worth it. So i finished my testing by just including Mew XY FCO and instead I added 1 Counter energy and Teammates to give it a try. With Dimension Valley, even if you attach a Counter Energy and its worth only a single energy it does not seem like it is hurting much. With Dimension Valley up, attaching a single Counter Energy enables you to copy Buzzmosa with Mew and do 190dmg without much sacrifice. Need not to forget that Mew also has free retreat which can be very handy. It seems like a decent comeback mechanic. Not enough testing to conclude anything but I can see that working. Guzma&Hala Tagteam supporter seem like it could suit this kind of stuff pretty well. Not sure it makes the cut but thats one supporter I will be willing to try. Here is the list I am testing with at the moment. I am 5W-1L and Keldeo is MvP right now. It helps a lot against Turbo Dark and Archies by either completely enabling you to win by stall or delay them long enough so you can counter.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 20
* 2 Shaymin-EX ROS 77
* 1 Latias-EX PLF 85
* 1 Comfey GRI 93
* 1 Machamp-EX AOR 90
* 1 Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX UNB 1
* 1 Pheromosa-GX UPR 140
* 1 Dedenne-GX UNB 57
* 2 Jolteon-EX GEN 28
* 1 Magearna-EX STS 110
* 1 Mew FCO 29
* 1 Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71
* 1 Mewtwo-EX BKT 164
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60
* 2 Unown AOR 30
* 1 Glaceon-EX FCO 20
* 1 Keldeo-GX UNM 47
##Trainer Cards - 29
* 1 Hapu UNM 200
* 1 Fighting Fury Belt BKP 99
* 1 Stealthy Hood UNB 186
* 2 Mallow GRI 127
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Lillie SUM 147
* 3 Pokémon Communication TEU 152
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Scramble Switch PLS 129
* 3 Dimension Valley PHF 93
* 1 Reset Stamp UNM 206
* 3 Ninja Boy STS 103
* 3 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 1 Battle Compressor Team Flare Gear PHF 92
* 2 Guzma BUS 115
* 3 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 1 Field Blower GRI 163
##Energy - 11
* 1 Beast Energy {*} FLI 117
* 1 Counter Energy CIN 100
* 3 Double Colorless Energy FCO 114
* 2 Rainbow Energy CES 183
* 4 Prism Energy NXD 93
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 20
* 2 Shaymin-EX ROS 77
* 1 Latias-EX PLF 85
* 1 Comfey GRI 93
* 1 Machamp-EX AOR 90
* 1 Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX UNB 1
* 1 Pheromosa-GX UPR 140
* 1 Dedenne-GX UNB 57
* 2 Jolteon-EX GEN 28
* 1 Magearna-EX STS 110
* 1 Mew FCO 29
* 1 Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71
* 1 Mewtwo-EX BKT 164
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60
* 2 Unown AOR 30
* 1 Glaceon-EX FCO 20
* 1 Keldeo-GX UNM 47
##Trainer Cards - 29
* 1 Hapu UNM 200
* 1 Fighting Fury Belt BKP 99
* 1 Stealthy Hood UNB 186
* 2 Mallow GRI 127
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Lillie SUM 147
* 3 Pokémon Communication TEU 152
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Scramble Switch PLS 129
* 3 Dimension Valley PHF 93
* 1 Reset Stamp UNM 206
* 3 Ninja Boy STS 103
* 3 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 1 Battle Compressor Team Flare Gear PHF 92
* 2 Guzma BUS 115
* 3 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 1 Field Blower GRI 163
##Energy - 11
* 1 Beast Energy {*} FLI 117
* 1 Counter Energy CIN 100
* 3 Double Colorless Energy FCO 114
* 2 Rainbow Energy CES 183
* 4 Prism Energy NXD 93
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
Last edited:
Still not totally sure if I will keep the Mew/Counter Energy tech but I am having a good Vibe and its a nice gimmick. In games where you have problem setting up, it seems like it helps with comeback. Thats why I liked including Thunder Mountain in the first place. In a single turn, attaching a DCE on Jolteon-EX would sometimes buy you enough time to come back into the game by being able to stall a turn with Flash Ray. Mew with Counter Energy is somewhat similar. It offers more possibilities but has the downside of only being usable when down on prizes.
I played against Reshizard yesterday. He got through my Keldeo-GX on his second turn with his GX. Made me fall behind on energy attachment. But I had Mew benched so I placed in the active, got Dimension Valley up with Counter Energy attached and a Jolteon-EX on bench to copy Flash Ray. Immuned to his next attack, on the following turn I was copying Mew3 GX attack for 200dmg, taking the Reshizard out and the game cause he had nothing else on his bench. Nice to see that harmless little pokemon holding strong vs a titan and taking it out.
I played against Reshizard yesterday. He got through my Keldeo-GX on his second turn with his GX. Made me fall behind on energy attachment. But I had Mew benched so I placed in the active, got Dimension Valley up with Counter Energy attached and a Jolteon-EX on bench to copy Flash Ray. Immuned to his next attack, on the following turn I was copying Mew3 GX attack for 200dmg, taking the Reshizard out and the game cause he had nothing else on his bench. Nice to see that harmless little pokemon holding strong vs a titan and taking it out.
Ok, so I have been trying to find ways to improve the decks matchups against certain meta decks and came up with an idea that i find very interesting. At first, it sounds like something counter intuitive but when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Here is the deck list i am currently play testing with. I believe this version has the potential to beat almost anything except probably Sableye. Did not get to test against Zoroark control either but this tech would definitely improve the odds against it. I think it should give a favorable matchup against most Mew3 and Zoroark decks.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 20
* 2 Shaymin-EX ROS 77
* 1 Tauros-GX SUM 100
* 1 Comfey GRI 93
* 1 Machamp-EX AOR 90
* 1 Marshadow & Machamp-GX UNB 82
* 1 Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX UNB 1
* 1 Pheromosa-GX UPR 140
* 1 Dedenne-GX UNB 57
* 2 Jolteon-EX GEN 28
* 1 Magearna-EX STS 110
* 2 Marshadow UNB 81
* 1 Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71
* 1 Mewtwo-EX BKT 164
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
* 1 Unown AOR 30
* 1 Keldeo-GX UNM 47
##Trainer Cards - 29
* 1 Fighting Fury Belt BKP 99
* 1 Thunder Mountain {*} LOT 191
* 2 Stealthy Hood UNB 186
* 2 Mallow GRI 127
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Lillie SUM 147
* 3 Pokémon Communication TEU 152
* 1 Scramble Switch PLS 129
* 1 Dimension Valley PHF 93
* 2 Power Plant UNB 183
* 1 Colress PLS 135
* 3 Ninja Boy STS 103
* 3 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 2 Guzma BUS 115
* 3 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 1 Field Blower GRI 163
* 1 N NVI 101
##Energy - 11
* 1 Beast Energy {*} FLI 117
* 3 Rainbow Energy SUM 137
* 4 Prism Energy NXD 93
* 3 Double Colorless Energy XY 130
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
The key cards in this list are Marshadow (Resetting hole) and Power Plant. While Power Plant is a card that can hurt the deck, playing it with 2 copies of Marshadow allows the deck to control when you want to have it active or not. By playing around Power Plant, you can definitely slow down Zoroark-GX and Mew3 decks to have favorable matchups. It also destroys decks trying to take advantage of Keldeo-GX and gives a chance to win against Hunchkrow-GX which would be an auto loss without either including Power plant or Jirachi-GX. It functions much like Garbodor with Klefky or Field Blower in a Zoroark-GX deck. You drop Power Plant and you have a Marshadow on your bench. When you need, you use Resetting hole to discard Power Plant and use your own support Pokemons.
The deck can make use of Mew3 but is not dependent solely on it (having only 1 copy) to be effective. I added Marshadow&Machamp-GX to have a better attacker against Zoroark-GX but it is not a must. The Stealthy hoods are to help against Muk, Garbodor and Vileplume (the one preventing attacks from basic pokemon). The only auto loss I see with this list would be Sableye/Garbodor. Against that deck you need to change a few cards.
Against Sableye, cards like Regirock XY promo and Oranguru ULP would be required. Or else maybe have a Mew FCO to freely copy attacks with the help of Dimension Valley. Did not test much against Sableye lately but having Mew copy Regirock XY promo’s attack would always recycle Stadiums from the discard pile and feels like a solution without after thoughts.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 20
* 2 Shaymin-EX ROS 77
* 1 Tauros-GX SUM 100
* 1 Comfey GRI 93
* 1 Machamp-EX AOR 90
* 1 Marshadow & Machamp-GX UNB 82
* 1 Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX UNB 1
* 1 Pheromosa-GX UPR 140
* 1 Dedenne-GX UNB 57
* 2 Jolteon-EX GEN 28
* 1 Magearna-EX STS 110
* 2 Marshadow UNB 81
* 1 Mewtwo & Mew-GX UNM 71
* 1 Mewtwo-EX BKT 164
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
* 1 Unown AOR 30
* 1 Keldeo-GX UNM 47
##Trainer Cards - 29
* 1 Fighting Fury Belt BKP 99
* 1 Thunder Mountain {*} LOT 191
* 2 Stealthy Hood UNB 186
* 2 Mallow GRI 127
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Lillie SUM 147
* 3 Pokémon Communication TEU 152
* 1 Scramble Switch PLS 129
* 1 Dimension Valley PHF 93
* 2 Power Plant UNB 183
* 1 Colress PLS 135
* 3 Ninja Boy STS 103
* 3 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 2 Guzma BUS 115
* 3 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 1 Field Blower GRI 163
* 1 N NVI 101
##Energy - 11
* 1 Beast Energy {*} FLI 117
* 3 Rainbow Energy SUM 137
* 4 Prism Energy NXD 93
* 3 Double Colorless Energy XY 130
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
The key cards in this list are Marshadow (Resetting hole) and Power Plant. While Power Plant is a card that can hurt the deck, playing it with 2 copies of Marshadow allows the deck to control when you want to have it active or not. By playing around Power Plant, you can definitely slow down Zoroark-GX and Mew3 decks to have favorable matchups. It also destroys decks trying to take advantage of Keldeo-GX and gives a chance to win against Hunchkrow-GX which would be an auto loss without either including Power plant or Jirachi-GX. It functions much like Garbodor with Klefky or Field Blower in a Zoroark-GX deck. You drop Power Plant and you have a Marshadow on your bench. When you need, you use Resetting hole to discard Power Plant and use your own support Pokemons.
The deck can make use of Mew3 but is not dependent solely on it (having only 1 copy) to be effective. I added Marshadow&Machamp-GX to have a better attacker against Zoroark-GX but it is not a must. The Stealthy hoods are to help against Muk, Garbodor and Vileplume (the one preventing attacks from basic pokemon). The only auto loss I see with this list would be Sableye/Garbodor. Against that deck you need to change a few cards.
Against Sableye, cards like Regirock XY promo and Oranguru ULP would be required. Or else maybe have a Mew FCO to freely copy attacks with the help of Dimension Valley. Did not test much against Sableye lately but having Mew copy Regirock XY promo’s attack would always recycle Stadiums from the discard pile and feels like a solution without after thoughts.
So after testing quite a bit, I found that there are a ton of decks playing alolan muk, mainly to counter mewthree, but it does end up hurting this deck quite significantly as well, A lot of matchups get a lot harder, such as Trevenant. Other decks also play a variety of attackers, which can get around a lot of this decks points. A really good example of this is the Greninja GX from Detective Pikachu set in Archie’s. It allows them to have a evolved Pokémon in play without needing Archie’s, due to Greninjas ability. The attack also goes through all effects, which hurts the deck immensely. There is also green’s greninja, which is a super hard matchup for the deck if you miss the donk, and end up dying to the sniping.
All these things led me to these changes
1. You need to play at least 2 stealthy hood, although I recommend 3. These are needed due to the amount of muk in the meta, and with people playing stuff like Faba. These need to be found whenever you need it.
2. I think Noivern GX is also essential for generally the bad matchups. Item lock is very good, and for certain matchups, I end up returning to it, just because it hurts every deck, not just item heavy deck. This is the case for Greninja and trev. It’s your go-too attack when you can’t figure out what to do. It’s also good for the second attack in matchups like Zoroark.
3. Pokemon Ranger/channeler hurts a lot, my main start against this is to just try and use attack like on Mewtwo EX and outragers, but they usually only play one, and you have to hope they don’t get it, or can’t afford to use it.
I also have some matchup tips
Archie’s: this is one of the harder matchups, as it has multiple attackers, both evolved and basic. I recommend using Keldeo, I don’t think stealthy hood allows them to go through it. They also will probably have a keldeo too, but it’s likely you will have a better piercing attack, or you can use baby mew. They can also attack with blastoise, but not sure they Want to do that. Jolteon is good until they get Greninja, but otherwise not great. Buzzmosa is a great attacker other than Keldeo, as it does weakness damage for the attackers they will often use.
Dark Box: this is probably a pretty good matchup, and Keldeo/Jolteon are both good here. They do usually play ranger for jolteon, and will often use Baby mew to get around Keldeo. If you can get around this, you should be good.
Trevanent: Harder than I thought, you absolutely need to get stealthy hood down on a Magearna ASAP, and guzma around when they item lock+Faba you. This also where Noivern Item lock comes in handy as well, so you most likely will need a stealthy hood on the Mewtwo mew. Even with this, they can spread damage and eventually kill you, so utilizing either Mewthree’s GX attack or Tapu lele GX is important as well. It becomes a lot easier if you can heal. Also donking this deck is also very possible.
Shock lock: Comfey is quite good in this, again they need muk, and with all of their parts, it can be clunky. You also have 3 stealthy hood to get around it, and the deck is not super reliant on supporters, so supporter lock is not a big deal. I’d also recommend item locking them with Noivern.
Mewthree: A pretty interesting matchup, as they will often have piercing attacks to go through any defence, although there is an interaction with Magearna EX that might stop piercing attacks, but I’m not sure about it. I will get back to it later. Also essential to put down your Jirachi GX first, as they won’t expect Ninja boy, and can pull of a surprise knockout by getting it of your bench. Also if you can lock them, Latios GX completely shuts them down, just make sure to have 4 Pokémon in play to make sure it can attack.
Pikarom/Reshizard: Both these matchups are in your favour, but I don’t expect to see them that much, reshizard is basically invalid due to Archie’s. Pikarom is alright, and does play ranger I believe, but you have Keldeo, and they don’t really play many non-GX attackers that are valid.
ZoroGarb: This is a decent matchup, again the 3 stealthy hood come in handy. Ideal attackers are Glaceon Ex to stop damage. They don’t play muk, so this is pretty good for you.
Zororats: this is a bit harder, due to Alolan Muk, but again with stealthy hood. That really helps out. Magearna is a must in this matchup to stop Ratticate from bringing you to 10hp and comfey to stop them from poisoning you. Glaceon again is a good attacker. They do play Faba, but they can take one knockout before you stop them again. If you can get Noivern’s Second attack fast, that also almost auto wins the game because they only play special energy. As long as you don’t missplay, it should be in you favour as well
ZoroToad: A really hard matchup, as they item lock you as well as ability lock with Muk, plus hypnotoxic laser. Stealthy hood is very important in this as well, and makes me want to play a ranger as well, for these decks. You can also go for Pheromosa or Buzzmosa, as they both hit weakness on toad. The draw on Zoroark allows them to use Faba constantly as well, so it’s quite hard. Keep in mind that all these Zoroark decks can be donked, so that’s at least a win condition.
SableGarb: this is very hard, but try and Item lock with Noivern, as it can slow them down, if they set up, it’s near impossible for any deck to win, much less this one. I think this is an annoying matchup, but possible to win with a good start.
Night March: An ok deck that probably isn’t played much, and they play ranger, but with Buzzmosa spread and GX attack, as well as Item lock, it shouldn’t really be a problem.
Overall, the Ninja box deck is complex, but has at least one thing to deal with most matchups. In general ranger is a big problem, as well as Muk, hence the three stealthy hood. I’m thinking on taking out a few auxiliary attackers for more consistency/ better straight up attackers instead. Another grass attacker can be good too. Noivern is great, but the meta is so diverse that you can’t really conter everything. Other matchups I couldn’t think of at the moment usually won’t be to big of a deal, or I forgot to mention them. I’m also looking for a good special energy accelerator, preferably from the discard, but I haven’t looked into it very much.
I don’t have a concrete list right now, but it’s close to my latest version posted. As we get closer to Portland, I will probably post my final list going in, and I’ll give a tournament summary after the tourney as well.
I have an entire day set aside for testing this weekend, so I’ll probably post another discussion if I find something new.
As for the idea of power plant and Marshadow, I agree that Marshadow is a very good card in basically all matchups, but power plant seems a little less benificial than dimension valley. If it were a less reliant on abilities, and use stuff like Buzzmosa, it would be better, but due to the sheer amount of abilities that the deck relies on, with its main draw being Pokémon, seems less than ideal. I can see it harming the other decks, but the main support Pokémon ( Magearna and comfey) are hurt a ton, because they only have effect on your opponents turn. It also seems quite niche, and somewhat clunky to get out. I will try it though, these are just my first impressions. I won’t know until I try
If there was anything I missed, feel free to tell me, or if you have other strategies, that’s really helpful.
All these things led me to these changes
1. You need to play at least 2 stealthy hood, although I recommend 3. These are needed due to the amount of muk in the meta, and with people playing stuff like Faba. These need to be found whenever you need it.
2. I think Noivern GX is also essential for generally the bad matchups. Item lock is very good, and for certain matchups, I end up returning to it, just because it hurts every deck, not just item heavy deck. This is the case for Greninja and trev. It’s your go-too attack when you can’t figure out what to do. It’s also good for the second attack in matchups like Zoroark.
3. Pokemon Ranger/channeler hurts a lot, my main start against this is to just try and use attack like on Mewtwo EX and outragers, but they usually only play one, and you have to hope they don’t get it, or can’t afford to use it.
I also have some matchup tips
Archie’s: this is one of the harder matchups, as it has multiple attackers, both evolved and basic. I recommend using Keldeo, I don’t think stealthy hood allows them to go through it. They also will probably have a keldeo too, but it’s likely you will have a better piercing attack, or you can use baby mew. They can also attack with blastoise, but not sure they Want to do that. Jolteon is good until they get Greninja, but otherwise not great. Buzzmosa is a great attacker other than Keldeo, as it does weakness damage for the attackers they will often use.
Dark Box: this is probably a pretty good matchup, and Keldeo/Jolteon are both good here. They do usually play ranger for jolteon, and will often use Baby mew to get around Keldeo. If you can get around this, you should be good.
Trevanent: Harder than I thought, you absolutely need to get stealthy hood down on a Magearna ASAP, and guzma around when they item lock+Faba you. This also where Noivern Item lock comes in handy as well, so you most likely will need a stealthy hood on the Mewtwo mew. Even with this, they can spread damage and eventually kill you, so utilizing either Mewthree’s GX attack or Tapu lele GX is important as well. It becomes a lot easier if you can heal. Also donking this deck is also very possible.
Shock lock: Comfey is quite good in this, again they need muk, and with all of their parts, it can be clunky. You also have 3 stealthy hood to get around it, and the deck is not super reliant on supporters, so supporter lock is not a big deal. I’d also recommend item locking them with Noivern.
Mewthree: A pretty interesting matchup, as they will often have piercing attacks to go through any defence, although there is an interaction with Magearna EX that might stop piercing attacks, but I’m not sure about it. I will get back to it later. Also essential to put down your Jirachi GX first, as they won’t expect Ninja boy, and can pull of a surprise knockout by getting it of your bench. Also if you can lock them, Latios GX completely shuts them down, just make sure to have 4 Pokémon in play to make sure it can attack.
Pikarom/Reshizard: Both these matchups are in your favour, but I don’t expect to see them that much, reshizard is basically invalid due to Archie’s. Pikarom is alright, and does play ranger I believe, but you have Keldeo, and they don’t really play many non-GX attackers that are valid.
ZoroGarb: This is a decent matchup, again the 3 stealthy hood come in handy. Ideal attackers are Glaceon Ex to stop damage. They don’t play muk, so this is pretty good for you.
Zororats: this is a bit harder, due to Alolan Muk, but again with stealthy hood. That really helps out. Magearna is a must in this matchup to stop Ratticate from bringing you to 10hp and comfey to stop them from poisoning you. Glaceon again is a good attacker. They do play Faba, but they can take one knockout before you stop them again. If you can get Noivern’s Second attack fast, that also almost auto wins the game because they only play special energy. As long as you don’t missplay, it should be in you favour as well
ZoroToad: A really hard matchup, as they item lock you as well as ability lock with Muk, plus hypnotoxic laser. Stealthy hood is very important in this as well, and makes me want to play a ranger as well, for these decks. You can also go for Pheromosa or Buzzmosa, as they both hit weakness on toad. The draw on Zoroark allows them to use Faba constantly as well, so it’s quite hard. Keep in mind that all these Zoroark decks can be donked, so that’s at least a win condition.
SableGarb: this is very hard, but try and Item lock with Noivern, as it can slow them down, if they set up, it’s near impossible for any deck to win, much less this one. I think this is an annoying matchup, but possible to win with a good start.
Night March: An ok deck that probably isn’t played much, and they play ranger, but with Buzzmosa spread and GX attack, as well as Item lock, it shouldn’t really be a problem.
Overall, the Ninja box deck is complex, but has at least one thing to deal with most matchups. In general ranger is a big problem, as well as Muk, hence the three stealthy hood. I’m thinking on taking out a few auxiliary attackers for more consistency/ better straight up attackers instead. Another grass attacker can be good too. Noivern is great, but the meta is so diverse that you can’t really conter everything. Other matchups I couldn’t think of at the moment usually won’t be to big of a deal, or I forgot to mention them. I’m also looking for a good special energy accelerator, preferably from the discard, but I haven’t looked into it very much.
I don’t have a concrete list right now, but it’s close to my latest version posted. As we get closer to Portland, I will probably post my final list going in, and I’ll give a tournament summary after the tourney as well.
I have an entire day set aside for testing this weekend, so I’ll probably post another discussion if I find something new.
As for the idea of power plant and Marshadow, I agree that Marshadow is a very good card in basically all matchups, but power plant seems a little less benificial than dimension valley. If it were a less reliant on abilities, and use stuff like Buzzmosa, it would be better, but due to the sheer amount of abilities that the deck relies on, with its main draw being Pokémon, seems less than ideal. I can see it harming the other decks, but the main support Pokémon ( Magearna and comfey) are hurt a ton, because they only have effect on your opponents turn. It also seems quite niche, and somewhat clunky to get out. I will try it though, these are just my first impressions. I won’t know until I try
If there was anything I missed, feel free to tell me, or if you have other strategies, that’s really helpful.
Last edited:
Since there is a lot of Ultra Necrozma ADP decks in expanded right now, the way to go about it from all my latest testing is that playing 3xChaotic Swell and Guzma&Hala. It fits well with the Ninja Box and gives good results.