Standard Take This Seriously, Please: Guzzlord GX (CLOSED)

[Lord Goomy]

BEFORE YOU HIT THE BACK BUTTON
I know I’ve done this before, and it’s a meme, and it “won’t be good” (you think), but hear me out.
Guzzlord is a beast. If you take into account the fact that it has 210 HP on a basic, can do 180 like THAT, gets set up turn 2 always, and can take up to 5 Prizes on one KO as of February 1st, 2019 (Team Up’s release date), you can see we have quite a monster on our hands.
The following list needs some work. Careful work. No idea is a bad one. The deck can be made from bad to okay to good to meta-defining (probably not) in just a few cards. The problem is, I need to balance the consistency of all the cards in this deck. So, please take this thoughtfully: Guzzlord GX.

Pokémon: 4
4 Guzzlord GX

Trainers:
4 Pokémon Fan Club
4 Wishful Baton
4 Beast Ring
3 Olivia

Energy: 49
49 Dark Energy

The cards:
Pokémon Fan Club provides us our most consistent search option available. If you have it in hand and slap it down, that’s an immediate 3 Guzzlord, which may or may not be enough for the game. 4 provides enough consistency to make the chances of pulling a PFC passable, while not interfering with the consistency of Eat Sloppily. Olivia does the same thing, but more of them.
Wishful Baton and Beast Ring power up otherwise useless Guzzlords in a pinch so that I can continue the game without wasting a turn to Eat Sloppily.

The problems:
Gardevoir is back on the scene. With all the energy on Guzzlord, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to OHKO me with just a single energy, and Guzzlord cannot OHKO Gardevoir. Dark times. If Gardevoir gets set up on turn 2 and takes that OHKO, there is literally no way I can recover. Under even the best circumstances, I end up PFCing for two more Guzzlord (being the final Guzzlord in the deck) and Eating Sloppily, opening up myself for attack, and I do that twice. Even if I put up another Guzzlord as a meatsheild, they’re isn’t any possible way I can power up another Guzzlord in that time span. This seems like a good reason to put up the cards, but here we are.
Fighting weakness, always a problem. Weakness policy is a viable counter, but is there any way to actually use it?

Any idea is a viable one. All advice will be taken into consideration. Anything helps.

 

[Alex Sableye]

BEFORE YOU HIT THE BACK BUTTON
I know I’ve done this before, and it’s a meme, and it “won’t be good” (you think), but hear me out.
Guzzlord is a beast. If you take into account the fact that it has 210 HP on a basic, can do 180 like THAT, gets set up turn 2 always, and can take up to 5 Prizes on one KO as of February 1st, 2019 (Team Up’s release date), you can see we have quite a monster on our hands.
The following list needs some work. Careful work. No idea is a bad one. The deck can be made from bad to okay to good to meta-defining (probably not) in just a few cards. The problem is, I need to balance the consistency of all the cards in this deck. So, please take this thoughtfully: Guzzlord GX.

Pokémon: 4
4 Guzzlord GX

Trainers: 7
4 Pokémon Fan Club
3 Choice Band

Energy: 49
49 Dark Energy

The cards:
Pokémon Fan Club provides us our most consistent search option available. If you have it in hand and slap it down, that’s an immediate 3 Guzzlord, which may or may not be enough for the game. 4 provides enough consistency to make the chances of pulling a PFC passable, while not interfering with the consistency of Eat Sloppily.
Choice Band enables the OHKO against Zoroark, Buzzwole, Lycanroc, Ultra Necrozma, and the ever-important Alolan Ninetales, giving this deck the little edge it needs to do battle with these decks.

The problems:
Gardevoir is back on the scene. With all the energy on Guzzlord, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to OHKO me with just a single energy, and Guzzlord cannot OHKO Gardevoir. Dark times. If Gardevoir gets set up on turn 2 and takes that OHKO, there is literally no way I can recover. Under even the best circumstances, I end up PFCing for two more Guzzlord (being the final Guzzlord in the deck) and Eating Sloppily, opening up myself for attack, and I do that twice. Even if I put up another Guzzlord as a meatsheild, they’re isn’t any possible way I can power up another Guzzlord in that time span. This seems like a good reason to put up the cards, but here we are.
Fighting weakness, always a problem. Weakness policy is a viable counter, but is there any way to actually use it?

Any idea is a viable one. All advice will be taken into consideration. Anything helps.

I don't think you can really do anything else with this that would change much. Anything that Guzzlord can't OHKO it will usually lose to. 210 may be a lot for a basic, but the fact is that people are used to hitting that number now, and if you can't OHKO you'll lose the game purely because you can't knock everything out fast enough.

 

[Knight_of_Ni]

I really want to try this deck for fun. In theory, I feel that it has potential, but in practice, I think it is so impractical and awkward that I would be worried about not being able to get a second guzzlord in play before my opponent KOs the first one. Have you considered playing apricorn maker/nest ball/pokemon fan club? If you have 4 of each + the 4 guzzlord and 3 choice band, that gives you 41 dark energy. I haven't tested this deck yet, but I think that at the end of the day it is still a meme.

 

[Jack Saunders]

Just wondering, once the First Guzzlord is knocked out, how you cycle energy? Because it just seems if they can get the first KO, the next few will be really easy for your opponent, as you would have to take a turn to eat sloppily. I would play some wishful batons, and less choice bands, because it is only good on the first one. If you can’t get a return KO, this deck will struggle. If you are set on playing it, play 4 Guzma, so you can take KO’s with GX attack on thier low HP bench. It can also buy you a turn to eat sloppily. If you are going to play any other cards make sure to play 4 of everything, because discarding them with eat sloppily feels bad when you have only a few in deck.

 

[ForeverRanger91]

You need to run Wishful Baton here.

 

[Lord Goomy]

I really want to try this deck for fun. In theory, I feel that it has potential, but in practice, I think it is so impractical and awkward that I would be worried about not being able to get a second guzzlord in play before my opponent KOs the first one. Have you considered playing apricorn maker/nest ball/pokemon fan club? If you have 4 of each + the 4 guzzlord and 3 choice band, that gives you 41 dark energy. I haven't tested this deck yet, but I think that at the end of the day it is still a meme.

Nothing about memes says they can’t be good. I understand your theory/practice statement fully. Also, I didn’t think of THAT, but I might want to tech in some Olivia. (Search out 2 GXs from the deck.)

Just wondering, once the First Guzzlord is knocked out, how you cycle energy? Because it just seems if they can get the first KO, the next few will be really easy for your opponent, as you would have to take a turn to eat sloppily. I would play some wishful batons, and less choice bands, because it is only good on the first one. If you can’t get a return KO, this deck will struggle. If you are set on playing it, play 4 Guzma, so you can take KO’s with GX attack on thier low HP bench. It can also buy you a turn to eat sloppily. If you are going to play any other cards make sure to play 4 of everything, because discarding them with eat sloppily feels bad when you have only a few in deck.

That’s... a good question. I didn’t actually think of that. Guzma is a good counter to the time, considering if my opponent isn’t prepared/doesn’t have Guzma I can just pull up something bulky and Eat Sloppily.

You need to run Wishful Baton here.

I supppse I do.

So, what do we think:
+2 Olivia
+4 Wishful Baton
+4 Guzma

-3 Choice Band
-7 Dark energy

Putting me at a 3:7 Card/Energy ratio. Does that seem okay?

 

[ForeverRanger91]

Looks good from here. Wish we would get a Dragon type of this card. Gardy KO's it anyway but it would allow you to KO it right back.

 

[_PokeMaster_]

49 energy = 49 turns (jk)

You need to run Wishful Baton here.

SURE, you can use wishful baton, but it’s not going to help as much as if you would be making a Guzzlord Expanded deck. Wishful baton can only move 3 energy, so if you have (for example) 30 energy attached to Guzzlord, then you will be in trouble because it would be really hard to get them BACK.

 

[Zamuron]

Now this deck seems fine and all, but I'm not really seeing much of a theme here. So I think we should include some stuff to spice it up!
Firstly you can't just rely on guzzlord, so some other attackers are needed. How about ultra beasts!? Then we kill to birds with one stone. We get a theme, and more attackers. I think we should take the popular ones, so how about baby buzzwole and blacephalon? Of course, they don't attack for dark energy, so well run the new typhlosion. That way, you stack Energy on guzzlord, and lost zone them with mind blown. In case of baby buzz, we'll need rainbow energy. But that's not part of the theme, so we'll play counter energy. Then we have a sub theme.(that being prizes). Of course we'll need beast ring too, it's just good, oh and also ultra space. Then of course beast Ball, but not ultra Ball, it doesn't fit with the theme.
Let's strengthen the subtheme a little too, by adding cards that interract with prizes, so in goes gladion, and rotom dex.
How about adding dce too, then typhlosion can turn it into 2 fire energies. Let's also add shrine of punishment for buzzwole, give him son love. Also, guzzlord is weak to buzzwole so let's take him out for the single prize version, it'll only give up 1 prizes.

And that's the changes I would make, though you could add girafarig to counter malamar decks and such.

 

[Missilistico]

If you cannot make this work, nobody else can. I will just suggest a couple of things.
First of all, what about Beast Ring? After the first Guzzlord is dead, it will let you power up the Guzzlord on the bench. If the second Guzzlord dies, you Wishfull Baton three energy and the third is ready. But maybe it's too situational.
Second, you didn't consider the fact you can eat sloppily your other Guzzlords. So maybe a Rescue Stretcher is needed.

 

[Lord Goomy]

49 energy = 49 turns (jk)



SURE, you can use wishful baton, but it’s not going to help as much as if you would be making a Guzzlord Expanded deck. Wishful baton can only move 3 energy, so if you have (for example) 30 energy attached to Guzzlord, then you will be in trouble because it would be really hard to get them BACK.

Choice Band is still a loss, but it opens up Glutton GX plays. I don’t plan on making this Expanded yet (yet), so that shouldn’t be a problem for now.

Now this deck seems fine and all, but I'm not really seeing much of a theme here. So I think we should include some stuff to spice it up!
Firstly you can't just rely on guzzlord, so some other attackers are needed. How about ultra beasts!? Then we kill to birds with one stone. We get a theme, and more attackers. I think we should take the popular ones, so how about baby buzzwole and blacephalon? Of course, they don't attack for dark energy, so well run the new typhlosion. That way, you stack Energy on guzzlord, and lost zone them with mind blown. In case of baby buzz, we'll need rainbow energy. But that's not part of the theme, so we'll play counter energy. Then we have a sub theme.(that being prizes). Of course we'll need beast ring too, it's just good, oh and also ultra space. Then of course beast Ball, but not ultra Ball, it doesn't fit with the theme.
Let's strengthen the subtheme a little too, by adding cards that interract with prizes, so in goes gladion, and rotom dex.
How about adding dce too, then typhlosion can turn it into 2 fire energies. Let's also add shrine of punishment for buzzwole, give him son love. Also, guzzlord is weak to buzzwole so let's take him out for the single prize version, it'll only give up 1 prizes.

And that's the changes I would make, though you could add girafarig to counter malamar decks and such.

The theme here is “Guzzlord.”
I’m not gonna go for the Ultra Beasts, but I might add in a Basic metal type attacker that can attack for colorless.
The problem with throwing in all these Pokémon is that Guzzlord will just Eat Sloppily them away.
Now, Ultra Space? There’s an idea! Unfortunately, my Supporters are more effective. We’ll put that in the box for now.

If you cannot make this work, nobody else can. I will just suggest a couple of things.
First of all, what about Beast Ring? After the first Guzzlord is dead, it will let you power up the Guzzlord on the bench. If the second Guzzlord dies, you Wishfull Baton three energy and the third is ready. But maybe it's too situational.
Second, you didn't consider the fact you can eat sloppily your other Guzzlords. So maybe a Rescue Stretcher is needed.

Holy crap I forgot about Beast Ring. That’s so good! Thank you thank you thank you! Rescue Stretcher I tried in an earlier version of Guzzlord, but I ended up either discarding them or not finding them. I didn’t want to play 4, so I played 1-2, and they never got found. Plus, with all the Pokémon search options I have, I shouldn’t have to discard it without already searching it out, and I only need 3 Guzzlord = 6 Prizes.

Alrighty, good haul! How about these:
+4 Beast Ring

-4 Dark Energy

 

[Missilistico]

I'm trying it a bit, and I see that a problem consists in the fact that if you don't get a second Guzzlord turn two, you're fucked. But I like that this deck doesn't need to start first!

 

[Lord Goomy]

I'm trying it a bit, and I see that a problem consists in the fact that if you don't get a second Guzzlord turn two, you're fucked. But I like that this deck doesn't need to start first!

I can see that. This looks like a request for more Olivia. I’ll consider it.
What the heck, I’ll do it.

-1 Dark Energy

+1 Olivia

We’re really breaching the dark energy consistency here, so new additions might have to use space that comes from removing Trainers.

Also, do most decks hit 210 on turn two? That could be a problem.

 

[Dante 21]

There is no way Guzzlord can be a decent deck, especially if that's is it only theme, you had to take this to the heart. Sadly you must also accept the fact that, if you wish to use Guzzlord, you had to take heavy lose against Gardevoir & Fighting decks. Meta change all the time, however in sun & moon era, fighting deck will be around until the end, after all, in Team Up we will get Jolteon GX, Tag Team Pikachu/Zekrom GX & Tag Team Greninja/Zoroark GX (Next release).

Anyway, as for my ideas. Maybe you can combo with Spiritomb to send Guzzlord to the discard pile, and Nanu will send Incineroar GX (Team Up) with 3 Darkness Energies from its ability, and all that left is to attach DCE.

If you are bold, maybe Electrode-GX to knock itself out but get 5 darkness energies from the discard pile to your non-GX that will be replace by Nanu, and you can go even further with Alolan Ninetales-GX LOT to get 2 Beast Rings to your 2nd Guzzlord GX, since your opponent prices are now 4 due to Electrode-GX.

Heck, if you go with Incineroar-GX & stage 2 deck, might I suggest 1 Super Boost Energy on baby Guzzlord.

If you are worry about OHK on Guzzlord, why not use Muscle Pad & Black Market Prism Star, that way you can used Eat Sloppily (Maybe even Stakataka & Lusamine Prism Star). As for damage, no option but to add Professor Kukui & Devoured Field for a total 210dmg with Tyrannical Hole, unless you are willing to use Choice Band instead of Muscle Pad or Wishful Baton.

For Glutton GX, you naturally had to spread damage, another theme you must have. Good cards such as Tapu Koko, Weavile BUS, Mandibuzz (Team Up) & Latios can help, but I'm thinking 0 energy attacker such as Alolan Persian LOT, Alolan Dugtrio LOT & Alolan Ratticate-GX. Or Incineroar GX will inflict 130dmg, and then Nanu it (After another Scar Charge) for Guzz's Glutton for a total 230dmg. If this hit Tag Team GX with Choice Band or Devoured Field or Kukui, for a 5-2 price trade off, is so worth it.

Lastly, this is not quite directly at Guzzlord but, 1 Alolan Muk to remove Hoopa wall deck, or else its instant game over.

If you do find decent success with your Guzzlord, (Preferable at least 40 test matches, my minimum standard), please share with the community your brilliant deck.

 

[Lord Goomy]

There is no way Guzzlord can be a decent deck, especially if that's is it only theme, you had to take this to the heart. Sadly you must also accept the fact that, if you wish to use Guzzlord, you had to take heavy lose against Gardevoir & Fighting decks. Meta change all the time, however in sun & moon era, fighting deck will be around until the end, after all, in Team Up we will get Jolteon GX, Tag Team Pikachu/Zekrom GX & Tag Team Greninja/Zoroark GX (Next release).

Anyway, as for my ideas. Maybe you can combo with Spiritomb to send Guzzlord to the discard pile, and Nanu will send Incineroar GX (Team Up) with 3 Darkness Energies, and all that left is to attach DCE.

If you are bold, maybe Electrode-GX to knock itself out but get 5 darkness energies from the discard pile to your non-GX that will be replace by Nanu, and you can go even further with Alolan Ninetales-GX LOT to get 2 Beast Rings to your 2nd Guzzlord GX, since your opponent prices are now 4 due to Electrode-GX.

Heck, if you go with Incineroar-GX & stage 2 deck, might I suggest 1 Super Boost Energy on baby Guzzlord.

If you are worry about OHK on Guzzlord, why not use Muscle Pad & Black Market Prism Star, that way you can used Eat Sloppily (Maybe even Stakataka & Lusamine Prism Star). As for damage, no option but to add Professor Kukui & Devoured Field for a total 210dmg with Tyrannical Hole, unless you are willing to use Choice Band instead of Muscle Pad or Wishful Baton.

For Glutton GX, you naturally had to spread damage, another theme you must have. Good cards such as Tapu Koko, Weavile BUS, Mandibuzz (Team Up) & Latios can help, but I'm thinking 0 energy attacker such as Alolan Persian LOT, Alolan Dugtrio LOT & Alolan Ratticate-GX.

Lastly, this is not quite directly at Guzzlord but, 1 Alolan Muk to remove Hoopa wall deck, or else its instant game over.

If you do find decent success with your Guzzlord, (Preferable at least 40 test matches, my minimum standard), please share with the community your brilliant deck.

Alright, I have an idea for the Gardy matchup. Heatran CST and Rainbow Energy. If it gets set up in time, it works.

Electrode is a Stage 1, so I probably won’t be able to end up with it out. Good try, though.

As for those future recommendations with Black Market and Muscle Pad, those are good, but there is no way my opponent will have 3 prizes so I can use Lusamine <>.

I just Glutton when I can.

I don’t see Hoopa as a problem right now, but if it comes up, I’ll tech in a Baby Guzzlord.

 

[OppositeAttract]

Haven't thought much about Guzzlord, but I guess it could be worth trying as a tech when I test Incineroar/Tales GX since beast rings are accessible whenever.

 

[lukas2aces]

I like the idea of Guzzlord, but I still think it's better as a tech with Nanu, the new supporter. For a surprise extra 2 prize cards.

But I love the fact that you are trying to make it work! I once tried to make baby Alolan Ninetales / Greninja work, even played it at a League cup. Sometimes you just have to try something different, even if other people say 'it will never work' etc.

 

[TJKamper]

This is probably a horrible idea. But Azumarill from lost thunder looks at the top 8 cards of your deck and you can attached any energy you find there to your pokemon. Unfortunately the attack costs a fairy energy. If it was colorless it could work. Unfortunately youd need to add rainbow energies to make this work.

 

[K-Genesis]

I'm not sure you're treading the right path with this, especially regarding Supporters. Without many active plays after turn 2, you're putting yourself in a dead end situation way more often than it seems practical.

To improve consistency after turn 2, you need some search or draw power. Volkner for Beast Rings or a benched Oranguru would do wonders here (Orang would also solve the Hoopa dilemma). For that, I'd drop the PFC/Olivia count a little and add 4x Nest Ball, maybe a couple of Cynthia/Guzma to shake things up mid-game.

Some Wish Tablets also seem imperative, even if unreliable, since you need to find those Beast Rings and Wishful Baton. Any Tablet that hits heads puts you a step closer to consistency. Any tails leave you at the same spot.

Finally, why no DCE? Assuming you go second, Eat Sloppily T1, attach (D) to a benched Guzz T2, attach DCE into Beast Ring T3 and you have a second attacker ready. With a Wishful Baton on your second attacker, your third one only needs a second DCE to keep going. Sounds like a nice script to follow through.

 

[Lord Goomy]

Lord, any improvement achieved?

No. And now I don’t have any active leagues around, so my depiction of the format is Gardevoir > everything else. I was also having consistency problems, and everything just wasn’t working out. I busted it and started another absurd Ultra Beast deck: Xurkitree GX. It’s going much better and my satsifaction with myself has much improved.
In the end, it was good in theory, but bad in practice.
I will now LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES (hopefully) and remember that theory does not always equal results.

And that, my friends, closes the case.