With the release of Triumphant, we’ve seen many old decks receive huge boosts: Gyarados, Machamp, Uxie Donk, and Regigigas all possess more options than ever, as evidenced by their respective articles here on Underground. However, there has so far been only one “new” deck to see any reasonable amount of play: Mew Prime.
Between its extremely versatile Poké-Body, Lost Link, and its handy See Off attack, the potential is there…But in what direction should you take it? In this article, I’ll be discussing the most popular variant of the deck, its matchups, some of the other options out there, and how to combat the metagame with one of the most versatile cards in the field.
In unusual fashion, I won’t be talking about “just” a particular deck archetype, but also the many ways which you can abuse this card – ways that extend beyond the primary deck idea. This hybrid article’s fairly unusual, so instead of calling it anything in particular, just “Call it What you Want.”
The Deck: Mew Prime/Rhyperior LV.X
Mew by itself is not that hard to understand; instead, we have to figure out what goes best with it. Given that goal, let’s first consider the most prolific variant, which would be the combination of Mew Prime and Rhyperior LV.X (a.k.a., “Mewperior”). The strategy is pretty easy to grasp: within the first turn or two of the game, use Mew Prime’s “See Off” attack to search your deck for a Rhyperior LV.X card so that you may ship it to the Lost Zone; then, Lost Link Rhyperior’s “Hard Crush” attack for the vast majority of the game, ideally drawing 6 Prizes in six turns via a constant stream of (usually) 100-250 damage.
In many ways, we can consider this deck the inverse of Uxie Donk: whereas the latter relies on cheap wins attained by the first turn, Mew relies on cheap wins attained by absurdly-efficient damage (zero energy for 250!) until turn seven, which is when you should have won.
The following is a sample decklist of Mewperior. Although using it as-is will provide a strong basis for events and testing alike, I encourage you to mess around with it, and figure out what best suits you and your play style.
Pokémon – 21 4 Mew Prime |
Trainers – 19 4 Pokémon Collector |
Energy – 20 |
*Cards that can be cut easily to fit Dialga and Mewtwo counters: 1 Uxie, 1-3 Judge, 2 Snowpoint Temple, and 1 Bebe’s Search are all candidates to make space
Individual Card/Count Explanations:
4 Mew Prime: The main attacker of the deck, Mew Prime has been maxed out so that you receive a very reasonable shot at starting with it. In addition, maxing out on the little guy makes it easier to draw into mid/late game.
2 Rhyperior LV.X: To access Hard Crush reliably, we run more than one Rhyperior LV.X to counteract the marginal, yet significant risks of prizing it/opening with it in your hand. However, since the odds of opening with two in your hand or in the prizes are extremely low, we don’t run more so that it remains space-efficient.
2 Skitty PL: Although lacking the defensive capability of Skitty Legends Awakened’s first attack, this one is preferred due solely to its higher HP. In this fast-paced format full of absurd donks, we need something capable of surviving for more than a turn…Especially in case you were to start with it against one of the many imposing SP basics. Also, the occasional 20 damage is quite handy.
2 Delcatty PL: Hard Crush is not infinite; it’s prone to wearing out eventually, so you need some way to keep the energy flowing. For this reason, our list runs Delcatty, a card whose Power Circulation Poké-Power is capable of not only keeping you from a potential deck-out, but maintains a much more consistent damage flow, assuring that your output never falls below 100. Without Delcatty, our games become much less predictable, and more up in the air to variance.
4 Smeargle UD: Since the start of SixPrizes Underground, we’ve all been lauding this card as one of the most significant developments since the current format started, and in this deck, it’s arguably as good as it is in SP, if not more so. The fact of the matter is that, even when you max your count of Mew Prime, the odds of starting with it are still atrocious (approximately less than 50%).
Since the first turn is BEYOND crucial with this deck, you need some way to assure that you can get out Mew Prime when going first, and that’s where Smeargle comes in: with Portrait, you’ll often be copying a Pokémon Collector of Bebe’s Search, thus assuring that you can get that See off going. We max this card out on top of the maxed Mews so that our probability of an instant See Off is, well…Maxed.
I’ve seen lists treat this above count as negotiable, but for me, it’s unconditional – if you do not pull off the See Off, then it is very likely that you will lose the game. Smeargle helps you do it, so by all means, run him!
2 Uxie LA: Unlike many other decks that use two Uxie, we typically won’t be needing to actually play both in most games. The advantage to running two, however, is to act as an insurance policy in case the first one gets Power Sprayed. That way, you’ll still have the opportunity to grab vital cards to help establish your mid-game replenishment potential (Rescue Energy and Pokémon Rescue). However, the second Uxie is by far one of the easiest things to cut in case you’re trying to fit something.
1 Mesprit LA: Ahhh, Mesprit. Right now, much of this format hinges on the use of tons of Poké-Powers in a single turn, and for this deck, a way to stop said powers is especially important. In so many ways, you can halt your opponent’s advance by a turn: blocking the potential for Crobat G Flash Bites to put your Mews in range of Psychic Restore KOs, preventing Set Ups, and other crucial powers. This is especially important since, more often than not, the opponent will use Uxie to
1 Unown Q MD: The key to making Smeargle work as an alternate starter in lieu of Mew is Unown Q. By lowering Smeargle’s Retreat Cost to one, the Mew player can safely evacuate Smeargle to the bench after a successful Portrait, and then start the See Off into Rhyperior. Although I’ve heard of people using more than one Unown Q, this is realistically all that you would ever need in a game. Plus, we have Azelf in case it’s prized.
1 Giratina PL #9: Fetchable draw, disruption, and – in the context of Mewperior – energy refresher for your deck all in one, Giratina is superb at all of the above. While its heavy Retreat Cost is a sign for concern, high quantities of other listed cards should help alleviate the issue.
1 Dialga PL #5: This card is rarely seen in any competitive play; however, it’s Poké-Power, Reverse Time, offers loads of potential in several decks. In here, however, it makes a considerable amount of sense, as Reverse Time allows you to put up to three of any Pokémon and/or basic energy onto the top of your deck…I’m sure you know where this is headed. Essentially, this guy is the back up plan to your Delcatty, and is bound to be winning games for it users.
1 Azelf LA: Finally for the Pokémon, we have the one card that holds all of our 1-ofs together. Since you need to keep your options open with this deck, and since, with all of our basics, we are particularly prone to something valuable being prized, Azelf is just right for setting things straight.
4 Pokémon Collector: As I said in my Vilegar article, four Collector is extremely powerful in lists to bolster consistency, even at the expense of a dead-draw or two. It’s no different here; you need a way to grab your tech basics, to grab Mew Primes, and to keep up your momentum.
3 Pokémon Rescue: In lieu of Palmer’s or Flower Shop Lady, Pokémon Rescue is valuable because it directly recovers Mew Prime from your discard pile to the hand. Between these and Rescue Energy, you should be able to crank out Mew Prime at least six times in a game.
As side notes, it may be a good alternate play to run 4 Pokémon Rescue (maximized odds of reviving Mew Prime in case you hit some poor Hard Crush discards), or Palmer’s (double up on mew revival, plus the ability to return energy back to your deck for added Hard Crush damage).
3 Seeker: If you’ve read Tom Hall’s Seeker article, and/or have had some extensive play-testing experience with the card, then you should know by now how good it can be in the right deck. For this list, it’s especially appropriate due to the excess of techs we run.
Many of the strategies elaborated on there come into play here, such as repeated usage of Mesprit and Giratina, but you should also feel free to use the card on Delcatty and Dialga and as well. In combination with Delcatty, you have a legitimate way of healing Power Circulation, and with Dialga, you produce an effect that essentially reads, “I deal 150 guaranteed damage every turn I use this card.”
There’s also a tertiary benefit to running this card: whenever your opponent is stuck Psychic restoring against one of your Mew Primes for a measly 40, playing this card can instantly foil their plans at scoring a KO later on.
For all of the reasons we run the above-listed tech cards, we too run Seeker.
3 Judge: This card was a recent addition to the list, but so far it has worked excellently. Running this on top of Giratina furthers your ability to replenish the deck, but more significantly, it offers you a way to disrupt the hands of SP and Gyarados without being subject to Power Spray or Psychic Bind. For the past half year, Judge has been a game winner against SP variants, and – headed into the State/Provincial/Territorial series – it should be no different.
2 Snowpoint Temple: Even though I’m a mere 22 years old, I have the personality of a bitter old man. And what do bitter old men have?
Things they hate. Lots of them.
And one thing that I, as the bitter old man wanna-be that I am, hate about Mew is its gross vulnerability to Uxie KOs. So what should help alleviate this issue?
Snowpoint Temple, a card that will increase the HP of each of your Mews by 20, thus giving you a bit of a buffer against it. While Expert Belt KOs will remain unavoidable as-is, this at least puts you out of immediate Crobat G/Poké Turn range, thus keeping your Mew going strong for another turn.
2 Bebe’s Search/1 Pokémon Communication/1 Luxury Ball: I run all four of these cards as ways to search out not just our few basics, but Delcatty as well. I’m of the belief that if you don’t run a good count of ways to fetch your otherwise unfetchable cards, then you leave a great deal of your games to chance. So let’s just be sure to have a way to access Delcatty reliably, shall we?
An added bonus to three of these four cards (Bebe’s/Communication) is that they help correct situations where Rhyperior LV.X is stuck in your hand.
4 Rescue Energy: Since you don’t have to worry about having Mew Prime energized for Hard Crush, you’re at luxury to attach any energy you want to it. However, this is the only essential one you’ll need to drop in the course of a game – due to its effect, you can expect a reasonable opportunity to use Mew Prime at least six times in the game.
4 Warp Energy: With all of the various tech energy cards we could include, why 4 Warp Energy? Due to the considerable Retreat Costs of Dialga and Giratina, it certainly helps to evacuate them out of the Active Spot in case you start with them, or they get Bright Looked/Luring Flamed. Furthermore, Warp Energy helps shake off status effects stuck on your Mew, gets around Vilegar’s trainer lock, and can also combo nicely with Smeargle. Consider the following move:
*Your opponent has three-four Pokémon in play. You promote Smeargle with Unown Q attached, and Portrait, only to find a Seeker in your opponent’s hand. With this, you could potentially win the game by retreating for “another” Smeargle, Portraiting Seeker twice in a row, and then Warp Energy to either score the game-winning Hard Crush, or play your own Seeker prior to it.
This is just one of the great possibilities with Warp Energy that extend beyond safety netting against statuses and high Retreat Costs, so be sure to run at least 2-3 in your final list.
12 P Energy: Approximately 9-12 P Energy is the appropriate amount to assure that you’re able to consistently See Off, as well as reliably Reverse Time/Power Circulation with Dialga/Delcatty. Although this list runs 12, you could easily cut this count back three to include Call Energy.
So that’s what a more average Mewperior list should look like. Let’s check out what an alternate interpretation of the deck could be…
The Deck 2.0: No Delcatty? (Bum Rush Mewperior)
You heard it right: no Delcatty in Mewperior is not only possible, but effective. At the moment, I would actually endorse this version for tournament play over the Delcatty version, as evidenced by my favorable matchup testing discussed later.
For now, here’s an idea of how to change things up:
Pokémon – 16 4 Mew Prime |
Trainers – 11 |
Energy – 33 |
*Cards that can be cut easily to fit Dialga and Mewtwo counters: 1 Smeargle, and/or up to three energy cards (excluding Rescue and Psychic).
Essentially, the list becomes more focused, easier to play, and – therefore- easier to get into than the other variant. Like the mainstream Delcatty version, this build allows for tons of flexibility, but at the same time, it becomes harder to get techy without Power Circulation; otherwise, your damage output will become horribly unreliable.
I kept Dialga and Seeker because both cards contribute heavily toward your damage output. All of the newfound space for energy went toward either bolstering the current energy lineups of Psychic and Warp, as well as toward Fighting and M Energy. The purpose behind the Fighting is to actually give you access to Rhyperior LV.X’s second attack, Upthrow – yet another way to not only maintain offensive firepower, but to give you an assured KO on wimpy attackers.
As for the Metal? That’s just an emergency option in case you need to attack with Dialga. It may be a bit of a gimmick, but if you need a surefire KO, or Dialga is simply stuck in the Active Spot with no recourse, then this is a possible move to make.
As a last warning, you might actually discover that my list runs too few energy. If this is the case, then by all means run more!
General Considerations
Mew Prime is highly vulnerable to metagame counters, so fight fire with fire.
Notice something strange about the above lists? Neither include counters to Dialga G LV.X “or” Mewtwo LV.X – easily your two biggest threats. While I only offer suggestions as to what you could cut to fit one, I would say that a counter is required in most metagames; you need to counter the counter (“fight fire with fire”). Since any matchup featuring one of those cards is an auto-loss without some 1-1 or 2-2 alternate attacker, the following discussions will be made under the assumption that you have some way to escape the auto-loss.
Uxie is your most prolific enemy.
While Dialga and Mewtwo are the most damaging, we can safely say that Uxie is the most popular due to its staple status. Just by itself, Psychic Restore will bring you to a near-KO, but with a single PlusPower, Expert Belt, or two Flash Bites, your Mew is instantly KO’d.
There’s not much to counter this other than Judge, Giratina, and Mesprit, but on the plus side, this isn’t nearly as easy to pull off repeatedly as they would like.
Hand disruption is your friend in nearly every matchup.
I’ll begin to sound like a broken record in the “matchups” section by the fourth or fifth analysis, but I can’t emphasize enough how good Giratina is in getting you back into low-momentum games. If your ideal win by turn seven is disrupted, or if your opponent will inevitably win in less time.
Matchups (Main)
Luxchomp (slightly unfavorable)
Without a doubt, Mesprit will be your MVP in this matchup: it shuts off Flash Bites (more heavily abused for great effect in here than in any other SP list), shuts off Bright Look, and sets Uxie at bay. Furthermore, since Uxie is the number one Mew killer, and since many lists are still stuck on a 2-1 Uxie spread, you’ll starve the Luxchomp player from at least one of their early advantages.
Originally, I had this matchup down as “even”; however, with the very real success of Junk Arm Luxchomp over the past few weeks of City Championships, as well as the occasional Mesprit/Seeker build, opponents ought to be able to pull off easier KOs on Mew than ever before.
As a final warning, consider the very real possibility that you could go up against a variant running Dialga G LV.X or Mewtwo LV.X – our aforementioned auto-loss techs. This is what may ultimately justify the counter, so stay flexible. All in all, though, while this may be a slightly challenging match, don’t let that deter you from playing Mewperior.
Dialgachomp (so unfavorable you’ll want to kick a puppy)
I’m not kidding: even with a counter, Time Crystal will make this matchup disgustingly tough. To avoid threats such as Octillery PL or Drifblim UD, the Dialga player will likely Warp Energy his or her Dialga G LV.X back to the bench, and then proceed to play the rest of the game with Regular Dialga G, Garchomp C LV.X, and Skuntank poison if applicable.
Don’t give up, though: with a splash attacker, you could potentially play the whole game without Mews. Via Rescue Energy and Pokémon Rescue, even something seemingly insignificant like a 1-1 Octillery could help you charge through for a win.
As a side note, it’s still useful to See Off: since you may eventually see a break in Dialga G LV.X, you need to be ready to score a Mew KO.
Sablelock/other SP variants (varies upon variant)
For most of the matchups, it’s easier to discuss Mewperior’s two main variants as a conglomeration, but for Sablelock, we have to split things up a bit…
For the Delcatty version, you’ll find this a generally unfavorable matchup; Cyrus’s Initiative, Judge, and Power Spray are all going to cause you a terrible amount of grief in setting up. While you can certainly keep yourself in the game (specially with clever hand disruption plays and Snowpoint), you’ll be the underdog by a shade.
On the other hand, Bum Rush Mewperior’s lack of reliance on Poké-Powers gives it a distinct advantage against these SP variants. In its absolute purest form (4 Mew, 2 Rhyperior, 54 energy), Mewperior requires almost no setup at all, and when you don’t require setup, Sableye’s greatest edge against you is lost. With no need to setup a Delcatty, and a much higher raw energy total, you won’t find yourself off guard, even if the Sablelock player’s hand is stellar.
Tips for SP as a whole:
*Take advantage of the fact that more and more lists are turning away from 4 Energy Gain. Without maxed energy gain, it’s harder to immediately respond to your KOs, so aggressively pushing them to play Energy Gain is useful in maintaining total control.
*Aggressively assert your hand disruption in this matchup if you play multiples, and it’s generally a good insurance policy to drop a Giratina/Judge after 3-4 Cyrus’s have been played.
Machamp (favorable)
pokemon-paradijs.comAlthough See Off will cause you to fall behind by a prize early on, you should be able to quickly catch up. Machamp’s +30 weakness is a major pain for them, making it extremely easy to plow through. Add on your Mesprit, Giratina, and Judges, and establishing anything becomes very difficult for them.
As in all lists, Uxie remains a threat to your Mew Primes, but not enough of one to turn around a deck that’s incapable of easy KOs not named “Take Out.” Machamp Prime and the Level X are more or less dead-draws against a Mew deck, so unless your opponent is running four of the Stormfront guy and nothing else, you’ll be fine.
Gyarados (even)
The fortunate thing about this matchup is that, thanks to Gyarados’s general inability to get out and attacking by turn one, you won’t be pushed into a corner too early. This gives you some time to actually pull off the See Off setup reasonably, and play your game stably. Another advantageous thing about Gyarados is that Regice pushes your Mew out of the Active Spot, giving you more breathing room in case you haven’t hit Rescue Energy or Pokémon Rescue yet.
If the list does not run Mesprit, then the two variants won’t play much differently, but if they do run it, then expect Delcatty to have a much harder game. Expect both versions to be roughed up a bit in case they get out the 1-1 Dialga G LV.X tech if played, but it’s (fortunately) very difficult to crank out.
There are a lot of things that can go for either party’s way in this game, so just follow the game plan. to the best of your ability.
Vilegar (favorable)
It’s not an inconsistency to switch up the matchup status between Vilegar VIP and this article: my previous discussion of Vilegar’s matchup against Mew prime assumed usage of my list, which in turn assumed usage of Haunter Stormfront, which has the ability to 1-shot Mew Prime. Since the vast majority of lists in the metagame run Triumphant Haunter, you actually gain a new lease on life for this matchup.
Anyway, you’re bound to get the first jump on prizes in most games, and you may even maintain the lead throughout. Due to the low T/S/S count of the deck, you can starve your opponents of Poltergeist damage, so more often than not they’ll be forced to Shadow Room for KOs.
Fainting Spell will be difficult, if not impossible to play around in some instances, so don’t be afraid to charge into them. Control what you can, though: don’t leave a bench full of vulnerable Poké-Power guys if you can! Lastly, abuse your many hand disruption options when appropriate; they can’t hold out for forever.
Matchups (Other)
Regigigas (favorable)
Regigigas has a number of issues against Mew, including its vulnerability to the 1HKOs, the near-mandatory prize it gives up, and the general uselessness of Drag Off against a Mew Prime deck. The game isn’t over, though: they’ve got just as much hand disruption as you do, more power lock, and the ability to search out ways to score easy, Uxie-induced KOs.
All in all, however, our match here is safe. Once again, you may find it easier to play using the Delcatty-less variant.
Magnezone (favorable)
This matchup is very similar to Vilegar, only more manageable: you compete against the same general setup, but don’t have to compete with Fainting Spells, permanent trainer lock, or stage 1 Pokémon capable of 1HKOing you for one basic energy. However, it’s not without its hurdles, such as the occasional psychic-resistant Magneton, or the always psychic-resistant Magnezone LV.X which will most likely not go down in one hit.
To make up for this, it may help to Psychic Bind prior to your first hit, which ought to prevent a Blissey Prime from soaking up the entirety of the attack.
Uxie/Shuppet/Dunsparce donks (very unfavorable)
Unless you’re blessed with some very unusual fortune, you will not win these matchups. Shuppet by itself spells an instant KO against every non-Snowpointed Mew, but Uxie, your most prolific threat, is blessed by a maxed-out PlusPower count, a decent number of Expert Belts, Poké-Blower+, and Seeker. Worst of all, ALL of these are not countered by Psychic Bind, so the opponent should (understandably) ream through your setup in no time.
Deck thin makes hand disruption harder to pull off, but it and Mesprit may happen to be your only shots against an otherwise inevitable loss.
Tyranitar (favorable): Tyranitar is an extremely powerful, yet underrated attacker who could be making a splash soon as players struggle to find a new metagame answer; however, this splash won’t be felt against Mew, who ought to be getting up at least 2 Prizes against a Tyranitar deck early on. Unlike many of the above-listed, this deck usually does not use any hand or power disruption, so yours will give the opponent a fair amount of trouble.
Granted, things could get dicey if Tyranitar sticks for too long, or if you get unlucky with your Hard Crush discards on even one turn, but the early edge will shield you from the inevitability of a Tyranitar setup.
The Card Beyond Rhyperior: Tech Options, Alternate Decks, and More
While Mewperior is a fun, interesting deck, it is far from the only thing you can do with Mew Prime: in a modified format that includes all sets released over the past two and a half years, you’re bound to find some good options. Also, the sad truth is that we won’t have Mewperior for long: unless Play! Pokémon decides to not rotate out any sets, or to actually reprint Rhyperior LV.X (fat chance), it is almost certain that it will rotate out.
For these reasons, it’s important to consider what else we can do with the card. Here are just some of the many possibilities with Mew Prime (not withstanding all of the things that still work with Mewperior):
(“*” denotes potential Mewtwo/Dialga counters for Mewperior. As a general hint for the evolutions, it might be worth the effort to fit a couple Broken Time-Space in.)
Garchomp LV.X (MD): This is a fairly convoluted combo, but the gist is that you See Off the Garchomp LV.X, find some way to discard a significant evolution, and then use Restore to bring it into play. Obviously this is more effective with some cards over others (high HP guys such as Gyarados and Machamp come to mind), but it actually gives you a roundabout way of beating Dialga…Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for Mewperior due to the no-LV.X clause.
Mesprit LV.X (LA): By Seeing Off a Mesprit LV.X, you could potentially revive the “AMU” concept through a much speedier Supreme Blast. One of the things that made this deck difficult to play was its challenging setup; you would often find it cumbersome to get out three different LV.X Pokémon all at once. However, this circumvents the need to play one of them, cutting down your setup time by a third.
*A full Rhyperior LV.X line: normally something like a 1-1-1-2 line in a deck would understandably make most players gasp, vomit, or shake their heads in shame, but given the vulnerabilities of this deck, it makes sense. A hard evolution into Rhyperior shakes off Psybarrier and Time Crystal, and may even make Uxie donk a bearable match.
Gyarados (SF): Another alternate deck concept, this is basically a Gyarados rehash where you give yourself an additional 30 damage in exchange for a turn of See Off. While it certainly is promising, Mew/Gyarados may prove to be an impractical play due to continued Time Crystal vulnerability, as well as potential inferiority to just a regular old Gyarados list.
Empoleon (PL): This is a strange one, but I’ve found it to be promising. What we’re basically doing here is hand disruption: See Off the Empoleon, followed by a turn two Knock Off without the need for any evolving. Tied together with the usual hand disruption cards, Cyrus’s Initiative, and Chatot G, you may find that this serves as yet another effective hand lock construct.
*Octillery (PL): In discussion with one of our site subscribers, I discovered this card to be pretty useful in challenging both Dialga and Mewtwo. Although its Wat Vein attack is flippy, it can cover your ground well, and give you what may be your only real fighting chance against smart utilization of Time Crystal.
*Arceus AR 4 (AR): Although this might force you to reconfigure your energy significantly, this Arceus’s Fastwave is a direct way to sneak past Mewtwo LV.X.
Jumpluff (HS): Last format and this one, Jumpluff’s goal was nearly identical to Mew’s in that it too was/is a glass cannon meant to grab a prize a turn. Because the goals are identical, See Off into a Jumpluff is very similar to Rhyperior in that it engineers a KO rush. While Mew is even more brittle than Jumpluff, it’s easier to get into play, as well as to recycle.
*Magmortar (UL): Don’t get me wrong – Magmortar’s Hard Crush is far weaker than Rhyperior LV.X’s; still, it smashes in Mewtwos and Dialgas when setup manually, and could be your Rhyperior LV.X replacement come rotation. The main downside to it serving as a counter for this format is its expensiveness.
*Drifblim (UD): Like Arceus, this card is mainly here for the purpose of Mewtwo countering. Balloon Tackle is sufficient to 1HKO Mewtwo LV.X, and even if they have a Bubble Coat or Expert Belt attached, you can still just Take Away to remove its threat. (And maybe if you’re lucky, you might Take Away a Dialga G LV.X!)
If you run this card, then you might want to play some Double Colorless Energy cards, which would work well not only with this guy, but your Delcatty too.
Gengar Prime (TM): The final See Off play I’ve included is arguably one of the best ways to access the other, less commonly abused end of Lost Link’s potential. If you See Off into Gengar Prime, and follow it up with a well-timed Hurl into Darkness, you could see a whole other set of attacks available to you – Garchomp C LV.X’s Dragon Rush, Abomasnow’s Snow Play, and every other possibility in the format suddenly comes to your disposal. Hurl into Darkness also has the less common, yet still useful effect of “countering” Dialga G LV.X if it ends up in the hand.
As a side note, keep Mew with Gengar in mind for February: if we see a Lost World release, then they could prove to be a superb combo in reaching the Stadium’s win condition earlier. For now, though, this may be its only use.
Absol Prime (TM): If you’re running Absol Prime, then you’re running a very different deck, but it’s still Mew at its core. Eye of Disaster puts your opponent’s attackers closer in range for knockouts, while Vicious Claw lets you kill two birds with one stone: you stock up on fuel for Mew’s Lost Link, yet actually deal damage at the same time – something See Off certainly can’t attest to.
Although I don’t think I’d recommend it with Gyarados, this sort of variant with Jumpluff and Machamp has a lot going for it. Give it a shot!
Expert Belt: Since the Round Table Review, I’ve changed my mind on Expert Belt with this: it’s just not that good, and usually not worth the space. Still, I suppose you could play it as extra late-game buffer for Mew’s HP, as well as to help out some alternate attacker, such as a manually-evolved/leveled-up Rhyperior LV.X, or Octillery.
What are Mewperior’s Expectations for Success?
pokemon-paradijs.comAs always, deck choice is dependent on metagame: if you’re stuck going up against hordes of Dialga G LV.X, Mewtwo, and Uxie Donk, then steer clear of this deck; however, if your field is full of decks that don’t capitalize so much on the natural vulnerabilities of Mew, such as non-Dialga SP, Vilegar, Machamp, and Gyarados, then this could be a good choice.
However, 2009 World Champion Stephen Silvestro, who has used this deck in tournament play before, claims that it is “NOT a top tier deck,” but instead just a fun deck with a lot of options. At the moment, I’m inclined to agree: its natural weaknesses are significant, and its responses to those are unreliable at best.
Nevertheless, it has won tournaments before, and is a very reasonable option for your last two weekends of City Championships. Plus, it’s a threat, and the best way to combat your threats is to know how they tick.
Regardless of what Mewperior can do (or any of these other variants for that matter), keep your eyes peeled: with every new set, each additional See Off option could be a format-breaker. Like Mew ex, a core component found in two Worlds-winning decklists, Mew Prime is a varied attacker, supporter, and this era’s jack-of-all-trades. The verdict isn’t out on what this thing can do, but the potential, the entertainment, and the viability are definitely there.
…and that will conclude this Unlocked Underground article.
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