This Deck’s Got Legs

Hey everyone! Welcome to my most recent article for SixPrizes. Over this past month, players from around the world competed for a spot in the second phase of the Players Cup II. Thousands participated, but only the Top 256 (or 128) from each of the four regions qualified. Today, I am going to be going over my Players Cup II run and my personal top choices for bracket play this weekend.

What I Played for the Qualifier Period

Going into the best-of-one format for the qualifier period, I knew the consistency was key. There was little error room to be throwing Keys away by playing inconsistent decks, so I took things more seriously than I initially thought I would need to. After testing most decks in the format, I felt that ADPZ and LMZ had the overall best matchup spreads. I enjoyed both decks and felt like I controlled my own destiny in most games I played with them. I finished with 110 Rep, which, at the time of writing this article, put me at 60th in North America. I think both ADPZ and LMZ make for solid choices for Phase 2 this weekend.

ADPZ

Key Cards

4 Zacian V

Zacian V became the star of the Pokémon TCG when it was released earlier this year. Its attack does massive damage and its Ability is near game-breaking. With this being said, it is a no-brainer to play 4 in the list: it is your best attacker and you want it down on the Bench as early as possible to use Intrepid Sword to set up your board easily.

2 ADP-GX

ADP has become the most hated card we have seen in years. Altered Creation has altered the entire way the game is played. This is the starter in the deck. It is optimal to Altered Creation on turn one or two and follow up with an Ultimate Ray to set up enough Energy on your board to finish the game. If this strategy is achieved, it is almost impossible to lose.

1 Mawile-GX

One way an opponent can beat this deck is if they overwhelm ADPZ before it is able to set up. With this being said, it is fantastic to have a way to slow down your opponent. A well-timed Captivating Wink can flat-out brick an opponent out of the game. Wily Bite is also a fantastic attack for only 2 Energy.

1 Mew UNB

PikaRom has seen a massive spike in play recently. A huge reason PikaRom has come back these past few weeks is because of its favorable ADP matchup. PikaRom steals tons of wins with Tag Bolt-GX. With PikaRom being a huge part of the meta, there has become an increasing need for Mew. Mew swings the PikaRom matchup from slightly unfavorable to favorable. Mew in general is amazing versus any deck that can snipe your Benched Pokémon, like Mew3/Welder and Baby Blowns.

2 Big Charm

This is another card that is seeing a return back into ADP decks. ADP thrives off being able to Ultimate Ray multiple Energy onto your Zacians. How ADPZ can struggle is if ADP falls before it can Ultimate Ray. Hence, it is imperative to be able to keep your ADP-GX alive to take at least one hit.

2 Great Catcher

Great Catcher has seen a fall from grace these past few months. However, ADPZ is still able to abuse it greatly. With this format being so fast, sometimes you are unable to Boss and attack in the same turn, so with multiple Great Catchers, it means you can use a gust effect and a draw Supporter in the same turn.

LucMetal/Zacian (LMZ)

LucMetal/Zacian is strictly a meta call deck. When the meta morphs into a Fire-dominant meta, LucMetal goes dormant. With this being said, when Fire decks see any sort of downturn, LMZ pushes itself from Tier 2 into Tier 1. Below is the list that I’ve enjoyed success with—I even won a 100+ person Hegster TDT event with the deck!

Decklist

Key Cards

1 LucMetal-GX

This is the biggest contributing factor to the difference between these two Zacian V decks. The disruption of Full Metal Wall is what makes this deck shine. A Zacian V that can’t be 1-shot will change the complexion of matchups.

4 Zacian V

Just like in ADPZ, Zacian V is the engine in this deck. Intrepid Sword is what drives the early setup, while Brave Blade bludgeons your opponent toward the middle to late game. Unlike ADPZ, this deck needs 4 Zacian V. LMZ can have major consistency issues, so it is vital to play a max count of Zacian.

2 Zamazenta V

Doing everything to slow down your opponent is the name of the game with this deck. With VMAX decks controlling so much of the meta, Zamazenta V is fantastic for handling them with relative ease.

4 Crushing Hammer

Crushing Hammer has become one of most hated cards in the game. Its disruption is incredible, but the reliance on a coin flip has made the card notorious for being a “luck sack” card. But, in a deck that needs extra ways to slow down the opponent, it makes a fantastic 4-of. A single heads flip can make it so ADP can’t Altered Creation the next turn, or so your opponent can’t even attack. This disruption, along Full Metal Wall, gives the deck time to set up and flood the board with powerful Metal attackers.

3 Weakness Guard Energy

Currently, my list has Weakness Guard Energies in it. Over the past few weeks they have been in and out of the deck. Sometimes I feel like you lose regardless to all Fire decks, and then I win multiple games versus less experienced Fire deck players simply because of this card. Going into Top 256 play, I would be more inclined to cut them for 3 more M Energies since the average player in T256 should skilled enough to handle Weakness Guard Energy. With that being said, it made a fantastic choice for the qualifier period.

Although I like these decks, there is another deck that I have been working on that I think makes an even better choice for bracket play: Centiskorch VMAX!

Centiskorch VMAX

Over the past few weeks, Centiskorch has been surging in popularity. With the meta beginning to shift to LMZ and ADPZ, Centiskorch has been able to sneak up on the competition. Centiskorch, throughout testing, has been the deck that I think has the most balanced matchup spread. It does not dominate the majority of the format, but it does not really struggle versus anything either. With this meta being such a rock-paper meta, this deck runs counter that notion, which sets it apart in the format.

Decklist

Key Cards

4 Pokégear 3.0, 0 Jirachi TEU, 0 Scoop Up Net

During extensive testing with the Jirachi version, I felt like I was sacrificing extra space that could be saved with the Pokégear version. The Jirachi/Scoop Up Net package takes up to 10 slots, which I felt to be unnecessary. I also found that the Gear version is to be able to hit turn one Flare Starter more consistently and it gives me more Bench space to maneuver with. I see merit to the Jirachi build, as it does defend against Reset Stamp better, but if you have an explosive start, Stamp can’t do much to you anyway.

3-3 Centiskorch VMAX

The goal is pretty simple: Welder a ton of Energy onto this guy. G-Max Centiferno does tons of damage and accelerates Energy from the discard. With so many Crushing Hammer decks running around, it’s nice having this built-in defense against them.

3 Volcanion UNB

One of Centiskorch’s weaknesses is that it cannot hit big 200+ damage attacks right out of the gates. It needs something to get it going. With Flare Starter, you can power up multiple Energies on a Centiskorch on turn one, making your turn twos devastatingly powerful.

1 Marshadow UNB

Chaotic Swell has seen a huge spike in play. PikaRom over the past few weeks has been absolutely crushing the competition and Chaotic Swell has been a huge part of its ability to slow other decks down. Power Plant in Eternatus has also seen a resurgence. These two Stadiums cause huge problems for Welder decks, so it is important to have defense against them. If Welder decks can function unimpeded, they are extremely hard to take down.

1 Great Catcher

Welder decks often in the past have struggled with being able to Welder and gust a Pokémon from the bench in the same turn. Ninetales TEU enabled them to do this, but with this list being so tight, there is simply not enough room for Ninetales. This is where Great Catcher comes in. With Dedenne-GX and other GXs still being so prevalent, it is a luxury to have an Item gust card. Speaking of luxury, this is another reason why this deck has grown on me so much: this deck has so many ways to play it, and so many flexible spots in the deck allow it to be customized to your liking.

2 Crobat V, 2 Dedenne-GX

In the past I played 3 Dedenne-GX and 1 Crobat V. With the meta shifting, more decks are including Power Plant. Hence, 2 Crobat V to combat that development.

1 Air Balloon

Normally Centiskorch decks do not play this card. In my testing with Centiskorch, I often wanted a way to pivot Volcanions, Dedennes, Crobats, and anything with 2 Retreat Cost or less. This is where Air Balloon comes in. Even though Centiskorch’s and Heatran-GX’s Retreat Costs are both 3, it is nice to be able to reduce those at times. The added flexibility has been phenomenal.

Matchups

ADPZ: Even

This matchup is entirely reliant on how well you draw. If you go second and hit turn one Flare Starter, you are favored, but if you miss, you will often be in a world of hurt. This matchup comes down to if you can turn-two KO the ADP, and if you can, you are going to win most of the time. That is why maxing out turn one potential is a great choice.

LucMetal: Heavily Favored

All you need to do is KO Zamazenta V with Centiskorch V or Heatran-GX, make sure not to overcommit resources to a single Centiskorch (because of Full Metal Wall), and you should be golden. LucMetal relies on ways to slow down the opponent for multiple turns, and since this deck has answers to their disruption, it is one of Centiskorch’s best matchups.

Welder/Mew3: Slightly Unfavorable

This is one of the deck’s harder matchups. Indeedee V and Incineroar-GX TEU make it awkward to win this matchup. My advice in this matchup is try to set up a big Heatran, then power up a Centiskorch on the Bench to take the final Prizes of the came. Stamp will also be huge at times because there will likely be a point in the game where they need to miss something for you to win. It’s not a terrible matchup, but one I would rather not face.

Eternatus VMAX: Even

This is another close matchup. It comes down to who can 1-shot who. Poison Eternatus can cause issues as they can stack multiple Toxicroak SSH and create 1-shot scenarios, so it is important to try to KO Eternatus as quickly as possible to pressure their board before they set up too much. I would say Centiskorch is favored against regular Eternatus, but Poison Eternatus can cause Centiskorch issues. Another cool thing you can do is, if they leave a Eternatus Active with an Energy early, you can surprise them with a Radiating Heat to try to slow them down.

PikaRom: Slightly Favored

This is one of the deck’s better matchups. You are able to 1-shot them, and they cannot 1-shot you, which makes this matchup good. As long as they don’t flip incredibly well on Hammers, you will be able to run them over with one massive Centiskorch.

Important note: Be cautious of Raichu & Alolan Raichu-GX. A well-timed Reset Stamp plus Tandem Shock can cause major issues, so if you find your Great Catcher and have an opportunity to KO the Raichu early, go for it!

Altaria CPA and Decidueye DAA Decks: Heavily Favored

There is not much explaining needing to do here. Altaria and Deci decks rely on your opponent having no out to these type of Pokémon. Luckily for Centiskorch, it has Volcanion UNB to counter these Pokémon with ease. Going into bracket play, I expect many people to roll up with these types of “Meta Counter Decks.” With only the Top 4 from each region making it to the Global Finals, I expect people to make home-run plays with these decks, and Centiskorch punishes that thought process.

My Final Thoughts

These are my thoughts on the Players Cup II T256/128 bracket play coming up this weekend. I think all of these decks are fantastic options and any of them could advance in the tournament. That’s all for now. Thank you so much for reading. Good luck to everyone playing this weekend and I hope to speak with you again soon.

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