The Japanese Rayquaza lists have been in my radar for the last couple of days.
I’ve gone from ‘absolutely not!’ To shrugging my shoulders to “kinda?...”
Here’s the thing, the meta benchmarks will be VikaBulu, Beast Bix, and Malamar / Ultra Necrozma GX. All 3 decks can put on the heat by turn 2. I’ve been trying to run numbers and scenarios and I don’t see what others are seeing. It seems like if you want to do 210 by turn 2, you need:
- to NOT start with Rayquaza GX. Latias Prism Star is also not preferable
- need T1 and T2 Energy drop
- Have all Rayquaza GX I’m deck and put into bench by T2
- Every Rayquaza GX needs to land Storm and Stress
- Choice Band
This is just to do 210 on T2. And whatever is in the active spot is dead, so you’ll always have to play catch-up in prize trade.
It is very plausible to overwhelm the opponent by brute force. But the fact that part of your strategy in keeping the power in the board lies in Latias Prism Star; between that and the need to have every rayquaza and everyone to land Storm and Stress makes me think that this deck will be the “new Greninja BREAK deck” in that it either ROFLstomos opponents, or if whiffs terribly due to its own inconsistency.
Also, if you lose Latias Prism or have no access to it (prizes), every Rayquaza you lose means 90 less damage you’re doing.
The fact that the deck loses Max Elixir hurts it considerably. It’ll gain a Zeraora GX later on and act as a tech that gives everyone “Float Stone”.
But Rayquaza is back, glass cannon as ever. The more things change, the more things stay the same.