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Standard Rayquaza GX / Vikavolt (SUM - On)

lukas2aces

lukas2aces

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hey to all reading this!

I played VikaBulu last year for like 5 months. In the Standard format it will become stronger and stronger I guess after rotation, for example because Garbotoxin will be gone and the Zoroark decks will lose a bit of their tools (like Puzzle of Time). And the Gardevoir decks that could be quite difficult for VikaBulu players are seeing less play at the moment (although they maybe could come back after rotation, especially with good dragon decks running around).

Since I’m already familiair with the deck concept of VikaBulu and getting the deck as consistent as a stage 2 deck could be, I decided to try to build a Rayquaza / Vikavolt list based on the same concept but with the possibility of quite higher damage output (OHKO on everything, hitting 300 + isn’t strange in this deck).

My deck at the moment:

##Pokémon - 14

* 1 Oranguru SUM 113
* 3 Rayquaza-GX CES 109
* 4 Grubbin SUM 13
* 1 Tapu Koko-GX GRI 47
* 3 Vikavolt SUM 52
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60

##Trainers - 33

* 2 Tate & Liza CES 166
* 2 Mysterious Treasure FLI 113
* 2 Volkner UPR 156
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 4 Rare Candy SUM 129
* 4 Cynthia UPR 119
* 2 Energy Recycler GRI 123
* 2 Field Blower GRI 125
* 3 Guzma BUS 115
* 1 Lillie UPR 151
* 4 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 3 Choice Band GRI 121
* 2 Nest Ball SUM 123
* 1 Copycat CES 163

##Energy - 13

* 6 Lightning Energy 4
* 7 Grass Energy GRI 167

The basic concept does really work. But I feel like I could still work on the details. Although all feedback is welcome, I like to share my thoughts as well:

Cards I’m considering to possibly cut:
1 Field Blower
1 Rescue Stretcher (got multiple of all Pokémon except Oranguru and Tapu Koko GX)
1 Choice Band (it’s mainly there for early game and to have the possibility to OHKO a Lele or another Pokemon with max. 180 HP with Vikavolt)
1 Oranguru?

Cards I’m considering to include:
Acro Bike (1 or 2)
Switch (since I’m already playing Volkner, although Tate & Liza could do the same)
Dunsparce (although I guess that would be too clunky to get it active T1 and I will not use it enough)
Dedenne (for the mirror, OHKO on Rayquaza with Choice Band)

So.. What are your thoughts? I’m happy to have a good dicussion about some card choices!
 
I was just thinking about building this deck yesterday for my first post-rotation deck. I think your list looks solid but I would make a few personal changes.

+1 Rayquaza-GX / -1 Choice Band

Being your main attacker and a source for energy acceleration, I think four is needed. I'd probably cut a Choice Band. Ray hits huge numbers as it is and 2 Choice Band seems plenty for this deck.

+1 Nest Ball / -1 Ultra Ball

Getting Grubbin down T1 is crucial. I know it may sound odd, but I'd consider cutting an Ultra Ball. 3 Ultra Ball, 3 Nest Ball, and 2 Mysterious Treasure sound like enough search cards to me.
 
Also want to comment that 4 Rayquaza GX is just mandatory for any Ray GX list, IMO.

There are going to be plenty of games where you will open a Ray GX in your active, and that already puts you down 1 ability usage. Running 3 copies means you will expect to use the ability twice during set up phase while running 4 copies means you can expect to use it three times.

Most of the time, 3 copies of your main GX attacker is enough, but since your main GX attacker is also one of your main forms of energy acceleration, you just can't settle for less than max.

From playtesting, I would say that all variations of Ray GX need 3-4 Wishful Baton (I personally play 4 so Field Blower can't out do me, and so I don't lose all my copies to Ray GX's ability), and I would even forego the Choice Bands to play them if you have to. Unless your opponent is playing 3-4 Field Blower, 1 of your Wishful Baton will always stick, and having a Wishful Baton stick makes this deck lose 0 momentum after a KO, and that's one of its strong points. Forcing your opponent to find their Field Blower(s) before feeling safe taking KOs is not a bad thing. It's also a fantastic strategy to allow Tapu Koko GX take OHKOs with its GX attack and not lose those 3 energies either. Tapu Koko GX with Wishful Baton just means a KO transfers the energy back to Ray GX.

Choice Band can help you extend for KOs, but that also means you will automatically lose 3 energy when a Choice Banded Ray gets counter KO'd, unless you actually plan on Field Blowering your own Choice Band off on the following turn. As a snowball deck, you need to maximize ways to keep that snowball rolling. Most of your targets post rotation have 210 or less HP - you should be getting enough energy to OHKO without Choice Band fairly easily.

I'd also find a way to find room for a 2nd rescue stretcher. It's very valuable in this deck due to the random milling of Rayquaza GX. You can actually use it to your advantage to search Pokemon out of the discard pile with it.

Also, personally I think that non-GX Pheromosa is a great tech card for Ray. If you have only 1 prize left, it swings for 180 naturally (just Guzma a Lele for game), and if you open it on T1, it has free retreat and doesn't hurt your set up. Its 90 base damage is also decently servicable outside of the prize condition, but it's a card that can never hurt you at any point in the game and can only help you. Plenty of good tech choices, but I'm a huge fan of the Pheromosa in Ray.
 
I think that Latias Prism Star is pretty good for this deck. I would definitely run it just in case, at the cost of a Choice Band or something. I do also agree with the general consensus that Wishful Baton is most likely the best tool for this deck. Sure, it means you need more energy on the board to take big knockouts, but the sustainability is just too good.

Also, would you consider Steven's Resolve as your T1 Supporter over Lillie? Since you probably won't be able to attack that turn anyway (if you go first) or since you'll be using Tempest GX if you can, it seems like Lillie may not be the best IMO.
 
Thanks for the replies so far!

@HouchinsDJ, I agree with your Rayquaza GX suggestion, so I added the 4th Rayquaza GX and removed 1 Choice Band. I didn’t follow your second suggestion, I feel like I struggle more to get Vikavolt at the moment than Grubbin (4 Grubbin, 2 Nest Ball and 4 Ultra Ball = 10 outs, versus 3 Vikavolt + 4 Ultra Ball = 7 outs), so I kept 4 Ultra Ball and 2 Nest Ball.

@Duo, I indeed added the 4th Ray. I understand why Wishful Baton might be the tool to go. Although I’m thinking about playing no tools at all at the moment, just to make my list as consistent as possible.

@John InCENAroar, Latias should be great. Normally Vikavolt does the job, but still I feel like I should give it a try, so I will! I already started playtesting with Steven’s Resolve. It was in my first list, then I found that I used Lillie quite often, but I added it again to my list. It’s hard to test right now because many players on Versus ladder are still playing N and stuff, but after rotation Judge will be the biggest ‘risk’, but getting a guarenteed Vikavolt T2 with Steven’s Decision is too good I guess, worth the risk?!

I also am still searching for other consistency cards, I was thinking about Order Pad (yes you should flip, but 50 % chance to get Rary Candy or Ultra Ball for Vikavolt, because you’re missing 1 of the 2 a lot of times. I tried Acro Bike as well, but I don’t think that will work. A lot of the times you’re searching rary candy or Vikavolt, chance of hitting them with Acro Bike is just too small I guess.
 
Since you are running a list that relies on passive energy acceleration as opposed to, say, Zeraora GX using its GX attack and then rolling from there, getting away with no or less tools might be okay. I would still say perhaps try and find space for 2 copies of Wishful Baton just to help you out in a pinch if it's the right call. You don't really need to max out on 4 when Vikavolt can grab you 2 energy back immediately anyway, but in the cases that Vikavolt isn't ready to go is where Wishful Baton would be very beneficial.
 
I'd add in 2 copies of Order Pad for the energy recycler (you don't need it as much as vikabulu) and 1 Field Blower (Garbodor is gone) just to maximize T2 Vikavolt. On a side note, why not Vikabulu? it hit 210 consistently every turn and you don't lose damage after a pokemon get KO'ed. Also it's cheaper. I'm not sure whether play vikaray or vikabulu but I'm very interested in both.
 
Well... I had some good streaks on PTCGO!

But I have to admit the meta has changed that much now, it's hard to still play this deck. All the Shrine of Punishment decks are quite problematic, especially the ones with Weavile or Garbodor.

Are there any suggestions to adapt to these decks? I'll have too see how the meta will look like at the Regionals this weekend in Philadelphia, but the meta in Brazil last weekend was quite clear (7 out of top 8 were Shrine decks).

In the meanwhile, I did cut Oranguru and Tapu Koko GX and the 4th Grubbin, as I found them too situational / all the other lists played 3 Grubbin. I also cut both Tate & Liza, 1 Volkner, both Field Blowers and 1 Choice Band.

I added the fourth Rayquaza GX, added 2 Devoured Field (although I really like the idea of Champions Festival as well), Steven's Resolve, 3rd Nest Ball, 4th Guzma. 1 Marshadow, 1 Escape Rope and 1 Switch.

Any suggestions to improve the deck to try to have a chance against Shrine decks? Playing 4 Stadiums and maybe no Choice Bands then? Play non-GX attackers? 130 is however a bit of a problematic number to hit, the grass Shaymin for example hits 120.
 
For the ray/vikavolt deck I would definitely have at least a total combination of 4 field blowers or devoured fields. Then you can trade the stadiums and I would use wishful baron to keep your energy in play.
 
So... Might be interesting to give an update of this list.

I'm still playing VikaRay at the moment. Most like the list of Andrew Mahone, so with 3 Shining Lugia (http://limitlesstcg.com/decks/?list=1344), only differences are that I play 1 Copycat instead of 1 Lillie, 1 Escape Rope and 1 Switch instead of 2 Switch and 1 Wishful Baton instead of 1 Lightning Energy.

Given my Shining Lugia's, my Buzz - Shrine matchup is fine, playing Shining Lugia - Vikavolt. But Psychic Malamar is a bad matchup.

Any thoughts on that or on the list in general? Maybe tech a Sudowoodoo could help, but I'm not sure whether that will be enough. And not sure what to remove.
 
I ran into a couple of VikaRay decks playing Dhelmise CES instead of Shining Lugia, and I found that interesting. Hits for 130 just like Lugia, but for one less energy, without the energy discard. You have to guzma/switch to avoid a dead turn, but often that's enough. And hits for 2x against Lycanroc GX, which can be a big help to OHKO that if you know you'll take a KO back.

I still beat them both with my BuzzGarbShrine deck, but not easily given Dhelmise could wipe out any one of my attackers.
 
Been trying to cross-breed Vika/Venu Ray but been getting mixed results probably best to stick in one direction when playing ray Vika seems to be most stable but Venusaur hit really hard very quickly and only needing 2 energy to attack

also tried putting Shining Genesect in with wishful batons and that teched quite well in both Ray/Vika and Ray/Venu

****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******

##Pokémon - 12

* 3 Rayquaza-GX CES 160
* 2 Bulbasaur SLG 1
* 2 Shining Genesect SLG 9
* 2 Venusaur SLG 3
* 3 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137

##Trainer Cards - 37

* 3 Acerola BUS 142
* 3 Mysterious Treasure FLI 113
* 2 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 2 Volkner UPR 156
* 1 Pal Pad UPR 132
* 2 Rare Candy SUM 129
* 2 Pokémon Fan Club UPR 133
* 4 Wishful Baton BUS 128
* 4 Cynthia UPR 119
* 3 Guzma BUS 115
* 2 Energy Retrieval SUM 116
* 2 Tate & Liza CES 148
* 2 Field Blower GRI 125
* 3 Ultra Ball FCO 113
* 2 Shrine of Punishment CES 143

##Energy - 11

* 7 Grass Energy 1
* 4 Lightning Energy XYEnergy 6

Total Cards - 60

****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
 
I would recommend the following:
  • cutting Grubbin to three; it is true having four is good for early setup but Grubbin is not the optimum opening Pokemon.
  • Adding Pokemon fan club; easy way to search Grubbin or Rayquaza-GX so instead of (4 grubbin+2 Nest ball+4 Ultra balls= 10 ways) it become (3 grubbin+2 Nest ball+4 Ultra balls+pokemon fan club+2 tapu lele-GX= 13 ways since fan club add 2 and serchabel with tapu lele-GX).
  • cutting copycat for third tate & liza; switching is an issue for this deck.
  • if possible add more energy recycler instead of choice band; to ensure energy acceleration and due to Rayquaza-GX ability you might just lose it.
  • I d not think Tapu koko-GX is important since you GX slot should for tempest GX most of the time.
  • If possible Cut mysterious treasure for more rescue stretcher since sometime one extra energy is all you need to get a knock out.
  • personally my stadium of choice is sky pillar to protect my bench from spread damage.
  • Adding dhelmise is a good idea for GX imune pokemon move over it is a single price attacker.
this all i can think of right now, i am new to pokepeach so please excuse my way of writing if it is offending in any way, i will try to share my list as soon as i could.
 
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