BuzzGarbVile Part 2: The Matchups Explained

It is safe to say that Buzzwole / Garbodor / Weavile / Shrine of Punishment can beat almost anything. In the first part of this piece, I talked about the purpose of each card in this deck. Here, I’ll be delving into the deck’s matchups and completing everything you need to know about the deck and some matchups. Let’s begin!

Matchups

Day One

• R1 – Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX • 2-1 • Win
• R2 – Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX • 2-0 • Win
• R3 – Zoroark-GX / Garbodor • 2-0 • Win
• R4 – Magnezone / Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX • 2-0 • Win
• R5 – Malamar / Shining Lugia / Shrine of Punishment • 2-0 • Win
• R6 – Buzzwole / Garbodor / Shrine of Punishment • 2-0 • Win
• R7 – Zoroark-GX / Banette-GX • 1-1 • Tie
• R8 – Vikavolt / Rayquaza-GX • 2-1 • Win
• R9 – Buzzwole / Garbodor / Shrine of Punishment • 2-1 • Win

Day Two

• R10 – Zoroark-GX / Banette-GX • 0-2 • Loss
• R11 – Malamar / Necrozma-GX • 2-0 • Win
• R12 – Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX • 1-1 • Tie
• R13 – Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX • 2-1 • Win
• R14 – Buzzwole / Garbodor / Shrine of Punishment • 2-1 • Win
• R15 – Concession • Loss
• T8 – Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX • 2-0 • Win
• T4 – Zoroark-GX / Banette-GX • 2-1 • Win
• T2 – Malamar / Necrozma-GX • 2-1 • Win

Itemized Matchups

• Buzzwole / Garbodor / Shrine of Punishment 3-0-0
• Magnezone / Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX 1-0-0
• Malamar / Necrozma-GX 2-0-0
• Malamar / Shining Lugia / Shrine of Punishment 1-0-0
• Vikavolt / Rayquaza-GX 1-0-0
• Zoroark-GX / Banette-GX 1-1-1
• Zoroark-GX / Garbodor 1-0-0
• Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX 1-0-0
• Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX 3-0-1

Overall 14-2-2 (one Concession for Loss)

Every relevant deck in the format was present and I beat each of the decks at least once, except myself when I conceded for better seeding in Top 8. The most impressive thing is the undefeated record against mirror matches. My record should be seen as an anecdotal testament to the deck’s strength; I want to solidify your opinion with in-depth matchup descriptions. Let’s begin with some general  tips on playing the deck.

General Gameplay and Sequencing

Focus on the following steps during your first couple turns:

• Prioritize getting a Buzzwole Active and a Slugma on your Bench.
  • You don’t want your support Pokemon to get damaged, a Buzzwole is a nice way to put on some pressure but also soak up damage with little drawback.
• The more Buzzwole the better, having Oranguru down is nice as well.
  • It’s important to have a Buzzwole on your Bench going into the turn where your opponent is sitting on four Prizes, your “Sledgehammer turn”.
• Worry about techs (Sneasel and Trubbish) later, they’re less important starting off.
  • Putting your one-of Sneasel down early is a poor choice, as holding it for a time where your opponent has to deal with a different threat at the same time is optimal.

If you’re not heavily favored in the Prize trade, such as Pokemon-GX decks, things become a one-for-one trade where you’ll want to focus on having a backup attacker every time following a Knock Out, like having an extra Buzzwole, Trubbish, etc. Once you lock-in your setup of Magcargo, Oranguru, and a follow up Buzzwole, you’ll be good to go! Optimize your chances of pulling off a powerful Sledgehammer turn and let ‘er rip. Turn towards setting up your tech Pokemon and build a game plan for later; you have so many options to counter whatever way things turn towards.

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