Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX Updated — Still the Best Deck?

After experiencing most, if not all, of the decks in this Rebel Clash format, Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V has had a funny way of standing out even with all the new cards. I’ve logged plenty of the games with it, using it almost exclusively to finish games “quickly” on the ladder to get more tournament tickets for the Player’s Cup. First and foremost, how does this deck stack up to Dragapult VMAX — or other Pokemon VMAX for that matter — can it beat them?

Short answer: Yes

Why the Deck Still Stands Up

This deck is the most consistent in the format, it has a full playset of Jirachi, Zacian V to use Intrepid Sword, Acro Bike, and enough draw Supporters to get you through a game. Oranguru and Dedenne-GX complement that lineup further, as do your deck-thinning cards in Quick Ball, Cherish Ball, and even Energy Spinner. This deck operates at its full capacity easily and rarely misses a beat.

Up until now, many lists included a Stadium, usually Shrine of Punishment to score Knock Outs on bigger Pokemon-GX in Standard. Now, you don’t have that big of a problem since you can use Boss's Orders to get the Prizes you want, when you want them. Furthermore, with larger HP Pokemon running around you have even less opportunity to get fancy with this deck—keep it simple—you want a consistent list that attacks as soon as possible with few hiccups.

Boss’s Orders is the biggest advantage this deck has had in some time. Now you have a perfectly laid out plan to map your Prizes, even more so than you did with turbo lists featuring both Custom Catcher and Pokémon Catcher. These lists could falter if you lost a Custom Catcher, didn’t draw a pair at the same time, or flipped tails on Pokemon Catcher. Boss’s Orders is a clear avenue to get the Knock Outs you need to win. The list I’ve been grinding with has simplified considerably, removing all techs and maximizing the counts of cards you need to win as much as possible.

The List


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