Raging Bolt — Now Even Better with Destined Rivals
Hello to all PokeBeach readers! This is Gabriel Semedo once again with another Pokemon TCG article, and this time I want to talk about Raging Bolt ex and how this deck gets even better with the arrival of Destined Rivals.
The funny thing is that Raging Bolt gets better with the arrival of the new set, but there are no new cards that directly improve the deck. It is simply the metagame that shifts to a point where Raging Bolt is in a much better position without having to do practically anything. Not to say that nothing changes — now the inclusion of Iron Leaves ex in the list becomes very interesting, as Grass-type Weakness becomes relevant now due to the new Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex and the rise of Charizard ex following the decline of Dragapult ex decks (at least over in Japan). Here in the West, it is still too early to say what the new metagame will look like, but I believe we will not see major changes this time.
One of the reasons why Dragapult ex has fallen in popularity and, consequently, in number of players using the deck in Japan is the fact that the deck is highly respected, which leads players to prepare much more to beat Dragapult ex than any other deck. The Japanese Gardevoir ex lists are using Arven and Technical Machine: Evolution, which makes the matchup against Dragapult even better — the only way for Dragapult ex to win this matchup is in the early game by disrupting Gardevoir ex's setup. The new Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex deck has shown to have a favorable matchup, because in addition to the deck being able to achieve similar firepower, the list has Technical Machine: Devolution to Knock Out multiple Dragapult ex at once. Finally, Flareon ex / undefined also performs well against Dragapult ex because the deck has both Sylveon ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex. Let's not forget, Raging Bolt ex has a pretty even matchup against Dragapult.
Despite all the problems mentioned above, Dragapult ex still has plenty of reasons to continue performing well. The metagame just needs to give it a little more breathing room so it can return to its full potential. However, the winning deck of the 5,000 players Aichi Champions League in Japan was Dragapult ex / Charizard ex, which is simply the combination of the two most dominant Pokemon of recent times. Perhaps the best idea is not to use a pure Dragapult ex deck, but rather to combine it with other Pokemon to try to navigate the threats of the metagame.
Even with the arrival of Destined Rivals and the changes in the metagame, one thing is certain: Raging Bolt ex is still good, and things will only get better for the deck. If you are preparing for the North America International Championship and still don’t know where to start or which deck to choose, then this article is for you — because I see Raging Bolt / Noctowl as a strong and solid choice for this competition. Even if you don’t use or don’t like the deck, you can be sure that you will have to face some on your way to becoming an International Champion.
Deck Overview
Current Raging Bolt ex deck lists try to mix the classic version of the deck with Noctowl's mechanics, since it no longer has the same explosive power and consistency as before. Instead, what I am suggesting is that you invest in Noctowl, which brings even greater consistency — but with a much slower speed compared to the fast Knock Outs you're used to with the old Raging Bolt ex.
The deck offers the possibility of attacking on the first turn with Squawkabilly ex and Professor Sada's Vitality, but I believe that, in general, this is not worth it and can cause problems if the turn 1 gamble fails. The right approach is to go first, because decks that use Noctowl can set up well without needing a Supporter, thanks to Fan Rotom. On the second turn, Noctowl can search for two copies of any Trainer card you want to your hand, enabling the best possible play for that turn.
You will want to start attacking with baby Raging Bolt and Fan Rotom, which serve the purpose of picking up easy Prizes by Knocking Out your opponent's important low-HP Pokemon such as Ralts or Dreepy. Unfortunately, baby Raging Bolt has lost a lot of power with the arrival of Shaymin from Destined Rivals, which prevents damage to Benched Pokemon without a Rule Box.
In other cases, it's best to avoid picking up an odd Prize and instead prepare to Knock Out an opponent’s Pokemon ex — in which case, you can go straight for Raging Bolt ex as your main attacker. Slither Wing is your single-Prize Pokemon of choice, capable of Knocking Out some strong Pokemon ex in the format, the main ones being Fezandipiti ex and Pikachu ex. Every Pokemon TCG player knows the impact that a single-Prize Pokemon can have when Knocking Out a Pokemon ex, and even though Slither Wing doesn’t appear that often in matches, when it does, it ends up being worthwhile.
Raging Bolt ex is the deck that uses the full survival package of Pokemon ex in the current format, which includes Squawkabilly ex to offer turn 1 draw power, undefined that provides consistent draw power throughout the game, Fezandipiti ex to provide reasonable draw power from the mid- to late-game, and Latias ex to solve nearly all your retreat problems. And now the deck list includes Iron Leaves ex to further reinforce mobility and counter annoying Pokemon like Maractus and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, which aim to trap your Latias ex in the Active Spot long enough for the opponent to turn around a lost match.
This is a deck that depends on Professor Sada’s Vitality because Raging Bolt ex is its main attacker. In other words, most of the time, you are forced to use this Supporter. However, the list also includes four other different Supporters to help and provide more options. Of course, using Professor Sada’s Vitality on the first turn for two Energy is very strong, but this will not always be possible because it’s difficult to discard the Energy — this is why the list includes a copy of Crispin, to use when Professor Sada’s Vitality isn’t possible. Another option for when Professor Sada’s Vitality is either not possible or not ideal is Judge, which will disrupt your opponent’s setup, and when combined with a Knock Out, may prevent them from punishing you too harshly — because many times, this Judge will save you from an Unfair Stamp your opponent was just waiting to play. A single copy of Boss's Orders (Ghetsis) has been sufficient so far, especially since the ACE SPEC of choice is Prime Catcher, but depending on the popularity of Shaymin and the ineffectiveness of baby Raging Bolt, a second copy may start to prove necessary.
This concludes the public portion of this article.
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