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Standard Giratina Garchomp Final List

jamashawalker

Ikouze!
Member
Description:

Giratina Garchomp is a deck I've been playing the most since the beginning of testing with Post Rotation for it's versatility and ability to OHKO anything. There's been a lot of tweaks and changes but I believe I finally found that spot that is able to take on everything in the next format.

Deck List:


Pokemon: (18)

4 Malamar
4 Inkay
2 Giratina Garchomp TTGX
1 Espeon & Deoxys TTGX
1 Marshadow Machamp TTGX
2 Giratina LOT
3 Jirachi
1 Dedenne GX

Trainers: (32)

4 Cynthia
2 Lillie
2 Erika's Hospitality
4 Mysterious Treasure
4 Pokemon Communication
2 Cherish Ball
2 Reset Stamp
2 Switch
4 Spell Tag
2 Escape Board
1 Adventure Bag
3 Viridian Forest


Energy: (10)
3 Fighting
7 Psychic


Description:

At first glance it shell is very similar to other Malamar decklist. At it's core it is almost the same but there are some KEY differences in this build. For one you'll notice no Custom Catchers. As I was testing I found I used custom catcher once or never a game. Too much effort to keep in hand and in this deck build I've found I never really need to use custom catcher. Without the custom catchers I've added much better options into the deck that makes it more consistent and improve matchups.

Low Lillie count-higher Erika count. At first I had 4 Lillie in the deck but after examination I found I rarely got a turn 1 Lillie thanks to Lele Rotating. We are also losing cards that allow us to discard our hand to small hand size to get that big turn 1 Lillie hand. After looking at it closer, my turn 1 Lillie hands weren't that big when I was able to have it in hand. And after turn 1 Lillie was a draw 2-3 and a good portion of the time I wished it was an Erika's because in Post rotation a lot of decks are filling up their bench with some minor exceptions (Reshizard, Gardeon) so Erika's becomes the better draw card.

The way to play it is to first identify the matchup to know which weapon you want to use. Here are some quick matchup overviews.

Matchup Overview:

Pikarom: Utilize Marshadow Machamp and get that revenge KO. It's 9-1 matchup your favor. And I don't believe Mewthree TTGX fits well into Pikarom because it can't utilize Pikarom's tools(Electropower,Thunder Mountain) So Marshadow Machamp can turn that make that match up into a nightmare for Pikarom.

Bulky Reshizard: You'll NEED to hit them with the spell tag before you can KO them with Garchomp Giratina. Any attacks that don't KO Reshizard they will immediately heal it all off. So taking advantage of putting three damage counters on a Reshizard will help you get that KO easier with Giratina Garchomp. They HATE reset stamp. So using that when they are at 4 prizes really hurts them.

Malamar Mirror Match: You'll want to utilize giratina with Spell Tag a couple of times to spread some damage around on their malamar and then come in with Espeon Deoxy's GX attack to KO them. Once their Malamar are gone it's smooth sailing from that point on. DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT bring in any TTGX until their Malamar are gone. U. Necrozma + Custom Catcher can come out of nowhere and swing for big damage. Learned that the hard way from a match. Speaking of Ultra Necrozma, it's actually pretty easy because you can win that prize trade with Giratina+Spell Tag and they have limited amount of switching options to keep recharging Necrozma

Dark Box: Same thing as Bulky Reshizard except you have Marshadow Machamp who can come in and get a KO on a weakened Darkrai Umbreon. Attach another fighting energy, use it's GX attack to survive or just attack with One Hundred Blows impact. Once you force them to attack Marshadow Machamp, they are sometimes left in an ackward position to attack with Naganadel and lose a lot of dark energy.

Blacephelon: This is the trickiest matchup. Because they can bench snipe with Naganadel GX or get their beast ring turn and do big damage with Blacephelon. I usually try to wear them down with Giratina, win the prize trade and avoid benching Dedenne if I can. I haven't played against it since I added Espeon Deoxys but you can probably utilize their GX attack to take some big KOs on the opponents benched Naganadels making them lose a lot of damage output. Need to revisit that match up.

Gardeon: Another tough matchup. Same as Bulky reshizard, except they can one shot you with weakness and heal off all damage done to it. I tend to Spell tag the first one, then Giratina Garchomp KO and use my second Giratina Garchomp's GX attack. Need to explore that more

Mewthree TTGX Box: Giratina is MVP. Just keep attacking and force them to use an attack that is not Altaria's protection. The turn they don't use that they are open for Garchomp Giratina to come in and take it down. Spell tag is also annoying for them because they don't like having their Jirachi in Spread damage range. Also if you KO their Jirachi GX with you're own Espeon Deoxys GX attack after some spread damage, then they are open for Giratina to come and finish off Mewthree. Mewthree does not like Giratina+Spell tag at all.

Final Thoughts:

Out of all of my testing at my league with different versions of the list I've found this one sticking the most due to having so many options against the decks in this metagame. I want to tech in Mewthree GX or Gengar Mimikyu because they would be great inclusions into improving my overall matchups against a lot of decks. Namely Reshizard+Gardeon. Depending on Gardeon's usage will determine if I want to tech them in or not. As of right now, Pikarom is popular so Marshadow Machamp is faster and more dangerous. But he can be switched out to your liking if you aren't feeling him.



 

Pokefam

300 something/400
Member
Pleeeeeeeeeese put in at least 1 copy of mew. my list has 2 and it amazing for damage spread
 

Pokefam

300 something/400
Member
do you really need 4 spell tags I find spell tags useless when you wan to just use TinaChomp all game long if you are looking for space consider cutting spell tags and adventure bag
 

jamashawalker

Ikouze!
Member
I can possibly cut 1 spell tag for a mew. Mew is used to slow down pikarom but I'm not worried about it because I have Marshadow Machamp. But mew can also be used to stop Beast Box "checkmate" style of deck and stopping Naganadel GX from sniping all together. Spreading the damage around with mew is not ideal because you can do the same thing with Giratina+Spell tag but to a much better effect. I run 4 for consistency but you are right around mid-late game I don't need to use Spell Tag anymore.

I'm curious how does your Mewthree box beat Tinachomp when they can just spam baby Giratina and attack you all day. At some point in the game you will have 3 Damage counters on Mewthree and you will have to use a different attack that's not Altaria GXs.
 

Pokefam

300 something/400
Member
forget venomoth gx


turn 1 welder
turn 2 Janine lock then lock them for 4 straight turns with pal pad
 

jamashawalker

Ikouze!
Member
First off... Kudos on the creativity. That is really smart to stop all basics since we are going to be in a heavy basic metagame next format.

now problems with that idea and why it shouldn't phase tinachomp that much.

1.) You NEED find Janine every turn and use that same 90 damage every turn. Eventually you will whiff and turns you do whiff is when Tinachomp should take full advantage of you being open.

2.) It's an awkward set up. You need to get rid of Venomoth in the discard unless you plan on just running Venomoth line along with Mewthree TTGX then kudos even more. Playing different energy with Welder works but hasn't proven itself yet to be consistent enough.

3.) The minute your opponent sees the strategy on turn 2 they'll probably use Tinachomps GX attack, GG end. And that'll set you back by a lot to prevent you from continuing the loop.

4.) The 90 damage part. That's 2HKOing Giratina. Even with Pal pad you'll eventually run out of Janine. Or if you opt to use a different attack then you leave Mewthree open for an attack

5.) A lot of decks has an answer to "walling." Pikarom can utilize ChuChuGX to paralyze you preventing you from walling them. Reshizard can just muscle through you once it gets 6 Energy on board and heal off all of the damage you are doing. Gardeon has fairy charms to just prevent you from attacking, Blacephelon can use bursting burn or attack with Naganadel (both Baby and GX to snipe the bench) and most Mewthree Boxes play Detective Pikachu Greninja to go through those style of attacks.

6.) Again you're relying on Janine to carry you through your deck. Great concept but very awkward for a lot of these match ups where they have answers to it without needing to tech for it
 

Duo

RIP Nessa 2023
Member
I actually think that the Druddigon from Unified Minds is basically a mandatory 1 of in any deck that plays Mysterious Treasure as a far superior gusting option than Custom Catcher.

Once Great Catcher comes out Druddigon can leave the list, but for now force pulling an active and then putting 30 damage on it, especially in the context of TinaChomp, I think is incredibly potent. It just gives you control over your opponent and forces them to have ways to move energy around or Switch their Pokemon in order to continue. Meanwhile, you prime up a target for an OHKO with TinaChomp. They have to respond in a 1 turn window, and it's a form of control that forces the opponent to make a move they otherwise wouldn't have to.

When it comes to Lillie, I'm starting to think that Lillie is a 4 of if you play Pokegear 3.0, and then should just be cut if you aren't running Pokegear 3.0. She's really primarily run for the T1 play, and frankly I think she's one of the weakest draw supporters outside of T1. I would probably even swap out the 2 Lillie you have now with something else like 2 Coach Trainer or 2 Roller Skater. You have to have 2 cards + Lillie in hand in order to dig as deep into your deck as either Coach Trainer or Roller Skater who have conditions that this deck can easily meet.

I think a balance of Dragon Talon and Spell Tag is also the right play here (2 copies of each). Dragon Talon basically reflects 30 damage to your opponent's active, and since most decks operate on a 2 hit KO basis, especially on big HP targets, you basically generate free revenge OHKOs whenever your opponent swings into you. If you leave a TinaChomp in the active with 3 energy and a Dragon Talon against anyone that isn't Gardeon (Spell Tag with Psychic actives against this match up), you force your opponent into a situation where they have to attack to push damage, but if they attack they are guaranteed to die next turn. Dragon Talon effectively advances your strategy by 1 turn, and in all honesty I'm looking for deck space to run 3 TinaChomps in my list just so I can play 3-4 Dragon Talons for higher consistency. Sooner or later your opponent MUST attack your attacker (TinaChomp) to stop your momentum, so they can't just keep widdling away at your Dedenne GX and Malamars forever.

I'm also noticing a lot of people liking the 4 Pokemon Communication. I'm not really aboard that train yet and would rather just run 4 Treasure 4 Cherish and invest that deckspace somewhere else. This list really only needs 1 Malamar in play by turn 2 to get 3 energy on turn 2, and this deck isn't running a heavy list of tech cards that couldn't be searched independently by Treasure & Cherish anyway.

That being said, since you do run the Jirachi 4 PokeCom is probably correct. I actually don't value the Jirachi at all post rotation.
 

jamashawalker

Ikouze!
Member
I actually think that the Druddigon from Unified Minds is basically a mandatory 1 of in any deck that plays Mysterious Treasure as a far superior gusting option than Custom Catcher.

Once Great Catcher comes out Druddigon can leave the list, but for now force pulling an active and then putting 30 damage on it, especially in the context of TinaChomp, I think is incredibly potent. It just gives you control over your opponent and forces them to have ways to move energy around or Switch their Pokemon in order to continue. Meanwhile, you prime up a target for an OHKO with TinaChomp. They have to respond in a 1 turn window, and it's a form of control that forces the opponent to make a move they otherwise wouldn't have to.

When it comes to Lillie, I'm starting to think that Lillie is a 4 of if you play Pokegear 3.0, and then should just be cut if you aren't running Pokegear 3.0. She's really primarily run for the T1 play, and frankly I think she's one of the weakest draw supporters outside of T1. I would probably even swap out the 2 Lillie you have now with something else like 2 Coach Trainer or 2 Roller Skater. You have to have 2 cards + Lillie in hand in order to dig as deep into your deck as either Coach Trainer or Roller Skater who have conditions that this deck can easily meet.

I think a balance of Dragon Talon and Spell Tag is also the right play here (2 copies of each). Dragon Talon basically reflects 30 damage to your opponent's active, and since most decks operate on a 2 hit KO basis, especially on big HP targets, you basically generate free revenge OHKOs whenever your opponent swings into you. If you leave a TinaChomp in the active with 3 energy and a Dragon Talon against anyone that isn't Gardeon (Spell Tag with Psychic actives against this match up), you force your opponent into a situation where they have to attack to push damage, but if they attack they are guaranteed to die next turn. Dragon Talon effectively advances your strategy by 1 turn, and in all honesty I'm looking for deck space to run 3 TinaChomps in my list just so I can play 3-4 Dragon Talons for higher consistency. Sooner or later your opponent MUST attack your attacker (TinaChomp) to stop your momentum, so they can't just keep widdling away at your Dedenne GX and Malamars forever.

I'm also noticing a lot of people liking the 4 Pokem

on Communication. I'm not really aboard that train yet and would rather just run 4 Treasure 4 Cherish and invest that deckspace somewhere else. This list really only needs 1 Malamar in play by turn 2 to get 3 energy on turn 2, and this deck isn't running a heavy list of tech cards that couldn't be searched independently by Treasure & Cherish anyway.

That being said, since you do run the Jirachi 4 PokeCom is probably correct. I actually don't value the Jirachi at all post rotation.

I'm not too sold on Druddigon, it's a great attack but gusting with an attack doesn't seem appealing. Who knows buying you that turn might be quite useful. Even as a tech option. But yes, Great Catcher will be greatly welcomed in this deck because it will greatly improve the Malamar matchup while they are "catcher proofish" due to the lack of GXs you're keeping on the bench.

I would LOVE to play Roller Skater. Unfortunately it doesn't come out ti'll November in our next set. It has perfect synergy with this deck. Coach trainer doesn't work too well with this deck unfortunately because most of the time I'm leaving Jirachi in the active and playing my supporter before I Stellar Wish to dig more.

I originally had Dragon Talon in my first list but it was too awkward to get started. Now that this is a new more consistent list that also plays adventure bag I might give Talon another go. I like the idea of forcing your opponent to be in a tough spot between attacking Tinachomp and possibly losing or struggling to find some way around it.

Pokecomm in this deck is a MUST I believe. A good 75% of the time I'm pokecomming away a Malamar for an Inkay or a Dedenne so I don't have to discard my Malamar. Not only that because I'm playing 18 pokemon I'm able to get great mileage out of pokecomm to grab the pokemon I need for that turn and set up amazing combos.
 

Mysticvulpix

Just be chill
Member
i also use 2 and its awesome
Which mew? The unbroken bonds one? I’m seeing it as a great tech, especially with the new reshirom coming out.
That said, I feel 3 jirachi might be going overboard. I’m seeing lists be fine with just one, quickly jirachiing and swapping to, say, Giratina. However, I’m interested in seeing the case for 3
 

jamashawalker

Ikouze!
Member
The three Jirachi gives me a higher chance of leading with it and finding it through drawing without needing to use communication(Which should be used for inkay/malamar). It's an integral part of this deck in terms of consistency.

Pros and Cons of Mew in this deck.

Pros:
You stop bench damage. There are only two decks that attack the bench. Naganadel GX + Pikarom. Pikarom is bopped by Marshadow Machamp. But mew does help alot with Naganadel GX

Cons:
It's bench space Malamar desperately needs. It's attack is alright, but Tina Spell Tag is sooooo much better in terms of spreading damage around.

Depending on how well that new Naganadel GX performs would make me want want to tech a mew into the deck. Because that is a threat that cannot be ignored
 
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