Kash Top 15 List: Best Decks from BST to SVI and how much they cost

Well the new Battle Styles to Scarlet & Violet rotation is fully underway, we've now been playing the new 2023 Pokemon TCG standard rotation for a month now, so we should have enough information to figure out what are the best decks going forward and what to look out for the next month or so.

With that in mind, I wanted to showcase the best 15 deck currently in the game, but not just show the list, I also wanted to showcase how much these decks are worth. There are still many new players entering the game or current players looking for something new to try out. Even I am always on the lookout for newer ideas to test out. I'll also add a little new thing to these lists where I showcase the deck's 3 best matchups and 3 worst matchups so you know what to look out for and maybe knowing what decks your deck is bad against, perhaps find something to help improve those matchups.

Prices for the decks/cards are based off prices on TCGPlayer as of 18th May 2023, and based off USD. Lists are all on Limitless. Best and worst matchups are taken from Trainer Hill. For matchups, Lost Zone Box with Kyogre will be lumped together with Lost Zone Box with Radiant Greninja as the later. The order of the decks you see here are from the lowest performing to the highest performing on Play Limitless. 

Results from here, especially the ones making up the Limitless Points, are based off events from EUIC up till now, including Aichi Champions League, Surabaya Regional League and Thailand Regional League, all of which were played in the same format as this.

15) Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 7th Place Portland Regional - Anthony Perez

Wins: 

Top 4s: 

Top 8s: 2

Total Limitless Points: 44

Deck Cost: $44.57

Best Matchups:

• Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union - 73.7%
• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 66.7%
• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 57.1%

Worst Matchups:

• Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 32.6%
• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 33.3%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 37.7%

This deck is starting to gain some traction having scored two Top 8 finishes at major events as of late. While it lacks the higher out-put of Regieleki VMAX, it does gain a constant energy attacher in the form of Flaaffy. It can also get big KOs thanks to Raichu V. Miraidon ex and Raikou V are the two most expensive pieces in the deck, going for $2.39 and $6.62 each.

14) Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 10th Place Philippines Championships 2023 - Mickel Paul Kinomes

Wins: 

Top 4s: 

Top 8s: 

Total Limitless Points: 12

Deck Cost: $43.87

Best Matchups:

• Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 66.1%
• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 60%
• Gardevoir ex - 50%

Worst Matchups:

• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 31.4%
• Mew VMAX - 35.5%
• Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union - 37.5%

One of the fun/budget decks on this list that have seen some success so far this season, which is better than the other Origin Forme VSTAR deck (Palkia). The deck's whole plan is to set-up the ideal board state to start taking KOs, especially with Dialga's Star Chronos. 

The most expensive pieces of the decks are the 3-3 Dialga (cost a total $18 at least) and of course Radiant Greninja, which is the same story for many other decks.

13) Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 1st Place EUIC - Alex Schemanske

Wins: 1

Top 4s: 

Top 8s: 2

Total Limitless Points: 130

Deck Cost: $86.35

Best Matchups:

• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 73.6%
• Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 58.2%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 56.5%

Worst Matchups:

• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 33.3%
• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 39.4%
• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 40%

Arceus/Duraludon is still alive but instead of being a tank deck, now it's formed into a toolbox style deck. It's already seen success with the likes of Alolan Vulpix VSTAR back in EUIC and most recently with Umbreon VMAX in Portland. 

Still, the deck has proven results and with Arceus being back into the limelight, it's price has gone up. The 4-3 Arceus line itself will cost $56.76 but everything else is affordable. 

12) Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 12th Singapore Regional League - Keenan Jacob Victor

Wins: 

Top 4s: 

Top 8s: 

Total Limitless Points: 37

Deck Cost: $56.58

Best Matchups:

• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 70.5%
• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 66.7%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 62.5%

Worst Matchups:

• Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 26.5%
• Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union - 40%
• Gardevoir ex - 45.8%

Another fun deck on this list that isn't really a budget deck for a good reason, it plays two different VMAXes! Like Dialga, this deck hasn't seen much success but more than Dialga so far, on two occasions almost hitting Top 8. 

It's not the easiest deck to play as you have a lot of lines to take for a variety of matchups, and you have to keep track of the numbers on the board. Even though Rapid Strike Urshifu is quite affordable because of the theme deck, the same cannot be said about Inteleon VMAX, the 3-3 line almost costing $22.

11) Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union - 25th Place Portland Regional - Grant Shen

Wins: 

Top 4s: 

Top 8s: 1

Total Limitless Points: 124

Deck Cost: $68.15

Best Matchups:

• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 62.5%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 61.2%
• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 60%

Worst Matchups:

• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 26.3%
• Mew VMAX - 42.7%
• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 43%

It's the other Gardevoir deck! This one is twice the amount of the usual Gardevoir ex decks and there are 4 culprits for it, Mewtwo V-Union, all 4 pieces costing a total of $33.93. It plays differently to the normal Gardevoir as you can also go for the disruption route with Klefki and set up a board state to have Mewtwo V-Union clean house at the end.

10) Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 16th Place Portland Regional - Kian Amini

Wins: 

Top 4s: 1

Top 8s: 2

Total Limitless Points: 191

Deck Cost: $45.02

Best Matchups:

• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 68.6%
• Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 62.7%
• Gardevoir ex - 62.5%

Worst Matchups:

• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 26.4%
• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 29.5%
• Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union - 38.8%

SableZard is back but so far it hasn't had the big results that either the Greninja/V Mons variants or the Kyogre variants of Lost Box has had so far (apart from EUIC). The deck, unlike other Lost Box decks, has a linear gameplan in mind but it works most of the time, if it hits the right matchups. 

The deck isn't that difficult to build either, just Radiant Charizard, Sableye and Battle VIP Pass being the slightly costlier cards in the list and it's probably stuff you already own if you have other decks so just change a few stuff and you have a pretty good deck ready to go!

9) Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 1st Portland Regional - Landen Kaetler

Wins: 2

Top 4s: 1

Top 8s: 4

Total Limitless Points: 235

Deck Cost: $86.17

Best Matchups:

• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 60.6%
• Gardevoir ex - 59.7%
• Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 58.3%

Worst Matchups:

• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 38.1%
• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 44.9%
• Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 46.2%

Now here's a deck that near and dear to me, it gave me my first ever Regional event win just two weeks ago! ArcTina is one of the best decks to utilise the Path + Judge strategy and it's quite simple. The gameplan is EA Sports as I call it. 

If you have Energy (E) and Arceus (A), you're in the game (Sports). Then you try to disrupt with Path and Judge and finish games off with Giratina VSTAR. It is one of the more costlier decks with the Arceus line going for about $57 and the Giratina line about $15. Don't forget to pick up that 6 cents card called Skwovet, it might just win you games!

8) Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 5th Place London Cup - Öjvind Svinhufvud

Wins: 

Top 4s: 2

Top 8s: 2

Total Limitless Points: 372

Deck Cost: $41.31

Best Matchups:

• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 67.4%
• Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 62.2%
• Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 60.9%

Worst Matchups:

• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 33.9%
• Giratina VSTAR - 41.7%
• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 41.7%

Goodra is still sticking around and still Rolling Ironing everyone in it's path! It didn't lose much in the rotation so it's almost the same old trusted Goodra. Rolling Iron is an annoying attack to deal with as it makes Goodra takes less damage. Goodra isn't the most expensive attacker too, the 3-3 line only costing $15 so it's an affordable choice and in fact, one of the cheapest decks on this list.

7) Miraidon ex/Regieleki VSTAR - 8th Place EUIC - Robert Kinbrum

Wins: 

Top 4s: 

Top 8s: 1

Total Limitless Points: 76

Deck Cost: $71.12

Best Matchups:

• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 56.6%
• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 55.6%
• Giratina VSTAR - 53.8%

Worst Matchups:

• Mew VMAX - 35.4%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 37.3%
• Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 38.6%

Miraidon is the new aggro deck of the format, and it's gameplan is quite simple, set up the lighting guys, hit your energies and start attacking and often times you can start hitting for 220 by Turn 1 itself, which is knocking out a number of V Pokémons. 

And the deck is very consistent thanks to Miraidon's ability to search out two Lighting type Pokémon to be put onto the bench. The Regieleki line will be the hardest ones to get as they cost at least $26 and even the 2 Raikou Vs are costing a total of $12! Everything else apart from Forest Seal Stone shouldn't be too difficult to get.

6) Giratina VSTAR - 2nd Place Bogotá SPE - Jonathan Torres

Wins: 

Top 4s: 2

Top 8s: 

Total Limitless Points: 151

Deck Cost: $56.91

Best Matchups:

• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 59.0%
• Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 58.3%
• Gardevoir ex - 52.8%

Worst Matchups:

• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 41.8%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 43.2%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 43.7%

Technically you could say Giratina is also a lost box deck, it just has a 3-3 VSTAR line to go with it. The gameplan is similar but you do have a heavy hitter to take down opposing Vs and ex Pokemons thanks to Giratina VSTAR, including it's ridiculously good Star Requiem VSTAR move. 

The Giratinas themselves will cost you around $22 to get, and the likes of Sableye and Radiant Greninja are the cheapest cards to get either. And the deck does play 4 Battle VIP Pass, not the cheapest items to get but it certainty gets the job done.

5) Mew VMAX - 1st Place Philippines Championships - Joshua Doctolero

Wins: 1

Top 4s: 5

Top 8s: 6

Total Limitless Points: 422

Deck Cost: $50.53

Best Matchups:

• Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 64.6%
• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 64.5%
• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 58.8%

Worst Matchups:

• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 43.2%
• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 46.6%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 46.7%

Mew VMAX is still a big favourite for many in the game despite the vast amount of counters it has to face in the game. Even then, Mew VMAX is so consistent it can usually beat those tricky matchups too. 

Wins in Philippines Championship and Indonesia Championship (technically not in this format but one set ahead of us) proves that Mew VMAX is still a very good choice. It's not hard to build too thanks to have a league battle deck released last year (even though the Mew line does still cost around $22 altogether).

4) Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 3rd Place Bogotá SPE - Gabriel Smart

Wins: 2

Top 4s: 7

Top 8s: 6

Total Limitless Points: 756

Deck Cost: $80.40

Best Matchups:

• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 73.5%
• Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 61.4%
• Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 58.7%

Worst Matchups:

• Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 37.8%
• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 41.8%
• Gardevoir ex - 47.1%

Easily the BDIF last time out and while some thought Lugia might not be as good in this new rotation, early results are suggesting otherwise. It's got the most Limitless Points in this format so far so that is saying something! 

The gameplan is simple, get Lugia VSTAR to set up the two Archeops and start to attack with a variety of attackers for all sorts of decks. It does come with a heavy price, the Lugia line will cost you at least $60, the most of any lines mentioned on this list so far. Everything else however is quite affordable so still a decent deck to pick up.

3) Gardevoir ex - 2nd Place EUIC - Tord Reklev

Wins: 1

Top 4s: 6

Top 8s: 8

Total Limitless Points: 448

Deck Cost: $38.54

Best Matchups:

• Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 56.4%
• Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 55.3%
• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 54.2%

Worst Matchups:

• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 37.5%
• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 40.3%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 43.1%

Gardevoir is back and of course we've got yet another decent Gardevoir ex in the game. Gardevoir decks want to play the long game, they will have to take a while to set-up but once it does, it can start to clean house. 

Kirlia helps a lot with that thanks to it's Refinement ability, one of the best abilities in the game (just look at what Zoroark GX did all those years ago). And surprisingly enough, it's the second cheapest deck on this list! The Gardevoir ex isn't even the most expensive Pokémon in the deck, that goes to Radiant Greninja, Cresselia and the other Gardevoir.

2) Lost Zone Toolbox/Kyogre - 5th Place Portland Regional - Alex Schemanske

Wins: 

Top 4s: 2

Top 8s: 3

Total Limitless Points: 180

Deck Cost: $33.33

Best Matchups:

• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 62.3%
• Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 59.7%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 57.8%

Worst Matchups:

• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 37.5%
• Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 43.2%
• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 43.4%

We go from the second cheapest deck to build on this list to the cheapest deck to build on this list and some might say one of the best decks going so far. It's the standard Lost Box Ninja deck but with Kyogre to finish up games and often times these lists don't play Vs to make it even more difficult for people to win the prize race. 

Lately more Kyogre variants are starting to add the usual Vs see in the Ninja built but they all work towards the same game plan. Win the Lost Zone race, get to 7 first, hit the mirage gates, get to 10 first and be the first to attack with Sableye, which is the second most expensive Pokémon in this deck after Radiant Greninja. If you're looking for a cheap option, this might be the one but this is also one of the hardest decks to master.

1st) Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 2nd Place London Cup - Brent Tonisson

Wins: 4

Top 4s: 6

Top 8s: 5

Total Limitless Points: 589

Deck Cost: $66.41

Best Matchups:

• Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 62.3%
• Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 59.7%
• Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 57.8%

Worst Matchups:

• Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 37.5%
• Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 43.2%
• Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 43.4%

And finally to the typical version of Lost Box Ninja decks we tend to see lately that some are calling the Turbo build. It's gameplan is the same as before, try to hit 7 into the lost box but this version can easily get that done by Turn 2 thanks to stuff like Lost Vacuum and Forest Seal Stone. Raikou, Dragonite and Drapion have proven to be the best choice of attackers for these types of decks to deal with the current meta and just to deal with V mons. 

The Dragonite itself is going for around $14 as it is a promo card and the Raikou isn't the cheapest card to get either. Even stuff like Forest Seal Stone, Battle VIP Pass and Nest Ball will cost more than the usual item cards. Still, it's worth the investment as it has a proven track record so far.

So here's a short review of the decks:

Deck prices (as of 18th May 2023) from cheapest to most expensive:

1. Lost Zone Toolbox/Kyogre - $33.33
2. Gardevoir ex - $38.54
3. Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - $41.31
4. Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - $43.87
5. Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - $44.57
6. Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - $45.02
7. Mew VMAX - $50.53
8. Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - $56.58
9. Giratina VSTAR - $56.91
10. Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - $66.41
11. Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union - $68.15
12. Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - $71.12
13. Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - $80.40
14. Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - $86.17
15. Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - $86.35

The first thing you might notice right away is the fact that not a single deck costs over $100! This might be the first time in a while I've seen that where by every top deck doesn't go above the $100 mark. That is only a good news for Pokemon TCG, it just shows how viable the game is and players wanting to get into a new deck won't have to spend on much!

The deck that could have won EUIC is the 2nd cheapest deck on this list! This really makes me happy to see, as someone who is still struggling with money, that the game is very affordable for all of us to play and enjoy it!

Highest scoring decks from Limitless points in BST-SVI format:

1. Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 756
2. Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja - 589
3. Gardevoir ex - 448
4. Mew VMAX - 422
5. Hisuian Goodra VSTAR - 372
6. Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 235
7. Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard - 191
8. Lost Zone Toolbox/Kyogre - 180
9. Giratina VSTAR - 151
10. Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 130
11. Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union - 124
12. Miraidon ex/Regieleki VMAX - 76
13. Miraidon ex/Flaaffy - 44
14. Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 37
15. Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR/Magnezone - 12

Seeing Lugia on top was a bit surprising to me, but the main reason for this was it's strong showing throughout EUIC. Even though it may only have 2 top 8 finishers, it had the most representation in Day 2, along with it's two wins in Malaysia and Indonesia Regional Leagues. After that no surprises to see Lost Box Ninja, Gardevoir and Mew make up the rest of top 5, along with the other deck that did really well in EUIC, that being Goodra.

There is still a lot to play for in this format! Especially for all of us here in Asia as Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore Championships will all be played in this format. Probably the most important tournament for me this year so I will continue to keep an eye out for how this format evolves in time for June 17th. Thanks for reading!

Kash Top 15 List: Decks from SSH to SIT and how rotation will affect them

 Rotation is coming soon in Japan and a few months time for the rest of us so I thought why not see which current top decks will be least or most affected by the rotation coming in January/April (Japan/Not Japan). And that's with one more extra sub-set to be released next month (Crown Zenith).

I'll use decks that have done well in the past few month in major IRL events (Regionals, Champions League, Opens or Internationals), getting their total prices in case anyone wants to build the deck right now and also the percentages number for how much of the current deck will be rotated out. 

Prices are from TCG Player based on US Dollars as of January 1st 2023.

There are some top decks that I won't cover for the obvious reasons:

• Eternatus VMAX/Galarian Weezing - Well they are both rotating and the deck can't function without them
• Articuno/Inteleon - I feel the Inteleon package is too important for this deck and without it, I don't see how the Articuno idea works well. Same can be said for many different decks that rely on the Inteleon engine
• Vikavolt V decks - Well if the Item locking guy is gone, what's the point?
• Centiskorch VMAX - I just wanted to put it here ok, I had a good run with it but goodbye old friend

Sets that will be rotating (D sets) are: Sword & Shield Base (SWSH), Rebel Clash (RCL), Darkness Ablaze (DAA), Champions Path (CPA) and Vivid Voltage (VIV).

#15 - Eldegoss V/Yveltal Control

Sander Wojcik - 5th - São Paulo International

Cards Rotating: - 26

• x3 Snorlax (VIV)
• x1 Eldegoss V (CPA)
• x2 Bird Keeper (DAA)
• x4 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x4 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x2 Yell Horn (DAA)
• x1 Pal Pad (SSH)
• x1 Lucky Egg (SSH)
• x2 Cape of Toughness (DAA)
• x2 Galar Mine (RCL)
• x3 Twin Energy (RCL)
• x1 Wash Water Energy (VIV)

Deck Price: $45.78

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 43.33%

Well I'm not the best person to talk about Control decks, seeing as I've never played them but I'll try my best. The fact that near half the deck is rotating should tell you enough to know how much rotation will hurt this deck, in fact it's the most affected of all the decks on here. The biggest lost is Snorlax which allows these Control decks to keep drawing cards after their turn since they don't plan to attack. Eldegoss V also rotating does hurt the loop strategy. Galar Mine rotating also hurts as it denies you the chance to trap opponent's bench sitters in the late game.

#14 - Mewtwo V-Union/Yveltal Control

Piper Lepine - 1st - Toronto Regional

Cards Rotating: - 23

• x4 Snorlax (VIV)
• x1 Marnie (SSH)
• x1 Pokemon Center Lady (CPA)
• x4 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x4 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x2 Pal Pad (SSH)
• x1 Yell Horn (DAA)
• x2 Galar Mine (RCL)
• x4 Twin Energy (RCL)

Deck Price: $66.13

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 38.33%

As mentioned early, the loss of Snorlax hurts every control-style deck, including this one. Other than that, losing important stuff such as Quick Ball and Scoop Up Net hurts with the set-up and also denying easy prizes on stuff like Miltank or Yveltal. Pal Pad rotating means you aren't able to loop the deck as much as possible. Mewtwo V-Union control decks can still be around as seen with Sander's new build with Gengar/Kirlia so never count these decks out.

#13 - Zoroark Box

Ross Cawthon - 52nd - Arlington Regional

Cards Rotating: - 22

• x3 Cinccino (SSH)
• x1 Oranguru (SSH)
• x2 Marnie (SSH)
• x3 Evolution Incense (SSH)
• x3 Ordinary Rod (SSH)
• x2 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x4 Capture Energy (RCL)
• x4 Twin Energy (RCL)

Deck Price: $34.54

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 36.67%

One of my personal favourite decks but losing Twin Energy AND Capture Energy will hurt the deck a lot as DTE will become the only way to use the attacks of Braixen, the fighting-type techs, Radiant Jirachi but the most important of them all, Slowbro for it's Twilight Inspiration so trying to win the game when your opponent has 1 prize left will get trickier but DTE is still around just in case so not all doom and gloom. The other big loss is actually Cinccino. 

Sure, we can simply switch that line with either a Liepard line or a Kirlia line but the thing that made Cinccino more appealing was it having the Minccino with Call for Family, as it helps to set up your board. Without that, Zoroark Box might be a bit slower to set-up. 

The other big loss I'd say is Ordinary Rod. Sure losing Evolution Incense is quite big too as it makes finding the right attacker at the right time more trickier but not having Ordinary Rod means you won't be able to continuously recover your Zoroark, Zorua or also possibly Manaphy. We have Klara to solve that but to waste a Supporter for that effect isn't the best idea for this deck. It is easily one of the decks most affected by rotation and you can see why, as the deck will be a lot slower.

#12 - Flaaffy Box

Joel Andrew Suryadi - 2nd - Brisbane Regional

Cards Rotating: - 17

• x2 Zekrom (VIV)
• x1 Crobat V (DAA)
• x2 Marnie (SSH)
• x4 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x3 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x1 Ordinary Rod (SSH)
• x2 Air Balloon (SSH)
• x2 Speed Lighting Energy (RCL)

Deck Price: $32.62

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 28.33%

Flaaffy Box is actually the cheapest deck to build on this list and it can spring a surprise as seen in the Brisbane Regional. For it to do that after rotation, it'll have to do so without one of it's main attackers, Zekrom. The main strategy is to use Zekrom to paralyse and trap stuff until the point where Medicham can clean it up for you to take another turn. That won't be possible without the guy who paralyses stuff. 

The deck will also be less flexible with Net and Balloon both gone, meaning it'll be harder to move around Pokemon. And with Rod gone, some tech attackers may not get a 2nd chance to make an impact. Losing Crobat and Speed Lighting means less draw power for the deck.

#11 - Blissey V/Miltank

Yui Takao - 10th - Kyoto Champions League

Cards Rotating: - 23

• x4 Marnie (SSH)
• x4 Hyper Potion (CPA)
• x2 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x4 Cape of Toughness (DAA)
• x4 Powerful Energy (DAA)
• x4 Capture Energy (RCL)
• x1 Twin Energy (RCL)

Deck Price: $41.63

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 38.33%

Blissey is still one of the more affordable decks around and none of the Pokemon in the deck are rotating so that's the good news. The bad news? Well 2 very important energies are gone, Powerful Energy and Capture Energy! Which means Blissey or Miltank won't be able to hit hard and you can't set attackers up as easily as usual. 

Losing Cape of Toughness might be the other more painful loss. Blissey V being 250 HP is annoying enough to deal with, then imagine a 300 HP Blissey V thanks to Cape. So the deck will be left a little vulnerable to big hits with Cape gone. Hyper Potion rotating also means you can't make Blissey V as tanky as possible. The deck can survive into the new rotation but with no Powerful, no Capture, no Cape and no Hyper Potion, things will get tougher for this colourless deck.

#10 - Regi Box

Christian Fontenot - 7th - Arlington Regional

Cards Rotating: - 24

• x2 Marnie (SSH)
• x4 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x3 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x3 Ordinary Rod (SSH)
• x1 Yell Horn (DAA)
• x1 Air Balloon (SSH)
• x4 Aurora Energy (SSH)
• x2 Twin Energy (RCL)
• x2 Capture Energy (RCL)
• x2 Speed Lighting Energy (RCL)

Deck Price: $44.27

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 40%

Well let's just state the obvious here. Aurora Energy is rotating. With that (and Speed Lighting) gone, all of your attackers not named Regigigas cannot attack! Sure, losing important stuff like Ordinary Rod, Scoop Up Net and Quick Ball hurts this deck as much as the other decks on this list that also plays it, but not having Aurora Energy is enough to possibly kill this deck off. 

Just my plain and blunt opinion, I don't see how this deck will continue to be a thing with no Rainbow-style energy to use. We'll have to wait for the next one to show up. Even then, with Ordinary Rod gone, it spells disaster for Regis.

#9 - Kyurem VMAX/Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR

Jonathan Soto - 50th - Arlington Regional

Cards Rotating: - 17

• x2 Oranguru (SSH)
• x1 Crobat V (DAA)
• x1 Marnie (SSH)
• x3 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x3 Capacious Bucket (RCL)
• x2 Rotom Phone (CPA)
• x1 Switch (SSH)
• x1 Energy Retrieval (SSH)
• x1 Training Court (RCL)
• x2 Wash Water Energy (VIV)

Deck Price: $63.51

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 28.33%

Kyurem is decently prized and doesn't lose as much as other decks to rotation, so what's the thing that hurts this deck going forwards? Quite simple, Oranguru and Cap Bucket. Without these two, you cannot make full use of Kyurem VMAX's Glaciated World ability. Bucket helps you get two Water energy out of the deck and Oranguru helps you switch one card from your hand with the top deck, with in turns means you can make it a Water Energy to make Glaciated World a success hit. 

Without them (and Rotom Phone too for that matter), you can't manipulate your top deck anymore and leave it up to chance. Can the deck still work? Sure, Palkia is still a thing to help power up Kyurem but losing everything else makes it much slower. 

 

#8 - Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR/Inteleon

Jake Gearhart - 6th - Toronto Regional

Cards Rotating: - 19

• x3 Drizzle (SSH)
• x1 Inteleon (SSH)
• x3 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x3 Evolution Incense (SSH)
• x3 Capacious Bucket (RCL)
• x3 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x1 Ordinary Rod (SSH)
• x1 Training Court (RCL)
• x1 Wash Water Energy (VIV)

Deck Price: $62.13

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 31.67%

I wanted to include this onto the list to show how much losing the Inteleon line hurts decks that utilise it. Palkia is currently the best deck to use the Inteleon engine and with it being gone, it loses a lot of option to find exactly what it needs at the turn it's needed. If we include the Sobbles, the deck loses 38% of the deck to rotation. 

Palkia will likely have to go the Kyurem route or go back to the Mew or Bibarel engines, which is still possible as you still have stuff like Radiant Greninja and Melony to power up Palkias. I'm more curious to see how Palkia adapts to rotation out of all the main attackers on this list.

#7 - Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX

Christian LaBella - 2nd - Toronto Regional

Cards Rotating: - 20

• x2 Duraludon V (CPA)
• x3 Marnie (SSH)
• x4 PokeGear 3.0 (SSH)
• x3 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x2 Evolution Incense (SSH)
• x2 Hyper Potion (SSH)
• x1 Switch (SSH)
• x2 Big Parasol (DAA)
• x1 Training Court (RCL)

Deck Price: $80.05

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 33.33%

Arceus/Duraludon is actually the second most expensive deck to build on this list and only loses technically 1/3 of the current list. It still sounds big but not as big as other decks on this list. It will lose the tanky Duraludon V (the metal type) that does have a 250HP buffer but shouldn't be much of an issue since there is another V to replace it. 

Losing PokeGear means less chances to hit that vital Boss's Orders or Marnie for turn but again, not the biggest lost. Hyper Potion is a big loss, making Duraludon VMAX more susceptible to two shot KOs. Big Parasol can be a bit of an annoying loss, it helps with stuff like Sableye's Lost Mine (but not Yveltal's Amazing Destruction, you will see why later). In all honesty, the deck won't actually lose much from rotation and can adapt quite well with changing certain counts and cards around.

#6 - Giratina VSTAR/Lost Zone

Christopher Schemanske - 47th - São Paulo International

Cards Rotating: - 12

• x4 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x2 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x2 Switch (SSH)
• x2 Ordinary Rod (SSH)
• x1 Air Balloon (SSH)
• x1 Capture Energy (RCL)

Deck Price: $45.69

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 20%

Giratina has become quite an affordable deck to build from scratch and with only 20% of the deck rotating, it's one of the deck that loses the least to it. What it does lose are quite painful. Losing Scoop Up Net makes the Comfey engine a little slower as you cannot move it around as much as you would currently, meaning you might only get one or two Flower Selecting per turn and you have to time your switch outs perfectly. 

Switch can be easily "switched" out to Switch Cart so not the worst switch you can make. Ok, with those puns out of the way, the other main thing Giratina loses is Ordinary Rod. Decks may decie to switch to Energy Recycler for that so not the worst change but not being able to recover attackers easily will hurt in certain matches if you need a Cramorant, Sableye or Giratina VSTAR at certain times. The deck will stay relatively the same, just without Nets and Rods, but as it's not seeing much play at the moment, will that change with rotation?

#5 - Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Charizard

Thomas Happel - 35th - Arlington Regional

Cards Rotating: - 13

• x1 Oranguru (SSH)
• x1 Galarian Zigzagoon (SSH)
• x4 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x3 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x1 Ordinary Rod (SSH)
• x1 Air Balloon (SSH)
• x2 Twin Energy (RCL)

Deck Price: $64.82

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 21.67%

All the Lost Zone decks don't actually lose out much to rotation as you will see from the previous, current and next decks. They, along with Mew VMAX, are the 5 decks least affected by it. This version is the more expensive version to build, thanks in part to Radiant Charizard being...well...a Charizard card that's actually playable. 

Like every Lost Zone decks, losing Scoop Up Net, Quick Ball and Air Balloon will hurt the deck to continuously use Flower Selecting. Losing Galarian Zigzagoon means you can't make sneakily take two prizes with the use of Sableye's Lost March or set up numbers for other important KOs. The deck have lately included Twin Energy to get Radiant Charizard to attack much quicker than most are expecting it too and also for Snorlax, but with Twin rotating, it might mean more energies and stuff like Raihan/Mirage Gate will have to take it's place.

#4 - Lost Zone Toolbox/Radiant Greninja

Grant Manley - 3rd - São Paulo International

Cards Rotating: - 12

• x1 Oranguru (SSH)
• x4 Scoop Up Net (RCL)
• x2 Ordinary Rod (SSH)
• x2 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x3 Capture Energy (SSH)

Deck Price: $38.03

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 20%

This version of Lost Box loses lesser cards to rotation than the Radiant Charizard version but the losses are still the same. It being Scoop Up Net (less usage of Flower Selecting is never good), Ordinary Rod (can be switched to more Energy Recycler but no way to recycle attackers now), Oranguru (not much of a loss as Marnie is also rotating) and Quick Ball (straight swap for the incoming Nest Ball).

Unlike the other Lost Box deck, it will lose Capture Energy so the deck won't set up as easily as possible. Currently, the best usage for it is to get Capture energy onto a Comfey, get a Cramorant out of the deck with it, use Flower Selecting or Colress to get the Lost Zone to 4 cards and attack with Cramorant. Still, the deck should still flourish into the new rotation but will need to find answers for the incoming influxes of ex-pokemon that aren't basics.

#3 - Mew VMAX/Meloetta Fusion

Jamie Hindley - 8th - Stuttgart Regional

Cards Rotating: - 7

• x1 Marnie (SSH)
• x4 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x1 Switch (SSH)
• x1 Pal Pad (SSH)

Deck Price: $52.34

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 11.67%

It's scary to think that Mew VMAX won't lose out much to rotation and it's already one of the best decks in format, a scary sign of things to come? This list loses Marnie which isn't a big loss as it can be replaced by Judge, the 4 Quick Ball can be switched for the returning Nest Ball (although you do lose the ability to think out your hand to make full use of Genesect V's Fusion Strike System ability to draw more cards.

Switch can be a painful loss as Switch Cart isn't a like-for-like replacement. Lately more Mew VMAX decks have gone back to Switch in reply to the amount of Paralysis decks entering the meta and as Switch Cart only works on Basics, Mew VMAX can't retreat with it. Switch is a card we've always seen in standard format so I'd expect to see it re-printed for the new Scarlet and Violet base set. Pal Pad can be an annoying loss as well, meaning you lose out the option to recycle important stuff like Roxanne or Boss for the late game.

#2 - Mew VMAX/DTE

Connor Chiappetta - 24th - Arlington Regional

Cards Rotating: - 6

• x4 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x1 Switch (SSH)
• x1 Big Parasol (DAA)

Deck Price: $53.32

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 10%

As mentioned above, Mew VMAX doesn't lose out much to rotation and the DTE build is the least affected deck to rotation. Quick Balls will be replaced by Nest Ball so in all honestly, the deck only loses two cards, and one of them doesn't see play in other lists so for now it's just Switch that will be lost to rotation unless it gets re-printed.

Mew VMAX is a decently prized deck, costs less than $70, and loses little to nothing to rotation and is right now one of the best decks in the current standard format. All these things makes me think that Mew VMAX will continue to be a force to be reckoned with once rotation is in effect. This is the deck I'd recommend newcomers to get for anyone thinking of joining the game right now.

#1 - Lugia VSTAR/Archeops 

Kang Yu Xian - 2nd - Asia EN Open 2022

Cards Rotating: - 23

• x1 Amazing Rare Yveltal (SHF)
• x1 Oranguru (SSH)
• x1 Bird Keeper (DAA)
• x4 Quick Ball (SSH)
• x4 Evolution Incense (SSH)
• x4 Powerful Colourless Energy (DAA)
• x4 Aurora Energy (SSH)
• x3 Capture Energy (RCL)
• x1 Hiding Darkness Energy (DAA)

Deck Price: $130.47

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 38.33%

Lugia is currently the best deck in the format, and it's price shows! Easily the most expensive deck to build currently. It is also one of the deck most affected by rotation, tied 3rd most of them all. On the energy side of things, it loses Powerful Energy so it cannot take big one-hit KOs and losing Aurora Energy means stuff like Amazing Rare Yveltal (who itself is also rotating), Lumineon V and Radiant Charizard would have a hard time getting powered up by Archeops with no Aurora Energy to use.

The deck does lose one of it's biggest attackers in Amazing Rare Yvetal so it can't take cheeky KOs out of nowhere. Some lists will use Amazing Rare Raikou which is also rotating so that's two attackers that usually uses Aurora Energy gone. Losing Bird Keeper makes the deck susceptible to the paralysis stuff again. 

Quite possibly the biggest loss is actually Evolution Incense and Quick Ball, it makes it much easier for you to search out Archeops with the earlier and then discard it with the latter. With them both gone, Lugia decks might have to rely on other ways to get Archeops into the discard, be it drawing into them and using Research or Ultra Ball, or now going for the Professor Burnet to straight up discard the Archeops. 

The deck will look a lot different with many special energies being rotated so it might have to rely on other special energies, be it possibly Rapid Strike Energy or Single Strike Energy, but Archeops is too good to ignore and it will still survive the next rotation, that much we know. But now that you've read all of that, you might forget what was what, like me, so here's a short re-cap: 

Decks prices (as of Jan 1st 2023) from cheapest to most expensive:

1. Flaaffy Box - $32.62
2. Zoroark Box - $34.54
3. Lost Zone Box/Radiant Greninja - $38.03
4. Blissey V/Miltank - $41.63
5. Regi Box - $44.27
6. Giratina VSTAR - $45.69
7. Eldegoss V/Yveltal Control - $45.78
8. Mew VMAX/Fusion - $52.34
9. Mew VMAX/DTE - $53.32
10. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR/Inteleon - $62.13
11. Kyurem VMAX/Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR - $63.51
12. Lost Zone Box/Radiant Charizard - $64.82
13. Mewtwo V-Union/Yveltal Control - $66.13
14. Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - $80.05
15. Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - $130.47

How much do rotation affect these decks, from least to most: 

1. Mew VMAX/DTE - 10%
2. Mew VMAX/Fusion - 11.67%
3. Giratina VSTAR - 20%
4. Lost Zone Box/Radiant Greninja - 20%
5. Lost Zone Box/Radiant Charizard - 21.67%
6. Flaaffy Box - 28.33%
7. Kyurem VMAX/Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR - 28.33%
8. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR/Inteleon - 31.67%
9. Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 33.33%
10. Zoroark Box - 36.67%
11. Lugia VSTAR/Archeops - 38.33%
12. Mewtwo V-Union/Yveltal Control - 38.33%
13. Blissey V/Miltank - 38.33%
14. Regi Box - 40%
15. Eldegoss V/Yveltal Control - 43.33%

Thanks for reading and I wish you all the best for the upcoming year in 2023 and hopefully as many of you will make it to the World Championships in Yokohama this year and I'll cheer you lot on. 

Kash Top 15 List: Decks from TEU to CRE and how rotation will affect them

Rotation is coming soon so I thought why not see which current top decks will be least or most affected by the rotation coming in September (one month away). And that's with one more extra set still to come this month (Evolving Skies)!

Just like before for lists like these, I'll use decks that have done well in the past few month in the online tournament circuit, getting their total prices in case anyone wants to build the deck right now and also the percentages number for how much of the current deck will be rotated out. 

Prices are from TCG Player based on US Dollars as of August 9th 2021.

There are some top decks that I won't cover for the obvious reasons:

• Lucario & Melmetal-GX/Zacian V as the LM part is rotating as will most of the defensive tool from the deck
• Mewtwo & Mew-GX/Dark Toolbox, or basically anything with Mewtwo & Mew-GX as that is rotated and kills of that toolbox variant
• Spiritomb UNB since the main attacker and all of the important pieces will be rotated
• Pikachu & Zekrom-GX is finally gone
• Caturday Toolbox as all Caturday attackers and Persian are rotated
• Welder decks are sadly gone

Sets that will be legal are: SWSH, RCL, DAA, CPA, VIV, SHF, BST, CRE and the upcoming EVS set.

#15 - Tornadus VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 0

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 2

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 13.33%

The fact that Tornadus is only losing 13% of the deck was one of the reasons why I had it in mind for this list even though it's the only deck not to have won a tournament yet. I wanted to include a Single Strike deck and this is the best one I could come up with. Losing TAE is the biggest thing for Tornadus which might mean the deck returns to more of a Single Strike Toolbox style of deck with the likes of Single Strike Urshifu VMAX and the new Gengar VMAX making it's way into the deck soon. 

#14 - Blaziken VMAX/Zeraora V

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 1

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 7

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 15%

The Blaziken/Zeraora deck won't actually lose much, just mostly tech cards, some of which could be replaced by other searching out cards (Level Ball, Evolution Incense). It's not the main Rapid Strike deck but with Mew from Unbroken Bonds rotating, Zeraora V might become an even bigger threat purely for it's ability to hit the active and the bench (and hit more than G-Max Rapid Flow as well).

#13 - Corviknight VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 1

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 5

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 10%

These Bronzong-style toolbox deck, be it Corviknight focused or otherwise, in all honesty, are losing nothing from the rotation. LM-GX was a tech choice and everything else is easily replaceable. And with ADP-GX gone, this may be the best way to play a Zacian deck, apart from a turbo-style Zacian deck by itself with perhaps Inteleon that has been seeing success in post rotation events.

#12 - Inteleon VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 2

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 7

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 11.67%

Just like the first few decks, Inteleon VMAX won't actually lose much from the rotation, just consistency boosters being the main loss. The biggest thing it'll gain is the fact that Pikachu & Zekrom-GX is finally rotating, giving it full reign for once. And there's another, possibly an even better Inteleon VMAX, coming soon to make the deck even better than it could be.

#11 - Blissey V

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 2

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 15

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 23.33%

Blissey is one of the decks that rotation will hit hardest purely for the fact that it's main draw/discard engine, Hapu, is rotating. It also doesn't help that Weakness Guard Energy is rotating, which makes the Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX matchup near impossible now. The deck will likely need more new cards to be released to give it help in the next few months. It's still one of the better decks in Expanded format at least!

#10 - Malamar CRE/Rapid Strike Toolbox

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 9

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 20

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 6.67%

The malamar rapid strike deck was a terrible game design mistake. Seriously over powered. Needed to say discard the cards instead of shuffle back. It consistently 300 damages for 1 energy. And the scary fact that only 6% of the deck is rotating means we'll keep hearing about this. The biggest losses being Oricorio-GX does hurt it's consistency and losing Mew means it's an open target for snipe decks.

#9 - Rillaboom Toolbox

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 9

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 19

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 26.67%

Rillaboom toolbox-styled decks will survive in some way, but it won't be able to set up consistently now that EggRow-GX is rotating, meaning it'll have to depend on the trusted old Rare Candy method. The deck will have to go through a big overhaul with all of it's Tag engine rotating. Rillaboom may not even be the preferred Grass deck going forward with Leafeon V soon to be released. 

#8 - Victini VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 2

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 21

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 36.67%

Victini VMAX will still see play post rotation simply due to the fact that all GXes are gone, and with a V-format, Victini will have an easier time dealing with 2 & 3 prize attackers. The issue will be that it will have to do that without our good friend Welder who will sadly rotate. Personally, that makes me very sad since most of my success in the game has been with Welder decks. It'll also need a complete makeover as it's tech attackers are all gone along with the Jirachi/Dedenne engine.

#7 - Malamar VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 8

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 34

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 40%

Just like Victini VMAX before it, Malamar VMAX can still feature in post rotation but it will need a complete makeover. Losing the Weavile-GX/Red & Blue engine will hurt it's ability to attack quickly, now needing to rely on Galarian Moltres/Energy Switch for that role. Losing Weavile also means Cheryl will most likely not see play in the deck going forward. Losing Forest also hurts Moltres' ability to quickly charge itself up.

Just a note, I've included the Sneasel from CRE. Sure, it's not rotating but the fact that Weavile-GX is rotating means there is no reason to play it thus why it's included in the numbers .

#6 - Decidueye DAA

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 13

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 51

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 15%

Decidueye's biggest loss would be Rosa which hurts it's ability to set up Decidueyes rather quickly but the Inteleon engine has been doing that job for it quite smoothly so it won't be the biggest loss. This deck will continue to wins tournaments out of nowhere just because of Decidueye and prey on people with no answer to it. 

Also for note, I'm not counting the Rowlet here as there is a like-for-like replacement in other sets as Decidueye is still legal unlike the case for Weavile-GX mentioned for Malamar VMAX.

#5 - Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 35

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 151

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 6.67%

Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX is the least effected top deck from the upcoming rotation which may be part of the reason why many think it could be the best deck going forward. The only real loss in Reset Stamp meaning it won't be able to the old "Path and Stamp" tactic going forward to make others stuck. Ice Rider has seen a lot of success since it's release and will continue to do so with 90% of the deck sticking around for the long haul.

#4 - Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 29

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 103

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 13.33%

Rapid Strike Urshifu may lose some important techs but what it gains is the fact that Mew UNB is gone, which might just make it the BDIF going forward as decks may not be able to deal with it's constant pressure. Losing Karate Belt does mean it can't just rely on going down on prizes for constant G-Max Rapid Flow. Losing Jirachi-GX also hurts vs Shadow Rider or any new Psychic type deck going forward but that may not be an issue if you can strike them first as seen in this format so far.

#3 - Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX/Galarian Moltres V

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 25

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 86

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 16.67%

The devil is dead. Two of the biggest pains in the past year or so, ADP-GX and Mawile-GX are both gone. But the funny thing is the fact that the deck won't actually lose much apart from the obvious losses. So that begs the question, can a Turbo Zacian or Turbo Moltres style deck (or together) still survive with the remains of this deck without the attack and prize boost of ADP?

#2 - Eternatus VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 31

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 141

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 20%

Even though I've got it at 20% loss here, Eternatus VMAX won't actually lose much. Before Moltres arrived on the scene, the deck didn't have the likes of Weavile-GX and 3 Swells, two of the main things it will lose from rotation. The deck will have to go back to a Moltres/Energy Switch engine to speed up it's attacks. Losing Swell might be the biggest pain for the deck as it will have a much harder time dealing with Path to the Peak. Eternatus will always be a force to be reckon with, anything that can possibly hit for 270 for just two energy cannot be taken lightly. 

#1 - Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX

Total Tourney Wins in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 74

Total Top 4 Finishes in TEU-CRE (as of Aug 9 '21): 249

Cards affected by rotation in deck: 10%

Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX won't lose much of from the rotation but it will lose Gengar & Mimikyu-GX, which has been part of the reason why it's been so successful to help buy an extra turn to set up or even take cheeky turn 2 KOs. Losing Marshadow won't be a pain with the new Pumpkaboo that does a similar job. The deck should still be one of the best decks in the format even with the loss of Gengarkyu but time will tell if that is true or not since it won't lose much from the rotation. 

Just a summary of which decks are more or least affected:

Not affected by much: (0-10%)

• Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX - 6.67%
• Malamar CRE/Rapid Strike Toolbox - 6.67%
• Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX - 10%
• Corviknight VMAX - 10%

Slightly affected: (11%-20%)

• Inteleon VMAX - 11.67%
• Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 13.33%
• Tornadus VMAX - 13.33%
• Decidueye DAA - 15%
• Blaziken VMAX/Zeraora V - 15%
• ADP-GX/Galarian Moltres V - 16.67%
• Eternatus VMAX - 20%
• Pikachu & Zekrom-GX - 20%

Severely affected: (21%-40%)

• Spiritomb UNB - 21.67%
• Blissey V - 23.33%
• Rillaboom Toolbox - 26.67%
• Lucario & Melmetal-GX/Zacian V - 28.33%
• Victini VMAX - 36.67%
• Malamar VMAX - 40%

Gone case (41%-100%)

• Caturday Toolbox - 45%
• Blacephalon UNB - 48.33%
• Mewtwo & Mew-GX/Weavile-GX Dark Toolbox - 53.33%

And just a recap or how cheap or expensive these decks are:

Budget Friendly ($0-$100)

• Blissey V - $41.80
• Rillaboom Toolbox - $54.78
• Malamar CRE/Rapid Strike Toolbox - $57.31
• Corviknight VMAX - $62.79
• Tornadus VMAX - $62.79
• ADP-GX/Galarian Moltres V - $68.71 (Yes, an ADP-GX deck is now budget friendly!)
• Blaziken VMAX/Zeraora - $71.77
• Inteleon VMAX - $76.48
• Decidueye DAA - $78.29

Standard Prices ($101-$200)

• Malamar VMAX - $109.79
• Ice Rider Calyrex - $112.69
• Victini VMAX - $115.27
• Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - $116.84
• Eternatus VMAX - $119.94
• Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX - $185.84

Spend big to Win ($200 >)

• For once, there is no deck that falls into this category, showing how affordable the game has become with 9 of the decks listed here all under $100 total! I've never seen that before.

Thanks for reading and have a good day!