My Vivid Voltage journey & results - Sticking with the trusted formula the entire format (4 months worth) - Centiskorch VMAX

So Centiskorch VMAX did a whole world of good for me back in the Team Up to Darkness Ablaze format and with Vivid Voltage (and Shining Fates for that matter), not really giving us any new stuff to work with, I thought why not stick with Centiskorch and keep making it better for this particular format. I enjoy playing the deck, and I have said that I will continue to play Welder until the day it rotates, so why not keep representing the Skorch Gang at these online events? 

So I pretty much decided early on that I was mainly going to focus on Centiskorch for the entire TEU to VIV/SHF format just to see how I could keep improving on the deck and also to prove the doubters wrong about the deck. Everyone has this weird illusion that the deck is bad and it's easy to play but once you see the results, you'll know the truth. And I can say for a fact, just because it's a Welder deck, it's not that easy to make Centiskorch work, you don't just stack all the energies on one guy and attack, that's just stupid.

But first of, I might as well share the backbone of the deck that I have been playing for the past 4 months (and also the previous 3 with the Darkness Ablaze format). I wanted to see how I could use one base list, work on it for an entire format and see how far my friend Thomas Brophy and I can push it, use the deck to it's most potential and get the very best out of it. 

And I'd like to think we did prove that the base-line works but I never expected it to have seen as much success as it has, and with many others playing the base-line list too which makes me really happy and proud. That just shows that people believe we made something that was good but also consistently getting high placings. I've tried to make my own lists work many times before so it felt good to know this one was well received by many others (and that hey, maybe I can make something work). But of course, without the help of Thomas, Jake Pilch, Alex Schemanske, Josh Frink and a few others, this would have never taken off as it did. 

The Deck

The base line I'd like to think are made up of these 50 cards that have been a constant the entire time I've played Centiskorch VMAX in this format. So no matter how the list looks like, these cards will 100% be in them:

Pokemon: (14)

x2 Jirachi - TEU
x2 Volcanion - UNB
x3 Centiskorch V - DAA
x3 Centiskorch VMAX - DAA
x2 Dedenne-GX - UNB
x1 Crobat V - DAA
x1 Eldegoss V - RCL

3-3 Centiskorch V-VMAX has been a constant for me, you don't need a 4-4 line since you're heavily reliant on the support Pokemon in the deck. I have tried the 4th Centiskorch V but whenever I try it, I seem to have a much harder time to get them out, which is weird is the odds of getting them should be better but it never works out that way. 2 Volcanions have been fine so far to help get the first turn Flare Starter or to counter stuff like Decidueye or Altaria.

As for the support Pokemon, I personally prefer 3 Jirachi but 2 is a definite must no matter what. 2 Dedenne-GX to help you speed things up as would Crobat V does (I personally prefer having 2 of them). And of course Eldegoss V to get you the Welder you need or the game winning Boss, or even that Bird Keeper to help you get out of a mess.

Trainer & Energy: (36)

Search: 
x4 Quick Ball
x3 Pokemon Communication

Switch Outs:
x4 Scoop Up Net
x4 Switch

Fire Energy Engine
x3 Giant Hearth
x1 Fire Crystal
x4 Welder
x11 Fire Energy

Gust
x2 Boss's Orders

7 search outs doesn't sound much but it works well for me, 4 Quick Ball is a must and 3 Pokemon Communication is alright, if there was extra space a 4th Comm would be ideal.

8 switch outs is perfect. The deck relies heavily on Jirachi so you need the 4 Nets but the tech options like Zigzagoon and Giratina will come in handy. 4 switch is a must.

The 2 Boss's Orders have been alright, I recently tried 3 and it just never quite worked strangely enough so I prefer the Great Catcher and Phione as my other gust options.

As for the Fire engines, 3 Giant Heart is a must, and I personally prefer to have 2 Fire Crystal which helps against Swell and even help in niche situations whenever one big attacker goes down. 11 energy seems to be the perfect number for the deck. And of course, 4 Welder is a must. Need I say more? Without Welder, you can't hit for crazy amounts of damage or draw more cards.

Now with the base-line set, it's time to fill up the last 10 spots in the decks with various tech options to choose from so this is what I've got for the last few spots in the deck at any given time:

Spot #1 - Alternate Attacker

• Reshiram & Charizard-GX (My Preferred Choice)
• Heatran-GX
• Talonflame V

Spot #2 - Chance of Comeback

• Cramorant V (My Preferred Choice)
• Reset Stamp

Spot #3 - 3rd Consistency Booster

• 3rd Jirachi TEU (My Preferred Choice)
• 3rd Volcanion UNB

Spots #4, #5, #6 - Single Prize Tech Options

• Galarian Zigzagoon SUM (My Preferred Choice)
• Giratina UNM (My Preferred Choice)
• Phione CEC (My Preferred Choice)
• Marshadow UNB
• 4th Jirachi TEU

Spot #7 - More Support

• 2nd Crobat V DAA (My Preferred Choice)
• 2nd Eldegoss V RCL
• Professor's Research
• Marnie
• 4th Pokémon Communication

Spot #8 - Additional Supporter

• Bird Keeper (My Preferred Choice)
• Mallow and Lana

Spot #9 - Additional Item

• Great Catcher (My Preferred Choice)
• 2nd Reset Stamp

Spot #10 - Additional Energy

• 2nd Fire Crystal (My Preferred Choice)
• 12th Fire Energy
• Ordinary Rod

So just to make it easier for anyone, I'm not saying you should follow this, you can pick a different card from those spots or just mix and match and take whatever you please, those are just my reasoning for those cards. I mean for the most part Reset Stamp was the must include in my deck and now it's just not even a preferred choice for these additional spots, just to prove that it can be a mix and match however you like it.

For the additional attackers, I personally prefer Reshiram & Charizard-GX as it can apply early pressure to stuff like PikaRom and even Eternatus at times and can be annoying to deal with late on. Heatran-GX is good to absorb all of Centiskorch VMAX's energy but I'd rather not go down that route, that just tells me the Skorch is not even doing it's job. 

I've been cutting Reset Stamp because Stamp IS A LIE. So I'd rather get Cramorant in as my comeback attacker but it's also very useful as a first attacker against stuff like Eternatus VMAX and even in the mirror match.

As for the 3rd spot of Volcanion vs Jirachi, I prefer Jirachi to get out stuff I need like Quick Ball or Comm or Giant Hearth since you're most likely going to made to go first so I'd rather make full use of Jirachi whenever I can.

As for the tech spots, Phione, Giratina and Galarian Zigzagoon are the choices for me. Goon helps with many numbers you need to hit and can help stop some stuff from working. Giratina helps massively against LMZ and even decks like Eternatus and Coalossal that heavily relies on special energies. As for Phione, it's amazing. It pretty much helps you beat ADPZ without ever needing to hit the big boy and catch people out when they bench just one thing. 

For the additional support, I prefer the 2nd Crobat over Eldegoss or Research or even Marnie since you'll likely get Marnied or Stamped and an additional Crobat gets you out of bad hands. You can even try a 4th comm to get some of these stuff but that's the 61st card in my deck most of the time.

Bird Keeper > Mallow & Lana every time. I just prefer it since I can draw additional cards of it too. 

If I need another item, it's always going to be Great Catcher since it helps massively against PikaRom, ADPZ and Blowns.

As for the last spot regarding energy, I'd go for the second fire crystal since you're bound to hit Swells and with Cramorant as a new addition, it makes perfect sense to me. And now with that, onto the journey that was the Vivid Voltage/Shining Fates format.

Week 1 (Nov 14th - 15th 2020)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 1st - PokeX S3 Online Challenge #4 - 8/2/0

PokeStats Points: (5 points total)

• 1st - PokeX S3 Online Challenge #4 - Centiskorch VMAX - 5 points

PokeX S3 Online Challenge #4

Winning one of the first TEU-VIV events felt great, I usually don't start a season off quite well. I'm typically a slow starting, always struggling at the start and finding my footing only later on. We tried Talonflame V to see if it was any helpful and while it did help in a few games, I found it wasn't the biggest of help. 

Week 2 (Nov 16th - 22nd 2020)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 4th - Coffee Cup #4 - 4/2/0
• 7th - PokeMob Standard #1 - 4/2/1
• 7th - Atlas VIV Mini 2 - 5/2/1

PokeStats Points: (3 points total)

• 7th - PokeMob Standard #1 - Centiskorch VMAX - 2 points
• 15th - E&D's S2 Qualifier #2 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Coffee Cup #4

I just was never a fan of Stamp, be it 2 or 1, in Centiskorch so I thought I'd cut one to add in space for more stuft to try out. I wanted to test if Dubwool was a viable alternate attacker seeing as it could take a clean KO on PikaRoms and Mew3 but this is when people starting to play Big Charm so that idea was out. Tested Ordinary Rod over the 2nd Crystal more to see if I can keep recycling Heatran for some quick damage and it worked a few times.

Week 3 (Nov 23rd - 29th 2020)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 7th - Jal Cup #5 - 4/2/0

PokeStats Points: (1 point total)

• 12th - Chrollo's Flygon Open - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Jal Cup #5

I took Great Catcher out to see if Phione would be better and right from the get-go I could tell Phione might become a mainstay in the deck, it single-handely won me my Top 8 game in the Jal Cup. But I did regret taking Zigzagoon out for the 2nd stamp, the Goon would have come in handy in certain matches.

Week 4 (Nov 30th - Dec 6th 2020)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 9th - PokeMob Standard #3 - 5/1/1

PokeStats Points: (1 point total)

• 9th - PokeMob Standard #3 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

PokeMob Standard #3

I needed to be sure if Zigzagoon was really needed and while I did alright, I was pretty sure it had earned it's merit and I still wasn't keen on the 2nd stamp. 

Week 5 (Dec 7th - 13th 2020)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 5th - Atlas VIV Mini #5 - 6/2/1

PokeStats Points: (3 points total)

• 5th - Atlas VIV Mini #5 - Centiskorch VMAX - 2 points
• 15th - PokeMob Standard #4 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Atlas VIV Mini #5

Same list as above and by this point I was pretty sure on how the perfect 60 should look like for the next few weeks.

Week 6 (Dec 14th - 20th 2020)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 4th - E&D's S2 Qualifier #5 - 6/2/1

PokeStats Points: (5 points total)

• 4th - E&D's S2 Qualifier #5 - Centiskorch VMAX - 3 points
• 11th - Atlas VIV Mini #8 - Eternatus VMAX - 1 point
• 16th - DaxPTCG Stones Series Weekly #1 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

E&D's S2 Qualifier #5

After losing to a few PikaRoms, I had to get Great Catcher back in and I sure missed it, it came in super helpful to get me into top cut of E&Ds. By this point I was pretty happy with the list but I kept losing to dead draws, either off Marnies or Stamp so I wasn't completely happy with the list yet. I was also having doubts on whether Heatran-GX should be the alternate attacker.

Week 7 (Dec 21st - 27th 2020)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 1st - Hegster S3 Top Deck 16 - 10/2/0
• 2nd - E&D's S2 Qualifier #6 - 8/2/0
• 2nd - Coffee Cup Invitational - 4/1/0

PokeStats Points: (11 points total)

• 1st - Hegster S3 Top Deck 16 - Centiskorch VMAX - 5 points
• 2nd - E&D's S2 Qualifier #6 - Centiskorch VMAX - 4 points
• 13th - Chrollo's Holiday Bash - Reshiram & Charizard-GX - 1 point
• 16th - Chrollo's Tournament #4 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Hegster S3 Top Deck 16

And now it's almost perfect. I decided to cut a Stamp for a 2nd Crobat V to help me get out of dead draws and it paid off right away, helping me to win Hegster S3.16, getting me out of a few bad hands on many occasions. By this point I was happy with 59 cards of the deck apart from Heatran-GX, even though it could have won me the game in finals earlier, I still for some reason wasn't getting much use of it. And that's when we (Thomas, Jake and myself) thought, why not go back to Reshiram & Charizard-GX?

Week 8 (Dec 28th 2020 - Jan 3rd 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 3rd - Advant-Edge Tournament #5 - 7/2/0

PokeStats Points: (4 points total)

• 3rd - Advant-Edge Tournament #5 - Centiskorch VMAX - 3 points
• 16th - Mew Squad Tournament #1 - Eternatus VMAX - 1 point

Advant-Edge Tournament #5

And here we have what I would say is the perfect 60 for our deck in this format. I had tested ReshiZard-GX in the deck a couple of times in the TEU-DAA format and thought to myself, wait this could actually be better than Heatran since ReshiZard can give cheese out some donks and it was helpful to take out support Pokemon like Crobats and Dedennes and it worked right away. It gave me a top 4 finish on my 31st birthday too!

Week 9 (Jan 4th - 10th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 1st - Coffee Cup S2 #1 - 7/0/1
• 2nd - Hegster S3 Top Deck 18 - 10/2/1
• 7th - Atlas VIV Mini 14 - 6/3/0
• 7th - Sunday Open - 7/3/1
• 11th - GGToor Chill TCG Showdown #2 - 9/3/1

PokeStats Points: (9 points total)

• 2nd - Hegster S3 Top Deck 18 - Centiskorch VMAX - 4 points
• 7th - Atlas VIV Mini 14 - Centiskorch VMAX - 2 points
• 7th - Sunday Open - Centiskorch VMAX - 2 points
• 11th - GGToor Chill TCG Showdown #2 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Every tourney this month

So I made myself this challenge to play the same 60 for every tournament I could enter in the month of January, just to see how good it really was and if there was any changes I could make to make it even better. The only thing I found I might be missing was Cramorant V which I thought would be helpful in the mirror but at this stage, no-one was really playing Centiskorch VMAX anyway apart from us.

Week 10 (Jan 11th - 17th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 4th - Coffee Cup S2 #2 - 5/2/1

PokeStats Points: (0 points total)

• Nothing here to see :(

Week 11 (Jan 18th - 24th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• Nothing here to see :(

PokeStats Points: (0 points total)

• Nothing here to see :(

Week 12 (Jan 25th - 31st 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 2nd - Garnai Nameless Tourney #2 - 4/0/0

PokeStats Points: (1 point total)

• 12th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 24 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Nothing for these 3 weeks since I spent 10 days away for my Army reservist so the only time I got to play was the weekends. I didn't play much during Week 10 as I was preparing myself for the army stuff and when I did play, I just didn't do so good sadly.

Week 13 (Feb 1st - 7th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 2nd - Hegster S3 Top Deck 26 - 7/1/2
• 2nd - Gazerbeam Tourney of Dreams #2 - 10/2/1
• 6th - Garnai Cup #0 - 4/2/0

PokeStats Points: (10 points total)

• 2nd - Hegster S3 Top Deck 26 - Centiskorch VMAX - 4 points
• 2nd - Sunday Open - Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX/Zacian V - 4 points
• 14th - Advant-Edge Tournament #9 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point
• 15th - Professor Oak's Paradise S3 #4 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Gazerbeam Tourney of Dreams #2

For Gazer's tourney, since ADP was banned, I took Phione out since that was my ADP counter and put Dubwool in thinking it'll help vs PikaRom and Mew3. Although I made it to the finals again, I just couldn't take it home. Dubwool didn't help much either. Also a funny note, I finished 2nd in the Sunday Open with ADPZ, losing to Thomas who played the usual 60 we had been for the month of January.

Week 14 (Feb 8th - 14th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 2nd - Hegster S3 Top Deck 27 - 9/1/2
• 2nd - Advant-Edge Tournament #10 - 6/2/1
• 4th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 28 - 6/2/1

PokeStats Points: (12 points total)

• 2nd - Hegster S3 Top Deck 27 - Centiskorch VMAX - 4 points
• 2nd - Advant-Edge Tournament #10 - Centiskorch VMAX - 4 points
• 4th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 28 - Centiskorch VMAX - 3 points
• 16th - Chrollo S3 #2 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

Hegster S3 Top Deck 27

Same list but now I was starting to wonder if Giratina and Stamp were needed. I was never a fan of Stamp to begin with since I felt it usually helped my opponent out more than it did to hinder them. As for Giratina, with LMZ not seeing much play and Etern not using special energies, I wasn't sure if it was needed anymore.

Week 15 (Feb 15th - 21st 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 3rd - Garnai Cup #1 - 6/2/0
• 9th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 30 - 5/2/0

PokeStats Points: (8 points total)

• 3rd - Garnai Cup #1 - Centiskorch VMAX - 3 points
• 8th - Mew Squad Tournament #7 - Mewtwo & Mew-GX/Welder Toolbox - 2 points
• 9th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 30 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point
• 12th - E&D's S3 Showdown #1 - Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX/Zacian V - 1 point
• 16th - Atlas VIV Mini #24 - Pikachu & Zekrom-GX - 1 point

Garnai Cup #1

Decided to put Cramorant V in Giratina's place with the rise of others playing Centiskorch since Cram helps massively in the mirror match. This is where I realised Giratina was still useful to slow other decks down when needed.

Week 16 (Feb 22nd - 28th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 2nd - E&D's S3 Qualifier #4 - 6/2/1
• 4th - Coffee Cup Season 2 Invitational - 2/1/0
• 6th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 31 - 7/2/1

PokeStats Points: (10 points total)

• 2nd - E&D's S3 Qualifier #4 - Centiskorch VMAX - 4 points
• 4th - Mew Squad Tournament #9 - Turbo Zacian V - 3 points
• 6th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 31 - Centiskorch VMAX - 2 points
• 14th - Jal Cup #8 - Centiskorch VMAX - 1 point

E&D's S3 Qualifier #4

Hegster S3 Top Deck 31

I decided to mess around with a few stuff from tourney to tourney, playing with and without stamp, with and without Giratina while keeping Cramorant in more for the mirror match.

Week 17 (Mar 1st - 7th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 1st - E&D's S3 Qualifier #5 - 8/1/0

PokeStats Points: (5 points total)

• 1st - E&D's S3 Qualifier #5 - Centiskorch VMAX - 5 points

 E&D's S3 Qualifier #5

Back to the original list and it got me my first tourney win after 6 straight 2nd place finishes in finals so that was nice to end that run. 

Week 18 (Mar 8th - 14th 2021)

Top Centiskorch Results:

• 1st - Saturday Night Nitro - 10/2/0

PokeStats Points: (10 points total)

• 1st - Saturday Night Nitro - Centiskorch VMAX - 5 points
• 7th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 36 - Centiskorch VMAX - 2 points
• 8th - Hegster S3 Top Deck 35 - Centiskorch VMAX - 2 points
• 13th - Chrollo S3 #5 - Reshiram & Charizard-GX - 1 point

Saturday Night Nitro

Went back to Cramorant but decided to take Bird Keeper out with PikaRom starting to see less play and it worked out nicely in the Nitro event. Was my 50th win in a PTCG tourney too.

And finally the PokeStats TEU-VIV/SHF Invitational:

Thomas and I decided to go back to the orginal list without Cramorant V, thinking it'd do well. I used 30 of my in game tickets to play in 8-man pod tourneys to practise for the event, winning 16 of them so I felt confident going into it. I went into this event as the 2nd place qualifier so I was putting too much pressure on myself to finally get a big result in a big event.

But alas it just wasn't meant to be. I never found the time to rest up before the event, and since it started at my 12am (and I had to get up at 5am the morning prior), I was going in very fatigued. In fact I was struggling to keep my eyes open at 11.30pm while watching the F1 Bahrain GP too. 

We won the first set vs my good friend Joshua Sutherland, he played Lucario & Melmetal-GX. It went smoothly for me, winning 2-0. Then on to winners R2 where I lost to eventual winner Vitor Lugon. I prized 6 energies in Game 1 and 4 energies in Game 2. So yeah that was fun. The event was closed decklists as well.

Now we're moved down to Loser's bracket for Round 2 vs my good buddy Tate Whitesell and his Ditto VMAX deck. It wasn't the cleanest of games for either of us, I made a horrendous error of not benching a Centiskorch V thinking I played Cramorant in the deck only to realise it after my turn was done (it was my 3am at this point and I wasn't really out of it physically and mentally). I got a bit lucky that he missed the KO so I got the win there.

Round 3 of losers I played Jonathan Smiley and his EggRow deck, again I didn't play well in this set and got a bit lucky in Game 3 when he couldn't find his Rillabooms after I KOed the first two.

Round 4 of losers I was up against Eddie Bulmer and his Eternatus VMAX deck. And this is where I was completely out of it. I for some reason chose to go 2nd in Game 1 not realising I'm playing against a guy who's only been playing Eternatus! I managed to beat him Game 2 but the two other games in the set were a shocker. I pretty much played myself into a losing situation by going after the wrong attackers and then in the last game going for the risky play since I missed energies, not realising there were two Crystals in my hand, which pretty much meant game over for me. I ended up 9th, so yup, I still can't break into a top 8 finish at a big invitational. I just can't seem to do well in them and I honestly don't know if I ever will.

And now onto the next format, TEU-BST. Even though Centiskorch will pick up at least 3 bad matchups now, I'm still going to try to make it work at least. Thanks for reading!

And one last fun stat, the points I scored with each deck from this past PokeStat TEU-VIV season: 

Kash Top 30 List: Best Pokemon Cards Released in 2020

Since I'm turning 30 this year, I thought why not create a few Top 30 lists of things that I like or have done so I've done a few list that covers my interest in just about anything, be it Motorsports, Pokemon, Wrestling, Gaming and also some general things. Those of you reading this know me from playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game, be it in real life or online but whatever the case is, 2020 has been an interesting year for the game with the introduction of Vs and VMaxes to counter the Tag Teams (with little to some success). 

So I thought, instead of doing a top 30 cards from a set, why not for once do a top 30 cards released in the year 2020. We've gotten 4 main sets and one mini set out, some have been great, some have been not so great but lots of good cards have been introduced to the game, some helping to bring a new archetype into the meta and others making an already good deck more broken. 

These are just my own opinion and as always, it's from someone who hasn't proven or done much in the game for real with my limited opportunities to do so (which will get even more limited due to the new Asian qualifying system) so if you disagree with some of these, that's completely fair. I just thought it'd be nice to look back at all the good cards we got out of 2020.

Prices were taken from Troll and Toad on the 10th of December 2020.

#30 - Turbo Patch - Darkness Ablaze - 172/189 - Uncommon - $0.20

Seen play in: Eternatus VMAX, Turbo Zacian V, Torkoal V, Sableye V

Turbo Patch was one of the more hyped up cards to be released from the Darkness Ablaze format. Sadly, it has not lived up to the hype mainly due to it needing to hit heads to attach energy from the bench. At least it can attach any energy which is why it's seen niche plays in various different types of decks but still not enough to show how good or bad it truly is. Not the like-for-like replacement of Max Elixir many were hoping for it to be.

#29 - Telescopic Sight - Vivid Voltage - 160/185 - Uncommon - $0.34

Seen play in: Inteleon VMAX, Blacephalon UNB

Finally some help was given to decks who are able to snipe the bench, specifically onto GX/V targets but sadly, the only ones who can make full use of it for the time being are the likes of Inteleon VMAX (which doesn't see play due to PikaRom still be popular), Cramorant V, Weezing or Ampharos V. Eventually this will find a space somewhere, the effect is too good to ignore.

#28 - Coalossal VMAX - Vivid Voltage - 99/185 - Ultra Rare - $9.99

Seen play in: Coalossal VMAX

We thought this would be the answer for the current meta. With PikaRom and Eternatus running havoc in the game and both having fighting weakness, it was thought that Coalossal would be a major player in the game. Sadly that hasn't turned out that way, PikaRom now has Mew3 to deal with it and Eternatus still isn't getting one-shot by Coalossal most of the time. But worry not Fighting type fans, help is on the way in the next set.

#27 - Dragapult VMAX - Rebel Clash - 93/192 - Ultra Rare - $8.45

Seen play in: Dragapult VMAX

The big game changer coming out of Rebel Clash, Dragapult VMAX forced many decks to be build differently solely because of it's ability to pick off single prize bench sitters at anytime. Coupled with Distortion Door Giratina and Obstagoon, benched Jirachis were never safe. Deck saw a lot of success in the Rebel Clash format and that was it as Eternatus VMAX has pretty much made the deck unplayable, even with all the disruption tools. It could make a comeback in the next set with many strong cards all weak to Psychic.

#26 - Jirachi Amazing Rare - Vivid Voltage - 119/185 - Amazing Rare - $29.99

Seen play in: Coalossal VMAX, ADPZ

While Jirachi from Team Up is still in Standard, it will still see more play over Jirachi AR. It's ability for the time being makes the most sense for decks like Coalossal who needs to discard an energy off the top of the deck or Zacian decks needing that one Metal energy for the ability. It will never compare strongly to Jirachi TEU but still a good consistency helper. 

#25 - Cinccino - Sword & Shield - 147/202 - Uncommon - $0.20

Seen play in: Control decks, Excadrill CEC

Zoroark-GX's trade ability came back in the form of Cinccino so obviously, it was going to see some play even though it wasn't as good as an attacker as Zoroark was. The deck found it's home mostly in Control decks just for it's drawing power but also saw play in Excadrill CEC to help thin the deck out as much as possible. I expected it to see way more play in other decks but that was never the case. 

#24 - Coating Metal Energy - Vivid Voltage - 163/185 - Uncommon - $0.35

Seen play in: LMZ

The perfect replacement for Weakness Guard Energy for LMZ players since it was a Metal energy, meaning Zacian now had the weakness removal effect. It has seen a bit of play in ADPZ as well but mostly in LMZ, just to cover it bases against the likes of Blacephalon, Centiskorch and ReshiZard.

#23 - Vikavolt V - Darkness Ablaze - 60/189 - Ultra Rare - $3.13

Seen play in: Vikavolt V, PikaRom

Quaking Punch returns but this time it needs more work to establish the item lock. Vikavolt was at it's best in the short space of time it was Standard legal with Thunder Mountain and Electropower, making it one of the best decks for the POG 2020 Championships. Since then it's been a tech choice for PikaRom, and saw fringe play with Amoongus. 

#22 - Bird Keeper - Darkness Ablaze - 159/189 - Uncommon - $0.20

Seen play in: Centiskorch VMAX, Control, Decidueye

One of the better supporters to be released later on in the year. Bird Keeper had the same draw 3 power as Welder but with the added effect of switching your active which can be useful in many different situations. 

It's a natual partner for Control decks to put a wall into the active or even Rowlet to hit for 60 for free. It has seen more play in Centiskorch recently to counter the Paralysis issue from PikaRom. This will likely see more play as more decks show up.

#21 - Metal Saucer - Sword & Shield - 170/202 - Uncommon - $0.20

Seen play in: Any Zacian decks

Only Zacian decks have been able to utilise Metal Saucer but you can see why it's stupidly good. Dark Patch and Water Patch had always seen play during their time and Metal Saucer had the same results, giving Zacian decks that comeback-ability when things are not looking so good. Addition energy attachment during a turn is always a huge bonus and it makes the already powerful Zacian V (and Zamazenta V in some cases) even that more painful to deal with.

#20 - Decidueye - Darkness Ablaze - 13/189 - Holo Rare - $0.98

Seen play in: Decidueye

The only playable Stage 2 in the current meta only because of it's wall-like ability. A lot of decks are built in such a way that they usually don't have a non-GX or non-V attacker, which helps Decidueye greatly. It's still a stage 2 deck meaning it'll still struggle a lot of times but once it's sets up, you'll be getting a few free wins. It should still see play until it's rotated just for it's ability alone.

#19 - Tool Scrapper - Rebel Clash - 168/192 - Uncommon - $0.20

Seen play in: ADPZ, LMZ, PikaRom, Coalossal VMAX

Simple effect. Remove two tools. Simple yet effective. It's ADPZ answer to help beat fellow Zacians, or an answer for other decks to get rid of annoying tools such as the bulky Big Charm or the annoying Stealthy Hood. Still doesn't see as much play as many first thought it would as not many decks are depending on tools for the most part, that could change soon.

#18 - Cramorant V - Sword & Shield - 155/202 - Ultra Rare - $3.10

Seen play in: Blacephalon, Centiskorch VMAX, ReshiZard

The attacker that no-one ever sees coming. The natural partner for Welder decks for it's 3 attack cost. It has seen play more for it's ability to take down Dedenne-GX for the last two prizes since Dedenne-GX sees play in most decks. The ability to snipe anyone is something only Cramorant can give decks that many others can't, making a great set-up attacker vs VMAX decks too. It may start to see less play once Welder rotates so it'll be harder to power it up. 

#17 - Galarian Zigzagoon - Sword & Shield - 117/202 - Common - $0.30

Seen play in: Obstagoon, Decidueye, Eternatus VMAX, Centiskorch VMAX, Dragapult VMAX

Speaking of snipers, Zigzagoon is one of the rare cases where the first line of an evolution sees more play just for it's ability to hit 1 damage counter to anyone. The one damage counter has come in very handy in many different situations, be it for Dragapult to snipe off benched basics or to help fix Centiskorch's or Eternatus' numbers to get a KO. This will continue to be used in many different decks all to fix up the numbers.

#16 - Speed Lighting Energy - Rebel Clash - 173/192 - Uncommon - $0.19

Seen play in: PikaRom, Vikavolt V, Ampharos V

Having the ability to draw extra two cards has made it a must have for PikaRom players who usually need to the perfect set-up to take KOs. Consistency boosting cards is always a good thing and PikaRom is already known for being one of the most consistent decks. It may only see play in PikaRom mostly but it's still one of the best decks in the format for a reason. 

#15 - Big Charm - Sword & Shield - 158/202 - Uncommon - $0.22

Seen play in: ADPZ, PikaRom, GreenZard, Mewtwo & Mew-GX

+30 HP? Why not! Big Charm sees play most in 3-prize attackers because as if they weren't already difficult enough to take down, having 30 more can sometimes gave them that extra turn to survive an onslaught. It can also be a great defensive tool, keep stuff like Dedenne-GX and Crobat V safe from being it for 180 or less damage. 

It's also a helpful tool for decks like Green's ReshiZard that already uses Heat Energy to buff it's HP up or even decks like Coalossal VMAX to make it near impossible to take down.

#14 - Oranguru - Sword & Shield - 148/202 - Holo Rare - $1.08

Seen play in: ADPZ, Magcargo-GX, Zacian Combo, Coalossal VMAX

Oranguru is just super helpful in many different situations, being able to swap one card with the top card of your deck can sometimes be the big game changer. Paired with Mewtwo UNB, it gives you a supporter straight back as well. 

It's seen play in ADPZ just to save important cards like a Boss Order's, help Coalossal VMAX stack a Fighting Energy to hit for 130 and is the piece to help Zacian pull off the Jirachi Prism Combo. Because of it's varied uses, Oranguru will continue to be one of the best tech choices for many different decks until it's rotated.

#13 - Air Balloon - Sword & Shield - 156/202 - Uncommon - $0.20

Seen play in: ADPZ, PikaRom, Mewtwo & Mew-GX

It's no float stone but it still gets the job done. Have the free retreat on certain attackers/bench sitters thanks to Air Balloon has been super helpful to many decks not needing to rely on Switch all the time. 

Stuff like Raichu & Alolan Raichu-GX and Zacian V cannot consistently hit for paralysis or a big 230 damage if not for the ability to retreat into something else and getting back into the active. 

#12 - Centiskorch VMAX - Darkness Ablaze - 34/189 - Ultra Rare - $9.95

Seen play in: Centiskorch VMAX

One of the best attackers to come out of Darkness Ablaze, Centiskorch has now become the natural replacement for Fire Box for it's ability to hit a lot of damage from out of nowhere. It's one of the few attackers with no damage cap. 

With enough energies, it can even one shot stuff like the 340HP Eternatus VMAX. The deck might struggle once Welder is rotated but it can still find it's way back, since the best card in the game right now, Zacian V, has a fire weakness after all.

#11 - Boltund V - Rebel Clash - 67/192 - Ultra Rare - $6.89

Seen play in: PikaRom, Mewtwo & Mew-GX, Turbo Boltund V

The perfect starter for lighting decks and also the perfect finisher, Boltund V is one of the reasons why PikaRom made a comeback to the top of PTCG. 

It's first attack is already helpful enough to get your attackers ready for Turn 2 but also a strong enough late game attacker to hit for possibly 250+ damage if all your main attackers are still around. Boltund may disappear from the format once PikaRom is rotated. 

#10 - Aurora Energy - Sword & Shield - 186/202 - Uncommon - $0.20

Seen play in: Mewtwo & Mew-GX, Welder Box, ADPZ

Aurora Energy was the perfect replacement for Rainbow Energy. It was even better for Mewtwo & Mew-GX as it discards a card from your hand, helping you add an attacker to your discard pile which is a bonus. It's seen play mostly in toolbox-style decks, specifically Welder decks giving you many attackers to choose from.

#9 - Eternatus VMAX - Darkness Ablaze - 117/189 - Ultra Rare - $9.49

Seen play in: Eternatus VMAX

The big hitter of the new format. The Mega Rayquaza-EX "look-alike" hits for 270 with an all-dark bench which goes up to 8, which can be easily filled with the likes of Crobat V (draw power), Zigzagoon (damage buff), Toxicroak, Slowbro (Poison) and Yveltal (free retreat). 

The deck will continue to be the ultimate beat stick right up until it's rotated. It might have some issue coming in the next set though. 

#8 - Marnie - Sword & Shield - 169/202 - Holo Rare - $0.99

Seen play in: ADPZ, PikaRom, Dragapult VMAX, Eternatus VMAX, LMZ

The only other hand disruption card available to us in Standard for the time being alongside Reset Stamp. It's can be worse to deal with as it shuffles your hand away and you'll be getting whatever is on top of your deck which can ruin combos your opponent is building up. 

It's the card that decks like Blacephalon, Centiskorch and Control don't want to see. It'll see play just for the disruption aspect with Reset Stamp rotating soon. 

#7 - Eldegoss V - Rebel Clash - 19/192 - Ultra Rare - $3.39

Seen play in: ADPZ, Centiskorch VMAX, Mewtwo & Mew-GX, PikaRom

Similar to Tapu Lele-GX of older rotation but instead of search your deck for a supporter, you take a supporter from your discard, similar to VS Seeker from yester years. 

Eldegoss has been the winning card in so many games, to get the Boss for game or stop your opponent winning with Marnie or helping you get the damage you need with Welder. Eldegoss will always see play in as many different decks as possible. 

#6 - Scoop Up Net - Rebel Clash - 165/192 - Uncommon - $0.92

Seen play in: Most single prizer decks, Centiskorch VMAX, Dragapult VMAX, Eternatus VMAX

One of the best items to be released in 2020. With Escape Board gone, Scoop Up Net is now the preferred switch out option for Jirachi but Net gives so you so many more options than that. It's Acerola for single prize cards but in the form of an item card so it's crazy good. It's so good, it's one of the only few new cards I've bought during the pandemic. 

The best part about it is the various plays you can use with it. Extra damage with Zigzagoon? Check. Extra energy denial with Giratina? Check. Saving a damaged attacker? Check. Nets will continue to see play in all sorts of decks, especially single prize decks. 

#5 - Crobat V - Darkness Ablaze - 104/189 - Ultra Rare - $15.77

Seen play in: ADPZ, PikaRom, Welder Decks, Eternatus VMAX, Coalossal VMAX,

As long as Dedenne-GX is still in Standard, it will always be the preferred choice for a Pokemon to draw you out of dead hands since it discard cards. Crobat V just fills your up to 6, same as what Shaymin EX used to do but the big difference is Crobat can only be used once. After the next rotation, Crobat will see more play as the natural replacement for Dedenne-GX. 

For now it's mostly seen in aggro decks trying to get all the pieces together. It's also the perfect partner alongside Eternatus VMAX since it only plays Dark pokemon and all you really need is Crobats to keep drawing you out of bad hands while adding more damage for your attacker.

#4 - Professor's Research - Sword & Shield - 178/202 - Holo Rare - $0.75

Seen play in: 3-4 off in almost every deck, 0-1 off in Welder decks

The discard hand and draw 7 effect made it's return back in Sword & Shield with Research. It first showed up in Base Set and since then, it's seen play many times before in the guise of Juniper and Sycamore and always saw play in almost every deck. 

Drawing 7 is just too good, most of the time you'd want to use that to clear your hand off and give you more stuff to work with. It will continue to see play until it's rotated out of Standard but will likely come back in another guise.

#3 - Boss's Orders - Rebel Clash - 154/192 - Holo Rare - $5.95

Seen play in: Almost every deck.

Lysandre came back in the form of Boss's Orders. A simple effect on this card, gust up one of your opponent's benched Pokémon. Simple and straight to the point. 

Lysandre saw play in almost deck when it was around, it's predecessor Guzma also saw play in almost every deck so it's no surprise to see Boss' Orders seeing play in almost every deck so far. It is usually the winning card, to grab an easy target off your opponent's bench for the win. Boss's Orders, like Research before it, will see play until it's rotated.

#2 - Zacian V - Sword & Shield - 138/202 - Ultra Rare - $3.47

Seen play in: ADPZ, LMZ, Zacian Combo, Control Decks, Blacephalon

The most played deck of 2020 is easily ADPZ. It's called that for a reason and the Z (Zacian) has been part of the reason why the deck has seen a lot of play, online or in real life. 

Zacian isn't just a great attacker, making it a natural partner with ADP-GX, but also great for set-up decks just because of it's ability to draw three cards at the end of the turn, seeing play mostly in Control deck for it's draw power.

Zacian has also been in it's own deck, either in a defensive style deck with Lucario & Melmetal-GX or a Combo-style deck with Jirachi Prism and Mr Mime. A great all rounder card, perhaps the reason why ADPZ is such a huge problem to deal with. It would be easily the best card released if not for another card released in Sword & Shield. 

#1 - Quick Ball - Sword & Shield - 179/202 - Uncommon - $0.19

Seen play in: Every. Single. Deck.

No question the best card to be released from this year has to be Quick Ball. It's a 4-off in almost every deck for a good reason. 

It's the best search card in the game since it gets you any Basic for the price of just one card, pretty much taking Ultra Ball's spot in decks in formats of the past. 

This card will continue to see play until the last day of it's rotation and even then, it'll continue to see play in Expanded. 

This one may look a bit messy as it took me a few weeks to finish due to my new working schedule but in any case, I hope you enjoyed reading it! Enjoy the holidays!