Expanded Deck Tech: Primal Groudon-EX (Stall Control)

In this article, I decided to bring a very interesting control deck with the proposal of “Stall control”, that is, a deck that reacts to any movement of the opponent with counterattacks of cards that take resources from the opponent.

Today we have Primal Groudon-EX from X/Y: Primal Clash, which even though it is a card with low HP and the setback of losing a turn, it has the ability Omega, which is instantaneous and doesn't suffer stadium setbacks like Path to the Peak CRE 148, being very interesting.

Here, I'll mention my deck changes considerations with some new cards and suggestions for the future!

Decklist

Primal Groudon-EX

Basically, the only attacking Pokémon in the deck. The priority issue is to try to stall the opponent as much as possible, making them lose many turns without being able to play their cards and start preparing their Primal Groudon-EX PRC 86 using Boost Shake EVS 142 and, in sequence, use the Guzma & Hala CEC 193 to look for the special energies, having the option of increasing damage or reducing damage, respectively the cards Strong Energy FFI 104 and Stone Fighting Energy VIV 164.

So, having that stack enough to do the damage, you can do a possible 200 damage, since there is a lot of use of stadiums in Expanded, such as the most boring ones Path to the Peak CRE 148, Silent Lab PRC 140 , Chaotic Swell CEC 187, Dimension Valley PHF 93, Collapsed Stadium BRS 137 and worst of all in our case, Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155.

The intention of the deck is to lock the opponent and always respond to any of their actions, hence the name “Stall”: stagnate the opponent with energy withdrawal, pull a Pokémon from them with a heavy cost to lock them, make it impossible for them to use Boss's Orders and Guzma, taking energy or tools - anything possible to slow them down.

Recursive Pokémon

- Wobbuffet PHF 36 has Bide Barricade, which makes this Pokémon if it is active, it prevents all the abilities of all Pokémon in the game, in the hand and even in the discard pile, both yours and the opponent's, being a potential lock.

"Why Wobbuffet PHF 36 and not Klefki sv1 96 to make a trade?"

Simple: Wobbuffet breaks many combos that are used in the Expanded format such as Exeggcute PLF 4 with the ability Propagation, which is an excellent feature of tributes for hand discards to perform various effects such as using Quick Ball FST 237 and Ultra Ball BRS 150 as Poké-Balls or even Supporters like Zinnia's Resolve EVS 164, Serena SIT 164, Sightseer LOT 189.

This doesn't happen with Klefki sv1 96, as it only crashes on basic Pokémon in play, unlike Wobbuffet PHF 36 which crashes even on evolved Pokémon, and in any instance, whether from the hand, in play or in the discard pile, being more efficient.

- Snorlax PGO 55 has the Ability Block: If this Pokémon is the Active Pokémon, the opponent's Active Pokémon cannot retreat.

This delays them to do some retreat cost maneuver paying the costs, in case you pull a heavy Pokémon from their bench as active, and put that Snorlax in front as an answer.

Of course, some cards can circumvent this, but there are few, like Escape Rope and Guzma. Even so, it is a suffering for the opponent to recover this type of situation, because Primal Groudon-EX PRC 86 is not affected by these cards, that is: the opponent's hands are tied.

Good starting hand

Here, you have the advantage of placing 2 Robo Substitute Team Flare Gear PHF 102 to stall the game, benching your Groudon-EX PRC 85 and powering it up with Strong Energy FFI 104 and using the Guzma & Hala CEC 193 to find the stadium Jubilife Village ASR 148 and start building your setup.

Trainer Cards

Here, I will point out the functions of each card so that you can use them as benefits or answers against your opponent.

Supporters: Deck Searches and Draws

- Guzma & Hala CEC 193 has two options:

1) You can search your deck for a Stadium card, reveal it, and put it into your hand; and after that, shuffle your deck.

2) You can discard two cards from your hand to perform the following effect: in addition to taking a Stadium card from your deck, you also search for a Tool card and a special energy, show them to your opponent and place them in your hand; and after that, shuffle your deck.

Using the Tag Call CEC 206 to use the card itself, you can discard the "dead" cards from the first turns, such as Roxanne ASR 150 which only serves for endgame, and better filter the deck.

In this, you will be able to energize your Primal Groudon-EX PRC 86 with special energies, and still put the Focus Sash FFI 91 so that it gains the benefit that if it is knocked out by an opponent's blow, it returns to the game, but with 10 HP, being able to gain some more time so that we can continue with our strategy of locking the opponent or causing consecutive damage.

- Korrina FFI 95 is used to search your deck for a Fighting-type Pokémon and an Item card in your deck, reveal them, and put them into your hand.

Well, looking for Groudon in the deck is nothing new around here, but in terms of items, there's a wide range of possibilities for moves, whether for setting up like Nest Ball SUM 123, for example; or also with items to sabotage the opponent like Field Blower GRI 125 or Counter Catcher CIN 91, to make a ”Boss's Orders” effect against the opponent and lock it with a high-retreat cost Pokémon

- Steven's Resolve CES 145 is to search the deck for three cards you want and put them in your hand. If you do, you end your turn.

This is only good for the first turns, where the safest thing is to have at least 2 Robo Substitute Team Flare Gear PHF 102 and 2 Wobbuffet PHF 36 cards along with a Groudon-EX PRC 85 to be played efficiently and progress your set-up, and hope your opponent doesn't use hand shuffle cards like Marnie, Judge, Iono or N to sabotage us.

Supporters: Resource recycling

- Cynthia & Caitlin CEC 189 has two options:

1) You may search your hand for a Supporter card from the discard pile.

2) You may discard a card from your hand to have an additional effect, in addition to recycling a Supporter card from the discard pile, and by doing so, you draw 3 cards (You cannot cycle Cynthia & Caitlin or any other Supporter used in the feat of this tribute, that is, of this card played this turn).

You can take any other Supporters already in the discard pile, as an emergency version of a VS Seeker to pick up a Supporter you need, in addition to drawing 3 cards.

Depending on the situation, you will choose which card to recover: whether it is Team Flare Grunt to discard the opponent's energy, or Team Rocket's Handiwork to destroy the top of the opponent's deck, or Faba to destroy energy opponent's special and tool to the Lost Zone.

- Roseanne's Backup BRS 148 has four effects, and you can choose one or all of the above.

This card is one of the best recyclers, as it can bring back Tool Jammer BST 136 or Focus Sash FFI 91 as Item cards (since they are registered before the Tool rank reform adopted in Scarlet /Violet); in addition to bringing the stadium Jubilife Village ASR 148 and special energies.

- Lusamine CIN 96 is for recycling a combination of two cards Supporters and Stadiums from the discard pile to the deck.

Lusamine enters the looping of always recycling the Cyllene card, since if you hit the coins, it also continues in the card returns. See more below.

- Cyllene ASR 138 serves to recycle the cards you want from the discard, if you hit the two coins (which the card asks to be done) at the cost of activation.

If these coin plays work, it's an excellent resource option for recovery, since we have the Pal Pad SSH 172 as a Supporter cycler, and it will create this looping with Cyllene and Lusamine.

Supporters: sabotage the opponent's setup

- Team Rocket's Handiwork FCO 112 serves to burn the top cards of the opponent's deck, just hit the two coins in the process giving heads and with that, you discard two cards for each heads that came out as a result.

- Team Flare Grunt GEN 73 is used to discard an Energy from any of the opponent's Pokémon.

- Faba LOT 173 is used to discard a Tool or Special Energy card from any of the opponent's Pokémon and send it to the Lost Zone.

Supporters to sabotage the opponent's hand

Pokémon Catcher supporter

Items to sabotage the opponent

- Counter Catcher CIN 91 serves as a type of Boss's Orders to pull an opponent's Pokémon, but can only use the card if losing the game to apply the effect.

This is good for locking an opponent's Heavy Pokémon with 3 or more retreat cost, and putting your Snorlax PGO 55 in to lock it.

- Field Blower GRI 125 serves as to eliminate combinations of tools and stadium cards in play, which can be yours or the opponent's.

This is a card that complements the effects of Faba to remove your opponent's tools from play with combos.

Tools Items

- Tool Jammer BST 136 serves to block the use of tools of the opponent's Active Pokémon, if your Pokémon is the Active Pokémon that has this card equipped to it.

Assuming you happen to have a Snorlax PGO 55 with this card equipped against an opponent who has a Float Stone attached to him, he cannot perform the tool's effect with zero recoil, being impeded by the Tool Jammer BST 136 and still locked by Snorlax skill.

- Focus Sash FFI 91 is the ideal tool for Primal Groudon. If he is hit by an attack that knocks him out, he returns with only 10 HP left, without being knocked out, surviving the turn.

- Float Stone BKT 137 is a Tool-type that gives zero recoil to the Pokémon it's attached to.

This is good for Primal Groudon as it is a heavy Pokémon. If you want to preserve it so as not to lose its only attacker and its special energies, placing a new one to replace it, using the tool is essential.

Item cards that favor your game setup

- Dowsing Machine PLS 128 is classified as an ACE SPEC, that is, it can only have one in the deck.

Its function is to discard two cards from your hand so that you can take a Trainer from the discard pile (you cannot play this card if you cannot meet the hand's discard requirement).

It's like a more advanced VS Seeker, being able to take any Trainer card from discards. Imagine if you get Cyllene and do the card recycling combo if you hit the coin, get a Pal Pad, get a VS Seeker, etc. A lot can be done.

- VS Seeker PHF 109 serves as a Supporter cycler, being able to pick up key cards for certain matches.

- Rescue Stretcher GRI 130 serves as a Pokémon recycler with two options:

1) Take a Pokémon from the discard pile and put it into your hand.

2) Catch up to three Pokémon from the discard pile and recycle them to the deck.

- Boost Shake EVS 142 serves as an evolution accelerator in the same turn, that is, you can circumvent the game rule of evolving by turn and evolving the Pokémon that was put into play at once, in the case of Groudon-EX PRC 85 to Primal Groudon-EX PRC 86. But if you do, you end your turn automatically.

This is not all bad, since Mega Evolutions, when promoted, you lose a turn.

Stadium

Jubilife Village ASR 148 fits both players. Each one shuffles their hand into the deck and draws 5 new cards in the process, and by doing so, the turn of whoever performed this effect ends.

Special Energies

Strong Energy serves as a damage boost for Fighting-type Pokémon by an additional 20 damage against the opponent's Active Pokémon (before applying Weakness and Resistance).

Stone Fighting Energy serves as a damage reduction for Physical-type Pokémon by 20 damage against the opponent's Active Pokémon (after applying Weakness and Resistance).

New Expansion Card Suggestions

Iono

To replace the N FCO 105, you can place the card Iono, which will come in the next expansion of Scarlet & Violet: Paldea Evolved.

This card is a fusion of the effects of ”N” and ”Marnie”, where both players shuffle their hands on the bottom of the deck and draw cards based on the number of prize cards the players have left.

Giacomo

This card can be added to sabotage the opponent's game-wide special energy power-ups at once, being more potent than Enhanced Hammer GRI 124 which only has one target. It can be an energy withdrawal add-on like Team Flare Grunt GEN 73.

Advantages

- Against electric decks due to their weakness.

- Decks that suffer a lot from lack of retreat resources, with few Switch or that have high retreat costs to pay. Usually decks that are in the niche of fighters, or that are ground and stone Pokémon like Onix, Tyranitar, Coalossal, which are more bulky and have at least 3 retreat energies.

Disadvantages

- Grass archetype decks.

- Decks that have a burst of fast attacks like Lost March, Mad Party, Night Party, which usually have a low retreat rate and manage to progressively increase damage, managing to respond quickly to damage with low-energy costs and dealing massive damage.

- Deck that uses Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155 to sabotage special energies it has accumulated.

- Deck that contains Avery CRE 130, which can sabotage your bank set-up.

It is a complex and very delicate deck to play, as it requires intensive user training and knowing how to deal with adverse situations in any game scenario, with different proposals that the opponent can insert during the match. For example, when the opponent uses Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156 and needs to respond with Pokémon Ranger STS 104 to disable the benefits of the ADP GX attack.

So, the deck has a "stall" strategy to be able to respond according to your needs and disarm the opponent with an immediate response. I saw the idea on the Keldeo Plays PTCGO channel and found it very interesting!

And now it's up to you: what do you think of the deck?

Until the next time!