Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Giratina Lock

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Shen

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Was trying to do something with older cards by applying B/W rules, taking it in directions other than donking.

--20 Pokemon
4 Sableye (SF)
3 Chatot G
3 Giratina (PL, Let Loose)
1 Giratina Lv.X
2 Uxie
1 Uxie Lv.X
1 Mewtwo (MD)
1 Mewtwo Lv.X
1 Mesprit
1 Azelf
1 Crobat G
1 Unown Q

--28 Trainers
4 Pokemon Collector
4 Poketurn
4 Cyrus Initiative
3 Premier Ball
3 Professor Oak's New Theory
3 Warp Point
2 Expert Belt
2 Cyrus Conspiracy
2 Bebe's Search
1 Luxury Ball

--12 Energy
8 Psychic Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy

Strategy

The idea is to open with Sableye like traditional Sablock. Being able to Supporter first turn is huge, and hopefully you either open with one of your 3 Giratina or a Pokemon Collector. Typically, you'll Collector for just Unown Q for Sableye and Giratina (perhaps Mesprit if the situation calls for it) unless you didn't open Sableye, in which case you should obviously get it. Then, Let Loose and see what you get. The deck plays 3 Chatot so you have a high chance of ripping into one to secure the top of your opponent's deck. Then Impersonate for Initiative and you should be able to create a dead hand by leaving them with a selection of very few cards.

It's pretty simple from there. Lock your opponents deck and hand as you see fit, dropping a Mesprit when you have to (or the turn you think you'll lose your lock) while attaching to Giratina. You should have plenty of time. By the time Giratina Lv.X is out, you should be able to spread and clear their field (of mostly basics) in a couple of turns. A common goal is to get your opponent with one card in his or her hand so he or she is unable to do anything because Giratina Lv.X's power prohibits attacks with no cards in the hand. If they use it, they can't attack.

Some further analysis:

I believe 3 Chatot is the play to ensure you always have them available to lock top decking. The only downside is its a bit of a gamble to open with one against Luxchomp because they can OHKO it with Bite. Mewtwo is obviously your SP counter, which can get rough if you lose the lock because Garchomp can get rid of all of your spread damage.

3 Premier Ball seems a bit high, but I don't play Palmers so its your method of recycling Giratina. It also allows you to quickly search it out along with your other Lv.X's. You can drop one for another Bebe's if you're worried about being trainer locked. Lookers can be used over PONT (as well as a combination with Judge(s)), but you have a pretty good method of shuffling away your opponent's hand already. 3 Warp Points are included so you can quickly get Giratina or Mewtwo out of the active position for Sableye if you start with them. You can use Switches instead, but I preferred Warp Points because it allows you to get the most out of your additional Expert Belt damage by switching up the field when you spread.

Optional Techs/Changes:

1-1 Drifblim (UD): Sometimes -- even if you get a quick lock on them -- Steelix, Scizor, and Dialga are hard to take down with Giratina. Warp Points ease the match-ups by allowing you to bypass resistances when you switch them to the bench, but they have such high HP. 1-1 Mewtwo can be dropped for the line.

2 Mesprits:: Usually, you can get a solid lock and powers won't even be an issue. On top of that, you usually don't have the bench room for a second Mesprit. In any case, having the option to drop a second one is always nice and generally guarantees an additional turn of free spreading.

Azelf Lv.X: Weavile G has been popping up for Gengar, and if it hits the field it needs very little support in order to do damage. With Unown Q and Warp Points, you should have no trouble getting Azelf out to rid yourself of your weakness. Since just about everything else in the deck is also Psychic, you'll get a lot of use out of it. Its attack can be useful, too.

1 Giratina Lv.63 (10/127, PL): A quicker Giratina. This deck has tough time functioning without ever establishing a lock. Sometimes, you just can't land it. Over Slash is a decent attack to start spreading early (or to clean up spreading if a previous Giratina Lv.X is KO'd). Wrack Down is a solid attack that can be used within 2 turns with a DCE. Dark Wing Flaps probably won't be used that much if you failed to lock your opponent, but it's a decent disruptive move and can maybe get you somewhere when paired with Let Loose and Cyrus Initiative all in the same turn.

Unown DARK + 1 Special Dark: If you're running Sableye, this is always an option. This already plays Crobats, so if you face a lone basic Pokemon, donking is always an option.
 
A few seeker or SSU could be nice addition in order to get multiple uses from mespriit (can help stop healing breaths). Cool deck idea, i like it.
 
I like the idea, however,


the biggest problem with Let Loose has always been that it can be sprayed. Sure, if you Let Loose turn 1 you're safe 90% of the time, but from there on it gets riskier and riskier.

Secondly, as soon as you face an Magnezone Prime on the other side of the table, you're screwed. 'Normal' sablelock is so powerful because it not only attacks the opponents hand, but also any pokemon your opponent tries to set up with Garchomp C and Sableye; hand control in combination with haymaker-like field control (will explain short later). Giratina is different, because it relies much, much more on the attack on the hand, and NOT on field control at all (except crobat G).

So naturally, you don't have answers to a lot of things like Magnezone, Gengar SF, Gengar Lv.X, Gyarados, Dialga, Machamp. If your hand-locks works, you don't need answers anyway, you just sweep the field with Giratina. BUT, the thing that bugs me most with this deck is that hand control has flaws: Starters on your opponents side (e.g. Spiritomb, Sableye, Smeargle, pokemon w/ Call Energy) that provide resources without being influenced by a hand-lock, can set up a threat or break the hand lock.

Normal Sablelock covers this major flaw in the hand-lock with Garchomp C and Sableye's Overconfident. Hand lock -> snipe stuff on the bench/knock out starter with sableye (Crobat G works wonders for both of these). Not only this, but normal Sableye also has (although somewhat limited) answers to 1 or sometimes even 2 threats from your opponent in either Blaziken (answer to Vileplume, Gengar, Regirock) or Honchkrow (answer to Gengar, Gyarados, Machamp, Mewtwo, Magnezone a bit). I even use toxicroak in my Sablelock to have an extra answer to Machamp, Luxray, Magnezone, T-Tar.

I would try to add some answers (or counters w/e you call them) like Toxicroak + single Energy Gain, the new Bouffalant (you already have Warp Point and Expert Belt) and maybe a 1-1 line of something like, the Mewtwo line you already have, the Drifblim you mentioned, or some small Sp line. I'd love to see Gallade in this as a 2-1 line, it works with Giratina, can clean up threats that have been damaged with Gira, is a Lv.X so can be used over and over with Premier Ball and PokeTurn, doesn't need a Energy Gain to be at its best and is psychic.

More general stuff: I'd always play Mewtwo 2-1 because of Garchomp snipes, I'd play 1 Junk Arm and 1 VS Seeker for flexibility, 2-2 Uxie isn't bad for this deck either I think.

Good luck with the deck.
 
I played a successful Sablock variant at Regionals, so I too know the advantages a more traditional style would have over Giratina. Giratina can't really damage your opponent's field as fast as a more traditional Sablock list can, but I thought it had a stronger early game lock.

Your right though, if my opponent gets any of those things on the field it's only a matter of time before Giratina loses. But, Giratina usually establishes such a strong lock that that doesn't happen quite early enough to matter. I've played a few games where my opponent eventually got rolling (Didn't play a whole lot, just made it at league and played against Reshiram/Typhlosion, Loxchomp, and Steelix), but their field is usually damaged enough that Giratina is about to draw the last couple prizes in the next turn or two. Warp Points help keeping Sableye/Smeargle on the bench, but yeah they're frustrating =/ I don't think the lock can be consistent enough to win anything, but it reveals some neat ideas for Sableye outside of Sabledonk.

Power Sprays generally aren't a problem if you go for 2 Giratina (There's not much else to go after because you shuffle it away anyways), plus that's usually in the SP match-up which Mewtwo is helpful in. 2-1 Mewtwo could work, but I already don't like starting with it lol >< Garchomp either doesn't have the resources to snipe, or I can drop a Mesprit to stop Flash Bites (if they spray it, follow up with Let Loose). Bouffalant's a good idea, I'll have to try that. If Giratina goes down the deck needs a quick answer to something.
 
Have you tried using the whole Solrock/Lunatone combo to prevent your opponent from healing?

Just a suggestion.
 
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