Mega Rayquaza ex: my first impressions of the deck

My starting version

I only made two changes from the winning list. I took out a Blowtorch and a Fire Energy to add an Ethan's Adventure and a Jamming Tower.

I explain those choices further down.

The Pokémon in the deck

Mega Kangaskhan ex and Meowth ex

Four Mega Kangaskhan ex. You want to start the game with it in the Active Spot no matter what.

For me, it's the best possible starter for this deck. It has 300 HP and, while it's Active, its Ability lets you draw two cards each turn. That helps a lot to find your pieces and set up the field without spending too many resources.

Two Meowth ex look fine to me to make the deck more consistent.

I saw Azul complaining on stream that he kept starting with Meowth. It really isn't ideal, because its Ability only works when you play the Pokémon from your hand directly onto the Bench.

But when that happens, it's a great way to find Cyrano.

And you want to play Cyrano as fast as possible to get a good setup.

A lot of the time, the ideal opening involves Kangaskhan, Talonflame and Latias ex. If you already started with Kangaskhan or Latias, Cyrano can grab Rayquaza and Talonflame, plus whatever other piece is missing.

Talonflame ex

Talonflame is, for me, by far one of the best cards in the set, and I had already talked about it in my Delta Reign top 5.

It can come straight from your hand onto the Bench when you have a Colorless Mega Evolution Pokémon ex in play. And its attack is really good: 150 damage plus searching your deck for any two cards.

So every time you attack with Talonflame, you need to think about the next turn.

What will I need to do after this attack?

Say you hit a Kangaskhan for 150. It might be worth grabbing a Boss's Orders and a piece to set up your next attack, like an energy or another Rayquaza.

Now, if you think Talonflame is going to get Knocked Out, it may make more sense to grab an Unfair Stamp and set up a comeback play.

The interesting part is also thinking about what your opponent will imagine you grabbed.

It's like playing truco, the Brazilian bluffing card game. You want them to try to guess your play and, if possible, guess wrong.

And one more thing: there's no need to get frustrated when you get hit by Judge after attacking with Talonflame.

I believe Judge will keep getting more common precisely because of this card. Talonflame can grab two very important pieces, so it makes sense for your opponent to try to take those cards out of your hand.

But that doesn't mean the game is over. Depending on your board, you can keep attacking and rebuild your hand.

Many times, being patient and setting up the next turns is better than trying to solve everything right away.

Ethan's Ho-Oh ex and the math that decides the game

Another very important card is Ethan's Ho-Oh ex.

Its Ability lets you attach up to two Fire Energy from your hand to one of your Benched Ethan's Pokémon. In this list, that will usually be Ho-Oh itself.

That's up to 100 extra damage for Rayquaza in a single turn. With your manual attachment, you can put three energies into play and add 150 damage.

And that's exactly what can mess up your opponent's math.

Imagine they look at your board, see few energies, Knock Out your Talonflame and think you can no longer reach 300 damage.

On your turn, you use Ho-Oh, attach two more energies, make your manual attachment and get back a good chunk of the damage that looked lost.

But that math works both ways.

When Ho-Oh gets Knocked Out, you lose not only the two Prize cards but every energy that was on it.

Depending on how many energies were stacked there, that can mean losing 150, 200 or even more damage.

That's why one of the most important things when playing Rayquaza is tracking how many energies you can put into play and how many you might lose next turn.

Energy is the heart of the deck. You want to make your manual attachment pretty much every turn.

Latias ex and Mega Rayquaza ex

Latias ex is basically mandatory.

It removes the Retreat Cost of your Basic Pokémon, which matters a lot in a list with Kangaskhan, Ho-Oh and Rayquaza.

Rayquaza, on the other hand, is the main attacker. It's the Pokémon that turns all of that setup into big Knock Outs.

But I'd be very careful about when to put it into play.

It has 280 HP and gives up three Prize cards when it's Knocked Out.

That's very different from Kangaskhan, with its 300 HP, which your opponent needs to hit at least twice. So before putting Rayquaza down, think about whether it really needs to be in play at that moment or whether it can wait until you're closer to the turn it will attack.

Fezandipiti ex and Iron Thorns ex

Fezandipiti ex is here to help with draw, especially after you lose a Pokémon.

Iron Thorns ex, for me, is one of the MVPs of this list.

While it's in the Active Spot, it shuts off the Abilities of Pokémon with a Rule Box in play, except Future Pokémon.

That can really disrupt some decks, especially in the mirror.

But you have to be careful, because it also shuts off our own Abilities. Latias, Meowth, Kangaskhan, Fezandipiti and Ho-Oh stop working while that effect is on.

It's a double-edged sword.

Even so, I think it's an extremely strong card, especially in the Rayquaza mirror. Depending on when you put Iron Thorns in the Active Spot, it can pretty much win the game on its own.

The Trainers and the list choices

Cyrano and Crispin

Four Cyrano, no doubt.

It searches for up to three Pokémon ex and lets you build your board really fast.

It's one of the cards you most want to find early. Remember that whoever goes first can't play a Supporter on their first turn, so sometimes it's worth holding Cyrano for the next turn.

Crispin, in turn, is one of the pieces that help turn energy into damage.

It searches for two Basic Energy of different types, attaches one directly to a Pokémon and puts the other in your hand.

You can, for example, attach the Lightning to Rayquaza and keep the Fire Energy in hand for Ho-Oh.

If you have another Fire Energy available, you can attach two with Ho-Oh and one with Crispin.

That's three more energies in play, or 150 damage.

If you also make your manual attachment, you can reach 200 extra damage in the same turn.

That's one of the calculations you need to learn when you start playing the deck.

Judge, Boss's Orders and the disruption cards

I really like the two Judge. The deck has ways to find its pieces again, and Judge can be very strong when combined with Legendary Pyroduct.

The idea is to shrink your opponent's hand and get the Stadium into play, making it harder for them to answer.

But it won't always work.

You can set up the whole play, get Pyroduct down, think everything is solved, and your opponent just drops another Stadium on the next turn.

That's part of the game.

Two Boss's Orders also seem like enough in this version. It's a count people can argue about, but you can't always play Boss on the turn you need to use Crispin or Judge.

The deck also runs Special Red Card and Unfair Stamp.

Special Red Card can be played when your opponent has three Prize cards or fewer, cutting their hand down to three cards if they have cards to put back into the deck.

Unfair Stamp comes in after one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. You draw five cards and they draw only two.

Since Rayquaza gives up three Prize cards, these cards can be worth a lot in the late game.

Energy Switch and Switch

Four Energy Switch.

I consider it one of the most important cards for keeping the deck's damage up.

It helps both to set up attacks and to protect your energies late in the game.

Imagine your Talonflame has already taken damage and will probably be Knocked Out next turn.

If you can move its energies to another Pokémon, you keep damage you would otherwise have to rebuild.

Sometimes that move is the difference between still hitting for 300 or spending a turn without reaching the Knock Out.

I also like two Switch.

You could try running just one, but I prefer two because they open up more plays and make the deck less stuck.

Especially when you put Iron Thorns in the Active Spot.

It has a Retreat Cost of four and shuts off Latias. So if you want to get it out of the Active Spot, you'll often need Switch.

Mega Rayquaza ex matchups

Dragapult (even)

Against Dragapult, I see the matchup as even, and it depends a lot on the list you're facing. If you can get two Prize cards ahead or land Legendary Pyroduct well, the game gets better. The Stadium shuts off the Ability of Drakloak, one of the deck's main draw engines, and also those of Dusclops and Dusknoir.

But against good Dragapult players, this matchup is going to be tough. Even more so because I expect more Dudunsparce ex in the lists, and that can make things much harder for Rayquaza.

But the main thing to watch is not putting Rayquaza on the table too early.

I see a lot of people dropping it way too early against Dragapult.

If you take 200 on Talonflame and 60 on Rayquaza, for example, your opponent is already building a very dangerous path to close out the game.

Talonflame gives up two Prize cards, Rayquaza gives up three, and you can end up setting up exactly the Knock Out sequence Dragapult wants.

So in this matchup I'd be very patient about when to put Rayquaza into play.

And remember the math: Dragapult ex has 320 HP. To Knock it Out with Rayquaza, you need seven Fire and Lightning Energy in play, for 350 damage.

Basic Box and the mirror (even to unfavorable)

Here I think it goes from even to unfavorable. Legendary Pyroduct has less impact when your opponent doesn't rely on Evolution Pokémon.

But Iron Thorns helps a lot. Against decks that rely on the Abilities of Basic Pokémon ex, it can create very uncomfortable situations for your opponent.

In the mirror, I'd pay special attention to it. Besides disrupting the other Rayquaza's engine, it can stop important Abilities right when your opponent needs to rebuild their board or accelerate energy.

Just don't forget that you also lose your own Abilities while it's in the Active Spot.

Alakazam (even to favorable)

Against Alakazam, I see it as even to favorable, but it depends on the Stadium and on your opponent's version.

The deck uses Abilities of Evolution Pokémon to draw cards, especially Kadabra, Alakazam and Dudunsparce. When Pyroduct is in play, those Abilities are shut off, and that can really slow your opponent down.

But if they're playing Chien-Pao, they have one more out to find Poké Pad and remove your Stadium. So think carefully about the turn you put Pyroduct down, ideally combining it with Judge or another card that shrinks their hand.

What I would change in the winning list

Ethan's Adventure

The first change was adding an Ethan's Adventure.

This card lets you search for up to three cards, in any combination of Ethan's Pokémon and Basic Fire Energy.

In practice, it helps you find Ho-Oh and can also put energies in your hand to use its Ability.

I like that option because the deck relies a lot on putting energy into play, even after losing Pokémon.

Legendary Pyroduct and Jamming Tower

Legendary Pyroduct is a super cool Stadium.

It shuts off the Abilities of every Evolution Pokémon in play, both yours and your opponent's.

That includes Drakloak, Dudunsparce, Alakazam, Dusclops and Dusknoir, among many others.

And for this deck, the cost of keeping that effect is fairly low. Rayquaza, Kangaskhan and Ho-Oh are Basic, while Talonflame comes into play using its Ability from the hand.

The problem is getting the Stadium into play.

You need both different halves, DLR 94 and DLR 95, in your hand at the same time to play Pyroduct as a single Stadium.

And after all that effort, your opponent can still just play another Stadium to remove yours.

That's why I like having a Jamming Tower in the list.

Besides working as another Stadium to remove your opponent's, it shuts off the effects of Pokémon Tools.

That can be useful in the mirror, especially against versions running Hero's Cape.

Another option would be Lively Stadium, which gives 30 extra HP to every Basic Pokémon in play.

Rayquaza would go from 280 to 310 HP, which can matter.

But there's the other side: the Stadium also helps your opponent.

A Raging Bolt ex, for example, would go from 240 to 270 HP, changing how many energies you need to get the Knock Out.

So it's an interesting card, but it makes you think about the math on both sides.

The energies

In my starting version, I went with nine Fire and five Lightning Energy.

But that's a point I'd still like to test more.

I really like the idea of playing ten Fire Energy.

The more often you can use Ho-Oh and make your manual attachment, the easier it is to keep your damage up throughout the game.

And, as I've been saying since the start, hitting really hard once doesn't help if you can't rebuild your board afterwards.

Update: after the Championship of Doom win, Azul posted a new version of Rayquaza on November 11, already including Ethan's Adventure and keeping ten Fire Energy. The comparison in this article uses the winning list from November 7.

Want to talk more about the deck?

We'll be at LAIC!

And if you want to talk more about Rayquaza, test other versions or discuss any deck in the format, check out Castelo do Álvaro, our first TCMG Top Cut Club!. We have the last 4 spots open for anyone interested.

The idea is to bring together players who want to improve together, share experiences, discuss matchups and review games.

We have channels to talk about each deck, Rayquaza included, plus our famous #var.

The name is a joke, but the idea is pretty cool: you send in a game, tell us what you did, and put the play up for discussion so everyone learns.

So, are you taking Rayquaza to LAIC? What would you change in this list?

Let me know in the comments!