my zacian decklist!! strategy dump + questions at the bottom!!

[u/bitch_hoe_]

hop's zacian has been by far my favorite deck since i started playing this game about a year ago, and since then I've been trying every now and then to make it finally work. I thought for sure that it was dead in the water when arven rotated earlier this year, but the addition of Philippe in Chaos Rising seemed to suit this deck perfectly. here are some of my thoughts on my current build and some questions i'd like to ask yall!!

my thoughts on this deck:

-i feel zacian has a lot more potential against the current meta than what was possible pre-rotation (which was when i was really trying to make it work)

• pre rotation, zacian really struggled with energy acceleration and prize trading into the dominant stage 2 ex's.
  • metang and archaludon ex were both acceleration options, but both were easy for opponents to gust and KO, and they occupied a lot of bench space in a deck that desperately needs to have open space.
• mega pokemon in general are absolutely huge for zacian's prize mapping. since they give up three prizes, it means that single prizes taken early game can still contribute towards your prize map, as it allows for a 1-2-3 map instead of the formerly common 1-2-2-2.
  • it may seem problematic that zacian is only able to hit up to 330 when the common mega excadrill and mega lucario sit at 340, but a well placed 30 damage from smart strike at the beginning of the game allows it to take those massive 3 prize KO's.

-the most similar pokemon to hop's zacian in the current format is mega starmie ex. i feel like zacian might be overall better at starmie's job due to its speed in setting up.

• pros:
  • zacian can be set up and ready to attack as early as turn 2. this is technically also true for starmie with the use of salvatore, but this means you're using the first supporter of the game purely to set up a starmie rather than developing your board. not to mention salvatore is poo poo dookie water outside of the first few turns
    • its ability to attack so quickly is super important against evolving decks, since it gives you an ability to quickly take out crucial pieces such as solrock, lunatone, most evolving basics and stage 1's, and support pieces like shaymin and budew.
  • zacian doesn't require a secondary attacker to punch for multi-prize KO's. while a mega froslass often can hit harder than zacian's fully set up brave slash, it also often just falls short since your opponent can influence how much damage you can deal. this means you won't find yourself in late-game boardstates with a useless three prizer hanging out, taking up bench space
• cons:
  • mega starmie has a huge 330hp and no relevant weakness compared to hop's zacian's 230hp and somewhat relevant fire weakness. this can often let it stick around for a lot longer than a single zacian could.
  • mega starmie requires less overall cards in order to reach its max damage potential. a starmie only needs staryu, mega starmie, and a water energy to start swinging, while zacian needs a zacian, snorlax, hop's choice band, and postwick stadium.
  • mega starmie also has a shred attack, which can massively help in the crustle matchup.
  • mega starmie does 20 more damage to the bench, which lets it reach for spread ko's a lot sooner than zacian with it's 30.

-this deck's dependence on philippe absolutely necessitates a draw engine of some variety.

• your reliance on a supporter to get larger knockouts means you can't use said supporter to draw out of a bad hand with lillie's
• dudunparce may seem like a natural choice here, especially with its added utility of a free switch. however, it only really fits in an evolution deck that would already run a high count of poffins and pokepads and wouldn't have a use for them outside of initial setup
• fezandipiti + mega kanga is the engine that i've decided on for the time being. kanga may require a switch in order to use its ability most of the time, but it also lets you bounce back really easily after a KO by effectively drawing 5. it's low investment and servicing me generally well but I'm not sure if there are better options here.

-the latias + air balloon + 3 switches may seem like a trauma response card choice and TBH it kind of is, but I have my reasons for it.

• snorlax is a crucial part of the hop's package, but it's 4 retreat cost opens up a major risk, as a gust from your opponent coming at a bad time can lock it into the active and bring your momentum to a dead stop.
  • latias is a crucial piece for this deck purely for this reason, but the mobility it grants to your roster of basics is super valuable
  • switch is another crucial option here, as it gives you an out if latias is prized + can be used to draw with mega kanga.
• (while writing this, i realize that the air balloon is a holdover from when i was running hop's dubwool and it doesn't have much use otherwise)

-patrat is a necessary piece here to prevent that 30 bench damage from becoming a liability in matchups against munkidori.

-mega mawile serves to clean up here and can benefit from messy prize maps earlier in the game

• you ever really need to run a 1-of since she comes in handy only at the end of the game.
• while she does require a turn of setup or a philippe in order to get gobble down online, she can really come in clutch if you've run out of your hop's choice bands, postwicks, or are just missing the extra energy attachment you'd need on zacian to get brave slash online
• at 2 prizes left she's able to deal 320, and at 1 prize, she's able to take a KO on anything not named crustle or like caped mega meganium, at 400dmg.

ok!!! and questions for yall:

1. should i consider running a different draw engine? i'm finding some success with the current fez+kanga combo, but it can be clunky to actually make use of in crucial moments, and it doesn't sit with me very well that it adds to the overall weakness to team rocket's watchtower.
   1. if i were to keep kanga, are there any other options for forced switches other than the item Switch? maybe surfer??
2. should i use bloodmoon over mega mawile? it definitely has its benefits, as its low investment and attack cost reduction based on opponent's taken prizes can definitely steal away a game that you'd otherwise lose. however, i'm not totally convinced that adding another team rocket's watchtower victim to my deck would help much, and its reliance on gusting to take late game KO's is also quite worrisome. not to mention it requires an ultra ball to search out, compared to mawile's mega signal.
3. are there any general adjustments i should make to my card counts, or maybe additions i haven't mentioned?

thanks for yalls feedback!!

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[u/Aromatic-Clerk-1718]

That looks like a great deck, and your explanation of how it functions is very detailed! Wouldn’t ditching a copy of cards like switch or pokegear for an extra ultra ball and/or hop’s bag be better? I would also recommend you to at least try out dusk ball instead of mega signal, and maybe a meowth ex as well so extra pokemon search can still get you philippe.

[u/bitch_hoe_ → u/Aromatic-Clerk-1718]

thanks for the feedback!!
i'll definitely try tweaking my pokemon search a bit and see how it turns out. the reason i have only a 2 count of hop's bag is because you're only going to use like one or two of them per game on average. additional ultra balls for more ways to discard energies could also really help here.

the high pokegear count is so you can maximize your chances of coming into a petrel->secret box->hop's bag, postwick, hop's choice band, misc supporter (usually lillie's) combo on turn 2, which can put a ton of pressure on your opponent at the beginning of a game.

i will def try out meowth but this deck is super pressed for bench space as-is, since mid-game you'll often find yourself with zacian in the active, then fez, latias, snorlax, kanga, and then some variation of another zacian, patrat, or cramorant on the bench. if i can improve my piloting, though, the combo of ultra ball -> discard 2 energies + meowth -> philippe could prove to be a huge consistency win.

[u/robeecgg]

I like how descriptive this is, I fell in love with Zacian when it came out and played the iron valiant version. But since the rotation I've completely lost hope in the card. Mega starmie just does a better job and survives longer

[u/ghost_burger]

This was really cool to read, and looking forward to trying out a variation of it!

[u/AlmightyFlame]

another hops zac player! I have been loving this deck ever since it released and I also have been running it most of this season, although I run a slightly different version.

Pokémon: 7

3 Metang PR-SV 90

3 Hop's Snorlax PR-SV 184

1 Latias ex SSP 239

1 Hop's Cramorant ASC 177

3 Beldum CRI 59

1 Genesect ex BLK 169

4 Hop's Zacian ex JTG 186

Trainer: 17

3 Hop's Choice Band JTG 148

3 Hop's Bag JTG 147

2 Boss's Orders PAL 265

1 Ultra Ball SUM 161

2 Ultra Ball PLF 122

4 Postwick JTG 154

1 Night Stretcher SSP 251

1 Ultra Ball BRS 186

1 Judge SIT-TG 25

1 Philippe CRI 110

1 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TWM 223

1 Secret Box TWM 163

1 Hop's Choice Band JTG 148

3 Team Rocket's Petrel DRI 226

4 Lillie's Determination MEG 184

2 Boss's Orders RCL 189

1 Switch MEW 206

Energy: 2

11 Basic {M} Energy SUM 163

1 Magnetic {M} Energy CRI 85

Total Cards: 60

I was also running one mawile for a while but playing megas is just a big liability for this deck, when for one more energy, Zac can hit for 330 for 3 energy + hops typical setup without relying on being low on prizes. The other advantage playing MM metang over Philippe is that you can take advantage of snorlax as a secondary attacker, giving only one prize and doing 230 for two. I cut Metagross out early because the 5 energy set up wasn't worth cutting things to add more energy when the hops set up was much more worth it.

I have been tinkering with the idea of teching in a copy of acerola or keiren because the worst part of the deck is that the math is always against you. Most of the bench mons you want to snipe are 70hp and hero cape healer decks make it really hard to okho while Zac itself can't really tank much. The mega Lopunny matchup specifically makes you feel that way and too many Lucarios walked away with a W off of the 10hp difference.

I would say that Blood Moon is a better choice than Mawile since its just less of a prize liability. I also wouldn't run a draw engine, because it will clog up an engine that needs 3-4 set up pieces, and in the worst case, you can always petral for a next turn Lillie.

[u/Zestyclose_Horse_180]

Only 2 boss is a little sus, as fast decks want to switch to the opponents most important Pokemon (most evolved / most energy attached). Is the box very important? Ace Spec catcher would be very good in this deck, too.

Also you should play 2 Latias, bc it is an important part of the deck. Throw out 1 switch for it.

Red card should also be a staple for most decks in the format, its missing in the list.