Archetype Check for Toronto

This weekend, we have the second to last Standard regionals up in Toronto. And in the next few days, the primary objective of players will be to figure out what deck to use to try to take that glorious position of Regional Champion (Not as glorious as World Champion, but still a glorious title none the less). But here's the key point to remember going into the event: Forbidden Light is still not legal, and it won't be legal until the 18th. So no Beast Box, no Zygarde, no Zoroark-Greninja, and most importantly, no Ultra Necrozma/Malamar. So what will come out as decent?

The Kings of the Format

Two obvious answers as to what will come out on top are Zoroark and Buzzwole archetypes. Buzzwole has the advantage of hitting Zoroark for weakness, and all sorts of damage modifiers to hit numbers on key pokemon like Tapu Lele and Gardevoir (If that's still seeing any play), and Zoroark has the advantage of being able to spam things like Acerola to heal, and it gives any deck added consistency. But here's the thing: Buzzwole is simply better at the moment. The finals of the Latin America Internationals was a Buzzroc mirror, so zoroark probably won't see play as a main attacker, but rather as an possible alternative draw engine

So, we've identified that Buzzwole has the best chance to win. But which Buzzwole variant will be the better play? BuzzGarb is still a decent deck, but without Greninja-GX and Malamar being legal, you don't really need to shut off abilities. At best, you're shutting off Tapu Lele, Zoroark, Oranguru, and Octillery. And while those are great abilities to shut off, you're already beating Zoroark even if they have trade, and the other three are generally key pieces in you're opponent's deck, you can pick off Oranguru and Octillery with Jet Punch if needed, and Tapu Lele won't really do much for your opponent in terms of attacking unless they're willing to attach 2 basic energy if they aren't playing Double Colorless. And there's BuzzRoc, which is absolutely better because it gives you access to, essentially, a Lysandre, while providing a great GX attack, and a main attack that isn't the best, but comes in clutch when needed, like for instance, the Latin American Internationals finals when Dyego Rathje managed to get the needed combination of Strong Energy and Basic fighting onto a Rockruff, and then use Lycanroc's ability to drag a damaged Lele into the active and Claw Slash for the KO.

ZoroPod

Like previously mentioned, Zoroark may not see much play with Buzzwole becoming more and more popular. Even with Golisopod-GX as an attacker, it won't last long against a Buzzwole with a Strong Energy and a Choice Band. Long Story Short: Unless Tord Reklev manages to traverse ultra space and survive and onslaught of Buzzwole (Which is extremly possible), ZoroPod may not be a good play.

Bulu/Vikavolt

Here's an interesting choice. Bulu/Vikavolt is still clinging onto relevance, but just can't seem to go anywhere. But the with the dominance of Buzzwole, it's going to be a major testing point for the deck.

On the one hand, Bulu's getting an easy 1HKO on a Buzzwole and all relevant stage 1s with a choice band and discarding the energy, and Vikavolt is an OK backup in case of an attacking Hoopa deck. But here's the problem: It's slow. Vikavolt, being a stage 2, relies on Rare Candy to get it into play, and you won't always get the turn 2 Candy-Vikavolt. So while the numbers work out great, speed will determine whether it can compete with Buzzwole.

Espeon/Garbodor

This is probably the one deck that stands a chance against Buzzwole. Hitting that psychic weakness will be cruicial to keeping it in check, and this deck may be the thing to do it. Of course, you could just play Mew, Mewtwo, or Mew-EX, but having a full deck that can combat other decks while easily dealing with Buzzwole may be needed in order to assure you have the best matchup possible.

And this deck actually has a lot going for it. You have the energy evolution Eevee that allows you to get a turn one espeon, and if you go second, a turn one Psybeam, which hits a Buzzwole for 120 with a choice band, and that confusion flip can be annoying for your opponent. And with espeon, psychic against a buzzwole gets an easy 1HKO, and against any Zoroark decks running around, with a choice band, you're still getting a 2HKO, even with Zoroark's psychic resistance. And against anything that relies on large amounts of energy, like Gardevoir, it still does decently. And Divide GX can be a great mid game attack to soften up some main threats like Zoroark and Buzzwole.

And then there's Garbodor. Again, like before, there aren't too many abilities you need to shut off, but having it there in case you go into a match where abilities are important to your opponent, like Bulu/Vikavolt or Gardevoir, it's decent to have. And unlike Buzzwole, it's an easy fit into an Espeon deck. But you also get access to the Trashalanche Garbodor, which, despite seeing not too much play recently, could be ready for a resurgence if the players in Toronto become too reliant on items. And since buzzwole decks rely on things like Max Elixir to set up, plus you're hitting Buzzwole for weakness, you could bring Garbodor in during the late game to clean up one last Buzzwole

The Battle Commences

Will we see Buzzwole come out on top again? Will Zoroark be able to stay relevant? Will Espeon/Garbodor become a top tier deck once more? We'll have to wait for this weekend to roll around to find out.