The Bible of Regi
Regigigas Deck profile for Orlando
Introduction
Hello readers! It is Ian again; this week I will be writing about one of my top choices going into Orlando regionals. This event has been hard to prepare for because players are trying to evaluate the mini-set and we don’t know for sure yet if it will significantly affect the metagame. There are only a few cards that I think could make an impact (Sky Seal Stone, Radiant Eternatus); the deck I will be covering today does not include those cards, but that does not mean that I do not believe they will be seeing play. I believe that they are not as impactful as one would think, and with only three weeks of them being legal, players do not have the time to perfect the decks they can be played in. With the number of decks that are viable currently, it is difficult to find a deck that beats them all; but the one that I will be reviewing has an overall solid matchup spread and no truly bad matchups. I believe this gives you a good chance of making Day 2 and possibly going even further into the event.
Regigigas
This has been a controversial deck for a long time; even I have had a hatred for in the past but have a better opinion of it now. With there being slightly less Lugia overall and less lists choosing to include Dunsparace, Regigigas is making a case for a spot at the top of the metagame. The versatility of attackers and the options that the deck gives you allows you to be in every game you play. The biggest issue the deck has is not being able to handle certain cards very well, like Flying Pikachu VMAX, but it still has a strategy against it that gives you a chance to win. The biggest challenge for the deck is deciding what tech cards are correct for the metagame since you need to account for things like Pokemon you cannot damage and Tools/Stadiums that disrupt your game plan.
Decklist
PTCGO import can be found here1
This is the deck list that I have built currently; it is subject to change based on how I predict the metagame to change. If I play the deck, I highly doubt these exact counts will stay the same.
3 Regigigas
The reason for this inclusion is that with there currently being more Mew than normal in the meta, you can bench one early and not be afraid of it being Lost Zoned with Lost City early on. With it being your main attacker in that matchup, this is a huge relief.
1 Regieleki ASR
This card is strangely way better than most people assume. With the 10 extra HP compared to its 120 HP counterpart, it does not get knocked out in one attack by an opposing Sableye. The other use for it is to allow you to get back the key tech card needed in a specific matchup (for example Yell Horn versus Esicue), which makes it a worthwhile inclusion to me.
1 Yell Horn
Yell Horn is a must for this upcoming Regional. Being able to confuse an opposing Esicue or Flying Pikachu VMAX gives you a chance to win versus these cards. An Esicue can be easily handled with a Marnie and Yell Horn combo, and Flying Pikachu VMAX can be handled with the same strategy, but if there is no Big Parasol on the opposing Flying Pikachu VMAX, Regice can also do the job.
1 Air Balloon, 3 Scoop Up Net
These two go together. In the deck, there is really only space for 4 switching effects in it, so some combination of the two is needed. The choice is either 4 Scoop up Net and 0 Air Balloon or the count that I play. I believe that the 1 Air Balloon creates more flexibility because with one energy on a 3 Retreat Pokemon, you can choose who you bring up later on in the turn. It also combos well with being able to use Regidrago’s Dragon Hoard Ability and being able to Retreat later on in the turn.
Possible Card Inclusions
Lost Vacuum
This card is good against a possible Cape of Toughness in a mirror match, Tool Jammer, and Big Parasol. Being able to remove these cards is important if your opponent plays them. With the current metagame constantly shifting, Lost Vacuum is a strong inclusion to the deck that will likely save you in some games. The card that this would be added over is likely the 3rd Regigigas or the Yell Horn.
Escape Rope
For escape rope to be worth it, there is only one deck that helps improve the matchup. Flying Pikachu VMAX has the weakness of Max Balloon’s effect being removed if moved to the Bench and back into the Active in the same turn. Escape Rope allows you to force your oppponent to move it to the Bench, then you can play Serena to promote the Flying Pikachu VMAX again. With some damage already placed there, this can create a one-hit knockout. There is also a use versus Eiscue where if there is no Manaphy on the opponent’s Bench, you can use Escape Rope combined with Regieleki ASR’s Targeted Bolt attack to knock out the Eiscue. It will rarely come up, but it is a move to know about and keep in your back pocket.
Cape of Toughness
Cape is the best mirror tech in the format. Being able to survive a hit from an opponent’s attacker can swing the matchup and even if you were behind a prize this can allow you to win. The most damage the deck can do to a single Pokemon that does not have a Weakness is 160, Cape gives Regidrago 180 HP and it will always survive a hit. This does force you to Scoop Up Net if you are worried about a possible Regieleki EVS play, but that small amount of resources you have to use makes it well worth it if you are worried about the mirror.
The other use for it is to be able to beat Esicue if three conditions are met. Esicue only hits your active Pokemon for 70 damage'; what this allows you to do is use Electromagnetic Sonar with an undamaged Regieleki ASR to get back a Scoop Up Net. They respond with Blockface for 70. Next turn, you can attach the Cape of Toughness, and get back any card you want to while making sure to power up a Bench Pokemon so you can Retreat it the next turn. They attack again. Now, you can Scoop Up Net the Regieleki ASR and Retreat back into it and get back the Cape of Toughness. This is an infinite loop if they do not play Lost Vacuum or Inteleon CRE. It is a win condition that will likely not work, but if you face the right deck with Esicue and some luck, you can win.
Matchups
Lugia
Lugia is one of the simpler matchups. Your goal as the Regigigas player is to attack as quickly as possible. If there is no Dunsparace in play, being able to attack with a Regieleki EVS that has a Choice Belt to knock out their Lugia VSTAR in one attack is important if you can do it. After the Lugia VSTAR is gone, just attacking with the rest of the Pokemon in your deck to win the prize trade is the game plan.
Mew Judge
Mew Judge is a tougher matchup. With them having access to Lost City, you have to be a little careful with overextending. The game plan for this matchup is to try and set up a Regigigas with a Choice Belt attached to knock out a Mew VMAX in one turn. One thing to note about the matchup is to try and not bench Regigigas unless you are using it to knock out the Mew VMAX. Even if they already used Lost City to get rid of one of the Regis you play only 2 of, you do not need to worry about this if you are knocking out a Mew Vmax with a Regigias the next turn. They do not really have a choice in the next turn; knock out the Regigigas, or face a fully powered Regigigas they are going to promote.
Lost Zone Variants
Lost Zone decks are mostly the same game plan so they are all grouped in as one matchup. The goal of this matchup is to prize race them and use your higher HP single prize attackers to your advantage. This means you can attack with most of the Regis. The biggest two things to note are first to play around Radiant Greninja. If they can spread damage on two Regis with Sableye, the next turn they can use Radiant Greninja and possibly swing the prize trade. A way we can prevent that is to Scoop Up Net one of the Regis that got damaged by Lost Mine the previous turn. The second important thing is to make sure to bench Regieleki ASR. This Pokemon cannot be knocked out in one turn by Sableye using Lost Mine because it has 130 HP. If they do run Galarian Zigzagoon, it can force that out which is good for you.
Arceus Duraladon
This is a weird matchup. How to play it matters on your early draw and the tech cards your opponent plays. The main goal of this matchup is to disrupt your opponent's hand with Marnie and Path to the Peak and to knock out the Arceus VSTAR with a Regirock to not waste a prize. If your opponent plays the matchup properly, they will not attack with a Duraludon VMAX and instead the metal V. This is because this Pokemon can not be knocked out by one attack from the Regi player unless they run Regidrago EVS. The way to handle this is to try and attack with Pokemon that can knock it out with two attacks. Another major thing to note is that they may eventually use a Duraludon VMAX if you are running out of Path to the Peak and Choice Belt. Regieleki EVS is a way to handle this issue by getting these resources back, but it is still something to keep in mind.
Esicue
Esicue is usually simple to answer. The decks that run it will most of the time pick up their entire Bench with Scoop up Nets so that you can not Boss’s Orders around it. We have Yell Horn so the best bet is to Yell Horn, play Marnie, and then use Regieleki ASR’s Electromagnetic Sonar to get back the Yell Horn. Eventually, they will flip tails. The other way to beat it is to use the Escape Rope combo previously mentioned, or the Cape of Toughness infinite loop versus the right deck list.
Conclusion
This is most of the matchups that you will face with Regigigas. With the deck in your hands, you can beat almost any matchup if you can get a good enough start. It is one of the top 4 options for the event with the others being Palkia Inteleon, Lost Box Kyorge, and Vikavolt. Orlando Regionals is going to be one of if not the biggest Regional ever, so you may face a lot of different decks; but having the toolbox of attackers in Regigigas gives you a good chance at beating anything.