I have always been a fan of “spread” decks or decks that can take multiple Prizes. This deck reminds me a lot of one of my favourite decks of all time, Accelgor/Flygon. Both decks work in such a way that you are able to give up early Prize cards while spreading damage on your opponent’s board, setting up for a major 3-4 Prize turn at the end.
In this current Standard format, not taking any Prizes early on in the game means that Iono does not hurt you as much as it hurts your opponent, as you are drawing more cards off it compared to them.
The Concept Of Reversal Gardevoir
Reversal Gardevoir is a deck that utilizes the new Reversal Energy card from Paldea Evolved. The whole concept of the deck is to stay behind on Prizes for the entire match and clean up with Mewtwo V-UNION at the end game to take a multi-Prize turn.
The deck uses the Gardevoir engine as its base to set up strong Stage-2 attackers, such as Buddy Catch Gallade and Shining Arcana Gardevoir, to take early Prize cards and spread damage across your opponent’s board with Reversal Energy. For example, Shining Arcana Gardevoir does 150 damage with only 1 Reversal Energy attached, the catch being that you have to be behind in Prize cards. Buddy Catch Gallade is also a very powerful Stage-2 Pokemon that does 160 damage, and allows you to conserve your Reversal Energy by moving it to your Benched Pokemon.
Reversal Gardevoir Is Better Than Regular Gardevor ex (?)
A significant reason why I prefer Reversal Gardevoir over the normal Gardevoir ex is the fact that in this “reversal” version, I am never completely out of the game due to the strong comeback factor compared to the normal version.
Also, the regular Gardevoir ex has been perceived as the BDIF (Best Deck in Format), so many people would be prepared to play against it or have techs to counter it. Of course, the trade-off of having more options/power would be giving up some consistency (Prizing important pieces of the deck hurts a lot), which is why some players tend to shy away from this deck.
6 Steps To Master How To Play Reversal Gardevoir
I tend to get asked this question by many players at my local game shop: “How do I play Reversal Gardevoir? Can I have a step-by-step guide on how to approach specific matchups with the deck?”
Truth be told, there is no correct way to play the deck. The beauty of this deck is that you are able to adapt and react to the board state. However, there are some underlying concepts that one has to take note of while playing this deck.
1. Mirage Step is King
One of the key differences between Reversal Gardevoir and normal Gardevoir ex is that we run the Mirage Step Kirlia from Chilling Reign. This card helps us get our board set up with Refinement Kirlia. It also allows you to fall behind in Prizes for your Reversal Energy to take effect. In almost all of my games, I would always prioritize a turn 2 Mirage Step if possible. Pro tip: If you can Mirage Step without playing any draw supporters, just do it. This prevents you from accidentally drawing Kirlia from the deck.
2. Buddy Catch is Very Good
Being able to play the Buddy Catch Gallade is also one of the biggest selling points of this deck. When you can search your deck for any Supporter card as and when you need it, it’s kind of broken.
3. Always Try to Be Behind in Prizes:
Because the deck relies heavily on Reversal Energy, you would always want to be behind in Prizes. A common misplay I see players make is that they try to respond to a Pokemon ex/ Pokemon V threat by taking a Knock Out, which means you take 2 Prizes, causing them to be ahead in the Prize race or having the same number of Prizes with your opponent. This shuts off your Reversal Energy, limiting your plays.
4. Mewtwo V-UNION is a Win Condition, BUT It’s Not Your Only Win Condition:
Many people have this misconception that they have to end the game with a big Mewtwo V-UNION attack. This is false, as there are games where you do not even have to attack with Mewtwo V-UNION. Sometimes just attacking with multiple Gardevoir and Gallade is enough to win you the game.
5. Do Not Evolve to Gardevoir Ex Unless You Need It:
Because you are using Reversal Energy, you do not need to have a Gardevoir ex on the board unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes, discarding the Gardevoir ex is okay since you play 3 Super Rod to recover it. Also, with Lost City running rampant these days, it is always safer for it not to be in play unless you really need it.
6. Learn to Navigate the Deck from Both Leading and Losing Positions:
This can be quite challenging as you have to learn how to close games without using Reversal Energy or how to crawl back into matches in which you are far behind. Playing while ahead can be quite easy as you can always rely on Mewtwo V-UNION as a big sweeper to close the game. However, from a losing position is where the deck truly shines. With cards such as Iono and Path to the Peak, you are always able to disrupt your opponent’s hand and mount a comeback from there. A key thing to note here is being able to identify how many attacks you need to win or how many Prizes you can give up before losing the game. For example, sometimes “walling” with a fresh Gardevoir ex to deny your opponent from taking a Prize card might just be the play for you to “buy” that one single turn you need to come back into the game. Another idea to keep in mind while playing from behind is that you have to ensure that you map your Prizes nicely to close the game in X amount of turns.
Some things to note would be that both deck lists do not run Battle VIP Pass. I feel that this is the way to go for this deck, as you do not really want to have many Ralts in play on turn 1 because your turn 2 play would always be to go for the Mirage Step. On the flip side, in a situation where Mirage Step Kirlia is stuck among your Prizes, Battle VIP Pass would go a long way to setting up multiple Refinement Kirlia. Here is a list that runs VIP Battle Pass:
Key Cards In Reversal Gardevoir ex
Luxray
The new Luxray is a good card as its attack for just one of Reversal Energy deals 180 damage. It is also used to deal with any Pokemon with a Lightning-type Weakness, such as Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR and Lugia VSTAR.
Fighting Type Gallade
This card is mainly in the deck to deal with Arceus VSTAR variants. Its attack does 60x the number of Pokemon V your opponent has in play. It is also very good in the Mew VMAX deck.
Buddy Catch Gallade
As mentioned above, Buddy Catch Gallade is a staple of the deck due to its powerful ability to be able to grab any Supporter card in your deck. Its attack also allows you to conserve your Reversal Energy by moving it to another attacker.
Path to the Peak
This card is mainly for the Gardevoir ex matchup to prevent them from having access to Gardevoir ex’s Ability late game with an Iono play. This card can also help to deal with Duraludon’s VMAX Ability, which can block attacks from your Pokemon with Reversal Energy attached.
Tech cards To Consider:
Cresselia Lost Origin
Cresselia from Lost Origin prevents your Lost Box opponents from spreading damage via Sableye onto your board without taking Prize cards. However, a downside of playing this card is that you only have 6 Basic Energy and you must have Gardevoir ex in play for this card to be effective.
2nd Manaphy
If you take a look at the above list, 2 lists run a 2nd Manaphy. The 2nd Manaphy gives you insurance against Radiant Greninja plays in case you Prized the 1st Manaphy. Double Manaphy also stops any Cancelling Cologne plays.
Switching Card Options
Because we are in a BO1 format, stall is not very viable due to time constraints. However, having access to a switching card like Switch or Escape Rope may just save you from any Mawile shenanigans.
Radiant Pokemon or No?
This is an interesting tech to consider as the deck only plays 10 energy. Is Radiant Greninja the best Radiant Pokemon, considering that you do not want to discard Reversal Energy to draw cards? Personally, I prefer not running any Radiant Pokemon in the deck.
The Ideal Reversal Gardevoir Turn 1 and 2
The ideal turn 1 of the deck would be to find 3 Ralts and a Manaphy (depending on the matchup). Be sure to check your Prizes during the first turn deck search. If Mirage Step Kirlia is Prized, try to find as many Ralts to put onto the Bench as possible. Turn 2, regardless of matchup, would be to use Mirage Step for the setup. This gets you as many Kirlia into play to start drawing out the cards you need from your deck.
Deck Matchups
VS Arceus VSTAR /Duraludon VMAX / Umbreon VMAX
Fighting-type Gallade is your key card in this matchup. Being able to 1-shot Arceus VSTAR to prevent it from charging up more attackers is your route to victory. Try to target down Umbreon V on the Bench or get the first attack, then clear up and finish them off with Mewtwo V-UNION late game.
An important thing to note is that because they run high counts of Lost City, saving your Stadium bump is key in this matchup. If they decide to set up Duraludon VMAX, getting a first attack on it with Buddy Catch Gallade is key before your opponent evolves it (and blocking attacks with Reversal Energy attached). There is also the option of attacking Duraludon with Gardevoir with 2 Reversal Energy and Path to the Peak in play. Be sure only to play down Gardevoir ex when needed or you are sure your opponent cannot remove it from the board. Remember that they do not have a built-in draw engine, so playing Iono hurts them. Having access to Boss’s Orders helps greatly too in the matchup.
Key cards in matchup: Fighting Gallade, Path to the Peak, your number of Boss’s Orders, Buddy Catch Gallade, Stadium counts, and Worker
VS Arceus VSTAR / Giratina VSTAR
This matchup is pretty similar to the previous Arceus VSTAR deck. Fighting-type Gallade is your go-to attacker as it hits for Weakness against Arceus VSTAR. The key in this matchup is to take out the Giratina VSTAR as soon as possible. Once you remove their Giratina from the board, Mewtwo V-UNION is free to OHKO any of their attackers. Removing their draw engine sometimes is good if you find yourself struggling and need more turns to mount your comeback via Iono. Because they run 4 Path to the Peak, save your Stadiums cards for the late game when you need to use Gardevoir ex to win the game. Worker works wonders too in this matchup.
Key cards in matchup: Fighting-type Gallade, Stadium counts, and Worker
VS Gardevoir ex
There are many ways to approach this matchup. One of the methods that I find myself using often is to get the first hit on their Gardevoir ex. Because your deck can function without having to put Gardevoir ex into play, make use of Luxray or any attacker to trade Prizes.
Most players would try to use Cresselia to take Knock Outs on your Bench while powering up their attackers. As soon as Cresselia hits the board, try to take the KO on it using ideally Buddy Catch Gallade as it has 160 HP. Another play that I love to do is to use Boss’s Orders on their Gardevoir ex to deal 300 damage, leaving it with 10 HP remaining. This makes it difficult for your opponent to retreat, and you can take a 3 Prize swing turn with Mewtwo V-UNION at the end. A thing to look out for if you choose this line of play is that if your opponent is able to retreat, they can use Collapsed Stadium to discard the damaged Gardevoir ex. Path to the Peak is also useful in this matchup at the end combined with an Iono. If you get an insane fast start, there is also the option to just use Mewtwo V-UNION’s Psyplosion attack to take out 2 Ralts.
Key cards in matchup: Path to the Peak
VS Mew VMAX
Once again, Fighting-type Gallade steals the spotlight in this matchup. Because your opponent has to bench Genesect V to draw cards, Gallade hits like a truck. Luxray also works wonders as it can OHKO a fresh Mew V. Always try to remove their Fusion Strike Energy from play by taking KO on where they attach them. This prevents them from having the easy OHKO on Gardevoir ex. Path to the Peak combined with a late-game Iono is your go-to comeback factor in this matchup. Be sure to save your Worker and Stadium cards to remove their Lost City from play. Mewtwo V-UNION can be used to clean up the board after spreading damage around on all of their Genesect V, potentially picking up the final 4 Prizes to win.
Key cards in matchup: Path to the Peak, Fighting-type Gallade, Luxray
VS Rapid Strike Inteleon VMAX / Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX
This matchup is one of the worst matchups for Reversal Gardevoir due to Medicham V’s Yoga Loop. However, because we run Luxray, we have the potential to OHKO their Inteleon VMAX. There is really nothing much we can do if your opponent pops off with a turn 2 Yoga Loop. Going after their engine and dropping the Path to the Peak with Iono might be your best option. Setting up Mewtwo V-UNION ASAP gives you a fighting chance against this deck.
Key cards in matchup: Path to the Peak, Luxray
VS Lost Box
For the Lost Zone matchup, your objective here is to rush to get all Mewtwo V-UNION pieces into the discard pile and use Psyplosion to clean up the game after taking 2 Prizes with any of your Reversal attackers. Some players might try to stop Reversal Energy from having an effect by spreading with Sableye; this is where if you run Cresselia, you are able to prevent that from happening. Another thing to be cautious about is the potential Drapion V that can OHKO your Mewtwo V-UNION and Gardevoir ex. Remember to play Iono before putting Mewtwo V-UNION and Gardevoir ex on the Bench. Also, be sure to bench Manaphy to prevent any Radiant Greninja plays.
Key cards in matchup: Manaphy, Mewtwo V-UNION, Iono counts
VS Chien-Pao ex / Baxcalibur
This matchup can be tricky sometimes depending on which build your opponent is playing. In general, you should always target down Baxcalibur if possible. This forces your opponent to bench more small Basic Pokemon as it is the key engine of the deck. We have Luxray to take the easy OHKO on Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR if it comes into play. Double Manaphy prevents the Radiant Greninja + Canceling Cologne play to protect our Kirlia on the Bench. Because Chien-Pao ex has 220 HP, we can set up damage using Buddy Catch Gallade and cleaning it up later with a Mewtwo V-UNION.
Key cards in matchup: Manaphy, Luxray
VS Lugia VSTAR
For this matchup, because we have Luxray, we do not have to be afraid of Lugia VSTAR. Targeting down their Archeops is an effective way of dealing with their deck. Another thing to take note of is their Tyranitar V, which can OHKO our Mewtwo V-UNION and Gardevoir ex. The best way to deal with it would be to have a 2 Reversal Energy attached to a Shining Arcana Gardevoir. Be sure to keep up with the Prize race by targeting down easy 2 Prizes on their board.
Key cards in matchup: Luxray, Number of Boss’s Orders
These are just some of the ways to play the deck for each matchup. There are a lot more ways and fun lines of play to try. Don’t be afraid to try out new lines of play in a playtest. Who knows, that might be the more optimal way of playing the deck!
Next Season Goals
Some of my goals for the coming season would be, of course, to be able to take part in Worlds again. With the current system, only 4/5 Singaporeans can get their invite, so hopefully, I can achieve that. Trying to win a major event is another goal I hope to achieve. Another personal goal of mine would be to start coaching and help the people around me improve and grow together as players. Being able to help others identify optimal lines of plays quicker and more accurately has always been a goal of mine. With that being said, I welcome any feedback on this article, and you can find me on Twitter @Liaobi. Thanks for reading! 🙂
The Southern Islands 