In the weeks leading up to Worlds, we have had (and continue to have) a rapidly-evolving meta that will most likely give us a completely new format. Now we have Gardevoir GX, but this has not changed the fact that Garbodor is incredibly strong. Decidueye/Vileplume is actually able to beat both. With that being said, Volcanion and Rayquaza beat Decidueye. Volcanion seemed amazing when we first looked at Kiawe but now that Worlds is a week away, the deck looks like a very weak option when compared other decks. And Ray is looking great.

Before I cover Ray, I want to make it clear that there are several good options for Worlds this year, and I have five lists in this piece – one for each archetype. These are the five decks that I expect to see during Day 2 of the event, and they are all strong options for me at the moment. I could see myself comfortably running any of these decks at Worlds, because frankly they are all consistent with strong matchup spreads. Although I am starting by talking about Rayquaza, that does not mean it is my number one option. In fact, I do not have a number one option. Any of these five are great. And to end this piece, I have three options that should not be considered. But now back to Ray.

This new meta shift has turned Ray from unplayable to a perfect option for the right meta. It can confidently take down Decidueye and Gardevoir variants with a decent consistency, and will take a hard win against Volcanion, Greninja, and Darkrai. But the one matchup Ray lacks may be the most important one. Garbodor has been giving my list about a 45/55 in testing. Normally I would not be concerned by a slightly unfavorable matchup, but seeing as Garbodor has proven itself to be the best deck in the format for the past couple events, it does not seem safe to lose to it more than half the time. So this is the only piece of the puzzle that hasn’t been put into place.

In an event like Worlds, very strange things will happen to a meta. People will choose to play decks they had never considered, foreign players have been working in a different meta bringing them to unique lists, and everyone is anxious about the event. This is why I am considering Rayquaza so highly at the moment. I have been working with this list for a couple weeks, and this is what I have sleeved up currently:

Rayquaza Volcanion List

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