Many of us have built or at least payed attention to the list that did well at the Champion’s League Tokyo event. It is our first look at how to build new archetypes such as Blacephalon Naganadel, Giratina Malamar, and Granbull. As I started testing out these lists, I realized there were some flaws that I should not have been surprised to run into. Japanese lists are somewhat notorious for not being the most consistent. I figure the best way to start the Lost Thunder quarter is by trying to perfect some of these new archetypes.

In this article I go deep into depth about the ways we can approach Giratina Malamar now. This is not one of the articles that you want to skim; the article offers detailed info about counts, overlooked options, and solid ideas that I’m sure you did not consider. Lets get to it.

The first place Giratina Malamar list

The first major flaw that I noticed was that it has no Acro Bikes. Clearly Acro is a good addition in a deck that benefits from discarding Psychics and from a boost in speed. There is even more reason to play Acro Bike now that Giratina is around. Of course Tina works best when you discard it before bringing it into play through Distortion Door because you can get the two damage counter effect that way, rather than just Nest Balling it into play. The supporter line did not seem optimal to me either, and one stadium with no way to search it out, seems odd.

I made cuts liberally with the Japanese list and came up with two of my own. This first list is the one that I currently prefer and have tested the most. The second list is more experimental.

Pure consistency Giratina Malamar

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