Hello! I’m Andrew Hedrick, and I’m excited to be back writing another article for Cut or Tap.

Since EUIC, the meta has changed quite a bit. Tord Reklev’s 2nd place Gardevoir ex list has emerged as a top contender, and almost all Lugia VStar players have begun incorporating Duraladon VMax into their deck. Another archetype that has been adapting is Mirage Gate Lost Zone Box. The only Lost Zone Box deck in Top 8 of EUIC was Sableye and Radiant Charizard, indicating that the other versions of Lost Zone might need some updating.

Recently, I have been working on the “Turbo” version of Lost Zone, with Dragonite V and Raikou V, along with Lost Vacuums. This deck has a solid matchup spread, with no matchups feeling unwinnable, as well as being fairly strong into Tord’s version of Gardevoir ex. Additionally, the deck has lots of lines of play and options in nearly every situation, often giving you the potential to control your own results.

I have managed to finish both 1st and 2nd at two League Cups with the list in just a couple of weekends, and it is currently my top consideration for upcoming Regionals in the format. I will go over my current card choices and why I find them to be strong, as well as how the deck plays against some of the most popular matchups.

List Overview and Card Choices

Starting off with the list I have been playing recently, here’s my current one. 

This is the same list I have been playing in most of my tournaments after EUIC. Like most Lost Zone decks with Mirage Gate, it has four Comfey, two Sableye, two Cramorant, a Greninja, and a Manaphy. It also has some extra attackers to work with as well. It has a Drapion V, most importantly for the Mew VMax matchup, as well as sometimes being useful against Gardevoir ex. It also plays a Raikou V, which is primarily useful against Lugia VStar (especially with Sky Seal Stone, but more on that later) and occasionally against other decks for early knockouts. Finally, the deck includes Dragonite V, which is important against some of the less common matchups like Arceus VStar and Goodra VStar decks.

Going to the Supporters: like most Lost Zone decks it has four Colress’s Experiment and two Klara. However, one main difference in this list from many other Lost Zone decks is two copies of Boss’s Orders. While you don’t use Boss’s Orders super frequently with this deck, having access to two can be game-saving. Oftentimes, on the turns you need to use Boss’s Orders, you really need to use it. If you had to put your one Boss’s Orders into the Lost Zone earlier in the game, had it stuck in the prizes, or were just unable to draw into it, you would be stuck. Having two Boss’s Orders in the deck provides a lot more flexibility. Lost-Zoning one earlier in the game when you need to take a different card to set up becomes much less of a concern, and you can more reliably go for plays that require you to draw a Boss’s Orders later in the game. I had seen other players including two in their list, and after trying it out for myself I definitely see the value in the inclusion.

As is common in Mirage Gate Lost Zone decks, the deck includes four Battle VIP Pass, four Mirage Gate, four Switch Cart and four Escape Rope. One slightly questionable count is the three Nest Ball. I do not find Nest Ball to be crucial enough for it to be worth playing four copies over other consistency cards. Nest Ball is often not super useful later in the game since you are often using Klara to recycle Pokemon, and although I would like an additional copy to help me set up, I think there are better options for consistency that I will elaborate on later. However, make sure to not get rid of all of your Nest Balls in situations where you know you will need to search for a specific Pokemon later in the game. This is often true in the Mew VMax matchup, where you want multiple ways to find Drapion V to close out the game. 

Energy Recycler as a 2-of is also pretty common in Mirage Gate decks, but one card that I don’t always see is the two Pokegear 3.0 that I play. I have to admit, I wasn’t always a believer in Pokegear. I don’t really like the idea of choosing to take a card off of a Comfey or Colress’s Experiment without a guaranteed effect. However, I feel like I run into situations early in the game so often where I have a dead hand and a Pokegear 3.0. Either I am hitting a Colress off of Pokegear, or I am passing the turn. Obviously, sometimes it hits the Colress and sometimes it doesn’t. However, were I to have another card in its place, it’s unlikely I would have been able to do much else that turn anyway. After all, if you fail a Pokegear 3.0, that means you were not going to draw into a Colress’s Experiment in your next 7 cards anyways. Essentially, it gives you an extra chance to continue your turn, potentially being the difference between staying in the game or being forced to concede. Additionally, the card can sometimes be extremely useful in the late game as well. Oftentimes, multiples of Colress, Klara, or Boss’s Orders can be outs at the end of the game. When your deck is low, Pokegear 3.0 can often be extremely likely to hit at least one of the Supporters that give you a chance to win. Lastly, if you don’t need Pokegear, it is still a card that can be Lost Zoned. It is rarely a card that you hate to see, and it doesn’t feel bad to get rid of it. If you need cuts for a different card, the Pokegear slots are probably one of the first places to look, but I find them to be pretty valuable. 

The deck also includes two copies of Lost Vacuum. While many of the “Turbo” Lost Zone decks include three Lost Vacuum and two Forest Seal Stone, I have opted to cut back on those counts slightly. Even with those counts, I found the Turn-1 Mirage Gate attack to be pretty unrealistic. However, I still find Lost Vacuum to be worth playing! It often allows you to reach a higher Lost Zone number than would be possible otherwise. It makes a Turn-2 Lost Mine from Sableye when going second much more realistic, as well as a Turn-1 Mirage Gate going first. It can help you reach Lost Zone thresholds extremely fast, or allow you to reach them at a normal pace when you have a slow start without many Flower Selectings or Colress’s Experiments. Additionally, it does mean that with a very strong hand you can go for a Turn-1 Mirage Gate attack. It is still extremely difficult, needing to use three Flower Selectings, a Colress’s Experiment, and a Lost Vacuum, all with a Mirage Gate and another switching-out in hand. However, it is an option to consider when playing Lost Vacuum. Lastly, Lost Vacuum can be a way to bump stadiums, which can often be useful against Path to the Peak in Mew VMax or even to get rid of Beach Court against opposing Lost Zone decks.

The items wrap up with Hisuian Heavy Ball, another card common in Lost Zone decks.

After upgrading to Stage 2 you will see the rest of Andrew’s article and an audio file of Andy Hyun reading this article here:

You must have a Stage 2 Membership or greater to see the rest of this post. If you don't have a Stage 2 account, you can Sign Up for one here.

Username

Password

Remember Me

 

 

Forgot Password