Zoroark Checkmate Stage 1 Combo Toolbox

Welcome to one of the most creative decks of all time.

Here is how Zoroark Checkmate wins: first, set up, taking all the time you want, even if the opponent takes a bunch of Prizes in the process. Then, use Naganadel GX's unique Stinger GX attack in order to cancel whatever progress your opponent made, and put both players at three Prizes remaining each. Finally, on your next turn, take three Prizes in one turn. There are multiple ways to do that, the most common being to put Jirachi ◇ in the Prize cards with Peonia, then taking a KO on a two-Prize Pokémon (or using Slowbro's Twilight Inspiration!), for a total of three Prizes.

The deck uses Zoroark as an engine. Zoroark can turn into any stage 1 Pokémon, so it can become Naganadel-GX, Slowbro, or any other attacker. But Zorua can also evolve into Zoroark GX who, while not the absolute dominant powerhouse it once was, is still a good draw engine, that also discards stage 1 Pokémon for Zoroark's Phantom Transformation, while also being a win condition in itself against Dark-weak decks like Shadow Rider and Mew VMAX!

Perhaps more than any other deck in the format, there are a million cards you can fit into Zoroark Checkmate, and the deck truly aims to have a game plan for each opponent. It's a particularly difficult deck to play, since you have to manage your resources very carefully while also considering all the opponent's options (discarding an attacker too early and getting hit by Girafarig's Get Lost, for example, can lose you the game). In a ideal world, such a unique and intricate deck would be top tier when played perfectly. Unfortunately, it's not a good time to be Zoroark Checkmate, as you tend to lose to any deck that can take three Prizes after you use Stinger GX, and Regidrago can do that thanks to Timeless GX. But the Expanded card pool is so wide, and Zoroark so good at making use of it, that I want to believe there is a plan for the matchup, somewhere, waiting to be discovered.