The Pokémon TCG Meta Snapshot is an article that aims to encapsulate the state of the meta for a given 1 month period.
The Pokémon TCG Meta Snapshot also aims to rank decks in a somewhat lesser tier system. The tiers that we will use are as follows:
Tier 1: Highly Competitive Meta Decks. 10% or more of tops based on Limitless Online Tournament Platform deck spread and/or at least WIN a big official event once (Regionals, Internationals, or Special Event).
Tier 2: Semi-Competitive Meta Decks. Less than 10% of tops are based on the Limitless Online Tournament Platform deck spread.
Tier 3: Semi-Competitive non-Meta/Rogue decks. 1-2 tops. Specifically includes decks that only top small events or get lower rankings at medium events. Can also include decks that can potentially top but have not yet in a given format.
Tier 4: Casually Competitive non-Meta decks. Decks that can compete at the local level, but cannot top an event.
Tops = 1st - 8th place.
This article is written based on the Paradox Rift format.
Deck Overview
With the release of Paradox Rift, Roaring Moon ex become one of the choices when it comes to making a new deck because of its potential. It can easily knock any Pokemon while also dealing weakness damage to Gardevoir ex and Mew VMAX. You can also pair it with Galarian Moltres V or Darkrai VSTAR to create an even more powerful combo. Also, as it is an Ancient Pokemon, you can easily pair it with some of the Ancient Trainer cards such as Professor Sada’s Vitality and Earthen Vessel.
Table of Contents:
Roaring Moon ex (Paradox Rift)
Let’s take a journey back to the past with Salamence. But wait, why is it different? It’s the Roaring Moon! This time, Roaring Moon finally makes its appearance in Pokemon TCG and it shocks the format with its perks and attacks because it has a very serious potential in the format. Let’s jump into it!
First, its HP which is 230HP is a great number because you can survive some of the big attackers such as Miraidon ex. This can be very crucial if you want to survive the long game as some of the decks have a big hitter on their deck. However, that thing may be covered by Roaring Moon ex’s attack.
Its first attack, Frenzied Gouging, is very simple because you basically can knock any Pokemon on the field. This is a very controversial attack because you can knock any Pokemon very easily. However, the drawback here is that it will deal 200 damage to Roaring Moon itself which may be vulnerable to some attacks. But I think it is still a great trade if you manage to knock your opponent’s main attacker first. It also has a very decent attack cost which can be covered by some of the energy acceleration in this deck which I will be discussing later in this article.
Next is its second attack, Calamity Storm, which has the same attack cost but different damage. It has the potential to deal 220 damage which is a great number as it can knock some of the Basic Pokemon ex or Pokemon V. However, the requirement is that you need to discard a Stadium card in play. If there is no Stadium card in play, you will only deal 100 damage. It may sound bad but since we are in the era where we play Stadium cards a lot to help our setup, it is a great attack as we will maximize our damage most of the time.
Overall, this is a very interesting card to watch as the format evolves. You can also try to invest in some of the Paradox Pokemon cards because I believe they will get supported for quite a while in the future. As for how many copies you want to bring into your deck, I think having at least 3 copies in your deck can be a great start as you may still want to consider another attacker such as Galarian Moltres V or Darkrai VSTAR. However, you can still go all the way to 4 copies if you want to go all in on Roaring Moon ex.
Dark Patch (Astral Radiance)
The next important thing is not a Pokemon but one of the long-awaited cards to be reprinted, Dark Patch. This card serves as a quick energy acceleration from the discard pile for Dark Energy. As Roaring Moon ex is a Dark-type Pokemon, you basically can use this card to accelerate energy with the help of Squawkabilly ex and more discarding cards such as Ultra Balls or Professor’s Research. Also, as it is an Item card, you can use it continuously on the same turn. which makes energy acceleration on early turn becomes easy. However, the only downside of this card is that you can only accelerate energy to the bench so you may need some pivot cards or switching cards.
As you guys already know its importance, the deck brings 4 copies of Dark Patch because you want to maximize energy acceleration. Dark Patch also has a Gold card so if you want to maximize the rarity of all of your cards, you can try to use the Gold card.
Professor Sada's Vitality (Paradox Rift)
The deck won’t work quickly only with the help of Dark Patch as its energy acceleration card. Hence, Professor Sada’s Vitality comes in handy with its amazing effect. As you play Roaring Moon ex which is an Ancient Pokemon, you can use Professor Sada’s Vitality and choose Roaring Moon ex as your target Pokemon for energy acceleration. This means that you can easily accomplish 3 energy attachments in a single turn which is very crucial for Roaring Moon ex to get an important knockout quickly. But wait, the card’s effect does not stop there. If you manage to accelerate energy this way, you get to have a 3-card draw which is very important because you can dig for more cards and you may find Dark Patch or another Professor Sada’s Vitality for your next turn. This is a very important card for Ancient Pokemon because it allows you to still compete in the format with its energy acceleration and card draw.
As for how many copies you want to bring, I think because of its importance, you want to bring 4 copies of Professor Sada’s Vitality. It also has 2 variations of Full-Art which can be a great addition to your deck for a more ‘bling-bling’ look. Even if you don’t play any of it right now, I think this is a very important card to invest in because the Ancient and Future mechanic is the core gimmick in the Scarlet and Violet era. You may not encounter a strong Ancient Pokemon that suits your playstyle right now, but who knows in the future that Pokemon will decide to release some strong Ancient Pokemon cards that can compete in the format. Professor Sada’s Vitality may come in handy.
Other Things to Consider
As always, many things make the Roaring Moon ex decks a very strong deck. Here are the other things that you can consider adding to your deck.
Darkrai VSTAR (Astral Radiance)
First up we have Darkrai VSTAR. Because the deck plays Dark Patch, you need to not forget Darkrai VSTAR because of its VSTAR Power. Let’s jump in!
First is its HP, it has 270HP which is high compared to other cards in the Roaring Moon ex deck. This can be your option if you want to tank some damage. It also has a Grass-type weakness so you don’t need to be wary when facing decks like Urshifu.
Then we look at its attack, Dark Pulse. It has 2 Colorless Energy as its attack cost and with a base of 30 damage. It can be a very great attack if you manage to pile up enough Dark Energy on your board and with the help of Dark Patch and Professor Sada’s Vitality, I think you will have a great chance to deal at least 210 damage. This is a great attack if you can manage your resources successfully.
Last but not least is its VSTAR Power, Star Abyss. You can recycle back 2 Item cards from your discard pile to your hand which is a very powerful ability that you can have. You can recycle Dark Patch again to accelerate more energy which can be more beneficial to Darkrai VSTAR. You can also recycle cards like Energy Switch, Earthen Vessel, or even Ultra Ball according to your need.
Overall, this is a very great Pokemon to have and it will have a great impact if you pair it with Roaring Moon ex. As for how many copies you want to bring, I think a 1-1 line is perfectly enough as the deck still relies on Roaring Moon's ex as the main attacker.
Galarian Moltres V (Chilling Reign)
The next Pokemon is Galarian Moltres V. This is an interesting pair for Roaring Moon ex because not only you can use it as an attacker, but you can also use Galarian Moltres V’s ability to recycle Dark Energy as you use Energy Switch to move it to another Pokemon which makes Galarian Moltres V a great utility Pokemon to have. It also has a Grass-type weakness so you will still be fine when facing Fighting-type Pokemon. Then, its attack, Aura Burn, costs 2 Dark Energy and 1 Colorless Energy and deals 190 damage while dealing 30 damage to itself is a decent attack because you can easily knock any Pokemon that is weak to Dark-type but somehow it lacks damage to kill basic Pokemon ex or Pokemon V. But if you are in a pinch and your Roaring Moon ex still need some time to prepare, you can try attacking using Galarian Moltres V. It may work wonderfully!
As for how many copies you want to bring, you may only need to bring 1 copy because this card will mostly be used as an energy recycler only. However, since you only bring 1 copy of Galarian Moltres V, you can spend some more money on higher rarities such as the Galarian Gallery and the Alt. Art versions are a great version to have and possibly invest in.
Morpeko (Paradox Rift)
Up next is the newly released Morpeko. It has an ability where if it doesn’t have any Energy attached to it, you will have no Retreat Cost. This is a great thing to have because you can have a free pivot card in your deck so you can safely charge Roaring Moon ex at the back without thinking of switching cards. Then, you can also try to attack with it even though it only has 70 damage because its effect allows you to move 2 Dark Energy to another Pokemon which saves those energy cards from being trashed when Morpeko is knocked. However, even if you can attack using Morpeko, I think people rarely use it to attack and more use it for the pivot effect.
As for how many copies you want to bring, I think 1 copy is enough for the pivot as you still want to mainly put Roaring Moon ex first and not start with Morpeko. You can also get the Illustration Rare Morpeko to ‘beautify’ your deck too.
Winners’ Decklist
Now let’s see what people bring on their Miraidon ex deck and we will start with the first deck from the finalist of the 2024 Champions League Kyoto.
First, we look at the Pokémon list. 3 copies of Roaring Moon ex followed by a single copy each of Darkrai V-VSTAR line, Squawkabilly ex, Lumineon V, Radiant Greninja, and Morpeko. In my opinion, the 3 copies of Roaring Moon ex is the bare minimum that you want to bring here because it is your main attacker and you don’t want to run out of attackers in the middle of the game. However, since the deck brings a 1-1 line of Darkrai V-VSTAR, the lack of the 4th copy of Roaring Moon ex is compensated. You can also use Darkrai VSTAR as an attacker which is quite good and you can use its VSTAR Power to recycle back item cards such as Dark Patch so you can have more energy on board to increase your damage. Then, the 1 copy lineup of Squawkabilly ex and Lumineon V is present as a supporting Pokemon to draw cards and find supporter cards which is pretty thin in this deck. Radiant Greninja is also present so you can draw cards while discarding Basic Energy to activate your Dark Patch and Professor Sada’s Vitality.
Last but not least is Morpeko which will be your pivot here and secondary attacker if you are in a pinch. But most of the time, you will be using Morpeko as a pivot. Overall, I think this is a pretty standard and popular lineup for the Roaring Moon ex deck if you want to incorporate Darkrai VSTAR as you don’t want to play too much of Darkrai VSTAR. Because it will be your last/backup attacker when you already pile enough energy in your board. It also serves as a tank because it has the highest HP in the deck so you can keep it in mind.
As for Supporter cards, the lineup is pretty simple here because the deck mostly consist of Item cards. First, we have full copies of Professor Sada’s Vitality which is mandatory because you want to maximize your early turn to accelerate energy to Roaring Moon ex while also drawing some cards. You will also have a higher chance of drawing it if you have multiple copies of it. Then, the rest of the supporter cards lineup is only a single copy of Boss’s Orders and Iono. Boss’s Orders is a straight-up gusting card and you can use it in any part of the game or to close out the game. Iono, on the other hand, is a disruption card which can be used to disrupt your opponent as it will refresh both of your hands by accounting for each player’s prize cards left. You can use this card in the late part of the game to disrupt your opponent if you are on the losing side as it will limit your opponent's hand. Overall, there’s not much to say about the supporter cards lineup because it is a pretty simple lineup and you won’t be relying on it too much as you rely more on Item cards.
Then we move on to the searcher cards. With most of the Pokemon in the deck being Basic Pokemon, Battle VIP Pass and Nest Ball will be played here. Battle VIP Pass is mandatory here because you can easily set up your board in quick succession on your first turn. Nest Ball also helps you to quickly call out a Basic Pokemon on your deck which is very convenient. Then, the deck also plays Ultra Ball to call out any Pokemon in the deck especially Lumineon V and Darkrai VSTAR. It also helps you to discard cards such as Basic Energy which can help you pile up Basic Energy so you can use Dark Patch and Professor Sada’s Vitality. I think the composition of the searcher cards in this deck is a great one because you are not playing that much Pokemon in the first place and most of the Pokemon can be called easily without the need to evolve.
As for the other Item cards, Dark Patch is pretty much mandatory here with 4 copies being played because you want that energy acceleration. Then, 4 copies of Trekking Shoes to dig up some cards because you don’t play any drawing engine. The deck also plays 4 copies of Cross Switcher which is a great combination as you will mostly accelerate energy from the bench you can switch out your Pokemon while also gusting your opponent. Up next we have Crossceiver which is quite surprising because not only does this card rarely see some play but it is also being integrated into one of the most Item-packed decks right now. You can easily recycle your Pokemon or Supporter back into your hand which is a very great thing to do as you play a thin line of Supporter cards. Then the deck also brings 3 copies of Earthen Vessel. This card is a perfect combo with the discard mechanic from Squawkabilly ex, Radiant Greninja or Ultra Ball because you can take out Basic Energy from using it and then discard it using the discard mechanic you have to easily pile up Basic Energy to the discard pile so you can also use Dark Patch to accelerate back to your field. It is a pretty nice card to have. Following next is Ordinary Rod which is used to recycle both Pokemon and Energy at the same time to the deck which can be very beneficial to prolong your game. Then Lost Vacuum is also being played because right now, the format is filled with many decks using Tool cards and Stadium cards. You are so, having it can be a great thing to disrupt your opponent.
Last but not least is the switching cards where the deck only play a single copy of Switch and Switch Cart. This is due to the deck also playing Cross Switcher so you still have an abundance of switching mechanisms. Overall, the Item cards being played here are a great choice with one of them being quite a surprise for me but it turns out to work out very well.
Last but not least is the Stadium cards where the deck plays a full copy of PokeStop. This is mandatory in my opinion, because you play an abundance of Item cards in your deck and finding them one by one is not an option as you need to play it simultaneously. Hence, 4 copies of PokeStop are being played here.
Overall, I think this deck is very solid because the Roaring Moon ex is strong from the start. The addition of Crossceiver also turns out pretty solid making the deck to become a finalist in Champions League Kyoto. Darkrai VSTAR is also integrated very well into the deck as it can easily recycle Item cards while also attacking with some serious damage. Congratulations once again!
Up next, we will also see quite a similar build by Luigi Vezzoni who got 9th place in the Regional Stuttgart.
Similar to the Japanese side, Luigi also brings quite a similar lineup of Pokemon but with the absence of the Darkrai VSTAR line. Instead, Luigi adds Galarian Moltres V to the deck as part of the energy recycling option. Luigi also brings the fourth copy of Roaring Moon ex and the second copy of Squawkabilly ex. I think this is perfectly reasonable because you are not playing any other attackers. So, adding the fourth copy of the Roaring Moon Ex is a perfect choice.
As for the supporter cards, Luigi doesn’t play Iono but instead gives the space for the second Boss’s Orders. This is also due to Luigi not playing any Cross Switcher so an extra gusting power is always good. As for searcher cards, Luigi ditch Nest Ball and go for a full copy of Ultra Ball and Battle VIP Pass. I think this is quite a bold move because even though Ultra Ball can give you any Pokemon, the discarding power sometimes becomes problematic because you need to discard 2 cards not one. This can be a problem if you only have small hands and need to find certain Pokemon. But looking at the performance of the deck, I think that problem is mitigated quite well. Luigi also plays Energy Switch which is very useful as you also play Galarian Moltres V so you can easily move your energy everywhere once you recycle the energy using Galarian Moltres V’s ability. As for the switching cards, Luigi brings a full copy of Switch Cart and this is a perfect choice if you only play Roaring Moon ex as you need to survive as long as you can so healing while switching out is a great choice to prevent your Pokemon getting sniped.
As for the other cards, the thing that stands out here is the tool card. Luigi brings 4 Tool cards where 2 of them are Ancient Booster Energy Capsules and the rest is 1 copy each of Forest Seal Stone and Bravery Charm. The Ancient Boster Energy Capsule is a great way to prolong your Roaring Moon ex because it gives you an extra 60HP. This can be very crucial if you are exchanging damage with your opponent constantly. This Tool card can also work wonderfully with Switch Cart as you will have more HP to survive. Then, Forest Seal Stone is a good Tool card here because you can use it on Galarian Moltres V or Lumineon V to find any card you want. Mostly, I will place it on Galarian Moltres V because it is one of the Pokemon that I will play on the bench.
Last but not least is the Bravery Charm. You might be confused about why not go all the way to Ancient Booster Energy Capsule because you can give more HP to Roaring Moon ex. But remember, your field is not filled with Roaring Moon ex only. By having Bravery Charm, you can help other Pokemon to survive in case your enemy is targeting it. This can be your survival moment if you manage to save one of your supporting Pokemon.
Then for the stadium cards, Luigi brings Town Store instead of PokeStop. I think this is a good choice as you play multiple copies of Tool cards. It can also be a perfect combo to search Forest Seal Stone and start rolling again by using its VSTAR Power.
Overall, the deck is strong as it is but once inconsistency strikes, the deck falls pretty quickly. Even if you play the PokeStop variant, there is a small chance that you will get a pretty bad discard from PokeStop. However, once the deck is online, you will be pretty much rock-n-rollin’.
Tier Conclusion
As we come to the final section of the article, we need to decide the deck’s tier. With the deck becoming a finalist in the recent Champions League, I think the deck has served its spot in the top-tier format. However, compared to other decks, the deck lacks a proper draw engine and a high chance of survivability when facing a high-attacking opponent. But since it is a Dark-type, it can face multiple popular decks with ease as some of them are weak to Dark-type.
Based on the achievement and the performance of the deck, the deck will be a Tier 2 deck. However, I think the deck is more like Tier 1,5 and with a little bit of push and support, the deck can be phenomenal. Hopefully, shortly, we can see the deck thrive and win some big events.
Afterword
What do you guys think of the Roaring Moon ex deck? I enjoy playing this deck so much because of how quick and surprising the deck is with a first-turn attack. It also goes very well when facing Gardevoir ex and Mew VMAX deck. You can also see some decks have a unique build where you can attack with Radiant Greninja too. What build are you using right now for Roaring Moon ex? Comment down below!
This is an ongoing project on pokemoncard.io and I appreciate all the feedback. I plan to do this one every month so you can at least grasp what is happening over the month and I think it is a very safe cycle time considering that our set is not released once a month so you guys can still see how the format goes.
Life is too short to be anything but happy! - Arelios
There may be some mistakes and missing points of review in this writing. Please kindly comment to share your corrections and point of view too.
