Legal Sets
Official Rules
- •60-card decks exactly
- •Maximum 4 copies of any card with the same name (Basic Energy exempt)
- •Must include at least 1 Basic Pokémon
- •First player cannot attack on Turn 1
- •Pokémon-GX give up 2 Prize cards; GX attack usable once per game
- •Prism Star cards limited to 1 per deck (introduced in Ultra Prism)
- •VS Seeker rotated out — major deckbuilding impact
- •N rotated out — replaced by Judge, Marshadow (Let Loose)
- •Cynthia became the primary draw Supporter
- •2018 World Championship in Nashville — Schulz becomes first German champion
Format Overview
Standard 2018 was the Zoroark-GX era. Zoroark-GX's Trade Ability (discard 1, draw 2 — once per turn per Zoroark) provided unprecedented consistency, and its Riotous Beating attack dealt damage based on bench size. Every competitive deck either ran Zoroark-GX or was specifically built to beat it. The rotation of VS Seeker forced players to rethink Supporter lines entirely.
The format saw one of the most diverse World Championship Top 8s ever. Three Rayquaza-GX decks (released just weeks before in Celestial Storm) stormed the event, one Zoroark-GX/Garbodor won it all, one Malamar/Marshadow-GX made the finals, and Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX, Zygarde-GX/Lycanroc-GX, and Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX rounded out the top cut.
Robin Schulz won with 'Victory Map' — his Zoroark-GX/Garbodor build named for its Town Map tech that revealed Prize cards. Schulz's 8-0-2 record made him the first German World Champion. His deck used both Garbodor variants (Trashalanche for Item punishment, Garbotoxin for Ability lock) alongside Puzzle of Time for resource recovery and Kartana-GX's Blade-GX for a free prize.
Key Cards
Top Decks (10)
Victory Map (Zoroark-GX/Garbodor)
1st Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
The first German World Champion. Zoroark-GX's Trade draws 2 per turn. Two Garbodor variants: Trashalanche punishes Items, Garbotoxin locks Abilities. Puzzle of Time recovers resources. Kartana-GX's Blade-GX takes a free prize. Town Map ('Victory Map') reveals prizes.
Malamar / Marshadow-GX
2nd Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
Malamar's Psychic Recharge accelerates Psychic Energy from discard. Marshadow-GX copies attacks from discarded Pokémon via Shadow Hunt. Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX provides Invasion for free switching. Necrozma-GX and Mewtwo-GX serve as attack toolbox targets.
Zygarde-GX / Lycanroc-GX
3rd Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
Fighting-type aggro. Zygarde-GX is the primary attacker. Lycanroc-GX's Bloodthirsty Eyes gusts targets. Diancie ◇ and Regirock-EX boost Fighting damage. Baby Buzzwole's Sledgehammer punishes opponents at 4 prizes. Max Elixir accelerates energy.
Rayquaza-GX
4th Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
Turbo dragon — floods energy with Max Elixir and powers Rayquaza-GX's Dragon Break (30× Grass + Lightning energy in play). Puzzle of Time recovers resources. Marshadow disrupts hands with Let Loose. Xurkitree-GX punishes Special Energy decks.
Rayquaza-GX (Smith variant)
5th Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
Aggressive Rayquaza-GX with Fighting Fury Belt for extra HP/damage. Latias ◇ recovers energy from discard. Tapu Koko-GX provides emergency energy movement via GX attack. 3 Cynthia + 2 N for balanced draw.
BuzzRoc (Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX)
6th Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
The season's dominant deck. Baby Buzzwole's Sledgehammer does 120 at exactly 4 opponent prizes. Buzzwole-GX's Jet Punch spreads damage. Lycanroc-GX's Bloodthirsty Eyes pulls targets. Beast Ring accelerates energy mid-game. Octillery provides draw.
Rayquaza-GX (Itagaki variant)
7th Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
Third RayGX in Top 8, highlighting the archetype's dominance. Splits between Choice Band and Fighting Fury Belt. 2 Parallel City for disruption. 15 energy for consistent Max Elixir hits. Latias ◇ and Tapu Koko-GX provide recovery options.
Zoroark-GX / Golisopod-GX
8th Place — 2018 World Championship (Masters)
Zoroark-GX's Trade draws consistently. Golisopod-GX's First Impression hits 120 on switch-in. Acerola and Max Potion enable hit-and-heal. Mew-EX copies attacks for weakness exploitation. Puzzle of Time recovers resources. Parallel City limits benches.
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX (ZoroRoc)
The format's most consistent deck. Zoroark-GX's Trade + Lycanroc-GX's Bloodthirsty Eyes for targeted KOs. Mallow + Trade combo provides precise card selection. Weakness Policy protects from Fighting. Puzzle of Time recovers key cards.
Ultra Necrozma-GX / Malamar
Ultra Necrozma-GX's Photon Geyser discards all Metal Energy for 80× damage — OHKO potential. Malamar's Psychic Recharge fuels the engine from discard. Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX provides Invasion for free switching. Mew copies attacks as a single-prize option.
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