This Expanded Centiskorch VMAX deck caught my eye, winning a recent Expanded tournament online. Centiskorch has been on the rise in Standard with Silvally-GX, but what does it get in Expanded? Novacaine decided to pair it with Garbodor which makes sense. Centiskorch is already strong on its own so why not pair it with another good card? In Expanded, the deck most notably gets Blacephalon-GX and Blacksmith among a few other options. Here’s the list:
##Pokémon - 15 3 Centiskorch V DAA 33 3 Centiskorch VMAX DAA 34 2 Trubbish NVI 48 2 Garbodor LTR 68 2 Dedenne-GX UNB 57 1 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60 1 Crobat V DAA 104 1 Blacephalon-GX LOT 52 ##Trainer Cards - 34 4 Welder UNB 189 1 Pokémon Ranger STS 104 1 N FCO 105 1 Guzma BUS 115 1 Blacksmith FLF 88 4 VS Seeker PHF 109 4 Ultra Ball SLG 68 4 Quick Ball SSH 179 3 Float Stone BKT 137 2 Fire Crystal UNB 173 2 Fiery Flint DRM 60 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130 1 Max Potion GRI 128 1 Great Catcher CEC 192 1 Field Blower GRI 125 1 Dowsing Machine PLS 128 1 Scorched Earth FCO 110 1 Heat Factory Prism Star LOT 178 ##Energy - 11 11 Fire Energy 2
This deck is even more aggro than it is in Standard. Heat Factory Prism Star returns and Scorched Earth even plays a role. Fiery Flint speeds things up and Dowsing Machine can recover game-changing techs like Max Potion. Their matchup overview:
- Cinccino Control 0W-1L
- Coalossal 1W-1L
- M3w 1W-0L
- Pikarom 1W-0L
- Turbo Dark 1W-0L
- Turbo Dark with ADP 1W-0L
- Turbo Zacian 1W-0L
- Wall Stall 3W-0L
- Zoroark Counters 1W-0L
With such a tiny sample size, it’s hard to discern much from this, but the undefeated record against Wall Stall is notable. Quickly becoming one of the most annoyingly strong decks in Expanded, this deck seems favored against it. One of the best parts of pairing Centiskorch with Garbodor is that the deck is self-sufficient once you start attacking so you can afford to N an opponent (and even yourself) low in the late game. Ability lock plus hand disruption is one of the best pairings in Expanded.
I haven’t played this deck enough to have a definitive opinion, but playing first seems correct. You get to evolve turn two if you have a Centiskorch V that’s been in play, and while you can Welder right away if you go second, that often doesn’t accomplish anything. Most decks can’t eliminate your attacker playing second themselves, so going first is a conservative bet to establish your setup. It also opens up a turn two Garbotoxin lock!
With Energy recovery in tow against control/stall and heavy-hitting power against TAG TEAM or VMAX decks, Expanded Centiskorch can hang with the best of them. Try out the deck if you miss using Blacksmith or if you want to try a newly minted aggro deck in the other format. Hitting Zacian V for Weakness is always nice, there’s that too!
