GLC Update 1.5

Let Loose Marshadow, Spiritborne Evolution Duskull, and Amazing Raikou are banned.

Effective September 1, 2024, Let Loose Marshadow (SLG #45, SM#85), Spiritborne Evolution Duskull (CEC #83) and Amazing Raikou (VIV #050) are banned from Gym Leader Challenge format.

Let Loose Marshadow

Marshadow creates too many non-games with its “Let Loose” Ability by allowing players to easily limit their opponent’s starting hand to four cards before they have an opportunity to play. The turn one Supporter rule was changed in the Pokémon TCG years ago so that cards like Marnie could not be played on the first turn of the game while going first. Marshadow was soon after banned from Expanded format to limit this possible interaction as well. With new draw options like Cleffa from Obsidian Flames, using Let Loose on turn one while going first is less of a risk and more of a valid strategy to stop the opponent from playing the game. This ban keeps the feel of the format more in line with Standard when it comes to hand limitation options. It’s been real Marshadow, but it’s time to go.

Image courtesy of Ashe in the TrickyGym Discord

Amazing Raikou

Amazing Raikou is a card that was always going to be banned from Gym Leader Challenge eventually. It was just a matter of time. With Raikou’s board annihilating Amazing Shot attack, it can deal 120 damage to the Active and the Bench for three Energy, vanquishing the opponent’s current attacker and whoever else they are thinking of powering up for the following turn. Up until now, Raikou has remained a strong but relatively difficult card to power up in Lightning decks, relying primarily on Counter Energy and Raihan / Dynamotor to get rolling. Counter Energy requires that you’re losing the game to activate, and then deactivates if you go ahead. Raihan requires that your opponent takes a knock out first before you can use it. In the months to come, all of that is changing and Raikou will become far too easy to power up on turn two and subsequent turns after that.

Joltik from Stellar Crown allows you to search your deck for two Lightning and two Grass Energy and attach them to your Benched Pokémon in any way you like for one Colorless Energy. This combined with Technical Machine: Turbo Energize will allow players to easily power up Raikou on the first turn of the game. Not every deck in Gym Leader Challenge has access to Bench Barrier, which makes a quick Amazing Shot problematic, as most decks cannot defend against it. Another new card from Stellar Crown, Crispin, also enables Raikou. This new supporter allows you to search your deck for two Energies of different types and then attach one of them to one of your Pokémon. With Crispin and Dynamotor, it is very easy to power up Raikou in a single turn!

Sadly, Magneton from Surging Sparks is the nail in the coffin. Without Magneton, Raikou feels top tier but still manageable, requiring combo pieces to string together back to back attacks. With Magneton, there is no hope. Magneton’s Overvolt Discharge Ability allows you to attach three Basic Energy from your discard pile to one of you Pokémon. You have to knock Magneton out to activate the Ability, but that is a small price to pay to dominate the opponent’s board position with Raikou. Magneton is undoubtedly a powerful card and will see success in Gym Leader Challenge, however, like Energy Grace Milotic from Flash Fire, this Ability is not too powerful for the format. It is a great Ability that will allow for some awesome and creative deck building!

All in all, Raikou is a card, like Amazing Kyogre, that was designed during the Sword and Shield block to compete with Pokémon V and Pokémon VMAX. Many of those Pokémon have over 300 HP! Spreading 120 damage to a board of Pokémon VMAX is not a big deal. But in a format of non-Rulebox Pokémon, Amazing Raikou, like Amazing Kyogre before it, was always going to end up being problematic.

Duskull

It shouldn’t be easy to win the game on the first turn of the game while going first, obviously. With the release of Dusclops from Shrouded Fable, it is possible for Psychic decks to place five damage counters on the opponent’s Pokémon while going first. This can end the game by KOing a lone Pokémon with 50HP or less. This is possible because of Duskull’s Spiritborne Evolution Ability which allows you to search your deck for a card that evolves from Duskull on the first turn it is put into play if you discard three cards from your hand. Once Dusclops is in play, its Cursed Blast Ability can place five damage counters on one of the opponent’s Pokémon at the cost of knocking Dusclops out. Although not likely, it is possible to recycle the Dusclops and Duskull back into the deck and do it again to finish off Pokémon with 100HP or less. The Cursed Blast Abilities are totally fine for Gym Leader Challenge, however, expediting the pace of evolution and giving access to those Abilities on the first turn of the game is too strong. Duskull was recently banned in Expanded for this reason, and Gym Leader Challenge will follow the same logic with this ban.

What About Guzzlord?

With this round of bans, some players are inevitably going to question whether Guzzlord from Cosmic Eclipse is banworthy as well. It, like Raikou, does 120 damage and takes two Prizes with its Red Banquet attack. It can also be powered up efficiently with Technical Machine: Turbo Energize and Beast Ring. The difference between Raikou and Guzzlord is that Raikou demolishes board states in a way that Guzzlord does not. Guzzlord does not KO two Pokémon at the same time with Red Banquet, it just takes an additional Prize Card when it KOs the opponent’s Pokémon. Since Raikou can target two Pokémon at once, it is easy to stop the opponent from responding to Raikou and sweep an entire game. Guzzlord is one of the strongest cards in the format, but ultimately, not problematic at this time.

Conclusion

Thank you for playing Gym Leader Challenge and supporting the format! Gym Leader Challenge is a grass roots format organized, played and enjoyed by people all around the world, just like you! It would be immensely appreciated if you shared this article and news of the new bans with Gym Leader Challenge players and fans in your area to help spread the word. As with any update to the format, my primary objective is to make sure that players are having fun and enjoying unique games of Pokémon with their friends and community. Thanks for reading!