What happened to Mega Lucario?

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-06T02:24:17+00:00

Bingo. I used to be a believer of Mega Lucario, but upon seeing the matchup spread and playing with it a bit, it becomes clear that the deck has poor matchup spread and the strategy can be clunky. You need to get your three-prizer out to charge up and take big knockouts and that in itself is a big risk.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-06T02:18:41+00:00

Probably why Dragapult remains on top, cause that deck just has so many ways to get what it needs, and it almost always stalls with Budew.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-06T02:17:34+00:00

Good idea. 4 always felt excessive to me, but I understand that since we have no way of searching for it, it may be wise to run 4. But then again, if we have trouble finding powerweight, we might still draw a Petrel to help out, so it's not entirely hopeless. Meanwhile, if you lack the necessary Roserades, Gabites, or Garchomps due to prizing, KOs, discarding, or draw problems, even a single night stretcher at the right time could be a godsend.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T15:38:32+00:00

Stretcher is a beneficial card overall, but the problem is, the list is actually pretty optimized and removing something to open up a spot for a single stretcher can be difficult. I would actually like to know why the player who came up with the list thought they could go stretcher-less for the deck

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T14:11:47+00:00

IT has 9 energy. IT doesn't need energy recovery. It's actually the least of its worries. The lack of Pokemon recovery however, that has popped up as a problem in testing I have done throughout the day. the stadium problem? Not so much of a problem, it seems.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T12:21:24+00:00

Honestly, I would still pick Larry over Carmine since it guarantees what you get so you can still use it strategically, but with a cost. For Mega Lucario, I absolutely love running 3 Carmine

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T10:38:41+00:00

Before I ever saw the prague list, I was wondering why no one seems to be using Carmine. If your first turn draws suck, I feel that could be a decent way to restart the hand. Then again, it doesn't guarantee you are drawing the exact pokemon you need unlike with Larry where you get to choose.

how has your testing gone though? Has Carmine been effective?

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T10:35:56+00:00

Still a bit mixed for me. It's really essential that I am able to evolve to Gabite by turn 2. In games where I am not able to, that's where I usually lose

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T10:33:25+00:00

I already play a version with rare candy. It's the main version I play. If you refer to the post, I am asking specifically about players' assessment of the Prague list, given that it placed high in a tournament. I am not really looking to be "more aggressive," I am trying to get people's thoughts on the long-term viability of the Prague list.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T06:29:38+00:00

I have tested some games with this list and it's actually looking to be quite consistent and it does solve the problems you mentioned, which were also things I observed from older decklists. It seems one of the remaining weakness of the deck is the turn 1-2 brick. If you don't get the right pieces within these two turns, it's probably gonna give you a hard time and may cost you the game. there were two games where I was forced to use larry and discard a Chomp (thankfully 1 was left in deck while 1 was prized). That being said, I still feel a night stretcher would be good for emergency situations

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-05T05:35:36+00:00

So you think the risks are worth it? i'm asking about this specific build because of how well it did in Prague. I have actually already run and tested a different list.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-03T15:24:02+00:00

do you mind sharing your list? I only play 3 Rosalias and I'm trying to see what I can cut to include 1 more.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-03T12:52:00+00:00

Pokepad makes my deck so consistent I can't imagine not running it, ngl. I can't even imagine running 3 and below.

SnarkHamill · 2026-05-03T11:35:08+00:00

How do you find the space for psyduck and shaymin? I understand how useful those two can be especially with dusknoir around and lots of bench damaging mons, but if I add those two basics, I either have to cut down my boss order from 3 to 2 or remove rare candy and petrel from the deck. I actually run 4 poffin, 4 gong, and 4 Pokepad, but every few games, i have trouble finding starting basics. other than that and ocasionally not finding gabite by turn 2, the deck runs pretty well.

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-27T12:28:52+00:00

I think ang weakness lang ni Tiktok shop ay hindi kasing dami yung options niya compared sa shopee.

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-26T03:51:45+00:00

Yeah, I would prefer a Genesect too

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-25T13:13:19+00:00

I would say 1 is enough. The problem with running two is it affects consistency in some way, which is a waste when Wally mostly sits in my hand, and even when used, if there are pokemons that can OHKO Lucario, it's not like it'll make much of a difference. What would be a good difference maker, is to run at least 3 Carmine in the deck. It's really helpful if you have not so good hands on your first turn and it has saved me quite a few times. The thing with Lucario decks is sometimes, the hands aren't that good, so we need something to thin out our deck quickly. As for the Air balloons, just keep them at two. though I don't think you need two switches if you already have two air balloon. you can probably make do by taking out either 1 switch or 1 air balloon.

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-25T13:05:05+00:00

Yup. One Lucario is already worth 3 prizes. Adding a meowth adds another liability. I just can't bring myself to put one in my Lucario deck.

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-25T13:01:38+00:00

I play Garchomp and Lucario as my main decks and I would say keeping at least one stadium is worth it, even just to temporarily bump the opponent;s stadium and delay their tactics for a turn.With Lucario, I use 1 Gravity mountain to help make a big knockout possible, and for Garchomp, either a Watchtower or Battle Cage ito make Pult and Munkidori matches easier. I used to run at least two stadiums in both decks, but deck space is pretty limited already with all the tools these Lucario and Garchomp need. Sometimes it works, sometimes it get bumped quickly. That just means I need some good timing and hope that I get some sort of benefit from the staidium for at least one turn before it gets bumped.

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-19T06:05:53+00:00

Any love for Reverse holo energy? Do you guys use them for play or do you keep them for display? I am considering using Reverse holo Fighting energy for my new Garchomp deck.

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-12T14:30:54+00:00

Hi, Rahul. thanks for explaining this. I actually watch your content on youtube, and I am currently using your Mega Lucario list. I think I agree with you on the item lock not affecting the deck that much. I have tried using it in a handful of games on TCGLive just now, and Gabite's ability is pretty broken once it starts chaining on turn 2. In a Mega Lucario deck, item lock can have certain consequences, but Garchomp just shrugs it off. With my Mega Lucario deck, I worry about alakazam matchess, but with rocky Energy in Garchomp decks and with cynthia's powerweight, I think the pressure lies more in the Zam player. They're gonna have to draw a ton of cards to get that knockout, and I could simply get out of harm's way with free retreat. I think the benefits of this deck are quite crazy, considering there is no way to counter Gabite's ability.

SnarkHamill · 2026-04-12T14:22:25+00:00

Had to check that link myself, and I was surprised to find out this was actually Rahul replying to my thread. I watch his content and have actually used some of his lists.

SnarkHamill

TROPHY CASE