LostGar (TCG): Difference between revisions

==Strategy==

While most deck archetypes focus on taking six prizes to satisfy the game's traditional win condition, LostGar attempts to place six of the opponent's Pokémon in the Lost Zone to win with {{TCG|Lost World}}.  To do this, the deck employs the effects of [[Gengar (Triumphant 94)|Gengar Prime]], {{TCG ID|Platinum|Palkia G LV.X|125}}, and {{TCG ID|Call of Legends|Mime Jr.|47}}.  The deck has three passable starters, immediately giving it an advantage over decks that run fewer.  {{TCG ID|Stormfront|Gastly|62}} can lock down the opponent early in the game by preventing him or her from playing {{TCG|Trainer card}}s with its ''Pitch Dark'' attack.  Against Trainer-heavy decks such as {{TCG|Gyarados archetype|Gyarados}} and {{TCG|LuxChomp}}, ''Pitch Dark'' can buy LostGar valuable time to set up.  {{TCG ID|Undaunted|Smeargle|8}} is also a solid start, as it can allow the LostGar player to use an additional {{TCG|Supporter card}} each turn with its ''Portrait'' {{TCG|Poké-Power}}.  LostGar's third good start is {{TCG ID|Call of Legends|Mime Jr.|47}}.  While the other two Pokémon mentioned here help LostGar stall the opponent and set up faster, respectively, Mime Jr. actually advances the deck's win condition.  In combination with {{TCG ID|Supreme Victors|Chatot G|54}}'s ''Disrupting Spy'' Poké-Power, Mime Jr. can place multiple opponent's Pokémon in the Lost Zone before he or she can respond by knocking it out.

==Key Cards==

* '''[[Gengar (Triumphant 94)|Gengar Prime]]''' - As the deck's main attacker, Gengar Prime is arguably the most important Pokémon in LostGar.  With its ''Hurl Into Darkness'' attack, Gengar Prime can put Pokémon from the opponent's hand into the [[Appendix:Glossary (TCG)#Lost Zone|Lost Zone]] equal to the number of {{e|Psychic}} energies attached to it.  Additionally, Gengar Prime's ''Catastrophe'' {{TCG|Poké-Power|Poké-Body}} states that any opponent's Pokémon knocked out while Gengar Prime is active are placed into the Lost Zone instead of the discard.  With ''Hurl Into Darkness'' and ''Catastrophe'', and thus an ability to place Pokémon into the Lost Zone quickly, Gengar Prime provides the perfect complement to {{TCG|Lost World}}.

* '''{{TCG ID|Undaunted|Smeargle|8}}''' - Smeargle is the deck's ideal start.  With its ''Portrait'' {{TCG|Poké-Power}}, Smeargle has the ability to allow LostGar an extra {{TCG|Supporter card|Supporter}} play each turn, which can greatly improve the deck's set up speed early in the game.  Additionally, when a Gengar Prime is knocked out, the LostGar player can bring up Smeargle to gain its effect and then retreat it into another Gengar Prime.  The deck's dependence on Smeargle for a fast start is the chief reason many builds run two {{TCG ID|Majestic Dawn|Unown Q|49}}; with Unown Q attached, the LostGar player does not have to pay to retreat Smeargle.

==Possible Tech Cards==

''The following cards are often used in LostGar in place of certain cards included in the above list.''

* '''{{TCG ID|Undaunted|Vileplume|24}}''' - The addition of Vileplume, generally in combination with {{TCG ID|Arceus|Spiritomb|32}}, transforms a typical LostGar list into a variant of {{TCG|VileGar}}.  While the objective is still to win with {{TCG|Lost World}}'s win condition, Vileplume's ''Allergy Pollen'' Poké-Body allows for significant disruption.  By preventing the opponent from playing {{TCG|Trainer card}}s, Vileplume can greatly slow down his or her set up.  This dampens the opponent's ability to take prizes quickly, giving LostGar a longer period in which to place the opponent's Pokémon into the Lost Zone.  Vileplume is one of the most common LostGar techs, and it typically takes the place of {{TCG ID|Platinum|Palkia G LV.X|125}}.