🏆 Champions League Miyagi Recap + Atlanta Regionals Predictions! 🔮🏆 Champions League Miyagi Recap + Atlanta Regionals Predictions! 🔮
The Payoff with Pete
Corey and Jared break down Champions League Miyagi results, especially Gardevoir’s comeback, and share their predictions and spicy deck ideas for Atlanta Regionals. Strategy-minded Pokémon TCG fans get a mix of meta analysis, card discussion and friendly banter.
55:35•11 Apr 2025
Gardevoir’s Revenge: Champions League Miyagi Recap and Atlanta Hot Takes
Episode Overview
- Gardevoir remains highly competitive, using Rare Candy, Secret Box and strong support options to offset the loss of Curlya’s refinement engine.
- Dragapult Dusknoir continues to perform even with targeted counters like Clefairy, thanks to flexible damage placement and pressure on low-HP basics.
- Raging Bolt builds in Japan have become more complex, using Noctowl, Terra Pokémon and tech choices like Ditto to increase options and consistency.
- Spread and control-style decks with Badoo, Froslass, Monkey Dory and Maractus can punish careless play but struggle against disciplined opponents and certain top meta decks.
- For Atlanta Regionals, players are weighing whether to copy successful Japanese lists or bring counter picks such as Goldengo, Archaludon, Miraidon, Tyranitar or Feraligatr.
“It’s a Monkey Dory world right now; we’re just kind of all allowed to be a part of it.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? On this show, it sometimes looks like a late-night strategy call between two lifelong friends geeking out over Pokémon cards. Corey and Jared break down Champions League Miyagi with the energy of seasoned competitors and the honesty of players happy to admit when they got it wrong.
Corey opens by eating humble pie over his bold claim that Gardevoir was “no longer a viable deck”, only to see four Gardevoir lists land in the top eight in Miyagi. From there, you’ll get a fast-paced breakdown of why Gardevoir is “not dead and thriving”, how Rare Candy builds work, and why Secret Box and Monkey Dory have turned the deck into a serious threat again.
They contrast this with Dragapult Dusknoir, laughing about how many supposed counters it’s shrugged off, and walk through why Clefairy isn’t the silver bullet many hoped for. Raging Bolt lists in Japan, complete with Noctowl, Ditto tech and Terra Pokémon, also get a detailed look, especially around whether they’re suitable for junior players.
If you enjoy creative deck building, you’ll appreciate their excitement over spread and stall concepts using Badoo, Froslass, Monkey Dory and Maractus, plus a quick post-mortem on why Milotic/Farigiraf fell off. The conversation then shifts into Atlanta Regionals predictions: will players simply copy Japan’s results, or try to counter them with picks like Miraidon, Goldengo, Archaludon, Tyranitar or even Feraligatr?
The tone stays light and slightly cheeky throughout, with running jokes about old formats, “Monkey Dory world”, and Corey’s fading man-crush on top player Brent Tonneson. Anyone who enjoys competitive card games, meta talk, and hearing two friends think through strategy out loud will find plenty to latch onto here. If you’re picking your next deck or just want to understand why Gardevoir suddenly matters again, this one’s worth your time—what would you bring to Atlanta after hearing all this?
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