How to Hit and Run with Hitmonchan-Wobbuffet in Expanded

Welcome back Flipside readers. With Daytona Regionals just days away and Hartford Regionals coming up the first weekend of May, I will be writing mostly about the Expanded Format for the next few weeks. Today I will be going over a strong contender and my favorite deck of Expanded, Hitmonchan Wobbuffet.

This list has been trimmed of all extraneous cards and techs that are not vital to the deck’s functioning and performance. That being said, while this list is very consistent and should usually win its favored matchups, there are undoubtedly a few omitted techs that could improve other matchups and get around opposing techs. I will be starting this archetype analysis with this list while also mentioning other cards that have been in and out of my lists in recent testing.

4 Wobbuffet (Bide Barricade)

Wobbuffet is one of the two core Pokemon in the deck. While Wobbuffet is your active Pokemon, the Bide Barricade ability shuts off all non-psychic type abilities including some notable abilities such as Blastoise’s Deluge, Tapu Koko Prism’s Dance of the Ancients, Shaymin-EX’s Set Up, and Zoroark-GX’s Trade. In mentioning those 4 abilities, I highlighted a core component of 3 of the best expanded decks (Blastoise in Archie’s Stoise, Tapu Koko Prism in PikaRom, and Zoroark-GX in Zoro Garb) and also a common draw support Pokemon (Shaymin-EX) that they all utilize. It should come as no surprise that Hitmonchan Wobbuffet’s matchups versus these three archetypes are generally favored. I include 4 copies of Wobbuffet to increase my odds of starting with it in hand and having one to switch into.

Wobbuffet also has the attack Psychic Assault which is not very efficient to use in this list since it requires two energy, but in lists that include Counter Energy this attack can be quite useful and surprising to your opponent - especially against Xurkitree-GX which cannot be attacked by Pokemon with special energy attached to them due to its ability. Wobbuffet can attack Xurkitree-GX since Bide Barricade would turn off Xurkitree-GX’s ability.  

Prohibiting powerful abilities has been a reoccurring strategy in the Pokemon TCG for quite some time, but simply locking abilities is usually not enough without a sufficient amount of damage output in addition to the control. This archetype is reminiscent of the expanded Donphan PLF archetype of the past which had an attack that allowed Donphan to hit the defending Pokemon and then switch into a new Pokemon from the bench, usually being a Wobbuffet or a “wall” like Robo Substitute. Luckily, we have a new and arguably improved Donphan in Hitmonchan TEU.

3 Hitmonchan

Hitmonchan has the attack Hit and Run which - well… it hits and then runs. The attack does 30 damage for 1 Fighting Energy and then you may switch Hitmonchan with one of your benched Pokemon. This attack is how we keep Wobbuffet’s Bide Barricade active while also dealing damage. 30 damage may seem like a small amount of damage and it is, but there are many damage modifiers in the deck including Strong Energy and Diancie which both increase Hitmonchan’s damage by 20. Notable Pokemon that Hitmonchan hits for weakness include Zoroark-GX, Pikachu & Zekrom Tag Team, and Eevee & Snorlax Tag Team. I include 3 copies of Hitmonchan instead of 4 copies since Wobbuffet is our preferred starting Pokemon and ideally Wobbuffet will also be the Pokemon getting knocked out.

1 Hitmonlee

Hitmonlee is not vital to the deck’s consistency, but it is an attacking option that I feel should definitely be included. Being able to deal 90 damage to a benched Pokemon can finish a game by knocking out a Shaymin-EX that was damaged by Shrine of Punishments or even knock out an opposing benched Hitmonchan. Having this versatile attack that deals a burst of 90 damage to the bench is worth the slot.

1 Buzzwole FLI

Buzzwole is convenient to add into this deck since it is Fighting type and only requires one Fighting Energy to attack. It can benefit from Strong Energy and Diancie Prism, but most importantly Sledgehammer deals 120 base damage instead of 30 when your opponent is at 4 prize cards. In most situations you’ll opt to use Hitmonchan to switch into Wobb on your Sledgehammer turn to keep the Wobb lock, but sometimes there will be an important knock out you can take with Buzzwole that makes it worthwhile to sacrifice the ability lock.

1 Diancie Prism

Diancie provides a buff to your Hitmonchan and Buzzwole that is invaluable. 20 damage added to every hit and run your Hitmonchan uses over the course of the game adds up up to a lot of damage.

1 Mr. Mime TEU

Mr. Mime TEU is a tech card but I do not believe it can be omitted from the list in our current meta. Mr. Mime’s Scoop Up Block restricts both players from using Acerola, which has become an included card in nearly every Archie’s Stoise list. Acerola is Archie’s saving grace versus Hitmonchan as they can essentially heal their tanky Pokemon like Magikarp & Wailord Tag Team and Volcanion Prism. This Mr. Mime replaces the Bench Barrier Mr. Mime which prevents bench damage. The Bench Barrier mime prevented Magikarp Wailord from dealing 100 to all of HitmonWobb’s benched Pokemon, but I don't think its necessary. You’ll usually have Wobbuffet active, your opponent cannot get 8 energy onto their Wailord under this ability lock which means that they cannot use Towering Splash GX for its full effect anyway. While they can Guzma the Wobbuffet out of the active to use abilities and reach for the Towering Splash, this means that they have used their supporter for the turn and cannot use a draw supporter to help dig for the energy that they need. Even in the event that Towering Splash GX does deal 100 damage to your bench, it does not result in a win for your opponent as long as you managed your bench correctly since HitmonWobb has multiple Pokemon over 100 HP such as Wobbuffet at 110HP, Buzzwole at 130HP, and Diancie Prism at 120Hp.

1 Marshadow SGL

Having a draw support Pokemon is very important to me, and it was either this or Oranguru SUM. Since this can also disrupt your opponent’s hand on a turn when you did not play N, this is the optimal choice in my opinion.

Possible Techs:

Shaymin SGL / Counter Energy

Shaymin SGL + Counter Energy + Choice Band one shots an opposing Magikarp & Wailord Tag Team which is huge, but I have found that Scoop Up Block Mr. Mime allows you to efficiently knockout Wailords without sacrificing the ability lock of Wobbuffet. Shaymin still increases your burst damage potential versus grass weak Pokemon and can potentially finish games versus Archie’s quicker, but I do not think it is an absolute necessity for the matchup.

Kartana-GX

Kartana-GX is great for its ability and its GX attack. The ability has an Enhanced Hammer effect when you play Kartana-GX down to your bench from your hand which is very good in the mirror and versus some less popular decks like Celebi & Venusaur Tag team. Its GX attack can finish a game by simply taking a prize card for one metal energy which is great since the deck does not have a GX attack otherwise. The downside of this card is that you really do not want a GX Pokemon on your bench with the risk of giving up two prizes and starting with Kartana-GX as your active Pokemon is brutal.

Kecleon PLF or Ditto DEP

Kecleon is a tech that was brought to my attention by my friend Rukan Shao who you may know from my meta discussion videos, his own articles on PokeBeach, or from the Pokemon TCG community in general. Kecleon has the attack Immitack, which can copy the attack of the defending Pokemon as long as you have the required energy cost. It also has an ability that makes it the same type as the defending Pokemon. With this attack and ability combined you can one shot an opposing Trashalanche Garbodor with only 3 Items in your opponent’s discard pile. Ditto DEP has a similar attack, but can copy any attack on your opponent’s bench or active. Ditto does not have the type changing ability and has 60 HP opposed to Kecleon’s 70 HP, so they both have reasons to be included over the other.

Oricorio Supernatural Dance

Supernatural Dance is a great tech against Night March and Vespiquen, as I believe it turns a close to even matchup into a very favorable matchup for HitmonWobb.

Field Blower

I will be testing Field Blower vs Drampa Garb to see if it helps since Garbotoxin stops our Diancie Prism from adding damage to our fighting type attacks, which can trip us up. It could also be useful vs anything using Focus Sash and Fighting Fury Belt, but that would just be collateral damage.

Matchups

Vs Pikarom - Very Favored

This matchup is great for HitmonWobb due to ability lock, type advantage, and prize trading advantage due to your attackers being one prize Pokemon and PikaRom being based around a 3 prize Pokemon and 2 prize support Pokemon. The only struggle for Hitmonchan is Jolteon-EX, which can only be hit by Shrine of Punishment damage in the list I have provided. It can be difficult for the opponent to establish a board of only a Jolteon-EX that is ready to attack, so more often than not Hitmonchan is able to deal with this counter. Kecleon and Ditto are techs that can help since they can copy Flash Ray with any energy and a counter energy to effectively wall off the Jolteon-EX while Shrine racks up damage or to copy Swift for 30 + 30 with a choice band.

Vs ZoroGarb - Favored

Once again, this matchup is favored for HitmonWobb due to ability lock, type advantage, and prize trade advantage. Zoro Garb can deal with your one prize fighting type attackers if they can establish multiple Trashalanche Garbodors back to back, but it is hard for them to pull off without their Trade ability at their disposal.

Vs Archie’s Stoise - Even (slightly favored with Shaymin SGL)

I went into this matchup a bit when explaining my choice of Scoop Up Block Mime over Bench Barrier Mime. If you keep the Wobb lock established your opponent has to manually attach energy to their high-energy-cost attackers until they hit a Guzma to turn off Bide Barricade for a turn. Scoop Up mime is huge in this matchup to stop them from healing their tanky tag team Pokemon.

Vs Drampa Garb - Unfavored

Trashalanche Garbodor is a pain for this deck since 120 HP can be difficult to one-shot back to back when it is a non-GX Pokemon that isn’t weak to our fighting type attackers. Sigilyph-GX can also be tough as it is resistant to fighting, but this is equalized since it is a GX Pokemon which means it rewards us with 2 prizes and takes damage from Shrine of Punishment. Kecleon or Ditto make this matchup closer, but still unfavored which is why I have chosen not to include them at this time.

Closing

Thank you for reading and I hope that my information about Hitmonchan/Wobbuffet has helped you in some way. There are obviously many other decks in the expanded format to choose from and also test against, but I included matchup explanations for 4 very important matchups. HItmonchan is a great, streamlined deck that can lock your opponent out of games while also taking prize cards. I believe it is a great choice if you are going into a meta centralized around the Tier 1 decks. Good Luck!