[Update 7 Nov 2024] A number of Snorlax deck players have started avoiding the use of the Rotom V card from Lost Abyss [S11]—one of the deck’s primary draw engines. Despite only having been around for a relatively short time, it has already begun to see some tournament success. At the recent Lille Regionals, Sander Wojcik, a Dutch player who specializes in defensively-oriented decks, took the Rotom-less variant to a 12th-place finish.

Heading into the 2024 Pokémon TCG World Championships, one of the decks which has gone overlooked by many—yet could still absolutely figure in title contention—is the Snorlax deck. This ultra-defensive deck has one of the more unorthodox strategic profiles in the current metagame and in recent tournaments was most notably used to win the Stockholm Regionals and the Bogotá Special Event in May 2024. Four other tournaments since then also saw a Snorlax deck in the top 10.

Strategy

The idea behind the Snorlax deck, apt for the Pokémon best known for blocking the path in the Pokémon Red and Blue video games, is to force the opponent to lose via decking out. Virtually the entire deck consists of Trainer cards; there are very few Pokémon and even fewer Energy cards—or sometimes even none at all.

The titular card from Pokémon GO [S10b] has the Ability of Block which prevents the opposing Active Pokémon from being switched out. After attaching Bravery Charm from Clay Burst [SV2D] or Luxurious Cape from Raging Surf [SV3a], Snorlax’s massive HP of either 200 or 250 (depending on the card attached) paired with its Pokémon-trapping Ability drags the pace of the game all the way down and prevents the opponent from making much progress.

Mimikyu from Snow Hazard [SV2P] is another key piece. Safeguard, Mimikyu’s Ability, makes it immune to all damage done by opposing Pokémon-ex, Pokémon V, Pokémon VSTAR, and Pokémon VMAX. Ideally, Luxurious Cape should be attached to Mimikyu in order to grant it the survivability it needs to ensure that the opposing Active Pokémon continues to be stuck in a difficult spot.

Other important cards are Supporter cards Erika’s Invitation from Pokémon Card 151 [SV2a] and Arven from Violet ex [SV1V]. Erika’s Invitation forces an opposing Basic Pokémon in the opponent’s hand into the Active spot, augmenting Snorlax’s trapping capabilities. Arven is mainly used to search for Bravery Charm or Luxurious Cape cards to enhance survivability and prevent key Pokémon from being one-shotted.

Price

Buying all the cards in a Snorlax deck costs a minimum of 5,490 JPY (~US$37).

In other TCG-related news, check out the hololive Official Card Game Starter Cheer Set, Tokino Sora & AZKi Start Deck, and Blooming Radiance Booster Pack. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.