The Ultimate Chien-Pao ex Deck Guide - With Regan Retzloff, Grant Shen, & Lucas Xing

I am joined by my fellow Cpao Board Members, Regan Retzloff, Grant Shen, and Lucas Xing to help you learn how to master Chien-Pao ex. We cover cards, lists, matchups, board states, sequencing, and more.
My Guest's List: limitlesstcg.com/decks/list/1...
My List: limitlesstcg.com/decks/list/1...
Find Ciaran: linktr.ee/ciarantcg
Find Regan: / regannatortcg
Find Grant: / gshen0603
Find Lucas: / xinggod
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro/Agenda
00:45 Deck Overview
03:25 Core Cards
08:30 Cards to Consider
31:35 Card Counts
42:50 Matchups
43:05 Charizard ex
53:58 Future Iron Hands
58:06 Lost Giratina VSTAR
1:00:42 Lost Box
1:01:46 Arceus VSTAR
1:02:47 Lugia VSTAR
1:04:02 Roaring Moon Dudunsparce
1:06:16 Ancient Box
1:08:45 Gardevoir ex
1:09:23 Pidgeot ex Control
1:11:47 Chien-Pao Mirror
1:13:06 Sequencing
1:16:43 Sequencing Puzzle
1:17:25 Closing Thoughts

[@ZeroFate643]

This was some of the most informative content ive seen about PTCG. More of it please, love seeing how high level players think about the game.

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad you enjoyed it :). I agree that it's awesome hearing high level players break down the game. Im lucky that so many people are willing to come on the channel and speak with me!

[@perfectspare3009]

My favorite part of this podcast was the conversation Regan’s cat was having with him.

[@CiaranTCG]

Regan's cat wanted to give their opinion on Cpao too!

[@perfectspare3009]

@@CiaranTCG probably the most expert opinion out of everyone! 🐈

[@dido5835]

11:41 I love the pro’s perspective on starting manaphy in mu you don’t need is game-losing. I feel like bench space is the most scarce resource for Cpao

[@CiaranTCG]

It is definitely a horrible feeling to start it against a matchup where it is useless. It's a similar feeling to starting hands

[@TiMEbeatsNoW]

But it's balanced by the fact that you don't auto lose matchups when you don't have manaphy. It's kind of odd that they play cylene when that card has a 25% chance of failing when they're scared of starting manaphy.

[@CiaranTCG]

I do think the power level of Cylene is worth the risk, but on them not playing Manaphy because it is a bad starter but playing 70 HP Frig I kind of disagree. Their strategy vs LZ decks is just go first, so imo I don't want to introduce a bad starter if that is the case

[@damodarABG]

Thanks for the upload, this is the type of content I enjoy the most. It's great to see how top players approach the game and how much they know about every match-up.

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad you enjoyed! These videos are definitely my favourite to make, the level of insight my guests give is always super appreciated.

[@sethgutierrez8601]

This is probably the most informative competitive PTCG video I've watched in my ~8 years of on-and-off playing. Found the Charizard board state discussions and matchup notes super helpful. Also really appreciated the structured and directed approach to the conversation. Awesome vid, you've earned a sub!

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad you enjoyed the video Seth! Thanks for subscribing :)

[@nickgleason8531]

Nobody acknowledging that pissed off cat made me feel actually crazy, like I was hearing things lmao

[@CiaranTCG]

Regan's cat was probably just jealous we were giving Chien Pao more attention...

[@MattTheSpratt]

@@CiaranTCG I mean, Chien-Pao is basically a giant sabertoothed ermine, I would absolutely pet one of them first!

[@Tauschung]

Definitely should have watched this before my locals tonight.

[@KatyMontgomerie]

❤ Regan's cat!

[@Vanguardmetrics]

Cries in lack of jgrimesey but incredibly informative video, thank you very much sir.

[@CiaranTCG]

We will have to get Jared on in the future! Glad you enjoyed the vid

[@DasFaultierSDS]

Very cool, very informative! This is absolute gold, and gives so much insight in why some cards are chosen over others. Hope you're able to do more videos like this in future :D

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad you enjoyed it! I hope i can continue to make these types of guides with great guests!

[@KatyMontgomerie]

I feel so validated that all the pros are playing Cyllene. I've been on it on cpao since pre rotation! 😅

[@CiaranTCG]

You were ahead of the curve! Goes to show that there is always room for innovation and you don't need to just blindly copy what does well!

[@okbro978]

Need this type of video for every deck. Thanks for the info shared here.

[@Leo-ry3kx]

gotta say i’m giga new to tcg & i learned like easily over 50 things throughout this pod. so helpful hearing every aspect of the deck and therefore game analyzed like this. i know it probably worked particularly well this time since you all ran ChienPao but this kinda open discussion stuff is really good content. thanks gamer

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad this was helpful! I've done episodes on other decks I don't know as well, and I think there's still good insight, but I feel most comfortable when talking about decks I'm knowledgeable with! Luckily there are tons of experts for every deck who are willing to come on to the channel! :)

[@Leo-ry3kx]

@@CiaranTCGoh yea peeping all those videos now its gg

[@bolognagiri6443]

I just got back into the game a little bit ago. I played a few decks on PTCG Live but I’m having the most fun and success with Chien-Pao. Glad I came across this video. Can’t wait to get this deck fully built so I can have a good time at league!

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad the video was helpful, good luck at league! :)

[@boxcarairwaves182]

Bro yes yall just keep coming with that fye! So much gratitude 🙏

[@CiaranTCG]

Appreciate it :)

[@OtterSC2]

What a lineup, so hype for this!

[@fludgeyyam8115]

First!!! I love chien-pao and this guide will sure help when playing it!

[@CiaranTCG]

Hopefully it helps you play the deck better!

[@dl2agon12]

Nice one, love it. Hope you make the Gardevoir Ex post rotation one ❤

[@CiaranTCG]

Thank you! I'll have to play Gardevoir more so I can make an accurate guide!

[@rangerslayer_yt]

thanks for the great video!

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad you enjoyed! :)

[@vitinhorodota91]

What a masterclass!

[@CiaranTCG]

Thank you! :)

[@flansolo94]

very helpful, definitely given me a lot to think about. I've been playing cpao since paldea evolved and my success with it has been variable. managed to come second at a challenge last week with middle bax & ditto in my deck but I have my first cup on saturday so I should probably optimize my deck a bit.

[@CiaranTCG]

If you like those cards and they make you feel more comfortable playing the deck then you can keep them! But definitely try out some different builds and variations

[@flansolo94]

@@CiaranTCG I feel like ditto has been a big help in multiple matches but I haven't hit any matchups where arctibax has been relevant yet so I'm not sure how good it's been. Might change it for something to help with control/mill I'd definitely like to try including cyllene, though. I haven't tested that much yet

[@xv2189]

Very nice guide!!!! Thanks for sharing!! Could you make one for future hands?

[@CiaranTCG]

I'll have to play the deck more so I can learn the ins and outs, but there is potential for it!

[@Robert-og8vt]

Great video. I'm currently trying out Pokegear with 4 Irida and 2 Ciphermaniac's before I go to 3 Cipher and I've been liking it.

[@KatyMontgomerie]

Pokegear is so good imo. Sometimes you hit if off stop and it saves you!

[@CiaranTCG]

I would love to play gears, but the deck is just so tight on space

[@gianfrancozattera7450]

Love this content, thank you! i'm starting with Cpao and this will help me a lot

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad it was helpful, good luck in your games!

[@khoiduong1250]

Appreciate the deep dive into the first deck I made! It'd be great if the person with lawnmower in the background could mute or lower their volume going forward. Small thing but it helps a lot!

[@CiaranTCG]

I agree, when we were filming I didn't know who it was lol

[@ZeryuGames]

Nice master class

[@CiaranTCG]

Thanks :)

[@leokiralla4449]

Loved the vid and the masterclass! Now that Indy has completed and you all did great and cpao showed up in a big way I have 3 questions. Does the list need to be more tech'd for the techs as people may really look to counter Pao? Do we need to tech more for mirror as more people may play Pao (is there a good mirror tech other than manaphy?) And lastly any thoughts on Dialga matchup and meta% for LA?

[@CiaranTCG]

Glad you enjoyed! 1. The main techs against Pao are Eri and Devo. Easiest answer to that is to play 4th candy and Cyllene 2. Manaphy is the best tech for mirror. When going second it forces your opponent to Iron Hands turn 2 or KO a Pao, otherwise you get the opportunity to take two prize cards first 3. I'll be honest, I haven't played the Dialga matchup. To me it seems like going first is a huge advantage since you can pick off Beldum. Greninja is probably the best attacker in the matchup. If I had to guess I'd say Dialga jumps to ~7% meta share for LA

[@leokiralla4449]

@CiaranTCG thanks for the thorough response! Great channel and I really enjoy your teaching style, keep it up 🙌

[@BrandonBrodzinski]

Great video, thanks for all the insight! One thing I didn’t quite understand though, how does Iron Bundle’s attack equal an auto win to Alolan Vulpix VSTAR?

[@CiaranTCG]

Thanks Brandon. Against Alolan Vulpix if they try and have a board of just Vulpix then you can use Iron Bundle's attack to prevent them from attacking the following turn. You can clean it up with a Cpao the turn after. If they have a benched Pokemon you can just use Hyper Blower to take a prize

[@BrandonBrodzinski]

@@CiaranTCGOh duh, Snow Mirage only prevents damage, but the effect of Iron Bundle’s attack will still go through. Thanks for the reply.

[@hoagieman37]

I like middle bax as an attacker vs lost zone/gardy when things get awkward, I also find myself occasionally attacking with bundle against like radzard or something, if I don't have the cards to get out a cpao/hands. I've been playing CPao pretty much since I got into the game last summer so this video is appreciated. I'll take all the shivery chill content I can get.

[@CiaranTCG]

That's interesting, I haven't ever thought of it as an attacker. I don't know how many situations I'd get to use it though. Glad you enjoyed the shivery content though 🥶

[@hoagieman37]

@@CiaranTCG I think it's good because they usually gust around it and it keeps the energy in play. Really a niche scenario for sure

[@furankuFito]

I really enjoyed the "good" starting hand scenarios that u guys did, what to prioritize when fighting a chad ex and choosing what to do turn 2 is great knowledge but i would had also liked for u guy's to do "bad" starting hands (active frigibax with 4 energy, 1 vessel, 1 super rod in hand) i know it shouldn't happen often but it would be cool to know what to do in those situations as well besides you know scooping

[@CiaranTCG]

Thanks for the feedback! In the future I will try and find some scenarios with mediocre hands and do a breakdown. Maybe not as bad as your example, but ones that are somewhat playable/have the potential to high roll out of.

[@lucid2740]

Really solid video, I knew the video was getting long so there wasn't enough time for it but I would have loved more board state and upcoming cards to add to the deck sections. The new tatsuguri seems good no?

[@CiaranTCG]

The new Tatsuguri is probably the best card in the new set. Im not 100% it will go in this deck, but the ability to fish for irida and cipher is probably too good to pass up

[@hoagieman37]

@@CiaranTCG I don't think there's any room on the bench for it hahaha

[@CiaranTCG]

Bench space is definitely the biggest concern. But honestly it might be good enough to devote a spot to it instead of the second bib. Late game your deck is so thin you should be able to hit Irida/Cipher every time

[@MattTheSpratt]

I had to build this chess puzzle with my cards to workshop out a solution, but I think I have a really good go at it: (I'll refer to all four irrelevant cards as Blanks: I used Buddy-Buddy Poffins in paper testing to refer to the four Blanks, but did not use them as anything but pitch resources.) 1. Fish both Baxcaliburs and one Water Energy into the deck using Super Rod. 2. Pitch Water Energy and Blank from hand to Superior Retrieve just the single Lightning Energy, and attach it to Iron Hands ex for Natural Attach. 3. With hand empty, Industrialize five cards into hand with Bibarel: this is probably the most volatile part of the puzzle, because I have a 2 of 6 chance that could leave a card that Pokéstop can't pick up in the deck. 4. If the final card in the deck is the Blank item, Rare Candy or Superior Energy Retrieval, tap the Pokéstop to retrieve it. If it's the Water Energy, let Chien-Pao ex pick it up with Shivery Chill. 5. Evolve Baxcalibur with Rare Candy to open up Super Cold. 6. Pitch Baxcalibur and Blank from hand to Superior Retrieve four Water Energy: I now have five in hand. 7. Super Cold two Water Energy onto Chien-Pao ex and three Water Energy on to Iron Hands Ex, retreat Chien-Pao ex to bring Iron Hands ex forward and Amp You Very Much for the win. I'm still going through the discard pile to see if there's a way to reduce the volatility of the third step, but I think I'm very close. EDIT: I found a way to prevent the Industrial Incisors draw from being so volatile - pick up ONE Baxcalibur and TWO Water Energy. In the first method, there are two Bax, 1 Water and 3 Items: a ~33% chance of leaving a card behind that means that Iron Hands ex cannot Amp. Swapping one Bax out for one Water Energy halves that failure rate down to ~16.6%. So, with the modification to what I pickup in the beginning we get: 1. Fish ONE Baxcalibur and TWO Water Energy into the deck using Super Rod. 2. Pitch Water Energy and Blank from hand to Superior Retrieve just the single Lightning Energy, and attach it to Iron Hands ex for Natural Attach. 3. With hand empty, Industrialize five cards into hand with Bibarel: still volatile, but only a 1 of 6 chance that the Baxcalibur is left in the deck, inaccessible to both Pokéstop and Chien-Pao ex. 4. If the final card in the deck is the Blank item, Rare Candy or Superior Energy Retrieval, tap the Pokéstop to retrieve it. If it's the Water Energy, let Chien-Pao ex pick it up with Shivery Chill. 5. Evolve Baxcalibur with Rare Candy to open up Super Cold. 6. Pitch Water Energy and Blank from hand to Superior Retrieve four Water Energy: I now have five in hand. 7. Super Cold two Water Energy onto Chien-Pao ex and three Water Energy on to Iron Hands Ex, retreat Chien-Pao ex to bring Iron Hands ex forward and Amp You Very Much for the win. Given that all of the Trainers in the Discard Pile are inaccessible, and none of the other Pokémon help Iron Hands ex to get to the Active Spot and Amp, I think this is the best solution to the puzzle: not 100% guaranteed, but I would say that ~84% is still fantastic odds to gun for.

[@CiaranTCG]

That's awesome you pulled out your real cards to do the puzzle! Your solution is super close, but this is the best I came up (~90% to hit). 1. SER discard blank and water for water lightning 2. Attach lightning to hands 3. Rod in Bax, Bax, water 4. Bib for 4 5. As long as your last two cards aren't both Bax you can stop or chill for your last card and you'll have enough discard fodder to SER and play Bax

[@MattTheSpratt]

@@CiaranTCG Somehow it didn't occur to me that getting a guaranteed water energy off of the first S.E.R. was far better than putting two in the draw pile! That also makes more sense in terms of being able to avoid missing out on the last Baxcalibur. I just wish I encountered this video much sooner before Twilight Masquerade broke out, because Dragapult and Teal Tower are looking mighty powerful right about now....

[@DarkFenix254]

I agree on the ace spec choice, prime catcher is broken, but i can't afford it, so i got a master ball. For the gust effects i play 2 boss and a counter catcher. I have 8 supporters on my deck, 4 iri, 2 cipher and 2 boss, thinking about adding cylene and cuting a boss, but without prime catcher i dont know if its worth it. Any suggestions? Maybe using one of the new ace specs from Twilight Masquerade?

[@big_yoshi_13]

LETS GOOOOOOO, finally!

[@CiaranTCG]

Homie was waiting 🔥

[@spoonsquadptcg]

it’s rod in double baxcalibur and 1 water, ser away vip and water for just lightning, attach lightning for turn to hands, bib for 5 into hopefully not water energy, shivery for said energy, candy bax, ser away vip bax for 4 water, giving you 5 water in hand to pay retreat plus attach to hands for a KO. its a long shot play but its the best thing i found without looking at anyone else’s repsonse

[@CiaranTCG]

You are super close, one small adjustment to one of your plays and you've got it

[@spoonsquadptcg]

@@CiaranTCG is it rod in bax double energy instead?

[@CiaranTCG]

Your original Rod is correct

[@spoonsquadptcg]

@@CiaranTCG is it grab a water alongside lightning on ser #1?

[@CiaranTCG]

yes

[@Arthur-tw3nb]

I was waiting. first in Brazil

[@rEdodayo]

How do you feel about the inclusion of Spiritomb to shut down Rotom V in control and Zard matchups? Do you think there's not enough bench space for it, as mentioned in the video, or is it worth considering?

[@CiaranTCG]

I think charizard as a matchup is fine without it, as is control. It is a really rough starter and like you said bench space is a premium. The one matchup it maybe helps the most is Blocklax, but that is still a bad matchup and a small part of the meta.

[@CiaranTCG]

If anyone wants even more Cpao knowledge, I am hosting a group session with Lucas and Gshen on Tuesday April 30th, 6:30 PM Est. We will go more in depth on matchups, sequencing, board states, and more! Sign up below if you're interested :) groups.metafy.gg/classes/how-to-master-chien-pao-with-gshen-lucas-and-ciaran

[@lucid2740]

Can we get the answer to the puzzle?

[@CiaranTCG]

@@lucid2740 1. SER discard vip pass and water for water lightning 2. Attach lightning to hands 3. Rod in Bax, Bax, water 4. Bib for 4 5. As long as your last two cards aren't both Bax you can stop or chill for your last card and you'll have enough discard fodder to SER and play Bax

[@lucid2740]

@@CiaranTCG haha thanks I was stuck on it for a bit now, maybe I do need the master class lol

[@CiaranTCG]

@@lucid2740 If it makes you feel better I got stuck on it forever when I first saw it to. For whatever reason i forgot Im allowed to rod two bax haha

[@lucid2740]

@@CiaranTCG all good, if I get into naic tonight and there is a spot left I’ll sign up

[@raipanda133]

For Canceling, I feel like the win-more aspect is even more of a reason to play it because it can end winning games faster. If I have one round where the Canceling got me a 2-0 or a 2-1 instead of a 1-1-1, it could potentially save me from bubble.

[@brandonweaver5910]

Taking away a chance to hit an out is huge, I agree.

[@CiaranTCG]

That is a very fair way of evaluating the card. I haven't had too many issues going to time with Cpao, but putting your opponents in a spot to scoop it up definitely helps you get three games in

[@youbnauta]

My attempt for the excercize is: Ser away Water energy and vip to get 1 lighting and attach it to hands, after yo super Rod 2 energy and a bax, leaving you with a draw 5 with bib, if bax is not your last card, you can either pokestop o shivery chill for the last card, put bax into play, attach 1 energy to pao, and ser the vip and the last energy for four, attach pao retreat and attach the 3 energy for the win.

[@CiaranTCG]

Right idea, but you can get a bit closer

[@leethomas1402]

With the knowledge of what is left in the deck, I would pokestop first for the last 3 cards, super rod 2 bax and a water. That makes me 6 cards in hand and 3 card in deck. I would then superior 2 vip for the electric energy and attach it to iron hands. That would make me have 3 cards in hand and 3 cards in deck. I would then use bibarel to draw 2 cards from deck, guaranteeing me a bax and random card (bax or water).The winning scenario would be drawing 2 bax, then rare candy frigi into bax, then use shivery chill for the one water in deck. Then the 2nd superior, discarding 1 water and 1 bax for 4 water, making it 5 water energies in hand, attach 2 to chien pao ex, retreat and attach the rest 3 to iron hands to swing for game.

[@CiaranTCG]

You only have a 1/3 chance of winning this way. See if you can find another approach!

[@rickyyuen1587]

my attempt is: rod for bax water water ser vip water for lightning, attach to hands bib for 5/6, if the last card is bax - gg, if last card is water - shivery chill, if last card is item - spin the stop candy bax and ser vip water for 4 water should end up with 5 water which is enough to retreat amp

[@CiaranTCG]

Super close, but you can optimize your odds a bit more

[@udon6449]

Rod for 1 bax and 2 water energy. Shivery chill both water energy. SEP the VIP and 1 water energy for a single electric energy and hand attach to iron hands. You now have 2 water energy in hand, bibarel to draw 3, hope to god you pull the bax. Pokestop for the rest of the items. SEP the other VIP and 1 water energy. You now have 5 water energy, enough to retreat CP and load iron hands for amp.

[@CiaranTCG]

Good approach, but try and see if you can increase the odds a bit more!

[@jsnontico961]

I believe you have to ser away the vip and water for 1 lightning -> hand attach it to hands -> rod the bax and 2 water energy -> bib for 5 . You would have 6 cards in deck and a 1/6 chance of not pulling the bax . Theblast item would be either an item or energy which you could get with either pao or pokestop (if its not bax). That would give you a 83.333333...% of winning​@@CiaranTCG

[@JaimeJMarrero]

Would love updated thoughts of CPao in Twilight Masquerade, it's brutal out here.

[@CiaranTCG]

You'll love my newest upload! :)

[@JaimeJMarrero]

@@CiaranTCG grabbing 🍿, brb

[@shangbinlim415]

Is there any argument for running a copy of future booster energy capsule? It helps hands kill unboostered baby roaring moons and also helps prevent it from being stuck in the active

[@CiaranTCG]

It's a neat card, but it is hard to draw. The only way to fish it out is ciphermaniacs. Baby moon can get around it by putting ancient capsule as well. It's applications are a bit too narrow imo

[@SirensOfSEWI]

Not sure if you mentioned, will the metafy be available as a VOD if I can’t make the time?

[@CiaranTCG]

Yes, there will be a vod if you can't be there at the time. We also might run another session before LA regionals and/or Naic

[@SirensOfSEWI]

@@CiaranTCG excellent, looking forward to it 😁Is there a way I can leave a couple questions in the discord to be answered if I cant attend live? Not that I’m sure they wont be answered haha

[@CiaranTCG]

@@SirensOfSEWI sure, just DM me on twitter or on here (idk if you can DM on KZbin lol)

[@kevganhiga]

yes!!!!!

[@reilsoneill8756]

If you were to open with Iron Hands as a starter, nest ball, an energy and 5 blanks- would you nest ball for the frigi to try for a turn two Bax, or go for greninja to try to dig for your pieces? You also need prime catcher in this situation probably. Just go game two maybe?

[@reilsoneill8756]

(going 1st)

[@CiaranTCG]

If your hand is truly bricked then I normally go Greninja. If I get Frigibax I still don't have follow up. Greninja gives me a chance to draw something like poffin, irida, cipher, stop. When you are in a bad spot that is when you need to gamble a bit

[@frozenfiire]

rod in bax + bax + ninja, SER for lightning + water + water, attach lightning to hands, bib for 3, ninja(if you drew it without a bax), pokestop, candy + bax, then SER the remaining non energy cards. this only loses if you draw all 3 items, or if you draw 2 items + ninja with ninja drawing the last item.

[@frozenfiire]

yeah the rod the 2 bax + water answers were better. was a good puzzle!

[@CiaranTCG]

Thanks, I loved this puzzle when my friend showed me. I'll try and find more for future videos!

[@brandonweaver5910]

Why is the sequencing puzzle from a previous format? I'll stiil check it out but you have me crackin' up.

[@CiaranTCG]

Because my friend sent it to me lol. It doesn't really change anything, still a fun exercise imo

[@brandonweaver5910]

@CiaranTCG I agree this was a really cool video thank you for putting this together!

[@xharmswayx1]

id be down to see a deep dive course or 2 about chien pao on metafy.

[@CiaranTCG]

I've been thinking about maybe running a group session before Indy or LA

[@xharmswayx1]

@@CiaranTCG ill keep an eye out dood

[@leirurock504]

Chien-Pao best deck

[@SaibisTV]

Thoughts on viability of c pao going into twilight masq release?

[@CiaranTCG]

It's going to come down to how it's dragapult matchup is. I feel like if you can go first and evolve everything it shouldn't be too bad. Lugia will also go up in play next format which is good for cpao. I'll have to play more, but i can't see cpao being unviable

[@h0ly565]

Got my Deck out to try the exercise. I came to: SER for Vip & Water, grab 1 Lightning 1 Water. Attach Lightning for Turn to Hands. Pokestop for the 3 Items, then Rod for 2 Bax 1 Water. I have 4 cards in Hand so I Bib for 1 to hopefully get a Bax. Then its Candy Bax, Shivery Chill for the one water left in deck, Superior for the other Vip and a Water, grab 4 Water so I have 5 in hand now, Super Cold 2 to Cpao to retreat, Super Cold 3 to Hands to Amp

[@CiaranTCG]

It's a good approach, but it relies on not drawing water off Bib (2/3). You can optimize it a bit more

[@h0ly565]

@@CiaranTCG a different approach would probably be to rod first for bax-bax-water, then SER the Water & Vip away for Lightning & Water, attach Lightning for turn to Hands, Bib for 4 (pray I get a Bax again), if the Water is still in, Shivery Chill for it, then Pokestop for the remaining item(s), Candy Bax, SER for Vip and Water to grab 4 Water and Super Cold 2 to Cpao and 3 to Hands to retreat --> Amp. I feel like this one has a higher chance to get a Bax since I see 4 cards with Bib? Very tough spot to be in for sure

[@CiaranTCG]

You got it, that is the correct approach!

[@Cancer8899]

How about boss orders? 1 or 2 or 3??? Is there also a good build without iron hands? I think his second attack is a bit weak against big opponents. What to do if I don't have prime catcher? For me it's an little expensive card about 25€.

[@CiaranTCG]

The problem with boss is you have no way to draw it when you need it, and normally it will just clog your hand. Iron hands is weak against big pokemon, but that's why you have cpao, to cover both your bases. If you can't get prime catcher try out counter catcher maybe

[@Cancer8899]

@@CiaranTCG but with the future supporter card I can put boss on the two deck cards I can draw next.

[@CiaranTCG]

@@Cancer8899 yes, but that's incredibly slow. You normally need boss immediately, and you can't afford to use a cipher slot on the boss

[@hylianhero1921]

Pokestop is a big one for me. I genuinely have found it to almost always not be worth it if you are running Bibarel and Greninja. Ive lost more vital cards than i have drawn. I find Calamitous Snowy Mountain to help out a lot more , and Lost Vaccum to rid any tool/stadium i dont want up. Also, Max Belt helps with potentialy realing in kills, and can help with Energy management.

[@CiaranTCG]

For every time you pokestop away irida or Bax, you also have times you hit SER, candy, etc... The reward is worth the risk imo. I don't think you need max belt since cpao can one shot everything. Prime catcher is too good to pass up

[@raiderone9531]

1:07:39 if the match up is too toxic adding the future tool for hands could be spicy🙈

[@CiaranTCG]

You could, but the deck has no way to search it without ciphermaniacs, and you still can't get around ancient booster capsule

[@jacobbrooks7462]

Cant believe the creator of Shoepao was not brought on

[@tbugz6906]

Is the best bench setup 2 bax, 1 bib, 1 rad greninja, 1 cpao, and 1 iron hands?

[@CiaranTCG]

It's 2 Bax, 2 Bib, Ninja, cpao/hands

[@MThi050]

19:20 While I agree that kyogre isnt that good, I saw it once being used as a funny blocklax tech with jet energy, since you can always take back the energy so nothing gets stuck

[@CiaranTCG]

That is probably over teching for a niche matchup, but that is hilarious lol

[@RahulReddy]

CPAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@CiaranTCG]

🥶 🥶 🥶 🥶 🥶 🥶 🥶

[@JustinPerea]

Regan's cat had a lot of opinions.

[@CiaranTCG]

Regan's cat was an S tier yapper

[@hiddenmosaic]

Chien Pao is actually deceptively difficult. Being able to sequence and time everything correctly can be challenging. Because you dont sequence it like you would a normal deck, you almost have to figure out which path gives you the greatest result and take it. Even if sometimes it feels wrong.

[@CiaranTCG]

I agree, the deck is super difficult to play 100% optimally. It is part of the reason I love it so much. Every game feels super fresh since there are so many lines/sequences to find!

[@hiddenmosaic]

@@CiaranTCG Same. Literally almost day 2ed charlotte with it having never tried it and now I love the deck !

[@MrBodywash]

Closest I can see is SER VIP and water for lightning, goes on hands, Rod 2 water and a bax. That leaves 0 in hand and 6 in deck. Bibarel here wins the game with any draw that doesnt include bax as your last card because pokestop graps the remaining item and chien grabs remaining water. So 5/6 chance.

[@CiaranTCG]

Really close but you can get it to ~93%

[@MrBodywash]

@@CiaranTCG Rod 2 bax 1 water, SER water and VIP for 1 water 1 lightning, attach lightning, shivery for the water. Leaves 2 water in hand. 2 bax 3 items in deck. Bib for 3 wins on anything thats not the 3 items. Idk probabilities enough for that though.

[@CiaranTCG]

That improves your odds to 90%, but you can get even closer

[@vincentiussalim4306]

Retrieval and pokegear is also very good to be brought

[@CiaranTCG]

Both are really nice cards, but it's hard to find space for them

[@vincentiussalim4306]

​@@CiaranTCGgot top16 in Indonesia regionals with both of those cards included, helped me a lot. I didn't bring manaphy, agreed with you guys comment on the video. Also opted in for 1 vessel instead of 2, then only bringing 2 super rods. Thinking of trying 3 rods and 3 pokestop though thanks to your vid! Great insight on chienpao for sure.

[@CiaranTCG]

@@vincentiussalim4306 I can see how those cards would help, I've actually tried a build with gear before but ended up taking it out for more supporters. Definitely try out the 3rd rod and stop and see how it goes!

[@ezequiel5978]

If I don't have prime catcher , because is expensive... what can I put in there, boss order?

[@CiaranTCG]

I guess the boss would be the next best thing, but this deck really needs a prime catcher to reach its full potential. Maybe consider counter catcher as well

[@ezequiel5978]

I know that primecatcher is needed but meanwhile..

[@CiaranTCG]

@@ezequiel5978 yeah for now mess around with boss and counter catcher. Most people will play assuming it's in your deck anyways

[@nixtoshi]

i have a deck that i reached Arceus with that runs 3 Baxcalibur because the number of games where you prize 2 Baxcalibur isn't that small, and obviously prizing 2 Baxcalibur is almost instantly losing unless the opponent also prized their entire win condition too

[@CiaranTCG]

The odds of prizing Two Baxcalibur in a game is just under 1%, but I agree it is game losing when it happens. I would love to play 3, but the deck is so tight on space

[@nixtoshi]

​@@CiaranTCG What formula did you use? I manually coded a formula for all possible prize combinations and got: 80.53% of the time 0 baxcalibur prized 16.95% of the time 1 baxcalibur prized 2.50% of the time 2 baxcalibur prized Or about 1 in 39 games. I know it's not that bad, but even prizing 1 which will happen 1 out of 5 games can be bad because if your bax gets knocked out you need 3 pieces to set it up again: rare candy, rod and bax, or irida + rod, assuming you have a frigibax in play, if no frigibax in play, you need 4 or 3 pieces plus another turn.

[@CiaranTCG]

@@nixtoshi I got it from this video by Steffen's Classroom. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4K2pnprgbCFr9k . His calculations say it's 0.85% chance to prize both

[@xyvern7746]

♡

[@jakestrobel3265]

excellent guide. volume was a bit low though

[@CiaranTCG]

Thanks! I tried to normalize the audio to make the part where the grass was being cut a bit quieter. I think it made everything a bit quieter though

[@fitypaldis1693]

Will you guys keep playing the deck? Honestly

[@CiaranTCG]

I can't speak for the others, but I am going to play it for the foreseeable future!

[@TresTerrible]

Stop for last 3 cards (7 in hand) > SER 2 vips for 1 L, attach L to hands for turn (4 cards in hand) > Rod water, water, bax(3 cards in hand) >draw with bib then you have a 67% chance of hitting the bax > then chill for last energy> ser 2 energy for 4 energy > attach and retreat then attach to hands. I couldnt see a guaranteed way so Ill wait for someone else to provide that.

[@CiaranTCG]

You can get a bit closer!

[@Ok_toker69]

RIP anyone who tried listening to this with headphones. Regan, mute your mic! Your cat + the airplane or whatever the heck was going on

[@theodensa2601]

Didn't include Jared Grimes in this video? ight..

[@CiaranTCG]

I just don't know Jared as well as the three gentleman in this video. I would love to make content with Jared in the future!

[@TiMEbeatsNoW]

Imo vessels should not be compared to chien pao when deck building because nowadays chien pao is really only used as an attacker and not a starter. Even going first, chien pao isn't that great of a starter because you then don't have enough bench space to iron hands. All the opponent needs to do is start a single prizer and then youre stuck with a two prizer on board and no progress in the prize race. The only way to prevent this is to use iron hands to get that 2-2-2 prize trade, and a 2nd vessel helps improve that strategy. We've seen a pao list do well running 2 lightnings and 2 iron hands just because of this fact. I'd rather compare chien pao and super rods because running 2 chien paos means you need to use a super rod to get that third chien pao.

[@CiaranTCG]

If I start Cpao and need to hands then I just don't bench Greninja if I don't have to. I agree with you though it isnt a one to one comparison. A second copy of vessel increases my odds of naturally seeing the card, but still isn't super consistent. Most likely have to use irida or cipher still

[@TiMEbeatsNoW]

@CiaranTCG it's true you'd have to forgo greninja in that case but that becomes a suboptimal board. You lose the advantage of iron hands into greninja forcing a 2-1 prize trade because now they can gust the pao. Pretty much every matchup you want to greninja+iron hands and the one matchup where you can't is vs arceus. In that matchup you can't really start pao as well solely because of max belt so if you wiff the turn 2 bax, you're cooked. Starting pao can remove certain optimal lines so I can't see pao being considered a good starter nowadays. Adding more vessels and cutting paos helps improve consistency of the pao-less starts

[@CiaranTCG]

We discussed starting pao in the video. Arecus is actually one of the matchups where it isn't game losing if they Max Belt you. I agree though, games where you don't bench Ninja aren't optimal. You might have to forego the second Bibarel in the early game in these scenarios

[@romcomgod18]

cat interrupting explanation of cat deck

[@CiaranTCG]

Cat was just jealous we were discussing a different cat haha

[@cameroncoolidge7090]

90% of Chien Pao Players quit right before they’re about to win a regional.

[@CiaranTCG]

That's why we can never quit!

[@andrewman2011]

Reasons to use ditto: - announce Splup 😅

[@bortverde]

Against a Flutter Mane this isn't impossible

[@CiaranTCG]

A new goal of mine is to Splup for the game winning knockout

[@devonmorrison]

Love the breakdown, hated the card list and count.

[@CiaranTCG]

Like you didn't like the segment, or you disagreed with our opinions?

[@devonmorrison]

@@CiaranTCG just didn’t like that this video didn’t build out the full 60 card deck profile, at least not in a way that was upfront. A full deck list is appreciated, especially as someone who doesn’t play often and is slightly newer to the TCG. The explanations are great and all, but it would be nice to have had a full 60 card definitive list before the breakdown. I liked how y’all explained everything and the reasoning, just didn’t like that I watched the video and still couldn’t figure out what the entire build of the deck was. Maybe I missed things, but was just too scrambled due to long explanation segments in between cards.

[@CiaranTCG]

@@devonmorrison ah gotcha, that's a very valid criticism. I guess the way i look at things is that everyone has different preferences when it comes to lists so i try and cover as many cards as possible so people can consider them when making their ideal 60. I think for now Regan's top four list is what I'd suggest. In the future I'll include what we think the ideal 60 is in the video

[@devonmorrison]

@@CiaranTCG Would be awesome if you did. As coming from not 1 but 4 massive TCG top players of a deck arc-type, it would be great to get that definitive list. Yeah, we can always look up list but, it would be great to have that definitive list, then a detailed guide on when and how to play it. I just recently got everything to build out Chien-Pao and when I saw the video it grabbed my attention. Appreciate the guide and things, just was my only issue I personally had with it. Aside from that, great content and thanks for the guide!

[@CiaranTCG]

@@devonmorrison I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I really do appreciate the feedback. Always trying to improve my content!

[@ottoW101]

yeah screw that jared guy

[@pokemonjman3]

I was the Chien pao player right above you in Orlando, love the guides man, certified cpao gaming 🫡

[@CiaranTCG]

Thanks homie, shoutout the Cpao gang!