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In addition to a lot of exciting new Pokémon, Space-Time Smackdown also brings our first trainer that can directly bring a specific opposing Pokémon into the active with the new Supporter Cyrus! Often referred to as ‘gust’ effects (named after the first such cards in the TCG, Gust of Wind), these cards are traditionally very powerful. So how will Cyrus stack up? Let's analyze his uses, restrictions, and look at a few deck lists that can leverage him!
How strong is Cyrus?
On the scale of totally unrestricted (Gust of Wind) to very conditional gusting effects, Cyrus lies on the more restricted side.
- First, he's a Supporter, so you can't play him in the same turn as cards like Leaf or Giovanni.
- Second, he can only snatch Pokémon that already have damage on them. Luckily there are quite a few ways to make that more likely:
Status Effects and Passive Damage
Status effects like Poison, Confusion, and Burn can put your opponent in a tough position: move their active out of the way or risk a catastrophic KO. Cyrus can help make that a no-win scenario for your opponent by allowing you to finish off that Pokémon later. Similarly, passive damage like that provided by Druddigon, Poliwrath, and the new Rocky Helmet tool card can put some damage on your opponent’s active Pokémon that they may later move to the bench.
Bench Damagers
The best way to ensure Cyrus always has a target is using Pokémon that can directly damage the bench. Greninja immediately springs to mind. Cyrus is a major boon to Greninja decks and may lead to a spike in Greninja play rates. Bench damagers like Hitmonlee, Finneon, Zebstrika, and Articuno EX were already seeing play in the last format: these cards have only gotten stronger as a result of the introduction of Cyrus.
We also got a handful of new bench damagers in Space-Time Smackdown.
Of these, the most likely to have an impact on the metagame is Palkia EX. Frost Rotom, Azelf, and Honchkrow should find their way into certain builds of their type. Spiritomb is particularly intriguing as it can spread damage for a single energy. Gastrodon and Empoleon are unlikely to escape "fun tier."
While I don't think Cyrus is going to single-handedly revive previously released cards with low play rates like Dragonite and Volcarona, any card that damages your opponent's bench directly has gained some additional utility and are worth an extra look.
Of course there are ways to recover, negate or punish your opponent's use of bench damagers. How relevant these actually end up being will depend on how the new meta shakes out.
Cyrus Strategy
The most important consideration is that you don't need to play any of the above enablers to get use out of Cyrus. Putting in any early chip damage, especially onto opposing ex Pokémon, can set up win conditions later in the game.
Playing with and against Cyrus will take additional planning. Try to map out where your points are going to come from ahead of time and try to anticipate where your opponent will be able to take points. Some decks will want to play Cyrus instead of Sabrina while others will want to play them together. Below are a few sample decks that are built to leverage Cyrus in particular.
Decks leveraging Cyrus
Again, while any deck can make use of Cyrus, these decks are designed to showcase him and he is central to their strategy.
Weavile ex/Honchkrow
One of the darlings of the new format, Weavile ex decks, can truly take advantage of Cyrus. Weavile is already interested in spreading damage around early in order to boost Weavile ex's attack, so your Spiritomb and Honchkrow have double synergy with Cyrus as well as Weavile.
Starmie ex/Lumineon
This pairing was probably a little underrated in the last format and receives a boost with Cyrus. The math between Lumineon and Starmie means hitting 140 is easy and Cyrus will help with targeting the exact Pokémon you need to hit to ensure the fewest total hits needed for a KO.
Pikachu ex/Zebstrika
Zebstrika was already a good partner for Pikachu ex, but with the introduction of Cyrus, it shoots past other options like Electrode. Electabuzz offers a second one-point Pokémon that can hit the bench to set up efficient Cyrus + Pikachu KOs.