Hey There, Hexy Lady


(Because most of the fan art of Hex Maniac is too disturbing to include here, I’ve decided to replace any instances where I would have used pictures of Hex Maniac with images of Alex Forrest from Fatal Attraction.)

Introduction

I'm not sure this is going to be much better…

As we talked about two weeks ago, Hex Maniac is among the strongest cards against Decidueye/Vilelpume. It should come as no surprise then that Hex Maniac has seen a resurgence in play. Today’s going to be a short and sweet entry, but we’ll be addressing two things: Why Hex is so good in general, and what you can do to play or build around it.

The Witch is Back

I've been reading your blog, John, and you have pretty eyes.

At the start of the 2016-2017 Standard format, Hex Maniac was rarely played in favor of 2-2 Garbodor lines, which no longer had a direct counter in the form of Tool removal. As 2016 drew to a close, Hex Maniac began to see play again, first as a replacement to a single copy of Garbodor, and again as supplemental Ability lock in decks like Turbo Darkrai that didn’t want to dedicate so many cards to a Garbodor line.

Thanks to Decidueye/Vileplume producing an extremely powerful Item lock, Hex Maniac’s usage surged, and here we are in the present day. Nearly every deck short of Volcanion and Decidueye/Vileplume itself is packing at least one copy of Hex Maniac, and every deck that already ran Hex is running more of it. Just check out a couple of these recently successful lists in both Standard and Expanded:



The first is a slightly altered version of Alex Wilson’s winning Collinsville list piloted by Jose Marrero in Florida; the second is an M Gardevoir list Brad Curcio used to win a recent Houston-area League Cup; Both may seem like anecdotal instances of two good players doing well with Hex Maniac, but in my opinion it’s a sign of things to come: Expect lots of Hex Maniac at the Salt Lake City Regional Championship.

That doesn’t mean that you should discredit other Ability lock threats like Garbodor and Wobbuffet – they’re definitely still running around! But in terms of splashability and versatility, no other Ability lock is more reliable than a simple inclusion of Hex Maniac.

Treatment for the Hex’s Mania

Why don't you post more pictures of me on your blog, John? Don't you care about me?

Of course, every card's malady has a cure and Hex Maniac is no different. So whether you yourself are planning to play Decidueye/Vileplume, or are simply a player caught up in the Hex Manic Mania of ’17, here are some ways to play and build around virtually unstoppable Ability lock:

1. Don’t forget Hex Maniac when it’s been played! Simple, I know, but the worst damage Hex Maniac does is not when it achieves its intended counter effect; it’s when a player negligently forgets about it and misplays. The number one mistake? Benching Shaymin EX and attempting to Set Up, only to be reminded by your opponent that you can’t.

I’m sure if you play online, you’ve done this at least once because you were distracted. That’s okay, but if you’re going to a real tournament with real prizes on the line, I hope me reminding you about this will decrease the chances you actually do it!

2. Be mindful that Hex Maniac could be played at literally any point in the game, so make decisions accordingly. For instance, when Decidueye is facing off against either M Gardevoir or M Rayquaza, you will get hit with Hex Maniac at least two or three times in the game.  That means you’ll lose your Feather Arrows at least two or three times, so your targets for those turns when you “do” have Abilities really count. So Punish those Megas!

3. Know when to “punt” hands or entire turns. You were going to have an amazing turn that dug through half of your deck, but because your Hex Maniac is played, that’s not happening. Your next best alternative is to punt; that is, to make a play which is your new best option. For example, if your opening hand contained a Professor Sycamore and an Ultra Ball, and your original optimal move was to Ultra Ball for a Shaymin EX and use Set Up to draw four or five cards, your next best option might be to use the Ultra Ball, search for an attacker, and then just play the Sycamore to draw a new hand of seven. In other situations, you might now be missing enough Damage for a Knock Out, and it might be advantageous to Retreat your attacker and pass, waiting for the next turn when you can use Abilities (assuming a follow-up Hex isn’t likely).

4. Run enough draw cards in your list to not get locked out of the game. My punting scenario described in point #3 is impossible if you don’t have a draw card; instead what happens is that you just draw and pass in misery. This results in the dreaded “Hex lock” position, where the player who is using Hex Maniac continues to set up, draw cards with Shaymin EX, and continue to use copies of Hex Maniac. This is the biggest fear people who are playing optimally should have, but it can be reduced if you run enough outs to the lock.

How much draw is enough draw? That depends on the deck, as each deck has unique requirements that require more cards to chain. But lists with at least seven real draw Supporters (not counting VS Seeker) and 4 Trainers’ Mail can more often than not weasel out of the Hex lock. This is my exact count in Decidueye/Vileplume, and I’ve definitely flirted with higher Supporter draw counts before.

Conclusion

Although it’s unstoppable, disrupts strategies, and even ends games all on its own, Hex Maniac is a balanced card and it can be defeated.  You just need to be flexible, patient, and smart in the way that you deal with it.

(Also, for what it’s worth, both Hex Maniac and Alex Forrest are poor depictions of mental illness in media – get educated!)


I WILL NOT BE IGNORED, JOHN! THIS ARTICLE ISN'T OVER!!!