The Deck That Won NAIC 2024 — Lost Zone Box Breakdown
The competitive Pokémon TCG commuinty doubted its power, but it looks like Lost Zone Box has remained strong the entire season. Now, it has become the winning deck played by 1st place finsher Andrew Hedrick at NAIC 2024.
Hedrick played Lost Zone Box during his legendary run at NAIC 2024, a massive TCG tournament that was seen as the last chance for many top players to qualify for Worlds later this summer. The top eight was largely overtaken by Gardevoir ex but Hedrick dominated with Lost Zone Box, a deck many pro players felt was losing its edge after Twilight Masquerade shook up the meta.
In the finals, Hedrick faced off against Gardevoir ex player Stephane Ivanoff, a two-time NAIC champion. Both players were seen as champions, of course, with many regional wins under their belts.
At the end of the first game, Ivanoff had only two prize cards left. Meanwhile, Hedrick had only a damaged Radiant Greninja on the board and no cards in the Lost Zone. But Hedrick shockingly set up his bench, dug for the cards he needed, and took down Ivanoff's Gardevoir ex cards one at a time. This reduced Ivanoff's available energies, even with a Flutter Mane ready to go, and Hedrick was able to win despite having a four prize defecit.
The entire match was a nail-biting back and forth that went into the third game. It was a battle of the titans that could have gone either way with incredible plays from both sides.
NAIC Winning Deck List
Here is Hedrick's deck list from NAIC:
Pokémon: 11
4 Comfey LOR 79
1 Sableye LOR 70
1 Cramorant LOR 50
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
1 Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex TWM 141
1 Iron Hands ex PAR 70
1 Iron Thorns ex TWM 77
1 Iron Bundle PAR 56
Trainer: 41
4 Colress's Experiment LOR 155
1 Roxanne ASR 150
1 Boss's Orders PAL 172
4 Mirage Gate LOR 163
4 Nest Ball PAF 84
4 Switch Cart ASR 154
4 Switch SVI 194
4 Super Rod PAL 188
3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
3 Lost Vacuum CRZ 135
1 Prime Catcher TEF 157
1 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
1 Pal Pad SVI 182
1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146
1 Rescue Board TEF 159
4 PokéStop PGO 68
Energy: 8
3 Water Energy 3
3 Lightning Energy 4
2 Psychic Energy 5
The goal with this deck is to initially use Comfey to dig for useful cards in the deck and build up your Lost Zone. Then, based on your opponent's deck, you have a few 'mon options at your disposal that you can build up and unleash on your opponent.
Against Gardevoir ex, Hedrick started with Cramorant in the third game since it can attack for free when you have enough cards in the Lost Zone.
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!