Inside a Rogue Mind: Working with Crawdaunt and Milotic
Intro
Hello everyone, my name is Grant Manley and I am beyond thrilled to be writing for PokeBeach! I am a first-year Masters Division player from North Carolina with a knack for creating and playing unusual decks. Personally, I always like employing out-of-the-ordinary strategies in games I play, and Pokemon is no exception. In this article I’m going to talk about two of my most recent rogue decks, and how they work in the current format as well as the Boundaries Crossed to Roaring Skies format. [cardimg name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
The first of these rogues is something you mayt be familiar with by now, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]. This is a disruptive deck that I used to take 2nd place at the North Carolina State Championship. The aim of the deck is to use a variety of disruptive cards to clear your opponent’s side of Energy, for good. This allows that omnipresent pest, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”], to methodically sweep right through your opponent’s side with no opposition. This is all done while denying Items from your opponent. This makes the games go easier, and your opponent more frustrated.
The next rogue I am going to discuss is a crazy take on [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]. I didn’t think of it until after States, but it is just as fun, just as annoying, and possibly just as effective as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]. This deck plays similarly to your standard [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] deck, but opts to use a strategy involving [card name=”Milotic ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] instead of things like [card name=”Dragalge” set=”Flashfire” no=”71″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”]. It can effectively lock your opponent by using Blockade, [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”], [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”], and repeated uses of [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”].
Seismitoad/Crawdaunt
The States List
[decklist][pokemon amt=”13″]
4x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Corphish ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”42″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”43″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Dive Ball ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”4″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
How It Works[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
As I briefly explained earlier, the aim of the deck is to disrupt your opponent’s energies. This is made possible by the plethora of disruptive Items along with [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] and [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]’s Item Lock just compliments the whole disruption idea very well, and limits the opponent’s ability to recover from the barrage of energy removal cards. With this strategy, most decks can be shut down fairly easily.
Card Choices
Most of the card choices are simply heavy counts of things used to consistently execute the deck’s strategy. However, there are still some interesting choices that I’d like to go over.
Xerosic
[card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] is such a valuable card for almost any deck in this Toad-infested format. I included it primarily to counter [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”]. If the [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] player gets a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] on [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”name”] before you Quaking Punch them, [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] can cause serious problems by locking [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]’s ability. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] can also be used to remove opponent’s Special Energies or Tools when needed. You can use it to remove a [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”] from one of your own [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”], but [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”] can also accomplish that.
4 AZ
Four [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] probably seems like overkill, but it is actually one of the most helpful cards for this deck. It gives the deck quite a bit of mobility in the Toad “mirror”, and allows you to reuse [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] many times. It also allows you to switch and/or heal your active [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] if you need it to. I like to think of it as a wild card, it can essentially be a [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”], a [card name=”Switch” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”135″ c=”name”], or a [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”] (by picking up [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] and evolving another [card name=”Corphish ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”42″ c=”name”]).
3 Crushing Hammer and 4 Enhanced Hammer
Originally, this deck ran 4 of each hammer, but I trimmed a [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”] to make room for the [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”]. This is simply because I theorized that [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”] would be more useful as a 4-of. I’m sure you could flip the counts of hammers and the deck would still work fine.
Hypnotoxic Laser[cardimg name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
I’m sure a lot of you are wondering what is up with the single [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”]. I admit that the single Laser seems rather silly, but I do have reasons for including it. First, I didn’t go with a heavy Laser count like most Toad decks simply because it’s unnecessary for this deck. The deck doesn’t need to do a lot of damage, because my opponent is ideally doing no damage at all. If the deck works, it’s removing energy efficiently and doesn’t need to worry about damage output outside of [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”]. If the deck isn’t working, it will lose anyway.
I included a single Laser as an out to [card name=”Sigilyph” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”52″ c=”name”], should you run into any of those. Ideally it should help against [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”] as well, but they are usually paired with [card name=”Steel Shelter” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”105″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Rough Seas ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”], which negate Laser. Additionally, the [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] is also useful against [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”]. If you can use Laser against [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”] on the same turn you hit it with a Quaking Punch (with [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”]), it will be knocked out from poison going into your turn after you Quaking Punch a second time. Against [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”], if it is asleep and cannot retreat, it will also be knocked out going into your turn.
Matchups
Yveltal EX
Theoretically, [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] based decks are bad matchups because [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”] can keep accelerating [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”XY Trainer Kit” no=”28″ c=”name”] from the discard pile. After testing, I found this is not really the case. With four [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”], you can effectively deny their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”] and prevent them from doing any real damage. Additionally, any benched EXs they have are free [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] prizes, unless they have [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”] out. It isn’t easy to get out the sole copy of [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”] under Item lock. On top of that, even if the [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] player finds [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”], they would have to waste their precious energy attachment just to retreat.
The [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] version is just a more clunky version of straight [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]. The [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] player has a one turn window to get a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] on [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”name”]. If they cannot do that, the matchup gets tipped instantly in [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]’s favor. Even if they can do this, you still have plenty of time to find the [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”]. If, and only if, the [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] player gets a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] on [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”name”] early and you cannot find [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”], then the matchup becomes unfavorable. [card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] becomes useless due to [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”]’s ability and [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] can easily roll right through the deck.
[premium]
Virizion EX/Genesect EX[cardimg name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Yes, this is a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] deck, and by law of nature should lose to [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”]. However, this matchup is actually favorable thanks to heavy counts of [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]. That’s not to mention [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”], which is a luck-based bonus that can really shine in this matchup. It is usually pretty easy to simply deny energy and go with the normal strategy. Ideally the Vir/Gen player will not even get to use Emerald Slash, and certainly not Megalo Cannon. The only problem that can arise is your opponent going first and getting a [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] with a [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”XY” no=”132″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”], with you whiffing [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”] as well.
Seismitoad “Mirrors”
This deck does exceptionally well against other [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks. Not only does this deck have multiple [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] to remove their few energy cards under Item lock, but it also runs 4 [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] to act as [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Switch” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”135″ c=”name”] under Item lock. Other [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks simply don’t have this kind of mobility in the mirror and that makes them extremely easy to beat.
Flareon/Empoleon
Though this deck does play [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”], it also relies heavily on Items and only plays 5 draw supporters. This is of course excluding [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”], which is nearly impossible to use under Item lock. Thus, it is easy to just get the [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”] player stuck and unable to do anything at all. Even if they aren’t stuck, they only play 7-8 energy cards, with half of them removable by [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”]!
Even if they do somehow manage to set up an army of [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”] and miraculously hit energies every turn, the matchup still isn’t bad! Of course, you have to be careful to only have one energy in play at a time. This way, [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”] is only dealing 80 damage per attack. Once it attacks twice, attempt a [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”] or [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] and resume Quaking Punch spam. [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] can help with the math for your convenience.
Landorus EX/Crobat[cardimg name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Lando/Bats is an easy matchup. If the Lando/Bats player is silly enough to bench any [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”], that is two free prizes right there thanks to its water weakness and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”] can be practically nullified with [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”]. That only leaves [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”], of which the deck usually plays three.
[card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”] seems like it could be a threat, but it is really not. Between [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”], [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”], and relentless energy removal, the opponent’s small army of [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”] will never be able to get rid of three [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] is also crucial to trade well against [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”].
Donphan
[card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] is also a rather favorable matchup. [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] does not do well at all under Item lock, as Quaking Punch prevents [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”] and those nasty damage-enhancing tools from being played. [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] is also conveniently weak to water, which allows Seismitoad to deal 100 damage with Quaking Punch, and can even OHKO [card name=”Phanpy” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”71″ c=”name”]!
One annoying thing can be [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”], which nearly all [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] players have started to include. However, if they are attaching their energies to [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”], they aren’t applying pressure with [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”]. This allows you to pick off weaker Pokémon while preparing multiple [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] for when the [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”] comes out. Even if they take a KO with [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”], it is easy to strip it of energies if you have some [card name=”Corphish ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”42″ c=”name”] ready to evolve.
Other
There are so many decent decks right now, it’s difficult to heavily test and discuss all of them in-depth. Here is a short synopsis of the matchups against those other decks that have seen some play. I have played a handful of games against all of these decks with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] besides [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”], but don’t have as much experience against them as the above matchups.
Night March[cardimg name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] plus [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] wins this matchup rather easily. If they play [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Bouffalant ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”119″ c=”name”] the matchup can become tricky.
Kyogre EX
Against [card name=”Primal Kyogre-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”55″ c=”name”] decks, it is rather easy to run them out of energies despite the fact that they play so many. [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”] shine in this matchup. If it weren’t for [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”], [card name=”Rough Seas ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] would negate all damage done by Quaking Punch.
Metal
It is imperative to try and deny [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] with aggressive use of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”]. Quaking Punch with [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] can OHKO [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”] are also very helpful in this matchup.
Exeggutor
Eggs are the Crab’s Achilles’ Heel. There is next to nothing you can do against a working [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] deck. It is [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]’s only terrible matchup. Supporter lock, water resistance, and other annoying cards that come with [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] are simply too hard to overcome for [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”].
Good Additions
While I am a huge fan of [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] and I believe the deck is one of the best right now, there are inclusions that could make the deck better.
Silent Lab[cardimg name=”Silent Lab ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
This deck doesn’t rely on [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”] as its Stadium card, and thus can make use of a different Stadium if you so desire. [card name=”Silent Lab ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”] can be a greatly beneficial card for this deck at the small cost of making [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”] slightly less useful. There are a plenty of decks that [card name=”Silent Lab ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”] can help against.
It could possibly make the [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] matchup manageable by locking Propagation. It would also help against Night March by shutting off [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”name”]’s Versatile, limiting the threat of [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Bouffalant” set=”Primal Clash” no=”119″ c=”name”]. Additionally, it would provide a better answer to Safeguard, making [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] an easy choice to cut. Of course, that’s not to mention consistency Pokemon like [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”] and the new [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]. I think two would be the correct count of [card name=”Silent Lab ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”] if you wanted to try to fit it in.
Electrode
One interesting inclusion that would benefit the deck is [card name=”Electrode” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”33″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] doesn’t have a whole lot of draw power, and [card name=”Electrode” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”33″ c=”name”] can help with this. Since the deck uses lots of non-draw Supporters, a stable draw engine can help with setting up and staying set up, I’m looking at you, [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”]. For example, against [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”], you need to save multiple [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] in your hand in preparation to handle the monster. If you get [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”]’d on the same turn [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”] starts attacking, leaving you without [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”], you could be in trouble. I would advise a 1-1 line of [card name=”Electrode” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”33″ c=”name”].
Skyla
[card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”name”] simply provides more consistency, so you probably don’t need to use it and [card name=”Electrode” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”33″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”name”] can be used as an extra supporter out early on, or to search out whatever disruption card would be useful in a specific situation. I don’t think the deck needs [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”name”], but I could see its potential usefulness. If you wanted to play [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”name”], one or two would be the way to go.
What to Cut
There are a few cards that you could afford to take out in order to fit in some of the aforementioned cards.
Crawdaunt
I like using a 4-4 line of [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”], but you could get away with running a 4-3 line. This makes it more risky to [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”name”] away [card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] early game, but I think it could still work.
Xerosic[cardimg name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
The single [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] isn’t really necessary, but it does help in certain matchups. If you choose to cut the [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”], you would drastically lower your chances of beating [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] decks. However, [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] decks aren’t really popular at all right now, which is why I’m suggesting to cut the [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”]. You don’t really need it to help against other [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks, because this deck has such a good matchup against them anyway. However, one other small use for Xerosic is removing Spirit Link cards. I found this useful against [card name=”Primal Kyogre-EX ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”55″ c=”name”], and it will undoubtedly be useful against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”].
AZ
I like playing with 4 [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] and it’s such a great card for this deck. You could cut one because that would still leave you with 3 [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”], 4 [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”], and 4 [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”]. The deck should still work fine this way.
Hypnotoxic Laser
[card name=”Silent Lab ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”] is a better counter to Safeguard than [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] is, to be honest. You should be able to beat decks with [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”] without the aid of [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] as well. [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] should be the first card you cut to make room for other cards.
Toad/Crab and Roaring Skies
The new set, Roaring Skies, will be legal for a few Spring Regionals, as well as Nationals and Worlds. Fortunately, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] gets slightly better with the release of Roaring Skies. I don’t think the new set will have a whole lot of impact on this deck, but it does help.
Rayquaza EX[cardimg name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”104″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] is the big bad card that everyone is talking about from Roaring Skies, and it is usually paired with [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] should have a good matchup against this deck for a few reasons. First, it relies heavily on Items such as [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”]. It is also very vulnerable to [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”]. Additionally, if you chose to include [card name=”Silent Lab ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”], it can bump opposing [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”] and lock [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]’s ability, Set Up.
No Jirachi
There is a (soon-to-be-released) Japanese Promo Jirachi card that some people were expecting to appear in the Roaring Skies set. However, at the time of writing, it seems as if this Jirachi is not going to be released anytime soon. It might come out as an English Promo a bit later though.
Well, why is this a big deal? You see, this Jirachi card has an attack translated as “Stardust”. It costs only one Colorless Energy, and discards a Special Energy card attached to the opponent’s active Pokemon. In addition, if the attack succeeds, Jirachi would be invulnerable to damage the following turn. You can see why this would be a huge problem for [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks. Any deck could easily play one or two copies and cause huge problems for [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]. There are ways to work around it, but it is much better to not have to worry about it.
Trainer’s Mail
[card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”] is a new Item card that looks to be a rather powerful card. It allows the user to look at the top four cards of the deck and take any Trainer card there. I expect quite a few decks to play this, and it is just one more Item card for [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] to lock. Additionally, if you wanted to fit two or three [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”] into [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”], I think it could work as an alternate form of draw-power.
Rayquaza EX vs. Exeggutor
[card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] is [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]’s only bad matchup. Fortunately, it looks like the most hyped deck, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], might help push [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] into extinction. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks should have no trouble defeating [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] for a few reasons.
First, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks are expected to run heavy counts of [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”]. This limits the usefulness of opposing [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”] that [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks rely on for damage. On top of that, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks don’t seem to rely on Supporters as much as other decks, which makes [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]’s niche use less effective. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks can draw plenty of cards with [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] and possibly Item draw cards such as [card name=”Acro Bike ” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”]. Finally, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] can also accelerate energy using [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”], limiting the effectiveness of [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]’s energy denial strategy.
To Sum It Up
Overall, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] is a powerful deck that I really believe can do well at upcoming Regionals, Nationals, and even Worlds. It has strong matchups against everything besides [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]. It also will become even stronger when Roaring Skies is released. Energy lock plus Item lock is such a potent strategy that even the best players can struggle against it.
Exeggutor/Milotic
My next concoction is another lock deck, this time featuring none other than [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]. I came up with this deck after State Championships had concluded, so I haven’t had a chance to prove it at a tournament. However, I can confidently say that this is not just a gimmick deck. [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] provides a unique Ability to partner with [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] that is surprisingly effective.
The Decklist
[decklist][pokemon amt=”19″]
4x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Feebas” set=”Flashfire” no=”22″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”37″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Primal Clash” no=”126″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”4″]
4x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”XY” no=”132″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
How It Works[cardimg name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
The idea is to play this deck similarly to a normal [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] deck. You want to utilize the [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] + [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”] combo to its fullest potential, and use [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”] to remove crucial energies. For most decks, it is difficult to constantly find energies to attack while Supporter locked. One heavy focus of this deck is obviously [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]. You can use [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]’s ability to retrieve any one card from the discard pile, and the plan is to use this primarily on [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”]. This way, even when your opponent can find the right Pokemon and energies to KO [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”], it is rare they’ll be rewarded with a prize card. Just keep calm, use Blockade repeatedly, and let [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] do its thing. You can also use [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] + [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] to grab whatever you want, which is a neat trick.
Card Choices
Just like with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”], most of the cards are just included in heavy counts to execute the main strategy. There are more techy cards in this list though, and also some cards that might look like they don’t look like they belong with [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”].
4-4 Milotic
[card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] is the backbone of this deck. In the same way that some [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks use [card name=”Electrode” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”33″ c=”name”], [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”], and/or [card name=”Dragalge” set=”Flashfire” no=”71″ c=”name”] for support, this relies on [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] is mainly used to get [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] with [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] over and over again, but it can be useful to reuse other things too. It can be a Supporter out, it can get you your energy drop for the turn, and it can get you the missing piece for the LaserBank combo needed to dish out damage. I believe that this variant of [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] is superior to the others. I have tested it and it seems to have the qualities of other [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks in addition to unlimited use of [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”], at the small price of having to forgo [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”].
Team Flare Grunt
This card is essential to beating most decks, and I think two should be given serious consideration. Since it is hard for decks to consistently draw into energies while Supporter locked, you can simply deny some decks of energy completely with just this [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”]. With [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] support, you can often afford to play disruptive Supporters instead of draw Supporters.
2 AZ[cardimg name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] is used in tandem with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”] to help reuse [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]’s Ability as many times as needed. This helps with steaming [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] with [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”], as well as [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] when you need it. It also can essentially provide a [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”] and/or [card name=”Switch” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”135″ c=”name”] effect when needed.
0 Lysandre
[card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] simply isn’t very helpful in this deck. You might find yourself in a situation where you’d want a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”], but it won’t affect the outcome of the game. Lots of times you can just handle situations with [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”], [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”], and repetitive uses of [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] and Blockade. There just aren’t circumstances where [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] is necessary, as weird as that may sound.
4 Super Scoop Up
[card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”] is used for the same reasons as [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”]. It is primarily to reuse [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]. It comes without the drawbacks of being a Supporter but with a flip.
3 Battle Compressor
While [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] is a standard card for [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks to include, I think I should mention its dual purpose in this deck outside of just grabbing multiple [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”]. Ideally, you will use [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] on two [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”] and a [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] on Turn 1 or 2. Not only will you get bonus points for your opponent’s incredulous reaction, but it is the only way to search out [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] for this list. Then you can just use [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] to get the [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] back whenever you want. Sometimes you need to ignore the [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] in order to get the ideal target for [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”], but that’s usually not a big deal.
3 Ultra Ball
It is unusual for [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks to use less than four [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”] to fully utilize Propagation, but this list is tight on space. I don’t think this deck needs four [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”]. I think having three [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] to search multiple [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”] and two [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”] to search [card name=”Feebas” set=”Flashfire” no=”22″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] justifies having three [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”]. If you really wanted to, you would probably be fine running four [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”].
2 Energy Retrieval
This is probably the most questionable choice for this deck, but it works well. Since the strategy of the deck is to stream [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”], you need to occasionally use [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]’s Ability to grab an energy back from the discard, as there’s not a whole lot of energy in the deck to begin with. So I thought, why not have a way to grab two energies back with just one use of Sparkling Ripples? I think this is a smart use of resources, and [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Primal Clash” no=”126″ c=”name”] is more useful than just another energy at almost any point in the game after you have used Blockade, barring [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] of course.
Life Dew[cardimg name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] is the reason this deck exists. Thanks to Blockade’s effect, opposing decks have very limited options for taking six prizes against this deck when it gets set up. Blockade blocks [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”], forcing opponents to attack into an [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] with [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”]. Then you simply set up another [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] and use [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] to bring back [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”]. Over and over and over. There’s not much better than completely demoralizing your opponent this way. When they kill one of your annoying [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”], they just have to face down another one, taking extra poison damage and not even gaining a prize card.
Town Map
[card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”name”] is already generally useful, and was included to help when [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] was prized. [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] will be only prized about one in ten games, but it is so integral to the strategy of the deck that I’d rather include [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”name”] than unnecessarily just lose games because of that 10% chance.
Matchups
Against most decks, you will simply carry out your normal strategy. In some matchups, such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”], you favor [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”]. There are only a few interesting matchups worth talking about.
Virizion EX/Genesect EX
[card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”] is not a favorable matchup, but it is certainly winnable. I’d say it’s about even or slightly worse. Going first is actually a really big deal in this matchup. [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”] can be shut down by [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”] and Supporter lock. As long as [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”] doesn’t draw into an absurd amount of energies in the short window they have play Supporters, you can shut off the energy flow fairly easily. Unfortunately, if the [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”] is prized, the game is over right there. Even with [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”name”], you probably won’t be able to even take a quick prize against [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”], so that’s another reason to possibly include another [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”].
Garbodor
Thankfully, [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] isn’t played as much now, but it can be a problem. If you are expecting to face [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”], you can include [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] to help. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] can also almost replicate [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”], alleviating a need for a second one. If you happen to run into [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] and don’t have [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”], the matchup is unfavorable. You just have to hope for [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”] to do work.
Exeggutor[cardimg name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
The “mirror” for this deck is interesting. You can use [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] for extra flexibility under Supporter lock, as well as [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] to help with the prize trade. Unfortunately, opposing [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks can use [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] to make their Blockades do 30 damage. This, paired with an opposing [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] shutting off [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”], can pose a huge problem. In this matchup you need to get your own [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] as soon as possible, be careful not to deck out, and hope for the best.
Good Additions
Team Flare Grunt or Xerosic
Since you don’t want your [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”] prized and you possibly want multiple copies of it in a game, I could definitely see a second one being useful. I’ve mentioned it a lot, and it’s not in the original list because I don’t know if it’s absolutely necessary. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] can act similarly to [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”]. It can remove Special Energy from anywhere and also can help against [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”], but you might regret not being able to remove Basic Energy against the likes of [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”] and such.
Muscle Band or Silver Bangle
Ideally, your active Pokemon will always be an [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] with [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] attached. This won’t always be the case, so I can see the reasoning to include these to help with damage. They would be especially helpful against decks running [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] as well. I wouldn’t use them, but they could be decent options if you wanted. I would say to just run one or two total.
Repeat Ball
I already have [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] to search for [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”], [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”] for [card name=”Feebas” set=”Flashfire” no=”22″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”] for everything else. You could play a 1-1 split of [card name=”Repeat Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”136″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”], or just use [card name=”Repeat Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”136″ c=”name”] instead of [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”].
Other than these, I don’t know what else can be included to improve the deck. The list is really solid and I like how it plays.
What to Cut
Mr. Mime[cardimg name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
You could risk taking out the [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”name”], but it would weaken the deck’s matchup against [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”], [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”]. Overrun is underrated, and it can be problematic for this deck. It’s a risky meta call to cut [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”name”].
Super Scoop Up
This card is really helpful, but I don’t know how necessary it is. You could trim it or cut it altogether if you felt the need to make space for other cards. This would increase the deck’s reliance on [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”], and possibly make it harder to stream [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”]. I think it’s worth playing, but you could go either way.
Exeggutor/Milotic and Roaring Skies
Shaymin EX
[card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] is both bad and good for [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]. On one side of the spectrum, it provides opposing decks with the option to draw cards outside of Supporters. This limits the effectiveness of Blockade, but I don’t think one or two uses of Set Up will swing the outcome of the game. Hopefully your opponent’s hand will be too clogged up with Supporters to really benefit from Set Up.
On the other hand, [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] can use [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] itself. It allows some more leeway to use disruptive Supporters by providing an alternate form of draw. It naturally goes well with the heavy counts of scoop up cards. It also helps against opposing [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks in addition to helping with consistency in general. I’d say this deck could make use of one or two, but it would be hard to find the space.
Rayquaza EX
[card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] is a natural predator of [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]. Between Item based draw, [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”], and the deck’s natural speed, normal [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks won’t be able to keep up. However, [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] provides a special advantage that allows this deck to keep up with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”]. You can include a copy of the new [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”2″ c=”name”] from Roaring Skies and just forget about Blockade. If you can get multiple [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] going, you can stream that [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”2″ c=”name”] and use the silly attack, Shake It Off, to trade favorably with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”]. Usually Shake It Off will do 100+ damage for one energy, and between [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”], it isn’t too hard to prize trade well against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”]. The matchup is still pretty close, but it’s much better than it is for regular [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks, as they can’t stream a 1-of tech [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”2″ c=”name”] like [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] can.[cardimg name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Rayquaza vs. Meta
[card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] looks like it is going to have a favorable matchup against both [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”] and standard [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”] decks. This is great for [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] because all the [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] hype might reduce the popularity of [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”], matchups that [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] prefers to avoid.
To Sum It Up
[card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”] is a really fun and effective deck that is sure to give opponents fits. When it sets up it can beat most decks fairly easily. I am hopeful that [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks can help decrease the popularity of unfavorable matchups for [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”5″ c=”name”]/[card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]. It can tech in a Shake It Off [card name=”Exeggutor” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”2″ c=”name”] to keep up with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] as well. This deck can do well at competitive events and will stay effective when Roaring Skies becomes legal.
Conclusion
I tried to go as in-depth as possible about these two effective rogues that I am very fond of personally. I encourage you to try these decks out, and don’t be afraid to try one of these strange decks at a tournament once you become familiar with playing them. If you have any questions or feedback about these decks or the article in general, feel free to leave a reply. Good luck at Regionals if you plan on going, and thanks for reading!
-Grant[/premium]