All Out of Special Energy!
Hello everyone! I’m new to writing articles for PokeBeach and this is the first time I’ve ever put my opinions to words over the internet, so I feel an introduction is in order. I’m Treynor Wolfe, a competitive Pokemon TCG Master division player since 2011. In addition to the Pokemon TCG, I also play many other strategy games, including X-Wing, Flames of War, Bolt Action, and I have also played Warmachine, Warhammer 40k, and Warhammer Fantasy in the past. Please do let me know if you’re new to any of these games or play them! I’d love to have a conversation about them. I’m also an avid baseball fan, being a huge Oakland A’s fan since I was very young.
As for my Pokemon experience, I’ve been playing Pokemon TCG nonstop ever since the [set name=”Majestic Dawn”] – [set name=”Triumphant”] format. I’m a Nebraska Pokemon player that competes primarily in the Kansas City area. I’ve been as far west as Colorado, and as far east as Indianapolis for the three years I’ve been to the National Championships. This is my first year earning an invite to the World Championships, due to my amazing State and City Championship runs this year, including two States wins, two States top 4s, two Cities top 4s, and two Cities top 8s.
Enough about me though. The topic I want to talk about is the impact of Special Energies in our current format. After looking at how the recent [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] ban affects all of the popular decks in the format, I noticed the decks that come out on top all heavily rely on Special Energy. Knowing this, it’s reasonable to assume decks that counter the usage of Special Energy by not letting them attach it, attack with it, or removing them entirely will be pretty solid plays come time for the US National Championships, and don’t worry, there’s no shortage of cards and decks that target the use of Special Energy. Before talking about some of these concepts though, I think it’s important to look at the decks that are most heavily affected by the ban, so you can see why these Special Energy-centered decks are some of the best in the format, and so we can learn how to effectively counter them.
But first, I want to let everyone know just how awesome a PokeBeach Premium Subscription truly is! Now is an amazing time to get on top of things, as many of us Premium Writers have done loads of testing and are offering our opinions to you. With the ban of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”], the format has been changed substantially, and it’s largely unknown what decks will come out on top at Nationals this year. All of us have tested extensively since we heard news of the ban, and we’re offering our lists and opinions exclusively to you! Please do join us in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout forum for us to personally give you deck advice and have in-depth discussions with you! I hope to see you all there!
The Post Ban Metagame
I honestly couldn’t believe the news when I heard that [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] was banned. I heard it was banned in Japan, but I always knew Japan plays Pokemon a bit differently than here, and that something happening over there doesn’t necessarily happen in the US. So with this big news, a lot of the testing I have done in the past in preparation for Nationals is going to have to be redone and revisited. Decks that were invalidated in the past are now fair game again, a decks that had glaring weaknesses to Trump Card (I’m looking at you Night March!) are going to be the decks to play or beat come Nationals.
Let’s take a look at the biggest winners from the [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] ban and the biggest loser. Let’s start with the loser that was a huge player in the game while [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] was a legal card. This deck being played significantly less will make a huge impact on the Nationals format.
The Loser
[card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] has had a significant impact on our game since Rith Ke used it to great effect in his [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Slurpuff” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”69″ c=”name”] deck that he used to win multiple Cities. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] was being used as the main attacker in the deck, as opposed to being a utility attacker in a deck like [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”].
[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
The main focus of this deck was disruption. Using cards such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”], [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”], the deck could reasonably strip you of your Energies and your ability to retreat to remove the Poison from [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] allowed you to recycle all of these powerful cards and play a game that slowly bled you to death while forcing you to play under constant Item lock.
The next new version of the deck used [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] to draw more Item-based disruption cards, replacing [card name=”Slurpuff” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”69″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]-based decks made a large portion of the top 32 decks at Wisconsin Regional Championships, proving how big of an impact this deck makes on the [set name=”Boundaries Crossed”] – [set name=”Roaring Skies”] format.
Without [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”], this deck cannot play unlimited amounts of Energy removing Trainers such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”], or cards to increase [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]’s damage output, such as [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”]. Limiting these decks to only four of each of these powerful cards makes it very challenging for them to continue their disruptive Item lock and keep up a steady amount of damage on your Pokemon. Some argue that this deck isn’t dead, but from my testing, it just doesn’t work very well anymore. I’m not going to go so far as to say king [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] is dead, but it will be played in significantly less numbers than was expected at the US National Championships. There will be variants that I see as more viable than others, mainly [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks that are more offensive-based, rather than straight disruption, such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] paired with [card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] appears to be a solid play for Nationals as well, but I don’t believe this deck is as consistent as [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] variants. Regardless, that particular deck isn’t as powerful as it was with [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”].
I’m going to diverge a bit here and say that I’ve always felt disruption-based decks have been just as much a part of the game as any other type of deck. I have never looked down on players that play these types of decks, as they have been prevalent in the game since I first started and [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Undaunted” no=”24″ c=”name”] decks were alive and well. The relative ease for [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks to pull off their Item lock strategy has always bothered me a bit though.
[cardimg name=”Vileplume” set=”Undaunted” no=”24″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
In the past, decks that played [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Undaunted” no=”24″ c=”name”] were relatively slow, and the Vileplume card limited both player’s ability to play Trainer cards, and in addition to that, the combination of getting out a Vileplume was relatively slow as well, with a turn two Vileplume being fairly lucky. I feel like disruption-based [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks were a little fast at pulling off their strategy for my liking, with only needing a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] Active and a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”] to lock down your opponent. I see a lot of players that have been pretty pessimistic about the game’s future come back happily now that [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] has been banned, and the [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks that they never enjoyed playing against will be played significantly less.
I believe it’s safe to assume that [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]-based decks will see much less play, and decks that had a weakness to this kind of deck are going to be played a lot more. No more will you have to play against four-five lock decks every tournament.
Now let’s take a look at the decks I believe gained the most from [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”]’s ban. Most of them due to [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]’s drop in popularity, but some for other reasons. I believe these are all strong decks that many players will be playing at US Nationals, with overall very solid matchups. Once we have looked at these decks, we can get to the main topic I’d like to discuss – Special Energy hate – and how it can very effectively counter most of the best decks in the format. I’ll also show you guys some decks I’ve been testing that I believe are great choices for Nationals, which use this tactic to the best of their abilities.
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The Winners
Night March
Night March, without a doubt, is going to be many player’s pick for best deck in the Nationals/Worlds format. I can personally attribute my States run (win, win, top 8, top 8) to how amazing this particular deck is. Since I have a lot of personal success with it, here’s my States list, adjusted to the [set name=”Roaring Skies”] format.
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”19″]
4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”33″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Revive” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”88″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name= “Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”8″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
What makes this deck incredibly powerful is that it can easily do upwards of 180 damage on turn two, and can even be done on turn one if you have the right cards. How this combination works, is that with the usage of [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”], you can throw a lot of [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”name”], [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”] into the discard pile. [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] allows you to draw through your deck very quickly, hitting more of your [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”]. The deck thinning from [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] in addition to your draw from [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] allows you to draw exactly what you need when you need it. [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”] can copy a Night Marcher’s attack on the Bench, allowing you to throw more of your Night Marchers in the discard pile, thus maximizing your damage. Cards like [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”] let you to draw through more cards quickly, potentially discarding Night Marchers on your way.
The disadvantage of this is that you must conserve your resources wisely, so it will take some practice, as this deck can easily deck itself out. The key is hitting the right amount of damage when you need it, and avoid the urge to one-shot your opponent’s Pokemon early unless it is absolutely necessary. I actually never even ran [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] in my build of Night March. That made playing the deck difficult, but it’s manageable if you conserve your Energies. Cards like [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”] really help with this, allowing [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”] to attack for one basic Energy with a [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”] on the Bench, saving your coveted [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”].
This deck used to have a huge problem with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks. If your opponent played [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] in addition to using Quaking Punch, you cannot use your [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”], [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”], or even your [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”]. I think you can see why this was such a terrible combination for a deck that uses Trainer cards to execute its strategy, in addition to having a strategy involving cards in your discard pile. I’ve talked a bit already about how decks that use [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] as a primary attack are severely damaged by the loss of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”]. With the removal of Night March’s biggest weakness from the game, it will be a top tier deck without a doubt in my mind.
Colorless M Rayquaza EX / Shaymin EX
When scans of [set name=”Roaring Skies”] appeared on PokeBeach, it was quite obvious that there was strong synergy between [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”]. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”]’s Δ Evolution Trait only further solidified just how powerful this card is, giving it the ability to evolve into [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”75″ c=”name”] on the first turn!
[cardimg name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]
This deck has the potential to do 240 damage on the second or even on the first turn. You can also include cards such as [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”] so that if your [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”] ever gets removed, once you draw a new one, you can use [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”]’s Propagate Ability to put it back on the Bench. This can keep your damage output at a consistent 240 the entire game, as long as you continue to draw more [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”]s. The [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] draw engine allows you to draw a lot of cards in a single turn if you need to. Cards such as [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”] give you amazing recovery from having your [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”]s getting Knocked Out. Speed is ultimately the main focus of this deck and it can easily sweep your opponent before they even get a chance to set up.
[card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks always had a bit of a problem with disruption decks. Drawing through your deck with an Item lock from [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] is a huge challenge. Not being able to play [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”] hurts your ability to get out a speedy [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] as well. In addition to not being able to play those cards, the Energies you play have a high chance of getting removed from [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”].
With [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] being played significantly less, the sky’s the limit with this deck. Players in the past played [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] to stop [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] from Sleeping and Poisoning [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], but since the primary attacker of this deck uses Colorless Energy, you can play any type of Energy you want with any type of backup attacker you want. The cards I’ve had the most success with are [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”], [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”]’s Y Cyclone attack allows it to deal damage and move Energies off of it to power up your [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”] gives your Pokemon a free retreat cost, and [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”] provides a cheap attacker with a lot of HP that can one-shot all of the attackers in a Night March deck (besides [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”]), while at the same time powering up your Benched Pokemon with Oblivion Wing.
Dragon M Rayquaza EX / Reshiram / Hydreigon EX
When [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”] was first released, it was cast aside as the “bad Rayquaza” compared to the Colorless version. I and a lot of other players saw some potential with the release of [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Reshiram” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”63″ c=”name”]. Using [card name=”Reshiram” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”63″ c=”name”] as your Active Pokemon, you get a free Energy attachment to your Benched [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”name”]. Playing [card name=”Switch” set=”Base Set 2″ no=”123″ c=”name”] with two [card name=”Reshiram” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”63″ c=”name”] in play can net you two free Energy attachments. Combine this with [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”], you can get a lot of Energy in play fast! But still, with all these Energy attachments, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”] still needs five Energies to attack. This isn’t too difficult to pull off, as I have found in my testing of the deck. [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”103″ c=”name”] works well in this deck, to give free retreat to your [card name=”Reshiram” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”63″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Scorched Earth” set=”Primal Clash” no=”138″ c=”name”] can get your Fire Energy into the discard pile for [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”]. Factor all this in with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”]’s Δ Wild Trait, and you have a solid attacker with a good amount of support for him.
[cardimg name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
I was always hesitant to play [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”] because of disruption decks in the format. Imagine trying to get five Energies on a Pokemon that needs to Mega Evolve while you are Item locked and your Energies are constantly being removed. With the unlimited [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”]s gone now, this deck has a chance and I believe it is the biggest winner with the ban of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”]. Of course, you will no longer be able to recycle your [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”], but hitting for 300 damage three-four times should be enough to win you a game.
Bronzong Decks
These decks don’t necessarily get more powerful with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] being played less, more that getting resources out of the discard pile is so much more powerful now that you cannot simply put them all back in your deck. In addition to this, a typical strategy against decks that pulled Energy out of the discard pile was to play a [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] to put their Energy back in their deck, so there would be no more Energy being put onto their Benched Pokemon. With the ban, Energies in your discard pile can no longer be willed away by your opponent.
[card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] can be used with a lot of other powerful attackers that use Colorless Energy, such as [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] or even any of the Night Marchers! I will cover a deck that I have built that uses [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] to great effect later.
Special Energy Hate
After looking at which decks benefit the most from the [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] ban, notice what I talked about earlier? All of them have a heavy focus on Special Energy. Night March costs two Colorless, Emerald Break needs three Colorless, Dragon Ascent is much easier to use with [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”]. Finding a way to punish these decks for this is a great way to take advantage of the format, so let’s take a look at a few ways to do that.
The Argument For Enhanced Hammer
[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] should be one of the most powerful cards for the Nationals format. This card can completely nullify one of your opponent’s Energy attachments. With the amount of decks using Special Energy, this can loosely be compared to the [card name=”Energy Removal” set=”Base Set” no=”92″ c=”name”] of old. You can just read that card and see just how broken that was back in the [set name=”Base Set”] days.
[cardimg name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] is very easy to work into a deck. It may be a card you want to work into every deck, if you have the chance. The reason why this card is so effective is because it is absolute. It happens. There’s no coin flip. This card can give you an extra turn of time before that big angry [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] comes off the Bench and smashes your Pokemon, or run a Night March deck out of their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”] entirely.
The majority of decks out there right now run some sort of Special Energy. “Two-for-one” Energy such as [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”] are used by all of the decks I mentioned above, as well as most of the other solid decks in the current format. Often, these cards are placed on Benched Pokemon to give those decks a backup attacker, which is where [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] comes in. Let’s look at the popular Special Energy that we have in the format, and you will see just how many decks use these.
Double Colorless Energy
[card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”] is by far the most popular one. There are so many powerful attacks that have a simple Colorless Energy cost. [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”]’s Night March attack, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”]’s Emerald Break, and [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”]’s Circle Circuit are ones come to mind. These are all popular attackers that come in a variety of different decks. I wouldn’t believe you one bit if you told me after Nationals that you didn’t play against a deck that used [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”] in one way or another. An argument can be made that these decks use attackers that are expendable, but knocking a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”] off of a Benched attacker and then Knocking Out their Active Pokemon with a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”] removes two of their four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”]. That’s huge!
Double Dragon Energy
[card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”] is largely susceptible to disruption from [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] because the primary Pokemon that uses it, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”], discards two Energies to attack already. Imagine them discarding two Energies, and then you [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] one of their [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”] off. The five Energies they once had gets reduced to one, and they’re going to have to really stretch to put five Energies back on their [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”].
Strong Energy
[cardimg name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”] is such a powerful card. Adding an additional 20 damage to an attack in conjunction with other cards that support Fighting Pokemon like [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] can really stack up the damage. Decks with [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”] use this card to get the most damage they can out of one Energy card. Removing this card from a [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”] can save you from a Land’s Judgement attack, or reduce its damage output and force them to attach another Energy to their [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”] to attack you.
Another deck that uses this card a lot is [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”name”]. Its Ω Barrier Trait does nullify [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”]’s effect, but you can use it on a [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”150″ c=”name”] before it goes Primal.
Mystery Energy
[card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”name”] is great for removing the retreat cost entirely on attackers such as [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”114″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”114″ c=”name”]’s Dark Corridor attack takes a whopping three Energies to attack. Of course, [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”] can help reduce that, but it does take a couple of turns to power up. [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”114″ c=”name”] is being used primarily with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”], which of course does lock your Items from being played. To counteract this, you can play a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”] to pull up a different Pokemon off the Bench, stopping the Item lock temporarily and allowing you to use your [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] on that pesky [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”114″ c=”name”]. These decks also somtimes run [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”], which should make your [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] even more useful!
A Good Example
One of my favorite decks out there, [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”], gets great use out of [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”]. It’s hard to call it a slow deck when it runs [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”] and can possibly hit for 200+ damage on turn two, but relative to all the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] shenanigans that other decks utilize to draw half of their deck, this deck is a little more reserved. The deck uses [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] to slow your opponent down by denying them their [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]’s Set Up Ability. This forces your opponent to only play a single Supporter card a turn. This is slightly disruptive to begin with, so why not add a bit more disruption with [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”]?
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”10″]
3x [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”150″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”40″]
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=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”111″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Hard Charm” set=”XY” no=”119″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Primal Clash” no=”162″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Base Set” no=”95″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY” no=”123″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Scorched Earth” set=”Primal Clash” no=”138″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”10″]
6x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”97″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
This is a list I’ve been testing and considering for Nationals. It slows your opponent down enough to let you power up a [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”name”]. You do have some weakness to Safeguard Pokemon, like [card name=”Sigilyph” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”52″ c=”deck2″], but as long as those Pokemon aren’t attacking you, you can use [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”] to get around them and take Prizes. [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] is also a pretty beefy Pokemon and is perfect for hiding behind with its 110 HP.
Aegislash EX
I think that the moment I mentioned Special Energy and denial, [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] was immediately what you thought of. This Pokemon doesn’t care how much damage your [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] can do. It won’t scratch this Pokemon if they have a Special Energy attached.
Sure, the attack isn’t the greatest, essentially it is a worse version of [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”]’s Secret Sword, but this card can be used with [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] to get some good damage down to where you can reliably two-hit your opponent’s Pokemon with [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”]. If your opponent only plays Special Energy, this card can win you the match-up outright! Even if their deck can function while only using basic Energy, you are likely preventing them from using their more desirable Special Energy, as these cards always have some beneficial effect that basic Energy don’t.
Here’s a list I’ve been testing where I use [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] to great effect with [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”].
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”18″]
4x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Dialga-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”62″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”75″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”54″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”32″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Aquapolis” no=”130″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”10″]
8x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”XY” no=”139″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
It may seem odd that this deck runs [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”], but the combination allows you to draw ridiculous amounts of cards from your deck, easily drawing into multiple [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”name”] and other cards you need early game. [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Aquapolis” no=”130″ c=”name”] is a great card for this purpose, allowing you to get your [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”name”] out early and also making your Supporter a draw Supporter by getting a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]. There is a small [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″] line in the deck that you can easily get out on the first turn and Mega Evolve with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″]’s Δ Evolution Trait.
I’m still testing this deck a lot, and it works really well, but I’m thinking of adding more [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″] to further take advantage of the large Bench that you can have with this deck. [card name=”Kecleon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”94″ c=”name”] is a card you can use to counter your opponent’s [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], by copying Emerald Break and Knocking it Out in one hit. I’m also considering using [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] in conjunction with [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] as well, but I haven’t tested it yet.
Another idea with [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] is to use a Pokemon that has an attack that causes it to switch out. Either [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”], [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”114″ c=”name”], or even [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] all work for this concept. I haven’t honestly tested this idea out very much, but it’s something to consider.
Honestly, there is just so much to test with the time that we have left before the National Championships. Don’t hesitate to try new and radical things! Those tend to be the decks that end up winning the National Championships.
Xerosic
This is another card you could play as an alternative to [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”]. This card has been used a lot in [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”] decks in the past. Being a Supporter makes it worse than [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] in a lot of ways, however, you do have the option of removing Tool cards, such as a [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”] from your own Pokemon, or removing your opponent’s Tool to play your own [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”]!
The added benefit is that this card can be used to remove Special Energy under Item lock. As I mentioned before, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”] will be played significantly less at US Nationals, however, it will not be completely dead. The choice of whether to add [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] to your deck is dependent on how popular you feel [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”] will be. Removing a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”]’s [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”] can help you get out of the lock by denying them their Quaking Punch attack next turn. Test [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”] out and see if you can make room for it in your deck. I think most decks should play [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] over this card, but it does give decks with Team Flare Tools more options, and helps against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”] if your deck happens to have issues with it.
Froslass
[cardimg name=”Froslass” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”23″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”Froslass” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”23″ c=”name”] is something I added as an “honorable mention” to this article. Its Ability, Cursed Glare, doesn’t allow your opponent to play Special Energies from their hand while [card name=”Froslass” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”23″ c=”name”] is Active. I’ve only just heard of this card being used competitively, so I have not tested it at all, but I do want to include it here so that all of you may take a look at it and consider combining it with other cards.
Using it as an attacker could work with cards like [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”name”] to target specific threats. In addition to that, you can use those Pokemon that I described earlier that switch in to another Pokemon, like [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”114″ c=”name”]. I’ve heard competitive players testing this card in certain lists, so it would not surprise me to see it being a decent and competitive card at US Nationals.
Conclusion
Special Energies are being printed in every new set now, and will continue to change how this game works. They have a lot of strengths, but they do have their weaknesses. I wrote this to give you all something to think about when building or selecting your decks for Nationals this year. Cards such as [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] will have a huge impact at US Nationals, since there are very few decks that run strictly basic Energy, and almost all of the top tier decks to come out of the [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] ban rely Special Energies.
I appreciate the opportunity PokeBeach has given me to express my thoughts and opinions to you all. Please feel free to leave comments below if you have any questions or even if you disagree with me! I’ll happily have a discussion about what I wrote about, or if there’s anything that needs clarification. If you have a deck that you feel needs to make room for some [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”]s, feel free to post it in the Subscribers Secret Hideout and I or any of the other writers will take a look at it and offer our input. Thanks for reading!
-Treynor Wolfe
[/premium]