Good Plays for Canadian Nationals and Why It’s Important for the US!
Hello everyone! My name is Nikolas Campbell and I’m glad to be here on PokeBeach. This is my first article on PokeBeach, so I’m going to give a little background on who I am. I’m a 23 year old graduate student currently living in Southeast Michigan. I love to play any and all card games, from Magic the Gathering, to DC Deck building, to Poker, name any card game; I have either played it or will play it. Also I’m a big Detroit sports fan. Usually I’m wearing a Tigers jersey at most tournaments, so if you wanted to find me, that would be the easiest way.
As for my playing career in the Pokémon TCG, I started playing competitively when the set Triumphant came out, which was in late 2010. Since then, I have played in two World Championships and I’m going to playing in Boston later this year. I also have two finalist and two top 8 finishes at Regionals, two top 4 and two top 8 finishes at States, and five City Championship wins. I’m also part of everyone’s favorite Pokémon TCG team, Team Hovercats, which has a bunch of great players and people.
Now that all the introductions are out of the way, we can get started on what you came here for. As everyone knows, and should know by now, [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] was banned as of June 15th. Because of this, the metagame as we knew it was shaken up. Popular decks like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] can’t function like they used to by burning through their deck turn one, then playing [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] to reset and doing the same thing next turn. Now that this card is banned, people are now looking for ways to build their decks without this powerful card. One of the more popular ways of doing this is by using results from other tournaments to make their decks better for the metagame, or even in some cases, using decks from those tournaments that did well. The problem with this scenario is that there won’t be that many tournaments between now and US Nationals in a week, so any Nationals with [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] banned will be looked upon for any answers to the format. One of the biggest Nationals that will be happening in this short time frame will be Canadian Nationals, which is happening June 27th and 28th. Today I want to talk about how this Canadian Nationals will be one of the most important tournaments in recent memory and some decks I expect to see at this tournament.
But before I get going any further, I want to let everyone know just how cool a PokeBeach Premium Subscription is! Now is an great time to get started with Nationals and Worlds just around the corner. All of our Premium Writers have done a lot of hours of playtesting and are offering our many different opinions exclusively to you. Also when you upgrade to the Premium Subscription Service, please do join us in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout forum, where all the Premium Writers personally give you deck advice and have in-depth discussions with you! Hope to see you there!
Canadian Nationals
Like I was saying, this Canadian Nationals will the most important tournament in recent memory and there is some history to back this up. This is the second time ever, with TPCI running events, that a card or cards were rotated out or banned between major tournaments. The last time this happened was in 2011, and Canadian Nationals changed everything.
History Lesson
[cardimg name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”from”]
In 2011, the Black & White set was just released and there was a couple of rule changes that were made to make the game more fun for the players. The biggest rule change made was that any player that went first could play Items, Supporters, and Stadiums, where in the past, you could not do that. When they did this, cards that were made before this rule change started to break the game, the biggest offender of this being [card name=”Sableye” set=”Stormfront” no=”48″ c=”name”]. Not only did this card allow you to always go first with its Poke-BODY Overeager, it’s Overconfident attack was able Knock Out any Pokemon with the help of multiple [card name=”Crobat G” set=”Platinum” no=”47″ c=”name”], [card name=”Poké Blower +” set=”Stormfront” no=”88″ c=”name”]s, and [card name=”PlusPower” set=”Unleashed” no=”80″ c=”name”]s. Instead of banning this card, they just rotated seven sets from [set name=”Majestic Dawn”] to [set name=”Arceus”] early to help balance the game after the rule change, and because of this, there was only six sets that players could use to make decks with. This rotation in North America happened on July 1st, which was one day before Canadian Nationals that year. So it was a very short time for people to figure out what they wanted to play for both and Canada and the United States. When I was playtesting during this time, there where a couple of decks that people thought were very good, but the deck everyone thought was the best deck was [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Triumphant” no=”96″ c=”name”] Prime / [card name=”Emboar” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW21″ c=”name”], which was a deck that had a ton of draw power and could have one-hit Knock Outs every turn. The problem with it was that it was too slow and very clunky, but everyone thought it was almost unbeatable, even me. I thought for sure it would win not only Canadian Nationals, but also US Nationals, but I was very wrong.
To a lot of players surprise, one card took Canadian Nationals by storm and was played by a lot of players. That card was [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime, a card that most players blew of, but it was almost too good. The card was so good during Canadian Nationals, it took three of the top 4 spots in the Masters division. These decks that made top 4 all used [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime as it’s main attacker, with the only difference between them being the support Pokémon they used, whether [card name=”Kingdra” set=”Unleashed” no=”85″ c=”name”] Prime, Donphan Prime, or [card name=”Weavile” set=”Undaunted” no=”25″ c=”name”]. Every player was surprised by the dominance of [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime, and the US player base only had a week to playtest with this card.
Now when US Nationals came around, [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime was one everyone’s minds and a lot of players played it. It was so popular and so good, [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime variants took all top 4 spots in the Masters division, but Justin Sanchez took first place with his [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime / [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Triumphant” no=”96″ c=”name”] Prime deck, which is shown below.
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”18″]
3x [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Yanma” set=”Triumphant” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Triumphant” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Magneton” set=”Triumphant” no=”43″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Magnemite” set=”Triumphant” no=”68″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Cleffa” set=”Call of Legends” no=”24″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Pachirisu” set=”Call of Legends” no=”18″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Tyrogue” set=”Call of Legends” no=”36″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”29″]
4x [card name=”Judge” set=”Unleashed” no=”78″ c=”deck2″]
3x Pokemon Collector (HGSS #97)
2x [card name=”Copycat” set=”Call of Legends” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Training Method” set=”EX Unseen Forces” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
3x Pokemon Communication (HGSS #98)
3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”135″ c=”deck2″]
3x Pokemon Reversal (HGSS #99)
3x [card name=”Junk Arm” set=”Triumphant” no=”87″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Base Set” no=”95″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Neo Genesis” no=”98″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”PlusPower” set=”Unleashed” no=”80″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Pokémon Circulator” set=”Unleashed” no=”81″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”13″]
10x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Rescue Energy” set=”Triumphant” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
Expectations This Year
With US Nationals being dominated by [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime, it was no question that Canadian Nationals had a huge effect on the metagame in 2011. Now in 2015, will history repeat itself? In my opinion, yes it will. [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] was such an important card in a lot of decks, that most of them either can’t function anymore like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], or have to be changed significantly like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”]. Players will have to innovate old decks that were hurt by decks that abused [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name], or make completely new decks to compete. My expectation with this Canadian Nationals is we will still see some decks that people just took out [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] and think that its alright, but we will see some real interesting and innovative decks rise and make the top 8. So make sure you are paying attention to Canadian Nationals next weekend, there might be a card like [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime, and you don’t want to miss out.
Good Plays For Nationals
For players actually going to Canadian Nationals, I want to give you some deck lists that I expect you to see at the tournament. I did a lot of testing with these lists with a lot of different playtesting partners, so I put in a ton of work. These decks are my top picks not only for Canadian Nationals, but also US Nationals, so please enjoy.
Night March
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”17″]
4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”36″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ 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″]
3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Revive” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”88″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”7″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
This deck has been around for a while, but it had such a hard time with a combination of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] and Item lock like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”], the deck was always considered tier two. But with the banning of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”], the deck has brand new life and is considered by most players to be the deck to beat. Being able to deal tons of damage with non-EX attackers for a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”] is too good. Plus the fact that it can hit for these high amounts of damage turn one without a legitimate counter like [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] is just insane. The only thing this deck really struggles with right now is turn one [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”name”] with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”], but other than that, the deck has very solid matchups against decks like [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”].
If we take a closer look at the list, I put in some interesting cards that I want to talk about. The two [card name=”Revive” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”88″ c=”name”]s have been very good in my playtesting group for a couple reasons. One is that this deck needed a way to help recover from quick starts from not only your opponent, but your own quick starts of trying to hit 180 turn one, which require you to dump many of your important Night Marchers like [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”]. I tried [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”], but being forced to shuffle in five Pokémon was too much of a cost in this deck. Most of the time you only really needed one, which [card name=”Revive” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”88″ c=”name”] was perfect for. The second thing that [card name=”Revive” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”88″ c=”name”] did was give [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] another alternate use. You could get hands now with [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”], [card name=”Revive” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”88″ c=”name”], and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”], and have an insane turn by discarding two Night Marchers and a Supporter, then reviving the Night Marcher you want to attack with and getting the Supporter you wanted. It’s consistency at its finest.
You can see I opt to play Fighting Energy as the basic Energy of choice. The reason I did is my playtesting group really likes the [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] deck right now, so I took the idea from Mees Brenninkmeijer to play Fighting Energy. The idea is you could Knock Out [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”]s with [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”] using Spinning Turn and promote a non damaged [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”] to absorb attacks from your opponent’s [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”]. If you think there isn’t going to be any [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] decks, you could cut the Fighting Energy and a [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”] for Grass Energy and a [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] to stop [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”]s. Just make sure you try both versions in your playtesting.
Night March, or as my friends like to call it, “Might Narch,” is going to see a lot of play at both Canadian and US Nationals. Please make sure you are either ready to play this deck or play against it in your testing. I would not be surprised if this deck did not win both Nationals, but I said the same thing about [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Triumphant” no=”96″ c=”name”] Prime / [card name=”Emboar” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW21″ c=”name”] and it didn’t win, so we’ll see.
Next I’m going to cover a few other decks I think are good plays for Canadian and US Nationals. Even though I think Night March could easily win both Nationals, I feel all of these decks have good matchups against Night March, and could win a National Championships if they are played very well. After reading my analysis of these decks, you should have a very good understanding of them, and one of them could interest you enough to play it a Nationals.
So are you ready to improve your game right here and right now?
[premium]
Seismitoad / Crobat
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”16″]
4x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”34″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ 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=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”8″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]
First off, I want to thank Nicholena Moon for letting me share her deck list with us. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] has seen play before in the past format. It was decent, but [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] was just so much faster and more consistent that [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] fell out of favor with players. Now with the banning of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] basically ruining the consistency of the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] build, I think the [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] build will be better, and probably the best [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] variant going into the future. The reason I think this is because [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] gives you better options by being able to take Knock Outs on your turn before you attack, or set up Knock Outs with [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”]’s Poison damage going into your turn, all while Item locking your opponent. But the best part, it doesn’t rely on [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”]s and other disruptive Items (which also got worse after the banning of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”]) to get you to a winning position, unlike other [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] builds.
Nicholena’s list is pretty clean cut, nothing really off the wall. The only thing I would say I don’t like is the [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”name”] in the list. In my testing it has been very lack luster, but she loves it. If I would change the list for myself, I would cut the [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”name”] and a Water Energy and put in two [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”]s, because of how good they are in certain matchups, such as other [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks, and decks that relies on Mega Evolutions like [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Primal Kyogre-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”55″ c=”name”]. Another card I would try out in this deck is a line of [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”]. This card has been talked about pretty high in my playtesting group, being able to get an extra [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”] is super good in [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] based decks.
If I had to bet, this [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] variant will be the most seen at Canadian Nationals because like I said, it really didn’t need [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] to work. If you like this deck in your playtesting and want to play it, just make 100% sure you’re not worried about facing [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”], or any kind of deck that plays [card name=”Leafeon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”11″ c=”name”]. If you’re confident you’re not going to play any of those, this deck is a very good call.
Now that I have gone through some decks that were pretty popular before the banning of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”], I want to talk about some decks that are under the radar going into Canadian Nationals. These decks were either bad when [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] was around, or they weren’t even conceived as decks until now.
Zoroark
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”19″]
4x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”71″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”69″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”32″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Silver Bangle” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”88″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Repeat Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”136″ 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=”9″]
5x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”XY Trainer Kit” no=”28″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”90″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Now this is a crazy deck, but it has been doing super well in my test. This deck hasn’t been seen since early 2014, when my friend Kevin Baxter made top 8 at Wisconsin Regionals with it. He was also the person that gave me the deck list for this, so I want to thank him as well. This deck has the very simple plan of playing as many Dark Pokémon as possible on the Bench and hit for 180 with Brutal Bash, or 210 with a [card name=”Silver Bangle” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”88″ c=”name”], and that’s pretty much it. All of the other Dark Pokémon like [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”name”] are used for support. You should only be attacking with [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”71″ c=”name”] for massive amounts of damage. If I had to compare this deck to another deck, it would be [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”]. Both decks rely on non-EX attackers and they need a ton of Pokémon to function, though I would argue [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”71″ c=”name”] is better right now, because its support Pokémon are stronger in [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”]. Also, [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”] really needed [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”], as it was so fast, it would run out of resources too quick.
A pretty interesting card that Kevin added to the deck is [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”name”]. He included four copies into the deck for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that there really isn’t that many good non-EX Dark Pokémon that you would want to Bench for Brutal Bash. The second reason is it can help you in matchups that have Mega Pokémon with 220 HP or higher like [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”]. A pretty common scenario that can happen against a deck with Mega Pokémon is they bring up a Pokémon to stall while they set up. While they are doing this, you can set up yourself with [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″] and build up Energy on your Pokémon. When they are ready to start attacking with their Mega Pokémon, you can use your [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”name”]s to move the damage off the Pokémon they were stalling with to the Mega they are attacking with so you can one-shot it.
This list is pretty tight, so I really don’t have that many different options you could try in your playtesting. You could try to fit in a [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] by cutting a [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”] if you feel like you need another attacker, but I don’t think you need it, since this deck really should only be attacking with non-EXs like [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”71″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”]. You could also drop the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] if you feel risky, although I feel the consistency it gives is too good not to pass up, even though it can screw up your Brutal Bashes sometimes.
I will say [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”71″ c=”name”] is a very hard deck to play. It will take a lot of games of playtesting to get used to it. I would say the key of success to this deck is learning how to effectively use your [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”name”]s and keeping enough damage on board to always have one-hit Knock Outs later in the game. If you can do this and you think there is not going to be [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] based decks, you should have no problems playing this deck, and I would highly recommend it for your Nationals. I really do think this deck has the potential to come out of nowhere and take everyone by surprise.
Groudon
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”12″]
3x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Landorus” set=”Furious Fists” no=”58″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”85″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Regirock” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY49″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”36″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY Trainer Kit” no=”24″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Groudon Spirit Link” set=”Primal Clash” no=”131″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Scorched Earth” set=”Primal Clash” no=”138″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”12″]
8x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Decks like this were seen before at these past Regionals, but they played four [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] and were more of “turbo” [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”] decks. This list is more focused on [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] to take early Knock Outs, and then using [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”] as a late game sweeper. These types of [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”85″ c=”name”] lists fell out of favor after Winter Regionals because they were too slow. But out of the four decks that I have talked about and playtested with, I would say this deck has the best matchups against all of them for a couple reasons. Against Night March, [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”] is very good because you force them to two-shot you; against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] variants, setting up a [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”85″ c=”name”] while attacking with [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”]s is too hard for them to overcome; and against [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”71″ c=”name”], [card name=”Landorus” set=”Furious Fists” no=”58″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] overwhelm it with one Energy attacks that KO [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”71″ c=”name”] with Weakness.
If you wanted to test the [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] version, I would take out all the [card name=”Landorus” set=”Furious Fists” no=”58″ c=”name”], [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”], and one [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”], and put in four [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”], another 1-1 [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”85″ c=”name”] line, one more [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”], and one [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”]. I would say you could play the [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] variant if the metagame shifts towards [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], but I really don’t see that happening, because a lot of decks still play enough basic Energy to deal with [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”], and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] has proven to be a very mediocre deck.
[card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”] is my favorite deck in this format. It’s not only fun to me, but people still underestimate the power of Omega Barrier and forget what it does sometimes. I would recommend trying a version of this deck in your playtesting, but I don’t think it will be that popular at Nationals because, like I said, people will underestimate the power of the deck, which is a shame.
Conclusion
With a week left until Canadian Nationals, I hope everyone is excited for it as much as I am. We could see the next [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”] Prime deck emerge from this tournament and I can’t wait to see it. I hope everyone liked my first article and I hope you liked the playtesting results I got playing with my friends and the Hovercats. Let me know in the comments what you thought. I also want to thank Kyle Theaker, Nicholena Moon, and Kevin Baxter for their help with my information gathering and deck lists. Well, see you next time, PokeBeach readers. Hope to see you again!
[/premium]