Raichu Decks for Nationals!
Hello ‘Beach goers! I hope all is well. As many of us are well aware, United States Nationals is upon us and will be taking place within the week! I have been testing fervently in the time since my last article, and I am feeling confident with my deck choices leading into the final days of preparations. Both of the decks that I have been refining for weeks were able to earn top 8 spots at the Canadian National Championship this past weekend, so this should make for a very exciting and informative article. I am anxious to share these recently proven decks with you, while providing a plethora of insight and knowledge from my own testing.
The past few weeks have been a very productive time for me. During the school year, I am a Language Arts teacher at an alternative school in Akron, OH. Our last day of class was June 6th, so I have been free to test and get all of the things done that I haven’t been able to do during the school year lately. This is my first “true” summer vacation since graduating from Allegheny College five years ago, and I hope the ample free time I have will be able to translate into great Pokemon results!
Positioning for Nationals stipends have been closed and Worlds points from last year have been added into the rankings, so now we have a pretty clear idea of how many Championship Points North American Masters competitors will need to obtain an automatic invitation into the elusive “Day Two” of the 2015 Worlds Competition in August. Fortunately, I was able to earn one of the hefty $1,000 National stipends this year by finishing in the top 32 Masters for Championship Points in North America. Funny enough though, I was only able to earn 25 of my potential 90 points from League Challenges when stipend rankings closed, so I have also been attempting to collect my final four League Challenge finishes before Nationals, which has been going extraordinarily well! Our local Tournament Organizers have been holding “last minute” Nationals preparation League Challenges that I have been able to capitalize on late in the game, significantly boosting my Championship Point total and ranking. After winning three League Challenges this week, I was able to land myself at 19th place in North America with 545 CP, giving me a decent shot at snagging a top 16 spot for a Day Two invite to Worlds if I am able to produce a strong showing at Nationals.
[cardimg name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ align=”left” height=”300″ c=”custom”]Makin’ Money![/cardimg]
Among the various League Challenges I have attended in the past week, there was one very important League Challenge that I was able to attend and win last Sunday. Derium’s CCG, our local card shop in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, was holding a free tournament with the grand prize of a complete set of [set name=”Roaring Skies”], reverse holo and secret rare cards included! A free tournament with a grand prize worth $300-$400? Sign me up! The shop was streaming the League Challenge to promote their YouTube and Twitch accounts, and it featured commentary by local TCG hero, Chris Fulop. The tournament was a ton of fun, and I learned quite a bit from the experience. Not to mention, selling the set allowed me to pay my bills this month and have a little money for Nationals since we won’t be getting our stipends until much later in the summer! Hooray!
I have been attempting to perfect two very different builds of [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] during my League Challenge conquests lately. I’ve worked closely with the PokeBeach staff to get as many hands on these lists as possible, so we can get a better idea of what works, what doesn’t, and how to topple important matchups with them. What I have here are two very refined and original lists that I am very proud of heading towards the United States National Championship. I will be going into great detail with each of the decks by explaining specific card inclusions, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and various additional options for each.
I am very happy with the teamwork displayed by the PokeBeach staff in bringing about the best content possible for you, the readers, in these crucial weeks leading up to, what is for many, the climax of our competitive season. If you haven’t subscribed to PokeBeach yet, now is the perfect time! We will be bringing you the best insight and lists around, while providing a great constructive environment for you to grow as a player and competitor yourself! Not to mention, reading the articles is a lot of fun and a great way to stay up to date on what’s going on in the Trading Card Game during the summer months, so don’t miss out!
Raichu / Landorus-EX / Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor
I’ve always thought that [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] had good synergy and type coverage together. Just ask last year’s United States National champion, Brandon Salazar. I’m sure he’ll agree! Raichu has a damage cap of 180 damage when equipped with a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] and eight Benched Poke-pals. This is enough to take out most threats, but now there are Mega Pokemon-EX with over 200 HP to worry about! And what about Landorus himself? Landorus-EX is gaining traction in National Championships across the world, chiefly because he resists Raichu, preventing OHKOs from the Mouse while effortlessly returning OHKOs himself. Raichu needs a way to pile on the extra damage while covering his weaknesses. In my testing, I have found a few ways to do just that. The first list I have for you harkens back to last year’s National Championship winning deck, [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”].
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”21″]
4x [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Pikachu” set=”XY” no=”42″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”53″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”30″]
3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ 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=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”8″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”113″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
This deck has come a very long way since Salazar’s United States National triumph with it in 2014. There are many new tricks that make this deck a speedy and powerful force to be reckoned with. This deck did make top 4 at Canada’s Nationals, but I have been constructing this list long before that happened. Even though some things I included in this list may look very strange, every card was chosen with a purpose in mind. With how much testing I have done with this deck, no card was simply “thrown in.” Below, I will go over the purpose of all the main cards in the deck, the most important inclusions, summarize its overall strengths and weaknesses, and give some additional options for the list. Then, I’ll go into detail about another Raichu deck I’ve been working on, which I’m considering just as much for Nationals. These decks are both very solid, and could easily take an experienced player far at Nationals, and with the in-depth analysis I’m going to do on them, you’ll have all the knowledge necessary to pilot either one to a strong finish!
[premium]
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ align=”right” height=”230″ c=”custom”]Stinking things up[/cardimg]
Strategy
Neither [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”], or [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] rely on Abilities to power up their own powerful attacks. In fact, they all attack for only one Energy attachment! Seismitoad-EX and Landorus-EX work as a tag-team to haze and soften the opponent’s Pokemon before allowing Raichu to sweep and clean up shop. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] allows you to shut down your opponent’s Abilities, which eventually makes it very difficult for them to continue to trade with your hard hitting, low maintenance attackers. It may seem like there is a lot going on, but this is actually a very fluid and straightforward deck. Fill your Bench, hit things with Landorus and Toad, lock your opponent up with Garbodor, and take the remaining Prizes with Raichu!
4x Shaymin-EX
Uhh, hello? Andrew? You do realize this is a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] deck, right? Why in the world would you include four [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] in a Garbodor deck? In the past, the biggest drawback to playing a Garbodor deck was their lack of speed and aggressiveness. They were abysmally slow and clunky, and really just aimed to make the opponent’s deck even slower and clunkier than themselves. But now, with Shaymin-EX, you can burn through your deck and set up as quickly as ever. After eventually getting all the Benched Pokemon you wish to have via Shaymin’s Set Up Ability, you can evolve into Garbodor at the ideal time and continue using Supporters to draw from there. Never before has there been a competitive deck that could get a turn two 180 damage while locking Abilities from play. It used to be a miracle if [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] got a turn two Garbodor / Night Spear combination. But now, thanks to Shaymin-EX, the dream of an aggressive Garbodor deck is a feasible and potent reality.
4x Float Stone
[cardimg name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”custom”]We all float on alright![/cardimg]
I already know, four [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] seems like a heck of a lot. Most competitive [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] decks have not played four copies of Float Stone in quite some time, but in this deck, four is the perfect number. Not only do you want to get a turn one Float Stone dropped onto a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”name”], especially versus rivaling Toad decks, Float Stone is often the perfect tool for your [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]! As I alluded to before, Seismitoad and Landorus are not necessarily the main attackers in this deck. They are really there just to soften the opponent up and allow [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] to come in and take the KO. With hit and run being the name of the game, these bulky Pokemon-EX need a way to retreat. You could feasibly play a few copies of [card name=”Switch” set=”Base Set” no=”95″ c=”name”], but that would require drawing into them at the right times. Not to mention, once you drop your Float Stones, they allow your deck to have some mobility under Item Lock!
Say for instance you are playing against a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] or a Landorus / Crobat deck. Both decks are notorious for their abuse of [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Neo Genesis” no=”98″ c=”name”] to heal off accumulated damage. Once a Seismitoad or Landorus has been hit with one Quaking Punch, they will be locked in place, unable to be healed with Super Scoop Up, and vulnerable to being KO’d by Raichu’s Circle Circuit attack. If your Seismitoad already has a Float Stone equipped, he can easily swap places with Raichu and allow the non-EX to take the Prizes while hiding back on the Bench.
Additionally, Float Stones allow you to consistently pull off a turn one attack. If you start a [card name=”Pikachu” set=”XY” no=”42″ c=”name”] or a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], playing Float Stone down will allow you to eventually retreat into an appropriate turn one attacker, even if you haven’t drawn into one yet. The burnable aspect of Float Stone is especially important when using the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] engine. In a Shaymin centered deck, cards that can be played immediately, like Float Stone, have an inherent advantage over cards that need to be timed correctly, like [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”name”].
4x Strong Energy / 4x Double Colorless Energy
[cardimg name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Too strong[/cardimg]
Upon first glance, this Energy lineup may seem a bit sketchy. But it’s important to realize the power of [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] here. Many games can be won with only three Circle Circuit attacks on three Pokemon-EX. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] allows Raichu to hit through things like [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”]’s Mighty Shield, so we don’t need to worry about that. Energy denial could be a problem, however, if your Energy attachments are timed correctly, this is something you should be able to play around. Since all of your attackers hit for one Energy, you don’t need to load Energy on your attackers before they are ready to attack, so you shouldn’t be super susceptible to Energy denial in general.
I’ve chosen to play [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”] over basic Fighting Energy here because of the important numbers Strong Energy allows you to hit with [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”]. With Strong attached, Landorus hits for 50 base damage and 30 snipe with his Hammerhead attack. When Weakness is taken into account, this is the perfect damage needed to KO a Raichu. Considering that most of the time Landorus will have a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] attached, it is important to be able to make up that damage missing from [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] with Strong Energy. Another important number to hit is 70. When facing [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”], Landorus with a Strong and a Muscle Band attached will be 2HKO’ing Wobbuffets while applying lots of pressure to Groudon-EX. With only two Hammerheads, Landorus should be able to KO a Wobbuffet and place 60 damage onto a Groudon. By the time that Groudon Mega Evolves and comes up to attack, he will be well within range of a Raichu Circle Circuit KO.
In general, eight Energy has been sufficient for this deck, but if need be, one basic Fighting Energy can be added to the list. One basic Fighting allows you to manually retreat your [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] without wasting a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”], which can prove situationally useful. It also gives you one more out to a turn one attack with Landorus, which is the goal in many matchups. All in all though, I have found that the Energy in this deck goes much further than the Energy in a normal Raichu deck. With Garbodor at your side, the opponent will often have a hard time producing backup attackers, which allows Raichu to go unrivaled more often than usual, making spamming Circle Circuit attacks for huge damage a breeze.
Supporters
[cardimg name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Best Supporter in the deck[/cardimg]
Even though you play four copies of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], it’s still very important to play a relatively high Supporter count. Once you lock things up with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”], this deck is completely reliant on Supporters to draw through the remainder of the game. One issue I have run into with this deck is it can take four Prizes extremely quickly, then get ahead of itself and suffer a hard [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”] to two that it cannot draw out of because of the lack of access to Shaymin while under Garbodor’s Garbotoxin Ability lock. Though this can be frustrating, I think it’s something that can be planned around by playing a high Supporter count, thinning your deck appropriately and taking Prizes responsibly.
You’ll also notice that I have trimmed down to three [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”name”] while bumping my [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”] count up to three. I have always been a fan of high Colress counts, even before it was cool. But now it is even more important than ever to play high numbers of Colress. An early Colress for over 10 cards can give you access to most of the cards in your deck, preparing yourself for a very aggressive following turn if your opponent doesn’t play an N. Not to mention, thanks to Shaymin-EX, Colress is far better early game than it used to be. It is not uncommon to Colress for six-seven cards on turn one!
Though Professor Juniper is still a very powerful Supporter, decks with limited resources, like [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] decks, have begun to trim their Juniper counts in favor of shuffle draw supporters like N and Colress. I’m comfortable with an even split in this deck, but many of my lists have cut to only two Juniper. Now that [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] has been banned, an unfortunate Juniper can spell disaster for an entire game. Having to Juniper a single [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”113″ c=”name”], or multiple Basics you can’t bench because [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”] has been countered, can easily lose you a match. That being said, Professor Juniper is still an important Supporter, and can allow you to dump an entire hand of things you don’t need, ensuring you won’t just draw them again. This is especially vital while trying to operate under [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”]’s Item lock.
Overall Strengths
[cardimg name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Bronzong’s got nothin’ on Garbotoxin![/cardimg]
Nearly every competitive deck in format uses Abilities in one way or another. Most notably, [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] is used for consistency. But other than that, [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] is used for supplemental damage, [card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”] for discarding Energy, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”] for blocking Items, [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”name”] for blocking Bench damage, [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”] for moving Energy, [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] for drawing cards, [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”] for filling Bench spots and making discards easier, [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] for accelerating Energy, [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”] for copying attacks, [card name=”Altaria” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”74″ c=”name”] for blocking Weaknesses, [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”] for mobility, and [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] for blocking attacks from Pokemon with Special Energy. And that’s not even everything! The list goes on and on! [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] can single handedly shut down all of these powerful Pokemon while leaning on a non-EX attacker that doesn’t need Abilities to effortlessly produce OHKO attacks. What is there not to like? Amongst all of the [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] decks I have played, this one seems to have the most answers. The strategy is simple and effective. It just works! Not to mention, it has a great matchup versus Bronzong / Aegislash, which recently won Canadian Nationals on Sunday at the hands of Chase Maloney. Garbodor also shuts down [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”] and Crobat’s Abilities, preventing their residual damage. This means that your [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] are in no danger of suffering OHKO attacks from Raichu so long as Garbodor is in play with a Tool card attached.
Overall Weaknesses
Relying entirely on a 100 HP Bench sitter to shut down other decks can be a tentative strategy. I’ve definitely had my poor [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”53″ c=”name”] aggressively gunned down before he even gets the chance to evolve into [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”]. And that’s the inherent disadvantage of this deck. Garbodor is a defensive play. If your opponent is able to KO your Trubbish or Garbodor, the floodgates tend to let loose.
Garbodor centric decks also struggle against decks that do not rely on Abilities, like [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”]. Landorus’ snipe can go a long way versus Primal Groudon though, simultaneously 2HKO’ing [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] while bringing a Benched Groudon within Circle Circuit KO range. Donphan is another story though. I have not been able to find a way to beat Donphan with [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”]. Donphan simply trades too well with all of your attackers. You would need to essentially time four perfect [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”]s on four different Donphan and KO them all with Raichu to stand a chance. We don’t play any healing in this deck, so when Pokemon are not slowed down with Garbodor, it becomes difficult for our team of attackers to keep up with the exchanges.
Additional Options
[cardimg name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Still good![/cardimg]
While the list I’ve provided here is consistent and well rounded, this deck has a few other options at its disposal that are worth looking at. If you want to make the deck less susceptible to Energy denial, you could run basic Fighting Energy instead of [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”]. Like I mentioned above, you lose some important numbers with [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] by doing so, but you gain the ability to attach two Fighting to a [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] in order to power up Circle Circuit, which can prove situationally useful. If you choose to run basic Energy instead of Strong Energy, you could also run a copy of [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”name”] as a supplemental attacker. Aneil Saini played a copy in his [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] deck that he piloted all the way to a top 8 finish at Canadian Nationals, so it clearly has some uses.
Another thing I have been doing in many of my [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] builds is cutting the third [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”name”] for a [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”]. Including a Jirachi allows you to bail out of an unplayable hand turn one so long as there is an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”] in it by using Stellar Guidance to search out a Supporter, most often [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”]. Sometimes using Shaymin’s Set Up Ability will only net you a draw of one or two cards. More often than not, this is simply is not enough. If you decide to play Jirachi in here, you could also justify trying to play [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”name”] as well. A turn one Garbodor going first will leave many decks unable to set up appropriately. If you want to go the Wally route, however, I think the deck needs to be designed more around hitting the turn one Garbodor consistently.
The last option to consider would, of course, be the inclusion of my good friend [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”]. Hawlucha is a hard hitting low maintenance attacker, and fits the bill of this deck quite nicely. Nearly all Pokemon are within KO range of Raichu’s Circle Circuit after being smacked by Hawlucnha’s Flying Press. My early Raichu / Garbodor lists all included Hawlucha in them, however, they eventually got cut to make room for Seismitoad. This deck was struggling to hang with Landorus decks that played [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Neo Genesis” no=”98″ c=”name”] or any other form of healing. Seismitoad helps deal with Landorus significantly and also gives you the option to impose a full Item / Ability lock, which can prove devastating for the opponent in many matchups.
Raichu / Crobat / Seismitoad-EX
Next up we have my favorite iteration of the infamous [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] deck: [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”]. Matthew Koo was able to finish second place at the Canadian National Championship on Sunday with a version of Raichu / Crobat that also included Seismitoad, but our versions differ quite a bit, so I will mention a few of his specific inclusions in the additional options section of the deck breakdown below. This is a deck I have been working on for quite some time, and I am happy with where it stands right now.
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”24″]
3x [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Pikachu” set=”XY” no=”42″ c=”deck2″]
2x [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″]
4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”29″]
3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ 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=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”7″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”113″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”custom”] No denying the power of Toad![/cardimg]
I spent the longest time trying to figure out which partners I liked best for [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”]. My first inclination was to try Fighting Pokemon like [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”]. Unsatisfied with the results, I moved on to Dark Pokemon, like [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”]. All the while, my girlfriend, Kirsten Sprague, had been telling me that she thought [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] and Raichu would go well in a deck together. I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first. They both use [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”] to attack, and now that [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] is gone, decks only get access to four Double Colorless Energy unless they do some finagling. I really wanted Raichu’s partner to attack for a single basic Energy, however, testing proved that Seismitoad covers Raichu’s weaknesses very well, while also buying the deck precious time early game in order to get set up. My old [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] decks used to play a single copy of [card name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ c=”from”], and I have found that he fills the niche role of single Energy attacker here quite well! This is the deck I used to win the complete set of [set name=”Roaring Skies”] at Derium’s CCG a couple weeks ago, and the deck I have been testing the most leading up to Nationals. As we saw with Mathew Koo’s performance at Canada’s Nationals, this deck can draw some terrible hands and generally be inconsistent at times. However, the deck is extraordinarily powerful once stabilized, and I think my list is the most consistent the deck can be without lacking in versatility or power.
4x Shaymin-EX / 1x Jirachi
[cardimg name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]A stellar inclusion![/cardimg]
As I alluded to earlier, [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”] is a huge asset for decks that cannot afford to have poor openings with unfortunate discards. I originally saw that the [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] list that won Czech Republic Nationals a little while ago ran four [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] and one Jirachi-EX. My initial thought was that Jirachi seemed a little unnecessary, since the deck already has four Shaymin in it. After thoroughly testing with and without Jirachi, however, I can say with confidence that this deck is stronger with Jirachi included. I was watching Mathew Koo play in the finals of Canadian Nationals this past weekend, and he did not, to my knowledge, play Jirachi in his list. In game two of the finals, he started a hand that had a Raichu and two [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”] in it with a couple of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”]s. Since he did not play a Jirachi, he was forced to Ultra Ball a DCE away and grab a Shaymin so he could Set Up for a draw of three or so. The only Supporter he hit off his Shaymin was a [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”name”], and he had to play it to get set up, discarding a second DCE in the process. (I think he should have at least attached the DCE to his Shaymin so he could use Sky Return to get it back to his hand later, but that’s not what happened). Watching this opening hand was painful, and right then and there my friends and I decided the series was probably over, with the victory going to Chase’s Metal deck. Had Matthew played a Jirachi, he would have been able to cut his losses by using Stellar Guidance to find an early [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”] instead of drawing into and playing an unfortunate Juniper.
4/3/2 Crobat
Finding the perfect [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] line for a [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] deck feels like rocket science. I have seen everything played from a 4/4/3 line to a 3/3/2 line and every other combination between. Of course we would all love to play as thick of a Crobat line as possible, but the sad truth is there simply is not enough room for much more than what I have listed here. My friends have all debated with me the merits of playing certain counts over others, but I have found a 4/3/2 line to be both effective and space efficient. In an average game, you might only have room for three [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”name”] on the Bench, but we play four so that you draw into them earlier in the match. Zubat is also your ideal starter, since he allows you to retreat into whoever you would like to promote first turn based on the matchup. My list started with a 4/4/2 Crobat line, and I really liked it, but I ended up cutting the fourth [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”] for a fourth [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”] just to improve overall consistency and help negate mid-game dead draws. At the end of the day, I can justify a thinner Crobat line because I do play three copies of [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”], which allow me to replay my Crobats and Golbats once they have evolved.
3x Super Scoop Up
[cardimg name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Neo Genesis” no=”98″ align=”right” height=”230″ c=”custom”]Three Scoops please[/cardimg]
Most [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] decks do not need [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”]. My original list did not include them at all. It’s not worth playing SSU just to pick up Bats and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] alone. This deck is too tight on space for that kind of luxury. However, I can justify playing three copies in this deck because of the inclusion of [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]. Super Scoop Up makes Seismitoad-EX a much bigger problem for opposing decks to deal with. Whenever Seismitoad takes damage, you have a chance to reset his health and continue using Quaking Punch without wasting an Energy, so long as you have access to Super Scoop Up. This card’s function is too strong and versatile in conjunction with Seismitoad-EX not to include it here. It’s a switching card, a healing card, a card that can produce more damage with Bats, and a card that can produce draw by reusing Shaymin, all in one. Without Super Scoop Up, Toad isn’t that hard for Fighting decks to dispose of with [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”]. However, if Seismitoad is Scooped a couple of times when he has been critically damaged, he becomes a much larger problem to deal with.
4x Double Colorless / 3x Basic Water
[cardimg name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Don’t dog it ’til you try it![/cardimg]
This deck, unfortunately, does not have a lot of room for basic Energy. Three is the minimum here, and it’s what we’ve arrived at. Three basic Water Energy allow you to attach two to a [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] throughout the course of a game for a Circle Circuit that doesn’t waste a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”]. They also allow you to get a one-off shot with [card name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ c=”name”]’s Powerful Friends attack. Sometimes you’ll use your basic Energies to retreat a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] with a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”] on it. Sometimes you’ll use them to retreat [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]. And even more rarely, you may get to Grenade Hammer a few times with them. Since we only run seven Energy in this deck, they are each precious. You need to count them on your initial deck search every time, know how many you have access to, and know if you can afford to discard one given your game state. It is imperative that these Energy get used in the most efficient way possible throughout the course of a match. I can’t even say how many games have come down to me needing the very last Energy in my deck to perform the game winning attack. It’s nearly every game. Things are tight here folks, but that’s the nature of a Raichu deck.
Fortunately, you don’t have to play your Energy down here before you perform your attacks. Since all of the attackers in this deck attack for one Energy attachment, you are always able to play your Energy down “on the play.” Sometimes, playing an Energy down before you need to can result in disaster. For instance, say you have a Benched Raichu and an Active Raichu. You are attacking with your Active Raichu but decide you might as well lay your DCE down on your Benched Raichu to prepare for next turn. Though it seems reasonable, against the wrong deck, this could very well lose you the game. Say your opponent responds to your Active Raichu with a KO, but also plays [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] to remove the DCE from your Benched Raichu as well. At this point you have allowed your opponent remove half of your total Double Colorless Energy from play while only attacking once. This kind of carelessness with resources will typically run you out of attacks way before you ever get to take six Prizes. On the other hand, though, as I have mentioned before, many games can be won with three Circle Circuit attacks alone on three Pokemon-EX. So the Energy, although few, can definitely go the distance here. You just have to be careful!
Overall Strengths
[cardimg name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”custom”]What more could be done?[/cardimg]
[card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] centered decks are very powerful right now, and [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] fits right in with the Mouse perfectly. Not only do Crobat lines take up Bench space, allowing Raichu to Circle Circuit for as much as possible, they also increase Raichu’s damage ceiling versus decks with Mega Pokemon-EX. Versus decks with Pokemon that have less HP, Crobats allow the Raichu player to skip ahead in Prizes by picking off cheap Prizes from the Bench. Raichu / Crobat is extremely overwhelming once entirely set up, and boasts the firepower of the big decks, all while attacking with a single Energy attachment from a non-EX. That being said, [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] is a deck that has a lot of very close matchups. If you like a deck where you feel like you have a chance to beat any deck you’re up against, this could very well be your deck. This deck fares very well versus any [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] or [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks because of typing, and takes care of Night March pretty easily thanks to Bats, but many other matchups come down to the wire. Even though this deck includes two Seismitoad-EX, many times, the Fighting matchup will come down to whether or not Seismitoad can be healed with [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”]. Even when facing a poor matchup, however, Raichu / Crobat / Seismitoad can usually resort to preying on Benched [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] to take multiple Prize cards and win.
Overall Weaknesses
[cardimg name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Three basic Energy? Hah![/cardimg]
Throughout my testing, I have found that this deck has a difficult time with a well constructed Metal list, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”34″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”]. Metal can prove to be very frustrating for [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] in general. As we have seen, the deck rarely has room for more than three basic Energy, and [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] prevents all damage done to him by Pokemon that have Special Energy attached to them. On top of that, if the Metal list is running [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”] (like Chase Maloney’s Canadian National winning list), it’s pretty much over. Heatran effortlessly takes out Raichu and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], and is a non-EX himself! The Metal player should have no problem disposing of one Raichu with two basic Energies and sweeping with Aegislash from there. Metal just won Canadian Nationals, so this could be something to look out for going into United States Nationals. Perhaps adding one more basic Energy would make that matchup a little more tolerable.
Trevenant / Gengar may not be on too many people’s radar, however, it should be known that this deck struggles to beat it. It’s very difficult to put together the [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] plays required to steal this matchup while under Item lock! Three copies of Lysandre would definitely make things a little easier, however, I’m just not sure there is room to justify playing it. It should be noted that a third Lysandre would also help in the mirror match, or any match that boils down to “how fast can I take out my opponent’s Shaymins.”
And finally, Toad / Bats has proven to be quite a headache for this deck. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a terrible matchup, however, I’m not exactly comfortable with how close it is considering how popular I expect Toad / Bats to be at United States Nationals this week. I would call the matchup about 40 / 60, Toad / Bats’ favor. It is just very difficult for a deck like this to function under Item lock. Without access to [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”name”] later in the game, it becomes quite a challenge to refill your Bench after [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”] has been countered. As insult to injury, most Toad / Bats decks also run some form of Energy removal, which is no good for our Raichus. Something I saw Matt Koo do in his deck, which may help with the Toad / Bats matchup, is replace the basic Water Energy with Grass Energy and run a single copy of [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”]. With a Grass Energy attached, Toad / Bats will no longer be able to Poison Raichu with [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”], making it much more difficult to dispose of him with one Quaking Punch.
Additional Options
[cardimg name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Just don’t start me![/cardimg]
If I could add a few cards to this deck, [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”name”], [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”], [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”], and a [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”] would top the list. However, I don’t really feel comfortable cutting anything in the list I have provided to make room for them. My logic behind excluding Mime is that [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] should be dealt with sufficiently by [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”], so I don’t need to double-tech for Landorus there. It should be noted though, Matthew Koo did play a Mr. Mime in his Canadian Finalist list. Two “true” switching cards, like Float Stone or Switch, would add a great deal of mobility to this list, but alas, [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”]s are just too powerful in conjunction with Seismitoad-EX to exclude, so they miss the cut there. Exeggcute is awesome in this deck, making [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”] plays easier with its Propagate Ability and assisting in filling the Bench for Raichu’s Circle Circuit. However, I don’t really feel comfortable putting a 30 HP Egg on the Bench that my opponent, especially a Toad / Bats player, could snipe easily for an additional Prize. And finally, many of my friends play a copy of Sacred Ash in their lists. I’m not really a huge fan of Sacred Ash, since it is situational, but I could definitely see it being useful in case you have to discard Pokemon early. I’d much rather attempt to count resources, play responsibly and try to save myself the deck spot though.
Conclusion
After taking everything in from Canadian Nationals this past weekend, I think some form of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] will prove itself to be a very strong play for United States Nationals. [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] variants are a very known deck right now, and I suspect that most players will attempt to have an answer to Raichu / Crobat come Nationals time. I think with the boost in speed from [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], Garbodor decks become far more potent than they were before, and could be a surprising play that most players don’t see coming. Even I have to admit, I have spent time testing with Garbodor, but not against it. Most players have written it off at the moment, and that makes me think that it’ll be poised very well in the week to come.
If you are traveling to United States Nationals this week and happen to see me, feel free to say hi! I’d love to meet you all. If you have any deck questions or just want to pick my mind, meet me over at the Subscribers Secret Hideout and I’ll be glad to talk some stuff out over there before Nationals gets here.
As always, it’s been a pleasure writing for you all! I hope you enjoyed the article, and thanks again for reading! Thank you for subscribing! Good luck to you all at your respective National Championships. I wish you the best, and I look forward to hearing how you all did!
But until next time, I’m out! Later Trainers.
-Andrew Mahone
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