U.S. Nationals Recap and Top 8 Deck List Analysis

Hey PokeBeach readers, it’s me, Nikolas Campbell again, and I’m happy to be back! Since my last article, U.S. Nationals has come and gone, and it was one of the most interesting tournaments we have had in a while. In the Masters division, we had over 900 people playing for the chance to be called U.S. National Champion. Everyone Play! Pokemonplayed their hearts out, but in the end, we saw three-time World Champion Jason Klaczynski win with his [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”] deck over Enrique Avila with his innovative [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”] deck. With Jason winning, he has cemented himself as the greatest of all time and no one can question it now. While this is big news that Jason won and should be celebrated, I don’t think that was the biggest thing that happened this weekend. In my opinion, the biggest news was how diverse the metagame was, and even all the top 8 lists in the Masters division were different in terms of deck composition.

These top 8 deck lists all had something different that helped rise above the others. This was completely different from the results of Canadian Nationals, which had [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] in six of the eight decks. In my last article, I thought whatever decks did well at Canadian Nationals, people would gravitate towards and play, but as we will see, only one of the top 8 deck lists from U.S. Nationals had Crobat in it. I think there is a couple reasons to why there was such a big difference in both U.S. and Canadian results. In this article, I want to go over the top 64 decks and each top 8 deck list of U.S. Nationals and analyze why these list did so well in this metagame.

Though before I go 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 Worlds just around the corner. All of our Premium Writers are offering our many different opinions exclusively to you. And 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!

Top 64

First, I want to congratulate everyone that made top 64. It was a huge accomplishment this year with the change in the format resulting from [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”] being banned. Now let’s look at the results:

 Metal Variants  11
 Seismtoad-EX / Crobat  10
 Seismtoad-EX / Garbodor  8
 M Manectric-EX Variants  9
 Landorus-EX Variants  5
 Raichu Variants  4
 Wailord-EX / Suicune  3
 Primal Kyogre-EX  2
 Primal Groudon-EX  2
 Night March  2
 Hippowdon  1
 Blastoise / Keldeo-EX  1
 Flareon  1
 M-Rayquaza-EX / Shaymin-EX  1
 Donphan  1
 Yveltal-EX / Garbodor  1
 Trevenant / Gengar-EX  1
 Bunnelby  1

 

[cardimg name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”right”]

As we can see, there is big range of decks. Metal had the biggest showing in the top 64, but they were varied in which techs they played, like [card name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ c=”name”] or [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”]. Metal also had all three different variations make the top 8, making it the most successful deck at the tournament. [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] will be around for a long time, so make sure to pick them up and try the deck out. I’m sure it will be good until it rotates, just like [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”from”].

Though the most popular deck was Metal, the most popular card was [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]. With the ban of Trump Card, a lot of people, including me, thought Seiemitoad would see less play, but as we can see, 18 different variations of Seismitoad-EX decks made top 64, and even some Metal and [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] decks played Seismitoad-EX. I finally learned that no matter what happens to this format, this card will always be the best, without question. It will always warp the format, which is a pain, but hopefully they will make a good counter to it in the future. As for now, always have this card on your mind, especially if you’re going to Worlds.

Outside of the most popular decks, we see a couple of new decks that broke out this year. As everyone knows and is talking about, [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] made the biggest splash at the tournament. I will be going over the second place list later on in the article, but basically it reminds me of Ross Cawthon’s The Truth deck from 2011 Worlds, where it took the format by surprise and no one knew what to do. Wailord-EX was a great deck, but it wasn’t my favorite deck of the top 64. That honor goes to Harrison Leven’s [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”] Lock deck. This deck is similar to Dustin Zimmerman’s [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] deck from 2013 Worlds, where he would use Junk Hunt to recycle cards like [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”] to make a lock, then attack with [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”] as a win condition. This Bunnelby deck is very similar; you would use Bunnelby’s Rototiller to recycle disruptive cards, then when you created a lock, you use its Burrow attack to deck your opponent. This seems super fun to me, and I can’t wait to try it.

Like I said, congrats to the top 64, but now I want to analyze the top 8 lists and see why they went over the top of the other lists in top 64. All of the top 8 deck listed were posted on pokemon.com, so I will be looking at those for this article. Knowing why these decks did well will give you a better idea of what to look for when choosing your own decks for tournaments, putting you ahead of other players. After all, these decks made top 8 at one of the hardest tournaments in years. How can you get better examples of good players and lists than that?

So are you ready to improve your game right here and right now?

[premium]

Jason Klacynski’s Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”10″]

4x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”53″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”43″]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Shadow Triad” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]

 

4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]

 

3x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”7″]

4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ 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=”none”]

Here is Jason Klacynski’s [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] deck that got him to a first-place finish. As we can see, it’s a pretty straightforward list without that many techs, but I really think his call to play a Garbodor line instead of the more popular [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] is what took his list over the top. With the metagame being filled with Metal decks and Crobat-based decks like [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”], it was such a smart call to play the Ability-denying Garbodor, as these decks cannot function without their Abilities. Playing Garbodor also gave him an edge against other decks that rely on [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] for support, like [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks.

The one thing I found interesting about his list was that he played [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”] instead of [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”]. With the ban of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”99″ c=”name”], I found the effectiveness of Crushing Hammer to be almost gone. In my testing, Super Scoop Up proved to stall out the game longer than Crushing Hammer could. Jason did win with Crushing Hammer in his list, so this is something minor and probably doesn’t need to be changed, but if I had played this deck, I would have run Super Scoop Up instead of Crushing Hammer.

Jason played this deck masterfully the whole tournament, especially in the finals, where he was able to win against an auto-loss in [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”]. He clearly showed that he is the best player of all time at this tournament and no one can question that. He made a great call for the metagame with his Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor deck and should be applauded.

Enrique Avila’s Wailord-EX / Suicune

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”7″]

4x [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”53″]

4x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Flashfire” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Cassius” set=”XY” no=”115″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Shauna” set=”XY” no=”127″ c=”deck2″]

 

4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Hard Charm” set=”XY” no=”119″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″]

 

4x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”0″]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

[cardimg name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]

[card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”] was the biggest deck to come out of this tournament, and probably the biggest deck to come out into the format since The Truth. When I saw this deck at the tournament, I was really confused about what the point was and thought it was really bad, but I was proven wrong. The goal of this deck was to win the first game in a best-of-three match by deckout, and your opponent would not have time to win game two. To accomplish this, you would use cards like [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”] to keep your [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] on the board, because there aren’t many Pokemon that can hit for 250 damage. Then you would use Energy removal cards like [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] to slow your opponent down enough to make them deck out.

I think the best addition to this deck, and the smartest, was playing [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”name”]. This card never saw any play since its release in [set name=”Boundaries Crossed”], but in this deck, it happens to fix a core problem, which is your opponent not playing anything and trying to take a tie with the deck in one game. Playing Hugh lets the Wailord player punish that style of play by making them discard up to 25 cards, allowing the Wailord-EX player to still force their opponent to deck out.

I think this deck would have won U.S. Nationals if not for Jason Klaczinski being the greatest player of all time. Enrique Avila and his playtesting group should be very proud of themselves, because they did something that most players only dream of — to break the format.

Grant Manley’s M Manectric-EX / Garboder

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”14″]

3x [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”53″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”37″]

4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ 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″]

3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Manectric Spirit Link” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”100″ 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=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

1x [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=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”9″]

6x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”100″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

[cardimg name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]

Now here is a deck that was a direct counter to the Canadian Nationals metagame, piloted by fellow PokeBeach Premium Writer Grant Manley. If you haven’t read one of his articles yet, you can check one out here. The reason I say it was a direct counter to the Canadian Nationals results is that M Manectric-EX is very good against Metal-based decks, because of its Resistance to Metal, plus it runs on all basic Energy, so [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] can’t wall the deck. His [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] line also made it nearly impossible for Metal decks to set up at all with their [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”]s, and made decks that ran [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] less effective.

I find this deck interesting because of how much is going on in it, especially that he played [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] along with Garbodor. I thought it was weird at first, as it seems like a lot of cards that conflict with each other, but after really analyzing it, it was a very good call. Empoleon covers Manectric’s Fighting Weakness very well, and as we saw earlier, a lot of [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”]-based decks were in the top 64.

The only things I could see this deck having a huge problem against are [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”]. It’s impossible for this deck to one-shot EXs without Weakness, and those two happen to be the hardest Pokemon to one-shot. Primal Groudon-EX can even one-shot M Manectric-EX without a Stadium in play. Though, as we saw earlier, only two Primal Groudon-EX decks made top 64, so it was a great call by Grant.

Congrats to Grant on making top 4 with such an interesting deck. Great job.

Ben Moskow’s Bronzong

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”18″]

3x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Dialga-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”62″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Kecleon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”31″]

4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]

2x [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=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]

 

2x [card name=”Steel Shelter” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”105″ c=”deck2″]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”11″]

7x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”XY” no=”139″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”deck2″]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

[cardimg name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]

This is the first Metal deck to show up in the top 8, piloted by Ben Moskow. It’s pretty straightforward and comparable to old [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”] decks. You just set up different big Basics that run off Colorless and Metal Energy. No fluff, very simple, though there were some Pokemon Ben played that were very interesting to me.

The first thing was the inclusion of a [card name=”Kecleon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”94″ c=”name”]. This card was solid for a couple of reason. The biggest thing you would want to copy with its Imittack is Emerald Break off a [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] for an easy two Prizes. Other viable things you could copy are [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]’s Quaking Punch or [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”54″ c=”name”]’s X Ball, which would be a Knock Out on a Mewtwo-EX with his Color Change Ability.

The other thing I thought was weird was only playing one [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”]. In the future, I would play at least two of them, because of the [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”]-based decks that can stall you with [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”] if you don’t have it. Heatran is also a very solid attacker for a non-EX, with its Steam Blast attack being able to hit 150 damage with a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”].

Ben Moskow took one of the most consistent decks in the format to a top 4 finish, which is very good and should be congratulated. If you are looking for a good Metal list to try out in your playtesting, this a great place to start.

Eduardo Gonzalez’s Hippowdon

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”12″]

3x [card name=”Hippowdon” set=”Primal Clash” no=”88″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Hippopotas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”87″ 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″]

1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”36″]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Professor Birch’s Observations” set=”Primal Clash” no=”134″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”deck2″]

 

3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Hard Charm” set=”XY” no=”119″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

1x [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=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”12″]

4x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

[cardimg name=”Hippowdon” set=”Primal Clash” no=”88″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]

Outside of Wailord-EX, this is another deck to make the top 8 that was never seen before this tournament. Before its release, there was a card very similar to [card name=”Hippowdon” set=”Primal Clash” no=”88″ c=”name”] in [card name=”Scizor” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”94″ c=”name”], which didn’t see any play. The problem with this card was that it had no support. Hippowdon, on the other hand, has a ton of support in [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”]. I think people took this card for granted, because they were remembering how bad Scizor was, but Hippowdon is very good. Being able to hit for 100 damage made it much better than Scizor, as you could two-shot EXs, while Scizor could only three-shot them at best.

An interesting thing I see in his list is that he only plays three [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] and one [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”]. This is very weird because I have never seen less than four Hypnotoxic Laser and two Virbank City Gym in lists that play them. I really want to know why he went with this configuration, but if I had to guess, it was a space issue. If I was building this deck, I would try to find room for the extra Hypnotoxic Laser and Virbank City Gym, since they are the best card combo in the game right now.

Another thing I find strange is the two [card name=”Hard Charm” set=”XY” no=”119″ c=”name”]. They don’t seem very good on a Hippowdon, since you already stop damage against EXs. I would rather see a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name’] on a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] too, so I’m not really sure what they are used for. If this was my list, I would replace the Hard Charms for a Hypnotoxic Laser and a Virbank City Gym.

Eduardo Gonzalez took a very interesting list to the top 8 and should be applauded. We will see how it translates to the Worlds metagame, and I will be testing it myself. I really think this deck has the potential to do very well in future tournaments, so please try it and let me know in the comments what you guys think.

Kristy Britton’s Seismitoad-EX / Manectric-EX / Crobat

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”17″]

4x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ 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″]

2x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”35″]

4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]

 

4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Rock Guard” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”108″ c=”deck2″]

 

2x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”8″]

4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″]

 

[/energy]

[/decklist]

[cardimg name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]

This deck is the only one to include [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] in the top 8, which is very strange. Everyone was saying before this tournament that if you weren’t playing Crobat, you were making a mistake, and with six of the top 8 decks in Canadian Nationals playing Crobat, you couldn’t really dispute that.

Kristy Britton had a unique spin on a standard [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] list by adding a few cards that helped her in this metagame. The addition of [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”] gave her a better Metal matchup without having to add [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] into the list. This was a very good call, as Crobat is a stronger card than Garbodor in a lot of matchups.

Another card she added that helped her was [card name=”Rock Guard” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”108″ c=”name”]. The biggest reason to play this card is how good it is against other Seismitoad-EX-based decks. Forcing them to take 60 damage while hitting them for 30 with Quaking Punch turns Seismitoad-EX’s attack into a two-shot. The only thing I would say if you’re going to play Rock Guard is you will have to give up the consistency of [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”], which could hurt a lot. But if you are feeling risky and you think there are going to be a lot of Seismitoad-EX decks, then Rock Guard is the play.

Kristy Britton showed she is one of the best players in the world right now after this performance. This deck has been popular for a long time, and she was able to innovate on it for this metagame, which is a true calling card of a great player. Congrats on the top 8, Kristy.

Dylan Bryan’s Klinklang

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”22″]

3x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Klang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Klink” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”88″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”28″]

3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ 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″]

2x [card name=”Repeat Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”136″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”135″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]

 

2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”10″]

7x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”XY” no=”139″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

[cardimg name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]

Dylan Bryan is back in the top 8 of another Nationals, with another interesting deck. He took a basic Metal deck and made it a lock deck by adding [card name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ c=”name”]. Klinklang has been around for a while, but died in popularity when the old Klinklang rotated out of the Standard format. Now with [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”], the deck was given some life, and Dylan was able to make a great list for it.

One thing I don’t see in his list that I would like to know why he didn’t include was [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”name”]. Being able to get a faster Klinklang on the field seems very good. If I were to change anything about this list, I would cut the [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”] for a Wally, because I have never been impressed with Teammates in any deck.

After this finish, Dylan cemented himself as one of the top five players in this game, and he has always done it with interesting decks, like his [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”] deck at the 2013 World Championships. Congrats to Dylan on his top 8 finish. I’m sure we will see him do well at Worlds with another crazy deck.

Geoffrey Sauk’s M Rayquaza-EX / Bronzong

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”20″]

3x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]

3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″]

2x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”75″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Kecleon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”30″]

3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”84″ c=”deck2″]

3x [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=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]

1x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Flashfire” no=”94″ 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″]

2x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ 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″]

1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ 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=”10″]

6x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”XY” no=”139″ c=”deck2″]

4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

[cardimg name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]

Finally, we have another Metal variant to look at by Geoffrey Sauk, brother of fellow PokeBeach writer, Ben Sauk. If you want to read one of his articles, you can check his most recent one out here. Out of all the Metal variants, this is the most aggressive version of the deck. Playing [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] gives the deck a speedy threat that can hit for a lot of damage. This is my favorite variation of Metal, because it gives you so many more options, and more of a reason to play [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”].

Outside of adding the M Rayquaza-EX, there isn’t that much that’s different from a basic Metal deck. I noticed he also played a tech [card name=”Kecleon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”94″ c=”name”] and only one [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”], just like Ben Moskow. I made my points about those cards in Ben’s deck analysis, so I won’t go over them again, but I will say their lists are very similar if you take out the M Rayquaza-EX from Geoffrey’s deck.

Congrats to Geoffrey on making top 8 with a sweet deck. I hope I can talk to you at Worlds about this list, because it is my favorite deck in the format right now.

Conclusion

Like I said, congrats to everyone that made top 64 and top 8. This U.S. Nationals will be remembered as one of the most interesting and diverse Nationals of all time. If you have any questions for me or just want to talk about the results, either message me or write a comment down below. I will be glad to talk to you guys about this article, or anything else! Until next time, PokeBeach readers, this is Nikolas Campbell and I hope to see you again!

[/premium]