Speed Decks in Standard – A Look at Three Decks in Standard
Hello again everyone! Treynor here again! I hope everyone had safe trips back from Regional Championships, and I hope everyone enjoyed the action on the streams.
I had a good time seeing some old friends at Fall Regionals in Ft. Wayne. It’s been a long offseason between Regionals and Worlds, and it’s been very hard to not fall out of practice with school starting and no big tournaments on the horizon. Fall Regionals was a lot of fun to cover, and unfortunately, being here in Nebraska made it very hard to travel to these Regionals.
Anyway, the topic of this article is speed decks, decks that hit fast and deal tons of damage. These decks have always been my absolute favorite decks to play! I’ve always been the Red / White player whenever I played Magic the Gathering. I always have liked a fast and furious type of deck, and Pokemon is no different. I’m going to talk about common cards we see in speed decks and a few speedy decks in our Standard format.
This format is new and so is the Pokemon season! Don’t miss out on the advice of the highly experienced writers we have in the PokeBeach staff!
The Meaning of Speed!
Speed decks have always been in our game of Pokemon. They exist in almost every card game that I can think of. The difference between Pokemon and other games is that in most other games, these speed decks try to win in the early stages of the game. In Pokemon, these decks can very easily knock an opponent off their feet in the first stages of the game, but I would argue that Pokemon is a very fast paced game to begin with. Very rarely in Pokemon do you have a turn where less than five or six cards are played. Speed decks in Pokemon are characterized by having a condition to do a lot of damage. Cards are normally played to meet said condition. Consider [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. Its first attack does a pretty meager 30 damage, yet cards like [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] exist to bolster that damage. I’m not saying that [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] is a card used in speed decks, but small attacks become huge when you combo cards together. Another good example is [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] Prime from a past format. It is a quick attacker that hits hard (70 damage was very respectable back then).
Speed decks tend to have low HP attackers with small Energy costs that do large amounts of damage. I’m sure you can think of many. These decks typically don’t establish a very powerful board state. They get the resources they need, when they need it, and don’t require much set up. Their attackers have low HP, so you normally have to burn resources to replace the attackers that you lose every turn. Energy is the biggest requirement, since your Pokemon normally don’t have the fortitude to withstand an attack and retain their Energy, so you have to keep replacing them.
Another characteristic of speed decks is how quickly they go through the deck. These decks tend to play their deck down to less than ten cards in two or three turns. They move fast and they keep their decks thin, since they have to continue to draw key cards to respond to Pokemon getting Knocked Out quickly.
These are what speed decks are categorized by. They don’t have cards that are outright powerful such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]. They also very rarely disrupt your opponent’s game plan. [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is such an important card in these decks so that they can cripple an opponent by taking out their biggest resources on the field. Let’s go over some more characteristics of these decks in the form of the cards that they play. After that I will explain some of the speed-based decks in the Standard format.
[premium]
Characteristics of Speed
Double Colorless Energy
[card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is one of those cards that shape a format. Without this card, speed decks would have a very rough time existing. We’ve had this card in our format since HeartGold & SoulSilver. This card is the Energy workhorse of modern speed decks, since almost every powerful attack requires two Colorless Energy. This card lets you attach two Energy in a single turn, thus allowing you to attack without having to wait for two turns.
This card is not without its disadvantages. Cards like [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and Giratina-EX make things very difficult for decks that rely on this card. [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t hurt too bad, since we normally expect to lose our Energy right after we attack with it anyway. Giratina-EX on the other hand is the bane of current speed decks because of how much they rely on [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card].
The other problem is that you are limited to four of this card and you cannot reliably get them back out of the discard pile. You get four solid attacks, unless you are forced to discard these cards by other means.
Professor Sycamore
[card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] is one of those cards that goes well with the fast and reckless playstyle. Sometimes this card will burn you by making you discard crucial resources, but it does let you draw seven fresh, new cards. Some speed decks try to play a bit more conservative with only three of this card, since decking out is a very real possibility with [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] out of the format.
[cardimg name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”113″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] will insure you draw enough cards that you need to respond to one of your Pokemon being Knocked Out.
Shaymin-EX
One of the most pivotal cards out of Roaring Skies, [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] has sped up our entire game. Cards such as [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] allow you to discard two cards and search out a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and draw even more cards out of your deck, without playing a Supporter! This allows speed decks to play utility Supporters such as [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. You can even draw a ton of cards in a single turn and then finish your turn with a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], allowing you to KO what you want after you draw an Energy off your [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].
Playing three or four of these is very important in your speed decks, as you may never know when you need to dig for a card in your deck. Most speed-based decks have no access to Energy recursion like [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] decks do, so these resources need to be searched in the form of drawing cards. [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack even works well with a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to put some small damage down in case you can’t Knock Out a very bulky Pokemon. This also allows you to reuse the Energy and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].
Trainers’ Mail
[card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is one of my favorite cards because it bears my name (misspelled). All kidding aside, this card is a very powerful four-of in your deck since it allows you to search out [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. High counts of this card allows you to play less Supporters and more Item cards during your turn. These cards also get discarded once you use them, giving you deck thinning opportunities. Standard decks deprived of decent draw Supporters will turn to high counts of this card to draw plenty of cards in a single turn.
VS Seeker
[card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to pick and choose the Supporter you play in a particular turn. It’s much more efficient to play less Supporters and four of these [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] so that you can pick whatever Supporter is in your discard pile as your Supporter for the turn. The problem with these, is that you need a Supporter in your discard pile to use them, which means they’re less reliable to have in your opening hand.
Cards like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] allow you to draw many cards without playing a Supporter, so digging through your deck with [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] make getting a first turn Supporter easy.
Ultra Ball
I’ve mentioned [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] a few times already since it’s a very powerful card. It has a deck thinning ability in addition to being able to search for a Pokemon. Pokemon search is very important in speed decks since you may need a particular Pokemon to evolve in to, or to attack with on a given turn. These are also instrumental for you to draw more cards by grabbing a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Four of these are a staple in every deck. Even more so in speed decks.
Honorable Mentions
Battle Compressor
Decks that rely on Pokemon being in the discard pile benefit greatly from [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is also the ultimate card for deck thinning, allowing you to rid your deck of cards that you don’t need in a particular matchup, and by making it all the more likely that you will draw cards that you need. It also works well in decks that have Energy recycling Abilities, like decks that utilize [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] (which some speed decks do).
This fits in the Honorable Mention category because not every speed deck uses it. They all can benefit from it, but in some decks, space is tight and this is just one of those “61st” cards that everyone would love to fit in.
Town Map
Players have been hotly contesting this card being in their speed decks, but I find it incredibly useful. [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to search your Prize cards for a particular card after you take a KO. This sets your hand up to be secure next turn with an Energy or [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. You take KO’s a lot, and you often need particular chains of cards in your hand. This one-of card can probably be worked in to your deck, and you won’t be able to imagine playing speed decks without it once you try it.
Teammates
I know a lot of players that love this card in their speed decks, and for good reason. Your Pokemon get KO’d constantly, and this is one of those rare cards that allow you to search for a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. You also set yourself up with another card of your choice for the next turn.
My problem with it is that it is your Supporter for the turn, thus not allowing you to play [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. Most decks are teching in attackers that aren’t Pokemon-EX so that they can trade Prizes with you well. You want to take three Pokemon-EX KO’s during your game so that you can win quickly and efficiently. A lot of the time your deck and resources can be your own enemy, since burning out of resources is a very real possibility with these speedy decks.
[card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] is a wonderful one-of in your deck. You can always [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] for it and it works wonders against decks that attack using Pokemon-EX.
Level Ball
[card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to search out just about every attacker in your deck full of low-HP Pokemon. [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] is an odd card to fit in conjunction with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] since you cannot search for [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] with it. Most Pokemon that attack in speed decks have less than 90 HP (In the current Standard format), but this card isn’t always necessary in those decks, since [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is the better card in most situations for drawing cards, searching for Pokemon, and deck thinning.
The Single Prize Advantage
One of the biggest advantages of these decks, is that they don’t primarily attack with Pokemon-EX. What this means, is that you are at an advantage when you are trading OHKO’s with decks that use Pokemon-EX. They will be primarily taking one Prize per KO while you will be taking two. This is very important to your game plan, because speed decks generally don’t have the resources to take six Knock Outs. You will really have to stretch for those Prizes if you need to take six Knock Outs. [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and get those Prizes quickly. You don’t want a long drawn out game trading single Prize attackers.
You force your opponent to take at least five KO’s assuming they [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”] [/card] your Benched [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] for the game. This doesn’t necessarily have to happen if you’re conservative with your [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] drops.
The Decks
I will be going over three of my takes on speed decks in the Standard format. You will see a lot of the cards I mentioned above and some others in here. Feel free to try these lists out to get the hang of how these decks play. Mastering the strategy of resource conservation and risk management is very important with these decks. Some resources are very critical and I have lost many games early on in my Pokemon career by running out of Energy or switch cards because I discarded them too soon by taking unnecessary risks. Risk management is very important with these decks, since you need to be sure you will hit an Energy or Pokemon off of your [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]. A missed attack is a death sentence for your game plan that relies on unrelenting offense the entire game.
Vespiquen
Vespiquen is one of the most hyped cards to come out of Ancient Origins, and for good reason. Bee Revenge can pile on loads of damage when combined with cards like [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Vespiquen also has free Retreat, which helps tremendously.
Unfortunately Vespiquen has an incredibly low HP stat of 90, which means that if Vespiquen attacks, it will most likely go down the following turn, requiring a replacement. In addition to this, it is also a Stage 1 that evolves from a Pokemon that only has 40 HP.
Being a Stage 1 does allow it to be paired with the Eeveelutions. Flareon works well with Vespiquen by giving it a Fire-typing, allowing you to hit for Fire Weakness and to use cards like [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] on your Vespiquen.
Here is the list I’ve been testing.
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”23″]
2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”30″]
4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Shauna” set=”XY” no=”127″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Unleashed” no=”78″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″][/car
2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x Forest of Giant Plants (AOR #74)
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”7″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Holon Phantoms” no=”106″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
As you can see, there are a lot of cards I mentioned above in this deck. There are some reprints in the new BREAKthrough set included as well. This deck gets more and more powerful as the game goes on, as your Vespiquen get KO’d constantly and power each other up by throwing more Pokemon in the discard pile. What makes this deck more powerful than the other speed decks I will mention, is that it uses [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] to power up Vespiquen quickly and without [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card].
[cardimg name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”][/cardimg]
I love the [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] combo of switch cards. [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is excellent because you will have a free Retreat Pokemon on the Bench to give yourself some freedom in what you will attack with the next turn. [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] is great for avoiding [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. You will see this combo in a lot of my other decks.
Entei requires a [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] to get out quickly, yet its second attack does devastating amounts of damage to the decks that play [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]. It is also a nice niche attacker that you can use if you run out of Vespiquen.
This deck plays entirely on the single-Prize attacker strategy. Early on, you will have to stretch hard to get a OHKO, but late game, with some of your Vespiquen in the discard pile, it should be very easy to hit 170-180 damage with Bee Revenge.
Forest of Giant Plants allows you to attack on the first turn with a Vespiquen and allows you to set up multiple in a single turn so your 40 HP Combee aren’t out for too long. It is especially useful against Bats.
Dugtrio
[card name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] is a familiar card from XY. It hasn’t had too many chances to shine, even though it has an incredible first attack. Fighting type decks are very solid right now with the support they got from Furious Fists. The Eeveelutions from Ancient Origins however, make this card really shine. Fighting decks are a weird variations of speed decks. They don’t burn through their deck quickly, since they have wonderful search cards such as [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and they don’t require a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] to attack. Here is a list that has proven to be incredible in testing.
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”18″]
4x [card name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Diglett” set=”XY” no=”58″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”107″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”33″]
4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Unleashed” no=”78″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY” no=”123″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”9″]
5x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Holon Phantoms” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card]
4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
I love the idea of [card name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] as an attacker since it hits for Weakness on cards such as [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. Flash Energy can prevent that, but the one-of [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] is in the deck for that purpose. With Jolteon in play you can even OHKO [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. Flareon helps you easily knock out Vespiquen. [card name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] also has other backup attackers, such as [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] to help finish KO’s without having to get [card name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] constantly out.
[cardimg name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Super Rod” set=”Dragon Vault” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to retrieve [card name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] and Fighting Energy. [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is so good for preventing KO’s.
Dugtrio is going to go for 2HKO’s on Pokemon-EX with the help of [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]. This makes it a bit more conservative. [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is your key to tipping the game in your favor with this deck. Jolteon is very important for this deck because it can get a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] KO for two Prizes. Fortunately, this deck doesn’t need to play its [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] unless it is absolutely forced to, which is why this deck runs such a low count of them. You’re forcing your opponent to take six KO’s, which can easily win you games.
Another thing I want to add, is that speed decks tend to suffer quite a bit from Item-lock decks, such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and Vileplume. Since [card name=”Dugtrio” set=”XY” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] plays a lot more conservatively you’re in great shape against these Item-lock decks.
Raichu / Crobat
This is a very familiar deck from our past formats that didn’t lose too much with rotation. Sure, we lost our old [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], but the format has slowed down a lot anyway, and this deck is full of free-Retreaters. [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] decks have always been popular since our own Andrew Mahone piloted a [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] deck to a successful Spring Regionals finish last year. Here’s a list I’ve been testing since the rotation for XY-on was announced.
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”23″]
4x [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Pikachu” set=”XY” no=”42″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”31″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”30″]
4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Shauna” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”104″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Unleashed” no=”78″ c=”deck2″][/card]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″][/card]
1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″][/card]
4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”7″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”deck2″][/card]
3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Holon Phantoms” no=”110″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] decks have plenty of solid attackers in them, and they also ensure huge damage early on. It’s very easy for these decks to hit 180 on turn two. Even if [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] struggles a bit to get OHKOs, [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] should help get the damage where it needs to be, in addition to being solid attackers against decks that have low HP Basic Pokemon such as Combee and [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card].
[card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]’s sheer speed help it get an edge over many decks out there. It can struggle against other speed decks such as Vespiquen, but the [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] line in the deck can make the math perfect for KO’ing Vespiquen without having to use its precious [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]
[card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] should keep a lot of Pokemon in your deck throughout the game, keeping your damage output high with [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]. The high amount of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] make it incredibly easy to get a full Bench on the first turn. It’s just a great feeling to play a couple of Level Ball in a single turn. Parallel City does hurt this deck, but the four-of [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] should help keep the Bench full throughout the game.
Night March
I haven’t tested straight Night March too much in Standard, so I cannot really give you a list. It does deserve a mention here, since it has been played successfully by some players. Night March uses Pokemon like [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card] to hit for insane amounts of damage for a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. Cards such as [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] get it to the next level by allowing you to discard these Pokemon right out of your deck to hit for big damage.
Night March will always hold a special place in my heart since it brought me a huge States in win Colorado last year, and a Top 8 finish in Iowa. I want so desperately for this deck to still be effective, but it lost so much in the rotation in the form of [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench and a [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] in play allowed [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] to attack for one Energy and allowed you to save your precious [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]’s Versatile Ability also allowed it to copy attacks such as [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s Sky Return and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]’s Quaking Punch. This gave Night March a lot of utility.
[cardimg name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”120″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”][/cardimg]
Night March decks do not have very much room for any other attackers, so the only attackers that it has are [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], which are both very easy to KO. You cannot really add basic Energy in your deck and conceivably attach two basic Energy to one of these attackers to attack. That gives your opponent a turn where you’re not attacking. So you really only can use [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], which you are limited to four-of. The other decks I mentioned above have powerful secondary attackers that can attack without a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card].
There may be a version worth testing using [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] to power up your Night March attackers. High counts of [card name=”Revive” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] are absolutely necessary as well. Night March may very well be worth a shot.
Conclusion
Speed decks are very fun and rewarding, and are by far my favorite way to play Pokemon. The speed and the relentlessness of these decks are what draw me to them. However, they do have their drawbacks that make the other slower and more consistent decks also worth playing. Resource management and risk management are two very important skills to have when playing these types of decks. I’m very sure at least once during your Pokemon career you will be playing one of these decks that have cheap attackers that do massive amounts of damage.
Good luck and I will see you all at City Championships! Be sure to check out the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout and watch out for a BeachCast Podcast from us before Cities start!
– Treynor “Treynor’s Mail” Wolfe
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