Victory Road – My Cities Run and the Two Best Decks in Expanded
Hello Beachers! I’m finally back from the grind that is the City Championship season. This wonderful time of year that starts in mid-December and ends in mid-January. I always tell my friends that this is the dreaded “Cities grind” that is very necessary to securing that Worlds invitation. Almost every weekend in December and early January is dedicated to these tournaments, so I’m sure you understand how much of my past month has been spent on the Pokemon TCG!
With this there comes a large amount of testing and research. The Cities metagame is constantly shifting and varies based on the area that you’re in. I will go in depth on how this metagame changes and how it varies based on area. In addition to that, I will describe reasons why metagames shift, and how to predict what you will be playing against in the future.
We also have another elephant in the room, and that is Regional Championships coming up in almost a month! My only Expanded format Cities were very early in the season. For those that haven’t been testing Expanded in a while, I hope to provide you with a good refresher and what I believe are the best plays for Expanded.
Meta Shifts
City Championships bring out the creativeness in skilled and daring players. Players that know how to build decks well and how to trump popular plays in their respective area come out in the mid to late part of the Cities season and tend to do well. Sometimes these decks are incredibly confusing and are just plain weird to those in other areas. Let’s talk about how plays in certain areas are established as the most popular deck.
The first weekend of Cities is always very confusing for a lot of players. Players tend to stick to very typical and standard meta calls that they find lists for online. I will go out and say this right now: the typical Pokemon player isn’t very creative, which is why the first weekend of Cities is awkward and limited in options. The metagame expands as a whole once the popular decks become established and players find ways to beat those decks.
So in saying that, areas will have popular plays. This format is incredibly healthy in that there are a lot of viable decks. I think the worst question I always get asked by players is “”What should I play for Cities?”. I’ve already gone over metagaming in my past articles, and how futile it can be in a lot of situations.
Popular decks become established by winning local tournaments. I think the most common play in the Kansas / West Missouri / Nebraska metagame was Night March. These decks swarmed the top cuts of most Cities early in my area, and thus players flocked to these decks, while others played [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] decks to counter them.
However, I visited Marietta, Georgia for their City Championships and was surprised to see people playing [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] decks! How in the world do people play that type of deck with all the Night March around? Turns out, Night March decks were far and few between in that particular area, allowing all sorts of different things to be played.
So, how do we evolve with the metagame and try to be a step ahead of it?
My Cities Run
Given that we can see trends in the metagame and predict what will be popular based on last weekend’s Cities or even yesterday’s, we can probably deduce that players may try to emulate the success of other players. We can also assume that players will try to beat what was popular in the previous Cities.
My solution? Play something that has a fair matchup against both decks. Here are the list of Cities that I played at, the decks I played, and the reason I chose them. I played a plethora of different decks, and I strongly suggest that you don’t stubbornly stick with a single deck unless it’s overwhelmingly the best play for you.
Greeley, Colorado (Yveltal / Zoroark / Gallade, 1-2 Drop)
I tested this particular deck for a couple weeks before this City Championship. The deck had some clunky hands and I wasn’t 100% sure about it, but I felt like I was just unlucky a lot of the time in testing. Since Steve Guthrie and Kevin Baxter had so much success with the deck, it just had to be consistent. I even played their exact lists at times. I deviated very little from their respective lists, and still drew pretty horribly in this tournament. Call it me being unskilled with the deck, but I just wasn’t a fan of it at all. I felt like I was getting a jump on the metagame with this deck not being too popular yet, but I just didn’t do well.
Independence, Missouri (Vespiquen / Flareon, 3-0-2 Swiss, City Champion)
This Cities was one of the few Expanded ones that I played in. Testing beforehand told me that [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] was the play in an area with very little [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]. I took a chance and assumed there would be little Archeops. Now, I had no prior results to see. I was kind of walking in blind into this Cities, but I figured that players would be cutting Archeops from their lists similar to the last weekend of Fall Regionals. Another thing to keep in mind is that in small tournaments, a lot of players that you play in the first few rounds of Swiss aren’t exactly serious players. They tend to play what does well for them at league. That doesn’t mean that they cannot defeat you with the right draws. I made a solid choice for this particular tournament, not facing any Archeops all day. It didn’t stop me from playing my stopgap to Archeops, and that is a single copy of [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. I swept most of my opponents with a flurry of Vespiquen and Flareon, and didn’t lose a single game all day until the finals, where I dropped game two against my opponent playing [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Here is the list I played again in case you missed it in my last article. This list also won a Cities in Arizona while being piloted by my good friend Charlene Clements.
[premium]
[decklist name=”Vespiquen Flareon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″][pokemon amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Jolteon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2 x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2 “][/card]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Audino” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”24″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
I won’t go too much into detail, you’ll have to reference my last article for that. The [card name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] is there for the [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, to shut off annoying things such as [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is a clutch card that discards [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] off your Bench. One thing I did regret not playing was an [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], as a savvy opponent could have [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] some of my Benched Pokemon if they noticed I was out of Energy and decked me out.
Lenexa, Kansas (Vespiquen / Flareon 4-2-0)
I played the same deck as above, but I didn’t run as hot as I did in Independence. I lost a game simply because I couldn’t draw into my [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] soon enough, in addition to getting repeatedly Quaking Punched. I lost another since I drew a horrible opening hand to a [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] deck. I still secured four wins and bubbled at 9th.
Sedalia, Missouri (Entei / Charizard-EX, 3-0-2, Top 4)
[cardimg name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”15″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I had to get back in the swing of things for Standard quickly, and my good friend Austen Vance provided me with a cool deck idea that I just had to try out. I played the deck through a few hands on PTCGO, and I fell in love immediately with how fast this deck was. It was also incredibly creative and had a decent shot at beating Vespiquen and Night March decks with its thick lines of [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card]. I piloted this to a Top 4 finish before losing a nail-biter to my good friend Todd Chrisman playing [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. Night March ended up winning this event.
Cole Camp, Missouri (Entei / Charizard-EX, 3-1-1, Top 4)
I decided to roll with the same deck again. I did well in Swiss with my only loss being against a pretty skilled [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] player. I ran out of Energy and lost to a deck out when he used [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] on a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], stranding it with my last Energy prized. I didn’t repeat this mistake when I beat him in a close Top 8 game. I lost in Top 4 against my friend Vance Kelley, who played Night March. This loss to Night March made me realize that this wasn’t as good against Night March as I had hoped, and I changed decks for the next Cities as a result of this. Night March / [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] ended up winning this Cities, thus starting the trend of Night March decks in the Kansas City area.
Marietta, Georgia (Lucario / Hammers, 4-2-0)
I knew I didn’t want to roll with [card name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Charizard-EX” set=”Flashfire” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] again after my shortcoming against Night March, so I decided to go with this exciting new deck that Andrew Mahone, was talking about. He also wrote about the deck in this article. I figured it could win against a plethora of decks, and I wasn’t wrong when I decided to bring this to Georgia while I was on vacation with my family. I ended up going a disappointing 4-2-0 again, taking a loss to Alex Croxton’s [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] deck. The [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] went a long way in his match against me, thwarting many attacks from my [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]. I lost again to one of this deck’s mediocre matchups: [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. The Crobat line nullified a lot of my [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and combo’d well with Raichu’s ability to OHKO with Circle Circuit. I finished 10th overall.
Omaha, Nebraska (Lucario / Hammers, 3-0-2, 2nd Place)
I decided to go with the [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] deck again in Omaha. I wasn’t convinced that this deck did as well as it was supposed to in Marietta. One thing that also inspired me to play this deck, is that I beat a Night March player in Marietta with it, as well as smoked a lot of Night March players on PTCGO. Playing [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and removing their Energy with [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to deck your opponent out as they reach for the [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] they need to score Knock Outs. I did well throughout the day, knocking off Energy and taking KOs with [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] and Lucario-EX, but I fell short in the finals against Night March. I drew fairly poorly, starting off game two with a lone Basic and only a [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] in my opening hand. I was trying very hard throughout that game to keep myself above water with only four cards at a time. My opponent drew really well off my [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] every time, and I eventually got benched in game two. I can’t remember too much about game one, except for the fact that I couldn’t draw into any other Pokemon but Lucario. At this point, I was soft capped with my best finish limit reached with a Win, a Top 2, and two Top 4s.
Lincoln, Nebraska (Vespiquen / Night March, 2-3-0 Drop)
Knowing that I was soft capped, I figured I’d have a little fun at my local league. I enjoy the speed of Night March, and I wanted to see if it was worth the hype. I like the [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] version because it is a bit more resilient to [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] lines. I beat two of the decks I faced soundly, and lost one game against a Night March with a very lucky end for my opponent. With only a [card name=”Feebas” set=”Flashfire” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] Active, two Prizes left, a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] out, and all Night Marchers in the discard pile, my opponent had a [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] all in a seven card hand. You can do the math on the odds. I conceded without playing against my good friend Brandon Nguyen, who got down-paired to me, to ensure that he had cut at 4-1-1.
Ames, Iowa (Toad / Hammers / Red Card, 2-3-0 Drop)
Another sad performance. Playing an idea that Andrew Mahone came up with I wanted to try it out and provide a little bit of tournament testing for my buddies to reflect on. Other than hitting very few heads on my [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] flips, the deck did okay. Unfortunately I had some issues that I may have been able to fix if I had tested a bit more. Mainly running out of Energy in some games, and the lock being broken due to having a Shaymin-EX stuck Active. It just was not a good tournament day for me at all. Thus prompting me to change up my deck for the next day.
Clive, Iowa (Gallade / Octillery, 4-1-1 Top 4)
I never tested this deck before I played, but once I started playing it, I fell in love with how well it worked and how easily it got setup. The most popular deck I played in Iowa was [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] and this deck just clobbers it with its heavy lines of [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card].
Here is the list I played.
[decklist name=”Gallade” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″][pokemon amt=”17″]4x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ralts” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2 x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2 “][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
It may seem weird not to run [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], but you 2HKO most Pokemon-EX anyway and the consistency of this deck allows you to stream [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] over and over again with a nice back up attacker in [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] makes sure your tanky Gallade survives hits and can deliver two attacks. I lost to my buddy Todd Chrisman in Top 4 with him playing a Lucario / Hammers list that was very similar to the one that I ran. It’s not the greatest matchup, and I whiffed [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] when I really needed them. In game three alone, I had three Double Colorless Energy in my last 10 cards of my deck. Not fun at all.
[cardimg name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
If I were to play this deck again I would probably include a [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to get rid of [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] late-game. For the most part, you can draw what you need with Premonition plus Abyssal Hand, but it sure is nice to remove some of the garbage from your deck that you won’t need. Let’s go over a few matchups.
Matchups
Night March 40-60
Our writers have discussed this matchup at length and I’ve always been in the camp that this deck has some game against Night March. Going second gives them a huge advantage, but this deck can set up [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] quickly and without a hitch regardless of the pressure Night March decks put on it. This deck’s non-reliance on [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] never allows Night March to take two Prizes, while you have chances to set up [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] plays on their Shaymin-EX. In addition to that, you have some resilience with [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck. Of course, there’s always [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and the fact that you cannot stream [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] as well as they can. [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] just makes this matchup a bit better as well for the [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] player, since you can consistently attack with Stardust while they’re taking a single Prize for each [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] they spend to attack. This isn’t a favorable matchup, but I will argue that it is very winnable.
Yveltal / Zoroark / Gallade 70-30
This matchup is free. I beat three of them while playing in Clive, Iowa. They simply struggle to Knock Out [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. Even if they do load up a [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] with enough Energy, they open themselves up to having it get 2HKO’d. If you avoid Benching five Pokemon, [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] cannot KO you. Of course, they can get their own [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] out with the help of [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] but they do require a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO your [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] without a [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] which isn’t favorable for them, since you can stream [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] easily.
Lucario / Crobat 60-40
Sure, the Bat line invalidates your [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], but the 150 HP [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] is just too much of a strain on the [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] deck since it only takes a single Prize at a time. Generally they aren’t going to OHKO your 150 HP [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] anyway. You can stream [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] until you take Prizes on their Lucario. They can attack with [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] but if you have a [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] attached, you can just KO that too. The high HP and high damage output will prove to be too much for Lucario / Bats, and you should be able to pull off a victory. The only consolation for them, is if they manage to pull off a lot of heads on [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] and keep healing. This should still be favorable for you.
I’m not even going to touch on the [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] / Bats matchup, or the [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. You should just eat those up, even if they play [card name=”Flash Energy” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card].
Wrapping it All Up
As you can see, I played a plethora of decks. I wished so much during the day in Clive, Iowa that I had played Gallade since the beginning. It was an incredibly solid deck and I probably could have done better! Unfortunately my last Top 4 didn’t count because of my best finish limit being hit. I can’t complain, but I could have probably have done a little better.
It’s hard to see the best play for Cities in the first week. New and better decks take time to become popular once a metagame is established.
There’s a few decks in every Cities format that you could do well with at every Cities. Last year, our own Kyle Haverland played a [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] deck at just about every Cities and did phenomenal with it. This year that deck is for sure Night March.
Night March
I detest playing the most popular deck that’s out there. I’d rather ruin people’s fun than have fun in most games I play. Call me a spoilsport. I also hate mirror matches. I understand that there are a lot of skill based mirror matches out there, but I still find them boring and extremely luck-based.
[cardimg name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
It was hard to not play Night March this season. It has so much going for it with the removal of [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]. In addition to that, the deck could beat just about everything just through sheer aggression. The list pretty much builds itself and is very easy to play. It’s no wonder this deck swept through Cities and was overwhelmingly the best deck of the Cities Format this season.
Looking Ahead
Cities season is over, and on the drive home from Iowa, I couldn’t help but be really excited about the Expanded format and Regional Championships. For me, the closest one is in St. Louis. Regionals are long and are quite a mental drain when you’re playing in them. They’re also nearly impossible to metagame and to predict what you will play against exactly. There is a myriad of different plays in Expanded that are solid. In addition to that, the metagame for Expanded shifts very little over the four weeks of Regionals. Decks stay relatively the same over the four weeks, since the best decks in Expanded are already established.
We have some small amount of time to test before Regionals, surely enough for us to figure out and test a solid deck extensively. I have two decks that I feel are the best decks in Expanded. Of course, my [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] deck is something I am very strongly considering and the other one has to be [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card].
Seismitoad / Giratina
Now, I have said in my past articles that disruption decks aren’t my thing and they just aren’t fun for me. After playing [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / Hammers in Standard, I am not opposed to playing a deck that limits my opponent’s options anymore. In fact, I found them fun! What better deck is there to limit your opponent’s options than [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]? I think that Seismitoad / Giratina and Vespiquen / Flareon are the stand out decks in Expanded right now. Nothing has a better matchup against the majority of the metagame than these two decks. Here is a list I’ve been personally testing.
[decklist name=”Toad Tina” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″][pokemon amt=”10″]3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”43″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Black and White” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This deck is the epitome of consistency. [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] ensures your perfect setup every time, and thick lines of [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] ensure you get the turn one Quaking Punch. [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW61″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to switch out freely and heal status conditions. [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Unleashed” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] is also a phenomenal utility card for healing and Retreating. Let’s go over some matchups. [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is a solid one-of utility card that goes a long way in stopping [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] drops in the early game. Another other thing I really enjoy about this deck is that you can get any of your one-of Supporters with the use of [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] early in the game.
Vespiquen / Flareon 50-50
This is an extremely even matchup. Quaking Punch alone can lock them out of their hands, in addition to that, it can also Knock Out [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] pretty easily. [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can prevent them from playing down their DCE but they will still be able to [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] can also be annoying for them to deal with. On the flip side however, they can also get to the point of one hitting your [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and you also have to be careful with their [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card].
Knock Out the [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] early, watch out for [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] and you can pull this matchup off.
Yveltal / Darkrai / Archeops 50-50
The natural foil to [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] is [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and its ability to conserve energy with Y-Cyclone. You shut off their usage of [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and you also play [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and healing cards. Hammer off Dark Energy from [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] to deny them their free Retreat, and be smart with your [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] plays to make sure Laser damage sticks. Energy removal is a big deal as well in this matchup, denying them Energy prevents them from building a big Yveltal-EX.
[cardimg name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Keldeo / Blastoise 65-35
This is such a good matchup almost exclusively because you play [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. A turn one [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] with the help of [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] almost auto-wins you this matchup, since you deny them the only turn they have to get down a [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card]. After that, you will lock them out of their entire deck full of Items with your repeated Quaking Punches, which prevents them from ever getting a Blastoise out.
If they go first and get the Blastoise, this could be 50 / 50, but careful [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] plays will win you this matchup.
Donphan 70-30
[card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] destroys [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] decks since it denies their [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], allowing you to limit them to only 40 damage a turn. Quaking Punch will disrupt their setup enough for you to pull ahead since they cannot play any of their copies of [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card].
[card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Unleashed” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] heals off all the damage they do to you which allows you to trade extremely favorably. This matchup should be an easy one if you don’t draw poorly.
M Manectric-EX 50-50
Giratina-EX pulls its weight massively in this matchup, forcing the [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] to have to play a [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or burn two [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to get around Giratina’s Ability. This has historically been a poor matchup for [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks, but Giratina really picks up the slack here and gives you a shot. If M Manectric-EX decks are scaring you, you can try fitting in a copy of [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] to help get more damage down on them. Careful usage of [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and Giratina-EX should help you with this matchup quite a bit.
The Jirachi Problem
The new Promo [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] could hold this deck back a little, since it only plays seven Special Energy and no other type of Energy, and allows them to spend a turn being invincible. This little guy is also very splashable in a variety of decks due to its Colorless attack cost, but there are some things you have to keep in mind.
If it’s being played in a fast aggressive deck, chances are, that deck will only play three Basic Energy. This is mainly Night March and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] that I’m talking about here. Locking them out of [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] causes them to have to dig for Basic Energy that they play small amounts of, causing them to dump crucial resources that they will need once they break the lock. Decks that play higher amounts of Basic Energy don’t have as much of a problem with implementing Jirachi’s attack.
[cardimg name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The other thing that we have to consider is the fact that you play [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. This allows you to put some damage down on their “invincible” Jirachi, and it allows you to get the Knock Out on it. Most decks can typically only fit one copy of this nuisance. Hammering off their Energy is also another way to stop their lock. If the opposing deck plays [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] then we may have some trouble since you will be required to burn two [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] on their Jirachi to KO it. Hammering Energy off is also key here.
Jirachi may or may not even be played in huge numbers, since a lot of decks don’t want to devote space to it.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading about my Cities run, and I hope the lists and insight I gave you was enough for you to think about changing up your own Standard lists if you still have more Cities to go. I’m full on Expanded mode right now, so I am testing extensively for Regional Championships. Looking for that consistent deck with the best all around matchups is the key to large tournaments such as Regionals, so be sure to try out my [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] lists above. They’re fairly cut and dry and the [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] is a proven winner!
Be sure to keep checking PokeBeach for our Regional Championship BeachCast Podcast. It should be out the first week of February, right before Regionals.
Until next time,
Treynor “Trainer’s Mail” Wolfe
[/premium]