The Power of Premonition! Tournament Tips and Gallade Variants
What’s up PokeBeach? It’s been a while, but I’m finally back to talk to you! Today, I decided to discuss something different. I’ve still got two deck-breakdowns for you, but I also wanted to take a look at another side of Pokemon that a lot of people don’t think about before going into a big tournament.
For most people nerves can be a big issue when they are trying to play their best because it can distract from making the right plays and sometimes leads to unfortunate defeats. Nervousness depends on how seriously you take the game. If it’s just a hobby for you then you’re a lot less likely to get nervous at tournaments, but for people who have goals such as playing at Worlds, or even getting Top 16 in the U.S., nerves are usually present.
So let me give you some advice coming from a player who has had to learn how to deal with his anxiousness the hard way. After I do that I’ll be going over two strong Gallade variants in the Standard format.
Playing at Peak Efficiency
So you’re at a tournament. Whether it be a Regional Championship, a Cities, or just a League Challenge, you need to do well today. There’s a lot on the line and you have about a million thoughts going through your head. There are a few things that you can do before you even hand in your decklist to try and calm yourself.
- Talk to People: One of the best things to take your mind off Pokemon is to go talk to some friends. Don’t talk about Pokemon but instead find something else that you’re interested in to discuss. You’ll find that talking about other things will quickly distract your mind and it’s a great way to clear your thoughts before you head into the tournament.
- Keep Warm: This sounds ridiculous, but it really does help. Being from the U.K. I found myself in the same situation almost every tournament in which I would be cold as well as a nervous wreck. This would cause me to shiver like crazy and later on in the day it would be very hard to concentrate. The lesson I learned from this is that you should always wear a few layers and it’s not a bad idea to take a flask of hot drink with you too.
- Be Confident: Don’t doubt yourself before the tournament even begins, you can win this! Instead of thinking about things that could go wrong, focus on how great your deck is and how much testing you’ve done. Even if you haven’t done so great in your last few tournaments you have to stay on the positive side because otherwise you’re just not going to do well.
Staying Focused
Once the tournament starts you’re going to have to stay focused. There are lots of factors that can throw you off your game and it’s important to know how to deal with whatever you might come up against.
Playing Against a Bad Matchup
[cardimg name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
For starters, you should always come prepared with a way to deal with any matchups you expect to see. Playing a deck that you know has an auto-loss is a big mistake that you can make before the tournament even begins. So assuming that you have a plan to deal with whatever matchup that you’re facing you should follow it unless you absolutely have to bail. Adjusting tactics that you’ve gone through over and over is never preferable, and it can be made worse if you have to adapt on the spot.
Coming across your one bad matchup is always off-putting, and this alone can get you really irritated before the game even starts. You have to ignore the fact that you’re playing at a disadvantage and really concentrate so that you have a chance. Sometimes it’s also good to think from your opponent’s perspective; they’re probably thinking “Nice, looks like I’m gonna have a free win here”. Your opponent’s overconfidence can really work to your advantage if you capitalize on it.
Playing Against a Renowned Player
At least once per tournament you’re likely to come up against a big name, whether they’re famous to everyone or just a local champion. I know from experience that playing against players who are well known can affect your mentality and even make you fairly stressed; you’d much rather be against someone you hadn’t heard of than Jason Klaczynski. The key thing to remember is that they don’t have some magical power that makes them good at Pokemon, and you can play just as well as them if you put your mind to it.
One of the things that I think helps these players win event after event is that a lot of their opponents are put off by their prestige which causes them to misplay. By clearing your head and reminding yourself that you have the potential to play just as well as them if you put your mind to it you can completely eliminate the potential disadvantage and deal with your nerves effectively.
Getting Put in a Bad Situation
One of the things that comes with nerves is not being able to think straight. This is a big problem when you get put into a tricky situation where things don’t look so great and you start to give up. Trust me, I used to be that guy who would back himself into a corner when he faced something he didn’t know how to deal with, and since learning how to deal with this I’m pretty sure my win rate has increased significantly.
There’s almost always something you can do to stop yourself going down the path to defeat, and you have to consider every option before making big decisions. Thinking to yourself “If he has x then I’m screwed, so how likely is it and can I do anything differently?” is a huge step forward, and knowing that you should always consider different options is going to make a massive difference. Don’t be that guy who, after the game, thinks to themself “Well if I didn’t do that then maybe I could have won”, be the guy that says “Wow I managed to win that by playing around my opponent!”.
So all in all, it’s best not to let nerves get the better of you. I can speak generally here, but most people have their own way to deal with nerves that works for them. Keeping your cool in games and having a positive mentality honestly does wonders for your ability to play, and if you follow my tips I can guarantee that your overall tournament performance will improve.
[premium]
Yveltal / Gallade
So now that you’ve heard my thoughts on how to maximize your performance, it’s time for me to talk about a deck that has been making waves in recent tournaments. This deck is, in my opinion, the most powerful archetype out there at the moment. Ryan Moorhouse, a good friend of mine recently brought this deck to two U.K. Regionals and two U.S. Cities, taking first place at all four tournaments. Results don’t lie; this deck is the new tier one.
So basically it works a lot like the old [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] decks of the 2013 and 2014 seasons, with one huge difference; [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card]. This card is used to get out the new [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] which was released just two months ago in the BREAKthrough expansion. Gallade would normally be terrible as a Stage 2 Pokemon in this deck, but with this combination it is, for all intents and purposes, a Basic. It has an incredibly useful ability that works well with [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. It gives you a much higher chance of hitting the stuff you need when you need it. Furthermore Gallade also has an excellent attack which is essentially a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] for 130 points of damage. Its Fighting-typing also gives makes it a brilliant counter to the meta and it perfectly counters Yveltal’s natural Weakness.
Before I show you the list I’d like to make it clear that this is Ryan’s decklist and not mine. Honestly, I think that this list is more or less perfect and I didn’t want to change anything.
[decklist name=”Yveltal-EX / Zoroark / Gallade Standard” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zorua” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ 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=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giovanni’s Scheme” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ 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=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”XY” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Pokemon
Three Yveltal
The non-EX [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] is a solid one-Energy attacker with a decent amount of HP. You want to use this early to “poke damage” Pokemon-EX or attack other non-EX’s. It is particularly useful against Night March because it takes out both [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] for one Darkness Energy. What’s more is that it can be used to accelerate Energy and build up your board insanely quick.
Two Yveltal-EX
[card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the best Pokemon-EX that has ever been printed primarily because it has two amazing attacks. Evil Ball can obviously be used to hit for huge amounts damage, and Y Cyclone is great as it lets Yveltal conserve its Energy. Two is all you really need in this deck because you have a lot of other attackers, and it’s important that you don’t go overboard with Yveltal-EX and that you use it sparingly.
2 – 2 Zoroark
[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
One of the great new additions from BREAKthrough is the [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] line. Both the Stage 1 Zoroark and the [card name=”Zoroark BREAK” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] are extremely powerful, but in this deck it’s best to stick with just the Stage 1. Stand In is a great Ability because it can be used in conjunction with [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to essentially give you access to a free Switch effect every turn. Not to mention that Zoroark has a solid attack that can hit for crazy amounts of damage. Zoroark can also trade evenly against Night March and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card].
Two Gallade
At last we get to the star of the deck! [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] is very similar to [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] in that it not only has a solid Ability, but it also has a very powerful attack. Premonition allows you to control your card draw and is very good when used with cards like [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Sensitive Blade is a good attack that almost always has a base damage of 130 before add-ons such as [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. It OHKOs almost every competitive non-EX Pokemon and also annihilates [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card]. Of course the downside is that the only way to get [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] into play is by using [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card], but if you map things out right it shouldn’t be difficult to pull it off almost every time.
Two Shaymin-EX
I don’t think there’s a single competitive deck out there other than Gallade that doesn’t include at least two of these guys, and this one is no exception. [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is needed to give you additional draw-outs via [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] but the goal is never to power through your entire deck turn one with this build, so two is enough.
Supporters
Over time we have seen Supporter-lines become less about draw and more about disruption. This deck follows that pattern, and it has a wide range of options when it comes to restricting the opponent’s field. Of course it still runs two [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] as a way of dumping useless cards and hitting the exact stuff you need in a pinch. The only other draw-Supporter is [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card], and he is of course mainly included as a way of getting [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] onto the field. Two of these are necessary to avoid any complications should you Prize the other.
It’s standard to run at least two [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Just like [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card], it is important to run at least two of these so that you don’t run into any issues with Prizes. Being able to drag up your opponent’s Pokemon against their will is so strong and I’m sure I don’t need to explain why. The deck also runs a few disruption Supporters. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is really strong on turn one, especially when you’re up against decks that need to use cards such as [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to draw well. [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is another good way to disrupt the opponent both early and late game. In the early game it can limit their options and later on it can make it harder for them to hit the cards that they need in order to finish off the match.
[card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] is another solid card that can be sent to the discard early on with [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] or some other Item card, and from then on you will always be able to get it out with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and set your opponent back a turn. In the mirror this can be incredibly useful, and you might even be able to get rid of all of their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] through a combination of aggressive Xerosics and Knock Outs. Finally there’s a [card name=”Giovanni’s Scheme” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] in this list. This card gives you a greater reach in terms of damage and can really make a big difference. It’s another card that is really scary when in the discard because it can turn all of your VS Seeker into a card that gives your Pokemon’s attacks +20 damage. Of course you can also use it to draw until you have five cards in your hand which can actually be clutch sometimes. Using it for this effect is also one of the best ways to get it into the discard for later.
Items
This deck has to have an engine specific to the mechanic of [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card], and by this I mean it has to run a heavy amount of Item cards that can draw, discard, and eventually allow you to play Maxie’s to get out your [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. Four [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], Four [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], Four [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], and Four [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] are basically staples in this kind of deck and you can’t get away with running any less of those cards realistically. [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] seems like an odd card for this type of deck, but when dealing with metagames that include a large amount of [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] and Night March variants it can be vital to recycle [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] lines, and sometimes even Energy.
You run three [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] because you need some way to add extra damage, and with [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] rotated it’s really your only option. The other Tool you run is [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], and like I said earlier, when it’s attached to [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] you have the free switch option every turn. A really good tech included in this list is [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. This will allow you to discard [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] after you have used them, stopping them from being a liability on the Bench. You want to use this card after your initial burst turn to clear up you Bench space, and after that it should quickly be replaced which allows you to have access to extra space that would have been taken up by the Shaymin otherwise.
Matchups
Manectric-EX Variants
[cardimg name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The first matchup I want to discuss is [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] because it’s really simple, but it’s also easy to mess up. The best way to handle it is obviously to go nuts with [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], and in doing so you should try your best not to bench any [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. The second thing that you need to do is target the Manectric with Energy. If you deny them the ability to set up any attackers your Gallade will survive much longer. You want to basically take three straight KOs, preferably with Gallade but you can also take out [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Bottom line, if you target the Manectric with Energy every time that you attack then there’s no way that they can stabilize, leading you to a quick and relatively easy victory.
Night March
This is a pretty close matchup that gets decided by a lot of small factors, some of which are out of your control. On paper your goal is just to get a turn one [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to discard your [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and then go ham with non-EX attackers, but it’s not always that easy. If you miss the Parallel City you’re going to end up with a massive target sitting on your Bench, and because most Night March lists run a lot of copies of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] you can almost guarantee that they will be able to take the lead in terms of Prizes.
You have to play cautiously. It’s no good getting [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] out if it means you have to bench a defenseless [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re going to draw through your deck then make sure there’s either a good chance that you’ll get the [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] into play, or set up for a Sky Return to Knock Out a [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. The best attacker in the deck is [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] because it can take out Night Marchers in one hit for just a single Energy. Essentially you have to make sure you get the first KO and then trade evenly from that point. If you’re lucky your opponent could be forced to bench their [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] which will give you the chance to snag an extra two Prizes and either get back in the game or speed way ahead of your opponent.
Vespiquen
This is a very similar matchup but you no longer have [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] as a way of getting cheap KO’s on their main attacker which makes it a bit harder for you. Luckily their deck takes a bit longer to set up due to them having to evolve [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card]. I won’t talk too much about this deck because the matchup goes a lot like Night March, however the basic thing to remember is don’t fall behind in the Prize trade and [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] can slow them down considerably when used on turn one.
Final Thoughts
Honestly if you’re not sure what to play for your next event, this deck is easy to pick up and play even with little to no testing. It has good matchups across the board and perfectly counters most tier one decks if it’s played correctly. It’s fast, consistent, and overall probably one of the best decks out there at the moment.
Gallade / Hawlucha
Another [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] variant in Standard is Quad [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] otherwise known as [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck isn’t incredibly popular at the moment, but it has certainly shown promise and in my opinion it’s a solid deck if played correctly. The concept is very different to the last deck I talked about; in this deck your aim is to actually evolve into [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] by using [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card].
You can set up pretty quickly thanks to the [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] engine, but the main issue with this deck is the fact that Ralts isn’t a Fighting Pokemon. This makes it a little bit harder to set up, but luckily you also run [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] which will make it much easier for you to get out your Pokemon, but will be basically useless in the late game.
[decklist name=”Gallade” amt=”60″ caption=”a” cname=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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]2x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ 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]
Pokemon
4 – 4 Gallade
[card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] is the main attacker in this deck, and it is insanely good. 130 base damage with a DCE isn’t something to laugh at, and because it’s a Fighting-type you have access to all sorts of buffs such as [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], as well as search Supporters such as [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. This card takes out 170 HP Pokemon with relative ease, and with an extra buff it can boost its attack damage to 190 which allows you to take out Yveltal-EX. If you really stretch yourself you can even take out 210 HP Pokemon such as [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] with two Strong Energy, Muscle Band, and a Fighting Stadium.
Premonition is also an amazing Ability, and the way that this deck works means that you can use three or four Premonitions a turn. It maximizes consistency in a way that no other deck really can, and when it’s used with Abyssal Hand or [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] you will have access to a huge range of options.
2 – 2 Octillery
[cardimg name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Octillery is this deck’s alternative to Shaymin. It’s really easy to get out because the deck runs both Ultra Ball and [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. Your opponent will never realistically be able to target down and take out the Octillery because it’s only worth one Prize and dealing with it forces them to lay off attacking your Gallade for a turn. The reason that this card is so good is because you can use Premonition to rearrange your draw and then Abyssal Hand to get the cards that you need. In an ideal world you actually want two of these out because when you have a board full of Gallade you can use Premonition again and again, theoretically giving you access to any card in your deck.
Two Hawlucha
Hawlucha is a great Pokemon which deals huge bursts of damage out of nowhere. It can be used to quickly finish off Pokemon-EX to seal games, and it’s especially effective against [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] because it takes little effort to achieve a KO. The main problem with Hawlucha is that it’s useless against non-EX Pokemon, and therefore Hawlucha is often a dead draw against Night March and Vespiquen unless you can Lysandre their Shaymin.
Supporters
I run three [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck. My initial build ran four but it was too clunky, and I ended up having my deck be full of Supporters that I was never going to use. You don’t really have to use Korrina sparingly because you have an abundance of them available to you. I also run two Bridgette which helps bring out my Remoraid and Ralts. This is a great card to have in the early game (first or second turn) but later on it’s a completely dead card (like I said in the introduction) which is why I only play three copies. Saying that though, you can always burn it to shuffle your deck if you don’t like what you see from Premonition, or you can use it just to trigger the +70 damage on Gallade.
My only draw-Supporter is Professor Sycamore. I tend to use this to get out of horrible hands more than anything else. You can also use it to draw the rest of your deck on the last turn when you need to hit a buff or an Energy to take the game. If you’re ever forced to use this early on and end up discarding a bunch of your Pokemon you can always rely on [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] later on. Finally, I run two Lysandre. This is basically the same for every deck in the current format, but in this deck Lysandre can be particularly powerful because you can just bypass your opponent’s big threats by taking out vulnerable Pokemon-EX on their Bench.
Items
Four VS Seeker shouldn’t need much explanation, especially in a deck that requires the use of a Supporter basically every turn. The consistency engine in the deck revolves around [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], and a single [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. The Battle Compressor is there to clear out the deck a little bit in the late game. It’s not quintessential, but I personally really like it. You can either run four Trainers’ Mail and three Acro Bike, or three Trainers’ Mail and four Acro Bike. This is basically because they are both consistency cards and you can’t really know which one will be more beneficial to you. Trainers’ Mail is better in the early game because it gives you a higher chance of finding Bridgette / Korrina and Acro Bike is better in the late game because it works insanely well with Premonition.
The deck runs one Super Rod. You should try to shuffle Gallade lines back into your deck basically right after the first one is Knocked Out. This means that [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] would be wasted in this deck because you usually only ever shuffle in two or three Pokemon at a time. It also really helps the Giratina matchup because you can shuffle Basic Energy back in to fight against the Special Energy lock.
Finally, I run three Fighting Stadium and two Muscle Band. You need these to bump up Gallade’s damage output so it can hit high numbers and take out Pokemon-EX. Depending on your meta you can cut down to two Fighting Stadium if you don’t think you will face much opposition in terms of Stadiums, but I must stress that the increase in damage that you get from these two cards is the foundation of the deck.
Techs to Consider
I usually don’t talk about deviations from my lists because most of the time I’m happy with the final result of my decks, but for this instance I have to make an exception. If you expect [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] you will have to run at least a single [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. This is because otherwise you will lose as soon as Quaking Punch is announced. I’m currently trying to get away without any, but I’d recommend cutting down to just three Bike and three [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to add in Kirlia. You could also cut the [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card].
Matchups
M Mewtwo-EX
This matchup can be very difficult, depending on the build of the Mewtwo deck. Non-EX cards like [card name=”Sableye” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY92″ c=”name”][/card] can be really annoying because they force a seven-Prize game, which is really something that you don’t want at all. It switches the initiative to your opponent and causes all sorts of problems. The positive side to this though is if you can Lysandre around the problem then you will get significantly ahead of your opponent because it means that they basically wasted a turn.
The real problem with this matchup is that it’s really hard for you to OHKO [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] because it takes four buffs, and they can easily one-shot you. I think that the key is Lysandre. Cheating around their threats is the best way to go, but setting up that magic combo for later on can also steal you the game.
Toad / Giratina
[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This is by far your worst matchup, I’ll say that outright. Seismitoad heavily restricts your ability to evolve into Gallade because you no longer have access to [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], and Giratina locks you out of all of your Special Energy. The problem with being locked out of Special Energy against that type of deck is that every time you manually attach you’re susceptible to Energy-removal (Crushing Hammer, [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]) and you obviously can’t use your DCE. Unless you get lucky you won’t ever be able to get an attack in against the Giratina which means you will be slowly shut out of them match.
Your strategy here is to hit fast and hard, hoping to delay your opponent with Lysandre and throwing up useless Pokemon like Hawlucha or Remoraid whilst you set up Ralts on your Bench. I will say that you probably have a 0% chance of winning this game though if you don’t choose to run Kirlia like I said before.
Yveltal / Gallade
This one is tricky, and I think it’s very much a 50 / 50 game. It’s basically whether you can either efficiently deal with their non-EX Pokemon and get enough buffs on your Gallade to one-shot their [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. Your other option in this match is to try and win by focusing on taking three solid Pokemon-EX KO’s and ignore their threats. The problem with this line of play is if you miss consecutive KO’s then you’ve more or less messed up the game.
With this deck if you test matchups like this enough you become favored because it’s unlikely that most people will have tested against you.
Final Thoughts
This deck is really strong, but you shouldn’t use it if you expect a lot of Item-lock in your meta. I’d also strongly recommend that you get a fair amount of testing with this deck before you take it to a tournament, because it’s not as straightforward as you might think. In the right field this deck will do incredibly well, and I’ve found it to be really fun to play. Definitely try it out, you will be surprised.
Conclusion
Well, I hope I’ve taught you something today. Whether you were looking some advice on dealing with nerves, or you wanted to learn about new decks in the XY–BREAKthrough format I’m sure I’ve given you something that you were looking for. It’s hard to believe that we’re coming up to the halfway point on the season; I remember writing my first article only a few weeks after coming back from Worlds! It’s truly been a pleasure writing articles for you guys so far and I’m looking forward to writing more as the season progresses and we see new and exciting cards come out with each release.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you all next time!
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