Preparing for Regionals — Five Decks That Fit the Bill
What’s going on ‘Beach Nation? Steve here with another article to help you get ready for Winter Regionals. Throughout the course of this article, I will be discussing decks from the current Expanded format (Black & White-BREAKthrough) that I believe are the most optimal plays for the second week of this year’s Winter Regionals. I’ll also go over different decks that I think will see play during these Regional Championships.
Before we get into the decks though, has everyone seen the sick new playmat that will be given out to participants of these Regionals? The Fall Regional mats were cool, but this one is epic! I can’t wait to have one or two of these.
Epic new playmat aside, it’s time to dive into the realm of Regionals and Expanded. As you likely know by now, the Expanded format is huge and offers many different combos and deck ideas. The format itself seems to have fewer competitive decks than Standard, largely due to the overwhelming strength of the top-tier decks in Expanded, unlike the top-tier decks in Standard. So which decks sit atop the mountain that is the Expanded metagame right now? Let’s find out!
Yveltal-EX / Darkrai-EX
The first deck I want to talk about is [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. Ever since the release of Dark Explorers, Darkness-type decks have been at the forefront of competitive gameplay in the Pokemon TCG. With attackers such as Darkrai-EX, [card name=”Hydreigon” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], combined with Energy acceleration via [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and the ability to recycle Item cards through [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]’s Junk Hunt attack, there has been a great deal of versatility to these decks. When XY was released, we got Yveltal-EX, which serves as a type-specific version of the old Mewtwo-EX that’s capable of dealing even more damage. Toss in the flexibility offered by [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] and the extra damage inflicted by [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], and together you have yourself one heck of a strong archetype. This deck also leans heavily toward the use of [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] largely due to the fact that both of Yveltal-EX’s attacks use it effectively. This opens the door for other attackers that also take advantage of Colorless Energy requirements, such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] in Standard variants. Finally, with the current format allowing us to play at a more brisk pace, we can include cards such as [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] to bring out some solid support Pokemon that would be otherwise unplayable in most decks: [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], and even [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card].
With all of these different options available, you can build and customize your Darkness-type deck to fit both your playstyle as well as the meta you’re expecting to see. Here’s a look at the list I’m currently looking at as Winter Regionals approaches:
[decklist name=”Yveltal-EX / Darkrai-EX” amt=”60″ caption=”Dark Spear! Night Cloak!” cname=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″][pokemon amt=”12″]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ 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=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Choices
2 Yveltal-EX / 2 Darkrai-EX
The first thing you may notice in this particular deck list is the even split between [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] — two copies a piece. For a long time, Dark variants ran at least three copies of Yveltal-EX while bouncing between one or two copies of Darkrai-EX. With Lightning types being as prevalent as they are in today’s meta and Fighting-types being mostly devoid, however, Darkrai-EX makes a solid attacker. With your opponent less likely to deal double damage to your Pokemon via Weakness, you can maintain ground against more decks and ultimately avoid the disadvantage that is Weakness.
The next reason for this split is the difference in their attacks and Darkrai-EX’s Ability. While Yveltal-EX has two attacks, Darkrai-EX’s Night Spear attack is capable of dealing 30 damage to one of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon in addition to dealing a solid 90 damage to begin with. Throw in Darkrai-EX’s Dark Cloak Ability and you can see exactly why this card has been dominant for nearly four years now.
The reason for not running a third copy of Yveltal-EX is because the format has experienced a shift toward single-Prize attackers over the last few months, and having too many Pokemon-EX could make the Prize trade rather unfavorable in some matchups. However, with two copies of both Yveltal-EX and Darkrai-EX, you should still have plenty of firepower to take out whatever threat opposes you.
Gallade / Archeops / Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick
[cardimg name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The inclusion of [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck allows you to utilize two more Pokemon: [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]. Gallade is a straight-up powerhouse attacker. You will typically play a Supporter card every turn, meaning you’ll almost always be hitting for 130 with Gallade. This is a big deal for two reasons: Gallade is a single-Prize attacker with a massive 150 HP, and it can deal with one of this deck’s biggest nightmares — [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. Gallade also comes with an Ability called Premonition which allows you to rearrange the top five cards of your deck however you like once during each turn.
With all of those benefits, why do you need Archeops? Well, it’s an entirely different beast. While Archeops won’t be attacking anything, it can be extremely devastating against a number of decks, including [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] variants, and anything based around Mega Evolution Pokemon.
Which of these Pokemon you prioritize getting into play first depends on the given matchup, although this deck can function fine without either one in play. In a sense, these are luxury Pokemon that can put the deck into overdrive against certain matchups, rather than Pokemon that absolutely must see the board every game.
Strengths
[card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] is probably the most versatile deck in the game, having the ability to beat just about anything you may encounter. This is a strong deck that does well against most of the top decks we’ve seen thus far in Expanded, largely thanks to its ability to include specific tech cards such as [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with such problems. The sheer flexibility and overwhelming attacks this deck offers are a lethal combination and it is why Dark-type decks will remain at the top tables of nearly every major tournament in the foreseeable future. While a rogue deck like [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] or an explosive Fairy deck may give this deck trouble, those are few and far between right now in Expanded, leaving Yveltal-EX / Darkrai-EX a solid and safe bet for this Winter Regionals.
Weaknesses
The biggest price you pay for teching out any deck is the decrease in consistency. Dark-type decks rarely lose consistency by including a tech or two when compared to most other decks, but even a minor setback in consistency may become a factor in such a large tournament as Regionals. With nine or 10 rounds of Swiss on day one alone, you’re going to want your deck to be as consistent as possible while also being capable of dealing with the meta and your opposing matchups. The beauty of the current format is that there is no clear-cut best deck right now. Players will often be pushed to their creative limits to come up with ways to counter the meta while maintaining their deck’s consistency to get a leg up on the competition. You could easily drop the [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] from this list in order to add consistency throughout the rest of the deck, but then what happens when you hit a rough matchup like [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] where you may need that Archeops in play to take control of the board? This is where finding that fine line between too many techs and not enough techs becomes a little more clear; it depends mostly on what your matchups look like going into a tournament.
Seismitoad-EX / Crobat
The next deck I’m going to go over is [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], which also includes a [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] for a couple of rough matchups. Unlike the previous deck, this is a complete control deck designed to shut down a large portion of your opponent’s resources while slowly chipping away at their Pokemon’s HP. Just as you would expect with a control-based archetype, this deck includes several forms of disruption: Seismitoad-EX’s Item locking attack, the discarding of your opponent’s Energy cards via your own Supporter cards’ effects, among other things. From there, your Crobat line can add extra damage onto your opponent’s Pokemon each turn, allowing you to take KOs when you need them. This is the list I’m working with right now:
[decklist name=”Toad/Bats” amt=”60″ caption=”Toad… toad… toad…” cname=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ 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=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rock Guard” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Choices
Only 3 Seismitoad-EX
I always ran four copies of [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck, until recently when some of the other PokeBeach premium writers convinced me that this deck functions fine with only three copies, largely due to cards like [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to remove damage counters and deny your opponent KOs. With that said, Seismitoad-EX is still, without a doubt, this deck’s main attacker, locking down your opponent’s Item cards with its Quaking Punch attack. Of course, we still have four copies of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] as well as plenty of draw power to make sure we can manage a Quaking Punch as quickly as possible. Using the maximum of four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] is a mainstay in any Seismitoad-based deck in order for it to boot properly.
Manectric-EX
[card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] has long been viewed as a backup attacker to [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], often times with greater results than the original backup attacker — [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s merely there to flex a little muscle when needed. While Mewtwo-EX technically has a higher damage cap, Manectric-EX helps out by hitting for Weakness against [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], both of which can be problematic for this deck if they get going quick enough. Manectric-EX also offers a Bench-sniping first attack. With [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card]’s ability to place damage on your opponent’s Pokemon, having an additional Bench-sniping attack certainly isn’t a bad thing. Just remember that if you do use Manectric to attack, you’ll be breaking Seismitoad-EX’s Item lock on your opponent, giving them access to a lot more cards than they would normally have.
Rock Guard
[card name=”Rock Guard” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] is an interesting Ace Spec card that I originally deemed useless, until Kristy Britton dropped it onto her [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] against me at last year’s U.S. National Championship. To put it mildly, it caught me by surprise. With virtually no setup that game and a near-complete lockdown of my resources via Quaking Punch and [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], I had very little to work with. Having 60 extra damage thrown my way whenever I swung at her Seismitoad only made matters worse — much worse.
First off, this card is absolutely brutal against low-HP attackers such as those featured in Night March decks, and the 60 damage dealt by Rock Guard’s effect can also speed up the otherwise slow process of dealing damage with this deck. Secondly, it’s a card that some players may not see coming and could end up surprising them in a similar manner to the way it caught me off guard last July. This card might not win you a game single-handedly, but it will definitely make taking KOs and ultimately drawing all six Prizes much easier.
Silent Lab
[cardimg name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ align=”left” c=”custom”]You may not speak.[/cardimg]
Perhaps the most frustrating card in this deck for your opponent, other than [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] itself, is [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. Now why would you run this card in a deck that already runs [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]? It’s simple — there are some decks that are incredibly reliant on Abilities; shutting them down on top of locking their Item cards out of play puts many players in a very sticky situation. This is a superior play compared to [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] because it still allows us to use our [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] lines effectively and can also be played on the first turn, forcing your opponent to have a counter-Stadium in hand if he or she wants to draw cards off of a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or set up his or her board through the use of [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. This is especially helpful against [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks that rely on Shaymin-EX and [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] to draw cards early on to prepare the board and discard pile for a big Bee Revenge attack. Since Seismitoad has a Weakness to Vespiquen’s Grass typing, you want to limit the Vespiquen player’s options heavily, perhaps even using a [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] in conjunction with the Silent Lab on the first turn to cripple their resources as much as possible and take immediate control before they can explode and start streaming OHKOs on your Seismitoad-EX’s.
The other two decks that come into play here are [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] due to its reliance on Hoopa-EX to set up, and Archie’s [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] which often uses [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] to search out [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn. By shutting down your opponent’s opening play, you can shut down their entire deck and ensure a win before the game even gets started. This is the essence of Silent Lab.
Strengths
This deck has incredible lockdown potential. An early [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] followed by a [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] can shut down most turbo decks that run off of cards like [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], allowing you to lock their Items with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] for the remainder of the game. Even if you don’t go first, those decks have a single turn to set up before Quaking Punch renders their Item cards useless. Furthermore, one or two Bats can KO a Pokemon without attacking at all, providing your opponent is playing a deck with lower HP Pokemon, such as Night March. This has proven to be an effective strategy over the past year as [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] has become the most successful partner for Seismitoad-EX in most areas. The ability to take away your opponent’s resources while chipping away at your opponent’s Pokemon is a solid strategy and definitely makes Seismitoad-EX / Crobat a strong play for Regionals.
Weaknesses
Despite all the advantages [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] offer, this deck also has one glaring weakness — a lack of versatility. Outside of Supporters, it has little room for tech cards and thus becomes predictable in game. It’s easy to build for this reason, but having less options means having fewer ways around certain situations where you might need them. Also, while this deck doesn’t rely on quite as many coin flips as a Seismitoad variant running [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card]s, you’re still playing the coin flip game with cards like [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. These things don’t detract from this deck’s overall potential for the most part, but they are both things to be aware of when playing this deck in a tournament.
[premium]
Vespiquen / Flareon
Now we are starting to get into decks that are more my playstyle — aggressive decks that start swinging and don’t look back. [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] is an excellent example of such a deck, dumping resources via [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in order to set up huge damage with Vespiquen’s Bee Revenge and Flareon’s Vengeance attacks. Because these attacks depend on having a large number of Pokemon in the discard pile, our overall Pokemon count is going to be very high, to include different Pokemon that can handle various situations while simply being discarded when you don’t need them. Vespiquen and Flareon are also single-Prize attackers, forcing your opponent to KO six of your Pokemon as opposed to three or four in order to claim all of his or her Prizes. This can also become a huge advantage if your opponent is relying on Pokemon-EX to attack with primarily. This is my current Vespiquen / Flareon list:
[decklist name=”Vespiquen / Flareon” amt=”60″ caption=”Not the bees!” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”29″]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]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]4x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”24″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ 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]2x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Choices
Banette
[cardimg name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This creepy-looking Ghost Pokemon is a card I’ve seen included in [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] lists from time to time, but I’ve only recently started testing it out for myself. As for the results, let’s just say this card is a monster in quite a few matchups. While Banette doesn’t prevent you from playing Pokemon Tool cards, it does take away their effects. Does your opponent have a [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] in play, or maybe a Pokemon-EX with a Spirit Link ready to Mega Evolve? Those effects won’t be helping out anytime soon. Staring down a Fighting type equipped with [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]? You can still OHKO that Pokemon. You’ll also be reducing the damage output of Pokemon equipped with [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] back to their original numbers, which can often result in your opponent taking an extra turn to score a KO on one of your Pokemon.
While you could easily run a single-use Item card like [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], or even the [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]-compatible [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], none of these cards have the continuous and consistent effect that [card name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] possesses. Being a Stage 1 Pokemon means Banette will take an extra turn to get into play, but that’s perfectly fine when you consider the effect you’re getting in return. It’s definitely not something you want in the Active spot and isn’t needed for every matchup, but against decks that can swing the game through the effects of Pokemon Tool cards, this is a real winner.
Wobbuffet
I’ve included [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck mainly to counter [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], although its uses extend beyond that one situation. That prehistoric bird Pokemon can create major problems for this deck since we are relying on Stage 1 Pokemon to attack with. Now we could easily run a copy of [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with this problem, but with Wobbuffet we gain a little more. Wobbuffet gives us an ideal starter against decks like [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], or anything looking to draw extra cards via [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Wobbuffet is also a Pokemon instead of a Supporter, meaning you can simply discard it when we don’t need it in order to power up both Vespiquen and Flareon’s attacks even more.
The inclusion of two [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]s allows Wobbuffet to get itself out of the Active position in time for you to attack. [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card]’s ability is still functional while Wobbuffet is Active, so your draw support isn’t as limited as your opponent’s under Wobbuffet’s Ability lock. Ultimately, this is meant to be an Archeops counter, but, as you can see, Wobbuffet has a wide range of uses in the current meta.
Pokemon Catcher
[card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] has become a lost art since [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] was printed, sending the once-mighty Item card back into binders and boxes. However, this card has lately become useful again, primarily in speed-based variants as well as the [card name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Charizard-EX” set=”Flashfire” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] deck in Standard.
Here in Expanded though, this card proves useful when you’re playing another Supporter like [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and also need to take a KO off one of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. While it does rely on a coin flip, you can search Pokemon Catcher out of your deck with the aforementioned Teammates as well as whichever other card the situation calls for, allowing you to take a KO much quicker than if you had to wait until the following turn to use Lysandre. Some players will not be expecting this card, which only makes it that much more dangerous. Just remember that it is a coin flip and thus it isn’t always going to work. Even then, this is still a powerful card that’s definitely worth its two slots in this deck.
Life Dew
[cardimg name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ align=”left” c=”custom”]The fountain is flowing with the Water of Hermes.[/cardimg]
This once rarely-used Ace Spec card has now become the second most popular Ace Spec in Expanded, only topped by [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Why? I’ll go back to an example from an Expanded City Championship I played about a month ago. I was playing Night March / Vespiquen while my opponent was running [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]. I had taken the first Prize card and neither of us had a copy of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] on the board to swing the Prize trade. I thought I had the game locked up as long as I didn’t whiff an attack, but then my opponent attached a [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] to his Active Vespiquen. I had no way around it, as I still had at least four Prizes remaining with my lone copy of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] being Prized. Needless to say, I was forced to KO the Vespiquen for zero Prizes. My opponent took the Prize lead from there and that was it; in that instance, I single-handedly lost to this card.
Now while many players will be packing some form of Tool removal, that doesn’t mean Life Dew isn’t a powerful card. In fact, I recommend using Life Dew as your Ace Spec in any deck based around Vespiquen, Flareon, or Night March in the Expanded format. It is simply that good, and its effect on the Prize trade mirrors that of a Pokemon-EX being KO’d in one of these decks. If you’re running a deck featuring mostly single-Prize attackers, Life Dew can be a game-breaking card when single-Prize decks go head to head.
Strengths
This deck has a lot of strengths in the current meta. Some of these include a reliance on single-Prize attackers, the ability to include different tech Pokemon — as you can simply discard them to fuel your attacks if they aren’t needed — and a fast engine that lets you both attach and attack every turn as long as you can maintain a steady stream of your Stage 1 Pokemon in play.
It’s worth noting that [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] can hit [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] for Weakness, thus the Item-locking monstrosity becomes less frustrating than it normally would be. [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] can gain Energy acceleration via [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], allowing you to conserve your [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] for when they are needed most.
This deck can draw through itself very quickly with the use of [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s Abilities. You keep what you need and pitch the rest, ultimately avoiding dead draws and maintaining a high level of consistency throughout your games. As long as you can continue to attack, you can keep pressure on your opponent and sail to victory.
Weaknesses
Despite the inclusion of [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card], this deck still has a tough time if your opponent manages an [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] before you start evolving into [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]. Granted, you can simply send a Wobbuffet out into the Active spot at any time in order to evolve your Benched [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Eevee” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], but you’ll likely be giving up a Prize in the process.
This brings us to the other main problem this deck has: the inability to take OHKOs on big Pokemon-EX within the first couple of turns. Sure, it is mathematically possible to deal well over 200 damage on the second turn with this deck, but, in reality, that isn’t going to happen often. More often than not, you’re going to deal between 70-130 damage on your first attack. This is enough damage to take out a single-Prize Pokemon, but it will take an additional turn or two before you can start taking KOs on bigger Pokemon-EX. If you can make it through the first few turns, however, you should be dealing 180+ damage every turn and taking KOs easily for the remainder of the game.
Turbo Mega Rayquaza
I’ve discussed decks featuring Pokemon-EX as well as a turbo deck built around single-Prize attackers, but who doesn’t want to see the game’s best Mega Evolution Pokemon in action? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you — [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. This bad boy is able to OHKO anything in the game, aside from [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]; but what if I told you it could be done on the first turn? That’s the beauty of M Rayquaza-EX’s Ancient Trait — Delta Evolution! Even if you don’t have a Spirit Link or you’re unable to play one for whatever reason, you can still evolve it as soon as [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] hits the field, resulting in one less turn you’ll need to wait in order to take advantage of its deadly attack. Of course, the list I have for you includes a lot of ways to explode on the first turn to ensure that your attackers will be ready to go at the first available opportunity.
[decklist name=”Mega Rayquaza Turbo” amt=”60″ caption=”It’s a Mega Rayquazapocalypse!” cname=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ 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=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ 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=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Choices
Which Rayquaza-EX?
[cardimg name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”104″ align=”right” c=”none”]I see you’ve found all seven Dragon Balls.[/cardimg]
There are actually four different options for a Basic Rayquaza-EX in Expanded, but we can eliminate the [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY66 ” c=”custom”]box promo[/card] version as well as the old one from [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”85″ c=”custom”]Dragons Exalted[/card] right away, as their attacks don’t synergize with this deck’s strategy. This leaves the two Rayquaza-EX from Roaring Skies as our choices. While [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”104″ c=”custom”]one of them[/card] deals 10 damage for one Colorless Energy or 60 to a Pokemon-EX, can deal 100 for three Colorless Energy, and has a total of 170 HP, it also carries with it the same Lightning Weakness as [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card].
Rayquaza-EX’s [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”custom”]Dragon-type[/card] counterpart, however, carries an extra 10 HP as well as an acceptable 30 damage attack at the cost of two Colorless Energy. The biggest advantage here is the lack of Weakness to Lightning. Since this Rayquaza has Dragon typing, it holds a Weakness to the much more scarce Fairy type. This might not seem like a big deal when you’re going to evolve into M Rayquaza-EX regardless, but you always want to put yourself in the best possible scenario, even if the margin is so slight that it doesn’t seem relevant. For that reason alone, Dragon-type Rayquaza-EX from Roaring Skies seems to be the superior choice when constructing this deck.
THREE Hoopa?
Yes, you read that correctly. There are a total of three [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. This tactic is something I first witnessed in my match against Zander Bennett at Fort Wayne Regionals last October. While I was skeptical in the beginning, I’ve learned that three Hoopa-EX allow for maximum consistency even when one of them is Prized, since you’ll usually want to use two of them to set your Bench up for some massive 180+ damage attacks with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. Hoopa-EX is also instrumental in pulling [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] from your deck to grant you free switching capabilities throughout the game, and can pull other necessary Pokemon-EX you might need, such as [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] against a deck that runs [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]s or [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] in order to obtain a specific Supporter card right away.
Having three Hoopa-EX in your deck along with four copies of [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] nearly guarantees that you will see at least one Hoopa-EX on your first turn in every game. You will set up quicker and attack much faster, paving the path to victory. After all, who doesn’t love consistency?
Exeggcute / Sacred Ash
[card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] is a pretty simple card that can be retrieved from the discard pile via its Ability, allowing for repeated discard abuse with cards such as [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. However, Exeggcute can also be brought back and placed on the Bench, which can be the difference between a OHKO and a 2HKO with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack. Most decks built around Pokemon-EX will require you to deal at least 180 damage for a OHKO. You’ll need [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] as well as a sixth Benched Pokemon in order to score said OHKO. Exeggcute can easily fill this need if you do not have the necessary sixth Pokemon in hand, or be the required seventh or eighth Benched Pokemon needed to take out a Mega Pokemon.
However, there is also the problem of losing your Sky Field and having your Bench brought back down to five, reducing M Rayquaza-EX’s damage cap to 150. That’s where [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] comes in. This Item allows you to shuffle five of your Pokemon back into your deck for reuse in order to power up another massive Emerald Break attack. If you opt to send [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] back into the deck along with some other miscellaneous Pokemon-EX, you can even play four of them at once through Hoopa’s Scoundrel Ring Ability! I wouldn’t recommend filling more than the necessary Bench slots to take a OHKO unless you absolutely have to, as a counter-Stadium could easily make life difficult by eliminating a Bench of seven or eight Pokemon.
Strengths
This deck’s biggest advantage is its ability to OHKO almost any Pokemon in the game on the first or second turn, depending on who goes first. This can give you a positive matchup against any deck that runs on Pokemon-EX, and even a decent shot at beating single-Prize attackers if they can’t keep up with you in the Prize trade since [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] has a whopping 220 HP. [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] will give you a quick setup, while [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] ensures you are able to use Emerald Break as quickly as possible. A single copy of [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] works wonders in the mirror match as well as against [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] decks, while [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] protects you from status conditions and [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] can get you out of any switching jam thrown your way. This deck’s speed is unmatched in terms of damage output on the first attack, allowing it to take out even the dreaded [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] before Turbo Bolt fries your M Rayquaza-EX! There isn’t much else to say about this, except put the gas pedal to the floor and don’t let up until you’ve won.
Weaknesses
This deck’s kryptonite is [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], plain and simple. Sure, Night March decks do exist in Expanded, but they are much fewer and farther between than the Standard format. Parallel City can drop your Bench space from eight (with [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]) all the way down to three, along with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]’s damage cap from 240 to 90, meaning it won’t be OHKO’ing much outside of [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. It also means you’ll have to set your Bench up again once you find another Sky Field, which can be quite the chore if you’re running low on Basic Pokemon in your deck.
This deck’s other weakness is against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks that can discard your Energy at will and eventually lock you out of your Sky Fields and [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] with Giratina’s Chaos Wheel attack. Throw in Giratina’s Ability, which protects it from Mega Pokemon completely, and you have a serious problem. A fast start coupled with an early [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] can win you this matchup, but this is still the one deck you don’t want to see across the table if you’re running M Rayquaza-EX.
Archie’s Blastoise
Ah, [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”custom”]Archie’s[/card] [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]. This was my favorite deck for almost all of last year and I couldn’t have been happier to see it win Worlds. So what can we do with this monster now? Quite a bit, actually. Who doesn’t enjoy dropping anywhere between six and nine Water Energy onto a [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] to take a huge KO, only to repeat the entire process if said Keldeo-EX gets KO’d? I honestly believe this was the best deck in the game once [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] was banned. While it’s not quite as powerful now as it was then, this deck is more than capable of winning Regionals with the correct list. The crazy thing about my current list is that it’s a mere three cards away from my 15th place build from last summer’s U.S. National Championship.
[decklist name=”#ArchStoise” amt=”60″ caption=”I do it on turn one!” cname=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ 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=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Choices
2 Articuno
[card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] is a card I chose not to include in my list last summer. However, after testing it against decks like Night March and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], I feel that not only is it worth running, but two copies are warranted in this deck. This card single-handedly makes Night March a favorable matchup by turning their Prize trade strategy against them, while Flareon is similarly easy to KO thanks to Weakness, allowing [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] itself to deal with Vespiquen if necessary. Articuno’s three-Energy attack cost is also beneficial as you can charge up two of them in a single turn and eliminate the threat of an opposing [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] for a turn. In its own way, Articuno reminds me of my days playing Plasma [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] a couple years ago, and that’s music to my ears.
Kyurem
[cardimg name=”Kyurem” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”31″ align=”left” c=”custom”]Feel the Blizzard Burn![/cardimg]
This is the card I always run in my Archie’s [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] lists that seems to be overlooked more often than not by other players. The reasoning here is fairly simple: we run single-Prize attackers to help out with the Prize trade against decks like Night March and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] as well as the occasional anti-EX attacker like [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. While [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] may struggle to consistently deal enough damage for a OHKO against Suicune, Regice, or Vespiquen, Kyurem’s Blizzard Burn attack deals just enough damage to take out any of these nuisances. Throw Frost Spear on top of that — which not only gives the deck a convenient Bench-sniping capability, but also has the power to take out two [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] in a single attack against Night March — and you’ve got a pretty solid attacker here.
Like Articuno, Kyurem needs three Energy to launch its biggest attack, meaning you can save the other five or so Energy for that [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] waiting on the Bench to take over the game. You can also use Kyurem to soften up bigger targets like [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] so that Keldeo can deal with them more consistently, while only yielding a single Prize when Kyurem is KO’d, which will typically be irrelevant against decks based on Pokemon-EX and Mega Pokemon. All in all, this is a very solid card that still deserves a spot in any Archie’s Blastoise list, and I don’t plan on cutting it anytime soon.
Acro Bike vs. Unown
Some players prefer [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] over [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]; I am not one of those people. Acro Bike is a purely aggressive card. It pulls two cards from the deck instead of the one card drawn by Unown, granting you access to a variety of different cards at a faster rate, as well as offering you a choice between two different cards that you may want to add to your hand. Sure, you can bench Unown, play [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], then use Unown’s Farewell Letter Ability to draw a sixth card into your new hand — but outside of that lone situation, how often is Unown going to be better than Acro Bike? Acro Bike, meanwhile, can speed you to the cards you need and potentially avoid a dead card from going into your hand where you can’t even use it. This decision ultimately comes down to player preference, but I much prefer Acro Bike over Unown in this particular deck.
Parallel City
This is my latest addition to this deck. It replaces the lone copy of [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] I’d been running for approximately 10 months now. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, I mostly ran Rough Seas as a counter Stadium and not so much for its effect. In fact, it was almost exclusively used as a counter for [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] when I first added it into the deck during last year’s States.
That counter for Silent Lab is every bit as necessary now as it was then, but [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] does something more. As you can see in the deck list above, this deck runs two copies of both [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s likely you will have plenty of things you won’t want sitting on your Bench waiting to be picked off by an opposing [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Parallel City can fix that problem for you, while also lowering the damage output of Pokemon like [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], or even an opposing [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. Also, you can use this card to drop a [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] player’s Bench all the way down to three, severely limiting his or her damage cap while also sending a massive amount of his or her Pokemon to the discard pile. The one important thing to remember here is that by Bench-locking your opponent with Parallel City, you are also reducing the damage of your own Water Pokemon by 20, which is a big deal against a field full of Pokemon-EX and Mega Pokemon. Other than that, however, this is a spectacular card that is definitely worth playing in Blastoise decks today.
Strengths
The number one strength to this deck is its combination of speed and consistency. Since the release of Roaring Skies, [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] decks have been able to hit a turn one [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] at a rate of somewhere around 80 percent. That’s insane when you think about what needs to be done in order to play Archie’s Ace in the Hole in the first place.
Once Blastoise has hit the table, this deck goes bonkers and starts a rampaging KO-fest of your opponent’s Pokemon. With [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]’s Secret Sword capping out at 270 damage, there isn’t anything that you won’t be able to OHKO. Factor in the advantages generated by [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] against single-Prize decks, and you have an absolute monster on your hands. As long as you don’t miss a beat and Blastoise hits the table on turn one, this deck can keep pace with even the mightiest Pokemon-EX, including [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], and even the Item-locking [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]. After that, simply ride the snowball effect until you’ve claimed all six Prize cards. It’s that simple once you are set up.
Weaknesses
[cardimg name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This deck has its fair share of weaknesses, including [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]’s Grass-typing against your [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. However, all of these can be overcome by simply outspeeding them, or overpowering in the case of Trevenant. There is, however, one card that shuts this thing down on turn one — [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]. While a first turn Ghetsis is powerful against almost any deck, it hurts this one most of all. While Vespiquen / Flareon and Night March can simply use [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] to replenish their resources, having to do so with [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] means the mighty Shellfish Pokemon is far less likely to see the field on turn one, and that can create a snowball effect against you. Ability lock can also be a problem, denying your use of Keldeo-EX’s Rush In Ability to counteract the effects of [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] while simultaneously forcing you to attach your [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]s to Blastoise rather than Keldeo-EX.
This might seem like more weaknesses than the other four decks I’ve discussed, but if Archie’s Blastoise gets going, there are very few things that can slow it down. Besides, who doesn’t love Blastoise?
Conclusion
Well, that’s all I’ve got for you guys today. The five decks listed above are all safe bets for the second week of Regionals, with each of them testing well against the majority of decks I’ve seen in Expanded as of late.
If you’d like to know more, please feel free to hit me up on the message boards, in the comments below, or in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout. Also be sure to check out BeachCast, PokeBeach’s competitive TCG podcast, for even more strategies and ideas heading into each major tournament cycle! Until next time!
Cheers, PokeBeach!
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