Regionals Week One Recap – A Look at the Top Decks From Virginia

Hello PokeBeach readers! I hope you are having as great a time attending or following Regionals as I am. Even though I had my fair share of schoolwork, I decided it would be beneficial to attend the Regional Championships in Doswell, Virginia. Overall, I had a decent showing at the tournament, finishing a respectable 5-2-2 with [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. I started the day with two ties so I knew early on that my margin for error was quite low. I managed to go on a considerable run and found myself in a win-and-in situation heading into the last round. At 5-1-2, it was possible for me to tie and make cut on resistance, but I figured I couldn’t take that risk. If a tie came around, I would gladly take that result over a loss, but I wanted to win to ensure my place in cut. Ultimately, I would lose to Mike F. who would acknowledge after the match how a highly improbable series of flips paved the way for his victory. He won both games to advance to the Top 32, leaving me sitting around to wait for the rest of the players that I drove down with to finish.

Unfortunately, I had to wait around a considerable amount of time as my good friend Kevin Baxter would go on to finish second. At the last two Regionals that I attended, I’ve ridden in the car with finalists – Matt Price in Ft. Wayne and Kevin in Doswell. These have been some late nights! I arrived back home at seven on Monday morning. Needless to say I decided to sleep through my morning classes… As frustrating as it is to wait around a tournament at which you aren’t competing, it is great to be able to congratulate friends on their impressive finishes. Maybe the trend will continue this week in St. Louis?

In this article, I will give you a run down of some of the top decks from Virginia Regionals as well as the pros and cons of playing each at St. Louis. I’ll start with a breakdown of the deck that I played for Virginia.

Seismitoad / Crobat

Before the tournament, I knew [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] would be a solid choice for the weekend. Embarrassingly, I had left all the cards to make the deck at home! Not having cards should never be a reason for not running a deck, but ultimately, it made me shy away from playing Vespiquen as I had none of the evolution lines. Thus, I turned my attention to another strong deck option – [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. This is a deck I felt very comfortable with. I had played it at Nationals last year and figured that I could ride the deck’s 50 / 50 matchups across the board to make the Top 32. The morning of the tournament, I met with Justin Boughter who convinced me that adding [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] would improve the Vespiquen matchup. I was fairly worried about Vespiquen as it had done quite well at most of the Expanded tournaments in my area. Add that to the fact that three of the people I was rooming with for the weekend were playing the deck, and I figured that it would be a bad idea to play a deck with a subpar Vespiquen matchup. After careful consideration, I decided to go with this list:

[decklist name=”Seismitoad / Manectric” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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]1x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

I ended up playing against four [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] decks in which [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] made a major difference. However, both of my losses were to [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], one traditional build and one with [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]. While the addition of Manectric-EX greatly improved my Yveltal-EX matchup, I found that its inconsistency plagued me in mirror matches. I also didn’t play against a single Vespiquen deck, so the entire reasoning for my deck switch was negated.

I disliked playing [card name=”Rock Guard” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card]. It never seemed to help and I was never able to get it out against the mirror which is the matchup it shines brightest in. If I play this deck again in St. Louis, I would strongly consider switching to [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Even though Rock Guard did help me win a couple games on the day, looking back, I should have favored the consistency of Computer Search.

Why You Should Play Seismitoad / Manectric / Crobat

[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] is strong. [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is strong. [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] is strong. And they all cover each others weaknesses. Seismitoad-EX simply can’t do enough damage to put a ton of pressure on opposing Pokemon-EX. Sure, Item-lock is incredibly strong, especially with the additional damage from [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], but in the end, one needs to supplement the damage from Seismitoad-EX with a line of Crobat to ensure swift KO’s. Threats like Yveltal-EX and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] can be taken out in one swing with a two-Energy Manectric-EX. Manectric-EX singlehandedly covers the threats that Seismitoad-EX fears the most, and with the help of Bat damage, can even take out most other Pokemon-EX as well.

I think this deck has a lot of things going for it and it covers a lot of bases. [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] are strong attackers for different reasons, with Manectric hitting some of the better Pokemon-EX for Weakness. [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”EX Delta Species” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] can prolong the amount of time these attackers stay alive and [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] can singlehandedly win games for you that you otherwise shouldn’t have won.

Why You Shouldn’t Play Seismitoad / Manectric / Crobat

[card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] is not without its flaws. Because it needs two Energy to fully charge up, the attacker cannot be powered up in one turn. This creates awkward scenarios when you need to KO with Manectric but risk losing due to breaking the Item-lock. It also struggles when the opponent’s Pokemon-EX doesn’t have a Tool as Manectric then only hits for a meager 60 damage. Though you do run a couple [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], failing to find one will leave you desiring more.

The deck is extremely susceptible to the sleep condition caused by [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. If your opponent is lucky enough to make your attacker fall Asleep, you will be left scrambling to find one of your three [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], and then will need to flip heads to pick up your Active Pokemon. This is not the ideal strategy and while this scenario doesn’t come up often, it will come up enough times in a nine round tournament to make you think twice about playing this deck.

[premium]

Vespiquen

[card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] obviously has a lot going for it. As a non-EX Pokemon that has an almost limitless damage ceiling, Vespiquen was primed to do well in Virginia. I believe Vespiquen is one of the most well-rounded decks in the format as it has an out to just about every deck. If the opponent prevents you from evolving by getting out [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] you have [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to bypass that! Are you losing the mirror by a Prize and an Energy attachment? [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] to the rescue!

The deck is extremely versatile and I can’t get over how it consistently gets rolling. I watched Kevin Baxter set up a complete board multiple times in Top 8 without dropping a single [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]! Of course, these consistency cards ensure that you won’t have unplayable starts, but they are definitely not needed to win games. This forces your opponent to take six Prizes, which is difficult to do when getting pummeled for 180+ damage turn after turn.

Because of the effectiveness of Kevin Baxter’s list, I’d like to go over some of his card choices. Let’s take a look at the list he piloted to a 2nd place finish in Doswell.

[decklist name=”Vespiquen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”28″]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]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Audino” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”25″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ 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=”XY” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I absolutely love the [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card] tech that Kevin included. This inclusion made for some absolutely disgusting turn ones where he was able to drop his hand down to zero and refresh to seven with Beach. I would consider upping this count to two for St. Louis. If you don’t have Tropical Beach, don’t worry, you can still play this deck! If you plan on playing Vespiquen without Beach, consider adding a 4th Juniper or third [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to the list.

Why I Would Play Vespiquen

Vespiquen is simply a solid deck all around. It has speed, it has power, and it has consistency. These three factors are going to get you very far in a tournament. It has answers to all the top decks and has enough options to be able to outplay your opponent.

[cardimg name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] gives the deck a solid boost in consistency. Not only is it a great [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] killer, but it also can use its Premonition Ability to set up an even better board position. This versatility is what the deck loves and I thought it was a genius inclusion by Kevin. Gallade also has the opportunity to OHKO a [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], which is something that Vespiquen struggles to do early in the game.

Many decks fold simply due to you starting [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. I watched Kevin’s Top 4 opponent squirm when Kevin started Wobbuffet in both games of cut. Since Kevin’s opponent was playing a deck completely reliant on Shaymin-EX to set up, his board remained underdeveloped while Kevin was able to get an explosive start and put the tempo solidly in his favor.

Why I Wouldn’t Play Vespiquen

While I would label [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks as inconsistent, they are still prone to horrific starts. With half of the deck consisting of Pokemon, it is very possible to draw hands that are simply unplayable. Starting Wobbuffet also can hamper the deck’s early game by shutting down access to [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. Alternatively, it is also possible to dump too many important cards with a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. Sometimes you are forced to discard two DCE just to get rolling. However, bad starts happen with just about every deck and this shouldn’t be the primary factor for not playing the deck.

Vespiquen struggles against Yveltal / [card name=”Archeops” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card]. In the finals, I watched Kevin lose convincingly to Daniel Altavilla in two swift games. Danny got the Archeops turn one in game one, but Kevin was able to set up four attackers, which should have been enough to carry him through the game. Game two, Danny never got the Archeops out, but Kevin seemed to dead draw and wasn’t able to put the necessary amount of pressure on Danny’s [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. If you suspect Yveltal / Archeops will be big at St. Louis and you haven’t tested the matchup enough to feel comfortable, you will have a difficult time.

Vespiquen takes a surprising amount of skill to pilot. It has a number of different strategies depending on the matchup, and it can even be difficult to make the right attacker choice all the time. You need to know when to go hard and when to relax. It’s not the kind of deck that I would recommend picking up the night before with no play testing.

Eelektrik / Raikou

Remember RayEels, the most recent deck to showcase the power of [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]? Well, he’s back in a big way. I saw this deck played by a number of people in Top 32, and the deck even made two appearances in Top 8. It’s consistent and can grind an opponent down. It performs extremely well in a metagame full of Yveltal-EX decks. Now that its surprise factor is gone, it would be wise to learn how this deck plays as I feel like it will be a strong choice for many in St. Louis. The list below belongs to Eric Rodriguez and he took it all the way to Top 8.

[decklist name=”Raikou / Eelektrik” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″][pokemon amt=”15″]1x [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Tynamo” set=”Noble Victories” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Why I Would Play Raikou / Eelektrik

The deck is straight consistency. Similar to [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], you force your opponent to take six non-EX KO’s for the win. Oh, and by the way, the non-EXs basically have 180 HP. With an [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and a Lightning Energy attached, [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] becomes a hefty dude that won’t go down without a fight. And assuming Raikou survives a hit, you can switch it out to the Bench and bring in a fresh Raikou while you heal the other with [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Swinging for a workable 110 with three Lightning Energy is enough to take down most Pokemon-EX in two hits.

[cardimg name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

There’s no frills here. This isn’t a deck that needs hours of play testing to pick up and do well with. If you’re looking for a unique change of pace from your usual deck, this just might be it. It’s a deck that pretty much does what you want it to do every game and there’s not much the opponent can do to stop it.

Why I Wouldn’t Play Raikou / Eelektrik

[card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t have much of a rogue factor anymore. Everyone going to St. Louis will know about the deck and most will have a strategy against it. They will have seen many different variations of the list and will know what to expect in terms of possible tech options. This is a severe hindrance to the deck as there may be nothing the opponent isn’t prepared for.

It is quite an easy deck to disrupt. I anticipate the inclusion of [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] in a number of lists, if they weren’t already running it simply to shut down Eelektrik’s Dynamotor Ability for a turn. From what I saw of the deck’s performance at Virginia Regionals, the deck needs to make full use of multiple Dynamotor every turn to get fresh Raikou attacking. This means that one critically timed [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] can disrupt the flow of the deck enough to where getting another attack off in the turn is impossible, though this situation only comes into play if they are also able to KO your attacker.

Yveltal / Archeops

And last but not least, we have [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. This monster and his friends once again sit on top of the Pokemon TCG world with a dominant performance in Virginia. Yveltal / [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] piloted by Daniel Altavilla, proved to be one of the most consistent decks of the day en route to a 1st place finish. A number of other top level players opted to play the deck without Archeops, but the inclusion of Archeops helped cover a lot of the decks difficult matchups. Here is a modified version of Altavilla’s list.

[decklist name=”Yveltal” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″][pokemon amt=”13″]2x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Why I Would Play Yveltal / Archeops

The deck just won a Regionals. It’s arguably the most well rounded deck in the format. It has very solid answers to everything and has just a bit more consistency than a deck like [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck is also quite spread-out, not relying solely on either [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], Item cards, or Supporters to set up. This diversity is what makes the deck so fantastic and allows it to have a shot in every game it plays.

[cardimg name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The deck has a plethora of options. From [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], to [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], to [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY06″ c=”name”][/card], it can throw whatever attacker it needs at the time into battle. The mobility that [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] gives the deck is insane and allows you to play your game without worrying about the effects of [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. Seismitoad-EX, Hypnotoxic Laser, and Hex Maniac all provide disruption. Darkrai-EX can snipe the Bench and Yveltal can accelerate at any stage of the game. Archeops singlehandedly shuts down Crobat decks, as well as stymies Vespiquen and Mega Evolutions. [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] provides a nice secondary attacker as well as a consistency boost. With so many options the deck can cover a lot of bases.

Why I Wouldn’t Play Yveltal / Archeops

The deck just won a Regionals. Wait didn’t I just say that? There is no doubt that people will try to counter this deck heavily in St. Louis. A large majority may switch over to a deck like [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] solely to beat Yveltal-EX decks. If you decide to play Yveltal-EX, just know that there likely will be a large target on your back all day.

It takes skill to play. With so many options, it may be difficult to figure out the optimal play at any one time. When should I be aggressive? When should I go attack with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]? Should I get Archeops or Gallade on my Maxie’s? Should I even use Maxie’s this turn? How many Darkness Energy is too much in the discard? Should I throw more away with [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]? With so many decisions to make over the course of a game, it is easy to misplay your way out of a win.

Conclusion

With that said, heading into St. Louis I have jumped on the Yveltal hype-train. I could see myself taking an Yveltal / Archeops deck deep into the tournament. With the ability to compete in just about every game as well as the option to outright shut down many popular decks, this seems like a no-brainer choice. Of course, I usually change my mind, and I anticipate a heavy amount of theorymon between myself and fellow PokeBeach writer Andrew Mahone on the ride to St. Louis. Is anyone in the car going to be a finalist this weekend? Find out soon!

Thanks again for reading. As always, head to the forums where I will attempt to answer any Regionals questions you may have. Hope to see you in St. Louis!

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