Sableye and the Puzzle of Time — How It Works and How to Beat It
What’s up, Beach universe? Steve here and back with another article for all of you, this time talking about one of the most insane decks we’ve seen this season: the BREAKpoint-infused [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] deck.
[cardimg name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Prior to the release of this latest set, many of our current high- and mid-tier decks had a hard time getting around the deadly lock this archetype could initiate. With BREAKpoint entering the format for Florida and Oregon Regionals this upcoming weekend, this deck becomes an absolute monster and it’s important to be prepared for it if you’re going to attend either of these events. So, how has this deck changed with the release of BREAKpoint? What does the new version of the deck do? Also, how can we beat it? We’ll look at Sableye / Garbodor thoroughly and answer all those questions in this article!
Before we look at this frightening new deck though, I’m going to talk briefly about some of the cards from BREAKpoint, including a strong new deck I’ve been testing for the Expanded format: MaxieChomp. BREAKpoint is a neat little set that is sure to change up the metagame with a few extremely powerful cards and some solid archetypes.
BREAKpoint and Garchomp
BREAKpoint is a massive set that includes many new cards for existing archetypes as well as its own new archetype in [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Hypno” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”All-Night Party” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]. I’m not expecting this new Darkrai-EX deck to make much of a showing in Expanded, although [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] players may opt to tech in a single copy for week three. One of the other noteworthy cards is [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], which acts as a meeting point between [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card], granting a Basic Pokemon 40 more HP and making its attacks to 10 more damage.
We’ve also gained a nifty new Fighting-type attacker in the form of [card name=”Garchomp” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]. While Garchomp is a Stage 2 Pokemon, it can be brought into play via [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] if you don’t want to evolve it with [card name=”Gible” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and either [card name=”Gabite” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”EX Holon Phantoms” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Due to the popularity of [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] in Expanded, it may be difficult to use Rare Candy effectively here. Either way, Garchomp offers two excellent attacks. The first, Assault Turbo, can accelerate Special Energy cards as well as basic Energy, thus allowing the user repeated access to cards such as [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], depending on the deck you’re playing. As for Garchomp’s second attack, Bite Off, you can toss a Muscle Band, Strong Energy, or [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] into play and deal 180 damage. With two Strong Energy, a Muscle Band, and a Fighting Stadium, you’ll deal 240 damage! That’s enough to KO any Pokemon-EX besides [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], which seems pretty darn good to me. While some players may not be a fan of Garchomp right now, it’s running pretty smoothly in my playtesting. I’d like to quickly go over my Garchomp deck for Expanded, which operates in a similar manner to the [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] deck that won Worlds last summer. Here is my current list:
[decklist name=”MaxieChomp” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Garchomp” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”70″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Garchomp” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Giovanni’s Scheme” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ 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=”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]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″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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]2x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] [cardimg name=”Garchomp” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”70″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The engine here is similar to that of Archie’s [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], although this deck doesn’t rely nearly as heavily on getting [card name=”Garchomp” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] into play on the first turn as Archie’s Blastoise decks do with Blastoise. Instead, you can simply attack with [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] until you are able to use [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] and bring a Garchomp into play. Another nice thing about this sort of deck is its tendency to condense itself over the first few turns. You’re much less likely to have a dead hand later on in the game.
While Blastoise decks can simply load up a [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] and take KOs at will, they’re also extremely prone to cards like [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], both of which are likely to see a bit of play at Regionals. Meanwhile, Garchomp doesn’t rely on any Abilities as you have other attackers for the early game and only one of this deck’s Abilities will remain useful through the game.
That Ability belongs to Keldeo-EX, of course. Being able to Rush In and then retreat for free via [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] can help to get Landorus-EX or Lucario-EX out of a jam if necessary. Otherwise, Garchomp and Hawlucha can simply take advantage of their free Retreat Costs and single-Prize status to control the game while Garchomp continually accelerates Energy across your board. This gives you an army of attackers, all of which can swing for a mere one Fighting Energy. This is a very versatile deck overall, and one that could be a potential dark horse for week three of Regionals this month.
What Does Sableye / Garbodor Do?
[card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] does something made possible through the banning of [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. We’ve seen players employ successful deck-out strategies since then, such as Enrique Avila’s [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] deck at last year’s U.S. Nationals as well as various [card name=”Houndoom-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] decks that appeared throughout this season’s City Championships. Sableye / Garbodor even saw play at Expanded City Championships as well as Fall Regionals.
So why are we making a big deal about it now? Well, BREAKpoint gave this deck some new toys which make it considerably stronger. The first is a card called [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. Some of you might be thinking “Sableye could already do the same thing with Item cards via its Junk Hunt attack. How much difference can this card really make?”
The answer is a huge difference, and here’s why: Sableye’s Junk Hunt attack can net you any two Item cards from your discard pile while playing two Puzzle of Time at once allows you to grab any two cards from your discard pile. Another key here is the timing of these effects. Using Junk Hunt ends your turn while playing Puzzle of Time does not. You can drop two Puzzle of Time for any two cards you like in your discard pile, continue your turn, and then use Junk Hunt to simply retrieve the two Puzzle of Time for another use next turn. “But aren’t most of my targets going to be Item cards anyway?”
[cardimg name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The answer to that question is yes, but that doesn’t mean Sableye and Puzzle of Time do the same thing. The best example of this is [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], the Ace Spec card you’ll be playing in this deck. Life Dew is a key component to your strategy as it denies your opponent a Prize card when he or she takes out your Sableye. Previously a Sableye / Garbodor player would then have to send up a second Sableye and use Junk Hunt to retrieve Life Dew to attach it to another Pokemon on his or her following turn, thus allowing his or her opponent one turn to KO a Sableye and claim a Prize card. However, if your Sableye is KO’d now, simply send up the next one and use Puzzle of Time to retrieve Life Dew. Then you can attach Life Dew to your new Sableye without having to risk giving up a Prize card. This effectively means your opponent cannot draw Prizes!
Now you’re probably thinking “a simple [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] changes that,” but these are all single-use effects, and, unless your opponent is running either multiple copies or has chosen [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] as his or her Ace Spec, only Xerosic can be used more than once through the use of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card].
Another new card we’ve gained is [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. Often enough, its effect will force your opponent to discard his or her entire hand, leaving him or her top-decking and hoping for a draw Supporter. It’s important to remember that Delinquent does require a Stadium card to be in play, so you may need to recycle those with Puzzle of Time too in order to use her effect. With the threat of Delinquent returning every turn, your opponent will conserve even more resources and play fewer cards from his or her hand.
It’s also crucial to note that if they don’t KO your Sableye for even one turn, you can Puzzle of Time for something other than Life Dew or a Supporter. This opens up more plays and possibilities, allowing you access to cards such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] to control your opponent’s plays even more.
After looking at some of these new tricks, let’s check out my BREAKpoint-infused Sableye / Garbodor list:
[decklist name=”Jewel Thief” amt=”60″ caption=”Voldemort’s Eighth Horcrux!” cname=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/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]2x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
As you can see, most of our Items are run in pairs. You won’t need more than two copies of most of them since you’re mainly playing out of your discard pile via Sableye and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. You’re also much less likely to Prize both copies of a card than you are to Prize your only copy of something should you choose to only run a single copy of a chosen card. This is especially vital since we won’t be claiming Prize cards.
Sableye
[card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] is the heart and soul of the deck, using Junk Hunt to retrieve two Item cards from the discard pile each turn. Your targets will almost always be two copies of [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], but Sableye also offers the versatility to grab a different Item card if you need to. This can often be the case if you’re already holding one Puzzle of Time in hand and simply need a second one to gain the desired effect, effectively allowing you to retrieve a total of three cards instead of two.
Sableye also requires only one Darkness Energy to attack and has no Weakness either, which is the icing on the cake from here. This makes a first turn KO of Sableye difficult for a lot of decks, which is nice when you consider how difficult it is to get [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] into play on the first turn compared to the second. While Puzzle of Time might be stealing the spotlight right now, this deck relies much more on Sableye than it does on the newly-released Item card we’re all enamored with.
Garbodor
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
If you look at this deck closely, you may notice that there are lots of Abilities that can take it down a level or two. Enter [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]’s stinky best friend. We happen to run three Pokemon Tools in this deck: two copies of [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and a Life Dew. Since Life Dew primarily goes with Sableye, you’re going to want a Float Stone on Garbodor to gain its Ability-locking effect. Despite only running two copies, this isn’t difficult to manage through the use of [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and Sableye, allowing us quick and easy access to both Float Stone and our Garbodor line when we need them. You’ll also find that you don’t need Garbodor in every matchup. You can toss them away in some games without having to worry. It even has backup in the form of [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card].
I’d also like to point out why I chose a BREAKpoint Garbodor instead of an older one. This has nothing to do with the difference in their attacks — which happens to be their only difference — but everything to do with shuffling and avoiding warped or bent cards. I’ve noticed that foils from the Black & White era tend to warp much more easily than those from the XY era, likely due to the style of foil used during each series. If you’re going to run a Black-&-White-era [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], however, I’d recommend a reverse holo version or the secret rare variant from Plasma Freeze. Of course, it’s still better to run a regular old Garbodor than it is to leave it out of the deck completely, but I just thought I’d point this out.
Bunnelby
[card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] might not seem necessary in this deck when you consider how it takes a backseat to [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card], but this little guy is still as useful as ever. On the flipside though, unless you’re really in a pickle, you probably aren’t going to call on Bunnelby until the late game. The thing is, that’s exactly when it shines most by discarding those last few cards off the top of your opponent’s deck in order to end the game. You could certainly make the case for cutting Bunnelby altogether, as Sableye’s infinite loop could eventually deck out your opponent anyway, but Bunnelby serves a huge purpose particularly in the mirror match.
Bunnelby can also help you fight against the clock, which can be a rather pressing issue with deck-out decks such as this. Rototiller can be used in a pinch if you need to retrieve a card, although its uses are vastly inferior to Sableye, [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] overall.
Jirachi
I was recently advised to test out a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card] in this deck, which I found to be solid against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] in particular. Seismitoad tends to give Sableye a frustrating matchup if you’re unable to continually draw into [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], so Jirachi adds yet another form of denial against their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. Jirachi also becomes invulnerable to attacks for a turn, providing it has just discarded a Special Energy card from one of your opponent’s Pokemon. Sure, a Seismitoad player can attach another Double Colorless Energy to use Quaking Punch again, but Jirachi won’t take any damage and will simply discard that Energy too. This often forces them to pass a turn, thus missing a Quaking Punch and breaking their Item lock for a turn. One turn might not seem like much, but you might be surprised how big of a difference this can make.
Team Flare Grunt
Much like Jirachi, [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is primarily used to deal with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]. This doesn’t mean Team Flare Grunt is useless in other matchups however, as it’s able to discard a basic Energy card without depending on the coin flip [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] requires. Being a Supporter isn’t the worst thing in the world, although Sableye’s ability to recycle Items means you can use Crushing Hammer just as repeatedly as this card. There isn’t much more to say about Team Flare Grunt; after all, this card is simple and straightforward. Just remember it only works on your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
Delinquent
Oh man, this is a crazy card. Thanks to [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], we can recycle our Stadium cards in addition to knocking out our opponents’ Stadiums when using this card. Furthermore, how often does a player end his or her turn with three or fewer cards in hand? This happens quite often in my experience, especially with the threat of an [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] constantly looming in Expanded. Being able to eliminate all of the cards in your opponent’s hand with a single card is brutal, especially when you can recycle it over and over again.
Puzzle of Time
[cardimg name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ align=”left” c=”custom”]Lord Voldemort has an eighth horcrux?[/cardimg]
What has Pokemon done with this card? [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is reminiscent of some older Trainer cards such as [card name=”Poké Drawer +” set=”Stormfront” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Poké Blower +” set=”Stormfront” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] from the Diamond & Pearl era, as it offers the option to play two copies of the card at once, gaining a different and far more powerful effect than simply playing one copy. The idea here, as stated above, is to use [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] to recycle two Puzzle of Time. On your turn, you can use the two Puzzle of Time to recycle any two cards from your discard pile, such as [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], another Sableye or Darkness Energy, or even a [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] and a Stadium card. Another nifty concept is that Puzzle of Time can target itself, allowing you to play two copies of Puzzle of Time in order to retrieve one card of choice as well as another Puzzle of Time in your discard pile. Then, if you have yet another Puzzle of Time in hand, you can play two copies of this card again! You can effectively retrieve three or even four cards in a single turn, depending on how many copies of Puzzle of Time you have in your hand.
Of course, this offers a huge difference when it comes to the timing of certain cards: Life Dew in particular. Sableye can grant you two Puzzle of Time via its Junk Hunt attack, which can then retrieve the Life Dew from your discard pile if that Sableye is KO’d, allowing you to attach Life Dew to another Sableye, use whichever other card you chose to retrieve, and then fetch the two copies of Puzzle of Time yet again! As long as you can maintain Sableye on your board and one Darkness Energy for each one, you can stream Life Dew in an infinite loop through Puzzle of Time, thus denying your opponent any of his or her Prize cards throughout the course of the game. Just be weary of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card].
Battle Compressor
[card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] has such a simple effect, and yet it’s one of the most powerful cards in all of Pokemon right now. Discarding three cards from your deck can be helpful in almost any list. You can discard Supporters to retrieve with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], certain decks can discard specific cards to increase their damage output, or you can simply discard cards you don’t want to draw in order to thin your deck and improve the odds of drawing something useful.
In this deck, however, you can simply dump any card you want with Battle Compressor so you can get it back with Puzzle of Time. Of course, your ideal first Battle Compressor play consists of Life Dew and two copies of [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] — unless you have some of those cards in your hand or discard pile already. From there, [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] can retrieve the two Puzzle of Time which can in turn net you [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and the Battle Compressor again for reuse. This is a staple for most decks in Expanded as well as Standard, and this deck is no exception.
Robo Substitute
Ideally we will be using Junk Hunt every turn and maintaining [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] on our Active [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] at all times. However, things don’t always work out the way we’d like them to. This is where [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] comes in. It offers a free turn for you to draw into the cards you need while still yielding zero Prizes to your opponent when Robo Substitute is Knocked Out. You can simply discard it out of play if necessary, as you can retrieve it whenever you need to through our precious Puzzle of Time. A Sableye with [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] in the Active position and a pair of these on your Bench can really frustrate an opponent looking to take a Prize card off of Lysandre or a bench-sniping attack, for sure.
Super Rod
Sometimes we have to go through several cards before we can maintain a consistent setup, and when your goal is to deck your opponent out, you need to make sure you don’t deck yourself out first. That’s where [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] comes in. Repeated use of Super Rod can be crucial in the late game to prevent yourself from running out of cards, especially if you run into the dreaded [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] mirror match where neither player is going to be claiming any Prizes. Just remember to leave one copy of Sableye as well as a single Darkness Energy in your discard pile in the mid-to-late game so you can recover them via [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] if necessary.
Sableye / Garbodor in a Nutshell
While this deck offers a lot of options, the main goal is to continuously recycle [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] via [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to deny your opponent of his or her Prize cards. Occasionally this “loop” will break for a turn or two, which is where [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] comes in handy. The reason it’s so crucial not to yield any Prize cards is because at some point your opponent is likely to claim a Prize or two off of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], meaning your opponent will usually end up gaining Prize cards through those means. You also need to be careful with [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] since they each give up two Prizes if they’re Knocked Out. They are both huge Lysandre targets and both have low HP for Pokemon-EX, meaning they won’t be difficult for most players to OHKO by mid-game. [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] can help get these unwanted Pokemon off your Bench to take that opportunity away from your opponent, but you’ll need enough Benched Pokemon to make that possible first. Still, if you can maintain the Sableye / Life Dew loop and control how many Prizes your opponent takes, you can eventually use [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] to close out the game and claim a victory. This is the basic concept of how [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] works, and, while it might be a little slow, it can be very effective in the hands of a good player.
How to Beat Sableye / Garbodor
Now that we’ve created this beast, how are we supposed to beat it? There are quite a few ways to beat [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in theory, but making it happen is a little more difficult. Plenty of popular cards can work wonders against this deck. The fact remains, however, that relying on a single card to win a specific matchup isn’t always ideal. Here I’m going to go over some different strategies that can give you a significant advantage against this deck, and how to go about employing them as well. I’ll talk about different cards you can use for each strategy as well as which decks they fit into best.
[premium]
Item lock
You might’ve noticed that [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] relies heavily on Item cards to execute its strategy. My list runs 24 Items, so four out of every 10 cards in the deck can be rendered useless by Item lock. However, locking down Item cards does more than simply take away a portion of this deck: it shuts down the benefit of Junk Hunt and prevents [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] from being played at all.
It’s important to note that since [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] is an Item, executing a successful Item lock strategy would allow you to take Prizes with each KO, thus tipping the game significantly in your favor. There are a few different cards that can lock down Items right now, so let’s check out our options.
Seismitoad-EX
[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The most commonly used form of Item lock is [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]’s Quaking Punch. The minimal damage is rather irrelevant here, as the lockdown of Item cards is the entire reason this card sees play. With a deck that relies on using multiple Items every turn, Seismitoad-EX can provide a serious headache to a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] player.
Remember that my Sableye / Garbodor list above runs five non-Item cards capable of discarding [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], though: three copies of [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], and the tech [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card]. These cards can quickly run you out of Energy if you’re not careful, allowing Sableye to do its thing and create a game-long loop until you deck out. Relying on basic Energy can help, although having to manually attach two of them onto a Seismitoad-EX can be difficult with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] and Team Flare Grunt constantly discarding your Energy before you can manage an attack. A card like [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] could be used to re-accelerate lost Energy to your Benched Seismitoad-EX, provided you can keep Garbodor from wrecking your fun first.
Overall, Seismitoad-EX is the most splashable option for the Item lock strategy, but let’s take a look at a couple more cards that you can use in a similar manner.
Trevenant
The ghostly tree doesn’t see as much play as it once did, but [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] may resurface due to the recent release of [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. You could still pair Trevenant with [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] if you like, as both of them can jump to the Bench when they attack, sending Trevenant into your Active spot and denying your opponent access to his or her Item cards.
Since Trevenant doesn’t usually attack outside of Trevenant BREAK, you don’t have to worry about [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card] too much. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] can still be a problem since Trevenant tends to rely on [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] a bit, but you’re less likely to see your opponent spam Xerosic in comparison to Team Flare Grunt, regardless of what deck they’re playing.
However, it’s important to remember that, unlike [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], a simple [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] can eliminate the effect of Trevenant’s Forest’s Curse for the turn. Lastly, you’ll want to make sure [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t show up to ruin things if you’re relying on Trevenant to lock down Item cards.
Vileplume
The final Item-locking option I’m going to go over is [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. While [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] needs to attack and [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] needs to be your Active Pokemon to gain its effect, Vileplume’s Ability works from the Bench. You can also bring Vileplume into play on the first turn by using [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], while Trevenant requires either [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] or the new [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ascension attack to reach the field on turn one.
Vileplume’s downsides remain that it’s a Stage 2 Pokemon with a high Retreat Cost and a relatively useless attack, requiring more cards to bring it into play and making it a rather large target for your opponent’s [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. If you opt to go with Vileplume, be sure to pack a couple copies of [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to get it out of the Active spot.
Hand Disruption
The next tactic we’ll look at is hand disruption. Junk Hunt will be adding two specific cards — usually two [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] — to your opponent’s hand each turn. By playing a hand disruption card such as [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], you can force your opponent to send cards from his or her hand back into the deck, and make it more difficult for him or her to retain those two cards on his or her next turn. Below, I will discuss four cards that can accomplish this goal.
Ghetsis
The most powerful card here is [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]. Its effect of draw power is always welcome, but getting rid of a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] player’s Items is the big deal here. Against most decks, Ghetsis is strictly a first turn play. However, Ghetsis is at his strongest against Sableye / Garbodor immediately following the use of Junk Hunt, stripping your opponent of both cards retrieved with Sableye’s attack as well as any other Item cards he or she may be holding. Ghetsis may only get rid of Item cards, but when your opponent is relying on Junk Hunt every turn, you’re guaranteed to hit at least two cards any time you call on him in this matchup.
Delinquent
[cardimg name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The Harley Quinn of Pokemon![/cardimg]
[card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] is a new favorite of [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] players themselves, but that doesn’t mean she won’t work wonders against them too. In fact, this card is an absolute ace if you can manage to KO the only Sableye on your opponent’s board immediately after playing this card, assuming their hand contains three or fewer cards. This will usually be the case, as Sableye decks tend to play out their entire hand rather often, leaving only the Item cards retrieved via Junk Hunt in hand most of the time. If a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] player is forced to discard his or her entire hand and doesn’t have another Sableye ready to go, he or she will be left top-decking with no way to retrieve his or her cards in clear sight, unable to use Junk Hunt and retrieve two Puzzle of Time. However, this is much less powerful if your opponent is able to use Junk Hunt on his or her next turn. However, Delinquent isn’t entirely useless in this situation, as you can still score a Prize card on the following turn due to the one-turn delay caused by this disruptive new Supporter card. Overall, Delinquent is a bit tougher to use than [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], but she remains a potent option for players looking to counter Sableye / Garbodor decks.
N
Natural Harmonia Gropius — or [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] as we’ve come to know him — is the most common form of hand disruption in Expanded. Almost every player runs at least one copy of him, while some players will run three or even four copies if they feel it is necessary. N’s effect is simple and yet very powerful, forcing both players to shuffle their hands back into their respective decks and draw a new hand.
While this sends any cards retrieved via Junk Hunt back into the deck, it’s imperative to remember that a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] player is almost never going to take Prize cards. He or she will almost always draw a full six cards off of an N. This makes N a riskier play than [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card], since a Sableye player will usually be shuffling only two or three cards back into the deck to begin with. While getting rid of [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is often necessary, you’ll want to consider if it’s worth giving your opponent three or four extra cards to work with just for a chance at breaking the loop for one turn.
Judge
Our final disruption Supporter here is [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], a card which was reprinted in BREAKthrough after being absent from Standard for roughly three years. Judge’s effect is similar to [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]’s in that he forces both players to shuffle their hands back into their decks, but, unlike N, there are no variables to affect how many cards you will draw with Judge.
The Pokemon referee will always grant both players four cards apiece, which is less than the six cards that N will always grant a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] player, but more than N might grant players running other decks — outside of early-game situations. Judge isn’t a popular card in Expanded, largely due to its inferiority to N in most situations, but I felt it was worth mentioning here anyway as I feel it is better than [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] would be in this particular matchup. If you don’t want to rely on [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card], or N for disruption, you could always try Judge.
Bench Snipers
So far we’ve gone over the Item lock strategy, which relies on either Abilities or [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]; and also some hand disruption cards, which can potentially slow a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] player down for a turn or two. Those are all wonderful options, but how can we take some Prizes more consistently? Well, if KO’ing an Active Sableye won’t do the trick, we’ll just have to aim around it! Expanded offers a wide array of Bench-sniping attackers, some of which can be found in decks already. Let’s have a look, shall we?
Crobat / Golbat
When it comes to Bench snipers, [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] appear to be the players’ favorite in both Expanded and Standard. Combine Crobat and Golbat’s “Bite” Abilities with Crobat’s Skill Dive attack and you have a versatile set of snipers here. Crobat works extremely well alongside [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]’s Item lock strategy, making Seismitoad-EX / Crobat a natural counter to [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Even without Seismitoad-EX, Crobat and Golbat can still pick off Benched Pokemon, avoiding the [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and claiming Prizes in the process. Just remember that Crobat and Golbat both rely on their Abilities, which means [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] could spell trouble if it gets armed quickly enough.
Darkrai-EX and Yveltal
[cardimg name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
How about a Bench sniper that doesn’t get shut down by [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]? What if I told you it pairs well with an already-existing archetype in Expanded? What if the aforementioned archetype already runs this card? That’s what happens when you’re [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], ladies and gentlemen. This once MVP of the Pokemon TCG is still a powerful attacker. With [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] to help keep Energy on the board, Darkrai-EX can continue to KO both [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] as well as damage your opponent’s Benched Pokemon with each attack. As an added bonus, Darkrai-EX’s Dark Cloak Ability offers free retreat to any Pokemon with a Darkness Energy attached. While this was the most important part of Darkrai-EX in the past, it’s more of an Easter egg in this situation. It’s funny how things change.
I feel that one of Darkrai-EX’s optional partner cards is worth a mention here too: [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”from”][/card]. This particular Yveltal offers an attack dealing 60 damage to both of your opponent’s Active Pokemon as well as a Benched Pokemon-EX. Also, Yveltal’s Ability counters [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]’s attempt to prevent you from claiming Prize cards, which makes your job much easier. While Garbodor can also shut this effect down, I feel it is worth some consideration here.
Raikou-EX
Next is an old favorite from the [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks of the past: [card name=”Raikou-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card]. The legendary Lightning-type Pokemon offers the most powerful Bench-sniping attack on any Basic Pokemon in the game. An Energy cost of two Lightning and one Colorless seems steep, especially when coupled with the requirement of discarding all Lightning Energy attached to Raikou-EX to perform this attack, but that’s where Eelektrik comes in.
While Raikou-EX doesn’t do much else, Volt Bolt itself can be useful for getting rid of a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] or plucking a [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] right off the Bench if you can. If you want to be sneaky, you can also run [card name=”Wide Lens” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and hit Lightning-weak Pokemon such as [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] for a whopping 200 damage with Volt Bolt! This concept might be a little far-fetched for Regionals, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use Raikou-EX in a deck that already runs Eelektrik.
Magnezone-EX and Kyogre-EX
Two cards that can fit into existing decks are [card name=”Magnezone-EX” set=”Flashfire” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Kyogre-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”26″ c=”from”][/card]. Each of these Pokemon offers a big body with 180 HP as well as an attack that deals 50 damage to two of your opponent’s Pokemon. [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] decks in particular have been known to take advantage of Kyogre-EX against decks like Night March or [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], while a deck running [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] could easily run Magnezone-EX for the same effect. Both of these cards are extremely useful against [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in order to attack around [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and allow you to claim Prize cards more quickly. Also, both Magnezone-EX and Kyogre-EX have access to Energy acceleration in the forms of Eelektrik and Blastoise respectively, so if you’re playing one of those decks, running an attacker like this might not be a bad idea.
Registeel-EX
[card name=”Registeel-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] is the final Bench sniper I want to talk about here. While this card is largely forgotten due to being out of Standard for a couple years now, Registeel-EX offers its Triple Laser attack for three Colorless Energy. This can help you take a bunch of KOs at once while forcing a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] player to bench more Pokemon than he or she probably wants to in order to avoid getting Benched out by this guy. Due to the Colorless Energy cost, Registeel-EX can fit into just about any deck, although [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] will likely remain its best friends. It also offers a second attack for decks running Metal Energy. It’s not a great attack, but maybe useful in a pinch, and a decent complement to Triple Laser either way.
Other Options
Lastly we have a few miscellaneous options available for this matchup. While they aren’t always the most splashable choices, these three Pokemon have Abilities that can work well against [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] without needing any Energy or type dedication in your deck. Two of them are Evolutions, while the other works as a single-card tech. All three are worth looking at and can be used in competitive decks for Regionals.
Dusknoir
[cardimg name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Oh man, I used to hate this card! [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] is a Stage 2 Pokemon with an incredible Ability called Sinister Hand. This is useful for KO’ing the biggest threat at the right time while letting none of the damage you’ve dealt go to waste, which often results in taking an extra Prize card or two in the end. While getting Dusknoir into play can be a bit of a chore, its Ability alone makes it worth it.
[card name=”Duskull” set=”Flashfire” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], Dusknoir’s Basic form, has an interesting attack which allows you to put a Basic Pokemon from your opponent’s discard pile onto his or her Bench for a single Energy of any type. Some of you might recognize this effect from [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], a card which has recently seen a surge in play. Duskull’s attack is identical, allowing you to bring something like a [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] back for some easy Prize cards.
While Dusknoir and its Evolution line might not fit into every deck, Sinister Hand allows you to move any damage dealt to Pokemon without [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] or Pokemon that you want removed from play. It might be the game’s best “rogue” option to deal with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] when given the strength of both its Ability and Duskull’s attack put together.
Spiritomb
[card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card] is an interesting little card whose Ability prevents any Ace Spec cards from being played by either player. This card was largely dismissed upon release, mainly due to the fact that only one Ace Spec can be played in a deck.
Against [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], you can take away their entire loop by simply stopping your opponent from playing [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. However, like several available counters to Sableye, Spiritomb relies on an Ability. In other words, you’ll want to keep Garbodor off the board if you’re going to use this guy as a counter to their Life Dew combo. Otherwise, denying Ace Spec access is a sound way to stop Sableye / Garbodor from denying you Prize cards while only needing to make space for a single card in your deck for it.
Banette
[card name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] is a Stage 1 Pokemon whose Ability takes away the effects of all Pokemon Tool cards in play, essentially extending the effect of the [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] card mentioned above. While Banette isn’t as difficult to get into play as [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] and offers greater versatility than [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card], it also becomes difficult to set up with only one copy of both itself and its Basic form, [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card]. However, you can easily fit two copies of each into a [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] deck and simply discard them if you’re up against a deck that doesn’t rely on Pokemon Tools. There isn’t much else to say about Banette other than the usual warning of Garbodor’s presence against an Ability-reliant Pokemon such as this one. This leads me to my next point:
Gameplay Tips
Aside from simply including a tech or two to counter [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], there are a few things you need to keep in mind that will improve your chances against the deck. A tech card won’t help at all if you have no idea of what to do when your opponent is piloting the deck!
Take Out the Garbodor!
Many of the best counters for a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] deck rely on Abilities, which means you need to keep [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] from shutting you down. Unless you’re able to execute an Item lock strategy before [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] or Garbodor has a Pokemon Tool attached to it, be ready to take out Garbodor when you go against this deck. [card name=”Raikou-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] offers a solid solution to this problem, as does a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] followed up with dealing 100 damage to said Garbodor. It’s also noteworthy that Garbodor will usually grant you a Prize card upon being Knocked Out, as [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] is usually reserved for Sableye. If you plan on using any Ability-reliant Pokemon to deal with Sableye / Garbodor, you’ll want to make Garbodor priority one in terms of taking KOs.
Maintain a Four-Card Hand
Make sure to maintain at least a four-card hand as often as possible during your opponent’s turn. This is so your opponent can’t discard your entire hand with [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] and force you into a top-decking situation. If you can manage to keep enough cards in your hand, you can take control and eventually execute your counter strategy to deal with this menace of a deck.
You Only Need One Game
Finally, it’s key to remember that [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is a very slow deck. You should only need to win a single game in order to keep yourself from taking a loss. Sableye / Garbodor players will be looking to win a long-and-drawn-out first game, allowing time to expire during game two and ending the match with a 1-0 game count. If you win the first game, though, the worst that will likely happen is a draw, while you can press forward to claim a 2-0 match victory much more easily than they can.
Conclusion
While there are plenty of ways to deal with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks using [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], the deck maintains itself very well and performs consistently against most decks in the format. If you plan on attending any Regionals on the weekend of February 27-28th, BREAKpoint will be tournament legal for the first time. If you’re looking for a standard meta deck that can take this matchup, [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ 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], and a [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] variant running [card name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] all appear to be solid plays against Sableye / Garbodor.
I’d like to wish everyone playing in Winter Regionals and the ECC the best of luck, and I hope to see you all soon! If you have more questions, my username on the forums is WorldRenownedHeretic. Feel free to message me or leave a comment if you have any questions or would like some deck advice. Also, don’t forget to utilize the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout forum to get advice from all of our writers. We’re all more than happy to help you with any lists or topics you want to discuss. Until next time!
Cheers!
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