Marching Through States – A States Report and a Look at Turbo Virizion-EX / Genesect-EX

By: Treynor Wolfe · Posted Posted onApr 23, 2016 at 7:47 AM · 0 Comments

Hey Beach boys and girls! I had a fairly successful State Championship season and hope that you all had a a similar experience to mine! I spent a lot of time testing for Standard, and I feel really rewarded by my preparation and testing. I got to see a lot of my close friends in Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado. I was sitting at 224 Championship Points before my first State Championship in Missouri, and now I’m sitting at a comfortable 334 points.

I had a lot to play for, my invite being one of those things but I had also had a top cut streak going back to last year. I obviously didn’t do nearly as well this year, since I didn’t win a single State Championship, let alone two. I still did a bit above my expectations, since I only really hoped to gain my invite.

I’m going to go over my thoughts on this Standard format, my four weekends, and then look forward to Expanded.

Why I Hate Standard

Many of my friends will know that I’m not a huge fan of this Standard format. In fact, it is probably the worst format I’ve ever played in. There’s a lot of reasons for this, and it mostly comes down to consistency in this format.

If you look back at the draw-Supporters we had before rotation, they were solid. Cards such as [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] made decks that didn’t use a heavy [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]-engine viable. Those draw-Supporters were sufficient. So when Battle Compressor and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] were printed, they allowed for a different type of draw-engine, and it supplemented the other type that was used by decks such as [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Now we’re stuck with awful draw-Supporters. [card name=”Shauna” set=”XY” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Birch’s Observations” set=”Primal Clash” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] are just not good cards. They don’t draw enough early on, and are clearly inferior to any deck that plays four Battle Compressor with heavy VS Seeker counts. So with those decks being so inconsistent, why wouldn’t you play Night March?

I’ve tried so many decks that weren’t Night March each week and I simply found them lacking. They just weren’t consistent enough, or they just didn’t dominate other decks like Night March does. Each week, Night March was my fallback option and during the week I just tested other decks to try and not play Night March, but I played Night March or a variant of it all four weeks.

I had a little experiment with [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] decks, but I just felt like Night March did what they did better and they still had poor matchups to [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks. So what was the point?

Night March also has a very clear lack of punishment for its aggression in this format. What slowed down Night March last year was heavy [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] counts in decks. Now that N is gone for the time being, Night March decks can just rip through three [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and win. [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is a pretty awful replacement for N. A Night March deck thins itself, and judging them to four doesn’t have high odds of taking them out of the game.

[cardimg name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This current Standard format is an evolution of the Cities format. Night March was dominant in Cities, but was still sort of held in check by its resources. With [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] being printed, it isn’t even a question of whether Night March is the play or not. This created a huge backlash effect, where the next three decks that were successful were Item-lock decks or Dark decks.

Citing information from Andrew Wamboldt and his hard work in compiling this information, Night March was overwhelmingly the most successful deck in this format. Night March earned 7230 Championship Points in its multitudes of victories, and top cut finishes in Cities. The next best deck, Dark decks, earned 2590 points. Trevenant, Seismitoad, and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] come in at third, fourth, and fifth respectively. These three decks were all Item-lock decks meant to counter Night March decks. Two of these decks Item locked on the first turn, not allowing you to ever play an Item during the whole game. Dark did well since it has the ability to beat Night March, and the lock decks.

I’ve never seen such a dominant deck in my five years of playing this game. I don’t believe we’ve ever had a format where you had to worry about getting hit in the face with 180 damage on the first turn in addition to being Item locked out of the game.

The other thing I want to add is that the Night March mirror match is really wild and not entirely skill-based. I’ve heard all sorts of arguments for and against saying how skill-based it is, but amongst two very skilled players that have playtested the mirror match, it really comes down to if you or your opponent had to play Shaymin-EX, if you have [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] in your hand at the right time, and if you can chain your [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] at certain times. I lost a game in Top 8 Nebraska because I had to bench a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and my opponent proceeded to take four Prizes off of it. In Kansas, I beat another Night March player by killing their single Shaymin-EX three times. There’s just times where you have to bench a Shaymin-EX to take a Prize, and based on what is in whose hand at what time it could be game ending.

There’s a lot more to it, than that, but that’s just an example. I know a good Night March player when I see it, and there is surely a way to handle that mirror match. But when you have two players that know how to handle the mirror, even if their skill in Pokemon TCG vary wildly, it’s a coin toss.

States Report

Missouri (4-3-0)

This was probably my most disappointing Pokemon tournament I ever had. I played against some amazing players and got off to an incredible start. I started off 4-0, beating Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Greninja” set=”XY” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], and Night March. I then proceeded to lose three in a row against Connor Lavelle with [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], Brit Pybas with a Dark deck that sported [card name=”Druddigon” set=”Flashfire” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], and Kyle Haverland playing Night March.

It’s pretty frustrating to be one win off from top cut and then lose three in a row, but that’s just the way this game is sometimes. I faced a multitude of talented players, so I guess I can’t complain.

I played a very similar list to Andrew Mahone’s [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / Night March. He was much more successful than I was with the list, as he was the highest seed in his week one State Championship. I was waffling between this, Night March, and Yveltal, but I ultimately picked this since it played the most consistent, even though you would think Night March would be the more consistent deck playing [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and less Pokemon.

Overall, I found that Vespiquen just got in the way of the deck, with [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] being most of my muscle, and with [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] being the a good replacement to Vespiquen. I really missed having [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, and it would have helped for sure against Night March.

The big problem I had was doing a turn one 180 damage. I had to start with Joltik, or get a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] on whatever I was starting with to do turn one damage, and the ability to hit for big damage turn one is so important in keeping your momentum up during the entire game. Vespiquen didn’t end up being substantially better than just playing with Night Marchers, then again, I didn’t play against any [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks all day.

Here is the list I played.

[decklist name=”Vespiquen NM” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”26″]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=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/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]2x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

As you can see, I merely switched out the [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Parallel City can help me against Night March decks, but Startling Megaphone came in clutch against Turbo Darkrai when they played [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card].

Overall, the deck is good, it’s successful, it just isn’t my cup of tea. There’s obvious advantages in the way of a better Dark matchup since [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY06″ c=”name”][/card] can’t Knock Out all of your attackers and the obviously better [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] matchup.

This is Andrew’s list for the most part. I will give him credit for the above list. If you like the list, you should totally check out the article he wrote about it.

Nebraska (4/1/1 Top 8)

Learning my lesson from last weekend, I decided to cut [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] from my list and made a lean and mean Night March version. The reason for this, was that I wanted to play some more techs. [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] is the big one that I wanted to add. I also wanted less Pokemon to ensure that I started Joltik or [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and that I could do 180 damage on the first turn easily.

Another thing I wanted, was a counter to other Night March decks. I play-tested a bunch of Night March mirrors, but I thought that Night March would be incredibly popular in week two, and that made me want to add a little more to ensure I won the mirror.

Fellow writer and good friend of mine Chris Collins suggested playing some copies of [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] in Night March. I was skeptical at first, since Night March decks can very easily get around Bursting Balloon, but attaching them to benched [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] can be a huge deterrent to having them be Knocked Out. Also, Bursting Balloon going off only one time would be plenty to swing the game.

I also took a page from Andrew’s book and play copies of [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card]. Versions of Night March that play [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] would have a significant upper hand in the mirror match. Here is my list.

[decklist name=”Night March” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3 x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3 “][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Explanations

Let me go over a few choices in this list.

Three Professor Sycamore

I know Andrew is head over heels for four, and for my week four list, I came to see the light on that, but for this list I only ran three. Three was consistient enough for this list.

Teammates

[card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] is an auto include in this list with the addition of [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card].

Two Pokemon Catcher

Even if you only hit one heads in a game with this card, it can be game changing. Being able to KO what you want on the first turn is really great, in addition to that, you can also use [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to reuse these cards and be able to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] outside of burning your Supporter.

Escape Rope

[card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] is somewhat played, and [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] is in this list to deal with it. Jolteon shouldn’t be a problem at all for you since you play [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] in the list. The combination of a Lysandre, Pokemon Catcher, and Escape Rope should zap a Jolteon-EX dead.

Two Bursting Balloon

I felt like one would be avoided easily, but two in the deck would make it even harder to avoid. [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] kills any opposing Night Marcher, even with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] attached since we run a copy of [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. It also helps against Mega Pokemon. Their really high HP makes it tough for Night March to KO them outright, but with six damage counters on them, it’s not a challenge at all. It also helps in matchups where you prize three Night Marchers and you cannot hit 180 without taking a few KO’s to draw those Night Marchers.

[cardimg name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Report

The list did admirable, netting me four wins and only one loss against Brandon Flowers’ [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. Here’s what I played against.

  • [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card]  WW
  • [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] LL
  • Night March WW
  • [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] LWW
  • Night March WW
  • ID

The [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] decks are an extremely good matchup. They just have an incredibly tough time keeping up with getting hit with 180 damage per turn. The Bursting Balloon didn’t really come in to play in my third round, but they earned me a win in my second game against Brandon Smiley (the second Night March I played against). The [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] helped a lot in the first game against him as well, allowing me to take a pretty big Prize lead. Brandon didn’t draw the best, but I was still able to see the effect Bursting Balloon had in the mirror match.

I lost my Top 8 match against Kaleb Higden playing Night March. We played three games with him taking the first game and me taking the second. Kaleb played Catcher as well, and unfortunately for me, he hit six out of seven of them in the three games we played, even reusing one with Puzzle of Time. I hit only one of my Catcher, and it was at the end of game three and didn’t really even matter.

I still somehow took game two, and I cant remember exactly why. I remember getting behind pretty badly, but there was one turn where he couldn’t attack and I was able to take two Prizes for the win when he had one left.

The [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] didn’t really do much for me in top cut, since my opponent played [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]. I considered cutting the Balloon for week three, but I ended up keeping it.

Kaleb ended up beating Brandon Flowers’ [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and Steven Singer’s [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. Both are horrendous matchups for Night March, but he still managed to win both games and shows the true power of Night March in this format. Good job Kaleb!

I’m gonna take a break and add my thoughts on going first or second in the Night March matchup.

[premium]

First or Second?

Night March generally doesn’t care if it goes first or second. It’s usually consistent enough to where it will do 180 damage turn one no matter what. But in the Night March mirror, it’s a race of Prizes, not damage since all of our Pokemon have low HP anyway.

So logic says that going second is the answer, since you take a Prize first since you attack first. However, I have had a few instances where I lost because I went second. A turn one [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] from your opponent is huge since you cannot use [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]’s Set Up Ability. This can cause you to dead draw and even get benched by your opponent.

[cardimg name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

You can probably deduce by what I just said that your best strategy in a Night March mirror when you’re going first is to [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] your opponent. This prevents them from drawing more than seven cards on their turn (one for turn, seven for [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]). Their probability of hitting a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] is lower and they may not get that Energy in addition to another Pokemon on the Bench to prevent you from Knocking Out all of their Pokemon.

Now that strategy exists, but I still feel like you should be going second. Even though you could get benched or miss the attack, it’s generally still stronger that you attack first. The Hex Maniac play on the first turn is to prevent you from attacking them first, and if you go second, they already can’t attack you first since it’s their first turn. The chances of you having a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in your opening hand or seven cards deep in your deck are relatively high, and we’re an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] away from another attacker.

Colorado (5/1/1 10th Place Bubble)

I hate tournaments with such a large attendance, yet so few rounds so that a 5/1/1 will bubble cut at 10th place.

But anyways, I still finished Top 16 and earned my World’s invite this weekend, so I had that going for me. The tournament at 119 Masters and was seven rounds (same as St. Louis, and we had 67 Masters). I knew that a 5/1/1 may bubble, but I didn’t think that I would. I took my loss at round three against a [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] deck. Unfortunately the guy that beat me didn’t do too hot after my loss and killed my resistance. I also felt like others that I beat didn’t do so hot either, even though my round five opponent finished at 5/2/0. I was at the top table when I ID’d and was up-paired to the top seed. I thought I was really safe. Regardless, I achieved my goal of earning my invite, even though I wanted to win Colorado again.

I played the same Night March list, card for card. I was expecting a lot of Night March again, even though I was in a completely different metagame. I should have known better, since metagames vary by region. Here’s what I faced.

  • [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] LL
  • [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Palkia-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]  WW
  • [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] WLW
  • Night March ID

I felt safe taking the ID against my good friend Kevin Abernathy (who ended up winning the tournament). Worst case scenario, I’m in Top 16 and get my invite. If I had lost to him I could’ve bubbled Top 16, which would have been worse than bubbling Top 8.

So Night March was a great choice for me, considering that I faced a lot of [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] decks. I thought to myself on the ride home from this tournament how odd it was that I didn’t face a single Night March deck. I teched for it with the Balloons and I didn’t need them at all. They never helped me a bit. I knew Night March’s power wasn’t declining, it just wasn’t represented well at Colorado. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] was huge and I missed it all day. I felt like this was a shift in the meta to counter Night March, and Seismitoad / Giratina is an incredibly powerful deck. Tony Jimenez won seniors with his incredible version of the deck and Calvin Nordberg won New Mexico States with the exact same list sporting three copies of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], an [card name=”Absol” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and four copies of [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card].

I felt that the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] needed to go to give me more power against Item-lock and Giratina.

Kansas (4/2/1 Top 16)

Unfortunately I couldn’t defend my title in Kansas either. I started out okay, being 2-0-1 before the lunch break at round three. I played a very similar Night March list to the one I posted above. At this time I was hearing about Kevin Baxter’s [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] list that played two [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]. I was intrigued, but I was so burnt out on Standard, I knew that I wouldn’t do poorly with Night March. So instead of testing hard this week, I just went with Night March outright. In past weeks, I tested alternatives to Night March, such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. I just didn’t find those decks to be very consistent, nor did I feel comfortable in the mirror matches for those two decks.

Seeing a trend in the works with people trying to counter Night March heavily, I felt like the inclusion of [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] was necessary. In addition to that, I felt like the fourth [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] was needed as well since it was just overall better against the mirror match (not relying on Shaymin-EX) and against Item-lock since we can chain Sycamore without the use of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. I found the fourth [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] to be incredible. It didn’t really come in clutch or anything, it was just nice to open Sycamore every game and to draw in to them over and over again without having to burn VS Seeker. I would recommend playing a fourth Sycamore in just about every Night March deck. However, I will say that three is sufficient for consistency. Here’s the list I played in Kansas City.

[decklist name=”Night March” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3 x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3 “][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ 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=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I felt the inclusion of a non-consistency Supporter such as [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] warranted the inclusion of another consistency card such as [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. This wouldn’t do anything but help the consistency of the list, in addition to providing two outs to remove [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] using [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card].

Here is what I faced with the deck.

  • [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] WLW
  • Night March / LWT
  • [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] LL
  • Night March WLW
  • [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] LL
  • Night March / [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] WW

So overall, not too bad. My tie was a rematch of last year’s finals, except a lot less one-sided. I always joked with my good friend Michael Hopkins over Facebook that we would face each other at Kansas again, except in the finals and not in round two. We had three incredibly close games, and we unfortunately couldn’t finish the third game. In our first game, I took a very early lead against him by hitting a lucky Catcher heads. I was ahead on two Prizes in our first game and it seemed to be a sure win for me. It got down to the point where it was three Prizes to my two, and he judged me out of my means to take the last two Prizes. He Knocked Out my Night Marcher and I wasn’t able to get a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and win the game. I had one Prize left to his two and he hit the [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and won the game.

The second game was more bizarre since I missed my first attack, and Michael got to an early lead, but I still pulled off the win with multiple Shaymin ganks and a very key [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] play of my own. I wish this match was streamed like our match last year, because it was very close! Game three went to time and it ended up being a tie. Michael whiffed a very important [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] for the game on his last turn. If there had been another minute on the clock we would not have tied.

[cardimg name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This game made me come to the conclusion that Night March mirrors amongst two players that know how to play them are kind of a crap shoot.

My round five opponent was also playing Night March, but was relatively new to the game, and I could tell by how he was handling the mirror. He was attacking mainly with [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], which allowed me to Sky Return with Shaymin-EX and conserve my Energy. I lost game two from drawing dead and getting benched. In game three, I was able to take a huge Prize lead by using [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to my advantage and ganking [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].

Another notable game was my round three game against [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. I found that if you go first and blow through your deck with multiple Shaymin-EX (it’s okay since they likely play only a single copy of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]), you can chain enough [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and Supporters to keep up with them, and their recovery is far worse than ours, requiring an evolution and all. Using [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] against them after taking a Knock Out is also really awesome since they Item-lock themselves. Just make sure you burn your [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] for Supporters before the lock comes in to play. My game two against him he drew dead and I was able to take advantage of it.

My round six opponent was playing a really odd yet effective deck. I never got the list, but it was devastating against Night March. He ended up making cut with a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] that played heavy counts of Energy-removal in [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. He also played [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to heal his Seismitoad. Night March can’t really hit 220 damage early, which means it can’t OHKO a Belted Seismitoad. With my Energy getting removed every turn in addition to not being able to take KO, he was able to control the game, no Giratina needed! I really liked his original deck and was glad to see he did well with it.

I would have loved another repeat at Kansas, but unfortunately I missed cut again.

Overall, I earned 110 points from States, which is pretty solid considering I only top cut once. Just to recap, this is how I did on each weekend compared to last year.

This Year

  • Missouri – 4 / 3 / 0
  • Nebraska – 4 / 1 / 1 Top 8
  • Colorado – 5 / 1 / 1 Top 16
  • Kansas – 4 / 2 / 1 Top 16

Last Year

  • Colorado – 5 / 1 / 1Champion
  • Nebraska – 4 / 1 / 1 Top 8
  • Iowa – 5 / 1 / 1 Top 8
  • Kansas – 5 / 1 / 1 Champion

Not as well as last year by a long shot, but this still puts me at 334 / 300 Championship Points and an invite to San Fransisco! With Night March in the last three weekends, I went 13 / 4 / 3 with the deck, which is pretty solid to me!

Now, I’m still wanting to earn a travel stipend, so let’s go over a really awesome play for Expanded that I’m strongly considering.

Turbo Virizion-EX / Genesect-EX

With [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] being printed, I found a viable use for it in Expanded in a deck that I’m a huge fan of that I’ve loved playing in the past.

It’s weird that my favorite deck is a slow and steady one when I normally play fast and aggressive decks such as Night March, but I just absolutely loved the options that [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] gave me. Red Signal is probably my favorite Ability in the game and [card name=”G Booster” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is just one of the most skill-intensive cards in Expanded.

Max Elixir changes the entire dynamic on this deck. No longer do we need to Emerald Slash right off the bat to not lose the game. We can even do it turn one very easily thanks to cards like [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Skyarrow Bridge” set=”Next Destinies” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Here’s the list I’ve been testing.

[decklist name=”Virizion Genesect” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″][pokemon amt=”11″]3x [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ 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=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Deoxys-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shadow Triad” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Dragon Vault” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”G Booster” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Skyarrow Bridge” set=”Next Destinies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Plasma Energy” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Now let’s go over some card count explanations.

Card Explanations

Two Virizion-EX

A turn one Emerald Slash is really important, so why only two [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]? Well, you don’t want to start with it at all. You want this guy on the bench after you play a [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] so we can use Max Elixir on him. After an attachment and single Max Elixir, we can Retreat the Active easily with [card name=”Skyarrow Bridge” set=”Next Destinies” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], and then attack with Emerald Slash.

Seismitoad-EX

This ensures we won’t automatically lose to [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] decks. We want to prevent them from continuously using [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] so we need to Item-lock them. Without [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], they can only remove one Energy per turn with [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. This allows us to attach any of our 13 Energy and keep the punches going. Ideally we will have two Grass Energy attached, so they probably will never be able to stop the punches.

Mr. Mime

[card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] with the Fright Night Ability is being played more, and can be a big problem for this deck. This card strictly does so much damage to our Pokemon-EX and warrants a way to keep it in check.

[cardimg name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Deoxys-EX

Since we use [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck, we can really use Deoxys to bolster our damage just slightly. Megalo Cannon’s 20 snipe damage makes hitting 110 good math. We can hit 130 with this combo to KO [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card].

Three Fighting Fury Belt

Now, I’m testing [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck as well, but Fighting Fury Belt is just too good. It bolsters our HP and increases it to where [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] is going to struggle to take Prizes. This card attached to a Virizion-EX just makes it incredibly difficult to Knock Out early.

Two VS Seeker

Two [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is really all we need since we play thick counts of Supporters already. I’m waffling between two and three, but I’m content with two for the time being. We don’t want to start with them in our opening hands, VS Seeker is mainly used to reuse [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and we have Red Signal for that.

Now let’s go over some matchups.

Matchups

Yveltal-EX / Darkrai-EX (60-40)

I’ve always said that the [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is one of the most 50 / 50 matchups in Pokemon, but Max Elixir really helps Virizion / Genesect more than [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] helps Dark decks. Baby [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] is still an incredible attacker for Dark in this matchup, but Red Signal ensures that Virizion / Genesect will hit what it wants to hit on the Bench. Verdant Wind is still effective to ensure that [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is useless in this matchup. Pair that with extra tankiness from [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and I’d say this is a good matchup for Virizion / Genesect.

Raikou / Eeels (40 – 60)

This is such an iffy matchup since [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] trades so well with your Pokemon-EX. We have no easy way to cleanly KO it. This is an instance where [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is far better since it allows us to hit the magic 130 damage to KO [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] easily. With [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] or a 2nd [card name=”Deoxys-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] we can really make this an even matchup or even a favorable one for us.

Early on you will want to take Emerald Slash KO’s on [card name=”Tynamo” set=”Noble Victories” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] with the help of Red Signal. You will also want to gank [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] off the Bench, since they use that card primarily for free Retreat and mobility.

Vespiquen / Flareon (30-70)

This is a horrendous matchup. I wont really go into too much detail since it’s pretty self explanatory with [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]’s typing and the fact that we attack with only Pokemon-EX.

Our goal here is to take cheap Pokemon-EX Prizes off [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and try to take Prizes quicker than they can.

Trevenant (60-40)

[card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] has historically always done well against Item-lock decks since the strategy of this deck doesn’t take a lot of difficult combos to work. We use Red Signal to great effect here, shutting off the Item-lock by switching their attacker. We can KO their Pokemon quicker than they can KO ours.

Sableye (60-40)

With [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], we can prevent any sort of large Energy loss against this deck. Another strategy is to keep using Emerald Slash over and over again until there’s so much Energy that they can’t remove it all. We can also Red Signal around the Life Dew to prevent them from using it against us.

Seismitoad / Giratina (70-30)

No lasers, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card]’s weakness, and the ability to turn one Emerald Slash? This matchup just got a lot better for us. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] were always able to just use [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to prevent an Emerald Slash, but with [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, we can stop that cold in addition to attaching a bunch of Energy with [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. This matchup should be a piece of cake for us, especially with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card].

I’m still working out some kinks, but we have some time to test before Regionals and I’m loving how this deck works with [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] combined with [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card].

Conclusion

Hopefully my State Championship run gives you some insight on how to watch trends in the metagame. This was a very different slew of tournaments however, since this format was very unique. I’ve never seen one like it before. I’m really not a big fan of it, but I still had to earn my invite in it. This was honestly a hard metagame to forecast. Of course we always will have Night March, but each counter to Night March had to be handled in a different way.

I’m incredibly excited for Expanded and what that could possibly bring. The Expanded format seems really exciting to me after playing Standard for so long.

I got to see a lot of you guys during my States run. Please don’t hesitate to hit me up if you see me in person. I love discussions with you all and seeing who reads my articles. Make sure to watch out for our next BeachCast. I will be hosting it again and I would love some feedback! We will be covering Regionals and Expanded.

Until next time!

~Treynor

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