The Psychic King and the Overlooked Legendary – Your Guide to M Alakazam-EX and Zygarde-EX

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Now, let’s get back to Pokemon. Since I have a full time job now, it’s hard for me to find time and energy to play. I don’t know how other people do it! I still love the game and look forward to every set’s release. As a player, I’m more likely to reserve judgment on a new set until it’s been tested in tournament play. I come from a skeptical mindset for the most part, but I also keep my mind and options open as far as new cards and decks. In this article, I’ll combine the two perspectives, discussing two entirely new decks born from the new set.

Awakening of the Psychic King

…is the Japanese title of our next set, XY10 (Forces Awaken for us). It’s a bit of a puzzling moniker, leading me to expect to see Mewtwo. But didn’t we just get a bunch of new Mewtwo cards? But no, apparently the Psychic King is actually Alakazam. It could have fooled me, but I’ll go with it! Before I get into any deck lists, I’d like to take a look at individual cards in the new set. Here we go!

Delphox / Delphox BREAK

Let’s ignore the fact that Delphox is a Stage 2, just for now. By itself, the card is kind of crazy. It does 20 damage times the number of Energy attached to all Pokemon. This includes both our own Pokemon and our opponent’s. It does this for three Colorless Energy. The thing that makes this dangerous is Delphox BREAK’s Ability, which lets us search our deck for a Fire Energy and attach it to one of our Pokemon. This means that we need the three Energy required for Delphox’s attack, plus six more either on our board or on our opponent’s to OHKO most Pokemon-EX. It’s pretty likely for someone to have three Energy on the board at a time, and getting six onto ours with Delphox BREAK’s Ability and [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is pretty easy. The only thing that sets it back is the set up time, but in the future it could see play.

Alakazam-EX / M Alakazam-EX

This little duo is a very interesting combination. I’ll talk about it more later in this article, since one of my new decks is based around the Psychic King. Basically, Alakazam uses his psychic prowess to eat away at our opponent’s Pokemon, and then the Mega takes over and finishes them off. It’s all about placing damage counters. To that end, the deck also uses [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. I think this strategy has a lot of potential!

Mew

Since the old [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is no longer in Standard, Night March needs a replacement! Or does it? The would-be newcomer only has 50 HP to the old Mew’s 120, but it’s not a Pokemon-EX, so it has that going for it. It essentially does the same thing, but it can only use attacks of our own Basic Pokemon. It may not be as versatile (pun intended) as its predecessor, but it can serve as an extra body in Night March, and a way to attack without sacrificing a Night Marcher. It’s worth noting that it can search the deck for [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] using its attack if you’re in a Supporter drought.

Reuniclus

This is my favorite of the new cards, but I don’t know how practical it is. It’s capable of putting out 190 damage. That’s a lot coming from a 90 HP shell. Reuniclus has had a useful but tricky effect in the past (think “The Truth”), so it’s no surprise that it’s bringing a new mechanic to the table. If we have a Solosis on our bench, for a Psychic and a Colorless Energy, Reuniclus dishes out 40 damage. If we have a Solosis and a Duosion, the attack does 100. If we have a Solosis, Duosion, and a second Reuniclus on the Bench, the attack does a full 190. Needless to say, it can also do any combination of those amounts. So, if we have a Solosis and another Reuniclus, our boy is dealing 130. We can [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] it, and use [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to make it do more damage for less Energy. I’ll definitely be building this as a fun deck to try out.

Carbink

I have never seen a card like this before, so naturally Carbink caught my attention. Prevent all effects of attacks, Abilities, and Trainers on our Basic Energy? Yes, please! If we were in the midst of the Reign of Hammers, this card would be a godsend. However, Hammers aren’t as prevalent now, but it’s still a really nice Ability. This would have made VirGen over-powered, so it’s probably a good thing that we haven’t gotten it until now. I play this in the other deck I’ll talk about in this article, Zygarde.

Lucario

Lucario is a lone wolf. Let’s sound this one out because it’s a bit wordy. If we have less Pokemon in play than our opponent, Lucario’s attack does 30 damage plus 60 more, times the difference in the number of Pokemon on both sides of the field. For example, if we have one Pokemon and our opponent has six, the attack does 30 + (60×5) = 330 damage. However, our opponent probably isn’t going to have six Pokemon to our one? We can limit the amount of Pokemon we have on the field at any given time, and we can add to our opponent’s Bench. I could see a deck featuring this card that plays [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to limit its own Bench to three. It would also play four [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] to bump up the opponent’s Bench count. If our opponent has five Pokemon in play and we have three, Lucario’s attack does a base of 150 damage. That lets us add Muscle Band for the KO. I can see the potential although I doubt it will be higher than tier two!

N

Ah yes, the Dreaded Green-haired Harbinger of Doom is back in action, whether we like it or not. Bring on the baiting and salty Sycamore top-decks!

Chaos Town

I like to heal status conditions. I’m not about being Poisoned, Asleep, Paralyzed, or Confused. I’m just not into that life. This card acts as a cure-all, because you can choose the side you need at the time. It’s good in decks that aren’t planning to affect their opponent with status conditions, because they don’t care if the opponent has immunity. It’s also only good against decks that inflict status conditions, which aren’t very many at the moment. This is another card to keep in the back of your mind.

Zygarde

There are three Zygarde, two Basic and a Pokemon-EX. The Pokemon-EX is probably the standout among them, but I don’t mind the 90 HP Basic one either. It has a catcher attack for one Colorless Energy, and for a Fighting and DCE, it deals 70 and blocks any Dark or Fairy Pokemon from attacking the next turn. I could see it as a tech if either type becomes big. The 120 HP Zygarde has an attack that doesn’t allow the Defending Pokemon to Retreat in the next turn, which could also come in handy.

Zygarde-EX

The overlooked Legendary got a mediocre Pokemon-EX card, it’s true. All three attacks are pretty terrible. It does have 190 HP, which is good for a Pokemon-EX. But, wait! TPCI has saved this disgrace of a card with a Tool.

Power Memory

This is the saving grace Zygarde-EX was looking for. I see why they made this attack an add-on, because it’s pretty freakin good! For two Fighting and a Colorless Energy, the Cell Pokemon can now deal 200 damage. He has to discard three Energy to do so, making it basically a copy of G-Booster, but without the Ace Spec caveat. A deck made around trying to quickly power up Zygarde and also to recover Energy when lost could be effective. I’m thinking something like Zygarde-EX / [card name=”Landorus” set=”Furious Fists” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card].

Night March

There is definitely some interesting potential in this set. I haven’t tested the two decks I’m about to talk about, they’re just all in theory. If you want to try them out, let me know your testing results in the comments! However, before I get into the new stuff, I want to give a version of Night March that Igor Costa and I have been working on. I know, another Night March list?! Hey, I had to chime in and give my opinion on it! I’ve been playing Night March for a while, ever since I made day two with it at Virginia Regionals last year (I piloted a different deck to Top 8). Yeah, I played Night March before it was popular (said in mock hipster voice). I also played it at Worlds this year. This version is pretty straightforward and consistent. Here’s the list.

[decklist name=”Night March” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”17″]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]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”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]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ 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] 

I’m just going to go over this quickly because I think everyone knows how to play Night March and what goes in it at this point. I remember when it was kind of a crazy thing to bring Night March to a tournament. Oh, well. I do think Night March is a relatively skill-less deck, but if you’re looking for points, it’s a great play that gives basically anyone a chance to win.

Of course we play all the Night Marchers we can. That’s not really an option when building this. We play [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] to give us more draw-power. This list is meant to be ultra-consistent, without playing things like [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. I played [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] at Worlds, and it’s great in the mirror. It allows us to chain [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and Night Marchers. All the four-of’s in this deck help it churn through at a fast pace. However, we do also play a fair amount of one-of’s. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] is our only hope against [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], since we don’t play any Basic Energy. Technically, we could play nine Xerosic in a game by using all of our [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], but I don’t think that will be absolutely necessary. If we can break the [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]-lock even for a turn, it’s huge for us because we will likely be able to take two Prizes each time we do. [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is obviously handy for retreating, and we can use it more than once with Puzzle of Time.

[card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] lets us put another Shaymin-EX on our opponent’s Bench so we can [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] it. Just make sure you don’t use the Whistle a turn too early and allow your opponent to Sky Return it back to his or her hand. [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is in the deck to let us choose which Prizes to take, which is often essential. We can get a second Puzzle of Time for our hand or that DCE we will need so badly if we are return KO’d, which, let’s face it, happens all the time to poor [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. He’s basically trading his life so that we can have two Prizes. How nice of him! We only play one [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] because not only can Puzzle of Time get it back, but we don’t really need to attack with Pumpkaboo anymore. We can solely use Joltik and DCE. [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] helps us clear the board of Tools like [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. Playing one Dimension Valley is a bit risky, but we think it really is better. If you’re uncomfortable with that, you could play two.

Enough Night March. Now, onto the fun stuff!

[premium]

M Alakazam-EX / Crobat

[decklist name=”M Alakazam-EX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″][pokemon amt=”19″]
3x M Alakazam-EX (FC #76)3x Alakazam-EX (FC #75)2x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Generations” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Generations” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x Alakazam Spirit Link (FC)3x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Devolution Spray” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]5x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Generations” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]3x [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

The Pokemon

There is nothing immediately striking about Alakazam-EX. It’s a Psychic-type (of course). It has an attack for a Psychic and a Colorless that places three damage counters on each of our opponent’s Pokemon that has any Energy attached to it. That’s fairly interesting, but nothing really special. The Ability places two damage counters on our opponent’s Active Pokemon when we evolve into M Alakazam-EX.

Here’s where it gets real. M Alakazam-EX has 210 HP. It has an attack that does 10 damage plus 30 more damage for each damage counter on our opponent’s Active Pokemon. You can already see how this works. Our opponent’s Active is already going to have two damage counters on it going it from Alakazam’s Ability. That’s 70 damage from M Alakazam-EX for free. If we have been attacking with the regular version for even a turn, they probably have three more damage counters on them. That’s 160 from the Mega already! But wait, what other ways can we place damage without relying on attacking with Alakazam?

This is where our favorite cave dwellers come in. Bats have been used for quite a while now to augment damage output, either with cards like [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] that need help hitting certain numbers, or with [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to enhance another attack. The latter scenario is the goal in this case as well, as we won’t be using Bats to achieve numeric thresholds but instead to increase the amount of damage we do with Alakazam. If the Active Pokemon has 20 damage on it from Alakazam-EX, and we play a [card name=”Golbat” set=”Generations” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] adding 20, M Alakazam-EX’s attack does 130. If we play another Golbat, we’re dishing out 190. A [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] instead, and it’s 220, enough to KO a Mega. The math with this can get kind of tricky / time consuming, and it’s important not to waste damage. When playing this deck, we need to be very careful with our damage placement from Bats.

As I mentioned, this deck is similar to the existing Wobbuffet / Bats. It’s basically the same strategy, but so much better! Where Wobbuffet was lacking, Alakazam steps in to show us how it’s done. However, Wobbuffet does have one thing the Psychic King doesn’t: a highly effective locking-Ability. If we open with it, neither player can use any [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to set up with! Most decks can be crippled by a timely turn one [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], and opening Wobbuffet is just as effective. They can’t use Abilities, and we can start putting early damage on the board.

The Supporters

We’re using our standard lineup of [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. There’s not much to say here, except that we do include one [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] in order to pick up a damaged Alakazam. [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] also help us draw into cards we need. Lysandre is good as always to pull up a damaged Pokemon-EX that our opponent may have retreated. We don’t have to play a Hex Maniac, because Wobbuffet can probably do whatever we would need the Supporter version to do.

The Trainers

Our Pokemon-search is pretty robust in this deck. We play three [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and one [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] to get out our Alakazam line and Bats pretty easily. Of course we need the Spirit Link so we don’t have to waste a turn Mega Evolving, and there aren’t really any other Tools we need to attach. [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] lets our Alakazam tank a hit or two and possibly not give up two Prizes. Most often, we’ll be using them to pick up our Bats to re-use them for more damage. [card name=”Devolution Spray” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] also allows us to do this, playing the Bat right back down in the same turn. [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is particularly effective, letting us attack for only one Energy attachment with both Wobbuffet and M Alakazam-EX. As far as our Energy line, we play plenty to cover all of our bases with five Psychic and three [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. There’s no [card name=”Switch” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck because Mystery Energy allows us to Retreat for free, and the Bats have free Retreat as well.

How to Play It

I mentioned already that math is very important in this deck. There is a certain amount of forgiveness because of the [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], but those aren’t exactly reliable. Starting with [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] is always great. On the first turn, we want to look for an Alakazam-EX and two [card name=”Zubat” set=”Generations” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card]. If we can find more, it’s an amazing start as opposed to just good. We should attach an Energy to Alakazam if we go first, but if we go second, we might want to attach to Wobbuffet and attack, as long as we have a follow-up plan for attaching an Energy next turn. If the Active is a 170 or 180 HP Pokemon-EX, we can KO it by evolving into the Mega and playing down two [card name=”Golbat” set=”Generations” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]. The next turn, a Golbat and a [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] KO’s another Pokemon-EX. If they can keep up the Prize-exchange, we can also attack with Wobbuffet using the Bats to force a seventh Prize.

One tip for playing this deck, that actually applies to playing any deck, is to always plan ahead. While sometimes it’s necessary to scrap to survive, and sometimes we have very limited options in our hand, most of the time we will want to form a plan on our first turn. Each turn we should be looking two or three turns ahead, and also to the end of the game. For example, it’s not usually in our benefit to use Bats ahead of the KO turn (unless we are about to discard two [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] or something) because our opponent could heal their Pokemon, causing us to have wasted the damage. Even if they don’t play any form of Potion, most decks play at least one [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] that could foil our plans. After we have played a few turns of the game, we should know where we want to take all of our Prizes. Having a path toward winning the game goes a long way towards conserving resources. After all, how can we conserve if we don’t know what we are conserving for? Saving damage and not taking a KO when we could (for example, on a baby [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]) to set up a KO for next turn and keep us on an even Prize-trade is sometimes the better play.

Zygarde / Regirock / Carbink BREAK

[decklist name=”Zygarde” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x Zygarde-EX (FC #54)3x Regirock-EX (FC)3x Carbink BREAK (FC #57)2x Carbink (FC Safeguard)1x Carbink (FC Energy Keeper)2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x Power Memory (FC #108)1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Generations” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

The Pokemon

Even though Zygarde didn’t end up getting his own game (or movie) he might still get to be a star. The new Pokemon-EX version has three attacks, like [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. The first one does a base of 20 damage, doing 20 more if there’s a Stadium in play for one Fighting Energy. Add a Colorless Energy and Zygarde is doing 60 damage, and healing 30! The third attack needs another Fighting, and does a clean 100 damage. It’s got a Grass Weakness which is fine right now as [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] would normally OHKO you anyway, and it boasts a nice 190 HP. With all the cards that buff Fighting Pokemon, Zygarde-EX can be a tank and a damage-dealing monster.

Remember the Plasma deck from a few years ago? This deck functions in much the same way. We have a Pokemon that deals a bunch of low-cost damage quickly with Zygarde, and we have Pokemon to buff him from the Bench with Regirock-EX. The Regi adds 10 damage to Fighting Pokemon’s attacks, and it stacks. This lets us hit better numbers. There are endless combinations of damage with Zygarde’s three attacks and the Regi, so I’m not going to go into any.

We play one of the Carbink I talked about in the first section of this article, and two of the other one. The first one keeps our Energy safe from Hammers, [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card]. The second one has the Safeguard Ability, so Pokemon-EX can’t touch it. It’s good to send up as a wall to protect our board when our opponent has no non-EX attackers on their field. Carbink BREAK is a three-of in the deck. Its attack attaches two Energy from the discard to our Pokemon, so that’s really handy as well. Sending up a wall that can’t be damaged and also recovering Energy, developing our board while stagnating theirs, is too good to pass up. It doesn’t even specify Basic Energy, so we can attach [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]! As if that weren’t enough, the attack itself does 20 damage. Of course, we play two [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to set up as well.

The Supporters

Instead of the usual four, we play three [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck to make room for other Supporters. [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] allows us to grab all of our Fighting Pokemon from the deck as well as an Item. This is really good for our setup because we can grab a Zygarde to start attaching to it, as well as whatever Item we might need. We could get [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] for a Shaymin to get more cards in our hand, and this way Korrina can draw us cards, whereas in the past it was limited in that capacity. [card name=”N” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW100″ c=”name”][/card] is as a great of a disruption card late game and it is a shuffle draw in the early game. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is a really underrated card, because in decks that require a bit of setup, it’s a great idea to play it on the first turn to prevent any Abilities our opponent might use to set up.

The Trainers

Our Pokemon search is only three [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], because Korrina usually gets all of our Fighting-types for us. [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] are a staple. [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is a great new card, and gives all decks some flexibility with their resources. It’s a bit like Junk Arm was in the past, allowing us to pick something out of the discard that we find ourselves needing in the late game. In this case we might choose something we were forced to discard.

Power Memory is here because it’s a really powerful attack. It allows Zygarde-EX to do 200, discarding two Energy. We could go down on the number, but this is a good starting point. Imagine if we had access to three [card name=”G Booster” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in VirGen! It has great synergy with Carbink, who can get that Energy back from the discard. We need [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to pull off this move and get Carbink to the Active position. [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] helps us find these Energy, and is a good thing to grab with Korrina in the early game.

We have a couple ways other than Regirock to increase our damage. [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] adds +20 and so does [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. Another card I might consider adding is [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] so we can hit important numbers easier.

How To Play It

If you’ve played Fighting decks in the past, this will be a breeze. We want to start with a Zygarde-EX, and quickly use [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to pull out a Carbink (whichever one will be more effective in the matchup) and multiple Regirock. After that, it’s really up to playstyle and matchups. We have a lot of options as far as attacks to use. Four attacks for Zygarde! We can elect to chip away at our opponent’s defenses with his smaller attack moves. Another option is to go for the big kahuna and chain the Power Memory attack. We attack with Safeguarded Carbink BREAK to load Energy, then attack with Zygarde-EX OHKO Pokemon-EX threats, then we repeat the process. It doesn’t trade well with non-EX decks that can do 190 easily, because we have so few non-EX attackers. However, Carbink can KO a Joltik very easily.

Conclusion

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for continuing to read my musings on the Pokemon TCG. I won’t be playing in any more events until Nationals, even for fun. I just don’t have the time or extra money to travel to events with work and playing in Hearthstone tournaments. I love writing about Pokemon and exploring new decks. Talking about Pokemon with friends is the best part of the game, and the Subscriber’s Hideout is great for that! I’ll see you next time, and don’t forget to connect with me on Twitch and Twitter!

~Nicholena

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