Back At It Again — Origins Recap and the Progression of the Format
Howdy ‘Beach goers. I just got back from the Origins Gaming Convention win-a-trip competition and I have a lot to talk about. In this article, I will analyze what happened at the Origins win-a-trip competition, and give my final thoughts on the progression of the metagame before the U.S. National Championships.
For those of you that don’t know, the Origins win-a-trip competition was a tournament held in Columbus, Ohio in our current U.S. Nationals format. The stakes of the tournament were extraordinarily high considering only 64 masters were in attendance. First of all, the cost of entry was $45, $25 to purchase a day pass for the Origins Gaming Convention and $20 to enter the tournament. This weeded out a lot of casual players who may have otherwise entered the tournament for fun. Next off, the tournament offered State Championship level Championship Points, so players in the 200-299 CP total range were in attendance looking to score their invites and players in the 400-500 CP range were in attendance looking to solidify a position in the Top 16 of U.S. and Canada to ensure their automatic qualification for day two of the World Championship. Third, the tournament boasted the largest monetary prize of any U.S. tournament so far this year, offering a paid trip to San Francisco to the winner and three friends. And finally, and perhaps most enticingly, this is the first time in recent memory that a large scale National’s format tournament was held in the U.S. prior to the U.S. National Championships themselves. Many players, myself included, saw this tournament as an indispensable opportunity to test for the U.S. National Championships.
Origins Recap
Because of the high stakes, players overwhelmingly showed up guns ablaze for this tournament, piloting what they considered to be the best deck in the Standard format. In fact, numerous players have expressed disappointment in the fact that their “secret” deck for the U.S. National Championships, [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], was leaked at this tournament, snatching three out of the Top 8 placements. Despite the deck’s domination in the swiss rounds, it was Jimmy McClure’s Darkrai-EX / [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor deck that claimed the top spot and earned him a free trip to Worlds! Congrats to the Jimmy McClure, the Coach himself!
It’s also worth mentioning that my friend and testing partner, Andrew Wambolt, claimed a Top 8 finish with my Night March / [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] list which I published here. The only alteration he made was substituting the [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Congrats to Wambolt on the strong finish and a big thanks to him for trusting my deck building! Though the tournament only had 64 participants, many in attendance were calling it the most competitive 64 player tournament ever held. Some laughed as they said the experience was like getting dropped into day two of the U.S. National Championships from round one!
Final Standings
The final standings for the competition were as follows:
1. Jimmy McClure – [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]
2. Aaron Tarbell – [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]
3. Alex Hill – Darkrai-EX / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor
4. Russell LaParre – Water Toolbox
5. Chris Schemanske – Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Latios-EX / Garbodor
6. Alex Croxton – [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]
7. Sean Foisy – Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Latios-EX / Garbodor
8. Andrew Wamboldt – Night March / [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]
What Showed Up
The tournament was comprised primarily of people playing Dark / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], Metal, Water Toolbox, Night March, and [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. However, in addition to this core meta, I also saw players piloting Dark / Vespiquen, [card name=”M Sceptile-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Medicham” set=”Primal Clash” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card]. The field was ripe with players fielding new ideas. Relatively few opted to play either of the three decks that I consider to be the founding archetypes of the Standard format: Trevenant BREAK, Night March, and Greninja BREAK, but of these three, Night March was still the most popular. This jives with my theory that most competitive players do not enjoy the interactions between Greninja, Trevenant, and Night March and wanted to find something with more definitively positive matchups.
[cardimg name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Four years later and I’m still good.[/cardimg]
The Winners
[card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] seemed to be the resounding answer to the format at Origins, with at least seven players across three different friend groups opting to pilot the “secret” deck. Of those seven players, three finished in top cut and one bubbled out of cut at ninth place overall. Considering the very competitive nature of this field, it’s telling that four of seven Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Garbodor players finished swiss with a record of 4-1-1 or better. Two of the players I attended the tournament with played this deck and I have spent a good amount of time testing against it, so I will be sharing my thoughts on the deck later on in the article.
Another big surprise was Metal’s solid representation at the tournament. The deck was piloted by a handful of players, specifically earning Alex Croxton a Top 8 finish. It’s worth noting that Croxton’s list played a [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] line, a card that was excluded from Simone Zuchelli’s Italian National Championship finalist list. I spent a good amount of time testing Metal leading up to the tournament and love the way that the deck plays. I think that the deck has a lot of potential, just like it did at last year’s National Championships, so I’ll be reviewing Metal in the latter part of my article as well.
The Loser
[card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] was the biggest loser of Origins. As I stated during my last article, many testing groups were finding Greninja to be the deck with the most potential out of the big three archetypes in Standard. That being said, many competitive players, including myself, didn’t like the deck’s inconsistent nature. That led players to counter Greninja rather than play it themselves. Consequently, players showed up with serious Garbodor lines intent on defeating any Greninja players they may have encountered. Garbodor also happens to counter the newly popular Metal deck, making its inclusion in top lists even more warranted.
What’s troubling about Garbodor is that countering the card will not be as easy as including a [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] for Greninja players. Greninja needs many consistent turns of Water Shuriken late in the game to pull games out. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Greninja cannot slow down Darkrai-EX / Garbodor with [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card]’s Stardust, a strategy it employs versus most speedier decks. The only line of defense Greninja has against a quick Darkrai-EX is an unreliable Bubble attack from [card name=”Froakie” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card]. By the time the Greninja player manages to set up any Greninja BREAK, they will need to focus all their resources on Garbodor, be it with Xerosic or [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. Neither strategy feels legitimate, however, since they are almost entirely thwarted if the opponent sets up two Garbodor, something they will have plenty of time to accomplish by turn three or four. Greninja thrives the most in a metagame composed of Night March and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], but with all three of the big archetypes on the decline, I don’t think Greninja will have strong footing heading into the U.S. National Championships.
My Origins Experience
My experience at Origins was a rough one. Unfortunately, In my case in particular, I learned exactly what not to do at the National Championships. I did not sleep the night before the tournament, instead, I stayed up stressing about what to play and testing fervently. Two of my friends, Justin Boughter and Athavan Balendran were both testing the recently hyped [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] deck, which was routinely destroying the Night March / [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] deck I had intended to play for the tournament. Without a clear backup plan, I was pretty freaked out.
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”custom”]I’m back baby![/cardimg]
My friends and I drove into Columbus the morning of the tournament, leaving my apartment at 3:45 AM to arrive right at 6:00 AM. We were told to arrive early so that we would be able to sign up for the tournament on time, but this proved to be almost completely unnecessary. When I arrived at the tournament, I learned that my friend and fellow Beach writer, Steve Guthrie was also planning on playing Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Garbodor. Minutes later, I learned that my friends from Michigan were all playing the deck themselves as well. At this point I decided that I needed to rethink my plan. I had only beat Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Garbodor with one deck the night prior, Metal, and I didn’t own the cards necessary to play a Metal deck. My testing also revealed that a single [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] in Night March was not nearly enough to thwart Giratina-EX’s Chaos Wheel.
I warned my friend Andrew Wamboldt about the Dark / Garb deck. Wamboldt was unfazed though, and said he wasn’t going to change his deck this late in the game. I, on the other hand, decided to flop back to a straight Night March deck with [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] and an [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] for Giratina-EX. My past experiences had shown that I have a better chance of beating Giratina-EX decks if I can attack them early on with Pokemon Catcher. I also decided to play one copy of [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] at the suggestion of pretty much everyone I test with. I ended up loving the single copy of Mew, especially since Night March needs to hit higher damage with more consistency now. It’s also great to have a free retreater that can be attained with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card].
Round One: Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Garbodor
Sure enough, round one I am paired against a friend, Dimitri from Michigan, who is playing Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Garbodor. He wins the first game when he goes first, I win game two when I go first and then he goes first again in game three. He gets a Giratina-EX powered up with a Dark and [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. I am able to Enhanced Hammer the [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and KO his Active in the process, feeling pretty confident about my turn one. He promptly responds with another [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and a second Double Dragon from hand and begins using Chaos Wheel. Without a way to access my [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to retrieve Enhanced Hammer, I am in a lot of trouble and am forced to start passing. He slaps a second Double Dragon down on his Active Giratina and I begin trying to stall him out with Lysandre and Pokemon Catcher. He rips [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] for all of his heavy retreaters and keeps the pressure on, but right when it looks like he is in the clear, time is called and he doesn’t have enough time to close the series out, so it ends in a tie.
Round Two: M Manectric-EX / Jolteon-EX / Sceptile-EX
I’m pretty frazzled about my first series but keep my head on straight and sigh in relief when I am paired against a [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] deck round two. He plays [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] but it never matters and I end up completely routing him.
Round Three: Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor
Things go right back to stressful when I get paired against a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor deck round three. I think back to the World Championships and remember that I used to have a positive Toad / Garb matchup, but a lot has changed since then. Now, Seismitoad-EX has [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] at its disposal. I also don’t get to tank with [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] like I used to. Things go terribly this series and I am not able to get more than three Night Marchers in the discard on either of my turn ones. I promptly lose a quick 0-2 series and begin wishing I had stuck with [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / Night March. At 1-1-1 with no sleep, I enter win out mode.
Round Four: M Sceptile-EX
Round four I get paired against my friend Deon who is playing [card name=”M Sceptile-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card]. This is another layup for Night March so I am pretty excited. I go second and get a turn one Pokemon Catcher on his [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. All Deon can do is shake his head and laugh, since this is exactly how our matchups played out at the Ohio State Championships just months ago. Despite a rocky start, Deon drags the game out and makes a case for a comeback with a couple of [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and a M Sceptile-EX wearing an [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card]. I am patient though, and decide to never swing into a Sceptile without KO’ing it, since I know he will just heal it. I am able to put myself in a situation where my deck is small and all I have to do is hit a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] off of an incoming N to hit my [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and last DCE or [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to seal the game, OHKO’ing his Active M Sceptile-EX. I have a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] on my Benched [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and a Joltik in the Active which I anticipate him KO’ing to put himself at two Prizes remaining and me at 11 Night Marchers in the discard. Instead of N’ing and KO’ing my Active like I predict, he goes for Lysandre on my benched Pumpkaboo with the DCE and KO’s it. Since I keep my hand, I am able to promote my last Joltik, attach DCE from hand and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] a [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] for game. We consider going to game two, but Deon scoops and drops since game one lasted a long time and he realizes that he will not have an opportunity to close out two more games for the win.
Round Five: Night March
At this point I only need two more wins for a chance to make Top 8, but my body and mind are seriously beginning to fade as my lack of sleep catches up with me. I get paired against Ryan Grant round five, who is also playing Night March. Grant wins the flip and opts to go second, knowing that he is in a mirror situation. I don’t really agree with going second in the Night March mirror, since going first offers a more stable board set up, especially if something bad happens like a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] start, but both have their merits so I don’t mind either way. We both start [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and use [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], looking for a [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] but fail to find them. A couple turns pass both ways, I [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] a DCE on a turn where he attached but failed to attack, but he rips the first attack on my benched Pumpkaboo with a DCE attached. I had used [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] to protect this Pumpkaboo on a previous turn that I went for the Stadium and missed.
[cardimg name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Gotta play it![/cardimg]
With [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] already in hand, his first attack presents me with an awesome opportunity to [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. I have three [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] in my hand, so I know I am about to pull off something crazy. I [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and hit the Catcher to bring up his Shaymin-EX and take the lead, but first I make an egregious misplay with my [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. I have three Puzzle in my hand and I think that my fourth is left in deck, when in fact it is already in the discard. I am tired and losing my mind so I don’t even check for it, I just go ahead and play double Puzzle to get my Enhanced Hammer and a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] for next turn. I remove his DCE which is now on the Bench while taking Shaymin-EX, and plan on using my VS Seeker to Teammates next turn, which will allow me to grab my last Puzzle piece and another VS Seeker to get two DCE back from the discard and setup my route to win the game. I see that Ryan already has two Puzzle of Time and his Target Whistle in the discard with one Puzzle and one DCE prized, so I know that it will be hard for him to piece together the rest of the game with the pressure I apply with Enhanced Hammer.
Ryan asks to see my discard and I realize as he is checking through that I just shot myself in the foot. I have three Puzzle in the discard, not two, leaving myself with only two DCE in deck to take four Prizes. Oh boy. I am an idiot. My tired brain starts trying to figure out if I still got a shot at this one, and I decide that I can do it if he benches another [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], which he does. The game dwindles down to a point where I have one DCE left and three Prizes to take. I have a hand with a couple Shaymin-EX and a Lysandre, I just need to Lysandre both Joltiks and Sky Return them both, using my [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] as a free retreater, before taking my last Prize with a Night Marcher. I have no Shaymin-EX in the discard and I am still technically leading the Prize-race so if I can string the two plays together with my very small deck, I can get it done. I Lysandre Joltik and bench my Shaymin-EX, using set up for four in a seven card deck, but whiff my DCE, leaving me completely vulnerable. I whiffed, but I am mad at myself for even putting myself in this silly situation. I should have been more careful with my Puzzle of Time but at this point I am so tired and delirious that its a miracle I’m still piecing plays together at all. We start game two, but at this point I know that we won’t have a chance to complete a third game anyways, so I know its a loss.
Game two I go first and start Shaymin-EX. Great! I am able to get it out of the Active but it sits there on the Bench until Ryan takes it. Ryan sets up a commanding lead and just routes me this game. There’s nothing I can do about it. Ryan is a good player though and his list was very solid, so I didn’t mind ending my tournament run there. I congratulate him on the win, drop from the tournament, and go with my girlfriend Kirsten to sleep in my car for an hour while we wait for our friends to finish up. Ryan ended up finishing with a 4-1-1 record as well, whiffing cut at 10th place.
What Did I Learn?
My biggest regret of the tournament was that I didn’t get enough sleep. I know better than this. Sleep is imperative to thinking clearly and making the best decisions over a long day of tournament play, and I can honestly look at my misplay in round five as a direct result of my lack of sleep. My reasons for no sleep were twofold: I didn’t get a local hotel the night before the tournament and much of my testing was happening last minute. This whole tournament was supposed to be a testing experience anyways, so I’m glad I was able to jam hours of testing with my friends, but I wish I had done so more responsibly.
I am disappointed in myself for not having a better plan laid out with what I was going to play beforehand. I should have had two or three decks at the ready that I felt comfortable with, but [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] completely threw me for a loop. I had one plan of what to play and I cast it aside. I think its ironic that Wamboldt just went in confident with the deck I threw out at the last minute and ended up doing just fine, while my stress got me nowhere. I was able to pilot Night March at both Ohio and Michigan States to Top 8 finishes, but I am realizing now that the format has progressed in a way that playing Night March flawlessly won’t always get me there anymore. I think it is time to move on. I am thankful for my experience at Origins. This could have easily been my Nationals experience, but instead, I got to treat this as a test run. I’m glad I was able to learn my lesson about being prepared and keeping my cool before Nationals this year. I’m feeling more prepared now than ever!
[premium]
Genesect-EX / Bronzong
I love [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]. Specifically, I love Metal Links. And before Metal Links, I loved [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dynamotor. The concept of a Stage 1 Pokemon accelerating Energy from the discard to the Bench is not a new one. [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zekrom” set=”Black and White” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] / Eels was the BDIF of the Black and White – Next Destinies era, only losing footing when [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] were released in the 2012 Nationals set, Dark Explorers.
Unlike the format defining Eelektrik, Bronzong’s success has been much more inconsistent. Last season I spent nearly all of Cities playing Bronzong / [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Dialga-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] to unimpressive results. I then discovered and fell in love with [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], the deck I went on to win St. Louis Regionals with. But Connor Finton finished in the Top 4 of that same Regionals with a unique Metal list. I brushed off Connor’s success as an anomaly at the time, but after the infamous [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] ban, Metal picked up traction, winning Canada’s National Championships and finishing in the Top 4 of the U.S. National Championships. Bronzong also went on to fuel many [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] lists in a deck dubbed “Metal Ray,” a deck which saw success at U.S. Nationals as well, earning a Top 8 spot and placing many in the Top 64.
A year later, Metal has shown that it still has the chops to compete at a National level, and many players, myself included, are taking notice. Below is the list that Simone Zuchelli finished second with at Italy’s National Championships. I like his list and it has already proven to be successful, so this is where I would start when considering Metal for Nationals.
[decklist name=”Genesect / Aegislash / Bronzong” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Fates Collide” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Assault Vest” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Blasting Expectations.[/cardimg]
This version of the deck dumps all the potential tech attackers that Metal could play in favor of straightforward tanking with [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card]. This offers the archetype the most consistency, forcing the opponent to take down at least a couple of huge Genesect-EX or an Aegislash-EX to achieve victory.
At first, I did not like the idea of pairing Bronzong with [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. The strategy seemed counterintuitive, one requiring you to discard Energy and the other requiring that Energy be in deck. However, in practice, the combination works out just fine, offering Metal a speedier accelerating option that is not dependent on Abilities.
Speaking of Abilities, Ability reliance is the reason I wouldn’t have picked Bronzong to be a successful archetype this year. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is a staple in nearly every deck. If a Pokemon-EX gets KO’d while the opponent uses Hex Maniac, Metal may be left unable to respond. This fear alone kept me from sleeving up Metal until now. Metal has shown itself to be bulky and resilient enough to stand up to Hex Maniac and even [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in some circumstances, solidifying itself as a legitimate deck in Standard format.
Strengths
With 11 Energy in deck, [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]’s damage output maxes out at an astounding 330 damage. Even though that will never be necessary, it is nonetheless impressive. At first I thought that Genesect-EX’s attack, Rapid Blaster, was too high maintenance to sustain over the course of a game. But the flexibility that the attack offers is actually very useful. If you want, you can 2HKO an average Pokemon-EX without discarding on Rapid Blaster. Or, you can [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] KO a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] with a Genesect-EX wearing a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] without discarding. Then on the following turn, you can discard three Energy with a Fury Belt to do 170 or attach a fourth from hand and discard to pump out 190 damage, KO’ing many average Pokemon-EX. The attack simply ramps much quicker than I realized it would previously. With Fury Belt and a nifty Psychic Resistance, Genesect-EX usually survives at least one hit, allowing it to take out multiple threats before it goes down.
[card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] also plays a cool role, allowing for late game sweeping options against decks like Night March. Unless your Night March opponent plays [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], they will not be able to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] in the same turn to KO your Aegislash-EX. Consequently, Aegislash-EX is usually safe on the Bench versus a Special Energy reliant deck like Night March. In this way, Aegislash plays a sort of [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] role against Night March, only entering the Active position when Metal is ready to put him there, usually after an [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to low numbers.
[cardimg name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Makin’ it rain.[/cardimg]
Probably my favorite part about this deck is the inclusion of [card name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. With Bronzong BREAK, you can build up a win condition on board that your opponent will have a hard time playing around. If you can go down to two Prizes remaining with a couple Energy on a Bronzong BREAK, you can finish games off by using Metal Links a few more times and unloading Metal Rain on a Shaymin-EX for game. With four Energy attached, Bronzong BREAK can snipe 120 damage anywhere on your opponent’s field. Whether it be used for picking off Shaymin-EX, Garbodor, or a heavily damaged Pokemon-EX, Metal Rain has proven to be very useful in my testing so far.
Metal is a top contender in our Standard format because it has a chance versus most decks in format, (barring that [card name=”Flareon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC6″ c=”name”][/card] deck that kid at league won’t stop playing). Metal decks don’t boast many outstanding matchups, but they don’t have many bad ones either. You have OHKO potential with Genesect-EX. You have healing potential with [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. You don’t rely on Mega Pokemon-EX or Special Energy. All that being said, most matchups are still about 50 / 50. The archetype is sturdy and well rounded and operates very well with N, but overall doesn’t boast enough definitively positive matchups for my liking.
Weaknesses
We said them already: [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Garbodor decks become very hard to beat if they go first and set up quickly. I’ve found that the best strategy to defend against Garbodor is to try and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] KO Garbodor outright. Most Garbodor decks are not running more than two Garbodor, meaning that if you manage to Lysandre KO both of them, you should be in the clear. This is easier said than done, however, and if your opponent Garbodor locks you before you Metal Links, the matchup can be very hard to navigate. We do play one [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] which helps in a pinch, but without [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card], the card is not reliable to search out on ideal turns. I could see bumping the Megaphone count to two so that it is more readily available. Rayboar and [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] decks used to play two copies of [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] each in order to deal with the [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] of their day.
The only other thing that I don’t like about this deck is the thin Supporter line and lack of [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. You are usually fine once you hit your first Supporter because of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], but sometimes finding that first Supporter is way more trouble than it should be. This deck really misses [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card], that’s for sure! If you wanted, you could try to fit another [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] or copy of [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] to increase consistency, but the list is proven and works fine enough the way it is.
Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Garbodor
And last we have the not so “secret” deck, [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. It has become apparent that multiple testing circles considered this deck to be their ace play for the National Championships. And with good reason! Lists were very scarcely found online up until now. No one was testing against this deck and very few had even heard about it. I personally like this deck because of its simplicity and versatility. It seems to have all the bases covered and doesn’t outright lose to anything. In fact, this deck boasts more definitively positive matchups than any other deck I’ve seen in Standard format this entire year! Many players thought they had broke the format when they stumbled across this deck, but in reality, nothing is broken. We’ve just discovered the new BDIF.
[decklist name=”Darkrai / Giratina / Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ 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=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]9x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This deck is a perfect example of an anti-meta deck. When thinking about how to beat [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] consistently, you’re going to want to play something Dark typed. [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] never quite fit the bill while decks featuring lots of [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] got destroyed by Night March. [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] is the perfect answer. Many considered Dakrai-EX’s attack, Dark Pulse, to be largely underwhelming, but when combined with [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], Darkness Energy counts ramp rather quickly.
[card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] picks up where Darkrai-EX leaves off, taking care of Night March and Mega decks, both of which can cause Darkrai-EX problems. Giratina-EX also works well in tandem with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], locking the opponent out of their Special Energy, Stadiums and Tools in addition to their Abilities.
Garbodor, of course, rounds the deck off, trouncing decks like Metal and Greninja that would otherwise give this Pokemon-EX heavy deck a run for its money. This deck seems to have all of the answers, so I fully expect players to show up with it at the U.S. National Championships.
Strengths
[cardimg name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Bringing donking back.[/cardimg]
This deck strives because of its versatility and simplicity. All the counters that you will probably think of for this deck have built in answers: Want to play [card name=”Marowak” set=”Fates Collide” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] to get around [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s lock? This deck plays [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and turns off Abilities. Want to play [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] to OHKO the monsters in this Pokemon-EX heavy deck? This list plays [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to lock M Rayquaza-EX to three Bench Pokemon with Chaos Wheel. Want to play Trevenant? It’s weak to Dark. Want to play Greninja? It’s weak to Garb. The three pronged attack that this deck boasts is absurd in its coverage. On top of that, this list plays two copies of [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY72″ c=”name”][/card] to apply early pressure and donking ability!
[card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] is not to be underestimated as an attacker either. Darkrai-EX allows players to skillfully protect the Energy on board by only requiring two for Dark Pulse while drawing power from the whole field. This means that a players board position can remain strong even if a Darkrai-EX goes down.
Although Jimmy McClure’s Darkrai-EX / Garb deck won the Origins win-a-trip tournament, I consider this version of the deck to be superior. Giratina-EX gives the deck so many options that it wouldn’t otherwise have and allows for Energy to ramp more quickly with [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. In fact, McClure’s only loss during swiss was to Sean Foisy’s Dakrai-EX / Giratina-EX / Garb deck! This might be more of an exception rather than the rule, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.
Weaknesses
This deck’s weaknesses are few and far between, but they do exist. Fighting decks are an obvious headache for [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] to manage, and Metal decks that have planned for Garbodor with multiple [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] can be a nuisance as well. If we think back to old formats, [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] decks typically lost to their non Garbodor counterparts. In a similar way, traditional [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] has a pretty good matchup versus [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. The deck is more lean and has the option to OHKO Darkrai with [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. A quick [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can still be troublesome for [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] dependent decks like YZG, but in general, this deck struggles against [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] based decks.
Another big problem for this list is [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]. There haven’t been any speed Jolteon-EX decks running around to my knowledge, but should this deck face a Jolteon-EX, it would have no answer. Some lists have opted to play a single copy of [card name=”Malamar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] in order to deal with Water Toolbox and Jolteon-EX by intermittently keeping the opponent’s Active Pokemon Asleep. I like this idea a lot and I think it’s an idea worth exploring.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention this deck’s tendency towards inconsistency. The list I have provided above is very similar to the one piloted by Sean Foisy, Alex Hill, and Christopher Schemanske at the Origins Competition. In a deck without [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], six draw Supporters and a suite of [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] is living on the edge. Nine Energy in a [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] deck is also flirting with chaos, but I have seen lists for this deck go as low as eight! I’ve tested Elixer decks with eight or nine Energy myself and have not been satisfied with the results. I feel like 10-11 is much more safe, but who has room for that many Energy in their [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] deck? Not us. So this is just a consolation that we have to make. Inconsistencies and Fighting Weakness aside, this deck still rips and will be sure to see play at the U.S. National Championships in the weeks to come.
Conclusion
Metal and [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] are the two remaining facets of the Standard format. With these two decks cataloged, I feel confident that I have reviewed every big player leading up the the U.S. National Championships. This is by far the most prepared that I have ever been for a National Championship, so I’m hoping that it pays off! I will be testing these lists and any deck that happens to pop up in the next week leading up to Nationals, but this time I am going to make sure that I am prepared and confident way before Thursday night! I’m glad that I was able to learn my lesson ahead of time about being prepared, and I hope that I was able to provide some valuable insight for you all this year.
Next time I check in with you it’ll be after Nationals, so good luck to everyone and make sure to say hello if you see me around! If you have any questions for me, feel free to comment on my article in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout! Thanks again for reading.
Later trainers!
~Mahone
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