Preliminary Nationals Testing — The Usual Suspects and Bronzong BREAK

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In my last article, I talked about some theoretical decks from the new set, Fates Collide. Those decks were a [card name=”M Alakazam-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] deck and a [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] deck. While those decks each have a solid strategy and could be good given the right time to shine, the current meta may not be that exact time. Some brave soul could try these decks out at Nationals, and they’re still on my testing agenda. Alakazam-EX is actually getting some hype, I know people have been talking about its viability. However, I’m going to talk about some other decks in this article today.

Starting to test for U.S. Nationals right now might seem a bit early, but it’s really not at all. It’s one month until the day when around a thousand players will compete for prizes that are not a joke this year! Pokemon has really stepped up the prize pool for U.S. Nationals. I think that’s a really good thing, since it’s just about the hardest tournament of the year. Some might say Worlds is a more difficult tournament, but there are definitely arguments for U.S. Nationals. Whoever wins this tournament deserves a little something for their efforts!

So right now, my friends and I are in the early stages of testing. This means we have a general idea of the meta, since we have to take in results from across the U.S. Our typical process is to identify the most popular decks. We’ll build these, and a few ideas we have of our own. We’ll test our ideas against the popular decks and edit or discard them from there.

I’m going to talk about six decks that I am currently looking at playing at Nationals. Instead of dumping six lists in this article and not discussing them much, I’m splitting this up into two segments: this one will have the first three, and the second three will be in my article coming out later.

The decks I’ll be talking about today are Night March, Yveltal, and [card name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. These are two decks we are used to seeing, and one that’s something a bit different from the norm. I’ll talk about the card choices for each deck, and also where it fits into the metagame.

Night March is first up! This is something I’m very likely to play because I’ve played it in tournaments before, and frankly, it’s not that difficult to run. It kind of runs itself! Take a look at the list.

Night March

[decklist name=”Night March” amt=”60″ caption=”Nationals Edition” cname=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″][pokemon amt=”18″]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]2x [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ 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]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=”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=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ 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=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This list is a bit different from my last iteration of Night March, but still essentially similar. To be honest, I don’t really think Night March lists can vary that much. There is a huge core that the deck always needs to run efficiently. Therefore, minute differences between lists matter greatly, especially in mirror. Night March is the kind of deck where the list is so tight, it’s actually more of a deckbuilding challenge than some lists where small changes might not matter as much. It’s kind of like a streamlined machine, one gear that’s out of place can slow down the entire operation. Piloting Night March is a lot like running a machine, in fact. At the beginning of the game, all of our plays should either get us something we want, or thin our deck out so that we can get something we want next turn. Meanwhile, we need to keep track of all our resources. This isn’t as much of an issue as it used to be now that [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is in the format, but it’s still something that will advance our gameplay to the next level.

The Pokemon

With Night March, Joltik is a pretty bad card to start with on paper. It gets easily KO’d by almost everything in the game, probably on the first or second turn. But it’s actually the Pokemon I like to start with most, simply because the other ones are so awful. If we start with Mew, that’s great if it survives long enough to take a KO. If it won’t, that’s unfortunate for us because we only play two, so they’re slightly valuable. Mew is a replacement for the old [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], though it has only 50 HP. It’s a useful tool for later in the game when we are running out of Night Marchers and can’t have enough on the board and also in the discard. [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] is not the best starter because it’s harder to attack with, requiring the DCE and the Valley. It can’t be Sky Return KO’d by [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], which makes it a bit more resilient than Joltik. Shaymin-EX himself is obviously everyone’s nightmare starter, so let’s not even discuss that. [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Generations” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] is intended to sit on the Bench, protecting us. That leaves Joltik as our most likely target to start with. Also, if it gets KO’d early, that’s just an extra Marcher in the discard and an activator for [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card].

I’ve removed the [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] I played in the last version in favor of the [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card]. That’s the only change to the Pokemon line except the addition of the Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime is back now, and it’s great in this deck. [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”from”][/card] has become a staple in [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] decks, so if we can get this guy down it really foils their plans. It doesn’t work against Bats, sadly, but it does help when playing against [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card]. Joltik can breathe much easier when Mr. Mime is on duty.

We all know that Night March’s best attack is its namesake. However, let’s not forget about the other attacks in the deck. For example, never Night March an opposing Joltik if you can help it, Sky Return with Shaymin-EX or Mew instead. Another thing to consider is the fact that we also want to play a few Basic Energy to hedge our bets, we don’t want to rely on using [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to get back our DCE if we don’t have to. But which type? That’s a bit up in the air, as we have a few options. We could play Psychic to use Pumpkaboo’s Ram, but that doesn’t seem very helpful. We could play Fairy to use Mr. Mime’s Juggling, which potentially does 40 damage if we can flip 4 heads. However, I think the most prudent option is to use Lightning for Joltik’s Gnaw. Lightning is a good type, and if we use the attack with Joltik onto an Yveltal we get Weakness damage. It’s probably not very relevant for now, and definitely not as relevant as it used to be when [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] was around to use our opponent’s attacks as well.

The Supporters

I’m running a standard Supporter line in this list. It’s nothing special, really. [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] is back now, but we don’t want to see that card too much in Night March. Our opponent is most likely going to try to use it against us, because one way to get out of the bulldozer that is Night March is to try to disrupt it and make us unable to draw the part we need for the machine to run. A good N to one can definitely do that, giving our opponent the chance to make a comeback. We don’t play [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] in this list, and that’s what makes thinning our deck at the beginning of the game so important, as I mentioned before. We still play one copy of our own to try and pull the same trick on our opponent if they get ahead. A likely scenario in which we will use N is the mirror, when we know our opponent has a response in hand from [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card].

[card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is a great turn one play for Night March, since we can set up a lot of our board using Shaymin-EX and [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. The reason Hex is so strong in the beginning of the game is because it denies the extra advantage that Shaymin-EX gives a player in setting up. Night March is the deck that punishes slow starts the most, so why not take advantage of that? Battle Compressor and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] make it easy to access. As for the rest of the Supporters, Teammates is good for right after the first attacker goes down to get what we need to set up a response. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] helps us a lot against mirror, and against anything that plays Special Energy in general.

[cardimg name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Trainers

Here we have our standard Night March engine. This is what I’m talking about when I mention that there’s limited space in the deck. We have to have all these Trainers maxed out so that we can make sure to draw through the deck before our opponent draws through theirs or deals with our board. We have a couple of luxury spots. [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is a great Tool that makes it harder for our opponent to take Prizes, at least in an even exchange. It’s harder for their non-EX Pokemon to KO our non-EX Pokemon, forcing them to bring out the big money targets (aka Pokemon-EX).

One [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and one [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] is something I really stand by, and have for a while. It’s not enough to just play one or the other, you’re bound to get stuck somewhere you can’t get out of, especially with stalling techniques running rampant nowadays. Playing the Rope and throwing up something that already has the Float Stone on it is priceless, and too good of an opportunity to miss. [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] is a card I’ve been turned onto lately that I think is genius. It makes everything in our opponent’s discard fair play. They might cripple their draw during the game at some point in order to not bench another fragile, two Prize Shaymin-EX, only to have us bring it all the way from the discard to the Active position anyway! [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] gives us a similar boon, we have a fifty percent chance to take down either something with Energy attached or something worth two Prizes. It’s a nonessential spot that is up in the air anyway. Target Whistle and Catcher are both cards that are impossible for our opponent to play around, which is what makes them good additions to the deck.

The Matchups

A lot of Night March’s matchups are really against itself. Whether or not the deck sets up very quickly is crucial to its success. This list is pretty good against the mirror. Teammates, extra Energy, and [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] help a lot with the Prize-exchange. However, there are a few little tips we can use when facing another Night March deck. Make sure to play the single Prize game. That is, avoid benching Shaymin-EX at all costs, and if you must, try to pick it back up as soon as possible. Also, don’t bench a Joltik without putting a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on it, again, unless absolutely necessary. This makes it so that Joltik can’t get KO’d by Sky Return.

When we are playing against [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks, it’s a good idea not to bench Joltik at all because it gets KO’d so easily. For the same reason as above, we should also try not to bench Shaymin-EX. [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and Mew will be our main attackers in this matchup. It’s a little tougher because they only give up a single Prize as well. Playing the Prize game comes into relevance again against Yveltal, we need to make sure they don’t KO a Shaymin. It seems like Shaymin-EX is a bit of a liability a lot of the time, doesn’t it? Also, in this matchup there is the issue of Joltik being Sky Returned as well, so be careful when attacking with it. Make sure to take its type advantage into account, and only use it when you need this boost. If the Yveltal player goes for [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], make sure to target it and KO it if you get the opportunity.

Other than these few matchup specific points and general gameplay tricks, most of Night March’s matchups are self explanatory and straightforward. In addition, I believe all of these matchups are favorable for the Night March player. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks may give us some problems, but overall, Night March is one of my top plays for Nats at the moment.

The next deck on my list is Yvetal. The Dark Bird has been good since the second it was printed, and it’s only gotten stronger.

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Yveltal

[decklist name=”Yveltal” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zorua” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Umbreon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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″ 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=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Pokemon

One of the reasons why [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] has become better instead of worse throughout its existence is because it now takes so many forms. It feels like TCPI makes a new Yveltal every set! We have our old mainstay, of course, the vanilla [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. The OG, if you will. He’s the powerhouse and driving force behind the deck, kind of like the mama bird. A mama bird that named all its baby birds after itself… It makes it hard to differentiate between the different Y Birds when talking about them. The [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”from”][/card] has been in the family for a while, and is really good in the early game to push damage and get set up, and also in the late game to recover. It’s a great starter, so look for it in your opening hand. We also have the newer addition to the flock, [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”from”][/card]. This one is a jack of all trades type. It’s super useful against things like [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], and great for sniping Pokemon-EX.

We do have Pokemon other than Yvetlal in this deck. After playing a [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] deck at States, I discovered that I really like the card. It’s very good, but my list wasn’t optimal at the time. It has an amazing Ability and solid attack that deals high damage. [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] is amazing for consistency as well as dealing with anything weak to Fighting, like [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] or opposing [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] helps us get set up as usual. I’m not too sure about the [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card], but it does help with setting up and thinning out the deck.

Here’s where it gets interesting! We have a new roster edition from Fates Collide: [card name=”Umbreon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. Endgame is a crazy attack! It potentially lets us take four Prizes from a Mega Evolution. Imagine taking two Prizes in the early game, and then just taking your opponent by complete surprise by taking four at once! For example, taking an early KO on a Shaymin-EX with [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], then damaging into a Mega Evolution, then just sweeping in with Umbreon-EX to finish the game. This is a real problem for Mega decks, and if this card becomes popular, it might deter them from seeing play.

The Supporters

We’re only playing a 2-2 line of [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] because they’re actually not that essential to the deck. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is a great turn one play again here. Playing two [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] makes it so we can get out both [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] through the course of the game, and Gallade is much better than Sycamore and N because of its ability to make our draws consistent and also deal a fair bit of damage. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] serve their usual purposes. Xerosic is great against Night March, the mirror, and any deck that plays Special Energy. Lysandre is for stalling and bringing up a damaged Pokemon-EX or potential threat.

The Trainers

The Trainer line is very similar to the last list, because both of these decks are very fast when setting up. [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] works to get Energy on our Pokemon early. Basically, we want to begin dealing damage as soon as possible during the course of the game, and continue to consistently deal damage throughout, every single turn. This steady damage output is very hard for any deck (except perhaps Night March) to deal with. We play [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] for speed and synergy with the [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”from”][/card]. [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] ideally go onto the [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], but we have two so that we can afford to lose one to get out of a sticky situation and put one on another Pokemon. Fighting Fury Belt makes our tanky non-EX Yveltal even harder to KO. I like [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] so much that I included it in this list too.
[cardimg name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Matchups

The mirror is definitely a close one. It’s all about the non-EX’s as I feel like much of this game is. We need to force a seventh Prize, and keep ahead in the [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] exchange. Try to attack with the non-EX’s as much as possible, especially when taking a KO. It’s much harder to find a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] and an answer to a KO. In the Night March matchup, it’s also better to try to only attack with our non-EX’s, because otherwise we will face a very unfavorable Prize-exchange. We should try to KO two Night Marchers and a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] with the [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”from”][/card]. Keeping a full bench of Pokemon-EX is a bad idea, and we should also play around [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] by avoiding discarding them as well. It’s also a very close matchup. When playing against [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], it’s best to just take KO’s with whatever we can, while trying to limit the amount of Shaymin-EX we bench. This isn’t a great matchup, unfortunately.
The other decks that we could play against include [card name=”M Alakazam-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], which is getting a bit of hype. If they play [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], we can abuse Hex Maniac to prevent the damage from that. [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] can be used to set up easier KO’s on M Alakazam-EX, and [card name=”Umbreon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is there to potentially take four Prizes. [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is a great attacker in this matchup, so we should focus on setting him up. Overall, it’s a pretty favorable matchup. Against [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], we should play around [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] by putting two Dark Energy on a Zoroark, or using Hex Maniac. Once again, Zoroark should be the main attacker, and it’s another positive matchup. We should go for KO’s on the Bronzong when possible, and make good use of Hex Maniac as well. As for the new [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] deck, we should use Yveltal as much as possible to take advantage of its Fighting type resistance. Playing the seven Prize game is a good idea here as well, and this matchup is slightly favorable. Yveltal has such a consistent strategy, and that’s what makes it one of my top picks for Nationals.

This next deck is basically a twist on the old version of Bronzong / Metal attackers. It basically has a variety of threats that are difficult for the opponent to deal with and easy to recharge. It has a huge board presence that makes [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] much less of a threat. It doesn’t have much early game, but its mid to late game makes up for it.

Bronzong BREAK

[decklist name=”Bronzong BREAK” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″][pokemon amt=”17″]2x [card name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/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=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Birch’s Observations” set=”Primal Clash” no=”134″ 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=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

The Pokemon

We play a 4-4-2 [card name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] line to make sure we can bench [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] in the beginning of the game. The reason I decided to include a [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ c=”from”][/card] is because if we draw it, we can protect our Pokemon from [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]’s Silent Fear. As for our other attackers, [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] is a Metal mainstay. He’s a beefy wall that our opponents have to jump through hoops to even damage. It’s easily charged up to swing for a decent amount of damage with our Bronzong. Since it’s hard to get to exact KO numbers with Aegislash-EX, Bronzong BREAK can come up at the end of the game to finish off Pokemon-EX that we couldn’t quite KO. By taking Prizes in this way, we are immune to [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] throughout the game since we can take all the Prizes in one turn. If we don’t go that route, we can also power up a large [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and take our Prizes that way. Genesect needs four Energy to KO a 180 HP Pokemon-EX, so that’s an attachment and three Bronzong. Or less, depending on how many Energy we already had attached, of course.

Ideally, we want to start with an Aegislash-EX, since it’s basically going to be a wall for us in the beginning of the game. We’d like to bench as many Bronzor as possible on our first turn while sitting behind our shield. An attacker like another Aegislash or a Genesect-EX would be good too. [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t even bad to start swinging with, as it’s beefy and hard to KO as well. Once we have our setup, we’ll transition into whatever our attacker is and start going to town!

The Supporters

We play three [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and three [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] here because neither really hurts us. Our board is stable enough to play N a lot, it will almost always cripple our opponent more than it will us. We don’t mind discarding Energy with Sycamore, of course. We’ll probably have a Bronzor KO’d early in the game, so we have one copy of [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] to take advantage of that fact. [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] helps us get beefy Pokemon-EX out of the Active, and also handily puts their used Energy in the discard for us.

The Trainers

[card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] help us search for our many Pokemon. We don’t play [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY71″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck because we don’t need to look for as many Pokemon-EX as we do non-EX’s. Three [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and one [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is really important since we don’t play a [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to get us out of the Active when we are stuck. Five outs with AZ is not too shabby, so we should be fine. [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is just becoming a staple to include for reasons we’ve already discussed at length. We only play two [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] because the deck isn’t meant to be super fast, and we will probably find other ways to discard Energy as well, such as Ultra Ball and Sycamore.

[card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] provides an essential function in this deck, which is getting the Bronzor back after our opponent targets them in the early game. It’s disheartening to go through all this work to KO the little guy only to have him plop back down on the bench and become a Bronzong one turn later. [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] helps us against all those pesky Tools. [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name][/card] lets us have a huge setup, and then when our opponent counters it, remove the liability Pokemon, Shaymin-EX, as well as other previously damaged Pokemon-EX.

The Matchups

Against the mirror, we want to begin setting up [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] as our main attacker. He can easily OHKO any threat in the deck. The mirror is going to be close almost every time, because none of our Special Energy blocking techniques have any bearing on the game. It’s all about who can power up an OHKO faster, and who has the better board presence to be able to stream them consistently. Against Night March, we should aim to take multiple KO’s at a time with [card name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. I think this is a close matchup, but Bronzong might have the edge because of this attack. We can also catch them by surprise if they do make the mistake of benching too many [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card]. Other than that, [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] will be our main attacker, since they will have to attach two Basic Energy in order to deal with it. Don’t let them take six Prizes on three Pokemon-EX above all!

Against [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], our go-to attackers will be Genesect-EX and [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]. If Greninja tries to set up any KO’s, dig for AZ to deny them, and abuse it multiple times if possible. This is a favorable matchup for Bronzong. When playing versus [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], we should use Aegislash-EX to KO [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Aegislash-EX’s Ability is particularly troublesome for Yveltal, but it’s still a close matchup. Our Heatran can KO the non-EX Yveltal, which is pretty helpful. In the [card name=”M Alakazam-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, we should attempt to set up KO’s with Bronzong and Genesect-EX. This should also be a fairly favorable matchup.

This deck needs a lot more testing, but could be a contender. It has several different threats that are difficult for its opponent to play around.

Thanks for reading about the first half of my Nats testing agenda! Stay tuned for the next half, coming very soon! ;P As always, I appreciate your support and time in sticking with me throughout my time as a Pokemon TCG writer. <3

~Nicholena

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