Bronze Dragons — A Steam Siege Set Review and National Championship Tournament Report

The Pokemon Company international threw World Championship competitors for a huge loop this year by announcing new rules regarding the legality of new expansions. As a result of this change to procedure, cards from Steam Siege will now be legal at this year’s World Championships. For many players, this came as a tremendous shock, never in Pokemon history has such a twist been placed on the Worlds metagame. Steam Siege is also extremely important for players who are not competing in Worlds this year, shaping the beginning metagame for our 2016-2017 season. Since Steam Siege is so vital for players of all competitive levels, I want to discuss my picks for the top five cards from the set (in no particular order). A common theme I’ve noticed among cards from this set is that many are inspired by older cards, so veterans of the TCG should be at least faintly familiar with the general idea of most of the cards. Without further ado, let’s get into the list!

You can find the scans and translations of Steam Siege here .

Top Five Cards from Steam Siege

Yanmega

[cardimg name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Players who were around for the 2011 season may remember the tyrant [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”custom”]Yanmega Prime[/card]. Nationals and Worlds from that year was infested with the Sonic Bug, commonly paired with [card name=”Magnezone” set=”Triumphant” no=”96″ c=”custom”]Magnezone Prime[/card] and / or [card name=”Kingdra” set=”Unleashed” no=”85″ c=”custom”]Kingdra Prime[/card]. Yanmega Prime’s main strength was its Poke-Body (roughly equivalent to today’s Yanmega’s Ability) which let it attack for free as long as your hand size and your opponent’s match. The new Yanmega follows similarly in the path of Yanmega Prime, having an Ability that lets it attack for free but with a slightly different condition. Rather than needing to have an equal number of cards as your opponent, you only need to have four cards in your hand. This requisite is much easier than the previous since it doesn’t rely on your opponent in any way. We also have cards that let you manage your hand to exactly four cards with no problem, specifically [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. Combined with its new BREAK evolution (also in Steam Siege), Yanmega has two powerful attacks. It can deal a flat 100 damage without bothering Weakness, Resistance, or any other various effects on the defending Pokemon, similar to the old Yanmega Prime’s Sonicboom attack. Yanmega can also use its Assault Boom attack that hits for 120 if the defending Pokemon has a Pokemon Tool attached to it but only 50 if doesn’t (very close to [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card]’s Assault Laser). With two nice attacks at its disposal, Yanmega BREAK can surely 2HKO anything it comes across. Another nice benefit Yanmega has its is Grass typing, especially with the astonishingly powerful Stadium, [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. With a Forest, you can potentially have a Yanmega BREAK ready to attack on even the first turn!

One issue Yanmega BREAK faces is its reliance on its Ability. If its Ability is shut down by any means, it can no longer attack, and since the idea behind Yanmega decks is to be able to run as few Energy as possible (often zero), losing its Ability is almost game-changing. To combat this, there are a few techs I would use in a Yanmega deck. Firstly, to have an answer to the increasingly popular [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is necessary. If you can use Startling Megaphone to discard Garbodor’s Tool card and then pull it Active with [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], you can KO it completely. Another annoying Ability-lock that is found in the current metagame is [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]’s Shadow Stitching. Luckily, Steam Siege also brought Yanmega a reliable counter to Shadow Stitching in Pokemon Ranger. Pokemon Ranger can remove Shadow Stitching’s effect for a turn, letting you attack. One unfortunate downfall of Pokemon Ranger is its wording, it doesn’t last until the end of the turn, it only resets the effects of attacks present on the field when it was played. This means that Yanmega BREAK’s Penetrate would still ignore Greninja’s Grass Weakness, making a OHKO impossible.

The third, and by far the most popular, Ability-lock card in the format now is [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. While there isn’t an way to directly remove Hex Maniac’s effect from your Pokemon, there is another way to essentially neutralize that Hex Maniac. By running [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], you can free retreat into it any time after your opponent plays Hex Maniac to deny Prizes for a turn. Chances are that your opponent will have played a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to get back Hex Maniac from the discard pile, so they’ll rarely be able to play another Hex Maniac or Lysandre on their next turn.

With a properly teched and consistent list Yanmega BREAK can surely be a big buzz in the format.

Volcanion-EX

Volcanion-EX, one of the new dual-typed Pokemon from Steam Siege, is a very powerful Pokemon-EX that provides a great boost to Fire decks. Volcanion-EX’s Ability, Steam Up, not only increases the damage your Fire types do by 30, but it also fuels [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] by putting Fire Energy into the discard pile. And while a Volcanion-EX can only use its Ability once per turn, having multiple Volcanion-EX in play lets you use Steam Up two, three, or even four times in a turn!

There are three obvious partners to make maximum usage out of Volcanion-EX. The first is [card name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card], the core of a deck that saw moderate success during Cities this season but ultimately fell off the radar when BREAKpoint brought [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] to the scene. [card name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] decks were known for their incredible speed and ability to attack on the first turn of the game for 130 (or more) damage. With Steam Up, Entei can now take OHKO’s on Pokemon on which it never could before and even on some Mega Evolution Pokemon. With this new power boost in Volcanion-EX, Entei decks may end up seeing play at Worlds, the last tournament before the Fire deck staple [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] rotates.

Another good partner for Volcanion-EX is [card name=”Flareon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC6″ c=”name”][/card]. Flareon-EX decks aim to flood Fire Energy onto the field to make Blaze Ball do more damage, and Volcanion-EX raises Flareon-EX’s damage cap even higher. Just like in the Entei deck, Volcanion-EX makes OHKO’s significantly easier and it also fuels the discard for [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. However, one benefit of having the main attacker be a Pokemon-EX is being able to abuse [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. In a Flareon-EX / Volcanion-EX deck, Hoopa-EX turns one [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] into three, letting you snag whatever three Pokemon-EX you need, whether it’s Flareon-EX, Volcanion-EX, or even Shaymin-EX.

Lastly, Volcanion-EX breathes life into good old [card name=”Torchic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. With its Omega Barrage Ancient Trait, Torchic can attack twice in a turn, even if it Knocks Out the defending Pokemon on the first attack! Although its damaging attack requires a successful coin flip to do anything, [card name=”Trick Coin” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] makes that condition easier to achieve. With three Volcanion-EX on the field and all three using Steam Up, a Torchic can deal 220 damage in one turn, and that isn’t even factoring in damage-increasing Pokemon Tools like [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. The downside of [card name=”Torchic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], though, is its abysmally low HP. 50 damage is a piece of cake for all of the other decks to deal, so a Torchic will rarely ever last more than one turn; but, then again, the Fire Chicken usually does more than enough work in a turn, so the tradeoff is fair.

One other card to note that is great with Volcanion-EX is the new “baby” (non Pokemon-EX) Volcanion. Its main attack, Power Heater, attaches one Fire Energy from your discard pile to two different benched Pokemon as well as 20 damage. With a few Steam Ups, that 20 damage can become enough to Knock Out a Pokemon-EX in two turns, but, more importantly, you get to attach those Energy you discarded for Steam Up. Any deck that uses Volcanion-EX can certainly benefit from the regular Volcanion.

Xerneas BREAK

[cardimg name=”Xerneas” set=”XY” no=”96″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Xerneas BREAK is another card from Steam Siege that is very similar to previous cards from recent years; Xerneas BREAK’s attack deals more damage for each Energy on your field, reminiscent of [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and the new [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. While M Gardevoir-EX decks only saw a small amount of success in its era, Darkrai-EX decks have already made a major name for themselves. [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] placed in the Top 4 at U.S. Nationals, and Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX achieved great success at other National Championships.

The strategy with Xerneas BREAK is the same as with M Gardevoir-EX and Darkrai-EX: flood the field with Energy as quickly as possible to deal tons of damage. One beneficial factor Xerneas BREAK has is the amazing Geomancy attack from [card name=”Xerneas” set=”XY” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]. With [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], Geomancy, and manually attaching, you can have seven or eight Energy in play by just the second turn, setting up Xerneas BREAK to sweep through whatever it comes across.

There are two different Xerneas BREAK variants that I feel have a lot of potential. The first is Xerneas BREAK / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Xerneas BREAK / Giratina-EX is essentially the same thing as [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / Giratina-EX except with a Fairy engine rather than a Dark one. Xerneas BREAK only gives up one Prize card for being KO’d to Darkrai’s two, and Xerneas BREAK only does 20 less damage. While the one Prize factor is quite nice for Xerneas, the thing that pushes it over Darkrai-EX in my eyes is Geomancy. Not to be redundant, but Geomancy really is an incredible and often underestimated attack, and the only thing Darkrai-EX has like Geomancy is [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]’s Oblivion Wing, which is only half as effective when it works and much harder to pull off. One more benefit of using Xerneas BREAK instead of Darkrai-EX is [card name=”Fairy Garden” set=”XY” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX decks are forced to run thick counts of switching cards like [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] because of the hefty Retreat Costs of most Pokemon in the deck. Xerneas BREAK decks, on the other hand, can simply use [card name=”Fairy Garden” set=”XY” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]; with Fairy Garden in play, anything with a Fairy Energy attached to it (or [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] since Double Dragon Energy provides all Energy types) can retreat for free. Considering Fairy Garden, Geomancy, and the one-Prize advantage, I see no reason to continue using Giratina-EX with Darkrai-EX instead of Xerneas BREAK.

The other Xerneas BREAK variant I like is much more unconventional, Xerneas BREAK / [card name=”Regirock” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY49″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Primal Clash” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck begins the same as Xerneas BREAK / Giratina-EX, using [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and Geomancy to attach as many Energy as possible, but has a drastically different ending strategy. One downfall of Energy-reliant attackers like Xerneas BREAK is that losing a sizable chunk of your Energy cuts your damage, so this variant aims to keep every Energy you attach in play for the rest of the game. When one of your Xerneas BREAK would be KO’d, [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Primal Clash” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] can conserve one Energy attached to the Xerneas and move it to the Pokemon Exp. Share is attached to. With Regirock’s Omega Barrier Ancient Trait, you can stockpile Energy on it from Exp. Share, and those Energy will be safe, your opponent can’t discard them with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card], your opponent can’t discard Exp. Share from Regirock, and your opponent can’t [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] Regirock.

Ninja Boy

Like Xerneas BREAK and Yanmega, Ninja Boy is a throwback to an old time, but this time to about 10 years ago to a card called [card name=”Swoop! Teleporter” set=”EX Team Rocket Returns” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Both cards do the same thing, except Ninja Boy is a Supporter whereas Swoop! Teleporter was a Trainer (equivalent to an Item today). Ninja Boy being a Supporter isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially considering it can be used multiple times with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card].

What makes Ninja Boy so powerful is the surprise factor it is loaded with. Say, for example, you’re playing the [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] (Water Box) deck, and you use Quaking Punch three or four times against one of your opponents’ Pokemon-EX. Rather than Quaking Punching again for a KO, you can Ninja Boy to swap Seismitoad-EX for [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card]. Then, as long as you flip one heads out of three flips, you can take three Prizes for KO’ing them rather than two. Ninja Boy can also be used to shuffle back a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] and pull out a better Pokemon to place on the Bench. In decks that utilize multiple attackers with similar Energy costs, Ninja Boy gives immense toolbox potential.

Pokemon Ranger

Pokemon Ranger is a very interesting card, similar in effect to [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. When you play Pokemon Ranger, all effects of attacks that are still lingering, such as Quaking Punch ([card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]), Chaos Wheel ([card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]), Flash Ray ([card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]), Crystal Ray ([card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]), and Stardust ([card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card]). One important ruling to note, however, is that Ranger is not like Hex Maniac in the sense that its effect does not stay until the end of turn. For example, if you play Pokemon Ranger and then use [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Quaking Punch, Quaking Punch’s Item-lock will still be present during your opponent’s turn. Like Ninja Boy, Pokemon Ranger being a Supporter is actually helpful. With [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], Pokemon Ranger can be discarded early and recovered down the road whenever it’s needed, and it can even be used multiple times.

[cardimg name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Pokemon Ranger’s real allure is how it serves as a counter to certain annoying effects that were previously unable to be removed. Whereas certain Item-lock effects, for example, had a way to be removed, like [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], other effects like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Quaking Punch couldn’t be stopped once the attack was complete. But now, with Pokemon Ranger, pesky effects of attacks like that can all be wiped away!

U.S. Nationals

As it always is, U.S. Nationals was an absolute blast this year. I got to see a ton of old friends as well as make many new ones, and making the Top 64 made it even better. Another thing that I think made my Nationals experience so enjoyable was my deck choice. Since my freshman year of college finished in May, I’ve been working almost full time every week, so I had practically no time to test for the event. So, rather than theorizing a deck and playing it without experience, I just chose to play a deck that I’ve had success with all season in Standard, [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] .

Not only did I feel comfortable with the deck itself, but I also thought that it has great matchups across the board, which it does. Giratina-EX works wonders against Night March decks, with [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card], and a well-timed [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] (along with a little luck) being the only ways they can break a Chaos Wheel lock; if they can’t stop you from Chaos Wheeling, they lose. Tyrantrum-EX / Giratina-EX / Bronzong also has good matchups against [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] oriented [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] decks and [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] decks, two matchups I expected to see a lot of after their success at Canadian Nationals. Other decks like [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] (Water Box) are all close matchups. The only bad matchups the deck has are [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], and I did not anticipate an enormous showing from either of those decks (which turned out to be true, for the most part).

For reference, here is the list I played at the event.

[premium]

[decklist name=”Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ 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=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

If any of you have read my previous articles, you’re probably familiar with this deck and my affection for it. I even wrote an article just about this deck; if you’re interested, check it out here. Since most of my card reasonings can be found in in-depth descriptions in that article, I won’t go into much detail, if any, on some of the more straightforward card choices and counts.

Since the metagame has shifted quite drastically since our States format due to Fates Collide‘s release in May, I had to include a couple of techs I never did before. I put [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] in to discard [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] off of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] off of high-HP Pokemon-EX like [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] ; otherwise, Tyrantrum-EX couldn’t OHKO, even with a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] attached. The other main tech I played was [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. There is hardly a matchup in which Hex Maniac wouldn’t be useful at all and I felt a need for it with the rise of other [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] decks. The final, minor utility card I ran was [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. Ideally, with all of the low-HP basics in format like [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Oddish” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zorua” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Fates Collide” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] I could steal free wins, but that sadly did not happen as much as I had thought it would.

Rounds

Round 1 – Bye from Regionals

Round 2 – Bye from Regionals

Round 3 – Ryan H., Genesect-EX / Bronzong WW

This round was the first two games of the entire tournament and I was facing a matchup I had never faced once so I was quite nervous for the first few turns, but the matchup played out just like I thought it would. Game one, Ryan had quite a rough Energy drought, never getting enough [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] in the discard pile to use [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] properly, and game two, he was able to discard more Energy than before, but a slow set up otherwise on his end of the board sealed up the win for me. I also noticed after the game that Ryan didn’t use [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] in his list, so his Energy attachments were limited to his once per turn attachment and Bronzong’s Metal Links.

Round 4 – Alex B., Genesect-EX / Bronzong WW

After Alex turned over his [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], I immediately realized that I was facing another Metal deck, but this time I had a much better clue on how the game would go. Despite my increased knowledge on the matchup, this series was much closer due to a little better luck on his part. Unlike Ryan in the round before, Alex did use [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] in his deck, allowing him to have more powerful opening turns. He also drew his [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] at good times, making [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] a scarier threat. Luckily for me, though, the matchup still went as expected. After I would Dragon Impact a Genesect for 190, if it survived thanks to [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], Alex would have to use Drive Change in order to put a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on Genesect-EX if he wanted to retreat, but doing so would KO his own Genesect-EX.

Round 5 – Dylan B., Vespiquen / Vileplume / Jolteon-EX WLT

Even though Dylan and I tied this round, it was by far the best round I had during the whole tournament. Going in to the match, once I knew what he was playing, I knew that powering up [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] was an easy path to victory, since he only had a few [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to attack, otherwise his Energy cards were all useless. However, him going first game one and getting a turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] made setting up very difficult, and by the time I managed to power up Giratina-EX, he had three [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], all with [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] attached. With [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], I was able to to discard one of his DCE, and I had two Giratina-EX that took out his two Vespiquen remaining. Once I took out all of his Energy in play, he conceded, realizing he had no way to attack. Game two was very different. This time, I didn’t have a hand that was workable under Item-lock, so I conceded four turns into the game, knowing I had no chance to win and we only had 10 minutes or less to play the last game. Game three was very similar to game 1, except with my start being a little better since I could play Items for a turn, but time was called and we were forced to tie.

Round 6 – Jeffrey C., Carbink BREAK / Medicham / Regirock-EX WLW

[cardimg name=”Medicham” set=”Primal Clash” no=”81″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I was incredibly shocked to see a [card name=”Meditite” set=”Primal Clash” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] as my opponents’ Active Pokemon, but I realized that Giratina-EX would be great in this matchup. Chaos Wheel would block Jeffrey’s [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Shrine of Memories” set=”Primal Clash” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Games one and three, Chaos Wheel slowed down the Medicham deck enough to earn a victory. Game two, he had three Focus Sash and two [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] in play by the third turn, so I conceded to save time. This series was very close and very annoying, but in the end Giratina-EX, [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], and a pinch of unfortunate luck on Jeffrey’s part prevailed.

Round 7 – Jorge G., Vespiquen / Zoroark / Yveltal LL

This series was one of the most unfortunate ones of the tournament. Multiple friends of mine played this deck for the tournament, so I actually had practiced against it quite a bit, but I had such bad luck that testing made no difference. Game one, I started with both [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] in my hand to Jorge’s lone [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card], but after two [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] I still couldn’t find a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to complete the donk. Once my turn was over, I had no Supporters or draw cards left in my hand, so I passed for a few turns until Jorge was set up enough to demolish my meager field. Then, on the first turn of game two, I had a very strong start, including attaching a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Jorge was holding his [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] in his hand, delaying my Chaos Wheel another turn so he could get two [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] down. Even worse, after I attached a second DDE on my second turn, a [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] combo discarded it too. With two DDE gone and one prized, I only had one left in the deck, and it got discarded by [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card]’s Stardust a few turns later. Even though I had [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to shuffle some DDE back into the deck, Jorge had already taken enough Prizes to make a comeback impossible.

Round 8 – Joshua F., Vespiquen / Vileplume / Jolteon-EX WW

I knew before this round started that, with my high resistance, a win would seal up Top 64 for me, but this was one of the last matchups I wanted to face. Even though the [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] matchup was slightly favorable for me, drawing into a hand full of Items could lead to my defeat in a matter of only three or four turns. Luckily, my starting hands were workable with Supporters or plenty of Energy, and I got to go first game one, so the matchup went as expected. [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] stopped Joshua from playing his [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], his only other threat being [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] which [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] made quick work of in two shots.

Round 9 – Sam H., Jolteon-EX / Glaceon-EX / Regice / Mew / Vileplume T

To ensure both of us making Top 64, Sam and I agreed to take a Intentional Draw.

Round 10 – Andrew K., Trevenant BREAK / Crushing Hammer LL

This match was a very depressing way to start off day two. Coming in to the tournament, the only two matchups I didn’t want to face were [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], and I had managed to avoid those decks until this round. To make matters even worse, this Trevenant BREAK deck was using [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] in addition to [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] which made the matchup even worse. Both games went the same, he would discard all of my Energy with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] before I could attack, and my Pokemon-EX were slowly picked off by Silent Fear.

Round 11 – Aaron C., Carbink BREAK / Zygarde-EX / Regirock-EX LWT

This was one deck I was surprised to see in Top 64, but it turned out to be quite powerful. [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] was also very annoying, like in round six of day one, but [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] both helped get around Safeguard. Game one, I was drawing my Supporters and abusing my [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], but I could never draw exactly what I needed. He got a much better set up than I did, and my only chance to win was by [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]’ing him to one card plus his draw for the turn, but he drew [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to get [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] for game. Game two I had a much better start and had better luck in drawing my key cards, so I took game two. I was on track to win like in game two, but time was called for a tie.

Round 12 –  Branden J., Carbink BREAK / Zygarde-EX / Vileplume LWT

Two [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] decks in a row was an odd occurrence, but this one was the [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] variant I managed to avoid so far. I saw the winning list of the [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] from a Japanese event, and when I heard that it was seeing play at U.S. Nationals I dreaded facing it. It wasn’t as bad to face as I initially expected, but it was still a very rough matchup. Game one, I just couldn’t set up well enough under Item-lock to KO his [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], and trying to KO [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] was nearly impossible without wasting a Dragon Impact on it or investing a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] on [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] so I could Shred. Going first game two gave me the advantage I needed to set up just enough to win. I hit my [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] when I needed them, so I could discard [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to let Dragon Impact OHKO it. Game three went like game one, and I was on track to lose in a few turns, but the same thing happened as in the previous round, time was called and we tied.

Round 13 – Frank D., Yveltal-EX / Yveltal / Zoroark LWL

[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Before the tournament, I made the assumption that [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] decks, historically hard matchups for [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card], would be practically eradicated, but I was clearly wrong. As if a deck with a 4-4 Zoroark line wasn’t bad enough, Frank ran multiple [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] which created a no-win scenario for me. I could go for [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ c=”name”][/card] to KO his [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], but that would leave Tyrantrum-EX vulnerable to Zoroark. I could go for [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to make chaining Zoroark difficult, but the Energy-heavy Giratina would get punished by [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] made juggling between attackers simpler, but the power of Zoroark and [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] was too much to handle. Although I did lose the series, I was extremely happy, because for the first time all tournament, I got to successfully use [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]! Game two I dug hard to get the Latios-EX / [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] combo to donk his Zorua, and I actually hit it this time.

Round 14 – Christian V., Genesect-EX / Bronzong / Zoroark LWT

While this round was against another Metal deck, a good matchup, Christian’s variant used [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] for a more consistent Retreat mechanism than simply using [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Him having an easier time retreating wasn’t what made this particular round so difficult, it was Zoroark’s attack. Because of the risk of getting demolished by Mind Jack, I had to limit the number of benched Pokemon I maintained rather than exploding with all the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] I wanted. Game one, his lategame [card name=”Bronzong BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] with four Metal Energy sniped off [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] for his last two Prizes since I was slowed down by multiple [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. Game two, I was able to play my [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] at the right times, and with [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] I played around [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Game three had just barely started when time was called, so we ended up with a tie.

Round 15 – JC S., Night March / Vespiquen LL

This was another very unfortunate round for me, similar to my match day one against Jorge with [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. With Tyrantrum-EX / Giratina-EX / Bronzong I would easily accept the Night March / Vespiquen matchup, but with as bad luck as I had this series, I would’ve barely been able to beat a theme deck! I had one of the slowest starts I had all weekend during this series, and the other game I whiffed everything I needed worse than I did against Aaron’s [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Regirock-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]. There really isn’t anything more to say about this series other than bad luck. It was a bit sad to go out of Nationals like this, but I was still ecstatic to have made it so far with the deck that I love.

Changes and Hindsight

Overall, I loved the way my deck performed during the tournament and thought that the list was nearly perfect for the metagame I predicted. The only change I would make is removing [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], a practically useless card all weekend long. Instead, I would use another [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Only playing one Lysandre in a deck like this is very risky, since prizing it can be lethal. It would also help against [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks, giving you two usages of the card without using [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a card from my list.

Tyrantrum-EX / Giratina-EX / Bronzong for Worlds

Now that we know that Karen is not going to be in Steam Siege, we can appropriately predict the Worlds metagame. Night March and Night March / [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks will be popular as always, likely with the Vespiquen variant rising in popularity due to its success at the U.S. National Championships. With Pokemon Ranger equipped in its arsenal, Night March decks now have ways to beat [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], the typical “anti Night March cards”. [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] decks will still retain their popularity, with nothing in Steam Siege making a large impact on it, one way or another. Water Box decks will probably still see some play, but Pokemon Ranger takes away some of [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s effectiveness. However, Water Box now has Ninja Boy to work with, so it is still a solid deck. [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] decks shouldn’t drop much in popularity, especially considering the only card that would change the effectiveness of the deck is Pokemon Ranger, but Ranger is somewhat difficult to use under Item-lock. [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] decks had a very powerful initial National Championships run overseas, but by the time U.S. Nationals rolled around, its popularity and success had dwindled greatly, so Metal decks should not see an large amount of play, especially with their very close matchup with Night March.

[cardimg name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

With that metagame prediction, [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] will be a good play for Worlds. It has favorable matchups against Night March and Night March / Vespiquen, but Pokemon Ranger makes those matchups a little closer. However, Pokemon Ranger isn’t that effective unless they have both Pokemon Ranger and a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] in their hand at the same time. The deck’s only bad matchups are [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], but [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] decks were a sight far and few between at U.S. Nationals.

One suggestion I have for anyone who wants to try out Tyrantrum-EX / Giratina-EX / Bronzong is to play as many practice games with it as possible. While the deck isn’t necessarily hard to play, it’s very imperative that the pilot knows what the deck is capable of, meaning how feasible certain strategies are. For example, I’ve learned that a turn two Dragon Impact or Chaos Wheel isn’t hard at all, but given a lackluster turn one, it may take too many resources to achieve the turn two attack or it may not even be worth going for, and in a deck that has so many important resources, you definitely don’t want to waste any more than you have to.

Conclusion

Steam Siege being legal for Worlds is monumental since no other August set has been allowed to be used at Worlds before, but it doesn’t change the metagame drastically. Only a few Trainer cards make an impact on the competitive scene now, and the good Pokemon from the set are almost all exclusively better after rotation than they are now.

Well, that’s all I have for you all. I wish you all the best of luck at Worlds if you qualified or during next season if you did not! Until next time.

~Dalen

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