Turning Up the Heat — Steam Siege and a World Championship Preview
What’s up PokeBeach? Steve here, and I’m back with more exciting material for all of you! How have you all been since last month? Things have been going great here! Summer has kicked it into high gear and it’s shaping up to be bigger and better than ever this year!
One of my favorite things about summer is all of the metal shows that take place. Whether it’s thrash metal, modern metal, symphonic metal, or even just hard rock, I absolutely love going to these concerts. Some of my favorite bands have recently toured the United States, while others are on their way back here soon – this is a big deal when you consider that a decent chunk of them are from Europe. Over the past few years I’ve had the privilege of seeing Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Delain, In This Moment, Halestorm, The Dead Deads, The Pretty Reckless, Epica, Scar Symmetry, The Agonist, Amaranthe, and Within Temptation play concerts, just to name a few. These concerts are an absolute blast for me, as I lose myself in the music and the energy of the performance. I almost always end up close to the stage, which makes it even better! Of course, I have my own special set of guidelines that pertain to concerts, which I will share with you.
- Always arrive with plenty of time to spare.
- Upon admittance, head straight to the floor in front of the stage – you’ll get closer this way.
- Keep yourself well hydrated! You’re going to be there awhile and you don’t want to get too thirsty mid-show.
- Engage with the band and the crowd! Help to support those who are crowd-surfing, and try it out for yourself if you like.
- Cheer each band when appropriate, even if you think the opening acts aren’t too great.
- Try to learn the songs beforehand so you can sing along! It makes the shows that much more enjoyable!
- Support the artists! Buy a CD, t-shirt, or poster from the merch stand if you liked a particular band. I’ve discovered lots of bands by seeing them open up for my favorites! Many of these bands struggle early on and could really use your support! You may even get to meet them!
- Have fun!
Also, don’t be afraid to bring earplugs if you’re not comfortable with it getting too loud. For me, the combination of excitement and adrenaline from concerts is enough to keep the volume from bothering me, although I typically listen to loud music as it is. Professional musicians almost always have earplugs in when they’re on stage, though, and for good reason. If you don’t have earplugs, you can also stand further back from the stage if you’re concerned about the volume.
So what happens when my favorite acts are not touring? Well, if they’re off touring elsewhere, I might see if I can check out a local concert, as those gigs are usually cheap to attend. Musicians also need time off the road to rest, just like anybody else. The positives that fans get out of this are both a chance to check out new music as well as knowing that our favorite bands are likely working on new material, which means they’ll be hitting the road again around the time it is released! Sometimes, if I’m going to see a band live just days after a new single or album comes out, I’ll be sure to take the time getting to know their new music, as I’d expect to hear some of it live once it’s been released. Last September, for example, I had less than a week to learn the most recent Five Finger Death Punch record in time for their show down in Cincinnati. While my top highlight from that show was Papa Roach bringing Maria Brink onstage to perform “Gravity” with them, knowing Five Finger Death Punch’s new album made it more enjoyable when the headliners inevitably played some of that material during their set. Simply put, knowing the new music made an already-incredible show even more amazing for me to experience.
I believe this experience can also relate to the Pokemon TCG. Let’s start with the basics.
Enjoy Yourself
The most important aspect of Pokemon to me, and the reason I play it to begin with, is because it’s fun! Much like being in the front row at a Nightwish concert, a massive Pokemon tournament like Regionals, Nationals, or Worlds provides me with an opportunity to simply lose myself in the festivities. Unlike a concert, however, these tournaments last multiple days and can make for an excellent weekend-long vacation as well.
Between the community and getting to see all my friends at these events, being able to travel and see new places, as well as the joy of simply playing Pokemon, I’ve really come to love large-scale tournaments in general. Several people will have cards to trade, which is a boon for those of us to like to collect certain cards or simply enjoy trading in general. These events also allow me an opportunity to meet new people, which is something I’ve always loved. Anybody who knows me knows I love being around others and trying new things. If you see me at an event, don’t hesitate to come say hello!
Finally, I think it’s important to enjoy the deck you are playing, especially at a large event where you’ll be playing eight or nine rounds of Swiss on day one alone. For events like this, pick something you think is good, but also something you really like to play. For example, I’m a very aggressive player who loves to take OHKO’s, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ve played Night March for a good portion of this season. At one point last season, I tried playing the [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Slurpuff” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] deck when it was all the rage. Although I did decent with it, I noticed how monotonous and boring I found it to be, and how much more frustrated I became whenever I lost a match with it. This could easily create a downward spiral after losing once, where my frustration clouded my thoughts and, as a result, I ended up playing poorly the following round and taking another loss. This mostly stemmed from the fact that I simply didn’t enjoy playing that particular deck, which my wife pointed out to me when I finished venting my frustration at the end of the day. I don’t remember the entire conversation, but I do remember the end, where she said to me “Steve, you like to one-shot things.” That was the truth, and we both knew it. Less than a month later, my first draft of Archie’s [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] was born.
Although my earlier drafts of the deck were inconsistent and the deck itself tended to be a bit streaky, I enjoyed it a lot. I hadn’t had so much fun playing a particular deck all season, and I wanted it to work so badly. By the time States rolled around, I decided I was going to play simply for fun that weekend and see if I could make this crazy idea of mine work at a tournament.
Know the Format
I’m not going to go into the details of my Blastoise story any further, since I’ve written about that for you guys before. Instead, I’m going to make our next comparison. When going to a concert, it is infinitely more fun if I know the music that is being played and can sing along or just plain rock out to it. With Pokemon, I feel it is equally important to know the format you’re playing in. This includes the pool of legal cards that can be played as well as what decks you think have the potential to do well at an event. Knowing the metagame is crucial as it allows you to choose and construct a deck that can handle the current meta and isn’t loaded with bad matchups all over the tables. Many games are decided before the opening handshake, when certain decks get paired up against each other or one deck draws a much better opening hand than the other. A prime example of this would be [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], which can win games almost automatically against decks like Night March or [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] variants by simply opening up with a [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Wally” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC27″ c=”name”][/card] in hand. While plenty of bad matchups can be overcome based on a certain level of skill and a bit of luck, there are times when one player runs so hot that the game simply can’t be stolen, and that’s when it’s best to simply scoop to game two and save yourself some time in order to avoid a tie.
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Man, this guy really stinks![/cardimg]
When picking a deck, you’ll want to consider what decks you expect to see in your meta and how you think each deck will fare in the expected meta. For example, if you think [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] will overcome a field full of Night March and Trevenant, try to keep yourself in a good situation against at least two of those three, but make sure one of those positive matchups is Greninja. We recently saw this happen at the Origins win-a-trip tournament with four [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]-infused [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] decks making it into the Top 8. Making a meta call like this can range from picking an entire deck for the meta or simply teching in a card or two to tip a certain matchup in your favor. Both methods can be effective, but remember to playtest first and make sure your deck is working the way you want it to.
Lastly, know card rulings. If you are unsure of a specific card ruling that may affect you at a tournament, ask around or do a bit of research to try and figure out how it works. After all, you don’t want to get stuck in the middle of a tournament and lose a game you think you would’ve won because a ruling was different than you thought. This happened to some people at Origins in regards to whether or not the effects of [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]’s Shadow Stitching could be countered by [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]’s Metal Fortress Ability or [card name=”Bent Spoon” set=”Fates Collide” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] being equipped to a Pokemon with an Ability. With rulings such as these, you’ll want to make sure you have the correct ruling down if you’re playing any of the affected cards. In fact, I’d recommend knowing these rulings even if you aren’t playing any of the cards in question, as you never know when it might come up in the future.
Keep an Eye on Upcoming Releases
As I mentioned earlier, musicians often go on tour around the same time they release new music in order to promote it. Get to know the new songs and you can enjoy the full show, rocking out to both the older tunes and the new ones.
In Pokemon, new sets are released at three-month intervals. When a new set is revealed, be sure to check up on the new cards to see how they work, and be ready for them when they become legal for tournament play. Personally, I like to keep up with the Japanese releases when the translations are uploaded to PokeBeach, so I know what to look for in new sets when they are released. I’ve been actively doing this since the middle of the Black and White arc of the Pokemon TCG, and it’s helped me greatly with my preparation for tournaments and deck construction overall. In a way, this is like looking at three formats: Standard, Expanded, and the game after the addition of the latest set. In this case, that set is Steam Siege.
Steam Siege
With that segment out of the way, let’s address the mastodon in the room, Steam Siege. Steam Siege is the next expansion to be released in the Pokemon TCG, and to (mostly) everyone’s surprise, it is going to be legal for Worlds this year! This means Worlds will have its own format, as a rotation will likely take place immediately afterwards, so XY – Steam Siege will be exclusive to this event. So that begs the question: What cards from Steam Siege should I be on the lookout for? Let’s find out!
[premium]
Volcanion-EX
The first card I want to address is the mascot of Steam Siege, Volcanion-EX! Right away, you may notice this card has not one but two types, meaning it can function as both a Fire-type and a Water-type simultaneously. Dual-types were a thing in the Pokemon TCG several years ago, most recently the Legend sets from the HeartGold / SoulSilver era, but have been out of format since fall of 2012. That said, Volcanion’s dual-typing does little for him aside from being able to take advantage of two different Weaknesses. Sure, you could get cute and use [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to pull him from the deck, but you probably aren’t using him in a Water deck anyway. If you’re opting to play Volcanion-EX, he’s most likely going into a Fire-based build.
Volcanion-EX also comes with a massive 180 HP and the standard Weakness to Water that comes with most Fire-types. While no Resistance is technically the worst Resistance, it’s not a big deal. I actually view Resistance as more of a luxury these days, since so few Pokemon have it right now. Anyway, let’s see what this bad boy can do.
Since Fire decks are typically built around big Basic Pokemon, Volcanion-EX should fit right in with its Steam Up Ability, boosting the power of cards like [card name=”Entei” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Charizard-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY121″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Flareon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC6″ c=”name”][/card] to new heights while also offering great synergy with Fire’s right hand man, [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. This greatly helps not only the synergy of Fire decks altogether, but also boosts their damage output so the aforementioned Pokemon can deal out OHKO’s on even the biggest of Pokemon-EX. With a pair of Volcanion-EX, even Flame Screen becomes a heavy hitter dealing a minimum of 90 damage!
Of course, Volcanion-EX also has an attack of its own, and it’s not a bad one either. For three Energy, Volcanic Heat does 130 damage. Add in a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and use of his own Ability, and you have a 180 damage attack on your hands. I’ll admit I didn’t think much of this attack at first, but after some more thought, I’ve really come to like it.
M Gardevoir-EX
Looking at the two new Mega Evolutions in Steam Siege, it is clear to me that M Gardevoir-EX is the better of the two. Also, just to clear things up, this card is not a reprint of the [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC31″ c=”name”][/card] from Primal Clash and Generations, but rather an entirely new card itself. Like Volcanion-EX, M Gardevoir-EX sports dual-typing, this time covering both Fairy and Psychic types. Unfortunately, Psychic types don’t have much support right now, while Fairies are limited to [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Xerneas” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY05″ c=”name”][/card], although Xerneas BREAK may make an impact at some point. This leaves us with a 210 HP Mega Evolution that, like every other Mega we have, offers a single attack.
Despair Ray is a decent attack in that it deals a base 110 damage for only two Energy, one of them being Colorless, with the potential do deal more damage by discarding Pokemon from your Bench. This could be an interesting way to get rid of used [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to keep your opponent from bringing them up via [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. While M Gardevoir-EX isn’t going to be taking 180+ damage OHKO’s without hitting for Weakness, it still serves as a solid attacker with a very manageable Energy cost to boot.
Is this M Gardevoir-EX better than her twin from Primal Clash? I would say no, but if you’re running a M Gardevoir-EX deck based around the older version, it might not be a bad idea to try teching in a single copy of this card during playtesting. Depending on your game state and meta, it just might work!
Clawitzer
Clawitzer – Water – HP100
Stage 1 – Evolves from ClauncherAbility: Mega Booster
Once during your turn (before your attack), you may choose a Special Energy card from your hand and attach it to 1 of your Mega Evolution Pokemon.[W][C][C] Crab Hammer: 60 damage.
Weakness: Grass (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 2
Clawitzer is a sixth generation Pokemon that has only had one card so far, so he’s definitely due for another. Fortunately, Steam Siege has a new Clawitzer to offer, and it’s not half bad either!
While Clawitzer’s vanilla 60-for-three attack is sub par at best, and his 100 HP isn’t that great for a Stage 1, he does offer a solid Ability in the form of Mega Booster. There are two things worth noting about this Ability. First, it does not limit you to Basic Energy only, so feel free to accelerate that [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card]. Second, if you have multiple copies of Clawitzer in play, you can use each Ability once, accelerating up to four Energy cards to your Mega Evolution Pokemon outside of your manual Energy attachment for the turn! But wait, there’s more! This guy also has a BREAK Evolution!
Clawitzer BREAK – Water – HP130
BREAK Evolution – Evolves from ClawitzerClawitzer BREAK retains the attacks, Abilities, Weakness, Resistance, and Retreat Cost of its previous Evolution.
[C] Lock On: During your opponent’s next turn, the Defending Pokemon can’t retreat. During your next turn, your Pokemon’s attacks do 120 more damage to the Defending Pokemon.
This might seem silly at first, and it probably isn’t that great, but if you can use this and then manage to pull off Clawitzer’s 60-for-three attack the following turn, you’ll be dealing a huge 180 damage! Better yet, you could use Lock On to trap something in the Active position and then switch out to a different attacker and lay down more damage or take a KO and leave a devastating effect on your opponent as well! How does a 150 damage Quaking Punch sound? That’s certainly nothing to scoff at, although I feel like Clawitzer’s Ability will let your Mega Evolutions do that much damage a lot more easily than using his BREAK Evolution will, mainly due to all the switching cards currently seeing play. Just my two cents on this card.
Yanmega
Yanmega – Grass – HP110
Stage 1 – Evolves from YanmaAbility: Sonic Vision
If your hand has 4 cards in it, this Pokemon’s attacks cost no Energy to use.[C][C][C] Assault Boom: 50+ damage. If your opponent’s Active Pokemon has any Pokemon Tools on it, this attack does 70 more damage.
Weakness: Lightning (x2)
Resistance: Fighting (-20)
Retreat: 0
We’ve come to one of my favorite cards in Steam Siege: Yanmega. This version of Yanmega is very reminiscent of [card name=”Yanmega” set=”Triumphant” no=”98″ c=”custom”]Yanmega Prime[/card] from Triumphant in that it can attack for free if your hand size meets a certain condition. While Yanmega Prime required both players’ hand sizes to be equal, Yanmega from Steam Siege can swing for free if your hand contains exactly four cards. This is a nifty Ability to have, as it allows you to simply play a [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] and then attack without needing any Energy. So what does Yanmega’s attack do? For three Colorless, or for free if your hand has exactly four cards, Yanmega deals a lackluster 50 damage. However, this damage is boosted by an additional 70 if your opponent’s Active Pokemon has a Pokemon Tool attached to it! Dealing 120 damage for no Energy is downright insane, and Weakness makes it an almost guaranteed OHKO at 240 damage. This is already shaping up to be a very solid, and very splashable, Grass-type attacker for the format.
Yanmega BREAK – Grass – HP140
BREAK Evolution – Evolves from YanmegaYanmega BREAK retains the attacks, Abilities, Weakness, Resistance, and Retreat Cost of its previous Evolution.
[C][C][C] Penetrate: 100 damage. This attack’s damage isn’t affected by Weakness, Resistance or any other effects on your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
Yanmega also has a BREAK Evolution that can take advantage of its ability to attack for free. Yanmega BREAK buffs its HP up to 140 and brings a 100 damage attack to the table. The downside? This attack ignores Weakness, Resistance, and any other effects on your opponent’s Active Pokemon. While this is a nice effect if you go up against a [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], it’s not going to be too helpful elsewhere. Nothing in the game right now has Resistance to Grass, so you’re not dodging anything that way, and one of the primary reasons Yanmega is appealing is that it finally gives us a splashable Grass attacker for type coverage. However, I am working on a dedicated Yanmega list, which I hope to share with you next month after figuring out the matchups a bit. For now, I’m going to go over a few Trainer cards and one very polarizing Supporter card that may or may not end up in Steam Siege.
Special Charge
Special Charge – Trainer
ItemShuffle 2 Special Energy cards from your discard pile back into your deck.
You may play as many Item cards as you like during your turn (before your attack).
The first Trainer card I want to look at is Special Charge. This Item card lets you shuffle any two Special Energy cards from your discard pile back into your deck. I wonder which deck could take advantage of this? Let me think about it for a bit… oh wait! Night March just got even stronger! To be fair, the reintroduction of [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to Standard has honestly hurt Night March’s stock a bit right now, but a card like this may flip the tables in its favor once again. Whether that is actually the case will depend on whether or not one specific card is included in Steam Siege, which I’ll get to in a bit. For now, though, Special Charge is a simple but powerful Item card that should definitely see play in Special Energy-centric decks.
Ninja Boy
Ninja Boy – Trainer
SupporterSearch your deck for a Basic Pokemon and switch it with 1 of your Basic Pokemon in play. (Any cards attached to that Pokemon, damage counters, Special Conditions, and effects on it are now on the new Pokemon.) Shuffle the first Basic Pokemon into your deck.
You may play only 1 Supporter card per turn (before your attack).
What a blast from the past! With our first Supporter card, we take a look at Ninja Boy. This card is essentially a Supporter version of Swoop! Teleporter from the Team Rocket Returns set several years ago. Ninja Boy is a pretty interesting card as you can see from the translation above, and likely has numerous combos that people will figure out with it.
The first combo with Ninja Boy that comes to my mind involves our forgotten friend [card name=”Dragonite-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], which can use its Bust In Ability to pull a bunch of Energy from elsewhere on your board and then jump to the Active spot upon being put into play. Once that happens, you can use Ninja Boy to swap Dragonite out for something more ideal in the current situation.
The second card I’ve considered combining Ninja Boy with is [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] from BREAKthrough. In this scenario, you swap out a heavily damaged Pokemon in favor of Mewtwo and then use Damage Change to fully heal yourself as well as laying down a potentially massive amount of damage on your opponent’s Active Pokemon. This play is a bit more situational, but it could end up yielding massive results if timed correctly.
Finally, you can use Ninja Boy to get an unwanted copy of [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] off of your Bench, replacing it with something more formidable or less likely to get cherry-picked by your opponent’s [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. It also puts the aforementioned copy of Shaymin-EX or Hoopa-EX back into the deck so you can use it again! Isn’t that fun?
Overall, Ninja Boy looks like it’ll be a bit of a combo-driven card, but one that could produce many unique plays and be extremely powerful nonetheless. I look forward to seeing what other combos people come up with for this card.
Pokemon Ranger
Pokemon Ranger – Trainer
SupporterRemove all effects of attacks on both players and all Pokemon.
You may play only 1 Supporter card per turn (before your attack).
This is a similar card to [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] in that it removes certain effects that are in play at the time. Rather than shutting down Abilities though, Pokemon Ranger shuts down any effects of attacks that are currently affecting any Pokemon in play as well as either player. This effect can counter a myriad of commonly played cards such as [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], so on and so forth. Not only is Pokemon Ranger a solid alternative to [card name=”Marowak” set=”Fates Collide” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] for the first couple effects, but it also prevents us from having to use the [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] / Lysandre combo to take out a Jolteon-EX or Glaceon-EX if we don’t have an attacker capable of swinging through their protective attacks. I personally believe this card will see a lot of play, but probably only as a one-of card in most decks. Of course, assuming we lose [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in our upcoming rotation, it may become more difficult to run as many play one-of Supporters as we do now in our lists.
Still, I wouldn’t underrate Pokemon Ranger just yet. This is a powerful card with a stellar effect just waiting to be unleashed upon the format, and I expect it to make a splash at this year’s World Championships.
Karen
Karen – Trainer
SupporterEach player shuffles all Pokemon in his or her discard pile into his or her deck.
You may play only 1 Supporter card during your turn (before your attack).
Finally, we’ve come to the card that will determine if Night March remains relevant at this year’s World Championships. If this card is included in the English release of Steam Siege, as many players believe it will be, Night March and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks alike will likely lose their places among top tier decks. In all actuality, this card is far more punishing to both of those decks than [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] ever was, as the latter put everything back into the deck. That meant a player could simply play his or her [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] all over again to set up for another big attack. With Karen, however, those precious Item cards stay in the discard pile while the Pokemon go back into the deck. This not only cripples their attack power, but also makes them far more likely to draw Pokemon they won’t want in their hand as opposed to useful Trainer cards or Energy. Talk about a double whammy right where it hurts!
Now you might be thinking “Sure, Karen can put a stop to Battle Compressor decks, but will anyone actually play this card?” Assuming it is legal for Worlds, the answer is yes. There are a handful of decks in the format already which Karen can slide right into, often replacing a copy of [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card]. Some decks that immediately spring to mind are [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], although I think the real winner here would be [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card].
Karen gives M Rayquaza-EX decks a reliable answer to [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] by allowing them to recycle all of their discarded Pokemon in order to reload the Bench and attack again once another [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] shows up. What’s even better is that you can simply [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] and start the whole chain all over again, provided you have a copy of Ultra Ball to work with. Since Rayquaza decks tend to be full of Pokemon-EX to begin with, this makes the combo of Karen and Hoopa-EX that much stronger, essentially allowing you to continue launching OHKO’s as long as you don’t run out of Sky Fields.
Now we don’t know for sure if Karen will be included in the English release of Steam Siege, as it is a Mega Battle Tournament Promo over in Japan, but I feel like the odds are pretty good. After all, why would Pokemon move up the legality date of Steam Siege in sanctioned events just in time for Worlds if they weren’t trying to make something big happen as a result? If Karen doesn’t end up in Steam Siege, Night March will be free to roam around at this year’s Worlds. If she does make her grand entrance, however, kiss not only Night March but also [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] decks goodbye for the most part, and welcome back our old buddy Rayquaza to the tournament scene.
Karen-Infused M Rayquaza-EX
To close things out for you guys, I’m going to give you all a glimpse of what a [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] deck would look like with Karen in the format at Worlds. Please keep in mind that there is no official guarantee we will have Karen included in Steam Siege, but with the hype and expectations right now, it seems like a very real possibility.
[decklist name=”Karen-Infused Mega Ray” amt=”57″ caption=”Fear Night March no longer!” cname=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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]1x [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x Pokemon Ranger (Steam Siege)1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x Karen (Steam Siege)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]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” 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=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x Special Charge (Steam Siege)4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ 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=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
You might notice this list is a little different from the one that Simon Luong used to win Canada’s National Championship recently, but a shift in format will do that. I’ve included a couple tech cards to help the deck run more consistently, and I absolutely love how much Pokemon Ranger helps out against [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] in particular. I’ve included [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to offer free switching every turn, as well as Zoroark being able to function as an additional attacker which only yields one Prize card to your opponent upon being KO’d. [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] can help you deal with Special Energy threats like [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], which would otherwise be somewhat of a threat to this deck. Finally, [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] acts as a utility card due to its Ability. The idea here is that you can toss a Float Stone or [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card] onto it before playing an N or [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], then bounce the attached Pokemon Tool back to your hand afterward. This is a nifty little trick that has come in handy for me a few times, and I definitely feel like it’s worth the one slot.
Finally, we come to Karen, the card I was just talking about prior to posting this list. Karen’s presence in the format should be enough to drive away Night March decks as is, but there are plenty of decks that can and will try to abuse [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], especially if players are expecting to see [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] become dominant again. After being forced to discard your copies of [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], Karen will send them back into the deck, meaning your entire setup is just a [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] away.
With Rayquaza’s worst matchup gone and out of the way, the Legendary Guardian of the Skies can shine once more. M Rayquaza-EX has been a monster of a card since it was released, but it has struggled to find a place in Standard this year, largely due to the dominance of Night March throughout the season.
Conclusion
I hope this article helped to give you a bit of insight into Steam Siege and the upcoming format in which Worlds will be played in. As someone who tries to keep up with the Japanese releases and be aware of what’s coming in the next set, I enjoy sharing this information with each and every one of you in the hopes that it will help you to improve your game. If you’d like further advice from me or any of my fellow PokeBeach writers, feel free to message us or contact us in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout. You can contact me specifically via private message, my username here is WorldRenownedHeretic. All of us are happy to help you out, and after all, that’s what we’re here for.
I am also able to confirm that I will be present at the 2016 World Championships, so if you see me there, feel free to say hello. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you guys next time!
Cheers!
~Steve
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