The Trees of the World — Trevenant for the World Championships
Testing for Worlds has been interesting to say the least. With Worlds’ awfully stale format without the printing of Karen, we’re left with a format that Pokemon attempted to get us to think creatively in with the release of Steam Siege for Worlds, however, Night March decks and the Item-lock decks that counter them still reign supreme.
I’ve been testing all sorts of stuff, however, my standbys are always going to be either [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] or Night March. I feel that Night March has been written about quite enough and I think that [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and the way that it is built is interesting and can be looked into quite a bit. These past few weeks I’ve been testing [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] variants and I’ve been very impressed with this deck. With two finishes in the Top 8 at Nationals, and with consistently good performance ever since [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] came out, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is a deck that will be a solid play especially because of its good match up against Night March.
[cardimg name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Of course, we should probably discuss the topic of Night March’s dominance at this year’s World Championships and what it will do to shape the metagame. The release of cards such as Pokemon Ranger, Special Charge, and Captivating Poke Puff has turned Night March into a monster. I will leave the discussion of Night March to our two newest writers, Nick Robinson and Eric Gansman in their upcoming articles. For this article, I’ll write about the deck that should theoretically counter Night March.
The Dominance of Night March
Night March has been a force all season that has adapted to using more than four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] in different ways. At Cities, it was [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], at States, it was [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. However, it seems with each new set coming out, Night March had something to gain. Obviously [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]’s inclusion in BREAKpoint is what caused Night March to be the truly dominant deck at States, however, it didn’t stop gaining from the inclusions of different cards in sets. [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] making an appearance in Fates Collide surely didn’t hurt the deck and now with Steam Siege, we have more ridiculous cards that addresses Night March’s struggles against specific cards. Pokemon Ranger is just absurd since it gives Night March an out against cards such as [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. It even helps against attackers such as [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]. Those cards that Night March struggled against were still beatable for Night March however. So Pokemon Ranger’s inclusion should make it even harder for those cards to counter Night March and should make Night March all the more dominant.
Special Charge is a potentially broken card. I don’t feel that Special Energy should ever be recycled like that. Special Energy always had an achilles heel in that they were limited to four in any deck. Special Charge is an incredibly good card, even with [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] in a Night March deck, however, I don’t feel like its inclusion is absolutely necessary. With four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], you should easily be able to take a Pokemon-EX Knock Out or two. Even if your Energy is being knocked off by [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], you can always chain a [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to get back two more [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Your four copies of [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] alone should be able to net you six Prizes through Pokemon-EX Knock Outs, especially since you can force [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] down with Captivating Pokepuff.
[cardimg name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Captivating Poke Puff is however, the most interesting card that will be an addition to this deck. I think it is incredibly valuable in the mirror match since it provides many benefits.
- It allows you to look at your opponent’s hand.
- It allows you to burn their [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].
- It clogs their Bench with Pokemon they don’t want for the matchup.
This sort of acts like [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] in that it allows you to force a Pokemon-EX Knock Out, even if your opponent is playing the matchup very well and not benching Pokemon-EX gems for you to Knock Out. I play both [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and Captivating Poke Puff in my Night March list. This makes it very hard for a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] that ends up in someone’s hand to get away.
Night March mirrors will become very interesting with the inclusion of Captivating Poke Puff. Scouting an opponent’s hand alone is a solid use of Captivating Poke Puff. An [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and a Pokepuff play could net a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] being wastefully benched.
This article isn’t about Night March though like I mentioned before, I’ll let the other talented writers on our staff write about that. This blurb was more of an introduction to the Ghostly Tree that this article is really about.
The Variants of Trevenant
[card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] was a nice wall to hide behind in the past for cards such as [card name=”Gengar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Donphan” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card], but with the [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] evolution, it has evolved into it’s own incredibly solid attacker. Using [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], you can spread three damage counters across all of your opponent’s Pokemon for only one Energy. You effectively put your opponent on a timer, Silent Fearing until all of their Pokemon get Knocked Out. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] also slows the game state down to achieve this goal with its Forest Curse ability.
There are two schools of thought with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks. The first one uses Energy denial to slow the opponent down. [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Generations” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] are the stars of this version. This variant of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] took two spots in the Top 8 of U.S. Nationals, so it is for sure something to consider. This version denies your opponent the ability to attack you and makes your opponent draw poorly with cards like [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. By combining those two with the Item-lock in the deck, it’s very apparent why this version of the deck is so potent.
The more “standard” version of the deck that did incredibly well at State Championships is the version that incorporates [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. This version does more damage and speeds the game up in a way, since Pokemon that attack a [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]’d [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] essentially put the damage from two Silent Fear attacks on them. This even sets themselves up to getting Tree Slammed for a Knock Out. This version is especially good against Night March, since [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] hurts that deck so much with their low HP. You also remove their outs to remove the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] with cards like [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] because of the Item-lock.
I think it’s pretty well known what [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can do, so we will move on to the advantages of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] in the Worlds format.
Trevenant in the Meta
Since Karen wasn’t printed, we need to go back to the old tools that beat Night March decks. There is no doubt at all that Night March will be the dominant deck at Worlds. It will be played everywhere. Night March’s dominance in the past will surge into Worlds as it gains added techs to make its bad match ups better.
[cardimg name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
However, Night March has some weaknesses that can be hard for some decks to exploit. I think I can narrow a list down to four bullet points that can give a deck a good matchup against Night March.
- Item-lock
- The ability to take advantage of low HP Pokemon
- Removing or locking Special Energy
- Being able to trade with one Prize attackers
I think a solid deck now needs to hit a couple of those bullet points now that Pokemon Ranger is out. Luckily for us [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] hits three of them. Item-lock prevents [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] plays by the Night March deck, which limits them to four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and restricts the use of over half of their deck. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]’s damage spread and usage of [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] takes full advantage of the small numbers that it has to hit to Knock Out Night Marchers.
The highest HP in a Night March deck is [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and that is 110 HP. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks that play [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] and even the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] version that plays [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] can remove a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] under Item-lock, which puts pressure on the Night March player to attach another [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Also, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is not a Pokemon-EX, which forces a longer game. It’s hard for a Night March player to take [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC21″ c=”name”][/card] Knock Outs with limited use of their [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card].
It also is great that at Worlds, since Night March is so popular, you are very likely to have a lot of good matchups. I expect almost 50% of the playing field at Worlds to be playing Night March. At Nationals it was close to 30%, but with Pokemon Ranger and Captivating Poke Puff, I can totally see that number skyrocketing to 50% at Worlds. Now, this first variant of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is more suspect. Its Night March matchup is very questionable. Let’s breakdown the version that earned two Top 8 finishes at U.S. Nationals.
[premium]
Trevenant / Hammers
This variant plays a very slow game, designed to remove Energy and force a dead-draw situation out of the opponent. It features a high [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] count, and a high number of Energy removal cards.
[decklist name=”trevenanthammers” amt=”59″ caption=”” cname=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”40″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x Captivating Poke Puff (STS #99)4x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
As you can see, it plays a ton of removal, which is what this decks main focus is. Pressure is put on your opponent to keep drawing into Energy as they are losing their Energy to [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] while they are under Item-lock and their hand keeps getting refreshed by [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. Lets go over some choices in this deck.
Card Explanations
Lack of Wobbuffet
[card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] is a card that saw its way into many [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks at States. Honestly, I haven’t found much of a use for it in testing since it lets up on the Item-lock. In addition to that, its Ability when you start it could actually hurt you, since it prevents you from setting up with your [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Any instance where I wanted to attack with a [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] in testing, I would rather attack with a [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] also forces you to play other cards, such as [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with its huge Retreat Cost.
Two Shaymin-EX
I know Michael Bergerac played three, however, I don’t believe that more than two is necessary in this deck. Blowing through your deck isn’t something that [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks really have to do. Not to mention that starting it is a death sentence with this deck. Myself and others have found the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to be the number one way this deck loses.
Three Wally
Three [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] helps this deck get a turn one [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] almost all the time, if you’re going first. It also has uses late in the game to help you search out your [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] pieces.
Two Team Flare Grunt
[card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is so important in a deck like this since it gives you a reusable and surefire way to get rid of Energy without having to rely on the flippy nature of [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. Two find their way into this deck since its such a crucial card and that prizing it would be absolutely awful. This gives us one to [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] away and one to keep in the deck for you to draw and not having to burn a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to use.
Two N
[card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] is such a useful card to force a refresh of your opponent’s hand. I believe that constant refreshing combined with your Item-lock will eventually yield an unplayable hand for your opponent, whether its full of Item cards or just full of unplayable Supporters. The later the game goes on, the more likely this will be the case as your opponent draws less due to them having fewer Prizes remaining.
[cardimg name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
One Delinquent
The one [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck exists to help counter decks that play four copies of [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s also a devastating play against someone you just used [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] on. Four copies of [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and the [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] should be plenty to ensure that [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t stay down for more than one turn.
One Lysandre
A single [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is sketchy in any deck, but [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t really use [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] to Knock Out a specific Pokemon, since it does a blanket 30 damage to everything. So prizing this isn’t that big of a deal. [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] is really used to stall your opponent out by forcing them to retreat one of their high Retreat Cost Pokemon while you use Silent Fear to Knock Out their Benched Pokemon. This also stops your opponent from attacking your [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].
Four Crushing Hammer
This shouldn’t be a surprise. These replace the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] from the versions that players played at State Championships. Since this is such a big focus of the deck, we play four of these.
Two Red Card
[card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] with a turn one Item-lock is devastating for most decks. Having [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] in your deck can foil some plans for your opponents, especially when they amass a large hand after drawing prizes or playing a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card].
One Battle Compressor
This deck plays a ton of Supporters, and this card helps get them in the discard pile so that you can use [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] to get them out. This also helps you get a turn one [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] easier, if you have a [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] in your opening hand.
Two Head Ringer
[card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is such a devastating card to be played on your Pokemon-EX. Under Item-lock, it is incredibly hard to prevent being attached to your Pokemon since you will never really have a chance to play Tool cards since they are all blocked by [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].
One Captivating Poke Puff
Captivating Poke Puff works excellent in this deck. Playing a Poke Puff fills your opponents Bench making it easy for you to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] up something to stall. It also fills your opponents Bench and allows you to take more Silent Fear Knock Outs. This card also lets you to scout your opponent’s hand and see if there is anything you need to remove before hitting them with a [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. If I had room to add more copies of this card, I would.
Matchups
Night March (60-40)
I would give this a better [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, but Night March is so dominant that it can wiggle its way to a win even in a matchup like this. The lack of [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] also means that Night March could attack [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] with no real drawback. Night March can easily Knock Out [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] repeatedly, which [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] may not be able to keep up with.
[cardimg name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
However, like I mentioned before, Item-lock and constant trashing of their hands with [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] will have an effect on them. Night March players tend to expect to lose their [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] every turn anyway, so the hammers don’t do all that much. [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] will prevent the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] looping strategy from being used against you. The most likely case is for the [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] player to force a bad hand for the Night March player, thus being able to Silent Fear twice, which will Knock Out any attackers the Night March player has out. Captivating Poke Puff will be incredibly good in this matchup, since you can force [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] down to get immediately Knocked Out. [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is so crucial for the Night March draw-engine, and forcing them down and having them be useless is incredibly good.
Vespiquen / Vileplume (55-45)
I’ve been told this matchup is favorable for [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], however, I feel like this really depends on who Item locks the other first. [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] puts more pressure down early, since it can hit for 160 on the first turn. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Item locking the [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] player turn one is a death sentence for them however. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] struggles without its Items, but it’s not the end of the world for them. If [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] goes first, they can really make your life miserable since they will be Knocking Out your attackers while locking your Items every turn, making your recovery horrible. I only rate this as slightly favorable since [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] functions better under early game Item-lock than the [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] deck.
Water Box (45-55)
[card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] makes this matchup a headache for [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. This matchup is only slightly unfavorable for the [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] player, however, since you will win the Stadium war against them since you play [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card], and you can hammer off Energy off the [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and prevent its attack. The consistent healing will make this matchup difficult, but doable. Giving them a garbage hand with [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] while [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] stalling them is the way to win this matchup. Tree Slamming the [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] while damaging the [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] is for sure the way to go. This is still not the greatest matchup since Water Box has easy access to free Retreat and access to so many healing cards that will erase progress you make with Silent Fear.
Metal (40-60)
This matchup seems nice since they bench so many [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] for you to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], however, the Metal Fortress [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is awful for [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] to have to deal with. If you prevent a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] from going down on it early, it shouldn’t be hard to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] it up and keep it Active until you slowly kill it. However, you do give the Metal player time to set up their Pokemon. Use [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] to keep Energy off of the Bronzong so it can’t get away easily. Once their Bronzong is Knocked Out, you will probably lose a [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] when the inevitable [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] come Active to KO you. Once this happens, [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] a Benched Pokemon without any Energy with a high Retreat Cost and slowly win the game.
[cardimg name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX (50-50)
This may not seem like it’s very 50-50 on paper, however in my testing, it was very winnable for [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] at times. [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and Energy removal is incredible against this deck. [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] stalling Pokemon forced down by Captivating Poke Puff was also extremely important. [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] just does so much to prevent the [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] deck from attacking at all. If the [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] deck goes first and gets a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] down with a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], it may get a bit hairy. The goal then should be to [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] off the Tool and lock them with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].
I feel like the [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] version of the deck has consistency issues, which [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and Item-lock exposes often. I also see that this deck plays little ways of moving Pokemon around while having high Retreat Cost Pokemon such as [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck. Energy removal and [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] under Item-lock while having the hand constantly refreshed with [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is very difficult for a deck such as this to deal with.
The Balloon Variant
While the [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] version of the deck is very good and has done very well in tournaments, the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] version is my version of choice. I’ve always liked doing damage and speeding up the game state. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is a very disruptive deck, however, I’m not a very good player of this style of deck. The [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] version of the deck still relies on disruptive elements, while it puts your opponent in bad positions thinking of whether or not to attack into the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Thus giving you time. Tempo is a big deal in Pokemon, and [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can have a hard time getting Knocked Out over and over again. The decks that do this, such as [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] and Night March decks, do not want to attack into a [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Here is my version of the list.
[decklist name=”Trevenant Balloons” amt=”58″ caption=”” cname=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”40″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x Captivating Poke Puff (STS #99)1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ 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″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This list is slightly different than the one I posted above. As you can see, with some of the changes, I was able to fit some more copies of cards, such as Captivating Poke Puff and [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card].
Now, I won’t go over the spot choices that function the same in this deck as the previous one. However, I will explain why I made some of my choices the way I did.
Card Explanations
Four Bursting Balloon
Of course, the staple of this variant. This card functions in many ways to prevent momentum swinging to your opponent or to swing it back your way. You force your opponent to make costly and difficult choices when it comes to knocking out your [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. This can allow a turn or two for you to set up more or to Silent Fear again. This card is especially important against Night March.
[cardimg name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Two Captivating Poke Puff
Since this deck isn’t removing Energy as much with its lack of [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] stalling is a more viable tactic. Most savvy opponents will hold high Retreat Cost Pokemon in their hands so that this wont happen. With Captivating Poke Puff, we can force those Pokemon down, or force [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] down before it can be used. You also get to scout your opponent’s hand to see if they will be dead drawing after an [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. I mentioned earlier how I wish that I could add another copy of the card to this deck, and with the removal of [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], I made the room for it.
Matchups
These change slightly, since I feel that [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is such a different way to approach [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks than [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card].
Night March (70-30)
This matchup gets a lot better with the inclusion of [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Like I’ve mentioned before, I never felt like Energy removal affected Night March like it does other decks. So cards like [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] are effective, however, Bursting Balloon is much more costly. [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] forces the Night March player to give up some momentum. They are forced to pause a turn and not attack, or they will have to be forced to attack around your [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] by using [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] on a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or another card. If they hit into even just one [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], it can be absolutely devastating for them. This matchup alone being better is the reason for me to play [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card].
Vespiquen / Vileplume (60-40)
I don’t think this matchup changes that much. [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] are both limited under Item-lock so not much will differ here. If you aren’t Item locked for whatever reason, the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] will give you more mileage than the [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card]. They could use [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] to attack and ignore your [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. However, [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] should be sufficient in preventing this play from happening, especially in the lategame.
Water Box (40-60)
Without Energy removal, this matchup gets a bit worse. Not by much however. [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] makes it hard for [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] to attack at times, since it cannot heal without attacking into the [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. They can only switch between two different [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] for so long before they are forced to attack into a [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and get Knocked Out by a Tree Slam the next turn. However, this matchup really depends on if the Water Box player can get [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] down on their [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] before the Item-lock hits. The added HP is huge on a 120 HP Pokemon, especially one that is so crucial in the matchup.
Use [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and Captivating Poke Puff to scout out their hands to see if they have Energy or ways to get it. If they do not, you can always buy some time for yourself by using [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and keeping a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] stuck Active.
Metal (35-65)
This matchup gets worse since there isn’t anything you can do to prevent Energy from hitting the board and allowing the [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] that you brought up with [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] from escaping. [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is always an option, but you would need to chain this card until the [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is Knocked Out. Bronzong’s annoying 100 HP requires four Silent Fear attacks to get through to it. Two Silent Fear and a Tree Slam can do it, however, If the Metal player BREAK evolves the [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Fates Collide” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], things get very difficult. The [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] does a little once the [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] starts attacking but it doesn’t do too much to improve this matchup.
[cardimg name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX (40-60)
[card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] is a scary matchup for [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. The Weakness sets up a situation that makes it hard for [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] to keep up. Especially if the [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] deck goes second and the [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] deck gets a lot of [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] going on the first turn. [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC16″ c=”name”][/card] is an annoying card early game too, however, its high Retreat Cost can possibly work to your advantage.
[card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] does a little to make this matchup winnable, just in a different way than [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] did. [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] stalling is still the main strategy, when they do attack, making them pay for it with a [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is the trick. If you can Knock Out their big attacker, you can possibly win the game. Usually this matchup comes down to one big [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] that sweeps your [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. If they have a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] down, [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] it and Tree Slam it if possible, or [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] off the Tool to re-enable your lock. Captivating Poke Puff is very important in this matchup as well, since you can force [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] down, which is a relatively useless Pokemon in this matchup. [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] stall as much as you can and use [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to your advantage to Knock Out [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card].
So there are some subtle differences to the matchups. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is a deck that can be unbeatable at times just because it has so many disruptive elements to it. It can win unwinnable matchups for it just because the opponent drew poorly. So a lot of peoples experiences are different with the deck and I found it very difficult to evaluate these matchups based on my testing.
The Big Three
I’ve got myself narrowed down to three picks already. I’ll just go ahead and reveal them here in no specific order.
- Night March
- [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]
- [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]
Let me talk about the other two before I go into [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].
Night March
I’ve discussed the dominance of Night March already. I think a lot of people have this in their top three. I feel like there’s no way you cannot consider this deck. There are a lot of counters to this deck, but there hasn’t been a deck nearly this dominant in the game for as long as I’ve been playing (since 2011). The counters to Night March are out there, but Night March can wiggle itself out of those just because it’s just so good.
Playing mirrors is actually my biggest deterrent to playing the deck. Any two players that know how to approach the mirror are essentially flipping a coin to see who wins. My good friend Michael Hopkins and I had a mirror match at Kansas States that ended in a tie because we played two excellent games and couldn’t finish the third one. I got off to a great start in the first game and couldn’t close it and lost. Michael got off to a great start in game two, but I managed to get ahead late in the game. I’m not sure who would have won game three. I played [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card], feeling that it would give me an edge in the mirror, and it really didn’t help all that much. There’s very little some players can do to prevent [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] from ending up in their hands after an [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], only to get Poke Puffed onto the bench to be taken advantage of later.
[cardimg name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”36″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
It’s very apparent when one player doesn’t handle the mirror well (benches [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], attacks with [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] often), and those players aren’t difficult to beat. But when both players are literally not misplaying, this mirror is a coin flip.
Vespiquen / Vileplume
This is such a flippy and luck based play. There’s a strategy at Worlds that if you’re in a field of people that do not misplay often, why not take a very luck based deck and win based off of that? Of course there’s skill in this game and of course I’m not saying that [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t require it. However, hitting a turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] can win games alone. Managing your first turn with this deck takes some practice, but I feel like I’ve practiced enough to be comfortable with getting turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and an attack with [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] in most games. Any other player that I play may lose just because they cannot draw the cards they need with Item-lock down and a [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] Knocking Out all of their attackers repeatedly. This is precisely the kind of deck that you would use to win matches that are fairly luck based to begin with.
This deck is just dominant if you draw what you need. There’s a school of thought that in any tournament, you need to draw well to win. So why not play a deck that will absolutely win if you draw well. Not to mention, this deck has a phenomenal matchup against Night March if it goes first. It’s hard for Night March decks to keep up under Item-lock, especially when their deck isn’t thinned like yours is.
Trevenant
Now, I mentioned a bit about what Item-lock does to matchups. I mentioned how it lets players win sometimes regardless of the skill of the opponent. Nothing can really stop dead draws in Pokemon. It just happens. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks make it happen pretty often. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks thrive off of it. Now, this is absolutely not a knock on players that did well with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks played well are incredible, which is why I have been testing a lot with the deck to be as familiar as possible with it. But they just have that element of randomness that they can run away with easily in a game. If the opponent is drawing well, that’s where the strain really is on the [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] player to maintain control.
This is such a powerful play for myself since it shuts down Night March hard. If 50% of the playing field is Night March, I either want to play Night March or play the deck that doesn’t give it a chance. [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is my favored variant since it doesn’t really drop games to Night March often. When I interviewed Nick Robinson in my last article, his opponent in Top 4’s two losses were to Night March before he lost to Nick Robinson in the finals. He played Hammers and not [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. There’s many factors that could have went into that, but I strongly feel that that had a part in it.
That’s my reasoning for these plays. With very little time to an event, I tend to narrow myself down to a few plays. I don’t favor one over the others currently, but I have a ton of experience with Night March decks. I’ve been successful with the decks over the past year, even going back to States last format in the [card name=”Lysandre’s Trump Card” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] era where I won Colorado States and Top 8’d Iowa States with the deck.
[card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is a completely different playstyle than I’m used to. But good players should always strive to be familiar with every playstyle in the game. I’ve been spending a lot of time since States this year wrapping my head around [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and I feel I’m pretty familiar with it.
Going Forward
[card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and Night March are going to be two very dominant decks at Worlds that will most likely see the most play. I cannot speak for the players from the other parts of the World, but I know that most Americans will be playing one of those two decks. I’m looking forward to what other creative stuff we see from players introducing Steam Siege cards to their decks.
Both variants of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] are great and have been successful. The one you pick will ultimately be your own personal preference and playstyle. Whenever I played a disruptive deck, I always played a slightly aggressive element to it. [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] in Expanded is a mid range power type of deck that isn’t overly aggressive to the point of Night March, however, it isn’t slow like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] decks tend to be. [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] had a very disruptive element in Fright Night [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. I thoroughly enjoyed limiting my opponents options with that particular card, especially combined with [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card].
So now I like adding a little bit of aggression in [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] in my disruption deck, instead of the a little bit of disruption in my aggressive deck. The better Night March matchup surely doesn’t hurt either!
Hit me up at Worlds, I would love to see any of my readers or just people that want to say hello to me in general. Good luck and stay safe at Worlds. I’ll be looking forward to be hitting up the Oakland Coliseum to be seeing my beloved Oakland Athletics the week after Worlds. Hit me up if you’re an A’s fan!
~Treynor
[/premium]