Cutting Down the Tree — Beating Trevenant in Expanded

What’s up guys? It’s been a while and that’s for a good reason. I haven’t hit up a big tournament since Phoenix as most tournaments haven’t been spiking my interests with not many Regionals being hosted on the West Coast as of late and most matches being decided as soon as you sit down at the table due to matchups. But I’m stepping back into gear for San Jose! This has to be my favorite Regionals of the year. The highlight of this trip for me usually is going to Pacifica, a small surfing town that rides right along the coast. I have also formed a new love with Sushirito after my first taste in San Francisco this August, so I’ll be traveling to NorCal with a checklist and a half.

Looking at tournaments that have played so far this year, I would have to say that I find this year’s Expanded format to be quite pleasant compared to the Standard format. Decks run significantly smoother, many new elements totally change an archetype’s composition, metagames distinctly change, and it can sometimes be hard to fit so many amazing cards into one deck. With these elements in mind, it seems to be the format that favors a skilled player. While both formats play with the “see what sticks” mentality, this is more emphasized in Standard due to the limited consistency options.

Anyways, enough of my clearly biased ranting, I wanted to talk about one of the most controversial decks ever to be seen in the game. This should come as no surprise to most and can be inferred by the title, but the deck I’m talking about is [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. With the deck winning our most recent Expanded Regionals in a fashion that highly discourages game interaction, the deck has been called the BDIF in the format and rightfully so. Today, I will be covering how to beat this Goliath going into San Jose, but most strategies I will be providing in this article may not be enough to guarantee a win against this deck. Anyone who has played with or against Item-lock knows that anything can happen, so don’t bash me if you lose to it occasionally.

Trevenant and Why It’s So Good

As mentioned before, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is considered to be one of the best decks in Expanded, and as a result, will likely see heavy play in San Jose. The combination of constant Item-lock, [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], Energy disruption, and a quite ludicrous attack in Silent Fear all discourage interaction from your opponent and make for one of the most degenerate strategies we have seen in a while. Essentially, anything that isn’t Trevenant is considered the good guy in this format as I can’t name many people that are a fan of Trevenant that haven’t had results with the deck. A lot of decks in the current format have a heavy emphasis on [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to get speedy starts to a game in hopes of applying enough early pressure to grab a win. Any deck that relies on this engine (besides Dark decks) will struggle greatly with Trevenant, so be prepared to see some new decks on the block in hopes of beating Trevenant. The best assumption you can make on what to expect at San Jose as far as Trevenant goes is none other than the winning list itself. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, here’s the list Jonathan Crespo used to win Philadephia Regionals.

[decklist name=”Trevenant” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”15″]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=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rescue Scarf” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Primal Clash” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Dragon Vault” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]8x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ align=”right” c=”custom”]”Skill-based”[/cardimg]

The reason that Trevenant is only now being hyped by many is because [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] / Maxie’s has been the most dominant Expanded deck since [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] was released and this deck has been known to famously lose to it. But this is a very different version of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and arguably flaunts a 50-50 matchup against its previous bane due to this version being able to fish out a bad hand for Yveltal pretty well and can capitalize on it. Crespo defeated multiple Dark decks before winning Philadephia, with his last one being in Top 4. This should wipe the smile off any Dark player’s face. Yveltal being one of these [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] reliant decks makes these situations very real and can cause some serious heartache for the Yveltal player. Trevenant feels like a totally different beast going into San Jose as any player with luck on their side can go all the way with it.

I don’t mean to discredit Crespo as this version of Trevenant was new and innovative, but this level of disruption makes it possible for anyone to win a tournament with this deck as most games can just end in the Trevenant player catching the opponent on a bad hand and the Trevenant player capitalizing on it with Silent Fear. The deck’s skill cap is pretty low, so players that aren’t so confident with playing anything else can resort to this as an option. This will lead to the deck seeing a lot of play, undoubtedly. The deck runs relatively smoothly as it doesn’t require a ton for the player to gain an optimal set up, so consistency really isn’t an issue here. When I ask people how to beat Trevenant, I’ve heard a majority of them say “Go first and cross your fingers.” While this stands true for some decks, it is going to be my job in this article to falsify this statement and show you how you can beat this deck reliably.

How to Beat Trevenant

Now that we know exactly what we’re dealing with, how the heck can we beat this gambling machine, where the odds are in their favor? Well, to do this, we need to exploit its few weaknesses. These will be talked about more in depth in the following sections. For most of these methods, more than one is usually required to acquire a favorable matchup against [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] as it disrupts you in more ways than one, creating multiple win conditions.

Dark Decks

The obvious weakness to exploit is [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]’s actual Weakness, Dark Pokemon. The Weakness to Dark types allow cheaper attackers to OHKO Trevenant, and the cheap part of this is huge. When dealing with Energy disruption decks, the best answer is low maintenance Pokemon. Cards like [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card], and specifically [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC16″ c=”name”][/card] should come to mind. Fortunately, these Pokemon are components to decks in the very heart of the Expanded metagame, so they already have competitive viability. But we need to be very careful here, as if we don’t optimize our build to withstand the immense disruption, we will certainly be punished. So, we should be looking to add a healthy amount of draw Supporters and outs to retrieving our Energy under Item-lock.

Rough Seas

This card is obviously exclusive to decks that utilize Water or Lightning type attackers, but is probably the most powerful and reliable single card available to straight-up counter a [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] deck. The math it has, healing exactly 30 damage from each Water and Lightning Pokemon is impeccable against a Silent Fear. This essentially puts the Trevenant player back a full turn and makes future Silent Fear negligible until dealt with. The raw power this card provides against a Trevenant deck can not go unnoticed and the best part is that this card has various uses outside of Trevenant. Playing this card in of itself should be a hint to a very good play for San Jose.

[cardimg name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The perfect storm![/cardimg]

Item-lock

Now this is what I call giving ’em a taste of their own medicine! Surprisingly enough, Item-lock is a pretty suitable answer to Trevenant as Trevenant itself plays quite a hefty amount of Items to ensure their speedy setup. Besides the mirror, the two viable forms we have of Item-lock are from [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. With these, creating situations where Trevenant has a dead hand is actually quite probable, but you will still need a way to out-exchange Silent Fear when it comes into play, so keep this in mind when using these cards going into San Jose.

Latias-EX

Out of all the answers I can list to [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], this seems to be the most unconventional. Since not many decks that come to mind are playing [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] for that matter, this seems like a card that won’t see any use outside of this matchup and will be used strictly play for the deck out. Nonetheless, the new Trevenant’s answers to this card only consist of one [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], so it should be able to provide an absolute lock once the Lab is dealt with. It will be interesting to see how many of these we will see in San Jose to say the least.

Heavy Supporter Counts

This should just be a general inclusion if you want to beat [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] reliably. Now, I’m not saying to go to [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] levels of Supporters, but you need to be having plenty of outs to the inevitable [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] you will be seeing repeatedly throughout the game. Running three or four of both [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] are about the level you will need to reach to be able to draw out of the Red Card.

Yveltal Maxie’s

When coming up with a deck that fits the criteria above, [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] should come as no surprise. Unfortunately, I believe that this latest installment of [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] will require a little more from an Yveltal player than just sitting at the table to have a favorable matchup. With this installment of Dark being more Item-based to keep up with the fast-paced metagame, it is possible for Trevenant to squeak out wins due to the very composition of your deck. To make the matchup favorable once more, I have added in some cards that can sway the game while maintaining the deck’s core.

[decklist name=”Yveltal Maxie’s ” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″][pokemon amt=”11″]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ 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=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Yveltal” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC16″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Welcome back![/cardimg]

Overall, the main problem I have with this list is the low draw Supporter count. While this count should is ideal against everything else, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can still leave you with dead hands. Ideally, we would like to add in a fourth [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] or a third [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], so if you want to cut anything from the list, let me recommend one of these cards to fill the empty slot.

[premium]

Oblivion Wing Yveltal

Now, at first glance, this card doesn’t seem like a card that needs explaining for most part. The obvious synergy it has with its Dark brothers should merit its stay, but it has been cut from many lists, including my own until as of late. As mentioned before, it will require some commitment for Yveltal to have a favorable matchup against the new [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] variant stirring everyone’s brew. When combating disruptive strategies in the past such as [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], Dark would usually rely on [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC16″ c=”name”][/card] to ensure the recovery of Energy. This is very similar to how it helps against [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. Starting with this beauty should secure the matchup as long as you run into the Energy necessary to attack. This inclusion should let your Trevenant matchup settle around 60-40, which should suffice.

Delinquent

In my previous article, I talked about the strength of [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] in [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], but Delinquent is strong in any deck that sees their Stadium cards as unessential to their strategy, and Yveltal fits the bill quite well. Just having the card in your discard pile creates the potential for a massive punishment if your opponent doesn’t play around it, and playing around it is no walk in the park. Imagine always being required to have four cards in your hand going into your opponent’s turn, this is massive as it will surely limit your opponent’s actions in a turn. The only viable counters to this card are [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s amazing how many misplays you can also fish out of your opponent with this card as it forces the opponent to prioritize cards so others can take the fall. During a tournament, nine times out of 10 you will have some instance where this card won you a game.

Raikou / Eelektrik

Probably the biggest shock (pun intended) to come out of Philadelphia was seeing Sam Chen piloting a [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] deck to a Top 4 finish. Even though the deck has had plenty of Top 8 finishes over its existence, the deck has been widely underplayed by most. This new astonishing finish from the deck will attract players to the deck. That being said, I do believe this deck has serious potential and can easily see it adding another Top 8 to its accomplishments. Personally, I really favor the playstyle of this deck as it is very reminiscent of the [card name=”Zekrom” set=”Black and White” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] version of Eels I played extensively in its prime. Despite my nostalgia for these types of decks, this deck will probably be sporting the worst matchup against Trevenant out of all of the decks I talk about, having a 50-50 matchup overall. Even though Raikou / Eelektrik is the least reliable against Trevenant, I think the deck has a ton of even to favorable matchups, so I find it worth mentioning. Here’s a list I cooked up.

[decklist name=”Raikou/Eels” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″][pokemon amt=”16″]1x [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Tynamo” set=”Noble Victories” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Evosoda” set=”XY” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Dragon Vault” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]8x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]3x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Since this list is a grand total of one card different from Sam Chen’s winning list (-1 [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] , +1 [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] ), I want to discuss some possible additions and cuts to the list.

Possible Changes

Cuts

-1 Lightning Energy

Sam played seven Lightning Energy, and it obviously worked for him.

-1 Eelektross

If you aren’t worried about [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] , the practicality of the card is pretty low.

Additions

+1 Seismitoad-EX

[card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] has one of the best attacks the game has ever seen. Item-lock in general has been a winning strategy ever since its creation, but having access to it on the first turn of the game makes for a game breaking card. Seismitoad-EX plays a crucial role in this deck, covering many of the deck’s holes and it has synergy with [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. The reason you would want to include a second Toad is to improve your [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. The idea behind this is to Quaking Punch Trevenant repeatedly and use make it hard for Trevenant to set up backup attackers. Combined with Rough Seas, this functions similarly to how a WaterBox deck beats Trevenant. Adding a second Toad will increase your chances of finding it under Item-lock.

+1 Pokemon Center Lady

The deck Sam lost to in Top 4 was Mike Fouchet’s [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] and the same deck is my main motivation behind this possible addition. [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] by itself can make Accelgor crumble since you can reuse it with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card]. Putting a huge attacker in the Active and constantly using Pokemon Center Lady to make sure it consistiently attacks should grant you enough time along with other mobility cards to squeeze out a win against Accelgor. PCL is also just overall a great inclusion to have in this tanky style of deck. Being able to potentially heal 90 damage and 30 damage every following turn from a [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] who already has Shining Body can be quite ridiculous in some scenarios.

Wailord

[card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] thrives off of its ability to remove interaction from your opponent, so what better way to beat the deck than to happily oblige? [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card]’s strategy consists of one thing: passing. Every once in a while, you will have to play a card to continue your strategy, but the concept still applies. Above, I mentioned different methods to beat Trevenant, and this deck employs three of those and even adds the element of requiring zero Energy. This deck is a Trevenant player’s living nightmare, so if you really want to beat Trevenant, this is the deck for you. Here’s a list that my friend Andy Hyun took to a Top 64 finish at Arizona Regionals.

[decklist name=”Wailord” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″][pokemon amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Latias-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”52″]4x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cassius” set=”XY” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Flashfire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ 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=”Shauna” set=”XY” no=”127″ 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=”Max Potion” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Primal Clash” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hard Charm” set=”XY” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”0″][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”107″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The old kid on the block.[/cardimg]

I couldn’t bring myself to create a competent list for this monstrosity, so I had to call in some help for this one. Most of you may not know Andy, but he’s a player based in NorCal who has been playing mill decks exclusively for the longest time and I’m impressed he hasn’t lost his sanity in the process. In particular, he has made Wailord his primary deck since its exposure Nationals 2015 so any opinions he has on the deck I take as the golden rule, or at least as good as it’s going to get. Looking at the list itself, most of the inclusions and counts make perfect sense in my mind.

Andy had his own input on the list when I talked to him. Something important to note is that he says that the Stadiums are very flexible in this deck and can be fit to the user’s needs. One other Stadium that can be run that is not included in his list you can run is [card name=”Team Aqua’s Secret Base” set=”Double Crisis” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], so consider this card when adjusting your Stadiums for your set metagame. Personally, I think going into San Jose, the current Stadium in the list is spot on and shouldn’t be messed with unless you include a seventh Stadium.

For just straight-up changes to the list, he’s pretty sold on removing the [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] in exchange for another [card name=”Hard Charm” set=”XY” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], a more consistent option. The one new inclusion from Evolutions he talked to me about was [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Evolutions” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. This is pretty much strictly better than [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck since Brock’s can be recovered and grabs one extra target. The fact that it is a Supporter is pretty irrelevant in most situations due to the passive nature of the deck. The pros outweighs its cons, so look to be making this change to the list. He has also considered dropping a [card name=”Team Rocket’s Handiwork” set=”Fates Collide” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] in favor of a third [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], a second [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card], or a seventh Stadium.

Expanded WaterBox

Oh, how this deck takes me back! When I played this deck for last year’s World Championships, I absolutely fell in love. I genuinely believe that I could’ve gone all the way with the deck if I hadn’t had the unfortunate pairing of [card name=”M Sceptile-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] in the win-and-in on day one. The deck flaunted amazing matchups against the expected metagame, even having a favorable matchup against [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], an archetype I got paired against four times in day one, going 3-0-1 against the wide number of variants I faced. The key to the matchup was to run your opponent dry of Energy with the accompanied two [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Primal Clash” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. With a wide array of lists only playing the four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] and running [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], Quaking Punch was able to lock up the rest of the game as soon as you removed the first four Energy. Despite all these great matchups it had, Trevenant was the best one by a landslide. Quaking Punch paired with Rough Seas and Promo [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY148″ c=”name”][/card] was way too much for your opponent to deal with. Considering its dominant matchup against Trees, I felt it more than fitting as an inclusion in this article. Here’s the list I currently have sleeved up.

[decklist name=”Waterbox” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″][pokemon amt=”11″]3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Primal Clash” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This is pretty much the list I played for Worlds with some Expanded cards thrown in. If anyone is curious, the cards cut for the Expanded cards were an [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]. For any die hard Toad players out there, this is probably going to be your best option going into San Jose as it probably the only variant that can flaunt a truly favorable matchup against [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY148″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The healing power is ridiculous.[/cardimg]

The 2HKO Format Makes this Deck Bonkers!

Right now going into San Jose, we are in what I like to call a 2HKO format. What I mean by this is that there aren’t a wide variety of viable decks that rely on doing a boat-load of damage, but rather nibble at the opponent accompanied by effects that make this damage reliable. Even though some or most of the decks don’t get two-hit Knock Outs per say, their goal isn’t to OHKO, and that’s the important part. When this occurs, healing cards suddenly become extremely viable. Past examples of decks abusing the 2HKO format include [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / Techs variants and Ross Cawthon’s The Truth. This method still applies today, but in the form of [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Now while any deck playing Rough Seas takes advantage of a 2HKO format, this deck in particular does the best job of it with the help of Promo [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY148″ c=”name”][/card]. To give you an idea of how the math works out, Trevenant’s Silent Fear can be reduced to 10 damage a turn or completely removed with viable Rough Seas targets. To add on to this [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]’s Pitch-Black Spear can possibly be reduced to a measly 10 damage a turn on two targets. Besides these absurd numbers, you can reliably remove 50 damage from a Toad. Unfortunately, Shaymin Promo only works on Benched Basic Pokemon, but that’s why we have [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck. The utility this card brings to this deck in particular is disgusting. Not only does it provide mobility, but it does so while benefitting from [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], Rough Seas, and [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]! I talked about this synergy between Toad, Shaymin Promo, and Keldeo-EX extensively in a previous article, but I just couldn’t help but mention it again as this deck really abuses this combo and is a main attribution to its power.

Greninja

The last deck I have to share with you is my personal favorite of the bunch heading into San Jose and is the only other Expanded Regional title holder this season. I can’t be talking about any other deck than [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]! This deck took not just a win in Arizona, but a total of three Top 8 slots and has more than proven its viability as a new top tier deck in Expanded. Greninja has been a late game powerhouse since its creation and is only now receiving praise in Expanded. Out of all the decks that exist in Standard, I feel as though this is the only one that truly got “better with age”. One problem Greninja is known for having is a lack of consistency. With Expanded cards such as [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] available to us, we gain a small, but noticeable boost in consistency. This also boosts the viability of [card name=”Talonflame” set=”Steam Siege” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck. Compressor lets you dispose of the Talonflames you weren’t able to use throughout the game. In Standard they just sit in your deck, just waiting to be a dead card in your hand, so many players have opted to completely cut them from their lists.

In testing, this deck’s [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is actually pretty stupid as long as you can draw Energy. The strategy is just to set up as many Greninja as you can and just Moonight Slash away. Even if you can only set up one, the math is so perfect, being able to exactly 2HKO [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] when returning the Energy to the hand. Doing this also makes their [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] virtually useless as no Energy will ever be left on your board. The best part about this deck is that it has the capability to beat pretty much anything it comes up against as setting up three [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] should pretty much win you any game. This is the deck I believe is most likely to win the tournament overall and will go far in the right hands.

[decklist name=”Greninja” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Frogadier” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Froakie” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Talonflame” set=”Steam Siege” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ace Trainer” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”69″ 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=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Evosoda” set=”XY” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Dragon Vault” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]2x [card name=”Splash Energy” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

If you’ve been doing your homework, you will notice that this list is exactly one card off from the list Travis Nunlist used to get Top 4 at Arizona. All I changed from the list was cutting the [card name=”Greninja” set=”XY” no=”41″ c=”from”][/card] for another [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”from”][/card] one, and Travis himself agrees with this change. I am recommending this list is because I found this list to be the most consistent list you can form with Greninja while still having answers to your counters. For more info on the list and Greninja, go check out Travis’ tournament report here. With this in mind, I only feel obligated to talk about the lone change I made to the list.

Four Greninja BKP

As previously stated, I added in a fourth [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”from”][/card]. There are a lot of reasons why I made this change. Despite not having as much firepower from Shurikens, it doesn’t negatively effect the deck’s raw power at all. In testing I learned that [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is not the star of the show, [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”set”][/card] is. The damage and disruption the card provides for a lone Energy is ludicrous and perfectly synergizes with its BREAK. Greninja BREAK is mostly used to make power plays for the late game and add HP to Greninja. When I did play the [card name=”Greninja” set=”XY” no=”41″ c=”from”][/card], I always found myself afraid to use it since there is a possibility my opponent can just simply [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] it and prevent me from properly utilizing Greninja from BREAKpoint. Cutting this card truly maximized mobility and ensured access to my main attacker. Consistency is key, and in this deck, that rule is magnified.

Conclusion

After reading this article, I hope you can realize just how beatable [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is. [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] was definitely the star of the show in this article, and it’s no coincidence. The pure viability of the card makes for a potential nightmare of a metagame for Trevenant going into San Jose. I expect the winning deck to be something playing Rough Seas or a Dark deck. Rough Seas not only completely decimates Trees, but is good against pretty much any deck that doesn’t focus on OHKOs. Another thing you may have noticed in this article is that a good portion of the lists posted were extremely close to successful lists from previous tournaments. Even though the lists may lack “creativity”, I can tell you that they are similar for a reason. These lists have been extensively tested and have made optimal for tournament play. I wouldn’t share a list that is any different than the list I would play for a tournament tomorrow. I hope to see a bunch of you at San Jose and wish you all the best of luck!

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