The First Internationals — A Complete Look at What Happened in London
Hey again PokeBeach! I haven’t written for a while now, since Worlds, so that’s where I’ll start for this article. I played WaterBox ([card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card]) in the main event, and ended up with a final record of 3-2-2, losing to an opposing WaterBox and [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. The introduction of Steam Siege made the event much more interesting and harder to test for, which led me to the safe choice of WaterBox for the day.
Moving on from Worlds, the next big event for me was less Pokemon related; I got accepted into the University of York to study Computer Science! I’ve just finished my first term here, and so far it’s been a great experience. While being at University, I have been able to play some Pokemon TCG here and there, and took part in Liverpool Regionals a month ago. Liverpool Regionals was much larger than any previous UK Regional due to the new system, along with greater prizing. Due to this, Liverpool was attended by multiple European countries, making it similar to European Challenge Cups we had in the past.
Liverpool Regionals
For Liverpool, my choice was based off both what had performed well at Orlando’s Regionals and the decks I’d tested recently. [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] won the entire event, with [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] variants also performing well. The single [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] deck in Top 8 caught my eye the most, though. I had been testing Volcanion-EX builds a lot, and this proved that Volcanion builds had what it takes to get far in a large event. In the UK, [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] variants of Yveltal were slightly more popular than [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] builds; there was also some amount of hype for [card name=”M Scizor-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Volcanion had shown reasonable matchups against most of the field, barring the obviously terrible [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, due to Volcanion-EX’s Weakness. Here is the list I played on the day.
[decklist name=”Volcanion-EX/Volcanion” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Flareon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
A couple of cards I played are interesting and unique, so I’ll go through them now.
One Flareon-EX
Usually [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong enough attacker to just play four copies and no other attacking Pokemon. However, [card name=”Flareon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC28″ c=”name”][/card] provides some extra utility in its Flash Fire Ability. Being able to move Fire Energy from [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] that have been used early on for Power Heater but wasn’t KOd is huge as acceleration. Damaged Volcanion-EX with any Energy attached can be transferred to a fresh Flareon-EX over a couple of turns. Finally, Flareon-EX’s Blaze Ball doesn’t have the downside of Volcanic Heat, making it much easier to consecutively attack each turn without having to find switching cards or a [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. Blaze Ball also has no damage ceiling, meaning the more Fire Energy, the bigger the attack.
One Parallel City
[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Both sides of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] are bad for a [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] deck. Limiting the Bench to three isn’t perfect for a deck that wants as many [card name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] on the field as possible, and reducing all attacks by 20 isn’t going to help much. However, after early testing I found that, if you couldn’t find a [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] early on, Parallel City can remove utility Pokemon that are clogging up the Bench. An average early-game Bench involves using [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to find a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and two Volcanion-EX, and then another final Pokemon depending on what else you need in the early turns. Parallel City fits perfectly here, discarding the Hoopa-EX and Shaymin-EX used to setup. Sometimes it is correct to limit your opponent’s Bench to three in the early game, for example against decks that use their own Hoopa-EX.
Finally, Rainbow Road gained some traction recently, and later on in the game [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] paired with [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] can be game changing due to Rainbow Road’s need for a large Bench. I loved the inclusion of Parallel City in the deck, and wouldn’t consider changing it.
One Professor’s Letter / Two Energy Retrieval
Originally the list had three [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], but early on getting two Energy from the discard can be redundant since you simply haven’t got any Fire Energy in the discard. Even if you happen to have used [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]’s Steam Up twice, you want the Fire Energy in the discard for [card name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ c=”name”][/card]’s Power Heater. I tested with two, one and zero copies of Energy Retrieval, and decided to stick with two. This means you might occasionally get a copy early on, but usually have them left in the deck for late-game. With the empty slot I put in [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]. Since the deck plays four [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], this gives the deck more outs to Fire Energy in the early game, to make sure you can deal as much damage as possible through Steam Up and Power Heater.
Evolutions Changes
The only change I might make with the inclusion of Evolutions is a single [card name=”Dragonite-EX” set=”Evolutions” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]. I would most likely remove [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] from the list, since both have a similar purpose. With the deck playing [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], it’s possible to discard [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and then put it back into your hand, along with another Pokemon, such as a second Shaymin-EX or a discarded [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. The main benefits over Super Rod is that Dragonite-EX is searchable with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], and can also act as a niche attacker. Against Water focused decks, like [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], Dragonite-EX’s lack of Water Weakness and Hyper Beam can give you an increased chance against the horrible matchup. This does require a full four Energy attachments, though!
On the day I found out that quite a few high-level UK players had opted to go for [card name=”M Scizor-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] builds, which Volcanion stomps. The tournament structure adopted didn’t include a Top 32, which meant you needed 7-1-1 to get Top 8 and advance. This was my run.
- Round 1: [card name=”M Scizor-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] WW
- Round 2: [card name=”M Scizor-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] WW
- Round 3: [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] WW
- Round 4: [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] WW
- Round 5: [card name=”M Scizor-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] WW
- Round 6: [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] LL
- Round 7: [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] LWT
- Round 8: [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] LL
- Round 9: [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] WW
6-2-1, 11th Place
I started off the tournament strong at 5-0-0, but unfortunately couldn’t keep up the steam as I dead drew twice and then tied against [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. My fate was sealed once I hit [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] in round eight, and without any sort of counter I got demolished. My resistance was strong though, meaning I was able to nab Top 16.
London Internationals
Once the concept of Internationals Championships were announced, I was ecstatic to play in the European tournament. The idea of what would essentially be a massive nationals with players from all over the globe is something that mirrors the World Championships, and this time it would be in my home country. Unfortunately for myself, Pokemon announced the date a week or so too late as I’d already made unchangeable plans for the ninth of December this year. I did, however, continue testing to see what I would play, could I have gone.
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What I Would Have Played
By looking at results of recent tournaments, I pinned down two options; [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. Fort Wayne Regionals had over 630 Masters, and proved that Yveltal / Garbodor was a top contender, with Jimmy Pendarvis and Andrew Mahone coming out on top and taking first and second place with the deck. This, and other good results from previous tournaments lead to a high amount of hype for Yveltal-EX / Garbodor going into London.
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Yveltal-EX / Garbodor‘s place in this format is due to the ever-consistent power of Yveltal-EX, which has been able to be a mainstay card throughout its entire lifespan. This power is paired with the disruption of [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]’s Fright Night Ability and the damage spread of Pitch-Black Spear. The final piece of the puzzle is the option to remove Abilities like Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up and [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]’s Giant Water Shuriken from play with Garbotoxin, flipping matchups which would usually be extremely hard straight into Yveltal’s favor.
Opting to play Yveltal-EX / Garbodor would mean I’d face a good amount of mirror matches due to the hype surrounding the deck, so the list would need some sort of tech or techs for the mirror. The only downside I could see with playing Yveltal-EX / Garbodor is that with a large amount of hype, people could play specific counter decks that revolve around cards such as [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] just to beat Yveltal variants.
Volcanion-EX had also shown promise in recent tournaments. The Top 8 at Fort Wayne contained two Volcanion-EX builds, although they were both unable to make it into the Top 4. After being able to place highly with the deck at Liverpool Regionals, I decided to keep Volcanion as an option. Volcanion-EX builds are consistent and fast, where a quick setup can lead to your opponent being overcome. Since Volcanion’s Power Heater damage can be increased through multiple Steam Ups, it’s not uncommon for a Volcanion to 2HKO any opposing Pokemon-EX while also setting up two attackers on the Bench. With two fully powered attackers, like a Volcanion-EX or Flareon-EX, waiting on the Bench, it’s extremely hard for the opponent to keep up.
The main problem with Volcanion-EX decks is Garbodor. If the opponent can get Garbotoxin online early in the game, the lack of Steam Up turns what would be easy KOs into awkward 2HKOs. Volcanion’s 20 chip damage with Power Heater doesn’t sound that appealing without any Steam Ups, either. Without any viable Tool removal, the best way to deal with Garbodor is to bring it into the Active with [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] and KO it. However, this KO leads to a massive loss in tempo since the only attacks that deal at least 100 damage require three Energy to use. If your opponent can return the KO in their turn, it’s extremely hard to keep the game in your favor.
With these thoughts in mind, my main testing swayed towards Yveltal-EX / Garbodor. With a consistent list, I thought it would be possible to get at least some Championship Points if I had gone.
The List
[decklist name=”Yveltal-EX / Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″][pokemon amt=”11″]3x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This list is extremely similar to the list Jimmy Pendarvis played to win Fort Wayne Regionals. His list contains two strong techs for the mirror; two [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and a single [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Generations” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. Jimmy does a great job explaining some of his choices and deck matchups in his article. I’ll go through a couple of my own changes which make the deck slightly more consistent at the cost of a couple of utility options.
Four Professor Sycamore, Three N, Three Trainers’ Mail
I wanted to make the list as consistent as possible, so I opted to include an extra copy of [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] along with the third copy of [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] that Jimmy played. When playing consistency cards like Trainers’ Mail, I usually opt to go for at least three or four copies to make sure I see these cards early on.
One Olympia
[cardimg name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
With only [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] as the option for switching there are times where a Yveltal can get stuck in the Active due to its Fright Night Ability. Similarly, an [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] attached would be forced to discard two Energy when it needs to Retreat. [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] solves this problem by essentially giving you a re-usable [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] via [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], along with a bonus 30 healing. The removal of 30 damage can be huge in certain situations, such as Yveltal-EX versus Yveltal-EX math. If the Yveltal isn’t too heavily damaged this can force an extra Energy attachment to get a KO, or even take the option to get a KO away from the opponent during the next turn.
The other card I considered including was [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”from”][/card]. I don’t play [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] in this list, so being able to retrieve Energy back onto the Bench with Oblivion Wing could be useful in cases where you’re forced to discard Energy early. I would cut the second Enhanced Hammer to fit in Yveltal.
Day One
The Metagame
For the first Internationals, there were a total of 496 Masters, making it the largest tournament ever held in the UK. The most hyped decked before the tournament was [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], while Rainbow Road and [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] were both receiving a reasonable amount of hype as well. The metagame on the day was mostly consistent with the hype. Over one fifth of the metagame was Yveltal-EX / Garbodor builds. The rest of the metagame was mostly made up of [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], Rainbow Road and Volcanion variants, with splashes of [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] decks.
Greninja had seen some success recently with a Top 4 finish at Fort Wayne Regionals. The deck has a positive matchup versus [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] builds, [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], while also being able to go toe-to-toe against Rainbow Road. Yveltal-EX / Garbodor, however, is much tougher to beat. Once Garbotoxin comes online the extra damage produced by Giant Water Shuriken is removed, making it much harder to deal with Yveltal-EX. With [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] attached, Yveltal-EX reaches 210 HP. Without Giant Water Shuriken, Greninja can do a total of 80 with Moonlight Slash, plus 60 from a [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] if the opposing Yveltal-EX attacks, which isn’t enough to Knock Out the destruction Pokemon.
To try and improve Greninja’s matchup versus Yveltal-EX / Garbodor, players opted to include multiple copies of [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] into lists. To Knock Out a clean [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], Yveltal-EX needs eight Energy plus a Fighting Fury Belt. Getting such an investment takes time, and usually means the first Yveltal-EX uses Y Cyclone to 2HKO the Greninja BREAK, while also powering up a Yveltal-EX on the Bench. A Max Potion can buy an extra turn to try and Lysandre the Benched Yveltal-EX to get early damage in, before Evil Ball becomes too powerful.
Rainbow Road had been getting multiple placements in Regional Top 32s, while also getting a fair share of the overall format metagame. The OHKO potential of [card name=”Xerneas” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card]’ Rainbow Force is high, and paired with [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Primal Clash” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] the deck is also consistent at getting a stream of Xerneas throughout the game. This consistency seems to give the deck 50 / 50s or higher against the metagame. Its Yveltal-EX / Garbodor matchup isn’t terrible, although [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] can be painful at times. A Bench limited to three usually means there’s around four types on the Bench; this maxes Rainbow Force at 140 with a Fighting Fury Belt attached. Once a Rainbow Road player can find a replacement Stadium and another Pokemon of a different type, they should be back in the game.
[cardimg name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Volcanion hadn’t received a high amount of hype for the Internationals, most likely due to its inability to make it above the Top 8 when reaching cut, along with the expected high amounts of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Once Garbotoxin comes online, the matchup flips solidly into [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card]’s favor. This didn’t stop a high amount of people playing the deck on the day, though. Mega decks had placed reasonably recently, with their strongest finish coming from [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] winning and [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] getting second at Liverpool Regionals last month. M Rayquaza-EX and M Gardevoir-EX were riskier plays on the day due to Yveltal-EX / Garbodor variants all playing multiple copies of Parallel City, cutting both decks damage output and OHKO potential drastically.
[card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] was an interesting play for the Internationals, since the deck seems to have a slightly favorable matchup against Yveltal-EX / Garbodor. The edge to M Mewtwo-EX decks is only very slight, though. With Yveltal variants packing [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and Parallel City the matchup is, in usual Yveltal-EX fashion, very close.
Greninja is a very hard matchup if the Mewtwo player doesn’t include Garbodor, as reaching the 170 HP [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] has, requires six Energy for Psychic Infinity to take a KO, while Greninja can put a massive amount of pressure on with Giant Water Shuriken. Even with Garbodor, some Greninja variants opted to include [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] to remove Double Colorless Energy from their opponent’s Active, and gain immunity in their next turn, causing even more problems. The worst matchup for Mewtwo is [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], which is an obvious write off due to the dual Fairy / Psychic typing meaning it can OHKO M Mewtwo-EX each turn with ease.
Going away from the predicted metagame, there was also a splash of [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor. This deck is a direct counter to Yveltal-EX / Garbodor. Unless the Yveltal plays a [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], Jolteon-EX’s Flash Ray will lock the deck out of doing damage for the rest of the game. With [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], Flash Ray can even be used on the first turn. Volcanion-EX builds are in the same boat, needing a Pokemon Ranger to stand a chance. Rainbow Road usually plays all Basic attackers bar [card name=”Galvantula” set=”Steam Siege” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card] and possibly [card name=”Bisharp” set=”Steam Siege” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], although both these Pokemon cannot deal with Jolteon-EX. A clever tech that some players included was a single copy of [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card]. This lets Xerneas BREAK use Rainbow Force through Flash Rays’ effect, and also gives a surprise two-Energy attack that, with enough Energy on the field, could deal a reasonable amount of damage. The +20 HP boost isn’t too bad, either. Jolteon-EX / Garbodor has a hard time with Evolution-based decks, though, so a pilot of this deck wouldn’t want to see any Greninja or Mega decks.
Top 32 Results
To obtain a spot in the Top 32, a player needed to have at least a record of 6-1-2, unless they had strong resistance, then they could make it with 6-2-1. [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] variants took 11 spots in the Top 32. Every single Yveltal-EX build included [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in some way. It’s obvious that Yveltal-EX paired with Garbodor is the top deck in this format, with the closest two decks only getting four placements in the Top 32. [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is the first deck which nabbed four placements, which is unsurprising due to its popularity. With a reasonably high amount of [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] in the field and lists with techs like [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] to help against Yveltal-EX / Garbodor, it’s no surprise a couple of Greninja got through into cut. The second deck is Volcanion-EX. Since the field contained a good amount of Volcanion, it seems reasonable that some of the players were able to overcome Yveltal-EX / Garbodor and Rainbow Road with the power and consistency the deck boasts to make it into the cut.
[cardimg name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Closely trailing behind Greninja and Volcanion was [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], with three placements in the Top 32. This shows that some Mewtwo variants had the edge versus Yveltal-EX / Garbodor. Two of the three Mewtwo decks opted against Garbodor and went for [card name=”Magearna-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to make [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] a non-issue. Even though the Greninja matchup should still be hard, it seems that these Mewtwo players were able to either miss Greninja entirely, or get a fast-enough setup to overwhelm Greninja on the day. Without Jirachi to try and remove their Energy, it’s possible to hit the six Energy target over time and win.
The final two decks to get more than one placement in the Top 32 were Rainbow Road and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. With a good showing for Rainbow Road on the day, two in the top cut shows that the deck could perform reasonably but many players were unable to beat the onslaught of Yveltal-EX / Garbodor and a well-timed Parallel City to limit the decks damage output.
[card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] is a surprise to me, but it seems that two players found a strong list which could deal with the expected metagame. Without Battle Compressor in the format reaching the damage potential Vespiquen had in the past is much harder, and is only possible during the mid-late game once many Pokemon have been KOd and discarded. I imagine the main piece of the puzzle against Yveltal-EX / Garbodor is [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. For a single Double Colorless Energy, Zebstrika does 220 damage to Yveltal-EX due to both its Fighting Resistance and Lightning Weakness, which takes a clean OHKO. To return a OHKO against Zebstrika an Yveltal-EX must attack, which when the Vespiquen player has multiple Zebstrika, this would end up in a continuous two-for-one Prize-trade favoring Vespiquen.
Vespiquen is a strong attacker against Greninja due to Weakness, although Giant Water Shuriken can cause some problems due to the attackers’ pre-evolutions, which all have low HP. To counter this players included [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] into their list, which aids the Greninja matchup further. The Volcanion-EX matchup is close, with [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] being able to trade one-for-one with Vespiquen through Steam Up and Weakness. Mega decks – bar [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], since Zebstrika can OHKO it – are hard for Vespiquen to deal with, since it needs to have 19 Pokemon in the discard to reach a OHKO on [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. This takes a while to do in this format, which by that point it’s usually too late to catch up.
Four decks got the best record of 8-1-0: One [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], one [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Yveltal and Volcanion are both highly consistent decks, while Vespiquen had a strong surprise factor meaning people did not know how to play against it properly. With such a high amount of Yveltal in the field, the Vespiquen could have had almost all its matchups be Yveltal, giving it easy matchups throughout the day.
Day Two
Results
After five more rounds the final Top 8 was decided. Five of the eight decks in cut were [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. That really shows how consistent and strong Yveltal is now. The deck is so dominant that most would call it the current best deck in the format (BDIF). To top it off, Yveltal even took first seed with a record of 11-1-2, only a single loss.
[cardimg name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Two [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] made it into the Top 8, while a single [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] also made it in as second seed. I think this shows us the two decks below Yveltal right now; both slightly less consistent but equally as powerful. It is noteworthy that the ninth seed was [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], which missed out on the Top 8 by Opponents’ Opponents Win Percentage. If that Vespiquen had of made it in as eighth seed, I believe it could have gone all the way and won. Another interesting thing is that three of the four 8-1-0s from day one made it into the Top 8, while the other came ninth; this shows how important a good day one record can be.
The Top Eight Matches
Only one of the four matches contained a [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] mirror, while two faced off against [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and one against [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]. Both Volcanion and Greninja could not deal with Yveltal-EX / Garbodor this time, leaving the Top 4 entirely full of Yveltal. To end the tournament, Michael Pramawat took the title against Jay Lesage in the finals. Both players are well-known veterans of the game, making it no surprise.
The Yveltal-EX / Garbodor Lists
By now it’s easy to see that [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] lists are quite similar, usually only five or six cards apart. These differences totally change matchups, however, and it’s worth having a look at the top lists and what each player decided to include. Michael Pramawat played a standard Pokemon line and Energy line. For the Trainers, Michael decided against running any [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and used the space to include techs like [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card]. Escape Rope provides an extra option to get around any problems with attackers being stuck in the Active spot, and a pseudo-[card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] if needed.
[card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong tech against mirror, making it possible to use both an [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and Team Flare Grunt to remove three Energy from an opposing [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card]. This swings the tempo straight into your favor, forcing more Energy attachments from the opponent to deal with your attackers. This play can also be applied to [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], which at the right time could clean that Jolteon-EX of all its Energy. If the opponent cannot use Flash Ray in the next turn, this gives you an opening to take deal as much damage and take as many Prizes as possible before the Jolteon-EX player can set up enough Energy to use Flash Ray again. I think this tech may have been one of the keys to Prams’ success on the day.
Philip Schulz who placed in the Top 4 opted to play no [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”from”][/card], but a full four copies of [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card]. He also included a single [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card], since he had no other non-EX attackers, as an option instead of [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to remove [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] in the mirror. Finally, Phillip played a single [card name=”Ace Trainer” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] in his list. If you go down in Prizes early, finding Ace Trainer can damage the opponent more than [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card].
Tord Reklev, who also placed Top 4, played a single [card name=”Yveltal BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] in his list. This is an interesting tech. The main use I can see is to boost Fright Night [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]’s health up to 150 while also keeping the Fright Night Ability online, making it harder for the opponent to take a OHKO. I could see the BREAK helping in the mirror by forcing more than three Energy on the opponent’s Yveltal-EX, since with the Fright Night Ability online and six Energy between the two Pokemon – assuming Yveltal has enough Energy to attack – Evil Ball deals 140 damage, 10 short of a KO on Yveltal BREAK. This can be countered with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] however, meaning a Fighting Fury Belt could activate, boosting the damage up to 150.
The Volcanion-EX Lists
Both builds of Volcanion which got Top 8 contained a single [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. Interestingly, every deck in the Top 8 except [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] played one copy of Delinquent. The power of discarding a Stadium and disruption by discarding three cards from the opponents’ hand, along with being re-usable via [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is something most decks in the format want to include right now. The other interesting tech I haven’t seen before in Volcanion-EX is a single copy of [card name=”Salamence-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY170″ c=”name”][/card], which Pedro Torres played.
For the same cost as Volcanic Heat, Beastly Fang can deal 160 damage without any help from Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up, if the opponent has three Pokemon-EX in play. Stick a Fighting Fury Belt onto Salamance-EX and that’s 170 damage, enough to Knock Out normal [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card]. If the opponent has more than three Pokemon-EX in play, Beastly Fang is dealing over 200 damage for only three Energy. Without the need for Steam Up, Salamance can still operate under Garbotoxin, which is a huge deal against Yveltal-EX / Garbodor.
[cardimg name=”Salamence-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY170″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Usually Yveltal builds have two Yveltal-EX and a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] in play, meaning Salamance-EX can try and keep up with the Prize-trade while under Ability-lock, which can be vital if you need to take four or less Prizes. Salamance-EX can take care of one Yveltal-EX, and the final two prizes can be on a Shaymin-EX brought to the Active by [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. Against heavy-EX decks like itself and Mega decks such as [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], Beastly Fang should be hitting enough to KO any Active Pokemon; this conserves Energy usually needed for Steam Up. Although not too important since [card name=”Gyarados” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY60″ c=”name”][/card] only plays a few Pokemon-EX, Salamance does have a different Weakness than Water. This could matter in the mirror, where [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] KOs itself due to dual typing.
The Greninja List
Finishing off with the [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] deck that made Top 8, there are a couple of interesting inclusions. Grafton Roll played three [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] in his list to gain some extra turns against [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Another strong inclusion against Yveltal variants was two [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], which can slow down the power of Evil Ball so that the damage output doesn’t match [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]’s HP. It’s obvious this list is ready to take on Yveltal variants, which is one of the main reasons Grafton made the Top 8 on the day. Grafton even played a single [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] to make the same Energy-stripping play Pramawat could against an energized [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card]! I wouldn’t want to be playing Yveltal against this list.
Conclusion
London showed us the raw power of [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] paired with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], throwing it straight to the top of the meta. Decks that did well against it had to include multiple techs to have a chance. The format has changed to become “play Yveltal-EX / Garbodor, or play a deck that beats it”. The first Internationals was a success in terms of attendance, with players from all over the globe competing. The stream was also impressive, and it’s amazing to see some of my friends commentating such a huge tournament. I really would have liked to have attended, but maybe next year! Anyways, that’s it for me today. Pokemon just announced another three Regionals for the UK in 2017, and I’m hoping to play in all three, which I’m crazy excited for. The first Sun and Moon set will be released by then, as well, with some cards that really will change the game. Talk to you later!
~Ryan
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