What a Buzzkill! — 10th Place Athens Report and the Evolution of Vespiquen
Hello PokeBeach! This is Grant Manley, and I’ve got some great information for you today. Quite a few exciting tournaments have happened since I had last written an article, including three Regionals, countless League Cups, and the ARG Invitational. I want to start this article where I left off with my last one, right before San Jose Regionals. I will go over the interesting tournaments that I have attended and I will analyze one of the most powerful decks in the game — [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. Vespiquen has flown under the radar for the past few months, though I’ve been playing it for over a month. It came as no surprise to me when the deck took three out of the Top 8 spots at Athens Regionals. Each of the versions piloted at Athens were unique in their own way, but they all performed exceptionally while maintaining consistency. I will share my thoughts about all three of these decks, as well as my own current Vespiquen list. Later on, I’ll discuss the deck I played at Athens and how the tournament went for me. For reference, below is the Vespiquen list that I had posted in my last article.
[decklist name=”Vespiquen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Flareon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”13″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Vaporeon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]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=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/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=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
I fully believe this list was optimal for its time, but Vespiquen has changed quite a bit since the last time I wrote about it. If you are looking for explanations on card counts, I encourage you to check out my previous article where I explain all of my decisions. [card name=”Flareon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] was included when traces of [card name=”Scizor-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] were still found, but that deck is long gone by now. I used this exact Vespiquen list to win the first ever Pokemon ARG Invitational tournament. This was supposed to be a prestigious cash tournament, but only nine players showed up! Nevertheless, it was a somewhat competitive tournament with a $1000 grand prize. It had five rounds of best-of-three Swiss with a 60 minute limit, with the Top 4 also being best-of-three. Here’s a summary of how the tournament went.
ARG Invitational
Round 1 – [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] W-L-L
Round 2 – [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] W-W
Round 3 – [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] W-W
Round 4 – Greninja L-W-W
Round 5 – Yveltal-EX / Garbodor I.D.
Top 4 – Yveltal-EX / Garbodor L-W-W
Finals – M Mewtwo-EX W-W
[cardimg name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I only played against three different decks during the event, and thankfully my deck worked well enough to handle all of them. I thought Greninja would be a tough matchup, but this [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] list has something like a six-to-one win/loss ratio against Greninja, even with no Ability-lock cards! The matchup apparently wasn’t as bad as I had originally guessed. Yveltal / Garbodor is an extremely favorable matchup for Vespiquen, though I had dropped a game in Top 4 due to some bad draws off of [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]. I had easily defeated the Mewtwo deck in the Finals because he had to replace all of his [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] due to a deck list error! How he beat [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] in the Top 4 with a game loss and no Sycamore is beyond me! Usually the strategy against Mewtwo is to clear off the [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and Garbodor so you can use [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] the rest of the game. You also don’t want to attack straight into Damage Change because Damage Change goes through Klefki. I managed to stick to this strategy and it worked out well for me.
I want to give a quick shout-out to ARG for sponsoring me on their Pokemon team and for running so many Pokemon events! I also like how they ran this tournament with 60 minute rounds. This allowed me to make some comebacks in matches that I wouldn’t normally have had time to do. I think having 60 minute rounds when time allows is quite fair, as it permits more matches to be completed. Of course, this worked against me in the first round, but it was worth it.
League Cups
For the first League Cup of the season, I played Rainbow Road / [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. I ran an unusual list with a 4-3 Zebstrika line (basically 4-4 or more with [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card]), no [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and no [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, I didn’t play against any of the [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] decks there, but I still went 4-1-1. I ended up bubbling at 9th place. My friend Eddie Sitavi, who is a lowkey beast at this game, used a similar [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] list to win the event. I don’t know the exact list that he used, but he was able to beat various different meta decks and sweep the event without dropping a single match.
For the second League Cup, I chose to play Vespiquen myself. I used the exact same list that I used at ARG, except I cut the useless [card name=”Flareon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] for a [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]. Mew is phenomenal for attacking against [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], as it can use Bee Revenge without sacrificing an actual Vespiquen. The tournament was ran with a best-of-three Swiss, no Top Cut and 50 minute rounds. Here’s how my rounds played out.
Round 1 – [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] W-L-W
Round 2 – M Mewtwo-EX W-W
Round 3 – Greninja W-L-W
Round 4 – Yveltal-EX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] W-W
I won this League Cup at 4-0. Eddie ended up getting 4th at this League Cup with Vespiquen, and he went on to get 2nd the following day, again with Vespiquen. All of these successes with Vespiquen solidified our belief in the deck, and we tested it heavily for Athens Regionals.
Bees in Athens
Before I go into my personal tournament report, I want to dissect the various interesting [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks that made Top 8 at Athens. The obvious showstopper was Dylan Bryan’s absolutely insane version, but my friend Eddie (his real name is Carl) made Top 4 with Vespiquen too. William Boatman also made Top 8 with Vespiquen! Every single Vespiquen deck to advance to Day 2 ended up making Top 8! Let’s take a look at William’s list first.
[decklist name=”Vespiquen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”48″ 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]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]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=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/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=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This list is similar to my list, and even more similar to Alex Hill’s 9th place London list. It’s probably the most straightforward and consistent way you can build Vespiquen. William chose to run a 2-2 [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] line to further improve his [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, while accepting a bad matchup to [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card]. This worked out for him, as there was a large presence of Greninja at Athens. He didn’t run cards like [card name=”Vaporeon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], as they conflicted with the somewhat thick Garbodor line. William interestingly used two [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] instead of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], which was also a neat call for the meta in Athens. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] all made strong showings in Day 2. Many top players used Mega decks at the event. Faded Town damage racks up fast if your opponent misses even one turn of finding a counter Stadium. While I disagree with some choices in this list, it ended up being a terrific meta call for the tournament. William made Top 8 and lost to Dylan Bryan, whose Vespiquen list is favored in the mirror matchup.
Next, I want to look at Eddie’s list, which is only five cards different from the one I used at the League Cup. In a deck like Vespiquen where there is so much room for flexibility and optimization, I consider a five card difference to be relatively marginal.
[decklist name=”Vespiquen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Vaporeon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zorua” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]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=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ 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=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Vaporeon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”22″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I think this is the best version of Vespiquen that was played at Athens, but of course, I am biased because it is the list that most closely resembles mine. Vaporeon is an incredibly important card to the deck that completely flips the poor Volcanion matchup into a favorable one. Volcanion is played at just about every tournament, so I agreed with Eddie that Vaporeon was an intelligent inclusion. Eddie ran a 1-1 [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] line, which is something we’ve disagreed on for months. He likes having an alternate attacker that can take random KOs. I’d rather have the extra [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], but this list made Top 4 at the largest Regional Championship ever, so it clearly works fine.
Eddie also ran one copy of [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card], which helps a lot with consistency. It also decreases the odds of you randomly whiffing [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], which does happen occasionally. I’m glad he saw the value of running one Mew-EX and one [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], as both are severely underrated cards in Vespiquen decks. Eddie also ran one Parallel City and one Faded Town, which is quite clever and is something I can definitely get behind. He said he used Faded Town more as a Parallel City counter than as a Mega counter, but it functions as both. After all, if your opponent plays their Parallel City first in an unfavorable direction towards you, you want to be able to remove it. Eddie started off 1-2 during Day 1, but ended up finishing 7-2. He did well in Day 2 but ended up losing to dead draws against Chris Siakala in Top 4.
Now let’s take a look at the elephant in the room. I want to try and make sense of Dylan Bryan’s completely insane, yet genius Vespiquen build. This deck took him to a second place finish at Athens.
[decklist name=”Vespiquen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rattata” set=”Evolutions” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”27″]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=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lucky Helmet” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist][premium]
Dylan stuck to the norm for the attacker, Supporters and Energy counts, but just about everything else is abnormal. First of all, Dylan relied on [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] for draw, and only played one Shaymin-EX. I don’t see the sense in running the third [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] over another [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] or Shaymin, but Octillery was definitely a sound inclusion into the deck. Vespiquen’s most common way of losing is by dead drawing off of late-game [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]’s, and Octillery mitigates that issue. Dylan also ran a thin line of Garbodor and only one [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. I don’t really know how consistently he got out Garbodor when he wanted it, but the Ability-lock option was at least there. I imagine he used it sparingly because of how many other Abilities are in the deck.
There are also two [card name=”Rattata” set=”Evolutions” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. Rattata makes a lot of sense because it removes disruptive Tools such as [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on Volcanion-EX and [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] on Greninja. It can also be used against Spirit Link and Float Stone on occasion. When used against Fury Belt, Rattata essentially adds 40 damage to your attack. I think Rattata may be a big part in Vespiquen decks moving forward. Dylan also saw the uses for Mew-EX and Buddy-Buddy Rescue, and played my preferred 1-1 split of [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and Buddy-Buddy Rescue.
Two more interesting inclusions are [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lucky Helmet” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Olympia allows you to switch out fatties like Octillery and Garbodor since the list only runs one Float Stone! I would tend to favor a second Float Stone over Olympia, though. As for Lucky Helmet, I can only assume that it is to help against late game N’s. Lucky Helmet is not a bad Tool to have on Garbodor, but Float Stone is generally superior.
Dylan also chose to run only three [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], which makes sense. Since Vespiquen digs through its deck aggressively, VS Seeker are bound to end up discarded anyway. A majority of the time I play Vespiquen, I end up discarding at least two VS Seeker throughout the game. VS Seeker just isn’t as important in Vespiquen as it is in other decks. However, if you wanted to experiment with even lower VS Seeker counts, you would probably have to add an N and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Dylan performed exceptionally well throughout the entirety of the tournament and against a variety of different decks. He lost to Chris Siakala’s Turbo Dark deck in the finals.
The Future of Vespiquen
As long as [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] is an underplayed card, [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] will have a spot in the meta. As you are beginning to see, there are many different successful variants of Vespiquen. The deck is so versatile and consistent, that it is easy to fit into practically any format. Its versatility and power are virtually unheard of for such a low maintenance attacker. Here is my current Vespiquen list.
[decklist name=”Vespiquen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zorua” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rattata” set=”Evolutions” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x Giratina (XY Black Star Promo #XY184)[/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]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=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ 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=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Rescue” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
There are a few things that every single Vespiquen list from Athens had in common, and I kept most of the obvious inclusions the same. However, this list does not run [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]. Not a single [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] deck made Day 2 of Athens, and the deck seems to be on the decline. Vespiquen can beat Yveltal even without Zebstrika’s help, though the matchup is much closer. Zebstrika is also good against Mega Ray, but that matchup is fine with [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card]. Hitting for 2HKO’s against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is fine. Thus, I don’t think Zebstrika is needed anymore.
Instead, I chose to include a 2-2 line of Zoroark, which is a card that I have previously been opposed to. Zoroark is probably a better attacker than Zebstrika now, and it is useful in many random situations. It isn’t always easy for opponents to play around the combination of Vespiquen, Zoroark and Klefki. I think the deck needs a secondary attacker, and Eddie demonstrated at Regionals that Zoroark fits that role well. I kept the two [card name=”Rattata” set=”Evolutions” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] from Dylan’s list because I agree with the logic behind it. Rattata is incredibly useful. I also chose to include a Promo Giratina. I think Giratina is much better than [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] because it is much more space-efficient and doesn’t hurt your own deck like Garbodor does. Giratina helps against [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] along with multiple Stadiums to counter [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card].
While Eddie’s list was the only one of the three to utilize [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card], I think it is quite strong in Vespiquen. Teammates adds a small bit of consistency to the deck, though admittedly, it is a “flex space,” meaning you could easily cut it for something else you deem useful. I also added a copy of [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] to the deck to help against Megas and Silent Lab. Greninja with Silent Lab is a popular deck now, and you want to have enough Stadiums to deal with the Labs. I couldn’t bring myself to cut a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] because the card has been so powerful in my experience, despite what the Athens lists indicate. In order to include Teammates and Faded Town, I cut [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] altogether. None of the Athens lists used it so I figured the deck can run fine without it. Otherwise, my Trainer lineup remains unchanged from last month.
The point is, Vespiquen has been great for awhile, and it will definitely stay that way. I encourage you all to try out Vespiquen if you haven’t already, the deck is insane! The potential to OHKO anything for just a DCE is absurd, and the deck is completely reminiscent of Night March. The only things that flat-out beat Vespiquen are Karen and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. neither of which are heavily played right now. Without, further ado, here is my Athens tournament report.
Ice Pupper
For once in my life, I actually knew what deck I was going to run long before the tournament actually started. I was sitting on “Ice Pupper,” also known as [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], for about a month before Athens Regionals. During that time, I was also testing [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], Turbo Dark and a couple others. I always had Ice Pupper as my top pick, but I tested many other decks to see if anything was better. You might be thinking, “Well, if Vespiquen beats everything, why not just play that?” That’s a good question, and it’s why Vespiquen was my second pick for the event. However, Ice Pupper just beats everything better. The combination of attackers in Ice Pupper was simply too difficult for meta decks to handle. The only thing Ice Pupper can lose to is [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], and even then it depends on the deck. For example, Ice Pupper beats [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card], even if they do run Ranger. However, it loses to decks like Mega Ray, [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and Turbo Dark if they do run Ranger. I expected no Pokemon Ranger in those decks, so I played the following list.
[decklist name=”Ice Pupper” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/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=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]5x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”XY” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]5x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Since this deck is still relevant, I want to discuss the card counts and matchups. The list is entirely focused on consistency. Since the main strategy beats just about everything, all the card decisions in the deck are geared toward the main strategy. The only thing I want this deck to do is not dead draw. The strategy is simple, match the attacker to the matchup and sweep them with little opposition. In most matchups, you want to play down as few Pokemon as possible. In others, you want to have multiple Garbodor down and you may need assistance from other Pokemon besides just a lone attacker. I run three Jolteon-EX and Regice to help with Prize card issues and to have backups in case the others are KO’d quickly. I don’t need to worry about that with Glaceon, because the decks that Glaceon works against do not take quick Knock Outs.
Three Garbodor may seem a bit excessive, but it is necessary. You want to have two Garbodor at all times against Greninja, as they will eventually KO one of them. If you only ran two and had to discard one early (or prized one), you would be out of luck. The same applies to Volcanion, but even more so in that matchup because they can target down [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] early. Garbodor is important against Volcanion because it prevents baby [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] from OHKO’ing Regice and Volcanion-EX from OHKO’ing Jolteon-EX after Pokemon Ranger. I would not advise running a thinner Garbodor line. I run two [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] because sometimes you need to turn an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] into one in order to draw cards. Shaymin is only to be used when absolutely necessary.
I run four [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and Ultra Ball simply to maximize consistency. As I mentioned before, the deck wins as long as it doesn’t dead draw. These cards are important in helping you not dead draw. I would definitely run a fourth [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], but I simply could not cut anything for it. The Trainers’ Mail is definitely the 61st card for the deck.
[card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] should be self-explanatory, and the deck can absolutely not go without it. I run four [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to match the heavy Garbodor line. I also frequently use Float Stone on every Pokemon besides Jolteon. Float Stone is extremely important. [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] has nice synergy with Max Elixir and can bring back discarded Garbodor and Glaceon. Of course, I use it on other Pokemon too, but those are the most common targets for it. Super Rod is also useful against decks that try to go with a [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] strategy against you.
Matchups
Yveltal-EX / Garbodor — Highly Favorable
[card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the easiest possible matchups. All you have to do is sit there and use Flash Ray. You don’t want to play down anything else in case they run [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], but sometimes that is inevitable. Even if you do have to over-bench, you still win the matchup. Power up another [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] and put on the pressure with 140 damage Flash Rays. [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] can also be used as a single Prize attacker in this matchup if you find yourself requiring its services. Everything besides Jolteon and Regice is useless in this matchup. If you end up with a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] on the board, look for opportunities to Sky Return it without being punished.
If you don’t have a lone Jolteon out, your priority should be targeting loaded Yveltal in case they are getting ready for an Escape Rope / [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] combo play. If you do have lone Jolteon, target any loaded baby [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Steam Siege” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] in case they run [card name=”Yveltal BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. On each Jolteon that you use, you want to attach as many Energy as you can to them, and attach them intelligently. Try to avoid leaving yourself susceptible to [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. Save [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Generations” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. You want to play to your win condition of having only Jolteon on the board. It is perfectly fine if your opponent Knocks Out a stray Shaymin or two.
Turbo Darkrai-EX — Highly Favorable
Turbo Dark is similar to [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card]. You want to try and establish a board state with only one or two [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] out (one is preferred). Play with awareness of [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] in the same way you would against Yveltal. Target down baby [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Steam Siege” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] in case they run [card name=”Yveltal BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. All of their other Pokemon are unsatisfactory targets. They run [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], so you don’t want to have a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] lying around. If you start with one of those, tough luck. If you start with [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], Sky Return it ASAP. [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] is a decent attacker in this matchup, although it is vulnerable to baby Yveltal. Jolteon won’t always be the starter; Regice is the next ideal choice.
You want to keep in mind that the opponent’s only outs are Escape Rope, [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], Energy removal and Yveltal BREAK. Keep careful track of all these cards, especially in best-of-three. It is possible to play around all of these cards preemptively, so use your head, and spam Flash Ray until you win. If they run [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] then this matchup is practically an autoloss.
Volcanion — Favorable
[card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] is the matchup where you want to play down the most Pokemon. Your ideal board state consists of two [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], two [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] and two [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. I have already explained why Garbodor is important, so try and bench multiple [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] and activate Garbotoxin as soon as you can. You may want to alternate between Regice and Jolteon in this matchup. Regice is better by default because it hits for Weakness. This speeds the game up and leaves your opponent with less time to find their outs. However, if your opponent threatens a Steam Artillery (especially after Power Heater’s chip damage), you want to pivot into Jolteon in order to preserve Regice.
Volcanion’s outs in this matchup usually limited to [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. There is no Energy removal to worry about. Many lists also run [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. Their game-plan should be to remove Garbodor completely and then take out Jolteon-EX with Steam Up assisted Volcanic Heats and Pokemon Ranger. The main point of this matchup is to intelligently decide which attacker to use based on the situation, with an emphasis on Regice. Here is a fun fact: [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Second Bite can take a KO on a Belted Volcanion-EX after Flash Ray, and it is the only attack in the deck capable of doing so. Take advantage of this.
Greninja — Favorable
[cardimg name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
The [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] matchup is simple. Get out as many [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] as possible and spam the opponent with Crystal Ray. This is another matchup where you have to play around Energy removal, unless you know that your opponent doesn’t run any. Some Greninja lists play [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], while others play neither. Err on the side of caution until you know for sure. It is perfectly okay to bench [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] in this matchup. You would much rather your opponent target down Shaymin than [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] or Garbodor. The same applies to [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. Jolteon may even be useful to take a quick KO or two against [card name=”Froakie” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Frogadier” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Talonflame” set=”Steam Siege” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card].
The opponent’s possible outs are [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], Energy removal and Froakie’s Bubble attack. You don’t need to worry about some of these, such as Pokemon Ranger, because you can’t do anything about them anyway. You want to establish at least two Garbodor because one of them will eventually get Knocked Out. If the backup one is ever in any danger whatsoever, try to find the third Garbodor. Use [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] if needed; it is incredibly important in this matchup. Your opponent will probably Knock Out a Glaceon at some point, so conserve Super Rod until then to recover Glaceon.
Bursting Balloon is the single largest problem for you. Conserve Lysandre and use them whenever possible to Crystal Ray around Bursting Balloon. Sometimes it is optimal to retreat into something and pass (or Sky Return) instead of attacking into Bursting Balloon with Glaceon. Once your opponent is out of Balloons, you can use Lysandre to target down Froakie to avoid the annoying Bubble. Also, I’m 90 percent sure that Talonflame cannot damage Glaceon after Crystal Ray.
Gardevoir — Favorable
The ideal board state in this matchup is a lone [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. If you start with Regice and go first, you will probably win the game. If you start Regice going second, you usually want to bench another Regice, Elixir to it and attach to the Active. This setup leads to lone Regice eventually. If you start with something other than Regice, things get dicey. When starting with [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], go with the Regice strategy and use Sky Return whenever possible. If you start with [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], you can still play around with Crystal Ray because the opponent must attach three Energy to a Basic [card name=”Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] in order to deal with it. When [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] is the starter, you’re going to want to establish two [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and attack with Resistance Blizzard. Don’t play down enough Pokemon for them to take six Prizes. Lastly, if you start with [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], establish a Garbodor (or two, depending on the situation) and go with the double Regice strategy.
Their only out to lone Regice is [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Steam Siege” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], so you want to KO that whenever possible. It may be necessary to play down a second Regice in the case that Hawlucha threatens to KO your first Regice. Once again, the outs for the opponent in this situation would be an [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. You want to establish Garbodor to prevent them from easily accessing those outs. Garbodor tremendously slows down [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] because it is so heavily reliant on Abilities. If they run [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], then this matchup is practically an autoloss.
M Rayquaza-EX — TBD
Unfortunately, I am not much help with this matchup, as I have yet to figure it out. [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] is incredibly important in this matchup, no matter what. How you play against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] varies greatly depending on which version of Rayquaza your opponent is playing. Of course, if they run [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], you lose. I wasn’t expecting much Rayquaza to show up even though I knew it would be a solid play.
Vespiquen — Favorable
[card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is essential for this matchup, and you want to get as many of them out as possible. This will surely be [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]’s number one target. Garbodor shuts down many useful Pokemon in the Vespiquen deck. Their outs to [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] are [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] (because of Zap Zone). Mew and Zebstrika are shut off by Garbodor. [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], N and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] are potential counters to the Sky Return loop strategy. Garbodor also prevents them from tossing [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] easily, which makes it harder for Vespiquen to KO Jolteon if you use it for the intent of taking an easy Shaymin OHKO.
Athens Report
Going into the tournament, I was incredibly confident in my deck and my matchups. I expected to win the event. The deck is just that good. Here’s how my rounds went.
Round 1 – Turbo Dark W-L-W
Round 2 – Turbo Dark W-W
Round 3 – [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] W-W
Round 4 – Turbo Dark W-W
Round 5 – [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor / techs L-L
Round 6 – Turbo Dark W-W
Round 7 – [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox W-W
Round 8 – [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] W-W
Round 9 – [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] L-W-T
7-1-1: 5th
Round 10 – Greninja W-L-T
Round 11 – Vileplume Toolbox I.D.
Round 12 – [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] W-W
Round 13 – [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] W-W
Round 14 – [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] I.D.
9-1-4: 10th (Final)
[cardimg name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I stomped Turbo Dark, [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card], Mewtwo, Gardevoir and Volcanion as expected. My one loss of the tournament came from Long Bui, playing the mirror match. His list was better in the mirror because of [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Giovanni’s Scheme” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. He also won the opening flip (which was important to get the first Flash Ray) and drew much better than I did. I didn’t necessarily have any business winning that matchup anyway. I took two incredibly ugly ties to Greninja, which is usually an easy matchup. Things just went horribly wrong and I took a tie to both of the Ninjas I played against. In Round 10, I was one turn, one Prize and 10 damage short of winning Game 3 while my opponent had six Prizes left. How heartbreaking. Shoutout to my opponent for playing fast though!
I had ID’ed in Rounds 11 and 14 because my opponent started off much better than me and I was not optimistic about my odds of winning the match. I waited a little while into the match before offering the I.D. in both matches. They accepted the I.D., even with superior game states. I ended at 9-1-4 with 31 match points. This record was good enough to make Top 8, but I was unfortunate enough to be one of the two unlucky people who bubbled out of Top Cut. I think I had a strong chance to win the tournament, had I not bubbled. Oh well.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed the breakdowns of what I believe to be the two best decks in the game. I encourage you to try both of these decks out. They will still be relevant after Sun and Moon comes out. While [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] and Ice Pupper are easily countered by [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], these counters are seldom played because they are bad cards in most instances. You may want to pick the deck that fits your preference most. Vespiquen takes a lot of thinking and is super aggressive, while Ice Pupper is patient, slow and demoralizing for opponents to play against. If you have any questions on either of these builds, feel free to message me at the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout! See you next time!
Grant Manley
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