A Rainbow of Possibilities — Your Complete Guide to the Expanded Format

By: Alex Koch · Posted Mar 16, 2017 at 2:04 PM · 0 Comments

Hello everyone! Alex back at you with all the necessary information you need to help you make an educated decision on what to play for the Portland Regional Championships! Expanded is such a massive format, and with so many choices it can be hard to break everything down and take a look at all of the options. But fear not, as today I’ll do all of that breaking down for you!

There are so many things to think about when deciding on a deck. For some players, just having the necessary cards is a big factor. If cards cost too much or are hard to get a hold of in your area, you might be limited in what you can play. For other people, deck choice is based off of what they expect, or what people tell them to expect. At the end of the day, the best piece of advice I can give you going into the Expanded format is play what you are most comfortable with. Don’t try to meta call, don’t make a last minute decision based off some preconceived knowledge, but rather, stick to your guns.

And that’s all the time we have today! Thank you for joining us!

No but seriously, I dislike when people ask me “what should I play? Boo I don’t know how to beat this format, blah blah blah.” Dude, if you have achieved tournament wins with one deck, why change that? Expanded is such a vast format. The game itself isn’t luck based, the way tournaments are structured is. Yeah I know, there’s definitely luck in the game, it’s a card game at its core, but since there are so many viable options in Expanded, you might just stumble into top cut because of your matchups. A player playing his first ever tournament could easily top with [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Electrode” set=”Evolutions” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] if all he plays against is [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] variants. That deck may seem less than optimal, but hit the right matchups and you could find yourself $250 richer.

There’s no way to predict the meta, there never is. So the best you can do is just play your best pick. I’ll tell you right now that I’m 90% sure I’ll play [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] for Oregon. It doesn’t have the best [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] matchup in the world, but if I don’t have to play against it, then I’ll make day two, right? If you hand me nothing but [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card], Turbo Dark, and Rainbow Road, you’ll see me sitting at the top tables. If you give me nothing but Lurantis and turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], then you might catch me spamming U150 with anyone who is willing to play. Seriously, I can’t talk enough about how awesome that format is.

But let’s say you don’t know what you’re good at. Let’s say you are a first time player coming to me seeking advice. Then the rest of this article is perfect for you! I’m going to breakdown every viable deck in Expanded right now, or at least every deck that has had at least two Top 32 placements this season, and then some! We’ll go over some hot techs, the current trend of the deck, and a reason to not play the deck.

But first, Item-lock, a touchy subject with many players. This is nothing new, but people are acting like it’s the worst thing to ever grace Pokemon. We’ve had [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], we’ve had [card name=”Gothitelle” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card], we’ve had [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Undaunted” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. I know turn one Item-lock isn’t fun to deal with, but it’s something every player has to. It’s not going to change, so instead of complaining about how bad the format is, suck it up and deal with it! Pepper in some [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card].

Deck Options for Portland

I’ve never been a fan of tier lists, since everyone would make a very different tier list. Also, fear of being roasted by the community is always in the forefront of my mind. So instead of presenting the 25 decks I’m going to talk about in tier list form, I’ll group them up into five distinct families. If you would like me to break them down into tiers, I’ll be happy to do so under the safety of a private message!

Item Locking: [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] / Vileplume, [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / Vileplume, Walls / Vileplume, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Decidueye-GX, [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Bats, and [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]
Non-EX Attacking: Night March, [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] / Maxie’s, [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] / Eels, [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], Rainbow Road, [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Carbink BREAK” set=”Fates Collide” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]
Control: [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]
Big Boppers: Yveltal / Maxie’s, Turbo Dark, [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / Dragons, Volcanion, Archie’s Stoise
Mega Pokemon: [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]

And with that, we’re off!

Item Locking Decks

We’re going to start with the big one, Item-lock. As I mentioned, Item-lock is nothing new, but is a concept that many people struggle to come to terms with. Turn one Item-lock isn’t fun to deal with, and some argue that it takes away from the game. However, what’s that old saying? If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? Well if you’re looking at joining them then this family of decks is for you!

Decidueye-GX / Vileplume

Goal of Deck

Lock Items and chip away

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

3 of 5

Current Trend: Rising like Bread

[cardimg name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Ahhh yes, the hype deck itself! Our very own John Kettler took this deck and made a big impact on both the Standard and Expanded metagame. After his second place finish in St. Louis, it’s all anyone can talk about. In fact, as I type this out, I have one of my local players asking about if we’ll see this deck at all during Sunday’s League Cup (hint: we will). It’s poised to be one of the most played decks going into Portland, and for good reason. The turn one Item-lock, the recovery with Hollow Hunt, and the constant damage output can be troubling for any deck to deal with. Expect to see more and more of this deck as the weeks roll forward.

Hot Tech: Meowth From Fates Collide

While John opted not to play one of these cards, I have heard musings about people throwing this into various [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] lists. I believe this card is more popular in Standard, but it serves the same purpose in Expanded. The idea behind it is that you can take easy Knock Outs on [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] before they can become [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Of course, because of the lack of Tool removal in Standard, this card might be more important in that format. Either way, if you’re aiming for a solid non-EX attacker to throw into a deck like this, then [card name=”Meowth” set=”Fates Collide” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] is your guy!

Why Would You Not Play It: Too Much Hype!

There’s probably an ancient Chinese proverb that reads somewhat similar to, “If it is hyped, be afraid of lurking monsters from behind closed doors,” or something like that. I’m always scared to play the most hyped deck going into the tournament because you know that everyone in that room knows how to play against you, even new faces. There also might be an increase in the popularity of your direct counter. I expect there to be a fair bit more Volcanion, [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] present in Portland due to the rise of this deck.

Lurantis-GX / Vileplume

Goal of Deck

Lock Items and prevent your opponent from taking Prizes

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

2 of 5

Current Trend: About Where You Would Expect it to Be

I’m quite surprised this deck isn’t receiving the same level of hype that [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] is. After being tied for the most Top 32 placements in St. Louis recently, you would assume it would be talked about more. However, on TCGplayer, Decidueye-GX is nearly double the cost of regular art [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card]. Prices of cards are generally driven by the level of usability, so this price point is very telling of where this deck is currently standing in the minds of players. Perhaps people just assume that Decidueye-GX is the better partner for [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] now and are quickly dumping Lurantis-GX. I know for sure that Decidueye-GX at least has an out to Volcanion decks in the form of [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]. I don’t think this is a deck that you can write off as dead. It’s definitely not to the “declining” level of play quite yet, but it could easily reach that point.

Hot Tech: Pal Pad

I saw this card in some [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] lists this weekend, and I thought it made perfect sense. A lot of these lists don’t play [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] because of the Item-lock, but [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Flashfire” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] allows for that same recovery feel if your Vileplume ever goes down, if [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] hit the field, or if you had to pitch a lot of Supporters early in the game. While it might not be the most consistent option, it’s still a cute idea. You could argue that a one-of VS Seeker is a little bit better because of the instant gratification it brings, but in either instance I don’t mind the inclusion. Pal Pad is going to get you back two important copies of [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], whereas [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] might be able to grant you that clutch late game [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] the turn [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] comes out of your opponent. Player preference I suppose.

Why Would You Not Play It: It Might Not Be the Best Option

The fight for the title of “Best Vileplume Deck,” is definitely a fierce one. I think you should stray away from this deck simply because it’s not the optimal play. There are better turn one locking Vileplume options to chose from, and believe me there are plenty. From [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] to walls, you have a lot of options in this category. While this version might not be as hyped as the others, people are still bumping up counts of [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to help deal with the rise of Vileplume decks. You might also be turned off to this deck because of the damage output. While I think Solar Blade is one of the best attacks in the game right now, you might not. I’ve seen people definitely get turned off by the “lack luster” 40 and 120 damage that this deck can deal without the use of a GX attack. It can make the numbers Lurantis pumps out a little bit linear and turn people off.

Vespiquen / Vileplume

Goal of Deck

Lock Items and swing for the fences

Height of Popularity

Last year’s State Championships

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

2 of 5

Current Trend: Like the Titanic, Slow, But Steady Decline

[cardimg name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The deck that just doesn’t seem to die. This one was given new life in St. Louis as a Top 32 finish put it back in the front of people’s minds. When [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] came out, many people presumed the death of this deck because of how much it limits the damage output of [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. However, just that kind of thinking is what put the deck back into the day two conversation. It’s the whole counter versus play time loop. If people stop playing a deck, they stop playing the counter, meaning the deck becomes good again. I believe this is the case with this deck, as people have seemingly forgotten about Karen, or at least in Expanded. Night March and [card name=”Flareon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”13″ c=”name”][/card] have both been on the downward trail. Even so, there is a lot of risk with playing a deck like this, and I think that’s what is turning a lot of people off to it. Games are typically decided by the second turn of the game, and this deck gets punished hard by a slow start. It’s one of those decks that I could see never topping again.

Hot Tech: Red Card

This one is a tricky one, since the list is fairly tight and the strategy of the deck is fairly linear. [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] is a card people often cut in favor of a more consistent turn one option. It’s one of those “61st” cards that you would like to have, but isn’t needed. The reason you would include it is to set your opponent even further behind. Let’s say they start a [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] or a [card name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ c=”name”][/card], two cards you don’t want to see as this deck. Red Card ever so slightly increases the chance of you locking your opponent even further in two bad matchups. It gives you that extra out in the case of a slow start on your part or a fast start by your opponent. It’s a dead card after your Vileplume hits the field, so I don’t see this card often.

Why Would You Not Play It: It’s Super Fragile

I could build a house with the amount of bricks I’ve laid with this deck! You have so many things to manage, and not many ways to keep everything balanced. [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] counts, deck size, number of [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] left in deck, low HP attackers, and the chance of missing a turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] are all things I always worry about when taking this deck out of the binder. I know that these things don’t always happen, and practice fixes some of these problems, but I can never seem to find the right combination of cards to make this deck work the way I want it to. Don’t get me wrong, you’re going to steal wins like nobody’s business, but without the proper preparation, you could easily lose those 50 / 50 type of games.

Walls / Vileplume

Goal of Deck

Lock Items and prevent your opponent from taking Prizes

Height of Popularity

Right after World Championships, near Arizona Regional Championships

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

4 of 5

Current Trend: As Dead as my Music Career

And I never had a music career! Early in the season, this deck was considered the premier way to play [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] after its performance in the World Championships. However, that time has long passed as the deck just lacks the firepower needed to keep up with all of the new hype decks. The release of Pokemon-GX made the counts of [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] go down and the counts of [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] go up, which still leaves you vulnerable to Basic Pokemon, sans [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]. While most people might not put this on their radar for testing against, I say stay away from playing this deck.

Hot Tech: Master Ball

I’m not joking here. If you saw our list that we played in Arizona, then you would have seen this very card sleeved up. My group and I weren’t a fan of discarding too many cards early, as that usually resulted in pitching a valuable Energy or [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. Generally, turn one we were searching for Pokemon anyway with [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], so we changed it into [card name=”Master Ball” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to play a bit more conservatively. While it does sound bad, give it a try and prove me wrong!

Why Would You Not Play It: Damage Output

While the core of the deck revolves around attacking with Wall Pokemon and denying Prizes, you’re still lacking the amount of damage it takes to get ahead in the game. With Pokemon-GX out now, a massive [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] takes at least four hits to KO, not to mention [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] is nearly impossible to Knock Out with such low amounts of damage. During this time, while they may not be taking Prizes, they will be digging through their deck to grab what they need to take those important Knock Outs in more time than they would normally have.

Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX

Goal of Deck

Lock Items and lock other cool things

Height of Popularity

Early last year

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

4 of 5

Current Trend: People Still Play This Deck?!

[cardimg name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

When I saw the results of St. Louis, I was a little stunned to see this deck at the top tables. Mind you that could be a result of our friend “Mr. Matchups,” but regardless, this deck hasn’t quite flat-lined yet. I could have considered this deck more of a control deck, because sometimes it needs to pivot to locking Stadiums and Special Energy rather than Items, but I feel at the core, it’s still an Item locking deck. Even so, the meta just doesn’t seem to fit a deck like this, with Pokemon-GX easily dealing with both [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], and other decks having great outs to the deck as well.

Hot Tech: A Second Hex Maniac

Right now, this deck doesn’t have much of a chance against [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card], and it struggles against most other [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] variants as well. A second Hex Maniac would help relieve some of the pressure to get [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] up and running. From there, the matchups against [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], and Walls all get much more manageable. A second Hex would help ensure that you don’t get dominated by one of the biggest decks heading into Oregon.

Why Would You Not Play It: People Hate Special Energy

There are a couple of reasons why this deck wouldn’t be the best play, but my main reason for staying away from the deck revolves around the high counts of Special Energy needed to run this deck. While [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] may be hard to fish out under Item-lock, and [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t played much anymore, the Energy hate game can still be played against you to great effect. Missing that turn one Energy drop can also be fairly big, especially when going second. This format is much too fast for you to allow your slow starting, limited damage output deck to catch back up in the race to six Prizes. And even with those attachments, [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] just isn’t what it used to be anymore. 100 damage falls just shy of that 120 new magic number. People that are good at this deck will continue to play it, and rightfully so, but this isn’t the deck to pick up and play for a large tournament if you’ve had no experience with it.

Seismitoad-EX / Decidueye-GX

Goal of Deck

Lock Items while sniping from the Bench to increase damage output

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy is is to Pick Up and Play

4 of 5

Current Trend: Do You Like Roller Coasters?

At one minute, this deck is shoving all other [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks out of the way and claiming the throne. At another, it’s claimed to be too clunky and not the optimal way to dedicate your extra spots for. Then, people realize how good Hollow Hunt GX is and hop back on the deck. But then the argument for [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and Stadium counts and all that fun stuff starts creeping up. I was hoping that St. Louis would finally tell us which version between Toad / Decidueye and Toad / Bats would be superior. However, with one finish from Decidueye and zero from Bats, we’re still left wondering which one will be more dominant. It’s hard to pin down which version will see more play, but one thing is the same between the decks, the way you play against them hasn’t changed. It’s still, at its core, an attacking Item-lock with supplemental damage from the Bench. [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] has better recovery options and [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] has “more” techs.

Hot Tech: Dedenne

Remember [card name=”Dedenne” set=”Furious Fists” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card]? Yeah, that Pokemon that people used to tech into nearly every deck that lost to [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]? I saw that again this weekend in a deck! How crazy? When you think about it though, it’s a pretty nice little back up attacker. In [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Bats, you have non-EXs to trade some Prizes so that they are forced to take that “seventh” Prize in the form of Seismitoad-EX. However, [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t have that luxury, and one bulky Yveltal-EX can sometimes go the distance. Dedenne prevents that from happening while at the same time giving you a nice and cozy backup attacker to swing at Yveltal-EX with. Portland is on the West Coast, and if you don’t know anything, know this: people in California love their Dark decks.

Why Would You Not Play It: You are Bad at Deck Building

One of the biggest problems that [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Bats faces today is trying to find room for everything you need. How many Pokemon, Stadiums, Supporters, Bats… Now you want to add a 4-4-4 [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] line along with [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and ways to search all of those out into the mix? No thank you. Sounds like a nightmare. If you like Seismitoad-EX based decks, I would probably side along with the Decidueye version over [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] or Bats, but I am far away from a Seismitoad-EX player, so I wouldn’t take my advice as golden. I’m merely a vote for the Owl and that’s it. Simply put, Hollow Hunt GX will win you games.

Seismitoad-EX / Bats

Goal of Deck

Lock Items while sniping from the Bench

Height of Popularity

Over a year and a half ago

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

3 of 5

Current Trend: Get Out the Way Cro-boy, There’s a New Owl in Town!

[cardimg name=”Golbat” set=”Generations” no=”31″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

On the surface, the perceived notion is that [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Bats is dead. If you read my last section, then you probably can guess I disagree with that assessment. If you didn’t read my last section and skipped right to here, you’re definitely a Toad / Bats player looking for some validation in your deck choice for Portland. I’ll give you that validation you’re seeking in saying that you’re not making a bad choice, you just might be making a sub-optimal choice. Expect to play against the Decidueye version as it will be represented more. Although neither deck will see much play, I would be surprised to play against more than one in the tournament.

Why Would You Not Play It: You Like Owls Better

Let’s be real, you’re only going to play this deck if you’ve been playing it forever and are too stubborn to switch over to [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]. If you’re a person who is looking to pick up a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] deck and play it, this isn’t the one for you. Might as well start learning to how Quaking Punch with the better version of the deck, rather than learn a deck that is slowly but surely going to be dead by the end of 2017. Sorry kiddos, just the hard truth there. Of every deck on this list, this is probably ranked last in terms of decks I would suggest for you to play.

Trevenant

Goal of Deck

Lock Items turn one and prevent Energy from seeing the light of day

Height of Popularity

Last year’s State and National Championships

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

3 of 5

Current Trend: Downwards, Like a Wilting Flower

Man, remember when everyone was complaining about how unhealthy [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] was for the format? It’s odd how those same people have somehow forgotten about this deck and are now setting their sights on [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s always something isn’t it? Anyway, I still think this deck is as good as it ever was, yet the meta might not be correctly aligned for it to shine. For one, there’s a lot of Dark on the Pacific side of the U.S. Not only are you forced to deal with that, but the deck can struggle to keep up with some of the high HP numbers of the new Pokemon-GX. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more than one Trevenant make their way to day two, as you can steal wins just from hitting [card name=”Wally” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC27″ c=”name”][/card] in the opening turn, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to never play against Trevenant ever again. My [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] thank you.

Hot Tech: Muk

This one has me a little puzzled actually. In theory, I get it. You play [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] so you can play other Stadiums and still reap all of the benefits of Silent Lab. A lot of people (at least when they’re talking to me) cite the example of Latias-EX and being able to have a win condition against Sableye. In that case, I’ll just Lysandre up the fatty Muk and call game. Against every other deck, you’re going to take a slight consistency hit, since an extra copy of Float Stone will be needed to rescue your Muk out of the Active. I think this card falls into the category of a “win more” card; it’s only good when you’re ahead in the game. Plus, Trevenant never needed fixing to begin with. The goal of the deck is to win turn one, why change that?

Why Would You Not Play It: You Want to Jump On the Vileplume Train

Here’s the thing, [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] has been out longer than [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] has been. I know that the partners surrounding Vileplume have improved which is making Vileplume the more appealing option, but until then it was all [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. I just don’t quite understand how people can switch their mind set so quickly, when at the core both decks aren’t that different from what they used to be. Either way, I’m glad I get to be done talking about Item locking decks now. Nothing has changed in my mind except for people’s mentality.

[premium]

Non-EX Trading Decks

In this family of decks, we’re going to take a peek at the decks that primarily use non-EX attackers to take favorable trades with Pokemon-EX and Pokemon-GX decks through easy one shots or Prize denial. This category was almost called “DCE Decks,” but then I would have had to put Sableye in its own category. For those of you keeping track at home, that’s the fifth mention of [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. Not enough.

Night March

Goal of Deck

One shot Pokemon

Height of Popularity

Last year’s State Championships

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

1 of 5

Current Trend: Like a C List Celebrity, Fallen From Grace

[cardimg name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Jokes aside, the career path of Night March has easily mirrored a celebrity that used to be awesome, but is now either in rehab, or in bad movies. They’ll get the job done if you’re looking for a cheap laugh, but won’t be dominating any box offices anytime soon. When Night March first came out, it was a little bit rogue-ish, as most people didn’t know what to pair it with. There was [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card], and even [card name=”Bouffalant” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] at one point. Then it became the monster that it was during the State Championships all the way until the World Championships. Now, with all of the Item-lock around, and the new damage numbers it has to keep up with, Night March is struggling to hold on to its once glorious career. That being said, this deck isn’t a lay up by any means. It is just a few solid matchups away from running the table, so don’t ever sleep on this guy.

Hot Tech: Tauros-GX

This one is truly awesome! At first, people were playing [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] as a Pokemon solely to [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] into. This idea was quickly dashed in favor of the thinking that Tauros-GX is good enough to stand on its own (insert some cow tipping joke here). I like the idea of a Tauros in the deck to help alleviate some of the low HP issues Night March has always had. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] has always given Night March issues, and now with the Mad Bull in play, that’s seemingly no longer an issue. Throw in the turn one [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] option, and you again have a deck that has no negative matchups in the field. Practice will still be needed to separate the good from the not so good in the Night March world, but like I said, never count this deck out.

Why Would You Not Play It: You Think You Can’t Beat Item-Lock

The only thing, I repeat, the only thing that keeps Night March in check is Item-lock. Well, thankfully (or not thankfully?) there’s plenty of it in the format. If you are a Night March player, and you think the turn one [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] is possible every game, and the [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] is enough to swing the [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, then by all means, go for it. If not, then stay away from this deck. Once upon a time, this deck was considered “brainless” and easy to pilot. While I’m personally not a Night March player, I can verify that it takes less skill than other decks to play. However, it takes a great player to play the deck as optimally as possible. Those players will always start encroaching on the top tables. It’s easy to be good at Night March, it’s hard to be fantastic at Night March.

Aerodactyl / Maxie’s

Goal of Deck

Trade non-EX Pokemon for Pokemon-EX and Pokemon-GX

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

4 of 5

Current Trend: Technically Rising

Surprisingly, this deck is actually not a new concept. There was a small group of players playing this deck down in San Jose, the last Expanded tournament. St. Louis was just the first time that anyone topped with this deck, and now everyone is freaking out about it. This deck is actually a whole heap of fun to play, and has answers to a lot of things in the format. I’m a fan of this deck, and I’m actually considering it for a Expanded League Cup. I’m glad it gained a little bit of validation this last tournament. I’m all for a deck that is rogue, gaining a lot of hype, and loses hard to [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]!

Hot Tech: Pokemon Catcher

There are actually a lot of creative cards that many people don’t usually see in many decks. Besides from the [card name=”Fossil Excavation Kit” set=”Fates Collide” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] and the [card name=”Marowak” set=”Fates Collide” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card], which are both very uncommon cards, the card I want to remind everyone of is [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]. Yes, gone are the days before the errata when this card was $10 easily. However, I like this card as a one-of, especially in this deck, where it doesn’t matter when you draw into this card. Turn one when going to the [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card]? Easy, I can play this card. Late game to try and seal a game? I just hope I flip heads! I don’t like this card in every single deck out there, but it just makes sense in a deck like this, especially with how easy it is to take [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] Knock Outs. [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] would be put in this spot for the same reason, but I don’t know if that’s quite standard enough in this list. Heck, nothing is standard in this list because the concept is relatively fresh.

Why Would You Not Play It: The Great Unknown

For starters, there isn’t a whole lot of information out there about this deck, so you have to start from scratch when it comes to play testing this list, meaning you have to test against literally everything, and with a format this diverse, that can be time consuming. The other worrying trend is the fact that when the deck made its debut in San Jose, nobody knew it existed because of the lack luster showings. After St. Louis, people now know it’s a thing, but nobody is talking about it. You’re not going to have much time to get used to all of the tiny little things this deck has in it. There’s a lot of weird and different situations you can get yourself into or out of, and it takes time to prepare without a lot of help.

Raikou / Eels

Goal of Deck

Two shot your opponent while preventing your opponent from taking Prizes

Height of Popularity

November / December 2016

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

1 of 5

Current Trend: Pretty Much a C+/B- Student Who is Really Good Looking and is On the Baseball Team

[cardimg name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck is one of the three decks I’m considering for Portland. When I first saw people playing it almost a year ago, I wrote the deck off completely. But since then, there has been a showing of the deck here and there and it never seems to go away. About a month ago I decided to pick it up and play it and realized how much power it has. It has a consistent damage output while at the same time denies Prizes left and right. Between [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and Shining Body, you’re effectively reducing damage by 50 every turn on a non-EX Pokemon that can put its HP up to 160. That, plus the fact that you have the chance to one shot things while healing damage from your Benched Pokemon that are already hurt. I don’t know why people don’t like this deck more! Granted it does have a few flaws here and there, but good players and players with experience with the deck always seem to find success with it. If you’re looking for a less risky play that will put you into day two, but not win, this is your pick.

Hot Tech: Jolteon-EX

I’ve seen quite a few people jump off of this card recently. And while I don’t disagree that the space in the list is tight, [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] is still a very good card that people are underestimating. It can single-handedly take games on its own against players with no outs, or those players who thought that Jolteon-EX was dead. Another card to consider as the hot tech is [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with opposing Jolteon-EX, but as I’ve already stated, people have been falling out of love with the Lightning Dog. Plus, free Retreat is pretty great. I know the deck plays at least two [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], but I love those turns where I need an extra Energy attachment and I can push Jolteon-EX up there to grant me that when Float Stone has found its way to the discard. With a copy of [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] for further Prize denial, I never worry too much about benching the two Prize attacker.

Why Would You Not Play It: It Takes Some Time to Set Up

It’s weird to call this deck slow, but it kind of is. It takes multiple Stage 1 Bench sitters to really take advantage of all its hidden tricks and that can be hard when the format wants to hit you with a club turn one. Not only that, but [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], and Item-lock can give this deck a fair bit of trouble. There are ways around this, and the natural tankiness of [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can buy you time while you deal with these annoyances, but for some people that’s enough to throw them off the deck. I don’t think this deck has what it takes to win a tournament, but it definitely will win you enough games to give you the chance. A few bits of lucky matchups and boom, you’re 200 Championship Points richer!

Vespiquen / Flareon

Goal of Deck

One shot everything while having positive type advantage against the meta

Height of Popularity

Last year’s Winter Regional Championships

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

1 of 5

Current Trend: Who Even Knows How to Build This Deck?

Okay, my titles of this section are starting to get out of hand. But seriously, in Standard, [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] has garnered quite the hype with all of the cool things you can do with it. You seemingly have an out to every major matchup in that format. People have forgotten that this deck in Expanded is all about just swinging for the fences. Sure you have ways to play different matchups, much like a box does is supposed to, but really it’s all about trading non-EX Pokemon for Pokemon-GX and Pokemon-EX. People have been slowly creeping back to this deck because [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] is one of, if not the best Fire attacker the format has to offer against the big Grass Pokemon-GX that are dominating the format. Short of playing pure Volcanion, this is the best chance anyone has to abuse the Weakness of the new Sun and Moon cards. People are only slowly creeping back to the deck because, you know, Item-lock.

Hot Tech: Life Dew

I don’t know if this is enough to consider it hot, let alone a tech, but I want to come out and say that this is probably the Ace Spec you should play. If you’re running a [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] to help deal with the heavy amounts of Dark that I expect, then you could make an argument that [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is better to help get that turn one Premonition online. If not, then the [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] loving Prize denying card is the way to go. Most of the decks in this family are all about the trading game, but no deck exemplifies this more than Vespiquen, so why not add to the biggest strength of the deck?

Why Would You Not Play It: Item-Lock

Yeah, this deck really likes playing [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], more so than probably any other deck. Night March doesn’t like to play against Item-lock either, but [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] certainly hates it more since not only do you have to find a way to discard Pokemon, but you also have to evolve your Pokemon. I’ll sound like a broken record here, but if you hit all of the right matchups, you can come away with the victory. And at least you have the saving grace of having type advantage against two of the three ways people can Item-lock you. There’s something.

Rainbow Road

Goal of Deck

Trade non-EX Pokemon for Pokemon-EX and Pokemon-GX

Height of Popularity

Arizona and other early Regional Championships this year

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

2 of 5

Current Trend: At Least You’re Trying!

[cardimg name=”Xerneas” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”107″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

I actually really enjoy playing this deck. It’s a very satisfying deck to pilot, especially when you flip heads on [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card]. The Fire Bird is a lot of people’s favorite card and Rainbow Road is the best way to play it. Sadly, Rainbow Road has seen better days. While [card name=”Xerneas” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] does have the means necessary to attack on the first turn, it still feels like a slower version of many of the other decks on this list. It does the same sort of trading of Prizes that other decks can, but slightly worse. What Xerneas does have going for it though is the ability to tech in a whole array of Pokemon. From [card name=”Celebi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY93″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], this deck can surprise people with what you drop down. Plus, the added addition of Fire Pokemon have a shot at taking easy Prizes against some of those pesky Grass Pokemon-GX.

Why Would You Not Play It: Too Many Flips

For a very long time, decks based around [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] have had that glaring, obvious weakness for them, and that’s the fact that your Energy acceleration relies on a coin flip. Not only that, but there is a lot of very easy ways to counter Rainbow Road, such as [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] and Energy denial. And through all of that, at the end of the day you’re still just playing a sub-optimal deck for the thing you’re trying to accomplish. I do enjoy the fact that you have fairly decent matchups against a lot of the big, top tier decks simply because of your damage, but getting to that point in the game can be difficult with all of the disruption going around.

Greninja

Goal of Deck

Make some really epic comebacks

Height of Popularity

Every other Regional Championships this season

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

2 of 5

Current Trend: Like a Ghost You Know is There, But Can’t See

All of a sudden this deck just vanished off the face of the Earth. It’s like everyone just got up individually and have the same thought of “okay, we’re no longer going to play this deck, okay?” And I mean yeah, there is a lot more Grass decks out there, and a lot of the things that counter Grass also counter you, but why does that discount it as a viable deck? There are a lot of decks that took a step back when Sun and Moon came out, but that doesn’t stop them from still getting played at large tournaments. As I’ll say time and time again, all it takes is a few solid matchups to find your way into day two. This deck has always had the capacity to jump out and grab you if you’re not prepared for it. It’s still a good pile of 60 cards.

Hot Tech: Uhhhhh

I’m trying to think of something spicy here, but every time I try to come up with something good, I realize that it’s either a horrible no good idea, or it’s just something to pepper in for consistency sake. A second and third [card name=”Ace Trainer” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] since you’ll always be losing with this deck? A [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to give you a fighting change against [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]? A [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] to give you that same chance? Well then you’d have to play [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], and that’s a dead card most all of the time. It’s hard to say anything new about a deck that’s so refined and so widely considered dead. I’m not trying to breathe life back into a deck I’ve not been a fan of in Expanded for a while.

Why Would You Not Play It: There’s a Lot of Reasons

Yeah, while this deck might be good if it hits the right matchups, I feel there is too many decks out there to give you enough reason to play it. A few decks are fairly positive, a good portion more 50 / 50, and a whole heap that are bad matchups. Heck, you don’t even beat [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] anymore unless they prize a [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card].

Carbink / Zygarde

Goal of Deck

Directly counter the meta

Height of Popularity

San Jose Regional Championships

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

3 of 5

Current Trend: According to Kaleo, “Way Down We Go”

[cardimg name=”Carbink” set=”Fates Collide” no=”50″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck was poised to be one of the new hot decks of the format, and then Sun and Moon happened. I mean, as much as this deck annoyed me as a [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] person, I saw its incredible value in the format. When people started to say [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] was dead, I started to panic, since that meant there was very little that kept this deck in check. Fortunately, along came a new, more horrible matchup in the form of Pokemon-GX attackers. [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] can do all he can to prevent you from just getting ran over, but it’s not enough. Maybe there is someone out there right now trying to figure out how to breathe life back into this deck, and I wish them all of the luck. This deck rose and fell faster than Brock Osweiler’s career. Sorry Cleveland.

Hot Tech: Either Zygarde From Fates Collide

These two cards actually find their way into Fighting.dec quite nicely. The first, [card name=”Zygarde” set=”Fates Collide” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], is a Lysandre in the form of an attack for one Fighting Energy. This means, that without a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] drop turn one, a lot of [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] players might have trouble getting out of the Active over and over, sans [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. That should give you enough time to build up some attackers or stall them out! With [card name=”Zygarde” set=”Fates Collide” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] comes Rumble, preventing a Pokemon from retreating for two Energy. If their Vileplume already has a Float Stone attached, in comes the trusty [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] plus Rumble counter to ensure their Vileplume gets stuck. If they decide to use an [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], then Lookout is back in play. It seems like a fairly soft solution to a bad matchup, but it might be just what this deck needs. After all, you still have a fantastic matchup against every other deck in the format.

Why Would You Not Play It: You Can’t Crack the Code

Seriously, [card name=”Carbink” set=”Fates Collide” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] / Fighting has all the tools it needs to crush every other matchup in the format. [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is all but dead, and that was the only deck keeping Fighting in check. If you think the Fates Collide Zygarde isn’t enough, and you can’t find a better option, then you probably can’t win the tournament. You can easily make day two, as long as you dodge all of the [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] variants. I think you have to play against at least one of those decks in day two to be able to win the whole thing, so maybe not the best choice if you’re looking to make a deep run, but still, don’t sleep on this deck quite yet! The more I talk about it and think about it, the more I actually really enjoy this pick. Uh oh, I think I have a fourth contender for Portland now…

Control Decks

Yay! Now we’ve come to my favorite part of the meta, annoying your opponent to death! I really enjoy talking with my opponents, and what better way to have a conversation at a Pokemon tournament than by not letting your opponent play? Think about it, if they’re not playing Pokemon, what else are they going to do? Locking your opponent of Items turn one is far too quick and requires too much thinking if the game grinds into the mid game. I’m not about that. I like long, slow, drawn out games where I can get to know my opponent.

Wobbuffet / Accelgor

Goal of Deck

Don’t let your opponent attack, retreat, or use Abilities

Height of Popularity

Right after Ross topped with it in Wisconsin last season

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

4 of 5

Current Trend: Oh Man This Deck is Busted Right Now

Seriously, why are more people not flocking to this deck? Is it the difficulty of the deck? I understand that it can be a hard deck to play, a hard deck to build, and a hard deck to manage your resources with, but think about it, the meta is just right. [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] just completely shuts down anything with [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] in it, [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] destroys [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] based decks, and you have at the very least a 50 / 50 chance against every other deck. I ran down the list of decks, and besides from [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], there aren’t many things this deck takes a hard loss to. And even so, those two decks are either on the way out, or completely dead. This is my second choice for Portland, and I’m most likely going to be testing it out at my next League Cup. I’ve always appreciated what this deck can do, so might as well try it out.

Hot Tech: Tauros-GX

Yes indeed, the second time you see this guy in a Hot Tech section. You’re pretty much playing him for the same reason you would play him in Night March, to manage against [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. Not only that, but you give the deck a much needed out to be able to one shot something. If you fall behind, and I mean way behind, it can be somewhat difficult to balance everything to make a come back. It’s not completely out of the norm to have some epic come backs with this deck, but Tauros just kinda speeds up that late game aspect of the deck by getting hit, then using Mad Bull late in the game to take your final two Prizes. To dedicate one spot to this isn’t that much to ask for.

Why Would You Not Play It: Bad Starts

Yeah, this deck isn’t the fastest deck in the world. Your hand can clump fairly quickly and without a solid foundation to base your early game on, you can find yourself playing catchup more often than not. If you’re one of those players who doesn’t like drowning then having to be saved by a weird bug thing, then this deck isn’t for you. Also, this is not the deck to just pick up and play. If you are determined to learn this deck in the short amount of time before Portland, remember that I wrote a big article all about [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] a couple of months ago. I liked the deck back then, and I like the deck now.

Sableye / Garbodor

Goal of Deck

Not let your opponent have fun

Height of Popularity

Never

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

5 of 5

Current Trend: Sadly, MIA

[cardimg name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Oh hi old friend! Missed you! How have you been? What’s that? Nobody is playing you? Sadly, this is true. I believe I could count on one hand how many people played this deck at San Jose and at St. Louis. The meta seems so right for it too! No [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], no [card name=”Carbink” set=”Fates Collide” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card], no [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], no Lurant… oh… oh wait… dang it. There is still one hard hard counter left. I feel like I have fancy enough feet to dodge [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] enough to make day two, and perhaps win the whole thing! I did write another long article on this deck, so check that out as well. In fact, I’ve written a couple of articles on [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s not a deck you can pick up and learn in a day, so be cautious of that. It’s easily my number one pick for Portland though.

Hot Tech: Mew EVO

Okay, hopefully I don’t get carried away on this concept, since this article isn’t about [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. Yes reader, I know I’m super bias toward this deck, but it’s honestly BDIF right now. Sorry, not sorry. Anyway, I feel like Sableye has a fighting chance against every single deck in the meta right now. The two that people are going to point to are [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] and Vileplume / [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. A [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] or two is definitely going to help in those two matchups, but finding the room for two cards can be incredibly tricky, especially in a deck that needs so many moving parts to work. Instead, I’m going to want to try [card name=”Mew” set=”Evolutions” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. Think long and hard about this one. Against Lurantis / Plume, their only attacker is generally [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card]. If they tech in a [card name=”Trevenant-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card] or something of the sort, this idea doesn’t really work. But if they don’t, then the only Pokemon they have to deal damage is [card name=”Oddish” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fomantis” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card], both of which cap out at 20 damage. Stick a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] and boom! You win! Or at least it buys you enough time to find your [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] so you can get [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] online.

Once you get Garbodor online, you can very easily win by pulling up Vileplume over and over again with [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Mew” set=”Evolutions” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] also does the same thing that [card name=”Latias-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] does in the [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. Yes it is not as bulky and will die much faster once [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] comes into play, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take since people are falling off of Trevenant. It’s not the worst idea I’ve ever had, but it could be improved upon. I don’t know, I’ve tested both [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] and Mew. We’ll see what I end up going with! Mind you Mew doesn’t help at all against [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], so you know, nothing is perfect.

Why Would You Not Play It: It’s a Hard Deck to Play

I don’t want to toot my own horn, but yes, this deck is incredibly difficult to play exactly the way you need it to. I’ve devoted hours upon hours of time to make sure that I’m the best [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] player I need to be for the tournaments I attend, and that same level of dedication is hard to bring. Anyone who plays this deck at a tournament will instantly be one of my favorite people ever, but it does come with a breath of caution. I’ll help you every step of the way if you’d like. The number of people playing this deck at a tournament should be a good indicator of how the community views a deck like this.

Big Boppers

I honestly couldn’t think of a better name for this family of decks, and I like the word bopper. And baseball season is just around the corner, so there’s that. In this category, all of the decks center around a big Pokemon-EX attacker to do the work load. This category in the past has seen some great decks, including [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] and Plasma. In today’s meta, it’s mostly dominated by Dark decks, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a fantastic category.

Yveltal / Maxie’s

Goal of Deck

Counter the meta

Height of Popularity

It’s always been popular

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

3 of 5

Current Trend: Right Where You Need it to Be

[cardimg name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck has had a presence in the Expanded metagame for what seems like forever, and for good reason. This is the benchmark for what a good, well rounded deck should look like. It has answers and outs to nearly every deck in the game. Some of the best players in the world will use this deck for the rest of their lives and see success with it in that amount of time. It’s the first deck that I test everything else against, and every single person in America has played against it at least a handful of times in their career. It’s no secret that the West Coast loves to play this deck, so I expect to play against this at least once, if not twice, throughout the tournament.

Hot Tech: Sableye DEX

This card has been added and dropped in the skeleton of this list more times than I mention the card itself. It not only gives you a bit of added late game security (not that the deck needed it) but it also gives you a soft out to [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], as reusing the [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] in your discard pile can get old real fast for anyone trying to lock you out. It’s hard telling how much of this card we’ll see moving forward, as the theme of the format is Item-lock (if you couldn’t tell by now). That definitely lowers the stock of Sableye as a tech. Personally, I think there are better cards you can include in your list, but then again I know nothing about Dark, and every time I’ve touched the deck, I’ve struggled.

Why Would You Not Play It: Because Everyone Knows the Deck

You’re not going to surprise anyone with this play. Like I said, everyone has played against this deck, so every good player across the U.S. is going to have a game plan to try and combat your power. No matter how good of a Dark player you are, this can definitely be a hindrance, since, unless you’re one of the five people that are really good at the deck, people are always going to be one step ahead of you. Even with this extra step, Dark is still going to win games more than it’s going to lose because the deck by itself is really good. But what separates good Dark players from great Dark players is the ability to think two steps ahead, instead of the one step ahead. That definitely takes some practice, and that’s a reason you’ve heard that only really smart players play the deck. Maybe that’s why I’m bad at it…

Turbo Dark

Goal of Deck

One shot Pokemon

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

2 of 5

Current Trend: Like a Hot Air Balloon

People keep adding to the burners with this deck. The more and more popular this deck becomes in Standard, the more people start playing it in Expanded. It’s the very definition of a Big Bopper, as it aims to outpace and outhit your opponent in the first few turns of the game. With Fighting not being as big of a force as people would like it to be, there’s not a lot that outright stops this deck from being near the top of the tier list. I can’t think of a matchup where this deck has an autoloss, sans [card name=”Carbink” set=”Fates Collide” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s also fairly easy to pilot, which is a draw for a lot of newer players. It’s not rocket science to attach and swing, and that’s why makes the deck so dangerous in the meta today. I would expect to play against at least one of these come Portland.

Why Would You Not Play It: Because Everyone Knows the Deck

See Maxie’s Yveltal.

Darkrai / Dragons

Goal of Deck

One shot Pokemon

Height of Popularity

U.S. National Championships 2016

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

2 of 5

Current Trend: Remember 2016 U.S. Nationals?

[cardimg name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Remember that tournament? I think that was the last time I actually thought this deck was good, and it wasn’t even that great back then. I’m sorry, I’m just a big hater on this deck. No matter what deck I play, I seem to always have such a positive Dark / Dragons matchup, which begs the question, what does this deck actually beat? To me it just seems like a slow, more clunky version of Turbo Dark. Sure, there’s always some cute things you can do with the deck in terms of what Dragon Pokemon to play, but at the end of the day you’re relying on attaching Special Energy and keeping them there for the duration of the game. It’s a deck that should have died a long time ago but hasn’t. Expect to see it at Portland, somehow.

Hot Tech: Latios-EX ROS

[card name=”Rowlet” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Oddish” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”1″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Fomantis” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card]… Oh, just naming some Grass Pokemon that if your opponent is unlucky enough to start with that you can win on the first turn with. Yeah, hitting the [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] can be tricky at times, but that’s why [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] was played at the U.S. National Championships last year. I mean, any deck that plays [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and Muscle Band should probably tech this in for Portland. It may not happen every game, but you’re going to come across at least once or twice when it happens, and you’ll take those free wins every day of the week, especially with such a sub par deck like this one.

Why Would You Not Play It: You’re a Smart Person

Man, my hate for this deck keeps growing by the second! I didn’t know I hated this deck as much as I do until just now, but dang! I just think you don’t have any great matchups, and you’re basically just playing a watered down version of Turbo Dark. What are you trying to counter by playing this list that Turbo Dark doesn’t already have the same matchup with? Turbo Dark seems to struggle with Mega based decks, but [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t help against [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], [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] because all it takes is one [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to easily remove 80 damage worth of Energy off the field. Outside of that, what are you countering at that point? Or what are you trying to counter? If you’re thinking about this deck for Portland Regional Championships, I don’t mean to trash your pick, but I would switch over to Turbo Dark if I were you.

Volcanion

Goal of Deck

Chip away early, then blow stuff up

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

2 of 5

Current Trend: Go Ask the O’Leary Family How Fast That Thing Spread in 1871

This deck is going to be very popular in Portland. It has a very positive matchup against both of the big [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] decks and it just won Oceania in a field of [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]. With [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] falling off the face of the Earth, and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] being a manageable situation, what can stop Volcanion from hitting a couple Vileplume decks and just walking its way to day two? This deck is only gaining steam, and it’s only a matter of time before it rises up.

Hot Tech: Starmie EVO

I’ve been seeing [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] in Volcanion decks these days? It can search out [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], but is it worth that spot? If you play [card name=”Starmie” set=”Evolutions” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], then the answer to that question is yes, but if you don’t, then why bother? I think Starmie is a fantastic inclusion in the deck simply because it alleviates your reliance on [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to grab back Energy, both cards that are unusable under Item-lock, making your Vileplume matchup that much better. It even improves the other matchups across the board, effectively adding 60 damage a turn no matter what. Sure, it can chip into your consistency a little bit, and Bench space have never been kind to Volcanion, but it’s definitely worth the consideration.

Why Would You Not Play It: The Counter to the Counter

Some people might be picking up on the whole “Volcanion might be our answer to the hype” trend and try to go one step further and play decks that beat Volcanion fairly easily. Stuff like [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and Night March have been known to give Volcanion a fair bit of trouble. If either of those decks find a consistent way to beat [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], then playing Volcanion might not be the best idea in the world. You’ll still get your wins against all of the Vileplume you happen to find, but the road definitely gets harder for all of those people trying to think one step ahead of your so called “meta call.”

Archie’s Blastoise

Goal of Deck

Either trade Pokemon-EX Prizes or OHKO things

Height of Popularity

Right after Jacob won the World Championships with it

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

1 of 5

Current Trend: Can’t Wait for Aqua Patch

[cardimg name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Okay yes, this deck is probably not going to play Water Patch, but it’ll take all it can get to save it from the depths of the tier list. Item-lock is always going to be a problem for this deck, and there’s not a whole lot [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] can do about it. Even if you go first and get the turn one [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] off, you’re weak to Grass, which is not a great spot to be in. Outside of playing against those two hyped Grass decks, your matchups aren’t super fantastic either. You have some awesome ones in the form of Volcanion and such, but generally you’re going to be struggling in almost every game you play. Even with all of this, I’ve heard some people talking this and that about the deck. I’ve seen people stream the deck, and I’ve even tested it as well. There are just better options.

Hot Tech: Seismitoad BKP

Dead serious here. I could have talked about something a little bit more realistic like [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], but I wanted to give you some thoughts that Grady gave me once upon a time. [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] has historically always struggled with the [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] matchup. They get Garbodor up, and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] your Blastoise. If you play a [card name=”Seismitoad” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card], you can Archie’s it out and just spam Siphon Off every time your Energy hit the discard pile. Playing an [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] wouldn’t be the worst idea to pair with this, but then again this idea only works against one specific matchup that isn’t popular. I just thought I would let you know how cute Grady’s mind is sometimes.

Why Would You Not Play It: You Don’t Think You Can Dodge Vileplume

If you’re confident enough that this deck is the right deck for you, then by all means go for it. Yeah, it doesn’t have the best matchups in the world, but outside of Item-lock, I don’t think there are too many auto losses. Maybe [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], but that’s about it. Plus, there are a slew of Water attackers you can go with these days to cover Weakness, so there’s not too much to worry about in that regard.

Mega Decks

And last but certainly not least, we come across the decks that are similar to Big Boppers, yet they have that cute little “M” in front of their name. Each of these four decks hold quite a different spot in the meta, and despite how each of them function similarly, they’re all played extremely differently.

Mega Gardevoir STS

Goal of Deck

Trade Prizes efficiently

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

1 of 5

Current Trend: The Community Gives This Deck Two Thumbs Up

Both this deck and [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] saw the most spots in the final 32 in St. Louis recently. I know there weren’t many people who played this deck, but the few of them that played it did very well. Even after being “leaked” a week prior to the tournament, it still outperformed expectations. This deck, up to this point, had mainly been considered a Standard only deck. I did just write all about [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and how it can trade very well against the meta, so I see the appeal of the deck. Basically in this new version you’re using [card name=”Max Potion” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] in combination with [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to keep your Mega Gardevoir fresh and ready to rumble. Since the only combination of cards you need is a Mega Gardevoir and Energy, this deck also does fairly well against Item-lock, making it a fairly solid choice moving forward.

Hot Tech: Sky Field

This is kind of a weird one to say here, but it’s actually a tech in the Expanded version of the deck. You want to max out of counts of [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], so your damage output is limited to 160 damage, just shy of Knocking Out most Pokemon-EX. [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], along with [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], will give you some options to play with whenever you need to take a clutch Knock Out in the mid to late game. Most of the time you’re going to prefer to have Dimension Valley in play, so that’s why you only play one copy of Sky Field.

Why Would You Not Play It: You Are Scared of the Other Mega Decks

Along with [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], the stock of [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] are rising, both not so great matchups for Gardevoir. Volcanion’s stock is also rising, which, while not an auto loss, it’s an unfavorable matchup. Since it takes a little bit extra to Knock Out a 180 HP Pokemon, [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] can Steam Up a few times and take one shots, while you sit there wishing they were two hitting you instead. If you ask your opponent nicely to not Steam Up, then you have a good chance of coming out on top here. I’m still a believer in the Gardevoir deck. It’s consistent and can hang with the best of them. And even those few “bad” matchups aren’t the worst, they’re still winnable, just an uphill battle from turn one.

Mega Rayquaza

Goal of Deck

One shot everything

Height of Popularity

Right now

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

1 of 5

Current Trend: It Did Just Win a Regional Championships

[cardimg name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Whenever a deck wins a Regional Championships, it goes one of two ways. Either it skyrockets in popularity and everyone and their mother plays it, or everyone avoids it like the plague and nobody touches it for fear of shifts in the meta. I’m going to believe in the former on this one, as it’ll definitely see a jump in play. People that like [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] love playing the deck, and generally stick with it as long as someone tells them it’s good. Well, the winner of St. Louis just told you it was good, so all of the people holding on to their Roaring Skies reprints can swim in happiness. I would expect to play against at least one in Portland.

Hot Tech: Exeggcute PLF

This card used to be standard in every single [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] list when the deck first came out. Recently, I’ve seen it removed in favor of other more consistent options, or other Bench sitters to cover some bad matchups. I think the inclusion of this card is actually super smart, as the popularity of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is rising, and Item-lock makes it hard to search out more Pokemon. [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] gives you that guarantee of an extra 30 damage when your [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] inevitably gets bounced. Not to state the obvious, but it also protects your highly valued resources in the early stages of the game that you would normally have to [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] away.

Why Would You Not Play It: You Don’t Like the Deck

This might seem like a cop out answer, but it’s the best way I can describe it. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] might be one of the best options heading into Portland. It’s a simple idea that has a lot of positive matchups against the format and is relatively consistent. It can tech in almost any backup attacker while still having the threat of a one shot from Mega Rayquaza. So seriously, why not play it? I think people stay away from it because it doesn’t fit their play style. Mega Rayquaza is pretty linear. Basically you want to go fast and Emerald Break, and that’s about it. You might have a [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] to fall back on, or a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] for Night March, but really you’re just trying to blow stuff up. I think that’s what turns people off to the deck, seeing as how it should, in theory, be the best deck in format.

Primal Groudon

Goal of Deck

Slowly build up a juggernaut

Height of Popularity

Last year’s Winter Regional Championships

How Easy it is to Pick Up and Play

3 of 5

Current Trend: Slowing Coming Up, Waiting for its Chance

I like this deck going into Portland a lot. [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] is always going to be a strong card going into Item-lock formats where [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] is king. Against everything else, there are options. [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t have the most space in the world, but it can change its complexion to fit the player perfectly. You can play high counts of Energy denial, you can play some extra healing cards, almost every Tool card is viable in this deck, and your choice of Ace Spec actually matters. With this level of being able to personalize your deck, I see this deck just waiting for the right build to get up to top tier once again.

Hot Tech: Enhanced Hammer

The infamous build that I always like to bring up, the three [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] build. Oh man, that was one of my favorite decks I’ve ever played. Well I think that build could make a resurgence once again. Back then there was no [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], so maybe not to the extent of having all five cards, but definitely an Energy denial version to slow the pace of the game back down to your level. [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] is getting a bit more hype, and Night March might see some more play if people want to hang with the Dark decks of California, and both decks get hit hard by the Hammers. The denial build also helps against [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], as generally speaking you don’t often see three Dark Energy attached to use Pitch-Black Spear.

Why Would You Not Play It: It’s Slow

And quite possibly the slowest deck in the format that aims to take all six Prizes. You won’t be making any flashy plays, and people seem to like flashy decks (see Yveltal / Maxie’s). Basically, if you can hit the turn one attachment, dodge the [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], and evolve turn two, you’re more than likely to take the game. Holding your breath for the first two turns of the game isn’t great, but then again, isn’t that how the format works anyway? [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] gives you that early game safety net to ensure your opponent doesn’t go off. I personally won’t play it because it has a significant lack of [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] in it, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few of them hit the top tables.

Deck Lists

Wouldn’t it be swell if I had 25 different lists for you to check out? Well, maybe another day since I’m already over 12K words, and my fingers are sore. Instead, I’ll throw two lists at you, both for the two newest decks to find their way into the expanded meta.

Maxie’s / Aerodactyl

[decklist name=”Maxie’s Aerodactyl” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Talonflame” set=”Steam Siege” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”44″]2x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ 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=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Old Amber Aerodactyl” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fossil Excavation Kit” set=”Fates Collide” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Maintenance” set=”Furious Fists” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Twist Mountain” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

When I first saw one of these lists, I thought there was no way it was any good. The multiple placements at the most recent Regional Championships proved me wrong though. This list is probably not all that polished, but it should give you a rough idea of what to start with.

One of the big discussions is what Basic Pokemon to play. I’ve seen a wide range of ideas. With [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], you not only get some extra draw power in the deck, but you don’t have to commit a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to get it out of the Active if you’re forced to start with it, as Sky Return is a great attack. I’ve seen [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”XY” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] as it is one of the few Basic Pokemon with free Retreat. It also has a somewhat decent second attack that can be used in a pinch at any moment in the game. If you’re looking at playing the second copy of Float Stone, like I opt to do, you can play things like [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Mew” set=”Evolutions” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] depending on what sort of meta you anticipate.

Other than that I don’t have a whole heap to say about this list. Hopefully you use it as a starting point in your testing in the next few weeks.

Volcanion (Expanded)

[decklist name=”Volcanion Expanded” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”Steam Siege” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Starmie” set=”Evolutions” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Staryu” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ 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=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

There is actually quite a lot of cool things you can do with this deck in Expanded. It gains a lot of support that helps it to thrive in an environment where before it was a bit lack luster. The first is [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. The list that got Top 4 in St. Louis actually only played two [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], opting to rely more heavily on Blacksmith for acceleration. I don’t mind this change at all, I just haven’t tested it like that before. Another added bonus is the access to [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]’s Rush In Ability that instantly removes the downside to Volcanic Heat. It’s quite easy to attack again if you’re looking to do so. And lastly, [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] is the perfect partner to go along with Space Beacon, and essentially it’s two free Fire Energy from your discard pile every turn.

[card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] is a card that hurts this deck a lot, and for that I include a [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. One could argue that a higher Stadium count is just as good, but I like Delinquent a lot with [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Pitching it away just signals to your opponent that they must play differently now, or else you can punish a low hand size fairly easily. I would like to fit in a second copy of Battle Compressor to make this run more smoothly, but space can be tight in a deck like this. Many would point to the [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] as an easily cut card, but it’s cute, and I like cute options.

If there isn’t a lot of Night March around, and you don’t expect much [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], then this is one of the heavy favorites going into Portland in many people’s eyes. Give it a try for sure! Again, probably not the most polished list in the world, but at least use it as a starting point!

Conclusion

And there you have it folks! A crash course on every deck you can expect to see heading into Portland. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. I know I didn’t go into too much detail about every deck, but if you send me a personal message, I shall answer every question you have to ask! No question is a stupid question, so let me help you!

Until next time,

Alex

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