The Roo Rundown — Three Last Minute Plays for Oceania Internationals

By: Ryan Moorhouse · Posted Posted onMar 9, 2017 at 1:20 PM · 0 Comments

Hey PokeBeach! Since I last wrote, Sun and Moon has entered the format, bringing some interesting additions and decks to the table. The second Internationals starts in less than a day, with players from around the world flying to Australia to compete. The large-scale tournaments of Anaheim and Sheffield Regionals have taken place in the Primal Clash – Sun and Moon format as well. This gives a solid foundation of what the metagame might look like for Oceania Internationals.

For this article, I’ll be starting off by looking at my run for Sheffield Regionals. This includes my preparation, my deck and the results. Afterwards, I will discuss the best options for Oceania Internationals, taking into account the possible metagames.

Sheffield Regionals

For me, my season has been slightly slower than my last. With Regionals being few and far between and spread out like never before, I’ve only been able to attend League Cups since Liverpool Regionals. Before Sheffield, I had a total of 160 CP, which is close to a third of the 500 I need for a Worlds invite this year. Getting a Top 8 or better placement at Sheffield would give me the Championship Points and resources to make it worth trying to obtain an invite for Anaheim. Speaking of Anaheim, the main decks which should be popular at Sheffield are usually defined by the Anaheim Regionals two weeks prior, so let’s have a look at the results.

Anaheim Regionals

  • 1. Kenny Britton – [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Salamence-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY170″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 2. Tony Jimenez – Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 3. Lawrence Xu – Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 4. Jeffrey Cheng – [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 5. Igor Costa – [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 6. Ryan Sabelhaus – [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 7. Rahul Reddy – [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vaporeon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 8. Travis Nunlist – [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]

The other interesting things we can see are the Top 32 trends. The most popular deck, with seven total spots, was Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. This shows us that Turbo Darkrai-EX decks were both heavily played and consistent. The deck has a consistent engine using [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Primal Clash” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] to gain and keep Energy in play, while Darkrai-EX’s Dark Pulse attack hits high numbers once five or six Darkness Energy hit the field. Two Turbo Darkrai-EX also finished in the Top 4 as well, showing that this would most likely be the deck to beat at Sheffield.

Coming in a close second with six spots in the Top 32 are [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Also played in heavy counts on the day, M Mewtwo-EX surged into the forefront of the meta with the introduction of Sun and Moon into the format. M Mewtwo-EX decks are consistent with the powerful Psychic Infinity attack along with acceleration from [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] to make sure the deck can hit numbers. A new inclusion into the deck that I quite like is [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]. Even though the Pokemon is a Stage 1, [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]’s Energy Evolution Ability makes it possible to evolve and attack as soon as Eevee hits the field.

[cardimg name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Winning tournaments for almost five years (kind of).[/cardimg]

Psybeam is a really potent attack against Pokemon like [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. Since Fright Night shuts off [card name=”Mewtwo Spirit Link” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] the best way to get an attacker is to use Espeon-GX. Confusion is definitely an underrated Special Condition at the moment, and can stall a turn if your opponent hits tails. Confusion can even win games in some situations. If your opponent only has one attacker, Psybeam can force them to make strange plays to try and remove Confusion or even force a 50 / 50 scenario of them straight-up losing the game from missing the attack. Psychic is a fantastic attack in the mirror, guaranteeing a KO on an opposing M Mewtwo-EX as long as it has at least two Energy attached due to Weakness. Finally, Divide GX gives the deck a GX move. Divide GX lets you clean up something you missed a KO on, or helps take out low-HP Pokemon in decks like [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] only has 40 HP, meaning you could easily KO two Benched Combee and have two damage counters left to make numbers nicer later on (for example, 10 damage onto [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] so a three-Energy Psychic Infinity can take a KO).

We see two M Mewtwo-EX decks in the Top 8 as well, making it likely that Mega Mewtwo archetypes will also be big in Sheffield. After this we a similar amount of Yveltal / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], Vespiquen and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] builds all with three or four placements in the Top 32. This shows that these decks are strong and would have some sort of an effect of the metagame for Sheffield. Yveltal is still a reasonably consistent and strong deck that has around 50 / 50 matchups against most of the field. Vespiquen has started to shift towards Pokemon like [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to provide a strong damage output that isn’t bound by how many Pokemon are in the discard. Bench sizes are usually large, meaning Zoroark is hitting for at least 100. Builds are also including type-based Eeveelutions, [card name=”Jolteon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vaporeon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card], to double the damage dealt to decks like [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and Yveltal.

Finally, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] provides a massive damage output which can be set up in two turns. One player opted to include [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and Fire Energy just to use Steam Up; this looks crazy considering the 30 extra damage is only for Fire types, however the main reason to use Steam Up was to get Energy in the discard pile for [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. This added an extra layer of consistency to Energy acceleration for the deck, and also gets useless Energy out of the hand to maximize draw from [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card].

Moving to the Top 8, we can see that Vespiquen builds were able to take up two spots while Yveltal took one. The winning deck is one I haven’t mentioned yet, and that’s a variant of Turbo Darkrai-EX that uses [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Salamence-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY170″ c=”name”][/card]. The main reason is to make use of [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], which count as two Darkness Energy towards Darkrai-EX’s Dark Pulse attack. Giratina-EX provides a strong wall versus Mega Pokemon, forcing your opponent to find a way to shut down Renegade Pulse. If Chaos Wheel can be powered up, decks that use only Special Energy like Vespiquen are shut down entirely. Finally, Salamence-EX preys on EX-heavy decks, like Volcanion and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] builds, where once four Pokemon-EX are in play, Beastly Fang is dealing 210 damage. I quite like this variant and the inclusion of Dragons, however it can make the deck slightly more clunky.

My Deck Choice

For Sheffield I wanted something that could go toe-to-toe with [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] builds, along with around 50 / 50 matchups versus the rest of the expected field. Consistency would be big, too — Getting into Top 32 was the main goal. Something I noticed in the day one standings for Anaheim was that all three Yveltal-EX / Garbodor builds were in the first eight seeds. This gave all three players a strong shot at Top 8 the next day, and showed the deck is still as consistent as usual. With that, I tested and wound up with this list.

Yveltal-EX / Garbodor / Tauros-GX

[decklist name=”Yveltal-EX / Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″][pokemon amt=”10″]3x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”XY” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Let me break down some of my card choices for the deck. There are multiple inclusions and exclusions that changed throughout testing to get the list to where it is now.

Card Explanations

Three Yveltal-EX, One Yveltal

The usual count of [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] has been three for a long time, and with [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck you can get back extra copies if needed. This is the main attacker of the deck, as per usual. Yveltal-EX is one of the best attackers this game has ever had.

Moving onto [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], this is the decks sole single-Prize attacker. The Fright Night Ability is especially useful in this meta due to the high amount of Spirit Links played for [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] decks, while also shutting off big cards like [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Primal Clash” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] in Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] decks. You also have a great option to stall a high-Retreat Pokemon in the Active position since [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is also shut off. Pitch-Black Spear is a fantastic attack to set up two Pokemon-EX with 60 damage before coming in with Yveltal-EX’s Evil Ball to clean up.

I’ve been back and forth between a single copy and two copies of [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], since the card can be so influential in most games, and is a brilliant opener against the majority of the metagame right now. For Sheffield I stuck with a single copy, as the extra copy usually ends up being discarded. If you’re in a position where a second copy is really needed, [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] is there just in case to shuffle Yveltal back in.

Two Trubbish, One Garbodor

The idea for a 2-1 line of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] came from Anaheim Regionals, where multiple Top 8 players opted to include only a 2-1 line. This count looks slightly risky, and at first I wasn’t too sure on it. However after testing I started to like the line. In nearly every game you usually only set up a single Garbodor, and would discard the second afterwards. Two [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] is still essential to make sure you can get one benched early on.

With only a single Garbodor, it means that having to [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] it away early on is a possibility, but this can be offset with Super Rod. You do have a higher chance of prizing Garbodor, but there are now quite a few popular matchups where Garbodor isn’t that essential; so prizing it against a specific matchup is less likely.

One Tauros-GX, One Ninja Boy

This is the main inclusion from Sun and Moon, and it certainly makes a difference. All three of [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]’s attacks can be powered up by a single [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. I’ll start with the strong, vanilla Horn Attack for 60 damage, which is a great opener. The main attack Tauros-GX uses is Mad Bull GX. With six damage counters on Tauros-GX, Mad Bull is hitting for 180 damage, which OHKOs the majority of the format. Add any more damage counters and Tauros-GX is taking out everything.

Early on in games, opponents are usually unable to hit the 180 (or 220 with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]) needed to stop Mad Bull GX from becoming a powerhouse, providing a perfect wall as well. Finally, the last attack, Rage, is great if you don’t want to overkill a lower-HP Pokemon with Mad Bull when you have enough damage counters or if your opponent decided to go for their own overkill placing 160 or more damage onto Tauros-GX. This lets you save the big GX attack for later if the Tauros lives, and just use Rage to take a KO.

The final piece of the puzzle to make Tauros-GX even better is a single copy of [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card]. This makes any damaged Pokemon on the field a possible threat, since you can play Ninja Boy straight into Tauros-GX, attach a Double Colorless Energy and Mad Bull GX for a OHKO. This might not happen too frequently, however when it does, the game certainly swings into your favor. Ninja Boy can also be useful just to remove Pokemon like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] from the field, or even swap between [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY08″ c=”name”][/card] and the single Prize [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] (and vice versa if needed). Even though this is the majority of what Yveltal-EX decks obtained from Sun and Moon, it gave the deck another high HP Pokemon along with a way to take OHKOs without mass amounts of Energy.

[premium]

[cardimg name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Angry, damaged bulls only. [/cardimg]

One Professor Kukui

An improvement over [card name=”Giovanni’s Scheme” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Professor Kukui” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] provides both the +20 damage needed to take a KO and a small bit of card draw compared to just having the option of either. Being able to use [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card]’s Y Cyclone for 110 or deal 80 to the opponent’s Active with [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] is huge, and obviously boosting Evil Ball’s damage to make sure you can hit the right numbers is great. There are tons of plays and with the extra draw, it can act as a draw Supporter early on if needed.

One Delinquent

Something interesting I noticed from Anaheim was that many players had opted to remove [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] from their lists. During testing I realised that if my opponent was able to get a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] down before me, I was locked into a Bench of three, which can be quite limiting in the early turns. Delinquent helps sort this out by giving me an option to remove an opponent’s Parallel and replace it with my own. Discarding three cards can be huge, as well; giving you a simple option to slow your opponent down or even remove them from the game if you can discard their entire hand.

Two Trainers’ Mail

I usually only opt to play [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in higher copies of three or four. However, looking at Anaheim it seemed like playing them in counts of two was a popular, with multiple Top 8 players opting to only include two into their deck. Because of this I tested out two, and to my surprise I didn’t feel like I was missing a third! The main reason to play any Trainers’ Mail is to boost consistency within the deck, and a count of two felt like it was just enough to make sure the deck could draw well throughout the tournament. I can still see a third fitting into the deck if possible, just to boost consistency a bit further.

One Enhanced Hammer, One Escape Rope

Most lists play a count of two [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], and originally I stuck with that count. Being able to discard Special Energy is vital against decks playing [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], which are quite popular in the metagame at the moment. However, I really wanted another way to switch Pokemon early on, to get a Pokemon energized by [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] into the Active. Another thing was a way to deal with Special Conditions, which are on the rise with the release of Sun and Moon. [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is able to confuse for a single Psychic Energy, and without any switching cards you have to retreat or risk the 50% chance of missing that attack. [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] has the Ice Beam GX attack, which causes Paralysis, and without switches usually means you lose whatever threat was active next turn without getting to attack.

[card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] is the go-to switching card since it causes disruption to the opponent and can force active a Pokemon they didn’t want to leave the Bench yet. Through testing I really liked the inclusion and it gave the deck an extra mobility option other than just the standard three [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card].

One Super Rod, Nine Darkness Energy

The main reason to play [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] in this list is to make sure you can get [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] back into play if you had to discard it, or if it was KOd and you want a second one. I did test with different lines including 2-2 Garbodor and 10 Darkness Energy, and although this did mean that it was possible to hit [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] more often, I did find myself wanting a way to retrieve Pokemon in the late game and get extra Energy into the deck if some were discarded early. Because of this I opted to go with this line of nine Energy and one Super Rod for the day, to make sure the deck had some retrieval.

Two Parallel City

[card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] seems to be the best Stadium in Standard right now. The reduction in Bench helps dramatically against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] decks. I did mess around with trying only a single Parallel City and having a different secondary Stadium, as usually the second Parallel is discarded once the first one sticks. [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] is a good option since Mega Evolution decks are quite popular at the moment. [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] can provide extra damage output to make sure you hit enough damage with Evil Ball to get OHKOs. In the end I stuck with two Parallel City, mainly to make sure the deck had a better shot against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and that it’s possible to play one down ASAP.

The Day

On the day we had a total of over 300 players, making this Regional the biggest ever in the U.K. There was a high amount of [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] on the day, along with [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and Turbo Darkrai-EX. Here was how my day went.

  • Round 1: [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] – WW
  • Round 2: [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] / Hammers – LWT
  • Round 3: Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] – LWL
  • Round 4: [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] – WLT
  • Round 5: [card name=”M Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY158″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lurantis-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”15″ c=”name”][/card] – WW
  • Round 6: [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] – LL
  • Round 7: [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] – LWL

2-3-2, Drop

[cardimg name=”Magikarp” set=”Evolutions” no=”33″ align=”right” c=”custom”]I flopped. Like a ‘karp.[/cardimg]

I guess there has to be some events that don’t go your way, and this was certainly mine. I started off well at 1-0-1 but then ended my third match losing on the final turn of time to a double [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] from a late game [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to get him the cards he needs to win. Mega Gardevoir is as 50 / 50 as it gets for Yveltal, however the second game was extremely close and took an extremely high amount of time to finish without a clear indicator of who would win. Round six sealed the deal, with me unable to get a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] out or find my second [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] in both games, meaning Emerald Break did too much damage each turn for me to deal with. Any chance of Top 64 was gone by round seven, as I ended up getting into a dead-draw situation for all three of the matches. By this point, I was extremely tired and decided to finish there for the day.

I’m not sure whether it was the list that didn’t perform well, myself or just some unfortunate luck on the day: it’s possibly a mix of all three. An extra [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] could bolster consistency even further to get around any mid game dead draw situations I sometimes found myself in. I still believe Yveltal / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is a strong, consistent deck that can perform well (proved by the three that were able to make Top 32).

On a lighter note, I was able to go 9-0-1 in the Expanded League Cup with Yveltal / [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] the next day. If only we had Expanded Regionals in Europe…

Looking Towards Oceania Internationals

The Final Results of Sheffield

So with two Standard Regionals finished we can look and work out what could be good to play for the fast-approaching Internationals in Australia. Here is the Top 8 from Sheffield.

  • 1. [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 2. [card name=”Gyarados” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY60″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 3. Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 4. [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Glaceon-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 5. [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 6. [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 7. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 8. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card]

Compared to Anaheim’s results, the metagame has shifted quite a bit. We see seven unique decks in the Top 8! M Rayquaza-EX is the outlier with two spots, while we see some more interesting decks as we reach the Top 4. Turbo Darkrai-EX is still a super consistent deck. The locking power of Vileplume combined with either Flash Ray or Crystal Ray is amazing, however the deck can be inconsistient so a good run is needed. [card name=”Gyarados” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY60″ c=”name”][/card] is an interesting deck that was piloted by Medhi Hafti to the finals. It is strong against Pokemon-EX heavy decks, the ability to constantly push out 180+ damage for a single [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is not to be underestimated. However, any damage spread attacks can be a nightmare for Gyarados, since each [card name=”Magikarp” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY143″ c=”name”][/card] will only have 10 HP left after the damage from [card name=”Team Magma’s Secret Base” set=”Double Crisis” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card].

Finally, we have the breakout deck from Sun and Moon which took the entire event, [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / Vileplume. Both these Grass type Pokemon can be evolved straight away with [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], meaning you can cycle through your deck in the early turns to try and get both multiple Decidueye-GX and a Vileplume line out. The combination of constant damage without having to attack and Item-lock is powerful against every deck. The main, glaring problem is the Weakness to Fire — [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] decks have an extremely easy time OHKOing every Pokemon in the deck. If it can avoid Volcanion, this deck can take the title, just like it did in Sheffield. Check out John Kettler, the deck’s creator, talk more about Decidueye here.

What Could the Metagame Look Like?

Taking into account both Anaheim and Sheffield’s results, I’d say there will be a reasonably high amount of Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] on the day to watch out for. The deck has performed impressively throughout both tournaments, gaining multiple Top 32s and a placement in both Regional finals. If you are not playing Turbo Darkrai-EX, you certainly want to be playing something that has a good shot against it.

[card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] will almost certainly be tried out and tested after it’s success at Sheffield. For this reason, I feel like Volcanion may see some increase in play, as it has a strong chance versus both Decidueye-GX and Turbo Darkrai-EX, as long as it plays enough Stadiums to counter [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. Here is my Volcanion list, which, even with the release of Sun and Moon, hasn’t changed much.

[decklist name=”Volcanion” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Flareon-EX” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Fisherman” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Energy Retrieval” set=”Primal Clash” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scorched Earth” set=”Primal Clash” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The main thing I changed with this list was to make sure that I had at least four Stadiums, which meant adding a single [card name=”Scorched Earth” set=”Primal Clash” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] to the list. The key to beating Turbo [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] is removing any [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] they play down, and a four count of Stadiums means you should be able to find one when you need it. Scorched Earth adds a nice amount of extra draw and also puts Fire Energy into the discard so you are able to get maximum impact from Volcanion’s Power Heater early on. Other than that, the list is extremely similar to the one I played a couple months back at Liverpool.

The main downfall to Volcanion decks is when the opponent is able to get a Garbodor into play to shut off Steam Up, severely limiting the damage output the deck usually has. This leads me onto a potential play that was able to reasonably well at Sheffield, and could work well in the metagame for the Oceania Internationals.

Mega Mewtwo for Australia

For Sheffield, my main testing partner, Jake Arnold, opted to play [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] right from the start, due to its consistency and strong matchups bar the obvious Weakness pitfall versus [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. I was able to go around 50 / 50 against him in testing with Yveltal / Garbodor, but sometimes the edge could go towards M Mewtwo-EX if they were able to get a fast start.  We believe that the build we had was quite consistent and had some neat techs.

Jake was able to do much better on the day, finishing day one with a 6-1-2 record, putting him at 13th seed for the next day. He met some nasty matchups in day two ([card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]) that stopped him from getting any further, however I think the metagame may change towards more Volcanion and Turbo Darkrai in Australia. Paired with Garbodor to stop Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up and high HP totals so that Darkrai-EX cannot OHKO M Mewtwo-EX easily, this deck could a strong pick. Here is the list Jake played on the day, which was the highest placing M Mewtwo-EX build in the tournament:

[decklist name=”M Mewtwo-EX / Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Steam Siege” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mewtwo Spirit Link” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Memories” set=”Primal Clash” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I really like this list. I talked a lot about [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] at the start of the article, but I do think it pushes the deck further and provides a strong GX attack when needed as well. Divide GX helps out a ton against [card name=”Gyarados” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY60″ c=”name”][/card] decks, making it possible to take a KO on three [card name=”Magikarp” set=”Evolutions” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench and have seven damage counters leftover to place wherever you want. The matchup is still hard, however a well timed Divide GX paired with an [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] could really swing the game straight into Mewtwo’s favour.

[cardimg name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”122″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A tech Jake insisted on including was the single copy of [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] over a fourth [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card]. This worked wonders in testing and on the day, providing a consistency boost. Since Skyla can be accessed with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], it’s possible to search for the one specific card you need without having to try and dig with a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card].

The final deck I like is still Yveltal / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Even though I had a rough day with it at Sheffield, the deck is still consistent and boasts  50 / 50 matchups across the board.

Conclusion

To conclude, the format seems to have grown more than I expected with the introduction of Sun and Moon. Decks have adapted well with inclusions like [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. New archetypes such as [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] have emerged and are highly playable decks. The format feels somewhat fresh again, which is a great feeling. Evolutions didn’t have a dramatic effect on the format, leaving us with the same decks for over half a year. I’m hoping to try and attend some more League Cups and possibly foreign Regionals and Special Premier Events in the future to obtain more of my invite. I’m sitting at 210 CP right now, two fifths of the way there. The next 300 will definitely be hard to get, but it’s worth trying! See you next time and good luck to anyone attending Internationals in Australia!

~Ryan Moorhouse

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