“Nine Lives, Nine Tales” — A look at Alolan Ninetales-GX / Po Town
[cardimg name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hey there trainers! The last time I wrote an article for PokeBeach, I was discussing how I thought [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Talonflame” set=”Steam Siege” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] would be an exciting play for the Fort Wayne Regional Championships! Unfortunately, the mass of people playing [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card] in their decks countered Greninja hard and prevented it from making the final Top 32 cut. Expanded is always going to be a little bit of a tough format since there are so many cards that can crutch certain decks, but Standard is a whole different ball game!
In Standard, there are only a set number of popular decks right now, as well as a smaller card pool, but this makes it much easier to exploit certain weaknesses, whether that be the opponent’s deck construction or just their choice of deck. Michael Pramawat recently did well at a League Cup with his [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] deck, and I figured it would benefit the readers if I were to shed some light on that today.
The ingenious Pramawat took oil and vinegar and pieced it together into one monstrosity of a deck that manages to take on a majority of the format! He’s always been a daring player, and this list he provided us with demonstrates just that. Today, we’ll be looking at Alolan Ninetales from a new stance, and evaluating its strengths, weaknesses, and playability for the next standard Regional Championships in Hartford, CT!
Pramawat’s Alolan Ninetails / Po Town
[decklist name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″][pokemon amt=”17″]3x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Alolan Ninetales” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Strategy
The strategy of this deck is to use Aqua Patch to accelerate Energy onto Alolan Ninetales-GX, all the while spreading mass amounts of damage with [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] and Po Town. This deck can shift between two strategies — it can either go for intensive spread, including several Flying Flips followed by a Miraculous Shine from Espeon-EX, or it can go for brute OHKO’s from Ninetales’ Blizzard Edge attack, softened up from Po Town/Flying Flip. It’s truly versatile in a way that it can react to whatever deck the opponent is running, and doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses on the surface. [card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] adds a nice touch to the deck, being able to snipe any loose Pokemon off of the Bench, as well as threaten a Tapu Storm-GX at any time!
This deck’s consistency is also unparalleled as well, because of Alolan Vuplix’s attack Beacon. Beacon is such a strong attack in a format where there isn’t a lot of draw power — and when combined with support Pokemon such as [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], it becomes an engine on its own.
Let’s go into some of the reasons why Pramawat played the counts he did.
Card Counts
3 Ninetales-GX
[cardimg name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”132″ align=”left” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Our main attacker, [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card], is a Water-type GX Pokemon with a towering 210 HP. For a Stage 1, that’s actually a very high number! This makes it relatively difficult for a lot of Pokemon to OHKO it, barring the obvious [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. It has weakness to Metal-type Pokemon, so we’re namely looking at [card name=”Magearna-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY175″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card]. This Weakness is fine, as Metal-type Pokemon aren’t exactly prevailing in high number right now, and if they are, [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card] and Fire-type friends are likely going to overshadow our Steel enemies. We have a Retreat Cost of one, which is fine as well. Overall, the stats on this card are superb!
Alolan Ninetales is such a violent and versatile attacker, with several options. Upon the gauntlet of attacks, we have Ice Blade, a simple 50 damage snipe for a Double Colourless attachment. This is a great attack to prepare Pokemon for future KO’s, as well as setup cute devolution plays with [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card]. Sometimes, I’ll sacrifice my first Ninetales in order to repeatedly use Ice Blade to setup key knockouts throughout the game. This isn’t our main attack, but it sure packs a punch for an efficient single energy attachment.
The second attack we have is the main attraction of the deck — Blizzard Edge! Blizzard Edge has a rather unusual damage output of 160. I can’t really name off any Pokemon that has that number printed on their card, but that just makes Ninetales all the more unique. The number may be odd, but the math works: with the addition of [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], as well as any previous damage from Po Town and Flying Flip, this number can range anywhere from 160-260. With one Po Town effect, two Flying Flips, a Choice Band, and a Blizzard Edge, we can effectively KO a Metagross-GX. This attack’s drawback? We have to discard two Energy from Alolan Ninetales. In order to cope with this cost, we’ll usually be discarding a Double Colorless to pay for it; this makes it easier to stream multiple Blizzard Edges. What a beast of an attack!
Other than that, Alolan Ninetails-GX has one of my favorite GX attacks — Ice Path GX. Ice Path GX is reminiscent of [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY107″ c=”name”][/card]’s Damage Change from earlier last season, and we all know how effective that was! Being able to heal all damage off of Ninetales is insane when coupled with the ability to damage our opponent’s Active simultaneously. Consider this GX attack a cherry on top of our otherwise mile-high sundae. Bon appetite!
1 Alolan Ninetales
While this may not be the main course of the deck, this appetizer surely can spice up a couple of matchups. We play one copy of this card because of its ability, Luminous Barrier, which makes it immune to damage from Pokemon-EX and GX. This card is very situational, and is very fragile — however, when timed correctly, can be an unstoppable force, as well as a win condition. If our opponent doesn’t have any non-EX or non-GX Pokemon in their deck, we’ll automatically win provided we can setup this bad boy! Its attack hits for 80 damage at a time, which is fair in my opinion given the amount of Energy it requires. Overall, a solid addition to the deck to add a perfect element of surprise. Without it, the deck would pose one less threat!
4 Alolan Vuplix
This is arguably the best starter Pokemon in the entirety of Standard right now! It’s such a blessing that we get to play four as our Basic to the main attacker in this deck. For those unfamiliar with the attack, Beacon is an Energyless attack that allows for us to search our deck for any two Pokemon. This can help setup multiple Ninetales, grab extra Vulpix, or even nab ourselves a Tapu Lele-GX in order to search for a Supporter during our next turn. This card makes the deck ridiculously consistent, to the point where a hand is truly never dead!
2 Tapu Lele-GX
Two copies of this card is really all you’ll need, since you have the added consistency of Vulpix, as well as the board establishment from [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]! [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] becomes less of a necessary card in decks that have supplementary cards to accompany it. With all of the spread that takes place in this deck, Energy Drive becomes a stronger force; 80 damage is sometimes enough to KO some Pokemon in one direct attack! That’s only four Energy away, however, any extra Energy attachments we have to make will most likely be going onto a Ninetales of some sort, so be sure to plan those accordingly.
1-1 Octillery
[card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice inclusion in this deck for multiple reasons, and holds synergy within the deck as well! Let’s look at the basic principles of the deck — Octillery is a Stage 1 Pokemon that involves you having to find both the basic, [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], as well as the evolution, Octillery. Since we play Alolan Vulpix, we’re able to search out this line whenever we’d like in the first few opening turns. This strategy is simple, yet effective when setting up your board state. Octillery offers you extended draw throughout the game, and lends its merits turn after turn. If you average eight turns a game and have an Octillery out for seven of them, at an average of 2.5 cards drawn per Abyssal Hand, you’ll effectively draw 15 cards additionally during the game!
Abyssal Hand is also great at bouncing back from [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], which seems to be the crux of the current format. Without [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], there are less outs to naturally drawing out of late-game N draws, and most players rely on running hot. I’ve been enjoying the trend of players including [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] in their decks as well, but the thing I like most about this Ninetales deck is that Octillery doesn’t feel like a hassle to setup; it comes together naturally.
Octillery also aids you in drawing into your [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]es, which are truly the heart and soul of the deck. Without a consistent way to draw into Aqua Patches, I feel like this deck falls prey to much faster decks. Aqua Patch is mandatory in order to keep up pace with other decks! In a nutshell, Octillery integrates so well into this deck, and it would be a disservice to not include it. Remoraid also makes a fantastic [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] target if your opponent plays down this Stadium!
[premium]
3 Tapu Koko
[card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] is the egg to the quiche of this deck — it’s a pure powerhouse! Being able to spread 20 damage everywhere is nothing to scoff at; this is especially true when coupled with Ice Blade, as well as Po Town! If you’ve had a desirable opening turn, I urge you to use Flying Flip instead of Beacon. By spreading damage early on in the game, it puts more pressure on the opponent to overextend their own resources in favour of establishing a board of higher HP Pokemon. I’ve seen people lose to Tapu Koko just because they couldn’t set up fast enough!
Here’s an example of a scenario where Flying Flip is crazy: your opponent is playing Gardevoir. Turn one, they Brigette for three [card name=”Ralts” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. On your turn, you instigate the first Flying Flip. On the following turn, your opponent struggles to find Kirlia or Rare Candy. Onto your turn, you place Po Town down and attack once more with Flying Flip. The opponent then finds a [card name=”Kirlia” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], evolves and takes 30 damage from [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and then passes. That Kirlia now has 70 damage, and gets KO’ed by the final Flying Flip (as well as any other Ralts in play, or setup Pokemon considering three Flying Flips casts 60 damage across the board).
As if that wasn’t bad enough for your opponent, when coupled with Espeon-EX, Koko can be disastrous, and cuts the number of Flying Flips necessary to KO crucial Pokemon in evolution decks. Three Tapu Koko is the correct number in terms of strict consistency, as well as having an optimal starter Pokemon.
[cardimg name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
1 Espeon-EX
[card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] adds a nice zest to the deck that it previously didn’t have — the ability to devolve your opponent’s Pokemon. Miraculous Shine creates a soft-lock in the Standard format currently: when you’re able to consistently devolve the opponent’s Pokemon, and they’re unable to remove Po Town from play, their Pokemon will be unable to evolve without continuously taking damage. Sometimes, opponents won’t even evolve their Pokemon due to the sheer amount of damage Po Town casts. Espeon-EX closes out most of our evolution matchups by taking multiple Prizes at once! Flying Flip, Ice Blade, and any leftover damage on the field turn this strategy up to 11.
1 Tapu Fini-GX
[card name=”Tapu Fini-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] is the 60th card in this deck, but is still a worthwhile inclusion. The premise behind this card is to soak up all the excess Aqua Patches that you have at the end of the game, and use them to Hydro Shot a Benched Pokemon for 120 damage. Overall, this attack got better post-rotation because, since VS Seeker rotated, you have less [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] in the game. Since we have less ways to target a Benched Pokemon, instead of traditionally bringing it into the Active position, we can instead target it while it’s on the Bench.
Hydro Shot as an attack isn’t as resourceful as I’d like since it can’t discard [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] with its cost, but it does the job, and is good as a card to pose a final “check mate” on your opponent. It can frequently score KO’s with the attack since spread damage usually softens our targets. Tapu Storm is an excellent GX option in the deck when necessary, but it isn’t better than Ice Path as a whole. Tapu Storm adds a nice surprise element and versatility though! We won’t be using the first attack, Aqua Ring, very often. Still, with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], 50 damage with a hit and run effect can help you in niche scenarios, so don’t underestimate it!
4 N / 4 Professor Sycamore / 1 Brigette / 4 Ultra Ball
These are all optimal counts for consistency, and shouldn’t go any lower! I think the second [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] is arbitrary, as one copy of the card should be sufficient. If you choose to play two, it’ll congest your deck with cards that could be potentially harmful in the late game, provided they aren’t used during the game or foddered away with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Remember, with Beacon and Ultra Ball, Brigette isn’t always necessary!
Ultra Ball and Professor Sycamore are a must because they aid us in discarding Water Energy, only to recover them with Aqua Patches later on in the game.
3 Guzma
In this deck, Guzma becomes a multi-purpose tool when you’re able to snipe your opponent’s Bench — it’s important that we keep in mind as players that a card like Guzma can be used defensively. If the opponent has used many of their own Guzma (or [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]/Energy, for argument’s sake), their current Active Pokemon may be stuck Active barring they have no switching cards in hand, so if you use Guzma as a defensive play it’ll have to be an educated and calculated decision. This count could go to four, but I enjoy three! It is far too valuable of a resource, so use them sparingly.
[cardimg name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
4 Po Town
The card that makes this deck so innovative! All credit to Michael Pramawat, this genius idea pushes so many matchups that weren’t ideal out of the red zone, and into the green. Po Town effectively pushes [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card]’s damage output skyward, while not taking away from its consistency. [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] will wreck havoc on almost every evolution deck, whether it’s [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card], or even [card name=”Crabominable” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]! Combined with Espeon-EX and Tapu Koko, this concept truly melts down the Standard format into something that Alolan Ninetales can take on easily. My favourite play with this card has to be when my opponent evolves their Basic Pokemon into an 80 HP Stage 1 Pokemon, and then I’m able to score a sneaky KO with Ice Blade. Good hunting!
4 Aqua Patch
The Item card that holds this deck together! As I had previously mentioned, without [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]es, this deck would fall far behind the curve in terms of speed because other decks would be able to do what Ninetales does — except they’d do it faster. The more Aqua Patches you get in a game, the faster you’ll be able to win the game. This translates more-so to: the quicker I draw into my Aqua Patches, the quicker I’ll win, because 90% of the time you’ll have Water Energy in the discard.
For anybody knowledgable of how powerful [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] was, you can only imagine how powerful that concept is in the Standard format! You can slap these on either Ninetales, Tapu Fini, or even in some drastic scenarios, you can even slap them on Octillery! Just make sure you use Tapu Koko as a pivot point, because Aqua Patch only attaches Energy to Benched Pokemon.
4 Choice Band
More and more in decks you’ll be noticing a trend towards players sporting four copies of [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and for good reason — hitting key numbers is now more important than ever. Since we’re playing all of these spread damage modifiers, it only makes sense to play damage modifiers to attack the Active as well! Choice Band makes a good modifier on either Ninetales, on Tapu Lele, but especially Tapu Koko. Tapu Koko with a Choice Band can hit for 50, and 20 damage to each Benched Pokemon for a single Double Colorless Energy. This is unparalleled for a one-Prize attacker! Likewise, it makes a solid boost for OHKO’s, and allows Blizzard Edge to clean the field up.
1 Field Blower
This is for scrapping off Pokemon Tools when your opponent overplays cards. This is a highly versatile card that can get rid of key Choice Bands, can strand a Pokemon bare without a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], or can even remove Energy acceleration by discarding [card name=”Exp. Share” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. I personally find that this card helps to discard [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]s off of bulky Pokemon like [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card].
1 Rescue Stretcher
This is specifically for when a key 1-of gets KO’d, like Espeon-EX, or when you have a hand that was forced to discard a ton of your evolution Pokemon (such as Alolan Ninetales). This is strictly better than [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], because if you played Super Rod, you’d be forced to shuffle in Energy occasionally that you’d need to recycle with Aqua Patch. [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] can also net you back support Pokemon, such as [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]; this can be a fantastic play in a pickle!
1 Float Stone
[card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is a nice card to slap on an Alolan Ninetales because it gives you so much mobility — being able to retreat for free and not lose an Energy is quite nice. This card is also great to slap on an [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] for free retreat if your opponent ever manages to strand it in the active.
8 Water / 4 Double Colourless
This count could decrease to eight Water Energy, but that means you’re less likely to find ways for it to hit the discard pile. Four Double Colorless is a must, however, as it will be the main way for us to pay Blizzard Edge’s cost.
The Counter: Mr. Mime
[cardimg name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] puts a halt on some of our plans — its ability, Bench Barrier, makes it so that Tapu Koko can’t spread damage onto our opponent’s Benched Pokemon. This card will typically be played in evolution-style decks, so that it’s hard for us to use Espeon-EX’s Miraculous Shine, taking multiple Prize cards and devolving many Pokemon in the process. Po Town can sneak around Mr. Mime still, but there will be some game where we will straight up lose to this card because it is that preventative of our damage!
My best solution for taking out this clown? Prioritize using Guzma against Mr. Mime. Even if it isn’t wildly popular, taking it out makes your life SO much easier. The damage you’ll be able to put out in the mid to late game will far exceed the damage you’d do if Mr. Mime remained in play for the duration of the game. So just to recap — Guzma up the Mr. Mime, and take it out as early as possible (especially if the opponent has a known low Rescue Stretcher count).
Matchups
Gardevoir — Favourable
[card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is an evolution deck that doesn’t play a counter Stadium, so provided we can get a [card name=”Po Town” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] into play quickly, we’ll be able to place many damage counters onto our opponent’s board. Likewise, Ninetales with a Choice Band can OHKO a Gardevoir-GX with 50 damage on it. This 50 damage is typically achieved via one Po Town and one Flying Flip. If they ever can’t OHKO us, then we have the ability to use Ice Path, inflicting a ton of damage on our opponent! Our main GX attack will be Tapu Storm this matchup, just because a Gardevoir with tons of Energy can sometimes take over the control of the game.
Fire — Favourable
This matchup isn’t as favourable as some think! They’re using entirely Basic Pokemon, which can oppose us very easily since they don’t fall prey to Po Town. Also, with the inclusion of [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], they pose an attacker that isn’t weak to Water. Our goal will be to KO their attackers by prompting a Flying Flip, and then using Ice Blade combined with Guzma to deal 160 damage onto an active [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card]. Pro tip: although Ho-Oh-GX isn’t weak to Water, it is weak to Lightning types — use Tapu Koko with a Choice Band to deal heaps of damage on this bird.
Golisopod / Garbodor — Very Favourable
This matchup is very simple for Ninetales! Our opponent won’t have a way to OHKO a Ninetales, so our Ice Path GX attack poses a giant threat to their field, and will set them back at least a turn while propelling yourself forward one turn minimum. Their go-to play will be to try and prolong the game for as long as possible, making you play more Items. As long as you’re conservative with your Aqua Patches, and don’t fodder away too many Item cards with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]/[card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll be fine! In order to accomplish this, you can sit back and use Beacon for an extra turn in order to setup all of your Pokemon without the use of Ultra Ball. If your opponent tries to use [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] to loop First Impressions against you, just use Po Town against them — their Golisopod will gain 30 damage upon evolving, and then we can follow up with a Blizzard Edge plus Choice Band to hit a perfect 190. Too easy!
Metagross — Unfavourable
Yuck, Steel-types really rain on our parade! But on the plus side, we have a better [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] matchup than ever before with the inclusion of Po Town and Tapu Koko. With spread damage, we can sometimes squeak out a win with Miraculous Shine, but [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] becomes an issue once we begin to hit the magic numbers. Pacing yourself this game is critical; you’re going to need to think a few turns ahead, and strategically plot damage onto your opponent’s field as the game proceeds. They might have Ninetales’ weakness covered, but you can use other support Pokemon to land KO’s on opposing Metagross.
Greninja — Very Favourable
Ah, the gold ol’ frog! This matchup becomes very favourable since the inclusion of Po Town, namely due to how many times [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] has to evolve in order to reach its final form, [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]! By the time it has to evolve all of the way up there, they’ll have already taken 90 damage from Po Town, and at least three Flying Flips from Tapu Koko! Unfortunately, with the current way standard Greninja lists are engineered, they lose this match very quickly.
If you’re ever in trouble, just use Espeon-EX to devolve their frogs, and force them into a pressured position to get rid of Po Town. In most cases, they’ll be forced to discard key evolution Pokemon in order to hit their [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], and at this point, you can just place down your next Po Town. Either that, or they have to use Bubble for days in order to prevent your next Miraculous Shine.
[cardimg name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Tapu Bulu / Vikavolt — Even
In this matchup, it’s all about the OHKO’s, and both you and your opponent will be trading back and forth. Their Energy acceleration is on the board in the form of [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM28″ c=”name”][/card], however for us, our additional damage can take the form of Tapu Koko. They’ll rely on using Choice Band to reach OHKO’s, where for us, a Flying Flip will set up all [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] for a knockout. We have inherit consistency, they have more pressuring game-plays. All in all, this is a hard match for both players, and is a race to the end!
The Coming of the Ice Age
As this deck picks up popularity, more and more people will begin to tech [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] into their evolution decks, as well as some basic decks. This is a threat to us, but provided enough people don’t hype this deck, we should be fine piloting this list for Hartford, CT. Speaking of Connecticut, I’ll be there for their first Regionals! I missed New England Regionals back in the day, but now it’s coming back for the 2017-2018 season. I can’t wait to soak up what the US east coast has to offer, as well as meet new players from the area. If you see me, be sure to say hi, or just message me on Facebook if you have any questions about the article. Until then, get lucky and run hot!
-Jay Lesage
#PlayPokemon
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