Don’t Be a Bulu – A Double Regionals Recap and Unique Disruption Decks

By: Grant Manley · Posted Posted onNov 3, 2017 at 6:26 PM · 0 Comments

Hello everyone! This is Grant, back with another piece about the Expanded format. Today I’ll recap the two Regional Championships I’ve attended since Ft. Wayne and then look at a couple of neat Expanded decks. I have a bit of a break from tournaments until Memphis Regional Championships in December. Because of Ft. Wayne and Daytona both being Expanded, that is the format that I’ve been messing around with the most. Additionally, I just don’t like any of the decks in Standard. Hopefully this article will serve useful for anyone preparing for Expanded League Cups and San Jose Regional Championships. I will only briefly will discuss Standard to start because I went to Hartford. I’ll first look at my deck choice for the tournament, then we’ll get into Expanded.

Hartford Recap

Hartford was the most salt-inducing tournament I’ve been to in awhile.

[decklist name=”Tapu Toolbox” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Grubbin” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”13″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Heavy Ball” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Recycler” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]7x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”XY” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]5x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This is the deck known as VikaBulu, though I prefer to call it Tapu Toolbox. The strategy is familiar, utilize [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] to power [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] and swing for massive amounts of damage. While Tapu Bulu-GX is the main attacker, every Pokemon in the deck can be used as an effective attacker. This list is a bit out of the ordinary, and I recommend swapping one Tapu Lele-GX out for a second Professor Sycamore. Other than that, the list is 100% optimal. Allow me to explain the list, as I believe it is still relevant and I encourage you to try it out.

Card Explanations

3-0-2 Vikavolt 

[cardimg name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This is an unusually thin [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] line, but I made the list focused on the turn two Vikavolt. [card name=”Charjabug” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] only hinders the strategy of the quick Vikavolt, and thus has no place in the list. Since Vikavolt is difficult to Knock Out, one is usually sufficient to have out per game. However, provided the second Vikavolt isn’t prized, it is usually easy to get the second one out at some point. Three Vikavolt does add consistency to the turn two Vikavolt odds, but I couldn’t justify cutting anything for the third.

One Tapu Koko-GX

[card name=”Tapu Koko-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] is admittedly a questionable inclusion. However its GX attack, Tapu Thunder GX, does 50 damage for each Energy on your opponent’s side of the field. Thanks to the Aero Trail and Strong Charge, Koko can come out of nowhere and take a surprise KO with its GX attack. This can really be used against anything, though it is particularly useful against decks such as Volcanion and Gardevoir that load Energy onto their board. Additionally, Tapu Koko-GX’s non-GX attack OHKOs [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], even if Ho-Oh is equipped with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card].

One Clefairy EVO

[card name=”Clefairy” set=”Evolutions” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]’s second attack, Metronome, copies an attack from your opponent’s Active Pokemon. Clefairy is used as a hard counter to [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. It can copy Infinite Force for an easy OHKO and will only cost you one Prize card, which is a favorable trade. Clefairy is also great in the mirror match to OHKO an opposing [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card].

One Jirachi XY67

[card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] is also a hard counter to Gardevoir, which is not a deck I want to lose to due to its strength and popularity. Jirachi does so many things for that matchup. First and foremost, it hits for 80 with a [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. This puts the Gardevoir into KO range of just about any of your attackers. Second, it discards a Double Colorless Energy. This weakens the Gardevoir’s future attacks by 40 and forces them to commit more Energy if they ever want to attack with that Gardevoir again. Finally, the invulnerability that Jirachi gains by discarding DCE works well to put tons of pressure on the Gardevoir player.

Another useful thing about Jirachi is that it does at least 20 damage to Gardevoir, even with no Tool. If your opponent plays [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to block the [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card] spread, you can use Stardust to put Gardevoir within KO range of [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card].

Three Draw Supporters

This deck doesn’t really need draw Supporters, at least not many of them. Brigette and Skyla aid in getting the turn two Vikavolt. With Vikavolt and Oranguru out, the deck basically runs itself. That said, I’d still cut a Tapu Lele-GX for a Sycamore. Sometimes you just want to Sycamore, ya know?

Two Guzma

Two [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is standard for this deck. You use the two Guzma to take four Prizes, and you take your other two Prizes when your opponent is inevitably forced to attack with a Pokemon-GX or Pokemon-EX. Alternatively, you can KO two non-GXs. The point is, Guzma helps you win but you don’t really need more than two.

Four Skyla

[card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] is the preferred engine due to Tapu Toolbox’s relative lack of reliance on draw Supporters. Skyla is instrumental in setting up Vikavolt and it grabs crucial Items at specific times. I’ve used it to find every Item at some point or another. With so many situation-specific Items in the deck, Skyla works like a charm.

Four Field Blower

[cardimg name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is this deck’s worst enemy, so I chose to counter it in the best way I could think of. With how popular Garb is, I feel that four Field Blower is fully justified. It is also great against Volcanion decks and their pesky Fury Belt.

Three Fighting Fury Belt and Choice Band

[card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is great in VikaBulu, and that is why I play three. However, I don’t know why people are so opposed to playing both Tools. [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is amazing in so many matchups. It is great against Volcanion to make Bulu harder to Knock Out for them. You don’t need Choice Band math against Fire decks, since the extra 10 damage from Fury Belt still lets you OHKO [card name=”Turtonator-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ho-Oh-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card]. Fury Belt is also fantastic against Greninja, as it lets Bulu OHKO [card name=”Frogadier” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card] with Horn Attack, while still adding the extra HP. Fury Belt works well against [card name=”Metagross-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], as it forces them to have Field Blower just to Knock Out Promo Tapu Koko or a Tapu Bulu-GX in one hit.

Hartford Matchups

  • Round 1 vs. VikaBulu WLW
  • Round 2 vs. [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / Garb LL
  • Round 3 vs. Volcanion LWW
  • Round 4 vs. [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] LL
  • Round 5 vs. [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] WLW
  • Round 6 vs. [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] WLT
  • Round 7 vs. [card name=”Xerneas BREAK” set=”Steam Siege” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] LWW
  • Round 8 vs. [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • Round 9 vs. [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] WW

6-2-1, Top 64

I was fortunate enough to hit a slew of highly favorable matchups, and I was able to beat most of them. The losses and the tie were incredibly dumb and left a sour taste in my mouth, but I will try not to complain about the details too much. I still really like this VikaBulu list. I know it is unusual, but I definitely recommend it for any future Standard events you may have. It is much better than the usual VikaBulu lists.

[premium]

Daytona Recap

I’m not sure why I played this, but it seemed good at the time.

[decklist name=”Toad” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Skrelp” set=”Flashfire” no=”44″][pokemon amt=”13″]4x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Seviper” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dragalge” set=”Flashfire” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Skrelp” set=”Flashfire” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”43″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ 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=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Poison Barb” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”38″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

“Poison Darts,” as I like to call it, has a lot of things going for it, which makes the deck seems unfairly good at times. One thing I will say is that the deck 100% needs a fourth [card name=”Poison Barb” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]. Playing only three was a massive mistake on my part and I was sufficiently punished for it. Luckily, the deck is so strong in and of itself that I was able to put up a decent result even with only three Barb. The strategy of the deck is to place your opponent under Item-lock for the entire game while applying massive pressure with Poison damage. Thanks to [card name=”Seviper” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card], poison can do up to 70 damage in between turns. [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] is the unfair factor since straight up erases most attacks, which you can do up to seven times in one game! Thanks to Item-lock, your opponent won’t even get to attack as freely as they would like.

I actually wrote about this deck in my last article. The list hasn’t changed that much, so you can check out my last article for explanations of the card counts. I cut [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] from my previous list, as I correctly predicted that I wouldn’t face any Grass-type decks such as [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card]. In day two, there were two such decks and two decks with [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card]. Luckily, I didn’t face either of them. This deck has favorable to even matchups against just about everything that doesn’t have Grass-types or [card name=”Comfey” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. Therefore, it is favored against most of the meta.

Daytona Matchups

  • Round 1 vs. Night March WW
  • Round 2 vs. [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • Round 3 vs. Night March WW
  • Round 4 vs. [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] WLL
  • Round 5 vs. Darkrai WW
  • Round 6 vs. Night March WW
  • Round 7 vs. [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] LWW
  • Round 8 vs. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox WLT
  • Round 9 vs. Darkrai ID

6-1-2, 32nd seed

  • Round 10 vs. Darkrai WW
  • Round 11 vs. [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Comfey” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] LL
  • Round 12 vs. Night March WW
  • Round 13 vs. [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] WW
  • Round 14 vs. [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor WW

10-2-2, 5th seed

  • Top 8 vs. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] Toolbox LL

I ended up losing in Top 8. My losses in round four and Top 8 were due to a combination of errors on my part, and not finding [card name=”Poison Barb” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], which could have potentially been avoided if I played four like I should have. On the other hand, I did get extremely unlucky with my hands in Top 8 (and in round four).  However, I could have potentially salvaged that match as well. In game two I used [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card] for the wrong two cards which may have costed me that game. I went for the greedy Poison-lock play on a [card name=”Drampa-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] instead of taking the Knock Out with [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. I think my play was reasonable but in the end it was incorrect. I consider Espeon to be a 60-40 matchup and Garbodor toolbox to be a 55-45 matchup. If Garbodor does not play Drampa (like my round seven opponent), then the matchup is probably closer to 70-30.

All of my matches against non-Garbodor decks were completely one-sided. I lost horribly to the Gardevoir with [card name=”Comfey” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] (as Comfey is a hard counter to this deck) but I didn’t drop a game to anything else. I was surprised that I didn’t play against any [card name=”Turtonator-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card] decks, although it is a favorable matchup. Due to a fortunate series of events, I knew I was somewhat safe for Top 8 after the conclusion of round 11. This is because all of my awful matchups in day two were out of range for me to play against due to varying records. I could have theoretically played against a Garbodor deck and lost, but I was lucky to have three fairly easy matchups for my final swiss rounds.

Trevenant

The next deck I want to discuss is actually Trevenant. I’ve always hated how mindless, degenerate, and bad this deck was in the past. However, I’ve come up with a different build of the deck that I very nearly played in Daytona instead of Poison Darts. This concept isn’t revolutionary, but it isn’t something that is seen too often. Here is an even more degenerate version of Trevenant.

[decklist name=”Trevenant” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]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=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The only differences between this list and other Trevenant builds are the inclusions of [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] as opposed to other forms of disruption and [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. I love playing this deck. I agree that it is degenerate and that turn one Item-lock shouldn’t be a thing. However, it is not too brainless and has a good shot at beating just about everything. Silent Lab is neat because it destroys counters such as [card name=”Giratina” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY184″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Latias-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card]. The main draw for this deck is its great Garbodor matchup, as I will explain below. The win condition in most other matchups, such as Turbo Dark and Turbo [card name=”Turtonator-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card], is to use Silent Fear three times and follow with a Black Ray GX. Guzma, Team Flare Grunt, Silent Lab, and Forest’s Curse all aid in locking things Active so that you can use spread attacks uncontested.

[cardimg name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The list is straight consistency. The goal isn’t necessarily to get the turn one [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], but that does happen on occasion. You need to use utmost discretion as to when you play down Lab and Red Card. As a general rule, turn one is a great time to play those when going first. Later on in the game, how and when to use various cards becomes more ambiguous. Sometimes you will need to leave an opposing Dimension Valley in play so you can use it for yourself. Sometimes [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] is better than Lysandre and vice versa. Sometimes an opponent’s eight card hand should be left alone and not shuffled back in with Red Card. Regarding the list however, most of the cards should be self-explanatory since they all directly contribute to disruption or consistency. Therefore, let’s look at matchups instead of card counts.

Matchups

Night March – Autowin

Night March has always struggled with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. This variant of Trevenant is even more difficult for Night March because the Hammers and [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] in other Trevenant lists don’t harm Night March at all, whereas Red Card and Silent Lab can harm them tremendously. Overall, Night March will succumb to the Item-lock and spread damage nine times out of ten.

Turbo Dark – Slightly Favorable

Yes, I have the audacity to say that my Trevenant list is slightly favorable against Dark. But when I say slightly favorable, I mean in the range of 50-50 to 52-48. The matchup is incredibly close and can go either way. The strategy is to lock something Active with Silent Lab and Team Flare Grunt, while happily spreading away with Silent Fear, with Necrozma’s Black Ray being the endgame. Turbo Dark’s reliance on Items is what gives Trevenant the slight edge. The disruption comination of Red Card + Lab + Item Lock + Team Flare Grunt is often enough to win games against Darkrai. I will admit that the opening coin flip has a considerable amount of influence in how the match goes, as there is a huge difference between playing against a Darkrai player who gets to use Items on their first turn as opposed to one who does not.

Turbo Turtonator – Favorable

This matchup is a bit funny because of how little Item-lock affects the Turtonator deck. That said, Item-lock in tandem with all of the other disruptive elements of the deck does a number on Turtonator and the deck will lose steam. It is fairly easy to trap something Active. Just like with Darkrai, you want to spread damage with Silent Fear and use Black Ray GX as a finisher. There is not much to say with this matchup. Just execute this deck’s strategy, and you will win more often than not. You usually do not want Turtonator-GX in the Active spot but it’s not a huge deal because it has to discard Energy with its attack, usually to take only one Prize card.

Garbodor – Favorable

Trevenant is one of the few decks in Expanded with a definitive advantage over the new Garbodor Toolbox deck. Turns out, Tool Drop likes to be able to play its Tools and Garbodor likes to use Ultra Ball to find the Garbotoxin. Too bad for them. Tree Slam OHKOs most of the deck while Silent Fear can wreak havoc as well. You also win the Stadium war and can take advantage of Dimension Valley when you want to. Garbodor has a hard time dealing with the disruption of Trevenant XY and the constant pressure of Weakness-boosted Tree Slams. Sometimes you want to take OHKOs with Tree Slam, and sometimes you want to spam Silent Fear. It just depends on the situation, but either way you come away with a favorable matchup.

Trevenant – Favorable

There are a few reasons why this list is favorable against the more popular builds of Trevenant. First and foremost, this list lacks Dimension Valley which is dead weight in the mirror. Opposing Hammers are also rather useless in the mirror but so is Red Card, so those cards are a wash. With Silent Lab, you can pick and choose when you want to abuse Dimension Valley and when you don’t want your opponent to use it. Thanks to the high counts of DCE, this version is more equipped to attack without Dimension Valley than the mirror is. Additionally, the two Flare Grunts are helpful on their own. The combination of Flare Grunt and Silent Lab (to deny Valley) is what gives you the edge in the mirror and provides you with a definitive advantage. However, the matchup can still be lost just because of Item-lock shenanigans.

Gardevoir – Slightly Favorable

I’ve only played this matchup a handful of times. It seems to be close to 50-50 but with a slight edge towards Trevenant since Silent Fear puts on a lot of pressure. If the Gardevoir player is unable to find their setup Pokemon, such as [card name=”Sylveon-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Alolan Vulpix” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] then they will just lose. If they are able to setup a Gardevoir, then it becomes a game. If they are able to set up multiple Gardevoir, then Trevenant starts to falter. As always, disruption is the name of the game.

Golisopod – Unfavorable

[cardimg name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”117″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup seems terrible, but I haven’t played it so I can’t say for sure. Golisopod usually runs high counts of Acerola and Guzma which is problematic for Trevenant. Additionally, First Impression only costs only one Energy! Luckily, Golisopod isn’t very popular right now.

Other Options

Field Blower

[card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is a worthwhile consideration as it can remove pesky Tools such as [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] that your opponent may have had the opportunity to attach on turn one or after a [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to get around the Item-lock. Field Blower would be a great counter to a Guzma, Ultra Ball for Garbotoxin, and Float Stone play that could happen at some point against Garbodor decks. However, the odds of Garbotoxin actually coming out are fairly low amidst all the disruption, and you can always OHKO with Tree Slam to remove it. I don’t think Field Blower is absolutely needed, but like I said, it’s a worthwhile consideration.

Espeon-EX

[card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] seems like a nice fit for a spread deck like this. It can function as an endgame much like [card name=”Necrozma-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], and it can take multiple Prizes at once against Evolution-based decks like Gardevoir and Golisopod. I haven’t tried it but it seems like it could be useful. I don’t like how it hurts consistency by decreasing the already-sketchy odds of a Phantump start. It is also a liability against many top Expanded decks such as Darkrai, Turtonator, and Garbodor if you start it, and dead weight if you don’t.

Stoutland

The final deck I would like to discuss is [card name=”Stoutland” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Raichu” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card]. If you haven’t already heard of this deck, you are in for a real treat. As far as I know, this deck was created by Ross Cawthon and Sam Chen. Both of these amazing players actually chose to play this deck at Daytona Regional Championships, but both of them unfortunately whiffed day two. I believe they both ended up with five wins, but I could be wrong. Here is a modified build my friend Eddie and I made that is a little different from their list.

[decklist name=”Stoutland” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”20″]3x [card name=”Stoutland” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Herdier” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillipup” set=”Black and White” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Raichu” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Pikachu” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM04″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Goodra” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Goomy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shining Celebi” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Devolution Spray” set=”Fates Collide” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Flashfire” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sparkling Robe” set=”Furious Fists” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW50″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”5″]5x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This deck is super interesting to me for a number of reasons. Stoutland has quite a powerful evolution line in Expanded. One thing to note is that every pre-evolution actually matters a lot. You must be using the correct pre-evolutions and you must be using four [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW50″ c=”name”][/card] for this deck to correctly function. And yes, we are legitimately using the Pikachu from the cereal box promotion, though you can use any of the Promo Pikachu with 70 HP and the paralysis attack. Anyway, let me tell you what you’re looking at. My mind was absolutely blown when I saw this deck in action at the Daytona Regional Championships.

[cardimg name=”Raichu” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”41″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The strategy of this deck is to set up a complicated and permanent Paralysis-lock. This lock requires many moving pieces to deal with the vast card pool in Expanded, but once the lock is established, it is almost unbreakable. You use [card name=”Raichu” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] to paralyze your opponent, and use both [card name=”Devolution Spray” set=”Fates Collide” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] to re-use Raichu’s Evoshock every turn. Your Active Pokemon is [card name=”Stoutland” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], whose Ability is absolutely insane since prevents your opponent from playing Supporters! This turns off disruptive Supporters such as Guzma and N. Next up is Shining Celebi. [card name=”Shining Celebi” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM79″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t legal yet, so you can use [card name=”Celebi-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] instead, which is what Sam and Ross played in Daytona. Regardless of which one you play, Celebi’s Ability allows Stoutland to use Lillipup’s attacks. [card name=”Lillipup” set=”Black and White” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] has an attack called Pickup, which lets you reuse Devolution Spray over and over for Raichu to constantly paralyze your opponent. Once you run out of cards in your deck, use Pickup to recover [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Flashfire” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], then use Pal Pad to recover two AZ. At this point, you have won the game.

Since this deck doesn’t take Prizes, it can be vulnerable to bad prizing. That is why this deck runs an extra copy of most cards that are absolutely essential to the strategy. The extra is the buffer to allow for a copy of something being prized. For instance, the deck plays two Raichu, even though only one is needed throughout the game. For the same reason, I play three AZ because you need two of them for the Pal Pad infinite lock. This strategy applies for Raichu, Shining Celebi, Tapu Lele, AZ, Pal Pad, and Devolution Spray. The deck only runs one Brigette, which is a big risk. You could theoretically cut a Pikachu for a Brigette, and that is entirely up to you. To be honest, I’m not sure which split of Pikachu and Brigette is correct. Anything that the deck runs excess copies of such as Lillipup, Pikachu, Tropical Beach, Lightning Energy, etc., is for consistency. Now let me go over a few of the techs real quick.

Goodra

[card name=”Goodra” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is a genius counter to [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Goodra’s Ability, Slip Trip, states that your opponent can’t attach Tools from their hand to any of their Pokemon. Garbodor would be a hard counter to this deck,  but Goodra completely stops your opponent from activating Garbotoxin, completely shutting down the best deck in the game. I would love to run a 2-0-2 line of Goodra, but space does not allow for it. You must rely on luck to not prize Goomy or Goodra when you find yourself against Garbodor. As soon as you realize a piece is prized in game one of a best of three, you must scoop immediately.

Sparkling Robe

[card name=”Sparkling Robe” set=”Furious Fists” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is a wickedly effective counter to Hyper Hypnosis from [card name=”Malamar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] as well as [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and opposing Evoshocks in the mirror match. All Dark decks run either Malamar or Hypnotoxic Laser, so Sparkling Robe is an essential inclusion. It may be worthwhile to try and find space for a second one.

Field Blower

The deck runs two [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with any Tools your opponent may have attached to Trubbish or Garbodor before Goodra hits the board. You could run only one Field Blower, but with one Goomy, one Goodra, and one Blower, you’re just asking for something to be prized. I run two Blower and a 1-0-1 Goodra line instead of one Blower and a 2-0-1 Goodra line because Pokemon are easier to search out than Items. I think that is correct, but I could be wrong.

Matchups and Counters

Most of your matchups are the same. Get the lock and win. However, there are some ways for specific decks to escape the lock and you simply have to take the loss to those.

Rush In / Stand In

[card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] both have an Ability that allows them to escape the Paralysis-lock as long as they are on the Bench. You must use Guzma on these Pokemon and Paralyze them. If your opponent gets out more than one of them, you lose. Fortunately, very few decks run these cards, and most decks with Keldeo only play one, which is lockable.

Switch / Escape Rope / Field Blower and Laser

These counters have finite uses so they aren’t actually problematic unless coupled with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card].

Comfey / Virizion-EX / Greninja / Trevenant

You lose, sorry. Depending on who you are, this may be too many autolosses to consider playing the deck. If Trevenant starts with something that isn’t Phantump, you have a decent chance to win. Your only real shot in these matchups is to go in attacking with Raichu or Stoutland and just hope your opponent draws terribly.

Conclusion

Welp, that’s all I got for today. Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed learning a little about these obnoxious Expanded lock decks that I am so fond of! They are all really neat and I encourage you to try them out if you don’t mind playing that kind of deck.

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