Mind the Bench — The Significance of the Bench in the Pokemon TCG

Hello ‘Beach goers! Dang! It has been a while since I last wrote but I am excited to be back. The last six months have been some of the hardest months of my life up until this point. Between graduate school, starting my own YouTube channel and continuing to teach full time, I feel like I barely have time to take care of myself anymore. That being said, I’m happy to be writing again. Writing for PokeBeach holds a special place in my heart. This is where my Pokemon career really took off. Writing feels less like work, and more like a vacation from my other various responsibilities. I’m happy to be here, and no matter how hectic my life gets, I love the work that I do for this site. In this article, I will be reviewing my deck choice at the recent Memphis, TN Regional Championship. Then, I will be elaborating on the topic of Bench management and Parallel City in the Pokemon TCG.

Memphis, TN Regional Championships

I just recently returned from the Memphis, TN Regional Championships where I was able to finish fourth in a field of nearly 1,000 masters competitors playing [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. I am happy with how my deck performed at Memphis and am thankful to have another Top 8 Regional finish. In fact, this finish marks the fifth consecutive year that I have posted a Top 8 Regional finish! Alongside my Top 8 International Championship placement in July, this finish has me feeling pretty confident about my potential to eventually capture another big title event.

Deck Choice

About a month before Memphis, I was at a loss for what to play. I had continued to dabble with [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] variants at local League Cups after my Top 32 finish in Hartford, Connecticut, but wasn’t seeing a ton of success with them. When Crimson Invasion dropped, I was immediately interested in testing with [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. The card reminded me a lot of [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], one of my favorite cards ever printed, so I built a draft of Buzzwole / Garbodor to begin testing. Unfortunately, my testing didn’t go too well, so I decided to wait for results from the European International Championships before continuing to test for Memphis.

After the EUIC concluded, I was intrigued by [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] and Decidueye-GX / [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. The decks seemed strong and I already had a lot of experience piloting both archetypes. My friends and I built all the Top 8 decks from the event. After grinding out some testing games and taking Decidueye GX / Zoroark GX to a League Cup, I was still not confident with either deck. When Gardevoir and Decidueye set up, they are amazing, but I started to become frustrated by the natural inconsistencies of Stage 2 decks in general. As we tested more games, basic decks and Stage 1 decks seemed to have a clear advantage over Stage 2 decks. I became very fascinated by the [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / Lycanroc GX decks that finished in the Top 8 of the EUIC.

Without Parallel City

After testing a few games with Buzzwole GX / Lycanroc GX, my friends and I quickly determined that the deck was beast mode and could blow anything out of the water if the opponent didn’t have an answer to it. Since the deck did not finish in the Top 4 of the EUIC, it had also still managed to fly a bit under the radar as a top competitor. Excited about the potential of the deck, I took it to a League Cup, but was stomped in Top 8 by my friend Riley Hubert’s Decidueye GX / Zoroark GX deck. I couldn’t believe how well he made the deck run and with a copy of [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] to boot, I got promptly destroyed. I was disheartened by the fact that a deck that I considered to be one of the most powerful decks in Standard Format could be toppled so effortlessly by Decidueye. Intent finding a way to compete with Decidueye, I scrambled for options and eventually started testing my favorite Stadium, [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card].

With Parallel City

I tested a few games of Buzzwole with Parallel City and decided that it was the answer that I had been looking for. Parallel makes Buzzwole aggressive in a whole new way. With Lycanroc’s Bloodthirsty Eyes and Parallel City, the deck can simultaneously pick off Pokemon on the opponent’s Bench while also limiting the number of options to which the opponent can pivot. The timing was perfect too. After the EUIC, everyone seemed to be cutting [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] counts because of the lack of [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] in the metagame. With less Field Blower being played, Parallel proved to be an excellent call for the Memphis Regional Championships. I consistently forced my opponents into compromising situations with the Stadium, and attribute much of my success to the inclusion of Parallel. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here is the list I used to finish fourth place at the Memphis Regional Championships.

[decklist name=”Buzzwole-GX / Lycaroc-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Zygarde-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Regirock-EX” set=”Fates Collide” no=”43″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/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″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]9x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”9″][/card]4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Fates Collide” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Though I could talk at length about the inner workings of this deck, the thing that makes my list unique is the inclusion of Parallel City, a card that I feel is vastly underutilized in the current Standard Format. The remainder of this article will focus on the concept of a Bench and Bench management in the Pokemon TCG. Then I will go into the effectiveness of Bench limiting cards like Parallel City and their place in both Standard and Expanded Formats.

Bench Management in the Pokemon TCG

Proper Bench management has long been one of the most essential skills to develop as a Pokemon TCG player. Benching the wrong Pokemon can set your deck off course turns down the line. In most circumstances, you have an Active position and five Bench spots to work with in order to formulate your strategy to win. What you place on your Bench greatly depends on what deck you are playing, what strategy you are trying to employ and what strategy your opponent is trying to use against you. It takes good judgement to know when to fill your Bench, and when to save room for another [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. There are a lot of things to consider when filling your Bench, and it is my goal here to shed some light on the things you should be thinking about when formulating a Bench in the Pokemon TCG.

A Brief History of the Bench and Gusting Effects in the TCG

Having spent some time playing with Wizards of the Coast era cards as well as formats through the early 2000s, I have pretty firm knowledge of the kinds of Bench management strategies that occurred throughout the history of the game, and the impact of gusting cards on the Pokemon TCG. Bench management and gusting effects go hand in hand, because a lot of what goes on on the Bench has a lot to do with how much an opponent has access to it! Bench management and gusting have a huge impact on the game today, so I think it will be beneficial to talk about where the game has been with these two essential TCG entities.

Wizards of the Coast Era

In Base to Fossil sets, there was a ton of hazing cards. Powerful Trainers such as Gust of Wind, Computer Search and Item Finder meant that bringing up a card on opponents side of the field was always an option. However, despite the powerful field disruption cards that existed, there was no way to remove a Pokemon from an opponent’s hand during this time. There was no equivalent of [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Rocket’s Admin.” set=”EX Team Rocket Returns” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], so if you had a Pokemon in your hand, you could rest assured that it was staying there. However, there was always the looming question of when is the ideal time to Bench a card.

In the original Base Set Format, you wanted to make sure that you benched whoever you were going to promote to attack next before your Active Pokemon got Knocked Out. If you didn’t have your next attacking Pokemon lined up and ready to go, you would have to find a copy of Switch or Scoop Up in order to get the proper Pokemon into the Active position. If you benched a Pokemon too soon, however, your opponent could Gust it up and attack it. Otherwise, you wanted to keep the Pokemon in your hand in case you needed to use it to discard with Computer Search or Item Finder — or just to keep it safe. Although there weren’t many evolution Pokemon played during the original Base Format, you always wanted to set up Basics that would evolve as soon as possible, and preferably in sets of two.

Introduction of Free Retreat Pokemon

[cardimg name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ align=”left” c=”custom”]Free Retreat is still amazing![/cardimg]

The Bench situation changed with the release of Jungle and the introduction of Scyther. Scyther was not only revolutionary because it resisted the popular and overpowered Hitmonchan, but also because it boasted free retreat! The benefits of a free retreater are astounding: by promoting a free retreater, you don’t have to know who you want to attack with until after you draw your card and perform your entire turn. A lot of information can be revealed during a turn, information that will inform with what you should be attacking by the end of the turn. Free retreaters allow you to be simultaneously more secretive and responsive with your strategy, making them invaluable.

Early 2000s

As the game evolved, Pokemon realized that giving players infinite access to their opponents Bench was a bad idea and limited the potential for creative deck building. To fix this, Nintendo nerfed the overpowered Gust of Wind by replacing it with the less exciting [card name=”Pokémon Reversal” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card]. Pokemon Reversal was a Gust of Wind that required a coin flip. Although some decks utilized the card effectively in their strategies, the coin flip deterred many decks from playing gusting cards all together, and allowed set up Pokemon to see play. Many players agree that limiting gusting power slowed games down and forced players to plan out their strategies turns in advance, increasing the skill required to play the game.

Although gusting cards were not as big of a deal, Bench management and planning still played a huge role in strategy. Supporter Cards like [card name=”Steven’s Advice” set=”EX Hidden Legends” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] which was printed in both 2004 and 2007, allowed the player to draw up to as many Pokemon as the opponent had in play. This means that if the opponent has six Pokemon in play, you got to draw six cards. Denying your opponent a powerful turn with Steven’s Advice was a valid strategy. Additionally, Pokemon like [card name=”Ludicolo” set=”EX Deoxys” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] dealt more damage for the number of Pokemon in play not named Ludicolo, meaning that the more Pokemon the opponent puts in play, the more damage your Ludicolo is going to do!

With the exception of the format defining [card name=”Luxray GL LV.X” set=”Rising Rivals” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], whose Ability will appear familiar to anyone who has read [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], catcher effects remained relatively tame until 2011 when [card name=”Pokémon Reversal” set=”EX Unseen Forces” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] took the format by storm. Many competitive players consider 2011 to be one of the worst eras of the game, largely because of the luck factor involved with Reversal flips.

[premium]

Black and White – On

After this, we start to step into the modern era of the Pokemon TCG. Instead of removing catcher effects from the game after Pokemon Reversal caused such headaches for set up decks, Pokemon decided to rerelease Gust of Wind in the form of [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. Pokemon Catcher completely defined the formats that it existed in. At one point, the card was a $12 uncommon! With Pokemon Catcher in every deck, along with [card name=”Junk Arm” set=”Triumphant” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card], it felt like there was never a time the opponent did not have access to your Bench. In fact, if you wanted to keep your Bench safe, you had to set up [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Undaunted” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] so that your opponent could not play Catcher.

Things got really bad for set up decks around the time Pokemon-EX got released again. Powerful Pokemon-EX like [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tornadus-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] were capable of picking off lowly [card name=”Tynamo” set=”Noble Victories” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Squirtle” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] before they ever got a chance to evolve. One of the only Bench sitting cards that saw any play during this time was [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]! These big basic decks pretty much ran rampant until Pokemon eventually nerfed Pokemon Catcher back to a flip and released [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], the first Supporter based gusting card. I think that most players agree that catcher effects are in a good place with Supporter based gusting options like Guzma and Lysandre. Although Pokemon Catcher still exists in both Standard and Expanded formats, players are building their decks to utilize more stable gusting options.

Modern Bench Management

As the way the Pokemon TCG operates now, there are a number of things to consider when building your Bench. Gone are the days that a single Basic Pokemon on your Bench will never see an evolution card, however, there is still a lot of gust effects and Bench limitations in the modern Pokemon TCG, and Bench management plays a crucial part of developing strategy in a Pokemon TCG match.

Tapu Lele-GX

[cardimg name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ align=”left” c=”custom”]Ey Le Le[/cardimg]

So many games in the Pokemon TCG start out with a turn one Wonder Tag for a turn one [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. Many players love the consistency Brigette brings to set up decks, and I have to agree. Never has there been an easier time to set up three specific Basic Pokemon on the first turn of the game. That being said, with great power comes great responsibility. With a turn one [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] for Brigette play, you are playing four Pokemon to your Bench on the first turn of the game. This means that you only have one Bench spot to work with until something gets knocked out. There are definitely times that the opponent can use this to their advantage, especially if you decide to use that final Bench spot on something irresponsible.

Another thing to consider when filling your Bench on the first turn of the game is the future of your draw. In Standard, many decks only play eight draw Supporter cards, four [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and four [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. Many decks rely on Tapu Lele in order to find a Supporter Card to draw for their turn. However, if you jam your Bench full on the first turn of the game, sometimes you find yourself stuck with a Lele or [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] in hand without a Bench spot for your Lele.

A lot of times what will happen is that you may fill your Bench on the first turn of the game and you think you are safe because you have a Supporter in hand. Then an opponent will N you or something, and then you find yourself with Lele as your only draw option. If your opponent is playing a set up deck as well, this could mean that your draw and set up gets delayed for turns to come because you benched too many things on the first turn of the game.

Free Retreater

With [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] being played in every Standard deck, free retreaters like [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM30″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] have become valuable additions to most Benches. Almost every [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] deck will [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] for a Koko on turn one and then Wimp Out into it, preparing for a turn two First Impression. Decks like [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] actually depend on Float Stone as a free retreat target so that Buzzwole can perform back to back Knuckle Impacts with the help of Guzma. I have found it very difficult to play [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] with only one copy of Float Stone, which is what most players are doing. This means that much of the game, you will need to promote the attacker you plan on attacking with before your turn is resolved, making is so that much more skill and foresight is needed to pilot the deck correctly.

Draw Support

[cardimg name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Abysmal Hand[/cardimg]

Don’t forget about draw support! Most decks in Standard Format are playing either [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] in order to stabilize their draw late in the game. What’s interesting is that there are different strategies for all of these cards. Zoroark-GX usually gets set up as soon as possible. Since the card also acts as a supplemental attacker, there is usually no drawback to setting up as many Zoroark-GX as you can.

Octillery and Oranguru, however, are much different. Some players like to go for their [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM13″ c=”name”][/card] early on in the game, but that isn’t the most optimal strategy. It is better to set up your attackers first, then to set up Oranguru or Octillery. I usually like to set up Octillery on the third and fourth turns of the game.

Techs

And finally, there are the tech cards. Many decks will want to set up their attackers, their draw support Pokemon like [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and maybe they use a [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to get everything going. This leaves very little room for tech cards on the Bench like [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card].

I have found that if the opponent brings their tech card out early in the game and also has to use a Tapu Lele in order to set up, they are often times sacrificing in another department, be it attackers or draw support. It is important to be wary of the fact that bringing your tech card out early gives the opponent the opportunity to target it down, while also potentially limiting the number of attackers and support Pokemon you can bring into play.

Parallel City

With all of these things that we are trying to fit in our Benches in Standard Format, Parallel City has never had a better time to shine. Parallel is one of the strongest Stadiums ever printed, hands down. I used it alongside [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] last year when I finished second at the Fort Wayne Regional Championships, and have been on the lookout for a place to utilize it effectively again ever since.

[card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] decks started adopting one or two copies of Parallel earlier this season to great success, but I knew that there had to be a better home for the card in Standard Format. I thought that Parallel City fit beautifully as a two-of in my [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] deck at the Memphis Regional Championship, and attribute much of my success there to the inclusion of that card alone. Below, I will break down the utility of Parallel City in Standard Format.

[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”left” c=”custom”]Take you down to the Parallel City[/cardimg]

Turn One

You know what most decks in Standard do on the first turn of the game? [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Brigette” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card]. I stuffed many opponents on the first turn of the game with a turn one Parallel throughout my tournament run at Memphis, and it vastly hindered their setup. For example, I was able to go 2-1-1 versus [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] decks with [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] at Memphis, thanks entirely to Parallel City. A turn one Parallel means that a Golisopod player would have to Lele for Brigette and only select two benched Pokemon.

Additionally, vs decks like [card name=”Gardevoir-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM37″ c=”name”][/card], a turn one Parallel can spell absolute disaster. Both Decidueye and Gardy rely on huge Benches in order to execute their strategies. Limiting them on the first turn of the game gives decks like [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] the ability to pick off Basic Pokemon like fish in a barrel without too much fear of repercussion.

Versus Zoroark

[card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is currently one of the most popular draw options and attackers in the game. Many decks make it their sole mission to set up as many Zoroark-GX throughout the course of the game as they can so that they have essentially unlimited access to their resources via drawing with Trade. [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] forces Zoroark decks to choose between setting up Zoroark or setting up supplemental attackers or tech attackers. It also makes it so that Zoroark’s Riotous Beating damage output is significantly nerfed! Bottom line, Parallel City is super good versus Zoroark decks.

Versus Techs

Weird as it is, [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] was my front line of defense against tech cards like [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Generations” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] at the Memphis Regional Championships. By limiting my opponent with Parallel City, I had to force them to make difficult choices between setting up attackers, leaving room for techs, or leaving Bench space for draw support like [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card]. Most opponents realized that they cannot execute their strategy while fitting their tech card on the Bench, so they would bump it or not get it into play all together. Maybe they would bench their Mewtwo as the game had progressed, but many times they wouldn’t have room for a free retreater like [card name=”Tapu Koko” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM31″ c=”name”][/card] so they would have issues getting it Active! As I said previously, many [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks were only playing one copy of [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], so getting Mewtwo into the Active position became significantly more difficult when their Bench was limited to only three spaces!

Versus Volcanion

Many Volcanion lists these days are only playing one copy of [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], maybe two. This means that [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] has a decent chance of sticking in the matchup, which is a huge deal. The difference between needing two Steam Ups to KO a [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] with Volcanic Heat and needing three Steam Ups is like night and day. Pokemon tank hits from Volcanion much easier by using the other side of Parallel to limit their damage output. And since Volcanion doesn’t play many counter Stadiums, this strategy is usually a winner. All it takes is one whiffed OHKO to change the entire course of a match!

Versus Decidueye

One of the primary reasons I decided to add [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to my [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] deck was to beat [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM37″ c=”name”][/card]. First of all, Parallel helps versus all set up decks, but it is extraordinarily useful versus Decidueye. When Decidueye gets its perfect set up, multiple Decidueye in play, multiple Zoroark in play, there is almost no way to win the game. They can draw whatever they want with [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] and put tons of damage wherever they want to on the board.

Parallel makes it so that Decidueye has a difficult time ever attaining that “perfect” set up. Even if things are going perfectly, you limit them to only one Zoroark-GX and two Decidueye-GX with a Parallel in play. Consider that you can OHKO something on the same turn that you play Parallel, and all of a sudden your opponent’s board position is in shambles with only three Pokemon remaining in play. If the opponent wants to find room for [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Evolutions” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], they are going to have to make even bigger sacrifices to do so. Parallel turns what was typically a pretty dismal matchup for [card name=”Buzzwole-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] into a reasonable matchup.

Paralleling Yourself

[cardimg name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”138″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Best line of defense versus Dangerous Rogue![/cardimg]

Most of this article has focused on what happens when you apply the blue side of [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to your opponent, but let’s not forget that using the blue side of Parallel on yourself can be a huge boon to your own board position. Paralleling yourself is particularly good for removing weak or damaged Pokemon-EX or Pokemon-GX from your side of the field. Notably, [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] has less hit points than all of your other Pokemon-EX and-GX in the deck. That means that Tapu Lele can be a liability later in the game if your opponent can swing for 170 damage.

Finally, [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the biggest threats in the Pokemon TCG at the moment. Lycanroc’s Dangerous Rogue GX takes advantage of any opponents that fills their Bench. Parallel City can be an excellent tool to limit your own Bench, greatly reducing the damage dealt by an opponent’s Dangerous Rogue GX!

Conclusion

And that’s it! Hope you all enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Do you see how all the things that I have talked about as far as Bench management have come into play with Parallel City? Bench disruption, especially when it is not expected, can have a huge impact on basic strategy execution in the Pokemon TCG. I was able to topple many mediocre or bad matchups with Buzzwole at the Memphis Regional Championships just by putting my opponents into compromising situations with a single Stadium Card! The deck was a blast to play, and I hope that you all will consider the utility of Bench limiting cards like Parallel City in your deck building in formats to come. Thank you all for joining me here on PokeBeach. Hope to write again soon!

Later Trainers,

Andrew Mahone

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