The Long Con — Two Control Decks to Dominate the New Format
Hello everyone! This is Grant Manley, and it’s good to be back writing after some time off. Unbroken Bonds just dropped, and this new set has some crazy stuff in it. There are a lot of things I still have yet to try, and today I will be discussing two of the most promising decks for the new Standard format. Neither of these decks revolve too heavily around the new cards, but they are both control decks that have the potential to be absolutely broken for as long as people don’t counter them. The first deck I’ll talk about is one that I came up with awhile back that has caught on quite a bit recently — [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]. The next one is a [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] variant that has been working very well in testing.
Infinite Shedinja
[decklist name=”shed” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”22″]3x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nincada” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Durant” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Fates Collide” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Black and White” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
The strategy of this deck is to use [card name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ability to equip it to your Active [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], which prevents your opponent from taking a Prize card when the Oranguru is KO’d. Oranguru’s Resource Management recycles Brock’s Grit among other things, so you have an infinite stream of Shedinja to prevent your opponent from ever winning. The draw engine featuring [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] is designed to thin the deck out as quickly as possible, and to always draw back into Nincada and Shedinja. This creates an infinite game state where it is theoretically impossible to lose. Your opponent will eventually run out of cards in their deck, and [card name=”Durant” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] can help this process along.
[cardimg name=”Shedinja” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”95″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The stuff of nightmares.[/cardimg]
When I came up with this deck a couple of months ago, I wasn’t really expecting to be taken seriously. However, after I posted the deck on Twitter, a few European players made some significant modifications to the list and ended up reaching day two in the Berlin International Championship. This was cool to see, however it meant that this annoying deck became more popular as a result. If you compare the Berlin lists with this one, you may notice some major differences. That’s because this list is takes elements from my original one and combines it with some of the changes the European players made. For example, I really dislike [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Slowking” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] from the Berlin list. However, I love the thin disruption package and the inclusion of Durant. I also used to run [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], but it turns out they are not needed.
This deck can more or less function no matter what you do with the list, but of course we should always attempt to make any given list as optimal as possible.
[premium]
The Core Pokemon and Game Plan
As you can see, the list plays very high counts of the most important Pokemon. [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] is the deck’s main attacker, and you always want to be using Resource Management. You usually like to have a backup Oranguru on the Bench to promote after a KO, even though Shedinja sort of has free Retreat via its Ability. Four Shedinja is important to consistently get them into play. You need to have a Shedinja on your Active Oranguru at all times, as well as one on any Benched Pokemon in case of [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]. You do not want your opponent to take a Prize by simply using Escape Rope. If the Benched Pokemon with Shedinja attached isn’t the backup Oranguru, you must always have an additional Nincada or Shedinja ready to equip to your new Oranguru when the Active one is KO’d.
You want to have two or three [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] out at all times. Zebstrika powers through your deck to reach the perfectly infinite game state as fast as possible. Once you are low on cards in the deck, having multiple Zebstrika guarantees that you will always draw into the cards you just put back with Brock’s Grit and Resource Management.
One Durant LOT
Whether you are playing on PTCGO or in a real tournament, time restraints are a factor. [card name=”Durant” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card] is not necessary for the deck to win, but it is sometimes necessary for the deck to win within a given time limit. Once your opponent’s finite offensive options are whittled away with the Energy removal cards, Durant can come in and finish off the game with its Mountain Munch attack, which discards the top two cards of your opponent’s deck.
One Mew and One Sky Pillar
It may seem redundant to run both [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], but hear me out on this one. Mew’s Bench Barrier Ability blocks all snipe damage, which is one way that opponents might otherwise be able to get around Shedinja. Mew is better than Sky Pillar because Sky Pillar is a passive Stadium, which means opponents will always have an opportunity to bump the Sky Pillar on the same turn they use a snipe attack. Sky Pillar is still included for two reasons. First, it also blocks effects of attacks (unlike Mew). Something like an opposing Mew can still place damage counters across your Bench. Second, it’s an counter to [card name=”Wondrous Labyrinth Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] (and any other Stadiums). Against something that has Labyrinth and a way to disrupt the flow of DCE, you’re going to want an answer for it. Sky Pillar also doesn’t take up a Bench spot, which can be relevant in some situations.
Four Lillie and Four Ingo and Emmet
[card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] replaces the more popular [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck because Ingo and Emmet is more efficient at thinning the deck. The goal is to get to a low number of cards, and Ingo and Emmet digs deeper than Cynthia. Cynthia yields one more card, but since it shuffles your hand in instead of discarding it, you aren’t taking as many cards out of the overall deck. Since this deck uses Resource Management nearly every turn, Ingo and Emmet’s forced discard isn’t a problem. We maximize [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] in order to hopefully find it on turn one, as it can jump start the set up process by drawing lots of cards and hopefully finding Basic Pokemon (and/or search cards). Lillie isn’t terrible past the first turn, but usually Ingo and Emmet is preferred.
Two Gladion
This deck never takes Prize cards, so it makes sense to run [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] in order to access our Prize cards. This is especially important if any of the one-of cards are Prized. A common complaint with Gladion is that its effect is too slow and mediocre to use as the Supporter for turn. However, with the [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card] engine, this isn’t an issue.
One Faba
[card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] gives you a chance against an opposing deck running [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] (usually [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]) if they only run Special Energy. It can also get rid of Escape Board to give [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] a little bit of trouble.
One Tate and Liza and One Pal Pad
[card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] is first and foremost a switch effect that can be retrieved with [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]. However, it’s also a decent draw Supporter if you’re desperate to get some more cards. Tate and Liza is better than [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] due to its synergy with Pal Pad and Resource Management. When using Resource Management, you don’t have to guess if you’re going to need [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Team Up” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], Tate and Liza, [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], or Faba next turn. You just put back the versatile Pal Pad and call it a day. Pal Pad also offers a two for the price of one deal when recovered with Resource Management.
[cardimg name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ align=”right” c=”custom”]His strategy isn’t that helpful to ours…[/cardimg]
One Lt. Surge’s Strategy
Surge is not necessary in this deck, so I am considering cutting it. However, it offers some nice flexibility, especially in the late game. Sometimes you may need to use two in any combination of Tate and Liza, Faba, and Grit. With Pal Pad, it’s even possible to use two Faba in one turn.
Four Ultra Ball, Four Nest Ball, Four Pokemon Communication
These cards all help achieve this deck’s optimal board state. They are all amazing consistency cards that help set up quickly. [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] works very well in this deck with 22 Pokemon, and it also has good synergy with Lillie and [card name=”Ingo and Emmet” set=”Team Up” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card]. Pokemon Communication is straight up way better than [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card].
Two Pokegear 3.0
[card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] offers more early-game consistency and improves the Turn 1 Lillie chances. I don’t know the optimal count of Pokegear, and I’m starting to think how many you play is arbitrary and depends what other cards you want to play.
One Enhanced Hammer, One Crushing Hammer, One Counter Catcher
These cards are used to harass and slow down your opponent. Oranguru allows infinite uses of them, so there’s no point in running more than one of each. You can easily pull off the Shedinja infinite even if your opponent is attacking uninterrupted, but if you remove all their Energy, Durant can come in freely and finish off games in time.
Two DCE, Two Fire Energy
DCE is required for Durant’s attack and can also allow you to use Oranguru’s Profound Knowledge should the situation demand it. This deck does not require any colored Energy, so we use Fire Energy to take advantage of an opponent’s [card name=”Heat Factory Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card].
Matchups and Counters
Despite having a powerful Prize denial strategy, there are ways to beat the Shedinja infinite. Going first is often a huge advantage for this deck. If you go second, the opponent is more likely to take a KO before you set up Shedinja. Therefore, usually going second results in a disadvantage of one Prize. Against a few decks, like [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], this does not matter as much because they can get a free Prize even when going second.
Assuming your opponent goes first and gets a free Prize, this forces them to get around Shedinja five times in order to win. The common ways to do this are by using [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lycanroc-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]’s Bloodthirsty Eyes, [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], Faba, and [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]’s Burst GX. Blacephalon and Lycanroc are deck specific. Generally speaking, if Blacephalon-GX goes first, they will win due to Burst GX and four Guzma. If they go second and do not hit the turn one [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] plus KO, they lose. Lycanroc decks can beat Shedinja as well, but they are a little less popular now.
For any other deck, if they run five in any combination of Guzma, Field Blower, and Faba, they win if they get a free Prize at the start. Otherwise, they lose. This is a general statement. There are other factors, such as if they are able to consistently attack after a Guzma play and if they run Pal Pad. Overall, most opposing decks do not seem to run the necessary answers to this deck, but that may change depending on how popular Shedinja becomes.
Finally, an easy counter to Shedinja is opposing Oranguru. Resource Management allows opponents to recycle Basic Energy, Guzma, and Faba (if they play it). This means that an opposing Oranguru tech often results in a loss (or a tie) for Shedinja. I can’t think of a good tech that Shedinja could run for an opposing Oranguru. [card name=”Lugia-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card] is quite risky and too resource intensive.
Vileplume
[decklist name=”ploom” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Dragonite” set=”Team Up” no=”119″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Oddish” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”6″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Regigigas” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dragonite” set=”Team Up” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”45″]4x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gladion” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lance Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mount Lanakila” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”1″]1x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] is the deck that I’ve been playing the most as of late, and it is extremely good. I have been very impressed with this deck’s consistency and options to handle just about everything. In my time playing this deck online in the past few days, I’ve reached two consecutive 18-win streaks on PTCGO. The first was ended by the non-GX [card name=”Charizard” set=”Team Up” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card] (which is an auto-loss), and the second by [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] in a [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] deck. While PTCGO results don’t mean everything (or anything, to some people), they at least demonstrate some consistency as well as an ability to deal with a variety of different threats.
Similar to the Shedinja deck, Vileplume and friends relies on the deck out win condition. There happen to be a lot of decks nowadays that only use Basic Pokemon as attackers, and Vileplume automatically beats all of them. Other decks, such as [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], are easily defeated with the heavy disruption package.
The Vileplume Package
[cardimg name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ align=”right” c=”custom”]When Basics come out to play…[/cardimg]
This deck plays a heavy line of Vileplume along with a full four [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] in order to be as consistent as possible. Many opposing decks (ReshiZard, baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], Zapdos, Pikarom, etc.) automatically fold to Vileplume. This means that our win condition in those matchups is simply getting Vileplume into play. Against PikaRom, you’re going to want a second Vileplume in case they play [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] and snipe the first one with Tag Bolt GX.
Two Regigigas
[card name=”Regigigas” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] is a fantastic wall for the early game that is great at buying time for Vileplume to set up. In matchups where the opponent is able to deal with Vileplume ([card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Salazzle” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]), Regigigas can wall those Pokemon by using [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] infinitely. If they then choose to play down their main attacker in order to efficiently take out Regigigas, that attacker then becomes a liability that can be stranded Active when you transition into Hoopa or Vileplume.
Three Hoopa
Like Regigigas, [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] can buy time for Vileplume to set up. In particular, PikaRom and ReshiZard are pretty slow when it comes to dealing with multiple Hoopa. Hoopa is also quite good against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], as it forces them to use [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. Once Muk comes into play, it is a huge liability that can be dragged Active over and over again. Finally, Hoopa is the last line of defense against [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card], which otherwise tears right through every other Pokemon in the deck.
The Lance Package
[card name=”Dragonite” set=”Team Up” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is very very good for this deck for many reasons. You can easily set up a [card name=”Lance Prism Star” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] play with [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. You can Steven’s for Lance and Surge. When one of your Pokemon is KO’d, you use Surge into Lance, and then use Dragonite’s Ability to grab whatever Supporter you need. Dragonite is a bit of a tank with 160 HP, so it isn’t a liability by any means. You also play Pokemon Communication in case Dragonite accidentally finds its way into your hand. This is particularly important if you happen to prize the other Dragonite.
The first major reason why Dragonite is good is because it makes you Let Loose-proof. One way that decks have historically countered Steven-based control decks is with a well timed Let Loose or [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card]. This is even more of a problem if an opponent is using Resource Management to reuse Judge. While Dragonite doesn’t protect you from early-game hand disruption, as it doesn’t come into play until after your first Pokemon is KO’d, that usually isn’t a huge deal as the deck can often draw out of an early Let Loose. Dragonite also allows you to freely use your own Judge to disrupt your opponent without also crippling yourself.
[cardimg name=”Dragonite” set=”Team Up” no=”119″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Finally, Dragonite’s time to shine![/cardimg]
The second use for Dragonite is that it allows you to get more value out of Steven’s Resolve. Much like Pal Pad’s usage in Shedinja, Steven’s Resolve historically required you to guess which Supporters you’d want to use next turn, while also limiting your freedom to select Pokemon and Items. Now Steven’s can be used to grab more helpful Items, and Dragonite can handle the Supporters.
Four Bill’s Analysis, Four Steven’s Resolve, Two Pokegear
These cards constitute the deck’s draw engine. While [card name=”Steven’s Resolve” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is usually the best Supporter to play, Bill’s niche is that it doesn’t end your turn, thus giving you instant access to the cards that you find with it. [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] is better when you need to find a Pokemon search card immediately to avoid having your only Pokemon KO’d, and it can also find the finishing pieces to make a Vileplume. If I could run more Steven’s Resolve, I probably would, but Bill is a fine substitute for early-game consistency. Just like with Shedinja, I run two [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”name”][/card] because that is all that I’m willing to fit. Pokegear has proven itself to be very useful in the deck, so running more certainly isn’t out of the question. It’s just a matter of what you’re willing to sacrifice in the list.
Three Lt. Surge’s Strategy
The dreaded and hyped [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] is finally here! Surge is absolutely amazing in this deck. The main reason for Surge’s inclusion is simply dealing with the pressure that your opponent is going to dish out. This deck is quite slow with its reliance on Supporters like [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] and Steven, so it can definitely feel the heat when opponents are dishing out attacks like Full Blitz on turn two. Surge speeds up the deck in the early game. It allows you to play a draw Supporter and a disruption Supporter in the same turn, and has great synergy with Lance and Dragonite. Surge is also extremely versatile, and that makes it a unique asset to this deck. I don’t think I can adequately explain Surge’s greatness with words, so you’ll have to try it for yourself!
Also, in case you’re wondering, Surge doesn’t break Lusamine. Lusamine gets back itself and the Surge you just played, so there’s really no point in using them together. An early game play is to Surge into Lusamine if you want to use a Supporter that’s in the discard, but there’s no broken combo with the two of them.
One Faba
[card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] beats Oranguru if they only play Special Energy. It is also an easy option to get rid of Special Energy without [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]’s demanding cost. Enhanced Hammer is usually better, but Faba can be recycled with Lusamine. Faba can also get rid of annoying Tools like [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card].
One Judge
[card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] is occasionally useful to disrupt the opponents hand, and Dragonite mitigates its harmful effect on the user. I also play Judge to prevent any deck with [card name=”Unown” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] from ever winning. Finally, Judge is necessary to ensure that you never deck out, though Cynthia or any other draw Supporter can fulfill this role as well. I chose Judge for this role due to its other functions which I just went over.
The Disruption Package
This list plays many cards that remove opponent’s Energy or drags up one of their Benched Pokemon. All of these cards assist with this deck’s ultimate goal of wearing down the opponent’s resources so they eventually run out of stuff and deck out.
Four Nest Ball, One Rescue Stretcher
These cards make it easier to get multiple Oddish into play. If you only play down one Oddish at a time, they will get picked off one by one and you’ll never get Vileplume out. High counts of Nest Ball work well with [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card]. It is extremely unlikely to lose early on without finding a backup Basic Pokemon.
One Mount Lanakila
[card name=”Mount Lanakila” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] has a few uses. First of all, [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] combined with [card name=”Thunder Mountain Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] is just a huge problem. Mount Lanakila fixes this by getting rid of Thunder Mountain once and for all. Second, Lanakila is an infinite Stadium (courtesy of Lusamine) that actually has a useful effect. Lanakila makes it easier to strand active something like a Tapu Lele-GX, Tapu Koko, or even Jirachi.
One Rainbow Energy
[card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] might seem weird because there’s no relevant attack we can use with it. I considered playing [card name=”Articuno-GX” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] but I could not come up with a good use for it. Rainbow Energy simply allows us to manipulate our board with more freedom by using [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. This seems like a minor thing, but I have already won multiple games thanks to Rainbow Energy. Sometimes you need Dragonite to set up and have to remove it later. Sometimes your opponent will get too many Prizes with early pressure and so you need to bench a bunch of Pokemon just to survive. Once Vileplume is set up, you don’t want any loose ends on your Bench that could potentially cause a loss. Rainbow Energy is the solution in any such situation. [card name=”Giovanni’s Exile” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card] is a consideration for this slot but it doesn’t work on Active Pokemon. This makes it less versatile but it is less susceptible to [card name=”Team Skull Grunt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and is a one-card combo instead of two.
Matchups and Counters
If an opposing all-Basic deck runs two [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] then they probably are going to win. Barring that, there aren’t many hard counters to this deck. I think Stealthy Hood is a really bad card due to its limited uses. I don’t think it will or should see any play unless Vileplume becomes extremely popular. [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] can deal with Stealthy Hood to an extent but it is still a problem.
[cardimg name=”Regigigas” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The big boy can still get the job done.[/cardimg]
Traditionally, Oranguru has been hailed as the easy counter to disruption decks. However, there are many ways to deal with Oranguru such as Faba, Counter Catcher or Guzma with no Benched Pokemon on your side, and Vileplume itself. Unless the opponent runs Oranguru, multiple Basic Energy, an Energy-efficient attacker that is also an Evolution (or Energy acceleration), and a switch-effect that isn’t Guzma, Oranguru just isn’t going to do the job. These are extensive requirements that most decks just don’t fulfill.
[card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card] with Zapdos and Koko Prism can beat Vileplume with smart and careful play. Jolteon itself wrecks Vileplume and Regigigas. Zapdos can pressure [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Shining Legends” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] and it can OHKO with two [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Tapu Koko Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] requires a lot of Energy, but it can OHKO Hoopa if allowed to set up. This matchup is still winnable for Vileplume, but it can go either way. If the opponent also plays [card name=”Zeraora-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], things get real dicey. Again, it’s still winnable for Vileplume, but the opponent will win more often than not if they play correctly.
[card name=”Salazzle” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] in Fire decks can also beat this deck. It can go either way though and depends on how the game plays out. Gigas with [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] can wall Salazzle forever, so the opponent is forced to play down an alternate attacker. Depending on when the opponent draws switching cards and [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] plus [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], they may run out of ways to pivot between attackers.
Mirror matches will likely never conclude, and thus will always result in a tie. If I see that I am up against another disruption deck, I prioritize getting a lone Vileplume out to preemptively counter a potential Oranguru or [card name=”Girafarig” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. Judge ensures that Unown HAND never does anything.
Overall, the ways to consistently beat Vileplume are few and far between. This deck is extremely strong right now.
Conclusion
These decks are very good. Disruption decks are undeniably annoying and may not be for everyone, but their strength is at an all-time high right now. With so many new and exciting things coming from the Unbroken Bonds, control is far from the forefront of the meta, but I expect it will have a place once things settle.
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