Bill’s Risk Analysis — Improving Custom Catcher Consistency
[cardimg name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
For the first time since 2011 (and that was a unique case of mid-season rotation), Worlds this year is held in the post-rotation format. One consequence of that is that, for once, Japanese and non-Japanese players are in the same situation. As you may know, I like to pay attention to what the Japanese are playing, since it’s often a source of inspiration. Both of the decks I won International Championships with: [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] and Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Dewgong” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] were inspired by the Japanese metagame. This is true even when though our formats differ. For example, the first Zoroark-GX / Garbodor list I saw last season, came from the finalist of a Champions League in the XY-on format. At the time, we were playing in Breakthrough-on. This list played [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], so there was a lot of changes to make. It was the basis for the list Fabien Pujol played to a Top 8 finish in the Latin America International Championships that year; a list that eventually morphed to the one we played at NAIC. Some ideas, like [card name=”Kartana-GX” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Unit Energy LPM” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and playing [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] instead of [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], which carried through to Robin Schulz’s Worlds-winning decklist, which can be traced back to that Japanese list.
This year, there’s no point in looking at what’s been doing well at Champions Leagues or the Japan National Championship, since the rotation completely changes things. The loss of [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card], not to mention complete archetypes such as Zoroark-GX, makes everything unique. Japanese players are as lost as us, and can’t look at what’s working in our parts of the world either, since we haven’t played the format in official competitions either. Communication between Japan and the rest of the world is difficult, but from the echoes I’ve had, they seem to value the same kind of decks as we do: [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], etc. Interestingly, Japanese players are organizing local, non-official Worlds-format tournament, where they get to play best of three matches, unlike in their regular tournaments.
The reason I mention it is that I’ve been in contact with Antoine Boulay, a French player living in Japan, who recently got second place at one such tournament. For reference, there were 42 players, and he went 3-0-1. He played a unique deck based on [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and there are several ideas in his list that I like. My goal in this article is to show what ideas we can take from a new concept like this and how to apply them to other decks. It will include more appearances of [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] than you’ve probably seen during the entirety of last season.
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A Look at Spiritomb
[decklist name=”W19 Fluffy Spite” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mareep” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Nihilego” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Venomoth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Venonat” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blitzle” set=”Team Up” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Hustle Belt” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Slumbering Forest” set=”Unified Minds” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Black Market Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”9″]4x [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Beast Energy Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
In a recent article, I stated the criteria that any non-Pokemon-GX deck must have in order to have a shot in the metagame. It must have: consistency, a reason to be played over Malamar, and a way to beat Malamar. Spiritomb / [card name=”Mareep” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] has all three! Its consistency comes from [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], which lets it search out Spiritomb, Mareep, and even [card name=”Blitzle” set=”Team Up” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card]. Unlike in some other decks, Professor Elm’s Lecture gives you access directly to your attackers, with no Evolution needed. It does some things better than Malamar, since Spiritomb can reach high amounts of damage, enough to OHKO some Pokemon-GX. Thanks to its one-Energy attackers, it also has strong options against other decks. For example, [card name=”Buzzwole” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s Sledgehammer against Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. Finally, a lot of slots have been used to improve its Malamar matchup. Two [card name=”Hoopa” set=”Unified Minds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] serve as early attackers, [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] disrupts mobility (which can easily make Malamar miss attacks), and there’s [card name=”Venomoth” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] to snipe Malamar on the Bench. This is a card I mentioned in the article linked above in the context of [card name=”Breloom” set=”Unified Minds” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card], but it finds a spot here as well. Since [card name=”Venonat” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] has 60 HP, it can also be searched by Professor Elm’s Lecture.
Notable Takeaways
Mareep and Slumbering Forest
[cardimg name=”Mareep” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”75″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
When I talked about Breloom, putting Mareep in the deck was a good choice. Here, you might be wondering the point of Mareep. It’s not only for Venomoth: Special Conditions, right now, are better than they’ve ever been, at least since I started playing (nine years ago already). Mareep combines very well with the [card name=”Switch” set=”Evolutions” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] that are already in the deck for [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], and with [card name=”Slumbering Forest” set=”Unified Minds” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] in play, it will leave the opponent asleep three times out of four. This forces them to use one of their limited Switch, or the rare [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. This is effective against Tag Team Pokemon-GX, since their HP is too high for Spiritomb to OHKO. You can get a 2HKO while hopefully making your opponent miss their attack for the turn. Unfortunately, it’s hard to fit this combo into any deck, since you need to be playing Switch and Escape Board, and not need a Stadium other than Slumbering Forest. One possible archetype where this would fit is [card name=”Beheeyem” set=”Unified Minds” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. I still need to figure the deck out, but Mareep is particularly strong there, since Beheeyem’s Mysterious Noise prevents the use of Switch, and it can be brought Active after Beheeyem returns to the deck.
Professor Elm’s Lecture and Pokémon Communication
As I’ve made clear in several articles, I’m not a huge fan of playing four [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] in decks that don’t have enough Pokemon to support it. This deck only has 18 Pokemon, but unlike in some other decks like [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card], it seems reasonable to include the fourth copy of Pokemon Communication. This is because Professor Elm’s Lecture can ensure we have Pokemon in hand, so the odds of having a hand with Pokemon Communication but no Pokemon to shuffle back in the deck are lower. In addition, this combination also lets Professor Elm’s Lecture provide value even after we’ve already set up.
Since all the main Pokemon of the deck can be searched with Professor Elm’s Lecture, we can keep Pokemon Communication to search for secondary attackers and techs. This differs from something like Malamar, where we often want Pokemon Communication to search for [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] or Malamar, which are part of our main setup. Then, we have more freedom to play some techs, such as Absol. I think Absol has been a strong card since its release, but since there’s no [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] to take it out now, it can do its job more effectively, and since mobility options are more limited than before, it is more disruptive. Absol is particularly strong against Malamar, since a Retreat Cost increasing by one can be the difference between attacking and not attacking. Say you have a Jirachi with Escape Board as your Active, and have two Malamar and [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] on your Bench, but no Energy in play. Because of Absol, unless you find a Switch, you can’t retreat to Giratina and attack with it. However, other decks are using Jirachi as well. In my opinion, the best [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] variants includes Jirachi, and rogue decks might need it for consistency. Even against decks without Jirachi, such as Dark Box, Absol has value by making the opponent discard one more Energy if they need to retreat. Absol and Mareep are an effective combination since they prevent Escape Board for being a simple answer to being Asleep, but I can see it being teched in other decks as well. The main obstacle to its success is there is no [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to search for it. Otherwise, I’m sure we’d be seeing a lot more of it. Given how popular Malamar and Pikachu and Zekrom-GX are expected to be at Worlds, I would consider running Absol if my deck permits it; that is, if I can search it out and have space on the Bench for it. If you’re playing in Day 1 of Worlds, you might want to think about it as well. Day 2 players and DC Open participants have the luxury of waiting for Day 1 results to see how much of the metagame is playing Jirachi.
Bill’s Analysis and Custom Catcher
This is the most important part of the list. As the main gust effect of the format, and almost the only one, [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is a key card and decks that can find them effectively, like Pikachu and Zekrom-GX and [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], have an advantage over others. I don’t like forcing Custom Catcher in any deck and hoping that the cards will come together. However, the combination of [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] and Stellar Wish helps to get two Custom Catcher in your hand at the same time. Bill’s Analysis was rarely seen outside of Stall decks last season, but this may be its time to shine; I can see adding two copies of it in some decks in order to make Custom Catcher more viable in it. Unlike the above ideas, this is applicable to most decks that play, or wants to play, Custom Catcher. I’ve decided to try to fit this idea into some other decks. I’ll detail them below.
Psychic Malamar
There has been a lot of talk about non-Pokemon-GX Malamar deck, but I think that’s either a misnomer or a bad idea. Malamar’s strength in this format comes from its use of Giratina, the ultimate single-Prize attacker. Every Malamar deck, even those named after [card name=”Ultra Necrozma-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], use Giratina as their main attacker in most matchups. A non-Pokemon-GX Malamar deck is one that uses the same core, but denies itself more powerful options in the endgame. What is worth discussing is pure Psychic Malamar builds. Without Ultra Necrozma-GX or Garchomp and Giratina-GX, they can use Giratina and some tech attackers like: [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]. However, one big advantage to only needing Psychic Energy is that you don’t need to play as many Energy cards. This frees up space for other cards. Cards like Bill’s Analysis and Custom Catcher.
I think there would be too many cuts to make if you wanted to play these cards in another version of Malamar, but the Psychic version can fit them. This is the current list I’m testing:
[decklist name=”W19 Psychic Malamar” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mesprit” set=”Unified Minds” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]8x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
The structure is similar to the first [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] list I posted shortly after NAIC. You can refer to that article for more explanations on the card, and I’ll explain what changed:
Bill’s Analysis and Custom Catcher
In order to fit Custom Catcher and Bill’s Analysis, I had to cut [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. And their absence is felt every game, since it’s harder to get [card name=”Inkay” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] out, but it’s inevitable. Bill’s Analysis provides additional consistency to the deck, so Acro Bike is not as needed, but it does make the setup slower.
Mesprit
[cardimg name=”Mesprit” set=”Unified Minds” no=”84″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
To compensate for the slow starts, I added [card name=”Mesprit” set=”Unified Minds” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] to the deck. Mesprit is ideal when you go second, since it can search for any combination of Inkay, [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. Instead of having to use your [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] to find all your Basic Pokemon, you need one for Mesprit, and you can keep them to find Malamar on your second turn. Mesprit is not good if you go first, though. As a worst case scenario, you can use First Contact on your second turn, and evolve into Malamar on turn three, but that’s not ideal.
Gengar and Mimikyu-GX
This card is a great attacker against [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] decks, mainly for Reshiram and Charizard-GX since they run so many Trainers, This will make Poltergeist extremely powerful. Horror House GX has its uses. It’s not as strong as it used to be when [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] was in the format, but since this deck plays [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], you can use Horror House GX to stall your opponent for a turn before taking a big KO on one of their benched Pokemon.
Espeon and Deoxys-GX
This is another attacker that finds a spot in this deck. Psychic Club can reasonably reach 160 damage, although it requires you not to have a Jirachi on the field. The real use of the card is Cross Division GX. This is a great finisher against decks with small Pokemon. That includes the mirror match: a Cross Division GX with the bonus effect can KO two Malamar and a Jirachi if there is already five damage counters spread among them, which is not uncommon because of [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] and Distortion Door. Be careful, as Espeon and Deoxys-GX will need to be in play for at least one turn in order to have time to put Energy on it. If your opponent plays Custom Catcher, then Espeon and Deoxys-GX will easily fall to Giratina. This is another reason why playing your own Custom Catcher is useful!
Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX
We are removing [card name=”Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] because I wasn’t convinced by its performance. It is very good against [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]but only if you don’t expect too much of that matchup, I think there are better cards to run.
Espurr and Mimikyu
There are two other attackers that I’d consider running in this deck. The first one is [card name=”Espurr” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]. It is a strong choice in other Malamar decks, but its value comes from the fact that it can attack the Bench. In a deck with Custom Catcher, Espurr isn’t as needed, so it was cut. The other possible attacker is [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM99″ c=”name”][/card], which can copy big attacks. An example is [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flare Strike: if it already has four damage counters from something like Spell Tag, then you can copy it for an OHKO. This makes Mimikyu a good choice for that matchup and a possible replacement for [card name=”Gengar and Mimikyu-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card].
Jirachi
One possible change to the deck would be cutting down on the number of Jirachi. I’m still an advocate for running four Jirachi usually, but since this deck has Mesprit, you can use First Contact to get Jirachi into play, and don’t need to play more than two of them. I still kept four in the list above to increase consistency and because I’d rather not use First Contact if I go first, but I can see the benefits of running less. This would free up space for either of the attackers above, as well as a second [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card].
Compared to a more classic Malamar list, such as the one I gave in the article linked above, this version is much more risky, but the payoff is also higher. With no Acro Bike, it is more likely that your opening hand will be bad and you might lose a turn or two to set up your board, even though Mesprit helps to mitigate that risk. On the other hand, when you’re set up, the fact that you’re playing Custom Catcher means that you have more options than before. Being able to target any Pokemon on your opponent’s Bench gives you much more control over how the game goes, as you can remove threats before they’re set up or finish a damaged Pokemon. What should you value more? The consistency of a traditional list? Or the higher power ceiling of the Custom Catcher list?
This depends on your goals, and your personality. There were times when I decided to play safe decks to secure Championship Points. For example, I played [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Team Up” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Jolteon-GX ” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM173″ c=”name”][/card] at EUIC for exactly this reason. I didn’t think the deck could win the event, but my goal was to get Championship Points, and I finished in Top 64 with it. However, I believe that Worlds is the perfect time to take risks. There are no Championship Points to earn, so the tournament only matters for itself. In addition, there are no rewards for a middle-of-the-road result, or even a slightly above average one. Therefore, it’s better to play a deck that can win everything or bomb terribly, rather than one that is generically good. This is my philosophy as a Day 2 player, but I think that it applies just as well, if not more, to Day 1. If there are eight rounds, you need to win six of those to advance. Apart from personal pride, finishing 5-3 is exactly the same as finishing 3-5; you might need to take risks and play a deck that could either go 6-2 or 2-6, in order to have a chance to advance.
Dark Box
If you want to apply this philosophy to its fullest, the epitome of high risk/high reward is including Custom Catcher in Dark Box. In my article last week, I mentioned that I didn’t think Custom Catcher was reliable in this deck. Using [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] helps with that, and gives the deck an added consistency boost which it needs. Just like in the [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card] list above, we must remove [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] to fit the new cards, which can make the setup worse. If you get your main Pokemon in play, being able to play Custom Catcher in a deck that already has the most powerful attacks in the game, can be gamebreaking. Also, Bill’s Analysis can find [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], which is another Item that can change the course of a game, provided you hit heads. This fits in with the high risk, high reward philosophy.
[decklist name=”W19 Darker Box” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″][pokemon amt=”19″]2x [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Naganadel” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Poipole” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Umbreon and Darkrai-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Sableye and Tyranitar-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Greninja and Zoroark-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Darkrai Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Bill’s Analysis” set=”Team Up” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Cherish Ball” set=”Unified Minds” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Black Market Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This is a simple adaptation of my list in the previous article. Acro Bike counts were exchanged for [card name=”Custom Catcher” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] and since we don’t want to run too many Supporters, [card name=”Nanu” set=”Team Up” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] was cut for Bill’s Analysis. In addition, I removed an Energy and added a third [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] instead. This is because, without Acro Bike, we don’t get the all-important turn 1 Sneasel as reliably, so a third copy is needed to improve those odds.
Winning a big tournament always requires a part of luck, and if you assume that you’re going to be lucky at Worlds, this is the deck you want to run. As long as you draw into the cards you need, you have the best options available to you. Two turns of Black Lance can mean four Prizes in one turn, completely ruining [card name=”Blacephalon-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]’s shot at playing [card name=”Beast Ring” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card]. Custom Catcher on [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] followed by Greedy Crush for three Prizes is ridiculously strong as well. I can see this deck winning Worlds, but I can also can see it going 2-5 if it doesn’t set up. Will you take the risk?
Conclusion
This is all for now. I’ll soon be travelling to America for the fourth time this season. If you see me in Washington, feel free to say hi! There will be one last article before Worlds where I’ll share my last-minute thoughts on the format. In the meantime, once again, best of luck in all your games!
–Stéphane
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