I.P. Stands for “Intelligent Play” — Inteleon in Standard

By: Zakary Krekeler · Posted Posted onFeb 17, 2020 at 9:59 PM · 0 Comments

[cardimg name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Sword & Shield set has brought a variety of changes to the Standard format. Pokemon V and VMAX have redefined our concepts of “high HP” and “high damage output.” New Trainer cards such as [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] have drastically changed how decks will construct their Trainer engines, and how decks will operate in general. We’ve also received two new and potentially powerful Pokemon-based consistency engines. The first of those, [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], has already been widely discussed—not too surprising, given its similarities to [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM84″ c=”name”][/card], one of the strongest cards of all time!

Since there has already been plenty of hype around the Cinccino engine, I’ll instead be focusing on the other of those new support Pokemon: [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card], with its Shady Dealings Ability. Outside of the context of Inteleon’s other attributes–based purely on the text of the Ability–Shady Dealings is incredibly powerful. It won’t fit in every deck, but it has excellent synergy with decks that *need* particular Trainer cards just to set up (take Evolution decks that rely on [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”name”][/card]).

Need a particular Pokemon from the deck? You can search for Quick Ball or [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card]! Need to recover Pokemon from the discard pile? Search for [card name=”Lure Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]! Need to do more damage? Search for [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card]! If you have the capability to evolve into Inteleon on a given turn, you’ll have access to almost any other resource you’ll need during that turn. That kind of consistency is difficult to match. 

In order for Inteleon to effectively perform its function in a deck, I think it would need to take up at least six spaces in the list, or more depending on how thick of a line you want to add in. To maximize the potential of Shady Dealings, and to justify the inclusion of that somewhat sizable Inteleon line, Inteleon should only be played in a deck where particular hard-to-find Trainer cards are crucial for the deck’s setup. After all, those slots could just as easily be devoted to some lines of Cinccino or [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], or some [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. If Shady Dealings would only be used as a general consistency boost, then you’d likely be better off replacing it with one of those other options listed above. But, if specific multi-card combos or Trainer-based setup strategies are necessary for a deck to function, then Inteleon may be the piece to put that concept over the top.

In my quest to make Inteleon competitive, I’ve come across a few archetypes that seem to be able to utilize an Inteleon line quite well. In these decks, there is a clear benefit to running Inteleon over a different support Pokemon line. In particular, decks with Rare Candy seem to be the best pairing. In the following section, I go over some of the decks and core strategies I’ve found to make the best use of Shady Dealings.

Trainer pairings for Inteleon

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Stage-2 Decks with Rare Candy

When [card name=”Alolan Ninetales-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] came out in Lost Thunder, it was immediately paired with Stage-2 decks as a means for those decks to quickly and easily access Rare Candy. The Mysterious Guidance Ability, which searches for two Item cards, gave those decks the consistency and speed boost necessary to compete with “big Basic” decks, and we saw a diverse metagame emerge as a result. As Shady Dealings is effectively a stronger version of Mysterious Guidance (since it can search for any Trainers, not just Items), it’s not too far of a stretch to theorize that Inteleon can synergize with Stage-2 decks in the same way that Alolan Ninetales-GX did.

In addition to the added flexibility of Shady Dealings, another advantage Inteleon has over Alolan Ninetales-GX is that it is a non-Pokemon-GX. One issue with Alolan Ninetales-GX in single-Prize attacker decks was that it would serve as a liability on the board after Mysterious Guidance was used; Inteleon does not have this problem. Another important consideration is that Inteleon’s Stage-1 form, [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], has a weaker version of Shady Dealings (searching for only one Trainer). This is another excellent consistency boost and one of the big reasons I think Inteleon can be successful. 

Once Drizzile is in play, any Inteleon you draw is pure upside. In a Rare Candy-centered deck, Drizzile will be used to find a Rare Candy and put your first Stage-2 Pokemon into play. Then, while you lean on that first Stage-2 to start attacking and stabilizing your board presence, you can look for an Inteleon to help you get the second (and third) Stage-2 attacker into play, or to find other useful Trainer cards (such as [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card], or Supporter cards) once your board has been established.

Stage-2 Pokemon haven’t had a lot of success in Standard recently, but the introduction of Inteleon may help change that. [card name=”Rillaboom” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Meganium” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Charizard” set=”Team Up” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] are only a few examples of strong Stage-2 Pokemon that could take advantage of Shady Dealings. With Inteleon, these concepts might be able to gain the consistency and speed they need to become highly competitive archetypes. 

Roxie

[cardimg name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

A second possible pairing with Inteleon is the [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] engine. In addition to finding Roxie itself, you can also use Shady Dealings to search for [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] or Lure Ball to grab [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. With this engine, not only do you have an inherently strong draw engine, you also have the bonus effect of a reliable damage counter spread effect. Since you will be adding at least six additional Pokemon to the deck in the form of  the Inteleon line, you should reach the threshold of Pokemon at which Roxie becomes a truly effective card. When you are able to consistently find two Pokemon to discard with Roxie, it becomes the best draw Supporter in the game.

This combination alone makes a pretty powerful deck shell, good for use with Pokemon such as [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] that either rely on prior damage counters to boost their attacks, or can spread additional damage around the board. However, the Roxie and [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] combo does take up a significant amount of deck space, so this combo is something to build a deck around, not to squeeze into a deck that doesn’t already play at least one of Roxie or Inteleon.

Inteleon / Roxie has become one of my preferred ways to play Sableye V, specifically in a metagame where many decks are prepared for Galarian Obstagoon’s Obstruct attack. A Blacephalon-based list would be a strong option for fields heavy in non-GX decks, such as Blacephalon or [card name=”Malamar” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. Here is a “starting package” you can use for Inteleon and Roxie, if you want to try building around it yourself:

  • 3-2-2 or 3-3-2 Inteleon
  • Two to four Weezing
  • Four Roxie
  • Four [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] 
  • Four Evolution Incense
  • One to two [card name=”Lure Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] 
  • One to two [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card], or one [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] 

Welder and Fire-type Attackers

The [card name=”Welder” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] engine has been at the top of the Standard format ever since the card was released. The issue with Welder decks is the occasional inability to find a key Welder; this problem can be solved by Inteleon. You can utilize Shady Dealings effectively in decks that use the Welder engine, either to find Welder itself, to find your Pokemon search cards, or to find Energy via [card name=”Fiery Flint” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card].

In Welder builds, I’ve preferred a thinner Inteleon line, as little as 1-1-1 in some cases. I am not fully convinced the Inteleon line is better than other consistency cards you could run in its place, but it has been successful in testing often enough to be worth mentioning. 

 

Sample List: Inteleon / Vikavolt

I’ve chosen [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”59″ c=”name”][/card] as an example because it is probably the best representation of how Intelion can function as a general concept. It’s also the most effective Inteleon build I’ve tested so far, in terms of win percentage against the current Standard meta. This deck is somewhat unique in that it can largely discard Energy search, as most of your Energy will come from [card name=”Charjabug” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]’s Battery Ability. The flipside is that the deck needs a lot of ways to search out and recover Pokemon. That’s where Inteleon comes in!

Vikavolt is a powerful card; it is one of the few non-GXs that are capable of OHKOing Tag Team Pokemon-GX, and it can also OHKO any Pokemon-GX and Pokemon V without damage modifiers. Since it is also a single-Prize attacker, Vikavolt has a positive win rate against those multiple-Prize attacker decks, assuming it can set up with something close to the same level of efficiency. 

Here is my list:

[decklist name=”Vikavolt” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vikavolt” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”59″][pokemon amt=”24″]4x [card name=”Grubbin” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”18″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Charjabug” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”59″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Lure Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”3″]1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Compared to most other decks, this list is rather unorthodox. Its only draw Supporter cards are [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Clay” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], and despite being an attacking deck, it only has three Energy cards. 

Card Explanations

Supporters

[cardimg name=”Rare Candy” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”165″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] is critical to support Vikavolt’s reliance on [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]. Fortunately, the thick Inteleon and Vikavolt lines make this deck very well equipped to make good use of Roxie. With 24 Pokemon, and 17 ways to search for them, this list will almost always be able to get the full six-card draw effect from Roxie. Since the list plays four [card name=”Lure Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] and an [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card], you’ll rarely feel bad about discarding any particular Pokemon; in some cases, you can strategically discard Evolution Pokemon so that you can grab them with Lure Ball. [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s Blow-Away Bomb Ability can add some useful damage to help you take KOs: one use of Blow-Away Bomb reduces the number of [card name=”Electropower” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] needed to OHKO [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”221″ c=”name”][/card] by one, and two uses provides the same benefit on any 270-HP Tag Team Pokemon-GX and also puts [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] into OHKO range.

Clay is great in this deck as well. With 26 Items in the deck, you’ll almost always find multiple Items off each Clay. More importantly, since the deck plays four Lure Ball, any Pokemon you discard are easily recoverable, so in many scenarios, the discard effect can actually act as further consistency, rather than being detrimental.

Finally, I included a single [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card] as a quick way to find Basic Pokemon to fill the board. This card became worse as a result of the new turn 1 rules, since you can’t rely on it for setup in every game, but it is actually good in the mid-game in this deck since you can find it with [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] or Inteleon. 

Energy

The [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”name”][/card] is in the deck to provide an easy way to retreat your Pokemon. You could also do this with [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], but with Recycle Energy, the deck gains the ability to repeatedly attack with Inteleon (since you have one Water Energy and one [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]). This is mostly useful against Fire-type decks, but the snipe damage from Aqua Bullet can occasionally come into play against other decks, especially in combination with Roxie and Blow-Away Bomb.

Charjabug makes it so that Lightning Energy aren’t necessary, so those slots can be dedicated to more consistency Trainers.

Pokemon

In the cases of both the Vikavolt and Inteleon line, rather than playing an even 4-4-4 and 3-3-3 lines, I’ve cut one of each of of the Stage-2 Pokemon to make room for additional Lure Ball. The Lure Ball is considerably more important than the extra Stage-2, because a high amount of Pokemon recovery is crucial in this deck, and it can act as a search card that gives you flexibility between Vikavolt and Inteleon anyway. 

Dedenne-GX and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] have been included for extra consistency. The one flexible Pokemon here is the [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] with Resource Management; I’ve added it in as a secondary way of recovering [card name=”Grubbin” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], and to recover Lure Ball and Electropower if needed. Against Tag Team Pokemon-GX and VMAX decks in particular, it’s nice to be able to recover the Electropower, so that you can potentially win by just taking two OHKOs. This spot is adjustable, though; other Pokemon options include [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. You could also turn it into another Trainer card–either another consistency card, or a tech card such as [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Lt. Surge’s Strategy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card].

Items

Almost all of the Items in this deck — [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Stormfront” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card], Lure Ball, Rare Candy and Ordinary Rod all support the goal of getting your Evolution lines into play as quickly as possible. Electropower increases the deck’s damage output, so that it can OHKO even the highest-HP Pokemon in the format. Finally, the Great Catcher, [card name=”Switch” set=”EX Delta Species” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] are fairly common utility Items, although you could replace them if you come up with some other Items you find more useful.

General Strategy

The key to this deck is Rare Candy. Ideally, when playing this deck, you should never put any Charjabug into play–that is, to get Vikavolt into play, you should always use Rare Candy. That way, all of your Charjabug can be used as Energy attachments, maximizing the deck’s attacking efficiency. This list is optimized for that purpose. In the early game, the plan is to get as many Grubbin and Sobble into play as possible. From there, you can use Drizzile to find your Evolution Incense and Rare Candy and get Vikavolt into play. After that, you’ll want to find Charjabug, so that you can start attacking. In the later stages of the game you want to find your recovery cards, primarily Lure Ball, so that you can continue to attack. The common theme here is Pokemon search: at pretty much every stage of the game, you’ll constantly be looking for Pokemon. 

Your strategy typically won’t change based on the opposing deck. Against Fire decks, you can sometimes use Inteleon as a strong attacker, but you won’t use it in most other matchups unless you are unable to find or recover Charjabug. 

Overall, I think this deck is pretty solid against the current Standard metagame, even against top-tier decks such as [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”195″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], and Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. It can struggle against other non-Pokemon-GX decks, such as [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], as well as against [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] Mill. However, in most matchups, Vikavolt’s hard-hitting, single-Prize-attacker strategy is difficult to deal with.

Other Inteleon Decks

I’m not going to delve as deeply into these lists, but they are other good examples of how Inteleon can be utilized. 

Nidoqueen / Meganium / Inteleon

[decklist name=”Nidoqueen / Meganium” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″][pokemon amt=”23″]3x [card name=”Chikorita” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”5″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Meganium” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”8″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Nidoran F” set=”Team Up” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Froakie” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”51″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Greninja-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”208″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”201″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cynthia and Caitlin” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma and Hala” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”193″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Elm’s Lecture” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”5″]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Boost Energy Prism Star” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[card name=”Nidoqueen” set=”Team Up” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Meganium” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] has always been a Stage-2 concept with some potential. It’s one of those decks that tends to win when it gets set up, but tends to lose if it struggles in the early game. Given that the deck typically plays multiple Stage-2 lines, and needs to get a field full of them in order to have any kind of decent damage output, it has a dire need to find [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] quickly. [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] can find Rare Candy and Evolution Incense to set up your board more effectively than before, and once you have all the pieces in play, the deck flows smoothly and it’s easy to find anything you need on any given turn in the mid and late game. 

Whimsicott-GX / Porygon-Z / Inteleon

[decklist name=”Whimsicott-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″][pokemon amt=”19″]3x [card name=”Cottonee” set=”Unified Minds” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Porygon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”25″]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Fairy Charm L” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fairy Charm P” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”16″]4x [card name=”Unit Energy FDY” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Recycle Energy” set=”Unified Minds” no=”212″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Aurora Energy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Draw Energy” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”209″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[card name=”Whimsicott-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Porygon-Z” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] has always been a neat concept, but it struggles if it can’t get Porygon-Z into play early on. Inteleon solves that issue and gives this deck some much-needed consistency in general, such as ways to find [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] and Fairy Charm cards. I’d still be a bit wary about playing this deck into a field of [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], but even that matchup can be pretty manageable if the coin flips go your way.

Sableye V / Inteleon / Roxie

[decklist name=”Sableye V” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”194″][pokemon amt=”22″]3x [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Weezing” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”30″]4x [card name=”Roxie” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”205″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bede” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Lillie’s Poké Doll” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lure Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Black Market Prism Star” set=”Team Up” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]8x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[card name=”Galarian Obstagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] is a solid card, but it isn’t a necessary partner for [card name=”Sableye V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Once players build lists that can play around Obstruct, Galarian Obstagoon loses most of its punch. This list takes a different approach, focusing instead on spread damage and efficiency. If you haven’t found much success with Sableye V so far, I’d recommend trying this build out.

Conclusion

Overall, Inteleon seems to be a card with plenty of potential. It may not be quite as versatile as [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pidgeotto” set=”Team Up” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], but when it works, it works incredibly well. Be sure to try it out–if you enjoy playing creative “rogue” decks, I would absolutely recommend giving some Inteleon-centered lists a look.

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message me, or to post here or in our PTCG Subscriber’s Hideout. Thanks for reading!

–Zak

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