Making More Memes Work — Armaldo and Chandelure
[cardimg name=”Jumpluff” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”14″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Playing through countless random versus games on the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online can be cumbersome. Needing more and more tournament tickets can be a lot, so playing the games I need to daily sometimes takes a little more motivation.
To do this, I’ve bounced around to Expanded and even Legacy, but I’ve also taken up some unorthodox decks to spice things up. These decks often turn out to be competitive, or even overshadowed, like Falinks, Lost March, Nidoqueen, and Porygon-Z that I’ve written about in the past.
Meme Decks of Choice
Lately, when tired of top-tier decks, I’ve been taking a break from the metagame to play with [card name=”Armaldo” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card]. Chandelure is the more intriguing of the two, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I think it’s competitively viable, even on a bigger stage. Armaldo might need more work or might need to be scrapped, regardless, it’s fun.
Armaldo Deck List
Here’s Armaldo to start:
[premium]
[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″][pokemon amt=”14″]4x [card name=”Armaldo” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Anorith” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ 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=”Unidentified Fossil” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”207″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Stadium Nav” set=”Unified Minds” no=”208″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fossil Excavation Map” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Research Lab” set=”Unified Minds” no=”205″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Gyarados” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”33″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This deck is similar to Gyarados builds from about a decade back, or [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] from more recently. [card name=”Unidentified Fossil” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] is lower maintenance than getting multiple [card name=”Magikarp” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] in the discard pile, as it can discard itself. This deck has to maximize its chances of getting a [card name=”Pokémon Research Lab” set=”Unified Minds” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card] going on the first turn, ideally going first. If that doesn’t happen it’s difficult to maintain a winning pace! This deck folds as-is to [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] unceremoniously. This is a serious disappointment, but its matchups with other top decks like [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] should keep it viable. I’ve looked all over the card pool for something Darkness-type to one-shot a Dragapult VMAX, but the closest thing I could find was [card name=”Drapion” set=”Unified Minds” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], which is flip-dependent–no bueno. Here’s a look at the cards in the deck:
Explanations
Four Jirachi, Four Stadium Nav, and Four Pokemon Research Lab
Full setup consistency is a go! To complement this even further, one could add [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Judge Whistle” set=”Team Up” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card]–but you still need other good cards in the list, so there’s no space for those right now. [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is your ideal starter, as Restored Pokemon can’t be opened with. [card name=”Stadium Nav” set=”Unified Minds” no=”208″ c=”name”][/card] loses its value quickly, but you cannot afford to miss out on a Pokemon Research Lab at any opportunity; it’s important to maximize these counts!
One Marshadow
[card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] is a major problem for this deck if you don’t have a way to remove it. Going first it won’t be a problem, but going second it can get hairy if they find it on their own first turn. Having the [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] option gives you a good out to using two Pokemon Research Lab in your first two turns, the eventual goal for this archetype. You want your [card name=”Armaldo” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] ready to go so you can worry less about setting up and more about dealing damage and finishing Knock Out.
One Ditto Prism Star
This is the one other optimal way to get an Armaldo out. Of course, you don’t want to evolve from an Unidentified Fossil because that will sap your damage output. Almighty Evolution provides another way to get an [card name=”Anorith” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] out, then evolve that into Armaldo. This isn’t a must, but I think it’s a good idea to play it just in case—it’s been useful for me a few times.
Four Marnie, Four Cynthia, and Two Professor’s Research
You don’t want to discard Energy, nor do you your Armaldo or even Anorith before you get to put them in play. Shuffle draw which you get from [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card], or in the case of [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] “return to deck and draw”, is a staple for this archetype and takes precedence over hard draw like [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] that could cost you important resources.
Four Fossil Excavation Map
Think of these like one-third of a [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], each can get another Unidentified Fossil into your discard pile. There are some matchups where swinging for less than the full 220 will be fine, stuff like baby [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], and others, so in those matchups, you can afford to bench one of your Unidentified Fossil to build up to an Armaldo if necessary for setup’s sake. You definitely want to play a full four of these, it’s doubling your outs to discarding your damage modifying Unidentified Fossil.
Two Great Catcher
I started with a single [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and have also tried higher counts of it, but I’m not sure what’s best here. You could cut out some other stuff and make way for a greater count of the Supporter, or you can go in a route like this with more [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card]. Basically these will nab you every single [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] that comes your way.
The best way to think about this is each Great Catcher is worth two Prizes, and being that you’re a one prizer, you’ll inevitably get ahead in almost any matchup (most decks are two prizers or more). This leaves you in a position where you will only need to take a few Knock Outs outside of Dedenne-GX to win the game. [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] being as hard as I’ve already reflected on makes this spot better as Great Catcher if you ask me, I think you simply have to accept that loss. That feels horrible, but you trade that bad matchup in for a flew of great ones against most other decks. In either case, I still think this deck holds a spot in the metagame, definitely as an outlier, but Great Catcher makes for the best gust effect since you’re constantly looking to draw more cards with your Supporter for the turn and without a way to find Boss’s Orders, doubling your Item-based gust effect is ideal.
[cardimg name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
One Tool Scrapper
Getting rid of [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] or another damage-reducing/HP-increasing Tool is a must. Swinging for 220 against a [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] won’t be enough if they’re reducing damage to avoid the Knock Out in some way; that won’t do. You’re favored if you can set up effectively with the Prize trade, unless some insane combo action reuses [card name=”Jirachi Prism Star” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] enough to take the game on three Knock Outs. Anyways, you need this to get around something that would make this deck downright obsolete.
One Ordinary Rod
You can give up six Prizes a game and without that many attackers having some recovery is going to be necessary. Two is an awkward number because you would need two copies of [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] to get back two lines of [card name=”Armaldo” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], whereas with [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Night Maintenance” set=”Secret Wonders” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] in the past, you could supplement that number a little with the third extra. Heck, [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] would have been optimal in this deck, but we’ve gotta use what we’ve got. Maybe [card name=”Lure Ball” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] could be a consideration? I digress—you’ll want at least one of these so you can use at least five Armaldo in a game. You’re probably going to have a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] Knocked Out early so I wouldn’t worry about two Ordinary Rod to use six Armaldo, it’s simply not realistic with Boss’s Orders in the format.
Options
Boss’s Orders
As I said earlier, I’m not sure what this actually does for the deck. Some counterplay is going to be through retreating and avoiding a Knock Out or through [card name=”Mallow and Lana” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”198″ c=”name”][/card], the latter of which will likely put you out of Boss’s Orders range anyways. Retreating can be annoying, but the main Pokemon V threat (that cannot be moved up with Great Catcher) is Dragapult VMAX. It’s sad to say because this deck would be a strong play if not for its existence, but that matchup is so miserably bad that Boss’s Orders is not worth the inclusion only for it. I think you would legitimately have to run the [card name=”Drapion” set=”Unified Minds” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] to maybe win that matchup. Some games you can rush them down, but that’s not saying much since you’re both aiming to set up before anything else; maybe [card name=”Sky Pillar” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] could do it? More than the four Stadiums already in the deck would be janky, but that could be worth trying out.
Big Charm
180 HP for a one-Prize Pokemon is sick and many things won’t be able to handle it. This gives you a slightly better chance against Dragapult VMAX, but remember they could just as easily be running [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] and punish your inclusion. Regardless, they’re still able to set up the math on your Bench, then one-shot when you come to the Active spot. I know I’m getting long-winded about these Dragapult VMAX problems; I think you would have to dedicate almost ten slots to beat the matchup, that doesn’t seem worth it if you ask me.
Damage Modification with Diancie Prism Star and/or Vitality Band
Swinging for 240 or even 250? It’s cute, but not necessary. The better draw to this is if you land an [card name=”Unidentified Fossil” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”207″ c=”name”][/card] in your Prizes, then you might want [card name=”Diancie Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] to dig you out of that hole. You go from 170 to 190 with it, which can be relevant. I’d skip all this though, as Diancie Prism Star for one would be hard to switch out, and Vitality Band on its own is bad (even with Diancie Prism Star I don’t think it’s too relevant).
Pokemon Communication
Have an [card name=”Anorith” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] you want in the deck so you can get it with [card name=”Pokémon Research Lab” set=”Unified Minds” no=”205″ c=”name”][/card]? Throw it back in with [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card]; it’s also another out to [card name=”Armaldo” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card]. I could see one or two, but it’s rough with only 14 Pokemon, many of which you don’t want to actively get rid of. Best to rely on your shuffle draw Supporters!
Reset Stamp
As with any one-prizer deck, [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] is always going to be a consideration. This one more than most since it has such large HP, you can mount a comeback in the late game using Reset Stamp and then taking big Knock Outs. I favor more consistency with this slot in a deck like this so I’ll pass on it for now.
Playing the Deck
[cardimg name=”Armaldo” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”112″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hopefully, you start with a [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], it’ll happen 73.79% of the time! If not, [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”81″ c=”name”][/card] aren’t game-losing, so long as you find your first turn Pokemon Research Lab. From there you can leave Unidentified Fossil on the Bench until you need to discard one and get the damage buff. Know the numbers before you go into a matchup, two Unidentified Fossil discarded to one-shot a [card name=”Blacephalon” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card], that sort of thing. [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] should be reserved for Knock Outs that benefit your Prize trade, don’t use them to put you on odd Prizes or something silly like that.
This deck is extremely setup based so if that doesn’t happen, you will lose. You have to do all you can, sometimes even in “reckless” fashion to get that goal, it might involve an ugly [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card], play to your outs! The deck trades favorably with one-prizers (Blacephlaon, [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], and others) with the larger HP and easy one-shot potential, it crushes [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], and it can hold its own against [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card]. It gets wrecked by [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and control decks though; [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] can be rough, too, but that one’s winnable.
Chandelure Deck List
Now onto my favorite, [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card]!
[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Incineroar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”29″][pokemon amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Litwick” set=”Unified Minds” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Drizzile” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Gossifleur” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dunsparce” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mew” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Incineroar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]7x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
I’ve been somewhat hooked on this deck since it came out in time for Worlds, and my group and I were pleasantly surprised to make a list focusing on [card name=”Green’s Exploration” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] in the early testing rounds for that tournament that seemed to function well. The problem was that it couldn’t keep things going in the late game and sometimes you wouldn’t set up in the early game. Now, the deck has the new [card name=”Lampent” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] to smooth things over. The Lampent is new with Rebel Clash so that’s why you maybe haven’t seen this deck recently, I genuinely think it has great potential. Once you set up, things start chaining into each other and [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] to Primate Wisdom helps set things up even further.
Explanations
Thirty Eight Pokemon
Before saying anything more, you need a ton of Pokemon to make this deck work. Spirit Burner has good odds of hitting Pokemon and dealing more damage when over half of your deck is just that. As you play, try to thin out as many not-Pokemon cards as you can, stockpiling a big hand of Energy and Trainers.
Four Sobble, Four Drizzile, and Three Inteleon
[cardimg name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
the Inteleon line sets you up for the whole game, and they pair well with the next inclusion on this list. Getting your first [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ c=”name”][/card] practically sets you up in of itself, so finding that is great. Each Inteleon is two not-Pokemon cards thinned out, each Rosa you have in hand means you’ll live to attack another turn.
Four Gossifleur and Four Dunsparce
These are super unorthodox choices, I get it, but hear me out: this deck chooses to go second and you’re going to use one of these to attack if you can. Call for Family and Strike and Run both get three Basic Pokemon out, often going for [card name=”Litwick” set=”Unified Minds” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], Oranguru, and [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. This is your setup, then from there you use Rosa for either Lampent, [card name=”Dusk Stone” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card], and Fire Energy, or [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”name”][/card], and Fire Energy. If you have either of the Trainers in hand already, you can get yourself another Rosa! These are also filler Pokemon that you don’t care about discarding with Spirit Burner, making them all the more better to have in large quantities. There’s a 68.76% chance you’ll start with either!
Two Oranguru
It’s the worst starter for this deck and annoying if it gets moved up to your Active spot, but I’ve played without it and I won’t go back to that dark place. Primate Wisdom can put a Lampent on the top of your deck, then you can draw it on your next turn and get it on the Bench. It also sets up [card name=”Incineroar” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] to go on the top of your deck, where you can then use Spirit Burner to put it into play. This goes for Chandelure itself or any of your other Fire Pokemon that you might want on the Bench.
Two Ninetales and One Incineroar
[card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card]’s Nine Temptations Ability is a fantastic way to lead the charge in the Prize trade and works well in this deck since you have some ways to recover Fire Energy. In some matchups you only have to attack a few times anyway, so having this extra gust option alongside [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] itself is amazing. Incineroar, once in play, makes it possible to one-shot 320 HP Pokemon VMAX if you hit five Pokemon off Spirit Burner. With it, you can crank up the heat to 340 if you hit five of them or 280 off four. These numbers sound outlandish, and they are: this deck is a force to be reckoned with once it’s good and going.
Four Rosa
Honestly, all you need to set up. Rosa gets your attacker out and doing what it needs to. Your first two or so turns are the scariest, but if you have a Rosa in any of that time you’ll be sitting pretty.
One Brock’s Grit, One Boss’s Orders, One Fire Crystal, One Dusk Stone, and One Giant Hearth
The one-of tech Rosa tech selection, or so I like to call these. [card name=”Brock’s Grit” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] is an early grab off Shady Dealings if you can, you don’t want to use Spirit Burner and send them into the discard pile if you can help it. That goes for any of these cards, that’s more of the reason that the [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] line is included in here in the first place. In order, if you can search one out of the deck, I would value them like this:
- 1. Brock’s Grit (kind of like a damage modifier in the late game to replenish the deck with Pokemon and gets Fire Energy back, too)
- 2. [card name=”Fire Crystal” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card] (like a gust with Ninetales in play and you need Energy to attack in the first place)
- 3. Boss’s Orders (influences the Prize trade if you can’t get Ninetales down)
- 4. [card name=”Giant Hearth” set=”Unified Minds” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] (if it stays in play, it’s awesome and makes you self-sufficient)
- 5. Dusk Stone (like a “third” Rare Candy, in the deck for different hands you might have, like if you have a [card name=”Lampent” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] already)
Options
Blaziken
[card name=”Blaziken” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card]’s Firestarter ability makes you completely self-sufficient, but I found it too be too fancy in testing. You already have enough Energy unless you’re plagued by a terrible Spirit Burner discard, and sometimes you won’t even have a [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] in play until you use your Spirit Burner for the turn. That said, this clogs a Bench space and might not even be used. Do without it!
Delphox and Infernape
I tried [card name=”Delphox” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Infernape” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] in the past as another damage modifier with Mystical Torch to Burn the defending Pokemon, then Flaming Fighter to ramp that damage up further. Super gimmicky. Delphox would be okay, but your Bench space gets too tight and I’d skip it.
Charizard
[cardimg name=”Charizard” set=”Team Up” no=”14″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Roaring Resolve is cute as a backup attacking option, it also thins the deck of Fire Energy that you don’t want to discard. I like [card name=”Charizard” set=”Team Up” no=”14″ c=”name”][/card] for that reason, but the problem is finding it early and getting it into play. Maybe with the [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, you can use [card name=”Pokémon Communication” set=”Team Up” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card], then put it on top of the deck, use Spirit Burner to get it into play, and go from there. Prioritizing Chandelure usually takes precedence early, so I have found it difficult to fit this into a game plan.
Cinderace
Libero is really cool for this deck, but you’ll also have to find another Energy to attach for the turn to use Flare Striker and on top of that, you would need to have a retreating option. None of these things is pleasant, I would maybe consider [card name=”Cinderace” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] if you played [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to Stellar Wish, although [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t fit well in the deck since you want to avoid more Trainers.
Magcargo
The original list for this played [card name=”Magcargo” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] for the Smooth Over option, but it was quickly removed. It’s a terrible Bench slot to eat up and does nothing but prep you for another attacker (likely what you’d search out). Oranguru is a cheaper alternative that doesn’t need to be put into play via Spirit Burner and it also can work from your first turn.
Playing the Deck
Go second and hope to search out your three Basic Pokemon. These are usually [card name=”Litwick” set=”Unified Minds” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], Oranguru, and [card name=”Sobble” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. It’s likely you’ll have one of these in your opening hand to start, so you might be able to double up on one of them: choose the second Litwick. From there it’s a matter of having/finding the [card name=”Rosa” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”204″ c=”name”][/card] and starting to attack. Primate Wisdom can put Fire Pokemon you want to Spirit Burner on the top of your deck and things start moving quickly. Get [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Team Up” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] into play and make sure you take the Knock Outs you want to. I love the deck, it’s insanely fun, and a bit of a gamble to run!
Conclusion
I love making meme decks more than a dream and I hope you enjoyed learning about these two. Try them out, I certainly will be running [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Unified Minds” no=”30″ c=”name”][/card] some more; I do want to put more work into [card name=”Armaldo” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] as well. If you have any questions about either of these or want to chat in the Subscribers’ Hideout, what are you waiting for? Take care all, thanks for reading.
–Caleb
Follow me on Twitter @shredemerptcg.
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