A Christmas Tree(s) Special — Two Trevenant BREAK Variants for Expanded and a Whimsical Bonus
eHey everybody, it’s Charlie and I’m super happy to be back with another article. I finished my first semester of college and have taken to playing some Pokemon to celebrate!
I cannot stand the current Standard format; it’s simply too stale, full of Basic Pokemon, and centered around bad cards like [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. I took a look at Expanded and was pleasantly surprised to see a much healthier format! While powerful Standard decks like [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] get plenty of upgrades to be even better in Expanded, a few old favorites can confidently take them on. In this article, I’ll go over two very different approaches to one of my favorite decks of all time: [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]!
[cardimg name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I have probably had more success with [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks in my career than anything else (save maybe [card name=”Tapu Bulu-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM32″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vikavolt” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card], but it’s close) and have earned a Day 2 / Top Cut placing every time I played the deck. There was a period of time in which I kept a Trevenant deck sleeved up for over a year and simply put it in my bag whenever I planned to attend an Expanded tournament. The deck was so powerful in so many different formats; Item lock, spreading damage, and heavy disruption are timeless mechanics. However with new card releases, Trevenant decks have fallen out of favor in recent times. While the threat of Trevenant is always looming, never before has it had as many options / different ways to play it as it does now!
This first list is a much more “standard” way to build a Trevenant deck; it is full of the classic disruption cards and features some new additions that I’ll go into in a moment. This list is very similar to the one Blaine Hill released in his last article; I have been playing with it a lot and made a few small changes after many games. Here it is:
Expanded Trevenant
[decklist name=”Vanilla Trev” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″][pokemon amt=”16″]3x [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM152 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ace Trainer” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rescue Scarf” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Since this list is so close to Blaine’s, I highly recommend you go read his article for a great explanation of how it works. I’ll explain the few changes that I made:
One Mimikyu CEC
I added in a [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to make both the [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] and the [card name=”Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”158″ c=”name”][/card] (in [card name=”Garchomp and Giratina-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card] decks) matchups even better. While the Garchomp and Giratina-GX matchup is fine overall, this one inclusion should save you any headache if more lists start to include Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX as a Trevenant counter. A lone Naganadel and Guzzlord-GX is extremely hard to deal with, assuming they’re able to use [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] to return two [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] into the deck at some point during the game. I’ve also been facing a lot of Mewtwo and Mew-GX on the ladder recently and wanted an easy answer to the deck. I think Mimikyu is worth the one spot for the amount of value it can provide.
Three N and One Flare Grunt
I flipped the Supporters around because I felt like I was rarely using [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] when I had it in hand and only used [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to play it. I tried a list with four copies of [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] as well; N is extraordinarily powerful in pretty much every deck and especially good here in both the early and late game. N is almost never bad to have, so adding more copies was a no-brainer for me.
Two Psychic Energy and Two Mystery Energy
I added the extra [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] to have an additional out to retreat a Pokemon if needed. Opponents won’t be able to play down any [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] so I wouldn’t worry about it getting removed too much; [card name=”Honchkrow-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] is the only issue and you should be able to deal some damage in order to activate Mimikyu. I wanted a ninth Energy, but can’t find a good spot for it in this list. It’s a good idea if you can work a ninth Energy in here, but for now I think this count will get the job done.
I think this deck is incredibly strong and one of the best decks in the format right now; check out more of Blaine’s article for good descriptions of the deck’s matchups. However, I think we can have a little more fun with this…
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Trevenant / Dusknoir
[decklist name=”TrevNoir” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″][pokemon amt=”20″]3x [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Dusclops” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Duskull” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”83″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Ace Trainer” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]8x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This list has been an absolute blast to test. While likely not “better” than the previous list in the current Expanded format, this list does some things extraordinarily well and can absolutely dominate games. I think future set releases could enable this variant to be more powerful, or someone could come up with a new way to optimize this variant in the current format and it would be awesome. I’ll go into detail about why I made certain choices:
Trevenant BREAK Line
Even though this list is tight, [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is not the place to compromise. Consistency is king.
Two Duskull, Two Dusclops, One Dusknoir BCR, and One Dusknoir VIV
[cardimg name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Now this is where things get fun. [card name=”Duskull” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card] enables this concept to be possible; the power of its Spiritborne Evolution Ability can get you a [card name=”Dusclops” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn of the game regardless of whether you go first or second. After getting out the Dusclops, you can evolve into either one of these extremely powerful Dusknoir. [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] BCR gives you the incredible power to manipulate all of your opponent’s damage counters at will with its Sinister Hand Ability, letting you pick and choose when to take any Prize cards and what to KO. You could lock a Pokemon in the Active Spot and continuously move its damage counters to the opponent’s Bench so it never takes damage and stays there! This adds a new dimension to [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]’s game plan and lets you make more unique plays.
The alternative [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] VIV is one of my favorite new cards and it features one of the coolest Abilities. Spectral Breach turns all Special Energy cards in play into a single Colorless Energy! This completely disables entire decks that rely on cards like [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card], while severely hampering decks that play [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] or the new Special Energy cards like [card name=”Speed L Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]. Getting this into play adds another major limitation to your opponent’s game plan and slow down generally fast decks to a snail’s pace.
I wish I could include a thicker Dusknoir line, but it would affect consistency too much. This combo is what makes this new list fun and it makes me so excited to think what this deck can possibly be capable of.
One Absol
I kept the [card name=”Absol” set=”Team Up” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] in because locking things in the Active Spot became stronger with this list, now that we have Dusknoir BCR. Your opponents better be ready for some major headache trying to retreat their Pokemon.
Supporters
I kept a similar Supporter line because it worked extremely well in the first list. This is enough to sustain your game plan and disrupt your opponent whenever you want. The only change is the removal of [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]; you can get out Dusknoir VIV before [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] uses Ultimate Ray, plus the removal of Double Dragon Energy absolutely crushes that deck’s consistency. Pokemon Ranger is a nice-to-have for sure, but it had to get the axe for consistency’s sake.
Three Crushing Hammer
While I absolutely hate this card, I feel like it’s way too powerful not to include in this deck. Since we have a new way to handle Special Energy decks, we can address basic Energy cards directly with [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card]. I would consider cutting these if consistency becomes an issue, but for now I like having the option to deny basic Energy.
Two Float Stone and No Rescue Scarf
Since Dusknoir VIV turns off our own [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], we have to convert to an all-basic Energy approach. That means we need to include a consistent switching effect, so I went for [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] as a strong way to move my Pokemon around. I would love to have [card name=”Rescue Scarf” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] back in the deck, but there isn’t enough space in this list. I think this is okay for now, but I want to boost these counts and possibly work Rescue Scarf back in.
Overall, this deck has been pretty solid in testing and features the same matchups as the previous variant. Against every Special Energy-based deck, set up Dusknoir VIV ASAP and start spreading. You should be able to win fast enough that they can’t get anything going. Since most decks that rely heavily on basic Energy have lots of Pokemon with high Retreat Cost (Dark Box is the exception, we take that loss), you can instead set up Dusknoir BCR, lock something in the Active Spot, and pick off any threats on the Bench while using their Active Spot Pokemon as a damage sponge.
As I’m writing this article, I’ve been thinking of so many different ways to use this Dusknoir combo in Expanded that I might have to dedicate my entire next article to them. I think both of them have incredible potential to dominate the format together, but need the right partner. This Trevenant deck is a great start, but there might be better ways to play it out there and I want to keep exploring.
I’ll leave you with one other list I’ve been testing a lot in Expanded — [card name=”Whimsicott” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]! The new Whimsicott makes Tool drop a viable concept again with its insane Flying Fury attack. This thing puts out so much damage! As long as you aren’t playing agianst Item lock, this deck beats pretty much everything in the format by killing everything with ease. Here’s the list:
Whimsicott Tool Drop
[decklist name=”Whimsicott” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Whimsicott” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Cottonee” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Sigilyph” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”52″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oricorio-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”U-Turn Board” set=”Unified Minds” no=”211″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Mysterious Treasure” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Eco Arm” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”71″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Rose Tower” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Whimsicott” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”76″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
While this deck can sometimes struggle with consistency, I think it has incredible potential and is an absolute blast to play. The loss of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] due to the ban is huge and affected this deck’s ability to move quickly, but I think this current list does an admirable job at addressing the void left by Shaymin-EX that the deck can handle itself without it. I’ll go into a few of the card choices below:
Four Whimsicott
This was a no-brainer to include for consistency. Without much recovery, this deck absolutely needs maxed counts of both [card name=”Cottonee” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and Whimsicott.
Three Jirachi
I included [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] as a way to help move through the deck faster. Its Stellar Wish Ability can get pretty much everything, so using it once a turn can be super helpful when you need to pull off a critical attack. Jirachi is a great card overall and it gets better when [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] naturally fits into your list.
Two Sigilyph DRX
This card can hold four Tools — enough said. This is the only reason the deck works well; you can dump EVERYTHING onto a [card name=”Sigilyph” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and discard it all for a fat 160 damage. The Tools on the rest of your Pokemon (or your other Sigilyph) should be enough to get the KO. I want three of these, but there’s no space.
Four U-Turn Board, Three Escape Board, Three Float Stone, and Two Stealthy Hood
I went for this odd Tool split in order to get the most possible functionality out of all the Tools we play. Since we plan to discard every Tool with every attack and not have any Tools in play to get bonus effects at the end of turns ([card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card], etc), I picked the best Tools that do something during your turn. First of all, [card name=”U-Turn Board” set=”Unified Minds” no=”211″ c=”name”][/card] is infinitely recoverable after you attack, so four copies are needed. The only way to remove it is [card name=”Faba” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”173″ c=”name”][/card]; not many decks include Faba at the moment so there’s little reason to be worried. Also, Escape Board will help out your Jirachi and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] can retreat a Sigilyph with no other Tools on it. Lastly, I included two [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] in order to deactivate [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Garbotoxin; now not even Garbotoxin (or [card name=”Alolan Muk” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]’s Power of Alchemy) can stop you from filling up Sigilyph with lots of Tools! I feel like this is a solid Tool count for now, but I may want to experiment with a few Tools that work when your Pokemon is KO’d like [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card].
Two Adventure Bag and Two Eco Arm
The Expanded format gives us both of these awesome cards to to find and recover Tools much faster. These are great inclusions, but I don’t feel like you need more than two of either. Keep [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Eco Arm” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] at two of each for now.
Two Rose Tower
Since we lack a lot of draw options, [card name=”Rose Tower” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] gives us some much-needed raw draw power. It’s the strongest counter-Stadium we can play (outside of maybe [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card], but our deck wants to be fast).
This is where the list is for now. I feel like it needs a ton of work, but I’ve been focusing on consistency first and I think this does a reasonable job at addressing it. I’ve played Tool drop to success in the past and know that this engine gets the job done.
Conclusion
These are the results of my recent Expanded format testing. I plan to do a ton more in the next month and will use my next article to update everyone on any new, crazy decks I come up with (expect lots of Dusknoir). As always, feel free to ask me any questions on my Twitter (@C4_TCG) or over Facebook. Thank you so much for reading and I’m looking forward to my next article!
Charlie
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