Legacy Lowdown – PTCGO’s Hidden Gem
Hey everyone, Isaiah back again with another article! Since my last article, a lot has happened in the Pokémon Community. Notably, Zach Lesage won Players Cup II with the classic [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card]. Additionally, Players Cup III was also announced and is coming up soon. Lastly, a lot of stores have begun their Team Challenge Qualifier events, my local store included. In my personal Team Challenge experience, I lost the final round of my Qualifier two weeks ago to miss the team with some unfortunate luck, but I am looking forward to the next Qualifier!
Amidst all of this, I have admittedly been a bit burnt out of playing the Standard format. With the inherent stale nature of playing against the same five decks in 95% of your games, I have been turning to other formats to see what they hold, such as the Expanded format, which I briefly covered in my last article. However, as of late, my number one format of focus has been Pokémon TCG Online’s third major format, Legacy! Today, I will be explaining what Legacy is, what some members of the community have decided to ban, and lastly a few cheaper decks for those looking to get into the format for the first time.
What is Legacy?
[cardimg name=”Celebi” set=”Triumphant” no=”92″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Our story begins back in 2016, a time where [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] and its Night Marching friends ruled the world. In March of that year, Pokémon announced that they had created their fourth major format: Legacy. Joining Standard, Expanded, and Unlimited (which was HeartGold & SoulSilver-on on the Pokémon TCG Online), Legacy provided another ladder format to play for players who were bored with the current formats, and it became an instant success. Legacy is played in the HeartGold & SoulSilver to Legendary Treasures format, pulling together the two oldest blocks of cards on the Pokémon TCG Online.
In the Legacy format, decks are built quite differently than what is seen today. Obviously, the biggest change is that there is a huge drop in card power level, so a lot of cards that would not be viable in the Expanded format. Notably, things like [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Weavile” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], and more are able to shine because they are played alongside the cards they were originally designed to compete with. In addition to being able to use some of the more iconic Pokémon-EX from the Black & White era, you can also mix in Pokémon Prime and even Pokémon LEGEND for use in the Legacy format, allowing for some extremely unique (and likely unintended) interactions. The most prominent of these interactions is certainly [card name=”Celebi” set=”Triumphant” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] Prime + Genesect-EX creating a hyper-aggressive version of the legendary [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card] / Genesect-EX decks from 2013-2015. Alongside these unique Pokémon options, playing the Legacy format opens up some cool Trainer interactions, such as the combination of [card name=”Junk Arm” set=”Triumphant” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] to produce infinite Life Dew on a Pokémon like [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] to produce potent control, lock, or stall strategies, similar to what we have seen in the past two years with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card].
Unfortunately, Legacy also tends to be rather unpopular due to one very significant factor: low accessibility. Fortunately, I am one player that has been playing since HeartGold & SoulSilver was last legal in Standard (then called Modified) eight years ago, but I know many people that do not share the same experience. As a result, it is near impossible for a lot of players to access the format. With a finite number of tradable copies of some of the more influential cards in the format, such as [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW50″ c=”name”][/card] or Celebi Prime, they carry an astronomical amount of value, with Tropical Beaches hovering around a whopping EIGHT HUNDRED Vivid Voltage packs worth of cards (frame of reference, a Secret Rare [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”216″ c=”name”][/card], which is considered Pokémon TCG Online’s “gold standard” is around 100 packs, and one Tropical Beach is about eight of those) and Celebi Prime being about 190 Packs or about two Secret Rare Quick Ball. With that being said, with some dedication, a player getting into the format can feasibly access a lot of the cheaper trainers like Junk Arm or [card name=”Twins” set=”Triumphant” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] just by opening a lot of Triumphant packs, which conveniently also has Celebi (Prime), from the in-game store using Trainer Tokens.
What Has the Community Banned?
As of late, unofficial Legacy events have been popping up semi-frequently since the only way to really play the Legacy format otherwise is the Pokémon TCG Online ladder. With a tournament meta developing, a few decks have taken strangleholds on the format, and were banned as a result. However, one disclaimer that I must make is that not every event bans every one of these cards, so if you plan on participating, make careful certainty that you know what cards will be legal. Additionally, it should go without saying that, since these cards are not officially banned, you CAN still play them on the Pokémon TCG Online ladder.
Vileplume UD
The first and most unanimous ban is certainly [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Undaunted” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. Similar to the Ancient Origins [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], the one from Undaunted locks Items (referred to as Trainers prior to Black & White). However, unlike the modern Vileplume, this one cannot even be shut off by [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], as it has a Poke-Body instead of an Ability. With this inherent power, Vileplume easily takes control of the format by providing an Item lock that only ends when Vileplume is no longer on the field. Vileplume’s power goes even further by being able to abuse the Pokémon Tool [card name=”Silver Mirror” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] in order to protect it from damage from the ever prevalent Team Plasma Pokémon, the most relevant of which being Genesect-EX, which can normally use Red Signal to drag up Vileplume and take a Knock Out. Normally, Genesect-EX would use [card name=”G Booster” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to get through Silver Mirror, but thanks to Vileplume’s Item Lock, they cannot even do that.
Most of the lock decks that feature Vileplume in Legacy are based around abusing the inability to play [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] . Some of these locks include [card name=”Gliscor” set=”Undaunted” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] + [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]. I personally play Gliscor the most when I am playing Legacy in my free time, as I like the concept of pulling together a ton of pieces over the course of a game to create an unbreakable lock in that style. Accelgor is built similar to Gliscor, as it abuses the Paralysis lock provided by Deck and Cover to stop the opponent from attacking while you rack up damage. Interestingly, this lock also plays Garbodor since it can shut down pesky Abilities that break the lock, such as Virizion-EX’s Verdant Wind or Keldeo-EX’s Rush In. However, the most prominent of these locks, and the first that truly expressed the potency of Vileplume was the Snorlax lock. In a format filled with support Pokémon such as Celebi Prime, [card name=”Smeargle” set=”Undaunted” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Deoxys-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], and more, Snorlax can easily lock something active with Block and that Pokémon is unable to move for the entire game. This lock is frequently paired with [card name=”Latias-EX” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”85″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Sigilyph” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card] in order to give more options while denying the Opponent the ability to take Prize Cards.
Weavile UD
Following the ban of Vileplume, there was a pseudo-arms race for who could abuse the loss of the powerful Item Lock. Naturally, people revisited heavily Item-reliant decks such as [card name=”Flygon” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and other Stage 2 decks, but in addition, [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] decks finally were provided their time to shine. Of the Sableye decks, one in particular stuck out to most people, that being “Sable Snag” which combines Sableye along with the extremely powerful [card name=”Weavile” set=”Undaunted” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck is built with one goal in mind: destroy the opponent’s hand, and it is very good at that job. Unlike modern forms of hand destruction, like [card name=”Jessie and James” set=”Hidden Fates” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mars” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card], Weavile let’s you choose what to discard while looking at their hand. Historically, effects like this have been very powerful (see [card name=”Persian” set=”Team Up” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card]), and this one is no exception. It is very rare that someone will have more than one or two pivotal cards in their hand at any given time, so Weavile alongside [card name=”Devolution Spray” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] (and Junk Hunt to recover it) allows for a loop of Hand destruction to inevitably leave them with nothing as your opponent’s Active Pokémon slowly perishes to Poison as provided by [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]. Not just that, but some versions of this deck include [card name=”Slowking” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] in order to control exactly what the opponent will draw, never allowing them to see a relevant card for the duration of the game. With this deck’s near instantaneous surge to the top, there was a broad outcry for a ban, and there a ban came.
Introductory Decks
Now that I have explained what Legacy is and how it is balanced with recent bans, I felt I also needed to include a few decks. As I mentioned earlier, Legacy suffers a ton from being extremely low accessibility thanks to some extremely expensive cards and other cards’ general age. All of the decks I am including here are heavily focused on being relatively inexpensive, aside from HeartGold & SoulSilver era Trainers such as [card name=”Junk Arm” set=”Triumphant” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card], which can be acquired relatively easily by opening packs. Additionally, I omitted both of the banned cards so that these decks are tournament ready, should you decide to play in an event.
Darkrai-EX
Reminiscent of 2012-2014, [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] is a powerhouse in the Legacy format for the same reasons as always: power and consistency. In the Legacy format, a lot of the major EX attackers have 170 HP, so most of the deck’s advantages come from the ability to take a four-Prize card turn by doing 140 with [card name=”Dark Claw” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] and then using [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] to bring up the Pokémon that took 30 from Night Spear’s Bench damage and repeating the combo. Aside from this, the deck does not have a lot else it can do unless you include [card name=”Lost Remover” set=”Call of Legends” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] as a tech for Special Energy decks, but I decided against this in favor of more consistency.
Deck List
[decklist name=”Darkrai-EX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″][pokemon amt=”11″]4x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Absol” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Smeargle” set=”Undaunted” no=”8″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor Oak’s New Theory” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”Black and White” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dark Claw” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Bicycle” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Black and White” no=”93″ 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=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Key Cards
Two Sableye
[card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] takes a place in this deck as it does in pretty much every single Dark-type deck. The power of Junk Hunt cannot be understated, especially in a deck like this where Items are critical. Junk Hunt takes on the role of providing reliable Energy acceleration by recovering [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], providing extra Hypnotoxic Laser or Dark Claw, and much more. Additionally, it helps with the “seven Prize card” game where you force your opponent to Knock Out 3 EXs and 1 non-EX to take their Prize cards. All in all, Sableye is just the perfect utility card.
One Absol
[cardimg name=”Absol” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”67″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Similar to Sableye, [card name=”Absol” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] helps a ton on the front of making a “seven Prize card” game possible. However, unlike Sableye, Absol does it while also dealing damage instead of recovering resources. With Absol’s Mind Jack dealing 120 if the opponent’s Bench is full, Absol grants that extra damage to reach for a one-hit Knock Out on 170 HP Pokémon EX, which is sometimes critical. However, this heavily relies on either being a surprise or on certain matchups, as most people will avoid over benching if it is possible. With that said, Absol is still able to do a pretty reasonable amount of damage, hitting for about 90 to 110 on average with the help of Hypnotoxic Laser.
One Spiritomb
[card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card] is one of the more unique cards from the Black & White series of expansions, as it disallows the use of Ace Specs like [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. However, in Legacy, Spiritomb is largely important because it stops the use of [card name=”G Booster” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] in [card name=”Celebi” set=”Triumphant” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] Prime / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], making the matchup much more favorable. Additionally, blocking [card name=”Scoop Up Cyclone” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] has some benefits, especially considering how reliant this deck is on spreading damage onto your opponent’s Pokémon to take multiple Prize cards at once.
[premium]
Four Professor Juniper, Four Professor Oak’s New Theory, and Zero N
This deck maxes out on [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Professor Oak’s New Theory” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], which are two of the strongest draw Supporters in the Legacy format. Notably though, I play zero copies of [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] because of this deck’s aggression. Since this deck is as aggressive as it is, I choose to play the consistently strong draw Supporters so I can draw more cards after explosive openings.
Weavile PLF
Another one of the Legacy format’s more linear decks, [card name=”Weavile” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] is built to aggressively swing with Weavile’s Vilify for large numbers from the early turns of the game. This strategy is accomplished with a moderately large amount of Pokémon paired with [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to deliver consistent Energy Acceleration to power through the game. Naturally, one may think that consistently filling your hand could prove to be difficult, but thanks to the infamous [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card], you always have direct access to four of the Pokémon needed to reach a one-hit Knock Out. In a format like Legacy where the highest amount of HP is only 180 (or I guess 200 with the unplayed [card name=”Wailord” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]), you realistically only need two additional Pokémon to reach the Knock Outs necessary to claim a victory.
Deck List
[decklist name=”Weavile PLF” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Weavile” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Undaunted” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Smeargle” set=”Undaunted” no=”8″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor Oak’s New Theory” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Junk Arm” set=”Triumphant” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Silver Bangle” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]8x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Key Cards
One Smeargle
This deck is one that certainly could benefit from more than one [card name=”Smeargle” set=”Undaunted” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card]. However, I still settled down at one. One of the main reasons is quite straightforward, being that I could not find a spot for any additional copies. The other major reason was that it was so easy to make it my Active Pokémon that I did not really need to have more than just the one to make good use out of it. Thanks to [card name=”Sneasel” set=”Undaunted” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card]’s Retreat Cost of zero, one copy of [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], one copy of [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], and even my eight Darkness Energy if needed, I felt it was plenty easy to get it Active if need be. Additionally, Smeargle is beyond a shadow of a doubt the best location to put your Float Stone, as Smeargle is flat out the best pivot Pokémon possible. I can say with reasonable certainty that Smeargle would be my 62nd or 63rd card, if that was legal.
Three Dark Patch
This is certainly a lower quantity of these than I would have liked, but I was running out of space and felt that, especially with four [card name=”Junk Arm” set=”Triumphant” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card], I could get away with only three copies.
One Tool Scrapper
Another card that I desperately wish I could fit more of into my deck, [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] is far more critical in this deck than most other decks in the format. As you may have noticed, Weavile is a Team Plasma Pokémon, meaning that it is completely walled out by [card name=”Silver Mirror” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] if you do not play Tool Scrapper. Against decks with Silver Mirror and Junk Arm, it is critical that you save as many of your Junk Arm as possible for the re-use of Tool Scrapper in order to be able to continue dealing damage. If you prize your Tool Scrapper, you are left with two options: Get lucky on [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”name”][/card] and/or Sneasel’s Beat Up flips or click the green “Concede” button.
One Silver Bangle
[card name=”Silver Bangle” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] is an extremely straightforward inclusion in this deck, acting as “Pokémon” that you can Junk Arm for. Silver Bangle provides a nice consistency boost as a result, turning the need for two Pokémon per Knock Out to just one Pokémon and one Junk Arm.
Landorus-EX / Mewtwo-EX / Garbodor
This deck is a bit more passive than the previous decks, relying heavily on [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card]’s Hammerhead and Hypnotoxic Laser to slowly chip away at the HP of your opponent’s Pokémon before eventually cleaning up with something like [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]’s X Ball or Landorus-EX’s Land’s Judgment. Pairing this strategy with [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] to slow the opponent down creates a devastating and potent strategy that is both extremely consistent and effective.
Deck List
[decklist name=”LandyGarb” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″][pokemon amt=”10″]3x [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Oak’s New Theory” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Junk Arm” set=”Triumphant” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Eviolite” set=”Noble Victories” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Heavy Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bicycle” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Random Receiver” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”183″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Remover” set=”Call of Legends” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Scoop Up Cyclone” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Key Cards
Four N
Considering the strategy of this deck, four [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] feels optimal. Most of the time, you will probably lose a Landorus-EX while trying to set up numbers, so an N to four (or even less) paired with Garbodor’s Garbotoxin can be an extremely strong way to take control of the game. Similarly, the ever prevalent N to 1 + Garbotoxin combo is still possible in this deck and is frequently a win condition in itself.
Two Eviolite
[cardimg name=”Eviolite” set=”Noble Victories” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
With few great Pokémon Tool options in Legacy, [card name=”Eviolite” set=”Noble Victories” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] finds a spot in this deck as a way to keep your Landorus alive and spreading damage for as long as possible. This survivability is huge, especially when factoring in that some [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] variants may play special [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Undaunted” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] in order to reach 180 instead of leaving themselves to the 170 number. It also adds some nice survivability against some of the other weaker attackers in the format, by making attacks like [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card]’s Megalo Cannon have to take a three-hit Knock Out on a Landorus-EX with an Eviolite attached.
One Max Potion and One Scoop Up Cyclone
In a deck that is built around cheap and efficient attacks, it only make sense for [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to make an appearance. Max Potion adds some much needed healing to this deck as it tries to spread as much as possible with Hammerhead. [card name=”Scoop Up Cyclone” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] is this deck’s Ace Spec of choice for the same reason of healing, but it does so more effectively by both retaining the Energy and removing the Pokémon from the board entirely.
These two cards are more than just nice healing cards, though. Against [card name=”Flygon” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], it is critical to keep a low amount of Pokémon in play, so Scoop Up Cyclone helps you limit this and also can remove some damage from the board in the process. If Flygon is unable to get [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card] out quickly, Scoop Up Cyclone typically seals an easy victory for this deck.
Conclusion
With that, I conclude this article about the hidden gem that is Pokémon TCG Online’s Legacy format. I hope that you were able to learn more about this unique format by reading this article, and I especially hope that you consider trying out one of these decks for yourself. As I said earlier, Legacy has been a nice breath of fresh air lately from the rather stale Standard and Expanded format as well as also being an awesome nostalgia trip to some of the cooler cards from my beginnings in Pokémon. As always, if you have any questions about any of these decks or Legacy in general, let me know in the Subscribers’ Hideout, on Facebook (Zaya Lee), or on Twitter (@ICheville). Thanks for reading!
– Isaiah
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