Jet Draft — Riding the Popularity of Decidueye-GX / Vileplume
The state of the current meta is becoming, once again, centralized. This is all thanks to PokeBeach’s legendary John Kettler whom debuted a new toxic deck ([card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]), in Anaheim Regionals and became notorious in St. Louis Regionals. Decidueye has taken the top tables by storm. It appeared at the Oceania Intercontinental Championship in full force, flooded local League Cups across the United States, and is a common point of discussion among top players. Each new piece of literature in the recent weeks has that central theme of destroying Decidueye as it is popular with players because it is a high skill cap, low skill floor deck, like Night March. This means it does not take much skill to be fairly effective with the deck because you have [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] which can win you matches all on its own. However, when playing against high caliber players who have teched against and practiced for the deck, you must understand the ins and outs of Decidueye to pull out a win. My intention in writing this article is similar to the aforementioned literature where I present to you decks that I believe have a very strong chance of beating Vileplume / Decidueye for your upcoming League Cups and Regional Championships in the Standard format.
Vileplume / Decidueye-GX
In order to effectively combat [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card], you must first understand the strategy of the deck, which is true of most matchups. If you have not had the pleasure or pain of being on the giving or receiving end of this deck, it goes like this. You try to set up as many Decidueye-GX as possible before setting up Item-lock, and then pull up Pokemon with heavy Retreat to the Active slot while damaging threats around them. Optimally, you want to be able to Knock Out the immobile Pokemon in the Active slot on the same turn you eliminate the immediate threat that they have built on the Bench. The tactics that VD can employ to slowly rip apart its opponent’s decks are highly frustrating. Earlier versions of the deck tried to focus on the cheap, single attachment attackers [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], but the meta has shifted to where [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] typically replace Tauros-GX. Though these are not the most powerful attackers in the game, the pressure of Decidueye’s Feather Arrow while being forced to maneuver around Item-lock gives the attackers the time they need to close out the game. VD, like [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Hammers and [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] in previous formats, just tries to put your opponent on a six Prize clock while locking them out of plays that their deck is normally accustomed to. Even though they were some of the best decks of their time, they were never unbeatable as they had exploitable weaknesses. For instance, Seismitoad / Hammers was defeated by attackers that had high mobility and attack-based acceleration. Accelgor / Trevenant fell flat on its face when paired against anything that had recovery from Special Conditions like multiple [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card].
As mentioned before, Standard lists have changed quite a bit since Melbourne in my local meta. It really hasn’t changed much as the Supporter line, and the draw line stays pretty much the same. This list is based off of Alex Hill’s list but with a [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] in the place of Grass Energy.
[decklist name=”dda” amt=”60″ caption=”das” cname=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″][pokemon amt=”25″]4x [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dartrix” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rowlet” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gloom” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”2″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Oddish” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”1″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”28″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Revitalizer” set=”Generations” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Vileplume / Decidueye’s Weaknesses
After hours of testing, building, and discussing VD with several of my peers, these are the weaknesses that I have found to be fairly exploitable with the cards available to the meta.
[cardimg name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Ability-lock
This weakness is probably the most obvious of them. Cards that can take advantage stopping Feather Arrow and Irritating Pollen in this format are [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] (kind of). On the first turn of the game, the deck relies on abusing [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]’s Set Up Ability to draw enough cards to find Stage 2 lines. Without Shaymin-EX the deck is limited to its initial seven cards, [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to find [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and draw the correct Pokemon in the correct order to stack on top of each other.
Wobbuffet is the only card, going second, to completely put an end to this. This is why we saw the rise of Wobbuffet in decks like [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card]. If you go first, getting a Trubbish with a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is a high priority because you can just evolve into Garbodor when you find it. The next best thing is starting with a Hex Maniac in your opening hand as it almost guarantees you’ll have another turn of Items to set up with. Silent Lab, while great against Shaymin, does nothing to stop the two towering Stage 2s.
Limited Switching Options, No Status Removal
Aside from two [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], the deck has no free retreating option. Special Conditions, like [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ice beam GX, [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]’s Psybeam, and [card name=”Darkrai” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY114″ c=”name”][/card]’s Abyssal Sleep, are impossible hurdles to climb and the player must resort to a coin flip to attack through Confusion, or just forgo an attack in the other two cases.
Typically, [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] stalling doesn’t work against VD, as they can stack damage on your side with Feather Arrow. But if you are playing something that heavily damages the Bench, like [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], you can do 120 per turn completely outpacing their [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] damage.
Low Damage Output
Spread damage decks like [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] are able to hit anything they want, but not for a lot. The low damage output is really only acceptable with Item-lock. If you have a deck that completely overpowers Decidueye / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], going first is nearly an autowin. [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] are decks that come to mind to fulfill this role. Being able to just stream Knock Outs completely disrupts this deck.
Denying them their Item-lock also can exploit this weakness. If your deck or position doesn’t just outright out damage the deck under Item-lock, try to scheme to take out the [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] as a Hail Mary. Setting up a [card name=”Marowak” set=”Fates Collide” no=”37″ c=”name”][/card] in play against a [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] makes the matchup feel like a joke; obliterating Vileplume while up against VD feels the exact same way.
Low Energy Count, Reliance on Special Energy
In the version of the deck I posted, [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] are the only cards in the deck that can attack for one attachment so playing non-Item based Energy denial works. This means using cards like [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Raticate” set=”Evolutions” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card]. A good example is the [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] deck. My colleague Eric Gansman is currently working on a complete guide to Lapras that should be posted soon. Even though Lapras-GX is weak to Grass, the deck succeeds even under Item-lock because it can draw with Collect and disrupt with Supporters.
[premium]
Yveltal
[cardimg name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
To those of you who only know me from this season, you probably have the impression that I only play Ability-heavy combo decks like Volcanion and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. However, I started playing the game with [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] right about when [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] rotated from Standard. I was fairly successful with it in the 2014 – 2015 season, going 6-0 at a local Houston League Challenge of over 50 players, followed by multiple Regionals day twos and a Top 4 in a States. Yveltal was the perfect midrange deck in the 2014 – 2015 season because it had the tools to deal with nearly every scenario. It had Energy acceleration from [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] which doubled as a great seven Prize, status removal with [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], and a strong alternate attacker and mobility with [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. Popular decks of the time from the oppressive [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / Hammers to the quick-and-dirty Night March were all decent matchups for the Dark Feathered Knight.
Until the release of Roaring Skies, the deck saw large amounts of success but [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] was a near-unbeatable matchup for the deck. To make matters for Yveltal worse, the meta shifted to see a rise in popularity of [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] as a counter to Seismitoad. It wasn’t until the beginning of the next season that the deck started to resurge in the form of YZG ( Yveltal / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]) in Standard and Maxie’s Yveltal in Expanded. Yveltal only then fell from favor when Night March gained [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and baby Yveltal became unable to consistently take constant Knock Outs on [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card]. It was this point at which I switched from playing only Yveltal based decks to Night March.
This year may be the final year [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] can be played in the Standard format depending on how rotation falls upon the XY Promos. Personally, I want Yveltal-EX to win Worlds this year as it would be disappointing if my first love never achieves the title I think it deserves. At the very beginning of this 2016 – 2017 season, Yveltal-EX was off the radar completely. I had played around with the [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] versions of the deck, but found the deck lacking in the speed and aggressiveness that I was used to with Night March. This led me to play Volcanion. Yveltal / Garbodor didn’t pick up steam until the first major Standard tournament this year with Steam Siege legal in Orlando Regionals where Azul Griego demolished Top 8 taking down all of the hyped decks at the time including Vileplume Toolbox in the finals. This deck continued to dominate, winning every single Standard major event, until Dallas Regionals where [card name=”M Gardevoir-EX” set=”Steam Siege” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] finally dethroned it. I think the biggest struggle with the deck was the hype of M Gardevoir-EX with [card name=”Fairy Drop” set=”Fates Collide” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. However, I think that Yveltal-EX has the right meta conditions to reach the top again as it now has what it had been lacking all season: a non-Lighting weak partner.
[decklist name=”y” amt=”60″ caption=”a” cname=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″][pokemon amt=”13″]3x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Card Explanations
Yveltal is one of the more difficult decks to play in the Standard format because of the various amounts of ways you can play the deck. [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] as an attacker is extremely consistent and extremely powerful. The main goal of the deck is hard to describe because it varies for every situation, but mainly you want to be able to attack every turn by conserving Energy with Y Cyclone and using your [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] wisely, not just spamming them to create a huge Yveltal. Since the card was released, it has been touted as the strongest Basic attacker in the format. This doesn’t make the card seem hard to play but the difficulty comes from knowing when to attack with Yveltal-EX and when to use other attackers. That’s why we include two copies of [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card]. We can switch our main Yveltal-EX attackers to auxiliary [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to soften Pokemon-EX, [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] to disrupt, and [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] to decimate fresh threats. Aside from just switching attackers, Ninja Boy can bring in a surprise Ability-lock to convert any Bench sitter, especially one with a Tool, into a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] allowing you to evolve it immediately into [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Finally, my favorite use for Ninja Boy is to convert any Active Pokemon into a [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] to stop Abilities.
Why is it Good Versus Vileplume / Decidueye
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Yveltal, as I mentioned in the intro, has a fairly good shot against Item-lock decks just because of its sheer consistency and high attacking power. If you go first with Yveltal you usually can win the game if you are able to get a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] on [card name=”Trubbish” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card]. Even if they are able to use [card name=”Beedrill-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY157″ c=”name”][/card] to knock the Tool off, you still have gained enough turns without Item-lock to usually gain the advantage. Worst-case scenario against VD is going second into a turn one Vileplume. With the [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] combo you will always have the out to getting out of Item-lock. Once Wobbuffet is out, you will want to put a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] on it so you can abuse the Bide Barricade ability to let you use your [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], Tools, and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] freely.
[card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] pull their weight in gold with the Ninja Boy in the deck. [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] rarely one-shots so you will have ample opportunity to obliterate a fresh Decidueye-GX with a Ninja Boy / Madbull GX combo. If you manage to knock all of their Energy off the board with Tauros-GX, they typically will not be able to respond and you will still have a very threatening Tauros-GX to wreak havoc on your opponent’s other attackers. Jirachi has the lowest HP in the deck so transforming into jirachi allows you to clear damage off of a two Prize attacker, while also conserving that attacker by placing them back into the deck. Aside from that, Jirachi is also useful in the early game to delete Special Energy and is your only real out versus [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]. This also forces your opponent to waste Feather Arrows on a non-EX Pokemon. When using Jirachi to eliminate Energy from Jolteon-EX, I recommend trying to get a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on it as soon as possible.
[card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] plays on the weakness of the lack of switching cards in VD. As said before, you can three-hit KO a [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] while also placing 180 damage on their Benched [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], crippling their field and leading to an easy win.
Matchups
Mirror Match: Even
This matchup is tricky because you really have to anticipate your opponent’s deck. The [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] combo has really fallen out of favor with top players. I feel this is a mistake and this allows you to win a lot of games just by being able to deny Energy and Prizes with [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] or obliterating with [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]’s Pitch-Black Spear can steal games too by punishing an extremely slow set up.
Turbo Darkrai: Favorable
People I speak to about this matchup give mixed reviews. Some say its favored for Turbo Darkrai because of [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Generations” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] and the low Energy amount it needs to attack, but I think it’s favorable for Yveltal because of our Supporter hidden in the leaves ([card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card]) and [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. Yveltal is able to put pressure on two [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and under typical draw conditions, can put 240 damage on the field before giving up only one Prize. This leads to an obviously favored game state. The [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] / Ninja Boy combo can delete a fresh Darkrai-EX swinging the game in your favor as well. Unless you are fairly unlucky, it is hard for me to imagine this matchup being any less than 60 / 40 in Yveltal’s favor.
Dark Dragons: Favorable
As stated above, I believe this matchup is also favorable. Even though [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can deny you [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], three Energy and a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on an [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY08″ c=”name”][/card] OHKOs a non Belted [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Attaching twice to swing with [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] is also a very viable option. Not to mention [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] softening and disrupting their field.
M Mewtwo-EX / Espeon-GX: Even
Before the inclusion of [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck, I believed this matchup to be even. Now that Mewtwo is able to circumvent [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]’s immense pressure with a Psybeam, the deck becomes more difficult to beat. However, Because [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] has a quick set up and can move Energy off of itself to weaken [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]’s Psychic Infinity damage I still believe this matchup is around even. When playing this matchup you still want to try to use baby Yveltal’s Ability to disrupt their Mega Pokemon as much as possible. You also still want to save your [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to bump their [card name=”Shrine of Memories” set=”Primal Clash” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card]. As always, you can use Tauros-GX / Ninja Boy combo to steal games.
M Rayquaza-EX: Slightly Favorable
[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ability-lock in combination with [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is such a harsh situation for [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] that you can win the game at nearly any point in the game. However, because we only play a 2-1 line of Garbodor, you need to play Parallel at the same time you play down Garbodor. This is because you need to prevent them from being able to kill your only Garbodor. We play a [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], but it does not have the same consistency of just having a 2-2 line. In addition, we no longer have our disruptive outs in the form of [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] that this deck played in the beginning of the season.
Vespiquen: Even
[card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] can beat basically anything except for [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] because the deck is just a bunch of one Prize attackers that hit for massive damage late game. Former iterations of Vespiquen played [card name=”Zebstrika” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] to combat the torrents of Yveltal spread cast across the tournament floor. As the meta changed, having a dedicated Lightning attacker only do 50 base damage towards Pokemon without a Lightning Weakness nor a Fighting Resistance was more of a hinderance than a benefit and Zebstrika was replaced with [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. This means that your [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is incredibly important to set up as it slows Vespiquen down considerably. [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] further prolongs OHKOs and can sometimes make it so that your opponent doesn’t get a KO until turn four.
Volcanion: Favorable
As always, try to set up [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to prevent OHKOs from [card name=”Volcanion-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY173″ c=”name”][/card]’s Steam Up Ability. Besides that, Fright Night [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] is your best friend early game. Powering up and finding a Fright Night Yveltal is easy due to [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] and three [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. You can Ninja Boy any Benched Pokemon, hit a [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and slap on a [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and start dealing serious damage every turn. After Garbodor is active, and your opponent’s attacking Volcanion-EX have damage, the game becomes extremely easy as you just pick them off one by one with Evil Ball as they are unable to return KOs. The only time this deck struggles is when you have a less than optimal start, and your opponent is able to eliminate Garbodor and stream OHKOs against you.
Quad Lapras-GX: Unfavorable
Having tested this matchup pretty heavily, I can honestly say it is pretty unfavorable. The Energy denial, the massive HP, and the retaliatory damage is built to destroy Yveltal. If they flip more tails than heads on [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] you might be able to steal the game, though. [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] are your friends in this matchup as they allow you to switch into attackers with Energy or into [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] to lay down an OHKO. [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] does not play heavy Energy acceleration, so wiping out a Lapras with Tauros-GX is devastating. But I would not try to start Tauros, as 60 Damage per turn with having to put up [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] is negligible in the face of [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and heavy Energy disruption.
Espeon-GX Variants: Favorable
[card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]’s Psywave is really annoying to play against, but if you find your [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] or can just keep yourself out of KO range, you should be fairly favored. You want to abandon Fright Night [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] in this matchup as it can get you stuck in the Active with no way out. Conserve your Energy and just go for 2HKOs. Espeon plays off of your damage, and can OHKO a Fury Belted [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY150″ c=”name”][/card] with five Energy on it, but Yveltal needs six Energy to OHKO a three Energy Espeon-GX.
Gyarados: Unfavorable
With Yveltal, [card name=”Gyarados” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY60″ c=”name”][/card] is extremely frustrating to play against. With most [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] combo decks, Yveltal has the option to Y Cyclone to KO and conserve Energy. This is not the case anymore as you need to use Evil Ball with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], Dark Energy and DCE equipped against a fresh Gyarados (with a DCE). Fortunately, with all the [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] running rampant, Gyarados will not see much play.
Wobbuffet / Aerodactyl: Unfavorable
This is not an established archetype, but it is the deck that I have been messing around with and keep as a backup deck to League Cups. I got the idea from my friend, Chip Richey. Because of all of the Energy denial, one Prize attackers, and cheap Energy costs, [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] completely obliterates Yveltal based decks. Your only out is hoping that they prized all of their Aerodactyl.
Wobbuffet / Aerodactyl
[decklist name=”33333″ amt=”60″ caption=”333″ cname=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”49″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Old Amber Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fossil Excavation Kit” set=”Fates Collide” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bent Spoon” set=”Fates Collide” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
I have seen this archetype floating around for quite a while to deal with [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], but all the builds I have seen were rather inconsistent. After Anaheim, I was rather lost on what to play. I didn’t want to play Volcanion because of the surge of [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card]. What I usually do in this situation is take a look at the format and pick a deck that hasn’t seen much play but can deal with nearly everything. [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is a really strong card that has to rely on Items to get it out. Energy denial with heavy damage is incredibly powerful, especially when combined with more Energy denial. The only Pokemon that can survive two hits are [card name=”Solgaleo-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lunala-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] but they do not see much play. Furthermore, forcing your opponent to take six Prizes on 120 HP Pokemon is incredibly taxing while under the pressure of damage and denial.
Card Explanations
Three Wobbuffet
[cardimg name=”Old Amber Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”106″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
This is your only Basic in the deck, meaning you will start it 100% of the time. This is really good against almost every deck as nearly all of them need to play [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to start the game.
Four Old Amber, Four Fossil Excavation Kit
Luck of the draw is the only way to get [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] out but with four [card name=”Old Amber Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] and four [card name=”Fossil Excavation Kit” set=”Fates Collide” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card], you get 12 tries in a 60 card deck. Shuffling back in discarded Aerodactyl with the [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] is a good way to assure that you will hit the Aerodactyl you need for your assault.
Three N, One Lillie
I think four [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] in this format is incredibly underwhelming. Mid game N is not really that impactful, getting you only three or four cards when often you need many more. [card name=”Lillie” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] comes in because you can easily drop your hand size with all of the Item cards that we play in this deck. Although we do not play [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card], your hand is extremely thinnable, making it more potent mid game than N, but not enough to warrant going without N’s disruption power. If you’re one of those people that just really wants to play a few Lillie for some reason, in this deck a 2 / 2 split of N / Lillie is not unreasonable.
Four Acro Bike, Four Trainers’ Mail
There’s no [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck so we need to play as many outs to draw Supporters as possible. Using [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] then [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] essentially allows you to look at the top six cards of your deck to find what you need to start the game. Acro Bike is an incredibly underrated card, especially in [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] decks. Acro Bike lets you dig and thin out your deck so you can find the exact cards you need at the time you need them. [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is gone, so your tech Supporters and draw Supporters being buried in the deck does not help you at all. This is where our friend Acro Bike does its job. Also, since we are trying to find all of our [card name=”Old Amber Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] to use [card name=”Fossil Excavation Kit” set=”Fates Collide” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] with, having heavy Item support allows you to dig as hard as possible.
Four Puzzle of Time, Two Super Rod, One Special Charge
Playing the six Prize game is difficult if you do not have six attackers for them to KO. You need to be able to recycle [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] using these recovery cards. [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] also can get you back vital [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fossil Excavation Kit” set=”Fates Collide” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card].
Two Team Flare Grunt
[card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] two hits most of the time. Decks like [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], Yveltal, and [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] utilize [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] and Basic Energy in combination to try to KO Aerodactyl. Knocking off their Energy makes it difficult for them to attack every turn.
Two Bent Spoon
Cards like [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] (Damage Change) are really annoying to play against. Cards with secondary attack effects like Sleep and Confusion are everywhere. [card name=”Bent Spoon” set=”Fates Collide” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] should definitely see more play.
Two Parallel City
No Stadium really helps or hurts your setup, but [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is the most disrupting Stadium. These can be replaced if there’s no [card name=”M Mewtwo-EX” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] in your local meta, but I would include these in a Regionals version of this deck.
A Warning About This deck
[cardimg name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Getting out [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is not easy. [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] is there to slow your opponent down while you build your army of Aerodactyl, but it is never guaranteed. If you play this deck, you must do so knowing it might be a turn or two before you start streaming Aerodactyl. After you have thinned your deck successfully with [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], it becomes much easier to stream the Aerodactyl, especially after you put them back in with a [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card]. Furthermore, heavy Volcanion and [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] in your meta might make this deck an extremely poor choice as it fairs poorly against them. This deck takes practice to get around beating itself, but I think it can be worth it in the right meta.
Why is it Good Versus Vileplume / Decidueye
This deck’s strengths are early Ability denial, harsh Energy denial, and one-Prize attackers. [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] will always be an excellent starter going against [card name=”Decidueye-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] decks. The Energy denial destroys their precious [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] that they need to do meaningful damage to you. Jet Draft also hits the magic 120 number that allows you to always two shot their 240 HP behemoth, and eliminate their Feather Arrow off of the field.
Matchups
Turbo Darkrai: Even
People don’t realize it, but Turbo Dark actually relies quite a bit on the Set Up Ability for draw power in the early game to get enough [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to do reasonable damage. Starting [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] slows down your opponent enough for your first [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] to not get OHKOd. Besides trading two hits for one [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], you will also want to use [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] to slow down their ability to attack. You also want to try to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] around their [card name=”Yveltal” set=”Steam Siege” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] as it requires a two shot for only one Prize. Darkrai only plays Basic Energy, so Jet Draft just reads 120 damage, but this deck relies on taking that last OHKO on [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to seal the game. Smart players will figure this out, and realize that Belting the Darkrai does nothing, so they should instead Belt their Shaymin.
Dark Dragons: Slightly Unfavorable
As using [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] is your only way to attack, [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Chaos Wheel is a very real threat. However, [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] has 120 HP and cannot be OHKOd by a single unaugmented Chaos Wheel. Your game plan is to stall with [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] until you are ready to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] their Giratina and knock the [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] off of their field. If you hit a Giratina-EX first, and they are unable to remove your Energy, you just hit them again and you win the race. However, if they get a Giratina out when you have no Energy on the field you must rely on [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card], which is not that reliable.
M Mewtwo-EX / Espeon-GX: Even
Damage Change is the reason we include [card name=”Bent Spoon” set=”Fates Collide” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] in the list. Them being able heal themselves completely is absolutely devastating. Playing Bent Spoon allows them to heal themselves, but does not allow the damage to go onto you. This forces them to take KOs to rid themselves of the [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] onslaught. Every time they do this, try to follow this up with a [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] and a Stadium change to rid them of the option to Damage Change again.
M Rayquaza-EX: Extremely Favorable
[cardimg name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
[card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is a glass cannon. It has thin Energy counts and requires a bunch of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to do significant damage. Energy denial is really strong versus Mega Rayquaza and is probably the best strategy to beat it besides playing non-EX/GX Lightning types. Besides the regular Energy denial, you can trade really against the Flying Dragon, just trading one attacker for two. Also the Shaymin they bench when you finally retreat your [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] are easy ways to seal the game.
Vespiquen: Even
You’re just trading non-EX Pokemon. In the early game, [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] blocks [card name=”Klefki” set=”Steam Siege” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], so they are unable to get enough Pokemon in the discard usually, making it so that they will have a tough time getting the 10 Pokemon in the discard they need to KO your [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. The matchup is much easier if they bench a Shaymin-EX for whatever reason, but I wouldn’t count on it as they don’t need much to maintain a steady stream of attackers.
Volcanion: Unfavorable
Volcanion, although Ability dependent, has baby [card name=”Volcanion” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY145″ c=”name”][/card] which can handle a Jet Draft from [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], while also being able to return the KO with a single Steam Up. Having to constantly 2HKO non-EX Pokemon is an unfavorable trade. Your only hope is to KO two [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] but that is extremely unlikely.
Quad Lapras-GX: Unfavorable
Although you have Energy denial, [card name=”Lapras-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”35″ c=”name”][/card] has more and [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Streaming [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] might be annoying for the Lapras player, but eventually they will be run you out of resources between Rough Seas and seemingly infinite Hammers.
Espeon-GX Variants: Favorable
Psywave, arguably the only reason [card name=”Espeon-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is a deck, is easily mitigated by just retreating into a new [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]. Espeon-GX is requires two attachments to do much, so [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] plus Jet Draft is a critical combo that prevents them from attacking. Furthermore [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] negates [card name=”Eevee” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]’s Energy Evolution Ability, so they cannot even attack turn one.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I think the tactical niches of [card name=”Ninja Boy” set=”Steam Siege” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] are overlooked in this format, and I hope this inspires you to create other decks that will have similar utility. [card name=”Aerodactyl” set=”Fates Collide” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is not only really fun, but incredibly powerful in the right meta situations. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to comment below or find me on Facebook!
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