The Other Guys — Night March and Seismitoad-EX in Expanded

[cardimg name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Hey there PokeBeach readers, it’s good to be back writing for you all again after my hiatus. While I enjoyed my foray into the VGC and still plan to play in some VGC events going forward, I’m back focusing on the TCG for the rest of the year. I recently attended the Dallas Regional Championships, where I had a poor showing placing 4-3-2.

In this article, we’ll be going over my top two choices heading into Dallas, Night March and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]. While I did not do so well myself, I’m still confident in both of these decks going forward, as the lists I’ll be discussing were made in conjunction with many of the best players in the world. Without further ado, let’s get into the meat of the article.

Night March

The first deck we’re going to be talking about is the deck I ended up playing at Dallas Regionals, Night March. After dominating San Jose Regionals back in November, Night March was by no means a sleeper pick headed into this Regional: it was the best deck in the format, and everyone knew that. However, the list that was so successful at San Jose ended up being far different than the list that many people, including myself, played at Dallas. Seismitoad-EX and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] were essentially dead decks at San Jose, which let people build their decks to be much more item reliant. However, going into Dallas, Seismitoad-EX and Trevenant BREAK were decks that were on everyone’s radar, which meant that Night March lists had to adapt in order to keep up with all of the item lock decks in the format. To do this, players such as myself, Connor Finton, and Michael Pramawat all cut the [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] from our lists for a heavier line of Zoroark-GX, as well as adding cards such as [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. Here’s the list I ended up playing at Dallas, which had 57/60 same cards as the others mentioned above.

[decklist name=”Night March” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″][pokemon amt=”23″]4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”33″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Generations” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

I’m sure most, if not everyone reading this has seen a Night March list at some point in their time playing Pokemon, so I won’t go into detail explaining the generic card choices. Instead, I’ll talk about the cards that made this list different from the San Jose list, the cards I played that many of the others I created this list with played that I didn’t, and cards that I wished I played. Let’s get started.

[cardimg name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Three Zorua and Three Zoroark-GX

The first thing that probably jumps out at you about this list is the heavy [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] line. This was done to give Night March a stronger matchup versus the Item lock decks in the format. A thicker line of Zoroark-GX means you won’t struggle to get your Night Marchers in the discard pile without [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], as well as letting you dump items and still have draw power under Item lock. Zoroark-GX was also a strong secondary attacker in matchups such as [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], non-[card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] Zoroark-GX decks, and in the mirror combined with [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] so you can’t get return KO’d by [card name=”Marshadow-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card]. I played three Paralyzing Gaze [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], as I felt they were the strongest Zorua in every matchup besides the mirror, some players chose to play one Lunge [card name=”Zorua” set=”Black and White” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], as it can KO a [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] if you flip heads in the mirror match. I didn’t expect to play much mirror and felt I had a skill advantage versus many players in the mirror regardless, so that’s why I opted for three Paralyzing Gaze Zorua.

One Tauros-GX

[card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card] is another tech for Item lock and boy does it put in work against Seismitoad-EX and Trevenant BREAK. As long as Tauros-GX does not remain Asleep from the effect of [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], it is guaranteed to take a Knock Out against a Seismitoad-EX with Mad Bull GX, which can potentially break the Item lock as well as keeping you up on Prizes. Besides that, Tauros-GX should set you up for a potential two shot with Horn Attack, as most Seismitoad-EX decks are running [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] over [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], and 120 is a pretty easy number to hit with Night March, even under item lock. Tauros-GX is also very strong in conjunction with Marshadow-GX against Zoroark-GX. If your Marshadow-GX is not one-shotted and you have Tauros-GX in the discard, you can usually one shot a Zoroark GX with Rage, either normally or with a Choice Band. Finally, while this didn’t come up once during the tournament and only a few times during testing, Tauros-EX can potentially donk 60 HP or less Pokemon such as Zorua, Joltik, [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Rockruff” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] to name some of the more common  small HP Basics in the format.

One Pokemon Ranger

Yet another tech for Seismitoad-EX decks, [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] ended up being the most useless card for me throughout testing and at Dallas. While I don’t regret playing Pokemon Ranger, as I expected there to be a significant amount of Seismitoad-EX, neither myself nor most of my friends ended up playing a Seismitoad-EX deck at Dallas. If we had known better and had a better read on the meta, I definitely would have cut this card for something like [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], because unlike the rest of the item lock techs, Pokemon Ranger doesn’t have much, if any, use is nearly every other matchup.

One Target Whistle

[card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] was a card Michael Pramawat suggested about a week before Dallas and it was something that tested very well leading up to the event. You can use it in the mirror match to make a bunch of cute plays. For instance, you can Target Whistle a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and KO it for two easy Prize cards. Another cool play you can do in the mirror is to Target Whistle a Joltik, and then KO that Joltik with Sky Return, allowing you to clear your own Shaymin-EX. Target Whistle was also useful against Zoroark-GX decks that play Exeggcute, allowing you to disrupt their infinite draw and force them to discard resources while filling up one of their Bench spots. While Target Whistle was useful for me throughout the day, most of the other players who played Night March ended up dropping Target Whistle for Red Card. I chose to stick with Target Whistle, as I had practiced with it all week and felt most comfortable with it. However, if I had time to prepare with Red Card (I found out about the tech the night before), I definitely would have included it over Target Whistle, as it’s much more effective in conjunction with [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] against Zoroark-GX decks (which includes the mirror).

[premium]

Now let’s talk about the cards my friends opted to play, as well as cards I wished I played.

[cardimg name=”Red Card” set=”Generations” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

One Rescue Stretcher

Many players chose to play a [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] over the third Zoroark-GX, as they felt that it helped replace the third Zoroark-GX while still allowing them to have flexibility with what Pokemon they get back. Personally, I don’t like the Stretcher, as you already have Puzzle of Time to get anything you need back, but if you want to save your Puzzle use for cards such as [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], etc., then running a Rescue Stretcher is certainly worth it.

One Red Card

I talked about this card a bit before, but I think it’s so good that it warrants its own paragraph. [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is the card I wished I had played the most all day, and everyone that I talked to said Red Card was very useful for them throughout the day. Against Zoroark-GX decks, you want to be able to shuffle their hand in, as well as lock Zoroark-GX’s ability to draw cards. Before, you had to choose between playing [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], but now thanks to Red Card, you can do both. [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] when used in tandem with Red Card, can remove as many outs from your opponent’s hand as possible. Red Card is really strong and should be a consideration for any deck that plays Hex Maniac as long as Zoroark-GX is a central card in the metagame.

One Parallel City

[card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is a card that has been in and out of Night March for quite some time now, with many players opting to play it as a second Stadium card to help with the Zoroark-GX matchup. However, I’ve never been a huge fan of the card in the deck, as I feel your Zoroark-GX matchups are strong enough already without it.

That’s all I’ve got to say about Night March today! Even though it didn’t do as well at Dallas as it did at San Jose, Night March is still a very strong deck, and probably the deck you should be preparing for going forward in Expanded.

Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX

Next up, I’ll be going over the deck I tested the most prior to Dallas. If you had asked me a week before the tournament, I would have said I would be playing [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] with 100% certainty; that’s how much I loved this deck. However, I switched last minute to Night March due to getting crushed multiple times in a row by Michael Pramawat playing Night March, and figured that it playing whatever Pram was playing would give me my best chance of winning the tournament. Sorry for that tangent, but let’s get back to Toad.

For those of you reading who did not play back in 2015, Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX functions very similarly to a deck from that year, Seismitoad-EX / [card name=”Slurpuff” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card]. Slurpuff’s Ability, Tasting, allowed it to draw one card or two if Slurpuff was in the Active when the Ability is used. Thus, the deck functioned very similarly to Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX in that it would try to draw through its deck and have massive hands in order to keep your opponent locked (both via items and possibly attacking). Since 2015, this deck archetype has seen some major additions, specifically Zoroark-GX replacing Slurpuff to give the deck stronger draw and a solid secondary attacker, as well as the addition of [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to recuperate resources. However, even with these additions to the archetype since its last time in the spotlight, Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX had a pretty abysmal showing at Dallas, not taking a single spot in the day two meta. I do not believe that Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX did badly because it is inherently a poor deck to play in the Expanded format; I believe its poor showing is due to most lists teching against it (with cards such as [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tauros-GX” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]), as well as the meta shifting against it to feature [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card]more. As such, I think Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX will continue to be a strong play in Expanded going forward as people will begin to take out their techs against the deck, leaving it in a strong position to win tournaments. Let’s take a look at the list that I was highly considering playing heading into Dallas.

[decklist name=”Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″][pokemon amt=”12″]3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Zorua” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”44″]3x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ 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=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ 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″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Shining Legends” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

With this list, I chose to opt for a ton of Supporter tech cards over any other techs such as [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zoroark” set=”Black and White” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], and more. In this section, I’ll talk about some of my more interesting tech card choices, as well as one card that I really wanted to play but just couldn’t find the space for. Without further ado, let’s get started.

[cardimg name=”Lusamine” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”153″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Two Lusamine

We’re skipping right past the generic Pokemon lineup to probably the most interesting inclusion in this list: Two [card name=”Lusamine” set=”Crimson Invasion” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]. When I originally began testing Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX, it was right after I had finished testing [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] with two Lusamine. Thus, I was already accustomed to the strength  that two Lusamine offers to stall/lock decks and as such I wanted to try it out with Seismitoad-EX to see how it worked. Needless to say, it worked out brilliantly. Two Lusamine gave me an edge against other Item lock decks like the mirror and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. In the mirror match, I found Lusamine to be a much better way to get back my Energy denial supporters such as [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] than using [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] to use my [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to get back my Energy denial supporters, as Lusamine could not be [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]’d away and could be looped much earlier in the game than Pokemon Ranger could be utilized. Against Trevenant BREAK, two Lusamine helps you win the Stadium war while giving you infinite [card name=”Acerola” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], which is key for preventing knock outs on your Seismitoad-EXs as well as preventing your Zoroark-GXs from getting devolved and KO’d by their [card name=”Espeon-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”52″ c=”name”][/card]. Finally, Lusamine was also really strong against Wailord-EX, as it gave you access to as many [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]s as you needed and prevented you from ever decking out, as well as giving you a way to bump their [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”][/card] consistently. While two Lusamine definitely makes the deck a lot slower and games grindier, I’d highly recommend trying this build out and seeing the strength of Lusamine in Seismitoad for yourself!

One Plumeria

This might not seem like a tech card, but I felt it was important to talk about regardless. [card name=”Plumeria” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] is particularly in two specific matchups: the mirror matchup and the [card name=”Golisopod-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] / Zoroark-GX matchup. In the mirror match, Plumeria is key for not only discarding your opponent’s Energy to help break their Item lock, but it can also be used to thin your hand of useless Item cards at the same time. Against Golisopod-GX / Zoroark-GX, it’s really important to be able to discard their [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench, because if you aren’t able to Golisopod-GX will just sit behind a Zoroark-GX and Acerola the turn they are able to knock you out. If you use Plumeria, you’re forcing them to have another resource to be able to knock you out, which can be difficult for them to hit considering that most Golisopod-GX / Zoroark-GX decks play three Grass Energy maximum. Without Plumeria, this matchup becomes very tricky; with it, the matchup becomes close, if not slightly favorable for Seismitoad-EX / Zoroark-GX, thanks to it being allowed to use items.

One Hex Maniac

This was a card that, prior to the day before Dallas, I really had not seen many players using in their decks. After Dallas, I expect this card to become a staple in the meta as long as Zoroark-GX is prevalent. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] is incredibly strong at shutting down Zoroark-GX. If you can Hex chain early enough in the game or before they’re able to get out multiple Zoroark-GXs, then there’s a very high likelihood that they won’t ever be able to garner a gigantic hand like most Zoroark-GX decks are capable of. Even without [card name=”Red Card” set=”XY” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], Hex Maniac should be a staple in nearly every single deck going forward; it’s just that strong.

One Karen

This might seem dumb since Seismitoad-EX locks Items, but [card name=”Karen” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY177″ c=”name”][/card] is crucial in the Night March and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] matchups. If you go second and Night March dumps all of their Pokemon in the discard with multiple [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], you need to have a response to that play and be able to shuffle all of their Night Marchers back. Without Karen, this matchup becomes very tricky, as the chances of them getting one turn without item lock to dump their Pokemon is very likely. However, with Karen as well as Hex Maniac (to prevent your opponent from using Zoroark-GX’s Trade to get Pokemon in the discard pile), you can completely reset and then shut Night March down for the rest of the game.

[cardimg name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Two Fighting Fury Belt, Zero Choice Band

So this is probably the other really interesting inclusion in my list besides Lusamine. Personally, when I play Seismitoad-EX decks, I’m not too concerned with my damage output and would rather make my Seismitoad-EXs survive as long as possible in order to keep up the item lock for as long as possible. Thus, I’ve opted to play only [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]s in my list. With the extra HP from Fighting Fury Belt, Seismitoad -EX has 220 HP, which is just enough to live a max damage Riotous Beating from Zoroark-GXs. While Fighting Fury Belt was very useful for me and a card I would not consider changing, I do wish that I could find room for a single [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] in the list as well. With Fighting Fury Belt attached and [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”][/card] in play for two full Turns, Seismitoad-EX maxes out at 170 damage after two turns of Quaking Punch. Normally, this would be fine, as it knocks out most key EXs/GXs in the format, but unfortunately it falls 10 short of being able to KO Tauros-GX, which is a huge issue for the deck. Thus, I’ve considered adding a Choice Band to the list just to help fix the math against Tauros, as well as just being good against Wailord-EX as well (as you’ll be doing more damage and need less attacks to KO a Wailord-EX). While I was unable to find space myself for this card heading into Dallas, one change I was tinkering around with was dropping the third [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] for the Choice Band. While I’m not sure this is the correct decision, it definitely is the most cuttable card in the list (in my opinion), so if you’re keen on having the additional damage provided by Choice Band, go ahead and try out that change!

Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading my first article in a long time! I hope it was still up to my previous standard, as I have not written in a long time and I hope that my writing skills did not become rusty during that period. As always, if you’ve got any more questions about the decks I’ve talked about here, please feel free to reach out to me, either here in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout, on Facebook, or on Twitter. Finally, I’ll be at Collinsville, IL, in the upcoming weeks, so if you see me there make sure to say hello!

Until next time,

Eric

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