Flash Flood Warning! — Expanded Blastoise and Turbo Water
[cardimg name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”137″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I think of [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] when Water is talked about in Expanded. That’s actually not all, I have been trying out some wacky new decks using the type and today I’ll be sharing them with you. Blastoise / [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] is still strong first and foremost, it even gained [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”name”][/card] from Cosmic Eclipse. Misty and lets you reuse [card name=”Palkia-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card]’s Zero Vanish GX, obliterating Turbo Dark decks in short order. This is the best use I’ve got out of the reuse of a GX attack, although I admit that [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”name”][/card] for Towering Splash GX spam may have some merit, I just have not got this combo off in practice enough to have a greatly informed opinion. If nothing else, playing Misty and Lorelei in these Water decks to come is worth it just for the multiple-time Zero Vanish GX loop; Turbo Dark can almost never win against that kind of disruption.
Old School Blastoise
Let’s start with something that’s only worked once in a while but perhaps you could take it to the next level with some changes:
[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Squirtle” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Remoraid” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Palkia-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Horsea” set=”Primal Clash” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”18″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist][premium]
Old-school Blastoise as it is, using the predated [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] card to get the Stage-2 out! This is a very conservative way to play Water in Expanded, slow and steady wins the race, but it suffers from some inconsistency in getting to that point. Setting up a Stage-2 the old fashioned way is harder than it might sound, but there are a lot of “new” inclusions in this list to assist in that process. In general, any appeal turned towards this deck is because it can always “play the game”. Sometimes the Archie’s Ace in the Hole version will have a completely unplayable game and slowly bleed out. This version, albeit more inconsistent itself, will be able to do something in the meantime like slowly power up an attacker by hand or use [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW50″ c=”name”][/card] to draw more cards.
Dive Ball
First of all, this deck would have no competitive viability whatsoever without [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], it unlocks its true potential by giving you better odds of getting [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] on the second turn and it even sets up your [card name=”Octillery” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card] to use Abyssal Hand and stay [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]-proof.
“Eventually you’ll get there”
[card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t always happen, this deck, though, will almost always get Blastoise out; problem is, sometimes that will be too late to really matter.
Kingdra-GX
Using Archie’s Ace in the Hole twice in a typical Blastoise deck can prove challenging, doing it the “natural” way with Rare Candy slightly improves your chances of actually attacking with [card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card] in a game.
Pokemon Ranger
You will need an out to Item lock by means of [card name=”Pokémon Ranger” set=”Steam Siege” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] if your opponent plays a way to abuse it. Be on the lookout for [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] in [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] builds, but sometimes [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], too.
Tropical Beach
Just like in the early 2010’s, Tropical Beach draws this deck back up to size on the first couple turns and gets you pieces you want to set up a Blastoise (hopefully) on the following turn, I have tinkered with [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] as a substitute to lackluster results.
Turbo Water
Taking a quick break from Blastoise, here’s a deck I’m excited about: Turbo Water. Similar to Turbo Dark in almost every way, you’re built in a very similar fashion but with different attackers that do different things. While there isn’t a “Water Pulse” attack, this deck relies more on using crafty attacks to meet certain ends. For example, [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] can wall against a variety of decks and spam its Resolute Blade GX to deal massive damage. Likewise, Zero Vanish GX can completely turn the tables against a Turbo Dark deck. [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] can fill in the gaps in matchups where Pokemon-EX/GX are running wild, and a few cute non-EX/GX techs bolster your chances against decks of that same variety. [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] works as a hard-hitting finisher and your “[card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card]”, if you will.
[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Wooper” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Palkia-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]12x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”12″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
There’s a lot of different things you can do with this deck, attackers, engine, and more. I started by trying Brooklet Hill, thinking it would be cool to have yet another way to find [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] on the first turn in addition to finding all of your Pokemon. I wasn’t convinced however, as this deck operates similarly to Turbo Dark and wants [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] to spread things out and use a bunch of support Pokemon. I do want [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck for added search and consistency, also being able to find Quagsire, but things are pretty tight right now. Oh, and [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card] is this deck’s [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. Here’s why:
Explanations
One Wooper and One Quagsire
Creating new attackers by moving Energy from the Bench is never bad. Just like Weavile-GX is for Turbo Dark, Quagsire is great for this deck. It also grants you can out to [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”6″ c=”name”][/card] and its Disgusting Pollen and improves your chances against control decks if you happen to face one. Quagsire itself doesn’t have all too bad of an attack in Hydro Pump either, it can be another non-GX attacker for matchups where you want to use those.
One Sudowoodo
[cardimg name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Roadblock is extremely powerful in Expanded right now and most Basic Pokemon decks should be playing it. It slows down mirror matches and limits options, it’s quickly become less of a counter and more of a control card, I think it adds to your winning percentages and gives you a niche out when your opponent has just four Pokemon on their Bench. A lot of value is packed into this little guy and I’ve been trying to fit it whenever possible. For this deck it does reduce the damage output of Resolute Blade GX; you can consider this when placing Roadblock down, maybe you want to leave things open for your opponent so you can get a cheap one-hit Knock Out.
One Seismitoad-EX
Here’s the first unique option that Turbo Dark doesn’t have: Quaking Punch. [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] is not amazing in the damage department, but you can use it to set up a Knock Out and Grenade Hammer can be situationally useful. Quaking Punch is the main draw here, you can power it up as soon as your first turn and use it throughout the game whenever it’s situationally useful. Locking Items when you know your opponent’s only [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] is in the discard pile can stop [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and buy you much needed turns, and so on.
One Articuno
Tri Edge might not be as great as [card name=”Guzzlord” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]’s Red Banquet, but it’s designed to do roughly the same thing for this deck. Decks like Night March won’t be able to get too far ahead in the Prize trade because you can always bounce back with a multiple-Prize Knock Out from [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tri Edge. In addition, you can always copy this attack with [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”from”][/card] and get two Pokemon to use it in a game; perhaps even furthering your Prize advantage.
One Misty and Lorelei
This is the entire point of trying this instead of sticking with Turbo Dark. Reusing a GX attack like Zero Vanish GX is broken, you can do this a lot easier than you’d think and a single [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] makes it “only cost four” discarded cards. After discarding, you can draw back up with [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] using Instruct. [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”name”][/card] also gets you Water Energy out of the deck, thinning it and getting an attachment for the turn if you didn’t have one. There’s a lot to love and this makes this archetype viable.
One Super Rod
[card name=”Palkia-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] might want to come back sometimes, using two in a game is a surefire win against Turbo Dark, which is one of the main draws to this deck. [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card] can recover it and it also can improve your [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] odds by putting Water Energy back into the deck before a critical Max Elixir play where you want the best chance possible. Super Rod also gets your thin [card name=”Quagsire” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] line back and I’ll say the Water-moving Ability is a little more critical to this deck than [card name=”Weavile-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”132″ c=”name”][/card] is in Turbo Dark because Palkia-GX, for one, takes so many Energy and you sometimes can struggle to power it up without borrowing some Energy from Pokemon that already have some.
One Dowsing Machine
Sometimes you’ll want a “fifth” [card name=”Aqua Patch” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck is already consistent enough to get greedy with your Ace Spec, since you won’t be bricking very often with so many support Pokemon and [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to thin things out you can spend your Ace Spec on some added recovery in the luxury that is [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”name”][/card]. I prefer to play Dowsing Machine in any deck that can afford to, this is one of them.
Options
Brooklet Hill
I prefer [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], but I could see a split–maybe one of these. I’ve tried three [card name=”Brooklet Hill” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] over Sky Field altogether and prefer Sky Field to that, but the first turn Brooklet Hill has a lot of value and finds that infamous [card name=”Sudowoodo” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card], just like what [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] does for Turbo Dark. As a brief aside on Sudowoodo, I believe that Roadblock is one of the best Abilities available to us in Expanded right now and the Bench limitation is a lot of trouble for almost every deck. It’s going to prevent those annoying [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] Set Up uses as well as [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dedechange, and more. Getting it on the first turn before your opponent does can stop them from playing their own and it gives you a clear-cut advantage in these turbo-style matchups, and more.
Dive Ball/Nest Ball
A free search for more of the Pokemon in your deck is never bad, although Nest Ball is better in every way other than [card name=”Dive Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] can get the Quagsire. More search is never bad and I would play either of these cards over [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] or another card like that doesn’t actually serve as a hard copy of a card you actually want to find off the Trainers’ Mail itself!
Double Colorless Energy
Both Jumping Balloon and Zero Vanish GX can abuse [card name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] well, so it’s a nice option in this deck. I’ve tried a single copy with eleven Water Energy but I’m not sure how I feel about that because for the most part I’d prefer to hit my Max Elixir more often and draw into Water Energy to then discard to use with Aqua Patch.
Archie’s Blastoise
Now for old favorite a deck that’s been ripping it up for a while, well, has it? [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] has truly been one of the most hyped decks going into Regionals for a long time with a myriad of flops. Will this finally change with Misty and Lorelei?
[decklist name=”.” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Palkia-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”18″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dedenne-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]2x [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Shining Legends” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Order Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]10x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Evolutions” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Explanations
Three Exeggcute
Two [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] are going to be in these lists no matter what, naturally. Having three makes it less likely that you’ll Prize one and in addition gives you an almost-free [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”name”][/card] play. I’m unsure if an [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card] with Instruct instead of one of these would be slightly better because then following the GX-reusing Supporter you could draw a couple.
One Volcanion Prism Star and One Magikarp and Wailord-GX
Quickly, it’s worth noting that this deck has shifted away from the [card name=”Espeon and Deoxys-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card] option and back to the straight Water build like so. [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] can use Sauna Blast and then you can follow that up with a Towering Splash GX. This isn’t a turbo [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”name”][/card] list, but one that has it as an option to sweep a board or finish up your Prizes late in the game.
One Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX
[cardimg name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”225″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
While [card name=”Palkia-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] should already be good enough to get you a win against a Turbo Dark deck, [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] can use Jumping Balloon to finish them off if need be. However, against [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] decks, you can use Jumping Balloon for a clean sweep if your opponent can’t play around it; it’s extremely hard for Zoroark-GX to do.
One Kingdra-GX
I’ve considered playing a [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] just to have a Basic Pokemon that can use [card name=”Kingdra-GX” set=”Dragon Majesty” no=”18″ c=”name”][/card]’s Hydro Pump but for now we have this [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card]-specific option. Hydro Pump, if you can get it out to use, can one-shot anything with the necessary Energy. A one-shotting sweeper is never bad in a deck where you have the means to overextend for big plays and even recover from them if you must. Reusing Maelstrom GX is something I haven’t abused yet with Misty and Lorelei but something you could do against a fragile deck with low HP Pokemon like Night March.
One Tate and Liza and Zero N
Underrated as a switching card in [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Tate and Liza” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] belongs in this deck and [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] does not. N is bad in here because you’re taking Prizes so fast and your turns should always be spent searching for a win condition, pushing closer to one, instead of trying to “come back.” This deck does not simply come back, it usually snowballs into a win, or wins all at once. N isn’t something you want to use when you could very realistically draw completely dead off of it and regret that you ever used it. Tate and Liza is a multi-use switching card and a modest hand refresh for when you might want to Archie’s Ace in the Hole again the following turn. Drawing five is a nice number, there’s not too many cards that you could draw that will interrupt you playing your hand down to just the Supporter.
Two Field Blower and One Stealthy Hood
With both Zoroark-GX / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Necrozma” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] / Garbodor wielding Garbotoxin, you’re going to want multiple ways to get rid of your opponent’s Tools. Two [card name=”Field Blower” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] won’t hurt your first turn Archie’s Ace in the Hole chances too much and it will be a great way to compete in games where in the past the Ability lock would completely finish you. [card name=”Stealthy Hood” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] is still great in the deck too, playing around Garbotoxin itself when attached to your Blastoise.
One Great Catcher
I’ve been loving [card name=”Great Catcher” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”192″ c=”name”][/card] in almost all turbo decks, especially this one. It’s a great way to push your Prize advantage in tight races. Expanded is such a consistent format with very little margin for error, so having Great Catcher to snag an advantage where you can get it is more than worth it. It’s also a cute way to play around a Bide Barricade from [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] when you’re playing against a Zoroark-GX deck playing one. You can use Great Catcher on a Pokemon-GX (hopefully they have one in play) and get your Abilities back. In general, it’s a great add that might even improve your chances of getting Blastoise on the first turn by playing your hand down to size.
One Viridian Forest and Ten Water Energy
[card name=”Viridian Forest” set=”Team Up” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is still the Stadium of choice for this deck. I have experimented with [card name=”Chaotic Swell” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] in here as a way to play around [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] and/or [card name=”Power Plant” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card], you can have it in play to safeguard against each unless your opponent has one of those plus a Field Blower in hand to get their own Stadium into play in the same turn. Ten Water Energy has been just enough for this list; it’s not playing an off-Water type Energy like Psychic Energy with Espeon and Deoxys-GX where you would need at least one Psychic Energy. This keeps the Energy flow simple and to the point, and ten Water is enough to use Towering Splash GX and still have some left over, an important count to consider as well.
Water and the Field
Water can do pretty well against most decks. Here’s a briefing of how most of these builds do against the most popular builds:
Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX / Aromatisse
Palkia-GX can put [card name=”Gardevoir and Sylveon-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]’s Energy back into their deck and then you can take Knock Outs, Hydro Pump can get to the point of one-hit Knock Outs with an absurd number of Energy in any of these builds, but it’s possible.
Mewtwo and Mew-GX
This one’s harder to be frank, you’re going to be two-shotting everything and you’ll have to get crafty to win. There are multiple problems, namely, [card name=”Noivern-GX” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and its Distort. If you don’t get a first turn Blastoise, you might not get one at all. Once you’re set up though, you can win in a variety of ways. Kingdra-GX likely won’t be an option since you’ll have to Archie’s Ace in the Hole again to get it out, but you can lean on [card name=”Magikarp and Wailord-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM166″ c=”name”][/card] or use [card name=”Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] to deal solid two-hit Knock Out damage. If you ever catch your opponent with four or more Pokemon-EX/GX in play, you can Jumping Balloon for a clean one-hit Knock Out. In the Turbo Water build, [card name=”Keldeo-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] can be decent to provide chip damage while also being immune to damage from Mewtwo and Mew-GX itself.
Turbo Dark
[card name=”Palkia-GX” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] can carry you single-handedly with Zero Vanish GX, if it doesn’t, lean on Jumping Balloon for one-hit Knock Outs to hopefully finish the game.
Ultra Necrozma
You can chip into Ultra Necrozma with [card name=”Volcanion Prism Star” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] and set up a board wipe with Magikarp and Wailord-GX, or if you’re not playing that, you can do Sauna Blast into [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card]’s Tri Edge to make an easier Knock Out, hopefully for multiple Prizes.
Zoroark-GX / Garbodor
Mega Lopunny and Jigglypuff-GX is amazing against any [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card] deck without question, but really most of your attackers; if you’re attacking you will probably win unless their [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] gets you in the late game. If you power up an attacker on the Bench in addition to your attacker, you can play around this.
Conclusion
Of these, I’m most intrigued by the Turbo Water deck but I need to test it more. Beating Turbo Dark is very important right now and all of these can do just that, that alone is a selling point so I hope that you check at least one of these out, give it a whirl, see how you like it. The updated [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] deck with [card name=”Misty and Lorelei” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”199″ c=”name”][/card] is very strong and perhaps the most safe of all of these, but you could run into some clunky hands where you can’t get Blastoise; the choice is yours of which of these to try. As always, don’t hesitate to hit me up in the Subscribers’ Hideout and take care!
Peace,
–Caleb
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