Desert Storm — Sandaconda in Salt Lake City

By: Isaiah Cheville · Posted Posted onMar 29, 2022 at 6:17 PM · 1 Comments

Hello PokeBeach readers! Isaiah here, and I am happy to be bringing you another article! Last time, I covered the results of Brisbane Regionals, with a big focus on Natalie Millar’s winning deck list. The main reason I covered the event was largely because America had a regional of their own coming up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Now that the event has concluded, we saw many unexpected results, so how about we take a look at those.

Salt Lake City in Summary

In the simplest way possible, Salt Lake City Regionals was full of surprises, which is wonderful for the first American regional back. However, one of the smallest surprises was probably the general Day 2 metagame, which held many results that were far from unexpected. Thanks to data gathered by PokeStats and Complexity Card Gaming, we see that the Day 2 Metagame was as follows:

[cardimg name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”269″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

 

  • 32 [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 7 [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 6 Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Galarian Moltres” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 5 [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Houndoom” set=”Battle Styles” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 4 Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Malamar VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 4 [card name=”Malamar” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 3 [card name=”Jolteon VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]
  • 9 “Other” Arceus VSTAR Decks
  • 4 “Other” Decks

 

As you can probably tell, the general makeup of the Salt Lake City metagame was Mew VMAX or a counter to Mew VMAX, with no other viable options, however, the way this metagame shook out was a bit more surprising, with zero Mew VMAX in the Top 8!

The Top 8 of Salt Lake City was full of surprises, so how about we take a look at the Pre-Top Cut Standings.

  1. Gengar VMAX / Houndoom
  2. [card name=”Suicune V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ludicolo” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card]
  3. Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon / Galarian Moltres
  4. Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon / Galarian Moltres
  5. Arceus VSTAR / Gengar VMAX
  6. Gengar VMAX / Houndoom
  7. Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon
  8. — (8th seed was disqualified prior to the Top 8 starting)

Now the final standings

  1. Arceus VSTAR / Gengar VMAX
  2. Suicune V / Ludicolo
  3. Gengar VMAX / Houndoom
  4. Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon / Galarian Moltres
  5. Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon / Galarian Moltres
  6. Gengar VMAX / Houndoom
  7. Arceus VSTAR / Inteleon
  8. Jolteon VMAX (bumped up from 9th due to the aforementioned disqualification)

Wow! A lot to take in!

[cardimg name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

As I mentioned before, the lack of [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] certainly stands out more than anything, as many players, myself included, expected the deck to do extremely well, including likely winning the event. Instead, the highest placing Mew VMAX on the final standings was in tenth place. Additionally, [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] had an absolutely incredible Top 8 conversion rate, with three of eight of the final Top 8 spots, which was about half of the Gengar VMAX decks in all of Day 2, and surprisingly an unexpected [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / Gengar VMAX deck was able to take down the tournament.

One of the more predictable results that we see in the Top 8, however, was the quantity of Arceus VSTAR decks in the Top 8. With Arceus VSTAR in four of eight slots, it’s pretty clear that the card has cemented itself as a potent threat in the future of this format.

Outside the Top 8, there were plenty of other interesting decks; Nick Robinson, the 2016 US National Champion, played Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Inteleon” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] with a 1-1 [card name=”Gyarados VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card] line alongside [card name=”Memory Capsule” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] to use [card name=”Gyarados V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]’s Get Angry for a big Knock Out after it takes a hit.

In addition, there were a few players playing a variant of Frank Percic’s Arceus VSTAR / [card name=”Flygon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] deck, including fellow PokeBeach writer Charlie Lockyer. Unlike the rest of the competition, however, Charlie brought a never-before-seen tech: [card name=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card].

Why Sandaconda?

Yeah, that’s a pretty good question, I cannot lie… but rest assured, it all makes sense.

Following the debut of Arceus VSTAR / Flygon V / Beedrill, one of the deck’s biggest concerns was dealing with many of the other Arceus VSTAR variants. On its own, Flygon V does nothing against Arceus VSTAR, they can play around Beedrill pretty easily, leaving you with Arceus VSTAR as your only real attacking option. At the beginning of the format, nobody was certain of how good Arceus VSTAR would be and many people were not playing it, sometimes out of something as simple as not owning the card. As time would go on, however, more people would acquire their copies of Arceus VSTAR and people started realizing the deck’s potential. As such, a counter was needed.

Initially, many players would gravitate toward [card name=”Galarian Zapdos V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] as the most logical counter to Arceus VSTAR; it’s a low-Energy investment option that can pretty easily take a one-hit Knock Out, however, Galarian Zapdos V’s biggest issue is that it has a mere 200 HP, which is pretty easy for Arceus VSTAR to respond to, and not only that, but [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] was a bit of an issue to deal with to.

The next option that I saw more players set on was a 1-1 [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. While I personally think this tech option was not that stellar, it has some merit. Notably, [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] struggles to take a one-hit Knock Out on a [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu V” set=”Battle Styles” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card], needing a [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] to hit 220 if they have a [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card]. Then, if they fail to take a Knock Out on Rapid Strike Urshifu V, you can then use its attack or Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX’s attack to take a Knock Out (or two!), establishing a significant Prize lead.

Barring the context of the Arceus VSTAR matchup, the Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX line does not have a lot of uses. Sure, it can set up some cool plays with its G-Max Rapid Flow, but other than that, it doesn’t have a lot going for it. As such, I was consistently voicing to Charlie that I was not a fan of the inclusion of Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. At that point, around 11 PM Utah time the night before the event, Charlie sent me a message asking me to give him a phone call.

While chatting with Charlie and another friend of ours, Charlie Kerr, I started digging through all of the cards that I had on me at the time, considering cards like [card name=”Single Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Galarian Sirfetch’d V” set=”Vivid Voltage” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card], and even [card name=”Lycanroc VMAX” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] when I stumbled on [card name=”Sandaconda V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card].

[cardimg name=”Sandaconda V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”252″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

When I read Sandaconda V, I instantly knew that it was the card to fill the role I had in mind for the Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX slots — unlike any of the other options we had previously considered, Sandaconda V boasts pretty moderate bulk thanks to its Wall of Sand Ability plus a natural 220 HP. Thanks to this, Arceus VSTAR cannot take a one-hit Knock Out on a Sandaconda V without Path to the Peak, Galarian Zigzagoon, and a Choice Belt if they have Double Turbo Energy. Then, once they most likely fail to take the one-hit Knock Out, Sandaconda V conveniently hits exactly 280 after Weakness with its Land Crush, scoring the one-hit Knock Out on Arceus VSTAR. As a result, you will almost always be able to trade at least two for two against Arceus VSTAR decks, but if you get the first attack, you will almost definitely get a four for two trade.

As if that was not enough, I immediately remembered that [card name=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] had a pretty strong attack, so we explored adding that. After a pretty short amount of time, we came to the conclusion that it was a must — between its bigger HP, slightly stronger attack, and incredible attack effect it was a no-brainer. Thanks to the HP buff, it is entirely outside of Arceus VSTAR’s damage range and it still can easily take one-hit Knock Outs while conserving Energy. As if that wasn’t enough, Sand Pulse also offers a nice low-investment option for spread damage, which can set up some math on a variety of Pokemon, such as on [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] so that Arceus VSTAR can KO them without a Choice Belt.

With this new tech in mind, we made some final tweaks to the list all while accidentally coming up with the name “The Sand Man” which eventually led us to the name “Operation: Desert Storm” while considering any other sand-related jokes we could make.

With a list and name finalized, both Charlies took the deck to the tournament, and while it was a rough time for Charlie Kerr, Charlie Lockyer had a strong 7-1-1 finish on the first day an a 10-2-2 record at the end of the second day. Unfortunately, despite having 32 match points, Charlie failed to make it to the Top 8 because he barely fell shy on the Opponent’s Winning Percentage tiebreaker, finishing 9th following 8th seed being disqualified.

While the final finish stung a bit, both Charlie and I believe that the deck is extremely strong going forward, with very few explicitly negative matchups. In particular, the deck does well against [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gengar VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card] decks which, considering Salt Lake City’s final standings, are two pretty solid matchups to be favoured in. With that in mind, how about we take a look at the deck that Charlie ended up playing.

Desert Storm

Deck List

[decklist name=”Desert Storm” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Sandaconda V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Flygon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Shining Fates” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Cram-o-matic” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”229″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Air Balloon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]3x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Inclusions

Arceus VSTAR Line

At face, [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] is a super basic card, with a fairly standard Energy acceleration attack and an Ability that allows you to go find any two cards you want.

Wait, excuse me, go find any two cards!?

That is right, any two cards. Thanks to its Starbirth Ability, Arceus VSTAR essentially has a built-in safety net to ensure that you never whiff a turn-two Trinity Nova, and even better, if you naturally get the pieces for a Trinity Nova, you can save the Starbirth for a huge play later. Since I have started playing the game, I have never seen a more powerful engine than Arceus VSTAR, truly opening the doors to absolutely anything.

Oh, also, as if Arceus VSTAR itself was not enough, [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] has the same attack but it does zero damage while also taking one less Energy. Talk about the perfect card!

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Beedrill and Single Strike Style Mustard

Since I first read the card, I have been absolutely glued to [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. When I was younger, one of my favorite decks was always [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], so seeing its spiritual successor, [card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] end up being viable was a great joy.

[cardimg name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”163″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

In this meta, Special Energy cards are everywhere, with a ton of decks playing [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] in addition to decks that play [card name=”Fusion Strike Energy” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”244″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Single Strike Energy” set=”Battle Styles” no=”141″ c=”name”][/card]. As such, Beedrill has a plethora of options when it comes to being able to take easy one-hit Knock Outs, which typically immediately swings a Prize trade in your favor due to the card being a looming threat if the opponent ever chooses to take a Knock Out on something else.

Additionally, there are so many cases where Beedrill will simply be able to take a surprise Knock Out on something if your opponent doesn’t know you play the card. For example, in a reason tournament that I attended, I had an opponent, who was playing [card name=”Suicune V” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card], attach a [card name=”Capture Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] to their Active Suicune V because, normally, that would be the correct play. As a result, I was able to pull together a huge turn-one Beedrill, which leads me to get the Knock Out. After reading what my Beedrill did, they immediately realized that they could have instead attached a Water Energy that they had in their hand instead of the Capture Energy, but they did not, simply because it normally would be a “suboptimal” play. Overall, while the card may seem situational, Beedrill certainly is a card that pulls its weight.

Sandaconda VMAX Line

At this point, I think I have made it pretty clear what the purpose of [card name=”Sandaconda V” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] are, but I did want to touch on the counts briefly.

The Sandaconda VMAX line in this deck is rather slim, with us only running a 2-1 line, but this count is honestly plenty. In general, Sandaconda VMAX is not a huge part of your game plan, barring the matchups where it hits for Weakness, as such, you do not need a super thick Evolution line. In addition, in the matchups that you do need it, you should only need one V per game, so playing two to make sure you do not lose it to your Prize cards makes sense.

In addition, since the VMAX is not critical in the matchups where Sandaconda is needed, only playing one copy is fine with the mindset of the card being a “want” more than a “need.”

Flygon V

When this card was first shown, I was pumped! Since I was about eight years old, Flygon has always been one of my favorite Pokemon, so any time it gets a printing as an ultra-rare, I get excited that they might finally print a good one (which has not happened since 2009’s [card name=”Flygon LV.X” set=”Rising Rivals” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card]). When I read the card, I was so excited that it got printed as a VMAX killer…

Then I read the last line.

How could they do this! They printed a card with a ton of potential, then they slapped on a disappointing Energy discard clause, effectively moving it from being a super potent attacker in the right matchups to being extremely situational at best. Little did I realize, however, the saving grace for this card was in the same set!

Thanks to [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], powering up [card name=”Flygon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card] becomes a viable option, giving a breath of life to the card that I was so hopeful for. Interestingly, however, I have started to notice that Flygon V hardly ever actually gets to see use. Instead, the card is typically used as a card that essentially says “now that I am powered up, you need to Knock me Out or I will take a huge one-hit Knock Out on a Pokemon VMAX,” which is an incredibly scary threat. Oftentimes, the best response to this Flygon V will be something like using a Double Turbo Energy on a Mew VMAX to take the Knock Out, as it is somewhat difficult to Knock Out as an immediate response, but that is where Beedrill is truly able to shine, offering a way to cover for the opponent making major plays like that, essentially forcing your opponent to play at your pace or get punished.

Support Pokemon

[cardimg name=”Oranguru” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”TG12″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Like the [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] decks of the past, the support Pokemon are the pieces that make it all work. In particular, [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] is critical as it is the easiest way to go and find the [card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] for the big play. Alongside Lumineon V, there is also a single [card name=”Crobat V” set=”Darkness Ablaze” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], which is generally good regardless of the deck. It’s also is a way to dig a little deeper for the one missing piece of a Single Strike Style Mustard play in dire circumstances.

The final support Pokemon is [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card], which, despite its seemingly mediocre Ability, turns into a huge carry-card for this deck. With the goal of this deck being frequently getting down to zero cards in hand, Primate Wisdom effectively offers a “reroll” for any card in your hand, which can ideally turn into a burnable card. Additionally, Primate Wisdom also offers the option to set up the top of your deck so that [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is less impactful, or even simply to set up a future Single Strike Style Mustard. As if that was not enough, Primate Wisdom is also the perfect way to get a [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] back in the deck if you inconveniently draw into one.

Galarian Zigzagoon

At first glance, this one might seem a bit peculiar, especially when you consider the deck’s lack of [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], however, despite not being able to reuse its Headbutt Tantrum, [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card] serves an incredibly important purpose in [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] mirror, providing the option to hit exactly 220 on turn two with the [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] plus Headbutt Tantrum combo, even with the [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] damage debuff.

Cram-o-matic

This card has easily become one of my favorite cards ever over the last couple of months. In [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], the card is easily one of the most important in the deck as it both lets you burn down your hand, making for more potent Fusion Strike Systems, while also letting you have the potential to find any card you want. Most of the time, in Mew VMAX, the first part of this is a bit more important, as it removes unnecessary clutter from the hand, such as [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card], but in the case of Desert Storm, it is actually more valuable to go find any card as most Item cards do end up being burnable.

Back when [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] decks were at their peak, it was a common joke that a [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] basically said “you automatically have the Turn One Archie/Maxie” thanks to the ability to instantly grab your missing piece. Funnily enough, that sentiment still holds true for Cram-o-matic, which essentially provides instant use of Single Strike Style Mustard by going and getting whatever piece you do not have yet. Additionally, in the rare events that you have some un-burnable Item cards, such as an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card] with too few cards in your hand or [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] with no targets in the discard, Cram-o-matic can get these cards out of the hand to make sure you do not run into problems when it comes to pulling off your Single Strike Style Mustard plays.

Three Energy Search

This count is one of the silliest card counts that I have ever seen in a deck, but this is one of the only decks that you may ever see it makes sense. At first, one would think that playing the Energy cards themselves would make more sense, especially with this deck’s mere seven basic Energy, but since we need two different types of Energy at times, playing the increased [card name=”Energy Search” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card] is safer for making sure we find the Energy we need when it is needed.

More importantly, however, is that Energy Search is a much more burnable card than any physical Energy Card, making Single Strike Style Mustard plays more consistent. As if that was not enough, the card is also conveniently an Item card, making perfect fuel for Cram-o-matic.

Energy Counts

The Energy split is a bit chaotic in this deck, but it does the job.

[cardimg name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Starting with the three [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card], this card is important for both [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trinity Charge and [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card]’s Trinity Nova, so it is an easy inclusion. We only play three copies because the card can get stuck in the hand pretty easily, inhibiting our [card name=”Single Strike Style Mustard” set=”Battle Styles” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] plays. Additionally, on the turn we need it, we can easily use Starbirth to go find it, making sure we never get stuck without it.

The four Fighting Energy and three Grass Energy feels a little low at times, but thanks to [card name=”Training Court” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] you seldom actually run out of Energy. The Energy split works out perfectly, filling the attack costs of [card name=”Beedrill” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sandaconda VMAX” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] independently while also conveniently covering the attack cost of [card name=”Flygon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card].

Conclusion

Following Salt Lake City Regionals, the future of Desert Storm is relatively unknown. It is hard to say whether or not the loss of surprise factor could reduce the deck’s potential power going forward, but at the same time, the deck’s pool of attackers has a lot of inherent power, covering a lot of each other’s weaknesses, creating an extremely well-rounded deck. At a minimum, the deck is an absolute blast to play, so there is never a reason to not play it!

With that, this article draws to a close. Before I go, I want to give a shout-out to both of Charlies for believing in the Sandaconda idea when I mentioned it. As always, if you have any questions, please reach out in the Subscriber’s Hideout, on Twitter (@ICheville), or on Facebook (Zaya Lee)!

Until next time!

– Isaiah

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