Expanding the Game: A Look at the Expanded Format for Fall Regionals
What’s up, PokeBeach? This is my first article here, and I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the awesome team of PokeBeach writers! Today I will be talking about the upcoming Expanded format in which this year’s Fall Regionals will be played under. This is a massive format, spanning from the first [set name=”Black and White”] expansion up through our most current set (currently, that is Ancient Origins). That’s a whopping 18 sets in one format! With so many different cards available to players, the format is bound to be as unpredictable as ever. Today we will take a sneak peek at some of the decks that I think could do well at these all-Expanded format Regionals.
[cardimg name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”123″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]I have gathered all seven Dragon Balls. Now, I wish for you to become a PokeBeach Premium Subscriber![/cardimg]
To comprehend what we are looking at here, you’d have to look at all of the potential decks and combinations from the 2013-2014 Standard format up until today’s Expanded format. Also, with newer cards getting mixed into the same card pool as those that were rotated out last year or will be rotating this year, there are bound to be plenty of new combos that haven’t even seen the tournament tables yet! Of course, I do expect some old favorites to return as well. For one, [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”]-based decks are welcomed back into the format, as are decks based around everyone’s favorite Fire and Water-type Energy accelerators – [card name=”Emboar” set=”Next Destinies” no=”100″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”137″ c=”name”]! Naturally, this format brings back countless other favorites such as [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”104″ c=”name”], [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”], [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”134″ c=”name”], [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″ c=”name”], [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”], [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”], [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”], [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”name”], [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”], and all of the Ace Spec cards, just to name a few! With all of these wonderful cards coming back into the format, there are sure to be a lot of different decks that will be played come tournament time.
Of course, building and choosing your deck carefully is every bit as crucial as playing correctly and avoiding misplays as often as possible. (We’re all human, and we all misplay sometimes.) It is also important to play something that you are comfortable with and that you enjoy. This will help make large-scale tournaments seem less stressful and should also allow you to better focus on the game. Of course, some decks are more powerful than others in certain formats and certain tech cards can alter almost any matchup. This makes playtesting that much more important. To help you look at the format, I’ve assembled a list of decks that I believe could be played in October’s Expanded format Regional Championships.
But first, let me take a moment to tell you how epic a PokeBeach Premium Membership is! You get access to the entirely of ALL of the Premium Articles here on PokeBeach from the game’s best and most experienced players! A Premium Membership also gives you access to the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout in the forums, where you can chat with each of our writers daily and get deck advice from our writers to keep you fully prepared for any event you plan on attending!
The Decks
Throughout this article, I’m going to mention many Pokemon from the new set, Ancient Origins. As there are currently not scans of this set, if there are any cards you don’t know what they do, click here to go to the Bandit Ring page. You can find all of the translations there.
M Rayquaza-EX / Bronzong
[card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”] (or Metal Mega Ray, as I like to call it) has a fantastic board of matchups all around, although it remains to be seen if it can deal with the new Vespiquen / Eevee deck that has surfaced with the release of Ancient Origins. My guess is that it will be fine, largely thanks to [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”]. This deck deals with Seismitoad-EX very well, once again due to Aegislash-EX’s Mighty Shield Ability, Bronzong’s Ability to recycle discarded Metal Energy and also [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”]’s Righteous Edge attack. This deck’s bad matchups include [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”113″ c=”name”], [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”] decks that run off of [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”name”]. With a teched [card name=”Altaria” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY46″ c=”name”] line, you just might be able to conquer the entire board using the overwhelming power of M Rayquaza-EX!
Rayquaza-EX / Eelektrik
[cardimg name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”][/cardimg]
This is a much older deck that now has the chance to resurface due to some of the newer cards from [set name=”Roaring Skies”] and Ancient Origins, with some nifty new combos up its sleeve. Keep in mind that although this deck can be very vulnerable to Ability lock, it is also capable of one-shotting any Pokemon in the game with [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”85″ c=”name”]’s Dragon Burst attack. This deck has received a few new toys to make that easier to pull off, which I will go over in a bit and which I believe can make this deck return as a contender in Expanded format tournaments. Matchup-wise, this deck tends to do well against the popular [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”]-based decks, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”61″ c=”name”], [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”] and it also has a decent matchup with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]. The main worry here is Vespiquen and anything that is running a thick [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] line, as they tend to force an unfavorable Prize exchange for you and can also take out your Benched [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”]s, thus denying you any Energy acceleration. Overall, though, this deck has tested very well and should be a strong candidate for this fall’s Regionals.
Primal Groudon
[card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”name”] decks set up slower than a snail and most of the time they aren’t even attacking while they’re trying to set up! So, why do I feel this deck is better off in Expanded format than in Standard? Simple: One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered when playtesting Primal Groudon-EX lists is the lack of draw power, especially since they tend to run [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] and/or [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”], both of which prevent you from using cards like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”name”] to speed up the process. Enter the game’s ultimate chase card from 2012 until last fall’s rotation – [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”name”]. This card offers the necessary draw power that this deck needs to set up more quickly and more consistently, while also serving as a damage booster for Primal Groudon-EX’s Gaia Volcano attack. With Wobbuffet to lock down Abilities, this deck has solid matchups almost entirely across the board, save for decks like Vespiquen (I’m noticing a pattern here) and other non-EX decks that offer an unfavorable Prize trade. If you can either avoid these decks or find a way to tech against them, though, you should be golden.
Vespiquen
The Queen Bee from the Pokemon world. If Beedrill represented King Zing Sting, than I suppose Vespiquen equates to Bumble Bee Rumble. Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 references aside, this is a great card and a great deck. Vespiquen’s Bee Revenge attack is exactly the same as the Team Plasma [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”]’s Vengeance attack. It’s also ironic that this card resembles Flareon so much, because the new Flareon is one of her main support Pokemon, alongside Jolteon and Vaporeon from Ancient Origins. Flareon, Jolteon and Vaporeon each have Abilities that treat all Stage 1 Pokemon you have in play as their type (Fire for Flareon, Lightning for Jolteon, and Water for Vaporeon) in addition to that Stage 1 Pokemon’s original type. This means that if you have a Flareon, a Jolteon and a Vaporeon on your Bench, your Vespiquen is now a Grass type, Fire type, Water type, AND a Lightning type all at once! Thus, it can hit for four different Weaknesses! Four! With cards like [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”], Unown, and [card name=”Audino” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”126″ c=”name”] to fuel the discard pile, Vespiquen can hit hard and fast and can hit the Weaknesses of an awful lot of popular Pokemon in play right now, while still only giving up one Prize. This gives Vespiquen great matchups against [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”11″ c=”name”], Plasma [card name=”Lugia-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”102″ c=”name”], [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”], [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] or pretty much anything that runs off of Pokemon-EX as their primary attackers. Your one (very) bad matchup here is [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”]. I’ve learned the hard way that Bats eat the Queen Bee alive, but I guess that’s the price of having positive matchups across the rest of the board.
In Depth Analysis
Of course, there is much more to learn about these decks than what I have mentioned above. Lists are key, as are any techs you might want to play and getting your numbers just right. I have crafted and playtested lists for a handful of Expanded decks that look to be contenders this fall and I’m willing to share them with all of you!
So are you ready to improve your game right here and right now?
[premium]
Rayquaza-EX / Eelektrik
The List
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”19″]
4x [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Tynamo” set=”Noble Victories” no=”38″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Primal Clash” no=”65″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”123″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Raikou-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”38″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Victini” set=”Noble Victories” no=”15″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”30″]
3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Pokemon Fan Club” set=”POP Series 4″ no=”9″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”11″]
7x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
This is my updated version of [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”85″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”]. For those of you that didn’t play the Pokemon TCG when this deck was popular, I’ll briefly go over how it works. By setting up multiple copies of Eelektrik, you can quickly accelerate Lightning Energy from the discard pile to attack every turn, even if your Pokemon get Knocked Out or if your attacks force you to discard your Energy. This allows a Pokemon like Rayquaza-EX or [card name=”Raikou-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”38″ c=”name”] to use their attacks continuously, even though they must discard anywhere from two to four Energy with each attack and score KOs each turn. However, since Eelektrik can only use Dynamotor to attach Lightning Energy onto your Benched Pokemon, it is important to be able to switch your attacker to the Bench in order to do this or to move Energy from the Bench up to your Active Pokemon. Enter Eelektrik’s evolved form…
The Addition of Eelektross
[cardimg name=”Eelektross” set=”Primal Clash” no=”65″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Eelektrik CAN evolve![/cardimg]
Despite Eelektrik being a dominant form of Energy acceleration during its time in the Pokemon TCG Standard format, his final evolution saw virtually no play. However, when [set name=”Primal Clash”] was released, a very interesting [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Primal Clash” no=”65″ c=”name”] came along with it. With [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”] allowing you to bench up to eight Pokemon and [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”] freely able to recover Lightning Energy from your discard pile, you can then use Eelektross to move that Energy up to your Active Pokemon in order to launch a brutal attack with Rayquaza-EX or potentially snipe down an opponent’s Bench-sitter with [card name=”Raikou-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”38″ c=”name”]’s Volt Bolt (seriously, guys?) attack.
It is also worth noting that Eelektross isn’t the only way to work around Eelektrik not being able to use Dynamotor to attach Energy to your Active Pokemon. A handful of the Pokemon in this deck have rather inconvenient Retreat Costs, so we run three copies of [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”]. This gives us the ability to run [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”] as an alternate form of switching out, using Dynamotor to charge up our attacker, then retreating for free and bringing our heavy hitter back up front to launch another assault.
Why the Secret Rare M Rayquaza-EX?
One of the things you might’ve noticed in my list is that I’ve opted to run the new M Rayquaza-EX instead of the one from [set name=”Roaring Skies”]. Why is that, you ask? Well, for one, shiny Pokemon are better than non-shiny ones. (Okay, maybe that wasn’t a real reason…) The difference in the two different M Rayquaza-EX cards lies in their Ancient Traits. While the speed-based [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] decks will run the version from Roaring Skies, I prefer the shiny new one from Ancient Origins in this deck. First off, we only run one copy and we aren’t running any copies of [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”name”], meaning we must end our turn in order to Mega Evolve. Upon Mega Evolution, the new M Rayquaza-EX’s Ancient Trait, θ Max, will remove all damage counters from it, acting like a pseudo [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”]. Since our lone copy of M Rayquaza-EX is more of a tech attacker than a primary one, we don’t need to focus on getting him out quickly or all that frequently, as he is more of a luxury than a necessity in most cases, thus not requiring the speed provided by Δ Evolution.
V Is For Victini
Now here’s a card I’ve liked for a long time – [card name=”Victini” set=”Noble Victories” no=”15″ c=”from”] (sometimes referred to as “Benchtini”). Seeing how we run 13 Basic Pokemon in this deck, getting five or more of them for V-create shouldn’t be a problem very often. Now why Victini and not [card name=”Zekrom” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW005″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”23″ c=”name”], you ask? Simply put, Victini counters two of the more popular decks in Expanded format – [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″ c=”name”] and the up-and-coming (or returning) [card name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ c=”name”] variants. Victini can hit most Grass-type and most Metal-type Pokemon for Weakness, meaning V-Create will deal a whopping 200 damage! This one-shots anything in the game with a Weakness to Fire types, with the exception of Mega Evolutions. Talk about a game changer!
Conclusion
Overall, [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”85″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”] is a deck that requires some setup, but functions in a very similar manner to the Metal decks running off of [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”] and any of its wide array of attackers, although it is probably most similar to the [card name=”Dialga-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”62″ c=”name”] build. Rayquaza-EX is capable of one-shotting anything in the game, given enough Energy, while [card name=”Raikou-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”38″ c=”name”] can take out threats on your opponent’s Bench, such as [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”]. Eelektrik’s Dynamotor Ability will help you out against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”name”] decks that run [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”], while Rayquaza can simply overpower Seismitoad-EX to tilt the game in your favor. Both Raikou-EX and [card name=”Eelektross” set=”Primal Clash” no=”65″ c=”name”] can hit the Colorless-type [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] for Weakness, making that a favorable matchup as well. Finally, Victini gives you an edge against both Metal decks and [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”9″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″ c=”name”] builds. That’s a pretty good spread over what I expect to be the Expanded meta this October. Just watch out for the Wicked Pokemon!
Primal Groudon-EX
The List
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”8″]
4x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Groudon-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”106″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”41″]
4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Groudon Spirit Link” set=”Primal Clash” no=”131″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”11″]
7x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”EX Holon Phantoms” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
[card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”151″ c=”name”] has been a giant wrecking ball since its release. That might not seem like much, as there are plenty of those in the Pokemon TCG, but what makes Primal Groudon-EX so special is its Ancient Trait – Ω Barrier. This Trait allows you to safely charge up Primal Groudon-EX on your Bench while something less valuable sits up front and takes the hits until you’re ready to attack. But which Pokemon should sit up front and take hits until your attacker is all set up?
The Wobbuffet Experience
The best answer, in my opinion, is [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”]. Wobbuffet’s shutting down of Pokemon Abilities is bound to slow down most opposing decks, as they no longer have access to Abilities from [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”], [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”], [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”], [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”], and so forth. Unfortunately, the [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] line is Psychic type and therefore unaffected by the Patient Pokemon. Still, with 110 HP, Wobbuffet can take a hit or two, especially in the early game when the attacks aren’t likely to be as big. If Wobbuffet does go down, you can always send up another one or even a [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”]. Just remember, you only have so many turns to set up your Primal Groudon-EX and you must do so without Abilities. If only there was another non-Supporter card that could give us mass draw power…
Back to the Beach!
[cardimg name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”]I wish I could go to the Beach. Oh, wait… I’m already at the Beach![/cardimg]
Ah, [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW50″ c=”name”]. I both love and hate this card. I love what it does – it allows for extra draw power once per turn, but in exchange, you must end your turn upon using it which forfeits your chance to attack. It’s very balanced and very good for the game. However, cards do have price tags, and Tropical Beach’s price tag is not very buyer friendly. This was really upsetting me a couple years ago, as I could never seem to obtain Tropical Beaches and was limited on which decks I was able to play because of it. Regardless, this card is awesome in a [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”] deck. Why, you ask? Well, [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Robo Substitute” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”102″ c=”name”] aren’t going to be attacking while they sit up in the Active spot early on, so why not draw more cards each turn and increase the consistency of getting your attacker set up? Primal Groudon-EX tends to stall for a few turns, usually due to a Supporter or Energy drought. Tropical Beach can also serve a second purpose in this deck, as Primal Groudon-EX’s Gaia Volcano attack does an additional 100 damage if there is a Stadium card in play and then discards said Stadium. This extra 100 damage bumps the base damage output of your attack to 200 and that’s before figuring in any copies of [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name”] that are attached to Primal Groudon-EX. This makes a pretty ridiculous sweeper if you ask me!
Conclusion
Overall, [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”] is a deck that can be rather simple at times, but requires a great deal of patience to properly execute. Remember that just because Primal Groudon-EX is fully charged and ready to go doesn’t mean it is the right time to attack – often times you’ll want to keep him safe on the Bench until you can pull off a key [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] or Hex Maniac to make sure your opponent can’t KO him right back. [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name”] is a key card here too, as it will prevent Groudon from being one-shotted by your opponent’s Pokemon. With the proper setup and timing, a single Primal Groudon-EX can sweep an entire field of Pokemon and win you the game. Just don’t run out of Stadiums, as Groudon needs something to blow up!
Vespiquen
The List
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”25″]
1x [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”28″]
3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Silver Bangle” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”88″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
2x Forest of Giant Planets (AOR #74)
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”7″]
4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”103″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”104″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
This deck is specifically designed to dump as many Pokemon as possible into the discard pile, then play down Vespiquen and use her Bee Revenge attack for two Colorless Energy to hit for ridiculously massive amounts of damage. With Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon at Vespiquen’s side, it can hit for different types of Weakness, making it that much more dangerous to opposing Pokemon! This deck also runs Unown. Its Ability doesn’t seem like much at first, but seeing as it also adds 10 more damage to Vespiquen’s attack total, it will begin to add up quickly once you’ve drawn a few cards.
NOT THE BEES!
Vespiquen is like the [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”] card from [set name=”Plasma Freeze”], only it has two usable attacks, no Retreat Cost and is a valid [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”name”] target. Throw in the Abilities of the new Flareon / Jolteon / Vaporeon and you’ve got yourself a really versatile attacker! Best of all, each of her two attacks only cost Colorless Energy, meaning you can run whatever type of basic Energy supports the rest of your deck best. She also has synergy with the new Forest of Giant Plants card and she only gives up one Prize if she gets KO’d. That’s quite a bit right there! So if this deck is so good, how do you beat it?
Bruce Wayne Syndrome – The Fear of Bats
Two Pokemon that certainly don’t fear the Queen Bee are [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”], who can snipe any Pokemon its opponent has in play for 30 or 20 damage when it evolves. To make matters worse, Crobat can snipe wherever it pleases when it attacks for 30 additional damage. These might seem like small numbers, but when your leading attacker only has 90 HP and nothing in your deck has more than 110 HP, Crobat and its Evolution line becomes a serious problem. If you run into Crobat (or even Golbat) with this deck, be sure to time your Hex Maniac carefully!
Deuces Wild
[cardimg name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Double Colorless Energy is often abbreviated to DCE. When speaking, I abbreviate DCE to Deuce, which is one syllable instead of three. This is the essence of human laziness.[/cardimg]
Despite the inclusion of three basic Energy cards (one to trigger each of [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”name”]’s Evolutions via its Energy Evolution Ability), your attacks run pretty exclusively off of [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”]. If you run out of Double Colorless Energy, you probably aren’t attacking and that means you’re probably going to fall behind in Prizes. To prevent this from happening, we have two cards that can directly search for Double Colorless Energy – [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ c=”name”]. You also have four copies of [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”name”] at your disposal, meaning you can recycle your Teammates each time one of your Pokemon gets KO’d. This is extremely valuable and can help you keep up a consistent flow of attackers until the game ends.
The one other card to be wary of, due to Vespiquen’s heavy reliance on Double Colorless Energy, is [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”]. Aegislash-EX takes no damage from any Pokemon that has a Special Energy card attached to it, meaning Vespiquen will need two of your three basic Energy cards attached to it in order to hit the Mighty Shield. However, just like with Bats, you can counter this devastating Ability with your one copy of Hex Maniac. This will shut down your own Abilities too, however, so remember that if you opt to use Hex Maniac to get around Aegislash-EX, you won’t be able to hit it for Weakness (unless you use the teched copy of [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”from”]).
Conclusion
In conclusion, I feel that this is by far the best deck to come out of Ancient Origins. Yes, the set gave us cards like Vileplume, Sceptile-EX, M Tyranitar-EX and Giratina-EX, as well as support cards and alternative attackers like Lugia-EX, Hoopa-EX, Forest of Giant Plants, Hex Maniac and a reprint of [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”name”] to make things convenient for most players. I think Vespiquen has received a lot of hype, but unlike M Sceptile-EX or even M Tyranitar-EX, I do not believe that Vespiquen is over-hyped. I think this can be a top level deck at least until Break Through is released in November, and in that time, I think we will see lots of it at tournaments, both Standard and Expanded.
Shiftry
The List
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”15″]
3x [card name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Nuzleaf” set=”Flashfire” no=”6″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Seedot” set=”Flashfire” no=”5″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”45″]
3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Devolution Spray” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”113″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Roller Skates” set=”XY” no=”125″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Bicycle” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”117″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Repeat Ball” set=”Primal Clash” no=”136″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Scoop Up Cyclone” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”95″ c=”deck2″]
4x Forest of Giant Plants (AOR #74)
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”0″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
We’ve finally made it to the dreaded Shiftry deck… but is it really that bad? Or that good? Let’s find out. I’ve played a decent number of games with this deck and I must say it relies more on going first than any deck I’ve seen in a long time. Going first, this deck can usually return all of your opponent’s Pokemon to his or her hand via [card name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ c=”name”]’s Giant Fan Ability. Now, how does Shiftry hit the field on the first turn, you ask?
Winning In One Turn
[cardimg name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”custom”][/cardimg]
If you look at the deck list, you will notice that all of these cards were available in Expanded format before the release of Ancient Origins – except for one card. That one card, which we run four copies of, is what makes the entire strategy of this deck possible. That card is Forest of Giant Plants. Because of its effect, this card has been dubbed “Broken Vine Space” by a handful of TCG players. This deck is built to win in one turn. Forest of Giant Plants will allow you to evolve your [card name=”Seedot” set=”Flashfire” no=”5″ c=”name”] into [card name=”Nuzleaf” set=”Flashfire” no=”6″ c=”name”] on the first turn, as Seedot is a Grass Pokemon. Nuzleaf can then immediately evolve into Shiftry, because Nuzleaf is also a Grass Pokemon. [card name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ c=”name”]’s Darkness typing is irrelevant here, as it does not need to evolve again. So what? By playing and evolving multiple Shiftry lines on the first turn, you can use Giant Fan multiple times to try and send your opponent’s Pokemon back to the deck. Combining this strategy with massive draw power from cards like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”], [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”], [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”], [card name=”Bicycle” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”117″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Roller Skates” set=”XY” no=”125″ c=”name”] will allow you to draw through your deck very quickly and get as many Shiftry lines into play as quickly as possible – and you need to do this on the first turn, or else your opponent will likely fill his or her Bench completely, making it virtually impossible to bench him or her out unless you’re a coin-flipping deity. However, when you factor in four copies of [card name=”Devolution Spray” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”113″ c=”name”], four copies of [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”], and a copy of [card name=”Scoop Up Cyclone” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”95″ c=”name”], you can suddenly use Giant Fan a lot more than three times in a turn! Usually three heads flips will bench your opponent out (although it might only take one!) and in my testing, I’ve noticed that I can usually hit Giant Fan about eight times on the first turn, meaning an average of four successful flips. The math here says this deck auto-wins on the first turn, IF it goes first. However, a bad hand could screw that up easily. So could…
Please, Don’t Be Patient!
[cardimg name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”custom”]Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.[/cardimg]
[card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”]. This Pokemon’s Ability shuts down the Abilities of all non-Psychic Pokemon, and that would include both [card name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], effectively rendering the entire win condition of the deck impossible to achieve and therefore useless. I mean, it’s one thing when you have an auto-loss to one deck, but to one card? ONE SINGLE CARD? Ouch… that hurts. Granted, not everyone will be playing Wobbuffet, but some people will. It is already a competitive card and with Shiftry potentially being a threat, Wobbuffet is sure to see a bit of play. There is one other card that can protect itself from Shiftry’s first turn insanity and that card is the Ancient Trait Baltoy from Ancient Origins. Baltoy’s Ancient Trait is θ Stop, which prevents it from being affected by Abilities from the opponent’s Pokemon. But why would you play Baltoy when you could play Wobbuffet, which has plenty of other uses besides stopping Shiftry?
Conclusion
[card name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ c=”name”] relies on a lot of coin flips and is stopped by one single card (well, technically two), but this deck is still ridiculous. Time will tell if it’s really as powerful as people are saying it is, but based on my playtesting, I believe it could be for real. I say “could be” because if Shiftry goes second, it can have a very difficult time benching out its opponent, meaning 50% of your games are unfavorable at best, regardless of what deck you’re playing against. There’s also Wobbuffet and there are also bad hands or those awkward times when your opponent happens to draw five Basic Pokemon in his or her opening hand. For that reason, I believe this deck is a little bit over-hyped. The idea is there, though and it definitely works if the situation is right. But only if the situation is right.
Final Conclusion
Closing out, I would like to say that although I went over four different deck lists, there are still many options available to players in this format and there will be more new ideas surfacing as players continue to let their creative juices flow. I, for one, will continue to build different decks to playtest for this format and I can’t wait to see how everything turns out in October.
Lastly, I would like to thank the staff here at PokeBeach once again for letting me join their exclusive team of writers. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I look forward to writing more material for each and every one of you in the future!
Any questions or comments? Please feel free to post them below! Also, don’t forget to check out the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout for more cool stuff! Thank you very much for reading my article and I hope to see you at Worlds!
Cheers!
[/premium]