From Start to Finish – Dealing with Week-by-Week Regionals

By: Ryan Moorhouse · Posted Dec 5, 2015 at 7:09 PM · 0 Comments

Hey there again PokeBeach! I imagine everyone has been busy testing for Cities in the BREAKthrough format. In the U.K. we are just around the halfway mark of our Regionals, finishing off the last of our XY–AOR tournaments last weekend. For this article I though it would be good to look over the unique aspects of week-to-week Regional tournaments including the metagame and how it shifts between different Regionals, the decks I chose from and which build I chose, a quick look at how I did, and finally how each deck I end up playing could be adapted when BREAKthrough is legal for play. I want to focus in on how metagaming in this format seems like one of the biggest differences between reaching top cut and just coming up short – which is why I usually try to work out the correct metagame first and build on deck options afterward. Let’s start at the first Regional in Huddersfield!

Week One – Huddersfield

As I discussed at the end of my last article, I had been looking over the early U.K. metagame through League Challenges and chatting with my U.K. friends on what they thought would be played. From there I made up a list of what I wanted to have at least a 50 / 50 matchup against:

[card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] – A popular choice with many players that seemed to stay strong throughout League Challenges, with inclusions such as [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] to counter Regice and Flash Energy to stand a chance against Fighting builds.
Giratina-EX Builds – Giratina-EX gained some traction towards the start of Regionals in the U.K. as another go-to deck. The most popular build revolved around Giratina-EX and Seismitoad-EX, which had gotten hype after doing well in Expanded. The pairing creates a disruption and lock based build with attacks like Quaking Punch and Chaos Wheel which limit what your opponent can do during their turn. Giratina-EX’s Renegade Pulse blocks damage from attacks by Mega Evolved Pokemon and multiple disruption cards such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] remove any board position your opponent manages to achieve. The other build that would see some play was Giratina-EX paired with [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] to gain a more control-based lock by moving [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and Fairy Energy between Dragon types, picking up Giratina-EX with AZ and then retreating back into it via [card name=”Fairy Garden” set=”XY” no=”117″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Xerneas” set=”XY” no=”96″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] lets you accelerate Basic Fairy Energy to move around with Aromatisse and serves as another attacker that also has the advantage of hitting opposing Giratina-EX for Weakness.
Vespiquen – Vespiquen is another deck that had a strong showing in Expanded and has the ability to keep up with decks in Standard, albeit without its partner in crime [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. Now paired with Flareon AOR to take advantage of [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] to maintain a steady stream of Vespiquen to attack with, Vespiquen definitely has the potential to top a Regional.
[card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] – The main I deck had been testing had also started to see some play, due to its positive M Manectric-EX matchup and strong damage output for a single Energy thanks to all the damage boosting effects such as [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. Playing a Crobat line also made it much easier to deal with Vespiquen, allowing quick OHKOs before they are able to stabilize.

After thinking about multiple decks I decided the best option for the first Regional would be to stick with Lucario-EX / Crobat as the build at the time was able to go 50 / 50 or better against all the decks listed. Additionally, the only coin flips I would have to make (bar Sleep / Confusion checks) would be deciding who went first or second, which for the first Regional always seems to be a safe way to go. Here is the list I played:

[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”18″]

3x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”31″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”32″]

4x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Ace Trainer (AOR #69)

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY” no=”123″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”10″]

6x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″][/card]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

The list is one card off the one I posted last time, exchanging the [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] for a sixth Fighting Energy. I decided that playing the extra Energy would benefit me more in other matchups, allowing me to draw an Energy earlier instead of having to [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] for [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY” no=”123″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] which limits the amount of early damage pressure I can put on. It would also help against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Giratina-EX, giving me an extra Basic Energy to attack with. Xerosic was useful but quite hard to find under Item lock, which also helped my decision in changing it to an Energy. Here is how my run went on the day:

Round 1: Vespiquen WW
Round 2: Giratina-EX / [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] WW
Round 3: [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Regice WW
Round 4: Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX LWT
Round 5: Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX / [card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] LWL
Round 6: M Sceptile-EX/ Ariados WLL
Round 7: [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] WW

4-2-1, 15th Place

I started off at a strong 3-0-0 without dropping a game. In round four I was a single turn away from beating my opponent Joseph Phillip’s Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX for a tie, and then in round five I drew into my first dead hand of the day with a lone [card name=”Zubat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”31″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] going the distance and getting 60 damage onto a opposing Giratina-EX before falling. I had a chance of making top cut if I had been able to win my next two games, but ended up meeting Joe Bernard playing M Sceptile-EX / Ariados in round six, which is an appalling matchup for Lucario-EX / Crobat as M Sceptile-EX is immune to any Bat Abilities thanks to Theta Stop. As a result, M Sceptile-EX can usually take two Flying Presses from [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] before retreating into another M Sceptile-EX. Jagged Saber heals all that damage off the benched M Sceptile-EX, attaching a Grass Energy to it in the process. Joe ended up being unable to draw anything useful in game one but was able to get a good set up in games two and three to knock me out of top cut.

If I were to re-play this deck in the XY–AOR format, I don’t think I would change the list at all. The deck played as I imagined, and in most of the rounds I lost or tied the games were close and could have gone either way.

Lucario-EX / Hawlucha / Crobat in the XY–BKT Format

[card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] decks seem to still have a place in Standard after BREAKthrough is released. If M Sceptile-EX stays popular it might be harder to justify playing this deck, however Zoroark / Zoroark BREAK decks might have a problem against this build due to the line’s Fighting Weakness and Zorua’s low HP and would be forced to use mainly [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] in this matchup. The main changes would be including one or two new and reprinted Trainer cards to boost consistency and damage.

[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”18″]

3x [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”31″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”33″]

4x [card name=”Korrina” set=”Furious Fists” no=”95″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Giovanni’s Scheme (BRK #138)

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Next Destinies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Super Rod (BRK #149)

1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Professor’s Letter” set=”XY” no=”123″ c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”deck2″][/card]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”9″]

5x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”XY” no=”137″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”deck2″][/card]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

The first change is removing Ace Trainer for Giovanni’s Scheme to give the deck an extra +20 damage option which can be a massive boost. For example, [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Strong Energy” set=”Furious Fists” no=”104″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Fighting Stadium” set=”Furious Fists” no=”90″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] in play alongside the 20 damage boost from Giovanni’s Scheme hits 140 damage. After a [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] drop this can reach the magic 170 HP on a single turn. The only other change is dropping the sixth Fighting Energy for the reprinted Super Rod, effectively giving you access to up to eight basic Energy and also any Pokemon you had to get rid of early or need to re-use in the matchup. Another option could be Jirachi XY67. For a single Colorless Energy, its Stardust attack does 10 damage and discards a Special Energy attached to the opponent’s Active Pokemon; if you do, Jirachi is immune to all effects of attacks during your opponent’s next turn. Against decks that play only Special Energy like Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX or Night March, this could cost them multiple turns of attacking and discard crucial Energy resources they can’t easily get back.

Week Two – Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham)

Week One Results

1. Adam Hawkins – M Sceptile-EX
2. Patrik Raty – Vespiquen / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]
3. Luke Burke – Night March
4. Danielle Hames – [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Regice / [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]
5. Jonathan Cowley – [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Giratina-EX / [card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]
6. Joe Bernard – M Sceptile-EX
7. Fraser Anderson – Night March
8. Kristen Gregory – [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]

Adam Hawkins was able to take down the tournament with M Sceptile-EX, taking advantage of its strong [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] matchup and using continuous healing and Energy acceleration via Jagged Saber to keep the 220 HP Mega alive. Joe Bernard made top eight with a similar list. Night March took two spots of the top eight, relying on high counts of draw cards such as [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Roller Skates” set=”XY” no=”125″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX took a single spot in cut, paired with Crawdaunt and [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] providing another option for Energy disruption. Patrik Raty was able to take second with Vespiquen after losing a close final. His list ran over 30 Pokemon, including a [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] line to both get past [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] giving him plenty of Pokemon to discard early and late game to reach KOs on Pokemon-EX and Mega Evolved Pokemon.

Other notable decks included the single [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] that got top four, which utilized the same type of stall strategy that made the finals at U.S. Nationals, and M Rayquaza-EX which was able to sneak in at 8th using [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] to discard any Special Energy from Pokemon like Giratina-EX that would stop the deck in its tracks. Unfortunately for Kristen she met Night March in top eight instead of one of M Rayquaza-EX’s more positive matchups like M Sceptile-EX which can’t execute its healing strategy when it’s being OHKO’d by a full-strength Emerald Break.

The Week Two Metagame

The metagame had an expected shift from week one to week two, adding M Sceptile-EX into the mix and also increasing the potential of Night March as well. After looking over the results this is what I wanted to make sure I could at least have a 50 / 50 matchup against going into week two:

M Sceptile-EX – The obvious deck to beat. After it was able to take first and sixth place alongside being a new archetype many people will opt to test and take it into week two due to its lesser known weaknesses at the time and proven record in a tournament setting.
Night March – Even though Night March was unable to make the finals, seeing the deck in action and also watching an extremely close top four where it lost out to M Sceptile-EX by multiple flips made me believe the deck would see a higher amount of play going into week two. The deck’s damage output was extremely high and could hit OHKOs on Pokemon-EX as early as turn one creating massive pressure. As its draw engine is based upon multiple Item cards, using utility Supporters such as Hex Maniac, [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] on turn one via [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] while also having a high amount of Night March Pokemon in the discard pile is not uncommon. The main downfall for Night March is Giratina-EX, which when using Chaos Wheel removes the option of using [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and also locks whatever Stadium card is in play. This means that if [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] isn’t in play at the time, the only Night Marcher that can attack is the 30 HP [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card].
Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX – Even though this build hadn’t made too much of a splash in week one, getting only a single place in top eight, the deck seemingly had strong matchups across the board being able to deal with Night March and also having an option versus M Sceptile-EX, forcing either a Hex Maniac or the use of Sceptile-EX‘s Unseen Claw to get past Giratina-EX and its Renegade Pulse Ability. The deck isn’t too hard to play and could win any matchup with a couple of strong flips, so anyone who wasn’t sure what the best play was for week two would most likely latch onto this type of build.

After looking over what decks I could play, I came up with a list of three decks that I thought were most viable for week two based off this metagame.

[premium]

M Rayquaza-EX / Shuppet

Playing this sort of build which had just placed in the top eight at Huddersfield Regionals makes sense if the metagame is full of M Sceptile-EX, which M Rayquaza-EX can easily sweep through with constant OHKOs. Playing multiple Shuppet ROS gave me some sort of out against Seismitoad-EX and Giratina-EX‘s Special Energy, which alongside Xerosic would be able to remove both Special Energy off of Giratina-EX in one turn if needed, or just force the opponent to use only Seismitoad-EX which M Rayquaza EX can deal with easily. The main problem with this deck would be going against Night March builds, where I wouldn’t have enough room to include an [card name=”Altaria” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”74″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] line which could be easily countered by a single Hex Maniac, making its use in the deck unjustified. [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Regice could also cause some huge problems. Here is the list I tested with:

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”17″]

3x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”75″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x Hoopa-EX (#AOR 36)

1x [card name=”Banette” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”31″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Shuppet” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”30″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x Unown (#AOR 30)

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”34″]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Hex Maniac (AOR #75)

1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”9″]

5x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”XY” no=”136″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

The interesting things here are as said the two Shuppet ROS to discard Special Energy. Since we already run the pre-Evolutions, Banette ROS is in as a one-count to shut off any pesky Tools such as [card name=”Focus Sash” set=”Furious Fists” no=”91″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] on a [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] or Spirit Links for Pokemon such as [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] or Sceptile-EX to give the deck an extra turn while they Mega Evolve.

Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX

The deck’s strong matchups and ability to disrupt opponents made it a strong choice for week two. It handles Night March extremely well and has Giratina-EX as a wall against M Sceptile-EX, though Seismitoad-EX could be a problem due to its Grass Weakness. The mirror isn’t much fun to play out but playing enough Supporter-based disruption gives you an edge. The main problem is the decks total reliance on Special Energy to use its attacks, creating nightmare matchups against Pokemon like [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and decks playing heavy Energy-removal cards like [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. Here my list:

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”9″]

3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x Giratina-EX (AOR #93)

1x Hoopa-EX (AOR #36)

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”43″]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Professor Birch’s Observations” set=”Primal Clash” no=”134″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x Hex Maniac (AOR #75)

1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Ace Trainer (AOR #69)

1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Cassius” set=”XY” no=”115″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]

1x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Team Aqua’s Secret Base” set=”Double Crisis” no=”28″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”8″]

4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/energy]

[/decklist]

The more interesting cards include [card name=”Team Aqua’s Secret Base” set=”Double Crisis” no=”28″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], which is used to fill the Stadium gap that is usually filled by Faded Town which is useful only in a metagame containing Mega Evolutions that I want to beat. Increasing every Pokemon’s Retreat by one has limited effect on this build due to the use of Double Special Energy, which when Seismitoad-EX, Giratina-EX, and Shaymin-EX have odd Retreat Costs means that I would usually be discarding an extra Energy anyways. The only Pokemon to watch out for when benching is Hoopa-EX, which would need two Double Colorless Energy to Retreat if Team Aqua’s Secret Base is in play. Your opponent, however, will have multiple problems such as giving Pokemon with free Retreat like [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] one Retreat, forcing them to stay Active or pay an extra Energy to Retreat. A single [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] is in the deck to discard utility Supporters like [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Cassius” set=”XY” no=”115″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] early on so that they can be re-used by [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. Other card choices I was considering were [card name=”Druddigon” set=”Flashfire” no=”70″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], which gives the deck a non-EX attacker hitting for 90 after a KO for two Colorless or for an extra Double Dragon hits for 80. This does sacrifice any sort of lock on your opponent’s hand for that turn,. [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] could also be an option to speed up your draw and also create extra outs to Supporters or crucial Trainer cards for that turn.

M Manectric-EX / Regice

This one might seem slightly strange, getting zero places in top cut and having a very weak showing in week one. [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] is able to 2HKO M Sceptile-EX with Turbo Bolt, forcing them to heal that turn or else face losing the Mega Evolution. Doing some math, I found that a M Sceptile-EX using Jagged Saber hits for 110 including Ariados’ Poisonous Nest Ability, and then taking into account both [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] healing of 30 damage and if Poison sticks into the opponent’s next turn leaves a M Manectric-EX with 120 HP after attacking, forcing the opponent to either use Sceptile EX’s Unseen Claw for a KO or take a 3HKO, whilst being 2HKOd themselves. This favorable trade is only half of the matchup however, as Regice shuts off any Pokemon-EX the deck plays. This leaves only the 110 HP Virizion as an attacker, which has to be powered up in two turns either by manual attachments or by a M Sceptile-EX. This meant that since usual lists only play a single copy of Virizion and no way to recover it from the discard pile, I have the chance to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and hit for a Turbo Bolt KO while powering up a Regice in the process. If the opponent decides to Lysandre Regice then they either have to leave it with 10 HP by using Jagged Saber / Poisonous Nest, or hit for a KO with Sceptile-EX’s Unseen Claw, losing a turn of healing after being hit by a Turbo Bolt. I made sure to test this matchup extensively and found myself in a positive position. Against Night March the opponent has to get 10 Night March Pokemon into the discard pile alongside a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] to hit for a OHKO on a M Manectric-EX. I could usually stream 2-3 throughout a game making it very hard to hit that number three times, especially if the opponent prizes one or two Night Marchers. Finally, Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX would find it much harder to disrupt my Energy flow when re-attaching to a benched Manectric-EX or M Manectric-EX. A combination of Assault Laser and Hex Maniac to turn off Giratina-EX‘s Renegade Pulse plus Turbo Bolt can take down one or two Giratina-EX throughout a game. Another obvious option is to pile Energy onto Regice, and then when ready use Resistance Blizzard to slowly win the game. Here is the list I was using:

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”12″]

3x [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Hoopa-EX (AOR #36)

1x Regice (AOR #24)

1x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”36″]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Professor Birch’s Observations” set=”Primal Clash” no=”134″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x Hex Maniac (AOR #75)

1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Manectric Spirit Link” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”12″]

7x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”102″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x Flash Energy (AOR #83)

[/energy]

[/decklist]

The Energy count is standard, opting to play two Flash Energy to remove Weakness against decks like [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] so that you can attack with [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and not get OHKO’d by a Fighting-type attacker the next turn. I played a single copy of [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] which also resists the Fighting type and can hit for 120 while damaging the Bench for 40, which can be progressively healed by Rough Seas. Zapdos is a great out against opposing Regice and is a strong non-EX attacker against non-EX decks with higher HP than Night March like Vespiquen. [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] helps out in the mirror and against Pokemon that hit for 100-120 damage like Giratina-EX, letting your [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and M Manectric-EX survive an extra turn healing 60 damage plus another 30 if [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] is in play. I played an extra copy of Hex Maniac to make sure it could be used on the first turn locking the opponent out of Abilities in the early game, which is crucial for set-up in decks like Night March and [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card].

What I Played for Week Two

After looking over my options I started testing [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and quickly decided I didn’t want to play it for week two. I found some inconsistencies throughout the testing games I played where I would be unable to get the turn one Emerald Break or totally miss out on getting set up at all due to having a poor opening hand. Due to the deck being much more combo-based, not hitting one of these pieces early on really hurts your chances of getting a strong start, and even with a high amount of outs to these pieces getting them all into your hand at the right time is extremely hard in a format with limited draw options.

I then tested both [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Giratina-EX and [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Regice to decide which one I would play. Both seemed to be playing out correctly and closely matching the theory I had for them, but I was worried about playing the Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX build for multiple reasons. I wasn’t sure how much Special Energy hate there would be at the tournament, but imagined it would be substantial due to the high amount of decks playing Special Energy in Huddersfield. The mirror match was also quite luck-based, coming down to how good the opening is including how well you can flip on your [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. Finally, even with high amounts of disruption Supporters the deck is still reliant on hitting multiple heads on flip cards throughout a game to win the harder matchups.

This left me with my other choice of M Manectric-EX / Regice. My testing with the deck had been positive, showing that I could beat M Sceptile-EX and Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX as long as they don’t get above average Crushing Hammer flips throughout the best of three. However against the non-EX OHKO decks like Vespiquen and Night March I was having a much harder time than I expected, with the opponent being able to hit OHKOs a turn or two earlier and also being able to stream their attackers at a much faster pace than I theorized. I decided that even though these matchups were worse than expected they were still winnable, and took M Manectric-EX / Regice to the tournament. Here was how my run went:

Round 1: [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] WW
Round 2: M Sceptile-EX (piloted by one of our writers Nath Bramald) WLT
Round 3: Vespiquen / Crobat / Flareon LWL
Round 4: [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Crobat WW
Round 5: [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Lugia-EX WW
Round 6: Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX LWW
Round 7: [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] WLT

4-1-2, 17th Place

To get myself into top eight I needed to win my last round, where 5-1-1 was guaranteed to get in. Unfortunately I was unable to complete the third game in my series against Lucario-EX / Crobat, where my opponent was out of any way to remove my sole Regice in play. However, I still had 3-4 Prizes left and needed another 7-10 turns to win when time was called. Overall the deck was consistent, and only missed the turn two Turbo Bolt a couple of times. Against any OHKO decks this usually led to a loss, as shown by my third round match where missing a Turbo Bolt KO due to missing a [card name=”Manectric Spirit Link” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] put me too far behind.

If I decided to play this deck again I might opt to add in a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] or two so that I can accelerate the Regice strategy compared to have timing problems, and also add the fourth Manectric Spirit Link to increase my consistency in turn two Turbo Bolts.

M Manectric-EX / Regice in the XY-BKT Format

Playing M Manectric-EX with BREAKthrough released might be slightly harder due to an easy counter in Gallade, which OHKO’s our Fighting-weak Lightning Types for just a single [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. The best way to counter this is playing an increased count of Flash Energy to make sure you can remove the Fighting Weakness as soon as possible. Another problem M Manectric-EX is going to face is Zoroark BREAK, which can copy Turbo Bolt for a single Darkness Energy, trading Prizes two-for-one if they attach a Muscle Band. The best way around this is to run our own Muscle Band so that Manectric-EX hits for 140 with Assault Laser if they have a Tool attached. [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] also allow us to survive an extra turn.

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”12″]

3x [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Hoopa-EX (AOR #36)

1x Regice (AOR #24)

1x [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”36″]

4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Professor Birch’s Observations” set=”Primal Clash” no=”134″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x Judge (BRK #143)

1x Hex Maniac (AOR #75)

1x [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Manectric Spirit Link” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/trainers]

[energy amt=”12″]

6x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”100″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”102″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x Flash Energy (AOR #83)

[/energy]

[/decklist]

I opted to keep the Pokemon line the same, there’s really nothing extra I want to add. [card name=”Zapdos” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] is even stronger with the addition of [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] to hit for 140 which cleanly OHKOs a Zoroark BREAK. I dropped down to a single Hex Maniac, now including another form of disruption in Judge, which both gives the deck a draw option and hand manipulation throughout the game. The Energy count has changed to account for Gallade, now playing three Flash Energy to remove Weakness as soon as possible. The amount of switching cards have been lowered by one but [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] is a much stronger option which can stick on a Pokemon throughout the game. I could see a 1-1 line of Octillery in this build, to aid with a constant draw option meaning other utility Supporters can be used as well.

Week Three – London

Week Two Results

1. Luke Kirkham – [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]
2. Charlie Powell – [card name=”Camerupt-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”146″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Team Magma’s Camerupt” set=”Double Crisis” no=”2″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]
3. Joe Bernard – [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Giratina-EX
4. Alex Dao – Night March
5. Karl Blake – Night March
6. Corey Kirkham – Night March
7. Sam Taylor – Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX
8. Charles Barton – Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX / [card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]

Looking at the top eight, I was right to believe that Night March and Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX were big threats, both getting three spots each in the top eight. Neither of the decks were able to make it to the finals, where Luke Kirkham’s Manectric-EX / Crobat build was able to take down the tournament. The Manectric-EX / Crobat deck chooses to forget about [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] and goes straight for the Basic which has two powerful attacks that can be used for small amounts of Energy. Overrun alongside a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] creates 60 total damage for a single Energy, and alongside early [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] drops can take down low-HP Pokemon like [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]or opposing [card name=”Zubat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”31″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card]. The main attack this deck wants to use is Assault Laser, which alongside Crobat drops and damage from Faded Town can get OHKOs on even the biggest Mega Evolution Pokemon. Luke’s win proves that this rogue is certainly viable in Standard.

The most surprising and interesting deck that came out of this tournament was definitely Charlie’s Camerupt-EX / Team Magma’s Camerupt deck, which had seen some very small success at League Challenges over in the U.S. but never made a big splash (or fire) in the U.K. until now. The main concept Charlie created was based around a speed engine compared to using multiple Supporters, utilizing [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], Unown, and [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] to set up his board position with Camerupt-EX and Team Magma’s Camerupts. The main reason for this is that the deck wants to make the most use of its Supporter of choice, [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], each turn. Attaching two Fire Energy to a Fire type Pokemon fuels Camerupt-EX’s Burning Jet attack, making it much easier to hit for OHKOs as soon as possible. Camerupt-EX can even hit for these big KOs as soon as it’s benched, as the combination of two Fire Energy from Blacksmith and a Double Colorless Energy alongside any Burning Draft Energy Team Magma’s Camerupt have attached puts enough Energy on the field to start getting KOs. Charlie had also analyzed the metagame well, deciding that this was a direct counter to the M Sceptile-EX hype that had accumulated from week one (even though he only faced a single one on the day, making his finals placement an even greater achievement).

The Week Three Metagame

After week two, the metagame hadn’t had much of a shift compared to week one. M Sceptile-EX had seen a small amount of play in week two and after Camerupt’s finals placement playing the deck for week three seemed like a risk, especially considering both Night March and [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Giratina-EX are both hard matchups as well. Even though the metagame hadn’t shifted as much I wasn’t too comfortable playing [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / Regice again for week three, as I felt like there might be better plays for this tournament that also had a stronger Night March / Vespiquen matchup. To start finding this deck, let’s look at what I wanted have at least 50 / 50 matchups in going into week three:

Night March – Over both tournaments this deck had proven itself to be a top threat, boasting consistency and 50 / 50 to positive matchups against the majority of the field bar Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX. For week three I’m certain this deck will fill a sizable chunk of the metagame, meaning I need to have ways of dealing with the matchup.
Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX – The main counter-piece against Night March decks and the most proven disruption build in the format, Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX is another deck that will be played in week three. Through multiple disruption tactics, the deck is able to gain control in many matchups with ease, and the right list would also be able to get an edge in the important mirror matchup with the deck’s increase in play.

At the start of the week I was unsure what to play. I started off by testing a build of Luke’s [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”name”][/card], liking its strong damage output right from the start of the game. Here is the list I was testing with:

[decklist]

[pokemon amt=”16″]

3x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

3x [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

4x [card name=”Zubat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”31″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

1x [card name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ c=”name” c=”deck2″][/card]

[/pokemon]

[trainers amt=”32″]