The Natural Synergy of Successful Decks and Four Strong Plays for States
What’s up guys? This is Chris Collins back again for another article. This time around, I wanted to talk about how I personally choose decks to play and why I do so in this manner. Deck choice is one of, if not the main contributor to success in tournaments. This skill is extremely important to learn if you want to get into the competitive scene. In one of my past articles, I talked about a method of “Paper and Practice“, which is more of an advanced technique on deciding which deck to play for a tournament. But what if you have no idea where to start? This article will aim more at explaining which decks you should be picking up and testing. Consistency is a huge key to success in modern decks and wins games on its own, but there is an even deeper layer to consistency and that involves a deck’s synergy. The most successful decks have acquired this trait and it is a key component to winning a tournament.
But What Exactly Do You Mean By Synergy?
The way I define synergy is when key Pokemon involved in the strategy fit together perfectly and form a very straightforward strategy in which you craft your list around. There are decks that consist of over-complicated strategies that can do well, but the very basic strategies will still compete with them while being able to maximize consistency, giving the advantage to the basic strategy.
Some famous examples of this are actually the most recent World Championship winning decks. To start, Jacob Van Wagner was able to pilot [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to a win last year, the year before, Andrew Estrada won with [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Genesect-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and before that, Jason Klaczynski won with [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. Surprisingly enough, all of these decks had their main Pokemon released in the same set (Boundaries Crossed, Plasma Blast, and Dark Explorers), and this is no coincidence. Even Pokemon itself knew that the pairing of these cards were matches made in heaven, which should be a tell tale sign of consistency. Am I saying that all World-winning strategies have to revolve around the combinations Pokemon provide us? No, but these examples show synergy at its finest.
Probably the most consistent deck in Expanded right now is [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and that deck has taken home four Regional Championship wins this season alone, not counting its success in Europe. I would definitely call this a synergy-intensive deck, the core strategy of the deck does not consist of cards coming from the same set, but pairing these two cards together is what makes a synergistic deck. Decks that get hyped going into a new format just because there are cards that obviously go together should not be simply thrown aside just because it is gaining so called hype, but rather they should be tested and perfected. Those hyped decks may not instantly have success due to it just simply being expected at its first tournaments, but most of those decks will have their moment in the sun and will be executed perfectly. Most of the recent Nationals and World wining archetypes follow this rule.
How to Find Synergy
Now, most of you reading this article are obviously preparing for States, so if we can apply what we’ve learned here, we can find synergistic decks in the very format we are about to compete in. There are some combinations that are not currently viable, [card name=”Pyroar” set=”Flashfire” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Charizard-EX” set=”Flashfire” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] comes to mind. But have no fear! There are legitimate options for States that contain this magic touch. I’ll be talking about each of these decks in depth and how they have synergy so you can have a better idea of how to classify a deck as synergistic.
Yveltal / Zoroark
During Cities, our last legitimate Standard tournaments, [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] was the deck that scored the most wins in the Standard format. An argument could absolutely be made that this was only due to its massive amount of play, but the fact that it pumped out the results means this deck of course has something that makes it playable and synergistic. The deck relies on just its sheer potential for damage and the awkward numbers it provides for its opponents. With Yveltal’s tanky 130 HP and resistance to Fighting, this card can become a nuisance for your opponents to deal with. The synergy this deck provides should be fairly obvious and the deck should be in your testing circles for States.
Out of all the decks on this list, I can certainly say I have the most experience with this deck out of all of them. During week one of States, I was able to get 5th place with this deck and it is certainly my favorite deck of this format. It is one of the more skill intensive decks of the format and I just have a lot of history with the big ol’ bird. I went 5-1-1 in the Swiss rounds, losing to a [card name=”M Sceptile-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] deck piloted by Utah’s very own Brandon Jones and ID’d with Richard Goldsberry, the eventual winner of the tournament, playing Night March. I ended up losing to Trent Orndorff in a mirror match due to some wacky ruling regarding deck checks and just drawing into some bad hands overall. Once I figured out the details of my deck check problem, the judges acted appropriately in turn and the ruling was logical considering the situation. Here was the list I played at the event:
[decklist name=”Yveltal/Zoroark/Gallade” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY06″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY06″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Zorua” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”158″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Like most Yveltal lists nowadays, I added in [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] to help improve some of my otherwise shaky matchups, most notably [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. Also with the new Jolteon-EX in the format, if you want a shot in this matchup, Gallade definitely seems like your best bet. I was convinced by Daniel Altavilla at the last minute to fit in [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card], which was definitely a worthy inclusion. With [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] you can get back crucial cards, for example [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] which helps a ton in the Night March matchup.
Where’s the Synergy?
Now that Yveltal’s buddy — [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] — got rotated, Yveltal’s synergy isn’t as obvious. With cards like [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY06″ c=”name”][/card], Yveltal does have some Dark pals to work with, but it is not as strong as it once was. In the beginning stages of the inclusion of Zoroark at Cities, the deck had a lot of free space and that is usually a key quality in these synergistic decks. The main strategy you ask for doesn’t require much space, leaving room for valuable techs which can win key matchups. That is where the [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] comes in, it gives you a shot at your [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card] matchup.
The Trevenant Matchup
If there was a reason to play [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] for States, this would definitely be a good one. This is one of the few decks that can boast a strong on-paper and in-practice matchup against the Florida Regional winning deck. It has type coverage over [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], quite a rare thing to say, and it also takes forever for Trevanant to Knock Out any of Yveltal’s attackers. The exchange is overall favorable for Dark and its attackers can get powered up extremely easily by just simply attaching a Dark to an Yveltal and using Oblivion Wing.
Now, there have been claims that Trevenant can beat Dark decks with the card [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], but I personally have found this statement to be false. A much more noble tech that people have tried is [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card], which may buy the Trevenant player a few turns, but as you may see, smart players will have an even easier time beating Trevenant. The main reason I play three [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t to consistently have draw-power, as that’s rather abundant, but it’s to nullify the Trevenant player’s chances of taking a win off you. All you need to do in this matchup to win is stream Oblivion Wing and eventually Mind Jack with [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] for OHKO’s and take the win. The way Trevenant can win a game is if your hand is bone-dry and they can Silent Fear to victory. Having access to multiple Sycamore in a game is crucial in this matchup and should not be overlooked. This deck does base itself off of Items, so you need a consistent way to dispose of those cards you don’t need. This is such a serious issue for the deck, I would even try to fit four Sycamore if you are afraid of Trevenant.
[cardimg name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The math DOES matter![/cardimg]
The Mirror Match
I faced a grand total of four mirror matches at Utah States and only ended up losing to one them. To be quite frank, every single card is needed in this matchup, but some are more crucial than others. While I was playing, I noticed that every single game I had [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] facing the correct side (where my Dark Pokemon’s attacks to 10 extra damage) I won the game. This was because with Reverse Valley, [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s math on its Mind Jack attack was beautiful. I was able to OHKO two [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] while still having a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] on Zoroark because the math works out that them having a full Bench with Reverse Valley facing me ends up hitting exactly 170. If I wanted to ensure this happened every single time I played this deck, I could even play [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”name”][/card], which would be a brilliant inclusion if you could fit it.
Overall, this deck’s history matches that of the greatest decks of old and will continue to be a driving force in the game until its rotation. That’s what you find with the most synergistic decks, they never go away when they have an amazing pilot behind them. For this reason, this deck reminds me a lot of [card name=”Luxray GL LV.X” set=”Rising Rivals” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garchomp C LV.X” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] which was a striving deck all throughout its existence and always required skill to be played to success.
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Night March
Hot on Yveltal’s toes for results, Night March was actually the deck that had the most showings in top cuts all throughout City Championships, but not as many wins. The way that this deck was able to exchange with any deck is unparalleled and only suffered from skipping a beat, which didn’t happen often with cards like [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card]. The amount of play Bats saw in the later stages of Cities was how Yveltal was able to beat it in standings, but now that [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] has been printed, Crobat suddenly becomes very beatable. In fact, it can be argued to be a positive matchup for the deck.
Now after the first and second week of States have finished, we saw that Night March demolished the field and is almost guaranteed the spot of BDIF. This was all due to the cards it gained in the newest set, BREAKpoint, which pretty much solved every problem for the deck. As I mentioned earlier, the deck’s main counters now become significantly less playable due to the release of Fighting Fury Belt. But not only did Night March gain Fighting Fury Belt, but also [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. This card solves a huge problem for the deck: the lack of single-attachment Energy — [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] — which used to be dealt with with cards like [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Milotic” set=”Primal Clash” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card]. Now these Abilities can be performed with an Item, which is absurd. With Night March also utilizing the card Teammates, playing two Puzzle of Time at once is actually very easy to pull off.
Here’s what a list for States would look like:
[decklist name=”Night March” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”41″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
For the most part, this seems like an extremely vanilla list, but there is obviously an outstanding card in this list, and I would love to go over it.
[cardimg name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The pressure is on![/cardimg]
Two Bursting Balloon
I can proudly say that I was the driving force behind the inclusion of this card and that this card has already been used successfully at a tournament. A few nights before Nebraska States, the other writers and I were discussing Night March and how incredible the deck was in Standard. I had one tech [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] already in my list at this time and it was mostly just a pet idea I was testing out and was probably going to throw away. I added it in to solely have somewhat of an advantage in the mirror, but I thought that they still had so many outs against me, it wasn’t worth the space. Andrew Mahone actually came to a similar conclusion decided that adding two Bursting Balloon into Night March would be worth testing. Usually when I think of one-of cards, I’m thinking about a specific matchup it would be helpful in. But when thinking in multiples, I always think of the card in a whole. So when I thought of the card in a whole, it was bonkers in the deck. Of course the card will be initially added for the mirror, but when you think about other things the deck struggles with, it makes sense. A great example is [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card]. Attaching a Bursting Balloon to your Active effectively makes Jirachi not worth your opponent’s time since when they Stardust, they will be losing the Jirachi in consequence. It also helps a ton versus huge Mega Pokemon such as [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”120″ c=”name”][/card]. Against them, you are able to conserve your Night Marchers due to Bursting Balloon already taking off a good chunk of damage.
Overall, the card is a worthy inclusion to the deck and can put a ton of pressure on your opponent. Even though I was not able to attend a States week two, fellow writer Treynor Wolfe was able to take the idea to a Top 8, losing to a mirror due to his opponent hitting pretty much all heads on his [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] flips.
Where’s the Synergy?
Believe it or not, this deck has the most blatant synergy I’ve seen in a while. The synergy revolves around [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”name”][/card] and how they build off of each other to do more damage. While being combined with cards like [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], the strategy becomes easy to pull off. This strategy has been successfully used time and time again to go deep in big tournaments. But it didn’t always have the winning component of great decks, that is being able to always have a chance in a game, regardless of the matchup. Since the release of new cards from BREAKpoint, Night March suddenly acquires this trait. This deck becomes a deck more revolved around the skill of the player by managing resources and the skill of the builder by adding in certain tech cards to sway certain matchups into their favor. Speaking of matchups, let’s talk about them.
Matchups
Greninja
At first glance, this matchup seems like your hardest matchup with Abilities like Giant Water Shuriken and Water Shuriken on their side. Luckily there’s an easy answer to this deck, and that’s [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. This limits them to a KO at best by turn three, a single KO a turn and eventually Night March wins the trade by running them out of their four attackers. Some lists play [card name=”Miltank” set=”Flashfire” no=”83″ c=”name”][/card], but you also have to remember that the Night March deck probably started the trade, which in theory means they win the game. It may be hard to keep the Hex lock turn after turn, so the matchup isn’t an easy clean up by any means, but it is worth noting that chaining Hex Maniac gives you a reliable out.
Yveltal
Back at Cities, [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] and Night March used to go head to head where Yveltal was technically favored by having much easier access to attackers, but they’d sometimes lose the Prize trade due to being forced to drop a Pokemon-EX at some point. Night March is favored in this matchup with the release of [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], although the matchup still requires testing since good Yveltal players will be playing answers to Fighting Fury Belt. They can still Mind Jack with [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] with relative ease, but that pressure definitely makes Night March favored.
I would definitely go as far to say this is the best deck in the format and will see play as long as it lives. Once again, the most synergistic decks show that they will always be played no matter what and will continue to dominate the field. With Night March taking over 30% of all top cuts recorded from States, it’s clearly this format’s Gardevoir / Gallade, once again, a very synergystic deck that won its matches by using certain techs to seal matchups.
M Rayquaza-EX
When Roaring Skies was released, this deck was all the hype, but disruption decks were on a high during the release of this set, so this scared most players away from the deck. Since that time we have seen it have success in the Expanded format, scoring its fair share of top placements at tournaments. Even though this deck does lose cards like [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] with the rotation, I still have a lot of faith in the deck in Standard because of its ability to severely punish slow and Pokemon-EX-based decks. Some players may say that Night March does the exact same thing better, but the difference between the two is that [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] sports a much better matchup against the new [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] deck. Its Ability to take multiple hits while usually dishing out OHKO’s beats the Night March deck by a mile in that regard. Here’s the fire list I’ve been cooking up:
[decklist name=”M Rayquaza” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”105″][pokemon amt=”15″]3x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”119″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”EX Delta Species” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Power Keepers” no=”105″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
As you can see, I’ve made the humble inclusion of [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] which is meant to function as a pseudo [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] giving us a reliable way to Retreat along with [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”EX Delta Species” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card]. This is by far the most underrated card in the deck. When you are dealing with a 220 HP Goliath and your opponent just uses Super Scoop Up and builds the whole thing over again without a sweat, that’s game-winning. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]’s access to Delta Evolution as well as [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”name”][/card] makes Mega Evolution look like it wasn’t ever a big deal to begin with and now, you can just plop the line back down just like that. These inclusions to the deck make it an all out surprise for your opponent and definitely sparks the appropriate factor of surprise.
[cardimg name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Discarding your own Sky Field was the best thing you ever did![/cardimg]
Matchups
Yveltal
While for the most part, this matchup is a complete body-bag, [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] makes people think this is actually a horrible matchup for Rayquaza since it is fueled by the Bench. People aren’t taking into consideration the fact that the Rayquaza player is the one in control of how big they want their Bench to be. The Rayquaza player can easily limit their Bench to six, OHKO’ing a [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card], while Zoroark can’t OHKO the Rayquaza back. Another huge card in this matchup is [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. What this allows Rayquaza to do is to use Delinquent to discard their own [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] so that even if they do need to go over six Benched Pokemon to set up, they can easily bop their own Stadium while also forcing their opponent to discard three cards from their hand. So even though the Zoroark could present a problem for this deck, it’s only a slight one at that and can easily be fixed by being a little more conservative with your plays.
M Manectric-EX
Whenever I’ve talked about this deck with my friends, they always say: “Don’t you just lose to [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]?”, and all I can do is shake my head in silence. Most people are blinded by the idea that Weakness is the end all, be all for how to measure a matchup. In all actuality, it’s just about exchange. Can Weakness help you achieve your goal of a favorable trade? Absolutely, but if everyone is OHKO’ing each other anyways, it doesn’t really matter. Let me paint a picture for you guys.
Say I’m the Rayquaza player up against M Manectric-EX and I win the coin flip. I get the first go and am able to humbly set up my attackers for the next turn. Usually, all the M Manectric-EX’s player’s first turn consists of is attaching to [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”113″ c=”name”][/card], passing. Now onto my turn. In almost every situation, I will be able to attack for a Knock Out on one of his or her Pokemon. Ideally, what can happen is that I [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card] the Manectric with the Energy attached and KO it, making it near impossible to retaliate the coming turn without some form of acceleration. So let’s say he used something such as a [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], drew the nuts, and was able to retaliate. Now I can just return the Knock Out again with my other M Rayquaza on the Bench and the exchanges goes on. The important part is that I was the first one to take a Knock Out, so if the exchange went on accordingly, I would take six Prizes first and win the game.
In this game, it is vitally important to know how exchanges work if you want to succeed at the game, especially in Standard. This example right here is perfect for demonstrating why you need to know this. While this matchup seems horrid for the Rayquaza player, as the game actually plays out, it turns out that this matchup is favorable for him / her.
Rayquaza is definitely more of a pet deck, but it has potential to go off as well as any other deck. The prevalence of Night March severely hinders it though, so it could just be a sleeper choice for a rainy day. Its speed and sheer power make it hit like an absolute tank as soon as the first turn and applies extreme amounts of pressure on your opponent.
Vespiquen / Vileplume
One of the few interesting decks to come out of Cities was [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. The main strategy of the deck is to lock your opponent out of Items on the first turn with Vileplume and sweep the game up with Vespiquen. Even though these two cards weren’t made for each other to begin with they have connections that tie them together. When Ancient Origins first came out, the most hyped card in the set was [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] which reminded players of [card name=”Broken Time-Space” set=”Platinum” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], a card that justified its name — broken. The ability to evolve Pokemon at your own whim was an amazing ability that could make decks viable by themselves. Now that all Grass types gained access to this ability, the game was changed completely, going as far as to ban certain cards (see [card name=”Shiftry” set=”Next Destinies” no=”72″ c=”name”][/card]). But along with some broken combos, people started thinking up other things to pair Forest of Giant Plants. Both Vespiquen and Vileplume — newer members to the bunch — were thought of, but on different fields not on the same one. So even though the synergy wasn’t obvious to most, the synergy was alive and well. Being the main two Grass types in the new set, combining them seemed like an idea simple enough to culminate. Now that it is a known deck, it can strike fear into players as they play against it at tournaments. But even an idea as broken as this one has its flaws. Here’s what a list for the deck looks like:
[decklist name=”Vespiquen/Vileplume” amt=”60″ caption=”undefined” cname=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″][pokemon amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Gloom” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”2″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Oddish” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”1″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x Revitalizer (GEN #70)1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Straight from the get-go, you might notice that this list is a lot different from most lists, and I will be going over all of the unorthodox choices in the deck. I won’t be going over many matchups with this deck as I find this to be the most solitaire deck ever and loses to itself more than anything else. Decking out is a legitimate threat with this deck due to it trying to really dig for the perfect setup turn one and then eventually lose due to your opponent surviving long enough to deck you out. With this in mind, you need to be extremely cautious with your resources to go far with this deck.
[cardimg name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Be in control of the situation![/cardimg]
One Wobbuffet
This is, again, a card I can take credit for for adding into the deck. This card by itself will win you games, I can promise you! The reason I added the [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] was solely to shut off my own Abilities. Since [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]’s Irritating Pollen affects both players, allowing them both not to play Items, I wanted an out to still play Items in the game, and this was the perfect solution. The idea behind using Wobbuffet effectively is to send it up when your opponent KO’s your Active. When you send Wobbuffet up, you can now use Items and can simply retreat back into another Pokemon, reestablishing [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]’s Irritating Pollen and shutting off Items once again. This window to play Items can help you dig for the card you need such as a [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], or any other card you may need. But the main purpose behind this card is to allow you to attach a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to Vileplume after the lock, which is a critical card to have. But, of course, you need a effective way to retreat Wobbuffet, which brings me to my next decision.
Four Float Stone
This card is the lifeblood of why this deck is good. The card can get you out of many weird starts and is amazing to attach to a Vileplume to avoid a loss by your opponent simply playing a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card]. It is so crucial to hit multiple of these the first turn of the game, it baffles me how people get away with two. This card also pairs perfectly with the Wobbuffet I just mentioned, so that way, you can freely retreat it when its job is done. Playing the full count of this card really bumps the consistency of the deck and makes the turn one KO going 2nd much easier.
All and all, this deck is an absolute powerhouse in my opinion, but it’s also a glass cannon. Luckily, this glass cannon can beat the deck to beat — Night March — a fair amount of the time, which is nothing to scoff at. This deck reminds me a ton of the Sableye deck that won U.S. Nationals in 2009. In this format where you cannot attack going first, Vespiquen / Vileplume is as close as we’re getting to a “donk deck” that is viable in the Standard format. Donk decks that have had competitive use have always been feared by many in a tournament structure and have caused players to go as far as quit that game (yes, this happens all the time in other card games too!). When we have so many cards to dig through our deck in this format, this deck almost always wins when it goes first, which is extremely scary for any player. As long as the cards for this deck stay legal, it will continue to strike fear into the hearts of many!
Conclusion
Hopefully this article had some helpful insight you could benefit from! I use this process for all of my decks. It is a proven method and can let you choose winning decks easily. While the method probably won’t gain you immediate results, this will help you perform in the bigger tournaments that really matter. I hope to see you all at States! I will be attending Idaho and probably California States, I might go to New Mexico as well. Feel free to say hi to me if you see me.
Happy testing!
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