Metal Linking It Together – A Complete Look at Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong and a States Recap

By: Dalen Dockery · Posted Posted onApr 7, 2016 at 10:11 AM · 0 Comments

Hello everyone! For those of you that don’t know me (which is probably most of you, as this is my very first article), my name is Dalen Dockery. I am 17 years old and from Sevierville, Tennessee, and I have been playing the Pokemon TCG competitively since 2008. From 2012 – 2014 I took a semi-hiatus from the competitive scene since I had an extremely busy schedule during my later High School years. However, now that I’m a freshman in college, I have more free time (I know, I can’t believe this myself either) and also have a lot more trust from my parents, allowing me to go to most of the events I want to go to and try to get a Worlds invite. This is the first season I’ve been extremely active in since 2012, and I hope to be able to continue doing so for many years.

At this point I’m sure you’re already bored, so let’s get into some Pokemon! In this article, I’m going to give an in-depth discussion of a deck that’s very near and dear to my heart, [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card]  / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck alone earned me 140 Championship Points in Cities this year, giving me two 2nd place and two Top 4 finishes. I’ll look at the deck in both the Expanded and Standard formats as well as briefly detail my Top 4 finish at Tennessee States. So without further ado, let’s get rolling with the Expanded format!

Expanded Format

[cardimg name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The Expanded format is where this deck first originated, so I find it most fitting to start with this format. [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] was released as a promo card in its own special box, and when I first saw its scan on PokeBeach, I quickly disregarded any potential for the card, but boy was I wrong. I heard about the deck making an impact (pun partially intended) during the first two weekends of Regionals and never thought twice about the deck being serious, but at Fort Wayne Regionals I got to face it. My [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] deck barely managed to pull out a victory (due to a little luck), but I really saw the power of the deck and immediately wanted to build it after this extremely close set (in fact, I had already ordered two Tyrantrum before I evern made it back home).

Although [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] gets most of the credit in the name of the deck, [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is another attacker that is equally as important. Both Pokemon make wonderful use of [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], and when [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card]’s whopping 190 damage Dragon Impact isn’t worth using, [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Chaos Wheel provides a ton of disruption to slow your opponent down. [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] combos very well with both of these Dragon-type Pokemon, as its Metal Links Ability allows you to attach a Metal Energy from your discard pile to a Benched Pokemon every turn, and having multiple [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] in play allows you to accelerate Energy at a very fast pace. Let’s take a look at a deck list for the deck in the Expanded format.

Deck List and Card Choices

[decklist name=”Expanded” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 “][pokemon amt=”18″]2x [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Next Destinies” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]3x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ 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=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Pokemon

2 Tyrantrum-EX / 2 Giratina-EX

These counts are both very typical of this deck. You rarely ever need more than two of either main attacker in a game, but [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to recover Pokemon if you need them back. [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] really shines against large-HP Pokemon since there’s only a small handful of Pokemon that can survive a Dragon Impact, and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is particularly strong against low-HP, non-EX Pokemon. Together, there’s almost no situation you can find yourself in where you don’t have a solid attacker.

3 Bronzong / 3 Bronzor

[cardimg name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] is the crux of this deck, with its Metal Links Ability providing consistent and quick Energy-acceleration for the attackers. Some Bronzong decks opt to use four [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Next Destinies” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to make it easier to draw them as well as to make Prizing one negligible. However, this deck never needs all three Bronzong in play at once to function, so the fourth Bronzor isn’t that useful. One card that the Expanded format gifts this deck with is a 70 HP [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Next Destinies” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. Extra HP is always nice to have, and the three Retreat cost that comes with the added health doesn’t matter, as [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] give you mobility between Pokemon during the whole game.

Cobalion-EX

Against decks that rely on Special Energy, [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] is a very strong attacker in tandem with [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. Although its Righteous Edge attack only does 30 damage, it discards one of your opponent’s Active Pokemon’s Special Energy. This is particularly useful against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks, as they have to attach another [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] to maintain the Quaking Punch-lock, but Cobalion-EX can just discard that Energy on your next turn! Eventually the opponent will either not have another Special Energy in hand to attach or will rather choose to not attach a Special Energy to prevent it from being discarded. When this happens, you can begin to use [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s Chaos Wheel, which will lock them out of attaching any other Special Energy they may have. Cobalion-EX is also extremely useful against other Giratina-EX, since your opponent’s Giratina can prevent you from ever attaching a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] if you can’t attach one before they use Chaos Wheel. However, [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] can discard their Double Dragon Energy, eventually breaking the Chaos Wheel-lock and letting you start the Chaos Wheel-lock on them.

Keldeo-EX

[card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] is absolutely amazing in Bronzong decks in general, but especially in the [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] variant. After your Tyrantrum uses Dragon Impact and discards three Metal Energy, you can Rush In with Keldeo, Metal Link those Metal Energy right back on to Tyrantrum, Retreat using [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] , and immediately attack again! Keldeo-EX also prevents your hefty retreating Pokemon like [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] from getting trapped in the Active spot if they are targeted by a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card].

3 Shaymin-EX

[card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is found in almost every deck, and this deck takes full use of it. [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC21″ c=”name”][/card] lets you refill a hand that is low on cards, and with Shaymin, this deck has incredibly fast starts. Three Shaymin and [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] allow you to draw a large number of cards on your opening turn, setting up for an incredible turn two (when playing this deck, I quite often manage to have two [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] on the field and either a Tyrantrum or Giratina attacking by turn two).

Hoopa-EX

Hoopa provides this deck an insane speed boost with its Scoundrel Ring Ability. Rather than playing [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] to find one Pokemon, you can instead get [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] and use it to find three Pokemon-EX, turning a single Ultra Ball into three Ultra Ball! This is extremely useful, as you can find either [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to start powering up, a [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] to Retreat whenever necessary, and a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to fill up your hand after discarding from Ultra Ball.

Seismitoad-EX

[cardimg name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Such a wonderful little bunny.[/cardimg]

Seismitoad may seem like an odd inclusion in a deck that doesn’t run a single copy of [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], but it serves a very specific purpose – without [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], this deck has almost no chance of beating the [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] deck (discussed in the matchups section). Seismitoad isn’t necessarily useless in other matchups, but attacking with much more powerful Pokemon is typically preferable.

Bunnelby

Although [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is the last Pokemon listed here, it is most certainly not the least. Bunnelby has single-handedly won me almost a dozen games, as it can both recycle important resources like [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and deck opponents out who leave themselves with one or two cards in their deck after their turn. This card is rarely seen in competitive play now that the [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] deck isn’t popular, but its utility more than warrants including it in this deck.

Trainers

3 Colress / 2 Professor Juniper

This deck almost always fills the Bench very fast, even up to eight Pokemon with [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], so [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] generally draws you more cards than [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card]. Professor Juniper can also discard important cards that get stuck in your hand, whereas Colress avoids doing so by shuffling your hand back in the deck. After your first turn, Colress is almost always better than Juniper, but Juniper is still a very strong Supporter card.

2 Lysandre / 1 N

These counts of [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] are very typical for an Expanded format deck. N is a very powerful disruption-Supporter in the late-game and provides a good shuffle / draw ability during the early game. Lysandre is played at two copies for consistency to avoid Prizing a lone copy, as being able to drag up any Pokemon on the opponent’s Bench is often too good to go without for a game.

1 Xerosic / 1 Hex Maniac / 1 AZ

All of these one-of Supporters give this deck a nice situational boost. [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] allows you to ignore any Ability for a turn, such as [card name=”Eelektrik” set=”Noble Victories” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card]’s Dynamotor or [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]’s Ancient Power. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s main function is to discard a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] off of an opposing [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] so that you can use Abilities again, yet it also has a very niche use in discarding Special Energy from your opponent’s Pokemon. [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] lets you pick up a damaged Pokemon nearing a KO or a liability on the Bench like [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card]. Finding these Supporters when you need them isn’t difficult at all either since you can discard them with [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and reuse them with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card].

Sky Field

[card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] is a wonderful Stadium card for this deck that lets you use two or three [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to set up extremely quickly while still benching multiple [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Next Destinies” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and attackers to power up. Then, once a different Stadium card is played, whether by you or your opponent, you get to discard those Shaymin-EX and Hoopa-EX you used to set up, cleaning up the Bench to only important and useful Pokemon. You can even play another Sky Field after the first one gets discarded to play down more Shaymin-EX or attackers.

Parallel City

Although there is only one copy in this deck, [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is an incredibly powerful Stadium card that can single-handedly swing an entire game in your favor. Parallel City is a new type of special Stadium that provides a different effect for each player, rather than a single effect like previous Stadiums. The red side deducts 20 damage from any Fire, Water, or Grass Pokemon of the player it faces, and the blue side limits that player to three Bench spaces. So or example, against a [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] deck that relies on having a large Bench to increase damage output, you can play Parallel City with the blue side facing them, and then lock the Stadium in play using [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Chaos Wheel. This maxes their damage at 90 per attack while also prevents them from attaching the [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] that both decks rely heavily on. Another very strong use of Parallel City is facing the blue side toward yourself so that you can remove useless Bench Pokemon, like [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card], that both take up precious space on the Bench and give up easy Prize cards. No matter which way you spin it (pun slightly intended again), [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is an incredibly powerful Stadium card that should not be underestimated.

[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Faded Town

Mega Evolution decks are not at all uncommon in the Expanded format, with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] all being rather popular archetypes, and [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] greatly helps these matchups. [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] ‘s maximum damage is 200 (with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] attached) so Faded Town gives Tyrantrum-EX just the extra damage it needs to KO these M Manectric-EX and M Rayquaza-EX with a single Dragon Impact. Primal Groudon-EX is a slightly different story, since Dragon Impact with both Fighting Fury Belt and Town only deals 220, but this anti-Mega Stadium still works wonders in this matchup. [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] decks are incredibly slow, so you can punish that sluggishness by locking [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] in play with [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] . If you can get the Chaos Wheel and Faded Town lock going by the third turn, you can rack up upwards of 100 damage on every Primal Groudon on their field before they even attack, leaving them in range of a [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] KO.

Battle Compressor

Just like nearly every other deck in the Pokemon TCG, Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong takes advantage of [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. This card’s main use is to discard Metal Energy out of the deck so that [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] can accelerate them to Benched Pokemon. You can also use Battle Compressor to discard one of the many one-of Supporter cards so that [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] can grab them at any point in the game.

Float Stone

[card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] combos nicely with [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], since the two together allow you to Retreat for free every turn. In a deck that plays so many hefty Pokemon, this saves you from wasting multiple Energy every turn just to swap attackers. Two Float Stone suffices in nearly every game, as once attached to a Pokemon it rarely gets discarded, and there are other ways to switch Pokemon in a critical situation.

Fighting Fury Belt

In this deck and format, [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is vastly superior to its common counterpart, [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. While Muscle Band provides 20 extra damage, only 10 of the 20 is useful. There aren’t any relevant Pokemon in the Expanded format that have 120 HP ([card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] plus Muscle Band), and the 10 damage from Fighting Fury Belt is just enough to let [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] take a KO on [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. Also, since [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] has lost almost all popularity, [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] doesn’t need the extra 20 damage either. However, Fighting Fury Belt gives the Basic Pokemon it’s attached to +40 HP in addition to the +10 damage, which makes it much more valuable than Muscle Band.

Computer Search

[card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is the preferred Ace Spec in this deck, as it lets you grab any card from the deck. You can get [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to throw Metal Energy or Supporters into the discard pile, [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] to have a more explosive start, [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to attach to a Giratina or Tyrantrum, or any other card. Computer Search simply provides the deck with more consistency, a very important factor for a Regional Championship.

[cardimg name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Energy

Double Dragon Energy

[card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] (DDE) is what allows [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to attack at all, so it’s no surprise that we play four of them. This may seem a little scary, having only four Special Energy that let you attack, but it turns out to be not so bad. Most games, four DDE is enough to let you take all six Prize cards, but if that doesn’t happen, [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] can shuffle back a DDE or two to let you take those last few Prizes.

Possible Inclusions

Giovanni’s Scheme

[card name=”Giovanni’s Scheme” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] is a powerful Supporter card with two separate effects – when you use Giovanni, you can either draw cards until you have five in your hand or add 20 damage to your attack’s damage that turn. Giovanni’s can be used to take Knock Outs on high-HP Pokemon-EX with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], but [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] would work just as well. [card name=”Giovanni’s Scheme” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] also serves as a draw-Supporter, although it is outclassed in this regard by many other Supporters in the deck. What makes Giovanni particularly useful is its versatility, serving as both a damage modifier and a draw card.

Smeargle and Fighting Energy

One alternative to [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is the [card name=”Smeargle” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / Fighting Energy combination. After using Dragon Impact, you can use Rush In, Metal Links the Metal Energy discarded back onto [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card], Retreat into Tyrantrum, and use Smeargle’s Second Coat to swap one of those Metal Energy for a Fighting Energy (serving as a substitute for a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]). Although [card name=”Smeargle” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] does not have to attack to recycle resources while [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] does, Bunnelby is usually superior since Smeargle can only let you reuse non-Metal Energy and can also only recycle those Energy to Tyrantrum (no other Pokemon needs Fighting Energy to attack).

Your Personal Preference

Everybody has their own likes and dislikes when it comes to the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Some people choose to play typical archetypes with off-the-wall decklists, while others choose simply to play unusual and often unheard-of decks in general. All of the cards I’ve discussed here are the ones that I personally like to use, but that doesn’t mean that other techs would be bad. So, if you think that card x would be great in a deck like this, go for it and test it! After all, you may end up finding that one unexpected card or combo that takes this deck to the next level.

What to Cut?

All of the techs listed above would be wonderful to include in the deck, but there is unfortunately not enough room to fit them all. The important question then becomes, “what do I cut to add in [insert card]?”, so let’s look at the first cards to be removed in such a case.

1 Lysandre

Although running two copies of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] is very powerful, as having your lone copy stuck in your Prize cards all game is extremely painful, the second copy is only a luxury, not a necessity – with [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] to discard Lysandre from your deck and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to grab Lysandre from the discard pile, you can often find Lysandre when you need it (assuming the only copy is not Prized). Because of this, [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] is the first card I would remove to make room for a tech.

[cardimg name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Parallel City

As much as I really love this card, this deck functions perfectly fine without [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]. If you wanted more consistency or a tech specifically designed for a certain metagame, Parallel City is, like the second [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], just a luxury.

Tool Scrapper

The general theme in this section is “luxury versus necessity”, and like all of the other cards here, [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] is merely a luxury. These luxuries that I’ve included in the main deck list are ones that I feel would serve the deck well in the general Expanded metagame, but your local metagame might warrant entirely different techs. Don’t fret about removing cards like [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] (or even [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card]) – you’re just swapping one luxury for another.

Faded Town

Contrary to the general theme of this section, [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t a luxury card in the strictest sense. Faded Town alone significantly improves the [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] matchups, but it’s practically useless in other matchups, only serving as a counter-Stadium to your opponent’s Stadium cards. However, if you don’t expect any of these Mega Evolution-based decks to be popular, it would be very wise to remove [card name=”Faded Town” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] and instead use a different tech.

[premium]

Matchups

Sableye / Garbodor (95-5 with Seismitoad-EX, 5-95 without)

[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

[card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] is actually a very easy matchup for [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card], provided you don’t Prize the cards you need. To beat Sableye, you must be extremely patient, since Sableye’s win condition is decking the opponent out rather than by taking Prizes. You start by playing two [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Next Destinies” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench in addition to what you start with (it is ideal to start with Bronzor as your Active Pokemon if you can do so). In one turn, evolve both Bronzor to [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], play down [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] and attach a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] to it, play [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], use either [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] to discard their Garbodor’s Float Stone, use both [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]’s Metal Links on Seismitoad, attach a Metal Energy from your hand to Keldeo (optional but preferred), and finally Rush In / Retreat into Seismitoad and use Quaking Punch. Once Sableye is under consistent Item-lock, they have very limited options, as they cannot reattach a Tool to Garbodor or play any of their disruptive Item cards – they could use [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] to discard a Metal Energy from Seismitoad, but you can use Rush In, Metal Links the Energy back onto Seismitoad, Retreat into Seismitoad, and continue Quaking Punching. If they try to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] anything to stall, you can Rush In and Retreat back to Seismitoad. They can’t try to confuse Seismitoad with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]’s Confuse Ray, since you can Rush In / Retreat out of confusion. About the only viable (yet weak) option they have is to use [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] on your [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]’s [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and then Lysandre it Active during their next turn. However, you can be using Metal Links onto Keldeo while attacking with Seismitoad to prevent them from breaking the Item-lock this way. Essentially, once you get this setup, they can do nothing at all to stop you from winning. Without Seismitoad, there is practically no hope of winning the game, so if you see that Seismitoad is Prized, concede that game and move on to the next game to try to finish the match in time. Just remember, patience is key to winning this matchup.

Seismitoad-EX / Crobat (75-25)

Since [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], relies very heavily on [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], as most [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks too, you can use the [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] combination to drain their supply of Double Colorless Energy with Righteous Edge and then lock them out of attaching more with Chaos Wheel. Additionally, since you have the [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] duo to let you switch Active Pokemon every turn, being poisoned by their [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] does minimal damage, and they can’t rely on leaving your Active Pokemon Asleep either. Seismitoad’s Item-lock can significantly slow your setup, but since you’re guaranteed one turn of Item cards, you can maintain the typical explosive start this deck usually has. Like against [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card], just be patient and don’t overextend your resources, and the matchup will often swing in your favor.

Yveltal-EX / Maxie’s (50-50 / 45-55)

[card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] was the most popular successful deck throughout the entire Winter Regionals series, winning two of the five events and claiming many other Top 8 and Top 32 spots, and the matchup against this deck is extremely close. Normally, [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] would have a very positive matchup against [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], since Tyrantrum OHKO’s Yveltal with ease while Yveltal has to burn many resources to return the KO, but their [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] slows our deck down significantly. With Archeops on their field, we have to use a [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to evolve our [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Next Destinies” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card], but because of using Hex Maniac, we can’t use Metal Links in the same turn. This strategy isn’t easy to pull off either, since you need both two Bronzong and a Hex Maniac in your hand to make the play worth using. However, if you can get two Bronzong out successfully without giving up more than two Prize cards, this matchup becomes favorable for you. Once you can take KO’s on their [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] every turn with [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] and Bronzong, they can’t do much to stop you. This matchup is essentially a race to see which player can get their support Pokemon out first, Bronzong or Archeops – whichever player wins this race is in a very solid position to take the game.

Vespiquen / Flareon (55-45)

[cardimg name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ align=”right” c=”custom”]It’s no puzzle why this card is so good![/cardimg]

[card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] was extremely popular during the first two weekends of Winter Regionals, with [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”name”][/card] being the only deck that performed better. Unfortunately for Vespiquen, BREAKpoint‘s legality for the last weekend of the series essentially destroyed all popularity this deck had due to its autoloss to the extremely hyped [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] deck (for more information on the [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] deck, check out Steve Guthrie’s article on it here). Unlike its massive hype, Sableye performed very poorly at these Regionals, so [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] does indeed have a chance to shine again, which is why I’m discussing this matchup. Since both [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] utilize [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] to attack, [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is the go-to attacker in this matchup. What makes this matchup extremely close, though, is their ability to attach Energy to Flareon via [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card]. Simply put, if your opponent can chain Blacksmith and Flareon, you can do nothing to stop them, but if they struggle to build up Flareon or find Blacksmith, you can [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] their [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] and KO it before it becomes a threat.

Darkrai-EX / Yveltal / Max Elixir (60-40)

[card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], also known as “Turbo Dark”, is a slightly favorable matchup for Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong. Our main attacker only needs four Energy to OHKO their main attacker, while theirs needs eight Energy on the field to OHKO ours. It is also easier for us to stream [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] than it is for them to continually OHKO us with Dark Pulse. Both decks can make Knock Outs much harder for their opponent by attaching [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to their attacker – a Fighting Fury Belt on Tyrantrum requires the Dark deck to have two additional Dark Energy on the field than before or forces them to use [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] to remove our Tool. If you on the other hand happen to miss a chance to discard their Fighting Fury Belt it isn’t game-changing, as you can remove that Tool during a later turn to KO that Darkrai. Once they run out of [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] with Dark Pulse (most lists only play two copies), the only high-power attacker left is [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], but they would need seven Energy to OHKO Tyrantrum-EX (six if Tyrantrum has a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] left after attacking), which is highly unlikely for them to pull off after losing two [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card]. Turbo Dark is capable of having crazy amounts of Energy in play during the first few turns of the game using [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], so this matchup often come down to a very tight game, but [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]’s constant Energy recycling is usually more potent than Dark Patch’s and Max Elixir’s single attachment.

Primal Groudon-EX / Wobbuffet (50-50)

Facing [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] decks with can be extremely awkward, with the deciding factor in the matchup often being the techs the Groudon deck uses. [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s Ability gives it immunity to damage from all Mega Evolution Pokemon, safeguarding it from damage from Primal Groudon, but a well-timed [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] can be brutal. Another card to watch for is [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] which can also negate Renegade Pulse, but Silent Lab isn’t as effective as Hex Maniac due to Giratina’s attack preventing them from playing Stadium cards. The thing that makes this matchup weird is the inability for them to play both [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] and Hex Maniac in the same turn. If your [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is on the Bench and they don’t use any Silent Lab, they can’t damage Giratina at all until you promote it as your Active Pokemon. If they do play [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] though, they can KO Giratina by using Lysandre and Silent Lab in the same turn. One Pokemon I’ve found oddly useful in this matchup is [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]. [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] is a notoriously slow deck, almost always being unable to attack until the fourth turn of the game or later, so you can use Bunnelby to recycle resources for later in the game, or play aggressively and mill the top card (or two) of their deck. By doing this, you put yourself in a very large resource advantage and can potentially cripple their resource pool by discarding important cards like [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. To win this matchup, you have to carefully navigate when to attack with Giratina, and when to protect it – this is much easier in the second or third game of the series, as you have knowledge into what techs they run, specifically [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card].

Standard Format

[card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] decks in the Standard format look and function very similar to those of the Expanded format, but there are notable differences between the two. Here is a typical Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong deck list for the Standard format.

[decklist name=”Standard” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 “][pokemon amt=”19″]2x [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Bronzor” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ 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=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”91″ 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=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”10″]6x [card name=”Metal Energy” set=”XY” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Major Differences

[cardimg name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ align=”right” c=”custom”]In this case, three heads is not better than one…[/cardimg]

Arguably the biggest card this deck loses in the Standard format is [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], so we resort to using [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] instead. Hydreigon serves the same purpose as Keldeo, making it easier to Retreat your Pokemon, but is nowhere near as effective as Keldeo – Hydreigon only reduces the Retreat cost of Dragon-types, meaning other Pokemon like [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] can still struggle to Retreat, and you need two Hydreigon and a Stadium in play for Hydreigon to give your Dragon-types free Retreat whereas Keldeo only needed itself and a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. Although [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]’s support is minimal compared to [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card]’s, we still use Hydreigon because it is the only consistent switching method other than [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] , which takes too much room to be effective and is much slower than Hydreigon.

Another setback this deck experiences is the loss of [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. Colress is by far the best Supporter in the Expanded version of the deck, so we make up for this by adding [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card]. With Trainers’ Mail, you can still have the same explosive turn ones as you could in Expanded (and often even better), but you lose the consistently massive draw power Colress offers during the late game.

While [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t in Standard, it has an extremely similar counterpart in Standard with [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card]. The two support Pokemon have identical purposes – to discard Special Energy cards to slow the opponent down while you set up – but there are a few notable differences between them. Cobalion does 30 damage to Jirachi’s 10 and has significantly more HP, but Jirachi is a not a Pokemon-EX like Cobalion and it gains immunity from all damage and effects of attacks on the turn after it discards an Energy. Because of the presence of [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card], the absence of [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] in the deck makes very little impact.

The last card Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong loses from the Expanded Format is its Ace Spec, [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. However, this loss isn’t nearly as devastating as [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card], since every deck loses its Ace Spec and Computer Search doesn’t serve this deck any major purposes other than consistency, whereas [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] decks often abuse [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] and some [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] decks run [card name=”Scramble Switch” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] to power up a fresh Primal Groudon out of nowhere.

Techs

Since the metagames in the Expanded and Standard formats are vastly different, so are the techs that I commonly use in this deck. Here are my usual Standard techs.

2nd Parallel City

If you couldn’t tell from my description of the card above, I really like [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card], so much that I often use two in my Standard version of this deck. Parallel City has so many powerful ways it can be played (discussed in the Card Choices section of the Expanded decklist), but there is even another powerful way to use Parallel City in Standard. Some decks in Standard only use [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] or other Special Energy cards as their only Energy, mainly Night March and [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], so once you use Chaos Wheel, they can no longer attach any more Energy, winning you the game if they can’t break the lock. There are only two ways to break the Chaos Wheel-lock – discard [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] using a card like [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] until the Giratina player cannot use Chaos Wheel for a turn, or use [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] to bring up a large Retreat-cost Pokemon like Bronzong in hopes of sticking it Active for a turn. Whenever I can against a Night March or Raichu deck, once I have the Chaos Wheel-lock going, I’ll play [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] with the blue side facing me to make me discard benched Pokemon until I have three – keeping two [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] and another Dragon. By doing this, all of my Pokemon have zero Retreat cost because of Hydreigon’s Ability (each Hydreigon reduces two Energy from the Retreat cost) so that nothing can be [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]-stalled. The lock can still be broken if you cannot find another [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] after one is discarded from [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], but finding another DDE, especially in the late game when your deck is thinned out from [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], isn’t usually that difficult. Having two [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] is very powerful in almost every game, as it has tons of wonderful uses in almost any matchup.

Hex Maniac

The only other tech I find myself using in the Standard build of this deck is [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. Hex Maniac, often shortened to just Hex, is a very meta-dependent card in this deck – I use it specifically to better the matchups against [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] (discussed below). Hex is not necessarily a bad Supporter to have in other matchups, especially with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to use it multiple times, but Greninja and Trevenant are by far the biggest reasons to play it.

Matchups

Night March (60-40)

Night March is by far the most successful and popular deck in the Standard format, so it’s almost mandatory that this deck has at least an even Night March matchup to be highly competitive. Luckily for us, this matchup does fall slightly in our favor, but is in no way an easy matchup or an autowin. Night March’s only Energy cards are almost always just four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card], so in theory, Chaos Wheel locks them out of the game. In practice, however, games aren’t so easy. There are two ways Night March can break your Chaos-lock – they can [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] one of your Benched Pokemon until you can’t Retreat any more, and they can repeatedly use [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to discard all of your [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. After testing numerous games against Night March, I’ve found that the matchup typically comes down to your resource supply. That is, if you’re forced to discard [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] because of [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card], you can be depleted of resources before taking all Prize cards, but if you can conserve your resources well, the match is likely yours. [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is often very useful against Night March, because if your Chaos Wheel-lock does get broken, you typically only have one or two Prize cards left to their four or even six, so you can spend a turn using Rototiller twice to put back whatever cards you need to finish the game.

M Manectric-EX / Ho-Oh-EX (70-30)

[card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] decks are typically very weak against decks that can consistently OHKO M Manectric-EX, and [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] does this perfectly. With [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], Dragon Impact does 210 damage, exactly enough to KO a fresh M Manectric-EX. [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] can be very annoying to deal with as a Ho-oh with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] attached has 220 HP, so much that Tyrantrum can’t OHKO it. The best strategy to take when these bulky Ho-Oh come out to attack is to simply not even try to KO Ho-oh and instead take your remaining Prize cards by KO’ing out their Benched Pokemon-EX with [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card]. Nothing in their entire deck can OHKO a Tyrantrum-EX, so you can easily sweep an entire game with a single Tyrantrum if they don’t get a quick start. [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is also very powerful in this matchup, even though it rarely attacks. Since M Manectric-EX / Ho-Oh almost always attacks with [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] first to power up [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], you can hide behind Giratina while they Turbo Bolt thanks to Giratina’s rarely used but very helpful Renegade Pulse Ability.

Vespiquen / Vileplume (65-35/ 40-60)

[cardimg name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Like its name, Item-lock is very vile.[/cardimg]

The [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] (VV) matchup comes down to two factors: which player gets to go first, and what techs does the VV deck use? VV only uses four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] to attack and hardly ever use [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card], so once you get [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] in the Active spot, they can do nothing to stop you unless they have either [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Toxicroak-EX” set=”Flashfire” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] to get around Aegislash’s Ability (Silent Lab removes the Ability altogether, and Toxicroak poisons Aegislash since Aegislash’s Ability only prevents damage from attacks, not effects of the attack). Even if they do have a counter to Aegislash, using Giratina’s Chaos Wheel prevents them from ever attaching any more Energy, so a single Chaos Wheel can win the entire game on its own. Against any other deck, achieving an early Chaos Wheel wouldn’t be a problem at all, but if VV goes first, they can get [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] out turn one using [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card], locking you out Item cards for the entire game. If this happens and you don’t have a Supporter card or a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] in your hand to draw new cards, you can lose the game in two or three turns. If you get go go first against VV and / or they don’t play [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Toxicroak-EX” set=”Flashfire” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] , the matchup is very favorable for you.

Vespiquen Variants (not Vileplume) (70-30)

The one aspect that made [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks a very close matchup for Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong in the Expanded format was their ability to bypass [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]’s Chaos Wheel by using [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card] to power up [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card]. However, as Flareon is not legal in the Standard format, Vespiquen no longer has this option to get around Giratina, making the Chaos Wheel lock much more difficult for them to overcome. The most popular partners for Vespiquen (excluding [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]) are [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], but as both of these Pokemon rely on [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] like Vespiquen, Chaos Wheel becomes even stronger. Zoroark can be a difficulty for this deck, as large Bench sizes are common to have, but keeping a small Bench and using [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] to KO Zoroark with Giratina significantly helps this matchup.

Trevenant BREAK (35-65)

[card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] decks are very annoying for Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong to face. If they go first and can get a [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”name”][/card] Active and use [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to evolve it into [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] , all of your Item cards becomes useless. Without Items, this deck struggles to set up, so their army of Trevenant can keep growing while your situation progressively worsens. If you get to go first, however, you can have an explosive turn one to set up as much as you need, rendering their Item-lock only moderately effective. [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] decks rely heavily on [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to attack for cheap and [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to deal more damage, and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] locks them from playing both of those cards. If you can manage to build up a Giratina quick, preferably with a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] so you OHKO non-BREAK-evolved [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], you can easily mow down their Ghostly Trees, but they can slay your dragons with just as much ease if you have a slow set up. Another key strategy to use against Trevenant is to only Bench necessary Pokemon, like [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card]. If you Bench something like [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] that has a large Retreat cost, they can [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] it and spread a ton of damage with Trevenant BREAK’s Silent Fear while you struggle to Retreat.

Greninja BREAK (25-75)

[card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] is a very difficult matchup for this deck. The new [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] has an attack similar to [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] called Shadow Stitching that prevents the opponent from using Abilities during their next. This means that we can no longer use [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] to attack with [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] every turn, and they can boost Shadow Stitching’s low 40 damage with the old [card name=”Greninja” set=”XY” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s Abilties. If the Greninja deck manages to set up well, there is no way of stopping it from winning. However, since Greninja is a Stage 2 Pokemon, it isn’t easy to get multiple Greninja out quickly, even with [card name=”Frogadier” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”39″ c=”name”][/card]’s attack. This matchup is only dependent on one thing – how quickly Greninja sets up.

Yveltal / Zoroark / Gallade (55-45)

[card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], commonly referred to as YZG, is one of this deck’s closest matchups. [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] is what makes this matchup close, since this deck likes to fill a full Bench of eight using [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], and Zoroark punishes these large Bench sizes – Mind Jack can OHKO a [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] at full HP if you have six or more benched Pokemon. The strategy to beat YZG is to use Giratina to KO the Zoroark immediately. [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] is perfectly suited for this, as it both OHKO’s Zoroark and also prevents them from attaching [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”][/card] to another Zoroark. Ideally, a [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] can KO both of their Zoroark (almost all YZG decks use a 2-2 Zoroark line), and once their Zoroark are gone, [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] can sweep through their [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. If you can rid them of Zoroark without losing too many resources or giving up too many Prizes, this matchup is very much in your favor.

Seismitoad-EX Variants (75-25)

[card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks were once a threat to any deck that faced them, but this is no longer true. Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong has a very good way of dealing with any tricks the powerful Toad may have – if the opponent opts to use [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] with Seismitoad for added control, [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card] can discard all of their Energy. If they choose to use [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] as a more powerful attacker, [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] can OHKO Manectric. An added [card name=”Slowking” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] line can be very annoying for this deck, but [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] ‘s damage output is minimal with only Slowking as support, so you can gradually whittle their resources down until you can sweep with Tyrantrum or Giratina.

Tennessee States Recap

I wasn’t able to attend any State Championships during week one of the States series, but I went to my home state’s Championship during week two. At this event, I played… none other than [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card]! I didn’t play this deck at all since the Georgia Cities marathon in December / January, so it was a blast to be able to play it again. Here’s a brief report of how I did with this Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong deck in action (the list I used is the exact same list as the Standard list above).

Round One: Tascha Carlucci, Raichu / Crobat / Milotic WW (1-0)

[cardimg name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Round one was bittersweet for me – I got to play against my deck’s best matchup, but it was one of my good friends. Unfortunately for her, my deck functioned as it should and she drew poorly the first game, but the matchup is incredibly one-sided anyway. Both games, I managed to get the [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] (blue side toward myself with two [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] and another [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] on the Bench) lock by turn three, so there was nothing she could do. It wasn’t fun playing against a friend the very first round, but a win helped start the day off well.

Round Two: Anthony Waites, Yveltal / Zoroark / Gallade WW (2-0)

I knew I wouldn’t get very far into the event without playing against a very close matchup, YZG, and I had to face it round two. This series was, luckily for me, not as close as it could have been, and I managed to squeak out a 2-0 victory. Game one I went first and [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] ‘d him into three Energy and an [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], so the game was over in three turns. Game two he got a much better start; he started with an [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and I got a turn two [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] KO on his Yveltal-EX. At this point, I had six benched Pokemon, meaning his benched [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] could OHKO Tyrantrum if he attached his Energy for the turn to it, which is exactly what I had hoped he would do and what he ended up doing. This allowed me to KO his Zoroark with [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] on the following turn, and since his benched [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] had no Energy and he couldn’t attach [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”XY” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], I was able to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] the other Zoroark on my next turn and KO it, leaving him with only Yveltal. At this point, Tyrantrum-EX took two prizes in two turns to win the game, since he had no Zoroark to KO Tyrantrum.

Round Three: Jeffrey Stout, Seismitoad-EX / Manectric-EX / Slowking WW (3-0)

This was a very interesting deck, and it performed much better than I expected. Jeffrey used a 3-3 line of [card name=”Slowking” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card] to control his opponent’s Energy supply, which proved more pesky than normal against my deck, as he could move a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] onto a non-Dragon Pokemon to discard it. Game one, he drew poorly and I got Dragon Impacts off on both the second and third turns, so there was no way he could come back from a two to six Prize deficit. Game two he drew much better but had to discard two of this three Slowking early, leaving my Energy relatively safe this game. However, what hurt him the most this game was a very unlucky streak of coin flips – he flipped nine coins and only got two heads during one segment of the game. He got a Seismitoad-EX powered up on turn two with two Lightning Energy and a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] so [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] could not OHKO it despite the [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] it had attached, so I instead benched [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card], used Metal Links from both Bronzong on Jirachi, and used Dream Dance for 20 damage and more importantly putting him to sleep. He flipped tails on both the sleep check and his [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”][/card], allowing me to play Items for a turn. Even after using a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] I still couldn’t find a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to take a KO, so I had to Retreat into [card name=”Hydreigon-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] to stall. After many turns of me putting him to sleep with Jirachi and retreating into Hydreigon, I got the necessary Energy to Dragon Impact two Seismitoad-EXs for four Prize cards. However, he had gotten himself down to two Prizes as well by this time. His only attacker left at this point was [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]. One of my [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] was discarded and the other was on [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67 ” c=”name”][/card], so I used Jirachi to do 20 damage and put him to sleep (Manectric is resistant to Metal). He didn’t have a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] to KO my [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], so I won on the following turn with [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card]. This second game was incredibly close and one of the best games I’ve had in a while.

Round Four: Scott DeGraw, Night March LL (3-1)

Round four was very disappointing for me. Game one I had to start with [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] and never drew an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], so I had a very slow start and he decimated me in four turns. Game two I drew better and he had a horrible opening hand, but had to discard many important resources to continue the Chaos Wheel lock due to his [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] uses. Ultimately I decked out, needing only one more turn to take my last Prize card. This round was very frustrating, but Scott played the matchup perfectly and went on to win the entire tournament.

Round Five: Louis Thompson, Wailord-EX / Aegislash-EX / Giratina-EX WW (4-1)

This matchup could not have been better for me. Louis used a deck similar to the [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card] deck that was very successful at last year’s U.S. Nationals but with additional defensive wall Pokemon in [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] to wall Pokemon with Special Energy and [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] to wall Mega Evolution Pokemon. One card in my deck won this entire match for me – Bunnelby. Since his deck used zero Energy and had no way to KO Bunnelby, I got Bunnelby on the field with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and then used [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] on the Pokemon I started with to leave Bunnelby by itself on the field to prevent [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] stalls. I would use Burrow twice if I had no Metal Energy in my discard pile, but after he would use [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”34″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] to discard a Metal Energy from Bunnelby, I would use Burrow once and Rototiller once to shuffle back the discarded Metal Energy. Game one took about 10 minutes for me to deck him out, and he conceded game two once I Ultra Ball’d to get Bunnelby.

Round Six: Samantha Martin, M Manectric-EX / Ho-Oh-EX WW (5-1)

Since [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] is a very new card, I had actually never tested against this matchup before the tournament, but I had a general game plan to win the match due to my experience with Tyrantrum-EX / Bronzong – if she attaches a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] to a [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], I wouldn’t even try to KO it since it would take two attacks, even with Tyrantrum, and I would instead [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] other Pokemon-EX to take KO’s easier. Game one I didn’t even need to employ this strategy, as she drew a very awful hand and I got Dragon Impact off on turn two. Game two was a much better start for her with multiple [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], but she used a very bad [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] for both of us. We both drew no draw-Supporter, resorting me to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] her [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card] to stall her while drawing useless cards. Although I never drew a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], I managed to take four Prize cards by using [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] on her powered-up [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card], leaving her with no Pokemon ready to attack. I finally drew a [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] which drew me a [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] to take my final two Prize cards.

Round Seven: JW Kriewall, Giratina-EX / Reshiram / Flareon-EX WLT (5-1-1)

Since I was 5-1-0 going into the last round, I only needed to take an intentional draw (ID) with my opponent to secure a spot in the Top 8, but I unfortunately got up-paired to a 5-0-1 opponent. This was unfortunate for me because he had nothing to lose – even if he lost the round, he would still have a 5-1-1 record to make Top 8. Since he had this safety net, he chose to not take an ID with me (as expected) so that he could see my deck and the techs I chose to use. Game one, I had to discard multiple [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Double Dragon Energy” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] while he had a very good start, so I had no chance of winning. Game two was much different, as I had a very strong start to his mediocre one and managed to take the game with relative ease. We played a few turns of game three, but he offered to take an ID with me at that point, to which I gladly agreed.

I was the number four seed going into Top 8, and we had to wait until the next morning to play out Top 8. After the standings had been posted, I took a bit of relief after seeing that my first matchup was a favorable one for me, went to eat dinner with a bunch of friends, and drove back to my dorm to get a good night’s sleep.

Editors Note: JW talks about the deck he played in his most recent article here.

Top 8: Kevin Murphy, M Manectric-EX / Ho-Oh-EX WW

[cardimg name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ align=”right” c=”custom”]The Frog of Doom![/cardimg]

While this time facing [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] was much closer than my previous one, it still went close to the way I expected. Game one was very close, with him getting a lightning-quick (no pun intended this time) start, but I managed to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] around his [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card]’ed [card name=”Ho-Oh-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] twice to take my remaining two Prize cards. I had to use [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] to recover a [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] since I had discarded both of them plus [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card], but [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] grabbed it out of my deck on the next turn to win. Game two was very unfortunate for him. His opening hand was amazing, with [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], but even after using Trainers’ Mail and drawing five cards from [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], he was left with no Supporter, allowing me to take six Prize cards in three turns with [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card].

Top 4: Zackary Krekeler, Greninja BREAK LL

I had managed to avoid both of my bad matchups, [card name=”Greninja BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] until this point, but my luck came to an end when I faced Greninja in Top 4. Both games went essentially the same way – me setting up much quicker than him but eventually succumbing to what seemed like a million Water Shurikens and some Shadow Stitchings. Game two I managed to get down to one Prize card left and game one I left myself with three, but my inability to stop his constant Shurikens once he set up ultimately destroyed me.

Pros:

• Finishing 4th in my home state’s State Championships
• Seeing a lot of friends and meeting many new people
• Opening a full art [card name=”Skyla” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] in my booster box

Cons:

• Having to face a good friend the very first round
• Having to play Top 8 on Easter morning
• Having a good friend using the same exact deck as me bubbling at 9th place

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

After playing nearly 100 games with [card name=”Tyrantrum-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY70 ” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY21″ c=”name”][/card] throughout Cities and States in addition to countless testing games, it has definitely become one of my favorite decks of all time. It combines extreme aggression, a very powerful control, and a consistent Energy acceleration all together, allowing you to work your way out of almost any situation. Another notable thing I’ve found is that deck is very much a juggernaut – once it grabs an early lead and gets going at its fullest potential, nothing can stop it. Every single card in the deck serves a specific purpose, and the cards have incredible synergy, too.

Well, that’s all I have for you guys today. I hope you enjoyed the article, and please let me know what you liked and didn’t like about it. I can’t wait to write another article here on PokeBeach! Until next time,

~Dalen Dockery

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