Discussion Quest to meta tournament deck

[KaraKuehn]

So I was reading an article on this site, I don't know how to directly quote it so if this isn't allowed I will take it down.

They stated this was the top three tiers for the current top decks. I assume these are the main pokemon the decks are made around?

I'm at a loss as to what the tiers stand for. Is 1 higher than 2 and 3 lower than both?

If so then does that mean Lycanroc is the top Meta of the moment? (4/7/19 as of writing this and reading the post)


Tier One

Zoroark-GX / Lucario-GX / Lycanroc-GX
Malamar / Ultra Necrozma-GX
Pikachu and Zekrom-GX / Zapdos
Zapdos
Zapdos / Ultra Beasts

Tier Two

Blacephalon-GX
Lusamine / Control
Pikachu & Zekrom-GX Turbo
Zapdos / Lycanroc-GX
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX
Zoroark-GX / Lycanroc-GX / Weavile

Tier Three

Buzzwole / Garbodor
Celebi and Venusaur-GX
Gardevoir-GX
Lost March
Malamar / Spread
Tapu Koko / Spread

Is it useful to go through the lists and get a meta deck if you want to be the best? I think I know the answer to that. But the Lycanrok deck had literally 8 energy. That blows my mind! It show's that I possibly won't be ready for competitive play until later this year. Since it's only April and I'm mostly using a theme deck from Team Up. I say mostly because I added 1 Alolan Vulpix. It's a water deck and I might add a second if I find it's useful in drawing many other cards from the deck.

The last battle I had with the deck I was digging through my deck so fast it depleted twice as fast as my opponent. I didn't like that.

Thanks for reading this novel, and any tips you can give!

Thank you,

Kara.

 

[AlphaVoxel]

Hey!

I'll take a stab at answering some of your questions. Firstly, most of the decks you listed are named after the cards used in them (ex. Pikachu/Zekrom, Zapdos, etc.), but there are a few exceptions to this. Second, the way people refer to tiers is pretty simple: Tier 1 is generally the Top Tier, or the top decks in the current format. Tier 2 consists of decks that are almost as good as Tier 1 decks, but lack consistency, answers to various cards/strategies, or have a few rough/bad matchups against other decks. Tier 3 is similar to Tier 2, but decks in this tier generally have a harder time against some of the more prevalent decks available. To simplify things:

- Tier 1: The current top decks in the format.
- Tier 2: Decks that do well, but have a few issues.
- Tier 3: Decks that are capable of doing well, but have a hard time against some or many of the current meta decks.

Based on how the list you provided is structures, I can see why you'd think that Zoroark/Lucario/Lycanroc is the best deck at the moment, but in all honesty, it's a bit more complicated than that. Tier lists such as that provide a general idea of what decks are being played, as well as at what frequency--you are more likely to see people playing Tier 1 decks than Tier 2 or 3 decks.

However, there is one important thing to keep in mind: Tier lists like this don't always accurately reflect what is being played at a local level. The decks that do well in my area can vary drastically from lists like this. If you are looking to start playing better, I would advise that you take a look at what people in your area play, then try to cater your deck towards that. I'll give you an example.

The local meta for my League consists of the following:
- 2 Pikarom players
- 1 Celesaur/Shaymin player
- 1 Buzzwole Player
- 1 Ultra Necrozma/Malamar OR Gardevoir GX player
- 1 Sylveon GX player
- 1 Stall player
- 1 Lost March player
- 1 "Random Grass/Psychic" player
- 1 Theme Deck player
- 1 That one guy who plays Unlimited just because

The Pikarom, Celesaur, and Sylveon players consistently take the top spots each week. Knowing this, I can adapt my deck (Silvally/Ninetales) to have slightly better, or even favorable matchups against these players. This will of course be completely different for your area, but the idea is the same. Take a look at what consistently does well, then adapt to that.

One piece of advice I can offer if you are looking to do well is this: rather than spending the money to buy the cards for a Top Tier deck, find cards you like to play with and build a deck around them. Want to play a Solgaleo GX-based deck? Do that. Mega Gardevoir looks interesting? Play it! Find cards and decks that you want to play with, and know you will have fun with. Learn to do well with those cards, and you'll be set. Sure, it might not be the best deck, but the best way to learn to play well is to do it your way.

I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please, do not hesitate to ask! We're all happy to help!

Cordially,
-Alpha

 

[KaraKuehn]

Hey!

I'll take a stab at answering some of your questions. Firstly, most of the decks you listed are named after the cards used in them (ex. Pikachu/Zekrom, Zapdos, etc.), but there are a few exceptions to this. Second, the way people refer to tiers is pretty simple: Tier 1 is generally the Top Tier, or the top decks in the current format. Tier 2 consists of decks that are almost as good as Tier 1 decks, but lack consistency, answers to various cards/strategies, or have a few rough/bad matchups against other decks. Tier 3 is similar to Tier 2, but decks in this tier generally have a harder time against some of the more prevalent decks available. To simplify things:

- Tier 1: The current top decks in the format.
- Tier 2: Decks that do well, but have a few issues.
- Tier 3: Decks that are capable of doing well, but have a hard time against some or many of the current meta decks.

Based on how the list you provided is structures, I can see why you'd think that Zoroark/Lucario/Lycanroc is the best deck at the moment, but in all honesty, it's a bit more complicated than that. Tier lists such as that provide a general idea of what decks are being played, as well as at what frequency--you are more likely to see people playing Tier 1 decks than Tier 2 or 3 decks.

However, there is one important thing to keep in mind: Tier lists like this don't always accurately reflect what is being played at a local level. The decks that do well in my area can vary drastically from lists like this. If you are looking to start playing better, I would advise that you take a look at what people in your area play, then try to cater your deck towards that. I'll give you an example.

The local meta for my League consists of the following:
- 2 Pikarom players
- 1 Celesaur/Shaymin player
- 1 Buzzwole Player
- 1 Ultra Necrozma/Malamar OR Gardevoir GX player
- 1 Sylveon GX player
- 1 Stall player
- 1 Lost March player
- 1 "Random Grass/Psychic" player
- 1 Theme Deck player
- 1 That one guy who plays Unlimited just because

The Pikarom, Celesaur, and Sylveon players consistently take the top spots each week. Knowing this, I can adapt my deck (Silvally/Ninetales) to have slightly better, or even favorable matchups against these players. This will of course be completely different for your area, but the idea is the same. Take a look at what consistently does well, then adapt to that.

One piece of advice I can offer if you are looking to do well is this: rather than spending the money to buy the cards for a Top Tier deck, find cards you like to play with and build a deck around them. Want to play a Solgaleo GX-based deck? Do that. Mega Gardevoir looks interesting? Play it! Find cards and decks that you want to play with, and know you will have fun with. Learn to do well with those cards, and you'll be set. Sure, it might not be the best deck, but the best way to learn to play well is to do it your way.

I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please, do not hesitate to ask! We're all happy to help!

Cordially,
-Alpha

Thanks, Alpha! I am in love with The Blastoise from torrential cannon. I can't capitalize that c sorry. My c and shift don't work well.

I'm hoping to get a Blastoise GX from unbroken bonds. I hope would like it's regular art version so I hope if I have to buy it it's not too much from the pocket like the Charizard was from its similar pack.

I'm now making a deck online to try out for standard level to see how it fairs with the regular standard decks