pokebeach.comWhen HS: Unleashed came out, it seemed that many people were unimpressed with the set. In fact, people were quite upset with the set as a whole. Many slated Vileplume to change the entire metagame for Nationals and Worlds and expected Scizor to be a contender; however, they, along with a number of other great cards (e.g., Smeargle), were cut from the set.
Despite the disappointment, others flocked to powerhouses (Tyranitar Prime and Steelix Prime), hyped Primes (Kingdra and the previously cut Crobat), or the sparkly, new Legend pieces. No love was shown toward any of the other Pokémon in the set.
After some time, though, people began to see the potential behind the set’s prerelease promo, Blastoise. You could snipe anything for 100 damage with “Hydro Launcher”. Wow!
The only problem: it costs four energy.
The only solution: Feraligatr Prime.
Feraligatr Prime was still fairly new at that point, so I saw quite a few individuals tinkering with the idea. Setting up multiple Stage 2s was made easier then with the help of our good friend, Claydol. Unfortunately, Claydol soon saw its rotation and BlastGatr fell apart in the format. Then another non-holo rare from Unleashed, Floatzel, began to receive attention as a plausible partner for Blastoise, and Blastoise/Floatzel was born! The pair was (literally) made for one another! Not only that, but the deck was much speedier in comparison to BlastGatr.
Though fun and playable, however, the deck could not stand up to the test of the format, especially with Water’s nemesis, Luxray GL LV.X. The deck also found itself starved for energy whenever Floatzel’s “Water Acceleration” was Power Sprayed. Like many other decks, Blastoise never really had its day in the format due to SP.
Our New Format
In an HS-on format, though, there are no Power Sprays stopping “Water Acceleration”. There are no Luxray GL LV.X obliterating Blastoise. There are no Garchomp C LV.X sniping Floatzel. Hell, there aren’t even any decent Lightning Pokémon in general, barring Zekrom and Magnezone, which typically 1-shot everything anyway. Blastoise and Floatzel have finally found the time to make a splash!
Blastoise/Floatzel
| Pokémon – 193 Cleffa HS/CL 3 Buizel UL 3 Floatzel UL 4 Squirtle UL 2 Wartortle UL 4 Blastoise UL |
Trainers – 244 Pokémon Collector 4 Pokémon Communication 3 Prof. Juniper 2 Prof. Elm’s Training Method 2 Prof. Oak’s New Theory 2 Copycat 4 Rare Candy 3 Switch |
Energy – 1410 W 4 Double Colorless |
The above list has three spaces that are open to personal preference. The list also seems quite standard, but extremely consistent and efficient. As with any deck, you should start with the most consistent build and cut cards from there.
The Pokémon
Cleffa: Unappreciated when it was released, Cleffa is finally making a showing in a number of decks in the HS-on format. Its ability to refresh your hand for no energy is fantastic and comparable to Chatot MD, especially because Cleffa has free retreat. Once you have a fine hand of cards, you can simply retreat Cleffa and begin attacking!
Until then, though, just “Eeeeeeek” away and fall asleep, thereby preventing damage from opposing Pokémon. Hand refresh is awesome in a deck like this because you can play out your hand of Pokémon and energy, and then throw the leftovers back into the deck for a fresh six cards.
Buizel: Like most preevolutions, Buizel is mostly used to evolve into Floatzel. If it is stuck in the Active Spot, however, and you like to plan knockouts several turns in advance, Buizel’s “Muddy Water” does 10 to the defending Pokémon and 10 to a benched Pokémon.
This tiny bit of set up is perfect for later on when Blastoise needs to Knock Out something with 110 HP, such as Yanmega Prime.
Floatzel: Floatzel is Blastoise’s free retreating partner in crime. It has an expensive attack that you hopefully never have to use, but an awesome Poké-Power that allows you to attach one W Energy to it without taking up your attachment for the turn. While this does not seem like much, it allows Blastoise to function in a format that will, presumably, rely on energy acceleration. And, I mean, ya know, Floatzel’s “Water Acceleration” has acceleration in the name! Pfft. You cannot even get that official with “Inferno Fandango”!
Having one Floatzel out permits consecutive snipes from Blastoise as you attach to Blastoise for the turn and then accelerate the W Energy to Floatzel, which Blastoise moves to itself. Having two Floatzel out allows you to begin setting up another Blastoise while still maintaining the energy requirement to attack!
Squirtle: This Squirtle is lame, but it is the only one we have to work with in an HS-on format. Personally, I would rather have Base Set Squirtle in its place so there’s a chance of paralyzing the opponent. But no, we’re stuck with this. Oh well. At least its art matches the other Water-type Pokémon in the deck…
Wartortle: This guy is only in the deck if you are needing to manually evolve into Blastoise, because you have the Blastoise but no Rare Candy or you have the Rare Candy without the Blastoise, or, for some bizarre reason, you are being Item-locked. Unlike many intermediate evolutions, though, Wartortle is pretty decent: For one W Energy, you can snipe anything for 20. This is similar to “Muddy Water” as you can set up a Knock Out on a bulkier Pokémon. Wartortle can also do 50 damage to the defending Pokémon in a pinch. So, while it’s not the best card ever, it is not terrible like Squirtle.
Blastoise: Finally, we have our star Pokémon! Blastoise has a great 130 HP, great Poké-Power, and great attack. His Poké-Power, “Wash Out”, allows you to move W Energy from your benched Pokémon to your active. And, you know what, you can do that as many times as you’d like!
With Floatzel on the bench accelerating energy, Blastoise can easily power up its “Hydro Launcher” to snipe any opposing Pokémon on the field for 100 damage. This comes at a reasonable cost, though, which includes returning two W Energy to your hand; if anything, you are just conserving energy in case Blastoise is about to be Knocked Out!
100 snipe is nothing to scoff at either, and Black & White rules make it even better. A Pokémon must now be in play an entire turn before being eligible for evolution or Rare Candy. That means Blastoise can snipe any Tepig or Vulpix before it evolves into the broken Emboar or draw engine that is Ninetales, respectively.
The Trainers
Pokémon Collector: Blastoise/Floatzel is a deck that must set up properly in order to function; Pokémon Collector is the greatest insurance to a proper set up. Opening with or topdecking one of these guys on the first turn is incredible. It allows you to pull from your deck any combination of Basic Pokémon, so by the next turn you can have two Buizel and a Squirtle all ready to evolve. It also means you can grab Cleffa to refresh your hand in case of a bad Professor Juniper, Professor Oak’s New Theory, or Copycat.
Unfortunately, Pokémon Collector has certainly lost much of its power with the rotation of Uxie, and it shows in this deck, too. Mid- to late-game Pokémon Collector are dead-draw and usually end up as failed searches or Juniper fodder.
Pokémon Communication: This card became maxed out in nearly every deck because of the rotation, and such an increase is justified. The only way to currently search out Stage 1 and 2 cards is by Professor Elm’s Training Method and Pokémon Communication. The former, a Supporter, is subpar compared to the latter, an Item, because you can play as many Items as you darn well please. Communication also works well in conjunction with Collector as you can search out excess Basics and trade them for the real stars.
Professor Juniper: Personally, I have fallen in love with Professor Juniper. At first I was very wary about discarding my entire hand, but that has subsided for the most part. I initially only had one Juniper in the deck but have slowly added more, and I am currently contemplating adding a fourth. It’s that good, I assure you, especially in a deck that attaches multiple energy per turn.
Professor Juniper’s usefulness becomes obvious after trial and error. What I mean is that it takes a few bad discards (e.g., discarding Rare Candy, evolutions, etc.) before you learn when to and when not to play Juniper.
And, even after discarding useful Rare Candies or Wartortle, you begin to realize that they were necessary sacrifices to dig deeper into your deck. To win games your hand becomes the martyr and Juniper your savior.
Professor Elm’s Training Method: As previously mentioned, Professor Elm’s Training Method is a Supporter that searches out Stage 1 and Stage 2 cards. It is a fine card when you can use it, but there are usually better Supporters to use that turn. Nevertheless, when you want to ensure you get the Blastoise or Floatzel, just play Elm’s. Unfortunately, it will never be Bebe’s Search. Sorry, Professor.
Professor Oak’s New Theory (PONT): This deck possesses three generations worth of professors, and the third professor is Oak with his new theory. PONT allows you to shuffle your hand back into your deck and draw a fresh hand of six, akin to Cleffa, albeit a Supporter. In most cases, Professor Juniper is more handy than PONT, but PONT is great if you have a handful of evolutions that you cannot use just yet. Beyond what has already been said, there is not much else to say about this card.
Copycat: Like PONT, Copycat is a hand refresher in Supporter form. Just return your hand to your deck and mimic your opponent’s hand size. This card can yield huge hands if you are playing against decks with competent draw power, such as Ninetales.
I realize this and PONT means that there are four shuffle-draw Supporters in the deck and, while that may seem excessive, I would hate to rely on topdecks because of a lack of hand refresh. I’m sure you could cut one or two PONT and/or Copycat, but I would posit that you need at least two hand refreshers. The combination you choose will typically depend on individual playstyle. Clearly, I like to have options.
Switch: This deck runs a relatively heavy Switch count. I have found that Switch are pretty important in conservation of energy, as well as waking up those sleepy Cleffa so they can “Eeeeeeek” and continue to set up your bench and refresh your hand.
Switch also gets rid of any special conditions on Blastoise that may prevent it from using “Wash Out”. Most notably, using Switch and promoting Floatzel, who has free retreat, further promotes conservation of energy.
Rare Candy: Obviously, Rare Candy are a necessity in any Stage 2 deck, and Blastoise is no exception. This list runs four to increase the odds of drawing into it early game, as you want Blastoise out and sniping as soon as possible.
You will never use all four, so do not fear discarding one or even two with Professor Juniper. Unfortunately, Rare Candy have become “nerfed” (as everyone else calls it), so they will not be used as quickly as they have in previous formats.
The Energy
W Energy: These worthless blue cards can be attached to Floatzel via “Water Acceleration” and manipulated by “Wash Out” to power up Blastoise’s “Hydro Launcher”. Derp.
Double Colorless Energy: These energy cards are worth a teensy bit more than W Energy, but for understandable reasons. They provide two C energy each, which is adequate enough to power up “Hydro Launcher”. You can attach one Double Colorless Energy to Blastoise and then use “Water Acceleration” to attach the W Energy to two Floatzel, thereafter permitting Blastoise to snipe! It’s pretty good.
The Strategy
The idea of the deck is to set up a quick Blastoise and at least one Floatzel so you can begin sniping for 100 each. This is best accomplished by means of Pokémon Collector. If you start with a Buizel active, you should Collector for another Buizel, Squirtle, and probably Cleffa; if you start with Squirtle, Collector for two Buizel and a Cleffa; if you start with Cleffa, Collector for two Buizel and a Squirtle.
Ideally, by having at least one Squirtle and two Buizel out, you can evolve freely the next turn and begin attaching copious amounts of energy. Cleffa is a good choice, too, because it allows you to refresh your hand if it does not accommodate the current game state.
By mid-game, you should have at least two Floatzel out for support, as well as another Blastoise prepared to take the active’s place. Likewise, it is good to have a benched Squirtle that is manually evolving or can be Candy’d into a Blastoise. This is also the time to hoard your Double Colorless Energy to attach to Blastoise.
While you have an attacking Blastoise, you should be sniping possible threats and taking cheap prizes on the opponent’s bench, as well as Knocking Out formidable active Pokémon, like Reshiram or Zoroark.
Possible Additions
pokebeach.comLooking at the current list, there are three empty spaces that you can add in whatever. Currently, I have two Seeker and one Twins filling those spaces, but neither are truly needed. There are rarely any opportunities to heal damaged Pokémon on your bench, so Seeker’s only current use in this format is largely unneeded.
Not only that but it does not disrupt your opponent like it used to because, assuming they played a Collector the previous turn, your opponent can simply pick up a support Pokémon or non-evolving Basic, like Reshiram or Zekrom.
This deck also consistently sets up by or before turn three, so it is not slow enough to completely warrant the use of Twins. Theoretically, you could include several so that you can play Twins after a Cleffa is Knocked Out, but Cleffa usually survives all game because it cannot be damaged while asleep. Besides, Cleffa typically gives you everything you need anyway.
I initially ran two Junk Arm in my build but later took them out. After some consideration and others mentioning their compatibility with Professor Juniper, however, they should be added. They can grab Juniper’d Rare Candies or Pokémon Communication, and then, once you’ve cleaned out your hand, you can Juniper once more for an easy seven. I am not entirely sure why I took them out in the first place…
If you enjoy being on the wild side and flipping coins, consider adding Dual Ball to speed up the first couple of turns. They will set up your bench, like Collector does, and you can Junk Arm for more, all the while playing some other Supporter in your hand. PlusPower could be added, too, to ensure knock outs on active Pokémon with 110 HP.
In the first couple of playthroughs with this deck, I ran Flower Shop Lady for recovery. Like every other darn recovery card (e.g., Night Maintenance or Palmer’s Contribution), I always seemed to have it in my opening hand yet did not have it at the most inopportune times.
Also, in more cases than not, I would discard it with Professor Juniper, which immediately took away any chance of recovering my Pokémon or W Energy. I decided to cut it from my list, which forces me to make tighter and more conservative plays. But, just because it did not work me, that does not mean it won’t help you; try it out and see if you even need it.
Speaking of cards that I previously cut, Stantler originally had the place of Cleffa. While it set up evolutions for the next turn, my bench became clogged and Pokémon Collector were even more worthless. I also had no way to recover from a bad hand, which Cleffa now mediates.
Smeargle is another starter to try, but I have yet to test it. Compared to Cleffa, Smeargle cannot support the deck if the opponent lacks a Supporter in hand; it also wastes an energy to retreat and can be damaged more easily.
Aside from those considerations, you can just beef up the count of Trainers already present in the list. I would highly recommend that fourth Professor Juniper, like I mentioned earlier. Or you can increase the energy counts or run a different starter.
But these are just things to keep in mind to maintain consistency. Techs, such as Cinccino or Zoroark, that work with Double Colorless Energy could be easily splashed into the deck, but I would suggest boasting consistency first, especially in such a different environment with new things to consider in deckbuilding.
Some Final Words
Blastoise/Floatzel has finally found a format in which it can perform how it was designed. It is a quick deck that is difficult to take down by most decks when set up, and the ability to snipe supporting Pokémon can have deleterious effects on your opponent’s game plan. The deck is also much speedier than its previous conception as BlastGatr, which, for whatever reason, is still considered viable.
Because the format is so fresh, I have yet to thoroughly test Blastoise/Floatzel against every conceivably competitive deck possible. Theorymon dictates that it has a decent game against most though. This, however, does not apply to decks utilizing Zekrom or Magnezone, which are a danger to any deck because of the fast and massive damage output by Zekrom and the tank-destroying capability of Magnezone.
Nonetheless, I highly recommend you all at least try out a build for yourself. Take what I’ve said into consideration or don’t. I do not much care, but I think it is a deck that has been widely overlooked by all.
Thanks for reading!
I tryed to run a variation of this deck but it didnt stand up to sp. I think with the new format anything could stand a chance and i reallt like this. Personally id run PONT over Juniper but thats just me. it looks pretty solid :P
i loved this deck when i was a newer player. next format it will do better. still sad how reshiram and zekrom beat it up for lunch money.
This deck is a classic, but I’m not sure if it would become popular next season. Anyway, I’m thinking of adding a 1-1 Donphan Prime to counter Zekrom. :-)
isnt it easier to add zoroark to counter zekrom? you are already running DCE anyways.
ya but donphan can take a hit form zekrom. zoroark cant. and rainbow energy works for donphan and blastoise. thats what im doing for samurott/feraligatr
Donphan also has the nice ability to make magnezone prime cry. Because magnezone is a HUGE threat to blast/whatever
Oh wow! My mind is still in “MD-on” mode, so I keep forgetting about Floatzel lol. I actually have most of these cards too, except for the 4 Blastoise, which are still pretty cheap. The only problems I see is that this deck needs a bit of a set up to get Blastoise fully up and running (making sure you have enough energy, rare candy, floatzel, etc.). Also, Judge will stall this deck a lot if you can’t draw into energy. But, you have a good point as to why this could be faster than Blastgatr; I for sure want to test this deck now.
Absolutely test it! If anything, the deck is fun as hell to run! But you are right, this does require a good set up, which is made easier with Cleffa (and that goes for most any deck this format).
One of my testing partners enjoys playing Yanmega, so I’ve been Judged a fair number of times, but I usually draw back into the energy and pull a win anyway. :D
Hey, I’ve been playing this deck kind of like DonChamp– where Floatzel attacks for the first half the game and Blastoise switches in for the second, and I’m using Plus Power and Bouffalant as techs. After Zekrom KO’s someone with Bolt Strike and does 40 to itself, Bouffalant’s “Revenge” does 90 with a DCE and takes out Zekrom. Floatzel with a Plus Power also OHKO’s Reshiram, so you don’t need to force Blastoise to the active position and worry about Zoroark copying Hydro Launcher. I’m still tweaking the list to be more consistent, but I am very much loving this deck!
I ran some testing with this deck this morning. It went 3-0 against Reshiboar and 1-2 against my Speed Zekrom deck.
All three os the games against speed zekrom were close. If Zekrom cannot get Pachirisu/Shaymin off their bench, it will be a close match.
I also played 3 against Reshiram/Typhlosion. This deck went 2-1 against it. Typhlosion’s Afterburner can set you back a turn or two. Discarding that Double Colorless Energy can mess things up, if you don’t have a second one in hand.
I’m glad some people are already testing out the deck! Personally, I have not played against ZPS; if I do, I will pray to Arceus that Cleffa stays asleep during their turn. Ahaha!
In some games, I will actually get an excess amount of Water Energy onto my Floatzel, especially if I somehow get all three out. These cases, I think, are what you should strive for in match-ups that could potentially discard/Lost Zone your energy (e.g., Typhlosion, Tangrowth, etc.). It becomes pertinent to maintain only Water Energy and no Double Colorless Energy on Blastoise, barring any glaring exceptions.
yep, you just have to make to sure hit your energy drops every turn. if you don’t and they discard your DCE that’s when you are in trouble.
I’m going to run ReshiBoar, and to be honest this deck worries me. It seems faster than ReshiBoar, and could even give DonChamp a run for its money.
As a fellow ReshiBoar player, i worried about this deck as well, but through testing, i found zoroark to be useful as you could snipe their floatzels (using blastoise’s attack) to eliminate their energy acceleration.
The problem with that, is you need two Zoroark set up. Blastoise by definition will get to attack first (unless you run Pokemon Reversal), and it will OHKO a Zoroark off the field before it comes active. Then even if you have a second one set up, you have likely wasted a lot of resources and crippled the main strategy of your deck.
IMO (and testing) it is extremely close to an auto loss for ReshiBoar. Typhlosion is a slightly different story. It can remove those pesky DCE that allow for the quick Blastoise recovery.
yeah, its not like it’ll drastically change the match up, but that was just my two-cents, and i agree, even with a 2-2 zoroark, this deck is a close to an auto-loss as can be. lol
I honestly think that a 1-0-1 Magnezone Prime tech with changing 1 or 2 fires for Rainbow isbthe best tech against water decks
my reshiram owns blastoise. i get a regular t2 ot t3 set-up. then i play pluspower and 1 shot those blastoises. recover blastoises like reshirams? i think not. im more worried about samurott/feralgatr
must be a tight list. :)
however, i’d be interested in seeing how these matches shake out. first, a good Blastoise player will go for the support Pokemon first, making it hard to draw with out Ninetales/Shuckle and making it hard to stream Reshiram without Emboar/Typhlosion.
second, the list I run with Blastoise/Floatzel has 4 Pokemon Reversal in it. originally, i just thought they could be interesting to fill slots. then, they just kept working for me. one or two heads on Reversal can really change a match. then Emboar/Typhlosion can easily be one shot from the active spot. you can pull Tegip/Cyndaquil up early and make them wast 2-4 energy to retreat.
IMO, there is just too much that a very solid Blastoise/Floatzel list can do to mess with Reshiram.
IMO, the best counter for Blastoise/Floatzel for a Reshiram player, is other people playing Zekrom at events. hopefully, the field will limit the number of BF decks.
a good reshiram player knows in this match to take up resources to pull out 2 emboars and 2-3 ninetales. knowing theyll target em first. since i one shot your blastoises you cant continually attack with em.
question…why would u be worried about samgatr and not this? this is quicker…
samuroott one shots my reshirams. my reshirams 2-shot samurott. plus a good samgatr build runs alomola. hydro pump is similar to samurotts attack but with a base of 40. they can stream those basics while setting up another samurott.
While one must worry about Zoroark, I always find myself sniping them before they do too much damage. Also, the 3-3 Floatzel is not only for consistency; it ensures another Floatzel in case one goes down.
Teched Zoroark also pose less of a problem, it seems. Unless they abandon their entire strategy and set up to get a fast Zoroark, you’ll be able to snipe the Zorua before they become a threat.
I have done some testing against ReshiBoar, and that deck is a beast if built properly. It can one-shot Blastoise with a PlusPower and then, because Reshiram is a Basic, recover much faster. If you can get a Blastoise up and running early, go for Reshiram’s energy accelerator, Emboar; that stalls their set up and makes the match somewhat easier.
Well that’s why I’m not worried about BlastGatr; it’s too slow. I’ve decided to try to fit in Pluspower into my build, which currently doesn’t run it because I’m trying to max out consistent speedy setup.
In my testing for this deck (having run the gatr variant the most recent sets of brs, i still play this guy often enough) one tech slot can go to Shuckle promo, oddly enough. Searchable by collector, it is used to be a more worthy spot to drop your “one per turn” energy. It provides a tiny extra bit of draw power, and you’ll just be sucking that water energy off of it anyways. Early game before you set up, it allows you to get some draw power, hopefully hitting your setup a bit sooner. It serves as a better way of “starting up” than mantine or delibird, you’d rather just cleffa or use wartortle’s snipes early game.
I was testing it, with Cleffa, PONT, and Juniper in the deck I consistently refresh my hand for the first 2-3 turns. I mean that I have essentially allowed my self to play five 6/7 card hands in three turns. I have not yet failed to get to at least one Blastoise and one Floatzel by turn three. Sometimes, I have to sacrifice two Cleffas to do that, but it has been worth it.
That is certainly an interesting idea, though I’ve never really had a problem with drawing into what I need, especially with Juniper. I’ll definitely keep it in mind though. Thanks.
I made this deck a looong time ago (with claydol and uxie) and loved it. Can’t wait to have around again. Great Job!
Thank you! I never played it in the previous formats, but I made sure to keep a playset for a wonderful format such as this!
I found this faster then with Gatr and Floatzel with free retreat does wonders. Gatr did help with weakness though.
This format is gonna be all in techs. Donchamp beats ‘Krom, which beats this, which beats Reshiboar and Donphan (but not ‘Champ.) So using / not using Stantler, Cleffa, Smeargle or a Tech to beat one of the above decks (i.e. 1-1 Donphan and 1 F energy for Zekrom) could be crucial. And Zeky can win by Seeker or SSU Pachirisus or shaymins!
——-
Why can’t I post as ABSOLutely anymore whith DISQUS?
For those curious, here’s the list i’m currently running, shows a slighty different approach to the deck.
TOTAL CARDS: 60
POKEMON: 21
Stage 2: 4
3 : Blastoise, UL-13
1 : Kingdra (Prime), UL-85
Stage 1: 6
2 : Wartortle, UL-42
3 : Floatzel, UL-16
1 : Donphan (Prime), GS-107
Basic: 11
3 : Squirtle, UL-63
1 : Horsea, UL-49
1 : Shuckle, Promo-115
2 : Cleffa, Promo-112
1 : Phanpy, GS-77
3 : Buizel, UL-45
TRAINERS: 23
Trainers: 19
4 : Pokemon Communication, BW-99
2 : Switch, BW-104
4 : Pokemon Reversal, GS-99
3 : Rare Candy, UL-82
2 : Junk Arm, TM-87
4 : Dual Ball, CL-78
Supporters: 4
2 : Professor Oak’s New Theory, CL-83
2 : Pokemon Collector, GS-97
ENERGY: 16
Special Energy: 6
2 : Rainbow Energy, GS-104
1 : Rescue Energy, TM-90
3 : Double Colorless Energy, GS-103
Basic Energy: 10
10 : Water Energy, BW-107
Kingdra is for hitting the magic 110 (see: yanmega, etc) and also functions as an attacker if your blastoise flow stops. The shuckle promo is for early game draw. You generally, each turn, attach one energy via the power to the floatzel, and then another water to the promo before bringing both up to blastoise with wash out. I have a low Oak/hand refresher count because cleffa serves that purpose, and the shuckle is like having a noctowl every turn, essentially i draw two cards at the start of 99% of my turns.
I like this quite a bit. I’m not sure about the lack of hand refresh, but I understand how the Shuckle can compensate.
My list, however, was meant to be a starting point for anyone willing to try. It’s cool seeing unique incorporations though.
wouldnt it seem better to run 4 collector and 2 dual ball. collector is better garenteeing 3 basics while dual ball only gets on average 1. i could see a 3-3 slplit but a 4-2 in duall ball’s favor seems not a very consitent play as apposed to 4-2 in collector’s favor or 3-3
The problem with Collector is that unlike last format, where collector got two basics and an uxie (draw power) this format, we have no basic to provide draw. Dual ball is a bit “speedier” so long as you hit half your heads. The deck itself needs only three pokemon for the “core” and the extra blastoise/kingdra/shuckle promo is just icing on the top.
Competitive AND affordable? How can this be?!
not if it breaks into the top tier… haha.
i’ve been buying the cards for several “rouge” decks for next year while they are cheap. even if they never materialize, i will still have fun decks to play with. for example, the Floatzels are $.25 on T&T. So, this deck cost me about $4 to round out today.
my plan is to have roughly 5 decks that have a legit shot going into next season before the results start rolling in and the prices start to go up.
Thank you for writing this article! I have seen so much BlastGatr in the forums but no Floatzel! Why not take the Stage1 now that theres no Spray? The only thing that Floatzel is worse in imo is mirror because if they can set up their Blastoise they can just keep sniping your Floatzels… your faster though.
I love the deck and idea, it seems mad quick and floatzel is much better than using the gatr as energy acceleration. However, without Flower Girl, you only have the 4 Stoise to work with, and after that, Floatzel is simply not a viable attacker. If any Stoise or Squirtles are prized, you may have a tough time pulling out a longer game; juniper discards may compound this. I would make those 3 additional spots F Girls for that reason, especially considering how the deck functions consistently otherwise.
1 FSL sure, maybe. But three? Are you kidding? If you’re going to dedicate three slots to recovery, Fisherman is a MUCH better option. If you’re the type that likes heavy recovery, play 1FSL/2fisherman
I see what you’re saying, and there have been times in which I had no Blastoise left. At such a point, I wish I had Flower Shop Lady. However, I set up the rest of the match so I could use Buizel’s “Muddy Water” to get the final knock outs. It took a lot of planning on my part, but I made it happen. Like any deck, it requires acute knowledge of the list; I knew X amount of Blastoise or Squirtle were prized, so it forced me to make better plays in the moment and with the late-game in mind.
I really think that Rescue Energy would be a better play than FSL. It is just my opinion, but I would much rather have instant retrieval as opposed to having to search my deck for them.
This is also where Junk Arm might desperately be needed. It can get you that Rare Candy back to have another Blastoise the next turn.
Sorry, I haven’t read all of the posts, but don’t you think Mantine is the ideal starter for this deck?
To be honest, I was hoping you’d read this, Colin, because I know you’re a fan of Mantine.
Personally, I prefer Cleffa, though I have yet to try Mantine. In terms of theorymon, both Cleffa and Mantine achieve the same thing, except Cleffa is more versatile. With Cleffa, I can play down all my Pokemon and energy for the turn, play any Supporter to refresh my hand or what have you, and then, once my hand has dwindled to nothing playable, I can use Cleffa to refresh my hand with more energy, Pokemon, and Trainers. With Mantine, I can do all the same except I can search for the specific Pokemon I want, but then I’m left with an unplayable hand.
I suppose the difference between Cleffa and Mantine could come down to playstyle, but Cleffa presents more options the turn after its attack.
Nonetheless, I am open to any sufficient reasoning as to why Mantine is better. That is what these early HS-on articles should incite: There must be discussions to improve the current lists and engines.
Don’t get me wrong, I do like Cleffa. But I think Mantine gives such a sick advantage to Water decks. It has a solid 80 HP so it will survive 1, 2 or MAYBE 3 turns if you’re lucky, whereas Cleffa will only last turns as long as you can pull off the flips. I know that refreshing your hand is nice, but that’s what Copy Cat/Judge/PONT is for. After all, early game the only thing you are really trying to do is set up. Mantine gives you a far more ‘streamlined’ way to do that.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t usually have the best luck with hand refreshers. My hand after PONT only carries me so far, whereas I get a second chance with Cleffa. I do get what you’re saying though, so I’ll try out Mantine when I get the chance.
It seems that Cleffa can usually stay active because there aren’t any quick go-getters in the format, barring ZPS. With more and more starters, early game survivability seems plausible.
does any1 but me find “starters” pointless with the rule change? I mean shouldn’t you just replace those slots w/ more trainers cuz u can activate them as many times as u want on ur first turn…just a thought
Not running a starter pokemon to accelerate your setup was an option when we had draw power from the likes of basics such as uxie. In this format? You’re crazy not to run some sort of supporting starter. Go ahead and sit there manually evolving your *insert stage two here * from *insert basic here * in three turns, don’t mind me while i cleffa/stantler/matine/smeargle/whatever into everything i need and go nuts.
I like this idea. It seems quicker than gatr for the most part. I might be trying this with some donphans to insure safety you know.
Oh man, if you dont play donphan in this deck, its an autoloss for you. i played like 3 magnezones yesterday and lost every single time.
Thanks for the article. Im going to try this deck out and maybe go to Grinders with it.