A rotation brings many changes and it can be difficult to adjust to a brand new format having so many cards that we are used to gone. This article will provide an in depth analysis of what makes a good deck, one way to go about building and testing a deck, an overview of the BLW-on format.
Note: Most of the content in this article will make references to the BLW-on format. The concepts of what make a good deck can be applied to past or future formats as well.
Key Components
These are some qualities that make the difference between a good and a great deck.
- Draw support
- Search engine
- Strategy
- Surprise factor
- Stands a chance against the current metagame
- Fits your play style
- Starting Pokémon
- Staples
- A good balance of consistency vs. tech
1. Draw Support
Draw Supporters are useful for getting out of bad hands and drawing into the resources you need. In my opinion, you want to have at least one Draw Supporter in your hand at all times during a game, which will allow you to setup as quickly as possible by using a Supporter each turn.
In the BLW-on format, the Draw Supporters we are given include Professor Juniper, Bianca, Cheren, and N. It is important to keep in mind the type of deck you are making because this will determine the Supporters you will use.
High Risk, high reward. Juniper allows you to discard your hand and draw seven cards. This card is the most powerful Draw Supporter in the format, and most decks will want to run maximum copies.
Juniper can however be extremely dangerous in a deck that needs to setup multiple Stage 2s, because you may end up discarding too many important resources. Juniper is also risky if you have many other Supporters in your hand as well; as you won’t be getting the Draw Support you need later on in the game. We lose Junk Arm, which means you can no longer discard Items and have a reliable way to get them back with no drawback. Sableye DEX is the next best card, but you are basically giving your opponent a free prize.
This Professor can best be utilized in decks that have Energy Acceleration from the discard, since Juniper can get multiple Energies in the discard at once. Juniper is also good at discarding useless Trainers that are shut off by Item lock.
Bianca allows you to draw cards until you have six cards in your hand, while Cheren lets you draw a straight three cards. I would say these cards are tied for the third best Supporter in the format (behind Juniper and N), but which one is better to use?
Bianca combos very well with Ultra Ball, allowing you to discard three cards from your hand, and fill your hand right back up with Bianca. Bianca can also good after you Rare Candy into a Stage 2, use multiple Items at once, or play down many Pokémon at the same time.
While Bianca can be used in a variety of ways, it is a very situational card. You need to have a hand where you can play many cards at the same time, otherwise this Supporter is worthless.
Cheren on the other hand, can be used at any time to draw a straight three cards.
Personally, I prefer Cheren over Bianca because I find it much more reliable. It is really up to you which Supporter you want, as Bianca and Cheren are both good options, and you should use what fits your play style.
This is a card that will most likely win you games. N forces each player to shuffle your hand back into your deck and each player draws a card for each Prize card the player has left. N is another card that most decks will want four copies of.
N is very useful in the early game, because you can get a fresh hand of six without discarding any of your resources. N is also useful in the late game if your opponent has taken many more prizes than you. N’ing your opponent down to a few cards can cause disruption, and your opponent enters top deck mode to try and get a Draw Supporter.
N is also really good paired with Pokémon that have built-in draw engines, such as Empoleon DEX or Musharna NXD. If you and your opponent are tied, 1-1 Prizes, you can play an N, and instantly fill your hand back up.
2. Search Engine
A search engine typically consists of Items and Pokémon that help you search for other Pokémon in your deck. It is important to have an appropriate search engine for your deck so you can get your Pokémon when you need them, and set up quickly.
Here are the best Item search cards in the BLW-on format so far.
A. Item Search
pokemon-paradijs.comThis is an Item card that allows you to search your deck for a Pokémon with a Retreat Cost of three or more.
Heavy Ball is most useful in decks where most of your Pokémon have a large Retreat Cost, such as Quad Terrakion NVI, Quad Entei-EX, and Quad Groudon EX. Heavy Ball can also be good in Klinklang decks because your entire Klinklang line is searchable by Heavy Ball, as Klink DEX and Klang DEX both have a three Retreat Cost. Also, decks that use many EX attackers with a three or more Retreat Cost may benefit as well.
Level Ball is another Item Card, but this one searches out any Pokémon with 90 HP or less.
This is great in decks like Ninetales DRX/Amoonguss NXD, where the main Pokémon in your deck both have 90 HP. Level Ball is also great in Eelektrik variants because Eelektrik has a magical 90 HP. This card is also useful for searching out the Basics and Stage 1s of a Stage 2 evolution line.
Arguably the best Ball card in the BLW-on format, Ultra Ball forces you to discard two cards from your hand, but allows you to search for any Pokémon you want.
This is an amazing card because unlike Pokémon Communication, you don’t need to have a Pokémon in your hand to use it. Ultra Ball is also good for grabbing Pokémon that don’t have a three or more Retreat Cost and don’t have 90 HP or less, mainly Stage 2s.
Ultra Ball also works exceptionally well in Eelektrik variants and Darkrai variants because it can get Energy in the discard pile.
This card lets you take a Pokémon in your hand, put it on top of your deck, and search for any Pokémon you want.
This card is good, but the reason most decks don’t use it is due to the fact that you must already have a Pokémon in hand. Communication is great in decks that need to set up Stage 2s, because your deck will probably have around 20 Pokémon. This can almost guarantee that you will have a Pokémon in your hand.
Pokémon Communication is also good when used with a Ball card because you can search your deck for a Pokémon, and then use Communication to get whatever Pokémon you want.
B. Pokémon Search
While these typically aren’t as reliable as Item search cards, Pokémon can have attacks or Abilities that will allow you to search for other Pokémon.
These are the best BLW-on Search Pokémon I can think of, but most of these cards probably won’t see competitive play because they are either too difficult to set up or are too inconsistent.
BulbapediaThis big… thing with a flower on its back knows an Ability called Floral Scent. It allows you to search your deck for any Pokémon once per turn.
This is an extremely powerful Ability, so why will no one use it?
First, it’s a Stage 2. It’s very hard to tech an entire Stage 2 into a deck without losing too much consistency. Also, Venusaur has a horrendous four Retreat Cost, which makes it very hard to retreat when Catcher’d.
Sadly, I don’t think Venusaur will be used very much in the BLW-on format, but I think it may have a little potential in an Accelgor/Gothitelle deck as a consistency booster.
Ninjask has an Ability, Cast-off Shell, which lets you search your deck for a Shedninja and put it onto your Bench, as soon as you play Ninjask.
I think this card has some potential, but don’t have a clue as to a good way to use this in a deck. However, Crawdaunt has probably already made a deck that uses Ninjask in a very creative way, and will make us all jealous.
With an elegant-sounding Ability, Le Parfum, Roserade can search your deck for any card when Roserade is played.
This is another card with a powerful Ability, and might have potential as a 1-1 tech in many decks to add some consistency, but you can only use this Ability once. Roserade could be used to its full potential in decks that run many Devolution Spray and Super Scoop Up to reuse its Ability.
Milotic DRX
Its first attack, Clear Search, lets you search your deck for any three cards.
I see this card as an extremely helpful tech in slow setup decks because Twins will no longer be in the format to give you access to whatever you need.
However, Clear search costs one W Energy, so Milotic can only be played in decks that run Water or Blend WLFM Energy.
This is possibly the only Pokémon search card that will see a lot of competitive play. Its Ability, Dragon Call, lets you search your deck for a Dragon type Pokémon once per turn.
Gabite is especially good in Garchomp/Altaria decks because Dragon Call allows you to set up Garchomps and Altarias game after game.
4. Strategy
A good deck has multiple goals it wants to accomplish throughout a game. This helps a player figure out what the best plays are throughout the game.
Knowing the strategy of your opponent’s deck is especially useful so you know what your opponent’s deck’s weaknesses are, and you can exploit them.
Here are some common strategies among decks.
A. Status Condition/Item lock
screwattack.comThe most powerful Status Condition by far is Paralysis. Paralysis prevents the Defending Pokémon from attacking or retreating. This usually forces the opponent to have a Switch in hand so the opponent can keep attacking.
If you have some sort of Item lock in place, then your opponent can’t use Switch to get out of Paralysis. Your opponent will be “locked” in place until the Defending Pokémon is KO’d, getting very few chances to attack.
Here is the strongest Paralysis Status Condition decks to look out for in the BLW-on format.
Yoshi Tate Reborn: Accelgor DEX/Gothitelle EPO 47/Mew-EX/Darkrai EX
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Pokémon – 22 3 Mew-EX |
Trainers – 28 4 N 4 Cheren
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Energy – 10 2 D – Basic |
Strategy
pokemon-paradijs.comIn the previous format, the best form of Accelgor proved to be Accelgor/Mew Prime/Chandelure NVI/Vileplume UD/Darkrai EX + other ridiculous cards, based on its success at US Nationals.
The strategy of the original deck was to send Accelgor to the Lost Zone via Relicanth CL or Mew Prime so Mew Prime could copy Accelgor’s attack, Deck and Cover. Deck and Cover does 50 damage plus Paralysis and Poison, but Accelgor, or in this case, Mew Prime, must be shuffled back into your deck with any cards that were attached.
Once Mew Prime was shuffled back into your deck, you promote Chandelure NVI, which can use Cursed Shadow to increase the amount of damage you could do. Not only could you do more damage, but you could make sure that your opponent’s Pokémon is Knocked Out going into your turn, so your opponent never gets a chance to attack.
Darkrai EX is used to give Chandelure free retreat with the Dark Cloak Ability, so you can retreat Chandelure, and keep using Deck and Cover.
Vileplume UD was used for its Poké-Body, Allergy Flower, which prevents both players from using Item cards. A quick Vileplume was devastating because some decks would run up to 30 Item cards, leaving half of your opponent’s deck becomes useless. More importantly, Vileplume prevented the use of Switch to ensure that your opponent couldn’t escape Paralysis.
Now with Vileplume being rotated out of the format, there are two viable methods of Item lock: Zebstrika NXD and Gothitelle EPO 47.
Zebstrika needs to use an attack for the Item lock to happen, so this isn’t a good choice.
Gothitelle EPO 47, on the other hand, has an Ability, called Magic Room, that only prevents your opponents from using Items when Gothitelle is active.
Yoshi Tate Reborn has a similar, but different strategy:
First you get Accelgor DEX or Mew-EX to use Deck and Cover. Mew-EX has an Ability, Versatile, that allows you to use any attacks of Pokémon already in play, but you must have the appropriate Energy.
Once Accelgor/Mew-EX is shuffled into your deck, you promote Gothitelle EPO 47 so your opponent can’t play Item cards on his or her next turn. Then you attach a Prism, Blend GRPD, or D Energy to retreat Gothitelle for free with Darkrai EX’s Dark Cloak Ability.
Finally, you keep promoting Accelgors and Mew-EXs to use Deck and Cover.
Strengths
- This deck creates an Item lock. Accelgor proved to be a successful deck in the previous format because shutting off half of your opponent’s deck really slows down their setup. Now in an even slower format, I feel Item lock will become even more powerful.
- Accelgor’s Posion damage sometimes makes it so the Defending Pokémon can be Knocked Out going into your turn, and your opponent never gets a chance to attack. This is the case in decks that have Pokémon with 70 HP and 140 HP, such as Garchomp/Altaria and Empoleon DEX.
- The fact that your main attacker Paralyzes the Defending Pokémon each turn means he/she will hardly get a chance to attack the entire game.
Weaknesses
- This is a very elaborate setup deck. You need multiple Accelgors and Mew-EXs, Gothitelle, and Darkrai EX on the field at all times. If just one of these parts is missing, your deck becomes instantly weaker.
- Because you need so many different components, decks that apply early game pressure can really hurt this deck’s setup.
- If your opponent does not get Knocked Out going into your turn, then your opponent gets a chance to attack Gothitelle. If you lose your Gothitelle, then the Item lock is broken and your opponent can use a switch to get out of Paralysis.
- Because Deck and Cover forces you to shuffle Accelgor back into your deck, you need to continuously draw into Accelgors/Mews and DCEs in order to keep using Deck and Cover.
- This deck is very tight on space, and there isn’t a lot of room for techs.
- It is hard to manage the Pokémon on your bench.
- Gothitelle and Darkrai EX both have Abilities that can be shut off by Garbodor.
Techs
pokemon-paradijs.comMusharna has the Ability, Forewarn, that allows you to look at the top two cards of your deck, and put one into your hand. This not only gives you the power to control what you topdeck but gives you Draw Support, which gives you a greater chance of drawing into Mew-EXs and DCEs.
If you have a copy, this can act as a counter Stadium, and can help replenish your hand when you aren’t able to use a Deck and Cover.
B. Other Lock
There are other Lock decks that don’t aim to Paralyze you turn after turn. These decks may shut off Abilities, prevent attacking or retreating (by attacks, not paralysis) or prevent Supporters.
Right now, there’s one deck that I believe is taking out the trash.
Garbodor DRX/Terrakion NVI
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Pokémon – 10 |
Trainers – 38 4 N 4 Cheren
4 Switch |
Energy – 12 12 F |
Strategy
You want to keep attacking with Terrakions for 90 damage each turn, and set up Garbodor to prevent your opponent from using any Abilities.
Strengths
Terrakion hits almost every Pokémon in Zeels decks and Darkrai EX decks for Weakness.- By repeatedly using Land Crush, you are able to 2HKO any non-EX (except Wailord) and 2HKO any EX that isn’t Eviolited.
- Terrakion can 1HKO Darkrai EX.
- Because Terrakion doesn’t give up 2 Prizes, you have a favorable Prize trade against EXs.
- This deck is very consistent and has a very simple strategy.
- Many of the best decks rely on Abilities (Dark Trans, Dynamotor, Battle Song).
- Garbodor is only a Stage 1.
Weaknesses
- Terrakion and Garbodor have big Retreat Costs, and can be Catcher stalled. You only have four outs to Switch.
- Mewtwo EX can hit Trubbish and Garbodor for weakness and apply a lot of early pressure. The worst part is Mewtwo EX doesn’t have an Ability.
- Not every deck uses Abilities.
- Tool Scrapper will get rid of Exp. Shares and Rescue Scarf. This will prevent Garbodor from using Garbotoxin, make Garbodor harder to recover, and make it more difficult to keep Energy in play.
Techs
Terrakion-EX’s Pump-up Smash gives you Energy Acceleration and lets you attach multiple Energies per turn. The downside is Terrakion-EX gives up 2 Prizes when Knocked Out.
Mewtwo EX
Mewtwo EX gives you the option to get an easy return KO on other Mewtwo EXs or be a late game finisher. Because Garbodor decks don’t have great Energy Acceleration, this should only be used with Terrakion-EX and DCE.
C. Massive Energy Acceleration
Some decks use Pokémon that allow you to attach multiple Energies to your Pokémon in a single turn, allowing you to power up attackers quickly and efficiently.
Here are some BLW-on decks that have Massive Energy Acceleration.
Rayquaza EX/Emboar BLW 20
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Pokémon – 15 2 Rayquaza EX 2 Entei-EX |
Trainers – 31 4 Cheren 3 Bianca
3 Switch |
Energy – 14 9 R 5 L |
Strategy
pokemon-paradijs.comUse Emboar’s Inferno Fandango to accelerate Energy onto Rayquaza EX and 1HKO everything in your path. Use Bad Boar to 1HKO Hydregion. Use Entei-EX to recover R Energy from the discard pile.
Strengths
- Rayquaza EX has an unlimited damage output, which means it can 1HKO anything in the format.
- This deck can accelerate Energy extremely quickly.
Weaknesses
- Emboar BLW 20 has a horrible Retreat Cost, and will be Catchered often.
- The Dragon Weakness means Hydreigon DRX and Garchomp DRX can easily 1HKO Rayquaza EX, and you give up 2 Prizes.
- Most of the time, when you want to recover Energy from the discard, you must use an Item card.
- Inferno Fandango is shut off by Garbodor DRX.
- This deck is bad against a late game N because you rely on your hand so much.
Techs
Although it’s nicknamed Bad Boar, its second attack Flare Blitz, hits for 150 damage. This is a magical number for Knocking Out Hydreigon DRX and Emboar doesn’t gove up 2 Prizes.
Rayquaza is normally used for its first attack, but Shred hits for 90 damage, and is very useful against other dragon types and Sigilyph DRX.
Entei-EX can use Grand Flame to get a R Energy back from the discard pie and attach it to one of your Benched Pokémon. Grand flame also does 90 damage, which is good for getting 2HKOs on whatever you want.
Mewtwo EX
Emboar BLW 20 is one of the few Pokémon that can charge a surprise Mewtwo EX out of nowhere. Mewtwo EX is the best counter for other Mewtwo EXs.
Reshiboar
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Pokémon – 14 1 Entei-EX |
Trainers – 32 4 N 4 Cheren
4 Switch |
Energy – 14 10 R |
Strategy
Use Emboar’s Inferno Fandango to attack with Reshiram BLW, Mewtwo EX, and Registeel-EX, and Entei-EX.
Strengths
Reshiram can 2HKO an Eviolited EX and only gives up 1 Prize.- It is easier to power up a Mewtwo EX because you run DCE.
- Registeel-EX can KO multiple Altarias or Eelektriks at once, and can set up knockouts for Reshiram.
- This deck can accelerate Energy extremely quickly.
Weaknesses
- Emboar BLW 20 has a horrible Retreat Cost, and will be Catchered often.
- Most of the time, when you want to recover Energy from the discard, you must use an Item card.
- Mewtwo EX can be very good against an Emboar deck, especially this version because you don’t discard so many Energy after you attack, unlike Rayquaza EX.
- Inferno Fandango is shut off by Garbodor DRX.
Techs
As mentioned above, Registeel is used to take multiple prizes at once. Bacasue of its Fire Weakness, it is a tank unless it runs into the mirror match.
Standard Darkrai Variants
(Darkrai EX with a combination of Mewtwo EX, Tornadus EX, Tornadus EPO, Bouffalant DRX, Terrakion-EX, and Terrakion NVI.)
Here’s my favorite Darkrai EX variant for BLW-on.
I. Darkrai EX/Terrakion NVI
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Pokémon – 9 |
Trainers – 39 4 N 3 Bianca
4 Eviolite |
Energy – 12 8 D – Basic 4 F |
Strategy
Use Dark Patch to accelerate Energy onto Darkrai EX. Use Terrakion if you are in a Darkrai mirror match or against an Eelektrik variant. Sableye DEX is included to reuse Items. Mewtwo EX can counter othr Mewtwo EXs and sweep games.
Strengths
Darkrai snipes the Bench, allowing you to take multiple prizes at once.- Terrakion can 1HKO a non-Eviolied Darkrai EX and will hit just about everything in Eelektrik variants for Weakness.
- Dark Cloak can give Terrakion free retreat, making it hard to Catcher-stall.
- Sableye can be used to recover resources when necessary.
- Darkrai has Energy acceleration through the discard.
- Night Spear can 2HKO any non-Eviolited EX.
Weaknesses
- Darkrai EX has a Fighting weakness, and can be 1HKO’d by Terrakion NVI/Terrakion-EX.
- The only way to load up a Mewtwo EX is through Energy Switch.
- Using different Energies creates some inconsistency.
- Dark Cloak is shut off by Garbodor DRX.
Techs
pokemon-paradijs.comI feel Eviolite is the best Tool to use so Terrakion NVI can’t 1HKO your Darkrai EX. This way, you can retreat Darkrai EX, heal the damage taken with Max Potion, and send up a new Darkrai EX.
I included Energy Switch so you can get a surprise Terrakion NVI or Mewtwo EX out of nowhere. Also, Energy Switch is good for moving Energy off of Sableye DEX that was used to Junk Hunt.
Tool Scrapper makes it much easier for Terrakion NVI to 1HKO opposing Darkrai EX. It also helps in the Garbodor DRX matchup, and is just a good card to have for removing Rescue Scarfs and Eviolites.
Dark Patch can get D Energy out of the discard pile, so Max Potion can combo very well with Darkrai EX.
Eelektrik Variants
I. Spread N Snipe
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Pokémon – 13 |
Trainers – 36 4 N 2 Cheren
3 Switch 3 Eviolite
|
Energy – 11 7 L |
Strategy
Use Eelektrik NVI to power up Raikou-EX and Registeel-EX. First, attack with Registeel-EX’s Triple Laser a few times and follow it up with a couple Volt Bolts. Use Zekrom BLW to deal with Sigilyph DRX or any Pokémon weak to Lightning because it only gives up 1 Prize. Use Zekrom-EX to take out Hydreigon DRX and Garchomp DRX.
Strengths
Triple Laser is very effective against other Eelektrik decks and Garchomp/Altaria because you can take multiple prizes at once.- Raikou-EX acts as another Catcher you can use throughout the game.
- Zekrom BLW can 2HKO an Eviolited EX.
- Zekrom-EX can 1HKO Hydreigon DRX.
- Max Potion + Registeel-EX = Indestructible Tank.
- Skyarrow Bridge gives Raikou-EX free retreat, allowing you to cycle through them.
Weaknesses
- Eelektrik has a two Retreat Cost, and is hard to retreat when Catchered.
- Raikou-EX and Zekrom-EX are weak to Fighting (Terrakion NVI), and both give up 2 Prizes
- Registeel-EX is weak against Emboar decks.
- Eelektrik is shut off by Garbodor DRX.
- Tynamos are easy to donk.
Techs
pokemon-paradijs.comMax Potion makes it very difficult for your opponent to KO Registeel-EX and Raikou-EX. Eelektrik NVI accelerates Energy through the discard pile, so Max Potion has great Synergy with Eelektrik decks. Raikou-EX also discards all L Energy after it uses Volt Bolt, so you can heal any damage taken without having to discard Energy.
Raikou-EX and Zekrom-EX are weak to Fighting, which means Terrakion NVI can 1HKO both of them and take 2 Prizes each. Eviolite turn a 1HKO into a 2HKO, allowing you to use Max Potion and heal the damage taken. Eviolite also pairs well with Zekrom BLW because Bolt Strike has recoil damage.
Skyarrow Bridge gives Raikou-EX free retreat, which lets you use Volt Bolt, Dynamotor Energy on to a benched Raikou-EX, retreat the active Raikou-EX, and use Volt Bolt.
Mewtwo EX
Eelektrik provides the best Energy Acceleration in the game, and is capable of pulling a surprise Mewtwo EX out of nowhere to KO your opponent’s. Mewtwo EX+DCE can apply a lot of early pressure or potentially donk your opponent as well. Mewtwo EX can also get your last few prizes when your opponent doesn’t have a response.
A T2 Disaster Volt applies a lot of pressure on decks that have to set up Stage 2s, and is a reliable way to get L Energy on the field and into the discard.
Tornadus EX/Tornadus EPO
pokemon-paradijs.comThese are both very hard Fighting counters and Tornadus EX + Skyarrow Bridge + DCE can really frighten your opponent.
Call for Family can get two Basics onto your Bench right away and help you setup.
PlusPower can help you get very crucial 1HKOs but is a situational card and much harder to use without Junk Arm to retrieve it from the discard.
This is a very effective counter to Garbodor decks. Also, removing Eviolites makes Registeel’s Triple Laser much more effective.
If you can manage to get this card, it may be worth it. For one L Energy, Dragon Pulse does 40 damage. This gives you great donking potential against Tynamos and Swablus.
II. Rayquaza EX/Eelektrik
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Pokémon – 14 3 Rayquaza EX |
Trainers – 32 4 N 4 Bianca
3 Switch
|
Energy – 14 9 L 5 R |
Strategy
Use Eelektrik NVI’s Dynamotor to keep attacking with Rayquaza EX’s Dragon Burst. Use Zekrom BLW to counter any Sigilyph DRX or Pokémon that are weak to Lightning, so you only give up 1 Prize. Use Mewtwo EX to counter other Mewtwo EXs.
Strengths
Dynamotor is powerful Energy Acceleration.- Dragon Burst has an unlimited damage output.
- Rayquaza EX gets free retreat with Skyarrow Bridge.
Weaknesses
- Eelektrik can be Catchered.
- Rayquaza EX is weak to other Dragons and gives up 2 Prizes when Knocked Out.
- Dragon Burst requires Lightning and R Energy to attack, which creates inconsistency.
- Tynamo can be donked.
- Eelektrik has an Ability which is shut off by Garbodor DRX.
Techs
This is good against Garbodor decks and helps Rayquaza EX Knock Out Pokémon with as few Energy as possible.
Because Rayquaza EX has to discard Energy every time it attacks, Energy Retrieval can recover it. This card is especially useful for getting back Fire Eenrgy when Rayquaza EX has been Knocked Out.
Blend GRPD or Prism Energy
BulbapediaThese can both act as R Energy for Dragon Burst, can also count as Basic Energy for a variety of other attackers. I don’t like using Blend GRPD or Prism Energy in this deck because they can’t be recovered with Super Rod or Energy Retrieval, but they’re still a good option.
Because you already run Skyarrow Bridge, Raikou-EX is another good attacker. Especially since Junk Arm is gone, Raikou-EX acts as another Catcher.
Rayquaza has donk potential with Dragon Pulse, but also acts as a powerful Garchomp/Altaria counter with its second attack, Shred. This does 90 damage and isn’t affected by any effects on the Defending Pokémon.
Ho-Oh EX
I apologize, I have not thoroughly tested this deck, so I don’t have a list to provide, but here’s the gist of the deck.
Strategy
Get Ho-Oh EX and as many different types of Basic Energy in the discard as possible, then use Rebirth to get it into play and apply a lot of early game pressure.
Strengths
-
Ho-Oh EX applies early game pressure and has potential to donk. - A Water Weakness means it will stay alive for a good bit unless it runs into Empoleon DEX.
Weaknesses
- Mewtwo EX.
- Ho-Oh EX doesn’t 1HKO anything except an occasional Klinklang BLW or Registeel-EX.
- Ho-Oh EX relies on an Ability that is once again shut off by Garbodor DRX.
Techs
Tornadus EX
Nothing says donk or early pressure like a Tornadus EX, DCE, and Skyarrow Bridge. Tornadus EX provides a lot of early pressure and is great in Ho-Oh EX decks due to its Colorless attack costs. This is one of the rare cases where you want to flip tails on Power Blast since this helps get Energy in the discard pile.
This is a good EX counter, and its Colorless attack cost makes Bouffalant work in this deck. Golden Breaker for three C Energy does 120 damage if the Defending Pokémon is an EX.
BulbapediaSigilyph is a good counter to one of this deck’s main threats, Mewtwo EX. Its Ability, Safeguard, prevents all damage done from EXs, and because Sigilyph is a Psychic type, you can hit Mewtwo EX for weakness.
If you choose to run Tornadus EX, Terrakion-EX can help cover your Eelektrik matchup and gives you Energy Acceleration in the form of Pump-up Smash, but it will be difficult to meet the Energy requirement to attack.
D. Limited Energy Acceleration
These are decks that can break the rule of attaching one Energy per turn, but the acceleration is much more limited than other decks. Some of these decks also use cards like Exp. Share to keep Energy in play as much as possible.
Here is the best example in the BLW-on format.
GothGard
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Pokémon – 22 |
Trainers – 26 4 N 4 Cheren
|
Energy – 12 12 P |
Strategy
Get a Gothitelle into the Active Spot as soon as possible while setting up a Gardevoir on the bench. Attach a P Energy to Gothitelle each turn and set up more Gothitelle on the bench for when the Active one gets Knocked Out.
Strengths
Item lock is very powerful in a format where half of your deck is Trainers and the format is also slowing down considerably.- Gothitelle will usually 1HKO or 2HKO the Defending Pokémon, creating a favorable Prize trade.
- 130 HP means Gothitelle won’t be 1HKO’d very often.
Weaknesses
- You have to set up multiple Stage 2s in the early, mid, and late game for this deck to function properly.
- Gothita and Ralts are very susceptible to Mewtwo EX donks due to their Psychic Weakness.
Techs
In a deck that needs to set up multiple Stage 2s, Catcher gets demoted from staple to tech because there is very little space for it. One of the worst things is when you are about to KO the Defending Pokémon and they retreat, and all of the hard work you put in goes to waste. Catcher also helps to take cheap prizes, especially off of misplayed Mewtwo EXs.
Once you lose your Active Gothitelle, all of the Energy goes straight to the discard, and the only way to recover it is through Super Rod. With Exp. Share, you can save one Energy from the Gothitelle that was just Knocked Out and continue using Madkinesis.
E. Low Energy Attackers and Swarm Decks
BulbapediaInstead of using Pokémon that need multiple Energy to attack, how about using ones that only need one? These decks can hit for a lot of damage for a single Energy, allowing them to get by with attaching a single Energy per turn. These decks often prevent your opponent from taking prizes with Max Potion because you can attach an Energy the very next turn.
Swarm decks need to get as many Pokémon onto the field as possible in order to increase the amount of damage you do with an attack. In the BLW-on format, some of these decks seem to use attackers that only need one Energy, such as Empoleon DEX and Garchomp/Altaria.
Here are BLW-on decks with Low Energy Attackers and decks that need to swarm Pokémon.
FluffySpore
(Okay, Ninetales may not exactly be fluffy, but I needed a good nickname.)
|
Pokémon – 19 1 Mew-EX 1 Shaymin EX |
Trainers – 31 4 N 4 Cheren
4 Switch |
Energy – 10 6 R |
Strategy
Set up an Active Ninetales DRX with a R Energy, evolve into an Amoonguss on the Bench, and use Hexed Flame. Use Super Scoop Ups and Devolution Spray to continue using Sporprise and Bright Look.
Strengths
Hexed Flame only costs one R Energy and does 130 damage (with Posion).- Ninetales and Amoonguss can abuse Super Scoop Up and Devolution Spray to reuse Abilities.
- Bright Look gives you access to a Pokémon Catcher many more times throughout the game.
- Ninetales and Amoonguss have 90 HP which make them searchable by Level Ball.
Weaknesses
- Amoonguss and Ninetales only have 90 HP which are very easy to KO.
- Amoonguss has a bad Retreat Cost and will require a Switch to retreat.
- In order to keep using Sporprise and Bright Look, you are forced to keep using Super Scoop Up, which is flippy, and Devolution Spray, but you can’t evolve the Pokémon in the same turn.
Techs
Mew-EX serves as your Mewtwo EX counter, since it only costs one Energy to attack and you have no way of loading up a Mewtwo EX.
Shaymin EX
Because you run Blend GFPD, Shaymin EX acts as a late-game finisher.
One of the best Pokémon in the previous format was Darkrai EX, and I suspect it will continue to stay popular until it becomes rotated. Ninetales prevents you from being Knocked Out by Darkrai EX in one hit, but then again, your opponent may run Tool Scrapper or Dark Claw.
Straight Empoleon
|
Pokémon – 17 1 Mew-EX |
Trainers – 32 4 Cheren 4 N 2 Bianca
|
Energy – 11 11 W |
Strategy
Use Emolga’s Call for Family or Virizion’s Double Draw to set up multiple Empoleons. Keep using Attack Command and healing any damage taken with Max Potion.
Strengths
- Empoleon has 140 HP, which is very difficult to Knock Out in one hit
- Attack Command only costs one W Energy, so it is easy to abuse Max Potion
- Diving Draw gives you amazing draw support and a way to recover from a late game N
- Empoleon hits Emboar BLW 20 for weakness
Weaknesses
- Empoleon has a weakness to Lightning, making it very bad against Eels
- Empoleon will usually hit for 90 or 100, which won’t Knock Out anything in one hit
Techs
pokemon-paradijs.comVirizion fits the idea perfectly of drawing as many cards as you can. Double Draw lets you draw two more cards for a single C Energy. It even has an attack, Leaf Wallop, that does 40 damage and 40 more damage the next time you use it. If your list runs Prism Energy, Virizion could be a viable Terrakion NVI counter. Unlike Emolga, Virizion has 110 HP so it will not be donked and difficult to take a cheap prize off of.
If you run Prism Energy, Sableye can use Junk Hunt and net you crucial Items in the late game.
This card would only be used if you choose to run an Empoleon/Terrakion deck. Stunfisk knows Muddy Water, which does 20 damage for a single F Energy, and lets you do 20 damage to a Bench Pokémon. Stunfisk is an amazing counter to Eelektrik decks because of its ridiculous ability do Knock Out Tynamos. The Bench damage can also set up future knock outs.
Who doesn’t like a Pokémon that can Knock Out a Darkrai EX in one hit? Because of Empoleon’s terrible Lightning weakness, Terrakion and F Energy can be added to try to help the Eelektrik matchup. And of course, this should help the Darkrai EX matchup.
The problem that arises is your consistency. I think adding Terrakion hinders consistency too much, but it is still a viable option.
pokemon-paradijs.comAerodactyl was a cool card, but never saw much competitive play due to the annoying rules of Fossils. Aerodactyl fills the role of filling up your bench and adds additional damage to Attack Command with Ancient Scream.
Exp. Share allows you to keep Energy in play and get crucial Retaliate knock outs with Terrakion NVI.
This serves as an Empoleon deck’s Mewtwo EX counter. Versatile will allow you copy Attack Command, hit Mewtwo EX for weakness, and Knock it Out in one hit.
The strategy is to use Empoleon to get your prizes in the early and mid-game, and then using Deck and Cover to take your last few prizes. Empoleon helps give you the draw support you need to keep getting Mew-EXs/Accelgors and DCEs.
FluffyChomp
|
Pokémon – 21 |
Trainers – 28 4 N 3 Cheren
2 Switch |
Energy – 11 7 F |
Strategy
Get as many Altaria onto the field as possible to make Garchomp’s Mach Cut do more damage. Use Emolga’s Call for Family and Gabite’s Dragon Call to help setup.
Strengths
Garchomp DRX 90 can do a lot of damage for only one Energy.- 140 HP makes Garchomp hard to Knock Out in one hit.
- Dragon Call makes this deck set up very consistently.
- Because Mach Cut only costs one Energy, you can use Max Potion to heal any damage taken.
- The deck has a simple objective.
Weaknesses
- Swablus, Gibles, and Emolgas are susceptible to donks.
- Altaria and Garchomp’s weakness to Dragon means they will be bad against Rayquaza DRX and Rayquaza EX.
- Because this deck runs a thick Stage 1 and Stage 2 line, it is hard to fit in many techs.
- Very bad against Accelgor because Altaria and Garchomp will be Knocked Out by Poison damage going into your opponent’s turn.
Techs
Since you already run Blend WLFM, Rayquaza can be used to get a donk or just apply early pressure.
This card can be used to put Garchomps that were just KO’d back into your hand.
Because Mach Cut only costs one F Energy, you can heal damage in between attacks with Max Potion.
Zoroark DEX/Darkrai EX
|
Pokémon – 14 |
Trainers – 33 4 Bianca 3 N
|
Energy – 13 9 D – Basic |
Strategy
Swarm Zoroark and other Darkness Pokémon to hit for the maximum amount of damage with Brutal Bash.
Strengths
With Ascension, this deck sets up very quickly.- Brutal Bash is easy to power up with Dark Patch and DCE.
- Darkrai EX gives all of your Pokémon free retreat, and is a powerful backup attacker.
- Zoroark BLW can be used as an alternative attacker.
- Sableye DEX can recover Items.
Weaknesses
- Zoroark only has 100 HP.
- The fighting weakness makes it bad against Terrakion NVI, Terrakion-EX, etc.
Techs
This is a very powerful card because Foul Play lets you use one of the Defending Pokémon’s attacks, and it only costs a DCE or two D Energy. This can be helpful in numerous situations for taking the last few prizes of the game.
Because you want to hit for as much damage as possible with Brutal Bash, Dark Claw helps add an extra 20 damage, and in a way, negates the effect of Eviolite.
Similar to Ninetales/Amoonguss, yor Zoroarks will go down very quickly due to the low HP, so Rescue Scarf is the most efficient way to recover them.
F. Prize Denial through Energy Manipulation
As the name implies, these decks aim at preventing your opponent from taking prizes.
Prize Denial decks move Energy around the board and switch attackers to keep a steady stream of tanks coming. These decks also use a variety of attackers to aid in different matchups, and use Special Energy to meet the Energy requirements of your attackers.
There are two of these decks that will appear in the BLW-on format.
Hydreigon DRX/Darkrai EX
|
Pokémon – 15 1 Shaymin EX |
Trainers – 33 4 N 2 Bianca
2 Eviolite |
Energy – 12 8 D – Basic |
Strategy
Get out a Hydreigon and multiple Darkrai EXs. Keep attacking with Darkrai EX and use Dark Trance to move Energy and heal damage taken with Max Potion, move the Energy back, and keep attacking. Also, get your last few prizes via Shaymin EX. Use Sigilyph as your Mewtwo EX counter.
Strengths
Darkrai EX is a powerful attacker that can take multiple prizes at once with Night Spear’s bench damage.- Dark Cloak gives all of your Pokémon free retreat, which makes Catcher much less powerful.
- Dark Trance allows you to easily switch between attackers and heal any damage that was taken with Max Potion.
- Sableye DEX allows you to set up very consistently.
- Hydreigon DRX 97 is even a viable attacker if you need a Dragon type counter or want to Knock Out a 140 HP Stage 2 like Garchomp DRX or Empoleon DEX.
Weaknesses
- Darkrai EX is weak to Fighting, making it bad against Terrakion NVI or Terrakion-EX based decks.
- Hydreigon DRX 97 is weak to Garchomp DRX, Rayquaza DRX, and Rayquaza EX.
- Similar to Klinklang, when Hydreigon is KO’d, the deck kind of shuts down.
Techs
Eviolite is a great card that makes EXs even harder to Knock Out. This card can prevent a Knock Out by Terrakion’s Retaliate or land Crush.
Shaymin EX
Shaymin EX is your late game finisher that can be difficult to KO if your opponent has expended most of his/her resources.
This is probably the only card that can counter Mewtwo EX which isn’t a Mewtwo EX itself. Safeguard prevents damage done from EXs, and because Sigilyph is Psychic, it can hit Mewtwo EX for Weakness.
Klinklang
|
Pokémon – 16 2 Groudon EX 2 Kyogre EX 1 Kyurem EX |
Trainers – 33 4 N 4 Cheren
3 Switch 3 Eviolite |
Energy – 11 4 Prism 3 M – Basic |
Strategy
Use different EXs depending on the matchup. In order to get the Energy required for each attack use Klinklang’s Shift Gear to move the Energy onto your EX and Darkrai EX’s Dark Cloak (or Switch/D Energy for Klinklang) to retreat whatever is Active. Whenever your Pokémon take damage, Max Potion can heal the damage off.
Strengths
Almost all of the Pokémon in your deck are searchable by Heavy Ball, even Klink DEX.- You can use Max Potion and Eviolite to deny your opponent getting any prizes.
- Dark Cloak can give all of your EXs free retreat.
- Attackers like Registeel-EX and Groudon EX can help setup multiple knock outs at once.
Weaknesses
Techs
Registeel-EX can use Triple Laser to help Knock Out pesky Bench-sitters and take cheap prizes, and Protect Charge+ Eviolite makes Registeel really hard to Knock Out.
Groudon EX
Groudon EX can also apply a lot of early pressure with Tromp. Once most of your opponent’s Pokémon have damage on them, a series of Giant Claws can easily give you the win. Groudon EX+ Eviolite is an Eelektrik deck’s worst nightmare.
Kyurem EX
pokemon-paradijs.comFrozen Wings, for a Water and two C Energy, does 60 damage and forces your opponent to discard a Special Energy. This is especially good against Mewtwo EX and other Pokémon that use Double Colorless Energy. Kyurem EX is also this deck’s best counter to Fire types.
Kyogre EX
Another Water type, but this one focuses on setting up multiple knock outs with Dual Splash, which does 50 to two Pokémon. This can set up Giant Claws with Groudon EX and really hurt the setup of decks like Garchomp/Altaria and Eelektrik variants.
G. Prize Denial Through Tanking Only
This deck is basically the same concept as Prize Denial through Energy Manipulation, but you can’t move Energy around. Basically, you just have a few Pokémon with really high HP and try to keep them alive as long as possible. Very simple and can also be very effective.
There’s one BLW-on deck that I feel has great potential to take a hit.
Entei-EX
|
Pokémon – 6 4 Entei-EX |
Trainers – 41 4 N 3 Cheren
4 Switch 4 Eviolite 3 Potion |
Energy – 13 9 R
|
Strategy
Use Entei-EX’s Grand flame to at least get 2HKOs on your opponent’s Pokémon while you deny your opponent prizes by using Max Potion, Potion, and Eviolite. Grand Flame accelerates Energy onto other Entei-EXs and Mewtwo EXs, which can take the last few prizes of the game.
Strengths
Grand Flame’s 90 damage will 2HKO any non-Eviolited EX.- This deck has a simple strategy and is very consistent.
- Entei-EX has 180 HP and a Weakness to Water, which means it is very hard to Knock Out in one hit.
- Entei-EX has built-in Energy Acceleration.
Weaknesses
- Entei-EX does not get off to a very fast start.
- Entei’s weakness to Water means it is bad against Empoleon decks.
- Sigilyph DRX is an effective counter to EX heavy decks.
- Other decks can tank as well.
Techs
Mewtwo EX
Because Junk Arm and Shaymin UL are about to be rotated, there are very few decks that can pull a surprise Mewtwo EX out of nowhere, which makes Mewtwo EX a good card to take your last few prizes with. Mewtwo EX is also the best counter to other Mewtwo EXs.
pokemon-paradijs.comThis card is always good at helping heal Pokémon that Nurse Joy is taking care of, and now it can help Entei-EX. Softboiled lets you flip a coin, and if heads, heal 30 from the Active Pokémon. This makes Entei-EX even more of a tank and gives you a non-EX attacker to take down Sigilyph DRX, and Blissey is even searchable by Heavy Ball.
H. Disruption Decks
These are decks that aim to disrupt your opponents and prevent them from ever setting up through discarding cards from their hand, controlling what is top decked, and discarding Energy on the field.
At the moment, there is one major disruption deck I would like to talk about.
Hammertime
|
Pokémon – 8 |
Trainers – 40 4 N 3 Cheren
3 Eviolite |
Energy – 12 12 D – Basic |
Strategy
Use Crushing Hammers and Enhanced Hammers to disrupt your opponent’s setup. Reuse Hammers and other Items with Sableye DEX, which is your optimal starter. Then, accelerate Energy onto Darkrai EX with Dark Patch and begin to Night Spear to victory!
Strengths
Darkrai EX is a very good attacker, 90 damage will 2HKO any Pokémon and (except Wailord) and the Bench damage can setup multiple knockouts at once.- Sableye DEX can get back crucial Items from the discard pile.
- This deck is very good against decks that rely on Exp. Share, use a lot of Special Energy, or don’t have any Energy Acceleration
Weaknesses
- When using Sableye, you are basically giving your opponent a free prize.
- Darkrai EX is weak to Fighting, which makes it bad against decks that use Terrakion NVI or Terrakion-EX.
- Crushing Hammer is a card that relies on a coin flip.
Techs
Shaymin EX
Shaymin EX is a great late game finisher, but does require this deck to run Blend GFPD to accommodate for Revenge Blast’s Attack Cost. This attack does 30 damage plus 30 more damage for each prize your opponent has taken.
Mewtwo EX
The best way to counter Mewtwo EXs is with your own and the more Full Art, the more intimidating! If your opponent does not have any Mewtwo EX left, this is another card that can steamroll your opponent and get your last few prizes.
Tornadus EX
pokemon-paradijs.comBecause of Tornadus EX’s Colorless typing, you can use D Energy to attack. When paired with an Eviolite, Tornadus EX gives you one hard counter to Fighting decks.
Without Shaymin UL, it can be very difficult to prepare a late game attacker to finish the game off or prepare a Mewtwo EX. Energy Switch can also help move Energy off of Sableye DEX to Darkrai EX and begin attacking.
Max Potion is great at denying your opponent prizes, and D Energy that is sent to the discard can be recovered through Dark Patch.
Eviolite makes it much harder for your opponent to Knock Out Darkrai EX, turning 1HKOs from Terrakion NVI into 2HKOs, and it gives you an edge in the Darkrai EX mirror match. As long as your opponent doesn’t 1HKO Darkrai EX, you can heal the damage taken with a Max Potion.
This is another Item card that is specifically beneficial for Darkness Pokémon. Dark Claw is a Tool card that increases the damage of a Darkness Pokémon’s attacks by 20.
I. Trolling the Format
These are decks that try to have a response to every major threat in the format. These decks might have Limited Energy Acceleration, and in the BLW-on format may use Exp. Share to keep Energy on the board.
Here is my current version of BLW-on version of Troll.
Troll
|
Pokémon – 11 4 Groudon EX |
Trainers – 36 4 N 3 Cheren
4 Switch 4 Eviolite |
Energy – 13 13 F |
Strategy
Start off the game by using Groudon EX’s Tromp a few times, which will setup knockouts with Giant Claw later in the game. Terrakion-EX can accelerate Energy onto your Benched Pokémon with Pump-Up Smash, which does 90 damage and lets you attach two Basic Energies from your hand to your Benched Pokémon. Bouffalant counters other EXs and gives a favorable Prize trade. Mewtwo EXs counters your opponent’s.
Strengths
Terrakion-EX/Terrakion NVI/Groudon EX hit almost all of Eelektrik decks and Darkrai EX decks for weakness.- Terrakion-EX accelerates Energy without using an Ability, making it strong against Garbodor DRX.
- This deck has a response to almost anything in the format.
- An Eviolited Groudon EX is an Eelektrik deck’s worst nightmare.
Weaknesses
- The deck doesn’t get off to a very fast start.
- Decks that have Pokémon (which aren’t EXs) that will 2HKO or 1HKO your EXs means you have an unfavorable Prize trade.
- Rayquaza EX can 1HKO all of your attackers.
Techs
Terrakion can 1HKO anything with a Fighting weakness for just two Energy, and all that has to happen is one of your Pokémon are Knocked Out. What more could you ask for.
Its first attack, Abundant Harvest, lets you attach a F Energy from the discard to Landorus. This allows you to get a Turn 2 Gaia Hammer for 80 damage. This will apply a lot of pressure on your opponent and Landorus even does 10 damage to each Benched Pokémon in play, which can setup knockouts with Groudon EX’s Giant Claw.
This is another Pokémon that can spread damage around the board with Triple Laser, which does 30 damage to three of your opponent’s Pokémon for three C Energy. You can take out three Eelektriks in three turns.
BulbapediaMuddy Water does 20 damage for one F Energy and 20 damage to a Benched Pokémon. I can already hear Tynamos screaming…
This pairs very nicely with Terrakion-EX because you can recover two F Energy from the discard pile and attach them to your Pokémon via Pump-up Smash.
Getting a chance to heal your EXs or moving them out of the Active Spot without wasting a Switch sounds too good to pass up, but is it worth risking a coin flip?
Because you can’t recover Energy from the discard, Exp. Share gives you a way to keep Energy in play.
Since many of your attacker have a high Retreat Cost, this card gives you a way to consistently search out what you need without discarding resources.
Potion is a powerful Darkrai EX counter, because it can negate the Bench damage done to one of your Pokémon. Plus, it’s just cool to say your deck runs Potion. Your opponent may think it’s a joke, but you’ll be laughing when your Pokémon live an extra turn.
If you’re a fan of instigating Mewtwo EX wars or always countering a Mewtwo EX with your own, this will be a card you want to include in high numbers.
J. Mill
These are decks that aim to win by decking your opponent out. Your Pokémon will have Abilities or attacks that require your opponent to discard cards from their deck.
The Ant with a Bottomless Stomach
|
Pokémon – 14 4 Aron DRX |
Trainers – 34 4 N 4 Cheren
4 Switch 4 Revive |
Energy – 12 12 M – Basic |
Strategy
Make your opponent run out of cards in his/her deck by using Durant’s Devour, which discards the top card of your opponent’s deck for each Durant in play. Also use Aggron’s Ability, Toppling Wind, to discard three cards from your opponent’s deck when you evolve into Aggron.
Strengths
Durant and Aggron help disrupt your opponent, which is very strong in slower a format without Junk Arm.- When this deck works correctly, you can mill your opponent very quickly.
- Aggron’s Ability can be reused through Devolution Spray.
Weaknesses
- Adding in Aggron makes it less likely to start the game with Durant and Devour.
- Aggron has a four Retreat Cost, and you will need to use Catcher to retreat it.
- In order to reuse Toppling Wind, you have to evolve into multiple Aggrons and use many Devolution Sprays.
- Durant only has 70 HP.
Techs
Heavy Ball is a reliable way to search out Lairon DRX and Aggron DRX.
This card can help your preserve your M Energy when you have to retreat Durant.
4. Surprise Factor
The less your opponent knows about your deck, the harder it is for your opponent to win because they may have no clue how to approach this matchup.
5. Stands a Chance against the Current Metagame
pokemon-paradijs.comOnce a format has developed enough, you can clearly see which decks are Tier 1, and your deck should have the potential to beat them. In the next format, I think we can assume that a good deck needs some way to deal with Hydreigon DRX/Darkrai EX, Garchomp DRX/Altaria DRX, Rayquaza EX/Eelektrik NVI, and a standard Eels deck based on the results from Japan’s Spring Battle Carnivals.
6. Fits your Play Style
A person’s play style includes how people tend to build certain decks, what types of decks they like to play, and how a person goes about winning a certain matchup. While someone might feel that 11 Draw Supporters are enough for a BLW-on deck, others may say you need 12-14 and some Random Receiver as well.
Another example of play style is in this previous format CMT and Zekeels. If you preferred relying on your hand a lot, but potentially getting a really fast start, then you probably tended to play CMT. If you didn’t like relying on your hand and being susceptible to N, then you probably preferred Zekeels.
7. Starting Pokémon
There are certain Pokémon that can be teched into every deck that acts as a consistency booster, and they are Pokémon you typically want to start the game off with.
Virizion knows an attack, Double Draw that allows you to draw two cards for a C Energy. The attack cost means it can be teched into any deck, but which decks can use Virizion to its full potential?
I believe Empoleon variants would be the best choice because you simply load your hand up with more cards, something you’re already doing with Diving Draw, but now your draw support is even more powerful.
Virizion also has a nice 110 HP, which means you aren’t going to be donked if you start a game with Virizion.
Its second attack, Leaf Wallop, could be a useful Fighting counter in decks that already run Prism Energy.
Emolga knows a familiar attack named Call for Family, which lets you search for two Basic Pokémon and put them onto your Bench for a C Energy. This is a card that can really benefit any deck, but I feel is especially good in decks that run Stage 2s. Emolga even has a nice free Retreat Cost.
There are three major flaws with Emolga: 70 HP, a Lightning Weakness, and usefulness in the late game.
Only having 70 HP means Emolga could very easily be donked by a Tornadus EX, Skyarrow Beidge, DCE, and PlusPower/Aerodactyl. The Lightning weakness also means that Rayquaza DRX’s Dragon Pulse can 1HKO Emolga.
Once you are setup, Emolga basically becomes a wasted spot on your Bench because you don’t need to use Call for Family anymore.
8. Staples
These are cards that are almost mandatory inclusions in every deck simply because of how good they are. In the BLW-on, almost every deck will run 3-4 Pokémon Catcher because it is a great card that is too good not to pass up, unless your deck focuses heavily on spreading damage or your deck is tight on space, in which case it might not be necessary.
9. A Good Balance of Consistency vs. Tech
A successful deck usually is very consistent, and uses some techs, but not too many where you lose too much consistency.
To explain this concept, I will use 2012 US Nationals as an example.
Zekrom/Eelektrik/Terrakion
pokemon-paradijs.comZekeels was such as powerful deck in the previous format, but one of difficulties in the HS-DEX format was picking the best attackers, because there were so many viable options to choose from.
Many people’s immediate answer was Terrakion NVI. In a format dominated by Fighting weak decks, it seemed natural to put a card into your deck that can 1HKO most of the cards in these Fighting weak decks for just a Fighting and a C Energy.
The problem with Zekrom/Eels/Terrakion is that you had to invest quite a bit of space of your deck for Terrakion and F Energy, which I believed ruined the deck’s consistency too much.
The Zekrom/Eels variant that had the most success was with a heavy count of Mewtwo EX, Max Potion, and Raikou-EX. Mewtwo EX and Raikou-EX can both attack with L Energy, which makes this version of Eels much more consistent, and I believe what led to its success.
When considering techs, it’s important to keep in mind the type of tournament you are attending. If you are going to a Nationals, then you’ll want a deck that will consistently perform well against the majority of the metagame because you are playing in such a large tournament. If you’re in a smaller tournament, then you may be able to tech more against what decks seem to be popular in your area and be successful.
In Conclusion
Thanks for reading this article, I hope newer players found a way they might like to build a deck while experienced players gained more lists they can test with.
If you have any suggestions, feedback, or comments you would like to make, feel free to do so, and good luck at upcoming Battle Roads!
their isnt any article
I was wondering if that was just me… but I guess not.
Yikes, I’m on it. Will hopefully have it fixed soon.
SixPrizes is an awesome site.
“Altaria and Garchomp’s weakness to Dragon means they will be bad against Rayquaza DRX and Rayquaza EX”
I think Rayquaza EX is bad against Garchomp.
Lol to Professor N at Worlds.
“Aggron has a four retreat cost, and you will need to use Catcher to retreat it.”
“The Lightning weakness [of Emolga] also means that Rayquaza DRX’s Dragon Pulse can OHKO Emolga.”… (o_O)
There are a few mistypes and mistakes, but no harm done because it’s a very well written article and a very good read. Thanks! :)
Aggron has a four retreat cost, and you will need to use Catcher to retreat it. LOLOLOL !
I know you. LOLOLOLOLOL
Might want to fix that, Adam :P
Why use tropical beach in Accelgor??? If they are paralyzed, the opponent can use it, because they can’t attack anyways.
It’s great for early game.
The biggest +1 I can conceivably give. A very complete article going over all the strategies out there.
Also, I love your vote of confidence. I was reading this article with Starmetroid and when I read that, an idea popped into his head to use it in a rogue deck I’ve been working on (as a joke). But I think I can actually see a promising idea for Shedinja… not necessarily with Ninjask though… haha
Maybe my next BW-on Rogues article will use it! :P
Brilliant article,very helpful for when preparing for Battleroads where without Japan’s results every deck is abit rouge.
Why in the world would you want prism energy in empoleon?
Have you tested any of these lists or even half of them?
No tool scrapper in many of the decks could be a glaring oversight. Particularly the “Spread and Snipe” deck, which is severely hampered by eviolites attached to their pokemon – Registeel will only hit for 10 damage against an eviolited foe. Also, any deck without tool scrapper could struggle MASSIVELY against Garbodor. Maybe i’m overestimating the trash can, but without tool scrapper you leave yourself completely susceptible to ability lock all game with no way of even temporarily interrupting it (except repeatedly catchering and killing Garbodors, letting them power up their attackers unmolested and sweep you).
I rarely ever comment on articles but I want to give props to the author for accomplishing two important things: 1) there was plenty of technical insight into how to play the game and how the new format will/may work. 2) there were plenty of deck lists for the less creative (ME!) readers who need help with deck building. Bravo!
At first, I was going to criticize some of your deck lists, but then I thought, this author just gave a decent jumping off point, strategy, advantages, and weakness anaylisis to 95% of the decks we will see in the next format in one article. 18 deck lists in one article plus analysis about draw support and other game mechanics. Great job. The writing flowed and was easy to read.
Thanks for writing this up – very useful reference for players looking at decks to play for the next season!
Aggron is so heavy that a Switch won’t do the job, you need a Catcher too.
This article is extremely helpful, but I still suck at the game anyway. Life sucks (for me). When I get a job I will be able to invest in better decks. Great article, you should do a fall Regionals report when the time comes.