Welcome to the New Format

Hello everyone!

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He’s back at it again!!

After my last very untraditional article for the Underground, I decided that it’s time to get back to my favorite aspect of the Pokémon TCG – deck building. Not only has it been a while since my last article full of decklists, but also a new set will be released in just a few weeks and it will turn the whole metagame upside down. The greatest thing about the new set is that it will also renew the whole deck building process thanks to cards like Skyla, Ditto, Bicycle, and Computer Search.

Naturally, everyone is always excited before a new set is released, but this set will be something exceptional when it comes to the game in general. As I said, in this article I’ll mainly concentrate on decks and ideas from the new set and how the deck building process will be changed.

I’ll start by taking a quick look at what I consider to be the most important cards of Boundaries Crossed.

After that I’ll take a look at how the best and Black & White through Dragons Exalted decks will look like after being updated with cards from the new set. Some current Tier 1 decks get a complete makeover, while the others survive with small changes.

After looking at the familiar faces, I’ll get to the most interesting part of this article (at least in my opinion) – which new decks will rise from Boundaries Crossed? Boundaries Crossed isn’t the best set ever Pokémon-wise, so there won’t be that many new decks that will make a run for Tier 1, but a lot of cards have potential and could make the competitive scene very interesting.

As you may know, Landorus EX will be released in Boundaries Crossed and it will be played and change the metagame. However, in this article I’ll try to discuss as many non-Landorus-EX decks as possible because in my second article of this month I’ll fully concentrate on the Fighting variants of the new format – just like in one of my older articles – and I’m sure that it will be a very Landorus-filled article.

I’m sure this will be a veeeerryyy long journey through the new format, so there is no time to waste. Let’s get to it. (I won’t be discussing Regionals results in this article, but if you’re interested in seeing which decks won, check out The Top Cut’s coverage.)

Boundaries Crossed – Quick Look

Landorus-EX

BulbapediaLandorus-EX is the new Mewtwo EX/Darkrai EX of Boundaries Crossed. It will be very hyped, it will earn its spot in Tier 1, and it will be played in many decks. However, is it the very best EX of all time? No, it’s not. If Landorus-EX wasn’t able to donk Tynamos and Deinos turn 1, I would gladly welcome it to the new format, but I don’t really think the format needs any more donking cards, so I don’t really know if Landorus-EX is good for the game or not.

Granted, it makes the format a lot more versatile than it currently is, but at the same time it increases donks in tournaments, which is what I hate the most in Pokémon TCG. Everyone can prepare for donks, especially against Landorus-EX, but sometimes there is just nothing you can do when you open with a lone Tynamo. Remember the feeling back in the day when you opened with a lone Cleffa HS? Now whenever you open with a Tynamo, the odds are that you will be donked T1.

Landorus-EX’s typing is excellent and so are its both attacks and it will give a hard time to Eelektrik and Hydreigon variants. However, new decks will rise thanks to the playability of Landorus-EX and probably decrease the amount of Eelektrik and Hydreigon decks. And as we all know, versatility is never a bad thing in Pokémon TCG.

Ditto

Ditto will become a staple for almost every deck. It’s almost as versatile as Mew-EX and will enable 1-0-1 techs lines that haven’t been legit options for Pokémon TCG in 3 years. Ditto is not-so-surprisingly my favorite card of the set because it increases creativeness in the format. You’ll notice that most decks in this article will include at least 1 Ditto.

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Computer Search

Computer Search is a new type of Trainer card, which is called ACE SPEC. You can only have one ACE SPEC in your deck, and after Boundaries Crossed is released 95% of decks will contain Computer Search as their ACE SPEC. And even though Computer Search seems like it’s the best card ever, it’s not necessary in every deck.

Computer Search is able to develop a whole new search engine around it, which is very welcome, because at the moment most decks’ search engines are about the same. It’s time to get those Base Set Computer Searches back from the garret!

Skyla

Skyla is one of the most interesting Supporter cards ever printed. I’ve always wondered, would a Supporter card that is able to search for any card be playable? Skyla almost does that. Skyla searches for a Trainer card, and as we know, with Trainer cards we can search in this format everything except Special Energy cards. Oh wait, but now we have Computer Search, so we’re able to search for anything, right? I’ll get back to that later on…

Escape Rope

Escape Rope is a reprint of Warp Point. It’s easy to say that it’s not as good as back in the day due Catcher, but it’s still playable and some decks will make a good use of it. Some decks will play many Escape Ropes, and some only a few. Some decks will have only Escape Ropes, while the other stay with Switch-only. You can’t really say if Switch is better than Escape Rope or the other way around. You just have to try both in your decks to recognize the best numbers of Escape Rope and Switch as the optimal counts will be different in every deck.

Old Decks with New Cards

Hydreigon/Darkrai

Hydreigon/Darkrai was already Tier 1 and even though things get trickier for a Hydreigon players, the deck gets a whole new search engine, which helps it dramatically. Thanks to Sableye, the deck can abuse the best cards of this format and will probably be Tier 1 for a long time, even after Cities.

Pokémon – 15

3 Deino NVI
1 Zweilous DRX 96
3 Hydreigon DRX 97

3 Sableye DEX
3 Darkrai-EX DEX
1 Shaymin-EX NXD
1 Mewtwo-EX NXD

Trainers – 33

4 N

3 Professor Juniper

3 Skyla
2 Random Receiver

 

4 Ultra Ball

4 Pokémon Catcher
3 Rare Candy
3 Eviolite
3 Max Potion
3 Dark Patch

1 Computer Search

Energy – 12

8 D

4 Blend GRPD

What’s Changed?

BulbapediaAs we all know, Hydreigon was already a clear Tier 1 contender and it was also very popular. Well, good news for everyone who has invested their money in Hydreigon: There are many tournaments left for Hydreigon, because Hydreigon just got EVEN BETTER.

Thanks goes to Sableye, which enables the Skyla-engine to work better than in any other deck. With Skyla, you’re able to get Computer Search, which you are able to get back with Junk Hunt. After you’ve searched for Computer Search, you’ll get it back to your hand with Junk Hunt every turn, which means you’re able to use any other Supporter (e.g. Juniper) and Computer Search in the same turn.

If someone thought that Hydreigon/Darkrai EX was the BDIF prior to Boundaries Crossed, he/she doesn’t have to change his/her opinion. Hydreigon/Darkrai EX just got so good and consistent that it will be in the Tier 1-of City Championships 100%. I can guarantee that.

If Sableye was important in the original Hydreigon/Darkrai EX, it’s even more important in the new format. It’s like a Basic Pidgeot RG. It’s also good to understand how fragile Computer Search/Skyla engine really is, because your Computer Search just may be prized. That’s why it’s important that you don’t build your deck completely around Skyla. The temptation to run 4 Random Receivers and 4 Skylas is there, but I don’t think it’s the right way to go.

Even though I’ve already proved the brutal force of this new Hydreigon/Darkrai EX, I’m not yet completely satisfied how the deck runs. I’m sure that the list can be made to be even more straightforward and smoother. One thing I’m disappointed about is that Boundaries Crossed doesn’t really offer anything new tech-wise for Hydreigon. The best techs still are Shaymin EX, Mewtwo EX, and Sigilyph DRX. The person who won the tournament with Hydreigon in Japan really knew what he was doing when building the deck.

Eelektrik Variants

Eelektrik variants will get the same kind of changes, so I’ll just show you the list for both of the decks and sum up their changes.

Rayquaza/Eels

As we all know, Eelektriks will be very afraid of Landorus-EX, but thankfully Eelektrik decks are the most adaptable decks in the whole format. By adding a few techs and starters, this Eeletrik variant is once again ready to claim its spot in Tier 1.

Pokémon – 17

4 Tynamo NVI 38
3 Eelektrik NVI

2 Rayquaza DRX
2 Rayquaza-EX DRX
2 Raikou-EX
2 Emolga DRX
1 Tornadus-EX DEX

1 Ditto BCR

Trainers – 31

4 Professor Juniper
4 N
4 Bianca

 

4 Pokémon Catcher

4 Ultra Ball
3 Switch
2 Eviolite

1 Computer Search
1 Level Ball
1 Escape Rope
1 Max Potion
1 Super Rod

 

1 Skyarrow Bridge

Energy – 12

8 L

4 R

Zekrom/Eelektrik

The old standard needs to be renewed just like the Rayquaza variant, because Tynamos are still very weak to Landorus-EX. Thanks to the new changes, this basic Eelektrik variant only got more aggressive, which is never a bad thing!

Pokémon – 17

4 Tynamo NVI 38
4 Eelektrik NVI
2 Tornadus-EX DEX
2 Raikou-EX
2 Mewtwo-EX NXD

1 Zekrom-EX

1 Ditto BCR
1 Emolga DRX

Trainers – 31

4 Professor Juniper
4 N
4 Bianca

 

3 Ultra Ball

4 Pokémon Catcher
3 Max Potion

3 Switch
2 Tool Scrapper
1 Level Ball

1 Computer Search

 

2 Skyarrow Bridge

Energy – 12

8 L

4 Double Colorless

What’s Changed?

pokemon-paradijs.comAs said previously, Landorus-EX will be released and give Eelektrik variants a very tough time. However, don’t be afraid – Eelektrik will stay alive since it’s such an adaptable deck. First of all, if you weren’t yet playing Emolga in your Eelektrik deck, now is the time to put those little squirrels in the deck. Emolga is the second best card to put into Eelektrik deck since it has a Resistance to Fighting (I’ll get to the best card soon). It can’t be donked and it will help you to setup your Eelektrik very quickly or search for the other attackers.

Computer Search is a natural addition to the deck, because it’s just like an Ultra Ball, but you can search for anything with it. It helps get Energy to discard pile while helping you setup at the same time. I believe that Computer Search opens 1-2 spots for any deck that would otherwise be used for Supporters or Balls.

Lastly, there is the best card in Eelektrik decks – Tornadus EX. It has Fighting Resistance and hits for high damage very quickly. In a standard Eelektrik decks, which still run Double Colorless Energy, Tornadus can become a donker while at the same time it’s your best bet against Landorus-EX. I predict that Tornadus EX will become more played than ever and unfortunately at the same time, it will be even more than before. So, you better start stockpiling those Tornadus EXs before it’s $40 again!

Speed Darkrai EX

Even though Speed Darkrai didn’t win Regionals, it’s one of the decks that will get so much out of the new set that I’m sure we’ll see an increase of Speed Darkrais at City Championships. This is the first taste of the new format.

Pokémon – 8

4 Darkrai-EX DEX
4 Sableye DEX

Trainers – 38

4 Professor Juniper
4 Bianca
2 N
2 Random Receiver

 

4 Ultra Ball

4 Pokémon Catcher

4 Ether
4 Dark Patch
3 Energy Switch
3 Pokédex
2 Eviolite

1 Escape Rope

1 Computer Search

Energy – 14

14 D

What’s Changed?

BulbapediaThe only thing that has changed in Darkrai EX, is that now it’s a real Speed Darkrai EX that aims at hitting in T1. Thanks to the Ether/Pokédex engine, it’s really possible. Small changes thanks to cards like Computer Search also help with the speed. One of the most important things I think is important to understand is that even though Bicycle would sounds a great card here, it really isn’t.

The reason for this is that in order to get T1 Darkrai EX with the Ether/Dark Patch engine, you need a lot of Energy to your deck. And even though you have cards like Ultra Balls and Computer Search that discard cards from your hand, you would get far too quickly stuck with the Bicycles because they only draw to 4 cards.

I can guarantee that this deck will get a T2 Darkrai extremely often, and in many games it will even get a T1 Darkrai EX. And as we all know, Speed Darkrai EX was a viable deck back in the day of BLW–DEX, and it certainly is now if you can get it as solid as it was in the last format. Even a quick Landorus-EX doesn’t do any harm for Speed Darkrai EX, because Landorus only 3HKOs Darkrai EX while Darkrai EX 2HKOs Landorus-EX.

There is one thing I would like to add to this deck – First Ticket. Going first and getting a T1 Darkrai EX in this format is almost a guaranteed win. However, I haven’t yet tested enough this deck in order to say if it’s possible to fit in First Tickets while maintaining the consistency to get the T1 Darkrai EX. Tom Dolezal did great job making Speed Darkrai a mainstream deck after the U.S. Nationals and I believe that with the right kind of build, it’s possible to do again.

Welcome the New Format

uploadimages4free.comSo finally to my favorite part of this article – the new decks and to the endless flow of brainstorming. As I’ve highlighted in most of my articles, my favorite thing about Pokémon TCG is building and brainstorming deck ideas. Especially rogue decks. However, in this article, I’ll stay mainly with the soon-to-become metagame decks that I believe will become mainstream as soon as City Championships start.

The format will be more versatile than it’s been in over 3 years, which means that it will be a deckbuilder’s format and predicting the metagame and playing the right techs will become very important. I’ve talked a lot with my Japanese friend about the Japanese metagame after Boundaries Crossed, so some of these decks originate from Japan, while the others are my own ideas.

I won’t go too in-depth with the decks either, but just explain the strategies and the key cards in the decks, because otherwise the article would turn out with 200,000 words, which would unwelcome. I hope you like these ideas as much as I did while coming up with them!

Four Corners

Pokémon – 17

4 Oddish BCR
1 Gloom BCR
4 Vileplume BCR
2 Landorus-EX
2 Mew-EX
2 Rayquaza DRX
2 Basculin NXD

Trainers – 30

4 Professor Juniper
4 N
2 Bianca
2 Skyla

 

4 Rare Candy

4 PlusPower

3 Ultra Ball
3 Pokémon Catcher
2 Switch

1 Pokémon Communication
1 Computer Search

Energy – 12

4 Prism
4 Blend WLFM
2 F
1 L
1 W

Concept

BulbapediaI’ll start with my favorite concept of the new set. Back in the day there was a Four Corners deck, which aimed at hitting the main weaknesses of the metagame. The renewed version of Six Corners wasn’t really loyal to the original idea, even though the name was very similar. Anyway, this deck is loyal to the idea of the original Four Corners deck, and in fact it takes the concept one step further since Vileplume is able to double the Weaknesses! The deck not only hits Weaknesses, but is also terribly fast and able to donk many starters in the format.

As you can see, this deck aims at hitting the main weaknesses of the format and is a Four Corner deck. This very same deck can be a Three Corner, Five Corner, or even a Nine Corner deck if you want it to be. However, I think Four Corners is optimum, so I’ll just call the deck Four Corners.

If we look at the decks I analyzed earlier on in this article, we can find the main Weaknesses of the current format. By looking these decks, we can find the Weaknesses to be:

  • Fighting
  • Dragon
  • Water
  • Psychic

As you can see, I’ve covered all these Weaknesses of the format with this deck. All the attackers are able to hit for 1 Energy, so thanks to Vileplume you are able to hit for 120-160 damage with one Energy against most of this metagame’s Pokémon! It sounds too good to be true, and it is to some extent, so here are the dilemmas with the deck.

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1. Expected and Unexpected Techs

Since the deck concentrates on hitting to Weaknesses, any Pokémon without Weakness to the hitters of this deck cause trouble. Especially Tornadus EX, which will probably see a huge increase in playability. Tornadus EX will be a popular tech thanks to Landorus-EX and causes this deck some serious problems. You could try running something like Raikou-EX to counter Tornadus EX, but hitting with 2 Energy is bad in this type of deck.

The deck may also have trouble with some unexpected techs that even I can’t imagine. If the tech is strong enough and doesn’t have a Weakness to your corners, it will tear your whole deck apart. You could try preparing for everything expected and unexpected with all types of Pokémon and put them into your deck, but in the end the decrease in consistency will make the deck even more unplayable than the techs you may run into.

2. Random Decks

Four Corners is one of the most ironic decks in the upcoming format. As long as you face decks like Eelektrik variants and Darkrai EX variants, you will have very good matchups before you. However, whenever you face the first random Grass deck with Fire Weakness, your only option is to try to run through them with Landorus-EX’s pure power. It won’t be easy, but it’s manageable.

As said earlier, it’s impossible to prepare for every threat this deck is able to face, but as long as you can limit the risks to a satisfying level, this deck quickly becomes a real contender in a tournament filled with metagame decks.

Key Cards

pokemon-paradijs.comVileplume is the reason this kind of deck is able to exist. Vileplume gives 4× Weakness to every Pokémon in play (yours and your opponent’s). This combined with hitters that hit for high damage with one Energy enables creating a deck that is good against every metagame deck. As the deck really only works when you have the Vileplume in play, you need to guarantee that Vileplume gets to play as soon as possible.

At the moment I’m satisfied with the 4-1-4 line with 4 Candies, but a 4-2-4 is also possible if I drop one Basculin from the deck. Also, about Basculin. It’s important to notice that Basculin only hits 40 damage if your opponetn already HAS damage counter on them. So, in order to 1HKO e.g. Landorus-EX with Basculin, you need to hit first it with for example Hammerhead of your own Landorus-EX.

Corners

So as said, I settled with 4 corners in this deck. However, if you we look at the bigger picture, there are 3 more Weaknesses that really should be considered. These are:

Virizion NVI could be a great choice for a Grass hitter since it can work as an opener as well just like in the original Six Corners deck. Lightning can be covered with Raikou-EX, while Fire could be covered with Entei-EX, but putting ALL these to the deck will cause some huge inconsistency problems. The biggest problem would probably be how to retreat all these Pokémon. Maybe Darkrai EX? Oh, no, it’s going overboard once again.

Bulbapedia

Trainers

I was pretty surprised how difficult it really is to fit all these cards to the deck since I would love to have more Switches, some Dittos, and more Supporters in the deck. Some may choose running only 1 copy of the techs, but I’m not every keen on that idea since it will just lead to Prize frustration. Town Map would become a necessary addition for the deck since you would always need the right techs from the Prizes as soon as possible. This would also lead necessary additions like Super Rod, Revive, etc., and even more Catchers, so you can take the prize in the early game, even without hitting for Weakness.

I’ve been toying around this deck for a while and even though I love the concept, I have found it very difficult to create the right balance within the deck. I’m quite comfortable with the current list, but I know that it will probably see a lot more changes when I’ve seen other people’s takes on the deck.

Energy

There is something very interesting in the 4 corners I chose for this deck. I don’t know if you noticed it, but all the 4 corners in this deck work with the Blend Energy WLFM since Mew-EX doesn’t use P Energy and Rayquaza as a Dragon type Pokémon works with a L Energy. That’s why it could be reasonable to add the Raikou-EX to the deck since it can abuse the same Blend Energy as well while countering one of the deck’s biggest enemies – Tornadus EX.

This deck can also finally play Prism Energy. Prism Energy is one of the best cards in the format since it’s the only real Rainbow Energy in the format. I’m sure that Prism Energy will see an increase in play in the Cities, which will probably lead to the increased amounts of Enhanced Hammers and Hammertime doing exceptionally well, but as long as there are real Energy acceleration decks like Eelektrik and Hydreigon around, the metagame and Hammers will stay in a great balance.

Blastoise/Keldeo-EX

Pokémon – 16

4 Squirtle BCR
2 Wartortle BCR
4 Blastoise BCR
4 Keldeo-EX
1 Mewtwo-EX NXD
1 Emolga DRX

Trainers – 30

4 Professor Juniper
4 Bianca
3 Cheren

2 N
1 Skyla

 

4 Ultra Ball
4 Rare Candy
4 Pokémon Catcher
3 Max Potion

1 Pokémon Communication

Energy – 14

14 W

Concept

BulbapediaRain Dance – ‘nuff said. The concept of Blastoise Energy accelerating attackers has been around from the very beginning of the Base Set. And by the way, I don’t approve the name of Blastoise’s Ability – Deluge. Before I started writing this article I didn’t even know what Deluge is in Finnish! Why can’t it just be Rain Dance? I’m mad.

Anyway, the deck’s concept is so simple that it’s brilliant. It’s just like ReshiBoar, but with Water Pokémon. Blastoise accelerates Keldeo-EX, Emboar BLW 20 accelerates Reshiram-EX/Reshiram NXD, so just like ReshiBoar, this should be a Tier 3 deck too, right? Not exactly. Even though the concept is the same, there are small differences that in the end make all the difference.

First, the Water Type. Ok, thank god Blastoise and Keldeo-EX aren’t Weak to Lightning – that would’ve been the end of them. They are Weak to Grass. So in the current format, they are pretty much without Weakness. And when it comes to the Weaknesses, Landorus-EX is Weak to Water. While the old Tier 1 is weak to Landorus-EX, which makes Landorus-EX the dominant force in the metagame, this deck is able to counter Landorus-EX completely. Only with 3 Energy Keldeo-EX is able to 1HKO an Eviolited Landorus-EX. I mentioned the importance of Weaknesses in the metagame earlier in this article.

pokemon-paradijs.comSo, now we get to business. Darkrai EX and Eelektriks are Weak to Landorus-EX, and Landorus-EX is Weak to Keldeo-EX. Keldeo-EX is Weak to? Well, nothing that is playable except for Shaymin EX. This love triangle defines the upcoming metagame. The most important thing in a deck in the upcoming format will be that you don’t have auto-losses, and if you do, you have to be lucky to avoid the bad matchups in a tournament. Anyone who likes spending his/her time tweaking their decks endlessly will be offered a real challenge in this format – how to make a monotype deck immune to Weakness (without the upcoming Plasma Stadium).

Second, there is Keldeo-EX’s Ability, which is easily overlooked. It’s only a Switch, so what about it? It makes a HUGE difference because it opens 4 spaces from the deck that would usually go to Switches/Escape Ropes. As we know, anyone would welcome 4 free spots for their deck. Keldeo-EX’s Ability not only gives more room for the deck, but also is better than 4 Switches would be. You’ll run out of Switches at some point. You may not draw into Switch when you need it the most etc. The only worse thing about the Ability compared to Switch is that it’s shut down by Gardodor DRX, but as we all know, there are easy answers to Garbodor as well.

Key Cards

Pokémon

BulbapediaBlastoise is the Emboar of this deck. It has a horrible retreat of 4, which isn’t a problem thanks to Keldeo-EX’s Ability. It also has a HP of 140 and a Weakness to Grass, so it’s as difficult to KO as Emboar is. Its attack is only a worse version of Keldeo’s attack, so you’ll be using Blastoise only in two situations:

  1. If you are able to get a donk T2.
  2. You’re in a desperate situation where you can’t use Keldeo-EXs.

Keldeo-EX is the star of this deck and I must admit that when I first saw the card, I overlooked it completely. It was only a mediocre card in my opinion that had a good typing. However, in the end, it’s so much more than that. Mainly because of the probable shift in the metagame from Eelektrik and Hydreigon to Landorus-EX.

The deck completely destroys every single Landorus-EX variant that isn’t prepared to face Keldeo-EX. Probably the best part about Keldeo-EX is that Landorus can’t 1HKO it, even with its second attack that hits for 150 damage. Keldeo-EX is the much needed counter to Landorus-EX.

Mewtwo EX is in the deck just because the deck needs a lot of energy on its main attacker to do enough damage, thus making Keldeo-EX more than vulnerable to your opponent’s Mewtwo EX. And as we all know, Mewtwo EX’s best counter still is Mewtwo EX, so playing Mewtwo EX should be pretty self-explanatory in this deck. Mewtwo EX can also work against anything else since if you happen to have a lot of spare energy in your hand, you can just play all your energy to Mewtwo EX and make it a 1HKO machine.

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Trainers

Skyla brings something very interesting to any Stage 2 decks, because Skyla can search for Rare Candy. I must admit that I don’t see Skyla as effective here as in Darkrai/Hydreigon, but it may be useful. I haven’t fully discovered Skyla yet since I’ve been testing the new format only 2 weeks, but it’s very probable that once the metagame develops, Blastoise decks will also have more Skylas.

One very interesting idea I’ve been playing around with is playing Blastoise like back in the year 2000 when it dominated the Juniors division of Tropical Mega Battle. Back then the Juniors winner played a 3-0-3 Blastoise line, which was possible thanks to Computer Search.

Now we also have Computer Search AND Skyla, so in theory it would be possible to play the deck without Wartortle. That’s just brainstorming, but I believe it could work in the current format. Of course I would play something like 4-0-4 since the power creep of the current format takes care of the benched Blastoises surprisingly quickly.

Oh, and one more thing. Cilan isn’t playable here!

Tornadus EX/Aerodactyl

Pokémon – 8

4 Tornadus-EX DEX
4 Aerodactyl DEX

Trainers – 40

4 Professor Juniper
4 Hugh
4 N
1 Skyla
2 Random Receiver

 

4 Ultra Ball
4 Pokémon Catcher
4 First Ticket
4 PlusPower
1 Tool Scrapper

1 Computer Search

 

4 Twist Mountain
3 Skyarrow Bridge

Energy – 12

8 F

4 Double Colorless

Concept

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To be honest, I thought that First Ticket will be released in Dragons Exalted, so this deck was in the draft of my August UG article. However, since First Ticket wasn’t released, I had to delay showing you this concept. As some of you may know, this concept isn’t my own. It was invented by some Japanese player, and from what I understand, he did fairly well in a tournament with this.

This is not his list card-for-card because in my opinion every deck can be tinkered, but it’s very close to it. The idea is pretty simple. You should be able to go first in most of the games thanks to First Ticket (someone do the math, how what’s the probability of you going first if you play 4 First Tickets, and your opponent doesn’t play any, pretty please?). Anyway, even without math, I can say that the probability of you going first is at least more than 50%!

So, when you go first you should also be able to get a Stadium to play T1 (in the best case scenario Twist Mountain). You should also get your hands on Double Colorless Energy and attach it to Tornadus EX. With Twist Mountain you could also get Aerodactyl into play T1. So Tornadus EX is able to hit from 60 to 80 damage in T1 thanks to Aerodactyl and PlusPowers (let’s not assume that you have all 4 PlusPowers in your hand T1). The deck is brutally fast and especially thanks to First Ticket, I believe it may see some competitive play. More about First Ticket and its importance soon.

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Key Cards

Trainers

Since the deck only has 4 Basics, you will mulligan many times. For this you must be prepared. It would be very easy if Copycat was in the format, because you would always be Copycatting 10 cards T1, which would probably always lead into T1 at least 60. However, even without Copycat the format gives help to this deck.

First, there is naturally N. It works at the same time as a draw card for yourself and as a disrupter for your opponent since he/she will probably have more than 6 cards in his opening hand thank to your mulligans. Unfortunately N is a double-edged sword in a speed deck like this and it will become useless in the late game. That’s one of the reasons the deck play Ultra Balls, you should be able to get rid of all the Ns with Ultra Balls before entering the late game.

Second, there is Hugh. It’s one of the most interesting (and worst) Trainer cards in the new set. I really couldn’t believe I found a deck where it would actually work when I first build this deck, but it’s true, it really works here! Hugh is a new type of draw Supporter than disrupts your opponent – each player draw/discards cards from their hand until they have 5 cards in their hand. If you have mulliganed 4-5 times, Hugh can be very devastating to your opponent’s hand. With a speed deck, destroying your opponent’s resources in the early game is highly important.

BulbapediaIf you were wondering why the list doesn’t have Bicycle in it, it is because I don’t believe in Bicycle (at least in this deck). This deck has far too many cards that can lock your hand in a way that makes Bicycle useless. Too many Energy, 7 Stadiums etc. Everything else in the Trainer lines should be pretty clear.

First Ticket

I can’t highlight the importance of First Ticket enough with this deck. Before First Ticket was released, I was tempted to build this deck to the BLW–DRX format. However, I never built it. For that I’m happy, because it would’ve been waste of time. However, with First Ticket it’s a whole other story. Going first with a speed deck gives you a huge control over any setup deck since they are always 1 turn behind.

Even in the worst case scenario, you should be able to draw 2 Prizes against Hydreigon/Darkrai or Eelektrik variants before they are even allowed to evolve their Pokémon! That’s the only way you have a chance of winning. Once they’ve setup, you should have 1-2 Prizes left and be able to draw them with the help of PlusPowers, Aerodactyls, and Catchers.

Landorus-EX/Registeel-EX/Dusknoir

Pokémon – 16

3 Duskull BCR
1 Dusclops BCR
3 Dusknoir BCR

3 Landorus-EX
3 Registeel-EX
2 Ditto BCR
1 Mewtwo-EX NXD

Trainers – 33

4 Professor Juniper
4 Bianca
2 Skyla
3 N

 

4 Pokémon Catcher
3 Rare Candy
3 Switch

3 Ultra Ball
2 Tool Scrapper
2 Max Potion

1 Energy Switch

1 Heavy Ball
1 Computer Search

Energy – 11

7 F

4 Double Colorless

Concept

pokemon-paradijs.comI was never a fan of Registeel-EX even though it got a lot of hype when it was first released. It was put into everything. Even in Eelektrik decks! What I think is the most important thing in spread decks is synergy. The cards must not only work well with each other, but they must support each other. That’s why I believe this concept is more than potential for the spread lovers.

The concept is simple – start hitting T1 with Landorus-EX or T2 with Registeel-EX. You’ll often have the chance to choose either one so think carefully, which is better in the matchup you’re playing? I’ve been playing quite a lot with this deck recently and have noticed that as ironic as it is, Landorus-EX is worse against Eelektrik variants than Registeel-EX! If you open with Landorus-EX, your opponent can setup, because you only hit to two Pokémon and always hit the active.

However, with Registeel-EX, they can’t play 3 Tynamos on their bench, because if they miss the Eelektriks, e.g. after your N, you’ll be taking 3 Prizes in 2 turns and kill their Energy accelerators completely. I’ve already played very intense practice games with this deck against Eelektriks, and if I go with Registeel-EX their best choice is to go solo-Mewtwo EX because spreading is pretty useless against 1-2 Pokémon.

Since the deck is all about spreading with Landorus-EX and Registeel-EX, the natural addition to the deck is Dusknoir. Dusknoir’s Ability is one of the coolest Abilites in the Pokémon TCG history. It reminds me of Absol ex, which was able to move 3 of your opponent’s damage counters to another his/her Pokémon. Thanks to power Cceep, Dusknoir is able to move your opponent’s damage counters as you wish.

It’s cool, but there is one “but.” There are no cards like Jolteon*, Jolteon ex, Spiritomb LA, or Crobat G which can do surprise damage with their Powers. That’s why you don’t really have a surprise factor even though you can move the damage around. Your opponent can always count what you can with their damage counters and if he/she is awake, you aren’t able to do anything groundbreaking and too surprising with Dusknoir. However, controlling damage counters will win you games, so Dusknoir is must addition to the deck.

Key Cards

Ditto

BulbapediaDitto is one of the key players in this deck because with it you CAN surprise your opponent. I haven’t discussed Ditto a lot in this article, though I believe I could do an article dedicated to Ditto on my blog or even to Underground (an 8,000-word article about one card, wouldn’t that be something?). However, the great thing about Ditto is that the whole card pool at your service. At least this is how your opponent has to look at it.

If a Ditto sits on the bench one turn, it can be ANYTHING the next turn, from Mewtwo EX to Hydreigon. Your opponent can prepare for the worst, but preparing for worst will always disrupt their game plan.

The reason why I put two Ditto instead of one is that when I noticed that I was seeing more and more of the solo-Mewtwo EX strategy against me, I could play mindgames with my opponent when playing one Fighting energy to a Ditto on the bench. The next turn it could be a 3 Energy Mewtwo EX or a Registeel-EX with spreading capabilities. The most important thing is that your opponent can’t control what’s coming. You can just react to whatever they’re doing and use the right tech at the right time on Ditto. It’s pretty broken if you ask me.

Tool Scrapper

I’m not a fan of Tool Scrapper and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to highlight it here. This is one of the rare decks that just NEEDS Tool Scrapper. Without Tool Scrapper, the deck’s strategy will be ruined completely in many ways. There are two cards that are highly disruptive against this deck, but counter-able with Tool Scrapper: Garbodor and Eviolite.

Garbodor will stop Ditto and Dusknoir for working, which pretty much ruins the deck’s whole strategy. However, by spreading first some damage and then Tool Scrapping the Tool from Garbodor, you can get rid of every single Garbodor and Trubbish in play in just one turn.

On the other hand, Eviolite is extremely daunting because if you’re facing a Basic-orientated deck, Eviolite will help them to negate the Registeel-EX spread and doing 10, 10 and 10 won’t win you any games. Tool Scrappering the Eviolites on their Pokémon is highly important. Also, this deck’s worst nightmare is tightly connected with Eviolite – an Eviolited Tornadus EX. It’s almost impossible to take down with this deck if there aren’t any other Pokémon in play.

Flygon/Accelgor

Pokémon – 23

4 Trapinch BCR
2 Vibrava BCR
4 Flygon BCR
3 Shelmet NVI
3 Accelgor DEX
3 Mew-EX
2 Darkrai-EX DEX

2 Sableye DEX

Trainers – 27

4 Professor Juniper

4 N

2 Skyla
1 Bianca

2 Random Receiver

 

4 Rare Candy

3 Pokémon Catcher
3 Ultra Ball
2 Pokémon Communication

1 Computer Search
1 Escape Rope

Energy – 10

6 D

4 Double Colorless

Concept

BulbapediaI was almost going to write about Flygon/Dusknoir because hey, it’s one of the most obvious combos in the new set. However, frankly, it’s not even a Tier 2 deck. Even with Skyla/Computer Search engine, I don’t see it winning against Tier 1. Two Stage 2 Pokémon that both need four Energy for their attacks is too much – even for a deckbuilder fanatic like me. Although, I have one concept in my head about those two, but it’s only in the prototype process, so I won’t reveal it just yet.

Thankfully my Japanese friend Yuki saved me and sent me this concept that won one of their local tournaments. To be honest, I felt pretty stupid because I didn’t come up with this by myself, but the most important thing is that now I know about it and am able to share it with you.

As you can see, the concept is pretty simple. Paralyze your opponent with Accelgor/Mew-EX and put Flygon to the Active Spot to spread even more damage on your opponent’s field. I won’t analyze the key cards of this deck, because there really isn’t a card that stands out a lot from the deck – the deck is very synergetic.

Your optimal starter is of course Sableye. You can use Sableye’s attack with Mew-EX too, but it’s far too risky if you don’t know whether your opponent is or isn’t playing Mewtwo EX. Mew-EX is too fragile to use as a starter. However, if you are forced to use Mew-EX in the beginning of the game to Junk Hunt, the 4 Ns of this deck will come handy. N is a very important card in this deck also, because it will disrupt your opponent’s flow of Switches and Escape Ropes.

If this deck did well in the Japan, I believe it has potential to do well in the west as well. Every Stage 2 deck is questionable in this format before proving otherwise, but I see some clear potential in this deck. What I think is the best thing about Flygon in general is that you don’t have to do anything in order to inflict damage. You can just Catcher Eelektrik, N them to one card and let Flygon do its magic while KOing their Pokémon slowly but steadily.

Darkrai EX/Landorus-EX/Mewtwo EX

Pokémon – 9

3 Darkrai-EX DEX
3 Landorus-EX
1 Mewtwo-EX NXD
1 Ditto BCR
1 Lunatone PLS

Trainers – 37

4 Professor Juniper
4 Bianca

 

4 Ultra Ball
4 Pokédex
1 Computer Search
1 Bicycle
4 Ether
4 Pokémon Catcher
3 Dark Patch
2 Eviolite
1 Tool Scrapper
2 Max Potion
2 Energy Switch
1 Switch

Energy – 14

7 D
7 F

Concept

BulbapediaOk so, your first thought may be – what the heck is this? That was at least my first expression of this deck when I saw it. So *spoiler alert*, this is a Japanese list as well. Unlike in the Speed Tornadus, I tried to be as faithful to the original list as possible, because I still don’t have much experience with the deck. When you look at the deck, the first impression is “what?”, but when you think about it, the deck is pretty logical.

It’s as logical as Darkrai EX/Mewtwo EX – combination of the two best EXs in the format. Landorus-EX is challenging Darkrai EX and Mewtwo EX in the competition of the format’s best EX. Who shall rise victorious? That we’ll probably never agree on, but this one’s for sure – a deck built around all of these cards CAN’T be bad.

The EXs are powerful – they counter each other’s Weaknesses and they can be very devastating, very fast. In the early game Landorus-EX is a beast and thanks to great Energy acceleration (which I’ll talk more about soon), Darkrai EX can be sometimes be hitting in the T1. This deck is not only strong and fast, but it often also forces your opponent to take 7 Prizes.

When you put down Lunatone, it will be way too tempting for your opponent to KO the Lunatone, because it’s such an easy prize and Lunatone helps you. However, after they KO the Lunatone, they’ll soon realize that you aren’t going to play anymore non-Pokémon-EX on bench. So, after all, they have to take down 3 Pokémon-EX and the Lunatone in order to win the game. This is frustrating and most importantly, you just won one turn with the Lunatone.

pokemon-paradijs.com

Key Cards

The key cards in this deck are all the cards that help energy accelerating the format’s best Pokémon-EX: Lunatone, Pokédex, Ether and Dark Patch. Even Energy Switch can be counted to these cards since Energy manipulation is as important as Energy acceleration. We all know that Dark Patch is a Darkrai EX-only Energy accelerator, but Ether is much more interesting card. What I think makes Ether so interesting is that it makes Pokédex playable. Pokédex is probably playable for the first time EVER. And ever is a long time for a card that was released in the original Base Set…

Naturally you want to arrange the basic Energy on the top of your deck with Pokédex so you can get them accelerated with Ether onto your attackers. However, Pokédex doesn’t work only comboed with Ether, but also as a consistency-maker for the deck. Arranging 5 cards is usually enough to find a Supporter card from your deck if you ever need one.

As you can see, the number of draw cards is very low in this deck. The reason for this is that all this deck needs is the Energy acceleration on the EXs. The resources this deck needs to do a lot of damage are ridiculously low. With Pokédex and Lunatone you’ll probably get your hands on the just the cards you need the most. It’s also good to remember that most metagame decks run 4 Ns in their lists, so in the early game you don’t really need to even bother using your draw cards, because your opponent will probably be shuffle & drawing for you.

Conclusion

So the question is, are you stoked about the new format? If you aren’t, I encourage you to book an appointment with the local doctor! There is no doubt that this will be one of the best seasons in Pokémon TCG for a while. The power creep is higher than ever, but still the metagame will get very versatile. It’s only natural that there will be some decks that will rise to the occasion in the City Championships and control the statistics. However, if you happen to come up with a deck idea, be sure to see it through.

Arguments like “But LuxChomp…” and “But Darkrai EX and Mewtwo EX…” aren’t valid anymore. The more new sets will be in the format, the bigger the card pool will be, which leads to the inevitable fact that everything can be countered – even the BDIF. The main sign of a healthy format is that no deck can be so good that a straight counter can’t win it. And it’s very probable that no deck will even rise to take the clear BDIF spot since the metagame seems so even.

If you thought that this article was inspiring and useful, remember to “Like” the article! Like said in the beginning of the article, there will be one more article coming from me this month, which will concentrate on the Fighting decks and more on Landorus-EX than this article, so be sure to check it out if you think that Landorus-EX will be the best card in the format.

Thanks for reading!

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