pokemontime.tumblr.comThis season, or at least the beginning of it, seems like it will be more exciting than the past few years. There are so many playable decks right now and the format appears diverse. League Challenges are in full swing and Autumn Regionals are fast approaching. Today I want to take a look at some of the top tier decks you will likely face at Regionals and a rogue deck that may surprise you.
As we know, Regionals is going to be held in two different formats; day 1 is in Standard and day 2 is Expanded. After reading Ryan Sablehaus’ most recent article I have to agree with him; preparing for Standard is more relevant than preparing for Expanded by a fair margin. Standard is where I would invest the majority of your testing time. Like he stated, if you don’t do well day 1, Expanded becomes a moot point.
If you do make day 2, you don’t want to be completely lost though. Knowing the Expanded format will be pertinent if you have goals of winning or at least making top 8. That is why today I will be sharing decks for not only Standard, but Expanded as well.
Table of Contents
Evil Tall
I’ll start off this article by discussing my favorite deck from last format, Yveltal. As other writers have said before, Yveltal and friends are not gone. The deck is still competitive this format. I am pleasantly surprised with how the deck has been testing and I expect to see Yveltal decks come time for Autumn Regionals. The deck has lost potency with the rotation of Dark Patch, but in the right metagame we will see Yveltal decks do well. That “right metagame” may very well be one of these upcoming Regionals.
Yveltal-EX is naturally a strong card against Seismitoad-EX-based decks which I expect will be a huge part of the upcoming metagame. Plasma decks seem to be somewhat on the decline, which were always a huge pain to Yveltal decks in the past.
As always, my lists are tuned to personal preference and I advise you change them to whatever feels comfortable for you when it comes to certain card counts and techs. Here is my take on Yveltal in Standard:
|
Pokémon – 12 |
Trainers – 36 4 N 2 Colress 2 Lysandre 2 Bicycle
|
Energy – 12 8 D |
This deck is straightforward in its strategy: accelerate Energy while doing damage with Yveltal’s Oblivion Wing. Once you feel you have enough Energy in play, or your hand is forced, use Yveltal-EX as a heavy hitter. In this format you will be using Y Cyclone much more often than last format in combination with Energy Switch to conserve your Energy due to the lack of Dark Patch.
When looking at this variation of Yveltal, the first thing that probably came to your mind was “No Garbodor? You auto-lose to Pyroar!” Yes, this deck will lose to Pyroar most of the time. You have no counters besides trying to win before they get a Pyroar out or somehow managing to make your Hypnotoxic Lasers go the distance. I like this variation of the deck against the expected metagame, excluding Pyroar, and I would consider taking the auto-loss if the meta shifts to the point where Pyroar isn’t played much. If you still want to play Yveltal but feel like Pyroar will see play I would add Garbodor and cut the tech cards.
Before I get to talking about Yveltal with Garbodor, I want to discuss some of the techs in this list:
Seismitoad’s main goal is to provide you with a solid counter to Landorus-EX. If your opponent ever benches one without a Float Stone you have free 2 Prizes asking to get Lysandre’d. I think that Yveltal is able to handle Landorus thanks to having Fighting Resistance, so Seismitoad may not even be necessary, and I could see cutting it. With the lack of Float Stones and only 1 switching card you will almost never get the Item lock on turn 1, making Seismitoad less potent. Also, it is more important to use Oblivion Wing early to accelerate your Energy. If I were to cut the Toad I would add a copy of Mewtwo-EX.
Just like in past formats, Spiritomb will give Yveltal decks the edge they need to win against Virizion/Genesect decks. With the addition of Beartic FFI and Double Colorless Energy to new-age Virizion decks they will have a harder time being able to drag up and Knock Out Spiritomb. If you can deny G Booster you will likely take the game.
This card has seemingly wonderful synergy with Yveltal. If Yveltal gets damaged and is not Knocked Out, which I think will happen the majority of the time since 130 HP is fairly bulky, and you are not under Item lock, using Max Potion will be clutch. It will set your opponent back a turn and the discarding of your Energy will be mitigated once you attack with Oblivion Wing.
Now let’s take a look at Yveltal, but this time with Garbodor:
|
Pokémon – 11 |
Trainers – 37 4 N 2 Colress 2 Lysandre 2 Bicycle
|
Energy – 12 8 D |
This variation of the deck has a much better matchup against Ability-reliant decks, but it comes at the cost of sacrificing nearly all your techs. You can try cutting corners and trimming numbers on certain staple cards like Ultra Ball, Muscle Band, or Bicycle to fit some techs back in, but you will sacrifice consistency, which is not something I am eager to do.
Pro tip: When facing Seismitoad-EX decks, use your Item cards preemptively. Play them down before you get Item locked. This means to attach Muscle Bands and Float Stones when you get them early game if they are playing the Toad. You may not get a chance to play them on your next turn.
This also goes for cards like Ultra Ball, Professor’s Letter, and occasionally even Hypnotoxic Laser. I have found myself using Lasers where I normally wouldn’t because I know I will likely get Item locked for my next turn and be forced to discard my Laser with a Juniper. When I first started testing against Seismitoad I found myself making slight errors, wishing I had played an Item the turn prior because I got locked.
Yveltal in Expanded
Yveltal decks, specifically Yveltal/Garbodor, will see some play in the Expanded format. With Dark Patch being legal it is a potential play for day 2-of Regionals. Yveltal/Garbodor being a viable deck in both formats leads me to believe it will see more play because of that fact. Decks that can be played in both formats while only undergoing minor changes have the potential to be more popular simply because it is easier to manage getting everything for one deck rather than building two completely different decks. This theory is similar to past theories such as “Yveltal and Plasma will be more popular because they are inexpensive.”
Here is my take on Yveltal/Garbodor for the Expanded format:
|
Pokémon – 10 |
Trainers – 38 4 N 3 Colress 2 Lysandre
|
Energy – 12 8 D |
As you can see the strategy and feel of this deck is different from the Standard version. I don’t play any Yveltal XY because you no longer need it for Energy acceleration since you have Dark Patch. I decided to up the Seismitoad count because playing Float Stone allows you to be able to get an early Item lock, making it an effective strategy. In a format where Eels variants are expected to see play, Garbodor is needed. Seismitoad combined with Garbodor is one of Eelektrik-based decks’ worst nightmares. Druddigon will do work against Rayquaza-EX as well.
Big Basics decks will see an abundance of play in during day 2, which is another incentive to consider playing Yveltal/Garbodor. I have found the matchup against Big Basics to be favorable. If Lucario-EX/Big Basics decks become a potential threat as we get closer to Regionals, or as they unfold, you can easily tech in Mewtwo-EX to help deal with Lucario. This goes for any iteration of the deck as well, including the Standard variant. Mewtwo-EX is an incredibly strong card this format, especially if Lucario-EX starts to see much play.
Yveltal/Garbodor’s position in Expanded feels similar to its position in past formats; it is a strong play that has decent matchups, but no definitively great matchups. I don’t think it has many bad matchups either. I don’t think people will play Raichu XY or Lightning-type Pokémon as techs like they have in the past, which may help Yveltal thrive in Expanded. Only time will tell, but I am strongly considering playing Yveltal in some iteration for either day 1 or 2-of Autumn Regionals.
BASICS
Just like Yveltal, Big Basics will see play in both Standard and Expanded. I believe the deck will be tier 1 in both formats. Last format Big Basics won US Nationals and it also saw play at Worlds. This format the deck drastically improves thanks to the new Fighting support we got from Furious Fists.
Here is one of the ways I would play Big Basics in the Standard format:
|
Pokémon – 14 |
Trainers – 35 4 N 2 Colress 3 Korrina 2 Lysandre
2 Switch
|
Energy – 11 4 Strong 3 F |
Variants similar to this are what will see the most play during Autumn Regionals. Seismitoad is getting so much hype and for good reason. The power to Item lock on turn 1 can be crippling, and it makes Hypnotoxic Laser’s Sleep flips that much more devastating. This version of the deck is fairly well rounded and consistent. You’ve probably seen versions like it in the past and you will continue to see them until the next set comes out late October. Here are some card choices I would like to discuss:
I’m not going to talk about the strengths of Landorus-EX. People have been boasting about Landorus since the new Fighting support was first revealed. I think Landorus may be getting overhyped just a bit, but only because it is being countered by the hype the Toad is getting. I want to talk about the dangers of benching Landorus-EX against any deck that could possibly play a Toad. If you bench, or start, a Landorus-EX against any deck that plays the Toad you are likely going to be giving away 2 easy Prize cards. A Toad with Muscle Band will do 100 damage to Landorus-EX and force it to stay in the Active Spot the majority of the time, meaning Landorus will get knocked the next turn.
If you happen to start, or be forced to bench, a Landorus-EX against a deck that could potentially play Toad early game, I would consider attaching a Float Stone to it to avoid getting locked in the Active Spot if you get Lysandre’d. Speaking of Float Stone being attached to Landorus, a Float Stone’d Landorus will not be 1-shotted by a Beartic. If you happen to find yourself facing down a Beartic with a Landorus-EX simply attach a Float Stone, making your Retreat Cost 0, and Beartic will only do minimal damage (unless of course your Float Stone gets Startling Megaphone’d).
I use Lucario-EX for one specific purpose aside from being an all-around solid attacker: to help fight Yveltal and Hawlucha, or anything else with Fighting Resistance.
I feel like Hawlucha is the unsung hero of this deck, and it hasn’t been talked about all too much lately. It seems to be stuck in Landorus’ shadow. I think Hawlucha is one of the best cards in this deck. It has free Retreat, so it is your best starter. For one Energy it can do massive amounts of damage to Pokémon-EX, meaning it is naturally good against Seismitoad.
One cute trick that has come up occasionally is that while you have Garbotoxin active Hawlucha will easily 1-shot any Pokémon-EX that is Weak to Fighting with a combination of Strong Energy, Muscle Band, and/or Laser. I would easily play 2-3 copies of this card in any Big Basics deck.
2 Mewtwo-EX
Mewtwo-EX is going to be huge this format. It can deal with Seismitoad-EX relatively easily, even under Item lock. It hits Lucario-EX for Weakness. Mewtwo is a strong attacker against Virizion/Genesect decks. It will KO other Mewtwo-EX. X Ball has the potential to do insane amounts of damage. Muscle Band also helps with math when it comes to Mewtwo being able to 2-shot other Pokémon, and occasionally 1-shot them. If you currently only play 1 Mewtwo-EX in your Big Basics deck I would strongly consider adding a second copy.
3 Korrina
I don’t think there is a clear-cut answer to whether Korrina or Skyla is better in Big Basics. I have heard decent arguments for both. I prefer to play Korrina in my Big Basics decks over Skyla, so you will see it in all my lists. I value getting a Fighting Pokémon over the versatility Skyla offers of being able to get a Supporter or Stadium instead of just an Item. Some players prefer the versatility over the Fighting Pokémon. I have seen both approaches work.
Computer Search will likely be the ACE SPEC of choice in all my decks that have any strong focus on Seismitoad-EX. Being able to Computer Search for a piece of the combo to get an early lock is key. Other ACE SPECs may be more versatile or provide cute interactions, but they do not provide the consistency that Computer Search does. With this deck your early game is too important to skip a beat, making Computer Search your ideal ACE SPEC.
Here is another list focused on Fighting Stadium rather than Lasers:
|
Pokémon – 14 |
Trainers – 34 4 N 2 Colress 3 Korrina 3 Lysandre
2 Switch
|
Energy – 12 4 Strong 4 F |
This version of Big Basics doesn’t seem to be as popular as the Laser version, but that doesn’t mean it is worse. The decks play a bit differently. This version is more focused on doing fast, consistent damage with your various Fighting attackers as opposed to controlling the early game with Seismitoad-EX. I also play Super Scoop Up to deny Prizes, conserve Energy and Tools, and occasionally act as a Switch.
Now that I have gone over Big Basics in Standard I want to talk about how Big Basics will translate into the Expanded format.
Big Basics in Expanded
|
Pokémon – 14 |
Trainers – 35 4 N 2 Colress 2 Korrina 2 Lysandre 1 Bicycle
2 Switch
|
Energy – 11 4 Strong 3 F |
In Expanded it will be more important to have a major part of your deck be focused on Garbodor, Seismitoad-EX, and Landorus-EX because of how popular Eels will likely be. The strategy is strong against any deck, but it cripples Eels more so than others. Playing Druddigon will help deal with any Dragon attackers you may face, which will likely be Rayquaza-EX and Black Kyurem-EX PLS.
The one tech card I may want to fit into the list as Regionals gets closer is Enhanced Hammer. If I were to play it I would play two, and I would cut the Super Rod and Bicycle for them. Enhanced Hammer will be strong in Expanded with all the Special Energy seeing play, so it may be wise to add them into your deck.
Big Basics will be a threat on day 2, so expect to face it. Overall the deck plays similarly to its Standard counterpart, so it will be an easy deck to pick up and play. There will not be many differences between the Standard and Expanded lists because Expanded only offers a few more playable cards for this deck.
Ray’s Eels
I mentioned how Eels will be relevant in the Expanded format, and now I will take a look at that archetype. Eels variants were my favorite decks to play when they were legal. I played an Eelektrik-based deck for the 2012 and 2013 World Championships. Eels will be viable in Expanded, so I may find myself picking up the deck again. However, I don’t think Eels will be nearly as dominant as people may think, but it will do well.
Recently, I played in my first Expanded tournament, a League Challenge. I placed 2nd playing Eels, going 4-0-1. Here is the list I used:
|
Pokémon – 14 |
Trainers – 35 4 N 3 Colress 2 Lysandre
1 Switch
|
Energy – 11 7 L 3 Prism 1 R |
The base list I began with was my 2013 Worlds list. From there I took into consideration what the metagame would be like at this specific LC and tweaked my deck accordingly. There are some card choices I want to explain:
Of course, there is the obvious: attach Float Stone to your Keldeo-EX and you will have free retreat all the time, barring a Garbodor, which is very useful. In this deck Keldeo-EX provides a second purpose. Since I play Prism Energy and Muscle Band, Keldeo-EX has the power to 1-shot a Landorus-EX. The reason why I would want to KO a Landorus-EX with Keldeo instead of Dragon Bursting is to try and avoid getting Revenge KO’d by Druddigon FLF. The strategy did actually work during the tournament, netting me a victory, but it may not be consistent enough to be worth playing Prisms and Muscle Bands.
Like Keldeo, Rayquaza serves multiple purposes as well. It is able to 1-shot other Dragon-Weak Pokémon, giving you an edge in the mirror. With a Muscle Band, Rayquaza will also be able to Knock Out Pyroar. Rayquaza is your only efficient answer to Pyroar in this version. If you don’t feel comfortable with just Rayquaza for combatting Pyroar, I would suggest adding Eelektross PLB.
Raikou has always been good in the Eels mirror match since it can snipe other Eels efficiently, potentially crippling your opponent’s setup. Raikou is also used to snipe Garbodor. Just be careful not to let it be 1-shot by a Fighting Pokémon in return.
Zekrom is a heavy-hitting solid non-EX attacker. It is also one of your best answers to Safeguard Pokémon and Klinklang decks.
Personally, I like playing this version of Rayeels. The Muscle Bands and the techs that go with it may not be worth it though. It may be more effective to change the Prisms to Fire Energy to avoid getting Enhanced Hammered, and cut the Muscle Bands and Rayquaza. If I were to do this I would add Eelektross and likely replace the Muscle Bands with other tech cards or more consistency-based cards.
DCEels
Rayeels is not the only Eels variant that is being played in Expanded. Double Colorless-based Eels may see play as well. Here is my take on the deck I am talking about:
|
Pokémon – 15 |
Trainers – 33 4 N 3 Colress 2 Lysandre
1 Switch
|
Energy – 12 8 L |
The idea here is to either 1-shot with Zekrom-EX with a Muscle Band, or go with an aggressive Mewtwo-EX. Hypnotoxic Laser will help Zekrom-EX 1-shot 180 HP Pokémon. I don’t like this version as much as Rayeels, but I have seen it around and it is decent. It’s good to be aware of what you could potentially face so it doesn’t catch you off guard. You may find that you actually like this version better.
When Rayeels was around in the past some people still did play Double Colorless Eels. You conserve Energy better than Rayeels does, giving you a better matchup against a Toad lock with Garbotoxin active.
Meddle
Before I conclude this article I want to share with you a rogue idea that came up at a recent League Challenge we had here in New England. This rogue deck was played by a friend of mine named Nate Pare to a 1st place finish. The original goal was to metagame that specific Standard tournament. The end result was a deck that could have some serious potential if nobody expects it coming. Here is the deck:
|
Pokémon – 15 |
Trainers – 34 4 N 2 Colress 3 Skyla 1 Lysandre
2 Switch
|
Energy – 11 7 M |
At first glance you may not understand just how this deck won, or why it has the potential to be good. The strategy here it to use Scizor’s Steel Slash attack every turn which provides a Safeguard effect. Most decks in the format have answers to Safeguard Pokémon in the form of Garbodor. Garbodor can’t stop Scizor’s Safeguard effect however, since it comes from its attack. In fact, Big Basics decks in general don’t have many good answers to deal with Scizor besides Hypnotoxic Laser. If they do have answers in the form of non-EX attackers you can use Mewtwo-EX or Cobalion-EX to try to deal with them.
The main problem this deck will have is ending games promptly. Your damage output is low, just like with Seismitoad-EX, but Laser damage can help you end games faster. Lasers won’t be as potent because there is no Item lock, but they will prove to be useful nonetheless. The goal is to never lose once you set up. I plan to mess around with this deck before Regionals and figure out if it could be a potentially strong play if the metagame is right. I don’t think many people even know what Scizor does, so the rogue factor will help catch people off guard.
Conclusion
I hope my article has helped inform you on our Regionals format as well as helped you make a decision on which deck to play. I will be attending Philadelphia Regionals so be sure to say hi! I am looking forward to seeing how this format plays out; there seems to be much room for innovation. I’m excited to see all the cool decks people come up with or if the format will be ruled by Toad overlords. Either way I see good things for the future of Pokémon. If you liked my article be sure to give it a +1 and as always I am happy to answer any questions on the BBS forums.
Thanks for reading,
Raymond Cipoletti
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