@PokemonHey SixPrizes! I’m ecstatic to give you all more content! This time last month, most of us were doing our last-minute preparations for the US National Championships. Although it wasn’t my best Nationals to date (5-2-2, top 150), I had an amazing time seeing everyone there while watching my friends go far in the tournament. It’s crazy to think that I have been to six National Championships now. I would give you all a tournament report but I want to dive right into the current state of the game going into this year’s World Championships in San Francisco.
We are three weeks away from Worlds and with the release of Steam Siege, there are many decks and new ideas to sort through in such short amount of time. There is no question that the frontrunner heading into Worlds is Night March due to its recent success at US Nationals, Karen not being printed in Steam Siege, and Pokémon Ranger being released. Even though Night March has so much going for it, everyone has their eyes on the deck and will be heading to Worlds prepared to combat it.
On that note, I want to discuss three types, consisting of multiple decks, that have the potential to be big contenders at the World Championships.
Contents
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
x-entertainment.comFire, Water, and Grass. We all recognize these types from the three starter Pokémon we choose from at the beginning of every video game. In the past, one or two of the three types has usually dominated competitive Pokémon TCG. I believe now that all three have almost an equal chance of performing well at this year’s World Championships.
For each starter type I have two different decks based around that type. On top of that, I will be going in depth on each deck’s matchup against Night March, giving you somewhat of a guide on how to play against it. I have also made sure that most of the decks here are different from what you would normally see on a tier 1 list to help expand your perspective on the format.
Heating Up: Fire
This type hasn’t seen much popularity since its success during the early stages of the City Championships, but I believe it has the chance to emerge again. The two lists that I included in this section are both of the same archetype: Entei.
With the release of Volcanion-EX, I believe this deck gained a lot more power. Volcanion-EX’s Steam Up Ability gives the deck more damage output while not having to rely on Tools to do that job. This gives the deck more options for Tools that focus on tanking the Entei to prevent it for getting easily Knocked Out. These two different Entei decks both gained momentum since Fighting Fury Belt was released because it makes the Entei even harder to Knock Out than before.
Entei Anti
The first list of Entei that I have for you is based around beating Night March which, at the time, seems the way to go.
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Pokémon – 9
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Trainers – 39 2 N 2 Lysandre
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Energy – 12 8 R |
Key Cards
BulbapediaThis is the card that I think makes the deck viable once again. At first, I was worried that an EX with a 3 Retreat Cost would be too risky to sit on the Bench the entire game. After a multitude of “fun” games with the deck I realized that the Ability is extremely powerful in combination with cards like Entei. Before this card was in the deck, the only way to take down a 180-HP EX was to use Flame Screen followed by a Heat Tackle with a Muscle Band the next turn. Now, Volcanion-EX opens the deck up to many more mathematical possibilities such as KOing 60-HP Night Marchers with a Flame Screen to survive the next turn, or doing a massive 190 damage with 2 Volcanion-EX on the Bench.
This was a card from my original Cities list and I can’t imagine it not being in the deck. Charizard-EX is used for one thing and one thing only: 1-shotting big Pokémon. Whether it’s Mega Pokémon or simply something with high HP, Charizard-EX alongside a Volcanion-EX or two will easily take the swift knockout.
Before I put this card into the deck I was coming across a big problem throughout most of my games: I kept missing the Double Colorless or Blacksmith and wasn’t able to pull off a crucial Heat Tackle. I tried a few other consistency cards like Acro Bike but that wasn’t doing too much for me. I then thought about putting 4 copies of Puzzle of Time in and ever since then the thought of taking them out has never came across my mind.
Although you need 2 copies of Puzzle of Time to use its most potent effect, Trainers’ Mail and 2 Shaymin-EX make it not much of a problem. I often found myself in situations where I needed another Tool or a Double Colorless and had 2 Puzzle of Time in hand to aid that problem. I think that since the card is so versatile and can help you in almost any type of scenario, it fits in this deck perfectly.
Another card from the new set that makes this deck so much more effective. At the moment I am even considering a 2nd copy. The reason this deck did not see much play during the State Championships was because of Jolteon-EX, Giratina-EX, and Seismitoad-EX. Each of these cards hindered some significant aspect of the Entei deck which most of the time resulted in a loss. The ability to negate all of these cards with a single Supporter card is something that cannot be passed up.
Other Options
This was a card that I had in my list for the longest time before I added the Puzzle of Times. I found myself either running low on Energy because of Volcanion-EX’s Ability and/or low on Enteis. It was a great way to recover in certain situations but I took the card out as Puzzle of Time can act similarly.
Since Volcanion-EX requires Energy in hand to use its Ability, sometimes having a single Fire in hand is not going to be enough. With a Professor’s Letter in hand, you can get 2 Fires for either 2 Steam Ups or 1 Steam Up and an important attachment on an attacker.
This card is Fire’s version of Yveltal XY. I like this card a lot; it gives you another non-EX attacker that has Energy acceleration. Although Volcanion’s first attack only does 20 damage, Volcanion-EX has great synergy with it as you can reattach the Energy you discarded with Steam Up along with doing more damage. The only problem that I was having when testing with this card was that the Energy acceleration is a little tricky in that it only attaches 1 Energy to 2 different Pokémon. Both Heat Tackle and Charizard-EX’s Combustion Blast both require 4 Energy which makes Energy attachments very awkward if Volcanion’s attack is only used once.
Another interesting card from the latest set. This card could be a great option in this deck in combination with Charizard-EX. With Ninja Boy, an Entei can turn into a big Charizard-EX swinging for massive amounts of damage in a blink of an eye. This card can be very situational though and might require 2 Charizard-EX instead of 1.
Matchups
Good
- Bronzong BREAK — Favorable
- Zoroark — Favorable
- Night March — Slightly Favorable
- Vespiquen/Vileplume — Slightly Favorable
Bad
- Greninja BREAK — Slightly Unfavorable
- Trevenant BREAK — Unfavorable
- Water Toolbox — Unfavorable
When building this deck, all I could think about was beating Night March. The key to beating Night March is to keep one Entei alive after a turn of Flame Screen. This will put you ahead in the Prize trade as well as save resources. Since this list has 3 Fighting Fury Belt and 3 Assault Vest, drawing into your defensive Tools is very easy. Make sure to manage your Bench and try not to play Pokémon-EX on the field if possible. Another tip is to rescue Pokémon-EX out of your discard pile with Puzzle of Time to play around Target Whistle.
Entei Toolbox
I included a few of the “Other Options” in another list to show you how they can be incorporated into the deck.
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Pokémon – 11
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Trainers – 38 2 N 2 Lysandre
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Energy – 11 7 R |
The second list that I have for you is more of a toolbox list that focuses on having a slew of different options to pick from at every point of the game. This Entei deck has the ability to tank behind big, non-EX Enteis or take the aggressive route and do a lot of damage with a Charizard-EX.
The biggest difference between this list and the first one I provided is Puzzle of Time. I believe that whether you choose to include them into your list is totally player preference. I believe that are great arguments on both sides of the discussion.
Another big difference between the two decks is the 2 Muscle Bands in the above list. Since this list is made to improve other matchups and not just focus on beating Night March, Muscle Band is good in every matchup whereas Assault Vest is great in only certain matchups. The reason behind dropping down to 2 Fighting Fury Belt is because Muscle Band also increases damage and I think 6 damage-modifying Tools is the perfect number for the deck.
Matchups
Good
- Bronzong BREAK — Favorable
- Vespiquen/Vileplume — Favorable
- Zoroark — Favorable
Bad
- Night March — Slightly Unfavorable
- Trevenant BREAK — Slightly Unfavorable
- Water Toolbox — Slightly Unfavorable
- Greninja BREAK — Unfavorable
The two lists might be different but the strategy against Night March remains the same: win the Prize trade by making big non-Pokémon-EX with Tools. Between the two lists I provided, this one struggles the most against Night March. The reason it does is due to the lower Fighting Fury Belt/Assault Vest count along with a few more tech cards for other matchups. The good thing about the Toolbox list not having the best Night March matchup is that many of its others are improved. The Ninja Boy addition makes its Water Toolbox and Greninja BREAK matchups better by making it easier to power up big attackers like Charizard-EX. Volcanion STS provides an alternative early-game attacker that is great against Vespiquen decks.
I think that this is the hardest matchup for Entei. Since both lists are almost half Items, Trevenant’s Ability can really put this deck at a standstill. I think one of the deciding factors of this matchup is going to be the first turn of the game along with who goes first. If the Trevenant player is able to win the coin flip and get the turn 1 Item lock it is going to be extremely difficult to win the game. I think that the matchup goes into Entei’s favor if the Entei player does go first and begins setting up an Entei and making sure they have a Supporter for next turn.
Water Toolbox
When I started testing Entei I thought that this matchup was an auto-loss, but I found that it is not as bad as it seems on paper. Although Water Toolbox can simply take easy KOs with Grenade Hammer due to Weakness, Entei can do the same with Charizard-EX and Entei. Two Steam Ups and a Heat Tackle can 1-shot a Seismitoad-EX and two Steam Ups with a Combustion Blast and a Fighting Fury Belt can Knock Out a Seismitoad-EX with a Fighting Fury Belt. Also a well-timed Pokémon Ranger after a Quaking Punch can easily put Entei in the lead.
Vespiquen/Vileplume
Like the Trevenant matchup, I believe the deciding factors of the game are who goes first and what both players’ first turns are like. Another thing to keep in mind in this matchup is that even though Vespiquen has Fire Weakness, Volcanion-EX’s Ability must be used to Knock Out a Vespiquen with Entei’s Flame Screen. If an Assault Vest gets down on an Entei, it also becomes exceedingly difficult for the Vespiquen player to Knock Out. Overall I think Entei has the upper hand in this matchup.
Making a Splash: Water
pokemonscreenshots.tumblr.comThe two decks that I picked for this section are ones that acquired a good amount of hype before US Nationals: Water Toolbox and Greninja BREAK. Between the two, Water Toolbox performed the best, making it all the way to Top 4. As for Greninja BREAK, two managed to make it to the second day of the tournament.
Although both of these deck are strong against almost all of the popular decks of the format, they both have a hard time dealing with Night March variants. Since Karen was not printed, Water Toolbox suffers a great deal considering Quaking Punch was the key to beating Night March. Greninja, being a deck revolving around Stage 2s, usually is outsped by Night March right from the start. I’m going to show you how to gear these these two decks for the Night March matchup while sustaining their consistency.
Water Toolbox
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Pokémon – 10 |
Trainers – 39 2 N 2 Lysandre 1 Xerosic 1 AZ
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Energy – 11 11 W |
Key Cards
After piloting this deck at Nationals and taking two losses to Night March variants, I’m inclined to play 2 copies of Articuno in my lists. With the release of Pokémon Ranger, the Quaking Punch strategy is not always the best route to take against Night March anymore. A more aggressive route with Ninja Boy/Articuno and Energy removal now seems to be the best way to beat Night March.
Ever since I read this card’s Japanese translation I have been in love with it. Although it may be a bit situational, this card opens up for a nasty combo in Water Toolbox decks: one or two Quaking Punches followed by a Ninja Boy into an Articuno can be an easy 2-3 Prizes. If you play a Glaceon-EX, Aurorus-EX, or Regice in your list, it makes the card even stronger as you have more options to switch into.
1 Xerosic, 1 Enhanced Hammer
It took me a while to try Energy removal in this deck because on paper it didn’t seem to have much synergy with the rest of the deck. After a few games against Night March and other Special Energy decks, I noticed that if your opponent plays down a Double Colorless without attacking, one of these two cards can be game changing. I highly recommend these cards if you want to have a winnable matchup against Night March.
Other Options
1 Glaceon-EX, Aurorus-EX, or Regice AOR
I have all three of these grouped together because there is great justification for each of them. The Glaceon-EX is great against Evolution-based decks, the Aurorus-EX is great against Greninja decks (and for hitting for a lot of damage), and the Regice is great against EX-based decks like Darkrai-EX/Giratina-EX. I’m not sure if there is a better of the three; it all comes down to preference.
1 AZ
AZ was a card I had included in my Nationals list and I really want to find room to squeeze it back in. Especially in decks that play Hoopa-EX, AZ can be crucial in scooping up a useless, 2-Prize Pokémon and putting it back into your hand. If you end up adding one of the Pokémon I listed above into your list, I highly recommend including AZ as well because they are not the ideal Pokémon to start either.
This was a card that Russell LaParre used in his 10th place Water Toolbox list at US Nationals. With Team Flare Grunt alongside Xerosic and Enhanced Hammer, any time your opponent plays a Special Energy onto the field, there is little chance it isn’t getting discarded. All I can say is the more Energy removal, the better your Night March matchup.
Matchups
Good
- Trevenant BREAK — Favorable
- Zoroark — Favorable
- Bronzong BREAK — Slightly Favorable
- Greninja BREAK — Slightly Favorable
Bad
- Night March — Slightly Unfavorable
- Vespiquen/Night March — Unfavorable
- Vespiquen/Vileplume — Unfavorable
Even with all of the cards teched for Night March in the deck, I still think the matchup is slightly unfavorable. Also, Vespiquen/Night March decks with give Water Toolbox a hard time due to the Grass Weakness and addition of Pokémon Ranger. I think the matchup is still winnable if your opponent misses a Pokémon Ranger in the early turns of the game, giving you control with a Seismitoad-EX then finishing with Articuno.
Greninja
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Pokémon – 17
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Trainers – 35 3 N 1 Wally
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Energy – 8 8 W |
Key Cards
Even though Pokémon Ranger turns off Stardust, I don’t think it affects the inclusion of this card in the deck. This card is still a great starter pretty much against anything considering our only other starters are the Froakies. Also, Pokémon Ranger does not prevent Jirachi from discarding Double Colorless, making it still a great attacker against Night March or anything else with Special Energy.
Inspired by Michael Slutsky’s top 32 list at US Nationals, this card is a great counter to Night March. If your opponent can’t find a way to get rid of the Balloon or get a Lysandre, they are in a very difficult spot. I have seen a few lists that play Assault Vest or Hard Charm but I would most definitely recommend this annoying Tool over both of them.
1 Wally
One of the biggest struggles this deck has is speed since it is a Stage 2 deck. Especially against decks like Night March, having a card that can get your attackers going a turn earlier is incredible. Not only can you potentially have a field of 4 Frogadiers on the first turn, going second, but also create tricky plays where you evolve a Frogadier and then Wally into the BREAK during the same turn.
Other Options
I can’t decide if Super Rod or Energy Retrieval is better in this build of the deck. Half of me doesn’t want the Super Rod since there is already a Sacred Ash and Fisherman, while the other half of me wants to put it in since it is an extra recovery card that can get back important Energy and frogs. I think Super Rod is a great fit in the deck but for now I like having the more direct effect of Energy Retrieval.
2-2 Octillery BKT
When Greninja BREAK decks made their debut in the format, Octillery was nearly a staple in most lists. Now it has worked its way out of lists to help compensate for the decks lack of speed through cards like Trainers’ Mail. When I tested the deck with this card I was in love with it. It had great synergy with N and I never felt as if I had a dead had. However, beating Night March is a priority and Octillery takes up 4 slots that can devoted to making the deck faster.
1 Lysandre
Another card that has seen play in a lot of successful lists. The main premise of the deck is to use Greninja BREAK’s Ability to Knock Out your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. Greninja BREAK is a Stage 3 Pokémon and can be hard to get out, making getting rid of those Benched targets a problem. Lysandre helps with that assuring that you have another out in case you can’t get the Greninja BREAK with Energy.
Matchups
Good
- Bronzong BREAK — Favorable
- Zoroark — Favorable
- Trevenant BREAK — Favorable
- Night March — Slightly Favorable
Bad
- Water Toolbox — Slightly Unfavorable
- Vespiquen/Night March — Unfavorable
- Vespiquen/Vileplume — Unfavorable
I have yet to test the Night March matchup, but on paper it seems as if Greninja is slightly favorable against regular Night March. As for Vespiquen/Night March, it falls into the “Unfavorable” category. I think as long as you set up and keep a consistent pace throughout the game you can usually overpower Night March and win the Prize trade. Remember to be conscious about when you place down your Bursting Balloons and when you’re setting up big knockout turns.
All the Buzz: Grass
commons.wikimedia.orgThis type has been pretty dominant for a while now. Whether it has been Vileplume or Virizion, Grass has found its place in the top tier decks. Today, Grass-based decks are dominated by Vespiquen. Vespiquen has seen play in many top tier decks such as Vespiquen/Night March and Vespiquen/Vileplume which made the Top 8 at US Nationals. Both of the decks I have for you in this section include the bee, but one is a little different from most of the Vespiquen decks you’ll see.
Vespiquen/Yveltal
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Pokémon – 22 |
Trainers – 29 2 N 1 Lysandre
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Energy – 9 5 D |
Key Cards
The goal of this deck is to combine Vespiquen’s power and advantage over Water types with Yveltal’s speed and Dark-type advantage over Trevenant BREAK decks. When building this deck, I wanted to have something that compensates for Vespiquen being a Stage 1 to help with the Night March matchup. Yveltal was the best option. It can Knock Out every Night Marcher and provide Energy acceleration so you don’t have to rely on Puzzle of Time to get Double Colorless Energies back.
2-2 Zoroark BKT
This is a card that feels kind of awkward in the deck but has been very crucial in many different scenarios. Zoroark is a just an amazing card overall. It provides a switching mechanic, can do a lot of damage for a cheap cost, and has type advantage over one of the top decks in the format. On top of all of that, it is more Pokémon to discard in order to fuel a big Vespiquen.
When I was playing against Night March I was noticing that I was having a hard time Knocking Out Night Marchers with Fighting Fury Belts. Even though Muscle Band on an Yveltal can’t 1-shot a Joltik with a Fighting Fury Belt, it can 1-shot a Pumpkaboo due to Weakness. Muscle Band adds to the deck’s early pressure while also giving Vespiquen a chance to do even more damage.
Other Options
The one thing I want to find room for in this deck are Stadium cards, especially Forest of Giant Plants. The chance to get turn 1 Bee Revenge is something very hard to pass up. I think this card is very strong in almost all Vespiquen decks besides the Night March variants. The reason I do not have it in the deck is because I needed space to fit more Pokémon since Vespiquen was not able to crank out enough damage.
1-2 Reverse Valley
Again, I REALLY want Stadium cards in this deck. Reverse Valley makes for a lot of great math such as Yveltal Knocking Out a Pumpkaboo with a Fighting Fury Belt, and Zoroark being able to Knock Out a Shaymin-EX with 3 Pokémon on your opponent’s Bench. It also brings up Yveltal’s attack to 60 damage, enough to Knock Out a Froakie if paired with a Muscle Band.
I think this is very cool tech for the deck. I won’t talk about the possible situations of when this card can be good because there are too many of them. Having a Zoroark BREAK in this deck opens it up to many more possibilities, and can catch your opponent by surprise.
Matchups
Good
- Greninja — Favorable
- Night March — Favorable
- Water Toolbox — Favorable
- Trevenant — Slightly Favorable
- Bronzong BREAK — Slightly Favorable
Bad
- Zoroark — Even
- Vespiquen/Vileplume — Unfavorable
Ever since I added the Yveltal into this deck I have loved the Night March matchup. I would definitely say it is favorable. If you make sure that there is never a Shaymin-EX on your Bench and stay ahead on the Prize trade, you will win almost every time. Make sure you are using Yveltal to take out most of Night Marchers so you save resources and can power up threats on your Bench.
Vespiquen/Vileplume
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Pokémon – 26 |
Trainers – 30 2 AZ 2 Lysandre
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Energy – 4 |
Key Cards
4-3-3 Vileplume AOR
This list is probably almost as consistent as it can get. With a Vileplume line as thick as this plus 2 Revitalizer, there is a very low chance that you’ll be missing the turn 1 Vileplume. Also with the higher Vileplume count comes more Pokémon to discard and make Bee Revenge more powerful.
2 Lysandre
Mainly used to bring up Pokémon off your opponent’s Bench to Knock Out during that turn, Lysandre can also be used to lock a Pokémon up under Item lock in order to buy some time or even mill your opponent’s deck with Bunnelby. I think that 2 copies of this card is best since VS Seeker is not in the deck and the card isn’t used enough to justify 3 of them.
Every Vespiquen/Vileplume deck needs this card. This deck runs through almost entirely through itself on the first turn, thus creating the risk of decking out. Bunnelby prevents you from decking out while also giving you the option of milling your opponent’s deck.
Other Options
2 Jolteon-EX, 3-4 L Energy
If you want even more disruption in this deck I would add a thick Jolteon-EX line. Jolteon-EX ensures the victory against Night March if you get the Flash Ray attack off. Not only that, but it also gives a lot of other matchups a hard time, like Water Toolbox and Darkrai-EX/Giratina-EX. I think this card fits very well in this deck — even after Pokémon Ranger being printed.
1 Regirock AOR, 2 F Energy
Alex Hill and Christopher Schemanske both played this in their Vespiquen/Vileplume lists during State Championships this year. It is a great counter to M Manectric-EX and can 1-shot a Darkrai-EX. I would recommend finding space for this card if M Manectric-EX or Darkrai-EX decks become popular.
1-2 Silent Lab, 1 Hex Maniac
Vespiquen/Vileplume’s biggest nightmare is flipping their cards over to see an Active Aegislash-EX sitting there. There is not much the Vespiquen/Vileplume player can do to get around Mighty Shield. Silent Lab and Hex Maniac do both give the deck an out to dealing with Aegislash-EX but they sacrifice consistency in return. I wouldn’t recommend playing these cards, but if tech Aegislash becomes popular in every deck, I would keep these in mind.
Matchups
Good
- Greninja — Favorable
- Night March — Favorable
- Water Toolbox — Favorable
- Zoroark — Slightly Favorable
Bad
- Trevenant BREAK — Even
- Bronzong BREAK — Unfavorable
I think that V/V is one of the worst matchups for Night March. We are definitely favorable against it. The only chance Night March has is going first and exploding with a turn full of Items. If Jolteon-EX is in the Vespiquen/Vileplume deck, then it is even more difficult for them. The only tip I can give you is to cross your fingers when flipping to start the game.
Conclusion
I know this was a bit of a long article, but I hope you all got some valuable information from it! There are a lot of decks out there that have the potential to do well at this year’s World Championships, so always keep an open mind. I’ll be back with another article about decks from the new format rotation after the World Championships. That reminds me, Worlds is only three weeks away! I hope all of you are as pumped as I am. I can’t wait to see all of you there and make sure to say hi if you see me!
Hope you enjoyed!
-Henry
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