A Flowery Revolt

Reflection on Preparation and a Misadventure in Gardening from Brazil

Ola gente! Pardon my Portuguese but I just got back from an amazing weekend at the International Championship held in São Paulo, Brasil. I loved being able to practice my Portuguese once again!

The event was a great experience, not only in terms of the Brazilian community and how welcoming they were to us ‘outsiders,’ but also in terms of the quality of the event. There were a few mishaps here and there such as round delays and repairings; however, that is the case in most events with 600+ players and it’s usually due to things out of their control.

This report will touch upon all my thoughts going into the event, the conclusions from the Brazilian metagame and what my deck options were before finally settling on the final deck and list I used, with a description of the games I played, and how they went down.

Carnival Closing: Brazil Reflection and Recap

Before the International Championship, the Salt Lake City Regional took place and the top tier decks seemed pretty definitive to me; with Tier 1 comprised of Decidueye-GX / Vileplume, Volcanion-EX and Turbo Darkrai decks. Following closely behind would be M Mewtwo-EX, M Rayquaza-EX, M Gardevoir-EX, Gyarados and Lapras-GX.

After taking a look at the latest Brazilian Spring Series League Cup Results, no deck stood out as a surprise or something unexpected, but rather it was simply surprising to see M Rayquaza-EX decks and others taking more CP than Turbo Darkrai. Volcanion and M Ray being so successful down there made me really consider the 2 decks that play the Garbodor + Parallel City combination (M Mewtwo and Yveltal), with Decidueye Vileplume as my safe fallback option. Garb + Parallel can be quite deadly against those 2 decks in particular, and is quite useful against pretty much every deck in the format.

With the news that the 630 player cap was hit a week or so before the event, I knew that I had to run the most consistent deck possible. Even though you can always see trends in the metagame, you really never know what you’re going to be paired against on the day of the event.

Option 1 – Yveltal

I had just won a League Cup the weekend prior with the same list that won the Puerto Rico Special Event, and I was quite happy with the consistency of the Yveltal deck. Unfortunately, it still felt quite underwhelming in terms of damage output or control.

This is the final list that I was considering for the event. I was very happy with how it was testing in terms of setting up:

Pokémon – 12

4 Yveltal-EX

1 Yveltal BKT

2 Shaymin-EX ROS

1 Hoopa-EX AOR

2 Trubbish BKP

2 Garbodor BKP

Trainers – 35

4 Professor Sycamore

3 Lysandre

2 N

1 Delinquent

 

4 VS Seeker

4 Ultra Ball

3 Trainers’ Mail

4 Max Elixir

4 Float Stone

3 Fighting Fury Belt

1 Super Rod

 

2 Parallel City

Energy – 13

9 D

4 Double Colorless

The only change I made from the Puerto Rico Special Event was -1 Professor Kukui + 1 Delinquent. I made this change because if my opponent plays down Parallel City before I do, it can really limit my options in terms of building up threats on the bench. Having that Delinquent failsafe seemed great, while also punishing careless opponents.

Despite the deck testing well in the lead up, it definitely felt underwhelming in terms of raw power when compared to Turbo Darkrai decks or my other Parallel/Garb deck of choice: M Mewtwo-EX.

Option 2 – M Mewtwo-EX

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Next-level success was not destined to be.

M Mewtwo-EX seemed great on paper against the expected metagame, with really good Volcanion and M Ray matchups. It also had the option to run high Wobbuffet counts to minimize Decidueye/Vileplume’s locking ability.

After a lot of testing though, space was at a premium in the list, and I was not able to comfortably fit my ideal 2/2 Garbodor, 2 Parallel, 2 Wobbuffet, and 4 Float Stones line without sacrificing consistency or other valuable resources (such as Mega Turbo or Mewtwo Spirit Link). You have to compromise somewhere, and I settled back on a more standard M Mewtwo list, which I had sleeved up as an option as well:

Pokémon – 14

4 Mewtwo-EX BKT 62

3 M Mewtwo-EX BKT 64

2 Shaymin-EX ROS

1 Hoopa-EX AOR

2 Trubbish BKP

1 Garbodor BKP

1 Wobbuffet PHF

Trainers – 36

4 Professor Sycamore

3 N

2 Lysandre

1 Hex Maniac

 

4 VS Seeker

4 Ultra Ball

4 Mega Turbo

2 Trainers’ Mail

4 Mewtwo Spirit Link

3 Float Stone

1 Super Rod

 

2 Shrine of Memories

2 Parallel City

Energy – 10

6 P

4 Double Colorless

As you can see, it’s a very standard and Mewtwo list. It bothered me that I couldn’t fit the 3rd Lysandre, which I was set on playing, but this felt like the best possible list I could come up with. In the days prior to the event, I was using the list, and it felt even clunkier than usual. It also didn’t help that I went 1-7 in total games against one of my friend’s Turbo Dark list, as I knew that even though it wasn’t a popular deck among the Brazilian players, it most definitely would be among the European and North American players.

Option 3 – Decidueye/Vileplume

Thus, in the end, I fell back on the good old best deck in the format: Decidueye/Vileplume. I don’t think anyone can argue against its dominance and how inherently powerful the deck currently is, and it might even spark new discussions regarding a possible restriction or ban to Forest of Giant Plants.

I had my Australian list sleeved up with the Meowth, but this time around I opted not to use it. Meowth was a great surprise for Australia, and it allowed me to dominate some games. However, less people expected Tauros-GX in Decidueye/Vileplume now, so Ross Cawthon and I agreed that it was a great card to have in general — but especially for the mirror. You almost always want to use Hollow Hunt as your GX attack for the game, but Mad Bull has its uses and forces your opponents to adapt. The best players can do so, but they might be forced into making plays they did not intend to otherwise.

With all this in mind, and the fact that I was set on playing 3 Lysandre for the main event, here’s the final list I came down to:

Pokémon – 24

4 Rowlet SUM

4 Dartrix SUM

4 Decidueye-GX

2 Oddish AOR

2 Gloom AOR

2 Vileplume AOR

3 Shaymin-EX ROS

2 Lugia-EX AOR

1 Tauros-GX

Trainers – 29

4 Professor Sycamore

3 N

3 Lysandre

 

4 Ultra Ball

3 Level Ball

4 Trainers’ Mail

2 Float Stone

2 Revitalizer

 

4 Forest of Giant Plants

Energy – 7

4 Double Colorless

3 G

Nothing as exciting as the Meowth, but it felt like a very solid choice for the event. I did expect mirror matches, but hoped not as many as in Australia. Even then I felt comfortable that I was good at making the right in game ‘micro decisions’ to turn things around in my favor. By ‘micro decisions,’ I mean targeting the right Pokémon with Feather Arrow as early as turn one, as one misplaced Ability early on can end up costing you a game.

Omitting Beedrill-EX was a great meta call once again, as Garbodor, even though very good on paper, just did not show up in big enough numbers to justify its inclusion. The 3rd Lysandre was also a ‘soft’ fix to Garbodor in the sense that you had ways to target it down, so I wasn’t too worried about it.

Ross Cawthon and I agreed on not including the Beedrill, but we had a lengthy discussion on the 2nd Lugia-EX vs. a 3rd Float Stone. We both had good arguments regarding each one, and how they were both useful. In the end we weren’t able to convince each other, so I ran 2 Lugia and he ran 3 Float Stone.

Runaway Train: Event Recap

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This race gets pretty ugly when Vileplume takes the day off.

Unfortunately, my deck didn’t run so well during the event, and at times it was very frustrating to see games escape my grasp simply because I couldn’t draw into my Vileplume or Ultra Ball early on. Here’s a recap on how my rounds went for the day, where it felt I was playing DeciGLOOM instead of DeciPLUME.

Round 1 vs Decidueye-GX / Vileplume (0-0-0)

Decidueye mirror matches are always tricky, as you have to play the board and your hand. It’s not easy to ‘plan’ during a game simply because the Item lock is so restrictive. You can simply draw your Stage 2’s before your Stage 1’s and be forced to discard them all with a Professor Sycamore. Tauros-GX is really good early for applying pressure, and Lugia-EX is a great finisher as you run 4 Stadiums. However, the priority is to always try to at least match the amount of Decidueye-GX your opponent has in play. Having more Owls in play most likely means a victory for you due to the extra damage output.

Nothing went well for me during Game 1. Even though I was close to winning, my opponent was always one step ahead, and got the 2 key cards he needed off of his prizes — a 2nd Decidueye-GX and his last DCE — to secure the game. If he hadn’t gotten either card, I probably would have won Game 1. That game lasted a long time — and maybe I should’ve conceded earlier. Despite Game 2 finishing in just a few turns, as I locked my opponent turn 1, we didn’t have enough time to finish Game 3. I was in a commanding position, and with 3-5 more minutes would’ve probably sealed it, but, that’s how 50 minute rounds go sometimes.

Round 2 vs Lapras-GX / Wobuffet (0-0-1)

Deceptively bad news for Decidueye.

This match is actually quite bad for Decidueye-GX, especially when running only 3 G Energy. Lapras has a lot of ways to deny energy with 4 Team Flare Grunt and 2 Team Skull Grunt, and even has Wobbuffet to gain access to Item cards. You have to be very conservative with your energy, but also very aware of how you manage it. Since they take a long time to get going, it’s usually a good idea to never attach Energy to the Active to prevent being punished by Team Flare Grunt. You have to go for Vileplume ASAP to protect yourself from the Hammers and make an effort to score some 1HKOs on Lapras. Team Skull Grunt can punish you for withholding energy, but on average it should never hit more than 1 unless you get a clumped hand or you use Hollow Hunt to get some energy cards back.

We were only able to finish 1 game this round, as Lapras is a very slow deck. I prized 2 Grass and 1 Double Colorless, and I considered scooping immediately after realizing that. However, I noticed he was struggling to get going. I built up 2 Decidueye and a Vileplume on the bench, Lysandre’d up Lapras to have the protection of the Item lock, and focused first on KOing Wobbuffet through Feather Arrow. Only then did I concern myself with taking on the Lapras. I had to make sure to get a KO and not allow him to respond with Ice Beam-GX. I was able to execute this correctly and take Game 1. There were only 20 minutes left for Game 2, and I had a hideous start where he hit three energy off of a Team Skull Grunt. That aside, I was able to make sure the game did not end by continually bringing up the Wobbuffet with Lysandre to prevent him from attacking my Pokémon.

Round 3 vs M Mewtwo-EX / Garbodor (1-0-1)

This matchup is where 2 Lugia-EX shine, as you’re able to punish heavily loaded M Mewtwo’s. Garbodor is, of course, a big threat, but the 3 Lysandre give you a small safety net against it. The main idea in this matchup is to lock them down, as without their Spirit Links available, losing a turn to Mega Evolve can be quite costly.

The match went very well for me, as my opponent got very unlucky in Game 1, having to discard 2 M Mewtwo off his first Sycamore. He put down Trubbish + Float on turn 1, but I was able to target it down in 2 turns with 2 Feather Arrows before it became Garbodor. My opponent did run a Wobbuffet, but he wasn’t able to find it in Game 2, and was a little too late on Game 1. In the end the Item lock was too much for him to handle.

Round 4 vs Turbo Dark (2-0-1)

This is where things started going south for me. This matchup is usually very good for this deck, and I completely destroyed one in the Top 4 of the previous International. High HP Decidueye-GX, Lugia-EX’s Deep Hurricane, and Item lock preventing Max Elixir and EXP. Share all tilt this matchup in your favor.

In these games, however, I was never able to evolve my Gloom. Thus, my opponent had free reign of his Item cards. He was able to play down all his EXP. Share, hit all 4 Max Elixir, and just run through his deck. He even had some turns to prevent my abilities with a Hex Maniac chain!

Round 5 vs Darkrai Dragons (2-1-1)

This deck is pretty much close to the same as regular Turbo Dark except for the fact that they have more high retreat liabilities in Salamence-EX and Giratina-EX. The same advantages apply in this matchup as the previous one, with Decidueye and Lugia being great attackers, yet Tauros being a little less effective as their damage output can be increased a bit more thanks to the DDE’s.

Games 1 and 3 went in my favor, but were heavy struggles as Vileplume came out very late into the game. This forced me to play a lot more aggresively against his Dragon Pokémon to try and reduce the damage output he had for his Darkrais. Game 2 saw a horrendous start for me, and I scooped fairly early on after he hit his 3rd Elixir and had 3 DDE in play as well.

Round 6 vs Azul Garcia w/Turbo Dark (3-1-1)

Azul is an incredible player, and I was not looking forward to playing against him, as I see him a ton in events now and he’s a really cool person. I did think the matchup was favorable as I detailed above, so at least I figured I had that going for me.

The games however, were far from what the normal matchup would look like. Game 1 we both struggled a lot to get going and we played a very scrappy game where Tauros-GX was the MVP for me and I pulled off the win. Game 2 we both dead-drew pretty badly and I took a risk that didn’t pay off and got punished for it. Game 3 was where once again my ugly DeciGLOOM deck showed up, and I was never able to restrict Azul’s deck with Vileplume, so he overwhelmed me in the end.

Round 7 vs Yveltal / Garbodor (3-2-1)

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Not much of an issue for Decidueye.

Out of contention for Day 2 at this point, I was set on at least making Top 64. Yveltal is less powerful than Turbo Dark, so all the pros against that deck apply the same for this matchup.

Both games were relatively normal and straightforward, with the Item lock and heavy Lugia damage being too much for my opponent to handle.

Round 8 vs Turbo Dark (4-2-1)

Another Turbo Dark, but given my past draws, I was definitely not confident in the matchup anymore simply because I was not drawing well on the day. We played out 3 games with an interruption during Game 2 for a deck check, which I found very very strange. I scooped a quick Game 1 off of an awful start, but was able to pull off some very close games 2 and 3 to have the chance to ‘win and in’ to Top 64 next round.

Round 9 vs Turbo Dark (5-2-1)

And thus, I ended the day with the controversial matchup — my 4th of the day. I was currently 1-2 against it, so I figured I was due for a great couple of games, as I had been running so cold up until this point.

Game 1 I won comfortably, finally hitting my stride with turn 1 Vileplume and Decidueye to control the tempo with my high HP and his low damage output. Tauros sealed off the game with a Mad Bull-GX, and I was confident I could pull off 1 of the 2 games to get my win and Top 64 points. Little did I know though that Vileplume was done for the day; thus, Games 2 and 3 I was simply overwhelmed as my opponent was able to Hex chain and hit all the Elixirs and EXP Share’s he needed to eventually even 1HKO Decidueye-GX. I could not hit Vileplume for the life of me during those games. Thus, I ended the tournament with a disappointing 5-3-1 record and even bubbled out of Top 128 points at 136th. Turbo Dark is definitely a favored matchup for DeciPlume, but it’s a horrendous one for DeciGloom.


And with this I will end my report. Hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it, and please feel free to leave any comment or question, and I will happily get back to you guys!

Conclusion

Moving on after Brazil, we have Roanoke and Toronto Regionals to look forward to with the current formats, but after that we have Seattle as the first tournament with Guardians Rising legal! That means we will finally get to see the effect of Tapu Lele in the metagame, as well brand new cards such as Garbodor, Tapu Koko-GX, Alolan Ninetales-GX, and Choice Band, as we finally get a good Muscle Band replacement.

I’m really looking forward to testing these potential new decks in the upcoming weeks in preparation for Seattle, especially Tapu Koko-GX, which seems very viable when combined with Ace Trainer, Max Potion and Electrode EVO.

As always you can find more of my insight and decks over at my Youtube channel. Thanks for reading!


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