The Quintessential Quintet

Working though Pablo’s Top 5 for the European International Championships

Well hello there, fellow 6P readers. Receive the most ardent welcome to a new article where we will be exploring my finest predictions on the metagame for London.

So, that’s my attempt at some fancy old fashioned English. Not very successful but hey, we tried.

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Some players got lost before their journey started!

The first International tournament of the season is upon us, with only a little over a week to go before it kick’s off. To start things off, I’d like to touch upon a little bit on the controversy that took place last week, as we saw the player cap reached in the Masters division.

As a professional player completely committed to participating in every single ‘big’ tournament this season in North America and Mexico, plus the 4 Internationals, being aware of when registration opens for a tournament is extremely important to me. This is not only to secure a place in the tournament, but also because the travel awards and stipends are subject to participation in these events.

I understand there can be many circumstances surrounding one’s attendance at an event, such as family events, money, work, etc., however, if you know how important an event is for you, spending the X amount it costs to register as soon as possible is always worth it. If you don’t end up going, you’re only short a few dollars that probably won’t impact you in any way. However, if you end up making airfare/hotel arrangements only to find out the cap was reached and you hadn’t registered, it’s entirely on you.

There are always alternatives, such as borrowing a friend’s credit card, borrowing money, etc., in order to get registration out of the way. The game is growing, at a bigger rate than attendance numbers and current prize structures are showing, and if there’s a small chance that you will go to an event, it’s better to register and and end up losing the money you spent on signing up than spending big on the journey and missing out on the event. I have a lot of friends in this situation, and while I can sympathize as a friend with the fact that they won’t get to play, silly mistakes such as this one can be very easily avoided by a little planning ahead. It took a little under 4 weeks to hit the cap, and I do think that’s more than enough time to find a way to register.


With that out of the way, let’s move on to the real reason you’re here: my top choices going into London as of today. It’s no mystery that my success with Gardevoir will obviously make me trend toward it. Especially as, other than Registeel and Celesteela-GX, there aren’t any new Pokémon that really threaten Gardevoir-GX.

After having played with it for so long, there are 2 viable ways to beat Gardevoir. Either you can trade 1HKOs with it consistently or you stop its Abilities. If your deck can’t accomplish one or the other, it’s very unlikely that it will succeed, as Gardevoir is most certainly the deck to beat at the moment. On top of that, even if your deck can do either of those things, neither is a surefire strategy as I will delve into a little bit further on.

Having said this, all my top choices for London right now, besides Gardevoir itself, have a way to do one of those two things. In ascending order, here are my top 5 deck picks for London:

#5: Volcanion/Turtonator

Pokémon – 13

4 Volcanion STS

4 Volcanion-EX

2 Tapu Lele-GX

2 Turtonator-GX

1 Oranguru SUM

Trainers – 33

4 Guzma

4 Professor Sycamore

3 N

1 Lillie

 

4 Max Elixir

4 Ultra Ball

2 Enhanced Hammer

2 Field Blower

2 Super Rod

1 Switch

4 Fighting Fury Belt

2 Float Stone

Energy – 14

14 R

Why am I considering this deck?

Igor Costa won Hartford Regionals with this deck, defeating Sam Chen’s Gardevoir on the way to the finals, along with many others during Swiss. This deck complies with the ‘in order to compete, you must be able to 1HKO Gardevoir-GX’ rule that I mentioned earlier, as both Turtonator-GX and Volcanion-EX can reach high enough numbers. Another positive to this deck: Volcanion STS can apply so much early pressure thanks to Steam Up, getting quick KOs on the 60HP or 70HP Basics going around in different decks.

Gardevoir is nonetheless a difficult matchup, as they can easily 1HKO Volcanion-EX’s, and can also deal well enough with Turtonator’s. Even with Enhanced Hammer backing you up, they’re no guarantee that you will be able to keep up with them. However, with London expecting a large sum of players, you certainly won’t be facing Gardevoir every round. Volcanion is really well equipped with dealing with any random deck you might face, but it also has a very decent Garbodor matchup. The newer Garbodor decks have quite a few spots dedicated to countering Gardevoir with a devolution strategy (Po Town, Espeon-EX and even Shining Jirachi). All of these cards are completely useless against Volcanion decks. Thus, with well timed Field Blowers and good Item management, Buzzwole’s damage output is pitiful compared to yours, and Drampa can’t get 1HKOs on your Turtonator’s or Belted Volcanions.

#4: Drampa/Garbodor

Pokémon – 16

3 Trubbish BKP

2 Garbodor GRI

2 Garbodor BKP

2 Drampa-GX

1 Eevee SUM

1 Espeon-GX

1 Shining Jirachi

1 Espeon-EX

3 Tapu Lele-GX

Trainers – 32

4 N

4 Professor Sycamore

3 Guzma

1 Brigette

1 Lillie

 

4 Ultra Ball

2 Field Blower

2 Max Elixir

1 Rescue Stretcher

4 Float Stone

3 Choice Band

 

3 Po Town

Energy – 12

8 P

4 Double Colorless

Why am I considering this deck?

The most popular deck amongst the top players in Vancouver, this deck is the definition of versatility. You have great early game options in Espeon-GX and Drampa, you have a way to shut off Gardevoir’s Abilities, and enough residual damage to where you can rely on Espeon-EX putting in work to get KOs in that matchup. During my Vancouver run, the matches against Xander’s and Sam’s decks were the toughest rounds I had (no surprise, as fellow Top 8 players at Worlds). You need to be careful playing against this deck, considering when you can afford to evolve through Po Town, when you have to, and when you really can’t. All of these singularities add up to a huge potential for misplaying and thus some games can be won simply by opponent’s making suboptimal plays.

Neat tech cards like the new Shining Jirachi actually add even more variables to an already complicated deck, and opens up new avenues to win a match. The list I’ve been testing and am considering for London is based from Xander’s and the most recent ARG event. I always thought this deck would really benefit from energy acceleration, so the 2 Max Elixir serve that function. You don’t rely on hitting them to keep up, but rather, just hitting one of the two can be a huge tempo swing in order to get ahead or get back into a game.

#3: Alolan Ninetales/Zoroark

Pokémon – 18

4 Alolan Vulpix GRI

3 Alolan Ninetales-GX

2 Alolan Ninetales BUS

2 Tapu Lele-GX

2 Zorua SLG

2 Zoroark-GX

2 Tapu Koko SM31

1 Espeon-EX

Trainers – 30

4 Guzma

4 N

4 Professor Sycamore

2 Professor Kukui

1 Brigette

 

4 Aqua Patch

4 Ultra Ball

2 Field Blower

1 Rescue Stretcher

4 Choice Band

Energy – 12

8 W

4 Double Colorless

Why am I considering this deck?

This deck is similar in strategy to Volcanion, as it tries to beat Gardevoir through 1HKOs. In order to reach those 1HKOs, you need to spread once with Tapu Koko for sure. However, that’s fairly simple to do, and with Gardevoir’s slow setup style, it’s sometimes even possible to spread twice to make it so that you don’t need Professor Kukui to finish things off.

I like this deck more than Volcanion because Alolan Ninetales-GX is harder to 1HKO than the Fire Pokémon and it has the non-GX Alolan Ninetales to be even more annoying to the opponent. Aqua Patch is also a lot more reliable than Max Elixir, and more immediate than baby Volcanion’s attack.

The synergy with Tapu Koko’s spread attack putting damage on different Pokémon to have Alolan Ninetales-GX and even Zoroark-GX have the chance to get KOs is phenomenal. The inclusion of Professor Kukui as an extra Supporter also gives the deck wiggle room when you don’t get the 2 Flying Flips during the game.

This deck has been one of the top performers since Shining Legends came out and I expect it to be popular in London, especially because it always seemed like Alolan Ninetales decks were pretty popular at past Regionals over in Europe. One peculiar thing about my list is the double non-GX Alolan Ninetales. I’ve found that most lists are well equipped to deal with one, but with 2 and a Stretcher, there have been games where I’ve been able to stream 3 of them in a row, and very few decks can cope with that. Gardevoir especially struggles if you hold on to them and you make sure that any potential Gallades or gallade itself gets KO’d before bringing them out.

#2: Buzzwole/Garbodor

Pokémon – 15

4 Buzzwole-GX

3 Trubbish BKP

2 Garbodor GRI

2 Garbodor BKP

3 Tapu Lele-GX

1 Espeon-EX

Trainers – 34

4 Guzma

4 N

4 Professor Sycamore

2 Acerola

1 Brigette

 

4 Ultra Ball

2 Field Blower

1 Rescue Stretcher

4 Choice Band

4 Float Stone

 

4 Po Town

Energy – 11

4 Rainbow

4 Strong

3 F

Why am I considering this deck?

Finally a Crimson Invasion deck, right? So far, the set has felt quite underwhelming and any Silvally-GX builds have been quite underwhelming due to the high energy requirements and weakness to Gallade. This deck, on the other hand, applies a lot of pressure early on with Buzzwole, has an answer to Mr. Mime techs with Garbodor BKP, and also has a strong late game finisher with Garbodor GRI.

This has been my favorite deck from Crimson Invasion so far. Buzzwole applies enough pressure that opponents usually do have to deal with it, and it allows you to power up a benched one with 3 Energy to threaten a 1HKO with its second or GX attacks. The deck complies with the ‘stop Gardevoir-GX’s Ability’ rule of thumb for the current meta, and also has versatility with the Espeon-EX and spreading attacks making Devolution a viable win condition.

190 HP is actually a really important number in this metagame, and has certainly made me rethink the inclusion of Rainbow Energy, as it really affects the damage in the Gardevoir matchup. I know there are other, more linear, versions of the deck which play Zygarde-EX and heavy Acerola counts, along with Fighting Fury Belt. I really like having Garbodor as an option, as I believe that will let you pull ahead against other Buzzwole decks.

#1: Gardevoir/Sylveon

Pokémon – 20

2 Eevee SUM

2 Sylveon-GX

4 Ralts BUS

2 Kirlia BUS

3 Gardevoir-GX

1 Gallade BKT

3 Tapu Lele-GX

1 Remoraid BKT 32

1 Octillery BKT 33

1 Mr. Mime BKT

Trainers – 28

4 N

3 Guzma

3 Professor Sycamore

2 Brigette

 

4 Rare Candy

4 Ultra Ball

2 Field Blower

1 Super Rod

2 Choice Band

2 Float Stone

 

1 Parallel City

Energy – 12

8 Y

4 Double Colorless

Why am I considering this deck?

And my number one pick for London, to nobody’s surprise, is Gardevoir-GX/Sylveon-GX. My success with the deck not withstanding, I think this is objectively the best deck in the format. It’s not unbeatable by any means, but it’s just extremely solid overall in every single stage of the game.

Back when I first started playing, I distinctly remember saying to myself: if I could choose my starting hand every game instead of it being randomized, I’d probably lose very few games. I think Sylveon-GX is a way to make that statement true to an extent, and it can apply to anyone who spends enough time to learn all the ins and outs of the deck. Many times, you will have a plan for a game and you might draw into the cards you need through Sycamore or N, and other times you will whiff and have to adapt. The 3 cards Sylveon finds you can almost singlehandedly win you games most of the time, if you can accurately predict what your opponent might try to do during his turn. I feel like I keep repeating myself, but I can’t stress the value of this enough.

The only card different from the Vancouver winning list is the inclusion of Mr. Mime over an Acerola. As can be seen from my other picks above, decks are now commonly including some sort of bench damaging attack plus Espeon-EX in order to secure easier KOs by Devolution. This is a lot more viable for some decks, meaning they don’t have to go through the 230 HP of Gardevoir itself. Mr. Mime helps prevent this extra damage, and even against Garbodor decks, which eventually do shut it down, preventing the first ’30 to the Bench’ from Buzzwole can actually be quite significant throughout the course of the game.

Acerola was taken out as it was always a useful card, but never a crucial one. I am still considering putting it back in over a Float Stone, but so far the deck has not missed the Acerola and has certainly welcomed Mr. Mime to ease the early game against spread decks.

Other cards I’m considering include the Max Potions that saw some use in Vancouver. These are not only helpful in the mirror match, but also against the spreading decks, as they usually struggle to deal with a full HP Gardevoir-GX. So far, Mr. Mime has proved to be more useful throughout the course of my testing, as Max Potions can sometimes be difficult to time properly, and playing only one is not worth it. You’d be better off playing the Acerola at that point.

Honorable Mention: Greninja

Greninja BROKEN? Fat chance.

Pokémon – 19

4 Froakie BKP

4 Frogadier BKP

4 Greninja BKP

3 Greninja BREAK

2 Staryu BKP

1 Starmie EVO

1 Tapu Lele-GX

Trainers – 31

4 N

4 Professor Sycamore

2 Skyla

1 Brigette

1 Lillie

 

4 Evosoda

4 Ultra Ball

2 Enhanced Hammer

2 Field Blower

2 Choice Band

1 Rare Candy

1 Rescue Stretcher

 

3 Brooklet Hill

Energy – 10

6 W

4 Splash

Why am I not considering this deck?

Greninja, as has been the trend this season, is a really good contender on paper. However, “Greninja hands” are still a thing, and I suffered enough of them last season—coincidentally, at the 2016 EUIC. The deck complies with the ‘shut off Gardevoir’s Abilities’ rule, but in a better way than Garbodor decks: it’s permanent. The extra damage you’re able to dish out through Giant Water Shuriken can also eventually take you to a spot where you can even 1HKO Gardevoir, but that’s not the deck’s main strength.

Greninja has its own issues and weaknesses, such as Golisopod and Vikavolt/Bulu decks. However, with such a big tournament, I would venture to say Giratina promo will not be making an appearance. That’s a plus of course, but still not enough to convince me to play the deck. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this deck pop up in the Day 2 standings or even take the whole thing, but I’m just not willing to take the risk at this point. Perhaps further testing would entice me to consider the deck seriously, but as it stands, even with Brooklet Hill and Skyla, I’m not a Greninja believer.

Conclusion

And thus, we have come to the end. I want to finish off this article explaining that back in 2004, when I presented Blaziken/Ninetales as the BDIF, and 2005, when I collaborated in the Queendom deck, I was a much stronger ‘innovator.’ I now recognize that it currently isn’t my strong suit or my best attribute, and thus my lists aren’t the most original out there by any means. However, I also think it’s very smart to play to one’s strengths and surround yourself with other people who can complement your ‘weaker’ aspects as a player. I don’t think I will ever come up with something like Queendom or The Truth or Shock Lock on my own, but with enough practice, I could pilot the deck to a high degree of skill.

I felt like I needed to say that in case you think my lists are too similar to what we’ve seen lately and they also don’t incorporate many, if any, of the new cards at all. However, with such a big tournament and so little time between Crimson Invasions release and the EUIC, sticking to a tried and true strategy is never a bad thing.

Thank you so much for reading, and wish me luck in London! I hope I can keep repping the Tablemon fans, 6P readers and SoS fans with the great start of the season we’ve had so far!


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