Gabriel Semedo
Author Archive
Baby Blowns Reinflated for Phase 2 (AKA Bracket Play) (AKA the Region Qualifiers) of the Players Cup II “Today’s article will analyze Baby Blowns, which, together with the Water Mew3 Box from my previous article, is one of my main choices for Players Cup II bracket play. After Fiery Flint rotated, Baby Blowns wasn’t the same and lost the monstrous strength it had in the first few turns. But, with a new strategy and way of playing the deck, I feel that Blacephalon still has the capability to be one of the best in the format. The great truth is that Baby Blowns had been so strong that it was necessary for decks to tech Tapu Fini UNM…
The Success of Crushing Hammer and Power Plant, PikaRom/Hammers, Eternatus VMAX/Power Plant, Green’s BraixZard, and My Wet Mew3 (Updated) “I have commented in previous articles on the success of Crushing Hammer, but what strikes me is that it is still quite successful weeks later, which proves that it is very difficult to deal with Energy removal. With the possibility of drawing many cards in one turn with Dedenne GX and Crobat V, you can dig to find 2, 3, or even 4 copies of Crushing Hammer on the first turn, and often all you need to do is remove 1 Energy to gain a big advantage and win the match. Power Plant is a card that has begun to…
Two Decks That Omit Crobat V and Dedenne-GX (Green’s/PikaRom and Decidueye/Obstagoon) for the Players Cup II Qualifier Period “This deck offers a slower and more elaborate strategy for winning games. As the name indicates, the deck is based on Green’s Exploration, which allows you to search for 2 Trainer cards from your deck and put them into your hand—if you have no Pokémon with Abilities in play. When using Green’s Exploration, you practically start playing with your deck in your hand, as you will have access to almost everything, but only 2 cards at a time. The great advantage of this type of strategy is not having to use Dedenne GX or Crobat V, which, despite offering a…
The Remarkable ADaPting Metagame and Welder/Mew3 Box for Players Cup II “Can hit for 300 damage on turn two. It is versatile because it has so many attack options. 1HKOs VMAXs with the help of Horror P Energy and Volcarona GX. Good consistency. It is no longer the best deck in the format (BDIF). And that’s OK, because it’s less on people’s minds. Mewtwo & Mew-GX is easy to 1HKO. If it gets popular, there are strong counters to it in the format, like Mimikyu CEC 97 and Power Plant. It still depends a lot on Welder. Many of its matchups are 50/50. This is used against decks with ADP. Clear…
Should ADP Be Banned? and Water Mewtwo & Mew-GX w/ Frosmoth (aka Wet Mew3) “I started playing competitive Pokémon TCG in 2012, and since then I have been able to play in some formats where we had extremely strong attacks that ended up impacting the game a lot. These decks weren’t always the best, but they somehow made the game quite different than it would have been otherwise. The examples that stick out most in my mind are (1) the Item lock decks made possible by Seismitoad EX’s Quaking Punch in 2014–2016 and (2) the Night March deck in 2016–2017. At the time of Seismitoad EX, the format was very limited because there were…
A clay slab with cursed engravings took possession of a ______. The slab is said to be absorbing the ______’s dark power. (Galarian Yamask)
Post-Rotation Inteleon VMAX and Vikavolt V, the Two Ends of the Lightning-Nerfed Spectrum “I believe that the post-rotation metagame favors Inteleon VMAX for three main reasons: No PikaRom or any big Lightning decks Good matchup vs. Eternatus VMAX Favorable typing against Fire decks, like Centiskorch VMAX It’s funny how a Pokémon so mediocre in the previous format can theoretically become super suitable in the current format. Inteleon VMAX has two good attacks and they have a direct impact on the main matchups of the new format, which are ADPZ, Eternatus VMAX, and Fire decks in general. I don’t think Inteleon VMAX is a super powerful deck, like Eternatus VMAX which can hit for…
Charizard VMAX/Volcarona-GX and ADPZ for the Post-Rotation Format (TEU–DAA) “The deck is somewhat inconsistent and slow compared to other decks of the format like ADPZ or Eternatus VMAX. To tell you the truth, when I started testing Charizard VMAX I didn’t expect much from it, but little by little I started to understand the strength of the deck. It is true that the deck has its problems, but we also need to realize that the format has changed. There is no Pokémon capable of KOing an opponent’s VMAX Pokémon in a single attack without a tremendous effort behind it. Even with a little inconsistency and delay to be able…
Straight Zacian (My Winningest Deck of UPR–RCL) and Eternatus VMAX (Pre- and Post-Rotation) “The idea of using a cleaner and more consistent Zacian deck came to me after I realized that I was losing a considerable amount of games due to inconsistency or even specific preparation on the part of my opponents. Against ADPZ, opponents can focus on removing Energy, while against Zacian Combo the opponent can use Mr. Mime TEU + Galarian Zigzagoon SSH to prevent the use of Scoop Up Net. By not using ADP-GX or Jirachi Prism Star, my Zacian list got new free slots, so I was able to include cards that I had been really wanting to use…
My Top 5 Decks for Week 1 of Players Cup Bracket Play (Including: Spiritomb, Baby Blowns, PikaRom, Dragapult, and Zacian Combo) “Spiritomb/Ultra Beasts is a deck that emerged after the metagame was already established. If the metagame stays the way it is, then we have a great deck, but if opponents make a few changes to prepare for Spiritomb, it loses a lot of potential. In addition, it is a deck with very even matchups, without great advantages or disadvantages. Spiritomb needs other attackers because alone it will not be able to close out a match due to its low HP and limit of 4 copies. As much as you use Ordinary Rod or Lana’s Fishing Rod, you still need more…
Fire Box Box and Zacian V/Lucario & Melmetal-GX, A More Well-Known Pair of Decks, Updated, to Compete with Tier 1 “You may not realize it, but Fire Box is the deck with the best placements in big tournaments this season. Since Worlds 2019, Fire Box placed Top 4 @ Worlds 2019 by Tord Reklev, 1st @ LAIC 2019 by Robin Schulz, 2nd @ OCIC 2020 by Zach Lesage, and 1st @ Limitless Q2 by Masato Shimada. The deck has been strong since the beginning of the season until now because it still has the best gust effect in the game, which is Nine Temptations. Ninetales TEU gusts Pokémon from the opponent’s Bench—without the use of a Supporter—and the deck still…
It’s highly skilled at tap-dancing. It waves its cane of ice in time with its graceful movements. (Mr. Rime)
Water Mew3 Box and Silvally-GX/Alolan Persian-GX, Two Crazy Decks to Compete with Tier 1 “If I had to list in order the best decks of the format, this would be my list: Dragapult VMAX PikaRom Zacian Combo Baby Blowns Spiritomb Dragapult VMAX is my favorite deck due to the extremely strong attack and high HP of Dragapult VMAX. If you get a Dragapult VMAX with two Energies on turn two, you don’t need anything else to play against most metagame decks. By focusing the deck on being consistent to do this, you already have enormous strength in your hands. The deck doesn’t need Crushing Hammer, Giant Bomb, Spell Tag, or any other techs, it…
Analyzing the Limitless Q3 Meta and Exploring New Ideas for Q4 (Zacian V/Galarian Perrserker + Torkoal V/Magcargo-GX) “With the arrival of the Rebel Clash, no one knew exactly what the metagame would be like, so many new ideas could appear. The fact that the Limitless Online Series is a free online tournament also contributes to making players feel more relaxed and comfortable using decks outside Tier 1. So many new decks could surprise you. But it didn’t quite work out that way. The four main decks of the tournament—PikaRom, Baby Blowns, Dragapult VMAX, and ADPZ—in my opinion, are really a step ahead in the metagame. Dragapult VMAX proved to be difficult to counter; even with many players…
Top 64 @ Limitless Q2 w/ ADPZ, the Hidden Benefits of Livestreaming Yourself, Upgrading to ADPZZ, and Toxtricity VMAX for LQ3 “After playing with Lapras VMAX in the previous tournament, I decided that this time I would like to play with a Tier 1 deck. My choice was ADPZ, as it is the most consistent deck in the format and I think it is a very easy deck to play. As I said before, my idea this time was to play all of the tournament while streaming, that way I could show other players my performance in the competition in addition to challenging myself to be a more focused player. In the end, this new experience was very positive for me and…
My Lapras VMAX for the Limitless Online Series, Updated from Q1 for Q2 and w/ Rebel Clash for Q3 “As I said in my previous article, my goal since the pandemic started was basically to explore the Pokémon TCG more and get myself playing outside the metagame a little bit. In a nutshell, this could improve my skills as a player and deckbuilder, and it would still be quite fun, as I like to play with different ideas. Lapras VMAX is not yet a Tier 1 deck, mainly for consistency reasons, but it is a very strong card, and when the deck works it has the potential to beat anything. Besides, I was expecting a doable metagame for it…
A Three-Step Plan for Preparing for the Return of the Pokémon TCG “My idea is to facilitate enjoyable, productive, and consistent training. To have fun training, set aside some time to play Pokémon TCG in the way that most amuses you. After all, I believe you started playing Pokémon TCG because you somehow found the game fun. To have productive training, try to practice the things that you didn’t have the time or opportunity to investigate. Maybe those Control decks that have always frustrated you can be… interesting and fun? And to do consistent training, it is important to establish a routine. Start playing slowly and then increase the pace. I’ll talk…
It can race around like a unicycle, even on rough, rocky terrain. Burning coal sustains it. (Rolycoly)