Counters to Popular Decks

There are many fast, popular decks in the current format. With the change, Uxie’s draw engine might be the only one left, but in my opinion, Uxie’s all a deck needs to be fast. Let me talk about the decks and their counters:

1: Jumpluff

pokemon-paradijs.comJumpluff is a fast, heavy-hitting deck in the current format, but it has many weaknesses, such as x2 fire weakness, low HP, and every bench spot needed to be filled.

My personal favorite Jumpluff counter is Dusknoir DP, its Dark Palm very useful against Jumpluff, since they must limit their bench space to three, meaning if you limit your bench space as well, Jumpluff can only hit for so much.

Another counter to Jumpluff is Mr. Mime MT, since Jumpluff is a deck that uses so few energy. Unless they run Dialga G LV.X, they can’t touch you, and I’ve never seen a Dialga tech in Jumpluff. Mr. Mime isn’t the best attacker, but if you run Kingdra Prime and Crobat G, then you can easily, slowly Knock Out Jumpluff.

2: LuxChomp

LuxChomp is a beast of a deck, but it has many weaknesses. Two highly searchable cards, Mankey SV and Toxicroak G Promo, 1-shot Luxray.. So easy prizes are both for you and the LuxChomp player, but there aren’t as many cards that search for LV.X’s, and most SP players only run 2-3 SP Radar.

If they have Luxray active, you get either a Mankey or Promocroak and hit for 60, x2 for Luxray’s weakness, which 1-shots Luxray unless they play Snowpoint Temple, which makes you either need to drop a Crobat G or use Toxicroak’s Poison Revenge to do +10 for poison. Basically, you need something to 1-shot it or they will use Healing Breath, and do it all over again.

So when they use Garchomp to snipe, you bring out your Ambipom G, and use Snap Attack to 1HKO Chomp, and when they use Aaron’s Collection, you just 1-shot everything again. Seems simple.

3: Donphan

pokemon-paradijs.comDonphan is a mean donk deck, but if you survive the donk, he’s still too much of a tank to deal with.

Donphan has a damage-reducing body, but there are attacks that go through it. Check out my friend who never sees play. His name is Arceus.

Water Arceus, AKA AR4, has an attack called Fastwave that does 50 damage, and goes through all effects on the defending Pokémon. So that means that Donphan DOES NOT eliminate 20 damage from Fastwave, and Fastwave with Expert Belt 1HKOs Donphan with an Expert Belt, and 1HKOs Donphan without a Belt with a PlusPower. So Arceus DOES have a use. Another use for this is to use AR7 AKA Psychic Arceus with the Omniscient Arceus LV.X and water Arceus in play, and you use Fastwave against Mewtwo LV.X to 1HKO it.

Another card for this purpose is Gyarados MT. With Magikarp MT, Gyarados accesses a Flail attack that does +30 damage, meaning if Donphan atacks, Gyarados 1HKOs it, and if he doesn’t, attach a Rainbow Energy to Gyarados to put 10 damage on him, and do 60 damage to Donphan (I did the work of including his body and his weakness) Gyarados’s downside is starting with a lone Magikarp and getting donked.

4: Shuppet

Shuppet is a mean deck that tries to squeeze every last damage counter out of cards in the deck. Shuppet itself never takes damage, or does it?

Luxray DP’s Gleam Eyes and Lumineon SF’s Fin Luster each allow you to look at your opponent’s hand and bench a card you find there, then swap it out with the opponent’s active (sounds familiar, huh?). Luxray is when you play it, just like its SP LV.X, and Lumineon has to be active. Lumineon does not 1HKO Shuppet, however it has free retreat so you can swap out for something that does. These could also be used as a tech in Jumpluff.

The other counter is Medicham SV. I know there was an article about it, so you all know what it does, but basically, for three energies, it does 10 plus 10 for each card in your opponent’s hand, and that is great because Shuppet gets returned to your opponent’s hand. So that means you’re doing 10 plus 10 for Shuppet plus 10 for the belt and 10 for the energy and 10 for each PlusPower, and 10 for the cards that your opponent didn’t play. so it 1HKOs Mime, 1HKOs Shuckle unless you attached a DCE, and 1HKOs Mewtwo LV.X if they use it as a wall.

5: Tyranitar Prime

pokemon-paradijs.comT-tar is a recently developed deck. It isn’t the best in speed, and fighting weakness x2 hurts. However, Exploud can be used to eliminate the weakness.

A counter to Tyranitar’s first attack, Darkness Howl, is Nidoqueen RR. The damage done will be gone completely by the time your opponent gets another chance to attack.

There really is no counter to Power Claw, since it goes through everything. But Megaton Tail will eventually make them deck out. Flygon LV.X comes in handy here, you basically use Inviting Trap with Memory Berry for Claydol and make them deck out while Sand Tombing.

That’s basically that. If anyone thinks there are any other counters for decks that I listed, or any decks I didn’t list counters for, please comment. Always remember that I’m awesome!

Reader Interactions

21 replies

  1. Jak Stewart-Armstead

    1. Ditto is a decent Pluff counter. Spread pretty much owns Pluff too, if you can survive long enough. Mime tends to be a minor annoyance for Pluffs running Luxray.

      2. Donphan is hands down the best Luxchomp counter. Easy to tech in too.

      3. Gyarados MT is hilarious vs Donphan.

      4. Judge is by far the best Shuppet counter. Combine it with Trainer Lock and you have an autowin.

      5. Donphan (again) owns T-tar . . . except see 3 ;)

  2. Karol Nowak

    Certainly, this is a pretty helpful article to many, especially to those who want to counter the most popular decks right now. Great job writing. You clearly explained what to do against certain decks, especially effective counters.

    Certainly, this article was a great read. It was great to read.

  3. Thomas Wise

    I'd like to add some alternates:

    1: Jumpluff. Ditto can be splashed into many decks, and used with a Multi (run 3 to be sure). Ditto also is good vs. Gengar SF.

    2: LuxChomp. You can run Relicanth easier than Toxicroak, in most cases, and it has comparable stats and usefulness. Mankey is a neat idea I hadn't considered.

    3: Donphan: not much to add.

    4: Shuppet: I think Judge is a great counter. Looker's. Even Bronzong 4, if you can get it off Active.

    5: Tyranitar Prime – An easier counter to T-tar spread is Unown V, which ends your turn, but allows you to get rid of damage. Lopunny LA is an interesting idea also, and has great draw power.

  4. Ryan Graham

    So many cards mentioned, either on your side or against you, are going out. Mime, Claydol, Dusknoir, Gyrados MT, Luxray DP.

    Although this is a cool article idea, I think we REALLY need to focus on what's happening with the rotation taking place. I think it's really going to shake things up.

  5. Anthony Desiata

    id like to mention that you cant counter luxchomp with a few simple cards a luxchomp player would never walk right into those ambipoms and the manky is easy to ko right after same with toxicroak you have to have somthing more.

  6. Colin Peterik

    Gyarados MT, Mr. Mime MT, and Dusknoir DP are all being rotated. This article is misleading at best.

    IMO the best LuxChomp counter is Donphan, next to Relicanth.

    My new favorite Donphan counter is Shedinja SV (See my Nats report).

    Shuppet- It's as easy as Judge or “Let Loose”

    Donphan with an expert belt makes T-Tar cry.

  7. Thomas Wise

    Sableye/Honchkrow. If you mean the Honchkrow G, then Pachirisu GE for World's. I always ran it in Machamp for the G'd Crobat. Pachi also has 70hp, so difficult for T1 Sabledonk. Of course, you could also run Mismagius SF, which messes with Energy Gains and Expert Belts. Uxie X is also good for a 60 shot to Sableye or Spiritomb.

  8. Huntercordes

    can anyone please tell me the decks that won at nationals in the divisions

  9. Sledd

    I'm pretty sure that in one of the divisions(I think Masters, but not 100% sure) was won by Sablock.

  10. Theo Seeds

    yeah i figured but donphan sounds like a deck. sorry if you all were thinking md on i wasnt.

  11. Noyb

    you forgot gyarados it's maybe not as fast as luxchomp or donphan but with a bit of skill and luck you have it out in turn 3 max. and dont forget the sableye that can draw some prizes too. ow and i've never seen every thing easier and faster than kecleon. it does 80 dagame + 40 for evergy head( if a pokemon doesnt have weakness 40 damage + 20 for every head. its really an über deck cause you can make a tank of that kecloen later in play.

  12. mewuk85

    sense Moon light stadium will be taken out u figured running ttar with flygon is a great way to strategize and set them up while spirtomb trainer locks.

  13. Noyb

    @ abdahlah khenisi

    a great sableye/honchkrow counter is mewtwo and just play in 3-4 pr oaks new theorie's and cards like that so you have an larger chance of top-decking ow and an ambipom g works out quiet well too cause the only really strong attacker in the deck is garchomp C the most of times

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