I’m from Finland, and that’s why I have something exciting to offer you. And what is it? Well, the answer is European Challenge Cup (ECC), which is the 3rd most important tournament of the year for me: it’s the most significant right after Nationals and Worlds.

The reason why everyone (even American players) should be interested in ECC is that it’s the first tournament to be played with the new set, Next Destinies, released. Last year Call of Legends was released just before ECC, but it didn’t have as big of an impact on the format as Next Destinies will have.

In this article, I’ll tell you what ECC is all about, why I’m going there, what kinds of decks I’ve been preparing and what decks I’m expecting to see there. This isn’t a useless read for anyone because European metagame is very close to the U.S. metagame and the metagame and results in ECC will have a huge impact on the U.S. States’ metagame. I expect to see the same decks in ECC as some of you will face in the U.S. States. I’ve been also brainstorming and playtesting a lot with some possible Mewtwo EX counters and I will discuss them in the end of this article.

European Challenge Cup 2012

ECC is a dream come true for many European players. European players have always wanted to have their own “European World Championships” and before ECC and Prague Cup were first held, Benelux Cup was the closest one to that. ECC is a descendant of Benelux Cup and that’s why it’s located in the Netherlands.

Benelux Cup gathered a lot of players from outside the Benelux area, so it was only natural to widen the tournament to cover the whole Europe. Last year ECC had 275 participants from 15 European Countries. It’s almost the same size as the largest States and Regionals in the U.S.

ECC is a Premiere tournament, which has the K and CP Value of States/Regionals and it’s very important to every European player that aims for a ranking invite. If I don’t win Nationals, I probably won’t be going to Worlds, but CPs are probably going to be more important in the upcoming years when Worlds aren’t held in Hawaii.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s the 3rd most important tournament of the year for me. There is also the Prague Cup, which can be considered to be the other “European Championships,” but there are two big reasons why I think ECC is the best European tournament of the year.

1. ECC is Very Well-Organized

Hapé

Hapé, the main organizer of ECC, has always held great tournaments. Although last year’s ECC was the first tournament in the Netherlands for me, it was still a great experience. I have seen both good and bad sides of tournament organizing in my country’s Pokémon TCG tournaments and I’ve never heard of a bad word being said about Dutch tournaments from my Dutch friend.

I remember one National Championship in Finland where the tournament was ran so slowly by the TO that they almost ran out of time in the venue. To prevent us from running out of time, the TO decided to announce before we sat on the top tables that the Top Cut matches were 50 minutes each even though they should’ve been 60 minutes.

As I played my Top 4 game of Nationals, the tournament organizer said we only had 45 minutes instead of 50 minutes, and this was when we had already played 20 minutes of our match. Well, I was running Zap-Turn-Dos (idea similar to ZPTS for those who don’t know what Zap-Turn-Dos is) so the change was only in my favor. I’m pretty sure that I won the Top 4 game just because the decision to cut time was made.

I can see this year’s ECC to be as great a tournament from the organizing point of view as last year’s tournament and I recommend everyone who is able to attend the tournament to participate. I know you won’t be disappointed in the tournament.

2. The Format

In the ECC players are privileged to play with a whole new format that no one has tested yet. I – as a deck builder – absolutely love this. Also, in the ECC format, there are 2 more sets available than in the Prague Cup format where the format and card pool are still pretty “young” and small. Since the format and card pool are young I think the format isn’t as versatile as it will be 2 sets later.

Sometimes younger formats are also less skill-oriented because not everyone has been able to get the list of their decks correct at that point of the season. I also feel that more players are interested in coming to the tournament because the format is fresh and they don’t have to be playing against the same decks they have played against before.

The new decks the new format has to offer are the reason why I’m so interested in ECC, even though last season’s metagame was pretty stale and there were some very original decks that rose to publicity from the ECC.

First, there was Magnezone Prime/Regirock LA, which went 8-0 in the Swiss rounds of last year’s ECC. It was a completely new deck and idea and I think you’re all familiar with it. It lost in the Top 32, but nonetheless it became a widely successful and popular deck in the U.S. metagame as well and was played throughout the season.

Second, there was LostVileGar (Vileplume UD, Gengar Prime, Gengar SF), which went all the way to the finals, losing to a Luxchomp. The build of this deck was a bit undeveloped at the tournament, but it became very successful all around the world. When I lost to the LostVileGar in the tournament with my Luxchomp, I was pretty astonished.

I tweaked this deck after the ECC and won 3 States + our Nationals with it and would certainly have played it at Worlds, had the rules and format not gone upside-down thanks to Black & White. That’s why I think it was pretty surprising that it never caught that much attention or success in the U.S. In my opinion it was the most skill-based deck of last season.

Well, how has my success been in the ECC? Last year when I played the very first time in the ECC, I managed to achieve the Top 16 placement with my Luxchomp, which I was very proud of. I lost the Top 16 match to the previously mentioned LostVileGar due to a Fainting Spell flip in a sudden death thanks to a dead draw for 6 consecutive turns.

I usually find myself running out of luck in all the big tournaments and I hope this year’s ECC, Nationals and Worlds will be an exception – my ambitious goal is to win all of those tournaments this year. However, the first step is to win ECC and for that I probably need only 2 things: Mewtwo EXs and a great deck.

My Deck Choice (and Developing It)

When you’re preparing for a big tournament, there is nothing more important than deck choice. When you’ve chosen the deck you want to play, you’re completely bound to it and last minute changes won’t usually do you any good. The earlier you’re prepared to play a deck, the more comfortable you feel going to the tournament with it.

Here, I’ll explain how the evolution process of my deck went – how my deck evolved from a very basic list idea into a teched and more complex version. I think this shows just how much decks do develop thanks to simple testing. I think everyone can learn something from the evolution process of this tournament deck of mine, and these methods can be applied to any tournament deck.

The deck that I’m pretty confident with at the moment is Celebi Prime/Mewtwo EX. I think you all have read the Eye on Japan article I wrote on SixPrizes and on my blog so I don’t bother you with the Celebi Prime/Mewtwo EX list that article had. Here’s the list where the evolution of my tournament deck began.

Basic Deck

When I first built this deck, I fell in love with it right away. It’s pure speed, strength and deadliness. First, I played with this against decks from the previous format. After 20 test games, it hadn’t given me a single bad opening hand or a loss. There has never been a deck with opening hands as good as this (excluding MetaNite). Since I hate inconsistency, I knew immediately that this would be a very strong choice for my ECC deck.

As you can see, the strategy is pretty straightforward. You want to open with Celebi Prime and a Switch/Skyarrow Bridge in your hand. Most of the time, you are able to get a T1 60 damage thanks to Celebi’s Power, and if you go first, the pressure you put on your opponent is crushing. Most decks in the current format aren’t able to recover from such a start because Mewtwo EX’s power grows with time. Most fast decks have late game problems because their amount of damage is significant in early game but it stays the same in late game.

At first, this deck seemed just what I wanted to play, but after I started testing against other Mewtwo EX variants, I had to face the sad truth – Mewtwo EX is its own worst enemy. If I were able to hit for 60 T1, any deck playing Mewtwo EX would just return an OHKO with a DCE and Mewtwo EX since I would already have 3 energies attached to my Mewtwo EX. I took one prize with my T1 Mewtwo and my opponent took two.

It’s my second turn and my opponent has already taken 2 prizes even though they have only played for one turn. However, I could counter OHKO their Mewtwo EX with my Mewtwo EX and then I’m once again in the lead. The sad fact is that they will most likely just answer with a counter OHKO with their Mewtwo EX once again. Then I’m once again one prize behind and my opponent has only 2 prizes remaining.

My only attacker is Mewtwo EX so if my opponent is able to counter OHKO my 3rd Mewtwo EX, I’ve lost the game. Having faced this situation too many times during my test games, I had to take action and find a secondary non-EX attacker for my deck while still maintaining the speed of the deck.

Version 2.0

There was a lot of discussion about Celebi Prime/Tornadus/Mewtwo EX on the Internet and to me it sounded good as well. I didn’t know if Tornadus was really worth it in practice because it requires DCEs and can’t move them with Hurricane, but in theory it sounded just like what I needed for my deck, so I started tweaking and testing the deck with Tornadus. After many test games, here is what my final list looked like:

...

THE Deck + How to Counter Mewtwo EX is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

Now, I’ve been looking at the front page articles over the last little while. One thing has stood out to me, there has not been a proper Durant deck analysis. There is one article about playing against Durant. Durant has a little section in this article. But, there is not a dedicated article. So, let’s get to it.

Durant started out as a troll deck idea around the time of Noble Victories. The deck was fun, but it would struggle too much with certain decks that could OHKO Durants. People said things like, “You won’t be able to get multiple Eviolites and multiple Special Metal Energies into play.”

In spite of all that, the deck’s success in Europe prompted more people state-side to reconsider their opinions. (It is amazing how many times recently the “better American Pokemon minds” have been heavily influenced by Europeans and the Japanese. I love it.)

Let’s get to the core structure of the deck.

That sets the core requirements of the deck at 31-40. This deck is one of the most flexible decks out there. Let’s talk about what cards can fill the core requirements.

Pokémon Search

Three cards can fill this role now.

Pokémon Collector: Collector lets you search for three Basic Pokémon and put them in your hand. Given that all the Pokémon in this deck are Basics, Collector is a great play. The only downside to this card is that it is a Supporter. Due to that, you cannot play another Supporter the same turn you play this.

Dual Ball: This Item card allows you to flip two coins. Then for each heads, you get to search for a Basic Pokémon and put it into your hand. We have a love/hate relationship with this card. It is great because it is an Item. That means that you can play multiple copies per turn and you can still play your Supporter for that turn. However, there are those pesky flips. There is always the chance of you hitting double tails when you desperately need another Pokémon.

Level Ball: All of the core Pokémon in this deck have less than 90 HP. So, this Item card is excellent. It allows you to search you deck for a Pokémon with 90 HP or less and put it into your hand. That is great because it is an Item and has the same advantages as Dual Ball. Even though you can are limited at one Pokémon for this card, the one Pokémon is guaranteed.

What is the play: Well, I absolutely love the consistency of Pokémon Collector and there is not a stronger play for the deck (or almost any deck) than a turn one Collector. Secondly, I absolutely love the guarantee that Level Ball brings.

In light of those considerations, I go with 7 Pokémon search cards: 4 Collector and 3 Level Ball.

Draw/Refresh/Search

These are normally referred to as the engine of a deck. They are what keep the deck moving. Here are the cards that can be played.

Twins: This card allows you to search your deck for any two cards and put those cards into your hand. The catch is that you must be behind in prizes. Well, that is very good in a deck that does not aim to take prizes.

N: This card makes both you and your opponent to shuffle your hands into the deck and then draw as many cards as you have prizes left. That means you will almost always be drawing 6 cards and your opponent will be drawing less. This card seems to be a great fit for Durant. However, your opponent will likely be hoarding cards in his hand. When you play this at the end of the game, you are letting your opponent shuffle a lot of cards back into his deck. It can buy your opponent another turn or two.

Professor Oak’s New Theory: This card allows you to shuffle your hand back into your deck and draw six cards. It is pretty vanilla and a great choice.

Professor Juniper: This card allows you to discard your hand and draw seven new cards. It digs a little deeper than Professor Oak’s New Theory, but is also burns through resources.

Victory Medal: If you are fortunate enough to have this card, it is a decent choice. It allows you to flip two coins. If one is heads, you get to draw a card. If both are heads you get to search your deck for any single card.

Pokegear 3.0: This is the Swiss army knife card. It allows you to look at the top 7 cards of your deck, pick any Supporter in those cards, and put that Supporter in your hand. This is a great card to help with the turn one Collectors. It can also be reused with Junk Arm.

What is the play: There are several things to consider here. The main questions to consider is how many other Durant decks will you play against. This is a huge factor in the selection of cards. If you are playing against a lot of other Durants, Twins becomes less viable, Professor Juniper becomes less desirable, and Professor Oak’s New Theory becomes huge.

In a meta with a lot of Durant around, here is what I would play: 2 Professor Juniper, 4 Professor Oak’s New Theory, 3 N, 3 Twins, 2 Pokegear 3.0.

In a meta with less Durant and more “traditional decks,” here is what I would play: 4 Twins, 3 Professor Oak’s New Theory, 3 Professor Juniper, 2 N, 2 Pokegear 3.0.

At this stage, my deck list looks like this:

This makes 34 cards. We still have 26 slots to fill. There are generally three other broad categories that can be used to fill these slots: recovery, game state disruption, alternative attacks.

Recovery

There are several recovery options here.

Revive: This is the most simple recovery card out there. It lets you search your discard for a basic Pokémon and put it on your bench. By early to mid game, Durants will likely be OHKO’d. Revive is the optimal card to get those ants back. The main weakness to this card is that it is worthless against trainer lock decks.

Super Rod: This card lets you take any combination of three Pokémon and Basic Energy from your discard and put them into your deck. This works really well with the Pokémon search cards.

Flower Shop Lady: The main draw of this card is that it is a Supporter. If there are a lot of Trainer lock decks in your area, this card can keep you in the game. It allows you to take three Pokémon and three Basic Energy and shuffle them into the deck. This card also helps a lot in the mirror match.

Rescue Energy: In general, this is not a good inclusion because you want to use only relevant energy (with regards to attack costs). However, it works against Trainer lock.

What is the play: I like the simplicity of Revive. I also like the power of Super Rod to help with energy droughts. Based on those, I play: 4 Revive and 1 Super Rod.

Game State Disruption

What do I mean by game state disruption? I mean these are cards that mess with the state of the board. They might move Pokemon around or they might move energy around. Let’s look at some of the cards that can in this deck.

Lost Remover: This card allows you to select one Special Energy on the field and send it to the Lost Zone. We have already seen this card rise in popularity because decks like 6C and CoKE run a lot of Special Energy. Well, with practically all decks running EX Pokémon and those Pokémon needing Double Colorless Energy to function, Lost Remover becomes even more potent. This card will be included in the deck.

Crushing Hammer: This card allows you to flip a coin, if head you get to discard an energy attached to your opponent’s Pokémon. This is great for targeting Basic Energy. It does rely on a flip though.

Pokémon Catcher: This card allows you to switch your opponent’s active Pokémon with one of his benched Pokémon. It is great for dragging up a Pokémon with no energy attached and a big retreat cost.

Switch: This is the anti-Catcher. It is also the only defensive card on the list. Your opponent may try to drag up a benched Pokémon with no energy to stall you out. Switch allows you to get out of those undesirable situations.

Ditto TM: With the new Heatmor not being in Next Destinies, one of the best counters to Durant is V-Create Victini. You can play Ditto and limit your opponent’s bench space to four, then Victini cannot attack.

Seeker: One prevalent strategy to combat Durant is to play down one attacker. However, many times your opponent will not start with the one attacker he desires. If you opponent has two Pokémon on the field, you can Catcher the benched Pokémon and then Seeker up their attacker. It’s a fun trick.

What is the play: Special Energy are going to continue to rise in popularity. Basic Energy still has to be dealt with. There are plenty of Pokémon with high retreat costs to target with Catcher, but many people are running Switch and maybe Skyarrow Bridge to make the drag and stall tactic less appealing.

I play the following: 4 Lost Remover, 3 Crushing Hammer, 2 Pokémon Catcher, 1 Switch. (I could see 3 Lost Remover and 1 Seeker instead.)

Alternative Attacks

This category is where most of the Durant controversy is at. Do you play an alternative attacker? Some say yes, others say no. I will say that most of the Durant lists that did well in both the Florida and Chicago marathons did not run an attacker. However, you can attack with the deck without adding another Pokémon. Let’s take a look:

Cobalion NVI: This is the main alternative attacker for most people in Durant. It is resistant to Mewtwo EX. It can force many of the big retreat Pokémon to be stuck in the active. For MC it can do 20 + 20 for each energy attached to the defending Pokémon. Or for MMC it does 80 and the defending Pokémon cannot attack. If you do decided to play Cobalion, you should look into playing Exp. Share.

Prism Energy: Why is this card in this section? Well, the deck runs Rotom to get Durants out of the prizes. However, Rotom can also attack with Plasma Arrow. For L, Rotom deals 20 damage times the number of energy on your opponent’s Pokémon. This means that you can attack and KO Zekrom after two Bolt Strikes. You can do at least 80 to most EXs (setting up a two or three turn KO). It is always useful to have and energy to run for Plasma Arrow.

Black Belt: Black Belt is a Supporter that adds 40 damage to your Pokémon’s attacks when you are behind on prizes. This means that you can often set up a surprise Vice Grip for 70 damage. That could be enough to spring a surprise KO on stuff like Victini.

Smoochum HS: This little baby allows you to move your opponent’s energy around. If your opponent placed two Pokémon on the field, you can push the energy off one Pokémon onto another and then Catcher that one to stall.

Mime Jr. CL: This baby allows you to mill one card from your opponent’s deck and send it to the Lost Zone. It used to be considered a good starter for the deck. Now, it is something to likely pass up.

What is the play: I personally run 2 Prism Energy and 1 Black Belt.

This brings the list to:

That brings the list up to 51 cards. We still have 8 slots to fill.

There are two cards that we have not talked about two staple cards in Durant.

Junk Arm: This cards allows you to discard two cards in your hand to retrieve one Item card from the discard. This card allows you to effectively have four more of any Item card in your deck. Running four copies is a near must in Durant.

Eviolite: With Durant you need to delay your opponent from taking prizes as much as possible. Eviolite is the exact card to accomplish this. A Durant with Eviolite and Special Metal Energy has an effective health of 100 HP. While there are certainly cards that can swing for 100 every turn, few cards can accomplish this without a support Pokémon set up. I play three Eviolites.

Now the list looks like this:

That brings the list up to 58 cards. Thus, you have two slots to fill in. Those two slots can make or break a good Durant list. I would recommend looking into thicker lines of the pre-existing list. Possibly 2 more Eviolite, another Switch, 2 more Pokegear 3.0, and one more Level Ball. But, ultimately those slots are up to you.

Again, I am not going to go into great matchup details. We do not have a solid defined meta yet. I will say that Durant id very good to solid against Mewtwo EX bases decks (looking at you CMT), Magnezone decks, 6C, and The Truth.

I hope you have enjoyed this second deck analysis article. I hope that it has given you something to think about.

In summary, Durant is a great deck with solid matchups. It is also extremely cheap (a huge bonus). It will be a serious player for States.

The Hawk’s Nest: Ant Hill is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

Hey SixPrizes. I figured that since this is my first article on the site I should introduce myself. My name is Adam Bigott, but I also go by adamisclassy on most Pokemon forums. I’m twenty years old and I have been playing competitively for a little over a year now.

Currently the number one card on my want list. Take that Mewtwo!

In my first full season I have seen a good amount of success including my first tournament victory during the Fall Battle Roads series. I mostly play in Arkansas and the surrounding area, but I also play a bit in my home state of Illinois. Be sure to look for me at the tables in those areas and say hi.

Most important of all, my favorite Pokemon is Caterpie. Now that you know a little bit about me, let’s get into the meat of this article.

Big Basics

Noble Victories brought a fresh breath of air to an otherwise stale metagame by completely overturning the top tier decks. Some of these new competitive decks, specifically CoKE/Electrode variants and Six Corners, created a new, broader archetype known as “Big Basics.”

Now, with that format in its 11th hour, Next Destinies stands to once again redefine the format by introducing a class of even bigger basic Pokemon: the EX cards. Not only that, but with the addition of even more cards that benefits only basic Pokemon, the “Big Basics” archetype is destined to, ironically, evolve.

Rather than setting up, the pitfall of these big basic decks has always been energy. CoKE and Six Corners answered this problem in very different ways.

While the use of Electrode Prime in CoKE could be a devastatingly effective means of energy attachment, Electrode often failed as well. By giving up both precious resources  and a prize card, the deck fell short of being tier 1.

I take forever to walk across

Six Corners, rather than “blowing up” to attach large amounts of energy, revolved around Virizion’s double draw, the precise use of energy attachments, and energy manipulation provided by Shaymin UL’s Celebration Wind. However, giants like Magnezone Prime were able to Knock Out the big basics and left the energy depleted board in the late game, causing it to fall short of tier one as well.

This proposes the question: How can “Big Basics” keep energy on the field effectively? The answer, if you haven’t already guessed it, comes in the form of one of the most anticipated combinations to come out of Next Destinies: Celebi Prime and Skyarrow Bridge.

Celebi Prime’s Poke-Power Forest Breath allows you to attach an extra grass energy during your turn, so long as he is your active. By combining this with Skyarrow Bridge, the deck has an effective means of energy acceleration with very little setup.

Because of the amount of flexibility this deck has, it is most effectively played as an anti-meta deck. That being said, there isn’t really a definitive metagame at the local or national level at this point in time. I figure it would be best for me to give you a bare bones skeleton first.

The Skeleton

Open Slots – 2-7

I know this doesn’t look like a lot of space, but when you consider the fact that I’ve already accounted for the slots that “other attackers” take up, we actually have a lot of room to work with. So let’s go through our choices and options in a bit more detail.

Pokemon

Blaine, you've created a monster...

Celebi: This green onion head is half of the engine that propels this deck. I’ve seen lists play as few as two. However, low counts of Celebi are vulnerable to unfortunate prizes and easy Pokemon Catcher KOs. This is especially concerning when you consider the fact that Forest Breath attachments are most critical the first three and last three or so turns of the game. I’d suggest at least playing three, but try testing with four. This gives you a better chance to attack turn 1.

Tornadus: The flying Genie works well in this deck for a lot of the same reasons he has been effective in the past. He works on any type of energy, he can abuse Double Colorless Energy, and most importantly Hurricane moves and conserves your energy. Equally important, Tornadus is only worth a single prize card, which, given his damage output, makes him a very efficient attacker.

Mewtwo EX: Mewtwo is one of the hardest hitters in the game. For that reason a lot of people will ask: “Why are you only running two of it?” Because Mewtwo can run on any type of energy, is so easy to tech, and an opponents Mewtwo EX can easily return KO your own Mewtwo EX, it is not the safest card to place on your bench or open with. You will see lists maxing out Mewtwo, but the aforementioned reasons, as well as his huge price tag, make two-three a more reasonable count.

Other Pokemon

Virizion NVI: This Leaf Walloping monster would potentially replace Tornadus’ role in the deck. Both are worth a single prize card, have 110 HP, a resistance (though Tornadus’ is more meta relevant), and  cap off dealing 80 damage. Virizion can also boost consistency by using dual draw and is more likely to hit the 40 with a turn 1 Leaf Wallop than Tornadus is to hit the 80 with a turn 1 Hurricane. However Virizion does not move energy around like Tornadus. A combination of these two attackers could also be effective.

Magnewho?

Terrakion NVI: The hulk counters two of the biggest metagame threats that Tornadus and Mewtwo can’tcover: Magnezone Prime and Zekrom EX. Both of these can hit Tornadus for weakness and discard or lost zone energy to reduce the damage potential of Mewtwo’s X-Ball. For just a fighting and a colorless energy, Terrakion can one-shot with Revenge Zekrom EX with a plus power, not to mention Regigigas EX.

Cobalion NVI: The third musketeer has seen some hype on the forums as being a good play in this deck. Iron Breaker can be an incredibly disruptive attack, especially against the Truth. Not only this, but Cobalion can hit Kyurem EX, a hyped attacker in Truth EX, for weakness and potentially one-shot it with Energy Press. Cobalion alone can significantly improve this generally unfavorable matchup.

Regigigas EX NDE: Regi has some of the best one-on-one matchups against its fellow EXs. He has a beastly amount of HP and after taking a big enough hit, Raging Hammer can potentially take out just about anything in the game. Not only this, but Giga Crush has the same potential to hit for 80 turn one as Tornadus. He sounds perfect, but don’t forget the two prize card cost.

Shaymin EX NDE: This guy is a late game force. Revenge Burst can hit for a walloping 180 for just 2 energy. That’s almost unheard of. Granted your opponent needs to have taken 5 prizes it to do that much damage. I really like this card as a one-of. You already use Grass Energy so he takes up almost no space at all. However, starting games with him can be dangerous. It could be worth testing Seeker or Super Scoop Up in your build if you decide to run him.

Shaymin UL: Shaymin has a one of the best coming-into-play powers in the game. Being able to rearrange your energy can allow you to do things like move a large amount of energy onto a Mewtwo EX if and when it is safe to do so. It’s also great to conserve special energies, especially Prism Energy. I definitely recommend this guy if you are playing Cobalion and want to get off the Iron Breaker.

Getting a second chance

Absol Prime: This one is pretty simple and straightforward. If you are expecting to play against a lot of Chandelure NVI, this guy is a solid answer. The two damage counters your opponent has to put down on any Pokemon they bench is also pretty handy. Probably not the best tech but at least worth mentioning. Just be sure you can lost zone a Pokemon every turn.

Victini 15 NVI: This card could have some serious potential if you are worried about Durant. Playing him would mean that you would have to run fire energy in order to be safe from lost remover. But, if you fill your bench and can keep sky arrow bridge in play, you should be able to take six prizes fairly quickly.

Smeargle CL: I feel like I would get at least a few comments if I didn’t mention Smeargle. Portrait is a strong Poke-Power, but it can also force you to Juniper away a perfectly good hand. I’m not the biggest fan of this one, but he is worth trying out if you haven’t already.

The Trainers

“Draw Supporters”

I used the Umbrella term draw supporters just to account for space in the skeleton. Here are my opinions on various Supporters.

Professor Juniper: This is probably my favorite Supporter in this deck. A lot of the cards in your deck can be played down instantly so you’ll often find yourself with a low hand size. Because of this, you won’t be forced to discard huge portions of your late game resources in order to play it. Being the most aggressive Supporter in the game, it also helps with getting off the turn 1 attack.

If N is this nasty, think how dirty a Ghetsis card would be.

Professor Oak’s New Theory: PONT is probably the safest Supporter in the game. It’s consistent and reliable with virtually no downside. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone call it a bad card. It’s certainly worth at least a few spots, but don’t let shuffle-draw be too much of a crutch. Sometimes thinning your deck is a good thing.

N: Probably the best example of a “dynamic Supporter.” This card nets the same number of Professor Oak’s New Theory in the early game but it can be deadly in the late game, limiting your opponent to just a single card. N also pairs really well with Shaymin EX and can help you turn entire games around.

Cheren: I consider this and Oak to be good examples of “static Supporters.” They stay the same. They rarely backfire, but they are not as likely to turn games around as dynamic Supporters are. It’s a decent card in here, but I’d probably skip it.

Sage’s Training: Some people will think this is a good idea because of how much play this card is seeing. I love Sage’s, but not in this deck.

“Search Cards”

There are two schools of thought on the issue.

The joys of double heads; the sorrows of double tails.

Pokemon Collector: Hopefully you know what this card does. This is the safer play between the two. You do, however, give up your supporter for the turn. It is important to note that you don’t need the turn 1 collector in this deck and it is actually more useful as a midgame card to search out techs. Another benefit is that you only need a few Collector.

Dual Ball: The riskier of the two options. It helps hit the turn 1 attack more often, but it can also fall flat on its face. It also needs to be ran in higher counts than collector, but you can junk arm for it. It really all comes down to one question: Do you want to flip coins?

Rounding out the Deck

Here are just a few more cards to consider for those last few spots in the deck.

A 4th Catcher: Helps to slow down your opponents setup in the early game and let you take the easy prize in the late game.

A 4th Junk Arm: Let’s be honest – you always wish you had another Junk Arm in the late game.

A 3rd Pokegear: Makes for a more consistent deck overall.

 A 3rd Eviolite: Makes your big basics even beefier.

 A 3rd Switch: More consistent turn 1 attack. Switch also helps you get things like Terrakion out of the active and allow for double Forest Breaths.

A 3rd Skyarrow Bridge: Helps with the turn 1 attack. Skyarrow can also be knocked out by other stadiums. This way you have a better chance of getting Bridge back into play.

I guess Call of Legends wasn't a total waste after all.

A 2nd Super Rod: I find myself not hitting this card in the late game when I need it. It also lets you play your Junipers more liberally knowing you have two of this in your deck and that energy and Pokemon can be recovered more easily.

 A 2nd PlusPower: I end up wanting to Junk Arm for this a lot. It also makes the double PlusPower more feasible.

Lost Remover: This format is going to see a ton of special energy played. This card is just dirty.

Seeker/Super Scoop Up: Lets you pick up cards like Shaymin EX when you don’t want them on the field. It can also let you reuse things like Shaymin ULs Celebration Wind.

An 8th Grass Energy: The more grass energy you play the more energy you have to accelerate onto the field using Celebi.

Rocky Helmet: This card has proven to at least be interesting. 2 damage counters can help setup the KO on an EX.

Full Lists

This is the list that I have worked with quite a bit. It is built for an area with high amounts of Magnezone Prime and Zekrom EX.

This list is my current work in progress. Rather than trying to combat a specific metagame threat, this list uses a split of Virizion and Tornadus for a very strong and consistent early game, Mewtwo and Terrakion for the late game, and Shaymin EX for the late game.

The Match Ups

This article wouldn't be complete without a picture of me!

There are several reasons I’m not going into the match ups for this deck. The first is simply that the shape of the metagame is still not completely clear at this juncture. If you look on the forums you will see good players with opposite opinions on a given card or deck. While this is not new, it has been more prevalent since brainstorming for the new format began.

The second for me not giving match ups is that this deck is meant to be versatile. There are so many options for techs that almost any match up could become favorable or unfavorable depending on what you decide to put in here. The deck is really what you want it to be rather than  So rather than guessing, I will hold off on giving any match ups for now, but you are free to speculate.

Closing Thoughts

I’ve already explained the reasoning for pretty much every card in my deck. The only other thing that I’d like to point out is that if you are only running Prism Energy for one Pokemon, switch to that type of energy to avoid Lost Remover.

Hopefully you’ve got a feel for what this deck is like. Be sure to go out and test it or at least test against it because it will see play come States.

Beyond the Hype: A Closer Look at Celebi Prime is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

This guy is our power forward.

Hi, I’m jjkkl. For those of you who know me, I’m the one who slogs through Pokégym’s grammar, syntax, and diction for their Front Page articles. For those who don’t know me, well, now you know me. My plan here is to discuss with all of you the general basics of Energymite, predominantly in the context of the two major variants that run it: CoKE (Cobalion, Kyurem, and Electrode) and LaKE (Landorus, Kyurem, and Electrode).

This article will look at four major components. First, we’ll be looking at Energymite in an overall, metagame whole, and possible decks that could benefit in the upcoming format from Electrode Prime.

Second, we’ll be looking at skeletal lists of Cobalion/Kyurem/Electrode (referred onwards as ‘Coke’) and how they can be managed and tweaked based upon modes of play, major local deck metagames and preferred strategies.

Third, we’ll be looking at the major comparing variant of Landorus/Kyurem/Electrode (referred onwards as ‘Lake’) in a similar fashion to Coke. Finally, I’ll be discussing general facets, myths, deck construction notes, and modifications that can and cannot work when working with either Coke or Lake.

Ultimately, much of the focus will revolve around the decks of Coke and Lake themselves, but my position is that Electrode’s efficacy is not limited to simply two decks in the format. Electrode Prime is an incredibly useful card, and can be utilized in a variety of decks that otherwise do not benefit from their own type-based Energy acceleration (as opposed to Fire, Electric, and Water types, for example).

Context and Caveats

Totally.

There’s going to be a lot of things in this article that many, many players may flat out disagree with – that’s fine. The fact is that fluidity is a major part of both Coke and Lake, and therefore many players may prefer to play different play styles and focus on different things.

However, to provide a context of the general idea from where I’m discussing this deck, I would like to place what little qualifications I have in regards to this deck. In the recent Cities marathon, of the three I went to, I made Top 8 twice and Top 4 once, putting my ratio in terms of Top Cutting at a 1:1. I’ve played against many very good Canadian players such as Matthew Koo, Jacob Lesage, and Kant Shen, and I’ve held my own against them. Therefore, I would like to think that I have a reasonable knowledge of dealing with competitive decks.

Furthermore, I do a lot of testing. Testing is crucial, and what deck lists I provide will also be provided with details, rationale, and information based on testing. I do not operate within a vacuum – I work with a small, close group of friends (both on Skype, Redshark, and in person) to ensure optimal deck ability.

Section I: Energymite

The first component we’re going to look at is an overarching, general view of Energymite and Electrode Prime. In essence, Energymite is a big-risk, big-reward play. It’s a gambler’s Poké-Power, as the ability to attach up to seven Energy cards by your second turn is a massive benefit to any deck play. However, that’s a highly ludicrous optimal situation; most scenarios will involve – depending on your Energy count – anywhere from zero to four Energy cards and the rest are discarded.

What ramifications does this have with decks running Electrode Prime? It means that Energymite expects a few conditions for you to fully utilise its Poké-Power.

First, it presumes you have your intended attacker already set up and in play. To most basic Pokémon, this is not a problem – just simply use Pokémon Collector and you’re good to go. However, to many Stage 1 and Stage 2 Pokémon, the scenario is hardly as easy. Decks running larger attackers are more dependent on other cards (such as Pokémon Communication, Rare Candy, etc.) to ensure a more expedient setup. This puts strain on a deck player’s initial resources, and coupled with Electrode Prime’s fragility, requires immensely careful and disruptive against your opponent.

Second, it allows a more efficient use of Rainbow Energy. When I say ‘efficient’, I mean that in the context of being able to utilise Rainbow Energy’s ‘works as any Energy type’ without the drawback of placing one damage counter. This can be a game changing attachment, and in decks with a variety of different Energy-type attackers with 130 HP this can be critical as it no longer places them in range of enemy Bolt Strikes or Blue Flares (Kyurem is the most obvious example).

Third, Energymite forces you to play a rebound-possible game. Energymite’s “discard the other cards” clause means that without prior setup or without a sufficient infrastructure, you’re putting your own deck into harm’s way. Critical non-Energy cards such as Twins, Professor Juniper, Rare Candy, Pokémon Collector, Pokémon Catcher, and Junk Arm may be discarded as a result of Energymite. The ramification of this clause is that without preparation, you risk harming your long-term game significantly.

Fourth, Energymite allows you to more effectively control the use of specific come-from-behind cards such as Twins and Black Belt. Putting your opponent ahead in prizes in the current format is a highly favourable manoeuvre, as it gives you a crucial tactical ability. A turn 2 or turn 3 Twins or Black Belt can be game changing when played with considerable carefulness.

Decks with Energymite?

Now that we’ve established a rudimentary understanding of the implications of Energymite on the arc of play, we can take a look at what Energymite can do for many cards. Energymite’s biggest (and possibly only, depending on the context) advantage against other Energy accelerators is its indiscriminate Energy clause: “as many Energy cards”. Double Colorless, Rainbow Energy, Prism Energy, Special Dark and Special Metal Energy are all viable Energy cards to be attached by Energymite.

What this means is that heavy hitters such as Tyranitar Prime can benefit immensely from the detonation of an Electrode Prime using Energymite. Theoretically, you may be able to acquire the four Energy needed to utilise Megaton Tail quite early. Likewise, Twins may allow you to grab further crucial cards (missing Energy, Pokémon Catcher, etc.) to establish a swift, looming pressure.

Cards such as Mew Prime may greatly benefit where the problems of a frightfully small HP may be mitigated with a deck-to-Mew attachment for Rainbow Energy alongside Eviolite.

The focus is not necessarily to look at Energymite in the context of “these are all the decks that can benefit from them”, since such an article would be far too expansive and cover too many possible cards. Rather, the focus on Energymite is to understand its dynamics and its ramifications, not only on the two major decks we will be looking at, but also for future rogue players who wish to try and make the most of this Poké-Power in the future.

Section II: CoKE

The first Energymite metagame-relevant deck is Cobalion / Kyurem / Electrode, or more known as CaKE / CoKE. As stated earlier, I will be referring to this generally as ‘Coke’. Coke, in essence, relies on the use of Kyurem to sweep an opponent’s field with its second attack, Glaciate. The use of Energymite in this deck allows a swift, early Glaciate, establishing early pressure. The ramifications of an early Energymite and subsequent Glaciate (especially Kyurem) accomplishes one of two things.

First, it pressures decks that rely on setup (such as Magnezone / Eelektrik and Chandelure) to evolve as quickly as possible. A single Glaciate on a field of Oddishes, Magnemites, Litwicks and Tynamos puts tremendous amounts of pressure on the opponent to last the next turn through some sort of evolution. Accomplishing a second-turn Glaciate is foundational to that pressure, and a second-turn Energymite is what makes this possible.

Second, against decks that utilise large amounts of high-HP Pokémon or use primarily Basic Pokémon (such as Six Corners, ZPST, other ‘KE’ variants), a fast Glaciate puts them close to OHKO ranges. This is becoming more important in the age of EX Pokémon, where a few select Basic Pokémon carry monstrously high HP and can prove difficult for mid-range attackers such as Cobalion, Terrakion, or Landorus to deal with by themselves. Glaciate, if only for a turn, puts them closer into a range where they can be knocked out much more easily.

Cobalion’s use in this deck is more focused on disruptive ‘lock’ and Kyurem counters. Just as how you can put pressure on enemy decks, you yourself are susceptible to enemy Glaciates. Cobalion provides a powerful counter against enemy Kyurems with Energy Press, which will OHKO (one-hit knockout) a Kyurem with the Energy for Glaciate, regardless of Eviolite.

Cobalion’s second attack, Iron Breaker, is used as a disruptive play. Though not completely helpful in the context of a Switch replete format, Iron Breaker in a situation where opponents cannot sufficiently counter or circumvent the effects can be game-changing. A single attack loss on your opponent can buy you enough time to either establish the upper hand or to equalize.

Iron Breaker, furthermore, is incredibly handy against enemy Kyurems that do not have Energies attached – this is critical against opponents that prefer to stack benched Pokémon while walling with an Active.

A basic deck list for Coke looks like so:

This leaves five spots for modifications and changes. The numbers of each card are variable and can be changed, but some spots are more non-negotiable than others (Collectors, Super Rod, the Energy, Electrode Primes, etc.). Much of the focus is on establishing a swift Glaciate and then sweeping an opponent’s weakened Pokémon using Iron Breaker and Energy Press. Collectors – and their maxed numbers – are a must to ensure at least two Voltorbs on the first turn. Assume at least one Voltorb will be knocked out, and such paranoia will serve you well.

Section III: LaKE

The second (and more popular) Energymite variant is Landorus/Kyurem/Electrode, also known as ‘Lake’. As stated in the previous Coke section, the role of Kyurem is twofold: pressure and softening. The major difference between Coke and Lake, however, is a slight modification in terms of the Trainers and Supporters List, a moderate change in the Energy makeup and count, and a drastically different main attacker.

Compared to Coke, Lake is a much more metagame-resistant deck. While Coke flourishes against a Kyurem metagame, Lake flourishes against a Magnezone metagame. Landorus replaces Cobalion as the main attacker, and what you trade in terms of disruption and Kyurem-countering you make up in terms of sheer type advantage and spread synergy.

With an Eviolite, Landorus can trade hits with a powered Zekrom (Eviolite will make Bolt Strike do only 80 damage), putting it at a much better position than Cobalion. In regards to Kyurem, its function is similar in Lake as in Coke. However, Landorus fulfills a much different set of functions than Cobalion.

First, Landorus is much more mobile than Cobalion. This is incredibly relevant against (and with) decks that prefer to play a Skyarrow Bridge to give their Pokémon either one or free retreat. Landorus in this scenario benefits immensely from Skyarrow, as it carries only one retreat cost compared to Cobalion’s two. In decks that run few Switch, Landorus is more capable of movement.

Second, Landorus has a higher chance of a second turn Gaia Hammer than Cobalion having a second turn Iron Breaker. In other words, Landorus is generally faster and more consistently able at attacking quickly than Cobalion. With Abundant Harvest, a second-turn Gaia Hammer is hardly theorymoning – it’s a litmus test standard for many Landorus-based Energymite variants to work effectively.

Third, Landorus’ Gaia Hammer allows Landorus to sync perfectly with Glaciate. Though the attack does damage to your own bench, the 10 to the opponent’s Benched Pokémon can knock out any Tynamos and Oddishes left behind or unattended by your opponent.

Fourth, tanking Cobalion implicitly requires Special Metals, which puts you at the behest of enemy Lost Removers. Landorus, due to a lack of Special Fighting Energy, is more resistant against enemy disruption.

A basic deck list for Lake looks like so:

Again, this leaves five spots for modifications and changes. Aside from the Landorus, the major modification is the inclusion of a Sage’s Training, a weaker N line, and a weaker Twins line. The purpose is simply because by the second turn, an active Landorus has a higher chance of utilising Gaia Hammer through a discarded Fighting Energy from Abundant Harvest. Less emphasis is on disruption and clutch controls and more focus on heavy, immense pressure.

So, which to choose?

In comparison, Landorus is much better against an overall metagame. What Landorus lacks in countering Kyurems, it makes up for in countering Magnezones, Zekroms, and slower decks. It has a much more difficult time against Kyurem variants due to the fact that a single Glaciate can put Landorus very close to knockout range, and Gaia Hammer will make an enemy Kyurem’s Outrage phenomenally more lethal.

The decision, ultimately, is a metagame and familiarity choice. Either deck are capable of working regardless of the metagame, but ultimately require some sort of modification and practicing to get otherwise simple matchups right.

If you’re less familiar with working on Electrode Prime decks, then Landorus is the better option due to its ability to self-power, faster hit speed, more solid metagame matchups, and synergy with Glaciate. If you’re more familiar with disrupting board control or more familiar with your metagame, then Cobalion will serve you just as well, or perhaps even better.

Section IV: Cities, Decks, Contrast and Comparison Cards, and Matchups 

What was my deck?

The points expressed earlier, of course, are somewhat moot if I do not at least put my own deck up for comparison and booing criticism to the hivemind that is the internet. As a I stated earlier, of the three Cities I attended (I have to a job to attend otherwise I would have gone for all of them), I finished 4-2, 5-1, and 4-1, putting me at 13-4. The deck list used for Cities is as follows:

In all honesty, I do not suggest playing this build. Despite my success with the deck, it plays a version that is tailored towards aggressive Cobalion plays and heavier Energymite attachments. This deck is immensely difficult for many players to grasp around working, but it does show some significant modifications and departures from the staple lists I provided above.

First, there are only three Voltorbs rather than four. Much of this is for the fact that the fourth Voltorb’s role in the early game is so insignificant in the first few turns (regardless of consistency) that an extra Energy card is much more useful. One Energymite, rather than two, is the preferred method of operation for this deck list, and thereby a thicker Energy line is used in lieu of a thinner Voltorb line.

Second, there are thicker Trainer lines. Pokémon Communication, I believe (and continue to still believe) is a vastly superior card in many respects to other search cards as it is indiscriminate in its functionality – any Pokémon can be taken, and in a situation where you have multiples of attackers but only need one (you will rarely use more than two Cobalions in a match, for example), Communication outshines competitors. Likewise, I ran a thicker Catcher line to counter Victini and Terrakion drops.

Third, I ran Research Record instead of Twins. This is an area of contention among many Coke and Lake players, mainly since it shows a shift in one direction versus another in terms of strategic makeup. Twins allows the Coke or Lake player to search out for missing Energy cards, Catchers, and Eviolites from their decks after an Energymite. Research Record filters decks for a more successful Energymite.

Many competitive players choose to not play Research Record at all. That’s fine, and I’ve omitted Research Record from my staple lists because, truthfully, Research Record isn’t needed! Twins, in many situations, are a far better card than Research Record, and therefore choosing to switch out Research Records for Twins instead is equally valid.

Why then, did I run Research Record rather than Twins? The answer is Professor Juniper. Research Record, while it’s less consistent than Twins (and by extension, means I am breaking a cardinal rule of proper deck-building, I know), allows me to effectively ‘sort’ viable top decks with Juniper. Research Record allows me to sort through 4-8 top cards through my deck, sorting them through for a Juniper-Energymite chain.

In other words, I use Research Record to look at the top four cards, see if I need them, and then sort accordingly. It allows me, in other words, to control half of my Juniper draw, and at the same time allows me to minimise otherwise destructive Energymites. In turn, I sacrifice the search of controlled demolition with Twins. This is purely a personal shift in play style – I do not suggest that you switch Twins with Research Record unless this is your play style and you are incredibly familiar with the costs and benefits involved.

Fourth, I ran a Shaymin. This is critical, because at many points you may get an incredibly successful Energymite, but only have one or two Pokémon or these Pokémon are incompatible. Consider, for example, drawing two Special Metal and a Water Energy with your Energymite, but having no Cobalions in play. This becomes useless without Shaymin. Celebration Wind, in other words, reworks your field into something much more functional, and allows a more fluid change in strategy to work against your opponent’s plays.

Fifth, and most jarring, is the lack of a fourth Collector. I will be honest – do not do this. Although I still did perfectly well and Top Cut at all the events, there is no super secret special reason for not having played the fourth Collector. The reason why my Cities list for Pokémon Collector wasn’t four was for the simple fact that I did not have a fourth Collector.

I share my cards with my friends, who were all playing. Unfortunately, we did not have enough cards for four Pokémon Collectors in four decks, so my friend and I opted for three Pokémon Collectors in each of our decks. In response, I ran an extra Pokémon Communication. In all sane scenarios, however, I would have run a fourth Pokémon Collector.

How does it change for Next Destinies?

Next Destinies modifies my deck in a few, critical ways. I’m always testing and working on my deck, but always mindful of changes. I will only be showing the current deck list. My caveat is that this list is by no means permanent – consider it more transitory and constantly in change as I progress with testing than anything definitive.

Many players will, understandably, want my blood on this. The deck list is incredibly unorthodox, even for the things I taught at the beginning. This is a result of a few things.

Terrakion is really fat. This was a critical loss in many of my games. Terrakion’s usefulness is only when it has Energy, and otherwise it serves very little use. Theoretically, you’d want to only drop Terrakion down when you have the Energy to knock out an opponent, but that’s easier said than done. This is, of course, even worse when starting with Terrakion.

Furthermore, Terrakion is theoretically handy against Zekrom EX since a Land Rush or activated Retaliate will knock out Zekrom EX. However, this is difficult to accomplish when the opponent attaches an Eviolite onto their EXs, which tend to become more and more common. In all other respects, I opt for Landorus since Landorus is ultimately a much better starter, and the early turns are what matter to me.

Kyurem EX is a crucial heavy hitter. While Hail Blizzard has an atrocious cost and condition, Kyurem EX is useful in that it’s the only Pokémon in the entire deck that can break past the 80 damage limitation. This is helpful considering that while Hail Blizzard is a one-off, it’s usually used against a soften opponent. I would very much like to use Frozen Wing, but so far the first attack’s effectiveness eludes me.

Why not Shaymin EX? I don’t have it. I’ll test it when I get it. That sums it up.

Five ‘multiple’ Energies is a very good balance. Only one Rainbow Energy has been kept, mainly to provide clutch final attachments, especially against opponents running Lost Removers. One damage counter is a good cost for powering up critical last minute moves when one really needs it, and can throw off enemies expecting only four Prisms.

Victini is very handy against Virizions. A major problem deck is Six Corners, as a single Virizion with Eviolite can do a lot of damage before you can get set up. V-Create, while putting you at Catcher risk, is handy in taking down early Virizions to prevent enemy Terrakions from accelerating effectively. Though not entirely optimal, it makes a fairly difficult match more manageable.

Don’t ask me about Mewtwo EX. I don’t have it, so my testing against it is limited. I’m in the process of using proxies, and I would rather not theorymon about its role in the deck, so I cannot say anything about it.

Dealing with Matchups

The focus of this article, ultimately, is about variants of Energymite. The look is not simply just at one deck, but rather two. Additionally, as I mentioned, certain variants are much better than others at handling particular metagame decks. While you can deal with any metagame deck with either of them with enough play and practice, some matchups will become invariably easier than others depending on a skillful and careful choice of techs and cards.

That said, none of the matchups are a ‘walk in the park’. They’re all difficult, and you should always expect the worst. Play carefully, mindfully, and you should be generally alright.

Against Magnezone / Eelektrik, your preferred variant should be Lake. Landorus is a fast, solid hitter and candisrupt and cripple enemy Magnezones before they set up properly, preventing them to stabilize against you. The 10 damage on their field from Gaia Hammer is very helpful against the opponent, but always be mindful of the enemy’s Energy setup. Regardless of your good matchups, a Magnezone / Eelektrik deck can always overwhelm if you give them the chance. Your priority targets should be Magnezones and your major focus should be Landorus and Kyurems.

However, if you’re playing Coke, then your focus should be using Kyurems to keep pressure against their field. Use what resources you can to get an early Glaciate as soon as possible, softening up their Pokémon so they can be put into Iron Breaker range. The matchup with Coke is not easy, but not impossible either. A Terrakion tech in this situation may be a good one-turn equalizer against a loaded Magnezone.

Against Chandelure, your preferred variant should be Coke. Cobalion is not only resistant to Eerie Glow (to the extent that one Eviolite and one Special Metal will negate all damage other than Confusion and Burn), but a well-placed Iron Breaker on a Chandelure with Energy can put them back in the long run, as Chandelure decks run very precise and low amounts of Energy.

Two strategies can work against Chandelure – either you aim for a swift Glaciate to put immense pressure on them to evolve, or you use Catcher on their Oddishes and hit with Iron Breaker to knock them out. Vileplume is an incredibly dangerous obstacle to combat.

Should you be playing Lake, then a fast Kyurem should be your ultimate priority. Gaia Hammer’s tendency to hit your own bench can stack up dangerously high when factoring in Cursed Shadows, so you would best be working with Kyurem.

Against Six Corners, both Cake and Lake are fine. Cobalion’s Iron Breaker is a handy disruption tool against the enemy, but Cobalion is susceptible to a fast Victini-Shaymin combination. Kyurem in this matchup is very difficult to combat should the opponent play Virizions, so be wary. Likewise, if you use Lake, Landorus is prey to Kyurem Outrages as you have no effective means of knocking out Kyurems with Gaia Hammer without putting yourself in danger. V-Create Victini is highly recommended in this matchup, if only to hunt down early Virizion attachments until you can effectively stabilize.

Against Reshiplosion, Lake gives you a far better board, if only because you are not susceptible to weakness andcan accelerate from enemy Flare Destroys. Aim, if you can, to hit any and all Typhlosions with Landorus in the beginning to the best of your ability, and then seek to start sweeping with Glaciates. Taking down Typhlosions are critical, and thereby timing your Catchers are vital. If you’re using Coke, you’re going to be looking far more at using and recycling a constant string of Kyurems to keep yourself afloat. Cobalion, unfortunately, is useless in this matchup, and is complete fodder for enemy prizes.

Against Durant, Coke is the better option in this scenario. A single Cobalion with a string of Energy and an Eviolite can bombard an opponent with Iron Breaker, forcing Durant players to consume Switches, Junk Arms, and precious Energy to continue their assaults. Locking down an attack on a Durant can be crucial to the game, as the more effort the Durant player must take to continue Devouring, the better long-game position you’ll be in. Hoarding Junk Arms and Super Rods for later turns can be the difference between a win and a loss.

Landorus, in comparison, isn’t as effective. As Gaia Hammer has no useful condition other than softening up benched Durants, which is a benefit that can be easily negated by Eviolites. While in theory Abundant Harvest can retrieve lost Fighting Energy from Crushing Hammer, the strategy there falls apart as it gives Durant players another turn.

In Conclusion

So, what can we learn from this? Well, a few things.

First, I play Research Record, which will likely ostracize me from the vast majority of other competitive deck players. Second, I don’t play Twins, which will likely ostracize me from the vast majority of other competitive deck players. Third, an entire of my article is focused on the virtues of Energymite for rogue decks, yet ironically I only touched upon two decks which are both quite mainstream.

So, in lieu of my tiredness, take what you will.

Working with Energymite: A Reflection of Coke and Lake is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

Hey everybody, Adam’s given me a shot to write an Underground article (thanks!) and I’ve worked hard to make it the best that I can, so I hope you enjoy it. :)

The hotly anticipated Next Destinies will be legal very soon, in plenty of time for State Championships. Any time a new set is announced, people wonder whether the format will stay the same or if some amazing new cards will be released that will flip the meta on its head. With NDE, it’s looking to be the latter with many players believing it’ll be one of the most influential sets in the history of the game.

Just like when a rotation happens, when a really good new set comes out, the competitive scene, for a short time, becomes a place where the truly skilled and those who have really put in the testing to break the format can shine. After a while, this information becomes more widely known; stronger lists become available online and with sites like Pokegym, you can know what is doing well at tournaments across with just a few clicks.

Before this information is available to the general public, and while the tiers have yet to be defined, a lot of players are going to have trouble. It’s incredibly difficult to choose a deck that’s strong against the rest of the field when you only have a vague idea about your competition. Not knowing the meta will put you at a massive disadvantage to the few who do.

How do you know the meta?

Solving the meta is like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube.

So, you might ask, when a set hasn’t been released yet, how can I possibly know what will do well? The best method to figure out what the meta will be is to test out and develop all of the possible decks that could be played, then test them all against each other, like you’re creating a simulator for the meta. Then, when you’re confident which decks stand above the others, you can precede to selecting your deck and building and teching it accordingly.

But let’s be honest here, who has time to do all that? Unless if you’ve scored the ultimate gig of being paid to play Pokemon (if you have, give me a call!), there’s no way you have time to build such a huge number of decks from the ground up. You know how much time and effort it takes to perfect a single deck. To do this with 20+ decks in a completely unknown format? It can’t be done. Alone, that is.

I’m in a team with about 25 other people, all of which I hold in high regard and consider to be strong players. Whenever a new set comes out, we spend every bit of free time that we have for weeks in advance testing and experimenting with all the new cards, hoping to find the next big tech or deck before everyone else so, come Cities or States or whatever tournament, we have some advantage over “the competition.”

This is a big reason why sites like SixPrizes are so popular. Everyone can share and gather information with the rest of the world, allowing the formats to develop at unprecedented rates. However, there is one issue with this method: everyone else knows what you know. Since thousands of people a day read and participates in Pokemon TCG-related forums/websites, best case scenario is that you know what everyone else does.

Insider Info

For me, the whole point of Underground has been to give its members usable information BEFORE its common knowledge. There are roughly 300 Underground members, which means that any groundbreaking deck or idea that’s in an UG article, less than 0.5% of Pokemon players will know about it.

While writing this article, I’ve tried to keep in mind the fact that you guys are looking for top-quality information that you can’t get anywhere else, which is what I’ve tried to put in this article.

I originally had a bit of trouble trying to decide what I should write about. I’ve written quite a bit for the free portion of the site and 90% of my articles have been one of three things: Card of the Days, Match Up Guides, or Deck Analyses. I was considering going with a deck analysis, but I wasn’t crazy about being able to only talk about 1, maybe 2, different decks.

Like I said, my team and I have spent the majority of the past month testing out new Next Destinies cards as they were confirmed for the set, so at this point, we’re probably among the players who’ve done the most testing with ND. We have made a ton of progress in terms of lists and determining what each deck needs to succeed, if it has that potential at all, so I felt you (the readers) would benefit more by hearing about a number of the decks that performed well for us instead of just one or two.

So basically, I’m dedicating this article to presenting the information my team and I have collected. I’ve included my thoughts on a few popular ND-related topics/controversies, but the primary focus of this article will be how the format is changing and some decks that can succeed in it. We have tested out dozens of decks and of those decks, dozens of different lists. I’d like for this article to be a huge collection of all the information we collected that you guys can use to help you select and build the best decks possible.

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Next Destinies – What You Need to Know is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

To see how the deck might look in the near future, we are going to run through a brief history of the deck (including lists) and its evolution.

tyRam 1.0 (Controversy… lol)

This is the first list that was posted online.

The list had eight open slots that were open for many techs or just filling in consistency.

tyRam 1.1

The important feature of this list to notice is how techy it is. There were three Potions, two Revives, three Defenders, etc. It is import to note the techiness of this list because you can always learn from the past. The deck seemed to run fine in play testing, but over the course of a longer event, it was not consistent enough.

Lesson 1: Consistency is key, especially in this deck.

tyRam 1.2 (9-0 Nats List)

As you can see, the lines were starting to tighten up. Most particular, the deck took on more consistency Trainers. There were six Draw/Refresh trainers, a 2-2 Ninetales line, and one Cleffa.

The other important thing to note is how the deck (and specifically thicker evolution lines) can operate at a very efficient level without some of the “required” parts. For example, this list only had two Rare Candy. Yet, it set up turn two/three Typhlosions often.

The two other cards to note that worked extremely well were Double Colorless Energy and Defender. Both cards were invaluable at times.

Lesson 2: DCE can work charms in tyRam. Defender can save you many times.

tyRam 2.0 (1st Place BR List)

Well, after the new season started (and we got Emerging Powers) tyRam morphed again. Some people dropped Ninetales altogether. Others argued for a 1-1 line. I believed that a 2-2 line was still superior. However, all versions worked. So, the deck started to look a little something like this.

There are a few things to note. First, the Defenders were working their way out of the deck. They were being exchanged for more consistency.

Second, there is some value to not relying solely on Communication. Once or twice per game, you might need a Pokémon and not have a different Pokémon in hand. Professor Elm’s Training Method really helps the deck out in tight spots. Also, it substantially helps the Trainer lock match up.

Lesson 3: Split Pokémon search can be great.

tyRam 3.0

Now, Noble Victories was out. The deck faced many more challenges with the rise of Magnezone, more lock decks, and Kyurem NVI. So, the deck responded in one of two ways.

1. The deck looked towards adding a new Pokémon line: Magnezone Prime

2. The deck needed a way to pull Eviolited Basics and Magnezone into OHKO range. (4-2 Top Cut @ Cities; decked out once, lost once to Kyurem/Gatr.)

So, the deck diverged in two different directions to deal with the higher HP Pokémon. However, both strategies allowed the deck to reach for, effectively, 140 damage or more per turn cycle.

Lesson 4: The deck needs to be able to either OHKO almost everything in the field or be able to bring the field’s HP down.

Threats

Moving on from the history of the deck, we can now work on making the next incarnation. We will start by quickly evaluating the deck’s obstacles in a post Next Destinies world.

1. Magnezone: tyRam will still have to be able to score multiple OHKOs on Magnezone to compete.

2. Mewtwo EX: We all know about this monster of a card (if you believe the hype). It has 170 HP and can abuse Eviolite. Its first attack does 20 for every Energy on Mewtwo EX and your active Pokémon. Its second attack does 120 for PPC and forces Mewtwo EX to discard an energy.

3. Kyurem: The deck still needs to be able to work around Kyurem.

4. Lock Decks: With Vileplume UD + anything with 130 HP or more running around, the deck can get locked out of taking prizes.

5. Zekrom EX and Reshiram EX: These two are the big brothers of Zekrom and Reshiram BLW. They have 180 HP and can use Eviolite. They can attack for 50 + a possible 30 more RCC or LCC. Alternatively, they can attack for 150 for RRCC or LLCC. Zekrom EX’s big attack forces it to discard two Energy cards. Reshiram EX’s big attack deals 50 recoil if its player flips tails.

So, those are the big threats that could keep tyRam suppressed this coming format. This begs the question of how can those threats be answered.

Combatting the Threats

1. Magnezone: Well there are three main ways to deal with Magnezone. A) You can use Rocky Helmet and PlusPower to reach the 140 hp mark in several consecutive turns. B) You can use Typhlosion for energy denial. C) You can incorporate an attacker that can swing for 140. Luckily we can use Reshiram EX or Zekrom EX.

2. Mewtwo EX: This one is not actually a great big deal. tyRam can do a few things. A) You can just trade 2HKOs on Mewtwo EX with Blue Flare for OHKOs from Mewtwo EX. This actually works in tyRam’s favor. Mewtwo EX must expend a lot of resources to keeps this exchange from becoming one Reshiram or one Mewtwo EX. B) You can focus the deck around Reshiram EX/PlusPower/Rocky Helmet to reach the 170 HP mark consistently with the Brave Fire attack.

3. Kyurem: See Magnezone answer.

4. Lock Decks: See Magnezone answer.

5. Zekrom EX and Reshiram EX: See Mewtwo EX answer.

With the threats, potential answers, and lessons learned in mind, let’s look at some ways to build tyRam for the EX era.

Reshiram BLW Focus

What exactly does this version accomplish?

This version focuses on streaming Reshiram BLW. The idea here is to be able to OHKO Magnezones and Kyurems and trade 2HKOs for OHKOs against the EX Pokémon.

The deck incorporates Double Colorless Energy to allow for quick, one-turn power-ups of Reshiram EX. The deck also utilizes an generous amount of PlusPowers and Rocky Helmets to reach for extra damage. It has also moved to incorporate N into the list. With EX’s taking such quick prizes, N is an ideal card for tyRam because the deck can take out most major threats in the late game and then play off the field to finish the game.

By focusing on Reshiram BW, you force your opponent to take six KOs to win the game. This gives you more time to work out a war of attrition. If the deck focused on EXs, your opponent would have only needed to take three KOs. This means that you have effectively at least doubled the length of the game. Making the game longer forces your opponent to exert more resources to continuously get KOs. This exploits inconsistent decks.

How does this version address the potential problems?

1) Utilize PlusPower and Rocky Helmet to achieve OHKOs on Magnezone. It also has a single Reshiram EX to get one or two OHKOs on Magnezone.

2) Reshiram BW is, by itself, a great card to go head to head with Mewtwo EX. Reshiram is more efficient in energy costs and for Mewtwo EX to score continuous KOs, Mewtwo runs through a lot of resources. Reshiram is more efficient because Mewtwo EX would have to utilize Psydrive to trade OHKOs.

However, the weird PPC cost of the attack makes streaming Psydrives very difficult because there is only one way to get multiple Psychic Energy and another Energy onto the field at one time: Jirachi + Celebi.

3) It answers Kyurem the same way it answers Magnezone.

4) There is a single PETM to help the deck set up under the lock. Reshiram EX can swing for 150 damage (more than most lock decks’ main attackers).

5) The deck’s primary idea is to trade 2HKOs for OHKOS against the EX dragons in the early game. Then, because the EX dragons are very cumbersome to stream, you finish the game with one-for-one trades. Even in decks that run Eelektrik for Zekrom EX and Typhlosion/Emboar for Reshiram EX will struggle to keep the stream going.

This is because the LLCC or RRCC requirements are very difficult to fulfill. In the early game, they can pull it off with DCE and two Energy attachments, but in the late game needing four Energy per turn from the hand/discard becomes very difficult.

I honestly feel that this version of tyRam has a fighting shot in the next meta. It will not be BDIF, but I expect it to be able to make the cut often.

Reshiram EX Focus

The real focus of this deck is to hit very fast and very hard. The simple idea is to open the game with Cyndaquil and Reshiram EX and a DCE. Then on turn two, you can hopefully get to Typhlosion and have an energy in the discard. This allows you to use Brave Fire on turn two for 150 damage and apply extreme amounts of pressure the rest of the game. Or you can use Pokémon Center on your bench to set up your next attacker.

The inclusion of Eviolite is there to help lessen the blow of Brave Fire’s recoil. You would only take 30 with Eviolite. Then if you survive until the next turn, Pokémon Center can be used to heal 20 of that damage off if you can get Reshiram EX to the bench.

So, how does this version deal with the potential obstacles?

1) The deck is more of a wash against Magnezone. It is easier to OHKO Magnezone with Reshiram EX than plain old Reshiram, but if your opponent can successfully stream Magnezone, you will give up two prizes on the very next turn. This is a very risky situation.

2) I actually like Reshiram EX a little bit less against Mewtwo EX than Reshiram BLW. Reshiram EX keeps its energy after attacking. So, X-ball already does 80 damage with just Reshiram EX’s energy. If Mewtwo has more Energy on it (say three), it will likely KO Reshiram EX (assuming Reshi EX took Recoil damage without Eviolite). Overall, I would say that this would just become a one-for-one exchange.

3) This deck just takes OHKOs on Kyurem NVI. However, because of weakness Kyurem EX could pose a problem.

4) This deck hits very hard for most lock decks. The only one that I really thinks gives this a problem is Regigigas EX with Vileplume.

5) Of course, seeing as how this is an EX dragon, you should expect straight prize exchanges in this department.

To be completely honest, I like the Reshiram BLW focus more than this one. Perhaps something in the middle would work.

Other Approaches

There you have it, the two “main” ways to approach tyRam. What other options are there for this deck in the future?

1. Zekrom EX: The idea is not too dissimilar from running a Magnezone line. Zekrom lets you hit for 150 damage without the recoil. You can also stream attacks with the same Zekrom EX because Afterburner can attach directly to the active. However, streaming multiple Zekrom EXs could be a problem because there is no way to attack multiple Lightning Energies per turn in tyRam.

2. Go back to the Magnezone-style list. Currently, the Magnezone list is cumbersome and very delicate early in the game. With the increased speed and power of EXs the deck becomes even more exploitable. I fear that setting up ultiple copies of Stage 2 lines is very difficult.

3. I know that this is not a big change from the aforementioned lists, but do not forget that Typhlosion is a very, very good attacker. Energy denial is going to be very strong. DCE is back in full force and something like late game N + Flare Destroy will often strand your opponent with no board position.

Techs

Finally, let’s talk about some other cards that could go in these lists. Making room for them is up to you:

Lost Remover: tyRam and The Thunderdome are in unique positions as being decks that minimally rely on Special Energies. Most all other decks will be running four to eight special energies. This card might very well be an MVP of the States season.

Cobalion NVI: You could choose to trade the DCE and EX Pokemon for Cobalion and Metal Energy. This gives you a solid counter against Mewtwo EX and will force other EXs into having Switch in hand or paying big retreat costs. Cobalion also helps a lot against Kyurem and Kyurem EX and Vannilluxe.

Regigigas EX: With Colorless Energy requirements and an Outrage-style attack, the big boy could work as an alternative attacker in the deck.

Switch: If you are planning on running the Reshiram EX version, Switch might be something to consider. The CCC retreat can be a pain to get out of the active, even with Afterburner.

Matchups

I know this will disappoint some, but I am going to be leaving out the match up sections in my next few articles. This article, along with the next few, are meant to be a decently in-depth look at how to run certain decks. However, we do not have an established meta. So, I’m not going to speculate on those match ups. I have a good idea, and perhaps closer to States I will get into match ups more.

The Hawk’s Nest: tyRam EX is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

The main idea is get out an Emboar BLW 20 and Reshiram BLW, and keep a steady stream of energy going on to Reshiram with Emboar’s “Inferno Fandango” using cards like Energy Retrieval and Fisherman to keep the Energy you need in your hand. It also uses Rayquaza & Deoxys LEGEND as a backup attacker and sometimes Badboar, but I wouldn’t recommend Badboar because it is a Stage 2 and it is hard to set up two Stage 2s.

That is the basic strategy, and it is a lot of fun. Here is my personal list:

Now, let’s go into detail about each card in this deck.

Reshiram BLW

Your main attacker. You want to be hitting for 120 damage every turn with “Blue Flare.”  He should be sticking around for a while because of his 130 HP and Eviolite. He is also great against Mewtwo EX because after a Blue Flare, you should only have one energy attached, meaning Mewtwo will need seven energy to be able to OHKO it if Reshiram has Eviolite, six without.

Emboar BLW 20

Your only form of Energy acceleration. He is used to power up RDL and Reshiram’s attacks, Blue Flare and Ozone Buster turn after turn with “Inferno Fandango.” He has four retreat cost, and an attack that does 80 for four Energy, so he should never purposely put active unless you are up against Durant.

Tepig BLW Promo BW07

This is the preferred Tepig out of the four available. His attack, Singe, allows you to flip a coin, and if it is heads, the defending Pokemon is Burned. It is the best attack on any Tepig, and its retreat cost is one so it has the lowest retreat cost of any Tepig. If you have them, use them.

Cleffa CL

This Pokemon makes a great starter, and is like a searchable PONT at the cost of your attack for the turn. It helps to get set up because it allows you to get six new cards with “Eeeeeeek”. That is mainly what it is used for, but if you draw it in the late game, you could use it to Junk Arm away or Pokemon Communication it away for something else you may need.

RDL

This guy is the EX killer. Three prizes when you knock one out? Yes please! Just by knocking out one EX with him, you win half a game. That is crazy. With “Ozone Buster”, you can do 150 damage every turn if things go your way, and he can OHKO Mewtwo EX, and can be used after Reshiram uses Blue Flare on an EX to finish them off. I love this card, and would recommend stocking up on it because it should see a rise in popularity.

Mewtwo EX

This guy is a beast. 170 HP on a Basic Pokemon? Unheard of! His first attack, “X Ball” does 20 damage for each energy attached to it and the Defending Pokemon, and with Energy acceleration like Emboar, you would be crazy not to use him. He is helpful against RDL, Gothitelle and just about everything that gives Reshiram trouble.

Most of the T/S/S are self-explanatory, but here are a few that aren’t.

Rocky Helmet

Very helpful against Thunderdome. Attach it to Reshiram, Blue Flare Magnezone. This will put them in a really bad spot, because they won’t be able to attack your Reshiram without KOing themselves. Same holds true for Zekrom. This is better than Badboar in my testing because it is easier to get out because it is not a Stage 2 Pokemon, it is simply attached to a Pokemon.

Twins

This is helpful if you do not get set up fast. It will allow you to set up better if your opponent outspeeds you. That is all it is useful for. This card has made for some epic comebacks, and I love it in this deck.

Cilan

This is a new Supporter card coming out in Next Destinies that allows you to search your deck for 3 Basic energy and put them in your hand. This is great because you can then attach all of them immediately with Inferno Fandango.

Only 3 Energy Recovery Cards

You can generally Junk Arm for 2 Energy Retrieval per game, so that is 2 each time, 8 total plus 4 from Fisherman plus 12 from the energy already included, that’s up to 24 Energy per game.

Matchups

Thunderdome – Favorable

You can OHKO all their Pokemon with RDL. If Reshiram has a Rocky Helmet attached and uses Blue Flare on a Magnezone, they will not be able to attack the Reshiram without KOing their Magnezone. The only threat is them Catchering your Emboar and KOing it. Other than that, this should be a mess for them. Like I said before, when they revenge KO you, you activate a Reshiram with Rocky Helmet or RDL and KO them.

Mewtwo EX/Celebi Prime – Favorable

RDL will wreck Mewtwo. If they include Shaymin EX, that is OHKOed by RDL and Reshiram. You should be able to win the game with two or three attacks from RDL. This should go your way very quickly. Even if they do manage to Catcher up Emboar, they still need eight energy on a Mewtwo to OHKO it. You only have to KO 2 Mewtwo-EX with RDL to win a game. This deck defeats Mewtwo in every way.

The Truth-EX – 50/50

You cannot OHKO their EX, but if you set up faster and repeatedly Catcher up anything they try to set up, you could win this one. This is most definitely a tricky matchup, but it is winnable through not letting them get set up. If they do get set up, game over for you. RDL is weak to Regigigas-EX, so this is going to be hard to win, but you can still pull it off if you can Catcher up everything before they can set up. It is very hard to win, and I cannot stress enough that you have to think over every move before you make it, and think about how it will affect the game in the long run.

CaKE – Favorable

Kyurem, say hello to RDL. What’s that? Cobalion NVI you say? Reshiram will have fun Blue Flaring you! Oh? You have teched in Mewtwo-EX? RDL will demolish you too! Pretty much anything they throw at you should be taken down by RDL or Reshiram with no problem whatsoever. This is their worst nightmare. All those energy for only two attacks, the most they should be able to get off. Only problem? Getting Glaciate off fast and KOing your Tepig before they can evolve. Kyurem may have type advantage over Reshiram, so you never want to attack it unless you can OHKO it with RDL.

6 Corners – Favorable

Low damage output to high HP Pokemon? Not working. You can OHKO anything they have except EXs with RDL. Reshiram or Zekrom EX? Blue Flare followed up with an Ozone Buster or another Blue Flare should take care of this problem. You should be able to win easily unless they play Tornadus against your RDL. Be sure to bench multiple Tepig in case they KO one with Catcher then Leaf Wallop. The pure versatility of this deck could cause problems, but in my testing, not that much.

Durant – 50/50

You need to set up an Abilityboar T2 or 3 and start squashing these ants, or you are going to have lots of problems. If you can set up fast enough, you should be able to win. If not, you are probably going to lose.

ZPST – Unfavorable

This is your worst matchup. They start killing your Tepig off turn 1 or 2, so unless you get T2 Candy Emboar, you are probably going to lose. Their sheer speed will be what does you in. if they don’t get swinging T2 or 3 at the latest, you could win, but that’s about the only way.

Tyram- Favorable

Afterburner damage is ultimately what does them in. You can OHKO a Reshiram BW with a Reshiram BW because of Afterburner damage. You can OHKO a Reshiram EX that has 30 Afterburner damage. Your Reshiram will not have Afterburner damage; it should be able to take two normal Reshiram down.

I have tested all these matchups, just so you know. As you can see, it has a lot of good matchups in post Next Destinies. Mewtwo is going to be huge, and you have a good matchup against that, Magnezone is going to be great, you have a good matchup against that, CaKE should see a lot of play, and you have a good matchup against that. I didn’t put Chandelure or Gothitelle because I think they will disappear from the meta almost completely.

I think it will be a solid choice and hopefully a more popular choice in the years until it gets rotated out, and I hope others feel the same way. Now, for those of you who want to know how I did at City Championships, here is my tournament report (I know it is long overdue) for the one I was able to go to.

I was playing a Reshiboar list similar to the one listed above, obviously without the Next Destinies cards. I was also running a 1-1-1 Magnezone Prime and a Badboar in place of RDL, just something I was trying out, and PlusPower in place of Rocky Helmet. I was also still running Lightning energy.

Tournament Report

I get there just in time to register, on account of waking up late. I get registered, have a DS battle with my White version, and do some trading until round 1 starts.

Round 1 Vs. Magnezone/Yanmega/Zoroark

We both start off strong, getting early attackers. It was a really difficult game, and was ultimately what made me decide to use Rocky Helmet in my build. I got an early Emboar, but he took the prize lead early on by sniping my Cleffa with his Yanmega. I proceeded to KO his Yanmega with Reshiram, and he Catchers up Emboar and KOs it with Magnezone. I Blue Flare him, he Lost Burns for 100. I KO him with Outrage, and he revenge KOs me with Yanmega.

I then promote Magneton, and Tri Attack. One heads, Two heads, come on third heads… Yes! Triple heads. From there, I take the rest of my prizes with Reshiram, and he couldn’t get much else set up.

1-0

Round 2 Vs. Beartic/Samurott/Zoroark aka the nightmare matchup

This game was pretty one sided. He got Beartic out. I Blue Flare it, and he attacks me. I then play Switch into Cleffa, retreat and Outrage. He only took one Prize, and I got all six.
2-0

Round 3 Vs. Chandelure/Crustle

This was a really random deck. He had like a 1-1-1 Chandelure NVI, 2 Crustle NVI, a Meowth NVI, Garbodor NVI, just random stuff. This was my down pairing, but he managed to win because I had a very long energy drought.  Four Energy were prized, five were towards the bottom ¼ of my deck, and I managed to Blue Flare once. He got my Emboar active and KO’d that, and he just kept KOing everything until I ran out of Pokemon on my field.

2-1

Round 4 Vs. Donphan/Yanmega/Zoroark

I flail!

This was brutal. I mean it. Really nice kid, though. Funny, and a great player. He gets out his guys relatively fast, and so do I. We ended up running each other out of attackers, and he had a Phanpy HS with 30 Earthquake damage on it, and he ended up killing a Cleffa and a Tepig with Flail.

That’s right, he Flailed for two Prizes. That was a Flailure. What’s a good article without a pun? Well, I ended getting another Reshiram set up and Catchered his Zorua before the became Zoroark, and pretty much swept him with one Reshiram from there.

3-1

Round 5 Vs. CaKE

This is an up pairing. He is 4-0. I get a T2 Magnezone and a T3 Emboar, and all three of his Electrodes are prized. He gets off one Glaciate for one prize because I benched Cleffa, worst misplay of the day. It was Electrode. He gets it out, blows it up and gets a couple of Energy. I pretty much swept his whole field with Magnezone. Awesome game.

4-1

I make top cut at the 2nd seed, and am matched up against the guy from round 1.

Top Cut

Game 1

I get off to a bad start, and his was near perfect. He swept my whole field with Magnezones and Yanmegas.

Game 2

This game was really close. I get a great setup, and so does he. We trade prizes until time is called. At this point, it is tied 2-2, and he is turn zero. He has no way of taking prizes unless he can get his zero-Energy Magnezone out of the way, and most of his Energy were Lost Burned. I could take prizes, and waited until Turn 3 to take one. Good game!

Sudden Death

He gets a T2 Zoroark using Foul Play on Reshiram’s Blue Flare, and I only managed to get one Energy out. It was a shame, because I could have Outraged for the game. Oh well. At least I made top cut with Reshiboar! I placed 3rd. It was a lot of fun. I hope you have enjoyed this article! Maybe Reshiboar will make a comeback. I hope it will. Until next time, happy testing!

Reshiboar: Dead or Just Getting Started? is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

The Petilil CotD I did previously reminded me of the Lilligant from Emerging Powers, and a Gloom CotD by Celebi’ showed us what Gloom UD does before we evolve it, if it ever even hits the field thanks to Rare Candy. Special Conditions can be fun when not on the receiving end of it, and they’re a great way to show new players how seemingly-small things like Poison or Confusion can change a game’s entire outcome.

Disclaimer: I in no way intend to make Lilligant seem useless or meant only for kids, as it is a decent deck when paired with the right rares. It’s also useful for teaching new players Special Conditions and coin flips, and a watered-down version can be made with cheaper cards.

This is a basic list, something you might decide to change depending on age and how well you think the person learning can reason. Cards that can be substituted or just plain replaced will be marked as such. (A more advanced and more expensive list is below; combine the two as you see fit.) If the person learning is a young child, there are a few things you’ll want to be sure of and things you want to hammer in multiple times before handing them this deck.

1. That they can flip a coin or roll a dice. This deck is very reliant on flipping heads to cause a status effect, and if they can’t make those deciding flips, this is a bad choice.

2. That they have something for Burn/Poison markers. This is required by Pokémon TCG rules, but too often do people ignore this. If your deck is causing the conditions, it’s common courtesy to provide markers in case your opponent doesn’t have them.

3. That they know what statuses can be inflicted at one time. Burn and Poison can always be there, because they can have markers. Confusion, Sleep, and Paralysis can only be there one at a time due to the cards only being able to be turned in one direction.

4. That they know which direction the card faces for each Status.

5. That they know what effects are caused by each Special Condition, and what causes each Special Condition to end.

It’s harder than I thought to find exact information on what each Condition does, and almost all information (even on Bulbapedia and Pokémon’s official site) is about the VGC. A lot that is about the TCG is confusing or wrong. Instead of searching around online, here’s a quick guide if you’re unsure before you tell anybody what they do. (For a nice interactive Flash version, there are two in the PTCGO tutorials. However, while accurate and official, it’s not the most convenient of sources.)

Burn

Burn is indicated by a Burn Marker, which is defined by no official rules. You can use anything from the official cardboard Burn Markers, to fancy red half-marbles sold online, to a scrap of notebook paper with the letter “B” written on it. The only rule is that it has to be clear; putting one of your damage counter die on the bottom of the card doesn’t count.

Between every turn, a player with a Burned Pokémon flips a coin. If heads, nothing happens. If tails, that Pokémon takes 20 damage. A Pokémon KO’d by Burn damage doesn’t count as “Knocked out by damage from an attack.” It ends when the Pokémon retreats, faints, or by effect of some cards.

Poison

Poison is indicated by a Poison marker, much like Burn. The same rule about clear markers applies, although your marble will be green or your paper will say “P.” You can’t just agree to remember that it’s Poisoned without marking it at all.

Between every turn, a Poisoned Pokémon takes 10 damage. No coin flips, just 10 damage. A Pokémon KO’d by Poison damage doesn’t count as “Knocked out by damage from an attack.” It ends when the Pokémon retreats, faints, or by effect of some cards.

Paralysis

Paralysis is indicated by turning the card so that the picture faces towards the right side. It must be clearly turned all the way, not at a 40-degree angle or something “almost turned.”

A Pokémon who is Paralyzed can’t attack or retreat that turn. It ends at the end of that player’s turn, by effect of some cards, or if the Pokémon is pulled back to the Bench.

Confusion

Confusion is indicated by turning the card upside down. This is the easiest to remember of the three which require a turned card.

A Pokémon who is Confused can attack, but they must flip a coin before every attack. If heads, the attack proceeds as follows. If tails, the attack fails and that Pokémon gets three damage counters placed onto it, even if that attack wouldn’t cause damage ordinarily. A Pokémon KO’d by Confusion self-damage doesn’t count as “Knocked out by damage from an attack.” The Condition ends by effects of some cards, or when the Pokémon retreats to the bench.

Sleep

Sleep is indicated by turning the card so that the picture faces towards the left side. The opposite of Paralysis, but you still have to make sure that it’s turned clearly in this direction.

A Sleeping Pokémon can’t attack or retreat as long as they’re asleep. Between turns, flip a coin; if heads, that Pokémon wakes up, but if tails, it stays Asleep. The Condition ends when heads is flipped in this manner, by effect of some cards, or if the Pokémon is pulled back to the bench.

Full Heal & Switch

These aren’t Special Conditions, but they’re cards that need to be brought up when discussing them. Above, when I said something ends “by effects of some cards,” these may not be the only two, but they’re the most notable in the current format. I’ll give a brief description of what and why to clear up anything for new players.

Full Heal is the most obvious when reading every card. It’s simple: play this card, and the Pokémon is cured of all Special Conditions. While useful against a Status deck, this card is actually pretty useless, and if anybody has it in a deck, they’re advised to remove it immediately. If your opponent doesn’t rely on them – most decks – then it’s a dead draw every time.

Switch doesn’t sound like it’s the best at removing conditions, but it’s both useful and versatile. Retreating a Pokémon to the bench ends every Condition, as you may have noticed. So whether your Pokémon has a high retreat cost, or if opponent used an attack that prevents retreat, or if your Pokémon is Paralyzed/Asleep, this ends everything safely.

The Actual Strategy

Now that all of that’s out of the way, we can look at the deck. Rather than a strategy, this contains explanations. It’s too basic to have a clear one-two-three synergetic strategy, so instead, it’s focused on swarming attackers that can inflict Special Conditions as the only “strategy”.

Pokemon

Lilligant – The main focus of the deck due to its reliability in always causing some sort of Condition, and the low attack cost. Heads is meant to be the better option, causing Paralysis and Poison. Tails doesn’t hurt in a rare occasion where it causes Confusion. For a younger child, make sure they know that Bemusing Aroma is far more important than Cut here. And not to use it unless they can guarantee a kill with it before Lilligant gets KO’d and loses those three Energy.

Petilil – While the Emerging Powers one is used here, this can be substituted with any of the three. This one is used specifically because its first attack can cause Paralysis if you flip heads, keeping in with the theme of the deck.

Gloom – A card that normally only stays visible for one turn if it’s lucky, Gloom has a rather unique attack. For GC, if it does 30 damage and tells you to flip a coin. If heads, you pick a Special Condition to inflict your opponent with. While other cards may be better at dishing out Status, this one gives them the option of deciding what to make their opponent deal with, and is an obvious introduction to Vileplume. (Do not use Vileplume in a beginner’s list.)

Oddish – The only Oddish in format, and therefore our only choice. It has 40 HP, which is why there are three of these but only two Gloom. If not for that low HP, it would be a decent starter. For one Grass Energy, flip a coin, and if heads, search your deck for any Grass Pokémon and put it in your hand. This can get you something like a Gloom or Lilligant attacking by the second turn.

Musharna – This card was overlooked by Masters for a reason, but I’ve heard of kids using it because of its potential and easy accessibility. It’s very straightforward: use Hypnotic Ray, and if the opponent stays Asleep, use Dream Eater. Remind young children that Sleep isn’t compatible with Lilligant causing Confusion. (This line can easily be replaced with Muk UD.)

Munna – There’s a McDonald’s promo version of this, but it’s also really bad. Its only attack, Yawn, does the same thing as Munna BW’s Hypnosis. Also Munna is a mini version of Musharna, but make it clear to young children that even though Hypnosis can be used with a Grass Energy, they should only ever put Psychic Energy on Munna.

Trainers

Energy Search – This is in here only because you’re attacking with multiple types. When making the deck more advanced, this should be one of the first cards to go. If you don’t take it out before handing the deck to anyone, explain to players of all ages that this card should never be used unless building a donk deck, and it’s only there to teach Energy costs. (I recommend leaving it in for very young players, as it is a card that gives them a bit of a safety net.)

Pokémon Communication – Have a Pokémon in your hand but you need a different one? Even if you’re new, just reading the card text should tell you why we need this. It a huge staple, so make sure you introduce all new players to this.

Switch – This card has a high count again, because of the safety net it provides a young player. Discarding too many Energy is something that I, personally, had a problem with when playing as a kid who had just learned how good retreating could be. (Also because this list doesn’t have Junk Arm, and only one Switch with no option to get it back won’t help them.)

Poké Ball – Yet another card that is there for young players. It’s not very good, so tell any player who might get this that they should never use it under any circumstance. There are far better cards for searching out Pokémon. (Can be replaced by Great Ball, Xtransceiver, Pokégear 3.0, or any other search card, if you wish. This is also another one that can be replaced for Junk Arm.)

Pokémon Reversal – Flip a coin, and if heads, you get Pokémon Catcher. If your opponent is setting something up or has a necessary support Pokémon on the Bench, they can drag it up with this. (For younger players who have a hard time making decisions, it can be used with Pokémon Circulator instead. This is a substitute for Pokémon Catcher, and it’s up to you if you want to loan spare Catchers to a new player.)

Dual Ball –  A Trainer that can help you set up Basics as soon as possible, with a little coin flip luck. This is usually the card we give to people when we don’t want to give up some Collectors. (Collector can be used if you wish. Also may be substituted with Elgyem NV 55, Stantler UL, or Pichu HS to teach starter Pokémon.)

Rocky Helmet – One of two Tools in format right now, but we can’t even use Eviolite here. Most of the Pokémon in this deck have low HP, but this deck’s focus is Special Conditions, an alternate way to cause damage to an opponent. Against a Confused opponent, they may flip heads and attack, but with this Tool, they’ll take 20 damage no matter the outcome of the coin flip.

Flower Shop Lady – Recovery is something else necessary to teach. Whether your recovery comes from a Poké-Power/Poké-Body/Ability, a Trainer, or a Supporter, you should keep something on hand for those rough spots. (Can be switched with Super Rod, but FSL really is recommended here.)

Professor Oak’s New Theory – Another staple to teach everyone coming into the game. Shuffle-draw is important, and this is arguably one of the best cards to teach it with. (Can be switched for Copycat, Judge, or N depending on availability or what you believe works.)

Emcee’s Chatter – Along with shuffle-draw, straight-draw is something else we like to use. Emcee’s Chatter is used here partially to keep in theme with coin flips and showing how risky they are, and partially because it’s something that a lot of us have too many of lying around. Tell a player who isn’t using an optimal draw card which choices are best. (Can be substituted for Bill, Cheerleader’s Cheer, Team Rocket’s Trickery, Bianca, or Cheren depending on availability.)

About the draw Supporter options, discard-draw is not something you should give somebody who’s brand new, regardless of age and how good the cards are. Knowing how to effectively play Juniper or what cards to discard with Sage’s Training isn’t something that’s common knowledge in your very first match. Give them some time before you show them how to discard to your advantage.

Energy

Energy counts - Most attackers in this deck have a low Energy cost, but this deck has high Energy and two Energy Search. When upgrading the deck, this is also something to be cut down; don’t spend so much time waiting on that upgrade that they become comfortable with it. Let them know that in most multi-type decks, the Energy counts are rarely even as they are here. (Feel free to fiddle around with this before handing it off.)

The Follow-up

So there’s a nice start for somebody just getting their feet wet and still deciding on what they want. Once they become comfortable with the above deck, they may decide that they like the swarm of Special Conditions. If so, this is a good time to introduce Trainer lock, as most decks play Switch and can negate all efforts of stacking extra damage. This may be where impatient children decide to drop the idea, as using only Supporters slows down turns considerably, and leads to more decision-making than if you could play a Trainer with the same effect.

Several of these cards were on the above list, and they will not have their descriptions repeated. But with the list looking quite different now that Vileplume is being tossed into the mix, we still have some explanations to go over.

Pokemon

Vileplume – The card that’s changing almost everything in here. Trainer lock can be difficult for a beginner to grasp, so wait until they know how to play without help before taking out a good percentage of cards. This prevents your opponent from Switching out of any Conditions, meaning they either take the extra damage, or they discard Energy to retreat. Pretty much a staple in Status Effect decks.

Muk – Leave this on the Bench for use after a Lilligant is KO’d. Stack enough Energy onto it so that it can use Pester, and add even more injury to injury now that Lilligant should have the Defending Pokémon Confused or Poisoned. If your opponent has something on the bench that is disrupting you or helping them too much, Sludge Drag is a viable option and also powers up Pester. (Can be replaced with Musharna line from the above list if so desired.)

Grimer - This card is bland, unremarkable, and makes me wish we had another Grimer in format. I hold a stance that this Grimer has the worst attacks printed, especially in regards to the Muk we’re using. Some of the others may require coin flips, but at least they do something more useful than making a Retreat Cost just one Energy higher. Hope that you start with something better, like Petilil.

Victini – Like Vileplume, this Pokémon stays on the bench all game. If you want Lilligant to be at its maximum effectiveness, you can’t put it in fate’s hands. Victini lets you take control of things with the Victory Star Ability. Any time you attack with a Pokémon that requires a coin flip, which you should be doing often, you can reflip once and try again for that heads. Emphasize that this Ability does not stack, and you can only flip for attacks, not Trainers or Poké-Powers. (Can be put into the beginner’s list, but was left out due to price and want value.)

Houndoom Prime – Yet another Pokémon that teaches Bench-sitting. You want Houndoom for its Poké-Power, Fire Breath. Get heads on a coin flip, and the Defending Pokémon is Burned without you having to waste an attack. Unlike Victini, you can use this twice in one turn if you have two of them on the Bench.

Houndour – The Houndour picked here is my preference, but unless you put in Darkness Energy, then it doesn’t matter at all. All Houndour in format have the same type, HP, Retreat Cost, Weakness, and Resistance. (If you do add Dark Energy, this is the one I recommend, but otherwise, it doesn’t matter at all.)

Trainers

Pokémon Communication & Rare Candy – These two are lumped together as they have the same purpose. This is a Trainer lock deck, so it may be odd to see Trainers in it if you haven’t played before. These two cards are only used to get Vileplume out as early as possible. You don’t set up Lilligant and then evolve Vileplume two turns later. You get out Vileplume as your number one priority.

Sage’s Training – If they’re good enough for Trainer lock with Candy and Communication, they may be good enough for discard-draw. This is both for discarding dead Candy and Communication, and also for speeding through the deck to get the cards they need. Use your best judgment and replace with other draw cards if they struggle.

Twins – There’s a good chance you’ll fall behind on prizes, when your Pokémon have such low HP. With Twins, you can fall behind a little, throw statuses at your opponent to weaken them without actually KO’ing them while you set up, and Twins gets you the cards you need to wreck.

Pokémon Collector – Cannot be substituted for Dual Ball if they use this. If you don’t have spare Collectors or don’t want to loan them out, you can proxy while they learn. If they want to get into competitive, encourage they get their own set of staple cards as early as possible.

Professor Elm’s Training Method – A substitute for Communication once the lock is up. If you’re not behind on prizes and can’t use Twins, then this is the card to use to get out evolutions. (This card is entirely optional and based on personal preference; take it out if you want to make room for something else.)

Cheren – I did include Cheren under straight-draw earlier, but this is just showing up as the better alternative. Other straight-draw can be used here in its place. (TRT should not be used here, as your opponent will only discard Trainers from their hand.)

Cards that Could Have Been Included but Weren’t

Hypno HS – A cheaper alternative to Houndoom Prime, but less effective. A Pokémon can’t be Paralyzed, Confused, and Asleep at the same time, so you won’t always find the opportunity to use it. But as something to teach with where you don’t want to loan out a couple Primes, this works.

Leafeon UD – Not always convenient to get into the Active spot against a Defending Pokémon that’s still packed with Conditions, but it’s similar to Muk and its Pester attack. For any one Energy, deal 50 damage per the amount of Special Conditions on the Defending Pokémon. This means that if you left the Defending Pokémon Poisoned and Confused, 100 damage for one Energy. (Pair this with Eevee UD 48, “Call for Family,” for best results.)

Darkness Energy – Special or no, this card lets you attack with Houndoom Prime if you feel the need. Add two minimum, no more than four.

Rainbow Energy – Another way to attack with Houndoom, but this one also lets you attack with Lilligant and Muk without searching out a different Energy type. The catch is that it brings your low HP down further when used. Add between two and four if you go this route.

What to do Once They’ve Mastered It

Inevitably, anybody using this deck will start to get good at it. As they learn the rules, they’ll want move on to more effective decks, maybe go to a tournament or two and see what it’s like. They’ll ask what decks they can use. Instead of telling them to make their own, deck, give them ideas and point them in the right direction, lest you have to explain why you broke apart their Scolipede/Conkeldurr/Victini/Virizion list.

The most obvious evolution of this deck is a full Lilligant/Victini/Yanmega/Vileplume. Yanmega has dropped in price enough (thank you Prime Challenge boxes) that even a child may be able to get it between trading and allowance money. The strategy itself isn’t much different than the above, and it sits comfortably in an arguable tier two.

One similar deck that got a bit of hype when it was announced was VVV, a combination of Vanilluxe, Vileplume, and Victini. It uses Vileplume to block Trainers and Victini to reflip for a Special Condition, but it stalls rather than using a Condition to add damage.

Another similar deck is Leaferade, Leafeon/Roserade/Houndoom/Vileplume. It works similar to this deck without coin flips to attack, and its Energy drops mean more. Putting a Grass or Psychic Energy onto Roserade UL gives the Defending Pokémon a Special Condition, and Leafeon abuses that by using its cheap-costing attack to hit hard.

Any other suggestions on decks that are similar? Thoughts on Special Condition-swarming decks? Leave them in the comments, and happy teaching.

Professor Lilligant: A Lesson on Trainer Lock is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

As I have my own blog, you might wonder why I am even writing for the UG? That’s a very good question. Adam was kind enough to offer me job as a writer for SixPrizes UG since my blog has gotten very much attention worldwide and he felt like I have something to offer for the UG as well. I was very honored for this possibility since I’m not a native English speaker, and I guess not that many non-native English speakers have written for the UG. I also love different countries and cultures and therefore I see my writings as a way to increase the appreciation of international players.

Finland has won World Championships twice, but people seem to forget that very often. There are also many other good Pokémon countries that people tend to forget. If you don’t come from the States you’re usually automatically considered “not that good” a player and people don’t take you seriously on forums. I hope I can change this attitude through my writings, and I may have already made some progress regarding this issue.

However, I still bump into comments like “isn’t that the guy from Sweden or w/e” when it comes to my blog.
If I’m going to write a strategy article for the UG, I must have achievements and results as a player. Here is my ”Pokémon CV” that will hopefully convince you of my skills in the game.

My Pokémon CV

19x City Champion
12x Regional Champion
5x National Champion
3x World Championships Top 32
1x World Championships Top 8
2x Builder and co-builder of World Championship winning decks
2x Judge at Finnish National Championships

As you can see from my CV, I’m a very competitive player who enjoys deck building more than anything else in this game. I’m pretty sure that I have the most National Championships in the World (Sami Sekkoum has four I guess). However, the thing I consider the greatest achievement in my Pokémon career are the decks I’ve built. I’ve been closely involved in building both of the Finnish World Championship winning decks and the unique rogue that I built (Glaceon LV.X/Absol SW) took me to Top 8 in Worlds in 2008.

As you can guess from my National Championship wins, I have also attended many World Championships (six in total) and my first Worlds were in 2004. From Worlds I’ve gained a lot of important playing experience and many good memories. My best playing experiences are probably from Worlds 2008 where I beat Jay Hornung and Gino Lombardi who were both playing Gardevoir SW/Gallade SW at the time. I also beat Alex Brosseau in Top 32 when he was in a 15-0 situation with his Empoleon deck (8-0 in the Grinder and 7-0 in the Swiss rounds).

However, probably the most significant moment in my Pokémon TCG career came a year after that in the 2009 Worlds, where I beat Yuta Komatsuda in a Palkia G mirror match. It was probably one of the games I’ll never forget since I played the match flawlessly. Yuta is a great player and it was an honor to meet him in such a tough match-up. 
But
 that’s enough about me. I hope I’ve convinced you of my skills now and I can get to the main topic of this article – 6 Corners.

The deck 6 Corners was revealed in my first Eye on Japan article, and soon after that I made an article about the deck. However, a lot of time has passed since then, and the deck has evolved and done very well in tournaments worldwide. Still, a huge cloud of mystery floats above it. How does it really work? How can it be countered? How should it be built?

I still get e-mails daily asking these things. I’ve done some serious testing with it and now I’m here to analyze every single aspect of the deck that there is. After you’ve read this article, I hope you feel like you know everything that there is to know about 6 Corners.

Anyways let’s get down to business and look at the basic list to see where everything began.

This is the list that placed 3rd in a Japanese tournament. I released this list in my blog a few months ago and every player who has ever built 6 Corners probably saw this list first. However, there are two minor changes I made to the original list. The 4th Pokegear was switched to Cheren and Bouffalant was added in place of a 2nd Super Rod.

Strategy

The heart of Six Corners is to attack your opponent’s weaknesses. When speaking of weaknesses, I’m talking not only type weaknesses, but also any weaknesses the opposing player’s deck might have. The name, which I invented for this deck, came straight from the types of the Pokémon the original list played.

Your favorite opener is Virizion. No matter what your opponent is playing, Virizion is the Pokémon you want to open with since you usually have a Switch in your hand anyway. Virizion is a Basic Pokémon, which draws cards for one Colorless Energy. Even a horrible hand may soon turn out to be a good hand because of Virizion’s Double Draw. After you have used Double Draw, you have two options:

1. Start attacking with Virizion T2

Virizion has proved to be a very strong option when you’re against decks like Cobalion/Kyurem/Electrode or Trainer lock decks. If a Trainer lock deck has a poor start, there is a big chance that you will be able to run through them and get a huge prize lead with only one Virizion.

It is highly effective against things like Vanilluxe NVI because if Virizion has Eviolite attached to it, Vanilluxe can only damage Virizion with double heads. Sometimes even things like Chandelure NVI may have problems with a consistent T2 40 and T3-on 80 damage per turn. However, the best effect you can get against Durant decks as long as you run decent amounts of Grass Energy in your deck and Durant isn’t flipping 100% heads with Crushing Hammers. A single Virizion in the beginning of the game using Leaf Wallop during the whole game can win the game for you – this happened in 2 of my last Cities and I was very surprised to see that.

If you decide to go with Virizion, you should nevertheless start loading a secondary attacker on your bench. There are many possibilities in this deck, and even though this is just a basic list, you must be careful when thinking which of your Pokémon is the most effective against your opponent’s strategy.

People usually say that a good player can outplay 6 Corners, but they usually forget that a good 6 Corners player can also outplay any deck. The success of 6 Corners in the hands of good players is no coincidence.

Against many match-ups Kyurem is a very good choice as the early secondary attacker. Kyurem is great because its only metagame weakness is Cobalion and it has 130 HP. Unlike other Legendary Digimon, Kyurem’s greatness doesn’t come from Outrage but from Glaciate. Glaciate does 30 damage to each of your opponent’s Pokémon. Glaciate is great in this deck because this deck has almost no normal OHKOing power.

However, thanks to even 1 or 2 Glaciates, suddenly every one of your opponent’s Pokémon is within an OHKO range of any of your attacker while your opponent still can’t OHKO you because your every Pokémon is a huge tank.

In late game 6 Corners should concentrate on keeping the big tanks alive and energy in the field with Shaymin, Switches and Super Scoop Ups. If your opponent is behind you in prizes, you can just concentrate on getting revenge KOs with Legendary Dragons Eviolites attached to them, Terrakion and Bouffalant.

This deck usually has resources for only 6 prizes and that’s why you must be extra careful with every Energy card you attach to your Pokémon especially in the late game.

2. Start attacking with an optional attacker

There are two typical cases in which you want to do this. First, if you don’t open with a Virizion or Switch and Collector in your hand. The second – and most common – reason you want to do this is that Virizion isn’t the core of your strategy anymore.  This has happened to many players I have talked to, and they usually drop the number of Virizions from 4 to 2. Virizion is a good starter whenever you open with it, but with an optional attacker you can get some great early aggression going on even from T1 onwards.

You can get the best early aggression with Pokémon that can hit your opponent’s weaknesses. For example, if you are able to open the game with a DCE and Kyurem against a ReshiPlosion deck, they might have serious problems in their set-up. You may be able to get rid of all their Cyndaquils and Quilavas even before they have any Typhlosions in the field, and can end the game even before it has started.

The same goes with Terrakion against Eelektrik NVI/Zekrom BLW decks: you are able to do massive damage with Terrakion (which has Eviolite attached to it) by targeting their Eelektriks and Tynamos. You can use this strategy against any match-up: find the Pokémon that are the weakest in the early game and most important in the late game and destroy them before they have a chance of evolving.

The mid and late game goes with the early aggression game plan just like with Virizion. Use Dragons with Eviolite and Terrakion and Bouffalant for Revenge KOs, since you should have the prize lead thanks to early aggression.

As you can see, 6 Corners has different game plans against different decks but there are some things that you can do against every match-up. Now that we have looked at the basic strategy of this deck, it’s time to dig deeper in the deck and look at all the versatile things this deck has to offer.

Things to consider when building your own 6 Corners

The number one reason I fell in love with this deck is its versatility. This deck can be called a “netdecker’s nightmare.” You can go ahead and netdeck the basic list of this deck, play with it in your metagame and state “this deck is bad” because it doesn’t win you any games. The reason why it doesn’t win is that it doesn’t fit the metagame. There are things you can and must consider when building your own 6 Corners deck.

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6,7,8!? Corners is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.

Overview

This deck has a simple plan in mind, but still offers a lot of versatility. If you’re looking for a direct attacker, that’s given to you in the form of Cobalion NVI; a Basic, 120 HP Metal type with a Retreat Cost of 2 and two attacks. If you want to spread your damage across the field and claim multiple prizes, then you have Kyurem NVI; a Basic, 130 HP Water type with a Retreat Cost of 2 and two attacks.

As you can see the two attackers in this deck are pretty easy to relate to each other with their similar HP, identical retreat costs and both having 2 attacks, but their play-styles are completely different. As mentioned Cobalion is only capable of attacking the opponent’s current active. His attacks do offer some variation with ‘Energy Press’ delivering 20 damage plus 20 more for each Energy attached to the defending Pokémon.

This doesn’t seem like a lot, but against an opposing Kyurem or Vanilluxe NVI, each of the 20′s are doubled to 40, so when fully charged Kyurem and Vanilluxe will take 160 and 120 damage respectively, meaning that even with Eviolite attached Kyurem will be a OHKO (one-hit knock out) and Vanilluxe can’t afford to have any damage on prior to Energy Press being used.

Next there’s ‘Iron Breaker’ which for the cost of 2 Metal Energy and 1 Colourless Energy delivers 80 damage and stops the Defending Pokémon from being able to attack next turn. This is the main reason that Cobalion caught a lot of people’s attention; with an ability identical to Beartic EPO 30′s ‘Sheer Cold’, but delivering more damage and being present on a Basic made the attack much more appealing and much more viable as a decks main attacker.

With that we move onto Cobalion’s partner in crime, Kyurem. Kyurem was released to complete the dragon trio and as such carries the same ‘Outrage’ attack, which for Double Colourless delivers 20 damage plus 10 more damage for every damage counter on Kyurem. With that said, Kyurem did step away from Reshiram and Zekrom by not having an attack for 120 damage.

Instead he has Glaciate an attack that for 2 Water Energy and 1 Colourless Energy does 30 damage to every Pokémon that your opponent has in play, which can allow you to claim multiple Prizes across the board after a few repetitions, or towards the end of a long game where your opponent may have retreated injured Pokémon to the Bench.

Some people may have noticed something else that Kyurem and Cobalion have in common; the format of their second attack. With both them carrying a cost of two Energy of their type plus 1 Colourless Energy, it may seem less than desirable to run them both. Manually attaching to each one requires an investment of 3 turns, but we do have a way around that problem in the form of a universal energy accelerator, namely Electrode Prime.

Electrode is the Pokémon that provides the E in CaKE as well as providing it with a way to charge your three-Energy attackers. Electrode is included for his Poké-Power ‘Energymite’ which allows you to Knock Out Electrode then look at the top 7 cards of your deck you can then attach any Energy you find there to your Pokémon in any way you like.

The major drawback of this is that you have to discard any cards that aren’t Energy. Put simply, you don’t want to run any one-of support cards in this deck unless you can be sure to recover them.

So what other advantages can Electrode offer us? Well firstly I’ll cover the fact that Energymite can grab Special Energies as well as Basics; with that said it also allows for an interesting play with Rainbow Energy. Rainbow Energy usual deals 10 damage to the Pokémon its attached to when it’s played from hand, but Energymite only has you look at the top 7 cards it doesn’t add them to your hand before attaching or discarding.

This in short means that any Rainbow Energy attached via Energymite will not deal 10 damage allowing it to act as any energy type with no cost.

Another advantage that Electrode grants oddly enough comes from the fact that knocking himself out gives your opponent a Prize. Now usually this would be bad for obvious reasons but it does offer you a controllable trigger for Twins which can be used to grab key cards such as Eviolite or a Special Metal Energy that Electrode might not have grabbed.

My final advantage for Electrode has to be the fact that he can’t be used as Catcher bait. While most other techs carry this problem Electrode doesn’t have to be Benched to use Energymite, and as such can remove itself from the active spot without worry while still providing Energy for your attackers.

Of course Electrode isn’t all advantage with no drawback; as covered before, any cards that aren’t Energy get discarded instead of reshuffled, which while providing an excellent way to thin your deck means that crucial cards can easily be discarded.

The easiest fix I can see for this is Super Rod, which can recover discarded Pokémon and place them back into your deck. Another idea which while less universal can take advantage of losing Cobalions and Kyurems to the discard is Revive which will place them straight onto your bench and help you prepare your back-up attackers.

Another disadvantage of Electrode is the Hit Points of himself and Voltorb TM. Voltorb only has 40 HP which means if you see any Megazone in your area then an early Yanmega can leave you relying on manual attachments. Luckily Yanmega has seen a dip in popularity recently as more and more decks have started to focus on high HP Basics which tend to give Yanmega a much harder time than the old Stage 1 rush deck.

On top of Voltorb only having 40 HP, Electrode has 90 which while not being too bad for a Stage 1 can be easily taken out in 1 turn by most decks in format by the mid-game. As a counter point to this I will mention that Electrode is most likely going to explode the turn it comes into play, but there’s always a chance that may not be the case.

Techs

So that pretty much covers the Pokémon that make CaKE what it is, but what techs can this deck include? And why include them? Most of the techs I can consider being effective tend to effect the current meta-game and without a definite list for the next set its hard to predict how the game might change after Next Destinies is released.

With that in mind, my first tech is mostly for the mirror match and is solely here to try and sway the game in your favour, so without further delay I give you Victini NVI 15.

Normally something as small and frail as Victini would usually end up as a quick prize for your opponent, but having a 2 Energy attack that can hit Cobalion for 200 damage isn’t going to go to waste. Of course whatever your opponent chooses to promote is bound to KO Victini meaning your exchange goes 1 for 1, so why use it?

Mostly because of its 1 shot factor it can kill an imposing Cobalion then you wait to see what your opponent promotes allowing you a turn to weigh your options; if they retaliate with Kyurem then you have a quick KO there by bring out another Cobalion, and if you’ve used Glaciate earlier in the game, then you can score the KO with 1 hit for either of Cobalions attacks.

If conversely they promote a Cobalion then after Victini is knocked out you promote your own Cobalion and use Iron Breaker to place the attack lock in your favour. As mentioned above the use of Victini isn’t to win the game for you but to sway it in your favour either giving you an advantage in the prize exchange or placing the attack lock in your favour while you build your bench.

Another use for Victini is his Durant matchup, just like Cobalion ants are weak to Fire and at most should only need to do 100 damage to KO a Durant even with Eviolite and a Special Metal Energy attached. Of course we get Heatmor soon and people have talked about using Ditto TM to freeze out Victini’s attack, but overall Victini should be a worthwhile play.

The next tech I’m going to cover is Terrakion from Noble Victories. The main reason to run Terrakion NVI is as a counter to the one of the most popular decks in format right now, namely EelZone. Magnezone Prime has the ability to 1 shot anything it opposes, Terrakion can make a powerful counter by taking advantage of Magnezone’s Weakness as well as have to methods to output 90 damage for either 2 or 3 Energy.

Another advantage of Terrakion is his 130 HP this means that if your opponent wants to deliver a revenge knock out then they will have to Lost Burn 3 energies and with most of the decks attackers having in excess of 100 HP its most likely they already Lost Burned 3 Energy the prior turn, meaning that they need to have 6 Energies on the field over 2 turns and even if they manage this, they run the risk of running out of energy the following turn, and being unable to attack.

My next tech is Absol Prime from Triumphant. I heard of people teching Absol to handle the Chandelure NVI matchup as being unable to attack doesn’t hinder the decks strategy and using Kyurem to spread damage could provide futile against lists that run Blissey Prime.

I’ll be honest this is all I can really say about Absol, it’s there for a specific matchup and to be honest after the release of EX’s I don’t see the matchup remaining in the format as the damage range for a knockout will be far to high, but for the moment it may be worth having just 1 Absol in your deck just in-case.

The Future

Another card I would like to talk about is the unreleased Prism Energy;

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Prism Energy – Special Energy

This card provides 1 Colorless Energy.

If it’s attached to a Basic Pokemon, it provides 1 unit of every Type of Energy.

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Prism Energy is less of a tech and more of an intelligent addition, as covered above Rainbow Energy can be a powerful card in a deck like this as it acts as any Energy. Prism Energy is essentially more of that without the 10 damage, but with the drawback that the target Pokémon has to be a Basic. Oddly enough this doesn’t cause a problem in CaKE as all of your attacking Pokémon and techs are basic meaning effectively CaKE can carry 8 Rainbow Energy in the place of 4.

Put simply if you have energy in hand then more than likely you can attach it to who-ever you need to instead of having to attach to a given Pokémon because of the type they require.

Conclusion

To close I’d like to say that I think that CaKE is a good deck and at the moment its future seems good, so if your unsure on what to run for any future tournaments at least consider a slice or 2 of CaKE, you may find it’s not the deck for you, but at least you’ll know the match-up and what makes the deck struggle.

If you’d like to suggest any future articles feel free to drop me a line here or on Facebook.

Signing off for now,

RattataJoey

Have your CaKE and beat it too. is an article featured on SixPrizes - Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy.