SP decks have changed substantially since their release. They began with the SP Toolbox, or LuxBox as it was sometimes called, which focused around Luxray GL LV.X. LuxBox used Luxray GL and Honchkrow G to snipe low HP Basic Pokemon along with a wide assortment of techs to combat the most popular decks.
Soon after, other SP variants such as Palkia Lock, which is a combination of Palkia G LV.X and Mesprit, and LuxApe, a deck constructed of Luxray GL LV.X and Infernape 4 LV.X, began their climb to the top. Within a very short period, SP took over the format. It was no longer a format that included SP, but one that was owned by it.
The power of SP was greatly shown during the entire tournament season, especially at Worlds, where the deck saw massive play. SP’s influence was so great, that the winning decks in Juniors, Seniors and Masters all included some form of SP (Juniors and Seniors were won by SP Toolboxes while Masters was won by RayBees).
Due to there being not rotation, SP continued to dominate the following season as well, but this time, it had the help of new cards such as Blaziken FB LV.X and Garchomp C LV.X. With their release came came new SP decks such as BlazeRay, LuxChomp and PalkiaChomp. These new cards tightened the grip SP had on the format so much that many other decks couldn’t breathe.
By this time, SP has been dominated the format for over a year now and some were hoping for a card that could restore balance to the format. Instead, their worst nightmares came true, Double Colorless Energy was reprinted. Double Colorless Energy turned an already powerful Garchomp C LV.X into an unstoppable powerhouse. It wasn’t long until LuxChomp was the most powerful deck in the format. Just like the previous year, SP dominated another year at worlds, taking first place in both Masters and Seniors along with many other top placings.
After Worlds 2010, the format became MD-On, which surprised most of the Pokemon Community as it was the smallest rotation ever. That, combined with no rotation the previous year threatened to make the TCG stale as a number of the same Pokemon cards would be in the format for a third year.
Many feared that SP would dominate for yet another year because the cards that were rotated out hurt almost every deck in the format. SP, however, was hardly affected by it. This was because of Claydol’s exit from the format. It was definitely looking as if LuxChomp would rule another format.
Soon after, Undaunted was released. Along with it came Vileplume and its amazing Poke-Body, giving birth to VileGar, a combination of Gengar SF and Vileplume. The rise of VileGar would force both SP and non-SP players alike to rethink the way they construct their decks.
Many thought that VileGar would be a huge force during Battle Roads. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen due to the other deck that had risen to power during the format: DialgaChomp.
DialgaChomp was a deck that focused on using Dialga G LV.X to tank along with Garchomp C LV.X to heal Dialga as well as snipe key Pokemon from your opponent’s bench. Dialga G is also VileGar’s Achilles Heel because of its Poke-Body, “Time Crystal”, which shuts down Vileplume.
If you’ve seen the statistics for Battle Roads, you’ll see that LuxChomp had the highest number of wins once again, which I expected. During the Cities that have been conducted thus far, you’ll notice that VileGar and Gyarados nabbed a much higher number of wins during Cities along with DialgaChomp, Sablelock and Machamp winning a number of events as well. In addition, new decks such as Mewperior, Magnezone and Nidoking took a couple of wins as well.
It is obvious that SP is a powerful force in the format and will mos likely stay that way until they’re taken out of the format. Now that we’re all up to speed on the history of SP, let’s get to the rest of the article!
Here is my list:
| Pokemon – 20
3 Garchomp C SV |
Trainers – 28
4 Cyrus’s Conspiracy |
Energy – 12
4 Call Energy |
Analysis
Once you’ve taken a glance at this list, you may realize that it is a bit different from a lot of LuxChomp lists that you may have seen before, which isn’t a bad thing. If you look at the lists that win events, often times you’ll find that they are a bit different from the usual list, which could be why they won; because they found something new that works better.
Something that may catch your attention are Garchomp C and Luxray GL splits that I use. While most people don’t put a whole lot of thought into which type of split they go with, saying that they’re both about the same. The majority of the community believe that it is just a matter of your play-style and which one you feel more comfortable with.
While I partly agree that catering to your style is important, I do believe that 3/1 is superior to 2/2 as it allows for much faster recovery, which is vital during matches with decks that play Garchomp C as well. Whether you use a 2/2, 2/1 or 3/1 Luxray GL line isn’t as important. If you are really uncomfortable with a 2/1 or 3/1 split, going with a 2/2 Luxray line isn’t going to have a huge impact on your decks performance.
Now, any deck can’t just go around changing both its 2/2 lines for 3/1 lines and expect the deck to have a huge edge against any deck you face. In addition to those changes, others must be made as well to ensure you can repeatedly recover those Level Up Pokemon.
For the past year or so, I have been using LuxChomp on and off. While I have played with a number of different decks (see my recent MagneChamp article), I will often end up going back to LuxChomp for a while. I think this is because I really like the deck, it’s a deck that I have spent a lot of time on perfecting the list and its match ups, so it can be difficult to just drop it for something else. I doubt I will completely abandon LuxChomp until it is rotated out of the format.
Over the coarse of my LuxChomp usage, I had been using Dragonite FB due to my believing in its superiority over Ambipom G during the mirror match. However, I recently switched over to Ambipom G and I really like the results I’ve been getting. One aspect of Ambipom that I really like is the donk factor. If you’ve seen the decks that I have made in the past and their lists, you’ll notice that their chance to achieve the donk is very low.
However, with my inclusion of Ambipom G and a few other cards, it gives my deck the “donk factor”, which is something I’m curious as to how it will help or hurt the list.
As you can see with this list, it is geared toward combating the top decks in the format. The inclusion of two Premier Ball along with an Aaron’s Collection makes sure I have consistent recovery of my Level Up Pokemon. This is what I was talking about earlier when I said that any deck can’t just change out a 2/2 for a 3/1 line and expect it to work better. You must alter other parts of your deck toward maximizing this advantage.
Bronzong G is a great card that I never fail to underestimate. Being able to switch around your Energy adds a great deal of flexibility to LuxChomp, which will be vital for victory. In fact, just this morning it delivered me the game. If I had not been able to use Bronzong G that match, there is a very good chance that I would have taken a loss.
Since this deck contains a lot 1-of cards, it provides me with a lot of options during all stages of the game, most notably the early end-game. However, with these 1-of cards comes a liability, a prize card liability that is. Because of this, it is crucial that I play Azelf as without, I could be in for some potentially very difficult matches.
The Lucario GL is a pretty standard tech nowadays in LuxChomp, it’s used to combat Gyarados and Machamp decks. It has been an invaluable asset during every match against these decks, so I don’t foresee this card not being in my deck any time soon.
The Bebe’s Search as well as the two Professor Oak’s New Theory are necessary cards to combat VileGar. With the two Pokemon Collector and four Call Energy, it isn’t difficult to get out a Dialga G. However, what is difficult is getting Dialga G LV.X in my hand under Trainer lock, so Bebe’s Search, which can be searched out with Cyrus’s Conspiracy, is a really good card to play. PONT is an amazing card for refreshing my hand during all stages of the game, even against non-VileGar decks.
Obviously, Dialga G LV.X was included in the deck to combat VileGar. In addition, it is a great card for countering more uncommon cards such as Mew Prime, Mewtwo LV.X, Charizard, Nidoqueen, Scizor and others as well, which is why I included it. I was a bit hesitant on adding Dialga G to my list, believing Entei & Raikou Legend to be the better way to go. For now, I’ll be sticking with Dialga, but if your meta game warrants it, taking out Dialga for a 1-1 ERL line would be a good move as well.
The lone Seeker may seem like it doesn’t do much, but it is a powerful asset to the deck. While it is one of the lesser important cards, it can be vital in situations where a TGI Poke Turn is needed, but you don’t have a Cyrus’s Conspiracy in hand for whatever reason.
A card that acts similarly to Seeker is Junk Arm, which helps me to get a 4th Energy Gain, 4th SP Radar, 4th Power Spray, 6th Poke Turn (counting Seeker), 3rd Premier Ball, etc. During my testing, there was rarely a time that would go by in which Junk Arm was an unneeded card. I only play one because it can be difficult for a deck to use two because of the hand discards, so for now, I’ll stick with one.
Twins is a card I go back and forth on. When it was release, I believed it to be the holy grail of Pokemon. I had believe it to be a card that would work well in almost any deck. However, after much testing, I realized that not every deck can use it effectively. One such deck that can, however, is LuxChomp.
In LuxChomp, it is a great card that can be abused relatively easily by Cyrus’s Conspiracy. You see, if you are behind on Prize cards, you can use Cyrus’s Conspiracy to fetch Twins, a TGI card and a basic Energy. When you play Twins next turn, search for a Cyrus’s Conspiracy as well as whatever other card you need. While it lacks the ability to get both an Energy and a Trainer from your deck, it has the advantage of searching for ANY card you choose in addition to not breaking the Cyrus’s Conspiracy chain.
I strongly suggest that any player using LuxChomp or DialgaChomp give it a try. It’s great against almost any deck to get that push you need to win, but it is especially useful in the mirror match. However, to use it effectively, you will need to read ahead a few turns and predict how you believe prizes will be next turn. If you search for Twins a turn to early, it can cost you the game, so I only suggest adding it to your deck if you’re a more experienced player at both the game and playing LuxChomp.
One thing that might have caught your eye while glancing over the list is that I include three Uxie instead of the standard two. A 3-1 line is so much better than the 2-1 because it allows for a much better Machamp match. A single Uxie LV.X is an inconvenience, two is a problem, but three is a threat. Combined with Lucario GL and Crobat G, I can reliably OHKO multiple Machamp each match.
The other use the third Uxie serves is to help fight disruption. Whether it be Judge or Looker’s Investigation, having a third Uxie really increases the odds that you’ll be able to draw into it. In addition, during the mirror match, a third Uxie is often necessary to force through Power Spray. Between three Uxie and Seeker, I’m almost always able to force through a “Set Up”.
Recently, many SP decks have been reducing their TGI Energy Gain count to three, which I have done so in this deck as well. It is a good way to save room for other things in your deck, just make sure you test it out to make sure it works for your build and play style. It works well in this build because of the Junk Arm that I use.
The final thing I would like to make a not on is the Energy build that I use. I run four Call Energy along with two Pokemon Collector to ensure good development early game. I’ve heard of people using a 3/3 split and other things, but I think it works best to use a higher Call count.
If you start out with a Call Energy in your hand along with a Cyrus’s Conspiracy, you may search out two Basic Pokemon in addition to a Supporter, Trainer and Energy Card (granted you go second). However, if you start with a Pokemon Collector and a Cyrus’s Conspiracy, you must wait a turn before you start the Cyrus’s Conspiracy chain.
In addition, going with the 4/2 split that I am running allows me to boost my overall Energy count, which is important in preventing an Energy shortage during the game. The down side to this, however is that getting an Uxie to your hand to “Set Up” becomes more difficult due to the lower Collector count, but this is negated by the running of a third Uxie.
Notable Exclusions
Now that you have an idea of the thoughts behind many of the components in my list, I would like to share with you some cards that aren’t on the list as well as the reasoning behind their exclusions. I won’t go too extensively into this, just a brief explanation as to why it wasn’t included.
2nd Crobat G
While it may seem like a mistake not to include a second Crobat G, I find in most situations, another isn’t needed. Since I run four Poke Turn, Seeker, Junk Arm and Twins as well as four Cyrus’s Conspiracy, I am rarely 10 damage short of a knock out.
Since I am currently running a 1-1 Dialga G line, I had considered adding in a Basic Metal Energy as well, but ended up cutting it because it wasn’t very useful in the majority of my matches.
This card was actually sorta useful, but most of the time, I could get by without it. The biggest problem with it was getting it when I did need it. In order to solve this problem, I had to run an Energy Exchanger. At least with my current build, Warp Energy doesn’t provide enough benefit to warrant its inclusion.
Energy Exchanger
When I think of Energy Exchanger, I often compare it to VS Seeker. They’re both good, useful cards that can really help you, but they’re often the 51st card in decks. In this case, it was more like the 54th card, but you get the point.
Match Ups
While this isn’t every deck in the format, I think I included all of the big ones along with a few less common decks as well.
VS Mirror – Slightly Favorable
Since this is the mirror match that we’re talking about, it would be difficult to have a major advantage. However, with high amount of recovery that I run along with the 3/1 Garchomp split gives me a small advantage. In addition, Twins is a great way to get a key Double Colorless Energy.
VS DialgaChomp – Slightly Favorable
Most LuxChomp decks have an advantage over DialgaChomp decks and I believe this one to be no different. The superior Garchomp line, extra recovery and other key techs (Twins, Seeker, etc) should bring you victory against DialgaChomp.
VS Chenlock/Sablelock – Even
Sablelock has the advantage of massive disruption, but one thing that does help us quite a bit is the higher Uxie count as well as two Professor Oak’s New Theory, which both help us save bad hands. While neither is a walk in the part, Sablelock is probably the easier of the two match ups just because it focuses on Garchomp C instead of having Blaziken FB holding it back.
VS Machamp – Slightly Unfavorable
Bet you don’t see that too often. During the games that I played against Machamp, I found that it isn’t as hard of a match up as it can be for a lot of LuxChomp builds. Again, I believe this blessing to be in debt to the third Uxie as well as the Premier Ball. Twins is important here as well to ensure that you get a consistent stream of Uxie OHKOs as quickly as possible before you fall too far behind to catch up.
VS Gyarados – Slightly Favorable/Favorable
How this match goes depends a lot on what techs the run. If they’re using a 1-1 Dialga G line and a lot of other stuff aimed toward combating non-SP decks, you have a big advantage. However, if they run little to no non-SP techs, it will be much closer.
VS VileGar – Favorable
I’m not sure how many games I’ve played against VileGar, but I know it’s pretty high up there as one of the major goals of my current build as to be able to beat VileGar consistently. It seems that I’m always able to use Dialga G LV.X to shut off Vileplume or Luxray GL LV.X + Uxie LV.X to knock it out.
VS Scizor – Favorable
If I wasn’t running Dialga G, this could be a tricky match at times, but with Dialga shutting off Scizor’s Poke-Body, they just don’t have much of a chance.
VS Mewperior – Slightly Favorable/Favorable
Typically, if your opponent plays a “Bum Rush” version, they have a good chance in the match up. However, if they’re using Delcatty and other stuff, they usually can’t beat me consistently.
VS Steelix – Slightly Favorable
While Steelix along with an Expert Belt can spell trouble, usually I can just snipe and play around it. This match becomes even easier if my opponent is foolish enough to bench a Blissey as well. While I occasionally have trouble, for the most part my list can pull through.
VS Nidoking – Favorable
If Claydol were in the format, it may be a different story. However, without a strong draw power, my opponent just isn’t able to get anything set up.
VS Tyranitar – Favorable
While I can usually out speed my opponent, sometimes I can’t stop them from getting a Tyranitar up and running, which spells trouble for me. At least for now, I’m able to use Toxicroak G to do a massive 130 (60 x 2 + 10). Once they loose a couple Tyaranitar, their chance of winning is lost as well.
VS Regigigas – Even/Slightly Favorable
Perhaps the biggest threat Regigigas provides is their disruption. If your opponent is able to play a Judge and keep a Mesprit lock up for a few turns before you’re able to get set up, there’s little chance you every will. However, we do have a few advantages, being Uxie, Toxicroak G and Professor Oak’s New Theory.
Just like in the Tyranitar match, Promocroak gives us a good chance to knock out a Pokemon we otherwise might not have. The increased Uxie count and PONT can help give us a chance to get something set up through their disruption.
Thoughts for the Future
Finally, here are some changes that I am in the process of trying out or am planning to.
+1 Luxury Ball or Pokemon Communication
I really, really wanted to get one of these two cards into the list, but it seems that every time I go to take something out for one of these cards, I think “No, I can’t do that, I need this card”. Right now, I’m currently testing a Pokemon Communication in place of a Premier Ball. While I haven’t done so extensively thus far, the results I’m getting aren’t really much better, but I’ll keep working on it.
+1 Smeargle
Since I include Unown Q, you would think Smeargle would be a shoe in. While it is good in a variety of matches, especially during the mirror, I am having some issues with fitting it in, so I am trying out a lot of different ways to try and fit this card in.
-1 Toxicroak G + Psychic Energy
I have been want to take these two cards out for a while now. Promocroaks biggest function is to act as a Luxray GL LV.X counter. However, in the 35+ mirror matches I have played, I won 95% of them, but I used Toxicroak G no more than five times.
The thing that has kept it in thus far is its ability to counter Regigigas LV.X, which has seen a surge in popularity since Triumphant. In addition, the Psychic Energy is a vital card in fighting off Donphan decks as well. For now, I’ll be keeping them in the list. I plan to wait until another set is released and keep track of their presence in the meta game before taking them out of the list.
Conclusion
I encourage each and every player to give LuxChomp a try. Even if you don’t think it’s your style or you have plans to play something else, giving it a little time can only heighten your game play. Each time a new deck is released, I make sure to give it a try, learn its strengths and weakness and in turn, how to beat it.
That’s all for now,
-Dakota Streck
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