Introduction
“What? The Weirdo? Grant’s doing a deck analysis on himself?” No.
I am doing a deck analysis on a deck I am excited about and it is called (as of now), “The Weirdo.” I thought it was a better name than RDLZRSVME.dek, which is what you get when you cram the following into a deck: Rayquaza & Deoxys LEGEND, Zekrom EX, Reshiram EX, Shaymin EX, Virizion NVI, Mewtwo EX, and Electrode Prime. It’s amazing how all of those can fit into a good deck!
The Weirdo
This deck will look somewhat bad at first (as with all of my rogue mutations), but it has gone through extensive testing against most of the BDIFs (big decks in the format). It still needs tweaking before States, though, and there are a few techs it needs that I haven’t found room for yet.
I actually thought of this deck as I was looking through The Workshop on the forums (before Skyarrow Bridge was confirmed for NXD) when there was a post about what combos would be good with EXs. I honestly have no idea how I came up with this crazy idea, but I put the general idea up as a comment and built it a while after. Now, I present to you, The Weirdo!
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Pokemon – 19 3 Voltorb TM 2 Reshiram EX |
Trainers – 25 3 Twins 2 N
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Energy – 16 4 Prism 4 Fire 1 Grass |
Now, you’re probably thinking:
“Wow! I knew he said it was going to look bad, but this is just plain suicidal!” Exactly! This deck is a (sort of) suicide deck. It works a little like the Shaymin EX + Palkia & Dialga LEGEND + Electrode Prime deck. Notice how I said a “little.” The SEDPL deck has more obvious synergy, but it is the same in the aspect that it uses Pokemon Legend, Electrode Prime, and EXs to go behind in prizes and comes back with powerful Pokemon EX. However, the idea is entirely different. The Weirdo can actually be speedy.
Card Analysis
Pokemon
Virizion should be your main opener. Its first attack is one of the best, if not the best (probably second to Eeeeeeek) opening attack to use. Double Draw lets you draw two cards for C. It is also a nifty attacker. For GC, its Leaf Wallop attack does 40 damage the first time you use it, and 80 damage for each consecutive use after that.
I’m not quite sold on this card being in the deck, but it has proven useful in MANY situations. Probably the most common use of this card in The Weirdo is (obviously) a good opener, but also to kill off things like Tynamo and Cleffa on T2 with the help of Pokemon Catcher.
Electrode Prime is the big bad lightning ball. It is a 90 HP Stage 1 and it blows itself up and gives your opponent a prize! Why would anyone run that? Well, after it KOs itself (causing an explosion is only enough to make someone pass out) you get to trash the top seven cards of your deck! This card is great for letting your opponent win!
However, before you trash the top seven cards of your deck, you get to attach all the energy you find there to your Pokemon in any way you like! Extremely high risk, extremely high reward. I can’t believe how lucky the people who bought this card when it came out were (trying to build a rogue deck no doubt). When it came out in 2010 it was selling for about three dollars. Now it’s up between $10 and $20!
Its attack, Gigashock, may not be used often, but it can be useful. (2HKO Tornadus anyone?) For LC, it does 30 damage and 10 to two of your opponent’s benched Pokemon. The retreat cost is one, but I don’t think it matters because if an Electrode Prime is active than it can just blow itself up with that suicidal Poke-Power, Energymite.
I think that the Poke-Power has an appropriate name, but Gigashock should just be called plain Shock; or better yet, Wimpyshock. Anyway, it has a Weakness to Terrakion NVI… sorry, Weakness to Fighting (cough) and a Resistance to Metal.
Voltorb is a donker. I’m not even joking. 40 HP is very bad and it can be donked quite easily itself. Fighting Weakness makes it able to be OHKO’d by a minimum-powered Retaliate. (Maybe lone Terrakion starts aren’t as bad as people think they are.) Metal Resistance is good against a T2 Cobalion NVI‘s Energy Press. It has the same retreat cost as Electrode which is good I guess.
For L its Magnetic Bomb attack does 20 damage and you flip a coin. If it’s heads, you deal 30 damage; if it’s tails, you deal 20 damage and 10 to yourself. This is horrible because you could be so tempted to try and donk a lone Tyrogue, only to have yourself donked when you flip tails.
Why am I wasting so much time on a pre-evolution? I honestly have no idea. Just don’t forget about its attack when you open something like: Collector, Switch, Lightning and a Basic other than it and your opponent opens something like lone Tynamo or Cleffa. Next Card!
Mewtwo EX (see the forums or any front page article). Aside from those, I really don’t know what I can add that hasn’t already been said. I just didn’t know how crucial it was to have as a one-of in any deck until I started playing it. I’m thinking about dropping a Shaymin EX for another one of these, but Mewtwo EXs are so hard to get.
Reshiram EX is one of your main attackers and it is amazing at it. It can easily rip apart two or three Pokemon before being KO’d with no problem due to its broken damage output. 180 HP on a Basic is quite insane and makes it nearly impossible to OHKO. Three retreat is awful, but you really shouldn’t be retreating this bad boy anyway. Just wreck through things until you die; sorry, get knocked out.
Water Weakness is a pain against a Kyurem’s Outrage, but you should be able to OHKO it anyway. Absent Resistance. Cough. Alright, now for its attacks. For RCC Glinting Claw does 50 damage or 80 if the coin/die is heads. Not bad, but I’ve seen better.
Now for the real attack: Brave Fire does a whopping 150 damage for RRCC! That’s three energy including DCE! Of course, such a broken attack must have a downside. The downside is what makes this card a bit more difficult to sweep with. You have to flip a coin, and if tails, the attack does 50 recoil damage! Ouch.
Zekrom EX is Reshiram EX’s partner in crime… I mean winning. Partner in winning. It has the same HP, (lack of) Resistance, and retreat cost. Its Fighting Weakness means that it can be revenge KO’d by Retaliate which kind of sucks. It has the same Glinting Claw attack, except for requiring LCC instead of RCC. Zekrom’s second attack is Strong Volt and it does 150 damage and a double energy discard for LLCC.
I usually just trash a DCE whenever I get the chance to with this attack so it can’t be Lost Removered. Also, just to get this straight for those who don’t know, the energy letter abbreviation for Fire is R because Fighting is F. I’m assuming because Fire Energy are red which begins with “r.”
Shaymin EX is a charity case. I mean come on. People are going to include it as a late game sweeper tech because they feel sorry for it being the weakest EX with a pitiful 110 HP. You thought the slow evolving Basics like Magnemite, Tepig, and Oddish were Catcher bait for easy prizes? I mean really. Shaymin EX is so easy to OHKO with its Weakness to Fire it is the ultimate Catcher bait!
Why am I making an argument against a card in my deck? I’m not. I’m pointing out the negative aspects of it. It really is a great card. So what if it has 110 HP and a Fire Weakness? It has a Fighting Resistance and a free retreat if your opponent was nice enough to play a Skyarrow Bridge for you.
It makes a terrible opener despite having a good opening move. In fact, the only reason there is even a Grass Energy in the deck is so you can attach a Prism or Rainbow to Shaymin T1 to use Synthesis. And even that is a bad reason to include a Grass. The reason Shaymin EX is (or will be) played is because of it’s second attack, Revenge Blast. Even the very name of it sounds good!
For GC, (same cost as Leaf Wallop) you do 30 damage plus 30 for damage for each prize card your opponent has taken. Now you probably realize why I chose Electrode over Eelektrik NVI or Typhlosion Prime. (What a lame name, Eelektrik. Look at the hints, Pokemon is running out of creativity. Boldore, Chandelure etc.)
Rayquaza & Deoxys LEGEND is very interesting. Both of its Weaknesses are devastating. Tornadus EPO and Mewtwo EX can both easily one shot it claiming easy prizes. However, the Poke-Body Space Virus, letting you claim an extra prize when you knock out something with it, paired with its sole attack, Ozone Buster, makes it a good EX counter.
Ozone Buster does 150 damage for RRLC and it makes you discard all Fire Energy attached to it. I know that this also includes Rainbow Energy, but I’m really hoping that the ruling is different like with Defender. Add all this to Black Belt and you can one-shot all non-Eviolited EXs and get three prizes! This allows you to knock out two Pokemon to win the game! Also, I believe the fact that it can whack for 600 against the mirror should be mentioned.
A 2-2 line is necessary because Mewtwo EX and Tornadus can both easily revenge KO it and it is hard to get out. As just said, it is really hard to get out and this poses more of a problem than it seems. In order to use RDL efficiently, you need to have it out on T2 ready for the Energymite. This is why Legend Box might be included or Communication bumped up to four.
Trainers
N is the leader of Team Plasma. The all powerful wielder of the legendary dragon, and head of an evil organization devoted to freeing Pokemon so he can be the most powerful being in the world because he would be the only one with Pokemon. And they give him the name N. Really? Sorry. Off topic.
Anyway, The Weirdo gives away prizes like nobody’s business. N makes your opponent shuffle their hand and draw cards equal to the number of prizes cards they have left. Good disruption. (Lost Remover will be mentioned.) What else to say about N?
Professor Oak’s New Theory is an extremely common staple. As with every deck, PONT is used for raw draw-power and is less situational than N.
Black Belt is probably the most underrated Supporter, but it’s good. As long as you’re behind in prizes, you can play this to give your next attack a 40 damage boost! Sweet! Do you have any idea how annoying this is when your opponent drops this to give them the ability to OHKO an EX dragon right after Energymite-ing? (I don’t know either but that’s not the point.)
T2 Electrode go BOOM, nab at least three energy to power up RDL, attach for turn, drop a Black Belt, and watch your opponent’s surprised face as you T2 Ozone Buster for three prizes against an unsuspecting EX dragon or Gigas. (Everyone deserves a short trip to fantasy land every now and then when doing an analysis.) I hope I made my point: Black Belt is an EX killer.
Twins is another come-from-behind Supporter that works well in suicide decks like these. When you’re down on prizes, you get to retrieve any two cards from your deck. This is great especially after Energymite-ing T2 to nab you the last energy you need and/or getting a Catcher. Twins is arguably the most useful Supporter in the deck. Key for setting up.
Pokemon Collector is probably the most common staple. It is used to set up your field on T1 to get ready for a T2 Energymite. Or as Junk Arm fodder late game.
Switch is great in many situations: Starting lone dragon, neutralizing an opponent’s Catcher, getting out of Cobalion and Special Conditions, and just for surprising your opponent in general. Play with Pokemon Catcher and you get a sort of Warp Point.
Junk Arm is yet another common staple. I might bump up the count, but I honestly think one is fine considering you shouldn’t need more trainers than what’s already in here.
Pokemon Catcher is sweet and can be used for a ton of things. The most notable is being used with RDL to bring in Mewtwo EX or Shaymin EX and Ozone Buster for three prizes out of nowhere. Very handy for prize snagging and disruption.
Pokemon Communication is very useful for T2 Energymite and for getting RDL out.
Research Record is used first and foremost to partially control Energymite. It also can be used for controlling your top-decks and, less efficiently, your Double Draws. No matter what the circumstances are right before using Energymite, you always want to put any non-energy cards on the bottom of the deck with this even if there is a Collector you want to trash. The chance for an extra energy is very valuable.
Energy
Lightning Energy is for Voltorb donking! And for RDL & Zekrom EX. Three may seem really low, but I would definitely not advise more. In my testing, three was fine.
Fire Energy is obviously for Reshiram EX and RDL. As with the Lightning, the count of these may seem too low (it did for me at first), but you don’t need any more. Four is fine.
Rainbow Energy helps a lot with RDL. Running Rainbow Energy in a deck that is basic heavy may seem stupid because of Prism Energy, but keep in mind that I already have 4 Prism. The damage counter it inflicts really doesn’t make a difference unless it is used on Voltorb or Electrode Prime but you really shouldn’t power them up anyway. (Unless it’s a Voltorb donk attempt!)
Double Colorless Energy is absolutely fantastic in this deck! As with the Fire and Lighting, the count of this may seem low, but this time it’s because two DCE is a little low! I’m probably going to bump it up to three. Two was nearly enough in my testing and I think four would be overkill.
Prism Energy is a great special energy. Rainbow was good enough, but this is just overdoing it. A Rainbow on Basics without inflicting damage!? Yes, please. And, it can still function on non-Basics as a Colorless Energy.
Grass Energy is for a T1 Synthesis and so that Shaymin EX isn’t complete Lost Remover bait. I think I’m going to take it out for a Rainbow, though. It isn’t doing me any good.
Matchups
I have played many games with this deck and it has proven to be good, but not great, against the meta. One important thing to note is that I have not teched many of my decks with Next Destinies, and the only two decks I currently have that have any Next Destinies cards in it are Mewtwo/Celebi and The Weirdo. So, unfortunately, I have not tested against things like TyRam EX, or RossGigas.
When testing, each game was randomized to see which deck went first. I will only put “techs for this matchup” against decks that provided a good challenge against The Weirdo. Also, there will only be “notes about the testing” when there are noteworthy things that happened during the testing, so don’t expect special shout-outs on every deck.
Reshiphlosion
Wins: 4, Losses: 6
Overview
This is very tough because of Reshiram BLW‘s constan Blue Flares. Taking out Typhlosion Prime would of course help immensely, but they can just keep swarming. If you get a good start then you should win, but it is not a great matchup. Any consistent deck that can 2HKO an EX is a problem for The Weirdo.
Notes About the Testing
- Reshiphlosion went first the vast majority of the time.
- Nearly all the games vs. this deck were super close.
- Shaymin EX is major Catcher bait against Reshiphlosion and is not to be used.
The Weirdo usually has decent to good opening hands, but against Reshiphlosion it rarely drew good opening hands.- When battling Reshiphlosion (or at least my build), The Weirdo has to be speedy.
- One game against Reshiphlosion was a Voltorb donk against a lone Cleffa.
- Tyrogue won two (non-donk) games for Reshiphlosion.
- I didn’t bust (pun intended) out RDL until game 10 vs. Reshiphlosion.
Techs for this Matchup
- I think that replacing a Shaymin EX with a Mewtwo EX would be a good choice as I never need that second Shaymin. But I also don’t think that another Mewtwo EX is needed that much.
- I think the exact same thing is true for Zekrom EX. I never need two. I may take it out for another Reshiram EX, some Basic attacker, or one of the other cards that will be mentioned. This applies more to The Weirdo in general than this specific matchup.
- Basculin NXD could easily be teched to help against this matchup. Basculin EPO 24 is better at this but requires more energy.
- Kyurem EX could be helpful against this matchup and just in general. It is good for energy denial against most decks as well. I don’t know why everyone seems to think it’s bad. It’s not bad. I’m just not sure if it has a place in this deck.
Eelzone
Wins: 4, Losses: 6
Overview
This is another not-so-great matchup. Thundurus EPO‘s Disaster Volt followed by a 2-energy Lost Burn for two prizes is very bad for you. Also, my build of Eelzone is probably a bit more consistent than others which is a problem for The Weirdo.
Something that I found interesting is that Judge completely rips apart The Weirdo. A lot of games were won for Eelzone because of Judge judging away good hands on T1 or T2. The Weirdo cannot usually work with four random cards.
Notes About the Testing
- Magnezone’s damage output is too overwhelming and when playing against Eelzone it is better to target the Magnezone lines than Eelektrik lines.
- Nearly all the games vs. Eelzone were super close.
Techs for this Matchup
- Zapdos NXD is an interesing option. It is good for sniping when you Catcher up an Eel and you already run Lightning, Prism, and DCE. It can, of course, be helpful in other matchups but this stands out.
- Now for the obvious ones: Stunfisk NVI 68 and Terrakion NVI would both be great counters to this and/or Zekeel because of Weakness which is needed.
Durant
Wins: 6, Losses: 4
Overview
This is actually a really good matchup. It may seem dumb to Energymite against it, but each game against it you should try for at least one Energmite and even two won’t kill you. The strategy to use against Durant is to get out a lone Reshiram EX if you can and Energymite on T2. Then incessantly Glinting Claw. If you see a Cobalion then Catcher it and KO it with Brave Fire or start building up another Reshiram EX.
When facing Durant, it is important to remember to put much more energy than you need for Brave Fire on your Reshiram EX because of Lost Remover and Crushing Hammer. Research Record is handy for partially controlling what they Devour.
Notes About the Testing
- Durant went first the vast majority of the time.
- One game vs. Durant, The Weirdo went first and T2 Reshiram EX donked a lone Durant because Durant whiffed a Crushing Hammer.
- Research Record and N help a lot against Durant.
- One win vs. Durant was a Virizion sweep and one loss vs. Durant was an attempted Virizion sweep.
The Truth
Wins: 7, Losses: 3
Overview
This is a very good matchup despite Trainer lock. Reshiram EX can easily handle Cobalion NVI and Regigigas EX with Black Belt. RDL or Reshiram EX can take care of Donphan. Zekrom EX is to be used against Suicune & Entei LEGEND which would otherwise sweep you. Obviously trying to Catcher Oddish before they evolve or Gloom before it evolves is good as they can both be OHKO’ed by a minimum powered X Ball.
ZPST
Wins: 6, Losses: 4
Overview
This is another favorable matchup. ZPST’s consistency is shaky and the sheer speed won’t overwhelm you because the EXs cannot be OHKO’d by a maximum powered Outrage or Bolt Strike. It is smart to avoid RDL because Tornadus can OHKO it. The powerful EXs can easily just wreck through ZPST. Zekroms being able to OHKO Shaymin EX is scary, but Shaymin EX is still good late game.
Notes About The Testing
- Most games vs. ZPST were super close.
- Game 10 vs. ZPST was a Zekrom donk against a lone Shaymin EX.
- One game against ZPST was a two turn Voltorb sort of donk against a Tornadus. I told you Voltorb was a donker!
- ZPST’s speed and Catchers devestate the Voltorbs before they can evolve and the Weirdo generally gets slower starts against ZPST because of that.
- In one game, after a Reshiram EX got Bolt Striked, ZPST’s Tyrogue finished it with two PlusPowers!
- One game vs. ZPST, Electrode Prime KO’d a Cleffa.
CoKE
Wins: 6 Losses: 4
Overview
This is a favorable matchup, but it is still a lot harder than I thought it would be. Cobalion is a huge pain which is bad because CoKE and LaKE decks are starting to focus more on Cobalion because of Mewtwo EX. Even though Reshiram EX, Zekrom EX, and RDL can OHKO a Cobalion it is still difficult because you have to switch between Pokemon a lot thanks to Iron Breaker.
If a Cobalion has Eviolite and two Special Metal Energy, then neither Zekrom EX or RDL can one-shot it without Black Belt. Also, CoKE decks should not be able to use Twins as The Weirdo is more sacrifice-based than CoKE. Basically just sweep with Reshiram.
Notes About the Testing
- One game vs. CoKE was sudden death because of Reshiram EX’s recoil.
Cele2nadus (Sell a Tornadus)
Wins: 6 Losses: 4
Overview
This is a favorable matchup, but like CoKE, it is not as easy as I thought it would be. Tornadus EPO being able to one-shot RDL is a huge pain as RDL is the best Pokemon to use against Mewtwo EX. Mewtwo EX is also a good Pokemon to set up against Mewtwo EX and an EX dragon can OHKO Mewtwo with Black Belt.
Zekrom EX is a nifty bonus against Tornadus as well as Reshiram EX being a nifty bonus against Celebi Prime. You should be able to win this matchup. It is also important to note that Cele2nadus will probably play Skyarrow Bridge for you and CoKE probably will too.
Notes About the Testing
- One game both decks had long energy droughts and in the same game, Electrode Prime Energymited for no energy!
Chandelure
Wins: 6 Losses: 4
Overview
This is yet another good matchup. I know The Weirdo screams “No Vileplume!” but Chandelure just doesn’t have the power to overcome The Weirdo. But it does have the annoyance. Eerie Glow provides more problems than you might think. Vileplume UD locks you out of your Trainers, and most importantly Switch, which is what you need against Chandy. You usually have to try and hit through confusion which is unfortunate.
What is fortunate, however, is that you can rip through Chandelures easily and Chandelure has consistency problems. If it wasn’t for testing, I would think that Chandelure would be near auto-win. Eerie Glow is a big fat problem. Usually, they won’t get to use Eerie Glow that much, but that is probably their only way of winning.
Last and certainly least, I bring you the matchup for…
Cinccini
Wins: 5 Losses: 5
Overview
This is probably one of the most underestimated, underrated, and unknown decks. It is good and not to be ignored. It runs Cinccino BLW, Tornadus EPO, Pichu HS, and Victini NVI 15. It is a pretty tough matchup because of its unfaltering consistency (most of the time), and being able to do two for one prize trades with the EXs.
You want to do one Energymite max against this deck so they have to KO three EXs still. You should probably start attacking with Virizion ASAP and use Catcher to get continuous KOs. Once you have exhausted your Twins, Catchers, and Junk Arm, then you should start whacking away with the EXs. RDL and Shaymin EX are very scary plays because they can easily be OHKO’ed because of weakness.
I thought my deck would perform better than that; especially because none of the decks (other than Cele2nadus) had any Next Destinies cards. Still, 6-4 against most of the meta isn’t too shabby. It needs a way to deal with Eelzone and Reshiphlosion. And it just needs to be strengthened more to be able to go 7-3 against all of its 6-4 matchups. Durant just got plain lucky a lot and it should’ve been 7-3 or 8-2.
There are a few decks that are missing from the matchups and here’s why:
- I just don’t have builds of 6 Corners, VVV, Zekeel EX, Reshiboar EX, LaKE, or RossGigas.
- We all know Gothitelle and Mewbox are dead.
- There are too many rogue decks and it would get boring hearing about matchups against decks you’ll never face.
Other Options
This section is going to be about all of the possible techs and possible quantity-of-cards-already-in-deck changes that were not mentioned. I have not tested all of these, but there is plenty of time to tweak before States.
~ Reshiram BLW/NXD or Zekrom BLW/NXD could be used as a weaker RDL or a weaker alternative to their EXs. Probably not a good idea, but worth a try.
~ If you take out RDL, which I would not advise, then you could take out all the Communication for Level Ball.
~ Skyarrow Bridge would really help this deck. However, I think it will be played a lot, and you don’t need it that much. I would just rely on your opponent having it.
~ Another DCE is needed.
~ Taking out a Grass for a Rainbow or DCE would be a good choice.
~ Fliptini would immensly help this deck because of Voltorb and Reshiram EX.
~ Eviolite is mandatory in this deck and I think two could possibly go in for Shaymin EX and Zekrom EX.
~ Super Rod, Flower Shop Lady, Revive, Energy Retrieval, Fisherman and any other recovery cards I’m missing would be fairly good in this deck, but not mandatory.
~ Pokegear 3.0 is yet another very good tech, but I just didn’t find myself needing it in testing.
~ Cobalion NVI could really help against a lot of matchups and possibly change the tides against many decks.
~ Audino EPO could be used if you’re that much of a troll.
~ Professor Juniper and Sage’s Training are other good options for draw-power.
~ Lost Remover is a powerful card in this coming format and it would be a nice addition to this deck.
~ Cleffa HS/CL can be used as an opener but it can easily be donked by Mewtwo EX unlike Virizion.
~ As with all decks with multiple different types of basics, Absol Prime TM and Shaymin UL are good tech choices even when not facing Chandelure.
~ Magby TM/CL can be used to soften up things that your Pokemon EX can’t OHKO and it is easier to use than Virizion.
~ Pokemon Communication should be bumped up to four.
~ Legend Box would be a wise choice in a meta with eXtra Mewtwo.
~ PlusPower is handy in many situations when you can’t use Black Belt or don’t have it in hand.
Conclusion
I know I wasn’t in-depth at all about these but there are a lot of nifty little techs that can go into this deck. For Trainers, Lost Remover and Juniper would work pretty well, I imagine. I know that no one likes theorymoning, but I only got to test the original list.
The original list was really good, but it definitely needs to be tweaked a little to help against the hard matchups. Good luck and I hope this inspired you to try your own teched out version of “The Weirdo!”
~ Grant Manley/thevilegarkid/Super Rogue Deck inventor. Until next time, SEEYA.
