Hey guys, reporting here again is Woodstock with a new informational article.
SP CARDS
SPs are amazing cards. They have several pros and limited cons in my opinion, and are so easy to work with which makes variety with them so easy. There are countless LV.X cards with free retreat and minimal energy requirements, even with supporting cards like Energy Gain and Poke Turn to help them out. Some examples are Luxray GL LV.X, Infernape 4 LV.X, Blaziken FB LV.X, and so on.
I’ve noticed since the release of Supreme Victors though, that SPs can not work to their maximum potential with just one main attacker or two main attackers. They achieve the greatest success with techs - Pokemon that help the ultimate goal of the deck (winning) without deviating too far from the consistency of the deck. So without further introduction, here’s a list of the greatest SP Techs that see widespread use in almost all SP decks!
~Toxicroak G (PROMO)~
I can confidently say that 75% of all TCG players probably know the reason for implementing this card in their SP deck. One of the greatest fears at the moment is the magnificent Luxray GL LV.X. With the ability to Gust-of-Wind a Pokemon from the bench to the active slot without attacking is truly remarkable. For that reason, it should be feared by all Pokemon players.
And for that reason, Toxicroak G is the perfect counter. If you read it’s power Leap Away, you will see that Toxicroak G allows the Attacking player to do 60 Damage with Poison if the Defending player knocked out one of their Pokemon last turn. EXCELLENT… the Attacking player says to himself in a creepy, evil tone after being knocked out by the opposing player’s Luxray GL LV.X last turn. So, with just a Roseanne’s for Toxicroak G, an Energy Gain and a Psychic Energy, the Attacking player can plot his revenge.
~Ambipom G~
Like the card above, Ambipom G’s main purpose is to directly counter Garchomp C LV.X. With it’s attack Snap Attack, Ambipom G can do 120 damage thanks to Weakness if Garchomp C has no energy attached to it (which is usually does after using Dragon Rush and discarding 2 Energy attached to it). Another reason to sway Pokemon users to add this card to their SP decks is it’s first attack Tail Code, allowing the Attacking player to move an Energy Card from the Defending Pokemon to a Benched Pokemon.
Ambipom G is a great counter at the moment seeing the increased popularity of Garchomp C LV.X, but it also works as a fantastic starting Pokemon considering the player is using Double Colorless Energy in his deck as well. If the player using Ambipom G goes first, they can attach a DCE and do 60 damage first turn. That’s enough to knock out almost any basic Pokemon (excluding most SP).
**Fun Fact: The PokeGym Compendium has stated that Ambipom G’s Tail Code attack discards energies if the player targets a Pokemon with Unown G attached. Since Unown G removes effects from working, the Energy Card would then be discarded rather than attached to the G’d Pokemon!
~Lucario GL~
This SP Tech was pretty standard in most SP decks following the release of Rising Rivals, but today, it doesn’t seem as efficient as it use to be. It’s Poke-Body Boundary Aura forces each player to apply Weakness on all of their Pokemon as x2 instead of their regular Weakness. This doesn’t bother SP Decks though because they already have x2 Weakness!
This card is slowly being taken out of SP decks though because of it’s cons. For example, it takes up a bench space and has no useful attack. With Psychic Weakness and 80 HP, it is very vulnerable sitting on your bench the entire game unless you choose to Poke Turn it. Another drawback is the fact that PUSA (Pokemon USA) is now applying all Weaknesses as x2 on their following sets.
~Bronzong G~
There is only one factor that allows this card to be seen as an SP Tech. That factor is it’s Poke-Power Galactic Switch, which allows the player who has it on their bench to move an Energy card from an SP Pokemon to any Pokemon on the field. This is excellent for speeding up decks and serves as SPs main source for energy acceleration.
Bronzong G has it’s drawbacks as well though, such as a three energy retreat cost, a x2 Weakness to Psychic, and a worthless attack. On top of this, you must place 2 damage counters on Bronzong G each time you use it’s Poke-Power, so think wisely before moving your energy cards around the field!
~Roserade GL~
The last card I’d like to talk about is Roserade GL. Right now, you’re probably wondering what the heck is going on. I’d bet more than 50% of Pokemon TCG players haven’t ever even read this card before. It has only one function for being placed in an SP deck, it’s first attack: Poison Bind. This attack allows you to Poison, not allow your opponent to Retreat, and place 10 damage on the Defending Pokemon.
It’s sole purpose is to stall, and is a great card for late-game battles. It definitely can be the deciding factor in a win or not. For example, if you Bright Look a Toxicroak G or Claydol GE on the bench and bring it to the active position, you can free retreat Luxray GL and snap out Roserade GL to use Poison Bind. Now, your Opponent is stuck with an active Pokemon with a high retreat cost and has limited uses. Toxicroak G can’t use Leap Away because it’s Poisoned and Claydol GE can’t use Cosmic Power for the same reason. If your Opponent used all their Poke Turns already, than their stuck with an active Toxicroak G that can only do 20 damage.
IN SUMMARY
Some of these cards are definite choices to add to your SP decks for State’s, while others may have to be looked over twice depending on your Meta and whether or not you have enough room in your deck. Nevertheless, these single cards add diversity to your deck and each have their own reason for why they qualify. Don’t underestimate your Opponent, for they may have added some (or all) of these and whip them out at the exact time needed.
I hope I persuaded some of you, or, informed others of these cards! Now tell me, do you think these SP Techs are crucial for winning an overall tournament, or do you believe them to be just a waste of space that could be used for more consistency?
