One of the cards that I have been a fan of ever since it was released has been Cyrus’s Initiative. The ability to take key cards out of an opponent’s hand, albeit at a few coin flips, can be absolutely devastating. After failed attempts to use Porygon2 and friends to do a complete hand lock, I set the card on the sidelines and resorted to using more proven strategies, hoping to one day return to the Initiative when the format was better suited to making use of it.
The problem I had with the Porygon build was dealing with Claydol’s ability to get hands rebuilt so quickly. I had experimented with all sorts of different approaches, including running a heavy SP line, complete with Power Sprays, and Luxray in order to bring up Claydol and kill it. Unfortunate, I was also cluttering the deck with TMs in order to allow Porygon to hit for any worthwhile degree of damage. While it was working alright, it just seemed like too much work for a relatively fragile lock: A good topdeck could neuter an otherwise great board position.
Sablelock popped up around States last year, and won a good number of events, including U.S. Nationals, piloted by Con Le. With the release of Sableye after States, I tested the deck and was unimpressed by its performance. I simply did not like it compared to a more traditional LuxChomp. You had less options, but a higher ability to outright steal games early. I was always the kind of player to prefer options. The use of Judge, and Giratina without access to Claydol in the builds also left a sour taste in my mouth, as the Judge would often hinder me as much as it did them.
