"Will Darkness Prevail?"- A look at Zoroark BREAK/YveltalEX/Regirock, a possible play for Winter Regionals!

     Hello fellow Pokemon players! My name is Evan Smith and today I am going to talk about a pretty viable pick for Winter Regionals! NOTICE: I apologize for no codes in this article or the last one, I promise you all that I will put 3 codes in the next Pokemon article.

The Meta

                                          There are so many decks I can't even count...

     I believe the meta for this years Regionals will be Yveltal/Darkrai, Blastoise/Keldeo, Night March, Vespiquen/Vileplume, Exeggutor/Vileplume, Regice/Vileplume, VirGen, Accelgor, Sableye, Giratina/Seismitoad, Seismitoad or Giratina/Garbodor, LandyBats, Latios/Bats, and Wobbats. There are probably many more decks that I didn't cover but I think if you can beat at least 60% of these decks you should do well.

     With these decks in mind try to make sure that you try to beat the most popular of the decks.

     I feel that Vespiquen/Vileplume will be heavily popular for Week 1 of Regionals. So this may call for Wobbats or another ability-lock deck. This also calls for a fast deck to get the ability lock. Even Latios/Bats might do well for a donk.

Yveltal

The evil bird will never die off...

     I would definitely play Yveltal since it is still considered a deck with 50/50 match-ups all around. If you want to play safe then thus is the deck for you. Here is the list:

Pokemon-17

3 Zorua (Moonless Madness)

1 Zoroark (Stand In)

1 Zoroark (Foul Play)

2 Zoroark BREAK

2 YveltalEX

2 ShayminEX

2 Regirock

1 DarkraiEX

1 Sableye (Junk Hunt)

1 Smeargle

1 Wobbuffet (Bide Barricade)

Trainers-33

2 Professor Sycamore

1 N

1 Colress

1 Lysandre

4 VS Seeker

4 Trainers' Mail

4 Acro Bike

3 Ultra Ball

3 Dark Patch

2 Battle Compressor

2 Muscle Band

1 Tool Scrapper

1 Super Rod

1 Computer Search

3 Sky Field

Energy-10

5 Darkness

2 Fighting

3 Double Colorless

     I attempted to tech this deck out for most match-ups. It runs pretty consistently and gets energy in the discard for Dark Patch. Here I will go into explanations for my card counts:

3 Zorua/1 Zoroark (Stand In)/1 Zoroark (Foul Play)/ 2 Zororark BREAK

     I chose to opt out of running KeldeoEX for a single Zoroark with Stand In, since I am already running Zoroark. I also wanted a regular Zoroark with Foul Play to get that attack out turn 2 if needed, but it costs a DCE. I chose to run 2 Zoroark BREAKs so I have essentially a KeldeoEX that costs one prize, has Mind Jack still, and Foul Play only costs one energy. The only downside; it takes a minimum of 3 turns to set up. If you want you can opt out of running the regular Zoroark with Foul Play and play 2 Zoroarks with Stand In.

2 YveltalEX

     I only run 2 YveltalEX due to the decks main attacker being Zoroark. I also find that I normally use only 1 YveltalEX most of the time. I also only run 3 DCE so 2 is plenty.

1 Wobbuffet (Bide Barricade)

     This is to give you a chance against Vesiquen/Vileplume. You (hopefully) go first, get Wobbuffet in the active (after you set up since it will be difficult to retreat it), and pass. You disrupt their set up by either; negating Vileplume for a while, force them to use Lysandre (while wasting a chance for Professor Sycamore, giving you a chance to use abilities again, and getting it out of the active for you) on it , or not letting them use ShayminEXs and JirachiEXs.

2 Professor Sycamore/1 N/1 Colress/4 VS Seeker/4 Acro Bike/4 Trainers' Mail/3 Ultra Ball/2 Battle Compressor/1 Computer Search

     Please do not quote my previous article about the Professor Sycamore counts, I didn't have the space and had to cut it. I chose to rely on items more instead of supporters, which does make this deck vulnerable to item-lock decks. The pros of this is that it results in a much faster deck. I would rather go fast than go slow.

3 Double Colorless

     I run 3 DCE because I feel a 4th one would be unnecessary. I understand that it could be used for Regirock, but if your attacking with Regirock you're most likely not using YveltalEX. I also am not comfortable with running only 4 Darkness energy.

     Thanks for reading, and until next time, test on!

   

"Basic Deck Building"- A Guide to Basic Deck Building!

     Hello fellow Pokemon players! My name is Evan Smith and today I am going to give a deck building guide for newer players or for players in general!

How to Start the Deck

     If you are an experienced player then skip this part. There are a few things you need to know before starting on a deck. You need to know that:

- There are 60 cards in a deck.

- You need at least one basic Pokemon.

     Make sure you know what kind of deck you want. Here are a few questions to get you started:

- How do you want your deck to perform?

- What Pokemon types do you want?

- What is going to counter your deck?

- How do you counter against that deck?



Deck Building Tips

     I have a few things that I put in my deck BEFORE I even start building my deck. These things are standard for me to put in my deck no matter what,these are called staples, to make sure that I have a consistent core in my deck. Here is the core of any of my decks:

- 3-4 Professor Sycamore. The bare minimum of Professor Sycamore is 3. This is the best draw supporter in the game and it would be wrong to have less than 3 in the deck.

- 3-4 Professor Birch's Observations/ Shauna/ Judge. This deck needs other draw supporters too. Use PBO / Shauna/ Judge at your own choice. They are all different supporters and should be used in different decks.

- 1-2 Lysandre. Lysandre is necessary in any deck. Its effect is too good to pass up, and it is a card that can win you the game.

- 2-4 Tech supporters. You need more supporters than the core. Make space for these and after you build your deck, fill in the spaces. Some good cards that I use are Hex Maniac, AZ, Korrina, Skyla, Brigette, Teammates, and Ace Trainer.

-4 VS Seeker. This is a major staple. You need VS Seeker to get your supporters back. This card pairs well with Battle Compressor.

- 4 Ultra Ball/ Level Ball. You need a maximum search for Pokemon. If your deck has Pokemon that have 90 HP or less, use Level Ball, if not use Ultra Ball.

     That is my core, no matter what. I highly recommend using this as your core before building your deck.

     So first, don't do the 20-20-20 method. It doesn't normally work. Plus, some decks use no energy, (Yeti, Wailord, to name a few.) and rely solely on trainers.

     Next, put in the Pokemon you need. I would recommend including at least 2 ShayminEXs for more draw power. I also recommend making at least 8 spaces for energy for your deck, and out in the energy after you make everything else.

     Finally, if you have some time to test your deck, and you have two cards you want to out in, but only one space left, put both cards in and test with a 61 card deck. Keep track of how many times you use one of those two cards, and after 10-20 testing rounds, put in the card that you used the most.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, test on!

"Double Sudden Death"- A 1st Place Cities Report!

     Hello fellow Pokemon players! My name is Evan Smith and today I am going to give you my 1st place VA Beach cities report!

The Deck
                                                 
                                  Wait? What? Why did you play Mienshao of all the decks?

     Very late at night, I wasn't satisfied with my Lucario/Bats deck, so I made my very own Mienshao/Hawlucha/Hammers deck from scratch. Here is my card-for-card list that I played:

Pokemon-11

4 Mienfoo

4 Mienshao

3 Hawlucha

Trainers-41

3 Professor Sycamore

3 Professor Birch's Observations

3 Korrina

1 Lysandre

4 VS Seeker

4 Robo Substitute

4 Level Ball

4 Crushing Hammer

4 Enhanced Hammer

4 Focus Sash

2 Eco Arm

1 Professor's Letter

1 Super Rod

3 Fighting Stadium

Energy-8

4 Fighting

4 Strong

     The list may seem very inconsistent, but it works while playing it. This deck typically is on the defensive side of the game, and you usually win by deck out, since you normally don't take 6 prizes with this build. I am going to go over many unusual card counts and explain them:

4 Mienfoo/4 Mienshao/3Hawlucha/0 Other Pokemon

     I chose to stick with, what I thought was, the bare minimum. I didn't use a one-of ShayminEX due to a 1/8 chance of starting with only that in my opening hand, and I would've had to make room for Ultra Ball. I didn't run an Eeveelution line due to space being very tight. The best part about the Pokemon line-up was that my opponent would have to knock out 6 of the 7 Pokemon out (which all attack) and deal with the 4 Robo Substitutes.

3 Professor Sycamore/3 Professor Birch's Observations/3 Korrina/1 Lysandre/0 Tech Supporters/4 VS Seeker

     I played only 3 of each main supporter and one Lysandre to make sure that I can max-out my Hammer counts. I also have 4 VS Seekers to retrieve them. Best of all you have a 70.72% chance of getting a Professor Sycamore, Professor Birch's Observations, or a Korrina in your first turn (as long as your opponent didn't use Judge).

4 Level Ball/0 Ultra Ball

     I opted to not play any Ultra Balls because I want to conserve resources, and all the Pokemon in my deck have 90 HP or less. I also have 3 Korrina to get out any Pokemon, since they are all Fighting, and get a Focus Sash or a Hammer.

4 Crushing Hammer/4 Enhanced Hammer

     I wanted to make sure that my opponent couldn't attack me easily, and to conserve my Focus Sashs. This also helped stall the game if I didn't have any Supporter cards. I honestly would've liked to have at least 2 Head Ringers to stall even more.

4 Focus Sash/0 Muscle band/2 Eco Arm

     I opted to play 4 Focus Sash to ensure I had the lock. I played no Muscle Band because I already opted to go defensive, so why should I try to go offensive too? The 2 Eco Arms was because those were all that I managed to get right before the tournament.

The Report

                                         
                                           This is what Supporters do, they betray you.

Round 1 ??? w/ Nigh March/Bronzong

     I started off dead drawing for the first few turns. While I was dead drawing I got rid of my opponents energy, stalled, and he was close to decking out. So when I used Professor Sycamore and set up, he had barely any cards and energy left so he scooped.

1-0-0

Round 2 ??? w/ Night March

     Kind of like the first game. I dead drew the first few turns. She wasn't close to decking out. I set up. The game was in my favor the whole time, it was the only game (that isn't sudden death) that I got all 6 prizes, and she had 0 cards left in her deck. Thank goodness I took the KO first and not win by another deck out.

2-0-0

Round 3 ??? w/ Metal/Ray

     I dead drew the whole game, he set up quickly. I lost this game very quickly.

2-1-0

Round 4 (Final Round before T4) ??? w/ Lucario/Bats

     I used a supporter almost every turn. He played too aggressively, which caused him to deck out, I used Hammers at the right times, and he didn't get many KOs. This game went perfectly.

3-1-0 (2nd seed)

Top 4 ??? w/ Mega ManectricEX/Raikou   

      Game 1: I didn't dead draw the whole game. I got a nice set up with a Focus Sash on each Mienfoo in play, he had to go through 4 Robo Substitutes, and I got rid of his Flash Energies with Enhanced Hammers. Win.

     Game 2: This game was like the first game, just a little more intense, okay I lied, it was WAY MORE INTENSE than the first game. I didn't dead draw, but my Mienfoos were KOed, and I only had one Pokemon left, Mienshao. I used Aero Turn on his Mega ManectricEX and I had no prizes, and Pokemon, left. What was even worse was that I had a Mienfoo in my hand so I could've won that game. Since me and my opponent had 1 win condition each, we had to do a sudden death. Time was called and I lost the sudden death by dead draw, and he won on the third turn. (And my deck isn't meant for fast starts!). An easy win turned into a catastrophy. Loss.

     Game 3: Since time has been called, and we each had on win each (Game 2 counted because someone (me) had taken at least 4 prizes.), we had to do a Sudden Death again. The judge was surprised for there to be two Sudden Death games in a row. My opponent dead drew while I had all the resources (and Hammers to remove the Flash Energy.) to win the game. Win.

Top 2 ??? w/ Night March

     Game 1: This game went quickly, I accidentally used Aero Turn instead of High Jump Kick and lost, Mienshao was my only Pokemon out. Loss.

     Game 2: My opponent conceded after being close to decking out, and I had a full set up. Win.

     Game 3: My opponent conceded after being dangerously close to decking out and there wouldn't be enough turns before decking out to get 4 prizes. I didn't even set up. Win.

                                                                          

My picture after winning.

Out of 18 Breakthrough booster packs, not bad. Also pulled Zoroark (Stand In), Magnezone, Raikou, Assault Vest, and more good cards!

     Shout out to Anthony because today is his birthday! 

     To celebrate Anthony's birthday and me getting first place, I am giving away half of my PTCGO Breakthrough Booster Pack Codes (9 of them):

88T-UY3C-VHE-6SS

C4S-EUNE-HJQ-BT8

FK9-5FVW-KFX-W7A

F9P-NSAM-TGF-EBQ

JTA-3VLH-SH5-RDV

MCN-94WR-9V7-FWA

GPC-QUNY-5YS-FXY

GT8-AWNT-KMN-DUM

KGR-ALS8-QKB-RE3

     Thanks for reading, and until next time, test on!