The Trainers' Lounge: "Rainbow Road"- A Surprise Play for States!

Hello, fellow Pokemon players! My name is Evan Smith and today, I am going to talk about a deck called Rainbow Road (Shoutout to Ben G. for the deck idea!). NOTICE: I am going to do my Regionals report and my anniversary article together ON THE DATE MY BLOG WAS FIRST PUBLISHED! Thank you so much for your patience.

The Deck

Seems like the deck to beat...

The deck is a base build. I recommend that you test it and adjust it to your liking. This build also has many one-ofs for certain situations and/or for teching and to fuel Xerneas's Rainbow Force attack. Here is the build that I use:

Pokemon-14

3 Xerneas

2 ShayminEX

2 Dedenne

1 Regice

1 Hawlucha

1 Absol

1 Jirachi

1 Cresselia

1 Druddigon

1 Entei (Combat Blaze)

Trainers-34

3 Professor Sycamore

1 Professor Birch's Observations

1 Shauna

1 Judge

1 Ace Trainer

1 Lysandre

1 Brigette

1 Hex Maniac

1 Xerosic

1 Fisherman

1 Teammates

4 VS Seeker

3 Battle Compressor

3 Muscle Band

3 Switch

3 Ultra Ball

2 Level Ball

3 Sky Field

Energy-12

4 Fairy

4 Rainbow

4 Double Colorless

Card Explanations

This deck has, as I said earlier, many one-ofs. I am going to explain the card counts and how they contribute to the strategy.

2 Dedenne

Dedenne has 3 uses.It can be used on the bench for Xerneas's attack. It can be used fo its first attack, Entrainment, to get out 2 Pokemon on the bench for only one energy. Its final use is for its bottom attack. It can do good damage against a fully loaded Yveltal or YveltalEX.

1 Regice

I run Regice for stalling against -EX based decks. It can also be used for paralysis to stall against non-EX-based decks. It can also be good against HoundoomEX or CharizardEX with a Muscle Band.

1 Hawlucha

Hawlucha has two good uses. It can be used against an -EX-based deck for a guranteed 60 damage. It can also be used for the free retreat.

1 Cresselia

Cresselia is used for the free retreat also, but it has more HP.

1 Entei

Entei is used for its Combat Blaze attack. With a Sky Field in play and a Muscle Band, it can do some serious damage.

1 Professor Birch's Observations, 1 Shauna, 1 Judge, 1 Ace Trainer

I play one of each for different situations. I I need to shuffle in my hand and get 7 cards, then I VS Seeker for PBO. If I want to play it safe, I go for Shauna. If I'm behind on prizes, I pull a surprise Ace Trainer. If I have the same amount or more prizes than my opponent, and he/she has a huge hand, I play Judge. And all I need to get then is a Battle Compressor.

1 Brigette

I only run a single Brigette because I only need it early game, and for nothing else. Once I Battle Compressor and VS Seeker Brigette, I get out my 3 Basics, and I'm done with Brigette. I can't afford to have two turns without any draw support. 2 Brigette is optional, but I'm sticking with one since it isn't essential to the deck, and plus, I definitely want the room for some surprise supporters.

1 Fisherman

I run Fisherman over Super Rod because the energy goes directly to my hand. I may not be able to put Pokemon back in the deck, but getting energy straight back to your hand can make for much better plays.

3 Battle Compressor

Battle Compressor is run solely for getting one-of supporters in the discard pile. This also means I have to use my VS Seekers wisely.

The Strategy

One of the biggest powerhouses we have...

Now that I gave you the list and card explanations, it's time for the strategy of the deck!

First things first, you ideally want to go second with this deck. If you go second, try to get Dedenne and an energy in the active spot ASAP. You need Entrainment to get Xerneas and other Pokemon on the bench.

If you go first, that's a completely different story. Since the highest HP in the deck is 120, you want to get a Pokemon in the active position that you are willing to sacrifice. This also gives you the chance to use Teammates or Ace Trainer. You also want to get a energy on Xerneas.

Once Xerneas is powered up, use Xerosic to get rid of their special energy. Use Jirachi or Regice to stall, if needed.

Finally, keep using attackers or wall, until your opponent decks out, or you take all 6 prizes.

Do not let this deck fool you, it is a complicated deck to play, but is very fun.

Codes:

Flashfire: MJY-P4JT-U7Q-8RB

XY: P6R-FSVP-JM5-VUX

XY: XPR-YQS5-UPR-YK3

Primal Clash: WVG-UB69-4GU-SN4

All in all, Rainbow Road is a surprise play, fun, and complex. It also has a lot of room for versatility! Thanks for reading, and until next time, test on!