Pokemon Article:
The New Metagame & Format Shifts
By: Celebi23 (from PokéBeach)
Next Destinies changed our format a lot. It made decks much faster, more aggressive, more powerful, more consistent, and more basic-based. The EX cards have modified the way the game is played so much that the HS-NV format is hardly comparable to HS-ND. This article analyzes these shifts and their impact on the game.
New Factors
The biggest change the new set brings is the EX cards. Each and every one of these cards is very playable. They bring a risk-reward factor to the table that hasn’t existed in the game to the same extent since the last time ex cards were in the format. Basically, once you play an EX, it becomes the “prime target” on your field. If your opponent is capable of knocking it out in one hit, they will because they get multiple prizes for doing so. Therefore, if your opponent has a card like Magnezone in play, it’s often best to avoid dropping EX’s if it can be avoided.
This risk exists with the entire group of EX cards due to Weakness. For example, Zekrom-EX is OHKO’d by Terrakion. However, the risk is especially great with Mewtwo-EX because it can be Knocked Out easily by an opposing Mewtwo with relative ease. The player who attacks with Mewtwo first almost always loses because the first prize you take with it is irrelevant if they can take two back right away. The ability to capitalize on your opponent being more aggressive than you is so huge that Mewtwo has found its way into almost every deck in the metagame.
Mewtwo also brings a lot of other benefits to decks. It’s a great revenge killer against very popular cards such as Zekrom and Reshiram-EX. Cards that aren’t good at avoiding the Mewtwo revenge kill will probably see less play, just because of Mewtwo’s popularity. Therefore, the format has become much more based around low-cost attacks and attacks that allow a player to remove energy attached to their attacker after doing damage. The latter requires a lot of energy acceleration, which appears to be all but a requirement for decks in the format. Mewtwo is very reliant on DCE, so pretty much everything is running that form of acceleration. On top of that, however, most decks are running additional acceleration.
We get a new form of energy acceleration with Next Destinies that probably deserves mention. Celebi Prime became very playable with the release of Skyarrow Bridge, and it’s currently my favorite form of acceleration in the format. It’s very fast, and allows the user to attack on the first or second turn very easily. After each attacker goes does, it’s incredibly easy to just promote Celebi again and charge another attacker with it. On the rare occasion the user finds himself needing additional acceleration when the opponent didn’t kill something last turn, it’s very easy to drop a Switch to accelerate further. Celebi is also a very secure form of acceleration because it’s a Basic. It takes next to no setup, and if a Celebi is Knocked Out, it’s unfairly easy to set up a new one.
The other huge perk of Celebi is that it’s very easy to tech. Almost every viable attacker in the format partly or entirely uses a Colorless attack cost. Therefore, as little as two Celebi and six Grass Energy can be run in decks like Corners to give them an additional boost, rocketing them to Tier 1. The addition of Celebi makes it almost stupid not to use energy acceleration in your deck (unless you’re using Trainer lock). The only other decks that didn’t use energy acceleration in the past were the “toolbox” decks, which Celebi fits perfectly into.
The obvious downfall it has is its fragility. With only 60HP, it’s very easy for an opponent to OHKO it. Fortunately for Celebi, most attackers he charges up (especially EX’s) become more important targets for your opponent. Furthermore, many of the attackers Celebi is capable of charging are weak. They can take cheap KOs early-game, but tend to fizzle late-game. Unfortunately for Celebi, Grass is very lacking in good attackers at the moment. There’s Shaymin-EX and Virizion, and that’s about it. This leaves a gaping hole in Celebi’s mid-game, and forces it to either resort to attackers that use Colorless attacks or take the route of Prism Energy + type advantage. Even so, Celebi is an amazing form of acceleration. It just landed in the wrong cardpool.
While on the topic of Skyarrow Bridge’s affects on the format, it’s important to mention Smeargle as well. This card saw a decent amount of play when Unown Q was in the format. Now that there’s another way to retreat it for free, it deserves a second look. It’s great for allowing more complex setup decks to achieve a full setup in a reasonable time frame. However, it’s very reliant on the opponent allowing Smeargle to be used to its full potential. Often, this doesn’t happen and they will leave themselves with a lone Juniper in their hand, or no Supporter at all if they can. Furthermore, most decks with Skyarrow run Celebi, which takes priority over Smeargle for the active position 90% of the time. Regardless, Smeargle provides a much-needed setup option and certainly has the potential to open up a couple new deck possibilites. Emboar decks in particular seem to be able to make very good use of him.
The set also brings more very welcome consistency cards in the form of Level Ball and Heavy Ball. These two cards put a specific group of cards in the format at a huge advantage. Ultimately, I’m not sure if this is good for the game. However, I’m very happy to see any kind of additional consistency. These cards make Eelektrik decks, Emboar decks, etc. much more playable. However, they do nothing to help Typhlosion, Vileplume, Yanmega, etc. which puts these cards at an unfair disadvantage. Heavy Ball will probably see very limited play, if any, but Level Ball has proven itself to warrant a spot in many decks, especially Eelektrik-based ones. The format has certainly become somewhat geared around cards that can abuse this engine. Hopefully the release of Ultra Ball will balance things out a little.
Going back to the EX cards for a little, we notice that the “magic number” 130HP becomes much less important because of these cards. The math in this format takes a little while to get down, which means it’s a very good format. Mewtwo, Shaymin, and Regigigas don’t have set damage amounts for their better attacks. Given how playable all three of these cards are, it’s very possible the concept of any magic number could be almost eliminated with this set. Furthermore, manipulating these attacks to have favorable outcomes takes a good amount of skill from both ends of the field and creates some very dynamic games.
Kyurem is practically unplayable, which just leaves us with Reshiram and Zekrom. These cards set the “magic number” HP at 160. However, the only playable cards in the current format that meet this damage amount are the EX’s. Hence, these attacks will be OHKOing everything except other EX cards. This doesn’t make for a very restricting magic number, although it does increase the importance of having EX’s in almost every deck.
The card makers' choice to print only Basic EX cards, the fact that these cards are as good as most evolutions, and the release of Skyarrow Bridge and Prism Energy has made the format much more focused on Basics. Ultimately, this isn't terrible for the game in my opinion. It makes evolutions much less playable and they play less of a role in decks, which is sad to see. However, mostly- or all-Basic decks are very consistent and have plenty of space for techs, which are things the game was lacking before it became so based around Basics. Most of the EX's are also just better designed cards than many of the dominant cards in the game before now.
Lastly, I want to bring up a concept that has gone un-noticed by the majority of competitive players: “Mewtwo rush”. If a fast Mewtwo takes two prizes before it’s Knocked Out by an opposing Mewtwo, it puts you at a huge advantage if you can revenge kill the Mewtwo they use to revenge kill you every turn. Because attacking with Mewtwo early promotes a “Mewtwo war”, if you go up two prizes before the war starts, it’s almost a guaranteed win. This is a high risk, high reward strategy. Therefore, a deck shouldn’t be based around it, but I definitely feel it’s good enough to justify running three Mewtwo in a lot of decks. Being able to play very aggressively very quickly is something every deck wants to be able to do, given how aggressive most decks in the format are.
The Metagame
Now that I've explained how Next Destinies affects the metagame as a whole, the burning question is, "what decks will be good?" I'll just list all of the old metagame decks and how they'll fare in the new format, then discuss some of the new decks to emerge as well.
ZPST
ZPST has terrible recovery. Losing a Zekrom means losing three energy, effectively making a valuable Self-Generation useless. Furthermore, the Pachi-Shaymin engine is simply too unreliable to sustain any of the EX cards it's compatible with. It can't load energy on Mewtwo, it can't support a consistent Strong Volt, and it even has trouble charging Regigigas. Celebi's new role in the format has also created donk decks that are much more effective, sturdy, and reliable than ZPST could ever hope to be. The deck is simply outdated.
Tier 1 > Tier 2
Reshiram/Typhlosion
This deck got pushed aside after Noble Victories was released. It didn't have good matchups and ultimately felt like an inferior version of EelZone. With the release of the EX's, this deck gets something rather unique. It's absolutely amazing at attacking consistently once it's setup. After setup, it's capable of 2HKOing any EX, even it it has Eviolite on it. This allows it to maintain an even prize exchange against the EX-heavy decks at worst. Furthermore, the fact that Reshiram discards energy when it attacks makes it exceptionally good against Mewtwo, the most played EX. The deck can make fairly good use of Mewtwo-EX and Reshiram-EX, and even Shaymin-EX, so it gets a good number of benefits from the new set. However, it's not that hard to OHKO a Typhlosion anymore. This makes it harder for the deck to have a strong setup the whole game. Regardless, it's proven itself capable of running with the new decks quite easily.
Tier 2 > Tier 1.5
Electrode/Attackers
CaKE, LaKE, or whatever you want to call it was a very popular archetype in HS-NV. It was fast, consistent, and had techs for almost every deck. The deck was originally designed for a format with Mewtwo in it, since Cobalion is so good against it. Furthermore, the release of Prism Energy is a huge help to it. Therefore, on the surface, it should remain a Tier 1 deck. The importance of EX attackers, however, weakens Electrode a lot. When you have a lot of two-prize liabilities in your deck, it just feels terrible handing your opponent prizes, even if it's for powerful and versatile energy acceleration. This deck has certainly been cast aside in favor of more reliable forms of acceleration. However, I'm not 100% certain it's dead. I haven't tested it enough to make any huge claims, but I'll summarize by:
Tier 1.5 > Tier 1.5
Vileplume/Reuniclus/Attackers
This concept has been the symbol of a tank/setup deck ever since it was "discovered." However, with heavy-hitting EX cards, it loses a lot of its tanking abilities. Zekrom-EX is such a huge part of the metagame, and it can OHKO anything playable that isn't an EX. This restricts the deck to using EX attackers, plus maybe Terrakion or Cobalion. All of these EX's, however, can be OHKO'd for two prizes by Mewtwo if it has enough energy acceleration behind it. When the opponent usually takes at least two prizes against Truth before it's setup, it's very hard for it to tank long enough to take six prizes, especially against a smart opponent. Even if they take five, Shaymin-EX is capable of sweeping anything on their board. The consistency and time limit issues it had before now still exist.
Tier 1.5 > Tier 2
Vileplume/Mew/Yanmega/Sunflora/Attackers
This deck basically fell off the radar last format. However, it gets a lot of help with the new set. It gets Shaymin-EX, which is a great attacker in the deck and works very well with Sunflora. The popularity of Mewtwo-EX is great for a deck with a non-EX Basic that can OHKO it for one energy. Many people argue that if the opponent sees you're using Mewbox, they simply won't drop Mewtwo. This is true, but you have to remember that Mewbox is based around limiting the opponent's options. Taking away one of their opponent's most powerful and versatile attackers puts the Mewbox player at a huge advantage, even if Mewtwo never hits the field. I do believe the deck is good enough to take on a Tornadus or Zekrom swarm, especially with techs such as Terrakion. The results of the ECC and various small tournaments confirm Mewbox's playability.
Tier 2 > Tier 1-1.5
Durant
Durant's Psychic Resistance gives him a huge advantage over Mewtwo decks. However, decks have a lot more options to prepare for Durant now. CTM doesn't struggle much against it; if it gets the T1 Tornadus, it almost always donks, and even if it doesn't, Skyarrow can prevent Catcher stalling. Furthermore, Tornadus can OHKO Durant early-game, while Regigigas can clean up late-game if necessary. Eel decks don't struggle against Durant as much as they used to, since Mewtwo is actually capable of sweeping Durants late-game. Tynamo's Thundershock is great for early-game stalling, and Zekrom is still a good mid-game attacker against the deck. In short, decks are more prepared for Durant, but that doesn't make it a bad deck.
Tier 1 > Tier 1.5
Chandelure
Chandelure is still fairly hyped going into this format. People claim that it's viable because it's fairly good against Mewtwo-EX. However, I am unconvinced. In such an aggressive format, the deck has trouble setting up in a decent time frame. Without a card like Reuniclus to deny prizes, it usually can't come back. It's further weakened by how much easier it is to hit for 130 damage in one turn now. Once again, Zekrom-EX is amazing in this matchup.
Tier 1 > Tier 2
EelZone
This deck was argued to be the BDIF of last format, and it doesn't lose any power with Next Destinies. It gains Zekrom-EX, Mewtwo-EX, and some lists have even opted to include Level Ball. With the popularity of EX's, Magnezone's Lost Burn becomes even more powerful and cost-efficient. The deck often struggles to setup in a format as aggressive as this one, but N is even more amazing in the deck now.
Tier 1 > Tier 1
The set also brings us three "big" new decks. Let's talk about those now.
Celebi/Mewtwo-EX/Shaymin-EX/Attakers
This deck is tier one in most players' eyes. It's basically a newer, better ZPST. It's the fastest deck in the format, and has some serious late-game power with Shaymin-EX. There's really a gaping hole in the deck's mid-game, however, since it lacks a powerful attacker that isn't a huge liability. Some lists have tried to use type advantage to deal with this, but sacrifice speed and consistency in doing so. I'll provide a skeleton list for it. A full list would probably be more beneficial, but I have to save something for my next article.
Pokémon (8):
3 Celebi Prime
2 Mewtwo EX
2 Tornadus
1 Shaymin EX
Trainers (26):
3 Dual Ball
4 Professor Oak's New Theory
4 Professor Juniper
1 N
2 Pokegear 3.0
4 Junk Arm
3 Pokémon Catcher
2 Switch
3 Skyarrow Bridge
Energies (12):
4 Double Colorless (Special)
8 Grass (Basic)
Total: 46 Cards (14 Space Left)
When we're used to looking at 55-card skeleton lists, having a fourth of the deck be flexible is very refreshing, and is one of the reasons I like this deck so much. Of course, inclusions such as more attackers (more Tornadus, Virizion, Terrakion, Regigigas-EX, Cobalion, etc), more draw supporters/energy, and a 4th Celebi are highly advised. Still, there's a lot of flexibility when it comes to attackers and techs. This also makes it very hard to tech against. This is definitely a tier one deck, and those who are under-estimating it are in for a surprise come States.
Eelektrik/Zekrom-EX/Mewtwo-EX/Attackers
This deck is also very fast and aggressive, but exchanges the potential for a T1 Setup for added stability late-game. All in all, a strong argument can be made that this is the BDIF, even though it struggles a little against Magnezone/Eelektrik. Here's a skeleton:
Pokémon (12):
3 Eelektrik
4 Tynamo
2 Zekrom-EX
2 Mewtwo-EX
1 Zekrom
Trainers (26):
4 Pokémon Collector
4 Professor Oak's New Theory
3 Sage's Training
3 Professor Juniper
4 Junk Arm
3 Pokémon Catcher
2 Switch
2 Level Ball
1 Pokémon Communication
Energies (14):
4 Double Colorless (Special)
10 Lightning (Basic)
Total: 52 Cards (8 Space Left)
Once again, adding more attackers and more draw supporters is highly advised. In the end, this deck is incredibly powerful in all stages of the same - beginning, middle, and end - and is undeniably tier one. I haven't heard anybody call it a bad deck.
Reshiram-EX/Emboar/Victini
This deck has been generating a good amount of hype, but I don't believe it deserves it. Setting up Emboar is a lot more work than setting up Eelektrik, and ultimately the deck lacks the good across-the-board matchups other decks have. Victini is just a free prize on the bench, and Emboar often is too. It's a lot harder to set up multiple Emboar than to set up multiple Eelektrik. Furthermore, the drawback of Reshiram-EX's attack is arguably much worse than Zekrom-EX's in a format dominated by Mewtwo-EX. Discarding energy can actually turn into a good thing, whereas self-damage certainly can't. Because I don't believe this deck is very playable, I won't provide a skeleton list.
Mini Set Analysis
A lot of the cards in the new set got hype right away. Very few people questioned the playability of the EX cards, Prism Energy, and Skyarrow Bridge. However, there's still an entire set of cards to look through. Most of the cards, such as Pinsir, can be cast aside as unplayable. However, there are a few cards players are unsure about. They have some great perks, but at the same time, they have problems. I review these cards below, and give my opinion on their playability. Most of them won't find their way into tier one decks, but they are certainly cards to be aware of.
Amoonguss (ND09)
Amoonguss offers a nice surprise with its Ability, allowing you to Confuse and Poison the opponent’s Active Pokémon without attacking. The obvious partner for it is Leafeon because it can take full advantage of the inflicted Special Conditions. However, the deck has many downfalls. Leafeon, your main attacker, has a pathetic 90HP and has a rather weak average damage amount. Furthermore, you need to Sporprise six times in a game assuming you take a Knock Out with each Sporprise. This is almost impossible, even with Super Scoop Up and Seeker.
However, that does not make Amoonguss a bad card. It does have potential uses in some Trainer Lock decks, since your opponent can’t use Switch to remove the Special Conditions. A very similar card to Amoonguss - Roserade - was used in the “Bearhug” deck. Being able to Confuse the opponent and have a virtual PlusPower while under Trainer lock can be game-breaking at times. This doesn’t make it a staple in these types of decks, but it’s certainly an option to consider.
Chandelure (ND20)
Chandelure from Noble Victories had a great run over the course of Cities, proving itself to be one of the top decks. This was partly due to its great pre-evolution lines – with Lampent’s Luring Light and Litwick’s Call for Family, there was a lot of built in support for Chandelure. Therefore, it’s important to take a look at the new Chandelure since he shares an evolution line with the NV Chandelure.
Chandelure actually might end up having an awkward place in the meta. If CTM and ZekEel end up being the top decks, Chandelure is a great soft counter to them. With its first attack, it can OHKO an active Celebi and do 30 damage to a benched Tornadus, setting up an Inferno KO the next turn. Obviously Eviolite messes with this a little, but the concept has proven to be effective regardless. Similarly, against ZekEel, you can set up easy Tynamo KOs for Jirachi, removing all of their support. Without energy acceleration, that deck just falls apart. A similar strategy can be used against most other evolution decks, and fairly effectively.
However, past the Chandelure ND/Jirachi core, I've had trouble figuring out where to go with the deck. Getting the turn two Chandelure attacking is really important, so tech space in the deck is limited even though it's only running one main line. Ninetales has proven itself to be very important for setup. Past that, I've tried including Chandelure NV, Max Potion, Emboar and Reshiram-EX, even Slugma. The deck really has a lot of cards it can run, even though it doesn't have space for most of them. Running both Chandelures has proven to be effective, and I would want at least one NV one in my list. Emboar never did much for the deck, even though it was possible to set it up fairly consistently. I really haven't tested the deck enough to know what direction to take with it. However, don't be surprised if somebody places well in States with some ingenious combination involving Chandelure.
Zapdos (ND41)
Zapdos is interesting for its Weakness and Resistance more than for its attacks. Decks like Eelektrik/Magnezone and Eelektrik/Zekrom has to use Tornadus is they wanted to shore up their universal Fighting Weakness. However, Tornadus was inferior to Thundurus in any other situation, making it annoying and clunky in the deck.
Zapdos still carries Tornadus’s great Resistance, making it powerful against Fighting types. However, it also comes with 10 more HP and sniping capabilities. This lets you remove any of your opponent’s Benched Tynamo, Oddish, Solosis, Yanma, etc without having to waste a Pokémon Catcher.
The issue with using him to replace Tornadus to deal with Fighting types is that the damage he does is unreliable. Some Fighting types such as Donphan Prime also resist the Lightning type, making the damage output even more unreliable. He also has a bulkier Retreat Cost and can’t control the energy on the field as well as Tornadus. However, his usefulness in other matchups combined with a higher damage cap make him a very viable Tornadus replacement in some decks.
Zekbstrika (ND48)
Zekbstrika is a spiritual reprint of Manectric ex, which was very playable in its time. Zebstrika offers an incredibly reliable second turn Item lock, but requires you to attack for a measly 40 damage each turn to keep the lock up. Still, locking your opponent out of Catchers early game creates a “safe haven” for you to set up a strong bench. He also has a noteworthy second attack, which is useful for picking off benched Celebi Prime, Pachirisu, or other basics without having to burn Catchers.
The obvious partner for him is Eelektrik, because it allows you to run more energy-heavy Lightning types and use Zebstrika’s second attack more consistently. The deck ends up being very similar to ZekEel. However, the Zebstrika version just doesn’t “feel” as good to me. It requires more setup than the normal ZekEel, but it gives you a couple more options in return. In testing, these extra options didn’t seem to improve my chances of winning. However, the slight loss of speed/consistency didn’t decrease my chances of winning. Still, I tend to favor normal ZekEel. Consistency and speed usually take priority over one or two more options. However, this is certainly a card to keep in mind when building an Eelektrik-based deck.
Gardevoir (ND57)
Gardevoir gives Psychic a somewhat more reliable form of energy "acceleration" than Jirachi did. It's been getting some hype with Mewtwo-EX and various techs. The techs often include Gothitelle or Electrode. I really haven't tested this card as much as I should have, so I can't say much about it. There's just so many cards you can run it with that finding a "perfect" list would be very time-consuming. Ultimately, I believe that no matter how the deck is build, it won't ever reach Tier 1. It may come close and win some events, but ultimately the deck feels restricted. Even with Gardevoir, you're stuck at one attachment per turn.
Musharna (ND59)
Musharna brings a weaker form of Uxie LV. X’s Trade Off Poke-Power to the table. It’s important to note that Uxie LV. X only got play because Uxie was already such a good card. Musharna also lacks Uxie LV. X’s Zen Blade, and has a much higher Retreat Cost. However, these cards are hardly comparable anymore because they existed in different formats. Uxie LV. X existed in a format with Uxie, Unown R, Pokedex Handy, Cyrus’s Conspiracy, and many other search/draw cards. Musharna exists in a format where we have next to no search power (although this gets somewhat better with Heavy Ball and Level Ball.) Therefore, it deserves a very close look.
Honestly, Musharna has a place as a 1-1 line in some decks. The ability to draw extra cards without having to find draw Supporters can be game breaking. It also has some other little uses. For example, it can be combined with Juniper to look at the top nine cards of your deck. If there’s one card in particular you’re looking for, chances are you’ll find it after doing this.
Musharna certainly belongs in decks using Yanmega, although it’s been much popular lately. It’s also very good in any Stage 1 deck. Trainer lock decks tend to very tight on bench space, but those that can afford to bench a Munna should also look into this card.
Beheeyem (ND62)
Beheeyem’s first attack is very interesting in a format that uses Supporter-based setup. It allows you to have some control over your opponent’s hand, which can easily be game-breaking. Using it in combination with Slowking and Weavile makes for a very good deck. It’s sort of a better Slowking/Sharpedo deck because it’s more consistent and doesn’t rely on flips.
When I was testing with the card, I rarely used it. However, I still love it in the Slowking/Weavile deck because of its basic Elgyem. First Contact allows for an incredibly reliable turn two setup. Having Beyheem in the deck as well gives you yet another option for achieving a complete turn two lock.
I chose to build on version of my list entirely around the turn two lock, since that’s often the deciding factor in games with the deck. Cutting off their options before they evolve is so devastating they very rarely recover. A simple version of my list is below. It will look very strange to many players, but again, this is because it goes for a turn two setup and nothing else. This is not necessarily the best way to play the deck, but it’s certainly one of the better ways.
The deck is weak to two things. Firstly, it struggles if the opponent gets a Magnezone out before you get the lock. When they can just Magnetic Draw into a new hand, Beheeyem, Slowking, and Weavile do very little. This can be dealt with by running a Jirachi, but if they evolve through Magneton, you might as well scoop. The other option is to run Catchers and a Magby to shut off Magnetic Draw by inflicting them with Burn. This strategy requires much more space than running a Jirachi, and if they get multiple Magnezones out, you might as well scoop. Secondly, it is weak to decks that get a turn one setup, because they can either kill Slowpoke or just get enough of a setup to take six prizes before you lock them and get rid of their attacker(s). Even with these weaknesses, the deck is very viable.
Pokémon (20):
2 Beheeyem
4 Elgyem
2 Slowking
2 Slowpoke
3 Weavile
4 Sneasel
2 Mewtwo-EX
1 Mime Jr.
Trainers (30):
4 Pokémon Collector
4 Professor Juniper
4 Professor Oak’s New Theory
4 Sage’s Training
4 Pokémon Communication
4 Switch
4 Level Ball
2 Dual Ball
Energies (10):
10x Psychic (Basic)
Total: 60 Cards
Once again, I stress that this is a very basic list and it should be modified before going into a tournament with it.
Tournaments
The European Challenge Cup is a very large tournament that was recently played in an HS-ND format. The top eight looked like:
1) Stian Nilsson (Thundurus/Zekrom EX/Terrakion/Mewtwo/Eelektrik) vs. 25) Jouni Lehtinen (Zekrom/Mewtwo/Eelektrik)
2) Tom Hall (Zekrom/Eelektrik) vs. 23) Benjamin Behrens (Thundurus/Zekrom EX/Terrakion/Mewtwo/Eelektrik)
11) Pablo Meza (Zekrom/Mewtwo/Eelektrik) vs. 30) Tord Reklev (Magnezone/Mewtwo/Eelektrik)
12) David Booij (Celebi/Mewtwo/Tornadus) vs. 20) Mees Brenninkmeijer (Mew/Chandelure/Crobat/Jumpluff/Yanmega/Terrakion)
Source: www.thetopcut.net
Ultimately, David Booij won with a very simple and consistent list of CTM. The list can be found by clicking on the source link and scrolling down a little. These results clearly prove CTM and Eeleltrik decks to be on top. However, these are somewhat arbitrary results of only one tournament, so they shouldn't replace actual testing. Still, they provide a fairly good idea of what the format has shaped up to be.
I also played in a local league tournament a week or two ago, so I'll describe those matches as well. I made the mistake of waiting a day before I wrote this, so details are a little hazy and some descriptions are vague. Still, it should offer a basic idea of what games are like in this format. I went with CTM, although I would have used Eels if I had the cards for it.
Round 1 vs Grant M with Durant
I go first and get the Hurricane on his lone Durant. We play again for fun and I win, despite having to play a Juniper to get energy. Super Rod is incredibly helpful in this matchup.
Round 2 vs ??? with Magnezone/Eelektrik/Basic Attackers
I get a really fast start to his slower start. I use Virizion to remove all his Mangemites and Tynamos from play. I've taken four prizes before he finally gets out an Eelektrik and Zekrom to OHKO my Virizion, but by then it's too late for him to do anything. I use Mewtwo-EX to kill his Zekrom and take the last prize with Catcher.
Round 3 vs ??? (can't believe I forgot this one) with Eelektrik/Basic Attackers
This game goes much like Round 2, where I get off to a very fast start. I kill most of his Tynamos before they do much to me, and he just can't keep up. Once all of his Eelektriks are gone, there's not much he can do.
Round 4 vs Michael C with Magnezone/Eelektrik/Basic Attackers
I don't start as good this time, and he gets a setup. We prize exchange fairly evenly, but my deck starts to fizzle late-game. We get down to my two prizes to his one, and my only hope of winning is to kill his Magnezone with Mewtwo and hope he doesn't draw a Catcher to take a cheap prize off the bench. Ultimately, I whiff the Catcher to kill Magnezone in the first place and scoop.
Round 5 vs David N with Reshiram-EX/Emboar/Victini
I really don't get this deck. It just seems so inferior to ZekEels. Anyway, I go first and get turn one Virizion to do 40 to his Victini. He makes the mistake of only Collectoring for one Tepig, so I Catcher it up and kill it. That sets him very far behind me, and all he can do is build a Reshiram-EX manually. He does, and flips heads with Victory Star to kill my Virizion with Weakness. I promote Regigigas and hit him for 60. He damages me just enough to put himself in OHKO range of the second attack, so I KO him. Now, I have two prizes left and he has another Reshiram-EX out. He promotes it, finally gets out an Emboar, and uses Reshiram-EX to finish off my Regigigas. I promote Mewtwo and hit his Reshiram-EX for 100 damage with a DCE. He manages to get out a Mewtwo, but doesn't realize he needs to attach three energy to KO me. He has the third, but only attaches two and hits me for 160. I attach another energy and use X-Ball for the win. Even if he had attached a third energy, I had Shaymin-EX plus regular Shaymin in my hand for the win.
Top four looks like:
1. Michael C with Magnezone/Eelektrik/Basic Attackers
2. David C with Eelektrik/Zapdos/Tornadus/Zekrom/Zekrom-EX/Mewtwo-EX
3. Me with Celebi/Mewtwo-EX/Shaymin-EX/Regigigas-EX/Tornadus/Virizion/Terrakion
4. Charlie N with Vileplume/Mew/Terrakion/Yanmega/Shaymin-EX
5. Worthy of note that Grant bubbled at 4-1 using Durant. His loss was to me donking him.
Top 4 vs David C with Eelektrik/Zapdos/Tornadus/Zekrom/Zekrom-EX/Mewtwo-EX
I'll start with game two since games one and three play out very similarly. In game two, I get a huge prize lead and he can't set much up. Ultimately, this gives me the win even though he starts to come back a little late-game.
In games one and three, we each take four prizes quickly. However, he has no EX cards on the field and I have to attack with Mewtwo to get a KO. Both times, I N him to two and if he whiffs the Mewtwo + Energy (Mewtwo + DCE in game three), I win. Game one he hits Mewtwo and Juniper, which gets the energy. Game three he gets Mewtwo + Lightning, but topdecks the DCE. I guess I need to learn how to stack my opponents' decks while cutting. :(
3rd Place Playoff vs Michael C with Magnezone/Eelektrik/Basic Attackers
Game one he gets a literally dead hand, and is stuck with a lone 30HP Tynamo. I go first and have Tornadus + DCE + Juniper, but I opt not to play the Juniper since I have another energy in-hand. He draws, Catchers my benched Tornadus and hits it for 20. I could Juniper for the Switch/Skyarrow, but I decide not to. I attach a third energy to the now-Benched Tornadus and pass. He topdecks Magnemite, which he plays down and attaches to. I finally kill his Tynamo then kill Magnemite next turn after I Switch out of the Paralysis.
Game two I take a four-prize lead early, but N gets me in the end. He removes most of my energy from the field and I draw dead the rest of the game, while he sweeps my Celebis with an Eviolited Zekrom.
Game three he doesn't run as hot as in game two, but I once again take a huge prize lead. He whiffs and N off a critical Magnetic Draw when he finally gets Magnezone out (I have one prize left at this point), and I'm able to Catcher for the prize.
So, I finish third and get nine packs. I pull an FA Zekrom-EX, so I make my money back.
To wrap up, we're playing in a very fast format that appears to be dominated by two or three types of strategies. It's very skill-based, and for the most part is fun to play in. Just as a heads up, our next one or two articles may be put up a little late. We figure it's better to put up a good product a little late than a poor product up on time. Thanks for understanding.
