Blog Shunning Shaymin — An Intro to Competitive Play and Four Standard Decks Without Shaymin-EX

Combining Infernape with Typhlosion looks good on paper, but it just doesn't work in reality.

I won about half of the twenty matches I played running Infernape with Typhlosion. The inherent problem with Typhlosion is that you invariably always end up discarding essential cards that you simply can never get back from the discard. In the cases where you can get a couple Typhlosion and an Infernape set up and powered up, yes, you will probably win the match. Unfortunately, this simply isn't going to happen a significant majority of the time.

It's just the inherent nature of this deck: it's about a 50 / 50 chance that things will go your way and you will be in a great position to win; the other half of the time, your only going to get 1 or 2 Typhlosion going and your opponent will outlast you.
 
The day i sell my shaymins this article comes out. I would like to add you said “ts best selling point is its Ability, Set Up.” get it? It's best SELLING point. ( In canada they are 100$ ) There are plenty of decks that can function without shaymin. Lucario ( Fates collide ) , Zoroark ( Breakthrough) Gengar Bats and more.
 
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Lucario doesn't mind Shaymin. It opens up slick Ninja Boy plays with Unown and helps you escape dead draws better.
 
21times said:
Combining Infernape with Typhlosion looks good on paper, but it just doesn't work in reality.

I won about half of the twenty matches I played running Infernape with Typhlosion. The inherent problem with Typhlosion is that you invariably always end up discarding essential cards that you simply can never get back from the discard. In the cases where you can get a couple Typhlosion and an Infernape set up and powered up, yes, you will probably win the match. Unfortunately, this simply isn't going to happen a significant majority of the time.

It's just the inherent nature of this deck: it's about a 50 / 50 chance that things will go your way and you will be in a great position to win; the other half of the time, your only going to get 1 or 2 Typhlosion going and your opponent will outlast you.
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Also, this. When you start adding things to Typhlosion in an attempt to make it more consistent, you end up ruining it. Typhlosion needs at least 25 Energy to do something and adding cute techs does you no favors. Mew-EX is one thing, since it's only a couple cards and gives you an extra attacker (though I'm wary of running it since it's a Pokemon-EX), but devoting nearly 10 spaces to Infernape is something I can't see myself doing.

Not to mention that the spirit of the deck is to just explode everywhere and do 240+ damage from turn two or three onward. Who needs strategy?
 
I started buying some tins and theme decks last year when I was considering getting back into the game. One of those first tins I got a full art Shaymin-EX. When I actually started looking into seriously building a deck and playing in the last couple of months and saw the price, boy was I happy! I had to pick up a second standard art one for about £30.

Great article though! I wish I'd have read this before I spent money building the deck I currently have! Just waiting on a few more cards in the post and then I'll be good to actually start playing at the hobby leagues. :)
 
PMJ said:
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If you're a subscriber, you should read up on Travis Nunlist's article: http://www.pokebeach.com/2016/10/the-creep-show He covers Serperior and he knows what he's talking about. I disagree with a few of his card choices, but he's the worlds-tier player, not me lol
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Honestly, I think the focus of the Serperior deck is incorrect. The focus is not "only" to throw the bursting balloons up. The focus is to get as much paralysis on the field as possible. The more frequently you paralyze, the more frequently you get a powered up coil and force your opponent to come up with alternatives to either get out of paralysis or get your coiled Serperior down. I think the deck list above needs 2 fewer ultra balls and 2 additional devolution sprays. If there was a way to get 3 in there, even better. Basically, you want as many bites at the paralysis coin flip as possible.
 
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