MegaZone
Deck: MegaZone
Author: DawnOfXatu (Masters Division)
Format: HGSS-BW
Date Written: August 3rd 2011
Introduction
Hey everybody, DOX again with another article. If you didn't catch the first one you can find it here Donphans & Dragons. If you don't already know I've decided to embark on writing a string of articles on common decks and deckbuilding questions before Worlds starts. "But why would you do that?" You may be asking. Well I assure you it has nothing to do with my girlfreind leaving for college a month before I do, and me having nothing to fill my time with. Nonetheless I bring you my second article hoping to answer all of your questions pertaining to...
MegaZone
Winning Nationals, MegaZone, the combination of Yanmega and Magnezone, has proven that it deserved the hype that it was getting before Nationals. By combining the lightning-quick Yanmega with the heavy-hitting Magnezone the players of this deck have found that these two cards play off of each other like the Luxray and Garchomp of the past. Yanmega has become the sought-after card of the format due to its early game mayhem, and its ability to be played in any deck due to its nonexistent energy costs. In exchange for Yanmega's speed and flexibility, it has been given a couple of drawbacks. There is the constant difficulty of keeping your hand the same size as your opponent, as well as the added issue that Yanmega cannot deal with larger Pokemon. This is where Magnezone provides an answer to both of these drawbacks. Magnezone can increase consistency and drawpower by using its PokePower to draw cards until you have six in your hand. This hand refreshment allows the player to keep similar hand sizes to the opponent at most points in the game. Magnezone's attack is also one of the most effective wall-breaking measures of all time. Hitting for 50 times the amount of energy the player feels like sending to the Lost Zone, Magnezone can plow through most threats easily, and since Yanmega doesn't require any energy, Magnezone always has plenty of ammunition to send to the Lost Zone. As the deck has grown after Nationals it has changed, now commonly using Kingdra to add extra damage for more knock outs. Despite the changes, to both the deck and the format, most players are certain that this deck will make a strong showing at Worlds.
The Decklist
Pokemon: 23
4 Yanmega Prime 98-TM
4 Yanma 84-TM
3 Magnezone Prime 96-TM
1 Magneton 43-TM
3 Magnemite 68-TM
2 Kingdra Prime 85-UL
1 Seadra 40-UL
2 Horsea 49-UL
1 Cleffa 17-HGSS
1 Tyrogue 33-HGSS
1 Manaphy 3-UL
Energy: 10
3 Rainbow Energy 104-HGSS
7 Lighting Energy
Trainers: 27
4 Pokemon Collector 97-HGSS
4 Pokemon Communication 98-HGSS
4 Rare Candy 82-UL
4 Judge 78-UL
3 Copycat 90-HGSS
3 Pokemon Reversal 99-HGSS
3 Junk Arm 87-TM
2 Switch 102-HGSS
Deck Build Specifics
Yanmega and Yanma: One of the central cards to this deck, Yanmega is your ideal attacker on the second turn of the game. You want to be attacking for free from the second turn until your Yanmega is knocked out. A common area of divergence is on the size of the Yanmega line. Some play a 3-3 Yanmega with two Rescue Energy, I opt to play a heftier line of Yanmega for greater swarmability, a higher chance of getting the Yanmega on the second turn, and because Rescue Energy can be a waste of an attachment in a deck like this where you should be powering up your Magnezones. More Yanma also makes for more free retreat basics in the deck as well.
Magnezone, Magneton, and Magnemite: While you are attacking with Yanmega early in the game, you also need to make sure that you build up a Magnezone. Magnezone helps you to consistently draw cards, as well as acting as your late game attacker. By the time your opponent has recovered from your JudgeMega combination you should have gotten enough energy attached to your Pokemon such that nothing is a huge issue for Magnezone to knock out. The 3-1-3 line for Magnezone has become the most common. More than 3 Magnezone or Magnemite would be overkill, but the Magneton count is cut short to conserve space. With the amount of Rare Candy and Junk Arm that you play in this deck, getting out a single Magnezone shouldn't be an issue, and once you have one Magnezone, you should be all set.
Kingdra, Seadra, and Horsea: After reaching the height of its popularity, it became apparent that MegaZone was being countered in the format. There was a spike in Donphan, and it did become difficult for this deck to deal with a swarm of Donphan, especially if Ruins Of Alph is in play. Between Donphan, and Mirror Matches, this deck slowly adopted Kingdra so as to gain a number of knock outs that were previously much more difficult. With a single Spray Splash Magnezone knocks out all Yanmega with a single energy. Yanmega can also knock out a Donphan in two turns with the added bonus of Kingdra. A sizeable 2-1-2 line of this card makes for a much easier array of knock outs.
Cleffa, Manaphy, and Tyrogue: These three cards have slowly become the norm in most decks. This trio handles all the various situations that could be encountered at the start of the game. Should your opponent start with a Baby you can search Tyrogue for the KO. Should you need to refresh your hand you have the choice between the more efficiant Cleffa, and the more sturdy Manaphy. Manaphy has become a common starter due to its ability to survive Tyrogue, while Cleffa still remains in use due to its free retreat and its free attack cost.
Energy: The energy in this deck is fairly standard, three Rainbow Energy gives you the ability to attack with Kingdra in order to handle Donphan, and they also allow for possible emergency uses of Yanmega. The seven Lightning Energy make for an effective amount to power up your Magnezone. Since this deck doesn't require much energy to attack, since it uses Yanmega, ten energy is enough as all the energy is used for is to power Magnezone's late game. My choice to not use Rescue Energy in exchange for more Yanmega has already been discussed in an earlier section.
Search Engine (Pokemon Collector and Pokemon Commuinication): This deck hopes to get out a quick Yanmega while slowly building up a Magnezone for consistency later in the game. Maxing out Collector and Communication makes for a high chance of an early game Yanmega. The lack of Elm's is based on the theory that between all of the excess drawpower in the deck you shouldn't have trouble bringing out your supporting cards such as Kingdra and fellow Magnezone.
Draw Support (Judge and Copycat): Most people shift between six and eight of these cards. While having the same amount of cards in your hand as your opponent is crucial, it isn't always necessary to use one of these supporters. I use seven of these cards, as Judge's disruption is too good to ignore, while Copycat is also helpful, but not in as many situations. You don't need much drawpower beyond this point because of Magnezone.
Assorted Trainers (Rare Candy, Junk Arm, Pokemon Reversal, and Switch): Each of these cards is necessary in this deck, however the amount of each card needed varies. With the additional Kingdra tech, the fourth Rare Candy becomes needed. Both Junk Arm and Pokemon Reversal are important to the deck, however only three of each are used for space issues as well as consistent opening hands. Switch is the one card where I wish I could find the space to play a thrid, but I've decided that as long as you avoid playing multiple Magnezone, you should be able to get away with playing two Switch and your Junk Arm.
Possible Techs
Pachirisu 18-CoL: Pachirisu can be added as a single tech to the deck as a way to get more Lightning Energy into play for Magnezone to send to the Lost Zone. I've found that with the low amounts of energy that this deck uses, using Pachirisu can be more of a waste of space than anything else, but under the correct circumstances, those extra two energy can be invaluable.
Matchups
Vs. Kingdra/Yanmega/Jirachi : Even This matchup boils down to setup and player skill. MegaZone uses very few intermediate stages, thus making Jirachi a huge threat, as it can burn through its Rare Candy quickly. The addition of Kingdra into MegaZone is advantageous as it allows for Magnezone to dispatch opposing Yanmega for a single energy, which is crucial in this matchup. Setting up an early game Magnezone and taking an early lead is the key to this matchup, while also preparing for the inevitable Jirachi. Keeping a spare Reversal or two in your hand and making sure that you don't have too many Pokemon that are open to being knocked out through devolution are also important. Having Magnezone around to hit their weakness and recover from opposing Judges is important.
Zekrom/Pachirisu/Shaymin/Yanmega : Slightly Favorable Assuming that you avoid the early game loss, you are still going to have yourself a difficult matchup. You have to hope that a combination of Judge and consecutive kills against their benched Pokemon will break what little consistency that the deck has and lead to an opening for you to sweep with Magnezone later in the game. Handling Zekrom is difficult for the deck due to Yanmega's weakness and the sheer amount of Energy that Magnezone would have to waste. Them not being able to knock out Magnezone is going to be important as it will hopefully allow for you to gain an advantage later in the game, or at least buy a few turns while you charge up for another big KO.
Reshiram/Typhlosion/Ninetales : Slightly Favorable Reshiram variants always have to fear the early game as that is when they are the weakest. That is not any different in this matchup where an early game Yanmega can help to take down opposing Ninetales and Typhlosion. With their support crippled, the game becomes much easier. However once your opponent does manage to set up and start attacking every turn you have to hope that you have put enough energy into play for Magnezone to take the last couple of prizes.
Yanmega/Donphan/Zoroark : Slighly Favorable The one thing that every Magnezone player should fear is Donphan, the sheer amount of damage that Donphan can deal and take from Magnezone makes for a huge ordeal. Luckily Yanmega counters most Donphan Variants that do not already have a Yanmega counter. This matchup will always be very close, with you and your opponent swaping attacks from Yanmegas and Zoroarks. Eventually you will be forced to bring out Magnezone, but hopefully your addition of Kingdra will give you two things in this matchup. First that extra damage that you keep adding will eventually turn the tides of the game in your favor. Second for a single Rainbow Energy Kingdra can put a Donphan near death.
Donphan/Zekrom/Reshiram : Unfavorable Donphans and Dragons is a counter deck, and one of the decks that it counters is MegaZone. Everything that Megazone has to throw at this deck can be countered one way or another. Yanmega falls to Zekrom. Magnezone falls to Donphan. If you try to counter the Donphan with Kingdra they can just drop a Reshiram and nullify Kingdra. The most effective way for this deck to attempt to win is to Judge Lock them and hope that you can set up a swarm of Yanmega quickly to knock out most of the opposing Donphan.
MewBox : Even This battle comes down to speed, and how much damage you can deal early game with Yanmega. Bringing out Magnezone in this battle can be risky as they are likely to drag it up and lock it with Muk. A swarm of Yanmega with Kingdra as a backup shouldn't have much trouble against the box, but if they hit an early game trainer lock, and you are forced to play Magnezone you can be hit with quite the rude awakening. If you do go Yanmega versus Yanmega against this deck it will come down to the cards that are drawn and the level of consistency put into these decks.
Closing Thoughts
Well thank you for reading again it's been fun writing and testing, even if this isn't my favorite deck. If you have any problems with my writing or would just like to remind me of how awesome I am feel free to post. Beyond that I should have my next article done fairly soon, and it will be posted in a timely manner. As far as where I am going with all of this. I plan to hit the big 7 decks in the format, write a couple of articles regarding other possibilites for deckbuilding, then I'll give you my own personal breakdown for the LCQ and Worlds, and hopefully that will rap it all up.
Deck: MegaZone
Author: DawnOfXatu (Masters Division)
Format: HGSS-BW
Date Written: August 3rd 2011
Introduction
Hey everybody, DOX again with another article. If you didn't catch the first one you can find it here Donphans & Dragons. If you don't already know I've decided to embark on writing a string of articles on common decks and deckbuilding questions before Worlds starts. "But why would you do that?" You may be asking. Well I assure you it has nothing to do with my girlfreind leaving for college a month before I do, and me having nothing to fill my time with. Nonetheless I bring you my second article hoping to answer all of your questions pertaining to...
MegaZone
Winning Nationals, MegaZone, the combination of Yanmega and Magnezone, has proven that it deserved the hype that it was getting before Nationals. By combining the lightning-quick Yanmega with the heavy-hitting Magnezone the players of this deck have found that these two cards play off of each other like the Luxray and Garchomp of the past. Yanmega has become the sought-after card of the format due to its early game mayhem, and its ability to be played in any deck due to its nonexistent energy costs. In exchange for Yanmega's speed and flexibility, it has been given a couple of drawbacks. There is the constant difficulty of keeping your hand the same size as your opponent, as well as the added issue that Yanmega cannot deal with larger Pokemon. This is where Magnezone provides an answer to both of these drawbacks. Magnezone can increase consistency and drawpower by using its PokePower to draw cards until you have six in your hand. This hand refreshment allows the player to keep similar hand sizes to the opponent at most points in the game. Magnezone's attack is also one of the most effective wall-breaking measures of all time. Hitting for 50 times the amount of energy the player feels like sending to the Lost Zone, Magnezone can plow through most threats easily, and since Yanmega doesn't require any energy, Magnezone always has plenty of ammunition to send to the Lost Zone. As the deck has grown after Nationals it has changed, now commonly using Kingdra to add extra damage for more knock outs. Despite the changes, to both the deck and the format, most players are certain that this deck will make a strong showing at Worlds.
The Decklist
Pokemon: 23
4 Yanmega Prime 98-TM
4 Yanma 84-TM
3 Magnezone Prime 96-TM
1 Magneton 43-TM
3 Magnemite 68-TM
2 Kingdra Prime 85-UL
1 Seadra 40-UL
2 Horsea 49-UL
1 Cleffa 17-HGSS
1 Tyrogue 33-HGSS
1 Manaphy 3-UL
Energy: 10
3 Rainbow Energy 104-HGSS
7 Lighting Energy
Trainers: 27
4 Pokemon Collector 97-HGSS
4 Pokemon Communication 98-HGSS
4 Rare Candy 82-UL
4 Judge 78-UL
3 Copycat 90-HGSS
3 Pokemon Reversal 99-HGSS
3 Junk Arm 87-TM
2 Switch 102-HGSS
Deck Build Specifics
Yanmega and Yanma: One of the central cards to this deck, Yanmega is your ideal attacker on the second turn of the game. You want to be attacking for free from the second turn until your Yanmega is knocked out. A common area of divergence is on the size of the Yanmega line. Some play a 3-3 Yanmega with two Rescue Energy, I opt to play a heftier line of Yanmega for greater swarmability, a higher chance of getting the Yanmega on the second turn, and because Rescue Energy can be a waste of an attachment in a deck like this where you should be powering up your Magnezones. More Yanma also makes for more free retreat basics in the deck as well.
Magnezone, Magneton, and Magnemite: While you are attacking with Yanmega early in the game, you also need to make sure that you build up a Magnezone. Magnezone helps you to consistently draw cards, as well as acting as your late game attacker. By the time your opponent has recovered from your JudgeMega combination you should have gotten enough energy attached to your Pokemon such that nothing is a huge issue for Magnezone to knock out. The 3-1-3 line for Magnezone has become the most common. More than 3 Magnezone or Magnemite would be overkill, but the Magneton count is cut short to conserve space. With the amount of Rare Candy and Junk Arm that you play in this deck, getting out a single Magnezone shouldn't be an issue, and once you have one Magnezone, you should be all set.
Kingdra, Seadra, and Horsea: After reaching the height of its popularity, it became apparent that MegaZone was being countered in the format. There was a spike in Donphan, and it did become difficult for this deck to deal with a swarm of Donphan, especially if Ruins Of Alph is in play. Between Donphan, and Mirror Matches, this deck slowly adopted Kingdra so as to gain a number of knock outs that were previously much more difficult. With a single Spray Splash Magnezone knocks out all Yanmega with a single energy. Yanmega can also knock out a Donphan in two turns with the added bonus of Kingdra. A sizeable 2-1-2 line of this card makes for a much easier array of knock outs.
Cleffa, Manaphy, and Tyrogue: These three cards have slowly become the norm in most decks. This trio handles all the various situations that could be encountered at the start of the game. Should your opponent start with a Baby you can search Tyrogue for the KO. Should you need to refresh your hand you have the choice between the more efficiant Cleffa, and the more sturdy Manaphy. Manaphy has become a common starter due to its ability to survive Tyrogue, while Cleffa still remains in use due to its free retreat and its free attack cost.
Energy: The energy in this deck is fairly standard, three Rainbow Energy gives you the ability to attack with Kingdra in order to handle Donphan, and they also allow for possible emergency uses of Yanmega. The seven Lightning Energy make for an effective amount to power up your Magnezone. Since this deck doesn't require much energy to attack, since it uses Yanmega, ten energy is enough as all the energy is used for is to power Magnezone's late game. My choice to not use Rescue Energy in exchange for more Yanmega has already been discussed in an earlier section.
Search Engine (Pokemon Collector and Pokemon Commuinication): This deck hopes to get out a quick Yanmega while slowly building up a Magnezone for consistency later in the game. Maxing out Collector and Communication makes for a high chance of an early game Yanmega. The lack of Elm's is based on the theory that between all of the excess drawpower in the deck you shouldn't have trouble bringing out your supporting cards such as Kingdra and fellow Magnezone.
Draw Support (Judge and Copycat): Most people shift between six and eight of these cards. While having the same amount of cards in your hand as your opponent is crucial, it isn't always necessary to use one of these supporters. I use seven of these cards, as Judge's disruption is too good to ignore, while Copycat is also helpful, but not in as many situations. You don't need much drawpower beyond this point because of Magnezone.
Assorted Trainers (Rare Candy, Junk Arm, Pokemon Reversal, and Switch): Each of these cards is necessary in this deck, however the amount of each card needed varies. With the additional Kingdra tech, the fourth Rare Candy becomes needed. Both Junk Arm and Pokemon Reversal are important to the deck, however only three of each are used for space issues as well as consistent opening hands. Switch is the one card where I wish I could find the space to play a thrid, but I've decided that as long as you avoid playing multiple Magnezone, you should be able to get away with playing two Switch and your Junk Arm.
Possible Techs
Pachirisu 18-CoL: Pachirisu can be added as a single tech to the deck as a way to get more Lightning Energy into play for Magnezone to send to the Lost Zone. I've found that with the low amounts of energy that this deck uses, using Pachirisu can be more of a waste of space than anything else, but under the correct circumstances, those extra two energy can be invaluable.
Matchups
Vs. Kingdra/Yanmega/Jirachi : Even This matchup boils down to setup and player skill. MegaZone uses very few intermediate stages, thus making Jirachi a huge threat, as it can burn through its Rare Candy quickly. The addition of Kingdra into MegaZone is advantageous as it allows for Magnezone to dispatch opposing Yanmega for a single energy, which is crucial in this matchup. Setting up an early game Magnezone and taking an early lead is the key to this matchup, while also preparing for the inevitable Jirachi. Keeping a spare Reversal or two in your hand and making sure that you don't have too many Pokemon that are open to being knocked out through devolution are also important. Having Magnezone around to hit their weakness and recover from opposing Judges is important.
Zekrom/Pachirisu/Shaymin/Yanmega : Slightly Favorable Assuming that you avoid the early game loss, you are still going to have yourself a difficult matchup. You have to hope that a combination of Judge and consecutive kills against their benched Pokemon will break what little consistency that the deck has and lead to an opening for you to sweep with Magnezone later in the game. Handling Zekrom is difficult for the deck due to Yanmega's weakness and the sheer amount of Energy that Magnezone would have to waste. Them not being able to knock out Magnezone is going to be important as it will hopefully allow for you to gain an advantage later in the game, or at least buy a few turns while you charge up for another big KO.
Reshiram/Typhlosion/Ninetales : Slightly Favorable Reshiram variants always have to fear the early game as that is when they are the weakest. That is not any different in this matchup where an early game Yanmega can help to take down opposing Ninetales and Typhlosion. With their support crippled, the game becomes much easier. However once your opponent does manage to set up and start attacking every turn you have to hope that you have put enough energy into play for Magnezone to take the last couple of prizes.
Yanmega/Donphan/Zoroark : Slighly Favorable The one thing that every Magnezone player should fear is Donphan, the sheer amount of damage that Donphan can deal and take from Magnezone makes for a huge ordeal. Luckily Yanmega counters most Donphan Variants that do not already have a Yanmega counter. This matchup will always be very close, with you and your opponent swaping attacks from Yanmegas and Zoroarks. Eventually you will be forced to bring out Magnezone, but hopefully your addition of Kingdra will give you two things in this matchup. First that extra damage that you keep adding will eventually turn the tides of the game in your favor. Second for a single Rainbow Energy Kingdra can put a Donphan near death.
Donphan/Zekrom/Reshiram : Unfavorable Donphans and Dragons is a counter deck, and one of the decks that it counters is MegaZone. Everything that Megazone has to throw at this deck can be countered one way or another. Yanmega falls to Zekrom. Magnezone falls to Donphan. If you try to counter the Donphan with Kingdra they can just drop a Reshiram and nullify Kingdra. The most effective way for this deck to attempt to win is to Judge Lock them and hope that you can set up a swarm of Yanmega quickly to knock out most of the opposing Donphan.
MewBox : Even This battle comes down to speed, and how much damage you can deal early game with Yanmega. Bringing out Magnezone in this battle can be risky as they are likely to drag it up and lock it with Muk. A swarm of Yanmega with Kingdra as a backup shouldn't have much trouble against the box, but if they hit an early game trainer lock, and you are forced to play Magnezone you can be hit with quite the rude awakening. If you do go Yanmega versus Yanmega against this deck it will come down to the cards that are drawn and the level of consistency put into these decks.
Closing Thoughts
Well thank you for reading again it's been fun writing and testing, even if this isn't my favorite deck. If you have any problems with my writing or would just like to remind me of how awesome I am feel free to post. Beyond that I should have my next article done fairly soon, and it will be posted in a timely manner. As far as where I am going with all of this. I plan to hit the big 7 decks in the format, write a couple of articles regarding other possibilites for deckbuilding, then I'll give you my own personal breakdown for the LCQ and Worlds, and hopefully that will rap it all up.
