Help Is Mega Ray worth playing anymore?

Licki200

Licki200

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I am a Mega Ray player who has done about average at my last 2 League Cups (3-3-0 and 3-2-0), and I am wondering if I should keep playing M Ray or switch to Dark/Dragons or something.

This is the list I used, but I am still unsure which variant (Manaphy, Volcanion, Jolteon, or Magearna) to play. I used the Manaphy variant, but it never really helped me. Maybe Volc + Genesect for Float Stone conservation? EDIT- Criticism is also welcome for the list

Pokemon
4 x Rayquaza EX
3 x M Rayquaza EX
1 x Manaphy EX
2 x Hoopa EX
1 x Dragonite EX
4 x Shaymin EX
Item/Supporter/Stadium
2 x Lysandre
2 x Hex Maniac
1` x Escape Rope
2 x N
4 x Trainers' Mail
3 x Rayquaza Spirit Link
4 x VS Seeker
4 x Sky Field
4 x Ultra Ball
3 x Mega Turbo
4 x Professor Sycamore
1 x Super Rod
1 x Special Charge
2 x Float Stone
Energy
4 x Double Colorless Energy - Special
4 x Water Energy - Basic
 
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Still viable with shaymins, consider magerna instead of manaphy, I think that not having effects of opponents attacks is more valuable than a free retreat and can also be a decent attacker in emergency.
 
It just won the pokebeach tournament and is still a strong contender thanks to its shear power and speed I recommend less draw Supporters and 4 puzzles are great
 
If I wanted to add 4 Puzzle of Time, what would you recommend replacing? And what is the general strategy when using the Puzzles?
 
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I've been playing M Rayquaza-EX since the card came out. I personally either play the Jolteon-EX or Magearna-EX version, primarily Jolteon-EX. It is a natural pivot card and helps with the Giratina-EX match-up by using Flash Ray. I would also drop 1 Professor Sycamore and 1 N in favor of a Karen and either promo Jirachi, a second Pokemon of whatever type you choose to run as support, or possibly Skyla.

This is all before the next set drops. Once it comes out, I will probably run Tapu Lele-GX and Field Blower.

I'd also like to say, your list is pretty solid. I just don't trust using Manaphy-EX because of Hex Maniac, Garbodor, Wobbufett, and Decidueye. You trainer line is pretty good, and 8 energy is standard at this point in time.

Hope this helps! Let me know what changes you make!
 
It is absolutely viable. It is one of the few decks out there that can set up under item lock and then obliterate a 240 HP Decidueye. Mega Ray / Jolteon w/ Puzzles just took 2nd place at our league cup yesterday and the final was very tight. I think there will be a Youtube video on the finals up at some point soon.
 
Hmm... I might try the puzzles instead of a Sycamore and some other trainers. I may just copy the tournament winner's list and tweak it a little.
 
Fayld said:
It is absolutely viable. It is one of the few decks out there that can set up under item lock and then obliterate a 240 HP Decidueye.
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Could you explain this? While it can get set-up under Item Lock, you truly need the Ultra Ball, Spirit Link and Mega Turbo to really get going. At least the former 2, correct?
 
Latte1504 said:
Could you explain this? While it can get set-up under Item Lock, you truly need the Ultra Ball, Spirit Link and Mega Turbo to really get going. At least the former 2, correct?
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No. Unlike a lot of other decks, you can mega evolve Ray T1 and have it be a good play (it frequently is) and be ready to start hitting hard T2. That isn't enough time for Deciplume to knock one Mega Ray out and all it takes is one Hoopa + Sky Field and Mega Ray is off to the races so to speak. Not trying to say the 240 thing is common. I am just saying it is a deck that can actually do its thing under item lock because a lot of the draw / retrieval comes from Hoopa / Shaymin / Dragonite + 4 Sky Fields. I am not sure what my friend's exact build was and I haven't been able to find the Youtube upload yet (the tournament was recorded for Youtube). I just know that the first game was super tight. He won the second game. Then lost the third game.

From what I saw, the biggest issue was getting out of a Lysandre'd Hoopa rather than actually setting up the Ray. I know he ran at least 1 copy of Hex (and I think 2). He was also running Puzzles and the Jolteon variant to give him some mobility where possible. It wasn't a typical Ray list, but it was extremely effective in this tournament against some very strong players.
 
A friend of mine plays M Ray (with Magearna-EX) at league (albeit in Expanded), and he almost always gets first place. Very few decks will take advantage of bench-sitters that are only used for their ability (Hoopa, Dragonite, Shaymin) and this is one of them. It is blisteringly fast and lacks a hard counter in Standard due to the absence of Night March.
 
Elray said:
A friend of mine plays M Ray (with Magearna-EX) at league (albeit in Expanded), and he almost always gets first place. Very few decks will take advantage of bench-sitters that are only used for their ability (Hoopa, Dragonite, Shaymin) and this is one of them. It is blisteringly fast and lacks a hard counter in Standard due to the absence of Night March.
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I don't think it is a speed thing so much as there currently isn't a viable lightning deck to hit M Ray for weakness which is why Night March is death to M Ray. The decks that seem to do best against it currently are the ones that stop abilities while simultaneously running parallel city. Nothing else really keeps up with M Ray if it gets a strong T1. But yeah, there really isn't anything that keeps up with the sheer speed with which the deck can light you up for 240 with one good turn lol!
 
I hardly play mega ray anymore but I've found I struggled with going crazy t1 burning through 2/3 of my deck trying to get that 210-240 shot off, getting a ko, but then getting parallel'd and N or hex. Momentum gone, not doing a lot of dmg next turn already in a tough spot. A lot of the time I was already way ahead so I'd be ok anyway but it was still tough.

I noticed when I wasn't able to go crazy t1 the rest of the match actually was much better for me. I had a lot of resources left, and was able to have other m ray's ready to go.

So try not going nuts t1 and look more for a t2 big swing and you might be better setup to close out matches.
 
I've been playing Mega Ray for quite some time now and I think the Sudowoodo from Guardians Rising will knock the deck down a few tiers. It makes the max bench space for your opponent 4 benched Pokemon. sudowoodo-sm1plus.jpg
 
olivasds said:
I've been playing Mega Ray for quite some time now and I think the Sudowoodo from Guardians Rising will knock the deck down a few tiers. It makes the max bench space for your opponent 4 benched Pokemon. View attachment 13300
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It defntely could. I just don't know what decks would tech this in. Rainbow Road is all but gone and while limiting your opponent to 4 bench spots would be somewhat of a deterrent to any deck you're essentially limiting yourself to 4 bench spots as well by playing this card down. So is it worth adding this card just in case you're u run into mega ray? We'll see how things play out when the new set drops.
 
uncleyuri said:
It defntely could. I just don't know what decks would tech this in. Rainbow Road is all but gone and while limiting your opponent to 4 bench spots would be somewhat of a deterrent to any deck you're essentially limiting yourself to 4 bench spots as well by playing this card down. So is it worth adding this card just in case you're u run into mega ray? We'll see how things play out when the new set drops.
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It would work wonders for Despair Ray as one of its bench support. The Despair Ray VS M Ray almost always was in M Ray's favor due to M ray being able to one shot while Despair Ray had to struggle with the two hit KO. The sudowoodo forces the M Ray player to make sub - optimal plays to get around it.
 
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