Discussion Seattle regionals deck choice

AshGottem

Aspiring Trainer
Member
so I'm completely torn, I've got no idea what to play for regionals. I've settled on either volcanion or tauros GX/Lele/garb volcanion feels like a consistent machine but has a really bad match up against the latter (tauros/garb) and honestly if it's as widely played as expected it could make volc a really bad call. On the other hand decidueye/plume is still really really strong so volc could be a really good choice if more people go with that. Gah I go in circles Help me pokebeach!
 

AshGottem

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Pretty sure after playing the deck tonight with some friends and my wife I'm just gonna throw trash at people's faces and see what happens
 
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My Little Keldeo

Submarine Reflection!
Advanced Member
Member
Volcanion can beat Tapu Lele / Garbodor decks, though it does take a careful game plan. Running Brooklet Hill will allow you to pull Volcanion-EX without using items. Try to avoid using Max Elixir if possible, and rely on Volcanion STS for energy acceleration. Garbodor takes some time to start hitting the big numbers, meaning speed is a big boon for Volcanion. Volcanic Heat will KO Garbodor, even if you can't use Steam Up. Try to have no more than seven Item cards in your discard pile until the late game so Garbodor can't one-shot your Pokemon-EX. Turtonator-GX is also fantastic to have around. All three of its attacks are useful, but most notable is that GX attack for some major Energy acceleration. I wouldn't consider this a favorable matchup since you need to rely on not carelessly discarding your Items, but it is definitely winnable.

Also, look for a dude with dark hair, glasses a blue hat and a Keldeo pin on his playmat. :p
 

Fayld

Rayquaza / Eelektross Master
Advanced Member
Member
Volcanion can beat Tapu Lele / Garbodor decks, though it does take a careful game plan. Running Brooklet Hill will allow you to pull Volcanion-EX without using items. Try to avoid using Max Elixir if possible, and rely on Volcanion STS for energy acceleration. Garbodor takes some time to start hitting the big numbers, meaning speed is a big boon for Volcanion. Volcanic Heat will KO Garbodor, even if you can't use Steam Up. Try to have no more than seven Item cards in your discard pile until the late game so Garbodor can't one-shot your Pokemon-EX. Turtonator-GX is also fantastic to have around. All three of its attacks are useful, but most notable is that GX attack for some major Energy acceleration. I wouldn't consider this a favorable matchup since you need to rely on not carelessly discarding your Items, but it is definitely winnable.

Also, look for a dude with dark hair, glasses a blue hat and a Keldeo pin on his playmat. :p

It might be time for people to bust out the Starmie version of Volcanion!
 

AshGottem

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Haha will do little keldeo. Another thing I've been worried about is that dang Greninja coming back into the meta. I think the big red dude might just need to chill out for a tournament or two ‍♂️
 

TuxedoBlack

Old School Player
Member
Should you run your Volcanion EX deck, consider incorporating 2 Turtonator GX (a real beast as a starter and will help buy you time while you setup), 1 Tapu Lele GX (replacing 1 Shaymin EX) and a Tauros GX (including Ninja Boy) too. I having very good results with these additions.
 

My Little Keldeo

Submarine Reflection!
Advanced Member
Member
Should you run your Volcanion EX deck, consider incorporating 2 Turtonator GX (a real beast as a starter and will help buy you time while you setup), 1 Tapu Lele GX (replacing 1 Shaymin EX) and a Tauros GX (including Ninja Boy) too. I having very good results with these additions.

Volcanion STS is still your starter of choice. Turtonator-GX shines the brightest in the late game. It's mainly used for its GX attack, once you have a lot of Energy in the discard, however it's also helpful against Garbodor, since with a Choice Bamd it csm hit for 160 without Steam Up. Discarding the Energy is a pain though. So you really don't want to rely on it. I would only run a single copy, since its role in the deck is very specific. That said, you want that GX attack to be available, sp Tauros and Ninja Boy really don't have a place in Volcanion. You should have no trouble doing 200+ damage with Volcanic Heat. Tapu Lele-GX can br helpful if you can find room for it, but Volcanion is consistent enough as it is, and tight on space. Tapu Lele-GX also cannot be searched for with Hoopa. Running an extra Shaymin-EX is a better choice.
 

TuxedoBlack

Old School Player
Member
Volcanion STS is still your starter of choice. Turtonator-GX shines the brightest in the late game.
I've found it to also be a solid starter especially when you're "stuck" with it. Shell Trap deters most opponents from attacking it while you setting up. Most players will Lysandre around it. Should your opponent get a T1 or T2 Ability-lock (or Item-lock), it is quite helpful. It's also a solid counter to Tauros GX play. So, it is quite versatile throughout the game.

I would only run a single copy, since its role in the deck is very specific. That said, you want that GX attack to be available, sp Tauros and Ninja Boy really don't have a place in Volcanion. You should have no trouble doing 200+ damage with Volcanic Heat. Tapu Lele-GX can br helpful if you can find room for it, but Volcanion is consistent enough as it is, and tight on space. Tapu Lele-GX also cannot be searched for with Hoopa. Running an extra Shaymin-EX is a better choice.
Given the meta in my area, as well as what I expect to encounter at the upcoming Regional tournament, "traditional" Volcanion deck builds may not be as effective as the were in the past now given the availability of the GUR cards. So, I've made a few changes accordingly that, so far, have worked for me at least. But, more testing yet to be done.
 
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AshGottem

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Honestly the most hilarious part of all this is I'm not even going to end up playing either of those decks
 
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