Help The "What Deck Should I Play?" Thread

GoldenTriquetra

Aspiring Trainer
Member
What do you guys think :D ?
A Sceptile EX based deck
A Greninja Break bases deck
Or
An Archie's Greninja Break and Miltank Based Deck?
I know this last one is kinda meh, but do you guys think it'd be viable in some way in the current meta?
Thank you!
 

bbninjas

Ready or Not!
Advanced Member
Member
Of the three, Greninja BREAK is the most viable option. It also has better matchups with the current meta state than the other two. We may like to check out the deck skeleton we have provided here.
 

Colucci

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Ok guys, first of all, sorry for my bad english, second, I begin to play TCG with pokemon, in the first edition to be most precisely, now I want to back to the game, but I dont have any idea of were I should begin. I like to play with control decks, and damage focus too, but first I need to know, what deck I need to begin to play first. We have a little play group on my city, 5 players now, but I think we can grow on numbers, now, I need some help guys, you can show me the light?
 

gcardoso

Dreamer Player
Member
Hi, so im having national in my country in 1 month and i kinda wanted to know what would be the best choice to it with the new expansion Fates Colide.

I know greninja break and nightmarch will be there, as toad/tina, vespiplume and probably manectric/garbodor as well as alakazam . my problem is making a deck that can counter vespiplume and nightmarch while going well against other choices. i know its hard but if someone has ideas i would gladly hear them out

PS : i dont want to play nightmarch or vespiplume, both because i hate the style the deck and im not very good going with them.
 

MechanicalMarine

Princess Peach
Member
My regions regionals are on May 28th, and I was wondering what deck I should play. I have a bunch of viable cards, and I got the hookup at my local card store, so I can make most of the good expanded decks.

My main decks I'm willing to play and have together already are Sableye/Garbodor, Vespiquen/Flareon or Vespiplume, and Genesect/Virizion.

Like I said, I can make a lot of different decks with the cards I have access to, and I don't mind going on an expedition and break apart a deck or two to make something else.

Besides Night March, of course.
 

Asclepius24

Aspiring Trainer
Member
My regions regionals are on May 28th, and I was wondering what deck I should play. I have a bunch of viable cards, and I got the hookup at my local card store, so I can make most of the good expanded decks.

My main decks I'm willing to play and have together already are Sableye/Garbodor, Vespiquen/Flareon or Vespiplume, and Genesect/Virizion.

Like I said, I can make a lot of different decks with the cards I have access to, and I don't mind going on an expedition and break apart a deck or two to make something else.

Besides Night March, of course.
This may not be exactly the help you're looking for, but without knowing anything about your regional metagame I think one of the most important things about picking a deck for a big tournament is familiarity with your list and experience running the deck. I strongly recommend against building a deck and taking it to an event without having tested it and learning how to play different matchups. Anyone can pick up a deck and play some games with it, but against the kind of competition you'll be facing at a Regional Championship I'd rather take a sub-optimal matchup that I know how to play than a slightly better matchup that I've never actually run into before.

That being said, it sounds like you have some experience with a handful of competitive decks right now. Which of those do you feel most comfortable with?
 

Camoclone

TCG Articles Head
Member
Ok guys, first of all, sorry for my bad english, second, I begin to play TCG with pokemon, in the first edition to be most precisely, now I want to back to the game, but I dont have any idea of were I should begin. I like to play with control decks, and damage focus too, but first I need to know, what deck I need to begin to play first. We have a little play group on my city, 5 players now, but I think we can grow on numbers, now, I need some help guys, you can show me the light?
So basically you have a couple of good options. There is a Trevenant BREAK deck that is running around right now. You can build it a couple of different ways. The most popular include a mix of Weakness Policy and Bursting Balloon but some play Crushing Hammer,

Vileplume / Vespiquen isn't really control but it Item locks from the first turn going forward.

Probably the most control-based deck currently is Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX which plays a ton of Hammers and disruption.

All of the above but Vileplume / Vespiquen are viable in Expanded but probably aren't the strongest.

Hi, so im having national in my country in 1 month and i kinda wanted to know what would be the best choice to it with the new expansion Fates Colide.

I know greninja break and nightmarch will be there, as toad/tina, vespiplume and probably manectric/garbodor as well as alakazam . my problem is making a deck that can counter vespiplume and nightmarch while going well against other choices. i know its hard but if someone has ideas i would gladly hear them out

PS : i dont want to play nightmarch or vespiplume, both because i hate the style the deck and im not very good going with them.

So Trevenent BREAK should stomp Night March and give you a good chance vs VV. It tends to struggle against Greninja though. Nothing beats all of the decks you listed above so you are going to have to choose a deck you don't think will be well represented and accept that you will probably lose to it.

My regions regionals are on May 28th, and I was wondering what deck I should play. I have a bunch of viable cards, and I got the hookup at my local card store, so I can make most of the good expanded decks.

My main decks I'm willing to play and have together already are Sableye/Garbodor, Vespiquen/Flareon or Vespiplume, and Genesect/Virizion.

Like I said, I can make a lot of different decks with the cards I have access to, and I don't mind going on an expedition and break apart a deck or two to make something else.

Besides Night March, of course.
It's hard to tell you one specific deck to play. That will be the first tournament of that format. Personally if I were going I'd defintely be testing Dark / Gallade / Archeops with a one-of Umbreon-EX tech. Dark is fairly easy to build and is cheap. Out of the choices you listed Genesect / Virizion is likely the most viable but it can lose to the most popular deck (Dark) if you don't know what you are doing. Dark is by far the most well-rounded deck in Expanded and always has the potential to make a deep tournament run.
 

Asclepius24

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hi, so im having national in my country in 1 month and i kinda wanted to know what would be the best choice to it with the new expansion Fates Colide.

I know greninja break and nightmarch will be there, as toad/tina, vespiplume and probably manectric/garbodor as well as alakazam . my problem is making a deck that can counter vespiplume and nightmarch while going well against other choices. i know its hard but if someone has ideas i would gladly hear them out

PS : i dont want to play nightmarch or vespiplume, both because i hate the style the deck and im not very good going with them.
Trevenant BREAK has a decent NM and Vespiplume matchups and does well against a lot of other decks as well.
 

MechanicalMarine

Princess Peach
Member
This may not be exactly the help you're looking for, but without knowing anything about your regional metagame I think one of the most important things about picking a deck for a big tournament is familiarity with your list and experience running the deck. I strongly recommend against building a deck and taking it to an event without having tested it and learning how to play different matchups. Anyone can pick up a deck and play some games with it, but against the kind of competition you'll be facing at a Regional Championship I'd rather take a sub-optimal matchup that I know how to play than a slightly better matchup that I've never actually run into before.

That being said, it sounds like you have some experience with a handful of competitive decks right now. Which of those do you feel most comfortable with?
Honestly, I have a bit of experience with most popular competitive decks and matchups right now, and I can easily adapt to a bunch of situations. I'm from the New England area, but I'm not sure what my best deck would be while playing at regionals. The deck I have the most experience with is Vespiquen/Flareon and Vespiplume, but I've played many other decks to know what to do in whatever situation.
 

MechanicalMarine

Princess Peach
Member
So basically you have a couple of good options. There is a Trevenant BREAK deck that is running around right now. You can build it a couple of different ways. The most popular include a mix of Weakness Policy and Bursting Balloon but some play Crushing Hammer,

Vileplume / Vespiquen isn't really control but it Item locks from the first turn going forward.

Probably the most control-based deck currently is Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX which plays a ton of Hammers and disruption.

All of the above but Vileplume / Vespiquen are viable in Expanded but probably aren't the strongest.



So Trevenent BREAK should stomp Night March and give you a good chance vs VV. It tends to struggle against Greninja though. Nothing beats all of the decks you listed above so you are going to have to choose a deck you don't think will be well represented and accept that you will probably lose to it.


It's hard to tell you one specific deck to play. That will be the first tournament of that format. Personally if I were going I'd defintely be testing Dark / Gallade / Archeops with a one-of Umbreon-EX tech. Dark is fairly easy to build and is cheap. Out of the choices you listed Genesect / Virizion is likely the most viable but it can lose to the most popular deck (Dark) if you don't know what you are doing. Dark is by far the most well-rounded deck in Expanded and always has the potential to make a deep tournament run.
Like I said, I know how to play most of the decks, and I should be able to build virtually any deck I wish. That one-of Umbreon EX is a good idea. I'll try it at my League Challenge next week. I'll see what works the best for me then and until Regionals. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
 

Remy Rafael Doornberg

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hey, what's up guys!

I'm playing in the Dutch Pokémon Nationals in a month and I need your advice on what to play! I was thinking of going with either a Trevenant Break deck or a Night March deck myself, but I'd love to hear your suggestions. The format will be Standard and you can use cards from the following sets:
  • XY XY
    xy1_symbol_38x38.png

    FLF XY Flashfire
    xy2_symbol_38x38.png

    FFI XY Furious Fists
    xy3_symbol_38x38.png

    PHF XY Phantom Forces
    xy4_symbol_38x38.png

    PRC XY Primal Clash
    xy5_symbol_38x38.png

    ROS XY Fates Collide
    xy6_symbol_38x38.png

    AOR XY Ancient Origins
    xy07-expansion-symbol-38.png

    BKT XY BREAKthrough
    xy8_symbol_38x38.png

    BKP XY BREAKpoint
    xy9_symbol_38x38.png

    GEN Generations
    g1-expansion-symbol-38.png

    FCO XY Fates Collide
    xy10_symbol_38x38.png

    DCR Double Crisis
    doublecrisis-expansion-symbol-38.png

    TK XY Trainer Kit
    logo%20XY%20trainer%20kit.png

    TK XY Trainer Kit -Bisharp & Wigglytuff
    xy_bisharp_y.png
    xy_wigglytuff_y.png

    TK XY Trainer Kit - Latias & Latios
    xy_latias_y.png
    xy_latios_y.png

    TK XY Trainer Kit - Pikachu Libre & Suicune
    KSS XY Kalos Starter Set
    xy0_symbol_38x38.png

    PR promo's XY01+
    blackstarpromo.png

    MCD McDonald Collection 2014, 2015
    McDonalds%202014.png
I haven't played in a while so that's why I'm asking you guys btw. Hopefully you guys can help me out. :)

Thanks, Remy
 

Oriolee

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hello, PokeBeach, this is my first post here. I am a new player looking to build my first paper deck for standard (I may pick up a few extra singles to convert it to expanded as well). I have tested out a good variety of meta and casual decks, and I find that I am having the most fun playing Raichu-Bats and Pikachu EX (with Raikou and Magnezone). I understand that both of these decks are not considered meta, and that I will probably not be winning many tournaments with them. However, I do not foresee myself participating in too many competitive events, and will most likely partake in more casual league settings.

My question is which deck can function the best with an absolute maximum of 2 Shaymin-EX? I cannot justify purchasing more than 2 copies because I am not a super-competitive player. I know Raichu-Bats prefers 4 copies of Shaymin-EX, and is probably more viable than Pikachu-EX. With my budget of 2 Shaymin-EX, which of these two decks would you recommend for a new player trying to dip his toes in the Standard league environment? Also, which deck would last longer in regards to rotation (will Pikachu-EX rotate out with XY base set in the Fall)? Thank you very much for your help.

TLDR: Which deck should I build: Raichu-Bats or Pikachu-EX? I can only afford 2 Shaymin-EX, and Raichu-Bats requires 4, but would it still fare better than Pikachu-EX with only 2 Shaymins?
 

bbninjas

Ready or Not!
Advanced Member
Member
TLDR: Which deck should I build: Raichu-Bats or Pikachu-EX? I can only afford 2 Shaymin-EX, and Raichu-Bats requires 4, but would it still fare better than Pikachu-EX with only 2 Shaymins?

I can't imagine Pikachu-EX really needing more than 2 Shaymin-EX, so perhaps that would be your better option. Raichu Bats is more powerful than Pikachu/Magnezone from my understanding, but in a casual setting, Raichu Bats should still work absolutely fine. You could even add a couple Octillery to bolster your late game draw.

In regards to longevity, Pikachu-EX should be more reliable. Pikachu-EX is actually a relatively new promo, and shouldn't be rotating out this year. Raichu also got a reprint in Generations, so it'll be with us too. Bats is more the problem, as we don't know whether or not Crobat PHF will be reprinted (though it seems likely, considering it made it into Japan's reprint set.)

I'd go with whichever deck you have more fun playing. Raichu is generally much speedier and allows for riskier plays, while I'd imagine Pikachu-EX would be slightly slower and is not as aggressive. If you care for consistency, then Pikachu-EX will be the way to go for you.
 

Oriolee

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I can't imagine Pikachu-EX really needing more than 2 Shaymin-EX, so perhaps that would be your better option. Raichu Bats is more powerful than Pikachu/Magnezone from my understanding, but in a casual setting, Raichu Bats should still work absolutely fine. You could even add a couple Octillery to bolster your late game draw.

In regards to longevity, Pikachu-EX should be more reliable. Pikachu-EX is actually a relatively new promo, and shouldn't be rotating out this year. Raichu also got a reprint in Generations, so it'll be with us too. Bats is more the problem, as we don't know whether or not Crobat PHF will be reprinted (though it seems likely, considering it made it into Japan's reprint set.)

I'd go with whichever deck you have more fun playing. Raichu is generally much speedier and allows for riskier plays, while I'd imagine Pikachu-EX would be slightly slower and is not as aggressive. If you care for consistency, then Pikachu-EX will be the way to go for you.

Thanks so much for the response! I do find Pikachu-EX more fun despite it being slower. I will try to build Pikachu-EX! Thanks again.
 

kai88

THE Aspiring Trainer ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Member
Alright. So I am going to canadian nats, and I need some help. I have no idea what to run. The meta is nightmarch YZG and trevenant. Nightmarch is pretty big and so is YZG. Trevenant is here and there. What should I play?
 

Gengar master

shiny Pokémon bait
Advanced Member
Member
Alright. So I am going to canadian nats, and I need some help. I have no idea what to run. The meta is nightmarch YZG and trevenant. Nightmarch is pretty big and so is YZG. Trevenant is here and there. What should I play?
Sounds like Greninja is the play for you. Greninja has a positive match against YZG and even matchup against NM and Trevenant.
 

hitmonlee22

I need Mega Kingdra. NOW.
Member
Thanks! I think I have a basic idea on what I'd like to run.
This is a lie.
I finally saw what most people play in my area, and they either play Greninja BREAK or Trevenant BREAK. Any reccomendations on what a good counter to these two is?
 

bbninjas

Ready or Not!
Advanced Member
Member
This is a lie.
Meta changes, y'know! Greninja BREAK and Trev BREAK didn't exist back when those posts where made. :p

I finally saw what most people play in my area, and they either play Greninja BREAK or Trevenant BREAK. Any reccomendations on what a good counter to these two is?
I would imagine Water Box decks would be a fairly good counters, particularly if you can maintain keeping Rough Seas in play, since it can heal a lot of the damage dished out by both BREAKs.
 
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