Viability of Dragon Decks after Roaring Skies?

TheWhiskaz_

TheWhiskaz_

Friendly Neighborhood Hunter
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When Roaring Skies is released on May 6 we'll have a lot of extra stuff for dragon types to use. We'll get a total of 4 dragon type EXs with this set, and the one I'm very interested in is Hydreigon-EX:

Hydreigon-EX – Dragon – HP180
Basic Pokemon

Ability: Dragon Road
If there is a Stadium card in play, the Retreat Cost of each of your [N] Pokemon is [C][C] less.
[P][D][C] Shred: 80 damage. This attack’s damage isn’t affected by any effects on your opponent’s Active Pokemon.

When a Pokemon-EX has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.

Weakness: Fairy (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 3

it seems like something that'll be used more for support than attacking, since you'd have free retreat for a whole load of dragon type cards, Although Shred does bypass Intimidating Mane and Safeguard, it's not going to OHKO any Pyroars unless it has both a Muscle Band and another item that poisons the Defending Pokémon is released (assuming the next rotation is XY-on). But have a couple in play and add a stadium and then you have free retreat for all your dragons!

Do you think that Roaring Skies will mean that we'll see some dragon decks in higher levels of play? Or is it not quite enough to warrant serious use?

Also, might we see the Flygon-EX from the box being released later this month being used in higher levels of play?

P.S. what sort of stadium do you think a dragon type deck might use?
 
The card itself is sub-par. Even with a stadium in play, Hydreigon-EX still has a retreat cost which means you still have to waste an energy or a Float Stone to get him out of the active spot if he gets gusted up and not killed. As long as Keldeo-EX remains legal, I'd stick with that since they both have the same issues (requiring Float Stone, Silent Lab), and Keldeo has better utility since it also makes you effectively immune to special conditions.

Flygon-EX has a decent power, but his attack is garbage. Best use I could see for it is as a bench sitter for Ray decks but even they have better stuff to put there.

Dragons don't have a dedicated stadium in any set released thus far. Assuming they don't get one in Roaring Skies, I would say the best choice for now would be Fairy Garden or Shadow Circle, since dragons are Rainbow-friendly. Mountain Ring could see play in non-Latios decks, I guess. Shrine of Memories could be used with Flygon BCR.
 
I think Dragons can have a rise of vialbilty thanks to DDE and support cards like Reshiram and Hydreigon EX so there possibly be a Teir 1 Dragon deck.
However cards like E Hammer, Xerosic, Wobbefett, and Silent Lab exist so there probably isn't gonna be BDIF Dragon deck but hey it's still a decent option and maybe it'll win something.

Hydreigon EX is a good supporting pokemon with every deck running a stadium as of now. I think it'll be a decent option for Dragon decks so cards like Reshiram can retreat freely.

Flygon EX has a pretty good ablity and can work with Hydreigon EX but if your oppenent slaps down a Silent Lab and you don't have a counter stadium, you're stuck.

As of Stadiums, I'd think Scorched Earth would be good in a Dragon M Rayquaza EX (or Garchomp) deck. Other options would be Fairy Garden, Shadow Circle, or Mountain Ring
 
Tbh hydreigon SHOULD have 90 dmg attack. Its ability is a lot worse that darkrai and darkrai didn't even had a drawback. It was the most perfect balanced card ever created (for me at least). And no... I believe that Ray will have some hype for the US nationals like pyroar and then fade and fall to the previous deck until someone wins a major league with it. The dragons would have been powerful IF and I say IF enhanced hammer didn't exist in this format and we had only Xerosic (another example of a great card for balancing the metagame). With it the Dragon energy is as disposable as any. And you can only have 4 with no way of getting them back unless Lysandre's last resort.
 
Mega Gardevoir says hi.

I'd like to see dragons become more playable but sadly the only good things going for it are easily stomped out by fairy decks, as tough as dragons may be - Fairy is too popular of a deck alongside Seismitoad.
 
I plan on playing the Hydreigon EX in my Yveltal EX/ Seismitoad EX deck as a way to attack pyroar since I play lasers and virbank in the deck anyways. Some of the other Dragon type pokemon are interesting but I just don see them being that good because of the fairy weakness.
 
Kingdra (PCL) gets a pretty good buff from this set in that you can power it up in one turn with Dragon Energy + Water/Lightning, but it's a Stage 2, so :/

I hear a lot about Aromatisse/Dragons, but I'm not entirely sure what you'd run with Aroma to make it competitive...
 
Ironman131 said:
I plan on playing the Hydreigon EX in my Yveltal EX/ Seismitoad EX deck as a way to attack pyroar since I play lasers and virbank in the deck anyways. Some of the other Dragon type pokemon are interesting but I just don see them being that good because of the fairy weakness.
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Why would you run a 3 energy cost EX just to hit Pyroar, which is nearly a dead deck? Raichu is much better - it can hit for high numbers and helps with the mirror, even as a Stage 1. If you desperately want a 3 energy cost Basic w/Shred, you could also use Rayquaza DRE/LT.
 
I dont have room for raichu, the deck dosent run lightning or fire energy cards so teching a Hydriegon EX into the deck would be much easier then teching either of the other cards in the deck.
 
I would love to see them be Tier 1 or even Tier 2 but I just don't see that happening. But who knows? Maybe TPCI will release cards later this year or even next year to raise the dragons to the sky and we'll have to deal with their rath.
 
With XY7 coming out, and all a bunch of the cards in the sets are Legends, I could expect a couple of dragon types that may work with it. Also, Rayquaza(LTR)/Altaria(BCR)/Hydregion-EX anyone? No? Okay. :(
 
pokemonkosh said:
Also, Rayquaza(LTR)/Altaria(BCR)/Hydregion-EX anyone? No? Okay. :(
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I actually made a deck similiar to that and it's fun to use, You set it up while using Hammers, Laser, and Dragon Pulse to stall and then You start knocking out Pokemon and win the game. I'll add Hydreigon EX when it comes out.
 
TokenDuelist said:
Mega Gardevoir says hi.

I'd like to see dragons become more playable but sadly the only good things going for it are easily stomped out by fairy decks, as tough as dragons may be - Fairy is too popular of a deck alongside Seismitoad.
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Pyroar was the top deck choice of the U.S. Nationals 2014 and even made the final, but did we see it in Worlds top 8 ? Nope. Instead, we saw 3 genesect decks in the top 4 who instantly lose from pyroar. Any deck can have A weakness. Yveltal had raichu, gardevoir has bronzong, seismitoad the grass and so on. There is and there would always be a lot of excitement for the May's Pack which is before the tournament and then the hype suddenly falls. What I want to say is that in the Pokemon tcg any deck can beat any deck.
 
There's a combo I thought of that has convinced me that Dragon decks have a good chance: Hydreigon EX/Reshiram/Double Dragon Energy. Many big Dragon EXes have an odd cost of two different energy types (which can be provided with Double Dragon) and a colorless (fire energy). With Hydreigon, you can use Reshiram's ability and easily retreat into what you want. You can even use it with Hydreigon EX (which isn't a terrible attack by any means. Especially if Aegislash EX and Safeguarders are going to be strong). Maxing out on switch can give you more flexability since there could be situations where you need to switch out more than once a turn. As for the stadium, Scorched Earth should be good since the deck uses fire energy and can really benefit from the extra draw.

The biggest drawback is that a lot of the big Dragons that can benefit from this combo (Latios and Latias from PLF + Rayquaza LTR) are likely going to be rotated this August. So unless we get some other Dragons in the coming set, this will take a huge hit. But the idea of an all basic deck which doesn't autolose to Pyroar/Aegislash/Safeguarders is always compelling. I might make a sample list on deck garage.
 
pokedan24 said:
There's a combo I thought of that has convinced me that Dragon decks have a good chance: Hydreigon EX/Reshiram/Double Dragon Energy. Many big Dragon EXes have an odd cost of two different energy types (which can be provided with Double Dragon) and a colorless (fire energy). With Hydreigon, you can use Reshiram's ability and easily retreat into what you want. You can even use it with Hydreigon EX (which isn't a terrible attack by any means. Especially if Aegislash EX and Safeguarders are going to be strong). Maxing out on switch can give you more flexability since there could be situations where you need to switch out more than once a turn. As for the stadium, Scorched Earth should be good since the deck uses fire energy and can really benefit from the extra draw.

The biggest drawback is that a lot of the big Dragons that can benefit from this combo (Latios and Latias from PLF + Rayquaza LTR) are likely going to be rotated this August. So unless we get some other Dragons in the coming set, this will take a huge hit. But the idea of an all basic deck which doesn't autolose to Pyroar/Aegislash/Safeguarders is always compelling. I might make a sample list on deck garage.
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Great combo! But how fast will you be able to get hydreigon or reshiram out? I play Landybats with level ball and in most of my games I can't even hit the turn 2 golbat. I believe there is a lot of potential there, but should every dragon deck run 4 reshirams and 2-3 hydreigon? Or is there another way?
 
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