Discussion Exxegcute Rotated - What now?

[Jorgie]

So with the mighty Egg being rotated, we lose access to one of our favourite resource cards and Abilities in the game. I'm wondering what people are thinking of replacing it with in the next format? For example i'm wondering what to replace Exeggcute with in my Raichu list, it's so great for getting that bench full early game with the help of battle compressor or ultra ball. Same goes for Speed Ray... thoughts?!

 

[thood]

No Pokemon in format really replaces Eggexcute. You could try running a heavier count of Pokemon Fan Club (2-3) to stream Pokemon onto the bench. Another option is playing Robo-Sub. Maybe Hoopa-EX could work as well?

Ability: Bandit Ring
Once during your turn (before your attack), when you play this Pokemon from your hand onto your Bench, you may use this Ability. Search your deck for up to 3 Pokemon-EX (excluding Hoopa-EX), show them to your opponent, and put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.

You could use it to grab a Shaymin EX or two and maybe another EX attacker? Other than that there isn't really another Pokemon with an ability that let's you stream it or another Pokemon into your hand or the bench (that I can think of at least).

 

[Otaku]

With regards to discard costs, didn't some of the early leaks confirm we were getting Energy Recycle System in XY: Ancient Origins? If we are, then there is a good chance that running a single copy of it and a single copy of Sacred Ash should allow nearly all basic Energy and Pokémon cards to function more readily as discard fodder. This has been a common tactic since the original Team Rocket expansion, so while it is hardly guaranteed, historically its got a precedent.

For filling the Bench, I love it when people drop Exeggcute because I'm often running Landorus-EX. With Absol (ROS) as a possible "replacement" for decks that currently enjoy a solid Active/Bench split hit, I'm not sure how well Exeggcute functions in this role. Of course, I just stated I'm clearly biased, so if I've got it wrong, not a surprise. XD

Hoopa-EX may simply become a regular part of Shaymin-EX engines; while it won't combo with Winona it may become a pseudo-Winona that works with non-Colorless Pokémon-EX. Well, something to that effect: that is a loose description.

 

[Pinecone]

There is none at the moment, nothing can compare to the resilience of Eggs. The burst they provided both early and late game is unrivaled. When Skyfield gets bumped it's going to be tougher filling the bench back up. Sacred Ash, Revive, and the newly reprinted Level Ball are going to be critical for keeping the bench full late game. There is also Ninetails PRC, but then Paint Roller becomes a serious problem.