Standard Trying to make Ho-oh work

[JonTheMagneton]

Here's a list I just came up with please let me know if there are any obvious cards I am missing and synergies I can use.

Ho-oh is one of my favourite Pokemon and I absolutely love the Full Art Ho-oh from Breakpoint and it's ability. I know the card will be hard to make work due to it's energy cost (requiring 3 different types of energies), only does 130 to active and 30 to 1 benched pokemon. I'm not expecting this to set the world on fire and become the BDIF, I just want something that can hold it's own and maybe surprise some of the good decks out there.

Here's the pokemon:

* Ho-oh EX (brkpoint) x4
* Paras (gen) x3
* Parasect (gen) x3
* Magearna EX (sts) x1
* Diancie EX (fatesC) x2
* Regice (AncO) x1
* Mew (fatesC) x1

Total Pkm : 15

Ideally I'd like to include a Jolteon EX but sadly I do not own one yet and I'd probably add in another Regice and maybe have it as some sort of vileplumeboxesque type deck. The Parasects are to accelerate energy with it's Colorful Spores attack ( Choose 3 pokemon search deck for 3 different types of basic energies and attach to them) and use energy switches and max elixirs to try and speed up and get Ho-oh attacking asap. The Magearna is in the deck because I have included x4 Rainbow energy and can act as an attacker against Xerneas, as well as provide a decent ability. Diancie serves a similar purpose as Magearna EX. Provides an ability which I am a fan of, and an attack that hits Giratina's big dumb face. Regice is to stall and punish ex decks while mew is in the deck to hit Mewtwo for weakness. (Jolteon would be in the deck to counter mirror matches )

Here's the Trainers and Supporters:

* Professor Sycamore x4
* N x3
* VS Seeker x4
* Trainers' Mail x3
* Max Elixir x3
* Fighting Fury Belt x3
* Ultra Ball x3
* Fores of Plants x2
* Fairy Garden x1
* Fairy Drop x2
* Special Charge x1
* Energy Switch x2
* Ninja Boy x1
* Super Rod/Brock x1

Total: 33

This is the part of the deck I struggle with the most. I want switches/escape ropes but also feel like Fairy Garden is very useful. I want to try exp share as opposed to FFB but I think FFB is just better. I could be wrong though. I also completely forgot about Lysandre and wouldn't know which cards to take out at first glance for it (possibly Ninja boy and something else). I also feel like only 3x Ultra Ball is a mistake and I should maybe put in an Level ball or 2 to get out parasect faster. This is the part of the deck I definitely need help with


Energies:

* Rainbow Energy x4
* Grass Energy x2
* Water Energy x3
* Electric Energy x2
* Fire Energy x1

Total: 12

Debating whether or not to add in Fairy Energies as this deck is so heavily reliant on Rainbows and with the inclusion of Fairy Garden and a second Diancie EX, I feel like it might be a necessity.


The general strategy of the deck is to get the Giant Rainbow Turkey ready to attack as fast as possible and try and make it unkillable with Fairy Drops, it's ability, and PCL (which I have taken out before posting this as I counted the cards wrong -_-). Hit for 130 +10 with FFB and start pinging bench Pokemon. It's no M Blastoise or Primal Kyogre, but being a basic should make it a faster set up (if you can get the energies)

So anyway that's the deck please let me know of any suggestions I should/could make. I plan on building this for league and local fun tournies and I currently do not have Shaymin nor do I want to include it in the deck

Thanks for taking a look

 

[Dalton]

I ran M Manectric Ho-oh at nationals and went 4-2-3. I just struggled so much to set one up, and remember, ONLY BASIC fire energy work for the ability.


4 Ho-Oh EX
2 Manaphy EX
1 Hoopa EX
3-3 Parasect line
2 Shaymin EX (if you have them)

2 Float Stones and 4 Fighting Fury Belts are your preferred tools.
With Manaphy count at two you can make sure you rotate out the 220 Hp beasts and be healing 50 a turn with a fire energy.
When it comes to powering them up, a forest would be your best bet, so you can get turn one Parasect. Then attach to the Benched Ho-Oh army that Hoopa brought out. You can definetly win, if setup works, but garbodor hurts you a ton.

 

[JonTheMagneton]

Oh man I totally forgot the ability is basic Fire energy! That'll change it up a bit. I like the Pokemon line you've put together and I unfortunately do not have 2x Shaymin so i figured a playset of Trainers' Mail would help (it says x3 in my post but I will most definitely play with x4). Since I do not have Shaymins, should Hoopa still be in the deck?

I'll have to rework the energies now and take another look at the T/S cards I've selected with those pokemon changes ((remove garden, drops,etc)

Thank you for your suggestions I really appreciate the help

 

[WastedSkyPirate]

Hi @JonTheMagneton

Ho-oh is a gorgeous card but, from a competitive standpoint, it's not very practical and the current metagame isn't quite right for it. There are not enough low HP Basic Pokemon for it to pick off with 130+30 snipes and there are too many OHKO decks (M Mewtwo-EX, Rainbow Road, Volcanion) that render it's healing powers useless. Not to mention all the Garbodor!

That aside, it can be made to work, but I feel a simple approach is best - it's already a complicated card to set up, so adding in more inconsistency (e.g. Parasect), is probably a bad idea. Instead, I'd prefer to rely on Max Elixir, Smeargle (BKT) and a high Energy Count.

Here is my take:

Spoiler: Ho-oh-EX Deck

Pokemon (10)

3 Ho-oh-EX
2-2 Octillery
2 Smeargle
1 Manaphy-EX

Trainers (36)

4 Professor Sycamore
2 N
1 Lysandre
1 Hex Maniac
1 Skyla

4 VS Seeker
4 Ultra Ball
4 Trainers' Mail
4 Puzzle of Time
4 Max Elixir
2 Fighting Fury Belt
2 Float Stone
1 Escape Rope
1 Super Rod

1 Parallel City

Energy (14)

4 Grass Energy
4 Electric Energy
4 Water Energy
2 Fire Energy

 

[notoptimus]

i run only ho-oh ex as a troll deck. lots of energy, heals, and n/judge to clean up the opponents mulligan draw.

 

[JonTheMagneton]

Hi @WastedSkyPirate

I like the list you're running and the idea behind making it as simple as possible but I have one question: Why only 3x Ho-oh ex? If it's your main attacker and focus of the deck, surely you would want to run 4 right?

 

[WastedSkyPirate]

Hi @WastedSkyPirate

I like the list you're running and the idea behind making it as simple as possible but I have one question: Why only 3x Ho-oh ex? If it's your main attacker and focus of the deck, surely you would want to run 4 right?

Hi Jon.

It's a good point to make and this is something worth testing.

However, as Ho-oh-EX is a complicated card to setup, I'd expect to setup 2 per game, occasionally 3, but never 4. In which case, 3rd and 4th Ho-oh-EXs become undesirable draws in the latter stages of a game. Therefore, I've opted for 3.

 

[oxtepig2020]

Volcarona (aor 17) might be a good idea instead of parasect. It attaches two energy two one ho-oh which will give you a faster set up

 

[BraviaryBoi]

Max Elixir and Smeargle from Breakthrough are good support cards

 

[JonTheMagneton]

@Tepig

While I agree that Volcarona's attack is better than Parasects, I find the ability to be able to turn 1 attack with Parasect (forest of giants plants) more appealing (even if it does spread energy) than waiting a turn to attach 2 energy to a single Ho-oh

 

[amberlink]

@Tepig

While I agree that Volcarona's attack is better than Parasects, I find the ability to be able to turn 1 attack with Parasect (forest of giants plants) more appealing (even if it does spread energy) than waiting a turn to attach 2 energy to a single Ho-oh

You can actually get Volcarona out turn one with forest, so long as you use the grass Larvesta from Steam Siege (Only the thing evolving needs to be grass, so you can still use the same fire Volcarona with Solar Birth)