Help Worth it to Tech Karen?

FoolMeNever2

FoolMeNever2

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hey all, been freakin' years since I posted here, but, I finally decided to get back into the game with the release of Sun and Moon.

So, I'm heading to a league challenge next Saturday, and I honestly don't know the local players well enough to get a bead on what decks will be run. For context, I'm running a semi-budget Mantis Lock deck. My question is; without even being able to form an educated guess on deck status, would it be worth it to tech a Karen just in case of Bees?
 
I, for my part don't think so.
Imma just assume you mean in standard.
You see some bees buzzing about but i don't really think that deck is too effective. If you have a major weakness it might be a good idea. But i wouldn't put it in. If you have a free space at the end it probably wouldn't hurt putting her in. But only if you don't have anything better for fillage
 
I assume by Mantis Lock you are referring to Lurantis/Vileplume. If that's the case, I'd say probably not. The reason I say that is your item lock should be strong enough to disrupt Vespiquen players anyway, and you'll start scoring one-shots on them fairly early in the game.

Also, you typically will be dumping away a lot of Pokemon early (excess Vileplume pieces, for example), so a Karen can actually clog your deck up pretty badly once the item lock hits the board, making it more difficult to draw valuable energy cards/Lysandres/etc.

If, however, you are referring to Lurantis/Garbodor that is an entirely different discussion as the entire deck's build philosophy is different. Ultimately, my answer on this one would come down to what your list is filled with and how well you can handle Vespiquen without it.
 
For a League Challenge, I would say no. I have been playing the Vespiquen archetype (and its predecessor Flareon PLF) religiously for two years now, but it is a deck I will almost never use in best-of-one play such as an LC. The deck is prone to unplayable starting hands, and losing just one game in a League Challenge ends your chances of getting first place. Karen's only real use is to counter Vespiquen, as Super Rod is generally more efficient, getting back only the things you need (and nothing you don't which could clog your deck), plus the option of recovering Basic Energy. However, Vespiquen just isn't a consistent play for League Challenges by design. It is suited for best-of-three play because you can expect to dead draw at least once in an event. I wouldn't expect to see that much of it in your event. As far as recovery cards you, Lurantis-GX and Vilpleume decks run at least one Revitalizer, which is even more efficient since it puts the Pokemon right into your hand. This is likely the only thing you will need. However, if you are concerned about recovering additional resources you could consider Brock's Grit since you won't be able to play Items once Vileplume hits the field.
 
Oh yeah, no, I run a revitalizer. I was mostly just considering running Karen for the Vespiquen tech, not because I felt like I need more recovery.
 
I don't think so for the reason being it helps two or three other powerful meta decks out, being Mega Rayquaza and Mega Gardevoir out and beating maybe one deck isn't that useful. Also in general you don't want to give your opponents back their Shaymins and Hoopas. If you need recovery, use Super Rod or Brock's Grit since in most cases it will give you back what you need.
 
In standard, absolutely not. And I am a huge proponent of the card.

In expanded, depends on the deck, but if you are running a heavy ex primary attacker without a way to hit bench sitters, I would generally say yes. Night March really is that fast.
 
Also, there is a new Oricorio that can punish large amounts of Pokemon in the opponent's discard pile.
 
Definitely can be. I have a number of decks that use Karen to provide a heavy extension on copies of evolution line Pokémon. This enables heavier and less liable use of Professor Sycamore/Professor Juniper and Ultra Ball. You can click the link in my sig and scroll through my collection to get a graphic example of what I mean.
 
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