honchvire
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ZEEBZ
by: Zach Z.
Date: March 2012
Latest set released: NEXt Destinies
Current Format: HGSS - NXD
Lightning has been a very strong type ever since B/W was released. Zekrom has seen play at top tables in a variety of different decks such as ZPST, DonphanDragons, 6Corners, ZekromEels, and even Magnezone. With the release of Next Destinies and ZekromEX, it doesn’t look like the big Z is going anywhere soon.
The second reason why lightning has such a strong presence in our metagame today is this little bugger, Eelektrik.
With all the hype surrounding Zekrom and the Eels, its easy to forget about another strong lightning Z, ZEBSTRIKA!
Zebstrika has free retreat, weakness to :fighting:, and 90HP. In the EX format where basics have as much as 180HP, 90 seems low and silly to have as the main attacker in a deck. But fear not! What Zebstrika lacks in HP, it can compensate for with two GREAT attacks that can give its player almost complete control over the gamestate.
Zebstrika is very similar to Manectric-ex. Its first attack, Disconnect, deals a solid 40 damage and puts a condition on the opponent that states they cannot play any Item cards from their hand during their next turn. For those of you who may not have been playing that long, that means any Trainer card that isn’t a Supporter or Stadium. So yes, older cards like Dual Ball and Lost Remover are prevented by Disconnect, as well as Level Ball and Crushing Hammer, even though they aren’t explicitly labeled as Trainer-Items.
Zebstrika’s second attack, Lightning Crash, lets you choose one of your opponent’s Pokémon and deal 80 damage to it, at the cost of discarding all :lightning: energy attached to Zebstrika. This attack is great for picking off supporting pokemon like Shaymin, Celebi, Cleffa, Dodrio, and Victini to snag that last couple of prizes in a match.
In this deck, we are going to use the Eels to help us ensure we have a steady stream of Zebras ready to Disconnect our way to VICTORY!
Here is a skeleton list of a Zebstrika-focused deck, after which I will discuss various techs that can be used to fill out the empty slots.
16 Pokémon
4 Blitzle NV
4 Zebstrika ND
4 Tynamo NV
3 Eelektrik NV
1 Cleffa HS
27 T/S/S
4 Pokemon Collector
4 Level Ball
4 Junk Arm
4 Professor Oak’s New Theory
2 Professor Juniper
3 N
3 Catcher
2 PokeGear
1 Super Rod
10 Lightning Energy
This is a basic 53 card list. I’ve already talked about Zebstrika and Eelektrik, so we'll take a moment to examine their basics, Blitzle and Tynamo.
There are 2 different Tynamos, and both are good to have for this deck. Which one you choose really depends on what your Metagame looks like.
The 30HP Tynamo is the better choice here simply because he has a free retreat. If you remember, Eel can only attach energy to Benched Pokemon, so having a free retreating Pokémon can be invaluable for setting up a new attacker after a KO. Simply make the free retreating Pokémon your active, then Dynamotor your energies, retreat and keep attacking!
If your Metagame has a lot of Kyurem, Chandelure or Tyrogue, consider playing at least one or two of the 40HP Tynamo. All of these Pokémon can do a quick 30 damage which can keep you from ever getting an Eel evolved.
The last Pokémon, Cleffa, needs only a little discussion. Cleffa is used as a starter for its ZERO energy attack, Eeeeeeek. This lets you shuffle your hand in and draw a hand of 6 new cards and then Cleffa falls asleep. While asleep, Cleffa is immune to all damage from attacks so it can make for a tiny wall in a pinch.
Also Cleffa is another free retreating Pokémon, which works really well with Dynamotor to keep attackers coming.
How to Train your Zebra:
Many of the Trainers in this deck are staples, so I will only briefly go over each one, but there are a few that deserve special mention.
Pokemon Collector: Used to find your Blitzles, Tynamos and Cleffas. Best if played in the first few turns of the game. Usually Junk Arm fodder later in the game.
PokéGear: Can help you find Pokemon Collector in the first few turns and draw Supporters during the rest. It is an Item, so you can Junk Arm for it. It is invaluable for finding ways out of a dead hand.
Professor Oak’s New Theory: A shuffle and draw Supporter. This card helps make sure you always have cards in your hand that you can play.
Professor Juniper: Discard your hand and draw 7. Can combo well with Dynamotor to get lightning energies in the discard. This also will get you the most new cards of any Supporter. It is useful if you are digging for that ONE card that will win you the game.
N: Another shuffle and draw Supporter, but this one serves double duty as a disruption card. Zebras are squishy, and at least a few of them are going to be KO’d during the course of a game. N punishes players for taking prizes by reducing how many cards they draw. This is one of the best cards to help create a come-from-behind victory.
Pokémon Catcher: Lets you choose one of your opponent’s Pokémon and makes it their active. This is great for Zebstrika as you can control who is active on your opponent’s side of the field, and they can’t do the same back to you, due to Disconnect. Mostly used to damage key targets on your opponent’s side and attack Pokémon who aren’t ready to attack you back yet.
Level Ball: Arguably THE most important card in this deck. Level Ball can search out Blitzle, Tynamo, Cleffa, Eelektrik, and even Zebstrika. This card makes your deck run, as the power to find any pokemon you need is incredible.
Junk Arm: The SECOND most important card in this deck. Lets you reuse any Item card at the cost of discarding 2 cards from your hand. It is very versatile as it can be whatever you need, when you need it to be. Also great for getting lightning energy in the discard for you to Dynamotor.
Super Rod: Recovers Pokémon and basic energy back into the deck. Not necessary for every game or match-up, but it can help out in the later game, especially if you had to discard something you didn’t want to earlier due to Juniper or Junk Arm.
Gameplan: To Disconnect quickly and often to disrupt your opponents setup, then Lightning Crash the remaining Pokémon to VICTORY!
Starting out: You will want one of two things to happen on your first turn. You either want Blitzle to be your active at the end of your turn with an energy attached so that you can flip for Agility OR you want a free retreating Pokémon in your active spot(usually Cleffa or a Blitzle that can evolve to free retreat) so that you can Dynamotor on your next turn and get your Disconnect going right away. If possible, try and get 2 Tynamos and 2 Blitzles in play right away, so you will have a back up of each in case one gets KO’d. On turn 2, you want to find a way to get 2 energy on a Zebstrika so that you can begin Disconnecting.
From there, the game is yours. You are free to play your Items such as Catcher, while preventing your opponent from doing so. Try and keep a steady stream of Zebras coming. One of the hardest things to learn is when to drop the Item-Lock. Its going to happen sometime. At some point you will need to Lightning Crash, or switch to a back up attacker. When you’re ready to do this, N can be your best friend. Drop their hand to 2-4 cards and take out whatever key target you need. This should help keep your opponent from using a TON of Item cards on you during that time.
Tech My Zebra!
There are a lot of different options out there for those last few spots. As you may have noticed, Zebstrika doesn’t do a lot of damage, so its nice to bring some friends along to help out. Lets discuss the alternate energy options out there first.
Infinite Zebras - Rescue Energy
Rescue Energy pulls double duty. One, if the Pokémon Rescue energy is attached to is KO’d by damage from an attack, it goes directly back to your hand. This ensures you always will have a back-up Zebra to attack with so that you can keep Disconnecting all game. Secondly, Rescue Energy isn’t discarded if you Lightning Crash, so you can power that Zebra back up quickly.
Technicolor Zebras - Prism Energy
Prism energy provides all colors when attached to a basic, like Blitzle. If that Blitzle evolves, it then only provides Colorless. This makes it so that it isn’t discarded when Zebstrika Lightning Crashes. It also allows you to play some other Basic Pokémon Techs into your deck, such as Terrakion or Shaymin EX.
DoubleVision Zebras - Double Colorless Energy
DCE as it is commonly called doesn’t really help Zebstrika that much, as it only provides colorless. But it can be used to retreat heavier pokemon, like Eelektrik, or power up alternate attackers like MewtwoEX, ZekromEX, Tornadus, or Regular-Old-Zekrom. Like the other two energies, it isn’t discarded when you Lightning Crash, so its not completely awful if attached to a Zebra.
Those are your best bets for alternate energy techs. I personally prefer Rescue Energy, but depending on the deck and playstyle you have, you may find others useful as well. Lets move on to Trainer Techs!
Hand Disruption - Judge
Judge is another disruption card like N. It forces both players to shuffle their hands in and draw only 4 cards. Its better than N early game, and worse than N late game, but is an option if you want to mess with your opponent even more.
Feeling Fatigued - Lost Remover and Crushing Hammer
Lost Remover and Crushing Hammer can remove your opponents energy from their Pokemon. Lost Remover is guaranteed, but it only works on Special Energy Cards. Crushing Hammer requires a flip, but can work on any energy on your opponent’s field. This can be especially devastating if your opponent doesn’t run, or can’t set up his or her energy acceleration due to Disconnect.
Heal Me Up Scotty - Pokemon Center
Pokemon Center lets each player remove 2 damage counters from one of their benched pokemon each turn. Since Zebstrika has free retreat, one could easily cycle between 2 attackers, healing each turn to keep their Zebras alive as long as possible. Two things to remember: Your opponent can use it too, and with only 90HP, Zebstrika isn’t likely to take more than 1 - 2 hits anyway.
Surf‘s Up! - Tropical Tidal Wave
Given out to players at the 2010 World Championships, this card can be a little card to come by. When you play it, you flip a coin. If heads, you discard all of your opponent’s Items and Stadiums. If tails, you discard all of your own. It is useful if your opponent gets an Eviolite or some other tool or Stadium in play that you don’t like.
Now You’re Playing With Power - PlusPower
You need 10 more damage sometimes. With PlusPower, you get it! This card is useful for turning 2HKOs into OHKOs and 3HKOs into 2HKOs and so on. Something to note: it will add damage to Lightning Crash ONLY if you are attacking the active.
A New Hairdo - Rocky Helmet
Since your opponent won’t be able to play Catcher due to Disconnect, their only option for attack will be your active. If your active Pokémon is damaged by an opponent’s attack while wearing this helmet, the attacking Pokémon takes 2 damage counters back. Over the course of the game those damage counters start to add up. This also may make your opponent think twice about attacking your Zebra. Rocky Helmet also allows the Zebra to stand up to those popular 130HP Dragons and Disconnect without much fear.
Change Places! - Switch
A staple in many decks, Switch lets you switch one of your Pokémon from the active position with one on the bench. This effectively gives you a second retreat for the turn, which you can use to Dynamotor energy to a Pokémon you want to attack with. Its also good for getting Pokémon out of the active position if they got there when you didn't want them to be. It probably deserves at least one spot in your deck, and you might want more if you decide to play more back-up attackers.
The last list of techs to discuss would be Pokémon Techs.
SPOREPRISE! - Amoongus ND
Amoongus has an interesting ability. When you evolve into Amoongus, you inflict a Poison and Confuse condition on your opponent’s active. This is useful only if your opponent has a big pokemon who cannot easily retreat out of the conditions. The poison can also be used like a PlusPower to get that little bit of extra damage you might need for a KO. Also Amoongus has 90HP which makes him compatible with Level Ball.
Let Me Get a Piece o’ That - Weavile UD
Weavile has a Poké-Power that lets you look at your opponent’s hand and discard a card. Knowledge of your opponent’s hand is HUGE as it allows you to predict what they will be able to do on their turn. This can help you decide when it is best to drop the Item Lock. The discard can be used in a variety of ways: getting rid of supporters, evolutions of pokemon, energy, or important Items so that you can attack with something that isn’t Disconnect for a turn. It can be hard to know when the best time to use Weavile is, but the effect is almost always worth it. Sneasel and Weavile also have free retreat, and Weavile has 80HP so it is Level Ball compatible.
The King of Lightning - Zekrom BW
There is a reason Zekrom has been in so many different decks. It is really good! With 130HP and Outrage, an attack that does extra damage for every damage counter on Zekrom, many players will think twice about attacking Zekrom if they can’t OHKO it. Bolt Strike also does a solid 120 damage and 40 damage back to Zekrom, which can be useful for putting the hurt on big things. Sometimes you just need a more solid attacker, and Zekrom fit’s the bill well. Being a basic makes him easily searchable with Pokemon Collector. His only real drawback is his 2 retreat cost, which can keep you from getting that early Disconnect if you happen to start with him.
You Called Down the Thunderbird - Zapdos ND
Zapdos has a solid 120HP and two nifty attacks. The first, for :lightning::colorless::colorless: lets you deal 50 damage to any one of your opponent’s Pokemon. Similar to Lightning Crash, though there is no discard and it does less damage. It is also compatible with DCE. Zapdos’ second attack costs :lightning::colorless::colorless::colorless: and has you flip four coins. For each heads the attack does 50 damage to your opponent’s active. There’s potential to deal 0 damage(which will KO nothing) or 200 damage(which will KO EVERYTHING). The real benefit to running Zapdos is his resistance to :fighting:. This will allow you to go toe-to-toe with Fighting decks like Donphan without worry. His retreat cost of 2 gives him the same problems as Zekrom though.
Now Reap the Whirlwind - Tornadus EP
Tornadus is another basic Pokemon with :fighting: resistance. His attack, Hurricane, deals 80 damage and has you move a basic energy to one of your benched Pokemon. This can help set-up alternate attackers. His retreat cost is better than Zapdos, but has 10 less HP and wont really hit anything for Weakness. Also, 80 damage is already achievable through Lightning Crash, and if you’re going to put in a back-up attacker, you probably will want something that can hit harder than Zebstrika. Tornadus isn’t a bad play, by any means, but may not be the best option, unless fighting is very prevalent in your metagame.
Kick Some Grass - ShayminEX
ShayminEX hits for 30 damage plus 30 more damage for each prize card your opponent has taken. He requires at least one Grass Energy, so you’ll either have to play those, or Prism if you want to include him. He is especially useful for KO ing a big mean attacker late in the game, but be aware that he only has 110HP and gives up two prizes if he is KO’d. Resistance to :fighting: is a plus, and he can OHKO Terrakion’s after they take 2 prizes. Speaking of Terrakion…
Punishing the Lightning - Terrakion NV
As I mentioned earlier, Lightning is a very popular type right now and most Lightning types are weak to :fighting:. Terrakion requires :fighting::colorless: to attack, so you would need to play either Fighting energy or Prism. His attack does 30 damage plus 60 more damage if any of your Pokémon were KO’d by damage from an attack last turn. Terrakion preys on overzealous Lightning Types and other :fighting: weak Pokémon by hitting them for 180 damage after a KO. His retreat cost is awful, so you better run more switch if you happen to start with him, but he can be a strong mid-late game attacker.
O.Z. Original Zebra - Zebstrika BW
Zebstrika BW is an oft overlooked rare from the Black & White Expansion. Initially, his stats don’t look that impressive: :fighting: weakness, :colorless: retreat. His first attack does 30 damage for a single :colorless:. His second attack costs :lightning::lightning::lightning: which seems impossible to power up on a 90HP Pokemon. Luckily we have Eels. The second attack, Electricspark, is where its at. It deals 70 damage to the active and 10 damage to each of your opponents bench. This can KO multiple pokemon at once, or set-up 90HP Pokemon for an easy Lightning Crash KO. The best use I’ve found for this is during the Mid-Late game, once you have damage on several different Pokemon through Disconnect. This Zebra can come as a complete surprise to your opponent, and leave them without important support pokemon or attackers. Its not terrible in the early game either, for spreading damage around on Dragons, though I wouldn’t recommend using more than one, as Disconnect is far more important. Definitely a Pokémon to consider.
This Guy is in EVERYTHING - MewtwoEX
MewtwoEX is played in almost every deck simply because it can hit for heavy damage, and it can OHKO an opponent’s MewtwoEX if they get too aggressive with it. In here, its especially useful, because you can power it up quickly with Dynamotor or DCE, and Disconnect protects it from being Catcher’d before you are ready. This is a very powerful back-up attacker, but remember that if you opponent KO’s it, they get two prizes. The two retreat cost hurts its, but its almost definitely worth at least one slot, if not two in this deck.
Wish I Was Still Relevant - Entei-RaikouLegend(ERL)
When ERL first came out, it was a powerful game ender. Every player had Pokémon on their field that had Poké-Powers and ERL did 80 damage to each of them for only two energy. With the release of BW, the Ability Mechanic replaced Poké-Bodies and Poké-Powers, and decks found themselves with less Poké-Power Pokémon for ERL to target. These days, there are still some Pokémon with Powers that see play, such as Shaymin UL, Celebi Prime, Typhlosion Prime, Magnezone Prime, and Jirachi. While not quite as powerful as before, ERL could be a nice game ender. If you wanted to play with it, you’d have to run Pokémon Communication instead of Level Ball, and that alone makes it one of the lesser options for techs.
That’s it. Those are the Pokémon best fit to tech into your Zebra Deck.
“But wait, what about ZekromEX???”
ZekromEX is a strong Pokémon alright, but his negatives outweigh his positives for this particular deck. ZekromEX has 180HP and has two attacks. The first, Glinting Claw, costs :lightning::colorless::colorless: and hits for 50 damage and hits for 30 more damage if you can hit heads on a coin flip. I’ve already listed several Pokemon that can hit for 80+ damage for 3 or less energy(Zebstrika ND, Tornadus, Zekrom, Terrakion) and none of them give up two prizes when they are KO’d. ZekromEX’s second attack costs :lightning::lightning::colorless::colorless: and does 150 damage at the cost of discarding two energy. That seems pretty good with Eels, except for two things: Eels can only attach to benched Pokemon and ZekromEX has a retreat cost of 3 energy which makes it difficult to switch between an Active and Benched ZekromEX without some outside help. Also, starting with ZekromEX is awful, as it will be very difficult to get an early Disconnect off, and it could put you behind two prizes right off the bat if your opponent can KO it. If you REALLY wanted to make a deck with ZekromEX, you’d need to put in several other cards like Skyarrow Bridge, several DCEs, 3-4 Switches and probably Eviolite so that he doesn’t get KO’d as easily by Terrakion. This takes ZekromEX out of the realm of a TECH and turns it into the focus of a DECK.
A Match-up Made in Heaven
I’ve listed several different techs that can be used depending on your metagame and playstyle. For this section, I am going to assume a basic, no-frills Zebstrika list, and then give you some additional tech options if the particular deck is prevalent in your metagame.
Magnezone - Slightly Favorable to Favorable
Magnezone relies on Items to set up its main attacker. If you can get a turn 2 Disconnect, it should be pretty easy to keep them out of Magnezones for most of the match. Catcher Eels and Tynamos to stop their energy acceleration. You will lose a fair amount of Zebras in the process, but once their Magnezone is out of the picture, you can safely N them and clean up with Lightning Crash or a back-up attacker.
Consider these techs:
Amoongus can make this matchup easier by allowing you to turn off Magnezone’s Magnetic draw, and making Zekrom less of a threat as an attacker. Terrakion also provides a venue to get easy KO’s. Zebstrika BW can take several prizes at once if they can’t evolve their Magnemites quick enough, and can set Eels up for easy Lightning Crash KO’s. ERL wont KO Magnezone with Thunder Fall and wont even target the Eels, but it will deal a decent amount of damage to all Magnezones in play. Rocky Helmet is a solid choice for putting Pokemon into easy Lightning Crash range.
ZekromEels - Even to Slightly Favorable
Zekrom still relies on Eels and Items to keep the damage going, and luckily Glinting Claw doesn’t OHKO you. They usually come out of the gate faster than Magnezone, so you may have to break the Disconnect lock earlier that you want to. Early Eviolites hurt and can lose you the match right away if they get too many in play. This deck DOES run DCE so Catchering Eels and then Disconnecting is not as effective as it is VS Magnezone. Luckily, the deck loses quite a bit of steam if it loses its Eel Support. If you can KO Tynamos before they evolve, do so. Catchering a ZekromEX when it has 0 or 1 energy attached and Disconnecting can buy you a few turns and set you up for a 2-prize KO later. Also, N is effective as they don’t have the built in draw power of Magnezone. It definitely takes some practice, but this is a very winnable match.
Consider these techs:
Terrakion is a guaranteed OHKO if they don’t have Eviolite. Tropical Tidal Wave can be brilliant to get rid of pesky Eviolites. Judge and Weavile can really mess with their setup, if they hit early enough. Rocky Helmet is solid choice for racking up damage.
CMT/EXTC - Even to Slightly Unfavorable
They can take quick prizes on you, and the possibility of the Donk is very threatening as you run several basics with 40HP or less. However, the long game is yours, as Celebi makes an easy Lightning Crash prize and Tornadus is weak to Lightning. Try to Disconnect as long as you can, but watch the prize count very carefully. N can be devastating during the lategame.
Consider these techs:
Playing with several Mewtwos and DCEs would help this match up immensely once they decide to start attacking with Mewtwo rather than Tornadus. Weavile can be very good once you send out your own Mewtwo to try and prevent them from KOing you right back. Rocky Helmet turns Mewtwo into a 3HKO with Disconnect, and can be useful for racking up damage on Tornadus too. Lost Remover/Crushing Hammer are good for keeping energy off of their field.
Durant - Slightly Favorable to Favorable
This matchup honestly comes down to how quickly you can get that first Disconnect, and how many Eviolites the Durant player has gotten out in that time. If they get 0 or 1, the game is really easy. 2 and the game gets a little tougher. If they manage to get 3 or more, then you will need to adjust your strategy quite a bit. Disconnect 2HKOs any ant without an Eviolite. Your goal will be to KO as many ants as you can with Disconnect, saving the ones with Eviolite for last. If they get more than 2 Eviolites out, you will need to switch your strategy up and start attacking with a back up attacker like Zekrom.
Consider these techs:
Lost Remover and Crushing Hammer can be really useful, especially if the Durant player attempts to use Rescue Energy to circumvent your Item-lock. Zekrom is your best bet for back up attacker. Tropical Tidal Wave is also great for getting rid of those Eviolites.
xCorners - Favorable
Since this deck doesn't play any form of Energy Acceleration, you can usually play the game of "Follow the Energy." The usual strategy against this deck is to keep their energy off the field by KOing whatever has energy first. The anti-lightning tech this deck usually plays is Terrakion. Lucky for you, Terrakion HATES being active before it is ready. If you Catcher one early and Disconnect, they will either be forced to Shaymin a bunch of Energy onto it so it can OHKO, or let you chip away at its health with Disconnect. Some might try and use Kyurem against you, so don’t be afraid to KO it with a backup attacker right away. N can be really disruptive later in the game.
Consider these techs:
Lost Remover/Crushing Hammer is the preferred counter to this deck, since they play no energy acceleration and usually have a lot of special energy in play. ShayminEX is good at KOing Terrakions after they have taken 2 prizes. Plus Power and Rocky Helmet really helps get the KO against the various Outrage Dragons.
CaKE - Even to Slightly Unfavorable
The biggest threat with this deck is Kyurem. If they manage to get off three Glaciates, your field will be absolutely decimated. You may have to break the Disconnect Lock early to ensure a quick KO on Kyurem. There are a few positives. Voltorb only has 40HP so Disconnect KO’s it. Cobalion is not really a threat at all, as you wont likely be KO’d from Energy Press, and you can easily retreat out of Iron Breaker. Don’t be afraid to bring out an alternate attacker early if it will save you from death by Glaciates or remove the rest of their energy off of the field.
Consider these techs:
Amoongus can save you from back-to-back Glaciates, forcing them to retreat, or flip for confusion. Weavile can discard Electrodes out of their hand. Pokemon Center can help save a few of your Eels or Zebras from death by Glaciate. Lost Remover/Crushing Hammer are great for this matchup since they only have sporadic energy acceleration and play a decent amount of special energy.
LaKE - Unfavorable
LaKE has the same weakness as CaKE in Voltorb, but they usually play less Special Energy and Landorus can rip though Zebras pretty soundly. Landorus also resists Lightning, so if they manage to get an Eviolite on one, your Disconnects will be doing ZERO damage. Your best hope is to KO Voltorbs before they Evolve and target everything you can that isn’t Landorus.
Consider these techs:
This is a matchup where anti-fighting techs really shine. Zapdos can snipe Voltorbs, and if you flip enough heads, can OHKO everything in their deck. Tornadus won’t OHKO much, but can deal a good amount of damage quickly. Weavile is still good at disrupting set up. N and ShayminEX can do a good job at mounting a comeback, and Crushing Hammer/Lost Remover may make Landorus spend time using Abundant Harvest rather than Gaia Hammer.
QuadTerrakion - Slightly Favorable
Initially, this might seem like a bad match-up. However, this deck is highly reliant on Items like Heavy Ball and EXPshare. You may go down a few prizes, but if you just keep Disconnecting and Catchering Terrakions before they are set up, you should be able to win this one pretty soundly. N can be pretty mean too. If they are playing a version with Landorus, then the matchup swings hard towards the Unfavorable spectrum. You can still pull off a win by keeping them from playing Dual Balls, Heavy Balls and EXPshares and using hand disruption to keep them from finding more Pokémon, but LandorusTerrakion is much more difficult than QuadTerrakion is.
Consider these techs: Tropical Tidal Wave would be good to get rid of EXPshare and Eviolite. Rocky Helmet and PlusPower make it so you will KO Terrakions more quickly. Crushing Hammer would also work well to slow down their attacking. Weavile could make it nearly impossible for them to find another Terrakion.
Donphan/Landorus in general - Very Unfavorable to Impossible
Lets face it, Donphan is a nearly unwinnable match-up for a generic Zebstrika deck. Landorus is pretty bad too. Doing zero damage with Disconnect, while they OHKO your attackers is really bad. If either of these Pokémon is the focus of your opponent’s deck you will be in for a very hard match. The only real way to win this is in your techs.
Consider these techs: Zapdos has the potential to OHKO and will be able to take at least 1-2 hits before being knocked out. Tornadus in multiples can preserve energy attachements and 2HKO their attackers. Amoongus and Disconnect versus Donphan can save a few Zebras. Rocky Helmet can make it so that you do at least a little damage to them.
Vileplume Varients - Favorable to Very Favorable
It doesn’t REALLY matter which Pokémon is paired with Vileplume, all the match ups versus them are pretty much in your favor. The usual course of action Vileplume players are used to is “Bench two Oddish, one gets KO’d, then Rare Candy the remaining one into Vileplume.” Disconnect really messes with that, because it can happen just as quickly as Rare Candy + Vileplume, but has the added effect of KOing an Oddish as well. If played right, you can easily Disconnect Oddishes, and Lightning Crash Glooms so that they can never get a Vileplume in play. Even if they manage to get a Vileplume built somehow, two lightning crashes will KO it. Once Vileplume is out of the picture, you can relax and use your Items to break out of whatever shenanigans your opponent had planned. Also, since their deck doesn’t really use Items anyway, you can safely use whatever attacks and attackers you want. Here is a quick breakdown of a few of the Common Vileplume Varients.
The Truth
Their big attacker can be scary, but a back up attacker like MewtwoEX or Zekrom should be able to take care of it. The only real way for them to win is to get Vileplume and Reuniclus. There is no way this should happen. Even if they get Vileplume out early, Lightning Crash would be enough to KO Solosis and Duosion.
Chandelure
Once again they should not be able to keep a Vileplume for long. Dodrio is an easy target for Lightning Crash too. Be aware of three things though: Many Chandelure lists run DCE now so they can play Mewtwo EX. This will allow them to retreat without a Dodrio. Chandelure can do some solid damage to you if you let it get 3 energy in play. Chandelure has a very strong come-from-behind ability by using Twins, Tropical Beach and N. Still, this is one of your easiest matchups overall.
Vanilluxe
With Vileplume out of the picture, switches will let you break out of paralysis easy. Even if they manage to paralyze you a few times with Vileplume in play, Victini is an easy target on the bench. They usually wont be able to keep up with the prize trade. Another fairly easy match.
The Mirror - Coinflip
Sadly, the mirror match really comes down to that opening coin flip and who can get that first Disconnect off. The player who does that first has a huge advantage. If you can force your opponent to break the Disconnect lock first, you can swing it back to your favor.
Consider these techs:
Item-based techs wont be very effective, though Rocky Helmet is really useful at turning opposing Zebstrikas into 2HKOs. You will need to drop it as quickly as you can though. Zebstrika BW also can be super effective. Many players will take two Disconnects and then retreat to a fresh Zebstrika, leaving themselves open for a multi-prize Electricspark, which could break the Item lock for both sides. Rescue Energy really pulls its weight, allowing you to keep having fresh Zebras without making you search for them.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, Zebstrika can be a very versatile deck with lots of different options on how to play with it. In my opinion, the most useful tech cards are Zekrom, MewtwoEX, Zebstrika BW, Rocky Helmet, Lost Remover, and Rescue Energy, but I hope I’ve given you all plenty to consider when building a Zebstrika deck to fit your playstyle. Whatever techs you use, remember that the turn two Disconnect is always the primary goal and that entire games can be won or lost in those first few turns.
My name is Zach “ZeeBrah” Zamora, and I approved this message.
Zebstrika 2012
