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Glaceon/Vilepume: Total Lockdown
Name: Glaceon/Vileplume
Author: Alaric M.
Format: MD-CL
Date: March 15, 2011
Since the dawn of time, there have been two forces. The Power, and The Lockdown. Equal and opposite, throughout history, these two forces have been at war. Occasionally, one will get an advantage over the other. Such an advantage never lasts for long though, as the opposing side quickly concocts a response. They are truly twin sides of the same coin.
In this article, I'm going to be discussing a deck that falls definitively on the Lockdown side of the coin, because I feel the Lockdown needs a new champion. Something to remind people that they can't just get away with whatever crazy Power/Trainer combo they want.
Because Glaceon's watching.
The Lockdown has taken many forms over the years. Cessation Crystal, Gardevoir SW's Psychic Lock. Most recently, Power Spray denies peoples Set Ups, crushing them and making way for an easy victory. Spiritomb AR and Vileplume UD provide Trainer lock, further restricting peoples actions.
Rarely though, do you see these two kinds of lock utilized in tandem. Power lock and Trainer lock. The closest thing we have in the metagame is Dialgachomp, and frankly, neither of those locks are absolute.
Glaceon/Vileplume provides a constant, all-game Lockdown nuclear winter, crippling your opponent's deck to the point where you can whisk it away like a single Magikarp in a powerful undertow.
Here is the list.
The List
Pokemon:4 Eevee MD # 62
3 Glaceon MD # 5
1 Glaceon Lv X MD
1 Espeon MD
2 Oddish LA # 112
2 Gloom UD
2 Vileplume UD
4 Spiritomb AR
2 Unown Q MD
2 Uxie LA
1 Uxie Lv X LA
1 Azelf LA
1 Mesprit LA
1 Giratina PL # 9
Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums:
4 Pokemon Collector
4 Bebe's Search
3 Professor Oak's New Theory
2 Cynthia's Feelings
2 Judge
1 Palmer's Contribution
1 Flower Shop Lady
2 Broken Time Space
Energy:
8 Water Energy
4 Rescue Energy
2 Warp Energy
I know what you're thinking. "What, no Trainers? Did he just-" let me stop you right there.
I did.
Honestly, this deck has no use for Trainers. The Engine given is best suited to provide you with all the Pokemon/Energy/Recovery you'll need. It is a full, 60 card list. If you feel the need to make changes, I hope you will do so under the guidance of the rest of the article.
So far, in tournament play, this deck has only lost to Steelix and Dialgachomp. That was without the Flareon tech. This will be discussed later in the article.
The Cards
4 Eevee MD # 62: I use the Call for Family Eevee just for extra donk protection. Never get more than 3 Eevees in play with it though, that just screws up your bench. Also, it has 60 HP.
3 Glaceon MD # 5: It's the only Glaceon with a one Energy attack, and a pretty good one at that. 50% invincibility is great, especially when they can't Warp Point or Bright Look around it. Speed Slide is good for getting around special Metals and Umbreon and stuff.
1 Glaceon Lv X MD: This thing is awesome. You want this active ASAP for its amazing power lock. Avalanche is the attack you want to be using most of the game. It's a bit expensive, but the extra 20 damage spread really helps you get knock outs.
1 Espeon MD: Extra 20 HP is really important against stuff like Gyarados and Machamp Prime. Without Expert Belt this will turn a lot of OHKOs into 2HKOs.
2 Oddish LA # 112: It has 50 HP. The other ones have like double weakness to psychic and only 40 HP, and that's just asking to get Q donked.
2 Gloom UD: 80 HP, one Retreat Cost.
2 Vileplume UD: Trainer lock is the other half of the total Lockdown. Between Spiritomb and this guy, it's likely your opponent will never have an opportunity to play Trainers. Build this before you retreat Spiritomb.
4 Spiritomb AR: Early game Trainer lock, building your Vileplume, Glaceons, and Espeon.
2 Unown Q: For retreating Spiritomb, Uxie Lv X, an undesirable starter, or even the occasional Glaceon. Bear in mind that because there are no Expert Belts in here, you can Q Glaceon guilt free.
2 Uxie LA: Draw, Psychic Restore. It's especially nice in here because with Spiritomb active, you can't be Power Sprayed. Mid to late game you can taunt your opponents by rubbing it in their face that you can use Uxie and they can't.
1 Uxie Lv X: Useful for mid to late game draw, as your hand tends to get a bit stagnant after you set up, and you need to keep getting energies.
1 Azelf LA: Prize ordering and getting prized Pokemon. Yah.
1 Mesprit LA: For power locking turn 1 or 2, before you start Glaceon chaining. Or, if you have to let the lock slip, this can fill the gap.
1 Giratina PT #9: This thing is amazing. It makes the Gyarados matchup, letting you whisk away those pesky Magikarps. Also, just good generally in early game for starting your opponent with a 4 card hand, or taking away their hand just before you get the lock on.
4 Pokemon Collector: Amazing, especially with Spiritomb able to get evolutions, and Collector able to get Spiritombs.
4 Bebe's Search: Necessary, because you can't have Pokemon Communications. Good for getting Glaceon X especially.
3 Professor Oak's New Theory: My favourite all-purpose draw card. Because you don't have anything you absolutely need to keep in your hand, this is great.
2 Cynthia's Feelings: Amazing if you just got knocked out. I run less of these than PONT, because you'll usually want a PONT.
2 Judge: Giratina in Supporter form. Same purpose, destroy their hand and then power lock to prevent them from recovering with a Set Up.
1 Palmer's Contribution: God forbid you should ever lose a Glaceon Lv X without a Rescue Energy on it, this will be necessary. You tend to run out of Energy too. This helps with that.
1 Flower Shop Lady: This is the only deck I've ever intentionally put this card in. Because of the high amount of Basic Energy you lose on a regular basis, this is actually both playable and necessary. 1 Palmer's and 1 Flower Shop Lady forms a nice balance.
2 Broken Time Space: For evolving that Vileplume speedily and helping Glaceon rebuild.
8 Water Energy: Necessary because of the 2 Water 1 Colorless cost of Avalanche. Also good for a quick Snow Cloak
4 Rescue Energy: These are invaluable for making sure you can keep up a steady snowstorm of Lockdown. As long as you have a Glaceon on your bench, and one of these attached when your active Glaceon Lv X gets knocked out, you're good to go.
2 Warp Energy: If somebody somehow manages to get around your Glaceon X and bring up Vileplume, this becomes useful. Also because I'm paranoid about getting Chatter locked after it happened to me once. At Nationals. Yeah.
Techs:
Flareon UD: If Steelix and/or Dialgachomp are big in your area, you'll want this as a tech. Along with some Rainbow and Fire Energies, this can score you at least one knockout. After that, switch back to Glaceon X and the Lockdown should prevent their rebuild, giving you a much better chance at winning those matchups. There's another Flareon in format, but it only does 70 damage, and accounting for Special Metal Energy and Expert Belts, 70 frequently won't be enough.
Umbreon UD: If you're the kind of person that likes Umbreon, go for it. Can be good against Steelix/Scizor by letting you say “Ha! I can't do any damage to you? YOU can't do any damage to ME! HAHA!”.
Glaceon RR: If I had to pick another Glaceon, this'd be it. The minus 10 damage is pretty cool, and this should be a serious consideration if you're going to run Rainbow Energy. The difference between life and death is often 10 HP.
Another Mesprit/Giratina: These are great to drop first turn, so doubling your chance of having them in your starting hand can't be a bad thing.
Strategy:
You start with an early Trainer lock with Spiritomb. Drop a Mesprit/Giratina, and start to set up Vileplume. After that's done, get your Glaceon X on. If you have the time, get a backup Glaceon and Espeon in play. As soon as you can have an active Glaceon X with a benched Vileplume, do it. The total Lockdown is now on. Now would be a good time to drop a Judge, because they will never do another Set Up again. At first it may feel like you're losing on damage and HP, but eventually, the Lockdown will break them. You'll be taking easy prizes and spreading bench damage with Avalanche while they struggle to rebuild, and fail.
Theoretical Testing Results:
Luxchomp Favourable: Without Bright Look and Healing Breath, this matchup is not an issue. All the ways they have normally to knock out Vileplume (Bright Look and Zen Blade) are gone. Plus, once you spread enough Avalanche damage, you start getting OHKOs. The only out they have is to Dragon Rush Vileplume twice. This is extremely difficult logistically, and you can always slap a Rescue Energy on Vileplume just before they knock it out, to completely crush their souls. If they tech a Dialga G Lv X, the matchup goes to slightly favourable, but trust me, they're going to have a lot of trouble getting it set up between the judges, power lock, and Trainer lock.Dialgachomp Extremely Unfavourable: This deck is basically a Poke-Body combo with Metal weakness, so yeah, Dialgachomp is a bit of an issue. If you can prevent them from setting up at all, you can win. Otherwise, multiple Remove Lost OHKOs will destroy you. The Flareon tech helps here.
VileGar Favourable: Because your Trainer count is 0, and Glaceon X shuts off Fainting Spell, this matchup is an easy win. Don't bother setting up your Vileplume. Just go straight for the jugular with a quick Glaceon X. After all, what are they going to do, Level you Down? Oh no wait, that's right, they can't.
Steelix Extremely Unfavourable: Their high HP and easy OHKOs take you down. The fact that you stop their Nurse Call is a non-issue. Often you won't even have a Glaceon X active, because they're just getting knocked out so dang fast. Again, disrupting their set up with Mesprit/Giratina is your best option here. Flareon tech helps as well, because if you can fell one Steelix, the lock can often prevent them from procuring another.
Machamp Prime Slightly Favourable, Machamp Take Out Favourable: Machamp tends to set up slowly anyway, giving you an opportunity to lock them. As long as you don't Avalanche them and you get your Espeon in play, you're a 2HKO as opposed to a OHKO. A Snow Cloak and a Zen Blade or a Snow Cloak and 2 Speed Slides will do the trick. Speed Machamp tends to lose because of the Power/Trainer lock. You can prevent them from setting up and paste them pretty efficiently.
Gyarados Slightly Favourable: Trainer lock disrupts them greatly, making it hard for them to set up and rebuild. If you have your Espeon in play, you're a 2HKO, letting you match KO for KO, and beat their rebuild. Giratina and Judge make it hard for them to set up, even if they use Sableye.
Lostgar Favourable: Much in the same way you beat speed Machamp, you beat this deck. Speed Lostgar tends to be over reliant on mid game Set Ups, Spooky Whirlpool, and Trainers for draw power. As long as the lock goes as planned, you should win this one.
If you're looking for something cool to play (pun intended) at Regional's, and you enjoy a good Lockdown, look no further than Glaceon/Vileplume.
