Dendrobatida
New Member
I'd like to present several versions of a deck engine I've been tinkering with, one that is legal now, and one that will be legal when the next set is released. You'll see the basic strategy is the same, though the execution of the combo differs slightly. What I'm mostly interested in is seeing what everyone here thinks would be the ideal hitter for the second version of the deck.
Here's the basic concept: You hit really hard every turn , and never get knocked out. In fact, unless your opponent can do more than 110 damage in one turn, they will, hopefully, never take a prize.
First, the currently-legal list:
2 pidgey d
2 pidgeotto d
2 pidgeot POP2
2 spearow
2 fearow d
2 wingull
2 pelipper d
2 Rayquaza d (power blow)
2 Mewtwo d
1 Rayquaza *
4 Holon's Castform
Total: 23
3 Holon Mentor
4 transciever
2 scientist
1 adventurer
4 TV reporter/Bill's Maintenance/etc.
4 Celio's Network
3 Briney
4 windstorm
Total: 25
12 Lightning Energy
Total: 12
TOTAL: 60
By first seeking out your fearow d, you should be able to set up fairly quickly. Your bench should consist of a pidgeot, a pelipper, and a fearow. The active will be rayquaza d (there is nothing better in the format currently that works here. Next format, though...well, keep reading...) . Load energy onto that rayquaza to your heart's content. Each time it takes damage, drop another one on the bench, drop the mewtwo, trans the energy to the new one, and use pelipper to pull back the damaged one. Activate pidgeot. Pick up the damaged rayquaza, and stick it into the deck. Grab it again with fearow for the next turn, and attack with the newly activated rayquaza. When you get an opportunity, pick up the mewtwo d. The briney's will help with this if you get behind a turn. Using this repetition, you should be able to maintain a consistent battery of refreshed rayquazas.
They are, however, more vulnerable than you'd like, and the mewtwo is not the ideal way to manipulate the energy. All of that will come in the next format, with the real infinity engine. That looks like this:
4 Mareep d (or 3 in rayquaza version)
3 Flaafy d (2 in rayquaza version)
2 Ampharos d (Unnecessary in the rayquaza -ex d version, which then opens up space for trainers)
2 Ampharos (UF)
2 wingull
2 pelipper d
2 spearow
2 fearow d
2 pidgey d
1 pidgeotto d
2 pidgeot (POP2)
3 Ho-oh ex. Or rayquaza -ex d. Or (Your input here. It can be any high-hp basic)
Total: 27
2 Holon Mentor
4 transceiver
2 scientist
2 adventurer
4 Celio's Network
3 Rare Candy
4 Windstorm
2 Copycat/Steven's/etc. (draw of your choice)
Total: 23
2 Fire
2 Water
2 Grass
2 Fighting
2 Electric
(for Ho-oh)
OR
10 lightning
(for rayquaza)
Total: 10
TOTAL: 60
Again, fearow will be vital to setting up adequately. Fortunately, since you'll be essentially brineying something each turn, you have a few turns to stall before you get going. Here, your bench, which will be tight, will have 2 ampharos (1 of each type), the pelipper, the fearow, and the pop2 pidgeot. Your active will be your main attacker. Let's say it's the ho-oh -ex version. You have 3 basic energy on there, for 70 damage a turn. Not bad. Opponent hits you for 100. You swap ho-oh down with pelipper, activating pidgeot. Transfer the energy from ho-oh to pidgeot. Pidgeot away the ho-oh. Grab it again with fearow (it's delta, because of the ampharos d), and retreat pidgeot. Transfer the energy back up to ho-oh, attach another, and hit for 90. Repeat (Didja get all that?).
With rayquaza -ex d, you do not need the delta ampharos, since fearow can grab it anyway. This frees up a good amount of space, both in the deck and in the bench. It does not have the damage ceiling ho-oh does, but it also doesn't have a weakness, and can hit the bench.
A third option in the ampharos d version would be to run three major ex'es, perhaps one ho-oh, one rayquaza, and one (insert additional type here, maybe a mew -ex...to diversify types). That way, you could address various weaknesses you might encounter, fearowing for the appropriate pokemon each time.
About 20 test runs or so of the new version (with proxies) has it set up completely around turn 4 or so (3 with the rayquaza ex version...thank god for fearow). From there, it's mighty hard to beat. It's obvious weaknesses are things that hurt/shut down powers and things that mess with the bench. Pelipper offers that free retreat, though, and pidgeot can cure what ails any pokemon you've got out there (hard to rebuild if you have to recycle the amphy though).
Any suggestions for the deck overall, or more specifically alternatives to ho-oh, rayquaza -ex d, etc. are super-duper welcome. Feel free to tinker with it, and playtest it. Because of the myriad steps during each turn, the need to manage your energies, the potential in the ampharos d version to use almost any pokemon you'd like, and the complexity of the combination, it's a boatload of fun to play. Competitive? We'll see.
I'm also working on (and would love input on) a version that runs fossils, jolteon -ex, and no energy. That'd be more for fun, but since fossils count as delta pokemon while in play, pelipper can swap them. (I haven't asked, but I'll betcha fearow can't grab them from the deck).
Cheers,
Jake/Dendro
Here's the basic concept: You hit really hard every turn , and never get knocked out. In fact, unless your opponent can do more than 110 damage in one turn, they will, hopefully, never take a prize.
First, the currently-legal list:
2 pidgey d
2 pidgeotto d
2 pidgeot POP2
2 spearow
2 fearow d
2 wingull
2 pelipper d
2 Rayquaza d (power blow)
2 Mewtwo d
1 Rayquaza *
4 Holon's Castform
Total: 23
3 Holon Mentor
4 transciever
2 scientist
1 adventurer
4 TV reporter/Bill's Maintenance/etc.
4 Celio's Network
3 Briney
4 windstorm
Total: 25
12 Lightning Energy
Total: 12
TOTAL: 60
By first seeking out your fearow d, you should be able to set up fairly quickly. Your bench should consist of a pidgeot, a pelipper, and a fearow. The active will be rayquaza d (there is nothing better in the format currently that works here. Next format, though...well, keep reading...) . Load energy onto that rayquaza to your heart's content. Each time it takes damage, drop another one on the bench, drop the mewtwo, trans the energy to the new one, and use pelipper to pull back the damaged one. Activate pidgeot. Pick up the damaged rayquaza, and stick it into the deck. Grab it again with fearow for the next turn, and attack with the newly activated rayquaza. When you get an opportunity, pick up the mewtwo d. The briney's will help with this if you get behind a turn. Using this repetition, you should be able to maintain a consistent battery of refreshed rayquazas.
They are, however, more vulnerable than you'd like, and the mewtwo is not the ideal way to manipulate the energy. All of that will come in the next format, with the real infinity engine. That looks like this:
4 Mareep d (or 3 in rayquaza version)
3 Flaafy d (2 in rayquaza version)
2 Ampharos d (Unnecessary in the rayquaza -ex d version, which then opens up space for trainers)
2 Ampharos (UF)
2 wingull
2 pelipper d
2 spearow
2 fearow d
2 pidgey d
1 pidgeotto d
2 pidgeot (POP2)
3 Ho-oh ex. Or rayquaza -ex d. Or (Your input here. It can be any high-hp basic)
Total: 27
2 Holon Mentor
4 transceiver
2 scientist
2 adventurer
4 Celio's Network
3 Rare Candy
4 Windstorm
2 Copycat/Steven's/etc. (draw of your choice)
Total: 23
2 Fire
2 Water
2 Grass
2 Fighting
2 Electric
(for Ho-oh)
OR
10 lightning
(for rayquaza)
Total: 10
TOTAL: 60
Again, fearow will be vital to setting up adequately. Fortunately, since you'll be essentially brineying something each turn, you have a few turns to stall before you get going. Here, your bench, which will be tight, will have 2 ampharos (1 of each type), the pelipper, the fearow, and the pop2 pidgeot. Your active will be your main attacker. Let's say it's the ho-oh -ex version. You have 3 basic energy on there, for 70 damage a turn. Not bad. Opponent hits you for 100. You swap ho-oh down with pelipper, activating pidgeot. Transfer the energy from ho-oh to pidgeot. Pidgeot away the ho-oh. Grab it again with fearow (it's delta, because of the ampharos d), and retreat pidgeot. Transfer the energy back up to ho-oh, attach another, and hit for 90. Repeat (Didja get all that?).
With rayquaza -ex d, you do not need the delta ampharos, since fearow can grab it anyway. This frees up a good amount of space, both in the deck and in the bench. It does not have the damage ceiling ho-oh does, but it also doesn't have a weakness, and can hit the bench.
A third option in the ampharos d version would be to run three major ex'es, perhaps one ho-oh, one rayquaza, and one (insert additional type here, maybe a mew -ex...to diversify types). That way, you could address various weaknesses you might encounter, fearowing for the appropriate pokemon each time.
About 20 test runs or so of the new version (with proxies) has it set up completely around turn 4 or so (3 with the rayquaza ex version...thank god for fearow). From there, it's mighty hard to beat. It's obvious weaknesses are things that hurt/shut down powers and things that mess with the bench. Pelipper offers that free retreat, though, and pidgeot can cure what ails any pokemon you've got out there (hard to rebuild if you have to recycle the amphy though).
Any suggestions for the deck overall, or more specifically alternatives to ho-oh, rayquaza -ex d, etc. are super-duper welcome. Feel free to tinker with it, and playtest it. Because of the myriad steps during each turn, the need to manage your energies, the potential in the ampharos d version to use almost any pokemon you'd like, and the complexity of the combination, it's a boatload of fun to play. Competitive? We'll see.
I'm also working on (and would love input on) a version that runs fossils, jolteon -ex, and no energy. That'd be more for fun, but since fossils count as delta pokemon while in play, pelipper can swap them. (I haven't asked, but I'll betcha fearow can't grab them from the deck).
Cheers,
Jake/Dendro
