Sparky
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In a format where 40 damage for 1 energy seems to be slightly below par, Kingdra has taken a back seat. However, now with the ability to hit for a relatively large amount of damage when compared with energy requirement, Kingdra is a force to be reckoned with. Earlier deck builds revolving around Kingdra focused on hitting big with Aqua Stream, not anymore. Getting a sizable amount of water energy in the discard pile takes time, and thus attention was shifted to Kingdra’s second attack. An already powerful attack, 60 damage and 20 to the bench if you discarded 2 cards from your hand, could be used to consistently hit every turn. And with the release of Expert Belt from Platinum: Arceus, that potential has jumped to a consistent 80+20 damage a turn. And due to its low energy cost, Kingdra could easily swarm an unsuspecting opponent. These characteristics exemplify why Kingdra is one of the fastest decks around.
Author: Mitchell Woo
Deck Name: Kingdra
Date: December 5, 2009
Format: DP-SV
Latest Set Released: Platinum: Arceus
The Build:
Pokemon:
4x Horsea LA
2x Seadra LA
4x Kingdra LA
3x Baltoy GE
3x Claydol GE
1x Crobat G PL
1x Uxie LA
Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums:
3x Broken Time-Space
3x Roseanne’s Research
3x Bebe’s Search
4x Poke Drawer +
3x Rare Candy
4x Super Scoop-Up
3x Expert Belt
2x PlusPower
1x Marley’s Request
2x PokeTurn
1x Luxury Ball
2x Night Maintenance
3x Pokedex Handy910is
Energy:
2x Cyclone Energy
6x Water Energy
The Breakdown:
Horsea LA - Horsea is what you want to be your active at the start of the game. Horsea's first attack, Smokescreen, can provide a stall, should your opponent flip tails on the required flip for their attack. It's second attack, Reverse Thrust, is useful in that not only does it do a small amount of damage, but it allows you to get Horsea out of the Active Position. It's weakness to Lightning Pokemon isn't too great, seeing as how Luxray GL Lv. X is teched into a handful of decks, but, Flash Impact Knocks Out Horsea either way. It also lets me evolve my Pogeymonz.
Seadra LA – The go-between for the Kingdra line, this man right here, yes, right here, lets you swarm/recover/evolve quickly through the use of Broken Time-Space. Two are played over one due to the fact that sooner or later, you run out of Rare Candies. It also helps compensate against Deafen, Pitch Dark, and similar Trainer-locks.
Kingdra LA – Well, here he is folks. The B.M.O.C.(Big Man On Campus) Some might say he’s the man of the hour. What makes this dude playable is his 1-for-40 attack, Dragon Pump. Nothing out of the ordinary here, till you actually read the text. You can discard 2 cards from your hand, count them, 2, to have a 20+ damage bonus to the Active Pokemon, and an additional 20 damage to one of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. However, Nidoqueen does that 20 damage no merit. But, you’ll have no problem knocking out your opponent’s Pokemon in two hits with the use of Expert Belt.
Baltoy GE – The basic for Claydol. He is here for Claydol alone. Psychic Balance can prove useful early game should you find Baltoy as your only Basic Pokemon. Also, if you have an Energy in your starting hand and Baltoy is your only Pokemon, you should attach it to allow you to retreat the following turn.
Claydol GE – You can call him Kingdra’s sidekick. Cosmic Power, which is the real reason he's in here, is the deck's primary source of draw power. It allows us to put up to 2 cards from our hand to the bottom of our deck to draw till we have 6 cards in our hand. This allows us a hand refresh, as well as returning cards to the deck to avoid the deckout. Another notable thing, is how you can use multiple Cosmic Powers in a turn, one per Claydol. This means if I have 2 Claydols set-up, I get too use Cosmic Power twice. This also helps just in case you get Power Sprayed.
Crobat G – Who do you call when you need 10 extra damage? Not the Ghostbusters, but this little dude. With a free damage counter anywhere on your opponent’s side, they can help Kingdra pull off multiple KO’s in one turn. That being said, he also eats up some of your bench/deck space, so that’s why I only run one. On top of that, it's a tight list already, so the card I cut was Crobat G.
Uxie LA – An easily searchable new start, Uxie lets you grab cards until you have seven in your hand. As a Basic Pokemon, cards like Roseanne's Research make Uxie easier to set-up than Claydol. Something to note is that with the attachment of an Expert Belt, Uxie can hit for 40 damage with one energy. While this might not seem like a lot, Psychic Restore's effect allows Uxie to be sent to the bottom of your deck, avoiding the possible Knock Out next turn. This is even more important because against SF Gengar, if you Psychic Restore and send Uxie to the bottom of your deck, Gengar doesn't get to flip for Fainting Spell! This is so because Uxie, the target of Fainting Spell, is now at the bottom of your deck, denying Fainting Spell a target.
The Trainer/Supporters/Stadiums:
Broken Time-Space PL – One of the most crucial cards to getting a stable set-up, Broken Time-Space allows you to evolve the same Pokemon multiple times in a turn. It lets you recover with ease, as well as swarm your opponent’s with a horde of Kingdras. But beware, Flygon's Sand Wall really abuses Stadiums.
Roseanne’s Research & Bebe’s Search – These cards are pretty self explanatory, Roseanne’s allows you to search for any combination of Basic Pokemon or Energy, Bebe’s lets you search for any Pokemon. Staples in almost any deck, especially Roseanne’s Research. I only run 3 of each because once I have two or more Claydols out most of the cards in the deck are easily accessible.
Poke Drawer + SF – The essence of speed. This card allows you to draw a card, or if 2 are played at the same time, you can search for any 2 cards in your deck. You don't even have to show your opponent what you took. This lets you fish out that elusive BTS, Rare Candy, or Claydol, without your opponent knowing what you took.. It also can be used to just burn through your hand to search out anything you can get rid of quickly, in order to maximixe Clayol's Cosmic Power. A very flexible card for this deck.
Rare Candy GE – Another card like BTS which makes Stage 2 decks playable. This lets you “skip” Stage 1 entirely, jumping from Basic to Stage 2, allowing you to get hitting fast. This card is an amazing substitute for Broken Time-Space should one not be in play.
Super Scoop Up MD – This lets us cheat the two-prize penalty from Expert Belt. It lets us re-use Cosmic Power if Broken Time-Space is in play. The same goes for Uxie’s Set-Up. However, the main use of this card should be to pull damaged Kingdras off the field to avoid giving the opponent Prize Cards. This card is like a get-out-of-jail card, it bails you out in what might be a near impossible situation. This also helps the FlyLock matchup, but of course, sooner or later, we run out of them. However, if you flip tails, nothing happens. One thing you need to look out for is being Trainer-locked. Glicstomb(Gliscor/Spiritomb), Dialga G's Deafen, and Gastly SF's Pitch Dark all prevent you from using Super Scoop-Up.
Expert Belt AR – Your ace in the hole. Expert Belt is like glue in this deck, it holds everything together. It makes Kingdra a sound idea for tournaments, making a good 130 HP Pokemon, a 150 HP Pokemon that can hit 80 damage for 1 energy. Not too mention the extra 20 damage that is placed on one of the opponent's Benched Pokemon. It can make Uxie a fair back-up attacker, or a way to get around Fainting Spell. However, it has it’s drawbacks, being that 2-prize penalty when the Pokemon Expert Belt is attached to is Knocked Out. Which is why Super Scoop Up is here.
PlusPower PL – When your 10/20 damage short, here is your answer. Along with Crobat G, PlusPower gives you that extra 10 damage, but it’s only applied towards your attack. Meaning, you still have to attack to claim the benefits. This means that through Dragon Pump, you can hit for 100 damage plus 20 on the bench in one turn! It is also applied before weakness and resistance, meaning if either Lake Boundary/Lucario GL are in play, it doubles and adds 20 damage instead! And hey, it doesn’t eat up one of you Bench spaces.
Marley’s Request SF – This lets you reclaim that Super Scoop Up, or Expert Belt, or any other Trainer, that you may have mistakenly let be discarded. Late game you can also use it to take a Bebe’s or Roseanne’s, but I usually try to save it for Expert Belts and Scoop Ups.
Luxury Ball SF - Luxury Ball lets us search for any one Pokemon, except for Lv. X's. However, because this deck has no Lv. X's, pretty much any Pokemon in the deck is a valid choice with Luxury Ball. It's drawback is that you can only claim it's benefits if there are no other Luxury Balls in your discard. The best part about it though, is that it's not a Supporter. This means that you can search for a Pokemon with Luxury Ball, and still have the option of playing a Supporter later in turn.
Night Maintenance SW – Use this to pull back your knocked out Kingdra lines, and them only pretty much. Never ever take an energy with this, as you lower the total amount of damage to be done with Aqua Stream. Instead, it’s better to use your 3 choices on the Pokemonz, which are otherwise irretrievable once in the discard pile.
Pokedex PL – With the original version of this deck, I chose Poke Radar over Pokedex. The switch back to Pokedex is a result of being able to choose which card, and you are pretty much guaranteed something useful. Cards like Expert Belt, Super Scoop Up, Broken Time-Space, and Rare Candy, are now all available choices to pick. Pokedex also lets you burn through your own deck quicker to get the cards you want.
The Energy:
Cyclone Energy – Much like the Joker is to Batman, Spiritomb is to Kingdra. This is my anti-Spiritomb card, hopefully removing him from the active position, allowing me to get on with my life.
The Techs:
Nidoqueen RR – Lets you heal your Kingdras as well, turning their already high 130 HP (150 HP with Expert Belt) to a larger number, all dependent on how many attacks it takes your opponent to knock out your Kingdra.
Blissey PL – Same general concept as Nidoqueen, but is a Stage 1 and you have to discard a card. Also heals 20 but during your turn, not between turns.
Floatzel Gl Lv. X – Now, let it be seen in writing, I greatly dislike this card. When put in this deck it slows the deck as a whole down, and takes up a precious bench space. However, every card has something to offer. Floatzel GL Lv. X lets us return a Water Pokemon and all cards attached to it to our hand when that Water Pokemon is Knocked Out. Note though, that this generally reduces the efficiency of Aqua Stream, meaning Late Game might become more difficult.
Poke Blower + - Choose which Pokemon you want Active so you can hit it with 80? Or, so they can’t retreat and you can snipe some of your opponent’s Pokemon. Takes up a fair bit of space though.
Alakazam MT - Power Spray for the poor man. Requires you to discard 2 cards. A preeeeeetty nice tech, although the deck starts to burn through after about turn 4-5, meaning you won't have a lot of cards to discard in the first place.
Cresselia GE Lv.X - Another nice tech, although it requires a bit more to get set up. Think of it as another Crobat, except you can use it every turn.
The Strategy:
Going back to its old beat-down roots, the main strategy of this build is to ideally have 2-3 Claydols out by Turn 2, as well as 1 Kingdra. However, in a typical hand, this doesn’t fall into your hands. More often than not, Uxie is needed to give you that nudge that gets you starting. As there are only 8 Energy in total in the deck, and only 6 of them can pay for Kingdra’s Dragon Pump, energy placement is pretty important. Try to discard your surplus Trainers through Dragon Pump should you run out of Energies to discard. In a typical game, you’ll usually run your deck till only a few cards remain, meaning that you need to Cosmic Power any extra cards into your deck. Aqua Stream also provides a form of deck replenishment. Dragon Pump should still be your main attack. From there, its attack attack attack! Straight up beat down is how Kingdra rolls, however, also note that well-placed snipes via Dragon Pump can help you take multiple prizes in one turn. You can also cripple your opponent’s draw power if your able to knock out their Claydols or Uxies.
Now that we know what we’re generally doing, here are our matchups –
Matchups: *Disclaimer* - All matchups are products of my playtime against these decks. They vary from game to game based on player, techs, and other stuff that can't be calculated like luck and your starting draw.
Gengar(Fainting Spell) 45/55 Kingdra - The reason being you can outspeed them. Don’t give them time to set-up, you need to swarm with your Kingdra’s. Crobat G becomes helpful in this match-up, and when you’re ready to knock out their Fainting Spell Gengar try to use a Kingdra that hasn’t been equipped with an Expert Belt. But really, it comes down to coin flips. Should they take out your Claydols, don’t fret, that’s why 3 are run.
Cursegar 30/70 Kingdra – I’ll have to cite the same reasons above, except three-fold, and with the loss of Fainting Spell. With the need to attach 3 energies compared to one, as well as losing the better part of its snipe ability, this matchup becomes easier. You don’t need to worry as much about your Claydols, and if the Gengar Lv.X is run, you have no need to fear about its Poke-Power. It’s Compound Pain that you would need to be worried about a bit. It’s still not that hard to play around however.
Flygon – This match is entirely reliant upon their techs. I’ll start with FlyLock, which can be countered with smart use of Super Scoop Ups, hopefully letting you pull a locked Pokemon out of the Active Position. However, your luck isn’t predictable, so this match depends on how many heads you get.
-Flygon/Weaville becomes kind of dangerous once they set up. If they run Expert Belt, this match becomes annoying because now they can OHKO you. You can 2HKO them. Otherwise, your best bet is trying to set-up before them and spread a fair amount of damage around. If your fast enough and knock out their first Flygon before another one is set up, you have the advantage. But once they have a steady flow of Flygons coming out, your dead.
Machamp 50/50 Kingdra – HA! No Basics for you to abuse here. However, it is often enough that I have a lone Horsea start, so caution is advised. Late-game Kingdra begins to outshine Machamp, hitting for a consistent 80 whereas they need to rely on coin flips, or Machamp Lv. X, which both have their notable drawbacks.
Dialga-based decks 70-30 Kingdra – Uhm, I can’t use Trainers if they Deafen Lock. Kingdra likes to use Trainers. If the deck is based off a Deafen-lock, you’re kind of done in. Broken Time-Space is needed to help play against this match, and the use of Garchomp C Lv. X/Poke Turn/ Special Metal minimizes the damage you can do and keep on them. This match is generally a loss for me, as I can’t seem to deal enough damage to compensate for the above mentioned factors. It’s heartbreaking.
Palkia Lock – 75-25 Kingdra – This is the worst matchup you can get. Usually multiple Kingdras along with a number of Claydols populate your bench, and once Palkia G Lv. X hits the field, all hell breaks loose. Kingdra can’t swarm. Your draw power dies. Palkia G Lv. X completely restricts your strategy of swarming. Mesprit’s Psychic Bind shuts off Cosmic Power, meaning no draw for you. If they’re running a strong build that can keep the lock going for several turns, you lose. If you can’t set up, you pretty much have to stare at your field and wait for it to come. Even though you are allowed Supporters, Cosmic Power is what you need later in the game to keep pace. Without that, your ability to recover becomes extremely restricted.
Salamence - I haven't been able to test extensively against a decent build. I'd think that this match would be favorable though, as you outspeed them. Unless they play Spiritomb, which will only slow you down for a few turns.
Sceptile/Sceptile - Not enough play time against this deck as well. A few games I've played have kind of went back and forth, so I cannot say for sure.
Glicstomb 55-45 Kingdra- Now, I haven't played against this deck as much as I'd like to, but if they get set-up, you are generally either a.)locked out fo your mind or b.)set-up and able to swarm. Should it be the latter, you have a good shot. Obviously as for a, you might want to scoop and save yourself the time.
Conclusion:
If I have left out any decks, please let me know, and I’ll do my best to add them. If any of the match-ups seem to be off please let me know as to what you think they should be and I’ll compensate. I’m an easy person to deal with.
If you know of any techs worth mentioning, please mention them to me as well, as friendly criticism is always welcome!
Thanks for readin till the end!
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