Its funny how you can call decks that, you know, are kind of TOP 10 in top-cutting "steaming piles of crap". I just copied that list straight from the What Won Cities thread, the EXACT list. I don't like Macheap either but its still a deck (Just like Mario *shivers* was).
Congrads, top deck or not, its still a donk based steaming pile of crap. Of course you don't need Claydol in Machamp, you don't even need other pokemon, you just need a 4 card hand that consists of Machamp, Rare Candy, Machop, and a Fighting energy and you win on T1. Gengar is complete trash because Unown G shuts it down, leaving it with a terrible second attack and a donk power, which is really the only reason it wins. If you excpet me to show any remote level of respect for those piles of stupidity wrapped in deck sleeves forget it, I have no respect for absolute trash decks that require less skill to win than Kricketune does.
Now, I was saying I was going for decks that run PERFECTLY FINE without Claydol and with an Uxie-based engine. There I win 6-4, going by the 10 most popular decks. Your definition however seems to be "Will a deck be able to use Claydol". Well OFCOURSE most of those decks CAN use Claydol, doesn't mean they're viable WITHOUT it. Take Dusknoir, for instance. Yes, Claydol works well there but an Uxie-Noir #1 tandem gives them just as much, if not even more drawpower. Some other varieties of Dusknoir will need it though.
And if your deck would run better with Claydol, why wouldn't you run it? The simple fact is that YOU WOULD, there is no way around it, if there is something you can put in a deck to boost consistancy and draw power without a negative backlash outside of the space required, you have no reason not to run it. Period
Point is, not every deck you list NEEDS Claydol to preform well. Pit an Uxie based Gengar against a Claydol based Gengar, let them both play the same tournament opponents and I wager they will both have similiar records, the Uxie variety being a bit faster, the Claydol variety more consistant in longer games.
This arguement... paragraph... sentence... thingy is crushed by the above statement.
You seem to keep forgetting about that OTHER Draw card, which would be Uxie (And Unown R in specific decks). Decks that don't need Claydol tend to use Uxie, most notable exception being Scizor. And that right there is what shatters your argument. Lots of decks play fine with just Uxie, no Claydol.
Once again (and really, I ask you to stop making me repeat myself over and over, its like I'm talking to a child here....), If you can run Claydol AND Uxie, why wouldn't you? Claydol for consistent draw, Uxie because its a searchable card that allows you to... well, setup. You still haven't answered my question, so I'll respost it
...AGAIN
If there is something you can put in a deck to boost consistancy and draw power without a negative backlash outside of the space required, WHY WOULD YOU NOT RUN IT.
