Hey everyone! So the new format is approaching soon (fingers crossed) and I've done quite a bit of play-testing. Here are my findings so far concerning the best decks in the new format:
1. Magnezone Prime / Emboar - while it may sound clunky, it sets up quite well with 4 Cleffa and a decent mixture of Professor Oak's New Theorys and Professor Junipers. Once the deck is set up, the draw power of Magnezone Prime is game sustaining, allowing the deck to win the majority of it's games solely on sheer power. Donphan varients have given the deck the most problems, and MewGar has also been quite a tricky matchup.
2. Mew Prime / Gengar Prime - Mew Prime with Gengar Prime has been surprisingly fast and consistent throughout my play-testing. Aside from the obvious, like Seeker, the deck combo's well with a 2-2 HGSS Slowking and 2 or 3 Mime Jr. After all, if your opponent doesn't have any pokemons in their hand, you can always try to send one to the lost zone by using Slowking's power to rearrange the top 3 cards of your opponent's deck and then send the pokemon you (hopefully) find to the lost zone with Mime Jr.'s zero energy attack. Donphan, Cinccino, or anything that hits hard and fast have given this deck the most trouble so far.
3. Reshiram / Emboar - Coming in at a very close third place is Emboar Reshiram. Much debate has been had over the deck's utilization of either Typhlosion Prime or Emboar. I've gone with Emboar in my testing, and when combined with 4 Energy Returner, 3 Junk Arm, 1 Fisherman, a 3-2 Ninetails, and 1 Interviewer's Question, I just don't see a need for Typhlosion prime. The draw engine in this deck works wonders, and is CLEARLY the fastest deck in the format when all the pieces come together. My deck runs 4 Cleffa, 2 Ninetails, 4 Collector, 2 Communication, 2 Elm's Training Method, 3 Professor Oak's New Theory, and 1 Interviewer's Question. This engine has performed exceptionally well so far. A 1-1 Rayquaza Deyoxes Legend tech allows the deck to mount comebacks and OHKO pesky heavy HP pokemon. The biggest problem for this deck is Samurott or Feraligatr combined with Pokemon Reversals.
4. Machamp Prime / Reuniclus - Machamp's high HP combined with the ability of Reuniclus to move damage counters around allows Machamp to take a hit and dish out a heavy 150 damage pounding as well. Fighting tag + Seeker is a combo that is just mind blowing and game changing when properly pulled off.
5. Donphan Prime Varients - Donphan Prime variants can take a hit while dishing out fast early game KO's, which can be game devastating in this format as the KO will most likely be against your opponent's set up pokemon. Donphan can be combo'd with Blissey Prime for healing, Cinccino for type variation and quick hits, Machamp Prime for damage spread and high HP pokemon, Yanmega for the mirror match, Zoroark, or almost anything else. I would recommend playing Pokemon Reversals with Donphan prime so you can get a KO on a low HP pokemon if you need it late game. Donphan struggles against a lot of the top decks as Machamp Prime, Rayquaza Deyoxes Legend, and Magnezone Prime can all OHKO Donphan. However, as a early game attacker and partnered with the right pokemon, Donphan Prime can be a pest in this format since he has weakness advantage over Magnezone Prime, Cinccino, Zoroark, Zekrom, and Tyranitar Prime while easily KOing set up pokemon and Mew Prime.
6. Zekrom Rush - some people believe Zekrom rush will be a good play next format, and while I wouldn't disagree, I wouldn't whole heartedly agree either. Zekrom can get a donk (which sounds really funny if you aren't a pokemon player) and is one of, if not the only, pokemon to be able to achieve this next format. Combo'd with Pachirisu and Shaymin the deck can attach 2 Lightning + any other energy turn one and hit for a fast 120 damage. But what next? What if your opponent has 3 Pokemon on the field? What if Zekrom takes 2-3 Prizes but then has to deal with a fully set up field of Machamp Prime, Reshiram, RDL, Donphan Prime, or Magnezone Prime? I just don't think the deck has good mid to late game ability to hang with the top decks. Boufalant and Cinccino can even get the revenge KO, heck, anything that deals 90 damage can get the revenge KO unless Zekrom plays defenders. I personally don't see the deck being a serious contender.
Honorable mention decks: Feraligatr Prime variants (like Entei Raikou Legend, Magnezone Prime, Blastoise, and Kyogre Groudon Legend), Cinccino, Magmortar deck mill, Serperior/Renuclius, Samurott, Steelix, and Weavile/Ambipomb/Slowking all have potential.
Well there you have it, my new format power rankings and analysis. Anything is possible in the new format and that's the beauty of it!
In closing, here are a few tech cards and observations that I have seen perform well in the new format: Cleffa is the best starter IMO, Zoroark is one of THE best tech cards ever, Dual Ball is good in this format, Pokemon Reversal, Plus Power, Lost Remover, and Junk Arm are AMAZING tech cards in this format, and always wait to attach that DCE until you absolutely need to on the off chance that your opponent may have a Lost Remover in their hand.
I hope you all have enjoyed reading my analysis. Let me say at this point that I hope this can generate some positive discussion and analysis, and anyone who insults or name calls on this thread will not receive a response from me. Let's talk it up!!
- Guy
1. Magnezone Prime / Emboar - while it may sound clunky, it sets up quite well with 4 Cleffa and a decent mixture of Professor Oak's New Theorys and Professor Junipers. Once the deck is set up, the draw power of Magnezone Prime is game sustaining, allowing the deck to win the majority of it's games solely on sheer power. Donphan varients have given the deck the most problems, and MewGar has also been quite a tricky matchup.
2. Mew Prime / Gengar Prime - Mew Prime with Gengar Prime has been surprisingly fast and consistent throughout my play-testing. Aside from the obvious, like Seeker, the deck combo's well with a 2-2 HGSS Slowking and 2 or 3 Mime Jr. After all, if your opponent doesn't have any pokemons in their hand, you can always try to send one to the lost zone by using Slowking's power to rearrange the top 3 cards of your opponent's deck and then send the pokemon you (hopefully) find to the lost zone with Mime Jr.'s zero energy attack. Donphan, Cinccino, or anything that hits hard and fast have given this deck the most trouble so far.
3. Reshiram / Emboar - Coming in at a very close third place is Emboar Reshiram. Much debate has been had over the deck's utilization of either Typhlosion Prime or Emboar. I've gone with Emboar in my testing, and when combined with 4 Energy Returner, 3 Junk Arm, 1 Fisherman, a 3-2 Ninetails, and 1 Interviewer's Question, I just don't see a need for Typhlosion prime. The draw engine in this deck works wonders, and is CLEARLY the fastest deck in the format when all the pieces come together. My deck runs 4 Cleffa, 2 Ninetails, 4 Collector, 2 Communication, 2 Elm's Training Method, 3 Professor Oak's New Theory, and 1 Interviewer's Question. This engine has performed exceptionally well so far. A 1-1 Rayquaza Deyoxes Legend tech allows the deck to mount comebacks and OHKO pesky heavy HP pokemon. The biggest problem for this deck is Samurott or Feraligatr combined with Pokemon Reversals.
4. Machamp Prime / Reuniclus - Machamp's high HP combined with the ability of Reuniclus to move damage counters around allows Machamp to take a hit and dish out a heavy 150 damage pounding as well. Fighting tag + Seeker is a combo that is just mind blowing and game changing when properly pulled off.
5. Donphan Prime Varients - Donphan Prime variants can take a hit while dishing out fast early game KO's, which can be game devastating in this format as the KO will most likely be against your opponent's set up pokemon. Donphan can be combo'd with Blissey Prime for healing, Cinccino for type variation and quick hits, Machamp Prime for damage spread and high HP pokemon, Yanmega for the mirror match, Zoroark, or almost anything else. I would recommend playing Pokemon Reversals with Donphan prime so you can get a KO on a low HP pokemon if you need it late game. Donphan struggles against a lot of the top decks as Machamp Prime, Rayquaza Deyoxes Legend, and Magnezone Prime can all OHKO Donphan. However, as a early game attacker and partnered with the right pokemon, Donphan Prime can be a pest in this format since he has weakness advantage over Magnezone Prime, Cinccino, Zoroark, Zekrom, and Tyranitar Prime while easily KOing set up pokemon and Mew Prime.
6. Zekrom Rush - some people believe Zekrom rush will be a good play next format, and while I wouldn't disagree, I wouldn't whole heartedly agree either. Zekrom can get a donk (which sounds really funny if you aren't a pokemon player) and is one of, if not the only, pokemon to be able to achieve this next format. Combo'd with Pachirisu and Shaymin the deck can attach 2 Lightning + any other energy turn one and hit for a fast 120 damage. But what next? What if your opponent has 3 Pokemon on the field? What if Zekrom takes 2-3 Prizes but then has to deal with a fully set up field of Machamp Prime, Reshiram, RDL, Donphan Prime, or Magnezone Prime? I just don't think the deck has good mid to late game ability to hang with the top decks. Boufalant and Cinccino can even get the revenge KO, heck, anything that deals 90 damage can get the revenge KO unless Zekrom plays defenders. I personally don't see the deck being a serious contender.
Honorable mention decks: Feraligatr Prime variants (like Entei Raikou Legend, Magnezone Prime, Blastoise, and Kyogre Groudon Legend), Cinccino, Magmortar deck mill, Serperior/Renuclius, Samurott, Steelix, and Weavile/Ambipomb/Slowking all have potential.
Well there you have it, my new format power rankings and analysis. Anything is possible in the new format and that's the beauty of it!
In closing, here are a few tech cards and observations that I have seen perform well in the new format: Cleffa is the best starter IMO, Zoroark is one of THE best tech cards ever, Dual Ball is good in this format, Pokemon Reversal, Plus Power, Lost Remover, and Junk Arm are AMAZING tech cards in this format, and always wait to attach that DCE until you absolutely need to on the off chance that your opponent may have a Lost Remover in their hand.
I hope you all have enjoyed reading my analysis. Let me say at this point that I hope this can generate some positive discussion and analysis, and anyone who insults or name calls on this thread will not receive a response from me. Let's talk it up!!
- Guy
: 1. The one that was locked earlier had no analysis, it was just a list of cards. 2. The post which caused the earlier thread to be locked was simply a question about what decks will be popular, which turned into a looong thread about Typhlosion Prime vs Emboar. Thus, 3. This is the first post (at least out of those other two) to actually provide some analysis concerning what might be the top decks in the next format, while looking at each deck and presenting discussion material based on play testing for more than just one deck.