Magic Mew
New Member
Battle Roads are now in full swing and we finally have a clear picture of what the metagame looks like. After competing in two Battle Roads and reading and hearing reports from many others, I have made the following changes to this article: I have removed Groudon from the list and added Magmortar as large part of the metagame. I have also added a tier 1 and tier 2 class to the decks. Tier 1 decks are very popular and are becoming established archetypes; these decks have won many tournaments and are having a large impact on the current metagame. Tier 2 decks have seen a good amount of play and have all won more than 1 Battle Road. All of these decks do have an impact on the metagame, but not as much as tier 1.
I have linked some of the decks to articles about them on the Gym. If you see a deck without a link and you know of a good article for it please let me know. These articles are not the only way to play the decks, but they give you an idea of the concepts and strategies behind them. All of the images are taken from Arkeis.com, and they link to cards scans in the image gallery.
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Tier 1:
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Kingdra
Kingdra is easily the number one deck this year. It has won more Battle Roads than any other deck and its speed and consistency are unmatched. This super seahorse can hit for 60 damage plus 20 damage to the bench for only one energy. This means you are not only doing a lot of damage for a low energy cost, but you can KO you opponent's Claydol or set up the next KO for Kingdra as well. Add to that the ability to recycle your energy in a powerful Delcatty ex style attack and you've got a truly amazing card. High damage, low energy, high HP, low retreat, and even bench damage. Kingdra has all the ingredients of a good archetype.
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AMU
The trio of pixies has won the second highest number of Battle Roads. With so many options, AMU (Azelf/Mesprit/Uxie) can play around many strategies. Use your powers to draw cards, fish cards out of your prizes, and even shut off your opponent’s powers. Give yourself free retreat and no weakness and start hitting hard and fast. KO their basic T2 with Uxie lv. X or Mesprit, hit their bench with Azelf, or get that 200 damage OHKO with Mesprit lv. X. AMU is arguably the most difficult deck to play, but all of this adds up to make one great and versatile deck.
[gal=-35671].[/gal] [gal=35710].[/gal]
Torterra
No, it’s not Torterrable, in fact it’s quite Torterrific and even totally Torterrifying! Torterra is maybe the one deck that actually gets better with the rotation. It’s a tank, and there is no question it can take and give a pounding. Sceptile gives it a low attack cost, which makes the usually slow turtle actually pretty speedy. Torterra DP dominates damage spread decks and Torterra MD can deliver the big damage. Torterra has an amazing Kingdra match up and it can be incredibly tough to take down.
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Tier 2:
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Magmortar
Other than the three decks I just mentioned, Magmortar has won the most Battle Roads. The only thing keeping Magmortar from becoming a tier 1 deck is the abundance of Kingdra in the format. Magmortar is very fast and often starts drawing prizes from turn two. Magmortar has a lot going for it: speed, power, bench damage, and a great lv. X.
Luxray
With more Pokemon lv. X being played, Luxray can emerge as a great option. It has good matchups against Kingdra and AMU, so Luxray may be one of the better decks to counter the metagame. The trick to playing Luxray is just to keep it powered up and always have a few options open to attach two energy per turn.
Spread Decks
Damage spreading is another popular choice this year. Empoleon, Ampharos, Cresselia lv. X, Froslass, Yanmega, Bronzong, Starmie, Spiritomb and others spread early and often, amassing a lot of damage on the field. Froslass is a really cool card that has caught the attention of many players. A turn 2 damage spread to all of your opponent's Pokemon, plus 40 to the active and auto sleep. That's amazing. My favorite Froslass spread deck is played with Bronzong, Starmie and Cresselia lv. X. It can sweep Claydols and basics, quickly dominating the field. There are many Froslass decks out there and this card has enormous potential. Empoleon is another good option, but it has seen less play in some areas.
Magnezone
Magnezone/Electivire is a very strong strategy that revolves around energy manipulation and status conditions. 80 and auto paralyze is a great attack and Magnezone’s first attack shouldn’t be underestimated either. The ability to move your energy around is always amazing and 140 HP plus the ability to stack Metals will keep this guy around for a while. You can also play it with Palkia lv. X.
EeveeLutions
As with many pre-LA decks, Eevee has lost some of its power with the rotation of Double Rainbow and Scramble Energy. However, Leafeon lv. X is still the best energy accelerator in the game. It also has huge attack power. Add to that the ability to corner weakness and you’ve got a powerhouse deck. Magmortar may still be around, but it has been hurt with the rotation. Instead of playing defensively to activate Scramble Energy and hit for massive damage, the format now rewards offensive play. Decks like Leafeon/Glaceon and Leafeon/Sceptile are starting to emerge into the playing field.
Gardevoir and Gallade
Although more of a sad reminder of its glory days than a great deck, Gardevoir and Gallade will still sees some play. The DP-on version of the deck does not have the power it had last season, but don’t count G&G out just yet. This deck still has a lot of possibilities and it can be played with Energy Pickup and Rotom, Togekiss, Weavile, and others. Both Gallade's Psychic Cut and Gardevoir's Psychic Lock are as good as ever and it is just a matter of making them work.
Bellossom
Bellossom is a fun choice for Battle Roads this year. It sets up quickly and it can dish out massive amounts of damage for a low energy cost. If you have all four of your Bellossoms and Vileplumes in play you will do 120 damage, and you can get that all important OHKO with a Plus Power or Psychic on Vileplume. Even if you only have two Bellossoms on the field you can do a solid 80 for [G][C]. That can be game winning.
Garchomp
Although Garchomp has not made as much of an impact on the metagame as I had thought, it is still a contender for Battle Roads. It has the ability to do 110 damage pretty consistently, and it also has an amazing lv. X. Garchomp lv. X's Restore attack allows you to tech in pretty much anything or bring back another Garchomp and power it up instantly. You can Restore a Gallade or a Pokemon your opponent is weak to and knock out their Pokemon in one hit, or you can just keep the swarm of Garchomps going on the bench. This deck began to see some play last year when a few of the Japanese players used it at Worlds, and it has just gotten stronger with the new format.
Blissey
With a super showing at Worlds, Blissey has made a comeback lately. Although straight Blissey has not won any Battle Roads (that I know of), Blissey has been played in many winning decks. You can play it with energy acceleration cards like Magnezone lv. X or Leafeon lv. X, or speed decks like Magmortar.
Gliscor
This card has so many options and so much potential. Fast damage, the ability to inflict status conditions, a built in scoop up, and a cool lv. X that can attack and switch out with the bench all make this card one to look at. Gliscor could really be a powerful metagame counter. Venomoth, Shedinja, Mr. Mime, Shuckle, Gyarados, Mewtwo lv. X, Lopunny and others are all possible combos.
Skittles
The Ho-oh and Togekiss deck from last season is back, and it survived the rotation nicely. This is a fun deck to play and you can tech just about anything into it. It has great Leafeon and Bellossom matchups and Ho-oh even gets stronger with the addition of Snowpoint Temple. However, the number of Kingdra decks in the format is keeping Skittles from being more popular.
And of course…
Rogue Decks
This new format is sure to be filled with rogues of every size, shape and color. After competing in the Iron Chef deck contest, I really realized how almost any card in the game can be made into a great deck. There will defiantly be surprise decks this year and there are so many more viable options than just the strategies listed here.
That’s my take on everything… What do you think?
I have linked some of the decks to articles about them on the Gym. If you see a deck without a link and you know of a good article for it please let me know. These articles are not the only way to play the decks, but they give you an idea of the concepts and strategies behind them. All of the images are taken from Arkeis.com, and they link to cards scans in the image gallery.
-------
Tier 1:
-------
Kingdra
Kingdra is easily the number one deck this year. It has won more Battle Roads than any other deck and its speed and consistency are unmatched. This super seahorse can hit for 60 damage plus 20 damage to the bench for only one energy. This means you are not only doing a lot of damage for a low energy cost, but you can KO you opponent's Claydol or set up the next KO for Kingdra as well. Add to that the ability to recycle your energy in a powerful Delcatty ex style attack and you've got a truly amazing card. High damage, low energy, high HP, low retreat, and even bench damage. Kingdra has all the ingredients of a good archetype.
[gal=35720].[/gal]
AMU
The trio of pixies has won the second highest number of Battle Roads. With so many options, AMU (Azelf/Mesprit/Uxie) can play around many strategies. Use your powers to draw cards, fish cards out of your prizes, and even shut off your opponent’s powers. Give yourself free retreat and no weakness and start hitting hard and fast. KO their basic T2 with Uxie lv. X or Mesprit, hit their bench with Azelf, or get that 200 damage OHKO with Mesprit lv. X. AMU is arguably the most difficult deck to play, but all of this adds up to make one great and versatile deck.
[gal=-35671].[/gal] [gal=35710].[/gal]
Torterra
No, it’s not Torterrable, in fact it’s quite Torterrific and even totally Torterrifying! Torterra is maybe the one deck that actually gets better with the rotation. It’s a tank, and there is no question it can take and give a pounding. Sceptile gives it a low attack cost, which makes the usually slow turtle actually pretty speedy. Torterra DP dominates damage spread decks and Torterra MD can deliver the big damage. Torterra has an amazing Kingdra match up and it can be incredibly tough to take down.
-------
Tier 2:
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Magmortar
Other than the three decks I just mentioned, Magmortar has won the most Battle Roads. The only thing keeping Magmortar from becoming a tier 1 deck is the abundance of Kingdra in the format. Magmortar is very fast and often starts drawing prizes from turn two. Magmortar has a lot going for it: speed, power, bench damage, and a great lv. X.
Luxray
With more Pokemon lv. X being played, Luxray can emerge as a great option. It has good matchups against Kingdra and AMU, so Luxray may be one of the better decks to counter the metagame. The trick to playing Luxray is just to keep it powered up and always have a few options open to attach two energy per turn.
Spread Decks
Damage spreading is another popular choice this year. Empoleon, Ampharos, Cresselia lv. X, Froslass, Yanmega, Bronzong, Starmie, Spiritomb and others spread early and often, amassing a lot of damage on the field. Froslass is a really cool card that has caught the attention of many players. A turn 2 damage spread to all of your opponent's Pokemon, plus 40 to the active and auto sleep. That's amazing. My favorite Froslass spread deck is played with Bronzong, Starmie and Cresselia lv. X. It can sweep Claydols and basics, quickly dominating the field. There are many Froslass decks out there and this card has enormous potential. Empoleon is another good option, but it has seen less play in some areas.
Magnezone
Magnezone/Electivire is a very strong strategy that revolves around energy manipulation and status conditions. 80 and auto paralyze is a great attack and Magnezone’s first attack shouldn’t be underestimated either. The ability to move your energy around is always amazing and 140 HP plus the ability to stack Metals will keep this guy around for a while. You can also play it with Palkia lv. X.
EeveeLutions
As with many pre-LA decks, Eevee has lost some of its power with the rotation of Double Rainbow and Scramble Energy. However, Leafeon lv. X is still the best energy accelerator in the game. It also has huge attack power. Add to that the ability to corner weakness and you’ve got a powerhouse deck. Magmortar may still be around, but it has been hurt with the rotation. Instead of playing defensively to activate Scramble Energy and hit for massive damage, the format now rewards offensive play. Decks like Leafeon/Glaceon and Leafeon/Sceptile are starting to emerge into the playing field.
Gardevoir and Gallade
Although more of a sad reminder of its glory days than a great deck, Gardevoir and Gallade will still sees some play. The DP-on version of the deck does not have the power it had last season, but don’t count G&G out just yet. This deck still has a lot of possibilities and it can be played with Energy Pickup and Rotom, Togekiss, Weavile, and others. Both Gallade's Psychic Cut and Gardevoir's Psychic Lock are as good as ever and it is just a matter of making them work.
Bellossom
Bellossom is a fun choice for Battle Roads this year. It sets up quickly and it can dish out massive amounts of damage for a low energy cost. If you have all four of your Bellossoms and Vileplumes in play you will do 120 damage, and you can get that all important OHKO with a Plus Power or Psychic on Vileplume. Even if you only have two Bellossoms on the field you can do a solid 80 for [G][C]. That can be game winning.
Garchomp
Although Garchomp has not made as much of an impact on the metagame as I had thought, it is still a contender for Battle Roads. It has the ability to do 110 damage pretty consistently, and it also has an amazing lv. X. Garchomp lv. X's Restore attack allows you to tech in pretty much anything or bring back another Garchomp and power it up instantly. You can Restore a Gallade or a Pokemon your opponent is weak to and knock out their Pokemon in one hit, or you can just keep the swarm of Garchomps going on the bench. This deck began to see some play last year when a few of the Japanese players used it at Worlds, and it has just gotten stronger with the new format.
Blissey
With a super showing at Worlds, Blissey has made a comeback lately. Although straight Blissey has not won any Battle Roads (that I know of), Blissey has been played in many winning decks. You can play it with energy acceleration cards like Magnezone lv. X or Leafeon lv. X, or speed decks like Magmortar.
Gliscor
This card has so many options and so much potential. Fast damage, the ability to inflict status conditions, a built in scoop up, and a cool lv. X that can attack and switch out with the bench all make this card one to look at. Gliscor could really be a powerful metagame counter. Venomoth, Shedinja, Mr. Mime, Shuckle, Gyarados, Mewtwo lv. X, Lopunny and others are all possible combos.
Skittles
The Ho-oh and Togekiss deck from last season is back, and it survived the rotation nicely. This is a fun deck to play and you can tech just about anything into it. It has great Leafeon and Bellossom matchups and Ho-oh even gets stronger with the addition of Snowpoint Temple. However, the number of Kingdra decks in the format is keeping Skittles from being more popular.
And of course…
Rogue Decks
This new format is sure to be filled with rogues of every size, shape and color. After competing in the Iron Chef deck contest, I really realized how almost any card in the game can be made into a great deck. There will defiantly be surprise decks this year and there are so many more viable options than just the strategies listed here.
That’s my take on everything… What do you think?
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