Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Toxicroak g or donphan?

G

gallade

Active Member
For gyarados, the hardest match is luxchomp. Which helps more (and why), toxicroak g promo or donphan prime?
 
ok, i don't like manky, and relicanth, i really hate relicanth. ask eleki_957. just keep it to the choices please...
 
Donphan, it is simple to put in gyarados, and has great synergy with gyarados. Promocroak takes more spaces in order make it work consistently. Just three spaces for donphan and it works.
 
for donphan you need 3 cards, phanpy, donphan and fighting energy.

For toxicroak you need 2 cards toxicroak and psychic energy.

Toxicroak has a built in SSU, donphan doesn't. donphan damages your pokemon, toxicroak doesn't
 
Donphan's retreat kills it. After being toxic fanged by crobat all they have to do is dragon rush. You can get one KO with it with BTS, but they will be prepared for it. If you KO a luxray with donphan you will get KO'd next turn by only doing 40 to a crobat. The damage done to the bench is bad too because It allows Gyarados to get one shotted by luxray. Toxicroak is bad too since Dos doesn't run much energy. Mankey and Relicanth are your best bets.
 
my thinking with donphan is that if you can pull up the luxray and kill it, it is hard for them to get it back, which give gyarados the easy win.
 
weavile#1 said:
for donphan you need 3 cards, phanpy, donphan and fighting energy.

For toxicroak you need 2 cards toxicroak and psychic energy.

Toxicroak has a built in SSU, donphan doesn't. donphan damages your pokemon, toxicroak doesn't
Click to expand...

For Toxicroak you also need Energy gain or a second energy.

You can't surprise with Toxicroak unless you play Gain, and if you do, you play Cyrus as Gain is not searchable without that. Everything in Donphan is searchable and recoverable.

Toxicroak still OHKOs Luxray with Belt, whereas Donphan leaves it with 10hp (can Bat or Belt, though).

Toxicroak needs to come to rebound from KO, whereas you can attack any time with Donphan. You don't need to wait for your Expert Belt Gyarados to get KO'd in order to return OHKO. Donphan damages your bench though, which makes stuff like Sableye or Azelf more Crobatable.

Oh, and Donphan can actually take a hit from SP, whereas Toxicroak should go down from Garchomp+Crobat.

I'd say Donphan has better overall synergy with Gyarados, especially if Warp Energies are played. You just need to tech for Donphan accordingly (ie. play Roseanne's for access to the energy, have something to get Donphan out from the active position when you need to attack with Gyarados). Seems like a good choice on Pluspower/Warp Energy variant. On Crobat/Cyclone variant, you should seriously consider about playing Croak (on a funny side note, you can do the Cyclone trick with Leap Away to reuse Cyclone's effect later).
 
I wouldn't use any specific counter.

Promocroak is ok, but unless you run E Gain (unsearchable unless you want to run Cyrus as well), then it is going to be sitting on the Bench for at least a turn with a big fat target on its back.

Mankey is just a Prize exchange.

Relicanth is alright but if they don't have enough tools/Stadiums on the Field its useless. Luxchomp doesn't need Unown G vs Gyarados and doesn't run Stadiums.

Donphan can work but the Bench damage is counter-productive . . . now they can Dragon Rush your Regice without needing a Bat drop.

On the other hand, it's not as if Gyarados can't OHKO a Luxray or a Chomp all by itself. Expert Belt or Bat drops will do it. I would rather use cards that improve the consistency and recovery of Gyarados than give up deckspace to inferior attackers.
 
Well my gyarados can beat almost every deck except luxchomp, which it gets trashed by (no pun intended). I think I need a tech for it.
 
I honestly think something's either wrong with your Gyarados list or your play against Luxchomp if it's your hardest match. Luxchomp is generally seen as a favorable match for Gyarados and at worst a 50/50. Reversal/Luxray their Luxrays and Belt/Bat properly to get OHKOs. It's counterproductive to tech for a matchup you already win.
 
gallade said:
I have a weird gyarados list not made for luxchomp. Mine kills everything except this.
Click to expand...

Then your list is doing something wrong. If they OHKO your Gyarados, you rescue the 'karp, BTS into Gyarados, attach belt or double flash bite, tail revenge for the KO. Run one tech bubble coat for the luxchomp match-up if your build can't actually withstand one pokemon's attacks THAT badly.
 
You expect me to use flash bite when they are waiting for me to do it? Power spray much? I understand that my deck is losing to luxchomp, I want to make the match up more in my favor. Can you help?
 
If your Gyarados list is 'weird', then it makes it difficult to help apart from just pointing out the obvious techs. If we knew more about the deck, it would be easier.

Not asking or expecting you to post the list, but that's why you probably aren't getting what you need.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top