Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

ZPS-AKA Black Out

I love your build. Excellent work. I would play seeker myself but otherwise thank you for your article.
 
I don't agree with some of the trainers, but solid Pokemon line and energy count. Nice job on matchups too, I agree with the majority of them. I'd run some more switch; it's helpful if you start wiith a Shaymin, Yanma, or Pachirisu.

---------- Post added 06/04/2011 at 10:14 AM ----------
BLOCksTARxX said:
I disagree on the reshiram matchup because u won't always get the turn one Zekrom and reshiram is more stable. Also in Zekrom it really gets hard taking the last two prizes and I feel reshiram has Te upper hand just cause it doesnt run put of fuel as bad as Zekrom does.
Posted with Mobile style...
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Reshiram generally takes 3-4 turns to set up, and by that time Zekrom already has 3 prizes. He's running pluspower as well to KO reshiram.
 
I didn't read the posts of others after I read the article, so pardon me if I'm repeating anyone. Moving on, I have a couple questions/suggestions:

I noticed the fact that you ran no Rescue Energy at all. I know that the Revive is in there, but I've found Rescue Energy in the right use is infinitely better than revive(just my thought). Also, I noticed you didn't consider Unown Dark as a tech. Again, through testing I've found this card extremely useful when you need an extra energy(even though you have Energy Search, which is a very unique tech BTW). Lastly, another tech worth mentioning is Burned Tower. It can be used repeatedly(unlike Energy Retrieval), and it can bring back the energy much more consistently than it is given credit. These are just some thoughts of my own. Great read, great article, Five Stars, no doubt.
 
BlocksTarX-I'd say the straight Reshiboar is controversial, but I took into account donks and that makes it just a wee bit favorable to Zekrom, but overall it is a very even matchup that can go both ways.

GunWing-Thnx.

InnoCent-Thanks, and in some variants I do run more switch, it just depends on your build IMO, you can get away with one, but i find two or three to preferred, but again Yanmega takes up some of those consistency spots.

chartaxe-I do mention Retrieval in the list, but it is more important to get a T1 Zekrom than to have a good recovery engine for the ost part.

ArZona-thanks.

Excalibur- The main reason I run the Revive and the Energy Search/Retrieval over Rescue Energy, Unown Dark and Burned tower is because i can't reuse them w/ Junk Arm and this deck is based around a junk arm engine w/ Juniper and especially if you include Sage's, so that those one of or two of trainers can be reused up to 5 or six times depending on the situation, and again w/ the dark energy and rescue energy i don't like them because they aren't "Pachiable". Thanks for the compliments.
 
CFOURCOLTSFAN said:
BlocksTarX-I'd say the straight Reshiboar is controversial, but I took into account donks and that makes it just a wee bit favorable to Zekrom, but overall it is a very even matchup that can go both ways.

GunWing-Thnx.

InnoCent-Thanks, and in some variants I do run more switch, it just depends on your build IMO, you can get away with one, but i find two or three to preferred, but again Yanmega takes up some of those consistency spots.

chartaxe-I do mention Retrieval in the list, but it is more important to get a T1 Zekrom than to have a good recovery engine for the ost part.

ArZona-thanks.

Excalibur- The main reason I run the Revive and the Energy Search/Retrieval over Rescue Energy, Unown Dark and Burned tower is because i can't reuse them w/ Junk Arm and this deck is based around a junk arm engine w/ Juniper and especially if you include Sage's, so that those one of or two of trainers can be reused up to 5 or six times depending on the situation, and again w/ the dark energy and rescue energy i don't like them because they aren't "Pachiable". Thanks for the compliments.
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I believe the ruling on Junk Arm with the new BW rules is that it can only get Trainer - Items.
http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=147733
 
Reshiram generally takes 3-4 turns to set up, and by that time Zekrom already has 3 prizes. He's running pluspower as well to KO reshiram.[/QUOTE]

DUde thats if ur lucky enough to get it turn 1
 
G-West-Yes that's the ruling, but i'm by using Juniper and Sage's i am discarding cards, likely to be some trainers in the discard, so i can use what i discard, that's what I meant not getting the Juniper and Sage's back.

BlockstarxX-You do get t1 Zekrom a majority of the time, this list has the Yanmega so the success rate isn't as high as some of my builds but w/ an list optimized for t1 Zekrom you can get up to 80% success rate, and even if you don't get t1 you are almost guaranteed a turn two and even on turn two set up you have a two prize lead and can OHKO them b/c of PP's.
 
Great article, and I think the discussion is definitely bringing up a lot of tech options for the deck. But I'm not sure that any of them are must-haves, more like preference or meta-based choices. For example, I've tested with and without Rescue Energy--Rescue definitely helps mid- to late-game, but there have been opportunities to T1 Pachi-donk that I've missed because I have Rescue instead of electric in my hand. I'm sticking with Rescue, but I can definitely see why you might not run it. Reversal is another example--I'm running it because it actually gives the deck a shot against Magneboar, but I've also had games where I went all-tails with it. I also end up playing 4 JArm 1 Energy Retrieval for the flexibility that jarming offers, and because I end up using Yanmega a lot. But if your meta is such that you don't expect to (and so you need more energy), switch it up. I've played other ratios, and they also work.

So all and all, great article, and great posts. This is a deck you're clearly going to have to tune to your meta and playstyle.
 
Going to speak out and probably get an infraction--would people STOP pushing their name ideas onto decks that are completely obvious? I understand some pride in something you came up with that was inventive, but this is almost the most obvious deck idea out there.
 
The Supes said:
Going to speak out and probably get an infraction--would people STOP pushing their name ideas onto decks that are completely obvious? I understand some pride in something you came up with that was inventive, but this is almost the most obvious deck idea out there.
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Ha, I'm gonna INFRACT YO....oh wait, you didn't break any rules, awww, you got my hopes up!!!

But seriously, what? Are you talking about the article itself where he talks about why he gave it
the two names? That seems like a reasonable thing to include, because I've called it both ZPS and
Black out. (ZPS is more common for me though.)

I'm just saying I don't see what your beef is there, what in this thread has made you so angry about
naming things.

-Jason
:)dark::colorless:20)
 
Porii Sames-If you really think I should mention, I will but I don't see it as a great card b/c an energy search or lightning energy instead of the Unown Dark and Dark energy is almost as consistent, not as searchable but if just one of those two cards are prized it is utterly useless, did give it a mention however.

TandrewT-Thank you that is what i've been saying, tossed in Rescue Energy and lumped it together with the other recovery cards.

The Supes-I am not claiming the deck as my own, nor do i think i said anything regarding that, so yeah, maybe the name thing but can't think of much else :p

DarkStar20-Thanks, also I tend to use ZPS more, it just sounds better IMO.

Also the Supes(and to everyone else who may think the same way), i am sorry you thought i was trying to push my name onto the deck, i don't want to do that and if i am, i am sorry because a fair amount of people put a lot of work into just this article and at the end I did thank them, in turn trying not to take credit for everything because they all helped me a lot and i want to thank them again.

Also added 3 new techs today-
Unown and Dark Energy
Resue Energy
Rotom
 
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i see unown dark and dark energy better then lightning energy and energy search purely because energy search isn't searchable in this deck, although consistency wise you are right

---------- Post added 06/05/2011 at 07:24 PM ----------

All I can say is (by looking at BR reports and observation) ZPS is a definite Hype, it will need an original idea to catapult this deck into a higher spot, I know it is tier 1 but it has some big flaws within it, but Catcher will improve it along with Thundurus(this is a spoiler).
 
BR reports TBH don't matter b/c this a MD-BW format and are not really relevant for my deck analysis. Catcher is good enough to catapult into a higher tier b/c this is the only deck that is consistent t1 and it can lock down your opponents' evolutions. Thundurus doesn'tt really do much for the deck b/c it isn't a better atta, cker and while it gets an energy energy search would be better
 
AzZona said:
retrievals only work turn one if you juniper energy or junk arm them they dont let you draw into them
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Using your logic, Energy Search only works if you draw into it...which, also means it serves the same purpose as an energy....

This idea popped in my head during my drive home and I thought long and hard about what scenario could possibly benefit from running energy search. It also made me ask myself, what scenario could possibly benefit from running retrievals. The only answer I could come up with for both is that Retrieval lets you get TWO energy for ONE card. The problem with energy search and junk arm is this that, you could just run all energy instead and it would have the same effect but doesn't get trainer locked. Your list has 14 energy, 2 energy search, and 4 junk arm. So, lets just say that instead of running 4 Junk Arm and 2 Search's, you replaced them with energy, giving you 20 energy. The scenario is that you start Zekrom, Collector, 1 energy, 1 Junk Arm, and Energy Search, along with 3 random cards for JA fodder....in this scenario, you set up T1. Lets play the same scenario, except assume that JA's and searchs are energy: Zekrom, 3 Energy, Collector, and 3 random cards...I still set up T1.Now, I realize your argument here is that Junk Arm is better for late game and all round generally for options, but if the point is for speed, then I'm not following you....junk arm isn't needed if you are shooting for speed. The other issue I have with Energy Search is...well, quite simple: you run TWO Energy Search...the probability of you hitting one T1 is pretty slim. Going back to probability, if Juniper allows you to "dump the one of" (a strategy I've been using for a while now in my Steelix/Junk Arm/Vs Seeker deck), you are more probable (for the record, in pokemon, more probable = more consistent) to be able to dump 2 energy with Juniper since you run 14. That being the case, 14 energy, 4 JA, and 3 Energy Retrievals is WAY more consistent.

Kudos for the idea, I like the way you think, I just can't statistically justify it as being good...if I'm missing something, please tell me...I find these to post by CFOURCOLTSFAN (OP) quite telling:


chartaxe-I do mention Retrieval in the list, but it is more important to get a T1 Zekrom than to have a good recovery engine for the ost part.
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BlockstarxX-You do get t1 Zekrom a majority of the time, this list has the Yanmega so the success rate isn't as high as some of my builds but w/ an list optimized for t1 Zekrom you can get up to 80% success rate, and even if you don't get t1 you are almost guaranteed a turn two and even on turn two set up you have a two prize lead and can OHKO them b/c of PP's.
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I'm just not picking up what you are putting down...if the Energy Search isn't getting you the T1 Zekkrom (I find it hard to believe it helps running 2), why run them?
 
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