E-On without Promos/Best Of...this leaves us?

[CPUSrchDiscarding2forOak]

So...the format has finally been released. Expedition-on without any of the older promos.

What decks does this leave us?

Scizor (AQ), GODevoir, Swampert, Sceptile, Blaziken/Delcatty, Slaking...

What else do we have left? (I've missed a lot, I know, I've been out of the loop for a while)


And with no way to Gust in an opponent's Pokemon, and no Focus/GB to work from, and no Elm...what is the Trainer engine of a typical Deck going to look like?

[nikePK]

I'm sure it leaves us with a whole lot more than that. I think a lot of decks can be played in this... of course, I haven't played a whole lot of ex-on. W/o Best of promos is really cool though. No more Elm or Pokemon Center.

I'm gonna try out some stuff like ex Typhlosion (the power seems pretty good and its attack is nice) and Tyranitar AQ...

Course, I'll try some of the SS stuff.

I guess we'll wait and see how this goes...

[HypnosProjectHQ]

Oh but there is a way to "gust," its Pokemon Reversal! This really rocks! I'll have a deck ready, oh, you'll see! :)

[Baboon]

Oh, but there is an indirect way to Gust in a Defending Pokemon, and he happens to be my favorite Fighting Pokemon, Skyridge Machamp!

His Poke-Body prevents all effects of attacks, so that's good... His first attack deals 20 damage and you pick a new Defending Pokemon, and finally, Hurricane Punch averages 60 for (F)(F)(*)(*), which is not that bad.

Trainers I see to be useful: Copycat, Juggler, Desert Shaman, possibly Oracle, Rare Candy, etc.

There are more viable decks than you may think.
*Does his happy dance*
Expedition-on! WOOOOO!
<('_'<) (>'_'<) (>'_')>

[TheDeuce]

Oh but there is a way to "gust," its Pokemon Reversal! This really rocks! I'll have a deck ready, oh, you'll see! :)
No, Pokémon Reversal doesn't work, the wording on it has changed. Now, you flip a coin and if heads your opponent gets to pick which pokémon to send out.

The only real Gust left is E2 Victreebel's Fragrance Trap, so I'm thinking that's gonna be a big deck.

[JohnnyBlaze]

For more "Gusting" options dont forget about good ole Victrebeel. Its a flip still but with more than one out you can try multiple times.

[dkates]

I think the only cards I will miss with Best Promos not being allowed are Electabuzz and Elm. Electabuzz because it's a cheap Pokemon that can do decent damage, and Elm because, without it, literally every card in the format that can change your hand or draw cards is a Supporter. Trust me, I've checked. We'll adjust, though -- we always have.

[Baboon]

Lol, dkates, guess what cards I'm having to tweak out of my predicted E-on deck? Electabuzz and Elm. ;)

Yeah, Supporters do kinda hurt a little, but I'm sure that just the format change in itself will buy some time until people really get unhappy with Trainers. Who knows, maybe in a future set, there will actually be non-Supporter help? (yeah... sure...) @_@

[Prime]

The good thing about sandstorm is that it introduced alot of new pokemon that can gust in without a flip. Including the beast itself.

[Turbo Blastoise]

One card that I've barely seen anyone mention for board control is warp point. Non-supporter; it's a switch for you and it forces your opponent to switch out a different pokemon from his active--quite possibly a pokemon that he might not want sent out(since now he'll have to send a regular basic instead of an annoying baby). I intend to experiment with that card especially in my first couple of eon tournaments to see how it works with this new format.

[Prime]

Turbo proposed a good point. I myself have been prepared for this and have already evaulated the card named warp point. It is allowed in the new modified too. In end conclusion about the card, although it may not take a flip and forces your opponent to switch to a pokemon on their bench. But in the end, they get to choose what to switch. And alot of the time, they will already have a half way powered up pokemon on the bench they can send up and power up and blow away what you send up. Warp Point is idealy used in the early parts of the game and notime after that.

[BLiZzArD]

can someone give a link as to where the new format rules are I haven't been able to locate them thanx in advance

[yoshi1001]

http://op.pokemon-tcg.com/tournaments/pdfs/Pokémon%20Organized%20Play%20Floor%20Rules.pdf

[Tego]

So I'm not the only one who's planning to run at least 3 Warp Point in every single E-On deck. Warp Point will be the new DGust, just so much more strategic, and hard to abuse. But Warp Point really has changed since its early days, especially with the new retreat ruling.

[Gym Leader Blaine]

Since the Best Promos came out after Expedition, I bet Nintendo will let us use them, but they are still working on a yes or not to this every question.

[Prime]

hmm I have to disagree there. Nintendo has stated what cards we can use and I don't think they will go back and let us have non-nintendo promo cards. The BOG promos were made by wizards same as the black star promos were and that was the main reason to why they weren't allowed. Because we know some black star promos were made after expedition or I think there was some made.

[Gym Leader Blaine]

You might be right on that, but I know that this is something that has been brought upto PUI by some players already, so Im sure they will come out and say it one way or another just so the info is on the Best set.

[Scizor]

Well i for one am glad not only that it is in fact Expedition on, but the fact they did not break their promise of the release date. Unlike Wizards they actually are on time with their decisions, which is admirable.

Also the Best of Promos being not included would not be a HUGE deal, but i still really really think Elm should be allowed.... We'll see. But really this is a good thing, i mean i think RS ON was already broken.

[bullados]

Can we get back to DECK discussions here?

Here are the decks that I see as being superpowers:

Gardevoir (ex)/Mewtwo ex, Wailord/Wailord ex/Swampert (my personal fav), Victreebel (trap, remember losing to this card about 10 times in a row, in about 7 minutes...), Phlosion ex, Blaze, Shiftry (both), Scizor (however, SMF is dead...), and AT LEAST a dozen others that I can't remember at this time. Too many to be called archetypes, no archetypes to really go "rogue". It's a good age for Pokemon, as we are truely testing the unknown in this new format, as, with the exception of Scizor, none of these decks were really played much in the old format.

[Pablo]

I'll add Armaldo to the list, Armaldo with some fire backup, will be a nasty deck to deal with, no supporters and 60 a turn? that is awesome. If BOG would've been allowed, Armaldo wouldn't have been so powerful if Elm was allowed, but now practically all good drawing/searching (except for dual ball) is a supporter, I smell a stall deck coming along :)

[Cyrus]

Turbo, I have also seen the strength in Warp Point (and in the early days of MMF [yes, I'll say the cursed abbreviation!], I competitively played these alongside Double Gust for added disruption!).

My current e-on deck is a proxy build with Salamence, Latias ex, AND warp point! Oh, it'll be mad disruption :D

[mysterioustrainer]

It figures it wouldn't take long for a topic like this to start. Basically I am glad no Elms, Gold Berry, and Focus Bands are in the format. It really makes things easy to play again and alot of good decks are actually based on more of the easier to catch cards. I am going to start posting deck ideas again because I have many great ideas now.

[BLiZzArD]

Armaldo doesn't need a fire pokemon to work check out my no support deck:)


http://www.pokegym.net/showthread.php?t=1592

[Pablo]

It does need a supporting fire Poke, to deal with Cradily, Shiftry and Sceptile, but I've found playing 2 Solrock and 1 Lunatone takes care of that, since you change solrock to fire and kill off those plant pokes :)

[BLiZzArD]

that's why I used Cradily

[KingOfDemons]

I'm sure it leaves us with a whole lot more than that. I think a lot of decks can be played in this... of course, I haven't played a whole lot of ex-on. W/o Best of promos is really cool though. No more Elm or Pokemon Center.

I'm gonna try out some stuff like ex Typhlosion (the power seems pretty good and its attack is nice) and Tyranitar AQ...

Course, I'll try some of the SS stuff.

I guess we'll wait and see how this goes...Old promos are allowed. Read the Nintendo official rulings. They are allowing all of the old Black Star Promos. SO WELCOME BACK PROMO MEWTWO!

Pokemon Center is still allowed because it WAS (or in fact IS) a Black Star Promo. Remember that it was a promo when the NY Pokemon Center opened hrm? But we can use Lucky Stadium now, er...yeah *weakly*?

No Elms means Professor Birch is now the new professor for drawing power. And it looks like I need to make some new Modified decks since most of my decks are now DEAD!

*sniff* Goodbye Big Bully! I hardly knew ye.

EDIT: I knew something was funky so I took a look at my stash and found my ONLY Nintendo Promo: The reverse holo Kyogre EX that I have picked up at San Diego. It was labeled 001. SO I screwed up. Maybe Nintendo should have labeled it "Nintendo Promos only" since there aren't that many leagues or tournaments around.

[dkates]

Where'd you get that? The Nintendo Organized Play Floor Rules refer to Promo cards "numbered 001 and higher." In other words, the only Promos allowed are the ones printed by Nintendo -- Kyogre ex, Groudon ex, Torchic, and Combusken, thus far.

[Tego]

Nintendo should really make that Promo rule more clear. It will confuse a LOT of people if they don't.

[NoPoke]

if I'm reading the posts here and elsewhere correctly it looks like EON is shaping up to be RSON pokemon with additional trainer support from the Expedition block.

There must be some pokemon form the Exped block that are worth playing. (other than scizor and furret!)

[P_A]

Well, one thing I know for sure, all the Delcatty's I've been hoarding are going to come in handy. I don't think I'll have a problem with drawing.

[RaNd0m]

*sniff*

Regardless, I think the choosing of this format WAS a bad idea, but w/e I'll accept it and move on etc.

Ok Gardevoir/Gardevoir ex is the next Feraligatr, hands down. Very little beats it consistently.

~ RaNd0m

[CPUSrchDiscarding2forOak]

Well, I've been getting a lot of good feedback...*goes on eBay and buys massive Slakings, Gardevoirs, and Gardevoir EXs*

Thanks to all. Listing just about all of what Sandstorm will lead us to expect is going to set everyone up for a good while. A few major tournaments down to establish a metagame in this circus-of-a-set-block and we're all good.

[Tego]

if I'm reading the posts here and elsewhere correctly it looks like EON is shaping up to be RSON pokemon with additional trainer support from the Expedition block.

There must be some pokemon form the Exped block that are worth playing. (other than scizor and furret!)

Hmm... useful Pokémon from the Expedition block? Well, we could always give Stoney and Martin's old Kermit a try now. ;)

(That's the Skyridge Politoed deck for you)