Life without Claydol?

[getjosh]

I would like to get some feedback regarding life without Claydol, should it go out in September. Or even, what the game was like before Claydol GE?

I started playing Pokemon during the release of Majestic Dawn, so Claydol has always been a part of the game for me. My Gym leader, Mr. Raichu, put it like this; In order to be a successful Pokemon player, you must do what successful Pokemon players do - run Claydol.

So in nearly every deck that I have built, I have had a 2-2 Baltoy - Claydol line. Currently I am toying with an Amphros - Manetric deck and I am trying to stay away from Poke-Powers. During the test games at home I always tend to struggle with the lack of the Claydol draw engine. (This was true with the Scizor deck I built.)

So, I am looking for a system, or draw engine, to use that is not dependent on Claydol. I realize what an awesome card Claydol is, and that not much can compare to it, but any ideas, suggestions, or strategies sure would help.

Thanks

[Bippa201]

Life without Claydol?

I will be so Happy

Life without Uxie and Claydol?

I'll be dancing around my house in happiness

[yoyofsho16]

Originally Posted by Bippa201

Life without Claydol?

I will be so Happy

Life without Uxie and Claydol?

I'll be dancing around my house in happiness

What is so wrong with these cards? Uxie and Claydol turn the game into more strategy than randomness. The game is a lot more skill than ever before. Games used to rely a lot more on what you drew into last season before Claydol was released, and the season before that.

[DarthPika]

Originally Posted by yoyofsho16

What is so wrong with these cards? Uxie and Claydol turn the game into more strategy than randomness. The game is a lot more skill than ever before. Games used to rely a lot more on what you drew into last season before Claydol was released, and the season before that.

I guess some people love to rely on top decking, and love doing badly at events.

[Renzo]

Well... I've been fine without Claydol actually. And seeing how big of an impact Claydol has had on the game, it's a good reason to believe that POP will rotate it out so as to keep the strategy making alive.

[Prime]

Better get your Uxie now. My guess is after Claydol is rotated out, Uxie will be a $15 card, and Uxie lv.X a $30 card. Talk about expensive!

[Regis_Neo]

Originally Posted by Bippa201

Life without Claydol?

I will be so Happy

Life without Uxie and Claydol?

I'll be dancing around my house in happiness

Until the next draw card/Pokemon comes along

Originally Posted by Prime

Better get your Uxie now. My guess is after Claydol is rotated out, Uxie will be a $15 card, and Uxie lv.X a $30 card. Talk about expensive!

Might wanna revise that, Uxie is already over $15, and the Lv X ironically can be got for about as much.

[Pachi]

Originally Posted by Prime

Better get your Uxie now. My guess is after Claydol is rotated out, Uxie will be a $15 card, and Uxie lv.X a $30 card. Talk about expensive!

well the price of the la one is more than that actually.

[Blaziken 1111]

I have to admit. I haven't built a list with claydol since platinum came out with the exeption of a couple lists I've changed from before like terra. I'd be purfectly fine. I've just notice claydol becoming more of a target then a helper.

For example: Durring a cities when I was playing regi, I noticed so many decks were reliant on claydol I mean I would be losing one turn but then I lock them with mesprit for a couple of turns and then I just kill claydol and they just draw nothing and I basically win. So many decks have not supporter draw anymore and just play claydol. In the next set there is going ot be a supporter that is basically calydol and with that one card, a tech uxie and a consistent trainer engien claydol is dead.

So in the end, I'd love to see claydol. Uxie on the otherhand would be enoying.

[SPARTA]

We will most likely lose Claydol, but we get Staraptor Lv X C and we will still have Uxie.
We also will FINALLY be getting a good multi use supporter in the form of Volkner (or however you spell the 8th gym leader's name).
While I love Claydol, it is a bit annoying needed to include him in 9/10 of my deck for it to be consistent, so I will not be overly sad to see him go.

[Xuii2-the-cleric]

first double rainbow energy that every1 relied on now claydol curse u pop!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SPARTA]

Originally Posted by Xuii2-the-cleric

first double rainbow energy that every1 relied on now claydol curse u pop!!!!!!!!!!!!

We always have a card 90% of the format relies on, and we will next format as well.
And the format after that, and the one after that....

[Assassin_Thief]

I would not care either way. I have never run Claydol an never plan to. When he is gone I have my Uxie.

[DarthPika]

As long as we don't get dumped with nothing like when the Holon Engine was rotated, everything should be fine.

[octillery49]

What does Staraptor C X do?

[Ghetto Overlord]

Originally Posted by octillery49

What does Staraptor C X do?

search deck for supporter and add to your hand or something like that

[SPARTA]

Actually I think some people just love whining and living in the world of "make believe", where they can ignore common sense and established fact about decks in a format and pretend they will do well at anything larger than a City Championship.

[FLCLFANMAN]

Uxie and Claydol may introduce some strategy, but they shouldn't be ABSOLUTELY necessary to compete. You can definitely make a competitve deck w/o some broken draw staple (seriously, draw six each turn? My MTG friends couldn't believe it)

Unfortunately the way its going, we'll keep getting insanely broken draw staples to keep us going. After Claydol is Uxie. After Uxie is Snorlax lvlx (if we get it) and so and so.

[ShadowGuard]

Why do you all think that Claydol will be gone for sure?
There are 7 DP sets, and if they want to come to PT-one, they'll have to rotate only 3 sets one season. As long as Stormfront is out there, Unown G will have to stay, otherwise some cards would get extremely broken (Dusknoir, Gengar, Machamp). So GE-on is the most likely format for next season imho.

btw, there are lots of competitive decks that don't run Claydol und rely on Uxie. At least half of the top cut decks at States in Leiden didn't have Claydol.

[SPARTA]

Originally Posted by ShadowGuard

Why do you all think that Claydol will be gone for sure?
There are 7 DP sets, and if they want to come to PT-one, they'll have to rotate only 3 sets one season. As long as Stormfront is out there, Unown G will have to stay, otherwise some cards would get extremely broken (Dusknoir, Gengar, Machamp). So GE-on is the most likely format for next season imho.

4 sets is the most likely amount, not the amount set in stone. They release 4 sets, they remove 4 sets, it is the one that makes the most sense, not the one they are guaranteed to rotate, though they have rotated things in the past who saw to much play, such as rotating out the Holon Engine, and they have varies the amount of sets rotated in the past and balanced it the next year.

Originally Posted by ShadowGuard

btw, there are lots of competitive decks that don't run Claydol und rely on Uxie. At least half of the top cut decks at States in Leiden didn't have Claydol.

That's nice, I see 2-3 decks in the previous format who were remotely good without Claydol, AMU, Scizor, and one could argue Gigas didn't need it. Outside of that, I see no deck in the previous format that would not work better with Claydol in it than without. Arguing that you saw few Claydol in ONE CITY is hardly a remotely decent argument.

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by SPARTA

That's nice, I see 2-3 decks in the previous format who were remotely good without Claydol, AMU, Scizor, and one could argue Gigas didn't need it. Outside of that, I see no deck in the previous format that would not work better with Claydol in it than without. Arguing that you saw few Claydol in ONE CITY is hardly a remotely decent argument.

Gengar and Dusknoir said 'sup.

I barely saw Claydol in SIX cities. Does that hold a better argument to you?

[SPARTA]

Originally Posted by Scipio

Gengar and Dusknoir said 'sup.

Dusknoir and Claydol could easily benefit from Claydol more than they would miss the two spots it takes up. My arguement was there were no decks who could more benefit with Claydol than without, you posted two decks who would love to be with Claydol. Good job.

Originally Posted by Scipio

I barely saw Claydol in SIX cities. Does that hold a better argument to you?

Why would it? That would be your area, not the metagame as a whole. I saw Claydol at every city in 90% of decks. As a whole, there were many more decks relying on Claydol than solely replying on draw without it, and an even higher percentage of decks that won who relied on Claydol.

[ShadowGuard]

Originally Posted by SPARTA

That's nice, I see 2-3 decks in the previous format who were remotely good without Claydol, AMU, Scizor, and one could argue Gigas didn't need it. Outside of that, I see no deck in the previous format that would not work better with Claydol in it than without. Arguing that you saw few Claydol in ONE CITY is hardly a remotely decent argument.

It was a State Championship, not a City Championship. They have already started in Europe, and of course they are played with Platinum. The Speed Machamp decks didn't run Claydol iirc, and all those Galactic decks didn't as well.

I didn't say that no-Claydol decks are better - I personally like Claydol, and ironically, a standard 2-2 Claydol line is the best armor against the popular power and hand disruption, as provided by Power Spray and Giratina PL. What I wanted to point out is that there are several competitive decks that do very well without Claydol.

The problem is, most of those decks rely on early-game. Any setup-decks would suffer from the lack of Claydol.

[koolkidkaz]

id like to have furret SW reprinted after claydol leaves. great free searching attack, but not too powerful.

[PokemanMaster]

After Claydol is gone, we have Uxie, which IMHO, is much better than Claydol. It may not be more consistent, but with UXie Lv.X, it is a good drawer and a great attacker. IT will see play in every deck. But I won't really miss Claydol, but I would have missed it if Plox was still legal with the DREs and Scrambles.