Improving my Durant Deck Against Quick OHKOs?

[Yarcofin]

Sorry if this deck has been looked at repeatedly, but here is my current take on it.

I've made what I feel is a pretty solid Durant Deck, I'm winning most of my games. So far the only input I've got from opponents is that I may want Pokemon Catcher or Lost Remover.

The list:

Pokemon (6)
4 Durant
1 Rotom
1 Cobalion


Trainers (44)
1 Copycat
3 Crushing Hammer
4 Eviolite
4 Junk Arm
4 Level Ball
4 N
1 Pokegear 3.0
1 Pokemon Center
3 Pokemon Collector
2 Professor Juniper
3 POTN
4 Revive
2 Super Rod
4 Switch
4 Twins

Energy (10)
6 Basic Metal
4 Special metal


If I were to drop anything I feel like it would be a couple Switch or Super Rod

From my play so far, the following problems/weaknesses seem to crop up:

- Getting my Durants repeatedly OHKO by Pokemon like Mewtwo, Reshiram, etc. (Anything that can hit 70HP+). Reviving my ants isn't a problem, I get at least 3 ants out within the first couple turns and keep them there all game. The problem is just getting knocked out 6 times before I can make my opponent deck out.
I think there are two solutions to this, but I don't know what's better: Swapping out my opponent's main Pokemon constantly with something like Catcher, or discarding energy from their main Pokemon with Lost Remover? Currently I am using crushing hammer but this simply isn't cutting it... it can delay a turn or two but not much more, and relies on coin flips.

- If one of my Durants is in my prize pile it can take 5+ turns to retrieve it. Not sure if this is worth adding Alph Lithograph to my deck to compensate for, currently I just use rotom to shift all my prize cards and start using Level Ball/Collector after I've swapped about 3 of them.

Thanks for your input in advance

[Pikabruce]

In Durant decks, it is pretty standard (and considered essential) to run 3 or 4 Pokemon Catcher. At least 1 Lost Remover is also considered essential, and some players include more than 1.

Many players who include Cobalion also include Mime Jr., just to reduce the odds of having to start with Rotom/Cobalion active.

Battle City is probably more useful than Pokemon Center.

[Roarkiller]

Too few disruption is your problem. 4 hammers and 2 lost removers is the standard, more is your meta is heavy with special energies. And a minimum of three catchers.

If you're still losing, try magby. Scares the hell outta them.

1 switch and super rod is enough btw :) Your count is beyond overkill, lol. And if you wanna run a stadium, Battle City is the only one suitable for this deck, nothing else.

[Yarcofin]

Thanks for the tips, I can't seem to get ahold of any Catchers so I've settled for the cheaper Pokemon Circulator for the moment, how much better would Catcher be than this?

Here's the updated deck anyway, took out some things and added Circulator and 4 Lost Removers. Any more tweaks besides waiting for Catchers?:

1 cobalion
4 durant
1 rotom

3 crushing hammer
4 eviolite
4 junk arm
4 level ball
4 lost remover
3 n
1 pokegear3.0
3 pokemon circulator
2 professor juniper
3 POTN
4 revive
2 switch
3 twins

6 metal
4 special mat

[Roarkiller]

-1 lost remover
-3 circulator
-1 eviolite
+1 crushing hammer
+4 reversal


The problem with circulator is that people usually have a free retreating pokemon like cleffa or tynamo on the bench, which kinda defeats the purpose of catcher. Try reversal; flippy, but same effect as catcher. And because of the flippyness, run four.

[BFMS]

Start with this:

4 Durant
1 Rotom
1 Cobalion

4 Junk Arm
4 Revive
3 Eviolite
3 Pokegear 3.0
3 Pokemon Catcher
2 Level Ball
2 Crushing Hammer
1 Lost Remover
1 Super Rod
1 Switch

4 Pokemon Collector
4 Professor Juniper
4 Twins
4 N
2 Seeker

5 Metal Energy
4 SP Metal Energy
2 Prism Energy

With this line up you will always be able to access what you need. There is one space free for anything you like (Hammer/Remover, Flower Shop Lady, Battle City, Alph Lithograph, Spiritomb etc.).

[MasterBlaster]

Okay, seriously guys I have to ask because I don't understand this logic people seem to use building this deck. Why are you playing cobalion? Why? For what possible good does that card do you? An attacker? A wall? A stall device? You know what this deck is supposed to do right? Mill your opponent as fast as you can, while making sure you disrupt their setup so you can survive. So every turn you have a cobalion active and attacking, you're failing at your deck goal.

In short:
-1 cobalion
+1 ANYTHING DISRUPTIVE.

[Electric Spider]

Cobalion is great to attack with if your opponent gets anything set up. Crushing hammers isn't going to do anything when your opponent piles on energy and Rotom can only take you so far. I've seen Durant decks take 6 straight prizes with Cobalion because after a few turns milling with Durant, there is usually nothing left that can take on a fully powered Cobalion.

[BFMS]

Durant is as much a control deck as it is a mill deck. Cobalion isn't totally 'necessary' but it sure as anything helps you to keep control your opponent.

[FunnyBear]

There are very strong opinions on both sides of the Cobalion in Durant debate. Personally, I find it makes Durant worse. You will not take 6 prizes with Cobalion and once it dies, you cannot then switch to a milling strategy. Further, if you start with it in the mirror, you lose.

[JandPDS]

Originally Posted by FunnyBear

There are very strong opinions on both sides of the Cobalion in Durant debate. Personally, I find it makes Durant worse. You will not take 6 prizes with Cobalion and once it dies, you cannot then switch to a milling strategy. Further, if you start with it in the mirror, you lose.

That is why I ran 3 Cobalions, Mill the heck out of them to start the game and then sweep with Cobalion. It is a winning strategy. Setting up cobalions will force your oppoent to set up more then one attacker and to do that they will have to play thier draw supporters which will help you mill them out. I won a lot of games by starting the mill in the beginning and then Going into a slugfest wth Cobalion and then when thier deck is down and they have lost focus on my durrants go back to milling them out for the game.

[CardKaptor]

Originally Posted by FunnyBear

There are very strong opinions on both sides of the Cobalion in Durant debate. Personally, I find it makes Durant worse. You will not take 6 prizes with Cobalion and once it dies, you cannot then switch to a milling strategy. Further, if you start with it in the mirror, you lose.

In the cities I won my last round was the mirror, and thank god I started with Cobalion cause I went second and he took my six prizes.

[Team Rockets Assassin]

Cobalion disallows your opponent from setting up just one active pokemon and aggro-ing energy onto it. Cobalion wins more games than he loses. If you have the space. keep him.

[BFMS]

If you don't know how to win with Cobalion without taking 6 prizes then you're doing it wrong.

[Gamegurlz]

You should play 2 lost remover and 4 crushing hammer. Junk for the Lost remover when ever is necessary but you should be good o the crushing hammer.

---------- Post added 02/23/2012 at 06:38 PM ----------

should consider playing spirit tomb because it help making them draw faster. But that is just my thought hope it help.

[JandPDS]

Originally Posted by BFMS

If you don't know how to win with Cobalion without taking 6 prizes then you're doing it wrong.

POint of a deck is to win. Cobalion is awesome. IF I win by decking my opponet out or by taking prizes from them, it is not important to me. In cities I won about 605 of my games by decking and 40% by taking prizes. Milling them out early game and then sweeping with Cobalion late is a winning strategy.