Bolt
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CurseGar
Written by Josef Bolton
DP-On Format - June 13, 2010
Gengar from the Arceus expansion reintroduced the infamous hit-and-run strategy as a viable contender in today's metagame.
I was going to start off this article with a history lesson about the Donphan/Slowking deck that was popular about 8 years ago…but I wasn't playing competitively at that time. And most people wouldn't read it.
The point WOULD'VE BEEN that AR Gengar's 'hit and run' style attack is nothing new. You have a moderately strong attacker with the ability to hide behind either a defensive or disruptive Pokemon. Luckily, in this deck's case, we have access to both.
First, let's take a look at the card itself:
Gengar LV.44 110HP
HP is decent, especially considering it won't be spending too much time active. You'll be bringing this up to 130 with an Expert Belt or 140/160 with a Level Up.
PokePower: Curse
Yes, you have seen this before on a Gengar! Damage manipulation is such an amazing power, and to have it on such a good attacker is a bonus. Many of you will remember how popular Cresselia Lv. X was in previous years because of a similar power. Multiple Gengars means multiple Curses.
[PPC] Shadow Skip 60
The attack is a bit more expensive than we'd like, although if it was allowed to be powered up with just a psychic and a double colorless energy, then it'd probably be considered overpowered. And hey, a bonus effect to go along with Gengar's power. Do 10 damage to one of your opponent's benched Pokemon. If you Curse this to their active Pokemon on your next turn, consider this attack as doing 90 damage with an Expert Belt!
Weakness to dark, not bad for Gengar (HORRIBLE for Gastly, though, with all the Sableye around), Colorless resistance is great in this Garchomp-dominated format…but again, it won't be active much so how much do these REALLY matter? Not a terrible amount. Free retreat? Yes, please.
AND NOW…the list:
Pokemon - 29
4 Gastly [SF]
3 Haunter [SF]
2 Gengar [AR]
1 Gengar [SF]
1 Gengar Lv. X [AR]
2 Baltoy [GE]
2 Claydol [GE]
1 Nidoran ♀ [RR]
1 Nidoqueen [RR]
1 Mewtwo [MD]
1 Mewtwo Lv. X [LA]
2 Mr. Mime [MT]
1 Unown G [GE]
1 Unown Q [MD]
1 Uxie [LA]
1 Azelf [LA]
3 Spiritomb [AR]
1 Chatot [MD]
Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums - 19
4 Bebe's Search
4 Roseanne's Research
1 Luxury Ball
2 Expert Belt
1 Premier Ball
3 Rare Candy
3 Moonlight Stadium
1 Palmer's Contribution
Energy - 12
4 Call
6 Psychic
2 Warp
I have seen a LOT of CurseGar lists online lately, and people have a wide range of opinions as to what the most ideal cards to run are. Here's a rundown of my individual card choices:
SF Gastly - This over the others because of the attack Pitch Dark. Even if you don't start with Call Energy in your hand, you have seven possible starting Pokemon with the ability to deny trainer use - a huge factor if you're going first.
SF Haunter - The Haunter I've seen most often in this deck is the AR one with Psyshot and Shadow Bind. While the effect of preventing the Defending Pokemon from retreating isn't bad, I don't feel that it is the best choice. SF Haunter does more damage for one energy (we'll ignore the effect of Hoodwink, since it's entirely likely you'll never opt to give your opponent back cards), and inflicting a special condition for NO energy is just as helpful in my opinion. You can go either way with this, but I opt for SF.
Gengars (2 AR, 1 SF,1 Lv. X) - The Curse/Shadow Skip Gengar is your main attacker, so you'll want to "max" it out. In this case, maxing is only two since SF Gengar is way too useful of a card to not include in the deck. For as little as one energy, it can grab cheap KOs, especially with the ability to manipulate damage counters. Gengar Lv. X's Level Down CAN BE one of the most disruptive powers in the game, provided you use it at key points (to ensure a knock out).
GE Baltoy - With Moonlight Stadium, some players opt to play the SV Baltoy, which would give every basic in the deck free retreat. However, the additional retreat cost of one is not enough of a hinderance to justify the inferior Baltoy. Psychic Balance is one of the best desperation attacks ever. I can't count the number of times I've seen this attack used to draw a solid 3-4 cards in a bad situation, turning it into a good one.
RR Nidoqueen rather than DP Dusknoir - Another one of those judgment calls. Dusknoir is infinitely more disruptive, and since it has lost some popularity since 2008, it is easier to surprise drop it on your opponent. However, Nidoqueen is much easier to attack with (especially in a deck where your MAIN attacker needs two psychic and a colorless to attack) and will also heal your Gengar of 20 damage between its attacks.
Mewtwo Lv X - Your anti-SP tech, plain and simple. Mewtwo has the ability to win you games simply by getting it into play.
Mewtwo Lv X - Your anti-SP tech, plain and simple. Mewtwo has the ability to win you games simply by getting it into play.
Mr. Mime and Spiritomb - These are your wall/disruptive cards. Gengar will usually be switching into these guys after it attacks depending on what your opponent is playing and what is in their field. I'll go into more detail soon.
Chatot - It's Pooka's avatar, so it must be good. Mimic, like Psychic Balance, is an excellent desperation attack…except Chatot has free retreat and isn't often a target of attacks.
Unown G, Unown Q, Uxie, Azelf - These belong in every deck to boost defensive capability and consistency. Unown Q is important to CurseGar because the Pokemon you'll be switching into (Mr. Mime and Spiritomb) have retreat costs of one, and you won't ALWAYS have Moonlight Stadium in play; or you will need to retreat your initial Spiritomb. Having an Unown Q on a Claydol also makes it less of a target for cards like Luxray GL Lv X and Blaziken FB.
4 Bebe/4 Roseanne/0 Communication - I'm maxing out Bebe's Search because it's the best Pokemon search to have with a Spiritomb active, and by the time you don't have a Spiritomb active, you shouldn't NEED Communication. Four Roseanne's Research are necessary because you'll find yourself searching for psychic energy on occasion, but dropping one for a Pokemon Collector isn't a terrible idea.
2 Expert Belt - You can potentially cut one of these for any number of cards (Pokemon Collector, Premier Ball, Looker's Investigation, etc), but having two makes it easier to draw into. You may even yourself attaching the second one to get out of clutch situations to avoid or achieve a KO.
3 Rare Candy - But Bolt, why do you have Rare Candy with Spiritomb? That's why you didn't want to run Communication with 30 Pokemon!
4 Bebe/4 Roseanne/0 Communication - I'm maxing out Bebe's Search because it's the best Pokemon search to have with a Spiritomb active, and by the time you don't have a Spiritomb active, you shouldn't NEED Communication. Four Roseanne's Research are necessary because you'll find yourself searching for psychic energy on occasion, but dropping one for a Pokemon Collector isn't a terrible idea.
2 Expert Belt - You can potentially cut one of these for any number of cards (Pokemon Collector, Premier Ball, Looker's Investigation, etc), but having two makes it easier to draw into. You may even yourself attaching the second one to get out of clutch situations to avoid or achieve a KO.
3 Rare Candy - But Bolt, why do you have Rare Candy with Spiritomb? That's why you didn't want to run Communication with 30 Pokemon!
There are several reasons for this:
1) You're going to need one for the Nidoqueen (or Dusknoir).
2) You'll ideally use Spiritomb to get a Claydol into play, making it that much easier to draw into a Gengar. You can then retreat and have a quick Gengar.
3) Late game, ESPECIALLY against decks with Luxray (read: most decks in today's metagame), you'll find it hard to both manually evolve AND manually attach energy to build up another attacker. Many situations will come up where you will want to play down a Gastly and evolve it into SF Gengar immediately.
4) It is simply an amazing card.
1) You're going to need one for the Nidoqueen (or Dusknoir).
2) You'll ideally use Spiritomb to get a Claydol into play, making it that much easier to draw into a Gengar. You can then retreat and have a quick Gengar.
3) Late game, ESPECIALLY against decks with Luxray (read: most decks in today's metagame), you'll find it hard to both manually evolve AND manually attach energy to build up another attacker. Many situations will come up where you will want to play down a Gastly and evolve it into SF Gengar immediately.
4) It is simply an amazing card.
1 Palmer's Contribution - The basic energy count is fairly low considering how many attacking options you have, so you'll often want to recover 2-3 basic energy and a couple Pokemon from your discard pile.
4 Call Energy/2 Warp Energy - Call Energy is a MUST in ANY deck that has main attackers with a colorless energy in their attack costs. Most of your Gengars will end up attacking with two psychic energy and a call. Warp Energy is mainly for removing Claydol from the active position, although you may end up using it on a Mr. Mime or Spiritomb should you not have Moonlight Stadium/Unown Q in play.
4 Call Energy/2 Warp Energy - Call Energy is a MUST in ANY deck that has main attackers with a colorless energy in their attack costs. Most of your Gengars will end up attacking with two psychic energy and a call. Warp Energy is mainly for removing Claydol from the active position, although you may end up using it on a Mr. Mime or Spiritomb should you not have Moonlight Stadium/Unown Q in play.
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So, about that Shadow Skip…here are three things to remember:
-keep in mind how many energy your opponents Pokemon need to attack (all of them). Mr. Mime can block a lot of attacks in this format, but not all of them. Also remember to account for energy acceleration your opponent may have access to (Magnezone SF, Bronzong G).
-SP Pokemon are hindered by, but not always crippled by Spiritomb. Your opponent may simply retreat to a different attacker (such as Luxray GL Lv X) and get an easy KO. Keep in mind that Spiritomb does only have 60HP, so your opponent should have a minimal setup before you switch into it.
-each time you use Shadow Skip, it is a judgment call as to what to send active. There are going to be times where it's okay (and maybe even preferable) to send up SF Gengar.
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Now for matchups. CurseGar's issue is that a few of the decks it's designed to beat tech against Mr. Mime and/or Sableye. So for the sake of this article, I'm going to assume that the decks listed DON'T run any odd one or two card techs; I am also going to refrain from using a win percentage as I haven't played a large enough number of games (20+ each).
LuxChomp - Theoretical Difficulty: 3/5
The main way you'll attack LuxChomp is to have a Spiritomb active by no later than turn two. You will need to slow down the deck enough to be able to get a Gengar with 3 energy into play. A Dragon Rush (or Bright Look) to your Haunter with 2 energy on it is game-changing (which is why Rare Candy is so important when you don't have a tomb up). You can also try going for an early SF Gengar; although between cards like SP Radar and Bebe's Search to get trainers out of the hand, and Garchomp C Lv X to heal Shadow Room damage, it is possible for them to play out of it. Mewtwo, of course, is another way out.
[With a Mewtwo counter such as Mismagius, a consistent LuxChomp will still outspeed CurseGar most of the time]
Jumpluff - Theoretical Difficulty: 2/5
Jumpluff is no doubt a fast deck, but a Spiritomb to stop their potentially devastating first turn can be crippling. This is a matchup where you'll likely want multiple Spiritomb and DEFINITELY want multiple Mr. Mime. A swift setup of a Gengar (you may want to go for Gengar before Claydol if you have Spiritomb) will give you a great advantage. Most Jumpluffs run tons of trainers, so SF Gengar may play a huge role here as well.
[Most current Jumpluff decks run Luxray GL Lv X to bring Gengars back to the active position where they can be KOed fairly easily, and many run LA Regice to switch out disruptive Spiritombs. However, Gengar Lv X with an Expert Belt can stand up to Mass Attack with a minimal bench; combine that with the damage manipulation and you should be able to OHKO Jumpluffs.]
DialgaChomp - Theoretical Difficulty: 4/5
DialgaChomp, like Luxchomp, offers the threat of a Garchomp devastating your energy. Dialga is what makes this matchup so much harder though. It resists Gengar, disables Spiritomb and Mr. Mime, and has the potential to set back your energy attachments with Remove Lost. Two heads on Remove Lost on a Gengar will usually swing the game. What keeps you in this game is the ability to Level Down. You'll need an Expert Belt to deal significant damage, though.
Sablelock - Theoretical Difficulty: 3/5
Aside from disrupting CurseGar in every possible way, Sableye has an increased donk potential and Honchkrow hits Gengar even on the bench. As with any SP matchup, you need an early Spiritomb to have any success. If you can protect your Haunters from dying before they're evolved, Gengar can give you a fighting chance. Nidoqueen is huge here, as your Gengars are going to be taking tons of bench damage; but again, the disruption makes this matchup so hard.
[Most Sablelock decks tend not to run Mewtwo counters because of the deck's ability to KO Mewtwos once they hit the table. If you keep it alive, you may grab an easy win.]
Gardevoir - Theoretical Difficulty: 2/5
You set up behind Spiritomb just like they do, and as long as you can get three energy into your hand, Psychic Lock won't hurt you a terrible amount. Mr. Mime forces them to attach an extra energy, bringing their speed down to yours. It comes down to damage, and with Expert Belt attached, Gengar will be One Hit KOing their Gardevoirs.
[If you play down more than three benched Pokemon and get hit with Dusknoir, you'll likely lose since Gengar will probably be on your bench.]
Donphan - Theoretical Difficulty: 3/5
This is an odd matchup. Gengar would win in theory because of Mr. Mime, but note that a Donphan with Expert Belt is swinging for 110 damage (through Mr. Mimes). If you can get your own attacker (Gengar Lv X) with an Expert Belt, you can manipulate damage from any stray Uxies/Azelfs/Claydols to help you get 2HKOs. Or it may go a completely different way - the first Donphan takes a quick 2-3 prizes, and a belted one with three energy takes the rest.
[If their field is all Donphans, it probably won't go so well. Just keep in mind that Donphan is a fast deck by nature.]
Gyarados - Theoretical Difficulty: 1/5
You're going to get a Gengar up by the time they have a Gyarados attacking, but you will switch into Mr. Mimes that they cannot hit.
[In actuality, standard Gyarados decks now run cards like Luxray GL Lv X or Pokemon Reversal to get around the double Mr. Mime tactic made popular by decks like Gengar, which makes the difficulty of this matchup go from 1 to at least 4]
Well, that's it for this one, folks. Remember that while CurseGar is a powerful and disruptive deck, it is also fairly slow and extremely reliant on single energy attachments. If your opponents don't correctly tech for it, you'll have some really easy match-ups. Unfortunately, the popularity of Luxray GL Lv. X makes CurseGar hard to use. However, if you feel like you won't encounter that many Luxrays, this deck is a fine choice!
