Colts8729
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Flyclops
By: Colts8729, and C-U elite.
And now for the actual article:
Dusknoir Flygon known as Flyclops is to me one of the best decks right now. It has pretty solid match-ups for a deck in the kind of format, runs pretty smoothly, has great synergy with each other, and isn’t as clunky as those others decks that run 2 different stage 2s.
The History:
Now this idea of running Dusknoir, a Snipe/Spread deck and Flygon, a Power hitter came to my friend and I one night while trying to figure out our deck for the up coming Cities. My friend kept telling me how good Dusknoir was and how fast and well it could set up. I kept telling him it was a good deck but could be countered many different ways. Finally we realized that Dusknoir just needed something to support it in its bad match ups and we both came up with Flygon. Flygon gives Dusknoir free retreat, another way to attack, time to set up, and a way around Unknown G (One of Dusknoirs biggest down fall.). Dusknoir in response gives Flygon another way to attack, draw power, and adds Dark Palm without having a 1-0-1 tech to fit into your deck. So at my house we built it, fixed it, and finished it. We did some big play testing that night against Mirror match, FlyLock, SpeedDrill, Palkia G Lock, and more. Flyclops always pulled out in the end against some of the greatest decks in the format today. That is why we think it is legit and a great play for a tournament of any level.
Article by: Luke Selig, and Damien Hardy
Title: FlyClops
Date: November 24, 2009
Latest set released: Platinum: Arceus
Current Format: DP-On
The Decklist:
Pokemon:27
3 Duskull SW-86
2 Duskclops SF-34
2 Dusknoir SF-1
1 Dusknoir DP-2
1 Dusknoir LV X SF-96
4 Trapinch SW-115
2 Vibrava RR-53
3 Flygon RR-05
1 Flygon LV X-105
2 Baltoy GE-60
2 Claydol GE-15
2 Spiritomb AR-32
2 Unown G GE-57
Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums:21
4 Rare Candy
1 Warp Point
1 Memory Berry
1 Luxury Ball
1 Premier Ball
2 Night Maintenance
3 Broken Time Space
4 Roseanne's Research
4 Bebe's Search
Energy:12
5 Psychic
1 Basic Dark
2 Fighting
4 Call Energy
The Individual Cards:
4 Trapinch SW-115
I use this Trapinch over the RR one, because it has two very disruptive attacks that are great, early and late game with memory berry. I have four Trapinch because it is a decent starter, which can cause your opponet to waste a energy attachment, Super Scoop Up, or Warp Point/Switch to get out of the active position. This is good late game when they are out of Scoop Ups, or Switches and you can just deck them out via Sand Tomb. Great little card.
2 Vibrava RR-53
This is Vibrava, nothing special. Energy Typhoon is good late game vs. Kingdra, or any deck that runs a high number of Energy Cards. Like I said, nothing special. Moving on.
Alright, now we are getting to the main attackers in this deck. Flygon is great in FlyClops, because it can help Dusknoir in alot of ways. One way is when your Dusknoir X dies you just send this up, and when they have to stop the bleeding from Dusknoir X's spread, they replace it with a stadium of their own. Big mistake, next turn you can Sand Wall, and have a free turn of Immunity, followed up by a Power Swing next turn can kill almost anything in the format. Note that Dusknoir X goes back to your hand and you can rinse and repeat this process. Another way is that it gives Dusknoir free retreat, this was a problem in a normal Dusknoir deck, because you wanted to have Moonlight Stadium in play. Which means you can't have Dusknoir X as a stadium. Flygon fixes this problem with ease, free retreat and punishing you for getting rid of Dusknoir X. The last way it helps is Power Swing. This is a hard hitting attack that most Dusknoir decks, don't have. It has perfect synergy with Dusknoir and the deck itself.
This is the star of the deck. Flygon X is good, because it makes your opponet rethink playing down their LV X. This could be game changing. Also the Poke Body is very good. If you are discarding cards while they are taking 10 damage all around the board. That can win games, it isn't as crucial to a game as the main attackers are but it is still a great card to have in play. The HP boost is great, so you can live longer thus continuing the mill. The downside is that it gets Extremed Attacked by other Flygon X's, and has a 2x Resistance to colorless. If you are playing a colorless deck switch to Dusknoir X and let them hit you through your resistance.
3 Duskull SW-86
This card is probably your least preferred starter to Unown G, and Baltoy. I chose this Duskull only for Reaper Cloth. Reaper Cloth helps you get that quick evolution, needed for Power Swing, it has a ok attack but I suggest using it only if you are desperate. I would rather attach a Call Energy and get 2 Basic Pokemon on the bench.
2 Duskclops SF-34
This card isn't great, and really if thing are going well, you should never ever attack with it or have it active, unless it is underneath Dusknoir.
This is the other main attacker of FlyClops. It has a great Snipe attack and Night Spin beats a handful of decks by itself. It helps against Gyarados, Kingdra, Beedrill, and other decks that rely on low energy attacks. It has a weakness to Dark but Dark pokemon aren't really popular, the ones I can think of are Tyranitar, and anything that has Weavile SW in it. Resistance to colorless helps against anything that Flygon is weak to. It completes Flygon perfectly and has great synergy. It basically hits anything Flygon can't.
This is also an important card to the deck for this reason. Your main attacker has built in draw power, with Shadow Command. The reason FGD works is the same reason this works. They both have built in draw-power, I can almost assure you that this deck would be a fail if Dusknoir didn't have that built in draw power.
This card really isn't supposed to be a suprise in this deck because once they see the Stormfront Dusknoir they will automatically keep their bench to 3 if possible. So get it out ASAP against certain matchups, or whenever you have the time in other games. This is a game changing card along with Warp Point. Forcing your opponet to switch their main attacker to the bench, and you can just Dark Palm away their main attacker leaving them with whatver they sent up. As for you you should have free retreat all around the board.
This is the second LV X in the deck, and has a great spread Poke Power. Put this onto Dusknoir #1 from Stormfront but play it wisely, this card has boosted HP thus allowing you to Damage Even more, which draws you more cards, and allows for a greater snipe attack. If this gets into play as a stadium card your opponet can either chose to take the spread, or get rid of it, allowing you to Sand Wall with Flygon for a free turn of immunity. It again is a great play in this deck, because it causes your opponet to think more about if they even want to kill it.
2 Baltoy GE-60
You need this card, to get Claydol into play. That is about it, but it has a decent first attack for when you are completely stuck but that is about it.
This is Claydol, you might have seen him before. It has probably the best Poke Power in the game as of now. Allowing you to refresh your hand at will per turn, Claydol is a nessecity in most Stage 2 decks including ours. Flyclops.
Ok here is Spiritomb, probably one of the most awaited cards in Arceus, next to Expert Belt. It help you get out your evolutions needed for Power Swing. Also it helps against so many matchups it isn't even funny. Beedrill, SP, any Stage 2, are just some of the decks that get hurt by Spiritomb. It has a attack for 10 damage which can be useful at times. 40 damage to a Gengar, without worrying about Fainting Spell, yes please. It is most definitly your preferred starter in this deck, if you don't get it out turn 1 find a way. It is sooooooo good.
2 Unown G GE-57
This is your protection against Gengar, Flygon, and Special Conditions which can shut off your powers. It has become a staple in most competitive decks and there is no difference here.
The Energy
4 Call Energy- Is mainly used to get basic pokemon, and protect you from donks. It is in a Stage 2 deck, with colorless attackers, it is a must.
5 Psychic Energy- Used to attack and give Dusknoir free retreat.
2 Fighting Energy- Used to use Trapinch's Sand Tomb to try and mill your opponet, also gives Claydol free retreat.
1 Darkness Enrgy- Used to give Spiritomb a way to get out of its own lock without wasting an energy attachment. Also can be used on Spiritomb itself to deal a decent 40 damage to a Gengar, and be a dummy for Fainting Spell.
The Rest
4 Rare Candy: Used to get out Dusknoir and Flygon quickly, note you can't use this when you have Spiritomb active due to Keystone Seal.
1 Warp Point: Used in combination with Dusknoir DP sending a pokemon to their bench and if they have 3 or more you can send their most powerful attacker back into the deck. Since all of your pokemon should have free retreat it is a great play.
2 Night Maintenance: Used to get back your knocked out pokemon, thats it.
1 Premier Ball: Used to get Dusknoir or Flygon LV X from the discard pile or deck. Use it wisely.
1 Luxury Ball: Used in every deck to get a pokemon of choice excluding LV X.
1 Memory Berry Used only on Flygon with a fighting energy attached to try to deck your opponet out.
3 Broken Time Space: Used to get quick evolutions needed to boost Power Swing, If you are playing a Flygon deck, force them to put it out first so you get the turn of immunity.
4 Bebe's Search: Used in any and all Stage 2 decks, for 1 porpose only to get pokemon.
4 Roseanne's Research Used in all deck period. To get your basic pokemon or energy. You would be a fool not to put this in here.
The Strategy:
To be honest, there isn't really a set strategy, it depends on what you are playing against. 1 Thing is for sure, you want to start with Spiritomb and build up your bench. Try to get the Dark Palm Dusknoir out if you are playing a deck that needs a large bench to be succesfull. Dusknoir #1 should be your primary attacker against Gengar, and other Fragile decks. Flygon takes care of SP's, and other Flygon's. Night Spin is effective against decks that have low energy attacks like Kingdra, Beedrill, and Gyarados for example. Also Dusknoir X is near useless against decks that run Nidoqueen. Flygon LV X is great against those decks with huge retreat and you can use the Memory Berry to bring up a pokemon with a large retreat cost, like Claydol. The use Trapinch's Sand Tomb and you have 8 turns of peace and discard. Put Unown G on Claydol and Dusknoir when approiate. That is just some of the options you have. The thing I love about this deck is that it needs skill and you need to have smarts. It also has very little luck. I don't think there is a single flip involved in this deck expect for the very begining of the game. Overall this deck counters and beats nearly all of the meta-game. In MY opinon this is an extremely strong play for Cities or upcoming tournaments.
The Matchups:
Favorable: You should win with no problem. Don't misplay and this game is yours.
Slightly Favorable: You have the advantage someway or another, but not quite as easy as your "Favorable" matchups.
Even: Best player wins.
Slightly Unfavorable: They have the advantage but you have a chance to pull the win out occasionally.
Unfavorable: You are at a severe disadvange only luck can save you.
Gyarados Slightly FavorableAgainst the new favorite Gyarados deck you MUST get out Dusknoir with 3 energies. Night spin will kill this deck. Sure maybe they run some Cyclone but they cant keep that up forever. When they Cyclone you just bring up a Flygon take the damage and then retreat into Dusknoir again and repeat. See how simple this match up is. You could drag up their Regice and mill them but that might be hard to do because you only run 1 Berry and they run Warp Point/Switch. Just stick to Night Spin!
Speedrill-FavorableThis is like Gyarados but they can attach 3 energies to attack, so what you can do is hit them twice with Night Spin then bring up S-Tomb and hit for the last 10 and put them under a lock so they can’t play half their deck. Dark Palm is a key Card in this match-up and as we all know Flygon can OHKO and Bee and leave them suffering by milling their deck.
Gengar-EvenShadow room will hurt this deck but keep trainers, supporters, and stadiums out of your hand and you will win. One way to avoid the fainting spell flip is attacking with your S-tomb and hit them for 40 with 1 energy and avoid losing something important on fainting spell. This match-up shouldn’t be to hard for good Flygon player and should quite easy. Gengar isn’t as popular anymore as it once was. But it is still a threat.
AMU-FavorableAMU is a deck that rarely sees play but when it does it makes an impact. All you have to do is storm with Flygon X Extreme attack the Xs and snipe what you can. Milling is a very good option with this deck as AMU relies on some main cards to win the game and discarding those cards can take a toll on this deck.
Salamence-EvenThis deck is a threat to a normal Flygon deck but it is a bit easier when you add Dusknoir. Their delcattys are fragile to the spread of Dusknoir X and Dusknoirs snipe is deadly to this deck. Otherwise keep a Flygon on the bench to sweep the Salamence when needed. Don’t know how affective Dark Palm is in this match-up.
Tangrowth-FavorableThis card Is just a big TANK. Just take it out with extreme attack and if they run landmine just hit that. Get their Secptile out of the way and they will be stuck. Dark Palm whatever seems to be a threat and tank with Flygon.
SP's-Slightly FavorableTo sum this article up I will put SPs into one group. Flygon seems to take this match-up well because Power swing can OHKO and SP and Extreme Attack takes care of the rest. While Flygon Goes through the Active you can switch in Dusknoir to take out the bench.
FLYGON: These decks will be your toughest match-ups because they can hit you for weakness, but you can hit them right back and sometimes get weakness on both of their attackers. While Dusknoir has resistance against Flygon and the LV X can survive a Extreme attack he is going to be your biggest weapon most of the time. Flygon is like your revenge killer but you have to be careful because they can OHKO you right back.
Dark Flygon-UnfavorableThis Match-up is one of your hardest games you will ever play with Flyclops. You must get out your dark palm, only attack you Dusknoir if needed and try to take out Flygons as fast as possible. The have weakness both ways against you, they don’t need the Lv. X for the deck to work, they can avoid your dark Palm most out the time, and they set up a little faster. This will be one of those close games but you can pull off the win every time.
FGD- Even
FDG seems to be a new favorite deck because of the many things it can do but it can’t do everything. This deck again doesn’t need the Xs to win the game, is a little easier then Dark Flygon but not at all a game to sit back and take your sweet time. If they can get going it will be just as tough as Dark Flygon. As you have Dark Palm so do they but you have the upper advantage in this Dark Palm fight because they run a 1-0-1 Dark Palm while you run a 3-2-1 Dark Palm. So the chances of you winning that war are pretty good but what about the war up front. Well since their Flygon is weak to yours and since Gardevoir is weak to your Dusknoir it shouldn’t be to hard until the put a power lock on you. It wont affect you to much because by the time they get 3 energies on Gardevoir you should have 3+ on any of your Pokemon as Flygon can OHKO a Gardevoir with a full bench, and Dusknoir hits for weakness.
Mirror- Even So most of the mirror matches come down to luck but this one you will need skill to win. Why? Because you have so many choices to make and one little mistake could cost you this game. The first misplay would be who to power up Flygon or Dusknoir? The Second Choice would be your bench space. I have found out that with your own Dark Palm you can not let their Dark Palm mess with you. Just play out you bench but always have a Dark Palm on the bench. I found Dusknoir SF to be your best friend in the game and have Flygon as a sweeper. This game is a test of skill.
Flychamp-Slightly FavorableFlychamp saw a lot of play at worlds but after that quickly died down. With this deck you always have to worry about the donk of course but after T1 it should be smooth from there. This Deck again doesn’t need Machamp LV X and Flygon LV X to win games for them but you have double weakness again. Machamp shouldn’t see a lot of play in this game but when he does you can just night spin for 80 and Machamp can’t do anything beside rage and if he rages you pretty much have this game. Just take out 4 of his energies in a deck that takes a lot of them to attack with, and you will see them wasting NM on energies. Yet again use Flygon as you broom and sweep with him. Dark Palm should hurt them a lot in this game so get him out.
FlyLock-EvenWith Flylock seeing a lot of play its important that you don’t attach you Unknown Gs right a way because they will bring up something with Palkia and sand tomb it until it dies and just mill you right out of the game. Be sure to get Palkia out of the way fast with Damage even or Extreme attack. Dark Palm will hurt this deck greatly forcing them to think weather they want to play Palkia or not. Unlike other Flygon decks this one relies on Palkia LV X and Flygon LV X to win the game so just sit with a fully power Flygon on the bench and you should be fine.
Techs to Consider
These are some techs you can put into FlyClops to improve your bad matchups. Or tech against your meta-game. I have provided you with a couple of strong choices on cards that can be helpful in certain situations.
Exploud SV: Flygon decks. The problem I have found with this is that it can get locked for a long time by FlyTrap and you don't have a way to retreat it usually.
3 Spiritomb: This is a way to insure that you have a greater chance of starting with this card. Not a bad idea but I have found that it is almost equally good to mess with your opponets set-up with Trapinch SW.
Cynthia's Feelings: Again not a bad idea, but in my opinon it is better to use a Bebe's Search or Roseanne's Research after one of your pokemon dies.
Mewtwo LV X: Has its upsides and downsides. Some of the upsides are that it stops SP's in their tracks. Truth is that Flygon handles SP's well, is useless against any other deck besides SP's, and takes damage away from Power Swing. I think the downsides outweigh the upsides.
Palkia LV X: Palkia LV X is used for the lock ability. In our list we only run 1 memory berry so I don't think it is completely worth it. Also Gengar can use Shadow Room on it if you don't have an Unown G on it.
Upper Energy: You could use this is you wanted but I chose not to for the simple reason that Dusknoir can't use it. If Dusknoir's atack costed 2 colorless, it would be the play.
TS-2 Devoluter: Helps against the Gengar matchup and cause your opponet to butn through their Rare Candies, causing them to play down BTS late game if they want to match your speed. Leading to you using sand wall. Not a bad idea.
Ditto LA: It has a nice little poke body which essentially lets you copy your opponet. This means that you can use Gengar's Shadow Room, basically another Flygon, and the list goes on.
2 Warp Points: In combination with Dusknoir DP this is a brutal combo, it also helps you get out of the active spot if you don't like what situation your in. Not a bad idea.
Azelf LA: Used to look at your prize cards, and pull pokemon out of them. We have found it not to be worth the Bench Space and have better things to do with the bench.
Nidoqueen RR: Nice card to have against Kingdra and low output decks. But in the end it can get inviting trapped, and locked into place forever due to Maternal Comfort. It also takes damage off of Dusknoir SF reducing your snipe attack.
Manectric PL: This card protects your bench, allowing your benched LV X's not to be Extremed Attacked by other Flygon LV X's. It is a good idea but unfortunately doesn't stop damage counters.
In Conclusion.....
Thanks alot for reading this article. I can't wait to read (most of) your posts. I would like to thank bullados, C-U elite, and anyone else who helped us playtest our decks. Also I hope everyone who read this article learned something new, and I hope some of you will try this deck out. It doesn't sound all that good, but trust me it is.
Thanks alot,
Luke
By: Colts8729, and C-U elite.
And now for the actual article:
Dusknoir Flygon known as Flyclops is to me one of the best decks right now. It has pretty solid match-ups for a deck in the kind of format, runs pretty smoothly, has great synergy with each other, and isn’t as clunky as those others decks that run 2 different stage 2s.
The History:
Now this idea of running Dusknoir, a Snipe/Spread deck and Flygon, a Power hitter came to my friend and I one night while trying to figure out our deck for the up coming Cities. My friend kept telling me how good Dusknoir was and how fast and well it could set up. I kept telling him it was a good deck but could be countered many different ways. Finally we realized that Dusknoir just needed something to support it in its bad match ups and we both came up with Flygon. Flygon gives Dusknoir free retreat, another way to attack, time to set up, and a way around Unknown G (One of Dusknoirs biggest down fall.). Dusknoir in response gives Flygon another way to attack, draw power, and adds Dark Palm without having a 1-0-1 tech to fit into your deck. So at my house we built it, fixed it, and finished it. We did some big play testing that night against Mirror match, FlyLock, SpeedDrill, Palkia G Lock, and more. Flyclops always pulled out in the end against some of the greatest decks in the format today. That is why we think it is legit and a great play for a tournament of any level.
Article by: Luke Selig, and Damien Hardy
Title: FlyClops
Date: November 24, 2009
Latest set released: Platinum: Arceus
Current Format: DP-On
The Decklist:
Pokemon:27
3 Duskull SW-86
2 Duskclops SF-34
2 Dusknoir SF-1
1 Dusknoir DP-2
1 Dusknoir LV X SF-96
4 Trapinch SW-115
2 Vibrava RR-53
3 Flygon RR-05
1 Flygon LV X-105
2 Baltoy GE-60
2 Claydol GE-15
2 Spiritomb AR-32
2 Unown G GE-57
Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums:21
4 Rare Candy
1 Warp Point
1 Memory Berry
1 Luxury Ball
1 Premier Ball
2 Night Maintenance
3 Broken Time Space
4 Roseanne's Research
4 Bebe's Search
Energy:12
5 Psychic
1 Basic Dark
2 Fighting
4 Call Energy
The Individual Cards:
4 Trapinch SW-115
I use this Trapinch over the RR one, because it has two very disruptive attacks that are great, early and late game with memory berry. I have four Trapinch because it is a decent starter, which can cause your opponet to waste a energy attachment, Super Scoop Up, or Warp Point/Switch to get out of the active position. This is good late game when they are out of Scoop Ups, or Switches and you can just deck them out via Sand Tomb. Great little card.
2 Vibrava RR-53
This is Vibrava, nothing special. Energy Typhoon is good late game vs. Kingdra, or any deck that runs a high number of Energy Cards. Like I said, nothing special. Moving on.
Alright, now we are getting to the main attackers in this deck. Flygon is great in FlyClops, because it can help Dusknoir in alot of ways. One way is when your Dusknoir X dies you just send this up, and when they have to stop the bleeding from Dusknoir X's spread, they replace it with a stadium of their own. Big mistake, next turn you can Sand Wall, and have a free turn of Immunity, followed up by a Power Swing next turn can kill almost anything in the format. Note that Dusknoir X goes back to your hand and you can rinse and repeat this process. Another way is that it gives Dusknoir free retreat, this was a problem in a normal Dusknoir deck, because you wanted to have Moonlight Stadium in play. Which means you can't have Dusknoir X as a stadium. Flygon fixes this problem with ease, free retreat and punishing you for getting rid of Dusknoir X. The last way it helps is Power Swing. This is a hard hitting attack that most Dusknoir decks, don't have. It has perfect synergy with Dusknoir and the deck itself.
This is the star of the deck. Flygon X is good, because it makes your opponet rethink playing down their LV X. This could be game changing. Also the Poke Body is very good. If you are discarding cards while they are taking 10 damage all around the board. That can win games, it isn't as crucial to a game as the main attackers are but it is still a great card to have in play. The HP boost is great, so you can live longer thus continuing the mill. The downside is that it gets Extremed Attacked by other Flygon X's, and has a 2x Resistance to colorless. If you are playing a colorless deck switch to Dusknoir X and let them hit you through your resistance.
3 Duskull SW-86
This card is probably your least preferred starter to Unown G, and Baltoy. I chose this Duskull only for Reaper Cloth. Reaper Cloth helps you get that quick evolution, needed for Power Swing, it has a ok attack but I suggest using it only if you are desperate. I would rather attach a Call Energy and get 2 Basic Pokemon on the bench.
2 Duskclops SF-34
This card isn't great, and really if thing are going well, you should never ever attack with it or have it active, unless it is underneath Dusknoir.
This is the other main attacker of FlyClops. It has a great Snipe attack and Night Spin beats a handful of decks by itself. It helps against Gyarados, Kingdra, Beedrill, and other decks that rely on low energy attacks. It has a weakness to Dark but Dark pokemon aren't really popular, the ones I can think of are Tyranitar, and anything that has Weavile SW in it. Resistance to colorless helps against anything that Flygon is weak to. It completes Flygon perfectly and has great synergy. It basically hits anything Flygon can't.
This is also an important card to the deck for this reason. Your main attacker has built in draw power, with Shadow Command. The reason FGD works is the same reason this works. They both have built in draw-power, I can almost assure you that this deck would be a fail if Dusknoir didn't have that built in draw power.
This card really isn't supposed to be a suprise in this deck because once they see the Stormfront Dusknoir they will automatically keep their bench to 3 if possible. So get it out ASAP against certain matchups, or whenever you have the time in other games. This is a game changing card along with Warp Point. Forcing your opponet to switch their main attacker to the bench, and you can just Dark Palm away their main attacker leaving them with whatver they sent up. As for you you should have free retreat all around the board.
This is the second LV X in the deck, and has a great spread Poke Power. Put this onto Dusknoir #1 from Stormfront but play it wisely, this card has boosted HP thus allowing you to Damage Even more, which draws you more cards, and allows for a greater snipe attack. If this gets into play as a stadium card your opponet can either chose to take the spread, or get rid of it, allowing you to Sand Wall with Flygon for a free turn of immunity. It again is a great play in this deck, because it causes your opponet to think more about if they even want to kill it.
2 Baltoy GE-60
You need this card, to get Claydol into play. That is about it, but it has a decent first attack for when you are completely stuck but that is about it.
This is Claydol, you might have seen him before. It has probably the best Poke Power in the game as of now. Allowing you to refresh your hand at will per turn, Claydol is a nessecity in most Stage 2 decks including ours. Flyclops.
Ok here is Spiritomb, probably one of the most awaited cards in Arceus, next to Expert Belt. It help you get out your evolutions needed for Power Swing. Also it helps against so many matchups it isn't even funny. Beedrill, SP, any Stage 2, are just some of the decks that get hurt by Spiritomb. It has a attack for 10 damage which can be useful at times. 40 damage to a Gengar, without worrying about Fainting Spell, yes please. It is most definitly your preferred starter in this deck, if you don't get it out turn 1 find a way. It is sooooooo good.
2 Unown G GE-57
This is your protection against Gengar, Flygon, and Special Conditions which can shut off your powers. It has become a staple in most competitive decks and there is no difference here.
The Energy
4 Call Energy- Is mainly used to get basic pokemon, and protect you from donks. It is in a Stage 2 deck, with colorless attackers, it is a must.
5 Psychic Energy- Used to attack and give Dusknoir free retreat.
2 Fighting Energy- Used to use Trapinch's Sand Tomb to try and mill your opponet, also gives Claydol free retreat.
1 Darkness Enrgy- Used to give Spiritomb a way to get out of its own lock without wasting an energy attachment. Also can be used on Spiritomb itself to deal a decent 40 damage to a Gengar, and be a dummy for Fainting Spell.
The Rest
4 Rare Candy: Used to get out Dusknoir and Flygon quickly, note you can't use this when you have Spiritomb active due to Keystone Seal.
1 Warp Point: Used in combination with Dusknoir DP sending a pokemon to their bench and if they have 3 or more you can send their most powerful attacker back into the deck. Since all of your pokemon should have free retreat it is a great play.
2 Night Maintenance: Used to get back your knocked out pokemon, thats it.
1 Premier Ball: Used to get Dusknoir or Flygon LV X from the discard pile or deck. Use it wisely.
1 Luxury Ball: Used in every deck to get a pokemon of choice excluding LV X.
1 Memory Berry Used only on Flygon with a fighting energy attached to try to deck your opponet out.
3 Broken Time Space: Used to get quick evolutions needed to boost Power Swing, If you are playing a Flygon deck, force them to put it out first so you get the turn of immunity.
4 Bebe's Search: Used in any and all Stage 2 decks, for 1 porpose only to get pokemon.
4 Roseanne's Research Used in all deck period. To get your basic pokemon or energy. You would be a fool not to put this in here.
The Strategy:
To be honest, there isn't really a set strategy, it depends on what you are playing against. 1 Thing is for sure, you want to start with Spiritomb and build up your bench. Try to get the Dark Palm Dusknoir out if you are playing a deck that needs a large bench to be succesfull. Dusknoir #1 should be your primary attacker against Gengar, and other Fragile decks. Flygon takes care of SP's, and other Flygon's. Night Spin is effective against decks that have low energy attacks like Kingdra, Beedrill, and Gyarados for example. Also Dusknoir X is near useless against decks that run Nidoqueen. Flygon LV X is great against those decks with huge retreat and you can use the Memory Berry to bring up a pokemon with a large retreat cost, like Claydol. The use Trapinch's Sand Tomb and you have 8 turns of peace and discard. Put Unown G on Claydol and Dusknoir when approiate. That is just some of the options you have. The thing I love about this deck is that it needs skill and you need to have smarts. It also has very little luck. I don't think there is a single flip involved in this deck expect for the very begining of the game. Overall this deck counters and beats nearly all of the meta-game. In MY opinon this is an extremely strong play for Cities or upcoming tournaments.
The Matchups:
Favorable: You should win with no problem. Don't misplay and this game is yours.
Slightly Favorable: You have the advantage someway or another, but not quite as easy as your "Favorable" matchups.
Even: Best player wins.
Slightly Unfavorable: They have the advantage but you have a chance to pull the win out occasionally.
Unfavorable: You are at a severe disadvange only luck can save you.
Gyarados Slightly FavorableAgainst the new favorite Gyarados deck you MUST get out Dusknoir with 3 energies. Night spin will kill this deck. Sure maybe they run some Cyclone but they cant keep that up forever. When they Cyclone you just bring up a Flygon take the damage and then retreat into Dusknoir again and repeat. See how simple this match up is. You could drag up their Regice and mill them but that might be hard to do because you only run 1 Berry and they run Warp Point/Switch. Just stick to Night Spin!
Speedrill-FavorableThis is like Gyarados but they can attach 3 energies to attack, so what you can do is hit them twice with Night Spin then bring up S-Tomb and hit for the last 10 and put them under a lock so they can’t play half their deck. Dark Palm is a key Card in this match-up and as we all know Flygon can OHKO and Bee and leave them suffering by milling their deck.
Gengar-EvenShadow room will hurt this deck but keep trainers, supporters, and stadiums out of your hand and you will win. One way to avoid the fainting spell flip is attacking with your S-tomb and hit them for 40 with 1 energy and avoid losing something important on fainting spell. This match-up shouldn’t be to hard for good Flygon player and should quite easy. Gengar isn’t as popular anymore as it once was. But it is still a threat.
AMU-FavorableAMU is a deck that rarely sees play but when it does it makes an impact. All you have to do is storm with Flygon X Extreme attack the Xs and snipe what you can. Milling is a very good option with this deck as AMU relies on some main cards to win the game and discarding those cards can take a toll on this deck.
Salamence-EvenThis deck is a threat to a normal Flygon deck but it is a bit easier when you add Dusknoir. Their delcattys are fragile to the spread of Dusknoir X and Dusknoirs snipe is deadly to this deck. Otherwise keep a Flygon on the bench to sweep the Salamence when needed. Don’t know how affective Dark Palm is in this match-up.
Tangrowth-FavorableThis card Is just a big TANK. Just take it out with extreme attack and if they run landmine just hit that. Get their Secptile out of the way and they will be stuck. Dark Palm whatever seems to be a threat and tank with Flygon.
SP's-Slightly FavorableTo sum this article up I will put SPs into one group. Flygon seems to take this match-up well because Power swing can OHKO and SP and Extreme Attack takes care of the rest. While Flygon Goes through the Active you can switch in Dusknoir to take out the bench.
FLYGON: These decks will be your toughest match-ups because they can hit you for weakness, but you can hit them right back and sometimes get weakness on both of their attackers. While Dusknoir has resistance against Flygon and the LV X can survive a Extreme attack he is going to be your biggest weapon most of the time. Flygon is like your revenge killer but you have to be careful because they can OHKO you right back.
Dark Flygon-UnfavorableThis Match-up is one of your hardest games you will ever play with Flyclops. You must get out your dark palm, only attack you Dusknoir if needed and try to take out Flygons as fast as possible. The have weakness both ways against you, they don’t need the Lv. X for the deck to work, they can avoid your dark Palm most out the time, and they set up a little faster. This will be one of those close games but you can pull off the win every time.
FGD- Even
FDG seems to be a new favorite deck because of the many things it can do but it can’t do everything. This deck again doesn’t need the Xs to win the game, is a little easier then Dark Flygon but not at all a game to sit back and take your sweet time. If they can get going it will be just as tough as Dark Flygon. As you have Dark Palm so do they but you have the upper advantage in this Dark Palm fight because they run a 1-0-1 Dark Palm while you run a 3-2-1 Dark Palm. So the chances of you winning that war are pretty good but what about the war up front. Well since their Flygon is weak to yours and since Gardevoir is weak to your Dusknoir it shouldn’t be to hard until the put a power lock on you. It wont affect you to much because by the time they get 3 energies on Gardevoir you should have 3+ on any of your Pokemon as Flygon can OHKO a Gardevoir with a full bench, and Dusknoir hits for weakness.
Mirror- Even So most of the mirror matches come down to luck but this one you will need skill to win. Why? Because you have so many choices to make and one little mistake could cost you this game. The first misplay would be who to power up Flygon or Dusknoir? The Second Choice would be your bench space. I have found out that with your own Dark Palm you can not let their Dark Palm mess with you. Just play out you bench but always have a Dark Palm on the bench. I found Dusknoir SF to be your best friend in the game and have Flygon as a sweeper. This game is a test of skill.
Flychamp-Slightly FavorableFlychamp saw a lot of play at worlds but after that quickly died down. With this deck you always have to worry about the donk of course but after T1 it should be smooth from there. This Deck again doesn’t need Machamp LV X and Flygon LV X to win games for them but you have double weakness again. Machamp shouldn’t see a lot of play in this game but when he does you can just night spin for 80 and Machamp can’t do anything beside rage and if he rages you pretty much have this game. Just take out 4 of his energies in a deck that takes a lot of them to attack with, and you will see them wasting NM on energies. Yet again use Flygon as you broom and sweep with him. Dark Palm should hurt them a lot in this game so get him out.
FlyLock-EvenWith Flylock seeing a lot of play its important that you don’t attach you Unknown Gs right a way because they will bring up something with Palkia and sand tomb it until it dies and just mill you right out of the game. Be sure to get Palkia out of the way fast with Damage even or Extreme attack. Dark Palm will hurt this deck greatly forcing them to think weather they want to play Palkia or not. Unlike other Flygon decks this one relies on Palkia LV X and Flygon LV X to win the game so just sit with a fully power Flygon on the bench and you should be fine.
Techs to Consider
These are some techs you can put into FlyClops to improve your bad matchups. Or tech against your meta-game. I have provided you with a couple of strong choices on cards that can be helpful in certain situations.
Exploud SV: Flygon decks. The problem I have found with this is that it can get locked for a long time by FlyTrap and you don't have a way to retreat it usually.
3 Spiritomb: This is a way to insure that you have a greater chance of starting with this card. Not a bad idea but I have found that it is almost equally good to mess with your opponets set-up with Trapinch SW.
Cynthia's Feelings: Again not a bad idea, but in my opinon it is better to use a Bebe's Search or Roseanne's Research after one of your pokemon dies.
Mewtwo LV X: Has its upsides and downsides. Some of the upsides are that it stops SP's in their tracks. Truth is that Flygon handles SP's well, is useless against any other deck besides SP's, and takes damage away from Power Swing. I think the downsides outweigh the upsides.
Palkia LV X: Palkia LV X is used for the lock ability. In our list we only run 1 memory berry so I don't think it is completely worth it. Also Gengar can use Shadow Room on it if you don't have an Unown G on it.
Upper Energy: You could use this is you wanted but I chose not to for the simple reason that Dusknoir can't use it. If Dusknoir's atack costed 2 colorless, it would be the play.
TS-2 Devoluter: Helps against the Gengar matchup and cause your opponet to butn through their Rare Candies, causing them to play down BTS late game if they want to match your speed. Leading to you using sand wall. Not a bad idea.
Ditto LA: It has a nice little poke body which essentially lets you copy your opponet. This means that you can use Gengar's Shadow Room, basically another Flygon, and the list goes on.
2 Warp Points: In combination with Dusknoir DP this is a brutal combo, it also helps you get out of the active spot if you don't like what situation your in. Not a bad idea.
Azelf LA: Used to look at your prize cards, and pull pokemon out of them. We have found it not to be worth the Bench Space and have better things to do with the bench.
Nidoqueen RR: Nice card to have against Kingdra and low output decks. But in the end it can get inviting trapped, and locked into place forever due to Maternal Comfort. It also takes damage off of Dusknoir SF reducing your snipe attack.
Manectric PL: This card protects your bench, allowing your benched LV X's not to be Extremed Attacked by other Flygon LV X's. It is a good idea but unfortunately doesn't stop damage counters.
In Conclusion.....
Thanks alot for reading this article. I can't wait to read (most of) your posts. I would like to thank bullados, C-U elite, and anyone else who helped us playtest our decks. Also I hope everyone who read this article learned something new, and I hope some of you will try this deck out. It doesn't sound all that good, but trust me it is.
Thanks alot,
Luke
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