Guru Point Challenge #4 - Making Raichu LvX work!

[Rogue Archetype]

Hi Pokemon Gurus!

______________

I'll be tossing up these brainteasing challenges to:

1. Keep you from getting bored/ Give us all something to do.
2. Help us share some nifty little tricks-of-the-trade that may lead to some powerful and creative ideas.
________________

Today's Deck is: Raichu LvX

Pachirisu (Call of Legends) has started a buzz across the internet.

Many people are, at least, thinking of toying around with Raichu Prime and Pachirisu as a possible combo.

This LvX looks SO GOOD but noone has experienced much success with it in tournament.
I think, players around the world would thank us if we could put our heads together and come up with Raichu LvX ideas that work.

SO... today's challenge is to contribute a REAL (viable) examples of how Raichu LvX could be successful in a deck that has synergy, consistency, and winning potential.

FEEL FREE TO USE ANY OF THE NEW "CALL OF LEGENDS" CARDS IN YOUR SUGGESTIONS!

Please read what has already been posted in the thread before you provide your own input.

Good answers that lack detail = 1 Guru points
Good answers that are detailed = 2 Guru points
Brilliant Answer that may actually work! = 4 Guru Points!

This excersize gets us in the habit of offering suggestions without destroying a player's effort to TRY his/her idea.

RULE = YOU HAVE TO BE SPECIFIC and detailed to get full points (it helps fuel new ideas and keeps the thread alive)

TIP - If you give an abbreviated effort, you won't earn as many points. ( i.e. You can't just say "Play it like Jumpluff with a 1-0-1 Flygon tech" and earn the full 2 Guru Points )

Answers that appear to be off-topic (silly or spam) are subject to deletion.

YOU LOSE POINTS if your respose is merely that the card is 1) not good 2) cannot work
(TIP: Even if this is true, it's not creative and you'd be better off not posting a response at all.)

A list of point leaders will be stickied to the top of the Strategy Forum.

There are some very strong players visiting our forum, here's your opportunity to show off your knowledge of the game.

Secret Tip = LINK cards that you mention in your examples to images in PokeGym's Research Tower. This will earn you 1 additional bonus point for your post!

 

[Kayle]

Oh wow okay I am really excited about this one.

Okay. This is my deck. It revolves around the combination of Pachirisu CL's Self Generation, and Raichu Prime's Voltage Increase. See decklist below.

R_A, I STILL would not consider this done. I have not played with Junk Arm, VS Seeker and Judge yet, and those are on my list of things to try (especially as this deck begins to feel more and more potent!). But feel free to grade it if I have not re-posted later.

Redshark 3.80 Deck List
Date: Mon Jan 31 18:11:58 2011

Name: pachiraichu
Comments:

TOTAL CARDS: 60

POKEMON: 20
Level-Up: 1
1 : Raichu LV.X, SF-99
Stage 1: 5
2 : Bronzong, SF-13
3 : Raichu (Prime), UD-83
Basic: 14
1 : Azelf, LA-19
2 : Uxie, LA-43
1 : Unown Q, MD-49
1 : Rayquaza, LA-14
4 : Pikachu, Promo-103 *this guy is pretty important!*
3 : Pachirisu, CL-18
2 : Bronzor, TM-58

TRAINERS: 26
Trainers: 9
3 : Pokemon Communication, GS-98
1 : Premier Ball, SF-91
4 : Super Scoop Up, UL-83
1 : Luxury Ball, SF-86
Supporters: 14
2 : Bebe's Search, RR-89
2 : Fisherman, GS-92
2 : Professor Oak's New Theory, GS-101
4 : Seeker, TM-88
4 : Pokemon Collector, GS-97
Stadiums: 3
3 : Broken Time-Space, PL-104

ENERGY: 14
Basic Energy: 14
14 : Lightning Energy, GS-118


Yeah, I just included a link to a picture of a lightning energy.

Anyway, here's how the deck works:


...Really, the star of the deck is Raichu Prime, not Raichu Lv. X. Mega Thunderbolt is going to be your most used attack. But Raichu X can and does play an important role here: Voltage Shoot is an amazing attack in its own right, particularly in this deck whose engine is GREAT at getting Energy where it needs to go quickly. The last several games I've played with this list have resulted in T1 or T2 Mega Thunderbolts - and two or three Mega Thunderbolts immediately following those, without delay. Who can stand up to the might of T1 120 damage?!

You want to lead Pikachu if at all possible, but thanks to 4 SSU, you can often Scoop out of a bad start. Bad starts include Unown Q (donkable! Easy for the opponent to knock you out and end the game prematurely), Rayquaza (you don't run fire energy, which is a personal choice, but that retreat is ugly no matter what), and Uxie or Pachirisu (powers meant to be used when played... you lose a use to starting with it). Try and get a Pikachu active; if you get it, use Pokemon Communication, Super Scoop Up and whatever means necessary to run through your deck. This is mostly accomplished by dropping your hand to one or zero cards, and playing Uxie LA for its Set Up power - thus giving you seven new cards to work with. Often you can get a Raichu up and running after the first Set Up! If you can't quite get the T1 Raichu, that's okay - do your best to keep your hand playable and be ready for the next attempt.

The reason this Pikachu is good, by the way, is twofold: firstly, this Pikachu's got 70 HP, more than any Pikachu currently in the format. It makes him a tough customer to try and knock out in the first turn or so, and we like that. Secondly, he's got Recharge, which can get you the T2 Mega Thunderbolt even without using a Pachirisu. Now that's awesome!

Pachirisu is your ultimate partner in crime. You play a huge amount of energy in the deck, and that's to make sure you get enough in your hand to get the Self Generates on the table. Pachirisu empties your hand of two energies when you play it to your Bench by allowing you to attach it to Pachirisu immediately, circumventing the normal attach-one-per-turn rule. This is how you manage those first-or-second turn Mega Thunderbolts, and with the help of Super Scoop Up and Seeker, it's how you keep them going continuously. But be careful; you don't want to let Pachirisu keep energy sitting on it if you can avoid it, because it's susceptible to being Knocked Out by several prominent attackers in this format. On the flip side, don't just move your energy to Raichu willy-nilly... because when Raichu Mega Thunderbolts, ALL the energy attached to him is sent to the Discard Pile. You don't want to just waste it!

Bronzong helps you keep steam. It's hard to string Self Generates together to keep the Mega Thunderbolts flowing, so if you find you're having some trouble, it might be wise to hold up on the Thunderbolts and switch to Voltage Shoot instead. Bronzong's "Cycler" power allows you to grab 2 energy from your deck every turn, fueling a single Voltage Shoot with ease. There are lots of bench-sitting Pokemon out there with 80 or less HP, so a Voltage Shoot can still nab you a quick Prize.

Fisherman and Rayquaza team up to recycle your discarded energy. I know from experience that with the way these decks go, energy ends up in the discard pile FAST. And you don't want it there! Fisherman can get it into your hand so that you can Self Generate again, but Rayquaza takes things a little further with Speed Gain, skipping the hand step and going straight for the throat by pulling energy from the discard pile and attaching it right to himself. Both fortunately and unfortunately, his power relies on coin flips, so you may get no energy, or you may get many. In any event, it's good to have a backup plan before using this guy. I'd also strongly recommend waiting to drop the Rayquaza into play until you absolutely need it. With his huge retreat cost, he's just begging to get pulled up by Luxray GL to cause you grief.

So what about the other stuff? Pokemon Collector, Uxie, Bebe's Search, Pokemon Communication, Professor Oak's New Theory, Luxury Ball - all of these cards have something in common: they either draw cards, or search them directly from your deck, and these are both very important features of any strong deck. Without these guys, you would have a heck of a time getting any Pokemon or Energy into your hand to use at all! So let's give them a big hand. Azelf serves a specific purpose: grabbing a Pokemon you need from your prizes, mostly Rayquaza or Raichu Lv. X, both of which you only run one of. Unown Q also serves a specific purpose; he can lower the retreat cost of a Pokemon you have in play. This lets you turn a Bronzor start into a Pikachu start very easily, and it also lets you move your Raichu Primes around a little before they've leveled up (though, a leveled up Raichu has free retreat!). Unown Q can also make Rayquaza starts a little less painful, since paying 2 to retreat isn't all bad. Finally, Broken Time-Space plays the key role of allowing you to evolve your Pikachus and Bronzors immediately as they come into play. Without it, the T1 Thunderbolt would be no more than a myth!

I just played three games with this list, just now. NOTE: these are SOLITAIRE games, in which I am testing the consistency of the deck - not its success against other decks. This is to demonstrate the SPEED of the list!

First game: T2 Mega Thunderbolt, followed by successful T3 Link Lightning for three prizes by the third turn! Though I admit, I lucksacked that T3 Link Lightning: Communication and 2 energy off of PONT.
Second game: Started with Uxie and only a Seeker for a supporter! But I drew a Communication and with it was able to secure another T2 Mega Thunderbolt and T3 Link Lightning!
Third game: I whiff on BTS, which would have gotten me T1 Mega Thunderbolt and T2 Link Lightning almost for certain. But I pull off both maneuvers a turn late anyway.

So the deck really is pretty quick!!

So how about weaknesses?

• The deck doesn't like Power Spray at all. Seeing your Set Ups or your Self Generations get Sprayed is enough to put tears on your face!
• Watch out for Bright Look and Dragon Rush, which can cause benched Pachirisus to get Knocked Out. If you run Pokemon Rescue, this can actually be a boon (providing a free use of their power), but if they have energy attached, you'll lose that energy, too.
• Hopefully Vilegar will die down a bit at States, because the trainer lock causes this deck some problems. Pokemon Communication and Super Scoop Up are its lifeblood in the early turns - without them, you can't secure the super-fast Thunderbolts you need to take down your enemy.
• Several of your most common opponents, Luxchomp and Dialga, run Toxicroak G Promo - a card that can appear from nowhere and instantly knock out a Raichu, then vanish back into the bowels of their hand if you fail to return the knockout. If you've got BTS in play and are holding a Raichu + Pikachu in hand, this might not be so bad, but be very careful nonetheless, especially once you switch to using Voltage Shoot. You could try to add Sunyshore Gym to counter this, but I think it would hurt your consistency more than would be worth it.
• Be careful with your Bench. Palkia G Lost World variants will have a hayday Lost Zoning your often completely full Bench!

And strengths?

• When it goes off, it's BLAZING FAST! And it goes off pretty well, too, barring first-or-second-turn Sprays.
• Raichu's damage is high enough to matter. It knocks out SP Lv. Xs pretty easily and snipes for the same damage as Garchomp C, which means Uxies and un-leveled SPs need to beware!
• Good typing in the current format. Machamp and Donphan are both declining in favor of Gengar and Gyarados; Raichu absolutely decimates Gyarados, though it's OHKO'd from a belted Tail Revenge so be careful.
• Did I mention how awesome Link Lightning is?

I hope to add Junk Arm and VS Seeker to maximize the effectiveness of Seeker and Super Scoop Up. I also hope to add Judges, so that you can truly decimate your opponent by Judging them just before an early game Link Lightning. (Remember, you can Cycler for Voltage Shoot's cost once you have the correct Energy attached to Raichu!)

So there you have it folks. My Regionals SD.

Feedback:
This has a lot of thought behind it and is explained insanely well. I really appreciate the spirit in which you've done this. You really appear to be concerned with HELPING OTHERS. That's the true "Guru Spirit." I like how straight-forward the list is without alot of crazy techs. ( Kayle = 3 Guru Points )

 

[CFOURCOLTSFAN]

I LOVE THIS GURU THING BTW! I WASN'T HERE THE FIRST YOU DID IT BUT I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA!




Pokemon(17)
3-3-1 Raichu X-most copies of things, most consistent(SF-SF-SF)
2 Pachirisu-to get the energies out
3 Uxie
1 Mesprit
1 Azelf
1 Unown Q
1 Lucario GL-for G-dos
1 Shaymin UL-to get energies on Raichu

T/S/S(32)
2 E-Belt-for more damage
1 Fisherman-get back energies
2 Collector-not many needed due to Turbo Uxie engine
2 Bebe's-" "
4 Dex
4 Drawer
1 Palmer's Contribution
4 Junk Arm
1 VS Seeker
4 Super Scoop Up
1 Seeker-just one b/c of junk arms and vs. seekers
3 BTS
2 Rare Candy

Energy(11)
8 Lightning -i'd like more but w/ fisherman should be enough
3 Call-i generally think 3 is enough so there.

Okay i got the strategy here now, the whole goal is to get use a mini Uxie donk engine to get out the BTS and X amount of lightning in hand to get onto to pachi, move 'em and then voltage shoot a turn later. The palmer's for recovery. Matchups( i think)
LuxChomp- About even, if they don't play Croak/Lucario you can win b/c they have a lot of 80 HP basics and you can super scoop raichu and then use it again. It's tough to pull off Pachi and Shaymin combo but you can always manually attach and SSU/Seeker/Junk arm etc. You also can take two prizes w/ Voltage shoot. I'd say about even.

Gyarados-About even, you run a turbo engine and the smeargle starter isn't as great v. Raichu b/c of lack of supporters. however they set up faster and you have difficutlties getting a OHKO and they do it easily, however you can get free prizes on their bench. Lucario GL helps and whoever is faster wins. So it depends on starts a lot.

Machamp-Bad. Lose. Die. Not fun. Just bad. Autoloss.

VileGar- Not fun either b/c they will spam you w/ Poltergeist if they don't get tomb start you've got a great shot, great opportunties for 2 prizes. VileGar should still win most of the time.

LostGar-Not sure but it depends on build, if they run Mew you have more free prizes etc. If they run a Tomb/Vileplume version, it's bad. So depends on lists.

Feedback:
Yep. I think you're right. A turbo-speed turn 1 trainer draw is the best way to get this thing down and going before it gets picked apart. I like how you have that 1 clutch t1 mesprit in the deck to keep the Bat+Garchomp move from spoiling your day on T2. I actually played this out in RedShark and it really is a better approach than Spritomb building and manually attaching. Thanks for a good fresh approach to the deck. ( CFOURCOLTSFAN = 2 Guru Points )

 

[chase4787]

ALRIGHT! sorry this took so long but it inspired me to make my old raichu deck again so i got distracted playing.

First off, i want to start by saying, I AM THE KING OF RAICHU DECKS! Don't believe me? let's play Redshark, I'll back it up.
ok so now that the shamefull self promotion is out of the way, I am very excited about this challenge and about using my old deck again. WOOT! thanks RA!

Raichu Lv X:setsSF: summary:

Raichu Lv X:setsSF:, in opinion, is THE most underrated Lv X. :lightning: type means the ever popular Gyarados:setsSF: can't tank like it usually can, 110HP is nice and the body: is phenomenal. Raichu Lv X:setsSF:'s body: Link Lightning is unlike any other. It allows you to use another of Raichu's attacks the turn you level up Raichu and use Voltage Shoot which deals an 80 on any of your opponents pokemon for :lightning::lightning::colorless: and a discard of :lightning::lightning: from your hand. :fighting:x2 is bearable, especially with the use of Sunyshore City Gym:setsRR:, :metal:-20 is nice for against Dialga G:setsPT:, Steelix Prime:setsUL: or Scizor Prime:setsUN: and free retreat is always beautiful. For these reasons, Raichu Lv X:setsSF: obviously makes for a main attacker rather than a support card.

Raichu Lv X:setsSF: combinations:

Because Raichu Lv X:setsSF: is an attacker the number of combinations is slimmer than the past ones. Listed are some support cards and Raichu options that I have seen work and some that haven't really, but are still options. (I'll rate the options in my opinion on a scale of :setsOP1: - :setsOP5

Support Pokemon:

Magnezone:setsSF: 5/100: :setsOP2:

This magnezone is typically used for set up by using it's powr: Magnetic Search. Magnetic Search lets you, once during your turn search your deck for a :lightning: or :metal: pokemon. It would be a better option if it were a basic or stage 1 pokemon, but alas it is a stage 2 meaning it's quite a bit to set up in order to set up, not very practical.


Electivire FB Lv X:setsSV: :setsOP1:

I've been told that Electivire FB Lv X:setsSV:'s powr: Electric Recycle is a good option, but i dissagree entirely. While it is nice that it gives energy acceleration and recovery, i just don't like the amount of effort it takes to level it up, retreat it then use it's power which has the huge drawback of ending your turn. It just doesn't seem worth it to me but to each their own.

Pachirisu:setsCL: :setsOP4:

Pachirisu:setsCL: provides excellent energy acceleration using it's powr: Self-Generation which allows you to attach 2 :lightning: energy from your hand to Pachirisu:setsCL:x when you play it from your hand. Seeker:setsTM: and Super Scoop Up:setsUL: allow you use this power multiple times and Raichu Prime:setsUN:'s powr: Voltage Increase lets you move the energy to Raichu Prime:setsUN:. A great combination.

Feraligatr Prime:setsHGSS: :setsOP3:

Feraligatr Prime:setsHGSS: goes well with Raichu:setsSF:. Raichu:setsSF:'s Burst Ball and Feraligatr Prime's powr: Rain Dance go hand in hand with Burst Ball deals 100 damage for :lightning::lightning::colorless: and a discard of any three energy attached to any of your pokemon and Rain Dance letting you attach any number of :water: energy to any of your :water: pokemon giving Raichu:setsSF: plenty of energy to burn through. This combo works well, but is a little awkward because of the mis-matched types and large amount of set up.

Magnezone:setsSF: 6/100: :setsOP4:

This is the one I use. It really seems most viable to me. No need to level up, just standard evolution and a powr: that is effective with a smaller drawback.Magnezone:setsSF:'s powr: Super Connectivity allows you to, once during your turn, search your discard pile for a :lightning: or :metal: energy and attach it to your active pokemon at the small cost of 1 damage counter on that pokemon. To me this is a far better price than Electivire FB Lv X's powr: and it can be stacked if you have multiple on your bench. With all the cards like Seeker:setsTM: and Super Scoop Up:setsUL: 1 damage counter is no big deal, atleast in my experience.

Viable Raichu Options:

There's only really 3, maybe 4 (depends on opinion) viable Raichu options. They are;

Raichu:setsSF::

Slice and Split Ball are nice but Burst Ball is the best attack dealing 100 damage for :lightning::lightning::colorless: and a discard of any 3 energy on your pokemon. The ability to discard any energy from any pokemon is nice and especially that it can take advantage of Double Colourless Energy:setsHGSS:

Raichu Prime:setsUN:

Raichu Prime:setsUN: has 10 more HP than the average Raichu, a great powr: that lets you move as many :lightning: energy to Raichu Prime:setsUN: as you like. It's one attack deals a vicious 120 for:lightning::lightning::colorless: and the discard of all energy attached to Raichu Prime:setsUN:. Raichu Prime:setsUN: has the standard :setsHGSS:-on x2 weakness (to :fighting a nice :metal:-20 and a rare for Raichu :colorless: retreat which goes away once you level it up.


Raichu:setsHGSS:

This is my choice for a Raichu. I prefer the 10 less HP, no power and 20 less damaging attack in exchange for the lower energy cost on attacks, free retreat cost and being a little more resilience to Gengar:setsSF:'s Shadow Room attack.

So because I have personal experience with these cards, I have a tested list to provide. (not like the other challenges where I didn't want to post lists because I hadn't tested any) My Raichu deck, Thunderstorm (mentioned in the Magnezone Challenge) did well going about (don't remeber exactly) 32-11. Here's my list.

Pokemon
x1 Raichu Lv X:setsSF:
x3 Raichu:setsHGSS: - I already explained my preference about this one above
x3 Pikachu:setsSV: - I prefer this one because of the paralysis potential, if neccessary
x2 Magnezone:setsSF: - I explained this one already too
x2 Magneton:setsSF: - The attacks are better, should they need to be used
x2 Magnemite:setsTM: - The explaination is the same as Pikachu:setsSV:, paralysis can be nice
x1 Crobat G:setsPT: - Stacks damage with its powr: Flash Bite
x1 Chatot:setsMD: - This is my preferred starters, just personal opinion
x1 Sableye:setsSF: - Same as above

Energy
x10 :lightning:
x2 Rescue:setsTM: - retrieves an uncharged raichu or ko'd magnezone

T/S/S
X2 Professor Oak's New Theory:setsHGSS: - lots of hand refresh card for speed
x2 Sunyshore City Gym:setsRR: - give you a good matchup agains Donphan and Machamp
x2 Pokemon Collector:setsHGSS: - gets basics
x2 Expert Belt:setsAR: - helps bump the damage and health up a little more
x1 Premeir Ball:setsSF: - gets the Lv X
x2 Judge:setsUL: - disruption is fun
x2 Seeker:setsTM: - heals and give bat drops
x2 Warp Point:setsMD: - retreats magnezone and disrupts
x1 Aaron's Collection:setsRR: - recovers energy and bat
x1 Palmer's Contribution:setsSV: - recovers energy and pokemon
x2 Bebe's Search:setsRR: - searches out pokemon
x4 Plus Power:setsB2: - add damage, derp
x1 Broken Time-Space:setsPT: - helps speed up evolution
x4 Cyrus' Conspiracy:setsPT: - searches energy, neccessary supporters and poke turns
x4 Poke Turn:setsPT: - bat drops!

The strategy is to swarm with Raichu:setsHGSS:, snipe with Raichu Lv X:setsSF: and consistantly do 100+ damage a turn.

I also made a deck that involved Gengar:setsSF: and Raichu:setsHGSS: switching places and using Gengar:setsSF: to snipe and Raichu:HGSS: to oblitherate the active, then when the time came using Gengar:setsSF:'s powr: Fainting Spell to hopefully get a KO. It did fairly well also (record is in my sig, Raigar)

So in my experience Raichu Lv X:setsSF: is a viable and underrated card that works very well. I will miss it post rotation.

Feedback:
Holy Cow! That's like the ugly custom build that only a mother could love! :lol: I appreciate how you've presented a list that you've been tinkering around with and fine-tuning. Just by the looks of the list, it's evident that you've adjusted and readjusted the card counts to fit your playstyle. I think this offering does what it's supposed to do; it gives a rationale for every card, a suggested list that you KNOW works (for you), and it's presented with good intentions to help others. That's the spirit! Thank you SO much for being an enthusiatic contributor :smile: ( chase4787 - 3 Guru Points)

 

[Vegeta ss4]

Pokemon-

4 Pikachu Promo
3 Raichu Prime
1 Raichu LVX
2 Bronzor TM
2 Bronzong SF
2 Pachirisu LL
2 Uxie
1 Rayquaza LA
1 Unown Q
1 Azelf
...19

4 Seeker
3 Bebe's Search
3 Pokemon Collecor
2 Fisherman
1 Palmer Contribution
4 Super Scoop Up
4 Quick Ball
2 Pokemon Communication
1 Vs Seeker
1 Premier Ball
3 Broken Time Space
...28

13 Lightning

This deck is insanely fast, and can pull of 2 quick ko's in the same turn. With the abuse of the the new Pachy, it allows me to attach 2 Lightning energy from my hand to him, and with Raichu Prime, I can move the energy with his Body. The cards;

Pikachu Promo-Simply it has higer HP and useable attacks.

3 Raichu Prime- This card is a beast, insanely fast, koing attack on pretty much anything in the format, especially early on. It moves your energy from any of your pokemon to him, which comboes insanely well with Pachy.

1 Raichu X-This card is amazing, it allows after you level up, to attack twice. This can ko 2 pokemon with ease. Which can easily cripple your opponent.

Bronzor MD-higher HP and a good attack, if heads.
Bronzong SF- Helps with Pachy, so the combo is complete.

Uxie-Best draw card in the past few years

Azelf-Consistancy

Rayquaza LA-Flippy but a good energy accelerator from the discard pile.

Seeker-makes this donkable, and it allows you to freely reuse Leveling up powers with Raichu, and can help with pachy, allowing energy acceleration.

Super Scoop Up-flippy but good, same thing as seeker, except it doesn't pick up your opponents benched pokemon.

Broken Time Space-Makes this deck a donking deck.

Quick Ball-Thins the deck out quickly, and really helps with speed and setup.

This is a deck to be wrecking with inthe future, insanely fast, super consistant, and it is fun!

Feedback:
Quick Ball! The forgotten quick draw hero! I love the idea of combining Pokemon Communication with Quick Ball (I just LOVE that idea!). The list is a straight forward build with a simple strategy. It's a clean build. This is something that someone can take, playtest, customize, and run with it. With Donphan and Machamp still out there, I wonder if there shouldn't be a single Mesprit in hold them down a turn. Nice approach to getting Pachi and RaiPrime on the table! ( Vegeta SS4 - 2 Guru Points )

 

[TheKing]

This is still in progress, so don't grade it yet

This is Raichu/Pikachu Donk

Pokemon

4-3-1 HS Pikachu, 2 Raichu Prime, 1 HS Raichu. Raichu lv. X
4 Pachirisu
3 Uxie
4 Unown R

Trainers/Supporters/ Stadiums
4 Pokedex
4 Pokedrawer
3 Dual Ball
2 Energy Exchanger
2 energy switch
1 Luxury Ball
2 Expert belt
4 Plus Powers
2 Super Scoop up
2 BTS
2 Junk Arm
2 Lucian's Assignment
1 Seeker
Energy
3 DCE
7 lightning

Basically play through your entire deck turn one like Uxie Donk. Either put all energy on pikachu by using Lucian's/ Energy switch to do 100 T1or wait until you can level up to attack with Riachu

Feedback:
I love the fun idea of just going all UxieDonk Engine on 'em. That would be a very scary prospect if you could pull it off! A T1 hit and a T2 Voltage shoot could create a scoop situation .. LOL You couldn't get back to this, but what a fun thought! Thanks. ( TheKing = 1 Guru Point)

 

[Barkjon]

I don't have tons of time here, but it's worth a shot, right?

So, this is basically PachiRaichu, with a Sableye starter (Yeah, I just love decks with Sableye start ).

NOTE: You can find scans of all cards in the Researching Tower.

POKEMON (22):
3 Sableye SF
3-3-1 Raichu X (HSPromo-Prime-X)
2-2 Bronzong SF (SF-SF)
3 Pachirisu CL
2 Uxie LA
1 Azelf LA
1 Unown Q
1 Rayquaza LA

T/S/S/ (22):
3 Pokemon Collector
3 Seeker
4 Super Scoop Up
3 Bebe's Search
2 Fisherman
3 Broken-Time Space
1 Luxury Ball
1 Premier Ball
2 Expert Belt
1 Professor Oak's New Theory
2 Pokemon Communication

ENERGIES (13):
13 Lightning Energy

STRATEGY:
Start Sableye if possible. If not, try to either get a Raichu Prime or X up quick, or a Sableye. So, let's say you start Sableye. Impersonate into a Collector and search for two Pachirisu and a Pikachu. Next turn you will hopefully get a Raichu via searching with Bebe's, topdecking an Uxie, getting a Luxury Ball, getting a Pokemon Communication, etc...

Now, you can drop the Pachirisus to get some massive energy on the Raichu. This is the whole engine of the deck - a combination of Pachi drops (SSU and Seeker let you reuse them) and Mega Thunderbolts to do amazing damage. Voltage Shoots can also snipe for easy prizes with Uxies, or you can get two prizes in one turn if you leveled up in one turn.

If you can get a t1/t2 Mega Thunderbolt, you virtually have the game in the bag (unless they started very well). This deck is win...

THE POKEMON:
Sableye SF: This is your preferred starter. Like I said, if you start with it you can Impersonate for a Collector and grab some basics. If you already have a Collector in hand, you can play a Bebe's to allow you to get a Raichu fo sure.

Pikachu HGSSPromo: This is prolly the best Pikachu out now. Recharge is an amazing attack, and lets you quickly get energy on him, if you can't get a Raichu up quick/you start with him.

Raichu Prime: This is the basis of the deck. His power is amazing, allowing you to drop a Pachi and then get the energy right on him, fueling him up for a Mega Thunderbolt. If you can pull of a Pachi drop + Raichu up quick, it's awesomesauce.

Raichu X: The Level X of Raichu is amazing to say the least. Is PokeBody basically breaks the rules of the game (lol) and allows you to get two prizes in one turn. His attack, combined with Bronzong SF, is also amazing - it can easily snipe your opponent's bench for you.

Bronzor SF: To evolve...

Bronzong SF: This guy allows you to get the energy needed to drop a Pachi and do a Mega Thunderbolt. The power also combines extremely well with Raichu X.

Pachirisu CL: The power on Pachirisu is amazing... this card is what makes the whole deck work. Drop this guy after using a Cycler, then move the energy onto Raichu. Win. Also, you can reuse it with Seekers and SSU's. Not to mention you can donk with the attack, thanks to Expert Belt.

Uxie LA: The main draw for this deck. Freakin' amazing power, by the way.

Azelf LA: Power is absolutely amazing. If your sole Raichu X is prized, drop this guy and get it. Awesomeness, right?

Unown Q: This guy gives your starting Sableye free retreat. Or whatever else you started with, pretty much (except like Bronzor/Rayquaza).

Rayquaza LA: I debated on putting this card in here for a while, but it's awesome to recover energy.

THE T/S/S/:

Collectors are your main Pokemon searcher here. Play this early and you are virtually setup. Seeker's are amazing, allowing you to recover already used Pachirisu's or to heal a Raichu on your bench, or to free up room on your bench. Super Scoop Up is pretty much the same thing as Seekers, except it's flippy - the upside to this, however, is that you can play multiple in one turn, if you flip tails early on.

Bebe's is your other main Pokemon searcher, allowing you to search your deck for ANY POKEMON. This card is great. I feel that 2 is to few and 4 is to many, so 3 is the magic number. Fisherman is your other way to get back energy, and allows you to get a lot more than Rayquaza does. Broken Time-Space is amazing, allowing you to get a very early Raichu up (T1!). Luxury Ball is another way to search for Pokemon, plus it is a trainer. A one-of in any deck, imo. Premier Ball let's you search or recover your only Raichu X, which is sweet.

Expert Belt increases both the damage output and HP of Raichu - this card lets you oneshot an opposing Dialga G X, Gengar Prime, or a lot of others. Professor Oak's New Theory (PONT) is a good source of both draw and it helps when you have an "OMG DIS HAND IS SOO FREAKING BAD!!!!1111!!1!!' kinda moment. Pokemon Communication is the final source of Pokemon searching in here.

THE MATCHUPS AND TECHS VS. THEM:

vs. LuxChomp: Both of you are extremely quick, so this is interesting. However, LuxChomp often has trouble vs. high damage outputs such as Raichu's. Plus, Voltage Shoot can OHKO most of the Pokemon in LuxChomp.

vs. DialgaChomp: DialgaChomp is much slower than many other SP decks due to it's taking nature. First off, Expert Belt is your friend here. If your opponent leveled up into DGX you can OHKO them with Mega Thunderbolt (not taking into account Expert Belts on their side or Special Metals, of course).

vs. VileGar: Since your SSU's are useless here, Seekers are very important. Voltage Shoot is great in this matchup to KO benched Vileplumes early on, before they start really locking you.

vs. Gyrados: Pretty easy, actually. You are both pretty quick, but their weakness really hurts. A Raichu can OHKO a Gyrados on their side.

CLOSING:

Anyways, this deck is extremely fast. I think this deck could become pretty good in the future, actually.

NOTE: I'll probably add to this tomorrow, but I don't have time now, really.

Feedback:
Thanks. This is a practical approach to running Raichu with pachirisu. It may come across as "uncreative" or "common sense" but that's only because it DOES make sense to run it this way. The bain of your existance would be to get a Suppoter/Trainer engine that would be, both, consistent and fast enough. ( Barkjon = 2 Guru Points )

 

[Rogue Archetype]

The enthusiasm in this thread is wonderful!

It's just great how people are rushing in to contribute.

It's like "THIS IS MY SPOT! I'll be right back!"

This is truly awesome guys. Thanks for 'getting it.' :thumb:

 

[Parco Folgore]

ELECTRIC WORRY
Vamanos, vamanos

The Skeleton List

4-3-1 Raichu
3 Pachirisu
2-2 Bronzong
3 Uxie
1 Azelf
2 Smeargle
1 Unown Q
---------
3 Fisherman
4 SSU
2 Bebe's
2 BTS
2 Sunyshore City Gym
3 Collectors
1 Palmers
---------
12 Lightening Energy
2 Rescue Energy


4 Pikachu SV
No important reason here, just my prefered Pikachu. You can pretty much use any Pikachu you want. Your preferred starter.

3 Raichu Prime
This guy is your main attacker. Your goal here is to get Raichu Active with one energy. Then, play a Pachirisu with 2 energies using Pachirisu's power onto your bench. You then move the energies onto Raichu with its Poke-Power to go from one energy and powerless to a fully charged attacker very quickly. You then attack for 120, discard the energies, attach to Raichu your next turn and either get another Pachi or Scoop Up the previously used ones to use the same attack again.

1 Raichu Level X
Combined with Fisherman, Pachirisu, and Scoop Ups, this card is an incredibly fast and effecient attacker. Fisherman for 4 Electric energies discarded earlier, drop a Pachi with 2 energies, move them to an active Raichu, drop Raichu X, snipe for 80, discarding the other two energies in your hand from Fisherman, and then use Mega Thunderbolt for 120. An easy 2 prizes.

3 Pachirisu
This little squirell allows you to charge your attacker quickly and easily, provided you have the energies. His job has been sufficiently explained earlier in the post.
Its art also looks super-duper cool

2 Bronzor MD
Bronzor, plain and simple. One retreat. You can put them to sleep on bad starts. Not much to say here.

2 Bronzong SF
Cycler kicks butt in this deck. You can always have sufficient energies for Pachirisu and Voltage Shoot.

2 Smeargle
A good starter, allows you to use your opponent's supporters against them to get yourself set up. Very useful.

3 Uxie
You expect me to explain this?

1 Azelf
Another no-brainer, for getting Raichu X when he's prized.

3 Fisherman
For getting energies previously discarded using various attacks. Very useful with Pachirisu and Raichu Level X.
I love the art on the older fisherman. Politoed is so cute.

4 Super Scoop Up
Good for healing Raichus, reusing Pachi's, and reusing Link Lightening.

2 Broken Time Space
For quickly evolving Raichus and Bronzongs, pre- or post- SSU.

2 Sunyshore City Gym
Donphan is a bad matchup for this deck, and even though it's not played THAT much, it's still good not to have an autoloss.

3 or 4 Collectors
Awesome card. For getting Pachirisus and Uxies and Pikachu and Smeargle and Unown Q.

1 Palmer's
For when you don't need/have a Fisherman

 

[Kayle]

R_A, I've gone and edited my first post.

I underestimated that deck. It has serious potential. I'll be worried about it when Catcher is released.

 

[AyameHikaru]

Strange deck list alert!

I've been trying for years to get Raichu to work. Such a cute little bugger, but he always seems to need far too much energy and burn through it far too fast. But now, we've got support! We've got draw! We've got search! We've gooooooot.... a chance!

3 HGSS Promo Pikachu - This seems to be the popular choice, for good reason. Raichu needs steady energy, so if you can keep the energy piling up, it'll do better. Unlike Raichu Prime decks, you don't have to worry if you get more than three energy on your Active. You can just Split Ball them back once a better target arrives.

3 Raichu SF - "Wait, what about the Prime??? It has the same energy cost for 20 more damage!" Yes, but it requires you discard at least two LIGHTNING energy. With the SF one, you can discard whatever you feel like, including DCE. And, since it can be from any Pokemon, you don't have to worry about getting the energy on your active.

1 Raichu Lv. X - The big hitter. The threat. 80 snipe to anything AND an immediate second attack is fabulous - at a price.

2 Bronzor MD - If you happen to get a bad starting hand, this is the least painful Bronzor to start with. It only has one retreat cost, AND its first attack takes colorless instead of a specific energy type. Sleep can buy you a turn or two if you go up against a deck with a starter, which may be all you need.

2 Bronzong SF - Having energy in the hand is essential in Raichu decks. If you can't get your energies, you dead.

2 Buizel UL - (According to the TCG search, this is the only legal one. :/ SV rotated out when?) 10 spread is nice, but you really don't want to start with this guy. His job is to sit safe on the Bench. Alternatively, if you're feeling lucky, that 10 damage can knock a lot of common threats down to the 100 HP mark.

2 Floatzel UL - The beauty of using the SF Raichu. Floatzel comes with built in acceleration, meaning you can attack every turn. My reason for using him over Pachirisu is that Pachirisu's power is a coming-into-play power, making it much more susceptible to Power Spray. If Floatzel is Sprayed, it may delay you a turn, but you don't have to burn a SSU/Seeker before using the Power again.

1 Rayquaza LA - The backup acceleration. Floatzel cycles the Water energy, Rayquaza cycles the Lightning. It's terribly flippy and can make you cry if you flip tails immediately, but using his power to make a sort of 'stockpile' can really come in handy. Also, he can pull straight from the discard, so that even if you don't have any energy in your hand you can still get off your 100.

2 Uxie LA - Set up, what else?

1 Azelf - Far too many games seem to end with Raichu Lv. X in the Prizes. Time Walk ensures all of your pieces can have their time on the board.

19 Pokemon

4 Fisherman - Floatzel relies on having Water energy in your hand. Raichu Lv. X, too, needs energy in the hand to be most effective. They might be dead draw early game, but Bronzong's Cycler can put any spares back in the deck to find at a better time.

3 Collector - Staple.

2 Bebe's - Staple.

1 Luxury Ball - Staple.

3 Judge - Once this deck sets up, all it needs is a good energy flow. Judge disrupts your opponent, and one of the 4 cards you draw can be turned into two energy via Bronzong.

3 SSU - Raichu's Link Lightning is a potent threat. Using it 3+ times in a single battle, however, is more than a threat. It's a win. This can also save a wounded bench member, or let you reuse Uxie, or get Azelf off the Bench so you can get another support Pokemon out.

3 Seeker - Raichu has free retreat. If your active has been Leveled up a while, and you see a prime Voltage Shoot target, you can retreat, Level Up your backup Raichu, and Voltage Shoot for death.

3 BTS - Raichu is kinda fragile. It's going to take damage, and a lot of it. If you can pick it up by SSU or Seeker, it can become a threat again almost immediately. A really fun combo is to Link Lightning + Split Ball for a knockout if they're in range, spreading out your energy and making it so either Raichu can attack the next turn with an energy.

2 Sunyshore City Gym - Cards like Flygon laugh at Raichu, and cards like Donphan laugh harder. This gym may not make the matches easy, but it can turn the matches from an autoloss to a hard win.

1 Palmer's - Recycling those Raichus that happen to die is a good thing. It can also pull back that crucial energy for you to search out, and play.

2 Bench Shield - SP loves to munch up your Bench. These may not save your Floatzel from a Bright Look, but they will certainly help Garchomp not to rule as freely. Taking down a Bronzong just by Flash Bites is pretty intimidating.
27 TSS

6 Lightning
6 Water
2 DCE
14 Energy

I went with an even split for the energy. I've seen a lot of people run things different from that, such as Warp Energy, almost entirely Lightning, etc. This is the place where you've got the most freedom due to play style. Find yourself using Floatzel more? Run more Water. Rayquaza your best friend? Run more Lightning. I wouldn't make them too different, maybe 9-5 at the most. The Double Colorless Energy are for a surprise hit, if you're running low on energy on the field. Be frugal about when you use 'em, because you can't get them back.

Bronzong functions as a mini Cosmic Power, getting rid of cards you can't use, (Like Fisherman/Palmer's first turn, etc.) and Floatzel and Rayquaza keep Raichu going as long as possible.

Everyone wants to play Pachirisu with Raichu Prime. I say we'll have plenty of time for that combo later. For now, let's give the SF Raichu one big shine before it goes out in September.

 

[Kayle]

Strange deck list alert!

I've been trying for years to get Raichu to work. Such a cute little bugger, but he always seems to need far too much energy and burn through it far too fast. But now, we've got support! We've got draw! We've got search! We've gooooooot.... a chance!

3 HGSS Promo Pikachu - This seems to be the popular choice, for good reason. Raichu needs steady energy, so if you can keep the energy piling up, it'll do better.

3 Raichu SF - "Wait, what about the Prime??? It has the same energy cost for 20 more damage!" Yes, but it requires you discard at least two LIGHTNING energy. With the SF one, you can discard whatever you feel like, including DCE.

1 Raichu Prime - The big hitter. The threat. 80 snipe to anything AND an immediate second attack is fabulous - at a price.

2 Bronzor MD - If you happen to get a bad starting hand, this is the least painful Bronzor to start with. It only has one retreat cost, AND its first attack takes colorless instead of a specific energy type. Sleep can buy you a turn or two if you go up against a deck with a starter, which may be all you need.

2 Bronzong SF -

{editing for rest of list}

You mean Lv. X, not Prime! Careful~

 

[pokemon99]

You just HAD to correct him/her didn't you.
Kayle, do you know when this challenge ends?

 

[Kayle]

I'm just looking out for them, that's all! >>" sorry.

I don't know, I'm not sure it really "ends". It ends when the thread dies I guess?

 

[AyameHikaru]

Well, since the first one is still going, I'd guess these threads will stay up for a while. ^^;

Thanks, Kayle. ^^; That would've been bad....

 

[tehmoe]

pokemon: 15
4-3-1 raichu x (AR-HS-SF)
2 uxie
2 pachirisu
1 unown q
1-1 electrode prime

TSS:33
3 collector
3 seeker
2 bebe search
2 communication
4 ssu
3 bts
2 sunny shore
3 energy returner
2 pont
2 interviewer's question
1 fisherman
2 e-belt
1 palmers
1 premier ball
2 twins

energy:12
12 lightning

strategy:
you have plenty of ways of getting energy into play with this deck. its funny how it can win. i have run into several t1 donk moments, not all of them with raichu. belted pachi = 70 damage. enough to take care of most non sp basics. but yea i digress. this deck has early game, mid game, and late game. i dont use electrode prime early game. its late game when you used everything up and only need 1 or two more prizes. raichu prime is the main hitter and raichu x is a sneaky 2 prize getter. i use belts just for the hp bonus, i'm actually considering them to be dropped, but for now it helps kill unbelted donphans when sunny shore is in play. i chose mega shot pikachu for 2 reasons, it looks cute, and i i dont wanna drop money to get promo pikachus. it gets the job done, evolving into the main hitter. pachirisu is for obvious reasons, getting energy into play. i like the interviewers here so that when you can drop raichu x, you will get the energy you need to drop. a card very under rated for this type of deck is energy returner. take not 2, not 3, but 4 basic energy from your discard and throw them back into the deck, plus its a trainer. its amazing. energy returner + interviewer's question = free energy in hand when needed. SSU and seeker are obvious.
twins are there for when things arent going your way.

the deck has medium- low pokemon count so gengar prime wont be finding things in your hand unless they seeker it there.

the decks only flaw is power lock. dropped mesprits isn't something this deck can handle early game. mid- late game maybe, but early game and its over. it loses all the speed and any of the advantage this deck needs.

the deck can handle machamp/donphan with sunny shore. g-dos gets one shotted and this deck recovers just as fast as g-dos. luxchomp eats the bench for breakfast, dialgachomp has more trouble due to the resistance, although dgx does stop raichu x from working when it comes to play. t-tar on the other hand... monster hp = you need the x in play to one shot. other wise your taking one prize every 2 turns instead of 2. that means double the resources have to be used in order to win the match. everything else this deck doesnt really have issues with.

the list looks simple, but remember, simplicity makes it fast and smooth. and thats what you want in a deck.

 

[Ninja]

So my deck would work around Raichu and Pachirisu, as many of people would find it to work :/

4 Pikachu Promo (obviously my starter. A t1 attach would be great. with his recharge thats 2 energies, and next turn I dont even have to use pachirisu )
3 Raichu Prime (Main attacker. Hits really hard when told to )
1 Raichu Lv. X (Its body and attack go so well with eachother I just had to put it in...)

2 Bronzor TM(Well he can attack for no specific energy. Probably the best on for this deck )
2 Bronzong SF (Now this is what makes the Lv. X attack to work. If you use this power 2 times and get 4 energies in your hand, you can use Voltage Shoot 2 times, while not discarding any energy attached to raichu!!!)

2 Pachirisu CL (You play it down and attach 2 energies from your hand to Pachirisu. You then use Raichu Primes power to move it all to him. Allowing for you to attack with him )

2 Uxie LA (Basic Set up)

1 Azelf LA( For prized things)

1 Crobat G PL (To help kill things with Voltage Shoot if needed, or Thunderbolt...)

1 Raquayza LA ( To get some of those Electirc Energies from your discard. Works quite well with Conductive Quarry since they both require flips.)

TRAINERS:
3 Pokemon Collector (Obvious reasons. Get a basic such as Uxie, or Pachirisu, or Crobat G. Even Pikcahu. Ill describe this more down the road.)
3 Bebes Search (Gets any pokemon you want?! GASP. Basically its to get your Stage 1s from your deck, or your level X.)
3 Super Scoop Up (Gets my pachirisu up off the field so I can use him again )
2 Broken Time Space ( Allows me to get the T1 Set up sometimes. Woot Woot)
2 Conductive Quarry ( Gets back my electric energies from discard on a flip. I do believe thats pretty beast.)
2 Seeker (another thing to get my pachirisus up off my bench, and it can also work quite well by ending a match...)
2 Fisherman ( gets back 4 energies from my discard and puts them back in my hand?! :O. Works so well with the Double Voltage Shoot!!!)
1 Palmers( Basic recovery. You need to recover things )
2 Proffesor Oaks Hew Theory (Refreshment to your hand. Could possibly win you a game, but is quite risky)
3 Poke'turn (Utilizes the amount of damage Crobat can do with Flash Bite )
2 Expert belt ( Makes Raichu have 120 HP and allows him to hit for 20 more damage. 140 anyone? :O)
2 Pokemon Rescue ( Used to get back a pikachu or a Pachirisu if its knocked out. Maybe even uxie if I needs a set up.)
2 VS Seeker ( Re Use my fisherman? Bebes Search? Cards like that? I'd love to )
1 Luxury Ball ( So I get to search for 1 pokemon. Sounds good to me!!!)

ENERGIES
11 Electric Energy

So now its time to describe everything about it and how it really works. So what you want to do is start with a Pikachu. Easy enough. What you don't want to start with is Bronzor. So if you do start with Pikachu just use his recharge attack after attaching and hopefully flip heads. You then get an energy out of your deck. How great! Next turn you evolve and attach. Thats a T2 Thunderbolt. 120 damage T2 would knock out just about anything.
Now lets say you get into late game. It's possible you may run out of ways to get energies onto Raichu. After you've used Fisherman so many times, it gets kind of difficult. thats why you have Rayquaza. He can get those lightning energies back, and same for Conductive Quarry. Hes also a good idea, but I'm sure it would be less used than others. Rotom MD . For free you can get 2 energies from your discard and attach them to any pokemon you like. Rotom also has free retreat . So it's pretty decent, but i just don't have enough room for him...
When you use Pokemon Collector depending on what you have, the normal things to get would be Bronzor, Uxie and Pachirisu (Thats assuming you already have a Pikachu Active.).
I understand Premier Ball should be ran, but nah, I don;t feel like squeezing it in, maybe later

So thats my take on the beautiful Raichu deck. I just hope my post helped a few people out ;D

 

[Electrode Twins]

Two words: Electrode Twins

Pokemon: 20
1 Raichu Lv X
3 Raichu (Prime)
4 Pikachu (Two Recharge/Thunderbolt + Two Mega Shot)
3 Electrode (Prime)
3 Voltorb SF (Outlet)
3 Jirachi RR (Final Wish)

2 Pachurisu CL (Self Charge)
1 Dialga (Reverse Time)

Trainers: 24
3 Twins
3 Seeker
3 VS Seeker
4 Bebe's Search
2 Interviewers Questions
2 Engineer's Adjustments
2 Prof Oak New Theory
1 Judge
2 Flower Shop Lady
1 Black Belt
1 Lucian's Assignment

Energy: 16
10 Lightning
3 Rescue Energy
3 Call


Basic Starter Pokemon

Jirachi - One of the best starters out there. Seems to fit nicely in this deck. First attack re-uses the supporter in play. Great with Twins after and electrode 'sacrifice. The power Jirachi has, allows you to search your deck for any card when it is knocked out.

Pikachu - Secret second attacker. Nobody sees the 100 damage coming from Pikachu.

Voltorb - The voltorb that knows OUTLET can search for a lighnight energy for the price of one colorless. Beneficial when voltorb start was combined with call energy. If you get that lucky.


Basic Support Pokemon

Dialga Reverse Time - This card has a power that allows you to place three basic energy back on top of you deck from your discard. Great when you want to use electrode but don't want to discard a lot of essential cards. When played more aggressively, Seeker can even be used on Dialga. I do believe he can be double dropped to put six energy from the discard back on top of the deck. Pretty sneaky.

Pachurisu - Puts two energy from your hand into play when put into play.


Stage 1 Main Attacker

Raichu X - Yes, your main attacker. You only have one of them, but they are essential. They must be attached to rescue energy whenever possible. Raichu comes into play and snipes for 80 then either does it again or hits for 120. Black belt can be used for when higher damage is demanded. But attacking twice should usually get the job done. Riachu X should be returned with seeker to double attack again whenever possible.

Raichu - Secondary attacker. Does 120. Discards all energy attached. Moves energy to itself.

Stage 1 Support Pokemon

Electrode - The actual engine that drives the deck. An important fact:
Q. If I try to use Electrode's "Energymite" Poke-POWER but my opponent uses Power Spray to stop it, is Electrode still Knocked Out?
A. Yes, it is. This is a game state check that the Power was used, it is not an effect of the Power.

Electrode + Twins can't be stopped by power spray. Actually, your opponent would probably be doing you a favor by not making you discard so many cards from the top of your deck.

Electrode's attacks are great for spreading damage. 30 to the active, 10-10 to the bench.



Trainers: I tried to focus more on supporters than trainers.

Twins - Gets you any two cards you want after you knock out your electrode. Continue to knock out electrodes as you maintain board control.

Seeker - Picks up RAICHU X, PACHURISU, DIALGA. Can be used twice with Jirachi's attack, but sacrifices attack turn. but it's a deck that can attack twice in one turn.

Black Belt - Adds 40 damage to an attack after elecrode is sacrificed.

Vs Seeker - Gets back any supporter that gets discarded from an electrode sacrifice. Also allows you to re-use Twins or any crucial supporter.

Interviewers Questions - Gets energy from the deck into your hand. Very important.

Lucians Assignment - For when powers are stopped and energy in play must be manipulated. Great for surprise Pikachu attacks.

 

[charcharchar]

Alright, I wasn't going to reply to these things, but this is the second time a card I really like has been posted, and my classes were cancelled, so... buh.

Alright, so... Raichu Lv. X. How do I love you?
Let me count the ways...

Pokemon (18):
4 Pikachu HGSS03 [SF]
2/2 Raichu (PRIME/X)
2 Charizard G
1 Charizard G Lv X
2 Uxie LA
1 Rayquaza LA
2 Pachirisu CL (?)
1 Chansey PL
1 Blissey PL

T/S/S(28):
2 Broken Time-Space
2 Conductive Quarry
3 Poketurn
2 Energy Gain
4 Pokemon Collector
3 Bebe's Search
3 Cyrus's Conspiracy
3 Engineer's Adjustments
1 Judge
2 Seeker
1 Palmer's Contribution
1 Luxury Ball
1 Premier Ball

Energy (14):
10 Lightning
4 Fire

First off, the Pikachu choice... ideally, you would play it with the HGSS 03 Pika, but they're difficult to get your hands on. If you can get 4 of them, the combination of high HP (70) low weakness (+10) and an energy search attack ( :colorless: search your deck for :lightning: and attach it to pikachu) make it the ideal pikachu for this deck. The SF Pikachu is a decent substitute since it has 70 HP and a +10 weakness. It's less susceptible to donks and whatnot than the other legal pikachus. It's just not as boss as the promo Pikachu.

Charizard G: Weird right? But with a power so similar to Raichu Prime's, and the commitment to using Level X's in the deck, why not include him? Raichu's 110 HP make him a bit of a delicate flower, and Charizard can double as a damage sponge OR a heavy hitter.

Blissey PL: Blissey lets you 1. discard cards to avoid a heavy Poltergeist/Hurl into Darkness and 2. Heal Raichu as you let Charizard G soak up some damage.

Rayquaza/Pachirisu: Both of these pokemon function as energy recovery. If you know that you're facing a gengar deck and you can't afford to hold pachirisu in your hand, you can abuse the Rayquaza/Engineer's Adjustments to get a good draw going and then recover that discarded energy.

The 2/2 Raichu... I actually like to play LV. Xs as 3-1s, when I play them. HOWEVER, with the addition of Seeker in this deck, you can use the LV X to give your raichu a free retreat in a pinch, and not have to worry about pulling off a Link Lightning due to lack of level X that turn.

2 Conductive Quarry: An easy way to rescue Lightning energy if *gasp* you can't keep Pachirisu flipping, or if *gasp* your pachi/rayquaza get lost zoned.

2 BTS: This isn't so much to evolve Raichu (although it helps) But the addition of stadiums in this deck is a quick, easy-to-pull-off Lost World counter. This strategy is heavily dependent on your opponent repeatedly laying Lost World on the field, but hey, crazier things have happened in Pokemon.

Seeker: Use this, preferably, to recycle your Pachirisu, should you fail your speed gain flip on a crucial turn.

Energy Count:
I tend to play heavy energy lines anyway, so playing 14 basic energy does not deter me from a deck at all. With the focus on running through energy in your discard makes a heavy line necessary, as far as I'm concerned.


K, SO... It would be really easy to take the Charizard G/Galactic engine out and add consistency cards to this deck.
You could pretty easily
- 2-1 Charizard G
-3 Poketurn
-2 Energy Gain
-3 Cyrus's Conspiracy
-4 Fire Energy

and then you have 15 free slots! I would suggest, if you are looking for more consistency, up to a 4/4 Collector/Bebe count, add some more consistent draw supporters, like Professor Oak's New Theory or another Judge. You could add more BTS or Conductive Quarry, depending on your preference for either stadium.

example:
+1 Bebe's Search
+1 Conductive Quarry
+1 Broken Time-Space
+ 3 Professor Oak's New Theory
+1 Judge
+1 Seeker
+1 Premier Ball
+2 Pokemon Rescue
+4 FREE SLOTS


Anywhoo, that's something I've been kicking around for a while... I've played Charizard G/Blaziken FB before, and It was... interesting. I would love to actually test this, as I loooved the charizard G deck (as a fun deck) but my testing partners have pooped out on me, so... there you go.

 

[GameStoreGrump]

Pokemon

1 : Raichu LvlX : SF
2 : Raichu Prime : UD
2 : Pikachu : HSP
3 : Pichu : SF
3 : Pachirisu : CL
3 : Crobat G : PL
2 : Azelf : LA
3 : Smeargle : CL

Total: 22

Trainer/Supporter/Stadium

2 : Memory Berry : PL
3 : MooMoo Milk : HS
4 : Super Scoop Up : UL
3 : Broken Time Space : PL
2 : Bebe's Search : RR
3 : Pokemon Collector : HS
4 : Pokemon Communication : HS
2 : Interviewer's Questions : CL
2 : Palmer's Contribution : SV

Total: 25

Energy

3 : Rescue Energy : TM
10 : Basic Electric Energy

Total : 13

Strategy

The idea behind this deck is to evolve Raichu LvlX all the way up from Pichu, then attach a Memory Berry for a Combo Loving Beast.

Early Game:

Most of the early game will all be in the setup. Hopefully starting with a Smeargle Start, and either Pokemon Communication, Pokemon Collector's or Bebe's Search. Start building Pichu up on the bench, and start evolving into Raichu as quickly as possible. Smeargle's portrait will hopefully get lucky and aid in the process. At the very least, he will act as a buffer/chump blocker for your bench. You might get lucky with a Broken Time Space in the beginning, which would be awesome for the setup, but don't count on it. Since there are several pokemon involved in this particular evolutionary line, Pokemon Communication will be the better bet to use than Bebe's Search. Have two Pikachu's? Switch one for a Raichu, without taking up a Supporter use.

Mid Game:

Hopefully by mid game you will at least have a Raichu on the bench, keep using those Pokemon Communications to get what you need for Raichu LvlX. You should be dropping a few Crobat G's to start putting damage on his bench. You want to focus on adding damage so that you can KO Pokemon with Voltage Shoot. Save on the Super Scoop Up's. Don't waste them on Crobat G's. You will be needing them for Pachirisu's later. You might be behind on prizes at this point. That is okay. You will be coming back with a vengeance later.

The Beast:

The idea of this Raichu build is to get the extra Energy in your hand with Interviewer's Questions. Then Voltage Shoot and Mega Thunderbolt for two prize cards. Then Pokemon Collector's into Pachirisu's, then use Memory Berry to use Pichu's Electric Circuit to pick the energy back up. Moo Moo Milk for the heal. Drop Pachirisu's Voltage Increase the Energy Back on. Hit again. Super Scoop Up when Raichu start's really getting hit. With Broken Time Space. Drop it all back down. Lather Rinse Repeat.

Analysis

Not really competitive, but definitely League Worthy and hopefully a whole lot of fun to play.