Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

HP-on Raichu/Empoleon. Featuring advanced strategy!

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Ardoptres

Ardoptres

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So yeah, I really like the idea of Raichu.
Any helps will be very appreciated.

Pokemon: 20

2- Chingling MT
1- Chimcho MT

4- Piplup DP
3- Prinplup DP
3- Empoleon DP
1- Empoleon LV. X DP

2- Pikachu d' HP
2- Raichu d' HP
1- Raichu PK

1- Holon's Castform HP

Trainers: 27

4- Celio's
4- Mentor
2- Copycat
2- Steven's
1- Team G's Wager
2- Castaway
3- Ces. Crystal
1- Str. Charm
1- Buffer Piece
2- Warp Point
2- Lake Boundary
2- Rare Candy
1- Night Maintenance

Energies: 13

7- Water
3- DRE
3- Scramble

Strategy:

2- Chingling MT
1- Chimcho MT - This is the draw-engine. It's good to start with Chingling, but you do not have to. It's actually more of a 'backup' pokemon. Chime is a tech, as it is VERY nice.

4- Piplup DP
3- Prinplup DP
3- Empoleon DP - So yeah, the main-attacker. Empoleon is just really good.
1- Empoleon LV. X DP - I've found it very useful, some of you might not.

2- Pikachu d' HP
2- Raichu d' HP - Zzzap is the main-point of this little mouse. it's other attack is very nice too, and free retreat use just godly.
1- Raichu PK - OHKO's Empoleon/Feraligatr/water-types combined with Lake Boundary

1- Holon's Castform HP - Energy. It isn't too bad to start with it, just Mentor for 2x Pika d'.

4- Celio's
4- Mentor
2- Copycat - Fav trainer. <3 Above card needs no explanation.
2- Steven's - Best draw card in the format.
1- Team G's Wager - Distruption.
2- Castaway - It gets my tools, energy, and a supporter for next turn. Perfect.
3- Ces. Crystal - Since this deck doesn't use any powers, besides Chingling, it is very nice to play.
1- Str. Charm - Saved endless of times.
1- Buffer Piece - So Rauchu can survive a 80-90 hit. Also helps on Empoleon, so you opponent will 3HKO it, instead of 2HKO it. (If it a low hitter)
2- Warp Point - Combined with Raichu's free retreat.. <3
2- Lake Boundary - Yeah, double weakness is just nice.
2- Rare Candy - Speeds Empoleon up. I think it is very needed, 2 should be enough though.
1- Night Maintenance - Only useful late game, so i think one should be enough.

7- Water Energy for Penguin.
3- DRE Mostly for Raichu, but it can help Empoleon as well
3- Scramble Just a must.
 
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I think you should take out a celio's, a mentor, a cessation crystal, and a prinplup and add in a rare candy, a pikachu (whichever one you like best), a water energy, and a multi energy. These are just minor changes though; the deck is looking good already.
 
Drop:
2/1 Ching/chime
1 Empoleon
1 raichu d

Add:
1 Prinplup
1-1 Line of dodrio
1 Maintenance
1 Strength Charm

Your list looks almost identical to mine. O_O
 
This is the version I run and I REALLY like it so far.

4 Empoleon
4 Prinplup
4 Piplup
2 Raichu d
2 Pikachu d
2 Luvdisc CG
TOTAL: 18

10 Water Energy (seemed like more, huh)
2 Double Rainbow Energy
3 Scramble Energy
TOTAL: 15

2 Great Ball
2 H. Mentor
2 Castaway
1 Scott
3 Steven's Advice
1 Copycat
4 Celio's Network
2 Prof Rowan
4 Cessation Crystal
2 Battle Frontier
3 Rare Candy
1 Night Maintenance
TOTAL: 27

IMHO, a starting pokemon isn't needed as much. Because I only run 8 basics, if I do start with a Luvdisc, I can guarantee another benched pokemon. It is, IMHO, the best basic go-getter in the format right now, with the possibility to fill your bench from one attack. And if your facing a deck like Mario/etc that throws down a stadium to hurt you (or for their own use), you can start spreading damage onto all their pokemon. Let them KO the luvdisc and then start sniping stuff or scramble the raichu to KO their big hitter. If anything, sacrifice Piplups doing 10 for free and then scramble.

In my testing, Night Maintenance isn't that awesome. You can't search for it, and it only brings back 3 cards, which you have to use an supporter to pull out again. In a deck with Nidoqueen d or Fearow d, I could see it working better.

I <3 this deck
 
Cursed Stone isn't legal in HP-on. If it was, I would SO run 4.
 
I only run 2, so I haven't started with it much. I know one game I played, I started with a lone luvdisc and was lucky enough to go second (with no energy in my hand) and have the castaway to get the energy. My opponent had gone first and had a bench of 3 with one active. So pretty much, I castaway'd for the energy and got to fill my bench in one turn.

I actually ended up using it more often to attack with if that sounds weird. I playtested against Mario and my friend would fill his bench and lay out a battle frontier (just so my 2 were useless and he could get his hand low enough for stevens) and I went to town laying damage on everything. I attacked with it again in another game at a point where my opponent didn't have much built, so he wasn't doing much damage (20's) and I was able to heal a already sniped pokemon on my bench, and throw a few counters on the defending.

I found in a lot of my games, that because I couldn't do 100-200 damage, I had to weaken the pokemon first. And with scrambles in the deck, I could easily go low on prizes and scramble for the 90 with Raichu or scramble for the 70 with Empoleon. I gotta say, the 2-2 Raichu worked wonders. I was able to get out at least one each game and just laying a scramble on it I feel scared my opponent. He knew I could dish out 90 at any second if he went low on prizes.

But that wasn't the case in a lot of my testing. Scrambles didn't help that much. I often got a fast Empoleon sniping (better than Prinplup sniping because of 50 more HP) and would takes prizes pretty early and I'd have to sacrifice stuff later on to get the use out of scramble. As I was telling my friend, I was heavily thinking about going 4 DRE and 1 Scramble (or 3 DRE and 2 Scramble). Scramble didn't come in that much of a use since Prinplup's damage spread only costs W and if I was sniping something, I would usually snipe with Empoleon. And I gotta say, DRE doesn't hurt sniping one bit. A lot of the time, early sniping for 30's are just as powerful as snipings for 40's. A lot of new-age basics have 60HP and two 30's KO them.

But I do think if I did focus heavily on DRE's, I might throw in a plus power or strength charm. Maybe.

Overall, I had great success with the deck in testing today. My list can be tweaked, but I am pretty happy with it. And I am sure there are many other ways to play Empoleon, so I wasn't posting my list to say, "Hey, play this". It was more of an insight on what has been doing well for me lately.
 
I really like Chime/Ching..
I usually need a supporter early game, and it's a good way to get to abuse my Scrambles.
I think 4 Prinplup and 3 Rare Candy is toomuch though, i'd rather drop a Candy/Plup ofr another card.
I've alos played BF since i built the deck, but I don't think it has helped that much in a single game..
I run Lake Boundary mostly just for having a Stadium, but I think that Lake Boundary+Raichu PK vs. Feraligatr/anything W with more than 100 HP is really good.
I might find space for another Pika too, making my Delta Draw better (if I start with Casty), and then I also have less chance of having Pika's priced.
 
im using this deck too.
my energy lines are 8 water 4 scramble and 2 multi ( for chimecho to attack, 1 for 20 + confuse to basic can be helpful.)
i would prefer battle frontier over lake boundary.
and i played an absol tech instead of the castform.
i only play 2 mentor because i play 3 chingling and chingling can search for it.
3 celios i think should be enough and 2 cess.
 
Prime said:
Cursed Stone isn't legal in HP-on. If it was, I would SO run 4.
Click to expand...
Right. *reminds self of format rotation* I test out your list at my local league and went for 1-3 (we had 4 rounds) mainly due to bad luck. I hit tails on all my Aqua Jet flips. Got donked by a mirror(runs PK Raichu, my bad for not sniping the Pikachus), Gatr/Meganium and Mario. :frown:
 
The deck is very good, and has a lot more oomph than Empoleon/Marowak or Empoleon/Lucario. The DREs' make the difference, as this is not Eggs where the Castform is KO'd and then you Scramble on Raichu. Also, since you don't run 4-4 Raichu, it makes little sense to prepare for that. Raichu is the backup.

I think you would benefit from Strength Charm. Maybe -2 Cessation, +2 Strength.
 
what about dodrio? is will be a lot of help in that deck dont you think? and helps with the mario macht up...:thumb:
 
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