Hello all The
Deck Out followers!
Today’s entry is one of the most obvious “new” decks from the new set: Zekrom/Tornadus/Eelektrik. This deck has done fairly well in Japan in the HGSS-NV format and I’m expecting it to do well in our format as well. It’s very close to the normal Zekrom/Tornadus but with a ReshiPlosion-like build.
In this entry I’ll reveal 2 various ways to approach the deck and how they can be used in the upcoming City Championships format. This is an entry worth reading because you’re sure to face these decks in the first CC’s you’re going to!
Let’s get started with the deck list.
Pokemon:
4x Zekrom
3x Tornadus
4x Tynamo
4x Eelektrik
=15
Trainer:
4x Pokémon Collector
4x Sage’s Training
4x Professor Juniper
3x N
2x Pokegear 3.0.
2x Eviolite
3x Pokémon Catcher
2x PlusPower
1x Energy Switch
1x Switch
4x Junk Arm
=30
Energy:
11x Lighting Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy
=15
Strategy:
This deck doesn’t differ much from the normal Zekrom/Tornadus – its only difference is the way it accelerates energy to its Pokémon. As I said in the beginning this deck reminds me of ReshiPlosion because it energy accelerates the energy from the discard pile, not from the hand like the old Zekrom/Tornadus. This deck also has similarities to old deck called Metanite because Eelektrik’s Ability is the same as that the key card of that deck – Dragonite d.
Strategy is – to be honest – too simple. You just set-up 2-3 Eelektrik in turn 2 with your huge discarding draw engine and start energy accelerating your attackers (mainly Zekroms) with Eelektriks’ ability. Every format has had energy accelerating decks like this so the strategy isn’t too complicated for anyone who has been playing Pokémon for a while. Even new players can feel comfortable with this deck because its strategy is the same as ReshiPlosion, the only difference is that this time you must attach the energy on your bench but you don’t lose damage when you attach the energy.
ReshiPlosion is one of the best decks of the format and I expect this deck to be tier1 deck as well. The great thing about this deck is that it energy accelerates with Stage1 Pokémons – not stage2s. The fact that Eelektriks are stage1 Pokémons gives this deck an edge against ReshiPlosion – you should be faster than them in every game unless you have a horrible opening hand. If ReshiPlosion gives for the whole format problems because it’s so good and hits so hard, this deck will also give nightmare to most decks as well.
Card Explanations
Zekrom and Tornadus
I think these 2 don’t need much of a introduction. You’ve faced them in tournaments and know how frustrating they’re to deal with. Against the typical Zekrom/Tornadus you were able to win the game as long as they got a slow start or if you could ran them out of the resources. When it comes to this deck, these 2 are incapable of even hitting in T1 and they’ll never run out of energy. The main attacker in this deck is Zekrom because it hits harder than Tornadus. However, the great thing about Tornadus is its resistance and its capability to take prizes in the early game with Catcher and still energy accelerate your Zekroms at the same time. Zekrom and Tornadus are a perfect attacker combo because their typing is perfect.
Eelektrik
Eelektrik is the reason this deck is so good. It’s like a stage1 Dragonite d. No, it’s more like a stage1 Typhlosion Prime. And as you can predict stage1>stage2 when it comes to speed. The only downside of Eelektrik is that it can’t attach energy to your active Pokémon but this isnt’ a real problem because you are able to energy accelerate all of your Pokémons so fast with its ability. Also, Tornadus helps you moving the energy around and as I will state in the teches-section, Shaymin may also help you with that.
Eelektrik is just like Typhlosion Prime but even better because it can really make use of heavy discarding draw cards like Sage’s and Juniper. Once you’ve Collectored your bench full of Tynamos, you can start Sageing and Junipering for your Eelektriks. Only 1 Eelektrik will be enough for your set-up because your opponent is forced to attack it if he/she wants to kill your energy accelerator. However, unlike in ReshiPlosion, if you start killing Energy accelerators, this deck doesn’t run out of steam. The more you let Zekrom to roam free, the more dangerous it will eventually become. Zekrom doesn’t discard energy like Reshiram so killing energy accelerators is unnecessary. That’s why Eelektrik is so good.
It’s too easy to get energy discarded with this deck. Just use Sages/Juniper/Junk Arm and you’re good to go with Eelektrik. Getting energy discarded has never been as easy as in this format. The format Metanite was played in had Holon Engine, which helped with discarding but in this format discarding energy is a rule not an exception. No matter which deck you play.
Pokémon Collector – Pokegear 3.0
Well, there is not much to explain with these ones. Pokémon Collector has to be used T1 and that’s why this deck uses 2 Pokegears to maximize the T1 Collector. You want Tynamos as soon as possible on your bench so you can start attacking. However, as long as you open with Tornadus, you may be able to attack T1 even if you didn’t get a T2 Eelektrik. These 2 are a must in this deck and I wouldn’t even consider playing with Dual Balls here, you need many Tynamos at once and Dual Ball can’t guarantee you that.
Sage’s Training and Professor Juniper
These 2 cards are the best straight draw cards in the format and the synergy between these cards and this decks energy accelerator – Eelektrik – is phenomenal. You can search the Basic Pokémon with Collector and after that you can just burn your deck with Sage’s and Juniper. That way you can get energy to discard pile and take the Eelektriks. I’m also being risky with this list and didn’t add any Pokémon Communications. In my experience, straight draw is enough to draw a 4-4 line of Eelektriks but if you want to play safe you may add Communications. With this much effective draw it’s by no means necessary.
N
N works as a PONT early game. The great thing about N in this deck is that, this deck doesn’t really care about 1 card N. You can get all of your attackers charged with Eelektriks ability and when you can draw only 1 card with N, every Pokémon on the field is able to take the last prize. This is in my opinion both a gift and a curse of this format. In the format Rocket’s Admin was played, there weren’t things that had everything loaded in the late game and didn’t even care about N. In this format we have at least 3 decks that don’t even care about N. ReshiPlosion and Eelektrik/Zekrom/Tornadus. These both decks are able to do their combos with an empty hand. Third, there is Magnezone/Yanmega. This is acceptable because Magnezone has a drawing power, not a turbo energy accelerating Power. However, that’s why N is so great especially in this deck. It doesn’t’ disturb you as much as it disturbs your opponent – and that’s a sign of a great card.
Eviolite
Something new for a change. Eviolite is an autodefender for Basic Pokémon. And yes, it reduces the self-damage as well. There isn’t a better Pokémon to play Eviolite with than Zekrom. Zekrom hits only 20 damage to itself with its Strike Bolt as long as it has Eviolite attached and that keeps it from the OHKO range of every 120 doing attack. In this format which is full of attackers hitting 120 this is an edge that wins you games. At the same time it also makes Zekrom a real tank. Undamaged Zekrom with Eviolite is almost impossible to OHKO. 150 damage, how are you going to manage that?
In fact, Eviolite is also great with Tornadus. It makes Tornadus an even better counter against things like Donphan. Donphan is able to hit only for 20 with its Earthquake. This means that they will probably do more damage to their bench than to your Tornadus. Even with Heavy Impact, Donphan only deals 50 damage thus 3KOing a Tornadus. If you’re fast enough to get Eviolites, this can give a huge edge against decks like Ross.dec.
PlusPower
There shouldn’t be any explaining about this. PlusPower is a must in every deck that hits 120 damage. Why? Since format is full of 130 HP Pokémon. Attacking 130 will also become a new magic because of Eviolite. If ReshiPlosion Afterburners 2 energy to Reshiram which has Eviolite attached to it, the Reshiram requires 130 damage to get KOed. This can only happen with Strike Bolt and PlusPower. Also, if ReshiPlosion player can somehow energy accelerate the Reshiram with only Afterburner, you need 2 PlusPowers to OHKO it. You must be able to OHKO everything with this deck or you’re in huge problems. The format is still very much about prize racing even though N has taken it to more prudent level. Eviolite is your best bet to win the prize race against your opponent.
Energy Switch
Ahh, how underrated this card has always been. Energy Switch is here great because you attach energy only to your bench. Also, you don’t have to give your opponent an easy prize with Shaymin in order to move around energy. However, the fact that Energy Switch is a trainer is both a pro and a con. It’s reusable with Junk Arm, which is great but you can’t search it with any card like Shaymin and that’s not a good thing. Running 1 Energy Switch may mean that you will never get a chance to even draw it in the game. The fact why Energy Switch is so good is interesting. You don’t usually use Shaymin’s full capacity when you use its Power. You are able to move around dozens of energy anyway you like but still you usually just move 2 energy from Pachirisu to your Zekrom. The decision between Shaymin and Energy Switch is a tough one but in a prize-race format this decision is very rational and I encourage you to try it out.
Switch
The reason this deck wants to run Switch (and maybe even a 2nd one) is Eelektrik’s retreat cost. The retreat cost of Eelektrik is 2 so your opponent may be able to by some time by catchering it. With this deck you don’t want to give your opponen time. You must get the Eelektrik from the active Position as soon as possible and this can be done in various ways. First, you can use Switch. Second, you can attach energy to each of your benched Eelektrik in advance so you can retreat them any time with an energy attachment. You can use Energy Switch to move energy from bench to energyless Eelektrik OR you can just attach DCE to Eelektrik and retreat. There are multiple ways to do it but the you msut be able to do it. Switch helps you with that and with many other things during the game. This deck has no free retreating Pokémons so Switch will come in handy.
Pokémon Catcher
Well, as long as you are familiar with the normal ZPS, you know what to do with Catcher. Win the prize race. No matter what you’re facing, Catcher is a must. It’s the most influential trainer card in the whole format and you need it to win games. It’s even better with a card like Tornadus, which damage output isn’t that high but it’s very energy efficient.
Junk Arm
I really am going to write an article about this very soon! But for now I must analyze what its purpose in this deck. First of all it helps getting energy to discard pile. Junk Arm is the reason why energy accelerators like Eelektrik and Typhlosion Prime are good. It makes playing the so easy. You’ll have T2 in every game at least 1 energy discarded because of this card. Junk Arm is also great with Eviolite Catcher. You can use the same Eviolite and catcher over and over again when you need them the most. It’s simply put – awesome. However, this deck also has few tech cards. Things like Energy Switch and Switch make playing Junk Arm even more prudent. With these cards in discard pile and with Junk Arm in hand, you’re able to use the cards you need, when you need.
Energy
This list has quite a lot energy in it. In the next list I’ll be showing an optional way to run the deck and it will also run less energy. When it comes to deck, I like to run 4 DCEs just because Tornadus is so great. If you open with Tornadus you want to have the DCE always in your opening hand as well. With 4 DCEs this is maximized. DCE also helps retreating Eelektriks when necessary so you’re going to need them in every game even though you would only attack with Zekrom.
The Lighting energy count is high and you can cut easily one energy off if you feel like it. This way you can find a place for e.g. Pokémon Communication or any other card you feel necessary. Remember, the usual energy count in ReshiPlosions is somewhere between 12 and 13.
Recharge version
Here we have a different approach to the same deck. This deck has more versatility and has various ways to begin the game. This deck also uses the forgotten partner of Tornadus – Thundurus. Let’ see what this deck is up to.
Pokemon:
3x Zekrom
2x Thundurus
2x Tornadus
1x Emolga(EP)
4x Tynamo
4x Eelektrik
=16
Trainer:
4x Pokémon Collector
4x Sage’s Training
4x Professor Juniper
2x N
2x Pokegear 3.0.
1x Pokémon Communication
2x Eviolite
4x Pokémon Catcher
2x PlusPower
1x Revive
1x Switch
4x Junk Arm
=31
Energy:
10x Lighting Energy
3x Double Colorless Energy
=13
Strategy:
There are many possibilities you want to start with. The optimal starter here would be Thundurus. Yes – Thundurus. The card that has been unplayable for all this time. The reason why Thundurus works in this deck is because it really combos with the deck’s idea. It can charge itself with its first attack and if you open with it, you always get a T2 80.
2nd opener is Emolga. Yeah, I figure that you must check what it does. Well, it’s simple. It has 70 HP and a free retreat. Free retreaters are always great starters. Emolga also has another purpose for this deck but about that later in the entry.
3rd Opener is Tornadus. With DCE, you are also able to get a T2 80. It isn’t as certain as with Thundurus but it still is very probable with this much draw.
As for the attacking strategy, it’s the same as in the previous list. In this deck you don’t have 4 Zekroms but a mix of 3 attackers. You have to choose carefully which attackers to use in which point and how to keep the deck going. Just win the prize race, it’s up to you how you do it.
Card Explanations
Well, this deck has few new cards compared to the first deck list. I’ll analyze them more carefully because the same cards serve the same purposes as in the first list.
Thundurus
Thundurus was long forgotten. However, it really works in this deck. As stated earlier, it helps you getting a faster start than usually. The fact that it discards energy from itself is no more a concern because Eelektriks just love that you discard energy. Thundurus also gives you a 3rd optional attacker. Thundurus doesn’t give you a new type but the fact that you have 3 different attackers is always nice.
Emolga
Emolga is perfect in this deck. In fact, it can also be used in the first deck. But in this deck it works even better. The best thing about Emolga isn’t the way it works as a starter. It’s the way it works in the middle of the game if your opponent doesn’t Catcher it (which means your Zekroms and Eelektriks can roam free). The great thing about free retreat is that whenever you Pokémon is KOEd, you can bring Emolga as an active Pokémon. After that you can use Eelektriks and load your attacker and then retreat Emolga to the bench. This is a very energy efficient way and the longer the game goes on, the more edge you will gain with Emolga. Free retreating is just great with things, which can only load energy to benched Pokémons. This format doesn’t have a lot of options and the fact that Emolga isn’t a Baby Pokémon is a great factor. You can also play Baby instead of Emolga but that will be a free prize in the every turn of the game and in the beginning of the game for your opponent.
Revive
Revive is a great card in this deck because it has so many diferent Basic Pokémon which you will all need during the game. With Revive you can take back whatever you need in that part of the game. Usually it will work as a 4th Zekrom but you can also get back things like Emolga or Tynamo with it if you need to. Revive is reusable with Junk Arm so it will also widen the repertoire of reusable trainers.
Pokémon Communication
As I said earlier in this entry, Pokémon Communication is a nice addition if you feel like that you aren’t able to draw Eelektriks with straight draw. In this deck Pokémon Communcation is also better than in the first list because this list has more Pokémon in it than the first list. That way you are always able to use Pokémon Communication.
4th Catcher
The reason for the 4th Catcher is that this deck has Thundurus and Tornadus. These Pokemons base damage isn’t that high so in order to win the prize race you need to get the prizes from wherever you’re able to get them. This deck is probably a turn faster than the first list but this is worse in the late game. This deck reminds me of the original ZPS. Take the cheap prizes and finish the game with Zekrom. The fun fact is that – unlike ZPS – this deck will never run out of steam.
Modifying the lists
These decks are interesting because there are lots of things you can put into them. Everything depends on how you want to play the decks. Here are some thoughts what you can do to the lists.
First, you can think about making the deck faster. The deck will function as a ZPS and Eelektrik hybrid. The first step to do it is to cut the Eelektrik line to 3-3. This way you can add – you guessed it – 1-1 Shaymin/Pachirisu. If you want to do this change you must really think about the energy lines. Since you have Eelektriks and you want to achieve the T1, you can try going hardcore. Cut all the DCEs from the list and replace them with Lighting energy. This way you can add the chance to have 3 Lighting Energy in your opening hand AND getting them easier to discard pile. When it comes to speed you can also consider Dual Balls. You must have a god hand if you have 3 energy, Collector, Zekrom and a drawing card from that turn on, in order to get a decent T1 with this deck. With Dual Balls the probability to get T1 will increase but it will probably make your deck a bit more inconsistent at the same time.
There are also teches you can consider to the decklists if you don’t want to modify them that radically. First of all, you may want to run some kind of starter. The only real possibility in Zekrom is Cleffa because you want to set-up your Eelektriks ASAP. You can just use Collector, retreat your active Pokémon and Eeeeeeek your active Pokémon. Energy Retrieval is also a great tech in the deck because this deck wants to discard energy. However, sometimes there may be turns when you can’t attach energy from your hand because you’ve discarded so much energy. In these cases Energy Retrieval comes in handy.
Super Scoop Up is also a great tech if you run Pachirisu and Shaymin in your deck. It can help to reuse Shaymin which may come in handy in many situations because Eelektrik only loads the benched Pokémons.
The final tech that can be considered is Defender. You can run 1-4 Defenders in this deck depending on how you want to play it. Eviolite and Defender to Zekrom at the same time is a devastating combo. Zekrom won’t inflict self-damage with Strike Bolt and is impossible to OHKO for one turn. However, whenever you attach Defenders to Zekroms, your opponent can just Catcher something else and Defender goes in vain. Defender may very well be really good in legendary Digimon mirrors but it isn’t that good in the other match-ups.
Conclusion
Well, as usual, I won’t give you match-ups to new format’s decks. There is no point arguing the match-ups because people haven’t gotten enough time to test this deck and against this deck. However, I can promise one thing. This deck will become near tier1 and you will see these decks in your first Cities you’re going to attend. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the combo in this deck because it’s one of the most obvious ones this TCG has ever had and it has been seen so many times before. It’s simple but powerful.
These decks are not difficult to play on any level and their price is also very affordable. Eelektrik is an uncommon and Zekrom is a 2-3 dollar card. The only thing that can cost in this deck is Tornadus but if you play the 2nd list, you can get away with very cheap because Thundurus is not played at all. This will be a contender in the high-level master players and it’s also a very good deck to suggest for a new player. It’s affordable and Eelektrik will be playable even after Mewtwo EX is released.
I hope you enjoyed the entry and that it opened to your eyes to the possibilities that Eelektrik gives you in this metagame. Feel free to comment as always! Thanks for reading.
Today’s entry is one of the most obvious “new” decks from the new set: Zekrom/Tornadus/Eelektrik. This deck has done fairly well in Japan in the HGSS-NV format and I’m expecting it to do well in our format as well. It’s very close to the normal Zekrom/Tornadus but with a ReshiPlosion-like build.
In this entry I’ll reveal 2 various ways to approach the deck and how they can be used in the upcoming City Championships format. This is an entry worth reading because you’re sure to face these decks in the first CC’s you’re going to!
Let’s get started with the deck list.
Pokemon:
4x Zekrom
3x Tornadus
4x Tynamo
4x Eelektrik
=15
Trainer:
4x Pokémon Collector
4x Sage’s Training
4x Professor Juniper
3x N
2x Pokegear 3.0.
2x Eviolite
3x Pokémon Catcher
2x PlusPower
1x Energy Switch
1x Switch
4x Junk Arm
=30
Energy:
11x Lighting Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy
=15
Strategy:
This deck doesn’t differ much from the normal Zekrom/Tornadus – its only difference is the way it accelerates energy to its Pokémon. As I said in the beginning this deck reminds me of ReshiPlosion because it energy accelerates the energy from the discard pile, not from the hand like the old Zekrom/Tornadus. This deck also has similarities to old deck called Metanite because Eelektrik’s Ability is the same as that the key card of that deck – Dragonite d.
Strategy is – to be honest – too simple. You just set-up 2-3 Eelektrik in turn 2 with your huge discarding draw engine and start energy accelerating your attackers (mainly Zekroms) with Eelektriks’ ability. Every format has had energy accelerating decks like this so the strategy isn’t too complicated for anyone who has been playing Pokémon for a while. Even new players can feel comfortable with this deck because its strategy is the same as ReshiPlosion, the only difference is that this time you must attach the energy on your bench but you don’t lose damage when you attach the energy.
ReshiPlosion is one of the best decks of the format and I expect this deck to be tier1 deck as well. The great thing about this deck is that it energy accelerates with Stage1 Pokémons – not stage2s. The fact that Eelektriks are stage1 Pokémons gives this deck an edge against ReshiPlosion – you should be faster than them in every game unless you have a horrible opening hand. If ReshiPlosion gives for the whole format problems because it’s so good and hits so hard, this deck will also give nightmare to most decks as well.
Card Explanations
Zekrom and Tornadus
I think these 2 don’t need much of a introduction. You’ve faced them in tournaments and know how frustrating they’re to deal with. Against the typical Zekrom/Tornadus you were able to win the game as long as they got a slow start or if you could ran them out of the resources. When it comes to this deck, these 2 are incapable of even hitting in T1 and they’ll never run out of energy. The main attacker in this deck is Zekrom because it hits harder than Tornadus. However, the great thing about Tornadus is its resistance and its capability to take prizes in the early game with Catcher and still energy accelerate your Zekroms at the same time. Zekrom and Tornadus are a perfect attacker combo because their typing is perfect.
Eelektrik
Eelektrik is the reason this deck is so good. It’s like a stage1 Dragonite d. No, it’s more like a stage1 Typhlosion Prime. And as you can predict stage1>stage2 when it comes to speed. The only downside of Eelektrik is that it can’t attach energy to your active Pokémon but this isnt’ a real problem because you are able to energy accelerate all of your Pokémons so fast with its ability. Also, Tornadus helps you moving the energy around and as I will state in the teches-section, Shaymin may also help you with that.
Eelektrik is just like Typhlosion Prime but even better because it can really make use of heavy discarding draw cards like Sage’s and Juniper. Once you’ve Collectored your bench full of Tynamos, you can start Sageing and Junipering for your Eelektriks. Only 1 Eelektrik will be enough for your set-up because your opponent is forced to attack it if he/she wants to kill your energy accelerator. However, unlike in ReshiPlosion, if you start killing Energy accelerators, this deck doesn’t run out of steam. The more you let Zekrom to roam free, the more dangerous it will eventually become. Zekrom doesn’t discard energy like Reshiram so killing energy accelerators is unnecessary. That’s why Eelektrik is so good.
It’s too easy to get energy discarded with this deck. Just use Sages/Juniper/Junk Arm and you’re good to go with Eelektrik. Getting energy discarded has never been as easy as in this format. The format Metanite was played in had Holon Engine, which helped with discarding but in this format discarding energy is a rule not an exception. No matter which deck you play.
Pokémon Collector – Pokegear 3.0
Well, there is not much to explain with these ones. Pokémon Collector has to be used T1 and that’s why this deck uses 2 Pokegears to maximize the T1 Collector. You want Tynamos as soon as possible on your bench so you can start attacking. However, as long as you open with Tornadus, you may be able to attack T1 even if you didn’t get a T2 Eelektrik. These 2 are a must in this deck and I wouldn’t even consider playing with Dual Balls here, you need many Tynamos at once and Dual Ball can’t guarantee you that.
Sage’s Training and Professor Juniper
These 2 cards are the best straight draw cards in the format and the synergy between these cards and this decks energy accelerator – Eelektrik – is phenomenal. You can search the Basic Pokémon with Collector and after that you can just burn your deck with Sage’s and Juniper. That way you can get energy to discard pile and take the Eelektriks. I’m also being risky with this list and didn’t add any Pokémon Communications. In my experience, straight draw is enough to draw a 4-4 line of Eelektriks but if you want to play safe you may add Communications. With this much effective draw it’s by no means necessary.
N
N works as a PONT early game. The great thing about N in this deck is that, this deck doesn’t really care about 1 card N. You can get all of your attackers charged with Eelektriks ability and when you can draw only 1 card with N, every Pokémon on the field is able to take the last prize. This is in my opinion both a gift and a curse of this format. In the format Rocket’s Admin was played, there weren’t things that had everything loaded in the late game and didn’t even care about N. In this format we have at least 3 decks that don’t even care about N. ReshiPlosion and Eelektrik/Zekrom/Tornadus. These both decks are able to do their combos with an empty hand. Third, there is Magnezone/Yanmega. This is acceptable because Magnezone has a drawing power, not a turbo energy accelerating Power. However, that’s why N is so great especially in this deck. It doesn’t’ disturb you as much as it disturbs your opponent – and that’s a sign of a great card.
Eviolite
Something new for a change. Eviolite is an autodefender for Basic Pokémon. And yes, it reduces the self-damage as well. There isn’t a better Pokémon to play Eviolite with than Zekrom. Zekrom hits only 20 damage to itself with its Strike Bolt as long as it has Eviolite attached and that keeps it from the OHKO range of every 120 doing attack. In this format which is full of attackers hitting 120 this is an edge that wins you games. At the same time it also makes Zekrom a real tank. Undamaged Zekrom with Eviolite is almost impossible to OHKO. 150 damage, how are you going to manage that?
In fact, Eviolite is also great with Tornadus. It makes Tornadus an even better counter against things like Donphan. Donphan is able to hit only for 20 with its Earthquake. This means that they will probably do more damage to their bench than to your Tornadus. Even with Heavy Impact, Donphan only deals 50 damage thus 3KOing a Tornadus. If you’re fast enough to get Eviolites, this can give a huge edge against decks like Ross.dec.
PlusPower
There shouldn’t be any explaining about this. PlusPower is a must in every deck that hits 120 damage. Why? Since format is full of 130 HP Pokémon. Attacking 130 will also become a new magic because of Eviolite. If ReshiPlosion Afterburners 2 energy to Reshiram which has Eviolite attached to it, the Reshiram requires 130 damage to get KOed. This can only happen with Strike Bolt and PlusPower. Also, if ReshiPlosion player can somehow energy accelerate the Reshiram with only Afterburner, you need 2 PlusPowers to OHKO it. You must be able to OHKO everything with this deck or you’re in huge problems. The format is still very much about prize racing even though N has taken it to more prudent level. Eviolite is your best bet to win the prize race against your opponent.
Energy Switch
Ahh, how underrated this card has always been. Energy Switch is here great because you attach energy only to your bench. Also, you don’t have to give your opponent an easy prize with Shaymin in order to move around energy. However, the fact that Energy Switch is a trainer is both a pro and a con. It’s reusable with Junk Arm, which is great but you can’t search it with any card like Shaymin and that’s not a good thing. Running 1 Energy Switch may mean that you will never get a chance to even draw it in the game. The fact why Energy Switch is so good is interesting. You don’t usually use Shaymin’s full capacity when you use its Power. You are able to move around dozens of energy anyway you like but still you usually just move 2 energy from Pachirisu to your Zekrom. The decision between Shaymin and Energy Switch is a tough one but in a prize-race format this decision is very rational and I encourage you to try it out.
Switch
The reason this deck wants to run Switch (and maybe even a 2nd one) is Eelektrik’s retreat cost. The retreat cost of Eelektrik is 2 so your opponent may be able to by some time by catchering it. With this deck you don’t want to give your opponen time. You must get the Eelektrik from the active Position as soon as possible and this can be done in various ways. First, you can use Switch. Second, you can attach energy to each of your benched Eelektrik in advance so you can retreat them any time with an energy attachment. You can use Energy Switch to move energy from bench to energyless Eelektrik OR you can just attach DCE to Eelektrik and retreat. There are multiple ways to do it but the you msut be able to do it. Switch helps you with that and with many other things during the game. This deck has no free retreating Pokémons so Switch will come in handy.
Pokémon Catcher
Well, as long as you are familiar with the normal ZPS, you know what to do with Catcher. Win the prize race. No matter what you’re facing, Catcher is a must. It’s the most influential trainer card in the whole format and you need it to win games. It’s even better with a card like Tornadus, which damage output isn’t that high but it’s very energy efficient.
Junk Arm
I really am going to write an article about this very soon! But for now I must analyze what its purpose in this deck. First of all it helps getting energy to discard pile. Junk Arm is the reason why energy accelerators like Eelektrik and Typhlosion Prime are good. It makes playing the so easy. You’ll have T2 in every game at least 1 energy discarded because of this card. Junk Arm is also great with Eviolite Catcher. You can use the same Eviolite and catcher over and over again when you need them the most. It’s simply put – awesome. However, this deck also has few tech cards. Things like Energy Switch and Switch make playing Junk Arm even more prudent. With these cards in discard pile and with Junk Arm in hand, you’re able to use the cards you need, when you need.
Energy
This list has quite a lot energy in it. In the next list I’ll be showing an optional way to run the deck and it will also run less energy. When it comes to deck, I like to run 4 DCEs just because Tornadus is so great. If you open with Tornadus you want to have the DCE always in your opening hand as well. With 4 DCEs this is maximized. DCE also helps retreating Eelektriks when necessary so you’re going to need them in every game even though you would only attack with Zekrom.
The Lighting energy count is high and you can cut easily one energy off if you feel like it. This way you can find a place for e.g. Pokémon Communication or any other card you feel necessary. Remember, the usual energy count in ReshiPlosions is somewhere between 12 and 13.
Recharge version
Here we have a different approach to the same deck. This deck has more versatility and has various ways to begin the game. This deck also uses the forgotten partner of Tornadus – Thundurus. Let’ see what this deck is up to.
Pokemon:
3x Zekrom
2x Thundurus
2x Tornadus
1x Emolga(EP)
4x Tynamo
4x Eelektrik
=16
Trainer:
4x Pokémon Collector
4x Sage’s Training
4x Professor Juniper
2x N
2x Pokegear 3.0.
1x Pokémon Communication
2x Eviolite
4x Pokémon Catcher
2x PlusPower
1x Revive
1x Switch
4x Junk Arm
=31
Energy:
10x Lighting Energy
3x Double Colorless Energy
=13
Strategy:
There are many possibilities you want to start with. The optimal starter here would be Thundurus. Yes – Thundurus. The card that has been unplayable for all this time. The reason why Thundurus works in this deck is because it really combos with the deck’s idea. It can charge itself with its first attack and if you open with it, you always get a T2 80.
2nd opener is Emolga. Yeah, I figure that you must check what it does. Well, it’s simple. It has 70 HP and a free retreat. Free retreaters are always great starters. Emolga also has another purpose for this deck but about that later in the entry.
3rd Opener is Tornadus. With DCE, you are also able to get a T2 80. It isn’t as certain as with Thundurus but it still is very probable with this much draw.
As for the attacking strategy, it’s the same as in the previous list. In this deck you don’t have 4 Zekroms but a mix of 3 attackers. You have to choose carefully which attackers to use in which point and how to keep the deck going. Just win the prize race, it’s up to you how you do it.
Card Explanations
Well, this deck has few new cards compared to the first deck list. I’ll analyze them more carefully because the same cards serve the same purposes as in the first list.
Thundurus
Thundurus was long forgotten. However, it really works in this deck. As stated earlier, it helps you getting a faster start than usually. The fact that it discards energy from itself is no more a concern because Eelektriks just love that you discard energy. Thundurus also gives you a 3rd optional attacker. Thundurus doesn’t give you a new type but the fact that you have 3 different attackers is always nice.
Emolga
Emolga is perfect in this deck. In fact, it can also be used in the first deck. But in this deck it works even better. The best thing about Emolga isn’t the way it works as a starter. It’s the way it works in the middle of the game if your opponent doesn’t Catcher it (which means your Zekroms and Eelektriks can roam free). The great thing about free retreat is that whenever you Pokémon is KOEd, you can bring Emolga as an active Pokémon. After that you can use Eelektriks and load your attacker and then retreat Emolga to the bench. This is a very energy efficient way and the longer the game goes on, the more edge you will gain with Emolga. Free retreating is just great with things, which can only load energy to benched Pokémons. This format doesn’t have a lot of options and the fact that Emolga isn’t a Baby Pokémon is a great factor. You can also play Baby instead of Emolga but that will be a free prize in the every turn of the game and in the beginning of the game for your opponent.
Revive
Revive is a great card in this deck because it has so many diferent Basic Pokémon which you will all need during the game. With Revive you can take back whatever you need in that part of the game. Usually it will work as a 4th Zekrom but you can also get back things like Emolga or Tynamo with it if you need to. Revive is reusable with Junk Arm so it will also widen the repertoire of reusable trainers.
Pokémon Communication
As I said earlier in this entry, Pokémon Communication is a nice addition if you feel like that you aren’t able to draw Eelektriks with straight draw. In this deck Pokémon Communcation is also better than in the first list because this list has more Pokémon in it than the first list. That way you are always able to use Pokémon Communication.
4th Catcher
The reason for the 4th Catcher is that this deck has Thundurus and Tornadus. These Pokemons base damage isn’t that high so in order to win the prize race you need to get the prizes from wherever you’re able to get them. This deck is probably a turn faster than the first list but this is worse in the late game. This deck reminds me of the original ZPS. Take the cheap prizes and finish the game with Zekrom. The fun fact is that – unlike ZPS – this deck will never run out of steam.
Modifying the lists
These decks are interesting because there are lots of things you can put into them. Everything depends on how you want to play the decks. Here are some thoughts what you can do to the lists.
First, you can think about making the deck faster. The deck will function as a ZPS and Eelektrik hybrid. The first step to do it is to cut the Eelektrik line to 3-3. This way you can add – you guessed it – 1-1 Shaymin/Pachirisu. If you want to do this change you must really think about the energy lines. Since you have Eelektriks and you want to achieve the T1, you can try going hardcore. Cut all the DCEs from the list and replace them with Lighting energy. This way you can add the chance to have 3 Lighting Energy in your opening hand AND getting them easier to discard pile. When it comes to speed you can also consider Dual Balls. You must have a god hand if you have 3 energy, Collector, Zekrom and a drawing card from that turn on, in order to get a decent T1 with this deck. With Dual Balls the probability to get T1 will increase but it will probably make your deck a bit more inconsistent at the same time.
There are also teches you can consider to the decklists if you don’t want to modify them that radically. First of all, you may want to run some kind of starter. The only real possibility in Zekrom is Cleffa because you want to set-up your Eelektriks ASAP. You can just use Collector, retreat your active Pokémon and Eeeeeeek your active Pokémon. Energy Retrieval is also a great tech in the deck because this deck wants to discard energy. However, sometimes there may be turns when you can’t attach energy from your hand because you’ve discarded so much energy. In these cases Energy Retrieval comes in handy.
Super Scoop Up is also a great tech if you run Pachirisu and Shaymin in your deck. It can help to reuse Shaymin which may come in handy in many situations because Eelektrik only loads the benched Pokémons.
The final tech that can be considered is Defender. You can run 1-4 Defenders in this deck depending on how you want to play it. Eviolite and Defender to Zekrom at the same time is a devastating combo. Zekrom won’t inflict self-damage with Strike Bolt and is impossible to OHKO for one turn. However, whenever you attach Defenders to Zekroms, your opponent can just Catcher something else and Defender goes in vain. Defender may very well be really good in legendary Digimon mirrors but it isn’t that good in the other match-ups.
Conclusion
Well, as usual, I won’t give you match-ups to new format’s decks. There is no point arguing the match-ups because people haven’t gotten enough time to test this deck and against this deck. However, I can promise one thing. This deck will become near tier1 and you will see these decks in your first Cities you’re going to attend. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the combo in this deck because it’s one of the most obvious ones this TCG has ever had and it has been seen so many times before. It’s simple but powerful.
These decks are not difficult to play on any level and their price is also very affordable. Eelektrik is an uncommon and Zekrom is a 2-3 dollar card. The only thing that can cost in this deck is Tornadus but if you play the 2nd list, you can get away with very cheap because Thundurus is not played at all. This will be a contender in the high-level master players and it’s also a very good deck to suggest for a new player. It’s affordable and Eelektrik will be playable even after Mewtwo EX is released.
I hope you enjoyed the entry and that it opened to your eyes to the possibilities that Eelektrik gives you in this metagame. Feel free to comment as always! Thanks for reading.
funny to see this post today...a buddy of mine build a very similar deck (Eelektrik/Zekrom/Thundurus)this week-end; and we played a few fun games against reshiphlosion, reshiboar, DD, Machamp. Although, we saw some potential, its just doesn't have what it takes to see competitive play. its a great (alt cheap)deck non the less.
ReplyDeletethis article actually paves the way for Zekrom EX decks. If im not mistaken Zekrom EX requires discarding 2 lightning energy to deal 150 damage.
ReplyDeleteNo shaymin? Only 1 switch? I think this deck list can be improved upon.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Yeah, this is one of the most obvious ones from the Noble Victories as I stated. I can see a very bright future for it, and even brighter future as Zekrom EX and Mewtwo EX are released!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Indeed, Zekrom EXwill be so good in this deck.
Jakey: I mentioned Shaymin in the "modifying the lists" part. I don't think the needs a 2nd Switch because if your opponent Catchers your Eelektrik it will be killed at the same turn. Also, as I said, you can retreat with DCEs which is very easy because the first list runs 4 of them. Also, especially the first list is so full at the moment. I think that you want to run Communications as well and the first list didn't run any of those. The lists I list are basic lists and you have to read the whole article in order to understand what you want to do with the deck so of course the lists need improving. I think this deck has so many options that there isn't just one right way to play this deck.
Thanks for comments and keep them coming!
Great article ! Juste a question : which Tynamo do you advice. The 30hp one with free retreat or the 40hp that can paralyze ?
ReplyDeleteI though you would put Raikou shiny as a free retreater, like Entei for RDL. :)
ReplyDeleteNice article !
slouboff: Thanks! Well it depends. 30 HP is always bad but Tyrogue isn't that played. Also, this deck doesn't need that many free retreat Pokémons because in the early game you WANT the energy to the discard pile. I would start with 3 40 HP Tynamo and 1 30 HP Tynamo.
ReplyDeleteZarmakuizz: Hahaha, that would be a great addition. I must test it! It needs Shaymin in there for sure.
Good article, I'll certainly try this deck.
ReplyDeleteOne Question
You said Beartic / Cinccino/Rocky Helmet was used in japan.
Are you doing an article about it?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAwesome article again Esa! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete-Kevin. H.
Anonymous: Thanks for the comment! I think I'll write an article about Cinccino/Beartic in the future, thanks for the suggestion. I have many entries already in the storage so it will take some time to get it released.
ReplyDeleteKevin: Thanks a lot!
Once again , good job Esa.J =)
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised, this deck (not specially yours but Zekrom/Eel in general) is denigrated on numerous forums. I made some tests and it looks really strong. It's quick, consistent and better than ZPST in middle-late game.
ReplyDeleteThundurus is a really good starter, ensuring a 80 T2.I'm not sure it's better than Tornadus which can move the energy to the bench, charging a second attacker even if Eel is not on the bench yet. But Tornadus is slower if you don't have DCE in hand. Then I run a 2/2 split and it's fine.
I run Engineer instead of N and it often helps discarding the first energies you need.I'm not definitely convinced but it seems to be a good option.
Hieno artikkeli hermanni!
ReplyDeleteluxuss: Glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteslouboff: I think it's because people sometimes seem to underestimate the most obvious combos. The more obvious the deck is, the less hype it gets. Cards like Gengar Prime tend to get hyped just because no one really knows what to run with them. Eelektrik/Zekrom/Tornadus may very well be something too obvious for the TCG community. But I guess that it really doesn't matter how much people talk about it in the internet - it will still be played in tournaments because it's a great deck.
Engineer sounds very nice, as long as you run enough energy for it. Engineer is horrible if your deck doesn't run enough energy. I might try it myself as well, thanks for your thoughts!
Anonymous: Thank you, thank you.
Hey Esa, this is a great article! I recently discovered your site, and I want to say that you have some really high quality articles here. Not only is the content very good, the organization is top-notch as well. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI've read most of your articles already. One simple suggestion I do want to give is in terms of the words "disturb" and "disturbing." I think the words "disrupt" and "disruption" would be closer to the meaning that you're looking for.
Sam: Thanks a lot for your comment! I've been thinking why "disturb" sounds so weird but there's the answer. Thanks a lot for the correction, it has been an issue for me as well :D
ReplyDeletePhelle, bikoos teer is no shaymin or pakirisu, juu dont haav ti opson tu duu any örli presur, witc kud bii a problem agenst sam decks. Hellion harrasment should always be an available to take out few drones at the early game.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting deck, but don't you lose a lot of speed ? Eelektrik only attaches energies on the bench, so if you start with an active Zekrom, you'll need at least three turns to be able to Bolt Strike. Maybe that's not that important if you have Eviolite in order to stall, but it still makes me wonder if this deck is really faster than Reshiphlosion.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, juu suld duu sam early damake to teh drouns. U don't haev thu uus hellions bat riipper or sam marinepressure maight bii rili kood. l2p.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Could you please use a correct English in your comments ? Esa did the effort to write his articles in correct English instead of Finnish, the least you could do is to do the same with your comments.
ReplyDeleteAfter some tests on TCGO I face big issues versus standard Zekroms decks, too much faster... My Tynamo/Eel are the first targets for catchers, and Eel is easily OKHO with a Tornadus+PP. I lost a lot of prizes at the beginnng of the game and I can't come back without energy acceleration.
ReplyDeleteLol at those SC2 comments. Troll are trolls but they have a point, this deck really si slower than the original ZPST :D
ReplyDeleteLuby. Yeah speed is an issue. I think this deck might be in problems with ZPST whenever ZPST goes first and gets a T1 Zekrom. However, whenever you go first, I think you have a decent chance of winning thanks to your consistency. I'll test some more this weekend and see if this deck can consistently be faster than ReshiPlosion.
Zarmakuizz: Don't mind them, I guess they are just Finnish trolls... All I need to do is just identify them.
Slouboff: Hmm, I guess you could consider running Revive, if Tynamos die so easily. Also, more Ns will be great when set-upping against Zekrom if they really can OHKO every turn. They will run out of steam once they hae a 3-card N. Test those changes and let me know how you did!
Thanks everyone for the comments. I highly appreciate every comment.
Maybe it could be a good idea to keep 1/1 Pachirisu/Shaymin to speed up the start ? But the problem could be bench space.
ReplyDeleteSlouboff: The problem with 1-1 Pachi/Shaymin is the low basic energy count of this deck, bench space AND prizes. 1-1 line is too often prized and as I mentioned in the article when you don't have any of those prized you don't have enough energy in your hand or the other way around. I don't think it's the solution to the problem but you may always try it out!
ReplyDeleteAwesome article, coming from someone who just made the deck on a whim and was sorely disappointed to find NO ONE talking about it. I have a few questions to ask, since my build differs a little from yours.
ReplyDelete-Why Tornadus? I run 0 Tornadus and 4 Thundurus, which I thought was good until I read the article. My point in running Thundurus was that it both thins out your deck (T1 Thundurus Charge is amazing), and it discards energy for a strong 80. I understand Tornadus bypasses the discard by cycling it directly back into the bench, but it doesn't have the thinning power or acceleration Thundurus does. T1 Tornadus is generally not a good thing, wheras T1 Thundurus is THE optimal play for my build.
-I would think that N being in the build would actually be detrimental for this deck. The deck is admittedly not as fast as ZPST (far more consistent, though!), but it does have its own certain pace which can't really be classified as slow. I'd imagine that at mid-late game, you'd be even or ahead of the prize exchange with your opponent, meaning that you'd hurt yourself as well by minimizing your hand size.
-Is there space open for techs against locks (something every brute force deck has to fear)? I was considering Bellsprout for the longest while, or trying to decrease item dependency in this deck.
-How do you prevent the opponent from Catchering and killing Eelektrik? I was considering trying to build the deck around both accelerating the energy and locking your opponent down with Vileplume, among other things, though that maybe be too clogged of a build.
-Any room for Legends? I found Raikou-Suicune Legend a fun play, especially since it can be charged on the bench very easily (1 turn with manual attach and 2 Eelektriks), and hits almost anything for a KO, even some upcoming EX's. They are slow, though, and can be prized, so I was wondering what your take on this was.
Again, excellent article on a great deck that hasn't received quite the attention it deserves! Hopefully I wasn't too pressing with my questions, but this my most favorite deck in the format so far.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRehinov: The list has Tornadus because you don't want to autolose to Donphans. Donphans aren't that played but in my opinion it doesn't hurt you that much to run 2 Tornadus. Tornadus also helps you to load your other attackers if you don't have that many Eelektriks in play.
ReplyDeleteI've found very useful in ZPST mach-up but you're correct that sometimes it hurts you as well. However, I think that this deck can't win the normal ZPST if it doesn't run. That's why I think the deck needs N to be competitive.
The teches depends on what you want to tech against. Let me know what you want to tech against so I can give you a more accurate answer.
As I said in the entry once you have Zekrom attacking, you can let your opponent kill Elektriks. While they're killing Eelektriks you can load your 2nd attacker and just kill your opponent with Zekrom. Catchering really isn't a problem if you have Eelektriks set-upped fast.
I've played the version that has RaikouSuicune and it's a very good card if you play against decks like Gothitelle, but I don't think it's necessary. Legends are so difficult to get into play.
Thanks a lot for your comment and let me know if you have any other questions.
Awesome deck Esa! Did some testing online with the "Recharge" version, replacing Eviolite with Lost Remover since Eviolite doesn't work online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIGg7iPVr08 Went 7-0 during a quick test.
ReplyDeletekgenthe: Thanks a lot! Glad you have done well with it. The other version won States here in Finland this weekend so I'm very happy to knwo that these lists do work in different metas!
ReplyDeleteWith the rise of Kyurem, do you recommend running the 40HP version of Tynamo? I would hate to give up multiple prizes in one turn if I can't evolve.
ReplyDeleteI think you should run 3 40 HP Tynamos and maybe 1 30 HP. Free retreat is always nice if you don't run any other Pokémons that have free retreat. Also, Thundershock is a great attack so that speaks for playing the 40 HP Tynamo as well. So yeah, 30 HP Tynamo has too many weaknesses to be played more than 1 copy in the deck.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about running a 2-2-2 Serperior Build. I don't think anyone has tried it, but attached evolite with 2 serps on the board makes for a nasty combination late game. this build supports3-3 Tymano/Eelectrik and 2 tornadus. this also helps counter the Donaphan build by healing your bench 20 each turn
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts?
Anonymous: It's a sad fact that Serperior doesn't work in this format unless you have a trainer lock. It's just a free prize for Catcher. It also completely kill the consistency of the deck. I wouldn't say that it's a good idea because the game will probably be over before you have them up and running.
ReplyDeleteExcluding price, which do you think is better, the magnezone variant or either of these presented above?
ReplyDeleteZack: I can't answer the question because I haven't tested Magnezone/Eelektrik enough yet. However, I can give you my opinion later this week once I've tested it more and start writing an article about it.
ReplyDeleteCan I get your opinions on Super Rod/Flower Shop Lady?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: If the deck isn't running a trainer lock, there is no reason to play Flower Shop Lady. Super Rod is superior compared to Flower Shop Lady and it's a very good addition any non-trainer lock deck. I don't think this deck really needs Super Rod but it's a personal opinion. I encourage you to run either Revive or Super Rod, whichever you have found more useful in most games. I rarely need to take back anything else than Zekrom/Tynamos. Hope that helped!
ReplyDeleteummm... What does tier 1 mean?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Tier 1 means a deck that belongs to the "best" decks of the format. Thanks for the question, I got an idea of a very good addition to this blog thanks to your question.
ReplyDeleteHi, im returning to PTCG after 4 years and few weeks ago i found this article. I really like idea of this deck, so i decided to play it. My brother plays Gothielle with Reuniclus and i have big problem to defeat him. He always set up very fast and i dont have enough damage to counter his Gothielle. Today im start thinking about Rocky Helmet. I know i have to play it before he set up Gothielle, but its good counter i think, after his attack, i will easy knockout his Gothielle with Zekrom. Do you think it could be better play 2x Rocky Helmet instead of Eviolite?
ReplyDeleteHi! There are two solutions that can be done against Gothitelle. You can try running 2-3 Roccky Helmets(3 should be just enough) to counter Gothitelle or you can run tech Black Belt. Black Belt won't work if your opponent is cautious but it's a good addition against other decks as well. Either way, Rocky Helmet is the best choice against Gothitelle butI would ecnourage you to run at least 3 of them in order to make them effective.
DeleteThank you :), i'll test it.
Deleteyo
ReplyDeleteWhere would I be able to purchase these cards individualy? and wouldnt this deck struggle vs the Machamp that kills any non-evoled pokemon and lightning has a weakness to fighting so I was just wondering how to fix that, thx
ReplyDelete