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| Breaking barriers of the metagame |
Hi everyone!
Who doesn’t love anti-metagame or rogue decks? Well, I don’t know about you, but I always try to come up with something creative while play testing and hoping that no one else will come up with it as well. Only once have I succeeded in it, and that time around I was able to get to the top8 of the World Championships.
However, today I’m not talking about the history, but the present. One of the most interesting overlooked cards in Plasma Freeze is Latias EX. I have been playing around with it for a few weeks now and after someone suggested on the comments section, if I could do an entry about it, I thought, why not! It’s something completely different and at the same time it’s very potential. Also, if you have already received your invite for Worlds, or are just playing in Battle Roads for fun, I highly suggest testing the concepts I am introducing in this entry.
One small caveat before starting - I’m not yet completely happy with the lists and results I have been getting with these deck, but I do see high potential in them and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was able to break the format later on this season with a concept involving these cards. Anyways, let’s get going by starting with the list of a real metagame counter deck!
Who doesn’t love anti-metagame or rogue decks? Well, I don’t know about you, but I always try to come up with something creative while play testing and hoping that no one else will come up with it as well. Only once have I succeeded in it, and that time around I was able to get to the top8 of the World Championships.
However, today I’m not talking about the history, but the present. One of the most interesting overlooked cards in Plasma Freeze is Latias EX. I have been playing around with it for a few weeks now and after someone suggested on the comments section, if I could do an entry about it, I thought, why not! It’s something completely different and at the same time it’s very potential. Also, if you have already received your invite for Worlds, or are just playing in Battle Roads for fun, I highly suggest testing the concepts I am introducing in this entry.
One small caveat before starting - I’m not yet completely happy with the lists and results I have been getting with these deck, but I do see high potential in them and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was able to break the format later on this season with a concept involving these cards. Anyways, let’s get going by starting with the list of a real metagame counter deck!
Pokémon:
2x Victini EX
3x Latias EX
3x Sigilyph (Safeguard)
=8
Trainer:
4x Professor Juniper
4x Skyla
4x N
2x Cheren
1x Random Receiver
4x Ultra Ball
4x Pokémon Catcher
4x Hypnotoxic Laser / Hammers
3x Energy Switch
3x Super Scoop Up
2x Skyarrow Bridge
2x Recycle
1x Switch
1x Victory Piece
=39
Energy:
8x Fire Energy
5x Psychic Energy
=13
Strategy
In order to understand the strategy of the deck you need to know what the cards do. Sigilyph has an Ability called Safeguard, which prevents all the effects of attacks (including damage) done to it by your opponent’s EX-Pokémon. And as you know, most of the main attackers in the current format ARE Pokémon EXs thus meaning that most of the main attackers of the current metagame can’t attack Sigilyph at all! The same goes with Latias EX, although it can’t be attacked by Pokémon that have Abilities. A deck that is invulnerable to attacks by Pokémon EXs AND by Pokémon that have Abilities – sounds pretty awesome doesn’t it? It sure does, but it has its weaknesses as well, which I’ll analyze later on.
The original problem I had with the deck was how to energy accelerate Sigilyph as Sigilyph needs Psychic energy and Latias EX Psychic and Fire Energy. Thankfully the answer was brought to me in a form of Victini EX; which can work as the early game attacker and as the energy accelerator for the deck. Without energy acceleration, this deck would have way too much trouble even with cards like Eelektrik, but thankfully that isn’t the case anymore.
So, the strategy is fairly simple – force your opponent to take the prizes from the cards they struggle the most against. This deck has a counter against every metagame deck, so it’s a real headache when played correctly. However, if you don’t know how the pilot the deck correctly against each match-up, you may end up losing all the games 6-0.
In this entry, I’ll do something I usually don’t – I’ll walk you through the match-ups of this deck in order to make you understand the weaknesses and strengths of this deck against the most popular decks in the format. But first, let’s take a look at the card choices.
Card Choices
Victini EX – Victory Piece
The deck would have serious trouble without energy acceleration. After all, both attackers of the deck hit with 3 energy. Victini EX is a perfect solution for the energy acceleration dilemma. You only need one of them into play, it can be very useful in the late game even without energy thanks to Victory Piece and it has a perfect typing for the deck. It’s 2 easy prizes for many decks, but I still think it’s worth the spot since you need the energy acceleration and there is no better way to do it. The deck also has an answer for not giving 2 prizes for the opponent from Victini EX, but I’ll get back to it later on.
Latias EX and Sigilyph
Latias EX is the card that inspired me to create the deck even though the deck is very similar to Quad Sigilyph. Latias EX neglects all the effects from attacks from Pokémon that has an Ability. If we look at those cards in the current format, we can find quite a many important cards with Ability. These include:
- Darkrai EX
- Eelektrik
- Bouffalant
- Deoxys EX
- Blastoise
- Keldeo EX
- Klinklang
Quite an impressive list isn’t it? Every single metagame deck has a Pokémon and usually more than one Pokémon with an Ability and using Latias EX at the right times can get very frustrating for them. However, Latias EX wouldn’t alone suffice since there are still a lot of attackers in the format (mostly EX-Pokémon) that don’t have an Ability, but thankfully that’s why the deck has Sigilyph.
As you probably know, you can’t touch Sigilyph with EX-Pokémon, much like you can’t touch Latias EX with Pokémon that have an Ability on them. Popular EX-Pokémon in the format include:
- Darkrai EX
- Landorus EX
- Thundurus EX
- Deoxys EX
- Keldeo EX
- Cobalion EX
- Tornadus EX
- Lugia EX
- Rayquaza EX
… Yeah, most main attackers in the current format are EX-Pokémon and that’s why this deck may have a lot of potential. Sigilyph only requires 1 Psychic Energy and 2 Colorless energy in order to attack, so Victini EX is able to energy accelerate it very quickly. Not to mention that Sigilyph is a very good attacker against non-EX cards like Eelektrik or Blastoise due to their high energy cost.
Professor Juniper – N
The two best Supporters in the format. There really isn’t any deck that wouldn’t want to play 4 copies of these cards. What is worth mentioning, is N’s importance in the late game to disrupt your opponent from getting the needed Catcher to win the game, which is extra-important in this deck , where you keep retreating and changing your attacker depending on the situation.
Skyla
Skyla is always good and since the deck runs Victory Piece, Skyla is a MUST.
Cheren - Random Receiver
For a long time I was deciding between Bianca and Cheren, but as many cards in this deck are situational, Cheren proved to be more useful than Bianca. You want to use all the resources in the correct situations, so you don’t want to waste them just get more cards with Bianca.
Ultra Ball- Pokémon Catcher
Nothing surprising here. Ultra Ball is the only card in the format that can search for any Pokémon (as Pokémon Communication really isn’t an option in the current decks with the low amount of Pokémon). Pokémon Catcher is Pokémon Catcher – it wins you games.
Hypnotoxic Laser / Hammers
The deck needs disruption in order to handle the decks that have all the answers needed for the deck. It all depends on whether you trust on your attack power or just coin flipping skills. Hypnotoxic Laser can be occasionally very good since it can add the needed damage as your opponent can’t retreat all the time (they usually don’t have many Pokémon in play, which would be able to attack your Pokémon), so Poison can add a lot of damage.
On the other hand, Hammers can keep your opponent from attacking. Of course it’s a metagame choice as well. Hammers are better if your metagame is swarming with Big basic decks and Plasma, but if your metagame is filled with Eelektrik decks, Hypnotoxic Laser is the way to go.
Energy Switch - Skyarrow Bridge
Energy Switch and Skyarrow Bridge are both highly important since you don’t have energy acceleration. With SKyarrow Bride you can not only counter your opponent’s Stadiums, but also let your attackers retreat for free, which is HUGE for you, because you need to keep your attackers moving and can’t really afford discarding energy every time you retreat.
Super Scoop Up – Switch
Switch is only a tech here to get rid of special Conditions when necessary, but SSU is the real deal. I would like to play 4 of them here, but due to the space issues, it isn’t unfortunately possible. Super Scoop Up is here for two main reasons:
1) Healing your damages Latias EXs
2) Getting the Victini EX out of the play BEFORE it gets KOed.
The 2nd reason is the reason, why I went with SSU and not with some weird Potion tech. You can even sacrifice all of your SSUs just to get Victini EX out of play, because if your opponent can’t take 2 prizes from it, they will have VERY tough time ahead of them and will use their resources wisely in order to get all the 6 prizes.
Recycle
Recycle is an interesting card that has been popping out of decks many times during the seasons it has been legal, but it has never been a staple in any deck. The reason for this is its flippyness, but in this deck it’s a very crucial card since getting some cards back (e.g. Victory Piece) can turn the whole game around.
When it comes to getting things back from the discard pile, Super Rod is one of the cards I would like to fit in the list as well. Sometimes the 3 Sigilyph is just not enough and getting them back with Recycle (especially energy) puts your resources to the limit and isn’t as efficient as I would like them to be.
Energy
Even though 13 energy is a pretty high count in the current format’s standards, it still sometimes isn’t enough. And the solution isn’t adding more energy, but to find space for the Super Rod mentioned earlier. Super Rod is the only card in the format than can answer the both Pokémon trouble and possible energy drought of the deck.
Match-up walkthrough
What I will do here is to list all the important match ups in the current format and see what answers this deck has against those decks and what they can do against this deck.
Team Plasma
Latias EX counters
- Deoxys EX
- Lugia EX
- Snorlax
Sigilyph Counters
- Deoxys EX
- Lugia EX
- Thundurus EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- Kyurem
As you can see, the undisputed BDIF has some serious issues with this deck unless they run heavy numbers of Kyurem (3 or more). Thundurus EX really isn’t a strong attacker, so Latias EX alone can stop almost the whole deck. Kyurem can’t OHKO Latias EX, which makes Latias EX even stronger against the Plasma deck. Even though Plasma is the BDIF, this weird rogue really can give it a lot of trouble. If you want to get the Plasma match-up even more favorable just play Hammers instead of Lasers and you will be causing them a lot of headache.
Blastoise/Attackers
Latias EX counters
- Blastoise
- Keldeo EX
Sigilyph Counters
- Black Kyurem EX
- Keldeo EX
- Mewtwo EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- None!
Blastoise is one of the match ups that’s also very strong for the deck. The only card that can hit your Pokémon in the match-up are Black Kyurem EX (if they even play it!) and Blastoise (against Sigilyph). If they don’t run Black Kyurem EX, you pretty much autowin the game. Granted, Mewtwo EX can hit Latias EX, but Sigilyph gets a very easy revenge KO on Mewtwo EX if they try OHKOing your Latias EX with it. And if they don’t.. Well, Sigilyph is still very strong against it. In this match-up Lasers are obviously a lot better than Hammers even though they have Keldeo EXs.
Darkrai EX/Absol
Latias EX counters
Darkrai EX
Sigilyph Counters
Darkrai EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- Absol
- Sableye
If people are still questiong whether or not to play Absol in Darkrai EX, this gives the seal for it. This deck AUTOWINS Darkrai EX, if they don’t run Absol. Their only attacker would be Sableye and you know what happens when Sableye meets a Pokémon that hits for 70 damage, Sableye loses the game. However, with Absol, things get a lot trickier. They have firepower combined to Lasers and Virbank. You just have to keep your bench small and use your energy attachment wisely. Absol has a resistance to Sigilyph, so Latias EX is your best bet here. Especially since it OHKOS Sableye as well. I love playing this match-up, because it’s extremely interesting and unlike in many match ups in the current format, this is often decided by the players’ skill! (And with some coin flips of course, lol).
Eelektrik/Rayquaza/EX
Latias EX counters
- Eelektrik
Sigilyph Counters
- Rayquaza EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- Rayquaza
- Emolga
The amount of the non-EX Rayquaza has been decreasing a lot lately, which gives this deck an opening. Even though Latias EX is very good against Eelektrik, I still suggest that you play the match-up with solo-Sigilyph and maybe sometimes use Victini EX for the additional damage. Latias EX is a way easy target of 2 prizes for Rayquaza EX AND Rayquaza and 2 free prizes are something you can’t really afford in the match-up. When it comes to Lasers vs. Hammers, the answer is simple. Laser adds the needed 10 for you to OHKO an Eelektrik with Sigilyph, which makes it the only correct play if you are bound to face a lot of this match-up.
Plasma Klinklang
Latias EX counters
- Klinklangs
- (Darkrai EX /Keldeo EX)
Sigilyph Counters
- Any random EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both (or one) of your Pokémon is/are:
- Cobalion EX
- Cobalion
I think it’s pretty ironic that the deck’s worst match-up is a deck that is designed against the most popular decks of the format as well. Klinklang makes easily mincemeat of this deck unless you flip very well from the Hypnotoxic Lasers and are able to inflict heavy damage with Victini EX in the opening turns. Victini EX is surprisingly the key to your victory in this game. You should start getting prizes from the Klinks and Klangs as long as possible and once the Plasma Klinklang hits the play, it’s time to start loading your Latias EX.
Sigilyph is pretty unnecessary here, because it doesn’t counter anything (as Cobalion EX hits through its Ability) and Metal Pokémon have resistance to Psychic. As the Klinklang lists vary a lot, I can’t really say, which is better in this match-up – Laser or Hammers, but Laser is always a safe bet as you can’t even 2HKO a Cobalion EX with your Latias EX. Also, remember that Latias EX CAN hit Metal Pokémon even though Plasma Klinklang is in play, because it hits through everything.
Conclusion
As I said previously, the concept of the deck is SUPER interesting. I mean, who doesn’t sincerely love anti-decks like this? However, as I pointed out, it has some serious weaknesses that need to be fixed before this can be a serious surprise in the tournaments. Thankfully there is time for many Nationals (and especially the U.S. Nationals), so I’m sure that Latias EX will be tweaked a lot during the upcoming weeks by many players.
There is still one more day to vote for your favorite Design in The Deck Out- playmat contest! Make sure to make your vote count and vote for your favorite designs! Candidates can be found from my last blog entry. I’ll try to get the winner design to be available early next week In the ProPokémon’s shop
What else? The Nationals WITH PLASMA FREEZE began last weekend and this week and I’m sure many players will be keeping a close eye on Norwegian National, which will be played in BW-Plasma Freeze format as well.
Anyways, back to on topic. Let me know what you thought about the deck and article in general and do you have had any success with Latias EX and what kind of combos do you see with it? I encourage everyone to make the most of creativity in the next weeks, because Plasma Freeze offered us a bunch of new cards that are keys for potential rogues.
Thanks for reading!
In order to understand the strategy of the deck you need to know what the cards do. Sigilyph has an Ability called Safeguard, which prevents all the effects of attacks (including damage) done to it by your opponent’s EX-Pokémon. And as you know, most of the main attackers in the current format ARE Pokémon EXs thus meaning that most of the main attackers of the current metagame can’t attack Sigilyph at all! The same goes with Latias EX, although it can’t be attacked by Pokémon that have Abilities. A deck that is invulnerable to attacks by Pokémon EXs AND by Pokémon that have Abilities – sounds pretty awesome doesn’t it? It sure does, but it has its weaknesses as well, which I’ll analyze later on.
The original problem I had with the deck was how to energy accelerate Sigilyph as Sigilyph needs Psychic energy and Latias EX Psychic and Fire Energy. Thankfully the answer was brought to me in a form of Victini EX; which can work as the early game attacker and as the energy accelerator for the deck. Without energy acceleration, this deck would have way too much trouble even with cards like Eelektrik, but thankfully that isn’t the case anymore.
So, the strategy is fairly simple – force your opponent to take the prizes from the cards they struggle the most against. This deck has a counter against every metagame deck, so it’s a real headache when played correctly. However, if you don’t know how the pilot the deck correctly against each match-up, you may end up losing all the games 6-0.
In this entry, I’ll do something I usually don’t – I’ll walk you through the match-ups of this deck in order to make you understand the weaknesses and strengths of this deck against the most popular decks in the format. But first, let’s take a look at the card choices.
Card Choices
Victini EX – Victory Piece
The deck would have serious trouble without energy acceleration. After all, both attackers of the deck hit with 3 energy. Victini EX is a perfect solution for the energy acceleration dilemma. You only need one of them into play, it can be very useful in the late game even without energy thanks to Victory Piece and it has a perfect typing for the deck. It’s 2 easy prizes for many decks, but I still think it’s worth the spot since you need the energy acceleration and there is no better way to do it. The deck also has an answer for not giving 2 prizes for the opponent from Victini EX, but I’ll get back to it later on.
Latias EX and Sigilyph
Latias EX is the card that inspired me to create the deck even though the deck is very similar to Quad Sigilyph. Latias EX neglects all the effects from attacks from Pokémon that has an Ability. If we look at those cards in the current format, we can find quite a many important cards with Ability. These include:
- Darkrai EX
- Eelektrik
- Bouffalant
- Deoxys EX
- Blastoise
- Keldeo EX
- Klinklang
Quite an impressive list isn’t it? Every single metagame deck has a Pokémon and usually more than one Pokémon with an Ability and using Latias EX at the right times can get very frustrating for them. However, Latias EX wouldn’t alone suffice since there are still a lot of attackers in the format (mostly EX-Pokémon) that don’t have an Ability, but thankfully that’s why the deck has Sigilyph.
As you probably know, you can’t touch Sigilyph with EX-Pokémon, much like you can’t touch Latias EX with Pokémon that have an Ability on them. Popular EX-Pokémon in the format include:
- Darkrai EX
- Landorus EX
- Thundurus EX
- Deoxys EX
- Keldeo EX
- Cobalion EX
- Tornadus EX
- Lugia EX
- Rayquaza EX
… Yeah, most main attackers in the current format are EX-Pokémon and that’s why this deck may have a lot of potential. Sigilyph only requires 1 Psychic Energy and 2 Colorless energy in order to attack, so Victini EX is able to energy accelerate it very quickly. Not to mention that Sigilyph is a very good attacker against non-EX cards like Eelektrik or Blastoise due to their high energy cost.
Professor Juniper – N
The two best Supporters in the format. There really isn’t any deck that wouldn’t want to play 4 copies of these cards. What is worth mentioning, is N’s importance in the late game to disrupt your opponent from getting the needed Catcher to win the game, which is extra-important in this deck , where you keep retreating and changing your attacker depending on the situation.
Skyla
Skyla is always good and since the deck runs Victory Piece, Skyla is a MUST.
Cheren - Random Receiver
For a long time I was deciding between Bianca and Cheren, but as many cards in this deck are situational, Cheren proved to be more useful than Bianca. You want to use all the resources in the correct situations, so you don’t want to waste them just get more cards with Bianca.
Ultra Ball- Pokémon Catcher
Nothing surprising here. Ultra Ball is the only card in the format that can search for any Pokémon (as Pokémon Communication really isn’t an option in the current decks with the low amount of Pokémon). Pokémon Catcher is Pokémon Catcher – it wins you games.
Hypnotoxic Laser / Hammers
The deck needs disruption in order to handle the decks that have all the answers needed for the deck. It all depends on whether you trust on your attack power or just coin flipping skills. Hypnotoxic Laser can be occasionally very good since it can add the needed damage as your opponent can’t retreat all the time (they usually don’t have many Pokémon in play, which would be able to attack your Pokémon), so Poison can add a lot of damage.
On the other hand, Hammers can keep your opponent from attacking. Of course it’s a metagame choice as well. Hammers are better if your metagame is swarming with Big basic decks and Plasma, but if your metagame is filled with Eelektrik decks, Hypnotoxic Laser is the way to go.
Energy Switch - Skyarrow Bridge
Energy Switch and Skyarrow Bridge are both highly important since you don’t have energy acceleration. With SKyarrow Bride you can not only counter your opponent’s Stadiums, but also let your attackers retreat for free, which is HUGE for you, because you need to keep your attackers moving and can’t really afford discarding energy every time you retreat.
Super Scoop Up – Switch
Switch is only a tech here to get rid of special Conditions when necessary, but SSU is the real deal. I would like to play 4 of them here, but due to the space issues, it isn’t unfortunately possible. Super Scoop Up is here for two main reasons:
1) Healing your damages Latias EXs
2) Getting the Victini EX out of the play BEFORE it gets KOed.
The 2nd reason is the reason, why I went with SSU and not with some weird Potion tech. You can even sacrifice all of your SSUs just to get Victini EX out of play, because if your opponent can’t take 2 prizes from it, they will have VERY tough time ahead of them and will use their resources wisely in order to get all the 6 prizes.
Recycle
Recycle is an interesting card that has been popping out of decks many times during the seasons it has been legal, but it has never been a staple in any deck. The reason for this is its flippyness, but in this deck it’s a very crucial card since getting some cards back (e.g. Victory Piece) can turn the whole game around.
When it comes to getting things back from the discard pile, Super Rod is one of the cards I would like to fit in the list as well. Sometimes the 3 Sigilyph is just not enough and getting them back with Recycle (especially energy) puts your resources to the limit and isn’t as efficient as I would like them to be.
Energy
Even though 13 energy is a pretty high count in the current format’s standards, it still sometimes isn’t enough. And the solution isn’t adding more energy, but to find space for the Super Rod mentioned earlier. Super Rod is the only card in the format than can answer the both Pokémon trouble and possible energy drought of the deck.
Match-up walkthrough
What I will do here is to list all the important match ups in the current format and see what answers this deck has against those decks and what they can do against this deck.
Team Plasma
Latias EX counters
- Deoxys EX
- Lugia EX
- Snorlax
Sigilyph Counters
- Deoxys EX
- Lugia EX
- Thundurus EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- Kyurem
As you can see, the undisputed BDIF has some serious issues with this deck unless they run heavy numbers of Kyurem (3 or more). Thundurus EX really isn’t a strong attacker, so Latias EX alone can stop almost the whole deck. Kyurem can’t OHKO Latias EX, which makes Latias EX even stronger against the Plasma deck. Even though Plasma is the BDIF, this weird rogue really can give it a lot of trouble. If you want to get the Plasma match-up even more favorable just play Hammers instead of Lasers and you will be causing them a lot of headache.
Blastoise/Attackers
Latias EX counters
- Blastoise
- Keldeo EX
Sigilyph Counters
- Black Kyurem EX
- Keldeo EX
- Mewtwo EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- None!
Blastoise is one of the match ups that’s also very strong for the deck. The only card that can hit your Pokémon in the match-up are Black Kyurem EX (if they even play it!) and Blastoise (against Sigilyph). If they don’t run Black Kyurem EX, you pretty much autowin the game. Granted, Mewtwo EX can hit Latias EX, but Sigilyph gets a very easy revenge KO on Mewtwo EX if they try OHKOing your Latias EX with it. And if they don’t.. Well, Sigilyph is still very strong against it. In this match-up Lasers are obviously a lot better than Hammers even though they have Keldeo EXs.
Darkrai EX/Absol
Latias EX counters
Darkrai EX
Sigilyph Counters
Darkrai EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- Absol
- Sableye
If people are still questiong whether or not to play Absol in Darkrai EX, this gives the seal for it. This deck AUTOWINS Darkrai EX, if they don’t run Absol. Their only attacker would be Sableye and you know what happens when Sableye meets a Pokémon that hits for 70 damage, Sableye loses the game. However, with Absol, things get a lot trickier. They have firepower combined to Lasers and Virbank. You just have to keep your bench small and use your energy attachment wisely. Absol has a resistance to Sigilyph, so Latias EX is your best bet here. Especially since it OHKOS Sableye as well. I love playing this match-up, because it’s extremely interesting and unlike in many match ups in the current format, this is often decided by the players’ skill! (And with some coin flips of course, lol).
Eelektrik/Rayquaza/EX
Latias EX counters
- Eelektrik
Sigilyph Counters
- Rayquaza EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both of your Pokémon is/are:
- Rayquaza
- Emolga
The amount of the non-EX Rayquaza has been decreasing a lot lately, which gives this deck an opening. Even though Latias EX is very good against Eelektrik, I still suggest that you play the match-up with solo-Sigilyph and maybe sometimes use Victini EX for the additional damage. Latias EX is a way easy target of 2 prizes for Rayquaza EX AND Rayquaza and 2 free prizes are something you can’t really afford in the match-up. When it comes to Lasers vs. Hammers, the answer is simple. Laser adds the needed 10 for you to OHKO an Eelektrik with Sigilyph, which makes it the only correct play if you are bound to face a lot of this match-up.
Plasma Klinklang
Latias EX counters
- Klinklangs
- (Darkrai EX /Keldeo EX)
Sigilyph Counters
- Any random EX
The only attacker(s) they can use against both (or one) of your Pokémon is/are:
- Cobalion EX
- Cobalion
I think it’s pretty ironic that the deck’s worst match-up is a deck that is designed against the most popular decks of the format as well. Klinklang makes easily mincemeat of this deck unless you flip very well from the Hypnotoxic Lasers and are able to inflict heavy damage with Victini EX in the opening turns. Victini EX is surprisingly the key to your victory in this game. You should start getting prizes from the Klinks and Klangs as long as possible and once the Plasma Klinklang hits the play, it’s time to start loading your Latias EX.
Sigilyph is pretty unnecessary here, because it doesn’t counter anything (as Cobalion EX hits through its Ability) and Metal Pokémon have resistance to Psychic. As the Klinklang lists vary a lot, I can’t really say, which is better in this match-up – Laser or Hammers, but Laser is always a safe bet as you can’t even 2HKO a Cobalion EX with your Latias EX. Also, remember that Latias EX CAN hit Metal Pokémon even though Plasma Klinklang is in play, because it hits through everything.
Conclusion
As I said previously, the concept of the deck is SUPER interesting. I mean, who doesn’t sincerely love anti-decks like this? However, as I pointed out, it has some serious weaknesses that need to be fixed before this can be a serious surprise in the tournaments. Thankfully there is time for many Nationals (and especially the U.S. Nationals), so I’m sure that Latias EX will be tweaked a lot during the upcoming weeks by many players.
There is still one more day to vote for your favorite Design in The Deck Out- playmat contest! Make sure to make your vote count and vote for your favorite designs! Candidates can be found from my last blog entry. I’ll try to get the winner design to be available early next week In the ProPokémon’s shop
What else? The Nationals WITH PLASMA FREEZE began last weekend and this week and I’m sure many players will be keeping a close eye on Norwegian National, which will be played in BW-Plasma Freeze format as well.
Anyways, back to on topic. Let me know what you thought about the deck and article in general and do you have had any success with Latias EX and what kind of combos do you see with it? I encourage everyone to make the most of creativity in the next weeks, because Plasma Freeze offered us a bunch of new cards that are keys for potential rogues.
Thanks for reading!
Snorlax my friend! Lol so many ways to play arround with catcher... Why you don´t use it on your Nationals? is cheap...
ReplyDeleteThe bad thing about this deck is that when your attacker is KO'd, especially early game, you're forced to bring out Victini and turbo energize, effectively wasting a turn. Also, tier 1 decks all have non-ex attackers. It just feels like something is missing to pull the deck together; maybe we'll see this with XY1.
ReplyDeleteI love this. You are the answer I've been looking for Esa! I was actually going to ask you about playing Latias EX before but hey! I guess being patient pays off haha :D Now I'm REALLY excited to play this (hopefully it doesn't go mainstream though haha #hipster). I'm definitely going to build this for Battle Roads WOO.
ReplyDeleteI guess now all I need to invest in is some Catchers and some Ultra Bawls :O
My question is about the Mirror Match. Does Latias EX counter Sigilyphs ability? What about Latias vs Latias? Eyy
Latias Ex would not be able to damage Sigi due to it being an EX. Sigi would not be able to damage Latias EX because it has an Ability. Latias EX would not be able to damage Latias EX because it has an ability.
Delete"Latias Ex would not be able to damage Sigi due to it being an EX"
DeleteLatias' Barrier Break can hit through Safeguard.
And Latias EX CAN hit Latias EX with Barrier Break so the answer is simple.
DeleteDid consider using blend or prism energies and try to squeeze Mew EX (DRX) or Kecleon (PLF) in there? This could help cause even more disruption or mismatches for the opponent. You can't Turbo energize for them, but you can copy the defending pokemons attacks. Mew Ex lets you Replace energies, but now that I'm writing this it may not work. 2 low HP EX is too vulnerable to get behind in the prizes quickly.
ReplyDeleteGarbodooor...
ReplyDeleteSigilyph OHKO Garbodor.
DeleteAnd terrakion OHKO sigilyph.
DeleteWouldn't sigilyph's safeguard prevent you from Turbo Energizering to it?
ReplyDeleteYou're math for Plasma was off, Kyurem can OHKO Latias easily. 3 Deoxys and a Hypno (or just 4 Deoxys) lets Kyurem OHKO Latias, and it'll pretty much burn through the rest of the deck. It OHKO's everything and they won't give you time to stabilize because the deck is so fast. You might get one Energize off before the Kyurem sweeps.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with the Blastoise matchup, as despite that you wall their attackers, they can counter your counters easily enough. Blastoise can OHKO Sigi while you can't OHKO back, and BKEX OHKO's Latias. With this being the slower deck, they're going to be able to rotate between attackers fairly easily.
It's an interesting idea in a Darkrai filled metagame, but I can't see it working anywhere else. I enjoyed the article though, it's always nice to see some rogue ideas in this extremely centralized metagame. Keep up the good writing!
You ****, Kyurem's second attack's effect means it CAN'T attack next turn. I don't see how you sweep with giga impact if they have more than one poke left.
DeleteNo, but the rules allow Kyurem to attack again if it is benched and then brought up again. This means with a switch and a float stone, both of which are common cards to run in a Plasma deck, one can attack again with Kyurem.
Delete... Safeguard blocks Turbo Energize, so that half of your deck doesn't really function.
ReplyDelete-2 Recycle
ReplyDelete+2 Enhanced Hammer (time these wisely, keep running 4x laser for dmg output)
Safeguard doesn't block Turbo Energize lol
ReplyDeleteYes, it actually does. I asked a professor today. Sigilyph prevents all effects of attacks from EX's. Victini EX's acceleration is an effect of an attack, meaning Sigilyph blocks it. Same reason why Sigilyph can't be accelerated to via Terrakion EX.
DeleteThey are deciding on it now, But its just to decide if the energy gets discarded or nothing happens.
Deleteeither way no energy gets attached to sigilyph.
"Prevent all effects of attacks, including damage, done to this Pokémon by Pokémon-EX."
Effects include the attachment/movement of energy.
Ref:http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=167978&highlight=safeguard
Rayeels can also run Zekrom as a non-ex
ReplyDeleteHey Esa? I think putting Mr.Mime in this deck fits very well. What do you think about it?
ReplyDeleteHey everyone thanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteAnd lol for the Turbo Energize. I really don't know how I forgot it while playing the deck. However, all isn't gone due to it since it can be fixed with a few changes. First, just add 4th Energy Switch to the deck and you can very quickly get the Sigilyph accelerated . However, I must admit that I completely missed that ruling while doing the entry. Stupid Safeguard, rofl! Thanks for all the observant blog readers noticing this!
Kecleon may in fact be a good idea here now that I can't energy accelerate Sigilyph as I need something I can attach energy to if I don't want to lay down Latias EX.
Also, as noted above, Garbodor and Trubbish are OHKOed by Sigilyph, so they aren't a big issue.
When it comes to Mr. Mime, I really see potential in it. After they have run out of Catchers, their only way of damagind you will be hitting to the active spot and if you play Mr. Mime in the late game, it may very well win you games!
Safeguard actually doesn't block it. As a professor I'd say it wouldn't as its not an "effect" (burn,sleep,etc) but also you are able to use it on ptcgo which makes me that much more positive since both are old cards and if it was a glitch it would have been fixed by now. I'm actually taking this deck to nationals with a few tweaks.
Delete"Prevent all effects of attacks, including damage, done to this Pokémon by Pokémon-EX."
DeleteEffects include the attachment/movement of energy.
Ref:http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=167978&highlight=safeguard
How much would this deck cost???
DeleteI was thinking of running straight altaria latias ex. Is it a good idea because im not sure yet.
ReplyDeleteNo. Catcher Altaria, KO. Also, Garbo will demolish that deck unless you run many Tool Scrapper, garb counters, etc
DeleteDo you still think this deck has potential?
ReplyDeleteThe deck really needs some way to deal with early beefy early non-EX Kyurem, Zoroark, etc.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Lucario PLS? with the ability?
Deletedejate de joder esa, deja de pelotudear y arma una lista como la gente.. en el mundial volas mil metros saludos!
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with what's been said already.
ReplyDeleteYou really understated the problems this deck has with Kyurem. It actually can OHKO Latias EX with just one Deoxys and Laser/Virbank. It runs through Sigilyph for days, and without an unreasonable amount of luck, can even DONK Victini EX.
So there goes your Plasma matchup.
I also agree with what's been said about the Blastoise matchup. It seems like they could just switch between Blastoise and Black Kyurem EX all game, as you put no real pressure save T1 "Intensifying Burn."
I haven't played this exact list, so take my criticism with a grain of salt, but I don't think what I'm saying is unreasonable.
And you have addressed that you realize the deck has some weaknesses. I'd suggest that you keep working on it, because as it stands, its weaknesses render it practically unplayable in this format and entirely outclassed by the stronger decks out there.
Yeah, Plasma is a very difficult match-up and yes this deck will never be a tier1 deck However, the point of this article was in the end be a tought-provoking article and show how stale and in the end easily-countered the current metagame is.
DeleteAnd in the end, I failed competely with the Victini EX/Sigilyph combo so... What I mean to say is that all of your points are correct and that the deck is only a fun deck that I suggest for only those who have enough CPs or want to play in the Battle Roads for fun.
Maybe I'm missing somehting. but Garbodor's ablity cancels all the other abilities. That's great that you can OHKO, but that is IF you have a catcher. I would think that you'd need tool scrapper in this deck.
ReplyDeleteHow can hit Latias-EX metal-Pokemon while Plasma-Klingklang is in play? Its attack says that its damage isn´t effected by weakness, resistance or any other effects on the D E F E N D I N G Pokemon.
ReplyDeleteThe effect is on the defending Pokémon. Otherwise it wouldn't stop the damage on that Pokémon right ;) Check the ruling, it has been the same a long time. (For example feint attack and card that negate Benched damage done to other Pokémon).
DeleteEsa, no offense meant to you personally, but this deck and article are just bad. It seems like you have so many fans that will just kind of take everything you post for granted just because it's you, because anyone who can think for themselves realizes how many problems exist within your writing and your deck lists.
ReplyDeleteI could point out each and every problem I have with your article, but last time I did that you did not respond.
None taken! I must admit that I failed completely, because I missed the fact that Victini EX can't attach to Sigilyph. However, as I spent hours of play testing and writing this article, I'm just happy that I got the article out.
DeleteThe only reason why I made a deck about Latias EX was, because so many people wanted me to make an article of it. However, as I want to be honest with everyone, I think I made it clear enough that this deck by no means is a competitive one and shouldn't be considered as such. I failed doing the article, if it was misleading by any means. But it's a fun deck for anyone not taking Battle Roads too seriously. I would play it in the Battle Roads, if I were to go to one!
And writing articles before my Nationals is always difficult, because I don't want to just go revealing what I'm going to play at Nationals, so I can't really make articles out of metagame decks. And I see no problem with making creative rogue articles, even though the decks don't work, because in the end my blog is an epitome of netdecking thanks to The Decklist Out and me giving my tournament-winning lists away. Creativity is the one thing that we are missing in the current Pokémon TCG and articles like this are designed to be tought-provoking, not the ordinary type "hey, here's a good decklist, copy here!" -article.
And sorry for not commenting to your earlier critique (whichever article it was). I try to answer every comment I get, but sometimes I just don't simply have the time / energy to do it.
Esa, i dont know why you've been receiving so much criticism. To me your writing style is just the same. Please dont be discouraged and continue to write articles on rogue decks once in a while. A few of my friends and i check the deck out almost daily to read your stuff. And maybe u dont care but reading your articles for the past few years has made my brother and i much better players. Im not saying that we should praise you all the time and think everything you say is right, i just believe that you have been doing a wonderful job for the past few years and i will continue to read the deck out for as long as it lasts. Thanks
DeleteI really like all ur posts, but in this article ur analisys of the matchs are also disturbed. The deck is so interesting, but think more about the match ups.
DeleteAnd I agree with u, this metagame is so close, and the creativity died.
Recycle/Snorlax/laser/virbank I saw somebody playing it at battle roads today It was AWESOME
ReplyDeleteThis deck would be perfect if Pokemon Catcher doesn´t exist
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me what pokemon to replace victini with? any suggestions from any one?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Mr Mime? He protects your bench.
DeleteHaving played a similar deck for fun I have to say that the plasma match is pretty terrible. About the only way to fix it would be to include enhanced hammers to try and slow them down (and even then that really doesn't work).
ReplyDeleteHowever depending on the build of Blastoise, and Darkrai the games can easily swing your way. Also Big basics with Garbo aren't that bad (mostly comes down to who has catchers when).
However the deck feels mostly like a slightly bigger Quad Gliph, and it doesn't feel like Latias really adds much to the deck.
What about sigilyph to stall opponents catchers and next set it could use silver mirror.
ReplyDelete(keep up the good work except this)
While you absolutely fail on plasma, they also absolutely fail against you because they still can't hit you either.
ReplyDeleteI think you should run the plasma darkai for one reason is because of it first attack is a 30 run away card so. So depend on what your oppent has out you switch to what you need
ReplyDelete