Featured Writer: Anna Schipper and the Nationals winning Eelektrik!

The perfect metagame counter

Hi everyone!


Today, I’m glad I can offer you something very innovative and at the same time competitive content. I asked the just-crowned National Champion of the Netherlands – Anna Schipper if I could write an article about her Nationals winning deck. Well, instead of me writing the article, she offered to write the article by herself! And to be honest, I think it’s better that way. She is the expert with her deck and I wouldn’t have been able to give you as thorough analysis of the deck as she can.

Something about the quality of the deck tells the fact that I was very interested in it even though it was an Eelektrik variant. As you may know, I have dreaded Eelektrik as long as it has been available in the metagame, but even I could imagine myself playing this deck. It only means the deck is top-notch and that you would be fool to not test it.

Also, even though we live in different countries, I have played against Anna TWICE in the Worlds Championships, so I know how good player she really is. Our Worlds matches are tied 1-1. Too bad that we can't face each other this year as Anna isn't going to Worlds! Anyways, I let Anna take it from here. Enjoy the article!    

Hello everyone!

 

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Anna Schipper, and I've been playing Pokémon competitively for a long time, since 2001, I suppose... I won Dutch Nationals in 2005, and since then I've made the top cut at our Nationals every year.

Last year, I played Eelektrik/Zekrom/Mewtwo EX at Nationals, and lost in de top 8 to Mattijs with his Celebi/Tornadus/Mewtwo EX deck after 2 close games, and a not-so-close third one ;) But I fell in love with that deck, and basically I've been playing Eelektrik variants ever since. In Fall Regionals I made top 8 with a build, realised the deck would be so much better if I added Bouffalant, and made top 4 with a new build with Bouffalant (losing to Empoleon in the T4). For Cities, I changed decks to Blastoise/Keldeo, and although I made the top cut a few times, it was never quite my deck. For Spring Regionals, I decided to shift back to Eelektrik, and made a new list with 3 Bouffalant, 2 Mewtwo EX and 2 Tornadus EX. I took it to the biggest Regionals in The Netherlands, and to my huge surprise I ended up winning the entire tournament!

For Nationals, I desperately wanted to keep playing Eels, since I know the deck so well, and I believe for such a large tournament, you should play what you're most comfortable with. However, the build with 3 Bouffalant, 2 Mewtwo EX and 2 Tornadus EX had terrible match-ups against both Darkrai/Absol and Plasma... I tried to make it work, but somehow I kept losing close games because Bouffalant was not good enough against Absol and Kyurem, the non-EX attackers in both decks.

I was ready to drop the deck altogether and take up Blastoise/Keldeo again, until I realised the best Pokémon to take on Plasma Kyurem and the new Absol... Zekrom from Black & White. It was so simple that I was surprised I hadn't thought of it before. Zekrom does Bolt Strike for 120, KOing Absol, and with Pluspower I would be able to KO Kyurem... Only there is a card which is much better than Pluspower in the current format: Hypnotoxic Laser. I decided to completely alter my list to fit 4 Hypnotoxic Laser in, and started testing my new Eels build... And to my huge surprise, it worked!


Zekrom KO'ed Kyurem and Absol, and Bouffalant swept the EX'es. The Lasers added the extra damage I needed for any Pokémon under 150 HP. However, the best addition to this deck was Zekrom EX. Zekrom EX does 150 damage with its second attack, and when you have 2 Eelektrik out, it is possible to charge Zekrom EX in 1 turn with 2 Dynamotors and 1 DCE. Add a Laser + a Virbank, and you can OHKO every EX that is played... And usually not getting KO'ed in return, meaning you can KO another EX, taking 4 prize cards with 1 Pokémon. The deck worked, although I had not settled on a final list yet. I tried Eelektross, because it is awesome as a surprise card, and it works really well in the Gothitelle match-up (you can drag off their basics and KO them), but I had my doubts about the card.

The Friday before Nationals, I did some last minute play-testing with David (Booij) and I figured Mr Mime would be awesome in this deck, so I dropped the Max Potion for Mr Mime. I added an extra Supporter, changed my Bianca's to Colress (which is MUCH better in the current format, because so many decks play with a full bench), and basically the deck ran really well. The only deck I kept losing to was Gothitelle, because my deck was too slow to outspeed them. I debated between Eelektross for the Gothitelle match-up and a 4th Catcher. In the end, an hour before the tournament, I decided that I would forsake the Gothitelle match-up, and go for consistency in other match-ups, and dropped the Eelektross for a 4th Catcher. That was an awesome decision, because I ended up facing zero Gothitelle decks, and the 4th Catcher helped me out immensely.

 

The list

 

Pokémon:

4x Tynamo (Thunder Wave)
3x Eelektrik
3x Zekrom BW
2x Bouffalant (Gold Breaker)
1x Zekrom EX
1x Keldeo EX
1x Mr Mime
=15

 

Trainer:

4 Professor Juniper
4x N
3x Colress
2x Skyla
4x Ultra Ball
4x Hypnotoxic Laser
4x Pokémon Catcher
2x Level Ball
2x Float Stone
2x Virbank City Gym
1x Switch
1x Super Rod
1x Dowsing Machine
=34

 

Energy:

7x Lightning
4x DCE
=11

 

The cards

 

3 Zekrom

I wasn't sure about the Zekrom/Bouffalant split, it could have been 3/2 or 2/3. In the end, I decided to go for 3 Zekrom, because it can be used a wall if you can't attack for a turn, for whatever reason. It's difficult to OHKO if you've not done a Bolt Strike. Zekrom is mainly used to OHKO Absol and Kyurem, but can be used against any non-EX Pokémon your opponent has. Over the course of the tournament, it was also really good against Sableye (with Bouffalant you'd need a Laser to KO it) and Cobalion NVI. Technically, you could Catcher Blastoise or Klinklang to KO it with Zekrom + Laser, but in reality, you just wanna KO their attackers, not their supporting Pokémon.

 

2 Bouffalant

I'm a huge fan of this card! 120 damage to an EX for 1 lightning and 1 DCE is amazing. Two Gold Breakers, and you KO any of your opponent's EX's. Obviously, Zekrom and Bouffalant are the main attackers in this deck (depending on the Pokémon your opponent uses), and it's amazing that they're both non-EX's. Often you can play a game where you force your opponent to take 6 prize cards KOing 6 Pokémon, which doesn't happen a lot anymore!


1 Zekrom EX

Just 1, because you don't want to start with it. It's used to sweep and if possible, take your last 4 prize cards with. Strong Volt + Laser + Virbank = 180 damage, enough to KO virtually all EX cards.

 

1 Keldeo EX

In this deck, you have to assume that your attacking Pokémon (Zekrom and Bouffalant) will be KO'd every single turn. Obviously, Dynamotor only works on the bench, so you need Pokémon with free retreat to put up when your Zekrom/Bouffalant is KO'd. Then you can Dynamotor, attach for your turn, and attack again. I used to play Sky Arrow for this, but with Virbank in the deck, Keldeo EX is needed. Keldeo EX is also used to get rid of poison from your opponent's Lasers.

 

1 Mr Mime

I used to play Max Potion to heal 60 damage from an Eelektrik, but when you play this card, that's no longer needed. Mr Mime is awesome in this format. Darkrai is pretty plain when it can only do 90 damage to the active, and Plasma Kyurem can no longer make 2 KO's at the same time. I didn't face any Landorus EX, but it would be great in that game as well. Basically, you need to protect your Eels, and Mr Mime does it for you.


I think the Trainer cards are pretty self-explanatory.


13 Supporter cards for consistency, although maybe a 14th one would be better, if I could find space. I used to play 4 Juniper, 4 N, 2 Bianca, 1 Skyla, 2 Random Receiver, but Colress is too good in this format, and the lack of Random Receiver gives you more supporters late game (playing a RR is basically playing 2 supporters, although it increases your chances of a T1 Juniper). I'm not too sure about the Skyla's. They're not so good early game, but they are a huge help late game when you need that last Catcher or Laser to take your last prize card(s), so I'd probably keep them in. There are not too many draw supporters you could use instead, anyway.


4 Ultra Ball are used to discard Lightning Energies and to search Pokémon, both early and late game. Level Ball is for early Tynamo's and Eelektriks, and can also be used to search for Mr Mime. I used to play 3, but needed to cut one to fit in the Lasers. 4 Hypnotoxic Laser and 4 Pokémon Catcher are self-explanatory. These cards win you games, and should be played in maximum quantities. 2 Float Stone is to get 1 on Keldeo EX, and 1 on a random Pokémon, in case Keldeo EX gets KO'd. Alternatively, you can save the 2nd Float Stone if you suspect your opponent plays Tool Scrapper (not a lot of decks play 1, but Blastoise might) so you can play the 2nd Float Stone after the first gets discarded. Virbank City Gym is for the extra poison damage, obviously. 1 Switch is there to function as an out when your Keldeo gets Catcher'ed up and Laser'd asleep (or when it's prized...). I would like to fit 1 more in, because Switch is amazing in this format filled with poison and sleep, but I couldn't find the space. Super Rod is needed, because sometimes you need to discard your Zekrom EX or Eels with Juniper instead of benching it. Also, depending on the game, you need a 3rd or 4th Bouffalant, or more Zekroms. Dowsing Machine is the Ace Spec, giving you so many options... A 5th Laser, a 5th Catcher, a Juniper when you don't have one in your hand, a second Switch. It's amazing in this deck.

 

 

The match-ups

 

Darkrai EX/Absol: 55/45

This is a match-up that can go either way. I usually don't bother about keeping my bench small, since they often KO your Pokémon with a bench with 3 Pokémon as well (with Laser and Dark Claw). The ideal bench is 2 Eels, 1 Mr Mime, 1 Keldeo EX and 1 Zekrom. It's fairly simple; you use Zekrom to KO their Absol's, and your Bouffalant to KO Darkrai. If possible, you can OHKO their Darkrai with Zekrom EX + Laser. If they don't massively outspeed you in the first few turns, KOing all your Tynamo's, it's definitely winnable.

Thundurus EX/Deoxys EX/Kyurem: 50/50

This match-up usually plays out the same. They start aggressively, you KO their Pokémon with energy, and in the end, they run out of speed and energies, if you can keep up. Then you can sweep with Zekrom and Zekrom EX.


Blastoise: 50/50

When they start, they usually put up a Keldeo EX while using Tropical Beach. If possible, you can do 120 with Bouffalant T2, putting the first damage on the board. If they're really fast, this can get tricky, but usually it's enough to keep using Bouffalant and Zekrom until you KO 3 EX's. They OHKO everything, but can only take 1 prize card at a time. You 2HKO, but take 2 prize cards. In the end, if you're faster, you usually win.

 

Klinklang: 80-20

Your Zekrom OHKO's their Cobalion. Your Bouffalant 2HKO's their Cobalion EX. It's a near auto-win.

Gothitelle: 30-70

I hate playing against Gothitelle, with whichever deck. If they get set-up, you lose. Sadly, this deck is not too fast, and can't donk their basics. I have yet to figure out a good strategy, and if they get set-up (Dusknoir, Gothitelle, Float Stone), you can scoop. Your best bet is a fast Zekrom and Lasers, so you can KO their Gothita's through poison and hope you KO enough before they get the Gothitelle out.

 

The tournament



Round 1: Ronald with Emboar/Darmanitan

This was a Pokedad with a fun deck. He gets a T2 Darmanitan with 1 DCE and 1 fire energy, rolling 3 heads and KOing my Bouffalant, which was a bit of a scare. However, I set up Eels, and KO Darmanitan with Zekrom, and then a bunch of Tepigs and Emolga's with Outrage. I never saw an Emboar, thankfully.

1-0

 

Round 2: Ivo with Eelektrik/Rayquaza EX/Mewtwo EX

Yeah, another Eels deck! I start with a lone Tynamo, and he opens Mewtwo EX, but luckily I get to go first. I get a decent start, but so does he, with 2 T2 Eels. However, my Lasers give his Mewtwo's enough damage so I can set them up for OHKO's would Bouffalant and Zekrom. It turns out his 2 Rayquaza EX are both prized. In the end, I manage to KO 3 Mewtwo EX with Zekrom, Lasers and Zekrom EX, while he can only take 1 prize card for Zekrom, and he can't OHKO Zekrom EX without his Rayquaza.

2-0

 

Round 3: Erik with Durant/Klingklang

Erik is a casual player from my league, and somehow he'd managed to go 2-0 with his Durant deck! Pretty cool. Sadly for him, Zekrom is great against Durant. I got a T2 Zekrom and used Bolt Strike twice, and the Outrage 4 times to KO 6 Durants.

3-0

 

Round 4: Manuel with Blastoise/Keldeo EX/Black Kyurem EX

I go first, and get a decent start, I think Bouffalant + DCE. He is forced to use Computer Search for a 2nd Squirtle, and uses Tropical Beach. I use Gold Breaker on his Keldeo. He plays a Blastoise and Catchers my Zekrom EX, and does 110 damage with Keldeo EX. I use Laser + Glinting Claw to KO Keldeo EX. He sends up Black Kyurem EX, and plays N. My Zekrom EX has 70 damage left, and he only draws 3 energies off his N, so he can only attack me for 60, leaving my Zekrom EX with 10 HP left. Unlucky for him. I draw, Rush In with Keldeo EX, Dynamotor twice, play Laser, and OHKO his Black Kyurem EX. He has nothing, so he scoops.

4-0

 

Round 5: Tim with Darkrai EX/Absol

I have a start without Supporters once again, but luckily I topdeck a Juniper T2, making this a real game. We're both fairly slow to set-up, and my Keldeo EX is prized, which is really frustrating since he keeps flipping heads on his Lasers. I use Zekrom for his Absols, and Bouffalant for his Darkrais, but I can't get my Zekrom EX out. In the end, he has 1 prize card left to my 2. He's got a damaged Darkrai on the bench which I can KO. I've got the Catcher in my hand, so I can win the next turn... Until he plays Hypnotoxic Laser... HEADS. He passes. I roll for sleep... TAILS. Lame. Without Keldeo EX, I am forced to pass, and he can KO something for his last prize card. This was an amazing, really close game though, which could've gone either way!

4-1

 

Round 6: Gawein with Thundurus EX/Deoxys EX/Kyurem/Snorlax/Landorus

He starts Thundurus, and I can get 90 damage on it through Laser + Virbank without even attacked. He gets a T3 Plasma Landorus to start KOing my Zekroms and Bouffalants. I struggle to get anything going, and figure I'm going to lose. Somehow though, he loses steam mid-game, and I can make a come-back. I KO the Landorus with Zekrom + Laser (Landorus has resistance to lightning). He gets a Snorlax with 2 DCE and 1 other energy to KO my Zekrom. I have another Zekrom ready, with another Laser, to KO the Snorlax. That removes all of his energies from play, so he is forced to attack with Thundurus EX. I can KO that with Zekrom EX, I think, and I have 2 prizes left, while he's got a Thundurus EX on the bench with 90 damage from the poison from turns 1 and 2. I have a Skyla in my hand and a Catcher left in my deck, so I can win on the next turn... Until he plays Hypnotoxic Laser... HEADS. He passes. I sigh. This is exactly like the last game. I have no Keldeo EX in play, and if I roll tails, I'll lose the game. I roll for sleep... HEADS. Phew... I wake up, play the Catcher and KO his Thundurus EX for my last 2 prizes.

5-1

 

Round 7: Elmer with Klingklang

We're both pretty relaxed, as it's fairly certain we've both made the Top 16 at this point. I get a good start, he gets a decent start, but my Zekroms and Bouffalants are too much for him to keep up with. I win fairly easy.

6-1

So, I finished 6-1 day 1, which was pretty amazing for me, not at all what I'd expected when I decided to play this deck! We hand in our decks, and go back to the hotel. The organisation was amazing, and we'd finished the 7 Swiss rounds before 5 PM!

We have dinner, playtest some more, but I'm actually exhausted, so I'm in bed before 11 PM ;) I wake up feeling quite relaxed and confident!

 

Top 16: Ravinesh with Darkrai EX/Hydreigon

Game 1: I have an awesome start, with a Zekrom + Virbank + Laser + DCE turn 1, and I can KO 2 Deino in the first 2 turns (with poison). He doesn't get anything set-up, and I sweep the field with Zekrom and Bouffalant.

Game 2: I have the worst opening hand ever... I have a few Pokémon, but no supporters, and it's not until my 4th turn that I draw an N. I struggle to get Eels set-up, and he gets Hydreigon out with multiple Max Potions. In the end, I do manage to get back to 2-2 in prizes, and then he plays down Shaymin EX. He plays Computer Search, but his last Catcher is prized, so he can't KO my Keldeo EX on the bench. This gives me one final turn to win (I would need a Bouffalant to KO his Shaymin EX). I Juniper for 7, but no Bouffalant or Ultra Ball. I try Laser to make his Shaymin EX asleep, but he wakes up going into his turn, so I lose.

Game 3: This is basically a repeat of game 1. I get a decent set-up, and he doesn't draw anything. I think this game took like 6 turns, and he didn't see a single supporter card...

 

Top 8: no one!

On Saturday, before the top 16, 3 players dropped, leaving us with a top 16 with only 13 players... On Sunday morning, before day 2 started, one of the opponents of one of the dropped players was disqualified for a problem with his sleeves, leaving one match without players and a winner. The dropped player was advanced to the top 8, but since he'd dropped, he was registered as a no-show, and I received the win. Really strange...

 

Top 4: Elmer with Klingklang

Game 1: I'm feeling pretty confident, since Klingklang is an autowin for my deck... Or so I thought :P He goes first, and Junipers away 2 Candy's, a Max Potion and 1 Klinklang. He gets a T3 Klinklang, but whiffs on energies. I get a great set-up, and sweep through his Klings, Cobalions and finally Coballion EX for my 6 prizes.

Game 2: He gets an amazing set-up, while I struggle to get attackers going. He gets a fast Cobalion EX, which sweeps through my Zekroms and Bouffalants. I'm too slow, and can't keep up, especially since he uses 2 Max Potion in combination with Klingklang BW. In the end, I scoop for more time in the 3rd game. Never thought I'd lose to Klinklang, but apparently, that's possible, heh.

Game 3: Once again, I get a good start, and he struggles to get anything going. I draw 4 pretty fast prizes, so I'm feeling confident. He gets back in the game with a Cobalion EX, but by then it's too late, and I can KO it for my last 2 prizes.

 

Top 2: Mees with Darkrai EX/Absol

Game 1: He gets a good start, with a T1 Juniper . I start lone Tynamo... He played Virbank + Laser, and passes. I have a Skyla, which normally I would've played for a supporter, but my Tynamo would get KO'd after my turn, and I needed a second Pokémon. I play Skyla for Ultra Ball, and get a Keldeo EX. He catchers my Tynamo and KO's it. I draw a Level Ball and search for a new Tynamo. I have Dowsing Machine, and I'm forced to play it for Skyla to search for a Juniper.  He catchers the Tynamo and KO's it. I can finally play Juniper turn 3, but by then, he's got a field full of energies. I manage to make a come-back, but in the end, he takes the first game.

Game 2: We both have slow starts, and that's basically all I remember from this game... I take 6 prize cards though, and somehow I win, although I can't remember the specifics :P

Game 3: He has a rubbish start, and is forced to N for the first few turns, not being able to get a Juniper. I do 30 damage to a Darkrai EX with a Laser, and he retreats for Sableye. He gives me decent hands with those N's, and I get set-up. I take the first prize on his Sableye, and then the stupidest thing happens. He N's, but he doesn't get another Pokémon or an Ultra Ball, and is forced to pass with a lone Darkrai EX with 30 damage... I have a Bouffalant on the bench with 2 DCE's, 1 Eelektrik, 1 Tynamo and a Zekrom EX with 1 energies, but only 1 lightning in the discard pile. I need to do 150 damage, and then I win, since he doesn't have any other Pokémon. I know I can do 150 with Zekrom if I get a second Eelektrik and a lightning in the discard. AND I MISPLAY LIKE WHOA. I have a Dowsing Machine and 2 Lightning in my hand. The correct play would have been: Dowsing Machine with 1 Lightning and 1 random card for Ultra Ball, Ultra Ball for Eelektrik, 2 Dynamotors, attach 1 energy from hand, Bolt Strike for 150 damage. Instead, I play Dowsing Machine WITH BOTH LIGHTNING ENERGIES. I get Ultra Ball. Then I realise that I discarded both energies in my hand, leaving me 1 energy short... I sigh in frustration. I play the Ultra Ball for Eelektrik, and then play Colress for 5. If I draw an energy, I can still make the play. I don't draw the energy. ONLY THEN DO I REALISE THAT I HAD A BOUFFALANT ON THE BENCH AND A VIRBANK IN PLAY. If I'd played the Dowsing Machine for a Laser, I would've won with the Bouffalant + Laser = 150 damage as well... I was so focused on the Zekrom EX, that I completely forgot about the Laser + Bouffalant combination... Wow. I felt really, really stupid. Long story short, I can't KO his lone Darkrai, giving him more turns. He plays another N, and gets all the basics he needs. He gets energies in play, but I have a great field, and keep KOing his Absols. I have 2 prize cards left, he's got 3. He still has the Darkrai with 150 damage on his bench. He plays a Catcher on my Keldeo EX, N's me to 2 and KO's Keldeo EX. If I draw Catcher, I win. I draw an N. I play N, draw 2 cards, and one of them is a Catcher. I play the Catcher on his damaged Darkrai and WIN THE TOURNAMENT!

Dutch National Champion once again! And with a deck that no one had predicted would win a National Championship, so all in all, this was pretty amazing. Everyone applauds, I shake like a million hands, and I'm the happiest person in the room ;)

I have much, much more to say about this deck and the current format and everything, but I'll stop here, since I'm nearly at 4000 words ;) I would like to thank Bas, Bert, Danilo, David, Felix, Joris and Paula for playtesting with me and for the awesome Nationals weekend. Joris also won Nationals in the Junior division with his Plasma deck, and David made top 4 in Masters with his Plasma deck, so congrats to them too!

Questions, suggestions, whatever, I'd love to hear them. Also if you're looking for an original deck to play at Worlds, please think of this deck! It's good enough to win a Nationals, so I'm hoping it's good enough for Worlds as well! Sadly, I won't be going to Vancouver. I never thought I'd win Nationals this year, so I already planned my vacation in the final 2 weeks of August, since I'm going to be moving to a new apartment then. I couldn't shift my vacation to the first 2 weeks of August anymore, and I couldn't get the time off work, so sadly I can't take my favourite deck to Worlds this year... Here's to hoping there won't be a rotation, so I can keep playing this deck next year, haha!


Thanks for reading, everyone!

Esa’s note: Remember to leave any comments, I’m sure Anna is eager to answer each and every one of your’s questions.