The Ultimate Past Format Guide
Hello all! My name is Alex Koch. It has been a while since I wrote for PokeBeach, so I just want to thank everyone involved in editing my article, and allowing me to post it! Hopefully everyone enjoys the read.
To give you some background on myself, I’ve been playing Pokemon since the very beginning. I was never really a competitive player until around the HeartGold-SoulSilver era. I finally got my big break with a runner up finish at Vancouver Regionals in 2014. Since then, I gathered together four Worlds invites, a few Top 8 finishes here and there, and most importantly, a community of people from across the globe that I am able to call my friends!
In my real life, I am a teacher! When I was going to school to get my degree, one of my favorite professors told me, “Good teachers borrow. Great teachers steal and modify.” It basically breaks down to, “if you want to be a great teacher, steal a lesson someone else has done, and modify it to best suit your classroom and needs.” If you’re a teacher, you know this all too well. Writing lesson plans takes a long time, and perfecting a great lesson is hard and almost always incorrect in someone’s eyes.
So why bring this up? Well I think the art of list stealing and borrowing is a good prelude into talking about today’s topic: Old Format Gauntlets.
Old Format Gauntlets
The What
Before I begin with the more important “why” of writing this article, I first want to set some ground rules for things that I define moving forward. Instead of writing a well constructed paragraph that flows from one sentence to another, I’m going to write this section as sort of an FAQ, which will hopefully make it less reading for the experienced, and easier access for the less experienced.
Q: What is a Gauntlet?
A: A gauntlet, as it is defined in this article, is a collection of decks from a specific format intended to showcase the most popular archetypes during that era.
Q: What is a format?
A: A format is the collection of sets that are (or) were legal to use in deck creation.
Q: Are there types of formats?
A: In general, there are three “main” types of formats. Those are Worlds formats, mid-season formats, and block formats. In this article, there will be examples from all three, as well as a few others that have become popular.
Q: Why are there less formats the older the cards get?
A: It mainly boils down to two reasons: the meta didn’t shift much, and there were less people playing. The meta shifted less because sets were smaller, and there were less cards released to make a big impact. These days, sets contain entire archetypes baked into their sets. Things just change faster, new decks emerge and old decks adapt. Less people playing also means that there are less people innovating. You’ll find that there are groups of people that go back and really take a hard look at old formats that are not yet “solved” and try to come up with a new thing.
The Why
I think this might be the most important section of the article. When gathering research to write this piece, a lot of my old format friends asked me why I was even writing this article, since there is so much information already out there. There are plenty of reasons why I think this article is important, including improving your play, expanding on a growing community, and providing a casual outlet for when competitive gets stale.
Did or do you ever wonder why your teacher would assign a lame poster project after the unit or lesson was done? Or give you a presentation to work on when worksheets did the trick? That’s because differentiating your learning is one of the best ways for things to stick. You hear it all the time in the teaching world: differentiation. How are teachers presenting the information for all learners. Some people learn best by writing, some by listening, some by worksheet, some by project.
When you play old formats, you are, in a sense, differentiating your learning of the game. It’s still the same game with (mostly) the same rules, but instead of bring prior match up knowledge in, you have to think and analyze on the fly, especially if you have never seen some of the cards before. These days, competitive players learn the ins and outs of deck match ups, and disregard looking and what is simply in front of them. Preparation is the most important aspect of the top competitive player and they tend to forget what actually made them start down the path of being a traveling Pokemon player.
Once you play old formats, you will also start to n
otice patterns emerging. Blastoise’s Rain Dance has been printed a bunch of different times throughout history. Understanding how each of those decks fit into their specific metas might actually help you understand how to set up and play some of these days, especially on day one of release.
Switching into reason number two to play old formats touches on an important aspect of Pokemon, and that is community. It is safe to say that a lot of us got into the game because of our love for Pokemon or just our love for games in general. We all choose to stay with it because of the people. Come for the cards, stay for the people. The old format community, while they do have their quirks, is arguably more embracing and welcoming than the competitive community today. I think a lot of us are just happy that you have chosen to play Pokemon, simple as that.
And finally, I want to step up on my soap box really fast and talk about a growing problem in the Pokemon world. I have spoken at length on different podcasts and grassroot tournament streams about the benefits of the “new era,” of Pokemon. When the pandemic hit, many people turned to online tournaments and events, which ushered in a huge wave of new players to our community. It has been amazing to see the growth unfold. I could not be more proud to have been playing the game as long as I have, and jump at the opportunity to help guide someone to their personal Pokemon goals.
However, one of the unintended consequences of this era is the rise in competitiveness. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is FANTASTIC that we are seeing increased prize support, more discussions on meta, and a general desire to want more from this game. However, there is also discourse around being the best and getting Worlds invites. Generally, that turns people off to the game, especially those who just want to enjoy the game casually. I’ve been on both sides of that coin; earning Worlds invites, and also just playing in fun, wacky formats in small game shops. One of the biggest gripes I ever heard when working in card shops was that the competitive people turned new players off to whatever deck the new players wanted to play.
Nobody can tell you what your Pokemon goals are. I think it is wrong of people to tell you that you are wrong for wanting to do something with your own time, money, and effort. One piece that a lot of people are missing when talking about these sorts of things is the “goal” aspect of things. Just be happy that people are here, playing the game, and growing their individual communities.
Which brings me to old formats. Retro will always be accessible. I keep all of my old format decks on the shelf next to my numerous board games. It acts as another “game night” activity. I have never had more fun playing this game. And hey, if you’re getting into old formats for the challenge and improvement aspects of it, there are still plenty of formats out there that have yet to be “solved.”
So there are reasons for everyone to enjoy old formats, from trying to get better, to joining a growing community, to breaking and solving unfinished formats. There are many times throughout this article where I will say something to the effect of “as long as you’re playing Pokemon, you’re doing it right.” I know I sound like a broken record, but it is an important aspect of this game, and this community.
The How
Well, I suppose that is what the rest of this article intends to be about! The “how” might be one of the hardest parts of building a gauntlet. There are a lot of decisions that go into it: what decks to build, what format to pick, what lists to pick, how to acquire the cards, and how to hold and store the formats.
In terms of what decks to build, I have made that decision for you. A lot of research generally goes into making sure the formats are insanely accurate for their time, as well as giving you a few rogue decks here and there to really unpack a format. Just as there is debate on how to build specific decks, there are debates for what decks to include in specific gauntlets. If you are looking for a “one stop shop” type of list, here it is!
Picking a format can be tricky. After all, you want your friends to play too right? So picking a popular one might be the easy decision, but will it always be the most rewarding for your circle of friends? I have people in my life that will only play the really old stuff to learn more, and people that will only pick more recent things to hit that nostalgic button.
Acquiring the cards might be the hardest actual part of old format building, and a “hot button” issue for many in the community. Personally, I have the stance of “as long as you are playing old formats, you are correct.” Others will say that you need the exact print of a card that was legal at the time. Using Pokemon GO Rare Candy to turn a Magnemite into a Magnezone Prime? Not okay by many. Using a Celebrations Rocket’s Admin. in RSPK? Disgusting. A printed slip of paper instead of a Tropical Beach that you yourself won? Even that is sometimes not okay by people in the community. I think it’s fine to use Mallow as an Oracle, or throwing in Pokémon Catcher for Pokémon Reversal. Up to you at the end of the day. Nobody can tell you what your budget is. Just play the game!
Storing the formats has also become somewhat of an art. There are a TON of good cases out there that hold multiple decks. Some like to use all matching deck boxes, some like to just throw things in a single row box. The only thing I will remind you of is that building old formats requires a ton of sleeves. No matter how you choose to print, buy, pick, or proxy the cards, the only expense that is unavoidable is the sleeves. As such, I think it’s also a good idea to keep spare sleeves handy whenever playing old formats.
Disclaimers
Before we begin, I’d like to put a few disclaimers in for EVERYONE, not just the people who know the formats. I want to be transparent in all my information so that you are encouraged to take my opinion and compare it to others you may have heard.
- Some of these formats I have played a ton of, others I have played very little of. There is a knowledge gap even in my own brain. I do not claim to be the best retro format player ever; merely just a guy who likes writing about Pokemon.
- Some of these formats are era specific and some are updated. A lot of people in the community have gone back and fixed perceived “issues” with formats. I think it doesn’t much matter if you play era specific or updated, since at the end of the day you’re still playing Pokemon, and that’s neat.
- This article is not about the specific lists presented in the formats. Some lists are copied, some lists I’ve changed, some lists are my own. If you want to debate the count(s) of cards in decks, that is what the comment section is for, or my Twitter. I want this article to instead focus on the decks I’ve chosen to go into a gauntlet.
The Breakdown
I know you, as the reader, are a smart and inquisitive reader. I don’t assume anything about your knowledge of Pokemon or retro formats. However, I do want to take a moment and kind of walk you through how I want to display each format. If you want to skip this section, please feel free to.
For each format, I will be going over the following
- Why you SHOULD build this format
- Why you should NOT build this format
- The most iconic, must build deck
- A deck that I want to highlight
- Other deck options
- Decks you can cut if you want ONLY 8 decks
Most of those are fairly self explanatory. The one I do want to touch on is the last one, the “8 decks” discussion. Gauntlet size is also one of those aspects of gauntlet building that some people tend to argue over. If you have been reading so far, you won’t find it surprising that I think gauntlet size is trivial; build it how you want it. I think 8 can be a good number since it offers a perfect amount of people if you want to run a small tournament with Swiss rounds or a single elimination bracket. It should give you enough diversity to give you a taste of each format without diving too deep into the “weird stuff.” Sixteen decks would also fit this criteria, but it can be hard to find 16 “viable” decks for each format. When picking the size for each of my formats, I tried to pick the decks that actually saw meaningful use, as well as a few rogues that I love to play.
My Gauntlet Lists
Link to Decklists: Old Format Lists
Link to Format Totals (checklists): Old Format Totals
The above are links to my personal spreadsheets I used for this article. I HIGHLY suggest looking through these if you’re serious about building one of the gauntlets in here. Apologies in advance for any typos…
2023 Worlds
Sets: E Regulation to Paldea Evolved
Decks: (10) ArcDura, ArcTina, Chien-Pao ex, Fusion Mew, Gardevoir ex, Lost Zone Box, Lost Zone Tina, Miraidon ex, Single Strike Lugia, Urshifu Inteleon
Why you SHOULD build: You want to get ahead of the “retro format curve,” and build these decks before they become lost to time. Maybe you are a newer player and this was your first World Championships. Rotation just hit and you’re feeling a little bit lost without the cards you just purchased. Being the most recent big format, it is hard to see how this one is going to last in the pantheon of retro.
Why you should NOT build: Mirroring the previous comments, it might be too soon to build this format. There are only three post-covid formats, and the other two are a bit more polarizing than this one. It’s a good format with a fair amount of options, but I’m not sure it is going to actually stand the test of time.
Iconic Deck: Mew VMAX. Of all the formats that have this deck, I would argue that it’s the best one to build it in. You’re not going to get the chance to build it in 2024 Worlds, and heck, it WON the World Championships this year. Surviving through all the ups and downs of cards that were released to counter this deck, I think it’s only fair to give it the proper spotlight at the end of its time in the legal rotation.
Highlighted Deck: Lost Zone Box. This one is going to be hard to pinpoint since there are so many different builds of this list. While there are no real “rogue” decks in this era’s gauntlet, Lost Zone Box is one that you could build a second copy of if you want to get real frisky.
Other Options: I’m not sure that there are many decks that you could are significant enough to include in this gauntlet. Stuff like United Wings and Ting-Lu ex are really cute; and they’re the next highest most played decks, but I think keeping this first gauntlet small-ish is the play.
Cut to 8: Miraidon wasn’t actually played as much in this format as it would be in coming formats, so you could probably cut that, along with ArcTina, since you already have an Arc deck and a Tina deck.
Sword and Shield Block
Sets: Sword and Shield to Crown Zenith
Decks: (12) ArcDura, Arceus Flying Pikachu, Eternatus , Lugia , Lost Zone Box , Lost Zone Giratina, Lost Zone Goodra, Mew VMAX, Palkia Inteleon , Regigigas, Vikavolt V, Yveltal Control
Why you SHOULD build: You like Lugia, like, A LOT. But for real though, this format, when played, was all about Lugia. It dominated the meta share. Outside of it, there are actually a fair amount of really cool decks you could build if you wanted to expand to more decks. At the time though, they were just held back by the overwhelming amount of Lugia. I think when we look back at this format five to ten years from now, this will be a format that people end up building for their retro collections.
Why you should NOT build: Too much sour taste or getting people to jump on board. I think there are a lot of retro people out there that are not a fan of modern day mechanics, and this format is chock full of them. It might be hard to get your friends to play “the Lugia format” many years from now.
Iconic Deck: Lugia. I talked about it up there, and also down here.
Highlighted Deck: Vikavolt. I think this deck never actually got the hype it deserved. I personally was playing a Galarian Moltres V version of this deck at the time and loved it. A lot of people on my testing team also played the Melony version, and the build that won OCIC Seniors is included in this gauntlet. Super fun, super slept on deck in this format. I’m happy to include it in the gauntlet.
Other Options: You could add another Lost Zone deck into the mix in the form of “Lost Rayquaza” and take out Yveltal Control.
Cut to 8: Yveltal Control is the first cut, followed by likely Palkia Inteleon, Eternatus, and one of the Lost Zone decks (or one of the Arceus decks)
2022 Worlds
Sets: Sword and Shield to Pokemon GO
Decks: (8) Arceus Flying Pikachu, Arceus Inteleon, Ice Rider, Mew VMAX, Mewtwo V-Union, Palkia Inteleon, Charizard Inteleon , Regigigas
Why you SHOULD build: This was the first World Championships coming back from the long pandemic break. As such, it’s a format that most are familiar with (being in the online era) but also ripe for innovation. We did not see the Arceus deck that won Worlds coming and as such, took a while to catch up. This was the format that kicked off the hyper speed meta moving that we are used to today. It means a lot to some people. Also, another reason, because of the moving meta, there are TONS of deck options if you want to bump up the decks in this format.
Why you should NOT build: You don’t think it will be the most played modern format. This format is quite similar to Sword and Shield block but with two VERY notable differences: No Lost Zone, and no Lugia. If you dislike both of those decks but like Sword and Shield era, then this is the format for you. If you think the lack of those decks hold this format back from being popular, then you can skip it.
Iconic Deck: It’s hard to pick an iconic deck from this format, but you could probably say ArcPika since it took the top spots at the World Championships. The format was really all about the triangle between Arc Inteleon, Palkia Inteleon, and Mew. When you look at the play data for these decks, they total 32% with Arc Pika being down at lower than 5%.
Highlighted Deck: Mewtwo V-UNION. This deck came out of nowhere and made a deep run at NAIC 2022. It’s one of those wacky “Just Sander Things” type control decks. While the success of the deck declined HEAVILY after NAIC, I include it in this gauntlet because without it, we would have no V-UNION decks. It’s not a requirement to have one, but if you’re going to include one, here is the place you do it.
Other Options: If you’re a big fan of this format, you could easily double it to 16 decks if you want to dive deep. Lost of really cool rogues and less used decks that saw success including ArcDura, Blissey V, Vikavolt Moltres, Rapid Strike Urshifu, Lunatone Solrock (really the only format this deck could slot into), Arc builds (including Aggron VMAX, Raichu V, and Malamar VMAX), Frosmoth, Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR, or Miltank Morpeko.
“2021 Worlds”
Sets: Sword and Shield to Evolving Skies
Decks: (16) Decidueye, Dragapult , Eternatus , Ice Rider, Jolteon , Leafon , Malamar , Rapid Strike Urshifu , Rayquaza , Sableye Inteleon , Shadow Rider , Single Strike Urshifu , Suicune Ludicolo , Sylveon , Victini , Zacian
Why you SHOULD build: At the time of writing this, 2021 Worlds is becoming one of the more well respected “modern retro” formats. We’re only three years removed from this format, mind you. It really offers a lot of the early Sword and Shield era “highlights.” Most of these decks would fall off when more powerful options came out, or rotation hit. So if you liked a lot of these decks, and are a big fan of Inteleon engines, then this is the format for you.
Why you should NOT build: Lack of deck creativity. Yeah, I said it. While there are a lot of options here, seeing as I put 16 decks down, a whopping 8 of them use the Inteleon SSH engine. To put it shortly, this format is “what do YOU pair Inteleon with?” I can see some people get a stale feeling from that. The other thing this format has going against it is that it was never an officially sanctioned format. This format was during the heart of online era play. Some people have a hang up when it comes to real formats vs not real formats.
Iconic Deck: It’s hard to pick just one Inteleon deck to highlight here, so I’m going to highlight just the card itself. To me, it is wild to think about how insanely good Inteleon was as a card, but that it did not see high levels of play until Chilling Reign came out. It’s quite the unique era.
Highlighted Deck: While there are a lot of choices for this section, I’m going to go with Rayquaza VMAX / Flaaffy. If you were around during this time, you know how much this deck under performed in online tournaments. But why did people try so hard to make it work? I call it the “Dynamotor Effect.” This Ability was printed three times before on Eelektrik, Bronzong, and Malamar. Each and every time this effect was printed, it was instantly playable and stayed around for the entirety of their respective formats. But Flaaffy would not see insane success until Miraidon ex was printed, and even then it was a thin line. It just goes to show you how DIFFERENT formats can be, and a great example of why it is so interesting to go back through time and play these formats.
Other Options: This is a format I actually adjusted quite a bit. Decks I considered for this included Tornadus VMAX, Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX Moltres V, Duraludon VMAX, and Galarian Weezing / Inteleon SSH. I think this format gets the “16 deck” treatment because of how easy it is to jump up to that number or adjust your choices.
Cut to 8: If you look at purely play data, and base it on the top 8 most played decks, you’d have to cut Decidueye, Eternatus, Jolteon, Malamar, Rayquaza, Sableye Inteleon, Shadow Rider, and Victini, leaving you with 5 Inteleon-based decks. I would say that if you’re going to cut, probably keep your favorite 3 decks, and keep Zacian, Single Strike Urshifu, Sylveon, Victini, and either Eternatus or Shadow Rider. This gives you a little more variety while also keeping some of the more popular archetypes that get cut. It’s a hard one to bring to 8 that’s for sure.
“2020 Worlds”
Thoughts: I have looked high and low, far and wide, and asked many an expert. There is a lot of debate over what would have been the format for the 2020 World Championships. I originally had this section as “Team Up through Darkness Ablaze,” but some corrected me, claiming that it would have been the Pokemon Online Global Championships format of “Ultra Prism to Darkness Ablaze.”
So why not just build both formats for this article? Personally, I’m not a fan of EITHER of those formats. If you were to rank all these formats from first to last, they would be near the bottom. In addition, they are not overly popular formats, whereas the theoretical format of “2021 Worlds,” is already gaining steam in many retro circles.
Since nobody agrees what to build in this era, and nobody seems to be playing it, I’m going to leave it out for now. I hope that someone corrects me and breaks this era though!
Future Me Talking: Here is the list I had for my initial write up: ADPZ, Baby Blowns, Centiskroch, Decidueye Obstagoon, Eternatus, Lightning Mewtwo & Mew, Mad Party, Pikarom, Rowegg Rillaboom, Welder Mewtwo & Mew, Welder Zard, and Zacian LucMetal with Dragapult being a last minute cut. Likely could probably cut RowEggs and one of the Mew3 decks if you’re looking to downsize. Also look for TEU-VIV lists, they’re practically the same.
Alola Block
Sets: Sun and Moon to Cosmic Eclipse
Decks: (16) ADPK, Baby Blowns, Checkmate, Gardeon, Golurk, LucMetal Plume, Pidgeotto Control, PikaRom, RoxyChomp, Spiritomb, TrevNor, Weezing Spread, Welder Mew3, Welder Zard, ZapBeasts, Zoroark Persian
Why you SHOULD build: You are a fan of PURE CHAOS. In general, the more sets you add to a format, the more wild it will become. That’s not really an opinion, it’s a fact. If you need an example of this, look at any sort of modern day expanded list. While there are formats on this list that include more sets, the Alola block is one that really grabs you and shakes you. I’m going to just keep using metaphors and imagery to describe this format, because you really can’t understand it until you try it. It’s like someone said, “yeah, but what if 2019 Worlds had Tapu Lele-GX and Guzma?”
Why you should NOT build: You actually want someone to play with you. I am going to warn you right now, a lot of people are not going to sign up for this format. Three-Prize Pokemon were not well received by the community. This format puts a giant spotlight on those Pokemon in the form of ADP. Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX is one of, if not the MOST despised, broken, and worst designed cards of all time. While it does boast one of the top tier alt arts, the playability of this card is too insane. If you’ll notice, none of the other formats in this article include an ADP list. While ADPZ was more oppressive than ADPK, if you don’t like these decks, then stay away from this format.
Iconic Deck: This is the first format on this list that was never actually played in a sanctioned event and as such, lacks iconic-ness. I would say to put ADP here, but I would argue that ADP is more Notorious (negatively connotated) than iconic.
Highlighted Deck: Golurk. This is one of those decks that came around after the format was played. There is not a lot of information on this format, but Golurk is one that seems to be added on to the tail end of that information. It is a super cool deck, boasting the least amount of Supporters in any deck in this entire article at ONE! Think about it, ONE SUPPORTER. Are you kidding me? Super cool and fun deck. I’ve actually played this deck in real life and had a blast with it. You will too
Other Options: Any deck that was viable during the Sun and Moon era is likely viable in this format as well. I’ve seen lists for Granbull even for this format. The only deck that’s really “unique” to the SUM block as a whole is Golurk CEC.
It is worth mentioning that this format does take a little bit of a different look if you use an unofficial ban list that seems to be creeping up in popularity. Unlike some of the other unofficial ban lists (looking at you Legacy format) this one seems to not be as widely adopted. You’d ban Oranguru, Marshadow, Lt. Surge’s Strategy, and Dusk Stone. Doesn’t change too much, but you’d have to find replacements for 1-2 decks in this gauntlet.
Cut to 8: The main reason this one is a hard gauntlet to cut down is because it was never really an official format. As such, we can’t really go on pure data, but rather the feel of the gauntlet. So do you keep 1-2 of the less popular but personal preference decks? Do you keep unique decks that you don’t see in other gauntlets on this list? I think you would have to lock in ADPK, Checkmate, and Golurk as “must haves.” You could then say that you want to play with a ban list, further cropping out LucMetal Plume and Pidgeotto Control. The rest is up to you and you’ll be correct.
2019 Worlds
Sets: Ultra Prism to Unified Minds
Decks: (8) Big Blowns, Gardeon, Green’s Zard, Malamar, Mew3, Pidgeotto Control, PikaRom, Tord Zard
Why you SHOULD build: You and your friends are a big fan of the card released in the Pokemon Trading Card Game expansion set Unbroken Bonds called “Welder.” I remember a conversation with my roommate when this card came out. He was telling me about a card that let you attach two Fire Energy from hand to any Pokemon you would like. I immediately asked, “okay, so what is the drawback?” Thinking that a card with that level of insane effect would have some sort of balance mechanic. His response was a simple, “oh, draw three cards.” Welder is era defining. Search up the results of the 2019 Worlds and you will quickly see why.
Why you should NOT build: There are 3 formats in the 2018-2019 year of competitive playing that people go back to build. What that tells me is that the Worlds format of that year is not as popular. In general (and I REALLY mean that) if there is a popular mid-season format, the corresponding Worlds format of that year is not held in as high of regards by the Pokemon retro community (2011 Cities vs 2012 Worlds is the PERFECT example of this).
Iconic Deck: Tord Zard. Even though Tord did not win the World Championships this year, his 18-Energy deck was really the talk of the town upon Worlds hitting. Until this point, ReshiZard decks were Green’s Exploration builds or more heavily focused on Ability draw. Tord’s list opted for ALWAYS having Fire Energy in hand.
Highlighted Deck: Pidgeotto Control. Sure, it exists in other formats on this list, but this is when we first started using Air Mail, and likely the best place for the deck to fit. It’s not a rogue, but kind of a crazy style of control. We’ve seen it before in other formats though.
Other Options: Weavile-GX was a REALLY hard deck for me to cut from the list, so I suppose you could sub that in for one of the other options Naganadel-GX Box was a cool rogue deck at the time, but it wasn’t as popular as the others on this list. There are actually quite a few decks like this if you do a deep dive into research.
2019 NAIC
Sets: Sun and Moon to Unbroken Bonds
Decks: (12) Baby Blowns , Big Blowns, Green’s Zard, PikaRom, ReshiZard, Spiritomb, Ultra Malamar, Wall Stall, Weezing, ZapBeasts, Zoroark-GX, Zoroark2 (just another Zoroark-GX build)
Why you SHOULD build: You like Tag Teams. I think you could make a fair argument that no Tag Team era format is really complete without Mewtwo and Mew-GX. However, I think this format strikes a nice balance between the Tag Teams and the non-Tag Teams. It’s also a place where Zoroark-GX isn’t overwhelming, but still has a nice presence, with unique ways to build the deck. It’s well balanced and a good alternative to 2019 Worlds.
Why you should NOT build: I hate to just say the opposite of the above, but this era and format really just revolves around your feelings on Pokemon’s first take on three-Prize Pokemon. There are a lot of fun non-GX options in this era, but it’s actually dominated by the conversation on Tag Teams. Sorry there isn’t much more to say here. Just pumping up my word count at this point.
Iconic Deck: Pikachu and Zekrom-GX. This is the format in this article where PikaRom was at its peak. The card itself was a craze-inducing sight at the 2018 World Championships when it was released. Do me a favor and ask someone who played in this era what their feelings on PikaRom are. They’re going to have an opinion one way or the other.
Highlighted Deck: ZapBeasts. My job here, in this article, is to hype you up to past formats. And I mean that as a whole, not looking at one specific deck. But this deck is just too much fun not to talk about. The build I have in this gauntlet is kind of bland, but there are so many cool things you can do with the list, and all of them are fun. It’s one of my favorite single-Prize decks of all time, and it’s viable even into a field of 200+ HP Pokemon.
Other Options: There’s actually a ton of options for this format. First off, there are a billion different ways to build Zoroark-GX in this format; so many that I included two builds in this gauntlet. Other decks include Blissey, Aerodactyl, Tool Drop, QuagNag, Granbull LOT, ZoroNinja, Nidoqueen, Shedinja Control, Battery Vikavolt, and Gardevoir-GX. Shedinja Control was a sad cut from my final list, but an easy one to add if you’re looking to jump to 16 decks. I would also strongly encourage you to add Gardevoir-GX back into the mix if bumping up. It was seen as “dead,” during the time, but die hard fans continued to play it, and fits well into the meta. It may seem outdated when looking at the other decks on the gauntlet, but I think it’s fine.
Cut to 8: The first and easiest cut is one of the Zoroark-GX decks; just pick your favorite build. One of the Blowns builds is likely next; take your pick there too. Reshiram & Charizard was the most played deck, but if you want to focus more on deck variety, you could cut one of those as well. That leaves you with one cut left which is where I would have to choose between Malamar FLI or Wall Stall, depending on personal preference.
SUM-LOT (LAIC 2018)
Sets: Sun and Moon to Lost Thunder
Decks: (32) Alolan Exeggutor, Attacking Steelix, Baby Buzz, Blacephalon-GX, Buzzwole Lycanroc, Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX, Dusty Ruckus, Gardevoir-GX, Granbull,Lost March, Malamar Spread, Meganium Mill, Passimian, Psychic Malamar, QuagNag, Rayquaza Vikavolt, Sceptile Shuckle, Solgaleo-GX, Stage 2 Box, Tapu Koko Poison, Ultra Malamar, Wall Stall, Weavile Honchkrow, White Kyurem, Zoroark Control, Zoroark Decidueye, Zoroark Glaceon, Zoroark Golisopod, Zoroark Gyarados, Zoroark Lycanroc, Zoroark Ninetales, Zoroark Weavile
Why you SHOULD build: First off, let me address something; 32 decks is actually insane. That’s far too many decks for a gauntlet. I know this because I have this exact gauntlet built. Whoops. There are so many reasons why I think you should build this format (and so many reasons why people say you shouldn’t). It can be a hot topic among the retro community as a lot of the “true” fans dislike this format. So then why do I have it built? I think it really breaks down to three reasons: I think it’s the best modern format, the deck diversity is top tier, and the amount of close games is staggering. (and it’s also the last format before Tag Teams, as Team Up is the very next set after Lost Thunder)
I think it’s the best modern format because of the mix of evolving two-Prizers and Basic two-Prizers. That’s a sentence that a lot of “retro purists,” can get behind. There are a lot of fans of the old old eras because of lowercase ex Pokemon, and the mix-and-match of Basic and evolving ex Pokemon. There are Basic centric decks, Stage 1 decks, and Stage 2 decks, providing a ton of meta diversity. At the time, Zoroark-GX decks really dominated a lot of the played decks. It boiled down to either “Zoroark deck,” or “direct counter to Zoroark deck.” As such, a lot of the counter decks struggled against the other counter decks. I personally think that evolves into some cool and unique games.
This actually brings up a little point that I did not mention in the intro, but probably should have: the difference between gauntlet and the meta at the time. If you went to a tournament during this time, you HAD to have an option for Zoroark, making many builds more centered for that meta, rather than the meta of a gauntlet. The meta at a 2000 person regional is going to be different than the meta of a gauntlet, simply because there is only one of each deck, as opposed to a certain percentage of the field playing a deck. That’s going to make some decks perform better than others.
I could probably write an entire article just about this format alone. I don’t want to distract from the entire point of this piece.
Why you should NOT build: There are a few problem cards that people often point to as big barriers for this format. Those cards being Marshadow SLG, Lusamine, and Oranguru ULP. If someone starts on Marshadow, I assume right away that they’re never played it in gauntlet form. Sure, it can cause less-than-playable hands on the first turn of the game, but the same can be true for the person that played the card. It feels bad to start the game with 2 less cards, but not bad enough to “ruin” every game. Lusamine and Oranguru are the actual problem children here. They allowed for a lot of wall and control decks to exist. The only thing holding these decks back from being the best of the format was the time rules. Unfortunately, this becomes a non-factor during a gauntlet, where you’re likely playing this for fun with your friends. If you pick these lock and control decks, you’re in for an hour or longer grind fest. Lusamine should have never let you target Lusamine, and Oranguru is a card that should have never been printed in the first place.
Iconic Deck: Zoroark Lycanroc. Of all the Zoroark-GX decks to exist, non is more popular and iconic than ZoroRoc. This is the format where you’re going to see it in action and at its peak. Build this format if you like Zoroark decks
Highlighted Deck: Solgaleo-GX. This is another deck that emerged during the online era when people went back to look at this format. There are a ton of good articles out there about this format, and one of them highlights the insane nature that we, as a community, never played this deck into the throngs of Zoroark decks. I believe that it actually stands up to the rest of the gauntlet just fine. Due to historical accuracy, you won’t find this deck in the slimmed down version below, but it’s worth talking about.
Other Options: I mean, if you don’t have enough with 32…then I suppose hit me up fellow SUM-LOT enjoyer!
Cut to 8: See below
SUM-LOT (reduced)
Sets: Sun and Moon to Lost Thunder
Decks: (16) Blacephalon, Buzzwole Lycanroc , Gardevoir, Granbull, Lost March, Malamar Spread, Passimian, Psychic Malamar, Rayquaza Vikavolt, Wall Stall, Zoroark Control, Zoroark Decidueye, Zoroark Gyarados, Zoroark Lycanroc, Zoroark Ninetales
Notes: All of the above information is true about SUM-LOT, so imagine I just said it here. This is probably the actual gauntlet I would build if I weren’t as big on this format as I am. It bumps Zoroark-GX up from 25% presence to 32%, which is probably the only notable big change. This list trims a lot of the counter decks and meme decks, while still keeping a few around to see the interplay between Zoroark and non-Zoroark.
Highlighted Deck: White Kyurem LOT. You’d think it would be hard to single out ANOTHER deck from this format of 32, but think again. There were something like 9 Regionals events in this format, an insane amount for the time. The format followed your usual progression; at first, simple decks took center stage like Blacephalon-GX. As the format evolved and people understood the format, they were able to come up with increasingly crazy ideas of Zoroark decks. When the last regional rolled around, the community had called this format “solved,” and started to look ahead toward Team Up. This deck came out of nowhere to grab multiple day two slots, proving that this format wasn’t actually solved. As quickly as White Kyurem came out though, the format moved on to PikaRom and other exciting adventures. This deck, to me, proves that there is so much more to this format; especially if you decide to play with any sort of control bans.
Other Options: See above
Cut to 8: It was already hard enough to cut this list down to 16 decks for me. I don’t know if I could possible cut this down any further (being serious here). If you do, I would keep at least 2 Zoroark decks, keeping ZoroTales and ZoroRoc. Zoroark Control feels like a REALLY hard cut in this case.
2018 Worlds
Sets: BREAKthrough to Celestial Storm
Decks: (12) Banette Garb, Buzz Garb, Buzz Roc, Golisopod Garb, Greninja, Malamar, Rayquaza-GX, Ultra Beasts, Yveltal BREAK, Zoroark Garb, Zoroark Gallade, Zoroark Golisopod
Why you SHOULD build: You want to break a format. I don’t think this format is very fleshed out. A lot of different builds and arch types showed up at Worlds. Even the second place Malamar FLI list was an outlier, but it could have been for other nefarious reasons. It existed only as a Worlds format, and as such, a lot of the player base had moved on, many of them not really knowing the best way to play Banette-GX, Steelix CES, the new Ultra Beasts, Rayquaza-GX, and where to put support cards like Magcargo CES and Swampert CES. Shrine of Punishment was still not fully tapped, even though it showed up a lot at Worlds. There’s a lot of opportunity here to do something cool and innovative.
Why you should NOT build: There are actually just better, similar options. Most all of these decks exist in another format, with the notable exceptions being Ultra Beasts, which only saw success in the younger divisions, Yveltal BREAK, which is really just a single-Prize Darkness Pokemon, and Zoroark Gallade BKT, which is a unique version of Zoroark, but still a Zoroark build all the same. It’s weird to say that a Worlds format is kind of a gateway, but the lack of identity is alarming here. If you look at this and find it interesting, that I would simply steer you towards one of the neighboring formats.
Iconic Deck: Rayquaza-GX. After this tournament, people would decide that playing Rayquaza-GX with Vikavolt SUM was just the better option (they were right). However, much of the talk of the tournament was how to counter Rayquaza-GX, as it was seen as the new big bad of the format. So much talk, that cards like Sylveon-EX and Dedenne were touted at the new “hot techs,” of the format. Even though it was upstaged by cards like Garbodor GRI and Shrine of Punishment, Rayquaza-GX is truly the face of this format.
Highlighted Deck: Malamar FLI. I don’t want to dive too far into this topic, but it is worth discussing from a historical stand point. The second place Malamar list was the only Malamar list to do well at the event, but was later vacated of its result. Reasoning aside, the question still remains: would it have done so well if the pilot of the deck had not cheated? Cheating in Pokemon is a sensitive subject, and one that I could easily write an article on. But if you’re looking to explore this format further, the subject of Malamar is going to come up once or twice.
Other Options: This format was only really played at one event. No big, historically accurate decks to add here, just your own unique builds! I trimmed ZoroRoc from the initial list is the only notable thing here.
Cut to 8: I would cut ZoroGallade, Ultra Beasts, Yveltal Break, and Malamar
2017 Worlds
Sets: Primal Clash to Burning Shadows
Decks: (12) Alolan Ninetales-GX, Decidueye Ninetales, Decidueye Plume , Drampa Garb, Espeon Garb, Garbodor Spread, Gardevoir-GX, Golisopod Garb, Greninja, Ho-oh Salazzle, M Rayquaza-EX, Volcanion
A Note: This format, and the format below it, are going to sound very similar in the way I talk about them. Keen-eyed readers will notice that there is only one set separating these two formats. As I’ve stated before, any year that has a mid-season format become popular is likely to have a less-fun Worlds format. In all fairness, the reasons you SHOULD and should NOT build this and the format below are going to revolve around one card: Guzma. While there are other immediately impactful cards to come out of Burning Shadows, such as Kiawe, Acerola, Golisopod-GX, and Gardevoir-GX (to name a few), Guzma is really the key difference. If you look at the total gauntlet decks, it goes from 16 (and honestly probably should be more) to just 12, and probably could be less, with only one set release. (fun fact: the set that changed the meta the most, in my opinion, judging by how many decks were essentially removed from the format, was Next Destinies, for obvious reasons that we will get to eventually). Your feelings on this format, and 2017 NAIC, are going to revolve around this conversation.
Why you SHOULD build: You are not a fan of mid-season formats. There. I finally said it. Yes, mid-season formats are seen as less-popular than Worlds formats. Why? I have no idea, just play Pokemon! (I’ve said that a few times now, huh?) Regardless, if you’re looking to have a “just the hits” album, it would make sense that you would only build the Worlds formats. I think you’re not wrong in doing that, but I think you leave out potentially better formats. 2017 is a good format; people will have fun playing it.
Iconic Deck: Gardevoir-GX. Hands down, easily the most iconic deck. I’m sorry Golisopod-GX, you had your shot. Not only did this deck win Worlds, but it restarted the Gardevoir being BDIF craze that formats of old know so well. It got its start here, and would become a mainstay for as long as Burning Shadows was legal.
Highlighted Deck: Ho-Oh Salazzle. I think this deck is just neat. While many people were looking at old archetypes, Golisopod, and Gardevoir, Ho-Oh-GX paired with Salazzle-GX flew under the radar. Kiawe turned out to be a very impactful card, and the unique play-style of this deck is on full display.
Other Options: Gyarados doesn’t get much love in these gauntlets. If you don’t build it for NAIC 2017, then you could put it here. Decidueye Golisopod is another option, but you already have enough Golisopod-GX and Decidueye-GX decks in the gauntlet as is.
Cut to 8: The cuts here are all about building a more diverse gauntlet. There are four Garb decks, and while they are each very different in their own right, I think you could probably shave off two of them and be fine (I would cut GoliGarb and GarbSpread). Then in the spirit of meta diversity, you could cut one of the Decidueye-GX decks and one of the fire decks, even though the decks are drastically different.
2017 NAIC
Sets: Primal Clash to Guardians Rising
Decks: (16) Alolan Ninetales-GX, Darkrai-EX, Decidueye Ninetales, Decidueye Plume, Drampa Garb, Espeon Garb, Gallade Octillery, Greninja, Lapras-GX, Gyarados, M Rayquaza-EX, Metagross-GX, Vespiquen Zoroark, VikaBulu, Volcanion, Zoroark BREAK
Why you SHOULD build: First off, you’re building this format over 2017 Worlds, let’s be clear on that. All of the decks in 2017 Worlds decks can be seen in other formats. But, the real reason you should build this format is that it has it all. It has everything you could ever want in a gauntlet. Basics, Stage 1, and Stage 2 decks are all here. Item lock, ability lock, and unique playstyle decks all show up in this format. You like VS Seeker? You got it. You like that Garbodor GRI counters VS Seeker? You got it. On top of all of that, it’s a popular retro gauntlet that is only getting more popular as the years pass along. If you’re one of the lucky readers that has never played a retro format and want to get into it, one of your friends probably has this built. If not, you should be that friend.
Why you should NOT build: SUM-LOT and Modern EX do the same thing. That’s the only reason I personally do not have this built, is because I have both of those formats built. It just feels very similar to other VS Seeker formats, with the added benefit of GX cards. If the only reason to not build this format is “that you just have too many others built,” then you have a good format on your hands.
Iconic Deck: Espeon Garb. Garbodor GRI decks were everywhere at this tournament. Leading up to it, Garbodor just flat out dominated everything and everyone. The reliance of VS Seeker really set up Guardians Rising Garbodor from the moment it came out. While Drampa Garb ended up winning the event, Espeon Garb was really the main deck to be talked about at the time.
Highlighted Deck: Zoroark BREAK. Similar to White Kyurem LOT in the SUM-LOT format, this deck kind of started popping up toward to tail end of this very long and heavily researched format. The builds at the time were good, but I think there is opportunity here to create something that is BDIF. Personally, I played a Zoroark BREAK deck a few months after this format, so any chance I get to play this bad boy again, I’m going to take.
Other Options: Actually tons. This format had a few regional championship lead ups to it. I think you could add M Gardevoir-EX into the mix if you would like. There’s even a really cool Garbodor / Trevenant deck that was built at my parents’ house the night before Seattle Regionals!
Cut to 8: The gauntlets where I have 16 decks have that many for a reason: it’s insanely hard to cut them down to even a more manageable 10 or 12. I will often default to gauntlet diversity or just raw meta share to make my decisions for me. I think your 8 decks gauntlet here looks like Alolan Ninetales, Decidueye Ninetales, Espeon Garb, Greninja, Metagross, VikaBulu, Volcanion, and Zoroark BREAK, which just feels so WRONG since you’re leaving out stuff like Drampa Garb, Vespiquen, and DeciPlume…
XY Block
Thoughts: This is actually a block format that I think you can skip. 2016 Worlds is only one set off of this one, and while I have put two formats that are only one set off of each other in this article, the one set in question, in this case, is “Evolutions.” There are only a few cards that saw play from Evolutions in general, and none of them are or were as impactful as others. Easy skip in my opinion, and nobody is going to scream and shout about it.
Modern EX
Sets: Black and White to Evolutions
Decks: (16) Accelgor Wobbuffet, Carbink BREAK, Darkrai Dragons, Flareon Vespiquen, Greninja, Primal Groudon-EX, Maxie’s Aerodactyl, Maxie’s Yveltal, M Rayquaza-EX, Night March, Raikou Eels, Rainbow Road, SableGarb, ToadBats, Trevenant BREAK, Volcanion
Why you SHOULD build: This actually just might be me, as I don’t see a lot of people talking about this format. At first, I used it as an excuse to build my SableGarb deck that I did so well with. But then I started to see a lot of value in the format. It does pretty much everything that an XY block does, while also adding some really cool rogue decks from the BW block. It misses on iconic decks like TDK, VirGen, and Blastoise BCR, but I suppose you could build those here. It was also the last expanded format before the-GX Pokemon hit, and while BW-SUM was practically the same, it started to degrade very quickly. I used to have 2015 Worlds built in place of this, but adjusted it to create this.
Why you should NOT build: It might actually be the least popular format on this list. I’ve seen a few things about it here and there online, but I think people only include it on their “list of popular gauntlets,” to highlight the fact that XY didn’t introduce any new mechanic (megas are still EXs). It’s weird to tell you not to build a format that I personally don’t have built, but I might be the only person to ever say anything noteworthy about this format.
Iconic Deck: Maxie’s Yveltal. Also known as YGA. When expanded first came out, it lacked a certain identity. People really were just playing Virizion Genesect or Pyroar FLF. When Yveltal EX hit the scene, it became the poster child for Expanded, especially after rotation took Dark Patch away from Standard. It was a deck that did it all, and shined in a format that had no clear direction or number two. It is a deck that adapts well to the ever changing landscape of expanded.
Highlighted Deck: While it would be easy to say Sableye Garbodor here, I actually want to bring attention to Maxie’s Aerodactyl FCO. If you want a unique deck that can also hang with the big boys, then grab this deck that only has two (2) Basic Pokemon in it (some lists only ran one).
Other Options: M Manectric-EX and ArchieStoise are the two biggest cuts that come to mind. To keep at 16, you could cut Maxie’s Aerodactyl and Raikou Eels for these two decks. Also there isn’t a lot of love for Bronzong PHF in this format, so there’s room to look into that.
Cut to 8: Right away you can cut some of the more fringe decks like Maxie’s Aerodactyl and Raikou Eels. It pains me to say, but you can probably also cut Sableye Garb since it was super not popular. Looking at play numbers and other gauntlets on this list, Vespiquen, Groudon, Toad Bats, and Accelgor Wobb also fail to make the cut line. That leaves only one cut to make, which should then fall into personal preference.
2016 Worlds
Sets: XY to Steam Siege
Decks: (12) Bronzong, Darkrai Giratina, Fighting Plume, Greninja, M Audino-EX, M Manectric-EX, Night March, Sammy Box, Trevenant BREAK, Vespiquen Yveltal, Volcanion, Water Box
Why you SHOULD build: This is a perfect example of a format that gets better in gauntlet form, rather than at a large regionals. At the time of writing this, we’re coming off of a Orlando Regional Championships (largest ever) that saw Charizard ex take 22% of the field. That’s adorable when you look at the numbers that Night March was pumping out at the time. I do not think we will ever see numbers reach as high as 40% ever again, numbers which Night March was putting up at the time. The good news? In a gauntlet, you only have one Night March deck to worry about. Peel that back and you have a somewhat decent XY format with some cool decks that aren’t seen anywhere else.
Why you should NOT build: It really all revolves around Night March. It’s hard to get good lists for your gauntlet as every deck was SO reliant on beating the big bad of the format. That makes counter decks vs counter decks not as interesting as it is in other formats where counter vs counter is more apparent.
Iconic Deck: Night March. I don’t really need to say more.
Highlighted Deck: While the easy answer is to shoutout the M Audino-EX deck that came out of nowhere, I’m going to highlight a Ross deck that did well: Vespiquen AOR with Yveltal XY. Every time that Ross attends a Worlds (which is every time) he always brings something fun and exciting. I got the chance to play against Ross in Day 2 against this unique take on Vespiquen AOR. While many people were going for the traditional route, he came up with a solution to Night March, as well as the fighting and plume shenanigans.
Other Options: A few other decks to consider are YZG, Yanmega Bees, Vespiquen Zoroark, VespiPlume, M Sceptile, or Baby Yveltal Bats. I think you start to get to too many Vespiquen AOR decks when you start looking beyond the decks I listed. Outside of that, you start to hit rogue status really fast.
Cut to 8: It feels weird to say, but if you want an era specific type feel to this, you’re probably cutting the two decks I listed in my “highlighted decks,” section. Yeah it’s cool to build the deck that won Worlds, but M Audino-EX wasn’t on anyone’s radar. I’m sure if you took the time to actually “solve” this format, it would look a lot different all together. With that being said, it would also make sense to cut Ross’s deck and SammyBox, two decks that made deep runs that came out of nowhere. Three rogue (ish) decks made Top 4 of Worlds this year, wow. Take out those three rogues and you only need to cut one more, likely Mega Manectric-EX.
2015 Worlds
Sets: Boundaries Crossed to Roaring Skies
Decks: (16) Archie Stoise, Aromatisse, Baby Yveltal Bats, Bronzong, Donphan, Klinklang, Lando Bats, Mega Manectric Garb, Metal Rayquaza, Night March, Primal Groudon-EX, Raichu Bats, Toad Bats, Toad Garb, Trevenant Gengar, Wailord-EX
Why you SHOULD build: You want to participate in one of the more underrated formats. Seriously though, I think people sleep on 2015. This may be a hot take, but if you look at the history and progression of this format, you’ll realize that there is untapped potential here. At nationals this year, Wailord-EX came out of nowhere to surprise everyone. Worlds was a different story, as everyone was prepared for it, and the meta shifted drastically. Virizion Genesect was an afterthought by the time it was all over. A lot of the Japanese Day 1 deck lists were very creative, using Pyroar FLF and Bunnelby. Plenty of cool options in a diverse meta.
Why you should NOT build: Two reasons: it gets stale quickly, and there are better VS Seeker formats. I think a lot of people also are not a fan of the Shaymin-EX impact that this format ended up having. Shaymin-EX had a bad initial taste in its mouth because of its pairing with Lysandre’s Trump Card. Thankfully, it was banned by the time this tournament and format rolled around. Even so, it just doesn’t quite stack up to other formats that are similar; at least in most people’s eyes.
Iconic Deck: Archie Stoise. While this deck was seen and playing at US Nationals this year, it took the world by storm at Worlds. Archie’s Ace in the Hole and Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick are both unique cards, and the former is on full display there.
Highlighted Deck: I played Klinklang at Worlds this year, so I have to give it a shoutout. I think it was a perfect meta call for the weekend, and when you go back to play this format, you’ll quickly see that it beats (almost) everything on the list.
Other Options: Primal Kyogre-EX and other M Manectric-EX builds are two decks that are easy to slot in for other decks you may not like. Baby Yveltal Bats should have seen more play, but didn’t, so you could probably cut that in favor or the two mentioned before. If my memory serves correctly, there’s also a neat Dylan Bryan binder drop deck out there that uses Tropius PLB, M Rayquaza, and Raichu XY in combination…
Cut to 8: There are four bats lists here, so it would make sense to probably cut one or two of those. Wailord-EX is definitely iconic, but when you look back at this format, and build your decks accordingly, it shouldn’t win any games, making it a somewhat easy cut. I think you’re also fine with cutting Klinklang, as you already have one Bronzong deck on the list. That’s four cuts right there. Aromatisse and Primal Groudon are probably the next two to be cut on the list, leaving you with 10 decks and some really hard decisions.
2014 Worlds
Sets: Next Destinies to FlashFire
Decks: (14) Aromatisse Kangaskhan, Aromatisse Plasma, Blastoise, Empire, Flygon, Lugia-EX, Pyroar, Raichu Landorus, TDK, TrevGor, TricRoar, Virizion Genesect, Yveltal-EX, Yveltal Garb
Why you SHOULD build: This is another format that has a more popular mid-season format associated with it. I’m not quite sure why. I’m sure there is someone screaming at the computer telling me why, but I don’t see it. It’s only one set off of the “States” format, and that one set is what…Flashfire? Does Lysandre really bring all the difference? If you compare this format to the States format, there aren’t a lot of decks that actually change. I think there are cool decks in both formats, so honestly, build this format if you’re a completion-ist, and switch to 2014 States if you get bored of it.
Why you should NOT build: I hate to sound like a broken record, but the 2014 States version of this format is much more popular. You’re likely going to find more content on that format, so if some of these decks pique your interest, you’d go toward the states route.
Iconic Deck: I think Aromatisse Kangaskhan might be the most iconic deck for me from this format. It was the first ever deck to use a mega Pokemon; that alone should give it praise. It is one of those wild “came out of nowhere,” decks to make a splash at Worlds then disappear.
Highlighted Deck: TricRoar. Big shoutout to Grant Manly for this simple counter deck that saw success. I’m a big fan of this deck, and it’s a lot of fun to play. Sadly, it’s only good in this format.
Other Options: You could actually bump this up to 16 or down to 12 quite easily. I think if you’re cutting to 12, you drop TrevGor and TricRoar kind of easily. If you want that even 16, you have a few fringe options, including Yveltal Dusknoir, Yveltal Raichu, Weavile Lopunny, and Landorus Toxicroak.
Cut to 8: As stated, I think TrevGor and TricRoar are your first two cuts. You could likely look at cutting one of the Plasma based decks as well. From there, you could choose between cutting one of the Aromatisse builds or one of the Yveltal builds.
2014 States
Sets: Next Destinies to XY
Decks: (16) Accelgor Trevenant, Aromatisse, Blastoise, Dragonite GarbTini, Empoleon, Greninja Kingdra, Klinklang, Ninetales Amoongus, Plasma , Raichu Garb, RayBoar , Tool Drop, Virizion Genesect, Yveltal-EX, Yveltal Garb, Zoroark
Why you SHOULD build: It’s the golden age of Black and White decks. At the start of Black and White, there were a lot of problems. The dragons of the base set, Mewtwo-EX, and Darkrai-EX, all combined with no flip catcher, proved to be a low-point in Pokemon’s history. However, as the sets were released (and Pokemon Catcher got nerfed), the format stabilized into a fairly iconic era. During this time, Plasma, Blastoise, Virizion Genesect, and Dark decks all took their turns being in the spotlight. While this format is quite similar to the BW Block, I think 2014 States is more beloved, since it include the big four, but with Dark taking advantage of Yveltal-EX, a fan favorite deck.
Why you should NOT build: You’re not a fan of Big Basics. Sure, there are other formats on this list that are more focused on big basics, and there are decks in this format that rely heavily on Stage 2s. However, the best decks are the big boppers. Empire is one of my favorite decks of all time, but good luck dealing with the early pressure of a Thundurus-EX. I think you’re skipping on this format if you think the soul of Black and White rests in the no flip Catcher.
Iconic Deck: This is a cop out answer, but it’s probably a combination of the big four I mentioned above. If I had to choose one, Yveltal might take the cake as the “returning Dark to glory,” type card and deck. Impossible to think of this format without those four decks.
Highlighted Deck: There are a few good options to pick here, from the incredibly unique Dragonite PLF deck, to Ninetales Amoongus being considered “buffed” because of the change to Pokemon Catcher. However I want to give a shoutout to Greninja Kingdra. I think Greninja XY became better with the release of FlashFire and Miltank, but this deck managed to stay relevant as a double Stage 2 deck into a format that seemed too fast for that to exist.
Other Options: I think 16 decks is actually stretching it already. This list was initially only 8 decks, but then I thought about how many cool rogues would be cut out of a format that is seeing a small bump in popularity. Wanted to just give you the full options up front with this one.
Cut to 8: This is the hardest section for me to write. But of all the formats, this one is the easiest to cut to 8 (this is the first “cut to 8” section I wrote for the article). It will pain a lot of rogue fans out there, but you can drop Dragonite GarbTini, Empoleon, Greninja Kingdra, Klinklang, Ninetales Amoonguss, Raichu Garb, Tool Drop, and Zoroark
BW Block
Sets: Black and White to Legendary Treasures
Decks: (16) Big Tex, Blastoise, Darkrai-EX, Empire , FluffyChomp, Gothgor, Gothitelle Celebi, Klinklang, Landorus Mewtwo, Lugia-EX, RayEels , Spookysect, Stunfisk Eeveelutions, TDK, Tool Drop, Virizion Genesect
Why you SHOULD build: To put it quite simply, this seems like the optimal way to build the Black and White era. A lot of the other formats that have some of the highlights of this format have little issues with them here and there: catcher flips, lacking certain decks, or having one foot in other eras. It’s easy to build, has somewhat simple gameplay, and is a format that resides in the “fully modernized,” era of Pokemon, with the major rule changes taking place at the start of Black and White. I’ve had a lot of fun just relaxing and playing this format; not taking any games too seriously.
Why you should NOT build: So many people dislike this era because of a few big reasons: big Basic dominance; the power creep from HGSS to BW was egregious, and Pokémon Catcher was just a mistake. All of these things are on full display with this format which can make it un-fun. There’s the mentality of “well there are just better formats,” which is fair, and the mentality of, “this is easily the worst era of Pokemon,” which I personally think is a little un-fair, but is still a popular opinion.
Iconic Deck: Virizion Genesect. VirGen has to have the spotlight in one of these formats, and since I used the Legacy spot on something much MUCH different, I’ll put it here. This deck with the pillar of consistency for every format it was legal for, with the list changing only slightly as sets came out. Sure, the random 2-2 partner would find its way in there, but the main portion of the list would stay the same.
Highlighted Deck: SpookySect. What does VirGen struggle with? Early energy drops and the mirror. What card fixes both of those problems? Ho-Oh-EX. It fits into the deck perfectly since you’re already playing Energy Switch and have the room to play around a little bit. It’s like Chicago mix popcorn: you don’t think it would work, but after you try it, you’ll love it.
Other Options: Hydreigon and SableGarb seem weird to not have on here, so I think you could sub one of those in. Gothitelle Celebi is a lot of fun, but probably cuttable if you prefer pre-Puzzle Sableye DEX.
Cut to 8: If you really just want the “Black and White” experience, and want to focus on the 8 most iconic decks of the era, you can cut Big Tex, Empire, Gothitelle Celebi, Lugia, Spookysect, Stunfisk Eeveelutions, Tool Drop, and your choice between Klinklang and FluffyChomp
Legacy
Sets: HeartGold SoulSilver to Legendary Treasures
Decks: (22) Archeops + Friends, Blastoise, Darkeops, Darkrai-EX, Empire, Flareon, FluffyChomp, Flygon, Ho-Oh-EX, Klinklang, LandoMewtwo, Lugia-EX, Ninetales Amoongus, RayEels, Sableye Lock, Shedinja Ninjask, TDK, Vileplume Dusknoir, Vileplume Walls, Virizion Genesect, Weavile Eggs, Zebstrika
Note: This was actually the inspiration for this article. When I build formats, I compile lists, put them in a giant checklist, and start searching for cards, knowing how many copies of each card I need. I figured that other people could also benefit from me doing this process, and bam, an article was formed.
For those not in the know, Legacy was a PTCGO exclusive format. There was likely a meeting when creating the game where someone asked the question, “what do players do if they spent money on cards and are no longer allowed to use their old HGSS cards?” Honestly, a fair question. In real life, you can use your old cards for retro. Online, once they’re rotated, they’re essentially useless, especially when you consider that expanded was Black and White on. So the HeartGold SoulSilver cards on PTCGO were essentially useless until this format was “invented,” to give them a use.
I wrote this format off because it was just another non-flip Catcher format with Junk Arm. But upon a closer look many years later, I learned that since the cards were coded the same, Pokemon Catcher received the flip nerf. As such, it was no longer a “Junk Arm for Catcher for game” type format. Lots of cool options started to pop up, and my interest piqued. I’ll finish building this format when the article gets published, and will start to adjust the lists, since it seems like a really fun and interesting format.
Why you SHOULD build: You like the Black and White era, but you don’t like Catcher. I think that is a reason that people generally gravitate toward 2014 States, so this SHOULD have a similar feel. I mean, just look at all those decks, and look at the deck lists. How does this format not get you even a little bit jazzed?
Why you should NOT build: You see through all of the noise and fog. I suppose that is the reason why you would not build this format. This format would have never existed if Pokemon Online was fine with cards being useless on the platform. We would have never thought to push these two formats together with a Catcher nerf. If you look at it through those eyes, the format becomes a lot less special, especially in the real world.
Iconic Deck: For the first time in this article, the most iconic deck is not actually in the Gauntlet (the real answer is Virizion Genesect because of Celebi Prime). I don’t know the full story, but I know enough about it to talk about Lugia LEGEND with Ho-Oh-EX. What I’ve been told is that everyone who played Legacy online at some point ran into this wild list that used Rufflet to get the Lugia LEGEND pieces and set it up with Ho-Oh EX and Shaymin. The name of the player is unknown to me (edit:4funplaying was his name) but they apparently played it for 5 years straight, winning almost all of their games. The list is absolutely wild, as you can see above. Eventually the Rufflet got patched and fixed so you couldn’t grab Lugia with it anymore, but they just kept on playing the list, only ever changing the Rufflet and Braviary PLS out. I told myself that if I like this format enough after building it and playing it, I’ll throw this last together as a treat for myself to experience the chaos.
Highlighted Deck: I actually want to highlight five decks in this format, specifically those involving Vileplue UD, Archeops NVI, and Weavile UD. There seemingly is a divide between fans of this format on whether or not those three cards should be banned. Since I have not tried it yet, I have no opinion on the matter, so I’m going to build them and test them out. It seems like it doesnt change the builds of the other formats, as all the online tournaments played with this format seemed to roll with similar lists. The Vileplume decks seem like a lot of fun to play though! Not so much fun to play against.
Other Options: Pretty much any deck that was viable during this era (for Worlds, that is) SHOULD be viable here. CMT should be good, Reshiphlosion should be fine, those sorts of things. Although that might change once I spend some time in this format.
Cut to 8: Up to this point I think I’ve done a fairly good job of giving you some really tough but understandable cuts. I have absolutely no idea what to cut here. This likely isn’t going to be the first format you build anyway. Hopefully by the time you come back to this article after playing a few other gauntlets, YOU can tell ME where I went wrong here.
2013 Worlds
Sets: Black and White to Plasma Freeze
Decks: (10) Blastoise, Darkrai-EX, Darkrai Garb, Hovertoxin, Flareon, Gothitelle Accelgor, Klinklang, RayEels, TDK, Turbo Lugia
Why you SHOULD build: It is the first format FULLY in the modern era. With the release of Black and White, there was a big overhaul to the interaction between different trainers, Poke-Powers and Bodies becoming one in the form of Abilities, and a focus on smoothing out wording and mechanics. Formats like 2011 and 2012 can be a little tricky, since you often have to explain why Junk Arm can’t grab Supporters. As such, 2013 feels like the most local way to start if you plan on only sticking to the game as we know it today. Granted, I would say that you miss out on a lot of cool decks that came before this one.
Why you should NOT build: This format is too similar to other options. I think nearly every deck on the list is represented in some other way. Plus, it feels really awkward to have a Black and White focused format with no Virizion Genesect. I think it’s a format that is simply lost to time, with many better alternatives. Not to say that this format is bad, it’s not, but look elsewhere.
Iconic Deck: Darkrai would win its second World Championships in as many years in this format. So to not take away from its spotlight in the 2012 World Championships, I will claim that the most iconic deck from this gauntlet is Gothitelle Accelgor. By the time Worlds came around, people were ready for this deck. At US Nationals, they were not. It was everywhere, forcing a giant meta shift. In today’s modern game, looking back on this gauntlet, it seems so small compared to the giants it stands next to. But at the time, this deck was no joke.
Highlighted Deck: Flareon. This is quite possibly the last true “counter box,” deck you will see if working from 2004 to now. Flareon PLF was just so neat back then. More modern takes on the deck focus solely on Flareon, with the backup attackers being, well, grass versions of Flareon in the form of Vespiquen AOR. Sure, there are other examples, but the list that is in this gauntlet just feels like the last stand for true, honest, counter box decks.
Other Options: You start to hit rogue status insanely fast after these ten. You could throw in a Big Basics deck, a Ho-Oh deck, or FluffyChomp, but again, it just starts feeling like other formats. The three decks I mentioned had decent nationals showings, so you would be justified in building them.
Cut to 8: Cut one of the Plasma based decks (either TDK or Lugia) and one of the Darkrai + Garb decks (DarkraiGarb or Hovertoxin). Both of those sets play similar to each other.
2012 Worlds
Sets: HeartGold SoulSilver to Dark Explorers
Decks: (9) Chandygor, CMT, Darkrai-EX, Darkrai Mewtwo, Darkrai Mewtwo Terrakion, Klinklang, Mewtwo Eels, Quad Entei, Quad Terrakion
Why you SHOULD build: Uhm. Well. Uhm. Hmmmm. I’m trying to think of a reason, give me a moment here…
Why you should NOT build: This is quite possibly the most despised Worlds format of all time. The release of EXs was not well received, and a lot of fingers are pointed at Mewtwo-EX. While that did (in essence) completely change slash ruin slash altar the format, Darkrai-EX also came along to snuff out any semblance of what was. Just take a look at the 2011 Cities decks below. In only two sets, comprising less than 225 cards total, the format went from having 16 viable decks, with many different builds for each, to barely 7, and that’s stretching it. I believe I’ve mentioned the thing about mid-season formats eclipsing the corresponding Worlds format based on retro players’ feelings. This is the granddaddy of them all. I would generally stay away from this format. I know there are, like, three of you out there that are going to disagree, but with all these options in this article, this is NOT a good gauntlet to start with.
Iconic Deck: Darkrai. If you notice, there are three different builds of Darkrai above. That’s how iconic the deck was. Mewtwo-EX was a terror on the format, but Darkrai was a good way to counter the Mewtwo (outside of your own Mewtwo). As such, you end up with a lot of Darkrai + Friends decks.
Highlighted Deck: Klinklang. One of the few rogue decks that came out of nowhere and saw success at Nationals that year. Super fun and cool deck that would be the blueprint for many energy moving decks for years to come, including Hydreigon and Aromatisse.
Other Options: I think I was stretching it even at 9 decks…there are TONS of rogue decks out there, but they all simply fold to Darkrai or Mewtwo. I remember playing the Banette Vileplume deck at the time; it just wasn’t very good.
Cut to 8: While you may think this gauntlet is easy to cut to 8, I actually find it hard to decide which one deck to remove. You may immediately point to one of the Darkrai decks, but I have reasons to keep each one of them. The turbo Darkrai is simply a different deck than the others, the Mewtwo version was the most popular variant, and the Terrakion NVI version won Worlds. You’re probably cutting one of those three regardless in order to keep the variety in your gauntlet.
2011 Cities
Sets: HeartGold SoulSilver to Noble Victories
Decks: (16) 6 Corners, Cake, Chandelure, Donphan Dragons, Durant, Lake, Magnezone Typhlosion, Mew VVV, Reshiphlosion, Stage 1, Strip Bare, The Truth, Thunderdome, Yanmega Mew, Zekeels, ZPST
Why you SHOULD build: It is the format that I use in my coaching to talk about recourse management, and as such, playing this format is essential to your toolbox of using retro gauntlets to improve your game play. That was one sentence, but I think it best sums up this format. This is the format RIGHT before Mewtwo-EX came in and blew everything up. In the blink of an eye, we went from an incredibly diverse meta to a very skinny meta, all because of one card. I think this is the best format to play HGSS cards, so if you’re fond of that era, this gauntlet is for you.
Why you should NOT build: It’s a Catcher+Junk Arm format. As I’ve mentioned before, these types of formats are not insanely popular. No flip Catcher created a stain on the formats it was legal in, and drives a lot of retro fans away instantly.
Iconic Deck: ZPST. This deck was a sign of things to come in the big basics era. It was the first of its kind, boasting 12 Pokemon, all Basics. While Basic-heavy decks existed and did well in the past, ZPST took the format by storm, winning a majority of the city formats at the time. It is fast, it is strong, and it excels in a best of one environment where you are simply trying to win a few games to get to top cut. Lots of decks used the dragons, none were like this.
Highlighted Deck: Mew VVV. There are a few possibilities for me to highlight here. I chose Mew VVV because of how unique the deck runs. If you were to create a list (and I just might) of the top five most unique decks of all time, Mew VVV would definitely be in that list. It uses the Lost Zone to See Off Vanilluxe for paralyze lock, and relies on Victini NVI and Vileplume UD to support the constant paralyzing in the active.
Other Options: I have a few wacky and weird ones here that I used to get to 16 in the first place. Anything past this is REALLY getting into rogue territory, as I definitely hit that with Strip Bare and Yanmega Mew here.
Cut to 8: 6 Corners, one of either Cake or Lake, Magnezone Typhlosion, Mew VVV, Stage 1 Box, Strip Bare, The Truth, and Yanmega Mew are all targets to cut down to 8. There are a lot of decks with the same sort of feel in this format, so it’s okay to aggressively cut.
2011 Worlds
Sets: HeartGold SoulSilver to Black and White
Decks: (8) Kingdra Yanmega, MagneBoar, MewBox, Magnezone Yanmega, Reshiphlosion, Stage 1 Box, The Truth, Tyranitar
Why you SHOULD build: This is another classic underdeveloped format; mainly because of the mid-season rotation that happened this year. In current times, we’ve become used to this, as we’ve seen two in recent years. Back during this era, rotation would always happen after Worlds (then switched to right before Worlds, then switched to mid-season). I think it is unique because it only uses 6 sets as its format; the smallest of any Worlds format, and second smallest on this list (only one smaller is the one below). The smaller the format, the more important deck building and meta-game calling become, helping you practice those skills.
Why you should NOT build: It gets stale very quickly. While some people view the small size of the format as a good thing, others seem to think that you start seeing too many of the same cards over and over again; and they would be right. There are only 80 unique cards in this gauntlet, which is the second-lowest on this list (lowest being 2008, but that is simply because I only have 6 decks built for that).
Iconic Deck: The Truth. Now THIS is the real reason you should build this format. I’ll say it: this is the most Iconic deck OF ALL TIME. More iconic than Night March, ZoroRoc, Mew VMAX, you name it. A deck that was built the night before the World Championships ended up making the run all the way to second place. There are many articles and stories all about this list; educate yourself. (by the way, I should really count up how many Ross lists I have here…)
Highlighted Deck: Reshiphlosion. A lot of fans of this era constantly point to this deck. If it wasn’t for The Truth, this would be the most iconic deck of this gauntlet. It’s hard when you’re up against the GOAT.
Other Options: There’s actually a lot of really cool unique rogue decks in this format. They get cut from the initial list because of lack of results. But with so many options, it’s easy to get this format up to 16 in a heartbeat. The first deck I would start expanding with is Bear Hug (Ursaring Prime).
HGSS Block
Sets: HeartGold SoulSilver to Call of Legends
| Pokemon (20)
4x Gengar (TM #94)2x Haunter (TM #35)4x Gastly (TM #63)1x Vileplume (UD #24)1x Oddish (UD #60)2x Spiritomb (TM #10)1x Mime Jr. (CL #47)1x Mr. Mime (CL #29)1x Smeargle (UD #8)1x Cleffa (HS #17)1x Jirachi (UL #1)1x Shaymin (UL #8) |
Trainers (26)
4x Pokémon Collector (HS #97)4x Twins (TM #89)4x Professor Oak’s New Theory (HS #101)4x Seeker (TM #88)4x Pokémon Communication (HS #98)4x Rare Candy (UL #82)2x Lost World (CL #81) |
Energy (14) |
Decks: (8) Lost World, Lanturn Feraligatr, Leafeon, Machamp Donphan, Meganium, RDL Typhlosion, Vileplume Yanmega, Yanmega Magnezone
Why you SHOULD build: So this format is only one set off of 2011 Worlds, but that set is significant. Zekrom BW, Reshiram BW, and Professor Juniper change the dynamic of play so much that it’s worth talking about this format. The thing is, this format didn’t actually ever exist in the real world. Rotation happened with the release of Black and White, so we don’t know how this small 5 set gauntlet would have looked in real time. Neither do I, since I stole all 8 of these lists from elsewhere. I think you should try this format if you like 2011 Worlds, but want to play with mainly the rogue decks instead of the dragon heavy lists. There’s a lot of opportunity for innovation here.
Why you should NOT build: Two reasons. One is for the same reason as 2011 Worlds; it has the high chance to get stale quickly with the lack of variety in trainer cards. The other reason is lack of resources and discourse out there about this format. For me, building a gauntlet was all copy and paste from one source, not being able to compare lists from across many different sources. It is very much not a good “baby’s first,” format, but one that you can start exploring eventually.
Iconic Deck: Lost World. While you could play this deck in a few other formats, it possibly only works in this collection of sets. Lost World is known for being the biggest flop of all time, being incredibly hyped up and failing to live up to any sort of success. Maybe in this gauntlet, it can shine. Even though Lost World did not come out until Call of Legends, it’s still a very well known card, giving the only other win condition ever, outside of the three conventional means.
Highlighted Deck: Unfortunately, I know very little about this format, and can’t highlight any cool decks. If you know more about this format, I’d love to be educated!
Other Options: There are probably a few, let me know what you come up with! This format is here due to obligation at this point; but it’s not bad enough to warrant not including it.
“Pre-Rotation” (MD-CL)
Sets: Majestic Dawn to Call of Legends
Decks: (10) DialgaChomp , Gyarados, LuxChomp, Machamp Lumineon, MagneRock, MewPerior, Regigigas LV.X, Sablelock, Turtwig GL, Vilegar
Note: During all of my research, this format was BY FAR the most divisive on if people actually enjoyed this format. I had one person claim it was their most favorite format of all time, and one person say that it kind of zapped the room of energy when they played it. The worst part is: I’ve never actually played this format myself since I was still not in the competitive scene at this point. Just keep that in mind as you read this format.
Why you SHOULD build: When asking the person who said they loved this format, the best thing about this format was that it feels like 2010, but does not have the pieces for Gardevoir, or the Claydol engine. It makes a lot of sense on why that would be appealing: up to this point, Gardevoir was such a dominant force in determining what decks were actually played. Pair that with the necessity to get out Claydol GE in almost every deck in 2010, and you’ve suddenly created a format that “fixes” itself. The HeartGold SoulSilver block adds a few things to the mix, but besides from Double Colorless Energy, there’s not a lot of completely meta shifting cards. Lots of die hard fans of this format.
Why you should NOT build: Now when talking to the person who hates this format, they claimed it was pretty much dominated by Vileplume UD. I can understand someone not liking a format because of item lock (good thing my version of this gauntlet isn’t heavy on that). They also paired that sentiment with one about a “triangle format,” and how the match ups seem insanely polarizing. It’s never fun to have a format where you feel like you lose before you start. If you’re in this camp, then 2010 might just be better.
Iconic Deck: Dialga Chomp. This deck seems to always have an answer for anything. Since there is no Claydol GE, Garchomp LV.X is able to prioritize other targets, since your attacks were usually spent on taking out opposing Claydol. Dialga LV.X is also a built-in way to deal with Vileplume UD decks, seeing as how some people think that’s a problem with this format.
Highlighted Deck: Turtwig GL. I mean, just go take a look at this card. There have been many different instances of people trying to use this card, but this is the format where you can actually play it as a viable card.
Other Options: There’s actually this really cool Prize mill deck that uses Palkia and Dialga LEGEND to mill your opponent by putting cards into their Prizes. The card itself exists in other formats, but it is probably best used in this format.
Cut to 8: Could probably drop Turtwig and MewPerior as some of the more “out there,” type decks. They’re both viable in this format, but the other 8 seem more meta defining.
2010 Worlds
Sets: Diamond and Pearl to Unleashed
Decks: (15) Ampharos Abomasnow, Arceus, Cursegar, DialgaChomp, Donphan, Flyterra, Gardevoir, Gyarados, Healix, Jumpluff, Kingdra, LuxChomp, Regigigas LV.X, Sablelock, Tyranitar
Why you SHOULD build: In many circles, this is considered the gold standard for retro format building. Almost anyone you talk to will have at least a few 2010 decks built. The amount of in game decision making in these decks is staggering. Because of that, no two games are the same, and there’s no cookie cutter way to play a deck (like there is in today’s modern game). It’s the closest thing we will ever have to “true skill,” whatever that means. If you want your first retro gauntlet to be from the pre-modern slash BW era, I would easily suggest this one.
Why you should NOT build: Because of the popularity of this format, the staples can get expensive quickly. No, it’s not as expensive as completing a full gauntlet of RSPK or anything, but since every card used in this format is at least a few dollars, it adds up quickly. If you’re find with using proxies, there should be absolutely nothing holding you back from building at least a few decks of this format.
Iconic Deck: LuxChomp. Easiest answer of my life. People don’t often talk about mirror matches being “fun.” That is because they are often not. However, LuxChomp mirrors are something you just have to experience. They were (and probably still are) considered the ultimate test of Pokemon skill, with the better player winning more often because of talent, rather than luck.
Highlighted Deck: So many to chose from. Considering the time I am writing this article, I’m going to say the Arceus deck. Reason being? Well, do any of you post-covid players miss playing Regigigas? This deck was the original deck that focused on having multiple colors of Pokemon out. While it wasn’t very good, it was still a lot of fun.
Other Options: The only reason this gauntlet is 15 decks is because, well, that’s what I personally have. And yes, it DOES bother me that it’s not 16. I personally want to build a second LuxChomp so I can play the most famous mirror of all time, but there are too many options to count that I could include.
Cut to 8: Ampharos Abomasnow, Arceus, Healix, Tyranitar, and Kingdra are the first cuts that come to mind when looking to trim down. Good luck finding three more. Although looking back, if you don’t like control things, you could drop Sablelock and Flyterra as well. That would leave you with just one hard decision, but I’m already angry since some of my favorite decks would have already been cut.
DP Block
Sets: Diamond and Pearl to Arceus
Decks: (16) Ampharos Abomasnow, AMU, Beedrill, Blaziken Luxray, Dialgachomp, Dusknoir, Flygon, Gardevoir Gallade, Gengar, Gliscor, Gyarados, Kingdra, Luxchomp, Machamp, Palkia Lock, Regigigas LV.X
Why you SHOULD build: You dislike Double Colorless Energy. There are quite a few decks in this format that get pushed out because of DCE. It’s really hard to talk about this format in a vacuum knowing that 2010 exists. The big thing this gauntlet has going for it is the decks that do in fact get pushed out by DCE are pretty iconic in their own right. For example, AMU was a popular deck at the time that doesn’t quite fit into 2009, and is not the first deck anyone builds in 2010.
Why you should NOT build: Honestly, I think this block lacks a little bit of identity. You don’t hear many people talking about it or building it. They often opt for the more popular 2010. It falls into a similar category that HGSS block does: not often talked about, has MUCH better alternatives, and only exists for the obligatory “block format,” shoutout.
Iconic Deck: I know I touched on it earlier, but AMU might actually be the face of this overlooked format. Not only does it not show up in any other format, but thematically it kind of fits.
Highlighted Deck: Ampharos Abomasnow. Okay, so I fully understand why this deck was both played, and why people think it’s good. Personally, every time I’ve ever played it in any format, I’ve absolutely despised it. I personally have never won a game playing it, and I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed anyone winning a game with it. It’s not my least favorite deck of all time, but every time I see it anywhere, I start questioning it.
Other Options: As with many block formats, any deck that is viable in other similar formats is likely viable here.
Cut to 8: I think your 9 deck gauntlet looks like AMU, Beedrill, DialgaChomp, Flygon, Gardevoir Gallade, Gengar, Gyarados, LuxChomp, and Regigigas. Cut one from there and you have your smaller gauntlet!
2009 Worlds
Sets: Diamond and Pearl to Rising Rivals
Decks: (10) DPL, Flygon Machamp, Flygon Weavile, Gengar, Gyarados, LuxApe, LuxDrill, Palkia Lock, SP Toolbox, Stallgon
Why you SHOULD build: Similarly to the DP Block write up, this format lacks Double Colorless Energy, making it feel a ton different than 2010 Worlds. A lot of the Diamond and Pearl formats can be compared to 2010 since many consider it the gold standard of retro gauntlets. The only black mark that 2010 Worlds ever gets is the debate surrounding Double Colorless Energy. Besides from that debate, 2009 still holds the heavy skill expression that a lot of this block has, especially surrounding Power Spray use. There are a fair amount of retro builders that swear that 2009 is actually just better than 2010, and everyone is just sheep.
Why you should NOT build: Honestly, not to sound repetitive, but this format is just not as popular as 2010. That usually shouldn’t be a reason you don’t build a format, but if this is your first go at a retro gauntlet, just stick with the king of all formats.
Iconic Deck: Stallgon. Recently, 2009 just got added to one of the largest Pokemon simulators online. There is a growing popularity of this format, and a lot of people are pointing to Stallgon being the BDIF. I think you could argue that DPL is actually the most iconic deck, but seeing as how Flygon was everywhere at Worlds, it feels weird not to include it here.
Highlighted Deck: LuxDrill. There have been many decks to make a big surprise at Worlds; many of them highlighted in this article. It serves as one of the better counter decks to Flygon RR, so if you go back and build this gauntlet, play those match ups. They’re super fun.
Other Options: Kingdra, AMU, Flygon Gardevoir, and Magnezone are all decks seeing more play online these days. I don’t know if they’re high enough on the list to make them an instant inclusion, but you could consider them if you end up liking this format.
Cut to 8: I think cutting one of the Flygon variants is probably the first thing to do when dropping to 8 lists. SP Toolbox and LuxApe are definitely different decks, but for the sake of deck variety, you could probably also cut one of those.
2008 Worlds
Sets: Holon Phantoms to Majestic Dawn
Decks: (6) Absol Glaceon, Ampharos Bronzong, Blissey, Eeveelutions, Empoleon Bronzong, Gardevoir Gallade
Why you SHOULD build: As the smallest gauntlet on my list, it’s fairly easy to build, especially if you proxy it. This specific gauntlet feels like one that you tack on to an already existing collection of decks. Personally, I know I’ll be adding it in once I run dry on other formats.
Even year formats are notable because of the pattern of rotations. Skipping every other year for formats will leave you with very little overlap, and diversify your collection of old decks. Seeing as how 2006 and 2010 are the best retro gauntlets to build, it only makes sense to have a few 2008’s built.
Why you should NOT build: Gardevoir Gallade. There are a few formats out there that have a “big bad,” of the format that leaves little room for innovation. During the era, if you had a cute idea, you would probably hear the phrase, “yeah, but how do you beat Gardevoir Gallade?” There were very few answers to this question. That SHOULD make it the prime candidate for a gauntlet, since there would only be one Gardevoir Gallade deck in there. However because of the times, good lists are hard to come by.
Iconic Deck: Gardevoir Gallade. A few times in the history of the Pokemon TCG, we’ve had a few decks that dominated not only in game play, but in overall meta share. This is one of those times. I’ve already mentioned it above, but it is the face of this format through and through.
Highlighted Deck: Empoleon Bronzong. While Gardevoir SW was taking the spotlight, Empoleon DP had the distinction of being one of the only decks that actually could beat Gardevoir somewhat consistently. These are the two decks that are absolute must-builds. Honestly, if you wanted to build just these two decks, you’re probably historically accurate and can say you have a full gauntlet completed.
Other Options: Banette with Blissey is another deck to add; I didn’t since I already had the dedicated Blissey list in the gauntlet. Dusknoir is another option, with multiple builds making their rounds online. Garchomp, Magmortar, and Ho-oh also add some spice to this format. Plenty of options for going up to 8 decks.
2007 Worlds
Sets: Deoxys to Diamond and Pearl
Decks: (14) Absolutions, Ambush, Banette ex, Destiny, Electivire Dragonite, Empoleon , Flariados, Flygon ex, R-Gon, Infernape Delcatty, Lucario Eevees, Scizor ex, Scythe, Shiftry ex
Why you SHOULD build: This format can sometimes feel like “ex era with power firepower.” A lot of the decks that dominated the format are gone by this point and are replaced by the Delta Species all stars. It’s the only time that early Diamond and Pearl cards really shine as well, since 2008 starts being dominated by a few specific decks. If you are a fan of the Holon Transceiver engine, only two decks in this gauntlet are without it. Plus, it has some of the coolest deck names out there. Deck diversity is front and center here. Sure, I only picked 14 decks, but there are a ton of options if you end up exploring this format further.
Why you should NOT build: It’s another format that sort of falls victim to “the ones next door are just better.” While 2008 is not without its problems, it’s still more defined than this format. 2006 is always going to beat out the ones next to it, so it’s hard to compare this to that. There are a lot of purists out there that say that DP taints the legacy of the ex era; evidenced by the fact that there are a ton of decks here revolving around just the one set.
Iconic Deck: Absolutions. This deck exists in RSPK, but it’s best in the 2007 format. Well, maybe not “best,” but it won Worlds, and took another of the top 8 spots in masters. It’s a super fun deck with a lot of options. Honestly just writing these two sentences makes me want to go home and play a game of Absolutions…
Highlighted Deck: Ambush. Oh you like spread decks? Oh you like decks that can target Benched Pokemon? Oh you like when there are very little answers to this strategy? Ambush is quite simply one of your best options for this playstyle.
Other Options: There are quite a bit of options that combine the highlight stage 1s from some of these decks with others. Stuff like Banette ex with Vaporeon ex, Delcatty ex with Electabuzz DF, and others with Lucario DP, Exeggutor HP, Scizor ex.
Cut to 8: While Empoleon and Ambush both revolve around Empoleon DP, they’re different decks. You could probably convince someone that you would drop one of them for the sake of deck diversity. Same argument for both Eevee based decks. After a few more cuts, you’re likely left with a list of 8 that looks like this: Absolutions, Ambush, Banette, Destiny, Flygon, R-Gon, Infernape Delcatty, Scizor ex
Retro ex (RSPK)
Sets: Ruby & Sapphire to Power Keepers
| Pokemon (10) | Trainers (35)
4x Castaway (CG #72)4x Mary’s Request (UF #86)4x Rocket’s Admin. (RR #86)2x Pokemon Fan Club (POP4 #9)1x Scott (EM #84)4x Energy Removal 2 (RS #80)4x Pow! Hand Extension (RR #85)4x Super Scoop Up (RG #99)3x Cessation Crystal (CG #74)1x Balloon Berry (DR #82)2x Cursed Stone (LM #72)2x Crystal Beach (CG #75) |
Energy (15) |
Decks: (18) Absolutions, Banette ex, BombTar, Camler, Dragonite ex Delta, Dragtrode, Flygon, Imprison, LBS, Meganium, Metanite , Queendom, RaiEggs, Rat Lock, Rayler, Sceptile, Scrambled Eggs, Yokohama Destiny
Why you SHOULD build: While 2010 might be baby’s first retro format, RSPK is the format when you’re knee deep in old format decks, want to build your own lists, and think to yourself, “yeah, I didn’t need that extra money anyway.” It is for when you graduate from other formats. The amount of viable decks is staggering, and the difference between the best and worst decks is very slim. RSPK fans are simply a different breed, and are constantly looking for the next way to break the format. The community is very active, and will boldly scream that it’s a better format than any other in existence. People that play this format usually stop here and go no further. You have been warned.
Why you should NOT build: If you like building a gauntlet (again, I’m assuming this isn’t your first gauntlet experience), and you like keeping that gauntlet just the way it is, than this isn’t the format for you. It is constantly changing, with people STILL discovering that this format is not solved yet. My RSPK gauntlet that I built in 2018 was rendered completely useless by the time the pandemic was over. As such, I switched it to a 2016 gauntlet to keep everything as is.
Note: There is SO MUCH MORE to be said about this format. Please keep in mind that the intent of this article is to guide new players that want to get into building gauntlets on where to start and where to go next. If you’re building this format after experiencing a few past formats on your own, you don’t need my help, trust me.
Iconic Deck: While there are many options to pick from, in my mind, there is no one single deck that encapsulates the format, but rather, one card. And that is Stantler (sorry Raticate fans). While I would say that Rayquaza ex DF is a close second, the annoying control nature of Stantler has been rising in popularity over the past few years. Rayler and Camler have become the front runners in using the card, but it is only a matter of time until another deck pairs something with it.
Other Options: While there are an insane amount of other options here, I’ve been told by good sources that Cradily is the next local deck to include here, possibly replacing Absolutions or Meganium.
Cut to 8: There are about 0 people out there that have RSPK built that ONLY have 8 decks built. No need to cut, or have to choose. Like I said, if you’re at this point, you’re already lost to the gauntlet building gods.
2006 Worlds
Sets: Hidden Legends to Holon Phantoms
Decks: (18) Arcanine ex, BombTar, DragTrode, Eeveelutions, Flariados, Kingdra, LBS, LudiCargo, Lunarock, Machamp, Medicham ex, Metanite, Mewtric, Mew Lock, Nidoqueen, Politoed ex, RaiEggs, Rock Lock
Why you SHOULD build: While 2010 may be the best retro format for lots of fans, 2006 is right on its heels to claim that title. It has a lot of the similar vibes to RSPK, but isn’t as fast moving or creative. The lack of Cessation Crystal, Windstorm, and Rayquaza ex make this format a lot better for new players still looking at getting the taste of the lowercase ex era. Also similar to RSPK is the gap between top and bottom; it’s not really there. That makes for almost every game to be close and skill based. To sum it up in one word, this is just a solid format.
Why you should NOT build: I think the only reason you wouldn’t build this format is that you don’t like slow, drawn out games. If you want to build a format for quick games with your buddies that don’t require a lot of thinking, then this format just isn’t for you. While there are other, slower formats yet to come, this is really where the line gets drawn on the speed of modern vs the methodical mindset of older gauntlets.
Iconic Deck: Lots of options here, but I’ll go with LBS. The deck just feels like it should belong as the poster child for a format. It highlights a cool Stage 2, a solid Stage 1, and an explosive Basic in its package. It shows the full range of what the Holon’s Pokemon are capable of, and mixes some of the staple Supporters with the Holon’s package.
Other Options: Lot of solid options out there, but seeing as I already have 18 on the list, you’re already dipping into some more rogue territory. I’m not missing many major decks, but there are some fun ones out there in the form of Meganium, Scrambled Eggs, and Gengar.
Cut to 8: Again, cutting over half these decks just feels wrong. There are some more “out there” decks here like Kingdra, Mew Lock, and Politoed that feel like they can be cut right away, and some other decks that primarily exist in other formats. I think the only “locks,” would be DragTrode, Metanite, LBS, and Mewtric. Everyone’s top 8 in this format is going to be different.
2005 Worlds
Sets: Ruby and Sapphire to Emerald
Decks: (12) Blastoise ex, Blaziken, Dark Steelix , Dark Tyranitar, Four Corners, Ludicargo, Medicham ex, Nidoqueen, PowTar, Rock Lock, Sharpedo ex, ZRE
Why you SHOULD build: I don’t think this should be your first format ever, but you’re probably building this format if you dislike the Holon engine. There is somewhat of an argument to be made that formats with Holon Mentor relies too much on that card to get going. While I tend to disagree, there are people with that mentality. This is still a format where Dunsparce is in nearly every deck, so you’re relying on that card more than Mentor.
Why you should NOT build: 2006 is simply just the better format. While 2004 has its own identity by being the only gauntlet here with cards from the Expedition, Skyridge, and Aquapolis sets, 2005 just seems like 2006 with less fun.
Iconic Deck: Nidoqueen (or Queendom). While there are other, more complex decks, Queendom is as straightforward as it gets. And hey, it works, seeing as it won Worlds this year.
Highlighted Deck: PowTar (or BombTar). I feel like at this point, you know what is coming. It’s a Ross deck. Arguably this deck sees more love in the 2006 or RSPK formats, but it was 2005 in which Ross took this deck to a second place finish. You’re going to have this deck built in at least one gauntlet.
Other Options: Dark Slowking, DragTrode, Delcatty, Moltres Zapdos, Metagross; all viable options here. Many more out there as well.
Cut to 8: There are 3 Dark Tyranitar TR 19 decks here, so you could probably cut one of those. Blastoise is a cool deck, but at times seems out of place here. The last two cuts are probably Four Corners and Sharpedo, although both are really cool decks.
2004 Worlds
Sets: Expedition to Hidden Legends
Decks: (14) Aqua, Blaziken, Crobat Gorebyss, Exploud, Gardevoir , Jumpluff, Lanturn Gorebyss, Team Magma’s Groudon, MLB, Sceptile Muk, Shiftry, Swampert, Wailord ex, Walrein
Why you SHOULD build: Currently, this is the format that the retro community seems to be focusing on; which is a good thing if you’re looking at engaging in an active community. There is more skill expression involved with this format than meets the eye. I tried this format many years ago, and the games seemed slow, but looking upon the innovations that have taken place since then, I want to give it another go; and so should you! I’m likely going to wait for a lot of the dust to settle on what the top tier decks are, but it seems like the community is going to really try and break this format.
Why you should NOT build: At the end of the day, when you have a format that is insanely reliant on evolving almost all your Pokemon, setup is going to be the only thing that really matters. It feels bad when your opponent hits that turn one Dunpsarce SS and you don’t. This was still in the days where the Pokemon game was still trying to find its identity and play with the rules a little bit. 
As such, there aren’t a lot of good engine options out there, and the draw and search power feels somewhat poor. Games are much much slower, which for a lot of modern players is a huge turn off.
Iconic Deck: Team Magma’s Groudon. Is there anything more iconic than the deck that won the first World Championships of the Nintendo era? I think not. While there are a few people who will argue over which build is the best, none will argue that this deck is the poster child for this format; which is odd considering how it probably should just be Gorebyss HL…
Highlighted Deck: Lanturn Gorebyss. This deck is pretty much the OG Stage 1 Rush deck that would get copied over and over again as the years rolled on. Gorebyss HL is probably the most important card in this format, as evidenced by the fact that there are so many Gorebyss archetypes in this gauntlet. Lanturn HL allows for high damage Mystic Water attacks, making it the perfect pairing.
Other Options: Because of how this format seems to be evolving in the modern era, there are going to be more and more new options that render a gauntlet “outdated.” Because of this, I would just stick to the lists I gave, and be prepared to change out a few cards here and there. You’ll be best to get the hang of this gauntlet as it’s presented
Wizards of the Coast Era
If you read everything to this point, thank you! I spent a lot of time on this; it means a lot that you have given me your time! I want to talk about the WoTC era really fast before I close out.
If you scrolled down here looking for the best Base-Fossil lists, or Rocket-on lists, or wanted to get some questions answered about what the heck a prop 15-3 is, then I’m sorry, today is not the time for that. The two reasons I’m not taking the time to do a write up on these are because of how the game was played itself, and how hard it is to find good lists.
All of us reading this article have seen what a Wizards of the Coast card looks like. I’m not quite sure that the people creating the cards back then really knew what sort of monster they were creating. As such, the game play just feels like a completely different game. Coin flips dominated a lot of the Pokemon, Trainer cards were straight up unhinged, and toxic, un-fun play styles were the name of the game.
Because the game was played during the infancy of the internet, the only really quality lists that we can find are buried on random message boards, or modernized by people bored of other retro formats. There are lists for the ever popular Base-Fossil that are really good, but little for other formats.
Logically, formats these days are broken up into Worlds formats and block formats. Since there was no modernized standard for how events were run back then (there were, but the key word is modernized) there’s no logical stopping points. Rocket-on was the first rotation format, so people often point to that as being a solid format to start with.
All in all, I’m sorry to let you down if you were looking for the pre 2004 era of Pokemon. Maybe I’ll do some more research and get back to you in a few years.
Conclusion
If you are a first time builder of retro gauntlets, I hope you have some more answers about what you would like to build! Feel free to reach out if you have ANY questions about what your next old format move is! If you are a veteran of the scene, please let me know what mistakes I made, I’m sure I did. Your comments on this article will help future people out as well!
And to all, I hope it was entertaining! And remember, you don’t have to worry about the “right” or “wrong” way to play Pokemon. All that matters is that you are playing the game and growing the community! Thank you.
-Alex
Fun Facts
Oh yeah, I suppose I’m not done yet! Here is some of the totals for all for the gauntlets listed:
(note: all of these fun facts are assuming the more sane version of SUMLOT with only 16 decks)
- Total Decks: 450
- Total Gauntlets: 33
- Most common Basic Energy card: Fire with 497 copies
- Deck with the most unique cards 37 cards with RSPK’s Rat Lock
- Deck with the least unique cards 15 cards with HGSS’s Machamp Donphan
- Most of any card in any gauntlet: 79 Junk Arms in Legacy (If you also take out Legacy with 22 decks along with SUM-LOT full, the actual answer would be 65 Rocket’s Admins in RSPK)
- Most of any card in all of these gauntlets combined: Ultra Ball with 714 copies