Hey fellow Beachbums!
Alright let me just start by saying: this decklist is NOT for the faint of heart.
If you do not want to try something kind of crazy, take some chances, and get off the beaten path, this deck is NOT for you.
If you do want to question the meta – if you don’t want to play the typical cut and paste Greninja list – if you want to take a chance on something that almost everyone will simply dismiss without any consideration – if you’re looking to try something that NO ONE ELSE has tried, then this is the deck list for you.
This is very similar to my Skinny Greninja list, but I did make some significant changes that most people will simply laugh at and brush off without any consideration. However, as you can see, this deck is very respectable:
But that doesn’t even tell the whole story: I’m actually 27-5 when I don’t start Froakie… but more on that later.
The insanely controversial decklist:
##Pokémon - 17
* 4 Talonflame STS 96
* 3 Greninja BREAK BKP 41
* 1 Froakie PR-XY XY138
* 1 Froakie BKP 38
* 4 Frogadier BKP 39
* 4 Greninja BKP 40
##Trainer Cards - 31
* 4 Bursting Balloon BKP 97
* 1 Rough Seas PRC 137
* 1 Eco Arm AOR 71
* 1 Town Map BKT 150
* 4 Dive Ball PRC 125
* 1 Pokémon Ranger STS 113
* 1 Wally ROS 107
* 4 Skyla BKP 122
* 1 Super Rod BKT 149
* 1 Team Flare Grunt XY 129
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 4 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 1 Lysandre FLF 104
* 1 Fisherman BKT 136
* 1 Ace Trainer AOR 69
* 1 Faded Town AOR 73
* 1 Silent Lab PRC 140
* 1 Enhanced Hammer PHF 94
##Energy - 12
* 8 Water Energy Energy 3
* 4 Splash Energy BKP 113
Yes what you’re seeing there is right – only a single Ace Trainer and a single Sycamore. This is NOT your typical decklist. I drew the inspiration for this from a Gallade Garchomp deck I ran in the previous rotation. I had 4 Skyla and 4 Korrina and that was pretty much all I needed. The deck was based not on a philosophy of getting draw support cards and blasting through as much of your deck as possible. Rather, it was very precision focused – get the exact cards you need exactly when you need them, and you’ll be just fine. And this Greninja deck works just the same.
But you’ll need a little more explanation before you try this. There is definitely a road map that you need to follow. It begins with going second and not first. I always go second – that way I can ensure that Talonflame will be able to use Aero Blitz turn one, and I’ll be able to get the pieces that I need to use Water Duplicates on turn 2. I know this goes against the universal law that you always want to go first – and with most every other deck I do – but again, this deck is the exception to the rule in many ways.
The plan significantly hinges on getting a turn 2 water dupes, and I can pull that off every time… as long as my opponent doesn’t N me. Yes, this deck is EXTREMELY vulnerable to being N’d. In most of my losses, I frequently have “N’s are killing me” in my notes. However, as long as your opponent does not N you turn 2, you can almost always use Aero Blitz to get the pieces you need (Froakie and Wally or Frogadier and Energy or some similar combination) to get off a turn 2 water duplicates.
This is where Skyla frequently comes in handy. If I have sycamore or Ace Trainer in hand turn 1 or turn 2, I can’t use them. I might throw away pieces I need for a turn 2 water dupes or (even worse) bring Frogadiers into my hand when I need them in my deck. Skyla is great for going to get a Bursting Balloon or stadium or a dive ball or even a Sycamore or Ace Trainer to use in turn 3. This is an essential part of the strategy behind the deck – you have to make good choices ahead of time – you have to anticipate what you’ll need during the next turn. It’s a bit tricky, but if you make the right choices, you’ll have a ton of success.
After turn 2 water duplicates, I frequently retreat Frogadier (preferably Greninja – hopefully I was able to grab a dive ball on a previous turn with Skyla or an Aero Blitz and can take advantage of Greninja’s free retreat), and then use Aero Blitz again. Here is where I frequently grab a dive ball and either a sycamore or an ace trainer. A lot of times Froakie gets KO’d on my opponent’s turn 3, so Ace Trainer is extremely valuable, I played it 21 times in 42 matches, and I’m always thinking about grabbing it if I’m behind.
Beyond that, it plays very similarly to every other Greninja deck. That’s just the consistent strategy that I use for this deck in the early rounds. I will say that Bursting Balloons are a HUGE part of my overall strategy. I played 65 Bursting Balloons in 42 matches (I tracked every card I played in all of these 42 matches). The only card I played more of was water energy (96 water energies in 42 matches). Also, I used Splash energy a lot as well. I played Splash Energy cards 61 times in the 42 matches, the third most commonly played card in my deck. I played splash energy so much that I actually didn’t have to use Super Rod very much. I only played Super Rod 6 times in the 42 matches. Splash energy is extremely valuable.
I definitely like carrying 8 water energy. I never ran out of energy (the most I ever used was 7). It was the most common card I used, 96 times in 42 matches. I know 12 energy total is a lot, but this deck needs a lot of both the splash and basic energy.
A quick note about stadiums, I played Rough Seas twice as often as I played Silent Lab and Faded Town (Rough seas 14 times, Silent Lab 8 Faded Town 8). Both those stadiums have a place in the deck, but they are not as valuable as Rough Seas. Also, I would hold your stadiums as long as you can. Most decks use sycamore, and that means that excess stadiums frequently are discarded by your opponent. If you can hold your stadiums until mid or late game, they have a good chance of sticking. That happened a couple of times with Mega matches and was completely devastating to my opponent.
So in 92 matches that I’ve played with only 2 Froakie, I have prized both Froakie only twice. However, the disparity between matches that I play where I start TF and when I don’t has led me to an even more reckless realization… what if I ran only one Froakie?
So I made a few other adjustments to the list, besides cutting it down to only 1 Froakie. Here is the list I plan to try now, using just a single Froakie:
##Pokémon - 16
* 4 Talonflame STS 96
* 3 Greninja BREAK BKP 41
* 1 Froakie PR-XY XY138
* 4 Frogadier BKP 39
* 4 Greninja BKP 40
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Bursting Balloon BKP 97
* 2 Rough Seas PRC 137
* 1 Town Map BKT 150
* 4 Dive Ball PRC 125
* 1 Wally ROS 107
* 4 Skyla BKP 122
* 1 Super Rod BKT 149
* 2 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 4 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 2 Lysandre FLF 104
* 2 Ace Trainer AOR 69
* 1 Faded Town AOR 73
* 1 Silent Lab PRC 140
* 1 Enhanced Hammer PHF 94
* 1 Professor's Letter BKT 146
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
##Energy - 12
* 8 Water Energy Energy 3
* 4 Splash Energy BKP 113
Total Cards – 60
I was 3 and 7 in matches when I started Froakie. One of those wins was a mirror match where my opponent also started Froakie. In another win, I had Wally and an energy in hand and was able to pull off the rare but dominant turn 1 water duplicates. I’m probably going to lose anyway if I start Froakie, why not minimize the possibility of starting him? I am aware though with only 5 starting pokemon that I’m going to hemorrhage cards from mulliganing early. I already mulligan a lot, and I’m sure that will only worsen with the removal of the second Froakie.
I just never used the Ranger. I also only used Fisherman twice. I added the Prof Letter because there were a few times that I needed an energy and had no way to grab it even though I had Skyla in hand. I also added another Ace Trainer and another Sycamore because my most common complaint (besides starting Froakie) in the games I lost was that I wasn’t able to get out enough cards fast enough.
I don’t know if this is going to work or not, but I’m going to give it a shot. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
“Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in’.” – Ronald Reagan.
“The Status Quo sucks.” – George Carlin.
Alright let me just start by saying: this decklist is NOT for the faint of heart.
If you do not want to try something kind of crazy, take some chances, and get off the beaten path, this deck is NOT for you.
If you do want to question the meta – if you don’t want to play the typical cut and paste Greninja list – if you want to take a chance on something that almost everyone will simply dismiss without any consideration – if you’re looking to try something that NO ONE ELSE has tried, then this is the deck list for you.
This is very similar to my Skinny Greninja list, but I did make some significant changes that most people will simply laugh at and brush off without any consideration. However, as you can see, this deck is very respectable:
But that doesn’t even tell the whole story: I’m actually 27-5 when I don’t start Froakie… but more on that later.
The insanely controversial decklist:
##Pokémon - 17
* 4 Talonflame STS 96
* 3 Greninja BREAK BKP 41
* 1 Froakie PR-XY XY138
* 1 Froakie BKP 38
* 4 Frogadier BKP 39
* 4 Greninja BKP 40
##Trainer Cards - 31
* 4 Bursting Balloon BKP 97
* 1 Rough Seas PRC 137
* 1 Eco Arm AOR 71
* 1 Town Map BKT 150
* 4 Dive Ball PRC 125
* 1 Pokémon Ranger STS 113
* 1 Wally ROS 107
* 4 Skyla BKP 122
* 1 Super Rod BKT 149
* 1 Team Flare Grunt XY 129
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 4 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 1 Lysandre FLF 104
* 1 Fisherman BKT 136
* 1 Ace Trainer AOR 69
* 1 Faded Town AOR 73
* 1 Silent Lab PRC 140
* 1 Enhanced Hammer PHF 94
##Energy - 12
* 8 Water Energy Energy 3
* 4 Splash Energy BKP 113
Yes what you’re seeing there is right – only a single Ace Trainer and a single Sycamore. This is NOT your typical decklist. I drew the inspiration for this from a Gallade Garchomp deck I ran in the previous rotation. I had 4 Skyla and 4 Korrina and that was pretty much all I needed. The deck was based not on a philosophy of getting draw support cards and blasting through as much of your deck as possible. Rather, it was very precision focused – get the exact cards you need exactly when you need them, and you’ll be just fine. And this Greninja deck works just the same.
But you’ll need a little more explanation before you try this. There is definitely a road map that you need to follow. It begins with going second and not first. I always go second – that way I can ensure that Talonflame will be able to use Aero Blitz turn one, and I’ll be able to get the pieces that I need to use Water Duplicates on turn 2. I know this goes against the universal law that you always want to go first – and with most every other deck I do – but again, this deck is the exception to the rule in many ways.
The plan significantly hinges on getting a turn 2 water dupes, and I can pull that off every time… as long as my opponent doesn’t N me. Yes, this deck is EXTREMELY vulnerable to being N’d. In most of my losses, I frequently have “N’s are killing me” in my notes. However, as long as your opponent does not N you turn 2, you can almost always use Aero Blitz to get the pieces you need (Froakie and Wally or Frogadier and Energy or some similar combination) to get off a turn 2 water duplicates.
This is where Skyla frequently comes in handy. If I have sycamore or Ace Trainer in hand turn 1 or turn 2, I can’t use them. I might throw away pieces I need for a turn 2 water dupes or (even worse) bring Frogadiers into my hand when I need them in my deck. Skyla is great for going to get a Bursting Balloon or stadium or a dive ball or even a Sycamore or Ace Trainer to use in turn 3. This is an essential part of the strategy behind the deck – you have to make good choices ahead of time – you have to anticipate what you’ll need during the next turn. It’s a bit tricky, but if you make the right choices, you’ll have a ton of success.
After turn 2 water duplicates, I frequently retreat Frogadier (preferably Greninja – hopefully I was able to grab a dive ball on a previous turn with Skyla or an Aero Blitz and can take advantage of Greninja’s free retreat), and then use Aero Blitz again. Here is where I frequently grab a dive ball and either a sycamore or an ace trainer. A lot of times Froakie gets KO’d on my opponent’s turn 3, so Ace Trainer is extremely valuable, I played it 21 times in 42 matches, and I’m always thinking about grabbing it if I’m behind.
Beyond that, it plays very similarly to every other Greninja deck. That’s just the consistent strategy that I use for this deck in the early rounds. I will say that Bursting Balloons are a HUGE part of my overall strategy. I played 65 Bursting Balloons in 42 matches (I tracked every card I played in all of these 42 matches). The only card I played more of was water energy (96 water energies in 42 matches). Also, I used Splash energy a lot as well. I played Splash Energy cards 61 times in the 42 matches, the third most commonly played card in my deck. I played splash energy so much that I actually didn’t have to use Super Rod very much. I only played Super Rod 6 times in the 42 matches. Splash energy is extremely valuable.
I definitely like carrying 8 water energy. I never ran out of energy (the most I ever used was 7). It was the most common card I used, 96 times in 42 matches. I know 12 energy total is a lot, but this deck needs a lot of both the splash and basic energy.
A quick note about stadiums, I played Rough Seas twice as often as I played Silent Lab and Faded Town (Rough seas 14 times, Silent Lab 8 Faded Town 8). Both those stadiums have a place in the deck, but they are not as valuable as Rough Seas. Also, I would hold your stadiums as long as you can. Most decks use sycamore, and that means that excess stadiums frequently are discarded by your opponent. If you can hold your stadiums until mid or late game, they have a good chance of sticking. That happened a couple of times with Mega matches and was completely devastating to my opponent.
So in 92 matches that I’ve played with only 2 Froakie, I have prized both Froakie only twice. However, the disparity between matches that I play where I start TF and when I don’t has led me to an even more reckless realization… what if I ran only one Froakie?
So I made a few other adjustments to the list, besides cutting it down to only 1 Froakie. Here is the list I plan to try now, using just a single Froakie:
##Pokémon - 16
* 4 Talonflame STS 96
* 3 Greninja BREAK BKP 41
* 1 Froakie PR-XY XY138
* 4 Frogadier BKP 39
* 4 Greninja BKP 40
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Bursting Balloon BKP 97
* 2 Rough Seas PRC 137
* 1 Town Map BKT 150
* 4 Dive Ball PRC 125
* 1 Wally ROS 107
* 4 Skyla BKP 122
* 1 Super Rod BKT 149
* 2 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 4 VS Seeker ROS 110
* 2 Lysandre FLF 104
* 2 Ace Trainer AOR 69
* 1 Faded Town AOR 73
* 1 Silent Lab PRC 140
* 1 Enhanced Hammer PHF 94
* 1 Professor's Letter BKT 146
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
##Energy - 12
* 8 Water Energy Energy 3
* 4 Splash Energy BKP 113
Total Cards – 60
I was 3 and 7 in matches when I started Froakie. One of those wins was a mirror match where my opponent also started Froakie. In another win, I had Wally and an energy in hand and was able to pull off the rare but dominant turn 1 water duplicates. I’m probably going to lose anyway if I start Froakie, why not minimize the possibility of starting him? I am aware though with only 5 starting pokemon that I’m going to hemorrhage cards from mulliganing early. I already mulligan a lot, and I’m sure that will only worsen with the removal of the second Froakie.
I just never used the Ranger. I also only used Fisherman twice. I added the Prof Letter because there were a few times that I needed an energy and had no way to grab it even though I had Skyla in hand. I also added another Ace Trainer and another Sycamore because my most common complaint (besides starting Froakie) in the games I lost was that I wasn’t able to get out enough cards fast enough.
I don’t know if this is going to work or not, but I’m going to give it a shot. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
“Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in’.” – Ronald Reagan.
“The Status Quo sucks.” – George Carlin.