Standard Florges EX / Vivillion / Slurpuff

[kalandine]

Deck 3

I have decades of experience with collectible card games including at least 30 different games, but very little with Pokémon. My son showed interest and has started playing the game and we are focused on standard.

I want him to learn aspects of card games and have built 5 decks to showcase different aspects of card games. I have quickly found, however, that Pokémon approaches certain aspects of game play differently. I want him to understand card advantage (draw vs. delving vs. tutoring), game rhythm, and sacrifice. The decks I put together are below and some have been constrained in their build paradigms by requests (preference for water and now Kyogre, wanting a Fire/Electric deck, etc.).

If there are any aspects of game management or deck building theories that I haven't capture, please recommend them. If there are cards that would help a deck, please suggest them. Note that I build decks by purchasing singles, so opportunities to include any cards more costly than $5 are unlikely (i.e., no Shaymin EX).

Finally, card decisions have mostly been made based on level of play. For instance, while I understand that Processor Sycamore is typically better than Tierno, beginning players often have trouble discarding a good card in hand to play Sycamore. Tierno is the less skill intensive card and thus it is my current choice most of the time. Please keep this in consideration when making recommendations.

Thanks for your input and help. I will reply to this thread with one post for each of the five current decks we are using.

Pokemon (24)

• 4 Scatterbug
• 4 Spewpa
• 3 Vivillon
• 4 Florges EX
• 4 Swirlix
• 3 Slurpuff (Tasting)
• 1 Slurpuff (Sweet Veil)
• 1 Venusaur EX

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums (19)

• 4 Tierno
• 3 Professor's Letter
• 3 Trevor
• 4 Wally
• 4 Sky Field
• 1 Teammates

Energy (17)

• 6 Grass Energy
• 4 Fairy Energy
• 1 Metal Energy
• 1 Darkness Energy
• 1 Fighting Energy
• 1 Fire Energy
• 1 Lightning Energy
• 1 Psychic Energy
• 1 Water Energy

Strategy:

This deck is really fun. While the Kyogre builds up through a focus on the one Pokémon, this deck builds up huge attacks from either Vivillon or Florges EX through building up the bench (either to directly benefit Florges or to get out Slurpuff to give the cards needed to build up Vivillon).

 

[Mr. Wiskers]

For a bench benefiter deck type, looking into rayquaza EX and mega Rayquaza EX and saymin EX for acceleration, I know that you will see the direct symbiotic relationship between the two, also the trainer card mega turbo and double colorless energy can lead to at most 240 damage on turn 1.

And again, I would modify your supporter line with greater draw support. (if you have read my other replies you will understand)

 

[LightningCloud224]

Deck 3

I have decades of experience with collectible card games including at least 30 different games, but very little with Pokémon. My son showed interest and has started playing the game and we are focused on standard.

I want him to learn aspects of card games and have built 5 decks to showcase different aspects of card games. I have quickly found, however, that Pokémon approaches certain aspects of game play differently. I want him to understand card advantage (draw vs. delving vs. tutoring), game rhythm, and sacrifice. The decks I put together are below and some have been constrained in their build paradigms by requests (preference for water and now Kyogre, wanting a Fire/Electric deck, etc.).

If there are any aspects of game management or deck building theories that I haven't capture, please recommend them. If there are cards that would help a deck, please suggest them. Note that I build decks by purchasing singles, so opportunities to include any cards more costly than $5 are unlikely (i.e., no Shaymin EX).

Finally, card decisions have mostly been made based on level of play. For instance, while I understand that Processor Sycamore is typically better than Tierno, beginning players often have trouble discarding a good card in hand to play Sycamore. Tierno is the less skill intensive card and thus it is my current choice most of the time. Please keep this in consideration when making recommendations.

Thanks for your input and help. I will reply to this thread with one post for each of the five current decks we are using.

Pokemon (24)

• 4 Scatterbug
• 4 Spewpa
• 3 Vivillon
• 4 Florges EX
• 4 Swirlix
• 3 Slurpuff (Tasting)
• 1 Slurpuff (Sweet Veil)
• 1 Venusaur EX

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums (19)

• 4 Tierno
• 3 Professor's Letter
• 3 Trevor
• 4 Wally
• 4 Sky Field
• 1 Teammates

Energy (17)

• 6 Grass Energy
• 4 Fairy Energy
• 1 Metal Energy
• 1 Darkness Energy
• 1 Fighting Energy
• 1 Fire Energy
• 1 Lightning Energy
• 1 Psychic Energy
• 1 Water Energy

Strategy:

This deck is really fun. While the Kyogre builds up through a focus on the one Pokémon, this deck builds up huge attacks from either Vivillon or Florges EX through building up the bench (either to directly benefit Florges or to get out Slurpuff to give the cards needed to build up Vivillon).

I love the idea of this fun deck with Florges-EX and Vivillon. Evosoda or level ball might be nice for evolution or bench acceleration.
Even if we are talking about beginner play, I think it would be valuable to have recycling cards. There is no way to get anything back from the discard pile in this deck. Skyfield is a card that inevitably gets replaced by the opponent without ninetails and you lose pokemon. Energies go to the discard pile from knockouts, removals and retreats. Supporters get used up. Cards in the deck can run out. These are the affordable cards I can think of in standard that might help out:
- Energy Recycler (recycles 5 basic energies back to deck)
- Sacred Ash (recycles 5 pokemon back to deck)
- Super Rod (recycles any 3 of basic energies or pokemon back to deck)
- Energy Retrieval (retrieves two energies to hand)
- Pal Pad (recycles supporters into deck)
- Shauna (draw support, refills the deck using the hand)
- Revive / Max Revive (retrieves a basic pokemon to the bench or any pokemon to the top of the deck)
- EXP Share (tool that saves energies)

I don't have any specific suggestions on what exactly to add or remove, you could perhaps reduce the trevor or skyfield count. I am just providing ideas to promote creativity.