It's been awhile since I've posted a deck list or tournament report so I thought I'd do both. I played at a local League Challenge today where I went 3-1. Even with a good record, I missed Top 4 because of resistance, but I'm still happy with my performance and how the deck ran. First I will discuss the list and why I chose to play it.
Last night, I was settled on bringing the Lucario-GX/Lycanroc-GX/Zoroark-GX deck I've been playing for a couple weeks now, but after running into a Talonflame/Gardevoir-GX deck online, I was intrigued. I remembered seeing a similar list on LimitlessTCG's site not too long ago, but never played it myself. After seeing how effective it could be first-hand, I decided to test it.
The deck runs similar to the Gardevoir-GX/Sylveon-GX variant. You want to start with Talonflame and Aero Blitz as many turns as possible to get multiple Gardevoir-GX on the field. From there, you simply overwhelm your opponent by how fast you're able to accelerate Energy and take big knock outs. Talonflame is superior to Sylveon-GX in a number of ways:
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 16
* 4 Talonflame STS 96
* 4 Ralts BUS 91
* 2 Kirlia BUS 92
* 3 Gardevoir-GX BUS 93
* 1 Gallade BKT 84
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 2 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Escape Rope BUS 114
* 2 Choice Band GRI 121
* 1 Super Rod NVI 95
* 1 Professor's Letter BKT 146
* 4 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 1 Skyla BCR 149
* 3 Cynthia UPR 148
* 3 Guzma BUS 143
* 1 Brigette BKT 161
* 1 Energy Retrieval SLG 59
* 1 Parallel City BKT 145
* 2 Field Blower GRI 125
* 2 N NVI 92
* 2 Max Potion GRI 128
* 4 Rare Candy SUM 129
##Energy - 12
* 1 Super Boost Energy {*} UPR 136
* 4 Double Colorless Energy SLG 69
* 7 Fairy Energy 9
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
Round 1: Gardevoir-GX (0-1)
I was paired against my brother for the first round and he was playing a more traditional Gardevoir-GX deck with Octillery and two Gallade. I did not start with Talonflame and besides getting one Gardevoir-GX out, which did threaten him for a turn or two, I struggle to get anything going after he knocks it out and proceeds to dominate me with his Gardevoir-GX. I couldn't be too mad though because if I'm going to lose to someone I would prefer to lose to him.
Round 2: Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX (1-1)
I fail to start with Talonflame again. My opponent appeared to miss the cards he needed early-game which allowed me to get two Gardevoir-GX and a Gallade on my bench. I kept getting awkward draws as the game progressed though, which made me sweat a bit, but his deck never really had an answer to my two Gardevoir-GX. He made a couple misplays that I was able to capitalize on and I won the match.
Round 3: Zoroark-GX/Lucario-GX (2-1)
I was finally able to start with Talonflame and this was by far my most dominating match. My opponent wasn't able to knock out my Talonflame which allowed me to use Aero Blitz after Aero Blitz to set up all three of my Gardevoir-GX and Gallade. I was able to use Premonition to make sure I was top decking cards I needed and my opponent could do nothing to slow my momentum.
Round 4: Rotom/Zoroark-GX (3-1)
This was an intense match. Rotom can get scary, especially the water-type Rotom, because it punishes decks that load their field with Energy. I was able to start with Talonflame again and it took my opponent several turns to get 9 Tools in their discard. By the time his deck got going, I only needed to take two more Prize cards. What kept him in the game was N. He played four in his deck and used three of them late-game against me. Fortunately, I had created a significant enough lead early-game which allowed me to dead draw a couple turns and ultimately win the game.
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Overall, I was very happy with how the deck ran. It's very reliant on Talonflame, which can be a weakness, but when you do start with Talonflame it's very easy to set up quickly and overpower your opponent. I do believe I can make some changes to the deck to make it better. I never used Escape Rope, even when I tested the deck before the tournament. I think Super Boost Energy is flexible, too. I like the instant power it provides when you do get to use it, but it is situational. I was thinking of adding Pal Pad since this deck doesn't use Zoroark-GX or Octillery for draw support so being able to shuffle two draw Supporters back into your deck late-game sounds solid. But what do you all think? Any suggestions? I do recommend giving the deck a try if you're looking for something a little different! Thanks for reading.
Last night, I was settled on bringing the Lucario-GX/Lycanroc-GX/Zoroark-GX deck I've been playing for a couple weeks now, but after running into a Talonflame/Gardevoir-GX deck online, I was intrigued. I remembered seeing a similar list on LimitlessTCG's site not too long ago, but never played it myself. After seeing how effective it could be first-hand, I decided to test it.
The deck runs similar to the Gardevoir-GX/Sylveon-GX variant. You want to start with Talonflame and Aero Blitz as many turns as possible to get multiple Gardevoir-GX on the field. From there, you simply overwhelm your opponent by how fast you're able to accelerate Energy and take big knock outs. Talonflame is superior to Sylveon-GX in a number of ways:
- It's a 130 HP non-GX Pokémon that's resistant to Fighting which is incredibly relevant in today's format. Even with a Strong Energy, Lucario-GX's Aura Strike doesn't OHKO Talonflame.
- Aero Blitz lets you grab two cards from your deck compared to Sylveon-GX's three, but it also does 40 damage (70 with a Choice Band). This is incredibly helpful against Pokèmon with higher HP so you don't have to load as many Energy on a single Gardevoir-GX. I'm sure there are a lot of numbers I could run to show just how helpful the chip damage is, but you get the idea.
- Free retreat. Nothing more needs to be explained here.
- Instant Stage 2. Super Boost Energy requires three Stage 2 Pokémon on the field to be fully utilized.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 16
* 4 Talonflame STS 96
* 4 Ralts BUS 91
* 2 Kirlia BUS 92
* 3 Gardevoir-GX BUS 93
* 1 Gallade BKT 84
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 2 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Escape Rope BUS 114
* 2 Choice Band GRI 121
* 1 Super Rod NVI 95
* 1 Professor's Letter BKT 146
* 4 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 1 Skyla BCR 149
* 3 Cynthia UPR 148
* 3 Guzma BUS 143
* 1 Brigette BKT 161
* 1 Energy Retrieval SLG 59
* 1 Parallel City BKT 145
* 2 Field Blower GRI 125
* 2 N NVI 92
* 2 Max Potion GRI 128
* 4 Rare Candy SUM 129
##Energy - 12
* 1 Super Boost Energy {*} UPR 136
* 4 Double Colorless Energy SLG 69
* 7 Fairy Energy 9
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
Round 1: Gardevoir-GX (0-1)
I was paired against my brother for the first round and he was playing a more traditional Gardevoir-GX deck with Octillery and two Gallade. I did not start with Talonflame and besides getting one Gardevoir-GX out, which did threaten him for a turn or two, I struggle to get anything going after he knocks it out and proceeds to dominate me with his Gardevoir-GX. I couldn't be too mad though because if I'm going to lose to someone I would prefer to lose to him.
Round 2: Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX (1-1)
I fail to start with Talonflame again. My opponent appeared to miss the cards he needed early-game which allowed me to get two Gardevoir-GX and a Gallade on my bench. I kept getting awkward draws as the game progressed though, which made me sweat a bit, but his deck never really had an answer to my two Gardevoir-GX. He made a couple misplays that I was able to capitalize on and I won the match.
Round 3: Zoroark-GX/Lucario-GX (2-1)
I was finally able to start with Talonflame and this was by far my most dominating match. My opponent wasn't able to knock out my Talonflame which allowed me to use Aero Blitz after Aero Blitz to set up all three of my Gardevoir-GX and Gallade. I was able to use Premonition to make sure I was top decking cards I needed and my opponent could do nothing to slow my momentum.
Round 4: Rotom/Zoroark-GX (3-1)
This was an intense match. Rotom can get scary, especially the water-type Rotom, because it punishes decks that load their field with Energy. I was able to start with Talonflame again and it took my opponent several turns to get 9 Tools in their discard. By the time his deck got going, I only needed to take two more Prize cards. What kept him in the game was N. He played four in his deck and used three of them late-game against me. Fortunately, I had created a significant enough lead early-game which allowed me to dead draw a couple turns and ultimately win the game.
__________________________________________________________________________
Overall, I was very happy with how the deck ran. It's very reliant on Talonflame, which can be a weakness, but when you do start with Talonflame it's very easy to set up quickly and overpower your opponent. I do believe I can make some changes to the deck to make it better. I never used Escape Rope, even when I tested the deck before the tournament. I think Super Boost Energy is flexible, too. I like the instant power it provides when you do get to use it, but it is situational. I was thinking of adding Pal Pad since this deck doesn't use Zoroark-GX or Octillery for draw support so being able to shuffle two draw Supporters back into your deck late-game sounds solid. But what do you all think? Any suggestions? I do recommend giving the deck a try if you're looking for something a little different! Thanks for reading.
