Hey guys! This is my article on Scizor/Umbreon.
This is the deck I have played ever since I had started TCG, and I love playing with it because it is so fun. It is a rogue deck that can't really keep up with the meta right now, but has gotten me close to top-cutting before, which is something I personally can be proud of. The locking is fun and annoys my opponents sometimes, which can be enjoyable in certin situations. So why build the deck? 3 reasons:
1) It is fun
2) It is fast
3) It is awesome and annoying at the same time!
I love playing Scizor. It is what got me into the TCG after reading an article about it, and has continued to prove its success in certain matchups. Umbreon can make people crazy, and Scizor is intimidating by itself. Since I don't have the money to build anything else right now, this is what I am stuck with. But guess what? It's my favorite part of the TCG for me, and it could be for you too if you really wanted to try this. So here's a Scizor player who has lots of experience playing it, and can give some advice if you need it.
Okay, so you guys know Scizor Prime, right? Let me give you a little info on it if you don't:
So, first, its Body. Red Armor is definitely the best part about this card. Special Energies, like DCE, Rainbow, Special Metal, Special Dark, and Rescue, can't touch this guy when it is attached. It's attack, Metal Scissors, is great too. 30 plus 20 for each Metal Energy attached to it is nice, too. Two metal energies and you can be hitting for 70! Fire isn't too common, so the weakness isn't that bad. It could have a little more HP, and a 2 retreat cost hurts a bit. But overall, it is great!
Next, let's review Umbreon:
The 90 HP is nice, and 1 retreat is okay. It's most helpful attack is Moonlight Fang, which for 30 damage will protect it from any Pokemon that has Poke-powers or Poke-bodies. This works as a great staller against most Pokemon in the format. If you are desperate, you can always use Quick Blow, but Moonlight Fang is usually what it is used for. Fighting weakness really hurts, because of Machamp SF and others.
Necessary things for this deck:
Special Metal Energy: Special Metal Energy helps in this deck a lot, especially with Scizor. Since Scizor doesn't have a lot of HP, it will need a lot of defense. You will most definitely need 4 of these.
Special Dark Energy; This card is mostly helpful for Umbreon. Moonlight Fang can hit for even more and snag surprise prizes. It is really useful in this deck. 2 or 3 is good in this deck.
Jirachi RR; This can be a good starter after rotation, assuming it is RR-on. For no energy, you can use 2 Supporters in one turn. It's Pokepower can't be locked or Sprayed, and can set-up Umbreon to stall or Scizor to tank. It's free retreat and +20 weakness is good, too. 3 of these is plenty(if you don't use Sableye).
Sableye SF; This is a very good card to set-up, and Impersonate is an awesome move, as is Overconfident, which can donk. And no weakness makes it that much better. 3 of these is plenty(if you don't use Jirachi).
Skarmory UD; This card is another okay starter for this deck. It does cost an energy to attack, but you can power up Scizors on the bench. If you don't use the other starters, 3 of these is good.
Expert Belt; Because of Scizor's low HP, Expert belt is necessary to hit for more and keep its HP higher. You can hit with 2 Metal Energy for 90 damage! It is great to use in a tanking deck. 2 or 3 is needed.
Bebe's Search; This is a staple in every deck and is needed for fast set-up. You can choose any card from your hand and then search your deck for ANY Pokemon. You can use 3 or 4 of these.
Pokemon Collector; This is another staple needed in almost every deck. Searching your deck for up to 3 Basic Pokemon can help set-up, recover from a bad start, and prevent a donk. Too bad Roseanne's Research was rotated, but now we have Collector, which is just as good. You should have at least 2 of these in the deck.
Palmer's Contribution: This card is a great source of recovery for any deck and can be used to recover a line of Scizor and some energy or an Umbreon line and some energy. 1 of these is enough in this deck.
Conductive Quarry; This is another source of recovery in Scizor, and can get those Metal Energies you lost right back to your hand. 2 of these is good in this deck.
Luxury Ball; This card is great. Without any requirements, it allows you to search your deck for a Pokemon and put it into your hand! Because it is a Trainer, it also won't ruin your Supporter for the turn. If you read the card, you can't play it if another Luxury Ball is in your discard pile, so only one should be used.
Professor Oak's New Theory; A good source of hand refresh in this deck. Drawing a new 6 cards will likely mean you could get what you need. 1 or 2 of these is fine(dependgin if you run Copycat).
Uxie LA; This is another staple in most decks, and is one of the few sources of drawpower in this game right now. Drawing up to 7 means you could draw from 1 to 7 cards! Cool! and it's attack isn't half-bad, either. 2 of these in a deck is fine.
Lucian's Assignment; This is a nice card to have in this deck. Since Scizor is tanking, it likely means if it is Knocked Out, it will be difficult to win. This means you can transfer the energy to a Scizor on the bench and switch it out. Then you have another Scizor ready to go! 2 or 3 of these in a deck is fine.
Seeker: This is a nice card to have in this deck as well. Picking up a Benched Pokemon could mean picking up a damaged Scizor, a Pixie, or someone else. 2 or 3 in this deck is fine.
Warp Point; This card is important in this deck. Switching out means everything, especially because of Scizor's high retreat cost. You will need 2 in this deck.
Rescue Energy; Rescue Energy is helpful because Scizor will be Knocked Out at least once, and Rescue is nice to set it back up again. 1 of these in enough.
Warp Energy; This is helpful to switch out Scizor. It can be used in the place of Warp Point, and if needed, for Metal Scissors early on. 1 of these is enough.
Broken Time-Space; This card, used in most decks, is helpful to combo with Seeker. Just Seeker a damaged Scizor or Umbreon, and lay it back down with BTS! 2 of these is enough.
Techs:
Shaymin UL; This card is as helpful as Lucian's Assignment. You will often have bench space for it, and it's Pokepower can end games, shocking your opponent. 1 of these is fine.
Azelf LA; This card helps out early game an can grab a Prized Scizor, Scyther, Umbreon, or other. 1 of these is enough.
Junk Arm;This isn't the best card for this deck, but it can help in the Lostgar match-up. 1 would be enough.
Unown Q; This is one of the best techs in the format right now, and helps out so much to retreat Pokemon. 1 of these is enough.
Uxie LV.X; One of the best cards in the format right now, and the best source of drawpower, Uxie X is the card to have. Trade Off is its best part, and allows you to look at the top 2 cards of your deck, choose one of them, and put it into your hand(the other goes on the bottom. 1 retreat is nice, and combos with Unown Q. 1 of these is good in a deck.
Umbreon MD; Against Machamp and other bad matchups for Umbreon, Umbreon MD works good to free retreat Umbreon and a lot of other things. 1 of these is enough.
Pokemon Communication; This card is a Bebe's Search that you can use as many times as you want. Since you have to put a Pokemon on top, it may not be good for beginning the game. 1 is enough.
Decklist:
3-3 Scizor Prime
3-2/1 Umbreon UD/Umbreon MD
3 Sableye SF
2-1 Uxie LV.X
1 Azelf LA
1 Shaymin UL
1 Unown Q
Total Pokemon: 21
3 Pokemon Collector
3 Bebe's Search
1 Palmer's Contribution
2 Seeker
2 Conductive Quarry
2 Broken Time-Space
1 Luxury Ball
2 Warp Point
2 Professor Oak's New Theory
3 Expert Belt
2 Lucian's Assignment
1 Pokemon Communication
Total T/S/S: 24
6 Basic Metal Energy
4 Special Metal Energy
1 Special Darkness Energy
1 Basic Darkness Energy
1 Rescue Energy
1 Warp Energy
Total Energy: 15
Strategy: Tank and hit harrd with Scizor Prime. Umbreon UD is used to stall, while Umbreon MD makes it better. Uxie ad Uxie X are used for drawpower, and Azelf is for early prize searching. Shaymin UL and Lucian's Assignment is for energy trans, and Unown Q is to retreat Uxie X. Sableye SF is the starter, and Condutive Quarry recovers, as does Palmer's. Warp Energy and Warp Point are used to switch. Expert Belt makes Scizor even stronger, and PONT refreshes. The rest are staples.
Matchups:
SP: 40/60
Though they shouldn't play DCE when Scizor is out, they can still snipe around it. Most players tech in BFBX against Scizor, so it hurts. They could also tech in DGX to wipe out its Body, and Promocroak can be used agaist Scizor.
Trainer Lock: 50/50
These games can go either way. The Trainer Lock doesn't hurt me much, but if Fainting Spell works a few times, it could hurt me more than help Knocking them out.
Machamp/Donphan: 50/50
Scizor can usually deal with Machamp, and Umbreon walls Machamp Prime and Donphan. The game could go either way, but it is usually in my favor.
Edit: The match-up could go either way. I think the player who has the better starting hand can usually get the win(even so, Donphan won't be as good without BTS if it is rotated).
Steelix: 70/30
Steelix usually needs DCE and Special Metal, so Scizor can deal with it. Umbreon can wall Steelix and Blissey too, so NBD.
This is the deck I have played ever since I had started TCG, and I love playing with it because it is so fun. It is a rogue deck that can't really keep up with the meta right now, but has gotten me close to top-cutting before, which is something I personally can be proud of. The locking is fun and annoys my opponents sometimes, which can be enjoyable in certin situations. So why build the deck? 3 reasons:
1) It is fun
2) It is fast
3) It is awesome and annoying at the same time!
I love playing Scizor. It is what got me into the TCG after reading an article about it, and has continued to prove its success in certain matchups. Umbreon can make people crazy, and Scizor is intimidating by itself. Since I don't have the money to build anything else right now, this is what I am stuck with. But guess what? It's my favorite part of the TCG for me, and it could be for you too if you really wanted to try this. So here's a Scizor player who has lots of experience playing it, and can give some advice if you need it.
Okay, so you guys know Scizor Prime, right? Let me give you a little info on it if you don't:
So, first, its Body. Red Armor is definitely the best part about this card. Special Energies, like DCE, Rainbow, Special Metal, Special Dark, and Rescue, can't touch this guy when it is attached. It's attack, Metal Scissors, is great too. 30 plus 20 for each Metal Energy attached to it is nice, too. Two metal energies and you can be hitting for 70! Fire isn't too common, so the weakness isn't that bad. It could have a little more HP, and a 2 retreat cost hurts a bit. But overall, it is great!
Next, let's review Umbreon:
The 90 HP is nice, and 1 retreat is okay. It's most helpful attack is Moonlight Fang, which for 30 damage will protect it from any Pokemon that has Poke-powers or Poke-bodies. This works as a great staller against most Pokemon in the format. If you are desperate, you can always use Quick Blow, but Moonlight Fang is usually what it is used for. Fighting weakness really hurts, because of Machamp SF and others.
Necessary things for this deck:
Special Metal Energy: Special Metal Energy helps in this deck a lot, especially with Scizor. Since Scizor doesn't have a lot of HP, it will need a lot of defense. You will most definitely need 4 of these.
Special Dark Energy; This card is mostly helpful for Umbreon. Moonlight Fang can hit for even more and snag surprise prizes. It is really useful in this deck. 2 or 3 is good in this deck.
Jirachi RR; This can be a good starter after rotation, assuming it is RR-on. For no energy, you can use 2 Supporters in one turn. It's Pokepower can't be locked or Sprayed, and can set-up Umbreon to stall or Scizor to tank. It's free retreat and +20 weakness is good, too. 3 of these is plenty(if you don't use Sableye).
Sableye SF; This is a very good card to set-up, and Impersonate is an awesome move, as is Overconfident, which can donk. And no weakness makes it that much better. 3 of these is plenty(if you don't use Jirachi).
Skarmory UD; This card is another okay starter for this deck. It does cost an energy to attack, but you can power up Scizors on the bench. If you don't use the other starters, 3 of these is good.
Expert Belt; Because of Scizor's low HP, Expert belt is necessary to hit for more and keep its HP higher. You can hit with 2 Metal Energy for 90 damage! It is great to use in a tanking deck. 2 or 3 is needed.
Bebe's Search; This is a staple in every deck and is needed for fast set-up. You can choose any card from your hand and then search your deck for ANY Pokemon. You can use 3 or 4 of these.
Pokemon Collector; This is another staple needed in almost every deck. Searching your deck for up to 3 Basic Pokemon can help set-up, recover from a bad start, and prevent a donk. Too bad Roseanne's Research was rotated, but now we have Collector, which is just as good. You should have at least 2 of these in the deck.
Palmer's Contribution: This card is a great source of recovery for any deck and can be used to recover a line of Scizor and some energy or an Umbreon line and some energy. 1 of these is enough in this deck.
Conductive Quarry; This is another source of recovery in Scizor, and can get those Metal Energies you lost right back to your hand. 2 of these is good in this deck.
Luxury Ball; This card is great. Without any requirements, it allows you to search your deck for a Pokemon and put it into your hand! Because it is a Trainer, it also won't ruin your Supporter for the turn. If you read the card, you can't play it if another Luxury Ball is in your discard pile, so only one should be used.
Professor Oak's New Theory; A good source of hand refresh in this deck. Drawing a new 6 cards will likely mean you could get what you need. 1 or 2 of these is fine(dependgin if you run Copycat).
Uxie LA; This is another staple in most decks, and is one of the few sources of drawpower in this game right now. Drawing up to 7 means you could draw from 1 to 7 cards! Cool! and it's attack isn't half-bad, either. 2 of these in a deck is fine.
Lucian's Assignment; This is a nice card to have in this deck. Since Scizor is tanking, it likely means if it is Knocked Out, it will be difficult to win. This means you can transfer the energy to a Scizor on the bench and switch it out. Then you have another Scizor ready to go! 2 or 3 of these in a deck is fine.
Seeker: This is a nice card to have in this deck as well. Picking up a Benched Pokemon could mean picking up a damaged Scizor, a Pixie, or someone else. 2 or 3 in this deck is fine.
Warp Point; This card is important in this deck. Switching out means everything, especially because of Scizor's high retreat cost. You will need 2 in this deck.
Rescue Energy; Rescue Energy is helpful because Scizor will be Knocked Out at least once, and Rescue is nice to set it back up again. 1 of these in enough.
Warp Energy; This is helpful to switch out Scizor. It can be used in the place of Warp Point, and if needed, for Metal Scissors early on. 1 of these is enough.
Broken Time-Space; This card, used in most decks, is helpful to combo with Seeker. Just Seeker a damaged Scizor or Umbreon, and lay it back down with BTS! 2 of these is enough.
Techs:
Shaymin UL; This card is as helpful as Lucian's Assignment. You will often have bench space for it, and it's Pokepower can end games, shocking your opponent. 1 of these is fine.
Azelf LA; This card helps out early game an can grab a Prized Scizor, Scyther, Umbreon, or other. 1 of these is enough.
Junk Arm;This isn't the best card for this deck, but it can help in the Lostgar match-up. 1 would be enough.
Unown Q; This is one of the best techs in the format right now, and helps out so much to retreat Pokemon. 1 of these is enough.
Uxie LV.X; One of the best cards in the format right now, and the best source of drawpower, Uxie X is the card to have. Trade Off is its best part, and allows you to look at the top 2 cards of your deck, choose one of them, and put it into your hand(the other goes on the bottom. 1 retreat is nice, and combos with Unown Q. 1 of these is good in a deck.
Umbreon MD; Against Machamp and other bad matchups for Umbreon, Umbreon MD works good to free retreat Umbreon and a lot of other things. 1 of these is enough.
Pokemon Communication; This card is a Bebe's Search that you can use as many times as you want. Since you have to put a Pokemon on top, it may not be good for beginning the game. 1 is enough.
Decklist:
3-3 Scizor Prime
3-2/1 Umbreon UD/Umbreon MD
3 Sableye SF
2-1 Uxie LV.X
1 Azelf LA
1 Shaymin UL
1 Unown Q
Total Pokemon: 21
3 Pokemon Collector
3 Bebe's Search
1 Palmer's Contribution
2 Seeker
2 Conductive Quarry
2 Broken Time-Space
1 Luxury Ball
2 Warp Point
2 Professor Oak's New Theory
3 Expert Belt
2 Lucian's Assignment
1 Pokemon Communication
Total T/S/S: 24
6 Basic Metal Energy
4 Special Metal Energy
1 Special Darkness Energy
1 Basic Darkness Energy
1 Rescue Energy
1 Warp Energy
Total Energy: 15
Strategy: Tank and hit harrd with Scizor Prime. Umbreon UD is used to stall, while Umbreon MD makes it better. Uxie ad Uxie X are used for drawpower, and Azelf is for early prize searching. Shaymin UL and Lucian's Assignment is for energy trans, and Unown Q is to retreat Uxie X. Sableye SF is the starter, and Condutive Quarry recovers, as does Palmer's. Warp Energy and Warp Point are used to switch. Expert Belt makes Scizor even stronger, and PONT refreshes. The rest are staples.
Matchups:
SP: 40/60
Though they shouldn't play DCE when Scizor is out, they can still snipe around it. Most players tech in BFBX against Scizor, so it hurts. They could also tech in DGX to wipe out its Body, and Promocroak can be used agaist Scizor.
Trainer Lock: 50/50
These games can go either way. The Trainer Lock doesn't hurt me much, but if Fainting Spell works a few times, it could hurt me more than help Knocking them out.
Machamp/Donphan: 50/50
Scizor can usually deal with Machamp, and Umbreon walls Machamp Prime and Donphan. The game could go either way, but it is usually in my favor.
Edit: The match-up could go either way. I think the player who has the better starting hand can usually get the win(even so, Donphan won't be as good without BTS if it is rotated).
Steelix: 70/30
Steelix usually needs DCE and Special Metal, so Scizor can deal with it. Umbreon can wall Steelix and Blissey too, so NBD.
