Hey there guys, I'm going to do an extremely detailed discussion of a deck that's been taking the Battle roads by storm after being considered a joke before it's release date, and it just so happens to include my favorite Pokemon. Here come's a deck discussion of the most surprising deck of the Autumn Battle Roads, Ho-oh EX.
The main strategy of the deck is to get your Ho-oh's and a variety of Basic energies into the Discard pile to make use of Ho-oh's Rebirth ability, which let's you flip a coin and if heads, allows you to attach up to 3 different basic energies to it and place it on your bench, which let's Ho-oh literally rise from it's own ashes, so to speak. (Hence the name I've given to the deck)
There are a total of 9 different Basic energies in this deck, which makes use of the key supporters and item cards that discard, as well as the other attackers of the deck, which have colorless attack requirements. There will be a discussion of most of the card choices, so if you guys are more of a tl;dr type of crowd, feel free to skip the fine print and give your input of what should be added or taken away taken away. Without further delay, let's get my own spin of this deck.
Pokemon:
3 Ho-oh EX
2 Mewtwo EX
3 Tornadus EX
2 Terrakion
Now, I know what the majority of you are thinking: "Opponent drops Sigilyph, gg"
This actually hasn't been the case in my play testing. Very rarely will I come across more than 1 of those dreaded creatures, and the key items that I run give me easy access to Terrakion to get rid of it, which is in here for no other reason than too counter the ever popular Eel variants that are running around, along with the Darkrai variants that will continue to be popular until Darkrai is rotated out. Mewtwo and Tornadus are secondary attackers in case I can't get the Ho-oh engine running properly, which is the main focus of the deck. Seeing as both Mewtwo and Tornadus have colorless attack requirements, and I run so many different energy to fuel Ho-oh EX, I thought they were a perfect addition to this deck.
Items: (Updated)
4 Random Receiver
2 Sky Arrow Bridge
2 Eviolite
2 Energy Switch
4 Pokemon Catcher
4 Switch
4 Ultra Ball
Random Receiver has become an increasingly popular Item card in the meta ever since it's release in Dark Explorers for one reason and one reason only: It thins the deck. It gives you access to a Supporter you might not have had access too, getting you out of the occasional horrid hands every deck is plagued by from time to time. SAB has also become a staple, as it reduces the retreat cost of your Pokemon, and also fuels Tornadus' Blow Through attack, which gives it 60 damage with SAB on the field for a single DCE. Eviolite needs no explaining, as it's just a great card all around and helps your key Pokemon stay in the game longer. 4 Catcher/4 Switch has become the norm in every single BW-on deck and I see no reason to run any less than 4 of each. Ultra Ball lets you discard those extra Energies to get access to a Mewtwo, or maybe a Terrakion if you're facing an Eel variant or a Sigilpyh. Seeing as the point of the deck is to get rid of your extra energies to fuel Ho-oh, 4 Ultra Ball makes a lot of sense to me for this particular deck.
Supporters: (Updated)
4 Professor Juniper
4 N
1 Cheren
Professor Juniper and N have become the most widely used Supporters in the game to date, giving the player access to a way to get out of dead hands. Juniper also has a secondary function in this deck, and that is to get extra energies and your Ho-oh's into the Discard pile, all while refreshing your hand and giving you access to even more plays. I had Engineers Adjustment's in my original build, but I somehow missed the fact that it was rotated out in the latest cycle! They have been since replaced by 2 Energy Switch. The 1 Cheren is in there for added draw support, but I've been considering taking it out. If you guys can think of any suggestions, feel free to comment.
Energies:
3 Double Colorless
2 Psychic
4 Fighting
2 Darkness
2 Water
1 Fire
2 Grass
2 Lightning
1 Metal
Holy energies, Batman! I know what must be going through most of your minds, "19 energy? There's no way that will work, that's double what any other deck runs"
I know. Believe me, I've been asked about this time and time again, so let me set the record straight. Ho-oh EX's attack relies on as many different basic energies being attached to it as possible. With the discarding power of Engineers Adjustments and Juniper, along with my other 2 attackers having colorless attack requirements, it seems like a no-brainer to have such a wide variety. Well, that's my deck analysis. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below, and good luck to everyone in their future tournaments!
The main strategy of the deck is to get your Ho-oh's and a variety of Basic energies into the Discard pile to make use of Ho-oh's Rebirth ability, which let's you flip a coin and if heads, allows you to attach up to 3 different basic energies to it and place it on your bench, which let's Ho-oh literally rise from it's own ashes, so to speak. (Hence the name I've given to the deck)
There are a total of 9 different Basic energies in this deck, which makes use of the key supporters and item cards that discard, as well as the other attackers of the deck, which have colorless attack requirements. There will be a discussion of most of the card choices, so if you guys are more of a tl;dr type of crowd, feel free to skip the fine print and give your input of what should be added or taken away taken away. Without further delay, let's get my own spin of this deck.
Pokemon:
3 Ho-oh EX
2 Mewtwo EX
3 Tornadus EX
2 Terrakion
Now, I know what the majority of you are thinking: "Opponent drops Sigilyph, gg"
This actually hasn't been the case in my play testing. Very rarely will I come across more than 1 of those dreaded creatures, and the key items that I run give me easy access to Terrakion to get rid of it, which is in here for no other reason than too counter the ever popular Eel variants that are running around, along with the Darkrai variants that will continue to be popular until Darkrai is rotated out. Mewtwo and Tornadus are secondary attackers in case I can't get the Ho-oh engine running properly, which is the main focus of the deck. Seeing as both Mewtwo and Tornadus have colorless attack requirements, and I run so many different energy to fuel Ho-oh EX, I thought they were a perfect addition to this deck.
Items: (Updated)
4 Random Receiver
2 Sky Arrow Bridge
2 Eviolite
2 Energy Switch
4 Pokemon Catcher
4 Switch
4 Ultra Ball
Random Receiver has become an increasingly popular Item card in the meta ever since it's release in Dark Explorers for one reason and one reason only: It thins the deck. It gives you access to a Supporter you might not have had access too, getting you out of the occasional horrid hands every deck is plagued by from time to time. SAB has also become a staple, as it reduces the retreat cost of your Pokemon, and also fuels Tornadus' Blow Through attack, which gives it 60 damage with SAB on the field for a single DCE. Eviolite needs no explaining, as it's just a great card all around and helps your key Pokemon stay in the game longer. 4 Catcher/4 Switch has become the norm in every single BW-on deck and I see no reason to run any less than 4 of each. Ultra Ball lets you discard those extra Energies to get access to a Mewtwo, or maybe a Terrakion if you're facing an Eel variant or a Sigilpyh. Seeing as the point of the deck is to get rid of your extra energies to fuel Ho-oh, 4 Ultra Ball makes a lot of sense to me for this particular deck.
Supporters: (Updated)
4 Professor Juniper
4 N
1 Cheren
Professor Juniper and N have become the most widely used Supporters in the game to date, giving the player access to a way to get out of dead hands. Juniper also has a secondary function in this deck, and that is to get extra energies and your Ho-oh's into the Discard pile, all while refreshing your hand and giving you access to even more plays. I had Engineers Adjustment's in my original build, but I somehow missed the fact that it was rotated out in the latest cycle! They have been since replaced by 2 Energy Switch. The 1 Cheren is in there for added draw support, but I've been considering taking it out. If you guys can think of any suggestions, feel free to comment.
Energies:
3 Double Colorless
2 Psychic
4 Fighting
2 Darkness
2 Water
1 Fire
2 Grass
2 Lightning
1 Metal
Holy energies, Batman! I know what must be going through most of your minds, "19 energy? There's no way that will work, that's double what any other deck runs"
I know. Believe me, I've been asked about this time and time again, so let me set the record straight. Ho-oh EX's attack relies on as many different basic energies being attached to it as possible. With the discarding power of Engineers Adjustments and Juniper, along with my other 2 attackers having colorless attack requirements, it seems like a no-brainer to have such a wide variety. Well, that's my deck analysis. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below, and good luck to everyone in their future tournaments!
