Standard (Post Rotation) Xerneas Break/ Vileplume

[Chunky McMunky]

Pokémon: 21

• 4 Xerneas (Geomancy)
• 3 Xerneas Break
• 2 Oddish
• 2 Gloom
• 2 Vileplume (Item Lock)
• 4 Shaymin EX
• 4 Unown

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums: 27

• 3 Professor Sycamore
• 3 N
• 4 Acro Bike
• 4 Trainer's Mail
• 4 Ultra Ball
• 2 Level Ball
• 3 Float Stone
• 4 Forest of Giant Plants

Energy: 12

• 12 Fairy Energy

Strategy:

The strategy is similar to Vespiquen/Vileplume in that you set up vileplume and your attacker T1 and let the deck play itself. Obviously you wont be able to evolve to Xerneas Break T1 but ideally you want to attach and geomancy for 2 or so turns before using Xerneas break's attack depending on the situation. The thick draw support line will help to find Xerneas Break once you are under item lock if it's not already in hand.

The deck has most of the same attributes you would find in a Vespiquen Vileplume deck in that it hits hard and item locks. From what I can see in testing the turn 1 item lock is about as consistent as you get in Vespiplume, with the lower pokemon count being balanced by the higher energy count.

Advantages Compared to Vespiplume:

• Higher HP attacker
• Not special energy reliant
• Less Prone to decking out
• More wiggle room for techs
• Good typing

Disadvantages Compared to Vespiplume

• Energy Acceleration requires attack
• Cannot evolve to Xerneas Break turn 1
• Potential for Vileplume line to be prized
• No Pokemon recycling, so Xerneas breaks cannot be wasted
• Knockouts will come after 2 or so turns of geomancy

I am still testing this deck and improving it as I go along, but I am happy with it's performance and consistency so far. I would like to hear your opinions on this deck, I feel that with some tweaks it could go a long way into the next format.

 

[cardgjammer]

In Xerneas-Vileplume decks, once Vileplume is put in play, since Float Stone is am item card, the Stone isn't a legal use unless you attach them prior to the time you evolve Gloom into vileplume, but attaching three float stones in one turn is likely not doable in a format where M Ray and M Mewtwo-EX(Psychic Infinity) is dominant, not to mention that Plume's ability locks item cards from being used legitimately on BOTH sides, meaning the same lock applies to you, too, and despite the fact you can't attach float stone during item lock, in this deck, all your Float Stones(as well as all your Unowns(due to chance of starting with one(even tough you have a lot of draw support already)) and potentially losing to Fast Raid Latios-EX after Giovanni's Scheme) and one of your 4 FoGPs) can be dropped, as there is a more consistent card that you can use as an alternative: fairy garden.

Fairy Garden does the same as Float Stone, only that you don't need a tool to retreat for free: all you need is one fairy energy in order to retreat with the energy posing as your tool. It proves that just because tools are locked does not mean you can't use stadiums, like fairy garden, that do the same thing as float stone, only that it requires something more common in a 60-card deck: Fairy energy. In that case, who thinks that a tool is required to satisfy the free retreat conditions? Because in the case of fairies, I don't think tools like float stones are necessary when you have fairy garden to do the same minus the tool...

Also, downgrade your 4 shaymins by 1-2: 2-3 Shaymins in deck are ok, but 4 is overkill unless your deck stars M Ray, as Shaymin-EX is a Lysandre liability: Put down more than 2 at once, and your foe could lysandre all three Shaymins, one per turn, and take all six of his or her prizes to win the game without having to KO your stars on the way. Further, if you don't care about giving a deck a sacrificer to bide time while the energy is attached to Bench, then you may want to drop one Xerneas (Geomancy) because unless your deck needs a one-time sacrifice pawn in anticipation of Xerneas getting KO'd, or if you are afraid of prizing one basic xerneas and not being able to use all your breaks until you KO a pokemon to at least have a chance of getting it out of your prize pile, three is enough to satisfy the three xerneas BREAK lines... Also, exclude 2 Fairy energies, add 4 DCEs, two Lysandres and a 2-2 line of Zebstrika BKP(to counter M Ray past Clear Humming): Life Stream does not require a specific type of energy to count damage, so you could use DCE for Zeb(1 DCE min. to attack)'s attacking and Shaymin(1 DCE minimum to attack)'s return-to-hand-after-30-to-opposing-active purposes.

All in all, please take these changes into consideration, and I hope my suggestions help your idea!