Primal Groudon-EX Variants

Camoclone

Camoclone

TCG Articles Head
Member
This thread is used for all competitive discussion on Primal Groudon-EX variants in the Standard format. This includes strategies, playstyles, and techs.

You may post decklists here, but only as a means to add to the discussion. If you're looking for advice on your list, post in the Deck Garage.

Articles:

Time to Revert Back to Primal Groudon!
Exploiting the Decks of Worlds

Primal Groudon-EX Skeleton List:

Pokémon: 9
  • 3 Primal Groudon-EX (PRC 86)
  • 3 Groudon-EX (PRC 85)
  • 3 Wobuffet (PHF 36)
Trainers: 33
  • 4 Professor Sycamore
  • 4 Korrina
  • 3 Professor Birch's Observation
  • 2 Lysandre
  • 1 Pokemon Center Lady
  • 4 VS Seeker
  • 4 Robo Substitute
  • 2 Focus Sash
  • 2 Switch
  • 1 Mega Turbo
  • 1 Hard Charm
  • 1 Ultra Ball
  • 2 Silent Lab
  • 1 Fighting Stadium
  • 1 Shrine of Memories
Energy: 12
  • 8 Fighting Energy
  • 4 Strong Energy

Open Spots: 6
 
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This deck needs an answer to Regice. It looks like it will be a popular play in Manectric decks, and Manectric looks great at the moment.

I don't see any really good options for a basic fighting attacker for standard. Landorus is weak to water, Hawlucha doesn't hit non-EXs. There are a few other basic fighting Pokemon out there which can get up to 2HKO range (AT Regirock, non-AT Regirock, baby Groudon) but they are all very expensive to power up.

Any suggestions?
 
Talkingcat said:
This deck needs an answer to Regice. It looks like it will be a popular play in Manectric decks, and Manectric looks great at the moment.

I don't see any really good options for a basic fighting attacker for standard. Landorus is weak to water, Hawlucha doesn't hit non-EXs. There are a few other basic fighting Pokemon out there which can get up to 2HKO range (AT Regirock, non-AT Regirock, baby Groudon) but they are all very expensive to power up.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


You could try some obscure cards like Bouffalant or Tornadus but ugh, I think I would rather just accept my defeat against players who realize I have nothing on Regice.
 
Talkingcat said:
This deck needs an answer to Regice. It looks like it will be a popular play in Manectric decks, and Manectric looks great at the moment.

I don't see any really good options for a basic fighting attacker for standard. Landorus is weak to water, Hawlucha doesn't hit non-EXs. There are a few other basic fighting Pokemon out there which can get up to 2HKO range (AT Regirock, non-AT Regirock, baby Groudon) but they are all very expensive to power up.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I have been testing a list that includes AT Medicham (PRC 81) lately with solid results. I posted the list I started with in the deck garage (http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/threads/xy-on-primal-peace-medicham-primal-groudon-ex.125384/). I have changed the list since posting it (I will update my list as soon as I can), but the concept is still the same, and I don't have to worry about Regice or Mega Manectric nearly as much. Medicham deals pretty well with both of them, and Primal Groudon-EX helps a lot when Medicham runs out of steam. Primal Groudon-EX decks give up prizes alot in the beginning of the game, but Medicham, Hawlucha, and Lucario-EX help even out the early game prize trade immensely, thus taking a lot of pressure off of each Primal Groudon-EX. This allows me to not have to stress about being able to set up more than one Primal Groudon-EX. Hex Maniac, Silent Lab and VS Seeker help make up for the lack of Wobbuffet.
 
This is a list I've been playing in my area, it's blowen a lot of solid expanded and standard deck lists out of the water on dmg output giving some decks no answers to it, I would have liked to play this at a local LC a couple weeks past but I never got the chance to due to no primal groudons in my area, but whatever.

3-3 primal groudon (gaia volcano)
3 wobbuffet (Bide barricade)
2-2 whimsicott (windy mischief)

4 strong energy
8 basic fighting energy
2 fairy energy

4 Vs seeker
2 prof sycamore
2 Shauna
1 professor birch's Observations
4 korrina
2 lysandre
1 hex maniac
2 robo substitute
2 weakness policy
2 hard charm
2 mega turbo
1 prof's letter
3 switch
1 level ball
1 sacred ash
1 energy recycler
2 fighting stadium
2 silent lab

This isn't the actual list, I have my reasons. The strategy is based around setting up primal groudon, take dmg then hit with whimsy while hiding behind wobb and robo's. Limited robo's due to draw power, to many reduces the amount of cards you can additionally put into the list, also it's better to have wobb out half the time to reduce the amount of plays they can make per turn is more powerful. List doesn't look good on paper but is very solid setup wise.
 
In expanded, you could run some blend WLFM energy and a metal attacker (cobalion/heatran/etc.) if it becomes big.
In standard, you could run a psychic energy or 2. Or you can use Malamar-EX and hope to put them asleep. Maybe you can put in Hammer cards to hope they cannot retreat a regice with no energy on it. And there is the obvious lysandre tactic to get around the effect.
There's no real good solution to beating Regice with Primal groudon, but those are a few ways you can possibly beat it.
 
Elbow said:
In expanded, you could run some blend WLFM energy and a metal attacker (cobalion/heatran/etc.) if it becomes big.
In standard, you could run a psychic energy or 2. Or you can use Malamar-EX and hope to put them asleep. Maybe you can put in Hammer cards to hope they cannot retreat a regice with no energy on it. And there is the obvious lysandre tactic to get around the effect.
There's no real good solution to beating Regice with Primal groudon, but those are a few ways you can possibly beat it.
Click to expand...

I think the metal option in Expanded is pretty good. Heatran will 1HKO it with its first attack. Possibly the non-EX Cobalion is even better as its energy press attack needs only two attachments and will also 1HKO the Regice.

I thought of putting in psychic energy and using Wobbafet for standard, but the problem is that Wobbafet's psychic assault is pretty useless on a fresh Pokemon.

Joseph Redd said:
I have been testing a list that includes AT Medicham (PRC 81) lately with solid results. I posted the list I started with in the deck garage (http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/threads/xy-on-primal-peace-medicham-primal-groudon-ex.125384/). I have changed the list since posting it (I will update my list as soon as I can), but the concept is still the same, and I don't have to worry about Regice or Mega Manectric nearly as much. Medicham deals pretty well with both of them, and Primal Groudon-EX helps a lot when Medicham runs out of steam. Primal Groudon-EX decks give up prizes alot in the beginning of the game, but Medicham, Hawlucha, and Lucario-EX help even out the early game prize trade immensely, thus taking a lot of pressure off of each Primal Groudon-EX. This allows me to not have to stress about being able to set up more than one Primal Groudon-EX. Hex Maniac, Silent Lab and VS Seeker help make up for the lack of Wobbuffet.
Click to expand...

This seems like it might be the way to go. The two components of the deck could complement each other quite nicely. Medicham often starts explosively but then struggles to maintain the KOs as you run out of damage modifiers (strong energy, muscle bands etc). Groudon needs time to set up. As you say, something that can reduce the need to set up the second Groudon could be useful. I was thinking that you probably want the secondary attacker to be weak to psychic (rather than grass or water) and something that can abuse focus sash as well. So it sounds pretty good.

I will probably test this out, thanks!
 
Talkingcat said:
This seems like it might be the way to go. The two components of the deck could complement each other quite nicely. Medicham often starts explosively but then struggles to maintain the KOs as you run out of damage modifiers (strong energy, muscle bands etc). Groudon needs time to set up. As you say, something that can reduce the need to set up the second Groudon could be useful. I was thinking that you probably want the secondary attacker to be weak to psychic (rather than grass or water) and something that can abuse focus sash as well. So it sounds pretty good.

I will probably test this out, thanks!
Click to expand...
I am glad you like the idea. Some advice from testing this: Robo Sub combined with Silent Lab/Hex Maniac is great for stalling a turn or two to power up Groudon. Also, Landorus(FUF) and Mega Turbo might help too. The hardest thing i find with this deck is, like others have mentioned, powering up both Groudon and Medicham. This is a deck I have been working with on and off, so good luck and if you do manage to make it work, please let me know. It is a very risky, but VERY rewarding deck. Also, I have an updated list outside my Deck Garage posting. PM me if you're interested.
 
I feel like this needs to be updated, this is the 5th place list from san jose master's division, dallan fell



Pokémon (11)
3 Primal Groudon-EX 86/160
3 Groudon-EX 85/160
3 Wobbuffet 36/119
1 Regirock
1 Bunnelby 121/160


Energy Cards (11)
7 Fighting Energy
4 Strong Energy


Trainer Cards (38)
4 Korrina
4 Professor Sycamore
2 Lysandre
2 N
1 Hex Maniac
1 Pokémon Center Lady
1 Teammates
1 Xerosic
4 VS Seeker
3 Robo Substitute Team Flare Gear
2 Focus Sash
2 Mega Turbo
2 Silent Lab
2 Switch
2 Tropical Beach
1 Escape Rope
1 Float Stone
1 Hard Charm
1 Professor's Letter
1 Computer Search
 
True, but for a deck like primal groudon it's better to get a good look at how it did in expanded to get an idea of what you can do with it in standard, the deck is initially the same card for card as a standard list, save computer search and tropical beach.
 
Joseph Redd said:
The hardest thing i find with this deck is, like others have mentioned, powering up both Groudon and Medicham.
Click to expand...

Hm, yeah. You will probably need to use Landorus' "Shout of Power" and Mega Turbo as well. Which means getting a tonne of energy into the discard.

It will be a fun project, I suppose.
 
I would love to run this deck this season however I only have a 2-2 line of primal groudon. IMO the best way to run the deck is with focus sash and dragonite so you don't lose to vespiquen as badly. The other options for running it are the traditional primal groudon/wobbuffet and what I dubbed turbo Primal groudon. The deck aims to get T3 primal groudon at the latest with 4 mega turbo and baby landorus.
 
Mad dog can you post a list? Idk I'm thinking of just buying shaymins and running something else...
 
I would go 2-2-2, but this is all theory. Another good thing about primal groudon if you don't choose the turbo route, you actually don't want shaymin ex in the deck. If I were able to play this deck I would just take the 6 open spots on the skeleton and fill them with a 2-2-2 dragonite line.
 
So what would I put in the 6 spots if I didnt run dragonite line? Landorous and more turbo?

Also how do you guys feel about zoroark break when its legal in this deck as a great backup?
 
Talkingcat said:
Hm, yeah. You will probably need to use Landorus' "Shout of Power" and Mega Turbo as well. Which means getting a tonne of energy into the discard.

It will be a fun project, I suppose.
Click to expand...

There is an issue with that, first off , teching 2 battle compressor isn't that big of a deal but then how many times to you plan on using shout of power and or mega turbo? You can't actually know, second I have an issue opposed to playing cards like landorus shout of power early game It put's your slow deck in a bad position, for instance the whole point of playing wobbuffet active is to shut down shaymins for draw power forcing them to use a trainer based engine which for the most time dead draws w/o abilities to use turn 1 and by the time you have 1 primal groudon and your swinging dealing enough dmg at the fact of playing down a shaymin, well I'm going to play down a scarf so they can't ohko me and forcibly deal minimal dmg for turn 2 just put's me into range for taking a second ohko. So 4 prizes in 2 turns but I couldn't achieve this w/o the willingness of shutting down there shaymin so they have slower draw power then yours truly making there setup just as slow as mine if not slower.

So this is where I will 100% disagree and say that wobbuffet is so much better to play then landorus shout of power.

As for dragonite, 2-1-2 with 2 rare candy wouldn't be that bad, the deck runs 4 korrina so getting it out wouldn't be a problem, but imo unless your willing to run 3-4 scarf then your going to have to sacrifice a lot of space in your deck just to fit those 7 cards inside before ultra ball, I just don't see that happening.
 
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