Ok, so some of you might still remember the thread I made about me asking for advice on my beginner decks - since then, my Solgaleo GX deck has been functioning more or less how one would expect it to function in the current meta and I am currently fine with it. (Can't wait to be able to tweak it once BUS/rotation comes around though.)
At that time I also posted a (rather suboptimal) list for my Xerneas Break deck. Anyway, my first question to people who have more experience with the game than I do: could this card still have some potentional in the meta, or is it forever doomed to remain an inferior version of Darkrai EX/simply a fairy toolbox flavor? I personally think that the Break card is not that terrible, and since I have a 4-4 line I would like to make something with it that is at least halfway decent. I am hoping that the next set *might* slow the gameplay down a bit, and in such an environment, a strategy built around Xerneas Break might become somewhat viable.
My current, pre-rotation list is as follows:
Pokémon - 14
2 Oranguru
1 Tauros-GX
4 Xerneas BREAK
4 Xerneas
1 Carbink
2 Tapu Lele-GX
Trainer Cards -32
1 Fighting Fury Belt
4 Ultra Ball
2 Lysandre
3 Fairy Garden
3 Professor Sycamore
1 Super Rod
1 Teammates
1 Skyla
2 Field Blower
4 Max Elixir
3 N
3 VS Seeker
4 Exp. Share
Energy - 14
11 Fairy
3 Double Colorless Energy
This has been doing ok so far, obviously a lot depends on the match-up/opening hands as well, as I generally prefer to go second with this deck, so if the opponent is playing something where they need to burn through their deck asap on their first turn with Shaymins, FOGP, Vileplume etc. you get the picture -then I am already in a losing situation, as I need considerably more set up time. (That is one of the reasons I am hoping that this deck might become more playable once cards like these rotate.)
Since several cards on this list probably won't survive rotation, a lot will have to be changed about this deck later - one thing I've been wondering about is: would Xerneas Break be able benefit from Muscular Dumbbells by it making him slightly less squishy, (irrelevant against Metagross I know, who will probably become even stronger in the new meta) or should I just go with the obvious Wish Baton/Exp. Share combo? Would Dumbbells even work with Xerneas Break? Technically it is a stage 1, but I am not exactly sure how such things are handled when it comes to Breaks. Rare Candy, for example, doesn't work for Breaks that would technically qualify as stage twos so, it will probably be the same for Xerneas and Dumbbells. In that case, Choice Band might be better, or I'll just stick to the Wish Baton/Exp. Share combo.
Getting rid of 1-2 Fairy Energy will also probably be a good idea, since I only run such a high number of basic energies due to Max Elixir, and that is also supposed to rotate.
I am also thinking of getting rid of Tauros (and the FF Belt of course) and the 2 Orangurus in favour of Gardevoir GX as support, (a minimum of 2-2 line with Rare Candies or with the new Diancie support) and then Carbink would have to go as well (less basics to hold the energies on the bench so it will become pointless) or I would have to thin the Xerneas line down to 3-3. (Of which I am not sure of, since it is supposed to be the main attacker, with Gardevoir/Lele stepping in when needed.) Gardevoir as support would also sort of destroy my strategy of trying to use a 1 prize attacker, since Metagross can just Guzma Gardevoir and be done with it in one hit. And there's also Po Town, which will punish an evolution-heavy deck. So, decisions, decisions...
What do you guys think?
At that time I also posted a (rather suboptimal) list for my Xerneas Break deck. Anyway, my first question to people who have more experience with the game than I do: could this card still have some potentional in the meta, or is it forever doomed to remain an inferior version of Darkrai EX/simply a fairy toolbox flavor? I personally think that the Break card is not that terrible, and since I have a 4-4 line I would like to make something with it that is at least halfway decent. I am hoping that the next set *might* slow the gameplay down a bit, and in such an environment, a strategy built around Xerneas Break might become somewhat viable.
My current, pre-rotation list is as follows:
Pokémon - 14
2 Oranguru
1 Tauros-GX
4 Xerneas BREAK
4 Xerneas
1 Carbink
2 Tapu Lele-GX
Trainer Cards -32
1 Fighting Fury Belt
4 Ultra Ball
2 Lysandre
3 Fairy Garden
3 Professor Sycamore
1 Super Rod
1 Teammates
1 Skyla
2 Field Blower
4 Max Elixir
3 N
3 VS Seeker
4 Exp. Share
Energy - 14
11 Fairy
3 Double Colorless Energy
This has been doing ok so far, obviously a lot depends on the match-up/opening hands as well, as I generally prefer to go second with this deck, so if the opponent is playing something where they need to burn through their deck asap on their first turn with Shaymins, FOGP, Vileplume etc. you get the picture -then I am already in a losing situation, as I need considerably more set up time. (That is one of the reasons I am hoping that this deck might become more playable once cards like these rotate.)
Since several cards on this list probably won't survive rotation, a lot will have to be changed about this deck later - one thing I've been wondering about is: would Xerneas Break be able benefit from Muscular Dumbbells by it making him slightly less squishy, (irrelevant against Metagross I know, who will probably become even stronger in the new meta) or should I just go with the obvious Wish Baton/Exp. Share combo? Would Dumbbells even work with Xerneas Break? Technically it is a stage 1, but I am not exactly sure how such things are handled when it comes to Breaks. Rare Candy, for example, doesn't work for Breaks that would technically qualify as stage twos so, it will probably be the same for Xerneas and Dumbbells. In that case, Choice Band might be better, or I'll just stick to the Wish Baton/Exp. Share combo.
Getting rid of 1-2 Fairy Energy will also probably be a good idea, since I only run such a high number of basic energies due to Max Elixir, and that is also supposed to rotate.
I am also thinking of getting rid of Tauros (and the FF Belt of course) and the 2 Orangurus in favour of Gardevoir GX as support, (a minimum of 2-2 line with Rare Candies or with the new Diancie support) and then Carbink would have to go as well (less basics to hold the energies on the bench so it will become pointless) or I would have to thin the Xerneas line down to 3-3. (Of which I am not sure of, since it is supposed to be the main attacker, with Gardevoir/Lele stepping in when needed.) Gardevoir as support would also sort of destroy my strategy of trying to use a 1 prize attacker, since Metagross can just Guzma Gardevoir and be done with it in one hit. And there's also Po Town, which will punish an evolution-heavy deck. So, decisions, decisions...
What do you guys think?
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