Standard Shuriken Storm: Greninja BREAK

[IcarusV3]

Pokémon: 19

• 4 Froakie BRT
• 4 Frogadier BRT
• 3 Greninja BRT
• 1 Greninja XY
• 3 Greninja BREAK
• 2 Remoraid (Wild River) BRT
• 2 Octillery BRT

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums: 33

• 4 Dive Ball
• 1 Energy Retrieval
• 3 Professor's Letter
• 1 Sacred Ash
• 1 Super Rod
• 4 Trainer's Mail
• 3 VS Seeker
• 2 Fisherman
• 1 Lysandre
• 2 Professor Birch's Observations
• 4 Professor Sycamore
• 4 Wally
• 1 Float Stone
• 2 Muscle Bnad

Energy: 8

• 8 Water Energy

Strategy

Pretty much the strategy everybody knows by now; set up Greninja BREAKs asap and start raining down Giant Water Shuriken down on everything. I also wanted Octillery in there as part of my draw engine because I don't have access to Shaymin EX (please keep this in mind in your critique). My main concern is my Trainer balance, so any feedback on that would be especially appreciated.

 

[TuxedoBlack]

Following are some comments for your consideration:

Why not run 3 Greninja XY (Water Shuriken) and 1 Greninja BKP?
Why not run 4 Frogadier BKP (Water Duplicates)?
You need a few Level Balls to help get your Froakie, Frogadier, Remoraid and Octillery faster.
3 Professor Letter seem excessive. Why no Clemont?
Given you have 3 cards currently to recover discarded energy, the Super Rod seem excessive.
Energy Retrieval and 2 Fisherman seems excessive.
With 2 Octillery, dependency upon Professor Sycamore is lessened. ​

Given the above comments, following are some suggested deck changes for improvement, IMO:

-3 Greninja BRT
-4 Frogradier BRT
-1 Energy Retrieval
-3 Professor's Letter
-1 Super Rod
-1 Trainer's Mail - 3 should be sufficient
-2 Professor Sycamore
-1 Wally - 3 should be sufficient
-1 Float Stone - this 1-of is not critical

+2 Greninja XY
+1 Greninja BKP
+4 Frogradier BKP
+2 Clemont
+2 Level Ball
+2 Judge - opponent's hand disruption and you can replenish your hand with Abyssal Hand
+2 Rough Seas - counter-Stadium and provides your Pokémon some healing
+1 Water
+1 VS Seeker (or Water)​

I hope you find these comments helpful.

 

[GreenPariah]

@TuxedoBlack Why would you play Clemont, it only works for Electric Energy. Your other suggestions are spot on though.

 

[TuxedoBlack]

@TuxedoBlack Why would you play Clemont, it only works for Electric Energy. Your other suggestions are spot on though.

Thank you for the catch. Those should be Professor's Letters instead.

 

[IcarusV3]

Oops, I messed up on the Breakpoint tags (I keep thinking it's called Breakthrough, for some reason). Anyway, here's the updated deck list:

Pokémon: 19

• 4 Froakie BKP
• 4 Frogadier BKP
• 2 Greninja BKP
• 2 Greninja XY
• 3 Greninja BREAK
• 2 Remoraid (Wild River) BKP
• 2 Octillery BKP

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums: 32

• 4 Dive Ball
• 2 Professor's Letter
• 1 Sacred Ash
• 3 Trainer's Mail
• 4 VS Seeker
• 2 Muscle Band
• 2 Level Ball

• 2 Fisherman
• 1 Lysandre
• 2 Professor Birch's Observations
• 2 Professor Sycamore
• 3 Wally
• 2 Judge

• 2 Rough Seas

Energy: 9

• 9 Water Energy

 

[xaej806]

hello,

I played Greninja at FL Regionals so I can provide some insight:

1) The BKP Greninja is absolutely more valuable than his XY counterpart. Once you get 1-2 Breaks in play (which happens regularly) you no longer need (or can viably support) any additional discards beyond those two.
2) Octillery will lose you games. 2 Retreat and (currently) no way out of the active? I played him as well, and I ended up keeping him in my hand and off the field all day. Good players will eat the octopus alive.
3) This deck lives and dies by getting off Frogadier ASAP. I highly recommend building the deck in such a way to maximize that possibility (yes, that means Battle Compressor + VS Seeker)
4) If M-Sceptile is expected in your meta, avoid playing Greninja at all costs. With weakness plus M-Sceptile's trait preventing damage from abilities, this is an unwinnable game.
5) Muscle Band honestly is unneeded damage. With two Giant Shurikens and one attack from Greninja BKP, you're swinging 180 already. If you need more than that, you set it up on the prior turn, or get there with the one XY Greninja (if you can support 3 energy dumps - which you can with 2 fisherman & 4 VS Seeker).
6) Energy Retrieval is a great card for this. There are times when you will need not only energy, but something else as well. Energy Retrieval gives you that flexibility over fisherman because you can still Sycamore/whatever to go for that other something.
7) Super Rod over Sacred Ash. In case you're forced into destroying too many energies too early, or overextend your remaining energy. Also, if you're ninjas are in play via Frogadier, you're returning pretty weird lines with Sacred Ash.
8) You absolutely have to have Startling Megaphone for against Garbodor (among other helpful things).
9) Level Ball, while nice, is not necessary. 4 Dive Balls + Frogadier is all the search you need.
10) With the Battle Compressor/VS Seeker engine, it's fine to play one each of Judge/Birch, so you still have easy access to them, while they don't clutter your deck as badly. Two more Sycamore will streamline the deck overall.
11) One more Trainer's mail (maximizing chance of t1 frogadier).
12) One more card spot so a third stadium. Not certain that Rough Seas is the right call, but without more testing, I won't question it here.
13) I should add that I personally believe the third Greninja BREAK, the third Wally, the second Megaphone, second Professor's Letter, and second Energy Retrieval could be flexible card spaces should other needs arise.

Without further ado,

-1 Greninja XY
+1 Greninja BKP

-1 Sacred Ash
+1 Super Rod

-2 Remoraid
-2 Octillery
-2 Muscle Band
-2 Level Ball
-1 Judge
-1 Professor Birch's Observations

+4 Battle Compressor
+2 Professor Sycamore
+2 Startling Megaphone
+1 Trainer's Mail
+1 Rough Seas

So anyway, there's my take on it. Hope some of it is helpful to you!

 

[SupremeLeaderQuagsire]

I see no reason in playing the Wild River Remoraid. Both have 1 retreat cost, and retreating doesn't use up your attack. Ion Pool is more helpful because it can discard a stadium if you really need to. Retreating also puts energy in the discard, so you can get it back with various trainers, instead of it staying on a Pokemon who will never attack.