Special Conditions

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pokedan24

Aspiring Trainer
Member
WIth Seismatoad EX being popular right now, I think simple attacks which inflict stasis could be useful. Even something like Pikachu, which has a cheap flip for paralysis could force a player using Seismatoad to waste a switch or lose a turn of attacking, which screws up the lock. Another one is Leafeon Furious Fists. While it's outclassed by the PLF one, it still hits for weakness (60 to the toad) and puts it asleep.

Unfortunately, there aren't many other things which inflict stasis. In the past, it seemed like there was always an evolving basic that could paralyze, confuse, or put asleep the defending pokemon. Aside from Pikachu and Leafeon, I can't think of anything else that does that (at least nothing that wouldn't require changing the deck much).
 
RE: Stasis Effects

The big problem with inducing stasis-like effects is that many cards that do it require a coin flip to work, like the Pikachu you mendionted (granted, that is the best legal Pikachu right now because of Nuzzle). Sleep does this by definition, as there's a 50% chance that a sleeping Pokemon wakes up between turns. Getting tails means the attack doesn't work, and the Pokemon is wide open for an easy prize. In addition, VirGen is pretty popular now, which is a deck that's immune to special conditions thanks to Virizion-EX's ability Verdent Wind. Even with cards like Cobalion NV / LTR which prevent the defending Pokemon from attacking without inflicted an actual condition, you can reasonably expect your opponent to play a Switch, Escape Rope, or use Keldeo-EX + Float Stone. As soon as the Pokemon in "stasis" goes to the bench, any effects on it that would prevent it from attacking would be removed. In many decks, like TDK for obvious reasons, the engine to do this can be built right in.

The only real way to make "stasis" effective is by using multiple measures to stop your opponent from being able to switch the Pokemon out of the active Slot. Seismitoad-EX played in conjuction with Hypnotoxic Laser (if you get heads for sleep and tails between turns) can do this, as they can't play a switch due to item lock. Trevenant/ Accelgor did this by design, but Accelgor is now only playable in Extended and there is no other currently legal Pokemon with a similar effect. As of now, the best way to counter the Toad is to simply outdamage it with something like Mewtwo-EX or Lucario-EX, or play a strong grass attacker like VirGen or Leafeon.
 
RE: Stasis Effects

Fun deck: Drowzee FFI/Victreebel FFI/Dragalge FLF/Pyroar FLF
You use Victreebell to poison and confuzzle them. Drowzee makes them always hit tails on confusion, forcing them to just pass and let the poison damage add up (with Virbank of course). Dragalge retreat locks them and most decks don't run too many Switches. Pyroar is for VirGen which is otherwise an autoloss. Also you might want Lysandres/Megaphones/Espeon/SOMETHING for Garbodor.

This deck isn't the most competitive by a long shot, but it's fun and when it works it's amazing.

EDIT: Retitle the thread to "Special Conditions in the Current Format" or something similar plz @mods?
 
RE: Stasis Effects

Just to clarify, I wasn't thinking about a deck built around stasis conditions to counter Seismatoad (though those kind of decks would be fun to try out on their own). I was thinking just using them in game against Seismatoad. Not many decks run stasis inflicters naturally, but there are a few in the current format (Pikachu/Raichu) and even more in expanded (Shellmet/Accelgor, Sableye's confuse ray, Ralts if Gardevoir becomes good again).

Though for now, perhaps Qwillfish or Toxicroak EX could be a desperate tech against the toad (most Seismatoad decks run virbank/lasers so poison could really hurt them).
 
RE: Stasis Effects

Most toads run Mewtwo so Toxicroak wouldn't be too good. Qwilfish... Camo loves Qwilfish. It's annoying to play against.
 
Malamar-EX! Attaching energy to that Pokemon can put the active asleep, and you can still attack!
 
Malamar EX is great just as long as they don't have Garb out. Another option, particularly for stage 2 decks, is Cryogonal PLF. It requires a discard, but it prevents them from attacking with no coin flip (and does 10 damage lol). I'm might try this in Empoleon and a Kingdra deck I made.
 
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