It's been awhile since I've posted a list on here so I figured I'd ask for feedback on a deck I've been running this week with decent results online. I took Daniel Altavilla's list and made a few changes after playing some games with it. I've noticed that once this deck sets up, it's smooth sailing, but it can have issues setting up so here's the changes I made from Daniel's list:
-1 Tapu Koko
+1 Zoroark GX
I barely used Tapu Koko. Usually when I Brigette on my first turn, I grab a Zorua and two Rowlet or three Rowlet if I started with Zorua. Getting as many Decidueye GX out as fast as possible is essential so if I didn't start with Tapu Koko in my opening hand, I never went out of my way to grab it. I did, however, notice that a 3-2 line of Zoroark GX wasn't enough. If you prize a Zoroark GX, or if one gets KO'd, it's tough to recover, so I upped the count to 3-3.
-2 Max Potion
+1 Guzma
+1 Brigette
Now this is something that I'm more open to suggestions on. I haven't playtested this yet, so I don't know if it's optimal or not, but it makes sense to me. Removing the Max Potion that Daniel ran in his list seems strange at first, but allow me to explain myself.
Similar to Tapu Koko, I barely found myself using them. Most of the time, I would draw into one when I didn't need it, and other times I had it in my hand when I wanted to use it, but found myself in an awkward position because I couldn't afford to discard the energy I had attached to the damaged Pokémon. I'm torn on removing them from the deck because I understand how good they can be, but there are other cards that I found myself wishing I had more copies of, Guzma and Brigette being two of those. Daniel only ran two Guzma because he said that you can snipe with Decidueye, which is true, but that snipe damage isn't always enough. I found myself wishing I played a third copy in just about every game I played. Also, similar to Tord's Zoroark/Golisopod list, I feel like this is a deck that can get away with running three Brigette. Since a first turn Brigette is necessary, three copies helps maximize my chances of starting with it, and I can just Trade the other copies away for extra cards later on with Zoroark.
Besides those changes, the remaining list is the same. I'm sure some others on here have played this archetype so I'm interested in knowing your thoughts. Should I make any changes?
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 22
* 3 Zorua PR-SM SM83
* 3 Zoroark-GX PR-SM SM84
* 4 Rowlet SUM 9
* 3 Dartrix SUM 10
* 4 Decidueye-GX SUM 12
* 1 Espeon-EX BKP 117
* 1 Mewtwo EVO 51
* 3 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Professor Sycamore BKP 107
* 4 N NVI 92
* 3 Guzma BUS 143
* 3 Brigette BKT 134
* 4 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 3 Rare Candy SUM 129
* 3 Evosoda GEN 62
* 2 Field Blower GRI 125
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Special Charge STS 105
* 2 Choice Band GRI 121
* 2 Float Stone BKT 137
##Energy - 6
* 2 Grass Energy 1
* 4 Double Colorless Energy SUM 136
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
-1 Tapu Koko
+1 Zoroark GX
I barely used Tapu Koko. Usually when I Brigette on my first turn, I grab a Zorua and two Rowlet or three Rowlet if I started with Zorua. Getting as many Decidueye GX out as fast as possible is essential so if I didn't start with Tapu Koko in my opening hand, I never went out of my way to grab it. I did, however, notice that a 3-2 line of Zoroark GX wasn't enough. If you prize a Zoroark GX, or if one gets KO'd, it's tough to recover, so I upped the count to 3-3.
-2 Max Potion
+1 Guzma
+1 Brigette
Now this is something that I'm more open to suggestions on. I haven't playtested this yet, so I don't know if it's optimal or not, but it makes sense to me. Removing the Max Potion that Daniel ran in his list seems strange at first, but allow me to explain myself.
Similar to Tapu Koko, I barely found myself using them. Most of the time, I would draw into one when I didn't need it, and other times I had it in my hand when I wanted to use it, but found myself in an awkward position because I couldn't afford to discard the energy I had attached to the damaged Pokémon. I'm torn on removing them from the deck because I understand how good they can be, but there are other cards that I found myself wishing I had more copies of, Guzma and Brigette being two of those. Daniel only ran two Guzma because he said that you can snipe with Decidueye, which is true, but that snipe damage isn't always enough. I found myself wishing I played a third copy in just about every game I played. Also, similar to Tord's Zoroark/Golisopod list, I feel like this is a deck that can get away with running three Brigette. Since a first turn Brigette is necessary, three copies helps maximize my chances of starting with it, and I can just Trade the other copies away for extra cards later on with Zoroark.
Besides those changes, the remaining list is the same. I'm sure some others on here have played this archetype so I'm interested in knowing your thoughts. Should I make any changes?
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 22
* 3 Zorua PR-SM SM83
* 3 Zoroark-GX PR-SM SM84
* 4 Rowlet SUM 9
* 3 Dartrix SUM 10
* 4 Decidueye-GX SUM 12
* 1 Espeon-EX BKP 117
* 1 Mewtwo EVO 51
* 3 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Professor Sycamore BKP 107
* 4 N NVI 92
* 3 Guzma BUS 143
* 3 Brigette BKT 134
* 4 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 3 Rare Candy SUM 129
* 3 Evosoda GEN 62
* 2 Field Blower GRI 125
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Special Charge STS 105
* 2 Choice Band GRI 121
* 2 Float Stone BKT 137
##Energy - 6
* 2 Grass Energy 1
* 4 Double Colorless Energy SUM 136
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******