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Standard Tapu Bulu Be Boolin

cool

cool

Hi.
Member
Need all the help I can get with making a 2018-2019 deck! Have no idea where to start aside from how I like to play, and just from looking at matches to see whats good. So here is a heavy hitting/sorta fast/swift freedom of energy movement type of deck that i've always been into playing.

Pokémon (14):
4 Tapu Bulu-GX (SMP 32)
2 Tapu Koko-GX (GRI 47)
3 Vikavolt (SM 52)
3 Grubbin (SM 13)
2 Tapu-Lele GX (GRI 60)

Trainers (32):
3 Nest Ball (SM 123)
3 Energy Recycler (GRI 123)
4 Rare Candy (SM 129)
4 Cynthia (UPR 119)
2 Lillie (UPR 125)
4 Guzma (BUS 115)
2 Ultra Ball (SLG 68)
2 Volkner (UPR 135)
2 Rescue Stretcher (GRI 130)
4 Choice Band (GRI 121)
2 Sky Pillar (CLS 144)

Energy (14):
8 Grass Energy (SM 164)
6 Lightning Energy (SM 167)

---

This deck is really easy and sorta plays itself. Its all about producing energy and assistance for Tapu Bulu to run through, I find him similar to a more reliant/easier to setup version of Quaza EX. Love the GX attack too whenever its needed to help avoid 2 shot ko's. Lele is there to just be Lele, and Vikavolt is one of the most impressive support bench Pokemon i've ever seen for the game gooood lord. Just the card strategy by itself is strong, able to consistently setup 150 a turn damage with a 1 prize Pokemon on top of a ridiculous ability.

Vikavolts ability practically ensures Tapu Bulu is going to be able to do 180 (210 with Choice Band) for 3 energy every turn. This combo can have Bulu come off the bench with no energy and end the turn doing the damage, once it gets going it just seems so solid and especially with the lack of weakness on Bulu's part.

With the team needing energy going every which way every turn to lead to damage, I did my best to provide trainer cards that let me switch out my pokemon with paying a cost. Full Guzma and 2 switches, yet I still have no idea if this is too much or too little. Would love to here what people think on that. The rest of it seems to be pretty basic.

With Tapu Bulu needing 2 Grass and 1 colorless to attack I kept DCE absent and am just using a simple energy spread.

My questions and concerns that I would love for people to help with are...

1. Any Pokemon that i'm missing out on not being on my team? Does a Pokemon exist that fits this team so well that I neeeed it on the team? Or one thats maybe coming out? My knowledge to the overall selection and meta is really thin.

2. Super lost on the trainer/item spread i'm sorta just going off what I think sorta works. Need to test it further, I need to find a way to make the deck faster/easier to setup with minimum turns so i'm all ears.

3. My biggest issue from testing this deck for a little is that, if Tapu Lele is my only basic Pokemon in my starting hand. It's almost literally an autoloss for me if the opponent has even an okay hand. Any suggestions on what I could do to the deck to more so avoid this bad luck of the draw?


I assume the energies are fine but if anyone disagrees i'm all ears!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read!
 
Last edited:
Well...

1. Not really. You could play a Tapu Koko GX (great GX attack), or a Dhelmise (hits 130 against Buzzwole / shrine decks) or 1 or more Shining Lugia. But your basic line is fine.

2. I would add the 4th Cynthia. And you should play 3 or 4 Choice Band, you need to be able to hit 190/200/210, since so many good Pokémon are in that range. And since you are already running 3 Energy Recycler (I guess 2 should be sufficient), you could cut the Energy Retrieval's. You may add Field Blowers or own stadiums as well, to have a better Shrine matchup. I you need more space, you could cut the 6th Lightning Energy and if you have to the 8th Grass energy (most lists play 7/5). Guess you can also cut a Rescue Stretcher if you need to find space.

3. Well.. I have some idea that I haven't tested already. You could add a few Manectric of Celestial Storm (evolved Pokémon but you can start with it if you go second).

Ability
Electric Start
If you go second, and if this Pokémon is in your hand when you are setting up to play, you may put it face down as your Active Pokémon or on your Bench.

Double Charge
40
You may attach up to 2 basic Energy cards from your hand to 1 of your Benched Pokémon.

It might help you through the first turns, especially if you miss your T2 Vikavolt, to get rolling. It also avoids starting Lele (more options to start with so less chance of starting Lele).
 
Swap a Switch for a Cynthia. That's all I have to say about the Decklist.
1: Looks good to me.
2: Swap an Energy Recycler for a Timer Ball. Also, Acro Bike is good, if you can find a space to put it in.
3: Then you need more Basics. Try adding in more Basics or taking out Lele (it's not impossible. you just have to swap them for Volkner and Lillie.)

That's What I Think. See Ya.
 
My honest opinion here is that it's a pretty solid list, just maybe a few tweaks to make it perfectly playable/

The Meta is pretty weak to a Loaded up Tapu Koko GX and it can come in clutch with a well timed free switch.
Also, the Dedenne FBL is a great choice with Vika as you can charge him up and pop on a Choice band to one shot a Ray with a one-prizer.

So I would say cut 1 Volkner and 1 Ultra ball to smooth over the list (3 Volk is too many, and you should only be using Ultra Ball to get Lele)
Then add in one Tapu Koko GX and one Dedenne FBL.
 
Thanks so much for the help guys, went ahead and changed up the deck and could use some more help and discussion on it. Let me know what yall think!

+2 Tapu Koko-GX
+2 Sky Pillar
+2 Choice Band
+1 Cynthia
-2 Switch
-1 Volkner
-2 Ultra Ball
-2 Energy Retrieval

Tapu Koko - Yuh this guy's ridiculous, definitely a fan for what he provides.

Sky Pillar - Shrines definitely some goober stuff, so I threw this in as a way to try to check it. All the while countering Ho-oh/Tapu Koko and general bench damage pokemon, none of which I have in my deck.

Got rid of the the Retrievals and the Switches. overall added Choice Bands for more consistent bulk.



One thing i've noticed now though... I DON'T like that Lele is in this deck. I'm not a fan of what Shrine/non GX focused decks do to her. She just sits there the whole game and eats counters, her ability is fuego don't get me wrong but I just feel like I could use these 2 cards slots for something more productive. Any ideas? I want to maybe fill it with non EX Mon if I can. I feel like throwing in 2 EX Quaza is just too much for this deck, maybe it isn't?

Any trainers I should add throw in? Let me know!

Note: I'm really not a fan personally of only having 1 copy of a card in a deck. Its just something that i've never vibed with.
 
In my opinion, you should swap Sky Pillar for Aether Paradise. You still take 30 less damage no matter WHAT deck you face, and only Vikavolt can be hit by spread damage.
 
Agreeing with Lord Goomy, APCA is much better than Sky Pillar in this case. As for the Pokemon line, I'm going to use my own experience to help and give a more unorthodox opinion. Although I haven't tested the viability of it yet, I do remember in the 2017-18 Format that a copy of Alolan Vulpix from Guardians Rising was a brilliantly well-used inclusion. Sure, it doesn't get the APCA reduction, but it does help to get vikavolts in hand which can help in the T2 Vikavolt, as an alternative to Manectric. If you do decide to cut something for it, then it would actually enable you to, at least in the previous format, use Arceus Prism Star as really early set-up, which gave you more time to set up a vikavolt, which always took me a few turns.

In Sum:

  • -1 Bulu GX
+1 Alolan Vulpix GUR
  • -1 Choice Band
+1 Ultra Ball
  • -1 Koko GX
+1 Koko SM30/31
  • -2 Sky Pillar
+2 APCA
  • -2 Volkner
+1 Ultra Ball
+1 Nest Ball
  • -1 Stretcher
+1 Arceus Prism Star

I'm probably just adding things for the sake of doing it, but when I ran Buluvolt like this it actually worked out fairly well, so it may be worth considering.
 
John InCENAroar said:
  • -2 Volkner
Click to expand...
I think you should leave at least one Volkner, he can really help bail you out of a tough spot and set up a Vikavolt early game after a t1 lillie. Maybe remove one energy recycler for it as you rarely need to play more than 1 maybe 2 of those in a game. Plus if you really need more energy in your deck ASAP to win you can Lele for a volkner to get energy recycler.
 
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