P
Panama1984
So, this is my first deck list (and post) here at PokéBeach, so I'm going to make sure it counts.
Tyranitar + Reuniclus + Vileplume
The Pokédex info in Gold and Heart Gold for Tyranitar is as follows, "Its body can't be harmed by any sort of attack, so it is very eager to make challenges against enemies. "
"Can't be harmed." Now, this is the TCG universe, so by "can't be harmed" they of course mean "can't be killed," and with Reuniclus and damage-soaking basics, Tyranitar becomes completely unkillable.
~~~~~~~~~Skip this to get to the list~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, as a preface, I started playing competitive Pokémon right after Emerging Powers came out, and went into my area's 2 Battle Roads untrained and untested. While I went a decent (for my first) 2-4 with Tyranitar-Muk-Umbreon-Zoroark, one card kept killing me over and over: Catcher. I'd be playing a MegaZone/Donchamp deck, slowly but surely killing their Magnezones and Yanmegas and Machamps and (slowly, with special dark) their Donphans with Umbreon's Moonlight Fang, when they top-deck a Catcher and switch my active Umbreon for a bench-sitting one and OHKO it. Or I've got a built up T-Tar attacking and they catcher out my 0 energy one on the bench. Before Battle Roads I didn't even know this card existed, and it cost me, by lucky draws of it, at least 3 victories.
In the same vein, all of my 100 HP Pokémon were being 1-hit by Magnezone, Machamp, Reshiram, Zekrom, etc etc, and honestly it irked me that I could only use a Pokémon once. Take Zoroark, for instance: I'm facing a Reshiram with 10+ damage. I Foul Play KO it, then get 1-hit by his other reshiram or even a Pluspowered Typhlosion or something. I hardly get to enjoy Zoroark's company
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, after research and testing, I came up with this deck as a counter to Catcher AND OHKOs.
Pokémon--------
3-2-3 Tyranitar - 160 HP, almost unkillable (DonChamp)
2-1-2 Reuniclus - Move Damage off T-Tar/Damage Soak
2-1-1 Vileplume - Lock/Damage Soak
2 Tornadus - Donchamp Tech/Damage Soak
1-1 Zoroark - Dragon/Beartic Tech/Damage Soak
1 Pichu - Early Setup/Twinbait
T/S/S-----
2 Collector
4 Rare Candy
2 Twins
2 Cheren
4 Interviewer's Questions
1 PokéCom - I don't need more due to lock
2 Elm's
4 PONT
1 Sage's Training
2 Seeker - Take Damage off the field via Tornadus
1 Black Belt
Energies-----
4 Special Darkness
4 Basic Darkness
4 Double Colorless
2 Rescue - Also Take Damage off the field at the cost of a prize via Tornadus
So you can see where I'm going with this. Tyranitar, at 160 HP, can take a regular hit from every Pokémon except Donphan, Lugia Legend, Terrakion or Machamp*. If you include damage multipliers it could also be OHKO'd by Magnezone (for 4 energies!). Knowing this, comboing it with Reuniclus is almost second nature. Resh does 120, use reuniclus to move that to the bench over and over again (I've had over 500 sitting on the bench with just T-Tar damage-free). However, with Pokémon Catcher and Pluspower, this deck can begin to fall apart at the seams. So that's where Vileplume comes in! In addition to being able to hold 110 damage on it, it can put my opponent in a trainer-lock to keep his Pluspowers and Catchers away from my Pokémon! I know I know, "3 Stage 3s? Isn't that impossible to set up?" Well yes, and no. Without Twins and Collector, it just wouldn't work. Even with Twins and Collector, I'm usually down 2+ prizes before my Lock, T-Tar and Reuniclus are up and running, but when I get 1 of each my deck is unstoppable.
Ideally, I Start with a Tornadus or Pichu active, Collector/Playground out Larvitar, Oddish, Solosis, and/or a Tornadus to fill the bench. if I started Tornadus/Collector T2 I'd equip a Basic Dark or Rescue to Tornadus. I'd Rare Candy T-Tar or Reuniclus if I have them, evolve to stage 1s if I don't. I set up my Vileplume last so I can make sure I can rare candy first. When Tornadus/Pichu dies/run their course, I switch for T-Tar and let the fun begin. Megaton Tail with enough special dark will OHKO anything but a Wailord, and Power Claw helps me take care of Scizors and Babies.
There are few faults with this deck, but the ones it has are glaring and dangerous.
1: Setup time. Simple as that. I get a desirable setup maybe 75% of the time, the other 25% I have maybe only 2 of the 3 up or only 1 or maybe none at all! Without them, I'm fending off 120-damage dealers like Zekrom and Reshiram with a 110 HP Tornadus or a 100 HP Zoroark, so it's really imperative to get them up as fast as humanly possible.
2: Donchamp. I don't think I should have to explain this, but yea, both the "Don" and the "Champ" can OHKO T-Tar, and Tornadus can only do so much. This is honestly a 10/90 matchup in favor of Donchamp. Best I can hope for is a T2 donk with Tornadus, or revenge killing :/
3. Blastle/Sniping & Spread decks in general. Not so much Yanmega, as I can just keep my Pokémon 50 from death, but Blastoise, Feraligatr, Mamoswine and, yes, another Tyranitar. My bench can only soak so much, and Blastoise can OHKO my Reuniclus even at full health. Luckily, you don't see any Blastoise decks in this Meta. (unluckily, my girlfriend/most common opponent, does)
4. Beartic. Basically I just have to have 2 Tyranitars set up and OHKO them or use my Zoroark
So there you go, let me know what you think! Any way to make my deck faster would be appreciated, as would suggestions on better Techs.
Tyranitar + Reuniclus + Vileplume
The Pokédex info in Gold and Heart Gold for Tyranitar is as follows, "Its body can't be harmed by any sort of attack, so it is very eager to make challenges against enemies. "
"Can't be harmed." Now, this is the TCG universe, so by "can't be harmed" they of course mean "can't be killed," and with Reuniclus and damage-soaking basics, Tyranitar becomes completely unkillable.
~~~~~~~~~Skip this to get to the list~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, as a preface, I started playing competitive Pokémon right after Emerging Powers came out, and went into my area's 2 Battle Roads untrained and untested. While I went a decent (for my first) 2-4 with Tyranitar-Muk-Umbreon-Zoroark, one card kept killing me over and over: Catcher. I'd be playing a MegaZone/Donchamp deck, slowly but surely killing their Magnezones and Yanmegas and Machamps and (slowly, with special dark) their Donphans with Umbreon's Moonlight Fang, when they top-deck a Catcher and switch my active Umbreon for a bench-sitting one and OHKO it. Or I've got a built up T-Tar attacking and they catcher out my 0 energy one on the bench. Before Battle Roads I didn't even know this card existed, and it cost me, by lucky draws of it, at least 3 victories.
In the same vein, all of my 100 HP Pokémon were being 1-hit by Magnezone, Machamp, Reshiram, Zekrom, etc etc, and honestly it irked me that I could only use a Pokémon once. Take Zoroark, for instance: I'm facing a Reshiram with 10+ damage. I Foul Play KO it, then get 1-hit by his other reshiram or even a Pluspowered Typhlosion or something. I hardly get to enjoy Zoroark's company
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, after research and testing, I came up with this deck as a counter to Catcher AND OHKOs.
Pokémon--------
3-2-3 Tyranitar - 160 HP, almost unkillable (DonChamp)
2-1-2 Reuniclus - Move Damage off T-Tar/Damage Soak
2-1-1 Vileplume - Lock/Damage Soak
2 Tornadus - Donchamp Tech/Damage Soak
1-1 Zoroark - Dragon/Beartic Tech/Damage Soak
1 Pichu - Early Setup/Twinbait
T/S/S-----
2 Collector
4 Rare Candy
2 Twins
2 Cheren
4 Interviewer's Questions
1 PokéCom - I don't need more due to lock
2 Elm's
4 PONT
1 Sage's Training
2 Seeker - Take Damage off the field via Tornadus
1 Black Belt
Energies-----
4 Special Darkness
4 Basic Darkness
4 Double Colorless
2 Rescue - Also Take Damage off the field at the cost of a prize via Tornadus
So you can see where I'm going with this. Tyranitar, at 160 HP, can take a regular hit from every Pokémon except Donphan, Lugia Legend, Terrakion or Machamp*. If you include damage multipliers it could also be OHKO'd by Magnezone (for 4 energies!). Knowing this, comboing it with Reuniclus is almost second nature. Resh does 120, use reuniclus to move that to the bench over and over again (I've had over 500 sitting on the bench with just T-Tar damage-free). However, with Pokémon Catcher and Pluspower, this deck can begin to fall apart at the seams. So that's where Vileplume comes in! In addition to being able to hold 110 damage on it, it can put my opponent in a trainer-lock to keep his Pluspowers and Catchers away from my Pokémon! I know I know, "3 Stage 3s? Isn't that impossible to set up?" Well yes, and no. Without Twins and Collector, it just wouldn't work. Even with Twins and Collector, I'm usually down 2+ prizes before my Lock, T-Tar and Reuniclus are up and running, but when I get 1 of each my deck is unstoppable.
Ideally, I Start with a Tornadus or Pichu active, Collector/Playground out Larvitar, Oddish, Solosis, and/or a Tornadus to fill the bench. if I started Tornadus/Collector T2 I'd equip a Basic Dark or Rescue to Tornadus. I'd Rare Candy T-Tar or Reuniclus if I have them, evolve to stage 1s if I don't. I set up my Vileplume last so I can make sure I can rare candy first. When Tornadus/Pichu dies/run their course, I switch for T-Tar and let the fun begin. Megaton Tail with enough special dark will OHKO anything but a Wailord, and Power Claw helps me take care of Scizors and Babies.
There are few faults with this deck, but the ones it has are glaring and dangerous.
1: Setup time. Simple as that. I get a desirable setup maybe 75% of the time, the other 25% I have maybe only 2 of the 3 up or only 1 or maybe none at all! Without them, I'm fending off 120-damage dealers like Zekrom and Reshiram with a 110 HP Tornadus or a 100 HP Zoroark, so it's really imperative to get them up as fast as humanly possible.
2: Donchamp. I don't think I should have to explain this, but yea, both the "Don" and the "Champ" can OHKO T-Tar, and Tornadus can only do so much. This is honestly a 10/90 matchup in favor of Donchamp. Best I can hope for is a T2 donk with Tornadus, or revenge killing :/
3. Blastle/Sniping & Spread decks in general. Not so much Yanmega, as I can just keep my Pokémon 50 from death, but Blastoise, Feraligatr, Mamoswine and, yes, another Tyranitar. My bench can only soak so much, and Blastoise can OHKO my Reuniclus even at full health. Luckily, you don't see any Blastoise decks in this Meta. (unluckily, my girlfriend/most common opponent, does)
4. Beartic. Basically I just have to have 2 Tyranitars set up and OHKO them or use my Zoroark
So there you go, let me know what you think! Any way to make my deck faster would be appreciated, as would suggestions on better Techs.