What's happening in the Pokemon TCG at the moment?

K

Ka$h Money

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I think I actually done one of these threads a few months ago where I asked how the format is going but I completely forgot about it.

However, let me tell you my story.

I was playing regularly during the Claydol/Uxie era. My most recent deck was a Luxchomp IIRC and it was the best in the format at that time. However, I know now that the likes of Claydol and Uxie have been rotated out and Pokemon has reverted to a more slower approach to a game with less to no draw cards available.

I just wanted to know what the format looks like nowadays and how has Pokemon progressed from the last time I played it. I would also like to know a list or somewhere where I could find the best decks at the moment just so I have an idea on what I'm up against when I finally do decide to re-introduce myself to the TCG once again.

I don't expect to start straight away as that would be silly considering the Worlds is on the horizon and a new season will start in September. But I want to gradually understand and appreciate the new pace of the game.

Thanks for any help.

(If this is in the wrong place, can the mods move it - Thank you)
 
Right now Zekrom/Mewtwo EX/Eelektrik and Celebi Prime/Mewtwo EX/Tornadus are the best two decks in the format. (but personally, I think ZekEels is better)

Pokemon Collector, Dual Ball, Pokemon Catcher, Professor Oak's New Theory, Professor Juniper, N, Mewtwo EX, ect. Are staples. (there's more but I can't think of them off the top of my head)

Stage 2s are almost completely dead as they have little to no success.

There is a thing called the Mewtwo war. Here is how it works: Let's say player A puts down his Mewtwo EX with a DCE, then puts it active to KO something, player B then puts down his own Mewtwo EX with a DCE, drops a PlusPower, sends his Mewtwo to the active, and revenge KOs player A's Mewtwo EX, basicly, don't put down your Mewtwo first if you can. (pretty much only put it down first if your going to win, sweep, or know that your opponent doesn't have any Mewtwos of their own)

Hope I helped some.
 
Kashy you're back :>

This format isn't quite as straightforward as the MD-CL format, as there is more diversity, but we are still seeing some very dominating decks. As The Aura Is With Me 8 pointed out, the top two decks in the format are Zekrom (BW)/Eelektrik (NV) and Tornadus (EP)/Mewtwo-EX (ND)/Celebi Prime [TM]. Zekrom/Eelektrik, or ZekEels, is very similar to Charizard/Typhlosion from the MD-CL format. The deck uses Zekrom (BW), Thundurus (EP), Mewtwo-EX (ND), Zekrom-EX (ND), or some other attacker that can attack for a Lightning or Colorless cost (and others on some occasions), while charging each of them up with Eelektrik. It's fast, consistent, and hard hitting. Howvever, its main attackers are countered by Terrakion (NV), which is a hassle considering that is a big card in the format.

The other deck, Tornadus/Mewtwo-EX/Celebi Prime, is basically this format's "donk" deck (although I myself have a hard time donking with it). The deck uses Celebi Prime to load some Grass Energy onto Tornadus, and with Double Colorless Energy, you can keep moving Energy from Tornadus to one of your other Benched Tornadus, effectively keeping the Energy you attach in play. The deck is very consistent and fast, but not quite as hard hitting as ZekEels (it has a much better early game, though, and is a "cheap prize-taker" deck).

Aside from these two, the other big decks of the format are Terrakion (NV) and Durant (NV). Terrakion was basically made to counter ZekEels, since it can use Terrakion and Exp. Share (ND) to keep the Energy in play and hit ZekEels for weakness. Durant is based on decking your opponent out with four Durant in play, while using cards such as Crushing Hammer (EP), Lost Remover, and Pokémon Catcher (EP) to limit your opponents' options.

Unfortunately, as you've seen, these four decks mainly have their main Pokémon as Basic Pokémon. This is something most players complain about in this format, and its the fact that Basic Pokémon are dominating. Stage 2's are an uncommon find in this format, and this is simply because of a nerfed Rare Candy, Pokémon Catcher, and Basic Pokémon getting a lot of cool "options" (Prism Energy [ND], Eviolite [NV], Skyarrow Bridge [ND]. and generally having high HP and doing lots of damage).

In this format, going first gives an advantage, since the player going first may now play Trainer cards (which now includes Supporters and Stadiums)! However, it isn't impossible to comeback from going second, as saving your draw Supporters and using N (NV) can help with comebacks.

On the topic of draw Supporters, that's this format's main source of drawpower. It's really about 8-10 Supporters (not counting Pokémon Collector) and 0-3 PokeGear 3.0 (HS). Unfortunately, there is no Uxie or Claydol in this format, and the only Pokémon that can really provide some draw are Noctowl (HS), Magnezone Prime [TM], and Musharna (ND). All three don't see much play in this format, however.

Since you were playing Luxchomp last format, I think you must remember what Bright Look did. Well, now Bright Look is a Trainer card (or an Item, which is what Trainers are now called) called Pokémon Catcher (EP). Like I said, it's essentially Bright Look, and is used to take prizes off of your opponent's Bench, stall by bringing up a heavy retreater, etc. Plus, Pokémon Catcher can be recycled via Junk Arm, so it can be reused multiple times throughout the game (besides drawing into it).

The other biggie in this format is Mewtwo-EX (ND). This turns off a lot of player, since it's essentially about a $70 card which almost every deck needs 2-3 of. It can attack for two Colorless Energy, doing 20 damage times the number of Energy attached to it and the Defending Pokémon. It's VERY powerful, considering it is a Basic Pokémon with 170 HP being able to hit very hard with a single Double Colorless Energy. The best way to counter a Mewtwo is to use a Mewtwo of your own, thus the term "Mewtwo wars".
 
Thanks both of you, that's amazing advice (especially Futachimaru :)). It looks like the HP of Pokemon has increased by a good 30-40 points. I'm guessing the same is reflected in attacks as well.

Why have they given that advantage to whomever goes first? Doesn't that make winning a match considerably more based on luck than it has ever been before? It used to be quite balanced beforehand. I hope they get rid of that soon.

Do you think Mewtwo EX will still be good next season? I have to plan on what staples to buy :p

Finally, can someone pm me a basic deck list for the two most popular decks ( Zekeels and Celebi)?
 
kashmaster said:
Thanks both of you, that's amazing advice (especially Futachimaru :)). It looks like the HP of Pokemon has increased by a good 30-40 points. I'm guessing the same is reflected in attacks as well.

Why have they given that advantage to whomever goes first? Doesn't that make winning a match considerably more based on luck than it has ever been before? It used to be quite balanced beforehand. I hope they get rid of that soon.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does make winning considerably more luck-based. Its the main problem that most people have with this format and the only reason I can think of is to make the game simpler. It seems to be TPCi's most recent marketing strategy for younger kids, to combine Pokepowers/bodies into one, make no complicated rules, and plenty of other things that make the game simpler for younger kids but less competitive for us. Almost everything is hoping that they'll get rid of it soon but they haven't already so they're unlikely to do it any time soon.

Do you think Mewtwo EX will still be good next season? I have to plan on what staples to buy :p

Finally, can someone pm me a basic deck list for the two most popular decks ( Zekeels and Celebi)?
Click to expand...

Mewtwo EX won't be bad next season, but I'm predicting that a card coming out called Rayquaza EX (you can see the scans on the front page) will be dominating this format. Due to Rayquaza's capability to OHKO Mewtwo EX and only have 1 energy attached to it after it attacks, therefore lowering Mewtwo's damage output, Mewtwo will probably decline in play. However, this is mostly just me speculating,

A good place to find deck lists as well as a bit of discussion on the metagame decks (you can also ask questions about the deck there) is the Metagame Deck Center. It has a sample deck list for both MTC/Celebox/CMT/Leaf Tornado/whatever and ZekEels as well as some other metagame decks.
 
Dark Void said:
Yes, it does make winning considerably more luck-based. Its the main problem that most people have with this format and the only reason I can think of is to make the game simpler. It seems to be TPCi's most recent marketing strategy for younger kids, to combine Pokepowers/bodies into one, make no complicated rules, and plenty of other things that make the game simpler for younger kids but less competitive for us. Almost everything is hoping that they'll get rid of it soon but they haven't already so they're unlikely to do it any time soon.


Mewtwo EX won't be bad next season, but I'm predicting that a card coming out called Rayquaza EX (you can see the scans on the front page) will be dominating this format. Due to Rayquaza's capability to OHKO Mewtwo EX and only have 1 energy attached to it after it attacks, therefore lowering Mewtwo's damage output, Mewtwo will probably decline in play. However, this is mostly just me speculating,

A good place to find deck lists as well as a bit of discussion on the metagame decks (you can also ask questions about the deck there) is the Metagame Deck Center. It has a sample deck list for both MTC/Celebox/CMT/Leaf Tornado/whatever and ZekEels as well as some other metagame decks.
Click to expand...

I'm upset that they won't change it. I'll have to really consider whether I want to invest in a card game so luck based.

I just looked at Rayquaza and he looks amazing.

How likely is it to pull a Mewtwo ex from a booster box for example? It looks like you have to pay $70 just to get one. Same prices Luxray lv X was going for lol.
 
You pull 2 EX's per box, 1 Full Art per 2 boxes. So about 1 Mewtwo out of every 2.5 boxes (if I did my math right). Either way, it is much better to buy a Mewtwo straight up instead of praying for 1 in a box.
 
venasour x said:
You pull 2 EX's per box, 1 Full Art per 2 boxes. So about 1 Mewtwo out of every 2.5 boxes (if I did my math right). Either way, it is much better to buy a Mewtwo straight up instead of praying for 1 in a box.
Click to expand...

lol?

The boxes for ND range from really bad to really good. The most common boxes I've seen pulled were 2 EXs and 1 FA. The worst boxes are 2 EXs and 0 FA whereas the amazing boxes are 2 EXs and 2 FAs. From what I've seen, it's usually a Mewtwo every other box.

Also, (regular) Mewtwos are nowhere near $70 now. The regulars are about $55-$60 and the FAs $65-$70.
 
Mudkip711 said:
lol?

The boxes for ND range from really bad to really good. The most common boxes I've seen pulled were 2 EXs and 1 FA. The worst boxes are 2 EXs and 0 FA whereas the amazing boxes are 2 EXs and 2 FAs. From what I've seen, it's usually a Mewtwo every other box.

Also, (regular) Mewtwos are nowhere near $70 now. The regulars are about $55-$60 and the FAs $65-$70.
Click to expand...

Maybe my store is just weird, but everybody always pulls 2 EX's. I swear every other person pulls a FA when they buy a box, and its not consistent. I've seen at least 10 people open boxes. At the PR though, that was different. Everybody pulled either godly or absolute crap. Maybe The Pokemon Company is just trolling us with all of those bad boxes you're talking about.
 
Didn't think you'd consider returning to the game, (potentially) welcome back.

If anything, The best 2/3 format we use in the UK kind of helps balance the first turn advantage. I went 2nd every first game during a CC, but still managed to finish 4-1, but of course that was a different format. Unfortunately a best out of 3 format isn't helped by the 45 minute round limit.

Before you decide to splash out on staples, i'd sit back and watch how the meta shifts after Dark Explorers. Don't want to buy cards for a deck a find out that its tier 2 material, just like Toxitank. However it's pretty safe to buy post BW items/supporters/stadiums as things like Pokemon Communication, N and Professor Juniper are still bound to be staples judging by the future sets, plus they're dirt-cheap.
 
Mudkip711 said:
lol?

The boxes for ND range from really bad to really good. The most common boxes I've seen pulled were 2 EXs and 1 FA. The worst boxes are 2 EXs and 0 FA whereas the amazing boxes are 2 EXs and 2 FAs. From what I've seen, it's usually a Mewtwo every other box.

Also, (regular) Mewtwos are nowhere near $70 now. The regulars are about $55-$60 and the FAs $65-$70.
Click to expand...

Mewtwos in the UK are going for around that much. So the most likely pull rate is 2 Exs and 1 FA.

Emperor said:
Didn't think you'd consider returning to the game, (potentially) welcome back.

If anything, The best 2/3 format we use in the UK kind of helps balance the first turn advantage. I went 2nd every first game during a CC, but still managed to finish 4-1, but of course that was a different format. Unfortunately a best out of 3 format isn't helped by the 45 minute round limit.

Before you decide to splash out on staples, i'd sit back and watch how the meta shifts after Dark Explorers. Don't want to buy cards for a deck a find out that its tier 2 material, just like Toxitank. However it's pretty safe to buy post BW items/supporters/stadiums as things like Pokemon Communication, N and Professor Juniper are still bound to be staples judging by the future sets, plus they're dirt-cheap.
Click to expand...

Is that you Richard?

Do you still go to Hackney for the pre-releases? Might turn up for the DE one. Is there anything good from the set that looks likely to change the game?

I'll probably stock up on staples though, thanks.
 
kashmaster said:
Is that you Richard?

Do you still go to Hackney for the pre-releases? Might turn up for the DE one. Is there anything good from the set that looks likely to change the game?

I'll probably stock up on staples though, thanks.
Click to expand...

It's Ryan. I have no idea if Richard is still playing the VG let alone the TCG.

A pre-release hasn't happened in Hackney for quite a while (IIRC), but the London league tends to hold quite a few, though i haven't seen anything about a DE pre-release yet in London.

There's quite a few thing in DE that LOOK potentially game changing
* Darkrai EX
* Dark patch / Darkness Claw
* Tornadus EX

There isn't alot that look like they'll affect the game, at least in this format, but i'll post a link to it and you can see for yourself. http://pokebeach.com/2011/12/dark-rush-scans-and-translations
 
Emperor said:
It's Ryan. I have no idea if Richard is still playing the VG let alone the TCG.

A pre-release hasn't happened in Hackney for quite a while (IIRC), but the London league tends to hold quite a few, though i haven't seen anything about a DE pre-release yet in London.

There's quite a few thing in DE that LOOK potentially game changing
* Darkrai EX
* Dark patch / Darkness Claw
* Tornadus EX

There isn't alot that look like they'll affect the game, at least in this format, but i'll post a link to it and you can see for yourself. http://pokebeach.com/2011/12/dark-rush-scans-and-translations
Click to expand...

Ryan, it's been a long time.

So the London league will be the likely destination for any pre-release from now on?

Would Raikou ex affect the format? It just seems like it would help Zekeels.
 
Yeah it's been a while.

I'm hopping there'll be a PR in London, as i haven't seen anything yet on the Pokemon website about one.

If anything, Raikou EX is just the final nail in the coffin for anything running Reuniclus. Just another tool for Zekeel, Darkrai EX seems to be alot better and is bound to be a money card IMO, which may affect the amount of CMT and Mewtwo techs in general.
 
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