Fish Ninja
New Member
So this is a deck that has been interesting to me since it was a big threat in the HGSS-BW meta. It used Vileplume UD to prevent the opponent from using items. Of course we lost it during last year's rotation, however this deck is still viable through the watered down ability of Gothitelle. The obvious difference between these two is Gothitelle must be active. Nevertheless, you can still play items which is also a difference from Vileplume. First I will post the list, then explain choices I have made as well as concerns I have. Without further adieu, here is the list.
Pokemon (20):
4x Accelgor [DEX 11]
2x Darkrai EX
4x Gothita [EPO 43]
3x Gothitelle [EPO 47]
1x Gothorita [DRX 56]
2x Mew EX
4x Shelmet [NVI 11]
Items (17):
1x Computer Search
2x Level Ball
2x Pokemon Catcher
3x Pokemon Communication
4x Rare Candy
1x Super Rod
2x Switch
2x Ultra Ball
Stadium (2):
2x Virbank City Gym/Tropical Beach
Supporters (12):
3x Colress
4x N
3x Professor Juniper
2x Skyla
Energy (9):
5x Darkness Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy
The overall strategy of the deck is as follows. Primarily, the goal is to set up a Gothitelle to shut roughly a third (or more) of your opponents deck down as soon as possible. This will cause them to have dead cards that hinder their set up. Secondly, because Gothitelle has to be active it is always preferred to set up a second on standby so that if the opponent's deck is fast attacking, you still have the lock going. Obviously, Accelgor provides the second half of the lock through it's Deck and Cover attack. By paralysing and poisoning the opponents active then promoting Gothitelle, you are guaranteeing that their Pokemon will stay active during the next turn. They cannot manually retreat out of paralysis and cannot play Switch because of Magic Room. The only exception being Keldeo EX who can Rush In. If this pony is ever in play I try to catcher it up and use Accelgor instead of Mew because of the grass weakness. The silver lining is depending on how fast Gothitelle is set up against Blastoise/Keldeo, they may not be able to Deluge the four energy needed to the Keldeo to OHKO the active Gothitelle. And if this is the case, they have to burn two energies to get out of the active because it is rare that that deck carry Switch. Even if it did, Gothitelle still forces them to retreat manually/Rush In. By keeping a steady stream of Deck and Cover going you can effectively lock your opponent down. This may seem like a stretch, but it is do able. Not to mention, Gothitelle alone puts an extreme amount of pressure on your opponent.
Now, lets look at a few choices I have made and some I am still considering. Firstly, the Pokemon I may want to fit in. A 2-2 Line of Musharna NXD 59 (Munna BLW 48). This is just to add to the likelihood of continual Deck and Cover. I'm not completely sold on this, although I haven't tested it too much, but I am going to give it another shot. I also can't say I haven't thought about Emolga for Call for Family. Set up is key for this deck but I don't know if it is worth fitting in to this already tight list. Secondly, lets look at the items that are a possibility. The first is a third catcher. When I lock it takes several turns to KO the opposing Pokemon, this gives me plenty of time to draw out a catcher to select what I will KO next. (If they didn't already promote an EX to KO my Gothitelle.) I've had two games where both were prized. Given this is a rare occurrence, the thought of a third would be nice. Also I would also like to add a second Super Rod, being able to reuse Darkness Energies and replenish my Basic Pokemon. I have Computer search in this list because of the need to hit DCE consistently. Dowsing Machine could work as well acting as an extra copy of all of my trainers. The supporters look kind of awkward to me I don't know why and it plays out fine, but it has room for improvement. Now, for the stadium dilemma--Virbank City Gym Vs. Tropical Beach.This is such a hard choice because they both add a different feel for the build. Virbank helps by reducing the number of Deck and Covers needed to KO an opposing Pokemon EX, whereas Beach is a distinct consistency booster that is essentially a second supporter. I am currently leaning toward Virbank because one Deck and Cover with it out does 50 base damage + 30 for poison between turns, then another 30 when its back to you for a total of 110, which is quite a nice number because after that turn gets up to 140 to KO several bulky non EX Pokemon. Lastly, I may want to add another Darkness Energy in case several are prized, but I haven't had a problem with this yet.
All in all, I enjoy playing this deck and want to try to improve it. This is my first attempt at this deck, so if I am missing anything let me know. Also, comment with your thoughts, critiques, and/or criticism. (Especially on which stadium to use) Thanks for reading!
Pokemon (20):
4x Accelgor [DEX 11]
2x Darkrai EX
4x Gothita [EPO 43]
3x Gothitelle [EPO 47]
1x Gothorita [DRX 56]
2x Mew EX
4x Shelmet [NVI 11]
Items (17):
1x Computer Search
2x Level Ball
2x Pokemon Catcher
3x Pokemon Communication
4x Rare Candy
1x Super Rod
2x Switch
2x Ultra Ball
Stadium (2):
2x Virbank City Gym/Tropical Beach
Supporters (12):
3x Colress
4x N
3x Professor Juniper
2x Skyla
Energy (9):
5x Darkness Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy
The overall strategy of the deck is as follows. Primarily, the goal is to set up a Gothitelle to shut roughly a third (or more) of your opponents deck down as soon as possible. This will cause them to have dead cards that hinder their set up. Secondly, because Gothitelle has to be active it is always preferred to set up a second on standby so that if the opponent's deck is fast attacking, you still have the lock going. Obviously, Accelgor provides the second half of the lock through it's Deck and Cover attack. By paralysing and poisoning the opponents active then promoting Gothitelle, you are guaranteeing that their Pokemon will stay active during the next turn. They cannot manually retreat out of paralysis and cannot play Switch because of Magic Room. The only exception being Keldeo EX who can Rush In. If this pony is ever in play I try to catcher it up and use Accelgor instead of Mew because of the grass weakness. The silver lining is depending on how fast Gothitelle is set up against Blastoise/Keldeo, they may not be able to Deluge the four energy needed to the Keldeo to OHKO the active Gothitelle. And if this is the case, they have to burn two energies to get out of the active because it is rare that that deck carry Switch. Even if it did, Gothitelle still forces them to retreat manually/Rush In. By keeping a steady stream of Deck and Cover going you can effectively lock your opponent down. This may seem like a stretch, but it is do able. Not to mention, Gothitelle alone puts an extreme amount of pressure on your opponent.
Now, lets look at a few choices I have made and some I am still considering. Firstly, the Pokemon I may want to fit in. A 2-2 Line of Musharna NXD 59 (Munna BLW 48). This is just to add to the likelihood of continual Deck and Cover. I'm not completely sold on this, although I haven't tested it too much, but I am going to give it another shot. I also can't say I haven't thought about Emolga for Call for Family. Set up is key for this deck but I don't know if it is worth fitting in to this already tight list. Secondly, lets look at the items that are a possibility. The first is a third catcher. When I lock it takes several turns to KO the opposing Pokemon, this gives me plenty of time to draw out a catcher to select what I will KO next. (If they didn't already promote an EX to KO my Gothitelle.) I've had two games where both were prized. Given this is a rare occurrence, the thought of a third would be nice. Also I would also like to add a second Super Rod, being able to reuse Darkness Energies and replenish my Basic Pokemon. I have Computer search in this list because of the need to hit DCE consistently. Dowsing Machine could work as well acting as an extra copy of all of my trainers. The supporters look kind of awkward to me I don't know why and it plays out fine, but it has room for improvement. Now, for the stadium dilemma--Virbank City Gym Vs. Tropical Beach.This is such a hard choice because they both add a different feel for the build. Virbank helps by reducing the number of Deck and Covers needed to KO an opposing Pokemon EX, whereas Beach is a distinct consistency booster that is essentially a second supporter. I am currently leaning toward Virbank because one Deck and Cover with it out does 50 base damage + 30 for poison between turns, then another 30 when its back to you for a total of 110, which is quite a nice number because after that turn gets up to 140 to KO several bulky non EX Pokemon. Lastly, I may want to add another Darkness Energy in case several are prized, but I haven't had a problem with this yet.
All in all, I enjoy playing this deck and want to try to improve it. This is my first attempt at this deck, so if I am missing anything let me know. Also, comment with your thoughts, critiques, and/or criticism. (Especially on which stadium to use) Thanks for reading!