HS-Series Fire/Water Deck.

[A.J.]

Hey all!

I'm putting together a dual-type deck. Sounds easy, right? Well, I'm trying to create a competitively-viable deck using only cards from the HS series (a fun, unique challenge). I've been playing around with it casually, and results have been mixed. Since my collection of HS cards is very sporadic (I'm considering trying to complete an entire set), I've had to do some trades and buys online in the past few days.

It's based around Fire- and Water-types.

Unleashed Remoraid x2
Unleashed Octillery x1
Unleashed Horsea x4
Unleashed Seadra x2
Unleashed Kingdra x1
HGSS Vulpixx3
HGSS Ninetales x1
Unleashed Ninetales x1
Triumphant Ponyta x2
Triumphant Rapidash x1
Promotional Lugia x1
Promotional Ho-oh x1
Undaunted Eevee x1
Undaunted Eevee x1
Undaunted Flareon x1
Undaunted Vaporeon x1

Dual Ball x3
Energy Returner x3
Prof. Elm's Training Method x2
Flower Shop Lady x3
Moomoo Milk x3

Water Energy x11
Fire Energy x11

Because of the amount of stage 1/2 pokemon I wanted in the deck, I wanted ways to get the basic forms as well as discarded energy back quickly. This setup also exhausts the cards in my deck pretty quickly, and the trainers/supporters help to put cards back in the deck so I don't run out.

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[Tarro57]

I just changed it a little bit that I think might be better, and I changed the Kingdra to Kingdra Prime, and took out the Eevees:

Unleashed Remoraid x2
Unleashed Octillery x2
Unleashed Horsea x2
Unleashed Seadra x1
Unleashed Kingdra Prime x2
HGSS Vulpix x2
HGSS Ninetales x2
Triumphant Ponyta x2
Triumphant Rapidash x2
Promotional Lugia x1
Promotional Ho-oh x1
HGSS/CoL Cleffa x2

Dual Ball x4
Energy Returner x3
Prof. Elm's Training Method x2
Flower Shop Lady x3
Moomoo Milk x3
Rare Candy x2

Water Energy x11
Fire Energy x11

You don't have to change it all to this, you can just edit some, none, or all of it to be like this if you feel. Hope this helps!

 

[A.J.]

Seems like a good call to get rid of Eevee, Vaporeon, and Flareon, and to adjust some of the card quantities. Using the HGSS Cleffa seems like a good call too. Thanks!

Just a few other things though -

First, why would you include two HGSS Ninetales cards as opposed to one from HGSS and one from Unleashed (or even two from Unleashed)? The one from Unleashed has an attack that lets me recover fire energy cards from the discard pile.

Second, Kingdra Prime's only attack goes down to 20 damage if the opponent has a Fire-type in play, which seems kind of risky compared to normal Kingdra's sure-thing attacks. Why'd you decide to do that?

 

[ven?]

Deck construction basic's

okemon: pokemon evolution lines should look like this 2-basic's, 2-stage 1's, 2 or 1 stage 2 or 2-2-2 or 2-1-2, the reason behind this is to allow you're evolution pokemon to get to you're hand as much as basic's can, trainer's/supporter's and stadiums help pokemon get to your hand much faster and increases chances of play, also putting in as many of a single kind of evolution increases you're chance's to play what you need asap.

:T/S/S (trainer's/supporter's/stadiums):
3 cards needed in every pokemon deck for this format, in exact number
4 pokemon communication
3-7 professor oaks new theory, professor juniper, N, judge
2 dual ball or collector

since you have dual ball you're half way there, remember, the more T/S/S you put into you're deck the faster you can get pokemon and energy to you're hand so you can play faster.

:energy: easy, put no more then 17 total energy in you're deck.

 

[A.J.]

Okay, well, I'm sticking to HS-series cards for this particular deck, so Prof. Juniper and N are both out.

One thing I am trying to avoid is being in a situation where I only have one card in my hand and then drawing six or so cards. This would exhaust my deck extremely quickly, and is one of the reasons that I included several Energy Returner cards. The HGSS Cleffa is another card that could possibly be used in place of Prof. Oak's New Theory and/or Judge, and it has the potential to be used over and over again due to its Poke Body which reduces all damage to 0 if it's asleep.

Also, I want to have enough energy to keep at least half of my bench with enough energy to be able to use an attack if they get switched into the active position. Is 17 really enough, and why such a specific number? I really don't want any of my decks to be "typical".

But, I will definitely consider using Pokemon Communication, and including a hand-drawing trainer or two. Thanks!

 

[ven?]

um drawing more cards does not exhaust your deck, it allows you to make more actual play's, if you're worried about to many cards then use cards like pont or judge, set cards that allow you to limit you're hand. As a suggestion, put in both cleffa pont or judge, just putting in one slows down the deck, making a deck faster to play with is about creating variety with the cards. Why no more then 17, because you don't want hemorrhage energy cards when you need actual cards to setup pokemon to respond to what you're opponent is playing, which slow's you down dramatically. To be honest a majority of top ranking deck's weather they're rogue deck's (not staple deck's) or format decks (staple deck's) only run a max 9-11 energy, they end up using they're T/S/S lines to grab cards for that. If you find issue's in needing energy then put in Interviewer's questions or more re-draw/draw supporter's.

Every deck within a certain structure of cards are typical no matter which way you go about it, it's not about a typical deck, it's about creating a deck that works. I come from a rogue league where every deck we play with is not typical, each and every T/S/S line suit's the player's play style and how they work with that play style depends on what they use, however using as you put it "typical cards" or staple cards gives the deck structure so it can stand up against alot of different kinds of deck's, however again just because we use staple cards doesn't mean we play them in the same way everyone else would, alot about pokemon depends on the strategy each player uses, and understanding that takes experience, so staple cards just end up becoming like every other card out there. So in point blank they're cards you actually need to make thing's work.

 

[A.J.]

Hey, thanks! I haven't constructed decks since the EX series, and what you've said is pretty helpful for this one and the deck I'm planning on constructing using BW-series cards. I appreciate it.