One Hit KO

You go second, you win. You go first, they don’t have Pokemon Collector, you win. They go first with one Pokemon and use Call Energy to get 2 basics on their bench, you still win. Heck, they could even start with an active Dialga G (resistance to your attacker), and you can win.

If they start Spiritomb, you lose!

I don’t care who your opponent is or what deck they’re running, these are all valid scenarios when playing Uxie Donk. Yeah, they’re not absolutes as I have presented them, but it’s kinda true. If your opponent isn’t starting with Spiritomb, you have a chance to win any match on your first trainer turn.

Great players won’t usually play Uxie Donk based on it’s ability to just flat-out lose (against Spiritomb or just a bad draw). On the other hand, players have taken it to tourneys and got X-0 wins. It all depends on the luck of the draw (your first 7 cards, your opponent’s deck, and who goes first).

For example, I took the following list to a local Wed night tourney. I had thought that it would surprise the field, because previously, I was the only person that I’d ever seen around here playing such a deck. I’d played both Uxie Donk and Shuppet Donk in past tourneys. A day or so before, I had asked Andy to borrow some cards, and he had guessed the deck I wanted them for. He also mentioned that he saw Radu playing the deck recently. Well, there goes the surprise, but the loss of surprise won’t kill the deck. Bad matchups will.

So, I show up, and Lukas is playing Radu’s Uxie Donk deck. Oh well, let’s see how this goes. This isn’t intended to be a tourney report. I’m just laying this out as an illustration, so it’ll be quick.

In the first round, I was paired against Lukas’ brother who is a junior. He’s playing Gyarados. On his first turn, he uses Impersonate. I ask if he has any Pokemon in his hand, and he says he does. Radu and I convince him to play his Azelf. It gets him a prized Crobat G. Now he has 3 Pokemon down after Impersonate. I Flash Bite the Sableye to death, Seeker his Azelf, and Psychic Restore his Crobat to death. The look on his face made me remember why this deck is only fun for 1 player at a time.

Round 2 sees me paired against VileGar. I believe there were 2 VileGars at the tourney, and I get paired against one. He starts with Spiritomb active. I lose.

Round 3 sees me paired against the other VileGar. He starts with Spiritomb active. I lose.

Round 4 sees me paired against Omar’s girlfriend, Meghan (also a teammate). I learn that she is probably the only other player to be running 4 Spritomb in her deck. She doesn’t start Spiritomb, I win. Her next card? Spritomb! I dodged a bullet, but the win is unsatisfying due to her being a friend and it not being a particular fun solitaire game.

So, I go 2-2 and have 0 satisfying games. This is one side of the Uxie Donk coin. It can be fun to play, but only for 1 person involved in the 2-player match. It’s either you or them, not both. Remember how I mentioned that Lukas played the deck, also. He’s the other side of the Uxie Donk coin. He went 4-0 and won the entire tourney. He even beat a VileGar thanks to a lucky Cyclone Energy draw (as far as I understand).

So, after that tale, if you’re still interested in building/playing the deck, here how I’d recommend running it. After the list, I’ll discuss some options.

13	Pokemon		43	Trainers		2	Supporters		2	Energy
4	Uxie		1	Expert Belt		2	Seeker		2	Cyclone
4	Unown R		4	Plus Power
4	Crobat G		4	Super Scoop Up
1	Unown Q		4	Poke Turn
			4	Poke Blower+
			4	Poke Drawer+
			4	Pokedex
			4	Junk Arm
			4	Victory Medal
			1	Alph Lithograph FOUR
			1	Luxury Ball
			4	Quick Ball
			4	Dual Ball

Some people won’t be able to acquire 4 Victory Medals. Luckily for me, Omar and Andy combined to win 4 Battle Roads last go-around. That put me in the “capable to borrow 4 Vic Medal” category. Otherwise, here are some alternatives I may have played.

Pokemon Rescue: I probably wouldn’t play 4 of these, because they’re a dead draw until you get Unown R, but I would consider 1 or 2. After you have Unown R, the card essentially reads “Draw a card.”

Poké Ball: People don’t usually play this card, because it’s useless when you flip tails. In a deck that’s designed to empty your hand and Set Up for as much as possible, a tail flip doesn’t hurt much. Heads, you get Uxie, tails you draw more cards. Dual Ball is better, but you can’t play more than 4 of them.

Night Teleporter: Combined with Uxie, this card works a lot like the original Professor Oak. Try to play your hand out. Then play this. If you get heads, get Uxie. Otherwise, you’re hosed (but you would have been hosed without it).

Good Rod: Make sure you have a way to draw a card (like Unown R, Uxie, PokeDrawer+, Pokedex, etc.). Then play this. If tails, you get a trainer. If heads, you get Unown R.

Cyclone Energy: The deck already runs 2 Cyclone Energy, but if you want a better shot at beating a Spiritomb start, go for it.

One really cool thing about this deck is that playing solitaire (practicing alone) is essentially the same as playing in a real match. Just lay out a bunch of Pokemon on the “opponent’s” side of the table and start playing. See how many Pokemon you can KO. I’d suggest putting all your Flash Bite and PokeBlower+ damage on their active. That way, when Seeker comes around, “they” don’t scoop up a bunch of damage.

Alph Lithograph FOUR is a real savior in the deck. You don’t want Azelf junking up your bench, but your mid-turn KO can now net you a prized Cyclone Energy, Seeker, or Expert Belt.

Build it, solitaire it, report back! If you have any questions about how it plays, ask.

Category: Deck Discussion | Tags: Crobat G, Seeker, Unown R, Uxie