May 2011

Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes? Pt 2. 25-1

Pikkdogs May 6, 2011 3 Comments

A big hello to all you OHKOers out there.  This is Pikkdogs with the second part of my article on the top 50 cards that are leaving the format.  The list is based on how good I feel the card is, and how well the card has preformed in tournaments.  So without further delay, lets finish off the list.

#25. Unown R

Throughout its time in the format, Unown R has always been “the other Unown”.  At first R took the backseat to Unown G.  Once G was rotated out, Unown Q gained a lot of popularity.  Unown R was always seen as a card that was played in inferior speed decks.  But, it was a great card that greatly sped up some good decks.  It was mostly used in speed decks like Shuppet and Uxie, but has seen play in other builds like Gyarados and Machamp.  It was a great versatile card that had an impact on the format.

#24. Toxicroak G Promo

Once Luxray Gl came out Toxicroak G was released to try to keep him in check. It is weird to think of one card being used only to counter one other card, but that is the relationship between Toxicroak and Luxral Gl.   Toxicroak saw play in most SP decks to try to get a revenge knock out on Luxray Gl.  It also saw play in other decks (like Gyarados) when Luxray Gl was a concern.  As Luxray Gl lessened in importance with the rise of Garchomp C, so did Toxicroak G.  But, it was a great card that made a big difference in the war of SP decks.

#23.  Azelf La

Azelf is a card that was used in almost every deck.  If you only ran 1 copy of a card, you needed to run Azelf.  It saw play in Yuta Komatsuda’s 2010 National’s Winning deck, and in almost every other deck.  There is not really a card in the format that can do what Azelf can, although the combination of Rotom Ud and Alph Lithograph is similar.  Azelf is a card that everyone will miss.

#22.  Expert Belt

Expert Belt is a very versatile card that everyone seems to like.  Almost every deck plays at least 1 of this card, thats how good it is.  Even though it is easy to misplay with this card, it is also easy to dominate with it.  The ability to add 20 HP and 20 damage is amazing, it is something that no other card in the format can do.  Expert Belt was a staple card in many decks, but it was utilized best by the donk decks.  

#21.  Cynthia’s Feelings

Right now, Cynthia’s Feelings is just another hand refreshing card.  With Professor Oaks New Theory, Copycat, Professor Juniper, Lookers Investigation, and Judge; there are a myriad of ways to refresh your hand.  But when this card originally came out, it was the best hand refreshing card.  It also helped you recover from a knock out.  Almost every deck played 1 or 2 of this card.  It was a great card that saw a lot of use, sot thats why its on this list.

#20.  Flygon RR and Flygon Lv. X

There was once a time where Luxray Gl Lv. X was “the other Lv. X” in a Rising Rivals pack.  Thats right, for a while Flygon Lv. X was the most coveted card in the format.  Everyone wanted it because it was so good.  It was used in a good deck with Machamp SF (that was very popular during worlds and nationals 2009) and spawned other decks.  Another popular deck at one time was Dark Flygon.  It relied on Weavile SW to load dark energies on Flygon.   I even had a lock/milling deck that used Rhyperior DP, that I took to top 8 of Michigan States 2010.  It was a really good deck, and Flygon was  a card that was really fun to play with.  But, with the release of HGSS came the release of Double Colorless Energy.  DCE made Garchomp C a lot faster than Flygon, and forced Flygon out of competitive play.  It may have had a short playing window, but it did help to create a tier 1 deck before Garchomp C. 

#19.  Palkia G and Palkia G Lv. X

There is only one SP deck that basically runs the same way today as it did during its Platinum release, and that is Palkia Lock.  This deck relies on powerlocking with Mesprit, and using Palkia to free up bench space.  When it first came out Palkia G saw a lot of play in Palkia lock, and with other cards like Dialga G and Luxray Gl.  It has since seen a drop in play, but it did see play in a rogue Lucario Cl deck this regionals season.  For being a winning card since it first came out, Palkia G gets into the top 20.

#18.  Chatot Md.

Chatot Md gives you hand refresh as an attack, packaged along with the perk of having free retreat.  It was used for 2 years as a good recovery Pokemon.  It was never a staple in a deck, but it was used by the very best players in the very best decks.  There are some other starters/recovery Pokemon in the format, but most of them are rotating out.  The only Pokemon that can really do what Chatot can might be Smeargle Ud.  It was a great card that saw a lot of play.

#17.  Call Energy

Call Energy is a versatile card that was used in a lot of decks like SP and Charizard.  If you start first, sometimes your only solace was the fact that you could use Call Energy to help you setup.  It is a card that doesn’t really have any replacement in the next format.  The new first turn rules kind of makes Call Energy less playable anyway, because you will more likely be able to do damage on turn 1 now, but I think the format will always be missing something.  Call Energy was a card that saw a lot of play in great decks, for that reason a lot of good players will have fond memories of it.

#16.  Unown Q.

Unown Q was a card that everyone used, but nobody respected.  Unown Q was always there to help retreat a Pokemon when needed, but no one ever talked about it being a great card.  It was a great card that should probably be ranked much higher.  The ability to give some Pokemon free retreat is amazing.  The card was used in almost every deck.  It was most commonly used with Uxie Lv.X and Smeargle Ud.  Smeargle Ud continues in the format, but will not be as effective anymore without Unown Q.  It is a card that a lot of people will miss, and was one of the most useful cards in the format.

#15.  Sableye Sf

Sableye is a great card that was used a lot in the previous formats.  Its most famous role was that of a starter in a Gyarados deck.  It was also used as a starter in various other decks.  Its most dominant performance will probably be in the 2011 Spring Battle Roads, when a lot of people will run donk decks with Sableye.  It does a lot of things that other cards can’t, it can force you to start first and allow you to use 2 supporters per turn.  It is a card that will not have an equal in the coming formats.  It might never have won worlds, but it won many State and Regional tournaments, becoming a very successful deck.  It was a deceivingly good card.

#14. Bronzong G and Crobat G  

I’ll admit that I am combined two very different cards together at one spot, because I made a mistake.  I forgot to put 1 card in my list, so to make room I am squeezing two cards together.  But they are both used in the same deck, so its not too much of a stretch.

When you think of an impactful SP card, it will take you about 10 cards to get to Bronzong G, but I think no other card was as important.  One of the most important thing about playing SP was that you had to play an energy each turn.  Because of Bronzong G it did not really matter where you attached it.  Lots of players, including me, thought that they were going to beat an SP deck, just to have a player use “Galactic Switch” to get an energy that he/she needed to pull the win from out of no where.  Bronzong G was a card that really allowed SP decks to be dominant.  It was used in almost every SP deck and had great success, winning a ton of tournaments.  For all the success, it earns the #14 spot.

Crobat G is a card that probably is good enough to make #1 on my list.  Because of the fact that it is a great card that does something that no other basic Pokemon can do.  Just playing it down lets you place 1 damage counter anywhere you want.  That ability is amazing!  It allows you to get more O.H.K.O.’s and even lets you knock a Pokemon out without attacking.  Besides being used in SP decks it was also used in regular decks like Gyarados.  It also has seen play in Donk decks.  These extremely fast decks use this card to knockout 1-2 Pokemon on the first turn.  Without Crobat G, O.H.K.O.’s will be harder to get and Donk decks will be a thing of the past.  Crobat G was  great card that turned up the intensity of the game like no other.

#13.  Regigas Lv.X and “Drag Off” Promo

I have no idea why this deck is still considered Rogue.  Regigigas decks may be slow to setup, but they are quick enough and hit hard enough to hang with any deck.  It is a deck that can stand with any other deck out there.  The “Sacrifice” Poke-Power was something that the game has never really seen before, and caused the blood pressure of a lot of players to rise.  The deck was a powerful tanking and powerlocking deck that could shock you at how versatile it is.  It never really had a great player base and so it never won a lot of major tournaments.  Shout out to my buddy Ryan Graham from Team Warp Point for playing the deck at the highest level possible.  He proved that this deck was just as good as any other.

#12.  Warp Energy/ Warp point

Warp Energy is a card that a lot of people will be surprised to see this far down in the rankings.  It is ranked this high because it lets you get a Pokemon with a high retreat cost out of the active spot.  One of the reasons that Luxray Gl has seen a drop in play, is that with the rise of Warp Energy it is a lot easier to get Pokemon out of the active spot.  Warp Energy even works during trainerlock, something that Warp Point and Switch do not do.  Warp Energy can really get you out of a bad spot, and completely change the game.  It also saw great success, Yuta Komatsuda ran it in his 2010 Worlds winning deck.  It is a great card that was widely used in almost every deck, and deserves to be ranked this high.

Warp Point makes this list as well.  Not only does it let you switch your Pokemon, but it forces your opponent to switch as well.  It is like a Switch and a Pokemon Circulator in one card!   So you can replace this card, but you need 2 cards to do it.  Right now, the only decks that run this card are tanking decks like Steelix and Gyarados.  It has seen a drop in play because of trainer lock, but it has seen a lot of good play in the past.  For being so valuable, it earns a share of the 12 spot in the countdown.

#11. Blaziken Fb and Blaziken FB Lv. X

If you go back to my first article, you will read that Luxape was the grandfather of the current Luxchomp deck.  If Luxape was the grandfather, who was the father?  That is Blazeray.  Blazeray was a highly disruptive SP deck that advanced the SP strategy enough until Garchomp C came in.  In fact, it is still used in most SP decks.  It can also be used in almost any decks to try to slow down the opponent.  It is a very powerful and very versatile card that helped to change the format and bring the rise of Luxchomp.  It will be a card that a lot of people won’t easily forget.

#10.  Dialga G and Dialga G Lv. X

The first spot in the top 10 goes to the original SP pokemon.  Before there was Luxchomp, or Blazeray, or Luxape; there was Deafen Lock.  It relied on Dialga G to tank, and the Toxitank combo to assist in the Machamp matchup.  It was very disruptive, and nothing you wanted to see across from you in a Battle Road tournament.  With the release of Garchomp C everything old was new again, as Dialga G had a rebirth in the Dialgachomp deck.  It also saw play in Yuta Komatsuda’s 2010 Nationals winning deck, as a tech.  It was a card that could shut down a lot of good decks, and is even feared today.  For being so popular, it snags the #10 spot.

#9. Machamp Sf

Machamp doesn’t do damage, he just knocks you out!  Every basic Pokemons worst fear is the sight of a Machamp Sf.  The only thing that held Machamp back was the bad matchup it had against stage 2 decks.  If it didn’t dominate early, Machamp had a hard time against a lot of decks.    But, I don’t think any other deck had as much success as Machamp did.  Machamp was paired with other Pokemon like Flygon RR and Gengar Sf. Since its release people have been playing this deck, it has been a consistent deck for over 2 years.  For remarkable longevity, it deserves to be in the top 10.

#8. Broken Time Space

I returned to the game shortly after the Platinum set, and was immediately taken by BTS.  So much so that I don’t think I can imagine a format without it.  I have always relied on BTS as a card that can speed up stage 2 decks, now that it is gone it will be a shock to my system.  This card is a staple in almost all non-SP decks.  It is most famous for being in fast decks like Gyarados and Machamp.  A lot of players are talking about cards like Emboar and Samurott being great cards in the next format, but this will be hard without cards like BTS.  I think this card is one of the most overlooked cards in the format, and I think a lot of people will miss this card in the future.

#7.  Gyarados SF

What can I say about Gyarados?  It is just a great card that has dominated during the past 1 1/2 years.  The deck was first discovered at 2009 World’s by a group of French players.  They did not win that day, but they did change the format forever.  It was a fast deck that had a lot of HP and could hit really hard, it was one of the most perfect decks.  It never won worlds, but it did have a lot of success in large tournaments.  It even won Minnesota states a couple months ago, I can’t remember who ran this deck, the only thing i can remember is that he wasn’t very handsome.  It might not have won worlds, but I can say that it was one of the most perfectly balanced decks in the format.

#6.  SP Engine- Cyrus’s Conspiracy, SP Radar, Poketurn, Powerspray, Energy Gain

SP decks have dominated the format ever since the Blazeray deck was popularized, the reason for this was the rise of the SP engine.  Garchomp C can only hit for 80, Luxray Gl for 70.  That is not very impressive.  So why are those 2 cards so amazing, because the SP engine lets them hit faster than any other card.  Cyrus’s Conspiracy lets you grab an ungodly amount of cards.  SP Radar lets you search out the LV. X cards you are looking for.  Poketurn is there for preventing a knock out, and re-using coming into play Poke-Powers.  Powerspray is the most disruptive card in the format.  And finally, Energy gain lets you attack faster than any other deck. SP decks are the most successful decks since Haymaker.  They have won every big tournaments that there are.   Without the SP engine, the SP cards are nothing but average.  That is why this card deserves to be ranked so high.

#5. Luxray Gl and Luxray Gl Lv.X

When you talk about decks in the past couple years, you can talk about decks before Luxray and decks after Luxray.  Because of Luxray Gl almost every card with a lightning weakness was deemed unplayable.  What other card can shut down dozens of good decks?  The rise of Luxray Gl coincides with the rise of the modern SP deck.  Luxray Gl was a very big part of the SP decks that have won so many tournaments.  It also saw ultimate success in the Raybees deck that won the 2009 Worlds tournament.  It has proved to be a very versatile card that has been put into a lot of decks.  Even though it has lessened in its importance during the last year or so, it is still a great card.  Luxray Gl could have easily been the #1 card in this countdown.

#4. Gengar SF.  

Just like Machamp, Gengar SF is a card that has been a great card for a long time.  To my knowledge, the first great Gengar deck was Gengchamp.  Combining both Machamp SF and Gengar SF.  Then, Gengar was paired with Nidoquen, to make it harder to get around “Fainting Spell.”  Next, Gengar Sf played a supporting role in Cursegar.  Next, Gengar SF shined in the trainerlock deck that we use today.  It is a card that has been used for a long time, and has had great success in larger tournaments.  Gengar is a great card that can snipe, attack the active, and use its Poke-Power to take the defending Pokemon with it when it dies.

#3.    Bebe’s Search

This is a card that I can’t imagine our format without.  It seems like Bebe’s Search is the most basic card in the format.  Every deck runs a couple copies, and the card seems to always be there when you need it.  I wonder how good stage 2 decks will be without Bebe’s, its rotation will greatly impact the format.  Bebe’s was a staple in almost every deck, I can’t begin to tell you abut how much success it had.  It simply is perhaps the best and most used card in the format.  I really wanted to put this card at #1, but I think the villagers would create an uprising if I did.

#2. Garchomp C and Garchomp C Lv. X

Garchomp C currently controls the format, its that simple.  I have given up on 95% of stage 2 decks, because they are a lot slower than Garchomp C.  Garchomp can just snipe its basic or stage 1 before the stage 2 even hits the field. Garchomp is extremely disruptive because it can knock out any Pokemon on the field for only 1 DCE and a 1 energy gain.  Just like Luxray Gl, Garchomp C has changed the format.  There were certain decks that were good before it, and certain decks that you could play after.  In a Blazeray deck, players counted each Poketurn as a knockout with Luxray Gl, after the release of DCE players started counting each DCE as a knockout with Garchomp C.  Garchomp took the best deck in the format, Blazeray, and made it unstoppable,  The Luxchomp deck was basically broken and almost impossible to defeat. Even though Play Pokemon probably should have banned cards,  they did not and let Luxchomp run roughshod over the format.  It won almost every big tournament, and every small tournament where decent players play. If Garchomp C basically ran the format, what card could take the #1 spot…………..

#1 Uxie and Uxie Lv. X  

Uxie is simply the staple beyond all staples.  After Claydol left the format earlier this year, the only draw engine we had was Uxie.  When Claydol was in the format, Uxie was still used, just not in great quantities.  Now, every deck relies on getting an early Uxie to setup.  If your opponent Powesprays your Uxie, you could basically scoop right there, that’s who important it was.   Today, Uxie is in every deck as a draw engine.  It is impossible to list all accomplishments, but basically every deck that ever won a tournament in the past 2 years (expect Scizor/Cherrim) used Uxie.  In this format, Uxie was able to have its own deck in Uxie Donk.  Uxie donk was popular last year, but then lost popularity with the rise of Spiritomb Ar.  But with the release of Seeker, Uxie donk is back on.  Up until the Black and White rule changes Uxie donk was a very good deck that was one  of the few decks that could regularly beat SP.

I could have easily separated Uxie and Uxie Lv. X and they both would probably crack the top 10.  The Lv. X is a great card because it makes Uxie a good attacker, and speeds up the deck thanks to its Poke-Power.  If you need some draw power in your deck just add in the Lv. X and all of a sudden your deck is better faster and stronger.  The X also helps SP decks keep a consistent build that can beat Machamp.

These two cards were used in almost every deck in a lot of different ways.  If it were not for Uxie things would be much slower than they are.  I know that Uxie will be a card that everyone will miss, and a card that nobody can complain about at the #1 spot.

Well there it is, I finished my long countdown from 50 to 1.  If you learned anything from these series of articles it was that we are losing a lot of great cards in the next rotation.  But, it is not too late.  You still have 1 more opportunity to use these cards at the Spring Battle Roads.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes? Pt 1 50-26

Pikkdogs May 3, 2011 1 Comment

A big hello to all of you OHKOers out there, this is Pikkdogs with a list of the top cards that will soon be leaving the format.  A week or so ago we heard that it is likely that we will get a late-season rotation of HGSS-on.  While I think the rotation is great for the game, losing seven sets makes a huge effect on the game.  This rotation will see about half of the format disappear.  Some of the best cards in the format are officially leaving.  So, just for fun I decided that I will be ranking the top 50 cards that will be leaving the format.

Cards will be ranked based on their overall playability within their life in the many formats.  For example, Regirock was used a lot in the past couple months, but not used at all in the prior 2 years.  While Abomosnow SF has never been super popular, but has always been a card that has received moderate play.  So, Regirock and Abomosnow would have similar rankings. Also, basic cards and their Lv.X’s will be combined together in one ranking.  Its hard to seperate Luxray Gl from Luxray Gl Lv. X.  You don’t really see them being different, so I will classify them together.  I will also group similar cards together to save room on the list for other cards.

Making this article was very tough. I could have easily ranked the top 100, but the top 50 is the most relevant.  It was very tough to chose just 50 cards, but I think I came down with the 50 of the best cards that are being rotated.

This article will be broken down in 2 parts, expect the second part to be released in the next couple days.  So without further adieu, lets get onto the list

#50 Empoleon Md.

Some of you newer players may be surprised to see Empoleon on this list.  But, when I got into the game (around the platinum set) Emploeon Md was a 2nd tier deck.  Empoleon combined spreading and blunt force together to make a fearsome deck.  The deck benefited from the Claydol Ge draw engine.  Empoleon fell off the map once Luxray Gl gained popularity and the spread strategy died, but what this card accomplished should not be forgotten.

#49.  Porygon Z Lv.X  and Porygon Z promo

The deck did not stay around for too long, but for a while Porygon Z was a great deck.  It relied on using TM’s to enhance the damage of Porygon Z promo’s attack.  The Lv. X’s “Decode” Poke-Power was also great for putting any two cards you wanted on top of your deck, it was then easy to draw them with Claydol Ge.  The deck had unmatched draw power and hard hitting ability.  It did not win any big tournaments, its only claim to fame is that it was the only deck that beat Pooka’s Luxape deck at 2009 U.S. nationals. But, it was a great deck that deserves to be remembered.

#48. Blatoise Pt.

When I went to my first tournament I sat next to a guy playing a Blastcatty deck.  It was a good deck that had energy acceleration and could spread 60 damage to 2 of the opponent’s Pokemon. I remember my nephew looking at that deck and was amazed at what it could do.  It never was a big tournament winning deck, but it still was a very good deck.  I like it because it was one of the better decks when I was first getting into the game.  The popularity of Luxray Gl has made the Blastcatty deck a lot less popular.

#47. Roserade GL

The first modern card to be on my list is Roserade GL.  We all know it as a tech in a Luxchomp deck.  If you use it in conjunction with Luxray Gl Lv.X’s “Bright Look” Poke-Power, you may be able to stall the game for several turns.  It may have only had use in the last couple months, but the best SP players will tell you that Roserade GL is one of the best cards in a Luxchomp deck.

#46. Pokemon Rescue

Pokemon Rescue has no flashy attributes to it and is often an overlooked card, but it has always been a good versatile card.  It lets you put 1 Pokemon from your discard pile to your hand.  It is used in almost every deck and shines because of how versatile it is.  The popularity of Pokemon Rescue was never higher than when it went into the Gyarados deck.  It allowed Gyarados to quickly recover from a knock out.  It was also used to be a type of draw engine with Unown R.  We do have a similar card (Revive) in the Black and White set, but it does not work on all Pokemon (just Basics).  I think the format will miss Pokemon Rescue.

#45. Infernape 4 Lv.X and Infernape 4

New players will again be surprised by this pick, this card is now considered either “rogue” or “junk”.  But, before there was Luxchomp there was Luxape.  The first modern SP deck featured Infernape 4 Lv.X and a lot of disruption cards.  I believe it was Pooka who took Luxape to 2009 U.S. nationals and won the whole thing, forever changing the game.  However, by Worlds this deck proved to be unsuccessful and Blaziken FB proved to be a better combo for Luxray Gl.  But, Infernape 4 Lv.X deserves to be on this list because of being the grandfather to the current Luxchomp deck.

#44.  Magnezone Lv.X and Regirock                 

These cards are very different cards that didn’t see much play until this years European Championship Cup.  Once Magnezone Prime was released, people began adding these cards to a deck.  Together, the Magenzone deck became one of the fewer new decks to gain success in the MD-CL format.  Magnezone Prime will probably continue to be a good card without these cards, but it will never be the same.

#43. Beedrill RR

Most new players will scratch their heads at this pick.  Most people view this card as one of the many crap rares, but this card was once a part of Steven Silvestro’s 2009 World Championship deck.  It is easy to forget, but Silvestro won worlds with his Raybees deck.  Although Beedrill RR is never used to attack, his Poke-Power “Flutter Wings” make this deck a lot faster.  Beedrill Ge would not have been as great of a card if it were not for Beedrill RR.

#42. Cyrus’s Initiative

Although it will always be “the other Cyrus” it is still a good card.  It lets you flip 2 cards and for every heads you can look at your opponent’s hand and discard a card.  It is best known for being a staple of the Sablelock deck.  The deck has had great success in large tournaments, winning the 2010 U.S. Nationals under the tutlelage of Con Le.  Sablelock can never seem to win small tournaments, but it comes to play in larger tournaments.  It will be a good deck that will be missed.

#41. Nidoquen RR

I feel that Nidoquen is leaving the format without ever being as good as it could be.  It was a very popular card, without ever winning a major tournament.  It was played in a deck with Flygon RR, but had its greatest popularity with Gengar SF.  The great combination of Gengar SF and Vileplume UD kind of ended the Queengar deck,  but it was a very popular deck for a long time.  This card did a lot that no other card could really do, it could also attack if it needed to.  For those reasons,  Nidoquen makes it on the list.

#40. Arceus/Beginning Door/Ultimate Zone

The #40 spot is a combination of 14 cards that I call the Arceus engine.  Like Nidoquen, I also feel that these cards are leaving too soon.  They are good cards that made a moderate impact on the format, but I can’t help but feel that they could have done more.  If these cards would have been around during the HGSS-on format, I think the Arceus deck would be near tier 1.  Arceus is a deck that does not attack for much, but can always attack for weakness.  Beginning Door and Ultimate Zone help make the Arceus deck more consistent.  Arceus has seen some success, being in the top 4 of some State and Regional Tournaments.

#39.  Mesprit La 

For a while, Mesprit was played a lot, then it was almost never played, then it all of a sudden regained popularity.  It lets you powerlock your opponent, just by playing him to the bench.  He first say play with Gardevoir SW, then he saw play with Palkia G, and finally was paired up with Regigigas.  All three of these decks were very disruptive decks that did well.  After those decks saw less play, about a year passed before he saw more play.  Current versions of Gyarados and Machamp use Mesprit to powerlock the opponent.  Mesprit has been a great card that is versatile, I’m sure a lot of people will miss Mespirt, or not miss him (depends if you play him or not).

#38.  Machamp Lv. X

In my opinion Machamp is probably the worst Level X that has seen a lot of play.  It does not have a great attack, and a Poke-Body that can hurt you if you are not careful.  But, I cannot deny that it was an impactful card.  It allowed Machamp SF to be able to damage Stage 2 Pokemon, which it always had a hard time doing.  Machamp never won worlds, but it did win some regionals and state tournaments.  Machamp Lv. X has recently seen a drop in play thanks to Machamp Prime, but the Level X has years of history.  It is a great card, and the answer to the trivia question; “What is the only Level X to not have a X2 weakness?”

#37.  Scizor SF

This card has a special place in my heart since it was the first decent deck that I played.  The Scizor/Cherrim deck has been  known to be the best cheap deck around.  It was a fun deck that was great for beginners.  It never won any large tournaments, but it did its job by introducing hundreds of players to the game.   Scizor/Cherrim was always looked down on, but to this day it is still a competitive deck.

#36.  Poke Drawer +, Quick Ball, and Handy 910’s Pokedex

If you play 1 Poke Drawer you can draw 1 card, if you play 2 at the same time you can grab any 2 cards from your deck.  Pokedex lets you look at the top 2 cards of your deck and put 1 card in your hand and the other on the bottom of the deck.  Quick Ball lets you reveal cards until you reveal a Pokemon, then put that Pokemon in your hand.  These cards are mostly used in speed decks like Shuppet and Uxie.  They also has seen play in quick Machamp and Gyarados builds.  They are great cards that allowed really fast decks to work.  Pokedex was also is a versatile card that can be splashed into almost any deck.  The deck will slow down a lot without these cards, and the donks deck will cease to exist.

#35. Kingdra La

Kingdra has been a popular deck for a long time.  Ever since the Legends Awakened set was released, Kingdra has been a fearsome deck.  I know that I always was afraid of playing a good Kingdra player.  It had great popularity until Luxray Gl hit the format.  But, it had a renaissance once Kingdra Prime was released.  It has seen a little less play in the last few months, but every once in a while you will still see people play this deck.  Even though it never won worlds, it was still a very successful deck.

34. Giratina Pt #9 

Th #34 spot goes to the Giratina with the “Let Loose” Poke-Power.  Giratina has never been in a worlds winning deck, neither has it been a solid attacker.  But, what it has been is an awesome tech that does thing that no other Pokemon can do.  Yes, Judge can do the same thing, but it also takes up your supporter slot.  Giratina can change the game by making your opponent shuffle away his good hand.  It is traditionally used in Yanmega Prime decks, and has seen play in Sablelock decks.  A lot of people will miss this card.

33.  Shuppet Pt/ Dunsparce SV

Shuppet and Dunsparce are both basic Pokemon that attack for little damage, and then go back into your hand.  When the Plus Power rules were different, you could attach and Expert Belt and a Plus Power to Dunsparce or Shuppet, and then everything went back into your deck.  Back in the days with Mr. Mime MT, Shuppet and Dunsparce were able to hang up there with almost any deck.  In fact, Onehitko.com ‘s Jona was a good a Shuppet player as there was, winning City Championships in a really tough area.    These decks were cool because you could attack without leaving anything on the field.  Unfortunately, even if they did not rotate out, these cards would not be playable because of the new Plus Power rule.  But, these cards were once the part of a really good deck.

32. Gengar Ar #16.

This card makes me feel old.  It seems like Cursegar just came into the format a couple months ago, but is already leaving the format.  When it was first released Cursegar was one of the best decks in the format.  The deck relied on locking trainers with Spiritomb Ar, and then switching to Gengar, then attacking and switching out.  Most Cursegar decks rotated out with the loss of Claydol, although some people played Gengar Ar in their Trainerlock build.  Cursegar is now gone from the format, but it does have a good history of play.

31. Palmers Contribution

When Palmers first came out we had the ability to use Night Maintenance.  Now both NM and Palmers are no more.  There are different kinds of supporters that do similar things, but not as good as Palmers.  It isn’t a deck that we think about a lot, but it is a great card.

30. Aaron’s Collection

Another similar card to Palmers is Aaron’s Collection.  It lets you take 2 Pokemon SP or basic energy from the discard pile, and put them in your hand.  Not many cards let you put Pokemon and energy from the discard to your hand.  It was used a lot in SP builds, and has become a staple in Luxchomp decks.  When you think of great cards for SP decks, you don’t think of Aaron’s, but it really does let SP decks recover quickly.  If SP decks would survive the rotation, they would have  missed Aaron’s Collection.

29. Honchkrow SV

Honchkrow is mostly used in Sablelock builds.  Besides Garchomp C, it is the only real attacker that Sablelock decks have.   It is the reason that Sablelock decks have a chance at winning longer games against SP builds.  As previously mentioned, Con Le took the Sablelock deck to last years U.S. Nationals, and many other people had great success with the deck.  Honchkrow has been a great card that Sablelock players would miss.

28.  Regice La

Regice has been a staple in one of the best decks for about 2 years now.  It has great synergy with Gyarados, allowing you to discard Magikarps to power up Gyarados’s attack.  It is one of the reasons why Gyarados has been a great deck.  Regice has only seen play in other decks like Shuppet Donk.  It’s “Regiomove” Poke-Power lets you switch the defending Pokemon if it is a basic.  This has been really useful for the game.  Regice and Gyarados have accomplished a lot of things in their career, now cards like Junk Arm are doing the job of Regice.

27.  Charizard Ar.  

One of the most popular decks in the past year has been Charizard.  It is a good card that can do up to 80 damage for just 1 energy.  Charizard would be a good pair with the new Emboar, but it will soon be leaving the format.  Charizard has never had much success, but it has been popular enough that it should be on this list.  Like Scizor SF, I think that it has let a lot of new players learn the game. It also doesn ‘t hurt that Charizard is always one of the most popular Pokemon.

26.  Mewtwo MD. and Mewtwo Lv.X

Like Charizard, Mewtwo is a good card that has seen a lot of play but has not had great success.  Mewtwo is a good counter to SP decks because it has a Poke-Body that does not let any basic do any damage to Mewtwo.  It has had a good partner with Cursegar and Gengar SF.  It has also been splashed into many other decks, to give the deck a better SP matchup.  But unfortunately Mewtwo has not had a huge showing at big tournaments.  It seems that SP decks just have too many ways to play around Mewtwo.  No matter how effective Mewtwo was, it was a great card that did have an effect on the meta game.  Thats why its on the list.

Well we have gotten to #26, look for the next article soon. Please comment on this article so we can talk about my picks.  I know they aren’t perfect, so lets find out where I went wrong.

So long and thanks for all the fish!