November 2011

Possible Decks From Noble Victories

Pikkdogs November 11, 2011 2 Comments

A big hello to all you OHKOers out there. This is Pikkdogs here with an article about decks that can come from the Noble Victories set. I also have my extra-dimensionary sidekick Pedro here with me. Sorry for this article coming out late. Again the server crashed on me when the article was almost finished. So that pushed the article back a day or so. But let’s move on, What’s on your mind tonight Pedro?

Well I got no news to report or anything like that. I can remind our readers that if they leave right now they can avoid reading another article on this site, there is still time.

Pedro, I’m trying to draw people to the site. I don’t want to drive them away, no matter how beneficial it will be to them. Sure we aren’t as good as a normal website with a sponsor, paid writers, and servers that don’t crash every half an hour; but I still do my best to put out sub par articles with lots of spelling errors.

Well if you wanna torture these good people, I guess you can continue on. Let’s look at possible decks from the cards from Noble Victories.

Deck Ideas for Noble Victories.

After a long Battle Road season and an upcoming regionals in the same tired format, I am excited for a set that might bring us some new deck choices. I will separate deck ideas into 3 categories: Top Tier Decks, Rogue Decks, and Fun Decks.

Top Tier Decks

Cobalion

Right now I can only see one good deck coming from NV, and that is Cobalion. Now the Cobalion decks will not be a good deck for Cities, but it will be a good deck from here on out. That is because Mewtwo EX will be a great card, and Coballion is a great counter to it. So give it a little time and Cobalion will be a part of a top tier deck.

Card Description– Cobalion is a 120 HP basic metal Pokemon with a weakness to fire and a resistance to psychic. Its first attack, “Energy Press”, costs MC and does 20 damage plus 20 more for every energy attached to the defending Pokemon. The second attack is kind of like Beartic’s attack. “Iron Breaker,” costs MMC and does 80 damage while not letting the defending Pokemon attack next turn.

The Goal of the Deck– There will be two main goals of this deck. The first goal of the deck would be counter Mewtwo EX decks. Mewtwo has not been released yet, but we know it will have an attack that does basically the same thing as “Energy Press.” Well, Cobalion can do that too plus he has resistance against Mewtwo. So he should be good against Mewtwo.

The second goal of the deck will be to do attack with “Iron Breaker” as fast as possible and then hope your opponent cannot get a knockout against Cobalion. If you have an Eviolite and Special Metal energies on Cobalion it will be hard to get an OHKO on him. To load energies on Cobalion quickly the best way might be Electrode Prime. His “Energy Mite” Poke-Power will let you attach energy from your deck to Cobalion.

Using an Electrode build, you would want to get a Pokemon Collector on the first turn and make sure you have 2 Voltorbs on the field on the first turn. Then on the second turn you can evolve to Electrode Prime, do “Energy Mite” and you should be ready to “Iron Breaker” a lot for the rest of the game.

How to Make the Deck– I would run a 3-2 line of Electrode and 4 Cobalions. I would also run about 2 Cleffas so I could get a hand refresh on the first turn. I would run about 10-11 Hand Refresh cards like Professor Juniper. I’m not sure about how much energy you would want, maybe around 15 including 4 Special Metals and a couple Rescue Energies.

Rogue Decks

Victini

Now Victini is not really a main attacker in this deck, but it will be a very important part.

Card Description– Victini’s “Victory Star” Ability lets you re-flip after your attack is over if you flipped coins for your attack. The stats on Victini are very poor, so he will be an easy prize with Pokemon Catcher. So make sure you have a plan to get him from the discard pile.

The Goal of the Deck– Well the goal of the deck will depend on what main attacker you choose. Some of the main attackers that have been talked about are Sharpedo, Audino EP, and Lilligant EP. But no matter which of these Pokemon you choose, there will be a basic goal of your deck. You are going to want to attack very quickly, probably turn 2. You will want to get a Pokemon Collector on turn 1 and get 2 basic forms of your main attacker, and a Victini. If you already have a Victini in play you can play the other one down, but if you don’t you might wanna hold it until turn 2 and hope it doesn’t get Judged away. On your second turn you can evolve your main attacker, put down Victini, and then attack. Make sure you have recovery cards like Super Rod and Revive so you can get back Victini when it gets knocked out.

How to Make the Deck– I would probably run 2 or 3 Victinis and 1 Revive and 1 Super Rod. I would probably run 4-4 of your main attacker. Then depending on what deck you are running, you can fill out your list with trainers and energy.

Durant

Card Description– Durant is a basic metal Pokemon that is weak to fire and resistant to Psychic. Its main attack is called “Devour” and it lets you mill 1 card for every Durant in play. The key here is to understand that Durant is feeble and you will want 4 out at all times.

The Goal of the Deck– The goal is just what I said, to mill while having 4 Durants in play at once. You hopefully will mill enough cards from your opponents deck that they will eventually not have a card to draw at the beginning of their turn. You will want to make sure that you have a lot of recovery cards in your deck so you can always have 4 Durants in play. It is always nice to have cards like Special Metal energies and Eviolite to see if Durant can withstand an attack. If Durant can withstand 2 attacks, then you should be able to mill their entire deck.

How to Make the Deck– Of course I would play 4 Durants. I would also play about 3 Revives and 4 Junk Arms. As for other Pokemon, I would play 1 Mime Jr. and one Rotom to try to find a prized Durant. Of course it would be nice to have 4 Pokemon Collectors and a couple Dual Balls so you can have 4 Durants out on the first turn. I would also run 4 N’s. Since you are never taking prizes you will always draw 6 cards, and your opponent will draw less most of the time. This deck is a little bit cheaper because you probably will only run 1 Pokemon Catcher if you run one at all.

Vanilluxe

Card Description– Vanilluxe is a stage 2 Water Pokemon with 130 HP, a 2 retreat cost, and a weakness to metal. Its second attack, “Frost Breath” does 60 damage for WW, which is good, but its not the reason we are here. The first attack, “Double Freeze” lets you flip 2 coins. If you get 1 heads you do 40 damage and paralyze the defending Pokemon. If you get 2 heads you do 80 damage and paralyze.

The Goal of the Deck– Obviously the goal of this deck will be to get a turn 2 or 3 Vanlliuxe and paralyze the defending Pokemon while slowly chipping away at the HP. It can be more consistent with the addition of Victini.

How to Make the Deck– I would probably run a 4-2-4 line of Vanilluxe. I would probably run 2-3 Victinis and at least 1 Super Rod. I would also run about 2 Cleffas for early game hand refresh. You might want to run Twins to come back from a slow start. You probably would not need a lot of energy for this deck, probably 8-9 water energies and 2-3 Rescue Energies. The trainer lines will be pretty standard. 10-12 hand refresh, 4 Pokemon Catcher, 4 Junk Arm, and 4 Pokemon Communication.

Accelgor

I was struggling on whether this should be a rogue deck or a fun deck, but I thought I would put it here cause I don’t really care where it goes.

Card Description– Accelgor is known as being a bad Donphan Prime. Well, Donphan Prime is a good card in this format, will there be any room for a bad Donphan? Its stats are not that good. It has 90 HP, a weakness to fire, but it does have free retreat. For one grass energy, “Slashing Strike” does 60 damage, but can’t be used next turn. The other attack is called, “Acid Spray”, and it does 20 with a flip to remove and energy attached to the defending Pokemon.

The Goal of the Deck– I could see Accelgor being used in 2 possible ways. The first way is to use him as a Donphan replacement in a stage 1 deck. There are a lot of Donphan counters out now, so Accelgor will have a space to slip in to. It can do the 60 damage and then retreat for something else next turn. It is a very fast way to get an easy 60 damage. The drawback is nobody is weak to grass. The second build with Accelgor that I can think of is basically in a Mewlock deck, but without Mew. You would have a Vileplume line to disrupt, Sunflora to get all your Pokemon out, and Yanmega Prime as a secondary attacker.

How to Make the Deck- Well the build that of Accelgor that you choose will vary the structure of the deck greatly. For the Stage 1 Build, just take your Donphan out and replace the fighting energies with Grass Energies. You could also just add 4 Rainbow Energies to a deck without fighting energies. After that replacement you should be fine. For the 2nd build you will need a 3-1-2 Vileplume line, 2-2 or 3-3 Sunflora, and 3-3 Yanmega Prime. Your supporter lines will probably max out on both Judge and PONT, with a good showing of Sage’s Training. You will not need a lot of energies, probably about 7 Grass will be enough.

Fun Decks

Archeops

Archeops will be a fun deck for people that want to use the new fossil mechanics.

Card Description– Archeops is not only really cool because of the fossil, but because of it’s Ability. “Ancient Power” will not let anyone evolve Pokemon from their hand. They can still be evolved through ways like Leavannay EP, but most people will no tech a 1-1-1 line of that in. Archeops does have an attack, for FFC “Rock Slide” does 60 damage to the defending Pokemon and snipes 2 Pokemon for 10. The stats of Archeops aren’t that great, it is a stage 2 Fighting Pokemon that has 130 HP, and a grass weakness.

The Goal of the Deck– The goal of this deck would be to get Archeops out as fast as possible so you can stop your opponent from evolving. While you are disrupting your opponent’s setup, you can evolve with basic Pokemon. You might want to run some basics like Terrakion EP, since he can use the same fighting energy as Archeops. If you can get Archeops out fast and attack with other basic Pokemon, you should be able to beat any deck that evolves. The problem is most damage is being done by basic Pokemon, but that is why this is a fun deck.

How to Make the Deck– I would probably run 4 Plume Fossils, 4 Archens, and 4 Archeops. You could use Research Record to get Archens on the bottom of your deck, and then you can play Archen to your bench with Plume Fossil. I would probably run 4-6 of some basic attackers. Depending on the attackers that you choose, I would run about 12-14 energies. Then you can fill out your list with trainers. The trainer list should be fairly normal, just with 4 Plume Fossils and some Research Records. Make sure you leave yourself enough room for at least 10 hand refresh and draw supporters.

Chandelure

Card Description– Chandelure is a stage 2 psychic Pokemon with 130 HP, a weakness to Dark, and a 2 retreat cost. Its attack, “Eerie Glow” does 50 damage and burns and confuses for PPC. It has the “Cursed Shadow” Ability that drops 3 damage counters on your opponent’s Pokemon if Chandelure is active. The main problem with Chandlure is that it takes 3 energies to attack, but that does not mean that it can’t still be a cool fun deck.

The Goal of the Deck– The goal of the deck will be to get an active Chandelure and just fool with damage counters. I would run a 4-2-4 Chandelure line with 3 Rare Candies. To make use of the 3 damage counter drops a turn, I would run a 2-2 line of Darkrai/Cressalia Legend. DCL will be able to move damage counters around and knock out a bunch of Pokemon. Through spreading and confusing and burning the defending, you should be able to cause a lot of confusion.

Was the pun intended there?

Nope.

How to Make the Deck– As mentioned, 4-2-4 Chandelure and 2-2 DCL. I can’t think of any good spreading Pokemon that work with Psychic energies, but if you can work a spreader on sniper in here, that might work. Perhaps Yanmega Prime would work because of the sniping ability. I would also add a couple Cleffas, and probably play Tropical Beach. Your energy line should probably be around 13 psychic energies. Your trainer lines should be fairly standard. Just make sure to run a couple Switches if you play Yanmega Prime,.

Well that’s all we got here. Let’s end the article Pedro.

Already, why so early?

Well since the server crashed again, I had to hurry this article out and I need to go home to get my deck ready for tomorrow.

So no lame jokes or anything like that?

Nope.

Please?

No.

Well you are screwing with your own format. I must protest.

I will note your objection in the logs.

Website

Bonus Article: An Interview with a Pikkdogs, 150 Articles Later

Pikkdogs November 11, 2011 4 Comments

A big hello to all you OHKOers out there. This is Pikkdogs here with a special article. Today I am putting out a bonus article to celebrate my 150^th article.

It seems like just a month ago I celebrated my 100^th article, but now I have 150 articles already. A big thanks to all you readers out there, I never expected to write 50 article, nonetheless 150. I must say that I really enjoy writing article and interacting with you guys out there. To celebrate my 150^th article, I will be sharing with you a part of my upcoming interview in the Pokemon issue of Pokerface Magazine. Enjoy the sneak peak of the interview.

Thanks for coming to the interview Pikkdogs, we have all been enjoying the articles you have been churning out lately. What do you think separates you from the other article writers and Pokemon commentators out there?

Well, thanks for having me. I think the difference between me and most of the big time personalities out there is that I don’t pretend to be anything that I am not. If you look at the first article or video of any author or Pokemon personality, you will see them listing their accomplishments. They do this to establish themselves as someone who is trustworthy, but it ends up as painting them as a little cocky. But, when you look at my articles I never once established myself as a good player. I think although it’s nice to get advice from the pros, it is also great to get advice from somebody who is just another guy, and that is what I have always provided. In fact I spend most of my time making fun of myself, and that really lightens the mood.

Speaking of making fun of yourself, tell us about Pedro and how he came about.

Pedro is just one of the changes that I have made in the last 50 articles or so. Along with me realizing that I am a different writer than everybody else out there, I realized that I needed to change my writing style. I don’t have the skill or knowledge that other writers like Jwittz and Jay H. do, so I had to add something that made me stand out, and that was comedy. While I am not a comedian, I knew I could add something to articles that were not out there before.

I took inspiration for my recent articles from the late night talk shows. I love the late night talk show hosts like Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson, and Jimmy Fallon; they are just really good and what they do and are funny with or without a show. So I decided I would model my articles on them. And Pedro was ripped right from that. Of course Johnny Carson had Ed McMahon, Conan has Andy Richter, Jay Leno has that black guy who plays the guitar and has a creepy laugh, and Craig Ferguson has Geoff Peterson. I would say Geoff is probably the biggest influence on Pedro. If you haven’t seen Geoff you have to look him up on the Youtube, Craig and Geoff are just hilarious together. Up until Geoff came out, sidekicks were just stooges that laughed at the right time. Geoff is different, he is not afraid to go against the grain and make fun of the host. I can see a lot of Geoff in Pedro. I also like the ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, and Pedro kind of acts like some of his dummies. Besides those influences, I had already used someone I called a “Geeky Sidekick” in my articles. And Pedro was just an evolution from the geeky sidekick, it was just making him more deep. So that’s how Pedro got started.

One more Pedro question, can you give us an actual biography for him?

Well Pedro has always been guarded about revealing his past. Is that because he is ashamed of it? Or is it because he wants you to buy his auto-biography when it goes on sale? I don’t know, but I can compile a list of what was already revealed about him. Of course he is from a different dimension, and he lives on earth. So he lives on earth like most of us do, he just lives in a slightly different earth. Pedro has also revealed that he is half alien. We can assume from his name listed in the Onehitko.com profile that his father is an alien, but his mother is human. He can not travel to this dimension, but he uses a machine to communicate with us. The rest of his life is a mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a tortilla.

Along with the comedy has come some controversy for bringing more adult language into what has traditionally been a kids card game. Don’t you think that you shouldn’t cuss on a kids site.

No, I need to cuss more. Pokemon has always played to the lowest common denominator, the kids. I think that tradition is really hurtful for growing the game. The best players are at least college aged and we don’t all watch the Teletubbies. We listen to rap and hardrock music and we watch shows that are not kid friendly, so why should we have to be PG when we communicate about the game. I wish the game did not have to have Juniors and Seniors to survive, but the young kids are here to stay. That does not mean that us adults have to like or go along with it. We can be who we are no matter where we are. Once at a tournament I received a bye and walked over to the bar next door and had a Miller Lite. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m sure Pokemon would not want to associate Pokemon with anything adult like that. I don’t think a bunch of adults should change our ways for a couple of kids, so I expect to read Pokemon articles like I would anything that is for adults. Make no mistake Pokemon is for adults, name me one great player that is ten years old. Pokemon is a game for college aged people or older, so let’s not bring things down to the lowest common denominator anymore.

On an un-related note, do you subscribe to the Freudian or Jungian schools of Psychology.

I’m more of a Freudian. One because it makes sense, and two because he says the word “penis” a lot.

At Nationals J-Wittz gets people following him like he’s Justin Bieber, do you get any sort of attention at tournaments?

Well I don’t get that much attention. J-Wittz is a good player and has made some good videos in his time, so he deserves attention like that. I don’t want or deserve that kind of attention. For the most part at local tournaments I am just one of the guys, not many people bring up the website. But at tournaments where there are a high percentage of newer players, I do get a lot of people saying how much they like the site, and Pedro. I love talking to readers and giving help to newer players, so I do like to get recognized and talk about the site and the game. At the same time I always feel weird when I get recognized. When I first entered the game I didn’t know anyone and I was just the fat guy who sat in the corner and looked creepy. Now as Pedro would say, I’m still fat and creepy but I just talk to a couple people.

Speaking of Justin Bieber, do you think that really is his baby, baby, baby ohhhhhh?

No, he has an album out right now. He just wants to promote himself. His guys probably hired that girl. Plus I don’t know if Bieber is old enough for coitis.

How long do you think you and Pedro will keep writing articles?

Well Pedro will last as long as I want him to. At first people called for Pedro’s death, and now people have started complimenting him. That all doesn’t matter, he’s my sidekick and when I get tired of him he will go. I kind of look forward to the day when I think about a new format and do something different. I don’t know if he will last forever, but I think he should be out here for a little more.

As far as for how long I will do this, I don’t know. I never asked to do what I currently am doing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t last forever. I currently am looking for a different job, so if I move to a smaller town (like I want to), I probably won’t be playing anymore (if nobody else is playing in that area). Also, right now the format is not making me happy. If the next couple sets don’t make the format more exciting I might have to drop out, but all that is just speculation. And for a final thing, I couldn’t do this site without Ed, so if he ever gives up on the site, I would too.

Any last words?

A big thanks to Ed. I have done some pretty risky things in the past couple months, and Ed has just sat back and let me do them. He gave me all the creative control I needed. I don’t think a lot of people out there would sit back and let me cuss and do stuff like that. He gave me enough rope, it was my turn to either wrangle up some cattle or hang myself with it. While I’m not ruling out that I might eventually say something racist or homophobic and sink the whole site, so far I have avoided hanging myself. Whether I make 150 more articles or screw up and only write 2 more, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I sometimes make fun of the site of how we have no paid writers and no sponsors, but I don’t think I would ever want to live up to the expectations of a sponsor or something like that. Something low key like this site is great with me, because I get to do whatever I want to do and nobody can tell me not to. So here’s to fighting the man!!.while writing articles about Charizard.

So Long and Thanks for 150 articles worth of fish everybody!

Stupid Deck Idea

Pikkdogs Stupid Deck Idea: Hydreigon

Pikkdogs November 7, 2011 11 Comments

A big Hello to all you OHKOers out here, this is Pikkdogs here with a Stupid Deck Idea. I am also bringing with me my extra-dimensionary sidekick, Pedro. A Stupid Deck Idea is an article that spotlights a deck that either is more of a fun deck, or a deck that was not tested very much. This deck will be one that has not been tested. In this article I will just be giving out a list for a Hydreigon deck, I have not tested them yet so I will leave those for you.

How lazy of you.

Well that is what I am, Lazy. Do we have any news for the good folks Pedro?

Yes, lots of news. Our first bit of news is that Yanmega Prime will soon be coming out in a promo box with 2 packs, and evolution line, and one theme deck. It is called the “Prime Challenge” box. The price has not been announced yet, but I would assume it would be about 25 bucks. The box will also be coming out with Machamp, Umbreon, and Espeon Primes. What do you think of that Pikkdogs?

Well, I do not like the decision. It is great for beginners, but it is a big slap in the face for us who have been collecting the card. We had value in our cards, and we might have spent a lot of money in getting cards like Yanmega Prime. It is overall not a good thing for the good players who already had the card. I like what Adam from www.sixprizes.com said about this piece of news. He said that if they want to give out good cards as promos, they should do it when the card first comes out. This would keep the price even and keep the young players and the older plays just as happy. Any other news Pedro?

Well, the Prague Challenge Cup was held this weekend.

Where?

I’m assuming Prague.

Gotcha. And what happened there.

All three winners were French, and all three winners played Zekrom. The second most successful deck was Primetime. That leaves those two decks poised to do very well at regionals.

Thanks, Pedro. Well I don’t want to sound like a doubter about this format, but man I can’t wait till Regionals is over and we can use Noble Victories cards. Enough complaining, let’s just go on to the article.

Deck Strategy

Hydreigon is a really fun card. It has 150 HP, a resistance to psychic, and has an ability that let’s you count all energy on Hydreigon as dark. It’s attack costs DDDD, and does 60 damage to the active and then 40 to two benched Pokemon.

The strategy of a Hydreigon deck would be to get Hydreigon up as fast as possible using something to load energies on Hyrdeigon. It doesn’t matter what kind of energies since his Ability turns them all dark. Then you would be ready to hit for 60 damage and then snipe twice for 40. Depending on the deck you are facing, it could be a very challenging deck to play against.

There are five major forms of energy acceleration in the format. The first is Pachirisu Cl. It let’s you attach two lightning energies to Pachirisu as you play him to your bench. Those energies could then be moved around by something like Shaymin Ul. The second form of energy acceleration is Floatzel. Floatzel let’s you attach one water energy to him per turn. You would then need something like Shaymin to move them over to Hydreigon. The third energy acceleration Pokemon also uses water energies, it is Feraligatr Prime. His ability let’s you attach as many water energies to water Pokemon as you wish, you would again need something like Shaymin to move them over. The fourth Pokemon is similar to Feraligatr, but can be attached directly to Hyrdreigon, I am talking about Emboar Bw. The last Pokemon is Electrode Prime. He has an ability which let’s you look at the top 7 cards of your deck and attach them to any Pokemon. The drawback being Electrode is then knocked out.

So what is the best way of the five. Pachirisu is nice, but only works once and requires Shaymin. Floatzel is also good, but requires a lot of stage 1 Pokemon. Feraligatr Prime is nice, but Emboar can do the same thing without needing Shaymin. Emboar is great, but it is stage 2 and a Pokemon Catcher liability. Electrode is useful, but it gives up prizes and you will need to run a very focused build with a lot of energies. I think the best two Pokemon to use would be Pachirisu and Emboar. But, Pachirisu may be the best.

So now we got two energy accelerators, let’s look at the positives and negatives of this deck.

Positives

Deck is Really Fun Unique. No other card can really do what Hydreigon can do. It is a really unqiue deck that nobody has seen before. It is also a really cool Pokemon. A dragon with three heads is pretty cool, cooler than a dragon with two heads I think.
Great Gothitelle Matchup. No Gothitelle is not the deck to beat right now, but it is a popular build. So it is a good thing that this deck can handle most Gothitelle decks. It will be very hard to keep all of their Pokemon alive when you are taking advantage of them spreading damage around.
Solid Idea with Only One Weakness. Hydreigon is a simple deck that is not that complicated. It is based on one idea that should be fairly easy to operate. The only drawback is that it has a fighting weakness, and almost all Pokemon has a weakness.

Negatives

Well, Donphan. Donphan Prime can make quick work of Hyrdreigon, so that will always be a bad matchup.
Energy Acceleration. No matter how good an energy accelrator is, it still will be a liability. They make the deck clunkier than it should be. Especially with Pokemon Catcher in the format.
The 4 Energy Attack. Even though you can use DCE and energy accelerators, 4 energies is still tough to get out. It iwill slow the deck down.

The List

This is just a list that I drew up without testing it, so it will not be a great list. You will have to make it yourself and test it. It could be close to being a decent deck or it could be a crappy deck that never works, I am not sure. Here is a rough list that I made up for testing purposes.

Pokemon-18

4-Deino
2-Zweillous
4-Hydreigon
2-Pachirisu
2-Shaymin
2-Cleffa
2-Tornadus-Gives you a better Donphan Matchup and more donking ability.

Trainers-32

4-Junk Arm
2-Energy Search
4- Pokemon Catcher
2-Switch
4-Professor Oaks New Theory
3-Professor Juniper
2-Sage’s Training
2-Cheren
1-Super Scoop Up
3-Rare Candy
1-Super Rod
4-Pokemon Communication

Energy-14

Double Colorless Energy-4
Lightning Energy-10

Well that’s a rough list to get you started. I know it is not the best deck out there, it is probably more of a fun deck than something I would take to Cities. But, this should be a really fun deck to play, so I’m sure the deck should get a little bit of play from the rogue players. It will not be a great deck, but it will be pretty cool.

Final Words, and Words About Matchups.

Matchups for this deck are fairly easy to think about. Fast decks like Stage 1 Rush will be hard to beat if they setup very quickly. But, if you can setup at the same time, this will be quite an interesting matchup depending on what version of the deck they run. Reshiram and Zekrom will be quite a tough matchup because of their “Outrage” attacks. Plus Power will probably almost even the matchups. Gothitelle matchups will be fairly easy, and Donphan decks will be fairly hard.

So this is not the best deck, but than again it is a “Stupid Deck Idea.” But this deck will be really fun to play. It is a unique deck, so it should keep you interested for a while. So what do you got for us now Pedro? I’m all done.

Well we already talked about the Pokemon news. We can tell the boys and girls that regionals are this weekend and that they should remember to leave their Noble Victories cards at home, they are not legal for this tournament. So what are you playing for regionals Pikkdogs?

Well, I don’t know. Should probably find that out soon. I keep thinking of ideas with NV card, than realize that I can’t play them. I think this condition is driving me crazy, I’ve even been thinking of making a deck with Accelgor.

Well, that will all go away when you win Regionals………………..Hahahahahahahaha. Just kidding, you’re probably going to lose really bad.

Thank’s for the confidence Pedro. Good night everybody!

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Druddigon, Bisharp, and Eelektrik

Pikkdogs November 4, 2011 7 Comments

A big hello to all you OHHOers out there. I am the Pikkdogs here bringing you another Pikk Three article. This Pikk Three articles is special because I will be reviewing three cards from the Noble Victories set that I was not able to cover in my top 10 impactful cards of the set. Two of these three cards were mentioned by readers in the comment section, so I felt obliged to talk about them. But first, let me introduce to you my extra-dimensionary sidekick Pedro.

Yo.

It’s nice to have you back Pedro. Man you didn’t show up to our last article and the peasants were rioting. I guess they can’t handle an article without you anymore. Where were you earlier in the week.

Yeah sorry about not being here the other day, I had to help my uncle with the company he runs.

Oh, he runs a business that’s cool. What does his company do?

It manufactures funeral home products such as caskets and Hooker Urns.

What’s a Hooker Urn?

About 500 bucks a night.

I walked right in to that one. Hooker jokes, didn’t Jwittz just do that last week? Anyway that was a horribly dumb joke Pedro, let’s move on, did you celebrate Halloween?

Oh Hell Yeah, I love Halloween. You get to go into bars and watch people wear sexy outfits. The people at a bar right by my place were very attractive. The ladies too.

Oh is that right? What did you dress up as?

I dressed up as everyone’s favorite dead dictator, Momar Gadhafi. Except I wore a fake duck bill with the costume, so I called myself Gadhafi Duck.

Gadhafi duck, this website just hit a new low. Can we please just get onto the article and stop all the lame jokes?

Sure, plus we gotta talk about the technical difficulties on the site.

Okay. Apparently our files on the server got corrupted on Thursday night. At first I had only lost one article, but by the next day all of the articles were gone. Thanks to Ed for coming to the rescue and straightening stuff out. I really didn’t know how to do anything in that situation except Pee my pants, so all thanks go to Ed for keeping the site a float. Hopefully our server will be able to hold out for the foreseeable future. If you see a lot of mistakes in this article, there are two reasons. The first is because I suck at writing, and secondly I had edited the article before the server crashed. And I lost some of my edits, but not all of them. So there probably are parts that I missed the second time around, so sorry about that. On to the article!

Card #1 Druddigon NV

Description-Durddigon is a really weird name. That has nothing to do with the card, but it is a very weird name. Anyway, Druddigon is one of the BBP (Big Basic Pokemon). It has 100 HP, has no weakness or resistance, and has a 2 retreat cost. Its ability is “Rough Skin”, it is like Rocky Helmet, it puts 2 damage counters on each Pokemon that attacks this Pokemon. It has one attack, it is called “Clutch.” This attack does 60 damage for CCC and does not allow the defending Pokemon to retreat next turn.

Analysis– First let’s look at the stats on this guy. 100HP is normally great for a basic, but now in the BBP era, it is just average. The fact that it has no resistance and weakness I think is really good. That means that it will be harder for the Stage 1 Rush deck to tech something against Druddigon. That makes it a lot harder to beat if you always have to do 100 damage to it. The Ability I think is good, but nothing that makes you want to run this card. It is a great bonus, but nothing huge.

The attack is very interesting. 60 damage for three is rather average and mundane.

That reminds me of someone.

Nice Pedro, thanks for the compliment. Back to Druddigon. The attack is not stellar, 60 damage on a normal Pokemon is not that great. But it can use Double Colorless Energy. That means you now can hit for 60 for two energies, that is not that bad. But I think 60 damage will only work if you can hit for weakness, and right now there are not a ton of Pokemon that are weak to Normal attacks. Another interesting thing about this attack is that it does not allow the defending Pokemon to retreat. This works really well because a lot of decks use free retreat Pokemon like Yanmega Prime. It is not a consistent strategy that you can use, but it does restrict the options of your opponent, and that is never a bad thing.

So you have a fairly lack luster attack, but there are a lot of good things about it. I see it being used in something like a Stage 1 Rush deck or another toolbox type deck. The main question here is, “is it better than Tornadus?” I think for right now we have to say no. Tornadus is resistant to Donphan Prime and can hit for 80 instead of 60. Druddigon is good, but in ways that are kind of unmeasurable compared to Tornadus. But, I do think that Druddigon is a good Pokemon that will be around for a little while in rogue decks.

Review– 6/10- No use for him right now, but it is a good Pokemon that will still see in some rogue decks. It is not good enough to have a deck of its own, but it still has something to give in a different deck.

Card #2- Bisharp NV #82

Description– One reader thought I was snubbing Bisharp by not putting him into my top 10 list, so now let’s sit down and talk about Bisharp. I hope this is the Bisharp they were talking about, because there is a Dark Bisharp as well. Now that I think about it, they probably are talking about the other Bisharp because that one can hit for 80 for one energy if the defending Pokemon is damaged. Yes it works well with Rocky Helmet. But it is not reliable given that it only has 90 HP. So the short review on the dark Bisharp is that it is a nice idea, but nothing that will be competitive, let’s look at the metal one now.

It is a stage 1 Metal Pokemon with 100 HP, a 2 retreat cost, a weakness to fire, and a resistance to psychic. It has two attacks. The first attack, “Energy Stream” does 20 damage for C and lets you attach a metal energy from the discard pile to Bisharp. “Metal Scissors” costs CCC and does 40 damage, it also does 20 more damage for every metal energy on Bisharp.

Analysis– Now before you start calling me a Bisharp hater, I gotta say I do like the Pokemon. The art on this card is great, and, Pawniard is perhaps the best Pokemon name ever. But, I gotta say I don’t find a space for this card in the format. Let’s look at the stats.

100 HP is good, but not that great for a Stage 1. Fire is a terrible weakness, but psychic is a good resistance. The attacks are good, but they remind me of Pokemon that have those attacks, but are better. “Energy Stream” reminds me of Steelix Prime, and how it basically is the same as Bisharp, but has a lot more HP and can attack for more. “Metal Scissors” reminds me of Scizor Prime, who has a Poke-Body that makes it better than Bisharp.

Bisharp is still a good Pokemon, but I just can’t even think of using him with Steelix and Scizor out there. Both of these Pokemon are a lot better than Bisharp, and I would much rather play them instead.

I don’t really see it fitting into a toolbox deck, but I don’t really see it being good enough to have its own deck either. It doesn’t really seem to have a place in the format. Call me a hater if you must.

Review– 4/10- Maybe a 6/10 later, but right now it is out classed by some Pokemon that themselves are not really that good.

Card #3- Elektrik

Description– This was another card that someone had mentioned would have an impact on the set. Let’s see if I agree with them. First, I have to say that I hate the name. We already have an Elektrike in the format, so to have an Elektrik makes things very confusing.

Elektrik is a stage 1 lightning Pokemon with 90 HP, a fighting weakness, and a 2 retreat cost. It has the great Ability called, “Dynamotor,” which let’s you attach a lightning energy from the discard pile to a benched Pokemon. It has one attack, “Electric Ball,” which costs LLC and does 50 damage.

Analysis– The stats are not good. A weakness to fighting will always stink when Donphan is around. The attack is also not that good. But, the worst part of this card is the 2 retreat cost. You want this card to be on your bench to load energies on Pokemon, but it can’t do that if your opponent can just drag it active with Pokemon Catcher, and you can’t consistently retreat it.

It does have a lot of uses. Almost any Pokemon can improve with more lightning energies. And those energies work well with Pokemon like Zekrom, Magnezone Prime, and Tornadus. There are also a lot of ways to get energy in the discard pile. So there are no shortages of opportunities to use this card.

I do not think that it should be used in an Eelektross deck. Even though Elektrik makes Eelektross a lot better, it still does not have the fire power to make it a good deck. Eelektross just does not have enough firepower to make in it todays format.

I do not think it will see any significant play. Sure you could use it in a deck with Vileplume, but right now Vileplume decks are not that great. So, I just don’t see this card being that great.

Review- 6/10-If this card every is in a format without Pokemon Catcher, then it might be a 9/10, but right now it is too much of a liability.

Well, that’s all we got today. Hey Pedro I see that Adam from www.sixprizes.com gave you a shout out in his last video. Are you guys friends or something? Do I smell a bromance going on here?

Well, I guess you could call it a bromance. Adam does live near Philadelpha, the city of brotherly love.

True, do you like Philly?

Oh Hell yeah. I love those cheesesteaks. Me and Adam go out for about 20 of those things when I come to visit. Love those things.

You and Adam go out for cheesesteaks. But I thought Adam was a vegetarian?

Uhhhh, ooops I think my interdimensionary porthole is losing power, I gotta go. Have a good night you Earthlings.

Card Discussion

The Top 10 Impactful Cards of Noble Victories

Pikkdogs November 1, 2011 21 Comments

A big hello to all you OHKOers out there, this is Pikkdogs here. We are now proud to bring you my quarterly review of the new set that is coming into the format. Before each set I usually write an article that highlights 10 cards that I think will make the most impact on this format and the future ones. Noble Victories is no different, here is the article.

Noble Victories was quite a mysterious set. We thought it might be a lot of the cards from the Red Collection that was released in Japan, but we weren’t sure. Now we can be be sure, it is mostly made up of Red Collection cards and some cards from Theme decks. The mystery of this set has obscured a lot of the hype that usually surronds these sets. The only card that was getting some hype was Victini. Now we know exactly what is in the set, we can give it a fuller review.

Before I talk about the set, let’s get one thing straight, these cards will not be legal for fall Regionals. So even though a lot of people have the Victini card now, you still can’t play it until Cities.

To me, this set is fairly disappointing. Emerging Powers was not a great set, but it did have some good main attackers like Gothitelle and Beartic. This set however does not have any main attackers that are slam dunks like Gothitelle was. There is definitely some value in this set, but it is not one of the better sets in the format. N is a great card, and there are a lot of cards here that will see some rogue play. But it is nothing like Pokemon Catcher. So let’s officially get into the list to see what I am talking about.

#10- Hydreigon

The first card on our list is one of those Pokemon that is more used for rogue decks than solid Tier 1 or 2 decks. It is Hydreigon.

Hydreigon is a stage 2 Dark Pokemon with 150 HP, a 3 retreat cost, and a fighting weakness. Its ability, “Dark Aura”, counts every energy attached to Hydreigon as dark. That means if you put 2 DCE’s on this Pokemon, it will be able to use its attack which costs DDDD. Speaking of the attack, “Berserker Blade”, does 60 damage to the active and 40 damage to two benched Pokemon.

That is a total of 140 damage! 140 damage for 2 DCE’s is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, since the energies don’t have to be dark, you can use the Shaymin/Pachirisu move with lightning energies or Emboar with fire energies. There are a lot of ways to skin the cat in this one. This makes Hydreigon very versatile.

Since you are attacking three Pokemon, you can get up to three knock outs a turn. It is really good against decks like Gothitelle that try to spread damage out. You might never knock out Gothitelle, but it will be easy to get 6 knockouts in a different way. It also works well against Stage 1 Rush decks, because they have fairly low HP and rely on a lot of different Pokemon on the bench.

Hydreigon is fairly poor against Donphan based decks. Donphan can hit Hydreigon for weakness and can negate a lot of the damage done to each Donphan.

I don’t think Hydreigon is a great deck right now, but it is actually not that bad. You should be able to come up with a list using some kind of energy acceleration (Emboar, Pachi/Shaymin) and then include techs that are good against problem decks like Donphan Prime. I would be interested to see if people could make a good deck with Hydreigon. It could be similar to a Zekrom deck with Pachirisu, Shaymin, and Tornadus; but it would be a little slower since Zekrom is a basic Pokemon. But it would be fun.

I don’t think this card will be too impactful. It will see a couple rogue decks, but nothing that will catch on in a big way. Should be a fun deck to play though.

#9- Durant

Durant is another rogue Pokemon in this list. It has received a fair amnount of hype since its release. I love the concept of milling, so I really want this Pokemon to work out and be very impactful on the format.

Durant is a 70 HP basic metal Pokemon with a 1 retreat cost, a fire weakness, and a resistance to psychic. His “Vice Grip” attack does 30 for CC, which means it is a candidate for donking a baby Pokemon like Cleffa. Though I don’t know if a deck with Durant would ever run DCE. The attack that everyone is talking about is “Devour” and it costs 1 metal energy. The effect of the attack is that you can mill (or discard from your opponent’s deck) 1 card for every Durant in play. So that means if you start with 1 Durant and use a Pokemon Collector for 3 more, you will be milling 4 cards a turn (with the help of cards like Revive).

The question is, “Is Durant good enough to mill the entire deck by istelf in 6-8 turns. Durant will be easy to knock out so you gotta expect that your opponent will not need more than 6-8 turns to knock out 6 Pokemon. The answer to that question is not easy to asnwer. It depends on how the deck is made, and how your opponent plays. But, I think that it will not be too risky to say that Durant needs some help in milling.

So the next question is, “is there enough help in the format to help Durant mill a lot of cards?” The answer to that question probably will be a “no.” Kyorge/Groudon Legend can mill cards, but it takes at least 3 energy cards, so it is not easy to do. There are not any more Pokemon that can mill a substantial amount of cards.

So I think that Durant will see a little play in Cities, but then die out after that. The final question is, “Will Durant ever get some help.” On that question the answer is, “who knows?” Durant just needs one more good milling Pokemon to come into the format to help him. I do not see the card in the horizon, but that does not mean that it will never come. I really hope that Pokemon will once again have a concept of Mill, because it is a very fun game mechanic.

#8- Terrakion

Terrakion is a very cool card. The full art version of the card can be described only in one word, badass. Terrakion looks like he is about to pounce and give somebody a really bad day. But is the card as impactful as the artwork?

It has 130 Hp, a massive 4 retreat cost, and a great weakness to grass. It has two attacks. The first attack does 30 for FC, but it could do 90 if you had lost a Pokemon to damage from an attack last turn. The second attack, Land Crush, costs FFC and does 90 damage.

At first site he looks very much like Bouffallant from Black and White. He can do 90 damage for two energies if you lost a Pokemon last turn. Revenge kills are always great, and Terrakion can take advantage of them. Fighting is also a great type to have right now, this Pokemon will make quick work of Zekrom and Magnezone.

But it is not all sunshine and roses for Terrakion. After you get done peeing your pants from that scary artwork, you realize that DCE does not work with this Pokemon. That means you will have to load 2 energies on him for the first attack, and 3 energies for the second attack. And if your opponent can Pokemon Catcher up Terrakion to stall, you could be in a tight spot because nobody can easily retreat for CCCC.

Terrakion is a very good card, but you need to use it wisely. I could see it ending up in a rogue Stage 1 Rush deck, but you will need to play it just right. Starting with the card could mean the end of the game, and having it active with no energy in your hand could cost you.

I do not see it getting a lot of play right away, but it is so good that I think it eventually will get some play. 130 HP from a basic is really great and the attacks aren’t that bad.

#7- Rocky Helmet

Rocky Helmet is the first trainer on the list, and is a nice idea for a trainer, though I doubt it will ever see consistent play.

Rocky Helmet is a Tool card, we haven’t seen one of those in a while. You can attach it to a Pokemon and if it is active and damaged by an attack, you can put 2 damage counters on the attacking Pokemon.

This card does show a lot of early promise. The format is all about OHKO’s, so if you can use the first turn that your opponent attacks as a way to set it up for a knock out next turn, that sounds like something good to me. It also is re-useable because of Junk Arm.

The problem is that there is not a lot of free spaces in decks these days. I would love to be able to just waste space on something that can damage an attacking Pokemon, but a lot of decks don’t have that luxury.

It is a card that can fit into any non-Vileplume deck and make an impact, and will see decent play at Cities. But, I am not sold that this card will be great in the long run. Look for it to have a little play in the beginning, and maybe some rogue play here and there, but eventually fall off into obscurity.

#6- Chandelure

This is the last of the Pokemon that will be featured because of their cool rogue aspects. Chandelure is a stage 2 Pokemon with 130 HP, a weakness to dark, and a 2 retreat cost. Its ability, “Cursed Shadow”, lets you put three damage counters on the field in any way that you like. Its attack, “Eerie Glow” does 50 damage and burns and confuses the defending Pokemon for PPC.

On paper Chandelure looks like the perfect Gothitelle counter. It can hit for weakness without being hit for weakness itself. It can OHKO a Gothitelle (30+(50 x 2)=130), and can place damage counters making it harder for Reuniclus to keep all the Pokemon alive.

The problem is that it takes a long time to put three energies on a Pokemon. Although I love the Ability, I don’t see people being able to put three energies on this Pokemon in a consistent manner. If you can find some way to put energies on Chandelure faster, I would love it, but right now it is below par.

Perhaps you can find room for it in some kind of Ross Deck type thing with Dodrio. Dodrio could give Chandelure free retreat, Chandelure can drop 3 damage counters then retreat, and you could bring something like Yanmega Prime up to attack. You would also need Vileplume on your bench. It is a nice idea, but it seems very complicated.

I do not see it having an impact on the format right away. It is a great card that probably will eventually see some play, I just don’t see it right now.

#5- Kyurem

In a moment where Reshiram and Zekrom are running rough shot over the format, their lesser known brother is ready to make his debut. Yes Reshiram and Zekrom are not a duo, but part of a Trio. And we are about to see if there is room at the top for another dragon.

Kyurem shares similar stats to the other Dragons, 130 HP, a 2 retreat cost, and no resistance. But this one is weak to metal, by far the best weakness of the three. Of course it has the “Outrage” attack. Its second attack let’s you spread 30 damage for WWC.

I know that Spread has been dead for years now and Reuniclus laughs at spreading 30, but that does not mean Kyurem is useless. Some people are trying to build decks that feature Kyurem, but I am not sure if they will ever ben anything more than a fun rogue deck.

I think the best use for Kyurem is in Donphan and Dragons. Now this deck has another Dragon that can be used to hit for weakness. Kyurem is just what the deck needs to get the clear advantage over Reshiram decks. Now with a decent Zekrom matchup and a good Reshiram matchup, Donphan and Dragons has taken itself from tier 3 to tier 2.

Kyurem will see instant play in the Donphan and Dragons deck, and will make the deck a lot better. It will be a very impactful card right out of the gate. But, I do not see this card being that great in the long term as a deck of its own. The spread is dead, and I don’t see it getting any better. It does not live up to the reputation of Zekrom and Reshiram.

#4 Victini

Victini has been hyped as the savior of rogue decks. We haven’t really seen many rogue decks pop up lately. We had Ross Deck at worlds and I did write an article about an Audino deck, but mostly things have gone as planned. We need someone to save us from the monotiny that has resulted from such a small format, and that savior might be Victini.

Victini has the “Victory Star” Ability, which lets you re-flip if you flipped any coins for your attack. It will not let you re-flip for things like Dual Ball, but it will still have an impact letting you re-flip on attacks. The rest of Victini is not that great, he has 70 HP and a 1 retreat cost, meaning that he will be a prize from Pokemon Catcher. But, he might be useful enough to warrant giving your opponent the extra prize.

Victini can be used with a lot of good Pokemon, to make them a lot better. Audino EP and Sharpedo are just two of the more popular choices. Victini could also bring back parlysis as a relevant special condition (since most parlaysis attacks require a flip), so there are many good uses of Victini.

Now will Victini be in a top tier deck, probably not. But will it be the savior that rogue decks need to make them relevant again? I think so. Look for it to see considerable play at Cities.

#3 Eviolite

This is the era of BBP (Big Basic Pokemon). We knew that when Reshiram and Zekrom were released, and we knew that when Tornadus did well at Battle Roads. But we now know that BBP are a lot better. Eviolite is like Donphan’s “Exoskeleton” Poke-Body for basic Pokemon. It reduces every attack by 20, but it can only be attached to basic Pokemon.

Well Eviolite sure does not have a shortage of good Pokemon to be attached to. Zekrom, Reshiram, and Torandus are three of the most played Pokemon right now. This makes Eviolite a lot more playable because it can be easily tossed in to any deck. And if the Pokemon it is attached to gets knocked out, it can be returned with Junk Arm.

Reducing an attack by 20 is really useful. Right now the goal of most decks is to get an OHKO on the defending Pokemon, and Eviolite makes it a lot harder to do that. It is already very hard to get knock outs on Reshiram, Zekrom, and Tornadus; now it just got a lot harder. It should give decks like Reshiphlosion and Zekrom a bigger advantage than they already have.

I think Eviolite could make BBP a lot better, and will make Reshiram and Zekrom the best decks until the next set comes out. When the next set comes out, Evoiolite will probably be used with the BBP that are also Pokemon EX. Eviolite is set to be a great card through its time in the format.

#2 N

N is one of the most interesting card in the set. It let’s both players shuffle their hands into their decks and draw as many cards as they have prize cards. It was previously released as Rockets Admin.

This card kind of reminds me of Judge. Both cards let you shuffle the hands of both players. Judge gives you a consistent 4 cards, and let’s you even hand size while providing disruption. Judge is also good for early disruption. N on the other hand does not always even up hand size. N does not always give disruption, because you could give your opponent 6 cards. N also is not extremely helpful at the beginning of the game for disruption.

But this does not mean that N is not a good card. N is perhaps best used in a deck that is not very good, the Lost World deck. No deck with Lost World in it is very good right now, but they almost never take prizes. So N will always give them 6 prizes, but it will give their opponents less than 6.

N will be useful in other decks. I do not see it as a card that you want to run 4 of, but I think a lot of decks will run about 2 of them. They are very versatile cards because they can provide disruption at some times and can provide hand refreshment at others.

Although I don’t think this card is a slam dunk like Professor Juniper, I think it has some good strategic uses. I also think it will be used a lot throughout the life of this card.

#1 Super Rod

I know this is a pretty anti-climatic #1, but I think it will be the most impactful card in the set. The card let’s you shuffle 3 in any combination of Pokemon and basic energy cards from your discard pile into your deck.

This card is impactful because it will see a lot of play from day one. I can see most decks playing one of these cards. Since most decks right now are not very focused (look at Stage 1 Rush, a lot of decks now are tool boxes), it is very helpful to re-use cards that you do not run a lot of copies of. This card was last in the format about a year ago as Night Maintenance. NM was used a lot in decks, and that was when we had better recover cards.

I could see this card being used in Donphan and Dragons, Stage 1 Rush, Zekrom, and about almost any other deck that is currently being used. It is a very versatile card that can be used in every deck.

Even though the card is not very exciting, it will be used in almost every deck and will be very helpful to the player.

Conclusion

Well, the more I look at this set, the more I like it. I still know that it has no big Pokemon that will change the format. But it does give the format a lot more depth and gives us rogue players a lot more tools to work with.

The set itself will not be as impactful as EP and BW, but it is still a good set that should be fun to work with. I hope you guys have fun trying to make rogue decks with Victini and Pokemon like Hyrdeigion, Drudiggon, and Chandelure. It is a fun set, but not the most impactful on the format.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts about the set and your top ten list in the comment section.

So Long and thanks for all the fish!

November 2011

Possible Decks From Noble Victories

Bonus Article: An Interview with a Pikkdogs, 150 Articles Later

Pikkdogs Stupid Deck Idea: Hydreigon

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Druddigon, Bisharp, and Eelektrik

The Top 10 Impactful Cards of Noble Victories

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