Things to Think About After Rotation.
Pikkdogs Hello to all members of Omar-Nation. Pikkdogs here, back with a little different article. This one is all about switching our decks to the new modified format that starts in September.
Before we get into that, I’d like to say a little about Nats, which was held this weekend. I wasn’t able to make it there, but I heard it was a great weekend. A sablelock deck won, and luxchomp decks had a great showing. So it looks like disruption decks are huge late in the season, but will it continue into the next season?
That is what this article is about. Some players (Sp players) will be able to take 1 
or 2 cards out of their deck and replace them with similar cards to make them modified legal. But other people will have to totally remake their decks.
So what exactly will be popular after rotation? Well no one knows exactly but here are a couple of decks we know will see lots of action.
1. Sp Decks– As mentioned we know SP decks won’t lose much, so if their good now, they will be good later.
2. Donkphan Decks- Donkphan decks aren’t losing much either. They already use Uxie instead of Claydol and are very fast.
3. Charizard Decks- I haven’t heard of anyone playing this deck at this years Nationals, but it has done pretty well at some Battle Roads. It is a fast deck that doesn’t rely on Claydol, hence it isn’t losing very much. It can hit for a lot of damage early, doesn’t rely on a lot of trainers, and doesn’t have a x2 weakness.
All of those three decks have two things in common, they aren’t losing anything and the strategy of those decks will remain the same. But what new decks will see play? And what new strategies will we see? I’m not sure but here are a couple of things to think of.
Think of New Draw Engines
Of course we are losing Claydol GE, so most decks will look for other draw engines. The most obvious which is Uxie. Some people will try to replace Claydol with two Uxies and 4 Super Scoop Ups. While others will try fire or colorless decks and play Ninetails HGSS. But there are other options out there to be explored.
The Other Side of Claydol’s Exit.
When the rotation was announced everyone knew that Claydol leaving the format means that decks will get a little slower. But Claydol’s exit also changes strategy up a little. Since Claydol is gone Garchomp C cannot snipe him, Blaziken FB cannot burn him, and Luxray Gl cannot “Bright Look” him. That means decks like Sablelock will have to change their play a little. This fact makes me think that Power Sprays will be more important (to stop Uxie) and Garchomp C will be less important (though only slightly). So we might be seeing decks play more Power Sprays and less sniping.
What up G?
Unown g is also leaving the format. Even though he is not half as popular now as he once was, Unown g’s rotation will effect the game. Machamp SF, Crobat Prime, and Gengar SF will probably see more play, so be on the look out for those decks.
Get your Supporters Straight
One card that we are losing that will effect almost every deck is Roseanne’s Research. This was a great card that not only let us set up our Pokemon, but gave us energy. Now that we no longer have this card we need to change our supporter structure. Of course Pokemon Collector will become a staple in every deck, but how does one get enough energy? Interviewer’s Question is a card that could get more play. Or maybe players will tend to use more drawing supporters like Copy Cat and Profesor Oak’s New Theory. Or maybe people will just run 1 or 2 more energies.
Look towards the future
A lot of the cards that will dominate next years format have not been released yet. So look at the new cards as they come out and judge if any of them are worthy enough to be in your deck. Some of the most anticipated cards are Vileplume (which creates a trainer lock), Magnezone Prime (which is a Claydol like draw-engine), and the stadium card called “Lost World” (which adds a new way to win a game). Take a really hard look at those cards that were in the Japanese “Lost Link” set. They won’t be crossing the ocean until later in the fall, but when they do arrive here they will change the game.
Those are my thoughts on the rotation, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Ed 
Omar 
Well, regionals has come to an end, and its time to start preparing for the next set, HGSS Unleashed. Since 6 new primes are being released, and 3 new legends, there is plenty to chat about. With the primes (Kingdra, Crobat, Ursaring, Lanturn, Steelix, and Tyranitar) there are some new decks that can be made and techs to be considered. The new legends are the coupled dogs of Raikou, Suicune, and Entei. Please note that the analysis on the cards are before i have seen any trainer or supporter card of this set.
