A Wilde, Oscar has Appeared! (to Discuss Deck Building)

Oscar Wilde says “consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative”.

Then I say, “Oscar, buddy, consistency is what wins games”.

Oscar replies, “Everything popular is wrong”.

“Oscar, you original hipster you, this time there might be something to popular ideas.”

Lets talk Durant for a second. The deck is out of tier 1, probably even 1.5, but the actual skeleton of deck is solid. Ten to thirteen energy, a large trainer base, and probably no more than six Pokemon with three to four of them as same main attacker. Durant used this because Durant’s devour attack required more Durant in play to be effective however it’s working for other decks as well. This skeleton is also used for the mono-Terrakion build that saw some play at states. This week at the Whimsy Tackle table SBJ brought a new contender into the ring with a mono-Kyruem build. What is making these decks function so well?

For starters, you should almost always land your attacker as, well, your starter. If you don’t, the other two or three Pokemon you’re running are built for outstanding support. They’re probably Cleffa, Tyrogue or Smeargle.

When you draw for the turn you’re hoping that what you draw is going to be something useful. Nothing stinks more than when you’ve got Prof. Juniper in your hand and you top deck another one. The same goes for Pokemon. With as many search options as we have in our trainer base, you should hopefully be able to pull out all of your Pokemon turn one. This should help keep the cards you need coming to the top.

Basics are key. We’re not looking for set up or to evolve. We want to know what we’re doing from the get go and to be getting going by turn two. All the big non-EX basics have two and three cost attacks.

Oscar then pipes up saying, “Experience is the one thing you can’t get for nothing”.

I reply, “Good point Oscar and an avid tip for a readers, Experience Share.”

Experience share is the engine of most of these lists. It allows you to keep the momentum you set up with your first Pokemon and helps keep the energy count in the deck low. Along with Experience Share disruption is helpful. Running Crushing Hammers, Lost Removers, and N’s will help slow your opponent’s roll and keep you ahead of their curve.

So if all goes according to plan, regardless of when your opponent KO’s, you will have a consistent threat on the board every turn that your opponent will struggle to deal with.

Oscar Wilde says “I have nothing to declare except my genius”.

And when you can prove in the tournament, that is where it really counts.