Comment or I'll One Hit KO

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So I’ve got a proposed deck list for the new Noble Victors set. I am most likely going to build this but I want your input. Read though the deck list and my thoughts on how it would match up and play. Then tell me I’m wrong in every way and tell me how you’d fix this list.
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Helmet Required, Deck Construction in Progress

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The worst way to lose is an early game KO where your deck just doesn’t preform. The Pokemon TCG is a game of chance so maybe, by chance, you don’t draw a single energy or Professor Oak’s new theory in the first three turns and your opponent has fully set up and is picking off easy KO’s. Worse maybe you have only that lone basic and all energy, Slowpoke’s Whimsy Tackle can only do so much. The new Poketools in Noble Victories can help you stall for the extra turn that you need or maybe even a KO without even attacking.
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A Competitive Edge That Cuts Deep

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I should preface this article with two things. The first, I don’t actually believe in what I’m about to explain to you but it is something necessary to know. The second being that I believe in good sportsmanship, never sinking to a lower level and having the best possible game between two people. I had posted an article earlier about table ettiquette while playing someone. I strongly encourage you to read that either right now or after finishing this article.

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Getting Your Game Back. Re-Learning the TCG.

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The last time you looked at your Pokemon cards you were still taking spelling tests. You’ve been out of the game for years. You’ve dug out your old psychic deck from the shadows underneath your bed. Now you want to crush some ten year old poke-face. In your years of maturing the game has changed. It is time to hit yourself with a max potion and get your grade school edge back. This is what you need to know.

While you were going to homecoming and graduating from college the owner of the Pokemon Card game changed. Which is good for the game but terrible for that old psychic deck. With a change in ownership the format for the game eliminated all of the older cards. The new format, standard, plays with cards currently from the Heart Gold Soul Silver block and forward. DON’T THROW OUT THE OLD STUFF YET! Lots of people still love to collect and if you’re sly you can trade off that Delta Series Charizard for a good chunk of what you will need to build a new deck. There is an extended format that allows you to play any and all cards but there is little to no tournament support for this format.

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Cleffa Heads to the Retirement Home

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Cleffa is a staple or at least a “one-of” card in almost every deck right now. It is a card that works in any deck and is a solid starter, mid game refresh or late game stall. I played a Battle Roads this weekend (I went 1-4, but a fun Battle Roads none the less) where in four different games a prize was taken because I used Cleffa. The way each of these prizes were taken was with Catcher. I had used Cleffa as an early set up, retreated it for a heavy hitter and then late game they caught it up and took the easiest prize possible in the format. Coming back from being a prize down is no exceptional feat and something you should plan on having to do in a deck. Only once did I lose the game because of this play. 

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Working with Pokemon that Aren't Your Type

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A Sunday afternoon, the weather outside looks like Wailord cast Rain Dance and you decide to build your new pokemon deck. You sit down to look at your collection. The first question that a lot players ask themeselves is what type of deck do I want to build? Selecting a type of Pokemon can be a good base. Ofter times certain types of pokemon have abilities and attacks that work well together. Grass Pokemon can heal, fire Pokemon use up a lot of energy etc. etc. This mindset, building a deck based around type, can be restrictive.
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Player Etiquette Can Wreck It

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I finished a Battle Roads today (went 3/3) where I played with many different players. Of course everyone reacts differently under stressful situations, like meeting new people or confronting them competitively, but how you deal with your opponent on a social level very much contributes to how much you enjoy the game. The overall goal of the TCG and the VGC is simple, have fun. That was the original idea when developing them both and perhaps the idea that we need to focus on the most. 
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Smeargle Wasn't Picaso But He Had Fun

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I finished playing at league yesterday and realized I was playing decks that were printed offline. I played two match ups against two different players with almost identical decks. Another player playing the deck that dominated the top 8 at worlds and finally a player who ran a slight variation of a deck list I built after the Emerging Powers release. These players have developed the easily acquired talent of net decking. They use the online power of Google to discover the deck they think most likely to win at a Battleroads. They build it, they play it, and I would imagine they feel great winning as most people would. Anyone can do this. My eight year old cousin could build Beartic/Vileplume not because he has a strategic mind or he is some sort of Pokémon savant but because he is smart enough to use a computer. 

There are two different things that challenge a player in a deck building game, the ability to win and the ability to be creative. Unfortunately winning is more easily acquired and does not frequently match up with a creative mind. For me, the fun of the Pokemon card game doesn’t lie in winning the world championships or having a great record. I would rather lose nine out of ten games and win that one game with a crazed combination of Pokemon no one saw coming. I challenge you to use a net deck list not to build a winning deck but to build a better one. These cards are good for a reason, understand that reason and use it to build a deck that is new and exciting. The world of Pokemon is vast with options that people over look. Find them, exploit them and win with them.

Catcher and the Raichu

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If there is a single card in the Emerging Powers set that is making a disruption it is Pokemon Catcher (http://tinyurl.com/4y76m56). This reprint of the old favorite Gust of Wind gives you the ability to disrupt your opponent's field and set up. The simple way to use this card, bring up a Pokemon you can knock out that turn, score an easy prize. This card gives any deck an edge only equal to Quick Claw. It allows for decks with a fast set up the chance for an easy sweep.  What's the best way to shut down a deck running stage 1 or stage 2 Pokemon? Knock out every basic they play to their bench, and Catcher should give you the chance.
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You're a Loser, Make it Count

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The worst part about any competitive game is having to take the loss. Even in a game between the top two decks from nationals, played by the best strategic minds, it will result in a winner and a loser.  Pokemon TCG gives players two cards that help the underdog to the top of the Houndour-pile. These two cards are Twins (http://tinyurl.com/6d3dkdd) and Black Belt (http://tinyurl.com/5tfmr96).
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