#expanded format

So, this deck is somewhat-clunky-ish deck where Jellicent (BCR) increases the retreat cost of opposing Pkmns, and Ferrothorn (BKT) spreads damage depending on the opposing retreat cost.

I haven’t updated my decks to UBR era, and I’d say that Power Plant would be the *perfect* counter against Silvally-GX. (At least, that’s until the stadium goes away)

Decklist:

3x Ferrothorn BKT 3x Ferroseed BKT 4x Jellicent BCR 4x Frillish BCR 1x Octillery BKT 1x Remoraid CIN 1x Ditto (*) LOT 2x Tapu Lele-GX GRI

2x N FCO 1x Tate and Liza CES 1x Gladion CIN 1x Brigette BKT 3x Guzma BUS 3x Ultra Ball SUM 2x Evosoda XY 3x Metal Frying Pan FLI 1x Super Rod BKP 2x Float Stone BKT 1x Pal Pad UPR 1x Special Charge STS 2x Field Blower GRI 4x Team Aqua’s Secret Base DCR

4x Shield Energy 3x Metal Energy 4x Double Colorless Energy SUM

Avalugg Mill Deck from Steam Siege! (Let’s hope XY will still be around after Expanded Rotation next yr tho...)

3x Avalugg STS 1x Bergmite FLI 2x Bergmite STS 1x Victini (*) DRM 2x Electrode-GX CES 2x Voltorb ROS 2x Magcargo CES 2x Slugma CES 2x Oranguru SUM (banana master (shout-out to Donald of DarkIntegralGaming)

4x Mallow GRI 1x Brocc’s Grit EVO 1x Computer Search BCR 4x Ultra Ball SUM 2x Battle Compressor PHF 3x Counter Catcher CIN 4x Nest Ball SUM 2x Evosoda XY 2x Float Stone BKT 1x Pal Pad UPR

4x Counter Energy CIN 15x Water Energy

Basically, this decc plays from behind: use Battle Compressor to get the Energies into the discard, then Electrode-GX to sacrifice Prizes for Counter value and Energy Acceleration, which pays off for Avalugg’s heavy energy cost for satisfying mill results. Magcargo and Mallow for obvious reasons. Victini for late-game clutch KOs and energy recycling.

Here we go again!

Today is a big day in Pokemon. Firstly, the [2016 format rotation] begins today and of course the biggest news of all, [Pokemon has banned another card!]

If you are unaware of this card, [Shiftry NXD 72], and what the fuss is all about, kindly go check [the post I made about it back in June] (which I will maintain was the first of its kind, but I digress).

Pokemon gave two reasons for why the ban was being enforced:

Creates a strategy that frequently wins on the first turn of the game

Creates a non-interactive play environment where the opponent has little impact on the outcome of the match

These reasons—particularly the 2nd reason—are very valid concerns for this card, and I even mentioned this is in [another post] I made about the deck (feat. video by pokedecks​). To allow this card to be played in this manner is not within the spirit of the game.

I think that the general consensus about this decision is positive. From what I’ve heard this deck has been a scourge on PTCGO’s Expanded since Ancient Origins was playable. On the other hand, this news is a slap in the face for anyone who rushed out to buy a playset, and I’ve heard some have paid top dollar for them where they were scarce.

I just want to bring up another point about [Forest of Giant Plants] before I go. While discussing about the Shiftry ban with my good friend and infrequent co-author on this blog, Jonathan, he mentioned that he felt Pokemon should consider nerfing Forest of Giant Plans (or as it’s commonly called on forums Broken Vine Space, named after [Broken Time-Space]. I just like calling it FGP). Now, I’m not calling Jonathan out; we had an interesting discussion about this, and he can come on here any time and defend his position (｀ω´) . He cited that another potentially “broken” Expanded deck could abuse FGP in the form of [Latios-EX/Forretress]. Don’t get me wrong, it is a powerful deck that truly abuses FGP and cards that are also used in Turbo Shiftry like [Devolution Spray], [Super Scoop Up], and [Scoop Up Cyclone], but I don’t believe this deck is “broken” in the same way that Shiftry is, and certainly not powerful enough to have to nerf FGP (if anything, if the deck indeed becomes a problem, maybe Devolution Spray is the card to nerf). The difference being that while Latios/Forretress can get T1KOs on EXs, it is far from being guaranteed, and it simply isn’t consistent enough, plus if the opponent is able to put 2 EXs in play at the start of the game, it’s an auto-loss for Latios. Shiftry is consistent enough because that deck nets wins regardless of the amount of health the opposing Pokemon have.

If you’re unaware, a couple sites and groups started posting screenshots of what appeared to be leaked information about a future banned cards list for next year’s [Expanded Format]. This “news” came suspiciously early, so close to the announcement that all Regionals will be Expanded Format only. As many people have assured on forums and Facebook, this leaked information is all hoaxed. I’m inclined to believe that it very much is hoaxed. The sources for all the screenshots were very suspect, particularly one that was designed to look like it had come straight from the Pokemon website, but the cards on that list in particular were cards that had been recently hyped on the Facebook group Virbank City.

Before I had concluded for myself that I believed the news to be fake, I had already started typing up this big long post about all the cards that were alleged to be banned in the future. Now that the hoax has been revealed, it seems rather pointless for me to post it. But as I was writing it, I was realizing the gravity of some of these potentially powerful cards, particularly as Ancient Origins appears on the horizon.

Should there ever be a Pokémon ban list?

I think that it would be in Pokémon’s best interest to actually implement a ban list for the Expanded Format. I mean, this isn’t unheard of. As I understand it, Yu-Gi-Oh’s tournament format “Advanced Format” is Unlimited (in Pokemon terms), with a ban/restricted list that’s updated every 3 months. Magic the Gathering has a bunch of formats each with their own amount of legal sets and banned/restricted lists. This just makes simple sense. As sets are developed and released, cards are designed with a general understanding of the current Standard Meta in mind. When a new card is designed, there’s no way a development team can keep track of how that card interacts with every other card the company’s ever made so there are bound to be some very intense and incredible combos. The easiest way to keep a game balanced is to decide which cards are the problem causers and either ban or restrict them.

Over the course of the next season, if Pokemon intend on the Expanded Format playing a bigger role in the Championship series than it did this year, as new sets come out, they should be thinking about making their own ban/restricted list. Taking into account Ancient Origins, I want to touch on some cards in next year’s Expanded that would become crazy powerful. In no particular order.

Lugia-EX

[Lugia-EX PLS 108] Technically, this card should have stepped up its game when Roaring Skies came out. [Shaymin-EX ROS 77] would give it the speed it needed, [Altaria ROS 74] would protect it against [Manectric], and the number of other people playing Shaymin would increase its chances of winning the game in 2 easy KOs. The reality was that relying on your opponents’ Shaymins to net you the win just wasn’t rational, and otherwise, the deck was just too slow on the damage output. Getting out all your [Deoxys-EX] was your first priority and a little too time consuming. This could all change with [Hoopa-EX]. Now one Ultra Ball turns into 3 Deoxys; or 2 Deoxys and a Lugia, or 2 Deoxys and a Shaymin. Then it’s a matter of finding one or two [Team Plasma Balls] or drawing into the Pokemon you need. Plus all the [Colress Machines] you’ll find if you abuse Shaymin correctly. All you need then is a [Muscle Band] and you’ve set up a 180 attacker who’s taking an extra prize on whatever its KOing. Now is this [Seismitoad/Flip Cards] level of abuse? I don’t think so. As fast as it is, it’s still easily beatable by [Rayquaza decks] and [Manectric decks]. If it came down to it and this deck was utterly crushing the competition, restricting the number of Deoxys you could run in an Expanded deck would be enough to nerf it.

~Click Keep Reading to see more potentially bannable cards~

Hey all! This is some pretty darn exciting news!

Firstly I’d like to retcon some posts I’ve made in the past in regards to the Expanded format. You may have read posts by me where I talk about how Expanded format is used exclusively for Top Cut on Day 2 of two-day events: Regionals, Nationals, and Worlds. Well, it turns out I was wrong. I’ll admit I never looked into Nats’ and Worlds’ specifics far enough to find out how they were actually going to play out. So it came as a surprise to me when I watched the US Nats stream that the finals weren’t in Expanded format. And well, it looks like Worlds will also be playing out as Standard-only.

HOWEVER, next year we’ll be having some Regional Championships play out as [Expanded Format]-only for the full 2 day event. Houston is confirmed, and I’ve heard that Philadelphia will also have an Expanded-only regionals.

Honestly I’m SUPER PUMPED about this and YOU SHOULD BE TOO! Your old cards don’t go to waste, and the possibilities of Expanded decks are somewhere close to limitless! This will make for some really fun tournaments.

I very much hope that next year’s MA Regionals will be Expanded because I doubt I’m going to be able to make it to any other Regionals. If I do, I’m going to have to really force myself not to play [this deck] idea I had ages ago.