Expanded Deck Tech: Kecleon (Rapid Strike) - Effective and Versatile!

Today we are going to cover a cheap and versatile deck in terms of attacks. With an energy of any archetype, this Pokémon can become that type and be able to head-on against others by applying the weakness based on that energy.

We're talking about Kecleon CRE 122, which, with its skill, can accomplish this! And with the tool Supereffective Glasses ASR 152, it can triple this weakness, being able to reach up to 270 damage as a basic Pokémon (and being able to increase even more!).

Decklist

Kecleon: the main attacker

The strategy is simple: put the energy that is your opponent's weakness and activate its ability, in addition to putting the tool Supereffective Glasses ASR 152, which triples the value of damage caused by the Pokémon that has it. That is, Kecleon can reach up to 270 damage being a simple basic “single prize” Pokémon!

And there's still a bonus: with the launches of the "baby" Kanto birds in the Sword/Shield block, their abilities offer 10 more damage to the attacks of the basic Pokémon in play, respecting the typing. That is: Moltres increases damage by 10 for Fire-type; Zapdos Increases damage to Electric-types by 10; and finally Articuno increases another 10 damage to the water type - and with that, having that base of 100 damage, if Kecleon can be fire, electric or water type, it can cause up to 300 damage with just three energies!

The Kanto Birds

- Moltres PGO 12 comes in with its ability Fire Symbol, which gives basic Fire Pokémon 10 more damage on their attacks (except any Moltres Pokémon in play).

So, if the Kecleon CRE 122 has a fire energy attached to it, plus the tool Supereffective Glasses ASR 152, with the benefit of Moltres's ability, it will reach deal 300 damage.

- Zapdos PGO 29 comes in with its ability Lightning Symbol, which gives basic Electric-type Pokémon 10 more damage on their attacks (except any Zapdos Pokémon in play).

With an electric energy + Supereffective Glasses ASR 152 + Zapdos, it deals 300 damage.

- Articuno PGO 24 comes in with its ability Ice Symbol, which gives basic Water Pokémon 10 more damage on their attacks (except any Articuno Pokémon in play).

With an energy of water + Supereffective Glasses ASR 152 + Articuno, it deals 300 damage.

Recursive Pokémon

- Diancie ASR 68 has Princess's Curtain: If it's in Active Position, it prevents any Supporter card effects your opponent plays against your Basic Pokémon in play.

This guarantees a smooth assembly of your Kecleon on the bench, without having the headache of a Boss's Orders or a Guzma from the opponent.

- Radiant Greninja ASR 46 has Concealed Cards, which causes you to discard an Energy card from your hand to draw 2 cards from the top of your deck.

Good hands to start the game

In this simulation, the hand blessed you with the fact of having the Battle VIP Pass, so the question is to be the second to play in the first turn, ready to put at least one Diancie or one Kecleon as security in the Pokémon's second choice.

Or you can choose Radiant Greninja to draw with its ability, discarding one of these energies (most likely the fairy type because it is difficult to get matches against dragons, since most have no weakness anymore and the current one that sees play is Regidrago VStar - unless you face an ADP-GX) and hope that more Pokémon come to fill the bench; and then play Marnie to sabotage the opponent.

Here is another wonderful opportunity: you have the Battle VIP Pass to place a Diancie and a Radiant Greninja, while the Level Ball looks for another Diancie, and then you can bench your two Kecleon and wait for turns to see an energy card, to make the "draw power" ability of Radiant Greninja or a Supporter card to move your hand.

Trainer Cards

- Marnie SSH 169 serves as a way to sabotage the opponent's hand if they have too many cards.

- Raihan EVS 152 can only be played if a Pokémon was previously Knocked Out. In this, you can attach a basic energy from the discard pile to one of your Pokémon in any way you want, and still take a card you want from your deck to your hand.

It's an excellent way to fully power up a Kecleon in case you pick up a basic energy from discards that is your opponent's weakness. And needing a special energy, the Rapid Strike Energy BST 140, already guarantees the preparation of the Pokémon.

- Bruno BST 121 shuffles both hands and draws 4 cards. However, if your Pokémon was Knocked Out earlier, and you played this card the next turn, instead of drawing 4 cards, you draw 7 cards instead.

- Boss's Orders BRS 132 serves to pull an opponent's benched Pokémon and bring it into active position to close specific knockouts.

- Battle VIP Pass FST 225 can only be played on your first turn in the entire match. In this, you search for two basic Pokémon in the deck and bench them.

It's useful to put all possible Diancie into play to preserve your Kecleon and start setting up.

- Quick Ball FST 237 allows you to search your deck for a basic Pokémon at the cost of the Tribute of discarding a card from your hand. Then reveal it and place it in your hand.

- Level Ball BST 129 allows you to search for any Pokémon in your deck that has 90 HP or less and put it into your hand.

- Field Blower GRI 125 is a resource where you can choose a combination of two Tools and/or Stadium cards that you can discard in play.

- Professor's Letter BKT 146 is used to search your deck for 2 basic energies, reveal them to your opponent, and put them into your hand.

- Special Charge STS 105 allows you to cycle up to two special energies from the discard pile to the deck.

- Ordinary Rod SSH 171 does resource recovery, which you can choose between one or both of them:

1) Cycling two Pokémon from the discard pile into your deck.

2) Recycling two basic energies from the discard pile to your deck.

- Rescue Carrier EVS 154 recovers two Pokémon from the discard pile that have 90 HP or less into your hand.

- Supereffective Glasses ASR 152 does triple damage by applying weakness to the opponent's Active Pokémon.

- Float Stone PLF 99 grants Retreat exemption to the Pokémon it is attached to.

Stadium

If that stadium is on the field, both players can take a basic energy from the discard pile between turns and put it in their hand.

Advantages

- This deck can respond to any type, being able to apply triple weakness causing 270 damage, and if Kecleon is in the archetype of fire, electric or water, this damage reaches 300, easily being able to knock out all Pokémon EX, GX, Tag Team-GX, all V, all VStar (except Giratina VStar and Regidrago VStar), some VUnion that have 300 HP, like Greninja VUnion, and some VMax that have 300 HP, like Jolteon VMax.

Disadvantages

- Honchkrow-GX UNB 109 deck, like this one.

- ADP Tag Team-GX decks, for the ability to quickly draw rewards from their GX attack, as in this example.

- Dragon-type decks from the Sword & Shield era, as they no longer have dragon-type or fairy-type weaknesses.

- Duraludon VMax, which has its ability to not receive damage from Pokémon that have special energies attached to the attacker, such as this one.

- Deck that has Empoleon V PR-SW SWSH108, as its ability cancels the ability of "baby" Pokémon

- Deck with Ultra Necrozma “baby” from Sun/Moon: Cosmic Eclipse with Garbodor's ability Garbotoxin.

- Decks that have the stadiums Path to the Peak CRE 148 that locks Pokémon abilities with Rule Box, and Silent Lab PRC 140 which locks basic Pokémon's abilities.

It is a consistent deck, cheap and very versatile in terms of possibilities, as it manages to treat the opponent's weaknesses with each basic energy, that is:

- Grass against water, some fighting type and some dark type;

- Fire against grass;

- Water against fire;

- Electric against water;

- Fighter against electric, colorless and some dark type;

- Psychic against other psychic type and fighters;

- Dark versus Psychic type;

- Metal against some Water-type and Fairy-type;

- And fairy against X/Y and Sun/Moon era dragons.

Until next time!