Expanded Deck Tech: Blastoise & Piplup Tag Team-GX + Ludicolo

Today we will see another practical water deck, with three simple proposals:

1) Simultaneous healing between Blastoise & Piplup Tag Team-GX;

2) Increased damage thanks to Ludicolo from Evolving Skies;

3) And paralysis effect , using the famous "Rain Dance" with Blastoise from Black/White: Boundaries Crossed.

Decklist

Blastoise & Piplup Tag Team-GX: Main Striker

He is the deck's main attacker, and you can check the effects of each attack. I'll bring more information about his synergy later in this article!

Good hand to start the game

If you start being the second to play, during the first turn, it's excellent, because you can perform this combo:

1) Put Blastoise & Piplup-GX CEC 38 in the active position and attach a water energy to it;

2) Place Lotad EVS 32 on your bench and use both Quick Ball SSH 179 with to discard Lombre RCL 8 and fetch another Blastoise & Piplup-GX CEC 38 (to filter the deck) or another Lotad EVS 32, and the other Quick Ball SSH 179 to discard Blastoise BCR 31 purposely to fetch Jirachi-EX PLB 60 and activate its ability Stellar Guidance and pick up the Supporter card Archie's Ace in the Hole PRC 124, which has the effect:

"You can only play this card if it is the only card in your hand. If you do, you put a Water Pokémon from your discard pile onto your Bench, then draw 5 cards."

It doesn't specify what type of Water Pokémon can be summoned, so it could even be evolution. And do you remember that you discarded Blastoise BCR 31? It's precisely to create this combo, not needing to spend resources to use Squirtle, Evolution Incense and Rare Candy to evolve into Blastoise! And with that, we already have a support Pokémon with “Rain Dance” in the next turns.

Recursive Pokémon

- Exeggcute PLF 4 has its ability Propagation, which means that if it is in the discard pile, it can be returned to your hand.

It's like a "tribute" so you can pay the effects costs of other cards that require discards, such as:

Quick Ball SSH 179 to search for a basic Pokémon and have to discard a card from your hand;

Ultra Ball SUM 135 to discard two cards from your hand to search for any Pokémon in your deck;

Superior Energy Retrieval PLF 103 that needs to discard two cards to recover up to 4 basic energies from the discard pile (the most important card in the deck in tribute).

- Jirachi-EX PLB 60 has Stellar Guidance, which means that if played from your hand to your Bench, you look for a Supporter card from your deck.

And why not use Lumineon V BRS 40 instead of Jirachi?

Jirachi is an EX-type Pokémon, so it uses Scoop Up Net RCL 165, which can be picked up from the game into your hand and create a “looping” of its ability when summoned, unlike Lumineon V .

- Squirtle BCR 29 has Shell Shield, which prevents this Pokémon from taking sniper damage from your opponent or damage from any Pokémon that deals damage on the Bench. It's basically a Manaphy with the Wave Veil ability built into the Pokémon.

- Blastoise BCR 31 has Deluge, which lets you move Water Energy from your hand to your Pokémon any way you want, the famous Rain Dance. It can move various energies into Blastoise & Piplup-GX CEC 38.

- Lotad EVS 32 serves to speed up the game with Call for Family, where you can search for 2 basic Pokémon in your deck and put them on your Bench directly.

Since most of the deck's structure is basic, this makes it easier to assemble your game.

- Lombre RCL 8 has Top Entry, which means that if this Pokémon is drawn on your turn and your Bench isn't full, you can bench it instead of leaving it in your hand.

This will facilitate assembly with Ludicolo EVS 34:

- Ludicolo EVS 34 has Enthusiastic Dance, so if this Pokémon evolves from Lombre in your hand this turn, all your Basic Pokémon in play that turn will deal 100 more damage against your opponent's Active Pokémon.

That's precisely the intention, boosting Blastoise & Piplup-GX CEC 38's attack with Splash Maker from 150 to 250; or with the Bubble Launcher which deals 100 damage and paralysis, dealing 200 plus the paralysis effect. And with the additional effect of the 3 energies of (W), you cause 250 + paralysis and adding to the passive of Ludicolo, it sums up to 350 damage!

Trainer Cards

- Misty & Lorelei CEC 199 serves to search for up to 3 basic energies of (W) or, in addition to being able to perform the first part, you can discard 5 cards from your hand, and if you do, you can reset the GX attack effect of your Water Pokémon.

- Irida ASR 147 serves to search for a Water Pokémon and an Item from your deck, facilitating the search for resources, whether looking for Pokémon in your setup, or for the evolutionary line of Lotad, Squirtle and Blastoise; in addition to picking up Items, such as Quick Ball, Ultra Ball, Capacious Bucket, among others.

- Nessa VIV 157 allows recycling 4 cards in a combination of Water Pokémon and Water Energy from the discard pile into your hand.

- Archie's Ace in the Hole PRC 124 serves to perform the combo with Blastoise BCR 31, since the card has the effect that needs to be played if it is the last card in your hand.

- Professor's Research SHF 60 is used to discard your hand and draw 7 new cards.

- Rare Candy PGO 69 is an Item that speeds up the evolution of a Basic Pokémon to Stage 2. And you can only play this card if the Basic Pokémon in question was already in play before, and you have Stage 2 of that Pokémon in your hand to fulfill the entire effect.

- Evolution Incense SSH 163 searches your deck for a Pokémon evolution.

- Capacious Bucket RCL 156 is used to search the deck for two Water Energy and put it into your hand.

This is good for putting more energy into the hand and synergizing with Blastoise's Deluge ability.

- Switch Raft DRM 62 is an Item equivalent to Switch, but it heals 30 points from the Benched (W) Active Pokémon.

- Superior Energy Retrieval PLF 103 is good for putting more energy in your hand, it synergizes with Blastoise's Deluge ability.

- VS Seeker PHF 109 recovers a Supporter card from the discard pile and puts it into your hand.

Advantages

It's a deck that has a slow start because it doesn't have supporters that can quickly energize Blastoise & Piplup-GX CEC 38, so it depends a lot on Blastoise BCR 31 to be the energizer from then on, your game can flow and have great advantages of moving energies between Blastoise & Piplup-GX CEC 38 and boosting the setup with Superior Energy Retrieval PLF 103, recovering energies from the discard.

It has a predefined script that if it continues playing Blastoise and Ludicolo, it will have guaranteed victories against fire-type Pokémon. The GX attack grants paralysis, which is great, and with Misty & Lorelei CEC 199, you can reset the GX attack and do it more than once.

Disadvantages

- Decks that use Path to the Peak CRE 148 or Power Plant UNB 183 hinder Jirachi-EX PLB 60, or "Item Lock" like Vikavolt V DAA 60 also get in the way.

- Deck that can stop attacks from basic Pokémon like Jolteon-EX GEN 28, Pyroar FLF 20, Eiscue EVS 47, Spiritomb UPR 53 or Flying Pikachu VMAX CEL 7.

Here we have an interesting multifunctional strategy to try, as it can increase damage ranging from 250 and 350 with paralysis and healing between Pokémon. Assembling it can be a bit slow with recursive Pokémon, but its final result is satisfying.

And now it's up to you: what do you think of the deck? You are welcome to comment below!