Standard Deck Tech: Ninetales ex - A Build with the 151 Sub Set

With the release of the "151" (Pokémon Card 151 or 151 Kanto Sub Set) special set, I'll be posting Deck Techs for Standard with theories on the new cards, which will be released in mid-September for us in the west.

It's worth stressing that cards currently have numbers and codes based on the eastern version, that is, sv2a, which can't be used in tournaments! They'll only be available to play when they come to the west with the American translation, and the sv3a code.

In this article, I'll show you a list with Ninetales ex. Its second attack is centered around you having the same number of cards in hand as your opponent to explode with maximum damage.

Decklist

Ninetales ex: The Star of the Deck

Attack Heat Wave (F): deals 30 damage and the opponent's active Pokémon becomes Burned.

Attack Mirrored Flames (F)(C): deals 80 damage plus 140 if you and your opponent has the same number of cards in hand.

As described above, it is only possible to reach the maximum potential of 220 damage if your hand has the same number of cards than your opponent's. To get that, cards such as Judge sv1 176 are essential, and if players have the same number of Prize Cards, the other possibility is using Iono sv2 185.

Chi-Yu ex: Recursive Pokémon for the First Few Turns to Set Up your Energies and Sabotage the Opponent's Deck

Attack - Jealously Singe (F): this attack allows you to discard 2 cards from the top of your opponent's deck.

Attack - Flame Surge (F)(F): this attack deals 100 damage. You choose up to 3 Benched Pokémon, and then, look for 3 basic Fire energies in your deck. Attach one for each Pokémon you've chosen. Then, shuffle your deck.

This Pokémon is an excellent resource for the Fire archetype, as it has the role of burning your opponent's deck (the famous "mill" strategy). With its second attack, it deals 100 damage and guarantees the simultaneous setup of energies on your benched Fire Pokémon.

Entei V: The Deck's Alternative Attacker

Ability - Fleet-Footed: if this Pokémon is the active Pokémon, during your turn, you can draw one card from the top of your deck.

Attack - Burning Rondo (F)(C): this attack deals 20 damage + 20 damage for each Pokémon on each players' bench.

With some basic math, we virtually have 220 damage with Entei V BRS 22. As the metagame values the use of many Pokémon in play, you'll always have 100 damage on each board, not to mention the damage can be increased with Choice Belt BRS 135 (the only copy we have in the deck), granting an extra 30 damage against Pokémon V, reaching 250 damage.

It is also practical, as it only needs two energies, which is easy to set up - similar to Ninetales ex sv2a 38, only with the guarantee of always dealing at least 220 damage.

Drapion V: Fusion Strike, Single Strike and Rapid Strike Counter

Its goal is to deal double damage to Mew VMAX LOR TG30, because of its weakness to the Dark type, totaling 380 damage.

As the Mew player always needs Genesect V FST 185, it will always guarantee Drapion V LOR 118's attack cost exemption, which consolidates itself as an excellent counter.

Radiant Charizard: Emergency Aggressive Finisher Attacker

Ability - Excited Heart: for each Prize Card your opponent has drawn in the game, lower Radiant Charizard's attack cost by one colorless energy.

Attack - Combustion Blast (F)(C)(C)(C)(C): this attack deals 250 damage and can't be used again in the following turn.

Its use is more for an 'extreme measures' situation, when the game is coming to a close, due to its ability which reduces the cost of colorless energies according to the Prize Cards your opponent has drawn in the match.

The attack is quite strong and has a generous value, 250, but it has the drawback of not being available in the following turn. However, you can cheat out this attack's effect by retreating Radiant Charizard and promoting again to the active position.

With Radiant Charizard CRZ 20, there are two tools that can amplify your damage:

- If you're losing the game, which is, if you have more Prize Cards left than your opponent, you can use Defiance Band sv1 169 to get 30 extra damage, this way dealing 280 damage through brute force.

- If your opponent is using a Pokémon V, VStar or VMax, you can use Choice Belt BRS 135, but there's only one copy of it in the deck.

Recursive Pokémon

- Manaphy BRS 41 has its ability Wave Veil, which is useful to protect your benched Pokémon from your opponent's "sniper" damage, that is, direct damage; In this case, it essentially protects Vulpix SIT 17 and Vulpix FST 29.

- Bidoof CRZ 111 has Carefree Countenance, which prevents it from taking damage while on the bench from attacks, which is very useful to gain time and evolve it to Bibarel, which is what interests us.

- Bibarel BRS 121 has Industrious Incisors, which allows you, once per turn, to draw until you have five cards in hand.

- Skwovet sv1 151 has Nest Stash: if it's in play, you can activate its ability at any point in the game. In case you do declare this ability, you shuffle your hand and put all your cards at the bottom of your deck, and next, you draw a card from the top of your deck.

The combo between Bibarel and Skwovet is the following: if Bibarel draws until you have five cards in hand, your goal is to reduce your hand to less than five cards. So you, by using Skwovet, will reduce your hand to only one card and next you'll combo with Bibarel's ability effect, this way always drawing five cards!

With that, in case you want to renew your hand to look for resources, that is the loop you need to set up in your turns - and, the best of all, they are all single prize Pokémon!

Trainer Cards

Supporters

Raihan EVS 152 is useful only if your Pokémon was knocked out in the previous turn. In case that happened, you will be able to get a basic energy from the discard pile, attach it to one of your Pokémon; next, you'll be able to look for any card in your deck (without showing it to your opponent) and put it in your hand.

Boss's Orders (Ghetsis) sv2 172 is useful to pull a specific Pokémon on your opponent's bench to deal the damage to victory.

- Iono sv2 185 is extremely powerful, as it combines the effects of its predecessors, N FCO 105 and Marnie SSH 169, together: you and your opponent shuffle your hands and put them at the bottom of your decks. After that, you draw cards from the top of your deck equal to the number of Prize Cards in play, in this case, for each player's own game.

For example, if your opponent has 2 Prize Cards and you have 4 Prize Cards and you use this card's effect, you both shuffle your hands into the bottom of your decks, and then the opponent draws only 2 cards, and you draw 4 cards.

- Judge sv1 176 is useful to shuffle your hand and the opponent's into your respective decks, and respectively, each will draw 4 new cards. That is ideal to make Ninetales ex sv2a 38's second attack effective.

Items

- Battle VIP Pass FST 225 is useful to be used only on your first turn in the game: look for two basic Pokémon in your deck and place them directly on your board.

- Ultra Ball sv1 196 is useful to look for any Pokémon, evolution or basic, common or ultra rare, as long as you fulfill the requirement of discarding two cards from your hand to play it.

- Nest Ball sv1 181 is useful to look for a basic Pokémon in your deck and place it directly on your bench.

- Super Rod sv2 188 is another recycling option, as it recycles 3 cards, in this case basic energies and Pokémon, back into the deck.

- Escape Rope BST 125: your opponent will choose one of their benched Pokémon to be promoted to the active position, and next, you'll do the same with your Pokémon. The opponent will be the first to do this swap (and, if they don't have any Pokémon on their bench to swap, they won't need to).

Tools

- Choice Belt BRS 135 is useful to add 30 damage against your opponent's active Pokémon which are V type (be it a basic Pokémon V, VMax or VUnion).

- Defiance Band sv1 169 is useful only if you're losing the game (that, in case if you have more Prize Cards left than your opponent). With that, this tool, equipped to your Pokémon, will give you an extra 30 damage against your opponent's active Pokémon.

Stadium

Magma Basin BRS 144 is useful to energize your Fire Pokémon in the following way: you'll place one basic Fire energy on any of your Fire Pokémon in play, and, if you do, this Pokémon will get 2 damage counters.

As Ninetales ex sv2a 38 and Entei V BRS 22 only need 2 energies to pay their costs, this stadium is an excellent option for their set-up.

Advantages

- Easy energy setup with Magma Basin BRS 144 and Chi-Yu ex sv2 40.

- Fast attacks with a cost of only two energies, except for Radiant Charizard CRZ 20.

- It's effective against the rising Grass decks, such as Shaymin VSTAR BRS 14, Meowscarada ex sv2 15 and Leafeon VSTAR CRZ 14.

Disadvantages

- Water type decks, such as Chien-Pao ex PR-SV 30, Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR CRZ GG67, and Blastoise ex sv2a 9, in the future.

- United Wings decks, such as this one.

- Lost Box decks.

It is a good deck for beginners who like Fire Pokémon. It has the following advantages:

1) This is a deck which is fast and practical to set up and deal considerable damage;

2) It is practical to build its set-up, as most Pokémon are basic and only Ninetales ex is a stage 1 Pokémon, as the star in the deck.

Possibly, when this card is released in the west, it will be quite cheap and easy to get.

See you next time!