Deck Tech Standard: Dragonite Box - With the 151 Sub Set Build

In preparation for the arrival of the special collection "151" (Pokémon Card 151 or 151 Kanto Sub Set), I will be posting Deck Techs for the Standard format with theories for the new cards, which will come in mid-September for us in the West.

It is worth noting that the cards are numbered and coded based on the eastern version, that is, sv2a, which cannot be used in tournaments! They can only be used when they come to the West with the American translation, and with the sv3a code.

In this article, I will show a list combining the Pokémon Dragonite, with its “ex Terastral” version, which comes in the Obsidian Flames set, and the version that will come in 151, with a more recursive, but vital funtion to the deck.

Decklist

Dragonite ex Terastral: The Deck Star

Let's just consider its second attack, Mighty Meteor (W)(L). It deals 140 damage + an additional 140 if the coin tossed comes up heads. If this coin comes up “tails”, the Dragonite will only do 140 damage, and will not be able to attack in the next turn.

So, we have the downside of this Pokémon not being able to attack the next turn, which means it will be inactive for a turn. There are two possible solutions:

1) Use Escape Rope BST 125 and promote that Pokémon back to the active position, because, in the Pokémon TCG rule, every time a Pokémon retreats, it resets its effects. Therefore, when we promote him to the active position, we will be able to attack again.

Let's say you used Escape Rope BST 125 and promoted a Pokémon that has a low retreat cost, with just one energy, and this Pokémon has that energy to pay the tribute; in this, you would retreat that Pokémon and re-promote Dragonite ex sv3 159 to attack.

2) Here comes the best part of the deck: the “baby” version of the Pokémon, Dragonite sv2a 149 (which will come in the special collection ”151”). Its ability, Jet Cruise, gives all of your Pokémon zero retreat cost!

This means that if you miss the coin on the Dragonite ex sv3 159 attack, you can simply retreat that Dragonite without paying the retreat cost manually, and if you have one more Dragonite ex sv3 159 on the bench, ready, you can use it as a new attacker and stay in this constant attack and retreat without losing energy!

Since Dragon-type Pokémon have no weaknesses, this is less of a concern. If it hits the coin, it can deal 280 damage, which is more than enough to destroy all VStar Pokémon in Standard!

Recursive Pokémon

- Dragonite sv2a 149 has its ability Jet Cruise, that gives all your Pokémon zero retreat cost.

By far, it is the most important recursive Pokémon in the deck. Not to mention that its attack, Dragon Pulse, deals 180 damage for just two energy, even though the attack's blowback effect is to discard two cards from the top of your deck.

- Manaphy BRS 41 has Wave Veil: if this Pokémon is in play, all of your Benched Pokémon are immune to “sniper” damage from your opponent's Pokémon.

Manaphy prevents damage from Pokémon like Kyogre CRZ 36 and Heatmor FST 41, for example, which can destroy your Dratini.

- Bidoof CRZ 111 has Carefree Countenance, which protects it from damage from attacks, if its benched, which is very useful to be able to save time to evolve it into Bibarel, which is the Pokémon that interests us. This is basically the same ability as Manaphy, but for itself only.

- Bibarel BRS 121 comes in with its ability Industrious Incisors, which allows you, per turn, to draw until you have five cards in your hand.

Therefore, if you have just a few cards in your hand, even if you use Iono sv2 185, you will always have constancy and income with “draw power” in the game, to help a little with the set-up of your deck. With Bibarel's ability, you will never be short of cards in your hand.

- Radiant Greninja ASR 46 has Concealed Cards: you discard energy from your hand and draw two cards from the top of the deck, being an excellent additional form of “draw power”.

Good Starting Hand

Regardless of whether you play first or second, these cards are certainly conducive to an excellent first turn.

You will place the Dratini sv2a 147 in the active position and thus play the card Battle VIP Pass FST 225, which will allow you to search for another Dratini sv2a 147 and a Bidoof CRZ 111, since you already have the Bibarel BRS 121 in your hand.

As there are two Ultra Ball sv1 196 in your hand, you can save them for the next turn, to choose other Pokémon, whether from the Dratini evolutionary line or even other recursive Pokémon to keep your set-up as solid as possible.

Trainer Cards

Supporters

- Professor's Research (Professor Oak) CEL 23 serves as “draw power”: discard your hand and draw 7 cards.

Supporter with the “Catcher” Role against the Opposing Pokémon

Boss's Orders (Ghetsis) sv2 172 serves to pull a specific Pokémon from the opponent's bench to deal damage for victory.

If this is applied correctly using Dragonite ex sv3 159 with its second attack being hit with the coin, it will do more than enough damage.

- Iono sv2 185 is extremely powerful, as it is the fusion of the effects of its predecessors, N FCO 105 and Marnie SSH 169, together: you and your opponent shuffle your hands and place them at the bottom of the deck. After that, you will buy cards from the top of the deck equivalent to the amount of Prize Cards you have in play, in this case, from each player's own game.

Example: if your opponent has 2 Prize Cards and you have 4 Prize Cards and you use this card as an effect, you shuffle your hands to the bottom of the deck, then your opponent will only draw 2 cards and you will draw 4 cards.

- Geeta sv3 188 is used to search for two basic energies from your deck to energize one of your Pokémon, however, this turn, if you use this card, your Pokémon do not attack.

It will be strange to say this, but it is one of the worst cards released in *Obsidian Flames. Even so, here it in this deck it has a very specific use that can only be useful in one situation.

Supposing you played your Dragonite ex sv3 159, and you missed the coin on your second attack and you cannot retreat it at any time. As the Pokémon has 330 HP, and the Dragon type has no weaknesses, your concern about double damage does not exist, so this Dragonite ex serves as a “tanker” to last that turn to receive damage. Then, you will play Geeta sv3 188 to power up another Dragonite ex or its predecessors (Dratini or Dragonair) to help you, since its attack cost is two energy, exactly how the effect of the Supporter card is described, and therefore there is a chance to consider it in the deck.

Items

- Battle VIP Pass FST 225 is only for use on your first turn of play: search for two basic Pokémon from your deck and then place them directly on the bench.

When this card becomes expendable after your first turn of play, it will be an excellent form of tribute with the use of Superior Energy Retrieval sv2 189, which requires discarding two cards from your hand to do its effect.

- Ultra Ball sv1 196 is used to search for any Pokémon, whether evolution or basic, and it can be common or ultra rare Pokémon, as long as you meet the requirement of discarding two cards from your hand to be able to play it.

- Capturing Aroma SIT 153 serves as a Pokémon search: you flip a coin - if it comes up heads, look for an evolution Pokémon, show it to your opponent and put it in your hand; but if it comes up tails, take a basic Pokémon, show it, and put it in your hand.

- Rare Candy PGO 69 is a vital card for accelerating the game, as it is with it that you will skip evolution stages of your Pokémon, since, in this list, it is noted that it does not have an ordered line of Dratini > Dragonair > Dragonite; for you to save cards in the deck and be able to evolve your Pokémon as quickly as possible.

- Trekking Shoes ASR 156 is excellent for accelerating the top of the deck, being able to choose the card at the top to have it in your hand or discard to draw the next card at the top of your deck - optimizing the deck's filtering.

- Pal Pad sv1 182 is an item that recycles two Supporter cards from the discard pile to the deck.

- Energy Recycler BST 124 is an item that recycles 5 basic energy from the discard pile to your deck.

- Super Rod sv2 188, as a reprint from the Black/White era, comes in as another recycling option, as it recycles 3 cards, basic energies and Pokémon, back to the deck.

- Escape Rope BST 125: Your opponent will choose a Benched Pokémon that will be promoted to the active position, and then you will do the same with your Pokémon. The opponent will start making this switch first (and if they don't have any Benched Pokémon to make the switch, they won't need to make the switch).

Stadium

Path to the Peak CRE 148 works for both players: all Pokémon that have Rule Box will not be able to use abilities.

This is excellent for sabotaging the opponent's Pokémon that use abilities, and its only bad when you have Radiant Greninja ASR 46, but it is only one of your Pokémon.

As we have many Pokémon in the format that use skills, such as Charizard ex sv3 125, Chien-Pao ex sv2 61, Ting-Lu ex sv2 127, Arceus VSTAR CRZ GG70, this stadium is very useful.

Benefits

- Dragon archetype deck, with the benefit of not having weakness.

- With Dragonite sv2a 149, you guarantee zero retreat cost to your Pokémon.

- Sabotage the opponent's Rule Box Pokémon abilities with Path to the Peak CRE 148.

- High damage of 280 points, destroying all VStar Pokémon in the format.

Disadvantages

- Dragonite ex sv3 159 depends on the coin to land the second attack and maintain attack constancy; So it depends on luck.

- Decks that make a faster set-up without needing stage 2 evolutionary lines to attack. Pokémon VStar and VMax can attack faster, an example of this is Mew VMAX LOR TG30.

- Decks that use Avery CRE 130 or Collapsed Stadium BRS 137 to sabotage your bench.

It's a deck that has the practicality of dealing good damage for just two energy (even if it costs the luck of flipping the coin). The fun of the deck itself is precisely the accessibility of the retreat cost being free.

Of course, the deck has disadvantages against the rarities of Sword & Shield, with the use of the VStar and VMax cards, which are much more explosive and quicker to assemble than decks that have cards with a ''step by step'' '' with stage 2. This will only change when the rotation comes to the end of the cards letters E and F, but it is worth a try.

See you later!