Legendary Treasures Prerelease: Sunday, November 3rd, 11AM

Hello trainers!

On the 3rd of November is our next Prerelease Event - for the new TCG set, Legendary Treasures. For those who are new to the League or TCG in general, this is a great opportunity to pick up cards from the new set before they are officially released, and below regular retail price. The entry fee on the day will be £22.50, which covers the cost of the eight boosters each participant receives and venue rental. All participants will take part in a Limited Format Tournament using a deck made up from cards they get from six boosters and energy supplied by the League. After the tournament is complete, each player then receives two additional booster packs, for a total of eight.

If you wish to participate in the Prerelease Event, you'll need to arrive at the IPCSC between 11AM and 11:30AM. Anyone that arrives after 11:30 may not be able to join in, so please be prompt! Also, please note that if you do not stay for the entire tournament you will not receive the final two booster packs that the other participants receive.

If you attend the League but don't want to participate in the prerelease, that's no problem - you can still come and have regular League play at the venue as usual!

NOTE: Please let us know if you are planning to attend, as this event may be cancelled if attendance is not high enough!

Hope to see you there!

Blastoise/Keldeo/Black Kyurem

BK: Burger King Blastoise/KeldeoPre-emptively, you'll have to forgive me. This deck is one that I have not played, though have witnessed in play innumerable times. As such, it may be a less than satisfactory article, but I shall try my best.

The Players:

 

Blastoise/Keldeo/Black Kyurem, then. This deck is one on which little variance is allowed in all honesty. You have Blastoise to accelerate water energy using the Deluge ability, and then Keldeo and EX to take aforementioned water energy and use them to hit hard.

I've essentially chosen to post about this deck because there has been a lot of speculation as to how playable this deck really is in a format that has had Virizion/Genesect introduced onto the field. Without getting too deeply into it, the deck is still very playable, but it's going to rely on Black Kyurem EX more than ever. The simple fact of the matter remains that :

1. Black Kyurem EX can OHKO anything in the format 
2. If the BK(BK) player has a double blastoise T2, they've effectively won. 

The Skeleton:

Pokemon: 11

3 Squirtle BCR
3 Blastoise BCR
2 Keldeo EX
3 Black Kyurem EX PLS

Supporters: 11

4 Juniper
4 Skyla
3 N

Trainers: 19

4 Rare Candy
3 Ultra Ball
3 Pokemon Catcher
3 Superior Energy Retrieval
2 Float Stone
1 Heavy Ball
1 Level Ball
1 Energy Search
1 Tool Scrapper

Stadiums: 2

 2 Tropical Beach

Energy: 11

9 Water
2 Lightning

Total: 54 (Space for 6)You can tell I'm unsure as to what I'm doing when there's only space for six cards in a supposed "skeleton".

Here are some important things to note, though, for any Blastoise/Keldeo/Black Kyurem player:

• 4 Rare Candy, 4 Skyla, 2 Beach are absolute minimums.
• You need the energy search for the lightning energy requirement of Black Kyurem's Black Ballista attack. If you ditch it, you will not be able to consistently pull that off.
• Certain lists I've seen don't run float stone. That's fine, but makes Keldeo vulnerable as it is now your vastly inferior attacker.
• The one tool scrapper is a requirement for the Garbodor matchup.
• You may tailor the balls line to suit your preferences, but I would not recommend running any lower than 5 total. Remember, this and the 4 RC, 4 Skyla, 2 Beach bullet are all geared towards ensuring you get Blastoise as fast as humanly possible. Without Blastoise, this deck is simply too slow to perform, and Black Kyurem becomes next to useless.
• While Superior Energy Retrieval may have a cost, and where Energy Retrieval does not, you should run Superior Energy Retrieval because being able to get 3-4 back after a Black Ballista helps to ensure that you can stream the Black Ballistas without having to scrounge for an energy in hand, thus allowing you also to run a slightly lower than previous sum of water energy.
• The ACE SPEC slot is generally taken by Computer Search. This is another invaluable card in the turn 2 Blastoise. However, I have seen Crystal Wall played to amusing effect. In previous formats also the odd Scramble Switch, but as you're now looking at heavy Black Kyurem, that's not a play to consider anymore.
• It's painful to say, considering that they are not cheap, but this deck cannot  be run without Tropical Beach. It is far more inconsistent without them.
• This deck doesn't have a lot of techability. It runs best with a straightforward blend of Black Kyurem EX and Keldeo EX. Do not try clumping other things in without clear and distinct purpose.

Match-UpsFirst of all, this deck has the capability of beating almost anything. Assuming Klingklang is now dead with the loss of both Shift Gear Klang and Cobalion NVI, nothing really stands that directly in it's way (there just was no suitable non-EX counter for Blastoise/Keldeo to run against that deck). However, if it regains prominence in some form, than players of this deck must be wary.

Plasma: Roughly EvenHonestly, as I've seen it, this can go either way. Both can wreck absolute havoc come turn two, so it may well largely depend on who gets the flip (as a lot of matches lean towards these days).

However, it is also one of the far more strategic match-ups, coming down to your awareness as a player. Keldeo can take down Kyurem with only 4 energy (only? Yeah, that's honestly not going to be too hard for a well-constructed Blastoise deck). On the other hand, Kyurem can, with 3 Deoxys and a Silver Bangle, one hit anything. While Plasma's energy acceleration is slightly poorer, the fact that they can also do residual damage for easier numbers with Thundurus EX while accelerating from the discard is nothing to be ignored, and they may present numerous threats fast. Also, this should go without saying, but never over-energize Keldeo. If you have five energy on it, you're asking for a Deoxys EX to OHKO you. Actually, keep this in mind in every matchup. Too many times have I seen relatively new and inexperienced players overattach to Keldeo arbitrarily.

Genesect/Virizion: Somewhat Unfavourable

It's true. Genesect and Virizion both love plaguing Keldeo and Blastoise. However, you should have your Black Kyurem active as often as possible for this match. Even so, if the Genesect player gets set up, catchering Blastoises is easy for them, even if they have to inefficiently attach a plasma, so if you don't have a double Blastoise set up, you might be saying "good game" sooner than you'd like.
Despite this, it is nowhere near the autoloss that it initially appears, sheerly because of Black Kyurem EX's beastly potential.

Darkrai/Hydreigon: Somewhat FavourableNow Hydreigon is virtually guaranteed to take at least as long to set up as Keldeo/Blastoise, and will also be likely to hit for less damage. It remains true that Darkrai continues to hit terribly annoying numbers onto Blastoise, but other than that, you should be able to work this in your favour. Target whatever has the energy if you get there fast enough, but if energy manipulation looks like it's going to be a pain, abolish the Hydreigon. Avoid using Keldeo here as it's too much energy to invest in the OHKO, and if you miss it, they are liable to use a Max Potion.

Garbodor Variants: ?It honestly is going to depend on the variant, because I'm seeing a lot of them these days. If you look strictly at Garbodor, ability lock is absolutely crippling to Blastoise/Keldeo. Basically, take out the garbage heaps wherever you can, and your safest choice otherwise here instantly becomes to use Keldeo as your attacker, while still not overenergising. Remember, 3 for 110 is still pretty decent and threatening.


As far as the rogues go, Blastoise/Keldeo should be able to make short work of many of them, so it's really only these guys you need to focus on strengthening your game against. Do beware of Safeguarding Suicunes. While the attached mirror play is not noteworthy against Blastoise/Keldeo, you will have to bring up a Blastoise to knock them out. Fortunately Terrakion and Suicune both cannot OHKO you, nor spread, so you should manage.

Overall

Double Blastoise: these are two exceedingly frightening words. And with RayEels gone, this deck remains with the most terrifying one hit potential (although, Rayboar?!).

It is this precise potential that can let you ignore the whole "matchups" argument to an extent. Like I already said, this deck has the potential to beat pretty much everything. As a Blastoise player, your priority is going to be to make your deck as consistent as possible. Techs always come last here.

And as I've said before, I've not actually played this deck (okay, played three games with someone else's build once), so this one is merely from what I have seen in my harrowing days as a Pokemon Player.

Genesect/Virizion

So it’s taken a dreadful while to get around to this; but let’s talk about both the upcoming and already existing decks as we go into the new format with Plasma Blast and the rotation to Next Destinies on. Some will be fairly meta while others will be more rogue constructs that have been played around with a little bit. I was going to throw this all into one post, but then I realised that it would be hard to be thorough if I did that. So instead, I will commence rather more routine posts, each discussing a different deck in turn. Tonight I thought I might as well start with Genesect/Virizion. Genesect/Virizion:(Where all the hype has gone)The deck is as written; your main pokemon will be Virizion EX and Genesect EX from Plasma Blast. Virizion EX has an ability which prevents your Pokemon with grass energy attached from being affected by status conditions. Additionally, its attack, Emerald Slash, accelerates energy and does 50 damage. The catch is that it costs two energy (1 G, 1 C), and as Virizion is not a Plasma pokemon, pulling this off turn one is a difficult combo to manage well. Genesect also features an ability, Red Signal, that allows you to attach a plasma energy to it manually to catcher one of your opponent’s Pokemon. Additionally its attack, Megalo Cannon, does 100 damage and 20 to the bench for (2 G, 1 C), fitting nicely into one acceleration burst from Virizion. 

Additionally, the deck features G-Booster, an ACE SPEC that enables Genesect to hit a direct 200 damage at the expense of two energy (preferably dropping 1 G 1 C to pay so that it could potentially be used again next turn with a Colress Machine attachment). While G-Booster may take up your sole ACE SPEC slot of the deck, it’s potential to instantly net you two prizes combined with it’s salvageability via Shadow Triad (Plasma Freeze) make it the play for any Genesect/Virizion build that I am as of yet aware of.

So far I’ve witnessed three builds that I would approve of for Genesect/Virizion:

1. Pure G/V: This version will naturally take the least space, and therefore allow the most room for techs. By techs I quite simply mean, things to counter the deck’s natural counters. Case in point: Victini EX. A tech would be a Pokemon, preferably non-EX (for a multitude of reasons here) that can counter the Victini without a large expenditure of resources and deck space. Of course, Tool Scrapper might also be considered if Victini EX turns out to be favourably played alongside Victory Piece, but that’s a call that remains to be seen. My advice: in the current format, you should generally run tool scrapper as a two of anyway, but it should still not be a crutch.
   Now, as far as I have seen, most builds along this line do not run Plasma Badge to Turn One Virizion, in essence focusing on consistency over the early game potential boost. However, it would be possible to do so, but then it might simply be easier to try out the secondary build (the one that I currently play):
2. G/V + Deoxys EX (PLF): This deck takes the standard Genesect/Virizion build and removes the excess space in favour of Deoxys and Plasma Badge to try and pursue the turn one Emerald Slash and subsequently acceleration off Virizion. However, note that G/V is a powerful deck largely in light of the singe energy retreat cost the primary Pokemon feature. Deoxys EX features a retreat cost of two, and this makes this an easy catcher target. On the other hand, you will find that this deck:
1. Reaches “magic” numbers between Virizion’s and Genesect’s attacks easier.
2. As a direct result of (a) will be less reliant on G-Booster.

However, if you choose to look into this deck it is my utmost recommendation that you play 4 Ultra Ball and 4 Bicycle for the early game draw power, as that is where the game will tend to be won or lost, quite frankly. Also note that you will find yourself having to be much more cautious about resource management in this kind of build sheerly because of the rate at which you want to mill through cards.

3. G/V + Magnezone?!: This variant is strong more than anything else in it’s ability to allow you the abuse of Shadow Triad or Skyla to keep G-Booster in play without sacrificing draw potential. However, what that relies on is that you can get a Magnezone into play. Issues with that are the deck space it will consume to make it consistent, or simple inconsistency of you’re not devoting enough deck space to it. As it is a utility stage two alone, this is a case where you will often find yourself straddling a very fine line.
   However, it should not be underestimated, and at worst for the player of this build, a lost Magnemite/Magnezone will force the “7 prize game,” which is something the other two builds do not feature in their skeleton forms. As such, it also will provide many more difficult decisions for your opponent and subsequently, misplays.
   I will admit, Nicholas Pearce thoroughly trounced me with it in a best of three, but I still don’t rate its consistency as high as either of the other two variants I’ve listed.

A Skeleton Build for Any of These It’s always good to know what you should treat as must haves, and it is likely you may disagree with my skeleton, in which case please do let me know! Pokemon: 6

3 Virizion
3 Genesect Supporters: 10

4 Juniper
3 N
2 Skyla
1 Shadow Triad Trainers: 14

4 Ultra Ball or 2 Ultra Ball + 2 Plasma Ball
3 Colress Machine
2 Pokemon Catcher
2 Tool Scrapper
1 Switch
1 Super Rod
1 G-Booster ACE SPEC Energy: 10

7 Grass
3 Plasma Total: 40 (Space remaining for 20) First of all, you obviously will want to thicken up supporters. Now, I also do consider things like a tech switch and super rod absolutely essential in many decks at the moment, as well as energy search if your grass energy count is on the minimal side here. I personally think 7 is dangerous, but it does seem to work acceptably. Essentially, the remaining cards are situational based on deck build. In Pure G/V you will want to run Skyarrow. However, in the other two builds I recommend Float Stone as both Magnezone and Deoxys EX muck up retreat costs, both of which will be your main problem

Additionally, don’t run just EXs. It’s asking for Suicune or Sigilyph to wall you, amongst others.
There are a few standard basic Pokemon that Genesect/Virizion can look at, among them being Tropius (Plasma Blast), Genesect (Plasma Blast Non-EX), and Virizion NVI (that Double Draw one from way back when that was honoured with a Secret Rare reprint keeping it in format). The play you want to make depends largely on what you need out of it. The best I can say is play around and see which fits you best. Also looking at colourless attackers from other types is a wise play. For instance, my own Genesect build runs 1 Keldeo BCR (The one that does 60 for 3 C). It is a heavy cost, but is my personal response to Victini EX, what I find one of the most threatening things against this deck despite its abysmal HP. Again, play around, but don’t just leave yourself with 6 EXs or you will find yourself in a tough matchup where you may be relying all too much on G-Booster. The only deck of those that I have listed that can afford this is the Magnezone build. Matchups:

• Blastoise/Keldeo/Black Kyurem: Favourable. Genesect one shots Blastoise and Keldeo without G-Booster, and finds itself setting up as easily if not easier (depending on the flip as per) than a Blastoise to energise a Black Kyurem. In this matchup, again depending on game state, keep in mind the possibility of skipping Virizion the early game to focus on getting the T2 Genesect via two G attachments and 1 C via Colress Machine over those two turns.
• Darkrai/Hydreigon: Favourable. Darkrai lost a lot of potential after energy switch was announced as part of the rotation. It’s still a force to consider, though, which is why I write it here. However, now it must rely on Hydreigon, and that means an implicit limit on how quickly it can set up. Basically, you should find yourself winning on pace, but Darkrai can still play Sableye to stall. LaserBank isn’t much of a threat considering Virizion’s ability though.
• Garbodor Variants: It depends on the variant, really. But it will be tough. It is my philosophy that LaserBank is now a must play in Garbodor decks. It can abuse this against G/V. Overall, they won’t tend to feature energy acceleration though, so while it will be a slow game, if you play correctly I’d wager it at 50/50.
• TDK (“Plasma”): I hate to say it, but unfavourable. TDK is not only in my opinion the most consistent deck in the format, but it can pressure you straight from turn one. Also, it is greatly unfortunate that Genesect EX lacks the water resistance that most grass Pokemon carry. Greatly unfortunate. If G/V wants a chance here, like most decks that play against TDK, it needs to take out the Kyurems. The Absol is generally a lesser concern as Genesect/Virizion is not a deck that requires a lot of bench space. The minute you see that you are playing against TDK just keep your bench in mind for the spontaneous Absol drop.
• Tool Drop: I’m not inclined to include a rather more rogue deck here, but it really must be noted that, in light of EX reliance, Genesect/Virizion can get absolutely smashed by Tool Drop. But, Tool Drop is also a deck that can fall apart pretty fast. Nonetheless, beware. G-Booster is beyond useless in this matchup, and that’s the most disappointing thing of all.

Final Note: Avoid attaching plasma energy manually as a general, though not certain rule (as many scenarios might actually find it preferable). The ability sounds great, is great, but is not something you should in any way spam at the expense of efficiency.

Plasma Blast Prerelease: Sunday, August 18th, 11AM

Hello trainers!

On the 18th of August is our next Prerelease Event - for the new TCG set, Plasma Blast. For those who are new to the League or TCG in general, this is a great opportunity to pick up cards from the new set before they are officially released, and below regular retail price. The entry fee on the day will be £22.50, which covers the cost of the eight boosters each participant receives and venue rental. All participants will take part in a Limited Format Tournament using a deck made up from cards they get from six boosters and energy supplied by the League. After the tournament is complete, each player then receives two additional booster packs, for a total of eight.

If you wish to participate in the Prerelease Event, you'll need to arrive at the IPCSC between 11AM and 11:30AM. Anyone that arrives after 11:30 may not be able to join in, so please be prompt! Also, please note that if you do not stay for the entire tournament you will not receive the final two booster packs that the other participants receive.

If you attend the League but don't want to participate in the prerelease, that's no problem - you can still come and have regular League play at the venue as usual!

Hope to see you there!

Edinburgh Spring Battle Roads - Sunday, May 26th, 11AM

I have now sanctioned our Edinburgh Spring Battle Roads Tournament, so I'm going to post a brief guide to help new players prepare for the tournament and so everyone knows what to expect. This information is for new players, and as such might be a repetition of information some of you are already aware of.

First of all, to participate in the tournament each player will require a 60-card deck of cards that are in the Modified Format, so only cards from Black & White onwards will be legal to play. Card sleeves can be helpful to prevent damage to your deck, and in case a card becomes damaged or marked in some way which could preclude it's use.

Each player needs to have a deck list, which is a detailed listing of every card that is in that player's deck. You may want to print out a deck list before the tournament using an online resource such as Steve P's Deck List Program atPokéGym, as it will save you hassle on the day. However, if you are unable to make a list before the tournament, there will be people to help write up deck lists at the tournament during registration. Obviously all of this means that you can't change or alter the cards in your deck in any way after you are registered for the tournament.

Registration for the tournament costs £5. Registration is open between 11AM and 11:30AM, so understand that if you arrive later than 11:30 you may not be able to participate in the tournament. Depending on the number of participants that attend, players will usually be paired in their age divisions. After registration I will announce the number of rounds, and the pairings for the first round. If you finish your match before the round is over it is imperative that you do not interfere with the matches that other players are participating in, as doing so could result in penalties or even a disqualification.

It might be a good plan to bring your DS, snacks, or even a book to read between rounds. Sometimes one match will lag behind the others, and while there is a round time limit you can still end up with a lot of free time between games. It is better to have ways to entertain yourself than to be bored! However you are allowed to have practice matches between rounds, as long as you immediately put that game aside as soon as the next round is announced.

The tournament will be done in Swiss Rounds, so the number of rounds and length of the tournament depends highly on the number of participants.

Prizes will be awarded based on performance in the tournament. I believe that Limited edition Victory Cup TCG cards will be awarded to the top three competitors in each age division – they aren't intended to be incredibly powerful cards, rather they are collector's items and they have cute artwork on them, as you can see! We will hopefully be getting additional prize support from our sponsors, and I will give details on that when I know more.

I may have missed out on some information here, or some of this might be vague. If you have absolutely any questions about the Battle Roads Tournament or the League in general, please feel free to ask.

I hope you're all looking forward to the Tournament!

Plasma Freeze Prerelease: 5th May, 11AM

Hello trainers!

On the 5th of May is our next Prerelease Event - for the new TCG set, Plasma Freeze For those who are new to the League or TCG in general, this is a great opportunity to pick up cards from the new set before they are officially released, and below regular retail price. The entry fee on the day will be £22.50, which covers the cost of the eight boosters each participant receives and venue rental. All participants will take part in a Limited Format Tournament using a deck made up from cards they get from six boosters and energy supplied by the League. After the tournament is complete, each player then receives two additional booster packs, for a total of eight.

If you wish to participate in the Prerelease Event, you'll need to arrive at the IPCSC between 11AM and 11:30AM. Anyone that arrives after 11:30 may not be able to join in, so please be prompt! Also, please note that if you do not stay for the entire tournament you will not receive the final two booster packs that the other participants receive.

If you attend the League but don't want to participate in the prerelease, that's no problem - you can still come and have regular League play at the venue as usual!

Hope to see you there!

Nationals Date and Venue announced at last!

ATTENTION TRAINERS!

The venue and dates for the UK National Championships have been announced, and for the first time ever the VG and TCG championships will be held on consecutive days at the same venue!

June 1st-2nd
National Exhibition Center (NEC)
Birmingham, West Midlands B40 1NT

TCG Nationals will be held on the Saturday, and VG on the Sunday!

Further details at the link!

I'm excited! Who's planning on going?

Does anybody have a contact for a lad (probably named Jacob) with dark hair who came to our Plasma Storm pre-release tournament? We believe he may have possession of another child's cards instead of his own and would like to both give him back his cards and return the lost cards to their owner.

In light of this situation, a point also should be made that *everyone* needs to be really careful about their own belongings at league- particularly at pre-release tournament with lots of new, unsleeved cards floating around. Take good care of your stuff, Trainers!

-Neil x

Plasma Storm Prerelease: February 3rd, 11AM

Hello trainers!

On the 3rd of February is our next Prerelease Event - for the new TCG set, Plasma Storm. For those who are new to the League or TCG in general, this is a great opportunity to pick up cards from the new set before they are officially released, and below regular retail price. The entry fee on the day will be £22.50, which covers the cost of the eight boosters each participant receives and venue rental. All participants will take part in a Limited Format Tournament using a deck made up from cards they get from six boosters and energy supplied by the League. After the tournament is complete, each player then receives two additional booster packs, for a total of eight.

If you wish to participate in the Prerelease Event, you'll need to arrive at the IPCSC between 11AM and 11:30AM. Anyone that arrives after 11:30 may not be able to join in, so please be prompt! Also, please note that if you do not stay for the entire tournament you will not receive the final two booster packs that the other participants receive.

If you attend the League but don't want to participate in the prerelease, that's no problem - you can still come and have regular League play at the venue as usual!

Hope to see you there!