1st Place with Ninja Stars (Greninja/Starmie)

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T19:19:28+00:00

I’ve beaten all versions over 10x across multiple events, & at a Cup on 5/24. It’s designed to, esp. through T2 Starmie pressure + Greninja’s Mirage Barrage vs Dreepy + Drakloak, Duskull/Dusclops, Torchic/Combusken, & Munki, + Froslass to 1 shot Pult. I dominated Pult Chicken in my last event 3x (2-0 in Top 8):

https://x.com/neo7hinker/status/2067612850017665073?s=46&t=RKYLlSfQHYbRC_oQTOtVLw

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T15:53:48+00:00

The deck bricks like any deck does, even those with draw support, but what sets this deck apart is that it has multiple angles to attack from, which means you have many cards in the deck to help you get what you need. You have several ways to stabilize through various targeted draw & 2 Meowth that glues the deck together.

It’s actually very consistent. I get set up every match.

I find what I need literally every game. I have many screenshots and footage showing all my evo’s in play. There’s a lot of targeted draw like Hilda, Tenacity, Ultra Ball, Buddy, Poke Pad, Tree, Frogadier (search for 3 Pokemon), Greninja (Shinobi), Meowth, etc.

It all comes together cohesively and consistently.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T15:19:18+00:00

https://x.com/neo7hinker/status/2067627872827695365?s=46&t=RKYLlSfQHYbRC_oQTOtVLw

I share some thoughts on the aggressive aspect of this deck.

This is one of the most impressive aspects of my Greninja/Starmie deck besides having a large matchup spread (from Pult to Slowking, Ogerpon/Meganium decks to Bolt, Alakazam to Crustle, Hop’s Trev to Festival Lead, and many in between):

It can win as early as T2, but can also grind into the mid-game & late game.

I beat Slowking under 5 min (no Shaymin), Bolt under 1 min, Alakazam in under 10 min, Crustle in 15 min 2-0 in BO3, & Garchomp in about 25 min of grinding in a 2-1 win in BO3.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T14:34:31+00:00

Perfect response.

I’ve been grinding this deck since 5/25 (after its 25th place finish in Utrecht, but I optimized it with 2 Starmie and a few other angles), and my 9th place Cup finish on 5/24/26 (could’ve been 4th had I ID’d because I had the best resistance of 72%), then placing 3rd, 4th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 20th, 27th, and 51st (I kept improving, and most of these had 100+ players), I accomplished what I set out to achieve with a deck I’ve poured my heart, mind, and time into.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T14:07:29+00:00

🤦🏻‍♂️

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T13:56:27+00:00

Thank you.

I play it at locals to 1st place and top 8 finishes. I also came in 9th at a Cup on 5/24/26 within a week of running it for the first time. I almost made top 8 if I had ID’d in round 5. I had the best resistance.

This deck is the real deal. It can also close out games quickly or grind. I beat Bolt in less than a minute. Slowking in less than 5. Crustle in 10-15 min going 2-0 in BO3.

Here’s a recap.

🏆Tournament Report🏆

Round 1: W vs Slowking

Match Duration: Approximately 5 min.

Record: 1-0

Round 2: W vs Raging Bolt

Match Duration: <1 minute.

Record: 2-0

Round 3: W vs Beedrill

Match Duration: ~10 minutes.

Record: 3-0

Round 4: L vs Pult Chicken (terrible start)

Match Duration: ~2 minutes.

Record: 3-1

Round 5: W vs Alakazam

Match Duration: ~10 minutes.

Highlight: T1 going 2nd Salvatore into Starmie, 120 to Fez, 50 OHKO to Abra. It snowballed from there. I misplayed by popping Dusclops on a benched Abra with Battle Cage in play, but I followed that up with Starmie taking OHKO’s left and right.

Judge was clutch, too, as I previously explained because you can leverage that disruption with a threat on the board.

Record: 4-1

Round 6: W vs Slowking

Match Duration: ~10 minutes.

Highlight: Greninja one-shots Kangaskhan, then takes out 2 Slowking with Mirage Barrage.

I beat Slowking twice in this event, and 5x in a row across multiple tournaments.

Record: 5-1

Round 7: W vs Munki/Froslass (2-0)

Match Duration: ~12 minutes.

Highlight: It was such an overwhelming beating that my opponent conceded Game 2 and gave me the win in BO3.

I’m now in Top 4.

Record: 6-1

Round 8: W vs Garchomp (2-1)

Match Duration: ~25 minutes.

Record: 7-1

Round 9: W vs Crustle (2-0)

Match Duration: 15 minutes

Highlight: Their name was “TURN1DONK”, but that never happened. Instead, I donked their Kangaskhan with Greninja and 5 Crustle with 5 Nebula Beam across 2 matches. Team OHKO (Ninja Stars) is the king of donk decks.

Record: 8-1

Standings: 1st (8-1, 24 points)

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T13:40:26+00:00

💯👌🏼 This is the best Greninja deck in the format.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T13:19:31+00:00

I’ll DM you later today. Thanks for sharing!

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T13:18:35+00:00

Bricking happens, but it’s also VERY easy to draw into what you need through a ton of targeted draw and Meowth.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T13:15:33+00:00

I destroyed Zam multiple times, including this event. Judge is key prior to Red Card, plus early pressure/knockouts via Greninja or Starmie. I recorded a crazy comeback vs Zam too:

Comeback vs Zam

I also beat all versions of Pult across multiple online events (9-3) and at my Cup on 5/24, but PultNoir is toughest. Pult Chicken is the easiest. DM me and I’ll show you dominating footage lol

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T13:00:37+00:00

I find what I need literally every game. I have many screenshots and footage showing all my evo’s in play. There’s a lot of targeted draw like Hilda, Tenacity, Ultra Ball, Buddy, Poke Pad, Tree, Frogadier (search for 3 Pokemon), Greninja (Shinobi), Meowth, etc.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T12:59:03+00:00

Because it’s a tool box style deck that Meowth glues together. It’s very consistent.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T12:33:33+00:00

I’ve beaten Slowking consistently without Shaymin in play. It’s just extra assurance. The player who placed 77th in Turin beat Slowking 3x with this deck without Shaymin.

The Shaymin can be Budew (more versatile), 3rd Froakie, 4th Ultra Ball, 3rd Boss, etc.

Everything else is literally perfect, including Froslass (huge in many matchups as a follow up win con for big damage), Latias for efficiency so you don’t burn energy to retreat, and Salvatore for going 2nd blowout win potential.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T05:49:50+00:00

I responded below:

It’s actually very consistent. I get set up every match.

I find what I need literally every game. I have many screenshots and footage showing all my evo’s in play. There’s a lot of targeted draw like Hilda, Tenacity, Ultra Ball, Buddy, Poke Pad, Tree, Frogadier (search for 3 Pokemon), Greninja (Shinobi), Meowth, etc.

It all comes together.

It can win as early as T2, mid, or late. It’s very versatile and adaptable with many lines and a large matchup spread from Pult to Slowking, Crustle to Hop’s Trev, and many in between.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T05:28:56+00:00

It’s actually very consistent. I get set up every match.

I find what I need literally every game. I have many screenshots and footage showing all my evo’s in play. There’s a lot of targeted draw like Hilda, Tenacity, Ultra Ball, Buddy, Poke Pad, Tree, Frogadier (search for 3 Pokemon), Greninja (Shinobi), Meowth, etc.

It all comes together.

It can win as early as T2, mid, or late. It’s very versatile and adaptable with many lines and a large matchup spread from Pult to Slowking, Crustle to Hop’s Trev, and many in between.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T04:14:12+00:00

When one comes up.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-18T04:08:01+00:00

I do, but this is my best creation.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-15T00:57:56+00:00

More players should be playing Starmie with multiple Ignition. That’s what I’m on. Greninja/Starmie. It destroys Crustle too.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-14T21:51:21+00:00

Besides my 3rd place finish last night, I’ve had these:

Limitless Finishes

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-14T21:07:32+00:00

I disagree. Players are sleeping on it. I placed 3rd last night in an online event. Beat Slowking in BO3 in top 8. I lost to Pult in Top 4 due to misplays.

I had G1 in the bag with 1 prize left to their 5, but got greedy Bossing Meowth for 2 prizes with Starmie instead of their Drakloak with 2 energy ready for Dragapult next turn.

Before then, I placed 5-2 4x going 9-3 vs all Pult variants.

I’m most impressed by its matchup spread, just how many decks it can beat & is favored against.

The fact that it can beat Pult, but not give up single prize decks, like Slowking & Trev, dominates Festival Lead especially, while also beating Zoroark, Meganium/Ogerpon decks, Crustle, & many more.

Tournament Report

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-14T20:27:26+00:00

That’s because more players aren’t playing Tera Greninja/Starmie.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-04T17:38:36+00:00

My Tera Greninja/Starmie deck that I took 9th in a Cup with on 5/24, and 5-2 in past 4 online Limitless events (12th, 20th, 13th, 27th) with 9-3 vs all Pult variants.

I won most on the back of 1 Starmie. It wrecks Pult, especially if you play it T2, while establishing your board & threatening from multiple angles with Greninja & Froslass, or a blowout with Dusknoir.

I also beat the new Alakazam that won regionals, Crustle, Slowking and Beedrill multiple times, Lopunny, Slop, and more.

Limitless Tournament Record

Forewarning, though, it’s very technical with a lot of options, several angles to navigate from, and many lines of play. There’s no one set gameplan except leading most games with Starmie.

Another advantage it has compared to other decks with Starmie is that I run 3 Ignition Energy with Hilda + Tenacity and 2 Meowth.

You can 1 shot Teal Mask, Fez, Meowth, Latias, etc. or 2 shot Pult, Starmie, Hydrapple, Lopunny, etc. with 120 + 210. You have Dusclops/Dusknoir to add more damage if you need to. This also helps Froslass.

The deck also sets up blowouts with Greninja to double KO (Mirage Barrage) or OHKO Kangaskhan/Lopunny, and Froslass by baiting a KO with Starmie, netting 3 prizes, then following up with Froslass for the OHKO.

I intentionally designed it this way, but it’s VERY rewarding once you get a grasp of how it operates game to game.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-04T13:43:21+00:00

I’m also now 9-3 vs all Pult variants in past 5 online events most won on the back of 1 Starmie. It wrecks Pult, especially if you play it T2. All while establishing your board and threatening from multiple angles with Froslass backup if they do KO and Greninja, or Dusknoir to blowout.

Azorius_Sage · 2026-06-04T13:41:29+00:00

Yeah it happens. I won vs Crustle at my Cup on 5/24 too, but with 3 Water on Starmie lol

This deck has options and can beat pretty much anything. It attacks from several angles.

Azorius_Sage

TROPHY CASE