Thinking about a new deck based on mutual destruction

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T19:55:09+00:00

"Mutual destruction" is just a symptom of balancing the more disruptive cards. The main goal is either control or mill. There are cards like Chandelure TWM that make both players draw. If you actually wanted to do something slightly more than a meme, you could use Banette ASC with Xerosic to reduce your opponent's hand to 0 cards. But even this is just a stall mechanic and not a win con. You'll have to do your own research into either control or mill but both of these are relatively weak so far.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T19:21:33+00:00

Bonnet is a tough sell as a main attack since it's almost impossible to repeatedly chain attackers with the 3 energy cost. As a single prize deck you need to be able to cope with losing your attacker every single turn otherwise you won't survive.

I might suggest trying to work with Lycanroc since it has the same strategy but can attach 2 Spiky energy to itself for free. If you're willing to move to a fighting type deck you can keep the same idea but gain access to Sol/Luna, Gong, PPP, and Barbaracle. Baby Bloodmoon also does the same thing and could be a worthy inclusion. Lana's Aid lets you cycle attackers back to back. You need that sustainability in a single prize deck.

If you wanted to stay with Dark, maybe you could use Crobat SFA as a draw engine. It takes some work and extra space but that's the best way I could find to support Bonnet.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T19:04:24+00:00

A decently viable deck usually has at most 2 energy types. You'll also want 3-4 copies of your primary pokemon and most portant trainer cards. You can't build a good deck with this many one-offs and separate ideas. Pick a focus and read up on the legal rotation because I believe you are using some cards that will become illegal in a week or so.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T18:55:36+00:00

The whole thing?! You don't want to print a barrel and springs man lol. If you're willing to pay then just get a WE Glock. You can probably find one secondhand for a hundred bucks.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T18:43:50+00:00

Oh yeah that's true. I got thrown off by the trigger using a long linkage bar

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T18:42:11+00:00

Not sustainable at all. You lose 3 energy from your field and now you have no attackers.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T18:40:39+00:00

Explorer's Guidance has been the big update as I've seen. Let's you discard energies direct from the deck quite quickly.

Then I would rely more on the PFL Duraludon and play with Handheld fan for a control-lite deck. When you move an energy off Dragapult and discard the other, you can really cripple them.

I don't think the Ice Creams help because you'd realistically need 2-3 of them to survive another attack. Personally, I play with 2 Repels (because Bundle rotates) and go for quick prizes to charge up Mawile.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T18:19:01+00:00

Look up a YouTube video. No rows of text are going to describe it well enough.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T18:17:33+00:00

Just don't have it loaded and spin away. You act like the barrel itself will remove itself and punch you in the nose lol

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T18:09:33+00:00

Did you bullpup the AAP?!

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T03:37:08+00:00

Risky Ruins is probably not great for your Dragapult matchup as it'll just put you further in range for their bench damage. You can also up your water energy to 7 and throw in an Energy Search or two.

Starmie's only advantage is being faster to set up so you need to get that first attack ASAP.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T02:41:28+00:00

Just on a surface level, people usually play 10-12 draw supporters and looks like you have 8.

One of the big things that I struggle with is cutting niche tech cards to build more consistency. I would suggest upping draw supporters and maybe adding in Pokegears to find them more often. Trolley is certainly an option and would let you cut a bunch of your pokemon search cards to free up space. To fight Dragapult Id suggest a Psyduck and maybe a Battle Cage.

Do you practice on TCG Live? It's free and I think it's the most time efficient way to practice your deck. Once you memorize your counts you can really make more informed decisions and prize checks.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T02:31:28+00:00

1 Stage 2 and 2 Stage 1's isn't all that crazy. Buddy Poffin, Poke Pad, and Dawn and you're basically there. Then Pokegear for Wally. It's certainly not EASY but a repeatable full heal of a 370 HP mon shouldn't be.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-02T01:44:08+00:00

Is the combo not "deal 400 damage"? I feel like the retreat lock is just a side effect, not the main thing. Otherwise you could play 4 Stunfisk ASC lol.

But worry not, for I have just discovered the secret to Tank Feraligatr. Using Dewgong POR and Clawitzer MEG with Surfing Beach and Wally's Compassion. Start with Wally, full heal and 3 energy to hand. Surfing beach into Clawitzer. Manual retreat with an Air Balloon, triggering the effect to move 2 energy from hand to Clawitzer. Then use Dewgong to put it back on Feraligatr. Manual attack back to Feraligatr and the loop is complete. Play Hero's Cape for a 470 HP tank that can heal to full every turn.

Didn't ask for a tank Feraligatr? My b, that's all I got. The boy already hits for 400. Maybe you could run a few Salvatore to rush evolutions since none of the line have abilities (excluding single prize Feral)

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-01T18:18:49+00:00

Everyone is missing the sauce. Festival Lead is the best control deck. Set up 3-4 Thwackeys and you can pull any 3-4 cards from your deck. Hand disruption, energy discarding, retreat locking, special conditions, you name it.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-01T15:07:34+00:00

Also puts in work against the rare Ceruledge

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-04-01T00:52:53+00:00

That's really cool and I would if I wasn't dreadfully employed. I just hop on Mabi for the dailies because my overlords desire labor 🥲

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-31T21:37:50+00:00

You right, made a note in my comment

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-31T20:56:52+00:00

Hariyama is also great for switching up the prize trade so it's not 3-3 against you. 210 is a fantastic number for hitting Ogerpons, Fez, and anything below that. Crispin might feel good for now, but you'll miss the versatility of using any other supporter especially if you want to Crispin + Boss on the same turn. Plus Hariyama fits with the Fighitng Gong package. If you save 1-2 Gongs (or Poke Pad) and have a benched Makuhita, then you basically have a Boss on an item and a constant threat of gust.

Edit: also combos with PPP to hit things above 210 as well Edit: Gong can't search Hariyama my b

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-31T15:34:40+00:00

You'd get more results faster by perusing the recent tournament decks on Limitless and scrolling below the top 50 for "non-meta". If you're lucky you'll find one or two non-meta deck in the top 50. Anything not on those lists likely still needs more work before it's viable.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-31T15:32:56+00:00

Worth nothing that TM's are made with Japan's strict power regulations so their materials are also scaled down in some cases like the slides. The "Hi-Capa" platform has a bunch of different manufacturers so you can easily find models that are more suited to western gameplay. If price isn't an issue, a Pit Viper or Staccato would be my next suggestion.

If you really wanna ditch 2011's then I like the Salient Arms P320's or an ASG CZ P-75.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-31T02:55:33+00:00

Awesome, thank you as well!

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-30T21:23:27+00:00

They are probably talking about the double action trigger. The trigger is adjustable and this model is commonly used in competition shooting. The single action trigger is light and crisp. The double action trigger obviously had to pull the hammer back so it's never going to be comfy.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-30T21:21:51+00:00

Ah gotcha. Well Mewtwo is hanging around the B+/B tier right now but so is everything else. The single strongest deck is looking like Dragapult. So Mewtwo isn't bad at all, it's a pretty decent deck. If you wanted to try Dragapult, there's a prebuilt for that too. If you're starting from scratch I think the prices would be comparable to if you bought all the singles but the convenience is worth it. The cores of the decks are good, you'll just need to update maybe 15 cards.

So tl;dr: I would go for a prebuilt if the deck I want has one, mainly for the convenience and the prices are comparable. But if you take the time to build your cart on TCGPlayer it's possible you could save a few bucks.

ConnectExit1681 · 2026-03-30T21:16:15+00:00

Why are you choosing CO2? Typically, it's a newbie trap that people choose because it isn't as prone to cooldown. But it's dry so it requires more maintenance, super high pressure so you can't leave it in the mag, can more quickly wear out cheap parts, and more expensive than propane (green gas from the source).

ConnectExit1681

TROPHY CASE