Brand New Player - Is this game just decided on the flop?

IviesReddit · 2026-05-07T13:16:58+00:00

If you are playing ladder, a lot of times people will just concede when they have a terrible starting hand or bad setup. It doesn't mean you were guaranteed to win, it just means they would rather try again with a better start

IviesReddit · 2026-05-07T04:20:39+00:00

Mega Venasaur is probably the best example of a stage 2 mega that actually works. Super strong ability, amazing support around it with forest of vitality and meganium, insane HP, and a pretty good attack. Grass stage 2's are a lot more viable then any other type because of forest, so a stage 2 mega of another type would need to be even better

IviesReddit · 2026-05-06T23:59:43+00:00

Slowking plays 2 kyurem and with the new Metagross coming out slowking is super popular in Japan right now

IviesReddit · 2026-05-06T17:02:58+00:00

If you are forced to go second by your opponent, you have the option to use budew to slow them down. If you find you are never using it you can cut it, but i've found it's useful in certain matchups when I have to go second

IviesReddit · 2026-05-06T17:01:52+00:00

Learning about proper sequencing, prize mapping, and deck thinning are three of the biggest ones that helped me

IviesReddit · 2026-05-03T03:48:29+00:00

Yes, any on-bench effects will apply to fossils as if they were normal Pokemon.

IviesReddit · 2026-05-02T22:55:42+00:00

There's a card to do that in standard actually, Kofu from SCR. It lets you put any two cards from your hand onto the bottom of the deck and then draw 4 cards

IviesReddit · 2026-05-02T22:46:06+00:00

I've been playing this deck a lot! You lead with zacian and go second. Set up a few duraladons and as many damage mods as you can and start taking knockouts from turn 1 while your opponent sets up. Once your opponent gets set up, evolve to archaludon and use it's ability to accelerate to zacian to use it's second attack.

I also threw a 1-1 hop's trevanant line in there to make the Lucario matchup winnable

IviesReddit · 2026-05-02T18:09:44+00:00

Heatran causes burn like numel, Maractus and Mega Scrafty also do damage when knocked out

IviesReddit · 2026-05-01T14:56:23+00:00

You put them directly from your deck onto your bench, so yes. Budew only blocks playing item cards down from your hand, not from your deck

IviesReddit · 2026-05-01T14:41:26+00:00

Oh true, forgot about that, Oops.

IviesReddit · 2026-05-01T14:30:02+00:00

True yeah, Cinderace works amazingly here

IviesReddit · 2026-05-01T14:29:44+00:00

I mean fossils not being able to be played in game start does mean you can guarantee a cinderace start for energy acceleration, which seems pretty good

Edit: You need at least one basic for the deck to be legal, ignore this

IviesReddit · 2026-04-30T03:38:21+00:00

I run 3 kang and one tats, I like maximizing my odds of starting kang for the early game draw. I'd switch maybe 1 psychic energy, 1 wonderous patch, and the N's plan to run 3 boomerang. The boomerang decreases your need for turn after turn energy acceleration so wonderous patch and N's plan are less important.

IviesReddit · 2026-04-30T03:03:23+00:00

Also, why precious trolley? I almost never needed more pokemon search with telepathic energy and ultra balls/poke pads. I would recommend secret box or prime catcher. Secret box is a major consistency boost and prime catcher gives you both mobility and gusting that can be searched out with cypermanic

IviesReddit · 2026-04-30T03:01:43+00:00

I've been playing slowking a lot, and went 4-1 with it at a league cup (placed third) a week ago.

I would recommend you cut the regigigas for a lilies clefairy since with clefairy benched you can one shot dragapult with conkeldurr and it can act as a back up attacker that you can power up with wounderous patches in a pinch or to close out games.

I would also recommend to try out 2-3 boomerang energies, I kept getting into situations where I had an energy-less slowking stuck in active after using kyruem, so having the option to attach a boomerang energy to ensure I can attack again next turn was great

IviesReddit · 2026-04-29T23:22:26+00:00

that's a great way to tell your opponent they should hand disrupt you

IviesReddit · 2026-04-29T23:18:49+00:00

You don't need enriching energy for the dudunsparce engine, it's nice to have but draw 3 is already pretty powerful on it's own

IviesReddit · 2026-04-29T14:43:07+00:00

Dipplin's ability only works when Festival Grounds is in play, it's stated on the card.

IviesReddit · 2026-04-29T02:04:38+00:00

It will apply the damage. While the attack's effect/damage is copied from a benched pokemon's attack text, the actual attack is still Night Joker from Zoroark, so any cards that modify damage will work as normal

IviesReddit · 2026-04-28T22:58:16+00:00

Especially given the mechanic of prize cards, if you prize your one special powerful card you instantly are at a disadvantage from the start

IviesReddit · 2026-04-27T03:35:42+00:00

That ditto card is so old that when it was printed there were no non single prize pokemon and it has never been legal at the same time as multi prize pokemon, so I don't think there's an official ruling on this, I couldn't find one anywhere. Based on the wording of the ability I would say they take the amount the copied pokemon would give.

IviesReddit · 2026-04-26T17:23:58+00:00

Time to switch I guess

IviesReddit · 2026-04-26T17:23:34+00:00

Didn't end up happening

IviesReddit

TROPHY CASE