Ness' Deck Report of the Day ;-)

Prop 15/3
Top 10 Pokémon
and
Top 5 Trainers

For those of you that couldn't make it out to the East Coast STS, or for those of you who are just curious of someone's opinions on the most powerful Pokémon in the 15/3 format, here's my thoughts.

#10 Arcanine
With less Energy Removal, Arcanine can be hard to stop. Once it gets powered, it can just Take Down through almost anything, KO'ing it. It can Flamethrower the Scyther for the knockout, also. A fully powered Arcanine is very hard to defend against.

#9 Mewtwo (movie promo)
Besides working good with Venusaur, this can take out Hitmonchan with one hit if it's giving some of your weak-to-fighting Pokémon trouble. Energy Absorption is nice with Super Energy Removal, and Mewtwo is lower on the list than in standard because there is even more psychic resistance in 15/3(Clefable is common), and resistance is a little harder to work around.

#8 Hitmonchan
Electabuzz, and Wigglytuff, two of the most popular cards at the STS are weak to fighting. Despite all the resistance there is always a lot of weakness. Hitmonchan threatens knock out to an Electabuzz or Wigglytuff with a Jab, and can knock them both out with a Special. Without resistance to fighting, The Jab for 20 is pretty nice, too. It's a basic that attacks with a nice, simple attack, for one energy. It's just a simple card, but a good card.

#7 Scyther
A lot of decks didn't play Scyther, surprisingly, or more than one. It's Slash attack is weak without PlusPower, which takes up Trainer room. That's one of the biggest reasons as many weren't played as in standard format. It's still good though, can attack without grass, and has the useful no retreat.

#6 Brock's Sandslash (70 HP)
So many people overlooked the power of this card. For two fighting it can knockout the Electabuzz and Clefable, depending on a flip. It's resistant to lightning is very useful, and with Pewter City Gym it's almost unstoppable. Decks that didn't play the Scyther didn't stand a chance.

#5 Magmar
It's been proven: Status effects mean more in 15/3. Smokescreen can really slow your opponent down early in the game, and poison is nice when there is less Scoop Up and Switch being played. It's even harder to get around these annoying status effects in this format, you just have to hope for lucky flips.

#4 Rocket's Zapdos
Rocket's Zapdos is trainer reliant, and although it couldn't normally protect itself from damaging itself with Electroburn because of limited trainers, it still proved to be a great Super Energy Removal. It could sacrifice itself for a prize when necessary.

#3 Clefable
Clefable is such a powerful weapon in this format because you can get away with evolution. Rocket's Zapdos doesn't stand a chance against it, one colorless to mimic Do the Wave, Thunderpunch, Psyburn, Smog, is just good because it requires a single energy, no matter what! One energy for an attack makes it almost immune to energy removal, and great with Super Energy Removal itself.

#2 Electabuzz
Electabuzz is also very powerful in 15/3 and standard. First turn paralysis, and paralysis is general is more powerful because of less scoop up, switch etc. The turn two forty for one lightning and any other energy is just so quick, it can really shorten your opponent's time to prepare to do anything.

#1 Wigglytuff
Just like in standard format, Wigglytuff is pretty much the most powerful Pokémon to use.  Although it's harder to get out on turn two in 15/3, you don't have to, since everything is being played slower. With the PlusPower it can take out anything. It succeeds because of it's low energy requirement for one hit knockouts against a lot of Pokémon.

I'd say Venusaur is close to making the top 10, and is probably #11. Blastoise would be a nice choice, but it was hard to play with all the lightning being used. Alakazam wasn't even used at the STS, but I think it would have done okay.

Now if you're wondering about the trainers, here's my Top 5 opinion:

#5 Chaos Gym
The fifth best trainer is a hard choice, but I'd end up going with Chaos Gym. A lot of people played no Stadium, so a Chaos Gym that was out was controlled by the person that played it, and the person against it would have to play with all their trainers on very risky flips, being careful of what they do, and trying to work without their trainers that can help their opponent, and give them a disadvantage. This is hard to work around.

#4 Super Energy Removal
Removing 2 energy can really slow your opponent down, and prevented your opponent from playing cards like Venusaur, without trouble. This was Wigglytuff's worst enemy at the STS, but it was a lot of card's worst enemy.

#3 Computer Search
Computer Search gets you what you need. Every deck at the STS also played this card. It helps you keep your speed. It helps you get the evolution out you need. It helps you in desperate situations where you got an awkward draw without the energy you need. The downside of discarding two cards isn't a large price if you can get any single card you want from your deck.

#2 Gust of Wind
Gust is so much more powerful in this format. Like Oak, it's pretty much a necessity. It gets prizes. Things that are damaged in 15/3, normally keep damage. In 15/3, you should try to make your Gusts get you your last prizes.

#1 Professor Oak
7 new cards is just so good. It's only downside, discarding your hand, is normally not a big price to pay for a whole new set of cards to work with. Every single Top 8 deck played Oaks at the STS. Every single one. I think that's enough proof of how powerful it is.


The fifth best trainer was a hard choice, considering Item Finder helped decks stay fast and re-use Gusts, PlusPowers, etc, and PlusPower made Wiggly the one-hit KO'er against the strong basics. Misty's Wrath and Secret Mission were also great card drawers, and the Nightly saved a lot of people who ere out of the evolution or energy they needed. Chaos Gym can stop all those things from even working, however, so I gave it 5th.

After the STS, a lot would agree that Prop 15/3 isn't a bad thing, and actually made the East Coast STS fun. At the STS I played a Rocket's Zapdos/Clefable/Wigglytuff/Mewtwo deck that managed to make Top 8. It played my Top 4 trainers, no Chaos.

-Ness

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