I've had a lot of e-mails concerning my 'Unbeatable Deck'.  This deck is, as many point out, not unbeatable - but the main point of the article was to get people to think laterally about strategies, as well as play with that deck idea.  One point which was raised was this: there are 38 Trainers.  38 out of 60.  Dark Vileplume = DEATH!  And, yes.  Yes, it does.

    But the problem here is that Dark Vileplume decks are few and far between.  People see it as a specialised card which only works in a deck built around it - like Aerodactyl.  Get it out fast to stop the opponent using Trainers - making their decks collapse, almost.  A weakness here is that you need Trainers to get it out fast, and so render half (I exaggerate) your deck useless, too.  You are, however, prepared for this.

    Dark Vileplume, though, is not just a specialised card.  This funky group of quarks and gluons can be used, with caution and planning, as a 'splash' in most decks.  The point of this is to give you an advantage and let you keep it.  It can make your deck super-effective against most known archetypes.  Here's the cheese, brother...

    Lots of people send in articles saying "Use Bellsprout Temple to beat Wiggly" and "Add a Pewter City Gym to your Wiggly to get rid of Bellspout Temple".  There are other archetype beating Stadium Cards - The Rocket's Gym plays havoc with 'Haymakers' (I hate the name, but I use it for the sake of others' convenience), meaning that with all that Retreating against your Pokémon which are Resistant, they get rid of their multi-coloured energy cards.  Likewise, Cerulean City Gym can stop any deck relying on Status changes.  As well as these, there are others, along with the wonderful (yet not yet released) Bellsprout Temple for Wigglytuff.
    If you play your Stadium Card, then stick down Dark Vileplume, then it can't be got rid of, and that archetype is wounded for the rest of the game.  Stick the Dark Vileplume line into your deck, along with the Stadium Cards to beat the archetypes you want to.  If you're playing a Raindance, your Trainers are used up instantly and you get out Blastoise.  Replace any NGR(RSM) with Energy, and also Retrieval and some of your Bill and Oak.  Now, you can get 'Dark Vilers' our without stopping your strategy.  The same applies for Trapper decks - where they combo' early on.  The problem is that so many Trainers then become useless, and the opponent can draw one card which they may be able to play instantly, getting seven.
    Still, if you fix your deck so that your Trainers are played early on, you can add the Stadium Cards and Dark Vileplume line to get out and beat (then continue beating) those Wigglytuff and Haymaker decks!  There's always the Devolution Spray and Muk (I know it's awfully bad normally - but it's got a use here and in Northern Ireland) combo (this one would help certain Trapper decks, and also ones - like Stall - which want to use the Dark Vileplume combo, but need to keep playing Trainers) to let you stop the Power, play your Trainers, then get Muk back up in your hand to keep the power going.  Don't fear Goop Gas Attack or Gusts - they don't work!

    I know that this isn't a good idea in all cases, but it may help people who're stuck in an area heavily dominated by archetypes.  Hey - it's also fun to just play kamikaze style and stop both players' Trainers, not giving a damn about the consequences!

Chris Fenwick
-----
caecilius@mac.com
-----

Da Bomb Quiz Which Rulez (Cringe)

Question (answers to my e-mail address): From which year to which year was the Edo period of Japanese history, and from what did this period take its name?

Answers to the 'WHOOOSH' Quiz: The Poem is 'Kubla Khan' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge; with 'Xanadu' being the name of the nursery.  One correct answer, from 'RainStorm'.  Congratulations!

-----