Reshiram/Typhlosion

Reshiram/Typhlosion
Deck Founded: 2011 (HGSS-On)
Other Names: ReshiPhlosion
Top Performances: Top 8 US Nats 2011, 2nd US Nats 2011 (Juniors), Top 4 Worlds 2011

Skeleton List

Spaces Available: 6

Strategy:
This deck’s main focus is to get Reshiram’s ‘Blue Flare’ attack firing off as soon as possible. You do this via the use of putting Fire Energy into the discard pile with cards such as Junk Arm and draw Supporters such as Professor Juniper and Sage’s Training and then using Typhlosion Prime’s ‘Afterburner’ PokePower to pluck them out of the discard pile and attach to one of your Pokemon. However, you do have to put a damage counter onto Reshiram if you want to do this which can sometimes prove tricky since it brings your 130HP down to a much easier to KO 120, but the versatility of this deck along with its consistency isn’t one to take lightly. Typhlosion Prime is also a very nice attacker against any decks that are quite energy hungry since ‘Flare Destroy’ can attack for 70 damage, can be powered up by its own PokePower and also discards an energy attached to the defending Pokemon. This deck has flourished since the rotation to HGSS-On and still lives strong in our format since when set up, this deck can stream 120 damage attacks more consistently than any other deck in the format.

Techs:
6 Spaces is actually pretty decent for a deck containing a Stage 2 line, so let’s see what we can put in to make other matchups a little more favourable or keep it as speedy as possible to keep up with the current format.

Ninetales HS: This Pokemon can be included in any deck that utilises Fire energy since Ninetales’ PokePower, Roast Reveal allows you to discard a card from your hand and then draw 3 cards. This is great for fishing for those Rare Candy and parts of the Stages 2 Typhlosion when you get past the first turn. However, you will need to sacrifice space in your deck for draw supporters since this card draws for you. The only downside to this is getting it set up since it is another Pokemon you need to evolve and could take too much hassle for it to be worth it in this fast format. However, when you’ve got such a fast format to keep up with, maybe this card could be needed. I personally like a 1-1 or 2-2 line to keep the deck flowing, but only if you can find the space instead of draw supprters, which could be a questionable choice.

Switch: An effective strategy for those playing against Reshiram/Typhlosion is to drag up a Typhlosion with noe energy on it with Pokemon Catcher and cause the opponent to try and retreat it, as well as attack in the same turn. This very situation caused for this card to be pretty much staple in every TyRam deck, but since the switch over from Rescue Energy to Double Colourless energy, this card may not be needed any more. As Typhlosion has a double retreat cost and you need DCE to cover Reshiram EX’s Brave Fire attack, you could always use your attachment for the turn retreat Typhlosion and then use the Afterburners elsewhere. This is up to player preference to be honest and Switch may be that little bit more versatile since you can Junk Arm for it whenever you need to get something out of the active spot, but both with and without is worth a try if you are looking for deck space.

N or PONT: If you aren’t running Ninetales, as mentioned above, you are going to need to dedicate at least 3 spaces out of your 6 spare to another draw supporter, but you do have another decision to make, N or PONT? PONT gives you straight draw throughout the game, no matter what state of the game whereas N gives you that disruptive property when it comes to the late game, which can benefit you a lot since you’re deck is going to be slower than the likes of Zekrom/Eelektrik. This deck runs fairly well in the late game, even when hand sizes are small, so this card won’t affect you too much in the late game. However, it’s up to players to decide whether you want to potentially give your opponent a new hand when you don’t really want to or whether you want a steady shuffle and draw 6, whatever state of the game. I personally like a mix of the two so mess around with numbers of both and see what you like.

Pokemon Center: Not a commonly seen card at all in competitive play at the moment and probably for good reason, but considering the damage that Afterburner adds to certain Pokemon, mainly Mewtwo EX, this card could come in very handy as a one-off. This stadium will give you the opportunity to heal 20 damage from one of your benched Pokemon, once per turn. Well, most times during a turn, you want to be using Afterburner twice on a certain Pokemon to get it powered up enough to attack and 20 is the amount of damage you will have to put on said Pokemon to do this. With Pokemon Center in play, you can completely heal off this damage and promote a fresh attacker. In the case of Mewtwo EX, you can Afterburner twice, heal off the damage inflicted and then be able to send up a Mewtwo that isn’t in range of a return X-Ball KO without some effort on your opponent’s part. This card could also come in useful when damaging yourself with Reshiram EX’s Brave Fire, but do keep in mind that it must be on the bench and your opponent can use it too. Worth a try if you’re looking for something to nullify the damage inflicted by Afterburner.

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