Pokémon Tournament Highlights

Greetings, trainers!

The Pokémon Pocket Community tournaments are buzzing with excitement as players from across the globe dive into the action! Competitors are showcasing their preferred decks or the current top meta strategies, all vying for the ultimate prize.

We're now entering the third week of the A2 Space-Time Smackdown meta, and the competition is intensifying compared to last week! The meta landscape is becoming clearer, with players gravitating towards the most effective decks. Last week's standout performers are now facing challenges, as their popularity has made them targets for counters. Will these counter strategies prove effective, or will the reigning champions maintain their dominance?

In this discussion, I will analyze the two major tournaments that took place on February 16-17—Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #16 and the Bec Exeggutive Series! We will explore the meta distribution, highlight the top contenders, and spotlight some of the underdogs.

Here’s a look at the top decks from the events:

Tournament 1 Results (Deck Name | Number of Decks):

• Exeggutor ex Celebi ex | 339
• Charizard ex Moltres ex | 165
• Darkrai ex Magnezone | 132
• Magnezone Skarmory | 86
• Darkrai ex Greninja | 79
• Gyarados ex Greninja | 63
• Palkia ex Vaporeon | 50
• Pachirisu ex | 37
• Weavile ex Darkrai ex | 35
• Exeggutor ex Mew ex | 35
• Infernape ex Moltres ex | 32
• Exeggutor ex Yanmega | 30
• Other | 568

Tournament 2 Results (Deck Name | Number of Decks):

• Exeggutor ex Celebi ex | 103
• Darkrai ex Magnezone | 66
• Charizard ex Moltres ex | 60
• Magnezone Skarmory | 40
• Gyarados ex Greninja | 26
• Exeggutor ex Mew ex | 15
• Pachirisu ex | 13
• Gallade ex Hitmonlee | 12
• Weavile ex Darkrai ex | 11
• Yanmega ex Dialga ex | 11
• Bastiodon Skarmory | 9
• Palkia ex Vaporeon | 9
• Other | 157

Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the strategies and gameplay that defined these tournaments!

The deck featuring a1-23-exeggutorex continues to dominate the scene, maintaining its position as the most frequently played deck for another week. This success can be attributed to its stellar performance last week, bolstered by strategic additions like a2-147 and a2-148. Players are focusing on sustaining a1-23-exeggutorex in play through tools such as promo-001 and a1-219, which have proven to be highly effective in the current meta.

Many players opt for a single a1a-003 as a backup option, ensuring they have a finisher in case a1-23 is knocked out. Additionally, some variants include a1a-032 to address its challenging matchup against a2-111. For those seeking a more consistent damage output, a2-007 is often favored over a1a-003.

As a1-23-exeggutorex rises in popularity, its notable counter, a2-111, also emerges, making it the second most popular deck in the recent Ursididay tournament and ranking third in the Bec Exeggutive series.

Currently, a2-110 a2-053 stands out as one of the leading decks in the meta, achieving impressive results and surpassing other variants like a2-110 a1-089 and a2-110 a2-099, which have seen fewer top finishes.

A fresh contender, a2-053 a2-111, has made an impressive leap, going from a single appearance in the top 32 of last week's Ursididay tournament to becoming the fourth most utilized deck in both tournaments. Its consistent performance and aggressive early damage output of 50 have drawn considerable attention from competitive players.

Meanwhile, a1a-018 a1-089 is gradually gaining traction, particularly as fighting decks, which were previously dominant, are now struggling, marking a shift that benefits a1a-018 against its former nemesis, a1-154.Recently, the a2-061 deck has garnered significant attention, ranking as one of the most utilized decks in competitive play, often landing in the seventh or eighth position across various tournaments. This shift indicates a preference for reliable and steady decks as players aim to secure a spot in the top cut, rather than risk early eliminations with volatile strategies.

Conversely, the a2-49-palkia-ex a1a-19-vaporeon deck has been experiencing a decline. Its high-risk, high-reward approach has revealed vulnerabilities in longer tournaments, where consistency tends to be more crucial. Nevertheless, when this deck does achieve victory, it does so decisively.

The a2-119-dialga-ex a2-007 has seen diminished representation, with minimal appearances during ursiidays and limited participation in the bec exeggutive series.

Among the noteworthy off-meta selections, the a2-029 a1-047 deck showed promise in the ursiiday tournament but was absent from the bec exeggutive series. In contrast, the bec featured the a2-095 a1-154 deck, which ranked as the eighth most played, along with some other notable decks like a2-114 and a2-111.

The following is a breakdown of deck usage:

deck name | no. decks

---|---

exeggutor ex celebi ex | 12

dakrai ex magnezone | 4

charizard ex moltres ex | 3

magnezone skarmory | 3

gyarados ex greninja | 3

exeggutor ex mew ex | 2

pachirisu ex | 1

palkia ex vaporeon | 1

gallade ex hitmonlee | 1

machamp | 1

darkrai greninja | 1

Another breakdown of deck usage:

deck name | no. decks

---|---

exeggutor ex celebi ex | 8

dakrai ex magnezone | 8

magnezone skarmory | 3

charizard ex moltres ex | 2

pachirisu ex | 2

gyarados ex greninja | 2

dialga ex yanmega ex | 2

magnezone tauros | 1

darkrai ex yanmega ex | 1

lickilicky ex dialga ex | 1

bastiodon skarmory | 1

rampardos lucario | 1

Tournament Performance Analysis

Analyzing the recent performances in both tournaments reveals some interesting dynamics.

In the UrsiiDay tournament, the deck a2-110 a2-053 has just edged out a1-23-exeggutorex for the leading position, showcasing their close rivalry. Notably, a2-110 a2-053 saw 3% of its participants secure a spot in the top 32, while a1-23-exeggutorex a1a-032 achieved a higher 6%. The variant a1-23-exeggutorex a1a-3-celebi-ex managed to get 3.5% of its users into the top 32.

Contrastingly, in the BEC tournament, a2-110 a2-053 excelled with 12% of its competitors reaching the top 32, surpassing a1-23-exeggutorex a1a-3-celebi-ex, which only saw 8% success. This indicates a competitive edge for a2-110 a2-053, marking both decks as the leading forces in this expansion.

As a1-23-exeggutorex continues to dominate, many players are attempting to counter it using a1-036. However, a1-036 has struggled to perform well in the top 32, facing challenges from various matchups that do not favor it.

On the rise is the new deck a2-111 a2-053, which has shown considerable success and has been performing well across matchups, even managing to defeat a1a-001 in one-shot scenarios. Its popularity is expected to grow following its successful showings this week.

Additionally, a2-061 has also had a respectable presence in both tournaments and may see an increase in usage.

Among the non-meta decks, the a1-146 and a fresh variant of a2-119 utilizing a2-125 have made notable appearances, particularly in the BEC tournament.

Here's a summary of the tournament placements:

tournament | first place | second place | third place | fourth place

---|---|---|---|---

UrsiiDay's Pocket Weekly #16 | Charizard EX Moltres EX | Skarmory Magnezone | Darkrai EX Magnezone | Exeggutor EX Celebi EX

BEC Exeggutive Series! | Exeggutor EX Celebi EX | Darkrai EX Magnezone | Dialga EX Lickilicky EX | Darkrai EX Magnezone

Notably, a1-036 clinched first place in the largest tournament of the week, demonstrating its capability as a counter to a1-23-exeggutorex and reaffirming its competitive viability.* In recent tournaments, the a2-110 a2-053 deck has made a strong impression by securing three slots in the top four, reinforcing its status as a formidable choice in the current meta.

• Meanwhile, the a1-23-exeggutorex a1a-3-celebi-ex combination achieved two slots in the top four, with one deck taking first place. This outcome highlights the deck's resilience despite fierce competition.

  
  

• The performance of a2-111, finishing in second place, is likely to encourage more players to adopt this deck, indicating its potential for future success.

  
  

• Notably, a2-119 a2-125's third-place finish is commendable, especially considering the competitive landscape dominated by a1-23-exeggutorex and a2-053.

  
  

• If your goal is to counter a1-23-exeggutorex, there's encouraging news: a1-036 emerged victorious from a field of over 1600 participants. Although it didn't perform as strongly as a1-23-exeggutorex or a2-110, its success further validates its capability to challenge the reigning deck.

  
  

• A key strategy in this winning list is the inclusion of a1-154, which allows energy transfer from a1-047 to a1-036, providing an additional energy source for executing crimson storm. In situations where a1-036 is not yet accessible, players can still power up a1-047 for an attack.

  
  

• In a surprising twist, the a1-23-exeggutorex a1a-3-celebi-ex deck also clinched first place. This highlights its enduring strength. Its latest iteration has streamlined its composition to include just two copies of the a1-23-exeggutorex line and a single a1a-3-celebi-ex. This strategic adjustment enhances the likelihood of drawing a1a-001 into a1-23-exeggutorex, enabling players to withstand various threats while relying on a1a-3-celebi-ex as a backup finisher should the primary card fall.

  
  

Deck Strategy Highlights

This week, we observed a remarkable distinction in deck strategies, particularly in the absence of a2-146, which normally aids in consistently locating a1-23-exeggutorex. Instead, the focus shifts to a1a-068. Despite this alteration, the deck remains powerful, and minor tweaks to supporters and tools can enhance its effectiveness.

One of the standout performances of the week belongs to the combination of a2-111 and a2-053. This deck has gained popularity among players due to its impressive results, including a strong second-place finish. The card a2-053 stands out as a top choice today, capable of generating energy independently, which bolsters its position as a key win condition. Complementing this is a2-111, renowned for its exceptional early-game damage output—50 damage for just one energy, particularly effective with a tool attached. The inclusion of four tools ensures high consistency.

For an alternative win condition, a2-120 can be utilized, especially since a2-111 requires only one energy and a2-053 is not energy-intensive. This combination fosters a consistent and aggressive playstyle, solidifying the deck's position among the best.

Additionally, we must highlight the impressive synergy of a2-110 and a2-053. This configuration mirrors the deck guide I have created, which outlines its mechanics and showcases its successful record, including a notable second-place finish. The resilience of the a2-110 and a2-053 pairing allows it to thrive in various matchups without relying solely on a high-risk strategy. Instead, it capitalizes on the overall damage output.

Another remarkable performance was delivered by a2-125, securing third place. The strategy centers around initially deploying a2-119 to accumulate energy for either a2-125 or a1a-032, depending on the opponent. For example, a1a-032 is ideal against a1-036, while a2-125 is favored in most other scenarios. Unlike the typical a2-007, a2-125 boasts significantly higher damage potential, capable of dealing between 140 to 180 damage, often resulting in knockouts with favorable flips. However, starting with a2-124 can undermine consistency, potentially leading to early losses.Achieving a top 32 finish with the a1-146 deck is quite a notable accomplishment, especially given its limited presence in competitive play. This deck primarily focuses on the straightforward a1-146 line, complemented by essential fighting basics for early game strategies. The inclusion of a2-146 enhances the consistency in accessing the a1-146 line, while the dual a2-148 cards provide a robust aggressive opening and assist in reaching higher HP thresholds.

In another exciting development, the new a2-061 deck has made a splash by securing 9th place, showcasing a diverse array of supporter options that complicate gameplay for opponents. The challenge lies in anticipating the various supporters available, particularly with the addition of a2-155 alongside the classic promo-006, making it essential to manage your card usage wisely.

The a2-095 and a1-154 combination had notable representation at the BEC tournament, though none reached the top 32. Nonetheless, a player managed an impressive top 20 finish at UrsiiDays, highlighting the deck's potential. This particular list sticks closely to the compact format, utilizing only a1-154 and a1-198, supplemented by two a2-150 cards. The strategy revolves around applying pressure while a2-095 delivers the finishing blow, complicating the opponent's path to victory. However, it may struggle against a1-23-ExeggutorEx due to a2-095's limited damage output. It will be interesting to monitor its performance moving forward.

The competitive landscape is certainly finding its balance, with established decks maintaining their positions at the top. Yet, it's invigorating to witness newcomers like a1-146, a2-111, and a2-125 making strides.

For those eager to delve into the other decks that showcased their prowess in recent tournaments, you can find more information below:

• UrsiiDays Weekly

  
  

• BEC Exeggutive Series

  
  

Thank you for your attention, and until next time!

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