#deck listing

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[pkmntcg4gbc]

Alien Escape Deck

Psychic Energy x18 Double Colorless Energy x4 Scyther lv. 25 x3 Abra lv. 10 / 14 x4 Dark Alakazam x3 Chansey lv. 55 x2 Pokémon Breeder x3 Computer Search x3 Super Energy Removal x3 Item Finder x3 Bill x3 Professor Oak x3 Rocket’s Sneak Attack x3 Gust of Wind x3

Notes Starting to take a look at decks for Here Comes Team GR! with a deck based on Dark Alakazam. Despite being a Stage with 60 HP and 3 Retreat, Dark Alakazam sports two incredible attacks: Teleport Blast, which puts it on the Bench; and Mind Shock, which ignores the Psychic Resistance of Colorless Pokémon.

Scyther and Chansey are diversionary fighters until you can Breed up an Abra into Alakazam. You can use whichever Abra you’d like, though I would lean towards the lv. 10 version for its free Retreat. 

The Trainers are straight-forward. Computer Search, Bill, and Oak allow you to cycle through your deck to grab Alakazam. Super Energy Removal and Sneak Attack keeps your opponent from messing up your plans.

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Hypoallergenic Deck

Grass Energy x14 Double Colorless Energy x4 Potion Energy x4 Oddish lv. 21 x4 Dark Gloom x3 Dark Vileplume x2 Scyther lv. 25 x4 Drowzee lv. 10 x3 Snorlax lv. 20 x4 Bill x4 Gust of Wind x4 Rocket’s Sneak Attack x4 Switch x3 The Boss’s Way x3

Notes Dark Gloom and Drowzee lv. 10 are this deck’s focus, utilizing their Pokémon Powers to inflict Confusion and Sleep on the Active Pokémon. You don’t want your Pokémon inflicted, of course, which is why Snorlax lv. 20 is here to sit up front and absorb damage while being Thick Skinned.

Play your Trainers before you get Dark Vileplume in play (Hay Fever affects you as well), and if your opponent is stonewalled, wail on them with Snorlax’s Body Slam or Scyther.

Switch is used to pull Snorlax out of the Active Position if necessary, and The Boss’s Way puts Dark Gloom/Vileplume into your hand for later.

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Tonka Tough Deck

Fighting Energy x10 Psychic Energy x9 Scyther x3 Machop x3 Machamp x2 Gastly lv. 17 x4 Haunter lv. 17 x3 Gengar x2 Bill x4 Pokémon Trader x2 Pokémon Breeder x3 Energy Search x3 Energy Removal x3 PlusPower x3 Gust of Wind x3 Full Heal x3

Notes A deck based around the Pokémon Powers of Machamp and Haunter lv. 17. The former’s Strikes Back does 10 damage to the Defending Pokémon if it damages Machamp, while the latter’s has a 50% chance to avoid all damage and effects.

Machoke isn’t included because it’s awful, while Gengar finds use with Curse taking advantage of Strikes Back’s extra damage. Scyther is extra offense that can utilize either type of Energy in this deck. 

Bill, Trader, and Energy Search get you cards you need, while Breeder lets you just straight from Machop to Machamp. It’s okay if you get it evolved early, because Machamp’s 100 HP and Strikes Back will let it do work even without attacking. Full Heal is so status effects don’t prevent your Pokémon Powers from working.

You can swap out the Energy Removals for more Basic Pokémon and/or Energy. Any Pokémon that has Colorless Energy costs is a good fit for this deck, although Hitmonchan or Mewtwo would fit in well, too.

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Charizard Deck

Fire Energy x15 Double Colorless Energy x4 Scyther lv. 25 x3 Charmander lv. 10 x3 Charmeleon x3 Charizard x2 Magmar lv. 31 x4 Voltorb lv. 10 x2 Electrode lv. 42 x2 Professor Oak x3 Bill x4 Energy Removal x4 Scoop Up x2 Computer Search x2 PlusPower x3 Item Finder x2 Gust of Wind x2

Notes Another submission from sapahn, who has some explaining to do:

Here’s a deck I recently built to play Charizard smoothly. The idea is open with Magmar while building a Charizard on the bench. Scyther has its free retreat and is an alternative use for the Double Colorless Energy included for Charizard. To round out the Pokémon, I included the Electrode line for type coverage. Lighting hits for weakness against Water (the weakness of Charizard and Magmar) and the Electrode line uses colorless energy for its attacks (again, another alternative use for Double Colorless Energy). Everything else is fairly standard. I teched Scoop Up as an out to status ailments as well as a way to get a used up Charizard out of the way if one comes into the active position a bit too early to end the game (not to mention all the damage it may have absorbed in the meantime). Charmeleon is also worth mentioning as a Slash of a different color and one that OTKs opposing Scyther with a PlusPower (although that’s more relevant in PvP rather than computer opponents). Additionally it can do the work against a deck using evolving Basics with 50 HP or less with its own Flamethrower attack without needing to go all the way to Charizard’s Fire Spin.

Attempting to build goods decks with Charizard has been a quest as old as time, and while this Fire/Lighting deck puts in a good effort it can use some adjustments:

Switch should be run over Scoop Up: while it doesn't clear damage it still allows you to switch out. Scoop Up’s effect basically kills off your Charizard anyways. Swapping out one Item Finder for a third Gust of Wind wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. 

With Charizard's Energy Burn you can easily use Lightning Energy over a few of the Fire Energy and put in a stronger Lightning Pokémon like Electabuzz lv. 35 or Raichu.

The Double Colorless Energy works well with Scyther, but due to Charizard’s Fire Spin reading “Discard 2 Energy Cards”, loading it up with DCE should only be used in a dire emergency.

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Rampage Deck

Psychic Energy x18 Double Colorless Energy x4 Abra lv. 10 x3 Alakazam lv. 42 x3 Mr. Mime lv. 28 x3 Tauros lv. 32 x4 Professor Oak x3 Pokémon Breeder x3 Energy Removal x4 Super Energy Removal x4 Switch x3 Computer Search x4 Item Finder x2 Gust of Wind x2

Notes A submission from sapahn, who explains the composition thusly:

Here’s a deck inspired from some of the information I’ve learned on your tumblr, namely the combination of Damage Swap and Rage.

I typically want to open Tauros with a Double Colorless Energy to start doing damage right away on my opponent’s first Pokémon while I set up an Alakazam and Mr. Mime on the bench for the combo to be explained below. In the meantime, Tauros should also be taking damage for a quick Ramage KO before being knocked out itself. Mr. Mime is the second go-to lead, at least having the advantage of not being first turn donked if I open only with it thanks to its PokePower. Abra has free retreat so assuming I go first (or my opponent can’t OTK it) opening Abra doesn’t hurt either as long as I can get something to replace it instantly and evolve it next turn to avoid an unnecessary Gust of Wind OTK.

After hopefully getting the first prize or two off of my first Tauros, Mr. Mime goes in to accumulate damage on my next Tauros with Alakazam while slowly getting a knockout with Meditate, followed up with a Rampage OTK against anything the opponent brings out with 70 or less HP that isn’t Mr. Mime (in which case I just attack with Stomp and hope I don’t flip Heads, after removing the appropriate amount of damage so Mr. Mime can’t hit back of course). Tauros is most likely knocked out on my opponent’s next turn so I play another and let Mr. Mime repeat the process (which should still be in play - basically I shouldn’t be allowing Mr. Mimes to get knocked out unless I’m against Muk or lacking an Alakazam). And of course, when my opponent is playing basics with low HP, I can just damage Tauros appropriately and perhaps get multiple Rampage OTKs in with the same Tauros (Switch helps here to get rid of Confusion if I had flipped tails on a prior Rampage - Mr. Mime is pretty easy to retreat back in with a cost of 1, or a spare Abra if having it benched doesn’t put me at severe risk of falling behind in the prize race to a Gust).

An interesting version of offensive Damage Swap. Mr. Mime takes little to no damage via Invisible Wall, which is then placed onto Tauros with Alakazam’s Damage Swap. If Tauros becomes Confused due to Rampage, Switch is used to refresh the Wild Bull Pokémon so it can continue to run amok.

Honestly I’m rather impressed with this concept, but I also feel like you could swap out some Super Energy Removals for Chansey just in case you need to stall for a bit.

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The Best Cards and Decks in the Pokémon TCG Game Boy Game

Now available to play on Nintendo Switch Online, the Pokémon TCG Game Boy replicates 1999’s iconic Base–Fossil format, but with some exclusi

3-time TCG World Champion Jason Klaczynski has a fantastic site that examines Pokémon TCG metas from 1999 to 2016. He has very recently included a section on the Game Boy Color game, so naturally I had to share it. It mentions some minute details that I was not aware of -- such as the initiator of a Link Battle always winning the coin toss, along with PlusPower boosting Peal of Thunder -- but it's relevant either way.

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Gold Rush Deck

Psychic Energy x13 Double Colorless Energy x4 Full Heal Energy x2 Scyther lv. 25 x3 Psyduck lv. 15 x4 Dark Golduck x3 Mewtwo lv. 60 x4 Bill x4 Super Energy Removal x4 Professor Oak x3 Computer Search x3 Gust of Wind x3 Nightly Garbage Run x3 Impostor Oak’s Revenge x3 Rocket’s Sneak Attack x2 Item Finder x2

Notes This deck is centered around disruption. Impostor Oak’s Revenge and Rocket’s Sneak Attack reduce your opponent’s hand, eliminating their options while you set up Dark Golduck.

Psyduck lv. 15′s Headache attack prevents your opponent from playing Trainer Cards, further enhancing the power of Oak’s Revenge and Sneak Attack. Use Bill, Oak, and Computer Search to grab what you need in the meantime, and if your opponent plays Energy, counter with Super Energy Removal.

Dark Golduck is the centerpiece. It boasts a 50-damage Super Psy coming from a Water-type, allowing it to hit Chansey and Wigglytuff hard. Third Eye further enhances your card advantage, and Mewtwo lv. 60′s Energy Absorption can recycle the discarded Energy. However, only use Third Eye when absolutely necessary so you don’t end up depleting your deck.