Lucario&Claydol FTW

Octowen Octowen Expanded 6,001 views Feb 24, 2023 Updated Apr 14, 2023
Budget
Purchase
Deck Primer

OK so the concept here is simple(ish)

Ideal Pokémon setup:
Active Pokémon: Lucario
Benched Pokémon*: Claydol x2, Revavroom, Lucario, Radiant Greninja

0. (setup). Really, turn one, you want Mew out as your active Pokémon, but the Baltoy's Find a Friend attack can be useful on turn 1 if you're going second, but going first is best to get an attack in early on, especially because you're not playing any Supporter cards anyway, and you want to evolve early.
1. Use Radiant Greninja

...

OK so the concept here is simple(ish)

Ideal Pokémon setup:
Active Pokémon: Lucario
Benched Pokémon*: Claydol x2, Revavroom, Lucario, Radiant Greninja

0. (setup). Really, turn one, you want Mew out as your active Pokémon, but the Baltoy's Find a Friend attack can be useful on turn 1 if you're going second, but going first is best to get an attack in early on, especially because you're not playing any Supporter cards anyway, and you want to evolve early.
1. Use Radiant Greninja to get cards
2. Use Lucario's Roaring Resolve Ability to grab energy
3. Use Claydol's Mysterius Charge Ability to charge up a Lucario
4. Do a customized hit with Lucario for 220 with 3 energy+Grant or Choice Belt against basic Pokémon V, 280 with 4 energy+Grant or Choice Belt against Pokémon VSTAR, or 340 with 5 energy+Grant or Choice Belt against Pokémon VMAX.

5. Very easy to charge your Pokémon back up with Mysterious Charge.

6. Defiance Band against exs if your behind.

VARIATION: +2 Sky Seal Stone, +2 Arcanine V.
Use a combination of Roaring Resolves and Mystery Charges to put as much energy on the board as possible, then use Hisuian Arcanine V's Irresistable Force Ability to slap a bunch of energy onto him, then attach Sky Seal Stone, and then knock out a VSTAR or VMAX for an extra prize card. (7 energy for 300 damage (VSTARS like Lugia and Giratina), 8 energy for 330 damage (VMAXes like Mew or Duraludon), and you can replace an energy by playing Grant and/or if you don't need an extra prize card attach a Choice Belt to replace another energy.)

Against Mew VMAX: try to use single-prize Lucario here for a better prize trade. Even if you just have 3 energy attached, you can do 2-hit-kills, which is still a favorable prize trade.

Against Duraludon VMAX: don't use Stone Energy, which you can play usually if you want but I like to avoid due to the amount of Special-Energy-Targeters right now.

Against Lugia VSTAR: you will have to watch for when you need to use Grant and/or Choice Belt due to Lugia's resistance.

Against Lost Box: sheesh, these decks vary a lot, but Lucario is helpful because he can get the right amount of damage and keep the low-prize-trade going.

Against Item-Lock Vikavolt V: Yeah, it's a pain, but you have type advantage, so 2 energy on Lucario, which is ridiculously easy to get with a combo of Roaring Resolve and turn attachment, or a hit from Arcanine V, will OHKO the Vikavolt, so even if you can't get any Claydols Vikavolt should be manageable.

Thank you to Eric for the tips on Arcanine V and Sky Seal Stone!

And thanks SO MUCH to Internationalmaster.

Card Types

Pokémon 26
Trainer 19
Energy 15

Energy Types

Fighting 17
Metal 6
Psychic 2
Water 1

Energy Curve

Distribution of attack energy costs in your deck

1 Energy 10 attacks
10
33.3% of attacks
2 Energy 10 attacks
10
33.3% of attacks
3 Energy 7 attacks
7
23.3% of attacks
4 Energy 3 attacks
3
10.0% of attacks

Opening Hand Probability Calculator

Calculate the probability of drawing specific cards in your opening hand

%
Probability of drawing at least of in your opening hand

Comments

eric avatar

Been playing around with this combo a lot, including a variant of this build. Honestly, not a fan of Lucario VStar in this deck just cause it requires an evolution and targeted acceleration from Claydol. IMO the real boost to this deck has been Sky Seal Stone (Crown Zenith) + Hisuian Arcanine (Astral Radiance)

Arcanine can pull energy from Benched Lucarios as well, so its very easy to set up KOs with Sky Seal Stone.

Octowen avatar

Ok that's a really cool idea, thanks for the tip!

Octowen avatar

I don't have PTCGO or Live so if anyone tries this deck out would they please let me know how it does?

Junce93 avatar

Hey thanks for the link to your deck, it's given me some ideas I like the arcanine!! 

I'll try grant too for the bonus dmg!

Octowen avatar

I'm glad you liked it! I've been messing around and I honestly don't know if the Arcanine fits in, as much as it should. Two copies of Arcanine and Sky Seal Stone uses up 4 spots, and coke rotation I won't be able to get Sky Seal Stone with PokéStop because it's a Tool, which will no longer be considered an Item. (https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/2023-pokemon-tcg-standard-format-rotation-and-pokemon-tool-errata)

In addition, we'll be losing Evolution Incense, with no good Item-card substitute, except maybe Capturing Aroma, which you have to play a decent number of for reliability purposes. As fun as Arcanine V can be, it is hard to nab him and Sky Seal Stone (and really Switch as well) on the turn that I want him to strike, and I don't want to bench him before then, due to Boss's Orders, and if he's discarded by PokéStop on accident then hey can Echoing Horn+Boss him. So I've been kind of replacing him with Capturing Aroma and more consistency cards in general.

Still, he's such a cool card I really want to leave him in, but I think I'll update this deck to what I'm actually testing against a hypothetical opponent in real life. I also can't decide if Battle V.I.P. pass is worth it, because it's kind of inconsistent and a dead draw later on, which can be really unfortunate.

Octowen avatar

I also cannot decide whether Radiant Venusaur or Radiant Greninja is better.

Octowen avatar

Aha Artazon Town can replace Battle V.I.P. Pass!

https://pokemoncard.io/article/sv1a-triplet-beat-card-list-revealed-778

haalandagoat avatar

Octowen lucario and greninja are the best pokemon ever prove me wrong.

Octowen avatar

Because Greninja needs a bigger tongue. Lol jk. Lucario is perfect tho

cyborg001100000011000000111001 avatar

I love it! I've tested before committing credits on Live, but I'm enjoying it and plan to start building what I don't have.
I am thinking about a couple of swaps. My opponent played Training Court (Rebel Clash). That ended up saving me. I kept having no energies for greninja. I'd pull with training ground and ditch it for greninja. I'm not positive if I'll make that change, yet.
I'm also eager to find a way to squeeze in Boss's Orders (Rebel Clash) without slowing the deck. I could've one-shot his VMAX, even at full 320HP, but he hid it on the bench.
I still took the majority of test games, but little things like that seem to be helping. Hopefully, I'll get a better feel on how these changes work and report back.

Great work!

Octowen avatar

Thanks Cyborg! Training Court is really nice, that's true. I've thought so hard about Boss, like as a game finisher or combined with Pal Pad or something, but when it's in your hand you can't reallly get rid of it so it stifles Bibarel/Revavroom. Pokémon catcher is an item, but it's a coin flip, soo...

Then there's Cross Switcher (Fusion Strike), but there's not really room for that in the deck or in a hand, because again, it can stifle Bibarel's Industrious Incisors.

Maybe they'll just remake Pokémon catcher with no flip--lol jk that would be horrible.

Internationalmaster avatar

Had my friend test it on ptcgo bc he has 500+ packs to burn and it did decently well for being a non meta deck. This deck does struggle to counter Lugia tho and I understand its ur fave Pokémon so building a good deck at all is difficult with that restriction so props for doing that. (Try making a meta deck with slakoth no evolutions XD its impossible). Apart from the lugia problem it did relatively well so congrats.

Octowen avatar

Internationalmaster, thank you SO MUCH to you and your friend for testing this out! I'm glad it did ok, and I'm not surprised it did badly against Lugia (because, I mean, what doesn't! Jk but like not completely). I was hoping it would do better once rotation hit, but it definitely won't, because you need six energy to OHKO Gardevoir ex. So I'm planning on running a Gardevoir ex deck.

Thank you again for your help, testing, and kindness!

Have some codes, I hope you get to these first (if you're someone else, these are only for International Master! Or his friend lol).

NCP-PMC9-JN6-7NW
NW6-62NH-BTC-PH9
NYL-JNY9-RJM-G4J

I hope those all work, they should be Crown Zenith. Also I will work on Slakoth XD

Internationalmaster avatar

Aww thx for the codes. Also I have win loss rates here (my friend played because is is an actual international master (I have only gotten 1 worlds invite) 

Lugia win rate 7-6

mew vmax 5-1

lost box 6-2

vicvolt (can't spell) 5-0

Duralidon 2-0

other 7-3

 

You must be logged in to comment.