Pure game of Strategy ( fun deck)

Have you ever wondered what Pokémon would be like if you stripped away all the RNG and competed on pure in-game skill? Three years ago, I set out to design a deck for that purpose, to play against an identical copy of itself in a perfectly skill-based 60-card mirror match.

In this game, each player has access to the same suite of options, threats, and counters. Without luck to fall back on, your game-planning, resource-management, and risk-assessment skills become especially important.

Have you ever wondered what Pokémon would be like if you stripped away all the RNG and competed on pure in-game skill? Three years ago, I set out to design a deck for that purpose, to play against an identical copy of itself in a perfectly skill-based 60-card mirror match.

In this game, each player has access to the same suite of options, threats, and counters. Without luck to fall back on, your game-planning, resource-management, and risk-assessment skills become especially important. Strategic play is rewarded, and mistakes can be harshly punished.

Things to know before you play:

Games take a LONG time. The sheer number of decisions may be overwhelming at first, but it'll become more comfortable as you familiarize yourself with the cards.

Mind your win conditions! This deck can win by prizes, deck out, energy denial, spread damage OTK, and even Lost World. Throughout the game, you will have to remain flexible in your gameplan, adjust to how your opponent develops their field, and how they respond to yours.

Your hand is largely safe. Forget N - The only hand disruption in this deck is Hugh and A slow start is not a bad start. One element of RNG that’s always bothered me in Pokémon is how the player with the faster opening tends to run away with the game. I’ve lessened this luck by slowing the format tremendously and stocking the deck with come-from-behind tools to punish aggressive openings. Even if you’re down five prizes, you can pull out a win with cards like Mystery Plate β and Pow! Hand Extension.

Other luck elements have also been removed. Prize card RNG is nullified by Azelf and top-deck RNG is mitigated by MagcargIt’s not a singleton deck, but it nearly is. Resource management is key. Every time you discard a card, you are sacrificing an option, and in some cases, a win condition. Know the limitations you set for yourself each turn, and just as importantly, watch those your opponent sets for herself, as well.

• There is no shuffle-draw (and very little straight-draw). Search-based consistency engines require skillful decision-making. You will often find that you have access to ANY card in your deck, but not EVERY card in your deck. And be cautious how much you draw; since you can’t shuffle your hand in, the player who’s fished more cards from their deck will deck out first if they can’t find a win before theThere are two stage 2 Pokémon, but only one Pokémon Breeder. Choose your late-game powerhouse carefully, but know that the pre-evolutions are strong standalone cards, and in some cases, more influential than their stage 2 counterparts. Look out for tricky combos you can pull off with Pidgey and Gastly. There is also just one Ditto Prism Star, with three possible stage 1s.

Get Magcargo out as early as possible.

FAQs and Rulings:

This deck is played with present-day rules.

Gastly’s "Pitch-Dark" attack refers to “Trainers,” which should be read as present-day Items (think of it as "Quaking Punch" for no Energy and no damage).

Old cards which just say "Trainer" at the top (Erika’s Kindness, Computer Error, etc.) are played as Items.

Ditto DS cannot “Duplicate” into Ditto Prism Star, because it technically has a different name.

Pokémon Powers (on Electrode & Ditto FO), as well as Abilities (on Herdier and Ditto Prism Star) are not Poké-Powers, and thus are not affected by Power Spray and cursed stone

In short, the idea of this deck list and the format as a whole is to remove as much variance from the game as possible so that the game being played is mostly if not entirely dependent on a player’s skill

Note: Games in this format can take significantly longer than in a “typical” game of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, in no small part because the deck is so decision intense.