If you haven’t yet checked out my original post about WOTC-GLC and control decks, you can find that here. The two most promising types for control decks appeared to be colorless and psychic. For colorless, high hit points, support Pokemon powers, two flavors of resistance, and some recursion Pokemon were all green flags. I decided then to review every colorless Pokemon legal in the format and tag them with their functionalities (spreadsheet here) to see how often certain abilities arose, like gusting or spread damage. You can see my detailed thoughts on all the individual choices after the deck discussion. I'm not an expert or anything, so take them with a grain of salt.
From everything I looked over, this is the untested decklist I put together. It definitely has too heavy a skew towards Pokemon, which makes sense since I thought a lot about their potential uses. Here's the overall idea:
- Sponge damage & slow-play until you can get EX Dragonite and/or JU Dodrio established. Bait out switching cards and removals with status effects.
- Gust weak or trappable Pokemon active.
- Lock weak Pokemon active with moves, powers, or stadiums.
- Bonus: Use PR Smeargle to set up resistance in your favor.
- Switch in N1 Aipom and AQ Porygon to recur trainers as much as possible.
- Use SK Noctowl to watch your opponent's topdecks for trainers to mill with Giovanni's Meowth.
- If your opponent builds something good, switch in a threat to kill it.
- Try to outlast or take 6, situation permitting.
- Walling/Sponging
- Erika's Dratini - Killer against basics, big or otherwise. Combo with AQ Blissey.
- BS Chansey - High HP & Scrunch, plus easy switching.
- PR Smeargle - Alter resistances to nullify attackers.
- N1 Miltank - Impressive & cheap self heal on a big basic.
- Metal Energy - Semi-permanent defense.
- *Evo-chain Pokemon N4 Dratini, EX Clefairy, SK Hoothoot all have 1-energy moves to buy them additional time.
- Switching cards
- EX Dragonite - avoid entering active like FO Dragonite to enable stadium use.
- JU Dodrio - makes most of the board free retreat.
- Scoop Up, Warp Point, Double Gust - great multifunctional trainers.
- *Lt. Surge's birds, SK Noctowl as extra pivots.
- Removal:
- BS Dragonair - cleaner than EX and only Pokemon-based removal option.
- Energy Removal, Super Energy Removal - reliable removal.
- Gusting
- G1 Lt. Surge's Spearow - Whirlwind on sturdy basic with free retreat.
- SI Jigglypuff - Guaranteed 1-energy gust.
- Gust of Wind, Warp Point, Double Gust - great multifunctional trainers
- Snaring
- Lt. Surge's Fearow - Snaring attack, free retreat, excellent basic.
- PR Snorlax - Powerful lock potential.
- Rocket's Training Gym, Mirage Stadium - Trap opponents active.
- Healing
- AQ Blissey - Heals from bench while posing a threat.
- N1 Miltank - Self-healing.
- Pokemon Nurse, Gold Berry, Potion - Target healing for with/without energy.
- Pokemon Center - Clear board after rotating sponges.
- Threats
- BS Chansey - Double Edge. 'Nuff said.
- AQ Blissey - It's no BS Chansey, but could threaten basics.
- JU Wigglytuff - High output for low cost.
- DCE, Boost Energy - Rapid response.
- Information & Disruption
- SK Noctowl - Fixes prizes, observes topdecks
- Giovanni's Meowth - False Charity + SK Noctowl mills key trainers.
- Desert Shaman - Reset opponent's hand + a little consistency.
- Recursion
- N1 Aipom - Universal on a coin flip.
- Fisherman - On-demand energy recovery.
- Revive - On-demand basic recovery.
- Town Volunteers, Nightly Garbage Run - Pokemon recovery & deck refill.
- Power Charge - To snag Boost/Double Colorless Energy.
- Item Finder - Trainer recursion.
- Recycle Energy - for retreat costs.
- Consistency
- Oracle, Pokemon Fan Club, Pokemon Trader - Search capability.
- Professor Oak, Professor Oak's Research, Professor Elm, Desert Shaman - Draw
- Basic energy. We have the multi-specials, but I feel like it's still too low.
- Consistency. Dual Ball and Lure Ball would be good. Or even some pure draw trainers like Erika. I tried to just pick the most impactful trainers with the idea they could be recurred.
- Coin flip trainers. Stuff like Super Scoop Up, Energy Removal 2, Old Rod seem really good... on the right flip. But in trying to build a toolbox I wanted more options rather than worse, redundant ones. Still, it feels bad to leave "free" removal on the cutting room floor.
- Sturdy basics. Something like JU Kangaskhan for setup and sponging. Or N3 Stantler for locking up other basics. Or any Lickitung. I'm worried about a lone N4 Dratini start.
- Porygon, Dark Porygon2, Dark Dragonair, and Hyper Devolution Spray. They don't fit with the 'flow' of the current deck but man do they have utility.
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Pidgey
EX would be a better starter, so despite the utility of Whirlwind, I put it over BS. If Pidgey is your attacker after like turn 3, you might be in trouble.
Pidgeotto
EX is a pivot, which together with Whirlwind essentially duplicates Warp Point. BS is not quite as good, as you lose free retreat and the best possible scenario from mirror move is...50 damage and confusion (you’ll need to flip) or 30 damage and poison (you’re at risk). Perhaps I'm not creative enough to see the true potential.
Pidgeot
This is the true value in the evolution line; I wouldn’t run Pidgey/otto alone. Ranking:
- EX has a free Fuji effect for recycling walls, refilling your deck, and denying KOs. High utility.
- JU for disrupts evolutions and attachments. (This might be first place) A good disable for a heavy evolution, but it might just free up energy/board mobility.
- SI is a threat, but not worth the evolution line.
Koga's Pidgey / Pidgeotto
Messenger seems like a fun consistency move and is a second chance to get the basic of your choice. Later this can be used for some deck refill or seeking out key Pokemon like N1 Aipom or AQ Porygon. Sand-attack is a great stalling move with a decent damage output, but 3 energy is a bit much, so I would prefer the Messenger option. Both of these birds can make use of the Koga card for a surprise poison to change HP math or force a switch.
Koga's Pidgeotto feels very unreliable for the HP and energy cost. I'd stick with the Pidgeys.
Rattata
What is this, a plague ship? Let's rank these rats!
- TR gives access to prizes which is extremely important. Free retreat, psychic resistance, and 15-for-1 are gravy on top. Best used with Here Comes Team Rocket!, Pokedex, PR Dragonite, or SK Noctowl for max information.
- SK has the deceptively powerful Call For Friends. General basic search is hard to come by! Not sure how many basics it will survive to find, but hey.
- BS seems better for an aggressive deck.
- EX is reverse-power-creeped by BS.
Raticate
I’m not sold on using Raticate in general, as its role is as a threat and there are better options out there. If you are running Rattata anyway for utility, it could be good to evolve after you've fixed your prizes/found your basics to avoid leaving 30 HP on the bench.
- SK has a decent HP and a slim-but-scary potential for 70-for-2. Fear is the mind killer! With a disabled defender (by removal, etc.) you might get to try several rounds of flips and make your opponent nervous.
- SI has a similar role to SK but trades lower output fir free retreat. I'd say they're close.
- BS can drop HP totals quickly, but isn't very efficient (use G1 Lt. Surge's Raticate instead) and doesn't have 'finishing' capabilities.
- TR Dark has a nice threatening attack, but you can find the sane result on sturdier alternatives like AQ Blissey.
Lt. Surge's Rattata
The star of the show is Lt. Surge's Raticate, so using G1 (40 HP) for better odds of survival is just fine, with a nice consistent attack. However, consider also that a focus energy with G2 means your opponent has a 50% chance of taking *60 damage* next turn. Will it happen? Not necessarily, but it could cause them to burn a Switch or PlusPower to get the KO. If it does happen, it's vert funny. Depends on your tolerance for gambling.
Lt. Surge's Raticate
G1 is preferable. With a single energy you can tear through sponges and big evolutions, and with 70 HP it has a decent chance of surviving the counterattack. G3 Raticate is kind of like budget Chansey, but slower to set up and more vulnerable afterwards. Metal Chansey isn't feasible in singleton, but I could see a synergy here of G3 and Metal Energy enabling 30-for-2, no downsides.
Spearow
JU is the superior choice. You know, if not for the extreme utility of Dodrio, JU Spearow looks like an improved Doduo, so not too shabby as a starter. As I mentioned with Pidgeotto, Mirror Move has pretty limited utility, so stick to Peck.
Fearow
Both are durable free retreaters. EX seems more useful, as 20 + snare into potential 50-for-3 is a very scary combo (even for big basics). JU has more survivability with Agility, but this only works if you’re not getting removal’d (or bad with coins). Later in the game, after disposable trainers have been spent, I could see value in a consistent 40 damage, but there are more efficient attackers in that role.
Lt. Surge's Spearow
The sturdier G1 boasts a 1-energy Whirlwind and a decent 2-energy threat. I could see this as a tool for dragging out Bellsprouts, Nidorans, or other squishy basics early and inspiring a little fear + use of trainers. G2 is Sky Rattata which is not as attractive.
Lt. Surge's Fearow
Lt. Surge’s Fearow is a lot like EX Fearow with a little more damage. I liked it there and I liked it here. Keep in mind: if you are trying to keep a locked Pokemon alive, 30 may be approaching substantial damage to heal off each turn.
Clefairy
It’s EX all the way! With 50 HP and a protective attack, it's the better choice for setting up Clefable. N1 also has 50 HP, not so bad, but it’s hard to imagine when you would load 3 energies onto it for the basic energy gambling gold rush. The only advantage of BS is Metronome, but please don’t put yourself through that. If only we had the vending option for 1 energy gust!
Clefable
JU is sort of the perfect threat. If your opponent fields a weak Pokemon, no problem! Use Minimize or switch into one of your walls, and chill as you draw cards, recur cards, set up, etc. If your opponent fields a strong Pokemon, blast it with Metronome before it has the energy it needs to blast you back. This isn’t to say that EX is bad, and it could have a lot of value in an aggressive deck, but ideally you're slowing the gameplay pace enough to draw your energy and would rather have JU as a threat..
Erika's Clefairy
G2 is one of the few cards that can accelerate evolution, plus free deck search. If only it wasn't a flip! Given the importance of Dodrio, Dragonite, etc. I rank G2 above G1, which offers...energy search. Even without Erika's Clefable, this could be a good tech against Aerodactyl lock.
Erika's Clefable
Erika's Clefable appears very good. For a single energy you can use Super Scoop Up on your entire bench, and even Erika's Clefable itself to swap a wall active. Coupled with big basics, that could clear a lot of damage counters. You may want to disrupt the opponent's hand first, though, so they can't disrupt yours and shuffle away your Pokemon.
Jigglypuff
There's a lot of these pink blobs, eh? Let's rank em.
- SI, without question. This is your only option for guaranteed gust (you pick the new active) with TR Dark Persian requiring a coin flip. Gusting is the most efficient way to pick the best opponent to lock or threaten weak basics, so you'll need this.
- JU, for survivability. If you're not choosing SI, it probably means you are focused on Wigglytuff, and durability (plus a decent attack set) makes this a good choice.
- PR, N4, SK are more or less equivalent, with ways to mitigate a little damage. If you're brave you could try PR as a threat.
Wigglytuff
Wigglytuff is in a weird position overall because you'd really like to have SI Jigglypuff available for gusting, so the timing will be tricky unless you can find your Hyper Devolution Spray. Ranking:
- JU Wigglytuff might be the goat here. It has a status stall, good HP, and an attack for (usually 60) that's easy to power and compatible with Boost Energy for 1-turn surprises. Evolving into Wigglytuff is like setting a loaded gun on the table.
- However, I would still consider SK viable (wait, let me defend myself!). Do the Wave 2 (errata?) still poses the threat of 50 damage, but provides utility while it lies in wait. Healing both actives could be useful to maintain a lock. So perhaps SK has room in a deck with other Pokemon in the threat role.
- N4 Light is OK. Evolution acceleration is nice, but it's really helpful to the opponent (moreso than healing the active) and the opportunity cost of not playing JU or SK is huge.
- N4 Dark is too weak to be useful.
Erika's Jigglypuff
There'll be no quad-PlusPower donks in this format, but 40-for-2 might clear a few basics anyway. The first attack, if usable several times against a locked opponent, could have some utility at cleaning up your bench.
Meowth
The ideal Meowth is hard to pick. I've ranked them, but the real point is the Persian they evolve into, so view these accordingly.
- TR lets you sit active against a removal'd defender and attempt Coin Hurls at the bench-sitters.
- JU & EX are almost the sane card, with psychic resistance traded in for a 1-energy poke. Either way, a little incidental draw is always helpful.
- SK offers a chance at disruption but the lower HP is worrisome.
- In a controversial take, I put PR here. If you're fielding Meowth, you are either (1) desperate and trying to draw or disrupt, in which case you want JU, EX, or SK, or (2) trying to snipe around a locked opponent and not KO it to break the lock, in which case PR is counter-productive half the time. Worse yet, your opponent allocates the damage, so you'll never take out the best target. Maybe I'm delusional and this should be ranked higher.
Persian
TR Dark Persian is almost certainly the go-to, as this is (with SI Jigglypuff) one of your two options for true gust. It's shameful that it's on a coin flip, but there you go. Coupled with free retreat, TR Dark lets you drag anything active and then switch into your preferred matchup (if the coins go your way). After that, I would prefer SK, as intel on the opponent's hand is very valuable and disruption is much appreciated, plus a potential 50-for-2 follow up is a great threat. JU is alright with damage reduction and free retreat, but there are better options.
Giovanni's Meowth
Cat Fleas is cheap for confusion, so not bad for stalling, but I think False Charity has big potential. First, since there are hard limits on the number of times opponents can gust, switch, etc., discarding any trainer is very impactful. Second, even if it's not a trainer, you've reduced your opponent's deck by 1, making this the only (mandatory) colorless "mill" card. Third, you can combine this with SK Noctowl, AQ Sentret, or wait until your opponent uses something like Oracle to try and target trainers specifically. I love the potential!
Giovanni's Persian
Unfortunately, since we can include no other Giovanni's cards in the deck and therefore searching out a copy of Giovanni is... not great. The only use I can see for it is to "save" Giovanni's Meowth by clearing status and providing free retreat before Fuji-ing it back to the deck. Also, I think technically you would get a free deck search on evolving even if you are not playing a copy of Giovanni since your deck contents are not public knowledge?
Farfetch'd
For control, SK is probably the most useful, as a single-energy Whirlwind on a basic gives you some light gusting functionality. If you want a little more early game pressure, N3 is pretty good, and if you have switching assist you can chain 40 damage turns, but it'd probably be better in a more aggressive deck. As far as I'm concerned, N3 completely power-creeps BS, though Farfetch'd is one of my personal favorite Pokemon so I understand if you just have to include the OG for funny Leek Slap coin flip KOs.
Doduo / Dodrio
My Base-Fossil bias is showing, but BS Doduo is a sturdy pivot with a 1-energy attack. Sorry AQ.
JU Dodrio is really really good. Since most Pokemon have a retreat cost of 1, Dodrio saves you an estimated 30 billion basic energy from retreating and will let you outcompete your opponent in the switching/gusting race. AQ's Peck Attack is funny, but JU combos with FO Dragonite, SI Jigglypuff, G1 Lt. Surge's Raticate, BS Chansey, and tons of other powerful Pokemon.
Blaine's Doduo / Dodrio
Blaine's Doduo is nothing special really, but I like the idea of Blaine's Dodrio as a low energy, high damage threat. If you run primarily fire energy, you can combo with Blaine to get a 1-turn setup without expending your DCE.
Lickitung
Be honest: as soon as I started talking about stalling, some of you scrolled right here. As a best-in-format Pokemon you might think JU would clear the competition. Without tons of Scoop Up and Energy Removal, the three retreat cost is more of a liability and will require Dragonite to reliably free from the active. My current feeling is actually that SI might be best. It's still fairly bulky, with a 1-energy self-sustaining attack (against weak attackers) but only takes 1 attachment to retreat with a Dodrio in play. It also offers a chance to start putting pressure on the opponent's bench. That said, JU is a close second if not first for its very high HP and status options. AQ is not unusable, and I believe has the only guaranteed snipe attack, but higher cost attacks and no resistance are negatives.
Brock's Lickitung
I understand it doesn't compete with the other Lickitungs, but I can't see much of a role for this card besides a bag of HP. This probably makes sense in the Brockosphere where you need an attacker who can get around fighting resistance, but not in GLC. I suppose it could be made removal-proof with Brock's Protection if you just needed a solid basic?
Chansey
Chansey is sort of the poster child for colorless: cute smile, high HP, and an absurdly powerful attack. BS Chansey is likely still the move for its walling capability with 120 HP (!!) and Scrunch, plus the best threat in the game (80 damage??). In WOTC-GLC, DCE is harder to come by, so several manual attachments are needed to make that Chansey on the bench scary. The real edge of BS is the 1 retreat cost, making rotating to another sponge after a Double Edge. However, I don’t hate N4 Chansey for its threat capability without lots of self damage, so I’ll put it in second place. Since it can survive several turns, it should get several tries at Egg Toss, which might make your opponent flinch and throw trainers at the situation. EX and AQ are like weaker BS, so I'm unsure when you'd use 'em.
Blissey
Your choice of Blissey reveals your personality. The classic approach is N3 Blissey with BS Chansey and Hyper Devolution Spray and maybe Gold Berry to chain Double Edges, or at least threaten to. With only single copies, it might be hard to reliably combo, so alternatively Blissey could become a main attacker. N3 Blissey is really about enhancing Chansey (probably BS, but maybe N4) and increasing your short term threat potential, whereas AQ Blissey serves a dual function. With 3 energies attached, you have a 50% chance at a 30 damage heal each turn (good), plus as needed it can switch to the active for a 50% chance at a 50 damage attack (good). Personally I would stronger consider AQ Blissey as preferable place for long games, but I see the potential from N3 Blissey cycling.
Kangaskhan
Two big basics with draw and punching. JU is my go-to for extra durability, greater threat potential, and single-energy setup, but there is a case for AQ as a more reliable draw engine and more lightweight switcher.
Blaine's Kangaskhan
It doesn't stand out or fulfill any special role. The nicest thing I could say is that it could be accelerated to with Blaine, so if you are already playing Blaine's Dodrio it's not the worst? In some sort of Blaine deck this is how you'd block Misty's Staryu while you find your stadium, but not here in GLC. Please spend your attack on something more impactful than Child's Punch.
Tauros
Neither version has a real role for control. JU can deliver a big impact if set up properly, but the last thing you need is your own Pokemon stuck active. EX got his wish granted to become a big basic but it was a monkey's paw type deal and it came at a horrible price.
Blaine's Tauros
Same evaluation as the other Tauros, really. Unlike Blaine's Kangaskhan, the high capacity for self damage and unreliability from coin flips doesn't make this a good choice for a sponge or backup attacker.
Ditto
I understand why Prismatic Body exists on SK Ditto, but it is a real bummer. FO Ditto is basically the best choice. Ditto's role is twofold. First, to use as a threat against your opponent's best Pokemon (similar to Clefable's role), but out-speeding them by using DCE and (when appropriate) Boost Energy. Second, if your opponent has any "toolbox" Pokemon that allow them to recur, search, etc., gust them to the forefront and use your Ditto to steal their mojo. The second role is more niche, but if your opponent is playing, say, FO Slowpoke, an incredible opportunity may present itself.
Koga's Ditto
The promise of Koga's Ditto is an 80 HP, 30-for-1 attacker with the great Koga trainer support. This would combo nicely with Pokemon Nurse or any of the other energy-for-healing cards, but you've got to make a coin flip first, and you've got to be *sure* your opponent is out of both gust and whirlwind effects or you can't even use half your HP pool. A "big basic" that's only good in the late game...?
Eevee
Without the Eeveelutions, it's not really worth playing an Eevee. Each one has just a little bit of utility, but I can't say that they'd be better than any other colorless Pokemon.
- JU has a "cannot attack" stalling move.
- TR has a Smokescreen-style move.
- PR duplicates BS Rattata if you want that functionality while using TR Rattata.
- N2 maybe permits a deck search to check prizes? Not sure if you would technically be allowed to do this since by the rules of the format you cannot have a non-colorless evolution in deck.
- AQ with Energy Switch could lead to a very small amount of acceleration or deck thinning.
- SK ...just kidding! It's just an attacker.
Lt. Surge's Eevee
Though vulnerable at 40 HP, this has the only guaranteed disruption attack, the downside being random selection. Coupled with Desert Shaman, Imposter Oak's Revenge, and/or Rocket's Sneak Attack, this could serve to whittle your opponent down to a very small hand, potentially justifying some deck space. Too bad there isn't really any trainer support for Lt. Surge-classed cards to help it out.
Porygon
Porygon is in a sorry state in this format. The only deck it's allowed in is colorless, but it can't make anything colorless-weak! Here's my ranking of the non-AQ Porygon:
- BS for nice walling potential, so long as you're not facing fighting. Unlike other formats where you have to keep changing to match new attackers, in GLC it's one and done.
- PR Cool has the same utility as BS but for higher cost and more HP. You can also flip coins.
- TR sadly just has confusion and free retreat in GLC
- N4 was infected by malware and lost its identity.
All this is meaningless, though, because for colorless control AQ Porygon is ideal. It is one of just a few cards that can recur trainers (sadly on a coin flip), so you'll need to weave it into and out of the active to try flipping as many times as possible. It's a grand tragedy this Porygon has no psychic resistance, because otherwise you could set up an excellent lock using PR Smeargle.
Porygon2
Another grand tragedy is that all three of the possible Porygon2 are very useful, since you'd really like to keep AQ Porygon in play as long as possible. Let's rank:
- N4 Dark has stadium recursion. Ideal targets would be snaring stadiums like The Rocket's Training Gym. (If only Chaos Gym was legal!) Importantly, you want to replace anything that is helping your opponent, like Sprout Tower, Energy Stadium, Pokemon Tower, or Resistance Gym.
- AQ provides a mini draw engine to help consistency. Subtle but excellent.
- N3 harmonizes energy, which is better for a Lugia/Ho-oh deck, but could see niche use out of Delta Beam.
Sabrina's Porygon
Undoubtedly the anti-Mewtwo tech card in the hypothetical Sabrina Deck (why else would it block 30 resistance + 10 damage?) but not particularly useful here.
Snorlax
Full stop, PR Snorlax is a top priority. This is one of the strongest long-term snares in the game as it completely shuts your opponent out of manual retreating. (There are a few grass type snares that cannot be broken with trainer cards either, but they are one turn only and coin-flip dependent.) If you can strand a weak Pokemon in the active facing this beast, after you burn their switch cards the game is very solidly under your control. The best approach is to lock something that can only deal 10 to 20 damage, since you can then heal it off using support Pokemon like SK Wigglytuff or AQ Blissey. Alternatively, versus a Psychic deck or a PR Smeargle-painted target, you just need a Pokemon capped at 30 damage. Since this Snorlax has 4 retreat, you will need to use a Dragonite to continue to weave in your recursion cards, ideally N1 Aipom since after it self-shuffles you can re-promote PR Snorlax to maintain the lock.
Though it is not as strong, JU is next best place, as unlike other sponges it's not bothered by poison. This really only matters in the time before your Dragonite switching is online, after which JU Lickitung is more efficient. SK Snorlax's power promises trickle healing but is really pretty weak and without resistance.
Rocket's Snorlax
Sort of in the same category as SK Snorlax. It provides a natural attacking deterrent, but it is really quite incremental. I assume this was designed to pair with something like TR Drowzee since the 3-energy attack is a big ask for 20 damage and a *chance* at more later.
Dratini
None of the Dratini are anything special, but Dragonite is important, so you should hide these away on the bench until they're ready to evolve. N4 Dratini is likely the most robust.
Dragonair
There are a lot of factors to consider here, so let's rank:
- BS offers the only removal option, making it a great threat to special energy users and all around good for forcing retrieval. It also permits evolving into the normal Dragonites, which are excellent.
- TR Dark offers deck search to set up all your evolution pieces. Since it is non-competitive, I might seriously consider running a copy of TR Dark alongside BS in a deck. Evolve first to TR Dark, find your pieces, then devolve to complete your normal Dragonite line.
- N4 Light is very defensive, but there are other choices for healing and Agility.
- EX replicates the incredible powers of FO Geodude. Pass!
Dragonite
I’m torn on the optimal choice for Dragonite, but I think it has to be either FO or EX. Dodrio is very good, but to really out-switch your opponent you need to have the mobility only Dragonite delivers. Here are some considerations for FO vs EX:
- FO is a "hard" switch whereas EX is a "soft" switch.
- FO puts itself in the active, which makes it vulnerable to stadium snares, Dark Dugtrio, etc.
- EX works alone for no cost retreat of any Pokemon; FO needs Dodrio.
- EX is harder to rescue if it's brought active.
- FO may switch multiple times a turn.
- FO has a CCCC attack vs LWF for EX
- FO has fighting resistance.
I’m inclined to put FO slightly ahead, but it probably comes down to testing.
The other Dragonites are in an odd spot. N4 Light seems at odds with the deck since colorless is best poised to utilize special energy. TR Dark is great for setup, but finding the pieces is hard, and this format already has Dual Ball and Pokemon Fan Club. PR has potential given the amount of deck shuffling available, but for control it feels like a big opportunity cost not to unlock switching.
Erika's Dratini / Dragonair
A very strong contender for one of the best walls. Erika's Dratini shuts down nearly any basic. You're vulnerable to status and Goop Gas Attack, but you've got switching and (hopefully) Pokemon recursion going on to clear that. This combos well with any of the healing bench sitters, since now they only have to cover 10 damage per turn. This combos well with Potion!
Erika's Dragonair is more of an iffy inclusion, mainly to temporarily eliminate one of your opponent's setup Pokemon, but with a little deck refill capability. If you leave one energy on an Erika's Dratini, in a single turn you can evolve to Erika's Dragonair, attach a Boost Energy, and shuffle the Dragonair and Boost Energy back into the deck while doing the same to the defender. (Hmm, is there a funny donk deck combo here with AQ Furret, TR Dark Dragonair, and SK Rattata?)
Sentret / Furret
There are some good options for Sentret! N2 Sentret tells you if your opponent has any outs to your next line of strategy, but AQ Sentret tells you if it's time to shuffle the opponent's deck (and helps time Giovanni's Meowth). If you are running SK Noctowl already, N2 Sentret is preferable, but otherwise they are about tied. N1 Sentret doesn't seem to have a use here, and really, neither does N1 Furret.
AQ Furret is more important the more special energy you have in your deck, and arguably, the more you rely on Boost Energy to deliver big knockouts. Since N1 Aipom will recur cards to the deck, if you need to keep pressure on, AQ Furret is your best choice for search. It also works as a form of mild deck refill since two cards are traded for each energy. That said, since special energy is harder to recur, I would caution overuse. I don't hate the idea of running Sentret alone purely for information.
Hoothoot / Noctowl
The choice of Hoothoot is tough. Since Noctowl is quite useful, the better choice is probably N1 Hoothoot for survivability, but I wouldn't begrudge the use of SK for its 1-energy confusion.
N1 Noctowl is the "classic" choice, since it gives you a chance at disruption every turn and was part of the famous "NocLock" archetype. However, I might prioritize SK as this is the only colorless Pokemon that enables prize-peeking, and being aware of topdecks helps you prepare for your next few turns (and use TR Rattata effectively). The extra 10 HP is nice too. I wouldn't be unhappy with either.
Shining Noctowl
A fine basic with a nice stalling move. It sets your energy mix, sure, but depending on your other Pokemon maybe not an issue. If you're running this with Light Pokemon I could see a niche Miracle Energy play.
Togepi
The various Togepi have decent attacks, but it feels scary to field such a weak basic. (Why am I more worried about this guy than Lt. Surge’s Rattata?) Anyway, hopefully these are just to enable Togetic. Let's rank:
- SI has efficient confusion.
- PR is very fragile, but Snivel is a decent early wall and a chance at Metronome is cool.
- AQ has some energy search.
- N1 and N4 seem too risky to use well.
- N1 Togetic snags first for Super Metronome, which is sort of the definition of a threat. Same flavor as Clefable, but it saves you the trouble of gusting out their big Pokemon to make use of the attack. Fly isn’t worth investing 3 energy in.
- N4 Light earns second place since (1) Gold Berry is a very good card to recur, and you’d like to find it quickly from the deck, and (2) both the power and the attack have potential for “soft” milling your opponent (it’s a stretch, yeah).
- AQ is a better fit with the Lugia/Ho-oh deck that needs energy harmonization.
You might as well name the deck “Aipom Control” because your best bet at reliable recursion is N1 Aipom. If you can rotate out your active with Dragonite or Dodrio, whenever you draw Aipom you can slap it down, attach an energy, use Pilfer, and re-promote your wall/locking agent while you flip to get a trick back in the deck. It’s just that simple, run N1 Aipom. For an aggressive deck, N3 has the only colorless tool removal attack (for stripping Focus Band), and EX has a pseudo Scoop Up and a neat snipe attack, but it doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t run AQ Porygon, run N1 Aipom!
Girafarig
It makes sense that a normal/psychic type should have neither weakness nor resistance, but it's still jarring to see it there with the Neo swirls. This slots you into using psychic energy, but I suppose it would be alright as a tech card against something like Rain Dance or an Exeggutor build.
Dunsparce
"We have Lickitung at home!" type Pokemon. Not sure if either of these are worth fielding, since there are just better ways to inflict status and use pivots. If you have to use one, I would pick the N2 Dunsparce for psychic resistance and guaranteed low retreat (though SK does bypass Dark Muk, snare stadiums, etc.).
Snubbull / Granbull
SK is the best choice. It’s a coin flip, but a single attack both snares and prevents attack, giving you a free turn. If you really need to run something else, N1 has Whirlwind on a coin flip (why??) and N3 has… nothing.
The Granbull options are just solid attackers, nothing too special. I would probably prefer SK for more reliable damage, lighter retreat, and a little utility with Whirlwind.
Teddiursa / Ursaring
Both Teddiursa are liabilities, but N2 has a chance to save itself, so that seems preferable.
As for Ursaring, SK has similar functionality to Fearow with different bottom stats (dang, no resistance) and higher costs, so the best choice but not a must-have. N2 and N4 Dark both have coinflip-heavy attacks, with N4 Dark's self-bench-damage particularly worrying; I would avoid these.
Delibird
Ionno man, this feels like something for a "loss of control" deck. Can't imagine it being very useful.
Stantler
Depending on the other components of your deck (and your matchup), you may prefer N3 or SK Stantler. N3 naturally works as more of a locking card, particularly against donk decks and haymaker style attackers. A number of basics only have a single damaging attack, so Terrorize can lead to a stalemate with a snare stadium in play. SK works in concert with Noctowl and disruption trainers to strip their hand before setting up knockouts (if you can make the coins sing). Personally I think N3 has more potential. Sadly, N1 has a little status but isn’t really strong enough to compete.
Smeargle
PR Smeargle is part of how you’ll enable the perfect lock, if you get a chance. Flip heads and paint the biggest baddest opponent to be psychic or fighting type, then trap them in the active facing your largest snare. This should seriously cripple if not negate their damage, allowing you to kill the game speed while you set up recursion. PR Smeargle was good enough to get its own deck archetype “paint lock” which accomplished the same result using the trapping power of N1 Murkrow, missing in this format. Since it’s a coin flip and 40 HP you’ll want to save some Pokemon recovery to recur it if you miss the coin once or twice. This coloring counter only leaves on Scoop Up or KO, explaining why I’ve been proselytizing about healing your opponent having utility.
For the other Smeargle, N2 has a fun Ditto-like attack and AQ has a cool status/self-switch move, but none have the game breaking potential of PR.
Miltank
N1 Miltank has some promise as a wall, with big basic HP and an impactful self heal (as strong as Moo-Moo Milk, appropriately). I would be very happy to field this early to buy setup time. Body Slam is a little expensive, but maybe useful for baiting removals early. In contrast, EX doesn't offer much utility.
Lugia / Ho-oh
For control, these a little bit big basic wall, a little bit looming threat. But as I’ve referenced in the other entries, there are aggressive deck builds (check out the Pokemon 1999 Discord) centered around quickly finding and harmonizing energies to feed these attacks, is probably a better strategy to build around than tossing them in for HP.
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