Pokémon-GX, TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX, and other cards depicting the rarest and most powerful Pokémon soak up the spotlight in many powerful decks. But you don’t need these Pokémon to be successful in the Pokémon TCG—with some clever support, less-heralded Pokémon can float to the top. Weezing from Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds is one such card—the Poison Gas Pokémon is probably best known for being on the wrong side of Pikachu’s Thunderbolt early in Pokémon the Series, but its most recent appearance in the Pokémon TCG shows it can be quite formidable.
Both Weezing’s attack and its Ability
focus on spreading damage around the board. As long as Weezing is your Active
Pokémon, its Detention Gas Ability allows you to put 1 damage counter on each
of your opponent’s Basic Pokémon between turns. This is a great way to activate
the extra effect of its Splattering Sludge attack, which does 40 damage to the
opponent’s Active Pokémon and 20 more to each of your opponent’s Benched
Pokémon that has any damage counters on it.
Most of the cards in this deck are selected to synergize with Weezing’s talent for spreading damage around, either by adding even more spread damage or by capitalizing on damaged Pokémon.
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Weezing
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4Counter Energy
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4Double Colorless Energy
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1Triple Acceleration Energy
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4Cynthia
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4Lillie
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2Guzma
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3Shrine of Punishment
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4Mysterious Treasure
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4Nest Ball
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4Spell Tag
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3Pokégear 3.0
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2Escape Rope
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2Rescue Stretcher
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1Adventure Bag
Deck Strategy: Aim to get Weezing in play as quickly as you can. Not only do you need time for this deck’s incremental damage to add up, but catching foes with Detention Gas while they’re still Basic Pokémon will make them vulnerable to Splattering Sludge even after they evolve. Similarly, try to get the damage flowing early by playing Shrine of Punishment as soon as your opponent puts a Pokémon-GX into play. Tapu Koko’s Flying Flip is another easy way to start racking up damage, but don’t forget that unless Weezing is your Active Pokémon when your turn ends, Detention Gas won’t work. Remember also that Detention Gas activates during each between-turns step—it’ll activate once after the end of your turn, and again before the start of your next turn, as long as Weezing hasn’t been Knocked Out (or sent to your Bench).
Key
Cards: Mysterious Treasure is a crucial means of getting
Weezing out quickly, and it may be the greatest benefit of playing a deck featuring
Psychic-type Pokémon. This deck also features the unusual combination of
Psychic types and a strategy that focuses on doing small amounts of damage,
allowing the rarely seen Spell Tag to shine. This Pokémon Tool
card and Tapu Lele provide a little added control over where the damage
ends up, which is crucial for actually taking Prize cards instead of just
creating a board state where you need to come up with extra damage counters to
land a win.
Parting Shots: This is another deck that relies exclusively on Special Energy cards, so it’s important to attach them wisely. Be particularly careful with Counter Energy, because it’s the only way for Frost Rotom and Tapu Lele to attack. Like many other decks with the goal of spreading damage around the board, this one includes a single copy of Larvitar to pile on the damage, doing 80 for just two Colorless Energy as long as the target has at least 3 damage counters on it first, or an efficient 160 to Pokémon like Zoroark-GX that have a Weakness to Fighting. If you find yourself having a hard time finishing off your opponent late in a match, the more niche Honchkrow can almost guarantee you two or three Prize cards when it’s paired with Guzma.
Even without any Pokémon-GX, you’ll find that this deck can slug it out with just about any deck it comes up against. Check back soon for more Pokémon TCG strategy, and be sure to take a look at our Charizard & Reshiram-GX deck for another great way to build a deck featuring the latest cards from Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds.
