Mother Flygon (TCG): Difference between revisions

'''Mother Flygon''' has been a popular {{TCG|deck archetype}} in the [[Pokémon Trading Card Game|Pokémon TCG]] through the second half of the '08-'09 and into the '09-'10 {{TCG|Pokémon Organized Play|Organized Play}} seasons, and will likely remain a large part of the metagame until  the {{TCG|Rising Rivals}} set {{TCG|Rotation|rotates}}, or until the deck simply stops winning.  Mother Flygon has placed highly in many tournaments, including the 2009 Pokémon TCG World Championships. The deck's strategy centers around getting an active {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Flygon|5}} out with three energies attached, along with at least one {{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Claydol|15}} and one {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Nidoqueen|30}} on the bench.  The other bench spaces should be filled with as many {{TCG|Evolution card|evolved Pokémon}} as possible, so Flygon is able to do heavy damage with its ''Power Swing'' attack.

As is the case with most {{TCG|deck archetype}}s, the exact origin of the deck is unknown.  Soon after the {{TCG|Rising Rivals}} expansion was released, many players immediately recognized {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Flygon|5}}'s potential as an attacker and began attempting to combine it with a variety of supporting Pokémon, including {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Hippowdon LV.X|107}} and {{TCG|Secret Wonders}} {{TCG ID|Secret Wonders|Weavile|40}}.  However, the combination most often successful was with {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Nidoqueen|30}}. Nidoqueen's {{TCG|Poké-BODY}}, ''Maternal Comfort'', was extremely useful for a Pokémon as {{tt|bulky|possessing many Hit Points}} as Flygon, and Nidoqueen could also be a strong attacker in a pinch.

The deck has placed highly in a number of tournaments, including the 2009 {{wp|United States}} [[Premier Events (TCG)#National Championships|National Championships]], the 2009 [[Premier Events (TCG)#Last Chance Qualifier|Last Chance Qualifier]], and the subsequent 2009 [[Premier Events (TCG)#World Championships|World Championships]]. It has continued to be a prominent deck through the 2009-2008 TCG season, although it has been overshadowed by the dominance of {{TCG|Pokémon SP|SP}} decks such as {{TCG|LuxChomp}}.  Although Flygon variants are still popular, Mother Flygon has seen less usage, as more players have been teching in fast secondary attackers to give Flygon a {{tt|donk|turn-1 or turn-2 victory}} option and a greater chance against SP decks.

The ideal start in Mother Flygon is a {{TCG ID|Secret Wonders|Trapinch|115}} with a {{TCG|Call Energy}}, and some form of getting a {{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Claydol|15}} out of the deck, such as a {{TCG|Bebe's Search}}. In reality, although Trapinch is ideal so as not to waste an energy attachment, any Pokémon in combination with a Call Energy is a good start. This way, Trapinch (or whatever Pokémon the player starts with) can use Call Energy to get a {{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Baltoy|60}} and a {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Nidoran♀|71}} out of the deck, which he or she can then evolve the next turn.  Another option is to get two Baltoy out of the deck with Call Energy, to open up the possibility for two Claydol turn two.

Once the player has at least one {{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Claydol|15}} out, he or she should focus on getting a {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Flygon|5}} active and charged as soon as possible, with a bench full of evolved Pokémon. This way, Flygon can attack for maximum damage with its ''Power Swing'' attack.

*{{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Flygon|5}} is the decks' main attacker and, as such, arguably its most critical component. Flygon's main attack, ''Power Swing'' does 60 damage to the Defending Pokémon, plus an additional 10 damage for each evolved Pokémon on the Mother Flygon player's bench.  With an {{TCG|Expert Belt}} attached, ''Power Swing'' can hit for a massive 130 damage for only {{e}}{{e}}{{e}}, enough to knock out most Pokémon in the metagame in one shot. While ''Power Swing'' is a great brute force attack, Flygon's second attack, ''Sand Wall'', can be very effective in certain situations. ''Sand Wall'' does 40 damage for {{e}}{{e}}, which would be unremarkable if not for its effect.  If the opponent has a {{TCG|Stadium card}} in play, ''Sand Wall'' prevents all effects of attacks done to Flygon during the opponent's next turn and discards that Stadium.  This is a great stall tactic, and can also provide decent power with Expert Belt attached. It also takes only one {{TCG|Double Colorless Energy}} to use, which means it can often be used immediately. Flygon's last important feature is its ''Rainbow Float'' {{TCG|Poké-BODY}}, which gives every Pokémon the Mother Flygon player controls free retreat, as long as Flygon has an {{TCG|Energy card|Energy}} attached to it of the same type as that Pokémon. {{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Nidoqueen|30}} has a massive retreat of {{e}}{{e}}{{e}}, and {{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Claydol|15}} has a retreat cost of {{e}}{{e}}, so in the event that either of those Pokémon are active, either to stall or attack, ''Rainbow Float'' ensures that they can get out of the active spot easily with no wasted energy attachment. ''Power Swing'', ''Sand Wall'', and ''Rainbow Float'' combine to make Flygon a well-rounded attacker.

*{{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Nidoqueen|30}} - The main reason Nidoqueen is used is for its ''Maternal Comfort'' {{TCG|Poké-BODY}}. ''Maternal Comfort'' removes one damage counter from each of the Mother Flygon player's Pokémon between turns. Although it is a simple effect, it is extremely helpful in that it helps prevent Flygon and Claydol from being knocked out.  Flygon is already able to tank fairly well, since it has a decent 120 HP, so a damage removal effect makes it even more difficult for the opponent to knock out. Since Flygon requires three energies to use its main attack, and often has {{TCG|Expert Belt}} attached, it is very beneficial to keep each Flygon in play for as long as possible.  Additionally, with so many decks in the 2009-2010 metagame able to damage drawing support cards such as {{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Claydol|15}}, Nidoqueen is a critical part in maintaining the ability to draw cards. Although it is primarily used for its Poké-BODY, Nidoqueen can also function as a solid attacker in a pinch.  With Expert Belt attached, it can do 60 damage with ''Mega Punch'' for only {{e|Psychic}}, and up to 120 damage with its second attack, ''Ruthless Tail''. Its Poké-BODY and all-around versatility make Nidoqueen a good complement to Flygon.

*{{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Claydol|15}} - Although some decks can function without this staple card, Flygon, being a tremendous setup deck, is not one. With Flygon's strategy being so reliant on the ability to set up quickly, extra drawing support is extremely important, and Claydol provides that. Claydol's ''Cosmic Power'' {{TCG|Poké-POWER}} allows the Mother Flygon player to put up to two cards from their hand on the bottom of his or her deck and draw cards until he or she has six cards in hand. This is a very powerful effect, and it has made Claydol one of the most important cards to the metagame since its release in the {{TCG|Great Encounters}} set. Although Claydol can never function as a solid attacker due to its low HP and low damage capability, the fact that it is an evolved Pokémon allows it to contribute to Flygon's ''Power Swing'' attack.

*{{TCG ID|Rising Rivals|Flygon LV.X|105}} - Flygon LV.X is used primarily for certain matchups. It must be used with caution, because it gives Flygon a X2 weakness against {{e|Colorless}} Pokémon instead of its regular +30 weakness.  However, Flygon LV.X can be used to score unexpected knockouts in a pinch.  Although it has no additional attacks that simply damage the defending Pokémon, its ''Extreme Attack'' does 150 damage to any one of the opponent's {{TCG|Pokémon LV.X}} in play for {{e}}{{e}}{{e}}. Since many decks in the current format, most notably {{TCG|Pokémon SP|SP}} decks, are highly dependent on Pokémon LV.X, this is very useful for scoring crippling knockouts in difficult situations.  Additionally, Flygon LV.X's {{TCG|Poké-BODY}}, ''Wind Erosion'', discards the top card of the opponent's deck between turns, possibly discarding key components of their strategy and/or bringing them close to a deck out, a win condition for the Mother Flygon player. ''Wind Erosion'' and ''Extreme Attack'' make Flygon LV.X a useful but not crucial part of Mother Flygon's strategy.

*{{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Baltoy|60}} - Used to evolve into {{TCG ID|Great Encounters|Claydol|15}}. If absolutely necessary, Baltoy can also be used to draw cards in a pinch with its ''Psychic Balance'' attack.

*{{TCG|Call Energy}} - Useful in the early game for setting up. Also able to be used for any of Flygon's attacks, since Flygon uses only {{e}} energy.

*{{TCG|Double Colorless Energy}} - An extremely useful card in Mother Flygon. Allows Flygon to attack with ''Power Swing'' after only two turns of energy attachments.  Also compatable with Nidoqueen, since ''Ruthless Tail'' costs {{e|Psychic}}{{e}}{{e}}.

*{{TCG|Psychic Energy}} - Compatable with both Flygon and Nidoqueen.  Also provides Nidoqueen with free retreat when attached to Flygon due to its ''Rainbow Float'' {{TCG|Poké-BODY}}.

*{{TCG ID|Secret Wonders|Gardevoir|7}} - Although this brings the Stage 2 count in the deck to three different lines, Gardevoir can be a very effective tech.  With its ''Telepass'' Poké-POWER, it can let Mother Flygon abuse multiple {{TCG|Supporter card}}s each turn, provided the opponent has them in the discard pile. Additionally, it can take advantage of the Psychic and Double Colorless Energy already in the deck with ''Psychic Lock''. Although it decreases the Mother Flygon's initial consistency, it provides a powerful boost once up and running.