Hi there. Here is another Pokemon TCG Pocket post by me. In this one I cover this water deck that features Articuno, Misty and Greninja as a supporting Pokemon.
Core Cards
Articuno ex
Articuno ex in the video game is an Ice type Pokemon. In the trading card game it is a Water type. It is a 140HP Basic Water type with two retreat cost and Lightning weakness.
The two attacks don't seem like much on its own. For one water Energy and one Colourless Energy you do 40 damage. The second attack of Blizzard requires 3 Water Energy to do 80 damage plus 10 damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokemon.
Greninja Evolution Line
Greninja is a Stage 2 Pokemon with 120 HP, one retreat cost and Lightning weakness. Stage 2 Pokemon in the Pokemon Pocket game takes a bit long and is subjected to randomness. In the regular card game you have access to Rare Candy to evolve from a Basic Pokemon to its corresponding Stage 2 evolution. In Pocket there is no Rare Candy.
Greninja has a very nice ability where you can do 20 damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokemon once during your turn. Its Mist Slash attack is okay. Mist Slash requires one Water Energy and one Colourless Energy to do 60 damage.
Misty
Sample Decklist
Sample decklist taken from here.
The Pokemon in this deck are all Water types. You have 2 of Froakie, 2 Frogadier, 2 Greninjas and 2 Articuno ex. The other 12 cards in the 20 card deck are Trainer cards and Supporters. It is common and recommended to have 2 Professor's Research and 2 Pokeballs in every deck.
Two Mistys are essential for this Water deck. Misty with good luck allows you to attack with Articuno ex or Froakie going first on your first turn. If you are able to use Misty and get three heads to power up Articuno ex's Blizzard attack you are almost guaranteed to win with your opponent rage quitting. The opponent afterwards is likely not going to like you and not give you a thanks in game.
If you Articuno ex + Misty combo fails in the first turn, you do have the Greninja evolution line as a potential late game winning strategy. The combination of Greninja's ability and Articuno's Blizzard attack can spread damage to your opponent's Bench. In theory you can get multiple knockouts and get your 3 points in one turn for the win.
Giovanni is not needed in this deck. Sabrina is preferred as Sabrina forces your opponent to replace their Active Pokemon with a Benched Pokemon with likely no energy to attack.
Here is a short video from someone I know on the Articuno and Misty lucky combo if you get Heads.
Pros
- Hit for weakness against Fire types
- Good Misty luck can allow you to attack on your first turn going first. No other deck can do this.
- Good Misty luck provides 1 or more Water Energy acceleration for Articuno ex
- Greninja's ability allows to hit 20 damage per turn anywhere once setup.
- Spread damage for possible multiple knockouts on a turn.
Cons
- Greninja setup takes time and is inconsistent
- Weak to popular Pikachu ex and electric decks.
- Poor Misty luck hurts your deck and makes you vulnerable to fast attacking decks
- Opponents likely won't like you or give thanks in game if you get (super) lucky in your wins.
- No one hit knockout power.
Summary
Articuno ex with a Greninja evolution line is an interesting Water deck to use. If you get lucky with Misty you can power up Articuno ex pretty fast. If the Misty luck is not in your favour then you have the Greninja evolution line to give you a chance in the game. This deck can have setup issues like any deck.
This deck is good against Fire types but bad against Electric decks. Damage spread in this deck is nice and unique. The lack of one hit power knockouts can be bad against something with high HP attackers like Venusaur ex, Mewtwo ex and Machamp ex.