Banette ex

Decklist from Jason Klaczynski.

For a slightly different build I came up with (featuring Claydol), click here.

Overview

This deck uses Banette ex to pump out large amounts of damage very quickly. Banette ex is a Stage 1 ex whose Shadow Chant attack costs {P}{C}, and does 30 damage plus 10 more for each Supporter in your discard, up to a maximum of 60 extra damage. When you're fully set up, it's 90 damage for 2 Energy, which is honestly an insane rate. Backing up this hyper-efficient attack is its Poké-Power, Shady Move, which lets you move 1 damage counter between any two Pokémon. (Yes, even if it's from yours to your opponent's.)

Ideal Gameplan

Lead with Shuppet and use Ascension on the first turn to evolve to Banette ex. Attach another Energy on turn 2 and fire off Shadow Chants. Use Holon Mentor to grab Basics which support your game plan (Holon's Voltorb as Energy, Smoochum + Jynx for free retreat, Jolteon ☆ to chip), or disrupt your opponent's (Girafarig for Jirachi, Lunatone + Solrock for Pidgeot).

Unique Points

This deck plays a much higher Supporter count than usual in order to boost Shadow Chant. Some of the Supporters have discard as a side effect, letting you get more Supporters into your discard without having to play them one by one slowly.

You can Scott for two Supporters and discard one to the other in order to raise Shadow Chant's damage quickly.

Shady Move uses:

• Shady Move can only be used when Banette ex is active, but it's not a hard once-per-turn. If, after using its Power, you retreat an Active Banette ex for another Banette ex, you can Shady Move twice in one turn. Switch cards (Warp Energy, Warp Point) and Jynx δ let you do this without paying for Retreat Costs.

• Use it to move damage from Jolteon ☆ or Rainbow Energy to your opponent's side.

• Use it to move damage away from the opponent's Active Pokémon if Shadow Chant would overkill it.

• Use it to move damage to the opponent's Active Pokémon if Shadow Chant is just out of range of a KO.

• Use it to move damage away from one of your Pokémon so it's out of KO range from your opponent's attacks.

• Use it to sneakily KO an opposing Benched Pokémon.

If your opponent has a low damage output, you can leave them unable to progress by setting up Jynx δ + 2 Banette ex and Shady Moving twice per turn.

Both halves of the 1-1 Jynx δ line can be searched for with Holon Mentor. Do not use the δ Smoochum, as its Baby Evolution Poké-Power would be stopped by Sol Shade.

Since you play Rainbow Energy, Holon's Voltorb is preferable to Holon's Magnemite, as if you have the misfortune to lead with Voltorb, you can at least be annoying with paralysis from a Rainbow Energy-fueled Thundershock.

There is a 1-of Banette with Safeguard as a wall against opposing ex's, and also to ensure you don't get walled by similar Safeguard Pokémon. As luck would have it, it hits three anti-ex Pokémon (Latios ex, Celebi ex, Wobbuffet) for Weakness and Confuses them.

Tweaks

More Lunatone (2 Target Beam) + Solrock (2 Luna Shade, 2 Sunbeam): This lets you hit Dark Tyranitar for Weakness, but if your opponent has Holon Energy FF + basic Fire Energy, Dark Tyranitar's Weakness is gone.

Sableye (Excavation): This serves as another way to get Supporters in the discard without having to play them.

Strengths

Shadow Chant is very efficient. Even if it's the second turn of the game and you have only one Supporter in your discard, it does 40 damage for two Energy. It scales with the length of the game, getting stronger as more turns pass and your discard fills up with Supporters.

Shady Move is a useful Power, but it's by no means necessary for winning. If you're playing some other deck against Cessation Crystal, your only out might be to topdeck Windstorm or Warp Point to get back in the game, but with Banette ex, you can simply beat down with Shadow Chant. Their Cessation Crystal might save them from 10 damage per turn, but that's small change compared to Shadow Chant's 90 damage per hit.

This deck has a great matchup against Gardevoir ex δ.

Weaknesses

Banette ex is fragile. It has barely more HP than most other non-ex Stage 1s, and less HP than non-ex Stage 2s. Keep in mind Banette ex gives up two Prizes when KOed. While you do have Shady Move to extend its lifespan, some of the damage (Jolteon ☆ and Rainbow Energy) is self-inflicted. The low HP could be considered a blessing in a way, as it's just under Desert Ruins' cutoff and allows you to play that card yourself.

Banette ex gets beat up really hard by Darkness Pokémon. Rocket's Sneasel ex and Dark Tyranitar both hit for Weakness and resist Psychic. At the time of writing this, Banette ex is 0-6 and 1-5 against Bombtar and Dragtrode, based on Limitless's records.