The Fire Pokémon Mass Outbreak event is in full swing in TCG Pocket, and it features plenty of Fire-type cards up for grabs in Wonder Picks, including Rare Picks.
While Arcanine EX and the rare Charizard and Moltres cards are undoubtedly the most sought-after grabs, a certain card in this event has been making waves competitively. That’s not all as this card has been instrumental in building a simple yet effective deck WITHOUT a single Ex or rare card.
The card in question is none other than the Blaine Trainer card, and it has been doing fiery stuff in battles, mainly with Ninetales and Rapidash, both of which can be obtained through the Mass Outbreak’s features bonus Wonder Picks!
The hype about Blaine started in the largest Pokémon TCG Pocket tournament to date, Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly, hosted by Pokémon Content Creator and Twitch Streamer, Ursiiday.
With a massive turnout of 1300 players, a certain Blaine deck made it to the Top 10. Shockingly though, this deck doesn’t have even one Ex card or rare Pokémon, making everyone’s jaws drop.
You must be burning with anticipation to know more about this insane deck, eh? So, without ado, let’s light it up!
- This deck focuses on Blaine being able to add an often game-changing +30 DMG to your Ninetales or Rapidash cards. It does the same to Magmar as well, but I’ll elaborate on why it’s not convenient
- Ninetales is the star Pokémon of this deck, dealing a whopping 90 DMG with Flamethrower for only two Fire Energy! However, keep in mind that it dispenses 1x Fire Energy each time it uses this move.
- While Ninetales is built around offense, Rapidash boasts a respectable 100 HP to tank hits.
- Even though the Magmar card dishes out 50 DMG (80 with Blaine) at two Fire Energies, it only has 80 HP. This makes it a sitting duck late game.
- Farfetch’d is added to give you an upper hand early game, especially if you go second. A 40 DMG hit right at the outset can cripple most non-EX cards in a jiffy. This card has been used to much success in tournaments, but I’ll present an alternative to perhaps make your deck more formidable.
- Giovanni is essential to juice up your offensive hits with +10 DMG. Seems small at first, but this often comes in clutch.
- Sabrina keeps those EX cards away from the Active Spot!
- X Speed to pull your built Pokémon out of sticky situations back to the Bench or to quickly bring out your ready-to-go Fire attacker.
- Professor’s Research and Poké Ball for the bare minimum… bring more cards to your Hand.
So why is this deck such a sensation? Here’s why it’s working:
- Excellent for all players, new or old. The event is dropping this deck’s cards in Bonus Wonder Picks. It’s technically low risk, high reward!
- Blaine gives quick and easy access to high-octane damage output (+30 DMG boost is no joke). You can basically grab an early edge with Farfetch’d and then bring in Ninetales/Rapidash for even more of an early edge.
- It’s a fast build! In no time are you dealing damage left and right with Farfetch’d and the quick one-stage evolutions from Vulpix and Ponyta. With the retreat cost requiring only one Basic Energy, you can rescue Farfetch’d to your Ninetales/Rapidash in no time.
- Threatens Mewtwo EX deck. Rapidash charges ahead to reduce its 150 HP to 110 HP, immediately putting it in the OHKO range of the Ninetales/Blaine 120 DMG mix.
- Rapidash, with 40 DMG can further take Mewtwo down to 90 HP, and even if a Potion is used on Mewtwo, it’s still OHKO-able by Ninetales/Blaine!
- It moves faster than most competitive decks barring the Pikachu variant. Even then, it’s not toothless against this deck, and Ninetales can OHKO Pikachu. Also, Rapidash can tank one Pikachu EX attack.
- With no EX cards in tow, it forces the opponent to indulge in a long fight as they would need 3 KOs to win. A KO’d EX on your side would have given them +2 points instantly. This takes off the stress of deciding which of your Pokémon to give up as a pawn in nail-biting situations.
- Expect to see yourself go 2-0 against your opponent with Farfetch’s and Ninetales/Rapidash shenanigans. Your opponent has no way to get a straight-out 2 points thanks to your deck having no EX cards.
- This deck has an established track record of getting wins and is easy to alter as well.
Even the most OP decks have certain shortcomings. It’s just a part and parcel of TCG Pocket!
To Blaine’s credit, this Fire deck’s pros outweigh the cons. Still, you should have these issues on the top of your radar at all times:
- It’s a TCG Pocket glass cannon. There isn’t much bulk to count on.
- If you don’t get the cards timely or are shell-shocked by a Red Card, it can go pretty much downhill from there.
- Even though you have an advantage against the Grass deck, Venusaur EX can still wreck you with its massive 190 HP, powerful Giant Bloom that heals 30 DMG each time, and Erika’s 50 DMG healing.
- Similarly, Lapras and Starmie EX cards, aside from the Water advantage, can go berserk with Misty.
Remember, the charm of this deck is: 1) Not using EX cards, and 2) Not using those rare Charizard and Moltres cards.
Of course, this is just a gimmick, and you can always add the EX cards of Charizard, Arcanine, or Moltres to make it more formidable, at least from a stats standpoint.
But, here are some alternatives for the cheap and easy deck highlighted above, and used widely in tournaments.
Use Kangaskhan instead of Farfetch’d
Kangaskhan is pretty tanky for this set with 100 HP to boot. But what makes Kangaskhan so good is its move Dizzy Punch. Flip 2 coins, for each head, deal 30 DMG.
With 2 heads, you do a whopping 60 DMG, OHKOing most base Pokémon at the snap of a finger. This card can go crazy against some stronger cards as well, but the downside is that two tails do zero damage. One head does only 30 damage. So, in two out of three possibilities, Kangaskhan is doing lesser damage than Farfetch’d.
Use Potion instead of X Speed
With the retreat cost being only one Energy for Ninetales, Rapidash, or Farfetch’d, X Speed may often feel unnecessary. Rather, Potion may come in handy in what is already a deck with low bulk values. In crunch situations, the 20 DMG healing is pivotal to winning the match.
Use Pokédex instead of X Speed
As Blaine’s deck heavily relies on planning for execution, having a look at the top 3 cards in your Deck by using the Pokédex card can help optimize your Bench and plan better.
Additionally, you can use a Poke Ball card to shuffle the deck if you don’t find a useful card for the occasion after using the Pokédex.
You have until November 28, 2024, to find Bonus Wonder Picks and the Rare Picks from the Fire Pokémon Mass Outbreak event. Use this opportunity to build this quirky deck that can surprise even the toughest of decks.
All the best, happy collecting, and have fun!
