Importable Dark Decklist
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 12
* 1 Galarian Moltres EVS 93
* 1 Guzzlord CEC 136
* 1 Hoopa DAA 111
* 1 Koffing SHF 41
* 1 Purrloin DAA 106
* 1 Sneasel CES 86
* 1 Spiritomb UNB 112
* 1 Zorua DEX 69
* 1 Galarian Weezing RCL 113
* 1 Liepard BRS 91
* 1 Weavile UPR 74
* 1 Zoroark BKT 91
##Trainer Cards - 39
* 1 Boss's Orders RCL 154
* 1 Cynthia & Caitlin CEC 228
* 1 Trainers' Mail ROS 92
* 1 Professor's Letter XY 123
* 1 Pokégear3.0 HS 96
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Bird Keeper DAA 159
* 1 Ultra Ball DEX 102
* 1 Dark Claw DEX 92
* 1 Gloria BRS 141
* 1 Bruno BST 158
* 1 Super Rod BKT 149
* 1 Tate & Liza CES 148
* 1 Copycat HS 90
* 1 Colress PLS 135
* 1 Nest Ball SUM 123
* 1 Quick Ball SSH 179
* 1 Brigette BKT 134
* 1 Escape Rope PRC 127
* 1 Cynthia UPR 119
* 1 Town Map BKT 150
* 1 Field Blower GRI 125
* 1 Guzma BUS 115
* 1 Air Balloon SSH 156
* 1 Float Stone PLF 99
* 1 Beast Ring FLI 102
* 1 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
* 1 Professor Sycamore PHF 101
* 1 Klara CRE 145
* 1 Level Ball BST 129
* 1 Dark City UNM 193
* 1 Dark Patch DEX 93
* 1 N NVI 92
* 1 Devoured Field CIN 93
* 1 Muscle Band XY 121
* 1 Marnie SSH 208
* 1 Evolution Incense SSH 163
* 1 VS Seeker PHF 109
##Energy - 9
* 1 Double Colorless Energy SUM 136
* 1 Twin Energy RCL 174
* 7 Darkness Energy Energy 7
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
Hello all! This last weekend I made the two-hour trek to Akron Ohio to compete in the FullGripGames 1k GLC tournament. With some insane luck, and some huge brain plays, I was able to take home the crown and title of GLC Champion!
For some Dark Type Gym Leaders, my list may seem different from the normal builds. I will attempt to answer any questions people have sent my way about the decklist in this article. I also hope this will be a valuable post for those who are just getting into the GLC format (or deckbuilding in general) - My deckbuilding concepts in GLC are very similar to the deckbuilding concepts I would use in any official Pokemon format.
Matchups
Metal W
Dragon W
Metal W
Psychic W
Attacking Colorless L
Grass W
ID
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Top 8: Psychic WW
Top 4: Water WLW
Finals: Attacking Colorless WW
What is GLC?
GLC stands for Gym Leader Challenge and is a custom Pokemon format with three basic rules: 1) No Rule Box cards (Vs, EXs, Ace Specs, etc) 2) Only one type of Pokemon 3) Maximum copy of 1 of any card other than Basic Energy.
Read more about the format at gymleaderchallenge.com
Why did you choose the dark type?
For a deck to be successful in this format, it must have a few (not all) of the following qualities: good sniping attack, ability to take multiple prizes, a good draw engine, low maintenance attackers, beefy attackers, quick attackers, and/or disruption. For the longest time, dark had most of these traits but lacked a solid draw engine. Then came Brilliant Stars and Liepard. Liepard has an Ability that allows you to discard a card to draw two cards. Over the course of a game, this means you could see anywhere from 10 to 20 additional cards all while thinning out your deck in the process! Finally, dark had the requisite draw power necessary to compete with the likes of Lightning, Water, and Colorless.
Where's Crobat or Thievul?
Before Liepard, dark decks relied on Crobat and Thievul for draw. Golbat, when it evolves from Zubat, allows you to draw two cards, and Crobat allows you to draw three. Thievul is a bit more tricky with an ability that forces both players to shuffle in their hand and draw four. The problem with these cards are that their effects are coming into play effects. That is, you must have them in hand to get any benefit. If your opponent N's you in the late game and you aren't able to draw into the evolution, you're stuck without supplemental draw.
Additionally, these cards are one time effects that don't even guarantee that you get what you want! You could play a Crobat for draw and not even hit the crucial card you need! Of course the same could be said about Liepard, but you have many turns to mitigate not getting what you need off Trade because you will be able to reuse the Ability many times in the future.
Why did you opt for those Stadiums?
I like to have as much pivoting as possible with this deck. Since you have a half dozen viable attackers which are all useful in different situations, it's nice to be able to utilize them at a moments notice. Throughout the course of the day, I never had a Pokemon stuck Active, thanks to all the switch options in the list. Another strong advantage of playing so many switching cards is that you are better able to facilitate a Hoopa attack on T1. Hoopa allows you to cheese games with a donk, or heavily disrupt the precious few Pokemon your opponent has prioritized getting into play on their first turn.
The Devoured Field adds 10 damage to your Dark Pokemon's attacks and fixes a lot of surprising numbers. A few that I encountered in the course of my tournament run was getting to 190 damage with a 5 damage counter Spiritomb + Muscle Band + Devoured Field. Additionally, it can help Hoopa hit for 120, or a multitude of Pokemon for 130.
No Timer Ball?
Remember in "The Incredibles" when Edna says "No capes"? She knows from experience the danger that is inherent in using unnecessary frills. Same idea here...no flips.
Copycat? Bruno? No Raihan?
I have never been a fan of Raihan for decks with a built in accelerator or for lower maintenance decks. Dark is definitely a low maintenance deck with only two Pokemon (Galarian Moltres and Guzzlord) needing multiple attachments to attack. Even still, those can be powered up in one turn given the correct combination of cards!
In deckbuilding, I prioritize having supporters that are useful from the start of the game. Even though Copycat may only net you 4 or 5 cards on T1, it would still be preferable to having Raihan. The same thing can be said of Bruno where the draw on T1 is minimal, but sufficient. These cards obviously become more powerful under certain conditions, but even if those conditions aren't met, you still have passable draw.
I prioritize having supporters that are useful from the start of the game.
When deckbuilding, consider how much of the time a card will be useful to you. Is it solely beneficial at the end of the game? Is there another card that does a similar thing that also would be good in the early game? I'm always looking to mitigate cards that are only good under certain conditions. Obviously, sometimes those cards are extremely good like Teammates or Beast Ring! But those cards are the exception, not the rule.
Was Field Blower useful?
HUGELY! I loved the Field Blower, and it was a late addition to the deck. Field Blower is predominantly useful for the Metal matchup to get rid of those nasty tools like Metal Frying Pan. It's also solid for removing Float Stone from decks, which is often the only pivoting tool for many greedy decks. Further, it acts as a 3rd Stadium to remove something particularly troublesome that an opponent may play. I would strongly consider playing Field Blower in any list if you have the space.
Are Klara, Super Rod, and Rescue Stretcher all necessary?
I do feel like this consistency in recovery helped me achieve a strong result during the tournament. I could basically count on being able to use any attacker twice over the course of the game. Super Rod is better than Ordinary Rod in my mind because it allows you to get back three Pokemon or three Energy instead of forcing a split. There were many times where I wanted to put back the Energy to guarantee I had some to attach with Beast Ring or with Galarian Moltres' Ability. Rescure Stretcher is nice for being able to pick up a basic attacker like Hoopa and Spiritomb for immediate use on the next turn. Finally, Klara was such a strong wombo-combo with Galarian Moltres at the end of the game. In fact, that was how I ended both of my streamed matches!
Conclusion
I hope this brief insight into how I constructed my deck helps you as you make decisions for your GLC deck. It's quite a deep, skillful format where every card is extremely important and can greatly affect your overall win percentage. If you have further questions on the list, feel free to @ me on Twitter @RealJohnWalter or drop them below! GLAAHF