PTCG: Mega Evolution Release

Megas are back, baby!

I chose an absolutely amazing year to get back into PTCG. I've played it on occasion in the past, downloading Online in middle school and buying a battle academy with my roommate in college, but I didn't truly get into it until Pocket released. Pocket itself isn't what makes this year amazing for me, though. We got a super eevee focused set (my fave mon, btw) and a set focusing back on gen 6 and MEGAS, it's sick!

The card I was most looking forward to, and immediately build a deck around, was Mega Gardevoir Ex. I already had a Mewtwo Ex deck, and this one's just plain better. An energy from the deck for each bench mon vs 2 from discard, 50 damage for each psychic energy vs 30, and the most offensive part (imo) being that Mega Symphonia costs 1 energy less than Photon Kinesis. Actual absurdity. So yeah, I built a deck day 1 (or I guess -1, since it released on Live a day earlier than paper).

The Mega Gardevoir Ex card from the Mega Evolution set. Its first attack is Overflowing Wishes, one psychic energy to search your deck for a basic psychic energy and attach it for each of your benched pokémon. Its other attack is Mega Symphonia, one psychic energy to deal 50 damage for each psychic energy attached to all of your pokémon. — Mega Gardevoir Ex

The Mewtwo Ex card from the Paradox Rift set. Its first attack is Transfer Charge, one psychic energy to attack 2 psychic energy from your discard to your pokémon. Its other attack is Photon Kinesis, two psychic energy to deal 10 plus 30 damage for each psychic energy attached to all of your pokémon. — Mewtwo Ex

As a fun little deckbuilding restriction, I only used cards from the new set (aside from energies, since Live wanted to act like there were none). It's as follows (thank goodness I remembered Live lets you export):

Pokémon: 9
1 Kirlia MEG 59 PH
2 Xerneas MEG 64
2 Mega Kangaskhan ex MEG 164
3 Kirlia MEG 59
2 Mega Gardevoir ex MEG 159
1 Delibird MEG 105
2 Mega Gardevoir ex MEG 60
4 Ralts MEG 58
1 Delibird MEG 105 PH

Trainer: 10
2 Buddy-Buddy Poffin PRE 101
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
2 Switch MEG 130
2 Wally's Compassion MEG 132
2 Ultra Ball BRS 150
2 Rare Candy GRI 165
2 Boss's Orders RCL 154
2 Mega Signal MEG 121
4 Mystery Garden MEG 122
2 Pokémon Center Lady MEG 123

Energy: 1
18 Basic {P} Energy Energy 49

Total Cards: 60

Basically, the gameplan is get Mega Gardevoir Ex out, throw on some energies, and start swinging ridiculously hard. Almost every card here helps make sure we can get Mega Gardevoir Ex...to an extent that that sums up most of the deck lol. Some cards I'm particularly fond of are Lillie's Determination, Wally's Compassion, and Mystery Garden.

The Lillie's Determination card from the Mega Evolution set. Its effect is Shuffle your hand into your deck. Then, draw 6 cards. If you have exactly 6 Prize cards remaining, draw 8 cards instead. — Lillie's Determination

The Wally's Compassion card from the Mega Evolution set. Its effect is Heal all damage from 1 of your Mega Evolution Pokémon ex. If you healed any damage in this way, put all Energy attached to that Pokémon into your hand. — Wally's Compassion

The Mystery Garden card from the Mega Evolution set. Its effect is Once during each player’s turn, that player may discard an Energy card from their hand in order to draw cards until they have as many cards in their hand as they have Psychic Pokémon in play. — Mystery Garden

Lillie's Determination shuffles your hand into your deck, then draws 6 unless you have all 6 prize cards, then it draws 8. Fun alternative to Professor's Research that's stronger early on. Wally's Compassion fully heals a Mega Evolution Pokémon ex (goodness that's wordy) and puts all the attached energy on it into your hand. Do you know how trivial of a downside that is for Gardevoir? Miss "I'm going to deal 450 damage with 1 energy on me"? Ridiculous, love it. Also the art's v nice, love my boy Wally. Mystery Garden has been of no help to me so far but I dig it conceptually. Discard an energy to draw until you have cards in hand equal to the number of psychic mons in play. Neat bit of card draw, I just misread it as drawing as many cards as psychic mons in play and played it at bad times.

Overall, pretty fun! I dig the cards in the new set and I can't complain about X and Y getting more love. The Lucario Ex deck they give you in Live is nasty, by the way.