The night before Daytona Regionals (Expanded) I went to preregister with my Rainbow Road deck. On the way there, I got cold feet. In my testing, I was going 1-2 against Darkrai with Sudowoodo. Other decks with a Sudowoodo were also troublesome. I decided to drop by the venue anyway just to check it out and see some friends, old and new.
After we got back to our Airbnb, I decided I would test a modified version of a Turbo Lapras build I had thought of a few months ago. I told myself if it beat Darkrai, I would play it. The deck was beating Darkrai consistently, so I assumed it would beat Turbo Turtles and Night March (I played Toad and Karen). Since I expected those to be three of the four most played decks, and the deck ran well in general, I did something I have never done before: I changed my deck the night before a tournament.
Lapras has a lot of strengths. Hitting 190 damage with a choice band is always nice, but an energy cost of three, without the use of double colorless, can be a bit daunting. However, access to Aqua Patch and Max Elixir helps Lapras power up quickly, and the drawback of not attacking next turn can easily be reset with Keldeo EX and Float Stone. Collect is also great for setting up, even under item lock. Ice Beam GX was originally undervalued by many players. It can be used to stall or to set up a KO (or take a KO) while still being able to attack the next turn.
Many people asked me why I would play this over Archie’s Blastoise. I did a question and answer session on my YouTube channel with Michael Pramawat and Daniel Altavilla. During the interview they suggested Water Box (which is basically turbo Lapras) is stronger than Archie’s Blastoise. Blastoise can get shutdown by item lock or ability lock, and is just as susceptible to Trashalanche. Had I played Archie’s Blastoise, I believe I would have lost three more matches than I did.
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This is the list I used to go 6-3 at the Daytona Regional Championship:
Card Choices:
1 Keldeo EX: I wanted two, but there isn’t room. Really I wanted one and a Manaphy EX, but then I would have to attach an energy to Keldeo that I really want on Lapras, and bench space is tight.
1 Kyurem: Some people told me I should be playing Articuno, but Kyurem can set up KOs for two energy. It also can KO two Joltiks, and can hit bigger numbers consistently. I hate coin flips, so the decision between the two was simple.
1 Sudowoodo: This is nothing more than an annoyance for a lot of decks, but it wins the Darkrai and Mega Ray matchups. For that alone it is worth an inclusion.
3 Professor Sycamore, 1 N: This was the worst part of the deck. If I were to make one change, I would add a fourth Sycamore. If I were to make three changes, I would add a second N. Dead draws never lost me a round, but they did lose me games on multiple occasions.
2 Guzma: In Battle Compressor decks, you can often play one, but the switch effect allows you to reset Lapras under ability lock.
1 Colress: Colress was one of the best cards in the deck. Once both players were set up, I was regularly using Colress for 8-10 cards. I would play a second, except it doesn’t help you draw on your first turn, when it is most important.
3 Max Elixir: I used to play 4, but I kept missing half of them. With three, I don’t think I missed more than one in a game. Using Super Rod can basically guarantee you hit an energy late game.
2 Battle Compressor: Battle Compressor is really strong in this deck because it allows you to find your unique supporters with VS Seeker and put Water Energy in the discard or get rid of cards that are not good for the matchup.
1 Super Rod: If you play optimally, Super Rod is rarely needed. However, I have a hard time cutting it. It really helps get you out of weird situations or recover from minor misplays. It also allows me to go extra aggressive when needed.
1 Computer Search: Because of the similarities to Darkrai, many people thought I should play Dowsing Machine. The reason I played Computer Search is to cover up the deck’s biggest weakness: dead hands turn 1. Once you find an Ultra Ball (or Computer Search) and a draw supporter, you are usually set. Luckily, one of those can help you find the other.
1 Fighting Fury belt: This was the worst card in the deck. If I played again, it would be either a fourth Sycamore or a second N.
2 Float Stone: I almost played three. Two was fine as long as one wasn’t prized. I probably used Computer Search for this more than anything else.
3 Rough Seas: Three was perfect. Four would have been nice (but not needed) in a few matchups. In a few matchups, they did almost nothing.
Matchups:
I anticipated the most played deck at the tournament would be Turbo Turtles. The matchup is a slug fest. It comes down to who can string together the most one shots. Lapras has an advantage because of weakness. Kyurem can easily KO here while only giving up a single prize, and your opponent can’t Blacksmith and Guzma. While it can definitely lose, Lapras is heavily favored.
The deck I expected to see the second most was Darkrai. The Darkrai matchup would be super close, and probably slightly unfavorable, if not for one card: Sudowoodo. Because Darkrai needs bench space for Hoopa EX, Shaymin EX, both Darkrai ex, and Darkrai GX, being limited to four bench spaces cripples both setup and damage.
The deck I expected to see the third most was Garbodor and Friends. In this matchup you have to try to use as few items as possible. You try to set up with manual attachments while stalling with Quaking Punch. The matchup is not good. It is almost impossible to avoid using items with this list, and Mimkyu can really punish Lapras.
The deck I expected to see the fourth most was Trevenant. Trevenant is really easy if you are careful. Between Rough Seas and Collect, you counter both strengths of Trevenant very well. Just be sure to not bench too many pokemon.
The deck I expected to see fifth most was Night March. Toad, Karen, and Kyurem make this match really easy. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to play a single one in Daytona. Generally, you try to make them stretch for a KO. Once they have used a lot of resources, you can combine Karen and Quaking punch to devastate their board. They should respond with a Tauros GX. If they do, you can either use Kyurem or Lapras to one shot it (with Kyurem you will have to Quaking Punch it once). They will then try to reload. A second Karen Quaking Punch should seal the game for you. Make sure to use N if they try to loop Shaymin EX.
Another common deck in expanded is Golisipod. I was able to steal a win off of the one I played in game one through a combination of Quaking Punch and Kyurem. I proceeded to get quickly destroyed in games two and three. There isn’t too much to say here since they can one shot you for one energy and you cannot return the favor. The one game I did win I started by stalling with Guzma and Quaking Punch. After two Quaking Punches, I brought up Kyurem and one shot Golisopod with a Choice Band. He could only respond with 120 damage on Kyurem. I then used Keldeo EX to reset Kyurem and attacked with the first attack to put two Golisopod GX into OHKO range for Lapras GX. I took two KOs the next two turns to win. This is super hard to pull off, and requires good luck.
Seismitoad is also somewhat prevalent. It is very similar to Trevenant. Collect and Rough Seas allows you to win the matchup, despite a large amount of items. The timing on your GX is important. I won one game though Ice Beam GX because I kept track of my opponents VS Seekers, Guzmas and Acerolas. Make sure to use it when they are the least likely to have a way out of Paralysis. Late game, using an N on the turn you use your GX attack can really help.
Overall, Lapras is a strong deck, but it struggles against Garbodor, which is the best deck in the format. Going forward, it is a very risky play. If Dimension Valley receives a ban, it may be a strong play for the following tournament. The only change I would definitely make to the current list would be to take out a Fighting Fury Belt for a fourth Professor Sycamore. I chose to play the deck because I believed it would guarantee me top 128. While I thought Rainbow Road would give me a better chance at top 32, I knew it could also keep me from earning points at all. I decided I would rather play something safe than risky, and Lapras came through. I ended 86th among 644 masters.
