Vodka for the Russian

To start off, "Vodka for the Russian" was the first thing that came to mind when I saw that Keldeo's ability was changed from "Step In" to "Rush In".

Now, onto the topic at hand.

Keldeo is arguably the best EX to be introduced in Boundaries Crossed. Keldeo and Landorus are neck and neck as of right now. The are many things, however, that make Keldeo a step above the rest. Let's take a look at the card, shall we?

1) 170 HP is pretty standard for a Pokemon such as Keldeo. He's not some big beefy tank and he's not some weak little legendary. So 170 is just right in my opinion.

2) Keldeo has one of the most well-rounded abilities in the game right now. It eliminates the need for Switch which would be an absolute must if it weren't for this ability. Rush In eliminates any hope of your opponent to stall by catchering up something fat like Blastoise and also makes status conditions almost obsolete.

3) This card pairs beautifully with the new Blastoise. Deluge allows to pile enough energy on Keldeo to where Keldeo can one shot absolutely anything your opponent has to thow at you. This, however, can make Keldeo vulnerable to Mewtwo's X Ball but we'll cover that shortly.

4) Being weak to grass is great when there are only two notable grass attackers in the format. (Shaymin EX and Verizion NVI) The sheer presence of this card has caused Shaymin and Verizion to gain more popularity than they did before. People are even finding ways to tech them into other decks just to counter Keldeo.

But Keldeo isn't the only player on this team. Think of it like football. Keldeo is the receiver, but the receiver is nothing without the quarterback. In this case, your quarterback comes in the form of Blastoise.

Let us take a look at our star quarterback.

1) 140 HP is pretty high for a stage 2 now a days but with Hydreigon's presence still being felt, 140 is perfect for Hydra to Dragonblast into oblivion.

2) Deluge, in it's own right, is a pretty great ability but it's nothing we haven't seen before. Remember Emboar? It does however pair perfectly with Keldeo's Sacred Sword attack. It's like a match made in heaven.

3) Hydro Pump also serves as a great back up attack to deal with those pesky Sigalyphs.

4) Being weak to grass threw many off because Blastoise has always been weak to lightning. But because of this, Zeels will have an even harder time dealing with the new deck.

5) 4 retreat is huge but it doesn't matter because of Keldeo's Rush In ability.

So now I will provide you with my current list and explain my reasoning behind some certain techs I've included.

Pokemon: 13

3-1-3 Blastoise

3 Keldeo EX

2 Mewtwo EX

1 Kyurem NVI

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums:

4 N

3 Juniper

3 Skyla

3 Cheren

1 Cilan

4 Pokemon Catcher

3 Rare Candy

3 Super Scoop Up

3 Ultra Ball

2 Level Ball

1 Heavy Ball

2 Energy Retrieval

1 Computer Search

1 Tropical Beach

Energy:

2 Double Colorless

11 Water

So now I am going to discuss some of my current decisions in this list thus far.


Mewtwo EX

As mentioned earlier, Mewtwo can cause a heavily loaded Keldeo some issues and there is no better way to deal with a Mewtwo than a Mewtwo of your own.

Not only that, but X Ball abuses any form of energy acceleration the game has to offer.












Kyurem NVI

Glaciate has proven itself to be one of the most dangerous attacks in the game. It is great to soften up big HP Pokemon for Keldeo so that so many energy won't need to be committed to a single one. it's also work amazing against set up deck, putting the basics on the clock.

Outrage is Kyurem's first attack and it is not something to overlook For just 2 energy, this attack's damage caps at 140! not too shabby if you ask me.









Cilan

 In a deck where your source for energy acceleration is from the hand, nobody abuses Cilan better than Blastoise (or Emboar). Cilan thins the deck and also gets you out of those dreaded energyless hands.














Super Scoop Up

Some people are on the fence when it comes to this card but I love it. The ability to completely heal your attack and put right back down with all it's energy the same turn is too good to pass up in my eyes. Reminds of good old Gyarados from Stormfront.















Heavy Ball

 In a deck that can be insanely hurt by a late game N, conserving resources is the best thing you can do. I often find myself with Rare Candy and Skyla in the same hand so instead of search out Ultra Ball with the Skyla thus being forced to discard cards that I would much rather save just to set up a Blastoise, I would much rather search out Heavy Ball instead.












Energy Retrieval 

Your attackers will get knocked out at one point so this is great for retrieving those energy.


















Tropical Beach

As mentioned before, this deck can get royally screwed by a late game N and Tropical Beach is the perfect answer to that. Not only can it help with a slow set up but if you don't top deck out of that deadly N, instead of just drawing and passing, you can refill your hand with this little gem putting right back in the game.













Double Colorless

I choose to play this card to not only apply early pressure with Mewtwo but to also aid a turn two Sacred Sword in the unfortunate event that you can't get Blastoise up and rolling fast enough.

Other options to explore

With energy acceleration like this, it leaves the door open for many techs. 

Kyurem EX

Kyurem EX would pretty much serve as a back up attacker. But in my opinion, Kyurem NVI is the better choice.

Kyogre EX

Being able to load up such a strong spread attack like Dual Splash is always a great option. It can take 1-2 surprise KO's on Pokemon that have already been heavily damaged without having to use up your Catchers.

Terrakion NVI

Darkrai EX isn't going anywhere anytime soon and Terrakion is probably the best way to deal with him. Of course playing Terrakion would require you to change up your energy lines accordingly but luckily one of the Blend energies provides water and fighting type energy.

Bouffalant DRX

In a format heavily dominated by EX Pokemon, Bouffalant is always a great option. Also, his built in Eviolite is just an added bonus to his already awesome attack.

Emolga DRX

Emolga is always an option for any set up deck.

Dusknoir

A popular variant of Keldeo/Blastoise is one that focuses on spreading with Kyurem NVI and Kyogre EX. Dusknoir could severely hurt consistency but at the same time use Kyurem and Kyogres spread and turn them into OHKO's.

Skyarrow Bridge

One thing that would make Rush In even better is if it didn't require you to put Keldeo active. What if your opponent Catchered up a Blastoise but you want to attack with something other than Keldeo EX? Dropping Keldeo's two retreat cost to one makes it easier to get it out of the active position after using Rush In.

Munna BC

Long-Distance Hypnosis can be very useful, especially in this deck. If you flip tails and put your active to sleep, as mentioned before, status conditions are almost obsolete because of Rush In. Also, if you choose to play Munna you could also add in a Musharna NDX for a little extra draw.

 

Keldeo BC 47/149

Considering what techs you chose, a Sigalyph with Safeguard can cause some issues. Keldeo's Hydro Pump does just the right amount to knock out Sigalyph.

Conclusion

So there you have it. Keldeo/Blastoise, one of the big decks to look out for for City Championships. I personally think the deck is decent but no where near best deck in format. But given the right build, I do expect this deck to perform very well and expect to see a lot of it as Cities progresses.