Blaine's Fiery Triumph: Mastering the Mass Outbreak in TCG Pock

  • The Fire Pokémon Mass Outbreak event in TCG Pocket has set the Pokémon community ablaze, offering a sizzling selection of Fire-type cards through Wonder Picks, including the coveted Rare Picks. While the likes of Arcanine EX and Charizard might steal the spotlight, there’s a certain unassuming card that’s making waves in competitive circles. Enter Blaine, the fiery trainer, whose card is lighting up tournaments and sparking a new deck-building trend that doesn't rely on Ex or rare cards. Let’s dive into the blaze of Blaine’s brilliance!

    Blaine's card has taken the competitive scene by storm, particularly in a deck centered around Ninetales and Rapidash—two Fire-type Pokémon that are also available through the Mass Outbreak’s Bonus Wonder Picks. What’s fascinating about this deck is its simplicity and accessibility. You don’t need a single EX card to make it work. Instead, Blaine’s ability to enhance Fire Pokémon with a +30 DMG boost has made this deck not only effective but surprisingly efficient.

    The Pocket Weekly Tournament: Blaine’s Breakout

    The real test for Blaine came during the Pokémon TCG Pocket community's largest tournament to date, Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly. This event saw an impressive 1300 players, but it was a deck featuring Blaine that truly turned heads. This deck, shockingly, contained no EX cards and still managed to push its way into the Top 10. The secret? An efficient mix of Fire-type Pokémon and a few key trainer cards, all carefully orchestrated to deliver big damage quickly.

    Deck Breakdown: Blaine's Firestorm

    At the heart of Blaine’s deck is Ninetales, which can dish out a hefty 90 DMG with Flamethrower for only two Fire Energy—provided you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of energy with each use. To complement Ninetales’ offensive power, Rapidash serves as the deck's tank with 100 HP. This combo allows the player to quickly establish offensive momentum while maintaining some resilience on the battlefield.

    The Deck’s Core:

    • 2x Ninetales
    • 2x Vulpix
    • 2x Rapidash
    • 2x Ponyta
    • 1x Farfetched
    • 2x Blaine
    • 2x Giovanni
    • 2x Professor’s Research
    • 1x Sabrina
    • 2x Poké Ball
    • 2x X-Speed

    How It Works: Blaine is the key to turning up the heat, adding a +30 DMG boost to your Fire Pokémon. While it also works with Magmar, it’s Ninetales and Rapidash that shine in this setup. Farfetch makes an appearance to help get things rolling early on, especially if you go second, while Giovanni adds a nice +10 DMG to your attacks. Sabrina ensures that EX cards can’t easily clog up your Active Spot, giving your Pokémon a clear path to deal damage.

    Pros and Cons of Blaine’s Deck

    Pros:

    • Accessibility: With the event dropping key cards in Bonus Wonder Picks, this deck is low-risk, high-reward.
    • Speed: The deck can deal damage quickly, especially with the fast evolutions of Vulpix to Ninetales and Ponyta to Rapidash.
    • Threat to EX decks: This deck poses a significant challenge to Mewtwo EX decks, with Rapidash and Ninetales capable of quickly reducing their HP to vulnerable levels.
    • No EX cards: This means that your opponent has to work hard to get a win, as KOing an EX card provides them with an instant +2 points.

    Cons:

    • Glass Cannon: The deck lacks significant bulk, meaning that once you fall behind, it can be hard to catch up.
    • Vulnerable to healing decks: Pokémon like Venusaur EX and Lapras EX can present challenges due to their healing abilities.
    • Takes precision: If the cards don’t fall into place, the deck can struggle, especially if key cards are delayed.

    Alternatives to the Blaine Deck

    While Blaine’s deck is already pretty formidable, there are ways to tweak it for even better results. For example, swapping Farfetch’d with Kangaskhan provides a more tanky alternative with its Dizzy Punch attack. You can also replace X-Speed with Potion or Pokédex to enhance your deck's consistency and survivability.

    Final Thoughts: Is Blaine the Future of Fire?

    Blaine’s Fire-type deck in TCG Pocket proves that you don’t need the rarest EX cards to build a competitive deck. The synergy between Ninetales, Rapidash, and Blaine is undeniable, and with clever trainer card choices, this deck is setting fire to the competition. As the Mass Outbreak event continues, the power of Blaine’s deck is likely to keep heating the rankings.

    And if you’re looking to fuel your deck even further, don’t forget to buy a Pokémon TCG pocket top-up to grab all the necessary cards and keep the flames of victory burning bright!