Prop 15/3 (Base-Gym) - Deck Profile - Bug Catcher

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Bug Catcher is a Grass and Psychic type deck looking to leverage high-impact, low-energy attacks with cheap-to-free retreats (that also happens to use Bug and Bat Pokemon)! The goal of the deck is to punish Haymaker style decks playing Big Basics with 2-energy retreat costs. Unfortunately, several Pokemon having a Fire weakness is rough in a field overwhelmed with Blaine's Rapidash/Wigglytuff decks (see a recent paper event's top performers...): the deck has trouble with any opponent that can OHKO Koga's Beedrill (Chanseys, Arcanines, Blaine's Rapidashes, etc.).
  • Koga's Beedrill is the main attacker with poison leading to some scenarios where Scyther can Swords Dance while an opponent's Mon is Knocked Out passively. Koga's Kakuna evolving into Beedrill on a coinflip makes this Stage 2 function more similarly to a Stage 1 'Mon. 
  • Sabrina's Venomoth can strand expensive retreaters, turn off Pokemon Powers and is great against Clefable and Ditto. The healing attack is a lot higher risk than it appears, but it can be important in games with lower damage output.
  • Brock's Mankey preys on bench sitters and can absorb 20-30 damage while building up an attacker.
  • Mr. Mime finishes off any Pokemon softened by bugs while offering a stall option with Fuchsia City Gym and Nightly Garbage Run when the game seems it may go to resource exhaustion. 
  • Brock's Bats draw extra cards and offer spread damage when the opponent is most susceptible. The extra card draw fills the deck's gap of playing a lower number of consistency Trainers despite have a Stage 2 line and two Stage 1 lines.

Use Super Energy Removal to leave the opponent without a great attacker once you've confused/KO'd their active: another of the deck's main weakness is losing an attacker to a fresh active after a KO.

Lastly, try to prioritize KOs against decks that can heal. Pokemon Center is very tough, but Super Potion and status healing may also give the deck a rough go of it.

ORIGINAL LIST

After playing the deck, it became apparent that Mr. Mime and another guaranteed, high-damage attacks would be very valuable in combination with the bugs. Also, 2-3 Beedrills seemed to be needed each game. Brock's Golbat often seemed to waste a bench space (and the lack of free retreat meant using Spiral Dive opportunistically ended up eating one or two energy).

UPDATED LIST

Changes:
-2 Brock's Golbat, -1 Brock's
 Zubat.
+1 Chansey, +1 Mr. Mime, +1 Koga's Beedrill.

I would love to take a closer look at the Trainer spread and consider some additional Basic Mon (such as if a 2nd Brock's Mankey or some other silver bullet Mon is needed).




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