Ready Set Ranked: B4 Season

Ranked season has begun! For many this may be the first time you’ll try for the rank-up, yet for others this is that monthly grind you’ve craved when not playing on the PocketMads Match Play. For all who join, this season is the start of something different, and I feel like we need to talk about it.

You Can Hit Masterball

With Ruler of the Skies came a new change for the ranked ladder - you can no longer lose points on any tier below Masterball. This means that you can easily climb without concern of stalling out or entering a form of Ultraball purgatory where you win one, lose one and feel like Sisyphus rolling a poke ball up a hill only to get knocked down again. This is good news! It means that anyone of any skill level can eventually make it to the purple rank-up…

…Which reframes the ladder to something Maddy has said often - the real ranked experience begins at Masterball, not before. The change makes even Ultraball and below feel like a warmup or tutorial. I don’t think it devalues the journey to purple, but it does create a sense of longing for more. Living in North America, I woke up, got ready for the day, opened up my phone, and within an hour of starting made it to Masterball. It was easy, fun, and too short of an experience to feel satisfying. Now I have a new goal: to get as far on the ladder as I am able to without burning out.

With that in mind, let’s make a gameplan for the next fourteen days:

What to Expect on the Ladder

This article is not a meta report nor a best decks for ranked. Maddy’s near daily videos will always be the best source for up-to-date information. I can’t tell you what to play - your deck will likely change based on where you are on the ladder. I’ll assume, however, that your goal is like mine: to reach Masterball and to keep climbing up as high as you can, only stopping when you feel done for this season. This article, then, is to prepare us for what we’ll eventually face. You’ll never know your opponent’s full list, however people tend to play what’s worked before. Use this article for reference when playing against something well known.

Sleep decks are still around. They don’t have as much representation in tournaments because of the distaste for them by many, however that does not reflect the pseudo-anonymity of the ladder. People will want to win, and coin flips are a viable way to do so. In fact, the official Pocket social media account posted that Sleep Altaria made up 5.8% of the ranked ladder last season - the second highest deck representation overall. Be prepared to receive special conditions and a rough start.

Though Sleep Altaria is still the most prominent version played in tournaments, remember that this is not tournament play; people will play what you don’t expect, including sleep with Mega Lucario, Milotic EX, and Dedenne EX. A copy of PCL or Teal-Mask Ogerpon will help against this widely-used archetype. Clear Veil does not help against a turn 1 Igglybuff.

Hoopa EX currently shares a collective 11.1% of the tournament scene these past 7 days, and, as I described in a previous article, is probably here to stay. Knowing the signs of which Hoopa you’re facing is important, though the most likely one is what Maddy calls “Dark Hoopa”, with a single copy of Darkrai EX and Mega Absol. Grass decks will keep it in check, but for those not playing a bug or lizard you can mitigate the damage with either a Bonsly or Protective Poncho.

Mega Lucario is the biggest player on the field, bar none. It has its weaknesses, but as I discussed yesterday its greatest strength is its ability to switch things up in between games. Your number one objective is to take out the Riolu, or soften it up prior to it evolving. Be careful with your megas, as Lucario can swing for 210 damage when it has everything going for it.

Vespiquen EX is a force to be reckoned with; once they get going you’re facing 140 damage every turn. Your best bet is to slow them down by playing stadiums to bump theirs off the field, sniping their basics, or to play an equally aggressive deck like the ones below. Field Blower helps tremendously.

Sceptile Greninja is back on the scene and doing well for itself; it currently has the second highest win rate in the meta game, and has great matchups in all but one of the most prominent decks. I suspect you’ll see more Sceptile the higher you climb. If you can aggressively hit the bench or mess with their hand with cards like Mars and Red Card, you can secure a victory. Chingling is a great way to slow them down in the meantime.

Blaziken Greninja is both aggressive and quick - if they get a strong start. The king of highroll can and will make an appearance. Most are running a single Castform and Heatmor to help with starting hands. Typical stage 2 prevention deals with this deck well.

Mega Rayquaza has dropped in play, but still sees a 52% win rate overall. Even yesterday this deck won a decent-sized tournament. Its biggest threats are repels and taking out their Dragonairs. For this deck to work, your opponent must fill their bench and have rainbow cave out for multiple turns. Use that to your advantage as you leave Mega Ray slowly attaching energy.

And Many More

This is not an exhaustive list of decks you’ll face; instead I wished to show you the ones I believe you’d run into the most often. The best part of ranked recently is the sheer amount of viable archetypes there are! My hope is that you can come back to this article over the next few days to get a grip on the meta you’re facing.

One last thing before I sign off: low-tiered masterball will feel the same as low-tiered ultraball. You’ll face a slew of seemingly random and rogue decks. The higher you climb, however, the more likely you’ll face a smaller subset of well-performing archetypes that reflect tournament play with closed decklists. That’s where I’m headed - see you on the ladder!