Where there's smoke, there's fire. And what better way to put out a problematic fire than with a healthy dose of water and some tactical espionage?

As promised, we are back with a deck primer for players looking to dive right into the game with their very own spy themed action thriller deck featuring Pokémon's very own secret agent, Inteleon, or have perhaps bought (or were thinking of buying) the recent Inteleon VMAX League Battle Deck and are looking for the next step to upgrading the deck! Stick around to learn what the deck's core strategy is about and how you too can style on your opponent from afar! 


An upgrade for players who started off with this battle league deck!


Inteleon sample decklist piloted by online user [QWERTYD] to first place in the recent "ATLAS - Turtwig Den Series Challenge 7" online event.

*If you aren't familiar with some of the cards, here's a written list!

4 Inteleon V FST 78
3 Inteleon VMAX FST 79
4 Sobble CRE 41
4 Drizzile SSH 56
2 Inteleon CRE 43
1 Inteleon SSH 58
2 Remoraid BST 36
2 Octillery BST 37

4 Cheryl BST 123
2 Korrina's Focus BST 128
2 Marnie CPA 56
2 Boss's Orders SHF 58
2 Professor's Research CEL 23
4 Level Ball BST 129
4 Quick Ball FST 237
4 Evolution Incense SSH 163
2 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
1 Capacious Bucket RCL 156
1 Escape Rope BST 125
4 Training Court RCL 169

3 Rapid Strike Energy BST 140
3 Water Energy 3

Let's take a look at the star of our deck and the rest of the cast that will help make this deck a success! 


Putting bullets in all the right places

With the addition of Inteleon's V (Rapid Strike) and VMAX (Rapid Strike) forms in Fusion Strike, it's finally time for this cool chameleon to take the spotlight it deserves. Packing the precision and tenacity of a professional sniper, this deck focuses on getting "Inteleon VMAX (Rapid Strike)" into play and using a combination of [G Max Spiral] to hit opposing active Pokémon where it hurts for 140 damage in tandem with "Rapid strike energy" and then doing a classic fade away with the supporter card "Cheryl", as well as layering damage down over several turns on your opponent's benched Pokémon in order to set up multiple kill zones to secure your victory with it's [Double Gunner] ability.

If push comes to shove, Inteleon's V form and it's base Sword and Shield form do have access to [Aqua Bullet] to potentially hit two birds with one bullet with the proper preparation! Inteleon's Chilling Reign version, which this deck utilises to great effect, allows you to snipe any Pokémon for 2 damage counters with it's [Quick Shooting] ability, which helps make it a little easier to knockout Pokémon who are above the 280hp threshold over the course of two turns and it also puts immense pressure on opposing stage basic Pokémon! 


Every spy flick has got to have a capable and good looking helper somewhere in the plot right?

But even with our lead actor, main weapon, and charming assistant present, a spy always needs to use ingenuity and the resources available wisely! To be ill-prepared on a mission is certainly unbecoming of a professional, for you may only have but one shot to change the world! Hence you will need to undergo the proper training, carry the right tools for the job, and make the occasional shady dealing once in a while... which brings us to our supporting cast!


Definitely something shady going on here... 

Utilise your wit and cunning to get what you need to carry out your mission. With Drizzle and Inteleons's [Shady Dealings] abilities, you'll always be able to pin point exactly the right trainer cards you need at that moment in the match. For example, if you are in a pinch and need to patch your wounds, a timely "Cheryl" or "Scoop up Net" may help you make a temporary retreat and live to fight yet another few turns, while if you are going on the offense, taking the lead with a "Boss's Orders" will help you dictate the flow of battle and put your opponents in a bad position by swapping your opponent's active Pokémon and potentially knocking it out with an attack of choice! 


Need a hand?

Your supporting cast doesn't end there though! No man is an island and you'll probably need more help to consistently take down bigger and badder opponents, so make use of any connections you have to find the right people or Pokémon to get the job done! Octillery (Rapid Strike)'s [Rapid Strike Search] will help you search for ANY Rapid Strike themed card such as your main attacker Inteleon VMAX and the Rapid Strike Energy it requires, and also a sneaky way to pick off weakened Pokémon with the Chilling Reign variant of Inteleon with [Quick Shot]. You can also utilise level balls, quick balls and evolution incenses to find the missing Pokémon you need to kick start or keep your engine going!

Picking the proper location for your showdown, be it an all out brawl or a sneaky assassination, is of course vital to your deck's success! Study and use your surroundings to compliment and execute your winning strategy! 


Set the stage for your victory!

"Training Court" helps players who are looking forward to a more sniper-focused type of gameplay where you are constantly recurring the water energy required for Inteleon VMAX (Rapid Strike)'s [Double Gunner] and Chilling reign's Inteleon's [Quick Shot] to put pressure on the opposing benched Pokémon and eventually leading to a potential multi knockout or a chain of knock outs in quick succession!

"Path to the peak" can also be utilised in a deck that shifts away from the option of using [Double Gunner] to slow down, if not outright destroy, most of your opponent's GX/V Pokémon based plans while pelting away at their bench with the same [Quick Shot] strategy and perhaps adding cards like "Basculin" and "Rocky Helmet" to make up for the damage loss from [Double Gunner] to get even on trades! 


A little more icing for your cake.

Armed with this knowledge, you can finally make all the necessary preparations for your deck and put the plan into motion! If all goes to plan, no one will be able to stop you from delivering the coup de grâce from your sniper tower! As always, we hope everyone is having fun playing the Pokémon TCG and we'll see you in the next article and till then, good hunting!