Water
So you want to be a Water type Gym Leader, following in the footsteps of Nessa and Crasher Wake? You’ve come to the right place. Water type Pokémon have a wonderful history in the Pokémon TCG, after all, the Pokémon TCG’s very first Energy accelerator was Water type! If I have to pick a type, I may be a Water Gym Leader myself. Water Pokémon have some of the best support across any type, with access to multiple Energy accelerators, draw support, Energy recovery and search options! What can I say? I love me a good Rain Dance deck.
Support Pokemon
Blastoise and Frosmoth have great synergy together, allowing you to attach as many Water Energy from your hand to your Pokémon in play as you like. Having two Rain Dancers gives Water some excellent protection against Prizing, as you only need to set up one of them in order to get moving, which is really powerful in GLC. Alolan Vulpix is also arguably the best lead in all of Gym Leader Challenge with its free Beacon attack, which allows you to search your deck for two Pokémon and put them into your hand. Beacon combined with Octillery or the Inteleon line can allow for some explosive early turns! When a Water deck is set up, it feels like you have complete control over the board, with multiple powerful Abilities firing off per turn.
Attackers
What Water lacks in “low maintenance” attackers, it makes up for with substantive bulk and damage output. Wailord and Wishiwashi are two of the biggest fish in the sea with 200 and 180 HP respectively. Many Water attackers have Hydro Pump style attacks, which do more damage for each Water Energy attached to that Pokémon. These attackers thrive once Frosmoth or Blastoise have hit the board! Water also has access to some of the best spread attackers in the game, with Amazing Rare Kyogre, Shining Volcanion and Kyurem (NVI) on the roster.
Deck Lists
Rain Dance
This deck aims to power up Water’s biggest attackers as fast and consistently as possible with Frosmoth or Blastoise. In my mind, this is the “quintessential” Water deck, and one of my favorite decks to pilot in Gym Leader Challenge.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon – 17
* 1 Alolan Vulpix GRI 21
* 1 Lapras TEU 31
* 1 Remoraid BKT 32
* 1 Octillery BKT 33
* 1 Snom SSH 63
* 1 Frosmoth SHF 30
* 1 Sobble SSH 55
* 1 Drizzile SSH 56
* 1 Inteleon SSH 58
* 1 Squirtle BCR 29
* 1 Wartortle PLB 15
* 1 Blastoise PLB 16
* 1 Staryu BKP 25
* 1 Starmie EVO 31
* 1 Wailmer VIV 31
* 1 Wailord VIV 32
* 1 Wishiwashi CEC 62
##Trainer Cards – 32
* 1 Nessa VIV 157
* 1 Brooklet Hill GRI 120
* 1 Cynthia & Caitlin CEC 189
* 1 Marnie SSH 169
* 1 Gloria BRS 141
* 1 Professor’s Letter BKT 146
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Evolution Incense SSH 163
* 1 Timer Ball SUM 134
* 1 Tate & Liza CES 148
* 1 Nest Ball SUM 123
* 1 Quick Ball SSH 179
* 1 Brigette BKT 134
* 1 Evosoda XY 116
* 1 Rare Candy SSH 180
* 1 Cynthia UPR 119
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Field Blower GRI 125
* 1 Guzma BUS 115
* 1 Colress PLS 118
* 1 VS Seeker PHF 109
* 1 Boss’s Orders BRS 132
* 1 Level Ball BST 129
* 1 Float Stone BKT 137
* 1 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
* 1 N FCO 105
* 1 Hex Maniac AOR 75
* 1 Sonia RCL 167
* 1 Professor’s Research BRS 147
* 1 Dive Ball PRC 125
* 1 Capacious Bucket RCL 156
* 1 Ultra Ball BRS 150
##Energy – 11
* 10 Water Energy Energy 3
* 1 Splash Energy BKP 113
Total Cards – 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
Water Spread
This deck takes a bit of a different approach than the previous list by aiming to soften up the opponent’s board with Kyurem‘s Glaciate and Shining Volcanion‘s Dual Pump before taking sweeping knock outs with Kyogre‘s Amazing Surge or Starmie (FST)‘s Multishot Star. This list has a bit of a well rounded approach, but I have also seen lists that focus solely on powering up Amazing Surge with Milotic (FLF)‘s Energy Grace. The possibilities are endless!
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon – 14
* 1 Alolan Vulpix GRI 21
* 1 Articuno ROS 17
* 1 Kyogre SHF 21
* 1 Kyurem NVI 34
* 1 Remoraid BKT 32
* 1 Octillery BKT 33
* 1 Shining Volcanion SLG 27
* 1 Snom SSH 63
* 1 Frosmoth SSH 64
* 1 Sobble SSH 55
* 1 Drizzile SSH 56
* 1 Inteleon SSH 58
* 1 Staryu BKP 25
* 1 Starmie FST 53
##Trainer Cards – 34
* 1 Colress PLS 118
* 1 Super Rod BKT 149
* 1 Evosoda XY 116
* 1 Dive Ball PRC 125
* 1 Brooklet Hill GRI 120
* 1 Raihan EVS 152
* 1 Superior Energy Retrieval PLF 103
* 1 Timer Ball SUM 134
* 1 Gladion CIN 95
* 1 Nessa VIV 157
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Tate & Liza CES 148
* 1 Professor’s Letter BKT 146
* 1 Nest Ball SUM 123
* 1 Level Ball BST 129
* 1 Brigette BKT 134
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Guzma BUS 115
* 1 Silent Lab PRC 140
* 1 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
* 1 N FCO 105
* 1 VS Seeker PHF 109
* 1 Quick Ball SSH 179
* 1 Cynthia UPR 119
* 1 Professor’s Research BRS 147
* 1 Muscle Band XY 121
* 1 Marnie SSH 169
* 1 Field Blower GRI 125
* 1 Gloria BRS 141
* 1 Boss’s Orders BRS 132
* 1 Float Stone BKT 137
* 1 Evolution Incense SSH 163
* 1 Ultra Ball BRS 150
* 1 Sonia RCL 167
##Energy – 12
* 10 Water Energy Energy 3
* 1 Counter Energy CIN 100
* 1 Splash Energy BKP 113
Total Cards – 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
Water Control
For the more devious Water Gym Leaders, here is a Water control deck. Like most control decks, this deck aims to trap one of your opponent’s support Pokémon in the Active Spot, remove their hand, then mill them with Bellelba & Brycen-Man! To recover resources, this list uses Azumarill (FST) and Floatzel (BRS) to recover resources every turn. Control decks are generally difficult to pilot, and your friends might not want to play with you much if you get the lock to stick, but strategies like these are undoubtedly powerful in Gym Leader Challenge format!
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon – 19
* 1 Alolan Vulpix GRI 21
* 1 Buizel BRS 38
* 1 Floatzel BRS 39
* 1 Feebas DRM 28
* 1 Milotic EVS 38
* 1 Marill BUS 34
* 1 Azumarill FST 59
* 1 Mudkip CES 32
* 1 Marshtomp FST 63
* 1 Swampert CES 35
* 1 Pyukumuku FST 77
* 1 Remoraid BKT 32
* 1 Octillery BKT 33
* 1 Sobble SSH 55
* 1 Drizzile SSH 56
* 1 Inteleon SSH 58
* 1 Staryu BKP 25
* 1 Starmie EVO 31
* 1 Tirtouga PLB 27
##Trainer Cards – 37
* 1 N FCO 105
* 1 Chip-Chip Ice Axe UNB 165
* 1 Bird Keeper DAA 159
* 1 Peonia CRE 149
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Sky Pillar CES 144
* 1 Professor’s Research BRS 147
* 1 Lt. Surge’s Strategy HIF 60
* 1 Hiker CES 133
* 1 Robo Substitute Team Flare Gear PHF 102
* 1 Rescue Scarf DRX 115
* 1 Team Flare Grunt GEN 73
* 1 Reset Stamp UNM 206
* 1 Cynthia & Caitlin CEC 189
* 1 Echoing Horn CRE 136
* 1 Quick Ball SSH 179
* 1 Nest Ball SUM 123
* 1 Gloria BRS 141
* 1 Tropical Beach PR-BLW 28
* 1 Teammates PRC 141
* 1 Field Blower GRI 125
* 1 Boss’s Orders BRS 132
* 1 Level Ball BST 129
* 1 Float Stone BKT 137
* 1 Steven’s Resolve CES 145
* 1 Rescue Carrier EVS 154
* 1 Lillie’s Poké Doll CEC 197
* 1 Bellelba & Brycen-Man CEC 186
* 1 Counter Catcher CIN 91
* 1 Lusamine CIN 96
* 1 Hex Maniac AOR 75
* 1 Gladion CIN 95
* 1 Ace Trainer AOR 69
* 1 Dive Ball PRC 125
* 1 VS Seeker PHF 109
* 1 Faba LOT 173
* 1 Delinquent BKP 98
##Energy – 4
* 3 Water Energy Energy 3
* 1 Splash Energy BKP 113
Total Cards – 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******