We’re over 2 weeks into the new set, and no one talks about Dhelmise EX. With 140 HP, Anchor Shot deals 80 damage for 3 energy, that’s not all though, there’s more to this attack as once Dhelmise connects, the defending pokemon will be trapped. Dhelmise is essentially a basic version of Houndoom and Arbok, with a stronger slower version of their attack. While you don’t have to bother connecting 2 pieces to enable it, you are paying a different kind of price due to its slow nature.

This is why the ideal team mate for Dhelmise is very clearly Leafeon EX. As long as Dhelmise already has one energy invested onto it, Forest Breath enables Dhelmise to come in and deny them their exit.

Today’s deck runs a lineup of pokemon with 3 energy based attacks, accelerating them with a ramp lead up front, and a trapper in the back. As is the case with any deck running Arbok and Houndoom, a full set of Sabrina is vital here, so that we can force a matchup against a pokemon that ain’t ready tying them to an anchor that’s just too damn heavy. As many of you are probably already thinking, if we run Leafeon and Dhelmise alone, we’ll get walled to oblivion by Oricorio. This is one of the reasons Tapu Bulu is our 4th basic pokemon. But there’s more to Tapu Bulu here, as he also provides the deck with a heavier hitter. Stuck-In Tackle deals 100 damage, which can be crucial for scenarios in which our weaker attacks can’t quite manage.

Due to our energy curve, leading off with Leafeon is crucial. We run 1 pokemon communication to fish for our pieces, and a full set of leaf to be able to pivot right into it. I also run one copy of Guzma in the deck to deal with tools, but I think a second copy of pokemon communication may end up being more useful.

As of now, this is the most efficient way to run Dhelmise EX. We accelerate our offense with Forest Breath, and wait for the right moment to leave our enemies trapped.