Legal Sets
Official Rules
- •60-card decks exactly
- •Maximum 4 copies of any card with the same name (Basic Energy exempt)
- •Must include at least 1 Basic Pokémon
- •First player cannot attack on Turn 1
- •Pokémon-EX give up 2 Prize cards when knocked out
- •Mega Evolution Pokémon end your turn when evolving (unless Spirit Link attached)
- •ACE SPEC cards limited to 1 per deck
- •Lysandre's Trump Card banned mid-season (June 15, 2015)
- •Pokémon Catcher requires coin flip (errata)
- •2015 World Championship in Boston — Van Wagner wins with Archie's Blastoise
Format Overview
BCR-On / Standard 2015 was one of the most diverse and skill-intensive formats in TCG history. The card pool spanned from Boundaries Crossed through Roaring Skies — thirteen sets covering the end of the BW era and the first half of XY. Roaring Skies introduced Shaymin-EX, whose Set Up Ability revolutionized deckbuilding by providing burst draw power, and M Rayquaza-EX, which could deal 240 damage with Emerald Break.
The format was defined by three pillars: Night March's explosive damage-per-prize efficiency (Joltik/Pumpkaboo/Lampent hitting 200+ damage for a single-prize Pokémon), Seismitoad-EX's Quaking Punch Item lock (which spawned multiple control variants), and Archie's Blastoise (which used Archie's Ace in the Hole to rush Blastoise into play from the discard for turn-1 Deluge acceleration). VS Seeker from Phantom Forces appeared in virtually every deck, fundamentally changing Supporter management.
At the 2015 World Championship, Jacob Van Wagner won with 'Honorstoise' — his Archie's Blastoise build that used Battle Compressor and Acro Bike to achieve the turn-1 Archie combo consistently. He became the first player since Klaczynski to win Worlds with a deck built around Blastoise's Deluge Ability, nine years after the original Blastoise ex. The top 8 featured an unprecedented variety: Archie's Blastoise, two Seismitoad/Crobat builds, two Night March builds, Trevenant/Gengar-EX, Donphan, and a Fairy-type Aromatisse toolbox.
Key Cards
Top Decks (10)
Archie's Blastoise ("Honorstoise")
1st Place — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
Uses Archie's Ace in the Hole to rush Blastoise from discard pile turn 1, then Deluge piles Water Energy onto Keldeo-EX for massive Secret Sword attacks. Battle Compressor and Acro Bike burn through the deck to achieve the turn-1 Archie combo. Shaymin-EX provides burst draw.
Seismitoad / Crobat ("Toad Bats")
2nd Place — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
Seismitoad-EX's Quaking Punch locks Items while Zubat/Golbat/Crobat deal incremental bench damage via Sneaky Bite and Surprise Bite Abilities. Hypnotoxic Laser + Virbank adds poison/sleep. Super Scoop Up recycles the bat line for repeated Ability damage.
Night March
Top 4 — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
The defining aggressive archetype. Battle Compressor discards Joltik/Pumpkaboo/Lampent, then Night March attack deals 20 per Night Marcher in discard — up to 220 damage from a single-prize attacker. Mew-EX copies Night March via Versatile. Dimension Valley reduces costs.
Seismitoad / Crobat (Costa variant)
Top 4 — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
Similar Toad/Bats shell with Head Ringer for anti-EX disruption and Pokémon Center Lady for healing. Thinner Crobat line (2 vs 3) allows more Trainer slots. More disruptive than Brenninkmeijer's build.
Trevenant / Gengar-EX
Top 8 — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
Uses Wally to evolve Phantump into Trevenant turn 1, activating Forest's Curse for permanent Item lock. Gengar-EX provides offensive pressure. Mystery Energy gives free retreat to keep Trevenant Active and the lock going.
Night March (Janous variant)
Top 8 — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
Slightly different Night March with 2 Mew-EX instead of 3, fewer Shaymin-EX, and more utility Trainers (Escape Rope, Revive, Town Map). More Trainer-heavy at 36 for additional options.
Donphan
Top 8 — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
Donphan's Spinning Turn deals damage and retreats behind Robo Substitute decoys. Hawlucha deals extra damage to EX Pokémon. Strong Energy and Fighting Stadium boost damage. Forces opponents to KO multiple single-prize attackers. Narode previously finished 2nd at 2013 Worlds with TDK.
Fairy Box (Aromatisse Toolbox)
Top 8 — 2015 World Championship (Masters)
Aromatisse's Fairy Transfer moves Energy between attackers. Diverse EX lineup covers every matchup: Seismitoad for Item lock, Mewtwo for scaling damage, M Manectric for Lightning. Max Potion heals to full by moving Energy away first.
Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor
1st Place — 2015 US National Championship
The premier control deck. Seismitoad-EX's Quaking Punch locks Items. Garbodor's Garbotoxin locks Abilities. Together they create a near-total lock. Crushing Hammer and Enhanced Hammer strip energy. Head Ringer slows opposing EX attackers. 3-time World Champion Klaczynski's Nationals winner.
Colorless M Rayquaza-EX
M Rayquaza-EX's Emerald Break deals 30× bench size. Sky Field expands bench to 8, enabling 240 damage. Shaymin-EX fills bench while drawing via Set Up. Extremely fast but vulnerable to Item lock and bench-size reduction. Became tier-1 after Roaring Skies release.
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