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
- •All HGSS cards rotated out — no more Junk Arm, Pokémon Collector, Typhlosion Prime
- •Pokémon-EX give up 2 Prize cards when knocked out
- •ACE SPEC cards limited to 1 per deck
- •Pokémon Catcher has no coin flip (pre-errata)
- •2013 World Championship in Vancouver — Klaczynski wins his record 3rd title
Format Overview
BLW-On was the format where Jason Klaczynski cemented his legacy as the greatest Pokémon TCG player of all time, winning his third World Championship with Darkrai-EX/Sableye. No other player has ever won three Worlds titles. The format was defined by the tension between Darkrai-EX's consistent Night Spear damage engine and the explosive Plasma archetype featuring Thundurus-EX, Deoxys-EX, and Kyurem.
The rotation of HGSS cards was seismic. Junk Arm — the format's most important Item for years — was gone, along with Pokémon Collector, Twins, and every Prime Pokémon. In their place, Plasma Storm and Plasma Freeze introduced the Team Plasma mechanic with its own Energy type, search cards, and damage boosters. Hypnotoxic Laser plus Virbank City Gym became the universal damage combo, adding 30 between turns to any attack.
The 2013 Worlds metagame was one of the most diverse in history. Klaczynski's Darkrai/Sableye used Enhanced Hammer to strip Plasma's Special Energy. TDK (Thundurus/Deoxys/Kyurem) overwhelmed with speed and Deoxys power boosts. Blastoise/Keldeo could OHKO anything with Black Ballista. Gothitelle/Accelgor created an unbreakable Paralysis lock. Garbodor variants shut down Abilities across the board. And Flareon's Vengeance deck proved that creativity could compete at the highest level.
Key Cards
Top Decks (10)
Darkrai / Sableye
1st Place — 2013 World Championship (Masters)
Klaczynski's record-breaking third Worlds title. Darkrai-EX's Night Spear deals 90+30 snipe. Sableye's Junk Hunt recycles Enhanced Hammer, Hypnotoxic Laser, and other disruption Items every turn. Keldeo-EX with Float Stone provides free retreat. The most skilled control deck in the format.
TDK (Thundurus/Deoxys/Kyurem)
2nd Place — 2013 World Championship (Masters)
The format's primary rival to Darkrai. Thundurus-EX accelerates Plasma Energy from discard. Multiple Deoxys-EX boost damage via Power Connect. Kyurem's Blizzard Burn spreads amplified damage. Lugia-EX takes 3 prizes on EX knockouts with Overflow.
Blastoise / Keldeo
3rd Place — 2013 World Championship (Masters)
Blastoise's Deluge attaches unlimited Water Energy per turn. Keldeo-EX's Secret Sword scales with Water Energy. Black Kyurem-EX's Black Ballista deals 200 damage. Superior Energy Retrieval recycles discarded energy. Tropical Beach draws during setup turns.
Sableye / Garbodor ("HoverToxin")
4th Place — 2013 World Championship (Masters)
Sableye's Junk Hunt combined with Garbodor's Garbotoxin Ability lock and heavy Hammer counts to deny Energy and Abilities simultaneously. Life Dew ACE SPEC denies prizes when Sableye is knocked out. One of the most innovative control decks at Worlds.
Darkrai / Garbodor
5th Place — 2013 World Championship (Masters)
Aggressive Darkrai-EX with Garbodor shutting down Blastoise's Deluge and Eelektrik's Dynamotor. Absol provides additional non-EX attacking. Yoneda qualified through the Last Chance Qualifier and went undefeated in Swiss.
Rayquaza / Eelektrik ("RayEels")
Top 8 — 2013 World Championship (Masters)
Eelektrik's Dynamotor recovers Lightning Energy from discard each turn. Rayquaza-EX's Dragon Burst discards all attached energy for up to 180 damage. Raikou-EX snipes benched targets. Tropical Beach bridges setup turns.
Gothitelle / Accelgor
1st Place — 2013 US National Championship (Masters)
The format's unbreakable lock. Gothitelle blocks Items while Active. Accelgor's Deck and Cover deals 50 + Poison + Paralysis. Mew-EX copies Deck and Cover via Versatile. Dusknoir moves damage counters for KOs. Once set up, opponents can't play Items and are Paralyzed every turn.
Flareon Toolbox
Top 16 — 2013 World Championship (Masters)
Flareon's Vengeance deals 20 + 10 per Pokémon in discard pile, scaling to massive late-game damage. Fills discard with cheap non-EX Pokémon (Audino, Drifloon). Drifblim punishes Special Energy-heavy decks. Garbodor shuts down Abilities. Bryan lost to Klaczynski in Top 16.
Klinklang
Klinklang PLS's Plasma Steel makes all Metal Pokémon immune to EX damage. In a format dominated by EX attackers, this was devastating. Cobalion-EX removes energy with Steel Bullet. BLW Klinklang provides Shift Gear for energy movement. Weakness: non-EX attackers.
Big Basics (Landorus/Mewtwo/Garbodor)
Landorus-EX's Hammerhead deals 30+30 snipe for one Fighting Energy. Mewtwo-EX's X Ball scales with energy on both sides. Garbodor shuts down Abilities. Combined with Hypnotoxic Laser and Virbank for up to 60+30 on turn one. Fast, aggressive, straightforward.
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