TCG Thinkpiece - Let the Queen Conquer: Why the RS-RG Queendom Mirror Match is One of the Best Matchups in Pokemon
Pokemon TCG matches are best when two players of equal ability, playing skillful decks of equal strength, battle it out to the end using all the tools at their disposal. Queendom, most commonly known as the winning 2005 World Championships deck, exemplifies this completely.
The origin of Queendom as a deck begins in the EX FireRed & LeafGreen set, debuting in the U.S. in August 2004. EX FireRed & LeafGreen was the first set released after Worlds 2004, after which the Modified format rotated from Expedition-EX Hidden Legends to EX Ruby/Sapphire-On. FireRed & LeafGreen (RG) was themed around the titular games, and such only contained Pokemon from the original 151. Many of these iconic Pokemon received powerful, flashy ex cards, like the starter trio, the legendary birds, Gyarados, Gengar, and others. With the excitement over the new set, one single-prize Pokemon held a relatively low profile before showing up unannounced at Worlds 2005. The secret deck originated by Jeremy Maron and Pablo Meza that came in 1st place in the Masters Division, Queendom.
Nidoqueen on paper is a strong, balanced, well-rounded card, that perhaps exemplifies the nature of the game. It’s a 120 HP stage 2 Pokemon with a Poke-Body, an attack that inflicts a status condition, and a second attack that does damage based on the amount of evolved Pokemon the player has in play. It’s a versatile card that’s kept in check by its energy requirements, status as a stage 2 Pokemon, weakness, and retreat cost. Nidoqueen’s Poke-Body, Family Bonds, gives Nidoran (male and female), Nidorina, Nidorino, and Nidoking free retreat costs, giving Nidoqueen a support role. Its first attack, Toxic, for G, poisons the opponent’s active Pokemon but places 2 damage counters on the opponent’s active between turns as opposed to the traditional 1. It’s a relevant status condition that also can shut off the defending Pokemon’s Poke-Power, if it has one. Nidoqueen’s second attack, Power Lariat, for FCC, does 40 damage but adds 10 more for each evolved Pokemon the player has in play. The scaling is fair, capping at 100 damage, enough to OHKO most basic and stage 1 pokemon but not most stage 2s. With such strong attributes, the right partner could turn the deck into a powerhouse. That card, also from RG, is Pidgeot.
Unlike Nidoqueen, Pidgeot’s strengths immediately caught on among players. Its Poke-Power, Quick Search, which allowed the player to search their deck for any one card and put it into their hand, was extremely powerful and all but replaced the slower, clunkier Delcatty/Magneton draw engine from the 2004 Modified format. Pidgeot found its way into too many decks to count, and despite counters like EX Emerald’s Battle Frontier Stadium and Medicham ex, went on to be part of the 2005 World Championship winning deck.
Based on the results, it’s clear to see that Nidoqueen and Pidgeot is a match made in heaven. But how does this pair fare against each other in the mirror match? The answer is… perfectly.
The mirror match can be divided into phases. The first phase of the match consists of the first few turns, where players set up their board via a combination of Nidoran’s Look for Friends attack, Great Ball, and Celio’s Network. Nidorina’s second attack, Fast Evolution, allows the player to search for up to two evolution cards and put them into their hand. By this time, players usually have a Pidgeot in play, and with incoming Nidoqueens ready to be played, the mirror enters its second phase. (Tip: When using Quick Search, instead of searching for a Pokemon directly, it’s best to search for a Pokemon search card like Great Ball or Celio’s Network if you don’t have another supporter to play that turn, to thin your deck and draw into useful cards more often.
The second phase is when the Nidoqueens enter play, and the onslaught begins. A maxed out Power Lariat does 100 damage, 20 shy from OHKOing the opponent's Nidoqueen, and 30 shy from OHKOing a Pidgeot after resistance. Toxic does 20 damage, enough to finish off a Nidoqueen or turn off a Pidgeot’s Quick Search. Nothing OHKOs outright. One key trait about Pidgeot is its -30 Fighting resistance, meaning it takes 30 less damage from Nidoqueen’s Power Lariat attack. This -30 resistance is true of the whole evolutionary line as well, so even a lowly Pidgey could stand up to a Nidoqueen.
A key part of the mirror is denying KOs, which can be done in two ways. The first is by using Mr. Briney’s Compassion to scoop up a damaged Nidoqueen or Pidgeot, and the second is by teching in a 1-1 line of Milotic HL, whose Poke-Power Healing Shower removes all damage counters from all Pokemon on the field (excluding Pokemon-ex), including your opponent’s. (It doesn’t remove status conditions, so if the opponent’s active is under the effects of Toxic, it will still take 20 damage between turns). This Poke-Power can only be activated once upon evolution, so it’s important to time when to evolve Feebas, considering that evolving Feebas also adds 10 damage to Nidoqueen’s Power Lariat attack. Of course, you could evolve Feebas and choose to not activate the power as well. An alternate use for Briney is to function as an out for escaping Clutch, catching an opponent off-guard and replacing the active with a ready, refreshed attacker.
Double Rainbow Energy, the only special energy card in the deck, can turn the tide of the match. It turns Power Lariat from a 3-attachment attack to a 2-attachment attack, and allows Pidgeot to use Clutch for 1 attachment. However, this reduces damage output by 10. So Clutch becomes a 4HKO instead of a 3HKO on Queen, and Power Lariat maxes at 90 instead of 100. It also allows Milotic to attack if needed.
A small, but crucial interaction of the match is Ancient Technical Machine: Rock. I’ve written in-depth about this card here, but this is about its role in Queendom. Most often, a single ATM Rock is enough. During the third phase of the match, where resources are running dry and players’ decks have few cards left, a well-timed ATM Rock can devolve damaged Pokemon and KO them. Even if none of the opponent’s Pokemon are in KO range after devolution, if the opponent has exhausted all their Rare Candies and has little-to-no stage 1s on the field, Stone Generator can cripple a board with no hope of recovery. (Tip: After a Milotic is devolved into a Feebas, that offers the opponent another opportunity to use Milotic’s Healing Shower Poke-Power. Keep this in mind when you know you won’t be getting any KOs when using Stone Generator.)
Here's an average list I used when this format was active on TCGONE (around spring 2020):
Miscellaneous cards that can prove useful are:
-Switch: Self-explanatory, allows the player to escape from Clutch or switch to another Pokemon without discarding energy
-Pokemon Reversal: An unreliable but threatening tech that can bring up an opponent’s damaged Pokemon unexpectedly and nab a quick KO
-Desert Ruins: A helpful stadium for ex MUs, although irrelevant in the mirror since no exs are played
-Steven’s Advice: Generic draw that’s most helpful early-game when the opponent is dumping basics onto their board and you have few cards in hand
-1-1 Magneton DR 17 line: Preys on Pidgeot, can attack for a DRE, and helps bring back Fighting and Grass energy out of the discard
-Vs Seeker: Functions as an extra Celio, Steven, or Briney late-game
-Island Cave: Helps negate the effects of Nidoqueen's Toxic attack
So why is the RS-RG Queendom mirror superior to the other formats where Nidoqueen is legal? Well, it’s not “superior” in a sense, but this format set the base for what all Queendom lists after this format looked like, so the deck is very standard.
Pokemon Retriever from EX Team Rocket Returns (RR) hadn’t hit the format yet, so resource management was more important, to keep evolutions in play and energy out of the discard. Also from RR, Rocket’s Admin hadn't been introduced as well. This is a debatable take, since Admin helps with comebacks and hand disruption. But in RS-RG, players can build up their hand over the course of the game undisrupted so they have access to whatever card they need whenever they need it. Heal Energy from EX Deoxys is one card I think could possibly improve the mirror to disrupt math and get rid of Toxic damage, but the mirror as it is does fine without it.
Queendom is a storied deck, one that was relevant during its entire tenure in Modified, even making Top 4 at Worlds 2006. I hope every Pokemon fan gets to play with this deck and experience what makes it so strong, balanced, and fun.
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