Searching Standard: Aggron

Hello and welcome to another episode of Searching Standard, where each and every week I look for new, innovative decks for you to play in Standard. This week, I'm looking at a deck that was recently featured on the YouTube channel of LittleDarkFury. It features Aggron TWM 122, a Pokémon capable of Knocking Out any opposing Pokémon with a single attack. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Aggron TWM 122 has the Angry Slam attack, which will deal 50 damage times the number of Pokémon you have with damage counters on them. That means, with a little bit of help, you can deal up to 300 damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon. Let's see what there is in this deck that will help enable as much damage as possible.

First, you have Dodrio MEW 85. Its Zooming Draw Ability allows you to draw a card, but only if you put a damage counter on Dodrio MEW 85. That's what I would call a double benefit for this deck.

There's also Gengar LOR 66, who has the Netherworld Gate Ability. This Ability allows you to return Gengar LOR 66 to your Bench from your discard pile. Doing this will result in Gengar LOR 66 receiving 4 damage counters. You can make good use of those damage counters if you have Radiant Alakazam SIT 59 in play. Its Painful Spoons Ability allows you to move up to 2 damage counters from one of your Pokémon to another, allowing you to place damage on a Pokémon that isn't able to damage itself for a beneficial effect.

The last pair of Pokémon in this deck are included for the use of their helpful Abilities. Fezandipiti ex SFA 38's Flip the Script Ability allows you to draw three cards on the turn following a turn where your opponent Knocked Out one of your Pokémon. That can help get you back into the game after suffering a loss. There's also Manaphy BRS 41, a Standard staple, who can protect your Benched Pokémon from taking any damage from your opponent's attacks with its Wave Veil Ability.

As we begin our look at the Trainer cards in this deck, we come to the two most important ones that will help you deal extra damage with Aggron TWM 122's Angry Slam attack. Damage Pump LOR 156 is similar to Radiant Alakazam SIT 59, allowing you the ability to move damage counters from one Pokémon to another. If you have a copy of Gapejaw Bog ASR 142 in play, whenever a Basic Pokémon is played to a player's Bench, it will receive 2 damage counters. That's helpful for you while also being harmful for your opponent.

To find the Pokémon you need to succeed, this deck employs the standard package of Items to help search your deck. Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144 can find a pair of your Basic Pokémon, while Nest Ball PAF 84 can find just one. The difference is that Nest Ball PAF 84 doesn't have a restriction to the amount of HP the searched for Pokémon can have. Finally, there is a playset of Ultra Ball PAF 91 that you can use to find any Pokémon you might need. Playing Ultra Ball PAF 91 is a good way of putting Gengar LOR 66 into your discard pile.

Since Aggron TWM 122 is a Stage 2 Pokémon, it should come as no surprise to find a playset of Rare Candy PAF 89 that you can use to help evolve it with.

Making the most of your attacks is crucial, so you'll want to use the cards in this batch to choose which of your opponent's Pokémon to attack. Boss’s Orders PAL 172 and Counter Catcher PAR 160 simply allow you to switch your opponent's Active Pokémon with one from their Bench. Prime Catcher TEF 157 forces both players to switch, so be prepared for that when you play this ACE Spec.

Drawing extra cards is always helpful, and this deck includes a pair of Supporters that will help with this. Professor's Research SVI 189 draws you a new hand of 7 cards, but you'll need to discard your current hand in order to play it. It's another way you can get Gengar LOR 66 into your discard pile. Iono PAF 80 can also help you get a new hand of cards, but her main purpose is to reset your opponent's hand, hopefully to a lower card count than they previously had.

The final batch of cards in this deck help with recursion and switching. Both Night Stretcher SFA 61 and Super Rod PAL 188 allow you to return specific types of cards from your discard pile to either your hand or deck. There's also a copy of Switch SVI 194 included in this deck for those times your opponent moves a Pokémon to your Active Spot that you would rather have on your Bench.

Wrapping Up

While you do have to jump through a few hoops for Aggron TWM 122's Angry Slam attack to be effective, the payoff can be worth it. Aggron TWM 122 only gives up a single Prize card when Knocked Out, but it is capable of Knocking Out almost any other Pokémon in the game with just a single attack.

What do you think of this deck? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in the Pokemon TCG. I'll see you then!

- Mike Likes