Searching Standard: Dipplin / Festival Grounds

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 Dipplin TWM 18 having fun at the Festival Grounds TWM 149. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

While you have a Festival Grounds TWM 149, you'll want to have Dipplin TWM 18 as your main attacker. Its Festival Lead Ability allows Dipplin TWM 18 to use its Do the Wave attack twice while you have Festival Grounds TWM 149 in play. This can amount to up to 200 damage (or possibly more, as you'll see later), if your Bench is full.

Thwackey TWM 15 also provides you a great benefit while Dipplin TWM 18 is in your Active Spot. You'll be able to search your deck for any card to put into your hand, thanks to Thwackey TWM 15's Boom Boom Grove Ability. Finding any card you need is a great ability.

Rabsca TEF 24 is included in this deck for the use of its Spherical Shield Ability, which prevents all damage and the effects of any attacks done to your Benched Pokemon by your opponent's attack. Keep Rabsca TEF 24 safe on your Bench where it can protect everyone else from harm.

I mentioned earlier that there are ways of dealing additional damage when Dipplin TWM 18 attacks. That's what this batch of cards is for. Attaching a Maximum Belt TEF 154 will deal 50 extra damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon ex. Vitality Band SVI 197 adds 10 damage when you attack, regardless of what Pokemon your opponent has in play. Defiance Band SVI 169 adds 30 damage, but only if you're behind on taking Prize cards. Any of these will be very useful to have attached.

Kieran TWM 154 is another potential boost to your damage when you attack. Alternatively, you can use Kieran TWM 154 to switch your Active Pokemon with one from your Bench. There's also a copy of Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177 in this deck, which can help you Knock Out opposing Pokemon more easily. While it doesn't provide any extra damage, it can reduce a Pokemon's HP to be below the amount of damage they had received prior to devolving.

Both Boss’s Orders PAL 172 and Counter Catcher PAR 160 can be used to allow you to choose which of your opponent's Benched Pokemon you'd like to attack. Remember that Counter Catcher PAR 160 can only be used if you are trailing on taking Prize cards. Switch SVI 194 offers you some mobility for your team, allowing you to move a fully powered Pokemon from your Bench to your Active Spot.

Helping you find the Pokemon you need are a pair of Trainer cards found in most Standard deck lists, Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144 and Ultra Ball PAF 91. Bug Catching Set TWM 143 is a new card that allows you to search for both Grass Energy or Grass Type Pokemon from the top seven cards of your deck. While this card only has a home in Grass decks, it can be very beneficial to those types of decks.

Card advantage, drawing extra cards, is always important in trading card games. Both Cynthia's Ambition BRS 138 and Professor's Research PAF 87 allow you to draw a large amount of new cards, provided that certain requirements are met. Iono PAF 80 can also allow you to draw a new hand of cards, but the fact that it can also punish an opponent that has taken most of their Prize cards is what makes it so good.

The last pair of cards in this deck offer a little recursion for you. Pal Pad SVI 182 lets you shuffle Supporter cards back into your deck, while Super Rod PAL 188 lets you shuffle back Pokemon and Basic Energy. By being able to reuse cards you've already played, you're able to open up spaces in your deck for other important cards.

Wrapping Up

While Dipplin TWM 18 requires a full Bench to deal out maximum damage, the fact that you get to use its attack twice makes this deck a blast to play. Its attack only requires a single Energy to use, which is good, since Dipplin TWM 18 is a bit fragile with only 80 HP.

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