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 Doublade POR 57 as the main attacker, who has an attack that can scale enough to instantly Knock Out any opposing Pokémon. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.
Doublade
LittleDarkFury
Pokemon
4 Aegislash 58
4 Doublade 57
1 Fezandipiti ex 142
2 Genesect ex 67
4 Honedge 56
3 Steven's Beldum 143
2 Steven's Metagross ex 145
1 Steven's Metang 144
Trainers
2 Air Balloon 181
2 Boss's Orders 183
1 Brave Bangle 80
1 Buddy-Buddy Poffin 184
2 Dawn 87
1 Energy Recycler 164
1 Lana's Aid 155
3 Lillie's Determination 192
2 Night Stretcher 196
1 Poké Pad 81
1 Precious Trolley 185
2 Rare Candy 125
1 Sacred Ash 168
1 Team Rocket's Factory 173
4 Team Rocket's Petrel 207
4 Team Rocket's Transceiver 209
Energy
5 Metal Energy
5 Psychic Energy
Doublade POR 57 is the main attacker for this deck. With its Weaponized Swords attack, you'll deal 60 damage for each Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash you reveal from your hand. The best part is that the revealed cards don't get discarded or shuffled back into your deck. You get to keep them in your hand for the next time you use this attack. Plus, you only need to reveal as many cards as it takes for you to Knock Out your opponent's Pokémon, so you can have some of your cards remain a mystery to them.
By using Steven's Metagross ex DRI 145's X-Boot Ability, you'll get to search your deck for a Basic Psychic Energy card and a Basic Metal Energy card to attach to one of your Metal Pokémon, like Doublade POR 57. This will instantly power up its Weaponized Swords attack, giving you quite a jump on your opponent.
Genesect ex BLK 67 has the Metallic Signal Ability which allows you to search your deck for up to 2 Evolution Pokémon to put into your hand. This is a great way of finding extra copies of Doublade POR 57 and Aegislash POR 58, so you can deal maximum damage with Doublade POR 57's Weaponized Swords attack. Fezandipiti ex ASC 142 has the Flip the Script Ability, which can help catch you up after suffering a Knock Out in your opponent's previous turn.
If you manage to draw Precious Trolley SSP 185 in your opening hand, you can set things up very quickly by putting out any number of Basic Pokémon from your deck onto your Bench. You can still do this later in the game, and the combination of Team Rocket's Transceiver ASC 209 and Team Rocket's Petrel ASC 207 can help you do it. Simply use Team Rocket's Transceiver ASC 209 to search for Team Rocket's Petrel ASC 207. Then play Team Rocket's Petrel ASC 207 to search your deck for any Trainer card, namely Precious Trolley SSP 185.
Dawn PFL 87, Buddy-Buddy Poffin ASC 184, and Poké Pad POR 81 will all help you find the Pokémon you need from your deck more easily. Dawn PFL 87 lets you get a Basic Pokémon, a Stage 1 Pokémon, and a Stage 2 Pokémon, ensuring you can find everything you need to allow Doublade POR 57 to attack. Buddy-Buddy Poffin ASC 184 and Poké Pad POR 81 are a bit more limited in what they can find, but even with their restrictions, you'll be glad they're included in this deck.
Doublade POR 57 doesn't have a ton of HP, so you might find yourself in a spot where you need to Retreat to the safety of your Bench. Attaching an Air Balloon ASC 181 is going to be the best way to do this, as it will then allow you to retreat for free. A pair of Boss's Orders ASC 183 are included here for you to use to pick off specific Pokémon from your opponent's Bench. Choose a Pokémon your opponent is powering up that can Knock Out Doublade POR 57 easily. If you attach a Brave Bangle WHT 80 to Doublade POR 57 (or any other Pokémon without a Rule Box), you'll deal an additional 30 damage when using that Pokémon's attacks.
There will be times that some copies of Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash manage to get into your discard pile. For those times, you can rely on this batch of cards. Lana's Aid TWM 155 lets you put up to 3 Pokémon without a Rule Box or Basic Energy cards from your discard pile into your hand. Night Stretcher ASC 196 is similar, but you'll only get one card to return and if you choose a Pokémon, it can be any Pokémon in your discard pile. Sacred Ash DRI 168 returns 5 Pokémon from your discard pile to your deck, by shuffling them back in. It prioritizes quantity over location.
Drawing extra cards can help you win games easier. Lillie's Determination ASC 192 is hands down the best Supporter in Standard that allows you to draw extra cards. Play what you want from your current hand, and then use Lillie's Determination ASC 192 to effectively draw a new hand. Team Rocket's Factory DRI 173 isn't quite as powerful, but in any deck that uses Team Rocket's Petrel ASC 207, you're likely to find a copy of Team Rocket's Factory DRI 173.
Since Doublade POR 57 can be easy to Knock Out, you'll be likely to have some amount of Basic Energy cards in your discard pile. By using Energy Recycler DRI 164, you can shuffle some of that Energy back into your deck where it can be used again. The final card in this deck is Rare Candy MEG 125 which is a must have in most decks that feature Stage 2 Pokémon. Use it as an easier method of evolving into Steven's Metagross ex DRI 145.
Wrapping Up
It's not often that a Stage 1 Pokémon outshines its Stage 2 counterpart, but in the case of Doublade POR 57, I think it's better than Aegislash POR 58 by bounds and leaps. Since you only give up 1 Prize card when it gets Knocked Out, losing this Pokémon isn't such a feel-bad moment. Plus, this deck has a ton of ways to return cards to your hand and deck from your discard pile, allowing you to continue your plan of attack easily.
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 Pokémon TCG. I'll see you then!
- Mike Likes
