Searching Standard: Dragonite EX

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 Dragonite ex OBF 159 and can deal a lot of damage if you happen to win a coin flip. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Attacking with Dragonite ex OBF 159 can be a little risky, since its Mighty Meteor attack requires you to win a coin flip to deal extra damage and to be able to attack on your next turn. 280 damage for only two Energy is definitely worth the gamble, though, as that will usually be enough damage to Knock Out most opposing Pokemon. If you're not feeling gutsy, though, or are attacking smaller Pokemon, you can always use the Wing Attack attack, which will deal 70 damage with no drawback.

To keep new cards flowing into your hand, this deck relies on Bibarel BRS 121's Industrious Incisors Ability. With it, you'll be able to refill your hand to five cards with ease.

Cleffa OBF 80 has no Retreat Cost, so it's the perfect Pokemon to make your Active Pokemon if Dragonite ex OBF 159 is ever unable to attack. By moving Dragonite ex OBF 159 back to your Bench, you clear the negative effect, and if it becomes your Active Pokemon, it will be able to attack. Cleffa OBF 80 also has the Grasping Draw attack, usable with no Energy attached, which will refill your hand to seven cards, if needed. Manaphy BRS 41 is included in most Standard decks as a means of protection for your Benched Pokemon. Its Wave Veil Ability will keep the Pokemon on your Bench safe from any damage when your opponent attacks.

Using Rare Candy SVI 191 is a great way for Dratini OBF 157 to evolve into Dragonite ex OBF 159 quickly. You can use Colress's Experiment LOR 155 to help find Rare Candy SVI 191 if you need it, or to find any other cards you might be in need of. Since Dragonite ex OBF 159 requires two different Energy types to use its Mighty Meteor attack, you can attach an Exp. Share SVI 174 to a Benched Dragonite ex OBF 159 to help keep some of your Energy in play in the event that your Active Pokemon gets Knocked Out.

Both Nest Ball SVI 181 and Ultra Ball SVI 196 are played in nearly every Standard deck to help you find the Pokemon you need. While Ultra Ball SVI 196 can be used to find any Pokemon, Nest Ball SVI 181 can only find a Basic Pokemon.

This next trio of Supporters all help you find what you need from your deck more easily. Professor's Research SVI 190 lets you draw a new hand of seven cards, but you'll need to discard your current hand first. Iono PAL 185 resets both players' hands to a number of cards equal to their remaining Prize cards. It's a great way to disrupt your opponent's hand. Finally, if your Pokemon gets Knocked Out, you can play Raihan EVS 152 on your turn to stay in the game. He allows you to attach an Energy card from your discard pile to one of your Pokemon and then search your deck for any card.

For those times that Dragonite ex OBF 159 is unable to attack, you can play Switch SVI 194 to send it back to your Bench. Playing Boss’s Orders PAL 172 allows you to choose a Benched Pokemon your opponent has to become their Active pokemon, allowing you to choose a Pokemon you're sure to Knock Out. This deck also includes a copy of Fighting Au Lait PAL 181, which can help heal your Pokemon if you've taken less Prize cards than your opponent has.

The final card in this deck is Path to the Peak CRE 148, a terrific Stadium that can really be a nuisance to your opponent. It will effectively negate any Ability a Pokemon has if that Pokemon has a Rule Box. This won't affect your Pokemon in any way, but against some opponent's, this will be crippling.

Wrapping Up

During our most recent rotation, Standard lost any cards that helped a player win a coin flip. Because of that, playing this deck is a bit more risky, but if you're not afraid of that risk, this can be a fun deck to play.

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