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 Froslass TWM 53, a Pokemon capable of Knocking Out any opposing Pokemon that has an Ability without needing to attack. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.
The goal of this deck is to get a Bench full of Froslass TWM 53. Thanks to Froslass TWM 53's Freezing Shroud Ability, you'll be able to place 1 damage counter on each Pokemon in play that has an Ability (except for Froslass). Since we know about this Ability, the majority of the Pokemon found in this deck don't have an Ability and won't be affected by this damage.
As if taking damage every turn wasn't bad enough, this deck also utilizes the Perplexing Powder attack of Venomoth MEW 49 to keep your opponent from being able to play any Item cards. It will also leave them Confused, making it more difficult for them to attack. Slowly whittle away their HP while keeping them from playing Item cards.
As a means of drawing extra cards, this deck relies on the Run Away Draw Ability of Dudunsparce TEF 129. Since using this Ability causes you to shuffle Dudunsparce TEF 129 back into your deck, you generally won't take any damage from Froslass TWM 53's Freezing Shroud Ability.
A single copy of Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex TWM 141 is included in this deck as a finisher. With its Seasoned Skill Ability, you can get a discount on the amount of Energy needed to use its Blood Moon attack. While you won't always need Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex TWM 141 to finish off your opponent, you'll be happy it's included in this deck when you do.
There are a variety of different ways to help you find the Pokemon you need from your deck. Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144 lets you find up to two Basic Pokemon with 70 HP or less. that includes all of the Basic Pokemon in this deck except for Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex TWM 141. By playing Artazon PAL 171, you'll allow each player to find any Basic Pokemon without a Rule Box to put into play each turn. Finally, Arezu LOR 153 provides you a way of finding up to three Evolution Pokemon to put into your hand. Since none of the Evolution Pokemon in this deck have a Rule Box, all are fair game.
Earthen Vessel PAR 163 is Standard's premier means of finding Basic Energy from within your deck. This deck also includes Bug Catching Set TWM 143, which can either find Grass Type Pokemon or Basic Grass Energy from the top seven cards of your deck. Because of that limitation, it's often better to play Bug Catching Set TWM 143 before using any other method of searching, in case you fail to find what you're looking for.
Both Boss’s Orders PAL 172 and Counter Catcher PAR 160 allow you to choose which of your opponent's Benched Pokemon to move to their Active Spot. This can allow you to make your attacks more effective, and to move a Pokemon that's difficult to Retreat if you've successfully Item locked them.
This batch of cards are general all-purpose cards that you might find to be useful. Enhanced Hammer TWM 148 allows you to discard a Special Energy card from any of your opponent's Pokemon in play. Having a copy of Survival Brace TWM 164 attached to Venomoth MEW 49 will make it difficult to Knock Out, and likely give you one final turn to Item lock your opponent. Attaching a Rescue Board TEF 159 will allow nearly all of your Pokemon to Retreat for free.
Super Rod PAL 188 is found in most Standard decks. It's a great way to be able to reuse Pokemon and Energy that have gone to your discard pile. Using the Devolution attack from Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177 can cripple some decks that rely on evolving with the use of Items. Using the Evolution attack fund on Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178 can give you a jump start, as it allows you to search your deck for a pair of Evolution Pokemon that come into play at the same time.
The final batch of cards are some great Trainers. As you've seen, there are a bunch of great Item and Pokemon Tool cards that Arven OBF 186 will be able to help you find. Cynthia's Ambition BRS 138 can provide you a ton of new cards, especially if you just had a Pokemon get Knocked Out. Finally, by playing Iono PAL 185 while your opponent only has a few Prize cards remaining, you can severely limit their options and make your Item lock more successful.
Wrapping Up
By restricting your opponent and not allowing them to play Item cards, their options for searching their deck for the Pokemon and Energy they need become quite limited. Couple that with the continual damage that Froslass TWM 53's Freezing Shroud Ability can provide, and your opponent is almost certain to have an unpleasant time playing against you.
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
