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 Gigalith WHT 48, who has an attack that deals damage based on the damage your Benched Pokemon have on them. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.
Gigalith / Steelix
LittleDarkFury
Pokemon
2 Boldore 47
1 Centiskorch 28
1 Fezandipiti ex 38
3 Gigalith 48
4 Onix 90
4 Roggenrola 46
1 Sizzlipede 36
3 Steelix 125
Trainers
3 Artazon 76
2 Boss’s Orders 172
1 Brave Bangle 80
1 Counter Catcher 160
1 Earthen Vessel 106
4 Iono 185
1 Morty's Conviction 155
4 Nest Ball 84
1 Night Stretcher 61
4 Professor's Research 155
3 Rare Candy 89
1 Secret Box 163
1 Super Rod 188
2 Switch 194
4 Ultra Ball 91
Energy
2 Basic Fighting Energy
2 Basic Metal Energy
4 Luminous Energy 191
Gigalith WHT 48's Vengeful Cannon attack only requires a single Fighting Energy to use, but the damage it can inflict can be huge. It deals 20 damage for each damage counter on all of your Benched Fighting Type Pokemon. Getting damage on your Benched Pokemon is usually tricky, but Gigalith WHT 48 has some help, which can make dealing upwards of 300+ damage with this attack very possible.
Steelix PAR 125 is Gigalith WHT 48's partner in crime. By using Steelix PAR 125's Earthquake attack, you'll deal 130 damage to your opponent's Active pokemon. Perhaps more importantly, Earthquake will also deal 30 damage to each of your Benched Pokemon. If you happen to have a Bench full of Fighting Type Pokemon, Gigalith WHT 48's Vengeful Cannon attack will certainly be quite potent.
An alternative way to get damage onto your Benched Pokemon is with Centiskorch SSP 28's Billowing Heat Wave attack, which provides the same results as Steelix PAR 125's Earthquake attack. The main reason Steelix PAR 125 is Gigalith WHT 48's main partner is because Onix PAR 90 is a Fighting Type Pokemon, making it easier for it to take damage to power up Gigalith WHT 48's Vengeful Cannon attack. Fezandipiti ex SFA 38 is included as a way to catch up if one of your Pokémon is Knocked Out. Its Flip the Script Ability allows you to draw extra cards, helping you regain your footing.
To help you find the Pokemon you need more easily, this deck employs the standard assortment of Trainer cards. Artazon PAF 76 and Nest Ball PAF 84 will both help you find your Basic Pokemon, while Ultra Ball PAF 91 can be used to find any Pokemon you need, from Basic to Stage 2.
Since this deck relies on getting a Stage 2 Pokemon into play as your main attacker, it should come as no surprise to see Rare Candy PAF 89 in this list. Both Secret Box TWM 163 and Earthen Vessel PRE 106 allows you to search through your deck for specific things you might need. While you might not always need the help these cards provide, it's reassuring to draw them when you need them.
To make the most of your attacks, you'll want to use Boss’s Orders PAL 172 and Counter Catcher PAR 160 to choose which of your opponent's Pokemon to attack. By attaching Brave Bangle WHT 80 to your Gigalith WHT 48, you'll deal an extra 30 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon ex, allowing you to Knock them Out more quickly.
To help you find the cards you need more quickly, you can play Supporters like these to draw extra cards each turn. Professor's Research JTG 155 gives you 7 new cards, but you'll need to discard your current hand when you play it. Morty's Conviction TEF 155 draws cards based on the number of Benched pokemon your opponent has in play. Iono PAL 185 forces both players to draw a new hand of cards, but it also helps slow down an opponent who has taken a lot of their Prize cards.
Our last batch of Trainer cards might not be the flashiest of cards, but they're very useful when you need them. Switch SVI 194 allows you to swap a Pokemon from your Bench with your Active Pokemon, keeping a Pokemon from getting Knocked Out or moving up a powered attacker. Night Stretcher SFA 61 and Super Rod PAL 188 offer you the means of reusing cards that have gone to your discard pile.
Wrapping Up
As long as you're able to get some damage on your Benched Pokemon, Gigalith WHT 48 has the potential to deal a lot of damage when it attacks.
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
