Searching Standard: Golisopod 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 Golisopod ex PAR 50 in a hit-and-run style deck. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

By attacking with Golisopod ex PAR 50's Swing and Skedaddle attack, you'll be able to deal 170 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon. You can then decide whether to discard an Energy from Golisopod ex PAR 50 to switch it with one of your Benched Pokemon. Doing this can allow Golisopod ex PAR 50 to remain relatively damage-free, and this deck includes a pair of Pokemon that you can switch with that can really mess up your opponent's strategy. Rigid Band MEW 165 can be attached to Golisopod ex PAR 50 as a way to make it even more difficult for your opponent to Knock Out.

Both Klefki SVI 96 and Mimikyu PAL 97 have Abilities that can make things difficult for your opponent. Klefki SVI 96 has the Mischievous Lock Ability, which negates any Abilities other Basic Pokemon have as long as Klefki SVI 96 is in your Active Spot. Mimikyu PAL 97 has the Safeguard Ability, preventing it from taking any damage from the attacks made by an opponent's Pokemon ex or Pokemon V. Against some decks, this can be crippling.

Since Golisopod ex PAR 50's Swing and Skedaddle attack requires three Energy to use, you might need help accelerating the Energy it has attached. You can do this with the help of Xatu PAR 72's Clairvoyant Sense Ability. This allows you to attach a Basic Psychic Energy from your hand to one of your Benched Pokemon. If you do this, you also get to draw two cards. This can be all the help you need to make Golisopod ex PAR 50 a lean, mean fighting machine.

The final Pokemon in the deck is Manaphy BRS 41, who is included for the protection it offers to your Benched Pokemon with its Wave Veil Ability. This Pokemon is found in most decks because of the protection it offers.

To help you find the Pokemon you need efficiently, there are a variety of Trainer cards that you can use. Battle VIP Pass FST 225 is a great card to help you find a pair of Basic Pokemon you need. The drawback is that it can only be played on your first turn. After that, it can be used as discard fodder for those cards that require you to discard cards to use them, such as Ultra Ball SVI 196. Level Ball BST 129 can be played to help find any of your Basic Pokemon, but to search for the Evolution Pokemon in this deck, you'll need to play Ultra Ball SVI 196.

Since Golisopod ex PAR 50 will frequently be swapping positions with Klefki SVI 96 or Mimikyu PAL 97, you'll want to easily be able to retreat these Pokemon back to your Bench so Golisopod ex PAR 50 can attack again. Beach Court SVI 167 helps with this by reducing the Retreat Cost of all Basic Pokemon in play by one Energy. Alternatively, you can use Switch SVI 194 if you're not able to find the Stadium to play.

Playing Escape Rope BST 125 also allows you to move a fully powered Golisopod ex PAR 50 to your Active Spot, but it also forces your opponent to switch their Pokemon as well. The catch is that they get to choose what Pokemon to bring against you. You can also play Boss’s Orders PAL 172 to force them to bring up a Benched Pokemon, but with Boss’s Orders PAL 172, you get to choose which Pokemon becomes their Active pokemon, so you can choose someone you can easily Knock Out.

Even though you might be able to draw a couple of extra cards by using Xatu PAR 72's Clairvoyant Sense Ability, you'll still probably need help finding what you need from your deck. Colress's Experiment LOR 155 allows you to take three of the top five cards of your deck into your hand, sending the other two to the Lost Zone. This deck also includes a pair of Earthen Vessel PAR 163 cards, which can help you find Basic Energy cards from your deck.

Sometimes drawing a lot of cards is what you need to be able to find what you're looking for. At those times, you'll want to play Professor's Research SVI 190. You'll be able to draw a new hand of seven cards, but you'll have to discard your current hand first. Iono PAL 185 can also be a way to draw a new hand, but it can also slow down your opponent's momentum, especially if they've taken a few of their Prize cards. For those turns where your opponent has just Knocked Out one of your Pokemon, you'll want to play Raihan EVS 152. Doing this will help accelerate your Energy as well as allow you to search your deck for any card you might need. Normally, losing a Pokemon might slow things down for you, but with Raihan EVS 152, that doesn't need to be the case.

The final pair of Trainer cards are general all-purpose cards that are found in most decks. Super Rod PAL 188 is a great way to be able to reuse some Pokemon or Energy that has hit your discard pile. By playing Path to the Peak CRE 148, you'll turn off all Abilities on Pokemon that have a Rule Box, which can be devastating for certain decks.

Wrapping Up

Hit-and-run strategies have been around for a long time, and they're pretty fun to play. It can be frustrating for your opponent to get beaten down by a Pokemon they can't attack, because it's always on your Bench during their turn. I think this deck looks like a blast to play, and I'm looking forward to playing it online.

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