Searching Standard: Gothitelle

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 Popsicle Knight. It features Gothitelle PAL 92 and can make it difficult for your opponent to power up their Pokemon. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

By activating Gothitelle PAL 92's Read the Stars Ability, you get to choose which of your opponent's top two cards of their deck they'll get to draw on their next turn. The other card will be placed on the bottom of their deck. This allows you to pick and choose whether your opponent gets to draw an Energy card, or whether they get to draw the Evolution Pokemon they so desperately need. Gothitelle PAL 92 also has the Psych Out attack, which can be used to deal 120 damage in addition to discarding a random card from your opponent's hand. This is yet another way you're able to influence the cards your opponent has available to them. The main issue with Gothitelle PAL 92 is that she is a Stage 2 Pokemon, and as you can see, there are no Basic or Stage 1 Evolutions for her to Evolve from. So how does Gothitelle PAL 92 come into play?

With the help of Orbeetle BST 65's Evomancy attack, of course. This attack allows you to search your deck for a number of Stage 2 Pokemon to put onto your Bench equal to the amount of Energy attached to Orbeetle BST 65. While you'll want to usually search for Gothitelle PAL 92 quickly, there are other Stage 2 Pokemon in this deck that are also great finds.

Luxray CRZ 44 has the Seeking Fang attack that makes it a worthwhile Pokemon to search for with Orbeetle BST 65's Evomancy attack, but it also has the Explosiveness Ability, allowing it to be placed as your starting Active Pokemon. Gardevoir CRE 61's Shining Arcana Ability offers a bit of Energy acceleration and card draw. With Gardevoir ex SVI 86's Psychic Embrace Ability, you have the means of attaching Basic Psychic Energy from your discard pile to your Psychic Type Pokemon. Inteleon CRE 43 has the Quick Shooting Ability, providing you with the means of targeted damage. Finally, Gengar LOR 66 can return from the dead (discard pile) by activating its Netherworld Gate Ability.

In order to Evolve into Orbeetle BST 65 as quickly as possible, you might need to rely on the help of Rare Candy SVI 191. Since you can only search for Pokemon from within your deck when you use Orbeetle BST 65's Evomancy attack, if you've drawn a bunch of them into your hand, you might consider playing Iono PAL 185. She has each player shuffle their hand and put it on the bottom of their deck before drawing a new hand of cards equal to the number of prize cards they have remaining. Iono PAL 185 can also be used to slow down your opponent's momentum. Path to the Peak CRE 148 is included as a means of stopping some of the ways your opponent could draw additional cards. Since you're actively trying to control the cards they are drawing, stopping any additional card drawing will be helpful.

Level Ball BST 129, Ultra Ball SVI 196, and Mesagoza SVI 178 are all included in this deck to help you find Orbeetle BST 65, Dottler LOR 19, and Blipbug BST 17. It's important to get Orbeetle BST 65 into play as quickly as possible, and these can all help with this.

Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 is included as a way to protect yourself in the event that an important Pokemon is 'trapped' in your Prize cards. Energy Search SVI 172 not only helps you find a Basic Energy you might need, but it helps thin your deck ever so slightly, so that your future draws can be more impactful. Raihan EVS 152 offers you another way to search your deck for a card you need, but it can only be played if one of your Pokemon was Knocked Out on your opponent's previous turn.

This next batch of Trainer cards all help with attacking or being attacked. By attaching a copy of Bravery Charm PAL 173, you can help ensure that Blipbug BST 17 stays in the game long enough to Evolve. Boss’s Orders PAL 172 can be used for you to target one of your opponent's Benched Pokemon, moving it to the Active Spot. Finally, having a Vitality Band SVI 197 attached allows a Pokemon to deal an additional 10 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon. That extra 10 damage can be the difference between Knocking Out your opponent's Pokemon and them knocking out yours.

If you have a Pokemon that is likely to get Knocked Out by your opponent's next attack, you can move them back to your Bench with the help of Switch SVI 194. You can also play Cheryl BST 123 to help heal all damage from your Evolution Pokemon, although doing this will require those Pokemon that are healed to discard any Energy attached to them. Arven SVI 166 is the final Supporter in this deck. You can usually find him included in most decks because he allows you to search your deck for two cards, a Pokemon Tool and an Item. This can be a great way to find a Rare Candy SVI 191 when you need it.

The last pair of cards help you reuse cards that have gone to your discard pile. Playing Pal Pad SVI 182 allows you to shuffle a pair of Supporter cards back into your deck, while Super Rod PAL 188 both Basic Energy and Pokemon.

Wrapping Up

Decks that rely on Orbeetle BST 65 can be a bit fragile, but once they get set up, your opponent might have a difficult time. This is especially true with you selectively choosing what card they get to draw with the help of Gothitelle PAL 92's Read the Stars Ability. This can become extremely frustrating for your opponent, and they might even decide to concede on the spot.

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