Searching Standard: Maushold 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 ForTheWinTCG. It features Maushold ex PAR 155, who becomes quite tanky in this deck, absorbing a lot of damage and dealing a lot in return. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

The goal for this deck is to maximize the effectiveness of Maushold ex PAR 155's Solidarity Ability. This Ability will put 3 damage counters on your opponent's Active Pokemon for each Tandemaus PAR 153 and Maushold ex PAR 155 you have in play when that Active Pokemon deals damage to Maushold ex PAR 155 while it is in your Active Spot. That means, you can basically deal 120 damage just by getting attacked. By attaching a Hero's Cape TEF 152 to Maushold ex PAR 155, you increase the amount of damage it can take before being Knocked Out, which increases the number of attacks it can withstand. Maushold ex PAR 155 also has a decent attack, Nom-Nom-Nom Incisors, which can deal 120 damage for just two Energy.

This deck runs the new Dudunsparce TEF 129 card drawing engine. By using its Run Away Draw Ability, you can draw three cards during your turn, shuffling Dudunsparce TEF 129 and all attached cards into your deck. This can be a great way to get new cards into your hand and deny your opponent an easy target to attack. Manaphy BRS 41 is included in this deck to protect your Benched Pokemon from taking damage when your opponent attacks, thanks to its Wave Veil Ability.

Keeping Maushold ex PAR 155 in the game for as long as possible makes your opponent need to attack it even more. By playing Cheren's Care BRS 134, you can return a damaged Maushold ex PAR 155 and any attached cards (such as Hero's Cape TEF 152) into your hand. Doing this allows you to play that same Maushold ex PAR 155 on a different Tandemaus PAR 153 that was already in play, keeping your plans intact. And since Maushold ex PAR 155's Nom-Nom-Nom Incisors attack only requires two Energy to use, you can attack right away if you have a Double Turbo Energy BRS 151 in hand. If you haven't found your Hero's Cape TEF 152 yet, there are also other Pokemon Tools like Defiance Vest PAR 162 and Rigid Band MEW 165 you can play to reduce the amount of damage Maushold ex PAR 155 will take from attacks.

Since Maushold ex PAR 155's Nom-Nom-Nom Incisors attack doesn't deal a ton of damage, you can benefit greatly from using this pair of cards. Both Boss’s Orders PAL 172 and Counter Catcher PAR 160 can allow you to choose one of your opponent's Benched Pokemon to move to their Active Spot. By choosing a Pokemon with low HP, you can score an easy Knock Out. Alternatively, you can choose a Pokemon that will allow you to take multiple Prize cards when it is Knocked Out.

Helping you find the Pokemon you need is what this batch of cards is all about. Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144 can help you find any of the Basic Pokemon in this deck to put onto your Bench. Playing one Item to get two Pokemon is a lot of value. Nest Ball PAF 84 can also put any Basic Pokemon from your deck onto your Bench, while Ultra Ball SVI 196 can be used to search for any Pokemon regardless of evolution.

You've already seen a lot of great Pokemon Tools for this deck. Playing Arven SVI 166 as your Supporter for the turn can allow you to search your deck for any of those Pokemon Tools. He also lets you search out an Item card. While you won't always want to search for it, playing Energy Loto ASR 140 can help you find a Double Turbo Energy BRS 151, powering up Maushold ex PAR 155 right away. There's also a single Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 in this deck, which allows you to see what is locked away in your Prize cards.

Finding what you need from within your deck is always very important, and sometimes the best way to find what you need is to draw more cards. Professor's Research SVI 189 lets you draw seven cards, but requires you to discard your current hand before you draw. Iono PAL 185 can also allow you to draw new cards, but she can also be a major hindrance for your opponent, especially if they only have 1 or 2 Prize cards remaining. Their options will surely be limited. Playing Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking TEF 145 lets you choose any 2 cards to be placed on the top of your deck. By choosing what you get, you can set up your next turn so it can be explosive.

The final cards in this deck are recursion cards found in many Standard decks. Pal Pad SVI 182 lets you shuffle up to 2 Supporter cards from your discard pile back into your deck, while Super Rod PAL 188 lets you shuffle back up to 3 Pokemon (there's no Basic Energy in this deck). Both of these cards let you use other cards multiple times throughout the game.

Wrapping Up

I love this style of deck, and Cheren's Care BRS 134 is one of my favorite cards to play. If you're looking for a deck that can make your opponent hesitant to attack, you might want to give this one a try.

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