Searching Standard: Mew VMAX Post Rotation

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. With Standard rotation happening soon, for the next few weeks we'll be taking a look at decks that you can play post rotation. This week, I'm looking at a deck that was recently featured on the YouTube channel of ZapdosTCG. It features Mew VMAX FST 114 alongside other Fusion Strike Pokemon. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Mew VMAX FST 114 is a terrific attacker, able to use the attacks of any of your Benched Fusion Strike Pokemon, thanks to its Cross Fusion Strike attack. Since all of the Pokemon in this deck are Fusion Strike Pokemon, you'll have every attack available to you. This includes the attacks of Mew V FST 113, allowing you to shuffle Mew VMAX FST 114 and all cards attached to it back into your deck. This is a great way to prevent your opponent from taking any Prize cards by Knocking Out your wounded Mew VMAX FST 114. Mew VMAX FST 114 also has the Max Miracle attack, which can be a great way to finish off a wounded Pokemon V or to Knock Out a Basic Pokemon.

Meloetta FST 124 and Deoxys FST 120 are additional attackers for this deck. Meloetta FST 124 has the Melodious Echo attack, which deals 70 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon for each copy of Fusion Strike Energy FST 244 you have attached to your Pokemon. That means you can reach 280 damage simply by having Energy attached to your Pokemon, which you'll likely want to do anyway. Deoxys FST 120 has the Photon Boost attack, which can deal 160 damage if you have a Fusion Strike Energy FST 244 attached to Deoxys FST 120. If not, this attack will only deal 80 damage, which isn't too impressive for an attack that requires three Energy to use.

Attacking with Genesect V FST 185 will be difficult, since its attack, Techno Blast, requires a pair of Metal Energy to use (or more accurately, a pair of Fusion Strike Energy FST 244). That doesn't hinder you from using this attack with Mew VMAX FST 114's Cross Fusion Strike attack, though. But attacking isn't the main reason Genesect V FST 185 is included in this deck. Its main purpose is to help you draw additional cards by activating its Fusion Strike System Ability.

Playing Battle VIP Pass FST 225 is a great way to find a pair of Basic Pokemon right away. You might even get lucky and be able to play multiple Battle VIP Pass FST 225's on your first turn, especially when combined with the extra cards that Genesect V FST 185's Fusion Strike System Ability provides. When you draw Battle VIP Pass FST 225, it can easily be discarded when you need to discard a card.

This batch of Trainer cards all help you find the Pokemon you need from your deck. Ultra Ball CRZ 146 has been the optimal method of finding any Pokemon you need from your deck. Nest Ball SUM 123, which is being reprinted in Scarlet & Violet, is the best option we'll have for searching your deck for a Basic Pokemon. Finally, playing Feather Ball ASR 141 can help you find either Mew VMAX FST 114 or Mew V FST 113, since neither of these Pokemon have a Retreat Cost.

To make sure your attacks are as optimal as possible, you can use Boss’s Orders BRS 132 to choose which of your opponent's Benched Pokemon becomes their Active Pokemon. This can allow you to attack a Pokemon that will award you with multiple Prize cards when it is Knocked Out. You can also use Escape Rope BST 125 for this, although this is less effective if your opponent has multiple Benched Pokemon in play. With Escape Rope BST 125, you'll also have to switch your Active Pokemon with one from your Bench, so plan accordingly. Finally, if your Active Pokemon has taken some damage, you can send it back to your Bench by playing Switch Cart ASR 154, which will also heal that Pokemon of 30 damage.

When attacking, you want to be able to Knock Out your opponent's Active Pokemon with a single attack if possible. This batch of cards helps with that. By attaching Choice Belt BRS 135 to a Pokemon, you'll deal an extra 30 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon V. Playing Power Tablet FST 236, your attacks will deal an additional 30 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon (since all of your Pokemon are Fusion Strike Pokemon). You can even play multiple copies of Power Tablet FST 236 to deal extra damage.

Being able to get the cards you need as quickly as possible will help you win the game. Playing Trekking Shoes CRZ 145 lets you draw an extra card during your turn. It can also help get rid of a less desirable card from the top of your deck, allowing you to find the 'good stuff' more quickly. Attaching a copy of Forest Seal Stone SIT 156 to Mew VMAX FST 114 or Mew V FST 113 gives them the Star Alchemy Ability VSTAR Power, enabling you to search your deck for any one card to put into your hand. Finally, playing Cram-o-matic FST 229 allows you a way of discarding unwanted Tool cards from your hand. You can then flip a coin, and if you win the flip, you can search your deck for any one card to put into your hand.

There's not a lot of Energy in this deck, and it can be important to find your Fusion Strike Energy FST 244 right away, but rather than searching for it with those cards that allow you to put any card from your deck into your hand, you can instead play Elesa’s Sparkle FST 233. As a means of disrupting your opponent's hand, there's a single copy of Judge FST 235 in this deck. There's also one copy of Cyllene ASR 138 in this deck, which can help you return cards to your deck from your discard pile, if you're lucky with a couple of coin flips.

Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 is a safeguard that can help ensure that your important Pokemon, like Meloetta FST 124, aren't stuck in your Prize cards. By playing Echoing Horn CRE 136, you can set up an easy Knock Out, potentially scoring you one or more Prize cards in the process. Lost Vacuum CRZ 135 is a great way to be able to remove a troublesome Pokemon Tool or Stadium that your opponent has played. Alternatively, you can play it to remove a copy of Forest Seal Stone SIT 156 you have attached to one of your Pokemon so that a different Pokemon Tool can be attached instead.

The final cards in this deck are all Stadium cards. While none of them are included to help you specifically, they can certainly hinder your opponent's deck. All of them are best to hold onto until needed. If your opponent plays a Stadium that benefits them, you can then play one of these to discard that Stadium and hopefully stick a wrench in their plans.

Wrapping Up

By being able to use the attacks of your Benched Fusion Strike Pokemon, Mew VMAX FST 114 is able to attack in different ways that normally wouldn't be possible. This deck wants to attack quickly and aggressively, hopefully ending the game in just a few turns. It looks like a blast of fun to play and can be a great choice if you're looking for a deck to play once Standard rotation happens.

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