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 Crustle BLK 52, a Pokemon that is impossible to Knock Out with a single attack if it has full HP. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.
Nearly Invincible Crustle
LittleDarkFury
Pokemon
3 Altaria ex 140
1 Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex 112
3 Crustle 52
1 Crustle 12
4 Dwebble 11
2 Munkidori 95
3 SwablP 148
Trainers
2 Air Balloon 79
1 Artazon 76
2 Arven 166
2 Bianca's Devotion 142
2 Boss’s Orders 172
3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin 144
1 Counter Catcher 160
2 Crispin 105
4 Iono 185
1 Nest Ball 84
1 Night Stretcher 61
1 Poké Vital A 62
4 Professor's Research 155
1 Super Rod 188
1 Switch 194
2 Technical Machine: Evolution 178
3 Ultra Ball 196
Energy
2 Basic Darkness Energy
3 Basic Fighting Energy
2 Basic Grass Energy
3 Reversal Energy 192
Thanks to Crustle BLK 52's Sturdy Ability, as long as it has full HP when it is attacked, it will only drop to 10 HP if it would otherwise be Knocked Out via damage from an opponent's attack. As you'll see, this deck is trying to take advantage of that Ability, keeping Crustle BLK 52 in play as long as possible. This can make things a bit frustrating for your opponent.
There's a single copy of Crustle DRI 12 in this deck, which is included for use against decks that feature Pokemon ex. With its Mysterious Rock Inn Ability, Crustle DRI 12 will take no damage when being attacked by an opponent's Pokemon ex. This will be another point of frustration for your opponent. Similarly, Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex TWM 112 has the Cornerstone Stance Ability, which prevents it from taking any damage from an opponent's Pokemon that has an Ability.
In the event that your Pokemon take any damage during the match, you can utilize Munkidori TWM 95's Adrena-Brain Ability to move some of that damage onto your opponent's Pokemon and Altaria ex PAR 140's Humming Heal Ability to remove 20 damage from each of your Pokemon. Both of these Abilities will help you maximize the effectiveness of Crustle BLK 52's Sturdy Ability.
By using both Poké Vital A SFA 62 and Bianca's Devotion TEF 142, you have a few more ways to heal Crustle BLK 52. Both of these will fully heal Crustle BLK 52, ensuring that your opponent's next attack won't be able to Knock it Out.
Helping you find the Pokemon you need are the standard assortment of Trainer cards. Artazon PAF 76, Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144, and Nest Ball PAF 84 will all be able to help you find the Basic pokemon you need, yet all have their limitations for what Pokemon can be searched for. Pay attention to these limitations and you'll be sure to use the right tool for the job.
Ultra Ball SVI 196 doesn't have any limitations for what pokemon it can find, but it will require you to discard two cards in order to play it. If you happen to discard any Pokemon or Basic Energy cards, you can always reuse those cards with the help of Night Stretcher SFA 61 and Super Rod PAL 188.
Crispin PRE 105 is the best Trainer in Standard for helping accelerate your Energy attachment. Arven SVI 166 helps you find a Pokemon Tool and an Item card. While there are a lot of great Items you could find, there aren't as many Pokemon Tools. You might want to find Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178, which can help you quickly evolve your team.
Since Crustle BLK 52's Stone Edge attack doesn't deal the most damage, you'll want to be sure to attack one of your opponent's Pokemon that is most likely to be Knocked Out with as few attacks as possible. You can use both Boss’s Orders PAL 172 and Counter Catcher PAR 160 for this, or choose a Pokemon that you're able to prevent taking damage from.
Sometimes you need to get to the safety of your Bench as quickly as possible. Both Switch SVI 194 and Air Balloon BLK 79 help with this. Switch SVI 194 moves you automatically, while Air Balloon BLK 79 only reduces the amount of Energy you must discard when paying a Retreat Cost.
The final pair of cards are found in nearly every Standard deck. Professor's Research JTG 155 is the best card to draw you extra cards. You'll always draw 7 new cards when you play it, but you'll first need to discard your current hand. Iono PAL 185 can also help you draw a new hand of cards, but she also disrupts your opponent's hand, hopefully slowing down any momentum they might have gained.
Wrapping Up
If you enjoy playing decks that leave your opponent frustrated, you should give this deck a shot. While there is some healing in this deck, it's not found in copious amounts, so playing this deck will be a challenge.
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
