Searching Standard: Orthworm 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 Orthworm ex SCR 110, a Pokemon your opponent might find dangerous to attack. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Orthworm ex SCR 110 has a unique Ability that can make your opponent not want to attack while it is in your Active Spot. The Pummeling Payback Ability will allow you to place 2 damage counters per Metal Energy attached to Orthworm ex SCR 110 on your opponent's Active Pokemon whenever Orthworm ex SCR 110 is damaged by an opponent's attack. With just the 4 required Energy needed to use Orthworm ex SCR 110's Rock Tomb attack, you'll deal a retaliatory 8 damage counters. However, you can deal more damage by having additional Metal Energy attached. This will definitely make your opponent want to Knock you out with a single attack if at all possible.

In order to accelerate the amount of Metal Energy attached to Orthworm ex SCR 110, you can use the Metal Maker Ability of Metang TEF 114. By using this Ability, you'll be able to attach up to four extra Energy per turn with each Metang TEF 114 you have in play.

Zamazenta CRZ 97 is a great one-Prize attacker for this deck. With its Retaliate attack, you'll deal either 100 or 220 damage, depending on whether your opponent Knocked Out one of your Pokemon during their last turn. Zamazenta CRZ 97 also has the Metal Shield Ability, which allows it to take 30 less damage from an attack as long as it has any Energy attached to it.

Full Metal Lab TEF 148 is another way your Pokemon will be able to take less damage from your opponent's attacks. While this Stadium is in play, Metal Type Pokemon will take 30 less damage from their opponent's attacks. This affects all Metal Type Pokemon in play, though, so if your opponent has any, you may not want to play this Stadium right away. Damage reduction like this is one way to keep your Pokemon in the game longer, but you can also attach Bravery Charm PAL 173 to any of your Basic Pokemon to give them an additional 50 HP. Additionally, you can attach Deluxe Bomb SCR 134 to your Orthworm ex SCR 110 to make it even more dangerous to attack. While Deluxe Bomb SCR 134 is attached, if the Pokemon it is attached to is in your Active Spot and is damaged by an opponent's attack, Deluxe Bomb SCR 134 will detonate and deal 12 damage counters to the Attacking Pokemon. Talk about a deterrent to being attacked.

The remainder of the cards in this deck are cards that are commonly found in most Standard decks. Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144 can specifically be used to help find either version of Beldum from your deck. Nest Ball SVI 181 can be used to find any of your Basic Pokemon, including Orthworm ex SCR 110. There's also Ultra Ball SVI 196 which you can use to search your deck for any Pokemon you need. Playing this Item comes with the cost of having to discard two other cards when you use it, though.

By playing Arven SVI 166, you'll be able to get any of the Items that can be used to help you find Pokemon from within your deck. Arven SVI 166 also helps you find a Pokemon Tool, so you won't have to rely on blind luck to draw either Bravery Charm PAL 173 or Deluxe Bomb SCR 134. Super Rod PAL 188 is another Item you could find with Arven SVI 166. When you play Super Rod PAL 188, you'll be able to shuffle up to three Basic Energy cards back into your deck, giving you the opportunity to use them again. There are also a pair of Boss’s Orders PAL 172 in this deck, which will allow you to choose which of your opponent's Pokemon to be in their Active Spot. You can choose a Pokemon you're sure to Knock Out, or one that your opponent can't attack with.

The final pair of Trainers in this deck, Professor's Research SVI 190 and Iono PAL 185, are both useful ways of being able to draw a new hand of cards. With Professor's Research SVI 190, you'll need to discard your current hand in order to draw a new hand of seven cards. With Iono PAL 185, you are able to reset your opponent's hand as well as your own, plus you might be able to slow down their momentum if the new hand they draw doesn't have what they need or any cards to help cycle through their deck.

Wrapping Up

The fact that you'll deal damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon each time they attack Orthworm ex SCR 110 makes this Pokemon so frustrating to play against. It's possible for Orthworm ex SCR 110 to Knock Out an opposing Pokemon even if it doesn't have enough Energy attached to it to allow it to attack. If you enjoy playing decks that make your opponent squirm, give this one a try. It's a lot of fun and pretty powerful as well.

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