Searching Standard: Single Strike Melmetal Deck

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. Back at the end of 2018, I remember Meltan being released in Pokemon GO. The excitement for this new Pokemon was palpable. This week, I'm taking a look at a deck that was recently featured on the YouTube channel of Popsicle Knight. It features Meltan FST 188 and its evolved form, Melmetal FST 189. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Melmetal FST 189 is your main attacker in this deck. You'll want to use its Ingot Swing attack when you're facing off against an opposing Pokemon that has an Ability. While this attack will only deal 80 damage, it will also prevent all damage done to Melmetal FST 189 by attacks from Pokemon with an Ability. Melmetal FST 189 also has the Blasting Hammer attack which you can use to deal 150 damage, but it requires you to discard an Energy from Melmetal FST 189 when you use it, so you'll want to use it sparingly.

Houndoom BST 96's Single Strike Roar Ability is the engine that keeps this deck running smoothly. Once per turn, you'll be able to search your deck for a Single Strike Energy BST 141 card to attach to one of your Single Strike Pokemon. Doing this will cause you to place two damage counters on the Pokemon receiving this Energy, but the Energy acceleration is worth it.

Zacian V SSH 138 is a terrific backup attacker for this deck. By using its Intrepid Sword Ability, you'll be able to draw cards that will help the rest of your team, or power Zacian V SSH 138 up quickly. Zacian V SSH 138's Brave Blade attack will deal 230 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon, but it can only be used every other turn

Crobat V DAA 104's main purpose in this deck is to allow you to draw extra cards due to its Dark Asset Ability. While it is possible to attack with Crobat V DAA 104's Venomous Fang attack, you'll usually want to keep Crobat V DAA 104 safe and sound on your Bench.

With this group of Item cards, you'll be able to search your deck for the Pokemon you need with ease. Quick Ball FST 237 allows you to search for any Basic Pokemon, while Evolution Incense SSH 163 allows you to search for any Evolution Pokemon. Level Ball BST 129 only lets you search for a Pokemon that has 90 HP or less, but it's a great way to find that Basic Pokemon you need in order to play their Stage 1 Evolutions.

This next batch of cards is a group of very specialized cards for this deck. Metal Saucer SSH 170 allows you to attach a Metal Energy from your discard pile to one of your Benched Metal-Type Pokemon. It's a great way to further accelerate the amount of Energy you have attached to Melmetal FST 189, allowing you to use more powerful attacks quicker than usual. Crystal Cave EVS 144 offers a bit of healing for your Metal-Type Pokemon. Keep in mind that Stadiums affect both players, so you might not want to play this if your opponent is playing any Metal-Type or Dragon-Type Pokemon. Finally, you can attach Single Strike Scroll of the Fanged Dragon EVS 158 to Melmetal FST 189 to give it access to the Superstrong Slash attack. This attack will deal a whopping 300 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon, but at the steep cost of requiring you to discard all Energy from the Pokemon Single Strike Scroll of the Fanged Dragon EVS 158 is attached to. You'll typically only want to use this attack if doing so will win you the game.

This group of cards is all about movement. With Energy Switch SSH 162, you'll be able to move any extra Metal Energy you've attached to Zacian V SSH 138 by using its Intrepid Sword Ability to another Pokemon of your choosing. Doing so is another means of accelerating the amount of Energy attached to your Pokemon, allowing them to use attacks that are more powerful. Switch SSH 183 allows you to move your Pokemon from your Active Spot to your Bench, moving up a Benched Pokemon in return. This can be very beneficial for you the turn after you've attacked with Zacian V SSH 138's Brave Blade attack. Boss's Orders SHF 58 lets you switch your opponent's Active Pokemon with one from their Bench. Use this to help set up an easy Knock Out whenever possible. You can also use it to move up a Pokemon with an Ability, allowing Melmetal FST 189's Ingot Swing attack to be more effective.

By drawing additional cards, you'll have more options available to you throughout the game. Professor's Research CEL 23 allows you to draw a new hand of seven cards, but at the cost of discarding your current hand. Marnie CPA 56, on the other hand, has you shuffle your current cards into your deck and draw a replacement hand. She also forces your opponent to do this, which can often slow down their momentum, as their plans will have changed depending on the new cards they've drawn.

The last pair of Trainers help you utilize cards from your discard pile. Both Ordinary Rod SSH 171 and Urn of Vitality BST 139 can allow you to shuffle Energy back into your deck. Ordinary Rod SSH 171 allows you to shuffle a pair of Metal Energy, while Urn of Vitality BST 139 allows you to shuffle a pair of Single Strike Energy BST 141. Alternatively, Ordinary Rod SSH 171 can also be used to shuffle back up to two Pokemon into your deck. Both of these cards allow you to use cards multiple times, making your deck run more efficiently.

Wrapping Up

Against certain decks, this deck will have a rough time. However, that's the nature of the Pokemon TCG. Every deck has another type of deck it is weak against. But, since so many decks have Pokemon that have Abilities, you'll find that this deck will have an advantage a good portion of the time.

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