Searching Standard: Slither Wing

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 Slither Wing PAR 107, who can deal a ton of damage while only giving up one Prize card if Knocked Out. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Slither Wing PAR 107 is able to deal 120 damage for only two Energy by using its Burning Turbulence attack. This attack will also cause your opponent's Active Pokemon to become Burned, so it will take even more damage between turns. The downfall of using this attack is that Slither Wing PAR 107 will take 90 damage when you use this attack, but this is somewhat mitigated by attaching a copy of Ancient Booster Energy Capsule PAR 159, providing an extra 60 HP to Slither Wing PAR 107.

Next, we have a pair of great backup attackers. Radiant Charizard PGO 11 is the best one, able to deal a whopping 250 damage for potentially a single Energy. Cyclizar SVI 164 is able to deal 100 damage with its Speed Attack attack, which requires three Energy to use. You can also use its Touring attack to draw a couple of cards, if needed.

Another way to draw additional cards is with the use of Bibarel BRS 121's Industrious Incisors Ability. This Ability works well in conjunction with Skwovet SVI 151's Nest Stash Ability. By using both of these Abilities, you should have no problem cycling through the cards in your deck as you search for what you need.

The last pair of Pokemon are included for their Abilities which help protect your Benched Pokemon from taking damage when your opponent's Active Pokemon attacks. Manaphy BRS 41's Wave Veil protects against damage from any attack, while Jirachi PAR 126's Stellar Veil Ability prevents damage counters from being placed on your Benched Pokemon by effects of attacks used by your opponent's Basic Pokemon. By having both of these Pokemon on your Bench, you'll be able to protect your Benched Pokemon from nearly all forms of damage.

While Town Store OBF 196 is in play, you'll be able to search your deck for a Pokemon Tool card to put into your hand, once per turn. This is a great way to find a copy of Ancient Booster Energy Capsule PAR 159, if you need one. Keep in mind that Stadiums affect both players, so your opponent will benefit from having this in play, too.

This next batch of Trainer cards all help you find the Pokemon you need to succeed. Nest Ball SVI 181 will put a Basic Pokemon from your deck directly onto your Bench. You can play Ultra Ball SVI 196 to be able to find any Pokemon from your deck to put into your hand, but it will require you to discard two other cards in order to play it. Finally, each player can use Artazon PAL 171 to find a Basic Pokemon with no Rule Box to put onto your Bench.

Professor Sada's Vitality PAR 170 can be a great way to accelerate the amount of Energy you have on your Ancient Pokemon. You can also use this to help power up Radiant Charizard PGO 11 by moving that energy from Slither Wing PAR 107 to Radiant Charizard PGO 11 with the help of Energy Switch SVI 173, allowing it to attack easier. By playing Earthen Vessel PAR 163, you also help ensure that you have Energy you can play while helping make your regular card draws more effective.

Pokemon mobility is very important. With both Switch SVI 194 and Escape Rope BST 125, you'll be able to switch your Active Pokemon with one from your Bench. Escape Rope BST 125 also allows your opponent to switch their Pokemon, as they choose. However, if you want to choose which Benched pokemon to move to your opponent's Active Spot, you'll want to play Boss’s Orders PAL 172.

To help you draw additional cards, you have a couple of Supporter options. With Professor's Research SVI 190, you'll get to draw a brand new hand of seven cards. However, you'll need to discard your current hand when you play this card. Iono PAL 185 also allows you to draw a new hand of cards, but the number of cards you'll draw is equal to the number of Prize cards you have remaining. Since your opponent does the same, this can be a great way to mess with their upcoming plans, as they can often draw a smaller hand than the number of cards they previously had.

Super Rod PAL 188 is a great way to shuffle back Pokemon and Basic Energy into your deck. Playing Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 can help you from having one of your key Pokemon locked away in your Prize cards. When you play Lost Vacuum CRZ 135, you'll be able to choose any Pokemon Tool or Stadium in play to go to the Lost Zone. Once removed from play, it'll be gone for the rest of the game.

The final card in this deck is Klara CRE 145. By playing her as your Supporter for the turn, you'll be able to return a pair of Pokemon or Basic Energy cards from your discard pile to your hand. You won't need to worry about finding them from within your deck, since those cards will go straight to your hand, making this a powerful Supporter to play.

Wrapping Up

Even though Slither Wing PAR 107's Burning Turbulence attack has a significant drawback, this deck proves that it is still a powerful attack worth using. This proves that old adage that you should never judge a book by its cover.

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