Searching Standard: Stonjourner VMAX

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 Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 alongside numerous ways to heal. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list

Since Stonjourner V SSH 115 is the only Basic Pokemon in this deck, you know you'll begin the game with at least one copy of it in play. Once you evolve into Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116, the fun begins. Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 has the Stone Gift attack, which will be very important throughout the game. It allows you to attach a Fighting Energy from your hand to any of your Pokemon, healing 120 damage from that Pokemon in the process. By continuing to heal your Pokemon, you'll make it difficult for your opponent to score any Knock Outs. This also allows you to use Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116's other attack, Max Rockfall, much more quickly. This attack deals 200 damage, so you'll likely need two attacks to Knock Out many of the bigger Pokemon, but as you'll see, this deck includes other ways of healing Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116.

Our first batch of Trainer cards all provide that extra healing you'll need to outlast your opponent. Lucky Ice Pop EVS 150 only heals 20 damage, but it has the potential to be used over and over, provided that you win a coin flip. Team Yell Towel SHF 63 heals 50 damage from your Active Pokemon, but it also heals the same amount from your opponent's Active Pokemon. You won't want to use this Item if that 50 damage would be needed for you to get a Knock Out. Finally, Hyper Potion SSH 166 will heal 120 damage, but you'll need to discard two Energy from the Pokemon who is healed.

This deck also includes a few cards that help reduce the amount of damage your Pokemon will take. Attaching a Full Face Guard EVS 148 will allow Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 to take 20 less damage from your opponent's Pokemon's attacks, since it has no Ability. In a similar manner, attaching a copy of Stone {F} Energy VIV 164 to Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 will also reduce the amount of damage taken by 20, since Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 is a Fighting Type Pokemon. Finally, attaching a Big Parasol DAA 157 to your Active Pokemon will help your team by preventing the effects of all attacks that would be dealt to your Pokemon by your opponent's attacks.

In order to help evolve from Stonjourner V SSH 115 into Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116, this deck includes both Boost Shake EVS 142 and Evolution Incense SSH 163. Boost Shake EVS 142 allows you to evolve on turn one or on the same turn that Stonjourner V SSH 115 came into play. Evolution Incense SSH 163 lets you find a copy of Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 from your deck. Each of them makes it easier to get a copy of Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 into play as quickly as possible.

By drawing extra cards during your turn, you'll have more options available and you'll find the cards you need from your deck more quickly. Playing Professor's Research BRS 147 lets you draw seven new cards, but you'll have to discard your current hand in order to play it. Playing Avery CRE 130 might not get you as many cards, but you don't have to discard any either. You'll draw three cards and then you get the added benefit of forcing your opponent to discard Pokemon from their Bench until only three remain.

This next batch of Supporters all return the cards currently in your hand to your deck, allowing you to draw new cards. With Kabu CPA 55, the number of cards you draw will be greater if you only have one Pokemon in play. Both Roxanne ASR 150 and Marnie CPA 56 affect both you and your opponent, and they both allow you to draw a bigger amount of cards that your opponent gets to draw. These both help slow down your opponent's momentum, forcing them to change their plans and hopefully providing them with fewer options.

The lone copy of Boss's Orders BRS 132 can be played either offensively or defensively. As an offensive play, you can choose one of your opponent's Benched Pokemon that you're sure to Knock Out to move to their Active Spot. As a defensive play, you can instead choose a Pokemon that doesn't have the required Energy attached to be able to attack or retreat. This will give you an extra turn or two to shore up your plans.

As you've seen, there are a lot of great Supporters in this deck. Playing Pokégear 3.0 SSH 174 allows you to put any Supporter you find in the top seven cards of your deck into your hand. This helps thin your deck a bit, while providing you with an extra card.

In this deck, you'll want to have a steady supply of Energy cards in your hand in order to maximize the potential of Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116's Stone Gift attack. This next batch of Trainer cards will help with that. Both Training Court RCL 169 and Energy Retrieval CRZ 127 can be used to put basic Energy cards that are in your discard pile into your hand. It's always great to be able to reuse Energy that has ended up in the discard pile.

The final card in the deck is Path to the Peak CRE 148. This Stadium is included as a means of protection against certain decks. While it is in play, it will turn off any Ability of any Pokemon with a Rule Box. This will have no effect on your Pokemon, as they have no Rule Boxes, but against certain decks, this Stadium can be crippling.

Wrapping Up

Since this deck doesn't have multiple types of Pokemon, it is vulnerable to certain decks. Against decks that it is weak to, you'll likely have a difficult time winning. However, against most other decks, Stonjourner VMAX SSH 116 has what it takes to outlast its opponent the majority 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