Searching Standard: United Wings
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 Jank Play TCG. It features a flock of Pokemon with the United Wings attack, attempting to deal tons of damage with this attack. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck.
This first batch of Pokemon all have the United Wings attack, so you'll want to get some combination of them into play with the rest of them into the discard pile. Obviously, which you put into play and which you discard will be dependent on the Energy cards you draw. Murkrow PAL 131 requires only a single Darkness Energy to use its United Wings attack, while both Wattrel PAL 80 and Flamigo PAL 170 need two Energy to use theirs. Flamigo PAL 170 also has the Insta-Flock Ability which lets you search your deck for up to three Flamigo PAL 170 to put into your hand, making them easier to discard with cards that require you to discard to use them.
This deck also includes a trio of back-up attackers. Wormadam BRS 10, Wormadam BRS 77, and Wormadam BRS 98 all have the Matron's Anger attack that deals additional damage for each Pokemon in your discard pile. They come in three varieties, so you might be able to attack easier for Weakness with one of them.
Kirlia SIT 68 is included in this deck for the use of its Refinement Ability. This allows you to discard a card from your hand in order to draw two cards from your deck. This can be a very useful way of getting specific Pokemon into your discard pile.
The last couple of Pokemon are useful for their Abilities. Squawkabilly ex PAL 169's Squawk and Seize Ability allows you to discard your hand during your first turn, drawing a new hand of 6 cards afterward. It's another great way of getting Pokemon into your discard pile. Manaphy BRS 41 sees play in most decks due to its Wave Veil Ability, which keeps your Benched Pokemon safe from damage.
Since you need to have as many Pokemon as possible with the United Wings attack in your discard pile, this deck includes numerous ways to help with this. PokéStop PGO 68 will discard the top three cards of your deck, letting you place any items within those cards into your hand. Trekking Shoes ASR 156 gives you the option of putting the top card of your deck into your hand or discard pile. With Serena SIT 164, you can discard up to three cards, potentially drawing additional cards after that. Finally, you'll need to discard two cards to play Zinnia's Resolve EVS 164, which will result in you drawing a card for each of your opponent's Pokemon in play.
In order to make sure you have a Pokemon that can attack, you can use either of these two Items to search your deck for one. Level Ball BST 129 can only search for Pokemon with 90 HP or less, so finding Murkrow PAL 131 or Wattrel PAL 80 is no problem. With Ultra Ball SVI 196, you can search for any Pokemon at all, plus you'll get to discard two cards in order to use this Item.
With so many cards going to your discard pile, there's sure to be something you'll need to get back. That's where this batch of cards shines. Pal Pad SVI 182 lets you shuffle back up to two Supporters into your deck. Super Rod PAL 188 shuffles back three cards in any combination of Pokemon and Basic Energy. Finally, Rescue Carrier CRZ 142 returns up to two Pokemon with 90 HP or less from your discard pile directly to your hand. By using these cards, you'll be able to reuse cards in your discard pile, giving those cards added value.
Boss’s Orders PAL 172 is in most decks. It allows you to pick one of your opponent's Benched Pokemon to move to their Active Spot. This can allow you to make an attack that is sure to Knock Out that Pokemon. Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186 can be used to help find Boss’s Orders PAL 172, or any other Supporter, from the top seven cards of your deck. Finally, attaching a copy of Supereffective Glasses ASR 152 to a Pokemon allows it to deal three times its usual amount of damage when attacking a Pokemon that is weak to it. With five different types of Pokemon that are potential attackers (not counting Colorless Type), attacking a Pokemon for Weakness might not be a difficult task.
Wrapping Up
Similar to past decks that have used the Mad Party attack and the Night March attack before that, United Wings has the potential to become a formidable threat. Individually, these cards might not look threatening, but these decks have all proven that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
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