Searching Standard: Wailord the Tank

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 Popsicle Knight. It features Wailord SIT 38, and includes multiple ways to reduce the damage your opponent can do. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Wailord SIT 38 does it all in this deck. It's the star offensive and defensive player on this team. With its Jumbo-Sized Ability, it will take 30 less damage from attacks. As you'll see, this deck has additional ways to increase this damage reduction, allowing you to prevent up to 130 damage dealt to Wailord SIT 38. Wailord SIT 38 also has a good attack, Special Wave. With this attack, you'll deal 240 damage, provided that you have a Special Energy attached to Wailord SIT 38 . That's enough damage to Knock Out nearly every Pokemon V (not including VMAX or VSTAR) with one attack.

Since Wailord SIT 38's Special Wave attack requires a lot of Water Energy to use, you'll need to have a way of ramping up your Energy, which is where Frosmoth SSH 64 comes in. With its Ice Dance Ability, you can attach as many Water Energy cards from your hand to your Benched Pokemon as you would like. This is a great way to get Wailord SIT 38 fully powered as quickly as possible.

To make sure you have the Energy you need, you'll want ways of refilling your hand quickly. Both Bibarel BRS 121 and Snorlax VIV 131 help with this. Bibarel BRS 121 has the Industrious Incisors Ability, which allows you to refill your hand to five cards once per turn. Snorlax VIV 131 has the Gormandize Ability, which will refill your hand to seven cards, but comes with two caveats. First, in order to use this Ability, Snorlax VIV 131 must be your Active pokemon. Second, using this Ability will end your turn. Even with these stipulations, it is worth making Snorlax VIV 131 your Active Pokemon, as it has a lot of HP and will be able to stall things out while you get your team set up.

The final two Pokemon in this deck are both useful due to their Abilities. Manaphy BRS 41 has the Wave Veil Ability, which will protect your Benched Pokemon from damage. This is helpful since Frosmoth SSH 64's Ice Dance Ability only attached Energy to your Benched Pokemon. Radiant Gardevoir LOR 69 protects your Pokemon with its Loving Veil Ability, preventing 20 damage from the attacks from your opponent's Pokemon V. This benefits all of your Pokemon, helping your entire team stay in the battle longer.

This batch of cards are all about additional damage prevention. Lake Acuity LOR 160 will prevent 20 damage dealt to any Pokemon with any Water or Fighting Energy attached. This will benefit both you and your opponent, so there might be times you won't want this Stadium to be in play. By attaching Pot Helmet BRS 146 to Wailord SIT 38, it will take 30 less damage from the attacks of all of your opponent's Pokemon. Finally, by attaching V Guard Energy SIT 169 to Wailord SIT 38, you'll satisfy the requirement of having a Special Energy attached in order to deal extra damage. You'll also be able to prevent 30 damage done to Wailord SIT 38 from any attacks of your opponent's Pokemon V.

Capacious Bucket RCL 156 allows you to search your deck for a pair of Water Energy cards. These can then be attached in the usual manner or with the help of Frosmoth SSH 64's Ice Dance Ability. Irida ASR 147 helps you find Water Type Pokemon from your deck, plus she'll help you find an Item card as well. Capacious Bucket RCL 156 is a good choice to find, but there are other good options as well.

Both Nessa VIV 157 and Ordinary Rod SSH 171 can help you return any copies of Water Energy or Pokemon that have gone to your discard pile back to your hand or deck. Remember that Nessa VIV 157 can return Evolution Pokemon, while Ordinary Rod SSH 171 cannot.

Often during games, your opponent will play a card that moves one of your Benched Pokemon to your Active Spot, leaving you in a position where your main attacker is on your Bench. For those times, you'll want one of these cards. Air Balloon SSH 156 will reduce the Retreat Cost of the Pokemon it is attached to by two Energy. Switch SSH 183 simply forces two of your Pokemon to exchange places, allowing a Benched Pokemon to move to your Active Spot with ease. Finally, Scoop Up Net RCL 165 can return a Basic Pokemon to your hand, or it can also be played as a means of healing all damage from one of your Basic Pokemon.

To make sure you have the tools you need to defeat your opponent, you'll need additional ways to draw extra cards. Professor's Research BRS 147 lets you draw seven new cards, but you'll need to discard your current hand to play it. Marnie CPA 56 lets you shuffle your hand back into your deck and draw a new one. It's also a great way of messing up your opponent's plans, since they'll shuffle their hand back into their deck and draw a new one as well. Finally, Serena SIT 164 allows you to discard up to three cards before drawing back up to a hand size of five cards. Alternatively, she can be played to switch one of your opponent's Benched Pokemon V with their Active Pokemon, allowing you to attack it and potentially take multiple Prize cards.

The final Trainer cards in this deck are the typical PokeBall cards found in most decks. You can find any Basic Pokemon from your deck with Quick Ball SSH 179, any low HP Pokemon with Level Ball BST 129, and absolutely any Pokemon with Ultra Ball BRS 150.

Wrapping Up

Tanky decks like this one are a lot of fun to play. By reducing the amount of damage your Pokemon takes from your opponent's attacks, you'll stay in the game longer and attacking will be frustrating for your opponent. If this deck looks fun to you, give it a try.

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