Searching Standard: Toxtricity EX

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 Toxtricity ex PAR 100, a Fighting Type Pokemon that uses Lightning Energy for its attacks. Let's get started by taking a look at the deck list.

Toxtricity ex PAR 100 has a pair of great attacks you can use to Knock Out your opponent's Pokemon. Its Knocking Hammer attack deals 70 damage, and forces your opponent to discard the top card of their deck. It's a dependable attack you can use for just two Energy. Toxtricity ex PAR 100 also has the Gaia Punk attack, requiring three Energy to use. By using this attack, you'll deal 270 damage to your opponent's Active pokemon, but you'll have to discard three Lightning Energy to use this attack. There's also a copy of Toxtricity OBF 72 in this deck which can deal out a surprising amount of damage with its Loud Mix attack, but will only yield one Prize card if it gets Knocked Out.

Since this is a Lightning based deck, it's no surprise to see Flaaffy EVS 55 as the engine that powers this deck. By using Flaaffy EVS 55's Dynamotor Ability, you can attach a Lightning Energy card from your discard pile to one of your Benched Pokemon. This is one of the best ways to recharge Toxtricity ex PAR 100 after using its Gaia Punk attack.

Iron Hands ex PAR 70 acts as a backup attacker for this deck. It has two powerful attacks which can deal a ton of damage and potentially allow you to take an extra Prize card. The main reason for including Miraidon ex SVI 81 in this deck is for the use of its Tandem Unit Ability, which allows you to find the Basic Pokemon you need to succeed. The final Pokemon in this deck is Mew ex MEW 151, which is mostly used to help keep new cards coming into your hand thanks to its Restart Ability. Mew ex MEW 151 does have the Genome Hacking attack which can be used if needed as a backup attack.

Helping you power up your Pokemon is Electric Generator SVI 170. While it can't help power up Toxtricity ex PAR 100, you can always attach extra Energy to Toxel OBF 71 before Evolving it.

In addition to Miraidon ex SVI 81's Tandem Unit Ability, this deck includes a pair of Items and a Stadium to help you find specific Pokemon. Nest Ball SVI 181 can only search your deck for a Basic Pokemon, while Ultra Ball SVI 196 can search for any Pokemon, regardless of its Evolution. Stormy Mountains EVS 161 allows each player to search for a Basic Lightning or Dragon Type Pokemon to put onto their Bench each turn. Against some decks, you might want to hold off on playing this Stadium so you don't give your opponent an advantage.

To make the most of Toxtricity ex PAR 100's Gaia Punk attack, you can use Boss’s Orders PAL 172 to choose which of your opponent's Pokemon to attack. Escape Rope BST 125 also forces your opponent to switch their Active Pokemon with one from their Bench, but the choice of which Pokemon to switch is theirs, not yours. Escape Rope BST 125 also forces you to switch your Active Pokemon with one from your Bench, so make sure you have someone powered up when you play this Item. Finally, with Switch SVI 194, you have a way of moving a Pokemon from your Bench to your Active Spot without having to pay a Retreat Cost.

Drawing extra cards offers you more options, and when it comes to drawing cards, Professor's Research SVI 190 allows you to draw the most. When you play it, you'll be able to draw seven new cards, but before that happens, you'll need to discard your current hand of cards. Iono PAL 185 also offers card drawing, but she also disrupts your opponent's hand and it's possible that they'll end up drawing fewer cards than they previously had.

The last pair of Trainers in this deck are general purpose cards seen in most decks. Path to the Peak CRE 148 will negate any Abilities of Pokemon that have a Rule Box. While this deck does have a couple of Pokemon that Path to the Peak CRE 148 would affect, the drawback for you might be worth it if it affects your opponent in a worse way. Finally, there's a single copy of Super Rod PAL 188, which allows you to reutilize some Pokemon or Basic Energy that has gone to your discard pile.

Wrapping Up

Pokemon such as Toxtricity ex PAR 100 that are a different type than usual can be quite rewarding. Your opponent might feel quite safe thinking that they are up against a pure Lightning Deck, only to find that your main attacker is a Fighting Type Pokemon.

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