Flash Forward: Houndoom V, Grapploct V, and Galarian Cursola V Decks
by Mike Likes // Jun 05, 2020
Hello and welcome to Flash Forward, the article series that provides you with a sneak peek of some decks that will be Standard legal with the release of the next upcoming set. Now that Japan's next expansion, Infinity Zone, is finally here, we'll start taking a look at some decks from Japan that are built using cards from this new set. Let's get started.
Houndoom V / Heatran Deck
The first deck we'll start with attempts to make good use from the damage counters on your own Pokemon. Let's take a look at the deck.
New Card Translations
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Houndoom V – Fire – HP210 [R] Searing Flame: 20 damage. Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Burned. [R][R][C] Compensation Flame: 100+ damage. If any of your [R] Pokemon have damage counters on them, this attack does 100 more damage. When your Pokemon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Weakness: Water (x2) |
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Heatran – Fire – HP130 [R][C] Fire Fang: 30 damage. Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Burned. [R][R][C] Raging Flare: 80+ damage. This attack does an additional 10 damage for each damage counter on this Pokemon. Weakness: Water (x2) |
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Crobat V – Darkness – HP180 Ability: Night Asset [D][C] Poison Fang: 70 damage. Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Poisoned. When your Pokemon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Weakness: Fighting (x2) |
Houndoom V has the Compensation Flame attack that deals 100 damage. However, if any of your Fire Type Pokemon have damage counters on them, Compensation Flame will deal 200 damage. In order to maximize this attack, you'll want to keep a damage counter on one of your Fire Type Pokemon. Assuming your opponent makes an attack that leaves damage counters on your Pokemon, you'll be able to move the damage around with Jynx UNM 76's Ominous Posture Ability. The best Pokemon to move this damage to is Heatran, since it has the Raging Flare attack that will deal extra damage based on the amount of damage counters on it. If you find yourself in a spot where none of your Pokemon have any damage counters on them, you can use Spiritomb UNB 112's Building Spite Ability to put a damage counter on it.
Grapploct V / Coalossal Deck
The next deck I have for you attempts to gamble with luck to deal additional damage. Let's take a look at it.
New Card Translations
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Grapploct V – Fighting – HP210 [F] Bind Up: 20 damage. If the Defending Pokemon is a Basic Pokemon, it can’t attack during your opponent’s next turn. [F][F][C] Moonsault Press: 120+ damage. Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 100 more damage. When your Pokemon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Weakness: Psychic (x2) |
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Glimwood Tangle – Trainer Once during either players turn, after they flip any coins for an attack, that player may ignore all results of those coin flips and begin flipping those coins again. This card stays in play when you play it. Discard this card if another Stadium card comes into play. If another card with the same name is in play, you can’t play this card. |
This deck runs most effectively on the Coalossal RCL 107 engine, by using its Tar Generator Ability to ramp up the amount of Energy attached to your Pokemon. With that Energy, you'll be able to use Grapploct V's Moonsault Press attack. This attack will deal 120 damage, but if you're lucky, you can win a coin flip and have it deal an additional 100 damage. To maximize you chances to flip a heads result, you'll want to get a copy of Glimwood Tangle into play. Glimwood Tangle allows you to re-flip any coins for an attack, allowing you an additional chance to flip heads if you initially fail.
Galarian Cursola V / Sableye V Deck
The final deck I have for you this week takes advantage of the damage counters on your opponent's Pokemon. Let's take a look at the deck.
New Card Translations
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Galarian Cursola V – Psychic – HP190 Ability: Eating Aura [P][C] Hallow Missile: 60 damage. Put 3 damage counters on your opponent’s Benched Pokemon in any way you like. When your Pokemon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Weakness: Darkness (x2) |
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Crobat V – Darkness – HP180 Ability: Night Asset [D][C] Poison Fang: 70 damage. Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Poisoned. When your Pokemon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Weakness: Fighting (x2) |
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Hoopa – Darkness – HP120 [D] Assault Gate: 90 damage. If this Pokemon wasn’t moved from your Bench to the Active Spot during your turn, this attack does nothing. This attack isn’t affected by Weakness. Weakness: Grass (x2) |
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Piers – Trainer Search your deck for 1 [D] Pokemon and any 1 Energy, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck. You may play only 1 Supporter card during your turn (before your attack). |
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Hide [D] Energy – Special Energy As long as this card is attached to a Pokemon, it provides [D] Energy. The Retreat Cost of the [D] Pokemon this card is attached to is 0. |
With this deck, you'll want to get Galarian Cursola V into play quickly. Thanks to its Eating Aura Ability, you'll begin putting damage counters on your opponent's Pokemon any time they attach an Energy from their hand to that Pokemon. You'll be able to use Sableye V SSH 120's Crazy Claws attack to deal a lot of damage to any opposing Pokemon that already has damage counters on it. You can also use things like Dark City UNM 193 and Hide [D] Energy to be able to switch your Pokemon around freely, allowing you to keep pressuring your opponent whenever they want to attach Energy to their Pokemon.
Wrapping Up
The release of Infinity Zone has brought us a lot of new cards that we can use to make new decks with. The decks I've shown you today are just a small sampling of these new decks.
What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Leave a comment below and let me know what Pokemon you'd like to see featured in next week's decks.
And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue showing you innovative decks using cards from upcoming sets. I'll see you then (in the future!).
- Mike Likes