Standard Deck Tech: Vikavolt V Control - Stuttgart Regionals Champion

With the focus on the Stuttgart Regionals, in Germany, let's discuss the deck that was consecrated in the first place, used by the Polish player Mateusz Łaszkiewicz, with his control deck running Vikavolt-V along with Origin Forme Palkia-VStar, showing that the simplest and most common cards within the Standard format can lead to a good strategy.

Decklist

Vikavolt V: the Item Lock Attacker

1) Attack - Paralyzing Bolt (L)(C): Deals 30 damage and for the next turn, the opponent cannot play any Item-type Trainer cards from their hand.

2) Attack - Super Zap Cannon (L)(L)(C): Heals190 damage and discard two Energy from this Pokémon.

What interests us is its first attack that blocks any use of the opponent's items, which includes Quick Ball, Level Ball, Ultra Ball (the most common ones), also preventing Mew VMAX FST 114 that uses cards like Cram-o-matic FST 229 and Power Tablet FST 236 from functioning properly.

And of course, not to mention that Vikavolt V DAA 60 does double damage to Lugia VSTAR SIT 139 due to its weakness to Electric, and that's where its second-biggest advantage lies.

Origin Forme Palkia VStar: the second striker

1) Attack - Subspace Swell (W)(W): Deals 60 damage plus 20 for each Pokémon in play (both yours and your opponent's).

2) VStar Ability - Star Portal: During your turn, you may attach up to 3 basic Water Energy from the discard pile between your Pokémon in any way you like (you can't use a VStar Power - either an attack or an ability - more than once during the entire game).

It holds the edge as a fast aggressor to beat for the amount of Pokémon in play, as most players clogged their Benches, whether it's Water recursive Pokémon like Sobble, Drizzle, and Inteleon lines, the Genesect-V in Mew VMax decks and also Lugia VStar decks with Archeops.

So on average, you'd expect to be dealing 260 damage (100 damage on your side plus 100 damage on your opponent's side and Palkia's base 60 damage).

Raikou-V: the third striker

1) Ability - Fleet Footed: If this Pokémon is in Active Position during your turn, draw another card.

2) Attack - Lightning Rondo (L)(C): Deals 20 damage plus 20 for each Benched Pokémon in play.

With the same rulings as Origin Forme Palkia-VStar to increase its damage, assuming there are 5 Pokémon on your bench and the opponent's, it will have a total of 200 damage (100 and 100) plus 20 base damage, 220 damage.

And the best part is that because it is an Electric-type, it goes head-on against Lugia VSTAR SIT 139 and decks that use the Water archetype, such as against Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR ASR 40.

Minor Recursive Pokémon

- Mew CEL 11 comes in with ability Mysterious Tail, where you look at the top 6 cards of your deck and looks for a Trainer Item card, reveals it and puts it in his hand.

- Radiant Greninja ASR 46 has its ability Concealed Cards, which makes you discard an Energy card from your hand to draw 2 cards from the top of your deck.

It's almost mandatory to have this Pokémon to draw cards, with this "Draw Power" synergy, to combo with Melony CRE 146 to accelerate the energy of your Water Pokémon!

- Lumineon V BRS 40 has Luminous Sign, which, if played from your hand and put on your Bench, it searches for a Supporter card from the deck.

Basically, another important resource-seeking Pokémon because in addition to doing the obvious, it does 120 damage and can go back into the deck when it uses its Aqua Return attack.

- Galarian Zigzagoon SSH 117 comes in to put a damage counter on it thanks to its ability Headbutt Tantrum which, if played from your hand to the Bench, puts a damage counter on one of your opponent's Pokémon. With that, you can loop the Scoop Up Net RCL 165 to pick it up and play it again, making the damage counts.

- Crobat V SHF 44 has its ability Dark Asset, which, if played from your hand to your bench, you draw until you have 6 cards in your hand.

Trainer Cards

- Melony CRE 146 is used to power up a basic Water Energy from the discard pile to one of your Pokémon V, and if you do, you draw 3 cards.

-Marnie CPA 56 serves to shuffle your hand and your opponent's to the bottom of the deck. Then your opponent draws 4 cards, and you draw 5 cards.

- Boss's Orders BRS 132 serves to pull a specific Pokémon from the opponent's Bench to deal damage for victory, to speed up the prize cards.

- Lost Vacuum LOR 162 is an Item card that, to be executed, needs to pay a tribute that a card from your hand needs to go to the Lost Zone. If you do, you choose a Tool Item or Stadium card in play and send it to the Lost Zone.

- Scoop Up Net RCL 165 is used to collect a Pokémon that isn't GX or V from the game to your hand, thus looping Galarian Zigzagoon SSH 117.

- Trekking Shoes ASR 156 makes you look at the top card of your deck, choosing to take that card you saw and put it in your hand or discard it.

- Ultra Ball BRS 150 serves to search any Pokémon in the deck, with the tribute of discarding two cards in your hand.

- Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 is used to search for any basic Pokémon that are on the prize cards. And if you find it, catch that Pokémon and replace it with that card.

- Quick Ball FST 237 can search a basic Pokémon from the deck with the Tribute cost of discarding a card from the hand.

- Battle VIP Pass FST 225 is for searching the deck for two Basic Pokémon and putting them into play right away, but this card can only be played during your first turn for the entire game, so the faster to create this setup on the first turn, the better.

- Cross Switcher FST 230 serves as a kind of effect similar to Guzma (back in the Sun/Moon era): you can only play this card if you have both copies of them in hand. If you do, you pull an opponent's Benched Pokémon into Active Position, and then you do the same with your Pokémon.

Special Energies

- Speed Lightning Energy RCL 173 works only for electric types, where if connected to them, you draw 2 cards.

Advantages

The main focus of the deck is item lock control, which many decks like Mew VMax does in droves, or when there are decks that use Sobble, Drizzle and Inteleon line with Shady Dealings , and especially being Lugia's "counter" due to the weakness to Electric-type.

Disadvantages

- Electric control and damage boost decks like Regieleki VMAX SIT 58 and Vikavolt V DAA 60 are potential threats.

- Deck that gives One Hit KO like Yveltal SHF 46.

- The Mirror Match is defined by who assembles the setup first.

It's a very surprising deck with "simple" cards to use, but with a different play style. Vikavolt will certainly gain notoriety until the day of its rotation in 2023, proving that it is very useful and will be put to good use in many future decks.

And now it's up to you: what do you think of the deck? You are welcome to comment below on the site, as your opinion is welcome.

Until next time.