Pokémon TCG: Standard Deck Tech - "Baby" Hydrapple & Festival Lead - Instant KO

Greetings, Pokémon community!

Destined Rivals, the new Pokémon TCG set, came out in late May and brought us many new cards, possibilities, and strategies. Among them, there's Hydrapple, a great Pokémon that can Knock Out any enemy Pokémon as long as you discard 6 Grass energies from your hand.

The list we'll explore today also features Festival Lead Pokémon from Scarlet & Violet and the stadium they interact with, Festival Grounds. Together, they form an incredibly synergistic mechanic.

Let's see how it works!

Decklist

Hydrapple

Its main attack, Hydra Breath, Knocks Out any active enemy Pokémon if you discard 6 Basic Grass Energy sv2 278 from your hand!

The most practical way to filter and get these energies from your deck is with Letter of Encouragement sv3 189, which lets you get up to 3 basic energies if any of your Pokémon was Knocked Out on the previous turn.

As this deck is full of low-HP "baby" Pokémon, they won't last long on the board, and, as such, you will have no problem using this item.

Budew

Its free attack prevents the opponent from playing items. As such, you can use it to sabotage enemy strategies that rely on key items, like Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Nest Ball sv1 181, and Ultra Ball sv4pt5 91.

The best time to use Letter of Encouragement sv3 189 is when you finish setting up Applin TWM 17 and your opponent Knocks Out Budew PRE 4. Like so, you'll easily be able to evolve Applin TWM 17 into Dipplin PRE 10, and then evolve this Pokémon into Hydrapple DRI 18.

Recursive Pokémon

"Festival Lead" Pokémon

All the Pokémon above have the same ability, which, in turn, only works when Festival Grounds PRE 108 is in play.

►Thwackey TWM 15's ability lets you get any card in your deck (if Festival Grounds PRE 108 is in play).

► Dipplin PRE 10's ability lets you attack twice if Festival Grounds is in play. If the first attack Knocks Out the active enemy Pokémon, they'll have to put another Pokémon in its place.

► Goldeen TWM 44's and Seaking PRE 21's abilities are similar to Dipplin PRE 10's.

Card Draw

Fezandipiti's ability lets you draw 3 cards if one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn.

Trainer Cards

Supporter to Filter/Draw Items and Tools

This card is essential. With it, you'll start the game by drawing Buddy-Buddy Poffin and Technical Machine: Evolution sv4 178. This way, you'll be able to put on your bench 2 Pokémon with 70 HP or less, and use the tool to evolve 2 of your benched Pokémon faster. You'll be able to evolve Applin into Dipplin quite fast, and then focus on Hydrapple afterward.

Supporter to Sabotage Your Opponent's Hand

Supporter to Recycle Pokémon and Basic Energies

This card is perfect for this deck because it lets you recycle Pokémon without Rule Boxes. As this deck centers around "single prize" cards, it is essential.

Items to Get Pokémon

Item to Get Energies

This is one of the most important items in this deck because it's how you'll get 3 Basic Grass Energy sv2 278 for Hydrapple's Hydra Breath.

Item to Recycle Even More Energies

This is the second-most critical item in this deck because it lets you discard 2 cards in your hand to get up to 4 Basic Grass Energy sv2 278 from your discard pile. It's also great when you want to use Hydrapple's Hydra Breath.

Item to Recycle Pokémon, Energies, and Supporters

- Super Rod sv2 188 gets you a combination of 3 cards - basic energies or Pokémon (basic or evolved).

- Night Stretcher SFA 61 recycles a Pokémon or basic energy from your discard pile and adds it to your hand.

- Pal Pad sv1 182 recycles two Supporters from your discard pile and shuffles them back into your deck.

- Energy Recycler DRI 164 recycles 5 Basic Grass Energy sv2 278 from the discard pile and shuffles them back into your deck.

Item to "Pull" Enemy Pokémon

Tools

- Rescue Board PRE 126 lets you retreat Pokémon for one energy less. If the Pokémon in question has less than 30 HP, then you can retreat them completely for free.

- Technical Machine: Evolution sv4 178 lets you evolve two of your benched Pokémon right away.

Stadium

This Stadium is essential for Festival Lead Pokémon, which we mentioned before when we discussed recursive Pokémon.

Its effect is simple: any Pokémon that has an energy attached becomes immune to special conditions and can't be affected by future special conditions. With it, you'll have one less problem to worry about.

ACE SPEC

This ACE SPEC is similar to Super Rod sv2 188 and Night Stretcher SFA 61. It is actually an upgraded version of these cards, as it lets you recycle 5 cards from the discard pile and add them straight to your hand.

Favorable

As this deck focuses on Knocking Out any Pokémon with a single strike, regardless of how much HP the active enemy Pokémon has, then it can answer strong Pokémon ex in the format, such as:

- Charizard ex sv4pt5 54.

- Raging Bolt ex TEF 123.

- Dragapult ex TWM 130.

- Cynthia's Garchomp ex DRI 104.

- Future Pokémon.

Unfavorable

As this deck relies on Applin's evolutions but doesn't use Rare Candy, it is a bit slow. You'll need time to set up your Pokémon.

It also doesn't play other strong or reliable attackers with a decent amount of HP and that don't need many energies to attack. It relies completely on Hydrapple.

Any deck that centers around "sniper" or "spread" damage will be great against it.

This deck seems cheap and is a great introduction if you want to start playing the new set, Destined Rivals. It is also an excellent option for friendly matches and local events.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!