Pokémon TCG - Standard Deck Guide: Future Box

Ever since Paradox Pokémon came out, the community has been exploring what each of them can do and bring to Pokémon TCG. Initially, Ancient Pokémon stood out more because of Roaring Moon EX and Raging Bolt EX, two incredibly powerful Pokémon, and supporters like Professor Sada's Vitality PRE 120. However, Future Pokémon are also a great option if you enjoy decks that are both synergistic and consistent.

This deck uses Iron Hands ex PRE 31 as the main attacker and Miraidon TEF 121 to attach energies, so it can be quite aggressive early on and create a considerable advantage in many matchups.

It can also catch the opponent off-guard very easily. Let's see how it works!

As we mentioned, Iron Hands EX is the main attacker in this list simply because it is very flexible and can give you a good advantage in the Prize card race against evolution decks like Gardevoir and Dragapult. Its attack, Amp You Very Much, deals 120 base damage (which is enough to Knock Out practically all non-EX stage 1 and basic Pokémon in the format) and gives you an extra Prize card if you Knock Out an enemy Pokémon with it. So, clunky decks or decks that need a bit more time to evolve their Pokémon will struggle against this Pokémon because it will put a lot of pressure on them.

As for its other attack, Arm Press, it deals 160 damage, so you should use it to Knock Out double Prize Pokémon that have more HP.

Miraidon TEF 121 is your main way to attach energies. Its attack, Peak Acceleration, lets you get two energies from your deck and attach them to your Future Pokémon however you like. This way, you'll be able to set up your main attacker (which needs a lot of energies) and also deal damage to the opponent's active Pokémon at the same time. You might even Knock them Out as you do this.

Ideally, you should go second and use Miraidon on the very first turn to attach energies to Iron Hands EX.

Iron Crown EX will buff your Future Pokémon. Its ability, Cobalt Command, makes each of your Future Pokémon in play deal an extra 20 damage to enemy Pokémon. Like so, with this buff and some other tools, your Iron Hands will be able to deal 240 damage with Arm Press, and Miraidon will be able to Knock Out enemy Pokémon on turn 1 more easily. At the same time, Iron Crown EX's attack deals 50 damage to two benched Pokémon, so it can also be quite useful.

Decklist

One of the best things about Future Pokémon is that we can use Techno Radar PRE 130 with them. This item lets you get two Future Pokémon from your deck if you discard a card. You should always use it to get Miraidon if you can't find it, or Iron Crown if you need to deal more damage with your Future Pokémon. Furthermore, we'll also use Future Booster Energy Capsule TEF 149, which makes our Pokémon deal even more damage, and lets us retreat them for free.

This list plays many Electric energies (13 in total), to get the most out of Electric Generator. We also use Heavy Baton TEF 151 to attach energies to our bench if the opponent Knocks Out our active Iron Hands.

Arven is the best supporter for this deck because we can get a lot of tools with it, like Techno Radar and Electric Generator. It will make our turns a lot better.

To Knock Out more Pokémon and be more aggressive, this list also plays 3 Boss's Orders (Ghetsis) sv2 172 and 3 Iono sv4pt5 80, which will disrupt opponents that constantly filter their hands. Finally, it plays 2 Professor's Research sv4pt5 87, which will fix any bad hands you may get.

Town Store gives you all the tools we listed above, as well as Bravery Charm. The single copy of Team Rocket's Watchtower DRI 180 will disrupt Noctowl decks.

Prime Catcher is our ACE SPEC: you can get it with Arven if you don't have Boss's Orders, and it punishes opponents that play active Pokémon we don't want to Knock Out.

Dragapult EX - Favorable

In the current versions of this deck, Dragapult EX will most likely only start attacking from turns 3 to 4 onward. This means you can use Miraidon to Knock Out an enemy Pokémon on turn 1, then Knock Out 2 more Pokémon with Iron Hands EX. The problem is how many cards their deck draws per turn, so you should Knock Out their Drakloak TWM 129. Knocking Out a fully set up Dragapult in 2 strikes is difficult, but this matchup gets a lot easier if you Knock Out smaller Pokémon first.

Please note that this list also uses Budew PRE 4, which disables your ACE SPEC and items. At the same time, you must also set up Mew ex sv3pt5 151 on your bench in case your opponent tries to catch you off-guard with an Unfair Stamp.

Raging Bolt EX - Unfavorable

Raging Bolt EX has a lot of HP, so you'll struggle to Knock it Out, and it also deals a lot of damage with Bellowing Thunder, which can Knock Out any of your Pokémon very easily. Your target in this matchup is their support Pokémon, like Noctowl SCR 115, which has less HP, but you'll need to attach energies at the right time and in the right way to win this matchup. Heavy Baton TEF 151 is the best tool against them too because, with it, you will have a way to attach energies to your Pokémon even when they die.

Gardevoir EX - Favorable

This matchup is just like the Dragapult EX matchup: you'll constantly Knock Out their Ralts or Kirlia to delay their game plan. Even if you can't do that, Gardevoir ex sv4pt5 29 often plays single prize attackers with less HP, so you won't have trouble Knocking their Pokémon Out. In turn, Iron Hands EX's attack, Amp You Very Much, is essential, as it gives you another Prize card.

Be extra careful and don't rely too much on Heavy Baton TEF 151. You won't be able to activate it if Scream Tail PRE 42 Knocks Out your benched Iron Hands EX.

Marnie's Grimmsnarl - Very Unfavorable

Iron Crown EX, which makes your Pokémon deal more damage, is a must in nearly all matches, but you can't use it in this matchup because of Froslass' ability. At the same time, this deck is consistent and Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex DRI 136 deals a considerable amount of damage and has a lot of HP. Even if you Knock it Out before it evolves, Froslass TWM 53 and Munkidori PRE 44 can also deal a lot of damage to your Pokémon, so this matchup is quite unfavorable. Your answer for this matchup is letting go of Pokémon with abilities as much as you can.

Pros

• It leans on the synergy between Future Pokémon.

• It is strong against evolution decks.

• It catches beginners off-guard.

Cons

• It struggles against Raging Bolt and Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex.

• It needs to use Boss's Orders and Prime Catcher.

• It is considerably weaker if Miraidon can't attack on turn 1.

Future Box was forgotten by most players, but its loyal fans keep updating it and adding new strategies to it. It is a great option if you want to surprise your local scene with a new deck, or if you simply love Future Pokémon!

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!