Standard Deck Tech: Hisuian Arcanine - Cheap Deck with free attacks

Hello everybody. I'm Rodrigo, and I'm here to bring you more ideas and deck possibilities for the Standard format in the Pokémon TCG.

In the face of new cards from the new expansion, let's meet another "Baby" Pokémon that is interesting to play and that is very worthwhile because of its exotic ability of not requiring energy to attack! And with you: Hisuian Arcanine.

Deck Analysis

The uniqueness of this deck is simply dealing 160 raw damage if you don't have any cards in your hand, for any energy attached to Arcanine.

It's the same mechanic as Granbull LOT 138 in the Sun/Moon era, pretty much the same reasoning, only the advantage of Hisuian Arcanine is not taxing any energies towards the attack cost, seen in the description of Very Vulnerable, which if on your turn when attacking you have no cards in hand, it deals 10 + 150 damage.

As a prize striker, Arcanine doesn't care whether an ultra rare card like the V, VStar, VMax and VUnion lose two to three prize cards, which gives you a slightly longer lasting game possibility, and for excellent damage of 160. It can even knock out strong “baby” Pokémon of the format like Malamar CRE 70, Charizard VIV 25, Regigigas ASR 130, Lunatone PGO 34, or even the mighty Radiant Charizard PGO 11 and Reshiram SHF 17.

But of course against basic Pokémon V, which have an average of 190 HP to 230 HP, it will only be possible to knock out with 2 hits, which can be a bit of a problem.

But we have Choice Belt and Grant that increase 30 damage each, giving that sum of 60 additional damage, so from 160 we will go to 220, being able to knock out 90% of the basic Pokémon V of the current format in one hit!

Recursive Pokémon

1) As secondary attacking Pokémon we have Zoroark EVS 103 which is good to use as a wild card in the game without Hisuian Arcanine thanks to its ability Phantom Transformation, where during your turn, if there are any Pokémon 1 in the discard pile (except Zoroark), it assumes the role of that replacement Pokémon, and all cards attached to it are discarded, keeping only the new Pokémon in place, which is Hisuian Arcanine.

Since the Pokémon doesn't need energy to attack, it can use Very Vulnerable as an attack without any tribute cost.

2) Again, Zoroark EVS 103 comes in as a feature to "impersonate" another Pokémon with its Phantom Transformation ability, but now applying to the Pokémon Mightyena ASR 96 with its Hustle Bark which is as follows: if the opponent has any VMax Pokémon in play, that Pokémon's three colorless cost is ignored.

That is, your Mightyena can use the Wild Tackle attack for 160 damage, but with the downside of taking 50 damage to itself; but serving as a secondary attacker for the Hisuian Arcanine.

3) And again using Zoroark EVS 103 as a wildcard, he can also bring from the discard pile the card Altaria EVS 106, which has the ability Tempting Tune, which then comes into synergy with Oranguru SSH 148.

4) Oranguru SSH 148 has the ability Primate Wisdom, which grants a card exchange, in which you choose one from your hand to go to the top of the deck, and you take that card from the top of your deck to stay in your hand.

So if you combine this ability plus Altaria EVS 106, with Tempting Tune, you can trade a bad card from your hand and draw that top Supporter, continuing with your game's synergy.

5) Manaphy BRS 41 is your "Bench Protector" thanks to its Wave Velt ability, which inhibits direct damage to your Benched Pokémon from opponents' Pokémon that "Spread Sniper" with direct damage, preserving your Bidoof BRS 120, Hisuian Growlithe ASR 70 and Zorua EVS 102.

6) We have Galarian Meowth RCL 126 with its Evolution Roar ability, it makes you discard two cards from your hand to look for Galarian Meowth to reveal it and put it in your hand. But the focus is not the search for your Pokémon, but the discard process during the effect, which in this case, we will prioritize the discard of Altaria EVS 106 and Mightyena ASR 96, so that the Zoroark EVS 103 can use its ability.

7) And finally, as a complement to extra draws, Bibarel BRS 121 with its Industrious Incisors ability.

Trainer Cards

- Peony CRE 150 is used to discard your hand and draw two Trainer cards, reveal them and put them in your hands.

- Boss's Orders BRS 132 is used precisely to pull a Pokémon from the opponent's bench to bring it as active and close with a knockout.

- Grant ASR 144 increases the damage to your Fighting Pokémon for that turn by 30 more damage (before applying Weakness and Resistance).

- Choice Belt BRS 135 works if the Pokémon is equipped with this tool, it gains 30 more damage against the opponent's Pokémon V (either V, VMax, VStar or VUnion).

- Air Balloon SSH 156 works if the Pokémon is equipped with this tool, its retreat costs two fewer energies.

- Ordinary Rod SSH 171 is for recycling basic energy resources and Pokémon in your discard, being able to choose one of two options or both, which are:

1) Recover two Pokémon from the discard pile and put them in the deck.

2) Recover two basic energies from discard pile and put them in the deck.

We usually choose both.

This Stadium serves that between turns, you and your opponent can draw up to three cards.

Advantages

This deck manages to be a good attacker with this practicality of not depending on energies and suffering with Crushing Hammer SSH 159 and the like, which is one less headache, and with properties to cause 160 damage without having any cards in hand, plus 30 damage from the Choice Belt and 30 more damage from Grant.

You can always respond well to meta cards with 220 damage, and of course, this deck is the horror of some dark-type decks like Eternatus, GengarVMax -Single Strike- that take the double damage.

Disadvantages

If the opponent understands the mechanics of preserving Manaphy to protect Bidoof for draw power, along with Zorua and Hisuian Growlithe, prevent as much as possible that they knock out Manaphy, if the deck is a "Spread Sniper" like an Urshifu VMax -Rapid Strike- or a Greninja VUnion.

And the worst possibility is that the opponent knows about Oranguru's synergy with Altaria, and Oranguru is one of the keys to guaranteeing card control at the top of the deck. If the opponent knocks it out at any cost, you will be in poor playing condition to get around this, as the deck only has one Ordinary Rod, which needs to be used wisely.

It's a cheap deck (except for Zoroark), but it's fun to play, and it fits easily into a tier 4 or at most tier 3, but you shouldn't underestimate it so much.

Although Hisuian Electrode's deck is also good at hitting 300 damage for no energy, being the best currently, it's good to give Hisuian Arcanine a chance for its "single prize" potential and its good long-term durability.