Retooling Tool Drop — Exploration of Tool Drop in Standard
[cardimg name=”Double Colorless” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”136″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Hey PokeBeach readers! While there are no official tournaments to prepare for, the plethora of online events that will utilize the new Standard Format demands a look into some fun, new concepts that could challenge best-deck-in-format contenders. While two and three-Prize decks have recently become the focus of the format with cards like [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”221″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card], and now [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], one new card was released in Rebel Clash that helps to enable single-Prize decks: [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”name”][/card]!
Reminiscent of the incredibly powerful [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card], Twin Energy will be the primary enabler of the eventual rise of single-Prize decks that dish out incredibly large amounts of damage for only one Twin Energy. Concepts in the past include the ever-popular Night March archetype, one of the first decks of the modern era that attempted an all-out blitzkrieg with incredibly low-HP Pokemon. Over the years, decks like [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Gyarados” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”21″ c=”name”][/card], and Lost March have attempted similar strategies to varying amounts of success, but one incredibly good example of the resurgence of these decks would be NAIC in 2019. In a format dominated by [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Team Up” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Reshiram and Charizard-GX” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Zoroark-GX” set=”Shining Legends” no=”53″ c=”name”][/card], single-Prize Pokemon that could trade favorably with these massive Pokemon-GX had a huge advantage against them.
Single Prize Decks of the Past
Many different playtesting groups took incredibly different approaches to building a single-Prize, high-damage output deck, however. We saw [card name=”Stunfisk” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Spiritomb” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card] in Top 8, a group of players with [card name=”Blissey” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], another group with Lost March, and then my group with our crazy Tool Drop deck. Tool Drop utilized [card name=”Doublade” set=”Team Up” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] to dish out insane amounts of damage through support Pokemon like [card name=”Genesect-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”204″ c=”name”][/card], powerful damage-boosting Trainers like [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], and a ton of tools on top of Choice Band that pushed our damage cap north of 270. I was able to take this deck to Day 2, nearly Top 8 (if I hadn’t prized three of my [card name=”Honedge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] against eventual Champion and PokeBeach writer Stephane Ivanoff), which was incredibly surprising given the rogue nature and perceived fragility of a tool-based concept. Nevertheless, it ended up working out.
With the release of Twin Energy, concepts like Tool Drop may be able to make a comeback. Below I’ve provided the list I’m currently working with for a 2020 Standard Tool Drop deck!
New Tool Drop List
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[decklist name=”Tool Drop” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″][pokemon amt=”19″]4x [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Honedge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Honedge” set=”Team Up” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Doublade” set=”Team Up” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash” set=”Unified Minds” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Genesect-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”204″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lana’s Fishing Rod” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”195″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Lucky Egg” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Twin Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”174″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Triple Acceleration Energy” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Explanations
I believe this list definitely needs a bit more work, but it’s been a solid start for me in testing. The Tool count is flexible and Tools can be mixed and matched depending on the expected meta. Let’s dive into the individual inclusions though!
Four Jirachi
[card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] is the consistency engine the deck relies on. With the ability to fit up to four [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card], running Jirachi as a Tool harborer makes the most sense. It conveniently helps you speed up your setup and find your Tools faster, so I don’t see a way Tool Drop works without Jirachi.
Two Metal Honedge, Two Psychic Honedge
[cardimg name=”Honedge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”46″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I decided to split the [card name=”Honedge” set=”Team Up” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] count in half due to the influence of [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]. Final Hour [card name=”Honedge” set=”Forbidden Light” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] is significantly better in most situations, but you can’t attach [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] to it in order to be protected from Max Phantom on the Bench. I may eventually give up on trying to beat Dragapult VMAX and go back to four copies of Final Hour, but for now, this has been working reasonably well in fending off pings from Max Phantom.
Four Doublade, One Aegislash
Four [card name=”Doublade” set=”Team Up” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] is a no-brainer due to its importance for dealing damage, but I decided to include the [card name=”Aegislash” set=”Unified Minds” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] as a way of helping to combat [card name=”Mewtwo and Mew-GX” set=”Unified Minds” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card] along with other Psychic-weak Pokemon. Trash Slash with 13 Items discarded and a [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] OHKOs Mewtwo and Mew-GX, plus Aegislash being Knocked Out automatically recovers your Honedge and Doublade. While this inclusion may end up biting the dust at some point, it’s been a useful option to have available in this format.
Two Genesect-GX
Unlike in the past, our damage cap now needs to approach the 300s. Without [card name=”Choice Band” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Shrine of Punishment” set=”Celestial Storm” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] able to assist in our efforts, we need to be able to hit 240 only including our own Tools. Against VMAX decks, taking 2HKOs is often fine, but for Dragapult VMAX we need to win faster. My strategy involves taking one large KO on a Dragapult VMAX that may have been hit with Final Hour or a previous Tool Drop and then playing around the big guy. Since Tool Drop actually takes into account your opponent’s Tools, opposing Dragapult VMAX decks need to avoid playing down their own Escape Board and other Tools in order to avoid getting OHKO’d. Stretching your unassisted damage cap to 240 with a second [card name=”Genesect-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] helps in that effort.
One Mewtwo
With the advent of [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card], including [card name=”Mewtwo” set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] in decks will soon be commonplace. Being able to utilize Scoop Up Net as a pseudo-[card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] will be insanely powerful now that we are getting more utility Supporters back. This card being searchable with [card name=”Quick Ball” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card] makes it even better. I like this inclusion in a lot of decks and so far it has worked out well here.
One Oranguru
This card combos really well with Mewtwo as it lets you put the recovered Supporter card right back into your hand. I see no reason not to put [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck as well in order to help speed up your setup and midgame.
One Giratina
Now you can turn your multiple Scoop Up Net into [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] as well! [card name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] also helps a ton against Dragapult VMAX if they try and attach their [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] early in the game. I like having the option to remove Energy and get even further ahead, so I don’t see this card going anywhere for a while.
One Ditto Prism Star
[card name=”Ditto Prism Star” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] is basically a fifth Honedge. I found it incredibly useful at NAIC, so it quickly found itself back in the list.
Four Professor’s Research
I considered playing [card name=”Cynthia” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”119″ c=”name”][/card] here, but since many of this deck’s cards can be played onto the board at once (Tools are almost always playable early game), I decided [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] fit better here. This card will be a staple for its entire life (which may be forever if they print it on every new “Professor” in every new generation) and fits well in this deck.
Three Marnie
I also considered Cynthia here, but I remembered how powerful my one-of [card name=”Marshadow” set=”Shining Legends” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] was at NAIC as well as my four-[card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card] [card name=”Pikachu and Zekrom-GX” set=”Sun and Moon Black Star Promos” no=”SM168″ c=”name”][/card] deck at Worlds and decided I was crazy. [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] is broken and 100% deserves space over Cynthia.
Two Boss’s Orders
Thank you for not reprinting [card name=”Guzma” set=”Burning Shadows” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card]! I’m happy to have Supporter-based gust back in Standard, especially in this form. With access to Mewtwo / Scoop Up Net, I don’t see a need for more than two of these here. It will likely only see extensive use in VMAX matchups and the [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zacian V” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] matchup, so there’s no pressing need to add more.
Four Quick Ball, Three Evolution Incense
Now that we lost [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card], I had to retool the consistency engine a tad bit. Luckily, Quick Ball does a fine job at filling the gap and [card name=”Evolution Incense” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] is powerful in its own right. Nowadays, all the card discarding will come from Professor’s Research instead of Ultra Ball, so we’ll be drawing a few more cards instead of slightly better search options.
Three Adventure Bag
This card is important for consistency. Without [card name=”Adventure Bag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card], there is no way we could find Tools fast enough to set up quickly. Luckily, we have this awesome Item that lets us search any two Tools! Adventure Bag also enables us to play more one-of Tools for specific matchups since they are all searchable. This card is awesome and really oils the machine.
Two Scoop Up Net
[cardimg name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
I may want a third of these. [card name=”Scoop Up Net” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] is probably the best Item card that has been printed in a long time. With Pokemon like Mewtwo and Giratina, Scoop Up Net can become any one of so many great Items of the past. Deal damage (in some decks with [card name=”Galarian Zigzagoon” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”117″ c=”name”][/card], discard Energy, or recover Supporter cards–anything is possible! This card is strong in this deck and even acts as a switching card for everything other than [card name=”Genesect-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Keep these.
Two Lana’s Fishing Rod
While not as good as [card name=”Rescue Stretcher” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] or even [card name=”Ordinary Rod” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] at recovering Pokemon, [card name=”Lana’s Fishing Rod” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”195″ c=”name”][/card] has the added benefit of recovering a Tool! Running Lana’s Fishing Rod as the main recovery option allows us to drop to a total of 12 Tool cards from the 13 I played in my NAIC list. [card name=”Aegislash” set=”Unified Minds” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] can also act as auxiliary recovery in a pinch, so weaker Pokemon recovery is a sacrifice I was willing to make for the versatility of getting back Tools.
Four Metal Goggles
I chose [card name=”Metal Goggles” set=”Team Up” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] as the first four-of Tool due to the ability to prevent damage counters from [card name=”Dragapult VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card]’s Max Phantom. An undamaged [card name=”Doublade” set=”Team Up” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] with Metal Goggles is actually not OHKO’d by Dragapult VMAX, so having the ability to prevent those extra damage counters from going down early is useful. Metal Goggles combos well with the metal [card name=”Honedge” set=”Team Up” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] as well, preventing the damage counter drops from as early as turn one. I think this is the best Tool to max out on right now.
Three Escape Board
The next important Tool to include lots of is [card name=”Escape Board” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card]. With [card name=”Jirachi” set=”Team Up” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] as the forefront of our consistency engine, playing three copies makes it much easier to consistently move Jirachi out of the Active whenever needed. This is the only Tool Jirachi ever wants on it, so if you’re gonna have Jirachi on your board, might as well include lots of Escape Board to take maximum advantage of its value.
Three Lucky Egg
This is a new Tool that I’ve been trying out in my list. In order to never miss an attack, attaching [card name=”Lucky Egg” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card] to my attacking Doublade is often a strong strategy in the late game (possibly after a big [card name=”Reset Stamp” set=”Unified Minds” no=”206″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Marnie” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]) in order to make sure you have a fresh hand to recover with. Once you get the deck rolling you can’t let it stop, so running Lucky Egg adds to our ability to consistently pull off attacks.
Two Vitality Band
I included [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] as another quick way to get extra damage for things like [card name=”Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX” set=”Cosmic Eclipse” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]. Unlike Choice Band, the 10 damage Vitality Band adds is not nearly as important, so two copies is enough in my mind.
Four Twin Energy, Two Triple Acceleration Energy
Six Energy has been working well so far, but adding a seventh is definitely on my wishlist. Without options like [card name=”Special Charge” set=”Steam Siege” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], running out of Energy is a real problem. I think six is the bare minimum and you should probably try to find space for the seventh.
Initial Matchup Assessments
Dragapult VMAX: Slightly Unfavored
While their damage counter shenanigans can be tough to deal with at times, your goal is to draw your six Prize Cards as fast as possible so they can’t win the race first. I tend to do this by taking one KO on a Dragapult VMAX and then two smaller KOs either with [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or before they get the chance to evolve [card name=”Dragapult V” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] into the VMAX. If you go first, I’d say you are favored, but going second can be hard if you [card name=”Doublade” set=”Team Up” no=”108″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t set up well. [card name=”Giratina” set=”Unified Minds” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] is also important so that you can remove [card name=”Horror P Energy” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”172″ c=”name”][/card] early game and get even further ahead. This is much more winnable than it seems at first.
Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Zacian V: Favored
You’re much faster than them that you should usually be able to win before they take the five turns they need. After their turn 2 Altered Creation GX, they need to successfully take a KO every single turn in order to win. However, by that point, you have likely either taken one KO or are about to take your first. If they could use Altered Creation-GX on turn 1 or you get a slow start the matchup can go south, but you’re definitely favored against the BDIF of old.
Control: Favored
As long as you’re careful with your Tools like Escape Board and don’t bench [card name=”Genesect-GX” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card], it’s impossible to be trapped and you can take KOs faster than they can deny them. Unless you get stuck with a bad hand or many of your Energy are discarded early, you should be fine in the control matchup. Toss in [card name=”Oranguru” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] for a free win if you’d like!
Toxtricity VMAX: Favored
[cardimg name=”Toxtricity VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”71″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]
Since you already expect to be Knocked Out every single turn, you trade favorably with [card name=”Toxtricity VMAX” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”71″ c=”name”][/card]. Don’t bother with Genesect-GX and you should pick up the win quickly.
Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX / Spiritomb: Slightly Unfavored
If you expect to see lots of this deck, include 1-2 copies of [card name=”Spell Tag” set=”Lost Thunder” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] and use Aegislash as your main attacker. Your path to victory will require you to KO their Arceus and Dialga and Palkia-GX and then clean up three Spiritomb, so utilizing Spell Tag as a way to kill the attacking Spiritomb after it hits you with Anguish Cry should put you in a favorable position. Otherwise, they trade favorably after they use Altered Creation GX so it can be tough to win.
Other Decks: Slightly Favored
You should be favored against random damage-dealing decks due to your extremely high damage cap and single-Prize nature. I would not be that worried playing this into a blind meta.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m incredibly excited to mess around with this deck more and see if it has as much promise as my NAIC version did. If I were playing in any online tournaments, I would highly consider playing Tool Drop. As always, I hope you enjoyed this article and feel free to hit me up. Thank you for reading and I hope to be back soon!
–Charlie
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