Deck Review – TuxPenguin00 - Honchkrow Skuntank

I’ve received several submissions for video deck reviews, but since it takes so long to get to upload a video in HD, I’d like to be able to write out a few of the deck reviews and post them here instead.  Posting deck reviews on my blog would also give me more time to get other videos up on my channel, send out feedback much faster (I can get a deck review via blog within a few days rather than a week or more), and would hopefully prevent me from having to start choosing which decks would be featured In videos.  If I continue to get as many decks submitted as I am now, I won’t be able to keep up and will have no choice but to select only a certain number of decks to be in video reviews.  So here’s the first blog review!

4-2 honchrkrow UD #15

3-2 Skuntank

4 sableeye

4 houndour

Total = 19 pokemon

1 double colorless
8 basic metal

7 basic dark

1 special metal

1 special dark

Total = 18 energy

2 professor oaks new theory

2 copycat

3 pokeball

4 potion

2 interviewers

2 switch

2 elm

2 energy returner

2 juniper

2 revive

Total = 23 trainers/supporters

Explanation of pokemon

Honchkrow’s first attack whirlwind does 20 and forces your opponent to switch the active pokemon with a benched pokemon.   While this could be disrupting, there are plenty of pokemon with free retreat that your opponent could bring up, meaning that you might be putting them in a better position since they can leave the damaged pokemon on the bench.  The second attack, blindside, is more useful.  For 2 dark it snipes any damaged pokemon for an additional 50.  This is exactly the same as Mandibuzz’s attack, but requires more energy.  However, the combination of both attacks could be great for spreading damage. 

Sableye allows you to search your deck for any card, which makes it a great starting pokemon.  However, there are many other better starters, like cleffa, manaphy and smeargle, which allow you to get much more than one card.  Sableeye’s attack is fairly weak, doing 50 if your hand size is larger than your opponent, and only doing 20 if it isn’t. 

Skuntank’s first attack can either paralyze or poison your opponent, depending on the coin flip.  Fury swipes does 30 times the number of 3 coin flips. Overall, it’s a very ‘flippy’ card, and with only 80 hp, isn’t very strong.   You run two different houndours, but without houndoom, neither can hit for a decent amount. 

Pokemon Recommendations

Your strongest pokemon is honchkrow, but if you have any vullaby/mandibuzz from black and white, those would be a stronger substitution.  If not, I would suggest that you focus on sableye to set up and honchkrow to attack.  If you have any jirachi with that attack that lets you devolve your opponents pokemon, it would be a great addition.  Spread damage with honchkrow or mandibuzz, then devolve with jirachi.  Unless you have houndoom to add to the deck, you don’t need houndour.  Since you’re running a dark deck, if you have any umbreon whose attack prevents any damage done from a pokemon with pokepowers or pokebodies, that would be a strong addition.   Weaville from undaunted would fit well into the deck and allow you to disrupt your opponent as well (it’s poke power allows you to discard any card from your opponents hand).

Energy Recommendations

You don’t run any metal pokemon, so there’s no need for metal energy.  You can run up to 4 special dark per deck, so I would increase that to the max.   Since you run two interviewers, you can easily reduce your energy amount in the deck.

Trainers/Supporters Recommendations

If you have any pokemon collector or dual ball, add those instead of pokeball.  I would also add flower shop and energy retrieval to replace the energy returners and revives.  You have an excellent amount of hand refreshers (copycat, PONT and juniper).  If you can increase the PONT by 1-2, that would make your deck more consistent.  Adding pokemon communication to get the pokemon you need and junk arm to reuse trainers would also strengthen the deck.  To make room for them you can drop the 4 potion.

Overall

I think you’re going to struggle with this deck. It doesn’t have any attackers that can hit for a large amount.  You’ll be able to take a few prizes, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up about winning games.  While you’re at league tomorrow, see if you can trade for some stronger dark pokemon.  The most powerful option would be tyrannitar, but that might be difficult to get.