The Loyal Three — My Top Three Decks for the World Championships

Hey everyone! It’s Charlie, and I’m happy to be back with another article.

The World Championships are now less than a month away, and I’ve been hard at work preparing for what might be the largest World Championships of all time! As I detailed in my last article, I try to dedicate significantly more time to preparing for Worlds than I do for other events. If I spend the entire year trying to get here, it certainly deserves special attention when it comes to my preparation. This means trying as many decks as I can when I’m far away from the tournament, narrowing down to the top few options (where I am now), and eventually deciding on my favourite one a few weeks before the tournament.

Today, I’m going to share with you my three favourite decks right now, their strengths and weaknesses, and explain why I think they’re all excellent choices for Worlds! Let’s get right into it with the first deck: [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”234″ c=”name”][/card]:

Charizard ex Deck

[decklist name=”Charizard ex” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”8″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Charmander” set=”151″ no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”151″ no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Pecharunt ex (SFA #039)1x Fezandipiti ex (SFA #038)1x [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]4x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Buddy-Buddy Poffin ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Counter Catcher” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Pal Pad” set=”Ultra Prism” no=”132″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x Binding Mochi (SFA #055)1x [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]6x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

[cardimg name=”Charizard ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”234″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This list is a bit different from most you may have seen recently, and that’s because I’ve surprisingly not been a huge fan of Dusknoir! I know I rated Dusclops and Dusknoir as my #1 new cards from Shrouded Fable in my last article, and I fully bought into the hype train at the time. I still think the line is very strong, but I became underwhelmed the more games I played with it. If we lived in the world of theory, Dusknoir would turn Charizard into the single best deck ever made. In practice, however, both Dusclops and Dusknoir are very hard to use to full effect and sometimes get in the way. Dusclops is much better than Dusknoir, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a successful list this year that only played Dusclops, but I also think it’s very valid to play this deck without the line at all.

Instead, my goal with this list was to be hyper-aggressive. In a format with [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] approaching the power level of Sword & Shield to Silver Tempest Standard format Lugia and [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] gaining a ton of hype, you can’t afford to get behind early against these decks. To deal with this, I’ve decided to include Pecharunt ex and Binding Mochi as a way to easily deal 220 damage on turn 2, KOing a [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Regidrago V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. This list will always choose to go first and aim to take as many Prize cards as possible in the early game, relying on Charizard ex’s inherent strength to carry it through the late game. Another nice bonus of Binding Mochi is the ability to KO Pokemon VSTAR when your opponent only has four Prize cards left, something that can’t be easily accomplished with [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”name”][/card]. Yes, Dusclops would allow you to do this, but you give up another Prize card, waste most of the damage that Dusclops is placing, and overall just put yourself further behind in the game. Let’s get into some of the other card choices:

Four Charmander, One Charmeleon, and Three Charizard ex

I went with four copies of the Blazing Destruction [card name=”Charmander” set=”151″ no=”168″ c=”name”][/card] as 60 HP is a very relevant number when facing any deck with [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. Getting KO’d by Phantom Dive is quite awful and can end the game on the spot if you only get down two Charmander on turn 1, so playing the 70 HP Charmander is the best insurance you can have. [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] still makes an appearance, but only as a one-off since Lost Zone decks will certainly be on the decline. Three [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] is standard and will be supplying most of your damage throughout the game.

One Pidgey OBF, One Pidgey MEW, and Two Pidgeot ex

Including one copy of the 60 HP [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] is similar insurance, but instead of being for Dragapult, it’s for opposing Dusclops. Getting your Pidgey KO’d by Cursed Bomb and simultaneously losing your Charmander to a Burning Darkness in the mirror is a straight-up loss condition, so we’ll do whatever we can to prevent this. This Pidgey is also immune to a double KO from [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], which could KO both a Charmander and the 50 HP [card name=”Pidgey” set=”151″ no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] with one Lost Mine. Call for Family is still good enough that we need to include one of them, but against both Lost Zone and decks that put a Duskull into play, getting the 60 HP guy is an easy decision.

One Rotom V and One Lumineon V

As always, both [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] make an appearance in Charizard. Rotom is genuinely insane to get down going first, and Luminous Sign is still one of the best Abilities in Standard, so having access to both is very powerful. They’re also the two users in your deck of [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card], which gives you access to a VSTAR Power that acts almost like another ACE SPEC. One of these Pokemon will usually be in play, and playing one of each is much better than two of either one.

One Pecharunt ex

Pecharunt ex is the enabler of your hyper-aggressive strategy. With its Subjugating Chains Ability, you can move a Charizard ex to the Active Spot and poison it, activating Binding Mochi to deal 40 more damage. Boosting your damage from 180 to 220 is huge in a format where Pokemon V like Lugia and Regidrago have made a comeback. If you can use this combo on turn 2 and KO a Pokemon V, both the Lugia and Regidrago matchups become much, much better.

One Fezandipiti ex

Another card I featured in my last article was Fezandipiti ex, and every time I put it into a deck, I’m extremely happy with the results. Drawing an extra three cards after your opponent takes a KO is a really strong replacement for [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card], as it often does the same thing in bailing you out of an [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] because your opponent will almost always take a KO at the same time. Fezandipiti is much lower maintenance, has more HP than your Pokemon V, so it will rarely be targeted, and even gives you a massive boost when your hand is already large. I really like this card and feel like it fits incredibly well into Charizard.

One Radiant Charizard

Even without Defiance Band, [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] still pulls its weight here. I’d like to find a space for Defiance Band in this list, but hitting for 250 damage is still very strong in the late game and can often be combined with a [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card]to get two Prize cards. Radiant Charizard’s early game power is not needed as much with Pecharunt + Binding Mochi, so we can reserve it for the late game and try to combine it with Iono before using another Charizard ex to finish the game. Overall, Radiant Charizard is still by far the best Radiant Pokemon to play here, and giving Charizard a powerful single-Prize attacker is part of what pushes it over the edge.

[premium]

One Manaphy

Some lists may try to get away without [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card], but they’ll be making a big mistake. Regidrago’s ability to copy Kyurem‘s Trifrost can wipe your board, and even if they do play [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], you need to force them to find it if you wanna stay in the game. Manaphy is a must-grab against any deck that can snipe the Bench, and that’s quite a lot of decks right now.

One Cyllene

The rest of the Supporter count is very standard, but [card name=”Cyllene” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”138″ c=”name”][/card] feels out of place here. I chose to include it as another way to get back some key Item cards like Canceling Cologne without needing to play [card name=”Regieleki” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”51″ c=”name”][/card]. I’m also trying to ensure Block [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] is a good matchup with this list, and we may need to recover Canceling Cologne for [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”160″ c=”name”][/card], so having this is really nice.

One Canceling Cologne

As previously described, [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] is for both Mimikyu and [card name=”Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”112″ c=”name”][/card], which are both very hard to deal with. Alongside the Binding Mochi combo, you can take out Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon using Burning Darkness without giving your opponent any Prize cards. This gives you a very strong route into Block without the use of Dusclops, which is very valuable heading into Worlds.

One Prime Catcher

Prime Catcher is simply the most universally strong ACE SPEC, and it fits perfectly into an aggressive build like this one. Being able to find an early gust option with [card name=”Arven” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”235″ c=”name”][/card] is quite insane, and if you already have the Binding Mochi combo in hand, you get a free early game KO on most Basic Pokemon. This can help you take out a lone Lugia V or Regidrago V on the Bench, putting you very far ahead in the matchup. Don’t get me wrong, I love [card name=”Unfair Stamp” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”165″ c=”name”][/card] here as well, but Prime Catcher is good in literally every matchup.

Two Binding Mochi

Binding Mochi is your damage Tool of choice here. Boosting 40 more damage is actually huge, turning numbers like 180 into 220, 240 into 280, and 270 into 310 damage. Since you can use it whether or not you’re behind, you can also get value out of it at almost any time, which is much less situational than Defiance Band. Think of it like [card name=”Maximum Belt ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], but with 1o less damage, and Maximum Belt was great! If a card like [card name=”Vitality Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”197″ c=”name”][/card] was ever played in this deck to only add 10, think about how good adding 40 damage will be!

One Temple of Sinnoh

I chose to play [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] here instead of [card name=”Collapsed Stadium” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] for its value against Lugia. People seem to think Lugia won’t be as good going forward, but it definitely will still be dominant. Lugia was one of the best decks in the previous format and there are basically no new counters, so don’t forget about it!

Speaking of Lugia, that’s the second deck I’d like to talk about today! Here’s my current list:

Lugia VSTAR Deck

[decklist name=”Lugia” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″][pokemon amt=”20″]4x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”138″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Cinccino ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Minccino ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Minccino” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”124″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”141″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”23″]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Jacq” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”175″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Roseanne’s Backup” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Carmine” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Capturing Aroma” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Great Ball” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Jamming Tower” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Night Academy (SFA #054)[/trainers][energy amt=”17″]4x [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mist Energy ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Legacy Energy” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”167″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist]This list is pretty standard, with only one new card making an appearance in Night Academy. Here’s why I made some of these choices:

Three Lugia V and Two Lugia VSTAR

[cardimg name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”211″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

People talk about consistency issues with this deck all the time, and while they’re right, finding [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”211″ c=”name”][/card] is not the issue. These cards are generally terrible after getting your [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] into play, so slimming down to the minimum possible count is the best decision. My friend and fellow writer Isaiah Cheville believes playing any more than this is a big mistake, and he’s been more successful with Lugia than I could ever dream to be, so I’ll trust that!

Two Minccino TEF, One Minccino BRS and Three Cinccino

Including two [card name=”Minccino ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] from Temporal Forces adds an extra 10 HP, getting us out of range against [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card]. This is very important against [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”201″ c=”name”][/card], which could otherwise wipe your Minccino with Phantom Dive if you fail to find a [card name=”Mist Energy ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card]. I still include one [card name=”Minccino” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] from Brilliant Stars because Call for Family is broken. Three [card name=”Cinccino ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] also feels really good; I want to find them without needing heads on [card name=”Capturing Aroma” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card], and you use them all the time. I’d honestly consider a fourth Minccino here quite seriously, but don’t have it here right now so I can fit other fun cards.

One Iron Bundle

The only truly unique card Isaiah had in his NAIC list was [card name=”Iron Bundle” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card], which gives you a great way to get around stuff like [card name=”Flutter Mane ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]and [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] if they happen to be in your opponent’s Active Spot. It’s also very powerful to just get an attack in on anything else, which is powerful if you’re using Tempest Dive. I really like Iron Bundle and don’t anticipate taking it out anytime soon.

Three Professor’s Research and One Carmine

When you’re able to use [card name=”Carmine” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”217″ c=”name”][/card], it’s awesome when it works. But it’s so rare that you can take massive advantage of it that you should never play more than one copy. It’s really only good when your hand is garbage but you have one [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] and need more than just a Lugia V. Otherwise, I obviously want to draw two more cards, so playing more [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Celebrations” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] is the obvious choice.

One Night Academy

One of my favorite new cards is Night Academy, and while it’s not good at all on the surface, it gives Lugia quite a few unique options. First of all, you can use it to put a card back on top of your deck before a Professor’s Research, which could help conserve an Energy at a critical point, or keep a [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] for later. You can also use Primal Turbo immediately afterwards if you have very few Energy left in the deck before playing Professor’s Research. Lastly, it’s awesome for preventing against late-game [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”269″ c=”name”][/card], since you can just put the Boss’s Orders you need on top of the deck and get around any potential cheese plays with [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] for your [card name=”Gift Energy” set=”Lost Origin” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. I don’t think it’s good enough to replace the other [card name=”Jamming Tower” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card], but I like it a lot.

That’s it for my Lugia writeup; I find it amazing that so many people are sleeping on this deck. I’ve heard a lot of good players respond to me saying Lugia is good with something like “But what did it gain?” or “How do we handle Charizard Dusknoir?” — both of those things are easy. Lugia gained basically nothing, and Charizard / Dusknoir is a fine matchup because you blow them up with Cinccino. Lugia didn’t need to gain anything; it was already Tier 1.

Regidrago VSTAR Deck

[decklist name=”Regidrago” amt=”59″ caption=”” cname=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″][pokemon amt=”20″]3x [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Regidrago V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Noivern ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x Kyurem (SFA #047)1x [card name=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Sun and Moon” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”189″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]8x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]To be honest, this [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”201″ c=”name”][/card] deck is pretty insane. I didn’t expect it to do well at all, but in round 5 of NAIC, I was paired against Jacob Eye playing this deck. I managed to get a tie by winning game 2 after he had a bad start, but I was certainly going to lose if he set up [card name=”Noivern ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] in game 3 and had enough time. Jacob took the deck all the way to 14th place at NAIC and earned his Worlds invite, showing that this deck can truly do some incredible things when it works. Here are some of my choices:

Four Regidrago V and Three Regidrago VSTAR

I see some people playing a 3-3 line right now, but the fourth [card name=”Regidrago V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”183″ c=”name”][/card] has been really strong in my testing because it’s your best starter. However, the fourth copy is not as important as this next inclusion.

Four Teal Mask Ogerpon ex

The engine of this deck is [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card], and playing any less than four copies is simply a mistake. It’s the second support Pokemon to be printed with an X-Ball-esque attack, with the first one being [card name=”Tapu Lele-GX” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], one of the best cards of all time. This card can also OHKO a Charizard ex, which is extremely broken. Don’t cut any of these!

Two Dragapult ex and One Giratina VSTAR

Your main attacker is [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. You’re primarily just a better version of the evolving Dragapult ex deck, utilising Phantom Dive as much as possible throughout the game. [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] is there to provide a big hitter in the late game, which is important against both Lugia and the mirror match. I prefer Giratina over [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] right now since you can’t start it, and 280 damage for only losing two Energy to the Lost Zone is really good.

One Noivern ex and One Hisuian Goodra VSTAR

The two tech attackers are Noivern ex and [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. Noivern walls out Basic Pokemon decks like Raging Bolt ex pretty effectively, and Goodra is very strong against [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”29″ c=”name”][/card]. I like both right now even if they’re just alternate attackers, because discarding attackers can sometimes be an issue without using Legacy Star (you want to save Legacy Star as long as possible).

One Kyurem

The new Kyurem is simply amazing. Trifrost is probably the most unfair attack we’ve seen in a while, acting as a souped-up Moonlight Shuriken and completely board-wiping unsuspecting opponents. This wins games outright and is also the reason we include [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] to deal with [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”name”][/card].

One Mew ex, One Squawkabilly ex, and One Cleffa

All of these cards are here for your starts and mid-game sustainability. [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] improves a lot of starts, [card name=”Mew ex” set=”151″ no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] provides consistent draw, and [card name=”Cleffa” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] fills your hand while also being a single-Prize free Retreat Cost option, which is very useful. The only other consideration I have here is Fezandipiti ex, which I’ve liked, but I’m not sure if there’s space for it.

Everything else is pretty standard. I really encourage you to give this deck a try. It’s a ton of fun and very powerful in the right hands. Sometimes its [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”211″ c=”name”][/card] and big Basic Pokemon matchups can be shaky, which is my biggest reason for not wanting to play this deck, but you feel slightly favoured against [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”234″ c=”name”][/card] (when you set up) and Gardevoir.

Conclusion

That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed reading about my top three decks for Worlds! At this point, I’d be very happy playing any of these three decks, and I’d be surprised if I showed up to Worlds with anything except one of these. I hope this helps your testing and gets you ready for the tournament of a lifetime!

As always, feel free to reach out to me on X (@C4_TCG) if you have any questions, or comment below and I’ll try my best to reply. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!

– Charlie

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