Alakazam Dusknoir — Standard Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

Alakazam Dusknoir is a Stage 2 engine deck that turns your own hand into damage. The list finished Top 4 at RCC 2000 MEMBERS (232 players) on 2026-10-26, and its structure explains why. Nearly every card does one of three jobs: build a large hand, keep it large, or place precise damage counters to finish what the hand starts.

What the Deck Does

Alakazam's Powerful Hand costs a single Psychic Energy and places 2 damage counters on the opponent's Active Pokémon for each card in your hand. Every card you hold is worth 20 damage. A hand of 8 is 160, and a hand of 11 is 220. The attack places counters rather than doing damage, so the whole calculation is your hand size and nothing else.

Most decks spend their hand to take a turn. This one is built so that taking a turn grows the hand:

• Kadabra: evolving from hand costs 1 card, and Psychic Draw draws 2. Net +1.
• Alakazam: evolving from hand costs 1 card, and Psychic Draw draws 3. Net +2.
• Gwynn: costs 3 cards (the Supporter plus two non-Rule Box Pokémon) and draws 6. Net +3.

Psychic Draw triggers only when you play the card from your hand to evolve. That is why the list runs four Kadabra, three Alakazam and four Abra across two versions. You want several evolution triggers spread over the game, not one big turn.

Dusknoir Closes the Gaps

Dusknoir's Cursed Blast puts 13 damage counters on any one of your opponent's Pokémon, then Knocks Out Dusknoir. Dusclops does the same with 5 counters. Neither needs an attack, Energy, or a gust effect, and both can target the Bench. That gives you two kinds of turns:

• Stacking: a hand of 9 gives you 180 from Powerful Hand. Add 130 from Cursed Blast on the same target and you place 310 in one turn, enough to remove a large Pokémon ex in a single turn.
• Splitting: Powerful Hand Knocks Out the Active while Cursed Blast takes a damaged or low-HP Pokémon on the Bench. That is two Knock Outs in one turn.

The cost is real. Every Cursed Blast Knocks Out your own Pokémon and gives your opponent a Prize card. Treat each Dusclops and Dusknoir as a Prize you are trading for precisely placed counters. The trade is worth it when it takes a two-Prize Knock Out, wins a race, or removes a key engine piece. It is a bad trade when it only tidies up a board you were already winning. Duskull's Come and Get You, three Night Stretcher and Sacred Ash keep the Duskull line coming back so you can spend those Prizes more than once.

Why the Plan Is Strong

• It needs almost no Energy. Powerful Hand costs one Psychic Energy, which is why five Energy is enough. Telepathic Psychic Energy also searches out two Basic Psychic Pokémon onto your Bench when you attach it to a Psychic Pokémon, so your Energy drops double as setup cards.
• It reaches anywhere. Cursed Blast hits any target. You don't need Boss's Orders or Prime Catcher to threaten the Bench, so you can save them for targets you want Active.
• It is built for consistency. Dawn finds a Basic, a Stage 1 and a Stage 2, which covers a whole Abra or Duskull line in one Supporter. Hilda finds an evolution plus Energy. Four Buddy-Buddy Poffin, four Poké Pad and three Rare Candy fill in the rest.
• It protects its fragile Bench. Abra at 40 and 50 HP and Duskull at 60 are easy targets. Shaymin's Flower Curtain prevents attack damage to your Benched Pokémon that don't have a Rule Box. Battle Cage stops damage counters from the opponent's attacks and Abilities being placed on Benched Pokémon. Between the two, both ways of attacking your Bench are covered.
• It can disrupt. Flutter Mane shuts off the Abilities of the opponent's Active Pokémon. Budew stops Items for a turn at no Energy cost. Special Red Card resets the opponent's hand to three cards once they are close to winning. Enhanced Hammer removes a Special Energy.

The Prize Map

Your attackers and engine pieces are all single-Prize Pokémon, so your opponent has to take a lot of Knock Outs. Three cards break that pattern, and each is a two-Prize liability you should Bench only when it is doing a job:

• Latias ex gives your Basics free retreat, which keeps your Abra and Duskull pivots moving.
• Fezandipiti ex draws 3 after one of your Pokémon is Knocked Out during your opponent's turn, which feeds Powerful Hand.
• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex gets cheaper as your opponent takes Prizes, so it becomes a late-game 240-damage attacker.

Weak Points to Respect

Every Psychic Pokémon in the list has Darkness Weakness ×2. Your Basics are frail, and your damage depends entirely on hand size. Anything that shrinks your hand or Knocks Out Abra before it evolves hits the deck at its core. Your opponent can also count your hand, so they know your damage before you attack.

Who Should Pick It Up

Pick this deck if you enjoy counting: hand size, counter totals, and Prizes you are giving up. It rewards patience and planning two turns ahead, and it punishes autopilot. Every Item you play is 20 damage you no longer have, and every Cursed Blast is a Prize you hand over. If you are comfortable with Stage 2 setup and want a deck where your decisions matter more than raw power, this is a strong pick. If you want to attach Energy and attack the same way every turn, look elsewhere.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

How the Deck Wins

You win by placing damage counters, not by building attackers. Alakazam's Powerful Hand costs a single Psychic Energy and places 2 damage counters on the opponent's Active Pokémon for every card in your hand. Dusknoir and Dusclops add 13 and 5 counters on demand through Cursed Blast, on any of the opponent's Pokémon, at the cost of Knocking themselves Out. The deck is a big hand, a cheap attack, and a Bench of disposable counter bombs that close the gap on any target the hand alone can't reach.

Your posture is proactive, but not aggressive in the usual sense. Each turn you aim to arrive at the attack step with the largest hand you can, a powered Alakazam in the Active Spot, and a ghost line ready to finish whatever Powerful Hand leaves standing.

The Engine

• Draw on evolution. Kadabra draws 2 and Alakazam draws 3 when you play them from your hand to evolve. Every evolution adds cards to your hand, so building your board also builds your damage.
• Searchers that don't cost hand size. Dawn pulls a Basic, Stage 1, and Stage 2 in one card, enough for a full Abra–Kadabra–Alakazam or Duskull–Dusclops–Dusknoir line. Hilda finds an Evolution Pokémon plus the Energy you need to attack. Poké Pad grabs any single piece.
• Gwynn is your damage Supporter. Discarding two non-Rule Box Pokémon draws 6, which is a net gain of 3 cards after Gwynn and the two discards leave your hand. Spare Kadabra, Duskull, or a Pokémon you can't use this turn are good discards. Night Stretcher and Sacred Ash get them back.
• Bench fillers. Buddy-Buddy Poffin puts any two of Abra, Duskull, or Budew into play. Telepathic Psychic Energy attached to a Psychic Pokémon benches two more Basic Psychic Pokémon, so a single attachment both powers Powerful Hand and widens your board.
• Recursion for the ghosts. Each Cursed Blast sends a Pokémon to the discard pile. Night Stretcher, Sacred Ash, and Duskull's Come and Get You (up to 3 Duskull back to the Bench) mean a two-copy Dusknoir line can fire more than twice in a game.

The Math You Run Every Turn

Powerful Hand counts your hand when the attack resolves, so do all your Ability and Item work first and stop playing cards once you hit your number. Use Cursed Blast before you attack, because attacking ends your turn. Some reference points:

Without a ghost, a hand of 7 is 140 damage and a hand of 10 is 200. Size the play to what you need. Don't sacrifice a Dusknoir when Gwynn alone gets you there.

The Prize Map

Each Cursed Blast hands your opponent a Prize card, so you are trading one Prize to take two (or three: the brief reports that a Knocked Out Mega Evolution Pokémon ex gives up 3, per a third-party rules listing, source: Scrydex, accessed 2026-10-19). Plan the sacrifices in advance so you never hand over the last Prize yourself.

Those self-inflicted Prizes also work for you:

• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex gets cheaper for every Prize your opponent has taken, so late in the game it becomes a 240-damage attacker you can power quickly.
• Special Red Card only works once your opponent is down to 3 or fewer Prizes. That is exactly the stage when it can wreck the hand they were saving for the finish.
• Fezandipiti ex only draws if your Pokémon were Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. Your own Cursed Blast doesn't trigger it, so save it for turns after they take a KO.

Protecting the Board

Your Bench is full of low-HP evolving Basics, and an opponent who removes them ends your game. Shaymin prevents attack damage to your Benched non-Rule Box Pokémon, but it does nothing against damage counters. Battle Cage covers counters, which matters against attacks like Phantom Dive that spread counters onto the Bench.

Battle Cage is symmetrical. While it is in play, your Cursed Blast and Flutter Mane's Hex Hurl can't place counters on your opponent's Bench, so your ghosts can only hit the Active. Play it when protecting your Bench matters more than sniping theirs.

Latias ex gives your Basics free retreat for pivoting. Use Abra's Teleporter to shuffle a vulnerable Abra out of the Active Spot rather than leave it there as a free Prize.

The Ideal Game

1. Turn 1: Buddy-Buddy Poffin and Telepathic Psychic Energy fill the Bench with two Abra and two Duskull. Use your Supporter on Dawn or Hilda to stock Stage 1 and Stage 2 cards. If you're going second and have nothing better to do, Budew's Itchy Pollen shuts off their Items for a turn.
2. Turn 2: Rare Candy into Alakazam (draw 3) on one Abra, Kadabra (draw 2) on the other, and Dusclops where you can. Attach Energy and attack with a hand you can count. Rare Candy can't target a Basic you put down this turn, so the Turn 1 Bench is what makes this turn possible.
3. Turn 3 onward: Get the second Alakazam and a Dusknoir online. Use Gwynn to rebuild your hand each turn, and pick targets with Boss's Orders or Prime Catcher. Each turn, take a two-Prize KO with Powerful Hand plus Cursed Blast while recycling the discard pile for the next ghost.

The deck rarely loses to having too little damage. It loses when its board gets thin. Prioritize a wide Bench and a second Stage 2 line over an early attack, and the hand-size damage will follow.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The Alakazam Line: 4 Abra, 4 Kadabra, 3 Alakazam

Alakazam is the attacker, and its whole line feeds its own damage. Each evolution off a hand-played card triggers Psychic Draw: two cards from Kadabra, three from Alakazam. Powerful Hand then places 2 damage counters on the opponent's Active for each card in your hand, for a single Psychic Energy. Evolving draws cards, drawing adds damage, and the attack costs almost nothing.

The two Abra splits do different jobs:

• Teleporter Abra (40 HP) shuffles itself and attached cards back into your deck from the Active Spot. Use it to clear a bad opening Active without spending a switch, or to deny a Prize on a Basic you don't need.
• Teleportation Attack Abra (50 HP) switches with a Benched Pokémon for one Energy. It is your early pivot when Latias ex isn't down.

Both are Basic Psychic Pokémon under 70 HP, so Buddy-Buddy Poffin and Telepathic Psychic Energy can bench either. That is the reason for four Abra.

The line runs four Kadabra because evolving naturally through Stage 1 pays out two cards that Rare Candy skips. Candy is the speed option, not the default. Three Alakazam is enough because Dawn, Hilda, and Poké Pad all search it, and Night Stretcher and Sacred Ash bring back a Knocked Out copy.

The Dusknoir Line: 4 Duskull, 2 Dusclops, 2 Dusknoir

This is your reach. Cursed Blast is one-shot burst from the Bench: Dusclops places 5 damage counters, Dusknoir places 13, and the user is Knocked Out. Put that on top of a Powerful Hand and you take KOs the attack alone can't, or finish a damaged Benched target.

Four Duskull is the priority count. Duskull is a Poffin target and a Telepathic target. Its Come and Get You attack puts up to three Duskull from the discard back onto your Bench, which refuels the line after Cursed Blasts.

Only two of each evolution, because recursion and search do the work. Hilda finds an Evolution Pokémon plus Energy, and Night Stretcher rebuys a spent Dusclops.

Remember that a Cursed Blast KO happens on your turn. It does not turn on Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script next turn.

Support Basics

• Latias ex gives all your Basics no Retreat Cost. That covers your Abra, Duskull, and every support Basic, so it fixes pivoting all game. It is a Basic Psychic, so Telepathic Psychic Energy can bench it. Eon Blade for 200 is a real backup attack.
• Fezandipiti ex draws three after your Pokémon are KO'd on the opponent's turn. That is catch-up draw, and it also grows your hand for Powerful Hand. Cruel Arrow snipes 100 anywhere.
• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex is the late-game swing. Blood Moon costs one fewer Colorless for each Prize your opponent has taken, so it hits for 240 off little Energy once you're behind.
• Flutter Mane shuts off the opponent's Active Abilities while it is Active. It also spreads 2 counters on their Bench.
• Budew attacks for free to stop Item cards on the opponent's next turn. It has zero Retreat and is a Poffin target.
• Shaymin prevents attack damage to your Benched non-Rule Box Pokémon. That covers your entire evolution engine.

Supporters: 4 Dawn, 3 Gwynn, 3 Hilda, 1 Boss's Orders

Dawn is the best card in the deck for this list. A Basic, a Stage 1, and a Stage 2 in one search means a full Abra-Kadabra-Alakazam line, or a whole Dusknoir line.

Gwynn discards up to two non-Rule Box Pokémon for three cards each, so up to six cards. Use it on Pokémon you can recover: discarded Duskull come back with Come and Get You, and anything else comes back with Night Stretcher or Sacred Ash.

Hilda pairs an evolution with Energy, often Telepathic Psychic Energy, which then benches two more Basics.

There is only one Boss's Orders. Cursed Blast already reaches the Bench, and Prime Catcher adds a second gust that also switches your own Active.

Items

• 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin, 4 Poké Pad: maximum consistency. Pad finds every Pokémon in the deck except the three ex.
• 3 Rare Candy: enough to Candy into Dusknoir or Alakazam when speed matters. You don't want it clogging hands that would rather evolve for draw.
• 3 Night Stretcher, 1 Sacred Ash: Stretcher is the precise pickup. Ash reloads up to five Pokémon at once for the long game.
• Enhanced Hammer, Special Red Card: single-copy disruption. Red Card works only when the opponent is at three or fewer Prizes. It sends their hand to the bottom and they draw three, so save it to break a late-game hand.

Battle Cage

Battle Cage stops opposing attacks and Abilities from placing damage counters on your Bench. It answers effects like Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive, which Shaymin doesn't stop because that is counter placement, not damage.

The text works both ways, though. With Cage up, your own Cursed Blast and Hex Hurl can't put counters on the opponent's Bench, so they only hit the Active. Play Cage when protecting your Bench matters more than sniping theirs.

Energy: 4 Telepathic Psychic Energy, 1 Psychic Energy

Five Energy is enough. Powerful Hand needs one, Cursed Blast needs none, and Hilda finds what you're missing.

Telepathic Psychic Energy is also a setup card: attaching it to a Psychic Pokémon benches two Basic Psychics. The lone Psychic Energy is a basic Energy that Night Stretcher can recover. It also gives you Colorless for Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex without spending a Telepathic.

The Decklist

Twenty-five Pokémon, thirty Trainers, five Energy. The two Stage 2 lines are the spine, and the single-copy Basics and Items do the matchup work around them. Notes marked Flex are the slots you can tune for your local field. Unmarked counts are load-bearing.

Pokémon (25)

Trainer (30)

Energy (5)

Reading the List

The two Abra entries are different cards that share a name. When you search with Dawn or Poké Pad, pick the version that fits your board.

• The 40 HP version can shuffle itself away from the Active Spot without an attack.
• The 50 HP version spends its attack to pivot out.

Know exactly what Battle Cage does before you play it. It stops damage counters on both Benches, so your own Dusknoir and Dusclops can only target the opponent's Active Pokémon while it is in play. It also blocks the Bench half of Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive, which places damage counters rather than dealing damage. Your options:

• Drop the Cage the turn you need Bench protection.
• Hold it the turn you plan to snipe a Benched Pokémon with Cursed Blast.

Shaymin covers the other half of Bench protection. It stops attack damage to your Benched Pokémon without a Rule Box. That makes Shaymin and Battle Cage complements, not redundancies.

The flex Basics each answer a specific problem, and you can't swap between games in this format. Cut one only when your expected field has nothing for it to hit:

• Flutter Mane answers Ability-reliant opponents.
• Budew answers Item-heavy setups.
• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex answers games where you're behind on Prize cards.

Opening Hands & Setup

Your opening has one job: get enough Abra and Duskull onto the Bench on turn one that your turn-two evolutions can't be stopped by a single Knock Out. A deck built around two Stage 2 lines can't afford a slow first turn. You can't throw a hand back, so judge each hand by how quickly it reaches a full Bench of Basics.

What a Strong Opening Looks Like

The best hands hold a Psychic Basic plus at least one of Buddy-Buddy Poffin or Telepathic Psychic Energy. Buddy-Buddy Poffin fetches two Basics with 70 HP or less, which covers Duskull, both Abra, and Budew. Telepathic Psychic Energy attached to a Psychic Pokémon pulls two more Basic Psychic Pokémon. With both, your Bench is effectively full on turn one before you play a Supporter.

A strong hand also contains or can reach turn-two evolution. Count Dawn (Basic, Stage 1, and Stage 2 in one card), Hilda (an Evolution Pokémon plus an Energy), Rare Candy, and Poké Pad as outs. A hand with Poffin, Dawn, and Candy is close to ideal.

What a Weak Opening Looks Like

• A lone Pokémon ex as your only Basic. If Latias ex, Fezandipiti ex, or Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex is your only Basic with no search in hand, you're starting with a two-Prize Active and no Bench.
• Evolutions without Basics. A fistful of Kadabra, Alakazam, and Dusknoir with one Basic and no Poffin or Telepathic Energy can't develop.
• No Energy and no search. Without Telepathic Energy you lose a free two-Basic search, and you lose the Energy for your attacks.

Gwynn is your fix for clunky hands. Discard two non-Rule Box Pokémon you can't use yet, such as an extra Dusknoir or a stranded Kadabra, and draw six. Those discards aren't gone. Night Stretcher and Sacred Ash bring them back, and Duskulls in the discard feed Come and Get You. Don't Gwynn away the Stage 2 you need for this turn's Rare Candy, and don't discard a Kadabra or Alakazam you're about to evolve with. Psychic Draw only triggers when you play the card from your hand to evolve.

Which Basic to Start Active

1. Budew is the top choice. It has Retreat 0 and 30 HP, so it costs you little as a pivot. Its no-cost Itchy Pollen stops your opponent from playing Items from their hand during their next turn.
2. Duskull retreats for 1 and has an attack that refills your Bench from the discard pile later. It's a fine, low-value Active.
3. Abra works if you have a spare. The 40-HP version can use Teleporter to shuffle itself back into your deck from the Active Spot, which is a free exit if you have nothing to retreat with. Avoid starting the Abra you need for turn-two Rare Candy.
4. Flutter Mane is acceptable. While it sits Active, your opponent's Active Pokémon has no Abilities.
5. Shaymin wants to be on the Bench, where Flower Curtain protects your single-Prize Benched Pokémon from attack damage. Start it only if nothing else is available.

Start a Pokémon ex only when it's your only Basic. If you must, Latias ex is the least bad. Skyliner gives your Basics no Retreat Cost, including Latias itself, so you can pivot out immediately.

Turn-One Priorities

1. Attach Telepathic Psychic Energy to a Psychic Pokémon first, before searching with Items. It doesn't use a search card, and the Bench spots it fills tell you what to Poffin for.
2. Bench at least two Abra and at least one Duskull. Alakazam is the attacker, so the Abra line gets priority. A second Duskull is next.
3. Keep a Bench slot open if you can, so Shaymin or a tech Basic can come down later without a forced choice.
4. Play your Supporter last. Dawn is usually correct because it assembles a full line. Take the Stage 2 that matches the Basic you'll Rare Candy next turn.

Turn-Two Priorities

Rare Candy can't be played on your first turn or on a Basic that came into play this turn. That's why the turn-one Bench matters.

On turn two, play Kadabra onto one Abra to draw 2. Then Rare Candy a second Abra into Alakazam to draw 3. Doing both in the same turn builds the hand size that Powerful Hand counts, which is two damage counters per card in your hand.

Evolve a Duskull into Dusclops as soon as the draws allow. That gives you a Cursed Blast threat ready for the following turn.

Going First or Second

Default to going first. Your turn-two evolutions then land before your opponent's second turn. That matters most against spread damage. The most common archetype in the brief's data was Dragapult, at 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Its Dragapult ex attack Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters on your Bench. A Bench of 40- and 50-HP Abra and 60-HP Duskull can't absorb that. You want those Pokémon already evolved and Battle Cage available before that attack comes. Battle Cage stops damage counters placed on Benched Pokémon by attack and Ability effects.

Go second only when Budew is worth a full turn. The clearest case is an evolution deck whose setup depends on Items like Rare Candy, where Itchy Pollen on your first turn can delay their key Stage 2. Even then, going second is only worth it if your hand can still fill the Bench without a Supporter.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Turn One: Bench First, Hand Second

Your first turn is about board, not hand size. Spend it freely. Buddy-Buddy Poffin gets Abra and Duskull (both fit under its 70 HP limit). Attaching Telepathic Psychic Energy to a Psychic Basic pulls two more Basic Psychic Pokémon from the deck. Aim for two Abra and at least one Duskull in play before you pass. If you have Dawn, take Kadabra and Alakazam plus whichever Basic you're missing. That one Supporter sets up next turn's evolve-and-draw chain.

Leave Bench space for Latias ex when you can. It removes the Retreat Cost of your Basics, so any Active Abra, Duskull, Budew, or Flutter Mane can step aside for free into a Benched Alakazam. Without it, Abra's Teleportation Attack or Teleporter is your pivot.

Turn Two: The Evolution Turn

From turn two on, every card you play costs 20 damage unless it puts more cards back into your hand. Count the net change for each card:

• Gains cards: Gwynn (discarding two Pokémon gives +3 net), Alakazam from hand (+2), Dawn (+2), Kadabra (+1), Hilda (+1), Rare Candy into Alakazam (+1), and Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script (+3, costs nothing).
• Neutral: Poké Pad and Night Stretcher.
• Costs a card: your Energy attachment, Boss's Orders, Prime Catcher, Battle Cage, Enhanced Hammer, Special Red Card, and any Pokémon you Bench from hand.

Use this order:

1. Use Flip the Script if it's live.
2. Evolve Kadabra.
3. Candy or evolve into Alakazam.
4. Play your Supporter last, once you know what you're short on.
5. Attach your one Psychic Energy to Alakazam.
6. Stop playing cards and attack.

Only spend a card that isn't on the "gains cards" list if it does one of two things: turns a non-KO into a KO, or picks a better target.

Hand Math

Each card in hand puts 2 damage counters on the Active. This table shows how many cards you need for common opposing HP totals given in the brief.

Ordering a Cursed Blast Turn

Cursed Blast is an Ability, so use it before you attack. Count your hand first. Only Blast when the counters close a gap your hand can't close alone.

Every Blast Knocks Out your own Pokémon and hands your opponent a Prize. Spend that Prize deliberately. Each Prize they take lowers the cost of Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex's Blood Moon. Getting them to 3 or fewer remaining turns on Special Red Card.

Two traps to avoid:

• A Blast happens on your turn, so it does not enable Flip the Script next turn.
• Battle Cage stops counters from your Abilities landing on their Bench, not just theirs landing on yours. If you want to Blast a Benched target, do it before you play Cage, or drag the target Active first.

Playing Around Phantom Dive

Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots, and Dragapult Dusknoir another 7 (source: Limitless online platform Top 8s, Oct 5-19, 2026). Bench damage counters are the interaction you'll face most.

Phantom Dive does 200 to your Active and places 6 counters on your Bench. That is enough to remove a Duskull outright, or an Abra with counters left over.

Battle Cage is the answer: it stops those counters, and an opposing Dusknoir's, from landing on your Bench. Shaymin does not stop them. Flower Curtain only prevents damage from attacks, and Phantom Dive's Bench effect places counters, not damage.

Without Cage:

• Bench only the Basics you will evolve next turn.
• Prioritize turning Benched Abra into Kadabra, whose 80 HP survives all 6 counters landing on it.
• Don't fill the Bench just because Telepathic Psychic Energy lets you.

Branch Points and Small Edges

• Gwynn fodder: discard Duskull first. Come and Get You returns up to three, and Night Stretcher and Sacred Ash recover the rest. Avoid discarding your last Alakazam unless a Stretcher is already in hand.
• Boss's Orders vs. Prime Catcher: Catcher is an Item and also pivots your own Active, but it still costs 20 damage. Hold Boss for turns when you're already using a Supporter-free draw line.
• Flutter Mane Active: it shuts off the opposing Active's Abilities. Lead or pivot into it when their Active Ability is what powers their turn.
• Hand disruption: Unfair Stamp appears in 6 and Judge in 5 of the 17 Basic Box Top 8 lists (source: Limitless online platform Top 8s, Oct 5-19, 2026). Against those lists, keep an Alakazam or Kadabra in hand as a rebuild.
• Special Red Card timing: it costs you 20 damage and gives your opponent three fresh cards. Play it when their current hand holds the answer to your next attack, not on reflex.
• Budew: Itchy Pollen costs nothing. Use it on the first turn you can attack, against Item-heavy setups, to buy an extra development turn.

Matchup Matrix

Summary

Dragapult

Dragapult is the matchup to prepare for. It took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots, and Blaziken and Dusknoir builds added 10 and 7 more (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Phantom Dive does 200, which is a clean KO on Alakazam. It also puts 6 damage counters on your Bench, enough to erase Abra and Duskull or finish a Kadabra.

Shaymin does not help here. It prevents damage from attacks, and Phantom Dive places counters. Battle Cage is your answer, but it cuts both ways. While it is in play, your Dusknoir, Dusclops and Flutter Mane can't place counters on their Bench either. Sequence around that: use Cursed Blast on a Benched target first, then play Battle Cage before you pass.

Dragapult ex has 320 HP. You can KO it two ways:

• One Dusknoir Cursed Blast plus Alakazam attacking with 10 cards in hand.
• Two Cursed Blasts plus Alakazam attacking with 3 cards in hand.

Each Blast gives them a Prize, so count the trade before you commit. For the build-specific side, see our Dragapult Standard guide, Dragapult Blaziken Standard guide and Dragapult Dusknoir Standard guide.

Basic Box

This list is almost all Basic Pokémon ex. Mega Kangaskhan ex has 300 HP and gives up three Prizes when Knocked Out. Rapid-Fire Combo starts at 200, so it KOs anything you own except Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex.

Your edges come from how their Pokémon are protected:

• Cursed Blast ignores Tera protection. Benched Tera Ogerpon ex only prevents damage from attacks. Cursed Blast is an Ability that places counters, so it still lands.
• Kangaskhan is in range. Two Blasts plus a two-card Powerful Hand KO it.
• Budew hits their Items. All 17 Top 8 lists ran 4 Energy Switch and 4 Ultra Ball (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). An early Itchy Pollen can stall their setup.

Hold Special Red Card for when they are at three Prizes or fewer, and use it to strip the hand that would close the game. Don't Active your Rule Box Pokémon into an attacker that can take two Prizes for free. See our Basic Box Standard guide.

Lucario Hariyama

Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP and gives up three Prizes, so two KOs win you the game. The cost of that is reach: you need 340 twice. You have three routes:

• Cursed Blast plus Blood Moon (370).
• Two Blasts plus a four-card Powerful Hand.
• One Blast plus an eleven-card Powerful Hand, if Gwynn has refilled you.

Mega Brave does 270 but can't be used again the next turn. On that following turn, Aura Jab's 130 can't KO Alakazam, so plan your big turn for that window.

Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex and Fezandipiti ex are both Fighting-weak. Keep them out of the Active Spot unless they are taking a KO that turn. See our Lucario Hariyama Standard guide.

N's Zoroark

N's Zoroark ex is Darkness type with 280 HP. Every Psychic Pokémon in your list is weak to Darkness ×2, so every damaging attack they make is doubled. Night Joker copies the attack of a Benched N's Pokémon. That makes their Bench the threat list:

• Spend Cursed Blasts on Benched N's Pokémon early to shrink Night Joker's options, before you commit to Battle Cage.
• Your best walls are the non-Darkness-weak Pokémon: Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, Fezandipiti ex, Shaymin and Budew.
• Zoroark falls to two Blasts plus a one-card Powerful Hand.

You need clean Prize math to win this one, because you won't win the damage race.

Single-Prize Psychic decks

Both sides give up one Prize per KO, so Cursed Blast's self-KO becomes a real cost. Count the Prizes on every Blast.

Check their Weakness first. Fezandipiti ex is your only Darkness-type attacker. Cruel Arrow into a Darkness-weak Active Pokémon applies Weakness, but it does not apply Weakness against Benched targets. Flutter Mane Active shuts off their Active Pokémon's Abilities, which slows Ability-based engines.

Evolution-based ex midrange

Two-Prize Stage 1 and Stage 2 attackers are where this deck shines. Prime Catcher, Boss's Orders and Benched Cursed Blasts let you KO the evolver before it ever attacks. An early Budew taxes any list that leans on Items to evolve.

Tech Choices & Variations

Most of the list is locked: the Abra-Kadabra-Alakazam line, the Duskull line, the draw Supporters, and the Item search package are the engine. That leaves roughly eight slots you can tune: the Abra split, Budew, Shaymin, Flutter Mane, Enhanced Hammer, Special Red Card, Battle Cage, and the Energy count.

Flex Slot Summary

The Abra Split

The 40 HP Abra can shuffle itself and its attachments back into the deck from the Active Spot. That gets you out of a dead start and puts the Abra back in the deck for Dawn or Poké Pad later. The 50 HP Abra has no Ability. It pivots by attacking, and Latias ex already gives your Basics free retreat, so that attack matters less than the HP. Against spread that places damage counters, 10 HP is the difference between dying to four counters and five. If your local field leans on Bench damage counters, move to 3 of the 50 HP version.

Battle Cage Is Symmetrical

Battle Cage stops damage counters from being placed on both players' Benched Pokémon by effects of the opponent's Pokémon. That shields your Abra and Duskull from attack-based counter spread. It also stops your own Dusknoir and Dusclops from using Cursed Blast on the opponent's Bench, and it stops your Flutter Mane from using Hex Hurl.

• With your Cage in play, your Cursed Blast targets only the Active Spot.
• Pair it with Boss's Orders or Prime Catcher to bring the target to you.
• Don't drop it on a turn when you planned to snipe the Bench. Play it after the Cursed Blast, not before.

A second copy makes sense against a field full of counter spread. Cut it entirely only if you expect almost no Bench counters from opponents.

Shaymin vs. Battle Cage

These two cover different threats, and mixing them up costs games:

• Shaymin prevents damage from attacks to your Benched Pokémon that don't have a Rule Box. It does nothing against placed damage counters.
• Battle Cage prevents placed damage counters. It does nothing against damage.

If your field's spread is mostly counters, Shaymin is the weaker slot. Turn it into a third Dusknoir, which also gives you more Cursed Blasts in long games.

Budew, Hammer, and Red Card

Budew is a zero-cost attacker that locks the opponent out of Items for a turn. That is strong against decks that need several Items to set up, and close to blank against decks that are already set up. Enhanced Hammer depends entirely on how many Special Energy your field plays. Read your opponents' lists, and if Special Energy is rare, make it a second Boss's Orders. Keep Special Red Card. Once the opponent is at three or fewer Prize cards, shuffling their hand to the bottom of the deck is your best tool for stopping a closing turn. Against opponents who take Prizes in chunks of three, that window opens early.

Tuning for Your Local Field

Dragapult-heavy rooms. Dragapult was the most represented archetype online, with 37 of 176 Top 8 slots and a Top 8 in 20 of 22 events (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters on your Bench, which threatens your 40 and 50 HP Abra and your 60 HP Duskull.

• Play a second Battle Cage.
• Go 3-1 toward the 50 HP Abra.
• Consider cutting Shaymin for a third Dusknoir. Dragapult ex has 320 HP, and two Cursed Blasts plus chip from Alakazam is a realistic Knock Out.

Basic Box rooms. Benched Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex take no damage from attacks, but Cursed Blast is an Ability that places counters, so it goes around that protection. Mega Kangaskhan ex has 300 HP and gives up three Prize cards when Knocked Out.

• Cut Battle Cage here, because it blocks your own Bench snipes.
• Keep Prime Catcher and Boss's Orders.
• Lean on Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex: Blood Moon's 240 plus one Dusknoir Cursed Blast covers 300 HP.

Fighting decks. Mega Lucario ex is Fighting type with 340 HP. Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex and Fezandipiti ex are both weak to Fighting, so keep them off the Active Spot. Blood Moon plus Cursed Blast still reaches 340.

Darkness decks. N's Zoroark ex is Darkness type, and every Pokémon in your Psychic lines is weak to Darkness ×2. Flutter Mane earns its slot here: as long as it's in your Active Spot, the opponent's Active Pokémon has no Abilities. Don't cut it in a Darkness-heavy room.

Budget Options

No total cost was given for this list, so this section covers which slots are likely to carry the price and what each one actually does for you. That way you can decide where your money goes.

Where the Cost Likely Sits

Most of this list is evolution lines and Trainer staples. The pieces most likely to drive the price are the three Pokémon ex and the one-of power Items:

• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex: the late-game closer
• Latias ex: free retreat for every Basic
• Fezandipiti ex: draw after you lose a Pokémon
• Prime Catcher: a gust effect on an Item
• Telepathic Psychic Energy: a full playset, and the one of these you should not skimp on

Everything else is the engine. That means the Abra / Kadabra / Alakazam line, the Duskull / Dusclops / Dusknoir line, Dawn, Hilda, Gwynn, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad, Rare Candy and Night Stretcher. Buy the engine first, at full counts. A budget build that trims the engine stops being this deck.

The Non-Negotiable: Telepathic Psychic Energy

Do not swap Telepathic Psychic Energy for plain Psychic Energy. Each attachment to a Psychic Pokémon pulls up to 2 Basic Psychic Pokémon onto your Bench. That is how you fill the Bench with Abra and Duskull without spending a Buddy-Buddy Poffin or a Supporter. Cutting it costs you setup speed in nearly every game. Treat it as part of the core.

Budget Swaps and What You Give Up

How Each Cut Changes Your Play

Without Latias ex, how you start your Active Pokémon matters more:

• Prefer the 50 HP Abra. Its Teleportation Attack switches it with a Benched Pokémon, so it can pivot itself out.
• Save Prime Catcher (if you kept it) for turns when you need to gust and reposition at once.
• The 3rd Dusclops gives you another Cursed Blast to set up Knock Outs. The 2nd Boss's Orders is better if your local players lean on Benched support Pokémon you need to remove.

Without Fezandipiti ex, your comeback after losing a Pokémon is weaker. Losing a Pokémon to Cursed Blast is part of your plan, so plan your Supporter turns around it. A 4th Gwynn helps because it feeds on the deck's own non-Rule Box Pokémon. A trimmed build has more of those to discard, so the 4th copy is better here than it would be in the full list.

Without Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, Alakazam carries all the attacking. Powerful Hand scales with your hand size, so you need to:

• Hold cards rather than dump them.
• Get more value from Dusknoir and Dusclops Cursed Blasts to cover the damage you no longer have.

The 4th Alakazam makes it less likely you're stuck with no attacker when one gets Knocked Out.

A Side Benefit of Going Light on ex

Every Pokémon ex you cut is one fewer two-Prize target on your Bench. Shaymin's Flower Curtain only protects Benched Pokémon without a Rule Box from attack damage. In the full list, your ex sit outside that protection. In a budget build, more of your Bench is covered by Shaymin. This doesn't make up for losing the ex, but it softens the downgrade.

Upgrade Path

1. Core engine at full counts. Both evolution lines, all four Dawn, three Hilda, three Gwynn, four each of Buddy-Buddy Poffin and Poké Pad, three Rare Candy, three Night Stretcher, plus Shaymin, Flutter Mane, Budew and Battle Cage.
2. Four Telepathic Psychic Energy. This is the biggest jump in consistency of any purchase on this list.
3. Latias ex. It affects nearly every game, because nearly every game involves moving Basics in and out of the Active Spot. It can also be found off Telepathic Psychic Energy since it's a Basic Psychic Pokémon.
4. Prime Catcher. It frees your Supporter on gust turns, so you can play Hilda or Dawn and still drag up the target you want.
5. Fezandipiti ex. It turns the Knock Outs you'll take into fresh cards. Dawn is your main way to search it out.
6. Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex. Buy it last. It matters most in long games where you're behind on Prize cards, and that is the narrowest of these roles.

Steps one through three give you a deck that plays the real game plan. The last three add the edges: Supporter-free gusting, extra draw, and a late-game finisher.

Common Mistakes

1. Shrinking your hand before you attack

Powerful Hand places 2 damage counters for each card in your hand, so every card you play before attacking costs you 20 damage. A common way to lose a Knock Out is to bench a spare Duskull, drop a Poké Pad you didn't need, and come up one card short. Before you play anything on an attacking turn, count your hand and the HP you need to take. Then sequence so the cards that add to your hand resolve first: Kadabra and Alakazam evolutions for Psychic Draw, and Gwynn if you have Pokémon to discard. Play only the cards that set up the Knock Out or the next turn. Everything else stays in your hand as damage.

2. Treating Cursed Blast as free damage

Both Dusclops and Dusknoir Knock Themselves Out when they use Cursed Blast, which gives your opponent a Prize card every time. Count Prizes for both players before you blast. If the self-KO hands your opponent their last Prize, or puts them in range of a game-ending turn, you need a different line. Also note that Fezandipiti ex only draws if your Pokémon were Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. A Cursed Blast on your own turn does not set up Flip the Script for your next turn. The best use of Cursed Blast is to set up a total that Powerful Hand can finish. For example, 13 counters from Dusknoir on a 320 HP Dragapult ex leaves 190, so you need a ten-card hand for the Knock Out instead of sixteen.

3. Playing Battle Cage and locking out your own Bench damage

Battle Cage stops damage counters from being placed on Benched Pokémon by attacks and Abilities from the opponent's Pokémon. It works for both players. While it is in play, your Cursed Blast cannot target a Benched Pokémon, and Hex Hurl from Flutter Mane does nothing. You can still target the Active Spot. Play the Stadium when protecting your Bench from counter spread matters more than reaching their Bench. If you plan to snipe a support Pokémon off their Bench, play it after that Knock Out, not before.

4. Expecting Shaymin to stop spread

Shaymin prevents damage from attacks to your Benched Pokémon without a Rule Box. It does not stop damage counters. Phantom Dive from Dragapult ex places 6 counters across your Bench, and Flower Curtain does not block any of them. Your 40 and 50 HP Abra and 60 HP Duskull are still exposed. Against counter placement, Battle Cage is the answer. Use Shaymin against attacks that deal damage to the Bench.

5. Using a Telepathic Psychic Energy attachment without its search

Telepathic Psychic Energy searches for two Basic Psychic Pokémon only when you attach it from your hand to a Psychic Pokémon. Attaching it to Shaymin or Budew (Grass), Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex (Colorless), or Fezandipiti ex (Darkness) gets you nothing beyond the Energy. When the Bench still needs Abra or Duskull, put the attachment on a Psychic Pokémon. Save the plain Psychic Energy for turns when your Bench is full or when filling it would only expose more low-HP Basics.

6. Planning a Rare Candy turn the rules don't allow

Rare Candy cannot be used on your first turn or on a Basic put into play that turn. An Abra fetched by Buddy-Buddy Poffin or Telepathic Psychic Energy this turn cannot be Candied this turn. Bench your Basics a turn ahead of when you plan to Candy them. Also remember the cost of skipping Stage 1. Candying straight to Alakazam skips Kadabra and its 2-card Psychic Draw. When you have a Kadabra and time, evolving normally usually gives you more cards.

7. Burning recovery on Gwynn discards

Gwynn draws 3 cards for each Pokémon without a Rule Box you discard, up to six. That is a lot of draw, and it can tempt you into discarding a third Alakazam or your last Dusknoir. Your recovery is limited: 3 Night Stretcher, 1 Sacred Ash, and Come and Get You, which only returns Duskull. Discard spare Basics, extra Kadabra, or Duskull you can return later. Keep a Stage 2 attacker in your hand or deck unless you have already counted your Night Stretcher copies to get it back.

8. Firing Special Red Card into a small hand

Special Red Card only works when your opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards left. It shuffles their hand to the bottom of their deck and they draw 3. If they are holding one or two cards, you just gave them a better hand. Use it when they have built up a large hand of answers. Avoid it when they have just used up their resources and are drawing off the top of their deck.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice

• Lethal math under pressure. Most of your Knock Outs on big Pokémon ex combine Cursed Blast counters with Powerful Hand. Drill the totals until you don't need to think about them. Against a 320 HP Dragapult ex, a Dusknoir blast (130) plus a ten-card hand (200) is enough. So is Dusknoir plus Dusclops (180) plus a seven-card hand (140). Against a 300 HP Mega Kangaskhan ex, Dusknoir plus nine cards gets there. Against a 340 HP Mega Lucario ex, Dusknoir plus eleven cards does it.
• Hand-size management. Powerful Hand pays you for holding cards, and Alakazam and Kadabra add cards when you evolve them. Practice turns where you evolve, draw, and then stop playing cards you don't need, so the hand stays full for the attack.
• Prize mapping with self-KOs. Every Cursed Blast Knocks Out your own Dusclops or Dusknoir, and the opponent takes a Prize card for it. Before each game, plan how many blasts you can afford. Also track how each blast lowers the cost of Blood Moon on Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex.
• The Dragapult matchup first. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Spread from Phantom Dive is the Bench damage you will face most. Get your reps against it before anything else.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

• Battle Cage works against you too. It stops damage counters from being placed on both players' Benched Pokémon by the opponent's attack and Ability effects.
  • While it's in play, Cursed Blast and Hex Hurl can't put counters on your opponent's Bench.
  • If you want a Benched target, blast first and play the Stadium afterward.
  • If you can't, plan for Active-only targets that turn.
• Shaymin and Battle Cage cover different things.
  • Flower Curtain prevents damage from attacks to your Benched Pokémon without a Rule Box. It does not stop damage counters.
  • Battle Cage stops damage counters from effects. It does not stop damage.
  • Phantom Dive's six counters land on a Shaymin-protected Bench unless Battle Cage is out.
  • Neither card protects Latias ex, Fezandipiti ex, or Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex from attack damage on the Bench.
• Your own blasts don't enable Flip the Script. Fezandipiti ex needs one of your Pokémon to have been Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. A Cursed Blast KO happens on your turn, so it never counts.
• Psychic Draw has a strict trigger. The draw only happens when you play Kadabra or Alakazam from your hand to evolve. Rare Candy puts the Stage 2 from your hand onto the Basic to evolve it, so it qualifies. Rare Candy still can't be used on your first turn or on a Basic put into play that turn.
• Telepathic Psychic Energy only triggers on Psychic Pokémon.
  • Attaching it to Shaymin, Budew, Fezandipiti ex, or Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex does not trigger the search.
  • It can only fetch Basic Psychic Pokémon: Duskull, Abra, Flutter Mane, or Latias ex.
• Search limits on your Items.
  • Buddy-Buddy Poffin finds only Duskull, Abra, and Budew. Shaymin (80 HP) and Flutter Mane (90 HP) are too big.
  • Poké Pad can't find any of your three Pokémon ex.
• Latias ex mobility has gaps. Skyliner removes Retreat Cost only from Basic Pokémon. A stranded Dusknoir still costs three Energy to retreat, so don't evolve in the Active Spot unless you mean to stay there.
• Flutter Mane shuts off only the opposing Active Pokémon's Abilities, and only while Flutter Mane is in your Active Spot. Benched Abilities still work.
• Special Red Card has a timing condition. You can play it only when your opponent has three or fewer Prize cards remaining. Self-KOs from Cursed Blast can push them into that window earlier than you expect.

Clock Management

This deck searches and shuffles constantly: Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad, Dawn, Hilda, and Telepathic Psychic Energy each mean a trip through the deck. Follow these habits to stay on time:

• Name your targets before you pick the deck up. Searching while deciding wastes minutes.
• Sequence draw before search. Use Gwynn and Psychic Draw before your search effects when the order doesn't matter, so you search knowing your full hand.
• Announce counter math out loud. Placing thirteen counters and counting a ten-card hand invites disputes. Clear statements settle them quickly.
• Know your game state when time is called. A deck that gives up Prize cards to its own Abilities can fall behind on Prizes. Track that count, and don't spend a self-KO you can't convert.

Final Assessment

The list earned a Top 4 at RCC 2000 MEMBERS out of 232 players. The build explains why:

• Consistency. Four Dawn, three Hilda, four Poké Pad, and three Rare Candy assemble Stage 2 Pokémon reliably. Gwynn and the Psychic Draw evolutions refill the hand that powers your main attack.
• Flexible damage. Damage counters spread across two evolution lines let you take Knock Outs on high-HP Pokémon ex that a single attacker can't reach alone.
• Answers to disruption. Battle Cage and Shaymin cover the two kinds of Bench damage. Flutter Mane answers an Ability-reliant Active Pokémon. Budew can lock Items for a turn.

The costs are real:

• Every Pokémon in both evolution lines has Darkness Weakness.
• Each Cursed Blast hands over a Prize card.
• A slow setup turn leaves you exposed.

Pick this deck if you're willing to do arithmetic every turn and plan your Prize trade from turn one. In that player's hands, it's a list that can go deep in a large field.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Alakazam Dusknoir win games?

It wins by placing damage counters, not by building attackers. Alakazam's Powerful Hand costs one Psychic Energy and places 2 damage counters on the opponent's Active for every card in your hand. Dusknoir and Dusclops add 13 and 5 counters through Cursed Blast on any of the opponent's Pokémon, then Knock themselves Out.

What are the key cards in the Alakazam Dusknoir deck?

The core is the Abra-Kadabra-Alakazam line, which draws cards on evolution, and the Duskull-Dusclops-Dusknoir line for Cursed Blast reach. Dawn finds a full Basic, Stage 1 and Stage 2 line, Gwynn draws 6, and Telepathic Psychic Energy both powers the attack and benches two Basic Psychic Pokémon.

What is the hardest matchup for Alakazam Dusknoir?

N's Zoroark is the guide's unfavored matchup, because every Psychic Pokémon in the list is weak to Darkness. The guide says to spend Cursed Blasts on Benched N's Pokémon early and to rely on clean Prize math, because you won't win the damage race.

How should I play the Dragapult matchup with Alakazam Dusknoir?

Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters on your Bench. Battle Cage stops those counters, but Shaymin does not. Because Cage also blocks your own Bench snipes, use Cursed Blast on a Benched target first and then play Battle Cage before you pass.

Is Cursed Blast free damage?

No. Every Cursed Blast Knocks Out your own Dusclops or Dusknoir and gives your opponent a Prize. Use it when it takes a two-Prize Knock Out, wins a race, or removes a key engine piece, and never when it hands over their last Prize.

What are the budget swaps for Alakazam Dusknoir?

The guide suggests replacing Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex with a 4th Alakazam, Fezandipiti ex with a 4th Gwynn or Hilda, Latias ex with a 3rd Dusclops or 2nd Boss's Orders, and Prime Catcher with a 2nd Boss's Orders. Never swap out Telepathic Psychic Energy.

Why does playing cards before attacking hurt this deck?

Powerful Hand counts your hand when the attack resolves, so every card you play costs 20 damage unless it adds cards back to your hand. Resolve Kadabra and Alakazam evolutions and Gwynn first, then stop playing cards once you hit your number.

What should I practice before a tournament with Alakazam Dusknoir?

Drill lethal math that combines Cursed Blast with Powerful Hand, hand-size management, and Prize mapping with self-KOs. The guide also says to practice the Dragapult matchup first, since Phantom Dive is the Bench damage you will face most.

Metagame Context

Built from Limitless user Bweave2244's Top 4 list at RCC 2000 MEMBERS (232 players, 2026-10-26), via the Limitless platform. Metagame context comes from a research brief dated 2026-10-19 covering 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-19, drawn from Limitless TCG event results; TCGdex; Scrydex. Card text and prices: TCGdex.

Source: tournament results. Decklist and placements as reported by the event organizer.