Cynthia's Garchomp — Standard Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

Cynthia's Garchomp is a Stage 2 Fighting deck built on one strong attacker and a support engine that keeps it fed. Your Bench fills with Cynthia's Gible lines and Cynthia's Roselia lines, evolves into a wall of Cynthia's Pokémon, and then Cynthia's Garchomp ex takes big Knock Outs that most Pokémon can't survive. This build finished Top 4 at Moujii's Dojo on 2026-10-22, out of 197 players, played by Limitless user Daniel2203R.

The Plan

The whole list exists to get Cynthia's Garchomp ex into the Active Spot with damage modifiers stacked behind it. It has two attacks, and the deck is built around switching between them:

• Corkscrew Dive costs one Fighting Energy, does 100 damage, and lets you draw until you have 6 cards in hand. Use it for setup, refuel, or to finish off something already damaged.
• Draconic Buster costs two Fighting Energy and does 260 damage, then discards all Energy from Garchomp. This is the attack that takes Knock Outs.

Cynthia's Roserade makes the numbers work. Its Ability, Cheer On to Glory, adds 30 damage to attacks your Cynthia's Pokémon use against the opponent's Active Pokémon. With one Roserade in play, Draconic Buster does 290. Add Premium Power Pro, which gives your Fighting Pokémon +30 for the turn, and you reach 320 before Weakness. That covers almost any single-Prize Pokémon and most two-Prize attackers too. Corkscrew Dive gets the same boost, so even your "draw" attack hits for 130 or more.

Cynthia's Gabite holds the setup together. Champion's Call searches your deck for any Cynthia's Pokémon once per turn. That means every Gabite on your Bench is a free tutor for your next Garchomp ex, your next Roserade, the Roselia to rebuild with, or Cynthia's Spiritomb when you need it. Once you have two Gabite in play, the deck finds every evolution it needs without spending a Supporter.

Why the Plan Is Strong

• It's hard to take a Knock Out on Garchomp ex. Garchomp ex starts at 330 HP, and Cynthia's Power Weight adds 70 to make it 400. Opponents have to build a huge turn to take two Prize cards from it, and that's when Garchomp hits back.
• Zero Retreat changes how Energy works. Draconic Buster removes all its Energy, and you only attach once per turn. Because Garchomp ex has no Retreat Cost, you can keep a second Garchomp powered up on the Bench and swap it in for free. You don't need Switch for this. Swap the spent attacker back and recharge it while the fresh one attacks.
• Neo Upper Energy pays for a Draconic Buster in a single attachment. Attached to a Stage 2, it provides every type of Energy, two at a time. That's enough for Draconic Buster from an empty Garchomp. Since Draconic Buster discards it, save it for the turn the double attack takes a Prize or starts your comeback.
• Rocky Fighting Energy shuts down attack effects. On your Fighting Pokémon, it prevents all effects of your opponent's attacks. Damage still goes through, but status conditions, Energy removal, and other disruption from attacks don't. Your Garchomp ex keeps attacking even when the opponent tries to lock it down.
• The search reaches almost every piece of your setup. Buddy-Buddy Poffin puts Gible, Roselia, or Spiritomb (all 70 HP) directly onto the Bench. Poké Pad finds any non-Rule Box piece. Fighting Gong finds Gible or Basic Fighting Energy. Hilda grabs an evolution and an Energy together. Lillie's Determination draws eight if you haven't taken a Prize yet, which helps a slow start catch up.
• It has an answer to Bench damage. Cynthia's Spiritomb does 10 damage for each damage counter on your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon, ignoring Weakness. If your opponent spreads damage across your Bench, Spiritomb turns that damage into a single-Prize Knock Out.
• Most of your Pokémon give up only one Prize. Gible, Gabite, Roselia, Roserade, and Spiritomb are all non-ex. The opponent usually has to beat a 400-HP wall or go after single-Prize support Pokémon, which slows down their Prize race.

What It Gives Up

This is a natural-evolution deck. With only one Rare Candy you rarely skip Gabite, and you wouldn't want to, because Gabite's Ability is your best card advantage. Expect Garchomp ex to start attacking on your second turn at the earliest, usually later. The deck has no Energy acceleration, so recharging after Draconic Buster takes planning. Every evolved Pokémon in the list has Weakness, and your Fighting line and Spiritomb are all weak to Grass. Spiritomb also lacks a Power Weight on most turns. Each lost Bench Pokémon slows the deck, and Sacred Ash is the only way to get them back.

Who Should Pick It Up

Play this deck if you like long setup games and win by taking each Prize at the right time. You need to be good at three things:

• Counting damage modifiers, so you know whether your Roserade count plus Premium Power Pro reaches the number you need.
• Managing a Bench of Gabite and Roserade without overextending into Boss's Orders targets.
• Planning Energy two turns ahead so a charged Garchomp ex is always waiting.

It's a good choice if you've played Stage 2 decks before and like having a high-HP wall that forces your opponent into awkward lines. If you want a deck that wins on its first turn of attacking with little thinking afterward, this isn't it. The deck rewards players who plan their Prize trades in advance.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

How the Deck Wins

This is a proactive deck that trades one-hit Knock Outs. Cynthia's Garchomp ex is the only Rule Box Pokémon in the list. Everything around it is a single-Prize Basic or Stage 1 that either finds the next Garchomp or makes its attacks hit harder. You want to take big Knock Outs every turn with a 330 HP attacker. That attacker reaches 400 HP with Cynthia's Power Weight attached. The opponent has to answer it on your schedule, and you pick their best target with Boss's Orders.

The Engine

• Cynthia's Gabite is the search engine. Champion's Call can fetch any Cynthia's Pokémon once per turn, and each Gabite in play has its own Call. Two Gabite on the Bench means two searches a turn: one Garchomp ex and one Roserade, or a Garchomp ex and a replacement Gible. This is why the list can run only one Rare Candy and still set up reliably.
• Cynthia's Roserade is the damage engine. Cheer On to Glory adds 30 to every attack your Cynthia's Pokémon use against the opponent's Active. Each Roserade in play carries its own copy of the ability, so two Roserade add 60. The bonus also applies to Cynthia's Gabite, Cynthia's Gible and Cynthia's Spiritomb, so your single-Prize attackers get stronger too.
• Cynthia's Garchomp ex does two jobs. Corkscrew Dive costs one Energy, deals 100, and draws until you hold 6 cards, which makes it a draw Supporter stapled to an attack. Draconic Buster costs two Energy, deals 260, and discards all Energy from Garchomp. With Retreat 0, you can rotate freely between Garchomps on the Bench.

Damage Thresholds

Every modifier below adds to damage against the opponent's Active Pokémon, before Weakness and Resistance:

Measure those numbers against the big threats in the brief. N's Zoroark ex has 280 HP and falls to Buster with one Roserade. Mega Kangaskhan ex has 300 HP and Dragapult ex has 320 HP, so both need two Roserade. Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP, so you need two Roserade plus Premium Power Pro. The Mega Pokémon ex are worth 3 Prize cards, so a single Buster on one can swing the Prize race badly in your favor. Count your Roserade before you commit to a Boss's Orders target.

Energy Economy

The list plays only seven Energy, and Draconic Buster throws away everything attached. That makes Energy your real resource, so plan your attachments a turn ahead:

• Pre-load the Bench. Put Energy on the next Garchomp or a Gabite before it is needed. The follow-up attacker then only needs one more attachment to Buster.
• Use Neo Upper Energy as your burst card. On a Stage 2 it provides every type, two Energy at a time. A single attachment pays the full Buster cost, which turns a fresh Garchomp ex into an immediate 260-plus attacker.
• Fill the off turns with Corkscrew Dive. When you can't reload for Buster, attack with one Energy and draw to 6. That keeps your hand stocked for the next turn's Buster.
• Restock with Hilda and Fighting Gong. Hilda pairs an Evolution Pokémon with an Energy. Fighting Gong fetches basic Fighting Energy when you need one.

Rocky Fighting Energy also blocks attack effects on the Fighting Pokémon it's attached to. Placing damage counters is an effect, not damage, so a benched Gabite or Garchomp holding Rocky is shielded from bench-spread attacks. Roserade is Grass type and gets no protection from it.

The Ideal Game, Turn by Turn

1. Turn 1:
   • Use Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad and Fighting Gong to fill the Bench with two or three Cynthia's Gible and two Cynthia's Roselia.
   • If you're going first with all 6 Prizes still down, Lillie's Determination draws 8. That is your best opener.
   • Attach Energy to a Gible.
2. Turn 2:
   • Evolve into at least two Gabite and as many Roserade as you can.
   • Use every Champion's Call to stock Garchomp ex and any missing Roserade.
   • If you have Rare Candy and Neo Upper Energy, you can put a Garchomp ex into play this turn and Buster right away.
   • Otherwise, attack with Gabite or Gible for chip damage, which hits harder with Roserade in play.
3. Turn 3 onward:
   • Evolve into Garchomp ex and Boss's Orders the target your damage table says you can Knock Out.
   • Alternate Buster and Corkscrew Dive based on your Energy count.
   • Keep a second Garchomp line developing on the Bench at all times.
4. Late game:
   • Use Sacred Ash to return Knocked Out Gible, Gabite and Garchomp to the deck.
   • Use Team Rocket's Petrel to fetch whichever Trainer closes the game: Boss's Orders, Premium Power Pro or Sacred Ash.
   • Cynthia's Spiritomb can finish off a damaged Pokémon. Raging Curse counts the damage counters on your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon and also gets the Roserade bonus, so it hits hardest after the opponent has spread damage across your Bench.

Posture and Priorities

Play to the board, not to the hand. The deck stalls when Roserade or Gabite count falls behind, so protect both lines before you take marginal Knock Outs. The order of value is:

1. Two Gabite in play.
2. Two Roserade in play.
3. A pre-loaded backup attacker.

When opponents target your support Pokémon, trading single-Prize bodies for their two- and three-Prize attackers is a race you win. Make them spend their turns on cheap Prizes while Garchomp takes the expensive ones.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The Garchomp Line: 4-4-3

Cynthia's Gible at four is non-negotiable. It's the only route to your attacker, and at 70 HP it fits Buddy-Buddy Poffin, so it hits the Bench without costing you a hand card. Four Cynthia's Gabite matches the Gible count because Gabite is the engine as well as a bridge. Champion's Call searches any Cynthia's Pokémon, and each Gabite in play gets its own search every turn. Two Gabite on board means you find a Cynthia's Garchomp ex and a Cynthia's Roserade off Abilities alone.

Three Garchomp ex is enough because Gabite, Hilda, and Sacred Ash all find or recover it. A fourth copy would mostly be a dead draw when you open with it. Garchomp ex carries the deck on three traits:

• Retreat 0. You can pivot it in and out freely.
• 330 HP. That becomes 400 with Cynthia's Power Weight.
• Two attacks. Corkscrew Dive is a one-Energy attack that refills your hand to 6. Draconic Buster hits for 260 but discards all Energy from Garchomp.

The Roserade Line: 4-4

Cynthia's Roserade is your damage modifier. Cheer On to Glory adds 30 to attacks from your Cynthia's Pokémon against the opponent's Active, and every Roserade you have in play adds its own 30. Running a full 4-4 lets you keep two online through Bench damage and Knock Outs, and that second Roserade changes your math:

• Draconic Buster with one Roserade does 290.
• With two Roserade it does 320. That's exactly a Dragapult ex, which the brief lists at 320 HP (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19).
• Corkscrew Dive with two Roserade does 160 while it still draws you cards.

Cynthia's Roselia at 70 HP is Poffin-legal, so one Poffin can grab Gible plus Roselia. That pairing is the opening you want most. Roserade is Grass, not Fighting, so Premium Power Pro doesn't boost its own Leaf Step. That attack is a last resort.

The Single Spiritomb

Cynthia's Spiritomb punishes opponents who damage your Bench. Raging Curse does 10 for each damage counter on your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon and ignores Weakness. Because Spiritomb is a Cynthia's Pokémon, Roserade boosts it too. It costs a single Colorless, so any Energy powers it.

It's also a single-Prize attacker. You can trade it into a big hit late in the game when you don't want to expose a Garchomp ex. One copy is right: Gabite, Poké Pad, and Poffin all find it on the turn you need it.

Supporters: 4 / 4 / 3 / 1

• Boss's Orders x4. A 260+ hitter is only as good as its targets. Four copies let you pick the Knock Out every turn instead of hitting whatever sits Active.
• Lillie's Determination x4. This is your draw Supporter. It draws 8 while you still have all 6 Prize cards, which makes it your best turn-one and turn-two Supporter, especially going second.
• Hilda x3. It finds an Evolution Pokémon and an Energy together. Garchomp ex plus Neo Upper Energy in one card is a full Draconic Buster turn. Three copies keep it findable without crowding out draw.
• Team Rocket's Petrel x1. This turns any single-copy Trainer into a playable card. The usual targets are Rare Candy, Sacred Ash, and Switch. It can also grab a Power Weight or Premium Power Pro when you need the extra HP or damage.

Search Items

• Buddy-Buddy Poffin x4. Every Basic in the deck is 70 HP, so every Poffin is live.
• Poké Pad x4. It finds anything except Garchomp ex. Use it for Gabite, Roserade, or Spiritomb.
• Fighting Gong x3. It finds Gible or a Basic Fighting Energy. Three is enough because Hilda also covers Energy.
• Pokégear 3.0 x2. This is Supporter access on an Item, smoothing hands that are all Pokémon. It's the most flexible slot in this section.

Damage and Bulk

Premium Power Pro x2. This adds 30 to your Fighting attackers for the turn, so it stacks with Roserade on Garchomp ex. Draconic Buster with two Roserade plus Power Pro reaches 350, enough for any target up to 350 HP. Two copies is the right count because Roserade supplies baseline damage and Power Pro only closes specific gaps.

Cynthia's Power Weight x3. Any Cynthia's Pokémon gets +70 HP:

• Garchomp ex goes to 400.
• Roserade goes to 200, which protects your damage engine.
• A Gible goes to 140, which helps it survive an early attack.

Three copies lets you weight a Garchomp ex and a Roserade in the same game.

One-Ofs: Candy, Ash, Switch

• Rare Candy x1. This is a catch-up card, not your main evolution route. Gabite's search plan wants the Stage 1 in play. Candy fixes a game where your Gabite got Knocked Out or never showed up.
• Sacred Ash x1. It shuffles up to five Pokémon back into the deck for the long game. A single copy works because Gabite and Poké Pad can retrieve the shuffled cards right away.
• Switch x1. Garchomp ex has free retreat, so Switch exists mainly to escape a Basic or Roserade stuck in the Active Spot. One copy covers it.

Energy: 7 Total

• Neo Upper Energy x1. On a Stage 2 it provides every type, two Energy at a time. One attachment to Garchomp ex pays the full [Fighting Fighting] for Draconic Buster. Only attach it to Garchomp ex: on Gabite it provides only Colorless, which can't pay Dragonslice.
• Rocky Fighting Energy x4. It provides Fighting and blocks the effects of opponents' attacks on the Fighting Pokémon it's attached to. Damage still gets through. Draconic Buster discards it, but it stays on board during Corkscrew Dive turns.
• Fighting Energy x2. These are plain Fighting attachments. They're also guaranteed Basic Fighting Energy for Fighting Gong to find.

Seven Energy is lean, and it works because each Buster needs only one or two attachments. Corkscrew Dive's refill keeps finding the next one. Hilda and Gong add five more ways to find Energy, so going lower risks Energy droughts across back-to-back Draconic Buster turns.

The Decklist

Legality check before you register: the card data used for this guide flags the listed printing of Pokégear 3.0 (not Standard-legal). The list is shown as it placed. Check it against the current official Standard card list for your event date before you register; another printing of the same card may be legal.

This is the 60 that Daniel2203R took to a Top 4 finish at Moujii's Dojo (2026-10-22, 197 players). It has 20 Pokémon, 33 Trainers and 7 Energy. Every Pokémon except Cynthia's Garchomp ex can be found with Poké Pad, and every Basic fits under Buddy-Buddy Poffin's 70 HP limit. That makes the search package unusually deep for a Stage 2 deck. Flexible slots are marked Flex.

Pokémon (20)

Trainer (33)

Energy (7)

Only seven Energy looks thin, but it works because Draconic Buster discards everything after each swing. You will attach fresh Energy every turn regardless, so the count is built around Hilda and Fighting Gong finding the next one, not around stockpiling. Cynthia's Garchomp ex has zero Retreat Cost. That is why a single Switch covers the rest of the board.

Opening Hands & Setup

Every opening hand you get, you play. That makes deck density your mulligan protection. This list runs nine Basics, all at 70 HP, so every one of them is a legal Buddy-Buddy Poffin target. It also runs four Poké Pad and three Fighting Gong to turn a thin hand into a board. Your job in the first two turns is to get Gible onto the Bench in volume, then let Gabite do the searching.

Strong vs. Weak Openings

A strong hand has at least two of these:

• Buddy-Buddy Poffin, the best card you can open. It puts two Basics straight onto the Bench, ideally two Cynthia's Gible or a Gible and a Cynthia's Roselia.
• Multiple Cynthia's Gible, or a Gible plus Poké Pad or Fighting Gong to find another.
• A Supporter for your first legal Supporter turn. Lillie's Determination and Hilda are the best.
• An Energy for your first attachment. Fighting Gong can find a basic Fighting Energy if you need one.

A weak hand is a lone Basic with no Poffin, no Pad and no Gong. The worst version is a lone Cynthia's Spiritomb or Roselia with no route to a Gible. Your outs are any Supporter. Lillie's Determination is the strongest because it draws 8 while you still have all 6 Prize cards. Pokégear 3.0 digs for that Supporter, and Team Rocket's Petrel grabs a Poffin when nothing else in hand does anything. If your hand is all Supporters and no search, play the Lillie's.

Which Basic to Start Active

All three Basics have Retreat 1, and you only run one Switch. That means your starter often stays Active until something replaces it.

• Start Cynthia's Gible when you hold two or more Gible, or a Gible plus Poffin. Gible is the one Basic whose retreat problem solves itself. Evolve it in place and Cynthia's Garchomp ex has Retreat 0. Energy you attach to it early carries straight into Draconic Buster.
• Start Cynthia's Roselia or Cynthia's Spiritomb when you hold only one Gible. Keep that Gible on the Bench, away from early attacks. A Knocked Out Roselia costs you one of four Roserade lines. A Knocked Out Gible costs you a Garchomp.
• Spiritomb is an acceptable starter, but not a disposable one. Raging Curse scales with damage counters on your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon. That makes it a late-game answer, not an early attacker. Against spread damage, such as Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive placing 6 damage counters across your Bench (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19), you want Spiritomb still in play.

Turn One Priorities

1. Bench Gible first. Two is the minimum and three is the target. Use Poffin, then Pad or Gong for more. Garchomp ex is your attacker, and every Gible is a potential Gabite search.
2. Add one or two Roselia to evolve into Cynthia's Roserade. Cheer On to Glory needs to be online by the time Garchomp attacks. Leave Bench space for the Gible line before you fill it with Roselia.
3. Attach Energy to the Pokémon that will become your first Garchomp ex. That is usually an Active Gible or your safest Benched one. Cynthia's Garchomp ex wants two Fighting Energy for Draconic Buster.
4. Hold Cynthia's Power Weight, Premium Power Pro and Rare Candy. None of them do anything on turn one. Rare Candy can't be played on your first turn or on a Basic put into play that turn.

Turn Two Priorities

1. Evolve every Gible you can into Cynthia's Gabite. Then use each Gabite's Champion's Call. Fetch Cynthia's Garchomp ex first and Roserade second. Two Gabite means two searches this turn.
2. Evolve Roselia into Roserade using a Champion's Call or a Poké Pad. Pad can find Roserade because it has no Rule Box. Pad can't find Garchomp ex, so that's Gabite's job.
3. Use Rare Candy when it skips a full turn. If Hilda grabs Garchomp ex plus an Energy, Candy onto a Gible that has been in play since turn one. That attacks a turn earlier than the Gabite route. Otherwise, save Candy to rebuild after a Knock Out.
4. Put Cynthia's Power Weight on a Gabite that would otherwise be easy to Knock Out. It goes from 100 to 170 HP. Do this only when the line is under real threat. Otherwise save the Weight for Garchomp ex, which goes from 330 to 400 HP.

Going First or Second

Choose to go first. The player going first can't attack or play a Supporter on their first turn. This deck barely notices. Its turn-one setup is Items: Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad and Fighting Gong all work going first.

The payoff is tempo. Your Gabite come down and search before your opponent's second turn, so your first Garchomp ex arrives a turn ahead of theirs. You also don't lose much on the Supporter. Your first Lillie's Determination on turn two still draws 8, because you haven't taken a Prize card yet.

Going second does give you a turn-one Supporter, and that 8-card Lillie's is real. But it only fixes a bad hand. It doesn't speed up a good one. The only time to consider going second is if you would otherwise just be racing a Stage 2 deck to evolve first. Even then, the Item engine argues for taking the extra turn.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Turn One: Build the Bench

Your first turn decides how many Gabite you have on turn two, and Gabite count decides everything else. Play Items before your Supporter. Use Buddy-Buddy Poffin for two Cynthia's Gible when you have none on board. Take Cynthia's Gible plus Cynthia's Roselia once a Gible is already down. Poké Pad and Fighting Gong fill whatever Poffin missed. The target board is three Gible and at least one Roselia. Cynthia's Spiritomb stays in the deck unless it was your only Basic.

Attach your Energy to the Gible you expect to become your first Garchomp. Then play Lillie's Determination last, after your Items have thinned the deck. It draws 8 while you still have 6 Prize cards remaining, so the turns before your first Knock Out are its best turns. Spend Lillie's early and save Hilda for later, when you need specific pieces.

Turn Two: The Double-Evolve Line

The standard turn two runs in this order:

1. Evolve every Gible you can into Cynthia's Gabite.
2. Use Champion's Call on the first Gabite to search Cynthia's Garchomp ex.
3. Use Rare Candy to put that Garchomp onto a separate Gible. If you don't have Candy, use the remaining Champion's Calls on Cynthia's Roserade and a second Garchomp for next turn.
4. Evolve Roselia into Roserade.
5. Attach Energy and attack.

Each Gabite searches once per turn. Two Gabite in play means two free tutors every turn they survive, so don't rush the last Gabite into Garchomp if it is your only search engine left. Use Team Rocket's Petrel to find Rare Candy on a turn when Candy turns a stalled board into an attacker.

The Energy Rhythm

Draconic Buster costs two Energy and discards all of them, and you attach one Energy per turn. Left alone, that means Buster every other turn. The standard cycle:

• Corkscrew Dive turn: Attach one Energy and Dive for 100 plus boosts. Play out your hand first, because Dive draws until you have 6. Every card you play before attacking is an extra card drawn.
• Buster turn: Attach the second Energy and Buster.

Neo Upper Energy breaks the cycle once. On a Stage 2 it provides two Energy of every type, so a Garchomp that just used Buster can Buster again from a single attachment. Save it for the turn you need back-to-back big hits. Hilda can search Garchomp ex and Neo Upper together.

Garchomp ex has 0 Retreat. After a Buster, retreat the empty Garchomp for free into a benched Garchomp that has been holding Energy. Pre-loading the second attacker is how you keep the 260 coming. Hold Switch for pulling up a stuck Basic, not for Garchomp.

Damage Thresholds

Each Roserade in play adds 30 to the Active, and so does each Premium Power Pro. Count your boosts before committing to Boss's Orders.

Corkscrew Dive with one Roserade does 130. That is enough for many single-Prize Basics without spending the Buster cycle. Mega Evolution Pokémon ex give up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out (source: Scrydex rules listing, accessed 2026-10-19). A boosted Buster on a Mega is your biggest Prize swing, so line up Premium Power Pro for those turns.

Against Tera Ogerpon ex, damage to them is prevented only while they are on the Bench. Use Boss's Orders to drag them into the Active Spot instead of waiting for them to come up.

Playing Around Phantom Dive

Dragapult held 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Its Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters on your Bench, so plan your Bench around it:

• Shield the Fighting Bench. Placing damage counters is an attack effect, not damage. Rocky Fighting Energy on a benched Gible, Gabite, or Garchomp prevents those counters. Against Dragapult, make Rocky your default attachment to the benched evolution line.
• Weight the Grass line. Roselia and Roserade are Grass, so Rocky can't protect them. Six counters can't Knock Out a 70 HP Basic in one Phantom Dive, but two Dives can. Cynthia's Power Weight on a Roselia (140 HP) or a Roserade (200 HP) moves it out of the two-Dive range.
• Don't overbench. Each extra 70 HP Basic is another Prize card the spread can reach.
• Punish the counters. Once your Bench is full of damage counters, Cynthia's Spiritomb's Raging Curse does 10 per counter, plus 30 per Roserade, for a single Colorless Energy. It's a cheap closer when Garchomp is out of Energy.

What to Hold

• Boss's Orders: Hold it until your thresholds line up. A Boss into a target you can't Knock Out wastes your Supporter for the turn.
• Premium Power Pro: Never play it without an exact KO in mind.
• Sacred Ash: Use it after you lose your first Garchomp. Shuffle back Gible, Gabite, and Garchomp ex so Champion's Call can find them again.
• Pokégear 3.0: Play it before Lillie's Determination when you're digging for Boss's Orders, so the 8-card draw doesn't shuffle away the turn you need.

Matchup Matrix

Dragapult

Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026), so this is the matchup to prepare for. Dragapult ex has 320 HP, and Phantom Dive does 200 to the Active Pokémon plus 6 damage counters spread across your Bench. 200 does not Knock Out a 330 HP Cynthia's Garchomp ex. The real threat is the spread landing on 70 HP Cynthia's Gible and Cynthia's Roselia before they evolve.

• Placing damage counters is an effect, not damage. A Benched Cynthia's Gible or Cynthia's Gabite holding Rocky Fighting Energy ignores Phantom Dive's counters. Your Grass Roselia line gets no protection, so put Cynthia's Power Weight on whichever of them you need to keep alive.
• Draconic Buster plus one Cynthia's Roserade does 290. You need Premium Power Pro or a second Roserade to reach 320. Count before you attack.
• Cynthia's Spiritomb punishes spread. Every counter on your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon adds 10 to Raging Curse, and Roserade's 30 stacks on top. After two Phantom Dives, Spiritomb can take a cheap Prize or finish a damaged Pokémon.

For the other side, see our Dragapult Standard guide.

Basic Box

This deck is almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex, so expect early pressure while you are still evolving. Mega Kangaskhan ex has 300 HP, does 200 plus 50 for each heads, and gives up 3 Prizes. That makes it your priority target. You reach 300 with Draconic Buster, one Cynthia's Roserade and Premium Power Pro, or with a second Roserade instead of the Item. A Garchomp wearing Cynthia's Power Weight has 400 HP and survives anything short of a long heads streak.

Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex take no attack damage while Benched. If one of them is setting up, Boss's Orders is the only way to hit it, which is why all four copies matter here. See our Basic Box Standard guide for their plan.

Dragapult Blaziken

Phantom Dive is still the attack that shapes the game, so the Dragapult plan applies unchanged: shield your Benched Fighting Pokémon with Rocky Fighting Energy, weight the Roselia line, and count to 320. Read their board each turn to see which attacker they are building toward, and use Boss's Orders on it before it is ready. Their perspective is covered in our Dragapult Blaziken Standard guide.

Lucario Hariyama

Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP and gives up 3 Prizes. Its attacks are:

• Mega Brave: 270 damage, and it can't be used again the next turn.
• Aura Jab: 130 damage, and it attaches Basic Fighting Energy from the discard pile to their Bench.

A Garchomp with Cynthia's Power Weight survives Mega Brave. Mega Brave followed by Aura Jab is exactly 400, so that Garchomp gets one return swing, not two.

Reaching 340 needs 80 extra damage. That means two Premium Power Pro with one Cynthia's Roserade, or two Roserade with one Premium Power Pro. Hold both copies of Premium Power Pro for Mega Lucario turns. Two Mega Knock Outs win you the game, while they need three Garchomp ex. Prepare with our Lucario Hariyama Standard guide.

N's Zoroark

N's Zoroark ex has 280 HP. Draconic Buster with a single Cynthia's Roserade Knocks it out without spending Premium Power Pro, so save the Item for their Benched support Pokémon ex. Night Joker borrows the attack of a Benched N's Pokémon, so use Boss's Orders on the Bench piece that gives them their biggest attack. You are favored because your basic setup already wins the trade on their main attacker.

Single-Prize attackers

Against Dhelmise-style lists, each Garchomp ex you lose gives up two Prizes. Take single-Prize Knock Outs with Corkscrew Dive (100, or 130 with Roserade), which refills your hand without discarding Energy. Save Draconic Buster for Pokémon ex in their list.

Shuppet, Banette and Dhelmise are weak to Darkness. Cynthia's Spiritomb does not benefit, because Raging Curse ignores Weakness. See our Dhelmise Standard guide.

Grass-type attackers

Cynthia's Gible, Cynthia's Gabite, Cynthia's Garchomp ex and Cynthia's Spiritomb are all weak to Grass ×2. Even a 400 HP Garchomp falls to 200 base damage. Your path is a fast Prize race:

• Use Boss's Orders on attackers before they are powered up.
• Load Energy onto a Benched Garchomp. Garchomp has Retreat 0, so you can swap it in for a fresh Draconic Buster whenever you need one.
• Avoid trading one Garchomp at a time into their Grass attacker.

Tech Choices & Variations

The skeleton of this list is fixed: the 4-4-3 Garchomp line, 4-4 Roserade, 4 Boss's Orders, 4 Lillie's Determination, 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin and 4 Poké Pad. Cutting any of those weakens the engine. About a dozen slots are flexible, and they decide how well the deck lines up against a given room.

The Flex Slots

Swaps Worth Considering

• 3rd Premium Power Pro over 1 Pokégear 3.0. Draconic Buster plus one Roserade does 290. One Pro brings that to 320, which knocks out a 320 HP Dragapult ex or a 300 HP Mega Kangaskhan ex in one hit. Without a Pro you are 10 to 30 short. The cost is a slightly less reliable Supporter every turn, and in this deck that Supporter is often Boss's Orders or Hilda.
• 2nd Neo Upper Energy over 1 Fighting Energy. On a Stage 2, Neo Upper provides two Energy of every type. One attachment pays the full [Fighting Fighting] cost of Draconic Buster, so the attack's discard drawback stops mattering. Hilda can fetch it. The trade-offs:
  • Fighting Gong can't find it, because it isn't a Basic Energy.
  • On Gabite or Roserade it provides only one Colorless.
  • It gives none of the protection Rocky Fighting Energy offers.
  This is the highest-impact swap in the list.
• 4th Cynthia's Garchomp ex over Cynthia's Spiritomb. A fourth copy means a prized Garchomp hurts less and you have one more 330 HP threat for long games. You lose your only single-Prize attacker. Against non-spread decks, Spiritomb often does little anyway, because Raging Curse counts only damage counters on your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon.
• 2nd Rare Candy over Team Rocket's Petrel. This is faster in a straight race. However, Gabite's Champion's Call is what keeps the deck consistent, and skipping Gabite also skips that search. Petrel can already find the one Candy, along with Sacred Ash, Switch or a Pro, so keep Petrel unless you are consistently losing races.
• Keep Switch at one. Garchomp ex has zero Retreat. Switch exists mainly to free a stranded Gible, Roselia or Roserade, and one copy plus Petrel covers that.

Tuning for Your Field

Dragapult-heavy rooms. Dragapult was the most-represented archetype in recent online play, with 37 of 176 Top 8 slots across 22 events (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Its Phantom Dive does 200 to the Active and puts 6 damage counters on your Bench however its pilot chooses.

• Your 70 HP Basics survive one Dive's worth of counters only if they start undamaged.
• A Benched Gabite (100 HP) falls to the second round of spread unless it wears Cynthia's Power Weight, which raises it to 170. Consider a 4th Power Weight here.
• The spread also feeds Raging Curse, so Spiritomb earns its slot. Treat it as cleanup, not a primary attacker.
• The 3rd Premium Power Pro matters most in this matchup, since 320 is exactly a Dragapult ex.

Basic Box rooms. These lists are almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026).

• Mega Kangaskhan ex has 300 HP and gives up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out. Buster plus one Roserade plus one Pro takes it in one hit, so the 3rd Pro is high value.
• Tera Ogerpon ex is protected from damage only while on the Bench. Once Boss's Orders drags it Active, the protection no longer applies.

Lucario Hariyama. Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP and gives up 3 Prize cards. Buster plus one Roserade plus one Pro reaches only 320, so you need a second +30 to take it in one hit. That means two Pros in the same turn, which is another argument for running three.

N's Zoroark and Dhelmise. N's Zoroark ex has 280 HP and goes down to Buster plus one Roserade without a Pro. Dhelmise, Shuppet and Banette are Psychic type with Darkness ×2 Weakness. Do not count on Spiritomb against them: it is a Darkness Pokémon, but Raging Curse's damage isn't affected by Weakness. If your local field leans toward these decks rather than Dragapult, Spiritomb is the first slot to cut for the 4th Garchomp ex.

Budget Options

No price data comes with this list, so this section covers which slots probably carry the cost, which ones you can replace with cards already in the 60, and what each replacement costs you in games.

Where the Money Likely Sits

• Cynthia's Garchomp ex: It's the only Rule Box Pokémon in the deck, and it's your attacker. Three copies is already the floor. Don't cut it to save money.
• Cross-archetype Supporters and Items: Lillie's Determination and Poké Pad appear in every Dhelmise Top 8 list in the sample, and Boss's Orders appears in every Basic Box Top 8 list (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Cards that many decks want tend to hold their value. They're also the hardest to replace well.
• Neo Upper Energy and Rocky Fighting Energy: These are the Energy with text. Both can be swapped for Fighting Energy, but you give up something real either way.
• The Cynthia's evolution lines: Cynthia's Gible, Cynthia's Gabite, Cynthia's Roselia, and Cynthia's Roserade are non-negotiable four-ofs no matter what they cost. Champion's Call and Cheer On to Glory are the deck.

Budget Swaps

What Each Swap Actually Costs

Neo Upper Energy → Fighting Energy. This is the biggest single downgrade. On a Stage 2, Neo Upper Energy provides two Energy of every type. One attachment to Cynthia's Garchomp ex pays the full [Fighting Fighting] cost of Draconic Buster. Without it, you need two attachments or a Corkscrew Dive turn before your first big swing. Draconic Buster discards all Energy anyway, so you only ever got one cheap swing out of it. Still, that one swing is often your tempo turn. Upgrade this slot first.

Rocky Fighting Energy → Fighting Energy. Damage still comes through either way, because the card says damage is not an effect. What you lose is immunity to attack effects on the Fighting Pokémon holding it. This matters most against Dragapult, the most-represented archetype in the sample (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive puts 6 damage counters on your Benched Pokémon (source: TCGdex, accessed 2026-10-19). Placing damage counters is an effect, so a Benched Cynthia's Gible or Cynthia's Gabite holding Rocky Fighting Energy can't receive them. Without Rocky, your 70-HP and 100-HP evolution pieces are exposed to that spread. Your Cynthia's Roselia and Cynthia's Roserade are Grass, so Rocky never covered them. If your local field has little attack-effect disruption, this swap is cheap in games. If Dragapult is everywhere, it hurts.

Pokégear 3.0 → Supporters. Pokégear 3.0 exists to find Supporters, so running the Supporters directly mostly trades one form of consistency for another. A fourth Hilda adds another Evolution-plus-Energy search, which is the core of your setup. A second Team Rocket's Petrel turns into whatever Item you need, such as Rare Candy, Sacred Ash, or Switch. The cost is a slightly higher risk of drawing Supporters you can't play in the same turn.

Poké Pad → Fighting Gong. Only make this swap if you're short on Pads. Fighting Gong finds only Cynthia's Gible (the only Basic Fighting Pokémon here) or Basic Fighting Energy. Poké Pad finds any non-Rule Box Pokémon, which means Roselia, Gabite, Roserade, or Cynthia's Spiritomb. The difference shows up when you need a Roserade line and Gabite isn't online yet. Keep at least two Pads.

Do Not Cut

• Boss's Orders: Dropping to three for a cheaper Supporter costs you Prize-race turns you can't get back.
• Lillie's Determination: Besides Corkscrew Dive, this is the only real draw in the list. Your early game depends on it.
• Cynthia's Power Weight: At +70 HP, Garchomp ex goes to 400 and Roserade to 200. That changes the attack math your opponent has to do.
• Buddy-Buddy Poffin: Two Benched Basics in one card is what gets both evolution lines started on turn one.

Upgrade Path

1. Core first: All four evolution lines, 3 Cynthia's Garchomp ex, Hilda, Fighting Gong, Premium Power Pro, and basic Fighting Energy. This shell can already set up and hit hard.
2. Full Supporter count: Get to 4 Boss's Orders and 4 Lillie's Determination before anything else. Losses from missed gusts and dead hands outnumber everything below.
3. Neo Upper Energy: One card that speeds up your first Draconic Buster.
4. Poké Pad and Buddy-Buddy Poffin to four each: Smoother setup in every matchup.
5. Rocky Fighting Energy: Buy it last unless your field is heavy on spread or attack effects. In that case, move it up to step 3.
6. Pokégear 3.0: This is the final polish. The Supporter-swap version plays nearly as well.

Common Mistakes

1. Firing Draconic Buster when Corkscrew Dive already gets the job done

Draconic Buster discards all Energy from Cynthia's Garchomp ex. After using it, your attacker needs two fresh Fighting Energy before it can swing big again. If the Buster discards Neo Upper Energy, you've lost your only card that pays the full cost in one attachment. Corkscrew Dive keeps the Energy on board and refills your hand to six. Before you choose the 260, check whether 100 plus your Cynthia's Roserade bonuses and a Premium Power Pro already takes the Knock Out. Single-Prize targets, damaged Pokémon, and anything you only need to soften usually fall to Corkscrew Dive. Save Draconic Buster for big Pokémon ex that the smaller attack can't reach.

2. Getting the damage math wrong

Three rules decide every damage count:

• Each Roserade adds 30 only to attacks from your Cynthia's Pokémon.
• Premium Power Pro boosts only your Fighting Pokémon. It does nothing for Leaf Step.
• Both bonuses hit only the opponent's Active Pokémon.

The knockout numbers for the format's big attackers are below. Count your Roserades and Power Pros before you commit to an attack.

Mega Evolution Pokémon ex give up three Prize cards, so getting these numbers right swings the whole game. If you find out you're 10 short after attacking, you've handed your opponent the tempo.

3. Wasting your Gabites

Champion's Call works once per turn for each Cynthia's Gabite you have in play. It finds any Cynthia's Pokémon: the next Garchomp, a Roserade, Cynthia's Spiritomb, or a Gible to rebuild. If you forget to use it, you've skipped a free search. The bigger mistake is evolving every Gabite into Garchomp and leaving yourself with no search engine for the late game. Unless that evolution takes a Prize this turn or the next, keep at least one Gabite on the Bench. Rare Candy is a single copy for one emergency jump. Don't build your turns around finding it when the Gabite route is reliable.

4. Misusing Rocky Fighting Energy

Rocky Fighting Energy protects only the Fighting Pokémon it's attached to. On Roselia, Roserade, or Spiritomb, it's just a Fighting Energy with no protection. It blocks effects of attacks, not damage, and it doesn't remove effects already in place.

The payoff is against Dragapult's Phantom Dive. Placing damage counters is an effect, so a Benched Gible or Gabite holding Rocky ignores the six counters. Against spread decks, put your Rocky copies on the Benched Fighting Pokémon that are about to evolve. Use plain Fighting Energy where protection doesn't matter. Don't expect Rocky to save your Active Garchomp from a 200-damage attack. That's damage, and Rocky doesn't stop damage.

5. Spending your first Supporter on anything but an eight-card Lillie's

Lillie's Determination draws eight only while you have exactly six Prize cards left. Once you take your first Prize, it drops to six cards for the rest of the game. When you have a choice early, play Lillie's before Hilda or Team Rocket's Petrel. Hilda finds one Evolution Pokémon and one Energy. Champion's Call can usually replace the Pokémon half of that search later, but nothing gives you back the bigger Lillie's. Also remember that Lillie's shuffles your hand away. Play your Poffins, Pads, and Tools first, then cast it.

6. Holding too many cards before Corkscrew Dive

Corkscrew Dive draws until you have six cards, so every card you're holding is a draw you give up. Before you attack, bench what's useful, attach Cynthia's Power Weight where it matters, and use searches you'll need anyway. Hold only cards with a specific job next turn, such as Boss's Orders or a Power Pro you're saving for a bigger target. If you attack with five cards in hand, you've drawn one card from your main draw engine.

7. Playing Spiritomb at the wrong time

Raging Curse counts damage counters on your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon only. Counters on your Active Pokémon, and any counters Rocky prevented, don't count. Against a clean board, it hits for almost nothing. Spiritomb is a cleanup attacker for after your opponent has spread damage across your Bench. It ignores Weakness and still gets Roserade's 30.

Don't bench it early, where it's a free single-Prize target for Boss's Orders and adds nothing. Fetch it with Champion's Call or Poké Pad once your Bench is damaged enough for a Knock Out. Against spread decks, decide early which Benched Pokémon get Rocky protection and which you'll leave exposed to fuel Spiritomb. You can't have both on the same Pokémon.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice Before the Event

Most of your games are decided by a single number: how many damage boosts you have on the turn Cynthia's Garchomp ex swings. Draconic Buster does 260. Premium Power Pro adds 30 to your Fighting Pokémon's attacks that turn, and each Cynthia's Roserade in play adds 30 through Cheer On to Glory. Both boosts only hit the opponent's Active Pokémon and apply before Weakness and Resistance. Drill these thresholds until you know them without counting:

Two Roserade on the Bench takes Dragapult ex without spending a Premium Power Pro. Save both copies for the turns where a Roserade has been Knocked Out or the target is bigger. Practice the Dragapult matchup first. It took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots, made Top 8 in 20 of 22 events and won 9 (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5–19, 2026). Basic Box is next with 17 slots and 3 wins (same source, same dates).

Your second drill is Energy accounting. Draconic Buster discards all Energy from Cynthia's Garchomp ex, and the list runs only seven Energy. Before every Buster, know how many Energy are left in your deck. Know which of your Hilda, Fighting Gong and Lillie's Determination can still put the next attachment in your hand. When you need the knockout but can't refuel next turn, Corkscrew Dive is often the better attack. It costs one Energy, it keeps your attachment, and it draws you back to six cards.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

• Neo Upper Energy pays for Draconic Buster by itself. On a Stage 2, it provides every type of Energy, 2 at a time, which covers the two Fighting cost. On a Basic or Stage 1 it provides only one Colorless. Attach it to Cynthia's Garchomp ex, not to anything earlier in the line.
• Rocky Fighting Energy protects only Fighting Pokémon and stops only effects. It blocks effects of your opponent's attacks on Cynthia's Gible, Cynthia's Gabite and Cynthia's Garchomp ex. It does nothing for a Grass Cynthia's Roserade. Damage is not an effect, so it never reduces damage. It also doesn't remove effects already in place.
• Champion's Call is your only search for the Stage 2. Poké Pad can't find Cynthia's Garchomp ex because the ex has a Rule Box. Champion's Call on Cynthia's Gabite can, and so can Hilda.
• Rare Candy timing. You can't use it during your first turn, and you can't use it on a Basic Pokémon put into play this turn. A Cynthia's Gible you Poffin out can't be Candied until your next turn.
• Buddy-Buddy Poffin covers all three of your Basics. Cynthia's Gible, Cynthia's Roselia and Cynthia's Spiritomb are each 70 HP.
• Raging Curse counts counters on your own Benched Cynthia's Pokémon. Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters on your Bench (per the brief's card data). That damage turns Cynthia's Spiritomb into a real attacker. Its damage ignores Weakness, and it is a Cynthia's Pokémon, so Roserade boosts still apply.
• Lillie's Determination draws 8 only at exactly 6 Prize cards remaining. Your first Supporter on a slow start should usually be this one.
• Cynthia's Power Weight puts Cynthia's Garchomp ex at 400 HP. That is out of range of every number in the table above, but only for a Cynthia's Pokémon.
• Cynthia's Garchomp ex has Retreat 0. You can pivot it out freely, so save Switch for moving a stranded Basic or Stage 1 out of the Active Spot.

Time Management

This deck shuffles constantly: Champion's Call, Poké Pad, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Fighting Gong, Hilda, and up to two Champion's Calls a turn with multiple Cynthia's Gabite in play. Search time adds up across a best-of-three. Decide your target before you play each search card, and resolve every Champion's Call before your Supporter. Then you know exactly what the Supporter needs to find. In the late game, count your remaining Prize cards against your opponent's attackers before the turn starts, not after you've drawn.

Closing Assessment

The RESULT line is the evidence: a Top 4 at Moujii's Dojo on 2026-10-22 out of 197 players. The list earns it on structure. It has redundant Basic and Stage 1 search, and an evolution line that searches its own Stage 2. Its damage modifiers scale to the biggest Pokémon ex in the brief. Lillie's Determination, Pokégear 3.0 and a high Supporter count keep it drawing through disruption.

The weak points are just as clear:

• The Energy count is thin against a deck that discards its attacker's Energy every Buster.
• One Rare Candy means you are usually evolving the slow way.
• Every damage number depends on Cynthia's Roserade surviving on the Bench.

Protect your Roserade count, budget your Energy two turns ahead, and the deck does its job.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Cynthia's Garchomp deck win games?

It fills the Bench with Cynthia's Gible and Cynthia's Roselia lines, evolves them, and uses Cynthia's Garchomp ex to take big one-hit Knock Outs. Boss's Orders picks the best target. Most of the support Pokémon give up only one Prize, so the opponent must beat a 400 HP wall or chase cheap Prizes while Garchomp takes the expensive ones.

When should I use Corkscrew Dive instead of Draconic Buster?

Corkscrew Dive costs one Energy, does 100 plus boosts, and draws until you have 6 cards. Use it for setup, refueling, single-Prize targets or damaged Pokémon. Save Draconic Buster, which does 260 but discards all Energy from Garchomp, for big Pokémon ex the smaller attack can't reach.

Which cards make the Garchomp engine work?

Cynthia's Gabite's Champion's Call searches any Cynthia's Pokémon once per turn for each Gabite in play. Cynthia's Roserade's Cheer On to Glory adds 30 to your Cynthia's Pokémon's attacks against the opponent's Active, and each Roserade adds its own 30. Keeping two Gabite and two Roserade in play is the top priority.

How much damage does Draconic Buster need for the big threats in the format?

With one Roserade it does 290, enough for N's Zoroark ex at 280 HP. Mega Kangaskhan ex at 300 and Dragapult ex at 320 need two boosts. Mega Lucario ex at 340 needs three, such as two Roserade plus Premium Power Pro.

What are the hardest matchups for Cynthia's Garchomp?

Grass-type attackers are rated unfavored because Cynthia's Gible, Cynthia's Gabite, Cynthia's Garchomp ex and Cynthia's Spiritomb are all weak to Grass. Dragapult is rated even, but it is the matchup to prepare for most. The guide notes it was the most-represented archetype in recent online play.

How do I play around Dragapult's Phantom Dive?

Placing damage counters is an effect, so Rocky Fighting Energy on a Benched Gible, Gabite or Garchomp blocks them. Put Cynthia's Power Weight on the Grass Roselia line, which Rocky can't protect, and don't overbench. Once your Bench is damaged, Cynthia's Spiritomb's Raging Curse turns those counters into damage.

What budget swaps can I make to this Garchomp list?

You can replace Neo Upper Energy and Rocky Fighting Energy with Fighting Energy, or swap Pokégear 3.0 for an extra Hilda and Team Rocket's Petrel. Losing Neo Upper is the biggest downgrade, so upgrade that slot first. Never cut Boss's Orders, Lillie's Determination, Cynthia's Power Weight or Buddy-Buddy Poffin.

What should I practice before taking Garchomp to a tournament?

Drill the damage thresholds until you know how many Roserade and Premium Power Pro boosts each target needs. Practice Energy accounting too, because the list runs only seven Energy and Draconic Buster discards everything. Practice the Dragapult matchup first, then Basic Box.

Metagame Context

Built from Daniel2203R's Top 4 list at Moujii's Dojo (197 players, 2026-10-22), 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.