Dhelmise — Standard Strategy Guide

Archetype Overview

Dhelmise is a single-Prize Psychic attacker deck built around one condition: get four Pokémon with the Hide 'n' Sneak Ability into your discard pile, and every Dhelmise becomes a 140 HP Basic that hits for 170 with a single Energy. The rest of the list exists to meet that condition fast, power it up cheaply, and make your opponent take six separate Knock Outs to beat you. The list below took a Top 4 finish at Vault Of Games #7, a Regional-format weekly with 203 players, on 2026-10-18. It costs roughly $32, which is cheap for a deck that can win a Prize race against anything that relies on two-Prize attackers.

The Engine: Filling the Discard on Purpose

The list runs ten Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon: 4 Shuppet, 3 Banette, 2 Poltchageist, and 1 Sinistcha. Most decks treat discarding Pokémon as a cost. Here, discarding Pokémon is the setup. Look at how many cards in the list turn that cost into progress:

• Gwynn discards up to two Pokémon without a Rule Box and draws three cards for each one. Throwing away two Shuppet draws you six cards and puts you halfway to Vengeful Anchor's threshold with one Supporter.
• Ultra Ball needs two discards. In this deck those discards are usually extra Hide 'n' Sneak copies, so every Ultra Ball fills the discard and finds a Pokémon.
• Prism Tower lets you discard two cards to draw one every turn. Most decks lose value on that trade. You don't, as long as the discards count toward Dhelmise.
• Your opponent's Knock Outs on Shuppet and Banette also send them to the discard. Every one of those trades makes your next attack better.

Once four Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon are in the discard, the condition stays met for the rest of the game. The exception is your own Night Stretcher: pulling one of them back lowers the count. Use Stretcher on Dhelmise, a support piece, or Basic Energy. Don't use it on the cards that power your damage unless you're comfortably above the number you need.

Why the Plan Is Strong

Energy efficiency. Vengeful Anchor costs one Psychic Energy. That lets the list run only seven Energy and still attack every turn from turn two onward. Telepathic Psychic Energy makes the attachment do double duty. Attach it to a Psychic Pokémon and it searches up to two Basic Psychic Pokémon onto your Bench, so your turn-one Energy drop can bench a second Dhelmise and a Shuppet. This is the attack your deck is built to make every turn.

Prize math. Dhelmise, Banette, and the Dunsparce line give up one Prize each. An opponent built around two-Prize attackers has to take more Knock Outs than you do. Each of their turns spent knocking out a 140 HP Basic is a turn where your next Dhelmise steps up and swings again. Legacy Energy tilts the race further: once per game, the Pokémon holding it gives up one fewer Prize when it's Knocked Out by attack damage.

Consistency without a Rule Box tax. Poké Pad finds any Pokémon without a Rule Box, which covers nearly every non-ex Pokémon in the list. Lillie's Determination draws eight cards when you have exactly six Prize cards remaining, so it's strongest on your first Supporter turn. That's the turn you most need to find Shuppets and Energy. Buddy-Buddy Poffin benches two of Shuppet, Poltchageist, Dunsparce, or Psyduck at once. Dudunsparce's Run Away Draw adds three cards per turn and then shuffles itself back into the deck, so it never stays on the Bench as a Prize liability.

Banette as a toolbox. Puppet Pull deals 80 and searches your deck for any card. When Dhelmise isn't ready or the board needs a specific answer, Banette attacks and fetches the missing piece, such as Boss's Orders, an Energy, or the next attacker.

The Ceiling: Turning 170 Into More

Raw 170 damage won't Knock Out every big Pokémon. The list's Pokémon ex and late-game pieces exist to close that gap:

• Lillie's Clefairy ex: Fairy Zone changes the Weakness of your opponent's Dragon Pokémon to Psychic. Against Dragon-type attackers, Vengeful Anchor becomes 340 damage.
• Sinistcha: With six Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard, Matcha Spin places 4 damage counters on each of your opponent's Pokémon. That sets up multi-turn Knock Outs and brings Pokémon within range of Dhelmise.
• Dudunsparce ex: Tenacious Tail does 60 for each of your opponent's Pokémon ex in play, for one Colorless Energy. Destructive Drill does 150 and ignores effects on the opposing Active Pokémon.
• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex: Blood Moon gets cheaper for each Prize your opponent has taken. Late in the game, it's a 240-damage finisher for very little Energy.
• Latias ex: Skyliner gives your Basic Pokémon no Retreat Cost. Without it, Dhelmise's Retreat Cost of 3 is a serious problem.

These ex Pokémon give up two Prizes each, which undercuts your Prize-trade advantage. Bench them only when they're doing a job you can't do with a single-Prize Pokémon.

Where It's Vulnerable

Darkness Weakness. Dhelmise, Shuppet, and Banette all have Darkness Weakness ×2. A Darkness attacker hits your 140 HP main attacker for double damage, and you can't change that.

A slow start stalls the whole deck. If you can't get four Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon into the discard early, Dhelmise hits for 30. A turn without Gwynn, Ultra Ball, or Prism Tower discards is a turn without real damage.

High-HP targets. 170 doesn't Knock Out a large Pokémon ex in one hit unless Weakness or damage counters help. Against non-Dragon types, you need Sinistcha counters, Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, or two attacks on the same target.

Your Prism Tower helps your opponent too. The Stadium works for both players, so your opponent gets the same discard-two-draw-one option every turn.

What Hide 'n' Sneak doesn't stop. The Ability stops effects of your opponent's attacks and Abilities, not damage. Bench-damage attacks still hit your benched Pokémon. Shaymin's Flower Curtain is the list's answer: it prevents attack damage to your Benched Pokémon that don't have a Rule Box.

Who Should Pick It Up

Pick up Dhelmise if you like decks where the outcome comes down to counting resources. You need to track your discard pile, know exactly how many Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon are in it, and plan your Prize trade several turns ahead. The deck rewards players who are comfortable discarding cards aggressively. Most of your turns will involve throwing away cards a newer player would want to keep.

It's also a strong pick if you want a competitive deck without a large budget. At about $32, it offers a real tournament-level plan: cheap, efficient single-Prize attacks that force your opponent into a long Prize race.

Skip it if you expect a room full of Darkness-type attackers. The same goes if you prefer decks that win by setting up one big threat and protecting it. This deck wins by repeatedly sending a replaceable attacker forward, and it needs a pilot willing to let those attackers get Knocked Out.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

This deck wins by turning its own discard pile into a damage source. Dhelmise hits for 30 with one Psychic Energy, and once you have four or more Pokémon with the Hide 'n' Sneak Ability in your discard pile, Vengeful Anchor does 170. That is a non-Rule Box, 140 HP Basic doing 170 for a single Energy, so the opponent only takes one Prize card when it goes down. Everything else in the list either fills the discard pile, finds the next Dhelmise, or bends the math so 170 is enough.

How the Deck Wins

The win condition is a Prize trade. Each Dhelmise KO gives up one Prize. Against a board of Pokémon ex, every Vengeful Anchor that takes a two-Prize Pokémon puts you a full Prize ahead in that exchange. You don't need the biggest attacker. You need to keep landing 170 for one Energy while your opponent works through a stack of single-Prize bodies.

The list has ten Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon: four Shuppet, three Banette, two Poltchageist, and one Sinistcha. Dhelmise doesn't have the Ability, so it never counts itself. Four in the discard turns on Anchor. Six turns on Sinistcha's Matcha Spin, which puts four damage counters on each of your opponent's Pokémon for one Colorless Energy. That spread drops their benched targets into Anchor range, or finishes off something you already damaged.

The decisive interaction is Lillie's Clefairy ex. Fairy Zone changes the Weakness of your opponent's Dragon Pokémon in play to Psychic. Dhelmise is Psychic, so a powered Vengeful Anchor does 340 to any opposing Dragon. That is enough to Knock Out a Dragapult ex, which is Dragon type with 320 HP by its official text (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19). Without Clefairy, your 170 is a two-hit attack against the format's biggest Dragon. With Clefairy, it is a one-hit KO for one Energy.

Posture: Proactive, With a Self-Building Clock

This is a proactive deck. You set up fast, start attacking early, and make your opponent answer a new Dhelmise every turn. There's no disruption suite to lean on, apart from three Boss's Orders to pick targets.

The deck also gains something when it's being hit. Every Shuppet, Banette, or Poltchageist your opponent Knocks Out goes to your discard pile and adds to your Anchor count. So the opponent is choosing between two costs:

• They spend attacks on your Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon and power up your Dhelmise.
• They ignore those Pokémon and let you discard them yourself.

On the Bench, Hide 'n' Sneak prevents all effects of your opponent's attacks and Abilities on those Pokémon. Shaymin's Flower Curtain separately prevents attack damage to your Benched Pokémon without a Rule Box. Together they make your setup Pokémon hard to remove from the Bench. That keeps your Dunsparce and your next Dhelmise alive while you build.

The Engine: Filling the Discard Pile

Your discard outlets do double duty, and your setup turns depend on sequencing them well.

• Gwynn: discard up to two non-Rule Box Pokémon from your hand and draw three cards for each. Two Shuppet or Poltchageist into Gwynn is half your Anchor requirement plus six cards. This is the best discard card in the deck.
• Ultra Ball: pitch two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon to search out a Dhelmise, Lillie's Clefairy ex, or whatever piece you're missing.
• Prism Tower: discard two cards to draw one, once per turn. It is a slow but steady way to dump a Shuppet you drew late. Remember that your opponent gets to use it on their turn too.
• Knock Outs: your opponent's attacks finish the job you started.

For finding pieces:

• Buddy-Buddy Poffin benches two Basics with 70 HP or less: Shuppet, Poltchageist, Dunsparce, or Psyduck.
• Poké Pad grabs any non-Rule Box Pokémon.
• Telepathic Psychic Energy attached to a Psychic Pokémon benches two Basic Psychic Pokémon from your deck. That attach powers your attacker and lays down your next Dhelmise and a Shuppet in one action.

Treat Night Stretcher carefully. Every Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon you pull back lowers your count. Use it on a Knocked Out Dhelmise or a Basic Energy first. Only take back a Shuppet or Poltchageist when you're comfortably above four, or above six if Matcha Spin is your plan.

Draw and Consistency

Lillie's Determination draws eight with exactly six Prize cards remaining. That makes it your strongest opening Supporter, since the full draw only happens before you've taken a Prize. Later in the game it is a six-card hand refresh.

The Dunsparce line is your repeatable draw:

• Dudunsparce's Run Away Draw draws three, then shuffles itself and attached cards back into the deck. You can rebuild it with Poké Pad or Buddy-Buddy Poffin.
• Banette's Puppet Pull is an 80-damage attack that searches for any card. It's a fallback attack when you've missed a piece and need a tutor more than a KO.

The Support Package

• Latias ex: Skyliner gives your Basic Pokémon no Retreat Cost. Dhelmise has a Retreat Cost of 3, so this lets you pivot between attackers freely. Eon Blade's 200 is a backup hit.
• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex: Blood Moon costs one Colorless less for each Prize card your opponent has taken. Late in the game it hits 240 for very little Energy and closes against high-HP Pokémon that 170 can't reach.
• Dudunsparce ex: Tenacious Tail does 60 for each Pokémon ex your opponent has in play, for one Colorless. Destructive Drill does 150 that ignores effects on the Defending Pokémon. It punishes boards packed with Pokémon ex.
• Legacy Energy: provides any type, and once per game your opponent takes one fewer Prize when the Pokémon it's attached to is Knocked Out by their attack. On Dhelmise, that KO gives up nothing. On a Rule Box Pokémon, it softens a two-Prize loss.

The tension in this package is that every Pokémon ex you bench is a two-Prize target. Bench Lillie's Clefairy ex when its Fairy Zone matters. Bench Latias ex when the Retreat Cost savings are worth the Prize risk. Against a deck that can easily use Boss's Orders-style targeting on your Bench, keep those ex in hand until you need them.

The Ideal Game, Turn by Turn

1. Turn 1: Play Lillie's Determination for eight cards. Use Buddy-Buddy Poffin or Telepathic Psychic Energy to bench a Dhelmise, a Dunsparce, and a Shuppet or two. Discard Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon with Ultra Ball or Prism Tower. Aim to end the turn with two or more in the discard pile and a Dhelmise in play.
2. Turn 2: Evolve into Dudunsparce for Run Away Draw if you need cards. Get to four Hide 'n' Sneak in the discard, usually through Gwynn. Attach to Dhelmise and take your first Prize with Vengeful Anchor. Bench Lillie's Clefairy ex if your opponent has a Dragon to hit.
3. Turns 3–4: Each turn, attach to the next Dhelmise. Ideally use Telepathic Psychic Energy to refill the Bench as you go. Use Boss's Orders on two-Prize targets or on the opponent's next attacker. Pass to Sinistcha at six discards when spread damage sets up multiple KOs.
4. Closing turns: Once your opponent has taken several Prizes, Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex becomes cheap. Use it, or Dudunsparce ex against a board of Pokémon ex, to take the last Prizes that Dhelmise can't reach in one hit.

The whole game comes down to one question each turn: can you present 170 for one Energy again next turn? If your setup choices answer yes, you are winning the Prize trade.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The Hide 'n' Sneak Package: Your Damage Meter

Dhelmise does not have Hide 'n' Sneak itself. Its damage depends on how many Pokémon with that Ability are in your discard pile, so the 10 Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in this list are more than a Pokémon line. They are the counter that turns Vengeful Anchor from 30 into 170. Treat every one of them as a resource you will spend.

Shuppet at 4 is the base of the deck. It costs nothing to discard, and at 50 HP Buddy-Buddy Poffin can fetch it. As a Basic Psychic Pokémon, Telepathic Psychic Energy can also bench it. Hide 'n' Sneak blocks the effects of your opponent's attacks and Abilities, but not damage. That means attack effects that place damage counters on the Bench do nothing to it. Gust effects from Trainers like Boss's Orders still work, because the Ability only stops effects from Pokémon.

Banette at 3 instead of 4 is deliberate. You rarely want more than one or two Banette in play. Puppet Pull hits for 80 and searches your deck for any card, which makes it the deck's early attacker and a tutor for whatever missing piece you need next turn. Every other Banette goes to the discard pile, where it counts the same as a Shuppet. A fourth copy would add little that the fourth Shuppet doesn't already do.

Poltchageist and Sinistcha are a smaller sub-engine. Poltchageist has 0 Retreat, so it is an ideal starter and a pivot. Furtive Drop places a damage counter for a single Colorless Energy, which can set up math later in the game. Sinistcha's Matcha Spin needs 6 or more Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard. Since Sinistcha must be in play to attack, that means 6 of the other 9 have to be gone. Once you reach that point, putting 4 damage counters on every opposing Pokémon each turn wins long games, and it lets a 170-damage Dhelmise finish targets it couldn't KO alone. One copy is enough because it only matters late, and Night Stretcher can return it if it gets KO'd.

The Attackers

Dhelmise at 4 is a Basic with 140 HP whose attack costs a single Psychic Energy. Four copies make sure you can find one on the turn you hit the threshold and keep attacking after trades. Poké Pad fetches it, and attaching Telepathic Psychic Energy to one benches two more Basic Psychic Pokémon. Its weakness is Retreat 3, which the next card fixes.

Lillie's Clefairy ex at 2 raises the deck's ceiling. Fairy Zone gives every opposing Dragon Pokémon Psychic Weakness. Dragapult ex is Dragon type with 320 HP, so a powered Vengeful Anchor does 340 and Knocks it Out in one hit. Without Fairy Zone, Dhelmise can't come close. The second copy is there so a single Prize card or one Boss's Orders on your Clefairy doesn't take away your best damage boost. Full Moon Rondo also gives you an emergency attack when both Benches are full.

Latias ex at 1 gives your Basic Pokémon no Retreat Cost with Skyliner. That covers Dhelmise, Lillie's Clefairy ex, Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, and your Benched Basics. With it in play, you can swap attackers freely without a single Switch card. Eon Blade's 200 is a backup, but the card is in the list for its Ability. Get it out with Telepathic Psychic Energy or Ultra Ball.

Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex at 1 is your late-game closer. Blood Moon's cost drops by one Colorless for each Prize card your opponent has taken. When you are behind on Prizes, it hits for 240 off one or two Energy, which handles big targets even when Fairy Zone doesn't apply. With Latias ex in play, its Retreat 3 doesn't matter.

Dudunsparce ex at 1 is aimed at boards full of Pokémon ex. Tenacious Tail costs one Colorless and does 60 for each Pokémon ex your opponent has in play. The Basic Box lists in the metagame brief are almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Destructive Drill does 150 that ignores effects on the Defending Pokémon, which is a backup against damage-reduction or protection effects on the Active Spot.

The Draw Engine

Dunsparce / Dudunsparce at 3-3 are your repeatable card advantage. Run Away Draw draws 3 cards, then shuffles Dudunsparce back into your deck. That empties a Bench spot and stops it from being a Boss target, and you can evolve it again next turn. Dunsparce is also a 70-HP Poffin target. Trading Places costs one Colorless, so it is a legal pivot if you open with it. Three of each, rather than 2-2, means you can run two draw lines at the same time.

Lillie's Determination at 4 is your opening Supporter. If you play it before your opponent takes a Prize, it draws 8. It shuffles your hand back into the deck, so use Gwynn, Ultra Ball, and Prism Tower first. Otherwise you shuffle discard fodder back instead of fueling Dhelmise.

Gwynn at 3 fits this deck almost perfectly. You discard two Pokémon without a Rule Box and draw 6. Two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon go to the discard, and your hand refills in a single Supporter. Remember the restriction: it can't discard your ex Pokémon. It sits at 3 because there are only so many fodder cards to discard, and Lillie's Determination is better in a hand with no Pokémon.

Prism Tower at 3 discards 2 cards to draw 1, once per turn. This is mostly a way to add to your discard count while trimming a dead hand. Both players can use it, so expect your opponent to dig with it too. Three copies keep it in play when your opponent plays their own Stadium.

Search and Recovery

• Poké Pad (4): Searches any Pokémon without a Rule Box. It finds Dhelmise, Shuppet, Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, Sinistcha, and the single-copy techs. It is also how you find a fodder card to Gwynn away.
• Ultra Ball (4): The only Item that searches your ex Pokémon. Its discard cost is a benefit here: discarding two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon moves your damage forward.
• Buddy-Buddy Poffin (2): Benches Shuppet, Poltchageist, Dunsparce, or Psyduck on turn one. Two copies are enough because Telepathic Psychic Energy also builds your Bench.
• Night Stretcher (3): Returns a Knocked Out Dhelmise or a Basic Energy. Don't use it on a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon unless you are safely above the count you need, because each one you take back lowers your damage. It can't recover Legacy Energy, which is Special.
• Boss's Orders (3): You need gusts to KO Benched Pokémon, especially support Pokémon your opponent leaves exposed.

Energy (7)

Dhelmise needs one Psychic Energy, so 7 Energy is enough. Telepathic Psychic Energy at 4 is the most important Energy. When you attach it to a Psychic Pokémon, it benches up to two Basic Psychic Pokémon: Dhelmise, Shuppet, Lillie's Clefairy ex, or Latias ex. All four Dhelmise Top 8 lists in the online data played 4 copies (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Psychic Energy at 2 are plain attachments for turns when you don't need a search. Legacy Energy at 1 provides any type, which helps pay for Blood Moon. Put it on the attacker you expect to be Knocked Out by an attack, and your opponent takes one fewer Prize card. That can win a close Prize race, but it only works once per game.

The Single-Copy Techs

Psyduck shuts off every Ability that requires its user to Knock Itself Out. Nothing in your list uses one, so it only hurts your opponent. Its 70 HP makes it a Poffin target, so you can get it down on turn one. Shaymin prevents attack damage to your Benched Pokémon without a Rule Box. Be precise about what this covers. Flower Curtain stops damage, not damage counters placed by an attack's effect. Your Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon already ignore those counters. But a Benched Dhelmise or Dudunsparce is protected from spread damage by Shaymin and is not protected from placed counters. Shaymin's 80 HP is also too high for Poffin, so you need Poké Pad to find it.

The Decklist

This is the exact 60 that finished Top 4 at Vault Of Games #7 (Regional format weekly, 2026-10-18, 203 players), piloted by dan_dango. The estimated build cost is about $32 at TCGplayer market prices. The split is 27 Pokémon, 26 Trainers and 7 Energy. Each slot is tagged Core (the deck doesn't function without it at roughly this count) or Flex (a tuning slot you can adjust for your field).

Pokémon (27)

Trainers (26)

Energy (7)

Count Check

• Hide 'n' Sneak bodies: 10 (4 Shuppet, 3 Banette, 2 Poltchageist, 1 Sinistcha). Vengeful Anchor needs 4 of them in the discard, and Matcha Spin needs 6. You have room to spare for the first threshold. The second is a late-game bonus, not something to build toward from turn one.
• Discard outlets: 10 cards (4 Ultra Ball, 3 Gwynn, 3 Prism Tower). Each one can put two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard. Hitting any two outlets usually turns Dhelmise on.
• Energy: 7. Dhelmise attacks for one Psychic, so the low count is deliberate. Every Telepathic you attach also thins Basics out of your deck.
• Rule Box Pokémon: 5 (Dudunsparce ex, 2 Lillie's Clefairy ex, Latias ex, Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex). Poké Pad and Gwynn don't touch these, so Ultra Ball is your only search for them.

Fixed Core vs. Flex Slots

Across the four Dhelmise lists that made online Top 8s, every one ran 4 Lillie's Determination, 4 Poké Pad, 4 Telepathic Psychic Energy and 1 Legacy Energy. Each also played 3 to 4 copies of the Shuppet/Banette line and 3 to 4 Dhelmise (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Treat those as locked.

Everything below is where lists diverged in that same sample:

• Lillie's Clefairy ex: ran at 1 to 2 copies (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Play two if Dragon decks dominate your room. One is enough if you only need it as a late-game option.
• Latias ex and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex: each ran at 0 to 1 copies. This list is the only one of the four that plays both alongside 2 Lillie's Clefairy ex (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). That makes it the most Rule Box-heavy take on the archetype, and you give up more Prize cards when those Pokémon get Knocked Out.
• Dudunsparce ex: 0 to 1 copies. Keep it when you expect Benches full of Pokémon ex. Cut it first against single-Prize decks.
• Poltchageist/Sinistcha: other lists ran up to 4 Poltchageist and 4 Sinistcha (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). This list's 2-1 split treats Matcha Spin as a bonus finisher rather than a second win condition.
• Shaymin and Psyduck: Shaymin ran at 0 to 1 copies, and Psyduck appeared in only one of the four lists (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Both are answers to specific opposing plans. If your local field doesn't present those plans, these slots are free.
• Trainer flex: Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Prism Tower and the 2 basic Psychic Energy are the softest Trainer and Energy slots. Trim them before touching the draw Supporters or search Items.

Opening Hands & Setup

What a Strong Opening Looks Like

You can't throw back a clunky seven, so you need to recognize quickly how good your hand is and what it needs. This deck wants three things from its opener: a Psychic Basic to receive Telepathic Psychic Energy, a Supporter or Item that puts Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard pile, and a second Dhelmise source so the attacker isn't a single point of failure.

The best hands look like this:

• Telepathic Psychic Energy + Shuppet or Dhelmise + Gwynn + another Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in hand. The Energy fills your Bench with two Basic Psychic Pokémon. Gwynn discards two non-Rule Box Pokémon and draws six. That puts you halfway to Vengeful Anchor's threshold of four, with a fresh hand to find the rest.
• Lillie's Determination + any Basic + Telepathic Psychic Energy. With all six Prize cards remaining it draws eight. That's the strongest pure-draw opener in the list, and it digs you to Ultra Ball, Poké Pad, and Prism Tower.
• Buddy-Buddy Poffin + Ultra Ball + a Supporter. Buddy-Buddy Poffin benches Dunsparce plus Shuppet or Poltchageist. Ultra Ball pays its cost with Hide 'n' Sneak bodies and fetches whatever is missing.

Weak hands share one trait: no way to fill the discard pile and no draw. A hand of Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, and Boss's Orders with no Energy, no Supporter, and no Ultra Ball is the nightmare. Your outs are Buddy-Buddy Poffin or a topdecked Poké Pad into Dunsparce. Next turn Dudunsparce's Run Away Draw gives you three fresh cards. Don't panic-bench everything. Get Dunsparce down, set up Prism Tower if you have it, and let the Stage 1 draw engine rescue you.

Choosing Your Starting Active

You pick which Basic goes into the Active Spot during setup. Rank them like this:

The rule of thumb: start a single-Prize body that is happy to be Knocked Out. Every Shuppet or Poltchageist your opponent removes early makes your Dhelmise hit harder later.

Going First or Second

Choose to go second. The player going first can't attack or play a Supporter on their first turn. This deck's turn-one Supporters are its whole acceleration plan. Lillie's Determination draws eight at six Prizes. Gwynn converts two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon into six cards while advancing your damage. Vengeful Anchor costs a single Psychic Energy, so going second gives you a real chance to attack on your first turn.

A first-turn attack is realistic. Attach Telepathic Psychic Energy to Dhelmise. Gwynn away two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon. Pay Ultra Ball's cost with two more, or use Prism Tower to discard them. That reaches four in the discard and makes Vengeful Anchor a 170-damage attack before your opponent has fully set up.

Going first gives you nothing this deck specifically needs. If you lose the flip and are forced first, use that turn to build. Fill the Bench, get Prism Tower down, and pitch Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon to Ultra Ball and the Stadium. Then let your turn-two Supporter catch you up.

Turn-One Priorities

1. Attach Telepathic Psychic Energy to a Psychic Pokémon first. You must attach it from your hand to a Psychic Pokémon to trigger the search, so do it before you spend Bench space elsewhere. The default grab is Dhelmise plus Shuppet. Grab Latias ex instead if your Active is the stuck Dhelmise or Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex.
2. Play Buddy-Buddy Poffin for Dunsparce plus a Hide 'n' Sneak Basic. Dunsparce is your turn-two draw. The Basic is either future Banette or future discard fodder.
3. Use Poké Pad to set up Gwynn. Gwynn only discards non-Rule Box Pokémon from your hand. Search Banette or Shuppet into hand so it draws the full six, not three.
4. Pay Ultra Ball and Prism Tower costs with Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon whenever possible. Every Banette, Shuppet, Sinistcha, or Poltchageist you pitch is a step toward 170.
5. Watch Bench space. Telepathic Psychic Energy and Buddy-Buddy Poffin can fill four slots on their own. Leave room for the Dunsparce you'll want to evolve, plus Lillie's Clefairy ex if the matchup calls for it.

Turn-Two Priorities

1. Evolve Dunsparce into Dudunsparce and use Run Away Draw. Three cards is good value. The shuffle-back also returns Dunsparce to the deck for Poké Pad to find again later.
2. Count your discard before you commit Energy. You need four Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard pile. Remember that a Knocked Out Banette puts both itself and the Shuppet under it into the discard, so one opposing KO can add two to your count.
3. Pivot Dhelmise into the Active Spot cheaply. With Latias ex on the Bench, Dhelmise retreats for free. Without it, attack with Dunsparce's Trading Places on the previous turn, or retreat a Retreat-1 starter.
4. Bench Lillie's Clefairy ex against Dragon decks. Fairy Zone changes the Weakness of your opponent's Dragon Pokémon to Psychic. Dragapult ex is a Dragon-type Pokémon with 320 HP (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19). A doubled 170-damage Vengeful Anchor does 340, which Knocks it Out in one attack. Against that deck, a Benched Clefairy is part of your setup, not an optional extra.

What Not to Throw Away

Discarding aggressively is the plan, but keep your attackers available. Don't pitch Dhelmise to Ultra Ball or Prism Tower unless you already have two in play or in hand. Treat Night Stretcher as your recovery for a Knocked Out Dhelmise, not as a reason to discard one early. Keep at least one Telepathic Psychic Energy or Psychic Energy for your next attachment, and save Legacy Energy for the Dhelmise you expect to trade with an opposing attacker.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Turn One: Fill the Discard Before You Draw

Every early decision answers one question: how do you reach four Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard pile by your second attack step? The deck has ten of them (Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist, Sinistcha) and three ways to bin them on purpose: Ultra Ball's discard cost, Gwynn, and Prism Tower. Your sequencing should squeeze the most discards out of every hand before anything shuffles.

1. Play your searches first. Use Buddy-Buddy Poffin for Dunsparce plus a Shuppet or Poltchageist. Use Poké Pad for whatever piece is missing. A Dunsparce benched on turn one becomes a Dudunsparce draw on turn two.
2. Attach Telepathic Psychic Energy to the Dhelmise that will attack. Dhelmise needs only one Psychic Energy, so this attachment readies your turn-two attacker and benches two Basic Psychic Pokémon in the same action. Usually you want a backup Dhelmise plus a Shuppet. Take Lillie's Clefairy ex instead if your opponent's Active is a Dragon.
3. Dump Hide 'n' Sneak cards with Items and the Stadium. Pay the Ultra Ball cost with Shuppet, Banette, or Poltchageist, and use the Ball to fetch a Rule Box Pokémon that Poké Pad can't find. Use Prism Tower on spare Hide 'n' Sneak cards too.
4. Choose your Supporter last. If you hold two non-Rule Box Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon, Gwynn is almost always right: it draws six cards and adds two to the count. If your hand has nothing to discard, play Lillie's Determination instead. It draws eight while you still have all six Prize cards.

The order matters most when you're going to play Lillie's Determination. Any Shuppet still in your hand when you play it gets shuffled back into the deck, and that's progress you've thrown away. Spend Prism Tower and Ultra Ball on your Hide 'n' Sneak cards before you play the Supporter.

Turn Two: Hitting the Count

Count your discard pile at the start of the turn and work out how many more Hide 'n' Sneak cards you need.

• At four or more: attack with Dhelmise for 170. Use the rest of your turn to set up the next attacker and the six-count for Sinistcha.
• At two or three: evolve into Dudunsparce and use Run Away Draw before you commit to a Supporter. The three extra cards often decide between Gwynn and Lillie's Determination. If you then play Lillie's, those draws cost you almost nothing because your hand shuffles anyway.
• At zero or one with no Gwynn: don't force a weak Vengeful Anchor for 30. Attack with Banette for Puppet Pull instead. It does 80 damage, its Hide 'n' Sneak Ability keeps it safe from attack and Ability effects, and the search can grab Gwynn for next turn.

Key Branch Points

• When to use Night Stretcher, and on what. Your default targets are Dhelmise, Dunsparce, or a Basic Energy. Only take a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon back if you're comfortably above the threshold you need. Every Shuppet you retrieve lowers both the Vengeful Anchor count and the Sinistcha count.
• When to use Sinistcha. Matcha Spin needs six Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard. It places four damage counters on every opposing Pokémon. Use it when those 40 points set up multiple follow-up KOs for Dhelmise or Boss's Orders. A lone Matcha Spin into a board full of high-HP Pokémon trades a turn for very little. Also remember that Sinistcha counts toward its own threshold while it sits in the discard. Pulling it back with Night Stretcher costs you one from the count.
• Two-Prize targets you can't one-shot. Vengeful Anchor (170) plus a Matcha Spin (40) totals 210. Before you spend a Supporter on Boss's Orders, check whether that math produces a Knock Out.
• Swapping attackers. With Latias ex in play, your Basic Pokémon have no Retreat Cost. Dhelmise normally has Retreat 3, but now you can pivot a damaged one out and promote a fresh one at no cost. Get Latias ex down with Ultra Ball whenever your Active Dhelmise is likely to need to retreat.

Playing Around Phantom Dive

Dragapult was the most represented archetype in the brief's data, with 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). That makes Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive the interaction you'll plan around most. The attack does 200 damage and places six damage counters on your Benched Pokémon however the opponent likes.

• Your Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon ignore the damage counters. Placing counters is an effect of the attack, not attack damage. Hide 'n' Sneak prevents those effects, so the counters can't go on your Benched Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist, or Sinistcha. The Pokémon the opponent can hit are Dhelmise, Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, Psyduck, Shaymin, and your Pokémon ex. Keep that exposed group small. Don't bench Psyduck or Shaymin in this matchup unless they do a specific job. Shaymin's Flower Curtain stops attack damage, not placed counters.
• Use Run Away Draw to remove damaged Pokémon. A damaged Dudunsparce that uses Run Away Draw shuffles itself into your deck, counters and all. Your opponent can no longer take it as a Prize card.
• Bench one Clefairy at a time. Lillie's Clefairy ex changes the Weakness of your opponent's Dragon Pokémon to Psychic. That turns Vengeful Anchor into 340, enough to Knock Out a 320-HP Dragapult ex in one hit. Clefairy is also a two-Prize target that can be hit by Bench counters. Bench a single copy, ideally the turn before you need it, and keep the second as backup.
• Put Legacy Energy on the Pokémon that will be Knocked Out. Legacy Energy makes your opponent take one fewer Prize card the first time its Pokémon is Knocked Out by attack damage. On a Dhelmise that's about to be Knocked Out, the opponent takes zero Prize cards for that trade. Hold it until you know which attacker will take the hit.

Closing the Game

Late-game damage comes from the Pokémon ex. Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex's Blood Moon costs one fewer Colorless Energy for each Prize card your opponent has taken. Once they've taken four Prize cards, it costs a single Energy for 240 damage. Fetch it with Ultra Ball the turn before you need it.

Against a board full of Pokémon ex, Dudunsparce ex's Tenacious Tail does 60 damage per opposing Pokémon ex in play, for one Energy. The brief describes Basic Box lists as almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026), so count their board before you choose your attacker.

Matcha Spin also places damage counters rather than doing damage, so the counters still land on Benched Tera Pokémon that prevent attack damage.

Small Edges

• Prism Tower's draw is available to both players. If your opponent is struggling with their hand, consider holding the Stadium until the turn you actually need the discard.
• Banette's Puppet Pull can search for any card. Use it to find Boss's Orders the turn before a Prize-swing turn, or to grab Sinistcha when the count reaches six.
• Check your Prize count before each Supporter. Once you take your first Prize card, Lillie's Determination drops from eight cards to six. If you're choosing between two lines, prefer the one that lets you play Lillie's before you take a Knock Out.
• Prefer to attach Telepathic Psychic Energy each turn rather than Psychic Energy. Each Telepathic attachment benches two more Basic Psychic Pokémon, which means more bodies to evolve, discard, or trade.

Matchup Matrix

Dhelmise is a single-Prize attacker that needs a stocked discard pile to hit for 170. Every matchup comes down to two questions: can you fill the discard with four Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon faster than the opponent can punish your setup, and does 170 line up against their HP? The target to plan around first is Dragapult. In the brief's online sample it took 37 of 176 Top 8 slots and made Top 8 in 20 of 22 events (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Basic Box is next with 17 Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026).

Dragapult: Favored

Your whole list leans toward this matchup. Dragapult ex is Dragon type with 320 HP. A full-power Vengeful Anchor does 170, which falls short. Fairy Zone on Lillie's Clefairy ex changes the Weakness of each of their Dragon Pokémon in play to Psychic, so that same 170 becomes 340 and the Knock Out is clean. Each Dhelmise you lose gives up one Prize, and each Dragapult ex it takes gives you two. They need six attacks to win that race. You need three.

Phantom Dive's 6 damage counters are an attack effect, not damage. That means they can't land on Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist, or Sinistcha. Your discard fuel survives on the Bench while their spread whiffs. Their real targets are Benched Dhelmise (140 HP), Dunsparce, Psyduck, and your Pokémon ex. Shaymin does nothing against counters, so don't Bench it for this matchup.

Your plan:

• Bench one Clefairy ex early and keep the second in deck or hand as a backup. Night Stretcher recovers whichever one they remove.
• Expect counters to be stacked on Clefairy ex so a later attack or a gust can finish it. Get Fairy Zone active the turn you need it, not two turns earlier.
• Keep Latias ex off the Bench unless Dhelmise's Retreat Cost of 3 is actually stranding you. It's a two-Prize target that soaks counters.
• Prefer Dudunsparce Run Away Draw over a Benched Dunsparce sitting idle. The Ability shuffles Dudunsparce back into your deck, so it never stays around as a 70 or 140 HP counter magnet.
• Against spread-heavy variants, include Psyduck if your local builds run a Pokémon whose Ability Knocks itself Out. Damp turns that Ability off for both players.

Basic Box: Even

Box is almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex. Mega Kangaskhan ex is the headliner: 300 HP, Rapid-Fire Combo for 200+, and three Prize cards when Knocked Out. Rapid-Fire Combo overkills Dhelmise every time. In return, every Knock Out you take on their side is worth at least two Prizes.

Two cards swing this matchup:

• Dudunsparce ex: Tenacious Tail costs a single Colorless and does 60 for each Pokémon ex they have in play. Box decks build boards of four or five ex. With five ex in play, Tenacious Tail does 300 and knocks out a fresh Mega Kangaskhan ex for three Prizes.
• Legacy Energy: Attach it to the Dhelmise you expect them to Knock Out. That KO then gives them zero Prizes, which is a full turn they spend for nothing.

Sinistcha adds reach once six Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon are in your discard. Matcha Spin places 4 counters on every Pokémon they have. Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex are Tera Pokémon, and their Bench protection only prevents damage. Counters still land on them.

Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex gets cheaper with every Prize they take, so it comes online exactly when they are ahead. Lillie's Clefairy ex can also attack here. Full Moon Rondo scales with Benched Pokémon on both sides, and Box fills its Bench.

Your plan:

1. Feed them single-Prize Dhelmise early.
2. Bank Legacy Energy for the KO that matters most.
3. Save Tenacious Tail for the turn their ex count is at its peak.

Lucario Hariyama: Even

Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP and gives up three Prizes. Its two attacks set the rhythm of the matchup:

• Mega Brave does 270, but Lucario can't use it again on the following turn.
• Aura Jab does 130, which is 10 short of a 140 HP Dhelmise.

So you can play to the rhythm. Let the Mega Brave turn hit a single-Prize Pokémon, then answer with Dhelmise, which survives the Aura Jab that follows. Two Vengeful Anchors total exactly 340, enough to take all three Prizes.

The danger is in your Colorless package. Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, Dudunsparce ex, and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex are all weak to Fighting. Keep them on the Bench or out of play. Use Dudunsparce for Run Away Draw rather than as a wall, and lean on Dhelmise and Banette as your Active Pokémon.

N's Zoroark: Unfavored

This is the matchup that beats you. N's Zoroark ex is Darkness type with 280 HP, and Dhelmise, Shuppet, and Banette are all weak to Darkness. Night Joker borrows a Benched N's Pokémon's attack, but the attacker is still Zoroark ex, so the Weakness applies. Doubled damage turns 140 HP into very little.

Your plan:

• Shift your attacking weight to the Colorless Pokémon, which aren't weak to Darkness:
  • Dudunsparce ex: Destructive Drill does 150 and ignores effects on their Active, and Tenacious Tail scales with their ex count.
  • Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex: a 240 hit that gets cheaper as you fall behind.
• Use Dhelmise to soften or finish targets, not as your main wall. Two Vengeful Anchors still take a Zoroark ex.
• Save Boss's Orders for their support Pokémon ex when that ends the game sooner.

Other Evolution Decks: Even

Into Alakazam Dudunsparce and other Stage 2 setup decks, tempo decides everything. Banette's Puppet Pull hits for 80 while searching out your next piece, so it applies early pressure without costing you development. Use Boss's Orders on stalled evolution pieces before they reach Stage 2.

Your Dhelmise knocks out a 140 HP Dudunsparce cleanly. A Lillie's Clefairy ex at 190 HP needs a Sinistcha Matcha Spin first (4 counters, so 40 damage) to bring it into range.

Hide 'n' Sneak only stops effects from their Pokémon's attacks and Abilities. It does nothing against Trainer cards. Don't count on it to keep a Benched Shuppet from being dragged into the Active Spot by a gust Trainer.

Tech Choices & Variations

Most of this 60 is locked. The Hide 'n' Sneak count, the Dhelmise count, and the search-and-draw engine all depend on each other, so pulling one of them weakens the rest. The flexibility lives in about a dozen slots: the single-copy support Pokémon, the Rule Box attackers, the depth of the Sinistcha line, and the third copies of a few Trainers. Change those first, and leave the core alone.

The Locked Core

• 4 Shuppet / 3 Banette: These are your discard fuel. Vengeful Anchor needs four Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard pile, and Matcha Spin needs six. With fewer copies, you hit those thresholds late.
• 4 Dhelmise: This is your main attacker. A 140 HP Basic that hits for 170 is the reason to play the deck.
• 4 Lillie's Determination, 4 Poké Pad, 4 Ultra Ball, 4 Telepathic Psychic Energy: This is the engine. Telepathic Psychic Energy pulls two Basic Psychic Pokémon onto your Bench, and Ultra Ball doubles as a discard outlet for Hide 'n' Sneak bodies.
• Legacy Energy: It provides every type, so any attacker can use it. Its one-time Prize denial also matters in a deck that trades single-Prize Pokémon.

Flex Slot Summary

Slot-by-Slot Trade-offs

Lillie's Clefairy ex count. The second copy is the most important flex slot in the list. Fairy Zone makes each opposing Dragon Pokémon in play weak to Psychic.

• Dragapult ex is Dragon type with 320 HP (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19).
• A powered Vengeful Anchor does 170. That doesn't KO Dragapult ex normally, but under Fairy Zone it doubles to 340, which is a clean one-hit KO.
• Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots, plus separate Blaziken, Dusknoir, and Dudunsparce variants (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Against a field like that, you can't depend on drawing a single copy.

Drop to one Clefairy only if Dragon decks are absent from your room. Keep in mind the cost of each copy: it's a 190 HP Basic worth two Prizes.

Shaymin vs. a third Buddy-Buddy Poffin. Flower Curtain prevents damage from attacks to your Benched Pokémon that don't have a Rule Box. It does not stop damage counters placed by an attack's effect.

• Phantom Dive's six Bench counters are placed by an effect (source: TCGdex, Dragapult ex). Shaymin doesn't stop them.
• Hide 'n' Sneak does stop them. It prevents the effects of the opponent's attacks, and the card text says damage is not an effect. So Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist, and Sinistcha are covered, while Dhelmise, Dunsparce, and Psyduck stay exposed.

In a field dominated by Dragapult, Shaymin is close to a dead card. Swap it for the third Buddy-Buddy Poffin, which gets two Hide 'n' Sneak Basics onto the Bench faster. Keep Shaymin only if your local field is full of attacks that deal real damage to the Bench.

Latias ex. Skyliner solves your worst structural problem: a Retreat 3 attacker that you often want to pivot in and out. It also gives you an emergency 200-damage attacker, and you can pull it with Telepathic Psychic Energy because it's a Basic Psychic Pokémon. The cost is a two-Prize body on your Bench, which hands your opponent an easy Boss's Orders target. If you cut it, add a third Psychic Energy so you can afford to pay retreat costs manually. Expect to lose tempo on turns where your Active gets stranded.

Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex vs. a second Sinistcha. Ursaluna gives you a heavy hitter when Fairy Zone is irrelevant. That matters against Darkness-type threats, since N's Zoroark ex is Darkness type (source: TCGdex, N's Zoroark ex) and your whole Psychic line is weak to Darkness.

A second Sinistcha makes Matcha Spin more reliable. Matcha Spin places 40 damage on every opposing Pokémon, and placed damage counters are not damage. That means the Tera rule's "prevent all damage" on Benched Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex doesn't stop it (source: Limitless card pages, TWM 25 and TWM 64).

Choose based on the field. Lean toward Ursaluna if Darkness decks are common. Lean toward the second Sinistcha if you expect wide benches.

Dudunsparce ex vs. a fourth Dudunsparce. Tenacious Tail scales with the number of opposing Pokémon ex in play. Basic Box lists are almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). The math shows how strong this is:

• With five ex on their side, Tenacious Tail does 300 for a single Energy.
• That exactly KOs Mega Kangaskhan ex (300 HP, source: TCGdex), which gives up three Prizes as a Mega Evolution Pokémon ex (source: Scrydex rules listing).

The fourth regular Dudunsparce only buys extra Run Away Draw. Keep the ex unless your field is mostly single-Prize decks.

Psyduck. Damp only matters if opponents play Abilities that require the user to Knock Itself Out. If your local field doesn't run them, Psyduck is the first card to cut. Turn it into a third Poltchageist for more Hide 'n' Sneak fuel, or a fourth Night Stretcher for recovery. You know your room better than any spreadsheet does.

Tuning for Your Local Field

• Dragon-heavy field: Keep both Lillie's Clefairy ex and lean on Hide 'n' Sneak bodies. Cut Shaymin for Buddy-Buddy Poffin, and consider cutting Psyduck for a third Poltchageist. This build plays like the pilot's Top 4 list with one or two cards adjusted.
• Basic Box / Pokémon ex-heavy field: Keep Dudunsparce ex, go to 3 Poltchageist / 2 Sinistcha, and keep Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex. Trim the second Lillie's Clefairy ex if you don't also expect Dragon decks.
• Fighting-heavy field (Lucario Hariyama): Every Colorless Pokémon you play is weak to Fighting, and Mega Lucario ex is Fighting type with 340 HP (source: TCGdex, Mega Lucario ex). In this field, your Colorless ex are liabilities. Consider cutting Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex for a fourth Boss's Orders so you can target their non-Mega attackers instead.
• Darkness-heavy field: Your core is weak to Darkness, and no single tech fixes that. Keep Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex and Dudunsparce ex as non-Psychic attackers, and accept that this deck may not be the right registration.

Cut Order When You Need Space

1. Psyduck, if no self-KO Abilities show up in your field
2. Shaymin, against damage-counter spread
3. 3rd Prism Tower
4. Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, against Fighting
5. 2nd Lillie's Clefairy ex, only if Dragon decks are absent

Budget Options

This list already sits at about $32 by TCGplayer market prices (approximate), so it's one of the more affordable ways into a competitive Standard deck. Even so, the money isn't spread evenly. A few slots carry most of the cost. If you want to start cheaper, you need to know which cards you can delay buying and what each one does for the deck in the meantime.

Where the Money Likely Sits

The engine itself is made of single-Prize, non-Rule Box Pokémon: Shuppet, Banette, Dhelmise, Poltchageist, Sinistcha, Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, Psyduck and Shaymin. Cards in that role are usually the cheapest part of a list. The cost most likely comes from two places:

• The Pokémon ex package: Lillie's Clefairy ex (2), Latias ex, Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex and Dudunsparce ex. These are five cards, and none of them is part of the core damage engine.
• Staple Trainers: Lillie's Determination, Boss's Orders and Ultra Ball at three or four copies each. Cards like these tend to cost more because every deck wants them. They also carry over to almost any deck you build next.

Before you buy anything, check that the printing is legal in Standard. Then pick up the staples first. They keep their value across decks, and the ex package is the part you can phase in.

What You Cannot Cut

Some cards stay in at any budget, because removing them breaks the deck.

• Ultra Ball, Gwynn and Prism Tower: These are your discard outlets. Each one puts cards in the discard pile, so they fill it with Shuppet and Banette. Gwynn specifically discards non-Rule Box Pokémon, and that is exactly what Dhelmise needs. Vengeful Anchor only reaches 170 once four Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon are in the discard pile. These cards also find and dig for pieces, but the discard is why they're here.
• Telepathic Psychic Energy: When you attach it to a Psychic Pokémon, you search out two Basic Psychic Pokémon and put them on your Bench. That makes it setup as well as Energy. All four Dhelmise Top 8 lists in the recent online sample ran four copies (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026).
• Lillie's Determination and Poké Pad: The same sample shows four of each in every Dhelmise list (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Poké Pad is also your cheap search. It finds any non-Rule Box Pokémon, which covers every piece of the engine.
• Boss's Orders: A pinched build can drop to two copies. You'll lose some late-game Prize maps that need two gusts in a row.

Budget Swaps and What You Give Up

Every replacement below uses a card already in the deck. That way you're upgrading toward the full list, not buying pieces you'll throw away later.

Cutting Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex is the easiest swap. It's a Colorless finisher whose Blood Moon gets cheaper for each Prize card your opponent has taken. That makes it a comeback button, not part of your main plan. It's also a 2-Prize liability with Retreat 3. A fourth Banette gives you another Puppet Pull search body and another Hide 'n' Sneak card to feed the discard pile.

Cutting Dudunsparce ex mainly costs you against ex-heavy strategies. Tenacious Tail does 60 for each of your opponent's Pokémon ex in play, for a single Energy. That's a real threat against Basic Box, which the brief describes as almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex. Destructive Drill's 150 also ignores effects on the opponent's Active Pokémon. Without it, you fight those boards on Dhelmise damage alone. The fourth Dudunsparce gives you more Run Away Draw, which smooths out your setup turns.

Cutting Latias ex hurts more than it looks. Dhelmise has Retreat 3, and Skyliner makes that zero for every Basic you have in play. Without it, moving a damaged attacker or a stranded Dhelmise costs Energy or an attack. A fourth Dunsparce fills the gap partly: Trading Places swaps it into your Bench for one Colorless, and it can be fetched with Buddy-Buddy Poffin. You'll pay a tempo cost on some turns, but the deck still runs.

Swapping Legacy Energy for a basic Energy is optional, and it's fine for a first build. You lose a single-use Prize reduction. That can swing a close race, but it rarely decides whether you can play the game at all.

Why Lillie's Clefairy ex Is the Last Thing You Cut

Fairy Zone changes the Weakness of your opponent's Dragon Pokémon to Psychic. Dragapult ex is a Dragon-type with 320 HP (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19). A fully powered Vengeful Anchor does 170. Doubled for Weakness, that's 340, enough to Knock Out Dragapult ex in one hit. Without Fairy Zone, the same attack takes two turns.

That matters a lot in this field. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots and won 9 of 22 events (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026), and it won Louisville Regional (source: limitlesstcg.com, Oct 10, 2026). Running one copy is defensible: the Dhelmise Top 8 lists ran one or two (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Running zero gives up your best answer to the most-represented deck.

The Budget Build

The cheapest version that still plays the same game cuts Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, Dudunsparce ex and Latias ex. It keeps both Lillie's Clefairy ex, or at least one. This has precedent: Ursaluna, Latias ex and Dudunsparce ex each appeared as zero or one copy across the Dhelmise Top 8 lists (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). The full list here is the only one of those four that ran both Latias ex and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex alongside two Lillie's Clefairy ex.

This build tests your fundamentals. Every Prize you give up comes from a single-Prize Pokémon, so your opponent has to take six Knock Outs. The trade-off is less mobility and fewer outs when the discard count stalls.

Upgrade Path

1. Two Lillie's Clefairy ex. If you started with one, get the second first. It's the biggest matchup swing for the money.
2. Latias ex. This fixes the deck's biggest structural weakness, which is Retreat Cost. You'll notice the difference every game.
3. Dudunsparce ex. Add this when your local field is heavy on Pokémon ex boards like Basic Box.
4. Legacy Energy. A small edge, but a cheap one that completes the Energy line.
5. Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex. This comes last. It's the most situational card in the list. Add it when you want a comeback attacker for games where you fall behind on Prizes.

Each step adds a specific tool. Don't skip ahead by feel. Buy the next card when you can name the matchup it would have won you.

Common Mistakes

This list rewards precise counting and punishes autopilot. Most lost games come from the same handful of errors, and nearly all of them involve your discard pile, your Prize trade, or your Retreat Costs.

1. Playing Lillie's Determination Before Using Your Discard Outlets

Lillie's Determination shuffles your hand back into your deck. Any Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist, or Sinistcha in your hand when you play it goes back into the deck instead of the discard pile, and the discard pile is where those cards power Vengeful Anchor. Before you play Determination, ask yourself whether those cards could have been discarded first.

• Use Prism Tower first and throw two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon to draw a card. You lose nothing, because Determination was going to take the rest of your hand anyway.
• Play Ultra Ball first and pay its cost with Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon.
• If you hold two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon and no other discard outlet, Gwynn is often the better Supporter. It discards both and draws six. Determination only wins on raw card count when you still have exactly 6 Prize cards remaining and get the 8-card draw.

2. Losing Count of Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the Discard Pile

Vengeful Anchor does 30 damage with fewer than 4 Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in your discard pile and 170 with 4 or more. Matcha Spin does nothing below 6. Recount both numbers at the start of every turn, before you commit to an attacker.

Two habits break the count:

• Evolving on autopilot. Every Shuppet you evolve into Banette stays in play and does not count toward Vengeful Anchor. Puppet Pull is a strong search attack, but you rarely need more than one Banette line on the board. Discard the rest of your Shuppets.
• Counting Dhelmise itself. Dhelmise does not have Hide 'n' Sneak. A Knocked Out Dhelmise in your discard pile adds nothing to the count. Only Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist, and Sinistcha count.

The deck has ten Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon. Reaching 4 is easy. Reaching 6 for Matcha Spin while you also keep a Banette and a Sinistcha in play takes planning, so start discarding toward 6 early if you expect to need the spread.

3. Using Night Stretcher on the Wrong Card

Night Stretcher pulls a Pokémon or a Basic Energy from your discard pile. Its job is to recover a Knocked Out Dhelmise or a Psychic Energy. It should almost never take back a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon if that drops you below 4, or below 6 when you are planning Matcha Spin. Before you use it, ask whether this turn's attack still works after the card leaves the discard pile.

Also note that Legacy Energy is a Special Energy, so Night Stretcher cannot get it back. Once it is discarded, it is gone.

4. Attaching Telepathic Psychic Energy to a Non-Psychic Pokémon

Telepathic Psychic Energy only searches out two Basic Psychic Pokémon when you attach it from your hand to a Psychic Pokémon. If you attach it to a non-Psychic Pokémon, you still get the Energy but you lose the search. That includes:

• Dunsparce and Dudunsparce (Colorless)
• Poltchageist and Sinistcha (Grass)
• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex (Colorless)

On turn one, the correct targets are Shuppet, Dhelmise, Lillie's Clefairy ex, or Latias ex. Before you attach, decide which two Basics you want, because the search puts them on your Bench.

Put Legacy Energy on the attacker you expect your opponent to Knock Out, usually a Dhelmise taking a hit. Its Prize reduction only applies once per game, so it does nothing on a Pokémon that never gets Knocked Out.

5. Forgetting Fairy Zone Math Against Dragon Decks

A full-power Vengeful Anchor does 170. That does not Knock Out a 320-HP Dragapult ex on its own. Lillie's Clefairy ex changes the math: Fairy Zone makes your opponent's Dragon Pokémon weak to Psychic, so the same attack does 340 and takes a two-Prize Knock Out for one Energy. If Clefairy ex is not in play when Dragapult ex comes Active, you lose that trade. Get Clefairy ex onto the Bench before you need it, and use a Telepathic Psychic Energy attachment to fetch it if you can.

The counterweight is that Clefairy ex is a two-Prize Pokémon sitting on your Bench, and your opponent can drag it Active. Keep a plan to replace it ready: the second copy, or a Night Stretcher for the first.

Against Phantom Dive specifically, place your Pokémon with Hide 'n' Sneak in mind:

• The 6 damage counters Phantom Dive puts on your Bench are an effect of the attack. Hide 'n' Sneak prevents effects of your opponent's attacks, so your Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon are immune to them.
• Dhelmise, Dunsparce, and your ex Pokémon do not have that protection.
• Bench only what the next two turns actually require.

6. Handing Over Two-Prize Targets

Your core attacker gives up one Prize card, and that is your edge in the Prize trade. Every ex you bench unnecessarily gives your opponent a two-Prize target for Boss's Orders-style effects and erodes that edge. The ex Pokémon in this list are Lillie's Clefairy ex, Latias ex, Dudunsparce ex, and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex. Each one should hit the board for a specific reason:

• Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex is a late-game closer. Seasoned Skill reduces Blood Moon's cost by one for each Prize card your opponent has taken. Loading five Energy onto it early wastes the attachments that Dhelmise needs.
• Dudunsparce ex's Tenacious Tail does 60 for each Pokémon ex your opponent has in play. It is a strong answer to boards full of ex Pokémon and weak against everything else. Do not evolve into it when a regular Dudunsparce drawing three cards is what you actually need.

7. Getting Stuck Behind Retreat Costs

Dhelmise, Dudunsparce, Dudunsparce ex, and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex all have a Retreat Cost of 3. This list has no switching Items. Your pivots are:

• Latias ex: Skyliner gives your Basic Pokémon no Retreat Cost. It does nothing for your Stage 1 Dudunsparce lines, so a Dudunsparce in the Active Spot can still strand you.
• Dunsparce: Trading Places switches it with a Benched Pokémon.
• Poltchageist: it has no Retreat Cost.

Never leave a Dudunsparce Active "just to draw." Run Away Draw works from the Bench, and it shuffles Dudunsparce back into your deck, which can leave you without a Pokémon to promote if your Bench is thin. Before you use it, confirm what steps into the Active Spot next turn.

8. Wasting Psyduck and Shaymin Bench Slots

Bench these two only when they do something in the current game.

• Psyduck: Damp only shuts off Abilities that require a Pokémon to Knock Out itself. Against decks without those, it is a 70-HP body taking up space.
• Shaymin: Flower Curtain prevents attack damage to your Benched Pokémon without a Rule Box. It does nothing for your ex Pokémon. Its text covers damage, not damage counters placed by an attack's effect, so it does not stop Phantom Dive's Bench counters. Against spread damage it protects your Benched Dhelmise and Dunsparce. Against decks that only hit the Active Spot, it is dead weight.

If you can't name what either one stops in the current game, leave it in the deck.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice

This deck rarely loses to a bad matchup. It loses to bad counting. Before the event, put your reps into these four skills.

1. Tracking the discard threshold. Vengeful Anchor gets its extra 140 only with 4 or more Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in your discard pile. Matcha Spin needs 6. The list has ten such Pokémon: Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist and Sinistcha. Dhelmise does not have Hide 'n' Sneak and never counts. Your routes to the discard pile are Ultra Ball, Gwynn, Prism Tower and Knock Outs. Practice saying the count out loud every turn until you do it without thinking.
2. Choosing your Supporter. Gwynn and Lillie's Determination compete for the same turn, and they pull in opposite directions. Gwynn discards up to 2 Pokémon without a Rule Box and draws 3 cards for each, so it fuels Anchor directly. Lillie's Determination shuffles your hand into your deck, which sends any Shuppet in hand back into the deck instead of the discard. Drill the habit of pitching Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon to Ultra Ball or Prism Tower before you play Lillie's Determination.
3. Clefairy math against Dragon decks. Fairy Zone makes your opponent's {N} Pokémon Weak to {P}. A powered Anchor does 170, and doubled that is 340. That is enough to Knock Out a 320-HP Dragapult ex (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19). Without Lillie's Clefairy ex in play, it is not enough. Practice games where your opponent targets Clefairy with Boss's Orders, so you learn when to bench the second copy before you need it.
4. Prize mapping with Legacy Energy and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex. Blood Moon costs one fewer {C} for each Prize card your opponent has taken. Legacy Energy makes your opponent take 1 fewer Prize card once per game. Rehearse which attacker carries the Legacy Energy and on which turn Ursaluna becomes affordable. That decision often determines whether your opponent needs one more turn than they have.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

Preparing for the Field

Spend most of your testing against Dragapult builds. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots, and Basic Box was the next most common with 17 (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Against Dragapult, the plan is the Clefairy-plus-Anchor math above, and keeping your Benched Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon safe from spread. Against Basic Box, practice turns where Tenacious Tail does 60 damage for each Pokémon ex your opponent has in play, and turns where Matcha Spin spreads damage across their board.

Also test against N's Zoroark. N's Zoroark ex is Darkness type (source: TCGdex, accessed 2026-10-19), and Dhelmise, Shuppet and Banette are all Weak to Darkness. You cannot change that typing, so practice taking Prizes faster than they do rather than hoping to win long exchanges.

The archetype has also performed at a large in-person event. Dhelmise/Banette finished 4th at Regional Louisville KY with 2,927 players (source: Limitless TCG results, Oct 10, 2026). It finished 104th at Regional Recife (source: Limitless TCG results, Oct 3, 2026). Treat it as a deck that rewards a skilled pilot, not one that wins on its own.

Time Management

This deck searches and shuffles constantly. Poké Pad, Ultra Ball, Telepathic Psychic Energy, Puppet Pull, Run Away Draw and Lillie's Determination can all fire in a single turn. At an in-person event, that shuffling adds up fast. Three habits keep you on pace:

• Decide your targets before you open your deck. Know which two Pokémon Telepathic Psychic Energy is fetching before you attach it.
• Combine your searches. If Puppet Pull is your attack this turn, play your search Items first, then use Puppet Pull to grab the last missing piece.
• Keep the discard count visible. Fan your discard pile so both you and your opponent can see the Hide 'n' Sneak total. That saves you from re-counting each turn and heads off disputes before they happen.

Play quickly through the early setup turns. The later turns, when you are choosing between Night Stretcher, Boss's Orders and the right attacker, are where you should spend your time.

Final Assessment

This is a strong and inexpensive list, at about $32. Its main attacker is a single-Prize Basic that hits hard once the discard count is met, and Lillie's Clefairy ex gives it a built-in answer to Dragon-type Pokémon. Compared with the other Dhelmise lists in the brief, this one has the widest set of backup attackers. It is the only one of the four online Top 8 Dhelmise lists that plays Latias ex and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex together with two Lillie's Clefairy ex (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026).

The trade-off is that those Pokémon ex give up 2 Prizes each, so bench them only when they will do work in that game. The deck's main weaknesses are clear: the Darkness Weakness, a setup that depends on drawing well, and an Anchor count that can be undone by a careless Lillie's Determination or Night Stretcher. Learn the counts and plan your Prizes, and you will be well prepared to take this deck deep into an event.

Metagame Context

Built from dan_dango's Top 4 list at Vault Of Games #7 (203 players, 2026-10-18), 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 online platform, public API standings for these events (accessed 2026-10-19):; Regional Louisville, KY, Oct 10, 2026; Regional Recife, Oct 3, 2026; TCGdex card data, Dragapult ex (sv06-130): https://api.tcgdex.net/v2/en/cards/sv06-130; TCGdex, Mega Lucario ex (mep-012): https://api.tcgdex.net/v2/en/cards/mep-012; TCGdex, N's Zoroark ex (sv09-098): https://api.tcgdex.net/v2/en/cards/sv09-098. Card text and prices: TCGdex.

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