Dragapult Dusknoir — Standard Strategy Guide

Archetype Overview

Dragapult Dusknoir doesn't need to win the fight in the Active Spot. It wins by deciding which Prize cards come off the board and when. Every turn, Dragapult ex puts damage counters wherever you want them, and the Duskull line converts its own Pokémon into precise chunks of damage that finish the job. The deck's job is to set up multiple Knock Outs at once, so a single attack can take two or more Prizes' worth of Pokémon off the board over the course of a turn.

This list took 2nd Place at Cleo's 2K Pokémon Tournament on October 18, 2026, piloted by Erick Garcia, and it costs about $33. That price makes it one of the cheapest ways to pilot a damage-counter deck with real decision depth.

Legality check before you register: Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge are flagged as not Standard-legal in our card data. Verify them against the current Standard legal card list for your event date. If any are out, those slots need replacements that fill the same roles: gust effects, Energy movement, and hand disruption.

The Core Plan

The win condition is Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive. For one Fire and one Psychic Energy, it does 200 damage to the Active Pokémon and places 6 damage counters on your opponent's Benched Pokémon in any way you like. That flexibility is the whole deck. You can drop all 60 damage on one Benched Pokémon to finish it, or spread 10s and 20s across the Bench to set up future Knock Outs.

The Duskull line is what turns "spread" into "Prizes." Dusclops and Dusknoir both have Cursed Blast, and neither attaches Energy or uses your attack for the turn:

• Dusclops places 5 damage counters (50 damage) on any of your opponent's Pokémon, then Knocks itself Out.
• Dusknoir places 13 damage counters (130 damage) on any of your opponent's Pokémon, then Knocks itself Out.

Stack these with Phantom Dive and the reach gets enormous:

All of that comes on top of the 200 hitting the Active Spot. A strong Dragapult turn takes a Knock Out in the Active Spot and another on the Bench.

The Prize Trade

Cursed Blast isn't free. Every Dusclops or Dusknoir you blow up gives your opponent a Prize card. They're single-Prize Pokémon, though, and you choose when to spend them. The correct trade is a one-Prize Dusk Pokémon for a two-Prize ex, or for the Knock Out that ends the game.

Your rule-box Pokémon carry the opposite risk. Dragapult ex, Fezandipiti ex, and Meowth ex each give up two Prizes. The list keeps its Rule Box count low and runs a heavy suite of single-Prize Basics, so you control how quickly your opponent can close.

Self-KOs also feed your own engine. Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script and Unfair Stamp only care that one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. A Cursed Blast you fire on your own turn doesn't count. Your opponent taking a Knock Out, though, turns on draw-3 from Fezandipiti and a 5-to-2 hand reset from Stamp. Every Prize they take hands you a comeback tool.

The Setup Engine

Two Stage 2 lines in one deck sounds clunky. The Trainer suite is built to make it work:

• 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin: Every Basic you want on turn one qualifies. That includes Dreepy (70 HP), Duskull (60 HP), Budew (30 HP), and Patrat (70 HP).
• 4 Poké Pad: These find any non-Rule Box Pokémon, including Drakloak, Dusclops, and Dusknoir. They act as extra copies of every evolution piece.
• 4 Ultra Ball: These grab Dragapult ex and the other Rule Box Pokémon. The discard cost has upside: pitching Basic Energy sets up Rosa's Encouragement and Night Stretcher.
• 4 Drakloak: Recon Directive digs two cards deep every turn. With two Drakloak on board, you see four cards a turn before your Supporter.
• 4 Lillie's Determination: This is your primary draw. It draws 8 if you still have all 6 Prizes, which makes the opening turns the most explosive point of the game.
• Meowth ex: Last-Ditch Catch searches out whichever Supporter the turn demands. Tuck Tail lets you return it to hand later to deny those two Prizes.

Night Stretcher at four copies is your durability. It returns fallen Dusclops for another Cursed Blast, recovers Dreepy to rebuild a Dragapult, or grabs a Basic Energy for your attachment. Duskull's Come and Get You also refills your Bench with up to three discarded Duskull at once.

Energy and Acceleration

Phantom Dive needs exactly one Fire and one Psychic Energy, so the 4/4 split is clean. Crispin fetches one of each, attaching one and putting the other in hand. That's often a full Phantom Dive set up off a single Supporter.

Rosa's Encouragement is the comeback card. When you're behind on Prizes, it attaches two Basic Energy from your discard pile to one Stage 2 Pokémon. A freshly evolved Dragapult ex can attack immediately, even after your attacker was just Knocked Out.

The Tech Package

The single-copy slots give the deck answers outside its main plan:

• Budew: Itchy Pollen costs nothing and stops your opponent from playing Items next turn. Against Item-dependent setups, a turn-one Budew attack can cripple their development.
• Patrat: Watchful Eye stops damage counters from moving for both players. It shuts down opposing strategies that shift damage around the board. Your own plan only places counters, so it costs you nothing.
• Moltres: For one Fire Energy, Fighting Wings does 110 to an Active Pokémon ex. It's a single-Prize attacker that can trade into a two-Prize Pokémon.
• Jamming Tower: This Stadium turns off Pokémon Tools for both sides. Use it against decks that lean on Tools for HP, protection, or damage boosts.
• Special Red Card and Unfair Stamp: Both are late-game hand disruption. Red Card needs your opponent at 3 or fewer Prizes remaining. Stamp needs one of your Pokémon to have been Knocked Out on their last turn. Each one is live exactly when you're behind and need to stall their closing turn.

Why This Plan Is Strong

Most decks protect their win condition by keeping it off the Bench. Dragapult Dusknoir ignores that defense entirely. Your opponent's support Pokémon, half-evolved Stage 1s, and Benched ex are all reachable every turn without using a gust effect.

That flexibility shows up in three ways:

• Against decks that bench fragile setup Pokémon, you strip their engine before it matters.
• Against big single attackers, Cursed Blast plus Phantom Dive damage brings high-HP targets into range over two turns.
• When you fall behind, Rosa's Encouragement, Fezandipiti ex, Unfair Stamp, and Special Red Card all improve.

Who Should Pick It Up

Play this deck if you like counting damage. Every turn asks you to map out the next two: where the 6 counters go, whether to fire Dusclops now or hold it, and how many Prizes you're willing to give up for a multi-Knock Out turn. Players who track Prize cards on both sides and plan Knock Outs a turn ahead will get the most out of it.

It's a weaker choice if you want a linear, attack-every-turn deck. Opening hands that miss Stage 2 pieces need careful sequencing to recover, and misplaced damage counters cost you games quietly.

At around $33, there's almost no financial barrier. You're paying for practice reps, not cards.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

Dragapult Dusknoir wins by taking Prize cards in bunches. You don't need to out-hit your opponent's Active Pokémon every turn. You need to pile damage counters across their whole board until several Pokémon fall at once. Every engine piece serves that goal: build a Dragapult ex the long way, spread counters with Phantom Dive, and use the Dusclops and Dusknoir line to finish targets that spread alone can't.

How the Deck Takes Prizes

Phantom Dive does 200 to the Active Pokémon and places 6 damage counters on the opponent's Bench however you like. That flexibility is the deck's identity. Each turn, ask where those 6 counters do the most Prize damage over the next two turns, not just this one.

• Pick off low-HP Basics. Six counters can Knock Out two Benched Pokémon with 30 HP or less remaining, or three with 20 or less. A setup-heavy opponent with evolving Basics on the Bench is giving you multi-Prize turns.
• Set up the next turn. When nothing on the Bench is in range, spread counters so that next turn's Phantom Dive plus a Cursed Blast creates a double Knock Out.
• Close with Cursed Blast. Dusclops places 5 counters and Dusknoir places 13 on any of the opponent's Pokémon, Active or Benched. Both Knock Out your own Pokémon to do it. Add either to Phantom Dive and you hit Pokémon the attack alone can't reach.

Cursed Blast costs you a Prize card every time. Use it when it takes at least as many Prizes as it gives up, or when it wins the game. Don't fire Dusclops just to chip damage you could have placed with Phantom Dive. The exception is a self-KO that turns on Fezandipiti ex or Unfair Stamp on your next turn, covered below.

Posture: Proactive Setup, Reactive Finishing

This is a proactive Stage 2 deck with no shortcut to evolution. The list runs no way to skip Drakloak. Every Dragapult ex goes Dreepy to Drakloak to Dragapult ex, and every Dusknoir goes through Duskull and Dusclops. That makes the first two turns the most important of the game. A thin Bench on turn 1 means a late Phantom Dive, and a late Phantom Dive means you're playing from behind.

Once the board is built, the posture flips. The deck becomes reactive about which Prizes it takes and when. It counts the opponent's board and spends Cursed Blasts only to convert damage already in play.

The Engine

• Buddy-Buddy Poffin (4): Your best turn-1 play. It puts two Basics with 70 HP or less straight onto the Bench: Dreepy, Duskull, Budew, or Patrat. Two Dreepy off one Poffin is the ideal start.
• Poké Pad (4) and Ultra Ball (4): Poké Pad finds anything without a Rule Box, which covers every evolution piece except Dragapult ex itself. Ultra Ball finds Dragapult ex and the other ex Pokémon. Its discard cost is also a resource, because Energy you discard can come back later through Rosa's Encouragement or Night Stretcher.
• Drakloak (4) and Recon Directive: Recon Directive gives you an extra card selection every turn. Two Drakloak on board smooth out your draws even before Dragapult ex arrives. Don't rush to evolve both if one Recon Directive is still finding your pieces.
• Lillie's Determination (4): Your main draw Supporter. It draws 8 while you still have all 6 Prize cards remaining, so lean on it early, before you've taken a Prize.
• Meowth ex: Played onto the Bench, it searches out whichever Supporter the turn needs. Its Tuck Tail attack returns it to your hand so you can replay it for another search later. It is a Pokémon ex, so it gives up 2 Prizes if Knocked Out. Don't leave it exposed late.
• Night Stretcher (4): Each copy gets back a Pokémon or a Basic Energy. It recovers Knocked Out Dragapult pieces, used Dusclops, and Energy, which keeps the spread going across a long game.

Energy: Exactly Fire Plus Psychic

Phantom Dive costs one Fire and one Psychic. The deck runs four of each, and three cards exist to meet that cost:

• Crispin: Searches a Fire and a Psychic, attaches one, and puts the other in your hand. Combined with your manual attachment, one Crispin can fully power an attacker in a single turn.
• Rosa's Encouragement: Attaches up to 2 Basic Energy from your discard pile to a Stage 2 Pokémon, which covers Phantom Dive's full cost on a fresh Dragapult ex. You can play it only when you have more Prize cards remaining than your opponent. That makes it your recovery card after they take the first Knock Out.
• Night Stretcher: Recovers a Basic Energy when your discard pile has one and your deck doesn't.

Put your early manual attachments on the Pokémon that will evolve into your first Dragapult ex. Drakloak's Dragon Headbutt and Dreepy's Bite use the same Fire and Psychic cost, so that Energy can attack before the final evolution if you need it to.

The Ideal Game, Turn by Turn

1. Turn 1: Use Buddy-Buddy Poffin to bench two Dreepy, plus Duskull if possible. Play Lillie's Determination for 8 if your hand is thin and you can play a Supporter. Attach a Fire or Psychic Energy to a Dreepy. Going second, starting with or promoting Budew for Itchy Pollen stops your opponent from playing Items on their next turn. It costs no Energy and has no Retreat Cost.
2. Turn 2: Evolve to two Drakloak and use both Recon Directives. Evolve Duskull into Dusclops if it's on board. Attach the second Energy type to the Drakloak that will become your first Dragapult ex. Use Poké Pad and Ultra Ball to line up next turn's evolution.
3. Turn 3: Evolve to Dragapult ex and Phantom Dive. Place the 6 counters for Knock Outs if any are available, or to set up multi-Prize turns. If Dusclops can finish something Phantom Dive left in range, consider Cursed Blast now.
4. Turns 4 and later: Keep a second Dragapult ex or a powered Drakloak ready behind the first. Use Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script or Unfair Stamp after you lose a Pokémon. Save Dusknoir's 13 counters for the Knock Out that ends the game or swings the Prize race.

Turning Your Own Knock Outs Into Value

The deck loses Pokémon on purpose through Cursed Blast and by accident to your opponent's attacks. Three cards reward you for it:

• Fezandipiti ex: Flip the Script draws 3 on your turn if one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn.
• Unfair Stamp: Has the same trigger. It refills your hand to 5 and cuts your opponent's to 2.
• Duskull's Come and Get You: Puts up to 3 Duskull from your discard pile back onto the Bench, so used Cursed Blast pieces return to the cycle.

Note that a self-KO from Cursed Blast happens on your own turn. It does not turn on Fezandipiti ex or Unfair Stamp next turn. Those cards trigger only from Knock Outs your opponent causes. Late in the game, Special Red Card works once your opponent is down to 3 or fewer Prize cards remaining. It sends their hand to the bottom of the deck and leaves them 3 new cards, right when they're trying to close.

The Techs

• Moltres: A single-Prize attacker that does 110 to an ex in the Active Spot for one Fire Energy. Use it when trading a Dragapult ex would hand your opponent 2 Prizes for no reason.
• Patrat: Watchful Eye stops damage counters from being moved between Pokémon. Your deck only places counters and never moves them, so this costs you nothing. Bench it against strategies that move counters.
• Jamming Tower: Turns off every Pokémon Tool in play. This list runs no Tools, so it only affects your opponent's board.

Legality check: The card data used for this guide lists Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal. Confirm each card's legality before you register this list, and plan for gusting to come mainly from Phantom Dive's spread and Cursed Blast's reach rather than from Boss's Orders.

Card Choices & Breakdown

Legality check before you register: The card data this guide is built on flags Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal, even though all three appear in this 2nd-place list. Confirm their status for your event date. If any are unavailable, the fixes are covered in each card's entry below.

The Dragapult Line: 4-4-3

4 Dreepy, 4 Drakloak, 3 Dragapult ex

The full four Dreepy exist because this line has to reach the field early. Dreepy sits at 70 HP, so every Buddy-Buddy Poffin can grab it, and it is fragile enough that you need spares to absorb early Knock Outs.

Four Drakloak is the real engine count. Each Drakloak on the Bench runs "Recon Directive" every turn: look at two cards, keep one. That is free card selection. Multiple Drakloak stacked on the Bench smooth out your draws until you find the Stage 2. Do not treat Drakloak as a waypoint. Leaving one or two on the Bench as draw support is often correct even when you could evolve.

Three Dragapult ex instead of four is a space decision. You rarely need more than two Dragapult ex across a game. Night Stretcher can return a discarded or Knocked Out copy, so the third acts as insurance against prizing one or discarding one early to Ultra Ball. Note that Poké Pad cannot find Dragapult ex because of its Rule Box. Ultra Ball and Drakloak digging are your only ways to search it.

"Phantom Dive" costs exactly one Fire and one Psychic. That two-type requirement shapes the Energy and Supporter choices further down the list.

The Dusknoir Line: 2-2-1

2 Duskull, 2 Dusclops, 1 Dusknoir

This is your burst damage outside of attacking. Dusclops places 5 damage counters and Dusknoir places 13 when you use "Cursed Blast." Both Knock Out your own Pokémon to do it. Pair them with "Phantom Dive's" 6 counters:

• A single Dusclops turns a Phantom Dive target into 11 counters.
• Dusknoir alone handles 130 damage on any Pokémon.

Only one Dusknoir makes sense because "Cursed Blast" consumes it. You get one use and then rely on Night Stretcher to recover it. Two Dusclops give you two smaller blasts or two chances to find a Dusknoir evolution target.

Two Duskull looks thin, but "Come and Get You" puts up to three Duskull from your discard pile onto your Bench. A Duskull you discarded to Ultra Ball is not lost.

Every Pokémon in this line lacks a Rule Box, so Poké Pad fetches each piece. Keep the Prize trade in mind: every "Cursed Blast" hands your opponent a Prize card. That cost also has upside, because it can enable Rosa's Encouragement and accelerate your opponent toward Special Red Card range.

Utility Pokémon

• Meowth ex (1): When you play it from hand to the Bench, it searches any Supporter. That makes it a fifth copy of whatever you need: Boss's Orders for a game-ending gust, or Lillie's Determination to refuel. "Tuck Tail" returns it and its attached cards to your hand so you can replay it later for another search. Only one is played because it is a 170 HP Pokémon ex that gives up two Prize cards, so you bench it with purpose.
• Fezandipiti ex (1): Draws 3 cards when one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. Your own "Cursed Blast" happens on your turn, so it does not trigger "Flip the Script." This card is your comeback draw after the opponent takes a Knock Out. "Cruel Arrow" does 100 to any Pokémon for three Colorless, which gives you a backup attacker that can snipe the Bench.
• Budew (2): "Itchy Pollen" costs nothing and stops your opponent from playing Items on their next turn. It also has zero Retreat Cost. When you go second, attacking with Budew while your Bench develops can freeze an Item-reliant setup. At 30 HP with Fire Weakness it falls over fast, so the second copy covers the first getting Knocked Out or prized.
• Moltres (1): For a single Fire Energy, "Fighting Wings" deals 110 to an Active Pokémon ex. That gives you a non-Rule Box attacker that trades favorably into big two-Prize threats, and Poké Pad finds it.
• Patrat (1): "Watchful Eye" stops damage counters from moving on either side. Your spread is placed, not moved, so Patrat never hurts you. It shuts off opposing decks that redistribute damage counters to escape your spread math. It is Poffin-legal at 70 HP.

Search and Recovery Items

• 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin: Grabs any two of Dreepy, Duskull, Budew, and Patrat. This is your turn-one Bench builder, and it is maxed for that reason.
• 4 Poké Pad: Searches any non-Rule Box Pokémon, which covers your entire evolution chain except Dragapult ex. It costs no discard, so it beats Ultra Ball whenever the target qualifies.
• 4 Ultra Ball: Your only search for Dragapult ex, Meowth ex, and Fezandipiti ex. The two-card discard also loads Basic Energy for Rosa's Encouragement and Duskull for "Come and Get You."
• 4 Night Stretcher: Returns a Pokémon or a Basic Energy. Four copies are what make the single Dusknoir and three Dragapult ex counts workable.

Supporters

• 4 Lillie's Determination: Your primary draw. It refills to 8 cards while you still have all six Prize cards, which is ideal for turn-one and turn-two setup.
• 3 Boss's Orders: Gusts up the Benched target you need. Three copies, plus Meowth ex as a searchable fourth, keep it available for closing turns without clogging opening hands. If it is not legal at your event, this is the slot to rework first, since your closing power then leans harder on spread and "Cursed Blast."
• 1 Crispin: Finds one Fire and one Psychic, attaching one and putting the other in hand. That is exactly the "Phantom Dive" pair.
• 1 Rosa's Encouragement: Attaches two Basic Energy from the discard pile to a Stage 2, which fully powers a fresh Dragapult ex in one Supporter. It only works when you are behind on Prizes, which is the exact moment you need a fast reload.
• 1 Dawn: Moves an Energy from the Bench to the Active Pokémon. This patches a freshly promoted attacker that is one Energy short.
• 1 Judge: Shuffles both hands and draws each player 4 cards. It disrupts opponents who are sitting on a built-up hand.

If Dawn or Judge are not legal, the cleanest replacement is a fifth draw Supporter or a second Crispin.

Disruption and Stadium

• Unfair Stamp (1): Usable after the opponent Knocks Out one of your Pokémon. You draw 5 and they draw 2, which makes it your swing card when you are on the back foot.
• Special Red Card (1): Usable once the opponent is at 3 or fewer Prize cards. It bottom-decks their hand and leaves them drawing 3. Remember that your own "Cursed Blast" Prizes can push them into range.
• Jamming Tower (1): Turns off every Pokémon Tool in play. This list runs zero Tools, so the effect is pure upside. It strips opposing HP boosts and defensive Tools that would break your spread math.

Energy: 4 Fire, 4 Psychic

"Phantom Dive" needs one of each type, so the split is even. Eight Energy is lean, but several cards stretch it:

• Crispin, Rosa's Encouragement, and Night Stretcher all recover or fetch Energy.
• Your Abilities, "Recon Directive" and "Cursed Blast," cost nothing.

With that support, you rarely need more than two Energy on the board at once.

The Decklist

Erick Garcia's list took 2nd Place at Cleo's 2K Pokémon Tournament on October 18, 2026. At roughly $33 at TCGplayer market prices, it is one of the cheapest competitive decks you can register. The full 60 is below. Duplicate lines from the original registration (split Dragapult ex, Dreepy, and Budew entries) are merged into single counts. Each slot is tagged Core (don't touch it) or Flex (open to adjustment for your local field).

Pokémon (22)

Trainer (30)

Energy (8)

Reading the Flex Slots

Fifteen Trainer slots and five evolution pieces are locked. Treat everything else as a toolbox you tune to what your local plays. Adjust in this order:

1. Second Budew → second Dusknoir. Make this swap if your room is mostly slow setup decks you can out-damage rather than out-lock. More Cursed Blast reach beats a redundant Item lock against big Basics.
2. Patrat → open slot. Patrat only does work against decks that move damage counters. If nobody at your store does that, the slot is free for another draw or recovery card.
3. Judge vs. Unfair Stamp. Both are hand disruption, so keep at least one. Stamp hits harder but has a condition. Judge is always live but gives your opponent four cards.
4. Dawn vs. a fifth Energy. If you keep stranding a Fire or Psychic on the Bench, Dawn stays. If your problem is not drawing Energy at all, swap it for a ninth Basic Energy.

Synergy Checks Before You Edit

• Self-KO doesn't trigger your comeback cards. Cursed Blast Knocks Out your own Pokémon on your turn. Fezandipiti ex and Unfair Stamp both need a Knock Out during your opponent's last turn, so don't count on Dusclops to turn them on.
• Rule Box Pokémon need Ultra Ball. If you add another Pokémon ex, you're adding pressure on four copies of one Item. Single-Prize additions ride Poké Pad for free.
• Rosa's Encouragement has two valid targets. It works on Dragapult ex and Dusknoir, since both are Stage 2. It can't power Moltres or Fezandipiti ex.
• Your Prize liability is three Pokémon ex. Dragapult ex, Meowth ex, and Fezandipiti ex each give up two Prize cards. Every other Pokémon in the list gives up one. Factor that in before you add another ex.

Legality Note: Verify Before You Register

The card data behind this guide flags Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal. The list above is reproduced as it placed, but check all three against the current Standard legal card list before you sleeve up. Any of them that fails that check needs a legal card in its place that does the same job:

• A gust effect for Boss's Orders
• An Energy-movement or Energy-acceleration effect for Dawn
• A hand-disruption effect for Judge

The three Boss's Orders slots matter most, because Prize-taking turns depend on pulling the right target into the Active Spot. Don't register this list without confirming them.

Opening Hands & Setup

Legality check before you register: our card data flags Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal, even though they appear on this list. Confirm current legality for your event. The setup plan below doesn't depend on any of the three.

You can't throw a bad seven back in Pokémon. A hand with no Basic is reshuffled, and every other hand gets played. Openings with this deck aren't about keeping or shipping. They're about knowing which starts to push hard, which to nurse, and what your first two turns have to accomplish no matter what you drew. There's no Rare Candy here, so every Dragapult ex goes Basic, Stage 1, Stage 2. That makes your turn-one Bench the single biggest factor in whether you're attacking on time.

What a Strong Opening Looks Like

The best openers have a way to put multiple Basics on the Bench immediately. Buddy-Buddy Poffin is your premier opener. Every Basic in your evolution lines fits under its 70 HP cap: Dreepy at 70, Duskull at 60. Poké Pad is next, since it finds any non-Rule Box piece of either line. Ultra Ball is the flexible third, and it's your only Item that grabs a Pokémon ex.

Your weak hands share one trait: they're full of cards built for the mid-to-late game. Special Red Card needs your opponent at 3 or fewer Prize cards. Unfair Stamp needs one of your Pokémon Knocked Out last turn. Rosa's Encouragement needs you behind on Prizes. None of them do anything early. When a hand like that has an Ultra Ball, those dead cards become discard fodder. Pitch the one you're least likely to need in the next few turns. Prefer a spare Energy or an extra evolution piece, because Night Stretcher can bring those back later.

Choosing Your Active Pokémon

In order of preference:

1. Budew: Retreat 0 makes it a free pivot into whatever you evolve. Going second, its no-cost "Itchy Pollen" stops your opponent from playing Items on their next turn. That's a real shot at stalling an Item-based setup. It's only 30 HP, but it's one Prize and it's doing its job by absorbing an early attack.
2. Dreepy: Fine Active, especially when it's not your only copy. Retreat 1. Just don't put the Dreepy you're relying on for Drakloak into the line of fire if a Benched copy can take that role.
3. Moltres: 120 HP soaks early hits. Going second with a Fire Energy, "Fighting Wings" hits 110 into an opposing Pokémon ex. It's a reasonable start when you have no Budew.
4. Patrat / Duskull: Playable starts that don't do much from the Active Spot. Get them benched or retreated as soon as you can.

Never start Meowth ex if you can avoid it. "Last-Ditch Catch" triggers only when you play it from your hand onto your Bench during your turn. Placing it during setup wastes the Supporter search and hands your opponent an easy two-Prize target. The same logic applies to Fezandipiti ex: it's a 210 HP two-Prize Pokémon whose Ability does nothing until you've lost a Pokémon. If either is your only Basic, you have to start it. Prioritize getting a one-Prize pivot down and retreating out.

Going First vs. Going Second

Default: go second. This list gets more from the second-player turn than most:

• You can play a Supporter on your first turn. Lillie's Determination at 6 Prize cards draws 8, the strongest setup turn in the deck. Crispin fixes both Energy types at once.
• You can attack on turn one. Budew's "Itchy Pollen" lands before your opponent's second turn, when most decks lean hardest on Items to evolve and search.
• The deck's catch-up cards reward being slightly behind. Rosa's Encouragement, Unfair Stamp, and Fezandipiti ex all switch on once you're trailing or have lost a Pokémon.

Go first when the race is about who spreads first. Against other Stage 2 evolution decks and spread decks with fragile Basics on the Bench, going first means your first "Phantom Dive" lands before their third turn. Their Benched Basics are still at 60–70 HP, and 6 damage counters can wipe pieces before they evolve. Taking the board apart before it's built usually beats any turn-one Supporter.

Turn-One Priorities

1. Bench two Dreepy, three if possible. You run four Drakloak, and two Drakloak online by turn two is what makes the deck consistent. A third Dreepy protects you against an early Knock Out on your evolution line.
2. Bench one Duskull. The Dusclops/Dusknoir line is your Prize-math finisher, but it's secondary to the Dragapult line on turn one. One Duskull is enough. A second is fine if Poffin gives it to you for free.
3. Attach Energy to a Benched Dreepy, not your Active pivot. "Phantom Dive" costs Fire and Psychic. One attachment now and the opposite type next turn has your first Dragapult ex ready to swing the turn it evolves.
4. Don't overfill the Bench. Low-HP Basics are spread fodder, and Bench space matters once Dusclops and Fezandipiti ex enter the picture. Skip extra Basics that don't advance an evolution.
5. Going first and no Supporter allowed? If you have spare Bench space and an Ultra Ball, dropping Meowth ex still fetches the Supporter you'll play next turn. Do this only if that Supporter is what actually fixes your hand.

Turn-Two Priorities

1. Evolve every Dreepy you can into Drakloak, then use each "Recon Directive." Use the Abilities before you commit your Supporter. The filtering might hand you the Dragapult ex or Energy that changes your choice.
2. Attach the second Energy type to the Drakloak you plan to evolve next turn.
3. Supporter choice: Lillie's Determination if you're still at 6 Prize cards and need cards. Crispin if you're missing an Energy type. Bench Meowth ex to fetch whichever one you're missing.
4. Evolve Duskull into Dusclops only if you have the resources to spare. Dusclops is a 90 HP target sitting on your Bench. If you won't need "Cursed Blast" until turn three or later, you can hold the evolution and keep your hand stocked for Dragapult.
5. Know your outs for the Stage 2. Ultra Ball is your only Item that grabs Dragapult ex. Poké Pad can't, because it has a Rule Box. Keep an Ultra Ball going into turn three rather than burning it early on a Basic that Poffin or Poké Pad could have found.

The Recovery Plan for a Bad Start

If you open with a lone two-Prize Basic and a clunky hand, accept that you're likely giving up the first Prizes, and plan around it. Get a one-Prize pivot down as fast as possible. Dig for Lillie's Determination while you're still at 6 Prize cards. Once your opponent takes a Knock Out, Unfair Stamp, Fezandipiti ex, and Rosa's Encouragement all come online together. A slow start with this deck often means you're playing the comeback game a turn early, and the list is built to win that game.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Legality check before you register: the card data for this list marks Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal. The lines below don't depend on any of them. Confirm current legality and fill those five slots with Standard-legal cards before you sleeve this up.

Turn 1: Build the Board, Not the Hand

Your first-turn priority is getting as many Basics onto the Bench as you can. A Dreepy that isn't on the board by the end of turn one can't become a Dragapult ex on turn three.

1. Play Buddy-Buddy Poffin first. The default grab is two Dreepy. With a second Poffin, add a Duskull or a second Dreepy. Poffin can't fetch Meowth ex, Moltres, or Fezandipiti ex, so get those with Ultra Ball or Poké Pad (Pad finds Moltres but not the ex Pokémon).
2. Attach your Energy to the Dreepy you plan to evolve first. Dragapult ex needs one Fire and one Psychic for Phantom Dive. Split your two types across turns one and two on the same Dreepy so it can attack the turn it becomes Dragapult ex.
3. Play your Supporter last. At exactly 6 Prize cards, Lillie's Determination draws 8. Use your Items to thin the deck and reach your Basics first, then shuffle away the dead cards for the bigger draw.

Going second: if Budew is your Active, attack with Itchy Pollen. It costs nothing and stops your opponent from playing Items on their next turn. That shuts down their own search and setup at the turn they most need it. Lead Budew whenever you're on the draw and it's in your opening hand.

Meowth ex timing: Last-Ditch Catch only triggers when you play it from your hand to your Bench. Drop it when the Supporter it fetches turns a weak hand into a working one, usually Crispin for Energy or Lillie's Determination for a refill. The cost is real: Meowth ex is a two-Prize Benched Pokémon you'll rarely get to Tuck Tail with. If your hand already has a Supporter, keep Meowth ex in hand.

Turn 2: Drakloak Engine Online

• Evolve every Dreepy you can into Drakloak and use Recon Directive on each one before playing a Supporter. Each use digs you closer to Dragapult ex, Energy, or a draw Supporter. The card you put on the bottom is out of your way, which improves Lillie's Determination afterward.
• Evolve Duskull into Dusclops only if you'll use Cursed Blast soon or have Bench space to spare. A Dusclops sitting on the Bench is 90 HP of gust bait.
• If you need to attack, Drakloak's Dragon Headbutt does 70 for Fire plus Psychic. Only use it if the attacking Drakloak isn't the one you need to evolve next turn.
• Use Crispin here if you're short on Energy. It attaches one Basic Energy and puts the other type in your hand, which covers both halves of Phantom Dive's cost in one Supporter.

Turn 3 and Beyond: The Phantom Dive Turn

Once Dragapult ex is attacking, every turn has the same order:

1. Draw and dig: Recon Directive, then your Supporter.
2. Do the math before committing. List every Pokémon on your opponent's board you can Knock Out using Phantom Dive (200 to the Active, 6 damage counters spread across the Bench), Dusclops (5 counters), and Dusknoir (13 counters).
3. Use Cursed Blast before you attack. Abilities resolve before your attack, so blast first and spread Phantom Dive's counters around what's left. This keeps you from wasting counters.
4. Spread with next turn in mind. If you can't KO with your 6 counters, place them so your next Phantom Dive or Cursed Blast finishes the target. Damaged Benched Pokémon force your opponent to play scared.

Here's what the numbers look like. Dusclops plus 6 Phantom Dive counters puts 110 on one Benched target. Dusknoir plus the full spread puts 190 on one target. Dusknoir plus Phantom Dive on the Active puts 330 on it, enough to KO a 320-HP Stage 2 ex.

Branch Point: When to Cash In Cursed Blast

Every Cursed Blast Knocks Out your own Pokémon, and your opponent takes a Prize card for it. That makes it a trade, so only take it when one of these is true:

• It takes more Prize cards than it gives up. Blasting a two-Prize Benched Pokémon ex with a one-Prize Dusclops is the clearest case.
• It removes a Pokémon that wins the game for them if left alive, such as their main attacker or an engine piece.
• It puts you behind on Prize cards on purpose, so Rosa's Encouragement becomes live (see below).

One trap to avoid: a Cursed Blast KO happens during your turn. It does not enable Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script or Unfair Stamp on your next turn. Those only check for Knock Outs during your opponent's last turn.

Branch Point: Losing a Dragapult ex

Your opponent will eventually KO your Dragapult ex. Your recovery turn is where this deck's comeback tools come together:

1. Play Unfair Stamp first. You shuffle and draw 5, and your opponent drops to 2 cards.
2. Then use Flip the Script with Fezandipiti ex, already on the Bench or played down from your new hand, to draw 3 more. Stamp first means the Fezandipiti cards don't get shuffled away.
3. Re-power with Rosa's Encouragement. If you have more Prize cards remaining than your opponent, attach two Basic Energy from your discard pile to a Stage 2. That lets a freshly evolved Dragapult ex attack immediately without spending your manual attachment.
4. Use Night Stretcher to get back the fallen Dragapult ex, a Drakloak, or a missing Basic Energy.

Small edge: when Rosa's Encouragement is still in your deck or hand, discard Basic Fire Energy and Basic Psychic Energy to Ultra Ball. You're stocking the discard pile Rosa draws from.

Moltres as a Pressure Release

Moltres hits for 110 with a single Fire Energy when the opponent's Active is a Pokémon ex, and it gives up only one Prize card. Use it to take a hit off your Dragapult ex, or to finish a damaged ex Active without exposing a two-Prize attacker. It also pairs with Cursed Blast: Dusclops plus Fighting Wings puts 160 on an ex Active.

Playing Around Interaction

The disruption you'll see most often falls into three groups: gust effects that drag up your Bench, hand disruption, and Item lock. Here's how to handle each.

• Gust effects: Your weakest link is a Benched Dreepy or a Drakloak with Energy on it. Don't over-bench. Once your Dragapult line is set, keep only the Basics you need for the next two turns. Leave Meowth ex and Fezandipiti ex in hand unless their Abilities do work this turn, because each is two free Prize cards on the Bench.
• Hand disruption: Against strategies that shuffle or shrink your hand late, keep Drakloaks alive. Recon Directive gives you card flow that doesn't depend on your hand size. Drakloak is your only repeatable draw outside Supporters, so protect the line.
• Item lock: If your opponent can lock Items, front-load Poffins and Ultra Balls before the lock lands. Lean on Lillie's Determination and Recon Directive once it's up.
• Damage-counter movement: If your opponent's deck moves damage counters around, bench Patrat. Watchful Eye stops counters from being moved on both sides, and nothing in your deck moves counters, so it only hurts them.
• Pokémon Tools: Your list runs zero Tools, so Jamming Tower is one-sided. Play it when your opponent's Tools add HP or protection that throws off your Phantom Dive or Cursed Blast math. It also knocks their Stadium off the field.

Closing the Game

Hold Special Red Card for the late game. Once your opponent is at 3 or fewer Prize cards, it sends their hand to the bottom of their deck and leaves them 3 cards to find their last few KOs with. Your own hand is untouched. Play it on a turn when your board already threatens the remaining Prize cards: a Dragapult ex ready to Dive, plus a Dusclops or Dusknoir in reserve to finish whatever survives.

Matchup Matrix

Legality check before you register: the card data for this list marks Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal. Confirm all three against the current legal card list for your event date. Every plan below works without them: the deck's main way to reach the Bench is Dragapult ex's Phantom Dive plus Cursed Blast, not gust effects.

Summary

Evolution / Setup Decks — Favored

This is the matchup the list is built to beat. Any deck that has to bench low-HP Basics and Stage 1s before it can attack is handing you Prize cards. Phantom Dive deals 200 to the Active Pokémon and places 6 damage counters on the Bench however you like. Add a Dusclops Cursed Blast (5 counters) or a Dusknoir Cursed Blast (13 counters) and their evolution line disappears before it ever attacks.

What decides it: tempo. If they reach their Stage 2 attacker before your first Phantom Dive, the game turns into a slugfest instead of a dismantling.

Your plan:

• When you go second, lead with Budew's Itchy Pollen. Stopping their Items for a turn delays the search cards they need to set up.
• Count their Bench every turn. Kill the Pokémon they need next, not just the one that's easiest to knock out.
• Hold Dusclops Cursed Blasts to finish damaged Benched Pokémon. Don't spend them on the Active Pokémon, which Phantom Dive already handles.

Big-Basic ex Aggro — Even

Decks that attack hard from Basic Pokémon ex on turn one or two punish a Stage 2 engine. They can take two Prize cards off a Drakloak or a benched Meowth ex before your first Dragapult ex is online.

What decides it: whether you have comeback tools ready when you fall behind early. This list has plenty of them.

Your plan:

• Moltres is your early answer. Fighting Wings costs a single Fire Energy and does 110 to an Active Pokémon ex. Use it to trade evenly while your Dragapult line develops.
• Once they take a knockout, punish it. Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script draws 3 cards, and Unfair Stamp shuffles both hands so you draw 5 while they draw only 2.
• Being behind on Prize cards switches on Rosa's Encouragement. It attaches two Basic Energy from your discard pile to a Stage 2, so a freshly evolved Dragapult ex can attack immediately.
• When they drop to 3 or fewer Prize cards remaining, Special Red Card sends their hand to the bottom of the deck and leaves them 3 cards to close with.
• Dragapult ex has 320 HP. Make them spend two attacks on it while Phantom Dive keeps damaging their Bench.

Single-Prize Swarm — Even

Against decks built around Pokémon without Rule Boxes, the Prize trade is the problem. Each of your Dragapult ex gives up two Prize cards, while each knockout you score is worth only one. The fix is knocking out more than one Pokémon per turn.

What decides it: whether your Phantom Dive counters actually finish Pokémon. Six counters split across healthy targets often take nothing. Six counters that complete earlier damage take multiple Prize cards.

Your plan:

• Plan two turns ahead. Spread counters so that next turn's Phantom Dive, or a Cursed Blast, finishes several Pokémon at once.
• Dusknoir's 13 counters plus Phantom Dive's 6 put 190 damage on a single Benched target. Save that combination for their main attacker or their engine Pokémon.
• Cursed Blast knocks out your own Dusclops or Dusknoir, which gives them a Prize card. Only spend it when it takes a Prize card or removes a threat.
• Use Night Stretcher to recover your evolution pieces so you can keep a second attacker coming.

Dragapult Mirror — Even

Both players are spreading damage onto each other's Bench, and Drakloak's 90 HP is the weak point on both sides. Phantom Dive's 60 plus a Dusclops Cursed Blast's 50 removes a Drakloak and slows the opponent's next Dragapult ex.

What decides it: the first Phantom Dive, and how much evolution material each player has exposed when it lands.

Your plan:

• Don't overextend. Bench only the Dreepy and Drakloak you need, so their spread has fewer targets.
• Itchy Pollen from Budew on the right turn can strand their Rare Candy-style shortcuts and search Items. Lead it when you go second.
• Your Benched Pokémon ex, Meowth ex and Fezandipiti ex, are two-Prize targets for their counters. Bench them only when you need their effect right away.

Control / Disruption — Even

Decks that disrupt your hand, lock your Items, or stall behind defensive effects attack your setup rather than your attackers.

What decides it: how fast you rebuild after each disruption turn, and whether you keep at least one Stage 2 in play.

Your plan:

• Four copies of Lillie's Determination are your reset button. With all 6 Prize cards remaining it draws 8.
• Keep a Drakloak on the Bench. Recon Directive gives you a card every turn that hand disruption can't touch.
• When you need a specific Supporter, Last-Ditch Catch on Meowth ex finds it directly.
• Cursed Blast puts damage counters on a Pokémon rather than dealing attack damage. That makes it a real out when they're walling with a defensive Active Pokémon.
• Jamming Tower shuts off Pokémon Tools for both players. Play it when their defense relies on a Tool.
• Patrat's Watchful Eye stops damage counters from being moved, on either side. Bench it against any deck that redistributes damage. It costs this list nothing, because none of your cards move counters.

Cross-Matchup Notes

• Meowth ex and Fezandipiti ex both have Fighting Weakness. Against a Fighting-type attacker, don't leave either in the Active Spot.
• Duskull, Dusclops, and Dusknoir have Darkness Weakness. Against Darkness attackers, keep the Dusknoir line on the Bench and spend Cursed Blasts before they become free knockouts.
• Crispin fetches both a Fire and a Psychic Energy, which is exactly Phantom Dive's cost. Prioritize it in any matchup where the first attack decides the game.

Tech Choices & Variations

Legality check before you register: our card reference flags Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal. Confirm that the printings you own are legal for your event date. If they aren't, those five slots (three Boss's Orders, one Dawn, one Judge) are your first flex slots, and the guidance below covers how to refill them.

What's Core and What's Flex

Treat these as locked:

• The 4-4-3 Dragapult line: four Dreepy, four Drakloak, three Dragapult ex. Drakloak's Recon Directive is your consistency engine, and Phantom Dive is your win condition.
• The search package: four Buddy-Buddy Poffin, four Ultra Ball, four Poké Pad, and four Night Stretcher.
• Four Lillie's Determination.
• The Energy split: four Basic Fire Energy and four Basic Psychic Energy. Phantom Dive needs one of each.

Everything else is negotiable: the Dusknoir line's depth, the single-copy tech Pokémon, the Item-based disruption, the Stadium, and the support Supporters.

The Flex Slots, One by One

Moltres. Fighting Wings costs one Basic Fire Energy and hits a Pokémon ex for 110. That makes it a cheap non-ex attacker. It can finish a damaged ex while giving up only one Prize card when it goes down.

• When to cut it: against a single-Prize field, it's a 20-damage attacker. It's the first cut if your local room skews toward non-ex decks.

Patrat. Watchful Eye stops damage counters from moving on either side. Nothing in this list moves damage counters, so the effect costs you nothing. Against decks that shuffle damage around to dodge Knock Outs or redirect your spread, it shuts that plan down.

• The trade-off: it's a 70 HP Bench body your opponent can pick off for an easy Prize card. Against a field with no counter-movement, it's a blank. Cut it first in that case.

Two Budew. Itchy Pollen costs nothing and stops your opponent from playing Items on their next turn. Retreat 0 lets you pivot out freely afterward. It's at its best early against Item-dependent setup decks, especially when you go second and can lock them before they've built a board.

• The trade-off: 30 HP means it's a free Prize card for anything that targets the Bench.
• Tuning: two copies makes the lock something you can plan around. One copy is a tech you'll only see sometimes. Against a slower control field where Items matter less, drop to one and reinvest the slot.

Meowth ex and Fezandipiti ex. Both are Rule Box draw and search tools, and both give up two Prize cards when Knocked Out.

• Meowth ex: fetches any Supporter on the turn you play it. That gives you a ninth or tenth effective out to Lillie's Determination, a gust effect, or Crispin. Tuck Tail lets you pull it back to hand to deny Prizes.
• Fezandipiti ex: draws three only after one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. Your own Cursed Blast Knock Outs happen on your turn, so they don't count.
• When to trim: against single-Prize decks, each of these hands your opponent a two-for-one trade. If your room is mostly single-Prize decks, cut one of them, usually Fezandipiti ex. Against ex-heavy aggro, your Pokémon get Knocked Out every turn, so Fezandipiti ex is live almost every turn and both earn their slots.

The Dusknoir line (2 Duskull, 2 Dusclops, 1 Dusknoir). Cursed Blast adds 50 or 130 damage outside your attack, which turns Phantom Dive's 60 Bench damage into Knock Outs.

• Going deeper: a second Dusknoir makes the 130 burst more reliable. Use that against high-HP Basic ex decks where 50 doesn't finish anything.
• Going thinner: trimming the line frees slots, but Duskull's Come and Get You stops being a real recovery plan.
• Against low-HP single-Prize decks: Dusclops's 50 is often enough, so the current shape is fine.

Special Red Card and Unfair Stamp. Both are conditional hand disruption.

• Special Red Card: only works once your opponent is at three or fewer Prize cards remaining, so it's a comeback card.
• Unfair Stamp: needs one of your Pokémon to have been Knocked Out during their last turn. It then hands you five cards against their two.
• When to add copies: against fast aggro, where you're often behind on Prize cards, a second copy of either is reasonable.
• When to cut: against slow control, where you're usually ahead or even, both sit dead in hand. Cut down to zero or one total.

Jamming Tower. This list runs zero Pokémon Tools, so turning off all Tools only hurts your opponent.

• Against Tool-heavy decks: a second copy is justified, both to find it and to replace it if they bump it with their own Stadium.
• Against Tool-light decks: it's still a fine Stadium to have in play, but it's not essential. One copy is the floor.

Rosa's Encouragement, Crispin, and Dawn. All three are Energy-acceleration and positioning Supporters.

• Rosa's Encouragement: recovers two Basic Energy from discard onto a Stage 2, which can power Phantom Dive in one Supporter. It only works when you're behind on Prize cards.
• Crispin: fixes your Fire/Psychic split from the deck at any point in the game.
• Dawn: moves Energy from Bench to Active. Use it when a fresh attacker needs to swing immediately.
• If Dawn isn't legal for you: a second Crispin is the most natural replacement because it never has a dead condition.

Refilling the Gust and Disruption Slots

If the three gust slots are unavailable, refill them in this order:

1. Find a legal gust effect first. Losing all gust effects matters less here than in most decks, but it still matters. Phantom Dive and Cursed Blast both hit the Bench directly, so you can take Bench Knock Outs without forcing anything Active. What you lose is the ability to strand a heavy-retreat attacker or drag up a specific Active target.
2. Without a gust, add these: a second Dusknoir, to convert more Bench targets on your own terms, plus a second Crispin or Rosa's Encouragement.
3. If you also lose Judge: a second Unfair Stamp fills a similar hand-disruption role, but only when its condition is met.

Swap Summary

Tuning for Your Local Field

Scout what your store actually plays, then adjust by strategy:

• Ex-heavy aggro: keep Moltres, Fezandipiti ex, and Unfair Stamp. You'll be trading Knock Outs, so every condition on those cards turns on.
• Single-Prize swarm: cut Moltres and one Rule Box support Pokémon. Lean into the Dusknoir line and Phantom Dive spread, which pick apart low-HP Benches.
• Item-reliant combo or setup: keep both Budew and prioritize going second.
• Control: cut the conditional Items (Special Red Card, Unfair Stamp) for Supporters that always work, like Crispin.

Budget Options

Where the Money Goes

At roughly $33 at TCGplayer market prices, this list is already a budget deck. There is no single chase card holding the build hostage, so "budget options" here means buying smart and knowing which corners you can cut without breaking the engine.

The cost is most likely concentrated in the Pokémon ex: the three copies of Dragapult ex, plus Meowth ex and Fezandipiti ex. After those come the four-copy Item staples (Ultra Ball, Night Stretcher, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad) and the four Lillie's Determination. Each copy is probably cheap, but a full playset of five different staples adds up. Single-Prize attackers and techs like Moltres, Patrat, Budew, and the Duskull line should be the least of your worries.

Buy the Cheapest Printing

The list splits Dragapult ex (2 + 1), Dreepy (2 + 2), and Budew (1 + 1) into separate lines. That usually means the copies are different printings of the same card. Cards with the same name and the same text play identically, so on any line where two printings share identical text, buy whichever version is cheapest. Full-art or alternate-art Dragapult ex has no gameplay value. Get the lowest-cost version that is legal in Standard and put the savings toward the rest of the 60.

Legality Check Before You Register

Do this before you spend a dollar. The card data behind this guide flags Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal. Check current legality for the specific printings you own before you build. If any of them are out, here is what you lose and how to patch it with cards already in the deck:

• Boss's Orders (3 copies): This is the biggest loss, because gusting is how you take a specific Prize on your own schedule. The good news is that this deck hits the Bench better than almost anything else. Phantom Dive places 6 counters wherever you want, Dusclops and Dusknoir place 5 and 13 counters with Cursed Blast on any opponent's Pokémon, and Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow hits any Pokémon for 100. Lean harder on those. Fill the slots with a third Dusclops and more consistency, such as a second Crispin. Expect to lose some ability to snipe a single key attacker in one turn without spending Dusk pieces.
• Dawn: Energy movement from Bench to Active. A second Rosa's Encouragement or a second Crispin covers the same goal of getting Dragapult ex powered up when it needs to attack right now.
• Judge: Late-game hand disruption. Unfair Stamp and Special Red Card already cover this role in their own windows. A basic Energy or another consistency piece is a fine replacement.

Budget Swaps and What They Cost You

If you need to shave the price further, the ex support Pokémon are the place to do it. They are the flexible slots. They are not the engine.

Do not cut both ex support Pokémon at once unless you have to. Losing Meowth ex and Fezandipiti ex together strips out your Supporter access and your post-KO recovery in one move. The deck still functions, but it stumbles more often when the opponent trades aggressively.

What Not to Cut

• The Dragapult line. Keep all three Dragapult ex, the four Drakloak, and the four Dreepy. Phantom Dive is the deck's reason to exist. Drakloak's Recon Directive is also your filtering engine, so thinning the Stage 1 count hurts consistency twice.
• The Dusk line. Duskull, Dusclops, and Dusknoir are cheap and do the deck's damage math. Cursed Blast counters are what turn Phantom Dive spreads into multi-Prize turns.
• The search package. Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad, Ultra Ball, and Night Stretcher at four copies each are what let a two-Stage-2 deck set up. Shaving these to save money is the worst trade available. You will lose games to bricked setups long before you lose them to a missing tech.
• Lillie's Determination. This is your main draw Supporter. Four copies is non-negotiable.

Upgrade Path

If you are building from nothing or collecting over time, acquire in this order. Each step leaves you with a more functional deck than the one before.

1. Engine first: four Dreepy, four Drakloak, three Dragapult ex, plus the 2-2-1 Dusk line and all eight basic Energy. This is the skeleton. Nothing else matters without it.
2. Consistency Items: full playsets of Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad, Ultra Ball, and Night Stretcher. This is the single biggest jump in how often the deck does its thing.
3. Supporters: four Lillie's Determination, then Crispin and Rosa's Encouragement, then your gust Supporter once you have confirmed it is legal.
4. Disruption and Stadium: Unfair Stamp, Special Red Card, and Jamming Tower. These swing close games but do not fix a broken setup.
5. Single-Prize techs: Moltres, Patrat, and two Budew. They are cheap and matchup-specific. Add them as your local field calls for them.
6. Ex support last: Meowth ex and then Fezandipiti ex. These are the final layer of polish that turns a functional list into the full version.

Once you reach step 6, you have the complete list. Beyond that, the only upgrades left are cosmetic printings, and they will not win you a single game.

Common Mistakes

1. Firing Cursed Blast After You've Already Attacked

Dusclops and Dusknoir use Abilities, and attacking ends your turn. If you swing with Dragapult ex first, any Cursed Blast damage has to wait a full turn, and your opponent gets that turn to heal, retreat, or bench around your math. Before you attach Energy or declare Phantom Dive, lay out the whole turn: which targets the Blast covers, which targets the 6 Phantom Dive counters cover, and how the two combine.

The fix is a fixed order. Run your Items and Supporter, use Drakloak's Recon Directive, fire Cursed Blast, and only then attack. A Dusclops Blast plus 1 Phantom Dive counter puts exactly 6 counters on one target. A Dusknoir Blast plus Phantom Dive lets you take a big Active knockout and still spend all 6 Bench counters on something else. Treat the Blast as part of your attack math, not a separate step.

2. Ignoring the Prize You Hand Over

Cursed Blast Knocks Out your own Pokémon, and your opponent takes a Prize card for it. Players treat Dusclops and Dusknoir as free damage. They aren't. Every Blast is a one-Prize trade, so ask one question before you fire: does this damage take a Prize this turn, or set up a multi-Prize turn next turn?

• Good Blast: it finishes a Pokémon ex, or it sets up a Bench target that Phantom Dive can finish alongside the Active Knock Out.
• Bad Blast: chip damage on a Pokémon your opponent can retreat, discard, or ignore, especially when you're even or ahead on Prizes.

Watch the opponent's Prize count late. A Blast that drops them to 1 Prize remaining can hand them a game they couldn't otherwise close.

3. Expecting Your Own Knock Outs to Turn On Fezandipiti ex and Unfair Stamp

This is the rules mistake that costs the most games with this list. Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script and Unfair Stamp both check whether one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. A Cursed Blast self-KO happens during your turn, so it never satisfies either condition. You can't sacrifice Dusclops and then draw 3 off Fezandipiti ex in the same turn, or the next one.

Plan your comeback draw around the turns your opponent actually takes a KO. When they knock out a Drakloak or a Dreepy, that's your window for the draw-3 or the 5-for-2 hand swap. Don't burn Unfair Stamp early when your hand is already fine. It's strongest when your opponent has just loaded their hand for the closing turn.

4. Wasting the Opening Lillie's Determination

Lillie's Determination draws 8 only while you have exactly 6 Prize cards remaining. Once you take your first Prize, it's a 6-card shuffle-draw like any other. Early, it's your strongest setup Supporter. Don't spend that turn's Supporter on something weaker while the 8-card mode is live, unless the alternative wins the game.

The second leak is playing it in the wrong order. Lillie's shuffles your hand back into the deck, so do these first:

• Use every Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad, and Night Stretcher that improves your board.
• Evolve everything you can.
• Attach your Energy for the turn.
• For Recon Directive, use it first only if the card it finds might replace the Lillie's. Otherwise use it after Lillie's so it digs into a fresh deck.

Hold Ultra Ball until after the Lillie's. The shuffle often gives you better discard fodder.

5. Misplaying Meowth ex

Last-Ditch Catch only triggers when you play Meowth ex from your hand onto your Bench during your turn. Placing it during setup isn't during your turn, so a Meowth benched at the start of the game gives you no Supporter. Keep it in hand and play it down on turn one.

Also remember Buddy-Buddy Poffin can't fetch it. It has 170 HP and Poffin puts Pokémon straight onto the Bench rather than playing them from hand. Poké Pad can't find it either, since it has a Rule Box. Ultra Ball is your only search for it.

Once Meowth has done its job, it's a 170 HP Pokémon ex giving up two Prizes from your Bench. If you have the turn to spare, Tuck Tail returns it and all attached cards to your hand. That clears the liability and lets you replay it later for another Supporter search. Don't leave it rotting on the Bench as an easy two-Prize target in a close race.

6. Spreading Phantom Dive Counters Evenly

Six counters split evenly across three Benched Pokémon looks productive and usually does nothing. Damage only matters when it crosses a Knock Out threshold, either this turn or next turn with a Cursed Blast or another Phantom Dive. Before you place counters, count HP:

• Take any Bench Knock Outs available right now. Low-HP support Basics often go down to part of the 6 counters.
• Put the remaining counters where next turn's damage finishes the job. Pair them with a Dusclops Blast (5 counters), a Dusknoir Blast (13 counters), or the next Phantom Dive.
• Put counters on the evolution lines your opponent needs, not the Pokémon they'd happily let go.

Uncommitted spread lets your opponent decide which damaged Pokémon to keep. Committed spread forces their hand.

7. Starving Your Discard Pile of Energy

Phantom Dive costs one Fire and one Psychic, and this list rebuilds attackers through the discard pile. Rosa's Encouragement attaches up to 2 Basic Energy from the discard to a Stage 2, but only while you have more Prizes remaining than your opponent. Night Stretcher can pull back Basic Energy as well as Pokémon.

The common error is discarding only spare Pokémon to Ultra Ball and never pitching Energy. Then the turn you fall behind, Rosa's Encouragement has nothing to attach. When you're comfortable on Pokémon, discard a Fire and a Psychic early. That turns Rosa's into a full Phantom Dive on a fresh Dragapult ex in one Supporter.

Crispin fixes the same problem from the deck. Take Fire and Psychic, attach the type your attacker is missing, and keep the other.

8. Forgetting the Non-ex Pressure Pieces

Budew and Moltres get treated as filler, and that loses games you should win.

• Budew: Itchy Pollen costs nothing and shuts off your opponent's Items for their next turn. That's a strong play while your Stage 2s come online, especially going second against Item-heavy setups. Once it's done its job, don't leave a 30 HP Basic on your Bench for an opponent who needs a cheap Prize.
• Moltres: for one Fire Energy, Fighting Wings does 110 to a Pokémon ex in the Active Spot. It trades a one-Prize attacker into a two-Prize target without risking a Dragapult ex.
• Jamming Tower: this list runs no Pokémon Tools, so the Stadium only hurts your opponent. Play it the moment their board relies on Tools. Don't hold it as a dead card.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

Before You Register: Legality and Decklist Check

Do this before anything else. The official card data for this list marks Boss's Orders, Dawn, and Judge as not Standard-legal. Check all five of those slots against the current Standard legal card list for your event date before you submit. An illegal card on your registration is not something you want found at a deck check. If any of them are out, replace them by role and practice with the replacements before the event:

• Gust effect (3 slots): Your prize map depends on pulling a damaged Benched Pokémon into the Active Spot. Don't cut this effect. Swap in whatever legal gust option you have access to.
• Energy-movement Supporter (1 slot): This slot repositions a Fire or Psychic Energy so Dragapult ex can use Phantom Dive. Fill it with another way to get both Energy types onto your attacker.
• Disruption Supporter (1 slot): This slot is a hand reset. Unfair Stamp and Special Red Card already cover part of that job.

Also clean up the registration sheet. The list splits several cards across duplicate lines. Your totals are 3 Dragapult ex, 4 Dreepy, and 2 Budew. If those copies are different printings, register each printing correctly. If they are the same printing, combine them into one line. The full count is 22 Pokémon, 30 Trainers, and 8 Energy.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

These come straight from the card text. If you are unsure about any of them during a match, you will either waste a resource or misplay a key turn.

• Cursed Blast does not turn on your comeback cards. Dusclops and Dusknoir Knock themselves Out during your turn. Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script and Unfair Stamp both check whether your Pokémon were Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. A self-KO never enables either one. Only the opponent's attacks set them up.
• Cursed Blast hands your opponent Prize cards. Each Blast puts one of your Pokémon in the discard pile and gives your opponent a Prize. Every Blast is a trade. Know your opponent's remaining Prize count before you use one.
• Phantom Dive only places counters on the Bench. The 200 damage hits the Active Pokémon. The 6 damage counters go only on Benched Pokémon, split any way you like. If your opponent has an empty Bench, the counters do nothing. The attack costs one Fire and one Psychic Energy specifically, so two Energy of the same type won't work.
• Meowth ex only triggers from your hand. Last-Ditch Catch works only when you play Meowth ex from your hand onto your Bench. You can't Buddy-Buddy Poffin it, because it has 170 HP and isn't eligible anyway. You also can't Poké Pad it, because it has a Rule Box. Ultra Ball is your only way to search it out. Tuck Tail returns it and its attached cards to your hand so you can play it again later for another Supporter. You are limited to one "Last-Ditch" Ability per turn.
• Know what Poké Pad and Poffin can find.
  • Poké Pad finds anything without a Rule Box: Dreepy, Drakloak, Duskull, Dusclops, Dusknoir, Budew, Patrat, and Moltres. It cannot find any of the ex Pokémon.
  • Buddy-Buddy Poffin finds Dreepy, Duskull, Budew, and Patrat. It cannot find Moltres, which has 120 HP.
• Lillie's Determination's 8-card bonus requires exactly 6 Prizes remaining. It depends on your Prize count. A Cursed Blast or attack that takes a Knock Out drops you below 6. If you want the 8-card draw, play Lillie's Determination before the Knock Out.
• Rosa's Encouragement only targets Stage 2 Pokémon. Rosa's Encouragement requires you to have more Prizes remaining than your opponent. It attaches up to 2 Basic Energy from your discard pile to a Dragapult ex or Dusknoir. Get a Fire and a Psychic into the discard early with Ultra Ball costs, and Rosa's becomes a one-card full power-up for Phantom Dive.
• Patrat locks counter movement for both players. Patrat's Watchful Eye stops damage counters from being moved, on your side and theirs. It does not stop you from placing counters with Phantom Dive or Cursed Blast.
• Jamming Tower costs you nothing. This list runs zero Pokémon Tools. Jamming Tower only switches off your opponent's Tools.
• Crispin needs two different types. Crispin grabs one Fire and one Psychic. One goes to your hand and the other attaches to a Pokémon. Use it to get both halves of Phantom Dive's cost at once.
• Duskull can only recover two. Come and Get You returns up to 3 Duskull, but the list runs 2. Plan around two at most.

What to Practice

Counter math until it's automatic. This deck wins by stacking placed damage. You have three sources:

• Phantom Dive: 6 counters on the Bench.
• Dusclops: 5 counters.
• Dusknoir: 13 counters.

Take your opponent's likely lists and drill the combinations against their common HP values. Before you attach Energy, you should know which Benched Pokémon dies to Phantom Dive alone, which needs Dive plus a Dusclops, and which needs a Dusknoir. Work out the full turn's damage before you commit any of it.

Prize mapping with self-KOs included. Each Cursed Blast gives your opponent a Prize. Practice counting the whole game: your Prizes taken versus theirs, including the ones you give away. Find the turn where Blasting pushes your opponent to 3 or fewer Prizes remaining. That turns on Special Red Card for you, but it also brings them closer to winning. You need to know which effect matters more in that game state.

Comeback turns. Set up the board state where your opponent just Knocked Out one of your Pokémon. Then practice sequencing Fezandipiti ex's draw, Unfair Stamp, and your Supporter for the turn. The order depends on what's in your hand. Run the scenario enough times that you choose the order deliberately.

Item-lock tempo. Budew's Itchy Pollen costs nothing and stops your opponent from playing Items on their next turn. Practice spotting the turns where that matters more than developing your own board. That usually means early turns against setup-heavy strategies.

Time Management

This is a slow deck to play. A typical turn can include:

• multiple searches with Ultra Ball, Poké Pad, and Buddy-Buddy Poffin;
• a deck shuffle from Lillie's Determination;
• one or more Recon Directive activations;
• a Cursed Blast and a Phantom Dive with counters to distribute.

Over a best-of-three, that adds up quickly. Keep the pace up with these habits:

• Plan the whole turn before your first action. Do the counter math once, then execute. Don't recalculate halfway through.
• Know what you're searching for before you open the deck. Decide your target before you play the search card. Don't browse your deck while deciding.
• Use Recon Directive before you search. Look at the top 2 with Drakloak, then search. That way you aren't shuffling away a card you'd have taken.
• Use clear damage markers. Phantom Dive splits counters across several Pokémon. Announce exactly where each counter goes and mark it immediately. Disputes over counter placement waste time and can cost you a game state.
• Shuffle efficiently. Practice a quick, legal shuffle. You'll be doing it constantly.

Final Assessment

At about $33, this list finished 2nd at Cleo's 2K. It's an unusually strong result for the price, and it shows how much of the deck's power comes from its non-ex engine:

• Strong consistency. Four Drakloak and eight Pokémon search Items mean the deck rarely stumbles once it's set up.
• Very flexible damage. Phantom Dive and two Cursed Blast lines let you pick off almost any target on the board.
• Built-in comebacks. Fezandipiti ex, Unfair Stamp, Rosa's Encouragement, and Special Red Card give you ways back from behind.

Respect the deck's weak points:

• Thin Energy. Phantom Dive needs both a Fire and a Psychic Energy, and the list runs only eight Energy. Keep Night Stretcher available for recovery.
• Self-KO Prizes. Every Cursed Blast speeds up your opponent's clock.
• Retreat cost. Dusknoir's Retreat 3 makes it a liability if it gets stuck in the Active Spot.
• Weaknesses. Your ex support Pokémon are weak to Fighting. Your Duskull line is weak to Darkness.

Confirm the five legality-flagged slots, practice the counter math, and keep an eye on the clock.

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