Kangaskhan Bouffalant — Standard Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

This list is a toolbox made entirely of Basic Pokémon. It runs no Evolution lines and no Rare Candy dependencies, and every attacker can hit the board straight from your hand. Mega Kangaskhan ex is the centerpiece. Around it sits a deep bench of single-purpose Basics, each answering a specific board state, plus a Bouffalant package that turns your Colorless attackers into walls. The build earned a Top 4 at Rare Candy Club Showdown #49 (179 players, October 19, 2026) in the hands of Limitless user EvanCampbell94.

The Plan

You win by putting a large Colorless attacker Active that your opponent can't remove efficiently, swinging every turn, and using the rest of the roster to cover whatever Kangaskhan can't handle alone.

• Draw while you attack. Mega Kangaskhan ex draws 2 cards each turn it sits in the Active Spot. Rapid-Fire Combo has a 200-damage floor for three Energy of any type, with upside on every heads.
• Turn damage into chip damage. With two Bouffalant in play, Curly Wall cuts 60 damage from every attack aimed at your Basic Colorless Pokémon. That covers Kangaskhan, Meowth ex, and Bouffalant itself. Put Hero's Cape on Kangaskhan and you have 400 HP that takes 60 less from each hit.
• Pivot for free. Latias ex removes the Retreat Cost from all your Basics, which means everything in the deck. Kangaskhan's Retreat 3 disappears. You can walk it into the Active Spot, draw with Run Errand, and retreat into a different attacker on the same turn.
• Answer with a specialist. When a matchup calls for something Kangaskhan can't do, you search out the right Basic and attack with it:
  • Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex snipes the Bench.
  • Lillie's Clefairy ex punishes wide boards and redirects Weakness.
  • Koraidon ex and Fezandipiti ex punish your opponent for taking a Knock Out.
  • Iron Leaves ex steals Energy and hits for 180 out of nowhere.

Why It Works

Consistency is built into the Pokémon themselves. Your search is broad:

• Ultra Ball finds any Pokémon.
• Cyrano grabs three Pokémon ex at once.
• Brock's Scouting finds two Basics.
• Meowth ex tutors any Supporter as it hits the Bench, so it doubles as an extra Boss's Orders, Crispin, or Cyrano. Tuck Tail returns it to your hand to do it again.

Draw comes stacked on top of that from Run Errand, Teal Dance, Flip the Script, and Raging Bolt ex's one-Energy Burst Roar refresh. The deck rarely runs out of things to do.

The Energy engine is redundant and color-blind where it matters. Kangaskhan, Bouffalant, and Meowth only need Colorless Energy. Any Energy you have powers them, and several cards move or recover it:

• Crispin fetches two Basic Energy of different types and puts one onto the board immediately.
• Teal Mask Ogerpon ex adds Grass from your hand every turn and draws a card for it.
• Four Energy Switch move that Energy onto whoever is attacking.
• Glass Trumpet pulls two Basic Energy from the discard onto Benched Colorless Pokémon. The Energy you pitched to Ultra Ball comes back as attack fuel.

The off-color Energy (Lightning Energy, Fighting Energy, Water Energy, Psychic Energy) exists to switch on the specialists: Raging Bolt ex, Koraidon ex, Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, and Latias ex's Eon Blade.

Tera Pokémon unlock the whole board. Both Ogerpon are Tera Pokémon, which do three jobs here:

• They turn on Area Zero Underdepths, which raises your Bench to eight. That leaves room for two Bouffalant, Latias, and your attackers at the same time, and it feeds Full Moon Rondo.
• They enable Glass Trumpet.
• Tera Pokémon take no attack damage while Benched, so your Energy acceleration engine is hard to snipe.

Chien-Pao clears a Stadium your opponent plays over yours. Special Red Card disrupts the hand of an opponent who is closing out the game.

The Costs

• Kangaskhan is an expensive prize. As a Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, Mega Kangaskhan ex gives up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out. The bulk exists to make that hard for your opponent to cash in, but a single lost Kangaskhan swings the race hard. Most of your other attackers give up two.
• Everything shares the same Weakness. Kangaskhan, Meowth, Bouffalant, and Fezandipiti are all weak to Fighting. Curly Wall's reduction applies after Weakness, but Fighting attackers still hit hard.
• Your board depends on your Tera Pokémon. If both Ogerpon leave play, you discard your Bench down to five, and you can lose Bouffalant or Latias at the worst moment.
• Rapid-Fire Combo has variance above the floor. Plan every turn around 200 damage. Treat anything above that as a bonus.

Who Should Pick It Up

Play this if you like decision-dense turns and enjoy reading the board for the right answer instead of executing the same line every game. The toolbox rewards players who know exactly which single-copy Pokémon to search in each situation and when to spend Cyrano versus Ultra Ball. Expect your hardest games to come from tight sequencing, not from a lack of options. It also suits players who want a competitive list without chase Evolution lines: the estimated price is about $80.

Skip it if you want a linear deck you can autopilot through a long event. Free retreat, Bench management, and constant Energy movement give you a lot of rope, and you can hang yourself with it.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

How the Deck Wins

This is a proactive Basic-only beatdown deck built around one idea: make your 3-Prize attacker too expensive to take. Mega Kangaskhan ex gives up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out, as all Mega Evolution Pokémon ex do, so the opponent only needs two of them to win. Your job is to make each one take far more work than its Prize value suggests while it hits for at least 200 every turn.

The numbers that matter:

• Rapid-Fire Combo hits for at least 200. Plan every turn around the 200. Each heads adds 50, but never build a line that needs one.
• Curly Wall is the defense. With two Bouffalant in play, every Basic Colorless Pokémon you have takes 60 less damage after Weakness. That covers Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex and the Bouffalant themselves. It doesn't stack, so the third copy is insurance, not more reduction.
• Hero's Cape on a walled Kangaskhan means the opponent is cutting through 400 HP, 60 at a time. Most attackers need three hits for one Kangaskhan, and your Boss's Orders and snipers are taking Prizes in the meantime.

The wall only works while both Bouffalant stay on board. Expect smart opponents to aim at a 100-HP Bouffalant to switch it off. Bench all three when you can, so losing one doesn't drop you below two.

The Engine

Draw. Run Errand draws 2 cards each turn, but only while Kangaskhan is in the Active Spot, and only one Run Errand resolves per turn. Your main draw and your main attacker are the same card. Teal Mask Ogerpon ex adds a card each turn through Teal Dance when you have a Grass Energy in hand. Meowth ex searches out a Supporter when you bench it. Meowth's Tuck Tail returns it to your hand, so you can bench it again later for another Supporter search.

Energy. Teal Dance attaches Grass Energy to Ogerpon as a second attachment each turn. Energy Switch then moves that Energy onto Kangaskhan or whoever is attacking. Crispin fetches two Basic Energy of different types: one goes to your hand and the other attaches. Glass Trumpet requires a Tera Pokémon in play. It attaches Basic Energy from your discard pile to two Benched Colorless Pokémon. The Energy you discard to Ultra Ball becomes Trumpet fuel, so discard Energy freely early on.

Board space. Area Zero Underdepths lets you bench up to 8 Pokémon while you have a Tera Pokémon in play. Teal Mask Ogerpon is that Tera Pokémon, and it is also protected from attack damage while on the Bench. Eight Bench slots let you hold the Bouffalant pair, Latias, Meowth and your utility attackers all at once. If you lose your last Tera Pokémon or the Stadium leaves play, you discard down to 5. Track this every turn.

Mobility. Latias ex gives your Basic Pokémon no Retreat Cost. That removes Kangaskhan's Retreat 3 and lets you pivot freely: draw with Kangaskhan Active, retreat for free into the attacker the turn calls for, then bring a Kangaskhan back up next turn to draw again.

The Ideal Game, Turn by Turn

1. Turn 1: Start Mega Kangaskhan ex Active and use Run Errand. Play Area Zero Underdepths once Teal Mask Ogerpon is down. Bench Meowth ex for Crispin or Cyrano, plus as many Bouffalant and Latias ex as you can find. Use Teal Dance. Use Ultra Ball discards to put Energy in the discard pile.
2. Turn 2: Assemble three Energy on the attacker. Your sources are a manual attachment, Energy Switch from Ogerpon, and Glass Trumpet onto Benched Colorless Pokémon. Get both Bouffalant into play. Attack for 200+ with Kangaskhan. You can also use Bouffalant's Boundless Power for 130 if Kangaskhan isn't ready, since a Bouffalant KO gives up only 1 Prize.
3. Mid-game: Kangaskhan takes 2-Prize KOs. Put Hero's Cape on the Kangaskhan you plan to keep Active longest. When the opponent finally takes a Knock Out, you get stronger the next turn. Fezandipiti ex draws 3 with Flip the Script, and Koraidon ex's Orichalcum Fang hits for 170 for just two Energy.
4. Closing: Use Boss's Orders, Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex's Bench damage and Fezandipiti's 100-damage Cruel Arrow to finish damaged or exposed Pokémon. Once the opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards left, Special Red Card can wreck the hand they kept to finish you.

The Problem-Solvers

• Lillie's Clefairy ex changes the Weakness of every opposing Dragon Pokémon to Psychic. It also scales off both Benches, and Area Zero grows those Benches. Against Dragon attackers like Dragapult ex, Full Moon Rondo becomes a one-hit Knock Out for two Energy.
• Iron Leaves ex fixes stuck turns. Bench it, switch it Active, and pull Energy from your other Pokémon onto it for 180. This works even when your Active is Energy-light.
• Raging Bolt ex has Burst Roar, which refreshes a dead hand for one Energy. It also has Bellowing Thunder, which turns a board full of Basic Energy into a finishing blow.
• Chien-Pao discards an opposing Stadium so you can restore Area Zero. Don't use Snow Sink on your own Area Zero with more than 5 Benched Pokémon. You discard down to 5 first.

Your posture is proactive throughout. You set the pace with 200-damage swings, and the wall forces the opponent to answer Bouffalant before they can trade with you at all. Every reactive card in the list exists to keep that tempo going after a Knock Out, not to change the plan.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The Colorless Core: Attackers That Share a Wall

4 Mega Kangaskhan ex is the engine and the main attacker. Run Errand draws 2 each turn it sits Active, but you can't use more than one Run Errand per turn, so the fourth copy isn't extra draw. It's there so you always have a Kangaskhan to start Active and a second one ready to take over. Rapid-Fire Combo hits for 200 at minimum on three Energy of any type. That's why the rest of the list can run five Energy types without stranding your primary attacker. Its 300 HP is the biggest body in the deck, and a third-party rules listing says a Mega Pokémon ex gives up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out (source: Scrydex, accessed 2026-10-19). Every damage reduction and HP card in the list exists to stop that from happening.

3 Bouffalant is what makes this list different. Curly Wall only works while you have another Bouffalant in play, so you need two on the board. The third copy lets the Wall survive one of them being Knocked Out or Prized. The reduction is 60 to every Basic Colorless Pokémon you control, applied after Weakness. That covers Kangaskhan, Meowth, and the Bouffalant themselves. It also softens the Fighting Weakness they all share. Each Bouffalant is a single-Prize, 100 HP body that still swings for 130 with Boundless Power, so even a spare copy isn't a dead card.

3 Meowth ex turns every one-of Supporter into a searchable card. Last-Ditch Catch fetches any Supporter when you Bench it. Tuck Tail returns Meowth and its attachments to your hand, so you can replay it later and search again. Three copies means you can do this on most early turns without relying on Night Stretcher.

Tera Pieces and Support Basics

• 2 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex: Teal Dance attaches a Grass Energy from your hand and draws a card, which is your Energy acceleration. It is also a Tera Pokémon (source: Limitless card page TWM 25, accessed 2026-10-19). That status unlocks Area Zero Underdepths and Glass Trumpet.
• 1 Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex: Your second Tera Pokémon (source: Limitless card page TWM 64, accessed 2026-10-19). Torrential Pump adds 120 to a Benched target, and Sob traps an Active that wants to retreat.
• 2 Latias ex: Skyliner gives every Basic you play zero Retreat Cost, and every Pokémon in this list is a Basic. That fixes Kangaskhan's Retreat 3. It also enables the key pattern: draw with Run Errand, then retreat for free into whatever attacker the turn needs. Run two copies because the whole pivot plan collapses without it.
• 2 Lillie's Clefairy ex: Fairy Zone changes opposing Dragon Pokémon's Weakness to Psychic. Dragapult ex is Dragon type (source: TCGdex, accessed 2026-10-19), and Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Full Moon Rondo also scales with both Benches, which the eight-slot Bench from Area Zero inflates.
• 1 Koraidon ex: A revenge attacker. Orichalcum Fang hits for 170 on two Energy after you lose a Pokémon. Impact Blow is a flat 200. It shows up in only 3 of 17 Basic Box Top 8 lists (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). It gives you a strong answer the turn after a Knock Out without investing a Kangaskhan.
• 1 Raging Bolt ex: Burst Roar is a one-Energy hand refresh. Bellowing Thunder is your burst finisher, scaling by how much Basic Energy you're willing to throw away. It is not Tera, so it doesn't support your Stadium.
• 1 Iron Leaves ex: Rapid Vernier pulls it straight into the Active Spot and moves any amount of Energy onto it. That makes it a surprise 180 from the Bench with no setup turn.
• 1 Fezandipiti ex: Draw 3 after a Knock Out, plus Cruel Arrow for 100 to any target to finish damaged Benched Pokémon.
• 1 Chien-Pao: Play it for Snow Sink, which clears an opposing Stadium. Treat Icicle Loop as a bonus.

Supporters

4 Crispin is your only repeatable Energy search. It grabs two different types, putting one in hand (often a Grass for Teal Dance) and one on board. 2 Boss's Orders handles gusting. Everything else is a single copy because Meowth finds it:

• Cyrano grabs up to three Pokémon ex.
• Brock's Scouting grabs two Basics of any kind. That makes it the card that finds a Bouffalant pair, which Cyrano can't do. Every Basic Box Top 8 list ran 2 Cyrano (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). This list splits that slot to support the non-ex Bouffalant.
• Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking sets your top two cards. Next turn's Run Errand draws exactly those two.

Items, Tool, Stadium

• 4 Energy Switch: Moves the Grass that Teal Dance loads onto Ogerpon over to a Colorless attacker.
• 4 Ultra Ball: Finds any Pokémon. The discard cost also stocks Energy for Glass Trumpet and targets for Night Stretcher.
• 2 Night Stretcher: Brings back a Pokémon or a Basic Energy. Use it to rebuild the Bouffalant pair or recover a spent Meowth.
• 1 Glass Trumpet: Requires a Tera in play. It attaches discarded Basic Energy to two Benched Colorless Pokémon, so a second Kangaskhan or Bouffalant can be powered for free.
• 1 Special Red Card: Late-game hand disruption once your opponent is at 3 or fewer Prize cards.
• 1 Hero's Cape: Puts a Kangaskhan at 400 HP. Stacked with Curly Wall, that's a very large number to take in one attack.
• 3 Area Zero Underdepths: Bouffalant pairs, Meowths, and support ex eat Bench space fast, and an eight-slot Bench holds all of it. Three copies, not four, because the Stadium only works with a Tera in play, and Chien-Pao covers removing the opponent's Stadium. If your last Tera leaves play, you trim back to five, so protect your Ogerpon.

Energy

The 13 Energy split by job:

• 6 Grass Energy feed Teal Dance and Iron Leaves ex.
• 2 Psychic Energy cover Latias ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex.
• 2 Lightning Energy and 2 Fighting Energy split Raging Bolt ex and Koraidon ex.
• 1 Water Energy powers Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex.

The low counts on the off-types work because Crispin picks two different types every time, and the Colorless core accepts any of them.

The Decklist

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

Twenty-two Pokémon, all Basic, with thirteen Energy and a Supporter suite built mostly around search. The skeleton is a Basic Pokémon ex toolbox. The three Bouffalant are what make this build its own deck: Curly Wall turns every Basic Colorless Pokémon you own, including Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex and Bouffalant itself, into a much harder target once two are in play.

Pokémon (22)

Trainer (25)

Energy (13)

Every Energy is a different type for a reason. Crispin needs two types to hit full value, and the Colorless attackers will accept anything you give them.

Most of the flex notes line up with the online Basic Box Top 8 lists. In those lists, Glass Trumpet appeared in 15 of 17, Iron Leaves ex in 14, Special Red Card in 11 and Hero's Cape in 9. Koraidon ex showed up in only 3, and all 17 ran two Cyrano (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026).

This build spends that second Cyrano slot, plus room elsewhere, on the Bouffalant trio and Brock's Scouting. If you test away from the Bouffalant package, those are the slots to revisit first.

Opening Hands & Setup

What "No Mulligan" Means for This List

Every Pokémon in this 60 is a Basic, so you will rarely shuffle back a hand. Your opening problem is a clunky Basic in the Active Spot, not a lack of Basics. You can't fix that by redrawing, so judge each hand by one question: can it reach a powered Mega Kangaskhan ex in the Active Spot by your first attack?

Strong vs. Weak Openings

A strong hand has three things:

• An Active that leads into Run Errand. That means Mega Kangaskhan ex itself, or Latias ex with Kangaskhan in hand. Skyliner gives your Basics no Retreat Cost, so you can retreat Latias for free, promote Kangaskhan, and draw 2 on the same turn.
• A Supporter out. This can be Meowth ex in hand to fetch one, or Crispin directly.
• An Energy engine. That means Teal Mask Ogerpon ex plus a Grass Energy, ideally with Energy Switch to move that Energy onto Kangaskhan.

A weak hand is one forced Active with no draw and no search. Even then, Ultra Ball usually saves you: pitch two cards to find Kangaskhan or Latias, and you are back on curve. The real bad hands have no Ultra Ball, no Meowth, and no Kangaskhan. In that case, Raging Bolt ex is your emergency button. Burst Roar costs a single Colorless and discards your hand to draw 6. Use it on your first attacking turn if the hand is truly dead.

Choosing Your Starting Active

The last row also matters for your setup Bench, not just the Active. Last-Ditch Catch, Rapid Vernier, and Snow Sink all require playing the card from your hand during your turn. Placing Meowth, Iron Leaves, or Chien-Pao face-down at setup throws away their effect. Keep them in hand. Bench only the Basics whose value doesn't depend on being played, such as Ogerpon, Bouffalant, and Latias.

Turn-One Priorities

1. Run Errand first. If Latias is Active, bench Kangaskhan, retreat for free, and draw. Always see those 2 cards before committing anything else.
2. Teal Dance. Bench Teal Mask Ogerpon ex and attach a Grass Energy from hand for the extra card. That Energy is now available for Energy Switch onto Kangaskhan.
3. Bench Meowth ex for the right Supporter.
   • Crispin is the default. Take Grass to hand to feed next turn's Teal Dance, and attach the other type to Kangaskhan.
   • Cyrano fixes a hand missing several ex pieces.
   • Brock's Scouting grabs both Bouffalant at once.
   Only one Last-Ditch Ability resolves per turn, so the second Meowth waits.
4. Area Zero Underdepths once a Tera Ogerpon is down. The extra Bench space lets you hold the draw and support Pokémon alongside the Bouffalant pair.
5. Two Bouffalant in play before your opponent's first real attack. Curly Wall needs a second Bouffalant to switch on. Once it does, it cuts 60 damage off every Basic Colorless Pokémon you have, including Kangaskhan, Meowth, and the Bouffalant themselves.

When you Ultra Ball on turn one, prefer discarding Basic Energy over pieces you will need. Those Energy become Glass Trumpet targets next turn, and Night Stretcher can recover anything you regret pitching.

Turn-Two Priorities

• Get three Energy on the Active Kangaskhan and attack. Your sources are the manual attachment, Energy Switch off Ogerpon, and the Crispin attachment. Rapid-Fire Combo costs only Colorless, so any type works.
• Glass Trumpet with a Tera in play. It loads two Benched Colorless Pokémon from the discard. Point it at a backup Kangaskhan and a Bouffalant so your next attacker is ready before you need it.
• Hero's Cape on Kangaskhan. With Curly Wall online, the extra HP turns most single hits into non-Knock Outs.
• Protect the Bench rule. If your only Tera Ogerpon leaves play, Underdepths forces you back down to 5. Keep a second Tera available or bench with that in mind.

Going First or Second

Choose to go second. Your plan is a 200-plus hit from a Basic that needs three Energy assembled from several cards. Going second gives you a Supporter and an attack on your first turn. That turns Crispin's attachment, Teal Dance, Energy Switch, and your manual attachment into an immediate Rapid-Fire Combo, and puts you a turn ahead on the Prize trade.

Going first gives up exactly the two things this deck's first turn is built around. Run Errand and Teal Dance still work as Abilities, but they only set up a board that can't swing yet.

The only time to reconsider is against a slow, setup-heavy opponent where your priority is getting both Bouffalant and Underdepths in place before any attack lands. Even then, going second is the default. Going first is the exception you justify, not the other way around.

Sequencing & Key Lines

The Turn Template

Most turns run in the same order. Breaking it costs you cards.

1. Run Errand first. If Mega Kangaskhan ex is Active, draw your 2 before anything else. Never retreat or play Iron Leaves ex first, because Rapid Vernier pulls Kangaskhan out of the Active Spot and you lose the draw.
2. Get a Tera Pokémon down, then the Stadium. Bench Teal Mask Ogerpon ex or Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex before Area Zero Underdepths and Glass Trumpet. Both cards do nothing without a Tera Pokémon in play.
3. Teal Dance. Attach a Grass Energy from hand for the extra card. A Benched Ogerpon takes no attack damage under the Tera rule, so it is your safest Energy bank for Energy Switch later.
4. Thin with Items. Use Ultra Ball next. Discard Basic Energy over other cards when you can, because every Energy in the discard pile is fuel for Glass Trumpet and Night Stretcher.
5. Play Meowth ex for your Supporter. Only one Last-Ditch Catch works each turn. Choose the Supporter after you've seen your draws, not before.
6. Supporter, then attach, then switch. With Crispin, send the off-type Energy to the board and keep Grass Energy in hand for tomorrow's Teal Dance.
7. Retreat last. With Latias ex in play, retreating your Basics is free. Pivot into whichever attacker the damage math calls for.

Turns One and Two

Mega Kangaskhan ex needs three Energy of any type. The fastest assembly uses one manual attachment and one Crispin attachment on turn one. On turn two, add a manual attachment, or Energy Switch a Grass off Ogerpon. If turn one dumped Energy through Ultra Ball, Glass Trumpet on turn two puts one on each of two Benched Colorless Pokémon. That can leave a second Kangaskhan or a Bouffalant one attachment from attacking the following turn.

Bench Latias ex early. Kangaskhan's Retreat Cost of 3 is the main thing slowing the deck down, and Skyliner removes it. Once Latias is down, Kangaskhan can start Active, use Run Errand, and step aside for the real attacker in the same turn.

Key Branch Points

• Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking: now or next turn? Played before Run Errand, it works as a two-card tutor this turn. Played after Run Errand, it sets up your next turn exactly, and Teal Dance pulls the first card. Use it now when a missing piece wins the turn. Save it for next turn when you need a guaranteed follow-up after a likely Knock Out.
• Kangaskhan vs. the big Psychic hit. Rapid-Fire Combo always deals 200, and any heads are a bonus. Never plan a Knock Out around heads. Against Lillie's Clefairy ex targets (opposing Dragon Pokémon), Eon Blade from Latias ex deals 400 with Weakness. Full Moon Rondo reaches the same total once there are seven Benched Pokémon across both sides, which Area Zero Underdepths makes easy.
• Iron Leaves ex as a reset. When your Active is stranded or unpowered, playing Iron Leaves from hand switches it in and collects Energy from your board for Prism Edge's 180. Use Run Errand first, and check you aren't stripping the Energy your next attacker needs.
• After you lose a Pokémon. This is your comeback turn. Fezandipiti ex draws 3, and Orichalcum Fang from Koraidon ex does 170 for two Energy. If you want both, bench Fezandipiti before it is needed so it is ready the turn after a Knock Out.
• Raging Bolt ex as a finisher. Bellowing Thunder deals 70 per Basic Energy discarded from your board, so it scales with whatever you've banked. Burst Roar is the refresh when your hand is bricked.
• Chien-Pao into an opposing Area Zero Underdepths. When it leaves play, both players discard down to five Benched Pokémon. Trim your own Bench first, or accept which pieces you'll lose.

What to Hold

• Boss's Orders: With only two, save them for the turn a gust takes a Prize or wins the game. Don't spend one on chip damage.
• Special Red Card: It turns on once your opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards left. A Knock Out on a Mega Pokémon ex gives up 3 Prize cards, so that window often opens the moment they take your first Kangaskhan. Play it before they rebuild their hand.
• Hero's Cape: Put it on the Kangaskhan about to take a hit. A Kangaskhan at 400 HP changes how many attacks your opponent needs.
• The Bouffalant pair: Curly Wall needs a second Bouffalant in play. One Bouffalant alone is a 100 HP Prize doing nothing, so bench them together, ideally the turn before your opponent's big attack.
• Meowth ex for a Tuck Tail turn: When a damaged Meowth is about to be Knocked Out, Tuck Tail returns it and its attached cards to your hand. That denies the Prize, and replaying it fetches another Supporter.

Playing Around Bench Damage

Dragapult was the most common Top 8 archetype online, with 37 of 176 slots (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5-19, 2026). Its Phantom Dive deals 200 to the Active and places 6 damage counters across your Bench. Manage it this way:

• Curly Wall cuts the Active hit. Under Curly Wall, Phantom Dive deals 140 to a Basic Colorless Active. That means a Mega Kangaskhan ex takes three of them to go down, or four with Hero's Cape.
• Protect the Bouffalant pair. At 100 HP, Bouffalant is your softest Benched Pokémon. Two rounds of counters can remove one and switch off Curly Wall. Keep the third Bouffalant or a Night Stretcher ready to restore the pair the same turn.
• Bench only what has a job. Don't fill eight spots just because Area Zero Underdepths allows it. Every extra low-HP Basic is another place for counters to turn into Prizes.
• Set up the Clefairy-Latias kill early. Have Lillie's Clefairy ex in play before you need it, so a powered Latias ex can take the 3-Prize-relevant Knock Out the turn it becomes available.

Matchup Matrix

Dragapult

This is the matchup you will see most. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-19). Phantom Dive does 200 to the Active, and Curly Wall cuts that to 140 against a walled Mega Kangaskhan ex. Kangaskhan survives two hits, and with Hero's Cape it takes even more punishment. The 6 damage counters are a different problem. They are placed, not dealt as attack damage, so Curly Wall does nothing to them. A 100 HP Bouffalant falls to two turns of spread, and if you only have two in play, the wall goes down with it.

Your plan:

• Get the third Bouffalant onto the Bench early, and hold Night Stretcher to rebuild the pair.
• Land Lillie's Clefairy ex. Fairy Zone makes Dragapult ex, a Dragon type, weak to Psychic. Latias ex's Eon Blade then deals 400 into its 320 HP. A full Bench under Area Zero Underdepths lets Full Moon Rondo reach the KO too.
• Protect Clefairy from the counters. If they snipe both copies, your clean one-hit KOs are gone.

The Blaziken and Dusknoir builds share the same Phantom Dive core, so play them the same way. For that side of the matchup, see our Dragapult Standard guide, Dragapult Blaziken Standard guide and Dragapult Dusknoir Standard guide.

Basic Box (mirror)

The sample Basic Box lists run the same core of Kangaskhan, Meowth, Ogerpon, Latias and Clefairy, but no Bouffalant. That makes Curly Wall a one-sided edge. Their Rapid-Fire Combo into your walled Kangaskhan starts at 140, while yours hits their unprotected Kangaskhan for the full 200 or more.

• Their Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow and Wellspring Mask's Torrential Pump bench damage drop to 40 and 60 against a walled Bouffalant, so the wall is hard to break.
• Koraidon ex is your mirror trump. Their Kangaskhan has Fighting Weakness, so Impact Blow deals 400. After they take a KO, Orichalcum Fang deals 340.
• Either one-shots a 300 HP Kangaskhan, which is a three-Prize swing in your favor.
• Save Special Red Card for when they reach three Prizes, so you strip the hand they built to close.

For that side of the matchup, see our Basic Box Standard guide.

Lucario Hariyama

Every Colorless Pokémon you play is weak to Fighting, and Weakness applies before Curly Wall.

• Mega Lucario ex's Mega Brave deals 480 to a walled Kangaskhan.
• Even Aura Jab deals 200 to a walled Kangaskhan, which kills a capeless one in two hits and a Bouffalant in one.

Treat the Colorless half of your deck as draw support:

• Use Run Errand in the Active Spot, then retreat for free with Latias ex's Skyliner.
• Attack with your non-Colorless Pokémon: Raging Bolt ex (five Basic Energy discarded is 350, enough for Lucario's 340 HP), Iron Leaves ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex or Latias.
• Mega Brave can't be used on consecutive turns. Use that window to set up your two-hit KOs.
• Each Mega Lucario ex KO is worth three Prizes, so trading your two-Prize attackers into it can still win the race.

Other Fighting-type aggro decks play out the same way. For that side of the matchup, see our Lucario Hariyama Standard guide.

N's Zoroark

N's Zoroark ex is a Darkness-type with 280 HP, and Night Joker copies a Benched N's Pokémon's attack. Darkness hits Latias ex for double, so keep Latias on the Bench for Skyliner and don't promote it.

Your walled Colorless line is the frontline. Build two-turn KOs:

• Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow for 100, followed by a 200 Rapid-Fire Combo.
• Raging Bolt ex discarding four Energy, which hits 280 exactly.
• Use Boss's Orders to pull a Benched N's Pokémon before Night Joker can copy its attack.

Dhelmise Banette

Dhelmise, Shuppet and Banette are Psychic-type with Darkness Weakness. Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow deals 200 to whichever of them is Active. Weakness doesn't apply to Benched Pokémon, so the bench option only deals 100. Use Night Stretcher to recover your single Fezandipiti.

The Top 8 lists of this deck also run Lillie's Clefairy ex, Latias ex and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, so they have two-Prize targets you can Boss's Orders for faster Prize trades. For that side of the matchup, see our Dhelmise Standard guide.

Evolution setup decks

This covers Alakazam Dudunsparce and Ogerpon Meganium Hydrapple. Your entire board is Basic, so you can be attacking for 200 while they are still evolving. Use Boss's Orders on undeveloped Benched Pokémon, and keep Curly Wall up so their finished attackers come in 60 short. For that side of the matchup, see our Ogerpon Meganium Standard guide.

Tech Choices & Variations

Most of this 60 is locked. The draw engine (Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex), the Bouffalant wall, the Crispin/Energy Switch Energy package, Ultra Ball and the Area Zero Underdepths count hold the deck together, so leave them alone. The slots you can actually change are the single-copy attackers, the Supporter split, three Items and the Energy types.

The Flex Slots at a Glance

Koraidon ex vs. More Gust

Koraidon ex does its best work against other Colorless Basic decks. Impact Blow does 200 Fighting damage. Into a Fighting-Weak Mega Kangaskhan ex that doubles to 400, so it still Knocks Out a 300 HP Kangaskhan through an opposing Curly Wall. Orichalcum Fang does 170 after one of your Pokémon is Knocked Out, which also doubles into Kangaskhan, so Koraidon punishes them for trading into you.

Against non-Colorless fields, Koraidon is a 230 HP body that needs two Fighting Energy. If you expect few mirrors, a third Boss's Orders gives you more prize-mapping flexibility. If you make that cut, you can also turn one Fighting Energy into another type. Raging Bolt ex still needs one Fighting for Bellowing Thunder.

Iron Leaves ex

Rapid Vernier drops Iron Leaves ex into the Active Spot and moves Energy onto it in the same motion. That gives you a 180-damage attack on a turn when your board looked stalled. It is your best answer to Fighting-heavy decks, because none of your Grass attackers share the Fighting Weakness that your Colorless Pokémon all have. Only cut it if you expect almost no Fighting decks.

Cyrano or Brock's Scouting

Keep one of each. Cyrano grabs three Pokémon ex, which builds a full Bench in one Supporter. Brock's Scouting is your only Supporter that can find a Bouffalant pair. Curly Wall needs two Bouffalant in play, so against heavy hitters this is often the card that switches the wall on. If your field is mostly spread and fast aggro, where the wall matters most, keep Brock's Scouting over a second Cyrano without hesitation.

Hero's Cape: Pick the Target by Matchup

Curly Wall's reduction applies after Weakness, so do the math against whatever you're expecting.

• Against Dragapult: Phantom Dive's 200 becomes 140 into a walled Mega Kangaskhan ex. With Hero's Cape attached, Kangaskhan has 400 HP and survives repeated attacks. Remember that Curly Wall reduces damage. The six damage counters Phantom Dive places on your Bench are not damage, so they still land.
• Against Mega Lucario ex: Mega Brave does 270, doubled to 540 into Kangaskhan. Even with the wall and a Cape, Kangaskhan doesn't survive. Put the Cape on Teal Mask Ogerpon ex or Latias ex instead. At 310 HP, either one survives a 270-damage hit.

Energy Split

Thirteen Energy across five types is what makes Crispin work, since it needs two different types in the deck. Each off-type Energy supports a specific attacker:

• Lightning Energy for Raging Bolt ex
• Water Energy for Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex and Chien-Pao
• Fighting Energy for Koraidon ex
• Psychic Energy for Latias ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex

The six Grass Energy feed Teal Dance and stay fixed. If you change an attacker, change its Energy with it. Don't keep a type in the deck that nothing uses.

Tuning for Your Local Field

Dragapult is the archetype to tune against. It took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026).

• Dragapult-heavy field: Keep both Lillie's Clefairy ex. Fairy Zone changes Dragapult ex's Weakness to Psychic, so Eon Blade's 200 becomes 400 against its 320 HP. Full Moon Rondo also gets out of control on a full Area Zero Underdepths Bench. Keep Hero's Cape for Kangaskhan, and if you cut Koraidon ex, turn that Fighting Energy into a third Psychic Energy.
• Fighting-heavy field: Keep Iron Leaves ex, plan to put Hero's Cape on your non-Colorless attackers, and lean on Teal Mask Ogerpon ex as your main attacker. Koraidon ex does little here, so it can become a third Boss's Orders.
• Psychic decks weak to Darkness: Fezandipiti ex is your only Darkness attacker. Cruel Arrow applies Weakness when it targets the Active Pokémon, for 200 damage. That makes Night Stretcher recovery of Fezandipiti a real priority. Count your copies before you discard one to Ultra Ball.
• Mirror-heavy field: Keep Koraidon ex and the second Hero's Cape slot ahead of Special Red Card. Against a 3-Prize Kangaskhan, your Fighting damage decides prize trades more often than hand disruption does.

Budget Options

At roughly $80 on TCGplayer market prices, this list is already on the affordable end for a competitive Standard deck. That's because it is built entirely from Basic Pokémon: there are no Stage 2 lines to buy in multiples. Most of that $80 likely sits in the Pokémon ex, above all the four Mega Kangaskhan ex and three Meowth ex. The Trainers do generic jobs (search, gust, recovery, Energy movement) that aren't tied to this archetype. That makes them the safest cards to buy first, because they carry over to other decks.

The core you can't cut

Some cards are the deck itself. Proxy them in testing if you have to, but don't register the list without them:

• 4 Mega Kangaskhan ex: your main attacker and your draw engine. Run Errand only works from the Active Spot and only once per turn, so you need copies to promote after every Knock Out.
• 3 Meowth ex: Last-Ditch Catch turns any Basic into the exact Supporter you need. Cutting copies makes every turn's Supporter a draw-dependent coin toss.
• 3 Bouffalant: Curly Wall only turns on with two in play, and it's the reason your Colorless Basics survive hits they otherwise wouldn't.
• 2 Latias ex: free retreat for every Basic is how a deck full of Retreat 2 and 3 Pokémon pivots for free.
• 2 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex: Energy acceleration with a card of draw, plus a Tera Pokémon to turn on Area Zero Underdepths and Glass Trumpet.
• 2 Lillie's Clefairy ex: Fairy Zone makes opposing Dragon Pokémon weak to Psychic, and Dragapult ex is Dragon type. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). These are the last cards you should ever trim.

Budget swaps

The singleton Pokémon ex are where you can save money and lose the least. Each one is a situational attacker or utility piece. Replace them with extra copies of cheap cards already in the list, so the deck's structure stays intact.

Two singletons should stay even on a budget:

• Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex is your third Tera Pokémon. Without it, a single Knock Out on a Teal Mask Ogerpon ex can switch off Area Zero Underdepths and force you to discard down to five Benched Pokémon. It also shuts off Glass Trumpet.
• Raging Bolt ex is your only hand reset and your biggest single hit. Burst Roar rescues dead hands. Bellowing Thunder scales with the Basic Energy you've spread around through Crispin and Teal Mask Ogerpon ex.

If you drop Raging Bolt ex anyway, don't turn the Energy into all Grass Energy. Crispin fetches two Basic Energy of different types, so it needs a mixed Energy base to work at full strength. Keep at least two types beyond Grass.

Hero's Cape and Special Red Card are flex Trainers, not budget cuts. Swap them for matchup reasons, not price.

Upgrade path

1. Start with the Trainer suite. Buy 4 Ultra Ball, 4 Energy Switch, 4 Crispin, Boss's Orders and Night Stretcher first. They have the longest shelf life if you change decks later.
2. Buy the core Pokémon. Get Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex, Bouffalant, Latias ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex, with Lillie's Clefairy ex as the priority if you expect a lot of Dragapult. At this point the deck plays its real game plan.
3. Add Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex and Raging Bolt ex. These secure your Bench size and give you your reset button.
4. Add Fezandipiti ex next. Flip the Script triggers in almost every prize trade you take, so it adds value in nearly every game.
5. Add Iron Leaves ex, then Koraidon ex last. Both are strong but situational damage options. The list functions without them, and you'll feel their absence only in specific closing turns.

The budget build loses closing power and comeback draw, not consistency. If you play the core correctly, it still executes the same turn-by-turn plan as the full list.

Common Mistakes

1. Treating Curly Wall as a blanket shield

Bouffalant protects only your Basic Colorless Pokémon: Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex, and the Bouffalant themselves. Your Ogerpon, Latias ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex, Raging Bolt ex, and the rest take full damage. The ability also needs a second Bouffalant in play, so losing one turns the wall off for your whole board. A third copy doesn't add more reduction because the effect doesn't stack.

Players often bench both Bouffalant and then leave them exposed at 100 HP. Against spread, remember that placing damage counters is not damage from an attack. Curly Wall cuts the 200 that Phantom Dive deals to your Active Pokémon, but it does nothing about the 6 counters spread across your Bench. If you get two Bouffalant into play, keep track of how many counters they're carrying. Hold Night Stretcher so you can rebuild the pair before the turn the wall matters most, which is usually the turn your opponent can take 3 Prize cards off a Kangaskhan.

2. Losing your last Tera Pokémon with an oversized Bench

Area Zero Underdepths lets you bench eight only while you have a Tera Pokémon in play. Your only Tera Pokémon are Teal Mask Ogerpon ex and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex. If your last one is Knocked Out in the Active Spot, you immediately discard down to five Benched Pokémon. Glass Trumpet also goes dead without a Tera in play.

To avoid this, keep at least one Ogerpon on the Bench, where Tera prevents attack damage to it, before you promote another into the Active Spot. Also don't play Chien-Pao onto your own Stadium while you're holding six or more Benched Pokémon. When the Stadium leaves play, the player who played it discards first, so you lose cards before your opponent does.

3. Botching the Run Errand turn

Run Errand only works while Mega Kangaskhan ex is in the Active Spot. It also works only once per turn, no matter how many Kangaskhan you have in play. The common error is pivoting into Kangaskhan with free retreat from Latias ex, drawing 2, and then realizing you want a different attacker. You've already used your one retreat for the turn.

Decide before you pivot whether Kangaskhan is ending the turn as your attacker. If it isn't, you have two clean options:

• Use Iron Leaves ex's Rapid Vernier to switch out instead of retreating.
• Skip Run Errand and dig with Teal Mask Ogerpon ex's Teal Dance instead.

Whenever Kangaskhan is already Active, draw with Run Errand before you commit your Supporter, so you choose your Supporter with the most information.

4. Counting coin flips as damage

Rapid-Fire Combo is 200 damage. Anything above that is a bonus you can't plan around. Don't skip a Boss's Orders target or a Hero's Cape attachment because you're hoping for heads. If a Knock Out needs one heads, find another attacker that guarantees it. Your guaranteed options include Latias ex for 200, Iron Leaves ex for 180, a powered-up Raging Bolt ex, or a spread finish from Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex or Fezandipiti ex.

5. Benching two-Prize liabilities for no reason

Almost every Pokémon in this list gives up two Prize cards, and a Knocked Out Mega Kangaskhan gives up three. A full Bench of 8 is a menu for Boss's Orders-style gust effects.

A common leak is playing Meowth ex early for a Supporter you don't actually need that turn. Last-Ditch Catch only triggers when Meowth comes from your hand to your Bench. If a benched Meowth becomes a target, Tuck Tail returns it and all attached cards to your hand. That denies the Prizes and sets up another search when you replay it.

Only bench what you'll use within the next two turns. Keep single-Prize Bouffalant and Chien-Pao as your preferred bodies in the Active Spot when you're just stalling.

6. Spending all your Energy in one burst

Raging Bolt ex's Bellowing Thunder can discard as much Basic Energy as you like. Discarding everything for a single Knock Out often leaves you with no attacker the following turn.

Before you discard, count your remaining supply:

• Night Stretcher can return Basic Energy from the discard pile.
• Glass Trumpet puts discarded Energy onto Benched Colorless Pokémon.
• Crispin can only find two Basic Energy of different types, so running a type dry in your deck limits what it can fetch.

Discard exactly enough for the Knock Out, and keep the next attacker's Energy on board. Remember that Energy Switch moves only Basic Energy. Torrential Pump shuffles its Energy back into your deck rather than discarding it, so Crispin can find those cards again.

7. Attacking Dragon decks without Fairy Zone in play

Dragapult ex is a Dragon type with 320 HP. Lillie's Clefairy ex works from your Bench and changes the Weakness of your opponent's Dragon Pokémon to Psychic. With Fairy Zone in play, Latias ex's Eon Blade becomes a one-hit Knock Out. Without it, Eon Blade falls short.

Players often bench Clefairy late, or let it get picked off by spread damage before Latias is powered. Get Clefairy into play the turn before you swing. If you have a spare body, bench the second copy as well, so one spread turn doesn't remove your Weakness.

8. Firing conditional cards at the wrong time

Three cards in this list have conditions that are easy to misjudge:

• Special Red Card is only playable when your opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards remaining. Its best use is right after their hand has been rebuilt for a winning turn, not as a random disruption play.
• Koraidon ex gets its extra 120 damage on Orichalcum Fang only if one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out by attack damage during your opponent's last turn.
• Fezandipiti ex draws 3 with Flip the Script only after one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn.

Plan these two around the turn you expect to lose a Pokémon, not the turn you happen to draw them. Keeping Koraidon in hand until that turn also hides it from gust effects.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice Before the Event

• The Dragapult matchup, until it's automatic. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots and won 9 of 22 events (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Rehearse the line where Lillie's Clefairy ex is on your Bench and Latias ex attacks. Dragapult ex is a Dragon Pokémon with 320 HP, so Fairy Zone turns Eon Blade's 200 into 400. Practice getting Psychic Energy onto Latias with Crispin and Energy Switch on the turn you need it, without giving up your setup.
• Prize maps. Under the Mega Evolution rule, Mega Kangaskhan ex gives up 3 Prize cards. Every other ex gives up 2, and Bouffalant and Chien-Pao give up 1 (source: Scrydex rules listing, accessed 2026-10-19). Before each game, plan which Pokémon you will let take hits. Most lost games with this deck come from Kangaskhan going down at the wrong time.
• The Fighting-type problem. Kangaskhan, Meowth ex, Bouffalant, and Fezandipiti ex all have Fighting Weakness. Weakness applies before Curly Wall, so Mega Lucario ex's 270 becomes 540, then 480 after the reduction. That still Knocks Out a Kangaskhan wearing Hero's Cape. Practice taking Prizes with Grass and Psychic attackers in that matchup instead of relying on the Colorless wall.
• Resource counting. Track how many Supporters remain for Meowth ex to find, and what Ultra Ball has discarded. Keep track of the Energy in your discard pile, because Glass Trumpet and Night Stretcher can only recover what is there.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

• Run Errand: Kangaskhan draws only from the Active Spot, and you can use only one Run Errand per turn. A second Kangaskhan on the Bench adds no draw. Use the Ability before you retreat or pivot out of the Active Spot.
• Last-Ditch Catch: It triggers only when Meowth ex is played from your hand onto your Bench, and only one Last-Ditch Ability can be used per turn. Tuck Tail returns Meowth ex and all attached cards to your hand. You can then replay it on a later turn to search for another Supporter.
• Curly Wall: It needs a second Bouffalant in play. It protects only your Basic Colorless Pokémon, so it does nothing for Ogerpon, Latias, Clefairy, or Koraidon ex. It doesn't stack, and it applies after Weakness and Resistance.
• Skyliner: Every Pokémon in this deck is Basic, so a Latias ex in play gives all of them free retreat. That includes Kangaskhan's Retreat Cost of 3.
• Area Zero Underdepths: Your 8-slot Bench requires a Tera Pokémon in play. Teal Mask Ogerpon ex and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex are Tera; Raging Bolt ex is not (source: Limitless card pages, accessed 2026-10-19). If your last Tera is Knocked Out, you immediately discard down to 5 Benched Pokémon. Don't attack with your only Tera when you have more than 5 Benched Pokémon. While a Tera is on your Bench, damage from attacks to it is prevented.
• Stadium removal: When Underdepths leaves play, both players trim their Bench to 5, and whoever played it discards first. Chien-Pao's Snow Sink is optional ("may"). Use it to remove an opposing Stadium, not your own Underdepths.
• Glass Trumpet: It needs a Tera in play and targets only Benched Colorless Pokémon, using Basic Energy from your discard pile. Ultra Ball discards and attacks like Icicle Loop or Bellowing Thunder determine what Energy is available for it.
• Rapid Vernier: Iron Leaves ex must be played from your hand to trigger it. It can pull any amount of Energy from your other Pokémon, which also makes it a way to rescue Energy from a Pokémon that is about to be Knocked Out.
• Special Red Card: It can be played only when your opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards remaining. Plan the turn you'll use it rather than drawing into it with no target.
• Comeback triggers: Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script and Koraidon ex's Orichalcum Fang both check whether one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn. Fezandipiti needs a Knock Out of any kind, while Koraidon needs one by attack damage. Keep the right Energy ready so you can use these the turn after taking a hit.

Time Management

This deck takes a lot of actions per turn: Ultra Ball, Meowth ex searches, Crispin, Teal Dance draws, Energy Switch, and a free retreat or two. On top of that, Rapid-Fire Combo flips coins until tails. To stay on time:

• Plan the whole turn before your first search. Decide your attacker and your Energy target first, then search for exactly what that plan needs.
• Know what you want before you open the deck. Don't browse it for options.
• Count Rapid-Fire Combo damage as 200 when planning. The flips are a bonus. If the Knock Out requires heads, check whether another attacker can take it with certainty.

Final Assessment

This list earned a Top 4 finish at Rare Candy Club Showdown #49 against 179 players. Its main strength is flexibility. The Kangaskhan and Bouffalant shell gives you a sturdy Active Pokémon that draws cards every turn. The Grass, Psychic, Fighting, and Dragon attackers cover the types the Colorless core can't handle, and Crispin plus Energy Switch can power whichever of them the game calls for. The cost is complexity. With an 8-slot Bench full of ex Pokémon, a misread of the Prize map or losing your Tera Pokémon at the wrong time can end the game quickly.

Take this deck if you are comfortable with long, decision-heavy turns and you have practiced the Dragapult line until it feels routine. Leave it at home if you expect a room full of Fighting attackers, because the Colorless core is weak to them and Curly Wall doesn't solve that. Everywhere else, a pilot who sequences cleanly and counts Prizes correctly has every tool needed to win.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Kangaskhan Bouffalant deck win games?

It puts a large Colorless attacker Active that the opponent can't remove efficiently and swings every turn. Mega Kangaskhan ex draws 2 cards with Run Errand while Active, and Rapid-Fire Combo hits for at least 200. The rest of the roster covers whatever Kangaskhan can't handle alone.

What does Bouffalant do in this deck?

With two Bouffalant in play, Curly Wall cuts 60 damage, applied after Weakness, from attacks on your Basic Colorless Pokémon: Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex and Bouffalant itself. It doesn't stack, so the third copy is insurance in case one is Knocked Out or Prized.

Why are Latias ex and Teal Mask Ogerpon ex so important here?

Latias ex's Skyliner gives every Basic zero Retreat Cost, so Kangaskhan can draw with Run Errand and then retreat for free into the right attacker. Teal Mask Ogerpon ex accelerates Energy with Teal Dance and is a Tera Pokémon, which turns on Area Zero Underdepths and Glass Trumpet.

What is the hardest matchup for this deck?

Lucario Hariyama and other Fighting aggro decks are unfavored because every Colorless Pokémon in the list is weak to Fighting, and Weakness applies before Curly Wall. In that matchup, use the Colorless Pokémon for draw and attack with non-Colorless Pokémon like Raging Bolt ex, Iron Leaves ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex or Latias ex.

How should I play against Dragapult with this deck?

Get the third Bouffalant onto the Bench early and hold Night Stretcher to rebuild the pair, because Phantom Dive's placed damage counters ignore Curly Wall. Land Lillie's Clefairy ex so Dragapult ex becomes weak to Psychic, which lets Latias ex's Eon Blade take a one-hit Knock Out.

What are good budget swaps for this list?

The guide suggests cutting Koraidon ex for a third Boss's Orders, Iron Leaves ex for a fourth Bouffalant, and Fezandipiti ex for a third Night Stretcher. Keep Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex and Raging Bolt ex even on a budget. The full list is estimated at about $80.

Should I go first or second with Kangaskhan Bouffalant?

Choose to go second. It gives you a Supporter and an attack on your first turn, which turns Crispin, Teal Dance, Energy Switch and your manual attachment into an immediate Rapid-Fire Combo.

What should I practice before taking this deck to an event?

Practice the Dragapult matchup until the Lillie's Clefairy ex and Latias ex line is automatic, plan your prize maps around the 3-Prize Mega Kangaskhan ex, and rehearse taking Prizes with Grass and Psychic attackers against Fighting decks. Also track your Supporters, Ultra Ball discards and the Energy in your discard pile.

Metagame Context

Built from EvanCampbell94's Top 4 list at Rare Candy Club Showdown #49 (30TH LEGAL) (179 players, 2026-10-19), via the Limitless platform. Metagame context comes from a research brief dated 2026-10-19 covering 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-19, drawn from Limitless TCG event results; TCGdex; Scrydex. Card text and prices: TCGdex.

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