N's Zoroark — Standard Strategy Guide

Affiliate links: card links on this page go to TCGplayer, and we earn a commission on purchases at no extra cost to you. How this works

Archetype Overview

N's Zoroark is a Stage 1 Darkness deck built around one card: N's Zoroark ex. Night Joker costs two Darkness Energy and lets Zoroark use any attack from one of your Benched N's Pokémon. The rest of the list feeds that attack: it supplies the right Pokémon to copy, Energy to pay for it, ways to make it hit harder, and draw to find all of it every turn. The list placed Top 4 at Moujii's Dojo (2026-10-22, 197 players), played by Limitless user kostis.

The Engine: Your Bench Is Your Attack Menu

Night Joker always costs two Darkness Energy, no matter which attack it copies. That turns your Bench into a menu of attacks:

• N's Zekrom is the main reason the deck works. Its Rampaging Thunder normally needs Fire, Lightning, Lightning and Colorless Energy. Through Night Joker, Zoroark fires that 250 damage for two Darkness Energy. Shred gives you 70 damage that ignores effects on the opponent's Active Pokémon.
• N's Purrloin gives you Thieving Swipe. You see the opponent's whole hand and put their best card on the bottom of their deck.
• N's Zorua is an N's Pokémon too, so even a Bench of Zorua gives Zoroark something to copy.

Rampaging Thunder stops "this Pokémon" from attacking next turn, and through Night Joker that means your Zoroark. N's Castle removes the Retreat Cost of N's Pokémon, so you retreat the spent Zoroark for free and promote a fresh one. That keeps the 250-damage hit available every turn instead of every other turn.

The Damage Stack

250 is the base number. The list then adds damage through Poison:

• Binding Mochi gives +40 to the opponent's Active Pokémon if the Pokémon holding it is Poisoned.
• Pecharunt ex uses Subjugating Chains to switch a Benched Darkness Pokémon into the Active Spot and Poison it. That gives you a free pivot and turns on Mochi in the same step.
• Janine's Secret Art attaches Darkness Energy to two Darkness Pokémon. If one of them is your Active, it becomes Poisoned, so one Supporter both powers Night Joker and turns on Mochi.
• Black Belt's Training adds 40 more against an Active Pokémon ex.
• Munkidori, once it has Darkness Energy attached, moves 3 damage counters from one of your Pokémon to one of the opponent's. Poison puts damage counters on your own Zoroark, and Munkidori sends them across to the opponent.

Put together, a Poisoned Zoroark holding Mochi copies Rampaging Thunder for 290. With Black Belt's Training against an Active ex, it hits 330, and Munkidori adds 30 more on top. You can take a Knock Out on very large Pokémon without needing the opponent's Weakness.

Draw and Consistency

Each Zoroark in play can use Trade: discard a card, draw 2. Two Zoroark on board means four extra cards a turn before you play a Supporter. The discard cost works for you here. Discarded Darkness Energy comes back with N's PP Up, which attaches Basic Energy from your discard pile to a Benched N's Pokémon. That lets you power a second Zoroark without using your Energy attachment for the turn. Discarded Pokémon return with Night Stretcher.

The rest of the setup package:

• Buddy-Buddy Poffin benches Zorua, Purrloin or Budew.
• Poké Pad finds any non-Rule Box piece.
• Cyrano grabs up to three Pokémon ex at once.
• Lillie's Determination draws 8 if you have taken no Prize cards yet.

Disruption and Prize Control

This is not just a damage deck. The list also attacks the opponent's hand and board:

• Hand disruption: Judge, Unfair Stamp after you lose a Pokémon, and Special Red Card once the opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards left.
• Item lock: Budew stops the opponent from playing Items on their next turn.
• Ability lock: Team Rocket's Watchtower shuts off the Abilities of Colorless Pokémon. Your only Colorless Pokémon is Meowth ex, and its Ability only triggers when you play it from your hand onto your Bench. Bench Meowth before Watchtower hits the table and you lose nothing.
• Targeting: three Boss's Orders and Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow let you pick which Pokémon you Knock Out.

Late in the game, Pecharunt ex's Irritated Outburst grows by 60 for each Prize card the opponent has taken. It becomes a strong attacker exactly when you are behind.

The single-Prize Pokémon keep the Prize trade honest. You don't have to give up 2 Prize cards every time something gets Knocked Out:

• Yveltal has Dark Feather for 110 and a 0 Retreat Cost.
• Zekrom can attack on its own with Shred.
• Munkidori pressures with Mind Bend.

When one of these single-Prize Pokémon goes down, Fezandipiti ex draws 3 and Unfair Stamp becomes live.

Why the Plan Is Strong

Night Joker separates damage from Energy type. The deck's biggest attack costs two Darkness Energy, and its draw engine sits on the same Pokémon. Every extra Zoroark adds both more draw and another attacker. N's Castle and Pecharunt ex let you pivot every turn, and Poison turns that pivot into extra damage. Hand disruption, Item lock and Ability lock let you handle opponents who are trying to set up as well as opponents who are racing you. Each piece supports the others.

Who Should Pick It Up

Pick this deck if you like complex turns. You will often have two Trades, a Chains pivot, a Munkidori counter move, a Stadium choice and a Supporter choice to sequence in one turn, and the order matters. Choosing what to discard to Trade decides games: an early Energy can come back with PP Up, but a discarded Boss's Orders is gone for good. If you prefer to just attach and attack, this list will punish you. If you enjoy working out the exact damage needed for a Knock Out, this deck rewards it.

At an estimated $50, the price of entry is low, so the real investment is practice time.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

N's Zoroark is a proactive one-attacker deck. Every list decision serves one goal: put an N's Zoroark ex in the Active Spot with two Darkness Energy and an N's Zekrom on the Bench, then hit for 250 every turn. Night Joker copies a Benched N's Pokémon's attack but uses its own two-Energy cost. That turns Rampaging Thunder's four-Energy, three-type cost into two Darkness Energy. The rest of the deck draws into that attack, adds damage to it, and works around its drawback.

The Damage Stack

Rampaging Thunder does 250 on its own, which is enough to Knock Out most of what you face. When you need more, the list stacks these effects:

• Binding Mochi: +40 to the opponent's Active Pokémon, but only while the holder is Poisoned. That's why the deck poisons its own attacker. Pecharunt ex's Subjugating Chains and Janine's Secret Art (when it attaches to your Active) both do this as a side effect.
• Black Belt's Training: +40 against an Active Pokémon ex for the turn. It costs your Supporter, so save it for the one KO that needs it.
• Munkidori: with a Darkness Energy attached, Adrena-Brain moves up to 3 damage counters from one of your Pokémon onto one of the opponent's. Pull Poison counters or attack damage off your Zoroark and place them where the next attack needs them, or onto a damaged Benched Pokémon.

The thresholds are 250 base, 290 with Mochi, and 330 with Mochi plus Black Belt against an Active ex. Munkidori can add 30 to any of these, either on the target or spread to set up the next KO. Do this math before you commit a Supporter, not after.

The Draw Engine

Each Zoroark in play has its own Trade, so two Zoroark on the board give you two discard-one-draw-two Abilities per turn on top of your Supporter. Trade is also how you fuel the rest of the deck: discarding Darkness Energy sets up N's PP Up, and discarding spare Pokémon sets up Night Stretcher.

Lillie's Determination draws 8 as long as you haven't taken a Prize. That makes it your opening Supporter, and it gets much weaker once you start taking KOs.

The deck also has draw that only turns on after you lose a Pokémon. Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script draws 3, and Unfair Stamp resets hands at five cards for you and two for them. Both reward you for trading Pokémon away.

For search, Meowth ex and Cyrano find specific pieces. Poké Pad fetches N's Zekrom or Munkidori, since neither has a Rule Box.

Working Around Rampaging Thunder's Drawback

After a Zoroark uses Rampaging Thunder, it can't attack on your next turn. You have three ways to keep attacking:

• N's Castle: gives N's Pokémon no Retreat Cost. Retreat the locked Zoroark and promote a second one for free.
• Pecharunt ex: Subjugating Chains swaps a Benched Darkness Pokémon into the Active Spot without using your retreat. The new Active is Poisoned, which turns on Mochi.
• Bench the Energy, not just the Pokémon: N's PP Up only attaches to Benched N's Pokémon. Use it to power your next Zoroark while it's still on the Bench, before it needs to come in.

If neither path is open, copy Shred instead. It does 70 and ignores effects on the opponent's Active, which matters against damage reduction or prevention. Copying Shred also leaves the Zoroark free to attack next turn. You can make the same choice proactively: on a turn where 70 finishes a KO, Shred is better because it keeps your attacker available.

The Ideal Game

1. First turn: Buddy-Buddy Poffin for two N's Zorua. Attach Darkness Energy to the Zorua you plan to evolve first. Play Lillie's Determination for 8 if you can play a Supporter that turn. Bench Meowth ex early if you need a specific Supporter.
2. Second turn: Evolve into N's Zoroark ex and use Trade. Bench N's Zekrom with Poké Pad or Ultra Ball. Attach the second Energy, or use Janine's Secret Art to power two Darkness Pokémon at once. Then Night Joker for 250.
3. Third turn onward: Rotate attackers through N's Castle or Pecharunt ex and use Boss's Orders to hit two-Prize targets. Three 250-damage KOs on Pokémon ex take all six Prizes. The deck is built to finish that fast.
4. Closing: If the opponent is close to winning, Special Red Card (when they have 3 or fewer Prizes left) or Judge cuts their hand. Pecharunt ex's Irritated Outburst gets stronger as they take Prizes, so it doubles as a late-game backup attacker.

Posture: Proactive First, Disruptive Second

You're the beatdown. Most games come down to whether you hit 250 on your second turn and keep a second powered Zoroark ready behind the first. The disruption cards help you keep that tempo, but none of them win games by themselves:

• Budew's Itchy Pollen locks Items for a turn.
• N's Purrloin's Thieving Swipe, copied through Night Joker, takes a key card out of their hand.
• Team Rocket's Watchtower shuts off Abilities on Colorless Pokémon.

Two cautions on Team Rocket's Watchtower. First, it turns off your own Meowth ex, so play Meowth before you drop Watchtower. Second, both your Stadiums share one slot, so playing Watchtower removes N's Castle's free retreat. Only play it when stopping an opposing Ability is worth losing your pivot.

When you fall behind, lean on the comeback cards: Fezandipiti ex, Unfair Stamp, and a single-Prize attacker like Yveltal or N's Zekrom. Put the single-Prize Pokémon in front to make the opponent spend an attack on a one-Prize target, then rebuild a Zoroark behind it.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The Engine: N's Zorua / N's Zoroark ex

4 N's Zorua, 4 N's Zoroark ex. The full line is non-negotiable. Zoroark is both your draw engine and your main attacker. Trade is a once-per-turn Ability on each copy, with no "can't use more than 1" clause. Two or three Zoroark in play means two or three Trades a turn, and that is where the list gets its consistency. Trade also costs a discard, which is a feature: every discarded Darkness Energy is a target for N's PP Up later. Night Joker costs only two Darkness and borrows a Benched N's Pokémon's attack. Your real "attackers" are the cards sitting behind it.

Night Joker Targets

• 2 N's Zekrom: The reason the deck hits hard. Through Night Joker, Zoroark uses Rampaging Thunder for two Darkness instead of its native Fire/Lightning cost. That gives you 250 damage, with Zoroark (not Zekrom) locked out of attacking next turn. Shred gives you 70 that ignores effects on the opponent's Active. Run two because Zekrom has to be on the Bench to do anything. One prized or sniped copy without a backup takes away your top damage output. Night Stretcher covers the rest.
• 1 N's Purrloin: Thieving Swipe copied through Night Joker lets you strip the opponent's best card off the top of their hand. It also fits Buddy-Buddy Poffin at 70 HP. One copy is enough because it's a utility option, not a plan.

Damage Modifiers: The Poison Package

This is the section that separates this list from a pure Zoroark pile.

• 1 Pecharunt ex: Subjugating Chains switches a Benched Darkness Pokémon into the Active Spot and Poisons it. N's Zoroark ex is Darkness type, so Chains does three jobs at once: it pivots, it rescues Zoroark after a Rampaging Thunder lockout, and it turns on Binding Mochi. Irritated Outburst gives you a late-game attacker that scales with the Prize cards your opponent has taken.
• 2 Binding Mochi: +40 to the Active for attacks from a Poisoned holder. Paired with Chains or Janine's, Rampaging Thunder hits for 290.
• 1 Janine's Secret Art: Puts two Darkness Energy onto two Darkness Pokémon from the deck. If one of them is the Active, it is also Poisoned. That means a Benched Zoroark gets Night Joker cost while your Active Zoroark gets Mochi value in a single Supporter.
• 1 Munkidori: Adrena-Brain moves up to 3 damage counters from one of your Pokémon to one of the opponent's. Munkidori is Psychic, so neither Janine's nor N's PP Up can power it. It needs a manual Energy attachment. Once it has one, it moves the counters off your Poisoned Zoroark and onto a target, so the drawback of your own poison turns into extra reach.
• 1 Black Belt's Training: +40 against an Active Pokémon ex. Stacked with Mochi, Rampaging Thunder hits for 330. That clears the 320 HP of Dragapult ex (source: TCGdex card data, accessed 2026-10-19). One copy is enough because it's a finisher for a specific turn, not a line you rely on.

Support Pokémon

• 1 Meowth ex: Benching it searches out any Supporter. In practice it is a fifth copy of whichever Supporter the turn needs. It is Colorless, so your own Team Rocket's Watchtower turns its Ability off. Bench Meowth before you drop the Stadium.
• 1 Fezandipiti ex: Draws 3 after one of your Pokémon is Knocked Out, which is your catch-up draw. Cruel Arrow puts 100 anywhere, which finishes off a damaged Benched threat.
• 1 Yveltal: A single-Prize Darkness body with no Retreat Cost. Dark Feather does 110 without giving up a two-Prize target. It isn't an N's Pokémon, so Night Joker can't copy it.
• 1 Budew: Itchy Pollen costs nothing and shuts off the opponent's Items for a turn. It fits Buddy-Buddy Poffin, which makes it a free going-second tempo play against Item-heavy setups.

Supporters

4 Lillie's Determination is your opening draw. It draws 8 at six Prize cards, so four copies maximize turn-one hits. 3 Boss's Orders is enough because Meowth ex can fetch a fourth when you need it. 2 Cyrano grabs up to three Pokémon ex. That means Zoroark plus Pecharunt ex or Meowth ex in a single card, which is why it beats a second Janine's Secret Art for the slot. 1 Judge is your disruption option for any point in the game.

Items

• 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin: Benches N's Zorua pairs. It also hits N's Purrloin and Budew.
• 4 Ultra Ball, 2 Poké Pad: Ultra Ball finds anything and pays its cost with Energy for PP Up. Poké Pad covers every non-Rule Box piece without a discard. Pads stay at two because Ultra Ball and Cyrano already cover the ex side.
• 3 N's PP Up: Your second Energy "attachment" each turn, onto a Benched N's Pokémon. Three copies plus Janine's is how you power two Zoroark on an 8-Energy count.
• 2 Night Stretcher: Recovers a Pokémon or a Basic Energy, usually Zekrom or a fallen Zoroark.
• 1 Unfair Stamp, 1 Special Red Card: Hand disruption that only works when you're behind (Stamp) or the opponent is close to winning (Red Card). These are comeback tools, so one of each is enough.

Stadiums and Energy

2 N's Castle gives N's Pokémon free retreat, which matters with the Retreat 2 Zoroark and Zekrom. It works for both players, so it helps an opposing N's deck just as much. 2 Team Rocket's Watchtower turns off Colorless Pokémon's Abilities. Basic Box's Mega Kangaskhan ex and Meowth ex are both Colorless (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Play Watchtower as a targeted counter, not as a default Stadium. 8 Darkness Energy is lean on purpose. Trade and Ultra Ball put Energy into the discard, and PP Up and Stretcher bring it back, so the discard pile works as part of your Energy supply.

The Decklist

This is the 60 cards that took Top 4 at Moujii's Dojo on 2026-10-22 (197 players), played by kostis. The list runs 17 Pokémon, 35 Trainers, and 8 Energy, and costs about $50 at TCGplayer market prices. Notes marked Flex are the slots you can tune for your field. Unmarked cards are the engine and should stay at these counts.

Pokémon (17)

Trainer (35)

Energy (8)

Reading the flex slots

The single-copy techs fall into two groups: tempo pieces and disruption. Budew, Yveltal, and Black Belt's Training buy you tempo or reach. N's Purrloin, Judge, Unfair Stamp, and Special Red Card attack the opponent's hand.

Before you change any of them, check what the card does for the rest of the list:

• Purrloin is also an extra 70 HP Poffin target.
• Yveltal is also your free-retreat answer to a bad Active Spot.

Watchtower. The Watchtower count depends on how many Colorless Ability Pokémon you expect to face. Remember it switches off your own Meowth ex too.

Binding Mochi. The pair of Mochi only pays off when you are actually Poisoning your own attacker. If you cut Pecharunt ex or Janine's Secret Art, cut the Mochi with them.

Opening Hands & Setup

You can't mulligan a bad hand, so the deck's search package has to rescue it. You have four Buddy-Buddy Poffin, four Ultra Ball, two Poké Pad, two Cyrano, four Lillie's Determination and a Meowth ex that searches out any Supporter. That covers almost any opening that has one search card in it. The real question is how much of your turn-two attack you can line up on turn one.

What a Strong Opening Looks Like

The ideal turn-two board is an N's Zoroark ex in the Active Spot with two Darkness Energy and an N's Zekrom on the Bench. Night Joker costs only two Darkness, so a Benched Zekrom lets your Zoroark use Rampaging Thunder without paying its Fire and Lightning cost. Everything on turn one serves that board.

• Best case: N's Zorua or Buddy-Buddy Poffin, plus a Darkness Energy, plus Lillie's Determination or Ultra Ball. You bench two Zorua, attach, and draw or search into Zekrom.
• Good: any Basic plus one of the search Items. Poké Pad finds Zorua or Zekrom, since neither has a Rule Box. Ultra Ball finds anything and puts Energy in the discard pile at the same time.
• Weak: a lone Fezandipiti ex or Pecharunt ex with no Supporter and no search. You're relying on the top of your deck, and you've started a two-Prize Pokémon in the Active Spot.
• Awkward but playable: Meowth ex as your only Basic. Its Last-Ditch Catch works only when you play it from your hand onto the Bench, so starting with it wastes the search. Attach to it anyway and play for a topdecked Item. If you have a Supporter, Lillie's Determination at six Prize cards draws 8 and gets you out.

Choosing Your Active

Rank your starters roughly in this order:

1. Budew: Retreat 0, and Itchy Pollen costs nothing. If you're going second, it attacks on your first turn and stops your opponent from playing Items during their next turn. Its 30 HP makes it a Prize your opponent can take easily. That's acceptable, because a Knock Out on your side turns on Unfair Stamp and Flip the Script.
2. Yveltal: Retreat 0 and a single-Prize body. It's a clean pivot that never strands you.
3. N's Zorua: fine once N's Castle is down, since N's Pokémon then have no Retreat Cost. Without the Stadium, a 70 HP Active Zorua is exposed, and you want to keep all four Zorua available for evolution.
4. Munkidori / N's Purrloin / N's Zekrom: start one only if it's your only Basic. Zekrom in the Active Spot isn't on the Bench, which is where Night Joker needs it.
5. Pokémon ex: last resort. Pecharunt ex at least has an upside: from the Active Spot, Subjugating Chains can swap in a Benched Darkness Pokémon such as Zoroark.

Turn-One Priorities

1. Bench two N's Zorua. Use Buddy-Buddy Poffin for both. If you need a starter, Poffin can take Zorua plus Budew instead, since both are 70 HP or less. A second Zoroark is your next attacker after Rampaging Thunder locks the first one out of attacking next turn.
2. Get N's Zekrom onto the Bench. Use Poké Pad or Ultra Ball. Without it, your turn-two attack is a much weaker one.
3. Attach Darkness Energy to the Zorua you plan to evolve and attack with. Your manual attachment next turn then completes Night Joker.
4. Put a Darkness Energy in the discard pile. An Ultra Ball discard is the natural way to do it. N's PP Up only works with a Basic Energy already in your discard pile, so this sets up your second attacker.
5. Don't play Team Rocket's Watchtower early if Meowth ex is still in your deck. Watchtower removes Abilities from Colorless Pokémon, and Meowth ex is Colorless.

Against decks that spread damage onto the Bench, such as Dragapult, whose Phantom Dive puts 6 damage counters on Benched Pokémon, don't bench Budew or extra 70 HP Basics just to fill space. Bench what your turn-two plan needs.

Turn-Two Priorities

1. Evolve into N's Zoroark ex and use Trade right away. Discard Energy if you still need a PP Up target. Otherwise discard a spare Stadium or a situational card.
2. Make your manual attachment to the Active Zoroark. If turn one gave you no attachment, use Janine's Secret Art instead: it puts Darkness Energy on two Darkness Pokémon at once. If one of them is your Active, it becomes Poisoned, which turns on Binding Mochi.
3. Use N's PP Up on the Benched Zorua or Zoroark so the next attacker is already started.
4. Attack with Night Joker, choosing Rampaging Thunder from the Benched N's Zekrom.

Going First or Second

Choose to go second by default. Neither player can evolve on their first turn, so Zoroark comes online on your second turn whether you go first or second. Going second still gives you the first attack of the game. That makes a turn-one Itchy Pollen possible, which blocks Items on your opponent's following turn while they're trying to set up. You also still have all six Prize cards for the 8-card Lillie's Determination, and any early Knock Out your opponent takes powers Unfair Stamp, Fezandipiti ex and Pecharunt ex.

Choose to go first only against a deck that barely relies on Items and can't take a Prize with its first attack. In that case, going first gets your turn-two Zoroark into play before your opponent's second turn, and that tempo is worth more than the Item lock. In the mirror, go second: the player going second is the one who gets to land the Budew lock.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Order of Operations Each Turn

1. Search Items first. Play Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad and Ultra Ball before drawing. Every card they pull out of the deck improves the draws that follow. When Ultra Ball asks for discards, pitch Darkness Energy whenever you can. It is fuel for N's PP Up and Night Stretcher.
2. Bench Meowth ex before any Team Rocket's Watchtower is played. Meowth ex is Colorless, so your own Watchtower shuts off Last-Ditch Catch. Grab the Supporter first, then drop the Stadium.
3. Supporter, then Trade. Lillie's Determination shuffles your hand away, so a Trade used before it costs you a card and nets nothing you keep. Use Trade after the Lillie's draw. Trade first only when its two cards could turn up Boss's Orders or Black Belt's Training and change which Supporter you play.
4. Energy, Tool, switch, Munkidori, attack. Abilities can't be used once you attack, so Munkidori and Pecharunt ex always go before Night Joker.

Turns One and Two

Lillie's Determination draws 8 only while you have exactly 6 Prize cards remaining. Spend your copies early instead of holding one past your first Knock Out. Your turn-one Bench target is two N's Zorua plus one N's Zekrom, and Buddy-Buddy Poffin can fetch both Zorua. A Zekrom on the Bench is what makes Night Joker worth paying for.

On your first attacking turn, the strongest Supporter is often Janine's Secret Art. Put one Energy on the Active N's Zoroark ex and one on Munkidori. The Active Zoroark becomes Poisoned, which turns on Binding Mochi, and Munkidori now has the Darkness Energy that Adrena-Brain needs. Your manual attachment completes the second Energy for Night Joker.

Without Janine's, build the attacker on the Bench. N's PP Up only targets Benched N's Pokémon, so power up a Benched Zoroark with PP Up plus your attachment, put Mochi on it, then pull it Active with Subjugating Chains. That one switch also Poisons it, which turns on Mochi.

The Damage Math

Night Joker copying Rampaging Thunder from a Benched N's Zekrom deals 250 for two Darkness Energy. Stack the bonuses on top of that.

Munkidori needs damage counters on one of your Pokémon to move. Poison ticking on your own Zoroark between turns supplies them, and so does opposing spread. The Mega Pokémon ex in that table give up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out, according to the third-party rules listing in our research (source: Scrydex, accessed 2026-10-19). That makes them the highest-value Boss's Orders targets you will see.

Branch Points

• Thunder or Shred? Rampaging Thunder stops the Zoroark that used it from attacking next turn. If the copied Shred's 70 takes the Knock Out, use Shred and keep that Zoroark live. Shred also ignores effects on the opponent's Active Pokémon, so it is your answer to damage-reduction effects.
• Rotating attackers. After a Thunder, N's Castle lets the locked Zoroark retreat for free into your second Zoroark. If that second Zoroark is Benched, Subjugating Chains brings it up Poisoned and turns on your second Mochi in the same action.
• Boss's Orders or damage Supporter? Play Boss's when the Benched target is in range or worth more Prizes than the Active. Play Black Belt's Training when the Active is the ex you need gone and you are 40 short.
• N's Purrloin on the Bench. Night Joker can copy Thieving Swipe. When no Knock Out is available, take their Boss's Orders or their best search card to bottom-deck.
• Team Rocket's Watchtower timing. Against decks built around Colorless Pokémon with Abilities, such as the Meowth ex that Basic Box lists run (source: Limitless online Top 8 lists, Oct 5–19, 2026), play Watchtower before they set up. Do it after your own Meowth has already searched.

Playing Around Bench Spread

Dragapult was the most represented archetype in online Top 8s during the research window (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5–19, 2026). Its Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters across your Bench. A fresh 70-HP N's Zorua survives one Phantom Dive but not two. Budew dies to it outright, and N's Zekrom takes it once.

• Evolve every Zorua the turn after it takes damage, and don't Bench a Zorua you can't evolve next turn.
• Bench Budew only for a turn where Itchy Pollen's Item lock actually disrupts their setup.
• Use Munkidori to move spread counters off a damaged Benched Pokémon onto their Active. Their spread becomes part of your Knock Out.
• After they take a Knock Out, use Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script, and consider Unfair Stamp to cut their hand to 2.

Closing Out

Hold Special Red Card until the opponent's hand is strong and they sit at 3 or fewer Prize cards. They will usually be dropping to 3 cards from a bigger hand at the exact moment they need to close. Judge covers the same role earlier in the game. Late in the game, Pecharunt ex's Irritated Outburst deals 60 for each Prize card your opponent has taken. Once they have taken 4 or more, it is a 240+ attacker that doesn't need Zekrom on the Bench.

Matchup Matrix

Dragapult (all variants)

Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026), so this is the matchup to know cold. Phantom Dive does 200 to the Active Spot and places 6 damage counters across your Bench. N's Zoroark ex at 280 HP survives the hit. N's Zorua and N's Purrloin survive one spread at 70 HP, but not two. Budew dies to any spread, so only bench it to lock Items on turn one.

Your kill on a 320 HP Dragapult ex is N's Zoroark ex using Night Joker to copy Rampaging Thunder from a Benched N's Zekrom for 250. Add Binding Mochi on a Poisoned Zoroark for 40, then 30 more from Munkidori. That reaches exactly 320. Black Belt's Training instead of Munkidori gets you to 330.

Their spread works in your favor here, because it gives Adrena-Brain damage counters to move. Pecharunt ex is your way to Poison the Zoroark, which turns on Mochi. Rampaging Thunder stops that Zoroark from attacking next turn. With N's Castle down, retreat it for free into your second Zoroark.

The Blaziken and Dusknoir partners change how fast the damage arrives, not the core math. For their side, see our Dragapult Standard guide, Dragapult Blaziken Standard guide, and Dragapult Dusknoir Standard guide.

Basic Box

Basic Box is almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex, so Black Belt's Training is live against every target.

• Mega Kangaskhan ex: 300 HP. Rampaging Thunder plus Black Belt does 290. Add Mochi or Munkidori and it goes down, which is 3 Prize cards.
• Team Rocket's Watchtower: Mega Kangaskhan ex and their Meowth ex are Colorless, so Watchtower turns off their Abilities. It also turns off your own Meowth ex, so fetch your Supporter with it before you drop the Stadium.
• Tera Ogerpon: On the Bench, Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex take no damage from attacks, so Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow can't reach them. Adrena-Brain moves damage counters rather than dealing attack damage, so it still can. Otherwise, use Boss's Orders to bring them into the Active Spot.
• Your survival: Rapid-Fire Combo's 200 base damage does not KO a Zoroark at 280 HP. Only multiple heads does.

For their side, see our Basic Box Standard guide.

Lucario Hariyama

Mega Brave does 270, which leaves your Zoroark at 10 HP. Mega Brave also can't be used again on the following turn. Use that window, and let Munkidori move those counters onto their board.

The danger is your Fighting-weak Pokémon ex. Meowth ex, Fezandipiti ex and Pecharunt ex all go down to a single Aura Jab after Weakness. Bench them only when you are using them that turn.

A 340 HP Mega Lucario ex takes every piece you have: Rampaging Thunder, Black Belt, Mochi and Munkidori add up to 360. If you can't assemble all of them, two-shot it. Taking 3 Prizes in one KO still swings the race. For their side, see our Lucario Hariyama Standard guide.

N's Zoroark Mirror

Rampaging Thunder plus any one boost (Black Belt, Mochi, or Munkidori's 30) KOs an opposing N's Zoroark ex. Whoever lands that first, with a second Zoroark ready to attack behind it, usually wins the race.

• Thieving Swipe: Copy N's Purrloin's attack through Night Joker to bottom-deck their Boss's Orders or energy acceleration.
• Comeback tools: Unfair Stamp and Judge punish their Trade-filled hand after you fall behind.
• Bench liabilities: Their Zoroark hits your Munkidori for Darkness Weakness, so don't leave it exposed with no Energy.
• Stadiums: N's Castle gives both players free retreat. Don't play it on a turn where you need their Active stuck in place.

Evolution-Heavy Setup Decks

Against Stage 2 piles like Alakazam Dudunsparce, Budew's Itchy Pollen on turn one stops their Item-driven setup. Follow up with Cruel Arrow and Boss's Orders on undeveloped Basics. Any Pokémon ex they bench, such as Lillie's Clefairy ex, is a Black Belt target.

If their attackers are Grass type, respect the Grass ×2 Weakness on your whole Zorua line.

Single-Prize Attrition

Here Black Belt's Training is dead, and every N's Zoroark ex you lose is 2 Prizes against their 1.

• Lean on single-Prize attackers: N's Zekrom's Shred and Yveltal's Dark Feather.
• Keep extra Pokémon ex off the Bench.
• Late, Pecharunt ex's Irritated Outburst grows with every Prize they have taken.
• Save Special Red Card for when they reach 3 Prizes, so their last turns run on a fresh 3-card hand.

Tech Choices & Variations

Most of this 60 is load-bearing. The 4-4 Zoroark line, 4 Lillie's Determination, 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin, 4 Ultra Ball, N's PP Up and the Darkness Energy count are the engine, and cutting into them to fit techs costs more games than any tech wins. The real flex sits in the single-copy Pokémon, the one-of Supporters and disruption Items, and the Stadium split. Make every change one-for-one inside those slots.

The Stadium split: 2 N's Castle / 2 Team Rocket's Watchtower

N's Castle is your mobility. Pecharunt ex can only pull Benched Darkness Pokémon, and N's Zekrom is Dragon type. That leaves Castle as your clean way to rotate a Retreat 2 Zekrom or Zoroark without spending Energy. Don't go below 2.

Team Rocket's Watchtower is a hate card for Colorless Abilities. Basic Box played Meowth ex in all 17 of its online Top 8 lists (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026), so Watchtower switches off their Supporter search. It also blanks your own Meowth ex, so play your Meowth before you drop the Tower. If Basic Box is the deck you expect most, 3 Watchtower / 1 Castle is defensible. In a field heavy on the mirror, keep in mind that Castle frees the opposing N's Pokémon too.

Single-Prize attackers: Yveltal, N's Purrloin, Budew

• Yveltal is your best answer to Dhelmise. Dhelmise, Shuppet and Banette are all Psychic with Darkness Weakness, so Dark Feather hits for 220 and Clutch traps a Pokémon in the Active Spot. Dhelmise/Banette finished 4th at Louisville (source: Limitless TCG, Regional Louisville, Oct 10, 2026). If it's popular at your locals, a second Yveltal over Budew is the swap.
• N's Purrloin is a copyable attack for Night Joker. Thieving Swipe takes their best card out of hand every turn from the safety of the Bench. It is the cheapest disruption in the list and should stay.
• Budew is turn-one Item lock with a free attack. It is strongest against setup decks that lean on Item search. It is weakest against spread: at 30 HP it dies to almost anything. Cut it first when you need a slot.

Damage math techs: Black Belt's Training, Binding Mochi, Munkidori

These three decide which big Pokémon ex you can KO in one hit. A Night Joker Rampaging Thunder hits for 250. Here is what each piece adds:

• Black Belt's Training adds 40, for 290.
• A Poisoned Zoroark holding Binding Mochi adds another 40, for 330. That clears Dragapult ex at 320 and Mega Kangaskhan ex at 300.
• Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP. Against it, add the 3 counters from Munkidori's Adrena-Brain.

Against a field of Mega Pokémon ex and Dragapult, a second Black Belt's Training over Judge is reasonable. It does nothing against single-Prize Dhelmise, so don't make that swap blind.

A second Munkidori is the anti-Dragapult tech. Phantom Dive spreads 6 damage counters across your Bench, and two Adrena-Brains move that damage back. Dragapult archetypes took 60 of 176 online Top 8 slots across their variants (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Expect to face it. The cost is a slot from Budew or Yveltal.

Disruption Items: Judge, Unfair Stamp, Special Red Card

All three are conditional or symmetrical:

• Unfair Stamp only works after you lose a Pokémon.
• Special Red Card only works when your opponent is at 3 or fewer Prize cards.
• Judge hits both hands.

Keep at least one of the late-game pair, because comebacks are how this deck steals games it was behind in. If you need room for Black Belt's Training or a third Night Stretcher, Judge is the softest of the three.

The two-Prize singletons: Pecharunt ex, Fezandipiti ex, Meowth ex

These three are Fighting-weak and give up two Prize cards each. That matters against Lucario Hariyama.

• Pecharunt ex is the piece that enables the Mochi package. Cutting it means cutting Binding Mochi too, leaving Janine's Secret Art as your only way to Poison your attacker, and that only works when Janine's attaches Energy to your Active Pokémon. Don't cut it alone.
• Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow cannot damage Benched Tera Ogerpon ex. Against Basic Box its value is mostly the draw.
• Meowth ex is consistency. Keep it unless you're running 3 Watchtower, which leaves it blanked more often.

Tuning by expected field

Make at most two of these changes at once. Every swap above trades away some value in another matchup, and the stock list is already balanced across the field you're likely to see.

Budget Options

At an estimated total of about $50 (TCGplayer market prices; approximate), this list is already one of the cheaper ways to play a competitive Standard deck. "Budget" here mostly means getting the core playable now and adding the last few pieces later, without gutting what makes the deck work.

Where the Money Likely Sits

The cost is likely concentrated in the Rule Box Pokémon and the heavily played staple Supporter. Items, Stadiums, and basic Energy usually make up the cheap end of a list. The cards most likely to drive the total are:

• N's Zoroark ex: four copies of the deck's main attacker and draw engine.
• The singleton ex package: Pecharunt ex, Fezandipiti ex, Meowth ex.
• Lillie's Determination: four copies of the primary draw Supporter.

What You Cannot Cut

Do not trim these to save money. Without them, you are playing a different, worse deck:

• 4 N's Zorua / 4 N's Zoroark ex. Trade is your card flow, and Night Joker is your damage. Thinning this line breaks both.
• 2 N's Zekrom. Night Joker can copy Rampaging Thunder for two Darkness Energy, which is your big hit. Without a Benched Zekrom, Zoroark has nothing worth copying.
• 4 Lillie's Determination, 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin, 4 Ultra Ball, and 3 N's PP Up. These are the setup and Energy engine.

The Budget Build: Cut the Singleton ex Package

The cleanest budget version removes the three tech ex. Fill those slots with extra copies of cards already in the list, so there is nothing new to buy.

Why these particular replacements:

• Extra Poké Pad: with no ex left except Zoroark, nearly every other Pokémon in the deck lacks a Rule Box, so Pad hits almost anything.
• Cyrano: its role shrinks to "find up to three N's Zoroark ex." That is still useful mid-game, so both copies stay.
• Second Black Belt's Training: it gives back some of the damage you lost from Binding Mochi, but only against opposing Pokémon ex.

The trade-off is real. The budget build is more linear and much weaker when you fall behind on Prize cards. With Fezandipiti ex gone, the only card in the list that rewards you for losing a Pokémon is Unfair Stamp.

There is one small upside. Team Rocket's Watchtower removes Abilities from Colorless Pokémon on both sides, which includes your own Meowth ex. Once Meowth is out of the list, you can play the Stadium without hurting yourself.

Upgrade Path

Add the ex back one at a time, in this order:

1. Fezandipiti ex first, if your field is full of spread damage. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Its Phantom Dive puts 6 damage counters on your Bench, enough to Knock Out a Benched N's Zorua or Budew. Every one of those Knock Outs turns on Flip the Script, so against this field Fezandipiti pays for itself immediately. When you add it, cut the extra Boss's Orders.
2. Pecharunt ex together with 2 Binding Mochi. Buy these as a package, because Mochi without a reliable Poison source is a dead card. Subjugating Chains moving a powered-up Darkness Pokémon Active and Poisoning it is what makes the Mochi damage bonus a planned play instead of a lucky one. When you add the package, cut the extra Night Stretcher, the second Black Belt's Training, and the fourth N's PP Up.
3. Meowth ex last. It is the most replaceable of the three. The extra Poké Pad and four Lillie's Determination already cover a lot of its consistency job. When you add it, remember that your own Team Rocket's Watchtower turns its Ability off.

If you only ever buy one upgrade, make it the Pecharunt ex plus Binding Mochi package. It restores both your switching and your damage ceiling, which are the two things the budget build misses most in close games.

Common Mistakes

1. Expecting Night Joker to Copy Every Attacker on Your Bench

Night Joker can only copy attacks from Benched N's Pokémon. That means N's Zekrom, N's Purrloin, and N's Zorua. It cannot copy Yveltal, Munkidori, Fezandipiti ex, or Pecharunt ex.

Players often plan a turn around a borrowed attack that was never available. Before you commit your Supporter, check which N's Pokémon are actually on your Bench. If the KO needs 250 from Rampaging Thunder, N's Zekrom has to be on the Bench before you attack. Getting it there is a job for Poké Pad or Ultra Ball, not a hope for next turn.

2. Forgetting That Rampaging Thunder Locks Your Zoroark

When N's Zoroark ex uses Rampaging Thunder through Night Joker, "this Pokémon can't use attacks" applies to the Zoroark, not the Benched N's Zekrom. If that Zoroark is still Active next turn, it does nothing. Plan the pivot before you swing:

• Keep N's Castle in play so the locked Zoroark retreats for free into a second, powered Zoroark.
• Or use Pecharunt ex's Subjugating Chains to bring in a Benched Darkness Pokémon.

Also, don't fire 250 when Shred's 70 already takes the KO. Shred carries no drawback, and it ignores effects on the opponent's Active Pokémon, so it also gets through effects that would otherwise reduce or stop your damage.

3. Treating Trade Discards as Throwaways

Trade costs a card every time, and that discard is fuel. N's PP Up attaches Basic Energy from your discard pile, so an early discarded Darkness Energy becomes free acceleration later. If your discard pile is empty of Energy, your N's PP Up copies are dead.

The opposite error is pitching something you can't replace. Watch for:

• Your last Boss's Orders.
• Your only Janine's Secret Art.
• A Zorua you need for your second Zoroark.

Night Stretcher can recover a Pokémon or a Basic Energy, but only one card. Count what's left in your deck before you discard.

4. Trying to PP Up the Active Spot

N's PP Up only targets Benched N's Pokémon. It can't power your Active Zoroark mid-turn, and it can't power Munkidori at all, because Munkidori isn't an N's Pokémon. Plan around both limits:

• Use your manual attachment on the Active attacker.
• Pre-load the next Zoroark from the Bench with PP Up.
• Get Energy onto Munkidori through your manual attachment or Janine's Secret Art.

Without Darkness Energy attached, Munkidori's Adrena-Brain doesn't work.

5. Dropping Team Rocket's Watchtower on Your Own Meowth

Team Rocket's Watchtower shuts off the Abilities of every Colorless Pokémon in play, and Meowth ex is Colorless. If Watchtower is down, benching Meowth gets you nothing. Bench Meowth first, take the Supporter, then play Watchtower.

Remember that Watchtower also replaces your own N's Castle. Ask yourself whether you need free retreat this turn or next before you trade it away. Against lists built on Colorless Pokémon with Abilities, such as Basic Box's Mega Kangaskhan ex and Meowth ex, Watchtower is a real weapon. That makes it worth timing for the turn it matters most, not playing on autopilot.

6. Wasting Poison Without Binding Mochi Ready

Binding Mochi gives a Poisoned Pokémon 40 more damage, which is often the difference in Zoroark's KO math. Two cards here Poison your own Active:

• Subjugating Chains always Poisons the Pokémon it brings in.
• Janine's Secret Art Poisons your Active if it attached Energy there.

The mistake is triggering that Poison on a Pokémon that has no Mochi attached, or doesn't attack this turn. Then you just take checkup damage for nothing. Attach Mochi first, then Poison, then attack.

Let Munkidori clean up afterward. Moving 3 damage counters off your Poisoned attacker onto an opposing Pokémon turns self-damage into progress on your next KO.

7. Sequencing Draw Backwards

If Lillie's Determination is already in your hand, play it before you Trade. Trading first digs two cards that Lillie's immediately shuffles back. You keep only the discard and lose the information from a fresh hand. Lillie's first, then Trade from the new six or eight cards.

The eight-card mode needs exactly 6 Prize cards remaining. Once you take your first Prize, that bonus is gone. Spend Lillie's early while it's at full power, rather than holding it "for later."

8. Mistiming the Comeback Cards

Three cards in this list are conditional, and holding them wrong turns them into dead cards:

• Unfair Stamp works only if one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn.
• Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script has that same condition.
• Special Red Card needs your opponent at 3 or fewer Prize cards.

The common error is spending these the first turn you're allowed to. Instead, line them up with the turn you also have a KO set up. An opponent with a two-card hand after Stamp, facing a Boss's Orders on their best Pokémon, is the real swing.

Pecharunt ex's Irritated Outburst follows the same logic. It does 60 damage for each Prize card your opponent has taken, so it is a late-game finisher, not an early attacker.

Finally, every Rule Box Pokémon you bench "just in case" is two Prizes your opponent can take. Against spread decks like Dragapult, which puts damage counters on your Bench, bench Fezandipiti ex and Pecharunt ex only when you'll use them. If you don't need them, don't bench them.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice Before the Event

• Trade discards. Each Trade costs you a card, and that cost decides more games than the draw does. Drill the priority: discard Darkness Energy you can reclaim with N's PP Up, spare Supporters past the one you need, and dead late-game Basics. Discard a single copy of a key piece only when Night Stretcher is still live to get it back.
• Bench construction against spread. Dragapult was the most-represented archetype, with 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). Its Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters across your Bench every attack. Your N's Zorua and N's Purrloin sit at 70 HP and Budew at 30. Practice benching only what you need that turn so you don't hand over cheap Prize cards.
• The 330 line. Run the full sequence until it's automatic:
  1. Bench N's Zekrom.
  2. Poison an Active N's Zoroark ex with Pecharunt ex.
  3. Make sure Binding Mochi is attached to that Zoroark.
  4. Play Black Belt's Training.
  5. Night Joker into Rampaging Thunder.
  That is 250 + 40 + 40 into an Active Pokémon ex. Dragapult ex (320 HP) and Mega Kangaskhan ex (300 HP) both fall to it. Mega Lucario ex (340 HP) needs 30 more, which is exactly what Munkidori supplies.
• Stadium timing. Rehearse when to drop N's Castle and when to drop Team Rocket's Watchtower, including holding one to replace the opponent's Stadium.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

• Night Joker only copies N's Pokémon. Your legal targets are Benched N's Zekrom, N's Purrloin, N's Zorua and another N's Zoroark ex. Yveltal, Munkidori, Fezandipiti ex and Pecharunt ex cannot be copied.
• Rampaging Thunder belongs to Zoroark, not Zekrom. The attack costs Fire, Lightning, Lightning and Colorless, and this list plays only Darkness Energy. N's Zekrom can attack on its own only with Shred, for three Darkness Energy. The 250 comes through Night Joker's two Darkness Energy.
• The Rampaging Thunder drawback hits your Zoroark. It says "this Pokémon can't use attacks" next turn. When Zoroark uses it, plan on that Zoroark being locked. Have a second attacker ready, or use N's Castle to retreat for free.
• Shred ignores effects on the opponent's Active Pokémon. It is your answer to damage-prevention effects. Copied through Zoroark, it still does only 70.
• Subjugating Chains pulls up Darkness Pokémon only. It can bring up N's Zoroark ex, but never N's Zekrom, which is Dragon type. It never targets Pecharunt itself, and the new Active is always Poisoned. Poison is what turns on Binding Mochi.
• Black Belt's Training is narrow. Its +40 applies only to the opponent's Active Pokémon ex. Against single-Prize attackers it adds nothing.
• Janine's Secret Art can't fuel Munkidori. It targets Darkness Pokémon, and Munkidori is Psychic. N's PP Up only attaches to Benched N's Pokémon. Munkidori's Darkness Energy has to come from your manual attachment.
• Munkidori turns your own damage into reach. Adrena-Brain moves counters from any of your Pokémon, including Poison counters on your own Zoroark.
• Watchtower shuts off your Meowth ex. It also shuts off theirs. Every Basic Box Top 8 list plays 3 Meowth ex (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026). If you need Last-Ditch Catch, bench Meowth ex before you play the Watchtower.
• N's Castle is symmetrical. It gives N's Pokémon free retreat on both sides, so in the mirror it helps your opponent too.
• Conditional cards have strict triggers.
  • Unfair Stamp and Flip the Script both need one of your Pokémon to have been Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn.
  • Special Red Card needs the opponent at 3 or fewer Prize cards.
  • Lillie's Determination draws 8 only at exactly 6 Prize cards remaining.

Time Management

This deck draws and shuffles constantly. Between Trade, Lillie's Determination, Ultra Ball, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad and Cyrano, a single turn can include several deck searches. Two habits keep you inside the round clock:

• Plan the turn before the first search. Decide which Supporter you're playing and what each search fetches before you touch the deck. Finding the wrong card off Ultra Ball wastes the time and the cards.
• Use Trade only when you need the cards. Late in the game, an extra draw that thins your hand into a Judge or Unfair Stamp-style disruption costs time and resources.

If you're ahead on Prize cards in game three, play steadily rather than fast. Your attackers trade efficiently enough that a clean finish beats a rushed one.

Final Assessment

This list is built for consistency first and damage second, and both halves hold up:

• Consistency. Four Lillie's Determination, a draw Ability on every Zoroark, and redundant search keep the engine running through disruption.
• Damage. The Poison, Tool and Supporter stack reaches the HP thresholds of the biggest Pokémon ex in the format.
• Psychic matchups. Dhelmise, Shuppet and Banette all carry Darkness Weakness, which is a real edge into that matchup.

The weaknesses are just as clear. The deck folds against a fast Bench-spread opponent if you overextend. It also asks for precise sequencing every turn, especially around Stadiums and the Rampaging Thunder lock.

N's Zoroark held 8 online Top 8 slots across 6 events (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5-19, 2026), and this build took Top 4 out of 197 players at Moujii's Dojo. At roughly $50, it is one of the most accessible competitive options available. It suits players who enjoy resource management and damage math more than a fixed linear script.

Learn the 330 line and the Night Joker restrictions, respect Phantom Dive when you build your Bench, and this deck rewards the reps you put in.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does N's Zoroark win games?

It puts an N's Zoroark ex in the Active Spot with two Darkness Energy and an N's Zekrom on the Bench, then uses Night Joker to copy Rampaging Thunder for 250 every turn. Three 250-damage KOs on Pokémon ex take all six Prizes, and the deck is built to finish that fast.

Why is N's Zekrom so important in this deck?

Night Joker always costs two Darkness Energy, so a Benched N's Zekrom lets Zoroark fire Rampaging Thunder for 250 without paying its Fire and Lightning cost. Without a Benched Zekrom, Zoroark has nothing worth copying, which is why the list runs two.

How do you get past 250 damage for big Pokémon ex?

A Poisoned Zoroark holding Binding Mochi hits 290, and adding Black Belt's Training against an Active ex reaches 330. Munkidori can add 30 more by moving damage counters, which covers Mega Lucario ex at 340 HP.

How do you keep attacking after Rampaging Thunder locks your Zoroark?

Use N's Castle to retreat the locked Zoroark for free into a second one, or use Pecharunt ex's Subjugating Chains to bring in a Benched Darkness Pokémon. If 70 already takes the KO, copy Shred instead, since it leaves that Zoroark free to attack next turn.

What are the hardest matchups for N's Zoroark?

Single-Prize attrition is unfavored, because your two-Prize attackers trade against an opponent who never gives up more than one. Dragapult, Lucario Hariyama and the mirror are rated even, while Basic Box and evolution-heavy setup decks are favored.

How should I build my Bench against Dragapult?

Phantom Dive places 6 damage counters across your Bench, so a 70 HP N's Zorua survives one spread but not two, and Budew dies outright. Bench only what you need that turn, evolve damaged Zorua right away, and use Munkidori to move spread counters onto their Active.

Is there a budget version of N's Zoroark?

The list already costs about $50. The budget build cuts Pecharunt ex, Fezandipiti ex, Meowth ex and the two Binding Mochi for extra copies of cards already in the list. If you only buy one upgrade back, make it Pecharunt ex plus Binding Mochi as a package.

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

Drill your Trade discards, Bench construction against spread, the full 330 damage line, and Stadium timing between N's Castle and Team Rocket's Watchtower. Also learn that Night Joker only copies N's Pokémon and that Rampaging Thunder locks your Zoroark.

Metagame Context

Built from kostis's Top 4 list at Moujii's Dojo (197 players, 2026-10-22), via the Limitless platform. Metagame context comes from a research brief dated 2026-10-19 covering 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-19, drawn from Limitless TCG event results; TCGdex; Scrydex. Card text and prices: TCGdex.

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