Slowking — Standard Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

Slowking is a single-Prize toolbox deck that turns the top of your own deck into an attack menu. Slowking's Seek Inspiration discards your top card, and if that card is a Pokémon without a Rule Box, Slowking uses one of that Pokémon's attacks as its own. On its own that's a coin flip with your deck. With Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking and Academy at Night stacking the top card, it becomes a choice. You pick the attack each turn, and you pay only Seek Inspiration's Psychic plus Colorless cost. This list took 2nd Place at Moujii's Dojo (2026-10-22, 197 players), played by Limitless user ThomasHxC.

The Engine

Every piece of the list supports one loop: put the right Pokémon on top, attack with Slowking, recover the discarded Pokémon, and do it again.

• Stacking: Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking searches any 2 cards and places them on top in your chosen order, which sets up this turn's and next turn's attacks. Academy at Night lets you put a card from hand on top once per turn, so it works as a stacking tool with no Supporter needed.
• Recursion: Seek Inspiration sends the copied Pokémon to the discard pile. Night Stretcher returns it to hand, and Academy at Night puts it back on top. Slowpoke's Dangle Tail does the same recovery job if the game goes long.
• Energy: Telepathic Psychic Energy thins Basic Psychic Pokémon onto your Bench as you attach. Wondrous Patch reloads Basic Psychic Energy from the discard pile onto a Benched Slowking. Boomerang Energy returns to its Pokémon whenever an attack's own effect discards it.

The Toolbox

The non-Rule Box Pokémon are mostly copy targets. Metagross and both Annihilape are Stage 2s with no Metang or Primeape in the list. They exist only to be revealed by Seek Inspiration.

• Kyurem — Trifrost: 110 damage to three of your opponent's Pokémon. Kyurem's printed cost is five Energy, but Slowking fires it for two. It discards all Energy from Slowking, so Boomerang Energy and Wondrous Patch are what make repeat Trifrosts possible.
• Metagross — Metallic Hammer or Bounce Back: Metallic Hammer is a flat 150, because Slowking holds no Metal Energy to discard for the bonus. Bounce Back does 60 and forces your opponent's Active to the Bench.
• Fighting Annihilape — Destined Fight: Both Active Pokémon are Knocked Out. You give up a one-Prize Slowking and take whatever big Pokémon ex is across from it. Tantrum does 130 if raw damage is enough.
• Psychic Annihilape — Ghostly Blow: 100 to the Active plus 5 damage counters on a Benched Pokémon. This sets up multi-Prize turns.
• Fallback: Super Psy Bolt does 120 with no top-deck needed whenever your stack fails.

The Support Shell

The Rule Box Pokémon keep the engine running without being its damage source.

• Mega Kangaskhan ex: A 300 HP Active that draws 2 per turn with Run Errand.
• Latias ex: Skyliner gives your Basics free retreat. That lets you draw with Kangaskhan, then pivot into Slowking without spending Switch, which matters because Slowking itself retreats for 3.
• Lillie's Clefairy ex: Turns the opponent's Dragon Pokémon Weak to Psychic. Since Slowking is Psychic, every copied attack into a Dragon Active doubles.
• Mew ex: Memory Helix uses a Benched Pokémon's attacks, so it can copy Seek Inspiration from a zero-retreat body.
• Utility: Fezandipiti ex refills after a Knock Out, Meowth ex finds a Supporter, and Lucky Helmet draws when the Active is hit.

Why the Plan Is Strong

Most single-Prize decks have one damage mode. This one has several, and you choose one each turn:

• Spread for Bench-heavy boards.
• A one-for-one KO trade against a Pokémon ex or Mega Evolution Pokémon ex.
• A gust effect.
• Bench snipe.
• Solid flat damage.

Your attackers give up one Prize each, while Destined Fight and Trifrost can take two or more per turn. The opponent has to race a deck that rarely hands them an efficient target.

The late game has its own tools. Lillie's Determination draws 8 when you're still at 6 Prizes, which pulls you out of slow starts. Special Red Card disrupts an opponent who is close to winning.

The Cost

The engine has internal friction you must manage. Lillie's Determination, Poké Pad, Ultra Ball, Secret Box, and Telepathic Psychic Energy all shuffle your deck and destroy a stack. Run Errand draws your top two cards, so it can pull the very card you just set. Play your shuffle effects first, stack last, and attack.

If you misorder that, Seek Inspiration reveals a Trainer and does nothing for the turn.

Who Should Pick It Up

Play this deck if you like solving the board each turn: counting Prizes, reading which attack the position calls for, and sequencing around your own shuffles. It rewards tight, deliberate play and deep familiarity with the list.

It punishes autopilot. If you want a deck that does the same powerful thing every turn with little decision load, look elsewhere. If you want a deck where better decisions turn into wins, this is it.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

The deck turns single-Prize Slowking into whatever attacker the board calls for. Seek Inspiration discards the top card of your deck, and if that card is a Pokémon without a Rule Box, Slowking uses one of its attacks. The deck's job is to make sure the right card is always on top. When it does that, every Slowking is a toolbox attacker for two Energy, and your opponent has to take six Prizes mostly off 120-HP Stage 1s that each cost them only one.

The Engine: Control the Top Card

Never flip blind. A Trainer, an Energy, or a Rule Box Pokémon on top means Seek Inspiration does nothing. The core loop each turn is:

1. Find the attacker. Poké Pad fetches any non-Rule Box Pokémon, which covers every copy target in the list. Ultra Ball and Night Stretcher also work.
2. Put it on top. Use Academy at Night to place it from your hand onto your deck.
3. Attack. Seek Inspiration discards it and copies the attack.

Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking is the Supporter version of this loop. It sets two cards: the attacker on top, and under it the card you want to draw next turn, such as Wondrous Patch or a Supporter. The copy targets have no Metang or Primeape to evolve from, so they never hit the board. They exist only to be discarded by Seek Inspiration, which makes Ultra Ball discards free value. Anything you pitch can be pulled back with Night Stretcher or Slowpoke's Dangle Tail.

The sequencing rule that matters most is to draw first, then stack. Lillie's Determination shuffles your deck, and Mega Kangaskhan ex's Run Errand draws off the top. Use both before you place your attacker. Academy at Night works only once per turn, so a draw after stacking means you can't restack.

The Attack Menu

Copied attacks use Seek Inspiration's [Psychic][Colorless] cost, not the original card's cost.

Destined Fight is your best Prize-trade play. You give up a one-Prize Slowking for their Active. Against a Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, that Active is worth three Prizes under the Mega rule (source: Scrydex, Mega Evolution expansion rules, accessed 2026-10-19). Trifrost costs you all of Slowking's Energy, but Boomerang Energy reattaches after the attack. The discarded Psychic Energy then feeds Wondrous Patch onto the next Benched Slowking. Fallback damage comes from Slowking's own Super Psy Bolt for 120, or from Mega Kangaskhan ex's Rapid-Fire Combo.

Lillie's Clefairy ex makes your opponent's Dragon Pokémon weak to Psychic. Slowking is Psychic, so every copied attack against a Dragon Active hits for double: Trifrost does 220 to the Active, and Metallic Hammer does 300. That puts 320-HP Dragapult ex (source: TCGdex, accessed 2026-10-19) in range of a Hammer plus a small amount of chip damage.

Posture

You are proactive in tempo, with an attack every turn from turn two, but reactive in what you attack with. Read the board, then pick the answer. Your Rule Box support Pokémon are liabilities if they get exposed. Keep Mega Kangaskhan ex out of the Active Spot unless you're using Run Errand that turn, because it is a three-Prize target. Bench only the ex you need. Fezandipiti ex refuels you after your opponent's KOs. It doesn't trigger off Destined Fight, because that KO happens on your turn. Lucky Helmet on an Active Slowking draws two when it's hit. Restack with Academy at Night afterward.

The Ideal Game

1. Turn one:
   • Attach Telepathic Psychic Energy to a Slowpoke to bench two more Basic Psychic Pokémon. Pick a second Slowpoke or Latias ex depending on the hand.
   • Play Lillie's Determination for eight cards while you have exactly six Prizes. Meowth ex fetches the Supporter if you're missing one.
   • Get Academy at Night into play. Secret Box finds it along with a Poké Pad, Supporter and Tool.
2. Turn two:
   • Evolve Slowking and give it a second Energy.
   • Pivot it into the Active Spot. With Latias ex in play, your Basics retreat for free. A good line is to start Mega Kangaskhan ex Active, Run Errand, retreat into a Benched Slowpoke, and evolve it Active. Otherwise use Switch.
   • Poké Pad your attacker, stack it, and fire.
3. Turn three onward:
   • Keep a second powered Slowking on the Bench every turn.
   • Use Night Stretcher to recycle the attackers you've discarded.
   • Use Trifrost early to set up multiple KOs, then clean up with Ghostly Blow or Hammer.
4. Closing: Once your opponent is at three or fewer Prizes, Special Red Card strips their hand to three cards and can stall their last attacker. Then Destined Fight or a final spread attack takes the remaining Prizes.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The Engine: Slowpoke and Slowking

4 Slowpoke, 3 Slowking. Everything here serves Seek Inspiration. For a Psychic and a Colorless Energy, it discards your top card and, if that card is a Pokémon without a Rule Box, you use one of its attacks as Seek Inspiration. The copied attack's printed cost never matters; you only pay for Seek Inspiration. Four Slowpoke is about hitting a Basic early and having bodies to fetch with Telepathic Psychic Energy. Three Slowking is enough because you can find them with Poké Pad and get them back with Night Stretcher and Dangle Tail. When nothing is stacked, Super Psy Bolt's flat 120 is your fallback.

The Targets: Cards You Never Play

Kyurem, Metagross and both Annihilape are ammunition. The list has no Metang or Primeape, and no Water or Metal Energy for Kyurem. They exist to be flipped by Seek Inspiration.

Metagross can't use its bonus because Slowking never holds Metal Energy, so read it as 150 flat. Two copies each of Kyurem and Metagross give you a reasonable chance of a live flip when you haven't stacked. A target you draw isn't dead either: Academy at Night puts it right back on top.

The Stacking Package

4 Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking, 4 Academy at Night. These turn a coin-flip attack into a chosen one. Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking sets up your next two Seek Inspirations in order, for example Kyurem to spread and then Metagross to finish the Active. Academy at Night lets you top-deck a target from hand every turn. Four of each is non-negotiable because the deck's damage depends on them.

One warning: Academy at Night works for both players. Your opponent can set their top card too, so put it down when you need it, not just because you have it.

4 Poké Pad. It searches only Pokémon without a Rule Box, which here means Slowpoke, Slowking and every target. A Poké Pad for Metagross followed by Academy at Night is a full tutor-to-top line with no Supporter spent.

The Rule Box Support Suite

• 2 Latias ex: Skyliner gives your Basics free retreat, so a Mega Kangaskhan ex starter or a stuck Slowpoke pivots out at no cost. Slowking is a Stage 1 and still pays 3, which is why Switch exists. Eon Blade's 200 is an emergency attack.
• 2 Mega Kangaskhan ex: A 300-HP Active that draws 2 each turn with Run Errand. Mega Pokémon ex give up three Prize cards when Knocked Out (source: Scrydex Mega Evolution rules page, accessed 2026-10-19). Use it as a draw platform, and don't leave it exposed late.
• 1 Mew ex: Memory Helix copies a Benched Slowking's Seek Inspiration from a body with zero retreat. That gives you a second attacker without a second evolution.
• 1 Lillie's Clefairy ex: Fairy Zone makes opposing Dragon Pokémon weak to Psychic. Dragapult ex is a Dragon (source: TCGdex, accessed 2026-10-19), and every Slowking attack, borrowed or not, is dealt by a Psychic attacker.
• 1 Fezandipiti ex: Flip the Script draws 3 after you lose a Pokémon. Cruel Arrow places 100 anywhere.
• 1 Meowth ex: Last-Ditch Catch finds any Supporter, usually Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking. Tuck Tail returns it to hand so you can use it again.

Draw and Search

4 Lillie's Determination is your main refresh. It draws 8 at six Prizes, which makes your opening turns explosive. 3 Ultra Ball covers the Rule Box Pokémon that Poké Pad can't. Its discard cost also loads Psychic Energy for Wondrous Patch and Pokémon for Night Stretcher. 1 Secret Box pulls a Supporter, Stadium, Tool and Item in one card, which can be a Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking, an Academy at Night and a Lucky Helmet in a single turn. It costs three cards, so save it for the turn the full package matters.

Energy and Recovery

• 4 Telepathic Psychic Energy: Attaching it to a Psychic Pokémon benches up to two Basic Psychic Pokémon. That means Slowpoke, Latias ex, Mew ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex all count, so it's Energy and setup at once.
• 4 Psychic Energy: These are the Basic Energy for Wondrous Patch and Night Stretcher to recycle.
• 2 Boomerang Energy: Trifrost discards all of Slowking's Energy. A Boomerang Energy discarded that way comes back after the attack, so your Colorless requirement survives. A single Wondrous Patch then restores the Psychic, and you're ready for Seek Inspiration again.
• 3 Wondrous Patch: Your acceleration. It needs a Benched Psychic target, so power up the next Slowking while the current one attacks.
• 3 Night Stretcher: Seek Inspiration sends targets to the discard pile. Night Stretcher gets them back, and Academy at Night puts them on top again. It also rescues Slowking or a Basic Energy.

Singletons

Switch exists because Slowking isn't covered by Skyliner. Lucky Helmet goes on an Active Mega Kangaskhan ex so taking a hit refunds 2 cards. Special Red Card is your late-game answer when the opponent is at three or fewer Prizes. It pushes their hand to the bottom and leaves them with 3 cards on the turn they're trying to close.

The Decklist

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

This is the 60 ThomasHxC would never need bracketed, so here it is plainly: ThomasHxC's 2nd-place list from Moujii's Dojo (2026-10-22, 197 players). It is 21 Pokémon, 29 Trainers and 10 Energy. Notes marked Flex are the slots you can reasonably adjust. Everything else is the engine.

Pokémon (21)

Trainer (29)

Energy (10)

Read the Pokémon section correctly and the list makes sense. There is no Metang line, no Primeape, and none of the Water or Metal Energy that Trifrost and Metallic Hammer ask for. Kyurem, Metagross and both Annihilape are never meant to hit the board. They exist to be discarded off the top by Seek Inspiration so Slowking can use their attacks.

The Trainer suite controls what gets flipped. Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking and Academy at Night set the top card, and Poké Pad puts the right target in your hand to place there.

The two copies of Annihilape are different cards. Register each one by its correct set number, and know which one you're stacking.

If you adjust the list, the singles in the Trainer section and Meowth ex are the safest places to cut. The target counts can shift between Kyurem and Metagross depending on whether you expect wide Benches or big single threats. Don't cut Wondrous Patch or Boomerang Energy without a plan for recovering Energy after Trifrost.

Opening Hands & Setup

You keep every hand that has a Basic, so the goal isn't finding the perfect seven. It's knowing which few cards turn a mediocre seven into a turn-two Slowking attack. Judge every opener on three questions: can you get Latias ex into play, can you get two Slowpoke onto the Bench, and do you have a Supporter for turn two?

Strong vs. Weak Openings

Strong openings have a Psychic Basic plus Telepathic Psychic Energy. Attaching it to Slowpoke (or Latias ex, Mew ex, or Lillie's Clefairy ex) searches out two Basic Psychic Pokémon. The standard grab is Slowpoke plus Latias ex, which builds your evolution line and your free-pivot engine with one attachment. Other strong starts:

• Mega Kangaskhan ex Active plus any search card. Run Errand draws 2 every turn it sits Active.
• Slowpoke plus Ultra Ball or Poké Pad, with Lillie's Determination for turn two. Remember Poké Pad can't find Latias ex, Mega Kangaskhan ex, or any other Rule Box Pokémon. Only Ultra Ball can.
• A copy of Kyurem, Metagross, or Annihilape in hand alongside Academy at Night. That hand already has its turn-two Seek Inspiration target without spending a Supporter.

Weak openings have Meowth ex or Kyurem as the only Basic, plus clumped Stage 2s and no draw. A Meowth ex that starts Active never triggers Last-Ditch Catch, because the Ability only works when you play it from hand onto your Bench. A hand full of Metagross and Annihilape isn't dead, though. Those cards are your attacks once Academy at Night puts them back on top of your deck, so keep them rather than pitching them to Ultra Ball unless you have to.

Which Basic to Start Active

1. Mega Kangaskhan ex. Run Errand only works from the Active Spot, and 300 HP soaks early attacks. Once Latias ex is down, you retreat it for free. The caveat: it gives up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out (per the Mega Evolution rules listing in our research), and it's weak to Fighting. Against Mega Lucario ex decks, get it out of the Active Spot quickly.
2. Latias ex. Skyliner works from the Active Spot too, so you have a free pivot immediately.
3. Mew ex. Its Retreat Cost is 0 with or without Latias, so you never get stranded.
4. Slowpoke. It's fine Active, and you can evolve it there, but its 80 HP is fragile if you go second into an early attacker.

Start Fezandipiti ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex, Meowth ex, or Kyurem only when you have no other Basic. Kyurem is the worst start. Its own Trifrost cost is realistically out of reach, and every copy in play is one fewer Seek Inspiration hit left in your deck.

Turn-One Priorities

1. Get Latias ex into play. Without it, Slowking has no clean path into the Active Spot except Switch.
2. Bench two Slowpoke, or three if the hand allows. You only run three Slowking, so a third Slowpoke mostly backs up a Knocked Out line.
3. Attach Energy to a Benched Slowpoke. Use Telepathic Psychic Energy if you have it, and only on a Psychic Pokémon. On Mega Kangaskhan ex it provides Energy but searches nothing.
4. If you're going first and have no Supporter for next turn, bench Meowth ex and grab Lillie's Determination or Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking.
5. If you're going second, Lillie's Determination draws 8 because you still have exactly 6 Prize cards. That's the best turn-one Supporter you can play.

Turn-Two Priorities

This turn, order matters more than card choice. Run Errand, Lillie's Determination, Ultra Ball, Poké Pad, Telepathic Psychic Energy, and Last-Ditch Catch all draw from or shuffle your deck. Do all of them before you set your top card, or you'll draw or shuffle away your own attack.

1. Draw and search first, including Run Errand.
2. Evolve to Slowking. Seek Inspiration needs a Psychic Energy plus one more Energy. Your second attachment can come from Wondrous Patch onto a Benched Slowking, if a Psychic Energy is already in the discard. Ultra Ball discards are a good way to put it there.
3. Set the top card last. Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking stacks two cards in any order. If you hold the target in hand, Academy at Night puts it on top and frees your Supporter for draw.
4. Pivot. Retreat your Basic Active for free under Skyliner and promote Slowking, keeping Switch for emergencies.

Going First or Second

Default to going first. The player going first can't attack or play a Supporter on turn one, so the cost to you is a Supporter-less turn one. Your setup survives that, because Telepathic Psychic Energy, Ultra Ball, and Meowth ex all work without a Supporter. In return, your turn-two Slowking attacks before the opponent's turn two. Against evolution decks, that means a Kyurem hit off Seek Inspiration can spread 110 across three Pokémon while their Stage 1s and Basics are still undeveloped. That matters in this field: Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). You also lose nothing on Lillie's Determination. You'll still have 6 Prize cards on turn two, so it still draws 8.

Choose second only when you expect a mostly-Basic deck, like Basic Box, whose setup doesn't depend on evolving. There's no evolving line to punish early, so a turn-one 8-card Lillie's Determination can be worth more than tempo. Against a Stage 2 deck, never give up the first attack.

Sequencing & Key Lines

The Turn Order That Protects Your Stack

Every turn with this deck comes down to one question: what is on top of your deck when Slowking uses Seek Inspiration? Anything that shuffles or draws after you set the top undoes your work. Run your turn in this order:

1. Draw first. Use Run Errand from an Active Mega Kangaskhan ex, and Flip the Script on Fezandipiti ex if you lost a Pokémon last turn. Lillie's Determination shuffles your hand away, so if it's your Supporter, play it now.
2. Search second. Play Poké Pad, Ultra Ball, and Secret Box, and attach Telepathic Psychic Energy. Each of these shuffles your deck.
3. Build the board. Evolve, play Wondrous Patch, use Night Stretcher, and attach your Pokémon Tool.
4. Stack last. Play Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking if it's your Supporter, then use Academy at Night as the final card you touch.
5. Pivot and attack. Retreat a Basic for free under Latias ex's Skyliner, promote the powered Slowking, and attack.

The most common mistake is using Run Errand after you've stacked. It draws your Kyurem straight into your hand.

The Core Loop

The cleanest engine doesn't need your Supporter. Use Poké Pad to find Kyurem, Metagross, or either Annihilape, since none of them has a Rule Box. Then use Academy at Night to put that card on top and attack. Seek Inspiration discards it, so next turn Night Stretcher brings it back and you run the loop again. That keeps your Supporter free for Lillie's Determination when you need cards.

Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking puts two cards on top, but your next draw step takes the second one. Choose that second card for your hand, not for an attack. A Night Stretcher or the next attacker are good picks. If the second card is the same target, you draw it and put it back with Academy at Night.

Energy Sequencing

Seek Inspiration costs [Psychic Colorless]. Trifrost then discards all Energy from Slowking, because the copied attack treats Slowking as "this Pokémon." Pay with Boomerang Energy whenever you can, because it reattaches after the attack. That leaves you one Energy attachment from attacking again.

The discarded Psychic Energy then fuels Wondrous Patch, which only targets a Benched Psychic Pokémon. This shapes your second-turn line:

• Discard Psychic Energy to Ultra Ball.
• Patch it onto your Benched Slowking.
• Attach for the turn.
• Retreat your Active Basic for free and promote Slowking.

Slowking has Retreat 3 and Skyliner doesn't cover Stage 1 Pokémon. Power it up on the Bench and promote it with a free retreat. Never plan to retreat it out.

Choosing the Top Card

Destined Fight trades your one-Prize Slowking for their multi-Prize Pokémon. Never route it through Mew ex's Memory Helix, because then you give up two Prizes instead of one.

Lillie's Clefairy ex turns Dragon Weakness into Psychic. Since Slowking is the attacker, Trifrost does 220 to an Active Dragon while still hitting two Benched Pokémon for 110 each. Bench Clefairy before your Kyurem turn, not after.

Playing Around Spread

Dragapult was the most-represented archetype in online Top 8s, with 37 of 176 slots (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). Its Phantom Dive deals 200 to the Active and places 6 damage counters across your Bench. Your Slowpoke have 80 HP.

• Limit exposure. Bench two Slowpoke at a time and evolve them the turn after. A third undeveloped Slowpoke is a Prize waiting to be taken.
• Answer the Dragapult ex directly. Dragapult ex has 320 HP. Clefairy-boosted Trifrost does 220 the first turn, and any follow-up finishes it. When it's Active and you can't take the Knock Out, Destined Fight is the clean answer.
• Use the Knock Outs. Once they take a Prize, Flip the Script draws you three cards. Use it before you stack, every time.

Playing Around Gust

Basic Box lists play 2–3 Boss's Orders (source: Limitless TCG online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). How bad a gust is depends on what they pull:

• A Basic: Skyliner lets it retreat for free, so the gust costs you nothing.
• Your only powered Slowking: this is the real threat. Hold Switch as long as you can; don't spend it on a convenience pivot that Skyliner already covers.

Against Basic Box, Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex are Tera Pokémon and take no attack damage while Benched. Aim Trifrost's Bench damage at their other Pokémon instead.

Small Edges

• Never use Seek Inspiration blind if you have any way to set the top card. A Trainer or a Rule Box Pokémon on top means the attack does nothing.
• Put Lucky Helmet on the Pokémon you expect to absorb hits Active, so you draw two cards on each hit.
• Save Special Red Card for the turn your opponent reaches 3 or fewer Prizes and has a full hand to lose.
• Your first Lillie's Determination at exactly 6 Prizes draws 8 cards. Play it before you take your first Knock Out.

Matchup Matrix

Dragapult

Dragapult is the deck to beat. It took 37 of 176 Top 8 slots (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5-19, 2026). Dragapult ex is a 320 HP Dragon. Your raw numbers fall short: a copied Metallic Hammer from Metagross does only 150 because Slowking has no Metal Energy to discard. Lillie's Clefairy ex changes that. Fairy Zone makes Dragapult ex weak to Psychic, so Latias ex's Eon Blade hits for 400, and a copied Tantrum hits for 260. Destined Fight from the Fighting Annihilape ignores HP entirely and trades one Prize for two.

Phantom Dive is 200 damage plus 6 damage counters on your Bench. That kills Slowking, and repeated turns of it chip down your Slowpoke and Clefairy.

Your plan:

• Bench Clefairy early.
• Bench only the Slowpokes you need.
• Recover Annihilape with Night Stretcher and put it back on top with Academy at Night so you can take a 2-for-1 every turn.
• A copied Trifrost puts 220 on the Active and 110 on two Benched Dreepy-line Pokémon. Use it to set up your follow-up KOs.

For that side of the matchup, see our Dragapult Standard guide, plus the Dragapult Dusknoir Standard guide and Dragapult Blaziken Standard guide.

Basic Box

Their board is almost entirely Basic Pokémon ex, so every KO you take is worth 2 or 3 Prizes. Their KOs on Slowking are worth only 1. Destined Fight on a Mega Kangaskhan ex takes 3 Prizes for 1. A copied Trifrost won't touch Benched Teal Mask or Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, because of their Tera protection. Aim the bench damage at Meowth ex, Fezandipiti ex, or Raging Bolt ex instead.

Basic Box runs 2-3 Boss's Orders in every list, so they will drag your Benched ex into the Active Spot. Keep Fezandipiti ex, Meowth ex and Mega Kangaskhan ex in hand unless you need them that turn.

Count Prizes carefully. Special Red Card appeared in 11 of 17 of their Top 8 lists (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5-19, 2026). Expect your hand to be reset once you're at 3 Prizes or fewer, and keep your top-of-deck setup already in place so a fresh draw doesn't strand you. Our Basic Box Standard guide covers their side.

Lucario Hariyama

Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP, so nothing you copy reaches it except Destined Fight. Each Destined Fight takes 3 Prizes, which means two loops plus one more KO wins the game. Mega Brave does 270, enough to KO anything you have. Mega Kangaskhan ex, Fezandipiti ex and Meowth ex are all Fighting-weak, so expose them as little as possible. Keep the Fighting Annihilape cycling between discard, hand and the top of your deck. See the Lucario Hariyama Standard guide.

N's Zoroark

N's Zoroark ex is a Darkness-type Pokémon. Any damage it deals hits Slowpoke, Slowking, Latias ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex for double. You can't out-tank that, so you have to out-trade it:

• Destined Fight its 280 HP ex.
• Spread Trifrost across the N's Zorua before they evolve.
• Use Mega Kangaskhan ex as your one non-Psychic attacker, but only when a Rapid-Fire Combo KO is reachable. It gives up 3 Prizes.

Alakazam Dudunsparce

This is a race against Stage 2 setup. A copied Trifrost or Ghostly Blow on Turn 2 can clear Abra and Dunsparce before they evolve. Their Lillie's Clefairy ex makes Dragon Pokémon weak to Psychic, and Kyurem is a Dragon. Leave Kyurem in your deck as a copy target and never bench it here.

Ogerpon Meganium Hydrapple

Tera Ogerpon is safe on their Bench, so point your spread and Ghostly Blow counters at their evolution lines. Take KOs on the Active Ogerpon with copied Tantrum or Destined Fight. See the Ogerpon Meganium Standard guide.

Psychic attackers and the mirror

Psychic decks like Dhelmise/Banette, along with Slowking mirrors, carry Darkness Weakness. Fezandipiti ex is your only Darkness Pokémon, and Cruel Arrow does 200 to a Darkness-weak Active, so it KOs an opposing Slowking. The cost is that Fezandipiti is a 2-Prize target, so attack with it only when the KO is guaranteed.

In the mirror, whoever controls the top card wins. Spend Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking early.

Other aggro

Treat these as a simple Prize race. Use Lucky Helmet on your Active to keep your hand full. Stack Annihilape every turn, and avoid benching ex you don't need.

Tech Choices & Variations

Most of this 60 is locked. The Slowpoke/Slowking line, four Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking, four Academy at Night, four Lillie's Determination, four Poké Pad and four Telepathic Psychic Energy are the engine. Without them you can't stack the top of your deck, and Seek Inspiration becomes a coin flip. The real flexibility sits in three places: the mix of non-Rule Box hit targets, the single-copy Trainers, and the Rule Box support Basics.

The hit-target mix

Kyurem, Metagross and the two Annihilape are not meant to hit the board. They exist to be discarded off the top by Seek Inspiration. Each one gives Slowking a different attack:

• Kyurem: Trifrost hits three Pokémon for 110 each. Slowking discards its Energy afterward, but Boomerang Energy comes back.
• Metagross: Metallic Hammer for a flat 150, since Slowking has no Metal Energy to discard for the bonus. Bounce Back pulls the opponent's Active to the Bench.
• Fighting Annihilape: Destined Fight trades your single-Prize Slowking for whatever they have Active.
• Psychic Annihilape: Ghostly Blow for 100 plus 5 damage counters on the Bench.

These slots are where you tune for the room:

• Second Fighting Annihilape over a Metagross: Take this if you expect Mega Pokémon ex. Destined Fight gives up one Prize to take three. You lose a 150-damage option for non-Mega targets, and you also lose Bounce Back.
• Fourth Slowking over a Metagross: This makes the attacker line more reliable against disruption and Bench spread. The cost is one fewer meaningful hit. A milled Slowking still copies an attack, but Super Psy Bolt at three Energy is the weakest result.
• Cutting a Kyurem: Only do this if you also cut Boomerang Energy. The two are a package. Boomerang without Trifrost is just a Colorless Energy that Wondrous Patch can't recover.

Single-copy Trainers

Keep Secret Box as long as you play the single Switch, Lucky Helmet and Special Red Card. Its discard cost also feeds Night Stretcher and Wondrous Patch, so it rarely costs you real resources.

Rule Box support Basics

Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex, Fezandipiti ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex, Mew ex and Latias ex are the deck's weak point. None of them hit off Seek Inspiration, and every one is a multi-Prize liability. Mega Kangaskhan ex gives up three Prizes under the Mega Evolution rule.

• Going down to one Mega Kangaskhan ex: Use the open slot for a fourth Ultra Ball if you're facing heavy Bench spread or Mega attackers that can take three Prizes in one hit. You give up redundancy on your best repeatable draw.
• Second Fezandipiti ex: This is a Darkness-type attacker. Cruel Arrow applies Weakness to the Active, so it pressures Psychic Pokémon weak to Darkness. Dhelmise, Shuppet and Banette all are, as is an opposing Slowking. Flip the Script can still only be used once per turn, so the second copy is an attacker, not more draw.
• Second Lillie's Clefairy ex: Insurance for Fairy Zone against Dragon-type threats. The cost is another 190-HP, two-Prize Basic on a Bench that spread attacks love to target.

Tuning for your local field

Dragapult-heavy rooms: Dragapult took 37 of 176 Top 8 slots across the 22 largest online Standard events (source: Limitless online platform Top 8s, Oct 5–19, 2026). Dragapult ex is a Dragon type, which makes Lillie's Clefairy ex your highest-value slot. Phantom Dive puts 6 damage counters across the Bench, so trim Rule Box bodies you don't need. A second Lillie's Clefairy ex or a fourth Slowking is reasonable. Keep both Kyurem to punish their Benched evolving Pokémon with Trifrost.

Basic Box rooms: Basic Box took 17 slots, and all 17 of those lists ran 3–4 Mega Kangaskhan ex (source: Limitless online platform Top 8s, Oct 5–19, 2026). Here the second Fighting Annihilape earns its spot. Expect Trifrost to underperform against their Bench: Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex are Tera Pokémon, and Tera Pokémon on the Bench take no damage from attacks.

Psychic-type rooms: If Dhelmise/Banette or opposing Slowking are common locally, add the second Fezandipiti ex. Cut Lucky Helmet or one Mega Kangaskhan ex to make room.

Unknown field: Leave the list as is. It already covers each of these strategies with one answer each. The only change worth making blind is a second Switch over Lucky Helmet if you find Slowking getting stuck Active in testing.

Budget Options

No estimated total comes with this list, so the useful question is which slots carry the cost and which ones you can't shortchange. The good news is that the engine that actually wins games, Slowking flipping single-Prize attackers off the top of your deck, isn't where the money sits.

Where the Cost Likely Sits

• The Pokémon ex package: Latias ex, Mega Kangaskhan ex, Mew ex, Fezandipiti ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex and Meowth ex. Several of these are shared with other top decks. Every Basic Box Top 8 list in the online data runs Mega Kangaskhan ex, Meowth ex, Latias ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex and Fezandipiti ex (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5–19, 2026). Demand from more than one archetype tends to keep a card's price up.
• Cross-archetype staples: Lillie's Determination, Poké Pad and Telepathic Psychic Energy appear as four-ofs in all four Dhelmise Top 8 lists (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5–19, 2026). Ultra Ball, Night Stretcher, Secret Box and Special Red Card are general-purpose Trainers any deck can use.
• Rarity: whatever the card, buy the lowest-rarity printing. It plays the same.

What You Can't Cut

The deck stops functioning without these:

• Slowpoke and Slowking.
• The non-Rule Box payloads: Kyurem, Metagross and both Annihilape.
• The top-deck setup: Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking and Academy at Night.
• The Energy recursion: Boomerang Energy and Wondrous Patch.

When Slowking copies Trifrost, it discards all its own Energy. Boomerang Energy comes back after the attack, and Wondrous Patch reloads basic Psychic Energy from the discard pile. Without those two pieces you can't repeat the attack.

Telepathic Psychic Energy also belongs on this list, even if it costs more. It is how you get multiple Slowpoke onto the Bench without spending your Items.

Budget Swaps and What You Give Up

Every swap below uses cards already in the 60, so you aren't buying anything new. You're just reallocating counts.

Run no more than two of these swaps at once. Each one is individually survivable, but together they strip the consistency that lets Slowking attack on schedule. A list that has already given up Mew ex and one Mega Kangaskhan ex is still recognizably the same deck. If you also cut Meowth ex and Secret Box, you stop being able to set up the top card on demand.

Upgrade Path

1. Engine first. Complete four Telepathic Psychic Energy, four Poké Pad and four Lillie's Determination before buying any ex. These decide whether you set up at all.
2. Lillie's Clefairy ex. Dragapult was the most common archetype in the online Top 8 data, with 37 of 176 slots (source: Limitless online Top 8s, Oct 5–19, 2026). Dragapult ex is a Dragon type (source: TCGdex, accessed 2026-10-19). Fairy Zone changes its Weakness to Psychic, which turns Slowking's damage into Knock Out numbers. Buy this before any other ex.
3. Meowth ex. A turn-one Supporter matters more than raw draw in a deck that depends on stacking its top card.
4. The second Latias ex. It replaces the extra Switch and makes your pivots free again.
5. Mega Kangaskhan ex, Secret Box, Fezandipiti ex. These are consistency upgrades. Buy them in whatever order your local field rewards: Kangaskhan for longer setup games, Fezandipiti against decks that take steady single Knock Outs.
6. Mew ex last. It adds the most luxury and the least core function of anything in the list.

The budget build loses ground in close games, not in its plan. It wins the same way the full list does. It just misses the setup turn more often.

Common Mistakes

1. Stacking the deck, then shuffling it

Every Ultra Ball, Poké Pad, Secret Box, Meowth ex drop, and Telepathic Psychic Energy attachment shuffles your deck. Lillie's Determination shuffles your whole hand back in. If you put Kyurem on top with Academy at Night and then Ultra Ball for a Slowpoke, Seek Inspiration is now a blind flip. The fix is to treat topdecking as the last action before you attack. Draw, search, evolve, and attach first. Then stack the top with Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking or Academy at Night. Then attack with nothing in between.

2. Drawing through your own stack

Several cards in this list draw off the top of your deck, and they take your stacked cards with them:

• Mega Kangaskhan ex's Run Errand.
• Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script.
• Lucky Helmet, which draws 2 during your opponent's turn.

Use Run Errand and Flip the Script before you set the top, never after. Also remember that a Helmet on your Active can pull the second card off a Codebreaking stack before your next turn starts. If you're relying on that second card staying on top, don't leave the Helmeted Pokémon in the Active Spot.

3. Treating Codebreaking as two Seek Inspirations

Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking puts two cards on top, but your draw for turn takes the second one. That is not two guaranteed copied attacks. It is one target now plus a tutored card in hand next turn. Order the stack with that in mind: the attack you need this turn goes on top, and a resource you want next turn goes second. If that second card is another non-Rule Box attacker, you can put it straight back on top with Academy at Night next turn and save your Supporter. The same Academy loop works with Night Stretcher: pull a discarded Kyurem or Metagross back to hand, top it, and attack. Seek Inspiration keeps refilling your discard with targets for exactly this.

4. Misreading what the copied attacks actually do

Seek Inspiration uses the copied attack's text exactly as written on Slowking, so read it that way:

• Trifrost discards all Energy from Slowking. Without Boomerang Energy attached, you strip your own attacker and give your opponent a free turn. Boomerang comes back after the attack. Your Psychic Energy does not.
• Metallic Hammer only adds its bonus if Slowking can discard three Metal Energy. This list runs none, so it's 150 damage, not 300. Plan your KOs on 150.
• Bounce Back lets your opponent choose their new Active. It is not a gust effect. Use it to strand something, not to target something.

Also aim Trifrost carefully into Basic Box. Those lists play Tera Ogerpon ex, and the Tera rule prevents all attack damage to them while they're on the Bench. Spending one of your three hits on a Benched Ogerpon wastes 110 damage.

5. Firing Destined Fight into bad trades

Destined Fight Knocks Out both Active Pokémon, so check what you're giving up before you use it:

• Your side: Off a Slowking, you give up one Prize card and one of only three Slowkings. If you copy Seek Inspiration with Mew ex and hit Destined Fight, you give up a Rule Box Pokémon, which is worth more than one Prize card.
• Their side: The best target is a Mega Pokémon ex, which gives you three Prize cards. Trading a Slowking for a single-Prize attacker is usually a loss of tempo, because you have to rebuild Slowking with Energy.
• Draw follow-up: The Knock Out on your side happens on your turn. It does not turn on Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script next turn, so don't count those 3 cards.

6. Parking Kangaskhan and forgetting Slowking's Retreat Cost

Mega Kangaskhan ex has to be Active to use Run Errand. It is also a Mega Pokémon ex, worth three Prize cards when it's Knocked Out. Draw with it early. Then retreat it for free under Latias ex before your opponent can attack it in the Active Spot.

Don't stretch that Latias logic further than it goes. Skyliner only covers Basic Pokémon, and Slowking is Stage 1 with a Retreat Cost of 3. If you promote a Slowking without Switch in hand, it is your attacker for the rest of that exchange. Promote a free-retreating Basic first. Then move Slowking up only on the turn it attacks.

7. Wasting Telepathic Psychic Energy's search

The Bench search on Telepathic Psychic Energy only triggers when you attach it from your hand to a Psychic Pokémon. If you attach it with Wondrous Patch, or attach it to Mega Kangaskhan ex or Meowth ex, you get no search. Make it your manual attachment on a Psychic Basic early, when two free Slowpokes or a Lillie's Clefairy ex matter most. Use Patch for Energy that is already in the discard pile. Ultra Ball discards are a good way to put Psychic Energy there on purpose.

8. Burning your strongest draw at the wrong time

Lillie's Determination draws 8 only at exactly six Prize cards remaining. Don't spend your turn-one Supporter on Codebreaking unless you need it right then. Give up the six-Prize Lillie's only when a specific setup piece is missing.

Special Red Card works the other way: you can't play it until your opponent has three or fewer Prize cards left. Don't discard it to an early Ultra Ball out of habit. It is your one answer to a strong late-game hand.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice Before the Event

The hardest skill in this deck is controlling the top of your library, so drill full turns until the order is automatic. You must resolve every effect that shuffles or draws before you set your top card. Poké Pad, Ultra Ball, Secret Box, Lillie's Determination and the attach trigger on Telepathic Psychic Energy all shuffle your deck. Mega Kangaskhan ex and Fezandipiti ex draw off the top. Use any of them after Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking or Academy at Night and your setup is gone. Practice this order: draw and search, shuffle, set the top card, then attack.

Also practice ordering Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking. The top card is what Seek Inspiration discards this turn. The second card is the card you draw at the start of your next turn. Pick two cards that do both jobs. One example is a Kyurem on top and the Slowking or Energy you need next turn underneath.

Spend your remaining reps on the matchups the brief shows you are most likely to face. Dragapult took 37 of 176 online Top 8 slots, and Basic Box took 17 (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026). In both matchups, choosing which attack to set up is the whole game.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

• Seek Inspiration can miss. If the top card is a Trainer, an Energy, or a Pokémon with a Rule Box (Latias ex, Mew ex, Mega Kangaskhan ex and the other ex), the card is still discarded and the attack does nothing. If you have no known top card and an outright miss loses you the game, attack with Super Psy Bolt instead.
• You pay Seek Inspiration's cost, not the copied attack's cost. The chosen attack is used as Seek Inspiration. That is how Slowking reaches Trifrost and Metallic Hammer without Water or Metal Energy.
• "This Pokémon" means the attacker. Copied Trifrost discards all Energy from Slowking, not from Kyurem. Copied Tantrum Confuses Slowking. Copied Metallic Hammer cannot add its bonus damage, because Slowking has no Metal Energy to discard.
• Boomerang Energy comes back after Trifrost. It is discarded by an effect of the attack, so it reattaches after attacking. The Basic Psychic Energy goes to the discard pile, where Wondrous Patch can put it on a Benched Psychic Pokémon and Night Stretcher can return it to your hand.
• Destined Fight Knocks Out your attacker too. Your opponent takes a Prize for Slowking. That trade is good when their Active is worth more Prizes than yours. Per the brief, a Mega Evolution Pokémon ex such as an opposing Mega Kangaskhan ex gives up 3. Because this Knock Out happens on your turn, it does not enable Flip the Script on your next turn.
• Trifrost and Tera. Per the brief, Teal Mask and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex prevent all damage from attacks while on the Bench. Against Basic Box, aim spread at targets that are not Tera.
• Weakness on Trifrost applies only to the Active. With Lillie's Clefairy ex in play, opposing Dragon Pokémon become Weak to Psychic. Copied attacks come from a Psychic Pokémon, so they double against a Dragon Active, but not against the two Benched targets.
• Skyliner covers Basics only. Slowking is a Stage 1 with a Retreat Cost of 3. Budget Switch, or a Basic pivot already in the Active Spot, for moving it.
• Last-Ditch Catch needs the card played from hand. Meowth ex must go from your hand to your Bench to trigger it. Tuck Tail returns it to your hand so you can play it again for another Supporter.
• Lillie's Determination draws 8 only with exactly 6 Prize cards left. Once you have taken a Prize, it draws 6.
• Telepathic Psychic Energy only finds Basic Psychic Pokémon. It can find Slowpoke, Latias ex, Mew ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex. It cannot find Kyurem.

Time Management

This deck takes many small actions each turn: searching, stacking, a Stadium activation, and choosing an attack. That adds up over a full round. Plan your Seek Inspiration target during your opponent's turn, so your own turn is just carrying out the plan.

• Use Academy at Night as your default. When you already hold the card you want on top, it is faster and cheaper than Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking.
• Keep shuffles to a minimum. Each extra search is another shuffle, so fetch everything you need in as few searches as possible.
• Don't over-Bench. Triggering Telepathic Psychic Energy when you don't need the Pokémon costs time and Bench space. It also grows the count for your opponent's bench-scaling attacks, and for your own Full Moon Rondo.

Closing Assessment

This list is a toolbox. A single-Prize Stage 1 attacker chooses its attack each turn from a small set of targets:

• three-target spread from Kyurem
• a forced switch or a 150 hit from Metagross
• an even trade or Bench damage from the two Annihilape

Lillie's Clefairy ex gives it an answer to Dragon decks, and Night Stretcher, Wondrous Patch, Boomerang Energy and Dangle Tail keep the attacks going.

The deck is not a fast, linear deck. When you cannot set the top card, Super Psy Bolt is your only consistent damage. Pilots who track their library carefully get rewarded. Pilots who play on autopilot get punished.

The deck's results are steady. It earned 6 online Top 8 slots across 6 different events (source: Limitless online platform, Oct 5–19, 2026), plus 13th and 15th at Regional Louisville on Oct 10 (source: limitlesstcg.com Regional results, Oct 10, 2026). It also took 2nd here out of 197 players. If you are willing to put in the reps on stacking, it is a strong choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Slowking deck win games?

Slowking's Seek Inspiration discards your top card and, if it's a Pokémon without a Rule Box, uses one of its attacks for only a Psychic plus Colorless cost. By stacking the top card with Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking and Academy at Night, you choose each turn's attack while your opponent has to take Prizes mostly off one-Prize Slowkings.

Why does the list play Metagross and Annihilape without Metang or Primeape?

Kyurem, Metagross and both Annihilape are never meant to hit the board. They exist only to be discarded off the top by Seek Inspiration so Slowking can use their attacks, which also makes Ultra Ball discards free value.

What is the most important sequencing rule for this deck?

Draw and search first, then stack the top card last, then attack. Poké Pad, Ultra Ball, Secret Box, Lillie's Determination and Telepathic Psychic Energy all shuffle your deck, and Run Errand and Flip the Script draw off the top, so using any of them after stacking ruins your setup.

How do you repeat Trifrost when it discards all of Slowking's Energy?

Pay with Boomerang Energy, which reattaches after the attack because the attack's own effect discarded it. The discarded Psychic Energy then feeds Wondrous Patch onto a Benched Slowking, so don't cut either card without a plan for Energy recovery.

When should I use Destined Fight?

Use it when the opponent's Active is a big Pokémon ex or Mega you can't reach, since you trade a one-Prize Slowking for a multi-Prize target. Never route it through Mew ex, and remember the Knock Out happens on your turn, so it doesn't enable Fezandipiti ex's Flip the Script.

What are the hardest matchups for Slowking?

N's Zoroark is listed as unfavored because its Darkness damage doubles against your entire Psychic line, so you have to out-trade it rather than out-tank it. Dragapult is even and is the deck to beat, with Lillie's Clefairy ex making Dragapult ex Weak to Psychic.

What budget swaps can I make for this deck?

The guide's swaps reuse cards in the 60, like a fourth Slowking over Mew ex, a fourth Ultra Ball over one Mega Kangaskhan ex, or a second Switch over one Latias ex. Run no more than two swaps at once, and never cut the Slowpoke line, the copy targets, the stacking cards, Boomerang Energy or Wondrous Patch.

What should I practice before taking Slowking to a tournament?

Drill full turns until the order of drawing, searching, shuffling, then setting the top card is automatic, and practice ordering Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking so the top card is this turn's attack and the second is next turn's draw. Spend remaining reps on Dragapult and Basic Box, where choosing which attack to set up is the whole game.

Metagame Context

Built from ThomasHxC's 2nd Place 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.