Legal Sets
- ex Ruby & Sapphire
- ex Sandstorm
- ex Dragon
- ex Team Magma vs Team Aqua
- ex Hidden Legends
- ex FireRed & LeafGreen
- ex Team Rocket Returns
- ex Deoxys
- ex Emerald
- ex Unseen Forces
- ex Delta Species
- ex Legend Maker
- ex Holon Phantoms
- ex Crystal Guardians
- ex Dragon Frontiers
- ex Power Keepers
- POP Series 1
- POP Series 2
- POP Series 3
- POP Series 4
- POP Series 5
- Nintendo Black Star Promos 001-040
First Turn Rules
- On their first turn, the player going first may not draw a card, and they may not play any supporters
- The player who wins the coinfilp must go first
- The coinflip occurs after the setup phase
Other notes:
- If a player has only a fossil in their opening hand, they must begin the game with it
- Fossils do NOT give up a prize card when KO’d
- Stadium cards are considered “Trainers” so anything that prevents you from playing trainers (for example, Dragonite ex’s Deafen attack) will also prevent you from playing stadiums.
Ruby Sapphire-Power Keepers, also known as “RS-PK” or the “ex-era” format (or ADV-PCG in Japan) is a block-style format, containing all the sets from the ex-era block of pokemon sets. While this format was never an official format here in the United States due to the consistent rotation of older pokemon sets, it was for a little bit across the sea in Japan, with older ex-era sets not rotating until Diamond & Pearl sets started releasing. As a result, all of the decklists below were developed many years after these cards were tournament legal, by players like Jason Klaczynski, who decided to go back and explore block-style formats.
Due to the lack of tournaments like Regionals or Nationals to draw decklists from, many of the lists below were taken either from smaller, online tournament settings, or from the blog of Jason Klaczynski himself, who has developed over 50 unique decklists from this timeframe.
Many players consider RS-PK to be one of the most balanced format of all time, and the sheer amount of strategies in this format speak volumes about that as well. While each format will always have their own strong and centralizing strategies, almost everything in the format has counterplay that exists as well, which makes it one of the most enjoyable formats to look back on and play.
Arcanine/Houndoom
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Arcanine ex 4 Growlithe 1 Houndoom 1 Houndour 1 Lunatone (ex Deoxys) 1 Solrock (ex Legend Maker) | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 3 Professor Elm’s Training Method 2 Steven’s Advice 3 Mary’s Request 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Scientist 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Lass 1 Scott 4 Energy Removal 2 4 Holon Transceiver 3 Cursed Stone 2 Crystal Beach 1 Warp Point | 12 Fire Energy 4 React Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jay Hornung
Arcanine ex, which seems to be good in just about every format it’s legal, stands firm once again as one of the top decks in the format. By having a quick and consistent setup, Arcanine ex can use Overrun to place early damage effectively, while setting up KOs for later. Flame Swirl can be used to remove larger threats when necessary. In addition to the fast damage output the low number of slots dedicated to your attackers means you have plenty of room for disruptive strategies to keep opponents on the back foot – Energy Removal 2, Lunatone & Solrock, Houndoom, and Crystal Beach are all situationally incredible cards that have the potential to punish your opponent for spending their resources incorrectly. You do also have the option to use the Legend Maker Lunatone, which shuts down poke-powers from Fire-type pokemon, but given the low number of fire-type decks in the format, I went with the Lunatone from ex Deoxys. This gives Solrock free retreat, making it even more likely that you can start attacking on turn 2, while also giving you a potential free retreater after a Warp Point.
Armaldo ex
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Armaldo ex 1 Armaldo 3 Anorith 1 Aerodactyl (HP 35) 1 Aerodactyl (LM 1) 1 Groudon ex 1 Holon’s Magneton | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 Castaway 3 Professor Elm’s Training Method 3 Mary’s Request 2 Scott 1 TV Reporter 1 Copycat 4 Strange Cave 4 Potion 3 Oran Berry 1 Strength Charm 1 Crystal Shard 1 Buffer Piece 1 Warp Point | 10 Fighting Energy 4 React Energy 2 Warp Energy 1 Scramble Energy |
Decklist Credit: User “Lilslinky16” – 2nd Place Sunday Afternoon EX Double Elim
Lilslinky had quite the interesting deck for this Sunday Afternoon EX Double Elim tournament – it features only 1 basic pokemon in Groudon ex, which prevents opposing Rayquaza ex from attacking. As a basic, it also cannot be confused by Stantler, so you basically have an autowin against RayLer, since your ability to heal basically guarantees that your Groudon doesn’t ever die, and being the only basic means you ALWAYS start with it. Against other matchups, you do have a few options – Armaldo ex is a nasty attacker that has 2 types when React Energy is attached. The combination of Oran Berry, Potion, and Spiral Drain can also be extremely annoying for smaller-power attackers to deal with. Aerodactyl LM can stack React Energy on it to become a very tanky single-prizer, and Speed Stroke also prevents you from being Damaged by pokemon-ex. Holon Phantoms Aerodactyl thins your deck from energy, and makes sure you have energy for Groudon to discard.
Be prepared to Mulligan a lot with this deck – it plays the max copies of Rocket’s Admin so you can mitigate the damage somewhat, but generally assume your opponent’s hand will be loaded for the first turn or two.
Banette ex/LunaSol
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Banette ex 1 Banette (ex Crystal Guardians) 2 Solrock (ex Legend Maker) 2 Solrock (ex Deoxys) 2 Lunatone (ex Deoxys) 1 Jolteon Star 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 3 TV Reporter 3 Holon Mentor 2 Castaway 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 1 Professor Elm’s Training Method 1 Scott 4 Holon Transceiver 3 Warp Point 4 Crystal Beach 2 Buffer Piece 1 Strength Charm | 7 Psychic Energy 4 Rainbow Energy 2 Fighting Energy 1 Warp Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jay Hornung
I’d like to give an extra shoutout to Jay Hornung – he is already such a phenomenal deckbuilder and player, but his aggressive “turn 2” style decks from the ex-era are always such strong contenders in their respective formats. This style of deck is very often pretty straightforward in play, and in construction, but Jay does a truly impressive job at maximizing their potential and consistency.
This Banette ex list comes from an RS-PK tournament in which Jay placed in the top 4, and I think it does a great job at shoring up Banette’s weaknesses in the format. It has all the usual pieces you would expect to see in a Banette list to get its Shadow Chant going as quickly as possible, it has the Crystal Guardians Banette to play around decks that rely solely on ex attackers, as well as some extra pieces like Jolteon Star that can potentially push you over the edge.
This deck does still contains the disruptive combo of Solrock and Lunatone to shut down opposing Pidgeots, but it also contains the Lunatone from ex Deoxys (similar to the Arcanine list above) which means you can REALLY abuse Warp Point with no worries about getting your attacker back into the active spot. In addition, the inclusion of not just 1, but FOUR copies of Solrock means that Lunatone itself can become an extremely functional attacker. The chip damage (as high as 60, before modifiers!) would be relevant in any matchup, but it serves an extra purpose here of hitting BombTar’s Dark Tyranitar for weakness, giving you the potential to score a one-hit KO against a deck that likes to put all its eggs into one basket. Solrock can also utilize its Reflected Beam attack to set up sneaky KOs for later, epspecially when combined with Banette’s Shady Move.
BombCatty
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Delcatty 4 Skitty 3 Electrode ex 2 Voltorb 2 Magneton 2 Magnemite 3 Dunsparce 1 Jirachi 1 Tauros 1 Ditto | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 Swoop! Teleporter 4 Surprise! Time Machine 3 Pow! Hand Extension 3 Windstorm 2 Master Ball | 4 Scramble Energy 4 Cyclone Energy 2 Holon Energy FF 2 Fire Energy 2 Holon Energy GL 2 Lightning Energy 1 Grass Energy |
Decklist Credit: Mr. Empty – Top 8 Double Rainbow Cup 2023
One of many Electrode variations that exist in the RS-PK format, BombCatty’s aim is simple: use an Electrode ex to give up prizes, activate your Scramble Energy and your Pow! Hand Extension, while Delcatty runs through your opponent’s board. This particular list was used to get Top 8 at the 2023 Double Rainbow Cup in Japan (Please note that in order to read the results of the Double Rainbow Cup, I had to use Google Chrome’s translation tool, which is not the best for translating Pokemon articles, so if the name of the player “Mr. Empty” is incorrect, I apologize!) It’s quite different from the list found on Jason’s website, with Rocket’s Admin. as the ONLY supporter cards in the list. The aim is to use Delcatty’s Energy Draw to set up as quickly and efficiently as possible. Surprise! Time Machine helps enable this goal, as devolving & re-evolving your Delcatty with this card allows you to re-use the “same” Delcatty’s Energy Draw, essentially turning all of your Time Machines into TV Reporters.
The 2-3 line of Electrode ex is unconventional, but not unheard of – Dylan LeFavour actually employed a similar strategy at 2008 Worlds with a 2-3 Claydol line in his Empoleon list. Many pokemon decks have several ways to search out Basic pokemon (like Holon Mentor or Call Energy) but fewer ways to search out the evolutions, so they sometimes play a higher count of the evolutions. For this reason, 3 copies of Electrode are used to, hopefully, make it easier to draw into with Energy Draw, or to hit one off of a Master Ball.
BombChamp
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Machamp 2 Machoke 4 Machop 2 Jirachi 2 Pidgeot 2 Pidgey 2 Electrode ex 2 Voltorb | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Steven’s Advice 2 Professor Elm’s Training Method 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 4 Windstorm 3 Pow! Hand Extension 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 Solid Rage | 4 Fighting Energy 4 React Energy 3 Heal Energy 1 Rainbow Energy |
Decklist Credit: Kanten – 1st Place October EX Mega Battle, Top 8 November EX Mega Battle
Similar to BombTar, BombChamp aims to use Electrode ex’s Extra Energy Bomb to power up a strong single-prize attacker in Machamp, while simultaneously disrupting your opponent by leaving them with fewer cards after a Rocket’s Admin. Machamp has a few notable advantages over Dark Tyranitar – First off, Fighting Typing is always relevant. In this format in particular, it hits opposing Dark Tyranitar for weakness, and more importantly, it hits Stantler for an OHKO, even with just Derail. React Energy with Swift Blow will also not be shut down if you happen to catch up to your opponent on prizes, unlike Scramble. Derail is also an EXTREMELY good attack – automatically discarding special energy in a format where they run rampant in almost every single deck can completely change the outcome of a game. Machamp does sacrifice the ability to spread damage around, however, and its damage potential isn’t completely uncapped (it can only hit 140, assuming you don’t prize any React Energy), so there are definitely positives to both decks.
BombTar (also known as “PowTar”)
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Dark Tyranitar (TRR 19) 4 Dark Pupitar (TRR 41) 2 Larvitar (TRR 63) 2 Larvitar (DS 73) 2 Electrode ex 2 Voltorb 2 Jirachi (DX 9) 1 Lapras | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Professor Elm’s Training Method 1 Holon Scientist 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Pow! Hand Extension 2 Swoop! Teleporter 2 Rocket’s Poke Ball 2 Windstorm 2 Cessation Crystal 1 Pokemon Retriever | 4 Darkness Energy 4 Scramble Energy 3 Heal Energy 2 Fire Energy 2 Holon Energy FF |
Decklist Credit: username “Frosty”, 2nd place October EX Mega Battle
The beast returns with a vengeance in RS-PK – BombTar is widely regarded as one of the strongest decks in the format. Blowing up your own Electrode ex, followed by playing Rocket’s Admin. can be extremely difficult for a lot of decks to answer, and Dark Tyranitar has the potential to use Grind to remove opponent’s strongest threats, or to use Spinning Tail and clean up several KOs at once. Electrode ex giving up 2 prize cards also means that your Pow! Hand Extention cards will likely be active for the entirety of the game, ensuring that you can gust up and KO whichever pokemon you want.
Some versions of this deck utilize Dump and Draw Magmar to set up their early game, similar to the version that did well at 2006 worlds, although Jirachi is generally preferred since it digs deeper without the prerequesite of discarding energy. At the recent “EX Brawl at the Florida Mall” tournament (hosted by none other than Jason Klaczynski himself), Isaiah Cheville opted for Holon Energy GL instead of FF – this gives up your ability to forego weakness, but ensures that Dark Tyranitar will almost never be afflicted by special conditions.
CamLer
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Stantler 3 Camerupt 4 Numel | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 Castaway 2 Scott 2 Pokemon Fan Club 2 Steven’s Advice 2 Celio’s Network 1 Mary’s Request 4 Pow! Hand Extension 4 Energy Removal 2 4 Cessation Crystal 2 Fluffy Berry 2 Team Aqua’s Hideout 2 Cursed Stone 1 Desert Ruins | 10 Fire Energy 3 Heal Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, 2nd Place November EX Mega Battle
Camerupt/Stantler is one of 2 Stantler variations that also dominate the RS-PK format. Stantler does a small amount of damage while also ripping trainer cards out of your opponents hand – it’s important to note that “Trainer” didn’t just mean “items” until Diamond and Pearl released, so this attack can also hit Stadiums and Supporters. Your opponents will essentially be forced to attack into your Stantler in order to protect their ability to advance their board state, which turns on your Pow! Hand Extensions, allowing you to trap something in the active, and Split Bomb your opponent into oblivion.
If this initial strategy doesn’t manage to trap anything active, late game you have the ability to use Rocket’s Admin. to reduce your opponent’s hand size, and potentially rip away their only playable cards. Cessation Crystal further shuts down your opponents, taking away their ability to use important poke-powers like Quick Search. Theoretically a similar strategy could be employed with Exeggutor from Holon Phantoms, but Camerupt is preferred due to its higher HP, as well as its Backburner attack, which gives you resilience against other control strategies that might try to remove your energy from play.
Cradily
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Cradily (SS 2) 2 Cradily (PK 7) 4 Lileep 2 Jirachi (DX 9) 1 Raticate 1 Rattata 1 Mew Star 1 Rayquaza ex 1 Dunsparce (LM 31) 1 Holon’s Magneton | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Steven’s Advice 2 TV Reporter 2 Castaway 2 Celio’s Network 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 1 Scott 4 Pow! Hand Extension 1 VS Seeker 1 Pokemon Retriever 2 Cessation Crystal 2 Fluffy Berry 3 Strange Cave 1 Battle Frontier 1 Cursed Stone | 3 Double Rainbow Energy 2 Scramble Energy 2 Warp Energy 2 Lightning Energy 2 Grass Energy 1 Delta Rainbow Energy 1 Holon Energy GL |
Decklist Creidt: キュー/Que, Top 16 Double Rainbow Cup 2024
Cradily, while difficult to set up as a fossil pokemon, has a lot of options once it is set up. Its efficient attacks combined with Rayquaza ex’s ability to play from behind do allow you to take 6 prizes rather effectively. That being said, both Cradily also have effects that prevent your opponent’s pokemon from retreating, and when you combine that with Raticate, you can play the long, controlling game quite effectively as well. Both Cradily are particularly effective at trapping as they also inflict the special condition Poinson – which means your opponent’s Poke-Powers will be shut down. Even something like Pidgeot, which has free retreat, will not be able to escape the active position as it won’t be able to use Quick Search for the switching effect.
Dark Slowking
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Dark Slowking 2 Slowking 4 Slowpoke 1 Girafarig | 4 Mary’s Request 3 Professor Birch 3 Steven’s Advice 3 Castaway 2 Rocket’s Admin. 4 Great Ball 3 Rocket’s Poke Ball 2 Pokemon Retriever 3 Crystal Beach 4 EXP.ALL 1 Mysterious Shard 1 Crystal Shard 2 Cessation Crystal | 4 Darkness Energy 10 Psychic Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro TCG Blog
Dark Slowking employs an aggressive early set up, using Dark Slowking’s Litter attack to pile the Pokemon Tools into your discard pile – 70 damage might seem a bit underwhelming, but the Special Darkness energy bolsters this a bit, and it is often enough to take a lot of early KOs. Dark Slowking also has sneaky good offensive typing, hitting for weakness against Banette ex, Lugia ex, Exeggutor Delta, and more. The Unseen Forces Slowking works double-duty here, being able to search your deck for Pokemon Tools early in the game, while batting cleanup late in the game with a clean attack for 80 damage. Slowking UF also ensures that you can get your 2 crucial 1-of Pokemon Tools when they matter most – Crystal Shard is exceptional against Dark Tyranitar, Dark Dragonite, and Delta Dragonite (the electric one), while Mysterious Shard can really turn the tides against ex-heavy decks like Banette or Arcanine. This deck is a fantastic choice to anybody who might be new to the format, and gives great insight to what a fast start & aggressive deck should be looking to accomplish.
Dark Steelix
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Dark Steelix 4 Onix 4 Stantler | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 Castaway 4 TV Reporter 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Scientist 1 Celio’s Network 1 Holon Lass 4 Cessation Crystal 2 Pow! Hand Extension 2 Rocket’s Poke Ball 1 Balloon Berry 1 VS Seeker 1 Island Cave 2 Desert Ruins | 4 Darkness Energy 4 Metal Energy 4 Fighting Energy 2 Holon Energy FF 1 Fire Energy 1 Holon Energy WP 1 Water Energy 1 Psychic Energy |
Decklist Credit: ろし（roshi), 20th Place Double Rainbow Cup 2023
I first saw the idea for this deck on Jason Klaczynski’s retro blog (which can be found here – I highly recommend checking it out!) He had a clean & simple list that revolved around using Electrode ex to power up Dark Steelix as quickly as possible. Roshi’s innovative list takes a different approach – combining the natural tankiness of Dark Steelix with the disruptive capabilities of everybody’s favorite “stupid deer,” Stantler. By removing crucial trainer cards from your opponent’s hand (or just confusing evolution pokemon!), removing Steelix becomes a much more difficult ask. You have the same disruptive tools of Cessation Crystal and Rocket’s Admin., with other techs like Desert Ruins to add damage, or Island Cave to get around opposing Stantler. One of my favorite ideas from this list was Roshi’s decision to include Holon Energy WP and FF, as well as the appropriate energy to go with them. Each of them give different effects that will definitely be useful in different matches, such as removing weakness, offering free retreat, or ignoring attacks secondary effects. Roshi’s 5-2 swiss record is a testament to how consistent this deck can be in a format as diverse as this one.
Destiny
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Rayquaza ex 4 Exeggutor 4 Exeggcute 1 Latios ex 1 Latias 1 Mew Star 1 Mew ex 1 Mew 1 Stantler 1 Jirachi ex 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 3 Rocket’s Admin. 3 Mary’s Request 3 Castaway 2 Lanette’s Net Search 2 Holon Adventurer 1 Steven’s Advice 1 Scott 3 Cessation Crystal 2 Cursed Stone 2 Crystal Beach 2 Windstorm 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 Balloon Berry | 6 Lightning Energy 3 Psychic Energy 2 Fighting Energy 2 Multi Energy 2 Warp Energy |
Decklist Credit: Mr. Ogawa (also known by the username: Little River), Top 4 Double Rainbow Cup 2022, Top 8 Double Rainbow Cup 2023
The Double Rainbow Cup is an EX-Era tournament held in Japan, at a league that regularly plays the RS-PK format! There have now been 2 iterations of this tournament, with a third one slated for 2024. Mr. Ogawa, who many players may have battled online under the username “Little River” has finished in the top cut of both events using Destiny, with small decklist edits between the two tournaments. The above decklist reflects Ogawa’s Top 8 finish in the 2023 event. It functions similar to the 2007 Version run by Jimmy Ballard, focusing primarily on attacking with Rayquaza and Exeggutor, spreading damage around and KOing important threats when necessary. 2 Copies of Cursed Stone lets you double down on this damage in a lot of matchups, as the damage on pokemon with poke-powers adds up very quickly. Crystal Beach was added for the 2023 tournament, which helps if you can get it to stick against decks like BombTar. Cessation Crystal gives you an easy way to play around Dugtrio CG as well. Jirachi ex functions as a solid backup attacker – sometimes Shield Beam is just powerful enough to shut down your opponent’s set up, and keep them out of the game. Mew Star and Mew Pop 5 are situationally amazing, hitting Arcanine ex or Scizor ex for weakness. The 2022 version of this deck played a basic Water energy as well, so you potentially set up situations where Rainbow Wave is useful – spreading damage to multiple Rayquaza ex, Metagross Delta, or Exeggutor at once, for example.
Remember when playing this deck that while Balloon Berry can be attached to anything, Cessation Crystal specifies that it cannot be attached to ex-pokemon, so Rayquaza cannot make use of the pokemon tool.
Dragonite/Sceptile
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Dragonite ex 2 Dragonair 4 Dratini 2 Sceptile ex 1 Sceptile 1 Grovyle 3 Treecko 1 Dugtrio 1 Diglett 1 Jirachi 1 Holon’s Castform | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Researcher 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 1 Holon Farmer 1 Scott 1 Steven’s Advice 1 Professor Elm’s Training Method 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 1 Pow! Hand Extension 2 Giant Stump 2 Crystal Beach | 4 Grass Energy 4 Delta Species Rainbow Energy 4 Warp Energy 2 Cyclone Energy |
Decklist Credit: Tomioka, Top 16 Double Rainbow Cup 2023
Dragonite ex Delta is probably the strongest attacker in the entire format – while setting it up can be a bit of a challenge, it has 150 HP, no weakness, the ability to lock items AND stadiums, and it can even set up for future KOs by placing leftover damage counters on the bench. Tomioka used the unique decklist above to place in the top 16 of the 2023 Double Rainbow cup. Most Dragonite decklists rely on setting up only Dragonite, with other techs like Lunatone/Solrock to further disrupt the opponent. Tomioka instead uses Sceptile ex, which causes Pokemon ex to need an extra energy in order to attack. Sceptile is also very effective at cleaning up the endgame with its Power Revenge attack. Dugtrio protects your bench from Tyranitar’s Spinning Tail, as well as Rayquaza ex. Sceptile from ex Emerald was another really cool inclusion – it protects your active Pokemon with any Grass energy attached from Special Conditions, which is very useful in a format where Stantler is growing in popularity.
Please note when playing this deck that Sceptile ex’s poke-body affects ALL Pokemon ex, including your own. Deafen for 3 energy is still a very strong attack, just be cautious when you drop the Sceptile into play. Also note that Sceptile’s ability does NOT stack, so you can’t make your opponent need 2 extra energy.
DragTrode/Marowak
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Dark Dragonite 3 Dark Dragonair 3 Dratini 2 Rocket’s Sneasel ex 2 Dark Electrode 2 Voltorb 2 Dark Marowak 2 Cubone 2 Holon’s Castform | 3 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Steven’s Advice 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 2 Sidney’s Stadium 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rocket’s Poke Ball 4 Windstorm 1 VS Seeker | 4 R Energy 4 Darkness Energy 4 Dark Metal Energy 2 Rainbow Energy |
Decklist Credit: Wasse, Top 16 Double Rainbow Cup 2023
DragTrode was one of the most iconic decks out of the 2006 season, and it’s very strong in RS-PK as well. Rocket’s Sneasel ex gives the deck a very easy way to disrupt opposing Stage 2 setups, as well as additional ways to play around Cessation Crystal. From the online tournaments I was looking at, DragTrode was one of the decks that seems to stand up the best to the different variations of Stantler decks – Drag Off may have a big impact in how those matchups play out, as well as the higher counts of the lower stages of evolution. DragTrode doesn’t rely on multiple counts of Rare Candy like some of the other Stage 2 decks might, and the Dark Dragonair itself can search out evolution cards, so you have a bit of an easier time setting up without trainers. Once set up, Electrode accelerates your dark energy into play, while Rocket’s Sneasel ex can easily hit upwards of 100 damage – not a feat that many decks can accomplish. While 2006 variations of DragTrode use Rocket’s Scyther ex as an alternate attacker (carrying important resistance and weakness vs Queendom), Wasse opted for Dark Marowak instead, giving the deck a fighting-type attacker, which would be crucial in a metagame dominated by BombTar and Stantler.
Flygon Delta
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Flygon ex (DF 92) 2 Flygon (HP 7) 1 Flygon (POP4 4) 1 Vibrava (DF 42) 1 Vibrava (DF 24) 4 Trapinch 3 Pidgeot 2 Pidgey 1 Mew 1 Mew Star 1 Rayquaza ex (DF 97) 1 Jirachi (DX 9) 1 Absol ex 1 Chimecho 4 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Steven’s Advice 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 4 Windstorm 2 Warp Point 1 Pokemon Retriever | 4 Delta Rainbow Energy 2 Psychic Energy 2 Lightning Energy |
Decklist Credit: 昴/subaru_ptcg, Top 8 Double Rainbow Cup 2024
Flygon Delta has always been an interesting case, as its done well with such a wide array of pokemon. This version is a bit diferent than both the versions that placed highly in 2007 – you do still rely on the Holon’s Castform engine to get rolling, but you have Pidgeot to use as a search engine as well. Subaru went with a 2-0-3 Pidgeot line, with the idea that you can use Holon Mentor (and transceiver) to get Pidgey early very easily, and have extra copies of Pidgeot to make it easier to draw into. While this version does have more tech attackers than most RS-PK Flygon lists I have seen, it doesn’t quite function as the toolbox deck that R-Gon did in 2007. Flygon ex is far and away your best attacker, with 150 HP, no weakness, and the ability to consistently chip damage into basic pokemon like Rayquaza ex delta.
The few tech options in this build do still serve a pretty important purpose – Rayquaza ex makes it easier to pick threats off of the bench, which can be crucial when combined with Flygon’s Sand Damage poke-body. Mew Star’s ability to copy any pokemon on the field is useful in a variety of situations (Lugia ex, for example!) and Delta Supply combined with Holon’s Castform makes this a very real possibility. The fire-type Mew has a similar effect, aiming to hit pokemon like Metagross and Meganium for weakness. Chimecho lets you pull important energy cards back into your hand which can be crucial against some of the more controlling strategies. Don’t forget that Pidgeot can attack too! Clutch is, well, clutch, in a lot of situations. Subaru also went with the POP 4 Flygon, which gives you a Fighting-type to hit into Dark Tyranitar for weakness, as well as an extra free retreater to pivot with when using Warp Point. Please note that Subaru’s Double Rainbow Cup list used 2 copies of the DF 42 Vibrava – I just only own one, so I had to work with what I had!
Imprison (Gardevoir Delta)
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Gardevoir ex 2 Gardevoir 2 Kirlia 2 Ralts (DF 61) 2 Ralts (DF 60) 4 Pidgeot 2 Pidgey 1 Regirock ex 1 Mr. Mime ex (RG 110) 1 Jirachi (DX 9) 1 Mew Star 3 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 3 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Researcher 1 Holon Scientist 1 Lanette’s Net Search 4 Rare Candy 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Windstorm 1 Warp Point 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 Pow! Hand Extension 1 Giant Stump | 4 Delta Rainbow Energy 3 Warp Energy 2 Psychic Energy 1 Metal Energy 1 Cyclone Energy |
Decklist Credit: Erik Reeds, Top 8 Double Rainbow Cup 2024
Gardevoir ex’s Imprison poke-power has the potential to completely turn a game around. After an Imprison counter is placed on a pokemon, it can no longer use poke-powers or poke-bodies for as long as it remains on the field – even if Gardevoir ex is KO’d! Permanently locking Powers or Bodies really slows down opponents that are trying to close out the win, and it combines exceptionally well with a late Rocket’s Admin. to lower your opponent’s hand size. Since the ability lock is built into Gardevoir itself, the deck doesn’t need to waste slots on Lunatone/Solrock or Cessation Crystal like other decks might, which opens up the door for a strong consistency engine. Erik Reeds piloted this list to a FLAWLESS 7-0 swiss record at the 2024 Double Rainbow Cup. While some lists choose to use the Crystal Guardians Fearow as their consistency engine, Erik used a 2-0-4 Pidgeot line, with the idea of setting it up as quickly as possible.
Gardevoir ex delta is a pretty formidable attacker – 80 damage while conserving energy is almost on the same level as Yveltal EX from the XY era. The real star of the show here, though, is the non-ex Gardevoir. Black Magic is a savage attack, hitting for up to 110 damage if your opponent doesn’t limit their bench accordingly, and Psychic Rage can potentially snipe even higher-hp targets off of the opponent’s bench. Gardevoir’s Energy Jump poke-power can also bump ANY energy card around your side of the field, so you can move Holon’s Castform around to easily power up the Regirock ex or Mew Star when needed.
Legend Toolbox (Latias)
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Latias ex (DF) 1 Latias ex (DR) 1 Latias Star 2 Latios ex 2 Jirachi ex 1 Lugia ex 2 Regirock ex 1 Kyogre ex 2 Mewtwo 2 Lapras 1 Sudowoodo 1 Sableye 3 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 4 Holon Mentor 3 Castaway 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Rocket’s Admin. 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 4 Windstorm 3 Holon Transceiver 2 Pokemon Retriever 2 Oran Berry 2 Balloon berry 2 Giant Stump 1 Holon Ruins | 7 Psychic Energy 5 Water Energy |
Decklist Credit: Chiro, Top 16 Double Rainbow Cup 2023
“Legend Toolbox” was an archetype created by a Japanese player named Tomioka. Their version used Rayquaza ex delta with a plethora of other attackers to try and hit everything in the format for weakness. This version, created by a player named Chiro, attempts a similar strategy, but uses Latias ex in the early game to accelerate energy into play. Once the energy are down, Mewtwo delta species can move the basic energy around your field, followed by attaching Holon’s Castform to power up any attacker you need!
Quick note – the Japanese version of this deck used a card called Ilene’s Mime Jr. Unfortunately, this card does not exist in English. I replaced it in this list with Sudowoodo UF, which has the same Copy attack, but Fighting typing. While this is nice against certain pokemon (like Manectric ex), Mime Jr.’s Psychic typing allows it to hit Latios ex delta for weakness, so you may want to consider a different Psychic type instead.
Legend Toolbox (Rayquaza)
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Rayquaza ex 3 Stantler 2 Jirachi ex 1 Latios Star 1 Latios ex 1 Mewtwo 1Mew 1 Sudowoodo 2 Holon’s Castform | 4 Castaway 3 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Lanette’s Net Search 2 Mary’s Request 2 Holon Adventurer 1 Steven’s Advice 1 Scott 3 Cessation Crystal 3 Warp Point 2 Pokemon Retriever 2 Balloon Berry 2 Giant Stump 2 Cursed Stone 1 Windstorm 1 Pow! Hand Extension | 8 Lightning Energy 4 Psychic Energy 2 Grass Energy |
Decklist Credit: Metalarusan, Top 16 Double Rainbow Cup 2023
This take on Rayquaza is exceptionally creative – it has a strong attacking option in just about every matchup, and it also has the ability to play slower and more controlling with Stantler and Rayquaza when needed. Tomioka, the creator, played a slightly different list at the Double Rainbow Cup in 2022, and they wrote a fantastic article detailing their choices, which can be found here. The article is in Japanese, so if you, like myself, do not speak Japanese, you will need a way to translate it in order to read it. If you have this capability, I highly recommend giving it a read!
Many different attackers server different purposes depending on the matchup – Sudowoodo allows you to hit the plethora of pokemon with weakness to fighting-types. Mew Pop 5 hits Metagross, Sceptile ex, and Scizor ex. Jirachi ex is strong against a variety of evolution decks, shutting down their ability to use Set Up pokemon like Pidgeot. Latios Star works well in conjunction with Rayquaza ex delta – both of them need Lightning-type energy to attack, and Latios Star can hit some of the problematic Stage 2 pokemon that Rayquaza ex isn’t able to one-shot, such as Dark Tyranitar or Gardevoir. Be flexible when you play this deck, and adapt to what the situation calls for. You have the tools to do just about anything, so use them!
LudiCargo
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Ludicolo (DX 10) 1 Ludicolo (DX 19) 2 Lombre 4 Lotad 2 Magcargo (DX 20) 1 Magcargo (UF 41) 2 Jirachi 1 Celebi ex 1 Umbreon Star 1 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Voltorb | 4 Celio’s Network 4 Lanette’s Net Search 3 Rocket’s Admin. 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 4 Rare Candy 2 VS Seeker 2 Windstorm 1 Warp Point 1 Solid Rage 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 Pow! Hand Extension 3 Battle Frontier | 6 Water Energy 4 Double Rainbow Energy 2 Scramble Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
LudiCargo is yet another staple from the 2005/2006 season, although this is one of the few that probably isn’t quite as powerful in RS-PK. The abilities for many decks to use Cessation Crystal to shut down ALL powers and not just the Magcargo really hurts this deck’s ability to function in the mid-game, and I’m sure Rayquaza ex hitting for weakness doesn’t do you many favors either. That being said, it’s not all bad for LudiCargo – If you can get going quickly enough, you can abuse a quick Magcargo + Ludicolo to always keep a Windstorm in your hand, and you can also sneakily leave it on top of your deck to keep it safe from Stantler as well. If you max out your bench, the lower-hp Stage 1 & Basic pokemon will be hard-pressed to fight back against your onslaught of big hits. An interesting new tech inclusion by Jason – Umbreon Star in combination with either Rocket’s Admin. or Briney’s Compassion can potentially be used to rip away crucial cards from a lower hand size, which can be especially useful against opponents who might be hanging onto important trainers like Rocket’s Admin. or Pokemon Retriever.
Lugia/Blastoise
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Blastoise ex 1 Wartortle 2 Squirtle 2 Pidgeot 1 Pidgeotto 2 Pidgey 2 Lugia ex 1 Dugtrio 1 Diglett 1 Jirachi 1 Ditto 1 Latios ex 1 Kyogre ex 1 Chimecho 1 Aipom 1 Jirachi 1 Alakazam Star 4 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 4 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 2 Rocket’s Admin. 1 Professor Elm’s Training Method 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 3 Windstorm 2 Power Tree 1 Giant Stump 3 Pokemon Retriever 2 Warp Point | 5 Water Energy |
Decklist Credit: Tord Reklev, 1st Place EX Brawl at the Florida Mall
LBS was the deck to beat in 2006, and even though it drops Steelix ex in its RS-PK equivalent, Lugia/Blastoise is another extremely strong contender in this format. The sheer amount of tech options and shenanigans that Energy Rain + Holon’s Castform enables is pretty unparalleled, as you can literally power up any pokemon as long as its attack takes no less than 2 off-color energy to attack. Pidgeot is still the main search engine in this deck, and multiple copies of Lugia ex protect you from having them prized. The list above is mostly Tord’s list with a few small changes – Tord has some pretty wild tech options, so let’s talk about them a little bit:
Kyogre ex is similar to Steelix ex, but it’s easier to set up as a basic pokemon. It only does 70 damage, but most of the time this is more than enough as it will KO basically any non-fully evolved pokemon. Dugtrio, hilariously protects you in the mirror match – it prevents opposing Kyogre ex (or Steelix ex!) from dealing damage to your benched pokemon. Ditto RG is a really neat inclusion here – it allows you to re-use attackers from your discard pile, although it can do other cute things as well, like swapping out for a Squirtle and then immediately evolving. Alakazam Star was the gold star of choice here – I’ve personally always had more success with Latias Star, but Alakazam is more versatile – even with a limited bench from Giant Stump, you can keep down Alakazam and pick whichever attacker you need for the situation. Overall, there’s just so many options when playing this deck – it is one of the toughest to navigate, but the reward is definitely worthwhile.
Medicham ex
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Medicham ex 2 Meditite (DR 37) 2 Meditite (DR 55) 4 Jirachi 1 Wobbuffet 1 Holon’s Magneton | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 Professor Elm’s Training Method 3 Mary’s Request 2 Steven’s Advice 2 Scott 4 Pow! Hand Extension 4 Swoop! Teleporter 4 Energy Removal 2 3 Island Cave 1 Team Aqua Hideout | 6 Fighting Energy 5 Psychic Energy 4 Metal Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
Medicham ex has one of the most disheartening poke-bodies to play against. Wise Aura completely shuts down any poke-powers from non-ex pokemon, and since most of the draw and search engines in this format are from non-ex pokemon, setting up is becomes extremely difficult. This deck plays maximum consistency to try and get Medicham out on turn 2 – even if you start with Jirachi or Wobbuffet, there’s always the option to use Swoop! Teleporter to immediately evolve on the following turn into Medicham. Smart damage placement from Pure Power will take KOs on basics when necessary, and can set up KOs for later in the game. Don’t be afraid to avoid taking KOs early as well – this deck plays 4 Pow! Hand Extension to take advantage of being behind, and you can potentially trap something active and spread damage around, similar to the Camerupt/Stantler deck above. Also don’t be afraid to attack with Jirachi – this deck plays 4 Metal Energy for a reason!
Meganium/Blastoise
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Meganium 2 Bayleef 2 Chikorita (HL 55) 1 Chikorita (DF 44) 2 Blastoise ex 1 Wartortle 2 Squirtle 1 Pidgeot 1 Pidgey 1 Latios ex 1 Mew 1 Lugia ex 1 Jirachi 1 Zangoose 1 Latias Star 2 Holon’s Castform 2 Holon’s Magneton 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 2 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Steven’s Advice 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Researcher 1 Holon Scientist 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 2 Windstorm 2 Warp Point 2 Power Tree 2 Pokemon Retriever 1 Pow! Hand Extension | 8 Water Energy |
Decklist Credit: Unknown
This deck is a different take on the traditional Lugia/Blastoise build – isntead of using Pidgeot as its consistency and search engine, this deck relies on the explosiveness of Meganium Delta, which allows you to grab not just one, but THREE pokemon from your deck upon evolution. If you are lucky enough to chain multiple together, you can really push your board state ahead, and quickly snowball your advantage. Meganium Delta itself is also not a bad attacker – with fighting typing, it hits Dark Tyranitar and Stantler for weakness, threatening to cleanly OHKO both. Its first attack also comes with a neat damage reduction ability, which can potentially slow down an opponent that is trying to take a quick lead on prizes. One other unique tech in here is the Zangoose from ex Sandstorm – its 2nd attack hits evolution pokemon for 60 damage, which means it can take one-hit knockouts against Dark Dragonite, Dragonite Delta, and Flygon delta.
Meganium/Pidgeot
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Meganium 2 Meganium ex 3 Bayleef 4 Chikorita 2 Pidgeot 1 Pidgeotto 2 Pidgey 1 Mew Star 1 Chimecho 1 Latios ex 1 Latias ex 4 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 3 Holon Mentor 2 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Steven’s Advice 1 Holon Scientist 1 Holon Farmer 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Researcher 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 4 Windstorm 4 Rare Candy 4 Holon Transceiver 1 VS Seeker | 3 Delta Species Rainbow Energy 6 Grass Energy |
Decklist Credit: “KG” – 1st Place Double Rainbow Cup 2023
Seemingly out of nowhere, Meganium/Pidgeot not only made top 8, but WON the 2023 Double Rainbow Cup. This is an archetype I hadn’t seen in many online events, but it was perfectly positioned in this metagame for the win. Meganium Delta gives you a ton of consistency, allowing you to search for the pokemon you need with ease. Meganium ex accelerates energy into play, and it also makes your Meganium tankier, as it heals you every time you attach the grass energy. Fun interaction from Delta Meganium – its attack reads “any damage done by attacks from the Defending pokemon is reduced by 30.” It does NOT specify that the damage has to be done to Meganium – so this will reduce damage to your bench as well, preventing the opponent from sniping around your tanky single-prize threat. Mr. Briney’s Compassion plays into the tanky theme as well, allowing you to pick up your Meganium and potentially deny prize cards, but you do also have the option to power up a variety of alternate attackers with the 4 copies of Holon’s Castform.
MetaNite
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Metagross (DS 11) 1 Metagross (DX 11) 2 Metang 4 Beldum 3 Dragonite 1 Dragonair 3 Dratini 1 Mew 1 Jirachi 1 Rayquaza Star 2 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Voltorb | 3 Rocket’s Admin. 3 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Scientist 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Celio’s Network 1 Holon Researcher 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 3 Windstorm 2 Warp Point | 10 Lightning Energy 4 Metal Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
MetaNite can struggle a bit against the decks that lock up abilities, but against other stage 2 decks, it can be a real problem to deal with. The uncapped damage potential of Metagross means you can take one-hit knockouts on anything in the format, and Metagross’s ability to use Special Metal Energy can sometimes make it difficult to KO. Metagross also has a nice built-in consistency engine – not only can you use Holon’s Castform to draw cards early, but Beldum’s poke-body potentially gives it free retreat, making it very easy to get your Castform draws going as quickly as possible.
The low amount of Castform may seem odd given the deck’s reliance on it to get going, but Metagross’s attack only gets 20 more damage for each energy card that is discarded, which means Castform only counts as 1 if it is ever discarded. A tip when playing this deck – it is typically better to set up Metagross first before Dragonite. Metagross’s Delta Control poke-power gives you a better chance of getting future evolutions set up more quickly. Don’t be afraid to give up a prize or two when setting up either – Metagross’s big damage and Rayquaza Star’s “Holy Star” attack can close games out very quickly when utilized properly!
PoliStall
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Politoed ex 3 Poliwhirl 3 Poliwag 2 Dunsparce 1 Dugtrio 1 Diglett 1 Holon’s Magneton | 4 Root Fossil 4 Mysterious Fossil 4 Claw Fossil 4 Professor Elm’s Training Method 3 Steven’s Advice 2 Island Hermit 2 Copycat 2 Scott 2 Rocket’s Admin. 3 Great Ball 4 Battle Frontier | 8 Water Energy 4 Holon Energy WP |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
PoliStall is a pretty underappreciated deck – it probably was one of the best decks in 2007 until the release of Diamond/Pearl changed how Fossils work. In the ex era, they do NOT give up a prize card when KO’d, so Politoed can play the hit-and-run game with fossils for the entire match. Dugtrio is a nice inclusion in this format, as it protects you from sniping attacks like Shiftry ex and Kyogre ex. Holon Energy WP is also a nice inclusion – while it won’t protect the Politoed ex itself (the energy’s effect excludes ex-Pokémon), it protects the lower evolution stages from all effects of attacks. The most common of these would be the effect of placing damage counters – this is considered an EFFECT of an attack, not outright dealing damage. This is a very common workaround to pokemon like Dugtrio, but Holon Energy WP means you’re protected from this. (It also protects you from other random effects, like Roselia LM’s Flick Poison, for example).
Unfortunately for Politoed ex, the biggest issue it has to contend with in this format is that unlike in 2007, there are very reasonable ways to force Politoed into the active position – Pow! Hand Extension, and various pokemon with the Drag Off attack being the most common. Make sure to time your Rocket’s Admin. cards well, and try to keep your opponent off-balance to prevent them from consistently gusting your 2-prize pokemon active! This deck could also consider playing a Poliwrath from Unseen Forces – it shares the evolution like with Politoed, and hits evolution pokemon for some pretty hefty damage, and it demolishes Rocket’s Sneasel ex for just 2 energy.
Registeel Star
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Forretress 4 Pineco 3 Muk 3 Grimer 1 Registeel Star | 4 Mysterious Fossil 3 Claw Fossil 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Holon Scientist 2 Steven’s Advice 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Researcher 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Copycat 1 Celio’s Network 4 Holon Transceiver 2 Warp Point 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 VS Seeker 3 Cursed Stone | 4 Metal Energy 4 Double Rainbow Energy 3 Grass Energy 2 Scramble Energy |
Decklist Credit: TFW
One of the coolest deck ideas I’ve ever seen – TFW created this deck based around Registeel Star, aiming to set up an endgame with Final Laser. While Electrode ex is usually the go-to choice to accelerate energy into play, this deck instead relies on Forretress UF, which moves energy from itself to other benched pokemon. Since you can’t accelerate the energy into play, you hide behind Fossils and Muk in the early game to stall your opponent’s setup, and to avoid going down too many prizes. Once the first Forretress is up, the game accelerates pretty quickly – “Pop” takes a lot of prizes once it is set up, as 100 damage is enough to OHKO most single-prize pokemon in the format, while 2HKOing all of the pokemon ex. Trading evenly is fine – since you conserve all of your special metal energy, the end game scenario involves setting up a Registeel Star with several special metal energy on it, which is extremely difficult to take down. Final Laser also 2HKOs most pokemon in the format, but the 6 damage counters can be spread in any way you like, leading to scenarios where you clean up several KOs at once, and win the game! Funnily enough, all of these cards would be legal in the 2006 World Championships as well – TFW said that it might be even better in 2006 than it is in RS-PK, although they would build it slightly differently, relying on Muk and Cursed Stone more heavily since they shut down so many decks in that format.
Queendom
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nidoqueen (RG 9) 1 Nidoqueen (DF 7) 2 Nidorina 4 Nidoran Female 2 Pidgeot (RG 10) 1 Pidgeot (HP 14) 1 Pidgeotto 3 Pidgey 1 Milotic 1 Feebas 1 Holon’s Electrode | 4 Celio’s Network 3 Steven’s Advice 3 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Copycat 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 4 Rare Candy 3 Great Ball 1 VS Seeker 1 Windstorm 4 Desert Storm | 5 Grass energy 4 Double Rainbow Energy 3 Holon Energy GL 1 Scramble Energy 1 Fighting Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
Queendom doesn’t look all to different in RS-PK, and it’s definitely still a force to be reckoned with. Toxic racks up damage quickly for 1 energy, and it also shuts down any poke-powers from the poisoned Pokemon. Power Lariat can clean up prettty effectively later in the game – 90 damage is enough to KO a lot of the smaller basic and stage 1 pokemon in this format. Milotic was a popular choice in the 2005 version of this deck, and it makes another appearence here – it’s a bit of a weird ability but it slots in pretty nicely. The poke-power heals all pokemon on the field – both yours AND your opponent’s. That being said, the ability does NOT heal ex pokemon, so agianst 2-prize decks, this is a one-sided healing effect. Milotic’s ability also does not heal special conditions, so you can set up a KO with Toxic’s poison effect even after the Healing Shower.
This list does have some small changes from the one on Jason’s website – I included the Invitation Nidoqueen in this list – Invitation is such a strong ability, and Vengeance is a great attack to end the game with. it also gives you an alternate attacker into pokemon that carry the pesky resistance to Fighting, which is quite common in this format. I also kept the Pidgeot delta in this deck as well – it shuts off all non-delta poke-powers when Holon Energy are attached to it. Nidoqueen will still be free to use Invitation, but this will shut down Pidgeot, Blastoise ex, and much more! (Side note: including Pidgeot means I have to play Holon Energy GL instead of Heal Energy as a result.)
RaiEggs (also known as “Delta”)
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Exeggutor 4 Exeggcute 3 Raichu 3 Pikachu (HP 79) 1 Pikachu (LM 93) 4 Holon’s Castform 2 Holon’s Magnemite | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 3 Holon Mentor 2 Holon Researcher 1 Holon Scientist 1 Holon Adventurer 2 Steven’s Advice 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Cessation Crystal 2 Desert Ruins 2 Cursed Stone 2 Pokemon Retriever 1 Swoop! Teleporter | 4 Scramble Energy 3 Metal Energy 3 Double Rainbow Energy 2 Heal Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Top 8 October Mega EX Battle
RaiEggs, the first Delta archetype to really take off in the states, has a lot of good things going for it in RS-PK. Exeggutor as a fighting-type hits a few things for weakness, and both it and Raichu carry the potential to spread damage all around the opponent’s field. Desert Ruins and Cursed Stone double down on this spread damage, while Cessation Crystal prevents the opponent from clawing their way back into the match, and stalls their setup. Both Raichu and Exeggutor have the potential to go in with strong attacks as early as turn 2, but don’t be afraid to sit behind Holon’s Castform, or to just Zzzzap the opponents a few times first – taking early prizes cuts off your access to Scramble Energy. Sometimes it is worth it, but make sure to think twice before you go down the aggressive route! Some versions of this list go all-in on the Cursed Stones and drop Desert Ruins entirely, but I chose to include both since dealing with the higher-HP ex pokemon like Flygon feels pretty impossible without it.
Rat Lock
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Pidgeot 1 Pidgeotto 2 Pidgey 2 Sceptile ex 1 Grovyle 2 Treecko 2 Raticate 2 Rattata 1 Wynaut 1 Wobbuffet 1 Rocket’s Wobbuffet 1 Murkrow 1 Jirachi (DX 9) 1 Mr. Mime ex (RG 111) 1 Stantler 1 Espeon Star 1 Unown (E) 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 3 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 1 Professor Elm’s Training Method 1 Scott 1 Celio’s Network 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 4 Pow! Hand Extension 2 Windstorm 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 Team Aqua Hideout 1 Crystal Beach 1 Giant Stump | 3 Psychic Energy 1 Warp Energy 1 Cyclone Energy 1 Scramble Energy |
Decklist Credit: Erik Reeds, Top 4 Stambler Open Spring 2024
Rat Lock was developed online by Erik Reeds – it has grown quite the reputation as it has evolved to its current version. The list above is close to the list run at the Stambler Open in spring – I believe this is a more updated version from Erik’s twitter but I could be wrong. Either way, the goal is similar to other Pow! Control decks – after falling behind on prizes, you use Pow! Hand Extension to try and trap one of your opponent’s pokemon in the active spot without energy. Ratticate is the key part to the deck, as it can recycle a pokemon, trainer, and energy, basically granting you infinite switches with Warp Energy, and infinite deck resources with Pokemon Retriever. Once something is trapped in the active spot, you simply have to wait for your opponent to run out of cards! It should also be noted that you don’t just sit there without attacking all game – psychic energy (among others) means you do have the option to use Clutch, Push Away, Power Revenge, or even Shadow Tag if the situation truly calls for it. Also look for situations to trap something with Pidgey’s Corner attack, as running your opponent out of Switching effects can be lethal!
RayLer
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Stantler 3 Rayquaza ex 2 Minun 1 Unown (E) | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 Castaway 3 Mary’s Request 2 Pokemon Fan Club 1 Scott 1 Mr. Stone’s Project 1 Steven’s Advice 4 Energy Removal 2 4 Pow! Hand Extension 4 Cessation Crystal 3 Cursed Stone 2 Crystal Beach 1 Balloon Berry 1 Super Scoop Up | 15 Lightning Energy |
Decklist Credit: Alex Brosseau, 2nd Place EX Brawl at the Florida Mall
When RS-PK was first being really explored as a format, Rayquaza/Stantler emerged as the one to beat in many players eyes. It functions similar to the Camerupt/Stantler list above, but Rayquaza ex packs a larger punch. Once your opponent takes the prize lead to protect their trainer cards, Rayquaza’s Rage Aura poke-body activates, allowing it to attack for just a single energy! Dealing with Rayquaza can be difficult enough with all your resources available to you, but trying to deal with a 110 HP, no weakness pokemon that can attack for just 1 energy attachment is a huge obstacle to overcome when your trainer cards have been stripped away from you. If your opponent does manage to make it through the first Rayquaza ex, you can play Rocket’s Admin. to lower their hand size to just 3 cards, and then continue the onslaught of Rayquaza.
The list above mostly reflect’s Alex Brosseau’s from the EX Brawl tournament in Florida – I did decide to keep the Unown E from Jason’s list in, since it adds an entirely new dimension to play. Alex played an extra Minun in place of the Unown – both are strong, so pick whichever you prefer! Important to note – since Rayquaza is an ex-pokmon, it CANNOT have a Cessation Crystal attached to it. Make sure you plan for this in your matches!
Salamence/Electrode
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Salamence 1 Salamence ex (PK 96) 3 Shellgon (DS 53) 1 Shelgon (DS 54) 4 Bagon 2 Lickitung 2 Electrode ex 2 Voltorb 1 Milotic 1 Feebas 1 Holon’s Castform | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Researcher 1 Holon Scientist 1 Steven’s Advice 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 1 Professor Elm’s Training Method 4 Holon Transceiver 3 Windstorm 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 Rare Candy 2 Desert Ruins | 5 Fire Energy 4 Metal Energy 4 Delta Rainbow Energy 2 Double Rainbow Energy |
Decklist Credit: こばゆう/kobayuu, Top 16 Double Rainbow Cup 2024
This was another new archetype to come out of the 2024 Double Rainbow Cup – Kobayuu took this list to a stellar 6-1 swiss record. Electrode ex combos well with a lot of different attackers, and Salamence is just one of many. 100 damage is enough to OHKO a lot of the basic and stage-1 single prizers in the format. 2 resistances combined with special metal energy also makes the Delta Salamence really annoying to KO. While you can’t accelerate directly to Salamence ex, you can always pop an Electrode to accelerate to a Shellgon before evolving – 150 damage will be enough to KO just about everything in the format, and it’s a really good way to close a game out. While Lickitung’s Lap Up attack is a great way to start the game, don’t forget about Delta Mind either – many pokemon evolve from delta species basics in this format, and Lickitung is a great way to spread damage around the opponent’s field, and set up easy KOs for later.
Sceptile
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sceptile ex (MA 93) 1 Sceptile ex (CG 96) 2 Sceptile (RS 20) 2 Grovyle 4 Treecko 2 Pidgeot 1 Pidgeotto 2 Pidgey 1 Team Aqua’s Lanturn 1 Team Aqua’s Chinchou 1 Chimecho 1 Latios Star 4 Holon’s Castform 1 Holon’s Magneton 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 3 Professor Elm’s Training Method 3 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 1 Holon Farmer 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 3 Windstorm 1 Giant Stump 1 Swoop! Teleporter | 8 Grass Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
Sceptile had quite a few printings in this era, and each of them brings something to the table that the other copies cannot. The Magma/Aqua ex has high HP, and can trap things active with Poison Ring – poison will also ensure that they cannot use poke-poiwers while trapped. The Crystal Guardians ex gives you an alternate typing to attack with, and it also is a strong late-game finisher. The Ruby/Sapphire non-ex can move grass energy around your field – like many abilities in this format, this is NOT limited to basic grass energy, so you can freely move Holon’s Castform or Magneton around to power up a plethora of attackers.
Different versions of this deck use much less grass energy and much more tech attackers, relying on the ability to move energy around and power up different pokemon depending on the matchup. In my testing, those versions were fantastic if you could hit your initial energy attachments and actually get your energy into play, but they often struggled to find their first few energy attachments. The version above, by Jason, has much more basic energy, and will set up a little more consistently. I kept the Latios star in this list to give you a powerful 1-of attacker that does have the ability to swing a game around – some other techs you might consider trying are Mew Star, Mew POP 4, or Pow! Hand extension.
Scrambled Eggs
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Electrode ex 3 Voltorb 4 Exeggutor 3 Exeggcute (HP 65) 1 Exeggcute (RG 33) | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 TV Reporter 2 Professor Elm’s Training Method 2 Castaway 4 Pow! Hand Extension 4 Master Ball 2 Great Ball 2 Windstorm 4 Cessation Crystal 1 Magnetic Storm | 4 Scramble Energy 3 Double Rainbow Energy 3 Psychic Energy 2 Holon Energy GL 2 Lightning Energy 1 Grass Energy 1 Cyclone Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Top 4 EX Brawl at the Florida Mall
Scrambled Eggs is a different take on what Electrode ex can do – the core strategy of blowing up your own Electrode ex to go “down” on prizes, activating Pow! Hand Extension, and lowering your opponent’s hand size with Rocket’s Admin. is all still in play. The advantage that Exeggutor has over Dark Tyranitar is that it’s easier to set up, and has much higher damage potential – if you flip roughly 50% heads, you are basically doing 20 damage per energy instead of the 10 that Dark Tyranitar gets with Grind. Exeggutor’s Psychic Exchange can also be used to set your board up very consistently, which is huge in a format where Rocket’s Admin. and Stantler have the potential to strip so many cards away.
Sealed Magma
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Team Magma’s Groudon 2 Quagsire 1 Wooper DF 71 1 Wooper UF 79 | 4 Castaway 3 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Steven’s Advice 1 Celio’s Network 1 Holon Mentor 1 Team Magma Conspirator 1 Mr. Briney’s Compassion 1 Copycat 4 VS Seeker 4 Energy Removal 2 4 Cessation Crystal 4 Team Magma Technical Machine 01 4 Cursed Stone 2 Pokemon Retriever 1 Balloon Berry | 6 Fighting Energy 4 Darkness Energy 4 Magma Energy 1 Grass Energy |
Decklist Credit: Drew Allen, Snowpoint Cast
“Sealed Magma” actually saw some success in the Japanese RS-on format, placing 3rd at the Japan National Championships in 2007. The idea here is that Cessation Crystal not only shuts off your opponent’s useful poke-powers and hinders their setup, but ALSO shuts of the poke-body that would usually hinder Team Magma’s Groudon, allowing you to attack freely. As a basic pokemon, Groudon requires absolutely minimal setup, and while its damage output looks underwhelming at first glance, remember that Groudon is a fighting/dark type, meaning that Darkness Energy will boost its damage output, as will Cursed Stone.
Drew chooses to play Quagsire DF, which allows him to re-use Cessation Crystals that get windstormed away. Quagsire itself can also be an attacker if the situation calls for it. Other lists, however, forego the Quagsire line for 4 copies of Team Magma’s Zangoose. This gives you extra Magma pokemon to potentially attack without a Cessation Crystal in play, and it gives you a colorless pokemon to hit Dark Dragonite or Flygon for weakness.
Shedinja/Fossil Stall
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Shedinja 1 Ninjask 3 Nincada 2 Dugtrio 2 Diglett 1 Aerodactyl ex 1 Grumpig 1 Spoink 1 Minun 1 Wobbuffet 1 Dunsparce 1 Ditto 4 Holon’s Voltorb 1 Holon’s Castform | 4 Mysterious Fossil 4 Claw Fossil 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Pokemon Retriever 2 Windstorm 2 Pow! Hand Extension 1 Swoop! Teleporter 1 Solid Rage 3 Holon Mentor 2 Professor Oak’s Research 1 Team Rocket’s Admin. 1 Steven’s Advice 1 Mary’s Request 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 1 Island Hermit | 1 Scramble Energy 1 Cyclone Energy |
Decklist Credit: @pocket_card – 4th Place Double Rainbow Cup 2023
So it looks like there’s a lot going on here, and I will not claim to be an expert on this style of deck, but the player (who goes by the handle @pocket_card on twitter) that piloted and built this list wrote a short article on their deck selection, and when describing the basic strategy, it sounds like it functions very similarly to PoliStall. Rather than running the opponent out of cards in their deck, like Mew Lock might try to do, Ninjask and Grumpig play a hit-and-run game where you deal damage to the opponent, and hide behind Fossils or Shedinja, all of which give up ZERO prizes when they are KO’d. Slowly, you will grind your opponent out of the game. Jirachi is used to set up your attacker, but also pulls out important bench sitters depending on the matchup. Dugtrio is crucial against something like Rayquaza ex delta or Dark Tyranitar, while Aerodactyl ex is crucial against decks that rely on pokemon tools like Cessation Crystal. (Note that Aerodactyl can’t remove Cessation Crystal when it is active because your poke-body will be shut off, but the instant Cessation Crystal’s lock is broken via Windstorm, Pow! Hand Extension, or Cyclone Energy, your opponent won’t be able to re-gain it.)
Minun and Wobbuffet grab resources out of your discard pile, and theoretically could create an infinite loop should your opponent find themselves completely starved of resources, but winning this way in a 40-minute best of 1 format is a tall, if not impossible task. Instead, use them to get back crucial resources that allow you to keep your attackers flowing – Wobbuffet can re-grab any Rocket Secret Machine cards like Pow! Hand Extension or Pokemon Retriever, while Minun can grab any 1 card you want.
Shiftry ex
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Shiftry ex (CG 97) 2 Nuzleaf 4 Seedot 3 Lickitung 2 Pidgeot 1 Pidgeotto 2 Pidgey 1 Absol ex 1 Holon’s Magneton 1 Holon’s Magnemite | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 3 Professor Elm’s Training Method 3 Holon Mentor 1 Holon Adventurer 1 Holon Scientist 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 3 Crystal Beach 2 Pow! Hand Extension 1 Windstorm | 4 Darkness Energy 4 Multi Energy 4 Psychic Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
Rather than shutting off poke-powers completely, Shiftry ex seeks to punish opponents that use their poke-powers to set up by using Target Attack to snipe threats off of the bench. Lickitung isn’t quite as strong here as it is in 2007 due to several non-delta strategies being brought back, but even placing 10 damage on a benched pokemon early can open the gates for Shiftry to start taking prize cards. Crystal Beach is the stadium of choice in this deck, as you have no need to rely on Holon’s Magneton in most matchups – even if it’s providing a colorless energy, look for situations where you can return a Darkness energy to your hand and conserve it for later! Also look to set up situations where you KO your opponent’s main setup engine (Pidgeot, Holon’s Castform, etc.) and play Rocket’s Admin. on the same turn, keeping them on the back foot for as long as possible!
Swampert/Metagross
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Swampert ex (CG 98) 1 Marshtomp 2 Mudkip 2 Metagross ex (PK 95) 1 Metagross (DS 11) 1 Metang 1 Beldum (HL 29) 1 Beldum (HL 28) 1 Magcargo 1 Slugma 1 Jirachi (DX 9) 1 Jirachi (HL 8) 1 Mew | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 2 Holon Mentor 2 Holon Adventurer 1 Steven’s Advice 4 Holon Transceiver 4 Rare Candy 3 Pow! Hand Extension 3 Windstorm 2 Warp Point 1 Pokemon Retriever 1 Swoop! Teleporter 1 Island Cave 1 Crystal Beach | 4 Metal Energy 4 Warp Energy 4 Rainbow Energy 2 Cyclone Energy 1 Fire Energy |
Decklist Credit: キュー/Que, Top 16 Double Rainbow Cup 2024
Swampert/Metagross was a really cool archetype to come out of the Double Rainbow Cup in 2024! While Swampert ex’s Ultra Pump attack is definitely not bad to chip damage around on the opponent’s field, its Energy-Recycle poke-power is what really makes it shine. This is one of the few abilities in the game that can accelerate not just basic, but special energy into play as well, allowing you to load up a Metagross ex with multiple special metal energy, making it extremely difficult to take down. You can also load up for a large Crush and Burn attack from the single-prize Metagross if needed. Scanblast is a very interesting attack – while it had high potential, it never saw success in the 2007 worlds format for a few reasons. The only gusting effect that existed was Umbreon ex, which was hard to fit in a deck. Furthermore, the only hand disruption was Vaporeon ex, which was hard to play for the same reasons, so it was pretty easy for the opponent to avoid positions that allowed you to spread 70 around. Pow! Hand Extension helps a lot here, allowing you to pull up a benched attacker and spread the damage around. The many outs to hand disruption also make it difficult for your opponent to play around Scanblast’s spread effect by not evolving their pokemon – at any point you threaten to take a KO and use Rocket’s Admin. at the same time, shuffling their hand back into their deck.
ZRE
| Pokemon | Trainers | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Zapdos ex 2 Rayquaza ex 4 Electrode ex 3 Voltorb 4 Magmar 2 Lapras 1 Rayquaza Star 1 Girafarig | 4 Rocket’s Admin. 4 TV Reporter 1 Lanette’s Net Search 1 Scott 1 Professor Elm’s Training Method 4 Pow! Hand Extension 3 Dual Ball 2 Warp Point 1 Windstorm 3 Battle Frontier 1 Space Center | 10 Lightning Energy 6 Fire Energy |
Decklist Credit: Jason Klaczynski, Retro Pokemon TCG Blog
The original Electrode ex deck, ZRE seeks to abuse Electrode ex combined with Rocket’s Admin. and Pow! Hand Extension in the same way that Bombtar and Scrambled Eggs do. The catch here – Rayquaza ex does 20 damage for each energy attached to it, GUARANTEED. No coin flips necessary. The tradeoff here is that Electrode EX cannot attach its energy directly to Rayquaza or Zapdos – you have to attach your energy to a single prizer, and then use Zapdos or Rayquaza’s abilities to move the energy afterwards. Since neither ex pokemon can use Cessation Crystal, Battle Frontier is chosen instead, to try and lock down Pidgeot. Be on the lookout for situations where you can use Zapdos ex to prevent your opponent from taking prize cards – a lot of decks rely on Giant Stump to counter opposing stadiums, and if your opponent wants to remove Battle Frontier, they might be forced to let you take a damaged ex out of play, potentially denying prize cards permanently!
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