Champion's Call

What this file is for.

Elliott's deck, card for card. Elliott is a friend and one of the regulars at CardCrate's Wednesday league, and Cynthia's Garchomp ex is what he brings every week. This is the list he gave Xero. It leaves the published field in a few places that matter, and The Field lists them. Every card is Standard legal. The Rare Candy and Switch in his sleeves are older prints, and both are legal because Mega Evolution reprints them.

The page exists to know the enemy, and it reads the deck from the pilot's chair, because the fastest way to beat a deck is to know what its player wants to do next. Tells at the Table turns that around for the player across from him. How the Gengar deck plays against it is in Xero's Lucky Haunt, and game words are defined in the table rules.

The Thesis

Garchomp attacks for one Energy and refills its hand while it does. Corkscrew Dive costs a single Fighting , does 100, and lets you draw until you hold six cards. The attack is the draw engine, so the deck never has to choose between hitting and digging.

Everything else on the Bench adds damage or finds the next Garchomp. Each Cynthia's Roserade adds 30 to every attack your Cynthia's Pokémon make, and Premium Power Pro adds 30 more for a turn. Cynthia's Gabite's Champion's Call searches out any Cynthia's Pokémon, every turn, from the Bench.

Draconic Buster is the hammer. It costs Fighting , does 260, and sends every Energy on Garchomp to the discard. It is the attack for the Knock Out that Corkscrew can't reach. Nothing in the list accelerates Energy, so a Buster is two attachments on one Garchomp, usually one of them carried up from the Gible.

400 HP is the defense. Garchomp has 330, and Cynthia's Power Weight adds 70. The hardest common hit in Standard is 330, so a Weighted Garchomp survives almost anything the format swings. Four Weights means the Roserades get one too.

Attack	Energy	Damage	With two Roserades	With two Roserades and a Pro
Corkscrew Dive	1	100	160	190
Draconic Buster	2	260	320	350

The Bench is the soft spot, and this list covers it. Precious Trolley fills the Bench on turn 1, and every Basic in it is 70 HP. Battle Cage stops damage counters landing there, and the Weights put the Roserades out of reach of a 130 snipe. Those are the two cards that make this list different from the field's.

Weakness does the rest. Against a Fighting-weak deck every number doubles, and Corkscrew with two Roserades is 320 for one Energy. That is the whole matchup against Lucky Haunt.

How It Plays

The short version, in order. Game Plans walks through each step.

The Trolley turn. Precious Trolley benches every Basic the turn wants, and Buddy-Buddy Poffin benches two. The Rocky goes on a Gible.
Battle Cage before their snipe. He runs one, so it goes down the turn before the opponent can first place counters on his Bench.
Gabite, then Champion's Call every turn. Each Gabite searches one Cynthia's Pokémon a turn. The first calls take Garchomp ex, and the next take Roserades.
Garchomp on turn 3. It comes a turn early when the lone Rare Candy shows up.
Corkscrew Dive every turn. One Energy, 100 plus 30 for each Roserade and Pro, and a hand of six.
Buster to close. Two Energy for the Knock Out Corkscrew can't reach.

Deck List

Pokémon (20)

Qty	Card	Set	Number	Reg
3	Cynthia's Garchomp ex	Destined Rivals	104	I
4	Cynthia's Gible	Destined Rivals	102	I
4	Cynthia's Gabite	Destined Rivals	103	I
4	Cynthia's Roselia	Destined Rivals	007	I
3	Cynthia's Roserade	Destined Rivals	008	I
1	Cynthia's Spiritomb	Destined Rivals	129	I
1	Meowth ex	Perfect Order	062	J

Trainers (32)

Qty	Card	Type	Set	Number	Reg
3	Lillie's Determination	Supporter	Mega Evolution	119	I
3	Boss's Orders	Supporter	Mega Evolution	114	I
1	Larry's Skill	Supporter	Prismatic Evolutions	115	H
1	Team Rocket's Petrel	Supporter	Destined Rivals	176	I
4	Buddy-Buddy Poffin	Item	Temporal Forces	144	H
1	Precious Trolley	Item	Surging Sparks	185	H
3	Fighting Gong	Item	Mega Evolution	116	I
3	Poke Pad	Item	Perfect Order	081	J
3	Premium Power Pro	Item	Mega Evolution	124	I
1	Ultra Ball	Item	Mega Evolution	131	I
1	Night Stretcher	Item	Shrouded Fable	061	H
1	Rare Candy	Item	Mega Evolution	125	I
1	Switch	Item	Mega Evolution	130	I
1	Special Red Card	Item	Chaos Rising	082	J
4	Cynthia's Power Weight	Tool	Destined Rivals	162	I
1	Battle Cage	Stadium	Phantasmal Flames	085	I

Energy (8)

Qty	Card	Set	Number	Reg
7	Basic Fighting Energy	Mega Evolution Energies	006	-
1	Rocky Fighting Energy	Perfect Order	087	J

20 + 32 + 8 = 60. ✓

His prints differ, and the text doesn't. Elliott plays the Ascended Heroes Gible line (109, 110, and 111), with one Garchomp ex from Destined Rivals 215. His Lillie's, Poffin, Gong, Ultra Ball, Night Stretcher, and Petrel are Ascended Heroes prints, his Battle Cage is Phantasmal Flames 116, his Rare Candy is Scarlet & Violet 191, and his Switch is from HeartGold SoulSilver. The tables pin the prints this site tracks.

Basics: 10 (4 Gible, 4 Roselia, Spiritomb, and Meowth ex), which puts the no-mulligan rate at 74%, a point under the 75-85% band. Gible, Roselia, and Spiritomb are all 70 HP, so every Poffin finds two cards the deck wants. Meowth ex is 170 and has a Rule Box, so only Precious Trolley and Ultra Ball reach it.

Pokémon

Cynthia's Garchomp exx3

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 104/182
Rarity: Double Rare
Type: Fighting
HP: 330
Stage: Stage 2
Weakness: Grass ×2
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Corkscrew Dive (100) - You may draw cards until you have 6 cards in your hand.
Attack: Draconic Buster (260) - Discard all Energy from this Pokémon.

Stage 2 from Gabite. Gives up 2 Prize cards. 330 HP, Retreat 0, Grass Weakness.

Corkscrew Dive is Fighting for 100, and you may draw until you have six cards in hand. One Energy, every turn, and the hand refills as it hits.

Draconic Buster is Fighting for 260, and then every Energy on Garchomp goes to the discard. That includes the Rocky, so a Buster is also the turn Garchomp stops being immune to attack effects, for good.

Retreat 0 is the quiet stat. Garchomp leaves the Active Spot for free, so Boss's Orders can't strand it, and a damaged one can step back to the Bench and become fuel for Spiritomb.

Three copies. Gabite searches the next one, Ultra Ball finds one, and Night Stretcher brings back a dead one.

Cynthia's Giblex4

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 102/182
Rarity: Common
Type: Fighting
HP: 70
Stage: Basic
Weakness: Grass ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Rock Hurl (20) - This attack's damage isn't affected by Resistance.

70 HP, Fighting, Retreat 1. Four copies, all Poffin-legal, and Fighting Gong finds them too. Rock Hurl does 20 for and rarely matters.

The Rocky goes on the Gible that becomes the first Garchomp. It shields that Pokémon from every attack effect, and the Energy rides both evolutions.

Cynthia's Gabitex4

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 103/182
Rarity: Common
Type: Fighting
HP: 100
Stage: Stage 1
Ability: Champion's Call - Once during your turn, you may search your deck for a Cynthia's Pokémon, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Weakness: Grass ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Dragonslice (40)

The search engine. 100 HP, Retreat 1.

Champion's Call: once during your turn, search your deck for a Cynthia's Pokémon and put it into your hand. It reaches all six Cynthia's Pokémon in the list, Garchomp ex included, and every Gabite on the Bench calls once a turn.

Four copies, the full line under three Garchomp. A Gabite that evolves stops calling, so the second one is the Gabite that stays behind to keep searching. Dragonslice does 40 for Fighting .

Cynthia's Roseliax4

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 007/182
Rarity: Common
Type: Grass
HP: 70
Stage: Basic
Weakness: Fire ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Spike Sting (20)

70 HP, Grass, Retreat 1, Fire Weakness. Its whole job is becoming Roserade. Four copies, because the deck wants two Roserades standing every game. Spike Sting does 20 for Colorless .

Cynthia's Roseradex3

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 008/182
Rarity: Rare
Type: Grass
HP: 130
Stage: Stage 1
Ability: Cheer On to Glory - Attacks used by your Cynthia's Pokémon do 30 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
Weakness: Fire ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Leaf Step (80)

The damage. 130 HP, Grass, Retreat 1, Fire Weakness.

Cheer On to Glory: attacks used by your Cynthia's Pokémon do 30 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon, before Weakness. Every copy adds its own 30, so two Roserades on the Bench make Corkscrew 160 and Buster 320.

Three copies. It is the card opponents shoot first, because it is the cheapest body that adds damage. A Power Weight makes it 200, and with four Weights in the list one usually goes here. Leaf Step costs Grass Colorless in a deck with no Grass Energy, so it never attacks.

Cynthia's Spiritombx1

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 129/182
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Darkness
HP: 70
Stage: Basic
Weakness: Grass ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Raging Curse (10x) - This attack does 10 damage for each damage counter on all of your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon. This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness.

The single-Prize attacker. 70 HP, Darkness, Retreat 1, Grass Weakness.

Raging Curse is , and does 10 damage for each damage counter on all of your Benched Cynthia's Pokémon. Weakness doesn't apply.

It turns the opponent's damage into yours. A Garchomp that took 260 carries 26 counters. Retreat it for free, promote Spiritomb, and Raging Curse is 260, plus 30 for each Roserade. Two Roserades make it 320 for one Energy, from a Basic that gives up one Prize.

It is the answer to the Prize-tax decks. Mega Gengar ex's Shadowy Concealment only discounts Knock Outs by a Pokémon ex, and Spiritomb isn't one. One copy, and Champion's Call finds it. It is Darkness, so Premium Power Pro does nothing for it and Risky Ruins never touches it.

Meowth exx1

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 062/088
Rarity: Double Rare
Type: Colorless
HP: 170
Stage: Basic
Ability: Last-Ditch Catch - Once during your turn, when you play this Pokémon from your hand onto your Bench, you may use this Ability. Search your deck for a Supporter card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck. You can't use more than 1 Ability that has "Last-Ditch" in its name each turn.
Weakness: Fighting ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Tuck Tail (60) - Put this Pokémon and all attached cards into your hand.

The Supporter on demand. 170 HP Basic, Colorless, Fighting Weakness, Retreat 1. Gives up 2 Prize cards.

Last-Ditch Catch: when you play it from your hand onto your Bench, search your deck for a Supporter and put it into your hand. It is Boss's Orders on the turn a Knock Out needs one, or Lillie's on a dead hand. It only fires from the hand, so a Meowth that Trolley benches searches nothing.

It is the softest 2 Prizes in the list. It is Colorless and not a Cynthia's Pokémon, so neither the Rocky nor a Power Weight can cover it, and it sits on the Bench where a gust finds it. Bench it on the turn its Supporter wins the turn, and not before.

Tuck Tail is Colorless for 60, and puts Meowth and everything attached back in the hand, which resets the Ability. It is rarely worth three Energy.

Trainers — Supporters

Lillie's Determinationx3

Set: ME01: Mega Evolution 119/132
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Shuffle your hand into your deck. Then, draw 6 cards. If you have exactly 6 Prize cards remaining, draw 8 cards instead.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Three copies. Shuffle your hand into your deck and draw six, or eight while you still hold all six Prizes. Going first, a turn-2 Lillie's still draws eight.

Boss's Ordersx3

Set: ME01: Mega Evolution 114/132
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Switch in 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon to the Active Spot.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Three copies, and three more cards find one: Meowth ex, Petrel, and Larry's Skill. Corkscrew takes a Knock Out every turn it can reach one, and Boss's Orders picks which. Against Lucky Haunt it drags up the Mega Gengar ex, because a Knock Out on the Mega ends Shadowy Concealment for the rest of the game, or the Blissey ex, which is 2 Prizes that Concealment never covers.

Larry's Skillx1

Set: SV: Prismatic Evolutions 115/131
Rarity: Common
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Discard your hand and search your deck for a Pokémon, a Supporter card, and a Basic Energy card, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

Discard your hand, then search your deck for a Pokémon, a Supporter, and a Basic Energy. One copy. It is the reset for a hand worth less than three exact cards: a Garchomp ex or the missing Gabite, Boss's Orders for next turn, and a Fighting Energy.

Team Rocket's Petrelx1

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 176/182
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Search your deck for a Trainer card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Search your deck for a Trainer card. One copy. Supporters are Trainers too, so it finds Boss's Orders for next turn as easily as the Battle Cage, the Rare Candy, the Trolley, or a Power Weight for this one.

Trainers — Items

Buddy-Buddy Poffinx4

Set: SV05: Temporal Forces 144/162
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Search your deck for up to 2 Basic Pokémon with 70 HP or less and put them onto your bench. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

Four copies. Two Basics with 70 HP or less, straight to the Bench. Gible, Roselia, and Spiritomb all qualify.

Precious Trolleyx1

Set: SV08: Surging Sparks 185/191
Rarity: ACE SPEC Rare
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Search your deck for any number of Basic Pokémon and put them onto your Bench. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

ACE SPEC. Search your deck for any number of Basic Pokémon and put them onto your Bench. On turn 1 that is a full Bench in one card: two or three Gible, a Roselia, and the Spiritomb. It finds Meowth ex too, but a Meowth benched this way doesn't search.

Against Risky Ruins, every non-Darkness Basic it benches takes 2 counters, so when the Ruins is up, the Cage goes down first.

Fighting Gongx3

Set: ME01: Mega Evolution 116/132
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Search your deck for a Basic Fighting Energy card or a Basic Fighting Pokémon, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Search your deck for a Basic Fighting Energy or a Basic Fighting Pokémon. Three copies. It finds a Gible or an Energy, which covers a bad opening from either side. Rocky Fighting Energy is Special, so Gong can't find it.

Poke Padx3

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 081/088
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Search your deck for a Pokémon that doesn't have a Rule Box, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck. (Pokémon ex, Pokémon V, etc. have Rule Boxes.)
Tournament: legal (Reg J)

Search your deck for a Pokémon without a Rule Box. Three copies. Everything but Garchomp ex and Meowth ex qualifies, Gabite and Roserade included, so a Pad is whatever Stage 1 you're missing.

Premium Power Prox3

Set: ME01: Mega Evolution 124/132
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: During this turn, attacks used by your Fighting Pokémon do 30 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

During this turn, your Fighting Pokémon's attacks do 30 more to the Active, before Weakness. Three copies, against the field's one or two, so one boost is in hand most turns even with no Roserade up. Garchomp is Fighting; Spiritomb is Darkness and gets nothing from it.

Ultra Ballx1

Set: ME01: Mega Evolution 131/132
Rarity: Common
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: You can use this card only if you discard 2 other cards from your hand. Search your deck for a Pokémon, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Discard two other cards, then search your deck for any Pokémon. One copy. It is the only Item that finds Garchomp ex or Meowth ex.

Night Stretcherx1

Set: SV: Shrouded Fable 061/064
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Put a Pokémon or a Basic Energy card from your discard pile into your hand.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

A Pokémon or a Basic Energy card from your discard pile to your hand. One copy. A Knocked Out Garchomp comes back, and so does the Spiritomb.

Rare Candyx1

Set: ME01: Mega Evolution 125/132
Rarity: Common
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Choose 1 of your Basic Pokémon in play. If you have a Stage 2 card in your hand that evolves from that Pokémon, put that card onto the Basic Pokémon to evolve it, skipping the Stage 1. You can't use this card during your first turn or on a Basic Pokémon that was put into play this turn.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

One copy. Gible straight to Garchomp, on your second turn at the earliest, and never on a Gible that arrived this turn. With one Candy, the turn-2 Garchomp is a bonus, not a plan.

Switchx1

Set: ME01: Mega Evolution 130/132
Rarity: Common
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Switch your Active Pokémon with 1 of your Benched Pokémon.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

One copy. Everything in the list retreats for one or zero, so Switch is for a stranded or Poisoned Active, not for the retreat bill.

Special Red Cardx1

Set: ME04: Chaos Rising 082/086
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: You can use this card only if your opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards remaining. Your opponent shuffles their hand and puts it on the bottom of their deck. If they put any cards on the bottom of their deck in this way, they draw 3 cards.
Tournament: legal (Reg J)

Playable only when your opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards left. They shuffle their hand, put it on the bottom of their deck, and draw 3. One copy. It is the comeback card, and it lands hardest on a player who holds pieces for future turns.

Trainers — Tool & Stadium

Cynthia's Power Weightx4

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 162/182
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Pokémon Tool
Ability: The Cynthia's Pokémon this card is attached to gets +70 HP.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

The Cynthia's Pokémon this card is attached to gets +70 HP. Four copies, one more than the field.

Wearer: HP
Garchomp ex: 400
Roserade: 200
Gabite: 170
Gible, Roselia, Spiritomb: 140

The first goes on the Garchomp in front, because 400 clears the format's 330 wall. Against a deck that snipes for exactly 130, which is Chaotic Pain, the next goes on a Roserade, and the Roserade survives the snipe with 70 to spare.

It can go on early. A Tool stays attached through evolution, so a Weight on a Roselia is a Weight on the Roserade it becomes, and the Basic is safe from a 130 snipe on the way up.

Battle Cagex1

Set: ME02: Phantasmal Flames 085/094
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Stadium
Ability: Prevent all damage counters from being placed on Benched Pokémon (both yours and your opponent's) by effects of attacks and Abilities from the opponent's Pokémon. (Damage from attacks is still taken.)
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

No damage counters land on either player's Benched Pokémon from the effects of the opponent's attacks and Abilities. Damage from attacks still lands. One copy.

Nothing in this list places counters on the opponent's Bench, so it only ever stops the opponent. Against Lucky Haunt it switches off Chaotic Pain on the Bench, which is the Gengar deck's whole plan, and it leaves Pain only the Active Spot. Playing it also discards their Stadium, which ends Risky Ruins.

It is a one-shot. Petrel finds it, and nothing in the list returns a Stadium from the discard pile. Once their Stadium replaces it, the Bench is open for the rest of the game, so the timing is in Game Plans.

Energy

Basic Fighting Energyx7

Set: MEE: Mega Evolution Energies 6
Rarity: Common
Type: Energy - Basic
Tournament: legal

Seven copies, against the field's four. Fighting Gong, Larry's Skill, and Night Stretcher all find it, so a Buster that empties a Garchomp costs Energy the deck can get back.

Rocky Fighting Energyx1

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 087/088
Rarity: Rare
Type: Energy - Special Fighting
Ability: As long as this card is attached to a Pokémon, it provides Energy. Prevent all effects of attacks used by your opponent's Pokémon done to the Pokémon this card is attached to. (Existing effects are not removed. Damage is not an effect.)
Tournament: legal (Reg J)

As long as it is attached, it provides Fighting Energy, and it prevents all effects of your opponent's attacks on the Fighting Pokémon holding it. Damage isn't an effect. So it stops Poison, damage counters placed by an attack like Chaotic Pain, and every other attack effect, but not the damage itself.

One copy, where the field runs four. Nothing in the list finds it: Gong, Larry's, and Night Stretcher read Basic Energy, and Petrel reads Trainers. It goes on the first Gible and rides up to Garchomp. Draconic Buster discards it with the rest, and then it is gone for the game.

Damage Math

Boosts are the Roserades on your Bench and the Premium Power Pros you played this turn. Each adds 30, before Weakness.

Corkscrew Dive

Boosts	Damage	Into Fighting Weakness
None	100	200
One	130	260
Two	160	320
Three	190	380
Four	220	440

Draconic Buster

Boosts	Damage	Into Fighting Weakness
None	260	520
One	290	580
Two	320	640
Three	350	700

Without Weakness, only Buster kills a Mega. Two boosts put it at 320, enough for Dragapult ex. Three put it at 350, which takes a Mega Excadrill ex at 340 or a Mega Gengar ex at 350. Corkscrew reaches 250 only with five boosts in one turn.

Cynthia's Spiritomb, Raging Curse

Counters on your Bench	Raging Curse	With two Roserades
13, a Weighted Roserade that lived through one Chaotic Pain	130	190
26, a Garchomp that took a Poisoned Chain-Crazed and retreated	260	320

The Prize Map

Your Pokémon: Prizes it gives up
Gible, Gabite, Roselia, Roserade, Spiritomb: 1
Cynthia's Garchomp ex, Meowth ex: 2

Four cards in the deck are worth two Prizes. Three are the Garchomps, and they wear the Weights. The fourth is Meowth ex, which can't wear one, so it stays in the hand until its Supporter is worth the risk. An opponent who can't get through 400 HP has to take singles instead, and the Bench is made of them. That is why the Bench is the target, and why Battle Cage and the Weights both point there.

Game Plans

1. The Trolley turn

Precious Trolley benches every Basic the opening wants in one card: Gibles first, a Roselia, and the Spiritomb. Poffin does two at a time, and Fighting Gong and Poke Pad fill in what it missed. Attach Rocky Fighting Energy to a Gible, because it stays on through both evolutions and makes the finished Garchomp immune to attack effects.

Leave Meowth ex in the deck. Trolley benches it without the search, and it gives up 2 Prizes from the Bench.

2. Gabite, then Champion's Call every turn

Evolve every Gible you can on turn 2. Each Gabite calls once a turn, and the calls go in order: Garchomp ex until one is ready to evolve, then Roserade, then Spiritomb. Keep one Gabite unevolved as long as you can. It is the search engine, and the Garchomp it becomes stops searching.

3. Garchomp on turn 3

The line evolves one step a turn, so the first Garchomp arrives on your third turn. The lone Rare Candy makes it turn 2. Gabite calls the Garchomp, and the Candy goes on the other Gible, which has sat a turn.

4. Corkscrew every turn

One Energy, 100 plus 30 for each Roserade and Pro, and a hand of six. Take the Knock Out when it's there, and let the draw find the next Boss's Orders when it isn't. Two Roserades before the first Corkscrew is the target, and three Pros cover the turns they aren't up. When the hand has no Boss's Orders, Meowth ex from the hand fetches one.

5. Buster for the big one

Draconic Buster is for the Knock Out Corkscrew can't reach: a Mega, a big ex, anything past 250 without Weakness. It discards everything, so the Garchomp that fires it needs two new Energy to Buster again, or one attachment to Corkscrew. Seven Basic Fighting make the refill easy. The Rocky is the one Energy that doesn't come back.

6. Spiritomb for the taxed room

Against a deck that discounts Knock Outs by Pokémon ex, Spiritomb is the attacker. The damage on your Bench is its ammunition, and a hurt Garchomp that retreats for free is the biggest pile of it.

7. The Cage, once a game

Battle Cage goes down the turn before the opponent can first put counters on your Bench. Against Lucky Haunt that is the turn before their first Gengar ex can attack, which is their second turn at the earliest. Play it sooner when Risky Ruins is up and the Trolley or Poffin is about to bench Gibles and Roselias under it.

It doesn't come back. Once their Stadium replaces it, the Weights are the only shield the Bench has left, so the Roserades and the unevolved Gabite want one before then.

Versus the Kitchen Table

Versus Xero's Lucky Haunt. This is the matchup the page exists for. Every Pokémon in it is weak to Fighting, Chansey and Blissey ex included, so every number doubles. Its plan is Chaotic Pain: 13 damage counters on any one of your Pokémon, Bench included, to kill the Gible line and the Roserades before they matter.

Boosts	Corkscrew into Weakness	Knocks Out
None	200	Gastly, Toxel, Haunter, Chansey, and Toxtricity
One	260	Okidogi ex too, and a Gengar ex carrying Sinister Surge's two counters
Two	320	Gengar ex and Blissey ex too
Three	380	Mega Gengar ex too

Buster is 520 and kills anything. Here is what Xero has, and what this list does about it.

Battle Cage is the answer to Chaotic Pain. While it stands, Pain reaches only the Active Spot, and every Gible, Gabite, Roselia, Roserade, and Spiritomb on the Bench is safe. Lucky Haunt runs two Risky Ruins and two Petrels to replace it, and the Cage can't come back, so it waits for the turn their first Gengar ex can swing.
Weight the Roserades. A bare Roserade is exactly 130, one Pain. A Weighted one at 200 survives it with 70 to spare, and a Weighted Gabite at 170 survives with 40.
The Rocky decides which Garchomp they can Pain. It stops the counters on the Fighting Pokémon holding it, and this list runs one. Every other Garchomp is in reach: a Poisoned Chain-Crazed (260) plus a Pain (130) kills a bare one, and a Weighted one survives it by ten.
Shadowy Concealment, from a Mega Gengar ex on their Bench, takes one Prize off every Knock Out your Garchomp scores on a Darkness Pokémon. Their Gastly, Toxel, Haunter, and Toxtricity give up nothing, and a Gengar ex or a dog gives up 1. Boss's Orders and a three-boost Corkscrew or a Buster take the Mega for 2 and end it. Spiritomb isn't a Pokémon ex, so Concealment never applies to its Knock Outs.
Chansey and Blissey ex are Colorless, so Concealment never covers them. Blissey ex is 2 Prizes at Retreat 4, and a two-boost Corkscrew kills it. It works from the Bench, and Boss's Orders finds it there.
Fainting Spell flips a coin when a Gengar ex is Knocked Out by damage from an attack, and heads Knocks Out the attacker. It is an Ability, so Rocky doesn't stop it. When Spiritomb can take that Knock Out instead, the coin risks a one-Prize body, and the Gengar ex pays its full 2.
Meowth ex is the 2 Prizes they want most. It is 170 and Colorless, with no Weight and no Rocky. Their Boss's Orders and Void Gale (230), a Poisoned dog (260), or Blissey's Return (180) take it in one hit. Bench it only on the turn its Supporter takes a Knock Out.
Risky Ruins puts 2 counters on every Gible, Roselia, and Meowth ex you bench during your turn, and they stay through evolution. A Weighted Gible under Ruins is 120, inside one Pain, and a Garchomp grown from a chipped Gible falls to Chain-Crazed plus a Pain even with a Weight. Every Ruins counter on a Cynthia's Pokémon also adds 10 to Raging Curse.
A Poisoned Okidogi ex hits for 260. That leaves a bare Garchomp at 70 and a Weighted one at 140. Retreat 0 means the damaged Garchomp steps back and feeds Spiritomb. Their answer is to Pain the Spiritomb on the Bench, and the Cage stops that.
Lucky Haunt runs Neo Upper Energy. On a Stage 2 it pays a whole Chaotic Pain or Void Gale, so a Gengar ex that lands by Rare Candy attacks the same turn. That is why the Cage goes down a turn early.
Special Red Card comes out at their 3 Prizes left. The Gengar player holds pieces for later turns, so the hand it sends to the bottom is worth more than the three cards it draws.

How the Gengar deck plays against this is in Versus Cynthia's Garchomp ex.

Versus Fox's Fire decks. Roselia and Roserade are weak to Fire, and the Garchomp line isn't. Expect the Roserades to go first.

The Field

Where Elliott's list sits against the published one, from the 14 paper lists Limitless carries for the current format (Temporal Forces through 30th Celebration), pulled October 8, 2026. The field column is the average count per list.

Card	Elliott	Field
Gible, Gabite, Garchomp ex	4, 4, 3	4, 4, 3
Roselia, Roserade	4, 3	3.5, 3.2
Spiritomb	1	0.9
Lillie's Determination	3	3.9
Boss's Orders	3	3.4
Buddy-Buddy Poffin	4	3.8
Poke Pad	3	3.8
Fighting Gong	3	3.1
Cynthia's Power Weight	4	3.1
Premium Power Pro	3	1.6
Basic Fighting Energy	7	4
Rocky Fighting Energy	1	3.9
Battle Cage	1	0.2
Larry's Skill	1	0.1
Precious Trolley, Meowth ex, Ultra Ball	1 each	none
Hilda, Pokégear 3.0, Judge	none	1.1 to 1.5
Neo Upper Energy	none	0.6
Shaymin	none	0.6

The core is the field's. The Garchomp line, the Roserades, Spiritomb, the Poffins and Pads, Gong, and Boss's Orders all match within a copy.

Three choices make it his.

Energy over protection. Seven Basic Fighting and one Rocky, where the field runs four of each. Gong, Larry's, and Night Stretcher all find a Basic, so a Buster's discard costs him little. The trade is that only one Garchomp line is safe from Chaotic Pain.
The Bench up front. Precious Trolley in the ACE SPEC slot fills the Bench on turn 1, Battle Cage guards it, and the fourth Power Weight goes on what's left exposed.
Supporters on demand. Meowth ex, Larry's Skill, and Petrel replace the field's Hilda, Pokégear 3.0, and Judge. Each one turns into whichever Supporter the turn needs.

Tells at the Table

Written for the player across from this deck. What you see, what it means, and what to do.

You see	It means	Do this
Precious Trolley on turn 1	a full Bench before you've attacked, and his ACE SPEC is spent	Pain what evolves, not the spare Gibles
Battle Cage	Chaotic Pain reaches only his Active, and it's his only Cage	Risky Ruins replaces it for the rest of the game; Petrel finds the Ruins
Meowth ex coming down from his hand	he just searched a Supporter, most often Boss's Orders	Boss's Orders it back for 2 Prizes
A Power Weight on a Roserade	he knows your snipe	Chaotic Pain the other Roserade, or a Gabite
A Power Weight on Garchomp	400 HP	two Poisoned Chain-Crazed, or one and a Void Gale; a Chain-Crazed and a Pain is 390, ten short
The Rocky on a Gible or Gabite	that line is safe from Chaotic Pain, and it's his only Rocky	Pain the other lines
A Garchomp with no Rocky	Pain reaches it	Chain-Crazed and a Pain kill it bare
A damaged Garchomp retreating for free	Spiritomb is coming	Chaotic Pain the Spiritomb while it's bare and the Cage is down
A Garchomp that just used Buster	no Energy left on it	next turn it can only Corkscrew
Larry's Skill	his hand is a Pokémon, a Supporter, and an Energy	expect the Supporter next turn, often Boss's Orders
Your Prizes down to 3	Special Red Card is live	play out what's in hand before you take the Prize that gets you there

Alternatives

What the rest of the field plays in his slots, for the week his list changes.

Card	In place of	Why
Neo Upper Energy	Precious Trolley	the field's usual ACE SPEC. On a Stage 2 it provides from one card, so a Garchomp that just evolved can Draconic Buster the same turn, once a game.
Rocky Fighting Energy, three more	three Basic Fighting Energy	the field runs four. Each one puts another Garchomp line out of Chaotic Pain's reach, but Gong and Night Stretcher can't find them.
Team Rocket's Watchtower	Battle Cage	Colorless Pokémon have no Abilities, which switches off Blissey ex's Happy Switch. It would also switch off his own Meowth ex, and it leaves his Bench open to Pain.
Hilda	Larry's Skill	1.4 a list. Search for an Evolution Pokémon and an Energy card, without discarding the hand.
Pokégear 3.0	Ultra Ball	1.5 a list. Look at the top seven and take a Supporter.
Judge	Special Red Card	1.1 a list. Both players shuffle in and draw four, and it works at any Prize count.
Shaymin	Meowth ex	0.6 a list. Flower Curtain stops attack damage to Benched Pokémon with no Rule Box. It doesn't stop counters, so it does nothing against Chaotic Pain.
Unfair Stamp	Precious Trolley	0.2 a list. Playable the turn after one of your Pokémon is Knocked Out. Both players shuffle their hands in, you draw 5, and they draw 2.