Dancing Swords

Deck List

This is the most baller version of the deck, identical card-for-card to the original, but featuring illustration rares, full arts, and gold secret rares. Valued at about $680 at TCGplayer market on October 27, 2026. Check the current market price.

Pokémon (21)

Qty	Card	Set	Number	Reg
4	Honedge	Perfect Order	056	J
4	Doublade	Mega Evolution Promo	067	J
4	Aegislash	Perfect Order	058	J
3	Beldum	Chaos Rising	059	J
3	Metang	Temporal Forces	114	H
2	Genesect ex	Black Bolt	067	I
1	Fezandipiti ex	Shrouded Fable	038	H

Trainers (28)

Qty	Card	Type	Set	Number	Reg
3	Dawn	Supporter	Phantasmal Flames	087	I
2	Lana's Aid	Supporter	Twilight Masquerade	155	H
2	Boss's Orders	Supporter	Mega Evolution	114	I
1	Team Rocket's Petrel	Supporter	Destined Rivals	176	I
1	Hilda	Supporter	White Flare	084	I
3	Buddy-Buddy Poffin	Item	Temporal Forces	144	H
2	Poke Pad	Item	Perfect Order	081	J
2	Night Stretcher	Item	Shrouded Fable	061	H
1	Energy Recycler	Item	Destined Rivals	164	I
2	Switch	Item	Mega Evolution	130	I
1	Max Rod	Item, ACE SPEC	Prismatic Evolutions	116	H
2	Brave Bangle	Tool	White Flare	080	I
2	Lucky Helmet	Tool	Twilight Masquerade	158	H
2	Battle Cage	Stadium	Phantasmal Flames	085	I
2	Full Metal Lab	Stadium	Temporal Forces	148	H

Energy (11)

Qty	Card	Set	Number	Reg
11	Basic Metal Energy	Mega Evolution Energies	008	-

21 + 28 + 11 = 60. ✓ Ten Basics, nine Supporters, twelve swords, one ACE SPEC, no Special Energy, and nothing over four copies.

Ten Basics is a 26% mulligan. The opening seven holds a Honedge 40% of the time, and going first, a Honedge, Poffin, or Poke Pad shows up by the end of your first turn 75% of the time. It holds 1.4 swords on average, and 1.2 sit in the Prizes; three or more swords are prized in 9% of games. Genesect ex or a Dawn is in your first nine cards 57% of the time. Brock's Scouting had that at 64% and left for the second Switch, so it is still the deck's soft spot; see Test and Tune. About one opening hand in five (22%) holds no Energy, and Metal Maker is the answer to that one.

Pokémon

Honedgex4

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 056/088
Rarity: Common
Type: Metal
HP: 70
Stage: Basic
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Cut (10)

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 056/088
Rarity: Common
Type: Metal
HP: 70
Stage: Basic
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Cut (10)

70 HP Basic, Fire Weakness, Grass Resistance, Retreat 2. Cut does 10 and you will never use it.

Four copies, two jobs. It is the bottom of the line, and it is a sword while it sits in your hand. Every Honedge on the Bench is 60 off this turn's swing, so turn one benches two (one to evolve in the Active Spot, one behind it) and the rest stay in hand.

Poffin and Poke Pad find it, and Dawn takes it as the Basic. Under their Risky Ruins a benched Honedge starts at 50.

Doubladex4

Set: ME: Mega Evolution Promo 067
Rarity: Promo
Type: Metal
HP: 100
Stage: Stage 1
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Weaponized Swords (60x) - Reveal any number of Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash from your hand, and this attack does 60 damage for each card you revealed in this way.

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 098/088
Rarity: Illustration Rare
Type: Metal
HP: 100
Stage: Stage 1
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Weaponized Swords (60x) - Reveal any number of Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash from your hand, and this attack does 60 damage for each card you revealed in this way.

Stage 1, 100 HP, Fire Weakness, Grass Resistance, Retreat 2. The Mega Evolution promo 067, Yukihiro Tada's art, mark J. It is the same card as Perfect Order 057.

Weaponized Swords costs . Reveal any number of Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash from your hand, and it does 60 for each one. Revealed, not discarded. The cards go back into your hand and swing again next turn, so the damage is a resource you keep, not one you spend.

Four copies. One is the attacker, one waits in hand for the next Honedge, and the rest are swords. It has no Rule Box and no Ability, which matters more than it looks; see The Thesis.

100 HP means it dies. Nearly every attack in the format Knocks it Out, and that is the plan, because it is one Prize. Everything attached to it goes to the discard with it, the Energy and the Tool.

Aegislashx4

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 058/088
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Metal
HP: 150
Stage: Stage 2
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 3
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Slash (80)
Attack: Metal Slash (230) - During your next turn, this Pokémon can't use attacks.

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 058/088
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Metal
HP: 150
Stage: Stage 2
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 3
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Slash (80)
Attack: Metal Slash (230) - During your next turn, this Pokémon can't use attacks.

Stage 2, 150 HP, Fire Weakness, Grass Resistance, Retreat 3.

Slash does 80 for . Metal Slash does 230 for , and this Pokémon can't attack during your next turn.

Four copies, and in most games none of them touches the board. Aegislash does nothing in play that Doublade doesn't do better, so it is the purest sword in the deck. Metallic Signal takes it first.

It comes out when the hand can't swing. After Judge or Unfair Stamp, or when three swords or fewer are left, Metal Slash's 230 beats Weaponized Swords. When Aegislash comes out has the rule. At 150 it survives a bare Aura Jab (130), Corkscrew Dive with a Roserade (130), and Solar Beam after Resistance (110), which a Doublade doesn't.

Beldumx3

Set: ME04: Chaos Rising 059/086
Rarity: Common
Type: Metal
HP: 70
Stage: Basic
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Headbutt (10)
Attack: Beam (20)

Set: ME04: Chaos Rising 059/086
Rarity: Common
Type: Metal
HP: 70
Stage: Basic
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg J)
Attack: Headbutt (10)
Attack: Beam (20)

70 HP Basic, Retreat 1. Chaos Rising 059, the print Iron Excavation runs. Its whole job is becoming Metang.

Three copies. Two go down on turn one and evolve on turn two. The third replaces a Metang that dies. Poffin and Poke Pad find it, and it is the cheapest Active in the deck to retreat.

Metangx3

Set: SV05: Temporal Forces 114/162
Rarity: Common
Type: Metal
HP: 100
Stage: Stage 1
Ability: Metal Maker - Once during your turn, you may look at the top 4 cards of your deck and attach any number of Basic Energy cards you find there to your Pokémon in any way you like. Shuffle the other cards and put them on the bottom of your deck.
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg H)
Attack: Beam (60)

Set: SV: Scarlet & Violet Promo Cards 090
Rarity: Promo
Type: Metal
HP: 100
Stage: Stage 1
Ability: Metal Maker - Once during your turn, you may look at the top 4 cards of your deck and attach any number of Basic Energy cards you find there to your Pokémon in any way you like. Shuffle the other cards and put them on the bottom of your deck.
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg H)
Attack: Beam (60)

The engine. Stage 1, 100 HP, Retreat 2. The Temporal Forces print, or the Scarlet & Violet promo 090, which carries the same Ability. The Chaos Rising and Journey Together Metang have no Ability at all.

Metal Maker: once during your turn, look at the top 4 cards of your deck and attach any number of Basic Metal Energy you find there to your Pokémon in any way you like. The rest go to the bottom of the deck.

It reads your Pokémon, not this Pokémon. It loads the Active Doublade, the benched Honedge, or an Aegislash.
It reads Basic Metal, and every Energy in the list is one. The cards it doesn't take go to the bottom, which is why it runs before Signal's shuffle.
Each Metang hits about 57% of the time with eleven Metal in the list, up from 45% with the first list's eight, and two of them find at least one Metal four turns in five. With the turn's attachment that is two, which is exactly one fresh Doublade.

Two in play, never fewer. The third goes down only on a free Bench spot. Beam does 60 for Metal Colorless and you will never use it. 100 HP and Retreat 2 make it the card they drag up to strand; that is what Switch is for.

Genesect exx2

Set: SV: Black Bolt 067/086
Rarity: Double Rare
Type: Metal
HP: 220
Stage: Basic
Ability: Metallic Signal - Once during your turn, you may search your deck for up to 2 Evolution Metal Pokémon, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Protect Charge (150) - During your opponent's next turn, this Pokémon takes 30 less damage from attacks (after applying Weakness and Resistance).

Set: SV: Black Bolt 169/086
Rarity: Special Illustration Rare
Type: Metal
HP: 220
Stage: Basic
Ability: Metallic Signal - Once during your turn, you may search your deck for up to 2 Evolution Metal Pokémon, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Weakness: Fire ×2
Resistance: Grass -30
Retreat: 2
Tournament: legal (Reg I)
Attack: Protect Charge (150) - During your opponent's next turn, this Pokémon takes 30 less damage from attacks (after applying Weakness and Resistance).

220 HP Basic, Fire Weakness, Grass Resistance, Retreat 2, two Prizes. Black Bolt 067.

Metallic Signal: once during your turn, search your deck for up to 2 Evolution Metal Pokémon and put them into your hand. Doublade and Aegislash are both Evolution Metal Pokémon, so Signal is +120 damage every turn, from the Bench, for no card. It finds Metang too.

Two copies, one in play. It and Fezandipiti ex are the two Pokémon in the deck worth two Prizes, and every Boss's Orders they run is aimed at one of them. The second stays off the board until the first is gone.

Signal searches the deck, never the hand or the discard. Once the deck runs out of Doublade and Aegislash, Signal finds nothing, and from there the discard is the second hand; Lana's Aid, Night Stretcher, and Max Rod read it. Protect Charge does 150 for Metal Metal Colorless and takes 30 less next turn, which is an emergency swing and nothing more.

Finding it is the hard part. Dawn takes it as a Basic, and Night Stretcher brings one back. Poffin and Poke Pad can't, since it has a Rule Box and 220 HP.

Fezandipiti exx1

Set: SV: Shrouded Fable 038/064
Rarity: Double Rare
Type: Darkness
HP: 210
Stage: Basic
Ability: Flip the Script - Once during your turn, if any of your Pokémon were Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn, you may draw 3 cards. You can't use more than 1 Flip the Script Ability each turn.
Weakness: Fighting ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg H)
Attack: Cruel Arrow - This attack does 100 damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokémon. (Don't apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)

Set: SV: Shrouded Fable 092/064
Rarity: Special Illustration Rare
Type: Darkness
HP: 210
Stage: Basic
Ability: Flip the Script - Once during your turn, if any of your Pokémon were Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn, you may draw 3 cards. You can't use more than 1 Flip the Script Ability each turn.
Weakness: Fighting ×2
Retreat: 1
Tournament: legal (Reg H)
Attack: Cruel Arrow - This attack does 100 damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokémon. (Don't apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)

210 HP Basic, Fighting Weakness, two Prizes. Shrouded Fable 038.

Flip the Script: once during your turn, if any of your Pokémon were Knocked Out during your opponent's last turn, draw 3 cards. This deck loses a Pokémon nearly every turn by design, so from the first trade on it is three cards a turn, from the Bench, and it never touches the swords already in your hand.

One copy, and it is the draw the first list didn't have. Signal, Dawn, Poffin, and Poke Pad find Pokémon. Nothing but Petrel finds a Switch, a Stadium, or a Boss's Orders, so those arrived one card a turn. It took Psyduck's slot and the tenth Basic with it, so the mulligan rate doesn't move. Cruel Arrow does 100 to any one of their Pokémon for Colorless , and you will never pay for it.

It costs a Prize map. With Genesect ex and Fezandipiti both down, they can win in four Knock Outs instead of six; see The Prize Map. Bench it once the two Metang are up, and when a Boss's Orders takes it, that was an attack that didn't take the loaded Honedge.

Trainers — Supporters

Dawnx3

Set: ME02: Phantasmal Flames 087/094
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Search your deck for a Basic Pokémon, a Stage 1 Pokémon, and a Stage 2 Pokémon, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Set: ME02: Phantasmal Flames 129/094
Rarity: Special Illustration Rare
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Search your deck for a Basic Pokémon, a Stage 1 Pokémon, and a Stage 2 Pokémon, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

It searches the deck for a Basic, a Stage 1, and a Stage 2 Pokémon. Three copies, and the best card in the deck.

Late in the game it takes Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash, which is +180 from one card. Early it builds the board.

Board: Dawn takes
Turn one going second, no Genesect: Genesect ex, Doublade, Aegislash
Beldum benched, no Metang yet: Genesect ex or a Honedge, Metang, Aegislash
Both Metang up, no Fezandipiti yet: Fezandipiti ex, Doublade, Aegislash
Everything already up: Honedge, Doublade, Aegislash, for +180

Lana's Aidx2

Set: SV06: Twilight Masquerade 155/167
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Put up to 3 in any combination of Pokémon that don't have a Rule Box and Basic Energy cards from your discard pile into your hand. (Pokémon ex, Pokémon V, etc. have Rule Boxes.)
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

Set: SV06: Twilight Masquerade 219/167
Rarity: Special Illustration Rare
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Put up to 3 in any combination of Pokémon that don't have a Rule Box and Basic Energy cards from your discard pile into your hand. (Pokémon ex, Pokémon V, etc. have Rule Boxes.)
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

It puts up to three Pokémon without a Rule Box or Basic Energy from the discard into your hand. Two copies.

Every Doublade that dies puts two swords in the discard. Lana's brings three back, so it out-earns a Knock Out and lands the swords where they swing this turn. It can't take Genesect ex. Take three swords unless Energy is what the turn is missing.

Boss's Ordersx2

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)

Set: ME: Ascended Heroes 256/217
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Switch in 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon to the Active Spot.
Tournament: unknown, check the letter on the card

It switches one of their Benched Pokémon into the Active Spot. Two copies.

Early, take the cradle. Two swords are 120, which kills nearly every Basic and Stage 1 a Mega grows from: Riolu (80), Dreepy (70), Drakloak (90), Drilbur (70), Gastly (70). A Mega that never evolves is three Prizes stuck in their hand.
Late, take the Mega that retreated. Air Balloon and Switch pull their Mega out of reach. Boss's brings it back the turn you hold six swords.
On a short-sword turn, take their engine. Toxtricity (140), Meganium (160), and Cynthia's Roserade (130) are three swords each.

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)

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 226/182
Rarity: Ultra Rare
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)

It searches the deck for a Trainer card. One copy.

It is the Stadium toolbox, finding Battle Cage against counters or Full Metal Lab against damage, and a second way to find Max Rod, Energy Recycler, a Switch, or a Lucky Helmet. Supporters it finds, like Boss's Orders, wait for next turn. It can't find Energy.

Hildax1

Set: SV: White Flare 084/086
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Search your deck for an Evolution Pokémon and an Energy card, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Set: SV: White Flare 171/086
Rarity: Special Illustration Rare
Type: Trainer - Supporter
Ability: Search your deck for an Evolution Pokémon and an Energy card, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

It searches the deck for an Evolution Pokémon and an Energy card. One copy.

It is the one Supporter that finds a sword and the Energy for it in one card. Early it takes Metang and a Metal, or a Doublade and a Metal for a fresh swing, and it is the turn-one play going second when Dawn isn't there. After Judge it takes Aegislash and the Metal that starts paying for Metal Slash.

Trainers — Items

Buddy-Buddy Poffinx3

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)

Set: SV06: Twilight Masquerade 223/167
Rarity: Hyper Rare
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)

Two Basic Pokémon with 70 HP or less, straight to the Bench. Three copies. Honedge and Beldum qualify; Genesect ex and Fezandipiti ex don't.

It is a turn-one card. Late in the game it benches swords out of the deck instead of putting them in your hand, which is why there is no fourth copy.

Poke Padx2

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)

Set: ME03: Perfect Order 113/088
Rarity: Ultra Rare
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)

It searches the deck for a Pokémon without a Rule Box. Two copies, printed Poké Pad.

It finds any sword, a Beldum, or a Metang, never Genesect ex. On turn one it takes the Honedge or Beldum the Bench is missing. Later it is +60.

Night Stretcherx2

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)

Set: SV08: Surging Sparks 251/191
Rarity: Hyper Rare
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Put a Pokémon or a Basic Energy card from your discard pile into your hand.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

It puts a Pokémon or a Basic Energy from the discard into your hand. Two copies.

It is the cheap way back for a Genesect ex, which Lana's can't touch. Otherwise it is one exact sword for lethal, or the Metal that pays for Metal Slash.

Energy Recyclerx1

Set: SV10: Destined Rivals 164/182
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Shuffle up to 5 Basic Energy cards from your discard pile into your deck.
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Set: SM - Forbidden Light 143/131
Rarity: Secret Rare
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Shuffle 5 basic Energy cards from your discard pole into your deck.
Tournament: rotated out

It shuffles up to five Basic Energy from the discard into the deck. One copy.

Metal Maker only looks at the deck. Every Knock Out buries two Metal, and by the third one the deck's Metal is thin enough that Metang misses. Recycler puts five back where it looks, so it goes down before the Makers run, not after.

Switchx2

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)

Set: SM Base Set 160/149
Rarity: Secret Rare
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Switch 1 of your Active Pokémon with 1 of your Benched Pokémon.
Tournament: rotated out

It swaps your Active Pokémon with a Benched one. Two copies.

A Honedge leads two games in five. The other three a Beldum, a Metang, or a Genesect ex is in front, every body in the deck retreats for two, and two Energy is a loaded Doublade. Switch rescues a Genesect ex or a Beldum that opened in the Active Spot, a Metang that got dragged up or Paralyzed, and an Aegislash after Metal Slash. The second copy took Brock's Scouting's slot after a game where a Metang sat in front with no Energy for four turns.

Max Rodx1

Set: SV: Prismatic Evolutions 116/131
Rarity: ACE SPEC Rare
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Put up to 5 in any combination of Pokémon and Basic Energy cards from your discard pile into your hand.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

Set: SV: Prismatic Evolutions 116/131
Rarity: ACE SPEC Rare
Type: Trainer - Item
Ability: Put up to 5 in any combination of Pokémon and Basic Energy cards from your discard pile into your hand.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

It puts up to five Pokémon and Basic Energy, in any combination, from the discard into your hand. The ACE SPEC.

It took Precious Trolley's slot. Xero found Trolley good only on the first turn; after that, it benched swords he needed in his hand. Max Rod is the opposite card, useless early and worth up to +300 late, exactly when the swords run dry. Once per game, so hold it for the turn it makes a Knock Out.

Trainers — Tool & Stadium

Brave Banglex2

Set: SV: White Flare 080/086
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Pokémon Tool
Ability: If the Pokémon this card is attached to doesn't have a Rule Box, attacks used by this Pokémon do 30 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon ex (before applying Weakness and Resistance). (Pokémon ex, Pokémon V, etc. have Rule Boxes.)
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

Set: ME05: Pitch Black 104/084
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Type: Trainer - Pokémon Tool
Ability: If the Pokémon this card is attached to doesn't have a Rule Box, the attacks it uses do 30 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon ex (before applying Weakness and Resistance). (Pokémon ex, Pokémon V, etc. have Rule Boxes.)
Tournament: legal (Reg I)

If the Pokémon it is attached to has no Rule Box, its attacks do 30 more to the opponent's Active Pokémon ex. Two copies.

Swords	Damage	With Bangle	What the 30 buys
4	240	270	Okidogi ex (250)
5	300	330	Dragapult ex (320), Cynthia's Garchomp ex without its Weight, Mega Sharpedo ex, Mega Lopunny ex (330), Mega Zygarde ex (310)
6	360	390	Mega Venusaur ex (380)

It goes to the discard with the Doublade wearing it, so attach it the turn the 30 changes a breakpoint, not before. It adds nothing against a single-Prize Pokémon, and on those turns the Tool is a Lucky Helmet; see Bangle or Helmet. Jamming Tower switches it off.

Lucky Helmetx2

Set: SV06: Twilight Masquerade 158/167
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Pokémon Tool
Ability: If the Pokémon this card is attached to is in the Active Spot and is damaged by an attack from your opponent's Pokémon (even if this Pokémon is Knocked Out), draw 2 cards.
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

Set: XY - Ancient Origins 77/98
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Pokémon Tool
Ability: Whenever the Pokémon this card is attached to is your Active Pokémon and is damaged by an opponent's attack (even if that Pokémon is Knocked Out), draw 2 cards.
Tournament: rotated out

If the Pokémon wearing it is in the Active Spot and is damaged by an attack from their Pokémon, draw 2 cards, even if it is Knocked Out. Two copies, Twilight Masquerade 158.

The Active Doublade gets hit every turn, so this is two cards a turn for no card and no Supporter. Attach it to the backup Honedge the turn Metal Maker loads it. Tools stay on through evolution, and it fires whether that Honedge dies in front as a Doublade or gets Bossed up early. Counters aren't attack damage, so Chaotic Pain and Cursed Blast don't trigger it. Jamming Tower switches it off, the same as the Bangle.

Battle Cagex2

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)

Set: ME02: Phantasmal Flames 116/094
Rarity: Ultra Rare
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)

It prevents damage counters from being placed on Benched Pokémon, both players', by effects of the opponent's attacks and Abilities. Two copies.

Phantom Dive's six counters, Chaotic Pain aimed at your Bench, and Cursed Blast on a benched Pokémon all stop. Attack damage still lands. It also replaces their Risky Ruins, Forest of Vitality, or Full Metal Lab.

Full Metal Labx2

Set: SV05: Temporal Forces 148/162
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Stadium
Ability: All Pokémon (both yours and your opponent’s) take 30 less damage from attacks from the opponent's Pokémon (after applying Weakness and Resistance).
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

Set: SV05: Temporal Forces 148/162
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Trainer - Stadium
Ability: All Pokémon (both yours and your opponent’s) take 30 less damage from attacks from the opponent's Pokémon (after applying Weakness and Resistance).
Tournament: legal (Reg H)

Metal Pokémon, both players', take 30 less damage from attacks. Two copies.

It is the Stadium against decks that deal damage, which is most of the ladder, and it reads as 30 more HP on every body you own. A Doublade lives through Mirage Barrage (120) and Cruel Arrow (100), and with Grass Resistance it takes Solar Beam at 80 and lives; Aegislash lives through Shinobi Blade (170); Genesect ex takes Jungle Dump at 180 and lives. Fire still kills a Doublade through it, since Weakness doubles before the 30 comes off. Never play it against a Metal deck. It shields their Pokémon too, so against Mega Excadrill ex six swords drop from 360 to 330 and miss. Counters ignore it entirely.

Energy

Basic Metal Energyx11

Set: MEE: Mega Evolution Energies 8
Rarity: Common
Type: Energy - Basic
Tournament: legal

Set: SV: Shrouded Fable 099/064
Rarity: Hyper Rare
Type: Energy - Basic
Tournament: legal

Eleven, Mega Evolution Energies 008, the same print as Iron Excavation, and the only Energy in the list. Metal Maker finds it, it is the Metal in Metal Slash, and Energy Recycler, Lana's Aid, Night Stretcher, and Max Rod all bring it back. The first list ran three Ignition and two Mist beside eight of these. The three extra Metal do Ignition's job through Metal Maker, and Mist never mattered.

The Thesis

The format runs on Pokémon ex worth two and three Prizes. This deck runs on a 100 HP Stage 1 worth one, and it doesn't try to survive. It trades.

Weaponized Swords does 60 for every Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash in your hand, and the cards stay there.

Swords in hand	Damage	With Brave Bangle	Knocks Out
2	120	150	Dreepy, Drakloak, Munkidori, Riolu, Gastly, Haunter, Drilbur, Cynthia's Gabite, Lunatone, Solrock
3	180	210	Toxtricity, Alakazam, Dhelmise, Crustle, Cynthia's Roserade, Meganium, Meowth ex
4	240	270	Genesect ex, Fezandipiti ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, Cinccino ex; Okidogi ex with Bangle
5	300	330	Gengar ex, N's Zoroark ex, Blissey ex; with Bangle, Dragapult ex, Mega Zygarde ex, and everything at 330
6	360	390	Mega Lucario ex, Mega Excadrill ex, Mega Gengar ex, Mega Charizard X ex; Mega Venusaur ex with Bangle
7	420	450	Cynthia's Garchomp ex wearing Cynthia's Power Weight (400)

Nothing in the format resists Metal, and a few things are weak to it. Lillie's Clefairy ex (190) dies to two swords, and Mega Froslass ex (310) and Mega Floette ex (250) to three. Bangle adds before Weakness doubles.

Doublade has no Rule Box and no Ability, and that switches off half the walls in the format. Crustle's Mysterious Rock Inn stops Pokémon ex. Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex stops Pokémon with an Ability. Neutralization Zone stops Pokémon ex. None of them touch Doublade. Mega Gengar's Shadowy Concealment only discounts Knock Outs by Pokémon ex, so it never discounts this deck's.

The swords are the resource, and every exchange costs two. When the Active Doublade dies, the Honedge behind it comes up and takes a Doublade from your hand, and a fresh Honedge goes down behind that. Signal pays exactly two back each turn. So Signal keeps the hand level, and the cards that grow it are Dawn (+3), Lana's Aid (+3 from the discard), Poke Pad (+1), and Max Rod (+5). Flip the Script (+3) and Lucky Helmet (+2) draw blind, and that is how the Switches, the Stadiums, and the Boss's Orders arrive.

The Hard Rules

The card sections explain the cards. This section explains the decisions, and it is the part to read before a game.

The board

Spot	Put here	Never
Active	A Doublade holding two Energy	Genesect ex or Metang; they are the engine
Bench	One Genesect ex	A second Genesect ex while the first lives
Bench	Two Metang	A third before the backup Honedge is down
Bench	One Honedge, loaded with Energy	A second backup sword after turn two
Bench	Fezandipiti ex, once both Metang are up	a second Pokémon ex before the engine is built

The target board is a Doublade in front, and Genesect ex, two Metang, one loaded Honedge, and Fezandipiti ex behind it. That is three swords on the board and nine left for your hand, the discard, and the Prizes. Fezandipiti goes down last, because until the Metang are up its spot belongs to a Beldum.

The backup stays a Honedge. Load it with Metal Maker, and don't evolve it. When the Active dies, promote the Honedge, evolve it from your hand on your turn, and swing. Pre-evolving it spends a sword a turn early for nothing.
Bench a new Honedge every time one gets promoted. A Honedge has to sit a turn before it evolves, so next turn's attacker goes down this turn.
Aegislash stays in hand unless the rule says otherwise.
Turn one is the exception. Two Honedge and two Beldum go down, because nothing evolves the turn it arrives.

Counting swords

Rule: Why
Count before you play anything. Swords times 60, plus 30 with a Bangle against an Active Pokémon ex.: Benching a Honedge and evolving both take a sword out of the swing. Check lethal first.
Signal takes Aegislash, unless the next attacker needs a Doublade.: Aegislash does nothing on the board, so it is a pure sword. Take a Doublade when your hand has none for the Honedge that comes up next.
Signal takes Metang only until two are in play.: After that, every Signal is two swords.
Dawn takes Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash once the board is built.: +180, and the Honedge is next turn's backup.
Lana's Aid takes three swords.: A Metal only when Energy is the thing the turn is missing.
Against Judge and Unfair Stamp, the swords in hand are the target.: Keep a Doublade loaded on the Bench, so Signal, an Aegislash, and one Energy rebuild a 230 swing; see Game Plan 5.

Where the Energy goes

Rule: Why
Run Metal Maker before Signal and before Dawn.: Metal Maker puts what it skips on the bottom. Signal's shuffle puts those cards back where you can draw them.
Metal Maker loads the backup Honedge first.: The Active usually gets the turn's attachment. The backup then comes up already holding two.
Energy Recycler goes before Metal Maker.: It shuffles the Metal back where the Makers look. After them it feeds nothing until next turn.
Don't feed Genesect ex.: Protect Charge is an emergency swing. Its Energy does more on a Doublade.
Retreat is Energy.: Doublade, Honedge, Metang, and Genesect ex all cost 2, and Aegislash costs 3. Switch costs a card instead, and there are two.

Bangle or Helmet

The Doublade in front wears one Tool, and it goes to the discard with it.

The next swing: The Tool
Thirty more reaches a Knock Out on an Active Pokémon ex: Brave Bangle
Anything else, including every single-Prize target: Lucky Helmet

Decide from the breakpoint table in The Thesis, and put the Tool on the backup Honedge the turn Metal Maker loads it, so the choice is made before the turn it matters. A Helmet on a Honedge that gets Bossed up still draws two.

When Aegislash comes out

The hand: Do this
Four swords or more: Keep swinging with Doublade. Every Aegislash stays a sword.
Three swords or fewer, and 230 Knocks Out the target: Evolve the Active Doublade into Aegislash and use Metal Slash. It needs : the two on the Doublade, the attachment, and a Metal Maker hit.
The hand was just shuffled away: Signal for an Aegislash and a Doublade, or Hilda for an Aegislash and a Metal. Evolve and swing.
Aegislash used Metal Slash last turn: It can't attack. Switch it out, or let its 150 HP soak a hit that would kill a Doublade.

Metal Slash is 230, which beats three swords (180) and loses to four (240). Evolving also spends the Aegislash out of your hand, so at four swords Doublade is always the better swing.

Recovery order

Card	Takes	Into	Play it when
Lana's Aid	three swords or Basic Energy	hand	the three make this turn's Knock Out; the default refill
Max Rod	five Pokémon or Basic Energy	hand	the discard holds four or five swords and this swing needs them; once per game
Night Stretcher	one Pokémon or Basic Energy	hand	a Genesect ex comes back, or one exact sword makes lethal

Nothing here puts swords back into the deck. The first list ran Sacred Ash for that, and five swords in the deck is five turns of Signal where five in the hand is a swing. Once Signal runs dry the discard is the second hand, and every card in this table reads it. Max Rod is the last card in the game, not the first.

Opening turns

When: Do this
The toss: Choose second. The turn-one Supporter is live three games in four, and in this deck it is swords: Dawn is three, Hilda is one and its Energy. Going first trades that for a swing before they evolve, and turn two can't Dawn and Boss both to cash it in. Their turn-two Knock Out also switches on Flip the Script for yours.
Setup: Lead a Honedge when you hold two; it evolves in place. Otherwise lead Beldum, which retreats for 1. Genesect ex or Fezandipiti ex leads only when it is the only Basic. Bench at most two Honedge, up to two Beldum, and the Genesect ex. Honedge three and four stay in hand.
First turn, going first: Items only. Poffin takes a Honedge and a Beldum; Poke Pad takes whichever is missing. Attach a Metal to the Active Honedge.
First turn, going second: Dawn takes Genesect ex, a Doublade, and an Aegislash; without Dawn, Hilda takes a Doublade and a Metal. Bench the Genesect and Signal. Attach to the Active Honedge. Nothing evolves on your first turn.
Second turn: Evolve the Active Honedge into Doublade and both Beldum into Metang. Metal Maker twice, then Signal, then the Supporter. Count, attach, swing.
Every turn: Count swords first. Use Signal before you attack, since attacking ends the turn.

Build order

Order	Build	Found by	Why here
1	Two Honedge	Poffin, Poke Pad, Dawn	one evolves on turn two, one is the backup
2	Two Beldum	Poffin, Poke Pad	Metang next turn
3	Genesect ex	Dawn or the draw	Signal is +120 a turn from the moment it lands
4	Doublade in the Active Spot	your hand, Signal, Dawn	the turn-two swing
5	Two Metang	Signal, Poke Pad, Dawn	Metal Maker loads the backup
6	A loaded backup Honedge	Metal Maker	the next attacker arrives ready
7	Fezandipiti ex	Dawn or the draw	three cards a turn once the trades start

The third Metang and the third Beldum wait for a dead Metang; Fezandipiti holds the spot they used to wait for.

The Prize Map

Everything here is worth one Prize except Genesect ex and Fezandipiti ex.

What they take: Knock Outs they need for six Prizes
Only single-Prize Pokémon: 6
One Pokémon ex along the way: 5
Both ex on the board: 4

They attack with	Your Knock Outs to win	Swords for each
Mega Evolution ex, 3 Prizes	2	six, or five with Bangle against a 330
Pokémon ex, 2 Prizes	3	four to six
Single-Prize Pokémon	6	two or three, and Bangle adds nothing

Mega rooms are the best rooms. Two swings win, and they need six. Single-Prize rooms are the hard ones, because six Knock Outs drain the swords faster than the recovery cards refill them. That is also the room where Fezandipiti ex costs the most, since two of their six Knock Outs can be the ex on your Bench. The draw is worth it until a game says otherwise, and Test and Tune has the swap back.

The Energy Engine

Doublade costs Colorless , so every fresh attacker needs two Energy. This is where they come from.

Source	From	To	Costs
Manual attachment	hand	anything	the turn's attachment
Metal Maker	the top four of the deck	any of your Pokémon	nothing; Basic Metal only, about 57% a look
Hilda	deck	hand	the turn's Supporter; a Metal and the sword that needs it
Energy Recycler	discard	deck	an Item; Basic only
Lana's Aid, Night Stretcher, Max Rod	discard	hand	Basic only

Two Metang and the attachment make one Doublade a turn. With eleven Metal, two looks find at least one four turns in five, and the attachment is the second. The first list covered the fifth turn with Ignition Energy, and the trick came up once in four games; three more Metal do the same job, and Metal Maker can find them.

Late games thin the deck's Metal. With four Metal left in 35 cards, each look hits 40% of the time. Every Knock Out buries two, so Energy Recycler comes down after the second or third, and before the Makers run.

Game Plans

1. Turn one, going first

You lost the toss, so no attack and no Supporter, but every Item is legal. Poffin takes a Honedge and a Beldum, Poke Pad takes whatever is missing, and the Active Honedge gets a Metal. A Dawn in hand is turn two's play.

2. Turn one, going second

This is the side to choose. Opening turns says why. Dawn is the play. It takes Genesect ex, a Doublade, and an Aegislash. Bench the Genesect, use Signal for two more swords, and attach to the Active Honedge. Bench two Beldum with Poffin. Nothing evolves yet.

Without a Dawn, Hilda is the play. It takes a Doublade and the Metal for it, and Genesect ex waits for the draw or the next Dawn.

3. The first swing

Turn two, the Active Honedge evolves, Metal Maker and the attachment give it two Energy, and the hand holds two to four swords.

Two swords are enough to take a cradle. Boss's Orders a Riolu, a Dreepy, a Drilbur, or a Gastly, and the Mega it grows into never arrives. Save the big swings for when the Mega is already in play.

4. Rearming after a knockout

The Active Doublade dies. That was always the plan.

Flip the Script first. Three cards before any decision.
Promote the loaded Honedge. It has sat a turn, so it evolves from your hand at once.
If it isn't loaded, Metal Maker first, then the attachment. Two looks and the attachment are two Energy four turns in five.
Bench a new Honedge for next turn, then the other Metal Maker onto it.
Count, then swing.

If there is no Honedge on the Bench, the board broke a rule. Promote a Beldum, Poke Pad a Honedge, and lose a turn rather than promoting Genesect ex or Fezandipiti ex.

The loaded Honedge stays on the Bench until the Active dies. Retreating into it a turn early to Cut for 40 is how the Greninja game was lost: a 70 HP body in front with two Energy and a Bangle on it, and nothing behind it.

5. After Judge or Unfair Stamp

The hand is gone, so the swords are gone. Two Abilities and one card rebuild it.

Signal first. It takes an Aegislash and a Doublade, and it needs no card in hand.
Evolve the Doublade into Aegislash. If it holds two, the attachment and a Metal Maker hit pay Metal Slash for 230.
Hilda is the out without Signal. Aegislash and a Metal in one card.
Next turn, back to Doublade. Dawn, Lana's Aid, and Signal refill the hand.

6. The late game

By the third Knock Out the deck has thinned, Signal is close to empty, and four or more swords sit in the discard. Nothing puts them back into the deck. The first list ran Sacred Ash for that, and five swords in the deck is five turns of Signal where five in the hand is a swing.

Lana's Aid on the turns between. Three swords from the discard, into the hand where they count.
Max Rod when the swing needs it. Five swords into your hand is +300 that turn.
Night Stretcher for the exact one. The sword that makes lethal, or the Genesect ex that Lana's can't take.

Count what is left before choosing. Max Rod works best with five swords in the discard, and it is a one-of.

7. Choosing the stadium

Their deck: Your Stadium
Places counters on your Bench (Dragapult, Lucky Haunt, Dusknoir): Battle Cage
Deals damage, and isn't Metal (Overgrowth, Garchomp, Lucario): Full Metal Lab
Is Metal (Mega Excadrill, Steven's Metagross): Battle Cage, to replace their Full Metal Lab
Plays Risky Ruins or Forest of Vitality: Either one, played over theirs

There are two of each, and Petrel finds whichever the game needs.

Cards to Watch Out For

Read their board, their Energy, and their Stadium before every attack.

Card	Switches off	The answer
Judge, Unfair Stamp, Special Red Card, Xerosic's Machinations	the swords in your hand	Game Plan 5. Signal and Aegislash rebuild a swing.
Mega Froslass ex, Resentful Refrain	50 for each card in your hand, so your swords are its damage	It is weak to Metal, so three swords (360) Knock Out its 310. Hit it first.
Eri	discards two Items from your hand, often Max Rod or a Switch	Play recovery Items the turn you draw them when Eri is in their list.
Budew, Itchy Pollen; Jellicent ex while Active	your Items, and Jellicent stops Tools too	Supporters and Abilities still work, so Dawn, Lana's, Signal, and Metal Maker carry the turn.
Iron Thorns ex, in their Active Spot	Metallic Signal, since Genesect ex has a Rule Box	Metal Maker still works. Four swords Knock Out its 230.
Jamming Tower	Brave Bangle and Lucky Helmet	Replace it with Battle Cage or Full Metal Lab.
Emma	nothing, but it draws them a card for every Pokémon in your hand, and your hand is swords	Nothing stops it. Kill faster; against Greninja it drew eight once.
Full Metal Lab, theirs	30 off every hit on their Metal Pokémon	Replace it with Battle Cage before the big swing.
Risky Ruins, theirs	20 on every Honedge and Beldum you bench	Replace it. Bench before it lands when you can.
Fire attackers	Weakness ×2 on every Pokémon in the deck	Doublade dies anyway. Keep Genesect ex off the board until it is needed.

Versus the Card Shop

The Live ladder is where this deck practices. Doublade decks are a fringe pick online, so expect every opponent to be meeting it for the first time.

Versus Dragapult ex

Their number: The answer
Phantom Dive: 200 to the Active, and 6 counters on your Bench: Doublade dies to the 200 either way. Battle Cage stops the 6.
Dragapult ex, 320 HP: five swords and a Bangle (330), or six
Dreepy 70, Drakloak 90, Munkidori 110: two swords each
Lillie's Clefairy ex, 190, weak to Metal: two swords, doubled to 240

Steve plays this most weeks at CardCrate, and dragons.md is modeled on his list.

Battle Cage first. It stops Phantom Dive's counters, and it replaces Steve's Risky Ruins and Area Zero Underdepths. Under his Ruins a benched Honedge is at 50, and six counters finish it.
Boss the Drakloaks early. Each one draws them a card a turn, and each is two swords.
Clefairy ex is two Prizes for two swords. Steve runs two. Take one whenever the Dragapult isn't killable yet.
Budew locks Items for a turn. Play Poffin, Poke Pad, and the recovery Items the turn before it swings.
Online, Dusknoir is common. Battle Cage keeps Cursed Blast off the Bench, and the Active Doublade was dying anyway.

Versus Mega Lucario ex

Their number: The answer
Aura Jab: 130, or 160 with Premium Power Pro: Doublade dies; Aegislash lives through the bare 130
Mega Brave: 270, never two turns running: nothing lives through it
Mega Lucario ex, 340 HP: six swords; five with a Bangle is 330, one short
Riolu 80, Lunatone 110, Solrock 110, Hariyama 150: two swords each; Hariyama three

Kill every Riolu. Boss's Orders and two swords, and the Mega never arrives.
Two Lucario Knock Outs win. It is three Prizes, and they need six Knock Outs on this deck.
Hariyama drags Genesect ex up when it evolves. That is two Prizes for Mega Brave. One Genesect on the board, never two.
After Mega Brave, leave it in front. It can't use Mega Brave next turn, and Air Balloon is how they reset it. See the Boss's Orders warning.

Versus Greninja ex

Their number: The answer
Mirage Barrage: 120 to two of your Pokémon, Bench included, for three Energy, and it discards two: Full Metal Lab makes it 90. Doublade and Metang live; Honedge doesn't.
Shinobi Blade: 170 for one Energy, and it searches their deck for any card: Lab makes it 140, which Aegislash survives. The search is a Boss's Orders every turn they want one.
Greninja ex, 310 HP, and no damage while Benched: five swords and a Bangle (330), or six, and only while it is Active
Fezandipiti ex, 210: four swords, or three with a Bangle
Frogadier 90, Froakie 60: two swords; Boss the Frogadier before it evolves

Battle Cage does nothing here. Mirage Barrage is attack damage, not counters. Lab is the Stadium, and Petrel's first job is finding it.
Barrage comes every other turn. It costs three Energy and discards two, so a Greninja alternates it with Shinobi Blade. A second Greninja resets that.
Under Lab the backup is a Doublade. A benched Honedge dies to 90 and a benched Doublade doesn't, so this is the one room where the backup evolves early.
Emma reads your hand. It draws them a card per Pokémon in it, and your hand is swords. Kill faster.
Numbing Water Paralyzes on a heads. It is their Frogadier's attack, and it cost a whole turn once. Switch answers it; a Paralyzed Pokémon can't retreat, but it can be switched.

The first list lost this 0-6 on 2026-10-26, with both Stadiums in the deck and neither drawn, and with four swords in hand from turn 4 on and no body in front to swing them.

The rest of the room

Deck	The problem	The answer
Cynthia's Garchomp ex, Elliott at league	400 HP with Cynthia's Power Weight; each Roserade adds 30 to every hit	Garchomp is seven swords. Take the Roserades (130) and Gabites (100) first, at three and two swords.
Mega Excadrill ex, Matt at league	340, and his Full Metal Lab takes 30 off your hits on his Metal Pokémon	Battle Cage over his Lab, then six swords. Two Knock Outs win. Under his Lab, his Metang (100) takes three swords.
Alakazam	single-Prize, and Powerful Hand places counters on your Active	Nothing in the list stops it there now that Mist is gone, and Battle Cage keeps it off the Bench. Alakazam is 140, three swords, and it dies first.
Grimmsnarl Froslass	Resentful Refrain is 50 for each card in your hand	Mega Froslass ex is weak to Metal: three swords for 360.
Crustle	Mysterious Rock Inn stops Pokémon ex	Doublade isn't one. Crustle is 150, three swords.
N's Zoroark ex	280 HP	five swords

Versus the Kitchen Table

Xero names his deck first and Fox picks in response. These are his two mains.

Dad's deck	What it does to this deck	The answer
Lucky Haunt	Chaotic Pain (130 in counters) kills any Honedge, Doublade, or Metang, Bench included, and Risky Ruins puts 20 on every Honedge and Beldum you bench. Close the Bench and Mega Gengar ex swings Void Gale for 230, then retreats on an Air Balloon.	Battle Cage closes the Bench and replaces the Ruins, which leaves Chaotic Pain one target, the Doublade that was dying anyway. That forces the Mega forward: six swords is three Prizes, and Boss's Orders brings it back when it retreats. Short on swords, Boss the Toxtricity (140, three swords), which feeds every Mega swing. Shadowy Concealment never discounts a Doublade.
Overgrowth	Mega Venusaur ex is 380 and heals 30 a swing. Teal Mask Ogerpon ex takes no damage on the Bench.	Don't race Venusaur. Boss the Meganium (160, three swords), and every Grass Energy drops back to one. Hit Ogerpon ex when it is Active (210, four swords, or three with a Bangle). Full Metal Lab and Grass Resistance keep a Doublade alive through Solar Beam (80). Venusaur takes six swords and a Bangle.

Lucky Haunt is the winnable game, and Overgrowth is the hard one. The Venusaur wall and the Bench-proof Ogerpon leave Doublade one target at a time.

Test and Tune

The list is a hypothesis, and games are the data.

The second list, 2026-10-26. Out went three Ignition, two Mist, Sacred Ash, Brock's Scouting, and Psyduck. In came three Basic Metal, a second Switch, a second Full Metal Lab, two Lucky Helmet, and Fezandipiti ex. Four games on Live made the case, two wins and two losses, and both losses were turns with swords in hand and no body in front to swing them.

Symptom: Fix
Genesect ex still arrives late: Brock's Scouting back over a Poke Pad
The right Stadium keeps arriving late: the second Team Rocket's Petrel over Hilda
Metal Maker keeps missing: a twelfth Basic Metal over a Poke Pad
A fresh Doublade keeps sitting one Energy short: one Ignition Energy back over a Basic Metal
The swords run dry before the last Knock Out: a third Lana's Aid over a Poke Pad
The Bench keeps getting hit: read which. Counters want a third Battle Cage, damage wants a third Lab, and the one you don't need is the slot.
Mulligans hurt: a fourth Beldum over the second Switch: 11 Basics and a 22% mulligan
Hand disruption keeps winning: a second Hilda over a Poke Pad
Fezandipiti ex keeps being the last two Prizes: Psyduck back in its slot, and the draw goes with it
Doublade keeps dying with no swing: not a card problem; keep a loaded Honedge on the Bench, per The board

Alternatives

Card	Swaps for	Play it when
Precious Trolley	Max Rod	Genesect ex keeps arriving late. It is the turn-one Genesect out, and it benches swords every turn after.
Team Rocket's Petrel, the second	Hilda	the Stadium matters more than the Aegislash rebuild. It was in the first list.
Kieran	a Boss's Orders	the Megas keep surviving on 10. +30 against an Active Pokémon ex stacks with Bangle, so five swords make 360.
Maximum Belt	Max Rod	six swords keep being one short. +50 against an Active ex, but it is discarded with the Doublade wearing it.
Philippe	a Lana's Aid	Energy runs short late. Two Metal from the discard onto one Doublade.
Steven's Metagross ex	the Metang line	you want two Energy a turn, guaranteed; that is Robot Swords
Dudunsparce and Dunsparce	Fezandipiti ex and a Poke Pad	you want the draw on a single-Prize body. Run Away Draw draws three and shuffles itself away, so it needs a spot and a turn to sit, every time.
Team Rocket's Transceiver	never here	it finds a Petrel, which costs the turn's Supporter. It earns its slot in Rare Candy builds, and this one has no Candy.
Hero's Cape	never	a 200 HP Doublade still dies to everything
Lillie's Determination	never	it shuffles the swords away
Ultra Ball	never	it discards from a hand that is the deck's damage
Klefki	never	the TCG Live challenge deck runs two. Memory Lock does 30, and Klefki isn't a sword.
Salvatore	Hilda	the no-attacker turns keep coming. It evolves a Honedge the turn it lands, from the deck, so the sword in hand stays a sword. It still needs a Switch and two Energy the same turn to swing, and it adds 60 where Dawn adds 180.
Brock's Scouting	a Poke Pad	Genesect ex keeps arriving late. It finds two Basics or one Evolution, and it was in the first list.
Ignition Energy	a Basic Metal	a fresh Doublade keeps sitting one Energy short. One card paid a whole attack on an Evolution Pokémon; three were in the first list, and the trick came up once in four games.
Mist Energy	a Basic Metal	Powerful Hand or Chaotic Pain on the Active keeps deciding games. Two were in the first list and never mattered.
Psyduck	Fezandipiti ex	the two-Prize Bench keeps costing games. Damp switches off Cursed Blast, which Battle Cage already keeps off the Bench.
Sacred Ash	never now	it puts five swords into the deck, where Signal takes two a turn. Lana's Aid, Night Stretcher, and Max Rod put them in the hand, where they swing.