EX 2005 (RS–EM)

The 2005 Worlds winning deck, developed in secret by Maron, Pablo Meza, and Adam Capriola. Nidoqueen’s Family Bonds Poké-Power searches for any Nidoran evolution each turn, while Pidgeot’s Quick Search finds everything else. Desert Ruins punishes opposing Pokémon-ex, and non-ex attackers deny extra prizes. Milotic provides recovery.

Dark Tyranitar’s Spinning Tail spreads 20 damage to every opposing Pokémon, while Pow! Hand Extension drags damaged targets active for knockouts. Electrode ex’s Energy Shift powers up attackers instantly at the cost of giving up a prize. Magcargo’s Smooth Over stacks the deck for perfect draws.

The same Queendom core as Maron’s winning list — co-developed by Meza himself. This variant trades a Copycat for a third Steven’s Advice and shifts the energy split slightly, running 3 Fighting over 2 with fewer Heal Energy. The strategy is identical: Nidoqueen searches, Pidgeot tutors, Desert Ruins punishes ex.

A streamlined Dark Tyranitar build focused on consistent spread damage. Magcargo’s Smooth Over guarantees the right card every turn without needing Pidgeot. Two Dark Tyranitar variants provide flexibility — Spinning Tail for spread and Grind for raw damage. R Energy boosts Dark-type damage output, and Desert Ruins chips away at opposing Pokémon-ex.

A control deck that locks down the opponent’s setup. Dark Ampharos’s Darkest Impulse places damage counters on every Pokémon the opponent evolves, while Ancient Technical Machine [Rock] devolves them back down to trigger it again. Dark Tyranitar provides spread damage and Pidgeot ensures consistency. Rocket’s Tricky Gym adds further evolution punishment.

A fast, aggressive Medicham ex deck that swept the Juniors division. Jirachi’s Wishing Star searches for any card on a coin flip, while Swoop! Teleporter drops Medicham ex directly into the active spot. Energy Removal 2 and Pow! Hand Extension disrupt the opponent’s board. Island Cave and Metal Energy reduce incoming damage to keep Medicham ex alive.

Benson’s Seniors-winning Medicham ex list runs a split of Meditite from two different sets and maxes out on disruption: 4 Pow! Hand Extension, 4 Energy Removal 2, and 4 Team Aqua Hideout to reduce bench size. Jirachi starts the game searching for key pieces, while Swoop! Teleporter enables surprise attacks. Magnetic Storm removes resistance for clean knockouts.

The evolution of the RAMBO archetype from the previous format. With Oracle gone, Pidgeot’s Quick Search fills the consistency role. Blaziken’s Firestarter accelerates Fire Energy from the discard pile, powering up Blaziken ex and Rayquaza ex. Moltres ex provides additional energy acceleration, and High Pressure System reduces retreat costs across the board.

A high-risk, high-reward aggressive deck. Electrode ex’s Energy Shift attaches all its energy to another Pokémon when knocked out, instantly powering up Zapdos ex or Rayquaza ex for massive attacks. Magmar serves as an early-game attacker and pivot. Battle Frontier shuts down opposing Poké-Powers and Bodies on evolved Colorless, Fire, and Water Pokémon, crippling Pidgeot decks.

Dark Dragonite’s Dark Trance moves Dark and Special Energy freely between Pokémon, functioning like a Dark-type energy manipulation engine. Dark Electrode’s Darkness Navigation attaches itself from the hand as energy when you’re behind on prizes. Pidgeot provides the consistency backbone, and Wally’s Training enables turn-one evolutions. Rocket’s Hideout gives Dark Pokémon extra HP.